When we left off, I was almost 27 miles into AR50, had a new pair of shoes and socks on, and had just picked up my first pacer Jojo. We were heading off into the trails, which I was very much looking forward to after over 20 miles of pavement.
It was so nice to have a friend with me at this point. I had so much to say! Those quick stops where I got a minute to chat with my crew weren’t enough to tell the whole story with what was going on. I told Jojo about my day so far and she told me about how the crewing had been going. She also told me a lot of nice things about how I looked so strong and not like I had run over a marathon already which I appreciated. I felt really good at this point, but it was nice to hear that my outside reflected my inside.
We got on the wonderful trails and took turns leading on the single track portions. Sometimes it was nice to have her lead and to just follow along and sometimes it was nice to take the lead. It mixes up where your focus is when you are in front and back and it was nice to keep that changing. She was constantly checking in with me, taking pictures and just keeping me entertained. I was offering her some tidbits that I had learned that day already for her to take into her race first 50 miler the next week.
Around mile 30 I told her that I felt way better at this point than I had at Way Too Cool and I felt good at that race! I felt very in control, very happy and pretty energetic for already running for over 5 hours. Just after mile 31 we came into an aid station and my crew was there waiting for us yet again!
Real foods still weren’t doing the trick for me, but I continued to force eat Shot Bloks as often as I could and use the aid stations to eat a potato, organges, and drink a cup of soda. I was religiously taking salt caps every hour throughout the race and drinking water from my pack. It all seemed to be doing the trick and my stomach wasn’t hurting anymore.
Most importantly, I still had a huge smile plastered on my face and was having the time of my life.
Jojo and I continued on our way, back out on the trails. Little did I know that we were entering the section the locals like to call “the meat grinder” which I was told strategically after the race. There were some tough technical, rocky sections that had some big step ups and downs which did not feel that great when you already had over 30 miles on your legs. But it didn’t phase me, I was still feeling strong and enjoying the beautiful scenery. I was really glad that I had waited to see the course until race day.
As we passed mile 33, I said this is my longest run ever! And I was still so surprised with how well my legs were feeling. There were a couple more aid stations between 31 and 40 that crews weren’t allowed to go to, but I continued with what I had been doing at the previous ones. It seemed like every time I would start to get tired, an aid station would be around the corner which would give me a quick chance to rest and get some fuel in and I would immediately feel better.
As we approached mile 40, I just couldn’t believe I was already there! I only had a mile left with Jojo before I picked up Chris and headed out for the final part of my race. I couldn’t get over how strong I was feeling, how happy I was and fast the race was flying by. I told Jojo THIS feeling is exactly why her and I trained like we did even when I heard I didn’t need to be running so much. We put in a lot of miles, a lot of big back to back weekends, and I was at mile 40 feeling great. It was a pretty awesome feeling I must say. I told Jojo that even if I crashed and burned hard those last 10 miles, that I would be so proud of how great I felt and how I paced the race so far.
We made the entrance into Horseshoe Bar where I would see my crew for the last time before the finish, say bye to Jojo and pick up Chris. I fueled up again taking advantage of the great aid stations with some more soda and oranges, and off I went with Chris!
We started talking right away and I told him how good I was feeling. Along with the tips I mentioned in part 1 that Andee gave me, she also said if you feel good at mile 40 that is where you start pushing. I remember reading that and thinking that was the most ridiculous thing I had heard – feeling good at mile 40? Hah. Well there I was, feeling good at mile 40.
We were running right away and had some people following us too. I would run up all the little hills and was pushing myself a little harder here. Chris asked if I had seen the clock when I came in, knowing that my A goal was a sub 10. I said I had and that I knew it would be close, but I wasn’t worried about it. I just wanted to finish strong.
The trails were so beautiful out in this section and it was fun to be sharing these moments with Chris. He was impressed with how well I was running, I think he had expected much worse. Around mile 45 I started getting tired and had to take some breaks, but every time I would start running again.
