I ran the Hagg Lake 50k Ultra Marathon (31miles) last saturday. Boy was this thing muddy. I pretty much ran in a thick mud puddle for 30miles. I had mud caked on the back of my neck, and even some of the squishy stuff in my shoes.
Here is what I learned from my first time "racing" a 50k
1. 50km is a long ass ways!
2. For you Triathletes- competing in a 50k takes about the same time as it would take you to complete a half ironman....but you are running (or at least on your feet) the whole time!
3. 50km in the mud makes for a very long day
4. Do not underestimate the techincal aspect of a "trail race"- you have to have good balance and skills on your feet, know how to carry your speed, KNOW the course you are racing. I was not at all prepared for this and did most of my training runs on straight flat roads due to time constraints.
5. Falling hard and banging your left ankle on a foot bridge at mile 8 of the race can make it a long ass day!
6. Damn, there are some fast runnin hippies out there!
7. GU rocks as a 50k sponsor. There were Gels everywhere!! And they helped get my good buddy eric into the race at the last minute too! Thanks guys.
8. A lot more ultra runners than I would have thought (fast ones too) race these things with an Ipod.
9. Its worth crowding in and carpooling with a bunch of friends to head to race because you WONT want to drive after. Great race and ride fast Eric, big Aaron & Mountain Alex...and thanks for driving and taking pictures Kat!
10. People look at me just as crazy when I tell them I ran a 31mile mud run, as they did when I would tell them I raced Ironman :-)
11. Train on trails, a lot, if you plan on running a trail 50k. Train in mud, a lot, if you plan on doing this race.
12. You can never thank your family or friends enough for their support.
13. 3miles from the finish you may never want to race a 50k again.....3 days after your finish, you may be hooked!
Here are a couple of cool pics- #1 and #2
Race Results HERE
I finished in time of 4:21:xx (about 8:25/mi pace for 31miles). My overall place was 25th and I was 5th in my Age Group (first time racing in the 30-34 division). While I definitely had some issues out there, I am happy and greatful to have finished the day on my feet and in a decent time/placing. My ankle has been pretty swollen these past few days, but I am healing up quickly and easing back into some like workouts these last two days.
Thanks everyone for reading. It's great to be back at it. I am hungry (in more ways than one) and Excited for this year!!
-Monda
