College runner, now mom interested in a 50 miler this summer but low key terrified
So I’ve recently been interested in my first 50. But now I’m kind of terrified after reading some horror stories (seeing a colon cancer article related to ultras?) etc etc.
Back story - I ran in high school and college competitively for a total of 8 years. Got burnt out by it…but then gained autonomy over running and now love it again. Side note: having two children also unlocked this level of “wow women are badass! What else can my body do?!” mentality. I did my first marathon with four weeks of training (regularly ran but did four long runs leading up to the race) and ran 3:29 on an absurdly hot April day. (They even ran out of water on the course and I was drinking sweat from my sports bra 🙂). I loved the event but honestly feel like 5ks to marathons all have a “cold shoulder” competitive vibe these days that I’m not feeling. I had enough of that in college tbh. I want community (and feral hippie vibes) honestly bc that’s me anyways. It seems like that’s more of the ultra community vibe?
Since having my second kid and breastfeeding for years, being pregnant for what felt like years, I’m finally feeling like my body is mine again.
I’ve ran all while pregnant (2-3 miles daily) with some strength training and have continued that. Yesterday I ran ten to see how it felt and ran 8:52 pace. I’m sore but wanted to see how it felt. Mentally and cardiovascular felt great.
I’d like to not “overdo” my training while also getting in a 20 and maybe (?) a 30 miler before the race in the end of July. I’ve overtrained before and don’t want to do that again. My body has done well with less mileage in the past.
My biggest concerns are:
- can I complete 50 with that ^ training?
- how the hell do I know how to eat? I’m seeing tailwind, canned potatoes, hydration but not too much…and it’s all intimidating me
- how to figure out your individual “pace”?
- do I need a support crew or are the aid station people enough for a 50?
- how long should you stay at each aid station without getting sucked in lol?
- camelback vs water vest?
- would new balance Fresh Foam X Hierro v9 shoes be okay? It’s a mixture of road, limestone with some trails. Do people switch shoes or is that just for longer?