tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1011908141703240212024-03-14T06:18:53.468-04:00Chris' UltraRunderground"There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure."
- The AlchemistUltraChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18007841692429099250noreply@blogger.comBlogger95125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101190814170324021.post-29578072822689712372017-08-30T21:52:00.000-04:002017-08-30T21:52:01.737-04:00Return To Old SkoolOne hundred kilometers of trails. Point to point. 18 hours to get 'er done. Plenty of well-stocked aid stations and crew access to more than adequately support me. Everything on my side. And yet, I couldn't get it done. The score ... me: 0, Twisted Branch: 2. I am by no means a fast runner but I will admit that I have never had to worry about cut-offs during a race. It seems that most races anymore are geared toward helping you succeed and they are pretty generous with the cut-offs. But Twisted Branch 100K is Old Skool. No time for dawdling. No gimmees. You gotta work for every bit of it. You need to know ahead of time what you need before you need it. You gotta keep moving. There is no time for a pitty-party. For me, the cut-offs are tight; a reality that I have to go into this race with a <em>race mentality</em>. I may not be racing other runners but I am definitely racing the clock.<br />
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For two years I thought I had it together enough to conquer this beast. I tried specific diets, specific running foods, the "in-thing" of low heel-toe drop shoes. And for two years I failed. So this year there was only one thing left to do ... return to Old Skool. Return to my roots ... my running roots and my soul. I needed to quit going with the new trends. First off I decided to go back to what is my heart and soul; I went back to eating a vegetarian diet. It made my heart and soul feel good and light again. I gave up the race specific foods and decided to listen to what my body was wanting ... healthy or not. I changed up my shoe choice (more on that below).<br />
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This year I had a number of specific goals for this race, hoping they would help to keep me focused over the many hours. And fortunately, I had some help on my side to help me achieve these goals. The overall finish time was increased by two hours, so I now had 20 hours to complete it (and starting an extra hour early to have more time of cooler temps before the sun rose). I had my trusty crew of Joe and an ace pacer, John, ready to kick my ass if I started to fail.<br />
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Goal #1: Finish.<br />
Goal #2: Finish within the original 18 hour cut-off.<br />
Goal #3: Reach the Urbana Town Hall (mile 58.5) in the daylight.<br />
Goal #4: Finish the race and be back in my own house by the time the race officially finished.<br />
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<br />
The results:<br />
Goal #1: I FINISHED!!<br />
Goal #2: Close ... I finished in 18:06:58. And I'm OK with that.<br />
Goal #3: I made it to Urbana by 8pm. And it was still light out!<br />
Goal #4: Made it back home by 12:01AM ... ONE MINUTE off of my goal. If I hadn't had that second beer I could have met this goal. OK ... totally worth it to miss this goal because that second beer was necessary. And so good.<br />
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<br />
So rather than go through moment-by-moment of what happened during those 18 hours, 6 minutes, and 58 seconds I would rather remember the highlights that helped me achieve my goals.<br />
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- It was an amazing day weather-wise with pretty pleasant temps and some amazing cool breezes throughout the entire race.<br />
- I started out carrying water, electrolytes, gels, and some snacks. My fuel for the day actually consisted of water, ginger beer, Dr. Pepper, Gatorade, tapioca Snack Pack pudding cups, one pierrogie, and a "lunch" of cheese quesadillas with sour cream. But I gotta say, it was the ginger beer and Gatorade that really was my primary source of fuel and it worked.<br />
- For once I didn't change my socks or shoes at all during the race. A last-minute panic that I didn't have the "right" shoes for this race (because with the extreme ups and downs it is really necessary to have a shoe that holds your foot secure) brought me to buying a new pair of Solomon Sense Ultras just days before the race. Actually, I had only 3.5 miles on them come race day. These shoes have a 9mm heel-toe drop, way higher than I normally run in, but they worked. They were amazing. Somewhere around 21 miles I could feel a hot spot on the side of my left heel but it wasn't devastating. I knew that nothing was going to stick to my foot at this point to cushion it. And I knew if I took those shoes and socks off I would never get them feeling right on my feet again. So I just soldiered on, sometimes the pain annoyed me, other times I was able to completely not notice it.<br />
- I shared some great miles with amazing, strong people. I feel very fortunate to be able to share the trails with you all!<br />
- Joe was the ultimate crewman, as always. At each stop he had everything out of the car and set up by my chair, ready and waiting with all the things I needed and didn't need (or want at that moment). At each stop he was pushing me to get out of the chair and get moving. Tough love. And then there was my pacer, John. Constantly asking me if I needed to eat or drink or take electrolytes. Encouraging me to "just trot a little" when he felt that I was walking for too long (because I could have certainly just kept on walking!). Those guys were key and I can't possibly thank them enough.<br />
- Hitting the main Finger Lakes Trail (still light outside!) and knowing exactly where I was, exactly how far I had to go, and truly knowing about how long it would take me to cover these miles (because I have run this section so many times in training). And it was so nice to be able to let John see these trails in the light so he could truly know how amazing our trails are here!<br />
- Hitting Mitchellville Road and one of the volunteers there was Nate Huckle. Now there's a blast from the past. This was so Old Skool. Nate used to run many of the old Finger Lakes Runners Club races years ago; a name I remember hearing and seeing in the results when I first started running.<br />
- Getting to the Urbana Town Hall still in the light of day, knowing I was going to finish this race ... FINALLY! And then having the dread come over me as I looked up at the mountain that I had to tackle. It was still light out but I knew that once we entered the woods the lights would go out. And John had lost his headlamp somewhere miles earlier. And amazingly a friend had picked up the light and had given it to his wife who somehow got it to Joe. The fates were with us.<br />
- Across the highway, into the woods and into the dark. Hearing noises that I wasn't sure what they were. And then not giving a shit about the noises as I tackled the 32 switchbacks that lead us up the next mile of climbing. I just kept thinking that so many runners ahead of me surely had to help keep the bears away. I tried not to shine my headlight on the trees where the bear scratchings were that we saw just a couple of weeks prior when hiking this section. And grateful that I was not alone here. John did an excellent job of keeping me focused.<br />
- Coming out onto Winding Staircase Road under the clear and starry sky and John asking me "do you think you can trot a little?" And me answering ... no.<br />
- My headlight started dying with probably a half mile to go. And I really didn't want to stop and change batteries when we were so close to the finish. John did a fantastic job of shining his light on the trail and getting me to the finish!<br />
- All day long I just kept thinking I wanted to get to the finish so I could be done with this. This 100K race is every bit the experience and difficulty of any 100 miler. Hands down. And then I crossed the finish line and remembered what a great feeling that is. Having the support of so many friends and family and sharing this experience with them is such an amazing experience. So there's that. The score is now me: 1, Twisted Branch: 2. I am still behind, and I have a score to even. So Twisted Branch 2018, watch out.<br />
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Thank you to Scott and all of the wonderful volunteers who helped us all throughout the journey. We couldn't have done it without you! And true to Old Skool ... the cotton race t-shirt. I hope they never get rid of this.UltraChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18007841692429099250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101190814170324021.post-13866894506028191552016-05-02T14:37:00.001-04:002016-05-02T14:57:37.848-04:00Shoe Review: Salomon Sense Mantra 3I am still on my quest to find the perfect shoe that will keep my feet happy for Twisted Branch 100K in August. I have tried a couple of brands that I liked in the past, one being Scott, and found that the so-called "upgrades" that haven't been ... aren't. I used to love the T2 Kinabalu. Nice light shoe, that even at 11mm heel-toe drop still felt minimal, shed water and never left you with that squishy shoe feel ... well, it just isn't the same in the 3.0 version. Scott "upgraded" the outside of the shoe which may hopefully fix the issue the old version had where the uppers just blew out after not many miles. However, this has left the shoe feeling much heavier and less flexible. I also felt that the sole felt thicker and heavier and, still at 11mm drop, felt like 11mm drop. Like wearing a high-heel. This no longer feels like the light ride that I fell in love with. AND, worst of all, the sizing has definitely changed. I have worn a size 10.5 men's in the previous versions of the Kinabalu and have always had a good thumb's-width between the end of my big toe and the tip of the shoe. No more. Size 10.5 and my toe is at the end of the shoe. Thanks for killing my dream shoe, Scott.<br />
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I have recently enjoyed running in the Salomon Speedcross 3. Unfortunately one of my worries about the shoe came true. All of the reviews that I read said that the shoe can make your feet feel pretty hot ... not bad when you're slogging through wet cold mud, but not fun on a hot dry day. I recently tried these shoes on the Black Diamond Trail (rail-trail type of terrain) and enjoyed them for about the first 3 miles. These shoes have no business on this type of terrain unless it is just soft slop. They were not meant for flat, hard surfaces. I have taken note and this will not happen again.<br />
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So I started looking at the Salomon Sense Mantra 3. I have run in older versions of the Sense Mantras and had a killer run in them at the 2013 Oil Creek 50K, but haven't run in them since because despite all that I loved about the shoe I did find it to be a bit stiff on forest roads and rail-trail type terrain. So I was a bit hesitant when I checked out this new version. When I first looked at the shoe online I noticed that it looked much wider, almost boxy. Definitely not like the sleek narrow shoes that Salomon are known for. So this sort-of turned me off. The sole had also been changed and didn't look as grippy. But then I started researching reviews and read nothing but good stuff. I was looking for a shoe that would be equally as comfortable on forest roads, rail-trails, and single track trails. I think I hit gold on this one.<br />
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Here is how Running Warehouse describes this shoe ... "Don't have time to head out to the mountains but don't want to be limited to the hard asphalt? Look no further than the Sense Mantra 3. With a dual-density midsole for cushioning and a lugged outsole for durable traction, this versatile shoe is ready to go straight from your doorstep to the awaiting trails. A snug fitting upper keeps your feet secure and protected from any debris that gets in your way." OK, sounded promising.<br />
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Technologies:<br />
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<br />
<strong>MIDSOLE</strong><br />
<ul>
<li><strong>Compressed EVA</strong> runs the length of the shoe for underfoot cushion.<span style="color: red;"> Yup, cushy but not Hoka-esque and has good foot-to-trail feel.</span></li>
<li><strong></strong><strong>Injected EVA</strong> in the forefoot provides underfoot cushioning.<span style="color: red;"> No idea what this is but it feels good.</span></li>
<li><strong>ProFeel Film</strong> is a thin TPU film in the midsole providing midfoot protection without losing ground feel.<span style="color: red;"> OK, again, no clue but it feels good.</span></li>
</ul>
<strong>OUTSOLE</strong><br />
<ul>
<li><strong>Contagrip</strong> is a uniquely designed outsole of differing densities, providing durable traction over varying terrains. <span style="color: red;">The lugs are tiny but sticky, so great on rocks and dry trail and not-deeply muddy trails.</span></li>
<li><strong>OS Tendon</strong> system acts like a real tendon by flexing to provide stretch and balance during the heel-to-toe transition. <span style="color: red;">The shoe is definitely flexible and my feet feel totally comfortable on rail-trail surfaces, so I'm thinking this will be a great shoe for Water Gap 50K in the fall.</span></li>
</ul>
<strong>UPPER</strong><br />
<ul>
<li><strong>Open Mesh</strong> throughout the upper is breathable and quick drying. <span style="color: red;">Here's what I was really looking for. I need good drainage for the creek crossings of CT50 and breathability for hot dry runs like how it could be for Twisted Branch.</span></li>
<li><strong>Sensifit</strong> overlays on the upper wrap the foot for a clos<strong></strong>e, secure fit. <span style="color: red;">Now this is what I'm talking about. Salomon has hit it on the nose with this feature. The shoe fits so secure, like a sock, that I don't experience that sloppy side-to-side and toe-bashing shit on steep downhills.</span></li>
<li><strong>Endofit</strong> a sock like upper that yields unmatched comfort and fit. <span style="color: red;">See above statement.</span></li>
<li><strong>Quicklace</strong> made from durable Kevlar fibers provides easy shoe entry and exit and a secure fit. <span style="color: red;">Another feature that makes adjusting the tightness and security of the shoe so easy.</span></li>
<li><strong>Friction Free Lace Eyelet </strong>makes for quick and easy one pull lacing. <span style="color: red;">Yup.</span></li>
<li><strong>Lace Pocket </strong>tucks laces out of the way while running. <span style="color: red;">Definitely cool ... no snagging the loops of your laces on roots.</span></li>
<li><strong>OrthoLite Sockliner</strong> is composed of anti-bacterial material for reduced odor and moisture while adding cushion directly underfoot. <span style="color: red;">Always a plus ... will be put the test more after a few more wet runs.</span></li>
<li><strong>Propriotection</strong> provides a individualized feel while protecting your feet from rocks and debris. <span style="color: red;">Again, no idea what this is but it sounds good. I ran on some mildly rocky stuff today and my feet felt like they had good protection. Probably not a huge selling factor for this shoe since I don't think it is meant for running on seriously rugged trails, but still a nice feature if you have to hit some rough spots on a normal trail terrain.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="color: black;">One thing that is not mentioned in the description of the shoe itself or its technologies is the wider fit of the Sense Mantra 3 compared to its previous versions. This version really has an almost Altra-type toe box. There is a huge amount of room, so much so that it really threw me off when I put it on. I was not expecting a Salomon shoe with this kind of room. I worried that this roominess would lead to a sloppy feel. My worry was quickly relieved. One yank of the quick laces and the shoe becomes a second skin on all the other parts of the foot while still leaving the toes the ability to move in freedom. I ran downhill on some sections of trail today with steep pitches and experienced so minimal forward movement of my foot in the shoe that I would easily say it was NO movement. NO toe banging on the front of the shoe. I also hit some water and it drained well and didn't leave me feeling squishy.</span><br />
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I gotta say, Salomon is hitting it OUT OF THE PARK this year with their shoes. I am pretty certain that the Sense Mantra 3 is going to be my shoe for the upcoming Thom B 52K and Cayuga Trails 50 mile races; it has all that I am looking for for the type of terrain that I will find in both of these races. And we'll see how things go from there but I feel pretty confident in saying that this shoe is looking like a hot contender for Twisted Branch. It is so far passing the biggest test ... secure fit on steep down hills ... one of the biggest issues I had at last year's race.<br />
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So if you have worn the Sense Mantra in the past ... well, this is not the same shoe. I really have to say it is better than ever. And all I can say is ... Salomon, I wish you had a place for us mid-to-back-of-the-packers ... we are the ones who could give an honest review of the durability and comfort of a shoe since we wear them LONGER and tend to put a little more poundage on them than your average elite racer. Think about it.UltraChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18007841692429099250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101190814170324021.post-38481364583806817512016-04-25T16:31:00.001-04:002016-04-25T16:31:36.762-04:00Shoe Review: Salomon Speedcross 3Those who know me know what a running shoe fanatic I am. I have numerous times been in love with a certain shoe only to have it disappoint me at some point and thus causing immediate break-up. I am by no means an elite runner but my feet do get the elite treatment during ultra runs. I am constantly aware of everything that happens with them. At last year's Twisted Branch 100K my feet were one of the biggest things that went all wrong, resulting in a disappointing DNF. This year I will go back to Twisted Branch with a better knowledge of the course and a better knowledge of what I need to do for my feet to make this a successful race.<br />
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Which brings me to this shoe review. I have been on a quest to find the perfect running shoe and I think I have found it in the Salomon Speedcross 3. A few years ago I was drawn to the minimalist shoe movement. I liked how light the shoes were, how they made my feet feel, and how they made me feel more connected to the trail. What I have come to realize is that there is nothing minimal about me. At 5'11" and 155# I am anything but a minimally sized runner. And running over 50 miles at a time, my feet no longer enjoy feeling every little rock and root on the trail. I have come to realize that I need more cushion and more protection. Don't get me wrong, minimalist running shoes are not necessarily totally evil. If nothing else, running in them has taught me better form and has fixed some other issues I had. I still enjoy running in minimalist shoes for shorter distances but when it comes to ultras I just need more.<br />
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The Salomon Speedcross 3 is anything but minimal. They are the knobby-tire bike of trail shoes. I have run in numerous Salomon shoes but have never found one that has been the all-in-one package that I dreamed of. Flexibility, traction, cushion. I want it all. The Speedcross 3 has an 11mm heel-toe drop (according to one site, another says 9mm, but really, at that height, does 2mm really matter??), which is the highest I have run in in years. I worried about this a little ... at first. I bought the shoes on a Friday, went for a 2 mile hike in them, and then wore them at the Muddy Sneaker 20K on Saturday. I was amazed at how good they made my feet feel. First of all, the lugs on these babies are ridiculous. They just eat the ground up. The cushioning and flexibility are super impressive. Years of running in shoes from 0mm-4mm heel-toe drop have taught me to land mid-to-forefoot and because of this I didn't even notice the higher heel-toe drop. They shed the mud like nobody's business; I never had mud caked-up on the soles.<br />
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One concern that I did have that I had read in numerous reviews of this shoe was how they can make your feet feel quite warm during warmer weather runs. I did experience this last week during a warm dry day but this was only one run so I will have to do more warmer weather runs with them to know if this is going to be an ongoing problem.<br />
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Salomon has dialed it in with the Endofit sock liner thing. One thing that killed my feet at Twisted Branch was the sliding around inside a sloppy shoe. The friction on the bottoms of my feet wreaked havoc. With the Endofit liner and those awesome speedlaces on the Salomons I experience minimal movement inside the shoe. Even on the super steep downhills.<br />
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I am strongly considering wearing these shoes for Cayuga Trails 50. So today I gave them a trial run through some creeks and they totally lived up to the challenge. I thought they drained well, although retaining some squishiness in the foot liner, but no more than any other shoe I have worn.<br />
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I don't normally write shoe reviews but during my run today I was just so freaking impressed with so many aspects of this shoe that I couldn't stop thinking about them. I would like to use them for Twisted Branch because I think they will handle the steep elevation changes quite well. The only issue that concerns me is the August heat and how warm these shoes can be. But time will tell how much of an issue this really is.<br />
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All in all, I have to say that these shoes are a total winner. I have been running most recently in the Salomon S-Lab Ultra SG and love them but they just do not have the support or the cushioning that I know I need for the longer runs. The Speedcross 3 has it all and more. I'm a fan.<br />
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Here is iRunFar's review of the Speedcross 3 ... <a href="http://www.irunfar.com/2012/01/salomon-speedcross-3-review.html">http://www.irunfar.com/2012/01/salomon-speedcross-3-review.html</a>. Gotta say, they hit it spot-on.UltraChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18007841692429099250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101190814170324021.post-9208230701125884032015-09-10T16:14:00.002-04:002015-09-10T16:14:59.243-04:00Twisted Branch 100K ... so twistedA 100K race that I don't have to drive hours to get to? And it's on trails that I have never run? And it's point to point? And it's beyond my 50 mile race comfort zone BUT IT'S NOT 100 MILES? And the finish is less than an hour drive back to my own hot shower and bed? Sign me up.<br />
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And that's how it all started. I had sworn off signing up for any more 100 milers and I needed a new challenge. The 100K trail race distance is sorely lacking in our area of New York State and so I was especially excited when I heard about the new Twisted Branch 100K. And I love point to point races because I feel like I am actually travelling <em>somewhere</em>.<br />
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I am always leery of new races. Will it live up to my expectations and what I have become spoiled with? From everything I had read about this race it sounded perfect. The weather leading up to race weekend was nice and cool, almost fall-like. Unfortunately that is not how it stayed for race day. Here is a brief recount of what I can remember from the race. I had my usual down times but overall, I can absolutely say it was just plain fun.<br />
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<strong>FRIDAY.</strong> We had a nice drive to Hammondsport to pick up my race number and packet. It was a beautiful clear, sunny day, although a bit too warm for my liking. The race schwag was superb! Awesome shirts (thank you ... I don't need yet another tech shirt! the nice soft cotton blend shirt is so sweet!). A nice little tote bag, coffee (that I have yet to try but it smells amazing!), snacks, and cool stickers. I was already liking the style of this race.<br />
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On to the Bristol Woodlands Campground which was about a 20 minute drive from the start. I had really wanted to camp at the start at Ontario County Park but unfortunately after multiple phone calls and messages left they never called me back. And I decided that 20 minutes drive would not be that bad. We asked the campground owner for dinner recommendations and he hesitated, especially when we asked for <em>good food</em>. He suggested this little café in Honeoye called The Mill Creek Café and gave us a photocopy of the menu. The food looked amazing but given his reaction, we didn't expect much. But it was about 10 minutes away and we had no other options. Well, the place didn't look like much but as we drove around the back of the building the parking lot was packed! The food we saw people eating looked as good as the menu had sounded. And they had GOOD BEER on the menu! The food was fantastic and after a nice fish fry dinner and a couple of Ellicottville Pantius Droppus Imperial IPAs, I was ready to get some sleep for the next day's journey.<br />
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<strong>SATURDAY.</strong> 2:53 am. I woke without the alarm going off. The full moon was so amazing and I was ready to roll. Coffee and some eats in hand and we were off to the race start.<br />
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I loved the old school feel of this race. Everybody walk to the start, ready, set, GO! And we were off into the darkness of the trails. It was already hot and humid and I was trying to just go at an easy pace, which is hard when everyone is so packed together on a narrow trail. I feel obligated to keep up the pace so as not to hold those behind me up. The footing of the trail was awesome. Very little mud, not many roots, very runnable. Unfortunately I quickly realized that I had not made a good shoe choice and was a little pissed that I wouldn't be able to do anything about this until I saw Joe at the 20K mark. So I just tried to focus on trail and not falling. There were cool reflective arrows at some of the major turns that lit up nicely in the light of the headlamps. Even though small, these arrows reflected so nicely that they were easy to see.<br />
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I got to the first aid station and I was ready for some real food. Unfortunately there weren't many choices other than some candy and chips. I don't drink sports drink so I settled for some Coke and ate the cheese crackers I had in my pocket. The sun was now up and we were out on a road for a bit, so it was a good time to walk and regroup. The group I had been running with had left me, which was OK, since I needed to get into my own head. I had missed a major turn just before the aid station because I was busy following the group, who obviously missed the turn. I needed to pay more attention on myself and not just follow along.<br />
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Finally I got to the 20K aid station and Joe ... and my Altra Superior shoes that I should have had on right from the start! My left foot was already bothering me and I hoped it wasn't too late to fix this problem (that I knew was a result of the first pair of shoes I had on). And I was getting very hungry. And the sun was really up at this point and it was getting warm. The nice volunteers offered me some TailWind but all I wanted was cold soda. I got a nice cold Dr. Pepper from Joe and it was heaven. But what I really needed was some real food. There was some cold grilled cheese at the aid station, so this would have to do. I grabbed my trekking poles from Joe and headed out for the upcoming big climb. I was further behind time-wise that I had wanted to be and Joe seemed a little worried about this, which then made me a little more worried. Fortunately I am a pretty strong uphill hiker, so I hoped that this long climb would give me a chance to get some time back on my side. It was hot and humid and the horseflies were swarming me like crazy! Holy hell ... I don't think I have ever been attacked by horseflies out in the woods! Deerflies and gnats, yes, but never horseflies. And they were huge!<br />
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The trail was pretty easy to follow ... just keep following the orange blazes that were painted on the trees. Some trickier sections had orange ground flags put out to mark the course, but unfortunately many had gotten trampled by earlier runners and not so easy for me to see. Fortunately, I was not going at any blazing pace and I know how to follow a trail, so I just kept my eyes peeled for the orange tree blazes.<br />
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By the time I got to Joe at the next aid station I was probably really getting into a calorie deficit. It was so hot out (which I despise!) and I hadn't eaten much because I just wanted some real food ... bacon would have been a welcome sight at this point! And my feet were feeling the burn of the downhills. So when I got to Joe it was time for more Dr. Pepper. OK, I'm not bragging here my any means, but I have to say that I don't ever remember being in a race where I have had to worry about the cut-off times. Somehow it just works out that I hit the spots at the right time. Well, on this day I was really beginning to worry about the first cut-off. I was pushing as hard as I could, climbing well, but falling apart on the downs. Downhill running is just not my strength. At all.<br />
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I lubed up my feet and changed my socks, ate a little bit but still just wanted a big bacon cheeseburger. Or hot grilled cheese. Or pizza. Anything hot and greasy would have been welcome. But I didn't have long to worry about this because Joe was urging me to get moving so I wouldn't miss the cut-off. So I got it into gear, my feet started feeling better, there was a nice long uphill climb, and I was back in action.<br />
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I hit the first cut-off mark at 28-ish miles with about an hour to spare. Sweet. Things are going to be OK, I thought. I drank more Dr. Pepper and grabbed some snacks. By this point I should have had something more meal-like in me and not having this is likely why the wheels just kept falling off.<br />
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I had a great time going through the cornfield, completely blind except for the orange ribbons that I just had to trust would lead me out. That had to be the coolest part of this race!<br />
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I normally never wear a GPS watch during races but this time I thought I would try it because when I start to get tired and mental it is just helpful to have some idea of what mileage I am actually at. And it was helpful.<br />
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The volunteers at the next aid station, mile 36-ish, were a welcome site in the middle of the woods. Unfortunately they had very little soda by the time I got there and again, just snacks of candy and chips. But the chips were greasy and salty and tasted amazing. Sorry to those behind me ... I drank the last of the Coke. And I loved every drop of it.<br />
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Holy crap. Still more climbs. When I looked at the elevation profile on the website, I saw the MAJOR ups and downs, which made the smaller ups and downs in the middle look not so bad. Well, maybe, just maybe, I should have looked at the scale on the chart to notice that those "little" ups and downs were still pretty impressive. And they were. Wow. Thank goodness I didn't give up my trekking poles the last time I saw Joe.<br />
