Monday, May 24, 2010

Jemez 50 - another great day in the mountains!

This was my second year in a row running in the Jemez 50 miler. I love this race. It is tough, it is beautiful, and it just gets to you. It is a pure classic. And it is not to be taken lightly.

I made it 32 miles before timing out of the race. My legs were shot and I could not run anymore. Walking was even an issue as I was reduced to a 45 minute pace per mile for the last two miles. I was literally taking baby steps up any kind of incline. And believe me there are MILES of steep inclines on this course!

Bottom line, I was not properly trained for a mountain trail race. Being a flatlander from Dallas, this is not the kind of race you can fake your way through. You have to earn every single mile of this race and this year I was not in the shape to do it.

There lessons in every single race --- and sometimes you have to learn them more than once. That is one of the beautiful aspects of ultrarunning. There are no guarantees in this sport. You toe the starting line and you have no idea what is in store for you that day. It could be a perfect day or it could be a day where you just blow up.

I didn’t blow up at Jemez, but I wasn’t up to the task for that day. But it was beautiful, it was meaningful, and I loved every second of it! Jemez --- I’ll be back!