Lonesome 50k
This weekend I was to be turning the numerous trail races as
part of the White Water Center’s TuckFest. I did these races last year and
loved it.
Sadly, world events took a hard left turn so there is no
racing this weekend. Oh, well, no point in worrying about it. Let’s move on.
In preparation for this weekend, I had taken today off from
work. Now, I have the day off but nothing to do.
With a day free of worry, I headed out for a
50k run this morning on the trails. Why not spend the day outside. Take the
time to enjoy nature and running.
I selected a course which is a little over 10ish miles. This
way, 3 loops would bring me back to my car at just about 31 miles.
The first lap, the temperatures were in the low 60s so it
was warm and humid for me. The gentle breeze helped. A little mud kicked up on
my calves but otherwise, the first loop went by uneventfully.
The second lap, I could certainly tell that the temperatures
was rising. Sweat dripped from my head. After a while, I took it off my hat and
attached it my vest. Oh, did this feel better. When I turned in to the wind,
the breeze cooled my head. This felt awesome. From then on, I only wore my hat
when I was in the sun for any considerable amount of time.
Around 17 miles, I noticed that my legs were aching. Mainly,
this happened when I turned in to a hill. I guess pushing my body uphill
created more strain on my legs than I was realizing.
I finished the 2nd lap, and refueled at my car.
Heading out for the 3rd lap, my legs were hurting
more than I expected or really wanted. I seem to go through periods where they really hurt and
then after a certain of time, the ache seems to drift away. I don’t know whether
this is physiological or psychological. Maybe it is a little bit of both. Maybe
I just get used to it.
I also noticed that it was getting even warmer. I was
definitely drinking more fluids.
At 27 miles, I made the final turn and headed back to my car.
Something about this, the mind moves passed the effort and focuses on what is
left to get me to finish.
I kept glancing at my Garmin. I had this internal goal of
running under six hours. Some quick calculations told me that it was going to
be close.
I had to pick it up over the last mile, but I did achieve my
goal in 5 hours 59 minutes and 29 seconds.
In the last six weeks, I have run: 42 miles, 50 miles, and
now a 50k. Not too bad if I do say so myself.
With these runs, I am doing my best to keep things interesting.
Giving myself goals is something that I need. With no races, I need to find a purpose
elsewhere. These long training have been serving as this purpose.
Hopefully, all of you are finding your own ways give your
running purpose.
The Cool Down Runner
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