So this weekend I went to Chicago for the Lakefront 50/50. I was to run the 50k race. The weather forecast called for rain and cold temperatures. well it did rain only it was the night before the race and it stopped about 3 hours before the start of the 50 mile race. When it was time for my race to start it was cold but dry. With about 80 runners already out on the course, the 50k and marathon runners started at 8:30 am. I ran very comfortably for the first lap which was just over 10 miles. It turned out I was running a pace that would give me 5 hours 30minutes for a finish I was thinking of 6:30, but I didn't feel like I was pushing.
The course runs along the southern part of the Lakefront trail, it is quite flat. The organizers had quite a few aid stations well spaced along the course, they had a good variety food and drinks, both sweet and salty.The race is 3 equal laps and by the half way point I was still running sub 6 hour pace, though now I was mixing in some walking. On my last lap there was a pretty strong head wind but I still felt good and realized that this would be at my back on the way home. Once I reached a point where I could see the 63rd street beach house and the finish line, I was feeling pretty good and then the adrenalin seemed to kick in. I ran quite steadily to the finish, crossing the line in a time of 6:11:34 which is about 21 minutes faster than the 50k race I ran in May. I am quite pleased with this and after finishing I quietly dedicated the race to Sri Chinmoy who is the one who inspired me to start running ultras.
Oh! I finished 116 out of 178 finishers in the 50k race.