Denver Trail Half Marathon (Race Recap)

Saturday, September 10
Denver, CO
Half marathon #152
Weather - Chilly for the first mile, then sunny and warm

Another "new to me" race in the Endurance Race Series was the Denver Trail half marathon. The race is the "original" event for ERS, but it had a hiatus of a year or two and this was the first year I had been able to run it.

The race was to start at Cherry Creek State Park, the same place where the Three Creeks race had started. According to the pre-race email, the start was going to be bumped up to 7:30 due to road closures that would be occurring because of a fitness festival at planned on the free option of parking at a church about a mile away. I also hoped I would be able to start early, so I wanted to get to the race way before the 7:30 start time.

Race Day

Alarm went off at 5:10, giving A and I about 20 minutes to get dressed and out the door. We were on the road just after 5:30 and in the church parking lot shortly after 6:10. There was a shuttle bus heading to the start right as we were parking, so we didn't even have to wait. It was CHILLY at the race start, as the sun wasn't even up yet. I picked up my bag and helped A get situated at the tent for bag drop. Spent some time at the Runners Roost tent chatting with teammates while waiting for Jeff to finish the last minute course markings so we could do the early start.

A dozen or so of us were able to start at 7:00. I had decided to not wear my long sleeve or arm sleeves and I was pretty chilly for the first 15-20 minutes. Once the sun came up all the way I warmed up pretty quickly.

Only being a few weeks out of Lean Horse, I had barely done any running. A and I had done a 6ish mile run in Waterton Canyon, and I had only done one other 3ish mile run. So much like Lean Horse, I hoped that excessive taper would lead to rested legs and a decent race.

The beginning of the course was on sidewalk, until we moved onto the dirt trail, maybe .75 miles in. The trail is wide and not technical. While knowing the course was fairly flat, there were a small amount of rollers and hills. I walked most of the hills, but still felt like I was running fairly well.

There were only 2 aid stations on the course, that we would hit two times. Neither of them was manned when I got to them the first time, due to the early start. I had my Orange Mud handheld filled with Nuun, so I didn't need them anyway. Some of the markings were a bit confusing without having anyone at the aid stations to tell us to turn around, but the mile markers matched almost exactly so I figured things out just fine.

I was wondering when the leaders would catch me (at my 11:40ish pace, I expected the faster runners to be running closer to 7 min pace), and the answer was right at the turnaround (which at 6.2 miles, obviously the course was going to measure short). I was pretty happy to see that my teammate Jay had a sizable lead, and Malia, my team captain, was running in the main lead pack as first female. The only tricky part was that right after the turnaround was a half mile or so of single track. Faster and mid pack runners heading towards me, and the fastest runners were right on my heels. I ran this section faster than I should have and my calves paid the price.

When I finally got back to the wider road, I had to walk more than I would have liked, but that loosened up my legs enough that I was able to get back into a fairly decent run (with some walking intervals) after hitting the aid station at mile 8. I finally sucked down a GU (the first one since I ran the marathon in Angel Fire), filled my bottle and headed out for the last few miles.

By now it was pretty warm, and I was happy I hadn't bothered with the long sleeves, as that would just have been annoying.

Since I had taken it pretty easy during most of the race, I actually had some kick when I was coming into the finish. I was immediately met by A and teammates for a team picture.

Paul, Malia, Yuly, Jay, Me, Steven, Megan

Yuly and me

Had my post-race beer, and then we caught the shuttle with ease back to the car.

