DATE: Saturday, November 3, 2007
LOCATION: Champoeg State Park, between St Paul and Newberg, Oregon
After doing my first double in August, the next thought in my mind was, “why
can’t I do a 50 miler?” I naturally thought that if I could run 52 miles in two days, why couldn’t I run 50 in one day. Autumn Leaves was the perfect place to do that. It’s a 50 mile race that consists of ten five mile loops. I trained for this by doing a 31 mile training run and a 40 mile training run after the Portland Marathon. I felt very confident in my abilities to do this. My goal was to finish within 10 hours. The five mile loop was pretty easy and flat. I remember arriving early, and was able to park my car at the start/finish of each loop, which means I had access to my own food/supplies. It was dark when the race started and I had a headlamp, plus a few extra layers of cloths. I remember being specifically carefully not to watch my pace, not go too fast. In the first loop I felt pretty good, but was happy when the sun came up. In the next few loops I remember having fun seeing other runners and friends I knew. There are a few sections in which you see the other runners. The weather was ideal, partly to most cloudy in the 50’s and 60’s. The volunteers at the start/finish area were very friendly and encouraging. When the 50k started a few hours later, it was great to see some of my Maniacs friends. In the last two loops I remember getting quite tired and feeling like I wanted to be done, which made the finish that much better. Upon finishing I got a hug from a local ultra friend, Olga. I received a finishers medal and a 50 miler belt buckle. It was so much fun, and even though I haven’t had a chance to do that race again since, I plan to return this year as I inch closer to my 100th marathon.
LOCATION: Champoeg State Park, between St Paul and Newberg, Oregon
After doing my first double in August, the next thought in my mind was, “why
can’t I do a 50 miler?” I naturally thought that if I could run 52 miles in two days, why couldn’t I run 50 in one day. Autumn Leaves was the perfect place to do that. It’s a 50 mile race that consists of ten five mile loops. I trained for this by doing a 31 mile training run and a 40 mile training run after the Portland Marathon. I felt very confident in my abilities to do this. My goal was to finish within 10 hours. The five mile loop was pretty easy and flat. I remember arriving early, and was able to park my car at the start/finish of each loop, which means I had access to my own food/supplies. It was dark when the race started and I had a headlamp, plus a few extra layers of cloths. I remember being specifically carefully not to watch my pace, not go too fast. In the first loop I felt pretty good, but was happy when the sun came up. In the next few loops I remember having fun seeing other runners and friends I knew. There are a few sections in which you see the other runners. The weather was ideal, partly to most cloudy in the 50’s and 60’s. The volunteers at the start/finish area were very friendly and encouraging. When the 50k started a few hours later, it was great to see some of my Maniacs friends. In the last two loops I remember getting quite tired and feeling like I wanted to be done, which made the finish that much better. Upon finishing I got a hug from a local ultra friend, Olga. I received a finishers medal and a 50 miler belt buckle. It was so much fun, and even though I haven’t had a chance to do that race again since, I plan to return this year as I inch closer to my 100th marathon.
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