Me in the (Red) for 1 lap and Jeff W. to my right with the Blue Bandana
"Found this picture online, I hope you don't mind me using it"
Round and Round we go!!
The “Run Under the Stars 10 hr. Endurance Run” is held at the Carson Park Horse Track in Paducah, KY. The track is a ½ mile track made of dirt and finely crushed limestone. This would make for some dust covered shoes, socks and legs after 10 hours of running. The track is completely lit with a grandstand running along the front stretch. Runners and teams where able to setup their tents and their own aid station along the inner track allowing for quick access to our own treats and gear.
Going into this race with no experience at the 50 mile distance or better yet “timed” events, I really had no idea what to expect. I did however have 2 goals in mind, the obvious “Run for 10 hours” and the other was a distance PR of “50 + miles”. While bouncing around a few ideas of race strategy with HRUC member Jeff W. before the race I decided on aiming for 10 min. miles and just keep a steady effort for the duration. This would be Jeff’s 3rd 50 miler and he had a lot better idea of what it would take than me. With that game plan it was now go time. As we lined up at the Start/Finish the clouds had gathered, the lights lit up the track and a nice breeze gave the evening an appropriate race night atmosphere. All we needed was the grandstands to be filled people and we could have very well been horses out there running around the track! We where given our final instructions as well as been informed that with the new timing device we would only go counter clock wise instead of changing directions every 2 hours. “What????” I was already looking forward to the change of pace that this would bring, but it was to be the same for everyone.
As I write this a week later I still can’t recall a lot of the race as I usually can, I think this is a testament to how submerged I was, in the idea of running for 10 hours and possibly 50 plus miles. After a few short instructions and the word “GO” we where off! A group of 7-10 busted off the line at a pretty good clip and we just let them go as we knew a lot could happen over the course of the night and we decided to keep it steady and hopefully pick off runners when the night started getting long. Jeff and I settled into an easy pace which seemed slow at the time but knew this would be best for the next 10 hours. Fast forward 2 hours and around 24 laps I was right on pace for 50 + miles, all systems where good. My next mile and time check was around 50k or (62 laps) and I cruised through that in 5:15/5:20 not my fastest 50k but I was feeling great, I think at this point Jeff and I where really moving up the field, it was hard to tell with all the traffic and everyone going at a different pace. This would be the last time I would have an idea of my position until around mile 50. Over the next 14-15 miles I really found the groove. I was clocking steady laps and with the aid of my iPod and proper nutrition I felt good. After feeling steady going through mile 45 (90 laps) the wheels started to wobble a little and for the next 5 miles I really started to feel the distance and time on my feet. I was still running but it was getting pretty hard to keep it going. This was definitely the hardest part of the race for me! I just concentrated on the effort and put one foot in front of the other hoping I would find a 2nd wind sometime soon. This was also the time I found my self making goals, like mile 50 and even looking forward to the Sun coming up, I was hanging on! As I approached my mile 50 the race officials informed me that 4 of us where running a pretty tight race, until then I really hadn’t thought about position I was just focused on getting through the lap and the next mile. I put my head down and focused. I had no idea who was chasing who or really what the position was of the other 3 runners. I assumed since he was telling me this I had to be running in the top 3 or so. I knew Jeff was a lap up and I knew runner #211 was in with a chance as well at least that’s what one the officials told me, but who was runner #211? I really couldn’t see everyone’s number and at this point I really didn’t care to ask. This did however make me focus a little harder as didn’t want a possible podium position to slip away this late in the race. I put my head down and just ran. I started feeling better with the sun now up and after some quick math I was hoping 55 miles was possible with the time I had left. I went through 54 miles with 12 min’s and change remaining. After a steady lap (109) I had 7 min’s or so to complete one more lap. As I rounded the final turn with the clock clicking down to a little over 2 min’s I had a quick second to thank God for this amazing night and this awesome experience, I was thrilled and relived to be finished with 55 miles and 2nd place overall. It was really cool for 2 members of HRUC to take top honors as Jeff took 1st place with 56 total miles. After some time of reflection the race went as planned and I gained some valuable experience to which I will use in future races. Nutrition wise everything was good for atleast 7 hours or so before I started feeling getting tired of Nuun and Gels but I think I can remedy that in the future. I also used Hammer Endurolytes throughout the night and I did not experience any cramping. My shoe and sock choices where the perfect combination as I did not have any problems during the race. I wore the Brooks Cascadia 6’s and my favorite sock on the market today the “Swiftwick Aspire Ones” This combination left my feet feeling great and I was amazed at how dry my feet where even after 55 miles in humid weather. 50 miles is a long way to run and a distance that I have a lot of respect for. I must say I would not have changed a thing!! Race Director Steve Durbin and the crew of volunteers where great. Thank you for hosting and making this even a lot of fun.
Brooks Cascadia 6’s and Swiftwick Aspire Ones
Race Gear:
Brooks Cascadia 6
Brooks HVAC shorts
Swiftwick Aspire Ones
Ultimate Direction handheld
Nutrition:
Nuun: grape, tr-berry
Honey Stinger Waffles: Honey, Vanilla
Powerbar Gels: Green Apple, Strawberry Bannana
1 comment:
Sweet work out there Roy!
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