Garmin Time - 2:24:17
Garmin Distance - 12.25 miles
Official Time - 2:24:16
Overall Place - 78/93
Gender Place - 38/52
Division Place - 13/17
Mile 1 - 12:28
Mile 2 - 11:39
Mile 3 - 11:20
Mile 4 - 11:39
Mile 5 - 11:18
Mile 6 - 11:35
Mile 7 - 11:30
Mile 8 - 12:16
Mile 9 - 11:48
Mile 10 - 11:51
Mile 11 - 12:44
Mile 12 - 11:43
Mile 12.25 - 9:53

Thoughts:

• This was actually a really great event. Other than the course being 3/4 mile short, it was well marked, it wasn't super technical, and it was "just the right size." I enjoyed the solitude of my early miles, and liked seeing people later in my run as the faster people caught me.
• The course was very well marked, although as I said, I had to pay a bit more attention in the beginning because there were no volunteers at the aid stations or the one "confusing" intersection to tell us where to go.
• The shuttles worked out fantastically. They had two big passenger vans shuttling people back and forth, I think they probably came every 5-10 minutes.
• Medals and shirts (gender specific) were both nice.

• Post-race party, like usual, was fantastic. Beer and food, although since A and I had brunch plans, I only did the beer.
• A tad unrelated, but I'm attaching a screenshot that Jeff sent me after the event regarding A volunteering. It really made my day!

Big Cedar Endurance Run 100 Miler (Race Recap)

Dallas, TX

Friday, November 21

Ultra Marathon #12

Weather - HUMID and overcast during the day. Slightly windy.

I have enjoyed the races I run put on by Libby Jones and the Active Joe. When she announced she was putting on her first trail race, including a 100 miler, I figured I would give Big Cedar a chance. Libby assigns bib numbers in the order of registration, so I waited for my lucky number 44, to come up and signed up (back in August). 

Thursday

I got a heck of a deal on airfare ($144 RT), and flew in early Thursday morning to Love Field. Pretty thankful for the early arrival as my phone was having a hard time navigating me through the Dallas freeway system (trying to avoid the tollway). I got a bit lost, but still arrived around 2:00 pm at the host hotel in Duncanville. I unpacked and got my drop bag ready before heading to packet pick up at 3 pm. We got a ton of swag (coffee mug, towel, SWEET jacket, shirt and hat). 

I hadn't read close enough to realize the trail briefing wasn't until 5:30. I went back to the hotel to relax and get all my gear ready.

I went BACK for the trail briefing, and started to get mildly terrified. I still had not seen any of the course, but just from driving around I could tell that it was going to be much hillier than I anticipated. After the briefing I went to the grocery store to pick up some beer, then got dinner at the Mexican restaurant by the hotel. Food was good, service wasn't especially. Lights out early, and surprisingly, I slept.

Friday

The race didn't start until 9:00, but I didn't want to feel rushed, so I got up around 6:40 to shower and get my gear ready before heading out. I stopped to get a donut on the way to the start. It wasn't raining yet, but it was FOGGY.

Arrived with about an hour until the start, which gave me time to get all my crap ready and chat with Lesley.

So foggy there is no sky...

Pictures with Lesley are fun because I look like a midget

Spirits were high and I was getting a good vibe with the group of runners I would be spending the next billion miles with. There was a secondary trail briefing and we were again reminded that it WAS going to rain and that it WAS going to be slippery once it did. The question was, when was it going to rain, and HOW HARD?

Started at 9 am on the dot, gathered near the Powerline station and moved quickly onto the trail (a mountain bike trail maintained by the Dallas Off-Road Bike Association). It was immediately congested right from the beginning, which was fine by me. I started almost in the very back, I think there were maybe a half dozen people behind me.

Within about 10 minutes, I could tell something was wrong. The ball of my right foot hurt, like it was bruised, and my calves and quads were abnormally tight and "clenched" for as slow as I was moving. I figured I needed to take it pretty easy as I started, and kept my plan to walk most of the uphills in hopes of making up the time of flats and downhills.

Spoiler: NONE of that worked out.

I was initially pretty anxious about how confusing the course looked on the course maps, but Libby and her crew had marked it incredibly well. There were never times that I was wondering where I should be going.

The trail was gorgeous, especially since Texas is still experiencing fall colors. I took a lot of pictures in the first miles.

