aiming for a 50k

part of the "small trail"  :)

monday - got a chance to run 5 miles at 6:30pm. it was not hot but oh so humid! i carried my new 22oz nathan hand held to try to get used to it. it just annoyed me. i just need to adjust.


tuesday - 8 miles on the easy trail. but it didn't feel easy today. it was hot (1pm real feel was 94) and humid. felt tired and needed short walk breaks. some days are just like that. i used the 22oz'er again and felt a little more comfy with it. refilled it for a total of 40oz.



wednesday - 5 miles on the easy trail  in 63 degree light rain with a cool breeze - just about perfect! i saw the most beautiful hawk about 15 feet from me. i did 1 mile trail hill repeats. trying to prepare as best i can for that beast (50K) below.


friday - 15 miles on the easy trail. it didn't feel so easy two thirds the way through! i repeated about 8 miles on the little half mile path of rooty and hilly trail. the rest of the run was on the fine gravel rolling hills path. running 15 miles in this park and all of it's hills made me tired. the weather was perfect though - upper 60's to low 70's and breezy. used my 22oz bottle (filled it two more times there) and as much as i wanted to put it down, i didn't. it was like running with a 3lb dumbbell!



on tues, i emailed my man the details of the 50K race i was thinking about trying. i thought we'd talk about the logistics and see if it would work. but when he came out of his office, he told me he got a room near the race. surprise!!! guess i'm sort of committed to it!

here is the elevation profile -

here is what the race director shared with me when i sent a few questions his way.

This will be a great first 50K.  There are two large climbs and lots of rolling ones.  The course starts with single track, then heads out on dirt forest roads and finally returns to pristine fern lined trails.  The first climb is trail and hard, but it is early and you go by an 80ft tall waterfall which takes your mind off of climbing.  The second major climb is forest road and is just under two miles long.  It is very runnable however walking may be more energy efficient.  Please let me know if you have questions.  I wouldn't worry too much about the climbs because 75% of the time you are just rolling through the mountains.
  
i felt a little comforted by how he said 75% of it is just rolling through the mountains. i sure hope!