Submitted by Rush 3/20/2017 1490016808
My goal for this year, my 50th year, is to complete a 50 mile event. I've chosen Georgia's Cruel Jewel (May 20th), called the hardest 50 in the east, for my 2nd attempt at the distance.
I made an attempt at 50 miles in March, 2016 at the Fontandango 50, a ten mile loop course. I dropped after 30 having gone out way too fast and ended up with a mild case of Ketosis. I learned much in that race, mostly that I could have recovered and continued without dropping.
My plan for this spring is this: trail marathon in March, trail 50K in April, Cruel Jewel in May. Last Sunday I crossed the first item off the list, completing the Northern Trails marathon in 4:42. That's not particularly fast, but I approached the race as a training run for the Jewel; fully loaded pack, very easy pace focused on starting very relaxed and letting other runners go. My plan was to stay at an 11:00 minute per mile pace until I hit the last aid station, mile 21, and then push the last 5 miles. The plan worked perfectly. While I finished 11/22 for the event, I ran the 4th fastest time of the day over that last 5 miles. The push stretched out my recovery a few days longer, but psychologically, the effort was well worth it. Full results here.
My body is feeling solid as I start focussing on the Hungry Mother 50K set for April 22nd.
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