Running 50 km in the Land of Peet's
So, some of you know that I've rekindled my love affair with running, though we're taking a different path this time and so far things seem to be working out. I thought I would put our relationship to the test over the weekend by running my first 50 km race.
Now I've run marathons on pavement, but this whole running-for-a-really-long-time-on-trails business is pretty new to me. Suffice it to say that I am completely, thoroughly hooked. :p
I chose my first 50 km wisely: near sea level in Woodside, California, billed as an "easy" 50 k (if there is such a thing), with only 4,530' of climbing, and in a mild climate. I was doing all I could to help ensure success.
I went into the weekend with a terrible head cold. I almost bailed on the run completely. But since we'd already purchased airfare and all the stars were aligned, I had to at least give it a shot. I could always bail on the 50k and do a shorter distance.
There were a grand total of 41 50k finishers, of which I was number 20...midpack like the old days (of the 41, I think there were 7 women total, and a woman won the entire race! But I digress...). I had no goal for time or pace or any of that, as my focus was to finish and still feel human. There were about 300 runners total, as there were other distances offered up that day. 50km was the longest distance.
All my hill training paid off. The first 12k or so were uphill through a beautiful redwood forest. All up, no breaks. But it was a shallow grade and really not that tough. I enjoyed the sights and smells (bay trees!). The trail then rolled along for a while and at about 15-20k I went through my usual self doubt litany. But lo! there is an aid station and who is there but my darling hubby, who presents me with a new flask of Perpetuem paste and a peck on the cheek. At this point I had to decide if I wanted to keep going on the 50k or turn around and just do the 35k. I opted to keep going because, well, I'm stubborn that way. And dammit, I'd come all the way from Utah to do this silly run.
The trail then proceeded to go down, down, down which meant that I would again have to run up, up, up to get out of it since it was a loop. The down was fine as I've completely battered my quads on 30%+ slopes over the last 8 months at home and can now run downhill like a champ, without fatigue. On the up part, I switched off between running and walking as I felt I needed to, but at some point missed a turn and before I knew it, was off course and LOST IN THE REDWOOD FOREST! :eek:
I retraced my steps, but not far enough, back and forth, until I got smart and decided to retrace farther, at which point I saw another human who showed me the way. I figure I lost about 10-15 minutes and probably added a couple of km to the total distance.
Turns out the person who showed me the way was a kind and very funny Brit whom I ended up running the rest of the race with. I ended up pushing him to a 50k PR and he ended up tempering my pace so that I finished with gas in the tank and feeling really, really good. I probably could have run faster, but decided that running with this gentleman and having a good time were more important. As it was, I made a friend and really enjoyed the trail and scenery.
The finish was downhill, which means that I smoked the last 10k. My total time (including wandering-in-the-woods-lost time) was 5 hours, 52 minutes, and 3 seconds. I felt so good after I finished that it was spooky. I got a special "first ultramarathon" coaster for my favorite beverage, a nice T shirt, and a whole lot of great memories. It was a fantastic day.
I am most definitely doing this again! :D
