Trail party 🎉

Refreshing rain

Patriot Fun

Evening Yoga

Core

FCF 50k 3:47:48 🥇 

I created a race plan to first try and break the CR held by Elias, then if things went well set a 50k PR, and if the stars aligned try to go sub 4hr. My plan had the course broken down into 1.5-2 mile sections, each with a target pace and time. 🤓This allowed me to stay focused on the task at hand, adjusting pace and effort to match the terrain. Chasing your brother’s time is always fun but especially so when he comes along to crew you. 

I decided if it was within my pace plan, to grab the lead and hold it from the start to avoid traffic once we hit the narrow trails.  Moving smooth and feeling good had me pick up a few minutes on the 4hr run plan on both the first and second laps!

Then, at mile 23ish it was time for the out and back which meant navigating traffic on narrow curvy trails. I had to zigzag through the tail end of the 50ker, the leaders of the half marathon, and the 50k chase pack, who were moving strong. It was good seeing runners after being solo for a couple of hours and I picked up some extra energy at each passing.

Motivated, I set about ticking off the last few 1.5-mile splits but began feeling each hill more than the last and my temperature started to rise. 🥵 Elias was on the spot with a few liters of cold water over the head at the last turn around which cooled me right down.

With three miles to go, my pace started to slip again and I missed my first target split times of the day. The sun was peeking out of the clouds and my heart rate began to spike. So, I pulled back on the climbs and took full advantage of the descents and flats to maintain forward momentum.  Then all of a sudden, I popped out of the woods for the last time and made the turn down the road. With 0.75 miles to go, sub 3hr50min was within striking distance and all but in the bag! 

Having a day where the stars align was made possible by a great support crew, thanks to Elias, Gabbie, Gun-Gun, and mom. I literally only had to pause once the whole race! Elias cruising around on a bike kept my water/gel supply full, kept track of my race plan progress, and was always on the spot with any other aid I needed.  ❤️ 

The actual course distance, in my opinion, is a soft 50k (closer to 29 miles than 31) but I’ll still claim a 50k PR. 🤷🏻‍♂‍

The weather was a bit warmer than preferred but overall fairly pleasant. And the trails were in great condition, glad I decided to do a little brier clearing a few weekends back. 

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Anthony Groft

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