2024.04.13 0700 | 2024.04.14 0700
Overview
Operation FAN DANCE and Operation BUCKWHEAT are two individual routes. They are a part of Operation STIRLING and occur on days four and two, respectively. As individual routes, the minimum required weight is 20 pounds dry (before water + food). FAN DANCE covers 16+/- miles and 4500 feet of elevation gain through the Pisgah National Forest, with a beautiful climb to Shining Rock, a runnable middle, and then a nasty climb up cold (hard bitch) mountain followed by a technical downhill.
BUCKWHEAT is 12+/- miles with 2500 feet of elevation gain through Pisgah. It is an absolute blast and highly recommended as a first GBF experience. You can move fast, have fun, and “send it”. FAN DANCE is on Saturday. BUCKWHEAT is on Sunday.
These were my second attempts on both routes. The first was during Operation STIRLING 2023 where the weights were 35# dry for BUCKWHEAT and 40# dry for FAN DANCE.
Training and Preparation
This was the first time that I’ve had highly focused event training. Since Operation OCALA, in January, I have started to work with GB3 Athletics towards my 2024 A goal – Operation CENTURY.
My training is similar to the past (strength, hybrid training, running, hiking, rucking, hot yoga, mobility, etc.), but is more structured and purposeful in working towards my goals. I have spent more time in the mountains and underweight.
We have focused on ankle, foot, and other muscle strength and mobility. I would call what I’m doing now training rather than exercising/working out.
I have dialed in my nutrition to be more consistent and have only had a few drinks for over a month leading up to these races. I do think I need to up my overall calorie intake. I missed out on about a week of regular training due to oral surgery, but we adjusted to what I was capable of and allowed to do – I had to keep my heart rate relatively low for two weeks to avoid bursting stitches.
Travel
I flew directly from LAX to Charlotte on Thursday morning and stayed with Moogie. We drove to Asheville on Friday for the weekend. We stayed in an apartment – making food storage and sorting gear easy.
East Coast events add an additional element of difficulty with the time change and early start times. I try to sleep early, but almost always wake up wishing I had another 1-2 hours of rest. The excitement and time difference is a recipe for limited sleep.
Gear
Starting Outfit
FAN DANCE / BUCKWHEAT
- Hiking pants / Kill Crew Shorts – phone in one pocket, food in the other
- T-shirt: Kifaru RAM / AMP Association
- GBF Hat / RNNR Party Pace Cap
- Woxer 5” Boxers / 7” Boxers
- Born Primitive Sports Bra
- Ininji Toe Socks + MudGear Socks
- Altra Lone Peaks 7
- Garmin loaded with AllTrails maps for navigation + Whoop
- Contacts for FAN DANCE – I wanted to make sure I was able to see the best I could
Pack: Kifaru Shape Charge
These were my first races in the Kifaru Shape Charge. I have been training with this pack for over a month now. Let me tell you, a (really) good pack is a game-changer. The VOG Assult Ruk for events and GORUCK Rucker for training have been “good enough.” The Kifaru pack has improved my comfort while carrying weight.
Bottom up
- Emergency shelter, rain jacket, Emergency 1L Nalgene filled, light green dry bag: extra medical items, duct tape, shoe laces, etc
- Blue dry bag: t-shirt, sports bra, boxers, socks
- Extra weight plate stuffed in a towel
- 2L water bladder
- Inside pouch: compass, sharpie
Top Pockets
- Lifestraw, knife, battery pack, chem light, wallet, spare batteries, eye drops, chapstick, spare mouthpiece
Side Pockets
- 1L gatorade bottle w/LMNT & Snacks
- Bear Spray
Spare Pouch
- Medical kit, snacks, salt tabs
Other
- Garmin InReach clipped on the outside of pack
- Whistle clipped to shoulder strap
Nutrition
Pre-Race
Friday night, fajitas. Yum. Saturday night, pizza. The pizza bit me the next day. I ate a typical breakfast on both days – a few small croissants, bananas, water, and electrolytes.
