Notes
Lap 1: 4.4 mi in 34:05 (7:45/mi). I didn't want to get wrapped up in the excitement of the race and go out too quickly so I started out pretty slowly (8:07 for mile 1). Once things settled down a little bit Dan and I were sitting in 9-10 place and feeling pretty comfortable. We did start to pick it up a little bit in order to catch a couple people.
Lap 2: 7.6 mi in 57:51 (7:37/mi). We were staying relaxed and pretty much maintained the pace that we ended the last lap on. This was the first full lap around the lake and we got a good chance to see some of the (small) hills we'd have to tackle and also the far side of the lake from the start/finish line where there was a lot of shade and wind. Dan and I ended up running a bit with some other runners but would pass them and then stop for food or water or to use the bathroom and the catch back up.
We also caught up with two guys, named Alex and Lou. Lou was more of a strong, silent type (he finished second) and Alex was very talkative which initially helped to pass the time but I eventually came to view it as intrusion into my focus on the race at hand. He did have a GPS watch that beeped about every quarter-mile, however.
Lap 3: 7.6 mi in 58:28 (7:42/mi). Started out this lap with Dan, Alex, and Lou but Dan made the decision to drop back a little bit after a bathroom break and Lou went out a bit ahead of us, leaving pretty much just me and Alex for most of the lap. I started to feel some fatigue in my quads which I think was due in part to the accumulated distance and also to running at a pace I wasn't used to. I wanted to stretch out my legs a bit and picked up the pace with between 1-2 miles to go.
Lap 4: 7.6 miles in 54:49 (7:13/mi). This was by far the fastest lap of the day by anyone running 50mi and pretty costly. It was also the race that broke the race wide open. Alex ended up dropping out and (unbeknownst to me), I passed the two guys in the 100K that were ahead of me, meaning I was in first. I did start taking walking breaks in the 7-1 pattern at this point as well as walking through aid stations to make sure I was getting enough fluids and food in me (rather than on me). I passed the marathon mark in 3:18:03 (which I was pretty pleased with).
Lap 5: 7.6 miles in 59:47 (7:52/mi). I started to feel the effects of the previous lap and started being more serious about taking walking breaks. Throughout the race, I continually lapping people and this is where I think I lapped the most people. Focusing on passing the next person was good for setting little goals to help keep me focused.
Lap 6: 7.6 miles in 1:04:35 (8:30/mi). The wheels started to really fall off at this point. The crowds of people to pass really started to thin out and my legs were getting more and more tired. I started to increase the amount of walking to running I was doing while still trying to keep a decent pace. Later in the lap, I passed a woman who told me that she thought I was in first because nobody had lapped her yet but I thought she must have missed the two 100K guys I still believed were in front of me. Towards the very end of this lap I did a couple stints of 2min walking and 1min running.
Lap 7: 7.6 miles in 1:13:59 (9:44/mi). Going through the start/finish line for the penultimate time, my mom told me that I was in first but with only a 6 minute lead. I got a (short) burst of energy and was able to power through another 7min run-1min walk but was then back to trying to hold it together for a few minutes at a time between walking breaks. I think I maintained a fairly quick walking pace (at least it felt so at the time) but I was watching over my shoulder all the time for the guy behind me. My calves started to cramp up so I ate half a grilled-cheese sandwich and a cup full of mixed nuts but I think the damage was already done and nothing I was going to do in the time remaining would help me. I also think that my mental faculties were starting to fail a bit, though I didn't know it at the time. I passed a runner who was swerving, violently gesticulating, and yelling and thought to myself that he didn't seem quite right and that I should warn the next aid station but only a couple minutes later I had completely forgotten.
The final two miles were an excruciating mix of fatigue, pain, and fear. I was running 2 minutes and walking 1 and at one point the cramps in my calf were so strong that I couldn't straighten it and instead ran with my foot cocked at a 45 degree angle inwards. Finishing was such a relief and I had a little bit of energy left to do some show-boating with a pose worthy of Usain Bolt.
It turns out that I had a 22 minute lead on the next runner in going into the last lap which was good because he did actually make 6 minutes up on me over the final lap. I don't know how I would have responded if he had challenged me but I'm not confident that I could have relied on a kick to pull out the win.
Overall, I think I have to be happy with the way I ran. There were high and low points throughout the race and a couple places where I should have been mentally stronger. I didn't make my (unrealistic) goal of 7:30/mi but I did meet sub-7hrs and I did come in first in my ultra-marathon debut. I ate well and made sure that I was getting plenty of fluids (I definitely prefer flat coke to Gatorade and either one to water). My stomach didn't bother me too much except immediately after eating.
Ultra-marathons are a completely different beast from road or track races. The people are a lot friendlier and encouraging to one-another. Despite their difficulty, the people generally seem to be having more "fun" at a 50-miler than at a 5k. In a track race, races are won and lost in fractions of a second but in a race spanning well over 6 hours I wasn't in much of a hurry and definitely gave up seconds (and minutes) to accomplish tasks I wouldn't have stopped for in a shorter race (eating, drinking, and pooping). I have been asked if I would do it again and I don't think I will. I have the right kind of temperament to compete well in an ultra but not the right kind to enjoy them. I do enjoy shorter races and will focus on them for a long, long while.