Chabot 50k

I ran my first 50k at ITR’s Chabot trail run last Saturday.  I picked this as my first 50k because I know the trails, have experience racing here, and it’s an easier 50k course.  

But within two miles of starting, I knew it was going to be a long race for me.  A faster run during the week had a much bigger impact on my feet than I expected.  My heels were sore pretty much from the beginning of the race until the end.  Early race soreness and stiffness usually works itself out by about two miles, but not this day.  

For the first 20 miles or so, I was holding back my pace quite a bit, since my only real goal was to finish the 50k distance.  The last 10 miles were a mix of running through foot pain, walking, and just enjoying the process of constantly moving.  I call it pain, but it wasn’t at the level of really hurting, more so a constant irritating tightness that I knew would turn to pain if I didn’t keep my pace down.  I finished in 6:59, well over what I expected.  As a first 50k, it felt somewhat anticlimactic.

Otherwise, this was a mostly internal race.  I had music on for most of it, and I used the time to think through things happening in the rest of life.  The trails were familiar, and with running slower this time, it became a very meditative day. 

I ran with a new hydration pack this time too, a minimal Salomon 1.5L pack.  I was looking for something smaller that would ride higher and be easier to refill.  The velcro arm straps failed a few times, until I realized that having a clip snapped in too high was tugging one sleeve out.  After adjusting the clip, it behaved itself.  If the velcro continues to behave, this might become my goto racing pack; I like how it rides.