Race
- 2L water in bladder
- 1L LMNT in gatorade bottle
- Packed candy bars, fruit snacks, extra LMNT, and general race snack items
I mentioned oral surgery. Specifically, I had a tooth extraction and bone graft. I wasn’t allowed to use straws. I just started eating regular food and had to be careful chewing. That all said, a bladder hose wasn’t ideal. I purchased a pressure kit for my bladder. It worked, but it was annoying and deterred me from drinking as much water as I typically consume. I had practiced with it a few times leading up to the weekend but often got annoyed and found myself bringing bottles. I also have to turn my pack around to reach the LMNT – not the ideal setup for continual salt intake.
Admin
In typical California fashion, I missed the photo, laced up my shoes about 2 minutes before FAN DANCE started, and put on my pack as Gregg counted down, “3..2..1..Go!”.
For BUCKWHEAT, I was on time. My stomach was a wreck from dinner the night before, leaving me to go to the bathroom at least three times before we started.
Goals and Strategy
These were my first races on a new training plan. I have been feeling good on the trails and in the mountains. My training weight is ~25-26# dry. I usually carry 1-2L of water and a few snacks.
FAN DANCE Goals
- Finish faster than my STIRLING time – this should be easy at 9h15m. A throwback to “time was moving, but I was not”
- Make the dog tag time of 7 hours
- Give Cold Mountain a third chance and not go into it with such a negative mindset
- Consistent fueling every ~45 minutes
BUCKWHEAT Goals
- Enjoy the route
- Don’t miss the one split
- Just send it
Strategies for Success
- Move well down the technical areas, specifically Cold Mountain in FAN DANCE and the middle section of BUCKWHEAT before the gravel road
- Run when I could, especially on flats and smooth downhills, but for FAN DANCE to be slightly strategic to not burn myself out for the second climb
- Move consistently uphill and stop as little as possible
Most importantly, I wanted to run my race. It’s easy to get caught up in another person’s strategy or to try to move the same way they are. Keeping in mind that my main goal is CENTURY, everything this summer is a part of the process.
The Race
FAN DANCE
The Climb to Shining Rock
I felt gassed on my way up to Shining Rock. But this is such a great trail. Unlike Ed’s initial assumption, I am not a Gazelle. I am more like a baby deer that doesn’t know how to walk yet.
I remember this trail pretty vividly probably because I moved at a snail’s pace. The route this time of year wasn’t as overgrown as during STIRLING. The brush was a little rough because it was bare, but you could easily see everything and navigate smoothly.
Shining Rock is extremely re-energizing. I quickly moved around my food and chugged some LMNT. It was invigorating to cross paths with so many athletes in both directions.
Trek to Cold Mountain
From here, I moved well and enjoyed not carrying 40 pounds in the pack and the replica rifle. My hands finally warmed up after coming down Shining Rock. Generally, I felt a lot of gratitude for being out there. I felt deeply connected to the Earth and was thoroughly enjoying myself.
As always, Mother Nature always gives me signs when I need them. I had a rock in my shoe and knew I should fix it. I held off a little longer than I should have and tripped pretty hard. So I stopped, tied my shoe, chugged some LMNT, and continued on.
Cold (Hard Bitch) Mountain Climb
I made it to the trail for Cold Mountain. I went in with a positive mindset. I felt like I did okay on the ascent. I stopped more often than I wanted, but overall, I did better than my other two attempts (STIRLING – SCOUT and FAN DANCE).
I saw the first four athletes coming down as I was going up and cheering them on. Mentally I stayed as positive as I could, but she’s still a bitch. I held what felt like a satisfactory pace. I think I found where the “wormhole” occurs at the summit (IYKYK).
The Decent
I was bouncing around in my head and distracted. I knew I was lollygagging a bit & Ed caught back up to me. I chatted with him for a few minutes and realized I wasn’t out of breath, so I should start moving faster. He gave me the push I needed, whether he knew it or not. It’s a long way down, but we made it through.
