Day 4,493—a 50K and Pickingup a toy Cat my Daughter Designed—

 

Start time: 10:02 a.m.

Weather: Mid 80s-Low 90s wind 3-4  mi/h, Humidity 50s%-60s%

        Wow! This is my longest run this month and my first 50K in a while. I haven’t done a long run like this since the Vero Beach 100 that was about a month ago, but I don’t have that many weekends left until the Rabbit Run 100, so there is no choice but to get out there and put the time in. I didn’t realize how hot it ended up getting, but my phone said it felt like 100 when I finally made it back around 4 p.m. I did the first 21 miles running into the city, through Forest Park and back to the tiny Magic House space that’s off of Union. Yesterday my daughter had to wait forever to design something to be printed using the 3D printer there. They said it was going to take 4 hours to print, and so I decided to run up there today to get it.

        I knew that I wanted to run a lot, so I started stopping and drinking water early. I brought my collapsible cup, but I must have dropped it early on because when I first stopped to get some water it was gone. I brought some of my hydration stuff to use during this race because I didn’t want to take any chances with the stuff at convenience stores. I was enjoying running in Forest Park and debated doing laps there because they have plenty of water fountains. After picking up the cat, I wanted to go to the Visitor Center so I could get a Gatorade out of the vending machine and use the bottle to mix my hydration liquid with water. I am glad I did because it was so hot! I wanted to change clothes and take the cat back home, but I also didn’t want to get home too early and have a hard time going back out.

        I took the long way and ran through Maplewood and then Webster. I still had another 10 miles to do, but it was nice to be home for a moment. I did a few chores before leaving again and talked to my wife and kids, who had just gotten home from Halloween shopping. I was three hours in, but I knew I would have almost 2 more hours to go, and it was hard to stay motivated. I decided I would let myself run some of it at the track if it was open. I first did 5 miles, taking the long way around to get there, and saw these signs on my way. 

Someone was working on the track when I got there, but other people were walking and running, so I figured it was okay. I ran about 3-4 miles on the track and then finally was able to run home! I was happy I didn’t slow down a lot in the end and barely walked. It was overall a solid effort. I am sore and tired and a little sunburnt on my forehead, but besides that I feel okay. I don’t know what I will be able to get done tomorrow, but I will try for at least 20.