There were a lot more uphills and climbs than I was expecting

In order to make the cutoff of (I think 32 hours), I needed to maintain a 19:20 overall pace. I never had a single split under 14 minutes, which is super crazy slow, even for ME. The course was more than just "rolling" - it was either UP or DOWN, with VERY little areas that were "flat." I tried to run those, but with my legs already being tired and cramped, I wasn't able to run very fast, and the "flats" never lasted that long anyway. It was SO humid out, I finished my entire handheld before even getting to the first aid station, Copperhead, 5.3 miles in. I was in and out, just grabbing Nuun and a pickle. I was already concerned about pace.

Not sure where to go? Don't cross the spray painted log!

The second aid station, Truth Corner, kinda sneaked up on me. For some reason, I was expecting the two longest stretches (5.3 miles and 7.1 miles) to be back to back. It was a nice surprise to see it as I had emptied my bottle again. Grabbed Nuun and a PB&J and headed back out. I spent a lot of time on this bigger loop running with a retired man from Pennsylvania. He was pretty good at motivating me to run even though I just didn't feel like I had it in me.

cactus!!

O.M.G. This was taking FOREVER. The course was definitely more challenging than I had expected. There were SO many bridges. (Something like 87 over the whole course?) This long stretch was TOUGH to Twilight aid station was rough for me. It seemed like we weren't making any progress. We thought we were coming up on the aid station (turns out it was Powerline, and it was NOT the aid station we were going to), and it was another few minutes before we got there. Filled my bottle and headed out, truly surprised at how slow we were moving. Eventually got to Powerline where I used the bathroom and picked up my vest, I was drinking way too much to continue with just a handheld. We then did the "best" part of the course, the Ranger loop in reverse. I remember thinking, this part isn't too bad. Aid station were close, hit 2 more in the 6ish miles to finish my first "big loop" - which took me an HOUR longer than I expected/hoped, at just under 7 hours.

Uh.

Well, this was not going as planned. I was hungry, I was tired. I was going way slower than I should be. The humidity was draining me. I was trying to the the math in my head, but I was getting slower and slower. I was now logging closer to 17 minute miles and not banking any time. I was struggling running even the flats. I was hurting. My body felt like I had already run well over 50 miles, and I had barely done half that. I was getting discouraged.

I managed to catch back up to Randy (the retired Pennsylvanian) at Copperhead, and we stuck together until we got to Truth Corner. He was friendly and chatty and tried to keep my spirits high. I was able to get to the aid station without needing my headlamp, although it was already dark (about 5:40 pm). They had grilled cheese sandwiches, which rejuvenated me (for a minute). I managed to stick with Randy for only about an hour after the aid station, and that is pretty much when I hit rock bottom. I was only at about mile 35, and I was already done. Both physically and mentally. I kept trying to tell myself that if I could just keep moving that I would make the cutoffs and I could probably get it done. Problem was, that even though I was moving, I wasn't moving fast enough. My trashed legs were no longer even posting pitiful 17 minute miles, they were already over 20 minutes. And I knew that there was no way I was going to be speeding up.

I texted L that I was going to be dropping but that I hoped to get 50 miles in. It was starting to mist and the bridges and downhills were already getting terrifying. By the time I got to Twilight (HOURS) after leaving the last aid station, I knew that I would not be getting 50 miles either. At some point, it just doesn't make sense to keep moving. I actually sat down at Twilight (something I absolutely NEVER do during ultras). I almost quit right there but decided stopping was ok, but that I at least needed to get back to Powerline.

I took this picture on my last climb up:

The last few miles were terrible. I was stumbling, having a hard time seeing and getting overall squirrely (which should NOT happen this early on). I was glad I had already made the decision to stop.

I pulled the plug at 44.5 miles. Getting to 50 miles would have put me at something crazy like 16+ hours, or more than FOUR HOURS slower than the slowest 50 I have ever run. It was a GOOD and SMART decision to stop.

