***** Nashville Ultra ******
There were about 35 folks at this ultra. I was easily able to find the very nice people from the Memphis Running club that I met earlier this year in Aug. I was also surprised at the amount of other folks I recognized from other races. (It really is a small world). I was also able to meet some new folks that I look forward to seeing one day again.
The race started at 7 AM and we were off. The race took us on a bike path through some beautiful countryside, through parts of Nashville, and then through some industrial area. The 50K turn around point was at the 19 mile mark. I can give several reasons why I only did the 50K that sounds good but the truth is that I was getting tired and was ready to be finished. Being the slow poke my friends, who were ahead of me, who had thought about doing a 60 or 70K also had this same idea (they passed me on the way back).
To keep a long story short I hit the finish line in 7:39...which ends up being 14 min mile average. (OK, I stopped and gabbed some at each aid station). Shoot, at that speed, I should have walked the whole distance...gees.
Long story short, it was a very nice race. The finisher award was a paper weight - an interesting change from a medal.
My legs are sore but otherwise I'm doing good. I'll do a recovery run later tonight to try and get some of the stiffness out.
BTW, my thought at the finish line was - How the heck am I going to do another 20 miles on top of this? I had to take a mental/physical inventory and decided that I did indeed have more miles in my legs (even if they would have complained) and I could have gritted out through the negative thoughts that I was developing starting around mile 25. I'm thinking that the first 30 miles of my 50 miler will be the same as this race and the last 20 miles of it will be nothing but stubbornness to get to the finish line. Isn't it nice to know that being hard headed does pay off at times?
BTW, no women finished up the 70K. Shoot, I could have earned a jacket. ha!
| 