Cowgirl Rides Again - Stone Cat 50Miler

(Me, Joe, & Charlie at the start. Photo courtesy of Greg Taylor)













LOOP 1
Where in hell can you go
Far from the things that you know,
Far from the sprawl of concrete that keeps crawling
Its way about 1,000 miles a day?

Take one last look behind,
Commit this to memory and mind.
Don’t miss this wasteland, this terrible place.
When you leave keep your heart off you sleeve.
- Natalie Merchant

The morning started out at a cool and crisp 28 degrees. I knew that I would warm-up quickly once I hit the woods, so I fought the urge to bundle myself up, not wanting to get too sweaty and then freeze. The marathoners and 50-milers all started out together and once we hit the woods, the marathoners split-off for their 1.2 mile jaunt and the ultrarunners hit the trails. I talked with friends and tried to hold myself back, since last year I made the mistake of going out way too fast. I had tossed my watch in my bag prior to the start, because, really, why wear it. It wouldn’t change the way I would run and on this day I was just going to do what my body said I could do. I felt like I was running pretty easily and not pushing too much and by the time I hit the second aid station I caught up with a guy who remembered me from last year, as he was the one who picked me up after I had done a major face-plant while trying to jump over a log. I assured him that I had not fallen so far. He was wearing a watch and when he told me what time we were at, I realized that I had fallen into the trap of the cool temps . . . I was probably running too fast. Oh well, I felt comfortable and let my body do what it could.

And then it happened. I toed something, not sure what, and I went down like a giant pile of bricks. Let me reiterate what I have said before about being big . . . you fall HARD. And typical to my falling style, my water bottle shot out of my hand, landing about 20 feet in front of me. I landed on my right knee and it brought a tear to my eye. I had no feeling from below my right knee. And here is what I really love about ultrarunners . . . the runners behind me immediately stopped, asked me if I was OK, helped me up and got my bottle for me. That in itself was a mental boost. I had to stand for a minute, because with no feeling in my lower leg, I wasn’t sure how to proceed. I took a step and the pain in my knee was excruciating. But what are you gonna do? No one was coming out to carry my dead ass in. So I started to walk. And eventually the feeling came back to my leg and the pain in the knee subsided. And then I could run. Cool. I was OK. Until . . . I just kind of tipped over. I was talking with the runner behind me, hit something again with my foot, and just fell over. OK, I was a bit scraped-up on the side of my right thigh, but nothing like the last fall, so I picked it up again and just kept on moving.

Eventually I finished loop one. Time on the clock . . . 2 hrs, 18 min . . . way too fast. I felt a potential blister starting up, so I sat down, filled my bottle, got some more Clif Shot Bloks, slapped some moleskin on the hotspot, and shuffled on out for loop 2 with the intent of easing off.

LOOP 2
Oh momma I'm in fear for my life from the long arm of the law
Lawman has put an end to my running and I'm so far from my home
Oh momma I can hear you a'crying you're so scared and all alone
Hangman is comin' down from the gallows and I don't have very long
- Styx

I started back out, passing friends who were coming in, and glad to see that everyone was looking strong. I saw Joe coming in and we shared laments of our intimacy with Mother Earth, and kept on moving. Shortly thereafter I realized that I was feeling a bit crappy. Wow . . . where did that come from? I ate some Shot Bloks and grabbed a full grilled cheese sandwich (ooohhhh . . . gooey warm cheese can do wonders for you), some Coke, and kept on moving.

The grilled cheese and Coke were the main things that got me through this loop. The pain in my right leg and knee from the earlier falls seemed to have subsided but I was still feeling rather ugly when I came into the start/finish area, noting the time on the clock to be 4 hrs, 48 min. Much better . . . 2:30 for that loop, although I had felt pretty crappy, was much more to my liking. The foot blister was rearing its ugly head again so I re-moleskinned and changed socks and shoes. Much better. Time to head out for loop 3 and hopes of getting my groove back on.

LOOP 3
I walk a lonely road
The only road that I have ever known
Don’t know where it goes
But it’s home to me and I walk alone
- Green Day

The new socks and shoes were a wonder. Actually it was the same shoes, only different. I had put on my newer pair of Brooks Cascadias and it was obviously a wise choice. I also had my secret weapon. Prior to the race I had tried to get more Clif Roks, but to my disappointment the Finger Lakes Running Company, the only place I have found that sells them, was out. So I had one package left and had reserved them for when I really needed. And I needed them now. And what a wonder they did for me. I was back in the game. Woo hoo!

I was a bit lonely in that when I had passed through the start/finish area, none of my cronies were around . . . they were all out on the course . . . somewhere. So when I reached the aid station I was really glad just to talk to anyone. And those great volunteers talked to me, filled my bottle, made me hot grilled cheese, and filled me with Coke. I chugged the Coke and started walking with the sandwich, eating, and feeling quite good. And then I got to thinking about Diane, as it seems I do quite a bit during the ultras, and I started crying. Try eating hot grilled cheese, walking, crying, and trying to breathe. It’s not as easy as it sounds. So with that and glad that I had no one else around to witness this slobbering mess I was making of myself, I yelled “cowgirl up”! This brought a smile to my face and things started to look better. I started out with my Diane’s Team shirt on and was still wearing it and I was feeling stronger just through its symbolism. And I started to run again. And I had no idea what time it was and it didn’t matter. I was having fun and feelin’ groovy.

More grilled cheese and Coke, Nuun tabs and Clif Roks, and I rolled into the start/finish area ready to knock-off the final loop. As I rolled in I saw Joe and Karen; both had finished the marathon and were looking great in those hot green fleece finisher jackets. Having seen the jackets when I finished my last loop, I have to admit that I really had thought about switching to the marathon just to get one. But I had come to run 50 miles and that’s what I was going to do.

