Black Mountain 50K Recap

Last month I participate in a local event benefiting Veterans and part of the event was a prize for an entry to the Black Mountain 50K.  When the winner of the prize realized he couldn’t run the event, he generously gifted the entry to me. I had mixed feelings about it as I’m not a huge fan of Black Mountain, but I also love a good challenge so ultimately I was excited to run the event.

Unlike many race events, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to wear, so I created two flat runners. The race was on a Saturday morning so after getting my gear ready, I was off to bed for an early wake up and drive up to Black Mountain.  

Race day packet pick-up was easy.  Once I had my bib and felt ready, I headed over to the start line to say hi to some friends and visit before the race started.  After a few race announcements and the sweetest rendition of the National Anthem, we were off and running.  The race also had a 25K which started 30 minutes later so it was fun to be cheered by a large group of runners as we started.  

The first half mile or so was in a park as we made our way towards Black Mountain.  Then the uphill began. The beginning didn’t feel too bad and we were fortunate to have cloud cover.  Cloud cover that didn’t last and once the sun was out, you could definitely feel it.  I’m not sure what the actual air temperature was but it felt hot—I don’t think I’ve ever sweated so much in a race.  After that, I lost focus on the actual course.  I know that it was hard—it’s a technical trail, with single track section and some wider trails.  Even though they say “what goes up, must come down,” I felt like I was climbing for most of the race.

If you’ve read my other race recaps, you know that I’m a mental runner and this race was no different.  I knew that I wasn’t going to quit, but I knew it wasn’t going to be easy.  Right as I was feeling extremely discouraged, I encountered Maria and Lise. They were going at a similar pace and I was grateful for the company.  We met at around mile seven and stayed together through the rest of the race.  We had some good conversations about running and helped push each other through when it got hard.  Crossing the finish line with these two runners was the best feeling.

During the entire race, I kept thinking to myself that this would be a “one and done” race event for me.  But now that I’ve had time to think about it, I’ll definitely be back next year.  The race itself is well organized from the pre-race communications to race day instructions.  The aid stations were well placed and well stocked—who doesn’t love an Otter Pop at mile 27?! The volunteers were the best and took care of everything we needed. 

 The swag was pretty cool—we got a tank, a Buff, a sticker and our medal is from Elevation Culture.  The other runners out there were amazing, from cheering everyone on to helping runners when they fell.  As hard as the race was, I still had a great experience and I want to go back next year to have an even better experience.

Have you ever changed your mind about a race after you’ve had time to think about it?

Until next time, happy running.
Jenn13.1  

Ultra Training: Week Ten

It’s official—I have registered for my first 50K.  I am just as excited as I am nervous and know that my training is definitely real now.  I have a 110 days to get it together.  This is how week ten went:


Sunday
After Christmas Eve’s lackluster run, I was hoping today would be better.  I debated between increasing my mileage to make up for the lack of miles on Saturday or to stick with my plan.  I stuck with my plan.  It was a beautiful day and it was fun to see all the families out at the lake enjoying themselves.  

Monday
I’ve been running on Monday mornings with a group of friends, calling ourselves the #5amRunClub.  Due the holiday, we slept in and met at 6am for our run. We ran down to the harbor in San Diego and made it just in time for a beautiful sunrise over the city.  

Tuesday
Tuesday’s run was a fun 5K—the Bumblebee 5K or Holiday Bowl 5K.  It was a small race that started fifteen minutes  before the Holiday Bowl Parade that went down the parade route and finished up at a  great viewing spot of the parade.  It was another beautiful day in San Diego and the course was along the harbor—you can’t go wrong with a run there.

Wednesday
Wednesday was a hectic day and I wasn’t sure I was going to get my run done.  It was just one of the those days, but in the afternoon I found some time to get my run in.  An easy few miles to clear my head and get some miles on my feet.

Thursday
I headed out to the trails for this run.  It was a little crowded at my “go to” trail and and though it was a little congested at spots, I love seeing that many people out enjoying the trails.  

Friday
I headed out Friday morning for the #RUN619 who were running this week to celebrate me as it also happened to be my birthday.  I got to pick the route so I picked my favorite which includes two local bridges.  It was a great turnout and I definitely felt the birthday love.  I’ve said it before, but I love this group!

Saturday
I wasn’t looking forward to my run on Saturday—I hadn’t slept well the night before and missed my group run in the morning.  I had fourteen miles to do and the idea of running them solo did not sound fun.  When I finally dragged myself out of bed, I headed to my local running spot and kept my fingers crossed it would hold on raining for a couple hours.  
When I arrived to the lake, I ran into Jenny so we ran a warmup mile together before going separate ways on our run.  About three miles into my run, it started to rain—it wasn’t a hard rain, rather a heavy drizzle.  I didn’t dress for the rain, so I had two choices—either head back to my car or keep going.  You learn a lot about yourself when you face decisions like this—I kept going.  I got all 14 miles done—they weren’t pretty, but I was proud of myself for getting it done.  When I got back to my car, I was grateful for the towel I had in my trunk and the Starbucks a block away—after this run, I needed both!

Total Weekly Miles:  43.73

The start of the year often means more people are the gym and other places.  I will be one of those people at the gym—one of my goals this year is to work on my strength training and I’ll be adding that into my running mix.  I’m hoping people have patience and remember they were once new to it too. 

On a completely random note, I am excited to announce that I have been selected to be an ambassador for Pro Compression and Orange Mud.  I love both these companies and they have definitely helped me in my ultra training.  I am looking forward to working with both of these great companies.  

What are your goals for 2017?

Until next time, happy running!
Jenn13.1