Very early start this morning to head North to the Baker Lake 50k run. We drove into the parking lot just in time to see the early starters leave. The route this year was not the same double out and back like last but instead we headed up a a dirt road initially for 2.5 miles and then back down to hop on the trail for an out and back.

The weather was perfect and I just figured that I would end in about 6 hours, like last year. Second mistake... My first had to do with nutrition/hydration...will I ever learn?!?

I started well and did not go hard up the road like I had last year. A couple of runners next to me were saying "Walk early and often." Good advice! Of course, they wondered if that was correct and thought it also might be "Drink early and often." I liked that too for off-race living :)

Got a quick top-off to my water bottle for the trail and got to see how much I have learned about running on trails in the past year. Last year, I remember thinking that the trail that was advertised as non-technical really was technical. This year, I agreed that it was not technical and actually was a lot of fun!

At one point, I was following a guy who was running the perfect pace for me. This lasted for a while until he realized he had someone behind him and a bit of a captive audience. He then started into his favorite topic. Him. The more he expanded on his topic, the slower his pace got and I found myself wondering about trail etiquette. I had seen him surge ahead and knew that if I passed him, he could leapfrog me easily and I would be in the same position. Fortunately, a bit into the lecture, we were passed by a woman and gave him incentive to pick up the pace again. But then he started to slow down and continued his talk. Yikes! I decided to pass him and chase Vonn (sp), the runner who passed us. I also learned that she had just run a 100 miles last WEEK. wow. I also learned later that it was her first 100 miler and she came in 2nd in 11 hours. Hard Core!

I learned a lot from drafting her for about an hour and marveled at how agile she was on the trail. At the turn around rest stop (3.5 hours in), I gushed a bit at her and how amazing she was. She then took off and I only caught up with a glimpse of her back once after.

I was completely out of fluids, filled up on Heed (an electrolyte drink, but I forgot to ask if it had calories) and a handful of peanut M&M's and turned around to the finish. Eventually, I caught up with Lori, a tiny tiny runner with a red ponytail. She was super sweet and chatty and was working towards her goal of, get this....50x50 miles in a year to celebrate her 50th birthday. I paced her and found her favorite topic a bit more interesting :) I learned that she was the Canada national champion for women 50 and over (100 milers) as well as the United States. Then my right calf started to seize up and my legs simply gave up and I watched her perky ponytail bob further and further away.

I realized I was in trouble...I was almost out of fluids, feeling dizzy, my calf kept on cramping and still out pretty far on the trail. I wanted water badly and was bonking. Fortunately, I ran into a guy named Tim who was kind enough to give me some water from his hydration pack and we finished together. He was a great conversationalist and we ran home together.

I ended up finishing slower than last year and now I realize my slower time was much more related to hydration/nutrition than strength. Also, I pushed it too hard pushing to keep up with some of the TOP WOMEN in trail running. My nutrition for the first 18 miles was 16 oz of Gatorade and one gel. On the way back, I drank 16 oz. of Heed, one gel and 4 oz of the water Tim gave me. I think that also may have contributed to how horrible I smelled after. Exceptionally RANK...to the point where Ruth had to filter...

I do love this stuff though...and....want to run a 100. Ruth said that she thinks these races are very bad for me because I get ideas from other nutcases but I am really hooked! I found a page last night, the WA Trail Running Series and decided that I want to do these in 2010. Cheryl, we need to talk!

50K Trail Run @ 06:26:00