Skip to main content

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!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bull Run Run 50-miler

Official Time: 12:31:31 ( a 50-miler PR) I did it. I’m not sure how, but I crossed the finish line yesterday of the Bull Run Run 50-miler. It had been an intimidating race from the moment I shared with others who had run it in the past. I heard all sorts of stories - the infamous Do Loop, the rolling hills, the unpredictable weather, the tough cutoff, the rocky sections that might trip you up later on. I also heard about how it was one of the most beautiful races with the BEST volunteers. I chose to keep the latter in my mind!  Although the “BRR” makes me think of cold weather, and years past it has snowed and stormed and apparently gone through all 4 seasons in a day one year, yesterday’s weather was not what anybody was prepared for. It was hot and humid with cloud coverage most of the day … until the sun came out at 3:30pm and scorched your left side as you ran along the waterline of Occoquan River.  It being early April, I was not acclimated to 90% humidity. For a few mile...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Day in the Canyon

Find friends who say YES! “For a little while we are again able to see, as the child sees, a world of marvels. For a few moments we discover that nothing can be taken for granted, for if this ring of stone is marvelous, then all which shaped it is marvelous, and our journey here on Earth, able to see and touch and hear in the midst of tangible and mysterious things-in-themselves, is the most strange and daring of all adventures.”  -Edward Abbey, Desert Solitaire A bucket list National Park, a bucket list trail adventure, and some of the best kind of peer pressure led my dear friends, Lori and Karen, and I to reach out to another amazing strong friend, Amy, who had just completed this with her sister. And the planning begun… Our original plan was to conquer the infamous Rim to Rim to Rim hike in two days. We would hike down from the South Rim, across the base of the Canyon, and then hike up to the North Rim to stay a night at the North Rim Lodge. The North Rim is an isolated, landma...
Post a Comment
Read more

This ain't no party, this ain't no disco...

This event was not about me at all. It was about helping my amazing friend Dylan accomplish what he has been training for months, for over a year for. The experience was so memorable; however, I had to get it out. I've paced a couple friends at their attempts of 100-milers at Devil Dog in 2022 and 2023. Unfortunately, neither of them finished and I took it to heart, I really did. The cutoff at DD is strict, and the weather is cold. I've never seen that course in daylight, and I don't ever want to. That is not the race I want to die on. The C&O 100 has been on my radar because it's the closest 100-miler to home. Before it was even a WSER qualifier, I had considered it but it's also the flattest and I like climbing, which is why I haven't hit the Register Now button. However, after running the last 30 miles of it, I am reconsidering. Driving to Knoxville, MD from home at 9pm on a Saturday night seemed odd. I was up all day and tried to take it easy. I walked i...
Post a Comment
Read more