May 30, 2010
Here goes, another ultramarathon! I don't consider myself a runner, but something about these races keeps drawing me back. Although I never finish these races anywhere near the top, there is definitely a lot of satisfaction and feeling of pride when you reach the finish line. I really like this race and seeing it is close to home (40 minutes away), I hope to participate every year. The course loops back through the start/finish area several times, so Lynn likes to come and cheer me on.
Last year I was not able to train at all and therefore had my worst finish with a time of 7:20:12. Last September at the Vermont 50 I had my best finish with a time of 6:44:56. So what is my goal this time? Well, I never put enough training into these things, but I think I can beat my Vermont time. I was in a little better shape last September but that course was tougher, it was rainy and muddy that day, and I had to share the course with mountain bikes. So I'm hoping this will be my fastest 50k to date. I'm actually hoping to break 6 hours but that probably isn't quite realistic.
With this race being so close to home, I almost got a little too careless in how much time I needed. Lynn and I got there with just a few minutes to spare.
On your mark
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Get set
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Go!!!
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This is my 4th ultra and I've been developing new strategies. Many of the runners in these races compete all year long. I just do 1 or 2 races a year so I'm definitely not in the same league as most of them. So I've learned to try to start near the back of the pack. When I start near the front it is too discouraging as runner after runner passes me over the course of the day. When I'm near the front, I also have a tendency to start at a faster pace than I should. Today's plan was to start easy. I'm also learning to walk up hills whether I need a break or not. This seems to leave me with more energy for the second half of the race when I seem to hit a wall.
Lynn caught me at one of the aid stations.
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It was a hot day, so lots of water was important.
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The race is comprised of two 25k laps. By the end of my first lap my time was 2:56:00. If I could maintain that pace, I would break 6 hours, but I always slow down during the 2nd half. Granted I did have a few extra minutes. Could I finish the 2nd half in 3:04:00? Maybe. I was still feeling pretty strong and much better than I felt last year at this time.
On I went. Then about halfway through the 2nd lap, the wall I tend to hit came up. It happened later in the race than usual, but by the time I got to about mile 23 or 24, I was beat. My whole body ached from the constant pounding. Fortunately, I had plenty of time for this race. If I had to walk the remaining 8-9 miles I could, but that's not what I wanted to do.
Lynn met me with about 6 miles to go.
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I pushed through the pain but did find myself walking a lot more than I did on the first lap. I looked for any excuse I could to walk. When there was any type of a hill - big or small, steep or gradual, it was my excuse to walk. The miles continued to add up. During the last hour I gave up on the possibility of breaking 6 hours. My new goal was 6:20. Why 6:20? If I could break that, I would beat last year's time by an entire hour. It would be close. The course is marked every 5k and I passed the 20k marker. I added 25k to that from my first lap which brought me up to 45k. Just 5 kilometers to go. I went by the final mile aid station. Most of the last mile was around a nice open flat field. How I wanted to walk, but I could hear a "pack" of 4-5 runners closing in on me. I wasn't about to allow myself getting bumped several slots further down on how I placed in this race, especially during the final few minutes. That was just the motivation I needed. I pushed through. Then the finish line came in sight.
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I finished my 4th ultra. My time was a personal best. 6:19:37. That is a 12:14 per mile pace. So I fell short of my 6 hour goal, but seeing how it was the best I've done yet, I have no complaints. Lynn and I both had fun. I'm already looking forward to next year. The question is: Do I have the guts to attempt the 50 miler???? I've got a year to come to my senses.
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