Road Running 5:30 [2] 1.2 km (4:35 / km)
Token warm up jog. Actually loosened off quicker than usual which saves doing more.
Hill running 6:48:30 [4] 81.49 km (5:01 / km) +3100m 4:13 / km
TNF 50 mile. Big step in to the unknown and a few lessons learned. First 18km was dark with fog patches which were really hard to see with the head torch. The pace felt easy to me sitting just off the back of the lead group but if I’d looked at the splits I’d have seen it was closer to 4’00”/km and way too quick.
I dropped a few seconds at the first aid station and took a while to get back in 4th or 5th which I held for quite a while. Felt still within comfort zone and took on plenty fluids and energy right from the start. I wasn’t enjoying the maurten after 2hr but missed my fresh bottles of tailwind at 37km so had no other choice. At half way I was only a few mins off the lead but noticed my legs had zero power on the climbs. Still made up one place around 45km but was feeling awful. Grabbed as much as possible at the next aid station but wasn’t running smoothly with all the full bottles in the race pack. The next two climbs were horrific, even considered bailing out but I was still in 6th and didn’t see anyone behind.
Going in to the final 15km I had a second wind and ran all the final climb. Passed a guy at 75km and then ran pretty strongly to the end. It wasn’t too bad a result but there were so many good climbs and fast descents I couldn’t make use in the second half after starting too quick. Happy to get through it without any major issues though.