Psycho Wyco Run-Toto-Run 50K

Had a super fun time this weekend in Kansas City doing the Psycho Wyco 50K Trail Race.  I'm right in the middle of doing some sweet testing for the new Nathan Vapor Wrap 2 Liter Hydration Vest so race strategy was a bit different from going as fast and light as possible.  Instead I packed up the vest and carried everything I needed on my own.  Not that the pack's heavy at all and it fits incredibly like a second skin compared to any other pack I've ever used.  With great weather and a killer off-road course I made the most of a muddy day and ended up hanging in for not only the win but a new course record and the first sub 4 hour finish. 

With a few of us packed up in the front for the first lap and the cooler temps keeping the ground a bit firmer momentarily, we rolled through the lap one on fire.  Trying to take care as to still have a chance at the sub 4 mark, I tried to keep the pedal down a bit for the 2nd loop without over doing it and came through just 3 min. slower than the first and still feeling alright.  I was starting to feel the legs more and knew it was going to be a challenge as I began round 3 and then into the mud I sunk.  Man.
I lost the back of my shoe 4x in the muck and had to be a little more ginger on the ups and downs to ensure a constant effort without blowing up or out of the race.  The course, the volunteers, the racers were all top notch and it made even the last lap enjoyable as I really had to create some positive inner-talk to keep up the effort enough to squeak under 4 hours.

I'd been looking for an all off-road course like this in the Midwest for quite a while.  Some are hilly but don't spend a ton of time in the woods and some are in the woods but aren't hilly, and some even in the woods and hilly but have a lot of double track.  This baby was all I'd hoped for.  Hilly, woods, trails, and challenging.  Definitely one to keep on the calendar for a great mid-winter race to keep away the winter blues!