26 days before the 100km marathon challenge - 50km LSD

50km Course Overview

I did a 50km LSD run ahead of my 100km ultra marathon.

Humidity was around 80%, temperature 29°C, strong sunlight, and plenty of hills.

The 100km ultra marathon will be held on Saturday, September 27, at 5:00 PM.

Conditions on race day are expected to be better than now—lower temperature and humidity, running at night with no direct sunlight, and fewer severe hills.

Because of that, although this was “only” 50km, it was said to be comparable to a 70–80km effort.

The run started near Ssanggaeul on Anyang Stream.

After passing Hakui Stream and reaching Baegun Lake, it’s about 6.5km. Confidence was still overflowing.

After looping widely around Baegun Lake next to Lotte Outlet, the distance reached 10km. There were some hills already, my clothes were soaked with sweat, and I started thinking, “Can I really make it to 50km?”

Passing Anyang–Pangyo Road, I turned onto the hill section known as Dokkaebi Road and Haogae Pass.
The highest point of the pass is about 235 meters. After reaching the top (I had no thoughts at all—just wondering when it would end.)
A long downhill leads to Unjong-dong. That was 18km.
I felt like I must have passed 25km already, but when I checked my watch, “Only 18km… should I just take a bus?”

Climbing another hill, then turning toward Cheonggyesa Temple via Anyang–Pangyo Road, the road became gentler.
Reaching the Cheonggyesa parking lot, it was 31km. “My legs feel so heavy now…”

From Cheonggyesa, I headed back toward Baegun Lake. At around 35km, the distance felt painfully slow to increase.

After making one big loop around Baegun Lake and two more laps on the lakeside path, it was 43km. My feet dragged, my right calf felt like it might cramp, I sat down to hydrate, ran and walked alternately, and even glared at the road.

Now it was time to head home along Hakui Stream. So many runners passed me. I caught myself counting from 1 to 100 over and over. I told myself to stop, but soon I was counting to 100 again. The moment my smartwatch showed 50km, I stopped immediately.

Homework

I had been waiting because the club president offered to help with the Gwanaksan perimeter course, but plans changed.

Kkomino said he could run with me for four hours, but our schedules didn’t line up.

At last week’s Wednesday group run, after making a few excuses, both the advisor and Sky said:

“You have to go even if you’re alone. You need to run around 50km before a 100km race, or it’ll be really hard.”

“The Gwanaksan perimeter trail is confusing and probably full of bugs. I’ll just run the ‘Daerim Uncle Course’ instead.”

To my younger child, who recently started running:

“Dad’s going to run 50km tomorrow.”

“Why???”

“The ultra marathon is less than a month away.”

“You have to run 50km. Don’t give up.”

My second child often says he’s studying but ends up gaming. If I talked big and quit, someday he might say, “Dad, you don’t keep your promises either.”

That fear gave me one more reason why I had to finish the 50km.

On the morning of the run, it was pouring rain. “I can’t run in this rain,” I thought, secretly wanting to postpone it.

Just after 10 a.m., the rain stopped, and my wife even prepared a meal and told me to hurry out.

Next to the violently flowing, muddy Hakui Stream, I took my first step toward 50km.

Until Reaching Unjong-dong

When I reached Baegun Lake, the clouds were gone and the sun beat down on my face. The difference between shade and sunlight was extreme.

After looping the lake, my pants were soaked in sweat. For a moment, “Can I really do 50km like this?”

Waiting at a crosswalk, I thought: “Wouldn’t it be okay to just go home and try again on a better day?”

Climbing Anyang–Pangyo Road, I kept wanting to jump into the stream beside the road, made crystal clear by the heavy rain. After enduring the loud traffic, I finally entered the Unjong-dong pass.

“Oh, I’m already near the top.” The Sammaksa transmission tower course over 400 meters must have helped.

The downhill from the summit felt much longer than the climb. As soon as I reached Unjong-dong, I headed straight for a convenience store.

The two bottles of water I brought were long gone. I quickly drank one Powerade and one Milkis.

With anticipation, I checked my watch—only 18km.

Dragging my feet forward again, I re-entered the pass, my eyes constantly following buses.

Should I Go to Cheonggyesa… or Not?

Maybe it was the Milkis, maybe the Powerade, or maybe the short rest.

I only felt that exhausted when I saw buses. As I climbed the pass, my body felt lighter, and I reached the white bridge at the top surprisingly easily.

“Wait… this feels okay. Maybe I can actually finish 100km. Why does this uphill feel manageable?”

This is the moment you need to be careful in long-distance running.

Back on Anyang–Pangyo Road, the noise and direct sunlight made my legs heavy again.

“Should I just skip Cheonggyesa and head straight to Baegun Lake?”

The kilometers crawled by. If I skipped Cheonggyesa, I might not even reach 40km.

“Let’s go.” I wanted to tell the advisor that I completed the Daerim Uncle Course, and I knew my child would ask, “Did you run 50km?”

At the Cheonggyesa parking lot—31km? The number refused to climb.

Music had been off for a long time. My soaked clothes were slowly drying, and the two Powerades I picked up in Unjong-dong were almost gone.

All I could think about was cold cola.

“I’ll buy one when I reach Baegun Lake.”

That thought pulled me all the way there.

Sitting Down and Thinking for a Long Time

I bought a cola and sat right on the ground. Didn’t care who was watching, chair or no chair.

It must have been around 37km. Before heading home along Hakui Stream, I had to somehow reach at least 44km.

“One big loop around Baegun Lake, and maybe two laps on the trail…”

“I already finished the Daerim Uncle Course and climbed the hills—do I really need to hit 50km?”

“My child is definitely going to ask…”

I ran one big lap around the lake, sat down again, then said, “Okay, just one smaller lap.”

From that point on, it was run 1km, walk a bit, run again, sit at a convenience store with a drink, and finally finish the last lap. 43.7km.

On the Way Home

Heading home along Hakui Stream.

I started running at 10:40 a.m. It was already 5:30 p.m.

At the very end, I could see hope, but my legs were heavy, and my right calf occasionally felt like it might cramp.

I wanted to think about something else, but I kept counting from 1 to 100 in my head.

“I shouldn’t be counting. When it’s this hard, shouldn’t some calm, empty thought come to mind?”

But again, I was just counting numbers.

The moment my smartwatch showed 50km—STOP.

More than “I did it,”

I thought about how I had told everyone at the Wednesday group run,

how I had backed myself into a corner with my wife and my intimidating second child,

“I kept my promise.”

As soon as I got home, my wife asked.

And my child too: “You ran it? 50km??”

This wraps up my LSD training before the race. From now on, I plan to do a few more back-and-forth runs on the Sammaksa transmission tower course.