average race for me. not great, not horrible. could have been better, could have been worse. i still have a lot to learn about properly "racing" 50 miles. very happy with the day though. with some small changes both in training and on race day I am pretty confident i can run ~6:45 on that course. and as far as the course goes.. it was incredible. it was muddy but we had great weather. so glad we still got run 90% of the original course.
here's the details....
http://app.strava.com/activities/226876539/overvie...
I felt good and rested on the start line but probably went out a bit too hard. shocker. With the minor course changes the packs stayed together longer than usual for the first 11 miles. I was just having a good time chatting with Vargo and Dylan and never felt like I was pushing. For the most part I was in the second pack and between the first and second pack there must have 30+ dudes together.
After a bit of confusion after the second loop (mile 11) when a good chunk of the front runners missed the turn I found myself in the lead group heading up the Miwok climb. Not where I wanted to be. So I stopped to go to the bathroom and let them go. I continued up the climb and then descended to the Tennessee Valley aid station. I saw Maggie, got a new bottle, and was on my way. I was definitely a bit of ahead of where I should have been... or more importantly wanted to be. For the next few miles I ran with Vargo and then we descended to the Muir Beach aid station (mile 18). I was still feeling good and staying on top of my nutrition.
At mile 19 we started the climb up to Cardiac and I had guys all around me... just ahead and behind. I couldn't get my legs to go up the muddy switchbacks. It felt like I was stuck in 2nd gear. My energy was good, my head was good, but my legs wouldn't go. I slogged along for a bit and got passed by a few guys. I continued to feel like crap from the Cardiac aid station (mile 23.2) all the way to the Mckennan Gulch aid station ( mile 28.1). I just didn't have any power during the 9 miles of climbing. Pretty much the worst part of the race to hit a low spot. It could very well have been because I went out too hard and I'll be honest I was getting a bit worried and having a pity party.
I was thinking about how nice it would be to drop at mile 33 where I would see maggie next and just chalk it up to not being my day... but then I got my head on straight. I was talking with Maggie right before the start of the race about how stoked I was just be healthy and fit again. It's been a long road since getting hit by a car on memorial day weekend of last year. A lot of ups and downs and for the first time this fall I've finally felt like I'm back to where I was before then... and even better than before. So I rallied and was going to get this thing done no matter what.
Just after the mile 28 aid station I passed a struggling Rob Krar. We shared a couple words and I continued to roll. Once back on the Matt Davis trail my legs and body started to come around and I was rolling all the way down to the Stinson Beach aid station (33.1). I passed a couple of guys on the way down and got to see Maggie again. I climbed well out of Stinson beach and that climb was one of my favorite parts of the course. I caught a couple more guys and but was also passed by a charging Rob Krar... damn can that dude power hike. I topped out at the climb and rolled down to the Cardiac aid station (mile 35.8). I was feeling better now then I was when I rolled through there at mile 23.
Next was a long, super muddy descent back down to Muir Beach. I still had good legs and my spirits were high as I was getting a lot of encouragement from all the 50k runners running in the opposite direction. I got to the Muir Beach aid station at mile 41 and slammed some coke and water. Then it was time for about a 1000ft climb out of Muir Beach on some super steep fireroads. I ran and power hiked my way up the climb. I was feeling pretty good and was stoked that i felt better from mile 30-40 than I did from 20-30.
Nearing the half way point on the climb I started to get a gnarly side stitch and could not get it to go away. It slowed me down quite a bit on the descents between the climbs but going up was fine. I got to the top of the climb and did my best to roll the descent while i felt like was getting stabbed in the gut. A mile or two before I got back to the Tennessee Valley Aid station (mile 45.1) the side stitch finally went away. In trying to get it to away I had stopped eating and drinking which I new would cause some issues the last 5 miles.
I was shocked and stoked to see Maggie and Brad at the Tennessee Valley aid. Maggie was originally going to just head to the finish after Stinson Beach. I walked through aid with her and she gave me a pep talk and then it was time for the last climb of the day. I ran 99% of it, not fast, but I got it done and then rolled into the finish in 7:11... very stoked to be done.