Isle De Bois 54k

This race was one that up until the final day to sign up i was pretty sure i wasn't going to run it. i didn't really run the whole month of November, and i was just getting back into it.  with HURT being 6 weeks away i thought it would be a good idea to sign up for it since it would force me to get in a longer run. i purposely didn't bring a watch, didn't look at the website at all and knew hardly anything about the course. i did it on purpose because i didn't feel i was in good enough shape to attack it and i just wanted to go out and have fun.  my goal was to show up and just run. for the first time i didn't really plan out my nutrition or anything, i just grabbed my bottle and some gu's between loops and ate when i felt the need and just ran.

It ended up being a bit more intense then what i was hoping for. at the start of the race i was up front with Matt crownover for the first mile or so. it didn't feel too fast so i didn't question it. by about the time we got onto the single track he created a bit of a gap. i figured at that point that he would never be caught and he was going to win it.  i knew he was in good shape right now.  i stayed in 2nd for most of the first loop with Edgar Martinez and a guy named Jason right behind me. i ran what i felt was comfortable, but had no clue what kind of endurance i had that day since i hadn't been training.  i figured i would run my normal race and only slow down if my body forced me to. it was a bit of a mental battle telling myself that i could run the whole thing hard when i really wasn't sure.

at the end of the first loop was when all the position changes started happening. the last/first half mile mile is on pavement of each loop. with both of them clearly being faster road runner then me, i had no chance of keeping up. it turns out the eventual winner is a 2:40 road marathoner and won the cowtown ultra this year in like 3:20. and Edgar Martinez won the El scorcho 50k this summer also in a very impressive time.  they both passed me and i was in fourth heading out for loop two. the trail has so many twist and turns that they were out of sight pretty quick. i was totally cool with it though. my main concern was to get in a solid run and have fun. i ran the whole second loop solo and the first half of the the third loop solo until i caught Matt at the aid station. it was nice running together for about 3-4 miles with him since its been a while since we had trained or ran together. i guess my legs didn't get the message that it had been changed from a 50k to a 54k because with about two miles left they decided they didn't want to fire anymore. i was fine with it because anybody can push for two miles. up until that point it was actually really pleasurable and it wasn't uncomfortable at all.  before the race i figured i was going to struggle big time the whole last loop since i hadn't been running much lately. i was very surprised at how "normal"i felt the whole time.  Matt and i were talking about how we didn't want it to turn into an all out race so i was relieved when he pulled away with a couple miles left. my legs just didn't have the power to take it up a notch and hang with him so i happily trotted it in and finished within my goal. my approach really reminded me of hells hills this year. i signed up last minute and just went out to "run" and have fun. you can't take every race totally serious or else they'll quit being fun.

Thanks Julie Dolph for taking this! The kids all decided to race me at the end and make me sprint it in haha

turns out i had strep throat coming on before the race and the race plus staying out that night put me over the edge. my throat hurt all last week and Sunday i broke into a 102 fever and felt absolutely horrible. i didn't get out of bed for 14 hours straight sun night Mon morning.

overall the race turned out to be perfect though. it went well for me and it got my motivation back up which is a good thing since I've got the colossal ass whipping known as the H.U.R.T. 100 in 6 weeks. its time to get in some serious training weeks! having strep throat isn't helping but I'll be better soon and i plan on taking advantage of everyday that I'm able to slip out to a trail and get in some trail miles. especially since I'm pretty sick of running around Mansfield.

in everybodys race reports they always thank the volunteers and race directors so i know it sounds meaningless when i do, but i have to say that Dave really does do a great job. the course is marked beyond what it needs to be, and you can tell there is a personal touch to his races. people aren't just numbers out there, it is such a great atmosphere and everybody knows everybody. it will always be hard to pass his races up.