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I pulled into the 39-ish aid station with only about 15 minutes to spare to the cut-off. Wow ... and I had an hour in my favor at the last cut-off. This race was the real deal. I was starving and the bacon at the station was apparently long gone. Fortunately another runners crew person gave me some that he had in his stash. It hit the spot. And I downed two chocolate milks which about a half mile later I realized was not such a good idea. Everything in moderation; I should have stuck with just one. And what I wouldn't have done for a beer at this point. I cursed out loud on the wicked little switchback section that seemed never ending. I was truly beginning to wonder if I was going to make the last cut-off but I decided that I would just keep going until they wouldn't let me go any longer.<br />
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I hit a dirt road section that passed some houses and I heard (and then saw) some barking dogs. If they had come after me I likely would have had to just lay down and play dead. Maybe I wouldn't have to play ... I was feeling pretty dead at this point. And then my GPS watch died. How appropriate. I knew I was 40-some miles into this thing and I just had to keep putting one foot in front of the other. My friend Barbara caught up to me and we commiserated a bit about whether we would make the last cut-off. At this time I told her that this race, mile for mile, was definitely tougher than the toughest 100 miler that I have finished (Virgil Crest 100). No joke. Again, this race was the real deal. But it was awesome. I never regretted being out there. The trail was so beautiful and I knew that I was going somewhere. I was actually going toward something and I just had to keep moving forward. And then we hit another long steep climb and a little more wind just left my sails.<br />
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I hit the mile 46-ish aid station at a pretty low point. Looking at how long it was taking me to get to this point, I just couldn't see how I was going to make the last cut-off. My sister had driven a long way to run that last 4.5 miles with me and I so wanted to do this with her, but I was falling apart. And then I got to Joe. And the hot greasy cheeseburger he had waiting for me. And that cold Dr. Pepper. I whined a bit and he blew me off, like always. Thank goodness he doesn't listen to me. So I grabbed that greasy burger, tossed the bun away, and headed off down the trail, determined to make my best effort to try and make that last cut-off. My friend Amy said something about a cooler with water in it on the trail that was out there for the runners. It really didn't make sense to me until I saw it. Unfortunately, at this point I didn't want more water. I was ready for another soda and some company. I had neither. So I just put my head down and climbed some more.<br />
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Eventually I saw another person in front of me. Dan! I had wondered how his race was going. We chatted a bit and then I just kept moving. The burger was kicking in and I needed to take advantage of this surge. But by the time I got to the 54 mile aid station the surge was gone. I think I only had 45 minutes at that point to make it the last 5.5 miles to the cut-off. I wasn't going to make it. It was dark and the trail was getting trickier in sections and there were still some brutal climbs and descents. But I was proud of myself for not giving in and accepting a ride to the finish. I was going to get to the next aid station on my own two feet. I was going to keep going until I wasn't allowed to anymore. The full moon was out and it was beautiful in the woods. And I was at peace with my defeat. I did all I could. I was going to just enjoy these last 5.5 miles, enjoy the journey, enjoy that I started at one point and made it all the way to another point on my own. Not a 100K run but an effort that far exceeded my last 100 mile effort. This race really made me work for everything I got.<br />
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The trail was a little hard to follow with no glow-sticks or reflector tape to keep me on track, but I found my way. And I was pretty happy with myself for that. I felt very strong and pleased with myself for keeping on trail, although I would repeatedly question myself if I was still going the right way until I saw another white blaze.<br />
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I finally made it to Urbana. About 45 minutes late. The first time I have ever been cut-off at a race. Maybe I should have been upset but I just wasn't. I did all that I could, left it all on the trail. I travelled 59.5 miles from one place to another. That was so cool. And now I could have a beer. Even cooler. And sit down. We had some good laughs here and it was all good.<br />
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During this race I kept thinking this 100K with an 18-hour cut-off is not for the mere mortal runner. And I swore that it probably just wasn't for me. Well, I now think otherwise. I know what to expect, I know what I have to do to be successful, and in 2016 I will come back immortal. I will finish this.<br />
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Thank you to the RD for making this wonderful event happen and to all of the fantastic volunteers and may amazing crew husband, Joseph, who did their best to try to get me to the finish. Thank you to my sister and her husband who drove a long way just to see me sit in a chair and drink a beer. This is ultrarunning. Some days you get to the finish, some days you just finish when you finish. Being a part of an inaugural event was certainly an amazing experience.UltraChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18007841692429099250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101190814170324021.post-56630153167589283862015-05-18T20:10:00.003-04:002015-05-18T20:12:29.804-04:00Time<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>If I could save time in a bottle</em></div>
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<em>The first thing that I'd like to do</em></div>
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<em>Is to save every day</em></div>
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<em>'Til eternity passes away</em></div>
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<em>Just to spend them with you</em></div>
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Time. Something I rarely think about when I'm running ... other than if I have enough time to get in as much run as I can before I have to go to work or clean the house or whatever other chore is on the list. Not thinking about time allows me to enjoy just being. Unfortunately, when I am actually in a <em>race</em> not thinking about time can be detrimental. After all, the point of a race is to compete against the clock, mostly to try to reach a goal I have set for myself.<br />
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A little over two weeks ago I ran the Rock The Ridge 50 Miler, a benefit for the Mohonk Preserve. I had been wanting to do this event for a couple of years now and this year decided to go for it. The pictures of the area struck me as stunning and with the terrain that the course is held on (carriage roads) I had hoped to run a reasonably fast 50 miler (fast in my world). I did have a fun time and I did reach my goal of running sub-10 hours, but in the process I did remember how stressful it is for me to run against the clock. Because I was focusing on the time I didn't really take in the beauty of the area, one of the major reasons I had wanted to run this race. And Joe was not with me, as he had his own race to run in Salamanca that day. I never have as much fun when he's not there. So despite my "fast" run, the day just seemed long. Very long and hard.<br />
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<em>If I could make days last forever</em></div>
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<em>If words could make wishes come true</em></div>
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<em>I'd save every day like a treasure and then,</em></div>
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<em>Again, I would spend them with you</em></div>
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But time doesn't always move so slow. And the reality is, there is not always enough time. And sometimes you have to pay attention to time; there are times when this is absolutely crucial. And the days after my race never made me realize this more. I debated whether to tell this story but if only one person reads this and it makes a difference, then I guess it was a good thing to tell.<br />
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My husband Joe is a runner. He golfs, mows the lawn, plows snow, and is just generally a very active person. And Joe had a stroke. Now there are ads all over television about smoking and its consequences. I don't think you can get through a 30 minute television show without seeing at least one of the stop smoking ads. I have never seen a single television advertisement on the signs to look out for if someone is having a stroke. There is a single radio ad that I hear only at night when I am driving home from work about the importance of time and getting someone you think is having a stroke to treatment. But that is the only time I hear this ad ... after 11pm when I am driving home. But this is important information and people need to know that TIME is so very very important. It can make a difference in possible treatments and the quality of outcome for the person.<br />
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Fortunately Joe was very lucky. But he did not know the signs of stroke and when his symptoms started I was at work. When I did notice what was happening we got straight to the hospital so that testing and treatment could get started.<br />
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Joe is doing very well now and finished The Rat Snake 18K trail run just 9 days after the stroke. He is an amazement. Some may question if running a hilly 18K trail run was a wise thing to do after having a stroke. But the reality is, why not? You never know what time will deal you; use your time doing what you love. I ran the run with my sister, her longest run ever. It was all time well spent.<br />
I don't want to get preachy, but when Joe said he did not know what was happening to him, that he didn't realize he was having an emergency, it made me realize that I take my medical knowledge for granted. Some of what I think is common knowledge is not. So if you get nothing more out of this post, please take note of the signs to watch out for if you think someone is having a stroke. And don't hesitate to get straight to the <strong>EMERGENCY ROOM</strong>. Every minute counts.<br />
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<strong>F - Face.</strong> Is the person's face symmetrical? Is one side drooping or not moving the same as the other side?<br />
<strong>A - Arms.</strong> Can the person move both arms equally? Is the grip strength equal in both hands?<br />
<strong>S - Speech.</strong> Is the person's speech slurred?<br />
<strong>T - TIME.</strong> Seek EMERGENCY medical attention immediately. Call 911.<br />
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So we will continue to do the things that we love to do. I don't feel the urgency of the clock in terms of running/racing finishing time; I feel the time urgency to enjoy as much as I can in the time that I have.<br />
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<em>If I had a box just for wishes</em></div>
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<em>And dreams that had never come true</em></div>
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<em>The box would be empty</em></div>
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<em>Except for the memory</em></div>
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<em>Of how they were answered by you</em></div>
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<em><br /></em></div>
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<em>- Time In A Bottle, Jim Croce</em></div>
UltraChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18007841692429099250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101190814170324021.post-75242305622955564262015-04-22T16:48:00.002-04:002015-04-23T12:36:16.053-04:00Finding Me - Tales of Athenasometimes things just get a little overwhelming. sometimes, no matter what the cost, it's good to take a step back. numerous times I have paid well for my mistakes. this time it only cost me $175 and "losing" this money was truly worth it.<br />
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this past Monday was the boston marathon and I was supposed to be there. but for some time now it just couldn't get excited about it. Wow. The premier event, that for so many of my early running years seemed an unattainable goal, and I couldn't get excited about it? nope, it wasn't happening. now some may wonder "how could you give up BOSTON"? this was not an easy decision. just getting in to boston is special, I know that. but I also did not want to go just to go. if I was to run it I wanted it to be just as special as it was the previous five times I have run it and I just didn't feel like that was going to happen this year. maybe it was the long cold winter that just depleted my energy; I'm not sure. I do know that there are some who still probably cannot understand why I didn't want to go to boston but not going was something I had to do for me. and honestly, staying home, unplugging from social media, and just taking time to focus on what does make me happy was exactly what I needed. I already had five days off from work so why not take this opportunity to relax and rediscover my running happy place. it was time for a little retreat.<br />
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DAY 1. I uninstalled facebook from my phone. this was supposed to be my time to find my happy place and I did not want any distractions. joe and I finally got to do one of our favorite runs up through the woods above our house, out to the "shit can", a rusted-out metal garbage can that just sits out in the woods. it has been there for many more years than we have and of all the things that have come and gone in the woods, the shit can has remained. this was our first opportunity to run this route this year since the snow had finally melted in the woods; I think this is the latest into the spring it has taken for this to happen since we have lived here. the highlight of the day: our first red newt sighting of the year. and then another. and another. the forest road was absolutely littered with newts and it became a real challenge to try not to step on them. we finally got out to the shit can only to find ... no shit can. the only thing that remained was a rusty ring that was the rim of the can. wow ... how disappointing. now what will we call this run?<br />
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we got back to the house and I added on a little 0.6 miles because I just wasn't ready to go in. what a peaceful run in the trees under a clear blue sky and not one single car (or person) was seen. after a nice little rest and time of doing absolutely nothing we headed out to meet my sister and her husband for a little trail time. we parked one car at where we would finish and drove another to upper treman state park and ran the finger lakes trail.<br />
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DAY 2. the thought was still there ... "wow, I could still change my mind and go to boston". and that would mean stopping to clean the house (because I can't stand to come home to a dirty house), packing, and missing a day of running on a beautiful spring day. the thought passed and I hit the forest roads for a nice 11 mile run by myself. again, so peaceful and only me and the birds in the trees. and the squirrels that scared the crap out of me every time one shot out from a pile of leaves and ran in front of me. and I had my first live snake sighting of the year.<br />
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DAY 3. sunny, clear, and cool. yes, as I headed out for my run I thought "I could <em>still</em> make it to boston if I left now". and then I started running. and I thought about how easy this felt and there was no anxiety and the thought of boston once again passed. I had a beautiful cool 5+ mile run by myself through the woods where joe would meet me at the other side. we met up and headed out to Hammond hill and ran the Thom B. trail run course. I thought about how for so many years I could not run this course without the race markings and now how I just know my way instinctively through the trails. and it was awesome. and for having run this course so many times ... for the <em>first ever</em> time we missed a turn right before the finish. and even this worked out in our favor ... the trail brought us right out to where we parked our car and just in time to see a good friend as he was getting ready to head out on the trails. we talked with him for a bit and then stopped to visit some other friends and had a nice chat with them on their porch in the sun and breeze. and then it was a stop a Hopshire Farms Brewery for some time of just standing around and chatting with the owners and drinking good beer. and it was at this time that I realized that there was truly not a chance I would make it to boston now. it was real. I would not be there. I was going to miss out. and I felt OK with it.<br />
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DAY 4. marathon Monday. I woke up to wicked winds and pouring rain. and I was so happy that I did not have to run today. the tv satellite network had graciously turned on Universal Sports for free this week and we would be able to watch the marathon as it was happening. I got in a quick 5K row on the Concept II, showered, and relaxed by the warm coal stove with a hot cup of coffee as we watched the pre-game show. we had our own little boston marathon party with me and joe and another friend. it was great; it was like the superbowl party of running as we discussed weather, running tactics, who was dying and who was making a move. it was actually very cool and very fun. and joe and I had fun describing the unfolding events to our friend who had never been to the marathon. "This is Wellesley ... you can hear the screams for a mile before you even get here". "This is Heartbreak Hill ... it's not really much of a hill". "There's the Citgo sign; you see it from way out and it takes forever to get to it". "OK, he just turned down Hereford ... next is the left onto Boyleston and you can see the finish but it's so far away". ok, so I would be lying if I said I wasn't a bit sad not being there but it was so cool and fun to have this time with someone who has never experienced it.<br />
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DAY 5. it's over. the marathon is over and I didn't run it. and I'm ok with that. another run in the morning and another run in the afternoon completed my last day of vacation. I felt relaxed and excited for my 50 miler that is coming up in less than 2 weeks.<br />
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so that was my boston marathon weekend. and maybe you are wondering about the title of this post. on one of my alone runs I did a lot of scattered thinking. thoughts just flowed through my mind with no logical sequence. and that's when I got to thinking about Athena. well, Athena is the nice way of naming the larger women's category that some running races still recognize. while some women may find this insulting, I am so happy that there are still races out there that recognize this category. seriously ... how can I compete with those skinny young (and even not-so-young) ladies? I am proud to be Athena. and I am happy to be able to run and I am happy to be happy with my running again.UltraChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18007841692429099250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101190814170324021.post-58552541843732543112015-03-25T14:44:00.002-04:002015-03-25T21:10:15.045-04:00Of Winter, Roads, Racing, and SimplicityOK ... March is almost over and <em>technically</em> it's Spring. But guess what? It's still below 20 degrees every morning when I wake up, it is still a white blanket of snow once you are within a mile, in any direction, of our house, and so in my eyes it's still winter. And as much as I have tried to embrace some love for the roads I am just not feeling it. I want my trails back. Now.<br />
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This year I skipped doing any February races to give myself a break from running and "racing" and just have some fun with some non-training running and XC skiing. Yup, that was fun. I didn't really have a plan for March except to try to get ready for April and the fact that I am registered to run the Boston Marathon. Not really sure what I was thinking there, but unfortunately the way race entries go anymore there is not much time to contemplate "should I or shouldn't I?" You wait and you will likely not have to think about it ... you will get closed out and the decision will be made for you. I guess that's how I ended up registering for Boston.<br />
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So in the event that I actually decide to run Boston (I'm still up in the air on it) I thought I should actually get some road training in. When I was sick of running on the roads and sick of the cold I tried the treadmill for some good turn-over training and mental training to work on overcoming the boredom. The last two years that I ran Boston (2007 and 2008) I found this awesome small town race in March that turned out to be the perfect pre-Boston prep. The Wurtsboro Mountain 30K. So I decided that since I had no other March racing plans this year this would be a good challenge. My friend Karen is also running Boston and decided to race it, too. Yay ... girl road trip!<br />
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So let me say, the first clue that this race could be a ball-buster ... it has the word "mountain" in the name. It may be 7.6 miles shorter than the marathon, but mile for mile, this race is tougher than any hilly marathon I have done. Rarely do you see flat road. No, it's not easy. And I love this distance for a "race" ... I would never run this kind of effort running 18+ miles on my own. This race is full of tough love.<br />
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Karen and I arrived in Wurtsboro a little over an hour before the start; just enough time to get our stuff, relax a bit, and decide what to wear. The temps were projected to start in the mid-20s for the start but rise into the higher 40s by the time we would finish. It alternated between overcast and sunny and I finally decided on 3/4 length tights, compression calf sleeves, two lightweight long sleeve shirts and a singlet, my very cool light-weight FLRTC beanie, light gloves, and sunglasses. I have trained all winter carrying a water bottle with NUUN and I like the fact that I have my own drink to sip at when I want and not have to rely on aid stations, so I decided to wear my waist-pack and carry a bottle. Then there was the biggest decision ... which shoes to wear? I really wanted to wear my Altra Intuitions but they have ZERO traction unless running on a dry road. The roads that day were still coated with wet slushy snow. Well, I've done a lot of road running this winter in trail shoes and this day I was very glad that I brought my Altra Lone Peaks with me. Yup ... I would be racing a road race in trail shoes. Guess I know where my heart is really at.<br />
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The race started at 9am and the sun was out pretty bright. And pretty quickly we were headed uphill. This race does not start to even remotely level out until close to mile 5, and even then it's not flat, just less hilly. Mile 1: 9 minutes, 35 seconds and I was passing people. 5K: 30 minutes and change. At this point I passed a woman and man running together. Little did I know that this would be the last female runner I would see. The sun was quite warm on my back and I was sweating, sort of regretting putting on that second long sleeve shirt. I thought about stopping to take it off but decided I better wait until the higher elevations and see how I felt. And I was glad I waited since the sun went back under and it was a bit cooler higher up.<br />
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I felt like I was pushing a bit but not red-lining and just trying to stay within myself. I never really had anyone running along side of me. And I never really felt like walking, which made me happy. I thought of my friends running trail races in MD and NJ in the snow and I embraced the sloppy roads in their honor. The Lone Peaks just plowed through the crap and the traction was excellent. I just kept focusing on getting to the point where I would have more miles behind me than I had in front of me. I tried not to get mental but I did have a little moment at the 15K point where I thought "holy crap, I have to run what I just ran all over again" and it seemed a little daunting. So I tried to just focus on one mile at a time. At the 10 mile aid station there were women screaming "first female" as I came toward them. What? They must have been yelling about someone ahead of me. So I just smiled, thanked them, and kept running. And so this has nothing to do with the race, but here's my real question ... how is it that I am not even face to face with these people, I'm running with my face all contorted, wearing a winter beanie and sunglasses, and they STILL recognize that I am female yet when I go into a store not wearing a hat, face fully exposed, smiling, and I am greeted with "can I help you, sir?" Hmmmmm? Just something to contemplate.<br />
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Back to the race. This is one of the most beautiful road courses I have ever run. Amazing houses to look at. Awesome tall trees on both sides of the road. Running streams along the road. And very little traffic. And the hills NEVER stop ... it truly "rolls" the entire course. Somewhere after mile 10 I caught up with one of the early starters. I could see one of the guys from my race start time up ahead but there was no one behind me. The most challenging part of this course, I think, comes around mile 12 where it is just a gradual climb of rollers for the next 6 miles. And I believe the miles truly get longer here. We now had changed directions and the wind just seemed to disappear and I started to get a bit warm. I did have to drop my pace a bit as my stomach started feeling a bit queasy and slowing the pace some did relieve this. At mile 14 I was again greeted by the mile 10 aid station group (another cool thing about this race ... the mobile revolving aid stations). The women again screamed that I was the first female! Now I knew there was no one else around me and I smiled and asked them if the snow had scared all of the super speedsters away. I felt like I was running strong and fast (for me) but I also know what the women's winning times have been in the past. And then I thought, crap, no way I can ease off now; who knows where the second place woman is. Crap. I was getting a little tired, mostly mentally. Physically everything was still feeling pretty good. But I was ready to be done and I so wished this had been a half marathon and was SOOOOO thankful that it was not a marathon. Around mile 17 one of the aid station ladies pulled up by me in her truck and said that second and third ladies were about a mile behind me duking it out. And I thought if they were pushing each other I certainly had better not ease up; they could easily push each other to the point of catching me. FINALLY mile 18. I started to feel like I couldn't breathe and had a little coughing fit. Thank goodness it was short-lived and I could finally see the elementary school ahead and knew that's where the finish was. I had nothing left. If those ladies had come up on me I don't know if I would have had any fight in me. I was on empty. Thank goodness they did not catch me. I finished in 2 hours, 38 minutes, 28 seconds ... a big PR for me on this course. And Karen finshed in 2:57, good for her age group win.<br />
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Some lasting impressions of this race for me:<br />
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1. I love these small town races. I do not enjoy the big-scene races with a lot of hype.<br />
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2. This is one of the last "old school" races (in the good company of the Tromptown Half Marathon/5K and Forks XV) and that's one reason, despite it being a road race, that I love it. 1: The cost. $32. Most 5Ks come close to that anymore. 2: Paper entry form. Forget that additional computer registration fee. The only additional cost is the stamp. 3: Not another tech shirt. Just about every race gives tech shirts now. I miss the good old cotton t-shirts. This race gave out knit winter beanies. Very cool. 4: No schwag bags full of crappy advertisements that just get tossed in the garbage. Nope, not here. We got a hat and choice of giant bag of Goldfish Crackers or Goldfish Cookies. I love races that give out feel-good food. And 5: Hand-made awards. You feel the RDs love with these.<br />
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3. Other than Karen, I did not know any of the other runners. This was good. It let me focus on myself and not fall into that need to try to race another person.<br />
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4. OK, my winning time is not all that good when you look at past winning times (or the top 10 female finisher times, for that matter!), but as Diane Sherrer once said ... it's all about who shows up. And those speedsters didn't show up that day. Which is why it was me walking away with the Pepperidge Farms cookies (OK, there was a cool cowbell trophy, too).<br />
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5. I won a road race. This is not an everyday occurrence for me. Headline should read "Old Fat Female Wins Road Race Wearing Trail Shoes and Waist Pack". It's good to be in the Masters category - those ladies are a tough group and I am proud to be a part of them! And fat - I am a proud Clydesdale runner and I work hard with beer and food to maintain my status. And as for the shoes and bottle pack ... can't help it, I am a trail runner at heart - and they work.<br />
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6. This past summer I switched to a High Fat, Low Carb diet and I am seeing the benefits of this. I probably still eat more carbs than many on this "diet" but it is much much lower than I used to eat. I don't deprive myself when I want carbs - I am not giving up beer or pizza. I just use them as my treats. But eating less carbs has taught my body to tap into my fat stores - and I have a pretty good supply - for energy. I had a Lara Bar (210 calories, 10 grams fat, 31 carbs) a couple of hours before the start of this race. I never felt hungry during the race, never felt the need to take in any fuel during the race, and felt energized throughout. I drank about 10 ounces of water (with NUUN electrolyte tab) during the race. And I felt fantastic.<br />
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7. These get-er-done-in-one-day races and then kick back and relive the fun with friends and beer are fun. I need to do more of these.<br />
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So yes, I had fun at a road race. But if I said I wasn't looking at the scenery and trails that I was running by and wishing I was running there, I'd be lying. I am still up in the air as to whether or not to run Boston. Fortunately I have paid dearly ($$) for the luxury of being still being able to decide. I just can't get excited about it and it's not where my heart is at. I know it is a privilege and an honor to be able to run there, but I don't know and probably won't until the last minute. I am fortunate to have had to opportunity to run five Bostons pre-2013 bombing. The logistics are so different now and I get that, but it is all just giving me a headache now. I want simplicity. I just want to run and lose myself in the woods.UltraChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18007841692429099250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101190814170324021.post-32893154860280970552015-03-08T14:38:00.000-04:002015-03-08T14:46:20.872-04:00Pre-Spring RamblingsSo I'm still tired of winter, although I am coping with it a little better now. Now that March is here I can really feel that there is an end in sight. Since I haven't had any races to report on and my "training" has been sketchy at best, I really don't have much to actually "report" on. My training has mostly just been a series of a flight of ideas ...<br />
