Race Report : Bull Run Run 50 Mile + Weekly Training Summary

Run a mile, roll left ankle. 

Run a mile, trip on a root.

Run a mile, roll left ankle.

Run a mile, trip on a root.

Run a mile, roll left ankle.

Repeat 10 times.

That basically sums up the 50-miler and how it went just two weeks removed from Umstead 100. 

The good: a perfect training assessment of where things stand after Umstead 100, and a nice opportunity to catch up with my friend Eric who was kind enough to treat his own training run as part of my comical array of trips and turns for the full 50 miles (he too had a few ankle turns and encounters with roots, but not nearly as much as I did).  The goal was to NOT go any faster than 10 hours, and we were pretty dead on at 10:01:14. 

The bad:  several fairly painful ankle rolls, one of which was bad enough (at mile 8 or so) to bother me for the remainder of the race once things set in.  Yet, today it is not tremendously swollen or discolored at all, and simply sore to walk on.

The awesome:  Dan Rose and his wife Lizzy’s amazing family put us all up at their house just 15 minutes from the race.  We also got to meet their new addition to the family, 3 month old Sammy who was far better behaved than my own 9 and 11 year olds!  Tammy Massie provided a much needed beverage at mile 45 as part of the aid station she was running, and the folks that put this race on, the Virginia Happy Trails Running Club were simply fantastic.

What We Used To (Ankle) Roll

Shorts:          Race ready Men’s LD Sixer Shorts

Shirts:            2012 Umstead 100 Giveaway Shirt

Hat:              Chris roman provided Challenged Athletes Foundation visor

Shoes:          1 pair Saucony Peregrine

Socks:           1 pair Drymax Lite Trail Running Socks

Fuel /

Hydration:    10 Hammer Gels

                     1 serving of Ultragen (post-race)

                     Succeed S!Caps (1 about every hour to an hour and a half)

                     2-3 hand held bottles of Mountain Dew

                     1/2 of a tasty Pop-Tart

                     3/4 can of Pabst Blue Ribbon

                     1 Nathan Quckdraw Plus Handheld

This racecourse was far more rock and root filled than I had expected, and eerily reminded me of several scenes right out of The Blair Witch Project (which I was told was filmed there in part).  Pictures…..

The entire week leading up to (and after) Bull Run Run ended up looking like this:

Total Miles This Week – 71.50

Total Miles Prior week – 37.20

Total Miles April – 108.70

Total Miles This Year – 1,038.70

30-Day Rolling Total – 355.60

Monday, April 9, 2012

5:09 AM – 6.20 miles in 57:51 (9:19 pace)

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

5:18 AM – 6.00 miles in 49:24 (8:13 pace).  5 x 1k (4:34.1, 4:33.8, 4:33.9, 4:39.1, 4:43.1) and 7 x 100 meters (27.4, 26.9, 26.1, 26.1, 24.7, 27.2, 26.2).

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

5:04 AM – 7.30 miles in 1:08:28 (9:22 pace)

Thursday, April 12, 2012

4:28 PM – 2.00 miles in 20:28 (10:14 pace) with my 9-year-old daughter.

Friday, April 13, 2012

OFF

Saturday, April 14, 2012

6:30 AM – 50 miles in 10:01:14 (12:01 pace) at Bull Run Run 50 Mile. One twisted up ankle, plenty of trip-ups on roots, and great company from friend Eric.

Sunday, April 15, 2012

OFF