Originally intended to be run at Farmdale Reservoir in Peoria, this race was moved to Jubilee State Park 15 minutes away the week of the event. I cannot praise the race directors enough, as I can't imagine how hard changing venues at the last minute would be. So I packed up and left Crawfordsville Friday afternoon.
It was a 5am start, and because I had so much gear/fuel/supplies I borrowed a bitchin' 2005 Pontiac minivan from my grandparents to sleep in. Arrived at the campsite (which was 2-3 minutes from the start/finish) at around 6pm local time and got settled in. I went and registered, got my bib, came back and finally fell asleep around 9:30pm. Alarm set for 3:00am to allow for plenty of time to sip coffee and stretch and just basically mentally prepare myself for running 50 miles.
Slept better than I thought I would. After a quick hot shower to get the muscles loosened up, I drive 5 minutes to the next town over to get some coffee (A MUST). Arrived back at the start/finish around 3:45am, with a full 75 minutes until start. Got my gear together, snacked a little bit, stretched and then went over to the s/f at about 4:40.
The course was 7 loops of 7+ miles. I had no idea on the elevation or the terrain, which made for a very apprehensive and slow first loop. Mix in that we ran in the dark and it sprinkled on us a few times, and I was very uneasy and shocked when I looked down at my watch after the first loop and it said 90 minutes. Of course, this can be attributed to the hills and elevation gains. I would later learn - after overhearing a fellow 50-miler comment on his Garmin stats - that the vertical climbing totaled about 9,000 feet.
After what felt like an eternity, the sun finally came up and I was able to ditch the headlamp and fully view my surroundings. Since I thought it was unsafe to run an unfamiliar course in the dark while listening to music, I didn't actually put on my headphones until the start of the 3rd loop, some 3 hours after starting. But once the tunes were cranked and I was able to hone in my focus, I locked into a great groove and the miles were churning by at a pretty steady pace.
A good assessment of how "tired" I am during any long run is the moment when my breathing starts to become heavy or labored. Because I'm not running all that fast, in theory my breathing should be deep and forceful but I never anticipate being out breath until the late stages of a race. Fortunately, this proved to be true on Saturday. I climbed all of the steep and long hills in a walk, and I never noticed my breathing was labored on those climbs until after 40 miles. And for what it's worth, I didn't use the "hands on my knees or hips while climbing a hill" method until sometime after the 45th mile.
The miles rolled on, and as my watch passed the 9th and 10th hours, I knew I was closing in on finishing. With races above 50K, it's more about survival than anything. It's a mental game between your brain and your body. Your body wants to stop, but your head says to keep going. Who will win the war of attrition? I kept replaying in my mind over and over crossing the finish line and being able to say "I finished my 3rd 50-miler." That alone pushed me through in 10 hours and 43 minutes, good enough for 4th place overall and 2nd in my age group.
39 runners started the race, and 27 of them finished. Of those 27, only 17 finished in under the "suggested (?)" 13-hour cutoff time.
Roughly 48 hours later I'm feeling a bit sore, battling two large blisters on my right foot, but overall I feel pretty good. Ready for my next challenge...whatever that may be.
