I went down to Warwick RI today for a 6 hour open-ended ultramarathon thing. This was my first timed event – as many laps of the city park as you want, as long as you finish the last before the clock hits 6:00:00. I wanted to get 12 laps for 32.4 miles, but eventually stopped at 11 (@ 2.7 miles each = 29.7 miles in total). Beautiful weather, mid-40s to 50s, mostly shaded, nice breeze. The first 16 miles were pretty solid then things started to fall apart a bit, I started walking parts of laps and ran-walked the rest. I finished at 5:11 and decided with the way my toenails and hot spots felt I didn’t need to push for a last lap. Still, good enough for 28th place for my 28th marathon, a nice bit of serendipity. Quite a contrast today, running alone (for the most part) through the woods compared to the solid masses of the field in New York City last weekend. Both, quite enjoyable, in their own way.
