CHUCKANUT 50KM

I have done this race two times before and although a lot of people slam it for its boring flat/gravel start/finish, I have a special spot for it.Wit that said, it is not a race I would do yearly like the Knee Knacker but it creeps onto my calendar every couple of years. My two previous times were 4:55 and 4:35. I significantly bettered my first year time simply by running all the hills, even chinscraper! Having done a 50km race the weekend before I knew my time would be slower but I was more concerned with how my body would feel.

Photo by: Glenn Tachiyama

 I started out fairly conservatively. Shauna and I were chatting away for about 15km before we parted ways. I managed to run most of the first climb but I could tell my legs were tired as they just felt fatigued. They felt great though on descents and flats! I felt like I crawled running up the logging road. I was happy once I got to the ridge and was able to pass a bunch of people on the technical section. I like this course because it's fast and your not out there for hours. At this point I knew there was just chinscraper to go and then it was all downhill and flat to the finish.

Chinscraper wasn't so bad but this year I just didn't have it in me to run the majority of it. I was stoked to be on the final descent but just like in years past the bathroom gods called and I had to answer. I am not sure what it is about this descent but I have had to go to the "little girls room" on this section every time in this race. The flat section was a challenge. I had essentially just emptied myself and took my last gel with 10km to do. It wasn't long before I needed another one but I had no fuel left. I just tried to focus on running strong and getting to the finish. The km markers seemed to tick away very slowly. Luckily this guy, Barry Young, came ripping passed me and I hung on for dear life. I ran with him for about 8 km and if it weren't for him I would not have pushed myself that hard, so thank you! I finished 10th or 11th female in 4:45. I was still really stoked on how my body felt and glad I was able to push myself in that last 10km. I still managed 1st in my age group! The female course record was broken by 8 minutes or so which is just insane! Kudos!

Photo by: Glenn Tachiyama

 My legs have felt pretty tired this week but I'll take it easy until the weekend. Looking forward to a weekend without any races planned. Next race is Diez Vista on April 6th.

Run Happy,

Nicola