Bourbon Feet: Old goats 50miler "COUGH" COUGH" I mean 50km

A week ago I was sitting at my computer, much like I am now accept I was wasn't writing a race report I was searching for race to run. My body had kind of recovered from the Run4kids and I no longer had a cold.

Like the desire for a cold beer in Hell!

Optimism filled my frontal lobe

(just an excuse to draw a dumb picture.)

I was looking for somthing to do over the weekend besides sitting on my butt and watching College B-ball. That's when I made mistake I a had made before!

I asked my friends on Facebook

"Anyone know a race I can weasel into this weekend ?"

Last time I did this I ended up running 100 miles two days later.

Chimera 100 Miler

This time I got off easy.

(although my body was kind of hoping for 10km)

The Same Diabolical old fart of race director and all around good dude let me in.

He reminds me of Einstein, that is if Einstein liked kick ass beer.
(Einstein was also way too smart to be an Ultra Runner)

I hadn't ran the old goats 50 miler since 2009. At about mile 18 of the race (back when I still wore the cheapest trail shoes I could buy from Sports Authority) I hit an embedded rock and went flying off the trail. I ended up with a rib injury that I can still feel today if I twist to the right and breathe deep. I finished the race in 5th place and even won an award for first place kid.

(Kid = Baby goat)

Friday night, time to carbo load

This pic is from Mexico but I like it and I don't have any pics from the race so lets play the pretend game.

The race started with 5 miles of steep down hill running.

"Wait a second I'm running uphill in that pic?"

Hold on...."

That's better.

The downhill was great because it gave my aching achileas time to warm up. It was a ten mile loop back to the starting line and I felt goood.

The course is very rocky and I debated whether to wear my Luna Mono's or my Oso's. The Mono's are lighter and with more cushion and the Oso supply more grip. Lately I have been exclusively wearing my Spinach Mono's on trails and might never go back to the Oso. I slipped a little bit but I figured I had an advantage over all the other runners using Hoka's which had even less grip.

Perhaps somebody took this pic on the course somewhere at some time?

What I didn't know until I got to the starting line was that the course had to be drastically changed this year because the forest service was doing some construction up on Mount Santiago.

(I might just be making that up but I think it's true)

Because of this what was once the first 20 miles of the race became 2 identical loops that we would run from mile 10-30ish and then from 30 to 50ish with an option to drop at the 50km mark after one loop. (blah blah blah)

Back to the race

(now at mile 11)

Once again the loop started by running downhill this time for about 8 miles. About 2 miles out of the aid station somewhat near where I had busted my ribs years ago. It happened again!

DUN DUN DUN!

The toe on my left sandal caught an embedded rock as I was running pretty fast down hill. My ankle twisted, my body flew into the air as my handhelds exploded off my hands about 20 feet away.

I knew I was F*@ked! Nothing I could I do but try and brace myself for impact I thought as a flew like a drunk superman through the air.

Without time to react a miraculous thing happened? As my body went from horizontal to vertical my left arm bashed into some tree branches I got a hold. of some twigs and spun about 270 degrees because the hill was was slanted steeply downwards my legs had the room they needed for me to become horizontal again.

The next thing I knew I was standing on the side of the trail relatively unscathed.

I consider myself a pretty lucky dude but this was the best dumb luck I have had in a long time.

There is no way I should have recovered!

I stood there in total shock for about a minute. I thought my toe might have been bashed up but there wasn't even a drop of blood.

I had to climb down the side of the hill quite a ways to retrieve my bottle while another runner whom had witnessed the ordeal helped get my other one.

My adrenaline was really pumping and I took off down the trail. It wasn't until few miles later that I would feel the pain in my foot and wouldn't be until the next day that I would feel the pain in my wrist.

My whole left leg wasn't in good shape at the start of the race and by now it was really starting to crap out on me. I took this as an omen that I should drop down to the 50km.

The girls at the next aid station were beautiful and nice.

All the runners on the course were super friendly and supportive. with a mix of walking and running I meandered back to the starting line to finish my 50km (Boredom of blogging setting in ) When I dropped I was in about 10th place in the 50 miler and I finished 4th in the 50km behind 3 other people whom had dropped down to the 50km.