Monday, October 23, 2017

The Bad Thing 50K Trail Race - October 21, 2017

 Wow ,  this is one tough event.   Did it last year 3C  / Wind / Rain with a layer of thermal gear on...this year low 20's humid ,  almost hot!    I love the layout of the course its super fun running but they way it all stung together really does live up to the name of the event. 

 This is Ontario's only point to point 50Ker.  Parked in Auburn then took a bus to Gooderich for a 7am start from the former jail .. .yeah we actually started the run in the jail and broke out ... I love a theme!   The aid stations were allot further than what I was use to so this year I cam prepared with an extra liter of water in a backpack.    I more or less stuck to my fuel and hydration plan getting 500 to 700 ml water / hour and a Gel and the odd S Cap here and there!    There was lots of easy running throughout the first half  spattered with little technical bits and climbs.   When I could I really opened up running some 6:00 Ks on the easy trail!   I was surprised at how much of the course I remembered from last year which was a good thing as there was not much in the way of signage through Benmiller...no big deal.     Getting to the third and second last aid station feeling good was my goal and I more or less was successful.    Between the  31 and 39K mark is where this run seals the deal ....it really is about the point in a 50Ker that I am really starting to fatigue.   If I have taken care of things I can usually get past 40 then like a horse to the barn push to the end.  Now the Bad Thing is just pain tough for 8Ks right when the going gets a little tougher.    On some of the climbs I was feeling rather light headed at the top and had to walk a bit to recover....it was also getting super hot with little breeze and the temps climbing to the low 20's.    The last full aid station was at 39K it also was the point where things got a whole lot easier ...many Ks of open gravel roads good you would think  but mustering up a steady pace was hard and for the last 10Ks it was a run ,  slow down or walk for a bit pick it up and try to keep the Ks under 10 mins.   About a half K from the finish there is water crossing ,  knee deep in spots and probably 100 meters across.    The current was strong and I slowly picked my foot falls to ensure I didn't go for a swim! 

Finished a little better then last year tripping the clock at 7hrs8min3sec 18th out of 34 finishers,   15th out of 25 men and 3rd out of 8 in the 50-59 age group.

I really think that I should be able to get this one under 7 hours ,  maybe 6 hours 30 minutes but I will have the give the race plan a little more thought to finish better!

After the race I felt quite nauseous and it was persistent right through the following day which was quiet odd for me.   I wasn't overheated and I wasn't dehydrated I am not sure why I had such a struggle in the last 10Ks.  This race is my new " Creemore " I know I will keep coming back for more just to try to  figure this one out! 

























Fitbit HR Data



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