Lake Youngs 50k

My second race of 2010 was run at one of my favorite parks: Lake Youngs Watershed. The course at Lake Youngs is just shy of 10 miles almost entirely on soft forest trail. There are just enough hills (900 feet of elevation gain per loop) to keep the muscles working and to get the heart rate up every once and a while.
The forecast for race day was upper 40’s and sunny. The start was scheduled for 8:00am, so I knew it would be chilly. I chose to wear my yellow long sleeve Seattle Marathon shirt, Capri tights, tie-dyed green gaiters and my hydration pack. When I arrived there was a heavy drizzle falling from the sky. I knew it would clear soon so I didn’t bother to throw on a jacket. Pigtails instructed us to run the first loop counter-clockwise, then after that we could go either direction. After completing 3 loops we would be sent back out for a final 2+ miles to complete the 50k.
I started off in the back. I’ve run this course enough to know that a huge downhill waits just 1/3 of a mile into the race. Flying down that hill on cold muscles could lead to an injury that would end the day. When we hit the hill I gently jogged down, then picked up the pace before hitting the first uphill stretch. I had already planned on adding lots of walk breaks for this race as prep for my longer races later this year. I’m convinced that training for walking breaks will greatly improve my 50-100 mile races. The first loop went well. The rain kept coming but the company was good and the running was easy. I came into the aid station at mile 10, refilled my water, grabbed a few candy bars and set out to run lap 2 clockwise. Running the opposite direction was a nice change and it gave me an opportunity to see all the runners that continued around the loop in the original direction. The biggest problem with the clockwise direction is running up the big hill 1/3 of a mile from the start/finish. It’s a bugger. I finished the 2nd loop soaking wet and feeling pretty wonky. I spent a few minutes at the aid station grabbing some trail snacks, then once again charged into the woods for another lap. Less that ¼ mile into lap 3 I was hit with terrible stomach cramps. I was chilled to the bone and the rain was starting to flood the trail. I turned around and told myself “this is stupid, I’m quitting and heading home to a warm bath, 20 miles is far enough today”. I started to walk back to the finish line to turn in my number. Somehow, and I’m not quite sure how it happened, instead of turning in my number and seeking refuge in my car, I found myself back on the trail and running. Somewhere deep inside I was able to muster enough willpower to override the incredible magnetic draw of the car and get myself back out there to finish. I ran the last loop strongly even though I was trudging through a lot of water. I completed the loop and found it easy to return to the trail one last time and get those final 2 miles.
I didn’t stick around long after the race. I was really cold and just wanted to get dry and warm. This race was tough for me, but I gained so much confidence to in my ability to will myself through the tough parts…. It was a morning well spent.