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Joe and I had a wonderful day of XC skiing at Allegany State Park in Salamanca. If you XC ski, I highly recommend checking this out. It is a good 2.5 hour drive from here but well worth the trip. And if you don't XC ski, come spring when the snow melts there will be really excellent trails to run on. The Allegany Adventure Run on May 2 is always a good time. Bonus points: the Ellicottville Brewing Company is just a short 15 minute drive from the park ... excellent food and even better beers!<br />
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Normally in the winter I switch from drinking beer to wine. A good dark semi-dry wine relaxes me through winter. However, this year the local craft brewers have really come through for me with some amazing stouts. My top picks ...<br />
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Rooster Fish Oatmeal Stout. I love this beer. I walk into The Crooked Rooster and I don't have to say a word ... they just bring me one. And then a second one. And then there is their Cocoa Porter.<br />
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Ithaca Beer Company Milkstache. Oh. My. God. Smooth and filling. It leaves an excellent beer moustache on your face and a film inside the glass as you empty it. Good stuff. IBC recently had an Oatmeal Stout and Super Stout (made with Gimme Coffee) on tap that were also pretty excellent.<br />
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Two Goats Brewing Dirty Butt. Their brown ale mixed with their cream ale. Smooth. Just plain good beer.<br />
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I can't wait to get back to running on trails. I am trying hard to stay positive with running on the roads but I just enjoy the solitude of the trails.<br />
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I think a lot about food and beer when I run. I just do. A hunk of cheddar rolled up in a piece of bacon is amazing after a hard run. And probably not bad during a run.<br />
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The best part about March ... Shamrock Shakes are back.<br />
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Why did I bother to buy a pair of road shoes? Most days I haven't been able to see pavement and my road shoes have zero traction on the snow and ice. Two weeks from yesterday is the Wurtsboro Mountain 30K (roads) and I certainly hope I will be able to wear my Altra Intuitions for the race!<br />
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So I think my mind has just started wandering when I am out running ... sort of a survival mechanism.<br />
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And that brings me to this weekend. The weather forecast called for some sun and warmer temps. I wanted to get some miles in. Well, Saturday didn't work out as expected on that front. I did get a short 4.4 mile run in before heading over to the Finger Lakes National Forest for a hike with Joe and my sister and her husband. We had a really excellent 5.5 mile hike. In the years that I have been over to the forest in the winter I haven't seen such excellent snow conditions on those trails in probably forever. It was amazing and the temp was just right at around 24 degrees. After we headed over to Two Goats Brewing for some recovery time. So my mileage for the day was not a total loss. And although not running, snowshoeing at any speed is a great workout.<br />
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I had planned to go to Rochester today for the #TrailsROC birthday run. A run and a party ... sounded good to me. And then a couple of days ago it dawned on me. The run was scheduled for 8am ... and we were losing an hour of sleep. Well, that didn't work out. So I thought I would get up a bit early (remember, I work at night so my idea of early is probably still late for anyone else!) and get a longer-ish run in. Well, it was still freaking dark out! And yes, I own a headlamp but the idea of trying to dodge the ice and navigate in the dark really didn't appeal to me. When it finally got light out I headed out. Within a half mile I had to shed one shirt. The wind was blowing like mad. I had a route idea in mind when I left the house but within the first mile decided to just wing it.<br />
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So I'm still running the roads in my trail shoes. Our roads are still snow covered and the tricky footing more closely resembles running on the trails with the added benefit of still having to dodge the cars. I headed for some of the lesser used roads and had a pretty fun run. The wind was blowing pretty good but it was just right to keep me cool in the high-20s heat wave.<br />
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The official start of race season is next week with the St. Patrick's 4-Miler in Binghamton. Best race ever. And I had better be able to wear my road shoes. And there will be beer and Shamrock Shakes involved.<br />
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<br />UltraChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18007841692429099250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101190814170324021.post-8173410025966488702015-02-23T12:39:00.001-05:002015-02-23T12:39:25.845-05:00Fighting The Winter BlahsI love the winter. I love the cold and the snow. But I gotta say ... I'm over it. First of all, I NEVER get sick. I just don't. I think it is from my many years of working in healthcare and building immunity by exposure. But this year it happened. First it started with the pukes; it pretty much tore its way through all of us at work. I recovered from that and then I started with a slight cough. I felt fine and figured it would just go away like it normally does. So a couple of weeks ago Joe and I went to a snowshoe race. I haven't run a snowshoe race in years and it was only 4 miles, so why not? Well, I coughed the whole ride to Rochester. I figured a good run in the cold would definitely help clear the crap out of my lungs. But HOLY HELL ... less than a mile in and I felt like I was running at altitude. I suffered through and finished but from that moment on, things just got worse on the cold front. I coughed and coughed and coughed. I could hear the death rattle in my lungs. But I felt fine and knew that it eventually would go away. And it finally did.<br />
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But the downside to that illness was that I quickly developed an intolerance to the cold. The cold made my skin hurt and breathing it brought on coughing fits. So once I finally got back to running (yes, I did take a few days off with this supposed illness) I was forced to hit the treadmill in the garage. And I just haven't been able to <em>want</em> to get back outside to run. Joe and I cross country skied one day and it was <em>OK,</em> but I just wasn't totally feeling the love of the winter like I normally would.<br />
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<em>FINALLY</em> today the sun was out. The sky was clear. The wind was blowing and it was 1.6 degrees outside. And I just wanted to get out in it. I was not going to spend one more day on the treadmill. I am finding the treadmill to be a nice training tool, but not something I want to do too often. And more than twice a week is too often for me. So Joe and I decided to get out today and try a little XC skiing. We are so lucky to have a seasonal road loop just a couple of miles from our house. In the winter it is not maintained at all for driving. BUT we are so lucky that it does get occasional maintenance from snowmobile club ... with a GROOMER! And at least once a year we are lucky enough to get to its smoothly groomed surface before the snowmobiles tear it up. And that day was today! We both donned our ski goggles and face masks and headed out. And it was amazing. The right gear makes all the difference. On this route there is a pretty long downhill and flying down it today with face mask and goggles, I didn't feel a bit of wind. BEST XC SKI DAY EVER!<br />
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Now I only wish I didn't have to go to work today ... I just want to get back out in it. Likely by my next day off the snowmobiles will have roughed the surface up. But it should still be ski-able. But even if it is not, I have at least re-found my love for the winter and am ready to get back out.UltraChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18007841692429099250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101190814170324021.post-3025946668241664002015-01-29T16:09:00.001-05:002015-01-29T16:09:07.529-05:00Desire and FreedomWow. To say it's been a long time since I was writing here is, well, a massive understatement. Looks like I have some work to do with updating some stuff here, but that will come in time. So it's 2015 and time to think about how I want my year of running to turn out. I have already had some race experience for the year that tells me how I want it to NOT turn out, which actually helps me out immensely. It has helped me focus and actually have goals. I do not plan to tackle any new distances this year but I do plan to improve on some of the old stuff.<br />
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<img alt="Nature Calling Pendant Sterling Silver" id="image" src="http://tarmadesigns.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/340x/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/1/0/100350-tarma-nature-calling-sterling-pendant-2mm-black-cu.png" title="Nature Calling Pendant Sterling Silver" /><em><span style="background-color: white; color: red;"><strong>"A wolf howling at the moon is a symbol of freedom and desire. Your animal instincts coming close to the surface - a connection with our true, wild beginnings. Just as you are never happier than when you are in Nature."</strong></span></em><br />
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This design is a piece of jewelry from <strong><a href="http://tarmadesigns.com/outdoor-jewelry/mountain/nature-calling-pendant-sterling-silver.html" target="_blank">Tarma Designs</a></strong>. I love their jewelry and the symbolism of their pieces gives me inspiration. It is this particular piece that really got me thinking about my running goals for the new year. Freedom. Running, especially on trails, makes me feel free. It frees my mind from stressors and worries and clears my head. I love having to think about nothing except picking my feet up and putting them down and everything physical, like what it's going to take to keep me moving forward. I love making my body feel the pain of pushing hard and the rush that I feel when I have pushed hard and overcome. The freedom is there; all I have to do is put my shoes on and head out the door. It's the desire that needs some work. The desire to actually run is never the problem; it's the desire to be happy with what I know makes me happy that is the constant struggle. I love to go to races not to actually <em>compete</em> but more to push myself either in improving my time or pushing through a certain distance. I love to celebrate with my friends the many victories that come with competing against others as well as myself. But I need to know what my limits are and what makes me happy and what does not. Certain distances make me happy. Certain distances, one in particular, do not make me happy and I don't enjoy myself and yet I keep signing up for it. This year my desire is to be happy with all of my "races" and that means doing only what I know makes me happy, not what I think will make someone else happy or simply to impress others. The focus of my desire for this year will be to push as hard as I can and bring life back to what has become commonplace for me.<br />
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I am excited to do some new races this year, some annual favorites, and some that I haven't done in a long time. I won't go into extensive detail of my race schedule but I will put it out there that my goal race for this year is a brand spanking new event, one that I am so completely excited about and one that I plan to work hard on going for a personal best time at this distance. This race is the <strong><a href="http://www.twistedbranchtrail.com/" target="_blank">Twisted Branch Trail Run 100K</a></strong>. This race is going to be epic. It's a point-to-point race so there will be no "easy outs".<br />
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I am excited and honored to be an ambassador for a second year for <strong><a href="http://www.fingerlakesrunningco.com/" target="_blank">The Finger Lakes Running and Triathlon Company</a></strong>. I feel very fortunate to have this local resource for my running needs and a place to just hang out and talk running. And the <strong><a href="http://www.fingerlakesrunningco.com/team-flrtc.html" target="_blank">Team FLRTC</a></strong> ambassadors is a great mix of people who will also fit all of your running (and triathlon) needs! I have also found inspiration from a great nearby group, <strong><a href="http://www.trailsroc.org/" target="_blank">#TrailsRoc</a></strong>. They have a great philosophy and put on some super fun events (races and group runs). These guys know how to have fun with running and volunteering (they run a mean aid station at both <strong><a href="http://www.virgilcrestultras.com/" target="_blank">The Virgil Crest Ultras</a></strong> and <strong><a href="https://www.cayugatrails50.com/" target="_blank">Cayuga Trails 50</a></strong>, and they KNOW how to take care of you!). I encourage you to check them out.<br />
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So there are my thoughts so far for this year. I have not gone into great detail in hopes that this will keep me excited to keep coming back here regularly and often to post about my desire and freedom.UltraChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18007841692429099250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101190814170324021.post-72938300046988690562014-06-17T16:38:00.002-04:002014-06-17T17:02:16.741-04:00Not A DNF ... Just Plain FDOK, so it's six months into the year and this is only my second post. To say that my attention to this blog has been pitiful is an understatement. I have been running and getting out and doing fun stuff, I just haven't felt like writing for some reason. Well, a little introspection is sometimes a good thing and might actually bring a little perspective back to my running. Plain and simple, this year I wanted to avoid what I call the "FOMO Syndrome" (Fear of Missing Out ... signing up for every race because I don't want to miss out on the fun). Well, that goal went right out the window and I completely blew it. And in the end I blew up. The one race I had been looking forward to running for literally years ... well, in the end, it was a bust.<br />
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So let me go back to almost the beginning of the year. My one post for 2014 was about The Beast of Burden 50 miler back in January. Let me start by saying that I freaking love this race. Basically it entails several things about running that I absolutely hate. First of all, it's a flat course. Flatter than flat. There are long distances between aid stations. There are long periods of time when you are alone and feel like there is no one else out there but you. But here's what I LOVE about this race ... it's in the winter (= brutal weather conditions), the volunteers and race directors are amazing and fun people, my fellow BoB'ers who have been there since the first running of the race keep coming back, it's an out-and-back course so you get to see the race as it unfolds, and it's just plain fun ... because who is really trained to "run" a 50 miler in the snow and wind (and sometimes sleeting rain) in LOCKPORT in January?! And it is the only race where I never regret not going for the full 100 miles. 50 miles is my limit there and I am always happy with that, no matter what my time.<br />
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Forward into February and the Febapple Frozen Fifty (50K) in NJ. I had an OK finishing time. The NJ group is always fun and I got to see many of our friends. But with the snow and then rain and then brutal cold that we had, the course was a mess of post-holing through hard snow and not very runnable. But all in all I had fun. This was my first official race running as a Team FLRTC ambassador and I was proud to wear the logo and advertise Finger Lakes running. I have to say, just having the support and encouragement of this team really helped to make a hard run much more enjoyable and helped push me to the finish.<br />
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So two ultras in two months, one would think that some rest would be in order, right? Wrong. March shows up with the usual fun of The St. Patrick's Day 4-Miler in Binghamton, which I have to say is truly a "race" for me. There is no "just finishing" here. I have won the Athena Division (aka, Big Ladies Division) every year that I have run this race. I want to keep this streak going as long as I can. And they have beer at the finish ... what more encouragement does one need to put on a little speed? So this race is serious business for me. Then two weeks later was the HAT Run 50K in Maryland. I hadn't done this race for about 5 years so I really wanted to go back and try it again. As always, it was fun and I made my usual stupid mistakes of going out too fast and not fuelling properly on the first loop, but all in all I felt good and got my shit together on lap two and had a decent run. Most importantly I finished feeling way better than I felt at the end of the first lap!<br />
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Alrighty, on to April and the first local race where our Team FLRTC could really show off our stuff. In general, I really do not enjoy road races but the roads are a necessary evil around here if you want to stay in good running shape throughout the winter. It was a beautiful sunny and warm day and I ran a bit slower than I would have liked ... but let's face it, I don't run on roads really enough to think I should be able to race fast on them. And I am a few years older than the last time I had done a long-ish road race. And I looked at it as a nice endurance speed set-up for a 50K I would be doing in two weeks. Yup ... two weeks later we were off to Ohio for the Mohican Forget The PR 50K (and Joe running the 25K). This race was held on some really beautiful trails and I really loved the course. And they had PEEPS at one of the aid stations. I was in heaven. Given the insane climbs and thigh-deep water crossings that were part of this course, I was happy with my just-over-7-hour finish. And everything was feeling good. And they had beer at the finish and gave out cool finisher mugs so that you could keep refilling. Pretty sweet. I used to study course maps but then at one point I figured I am not leading these races, I can just follow the others, and stopped looking at course maps. I need to start looking at course maps again. This is the SECOND (yes, that means I did not learn the first time) race where I thought since there was a 25K and a 50K race that the 50K was just two loops of the 25K loop. Well, it wasn't. Fortunately I had put on my good sneakers for the "first loop" and generously filled my pack with some good snacks. I had plans for the "second loop" but ... well, you get it. Thank goodness I survive these things despite myself.<br />
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And then came May. Whoa ... how did that happen? I was not signed up for an ultra? Well, better make up for that by doing a weekend of back-to-back trail half marathons ... one that was all-out runnable (Allegany Adventure Run in Salamanca) followed by a not-so-runnable-serious-climbs-with-suicidal-descents half marathon (Greenwood Furnace Trail Challenge in PA). Obviously this would be a great set-up to try and run a Boston Marathon qualifier in two weeks. Off to Augusta, NJ, for 3 Days at the Fair. Joe had signed up for the 48 hour race (48 hours of running on a 1-mile paved loop). The plan was for me to crew for him and help him to reach his goal of 90 miles. So I thought, he really won't need me for those first few hours of the race, so why don't I just bang out a marathon and then I can help him? Again, I am not a real road runner. Nor have I actually "run" 26 miles consecutively in I can't remember when. That is why I like trails. Run a little, walk a little. And eat. Real food. Apparently you can't really do that when you are trying to run fast. And did I mention that I am not a fan of flat or pavement? Yup, had both of those, too. So I just wanted to get it over with so I could make one last trip back to Boston. And about five minutes into the race it started to rain. And then it poured. For the whole race. I felt pretty decent until about mile 20 and then I really just wanted it to be over. I stopped by our tent to grab a fresh water bottle and there was a giant cookie on the table and all I could think about was that if this was an ultra I could eat that cookie. But I didn't. I kept running until I came upon Joe and my friend Eva, both enjoying their 48-hour runs, and I just melted down. Screw this, I didn't care if I qualified or not. This was not fun. And then Eva asked what I needed to do for those final three miles in order to qualify. I knew that 10-minute miles would easily get me under the 3:55 that I needed and Eva gave me so much encouragement to get me going again. I fumbled on mile 24 but once I crossed the timing mat and saw where I was at it was game-on again. And I threw-down two more sub-9 minute miles to get the job done and I was a Boston Marathon qualifier! Cool ... now I could get on with what I was really here to do ... crew for Joe. And he was amazing in some pretty crazy weather and finished with 80 miles in less than 30 hours!<br />
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Alrighty ... that was a good little speed workout and I had two weeks to recover before Cayuga Trails 50. Nice. I guess I was a little tired but I took it easy for those two weeks and come CT50 race day I felt great. For the first 1/4 of the race anyway. It was a beautiful day but the heat really kicked-up and, oh, those stairs! Again, did I really look at the course map? Of course not; I ran this last year. So when I came out at the top of the entrance to Buttermilk Falls and the volunteer told me that I was going to keep going straight (and not turn left and cross the stone bridge like we did last year), my insides kinda turned. I had only been on this section of trail once before and I remembered it being a little, ummm, brutal. Crap. But what are you gonna do? Actually, my body felt pretty strong throughout the race and mentally, I guess I kept it together. Somewhere probably around mile 38-ish one of my trail angels was out there with some good running beer ... yup ... that would be the Lucifer Steps. No GI issues while drinking that on the run! Good stuff and just what I needed. But by the time I got to the Underpass Aid Station I was craving something more than water again. But they were out of soda. And Joe was out of the soda that I had in the cooler. Sometimes you just have to improvise. I had a Pale Ale in the cooler that would just have to do. And that 12 ounces went down very well and I was off to get this last seven miles done. The next four miles were pretty interesting to say the least. And the last three miles just a little painful. But I got it done in not a bad time for me, especially given the heat, which my slight-build of a body pretty much detests. A few beers and burgers later and recovery was well under way.<br />
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So a 50-miler just two weeks before a scheduled 70-miler is a good build-up, right? Just rest for those two weeks and get that 70 done. After all, it's not like it's a 100 miles. I got this. Off to Ohiopyle, PA, for the Laurel Highlands 70.5 mile ultra. I have wanted to do this race for years but it always came so close to the Finger Lakes Fifties and I always had too much stuff to get done for the race to be able to run the LH race. So finally, not having to worry about the FL50s this year, I had my chance to run Laurel Highlands. We got to our lodging on Friday night a bit later than I would have liked. And it was raining. And I had to get my stuff together and try to get some sleep. I actually started to feel a little overwhelmed. And I thought, "do I really have to do this?" But this race was a long time coming and I thought once I get out on the trail it will all be good. I got a few hours of sleep and woke feeling rested but still wondering, "what if I just overslept and missed the start? That wouldn't be so bad." But Joe was ready to crew and I just thought my feelings would pass. I actually felt apprehensive at the start, which really is not normal for me. But pretty soon we were off and running. The trail was really nice but with A LOT of climb in the first 11.9 miles. I was sweating like mad from the effort and drinking like crazy but never feeling like I was quenching my thirst. I ate but was still feeling cranky. Electrolytes didn't help. The talk of the other runners and their laughter annoyed me. I was not having fun. I have been known to feel like shit during races but never this early on. So by the time I got to Joe at 11.9 miles I just wanted to be done. I didn't want to be out there; I just didn't want to run. Nothing was physically wrong and I was mentally OK, I just didn't want to be there. But somehow he and a volunteer convinced me to go on. So I walked and I ate and drank but the energy, physical and mental, just wasn't there. Joe told me to look around and enjoy the beauty of the trail. I tried but I just was not seeing it; this was not fun. Some friends caught up and passed me and we chatted a bit and I ran some miles with another friend and it was nice. But I was not out here to walk 70 miles. I am no elite athlete and somehow it always seemed like it is OK when an elite runner just isn't having a good day and they stop so that they can save themselves for another day. I am not elite and my only goal is always just to finish. Sometimes I have a time goal in my head, but mostly I want to enjoy the run and do the best I can. And on this day my best was not good enough to satisfy what I wanted to get done. So why shouldn't I save myself for another day? So when I got to Joe again at mile 19.6 I pulled the plug. He did his best to try to get me to keep going, saying things would get better, and they might have, but the truth was I just wanted to be anywhere else but running on a trail for the next 16+ hours. I took my number off and gave it to the aid station chief and all of a sudden felt very relieved. It was over and I was OK with this. This was not a DNF ... I was just plain FD (credit for this term goes to the wonderful BoB ladies who coined it ... just plain "F-ing Done"). I have used this term more than once. Thank you, ladies.<br />
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So now I'm back home and back out running some short easy miles. And I'm feeling happy again, waiting for my Escarpment entry code to arrive in the mail so that I can finalize my entry. And I'm not registered for any ultras until the end of August when the Green Lakes 100K comes around. I'm excited for Escarpment and excited to take time and rest and really prepare for GLER. And I just plan to take it one race at a time.<br />
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Thank you to all who had the endurance to make it to the end of this report. Maybe I should start writing more often. Hmmmm. So in closing I will admit that I signed up for way too many races this spring. But it's not completely all my fault. It really stinks that races just fill up so fast that you have to start looking at them months in advance and sign-up just so you won't get shut-out. Well, forget that ... next year if I get shut-out then it just wasn't meant to be. And then there's the fact that if I was still a race director this year I would not have had time for all of this anyway. So next year I plan to do some more volunteering again.<br />
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And wow, June is half-way over. Time flies when you're living race to race. Never again. And yes, this all sounds a little insane to me when I put it down in writing ...UltraChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18007841692429099250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101190814170324021.post-54427538905347897962014-02-05T13:04:00.003-05:002014-02-05T13:06:21.861-05:002014 BoB ... And Avoiding The FOMO SyndromeOK, 2014 is here and it's time to get a new year of running and racing started. A new year means some pretty exciting things in store or me. First of all, I was accepted into the NUUN Ambassador program as a "NUUN fan", which means representing a company and a hydration product that I really love and really believe in. NUUN is great-tasting, has a clean and crisp flavor, and does not fill me up like other sports hydration products do; it provides pure hydration and allows me to eat the real food that I love to fuel the fire. To find out more about this amazing company and their products go to <a href="http://www.nuun.com/company/about">http://www.nuun.com/company/about</a>.<br />
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So this year my main goal, other than trying to improve on some old races and running some new exciting ones, is to avoid the FOMO Syndrome. FOMO is the Fear Of Missing Out ... and I have it bad. Even when a race offers different distances and I register for a race that is not the longest distance offered, I feel like I am going to miss out on some fun. A lot of my friends will still be out on the course running when I have finished ... and what if they are having fun and I am missing it? So that is what makes me register for the longer distance, even if not properly trained and even if the race terrain is not completely compatible with what I run best on. This year I am determined to not just do what my running friends are doing but to register for what is best for me. We'll see how that goes ... <br />
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For many people winter means taking a break from running and racing; a time to recover and enjoy other fun like skiing, snowshoeing, or just taking a break. For me, January brings the start of my ultrarunning season with the Winter Beast of Burden 100 and 50 Mile runs. Typically I have signed up for the 100 miler and end of DNFing at the 50 mile point. This 100 miler is tough because it is FLAT and repetitive and generally I just can't keep my mind in it. And when things start to physically fall apart I just can't mentally overcome the problems. But that's the FOMO Syndrome ... all of my friends are doing the 100 and I don't want to be left out. That's what gets me in trouble. So this year I got smart and registered for "just" the 50 miler. But I have to say ... right up until the days before the race I so wanted to email the race director and try to beg my way in to the 100. Thank goodness for my good friend Karen who set me straight. At 37.5 miles I was ready for it to be over and at 50 I was just glad to be alive!<br />
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We had some great snow and cold in early January which provided some great training - mental and physical - for the race. And then just weeks before the race a horrible thing happened ... the snow melted. And it warmed up. As I watched the forecast leading up to race day I was totally convinced that this year the race would not be a Beast. But then Mother Nature came through with the forecast of some great winds. Thank goodness; there was going to be a challenge after all.<br />
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So here's the run-down on how things unfolded ...<br />
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Race morning came and it was mid 20s and just a little windy. As usual, I couldn't decide what to wear and slightly overdressed. Fortunately Joe was out along the course at around 2 miles and I stripped off my outer layer of wind pants and gave them to him. This made the first 12.5 miles more comfortable.<br />
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<strong>12.5 miles - 2 hrs, 15 min.</strong> I was soaked in sweat, since the wind had been at my back the entire way. This is my biggest issue with this race; I lose a lot of time having to change into dry clothes. It's a long way between aid stations and if not properly dressed, dry, and warm ... well, it can be pretty miserable if not totally hazardous to your health. So I quickly changed into dry clothes, downed some Ensure, refilled my bottle with NUUN strawberry lemonade, grabbed some chips, and headed back out.<br />
