In college, there was a phrase used in my fraternity to describe behavior for which there was no rational explanation: "It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time". Usually, this would apply to alcohol-fueled episodes of idiocy, like the time someone doused his hand in lighter fluid and lit it, or the unfortunate evening a brother dropped his pants in the middle of our off-campus house and urinated on the nice hardwood floor.
Two weeks ago, I had my moment of It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time when I registered for my first 50K, on a whim. I had run a 35K trail race two weeks before that and felt I could have probably gone longer, so I clicked the 50K option, punched in my credit card number and went about my business.
It wasn't until last night I started to freak out a little bit. 31 miles. On trails. What had I been thinking?
Well, I drove out to Skyline Ridge Open Preserve this morning just thinking about one step at a time (literally). The course would be a 23K out-and-back, followed by two 14K loops in succession. I tried to coast as much as I could on the first leg, which worked out really well actually. It got a little hilly, but I just stuck with an easy pace on inclines as well as flat sections. I reached the aid station at the turnaround feeling really fresh. Some mountain bikers were staring at us while we stocked up. "Is this a race?" "In theory," I answered. "Is this a benefit or are you just doing this for fun?" "It's just for fun," I replied, and made my way down the trail, feeling a little bit like a fool. It doesn't make sense on a rational level, but it's comforting to know I have lots of company in the pain-for-fun category.
On the way back, I think I went a little too hard, but I was fighting the wind. The scenery, incidentally, was spectacular. A perfect mix of pine forest and green California hills. At this point in the race, I was still enjoying the views.
Once returned to the starting point, I started in on the first of the 14K loops. It opened with a climb on a rocky single-track, then a small descent followed by a lot of running on bare, green hills. Of course, I was beginning to feel a little tired, and "taking it easy" was no longer the reason for my reduced pace. I wasn't wearing a watch, which I'd recommend for any scary long race. No need to freak out about miles remaining, or the time already spent running. It's also very Zen, somehow. How far have you run? How long have you run? None of that matters. What matters is that you keep running.
Well, or run/walking, hunched over, gasping for air. The views were still picturesque, in fact reminding me of the Black Forest a little bit (lots of pine trees) and making me homesick. Although a rattlesnake warning sign was distinctly California.
After finishing the first loop, I stocked up again (slice of PB&J -- best aid station *ever*) and started leg #3 before I could think about calling it a day. This was where I had a "bad patch", which was hardly unexpected after 37K. But between the pain in my leg muscles, the rocky climb and my nose running like a water faucet, I got a little worried about the remaining distance. I always tell myself, well, I can walk, but who wants to spend hours trekking on tired legs, getting overtaken constantly? Luckily, I managed to break through The Wall by the time I hit the last aid station and felt what I think of as "20 mile tired" the rest of the way.
I had my bottle filled with water and dropped in another Nuun tablet. These little suckers are loaded with electrolytes and also taste quite good. All in all, I felt about as well as you can running a long distance, and I think these tablets really helped me out. Between Nuun and lots of Cliff Shot Blocks (and a slice of PB&J!), I think my nutrition / hydration worked out perfectly.
On the way back, I ran at least as well as I had on my first loop, if not a little better. I had to walk some of the uphills, but I managed to move quite well on other parts of the course and even overtook another runner one or two miles from the finish. As I started the last descent, I heard someone approaching fast. Did my overtakee catch a second wind? No -- it was another runner who I remembered seeing before. I sped up and figured no way does he catch me, but I got smoked despite what should have been a really good pace (after 50 kilometers!) He finished a couple of seconds ahead of my 5 hour, 3 minute time.
I picked up a T-Shirt and a surprise bonus coaster before limping back to my car.
Apropos pictures, I saw Scott Dunlap out there today so I figure his blog will soon feature photos of the course on this magnificent day. If you live in the Bay Area, check out the photographs and ask yourself if this is a race you can afford to miss next year.
I feel beat up right now, but not nearly as bad as after a hard marathon. I was a little worried about all the little injuries I've been accumulating on my current training cycle, especially a bad right Achilles. Knock on wood, nothing seems to have failed catastrophically, but I'll have to check again tomorrow. If all's well, I'll be back into my normal schedule on Monday, having survived my It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time moment.