(source)
The miles clicked by and I knew we were getting close to the massive climb to the finish line. Then we turned the corner and it pretty much smacks you in the face. I had to walk a lot of mile 47, it was so steep and my legs were just too tired to run up, plus I don’t think my “run” was any faster. It switches from gravel to pavement somewhere in the last 2 miles and Chris was trying to get me to run more. He would tell me to just run to the fence or run to that sign. So I listened and started running. I was just ready to be done!
I ran shuffled most of the last 2 miles following Chris along. At mile 49 he asked me if I wanted to turn around and run back to the start (insinuating a 100 mile race). I laughed. The closer we got, the more people were around cheering us on and the more I could taste the finish line. Pretty soon I could hear the announcer and I just kept on running.
There was a tiny steep little hill to get up onto the main part of the road and I charged up that thing, or at least I felt like it was a charge. I asked Chris “where is the finish line?!” and then saw I had to turn right, then right again and I would be in the finish shoot.
Chris split off as I made turned right the second time and I saw some SFM and Inside Trail friends. I was fighting back tears and couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.
I was the happiest runner in all the world at that moment.
(source for both)
As I continued running down the shoot I looked up and saw my friends screaming for me, I was so excited to see them and could not stop smiling.
I made the final baby turn and there it was, what I had been running for over 10 hours for. I had done it.
10 hours, 17 minutes and 9 seconds later, I had covered 50 miles.
I was handed my finisher’s jacket and Chris was right there when I looked up. The tears started running and I was a very happy girl.
We hung out in the finisher’s village, meeting up with friends, telling stories from the day and just enjoying it all as I sat there beaming. I couldn’t believe it was over and that it had gone so well. Sure I could have done without my stomach being mad, but really, it couldn’t have been a more perfect day. I couldn’t have asked for a better first 50 miler.
I have always heard and even said the phrase “the race is just the victory lap from all the training” and this time I truly, 100% believe that.
My crew and pacers were incredible and this day wouldn’t have been half as amazing without them. They are the best.
On our way home, I got on twitter, email and facebook and I was blown away by all the support I had been getting all day. I don’t have enough thank you’s, but thank you. Thank you for reading, your cheering for me, for supporting me and inspiring me every single day.
When I started this journey to my first 50 miler, I really had no idea what it was going to mean, how I would feel or what I would think of it all. What I know now is this was by far the best thing I have done yet and I feel like I can accomplish anything.
Wow, sounds like SUCH an amazing day! How has recovery been? Is there anything special you did to minimize stiffness/soreness?
reading this totally makes me want to run a 50miler. my husband thinks i’m crazy! right now w/ grad school i just don’t have time to commit to that much training, but maybe sometime in the future. your positive attitude is contagious! congrats- you deserve it!
Perfect. I’m teary….
Absolutely amazing!!! Thank you for sharing your journey with all of us!!! Regards from the UK!!
What an accomplishment, Aron. Proud of you – you are an inspiration to many, especially this newbie….Keep running and keep telling us all about it.
Great job – can’t wait to hear what is next for you!
Wow! That’s incredible! Great job, and great job to a great team!
You are amazing! This totally made me tear up. Sounds like a completely phenomenal experience!
Thank you for sharing the details of your day!
Congrats on such a great run. You are proof that hard work pays off! I hope to have even half of your joy at my first 50k in 12 days!
Kudos to your support team as well!
So freaking proud of you, Aron. I shed a few tears while reading. It’s hard not to when I know how you were feeling. You are truly an inspiration to me. Thank you for reminding me how bad ass we woman can really be.
oh my gosh Aron this made me cry! I’m so happy for you!
Your positive attitude is really inspiring. I hope to smile more at all of my races from now on. Congrats!
You have just inspired me to do an ultra. I’ve got 4 marathons this year, but in 2013, bring on an ultra. Great job!
So proud of you Aron! You are so so so inspiring! I’ve LOVED following your training for this. Can’t wait to hear what’s in store for you next – definitely bask in this AMAZING accomplishment for a few weeks!
Loved reading that! I hope you’re recovering well! Have you thought about what your next ultra will be??
Congratulations-Your are a-maz-ing! Hope you had a relaxing day after!
