Pigtails Run 50K & Yours Truly 50K

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Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

Well, I completed two 50K races this weekend and I just want to say, ouch. While I ran Pigtails conservatively the first two laps I pushed it on the third with the goal of catching Rob "Rattler" Hester. I didn't get him in my sight until about mile 28. We ran together for a while and then I continued on with a single goal in mind of getting the run over with. Final time was about 5:06:48. I somehow ended up stopping my garmin at the end of the first lap and didn't realize it was off until about 6 miles later.

That evening Michelle and I headed over to a friends house to celebrate her husbands 50th birthday. It was a "bring your favorite pizza topping" party and we had a lot of fun. We left early (9:00 PM) so we could prepare my gear for today's run.

Yours Truly was a double out and back on what is normally a soft crushed gravel road. With the recent cold weather and snow this morning the trail was a frozen tundra. Running on ice not only provides a surface harder than concrete it also provides the opportunity to slip and slide with great potential to land on your keester or head. The Cedar River trail winds along the river with several bridge crossings and short RR tunnels. It was built on an old RR line.

Having forgotten both my running watch and my garmin I decided to stick with Michelle, Rob, and Jamal. On the way back from the turn around at about mile 14 I decided to kick up the pace and move on ahead. Things were going well but suddenly I seemed to run out of glycogen and slowed significantly. I made it to the car and grabbed some food to eat and filled my hand carry bottles. I also removed my Marmot jacket which had become more of a sauna with lots of moisture being held in. I put on my running vest and about that time Michelle, Rob, and Jamal showed up. I think they were hoping that I had decided to drop but I had to let them down. My knee hurt for the first mile or two and then felt fine. They all took care of their needs and we headed back out. I'll save you the gory details but suffice to say it was a long and arduous 15.5 miles.

We saw Tim Lawson, Steve Walters, Jess Mullen, Brian Pendleton (RD) who all ran the day before at Pigtails. Mel Preedy who is in his 70's completed his first out and back and then went home or to lunch before coming back to complete the second out and back. This is OK according to the Yours Truly rules. You have 24 hours to complete the 50K.

Sorry that this post is not incredibly well written and creative but I am dog tired. Have a great week! I look forward to reading about your weekend adventures later this week.