My friend Maureen posted on Facebook that she was hoping to run this race and asked if any friends wanted to do it, too. I wouldn't have done it otherwise, but I thought, what the heck. I would have the training, since it was 3 weeks after my fall marathon, and I have felt inspired by all of my fellow Hammer Nutrition athletes who run these amazing ultramarathons, so I threw my hat into the ring.
I'd known it was coming, but hadn't paid much attention to the idea, as my fall marathon was my target event. I had been planning to requalify for the Boston Marathon. Well, that didn't happen, and I had been feeling down on myself about it, so in the last few weeks, I began to get excited for the chance to redeem myself.
The Autumn Leaves 50/50 is a 50K and 50-mile race - a 10K loop in Champoeg State Park, a lovely area something like halfway between Salem and Portland. The 50k does 5 loops, and the 50-miler does 8 loops. I'm generally not thrilled with even a double loop course, so I thought there was a chance it would be tedious, but on the other hand, the repetition is comforting for such a long distance, because you're never too far from the aid station, or even a bail-out should it be necessary. The 2 aid stations along the way meant that you were never more than 2 miles from help or a bathroom.
Anyway, I tried not to have much expectation for it, but I thought it might be nice to come in around 5 hours. As race day approached, I got a cold, which bummed me out. I really wanted to redeem myself after my disastrous marathon of 3 weeks ago. I didn't feel great, but decided to do it, and it was AWESOME.
The race had a 6 a.m. start for 50-milers who needed a little extra time, so there were already a handful of runners out when we arrived. It was a bit rainy, so most of us huddled about and organized our stuff in the community tent for us to put our fuel and whatnot under, so it was nice to not have to carry anything.
Action started promptly at 7:00, in the dark and drizzle, and it was so much fun. I've never run with a head lamp before, and I really liked it. By mile 5, it was light enough to see without it as we entered the trail portion. At the end of the first loop I dropped off my jacket and the headlamp, had some Hammer Endurolytes and a gel, and headed back out. I'd kept my goal pace, a 9:15 average. The second lap was a bit of discovery, since I hadn't really seen much of the first lap, and the third lap was also quite comfortable. I maintained my 9:15 with no problem at all. All of the advice I had seen about racing with a chest cold said make sure you eat and drink more than you would have, so I did, and by lap 4, my stomach was a little unsettled, so although I ran well at 9:15, I had to use the facilities a couple of times, slowing my overall lap to about a 10 minute pace. The 5th lap I was feeling a little slower. I ran till mile 27, and between mile 27 and 29, I Jeff Galloway'ed my way with a 3 minute run/1 minute walk interval, and ran the last 2 miles in. I had allowed myself 3 minutes between laps to drink, take supplements and catch my breath, so my finish at 5:20 averaged just over a 10 minute pace. I'm super happy with that time, and also delighted that it earned me a 3rd place win in the Women's Masters division, and the mug pictured with me below.
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