I headed over to Lesley, and told her I was quitting. She briefly tried to talk me into continuing, and I explained to her that it just didn't make sense and that I could not maintain or OBTAIN the pace I needed to make the cutoffs. She said she didn't want to take my chip and I said "you're NOT taking it, I'm giving it to you." She gave me a hug and that was it. 100 attempt number three was a bust. Many, MANY hours and miles earlier than I thought. I went to my car to drop off my bag and get my sweatshirt and it started POURING. It was lightning and dumping insane amounts of rain. I was even MORE happy with my decision to stop.

I waited out the weather for about a half hour and then headed back to the aid station to chat and eat some ramen. Around 1 am, Libby had to call the 50 mile race. Conditions were terrible on the trail and she thought it would be very dangerous for someone who hadn't run the course to start in the middle of the night.

At that point I decided to head back to the hotel and get some rest. My roommate was supposed to be running the 50 mile and she hadn't yet responded to my text about the race being cancelled. When I finally got there at 2:25 am, she was just getting up.

We ended up staying up talking and drinking until almost 4 am.

Saturday

We were woken up by housekeeping around 10 am. After getting dressed we went back over to the race to see how the 50K runners were handling the course and to pick up my drop bag. It was a MESS out there - this was after walking about 3 feet to Truth Corner to get my stuff:

We stuck around long enough to get some food and then went back to the hotel. Kerri needed to drive back to Austin and I needed to... START DAY ONE OF NO RUNNING FOR A LONG TIME. Over the course of the afternoon/evening I ate an entire pizza and watching hours of tv. Flew back very VERY early Sunday morning.

Thoughts:

• I am not a quitter. I do no like saying that I quit this race. But I did. The course was harder than I thought it was going to be. My body was too tired to be challenged.
• DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THIS COURSE. This wasn't a mountain race or anything, but don't be fooled into thinking it is "flat" just because it is in Texas. It certainly wasn't!
• I am SO happy that I quit before the rain and mud. I would likely have injured myself and I would have been moving way too slow for any of it to make sense or be worthwhile.
• The course was VERY well marked. I am THAT person that can get lost doing anything. No confusion, well marked. At night, with the wind, some of the flags were a bit hard to see. My only suggestion for next time would be ground flags instead of ones in the trees. There was reflective tape on all markings, which helped.
• I stuck around the start/finish for a long time, and while people were disappointed in DNFing, in general, people were pleased with the race and pleased with their decision to stop. Many had fallen on the course before the rain even started, so it's a HUGE success to me that I didn't fall at all the whole day (although came very close numerous times).
• The aid stations were fantastic. I'm a huge fan of Nuun, so I was really happy that it was the electrolyte drink on the course. There were probably 4-6 volunteers at each aid station and they were happy to fill bottles, get food ready, and answer whatever questions we might have had. They were fantastic.
• I fueled well. I drank enough, took enough salt and electrolytes and ate plenty.
• There were no gels on the course (which Libby announced prior to the race), so it was not a surprise, just something to know if you were to run this. There was candy, chips, pretzels, pickles, cookies, jerky (YUM!) and PB&J. Not a super wide variety of food, but enough to get the job done.
• The swag was amazing. Sad I won't wear the jacket and that I didn't get my first buckle. Oh wells.
• Would I run this again? Probably, if I was closer. I won't travel for this one again (knowing that the 100 is out of reach, and probably the 50M too). 
• I will say that if I didn't know this was an inaugural race, I wouldn't have known it from the organization. Libby is one hell of a race director, and anything that was within her control was taken care of. She is amazing!

I may add to this if I can think of anything else.

Hot Chocolate 15K (Race Recap)

Denver, CO
Sunday, October 5
First 15K, instant PR!
Weather - chilly before the start, then pretty perfect

Saturday

Supposedly NO race day pick-up for the Hot Chocolate Race (which is a lie), so we headed over to the National Western Complex to pay $5 to pick up our gear. We were received a 3/4 zip jacket instead of the usual race shirt, and a neat feature was being able to try on the jacket while you were there so you could exchange if it didn't fit. They were a bit more fitted than expected, but I still kept my original size. I didn't buy anything, but there was a lot of merchandise and a few additional vendors (the norm - Sweaty Bands, Skirt Sports and Gypsy Runner).

