Transcendence 12-hr Endurance Run

I was signed up for the Transcendence 12-hr Endurance Run (Olympia, WA) well before I tore a calf muscle in Scotland.  I'd never done a 12-hr event before, and I was really looking forward to seeing what kind of miles I could put up on such a flat and fast course.  But after the injury and time off, I wasn't even sure if I should toe the starting line for any miles.  I still planned to make the trip with Annie because she was participating in it as her first attempt at an ultra. 

I'd only been running again for a couple weeks, but my calf has been feeling pretty good.  I ultimately decided that since I was making the trip to Olympia anyway I'd just use the race to run easy for a few hours to see how the calf was endurance-wise. 

The course is a 1.5 mile loop around Capitol Lake with a mix of dirt, concrete, and some surprisingly scenic urbanscapes.  This was a puppy-friendly run too, so that made me quite happy.  My race was uneventful. I thought I'd run 20 miles or so and see how the calf felt. I walked with Annie for a couple minutes every time I ran by her. Everything felt pretty good at mile 20, so I decided to get in at least a marathon. After I hit a marathon a little after 4 hours, it crossed my mind that I could probably get to 50 miles, but that was short-lived as there was really no reason for me to push my calf too much this soon. I hooked up with Annie around then and decided that I'd walk with her for a few laps and then call it a day when I reached the 50k mark.  After 50k, I stopped and spent the next 6+ hrs crewing for Annie and cheering her on as she plugged away against the clock.  She blew away her goal by completing just over 38 miles for the day (insert smiley face).

I was impressed by race organization and the happy running vibes from the Guerilla Running team. I definitely recommend this event. If my schedule allows, I'd love to go back next year at give it a proper go.

Sunrise over Capitol Lake

Who's running happier?

So after an easy 32-mile outing I'm optimistic about my calf. I've been back on my trails the last couple weeks, and though my fitness feels like it's at beginning-of-the-trail-season levels I'm certainly happy to be running again. 

Keep running!

Scott