Well, I knew somewhere along this journey of mine towards my first 100 mile trail run, I probably had to get in some type of ultra distance race. I just wasn't sure which one to choose. I know there are plenty of them out there, like 2 of the more popular ultras that were run earlier in the year, Way to Cool and American River. However, I just didn't get the chance to run them this year. So, I thought about, the only ultra-marathon that I have ever done, the Silver State 50/50. And I'm glad I did, because...
It became the best ultra that I have ever run. I knew before the run, I just wanted to break 11 hours, the qualifying standard to get into the Western States lottery. At last year's Silver State 50 miler, I managed to miss the 11 hour mark by just 11 minutes. Coming into this year's run, and having already a little over 3 months of "100 mile training" under my shoes, I definitely knew I could break 11, but in order to do that, I had to walk less, get in and out of the aid stations as quickly as possible and hydrate and fuel up more consistently. All those elements came together perfectly as I crossed the finish line in a PR of 10:20:06! At the end, I didn't even feel that sore, just more tired than anything. I felt so good during the course of the run.
Having set a PR on that run like that gave me such a confidence boost, that I even mentioned to someone that, breaking 24 hours at the TRT 100 could very well be a possibility. I know that's still a long shot, only 12 people did it last year, but after achieving a PR in a run like Silver State, I know I will have more confidence and mental toughness that I'll need in order to finish my 1st 100 mile trail run.
So, with that said, I hope to see some of you in the very early morning hours of Sunday, July 22nd at Spooner Lake.
