Today I ran my first ultra.
The Buffalo Run was out on Antelope Island and the course was GORGEOUS! The course consisted of two loops, which were dumb-bell shaped. You hit an aid station about every 5 miles. The course went up, then down, then up, then down, and so on. The climbs and descents were limited to about 700' of elevation gain or loss. No sense posting splits as my pace was largely governed by the terrain. My first loop took me about 2:23 and the second about 2:36. I was dragging on the second loop but I also had to pass ton of 25k runners on single track. My fastest and slowest miles were on the second loop, 6:39 for mile 23 and 11:46 for mile 25. I was really, really ready to be done those last few miles but I wasn't nearly so wiped out after crossing the line as I was at St. George last fall.
Looking at my race times from last year I thought I might be around 5 hours, but my only goal was to finish upright, which would be a PR since I've never run this far! My training was not great, but I wasn't trying to run fast. I kept a good base (40-50ish miles/week) til February, then went on vacation for 2.5 weeks, running very little. After vacation I ramped up to 50 some miles then did a 2 week taper. I've done almost no speed work this year. So, I'm thrilled to have eked in under 5 hours, but I'd have been happy no matter my time.
There were some amazing runners out on the course today. The winner of the 50k finished in 3:48! I think. I got to see Maynard/Brad cross the line (he did the 50k as well). I also got to see some crazy 50 mile runner in a Twinkie shirt sprint like a madman across the finish!
Thanks Dale for coming out and cheering. It was great to meet you and your son.
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