Overall
I finished at 05:32.40 and was excited by this finish. I feel I can push this one even harder, especially if there is another great weather weekend. I had solid fueling/nutrition and remained consistent. I tracked this using the laps on my watch to reference back later. I felt confident on the technical downhills and am moving more smoothly.
BUCKWHEAT
I tried to get out generally towards the front since a lot of the trail is single-track early on. Up the first climb, my stomach was turning. I decided to ignore it and continue on my fueling, as planned. Eventually, my stomach sorted itself out (or it may have been the 27 Tums I had in the morning). I felt like I had never been there before, which threw me off since I usually have a pretty good recall of trails. I jogged most flat and downhill areas that I could between the uphills.
Eventually, I had a few guys closing in on me. So, my strategy was to continue moving faster on the downhill and flat areas, but now I took off immediately after the uphill. I wanted to create an illusion of a gap and give myself some breathing room. Right before the descent started, I chugged some LMNT on the move.
I saw Brock up ahead and knew Kevin was close behind. This is one of my favorite moments during a GBF event because it felt like we were actually racing. I passed by Brock, and Kevin was right behind. I kept thinking that if I fell, they were coming down with me. It was awesome. It’s not very often that you run this closely with someone (unless you’re teamed up).
I felt like I was flying. I pulled ahead a little bit and came nearby to the split. I overcorrected and crossed an unnecessary stream where Kevin caught up to me. So I kept pushing.
I then hit the gravel downhill trail. I knew I was slightly ahead and really wanted to expand that gap. At every bend, I pushed a little harder and kept my pace. I wanted to be out of sight.
I approached the second climb. My goal was to be consistent on the climb and not stop until I got through it. I did just this. I felt strong and pushed myself up. I put back some LMNT at the top. Then I went for it. There was no point in leaving anything in reserve now!
I finished in 2h53m. Overall, I was super happy with this finish. I love this route. It is gorgeous, fun, and fast. If you are looking for a great first event, make it BUCKWHEAT.
Helpful Links
- FAN DANCE Navigation on AllTrails
- BUCKWHEAT Navigation on AllTrails
Personal Reflection
You’re the only one standing in your own way
I joke that I wore my “fast clothes” for BUCKWHEAT. But, I’ve started to think, why can’t I always be in “fast clothes”? Let’s be clear here. It’s not the clothes – it’s the mindset. I know my limitations, but why can’t I elevate my standards? Why can’t I finish in the top 3? What’s holding me back? Sure, training is required, but am I creating my own ceiling?
Lessons
- Wins can be found in others’ achievements. BUCKWHEAT was Kat’s first GBF event which she finished. Moogie crushed her goal of 4 hours on BUCKWHEAT. It was exciting to see my friends accomplish what they set out to do.
- Connect with nature. The more connected I feel to the trail, the more comfortable I move through it. I have been attempting to be more in the moment on the trails.
- “Don’t speak negatively about yourself, even as a joke. Your body doesn’t know the difference” -Bruce Lee. How you talk to yourself is extremely important. It doesn’t have to be fake or unnatural, but it’s important to recognize when we are talking negatively. Then we need to adjust.
Final Thoughts
27 miles with over 7k feet of elevation gain over two days while carrying a 20# ruck plus water/food – I can’t think of many better ways to spend a weekend.
I felt and feel extremely grateful for how my body has healed after a few months. First was my ankle sprain in mid-January (OCALA 2024). After this, I couldn’t do an unweighted, seated calf raise or walk more than a few miles without pain until mid-February.
I also didn’t plan to miss a week of training and be limited for another week after my oral surgery in March. I worked hard and focused on what was in my control.
This weekend was just the start of the season. I’m excited to see how the rest of the year continues to unfold and how I continue to progress. This is just the beginning and I am really learning to love the process.
Until the Next. 🌎🏁📈
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