50K Breakdown

Have you ever seen Breaking the Magician's Code: Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed? It is a little bit how I feel detailing the race. I completed the 50K, no problem. But, here are the secrets...

First, I didn't run the entire 30 miles, few do, and those people are called the winners. I planned to be out there for 6 hours. I ran the first 2 hours (around 12 miles) with the knowledge I was going to knockout more than 1/3 of the race. If you have run a road race, but have never done a trail run, it is as different as badminton is to tennis. Trails are tiny (usually only two people can pass each other if both parties know it is happening), there are basically no straightaways and every step you take could be your last. Tree roots are like tripwires and wipeouts are frequent, as you can imagine they become more frequent the longer you are out there and the less you pick up your feet. But, trails are fun.

The beginning of the race is like a huge game of follow the leader running through the trails. I felt good, just cold. The only thing that hurt was my elbow (?). I ran for 2 hours as you know, but here is the secret...

I walked for 15 minutes and ran for 30 minutes and continued this the rest of the 4 hours and 17 minutes of the race. I came into the race with a walk 10, run 30 strategy, but the extra 5 minutes felt so good. I really wanted to see if I could stay fresh this way. It is basically the blueprint I was thinking about taking with me to the Ironman. It worked pretty well. The only real snag is running for only 30 minutes at a time makes it difficult to just go zonal and detach your mind from your body and become a running machine. And, starting up running again after walking is like needing a push on a sled down a snowy slope.

Here is another secret. I brought two old pairs of shoes with me (new shoes aren't as big of an impact on trails). About 3 hours and 30 minutes into the race, I switched out shoes. The first pair was working up some serious blisters. It felt unbelievable to switch. 

6 hours of doing any one thing is a lot. That is the main thing. Mentally, I was so sick of moving. I think the biggest challenge is what you do with yourself and what you think about in the time you are focusing on only one thing - just moving forward.