Night Hawk 50k
Showing posts with label 50k. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 50k. Show all posts
Night Hawk 50k complete
Night Hawk 50k
Big Bend 50k Race Report
I really, REALLY need to get this on my schedule for next year. It looks like a fabulous race.
Psycho Psummer Pscorcher 50k Review
Well, I picked a winner as usual. I recently ran my first official 50k and I managed to pick one of the hottest days of the year and the hilliest damn course to do it on.
I have run 50k on a few training runs in the past so I wasn't too concerned on finishing. I was hoping for a better time but learning how many people actually dropped back to the 20 miler made me feel a little better. To top this off, I did this in my usual "fly by the seat of my pants" fashion and had no real training plan leading up to the race. During the few weeks leading up to the race I had increased my mileage and I was actively "looking" for a race to make it official. All the pieces of the puzzle fell into place but the race was only a couple days away. I went ahead and pulled the trigger and signed up (two days prior to the race).
Since the race was just a couple days away I didn't really taper a lot. I had been recovering from a 50k training run a few weeks prior to the race so my downtime was already a couple weeks. I was confident in my ability but not in the weather.
The weather leading up to the race was hot to say the least. We had been breaking records and a serious drought was taking place. The forecast high for the day was low 100s and it was right on the money. It was a cool 101 on my way home.
The course started out on the up hill and that was a pretty good indication of what was to come. There was a large open area to start which was nice to allow people to spread out and find their place in the crowd. Just after a long gradual up hill we turned off to a trail into the woods and narrowed down to single file. At this point it was fairly rocky but nothing unusual. The next few miles were nothing difficult or different compared to the trails I was used to running. There were a few steep uphills and quite a few rocks but nothing out of the ordinary. At one point we ran up the back of the dam which was a bit foreboding and hot but also a nice change of scenery. Shortly after this things started to get a bit more hilly. Near the end of the 10 mile loop there are 3 large hills that could be called just about anything in the book. They are long and steep. And in the 100 degree heat I used about every name you could think of. Shortly after these lovely hills was a quick little jaunt to the finish line.
After the first loop I felt great. I was ready plow ahead and knock this baby out. Next thing I knew, I was dehydrated and bent over in the bathroom trying to pee. I toughed it out and started drinking more with more S-Caps as well. After the debilitating second lap in which I walked quite a bit, I strapped on my hydration pack, filled it with ice and headed out. I was quickly hydrated and rolling along just fine. I never was really sore or worn out, just dehydrated. I finished the last lap right at 8 hours; much longer than I expected but I still had fuel in the tank which is what I had hoped to accomplish.
Next up is the Trailhawk 50 miler in September. I think I'll go ahead and start out with the hydration pack this time. It seems to keep me drinking more often and even though it won't be as important with the cooler temperatures, it will be imperative to finishing 50 miles.
Over all the Psycho Psummer 50k was a great race. The sponsor was wonderful as usual and all the aid stations were motivating and stocked with supplies. I can't say enough good things about the Trail Nerds. They always put on a great race.
I have run 50k on a few training runs in the past so I wasn't too concerned on finishing. I was hoping for a better time but learning how many people actually dropped back to the 20 miler made me feel a little better. To top this off, I did this in my usual "fly by the seat of my pants" fashion and had no real training plan leading up to the race. During the few weeks leading up to the race I had increased my mileage and I was actively "looking" for a race to make it official. All the pieces of the puzzle fell into place but the race was only a couple days away. I went ahead and pulled the trigger and signed up (two days prior to the race).
Since the race was just a couple days away I didn't really taper a lot. I had been recovering from a 50k training run a few weeks prior to the race so my downtime was already a couple weeks. I was confident in my ability but not in the weather.
The weather leading up to the race was hot to say the least. We had been breaking records and a serious drought was taking place. The forecast high for the day was low 100s and it was right on the money. It was a cool 101 on my way home.
