Result: 7:36:56.
I place in the absolute among girls.
II place in the absolute among all participants.
There were 210 participants at the start.
How it all began
My husband and I have been volunteering for this event for two years. That year, my husband decided that he wanted to run the night race in the ELTON ULTRA 84 km. I, having learned that he wants to run, caught fire too. When I told him about my idea to run 84 km, he was not very happy about it and was against it. Since I did not have proper preparation for this distance.
My husband prepares me for marathons. Long runs I ran a maximum of 30 km, but more often than not, and there were not many of them. And yes, the longest distance I have covered is 42 km, I have never run again. My husband sensibly assessed the whole situation and the fact that I already have a good base. In the end, he gave me the go-ahead, this race is 84 km long
On May 5, I ran a marathon in Kazan at 3:01:48. Improved the personal for 7 minutes. After this marathon, I still had three weeks to recover to Elton. The week after the marathon was restorative. And for two weeks I taught myself to run at a pace of 5.20-5.30. This was the target pace for a distance of 84 km.
Departure to Elton
On May 24, my friends and I, who also went to run 84 km, left Kamyshin for Elton. At the crossing we swam across the Volga, and then drove for about three hours to the very village of Elton. On the same day, we received starting bags.
We rented a house on Elton. We checked in at 21.00. We decided to rent a house in order to get a good night's sleep before the start and we could cook our own food. Before starting, it is better to have your own, proven.
Sleep before the start
Mandrazh began, I did not want to sleep. Everything inside was seething and boiling. We went to sleep at about three in the morning. In the morning at 8.00 my eyes opened, and I did not want to sleep, emotions overwhelmed us. But my husband and I forced ourselves to sleep until the last moment and were able to stay until 11.30.
By 17.00 we went and saw off the guys who started at a distance of 205 km at 18.00. After their start, we went to our house and began to prepare for the race.
What she took and what she ran in
Took Salomon's vest; hydrator with water 1.5 liters, Sis gels 9 pieces, pain relieving pills, elastic bandage, whistle, Salomon bottle, telephone, foil blanket, little finger batteries 3 pieces (stock).
She ran in Nike shorts, headband, compression gaiters, socks, Nike Zoom Winflo 4 sneakers, long sleeve jersey.
Preparing to start
We collected everything that was needed for the race, got dressed and went to the starting point. There are a lot of thoughts in my head. The first ultra. How to run. How to reach the finish line. What to Expect During the Race ...
Before entering the starting line, there was a check of equipment and equipment. Everything went well. I took everything that was necessary for the position for the race.
Start
There were only a few seconds left before the start, the countdown began ... 3,2,1 ... and we started running. Some started off as if they were running 1 km, not 84 km.
My task was to follow the pulse. The first half of the distance had to be within 145. Approximately, my pace at this heart rate is 5.20. At first, the pulse was high on adrenaline, then I began to slow down to even out it. But the pulse still dropped only to 150, rarely dropped below. I didn't like it very much. Only after 20 km I understood why the pulse was slightly higher than planned. Since this is my first ultra, I didn’t know all the nuances of running technique, I didn’t know how to properly work my legs. As the distance progressed, I realized that I didn't need to raise my hip high. As soon as I realized this, my pulse gradually began to drop.
At a distance, I drank often, but a little bit. First, I drank from a hydrator with 1.5 liters of water. This reserve was enough for me up to 42 km. Then I began to drink from a bottle, which, thank God, I put into my vest at the last moment before the start. I had POWERADE isotonic in the bottle. At 48 PP, I refilled my bottle with water and ran on. I didn't pour water into the hydrator during the distance. The bottle was my lifesaver, as it could be filled quickly on a PP, rather than a hydrator. Therefore, I worked out food items quickly for 1-2 minutes and that's it. While the volunteers were filling my bottle, I quickly drank two glasses of half of water and cola, then grabbed my bottle and ran away. If I forgot to drink water, then the pulse from lack of water immediately began to rise up. Therefore, you must drink. Geli ate every 9 km. During the entire run I ate one slice of banana, 5 pieces of raisins, all the rest of the food was gels.
At first, I ran in third position and held on for up to 10 km. Then she moved to 15 km to the second position. I caught up with the girl who was in the lead, but then she began to lag behind. After 20 km, I continued to lead with another girl. We alternated with her, then she went to the first position, then me. So we ran up to 62 km to the BCP. Then I realized that I have strength and after that I suffered. I started to pick up the pace. I understand that my legs work well, but, to be honest, I was worried, what if I catch the so-called “wall”. I ran to 70 km, 14 km were left to the finish line, and I decided to give my best and the pace began to increase even more. As a result, these last 14 km my pace was faster than 4.50-4.40. I began to overtake the men, someone had already started to alternate between running and walking, someone was just walking.
4 km before the finish line, a big callus burst on my little finger, a tear of pain welled up in my eyes. Despite the pain, I continued to run without slowing down. After 2 km, a callus burst on my other little finger and again a hell of a pain, I realized that it was 2 km to the finish line and, limping, continued to run.
My layout by distance
5.20; 5.07, 5.21, 5.17, 5.13; 5.20; 5.26; 5.26; 5.20; 5.19; 5.18; 5,21; 5,27; 5.23; 5.24; 5.22; 5,25; 5.22; 5.34; 5.21; 5.24; 5,25; 5,53; 5,59; 5,35; 5,28; 5.39; 5.47; 5.42; 5.45; 5.38; 5.45; 5.39; 5.45; 5.48; 5.56; 5.50; 5.58; 5.58; 5.54; 6.04; 5.58; 5.48; 5.46; 5.36; 5.37; 5.32; 5.33; 6.01; 5.52; 5.47; 5.58; 5.47; 5.40; 5.46; 5.55; 6.01; 6.07; 6.11; 6.05; 5.24; 5.26; 5.16; 5.13; 5.11; 5.18; 5.16; 5.14; 5.11; 5.0; 4.47; 4.39; 4.34; 4.42; 4.42; 4.49; 4.40; 4.37, 4.34; 4.32; 4.54; 4.41; 4.32, 4.30.
The average heart rate of the entire distance came out 153.
Finish
Finally I saw the long-awaited finish. I crossed the winner's finish line, and then emotions covered me. Just a stream of tears flowed from my eyes. These were not tears of fatigue, they were tears of happiness. After some time, I looked up and I see that I brought to tears not only myself, but also the fans. In general, I will remember this finish for a long time. Usually I was able to cope with my emotions, but here, I could not ...
Many thanks to the organizers. Every year they come up with something new, unusual and fascinating. With Elton Ultra it is impossible to leave without a bunch of positive emotions - Elton charges. Who has not been, I advise you to come there and participate. Become a part of this grand event. You can come as a volunteer, participant, spectator.
A few days before the start, I wrote to Elena Petrova, the winner of last year. I learned from her some of the nuances in overcoming this distance. Thank her very much for the practical advice that came in handy for me on the distance.
