Believe to Achieve

After a week of working, bronchitis/laryngits then other unforseen incidences of massive fatigue etc..., no taper and no sleep....I decided to follow through with my plans to run the 50k with only two (4 miles and 7 miles) trail runs on the canal here in PG.  The first loop I felt so strong and I ended up running 13 minutes faster  then two years ago coming in at 2:21 and leaving the 16.1 mile station at 2:23 something....and then the DREADED second LOOP DISEASE....like were did my stamina go?  Had something to do with lack of quality nourishment at the aide stations....watered down "EXCEED", I think that's what they called it.  It wasn't salty at all so  I grabbed two small handfuls of krinkle cut potato chips and two handfuls of m & ms and a total from all stations of  a 1/2 banana.  I counted my calories after the run to be 700 (including 4 gus).  I brought three and they were out at each of stations but one and it was mocha 2x.  Caffeine and I are not friends.  My heartrate soars for a bit and its hard to breath for a moment if I don't take enough fluid.  Back to the DREADED SECOND LOOP....I was cramped up like the end of an untrained marathon ( I guess you could say  I was an untrained trail runner here).  A nice fellow gave me words of encouragement and eventually after much MENTAL DEBATE about continuing I pulled my head out and pushed my body passed all the intense nerve and muscle pain just past mile 23.  My biggest complaints about the race: NO PORTA POTTIES, sometimes a woman NEEDS a POTTY.  Second, MY SHOES WERE A HUGE JOKE.  They are too big for me or at least today they were, my skinny ankles were moving all around in them and there was absolutely NO support for my ankles that I had to BREAK on EVERY downhill.  Sad but true.  Hence some mighty spasms in my quads at the end of the race.  On the second time up the switchbacks, well just before at mile 23, I realized I had tortured myself long enough with NO music.    I got it out of my fanny pack carefully watching my footing over rocks and put it on.  A HUGE BOOST to my ability.  I was like THANK YOU THANK YOU  I can finish this, just two more hills to walk up and then I am home free for those last 3.5 miles that seem to stretch on and on.  But I sped up and gained on some of the ground I had lost out on.  My second lap was depressingly 24 minutes slower than my first.    I had quit for about 8 miles of the run so I am not too disappointed with my time.  Plus with everything I mentioned above I feel quite happy.  I think  I could definitely go under 5 hours.  But I just have too keen a memory right now so I will probably try hard not to sign up again for this.   I drove up at 6:15 am and got there with 25 minutes to start.  I then drove back at 2:25 pm took some ibuprofen in the car and got home at 4pm showered and drove up to the Conference Center in Salt Lake with my daughter Courtney to watch the Young Women Conference.  It was lovely.  About ibuprofen: My soreness/achiness/cramps were gone with just two tiny little pills.  I could do leg lifts and kicks without a hint of having run 32 miles.  I sat through conference without much pain.  I SHOULD HAVE DOSED up on the run.  All this worry about nsaids during running and they would have saved me from a lot of grief out there in the wild salty air.  Oh well.  Live and learn.  FYI:  THIS course has a net of 3900 FT VERTICAL GAIN!!!  in case you were wondering :  D       A few more notes so  I can remember:  first loop uphill felt AWESOME and EASY.  The shoes were not good as I pointed out.  I was completely unstable on the downhills and in rocky spots.  Mile 6.5 to 7 I was at one point at a 6:38 pace but knew if I kept going like that I would trip on the many rocks and grooves that I had to slow down.  That mile was a 7:05 the first loop.  The second loop I was at 8:15 or so and is where I was about to quit but got out my ipod.  More about the shoes, they were aggravating even though my breathing and tempo felt really good.  I knew the extra work to adapt might proove fatal the second loop.    I finally pulled over and tied the darn shoes real tight so as to stay on my feet so they couldn't wiggle around and that helped but did cause two blisters, one on each ankle.  The second loop I tripped a few times but never fell.  My left ankle got twisted but  I just pushed through it.    Besides the muscle cramps, mostly on my left leg--hamstring and calf I felt like my core was doing quite well.  My shoulders were burning by the end.  The massage at the end helped tons.  The massage lady induced a major muscle cramp but she called for the head lady and she got rid of it pretty quick and got me water to drink and asked how well I nourished myself.  Not enough she told me.  I knew that.  I am pretty stupid about feeding myself in these runs.  700 calories probably is not enough.  I don't know about salt pills.  Have never tried them, even in the Squaw Peak 50 miler.   After the first 10 miles I never felt like I had to pee again.  I never peed the entire race.  Probably a bad sign of hydration status.  I did drink a cup of what  I now know to be heed at every aid station.  I filled my water bottle three times.  I wore a fanny pack that carried my water and three gus.  Next time I am taking some NSAIDS.