Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Escape from Huntsville 50K Race Report

Also known as : 50K, the sequel ... or

50K - the good, the bad and the ugly.

Background - I properly trained for and utlimately raced the Rocky Raccoon 50K on November 5, 2011 - you can see that race report here. I was very happy with that race - both my time and the overall race experience. Only two things were missing: a better looking race shirt and my hubby (who was being a wonderful dad during the race). Well, guess what? There was ANOTHER 50K, less than a month away, on December 3, 2011 that had historically awesome looking shirts and my hubby could come. Those are two good reasons to run 31 miles, right? Plus, I figured I had logged the miles, I might as well take advantage of being trained for the distance.

The Good
- Long sleeved technical shirt, medal and hoodie
- Good on course support - boiled potatoes are yummy!
- Small (but not too small), friendly field
- Not nervous or stressed about the race (should be a piece of cake because I just did one, right?) - Rain in the forecast, but it did not rain
- Followed a "between marathons" plan, respected the recovery and let my ankle heal
- I did not twist my ankle during this race
- Other than aid station stops, we ran the entire race (albeit slower than ideal) - even when I really wanted to walk (mental victory!)
- Despite what is listed below, my running partner Mark still made me laugh so hard I almost fell over
-Finishing the race!

The Bad
- Unseasonably warm weather (I didn't take off my arm sleeves or headsweats skull cap a month ago and I started this race in a tank and running skirt and was soaked with sweat by the end of the first 10K loop)
- Poor nutrition and hydration race week
- Going out too fast the first 10K loop
- Course was .7 miles long, which feels more like 17 miles when you are ready to stop running
- Not being my chipper self during the race - Mark was calling my Negative Nancy
- Thinking I could easily PR the distance by taking shorter stops at the aid stations, and actually finishing 25 minutes slower
-How quickly I forgot about how hilly and rooty the course was!

The Ugly
- Hamstrings so tight you could play them like an instrument starting at mile 12 of a 31 mile race - Getting something similar to exericse induced asthma with 2 miles to go

Overall, it was a good race and good experience I just had a bad day. Who knows why ... maybe I ran long again too soon, maybe it was the weather, or maybe it was just a bad day. We are entitled to those every once in a while, right?

Results
6:16:05
13/44 women
35/107 overall

The good news, no the GREAT news, is that my recovery runs in the last 2 weeks have been awesome and even my calf, which has been plaguing me for months, hasn't been bothering me. Here is to starting 2012 healthy and ready to train and race smart!

1 comment:

Matthew Smith said...

Congratulations on a great race! Way to go! Even though it was slower, I still think you did awesome. I'm glad your body is feeling good. Keep up the good work!