It was a good day for Inov-8 athletes at the Ice Age races in Wisconsin. Todd Braje blistered the Ice Age 50 miler in 6:20 taking 1st OA. Mark Lundblad was 3rd OA in 6:33. Michele Hartwig reached her goal of breaking 11 hours by running 10:58. Dwight Shuler ran a strong and tactical race and got 5th OA with a 4:14 clocking in the 50k distance. At the North Face 50 mile Challenge at Bear Mountain, NY Amy Lane (pictured) grabbed 2nd OA female in 10:28 and Ben Nephew was 4th OA male in 7:37. Serena Wilcox won the McNaughton Park 30 miler with a speedy time of 4:49. Chad Denning was 2nd OA at the Wapack 21 mile Trail Race. Aliza Lapierre at the Mother's Day 6 hour race got in an impressive 45+ miles in 5:53. Her race report is below.
Mother’s Day 6-Hour Race – A Different Mentality
On Sunday I entered a 6 Hour Mother’s Day Race. The course was a 5k loop that consisted of a variety of terrain. I saw this as a great opportunity for a supported training run. The prerace report was that the trails were fairly dry so I decided to try out my new f-lite 320 Pk’s. A four arrow shoe with a low key outsole that still provides underfoot protection seemed like a logical and ideal choice.
Before I knew it we were off and running. The first three hours ticked away without worry and I didn’t find myself looking at the race clock or my watch. My stride felt good and I was feeding off other people’s energy. At this point I had enough laps in to know what was around every corner and it was nice to know what parts of the course I could push slightly harder. Thirty three miles into the race I began to process the idea that my typical mindset of “the faster I run the sooner it is over” wasn’t going to work today. Today I had to pay attention to the clock which was difficult. With thirty nine miles behind me I told myself I would call it a day at forty two. With the mindset of one last time I hammered the loop, I had a renewed sense of energy with the thought that the end was near. As I finished the 5k loop and once again approached the clock I realized I still had a half an hour. Before my mind knew it my legs had taken me back on course again. I found myself now thinking “the faster I run the sooner it is over”. Again I pushed the 5k loop and found myself back at the start/finish line with the clock reading 5:53. This time I stopped dead at the line. The race personal informed me I had time to knock out another mile to add to my tally. I politely, but clearly declared no more. While driving home I felt disappointed that I didn’t finish the full time allotment. Perhaps I was mentally defeated by the 6 hour race.
As always Gil’s Athletic Club out of Massachusetts put on a great run. I learned that a timed race requires a much different approach then a set distance course and I commend those who can mentally handle it.
On Sunday I entered a 6 Hour Mother’s Day Race. The course was a 5k loop that consisted of a variety of terrain. I saw this as a great opportunity for a supported training run. The prerace report was that the trails were fairly dry so I decided to try out my new f-lite 320 Pk’s. A four arrow shoe with a low key outsole that still provides underfoot protection seemed like a logical and ideal choice.
Before I knew it we were off and running. The first three hours ticked away without worry and I didn’t find myself looking at the race clock or my watch. My stride felt good and I was feeding off other people’s energy. At this point I had enough laps in to know what was around every corner and it was nice to know what parts of the course I could push slightly harder. Thirty three miles into the race I began to process the idea that my typical mindset of “the faster I run the sooner it is over” wasn’t going to work today. Today I had to pay attention to the clock which was difficult. With thirty nine miles behind me I told myself I would call it a day at forty two. With the mindset of one last time I hammered the loop, I had a renewed sense of energy with the thought that the end was near. As I finished the 5k loop and once again approached the clock I realized I still had a half an hour. Before my mind knew it my legs had taken me back on course again. I found myself now thinking “the faster I run the sooner it is over”. Again I pushed the 5k loop and found myself back at the start/finish line with the clock reading 5:53. This time I stopped dead at the line. The race personal informed me I had time to knock out another mile to add to my tally. I politely, but clearly declared no more. While driving home I felt disappointed that I didn’t finish the full time allotment. Perhaps I was mentally defeated by the 6 hour race.
As always Gil’s Athletic Club out of Massachusetts put on a great run. I learned that a timed race requires a much different approach then a set distance course and I commend those who can mentally handle it.
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