Chucked a Nut

Maybe Max King can do it, maybe Ellie Greenwood can. I definitely can't race two 50k races on consecutive weekends. The Chuckanut 50k in Bellingham, 260 miles north of Portland is a tough 50k! 2000m of climbing, truly shitty weather that tested the enthusiasm of the amazing supporters and aid station volunteers, and a couple of killer hills bottomed me out, big time.

The usual insane early pace for a 50k trail race (sub 4 minute kms) was ok last week. This week it was too much. Then hills, and technical single track. Not my forte. The hills, one 3 mile slog then the famous 'chinscapper' a 250m scrabble into cold, foggy, freezing wind and rain. My Garmin scrambled, like my brain and took me out to sea and added 10k. It felt like 60k and swimming was right for the level of rain we had!

After 10k the writing was on the wall with runner after runner passing me, including at least the top 10 women. Both course records went, mens 3,42 and women's 4,01 which are just awesome. Despite 10k of gravel at start and finish, to throw 2000m of climbing in the middle 30k, with plenty of mud, makes those times pretty awesome.

So my first bad run for a long, long time, since Peninsula 2012, which is why running is the true test of body and mind. There's no drafting, no faking, no bullshit. You can suffer downhill just as much as uphill, there's no opportunity to cruise when you've hit the wall, you just have to try not to walk the easy parts or it's a long way home. That's why I love it :)

Thanks to Krissy Moehl and her team for an awesome race in crappy conditions, with a no cup, no litter approach (great little water holder they provided). Tough, but great!

So onwards, with some shorter races and hilly trail runs before African X with Coach Dion. Happy St Patricks Day. I think I'll go and watch some runners this morning!