Notes
Things went very well. I followed the E.D.E. using the timer on my watch. I never lost my appetite and my stomach and head felt great all day. The biggest challenge was the terrain. It is very rocky and rooty. Its like the trail is constantly trying to trip you. The elevation changes aren't horrible but mixed with the technical aspects its grinding. I came close to a major face plant but somehow I didn't go down. I'm not sure how. I was following my friend Larry who is really strong on technical downhill, like a goat. Things were going well and I felt confident and then something grabbed my toe so hard on a very steep rocky descent. Both arms swung up and my foot somehow ended up under me, no idea how. Ever since I started stability training I've seen huge improvements. Literally it saved me I think.
The back half of the race is harder than the first half because the two biggest descents become the two biggest climbs. So I expected to fall off but my goal was to run all the flats and be efficient on the ups and steep downs. Also no sitting or bonking. I had only about six minutes of no movement compared to like 18 at the 12 hour. All this was from aid stations and quick bio breaks. Speaking of that too I was staying a lot more hydrated than at the 12 hour. Cutoffs were never an issue. 1000% improvement from last time I ran this race. It feels like a win.