Fat Ass 50K Race Day. Since half of December was spent sick or enjoying the holidays, not much running had been done since my Pine Mtn wipeout. I was not sure how this was going to go. It is a low-key, GUTS members only race that in the past has been freezing. Every time you finish a loop you see friends hanging out by the fire and drinking beer and it's hard to make yourself head out on another loop. I wanted to do the complete distance but I was going to just see how things went, loop by loop. No pressure!
The weather report was calling for warm temps in the 50s with a 30% chance of rain starting around noon. This would be a nice change since the last 2 years the temperatures have not risen above 20°. I brought all kinds of clothes for all kinds of temps and my rain coat for good measure. I started the race running with Peggy and Terrie Tillman (who was planning on 3 loops only). Peggy is training for the 50 mile race in Mississippi so planned on the full distance and I was undecided. The new course differed a bit from what we were thinking but it was not bad just tougher than previous years. The three of us stayed together and we chatted along the way. First lap was done. Grabbed some food, hit the bathroom and then we headed back out.
The next lap went well. I was feeling good with good company but I didn't think I would have enough energy for the whole thing. Three laps seemed good - it would be close to 20 miles and a good run on any given day. Four laps seemed silly since you might as well just do one more so it was either 3 or 5 at this point.
At the end of lap 2 we had some runners join us - Miles Bays and Mike Luebeck from Get Fit. The weather was still good with a few sprinkles here and there. Still able to run/power walk and feeling good. Peggy was in good spirits and started singing "red solo cup" at the end of lap 3. She was now called Red Solo cup for the rest of the day. We finished the loop and I was trying to decide what to do. I knew I could run/power walk the next lap but was pretty sure lap 5 would be entirely walking. While I was debating this, Peggy and Mike said they were off for lap 4 so I just followed and stopped thinking about it all.
Lap 4 started off good but Peggy started slowing down very soon in. Her feet were really hurting and she was having a hard time trying to keep up even when we were walking. About 1.5 to 2 miles in the rain started. I knew I should have grabbed my rain coat! It was not pleasant but I wasn't cold as long as I was moving. Mike and I kept running/walking along with a few stops along the way for Peggy to catch up. When we got on the final home stretch we just kept chugging along figuring Peggy could make it the rest of the way in.
Lap 4 was finished and I was planning on grabbing my coat and heading out for number 5. I was still able to run a bit and figured I might as well get this thing done. Well, that decision got made for me since the sweeper had already headed out. If I had made it in a little sooner they would have let me finish up but given the fact that the last lap was so slow, it didn't look good for me to get in before dark. I could have really argued it since I would have definitely been faster on my own but I decided that warm, dry clothes some chili and beer would be just fine too.
I had a great day, stayed positive almost 100% of the day and enjoyed all the friendly faces on the trail. It's really nice to go to these races now that I have gotten to know so many of the GUTS members. I always enjoy their company and yesterday was another big success.
The course was close to 34 miles total so I ended up doing an ultra after all with a total distance of 27.5 miles. Not too shabby since I still felt good and knew I could have finished strong. A little more training and the Miss 50 is going to go well.
The next lap went well. I was feeling good with good company but I didn't think I would have enough energy for the whole thing. Three laps seemed good - it would be close to 20 miles and a good run on any given day. Four laps seemed silly since you might as well just do one more so it was either 3 or 5 at this point.
At the end of lap 2 we had some runners join us - Miles Bays and Mike Luebeck from Get Fit. The weather was still good with a few sprinkles here and there. Still able to run/power walk and feeling good. Peggy was in good spirits and started singing "red solo cup" at the end of lap 3. She was now called Red Solo cup for the rest of the day. We finished the loop and I was trying to decide what to do. I knew I could run/power walk the next lap but was pretty sure lap 5 would be entirely walking. While I was debating this, Peggy and Mike said they were off for lap 4 so I just followed and stopped thinking about it all.
Lap 4 started off good but Peggy started slowing down very soon in. Her feet were really hurting and she was having a hard time trying to keep up even when we were walking. About 1.5 to 2 miles in the rain started. I knew I should have grabbed my rain coat! It was not pleasant but I wasn't cold as long as I was moving. Mike and I kept running/walking along with a few stops along the way for Peggy to catch up. When we got on the final home stretch we just kept chugging along figuring Peggy could make it the rest of the way in.
Lap 4 was finished and I was planning on grabbing my coat and heading out for number 5. I was still able to run a bit and figured I might as well get this thing done. Well, that decision got made for me since the sweeper had already headed out. If I had made it in a little sooner they would have let me finish up but given the fact that the last lap was so slow, it didn't look good for me to get in before dark. I could have really argued it since I would have definitely been faster on my own but I decided that warm, dry clothes some chili and beer would be just fine too.
I had a great day, stayed positive almost 100% of the day and enjoyed all the friendly faces on the trail. It's really nice to go to these races now that I have gotten to know so many of the GUTS members. I always enjoy their company and yesterday was another big success.
The course was close to 34 miles total so I ended up doing an ultra after all with a total distance of 27.5 miles. Not too shabby since I still felt good and knew I could have finished strong. A little more training and the Miss 50 is going to go well.
Great job, Jen!
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