Sunday

The 15k started at 7:50 and they suggested being in your corral by 6:30 (Can you hear me laughing from way over here?) We dropped off the kids and picked up my dad around 6:15. About a 20-25 minute drive to my work parking garage, where we would only be about 5 blocks to the start area. We arrived just as the 5k was starting (7:00), and in the amount of time it took us to use the bathrooms (no line) and watch my dad try to pin his bib on, the fastest runners had already completed the race. We dawdled around until about 5 minutes before the race started, quick bag drop, and got into our corrals.

Capital building on one side of the street

Civic Center Building on the other

L was in the fastest corral, I was in the one behind her, and my dad was two behind me. I started around 7:53. I have had a bizarre string of "fast" and short runs the last few days and was interested to see how the day would go.

First off, there were only 4 aid stations, and I had decided to use my new Orange Mud handheld (use code BECKASPEEPS to save 10% if you are dying to have one as well!) in lieu of a belt. It turned out to be AWESOME, and all my fluid was grape Nuun. I started in the very back of my corral and tried to take it easy the first mile. When the mile beeped, I was surprised to see it just over 10 minute pace, I had thought it felt slower.

My heart rate never felt elevated and I never had the fire calves, but my lower legs and feet did go numb for about half the race. I walked a bit longer through the first aid station hoping to loosen it up. And THEN, for the first time in probably four years, I had to stop and tie my shoe?!?  I kept my arm sleeves on for the first few miles, gloves stayed on until mile 3 or 4.

Between those two bouts of walking, I felt great until about mile 4, which is when I started to get kind of hot and tired. I was wearing the Newton Fate, which I wore during my last marathon, and they just did NOT seem as comfortable as they did on the dirt. So that was a bummer.

I had thought the course would be similar to that of Denver RnR, but it wasn't. I didn't take any pictures of the course because nothing was interesting. Except my favorite Team Beef guys:

On an out and back section (I was just under 6 miles), I saw both L and Heather. They looked like they were cruising! I saw Ross ahead of me and it took until the last aid station around mile 7.5 for me to catch him.

I don't even remember the last part of the course. Since the race finishes less than a half mile from my office, everything was familiar and I started pushing for the finish with about a half mile to go. I ended feeling pretty good.

There was live tracking, so L knew exactly when I was finished and texted me where they were so I could find them.

No idea what is in my pocket. Gloves?

Pretty sure I have food chocolate in my mouth 

We chatted for a bit with Heather and Dan before heading to the finish area to wait for my Dad, who ended up finishing right as we walked over.

My Dad looks stunned :D

Cool medal, delicious chocolate. A bit pricey, but I would probably do again.

Official Time - 1:37:34
Overall Place - 1653/3110
Gender Place - 11628/2407
Division Place - 229/483
Official 5K - 32:54
Official 10K - 1:05:55
Garmin Time - 1:37:36
Garmin Distance - 9.39 miles
Garmin Pace - 10:24
Mile 1 - 10:04
Mile 2 - 10:42
Mile 3 - 10:29
Mile 4 - 10:14
Mile 5 - 10:56
Mile 6 - 10:26
Mile 7 - 10:32
Mile 8 - 10:28
Mile 9 - 10:12
Mile 9.39 - 9:06 (!)

Thoughts:

• I really don't like to pay to go to an expo. $5 isn't that bad I GUESS, but I hate not having any other option.
• This was CRAZY organized. Really, very easy to navigate, everything clearly marked. Zero complaints about organization.
• PLENTY of bathrooms at the start and on the course.
• "Treats" at every aid station, although I actually did not partake in that.
• Cool finisher mug with hot chocolate, chocolate fondue.
• Nice jacket, I may actually wear in the winter for running, if I venture outside.
• Not a super great course, but mostly flat and pretty fast (if you happen to be a fast runner).
• Overall, I would recommend this race.

