I really enjoyed 35 miles of this run...it was totally fun. I'll get to the other 15 miles later. The first few miles on the street I was just sitting back and taking it very easy. I could see a lot of people blowing off ahead and I knew I'd see most of them later. There were probably 200+ people ahead of me and I figured they couldn't ALL be that fast. This is where IM experience comes in handy. Even though I've never done an ultramarathon before I know that it should feel too easy initially...like just jogging those first 3-5 miles of the IM marathon. Luckily I'm mentally strong enough to ignore what everyone else is doing and just take care of myself. One guy next to me actually puked several times on the way up the first hill. I think his carbo-loading selection from the night before might have been a poor choice. Once off the main roads there was a section of paved trail climbing to the top of the mountain where we picked up the AT. I happened upon an older guy with an IM tattoo and started chatting with him a bit. I jogged and walked sections of this climb knowing there was plenty of time to push it later. I had my Garmin on and it was ticking off mile splits...everything from 8:30 to 11:00+ over the first miles on the blacktop. I didn't really care at this point because I didn't have a goal pace or finishing time.

The AT - this was fun and scary at the same time. Every step was a potential busted ankle. This is also where the people up ahead started to come back and cause some congestion. Not everyone out there was agile scampering through the rocks and that made for some frustrating moments when I'd get a rhythm going and pull up behind someone fumbling along. I got ripping pretty good through some parts...being a Hasher helps with the trail running. I don't remember a lot of specifics but eventually I got past most of the slower traffic and had smooth cruising. I caught up to one girl who was moving along at a good pace. I figured she was either a legit female front runner or WAY beyond her abilities. She seemed solid on her feet though and we more or less stayed together through the last miles of the trail and to the aid station right before hitting the towpath. The very end of the AT section is a series of switch-backs weaving down the side of the mountain. This was a ton of fun and a little sketchy. Eventually you pop out of the woods and through a big crowd of spectators...first chance anyone has had to see their runners in about 12 miles. From there I rolled down the dirt path and to a nice aid station where I refilled my bottles (Amphipod 2-bottle belt) and grabbed a couple cookies before turning up the canal towpath and settling into a nice comfortable stride.

I was averaging about 9:30/mile up to that point and I knew the slowest section was behind me. I just didn't know how much faster I'd average on the flats. I was feeling great and it had turned into a beautiful day for a run. The sun was in and out and the tree-lined towpath was partly shady. I was wearing a short-sleeve T-shirt with a long-sleeve running shirt and cheap knitted gloves I got as a give-away from a local race - turned out to be the perfect combination for 50 degree temps.

I was cruising the towpath and loving it. My legs seemed to be liking a steady 7:45-7:55 pace. I was steadily reeling people in and passing them but felt totally comfortable and relaxed. Aid stations were every 3-4 miles on average and I was getting plenty of fluids and nutrition. Once I started logging some consistent miles I took a look at my average pace and did a little math...not much else to do out there but think anyway. It seemed that I might just be on pace to slide in under 7hrs. At one point I calculated that all I had to do was maintain 8:15/mile and that would gradually bring my overall average pace to where it needed to be by the time I hit the finish. But instead of holding right on 8:15 I just ran what felt right...which was in the 7:55-8:10/mile range. I figured a couple minutes wiggle room might be helpful in case I didn't calculate right. I never bothered to figure out what pace equated to a particular finish time so I was doing it on the fly - 7hrs is 420min...8min/mile for 50miles would be 400 minutes...that leaves me 20min to divide up over the 50 miles...looking at about 8:23/mile to come in just under 7hrs...I think. Anyway, I knew I didn't really have the training under my belt but I was feeling good and figured I might as well give it a shot. You'll never know if you don't try. Around mile 35 it's like someone flipped a switch. That comfortable pace I was floating along at became a chore to hold. Now I was down at 8:30/mile and feeling marginal. Eventually 8:45/mile was about the best I could manage knowing that I still had 12+ miles left. The aid stations became mental victories. I'd roll through in a daze, hand off my bottles, walk to the table and grab a hand full of gummy bears, get my filled bottles, and walk on trying to pull myself together and get moving again. I wasn't feeling shitty so much as just not having any gears left. All I could do was slog along. Those miles with aid stations were typically 9:30 or so including my walking.

The last aid station on the towpath marks the switch to the final ~8 miles on the road. The mental boost of being close was quickly squashed as I turned the corner and hit the first hill...and walked it. The rest of the course is mostly a blur. I'd walk 5-10sec as a reward for running another couple minutes. The road was through a rural area with a lot of open fields. You could see how it zig-zagged off ahead and knew that taking a straight line across the fields would be a more direct route...that sucked. 2 guys passed me and were clearly looking much stronger bringing it home...that rarely happens to me in a race. The last aid station I remember I told them I just wanted to sit down as I jogged through. The last mile or so is along the shoulder of a main road and then couple of turns through town. I managed 8:15/mile for the final 3 miles and had no motivation to push harder...there wasn't another runner within 400m in either direction. I could hear the announcer bringing people down the final stretch of road and through the finish. It's not as festive as an IM finish chute but I was just as happy to be there. Despite some trouble holding it together late in the race I finished my first 50 miler, and one of the two most prestigious in the US, in the top 50 overall.

Well, I think my execution was about spot on if I had the training in my pocket to support it. So I guess I have two answers to this question 1) I wouldn't have done anything differently during the race...just should have trained for what I tried to do. 2) Could have kept with the conservative approach and and not tempted fate going for the 7hr mark...but what fun would that have been?

I figured I should warm down so I did a few easy miles to loosen up...just kidding. I grabbed a couple bottles of water, walked to the grass, and planted my ass there for a while. Eventually I got up and made my way into the school where my gear bag was waiting. The locker room and showers were open for us, unfortunately they forgot to turn on the water heater. I guess that's what we get for being the front runners...ice cold showers. I eventually got clean...it takes a while when you are trying to splash water on yourself with your hand from the shower head without actually wanting to get wet...and put some dry clothes on. I had a while to kill before the buses started rolling back to the start so I grabbed a slice of pizza, and hot cup of Ramen.


My legs wouldn't listen to reason :) I basically trained to finish the race, not push my limits. With only a single 30 miler in training as my longest run ever I was confident that I'd make it to the finish line. I took a chance and pushed my luck a little by holding pace when I realized 7hrs was a possibility. I didn't train for a sub-7hr ultra...which is probably why I didn't run one.


Awesome event overall. I didn't stay around for the awards but the post-race eats were a little underwhelming. Would have been nice to have a warm shower too. I'd still 100% recommend this race to anyone interested in a 50 miler.