You are amazing! I loved reading both parts of this race recap… what an incredible accomplishment!! You inspire so many people (especially me!!) and I can’t wait to see what’s next for you!
xo Marie
Chocolate & Wine
Congratulations! You are such an inspiration. Thank you so much for sharing with us all:-)
Inspiring. Congrats!
congratulations!!! you are amazing and so dang inspiring!
Such a lovely, heartwarming, inspiring report of your journey and race. It amazes me what our bodies can do. Congratulations!
Inspiring! Awesome!
Way to go! I got teary eyed reading your race recap. Congratulations!
Seriously teary eyed reading this. I’m so happy for you. You worked so hard. I’m so glad it went so well! Congratulations, and thanks for inspiring us!
Awesome report on an awesome race!! I can’t believe how cute and fresh you look in all those pictures. Congratulations!!
I hope I can have half as good a race next weekend as I tackle my first 50K. Thanks for inspiring me in so many ways.
Yay congrats girl! This was such a great recap and it sounded like the perfect experience (minus the stomach problems at the beginning). Congrats again! So proud!
Congrats!!! You look so good in all your pics even after 10 plus hours of running. I have just found so much inspiration in following your training. All your hard work and dedication has been so inspiring.
You are amazing! It was so exciting reading your journey from the very beginning of your training all the way to the AR50 finish line. So inspirational. Thanks for writing!
A most beautiful story
I am so thrilled it was perfect. You did the work…your prep was impeccable 
Congrats, Aron!
Aron, this was such an amazing race report. You had me so excited; you truly look like the happiest runner I’ve ever seen! Congratulations on an amazing race and an amazing training plan.
Amazing race report for what sounds like an absolutely amazing race. You make it look easy! Congratulations and thanks for sharing it with all of us.
Aww, I’m tearing up over here reading this! HUGE congrats to you! What an accomplishment!
Congratulations, Aron!
So awesome!! Sounds like you did everything right! Congrats!! Great jacket!
Congratulations on your amazing accomplishment! Loved reading the entire recap and the pictures of you at the end say it all and how wonderful you felt getting to that finish line. Also, that climb at the end just looks cruel!
congrats aron! i was following all of the updates and was so excited for you! you kicked a$$!
Best race report EVER! You have so much to be proud of and to celebrate, I hope you are still beaming ear to ear! I have loved following along on your training and seeing all of this come together for you. Truly amazing!
Congratulations! You should be proud of such a great accomplishment. Don’t rule out a 100 miler now. They are out there and tons of fun.
Congratulations Aron! I’m so glad it went well for you. Now – when is the 100 miler?
(you know you’re thinking about it)
Amazing, wow, what a story!! I love how your low was in the beginning and how you didn’t let your tummy stuff get you down. Shows that we really can push through the physically, mental and emotional roller coasters.
Now I want to do one!!
Hope you have your feet up and are taking in the significance of this accomplishment!
Wow, can’t wait until the movie comes out! Congrats………
A huge congratulations! What a great post… loved it…and cried at the end! Tears of pure joy for your accomplishment! WAY TO GO!!!
I loved reading your race report. You are truely inspiring!
What an amazing experience! Congratulations!!
Aron, this is SO amazing! congratulations x 1000! I have to say, i’ve been reading your blog for about a year now, and it is one of the very few I still read consistently. I am always so inspired by your determination, hard work and honesty! Thank you thank you thank you for continuing to share your journeys with us!
Congrats on an awesome race!!! Way to fight the tummy troubles and stay positive. I bet you still have that runner’s high today
Congrats! What an amazing accomplishment. You are truly an inspiration.
Congratulations! I read the first post yesterday and have literally been waiting for you to do the second half. Thank you for sharing… really inspiring!
Congratulations on such an amazing race!! I’m just a little sad that the race is over because I really loved reading about it and your training! Hopefully it won’t be too long before your next challenge.
Congrats Aron, what a fantastic job!! Loved the report, all your smiling pictures, just awesome!! Thanks for taking us along on your journey!
Perfect way to start the morning being inspired by you! Way to go Aron!
So amazing, Aron. Your smile is priceless in every single one of these photos. Your diligent training totally paid off and it’s not at all surprising that you ran such a strong race. Way to overcome the stomach silliness and stick with it. I imagine the mental game of running 50 miles is right up there with the physical! I’m so happy for you, so proud of you, and so psyched that you refer to this as your “first 50-miler.” That obviously implies there will be more to follow!
