Cumberland Valley 50K

It’s week 5 of the COVID-19 lock down so the Ironmaster’s 50K that was scheduled for this weekend was postponed until September. However, I really felt I needed to get a 50K in this month to gauge where I stand in my train-up to my two big races this year, the Silver Rush 50 and the Leadville 100.

I debated on course and tried to find someone who could join me for a few miles, but to no avail. So I ultimately decided to cross the valley on the Appalachian Trail from the Boiling Springs Tavern to the top Blue Mountain (Darlington Trail / Miller’s Gap Road) and back. This became doable when Jen agreed to crew for me.

The day started off perfect, in the upper 40’s and but humid which made it seem warmer than the temperature indicated. By the third mile I knew I had overdressed, so off came a layer that I would end up carrying for another 18 miles because I kept forgetting to take it out of my pack! I got to my first link-up 20 minutes earlier than expected, so we shifted to a 12 mile linkup point.

My climb to the top of the ridge went much faster than expected and I was really pleased to see how my legs felt. I was moving fast and didn’t want to lose time or momentum, so after bumming some water from some friendly trail runners I made the turn. I met Jen again at the outgoing 12 mile mark and took some time to eat and change socks and shorts.

The push back to Boiling Springs was tough but I felt surprisingly strong all the way home. While I certainly could have pushed harder, my 7:48:48 was by far my fastest 50K time. The course profile very closely replicates the first 20 miles of the Leadville 100 course, so aside from being 10,000’ lower I feel good about where my training is to date.