Notes
Was on track for first place and 105 miles (plus a course record) when the wheels came off on lap 30 (about 12:30 am). Just lost all energy (and will) and slept in my car for a while, then decided I couldn't go on (I was chilled and had no energy at all). So I went to get some food and went to the hotel to sleep. I was disappointed, but at the same time this is the second longest I've ever gone in my ultra career, and up to the point where I crashed I held a good pace (13:40). I reached 50 miles in 10:52:22, and I reached 100k in 13:50:38. If I had been registered in the 12 hour I would have won and I would have set a course record. If I had been racing in a 50 miler or 50k I would have been very happy. Unfortunately it was a 24 hour, so I'm a little bummed.
I would say, "Just wait until next year" but I'm not sure what next year will hold. Every time I have a disappointing ultra (or a hard ultra) I question my sanity. It is so hard on the body and the recovery can be a bitch. Do I want to keep doing ultras? Do I want to stick to marathons and shorter races? Do I want to try running for a while? If I stick to ultras, do I want to stick to the trails (easier on the body, less pressure and temptation to go as fast) rather than timed events? The allure of the timed events is that they often have walking divisions, so my ego draws me to these events to try and win. But the long trail races are much more beautiful and challenging in a different way. So I don't know where my head is right now. My three lines of thought are:
1. Stick to marathons and shorter and work on my walking speed. I feel like I can go faster if I train for it again. I used to be able to do a half marathon at a 10:14 pace. I would love to break 2 hours for a half marathon, and 4:30 for a marathon, and 30 for a 5k.
2. Stick to trail ultras and skip the timed loop courses. In 24 hour races I have very little margin of error if I want to hit 100 miles. One thing that sapped my will to walk was the realization that I had to do 37 minute loops for 7 1/2 more HOURS, and I knew that wasn't possible. In a long trail race the cutoff for 100 miles is 30 hours or more. If I was trying to complete 100 miles in 30 hours at FANS I would have rested, changed clothes, eaten a little more and then gone back out. I could have trudged the last 29 miles if I had to.
3. Train to run (with my daughter, see below).
I do know one thing: my daughter and I are going to run a 5k together by the end of the summer. She's been wanting to train for a while but I've been putting my training obligations over her. However this weekend we're getting her some shoes and we're going to start training 3 days a week (or more if she wants to). I'm VERY excited about that.