The AVALON 50 Mile Run Was Awesome!

Chris and I took the ferry to Catalina on Friday, registered and had a few hours to relax before heading out for the usual pre-race meal (for me, as always before a race, I had the mandatory baked potato along with some grilled chicken breast and veg…simple but fool proof after years of experimenting!)

Despite how calm I was leading up to the race, I still ended up getting a bit of my normal pre-race jitters….Mostly due to the fact that it was all new and unknown!

We woke up at 3:30 to have some breakfast and digest before the 5am start. We walked down the street to the start line (these ultras are SO much more mellow than the chaotic pre-race scene at Ironman!), arrived at about 4:58, Chris and I wished each other a good race, then someone shouted, ‘go’ and we went.

Fortunately, I found someone to run near who had a headlamp (we brilliantly left ours in the hotel room!) so I was able to see where I was going for the first two hours of the run before the sun rose. It wasn’t too chilly, and the road surface was perfect- mostly dirt with only a little asphalt here & there. I got to the first aid station and was honestly not the least bit bothered with how slow my pace was! I had planned to just take it easy and see what happened.

I kept on track with my nutrition plan: a single hand held Ultra Distance Bottle, a Thermolyte Tab and a Hammer Gel very 45′, with the addition of a small piece of a boiled potato doused in salt, which was generously provided at all the aid stations! My head stayed in the game throughout the whole duration of the race and I was completely focused on the moment; a skill I’ve been working on a lot over the past few seasons.

As the sun rose and the air warmed up, I progressively felt more and more calm and gained confidence about the race. How wonderful to have the warm sun beating on my back!! It felt fun!

Basically, to sum it up, I just ran. I just kept going! Other than the expected increasing muscle fatigue, nothing hurt, nothing was wrong, it was just a beautiful training run in a lovely part of the country.

I ended up finishing 2nd in my age group and 4th overall; Chris finished 3rd in his age group and we both won beer mugs- woohoo!! : )

I feel great two days post, and also glad to say I’ve finally completed my first 50 mile run!

It was a great day!