50K advice

Another weekend of dance competition, birthday parties and  long  runs meant a  busy weekend and now we are in the midst of another crazy week. This weekend will be my first ultra, yikes! Kind of nervous and excited at the same time. Last time I registered for a 50K I was injured, couldn’t train until nearly race day and had to DNS. This time I’ve trained but due to winter and wet spring conditions my trail running has been minimal. It isn’t the mileage that scares me (okay maybe a little) but more the uncertainty of trails.

The course is 4 loops of 7.75 miles, part of me likes this and part hates the repetition. It will be nice having the main stop to leave a bag with fluids, food and shoes if needed. Plus knowing the trail by laps 3 and 4 with either be great or suck! The weather looks perfect for a late summer run but the mid 70s will be rough coming off all recent runs in the 30s-40s!



My Lessons so Far…
  • Eat during run, I took UCAN bars on my last long runs and plan this and maybe a banana on race day
  • Carry electrolytes, running with UCAN hydrate and grabbing water at the stops
  • With the multiple laps I can wear warmer clothes to start and easily drop
  • Don’t worry about pace! This will be tough for me. As a marathon runner I always have a goal but this is a new beast and I have no idea what pace to expect.
  • Run what feels good
  • Walk when needed. My plan is to walk all 4 water stops on each loop
  • Tapering for an ultra is even more of a mind f* (you know the rest) than marathon taper! I swear my body is falling apart daily!



What advice do you have for a first 50K?


Other non running news for the day…Happy 14th Anniversary to my hubby! We were so young!


Comments

  1. Katie BApril 13, 2016 at 10:27 PM

    Hi Jen,
    I think I'm running the same race as you this weekend, but I'm doing the 25K. Maybe I'll see you on the course! I did my first 50k last July at Afton, and it went surprisingly well. My takeaways from the race are: walk(fast) the steep uphills, popsicles are a fantastic aid station food (for hot races), don't linger too long at the aid stations and only stop when needed (because the minutes add up when there are numerous aid stations), cheer on the runners who pass you and who you pass, and have fun! Good luck on your race!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Coach JenApril 14, 2016 at 8:20 AM

      Thanks Katie! Good luck to you too :) I think with the heat I'll be doing more walking than planned but that's ok.

      Delete

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