Skip to main content

Iron Horse recap



Iron Horse Endurance Runs, located in Florahome FL. Sponsored by Altra Running, this is a BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL course! 25 mile loop, about 5 miles of paved flat trail, then 20ish miles of changing terrain, mostly sand, gravel, dirt and grass. Trail was "rolling hills", but nothing too hard, actually felt good to have those to switch up things some.

Aid station were on point, had anything and everything you would need running an ultra- very well stocked! 

Volunteers- I honestly could not have bounced back from my "wall" without these people. Thank you- You're humor and kindness went so beyond what is expected.

I originally was registered for the 100 mile- but had to make a change the week of to run the 50, the hubs was deploying that week and wanted to make this a day trip.
I entered this race because I never did an official 50 mile, heard the course was flat and was looking to PR:

Goals/
A. sub 7 hours
B. PR 50 miles
C. Finish

Overall, this was a very humbling race for me. Battling the usual we do with ultra running, mental mind games we try to play with ourself, hitting wall after wall.

The first loop I mostly tried to keep the leading male in sight- ran along side Dave Craver- Congratulations on a great win and speedy time of 6:50!

I wanted to hit a fast 50k to get in a good training run- I hit the 50k around 4:01. Which I was very happy with- only 3 miles later is when my mental block came.  Stopped in the rest room, I walked on and off for 4 miles- came to the aid station where I needed to sit out- I told them I was done. One of the young ladies who was volunteering said but you are so close., I told her to tell me to suck it up. I sat there for maybe 10-15 minutes figuring out if I should continue. I did, I am so happy that I made this choice, I was back at it, slower but still pushing 8:30paces.

I finished 1st Lady and 2nd Overall with a time of 7:16:30, which I am proud of, I didn't DNF, I continued and did very well.

What's next? Concentrating on trail running, learning to run and climb. A few 50 mile races are in my near future... I'm done with this flat stuff for a while.






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Worlds End Ultra 50k

If you don't look off to the sides, bears aren't there.  If you don't focus so much on the trail infront of you, you don't see snakes...  Maybe that noise I just heard was just some other runner falling into rubbish or maybe it's a bear? Well no bear and no snakes sights during this event, which is a win in my eyes!  World's End Ultra Marathon.   Location: Worlds End State Park, Pennsylvania  Distance: 50k Elevation gain: 6200+ft Course conditions: Wet, Mud Nutrition: 2 liters water, 4 oz coke. Looking back at all the ultra marathons I have ran (over 30 finishes) closer to over 40 If you want to count the few DNFs and a few distance switches. Besides the point, out of 30+ ultras I have ran, Worlds End is the toughest, most challenging course I have come across for the 50k distance, and to make the race even more brutal, we ran it in a heat wave. Rewind to 2 weeks prior. I got an email that my name was selected off the waitlist to be a participant. I ...
Post a Comment
Read more

50 Mile Training

The best training cycle I've ever gone through- I kept track of my daily runs/workouts and how I felt on them. - this is before Strava existed 🤣 So here it goes... 2023 RACES Scranton Half Marathon: (goal time: 1:35:00) 1:34:35 Dirty German Endurance 25km: (goal time: 2:05:00) Cayuga 50km :  (goal time: 6:30:00) Pine Creek Challenge 50 Mile: (goal time: 7:15:00) Steamtown Marathon: (goal time: 3:15:00) JFK 50 Mile: (goal time: 7:30:00) March 6th-12th (38.8 miles 1,883ft) Taper for USATF 50k Championships turned into a recovery week. Hip is slightly inflamed due to back nerve issues so made the call to sit out of the National 50k for this year so I can make it to the next starting line.  MONDAY : REST DAY TUESDAY : 7.6 Road Miles : Tempo Bursts. 1.5 WU, 2 min on 1 min off for 5 miles, 1 mile easy. Effort 7-8 (7:43/mile). WEDNESDAY : REST DAY THURSDAY : 7 Road Miles : Tempo Bursts. 1.5 WU, 1 min on 1 min off for 4 miles. 1.5 Easy. Effort 7-8(7:40/mile) FRIDAY : ACTI...
Post a Comment
Read more

RH Armadillo Broil 50k

Training. Or lack of. I took a few months off of running due to a nagging injury... Also, moving to Savannah I was swamped with lack of time and finding a job etc... I decided that I would have to save Leadville Trail 100 for next year, and shoot for a 50k to keep my mind preoccupied.  Armadillo Broil 50k is Richmond Hill GA first Ultra taking place at JF Gregory Park. 3.1 mile loop, mostly paved "trail" and about a mile dirt trail, flat as can be expected for running in the Savannah area. Shade for most of the trail minus the start/finish area. Weather that day was high 80* with a heat index of 112* due to the humidity. Parts of the trail were muggier than others. Race was very well organized, there was a 25k option and 50k option. Great race for runners looking for a long training run for upcoming fall marathons and also great ultra for anyone looking to run their first 50k, my advice, run in the heat to get use to the humidity and also practice nutrition during your long r...
1 comment
Read more