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In the middle of the 12.5 mile sections is Gasport and the midway aid station. You will hit it on each trip between Lockport and Middleport and it is a blessing and a curse. A blessing because there are great volunteers there and some pretty excellent food; a curse because going inside that heated tent feels so good that you don't want to leave. Leaving means you are now warmed up and a bit sweaty and having to go back out into the wind and cold. So despite how amazing the food and people are, you don't want to spend much time here.<br />
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<strong>25 miles - 5 hrs, 19 min.</strong> OK, this entire 12.5 mile section was directly into the wind. I was feeling a bit beat-up and cranky from hypoglycemia at this point. I couldn't wait to get in and have some hot food. My honey, Joseph, who is the most amazing crew man out there, was waiting for me with dry clothes and whatever else I wanted. Problem was, I didn't know what I wanted. I knew that I had to change my shirt and coat (knowing that the trip back to Middleport would have the wind at my back and I would be warmer and sweating more and I didn't want to soak my windstopper jacket, since I would definitely need it for the last 12.5 miles). So I got some dry clothes on, ate a luke-warmish grilled cheese sandwich (doesn't it figure ... as my luck goes, Lockport AS lost power and just got it back just as I was coming in, so the hot food that I was so looking forward to was not too hot). Oh well ... I needed to get out of there and give myself an attitude adjustment.<br />
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Once leaving the Lockport AS I was running into the wind, which I knew would not last long since I would soon cross the bridge and head the other direction. So even though I was cold with what I was wearing, I just hoped that once I crossed the bridge I would be warmer.<br />
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So I finally crossed the bridge and was back on the towpath. One big problem for me this year was that there really was no snow on the towpath; it was just a frozen gravel path and it was hard! At least with the snow there is some cushion under the feet ... this was totally unforgiving. Whenever I could find a patch of drifted snow I got onto it and it was heaven.<br />
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Once I the towpath the wind was again at my back. Now it was around 4pm and it really didn't feel as warm as it did earlier. And I didn't feel as warm. Fortunately, I had tied a windbreaker around my waist when I was leaving Lockport, so I put that on over my two layers that I already had on and just hoped for the best. As long as I was moving the cold was at least tolerable. The wind was still at my back and by the time I reached the Gasport AS my water bottle mouthpiece was frozen. I had hoped that the effervescent NUUN would help to keep this from happening but I guess the windchill was just too much. Fortunately, they had hot water at the aid station and were able to thaw the mouthpiece for me.<br />
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So I left Gasport slightly revived. Now it was getting dark. Headlamp on, front and back flasher lights on. I looked like a freaking Christmas tree moving down the towpath. Just as I was hitting a bit of a low spot I came upon some people who were waiting for their runner to come by. They were having a regular party out on the canal (which is drained down pretty low during the winter and frozen pretty solid in some areas). The guys were out on the ice running and belly-flopping and sliding on their bellies on the ice! It was hysterical and just a bit of comic relief that I needed.<br />
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I ate some more salty caramel GU which made me feel pretty happy inside. The NUUN was keeping me very well hydrated. But now the weird thing was that my face just felt cold and my sinuses were actually hurting. The wind wasn't even blowing in my face. So I just got to the point where I ran when I could, walked when I couldn't run, and just bitched out loud because there was no one around to listen to me.<br />
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<strong>37.5 miles - 8 hrs, 58 min.</strong> Thank goodness I finally reached the Middleport AS. I was hungry and grumpy and just ready for it to be over. Joe had gotten a ride out to Middleport so that he could run back to the finish with me. I knew that he would want to go out with me but I worried that he would not be warm enough at the pace I was moving. And we would be heading directly into the wind for the final 12.5 miles. So I grumped into the aid station (thank goodness it is in a heated building) and wanted to know who keeps allowing me to sign up for this every year. I was cold and miserable. FORTUNATELY, the ladies working this aid station know me and how I swing with this race. And they know how to take care of me. Nancey massaged my irritated IT band and Dani had some homemade Bailey's irish cream. So I had a nice big cup of Bailey's with some coffee to warm it up, some super hot chicken broth, got on some dry clothes, and got my spirits lifted from the group working there. These volunteers are, bar-none, the very best!<br />
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I really emphasized to Joe just how brutal it was out there but he still insisted on running with me. Thank god! At this point in the race runners are so spread out that you really end up running alone most of the time. I drank more Ensure and refilled the NUUN bottle, grabbed some hot grilled cheese, and we were off. I had gotten dry clothes on and additional layers, so I was very comfortable. Joe was moving a bit faster than me and I warned him not to get too sweaty because I was not moving all that fast and wet/sweaty plus a headwind could spell disaster. He slowed to my pace and I was actually starting to enjoy myself again. The moon and the stars were and it was pretty surreal.<br />
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We met up with friends Lisa and Gary who were running the 100 miler and ran with them for a bit. The cold was still pretty wicked and with about 7 miles left to go my headlamp faded to practically nothing (the cold really drains the power even though I had lithium batteries). I had a spare set of batteries but Joe's light was enough for the both of us ... and even if his went out the moon was so big and the towpath so flat and clear we would have been fine. The lights are mostly necessary on this course for the other runners to see you so that you don't run into or startle each other.<br />
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That last 6.5 miles from Gasport to Lockport always seems longer than it is. It just takes forever. And then, out of nowhere, I saw the lights of Widewaters Marina on the other side of the canal. This is the start/finish area in Lockport. Granted, even when you can see this spot you still have about 2 miles to go, but just seeing it makes everything better. I was feeling pretty good at this point but the hard frozen ground and the flat terrain were taking its toll on my right IT band. I really needed a beer to loosen things up.<br />
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<strong>50 miles - 12 hrs, 32 min.</strong> FINALLY! THE FINISH! I made it. After 5 years of running this event I finally had an actual finish and not a DNF. I got inside the heated tent and was right away given some pretty amazing beer ... an IPA with 12.5% ABV. Thank you, Jim! Joe did an amazing job of getting me to the finish; keeping me moving and running when I just felt like walking. All of the volunteers, race directors, other runners' crew people ... they all helped to get me to the finish. This is why I come back to this race every year ... the people are just simply amazing! Thank you to all of them for a wonderful time!<br />
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I had really hoped to run a faster time but then I realized a few things ... <br />
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1. The terrain of this course works against me. Flat is not my thing ... the repetitiveness on the muscles and joints is really hard for me.<br />
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2. I need to carry more food and eat better between the aid stations. They are pretty far apart and trying to eat enough before going 5+ miles until the next station is pretty hard.<br />
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3. I lost at least an hour having to change into dry clothes. I can't say that I wasted this time; it was essential for my survival. It can be below zero and I still sweat a lot. And sweat + wind + cold = disaster. It was necessary to take this time to make sure I was properly clothed and warm.<br />
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And what I learned ...<br />
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1. I laughed when Joe got me a box of 40 Hot Hands handwarmers for Christmas. Guess who knew what the right gift was for me this year? I love you, Joseph!<br />
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2. No matter how cold it is outside, nothing tastes better than a cold beer at the finish!<br />
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Aside from Joseph and all of the other wonderful people, what got me to the finish?<br />
<strong>FOOD/HYDRATION:</strong><br />
NUUN hydration tablets<br />
Gu salty caramel gels<br />
Butter Pecan Ensure<br />
grilled cheese sandwiches on good old white bread<br />
coffee and Bailey's Irish Cream (I could have used more of this!)<br />
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OK ... that ends my winter fun-run, just-survive-and-finish-no-matter-what-the-time run. Now it's time to focus. I hope to be better about posting after my next race (this took me 2 weeks to get this together!) I love the winter but I miss the trails ... maybe it's time to get the snowshoes out!<br />
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Pictures to come ... as soon as I figure out why they are not uploading!<span id="goog_2074834351"></span>UltraChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18007841692429099250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101190814170324021.post-52428282960029279782013-10-28T18:21:00.001-04:002013-11-13T19:34:16.304-05:00Running On Empty ...two weeks ago today was the beginning of the end ... the three-day downward spiral that eventually brought to an end of a 16 year relationship filled with love and a lot of laughter. two weeks ago when I sat down to have my morning coffee with my little fur-face Sammy Loo and she just wasn't acting right I never would have guessed that two days later she would be gone. my girl gave it the good fight and I have always said that truly loving a pet is doing what is best for them even though it may be killing you ... and sometimes that is knowing when to let them go; knowing that ending their suffering is the kindest act of friendship you can do for them. and thank you to the wonderful, compassionate veterinarian that made it possible for Joe and I to say our final goodbyes in our home with Sammy on my lap in the chair where we sat together having coffee every morning.<br />
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so it was a brutally tough week. every time I tried to run I would just intermittently just open up in tears and have to walk. prior to Sammy getting sick I had been on a running high with the great run that I had at Oil Creek 50K. I couldn't wait to get back out and race again. so it was a last-minute decision to go to the Tussey Mountain 50 Miler on Sunday, October 20. when Sammy first got sick and needed to take meds I had already decided that I would not go to the race so that I could stay home and take care of her. when she died my heart was truly not into running a race. Joe tried to convince me that it would be good to just get out and run and just have time to think or not think. ok, so I thought maybe this was true. but on Saturday morning as we prepared to leave for PA, it just didn't feel right. I didn't want to be away from home and leave Yip and Salem. I just needed to be with my kitties ... after all, they were mourning the loss of their sister, too. but everything was ready to go and as torn as I was I decided to give it a try.<br />
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my head and my heart just were not into the whole run right from the start. despite two IPAs on Saturday, which usually helps me to rest well before a race, I slept pretty restlessly. I woke up Sunday morning not even having my race stuff together. I filled my bottle with water and threw some gels and NUUN tabs into my race vest and figured I would just hope for the best. the weather was supposed to be perfect for running - high 40s and partly sunny. my kind of running weather. we got to the race site and saw some friends, which helped to distract my thoughts until the start. and then we started and pretty soon I was running alone and my mind just kept going back to Sammy and Yip and Salem. I just never got into the swing of things with my run. I ran with a laminated photo of Sammy on the back of my race vest and as I was running along another runner asked if that was my number one fan. I could barely answer and as soon as I was out of his earshot I was crying. by mile 10 the physical pain of running on the road was catching up to me. this race is a mix of dirt and paved roads, similar to what I run on at home ... sometimes. obviously I have not done enough long-distance road running in a long time. I love the soft dirt of the trails, the skipping and jumping over fallen trees, roots, and rocks and the change-up of using different muscles that comes with trailrunning. obviously I had a lapse in memory of how brutal roads are to me. by mile 10 my low back was screaming. I was holding a decent pace and all I could think is that if I slowed up it would take longer to get this thing over. and I wanted it over. so I kept plugging along and around mile 15 my friend Katherine caught up to me and we had a nice talk as we walked up a hill. and then she pulled away from me and all I could think about was my back pain. and my heart was heavy and I continued with intermittent outbursts of tears as I thought about Sammy.<br />
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by mile 27 I really really wanted it all over. things were just going awful and I couldn't turn them around. problem was that Joe was not out on the course crewing for me. before the race started I had hoped that he would find a spot somewhere along the course to watch the race and I would get to see him, but so far the only time I saw him was when he was driving a volunteer back to the start. so I left the mile 27 aid station hoping that I would see him at the next station, around mile 32. and so the death march continued and I walked, ran, cried, cursed, and just hoped that I would see Joe soon. as I came into the mile 32 aid station I started to scan the crowd for Joe. I didn't see him and I didn't see his car. I needed to stop and I didn't know what to do. it seemed that the race really didn't have a good plan for getting people who dropped back to the finish; basically you had to try to hitch a ride with another crew person or relay team. but then something magical happened. as I came into the aid station I saw a familiar face ... with green hair. Teresa! The Avocados were out on the course! I met Teresa some years back and she is a wonderful person and every year at Tussey she and some friends have a team called The Avocados and they are just awesome. Teresa came over to give me a hug and I just broke down crying. she asked me what I needed and I told her that I just needed to be done ... now. she understood. she helped me over to their team van and offered me warm clothes and food. I really didn't need any of that right then. I wasn't really sweaty because of the cool temps, I was warm enough, and my appetite just wasn't there. but then one of the other Avocados offered me a beer. oh yes, that was what I needed. and it tasted so good.<br />
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we never did see Joe and I wasn't able to reach him on his cell phone. so I rode in the Avocado van for the remainder of their relay run and I drank their beer. and I had some time where I wasn't crying and I wasn't thinking about missing Sammy and it was the best part of the whole weekend. and I can't thank that group enough for taking me in. they were exactly what I needed.<br />
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as we rolled into the finish area, three beers later and my back feeling a bit better, there was Joe standing at the finish line, waiting for me. this was definitely the best way I have every finished this race!<br />
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I can at least talk about Sammy now without crying, although writing this right now brings me to tears. She was such an amazing piece of work. there are so many things that I miss about her. Yip and Salem are acting way different not having their sister in the house. and they have definitely stepped up and having been taking wonderful care of me and Joe. we are very lucky to have them and very lucky for the time that we got to spend with Sammy. I am back to running and feeling pretty strong and ready to tackle the next 50 miler ... with Sammy riding shot gun on my back. we will have a better go at it this time, I know it. she wouldn't have it any other way.<br />
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UltraChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18007841692429099250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101190814170324021.post-40559435525224309822013-10-06T21:41:00.001-04:002013-11-13T19:38:21.025-05:00my year in running leading up to this past weekendholy crap ... I have really been off the radar with my postings. time to get it together and keep writing down what has been going on ... mostly so I can remember the good and the bad of my races so when I look back with fond memories I can get a good dose of reality.<br />
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so I see that my last post was the febapple 50K. apparently that was the beginning of a pattern. the pattern being DNF at a 100 miler, have a strong 50K after. the febapple came right off of the beast of burden 100 mile DNF. 100 mile DNF #1. this was followed by some good and some not-so-good spring races, all of which were basically training runs for the Vermont 100 mile in july. well ... guess what happened there? a big fat DNF at mile 62, after dealing with some serious foot pain for 52 miles. I can't say that I felt totally bad about the DNF because it was due to something real that was going wrong ... not me just mentally getting wimpy. 100 mile DNF #2. but then came Green Lakes 50K in august and I was back and running and feeling good. good enough to pull out a 6:17 50K, something that I had not done in a very long time. this too was a training run for the penultimate run ... Virgil Crest 100 miler in September. I went into this race feeling physically and mentally ready. and then the rain came and the trails turned to grease. I slipped and fell too many times to count and by the time I got to around mile 36 I knew that I was done. the best I could do was struggle to finish the 50 miler, which I did with the help of my trekking poles and a beer. 100 mile DNF #3.<br />
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but I felt happy that I had the sense to stop at VCU before really hurting myself. and hoping that I had saved something for the Oil Creek 50K which came just two weeks after VCU. My right IT band was giving me some twinges off and on, so I bought an ITB strap just 3 days before the race and hoped that it would do the trick. so the pattern that had been going was 100 mile DNF = strong 50K run to follow surely meant that I had a strong 50K run coming. AND I found a 4-leaf clover on one of my runs just days before OC. surely this all meant that things would work out ...<br />
<br />
so let's skip all those boring months leading up to this past weekend and just get on with it ... the run that I had been waiting all year for. yes, it was a shorter distance than I hoped to have my best run at this year, but it was definitely my best run of the year; all things seemed to just fall into place.<br />
<br />
FRIDAY ... joe and I arrived in Titusville, PA, for the Oil Creek 50K that both of us would be running. I agreed early on that I would run my race and joe would run his. he had been diligently training and I felt good that he would take good care of himself out on the trails. and I could concentrate on my race. we got to chat with some friends, picked up our race numbers, and set off for dinner at The Blue Canoe brewpub. after a dinner of beer battered fish, fries, coleslaw, vegetable bisque soup, and two IPAs, it was back to the Titusville middle school parking lot where we would camp for the night in the car-V.<br />
<br />
SATURDAY ... race day! we got up around 5:30am so that we could watch the 100Kers take off. after a breakfast of coffee, mashed potatoes, and coffee cake, I was ready to run. it was a cool morning (probably low 60s) but I could already feel the humidity. and at 7am we were off and running. I hung back a bit trying to find my pace. the first ~1.5-2 miles is on road/paved bike path, so I didn't want to take off too fast, knowing that once we entered the woods the course would narrow to singletrack. and actually I fell into a good group ... as we trotted up the trail (uphill) I chatted with two women ahead of me and a girl behind me (who I quickly learned was someone I knew from VCU and Cayuga Trails 50). I never felt like I was being pushed but I did feel like that if I was by myself on these sections I would probably be walking more. so it was good that I was with a group that helped me to push myself a bit.<br />
<br />
AS #1 (mile 7.1) ... 1 hour, 19 minutes. still felt strong, hydrating with NUUN, downed 2 cups of Dr. Pepper. Didn't feel the need to eat anything yet as I was feeling well-fuelled.<br />
<br />
AS #2 (mile 13.9) ... 2 hours, 41 minutes, 25 seconds. temps were still OK but the humidity was getting brutal. I was totally soaked. I think I ate one salty caramel GU and had taken one Salt Stick cap prior to arriving at the station. still I felt strong and did not feel the need to eat solid food. I just wanted liquids - NUUN and Dr. Pepper really hit the spot.<br />
<br />
AS #3 (mile 22.7) ... 4 hours, 32 minutes. the sun had really come out and the heat was kicking up. I was drinking only water/NUUN from my hydration pack and had eaten a couple more salty caramel GUs and a couple more Salt Stick caps. my hydration pack felt a bit light so I figured I had better fill it up with water for the last section. two more cups of Dr. Pepper and a half of a grilled cheese sandwich, and I was off. I felt strong and was still secretly hoping that if I could keep up the pace I could finish in under 6:30.<br />
<br />
the climbs between this aid station and the finish are probably the most brutal of any of the hills on this course. and it was getting hotter and sunnier. and my feet were just feeling hot and beat up. and I just wanted to sit down.<br />
<br />
FINISH (31.1 miles) ... 6 hours, 19 minutes, 32 seconds. the last 2 miles of this course have to be the hardest ... they are FLAT. and after all that climbing and descending on the trails with the tree cover around you, this flat, open section is just tough. but I worked off of the energy that I was finishing! as I watched the 100 milers and 100Kers heading back out, for once I felt really glad to not be them.<br />
<br />
after 5,459 feet of elevation gain, a lot of NUUN tabs, 7 cups of Dr. Pepper, 5 salty caramel GUs, 2+ liters of water, 4 Salt Stick caps, and my first long run in my Salomon Sense Mantras, I was done. I had been red-lining it from about mile 7, running outside of my comfort zone. and it felt good. I truly had not pushed like that in a race in a long time. and I truly felt like I was racing. it was actually kinda cool. so where did this get me?<br />
<br />
overall finish: 21st out of 133.<br />
overall female finish: 5th place.<br />
masters female finish: 1st place.<br />
and a really cool bronze finishers buckle.<br />
<br />
I thought about joe frequently while I was running. I hoped that he was having as much fun as I was. he had paced me for the last 17 miles on this course in 2011 when I ran the 100K, so I knew that he at least had some familiarity with the course. and he had been training. I just hoped that he was staying hydrated and respecting the heat. after I finished I did not shower right away because I did not want to miss joe finish. so I hung out with my friend Katherine and we waited for joe. after a while I just felt too disgusting for words (and I really smelled) and I just wanted to grab a quick shower. Katherine said she would wait for joe while I showered. I really tried to hurry but just after I showered and was dropping my junk in the car and getting ready to head over to the finish line, there comes joe and Katherine walking to the car! and joe looked good! he finished in 8:12!<br />
<br />
so it was a great day for both of us. and we both had trail tales to share on the drive home. it felt so good to have a great run, get some eats, get home, and sleep in my own bed. it was so nice to share a good day of racing with joe having a good day of racing an ultra. we haven't both had good ultra races together in quite some time. and it was nice to get up today still feeling good and ready to run (ok ... maybe not ... I still sat around and ate like it was the day after a 100 miler!). but I am really hoping to keep up the strong training and speed for Stone Cat 50 Miler. I would really like to break 10 hours there ... it seems doable but I have never been able to do it. maybe this will be the year.<br />
<br />
so for now ... my streak of crappy races has been broken and I am feeling pretty positive about my speed and endurance. hopefully it was not a fluke ...UltraChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18007841692429099250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101190814170324021.post-10962201760966407012013-02-25T12:24:00.002-05:002013-02-25T13:09:33.481-05:00Something New, Something FunOK, I admit it. I got sucked in by the schwag. I mean, really, a nice fleecey vest that represents winter as opposed to the usual race shirt that I normally get at a race any other time of the year. That's how I initially got sucked into The Febapple Frozen Fifty trail race in NJ, put on by NJ Trail Series. I saw a post from them on Facebook, promoting the race and advertising the fleece vest. And that was all it took.<br />
<br />
For the last couple of years I have done basically the same winter races and this year I was feeling in a bit of running funk. So when the opportunity to try something new came up, it was exactly what I needed. I have been longing for the trails and the opportunity to get out on them for a 50K was just too tempting. And it was just a few hours drive from home. The race offers four different distances - 10, 20, 30, or 50 miles. Thank goodness the race directors emphasize the cut-off times for the 50 miler, which really kept me from signing up for 50 miles. 50K was just right given the conditions ... some snow, lots of ice, lots of mud, puddles, and a couple of good-sized downed trees to climb over on each 10 mile loop.<br />
<br />
I didn't go into this thinking of it as a race, not that I usually have a "race mentality", but I knew that a 30 mile "race" would require something that I don't really have ... speed. So here's how the day panned out ...<br />
<br />
Prior to the start of the race it was a constant heavy mist of rain in 40-ish degree temps. I just kept hoping I brought the right clothing. I don't care about getting wet just as long as I stay warm. With a base layer of merino wool shirt, covered by a regular tech shirt and vest, tights on my legs, and gaiters, gloves, and hat, I hoped that I had enough clothing ... and I was absolutely soaked before the end of loop one, but I was warm.<br />
<br />
Loop 1 ... went out easy since I didn't know what to expect on the course. Felt surprisingly good on many of the climbs, which made me happy but left me wondering if I should be running them this early on and then have to pay for it later. Oh well, I would find out.<br />
<br />
Loop 2 ... stopped to change my wool shirt to a dry one and cover with a different light shirt to keep the wind out. This proved to be time well spent, as I stayed warm and did not have to change my clothes the rest of the run. Started this loop feeling a bit foggy, wasn't really sure what was going on since I felt fuelled and didn't think it was a fuelling issue. So I started taking more Endurolytes and getting more liquids in me, wondering if I might be a bit dehydrated. At about the 14 mile point I had a bit of a headache and since I was passing the car I stopped and grabbed a couple of Bayer Migraine pills and carried on. After a couple of miles the headache started to dissipate and I started feeling my mojo kick in and was able to run. And I felt great. Until Friday night's dinner started to kick in. I had a nice dinner of a veggie pannini, which tasted great, but I knew as soon as I bit into the sandwich that this probably was not a great idea for a pre-race meal. And then there was that artichoke dip. Well ... long story short, the work I had put in to pass some other runners bit me in the ass as I watched them pass me by while I was taking my pitstop(s). Crap. Literally. Oh well ... I wasn't in this to race anyway ... and now that all four distance racers were out on the courese I didn't even really know who was in "my race" either. So I just kept plugging along. Thank goodness the second stop was the last one.<br />
<br />
Loop 3 ... Now I really had no clue who was in my race. I started this loop out alone and on the first 4 mile-ish section I saw maybe three other runners. I passed through the start/finish area, grabbed a quick drink and saw Joe briefly. I felt great! I kicked it up a little (as much as I could without falling on the ice or slipping in the mud or slush). Eventually I saw a couple of the runners who had passed me during my "breaks". And I kicked it right by them. I stopped briefly for a drink at the final aid station and was passed by a young girl who decided not to stop. It took a while but I was finally able to catch her and then pass her. And then the fates were on my side. Long downhill section ... my long legs were able to stride it out here and build some distance. She was wearing minimalist shoes and I had my Hokas on, so I was able to bomb down on the rocky sections with no problem. We got to the giant downed tree (top of it was at my waist level and no way could you crawl under it). Once again, being tall was so helpful here ... I was able to quickly get over the tree. I still had no idea who was ahead of me or who was in my race, but eventually I came upon a girl wearing a jacket with "Drexel Squash" written on the back. I hadn't seen her since the start of our race. I just focused on catching her and eventually I did and was able to pass her on an uphill. My sole purpose from this point on was to not get passed again. And I so wanted to be under 7 hours at the finish. And I was afraid to look at my watch. So I just kept running as hard as I could.<br />
<br />
THE FINISH ... finally! There it was! I crossed the finish line in 6 hours, 40 minutes! And I had a blast! It rained a heavy mist the entire race, the course got muddier each loop, the ice seemed to get slicker, and it only got funner! And best of all, my little mental push of not wanting to get passed by those that I was finally able to pass and the fact that I just wanted to push for time got me third place female OVERALL! Those two women that I passed in the last couple of miles ... yes, they were in my race and if I hadn't pushed past them I would have ended up fifth. Again, not that I really cared about my placing, I was just so happy with my time (and the fact that I didn't fall once!), but it felt great to feel like I actually "raced" my last loop. I haven't done that in a long time.<br />
<br />
So the race distance may have been short a mile of 50K, but who cares? I still had a fun time, I pushed harder than I have in a long time, and I was just so greatful to be out on the trails again! Joe, as always, was a fantastic race volunteer and awesome crewman. This turned out to be a wonderful way to break-up the dreary winter. I plan to put this one on the calendar again for next year and I would highly recommend it. A nice little road trip, awesome volunteers, great running comraderie, and a beautiful course. All in all, a great weekend!<br />
