I wanted another chance in 2012 to have a go at the 50km distance, and luckily I found an ideal race.  The Mendon Trail 50K is this weekend (Nov.3) near Rochester, New York.  It’s under 2 hours drive away, and sounds like a nice, relaxed (and low cost) race.

Since my first 50km about a month ago, I have squeezed in as much running as possible.  I am over 300km for the month which I’m sure is a new high for me.  Aside from a nagging knee issue (suspect IT complaining about being overused) things feel good.  I am hoping that with this training, and an improved pacing and nutrition plan (that I will stick to) I will have a better race.

I am not setting a goal time for this race.  In terms of improving I simply want this race to “feel” better than my first one.  I am not at all familiar with this course, and am expecting some wet, muddy, leafy conditions with lots of hills.  None of this is conducive to super fast running.  Instead I want to focus on pacing, and pushing through the low spots.  I still feel like I packed it in when the going got tough at Run for the Toad, so I want to be better mentally focused this time.  If that happens, I will feel like this was a success regardless of my finishing time.

Of course, I’ll keep lots of mental notes during the race and share my race report when I get back.  After that, it’s time to focus on how to prepare for a 50 miler over the winter.  Thanks for reading!