taylor made #WR50

all shoes go in, some don't come out.

at a respectable day spa, an hour-long mud bath costs, like, $95 bucks.

at the taylor mountain 50k, six hours in the mud is free, along with a creek crossing (3x, free) nearly 5,000 feet of climbing (free), and PBR at the aid stations (free*).

i ran the half marathon here in 2013, and remember thinking the course was fairly easy. clearly there were things about it i forgot.

i mean, i remembered the creek, but forgot about the significant climbing immediately afterward. i remembered the mud, but forgot about THE MUD.

the 50k course consists of two trips around the half-marathon course, plus once around the 5-milers' loop. thanks to mother nature and the good folks at evergreen trail runs, each loop felt continually changing and challenging. 

the most remarkable thing about this day, though, was how unremarkable it was.

to be clear, taylor mtn. 50k is a good, fun test; under any circumstances a worthy end in-and-of itself. but i didn't run it for that.

this 50k and my other recent long event (the teanaway marathon) were really build-up; training runs for #WR50 . 

even after training for #gw100k, i still haven't wrapped my head around such distances being stepping stones to something much longer.

if i intend to contemplate the limits currently whispered by the wackos in the back of my brain, i should probably get with the program.

(* gift with purchase, with entry-fee. restrictions apply. see store for details.)

***********

taylor mountain 50k

6:05:37

34/55 (overall)

3/5 (M 50-59)

shoes:

merrell all out peak

song stuck in my head the entire time: none ~ program overridden by lengthy conversation with remarkable local ultrarunner mike mahanay.