Distance: 100 miles (Four 25 mile loops, done "washing machine" style)
Start Time: 5 a.m.
Duration: 33 hours, 42 minutes
Weather: 35 at the start, up to 70 on Saturday, back down to about 40 Saturday night, then back up to 70 on Sunday ... clear and beautiful, full sunshine during the day and a nearly full moon all night
Nutrition: water, Accelerade, Accel Gel, Gu Chomps, Coke, avocado tortilla wraps, Ramen noodles, potato chips, fritos, Fig Newtons, Twizzlers, and more Thermolytes than I can count
I've been procrastinating writing this report, and I'm not sure why. Maybe because it was such a surreal experience that I'm not sure I can adequately convey it in writing. Or maybe because trying to encapsulate a nearly 34 hour race into a few paragraphs just seems too daunting. But it's been a week since the race, and if I'm going to memorialize the event, I'd better get to it.
I wasn't exactly excited going into the race. I was looking forward to it, but I also knew I was heading into uncharted territory, with no idea of what to expect once my body got beyond a certain point in the race. And I didn't want to get cocky or just assume that this was a done deal. I've seen too many ultrarunners who are far more experienced and better runners than I am have a bad day (or a bad attitude) and DNF. I knew I was pretty well trained, and I was hopeful that I would have the physical conditioning and mental toughness to finish. But still ... 100 miles is a LONG way, and prior to this I'd only finished one 100K. As I said ... uncharted territory.
I got down to Bandera early afternoon on Friday so that I'd have plenty of time to take my drop bags to the aid stations and then relax and get as much sleep as possible. People started wandering in over the next several hours, but instead of wanting to catch up and socialize with everyone, I found myself just wanting to hang on the sidelines and be by myself. I think I just needed to get some internal focus and peace with everything that was to come. So I set up my chair by my car and just read my book, and then got in my sleeping bag as soon as the sun went down. Turns out my car is pretty comfy for sleeping. I read for a bit, and then snuggled in and managed nearly 7 hours of sleep. I woke up just before my 4 a.m. alarm, got dressed inside my sleeping bag, and then headed into the Lodge for coffee and pre-race preparations. Pretty soon it was 5 a.m. and we were off!
I took it easy on the first section, just running comfortably and enjoying the darkness. I ended up in a long chain of people, which was fine with me. I was in no hurry at this point. I did notice that several people wanted to pass me though. Of course, they would get in front of me and then just stay there. I laughed to myself. See, I have a thing about "tailgating". I hate having someone run right behind me, and I like to leave a little space between me and anyone in front so that I can find my own line, keep my own stride, etc. So anytime someone was in front of me, I let them get a little gap and then I picked up my pace again. But I think people behind me thought I was going slower than everyone else. Fine by me ... better in front of me than nipping at my heels. There's lots and lots of race left ...
Things spread out once we got to Equestrian. I made a quick pit stop, and spotted Cris as I was getting ready to leave. I was happy to have some company, and we hadn't gotten to catch up in way too long, so we headed out and spent the next 15 or so miles together. The company was great, especially since by this point I realized that I wasn't feeling that great. I wasn't feeling awful, I just wasn't feeling great. Mostly just some aches and pains, especially in my arches and the inside of my ankles. This happened during GEER100K as well, and it didn't really affect my running, but it was something to watch. Also, my energy level wasn't especially high, and I had a pretty good idea of why (let's just call it female issues and leave it there). I was running fine, although the last 10 miles seemed to take forever. According to the race info, the section between Equestrian and Boyles was only 5 miles, and yet on each loop it felt like the longest, most endless part of the course. I picked up the pace going over Boyle's and Cairns, mostly because I was just impatient ... this was a recurring feeling during the race. As I came into the final stretch of the first loop, I saw Henry and told him that on a scale of 1-10, I was feeling about a 6 (maybe 5.5). That pretty much summed it up for most of the race. Not awful, but nowhere near as fantastic as I felt during GEER (pre-hypothermia). I came into the Lodge in just under 7 hours, right on schedule. I made a quick pit stop, and dug into my drop bag for anything I needed for Loop 2. I did notice that my aid station stops took me a lot longer than they have in previous races. I hate to waste time at aid stations, so this was a little bit frustrating ... except that I wasn't wasting time. I never dawdled ... I just methodically took care of business and got what I need for the next section. And this was just how long it took. Oh well, not much that can be done about it. Better to spend a few extra minutes than not have what I needed on the trail.
