Event Name, Date, Location.
Glacier Ridge Trail Ultra, 05/10/25, Moraine State Park, PA
If you’ve not yet, please find and go through 3-5 written or video race reports of the event you’re participating in.
Have you done this?
I have!
Race day weather.
What’s the predicted weather?
Too early to know.
Course description.
Course loops? Point-to-point? Technical? Flat? Muddy? Hilly? Hard cutoff time?
How do you feel
about it?
Is there a particular course section that you feel worried about?
If yes, then why?
How have you prepared for it?
The course is mostly double and single track. The double track is bike path and horse trail. The horse trail is swampy, muddy, and difficult to run. The single track is technical with rocks roots, and a little bit of steepness.
A few small streams.
There is a little bit of road. Some of it is paved and some is gravel.
The swamp section sucks. It is always wet and muddy. After a while, it doesn’t feel good on the feet, but that can be motivating to hurry up and get the section done.
The course elevation gain total is about 6,824 ft.
I’m comfortable with this course.
I’m slightly worried about what it will be like pushing myself like I want to, but that is part of the fun. I know that it will be uncomfortable and hurt, but it is okay. I will be able to recover afterwards and feel amazing about it.
If I make a pacing mistake, I will do my best to rally. It is not a big deal, I can handle it. I have shown myself this through my training and other races.
Ultimate Goal.
What would a perfect race be for you?
Goal A: Beat the women’s course record or come as close to it as possible (carrot/motivation to just run!)/PR.
Goal B: 1st place female/PR.
Goal C: Top three women/PR.
Goal D: Finish.
Nail my pacing by not going out too fast, staying patient until the second half of the race. Push myself in the last 20 miles. Drop the bomb on the downhill with 5 miles left. Hang on during the last 3. Leave it all out there when I turn onto the road to go towards the finish line, which is about 50-100 yards.
I’m looking for growth.
Other goals is to nail my nutrition and hydration, and to stay upright. I will be prepared to move quickly through aid stations by knowing what I need before I get to it and by not stopping to chit chat. This should take less than 20 seconds.
Since I could not find a pacer, I plan on listening to music during the last 20 miles. Listening to music is something that I never do during races, even on most of my long runs. I feel this is a smart move to keep my pace and spirits up.
Travel.
What are your travel plans for this event?
Will you need a day off for travel to the destination?
Are you driving?
Who will be with you and will someone be able to hold on to your gear during the run?
Stephen will drive me to the race. It is about a 30 minute drive. I will do packet pickup, use the bathroom, eat something, talk to my friends, and do a quick strength or plyometric warmup around 5:30AM. The race will start at 6:00AM. I am not using a drop bag or a crew.
Lodging.
Where are you staying?
What is the travel time to the race start?
See above.
Race Strategy.
Pre -Race.
What will your nutrition plan be for the morning of the race?
What gear will you be wearing?
Will a warm-up be possible?
Will you be standing in a corral for a half hour?
What will you wear before the event?
I plan on eating oatmeal, a banana, and or a blueberry muffin before the race. Drink coffee. Maybe eat a Hammer gel after packet pickup, depending on the timing of things.
I will be wearing shorts, a crop top tank top, sports bra that is also crop top to help prevent chaffing from my vest, Buff, trucker hat, Injinji socks, Altra Superior 6, shoe gaiters, COROS Pace, UD vest. I may put KT tape on my back where my vest might rub. Squirrel’s Nut Butter on my feet.
Vest will contain water in the bladder, electrolytes (Skratch) in the front flasks, gels (Hammer), caps (Hammer anti-fatigue and Succeed S!Caps), snacks (Hammer and Skratch products, plus others), extra Buff.
Depending on the weather, I will have my North Face rain jacket and YakTrax.
Start line mindset.
What will your mindset be at the start line?
How will you address or approach any
pre-race jitters or anxiety?
What positive mantra can you use?
What’s one positive self-talk or
affirmation you can state to yourself?
I will be focused, calm, excited, and try to relax and have fun.
