Sunday, March 29, 2009

Lake Sonoma 50 mile



Yesterday I ran in the second annual Lake Sonoma 5o mile race in Healdsburg, Ca. It was a beautiful day for a run, despite the temps being in the 80's. I was wondering how I would do, as I have only run one 25 miler, a 20 miler, and a few 3 hour runs since TCC. 50 miles is a long way, so I tried to be conservative out on the course. I enjoyed running and talking with Luanne Park for several miles. We hadn't seen each other since TRT last year. Kevin Sawchuck filled me in with all kinds of interesting things he does when he fast packs on the John Muir trail and my ipod filled my head with all kinds of different songs from rap to John Denver.



My goal for this race was to finish faster than last year. I finished 2nd woman last year with a time of 9:53. This year I finished 4th woman with a time of 9:22! I was 19th overall. I am happy with my time and I felt that I did the best that I could do for the training that I had. I had some issues with my left IT band and I had some cramping in my feet, so I tried to keep on top of that by taking Succeed and keeping hydrated. I did run out of water at the last aid station and ran the last five miles without any water. I was suffering big time because I was so thirsty. It was a stupid mistake in that I didn't check my hydration pack to see how much water I had left. My bad.

The swag was wonderful. I got a nice Brooks jacket, a Brooks skirt, a running shirt and lots of other goodies in my bag. For being the first oldest goat across the finish line, I also won a HUGE bottle of wine! See, getting old ain't so bad! Well, it has a few advantages!

Today I am wiped out and feeling the effects of a long day on the trail. Thanks to Stan Jensen for the above photo taken at his aid station.

7 comments:

Peter Lubbers said...

Awesome run, Kelly!
30 minutes faster on very little training--nice!

Mechelle said...

Great job Kelly! Although the heat was more than you desired we can't seem to get out of the 30's here in Michigan so send a bit this way :)

Drs. Cynthia and David said...

Way to break your own record! And the heat and dehydration must have been tough too.

Happy recovering!

Cynthia

Olga said...

What a great run, Kelly, there is nothing slowing you down ever, just makes you faster every day!

Mark Tanaka (Ultrailnakaman) said...

Great job, Kelly, congrats on the wine, and great seeing you again. I should've snapped a photo of you and ?Luanne?-- will have to catch you next time.

Victoria said...

Yay! Good for you! Enjoy your bottle of wine-- you earned it...

kelly said...

Thanks everyone! Lake Sonoma 50 miler is a great race. It's tough, but beautiful. It can kick your butt if you are not ready for it.