The Bull Run 50 miler was something of an afterthought for me- I had intended to run Boston this year but when 20 extra spaces opened up in BRR a few weeks ago I jumped at the chance to defer my Boston entry and participate in the ultramarathon, figuring I could have my cake and eat it too. Several other Reston Runners ran the race: Russ Evans, Farouk Elkassed, Linda Poteate, Steve Mildenberger, and Keith Whited. All finished, and most finished hours before I did. Bill Van Antwerp worked a couple aid stations.

I had a lovely day yesterday, with perfect weather (crisp in the morning, sunny all day, cooler in the evening) and fun-loving runners and helpers all around. The thing about an ultra marathon is that the volunteers out there helping you are always in a fantastic mood and terrifically encouraging (to the point of believing their bold-faced lies of "you look great" and "you're doing SO well!"). The runners are generally pretty giddy too, in the beginning, and very friendly. As they become a bit more worn out runners have an even stronger bond, having shared (albeit self-inflicted) hardship and mud and deep water crossings together.

My own race was marked by a few hours of paired running, long stretches of solitude, and a distinct focus on sticking to my own pace. The course was sloppy and hilly for the first few hours, and included 4 knee-deep water crossings ("shoe cleanings" they were called). The terrain became less slick but was still quite hilly after the first 15 miles. This was my first time on trails since JFK when I sprained my ankle so I was decidedly cautious on the downhills.

As an out-and-back course in two directions we were treated to seeing the whole field of runners twice- after one hour the front runners were about 5 miles ahead of me and when I hit the 22 mile mark I got to see the first runner heading into the 40 mile aid station running flat-out down the hill. All those rocks and roots and wet leaves that made the trail seem a bit treacherous went apparently unnoticed by those taking the down hills at a sub-7minute mile. All runners nodded greeting as they passed each other and said "Good job!"

Most of my day was spent studying the ground, since I noticed that there were a lot of people around me toppling down when they tried to look up and observe the beauty of the river and parkland. One of those 7 minute milers stepped sideways on a wet rock in front of me and rolled Jackie Chan-like twice before popping up and continuing on his pace, as if this had been all part of the plan. Another slower runner toppled in front of me, landing, without the benefit of her hands which were tied up in the brush underneath her, flat on her face in the mud. Her partner, who was carrying wet-wipes, cleaned the grit off her teeth to reveal an undamaged and perfectly cheerful smile. Cautious and quite timid, I never fell, tripped, or twisted my ankle.

At my 14 minute mile pace I was able to "run within my means" the entire day, taking in the event much like a movie. The start was exciting with all those eager and nervous but friendly folks around. The middle got a little slow, but there was enough action to keep me interested. I got to watch those dehydrated runners wearing way too much and carrying more than they needed, the tiny little teeny boppers wearing almost nothing but looking quite perky, and of course those gazelle-like front runners passing me by.

The end of this movie got more exciting as I discovered I had more energy than I'm used to, and the climax was seeing Jim (my husband) rounding the bend at about mile 48 looking quite fresh and pleased to see me. I hadn't expected him to come to the finish, so seeing him on the course was like practically seeing the finish line, only better, because I got to run it in with him. Although I had secretly hoped to see my sons come to run with me as they had at JFK last fall, Jim says they refused to come saying that "doing so only encourages such behavior." I guess witnessing all that suffering was a little too graphic, even for teenage boys.

I don't always know exactly what motivates me to participate in these ultramarathons, but I do know that any day that I'm healthy enough to run for nearly 12 hours straight, and have hundreds of friendly, fit, and helpful people around me doing what they love and encouraging me as I do the same, is a good day. Yesterday was a good day.