The course started out on the up hill and that was a pretty good indication of what was to come. There was a large open area to start which was nice to allow people to spread out and find their place in the crowd. Just after a long gradual up hill we turned off to a trail into the woods and narrowed down to single file. At this point it was fairly rocky but nothing unusual. The next few miles were nothing difficult or different compared to the trails I was used to running. There were a few steep uphills and quite a few rocks but nothing out of the ordinary. At one point we ran up the back of the dam which was a bit foreboding and hot but also a nice change of scenery. Shortly after this things started to get a bit more hilly. Near the end of the 10 mile loop there are 3 large hills that could be called just about anything in the book. They are long and steep. And in the 100 degree heat I used about every name you could think of. Shortly after these lovely hills was a quick little jaunt to the finish line.
After the first loop I felt great. I was ready plow ahead and knock this baby out. Next thing I knew, I was dehydrated and bent over in the bathroom trying to pee. I toughed it out and started drinking more with more S-Caps as well. After the debilitating second lap in which I walked quite a bit, I strapped on my hydration pack, filled it with ice and headed out. I was quickly hydrated and rolling along just fine. I never was really sore or worn out, just dehydrated. I finished the last lap right at 8 hours; much longer than I expected but I still had fuel in the tank which is what I had hoped to accomplish.
Next up is the Trailhawk 50 miler in September. I think I'll go ahead and start out with the hydration pack this time. It seems to keep me drinking more often and even though it won't be as important with the cooler temperatures, it will be imperative to finishing 50 miles.
Over all the Psycho Psummer 50k was a great race. The sponsor was wonderful as usual and all the aid stations were motivating and stocked with supplies. I can't say enough good things about the Trail Nerds. They always put on a great race.
Unofficial 50k in the books!
I went out with the Trailhawks for the weekly long run on Saturday. I ended up doing a full 50k for the first time and it felt great. I learned a few things in the process as well (which is always nice).
I need to take more than just Gu and Honey Stingers for food for the first thing. At around the 24 mile mark I became extremely hungry. I must have been "bonking" as I have never really felt that way before. I was dizzy and just felt like laying down. I managed to walk a ways to water point and someone said they had a peanut butter sandwich I could have. It was, without a doubt, the best peanut butter sandwich I have ever eaten. Of course it was just bread and whipped peanut butter but it tasted fantastic. I now have a favorite aid-station food and something cheap and easy to pack. Thanks again Sherri!
Also, I do a lot better with S-Caps instead of Nuun water. In the past, I have always just stocked a few Nuun tablets and popped them in at water points. I never really realized that the sickly feeling was most likely not from too much Nuun, but too little salt. I never really liked the taste of the Nuun anyway. I have always preferred plain old water. Now I just pop an S-Cap every half-hour to hour, depending on how hot it is, and I am fine.
I must say the run was surprisingly pain free. My legs, knees, ankles and feet were all fine. I had a little arch pain at one point but I just shifted my stride a little and it went away. It could have been from getting stomped on in softball the night before too. By far the worst thing about the whole run was my sore shoulders from wearing that hydration pack for 7 hours!
Next up, finding a 50k close by so I can get Oh-Ficial!
I need to take more than just Gu and Honey Stingers for food for the first thing. At around the 24 mile mark I became extremely hungry. I must have been "bonking" as I have never really felt that way before. I was dizzy and just felt like laying down. I managed to walk a ways to water point and someone said they had a peanut butter sandwich I could have. It was, without a doubt, the best peanut butter sandwich I have ever eaten. Of course it was just bread and whipped peanut butter but it tasted fantastic. I now have a favorite aid-station food and something cheap and easy to pack. Thanks again Sherri!
Also, I do a lot better with S-Caps instead of Nuun water. In the past, I have always just stocked a few Nuun tablets and popped them in at water points. I never really realized that the sickly feeling was most likely not from too much Nuun, but too little salt. I never really liked the taste of the Nuun anyway. I have always preferred plain old water. Now I just pop an S-Cap every half-hour to hour, depending on how hot it is, and I am fine.
I must say the run was surprisingly pain free. My legs, knees, ankles and feet were all fine. I had a little arch pain at one point but I just shifted my stride a little and it went away. It could have been from getting stomped on in softball the night before too. By far the worst thing about the whole run was my sore shoulders from wearing that hydration pack for 7 hours!
Next up, finding a 50k close by so I can get Oh-Ficial!
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