Fun in the Woods

Saturday's Big A 50K at Mount Aggie was my first "race" in over a year. I needed a long run and I wanted to see my Ultra friends, so the Big A was a good fit. Bob D ran the first loop with me. He has a marathon coming up and only wanted to run one loop. The 7.8 mile loop was rough and tough and lots of fun. I was told after the race, that the 50K included 12400 feet of climb and decent. I believe it! Twenty-eight runners started and I landed somewhere in the middle of the pack on that first loop, and stayed there throughout the run. I felt relaxed and ran well within my limits. I wasn't sure if I could run the entire 50K or would have to stop after three loops. I knew twenty four miles was well within my reach, but I wasn't sure about 31. I'm still building up the length of my long runs in my Vermont 100 training, so this was a good test to see how that was going. I ran the second loop alone, but could see Lori and her friends up ahead now and then.

Third and fourth loops, I was completely on my own. I had no idea where I was in the field and didn't care at all. I was really enjoying myself. I am totally happy when I am by myself in the woods. Still, it was nice to come through the aid station and see Rich at the end of each loop, just to assure me I wasn't the only one left out there. I started to notice that there were less and less cars in the parking area each time around. I ran steady for three loops as planned. About three quarters of the way around for the third time, a fast young guy went shooting past me on a very rocky downhill stretch. I wondered if I was being lapped by the leader. It turns out that I was. After finishing three loops I thought, what the heck, might as well do the whole thing since I was feeling fine.  It turns out that all but 7 runners dropped out before the full 50K. I ended up finishing fourth over all.  My quads were sore and tired, but all things considered, I was pretty pleased with my effort.

Sunday, Kevin and I mountain biked at the Moat single track. I just puttered along on tired legs. Any climb whatsoever, felt like Mount Washington. Still, it was very fun to be out with Kevin and Scout on the trails. There's nothing like playing in the woods! It was definitely a weekend of fun and smiles!