I ran 50 miles!!! First ultra race!

I'm still kinda 'wow' myself lol. Do you have any specific questions? I have roughly followed a training plan, meaning I have made sure I ran the mileage and the tempos, intervals, or hills plus back to back long runs, but I don't always take off the days the plan states, or those exact days. Sometimes I take a different day off, or I run anyway. Last year I really didn't follow any specific plan, I ran roughly 5-6 days a week and varied my runs based on where I ran and if I ran with other people or not. I used to run more on the treadmill and now I avoid the treadmill whenever possible, but running has become very social for me, so I really like meeting other people to run. I am excited yet disturbed about Boston - it seems that fewer people qualify for Boston again AT Boston because the course is hilly. I am shooting for the same time I ran St. George - 3:30, although my qualifying time only has to be 3:40. I'm going to train to run 3:25 but because the majority of Boston's course is not downhill, I'm not sure if that'll be feasible or not. I can cut 30+ seconds a mile on downhill vs uphill, so about a 7:11 vs an 8:20. I aim to run 7:57-8:02 avg, so banking a couple miles at 7:11 gives me a good cushion lol. My suggestion when looking for a first marathon - look for a scenic course and read other runners' reviews. You want something that is well organized and receives high marks from previous runners, preferably something that many runners repeat annually. That means it will be a good place for a first timer to run in terms of organization, support, volunteers, aid, etc, and having a scenic course is even better, it can distract you from being tired.

Hehehe.... I'm considering ordering a tshirt that says 'my sport is your sport's punishment' because people who play other sports generally don't really enjoy running lol. However, I have previously participated in many other sports and part of conditioning for other sports happens to be running. When my daughter did soccer, the coach would make the kids run a lap if they weren't listening or paying attention. She learned to at least APPEAR to be paying attention relatively quickly, but the coach's son ran an awful lot of laps, whining all the way lol!

hi mommyboo. well, i'm involved in other sports aside from running so running a full marathon is in the distant future for me. perhaps mid-2013 or at the latest, the last quarter of 2013. i do run 4-5 times a week. usually before or after my boxing session/basketball practice depending on the schedule of my boxing session/basketball practice. i incorporate running in my other sports as part of either my warm-up or cool-down period. i'm going to consider your advice about running scenic routes and joining marathons being held by reputable organizers. i've got a couple in mind but i'm in no rush. anyway, keep us updated about your boston marathon training and of course of your actual experience running the boston marathon. cheers and happy mylotting!!!

The funniest thing was only 2 years ago I told my friend 'never' when she told me I should consider running a marathon . It's easier to like something if you find out you're good at it!

I love you lol! I always know you are going to be one of my positive 'shiny happy friends' and that means a lot when you see so many people walking around with a rain cloud over their head! Now... if only I could find a way to get sponsored so I can get paid for running, what an awesome job that would be!

Thank you ! Honestly, most people probably don't want to try doing either, I'm not convinced that people can't, they just aren't interested. I expected running the marathon to be very mental - it wasn't so hard to cross that because I had the best pace team leader ever (Kudos Shannon!!) and because I had run a few 20 milers in training in prep. There's nothing scary about 6 more miles when you've already run 20. It's totally different with 50 if the farthest you've ever run prior is 26.2 lol.

Thank you! I enjoy my sport so it's not as tough as it would be if I didn't lol.

I'm in Cali but I travel for races . I've been to Utah three times this year - so running brought me there, in a few weeks I'm running in Vegas again. Next year I'll be heading to AZ, SoCal (local), Utah again, and WA state, as well as MA for the Boston one.

It was something I thought about doing, but not this soon. My friend I did it with... it was her fault. But I will definitely run another, I just think we need to be more careful with finding a course that has a little less elevation. The race directors were awesome and the support was phenomenal but the course was really tough for a first 50.

Thanks Hatley I see people post about cool things that happen to them, I mostly post questions but I was surprised not to even get any views on that one. A lot of people put that on their bucket list to accomplish and it takes them many tries, my goal of my first marathon was kind of like my goal for my first ultra - to finish it not feeling like crap lol. I had a lot of fun at the marathon, it wasn't EASY but I was trained and ready, so I DID enjoy most of it. As far as the ultra, it's very mental to run 50 miles. As long as you're physically trained and run a lot, unless you get dehydrated and run out of fuel, you can physically cover that distance, even if you have to walk a lot, it's mostly getting past the mental barrier of running for that long. I remember having a few moments at mile 35... but I figured, just get to 40, then it's only 10 miles to the finish. At 48 the gravel was really bugging me but after running that far, what's 2 more miles? I finished roughly in the time I was hoping to, so I'm very happy with my first experience. I'll do another, just not for awhile.

Thank you Courtknee ! Yep... a 50 miler is considered an ultra, actually anything longer than a marathon (26.2) is considered an ultra. I ran it in 10 hours, 49 minutes. I guess I am the opposite, I would dread riding a bike for 50 miles but the idea of running 50 miles didn't faze me much. I did have moments of 'what was I thinking?!' but I kind of go with the flow once I start. The thing is, I really enjoy running though. I got into it over 20 years ago, kind of on accident in high school, and I didn't even really like it that much back then, but I was good. Being good at a sport is a good enough reason to stay in it when you're a kid, so I did. I kind of fell off the wagon for some years inbetween but I started running again several years ago and now it's a big part of my life.

LOL! Well, I have nowhere near the amount of years of running under my belt that some people do, but I will use this chance to promote the fact that your body has muscle memory - whatever you used to do a lot for fun when you were a teen is MUCH easier to pick up and do again as an adult than if you were a lazy teen and did nothing. I ran cross country and track in high school... which was 2o years ago, but I did continue running pretty much non competitively off and on for the next few years. I belonged to a series of gyms (I moved a few times) inbetween, so even when I wasn't running, I was still dancing and doing step and kickboxing classes. I started running again frequently for two reasons - one, to get off the rest of the 10-12 lbs I hadn't lost after my daughter (she was two by then) and because I committed to doing a relay race with some friends. I'm a good team player, if I join something I make SURE that I will NOT be the one that screws the team or lets anybody down lol. When I paid my entry for the race, I got pretty serious about training because I didn't want to pay for something and then not be in condition to actually do it. Well... I lost the 12 lbs and worked up from running 3 days a week for about 20 min each time to running about 5 days a week, up to an hour at a time. I did the relay and thought it was fabulous, despite no sleep and being exhausted (you run three separate times over 2 days, your team runs a combined total of 200 miles) so I signed up to run another one a few months later. I have now run 5 of these and my last one for the year is in Vegas in 2 weeks It does take a lot of training I guess, but I'm one of those crappy 'internally motivated' people and I don't like how I feel when I don't go run. I also race approx once or twice a month, which always gives me an EXTERNAL reason and focus to continue training and not slack off. For people who need a constant goal, I tell them to sign up for a 5K or a mud run, or even a walk to raise money, or a kids run, something they could do with their family too, or a non competitive color run or night run with glow sticks or something. Many people find it easier to get off their bum and train if they have a reason coming ever closer to be prepared for.