The Vermont 50 was on my calendar for this weekend. Originally I signed up for the 50-mile race, then demoted myself to the 50K, and then had to make the decision that I'm just not ready for that either. If it were my goal race, I would done it for sure, and finished it. But I was worried I'd destroy myself in the effort, and I want to stay focused on training smart for December. So... there it is. Even after deciding a week ahead of time that I definitely wasn't going, I still found myself on Friday night thinking, 'Well, maybe if I just...'
In the meantime, I decided to run 30 miles over the course of the weekend, to make up for the 30 miles I would run in one day of the race.On Saturday, I power-hiked up one of Vermont's iconic mountains, Camel's Hump, and then ran down. There was snow (!) on one sheltered section of trail, but bright sun on the wind-blown summit.
On Sunday, I scored a late entry to the Leaf Peepers Half-Marathon in central Vermont. I've always wanted to run this race, and I heard the new route was really hilly, but I was eager to get in 20 miles, and doing 13 of that distance in a race seemed like a great strategy. My legs were tired from the hard miles the day before, but this was one of my best half-marathons! I genuinely hadn't realized how much stronger and faster I've grown from trail running until I tested myself in this road race. The first three miles were straight uphill, rumored to be a 17% grade (!), and then rolling hills from there out. I felt strong and happy, running on country roads on a gorgeous day with amazing views of fall colors. Around Mile 9, I picked up my pace, running my fastest miles late in the race and passing people! I never pass people! I got in my extra miles after the race, capping off a well-spent weekend. Maybe next year for the Vermont 50....
