*Standard disclaimer: I'm not an expert, or very fast.*
Go ahead and sign up. It's fun. I'd like to do it again, but haven't committed yet.
quote:
.where do I start?
How many marathons have you run?
Here's my opinion/experience, fwiw:
I never got around to putting together a training plan. I ran BCS in Dec, and then the Houston half in Jan. Those were my longest runs before RR. Everything I read re: ultras says you should do back-to-back long runs on the weekends. I guess you could do some 30+ mile training runs, but ain't nobody got time fo' dat.
50 miles is not necessarily 2X as hard as 26.2. They're different animals. Ultras are 50% physical, 50% mental, and 50% emotional. Assuming your goal is "to finish," then you'll be doing a fair amount of walking. Here are a few strategies I used:
*Don't look at it as 50 miles. Eat the elephant one bite at a time. I broke it down a number of ways:
--3 16.6 mile laps. If you've done marathons, 16 miles is just a normal training run.
--Then, during your 2nd lap you "complete a marathon," which you know you can do. At this point, I tried not to think that I was only 1/2 way through. Instead I thought, "ok, if I can do 26.2, it's not much further to get to my next milestone, 30 miles."
--Miles 30-40 was the toughest part. I just had to suck it up and keep moving. Keep drinking and eating, but don't linger too long at aid stations.
--At mile 40 or so, I could "see the finish line," so I felt a little mental boost. Adrenaline actually kicked in, and I just cruised the last few miles.
I love loop courses like RR. Mentally, it's easier for me to process. I'm not sure how I would handle a single loop 50 miler.
RR is very "user friendly." For the 50 at least, you don't have to worry much about food/drink. You're never more than 3-4 miles from the next aid station, and they were always well-stocked.
By MY standards (living and running 100% on FLAT paved surfaces), the course was a bit challenging. The hills weren't bad, but definitely noticeable for a Houstonian. The tree roots were the biggest obstacle, but for experienced trail runners, I'm sure they're no big deal.
Sorry to ramble.
tl;dr - It's a fun race. Ultras are run mostly in your head. Invest in a training plan from Aggie00.
[This message has been edited by DCC99 (edited 8/21/2013 9:51a).]