Bear Chase Trail Run 50 Miler (Race Recap)

Lakewood, CO
Saturday, September 27
Ultra Marathon #11
Weather - HOT HOT HOT HOT

After I ran the 50 mile at Bear Chase in 2011 I swore I would never do it again, mainly because of the 12 hour time limit. For most of the year, NYC was the goal race, so when registration opened, I initially registered for the 50K. But then, I signed up for a 100 mile race in November and thought I might as well bump up to the 50 mile and see where I was at. Thanks to the addition of the 100K distance in 2013, the time limit was now a luxurious 15 hours.

And then I starting watching the extended forecast. With every passing day the forecast was for warmer and warmer temperatures. I was cursing myself for upgrading. I have run this race three times already and I know how hot it gets. A brief conversation with my dad:

Me: "Will I see you on the course again?" (he has been known to ride his bike over to the park to spot me on the course).
Dad: "Yeah, I'll come see you. IN THE EMERGENCY ROOM. You should be running something shorter."

Uh. Ok. And with that in mind...

I woke up at 4:40, hoping to get out the door in about a half hour. I had packed 99% of my things on Thursday, to allow for things I would inevitably forget to load up on Friday night or Saturday morning. I had a piece of pepperoni pretzel pizza for breakfast and a cup of coffee. Headed to the race around 5:15. I arrived at the lot at Bandimere around 5:40, briefly talked with Dan about possibly pacing, then got on the shuttle to head to the start.

I had picked up a bib for a friend, and was worried about having the time to find him before the race, stash my things and use the bathroom. Luckily, I found fellow INKnBURN ambassador Jeff with no problems, and we did the quick bag hand off. I ran into Courtney and Luke, who offered to let me use their tent to store my bag so my stuff would be easier to find. It was GREATLY appreciated as by the time I had arrived the drop bag area was pretty much full.

Quick trip through the bathroom line, and one picture before the start.

Jeff and Me

I had no idea how the day would go. Other than the marathon I ran on Labor Day I hadn't logged anything longer than a half marathon since the beginning of August.

Loop 1 (2:36:48)

I was literally the last runner across the timing mat as I knew I would be going slow and steady all day. My calves are unpredictable and can seize up with virtually no notice. I didn't want to end up causing a traffic jam if I needed to walk on a single track section.

The first few miles were fairly quiet and uneventful. Briefly, I felt a bit chilled in the shaded area, but knew it would heat up fast, so I was grateful for the cooler temps.

The race started about 20 minutes before sunrise, so we were able to have a nice view of a beautiful sunrise (before the giant ball of fire tried to kill us all):

The only near fall I had was very early in the race. I tripped over a root or a rock. Regardless, I managed to catch myself without actually hitting the ground. Hurray!!

My legs had finally started to warm up, and after only a few short walk breaks, I felt good enough to actually run. I didn't have to grab anything at the first aid station and headed out toward Mt. Carbon.

Heading to Mt. Carbon - Loop 1 (This whole section of the course was under FEET of water last year)

My strategy for Mt. Carbon is always the same. WALK. I am a terrible uphill runner and I know it just tires me out.

I swear, it's taller than it looks

I started chatting with a guy who remembered me from Chase the Moon (turns out it was Dustin Lee). It still felt cool running along the backside of Mt. Carbon, by the golf course until we entered the "woods" with the river crossings. The water was DEFINITELY deeper than I remembered.

River Crossing - Loop 1

It wasn't super hot yet, but the river crossing still felt nice. I remember commenting to Dustin on the short sidewalk portion of the course that it usually felt uphill here, but at this point in time it seemed flat. We parted ways at the aid station so he could change socks. I can't remember if I grabbed any food at this stop - might have taken coffee cake. I had some coke and headed out of Fox Hollow to the Cattail Creek aid station.

It is somewhat flat (maybe a gradual uphill) until you hit this monstrosity of a hill about a half mile in. I have never taken a picture of that particular hill, but it is SOUL CRUSHING. I power walked up the hill and then ran almost the whole section in the "marsh" until I had to stop and use the bathroom at the aid station.

