FAC 50k Preview

Its been awhile since my last post and a lot has happened since then including a phenomenally important training run for the FAC 50k, which is coming up this weekend.  The legs have felt good since that 29 mile outing on the MST a couple of weeks ago and I am ready to tackle this beast.  Here is a little background info on this run for those who follow me and aren't apart of WNC Trailrunner, which you should be by the way!

The FAC 50k is the half portion of the Pitchell 100k, a run that starts at midnight on top of Mt Pisgah to the top of Mt Mitchell 67 miles away on the Mountains to Sea Trail.  Here is what the info page says of the run: The Pitchell.....where to begin? This is one truly epic adventure! Hope you can be a part! Birthed by the mind of Mad A (Adam Hill) in 2004, this run has proven to be quite the challenge by the terrain layed forth in the mountains surrounding Asheville, NC, as well as the finicky weather in the month of October. Start at midnight on the summit of Mt. Pisgah and run, hike, and crawl 67 miles to the finish on the summit of Mt. Mitchell! Not ready for that much challenge? Join in for the FAC 50k...run from the Folk Art Center to the summit of Mitchell with a start time of 6 am. Almost all of the route follows the Mountains to Sea Trail and is pretty much all singletrack with the exception of about 3 miles of doubletrack! (More info here- see Section 7,8, & 9). 

The weather is looking to be great this weekend with temps between 40-65 all day.  As much as I wanted to run Pitchell this year, that last 29 mile training run revealed to me that I was not ready to tackle this beast.  Two and half hours into the run I was already feeling pretty fatigued and this was on a much easier run.  Visions of me stumbling down Shut-In and into my car at the Folk Art Center already were creeping into my head.  I finally made the final decision to switch to the junior varsity race and attempt to run the FKT for the FAC 50k.  This will still not be an easy feat as the record is 8:29 set by Andrew Moore who is a solid runner and seems to be right with me on all of the big runs we've done together.  All I can do is hope that my body responds well to the challenge and doesn't shut down on me.  Either way it will be a blast and at least I get to run through the beautiful fall foliage and summit one of the most iconic mountains in the East. 

Oh yea,  Matt Kirk has just thrown his hat in for the 50k and if he tries to "run" it then I can kiss the FKT goodbye.  Matt just earned the title of Kitsuma Krunk!  'Nuff said!