Squaw Peak 50 Mile Trail Run (I've posted my Garmin total for the race - since I am sure the race isn't a perfect 50 and I missed 2 turns and ran extra - dang rookie). Well the best summary is that my endurance, strength, and overall speed (or the marathoning type) was overcome by my inexperience today! The top three (us who eventually became the top 3) moved easy away from everyone after the first aide station and we went to the dirt. I stayed back in third to get a feel for it all. Then the 2nd guy moved over and let me through, and I slowly worked my way toward the leader (he was an absolute mt. goat - he could hike faster than I could run). On the long climb (climb #2) I stayed just behind him and he finally joked to "quit stalking me and get up here." So took the lead and ran very strong up the climb building a couple minute lead; only to miss a turn and lose it all. Then I got it back and lost it again because my fingers were frozen and I couldn't work the zipper on my shorts or the baggy to get my sandwich out. But then I got it back and nailed the drop back into Hobble with some sick 6 minutes (maybe even a couple high 5'ers), building a 6+ minute lead. I really didn't care to win, but it was kind of fun thinking I might - but also very stressful since I had already screwed up. Anyway, Scott, the eventual winner, caught back up to me around mile 34, as I missed another dang set of flagging and ran up the wrong trail for another couple hundred yards, and chased me up climb #4 and took the lead just before the windy pass beast. Climbing Windy Pass was the most hideous thing that I have ever done in running; it was straight up the monstrous mountain with no trail, no switchbacks, no hope of it ever ending! Here he put first three minutes on me; then another; and yet more when I started falling all over in the snow (I about fell off the flipping mountain numerous times - except I wasn't calling it flipping). At the top, the aide station told me he was six minutes up; I lost hope of catching him, and the third guy got me, said an encouraging word and went on by. The struggles only began - I started falling numerous times (I truthfully fell at least 10 times coming down the mountain). I was so tired I couldn't get my legs up at all and hit every rock, root, and toe grabber there was. Finally I got done with that thing and finished the last few down the canyon back to the park. The whole time hoping no one was near, since I couldn't hold them off. Turns out the fourth guy came in nearly 30 minutes back so no worries. And the first two who I thought were LONG gone were only 10 and 8'ish minutes up; not as bad as I thought. (Landreth 889.65)
My thoughts: well that is done with and I don't ever have to do it again. Now to rest; for who knows how long! Coming back to add a little more: I think that I could probably cut at least the 17 minutes to go break into the 7's pretty easily if I ever did this again (if the weather/conditions was as perfect as it was this time). Things I would work on: first, keep with the use it while you got it idea. Some might not think this is good, but I guarantee you are going to be hammered on the last 1/5 of this run, so might as well go decent while you can. So for me that would mean daring to go out a little more. I was very timid at the first. Not that I would want to run 5:00's down the trail, but I could have put myself in a better position and gone a little better on climb #1. Secondly, it would be good to have my support meet me at the bottom of Hobble and just give a bottle on the go and meet at the top with replenished full bottles instead of nothing clear up to aide 6 and stopping there for a few minutes. Of course a pacer would always be good and from the bottom of Hobble up to maybe aide 7 or 8 would be a good help. Third, on the big hill don't get so down and just know that it too will pass and try to run a couple more of the less steep sections as you top out. Finally, I think the general experience would lead to a lot and keep the confidence up. Anyway a good experience, especially the training for it aspect; I saw and did a lot of neat stuff that I probably would have never have done without this race. I will probably be back some day.
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