Overlooking the golf course

I was feeling great at this point, and even the last 2.4 miles from Cattail back to the start seemed to go by decently fast. I really only recall walking "Mini Mt. Everest."

View from top of "Mini Mt. Everest"

I was really surprised when I saw how fast I run the first loop. Back at the start I grabbed a 1/4 PB&J, filled my water bottles with more Nuun and ice, reapplied sunscreen, briefly talked to Luke and headed out.

Loop 2 (2:39:59)

It was starting to get really hot. I had seen my friend Kate changing clothes at the start line and within a few minutes she cruised by me. She made the run look so easy!

I had to change my strategy early on. I was feeling mostly ok, but just sort of... "off" in the head. Not really dizzy, not really light-headed, just "off." I walked a bit more than I should have, but tried to run all the flats and downhills and anywhere there was shade.

Looks like the middle of nowhere (really, on the way to Mt. Carbon)

Have I mentioned the sun was TRYING TO KILL ME DEAD???

Halfway up Mt. Carbon

Everything seemed just a "tad" harder than the first loop. Mt. Carbon seemed to take longer and seemed steeper. I got a second wind at the top of the hill and felt like I flew down the backside and over the rivers and through the wood (see what I did there?)

The water crossings felt EXTRA great his loop:

I took off my shoes halfway up the sidewalk. Just as I remembered from years past, it felt GLORIOUS. I knocked all the sand out of my shoes and everything dried up almost instantaneously. More coke and coffee cake at Fox Hollow. Thankfully, they are giving out ice water now. The sun is practically boiling the water in my jet pack. So hot.

I run about half the section to the horrible hill. Already struggling. Run most of the section in the marsh to Cattail. See friend from run club a the aid station. Hot. Grab pickles and more PB&J.

Valley near Cattail

Everything is a blur until I get back to the aid station. I am REALLY surprised that my pace seems to have not changed substantially from the first loop.

Reapply sunscreen. More Nuun. More Mountain Dew. Talk briefly with Courtney (who had to drop due to illness) and Luke. Head back out. Halfway done.

Loop 3 (2:57:23)

And then the wheels start turning. I mean, nothing HURTS yet. I am tired, but not in pain. I had no real goal going into the race other than to hopefully be done before it got dark enough to require a headlamp (maybe around 12.5 hours). If I could maintain a reasonable pace... what if I could beat my other 50 mile time?

The giant ball of fire in the sky is trying to kill me. No doubt about it. There are still ZERO clouds. It is hot. I am not feeling well. I have taken a handful of gels by now (maybe 4), but just tiny bits of food. I feel light-headed and... well, HOT.

I'm pretty much only running downhills and half the flats. I am finding it increasingly difficult to keep moving. My IT band is holding up but putting up a bit of a fight running down the back of Mt. Carbon. Salvation:

The crossings are AMAZING. Maybe I will  survive after all. Shoes off again, walk up the sidewalk, more ice water, more coffee cake (getting stale), run/walk until I get passed the hill. Half run, half walk until Cattail.

Still monitoring my time, I am definitely on track for a possible PR as long as I don't totally fall apart.

Loop 4 (3:16:08)

I cross the line for the last time until I will finish. More Nuun, pickles, and Coke. More sunscreen. I see Ben and he asks how I am doing. I say, "great, I think, on track for a PR!" Dan chases me asking if he can pace me now. Ben tells him no pacers allowed until 3. I arrive about 15 minutes too early for one. So I headed out. Much more walking than running. Right as I'm heading into Pelican Point Dan shows up with a pacer bib. Looks like I will have company for the last 10 miles.

I tell him the ULTIMATE goal would be to finish by 6:00, secondary goal would be to PR. I hate to feel tired. I hate for things to hurt. But I REALLY wanted a PR, and a BIG one. I turned off the headphones and tried not to hate Dan too much for his harassment encouraging words. On fresh legs, he was anxious to run and was scurrying up hills like it was nothing.

