Chatooga 50K

My last long race ahead of Tahoe was the Chatooga 50k -- what a great, fun race. Difficult climbs, typical late June weather in the South, hot and humid, very enjoyable. Getting a finish added to the enjoyment.

I used the race as a dress rehearsal for TRT. Clothing, hydration, electrolytes, everything (except sunglasses, 'cos I lost mine); and that ended up well too. The only question I still have is what hat to wear, and if that is the only question I have then the dress rehearsal has to be considered a success.

Remember Enoreee 40 miler

Below is how I felt after Chatooga 

Seeing friends always makes a race more pleasant, and making new ones makes things even more "pleasanter". So I got to run several miles with Rhonda, hang out with Charles and Psyche, and finally getting to formally meet Jason, and of course see Denise one of the best volunteers on the planet. And as always, get to see the wonderful Terri, the RD.

The trick to this race I think is managing the hydration on the return – there is a 9 mile stretch between aidstations. I ran out of water with 2 miles to go in the heat of the afternoon. The down side of a hydration pack is that you don't know how much you have left until it is gone (thinking to myself … would I be better off filling a bottle from my pack?). I did have iodine tablets with me in case of this eventuality, and took water out of the river – add a nuun, and it tasted just fine. The lesson here is that the iodine needs 30 minutes to work. But I was thirsty. I reckoned the river would be running fast enough to be safe. (It was).

Anyway, great day out in SC.