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UltraChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18007841692429099250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101190814170324021.post-69621195806397385592013-01-29T16:28:00.002-05:002013-01-29T16:57:55.991-05:00Beast: 3, Me: 0That's it. The Winter Beast of Burden Ultra is just brutal. It seems like it should be a very doable 100 miler, yet there are some very weird factors which make it deceptively hard ... harder than any 100 miler I have finished or started/DNF'd in (and there are quite a few of those!). I have always said that the BoB is 99.5% mental. And now I believe that more than ever.<br />
<br />
I have attended every Winter Beast since its inception in 2010, but the first year they had a 24-hour event, which I wisely entered, so there was really no DNF there. And I had never run a 24-hour event before, so all I expected was to run what I could. And I did. And I had fun. Since then I have, for some silly reason, decided that I should tackle the 100 miler. 2011: ran Hartshorne Mile 1 week before the race and during the race while trying to do some speed-hiking, I pulled a groin muscle and dropped at 50 miles (I am certain the problem started with running the mile). 2012: went into the race already injured with wicked plantar fasciitis, but started to feel some healing in progress, so I decided to just see what I could do. What I did was a very painful 37.5 miles. 2013: completely healed, trained, finished a 100 miler in September, learned some knew mental tactics, and I felt totally confident that I could do it. And yet, leading up to race day, I felt excitement to run and have fun, but my heart just didn't feel the "want" or the energy that I had going into Virgil Crest. But I was certain that things would fall into place once we got to Lockport.<br />
<br />
So here is the dirt. I have found that writing race reports that I can go back to and remember things about races that I somehow forget when I get caught up in the excitement of all of my friends signing up for a race is a necessity. I will need to look back at this next year and remember why I am not signing up for the BoB 100 again. It's not that I don't love the race ... well, I don't, actually ... what I love is the people there. The volunteers. The friends. That is why I keep going back. That is why I plan to volunteer at the next one and offer to pace, if needed. The items that I will run-down here are what I need to remember as to why I love the event but why I just cannot run it anymore.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Last minute house cleaning before leaving for the weekend. Smashed my left little toe on the TV stand - same toe that I broke after Virgil Crest in September and the toe has been deformed since. Immediate tooth-grinding pain, swelling, and discoloration.</li>
<li>Fun drive to Lockport with Joe and Karen F. Good music, good eats.</li>
<li>Excellent dinner at the usual spot - DeFlippo's. It's tradition.</li>
<li>Race morning ... disappointed to find the sun shining and the temps way too hot for me at 15 degrees. I dressed warmly but minimally ... or so I thought.</li>
<li>About 3 miles into the run the sun was at our faces and what little wind there was was at our backs. Jacket off. Wished I could have taken my pants off too.</li>
<li>Excellent aid stations with my Orgain that I brought, HEED, pringles, Coke, and the most amazing grilled cheese sandwiches. This was my main diet throughout the race. I digested amazingly well.</li>
<li>Darn Tough merino wool socks that I had been running in all winter did not work so well when mixed with 5 1/2 hours of snow and sweat. My feet looked like prunes at mile 25 and a blister was starting to form on the arch of my right foot. This never happens. Foot powder and compression socks and a dry pair of Hoka Stinson Evos to the rescue. Another layer of Desitin to potential chafing areas, more grilled cheese, Coke, Orgain, and HEED and I was ready to head back out. Thank goodness the sun was going down and the temps were dropping.</li>
<li>Music on and running side-by-side with my ultra training partner Karen, we ran in seemingly perfect synergy. We didn't need to talk. We just ran a pace that we both have become accustomed to in our training.</li>
<li>Got to see the full moon rising out of the horizon ... from nothing more than a sliver on the horizon to rising fully into the sky, the perfectly circular moon shown so brightly that I didn't need my headlight for quite a while. It was quite awesome.</li>
<li>When I had to turn my light I caught sight of glow eyes on the frozen canal. A cat sat quietly in the middle of the canal as we passed by.</li>
<li>Desitin is not the perfect chafing savior that I thought it was. Or maybe it is and it was my clothing choices early on that were not so perfect. I think problems started with the fact that I had too many layers on early when it was warmer and the sweating was just too much. Couldn't wait to get back to Lockport and tend to this. I was amazingly uncomfortable.</li>
<li>The loneliness of The Beast ... and the towpath. A guy who was running his first 50 miler started to run into some mental and physical issues around 43 miles. It was funny because you could tell how much trouble he was having because he didn't want to leave us. He needed company. We'd slow down, stop for pee breaks, and he would too. It's so hard to be out on the towpath in the middle of nowhere, alone, and struggling. When it gets like this you just need to be with someone, anyone. Even if you don't know them. I'm glad we were there for him.</li>
<li>We got our new friend to his first 50 mile finish (and he said he thought it would be his last!). I still struggled with the pain of the chafing and just couldn't imagine going back out there. Reality ... I could try to fix things but if I got even only a few miles back out on the towpath and things went to shit again, I was screwed. It would be a long way to Middleport and Joe. Nope. I was done. And I was OK with it.</li>
<li>Karen was prepping to go back out, but mentally struggling, too, I think. Our hearts just were not into the run this year. So after taking three ... yes THREE ... caffeine pills in prep of heading back out for the run, Karen decided to call it a night, too.</li>
<li>All was good ... I enjoyed 50 miles of running with a good friend, got to experience the joy of helping another runner to his first finish, ate and digested amazingly well, got to run by the light of the full moon shining off of the snow ... it really couldn't get much better. And there is no "DNF" at the Beast of Burden. You don't finish your race? Then you are just plain "FD" ... fucking done. I love it. Once we were FD we drove back out to the Middleport aid station to have some beers with our friends who were manning that station (seriously, the very best part of this race is the volunteers ... it is the only reason we keep going back ... no joke). We got to Middleport and Jen tried to take down our numbers. We corrected her and told her we were done. Jen: "FD?". Me and Karen: "yup". Jen: "Thank God ... now we can have some fun!" I love it! This was the seriously best part of the race ... relaxing and enjoying time with good friends ... with good beer (appropriately, we drank Flying Dog Raging Bitch IPA). Thanks to Jen, Ginny, Nancey, Beth, and Dani who have been there with us at all 4 Winter Beasts (and all of the Summer Beasts, too). You guys are the best! And then there were the countless number of other volunteers who worked so hard to keep us runners going ... thank you!</li>
</ul>
So, the upshot of this was that my heart just wasn't into the run. I could have pressed on, it would have been ugly and painful and I would not have enjoyed it. I enjoyed the time that I was out there. I had fun with friends. I drank good beer. I ran under the full moon. That is all.<br />
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UltraChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18007841692429099250noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101190814170324021.post-14549998783857304592012-09-28T08:43:00.001-04:002012-09-28T08:43:34.593-04:00Virgil Crest 100 ... Conquering Physical And Mental LimitsI have heard the saying “do something every day that scares you”. Well, after this weekend, I’m pretty sure that I should be good for the rest of the year now. This past weekend was the Virgil Crest Ultras and it would be my fourth run there. The first year I ran this event I was content with running the 50 miler (and then working an overnight aid station, which was way fun). But the next two years I had my eye set on the 100 miler and it just never worked out and both times I stopped at 50 miles. Despite running on these trails quite a bit and knowing them pretty well, the actual race was just too hard … definitely physically, but mostly in the respect that I could not mentally get back out there on the second loop after 50 miles. That’s the hardest thing for me on multiple loop ultras … leaving the comfort of warm clothes, friends, and just getting to hang out and have a relaxing beer after a long run. But this year I found new determination. I had seen my friends at so many ultras this year and got to hang out with them and enjoy beers after tough races. So this time I just didn’t have to do that. This time I had another agenda. This time it was all about me. This time there was nothing else to do for the entire weekend but run. This time, barring any life-threatening injury, I would finish this Mother. And to further encourage myself I kept in mind that I wanted to be the first local female to complete the 100 miler on home turf … and each time it didn’t happen it would open the opportunity for someone else to step in and do it. So that’s what truly kept me focused and I just had to keep reminding myself of that. It may have been an egotistical idea, but it was something to focus on and something to keep kicking my own ass into gear with.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>Friday, September 21</strong><br />
<br />
Thank goodness for the proximity to home for this race. I had already decided that I wanted to sleep in my own bed the night before the race. It is 45 minutes from Newfield to Virgil and I had already thought about what time I would be getting up for breakfast, etc, if I stayed in Virgil the night before the race versus what time I could just roll out of my own bed, grab breakfast, and eat it on the drive to Virgil. Really, not much difference. So I decided that I would sleep much better at home. I also ditched the idea of the pre-race pasta dinner and Joe and I and our friend, Kevin (also running the 100 miler) went out to dinner. These two things, getting me away from the hype of the race, proved to be very good for me. I just needed to relax and focus on myself. 8:30pm I hit the bed, 3am I was up (a bit early, but you know … nerves …) and by 4:15am we were on the road to Virgil and the games were about to begin. And welcome to my playlist of music that helped to get me through this. I only wore my IPod during the first half of the race but there were some key songs that just stuck in my head throughout and just stuck as so appropriate in my head.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>Saturday, September 22, 6am, Hope Lake, THE START.</strong><br />
<br />
<em>Well I took a walk around the world to ease my troubled mind</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>I left my body lying somewhere in the sands of time</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>But I watched the world float to the dark side of the moon</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>I feel there is nothing I can do, yeah</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>- “Kryptonite”, 3 Doors Down</em><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Wow … there was a lot of bustling around of runners at Hope Lake and yet it didn’t seem to affect me. I got my stuff together, chatted with some friends, and just thought about a weekend of running. And nothing else. There was nothing else to do. So when we all started running at 6am I felt very much at ease.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>7:08am, Gravel Pit Aid Station, mile 4.4. </strong><br />
<br />
<em>My shadow’s the only one that walks beside me</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>My shallow heart’s the only thing that’s beating</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>Sometimes I wish someone up there will find me</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>Till then I walk alone</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>- “Boulevard Of Broken Dreams”, Green Day</em><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I could tell by the time that we would soon be hitting The Gravel Pit aid station. Looking at my watch it was maybe just a bit too fast for me, but I didn’t feel like I was pushing too hard so I was happy with the pace. And then the trail curved to the left. A bunch of us were running together and we kept running downhill for what seemed a bit too long. I didn’t remember ever running downhill this far before arriving at The Gravel Pit. After some discussion with the leaders of the pack we decided to back-track, which was a good idea because we had gone off- course. We were supposed to make a right after the left curve, which would bring us right up to The Gravel Pit. Oh well … we lost just a few minutes, but no worries. It was still way early. A couple of peanut butter crackers and a refill of GU Brew and I was off on down the trail.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>8:20am, Lift House 5 Aid Station, mile 9.7.</strong><br />
<br />
<em>There’s a lady who’s sure all that glitters is gold</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>And she’s buying a stairway to heaven</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>When she gets there she knows, if the stores are all closed</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>With a word she can get what she came for</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>Ooh, ooh, and she’s buying a stairway to heaven</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>- “Stairway To Heaven”, Led Zeppelin</em><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The section to The Lift House was just plain fun. I was still running with a lot of other runners and got to chat it up with some friends. Things were feeling pretty good. When I got to Lift House 5 (should be called Slaughter House 5?!) Joe was there waiting for me. After seeing me off at the start he went all the way out to Daisy Hollow to help set up that aid station and then hustled back to help me out. It was so good to see him, as always, and he got me out of the station in rapid fashion, fixing me up with my trekking poles and hydration pack. I threw on my iPod and I’m not joking, “Stairway To Heaven” was playing as I started to ascend the slope! How ironic! This first climb up the alpine slope is always a pisser and today was no different. And the grass was a bit slippery. So I just put my head down, focused on the music, and dug my poles into the ground.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I have to say that nothing outstanding happened during this section. I had pre-run most of the section the previous week and I knew where I was. What I wasn’t sure on was the timing of how long this section should actually take me, since it had been revised a bit from 2011. So basically I tried not to think about time and just thought that whatever time this section took me would be the baseline to go by for the next three times I would go through it.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>9:44am, Lift House 5 Aid Station, mile 13.9.</strong><br />
<br />
<em>Destination anywhere</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>East or west, I don’t care</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>You see my baby don’t want me no more</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>This old world ain’t got no back door</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>- “Destination Anywhere”, The Commitments</em><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The section ended with a long, bone-jarring, rocky, muddy downhill that I was sooooo glad when it was over. For once I couldn’t wait to get back on the flat. And at the bottom of the hill was Joe … waiting with all my needs. I had developed a bit of a hot-spot on my left big toe and also felt some rubbing on my heel. I really didn’t want to stop and fart around with getting my compression sock off to deal with this, but it was necessary. Take time to make time, I was once told by a very wise ultrarunner. Taking this time now would prevent losing time on a major fall-out later.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Joe got my tackle box out and got exactly what I needed. Nexcare waterproof tape for the toe (the stuff sticks forever and is like a second thicker skin) and moleskin for my heel. But I knew the moleskin would not survive sticking to my sweaty foot and I really did not want to keep having to change it. So I superglued it to my heel. There … that oughta hold it for a while.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>11:34am, Rock Pile Aid Station, mile 20.</strong><br />
<br />
<em>There’s a feeling I get when I look to the west</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>And my spirit is crying for leaving</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>In my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>And the voices of those who stand looking</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>Ooh, it makes me wonder</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>Ooh, it really makes me wonder</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>- “Stairway To Heaven”, Led Zeppelin</em><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
On down Tone Road, hydration pack full of GU Brew and Pringles in hand, chatting with friends. Wow, things were feeling pretty good so far. But there was still a long way to go. My big issue with the Virgil Crest course is that I have a hard time thinking of it in terms of the Virgil Crest course. I tend to fall into thinking I am somewhere along one of our other FLRC race courses. And that is disastrous because I start thinking I am closer to finishing that I really am. So I had to keep reminding myself of where I was TODAY. And also trying to not think of it in terms of mileage or landmarks … just that I was out there to run until 6pm on Sunday. And that was still a long ways away.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I ran a lot with my friend, Jim, and Colleen … both who were attempting their first 100. It was really quite nice. We talked a lot which kept us all from going out too fast. But somewhere maybe a half mile or so before we were to exit the woods onto O’Dell Road I felt that I just was losing myself. I felt like I was losing focus. Although I enjoyed running with Jim and Colleen it was time to get back into my own head. Surely I did not take off at a full sprint but I did pick up my pace just a bit and stopped talking. I had to remember what the goal was. I had to start thinking about what I would need at the next aid station.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
On the final climb up to the Rock Pile I ran into a group that was hiking down. And among that group was Joe Dabes, long time FLRC member and founder of many of our club’s trail races. Joe has also hiked the entire length of The Finger Lakes Trail. So it had some significance seeing him out here and I thought of what an honor it is to me to be able to be out on these trails for hours on end. And it felt good to tell him that I would be out here for 100 miles. It brought back the focus.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
At the top of the climb was the reward of food, drink, and people. It was a regular party! But it was get in, get out. No time to waste when I was still feeling good and there was no need to stop. I quickly filled my pack, downed a vanilla bean Orgain, grabbed some chips, got a kiss from my wingman, Joe, and I was off.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>1:01pm, Daisy Hollow Aid Station, mile 25.1.</strong><br />
<br />
<em>But I set fire to the rain</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>Watched it pour as I touched your face</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>Let it burn while I cry</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>‘Cause I heard it screaming out your name, your name</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>- “Set Fire To The Rain”, Adele</em><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Once again, seriously, the appropriate song was playing on my iPod. Wow, I was still feeling good and got to run a bit with my friend, Eva, who was running the 50 miler. And then the rain started. Lightly at first, which was a bit refreshing. That did not last long. The wind picked up and the rain came down heavier and in bigger drops. I tried to feed off of the energy from Eva’s recent 100 mile run, which she ran in some pretty wicked rain, and she persevered. I tried to stay positive but secretly I wished that the rain would stop.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I had already started seeing some of the 50 milers and a few of the 100 milers already heading back from the turn-around at Daisy Hollow. This is always cool, getting to cheer others on and see how my friends are doing. Somewhere along the way I ran into Gerrit, another first-time 100 miler, who was way ahead of me and looking strong. He stopped to give me a hug, which I was so needing at that point. Usually somewhere around 20 miles, in any ultra, I start hitting a low point. I am never sure why. I’m not tired. I’m not overwhelmed. It’s just what happens and I know it will and I expect it. And I just have to work through it. This hug and a bit of encouragement came at just the right time.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Arriving at Daisy Hollow is always a wonderful time for me. It’s the Finger Lakes Runners Club aid station and my friends are there and it’s such a wonderful pick-me-up. And Joe was there waiting with my needs. I had already told him when I saw him at the Rock Pile that I wanted to change my shorts and shirt and I was glad that I did, since the rain had really soaked me. Wonderful oatmeal raisin cookies courtesy of Laura Voorhees, some hot broth, mashed potatoes, and warm dry clothes, and I was ready to go again. Not with the idea that I was “halfway done” with the first loop, but more with the idea that I was only one quarter of the way there … and still with a long way to go. But the focus for now was just to get back to the Rock Pile.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>2:38pm, Rock Pile Aid Station, mile 30.2.</strong><br />
<br />
<em>Sometimes you picture me, I’m walking too far ahead</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>You’re calling to me, I can’t hear what you said</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>Then you say, go slow and I fall behind</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>The second hand unwinds</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>- “Time After Time”, Cyndi Lauper</em><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Excellent. I still felt like I was on pace where I needed to be. I was glad to get back to the Rock Pile to see Joe and my pacer, Karen, who was working the day shift here. I had been hydrating well and the GU Brew was working quite well for me and I just needed a refill here and then move on. But … what? What’s that in the cooler? Not GU Brew but strawberry HEED. Now I can tolerate HEED and I really don’t mind it, but my stomach was doing well on the GU Brew and I really didn’t want to tempt things by switching the drink. Thank goodness I had some single serving packets of the GU Brew with me and was able to mix up enough to refill my pack. I think I had a few chips here but not really much to eat since I still felt pretty full. My head was clear and I just wanted to get down off of the mountain, so off I went.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>4:23pm, Lift House 5 Aid Station, mile 36.3.</strong><br />
<br />
<em>I walk a lonely road</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>The only one that I have ever know</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>Don’t know where it goes</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>But it’s home to me and I walk alone</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>- “Boulevard Of Broken Dreams”, Green Day</em><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Again I ran a bit with Jim and Colleen, but eventually again had to just be by myself. As much as I enjoy the socializing that comes with running ultras, when I’m in the game I just have to be alone. I am much tougher when I’m alone; running with someone else makes me do things that I really should not be doing.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Things were still feeling pretty decent when I got to the Lift House. I got a bit to eat, I think I drank another Orgain, grabbed my trekking poles, and headed out. I was really trying to focus on not spending too much time at the aid stations, sitting only for a few minutes to take some of the pressure off of my back. I knew that as the time went on, time at the aid stations would become longer and I felt that I needed save some time here now to use it later.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
And basically, it was just me by myself on this loop. Me and my thoughts of how horrible it was doing this loop in reverse. Way harder. And I hated it. And I cursed it the entire time.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>5:58pm, Lift House 5 Aid Station, mile 40.5.</strong><br />
<br />
<em>I walk this empty street</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>On the boulevard of broken dreams</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>Where the city sleeps</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>And I’m the only one and I walk alone</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>- “Boulevard Of Broken Dreams”, Green Day</em><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Once at the bottom of the alpine loop, all the pain, all the hate, all the cursing just disappeared. I didn’t want to think about it anymore. I just wanted to get going to meet my pacer at The Gravel Pit. My head was still clear, my feet in pretty good shape, and my stomach holding things down. My pacer, Karen, was here to give me some good thoughts, and I knew that Joe would get her to our meeting place. My anxiety over this was relieved. I grabbed some food and started walking. I also grabbed my headlight as I remember getting caught in the dark in the woods just before The Gravel Pit last year. And so far I was still pretty much holding to the same pace as last year.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>7:45pm, Gravel Pit Aid Station, mile 45.8.</strong><br />
<br />
<em>I watched the world float to the dark side of the moon</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>After all I knew it had to be something to do with you</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>I really don’t mind what happens now and then</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>As long as you’ll be my friend at the end</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>- “Kryptonite”, 3 Doors Down</em><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The wind had picked up a bit and the temps dropped a little, but I was still comfortable in a short sleeve shirt with arm warmers on. Love the arm warmers … easy to peel down when I’m warm, pull ‘em up when I’m cold. Nice … I even felt good to run for a bit, being very careful as I crossed through the dreadful spot where Joe had fallen and broken his finger last month. There was even a bit of thunder and lightning as I passed through this area. Eerie.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
By the time I reached the aid station my stomach was a bit of a wreck. Nothing sounded good. Joe had multiple suggestions and I wanted none of them. Finally I felt like nothing was going to be OK so I just needed to try something. Anything. So I tried some pierogies. Not a good choice but I choked down a couple of them and some soda and called it good. I just wanted to get to Hope Lake and make the turn-around.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
In the past I have told Karen to just meet me at Hope Lake, mile 50. I just always thought it would be easier. But let me just say that for the past two years I had felt good at The Gravel Pit and then something would just happen to me in those next 4+ miles and by the time I got to Hope Lake I was done. This year I was not going to let that happen and that’s why I had Karen meet me at The Gravel Pit. I wanted to make sure she was prepared to make me mentally ready to get in and get out of the transition.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>9:04pm, Hope Lake Aid Station, mile 50.2.</strong><br />
<br />
<em>In the middle of the night</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>I go walking in my sleep</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>Through the jungle of doubt</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>To a river so deep</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em><br /></em>
<em><br /></em>
<em>I know I’m searching for something</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>Something so undefined</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>That it can only be seen</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>By the eyes of the blind</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>- “River Of Dreams”, Billy Joel</em><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
OK, things were still going good. I was on a good pace, comparable to last year when I had planned to keep going on for the 100 until my brain took over. Thank goodness for Karen being with me because I was feeling just a hint like I could have easily been done at this point … nothing physically making me want to stop, but again … the mental thing.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
We pulled into Hope Lake and it was straight to Joe who had all my stuff ready as I had requested. Time for a night time clothing change and finally a new sock change. I really didn’t want to change the socks and disturb my taping, but the socks were quite disgusting by now and I knew that just having fresh socks on would refresh me. Wow … when I pulled off my socks, the toe tape was a bit loose but still intact. The moleskin was still holding firmly superglued to my heel. I changed the toe tape and pulled new socks on.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Refilled the pack with water, grabbed some potatoes and broth, loaded up with some spare batteries for the headlight (after putting new ones into my dying light), and we were off again. Spirits were high … we were on our way out for the first time!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>10:49, Gravel Pit Aid Station, mile 54.6.</strong><br />
<br />
<em>If I go crazy then will you still call me Superman?</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>If I’m alive and well, will you be there holding my hand</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>I’ll keep you by my side with my superhuman might</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>Kryptonite</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>- “Kryptonite”, 3 Doors Down</em><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Wow, the trail was a bit sloppier than it had been the first time out. Honestly, beyond that, I remember very little about this stop. All I remember is heading down the trail after this, still talking with Karen and Emanuel, who was without a pacer and had joined us. The three of us worked our way through the technical sections and just talked. It was really fun.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
And then the wind picked up. And I could hear the rain hitting the trees, but it didn’t sound too heavy. But I could just feel that when we hit Carson Road and stepped out of the protection of the trees we were going to get spanked.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
And spanked we got. Right in the face with high winds and stinging cold rains. It was brutal and all we could do was try to run as hard as we could to get to the next aid station and dry clothes and cover. Our sprint was short lived and we all just finally gave into the fact that we were wet and nothing would change that.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>12:38am, Lift House 5 Aid Station, mile 59.9.</strong><br />
<br />