I spent Loop 2 almost entirely alone. I didn't really mind it for the most part. I was feeling a little bit behind where I wanted to be, and it was warming up outside, so I needed to focus and make sure I was moving as well I could without pushing too hard. I also pulled out my iPod on the last 15 miles of this loop, and it really motivated me to keep moving. I really enjoyed seeing all the other runners passing as they went by on the "washing machine" loops ... Melissa, Olga, Mark, Gordon, and lots of others. I knew some of these folks were hours and hours ahead of me, but I didn't mind. It would have been nice to have a great day where I felt terrific, but that wasn't the hand I got dealt today, and all I could do was keep going with what I had. Coming into Equestrian I got a big boost from seeing Leah, who was going to pace me on Loop 4. She got me an avocado wrap, got me refueled to head back out, and just lifted my spirits with her happiness and excitement ... I really needed it at that point, and it put a great spring in my step heading out.
Somewhere around Ice Cream Hill I caught up with Janice B., looking strong doing the 50 miler. I told her she was in the home stretch and kept moving (she really had about 12 miles to go and I wanted to kick myself later for saying that). As I got to the bottom of Ice Cream Hill, I realized that coming up was the rolling, winding section leading into Nachos that I enjoyed so much during Bandera 100K. I yelled out "I LOVE this part!!!" and took off running. This next section was some of the most fun I had all day. I passed a few runners on my way into Nachos ... a combination of my love for this section and my desire to get to the next aid station. After Nachos, I did hook up with a couple of the same guys I had just passed on the way to Equestrian, and that made for some nice company for a little while. Especially when another runner came toward us and said he had seen Longhorns on the trail up ahead. Of course, I immediately started having flashbacks to Rocky Hill Ranch, when I got chased by a couple of young bulls. I was pretty scared, and grateful that I wasn't running alone at that point ... but apparently the Longhorns moved along, because we never saw them.
Before long I was on the last section of the loop, heading toward Lucky Peak. Unlike a lot of people, I enjoy Lucky Peak. It's my own little goat climb, and in this direction it signaled the end of the loop. Right as I got to the start of the climb, my iPod changed songs to ... Running on Empty! Sweet! It carried me all the way to the top and part of the way down. By this point I was a little bit behind schedule. I had hoped to be done with this loop by 14 hours, but I was already past that. So I decided to try to get into the Lodge before I needed my headlamp. Thankfully, the climb up Lucky had given me a burst of energy, and I took off running. This was the best I felt the entire race! I just picked up the pace and ran and ran and ran (this section is longer than most people realize) and made it into the Lodge right at 7:30, without a light. For the first time all day, I sat down. Leah had Ramen noodles ready for me, I had some Coke, and I got myself together to head out into the dark with Paul, my dedicated pacer for Loop 3.
As soon as we headed out of the tent, I realized how much the temperature had already dropped. I had been so warm from running hard at the end of Loop 2, but now it was definitely cooler. And yet I still forgot to get my warm jacket when we went through Equestrian. By the time we got to Nachos, we were way behind the pace I wanted to be going. I just wasn't moving well, and I was having some serious GI issues ... this continued for the rest of the race. It was a pain, but what are you going to do? Other than stop a LOT. Which I did.
At Nachos, Paul offered me his windbreaker and I gratefully accepted. Almost immediately, I felt better! I wish I had realized that it was the cold that was sapping my energy so much. I didn't think it was that bad, until I got warm and instantly started moving faster. We made up a good bit of time on this next section, and this time when we got to Equestrian, I remembered my jacket. Unfortunately, this loop just continued to take forever. I kept moving, and I didn't feel awful, but I just struggled. And I was so frustrated on top of everything else ... I wanted to be moving faster, but I just couldn't. In the end, Loop 3 took almost 10 hours. What a slog. Thank goodness I had Paul with me, because I can't even imagine how bad it would have been alone. As it was I still got pretty cranky, but he was such a trooper and just stayed positive and kept me moving.
