50 Mile Weekend

Originally, I had 4 to 5 of these really big weekends planned, but somehow I managed to miss each and every one of them. Except for this past weekend. On my last high mileage weekend before beginning my taper, I got my 50.

I was thinking of 30 Saturday and 20 Sunday, but as I was running Saturday, I was thinking about the possible routes in Hinckley, and how they are all divisible by 3 not an even number. So because of that, I modified my mileage to 29 Saturday and 21 Sunday. A mile easier one day and a mile harder the other.

For Saturday's run, I wanted to get back down onto the course and run some sections that I haven't yet. I wanted to see what the trail conditions were like and begin to fine tune my race-day strategy. Parking at the Boston Store, I headed north on the Buckeye Trail, the reverse direction of the BR course. What I noticed immediately was how dry the trails were. Completely recovered from the sloppy mess I encountered on Mother's Day.

I made my way up to the Piano Keys and made a mental note that climbing these steps is going to really suck at nearly 50 miles into the run. At least there's a handrail!

The Buckeye Trail was a busy place early on in my run. Now, granted, I did get a late start and the folks I met had been out there for a while already. My 10:00-ish start time wasn't intentional, but it would put me out there in the heat of the day. Good training.

Blue Hen Falls was relatively quiet, with no one climbing around and getting in my photo for once. The lack of rain has caused the creeks to become tiny little things. I didn't encounter any difficulty at any of the water crossings and the muddy patches were merely soft spots. No trouble at all. I could go for some softer trails for race day, but I'll take them dry over wet.

The day was hot so I carried three 16 ounce bottles with me. I had a rough plan of where I wanted to run and the route I wanted to go. I knew where I could refill my bottles. My only regret is not carrying Gatorade mix with me. I took only Nuun tablets. They worked for hydration, but I could have used the extra calories. In the heat I didn't have much of an appetite for the Clif Bars I was carrying.

I followed the BT into the Brecksville Reservation, through Ottawa Point, eventually picking up the APT. Stopping at Oak Grove I refilled a bottle before continuing on my way. I jumped back onto the BT before the last big descent along the parkway and popped out of the woods at Riverview Rd.

Passing quickly through Station Road, I was on the Towpath still heading north. This section is race course, and will be hot on race day. Fortunately for me, it was hot this day too. At the Frazee House, I turned back onto Buckeye trail and had some real peace and quiet. I didn't take the trail all the way to the Bike and Hike, but for the time I was on it I didn't see another soul. I decided to turn around when I hit an overgrown field and I didn't feel like pushing through more leaves and grass.

Reversing course, I made my way back down to the Towpath and eventually back to Station Road. There I refilled more empty bottles and had something to eat. I had a few miles of hot Towpath ahead of me and I wanted to be prepared. It was hot. And crowded. The cyclists were out in force! For the second time this year, I couldn't help but wonder how many of those bikers weren't going to ride as far that day as I was going to run.

I stayed focused and survived the heat with no problems. I even managed to notice some of the sights along the way! As I was pushing through the heat, I had two things on my mind: 1) I would need to go back out for a little bit after getting back to the Boston Store in order to get my 29 and 2) I needed the can of Coke I had in my trunk! I could taste it and I intended to down it before finishing my run.

The Coke was one of those small cans and didn't take long to empty. Then I was off for a short mile and a half out-and-back. This time I went south along the Towpath, took the left where the Valley Bridle Trail veers off, and climbed back onto the Buckeye Trail. More uphill. This section was pretty quiet with only a few others out there with me.

It was just me and nature. And this little guy I managed to hear rather than see. I know one of these days I'm going to run into one a little larger. After what wasn't too long it was time to turn around and head back. I was very tired and dehydrated by the time I finished. And it was nearly 5:00. That's a long time in the woods. My complete run data can be found HERE.

Sunday's run was much less adventurous, was harder, and had more company. I met up with the Sunday morning Hinckley group at 7:00. I just wasn't going to make the 5:30 start. I had no soreness or foot problems so I started out with the hopes of having a decent run. It didn't take me long to realize though, that my legs were pretty shot and I wouldn't be able to maintain a very fast pace. But that's kind of what I was hoping for. That was one of the possibilities for Rite Aid: Run Saturday and then run the race tired. Not only would Sunday's run be a physically training run, but a mental one too.

The big 9 mile loop kicked my butt and I walked the major climbs, including Effie. I really didn't want to go back out on that loop again, so for the rest I stayed in the park. Ladd ran with me for the first of my four 3 mile loops, then I was on my own. Two more loops on the APT and then I switched to the Lake Trail. 21 miles done! All the Hinckley data can be found HERE.

A big weekend for a big race. I hope it will all be enough to get me to the finish line in under 30 hours. Tapering has begun. I'm reducing mileage but maintaining intensity. As an example, we were at the track last night running 800 meter repeats in the sun and heat. I pushed hard and managed to be only a little slower than what I would have liked.

Race day is getting close. Less than 2 1/2 weeks now.