Shooting From The Hip: Conquering My First 50K - The Pistol Ultra

I drank the ultra koolaid, and I LOVED it!

On Saturday (Jan. 3), I conquered my first 50K at the Pistol Ultra in Alcoa, Tenn. And to be quite honest, I'm struggling on writing this post as I can't seem to find all the words to describe what an amazing journey this was.

Words that come to mind when thinking about my experience include: fun, challenging, painful, exhilarating, amazing, mind-blowing, and a party.

Heading into this race, I truly did not know what to expect. I really did not have this race on my radar. Sure, I had thought about running it 3-4 months ago, but I let the idea slide as I focused on my marathon which was on Oct. 25. Then after my rough experience at the Spinx Carolina Marathon, I told myself I wanted to take a break from the long distances for a while. Nothing past 13.1 miles for at least the next six months is what I promised I hold myself to.

I even told my lovely bride that I wasn't going to run a marathon until at least late in 2015 or early 2016. (Technically, I didn't lie.)

But as I noted in a recent post, my friend Chris was trying to get his running mojo back and thought running the Pistol Ultra 50K would do the trick. Consequently, he asked me to join him in the fun.

The Blessing Of Getting PF - Did I Just Say That?

On Nov. 15, I signed up for my first ultra - a 50K on Jan. 3.

On Nov. 16, I experienced sharp pain going from my foot up through my ankle during my run, turning the planned- 8-, 9-miler into 4.5 miles.

Spent next 48 hours icing and resting my foot. Said foot felt better. Attempted a 7-mile run on a treadmill, which was going well until I hit the 1-hour mark. Pain returned, and my suspicions were confirmed.

I had plantar fasciitis. The dreaded PF.

Training for a 50K which was less than 7 weeks away instantly got interesting. And to be able to complete the 50K, I knew I was going to have to act fast and to replace running with some other cardio activities.