Autumn Lakes 50 Miler
I finally bit the bullet and did a 50 miler. It has been almost a year since I did any sort of ultra, and I have to admit, I was a little nervous that I might not be able to finish! I went in with no real expectations, other than not embarrass myself by starting to cry on the course! If you have never run an ultra, it is hard to explain the draw of running really far out in the middle of nowhere. But just the thought of getting back to some sort of ultrarunning really made me happy!
It was perfect weather and a perfect course (10k loops, bike path and trails). I love loops (as you know) and I love pretty courses. Champoeg State Park is beautiful, and I have full appreciation for why they call the race “Autumn Leaves”. Remember, I am from the desert, so I was almost in tears at the sight of the gorgeous foliage. Wow!
I knew I had lost a lot of speed during my hiatus, but I just had no point of reference, so I had no way of picking a time goal. I went out comfortably and just hoped for the best. When it was all said and done, I finished in 8:39 – 4th Female . Even though it wasn’t a great time (the course was easy), I was really happy that I kept even splits through the whole race. For some reason, I take great comfort in being able to churn out miles at exactly the same pace (even if it is slow :)) – we all have our thing! It looks like I did all 8 loops in around 1:05 (I sprinted at the end to come in under 8:40, so the last loop was 1:04). More importantly to me, was that I didn’t look at my watch until I completed each loop. I ran totally by feel – that makes me happy 🙂
This week I went back to normal, logging in the miles, and running long. I have no immediate plans for any races, but now that I have survived another ultra, I am open to trying some others here in SoCal. It should be fun!
Happy Running!
Mom, ultrarunner, four-time US 24 Hour National Team member, adventure athlete, food writer. Graduate of the Pro Cooking Program at the New School of Cooking, Los Angeles. Will run for food.
{ 1 comment }
You are a Queen of even splits! And without looking at the watch to boot – means that your ability to feel your body run is intact no matter the hiatus. SoCal is full of awesome races, and I hope you find yourself lots of fun places, new friends and inspirations. Any hints on moving there for good?
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