Races: Bel Monte 50 Mile 1st 7:42.39
Sun - Morning 4m @7.33; Evening 7m @7.31 Total - 11
Mon - Morning 4m @7.30; Afternoon 8m - 3 x 5 min./ 2 min. rec. fartlek on
Fisher River Park trail Total - 12
Tue - Morning 4m @8.09; Afternoon 5m with fast strides@7.45 Total - 9
Wed - Afternoon 8 - Pilot Mtn. run(2.25 miles @ 9.2%) 17.21 @7.43 avg. Total - 8
Thu - Afternoon - Bike 12m @~17mph
Fri - Afternoon 2m @~7.40 Total - 2
Sat - Morning 51m - Bel Monte 50 Mile 7:42.39 @9.05 avg. Total - 51
Tue - Morning 4m @8.09; Afternoon 5m with fast strides@7.45 Total - 9
Wed - Afternoon 8 - Pilot Mtn. run(2.25 miles @ 9.2%) 17.21 @7.43 avg. Total - 8
Thu - Afternoon - Bike 12m @~17mph
Fri - Afternoon 2m @~7.40 Total - 2
Sat - Morning 51m - Bel Monte 50 Mile 7:42.39 @9.05 avg. Total - 51
The running was much better this week. The back was still troubling me significantly Sunday and Monday morning, so I got another appointment with Dr. Firczak for Tuesday in Charlotte. He got my SI joint to move good and my low back felt much better the rest of the week. I felt the need to squeeze in a couple of workouts since the last three weeks have not had much good training.
Alison and I drove up to Sherando, Va on Friday
evening for Bel Monte 50 Mile. We put the air
mattress in the back of the car (a Pontiac Vibe has room for a full size air mattress when you lay the back seats down) and slept there overnight. That is something we do often. I felt pretty good Saturday morning, but by the first aid station I knew something was off. It was my back of course. For the most part it didn't hurt too bad, at least through halfway. I just could not run uphill well at all. That happens sometimes in short races as well. A couple of years ago, I went up to Massachusetts for 10K trail/mountain race. I was passed by a guy on the biggest climb
in the race. I could run fine downhill, but it wasn't happening going up. Three weeks later at Mt. Washington I finished almost 9 minutes in front of him. I think it has also shut me down on workout runs up Pilot Mtn. So anyway that was Saturday as well. I was actually shocked to win and get under the 7:50 prize time. Alison saw me out on the course, at the top of one climb and starting another. She was surprised as well. It was a very rewarding race, win or not, but of course it was more rewarding to win. I was pleased to have pushed through some really tough sections in the middle and then on the last climb. That last climb was absurdly bad. One part of me was saying to continue pushing and maybe I could catch the guy when we topped out. Most of me was saying that it was hopeless. I was praying a good bit for the strength to endure that current suffering. I was also saying win or lose I wanted to finish and glorify God with whatever I did. I think it would be a funny interview someday if a losing athlete said God was really blessed me today. I feel that way, whether I win, place 22nd, or DNF. Once the steepness let up, I had surprisingly good speed left in my legs. It wasn't like they were used up, I was just getting sharp, halting pain in my low back when going up. Most people would probably say that I just proved how stupid I am. I can handle being called stupid. In fact, an elder neighbor said this winter, "You must be dumb. You don't know whether it's raining, snowing, or the sun's shining. I see you running in any weather as if it all the same." I'll pretend I'm tough. Before I go off on another tangent, I have more about how the race unfolded on the La Sportiva Mountain Running blog. So now it is ice, ice, ice. I am stupid enough to try and race a 15K next weekend in Pa.
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