We finally made it back to the Lodge sometime after 4 a.m. (after the time change, so about 24 hours into the race). By this point, not only was my stomach a mess, but my feet weren't doing so well either. But I didn't want to spend a lot of time here ... I needed to get out on Loop 4. Leah was ready and waiting, so I ate some Ramen, got myself together, and we were off! As we went back over Cairns and Boyle's, the moon was low in the sky and in front of us and I kept thinking it was someone's headlamp coming toward us. I don't know how many times that happened, until finally the sun started to rise as we headed into Boyle's. Also at this point I really felt some weird sensations in my feet, like I had a blister between a couple of my toes and I definitely had a hot spot on one heel. I was thinking I'd try to wait until we got to Equestrian since I didn't want to spend much time at Boyles, but thankfully I reconsidered. I decide it was better to take care of whatever was going on sooner rather than later, and I probably saved myself much pain in the process. At Boyle's, while Leah took care of my refueling needs, I sat down, took of my shoes and socks, rinsed off my feet (which were looking pretty beat up), liberally applied Aquaphor to my hot spots, and put on clean socks. As I was going through my clothes, I also realized I had brought an extra tank top ... score! I had been wearing the same one for over 24 hours, and changing it felt like heaven! I left Boyle's feeling much refreshed and ready for the slog through the next 5 miles ... the endless section from Boyle's to Equestrian.
The funny thing is I don't even remember much of this section. Other than my feet felt much, much better and I was so grateful for that. The sun was up in the sky and the daylight gave me some renewed energy. I wasn't moving fast, but I felt strong and having Leah with me was just a joy. We rolled into Equestrian and refueled, and at this point I just knew that I was going to get it done. The next 15 miles were relatively easy trail ... I was even hoping to make up some time. I had gotten it in my head that I needed to be finished by 2 p.m. - a 34 hour finish - so that I could shower and get on the road in order to be home before dark. I had this paralyzing fear of driving home in the dark after running 100 miles. I had no idea how I'd feel when I was done, but I didn't have a chauffeur, so I had to get myself home ... I was determined to sleep in my own bed Sunday night. This may not have been the ideal motivator, but it worked to keep me pushing myself.
Up and over Ice Cream Hill ... I loved that every step I took on this loop was the last time I would cover this ground! And then we got back to the section I loved heading toward Nachos. I remembered that I had told Janice she was in the home stretch at this point ... with like 12 miles to go. It's a wonder she didn't smack me for being so obnoxious! I didn't have a whole lot of "run" left in me at this point, but I somehow picked up my power walk and turned it into something a little more rolling and run-like. I said to Leah, "I have no idea what this is." Leah responded, "It's the Mountain Troll Shuffle!" YES!!! I had forgotten all about Leah's Mountain Troll Shuffle! That cracked us up and once again I was moving forward with a little more spring in my step. We shuffled on into Nachos, and as I had at the last couple aid stations, I let Leah be my spokesperson. I wasn't in a bad mood at all, but I was digging down pretty deep to stay focused, so chit-chat wasn't really in my repertoire, and it made it so much easier to just rely on Leah and let her deal with everyone else. And she came through for me like a champ.
Leaving Nachos with less than 10 miles to go ... I was definitely getting more excited with every step. I was still mostly power walking, but I was moving with purpose ... as much as my poor, beaten feet would let me. I had changed socks again at Equestrian, but after that I was afraid to take my shoes off ... afraid I wouldn't be able to get them back on, afraid that if I saw how bad my feet looked it would affect my ability to keep going. So I just sucked up the pain and kept moving. We got back to Equestrian, and I knew that if I kept moving the way we were that I could get in under the 34 hour mark. The tents were gone ... thankfully there were some friendly faces.
One side note: I understand that volunteers have to tear down, but I think it's completely shitty to tear down aid stations when the last runners are still coming through. There were a bunch of people still behind me, and I think it can just be really demoralizing to see an aid station basically gone when you get there. It didn't really affect me at all on this day, but in other circumstances, it can be a real downer at a time when a runner needs all the encouragement he or she can get.
Anyway, in this case there were plenty of friendly faces. Mark got me some ice, Henry poured some water over my head ... so refreshing! I splashed some more water on my face, and as Leah and I set out for the final 5 miles, I felt still more renewed energy. I had this thing in the bag! We rolled along, and then we were at the final climb ... Lucky Peak again. I just did what I always do, tucked in and did my little goat climb. I wish I could say I let it go when I got to the top. I did let out my big whooping cheer that I always do, but then I had to pick my way down the hill. My poor feet just couldn't handle more than that, and my legs were so tired I couldn't trust them to hold me up. At the bottom I was able to pick up the power walk, and when we got a little closer to the finish, I moved into the Mountain Troll Shuffle, joking with Leah that this was my version of a sprint at this point.
