Bel Monte 50K in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia

The Bad To The Bone Bel Monte 50 K was one of the most difficult things I have ever done. http://www.charlottesvillemarathon.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=94&Itemid=234

The climbs were pretty tough, but not unexpected. The problem was the pointy sharp billions of rocks that made a good portion of the trail almost, and in some cases, completely unrunnable. Part of the tread of my new shoes was completely worn down after 32 miles on those rocks. That's a first. I was feeling pretty good most of the day and I really thought I would be in under 8 hours, which is good for me at this point in my training. Then I hit a major climb followed by “the rocks” which slowed me down considerably. It was very frustrating. I finished in just over 9 hours.

That said, it was a wonderful, almost perfect day to be in the mountains. The weather was perfect. There was a huge bright white moon that was hanging over us in the early miles. We started in the dark but we really didn't need our flash lights because of the bright moon. It was 32 degrees but didn't feel that cold. It finally got up to 52 in the afternoon. The views were incredible, when I got a chance to look up from the trail to gather in the glorious vistas. I loved every step, even the frustrating last few miles through the rock gauntlet.

Janie, Lisa and Megan were there to support and cheer me on. http://picasaweb.google.com/jane.quist/3222008BelMonte50K?authkey=pz8WUcJbCdYThey were awesome. I couldn’t have done it without them. Janie and Lisa even ran the last 2 miles with me. Scott sent me text messages throughout the race that helped motivate me. It was a great experience.

Next up is pacing my friend Cheryl at the Umstead 100 miler in North Carolina in two weeks. Then Scott and I will run the White River 50 miler in Washington State in July.