Pre-Firetrails 50 Thoughts (#4, so miles 150-200)

Lake Chabot, around mile 46 or 47

This is sort of weird.  Despite the minimal hassle-- no drop bags, real short drive --in a way I'm more nervous about my next race, Firetrails 50 tomorrow than I have for any of the 100-milers I've done this year.  A few factors:

• The 22.5 miles I ran on Tuesday was probably too much, though I tried to go easy, and I've done worse not tapering.
• I haven't run a 50-mile race since Quicksilver in May of last year.  In fact I haven't run a non-100 mile ultra since this April.
• I haven't run Firetrails in three years.

• 2008-- Ironman Sports Medicine Conference in Kona 
• 2009--had just run Hundred in the Hood, leaving my family for the weekend.  Still, I swung by Chabot and took photos of some of the 50 milers and marathoners close to the finish (click for link to Picasa album).  But I regretting not having registered and run myself.
• Thick field looking at the entrants list (almost 300 registered-- a record).  Not that I really care that much, but if I went from 3rd place overall (2007) to 13th or 30th place overall this year, well, that would make me look so over-the-hill.
• I think I might really be over-the-hill, so maybe just as well.  I'm a little nervous about how far over the hill I've descended.

Age-group-winner wine bottle awards, 2006 & 2007.  Highly unlikely to get another this year. 
For newer readers, blog report from 2007 detailing my close end-of-race duel with the 2nd place masters male.

Okay, I'm actually not trembling with fear.  Looking forward to a really beautiful day on the trails and hanging out with my ultra-peeps at the post-race picnic.

with co-RD and ultrarunning goddess Ann Trason at the finish three years ago