Pulse Endurance Run 2023

I ran the 12-hour Pulse Endurance Run in Eagle Island State Park near Boise on Saturday. It was one of the most incredible races and days of my life!

I was somewhat trained. In December, I managed 8 hours/35 miles in the Dizzy Horse Backyard Ultra challenge. In January, I accomplished 27 miles overnight at The Long Night event. Three weeks prior to race day I ran around the Greenbelt Temple loop for over 6 hours, getting to 30 miles. But then I lost all motivation and did very little until race day. I know that you're supposed to taper a couple of weeks before a long race, but I think what I did looked more like quitting! I blame the snow.

The Pulse loop is 2.8 miles of dirt road and trail. You choose between 48 hours (madness!), 24 hours, 12 hours, and 6 hours. For the 12 and 6 hour races, you had the additional choice of day or night. You then run around the loop as many times as you can within the time limit. Only complete loops count towards your distance, so for the last hour of your race, you can switch to a "short loop" of 0.3 miles.

I did the 12 hour daytime race, which started at 6am on Saturday, March 18. Seventeen runners from the Idaho Falls Trail Runners group were participating in various races and they had established an awesome multi-tent village/aid station near the Pulse aid station and start/finish. Many of them did the overnight 12 hour race and a few did the 24 hour race. So by the time we got there, the IFTR camp was already well established.

I went into the race with a couple of goals. I wanted to run farther than I had ever run before, which was 35 miles. Then, I wanted to hit at least 40 miles and see how close I could get to 50. I planned to keep a pretty consistent running pace for the first 31 miles (50K) and then just see how it went after that. I managed to sleep the night before and was feeling confident!

The 12-hour daytime race started in the dark and it wasn't until the third loop that we finally saw daylight. 

It was a completely flat loop and it was wonderful to be running on dirt instead of ice/snow/slush for the first time in forever! I ran the first two loops with Amanda, but then was solo for the rest of the race except for frequent "good job" exchanges with other runners. While I love running with a group, I am also very happy to run alone. When I am in a race or going after distance, I usually prefer it, since it allows me to really focus on my goals.

The 2.8 mile loop was the perfect distance! Having bathrooms, the Pulse aid station, and the IFTR retreat available every time you completed a loop was truly incredible. The Pulse aid station cooked hot food constantly, so every time I stopped there was something different. I ate my way through pancakes, a breakfast burrito, and several bacon grilled cheeses. They also offered water, tailwind, broth, and coffee as well as all the usual fruit and snacks. At the IFTR headquarters, there was a shared food table and all of our personal supplies, which for me included Gatorade, boiled potatoes, fruit leathers, and hammer gels. Passing the aid station and the IFTR team brought cheers and encouragement every single time, which meant I started each new loop with a huge grin on my face.

Amazingly, I hit my "keep running" goal of 31 miles at 12:20pm, right after the halfway point of the race. I had given myself permission to walk more after this point, but I didn't want to, so I kept on mostly running! From then, I quickly hit my "farthest ever" goal of 37 miles just over an hour later and one more loop brought me to 40 miles.

And I was still running most of the time! Well. It was only 2:20pm when I achieved 40 miles, which meant I had a whole 3 hours and 40 minutes remaining in the race. There was no way I wasn't going to set a new goal of 50 miles! FIFTY MILES! Are you kidding??!! I did slow down a bit at this point, though I still managed a run-walk-run pattern for the next few loops. At 47 miles I grabbed my headphones and started to blast a 90s UK mix I had downloaded especially for this race. This had an immediate inspirational affect and I even managed a couple of 11 minute miles! I was texting home every mile at this point, too, and demanding constant encouragement from my husband and kids (which they delivered!). At 4:39pm I hit 50 miles on my watch while I was halfway round a loop and immediately burst into happy tears. I completed that final big loop a few minutes after 5pm, which meant I could switch to the small loop for the remainder of the race. I walked most of the last hour but did manage a bit of running, usually whenever I noticed I was being lapped by another IFTR runner.

That last hour was really the only time during the race that I struggled. Everything was starting to hurt and time slowed way down. It was fun to see everyone else on the short loop though! After being mostly alone for so many hours, all of the races were now ending and almost everyone had switched to the short loop. 

I finished just under 12 hours with a watch distance of 55.17 miles (official race distance was 53.68 miles, but all of us recorded higher mileage on our watches). And I placed 3rd female for the 12 hour race! 

I never place! I'm usually right smack in the middle of the pack. Unbelievable. And I smashed my previous longest run by a massive 20 miles! None of this would have been possible without such great race support from the Pulse folks and without such constant and awesome encouragement from all of the IFTR crew, most of whom had already run their own insane races. I feel so lucky to have found this group of crazy wonderful people! 2018 me (who had never run in her life) would never have believed in a million years that I would not only run over 50 miles but that I would pay for the privilege and do it with a smile on my face. Bring on the next challenge!