<em>But hold on to what you believe in the light</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>When the darkness has robbed you of all your sight</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>So hold on to what you believed in the light</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>- “Hold On To What You Believe”, Mumford & Sons</em><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Of course by the time we reached the Lift House station, the rain and wind had stopped. Of course. But at least this gave us the opportunity to change into dry clothes without soaking the new stuff. Dry clothes, a bit to eat, trekking poles in hand, and up the ski slope we went. And I dreaded every section that was muddy earlier … what the hell was I going to see this time around?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Fortunately it was not as bad as I had expected. The skies had cleared and it was an absolutely amazing and beautiful experience on the top of that ski slope. The stars were amazing! At least from what I could see looking straight out; each time I tried to look up at the sky I got a bit dizzy. But what an awesome experience; so worth being out there.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>2:28am, Lift House 5 Aid Station, mile 64.1.</strong><br />
<br />
<em>All through the night</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>I’ll be awake and I’ll be with you</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>All through the night</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>This precious time, when time is new</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>Oh, all through the night today</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>Knowing that we feel the same without sayin’</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em><br /></em>
<em><br /></em>
<em>We have no past, we won’t reach back</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>Keep with me forward all through the night</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>And once we start, the meter clicks</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>And it goes running all through the night</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>Until it ends there is no end</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>- “All Through The Night”, Cyndi Lauper</em><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
First order of business here was to change my shoes. Crossing the little creek coming into the aid station I stumbled and stepped right into it. Crap! Thank goodness for Joe being there with my second pair of Hoka Stinson Evos. My socks weren’t too bad so I left those alone. I wanted more time to eat. I had been craving tapioca pudding for probably the last 45 minutes. Unfortunately I discovered earlier that I must have forgotten it at home. Really? The one thing that I so really wanted and was sure my stomach could handle. I really, really wanted it and when I get my heart set on something it’s hard to take something else. But when I got to the aid station my friend Ryan was sitting there eating … what? … pudding! Holy crap! I just about jumped him for it! “Ryan, where did you get that pudding?!” He had some extra in his drop bag and offered it to me and I just snarfed that right down and man, was it good! Now that’s what I’m talking about! That did so much for me mentally.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
OK, time to go. This time out I decided to take my trekking poles with me, as I wasn’t sure of how steady I would be on the trail in the dark. This proved to be a really good idea.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>5:19am, Rock Pile Aid Station, mile 70.2.</strong><br />
<br />
<em>There is a house in New Orleans</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>They call the Rising Sun</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>And it’s been the ruin of many a poor boy</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>And God, I know I’m one</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>- “House Of The Rising Sun”, The Animals</em><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
We moved along at a pretty good clip, I think, considering the technical trail and the dark. I had almost thought of leaving my jacket at the aid station, since the rain had stopped, but then decided to bring it with me just in case the rain started again. Really good idea. I had forgotten just how cold it gets up on top of Virgil Mountain and Greek Peak at night. I am certain it was in the low 40s. So when I slipped and fell into the cold wet mud, it wasn’t exactly refreshing, but the jacket kept most of it from completely penetrating my clothes. From that moment on, things changed. One minute I was moving right along with no problem, the next it all went to hell. No warning. No nausea. Just puking out of the blue. And as I puked I peed my pants. Repeatedly. It was really quite glamorous. And all Karen could do was put her arm on my shoulder and steady me. Fear just fell over me. I have never puked during an ultra of any distance. I get a bit queasy but I never vomit. What if it didn’t stop? I wasn’t even to 70 miles and there was no way to keep going without being able to keep food and drink down. So I sat on a log and pondered this as I puked some more. Finally it seemed to stop so I decided to try walking. So far, so good.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Finally the lights leading us up to the Rock Pile came into view. Thank goodness! We got to the station and the RD, Ian, was there. This gave me a little boost to see a friend and for him to see that I was still trying. So I sat down, chewed some TUMS and sipped some Dr. Pepper. I tried to eat some pretzels and got maybe three down. I felt that there was really no reason to sit here any longer; I didn’t want to get chilled and I felt like I could at least walk. My stomach felt a bit more settled but I didn’t dare tempt fate by putting more food in. Better just leave well enough alone.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>7:32am, Daisy Hollow Aid Station, mile 75.3.</strong><br />
<br />
<em>And it’s whispered that soon if we all call the tune</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>Then the piper will lead us to reason</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>And a new day will dawn for those who stand long</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>And the forests will echo with laughter</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>- “Stairway To Heaven”, Led Zeppelin</em><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Well, having eaten only three pretzels soon caught up to me. One minute I was feeling pretty decent, well aware of my surroundings, the next minute it was pure tunnel vision. My head was foggy and even though I could still see what was going on around me, occasionally grunting and bitching a bit to Karen just to let her know I was still alive, it was like I was in some kind of daydream. It was pure focus on the straight ahead, one foot in front of the other. Looking at anything at my sides was too dangerous because that would make me very unsteady. I could definitely feel my body draining of energy and by the time I reached Daisy Hollow I knew that I just needed to fuel up A LOT. Joe was there waiting for me and a couple of friends, Will and Kevin, were hanging out around the fire warming up. Joe asked what I needed but I just couldn’t come up with anything. Nothing sounded good. Everything he suggested to me just turned my stomach. And then I remembered the Ithaca ginger beer that I had in the cooler. Joe grabbed that straight away and immediately I could feel the ginger working its magic. FYI … REAL ginger beer is an essential during an ultra. WOW, what a difference that made. And then Karen suggested changing my shoes. Thank goodness I brought my third pair of Hokas, the Stinson Bs. Normally they are a bit wide for my liking for trail running. At this point they were absolutely perfect for my swollen feet. And they were heaven. Finally able to tolerate something more than the ginger beer, I downed an Orgain, grabbed the remainder of my oatmeal raisin cookies for later on, and we were off. I told Karen that I wanted to leave the station by 8am and by my watch I believe we were out of there by 7:59. We were not moving at lightning speed, but we were moving and going in the right direction. And that’s all that mattered. We met up with a few more people that were coming in to the aid station as we were leaving so I knew that I was somewhere near last place, but that was OK. Place didn’t matter. All that mattered was staying ahead of the cut-offs.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>9:56am, Rock Pile Aid Station, mile 80.4.</strong><br />
<br />
<em>If there’s a bustle in the hedgerow, don’t be alarmed now</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>It’s just a spring clean for the May queen</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>There’s still time to change the road you’re on</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>And it makes me wonder</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>- “Stairway To Heaven”, Led Zeppelin</em><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Just before reaching the last climb to the Rock Pile I could see a couple of people on the trail up ahead. Now I was wide awake and had regained focus. It’s amazing what the sun of a new day can do for you when you have been up for more than 24 hours. When we finally reached these people I could see that it was Joe and another runner’s crewman. Man it was good to see him and let him know that I had turned the corner on feeling like shit. At least I felt like fresh shit now.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
When we reached the Rock Pile it was nearly all disassembled except for a table of a few things. That was OK … all I wanted was the Orgain from my drop bag and a bit of Dr. Pepper. Solid food didn’t even sound tempting in the least. A refill of my pack with water and it was onward with my only focus of getting back down to Tone Road.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
We got a super treat up on the power lines on Virgil Mountain … Joel C. had driven up there and was giving us some good cheer. Man, it was good to see another friend out there. Karen was still doing an amazing job of keeping me preoccupied … pretty damn impressive since she had been on the go basically as long as I had. What a superwoman!!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
We picked our way down Virgil Mountain … a challenging feat even on fresh legs. I thought it would never end. I got a bit ahead of Karen, but I figured if I kept moving I could get to the next aid station a bit ahead of her, get some eats and drinks and be ready for her when she got there.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>12:11pm, Lift House 5 Aid Station, mile 86.5.</strong><br />
<br />
<em>When I find myself in times of trouble</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>Mother Mary comes to me</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>Speaking words of wisdom, let it be</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>- “Let It Be”, The Beatles</em><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I arrived at the aid station to the cheers of Joe and my next pacer, Diane Y. I so needed to sit down just for a few minutes, just to ease the pain in my back and knees from coming down off of that steep descent. It was immediate relief. Jim H. was working the aid station and told me what the cut-off was for the next section. Crap! It didn’t sound very good … actually it was pretty tight and I worried immediately whether I could make it or not. Fortunately he soon realized that his time was off and corrected himself and the new time was much more to my liking. I was still like an hour ahead of the cut-off. Perfect. Another Orgain down and I was ready to go.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Karen’s work was done. She did a FANTASTIC job of getting me through the night and through 40+ miles. What an amazing woman! I could not have done this without her. Now it was time for her well-deserved rest and time for Diane to take over. So off we went, me and Diane.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>1:48pm, Lift House 5 Aid Station, mile 90.7.</strong><br />
<br />
<em>Look around me</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>I can see my life before me</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>Running rings around the way</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>It used to be</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em><br /></em>
<em><br /></em>
<em>I am older now</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>I have more than what I wanted</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>But I wish that I had started</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>Long before I did</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>- “Wasted On The Way”, Crosby, Stills, and Nash</em><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Diane was wide awake and fresh and talkative. Having someone new to relay the night’s events to was fun. But that energy quickly drained from me as we neared the top of the alpine slopes. We did pass one person on the climb up, though, so that was encouraging. And then at the top of the slope, what the hell was that? A pick-up truck? Really? The truck was coming down the slope toward us and the driver asked if that was a dirt road we just came out of. We answered yes … obviously he was not someone helping with the race as I had previously thought. He drove onto the dirt road and I thought out loud to Diane “I wonder if he knows there is no outlet from that?” We got a bit of a chuckle from this and then thought we better get outta there before he came back looking for us!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The sun was out in full-force and the heat had kicked-up. Where did my perfect overcast day go? Oh yeah … that was yesterday. The view from the top was simply stunning and amazingly a lot of the slick mud spots had dried quite a bit, making the footing much better. I had envisioned sliding down some of the spots on my fanny.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
We made it to the bottom still standing vertical. My knees were screaming despite the assistance of the trekking poles and the knee straps that I had on. When I got to the bottom I knew exactly what I wanted and I didn’t want to waste any time. Joe and Karen were there just waiting to keep me going. Ice water in the pack, cold Dr. Pepper to drink, and Pringles to eat on the fly. That’s all I needed; it was time to get this baby done. There was still time to blow this and I wanted to make sure that didn’t happen … and in my mind, as long as I didn’t stop too long, I was going to get it done. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>3:33pm, Gravel Pit Aid Station, mile 96.</strong><br />
<br />
<em>Another shot before we kiss the other side</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>Tonight, yeah baby, tonight, yeah baby</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>I’m on the edge of something final</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>We call life tonight, alright, alright</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>- “Edge Of Glory”, Lady GaGa</em><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
We walked and jogged a bit down Tone Road and power hiked it up Carson. Man, that sun was just brutal! Thank goodness for the occasional breeze, but I couldn’t wait to get in to the shade of the woods. And I was so grateful when we turned back into the woods.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Diane just kept talking … about everything and anything … and I was pretty much limited to one-word grunts at this point. It was just good to have someone talk without expecting me to answer and the distraction was so nice. We power hiked and jogged off and on and picked our way through the technical section. Once out of the major root tripping sections we actually ran for a bit. And amazingly it felt good. Just before reaching the Gravel Pit we passed another runner and his pacer, who had seen me when I was dying back at Daisy Hollow. He commented on how good it was to see that I had recovered. It really is welcoming when others notice this change in you and I try to be vigilant of it when I see others so I can encourage them.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
At the Gravel Pit Joe was waiting for me, offering me a chair. Nope. No time. I took two cups of Coke and just said “I gotta go”. One kiss and we were off running. In my messed up mind I was still worried about the cut-off for finishing. And once passing someone I really did not want to get passed back. I wasn’t winning this thing, but it just felt great to be able to pick someone off.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I had no idea where I was on this trail. I had never seen it in the light before. Diane kept asking me where we were and how much further and I was totally clueless. It seemed like it took forever to reach the crossing at Clute Road … with at least three gigantic cruel speed bumps coming down the last section of trail. They might as well have been mountains!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
FINALLY we crossed Clute Road. As we headed down Vinnedge Road I could see someone up ahead coming toward us, yelling at us. Damned if I could tell who it was, but I just knew it meant we were nearing the end. Diane kept yelling that I was getting this done, that I was finishing, that I conquered this baby, and all I could do was just grunt. I didn’t even have the energy to start celebrating. At this point I knew by the time that I would finish well under the cut-off, but my energy was just drained. I felt like I could have fallen asleep standing up.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
We finally reached the person who was coming at us and it was Audrey … another fresh friendly face encouraging me. Man this was so cool! Thinking about it now, I wish I’d had the energy to celebrate this moment a bit more. But I had nothing. I just wanted to be done and sit down. And have a beer. So we pushed on down the road which seemed excessively long. I didn’t remember being on this road for this long before. Finally after we had gone for some distance I told Diane that I didn’t think that the turn was this far down the road. Now common sense says that since we didn’t pass any opening into the woods as we were going along that we obviously had not reached the turn yet. Yet I was certain that I was not supposed to be going this long on this road. So Diane ran ahead and finally found the trail head as I just stood there in a cloud of confusion. Finally … the turn to home.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
As we hit the final black top sidewalk stretch that rounds Hope Lake I could hear foot steps behind us. I thought for sure it was the runner we had passed just before the Gravel Pit. But I turned around to find Will making a strong comeback! Holy crap … where did he come from? Will was smiling and energetic and tried to get me to run to the finish with him, but I knew that rounding the lake was further than it seemed and I didn’t want to start my victory run too soon.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Coming around the lake we could hear the cheers coming from the finish line. This was it; I was going to finish. I fought back the tears and tried to run as hard as I could and not look like total crap when I came into the finish. No good … I looked like crap. Diane was awesome and did a fantastic job getting me through those last 13.5 miles. I know I was not the best company and she just kept on talking whether I responded or not. That was what I needed.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>Sunday, September 23, 4:56pm, Hope Lake FINISH LINE, mile 100.4!!!!!!</strong><br />
<br />
<em>I am woman, hear me roar</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>In numbers too big to ignore</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>And I know too much to go back an’ pretend</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>‘Cause I’ve heard it all before</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>And I’ve been down there on the floor</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>No one’s ever gonna keep me down again</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em><br /></em>
<em><br /></em>
<em>Oh yes, I am wise</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>But it’s wisdom born of pain</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>Yes, I’ve paid the price</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>But look how much I’ve gained</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>If I have to, I can do anything</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>I am strong</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>I am invincible</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>I am woman</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em><br /></em>
<em><br /></em>
<em>You can bend but never break me</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>‘Cause it only serves to make me</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>More determined to achieve my final goal</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>And I come back even stronger</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>Not a novice any longer</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>‘Cause you’ve deepened the conviction in my soul</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>- “I Am Woman”, Helen Reddy</em><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I crossed the finish line in 34 hours, 56 minutes … the longest I have ever run! I fell directly into Joe’s arms and couldn’t hold the tears back any longer. I did it. I finished. Wow. What an amazing feeling! I dropped to the ground and received my first ever 100 mile buckle and an awesome beer cup from Ian. Joel immediately filled my cup with beer and that IPA never tasted so good! I was immediately re-awakened and so happy to be with my friends. All the pain … it was gone. At least for the moment. I felt totally revived. Thank you to Ian for giving me the challenge of a lifetime, for helping me to find out what I really can do and just how tough I can be. Thank you to Joe for taking such great care of me and knowing what I needed when I sure as hell didn’t. Thanks to Karen and Diane for taking good care of me on the trail … for getting me through so many tough miles. You two are tough ladies. And I know that I can’t thank any of you enough … the only way that I could think of to really thank you was to finish. To let you know that your time out there was not wasted. And thank you to all the countless volunteers who were out there day and night and day again … especially waiting for those of us at the bitter end. You all were amazing!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
It is so hard to leave the race site after the race … all I want to do is just celebrate the moment with everyone. Everyone who conquered the 50 and 100 mile distances … we were amazing! But finally it was time to go. Time to prepare to get back to reality.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
And the totally best part about this race? Seriously? The just 45 minutes drive to our house, to the comfort of our own home and a hot shower. Joe and I made a stop at the State Diner … I wasn’t sure which meal to eat but I knew that I had missed breakfast and that’s what I craved. Coffee, omelet, home fries, toast. I wanted it all. And I ordered a second order of it plus some rice pudding for the just-in-case moment of hunger in the middle of the night. And I did get up around 2:30am for a snack of mac ‘n cheese, rice pudding, and beer. And hit the rest of the food a few hours later. Man, I love recovery!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
So that’s the story. For once I didn’t cry during the race. My whining (out loud) was limited. I kept a pretty clear brain most of the time. I had only fleeting hallucinations, seeing branches and rocks that I thought were animals. It was the ideal run that I had been hoping for. And as I whined the last few miles and cursed the hills and rocks, swearing that if I was to get this done I would never have to do it again … I now wonder. The hard work was so worth it. I enjoyed every moment. And I’m already thinking about going for it again next year. No guts, no glory. This was the best challenge ever! I came out of this with only one blister and soon-to-be couple less toenails. Zero chafing. It was a good weekend on the trails.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
And that moleskin I had superglued to my heel? It fell right off at the end of the race!<br />
<br />
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UltraChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18007841692429099250noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101190814170324021.post-39335392076955521772012-08-22T09:42:00.000-04:002012-08-22T09:42:32.978-04:00yup ... once again, it's been awhile ...as always, i have good intentions of keeping up with this blog. and then reality hits. i don't know what happens; i gather all of my thoughts when i am out running, compose what i want to write, and yet, somehow just getting on the blog just doesn't seem to happen. thinking about it, i think i have facebook to blame for that. getting ready for races, exchanging training thoughts, reminiscing after races ... it all happens instantaneously on facebook. so when i think i want to get on the blog i guess i just feel like i am repeating myself. so thinking about groups of events and coming to conclusions seems like a good thing to blog about now ... it just takes more time. so here goes.<br />
<br />
i have been <em>dealing with</em> plantar fasciitis since last fall ... and i have to say <em>dealing with</em> because i think this is a problem that never actually goes away for good, but can be overcome and put into a dormant state. i no longer have the heal pain but find a "stiff" foot after i sit for long periods and when i get up in the morning. pain in the butt, yes, but a good reminder to stretch; something that i am very bad about doing. and yes, i am still running in the Hokas ... and still love, love, love them! have actually only found one race that i wanted to chuck them at, but other than that they are my savior. so here's what i've been up to ... me and my Hokas ... and of course, my best crew man, love of my life, Joe ...<br />
<br />
June: got through the 24th running of The Finger Lakes Fifties. my chance to put on a big party of running for others. i love this. stressful? definitely. exhausting? like you wouldn't believe. harder than any ultra i have actually run. worth it? oh yes! however, getting ready for and cleaning up after this event takes me away from my own actual running for a couple of months. but seeing the runners on race day quickly brings me back to wanting to hit the trails for endless hours.<br />
<br />
July: my get-my-shit-back-together month and get actually training again. this year "training" actually meant running The Escarpment Trail Run in the Catskills. i have a love-hate relationship with this run. it is, by far, one of the toughest runs that i have ever done. it is a mere 18.6 miles ... but with 10,000 feet of elevation gain and loss and ALL TRAIL. there are climbs and descents that scare the hell out of me. and this year it was pouring rain for hours before the start and the fog left the visibility ... well ... something to be desired. best thing about that, though, was that i couldn't see off of the mountain while trying to ascend my nemesis, blackhead mountain. this was my first really technical run with my new Hoka Stinson Evos and they held-up like champs! my feet felt great the whole way! i am certain this was the funnest run i have ever done out of the eight times that i have run this race.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-size: x-small;">(view of North/South Lakes from North Point ... a mere 2.5 miles from the finish)</span><br />
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August: just two weeks after Escarpment came the Wildcat Ridge Romp in NJ. here there was the choice of several different distances and i opted for the 50K, as did joe. things didn't start out so good when just two days before the race joe and i went out for a little easy trail run to enjoy our 10th anniversary and get one last light run in before the race. but just 3/4 mile into the run ... SPLAT! ... and i look back and there's joe on the ground ... not getting up. at closer inspection i find that his right pinky finger is quite deformed and thinking that it is dislocated and knowing that the longer something is dislocated the harder it is to get back in place, i offer to fix it right there. joe was a trooper and let me yank on his finger, which after a couple of yanks did not look anything like what a finger should look like. here's why ...<br />
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so joe is doing much better now after seeing the orthopedist and luckily avoiding surgery ... mostly because there is no good way to surgically fix this thing. so for now he is just having to behave himself and not run ... or fall.<br />
<br />
but back to the Wildcat. what a race! holy crap ... that was the hardest 50K i have ever done! elevation not so bad, but the rocks and the footing were brutal! 8 hours, 25 minutes! good time on my feet, excellent training, but ... WOW! good times and great fun with friends!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> <span style="color: red;">"clean" runners ... obviously pre-race!</span></span><br />
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and then, just this past weekend, joe and i made our bi-annual trek to lockport for the Beast of Burden ultra. normally i run the winter race and joe runs the summer. this year joe decided (prior to his accident) not to run the summer race. so i, for once, made a realistic choice ... to run the 50 miler and not attempt the 100. this race is just too damn much fun with the other runners and the volunteers. i want to have fun with them. yes, definitely run, but i want time to just hang out and have a good time. so the 50 was a good choice for this. and then my friend karen decided to go for the 100 and go after the "Double Buckle" (completing both the winter and summer 100s in the same year). very cool. i got my 50 miles done, but let me just say it wasn't easy! that flatness is tough! walk, run, whatever ... it's the same muscles groups working over and over. my hip flexors never hurt this bad on the mountains! so i got my 50 done and was sure i would be crippled the next day. joe was awesome crew for me, for karen, and for johnny and mo from NJ ... and probably helping so many others along the way! i woke up sunday morning after about 5 hours of sleep and stood up, walked, and felt pretty damn good! the Hokas kept my feet in great shape! joe and i quickly realized that we needed to get ourselves out to the Middleport turn-around so that we could catch karen as she headed back for her final trip along the canal. and we got there just in time! she was all set to head out! i was hoping she would want company (she normally goes it alone without a pacer) and she willingly accepted the idea. i quickly threw on my running clothes, grabbed a waffle from the aid station, and we headed out. unfortunately i had not had my coffee yet and with the adrenaline rush of almost missing karen, i forgot to grab any caffeine, and a couple of miles into the run my head started to feel a bit foggy. fortunately joe caught us along the way and got my cold coffee to me. cold or not, it was exactly what i needed. and karen was doing awesome and i didn't want to hold her back because i was decaffeinated. coffee, donuts, and some love at the Gasport aid station, and we were on our way to karen claiming the Double Buckle! and we made it and she was awesome! i am so glad we got out to Middleport in time ... it was a great honor to pace my friend to her finish and a great confidence booster for me ... getting going again early in the morning after a tough 50 miles just hours before.<br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-small;">the many emotions and friendships of BoB ...</span><br />
