 |
| Most of us made the group picture! |
Race: River to Sea 12 hour Endurance Race
Date: July 29th, 2017
Finish Time: 12 hours
Distance: 41.44 miles
Overall Total Climb: 392 ft
Elevation gain: 0 ft
 |
| Start line with RD Dawn |
"Whether you’re looking to complete your first 50k or 50 mile distance or looking to set a pr, this is the race for you. At the River to Sea 6/12 Hour Race you will have a completely flat, shaded, non technical trail to put in your miles. We will offer a fully stocked aid station , manned with experienced volunteers, to keep you moving. River to Sea 6/12 Hour Race is put on by RD, Dawn Lisenby, who has 9 years experience conducting ultras, and 12 years coaching and running races. Our race is put on in an old school way where we care about our runners, as we want to make sure you not only have a smooth race but enjoyable time in the process."
 |
| Ready... Set... Go!! |
I ran 100 miles in January and took a few weeks (2 months) off to recover... March 11 I attempted a 50k and fractured my ankle about 13 miles in. Took another 8 weeks or so to heal from that, then my husband was out of town, and we went on vacation... next thing I knew it was July 29 and race day. My longest run in the last 6 months has been 13 miles... this was going to be a rough run! I just started my new training plan for my next 100 mile race and needed an 18 mile run this weekend. I decided I would shoot for 18-20 miles at this race, and just support all my friends who were there shooting for distance PR's. I knew I would get some extra miles in throughout the day just "supporting" friends but my real goal was just to hit my 18-20 miles.
Race day temperature was 99 degrees with real feel temps in the 105-110 range. In true Florida fashion we had "blue skies for days". Fortunately this course was 75% shaded which was a beautiful thing. We ran between the ocean and intracoastal which also provided a lot of nice breeze most of the day. We took off and I used my run/walk strategy from the get-go. Taking it easy I ran with people chatting about anything and everything. By 10 am (3 hours in) it was really getting HOT. Everyone was starting to suffer and there was a lot of misery on the course over the next few hours. I stayed positive and encouraged everyone as much as I could. Did great at staying on top of my fuel and hydration (which is ALWAYS a challenge for me). I ate almost as many calories during this race as I did over the course of my entire 100 miles 😆 Geez! I learned so much from that race!
 |
| Beautiful shaded trail |
 |
| Omg it is SO hot and miserable |
 |
Our amazing little tent area
and some of our support crew |
Around 2pm dark clouds rolled in, wind started blowing like crazy and the thunder came. Best part was the temp dropped a good 10 degrees during the storm. Instantly there was a heavy downpour of RAIN! So much rain! The whole course was 1-2 inches under water almost immediately. I kid you not when I say this was the most fun we had ALL DAY. Our miserable hot run turned into a mud run and we played in the rain for a good 45 minutes or so. Then it cleared up, and got so hot and even more humid... Just like that we had blue skies and misery again. Surprisingly, being soaking wet all day from sweat, and then absolutely drenched from the rain I didn't get a single blister (thank you to Altra running shoes, Injinji Toe socks and my Wiivv insoles)! I managed to conquer 41.44 miles in 11 hours 13 minutes. Yes, I stopped early and had a beer while cheering in my fellow runners. 41 miles far exceeded any kind of goals I had, I am so surprised by what my body is capable of. Thank God for muscle memory!! If I had any doubts before, I am sold on it now!
 |
| The starting of the flooded trail |
 |
| So. Much. Rain! |
 |
| Jason and I in the DOWNPOUR of rain |
I am grateful for this race. Over the course of the day, I watched 1 friend become an ultra runner at the 6 hour race, which was amazing. Another friend conquered the 6 hour race running way more miles than expected and taking overall first place, she even beat all the boys! 5 other friends either PR'd on distance, or met their crazy goals for the day... overall it was such an amazing day to be apart of. This race is WELL ORGANIZED, has an amazing RD who truly loves ultra running and the community involved, shaded flat trail, incredible aid stations with everything you could ever want and a crew of volunteers that are eager to help you with anything they can. Running in Florida in July sucks, but if you are going to do it I HIGHLY recommend this race, even if you haven't been training! Just being apart of this event was awesome.
 |
DONE!
41.44 miles and still SMILING |
 |
These two were so much fun on course, so
grateful I got to run for 12 hours with them! |
 |
This girl powered through and
achieved over 50 miles hitting
her goals she had set! |
 |
| I want ALL THE FOOD |
 |
| Me and my baby running "melt my heart" |
My husband brought my kids down for a couple hours, and it was really neat to see them there each time I passed by. My son even came out and ran a mile with me which was so awesome. Having my family be there supporting me means so much. My kids seeing their momma pushing through the discomfort of ultra running, and enduring the heat. It was so awesome having them there.
Quick shout outs because it is now the day after the race and my body still feels good, no foot pain or crazy leg fatigue. I honestly cannot say enough good things about these new Wiivv insoles I've been using, I am beyond surprised about my lack of foot pain and leg pain running so many miles with so little training or preparation. I also believe my Injinji socks and Altra shoes helped prevent blisters.
 |
My Wiivvs and Altras<3 nbsp="" td="">
|