Somewhere around the river crossings (about 45 miles in), was when my body finally started to hurt. My right hip was bothering me, and on the climbs my ass was aching with every step. I did NOT want to stop. I wanted to keep moving, I wanted to run. I WANTED THAT PR.

I ran tiny bits here and there. I tried to open up my stride (sometimes it is really a bummer being so short). I barely stopped at Cattail. It was going to be VERY close for me to hit that OMG goal of 6:00, which would put me at finishing in 11.5 hours.

My Garmin 220 (with an 8-10 hour battery life) had lasted 10:44:xx until mile 46.75, when I put it in watch mode so I could monitor the time.

I hurt so bad. Dan ran the last section until the road. ran down the big hill, on the first section of road. I walked to the corner and then ran it in until the finish. I COULD NOT BELIEVE MY EYES WHEN I SAW THE FINISHER CLOCK STILL READ 11:30:XX.

I had done it. I hate making goals with myself during a race because INEVITABLY, something will go wrong. Yet somehow, the impossible had happened. I had run a 22 minute PR on the day that Colorado decided to mirror the surface of the sun.

Not sure I could smile bigger if I tried.

From the Garmin:
Miles 1-5 (12:26, 12:37, 12:33, 12:23, 11:56)
Miles 6-10 (13:55, 12:13, 13:14, 13:49, 12:40)
Miles 11-15 (13:18, 11:06, 12:44, 12:52, 11:23)
Miles 16-20 (12:38, 12:51, 13:47, 10:29, 12:49)
Miles 21-25 (15:56, 12:43, 14:21, 12:29, 12:59)
Miles 26-30 (13:56, 12:33, 12:47, 14:57, 13:01)
Miles 31-35 (16:15, 12:58, 17:16, 14:43, 14:10)
Miles 36-40 (14:49, 13:19, 15:12, 14:48, 14:02)
Miles 41-46.75 (16:20, 14:50, 17:37, 14:09, 16:26, 19:01, 15:21)

Dan headed off to change clothes and I immediately found beer and a seat in the grass.

Beer never tasted so good

After sitting and absorbing everything that happened I realized I should eat something. I was hoping for grilled cheese, but there wasn't any. Instead, I had delicious pancakes and sausage. Dan offered to pay for me to sit in Elevated Legs for 20 minutes. I swear I felt like a new person after:

Thoughts:

• 50 miles is hard. It's especially hard on a super hot day. However, I think it helped me this time to know EXACTLY what I was in for. The only other 50 miler I have run was this same course, in very similar weather. I made sure to hydrate as best as I could, and I tried to stave off cramps as best as I could. I think I ran about as smart as I could, considering the conditions.
• I did NOT hate the experience as much as last time. The last time I was racing the clock to finish in the course cutoff of 12 hours. Arguably, I am not as fast as I was in 2011, yet I managed to finish substantially faster.
• This is one of the best trail races I have run, which is why I have now run four years in a row. From start to finish, everything is planned very well. The course is very well marked. Never have I felt like I would get lost or miss a turn. Course markings - A+
• The aid stations are wonderful. The volunteers are top notch. I would have preferred something other than Honey Stinger gels (I just don't like how they taste), but I always bring my own so that was a non-issue. They always have a ton of different "ultra" foods out. Fig newtons, sandwiches, chips, pretzels, salted watermelon, M&M's, pickles, Coke/Mountain Dew/Ginger Ale. AND ICE. THANK GOD THEY HAD ICE.
• The finish line party is the best. They leave EVERYTHING up for the very last finishers. As a back of the pack runner, I cannot even express how much this means to me. I love arriving and still having the announcer there. Still having PLENTY of beer and soda and food. It's so nice to not be alone at the finish.
• FREE RACE PICTURES. FREE. FREE. FREE.
• I will obviously run this again next year, although maybe not the 50 mile. Gotta let the PR stand for a while.