- “Proper Pacing Prevents Piss Poor Performance.”
- “You got this.”
- “You’re fine.”
- “Steady.”
- “Light and quick.”
- “Pixy Ninja.”
- “Push.”
- “Strong.”
- “Unbreakable.”
- “Beast kid.” – Nickname from my Dad. 🙂
- “Keep moving.”
- “The person who wants it the most will win.”
- “The person who does the best job at suffering will win.”
- “Focus on your own race.”
- “You vs the trail.”
- “It will not break you.”
- “Relentless forward progress.”
- “Expand the pain cave.”
- “You’re doing better than you think you are.”
- “You love what you do and you are really good at it.”
- “Every step forward is a step closer to being done.”
- “Get that finisher reward.”
Briefly, remind yourself of your “why” for the race.
What is your “why”?
Then return your attention to
the present.
Remind yourself of all of the hard work you put in to be standing there.
You put in the work, you are ready.
Soak in the energy of the start line feels.
Whys:
- Growth in running and personally.
- To test myself and see if I’m capable of pushing myself slightly past a certain limit.
- See my preparation over the months and years pay off.
- To find out.
- Continue to be a good role model for my daughter and other little girls.
- Inspire and motivate others.
- Potentially boost my business.
- Not let myself, family, or running coach down.
- To continue to prepare for Laurel Highlands Ultra.
- Add another race accomplishment to my Badwater 135 resume.
Intra-Race.
What is your nutrition plan during the event?
Go through your pacing strategy.
First Hammer gel at mile 3. 1-2 gels and solid food every hour. Water, electrolytes, and pop to thirst. Sip water every 10 minutes or so. Caps, 1-2 of each every 1-2 hours.
For pacing, not panic when everyone goes out too fast. I will pass them after the second climb on the single track trail.
Steady, comfortable pace for 30 miles. Push the downhills. Run everything runnable. Jog the smaller hills. With 20 miles left, push slightly more, remind myself of my goals and whys. Increase my pace with 5 miles left. Hang on during the last 3. Leave it all out there on the last little stretch.
Do my best power hiking the bigger hills in the last 20 miles. Jog them out at the end.
Mental strategies and have fun. On the out-and-back sections, cheer on the other runners. Run my own race and don’t run with anyone else, unless it fits the plan. Don’t get caught up in conversations like I have in the past. I know a lot of people at this race. When I have to use the restroom, do so as quickly as possible.
When you feel physically and mentally tired, how will you recover yourself and keep going?
What is one performance-based or mindset strategy that you will use during the race?
What will crossing the finish line feel like?
- I will use positive self-talk.
- Recall my whys.
- Mantras.
- Think about my friends and family.
- Try to relax physically and mentally, and have fun.
- Soak in the trail and experience.
- Enjoy nature.
- You are going to be out there all day.
- Dig in and focus on small goals and footing.
- Focus on strategy.
- Focus on how I’m feeling, like if I need to eat or drink.
- Chunk the course down into sections (First 10 miles, Jennings and back, swamp and back, last 10 miles (break down into 5 and 5)).
- Think of the mud as chocolate icing and I’m skating on it.
- Count down the hills in the last 10 miles.
- The faster you move, the sooner you’ll be done.
- Shut off the brain
- Don’t think about it, just do it.
- Landmark to landmark.
- This is only temporary.
Crossing the finish line will feel incredible because I will have checked everything off of my mental list. I will have tackled the race and put in my best effort. This will all reflect my race goals and goals going forward in ultrarunning.
I will be pleased to receive whatever the reward may be, it will mean a lot to me because this is a marker in my journey, not just a race finish.
Post-Race.
Will a cooldown be possible?
What are you going to do immediately post-race?
No cooldown. I’m trying to not die. Probably sit down for too long and not be able to get back up. Talk to people, hang out to watch others finish, and try to convince myself to eat. My vegan chocolate protein drink will probably do the trick. Maybe use the bathroom… without falling in the toilet. 😛
What events do you have on your calendar going forward?
Laurel Highland Ultra, 06/14/25
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