I finished* the 50 mile trail run, called the “Rockin K” last Saturday on the trails near the Lake Kanopolis State Park in North-Central Kansas.
I finished the 50 mile course just a few minutes faster than my last 50, but this time without any injuries. I was startled at how good I felt at the end – which really means I didn’t work hard enough throughout the day. Maybe next time I can get under 12 hours with a lot of hard work?
The hardest part for me was a stretch between miles 32 and 37 where I wanted to give up. I was out there all alone (perhaps some runners a couple hours ahead of me?), had temporarily run out of water in the afternoon sun, and was doubting my ability or desire to finish this or any future run! Once I got to mile 37, something clicked in my mind (and legs) and I never looked back or doubted myself again. I trotted in to the finish a few minutes after the limit for an officially unofficial finish!?
The funnest new-to-me thing about this run was the stream crossings. There were several streams we had to cross at ankle to knee depth with one (that we crossed twice) and waist depth. I was worried about how the cold water would affect my legs beforehand but I really loved it! Besides being really fun and wild, the stream crossings numbed any leg muscle soreness and allowed you to keep going effortlessly.
This is way too much fun!
My first ‘last place’ finish! Results:
http://www.ksultrarunners.org/rkresults08.pdf
A little bit about the Kanopolis State Park:
http://www.kdwp.state.ks.us/news/state_parks/locations/kanopolis
A Great explanation of what the course is like:
http://www.ksultrarunners.org/rknotes.pdf
