USA 50k ROAD CHAMPIONSHIPS & a PR

It's pretty funny how goals happen and even when it's very unexpected.

I started training for Delirium 24 Hour with a fast 100 mile time in my head, I ended with 79.67 miles in 12:54. 9:44 pace. I do regret now, not even walking those last 20 miles, I would have set a PR for 100. But now I'm looking at it as a training run to hit qualifying 120+ miles in 24 hours at SC 24 Hour Track Race.

The past few months I have had some major PRs in various distances all while not training for that distance but with my main goal of 24 hours. Which has me thinking I wonder how I would have done if I trained for that specific event. 

My biggest PR is with the 50k.

Previous 50k PR is 4:11 @ Mad Marsh 50k in South Carolina. So leading into Caumsett 50k Championships I wasn't thinking that I would PR because I just had ran Delirium 3 weeks prior and I had 2 weeks to go to SC24.

I asked around about Caumsett, and heard that it was a fast course and a lot of runners PR there, but there is a lot of good compeition. 

So I figured I would push myself, act as if I was running a marathon and just hold on another 4.8 miles. Then I started to think again, my PR in a marathon is 3:09, which was ran over 2 years ago. So ended up making my goal for Caumsett to be sub 4 hours. Under 4 hours for a 50k is a goal that I know a lot of ultra runners want to hit. As is a sub 3 hour marathon is to a marathon runner. 

So I did the math and I wod have to keep my pace under 7:45 to be just under 4 hours. I was 70% sure that I could do this. I have done 3 50k training runs in the last few months which I was just under 4 hours (taking a break to eat at 20 miles, so it wasn't a consistent effort). 

Caumsett USA Road 50k Championships

Woke up at 3AM to drive 3 hours to Long Island. Arrived early, got my racing bib and shirt, started to feel actually pretty nervous at this point. I'm not usually that nervous at the very beginning of a race, but I think knowing it was a Championship race had my blood pumping.

Before the gun went off the RD spoke some and talked about some elite runners who were there, Michael Wardian, Joseph Gray, Ethan Coffey, Emily Harrison, and Tracy Meder. As soon as I heard Emily's name I knew I would be lapped as she is a Olympic marathon qualifier and won JFK 50 and I knew Tracy had ran in the World Championships the previous year. I was actually pretty excited that there were a lot of fast ladies there, I thought well if I'm going to get beat atleast it's by the best!

Gun went off and I went too FAST!!!

My original plan was to run the first 5k slower, 24 minutes, I came around just about 21:25,..... 

Then the second loop I went a tad faster, sub 21 minutes. I felt comfortable knocking 6:30-6:50 minute paces, I knew I would pay for it in the end but I kept making little goals for myself,

I knew I had the 1/2 marathon point to be sub 1:30, I hit it at 1:28, PR.

Around mile 15/16 is when the lead guys lapped me, I tried to run their pace for a minute, haha

Then my not so smart runner side kicked in and said shoot for a sub 3 hour marathon. So I went after it.... and well I crashed and burned. Still PRing in marathon distance with 3:09:11.

Emily lapped me, not sure what mile or lap, but it was in the low 20's. Loved watching her run by, so smooth and relaxed, I felt like I was standing still.

The course, for a 50k, was not great, 2 long steep inclines, so basically 20 hills. Thankfully we had a few descents following. I did love that this was road, I've never done a road 50k before.

So back to where my legs fell apart, I think about mile 23-25, my paces went from sub 7 minutes to barely holding a 7:40, I was just waiting for Tracy to catch me at this point, I knew she was gaining on me.

The last 5k loop, my legs were dead, and Tracy was only maybe 40 seconds behind me, I pushed my self as hard as I can (8:00min pace) those last 3.1 miles.

Finished, 2nd Overall Female, 3:48:25.

Then immediate pain... Well soreness, but it was well deserved.

Not only was I excited about being sub 4 hours, but I had no idea I could have gone sub 3:50. My time qualifies me to go to World Championships.