JFK 50 Mile report: part 2

The gun went off and some clapping from the crowd accompanied hoots and hollers from us
runners. The adventure had finally begun!! We made a climb of nearly 3 miles on paved
road. To my left was a sea of orange and red leaved trees in the distance. I
felt a sense of peace and excitement; a welcome change from the previous days' anxiety. The
climb was steep with a majority of us walking most of the climb. Wow.
What a way to start a 50 miler. No joke of a climb. Finally, the
applachian trail. First time for me. Gorgeous, but very demanding of mental
energy. I kept my eyes on my feet most of the first 9.3 miles until the first
aid station. Rocky at some sections and then leaf covered and deceptively
tricky in other parts. I was quite glad at this point that it was not
raining!! With excitement, I finished the first section and met Trinity and BP and 9.3 mile mark.
They were my troppers all day. I grabbed a few bites of a clif bar, more water and headed off to
next section. Trinity came with me on this section and I was happy to
have her there and to share more of this experience with her!
9.3 to 15.5 miles were more of the same trail/terrain. Some parts not even runnable
due to the heavy rocky terrain, but I still tried to pass as many people
as possible. It was a tricky and wild descent
off the trail and down to the next aid station.
I was definitely ready to get off trail and onto towpath.
I made the mistake of not changing shoes at 15.5 mark. I didn't
realize we were gonna go right to the towpath. At aid station, I had Trinity
strecth my left hamstring as it felt sooo tight. I stayed at rest stop more
than I wanted. I ate a banana, fractional pbj and got more water. Grabbed small
handful of pretzels and headed on. Again, BP and Trinity were awesome as my crew/handlers.
I was stunned by the C & O Canal Towpath. All I could see straight ahead
was the flat path completely covered
with various colored leaves. On the left, was the Potamac River. There was such a peacefulness out there...
A beautiful quiet...