Finally, the last turn came into view, and I shuffled my way across the finish line to my first 100 mile finish!!! I was immediately enveloped in cheers and hugs from all sorts of people ... Joe, Joyce, Henry, Diana, Gordon, many others ... and of course Leah. I stood there on the verge of tears, my feelings a combination of joy, relief, exhaustion, and disbelief. Even now, a week later, it's hard for me to believe I really did it ... I really ran 100 miles. On my first try. Intellectually, I know that I did ... I was there for the whole thing, every single step. And yet in some ways it feels like a dream, like it happened to someone else ...
Afterthoughts ...
- The thing that surprised me the most about this race was that no matter what happened, the thought of quitting never once entered my mind. I went into this just assuming that at some point I'd want to call it quits, and would have to make myself get past that and keep going ... but that point never came. I had ups and downs, but I never had to force myself to keep moving.
- It's funny to me that back in September at Great Eastern, I felt the best I ever have during a race, and yet I got hypothermia and couldn't finish. At Cactus Rose, I never really felt better than just "okay" the entire race, and yet I managed the entire 100 miles. Which brings me to my next point ...
- There's nothing wrong with packing the kitchen sink. At GEER, I had these minimal drop bags they had required, with no extra clothes, so when I got hypothermic I had no way to turn it around. At Cactus Rose, I had a change of everything at each aid station. So I was able to change my socks 3 times. I was able to switch out long sleeve shirts, gloves, jackets, tank tops, etc. Being able to get warm, get dry, and take care of my feet is probably a big part of why quitting never seemed like an option. I hate to think how I would have felt without all of that. And when I did forget to take care of myself (forgetting my jacket at mile 55), I paid for it with low energy.
- What's true for gear is also true for food ... bring a lot and bring variety. I broke a cardinal rule and tried something new on race day ... avocado tortilla wraps. Thank God I did! It ended up being the one thing I was always happy to eat and gave me much needed and yummy calories at some critical points in the race. The Gu Chomps I have loved so much all summer? By mile 65 or so, I couldn't stand 'em anymore. The Accel gels were fine, but I didn't bring enough to compensate for the hatred of the Gu Chomps and I ran out. The Ramen, Accelerade, and Coke were all great. The chips were good at some points and not others. My point? I packed a wide variety of food that was all easy to eat, and it was all needed. I even ended up bumming some Fig Newtons and Twizzlers from Leah when I was low on calories and couldn't stand any of my own food.
- While I'm on the subject of food ... I did a GREAT job on my nutrition in this race! I set the interval timer on my watch to go off every 30 minutes, and I made myself eat every time it went off. Paul can tell you how much I bitched about this on Loop 3 when I didn't have anything I wanted to eat and had to force-feed myself Chomps. But it made all the difference. My mental state was good throughout the entire race ... I never got really stupid, never had any major blood sugar issues. Leah and I joked about how boring I was with no hallucinations, no careening along the course like a drunk, no falling down ... just no major issues the whole time. And I had plenty of energy to get myself home safely after the race.
- My one genius move in this race? I packed my drop bags with these little disposable toothbrushes. Every race I've done, I have gotten to some point and then just been disgusted with how my teeth felt after consuming all that sugar. This time, I just brushed my teeth two or three time throughout the race. You can't even imagine how refreshing it was! I am doing this at all my races from now on!
- In a 100 mile race, you really have less room for error than in shorter races. Here's what I mean ... if you get cold, hungry, dehydrated, blistered, etc., you have to take care of it as soon as you can or it can ruin the rest of your race ... and the rest of your race could still be 20, 30, 40, 50+ miles. In a shorter race you might be able to just tough it out. But when it's 100 miles? I am so glad that I took Paul up on the jacket offer when he made it, so glad that I took care of my feet as soon as I realized there was a major problem, so glad I started drinking more water as soon as it seemed to get warmer, so glad I took more electrolytes when I started to feel like my energy was flagging in the heat, so glad I kept trying anything I could think of to stem my rampant GI issues. I've procrastinated in other races because I didn't want to take the time. In a 100 miler, the time you spend to fix these issues when they happen can save you both time and pain later in the race.
And finally I am grateful to learn that I had it in me. 100 miles is an incredible journey, one I wasn't sure I was capable of completing. It's hard to describe how it feels, but I think something changes inside you, just a little bit, when you take on a goal of this magnitude, and manage to actually achieve it. Or maybe it's just me.
2 comments:
Great report, and a great accomplishment. You rock, girl!
Congratulations on this accomplishment.
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