Keep celebrating! So glad you shared this story with us all and we got to follow along. You’re my herooooooo.
Congratulations Aron!!!!! Amazing and inspiring!!!!
One question…how did your Garmin stay charged that long???
The whole time! I still had 2 bars left at the end
The 310 and 910 are made for ironman races – so they last a long time!
Congratulations on an amazing journey! My emotions almost got the best of me reading how you really embraced the ultra mentality. You set goals but didn’t allow goals to be the biggest factor in your experience.
And speaking of goals, a 10:17 for a first 50 is amazing! Although after following your training I am not surprised that you ran such a strong event. Congrats!
Enjoy that amazing feeling as you recover and look towards you next goal.
*smiles*
so proud of you aron!! you killed it and you definitely found your niche with running. can’t wait to see what you go for next.
Once again, an amazing accomplishment. You did so great and fell within your goal time.
Super job!
How long did you spend at the aid stations?
Not sure of the exact time… but a minute or so each, especially when I was refilling. The shoe change and bathroom breaks were the longest stops obviously
CONGRATULATIONS!!! You totally rocked that race! I can’t wait to read about your next adventure.
Btw, what top did you end up wearing? it looks very cute and comfortable.
I wore this Nike one: http://www.runningwarehouse.com/descpageWRA-NWMSL4.html
It’s actually the same one as the blue one I wore for WTC
figured it worked well there, it would work for AR!
I may be partially obsessed with your journey to this awesome finish, but that’s because I’m so, so proud of you! You are such an inspiration and deserve every success and moment on cloud 9. Congrats again! I heart you!
super awesome. congrats!
Congratulations!!!!!! I teared up reading your recaps! You did amazing!
Ahhhh!! I’m so so so proud of you and couldn’t imagine NOT being there. It was so fun for me to be by your side through a lot of your training, and then witness it all pay off. What a great day! Congratulations friend!! love you!! xoxo
You are amazing!!! Congrats!!
Great job. This has been super inspiring! Thank you so much for sharing.
Absolutely amazing! Great job!
i was smiling from ear to ear reading this – your place on cloud 9 is contagious!!! so awesome!
Congrats! I’ve loved following you on this journey. I can’t even imagine running 50 miles! You rocked!
I loved reading your race report (it definitely deserved two parts). I loved seeing the updates from the best crew ever. I loved seeing that finished, even though I had NO doubt that you would finish. I hope you’re wearing your jacket 24/7, and I can’t wait to give you an in-person congratulatory hug. Well done, Aron. Very well done.
So freaking proud of you girl! You trained so hard and it paid off, what a magical first 50 miler!!! I love being able to “feel” the smile that must have been on your race as you wrote it. I hope you are STILL floating on cloud 9 over there!!!
This totally made me cry. Congrats on such a great effort and your journey into ultras!
Nicely done!
This was one 2-part race report I didn’t mind. Glad your first 50 was such a great experience. Hope the recovery is going well.
I totally nearly cried reading this, I’m so so so happy for you and am do glad you had such a great race and DOMINATED those 50 miles! Seriously you are such an inspiration and I can’t wait to see what’s next for you!
I’ve been reading your blog for a long time. You are amazing! Congrats on your first 50 miler. I’m curious how your hydration pack was during the race. Did it work well for you? I’m considering purchasing the same pack for some upcoming ultras.
I’m literally outside walking my dog and reading this and tearing up! Truly inspirational. You made me feel like I was there with you
awesome awesome story aron & GREAT job!
I’m so glad your stomach settled down and thank God for all that marathon training so your body was accustomed to lots of gels and shot blocks! I love everything about this race report. Running 50 miles is an incredible feat and I’m so proud of you girl. Your dedication to see your goals through to the end is so inspiring! Congratulations Aron. Hopefully for your next big event I’ll be training too and I can feed of some of this awesome energy!
and ps. I can’t believe your garmin battery made it 10+ hours!
It still had 2 bars left too! I think the 310 (and also the 910) are made to last as much as 20 hours… since they are used for tris/ironman a lot.
