Post
by KeithT » May 2nd, 2022, 9:23 am
50K PB....because it was my first one!
So, this may ramble but what a strange and partly horrifying experience. I promised that I was not going for a specific time and just wanted to finish the 50K. With that idea I figured the 50K would be easier than my 2 prior FMs in the last 2 years where I did try to hit a goal time. I did say that I wanted to be under 3:30 but thought that was a guarantee. Well, of course my plans got completely wrecked. I had an idea to do a fairly aggressive positive split and build a little cushion in case I needed it later. Plan was to do 5K at 1:57 pace then slow to 1:59, 2:01.....slow 2 seconds every 5K and end rowing at a slow 2:15, this gets me under 3:30.
I had an simple breakfast of oatmeal, banana and some peanut butter - had two bottles of sports drink by my side and slices of banana and oranges to refuel a bit every 5K. Off we go (10:00 AM) - I do the 1:57 5K as planned and feel good and then decide to just drop 1 second to 1:58 for second 5K. Thru 10K I feel shockingly good, so decide to drop just 1 second to 1:59 for third 5K, then since still feeling good keep it there for the next 5K. Then drop to 2:00 for the 5th 5K. So, halfway in and I am on a 1:58.6 pace and feel great!
This is where I start thinking "I can average a sub 2:00 pace for the 50K - I can go like 2:01 the rest of the way and hit that". So, 6th and 7th 5k at 2:01. Suddenly at 35K mark I started feeling bad - I knew this would come and was ready but I couldn't fight it and I slowed to a 2:05 pace. However, I am still right at 2:00 pace overall with 10K to go and that's when I hit a wall like nothing I have ever experience before. I mean I get to the point of muscles freezing up when doing 500M, 1K and 2K TTs when sprinting and I was beyond exhausted at the end of my FMs but this was different. I started getting cramps in my forearms and weird pains everywhere and my sitz bones were in agony. I was pulling hard but got to where I was pulling 2:10. All thoughts of 2:00 were gone and my mind was screaming at me to stop - I slowed way down into the 2:15 and even 2:20 range for a bit. I was in pure survival mode the rest of the way and ended the whole thing at a 2:02.3 pace - 3:23:49.9 total.
When done I was a mess. I couldn't, eat for several hours and I felt hot/cold on and off and my sitz bones were a disaster. I felt a little better in the evening and finally ate and moved around some. Now what's really weird is today I feel fine and my leg muscles and such aren't even sore. Other than a couple blisters I feel fine other than sitz bones. The way I felt after I thought I was going to be a mess for days. I am having a hard time trying to understand what happened to me. Anyway, that's my long story for my first 50K.
56 yo, 6'3" 205# PBs (all since turning 50):
1 min - 376m, 500m - 1:21.3, 1K - 2:57.2, 4 min - 1305m, 2K - 6:27.8, 5K - 17:23, 30 min - 8444m, 10K - 35:54, 60 min - 16110, HM - 1:19:19, FM - 2:45:41