My first 50 miler

poor photo of the race course, the crappy yellow dot is the 50 mile finish

Well it's been a while since my last post and a lot has happened. Mainly the North Downs Way 50. Leading up to it I had my doubts due to lack of sleep and training, but, as I mentioned I'd done the miles so I should've been good. The rest of the week leading up to the race I ran maybe every other day and maybe 5 miles at the most and sleep continued to be intermittent at best.

Then came Friday. The day before the race I caught a train south to Surrey. This is the first time I have ever been away overnight from my 9 month old daughter, it felt weird but honestly I enjoyed the time alone. The wife and little one were considering coming along but we all felt it best if they didn't, spectating running races isn't that exciting and this one was going to take all day! Managing a little one would have been too much for the wife.

NDW signpost

After about 5 transfers and 4.5 hours I arrived in Farnham and went to register for the race. I had already signed up but they wanted us to show up the night before. This ended up being a total waste of time. All I did was sign a waiver I could have signed the morning of the race and they put a check by my name. Lame. I could have saved myself some time and taxi money and gone straight to my hotel. No big deal I guess.

I arrived back at the hotel at about 815pm and promptly went to the pub to get some food since I was starving and also was running 50 miles the next day, food is good. So I ordered a Budweiser and some vegetarian lasagna. 3 more pints of Budweiser and an order of meat lasagna and I realize that I need to get hydrated and also figure out what I'm going to have for breakfast since the pub is closed until 7am! Nothing like getting carbo loaded.

So, I speak with the bartender and get my hands on a few baked potatoes, that should be fine for breakfast. Then on my walk back to my room I notice there is a huge ass 24 hour grocery store next to the hotel. Looks like all the potato effort was for nothing, makes a good story I guess!

I chugged some water and settled down for the night at about 1030pm but I am too anxious to race and sleep like crap, awake at 5am.

I didn't have much with with me so organizing my crap was easy. I was out the door to catch a train to Farnham from Aldershot. I ask the guy at the desk how to get to the train station and mumbles something in a thick Eastern European accent about going around the roundabout which was totally the wrong way. Luckily I pulled up a map on my phone and got a little reassurance from some lady at the grocery store, I was in the right direction now. Then a little warm up run in order to not miss the train. I arrive at the race HQ at 640am, get my race number, give them my bag to transfer to the finish and then sit down to chill.

I'm wearing a synthetic t-shirt, super short running shorts with pockets, and have one handheld bottle. Hidden in my pockets; 2 GU's, a cut up map of the race course, some salt tabs, my iPod Shuffle. I'm naked compared to everyone else. The vast majority of people have backpacks, gaiters, hip packs, compression gear, poles, all sorts of shit! Is there something I don't know? Well it turns out that marketing is an amazing entity. Less is more.

So after a short race briefing we wander over to the starting point, the weather was sunny and in the 70's I'd say. Great day for a race, maybe even a bit hot, but no friggin' rain at least. All in all it's a pretty mellow vibe but there is still a competitive feel to the air. People are eyeing up each other. You wonder if the dude with all the Salomon gear is sponsored AND fast, that guy's legs are shaved triathlete or pro? How many completers are here versus competers? The 100 mile racers started about an hour before us so this was it for the starters.

The pace at the beginning seemed around 7:30/mile which was rather fast compared to last year. One guy shot off the front right away and then there was a pack of about 15 or so that ebbed and flowed for the first 15 miles maybe. Mainly felt like an easy run with a group of folks, people took wrong turns and caught back up, aid station stops were fast for the most part.

Mellow until about 25 miles. A guy in a green singlet and I upped the ante, the race had begun. We cruised through the aid station at mile 25 (which was a mistake I paid for later), while others took their time, and we then motored up Box Hill, the first major climb.

stepping stones before the climb up Box Hill

It was a fast walk up endless uneven stairs but green singlet and I took advantage of people taking too much time at the aid station and also started to reel in the leader. We made a pretty good gap between us and the rest but also got to within 5 minutes of the leader at the top as we passed a huge Olympic rings sign over looking the valley. I believe the Olympic road race was in this part of the country. At the top of Box Hill I hit a nice mental high point of elation and charged downhill, emotions ran high, only to then realize I hadn't been eating enough.

rings at the top of Box Hill, cool, but I preferred the view to the right

The valley I dipped into was deep and the pain cave dark. The guy I was running with gave me some food but it was too late. He sped off and I faced the pain and pushed on. My legs were searing and my right calf was trying to cramp up. I ate what food I had and chugged what water I had as well. Unfortunately the next aid station was only water! I started trying to run 5 minutes walk one just to fend off any followers who I had no idea of how far behind they were. A blister was forming on my right foot and I had some grit in my shoe so I took off my shoes and shook them out, the blister I figured I'd deal with to the end. Anything for a break from the agony.

I hadn't taken a piss in quite some time and my mind was starting to think the worst. I finally took a leak and it looked like gravy on Thanksgiving Day. I motored on and my legs were starting to feel better, maybe it was the crutch of my iPod I had been saving just for this date with pain that helped out. Miles 30 to 40 were horrendous all because I was too worried about my stomach being upset. Shit, when you puke it's like hitting reset right? I should have just HTFU! The last thing I wanted to do though was have to drop out but this was my first race of this distance, I didn't know what to expect! I definitely hadn't eaten enough.

My hydration was getting back to normal, I ski walked the final big climb to mile 40 something and the final aid station. I used to hate ski walking in training when I was younger but now it was great, it used different muscles so gave some relief and also I can walk way faster doing it. No sign of any followers but I knew they were hunting me down just like I would do to them.

At the aid station salvation came as watermelon. I mowed through 5 pieces eating all they had, filled my water bottle, grabbed a couple gels and some gummi bears (like I'd need them now, idiot!?) Spent a couple few minutes there and was rejuvenated.

thanks to the dude who took this and left his Fbook page open!

It was go time, I wasn't going to be caught and I wanted to go under 8 hours. I turned up the iPod; Rage, Tool, Body Count, coursed through my ears. The pain in my legs went away, my stomach settled, I was running at full stride on the descents and the flats. My mind was a fuzzy haze with one goal in mind. I was within 7 miles of the finish with no idea of how far to go. It had become flat overgrown trails along fields of grains and pastures full of cows. I pulled out the cut up map I was carrying to see if I had any idea where I was, no clue. Put the map away and charge.

I finally started seeing random spectators on the course, I was close. Then we hit the road and the final downhill to the finish. 3rd place was mine as was a sub 8 hour time of 7 hour 56 minutes. Perfect.

Overall a great first experience. I look back now and see what I could have done better. Obviously feeding. Maybe a better night's sleep, less travel the day before. It would have been nice to run the course as well to know where the climbs were and have a better idea of the finish, rookie mistake there. In my training I wish I would have done some speed work and hill work; I did little if any. Otherwise I think I lined it all up right. Now I need to find the next one. 50 miles wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

*all photos taken from other people's blogs, random posts, facebook, etc. Thank you whomever posted them!