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Seneca Creek 47k


 Everything was going fantastic … until it wasn’t. Last minute, I decided to attempt a 50k PR of under 6 hours (I know that’s not fast for most but for me it is). I knew the course was long, more like 32 miles.

The first 20 miles, I kept at a great pace and super speedy for me. I enjoyed the solitude, scenery and runnable course. There were only 4 aid stations so I had to simultaneously eat a lot, but keep it moving.

At about mile 22, my right shin flared up a bit. I’ve never had shin pain before until the last week. Fortunately, the soft muddy ground kept it tolerable. The sun came out and I warmed up quickly. I ate all of my salt chews, Gu, and drank water regularly.

I ran mostly solo as I tried to run my own race and not get in anyone else’s groove but my own. This was not easy for me, I love to chat and make new runner friends! Two runners got in my head about the distance of the 50k being closer to 33.5-34 miles and the last miles around Clopper Lake being the most challenging with roots and elevation. Once my body started giving up, this threw me in a downward spiral.

At mile 28 I made the call to go left at Decision Point for the marathon finish, instead of going right around Clopper Lake. The “marathon” was 29.25 miles and I did run it under 6hrs. I still quit and am bitter.

The omens: a dead bird, scattered rabbit fur, a dead animal smell, and 3 deer skulls.

Lessons learned:
- Run more trails,
- Stick to my happy pace,
- Rest and recover.

Next up is Bull Run Run 50-miler. I know I can do it, just not at today’s pace!

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