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Monday, September 10, 2012

Woodstock 50 Mile - What Do You Do For 14 Hours?


I finished the Woodstock 50 Mile Saturday – my first 50 mile. I’m finishing up the race report and gathering pictures, but I wanted to make a quick post this morning.

I finished in 13 hours and 47 minutes and brought home a 4th place age group win.

A non-runner friend asked afterward, “What do you do during that whole time?” Well, my race report will answer all that tonight, but for now, enjoy these brief summaries from the trail race experience: 
  • You make new friends – blessed to make friends with fellow first time 50 milers Matt and Lori
  • You chat – about anything and everything with the people you run with even for half a mile, and the aid station volunteers too!
  • You follow the flags – or like Matt and I, you misunderstand the flags and miss a sign and end up having to do the course a little out of order, but still all the same distance covered by the end.
  • You give cheers to fellow competitors – “Good job” became such a reflex too that two mountain bikers passed us at mile 23ish, and I told them Good Job on just their morning jaunt. LOL
  • You obsess over your hydration and when you last peed – I managed hydration great in this race and the 50-60 degree weather certainly helped. Me to Lesley: "I kinda need to go to the bathroom but if I do then I'll have to get my sweaty compression shorts back on and in place, and I'm worried I'll chafe out here on the course." Priorities!
  • You freak out over food options and count calories on the fly – “You have no potatoes?” “No coke?!? Okay, give me the Sprite. Wait, let me see the bottle, how many calories in 6 oz?”  “Today, I LIVE for soup!!”
  • You enjoy the beautiful forest all around you – rolling hills through a giant wooded Michigan recreation area!
  • You try not to fall over – that takes so much of the mental strength of the day but makes time pass quick
  • You try not to get too hurt – 4 decent scrapes across the legs by overgrown bushes that reached out and grabbed me. A bruise from a stick Matt kicked up that tried to impale into my shin. Minimal chafing, mostly at the top of my compression shorts, and a tiny bit at my heart rate monitor strap and the inside of one knee. No blisters!!!
  • You lean on your pacer for support – Lesley was my rock and such an amazing help. I can’t imagine having done this without her!
  • You gather memories – The biker that was drunk as a skunk before I started at 6 am. The girl in tie-dye leggings. The super nice trailrunner volunteer at Aid Station 2 who has run Rocky Raccoon 100 in my neck of the woods before.

More details tonight. I promise it’s worth it if you want to see what 50 miles is like or want to know more about the Run Woodstock event. My reports tend to be decently detailed since I write this to be able to relive the memories and event myself when the details start to fuzz up as can happen a year or two later! Rereading my race reports make me smile later, so that’s my goal when writing them. Later!

24 comments:

  1. oh, i love this so much!!!! so happy && proud FOR you libby! way to rock your first (i'm sure of MANY) 50 milers! don't worry.. i'll ask you again next week! i feel like i would EASILY relate to "misunderstanding the flags"

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    1. Courtney, I can already tell u the answer. #textmemaybe ;-)

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  2. Love this recap! Great job -- you are amazing!! :)

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    1. Thanks, Nancy. You are my hero, Miss Super Speedy Momma!!

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  3. Thanks for the quick write up. Now get to finishing the real report!! jk. You're awesome in every way. You inspire us all. Keep up the good work!!

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    1. Thanks, Cruz. Ok ok, it's done. And long. Go enjoy: http://theactivejoe.blogspot.com/2012/09/woodstock-50-mile-2012-race-report.html - now your turn to run 50, okay? :-)

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  4. Love this!! Glad you went ahead and put a recap out there for us to read! And seriously....compression shorts/pants/capris/what have you are HARD to pull back up! We understand those priorities! Haha

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    1. Honest truth, right?!? If I can't be honest on my blog, then what's the point? :-) Full report's up now too for the next time you get caught up on your blog reader and want to read details. :-)

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  5. I can't wait for the full fledged report! I've never done a race this long, but I find that I get in the zone on endurance runs. You have to, or you go crazy.*

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    1. Full report's up now. Thanks, Amy. Yes, it's easy to zone out for a mile. Or to have every tenth of a mile feel like 20 minutes. Sometimes it's only one way or the other!

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  6. You are such an inspiration! I love this! Way to go!

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  7. Totally amazing Job! I can't even imagine and you seem so cheery about it all! Love it! @runreadrant Caron ET

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    1. Thanks, Caron. I wasn't terribly cheery those last 10 miles. That's for sure!

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  8. Sounds like a great day in Michigan! Congrats on the finish. I do love Michigan in the summer. . . .

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    1. It was definitely a pretty area... and pretty perfect weather aside from the mud!

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  9. Love the short write-up; can't wait for the longer version in more detail. Very proud of you! M&D

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  10. Awesome!!! Can't wait for the full report! - Julie L.

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  11. Yay!!!!! So awesome. I never doubted that you could do it. N.e.v.e.r.

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  12. Good post, and congrats on the finish. I'm training for my first 50 miler in November and looking for any tips I can get. :)

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