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and so that's what's the summer of running and fun has been. i can't wait for the fall and cooler temps and the beauty of the falling leaves and muddy trails. and the upcoming celebration of Virgil Crest Ultras ... where the whole damn crazy bunch of us will reunite on the trails and push our mental and physical limits once again!UltraChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18007841692429099250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101190814170324021.post-19434894829043657562012-06-07T17:51:00.000-04:002012-06-07T17:51:27.939-04:00SERIOUSLY?! OH YES.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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oh. my. god. freaking amazing! i have tried so many different running shoes ... different styles, different brands, and really thought that the "minimalist" movement was the way to go. i enjoyed some fast (for me) times, the feeling of light feet and being able to feel the ground under my feet as i ran in my minimal shoes. and then injury happened in the form of plantar fasciitis and i was brought back to mortality. since pretty much in remission of the PF i have still struggled with finding the right "fit" for my feet. the minimalist shoes didn't work for me any more and just the thought of the PF kept me from even considering going back to them. i have seen the Hoka One One sneakers and my initial thought was ... NO FREAKING WAY. aside from the ridiculous appearance, it just didn't seem right to have a sole so thick that i might break my ankle if i should fall off of the shoes! and how could you possibly navigate gnarly trails without "feeling" the ground under your feet? and then it was suggested that i just try on a pair. well, a few steps in those babies and i was hooked. they are like pillows under your feet! i got right on it and got me a pair of the Hoka One One Stinson Bs. day one, right out of the box, 8.5 miles ... ON PAVEMENT! cannot even remember the last time i did this - or wanted to do this. no feeling of clumsiness, no tripping over my own feet, no twisting of the ankles or falling off of the shoes that i feared. and best of all ... NO PAIN. and it was actually fun! i felt like i was floating. no foot pain. no knee pain. no back tightness. these shoes are the clydesdale's dream! finally ... a shoe built for my, ummmm, stature. and despite their bulky appearance, these shoes are feather light ... kind of like me.<br />
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a friend of mine wore the Hokas at MMT 100 this year and thought they were amazing. and i know just how horrible the rocks of MMT are, so this says a lot. and now that i am armed with this ammunition i did something that i swore i would never do again ... i registered for The Escarpment Trail Run (30K) in the catskills. i have done this race 7 times and it's gnarly and it's a bitch. but i can't tell you how much i am looking forward to tackling #8 in the Hokas.<br />
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AND i can't wait to tear-up the FLAT Erie Canal Towpath in them at the summer Beast of Burden. and the rocks, roots, and hills of Virgil Crest. and i am actually going to tackle a ROAD RACE - something i haven't done in ages - at the CanLake 50K in october. these shoes have brought new life to my running, which has really been struggling for a while. they are the physical and mental answer that i have been looking for. i feel like a kid again!<br />
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so, conclusion? who the hell cares what these shoes look like ... especially in the very slight size 10.5 men's that i wear?! these shoes are awesome and i am hooked! the only downside? the price. they are a bit pricey, but can you really put a price on happiness? apparently so. but running is my sanity and it's a small price to pay for staying sane.UltraChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18007841692429099250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101190814170324021.post-20044169087454934672012-05-23T12:33:00.002-04:002012-05-26T09:48:38.173-04:00Catching Up and Cutting Back<div>
holy crap ... seriously? my last post was february? man i am getting pitiful at keeping up this blog. and time just seems to be getting away from me. well, let's go back to what i've been up to ...<br />
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march - signed up for the NJ Ultra Fest 100 Miler. thought of cutting it back to the 50 Miler but things seemed to be going good with the foot with my training, so i thought "why not?" so i thought i would go for the 100M and see what i could do, since i was pretty sure that i could make it to 50 miles and if that is what i signed up for then i would certainly not try to push any further and i wanted to test the hoof and see where i was at. so here's how things went down ...</div>
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loop 1 - 1:49. too fast. i knew it, but i didn't feel like i was going too fast and i had even included some walking. stretched my foot/calf, restocked my fuel, and headed back out.</div>
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loop 2 - 2:05. still too fast. and it was warming up and the sun was out. still fuelling good and feeling strong and the foot was still doing great.</div>
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loop 3 - 2:24. it appears by the time that i was getting my pace "normalized" but not really. still too fast ... the time just accounts for a bit of a bathroom break, eating, and socializing. foot still doing great.</div>
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loop 4 - 2:27. same as loop 3. really, still too fast. more socializing and another bathroom break.</div>
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loop 5 - 2:33. starting to slow some, but this time included clothing change and a longer period of stretching of my foot and leg. mentally getting tired of the flatness of the course and my hip flexors were started to wince just a bit. but i wasn't tired and i just needed to keep moving. so i did.</div>
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loop 6 - 2:57. really starting to tire of the flatness now. really wished i had some hills to stretch out my legs better. felt that i really was not fuelling that great now ... would have liked more "real food" and just wasn't getting what i need into me. but was getting enough energy from honey stinger waffles to keep moving. around mile 56 my right foot started to have intermittent twinges of pain in the heel and i got really nervous about the PF. it nagged me all the way back to mile 60 and that is when i decided that enough was enough. no way i was going to push it and end up flaring up the PF again and go through months of that hell! fortunately one of the RDs, rick, said i could go out on the 2 mile loop so that i could complete the 100K ... and get the coveted finisher jacket. hell, i could that!</div>
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loop 7 - 41:39. so this time looks ridiculous for 2 miles ... i was slow, but not that slow! knowing that i was done, i did spend a lot of time in the aid station talking with friends and eating. time didn't matter anymore, so why not have fun? got through the 2 miles, got my awesome fleece jacket and finisher medal, and sat down with good friends and good beer and just felt great that this "training run" actually went quite well.<br />
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so this was a good training run for the Peak Ultra 100 Miler (aka, McNaughton, in pittsfield, vt) in may. my foot recovered just fine the day after NJ, so obviously nothing too bad was going on with the PF. i felt really strong about my training for Peak, mentally and physically. i had done my hill training. i had trialed different fuelling strategies. i had done hiking and running with the trekking poles. i had studied the course and pictures from previous years. i was as ready as i thought i could be. but then we hit the course. the hills were what i expected and i used trekking poles, which were a definite plus. fuelling and hydration went well. but then there was this ridiculous 1 mile section of mud and bushwhacking at the end of the 10 mile loop. this section just broke me, mentally and physically, on each loop. i think i fell here on each time around. and in mid-day the heat really kicked up, which only tore at my wasting state. on my third loop i opted to not utilize the "bridge" (an i-beam turned sideways - yet another challenge of the course) and waded across the "stream". well, the stream was mid-thigh on me (so i guess i would say that anyone much shorter than me should have avoided this route) and the water was more powerful than it looked. it was a bit of a struggle to get across but, man, did that cold water feel so excellent on my tired legs and it served to break the heat a bit and refresh me.<br />
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joe had signed up for the 50 miler but instead of running in the 50 mile "race" which was a different course, he opted to run his 50 miles with me as my pacer on my last 50 miles. well, after i had completed three loops and time-wise things were not going as well as expected, and it already looked that likely i would not be able to complete the entire 100 miles within the given 36 hours. so the RD gave joe the go-ahead to come out with me so that he could start getting his miles in. it was nice to have the company on my fourth loop, as i had pretty much been running alone for the previous 30 miles. but things just seemed to be falling further back for me, maybe somewhat because i knew that this was now turning into a 36-hour run to see how much i could do, instead of a 100 mile race. and this mentally tore at me some more. so after almost 14 hours of running and 40 miles under my belt, i really could not face hitting that damn bush-whack section in the dark. the B&B we were staying at was less than 1/4 mile down the road and after talking it over with joe, we decided that a hot shower and a good night's sleep and then getting up early and getting in what we could on day #2 would be good. now looking back at it, time-wise maybe, just maybe, i could have kept going and got the finish ... but as i was slowing significantly on an already slow pace, it was turning more into a death march than the enjoyable run i was hoping for.<br />
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so back to the B&B we went. the hot shower was so very refreshing. the climb up into (and subsequently out of several times) from the top bunk proved to be a bit, um, challenging. somewhere in the middle of the night i got up and the first step on the floor sent ridiculous pain up my right heel. well, to say that it freaked me out is a gross understatement. as i walked around the pain continued. WTF???!!! the PF didn't seem to be acting up at all while i was running. shit! no way did i want to start the whole recovery crap all over again, so once joe was up i told him what was going on and that i was done. i so didn't want to risk more injury and more recovery time. i knew that he wanted to get in as much as he could so i made the call to switch into crew mode for him while he became the runner. and i had not a single regret doing this. i knew that at this point i would only hold joe back if i went out on the course with him and i knew that he had more gas in the tank to get some miles in. and he was amazing. his first 10 mile loop was around 3 hours, 15 min! and he looked great coming in. a quick turn-around and he was back out on the course again. by that time the heat was kicking back up again and the second loop was quite a bit slower because of that. joe came back in after loop #2 of the day looking just spent ... pale, tired, dizzy. for him the 50 miles was not going to happen either. so neither of us reached our mileage goals but we totally challenged ourselves on that wicked course. and, as always, we had a BLAST with all of our old and new running buddies. in the end it was a great weekend!<br />
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so, what did i learn from this great experience?<br />
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i enjoy challenging myself.<br />
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i really don't enjoy the 100 mile distance. i do enjoy the 50 mile distance ... it's challenging but doesn't kill me and i get to sit around and drink beer and enjoy the company of good friends after. that's what i like.<br />
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i still don't really get the whole injury/recovery process. some days my foot feels great and then ... BAM! ... it's giving me grief again. there were no long-lasting effects with what i thought was the PF flaring up again, but i haven't really found out (and am scared to try it) just how far i can push the envelope with stressing the foot. what is just short-term pain versus what could be impending long-term damage?<br />
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i really need to start trying to "race" again as opposed to just looking at races as just another long run. i want to push myself a bit more instead of "just trying to finish". i really feel like i can do this with the 50 mile distance or even cutting back to some 50Ks and putting a harder effort into them.<br />
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all that said ... no more 100 milers for 2012. i really think i need to pick JUST ONE 100 miler a year and make that my goal race. so it's already kind of hard for me to write this report on the 2012 McNaughton when all i can think about is how i am going to attack it in 2013. and i have a plan. one that i am not going to share with anyone except to say that it's not likely to be running the 100 miles like everyone else ... i have a plan. and i am already excited about making McNaughton my goal race for 2013.<br />
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some pics of the fun ... <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/FingerLakes50s/McNaughton2012">https://picasaweb.google.com/FingerLakes50s/McNaughton2012</a>#</div>UltraChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18007841692429099250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101190814170324021.post-7017519605030617692012-02-17T09:29:00.003-05:002012-02-17T09:52:51.697-05:00Things Are Looking Up ...wow. since my foot has been feeling better i am enjoying trying to rebuild my endurance. what i have found is that i no longer have the heel pain of PF, which is so so so great. when i was feeling that pain every day all i could think is that i couldn't remember how it felt to not have pain. now it is becoming a distant memory. last week i felt like i really started to turn the corner in getting back into putting some distance on my feet and it was so mentally boosting.<br /><br />saturday, 2/11 ... 14.5 miles with my buds, lorrie and sandy. we ran on a flat rail-trail bed, so the surface was good for me, but just as before the injury, i still really do not like that kind of terrain. i love hills and flat running is hard for me ... mostly because i have to run. i like the breaks of hiking up hills and the workout of going down them. so this run was a little faster than i would have liked. my foot felt a bit "tight" after, which resolved with stretching and massage.<br /><br />sunday, 2/12 ... woke up with my foot feeling rather excellent. wow. maybe that push of running a little faster was actually helpful for it. likely what i was feeling in it after yesterday's run was just a matter of lack of training. so get back at it. ~16 miles today, hilly run from our house to cornell in the snow and wind ... a lot of wind. now this is what i like, although i would have preferred to be on trails, running on the dirt sides of the road was not so bad.<br /><br />so with back-to-back longish runs i completed the week with 52.5 miles. wow. haven't done that in a long time. and even though it felt great, i guess i still need to remember to not overdo it.<br /><br />so this week is essentially a non-long run week because of my work schedule. this has been a maintenance/recovery week and i will plan to get that long run in monday. it has been a fun 2 weeks of running and i am so glad to start feeling more normal, in that respect, again.<br /><br />on another note, i am so proud to say that i received what i find to be an amazing honor in my running life. i was awarded the hartshorne volunteer of the year award by our finger lakes runners club. i feel that this award is such a huge thing because it's not about me running, it's about what i give back to running ... something that i have come to appreciate more and more over the years. i do love to run, but it is so rewarding to help others in a sport that i feel so passionate about. i have never volunteered for anything for the recognition of it. i do it because i want to help others see what a wonderful world the running community is and what a great sport we have. that said, it does feel really awesome to have received this great honor. thank you to all who voted for me!UltraChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18007841692429099250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101190814170324021.post-34712176942242166462012-01-31T09:37:00.004-05:002012-01-31T10:26:20.267-05:00Where The Hell Have I Been?seriously? my last post was october 10, 2011? what the hell have i been doing? oh, that's right ... wallowing in the world of self-pity that is injury. my first real injury ... not the kind where something hurts for a day or two and just wears itself away ... the kind that is so painful that it brings your running to a halt and just keeps dragging you down. i think i found the runner's hell.<br /><br />go back to that last good race which was Oil Creek 100K in october. i had my usual foot burning and tiredness, but i was also experiencing heel pain ... which i chose to ignore and kept running until something else hurt more and took my mind off of it. shortly after that race i had to start taping my right foot to relieve the heel pain. it was annoying but nothing that i couldn't run through. and run i did. fast forward to the first weekend in november to the Stone Cat 50 Miler ... one of my most favorite races. it's a great 50 miler and it's just plain fun. i look forward to it every year. and this year they had REALLY awesome finisher's jackets. however, after 25 miles of trying to ignore that damn heel pain my foot just started to seize-up and i knew there was no way i could just "run through it" this time. i had to accept my first 50 mile DNF and it sucked. and i missed out on that awesome finisher's jacket, which should have been mine! i vowed to take a four week break from running and allow the foot to rest and heal.<br /><br />fast forward four weeks after stone cat. i saw a sports MD (a friend and athlete himself) who unfortunately didn't tell me anything that i didn't already know. that is why i hate to go to the doctor. plantar fasciitis. ok, i had heard of it, but in my mind it seemed like such a simple little thing that was annoying but not debilitating and could easily be resolved. obviously ... what the hell did i know? i wanted to be fixed right then. well, that didn't happen so i hit the antiiflammatories, started wearing one of those awful bulky and immobilizing night splints, icing, rolling my foot on a golf ball ... you name all the traditional treatments for PF, i was trying them. and after four weeks of not running (and coming to hate my Concept II rower, which i am normally in love with), the foot was "not so bad", so i tried running.<br /><br />OUCH! the pain continued. really? how long was this going to take to get better? i am not a patient person by nature and this was really taking too long. how could i possibly keep up with my normal eating habits if i couldn't run the food off? ok, the traditional methods for treating PF obviously were not working; time to try something new. i poured over anything i could find on the internet about treating PF and saw something about Active Release Therapy. and, lucky for me, we have someone in ithaca who knows how to do this. so after e-mailing and talking with local chiropractor Gerrit Van Loon, i got right on the phone and scheduled an appointment.<br /><br />WOW ... all i can say is wow. after just one session i certainly was not cured, but i can say that i was already walking differently ... normally. and now after numerous treatments ... albeit painful and a serious workout, since i usually break-out into a sweat just lying there on the table (joe says to me during one treatment where i was lying there sweating and my eyes popping out of my head ... "tickles a bit, doesn't it?" tickle wasn't the word i was looking for) i can run again!<br /><br />so where am i at?<br /><br />1 - i can run again. not up to the mileage that i would like, but i was able to run 37.5 miles at the winter Beast of Burden last week (ok, i was supposed to run the 100 miler, but with the lack of training and still not fully recovered, 100 miles was not going to happen, so being able to run my longest run since november felt awesome ... but still made me cry because i wanted to do more!).<br /><br />2 - i have had to switch back to running in my heavy brooks cascadias with a cushiony dr. shol's heel/arch support. at first i was very disappointed to not be running in my light weight minimal shoes but then i came to the conclusion ... i would rather be running in <em>anything,</em> as long as i am running! and i love my cascadias and plan to stick with them.<br /><br />3 - i have started stretching and massaging before, during, and after running ... something i have never been very good about. i now realize the tightness in my right calf is directly related to my right foot issues. when my calf is loose and feeling good, so is my foot.<br /><br />4 - i need to cut back on my long races and be realistic about my expectations. i was scheduled to run the 100 miler at the NJ Ultra Fest in march. i realized after BoB that there was no way that i could get in the proper training for 100 miles in march and i would not go into another 100 "just to see what i could do". so i downgraded to the 50 miler. 50 miles is fun and i feel like i can get in some good training runs for that distance at this point.<br /><br />5 - injuries are expensive! i have spent a ridiculous amount of $$ on this damn PF! trying different splints, different shoe types (so many people told me "you need a shoe with good arch support" ... well, i tried those and the stiffness of those stability shoes just sent my right IT band crying and actually made the PF feel worse), to paying the chiropractor (which i WILL say was the best money i spent ... fixing the current problem and hopefully preventing future ones! thank you, Gerrit!).<br /><br />6 - pavement sucks. i already knew this. trails rock! but this injury just confirms ... no matter how cushy my shoes are, pavement still hurts me.<br /><br />7 - i love to be barefoot, but i am re-learning to love my birkenstock sandals. they have been a savior.<br /><br />so that is where i am at. i am clawing my way out of injury hell. i am trying to re-create my running self. could this injury have actually been a good thing in disguise? it's hard for me to actually admit that it could be, but it really has made me realize some things about my running and correct things that i didn't know needed correcting, which i hope will keep me going longer and stronger. i am not totally cured yet and continue to do stupid things, like running a 10K on the pavement and suffering in the days following. but i will be back and i am so looking forward to training for this upcoming 50 miler. no matter how long the run takes me, i plan to enjoy and savor every moment that i am out on the trail!UltraChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18007841692429099250noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101190814170324021.post-28016742866666545232011-10-10T18:42:00.005-04:002011-10-17T10:59:14.989-04:00another 100K done ... Oil Creek 100 Trail Runsok, i have run only four 100k races. there have been the 100 mile race DNFs at mileage over the 100k mark, but that doesn't count. i'm talking <em>actual</em> 100k race distance. so i don't have a whole lot to go on when even beginning to imagine what kind of time i can run the 100k distance in. i just look at my first 100k (which i guess also really wasn't a 100k race ... it was the winter beast of burden 24 hour race) where i ran 63.75 miles in 17+ hours. then there was the green lakes endurance run where it took me 13:42 to cover the distance. and then there was the nj ultra fest 100k where i ran a PR of 12:22. and lastly was the vermont 100k this past summer where it took me 15:56. so many different races with different terrains and in different seasons, so i wasn't sure what to expect for the mountainous fall race at oil creek 100k. somehow i just pulled the idea out of my head that i would like to run under 15 hours; no real basis for choosing this time, just thought it sounded reasonable.<br /><br />so on friday joe and i headed down to titusville, pa, for the race. it was a sunny and beautiful drive and we took a little detour through mansfield, pa, to visit friends tim and jackie. we arrived in titusville around 3pm and hooked up with friends karen and rob (rob preparing to run his 3rd 100 miler in 6 months!). we checked out a bit of the course markings and the EMS set-up, which was really impressive. they were totally prepared to take-on any emergencies!<br /><br />dinner at a small italian eatery and then it was off to bed in the car-V. i'm getting pretty used to this camping thing before an ultra and it's quite relaxing, actually. no distractions. just get your stuff ready for the next day, lay it out in the front seat, and put yourself to bed. this time i filled my hydration pack the night before the race so i wouldn't have to fart around with it in the dark on race morning (lesson learned at VCU!). we camped in the parking lot of the titusville middle school (aka, race HQ). nice to have real indoor bathrooms to access!<br /><br />it was a cool night, 56 degrees was on the thermometer at the school. i slept quite well and got up in time to chat with some friends who were running the 100 miler and see them off at 5am.<br /><br />6am ... start of the 100k. i wore my "team T.U.R.D.s" racing singlet and arm warmers. it was a bit chilly - 40-something at the start, i think - but i knew it would warm-up eventually and i knew that i would warm-up quite quickly once the climbing in the woods started.<br /><br />7:35am-ish ... aid station #1. didn't really need anything; i had been religiously eating my perpetuem solids and drinking water and felt pretty-well fuelled. i ate a cookie and a pb&j sandwich and started walking.<br /><br />9:11am ... aid station #2, the only station where crew members could meet you. it was so good to see joe and karen and our friend jeff was also there waiting for his runner, mary, so it was a nice little reunion. all three of them tended to me, helping me refill my water pack and feeding me. peaches and rice baby food and dr. pepper tasted really good for breakfast! the trail had a lot of big climbs and descents, mixed with lots of switchbacks, and it really kept me alert (mostly because you had to be to keep from falling!). it was an absolutely beautiful course and the markings were, so far, outstanding! i had been feeling something funky on the bottom of my left foot, which i had experienced at VCU 2 weeks before. i had checked it then and there was nothing there then, but i thought i better check it out today anyway and if it was actually something this time i wanted to take care of it early. so maybe there was some kind of blistery thing brewing under the callus on my foot but taping it just didn't seem necessary. so i took some gobs of frozen vaseline and glopped it all over that foot and hoped for the best. ok, it was time to go ... i knew it would be a long time - 17 miles and many hours - before i would see joe again, so he walked me out of the aid station.<br /><br />11:29am ... aid station #3. i was still feeling quite good and running and speed hiking at a comfortable pace. still fuelling well on perpetuem solids and water. now they were serving some nice hot grilled cheese sandwiches, my all-time favorite ultra fuel, so i knocked back a couple of those with some dr. pepper. again, the course had been going UP and DOWN a lot but so far this portion seemed less technical than the first half, so i was happy for the break. still, the course was wonderfully marked and i couldn't see how anyone could possibly get lost ... even if you tried. from this aid station we had to back-track just a bit to some stairs that lead us up to a long climb. excellent. i love long climbs like this; this is where i get my time back because i can speed hike the hills like no tomorrow. it's the descents that kill me ... on my bike or on foot, i am a regular chicken-shit going downhill, so i have to gain my time on the climbs. there was also some really smooth sections of running from here and i was still feeling really good. the left foot bottom was burning on and off and the heel of my right foot was hurting (maybe from a bit of plantar fasciitis, but i am in denial of that). i contemplated maybe changing shoes to a more stability pair when i got to the next aid station.<br /><br />1:34pm ... aid station #4. the trails had been amazing but i have to say that i didn't really enjoy the last couple of miles on flat grass and then the paved bike path and road. but it was what it was and it got me back to the start/finish/aid station area and to joe and karen and jeff. my own personal pit crew waiting for me. the feet issues had sort-of worked themselves out (well, except for that burning feeling, which now was present in the balls of both of my feet). i have come to accept this feeling during the ultras; it's from the wicked calluses that i have there and i just know that it won't kill me and it will eventually go away when i stop running, so i just try not to focus on it. so not having to treat my feet i was able to focus on my stomach. and i was hungry. karen had gotten me some baby food custard ... sort-of tasted like custard, sort of not. but i woofed it down, along with two cups of pepsi and two grilled cheese sandwiches (two halves, so only one whole sandwich). i had also still been eating the perpetuem solids and drinking lots of water and taking endurolytes, so i was still feeling really good. joe clanged the cowbell to get me moving and i grabbed another grilled cheese and karen walked me out. i had to walk quite a bit from here since my gut was just too full of food. maybe i ate a bit too much. maybe. probably. wow ... i started feeling a bit crappy. so i just walked; the feeling would eventually pass. soon, i hoped.<br /><br />3:40pm ... well, eventually the crappy feeling passed and i was able to run again and i arrived at the aid station #1 again feeling pretty good. wow, the heat had really kicked up. a wonderful volunteer offered me a big cup of dr. pepper with ice and it was sooooooo good. i refilled my water pack just to make sure i would have enough to get me to the next station, and i was off, hiking up the steep switchbacks that led out of this station.<br /><br />5:36pm ... back to aid station #2 and to joe! here joe would join me for the run home. i fuelled on pumpkin-peach pie baby food, grilled cheese, dr. pepper and changed into a warmer shirt for the impending cooler evening hours. jeff was here waiting to join mary, so he helped get me ready. i just love how ultrarunners' crews are so wonderful to help others while they are waiting. it's such a wonderful community of people. i consider all of these people, even the ones i barely know, to be friends. refilled with a pack full of water, endurolytes, and perpetuem solids, joe at my side, and we were off. i was so glad to get to joe in the light so that he would get the chance to see some of the course in the daylight and really get to enjoy it.<br /><br />8:25pm ... back to aid station #3. joe had fallen only once and me with more than one stumble/close-save. my mood was a bit up and down since i felt like i was just not going fast enough. i don't really know where i thought i was supposed to be time-wise, i just felt like i wasn't doing good enough. running on technical trails in the dark is definitely an aquired talent ... one that i have not mastered. i tried to run when it appeared to be not so technical, but i just kept getting scared of toeing a rock and falling. but once again, my speed hiking came in handy and i was able to cover some distance pretty good now that i think back. it just didn't seem like it at the time. we got to the aid station and joe had some eats and i just had a couple of cups of dr. pepper and half a grilled cheese. i had been doing well fuelling with the perpetuem solids, so i really didn't feel the need to eat a lot. we spent just a few minutes here and chatted with friend brian who was crushing his first 100k. what a rock star! and then we were off again ...