Forget the PR 50K virtual run - the struggle is real

By Orangy -

 Why do I feel like it has been forever since the last race and the last blog update? 

That could be because September was not very kind to me. The new online live teaching format because of COVID changes what I do in classes quite a bit (e.g., in-class exercise, discussion, presentations, etc). We also had to deal with wifi issues and spotty internet (both my & students'), low motivation, attendance, participation, etc. It was quite a headache. 

Back to racing and running stuff. In April, Forget the PR 50K was postponed to October but then later they decided to make it a virtual run (due to many reasons), which I totally understood. I then talked to C. and a couple of people. They said they were going to go down to Mohican and run the course (C. had the course map). Originally, we were going to go down on Oct 17 but then the University of Akron asked me if we could teach the cooking class on that Saturday because it's UA homecoming & family weekend. So, I asked C. if we could go down on the 10th instead. She said yes. 

The weather was perfect (60-70F). C. also had "aid stations" on different parts of the course so we always had water and snacks (what a perfect aid station captain!). It was a nice day to run in the woods with friends. 



As always, Mohican was beautiful, especially with the fall foliage. We ran into SO MANY people who were either camping for just visiting. Someone said it was the most people they saw since COVID. 




I was not really ready for a hard 50K like FTPR 50K. So, I struggled during the run because of many reasons (undertrained, stress, hormone, etc) but I got the miles in. Other people did the 25K (which was really 18 miles) but then C. and I kept going. I got dizzy and lightheaded during the run so I decided to do the flat trail back to the car for the last 6 miles. C. was totally a badass and she kept going on the course and finished the 50k. 

In summary, my heart and mind were not there. I was not ready for a hard 50K but it was a good day to stay away from the computer screen, work, and politics and just run in the woods, which was what I really needed. I am happy. 



Next month I have a real 50K race - Regal Beagle 50K. It will be my 4th year doing this race/distance. I hope that I have more time to train for that race. 

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