Lessons learned running 50 km

I ran fifty (50) kilometres all at once last weekend. It was the first time I've ever done that. Here are some of the things that I didn't know, didn't appreciate, or plain old didn't do while I was out on the fells in the Yorkshire Dales.

• You must replenish the salt you lose to sweat. I'm used to being able to power through it, ensuring that I'm drinking enough water to continue sweating. But after seven hours of sweating, that missing salt starts to take a toll.
• If more than say 20% of the run crosses open moorland, fellside, sheep trod, or grassy bank—wear fell shoes. The biggest lugs that you can find. You may be comfortable in cushy trail runners on the road sections, but that doesn't count for anything if you're slip-sliding your way down from the tops.
• Eat—more often than you think you need to. If you're used to eating once an hour on a regular marathon, then you will start to flag as soon as you cross kilometre 43. Eat every 45 minutes. Eat every half hour. If you can manage it, eat continuously.
• Drink—there is no point in showing up at an aid station with water left in your bottles.
• Don't underestimate the value of company. Having someone to follow through the bogs, to help pick lines, and to chat on about daft stuff helps the miles fly by.
• Don't check your watch too often. The numbers go up more slowly than you expect. Focus on the gap between you and the next checkpoint. Try to appreciate the countryside going by. If there's no countryside to watch going by, you've either picked the wrong race or drawn the short stick, weatherwise.
• Sometimes it will feel like you’re not going anywhere at all. Sometimes the hillside will seem to stretch on eternally with you eternally wrecked upon it. Try to remember that every step you take brings you closer to the finish.
• Speaking of which, don't underestimate the weather. Running into a headwind gets unbearably difficult after a surprisingly short time.
• It doesn't matter how fast you climb hills. You'll get there eventually.