<br /><br />10:52pm ... for several miles we had been listening to the oil pump that was pumping at the drake well museum, which we had to run around. it was the strangest sound, but quite comforting when up on the trail ... you knew you were getting close when you heard it. on the bike path coming back in we crossed paths with rob and karen, who was pacing, as they headed out on rob's 3rd loop. and then, finally ... THE END! after 16 hours, 52 minutes, and 58 seconds i crossed the finish line! wow ... that was hard! harder than i had anticipated. i wasn't disappointed in my finishing time anymore (despite my thinking for so many miles that i just wasn't going fast enough). all i could think was ... that was so hard and i did it! i finished it and it was so wonderful to have joe out there experiencing it with me. he paced me in at vermont 100k and now again he did it and he is a wonderful pacer and i love having him out there with me. we did it. and now i could finally take a nice hot shower and eat some food and put my feet up.<br /><br />i can't say enough what a wonderful race this is. the volunteers are absolutely fantastic, the course is way challenging and really beautiful and extremely well-marked. the staging of the race out of the school is so nice because you get to get right inside when you're done and there are hot showers and hot food waiting for you. i highly recommend this race ... don't know if i'm up for the 100 miler yet but the 100k is a great challenge (although i was really jealous of the 50k-ers when they were passing me and finishing and i was still having to go back out again!).<br /><br />what i think worked in my favor on this one:<br /><br />- i fuelled well with primarily hammer perpetuem solids and water and hammer endurolytes. no stomach issues; no nausea, no acid reflux. felt 100% well fuelled 100% of the time. at one point i think i over-did it on the endurolytes, but i backed-off of them for a while and got rid of some extra fluid and things got back in order easily.<br /><br />- montrail rogue racers on my feet. perfect blend of minimalist shoe but protective enough on the rocks and roots. love these.<br /><br />- i primarily hydrated with just plain water. love the taste of it and it's much easier to control my electrolyte status with this.<br /><br />- i did not eat any candy during the entire 62 miles. a first for me, i think. i never craved it and i think it worked to not eat it and avoid the sugar high's and low's.<br /><br />- once again, baby food did the trick. love that stuff. and grilled cheese ... need i say more? there is nothing to say except grilled cheese is heaven.<br /><br />- joe has crewed for me so many times and he has stepped into the pacer role in grand fashion! pacing a runner through the hard times in the dark of night is such a personal time, in my opinion. to me it has huge significance. and sharing a night on the trails under a nearly full moon with my husband was nothing short of spectacular. once again, a moment in time that i will never forget and i am so glad that we have the ability to experience this.<br /><br />it's now time to rest and recover, drink some beer and eat lots. a few pics of the fun can be found at <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/FingerLakes50s/2011OilCreek100K">http://picasaweb.google.com/FingerLakes50s/2011OilCreek100K</a>. until my next adventure ...UltraChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18007841692429099250noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101190814170324021.post-88017917698021979812011-09-05T11:03:00.009-04:002011-10-02T10:22:27.373-04:00Virgil Crest Ultras 50 Milerok, it's been a while since i have posted. not that i haven't been running; actually, quite the opposite. since VT100K i have had some fun adventures but have just been too lazy to write. i went back to the escarpment trail run after taking 3 years off from it. and i remembered why i took 3 years off from it. it's a fun and daring and challenging run for me, but it is mentally and physically draining. don't get me wrong; it's a great run, just hard for me ... i guess that's the draw. and then i got to crew for joe at the summer beast of burden, where he competed in the 24 hour race, completing 50 hard miles in the brutal summer heat. he's definitely got some heart for hanging in there through some really tough times.<br /><br /><br /><br />and so that brings me to the present. this past weekend was the fourth running of the virgil crest ultras (100 mile and 50 mile runs). and for the third year in a row i completed the 50 miler which i have to admit is the toughest of all the 50 milers i have ever run. and extremely rewarding. i definitely get my money's worth on this course; i drag it out for as long as possible. more time on the trails = more fun! and so finally, a few days after the race, I am still recovering and getting my thoughts together. I have run this race three times, each time a slightly different version of the course. I have to say, this year's course was by far the best. the best for a couple of reasons ... 1) the climb up the lift house 5 loop going in the reverse direction (second time around) was much easier ... new route plus the use of trekking poles, 2) the temps were finally in my favor ... nice and cool, and 3) the mud!<br /><br /><br /><br />FRIDAY ... arrived in virgil (all of 45 minute drive from home!). it was raining lightly but steadily ... CRAP! the good news was that this bit of rain wouldn't make any difference ... the trails were already saturated and the mud was already set. it was then off to a nice pasta dinner at the virgil fire department, hanging out with old friends and new. funny how getting ready for an ultra seems so relaxing now; no nerves, just a long day of running ahead. i love it. those short races (anything from the marathon distance down) just sends me to the bathroom endlessly leading up to the start.<br /><br /><br /><br />i have also become quite adept to camping the night before running an ultra. i never thought this would happen. i like the comfort of a bed and a shower, but there is something to be said for waking up right at the starting line. and it makes you quite efficient. no lounging around, no dawdling. no reason to wake up any earlier than the time it takes to get dressed and get moving. it's good for me. so joe and i camped in the car-V at hope lake and i awoke just before 5am on Saturday morning feeling well-rested and ready to run. the only thing was that i guess i wasn't really as organized as i thought. usually i have all of my race stuff layed out and ready to go, hydration pack filled and food in the pockets. well, i overlooked that this time so i felt a bit out of sorts and scrambling to get things in order. once i finally got this done i headed down to the pavillion for some coffee, now really feeling comfortable. but CRAP again! no coffee. oh well, I brought some ice coffees with me, so one of these and a couple of No Doze and i was good to go. so here's the dirty on how the day went about ...<br /><br /><br /><br />5:45am ... all packed-up and ready to go ... 2 liter hydration pack of water with pockets full of hammer perpetuem solids and hammer endurolytes. hit the restrooms for what i thought would be the last time and tried to relax and chat with friends, and waited for the start.<br /><br /><br /><br />5:58am ... well, better make another trip to the bathrooms. CRAP! only 2 minutes to the start? who cares! does it really matter if i start at 6am or 6:05am?<br /><br /><br /><br />6am ... made it in time for the start! woo hoo! we're off and running in a sea of headlamps. i love these dark starts, but i surely wish they weren't in the mornings! ugh ... i hate to get up in the morning! lots of good chat with friends, identifiable only by voice. wore my less-than-the-best headlamp since joe had my good one that i would get from him later in the day. perhaps i should have checked the batteries ... since joe used this light at the summer beast and the batteries hadn't been changed since i don't know when. so the freaking light kept going out but it was ok since it got light pretty soon and the road/trail we were on were not too technical. yet.<br /><br /><br /><br />7:06am ... arrive at the gravel pit aid station. everyone was still pretty bunched together so it was a bit of chaos. put my light in my pack and got a few warm boiled potatoes with salt for breakfast. nice ... just what my stomach, which detest mornings as much as my brain, really wanted. carry on ...<br /><br /><br /><br />8:20am ... after some really greasy muddy sections (forget even trying to have dry feet! i already realized that this was not to be, so get used to the squishy wet feeling) and then some easy running on the road (ok, i would rather be on a muddy trail!), i arrived at the lift house 5 aid station. the runners were still pretty tight at this point, so there were lots of people to chat with. some pepsi, chips, and a pb&j sandwich, and i grabbed my trekking poles from joe and set-0ff up the ski slope. man, i gotta say that those trekking poles are the bomb! i love 'em! they took the pressure off of my knees, my quads, and my low back. can't say as i was necessarily faster on the climbs because of them (and lord knows i wasn't faster on the descents ... i never will be!), but it was just way easier.<br /><br /><br /><br />9:35am ... first round of the lift house 5 loop done. and i felt good. i was hungry but i didn't know what i wanted, so i went with more of the same, interspersed with a few perpetuem solids here and there. i had brought some gatorade with me, just in case i needed something different, and i was so glad that i did. joe replenished my water supply and i took a bottle of gatorade with me, which i sipped on as i climbed up virgil mountain in the good company of dean and jack. i have never run up virgil mountain and this day was certainly not going to be the time that i started!<br /><br /><br /><br />11:21am ... still feeling good at the rock pile aid station! somewhere between van donsel road and o'dell road charlie and carter caught up to me and i had new company to distract me from thinking about how uncomfortable (not painful, just icky) my feet were from the wet and mud. charlie and carter were in the 100 mile race and as i fell into running with them i felt really good. my attitude was good and my fuelling was good. i had considered that if it was a good day at 50 miles that i may consider going on for the 100. my joe crew was there, my friend karen was willing to pace, and there was nothing to lose if i didn't actually do it ... so why not? i got into the rock pile aid station and talked with karen as she was working there and told her that it was feeling pretty good; today<em> might</em> be the day. i would definitely let her know on the return trip from daisy hollow. so i chowed on some really wonderful pineapple and joe was there to hook me up with some baby food. thanks jim for sharing this secret with me ... i can't tell you how wonderful this was. i hate to eat bananas during a race but that banana and rice baby food just hit the spot!<br /><br /><br /><br />12:49pm ... hello daisy hollow! it was a super run in the company of dean, carter, and charlie and it was so nice to enjoy this super soft trail out here. i was still feeling really great, fuelled, and in good spirits. i had gotten used to that not-so-fresh feeling of my feet and just succumbed to the uncomfortableness, and just went with it. some more pb&j, cookies, and broth and i was refreshed. and some ginger beer to settle it all down.<br /><br /><br /><br />2:49pm ... back at the rock pile. joe was there with some more of that really great baby food (seriously, it sounds weird but it is good stuff!). i have to really thank karen for keeping the pb&j sandwiches under cover so that they didn't dry out! those things were awesome! some more fruit, some sandwiches, and it was time to move on. i told karen that i would meet her at hope lake, and unless something drastic happened, we would go on. off with some more gatorade in the bottle and water in my pack. 'nuff of the perpetuem solids; they just weren't going to do it today.<br /><br /><br /><br />4:17pm ... and back to lift house 5 aid station. i was pretty gross at this point. fell in a really stinky mud puddle, fell on my ass on the way down virgil mountain (ok, "fell" is a relative term ... there was no "falling" on this day, i simply just "slid" to the ground. ahhhh ... the wonders of mud). but i was feeling food and there was good food here. i refuelled with some cheese pierogies and soda, grabbed my poles, and headed up the mountain. the good thing is that i am a pretty speedy uphill hiker and can cover the ground pretty quickly ... the downside is that i really loose a lot of this time on the downhills. wussy? no. i am just not fast at descending and i like my knees. and the poles got me through this round again pretty unscathed. and i was still feeling happy. wow ... could this really be the day?<br /><br /><br /><br />5:58pm ... back at the bottom of the lift house 5 loop. oh, they had the most excellent cheese quesedillas! and they were hot! i had to stop and get a pebble out of my shoes, so i took the opportunity to put some new socks and gaiters on (i knew they wouldn't stay dry long, but it was kind of nice to have "fresh" feet again, even if only for a while). more soda, more gatorade, more quesedillas, good chat with joe and melissa and a few of the relayers, and it was time to move on. this was the first time that i sat down since i got my butt off the toilet at 6am! sitting felt good but for once it didn't feel like a necessity; i was feeling really good.<br /><br /><br /><br />7:45pm ... tough going to get back to the gravel pit. things had been going so great and then once we were back in the woods it definitely got tougher. the greasy mud in this section was simply treacherous! i slipped and slid all over the place. i was on my knees more than once (and threw out a few prayers since i was down there). by the time i got to the gravel pit i was feeling a bit worse for the wear and my left foot that i had injured the week before was now, for the first time all day, really annoying me. the week before i had put my foot through some wooden boards of a bridge while on a trail run. i tried to ignore the pain; had some eats and broth and got moving out of the aid station as quick as i could.<br /><br /><br /><br />8:53pm ... back to hope lake; 50 miles completed. the run from the gravel pit back to hope lake, although just over 4 miles, is really quite tough in the dark and the mud. and when you're hurting it can get just plain ugly. and that's how i started to feel. my head was still in the game and my fuelling was good, so maybe karen and joe could fix me up. but when i hit vinnedge road that left foot just was, wow, unbearably painful. the pain started shooting up my leg. i didn't make any decisions at this point about stopping or going on; i wanted to talk to joe and karen. so when i pulled into hope lake i decided to just sit for a minute and think and talk with joe and karen.<br /><br /><br /><br />8:57pm ... and then decision time came. really, it wasn't a tough one to have to make, except my brain was ready to keep going. i had done well with fuelling and pacing and the reality was that, for once, i really felt that i was in good shape to keep going. but the other reality was that i didn't want to really damage my foot when i had another race (100K) just 2 weeks later. CRAP on that damn foot! but i was content with stopping, mostly because i felt like i had really crossed a barrier ... i didn't <em>want</em> to stop, it was just the right thing to do. no regrets. so my finishing time of 14:57 didn't beat the previous year (nor would it have even if my time had been recorded at the very moment i crossed into hope lake), but things went so much better than i could have expected. and now i <em>want</em> that 100 mile finish; i have found the desire again.<br /><br /><br /><br />so things will likely always continue to change with each and every ultra i run, but i have found some new realizations ...<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />1. baby food is good!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />2. once i succumb to the reality that i will be running for a very long time and stop worrying about time, it really did get mentally easier.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />3. joe is still the most awesome crew and karen, you rock for always being prepared to go!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />4. wet and muddy feet are not the worst things ... just giving in to the feeling that you will be uncomfortable and probably even very disgusting is just a reality and it is what it is.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />5. i think i can do this 100 miler ... and i will some day!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />some pics of the adventure can be found<strong><span style="color:#ff0000;"> <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/FingerLakes50s/VirgilCrestUltras2011#"><span style="color:#ff6600;">HERE</span></a></span></strong>. (OK, the picture of Salem isn't from the race, but isn't he adorable?!)UltraChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18007841692429099250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101190814170324021.post-58754478074362243342011-07-18T22:09:00.008-04:002011-07-20T10:10:26.608-04:00VT100 … A Different Way … OR … How I Was Possessed By The Honey Badger<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDFOrL59k4jnGS8EeDhjSP7Ec1F65dtx_D_FRqBLZaP7EIQW5kUhrXqQZexWy1YUgrUzfugoCmi2DlAAMPz12c5499V3asS9fzwG86XalicswbNGytGvu2MuFR7uRUT9tis39mcj3SS3Ko/s1600/021.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630885674155793042" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDFOrL59k4jnGS8EeDhjSP7Ec1F65dtx_D_FRqBLZaP7EIQW5kUhrXqQZexWy1YUgrUzfugoCmi2DlAAMPz12c5499V3asS9fzwG86XalicswbNGytGvu2MuFR7uRUT9tis39mcj3SS3Ko/s320/021.JPG" /></a><br /><em><span style="font-size:78%;color:#ff0000;"><strong>(pictured ... RD Julia, Kim, who I would leap frog with throughout the race, & me).</strong></span></em><br /><br />I love the Vermont 100. It is just a great time with wonderful people and just such a nice location and a really fun time. It was where I had my first attempt at the 100 mile distance, my first 100 mile DNF, and my first 100 mile finish. The downside to this event is the timing … it occurs just two weeks after The Finger Lakes Fifties. Unfortunately, this means that in the weeks leading up to The Fifties I haven’t gotten in much training as I have been getting things ready for the race and in the days following The Fifties I am still bogged down with cleaning up from the race and getting reports and thank you’s taken care of. It’s just not good timing to switch from <em>race director</em> mode to <em>runner</em> mode … especially to <em>100-mile runner </em>mode. I know … I’ve tried it. And two out of three times I have failed miserably at it. Thank goodness the VT100 has added a 100K option. The 100K hasn’t really gained the popularity that the 100 mile event has, but it is a great option for someone like me; someone who wants to be there in the midst of a great party and run … just not so far.<br /><br />After a year away I was excited to be going back to Vermont; excited to be able to be a part of this great event again. I have a few 100Ks under my belt now; some of them done in pretty brutal conditions. So despite my not so great training, I felt pretty confident that I could have a decent run at the VT100K.<br /><br />It’s always hard to put these big events into words, especially just a couple of days after the event when my brain is still a bit mushy. So I will just hit the highlights that really stood out for me.<br /><br />Joe and I arrived on Friday afternoon, got me signed-in and weighed-in and then we went and set-up our tent. This was a first for us, camping at the race site. I generally like creature comforts like a shower and bed but being cheap and having successfully completed some 100Ks where I have camped, I felt OK with the idea of camping and running. Plus it would be much easier to get up and watch the 100 mile start and go back to bed to rest before my race start.<br /><br />Friday evening pre-race meeting. Pretty much the same old thing. OK, it’s a meeting where you are reminded of all the race rules and regs and updates, but really, for those of us who have been there and done that, it’s a formality. Truly, it’s a meeting of friends.<br /><br />Joe and I were set to eat dinner at the race site; they always serve a great spread. But just sitting in the midst of all those people during the meeting I soon realized that it was just too much; I needed to be somewhere else where there was less stimulation. I didn’t want to be overwhelmed with everything running all at once. So off to dinner in Woodstock with Karen, Rob, and Will we went. And it was a good choice … very relaxing.<br /><br />Friday night was the official full moon and it was so very cool. The light coming into the tent was amazing. Fortunately I was tired enough that it didn’t keep me awake and I easily fell asleep.<br /><br />Saturday morning, 4am. Woke up to watch the 100 mile start and wish all of our friends good luck and felt very good that I was not running right then. Not even have a twinge of want crossed me when the runners took off.<br /><br />Thought it was really great to not have to start running until 9am … but at 8am I wished it would just start. I was ready to go.<br /><br />9am … 25 100K starters walked to the starting line where we would start our run uphill. How wonderful. Fortunately when we went to dinner the night before we had driven the start of the 100K course … and saw that the uphill start would be short-lived. There was a way long downhill that I knew I would have to go easy on to save my quads and knees.<br /><br />Just a few miles in there was an elderly gentleman who was out working on his tractor who stopped to pick me a tiger lily when I ran by. He wished me well and it was just so nice to have someone make me feel special. I ran with the flower until I hit the paved road section, where I laid it down … just like laying a flower on a grave, as I knew pavement was my death, but maybe somehow this flower would ward-off those evil spirits on this dreaded section.<br /><br />Just after the aid station at 5.3 miles (around 43 miles for the 100 milers) I was passed by Leigh Schmit, who was leading the 100 mile race. It is so nice to watch him run … so smooth, so easy. And it wasn’t long before he ran away from me.<br /><br />I hit that first section of trail and felt so glad. It had been more than 6 miles on dirt road (and the short paved section) and I was so ready for trail and its forgiving surface and rolling terrain. It was heaven.<br /><br />It was mentally tough knowing where I would have been in the 100 mile distance but I felt clueless as to where I was in the 100K. I just couldn’t help but think in terms of the 100 mile race and the mileage of the landmarks, but I just couldn’t grasp the distances and landmarks in terms of the 100K event. Each time I recognized a landmark and thought of the distance in the 100 miler, it sounded so far but in 100K reality, I hadn’t gone that far. This was very mentally draining.<br /><br />But there were the cheers from the spectators, crews, and landowners who were out watching the race. Normally by the time I would have passed through these areas, not too many spectators would have been left. So that was cool to be out there early enough to have people watching; yet I somehow felt very small, knowing that they may think I was in the 100 mile event when I was just a poser.<br /><br />And then there were the homemade cranberry and nut and white chocolate chip cookies at mile 16.2. These sat amazingly well in my stomach after a period of, ummm, GI distress. At first I was afraid to try them, thinking they might really set my stomach off, but they were excellent! Who knew?!<br /><br />I did not see any of the 100 mile horses until Tracer Brook (mile 57 for the 100 milers). In the 100 mile race all of the horses would have way passed me before this point.<br /><br />100K … 100 miles … it apparently doesn’t matter. As usual, I felt like crap coming into Tracer Brook (only 19.1 miles for me today), getting some ginger beer and tapioca from Joe, going easy on the long hike up and out on my way to Margaritaville, I eventually came back to life again.<br /><br />I reached Margaritaville and wanted something solid to eat. I looked at the veggie burgers and thought that would require too much energy to chew. But there was this sweet, wonderful aid station worker who MacGyvered me up a grilled cheese sandwich from a hamburger bun and it tasted sooooooooo good.<br /><br />I got back to Camp 10 Bear, knowing it was still 30 miles to the finish, but just kept reminding myself that I only need to go 18 miles until I had Joe with me … company that I so needed.<br /><br />But let me go back a bit; somewhere before Camp 10 Bear things started to fall apart.<br /><br />Somewhere before reaching 10 Bear I was overcome and eventually possessed by the Honey Badger. My give-a-shit factor just fell out. Those of you who don’t know what the Honey Badger is absolutely need to go to youtube and watch the video (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4r7wHMg5Yjg"><strong>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4r7wHMg5Yjg</strong></a>). It’s hilarious … and so so appropriate for how I was feeling at this time. Honey badger doesn’t give a shit and at that point, neither did I. The mental wearing from thinking about the 100 mile distance at each aid station and then realizing I was not that far and still had so many miles to go, the heat, and just being alone for so long was starting to wear on me.<br /><br />Now let me clarify on why I was running alone for so long … believe it, it certainly wasn’t because I was so fast. With only 25 of us starting the 100K, the group had broken up rather quickly right from the start and I was running alone pretty much from the start. Starting somewhere around 5.5 miles the first of the 100 milers passed me and then it was few and far between that the faster 100 milers would come and go. Although I was really enjoying the run and having fun, I did get rather lonely and each time I came up to an aid station it was just so good to chat with the volunteers, who I have to say were stupendous!<br /><br />When I finally got back to Camp 10 Bear and saw Joe, Karen, and Will, my spirits improved momentarily. I so wanted real food to eat and when Will brought me grilled cheese, I was just so excited … until I took a bite. Horseradish! Ugh! I think they used horseradish cheese and it was disgusting! OK, when it comes to food, this Honey Badger <em>does</em> give a shit! So I had to settle for PB&J and chips, which was OK but not exactly what I wanted. With my tummy full and my spirits lifted, I headed out and just kept thinking only 18 miles until Joe gets to run with me. That’s what kept me going.<br /><br />It was really neat seeing the trail leading up to the Spirit of ’76 aid station for the first time in the light … and still being passed by horses there. They looked so awesome. Wow … I had never seen how the horses looked so far into their ride before and they looked marvelous! I was just so amazed. And in the light of day this section of trail was really nice to run … not like the dreaded death march in seemed like in the dark.<br /><br />OK, the Honey Badger attitude was getting stronger and I was getting cranky. I got a 5-hour Energy with extra caffeine at mile 39.1 and hoped for an attitude adjustment. Here I took my headlight, even though it was still light out and somewhere around 7pm; I knew it would be tight with reaching mile 50.7 (the only place where I could possibly next get a light) before dark. And it was pretty good timing … I reach Bill’s (mile 50.7) at around 9:15pm and it was very dark at that time. The full moon was just rising and hadn’t reached its peak light and there was too much leaf shade over the road. It was dark.<br /><br />And now here’s where I have to give a shout-out to my new headlamp … what a great purchase that was. If you have to get only one light get the Black Diamond Spot Storm … 75 lumens. Don’t get the 50 lumens; splurge the few extra bucks for the additional 25 lumens. It’s worth it. The thing is AWESOME! I usually wear a headlamp and carry a hand-held, but this thing totally obliterated the hand-held. When I arrived at Bill’s the volunteers said I got the award for the best headlight!<br /><br />At Bill’s I was down only 2 ½ pounds. I chowed down on their very excellent grilled cheese sandwiches, praised the cook, got my bottles filled and headed-out with Joe. But Honey Badger still didn’t give a shit … it would be a finish and that was that, no PR here tonight. The original plan was that I would go the distance alone, as I have been able to in the past. Well, factor in that it was dark and I was tired, it was very fortunate that we figured out a way for Joe to join me for the final miles. I was still in the midst of the faster 100 milers which meant they would come and go and then I would be alone again. I needed the company and someone to drive me along.<br />The full moon was awesome. We probably could have turned our lights off when crossing through a very non-technical field, but I was just totally entranced by the beam of my light. Those 75 lumens were something. In case you haven't figured it out, I'm a real gear-head.<br /><br />We ran (slowly) and walked. And it was so strange to have horses still coming by me in the dark. It was definitely a different experience. I was still in awe of these amazing creatures.<br /><br />We sort-of ran through a sort-of technical trail section (OK … dark = very technical, even with 75 lumens). Honey Badger didn’t give a shit and cursed with every step over the rocks and roots.<br /><br />We got to Polly’s (last manned aid station with only 4 ½ miles to go to the finish) in the dark. The horses also got to stop for a snack here too. Apparently Polly (who owns the house at this aid station) is a real horse person and she sets up a great spread for the horses. So the horses were snacking on carrots and water while I downed some broth and contemplated just how hard this 100K was feeling. Joe tried to do the tough-love pacer thing and get me going but … you know … Honey Badger. I sat right there until I was good and ready to make a move.<br /><br />But Joe was a great pacer and did manage to get me out of there once I had two cups of broth. We jogged and walked and still had mostly coherent conversation (probably more so on is his part than mine). And we passed people … granted, they were likely 100 milers who were just cooked and deservedly so, but I didn’t care … I was passing people.<br /><br />It was pretty much I just want to finish from there on in. No more comparisons to how I felt or what I was seeing that night versus how it was when I finished the 100 mile there. I just wanted to be done. There was just one focus.<br /><br />The finish was actually pretty anticlimactic. I always thought it would be so cool to finish in the dark but the reality is, those who finish in the dark have been putting out a lot of energy. They are pretty much spent when they get there and there aren’t too many people just sitting around at 1am to watch the finish. The finishers finish and go to bed. So that was really different. And although I thought that when I had finished the 100 miler there I would cry, I never did. Tonight I did. Maybe somehow I thought this was my “fast finish”, although it was actually my slowest 100K finish to date (15 hours, 52 minutes). But I was finishing with 100 milers who were finishing in the 21 hour range, something that will likely never happen to me. And that was overwhelming. And having Joe experience it with me was definitely overwhelming … and really nice. I am so lucky to have the best crewman and he showed me just what a wonderful pacer he is. I am so glad that he was able to run with me and we could experience this together. I will always remember this.<br /><br />Thank you to all the wonderful volunteers who make this event happen and to Julia, the race director, for keeping it going after her father, the race director when I ran the 100 miler, died. I did enjoy this 100K; it was so different in so many ways from the others I have done. I totally underestimated it and realized it was tougher than I gave it credit for. So many factors, not just the distance, make a race hard. Heat, time of day, nutrition, attitude. You just never know. I have come to really enjoy the 100K distance and I would definitely like to come back to Vermont again and take it on again. If I am faster, I am, if not, then no worries. Honey Badger doesn’t give a shit.UltraChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18007841692429099250noreply@blogger.com5