Overall a good day for me. I started running in March of 2023, so I only had 3.5 months of training into this, but it was a blast! I brought 2.5L of water (should have been more), 2 LMNT electrolyte packs, and 2 Lara bars. I started at the trailhead in the Kalamazoo area right around 4:30am to get some cool morning time in and enjoy the quiet of running in the dark. I saw nothing but rabbits and deer for the first hour and a half because of this.
Everything was going pretty well up until the 25 mile mark. Prior to this run the furthest I had ever gone was 16.25 miles, so it was all new territory at this point! Around the 25 mile mark I ran out of water and my hips and knees got pretty tight so I had a few walking breaks to try to stretch them out a bit which resulted in some slower mile times towards the end. Thankfully the well pump on the trail at Kibbie still had its handle on, so I was able to get a bit of water for the last 4 miles.
Overall I only saw a handful of people on bikes throughout the day and a few people walking their dogs. It was a great experience being able to knock out my first 20+ miler, marathon, and ultramarathon all in the same run! Next time I'll bring more water since several of the well pump heads are removed for some reason. The day ended with just shy of 34 miles on the trail!
Comments
Awesome work! Congrats Kevin!