Crazy, man. Just crazy. Congratulations!
Are we there, yet?
D-R - Thanks, I'll be scaling back a little to focus on trails, hopefully easier on the joints, and Ice Age Trail 50K in May, then work a little more on quality than quantity, before preparation for NC 24 in Sept.
Happylily - I hope it's not the distance that impressed you. For me the struggle with to keep going when my mind and body were arguing that I should stop. The victory was in continuing until I surpassed by goal.
Baboon - thanks, you know my struggles from my races last year, so you know how important this was for me
Ginny, Half Crazy, DaveP, Tracilynn, StepByStep, Cyperic99 = thanks
hog4life - thanks, my best days are behind me, but it wouldn't surprise me if you exceed what I'm doing by the time you get to be my age
LRB - that middle of the night running was surreal, and a little scary. At least I wasn't in the middle of the desert somewhere where I could have really gotten lost.
boyjame - I'm being careful having suffered through a major ankle injury back in 1972. It's time to back off just a bit before ramping up for NC 24. I have my eye on some 10K trail races in the spring and summer.
Brilliant - I find the fixed time races suit me well and were a good choice for me to go after 50 miles with the option to keep going to 100K if the race was going well. This wasn't the race for that as the heat and sun affected a lot of runners and prompted some to drop from the 24-hour to the 12-hour. Knowing I had a full 24 hours, I was able to keep it slow during the heat and save some energy for the cooler night time hours. Had it been a 50M race and not a 24-hour race I might have DNFed or missed the cutoff.
2024 Races:
03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles
05/11 - D3 50K 05/25 - What the Duck 12-Hour
06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour.
Very nice report, George, and congrats on hitting your 50-mile goal! Good that the flashlight helped bring you comfort at night, sometimes it's the little things that become the biggest.
That was smart. If and when the time comes for me to run 50M, I guess I'll have to strategize if I should run a 50M race, or do 50M in a 24 hour race.
uʍop ǝpᴉsdn sǝʇᴉɹʍ ʇI
Man, your races are incredible! I was feeling your pain and exhaustion the entire way. That massage sounds like it was a wonder drug or something. I know those things hurt but boy, you are feel good after. I hope your ankle issue is resolved soon, if not already. Congrats on the 50 miles and good luck in the next one.
If I ever ascend to that level of running insanity, stories such as this will be a pinhead of light in a tunnel full of pitch-black darkness. Your triumphs and struggles will therefore live on through others.
What a great report and a much deserved conquering of your goal! I admire your perseverance and your ability to analyze what went wrong in one race and fix it in another. I'm so glad you were able to get your 50 miles. Congratulations!