running race 9:59:31 [3] 50.4 mi (11:54 / mi)
shoes: Salomon XA Pro 3
Bull Run Run 50 Miler
I somehow finished this race under 10 hours, when I was expecting 12-13 hours. I had not done any long training runs since Elizabeth Furnace 50k on March 13 and occasional o-meets. I found out I got in the race on April 2 due to the waiting list. First 17 mile out and back was uneventful except running those flat miles was starting to wear on me. I ran miles 17 through 27 too fast because i was feeling good up and down the hills going to Fountainhead. The next 5+ miles slogging around Fountainhead, everyone I had just passed caught up. Feet were starting to hurt, but I kept up the run/walk pace. I was not eating any of my gels or food I was carrying and relied on potatoes, chips and soda, and carried potatoes with me. Finally, on the way back to Hemlock, I started watching the time very closely to figure out how slow I was going, trying to estimate the finish. The only thing in my mind was don't bonk, walk less, find a better hiking stick. At the last aid station, at 8:45, 5 miles to go, I started on gels and was feeling better and better. Eventually, it looked like under 10 hours was possible, and I was feeling a lot better, maybe the adrenaline of getting to the finish. I had under 5 minutes from the stream to climb to the finish, and I sprinted the last minute across the fields to make it with 30 seconds to spare.