Backyard 50K
Well, I did a 50K today. 31+ miles for you Americans out there. This is considered the first “official” ultra marathon distance. I think by definition anything over a marathon is considered an ultra marathon. However, you probably won’t find any 28 mile races. 50K’s are what you get.
I needed to do something interesting today and last night at about 9PM I decided it was going to be a Backyard 50K. I literally ran around my block (a little less than a mile around) 36 times…..I think. I lost count at around 11 or 12. Was it boring to run in circles for 4+ hours…..not really. I had fun actually.
I started just after 4AM to avoid the blistering heat today. I knew the run would take around 5 hours to complete and it was forecasted to be 90°F here by 9AM. I didn’t see anybody for the first two hours. At about 6AM I started to see people walking as the sun came up. It’s always funny to pass people multiple times. It becomes akward to keep saying hi. Some people make funny comments. I think today’s winner was a lady told me, after the 3rd time I passed her, “Now you’re just showing off.” We both gave a little chuckle and continued on.
I set up a little aide station on a corner with water and snacks. I put a note on top of it so people wouldn’t get suspicious. Although they were probably suspicious about it anyway. That was the smartest thing I did. I could just stop real quick to grab a sip of water or take in a gel. It worked out perfect.
Overall I felt great. Cardio wise I felt like I could have done another 20 miles. However at mile 28 or so I started to feel the pain in my knees, groin and feet. I think it was all of the pounding on the pavement. After I was done I rehydrated with my new favorite elixir….Pedialyte. That stuff works magic. It makes me feel better and rehydrated almost immediately.
I was super happy to finally get a 50K under my belt. With all of these races getting canceled I’ve missed a couple opportunities. Just last week my A1 race, Skyline to the Sea was canceled. I’m a bit bummed about this but I get it. That is the one race that I have always wanted to do super bad. I have others that I am intrigued by but that is the one I NEED to do at some point. Next year. Until then, I think I am going to continue to do wierd runs like what I did today. Find something interesting and do that. It will keep things loose and fun. I think the next one up now will be the “Idea” run.
