Well this wasn't my best "time" for the JFK 50, but I think it may have been my best JFK performance. Confused? Let me see if I can clarify. This was my seventh consecutive JFK and I believe I'm still learning quite a bit every year. This year's primary lessons were;
1. Even if you aren't as well conditioned as previous years you can still have a good run if you stay relaxed and don't push the pace. The phrase I try to focus on is "stay as relaxed as possible, as long as possible"!
2. Once you hit the C&O towpath, sugar is your friend!
Getting the right mix of food and drink has always been a challenge for me at JFK. Going into this year's event I planned to eat less than previous years, thinking that my stomach issues in the past were often caused by eating too many solid foods along the way. With this thought in my mind I came off the AT having run a very relaxed pace and feeling just fine. I had skipped my usual bagel and or potatoes this year and didn't even do any Gu. I'd made it through the AT on water and Gatorade. I was standing at the aid station at Weaverton and decided to go ahead and try the chicken noodle soup that my wife and daughter offered. Yes, it tasted very good and I was enjoying the break sipping on that hot soup! Then Coach Al gave me the advice I would follow the rest of the day "Don't take any more complex / long-chain carbohydrates. Your body won't know what to do with it. Stick to simple sugars. Gatorade is really the perfect solution and all you need." Drinking nothing but Gatorade for another 6 plus hours, while perhaps the best thing to do, just didn't seem too appealing. So, I made it through the rest of the day by drinking two cups of Pepsi at every aid station and grabbing a handful of M&Ms. I filled my water bottle with Gatorade and tried to drink that between the aid stations.
All things considered this strategy worked out reasonably well for me this year. Sure, I got very tired, especially late on the C&O from miles 38 to 42 but the quick sugars kept me moving along. I had enough energy left to run the last 8 mile section (except for the two steepest hills) and fight off that strong mental urge to walk!
Probably the BEST aspect of this year's JFK for me was having an opportunity to run about 38 miles with one of our new / out of state Reston Runners (Dana Beyeler). Dana was new to the ultra marathon distance and wanted to tag along with some of us that have completed the distance. While certainly no expert, I had some "words of wisdom" and a run-walk strategy to share. The truth is Dana helped ME a great deal. He was great company along the way and someone to work with in keeping up some discipline in the run-walk (we did a 10 minute run, 1 minute walk) on the C&O. We got separated in the 38 special aid station since our crews (families) were in different areas and I'm glad he pressed on as he was running strong and pushed his way to the finish over 20 minutes before me. Great job Dana! I really enjoyed running with you and meeting your family.
Another great aspect of this year's JFK event was getting to spend some time with Mike Sullivan. Mike is our Reston Runner from Sterling, MA and was a first-timer last year. Great to have you back again, Mike! See you again next year.
We can't say enough "thanks" to the many great volunteers (crew, photographers, bike support, etc) that made this another great year for Reston Runners participating in JFK!