Very tough. Humbling.
These are the words I wrote the day of the race. I started this blog entry and then quit writing. I was feeling pretty numb and icing on the couch. Napped.
Now- Three days later I'm fully recovered. Even went running on Turkey Mountain tonight. Here is my race report.
This race ended up breaking down hour by hour for me. I had thought it would take me 3 1/2 or 4 hours but it was more like 5.
Hour 1: Feeling stiff and not really into it. Ran into some runners who twisted ankles and dropped out early on. Just to emphasize how tough it was...the coach/owner of runners world tulsa broke her hand on the run.
Hour 2: Warmed up and started enjoying it. Forest paths, rocks, trees.
Hour 3: Began to wonder how long it would take me to finish. Realized I was getting through about 3-4 miles per hour and I'd probably be at this much longer than I thought. Very rocky. Had to walk long stretches. Began to see the those who ran the 50K double back.
Hour 4: Put my head down and ran as much as I could. Got behind a runner named Sue and although she was running slower than my preferred pace...could not bring myself to pass her.
Hour 5: Very tough. If it was loop or if I could have quit I would have. But I really had no choice but to push on. I passed Sue. Knees hurt. Big toes were pounding because I thoughtlessly put on old road running shoes that I bought to size before knowing I need my running shoes to be at least a full size bigger. Got in a 13 minute mile and then walked a long way. Saw lots of 50k folks. At the end they started giving me estimates..."only 35 minutes out"..."only 13 minutes out".
When it was over I sat numbly at a picnic table with friends wearing my medal. Ate bbq and drank a beer. Felt numb the rest of the day. It pretty much stunned me how tough it was. Was super sore on Monday but felt fine today.
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Today running the trail it was great. I felt so alive. I thought, this is why I run. It is life enhancing-helps me feel my life.