I worked towards Saturday’s moment for well over 3 years.  Back in October 2017, I set a goal to run a 50-mile race in 2018.  The car wreck took me out of the game before I could begin training.  The doctor told me to have surgery and give up endurance running on May 13th, 2019…yet 705 days later I proved that ignoring this recommendation became one of my best decisions.

Saturday was my moment to level up from 50k to 50 miles, on the hilliest course I’ve ever ran.  An 18-mile jump; or as I saw it, a 36% jump.  I went in thinking it would be the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life physically, yet also excited and anxious.  My goal was to finish within 12 hours, at 7:00PM.  The cutoff was 14 hours, but I didn’t want to run in the dark, so I needed to finish in 12.

This was more than just a race.  It was a measuring stick for my comeback.  This 50-miler was part of my motivation to complete 350 hours of DDP Yoga since receiving the permanent injury diagnosis.  Leveling up my mileage pushed me through 150 hours of core/rehab work.  My recovery work made me a stronger runner. 

The race began at 7:00AM with a starting temperature of 39 degrees. The weather stayed in the mid-40s for most of the race, peaking at 58 degrees. My biggest concern going into the race was managing the hills. We don’t have any in Wichita and I didn’t incorporate hills into my training plan at all. Rookie mistake #1. In fact, I wasn’t aware of how hilly this race would be until the week before when I drove the course. Rookie mistake #2. I was prepared mentally to fight with those inclines all day long but wasn’t prepared physically. This is where the core strength exercises and DDP Yoga came into play. I relied on my glutes and quads to climb those hills and they responded well.

The course was a 25-mile loop ran twice.  The first loop was relatively easy with a few technical problems.  I got some moisture in my shoes causing blisters around mile 15.  We dried off my feet, changed socks and applied some ointment around mile 19 and mile 25.  I also had to stop to pee too often—6 times during the first 25 miles.  I usually only need to stop once every 3-4 hours.  I corrected this issue by increasing consumption of salt tablets from every 60 minutes to one every 30 minutes.  I only needed two quicks stops on the second 25-mile loop and avoided sock/shoe changes.

The second loop was nearly flawless, aside nausea for a few of the later miles.  I couldn’t get food down without feeling sick around mile 43, so I consumed food slower while energy began to fade.  I power-walked the hills a bit during the first loop to conserve energy for the second half where I maintained a quicker pace up the hills.  My time was faster on miles 30-50 than 10-30 which still fascinates me days later.  I moved up 10 positions during the second loop making the slower approach on loop #1 a success.  I was in a lot of pain with no energy over the final 3.5 miles.  It seemed like everything hurt and my gas tank was empty.  Parts of my body said stop, but this was never an option.  You know what didn’t hurt?  My injured back!  And I finished the race is 10 hours, 37 minutes, 58 seconds.

Shoutouts—first and foremost to Tony Brown.  Tony helped crew during the first 25 miles and paced me over the final 25 miles.  His pre-planning guidance, tips and encouragement played a big factor in my performance.  Tony is a great friend and has become my “running professor” over the past several months.  Tony’s help easily saved me one hour.  Big shout out to my wife, Rachel, for crewing all day.  She helped keep my nutrition and hydration steady while assisting with clothing and footwear changes.  Rachel is part of my recovery story—she’s kept me going all through these years.  I’d also like to thank race organizer, Adam Dolezal, for putting together a fantastic event.  And check out the amazing work of photographer, William Layton.  He captured some awesome shots!

My core strength, range of motion and flexibility are at my lifetime best because of the car accident injuries.  I’ve learned how to take care of my body much more effectively than ever before.  DDP Yoga isn’t just a “yoga workout” to me—it’s the equivalent of taking my car to the shop for oil changes and tune ups.  I feel the same about cryotherapy.  Cryotherapy was critical in reducing pain while rehabbing and has since become as important for post-workout recovery.  My injury made me stronger, yet I believe it helped me perform better than I would have without it.  I’m feeling very good, just 5 days after the race.  I’ve already completed 5 cryotherapy sessions and 3.5 hours of DDP Yoga…I feel a little better each day, closing in on 100%. And I ran the day after the race…and the next day…and you get the point.

The race is over, the celebration is over.  It’s time for new goals and adventures.

Would I change anything?  No…. the 50 miles wasn’t just about finishing a long race; it was completing part of the journey.  The journey continues….

Go get it!