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| Got my map. Got my race swag coffee mug. READY! |
The Pisgah Mountain Trail Race 23k this past September 18 was a joy to run. There is also a 50k option, so this is the closest ultramarathon to my home.
23k equals about 14 miles, which makes it a little over a half marathon distance. This was also a rugged trail race, so I was expecting to finish in around 3 hours--maybe more.
This was my third trail race for 2016 after the West River Trail Run and the Vegan Power 25k. I really adore trail racing by now! Every course is so different; every experience is so unique. And this was definitely my best trail race of the year. I felt good the whole time. When I dug deep there was always more energy and strength there to tap into. I never "hit the wall" or reached that point where I had to cajole and bully myself into continuing. I had a great race the whole way! And I finished in under 3 hours at 2:55, which made me really happy.
A few other notes:
Pisgah is a gorgeous state park about 15 minutes from my house and I had NEVER BEEN THERE BEFORE. I can hardly believe this fact. At 13,300 acres, it seems to be pretty large (for New England) and has plenty of fabulous trails. The race was a great introduction to the park.
The race was a nice loop with some great ascent & descent work. The 50k was an even wider swath of trails. A New Hampshire park in September is a sight to behold—the day was a little rainy but the foresty trails and ponds were quite gorgeous.
For the first time, I used only GU Roctane energy drink. I've been using this stuff for over a year now, but this was my first time to not try mixing in water or other nutrition like gels or bars or ramen. And this was the first race where I never crashed or felt tired... coincidence? My body just seems to love GU Roctane energy drink.
I'd love to do this race again. And I'd love to get more familiar with Pisgah State Park—it is a real local gem!
