2018 Hachie 50 Mile Race Recap

Not sure what loop I am starting here, but this smile was on for the entire 50 miles.

If you would have said before going into this race that I was going to come out as the 1st overall finisher, I may have laughed in your face. I'm not saying I wasn't prepared. If you have followed along with me on social media, then you know that I put in the work. I was ready to have a good race but being 1st overall was not on my mind that morning.

Side Note: Last year this race fell on my 34th birthday and I ran the 50k. This year it fell on May 5th, so the last day of my 34th year. It was the perfect way to close out a year and look forward to a new one.

Race Day 
The morning started super early but mostly the same as any other race. I was meeting my dear friend, Neil, at his house so we could ride down to Waxahachie together. We enjoyed good conversation and coffee on the way. It was the perfect way to really wake up before a race. Once we arrived, we headed to check in and began getting our stuff set up next to the personalized chairs that each 50 mile runner had set up by the start line as part of our "race swag". I will say it is awesome to see your name and have a chair already set up for you. 

Loop 1
At 5AM, the gun went off and away we went. It was still dark and so all I saw was the glowing head lamps in front of me. The temperature was perfect at about 68 degrees. I was feeling good; like really good. I settled into a pace and just decided to roll with it. I found myself alone the first loop. I knew there was a group in front of me but I was being patient. I had 5 loops to complete. Just before the turn around a group of men were on their way back and a few women. They were moving fast. I hit the turn around and was headed back toward the start/finish line. The thing I like about out and back loops is that you can see where everyone is behind you. I found myself smiling and giving encouragement to those I saw. With a mile left on the first loop I caught one of the women in front of me. But as I passed her, she quickly sped up and began almost sprinting toward the start/finish line. That's when I realized she was part of one of the 50 mile relay teams. I stayed on my pace and kept moving forward. When I came into the start/finish area, I dropped my trash, reloaded water and nutrition, grabbed a cold, roasted sweet potato and headed back out. Not realizing until much later that the announcer had said I was the overall leader at this point. Loop 1 done.

Loop 2 & 3 & 4
My nutrition and hydration remained on point. Prior to the start, I had set a reminder on my garmin for every 40 minutes for my eating intervals (In the past I always end up forgetting losing track of eating enough and then I would pay for it)and made sure I had enough in my bag for the whole day. I was determined not mess this part up. I had recently starting using Spring Energy and found that this was what was going to work best for me. For this race I was using "long haul", "hill aid", & "power rush" as well as cold, roasted sweet potatoes. These loops came and went without any hiccups. I was in the zone and feeling good. As I came in from the 3rd loop the announcer said that I had a 20+ minute lead on the second place runner and a 25+ minute lead after the 4th loop. What? I was still trying to process that I was the lead runner. 

Loop 5
I think the smile on my face continued to grow with each loop. I was feeling so good and moving smoothly. I quickly unloaded my trash and grabbed a few Spring packets and one last sweet potato. I could feel the temps beginning to rise at this point. It was time to switch into high gear and bring it in to the finish line. This loop seemed to go by fast. At one point I felt like walking the small hill in front of me and as I took a few steps, my calves began to lock up. Better to just keep running, I thought. I started back running & the cramping stopped. As I came into the second to last aid station, my friend Shaheen asked if I needed anything. "Nope, just finishing", I said. As I took off for the finish she yelled, "Get that sub-8!". I felt this amazing surge of energy go through me, I was going to get that sub-8 hour finish. I crossed the finish line in 7:52:06 and a 35 minute lead on the second place finisher.  This was an hour and 3 minute PR from my last 50 miler! The smile on my face below says it all. THIS WAS A GREAT DAY!!

The Hachie 50 is one of my favorite races. It is fast and flat, but all on pavement. As a trail runner, I put a lot of miles on the pavement in order to get my body and feet ready for this race. I am so grateful to God that I was ready for this race and the conditions that day were perfect. I want to give a special thank you to the race directors of the Hachie 50. They are amazing guys and put on such a great race and make sure to make each and every runner feel special. 

Thank you for taking the time to read my race recap!

Samantha, Blissfully Fit Mama

Is this not the coolest buckle?!