AMAZING and so inspiring Aron!!!
you are a rock-star runner…congrats on a great race!
I’m sad I didn’t see you while I was out there cheering…hopefully I will see you at SLO!
I hope you are recovering well, and feeling great!
xoxo!
Awesome job Aron! I loved reading your race report! I teared up at the end when you talked about finishing and seeing Chris. I am so impressed by your accomplishment and your determination in training. Congrats on such a huge race!
Wow. Just wow. I’m so proud of you, and so thrilled to hear that you had such a rock star day. Congratulations. Soak it up.
simply amazing. so glad you had an awesome experience, you deserved it!!! rest well and enjoy your accomplishment can’t wait to see what’s next for you, you’re unstoppable!
Wow! Your smile at the end is AMAZING! WOW! So happy for you! Congrats!!
Simply amazing! So excited for you and so glad you had your awesome crew out there with you. Congratulations on your accomplishment!!!!!
Aron- I LOVED this recap. Both parts! 50 miles?!! I especially love that you got to do the last 10 with your husband. What an experience to share together. SO, SO happy for you! Sounds like you had a great support crew and you were very prepared. Great job! No rush but looking forward to hearing about what is next for you…
Excellent recap! It sounds like it went as well as it could. You must be so excited! Great job and enjoy your recovery
Congrats on the 50 miles! That is amazing!
Your recaps were great, sounds like you trained perfectly for it!
Great pics of the run!
And wow on the hill from mile 47 to 50! I would have walked that whole thing, lol
Great job!! Your recap was awesome and made me tear up! So glad your victory lap was so much fun!
Congratulations!!! Such an amazing accomplishment!!! its funny I totally dont like trails so ultras are a bit of a turnoff for me, but hearing about you working towards a new goal (past a marathon) reminds me of how exciting it was to train for my first marathon and made me think hm…. maybe I should do an ultra?? nah…
) I’d rather read about you and Jojo.
Great job out there! Love that you finished with a smile and loved the whole experience!!
I really enjoyed reading your recap of the AR50! What an accomplishment. I just finished my first 50k on Saturday. Your race-day attitude is absolutely inspiring!
In tears!! Seriously awesome awesome awesome!!
Yay Aron! Congrats on completing this race! What a testament to show that your training did pay off and was worth it. So glad you had a great experience and that you enjoyed the entire race from start to finish.
Congrats! I am a new reader so I don’t know you well (yet) but I was VERY impressed with your race! You did a great job and you are right that the most important thing is to have fun!
Great race report!
Incredible!!
Congrats!
i love that this was a combo of pavement and trail, I think that would make it much easier for me to complete as it makes some a little less technical…but who put that hill at the end?!
so glad that you enjoyed this entire experience and had such an awesome crew
Awesome work, Aron! Thanks for a great recap. It’s so inspiring to hear how much fun you were having the entire time.
So many congrats on this!! It’s been awesome following your training and how strong you stayed throughout it all. I love that you finished FIFTY MILES with such a smile on your face. I think you may have found your calling!
I just caught up on both parts of your recap and I have chills!! I loved every single word and felt like I was right there on that journey with you.
Aron – you are amazing!! You ran an incredibly smart race. I can’t get over how great you felt the entire way. And I love that you ran a challenging race with a smile on your face. Congratulations! Reading about your journey to this 50 miler has been so inspiring. So so happy for you!!!
Excellent. I was lucky enough to run the last 10 miles with a friends and remember that hill. Were the cross country kids running down the hill delivering and refilling water? That was pretty cool and an excellent way to train. Congrads times a million. it is an amazing accomplishment. So happy that you not only finished, but you BOOM BOOM POW’d that thing and had a blast doing it. Cheers.
Congrats! You look so strong in every photo! Thanks for sharing. I really enjoyed the two-part report.
I loved that last picture!
What an awesome accomplishment. So very happy for you, congratulations!!
Psst… Don’t forget to add your time to your list of PRs.
Congratulations!!! I am running the AR 50 in 2013. I am so excited and very nervous! I got the chills reading your blog! Thank you for posting your experiences!