Red Eye 50k - DNF

Report:
I knew I wouldn't finish the full 50k today but I wanted to at least get out the door and get into the double digits. It was tough but I made it. Along the way I saw some old friends, some friendly runners, and learned some lessons.

Got up for the second day in a row mere seconds before my alarm went off. Guess my body is telling me it wants to get back to the routine. I showered and headed down the road to get some food and coffee. From there I shoved off and ended up making it to Prince William Forest Park (PWFP) about half an hour before I expected to. Which was fine as it gave me some time to go to the bathroom and tell Biddi that I was there early. We met up at the start line along with Nebs and waited for the announcements to finish.

We headed down the road and onto the trails and I was promptly lost. I recognized the start of the first leg and parts of the big loop but generally speaking, I was lost. Which leads me to the huge lesson I learned today. Take a fucking map. I can't believe I broke one of the cardinal rules of running (or just being outdoors in general). I paid for it since I had no idea where I was, where I was going, or how close I was to the finish. I knew going into the run that there was a short section to get things started then a big loop. The short section was a few miles and the big loop was about 10 miles. I planned for this with my fluids and generally speaking I knew I'd be okay on that front. But outside of that, there were a few sections where I had no idea what was coming. Towards the end, I began checking what maps I could see and trail markings I could find. It wasn't much but it helped. Oh, did I mention that I'm completely unfamiliar with PWFP? Yeah, there's that too.

Anyway, as I got back to the bouncy bridge, I knew I was close. This is where the loop started/ended but I still didn't know which way to go from here. The route markings were pretty sparse to begin with and I was okay with that but I was just looking for runners so I could either follow them or go where they were coming from.

Now, despite my stupidity, I was able to make it without getting lost. I never felt like I was in danger of getting lost or even needing to be rescued. There were plenty of people out, both runners and hikers, and I payed attention to where the roads were, cabins, etc. So even though I lost my brain and got lost in the woods, I was never really lost enough to be in danger. Guess the FSM was keeping an eye on me.

Anyway, as I was nearing the end, Nebs was heading out for another loop. I talked to Tab for a bit as I left (she was done too). Then it was back on the road to find some lunch and go home.

Weather:
Temps were about 35F to 40F. Sky was overcast. No rain but there were a few drops on the way there. No wind.

Fluids and Fuel:
Breakfast was an unhealthy breakfast burrito and an iced latte. During the run I had my hydration pack filled with plain water and a bottle of Hammer Fizz. Recovery was a lunch of black bean soup and steak salad with iced tea.

Aches and Pains:
Felt fine, but sluggish, until about Mile 10 or so when my right hamstring cramped a bit. Nothing too bad and was likely caused by a lack of hydration and electrolytes. My ankles feel tight now but again, nothing too bad.

Gear:
Wore shorts under pants and a thermal shirt under a short sleeve shirt. Wore a vest and gloves. Wore gaiters. Wore a winter hat then changed to a regular ball cap. Turns out the North Face ball cap is pretty damn warm. Ended up swapping back to my winter hat towards the end. Used my hydration pack and took my GoPro camera.

Codename - White Tail Trail
Thanks to the kind lady in front of me for stopping to use the bathroom. That's the most ass I've seen in 3 months.

Splits:
Splits are from RunKeeper and may not be accurate.
Mile 1 - 11:05
Mile 2 - 11:42
Mile 3 - 13:00
Mile 4 - 14:42
Mile 5 - 12:37
Mile 6 - 16:49
Mile 7 - 13:33
Mile 8 - 14:12
Mile 9 - 14:07
Mile 10 - 17:13
Mile 11 - 17:29
Mile 12 - 17:11
Finish - 3:02:17