MS50 50K Trail Run 3-5-16

Finisher Medals

Where do I even begin.....  For the past 3 weekends in a row I've had a race of some kind some where..... so this was my 4th weekend in a row to race!  And let me just say that it is also the 2nd race within the same week.  I did a half marathon on Sunday (start of week) in New Orleans and then 5 days later on Saturday (end of week) I'm did a 50K!  That's 44.1 race miles in a week.  For some of you that's not many however, for me that's a record.  I've never had that many race miles in a week in my whole 10 years of running.  I actually looked back today to see what kind of miles I did during the week leading up to the 50K last year and I only did 3.1 miles of easy jog/walk 4 days before the race.  Basically I had fresh legs last year on race day!  Boy did I wish I had done that this year! 

Going into the race I had been fighting a sinus issue for about 2 weeks and just hadn't felt my same old self.  My friends know that I normally suck it up on race day and try to do my best and that was my goal for Saturday.  I never sleep well the night before a race and 4am sure came early.  I got up as quietly as I possibly could without waking my husband as I do every day when I get up to run or go swim.  I better have everything laid out in the bathroom or else I just do without cause there is no turning on the lights in the bedroom to look for stuff.  You don't wake a sleeping bear. LOL   So I was up and off within 30 minutes.  I meet Kathy and Sunshine at 5am and we drove on in to the race site together.  It was a cool morning in the 40s.  I wore a long sleeve over a short sleeve so I could shed it later as the day warmed up.  It was dark but by the time the race started at 6am it was beginning to get daylight.  We grabbed a picture with Kim & Amie at the start line.  They were going for 50 miles! 

Girls at Start Line

The first loop which is 12.6 miles went fairly well.  Sunshine took out like a speed demon and we didn't see her till around mile 5 or 6!  I could tell she had fresh legs real quick!  Kathy and I both had done the same races the past 3 weekends so we were both not feeling the same get up and go as Sunshine.  Our total time for the first loop was 2:32 which wasn't too bad.  We knew we needed to pace ourselves slower than a regular marathon to make the 31 miles.  Yes, I agree with those that say trail running is easier.  It is easier on your body as far as the surface you are running on but all the maneuvering around obstacles makes my whole body sore.  If I ran more on trails and not just 1X a year, it might be easier.  However, with my training schedule right now...there is no time to practice on trails.  

Kathy & Stan crossing some mud

Oh and I forgot to mention that I forgot to lay out my chest strap for my GoPro camera so I carried it in my right hand for 6 hours! grrrrr I will never do that again.  My arm was so sore yesterday!  I did however get a couple of good pictures and a few cute videos on the trail.  

 

The second 12.6 mile loop wasn't as fast as the first but we were still staying strong.  Our time was 3:04.  We also took time at our cars during this time to change socks, some changed shoes, eat a peanut butter sandwich, go to the bathroom and stretch.  So the 3:04 wasn't the actual time we were running on the 12.6 mile loop.  The race clock just doesn't stop when you stop to take a break.  It's still running even when we weren't. 

ME

After two big loops we only had one more loop to go! A short loop of 6 miles.  Frank and Krista had told us they would run the last loop with us and they were waiting at the cars for us along with my neighbor Pam.  They had all done the 20K (12.6 mile) loop.  You had the option of choosing the 20K, 50K, or 50 mile distance at the race.  At this point I was wishing I had just done the 20K distance.  My legs were toast and my stomach was not feeling well.  I was very nauseated.  Every time I tried to drank something or eat after the 2nd loop, I was hit by that horrible feeling that I was going to be sick.  I've never done that in a long distance race so to say it was an uneasy feeling is an understatement.  I honestly don't know if it was all the racing my body had done lately, the heat (it warmed up fast once the sun was out) or if it had something to do with my sinus issue cause they were draining like a river the whole time I was running.  Whatever the reason was, my last 6 miles were the hardest 6 miles I've ever done in my life.  

I tried to eat a snickers before going out on the last loop.... it didn't help! 

We started out with our friends and I tried to jog as much as possible but I had no jog left in me.  So I ended up walking A LOT!  I felt bad cause the others would not leave me.  I felt like I was holding everyone back.   I have the best friends ever because one time I had to stop and I wanted to puke my guts up for days and they just stopped and waited on me.  I was so very glad to see that finish line!  I really don't even know how I managed a smile for the pictures because I felt like crap.  I think it was the sheer feeling of joy from being finished.  Our 6 mile loop time was 1:36 so yep.. that's basically walking 6 miles! It does include the time at our cars after the 2nd loop also so not total run time.  However, there was little jogging and several mud holes to weave through but also a lot of walking.  

Kathy and I finishing.. can you tell I'm HAPPY!

So my total time was 7:13:43 for the 50K (31 miles) which is a PR.  I can hardly believe it!  Our time last year was 7:20 and last year I felt so good during and afterwards.  This year is a different story so I can't believe I beat my time.  I do not want to even think about running for a couple of days.  I did some walking yesterday to loosen things up but no running.  I will say that I'm not sore like after a marathon where every time you go to sit down or get up you wish you had handicap bars to grab on to.  I'm sore around my ankles really bad where my feet rolled several times on obstacles on the course.  It hurts to move my feet around in circles all the way up my shins & calves.  And my upper body is extremely sore.  Probably cause I tend to tense up when on the trails due to the fear of falling and breaking a bone.  I tried to be really careful during the race with the ironman coming up in September.  It can be really dangerous on some parts of the trail and you must be extremely careful or else fall.  I'm so glad I didn't fall.  My right foot did catch a tree root one time and I went airborne but caught myself before my face planted in the dirt.  The girl behind me cheered and said, "nice save".  I just wanted to cry.  It jerked my entire body when I caught that root.  I have a friend that fell like 8 times so even though she was planning on doing the 50 miler she quit after 17 miles.  She has several big races planned for this year and it just wasn't worth the risk of getting hurt for her to continue.  I would have done the same thing if I had fallen that much. 
  

We did it! 31 miles baby! Ultra Marathoners 

Lots to wash!

So that's a wrap for another race.  I do not plan to run or bike this week.  I will only swim and let my legs recover.  I ended the week with 50.6 total run miles so I deserve a break. :>)  Oh remember the girls I mentioned in the beginning of this post? They did finish their 50 miles!  I'm just in awe of them. They did awesome.  I'm proud to call them teammates! Go Team Run4TheKids!  

Hope your training is going well.  Remember a mile is a mile no matter how fast or slow!  Spring is almost here so get out and enjoy this beautiful weather.  

Until next time.... D