Time: 7 hrs, 30 min. OK, doing math at this point was a bit sticky . . . I managed to calculate something like 2:42 for that loop. Pretty decent, I surmised, since I had taken quite a long time for the foot repair before actually tackling the loop.

LOOP 4
I’m not prepared, I’m running scared
I need the strength to carry on
I need to feel that I am strong
I need to feel that I won’t fall
I’ll never crawl, no I won’t fall
- Dolores O’Riordan

It was a quick pit-stop through the start finish this time, as I wanted to get going in hopes that I would finish before dark. Joe came over to me and said “guess what I saw?!” And then he tells me that he saw a bear cub. Great! Just what I needed, I told him. But he assured me “No, it’s OK, it was cute and sleeping”. OK, so where there is a baby bear there is most likely a pissed-off mother bear, angry because of all of us intruders in her home. So Joe hurried me off back to the woods so I could finish before dark. I know he meant well, but I would have rather hear “you look good” or at the very least, tell me where the hell he saw the bear so I could make sure that I had some other runners around me at that point! So basically, I was running scared. I passed at least four runners before the next aid station and all I could think was that OK, at least there are people behind me who can find my mutilated body on the trail if the bear attacks.

And then I realized . . . I think the fear made me run better. I was feeling smooth, I wasn’t stumbling on rocks or roots, and I didn’t fall the entire last loop. I really felt like I was flying! Surely I would be under 2:30 for this loop. Still not really knowing the time I thought that maybe I could break 10 hours. It wasn’t necessarily a goal, but it would be cool if I did.

So I came running as fast as I could manage across the field toward the finish line, smiling and feeling great. Unfortunately, the speed of the clock was faster than my feet and I finished in 10 hours, 10 minutes, 14 seconds. Still better than last year’s time.

I hung out with friends, ate good hot food served by some of the nicest volunteers, and drank good beer. Ipswich Harvest Ale was on tap and tasted really good after a long day running. But the real kicker . . . Joe’s bear turned out to be . . .




















(photo courtesy of Karen Fennie)


Rollin', rollin', rollin'
Though the streams are swollen
Keep them dogies rollin'
Rawhide!
- Frankie Laine

This Week In Running - And Not-Running

OK, yes, I have been a blogging slug. But not on purpose . . . really. Things have just been hectic around here. A couple of weeks ago I came home from work and usually my girls are there to greet me . . . Sammy for her midnight playtime and Yip for her snacks. When I got home Joe told me that Yip did not eat her dinner – and that is VERY strange for her. You could set your clock by this girl; she will let you know when it is dinner time and she knows what time it is. I tried to give her a few of her treats and she wouldn’t eat them. Now I was really concerned. The next day she was just not acting herself and so it was off to the vet’s we went. Yip is 11 years old – I think that makes her like 77 in people years. So what the vet discovered was that she wasn’t sick, she was in pain. This just broke my heart to know that she was hurting and couldn’t tell me and I didn’t know. She was very tender in her back and the vet thought she pinched a nerve or injured her back somehow. After a loading dose of anti-inflammatories and glucosamine supplements, Yip was already perking up a bit the next day. Of course, she got A LOT of TLC. She is now off of her anti-inflammatories and continuing on her 21-day daily regimen of glucosamine (which will switch to every-other-day after day 21) and is back to her old self . . . which means torturing Sammy when she can and racing laps through the house. This does my heart good!

As for running . . . yes, I have been doing that. Although be sequestered to the roads because of the hunters really stinks. But this too shall pass. Eventually hunting season will be over and we can take back the trails.

And despite working in the germ-infested ER I have managed to remain flu-free. I am a hand-washing freak and I am sure this has helped. I also believe that the running lifestyle has helped keep my immunity up, so I will just keep doing what works!

In the rugby world my Munster men had a good week beating Ulster 24-10. It’s about time they put together an entirely good game! Hopefully they are getting themselves back into the groove and the winning streak will continue. Peter Stringer has been on the bench as replacement scrum-half for some time and I miss him. He is a feisty player with sharp, quick moves. O’Leary does a fine job, but the connection of Stringer and O’Gara was (and still is when Stringer is playing) a phenomenal thing to watch. I am still keeping my fingers crossed that Stringer will make it back into the starting lineup again.

The NYC marathon was this past Sunday and the day came together nicely. The weather was absolutely beautiful and it was a good day for US running, with six of the top 10 finishing spots going to the Americans, including the #1 place! Diane would have been so happy to see this and it was only fitting that she was taking her final run in NY on this auspicious occasion. Thank you Barb for making Diane’s final wish come true.

So not much else going on. Next week should be a good reporting week, bringing the results of Mendon Ponds 50K, the final race in the WNY Ultra Series, and results of the Stone Cat 50Miler and Marathon. Good luck to Lorrie at Mendon and Becky as she returns to the racing scene at the Harrisburg Marathon.

“To keep from decaying, to be a winner, the athlete must accept the pain – not only accept it, but look for it, live with it, learn not to fear it.” – Dr. George Sheehan

Thinking Ahead . . .

Not much new to report. It’s Fall, it’s beautiful, and I am a little leery about getting out on the trails. Which really sucks. The weather is great today – it’s about 42 degrees out, cool, and the trees are awesome. And the hunters are out. Fortunately, right now it is bow season, which means the hunters are at least a little more careful about spotting their targets before they fire their weapons. And I think I can easily be distinguished from a deer before the marksman lets loose his arrow. The gunslingers, on the other hand . . . well, I sometimes think that they hear movement and fire without fully spotting the target. I have heard some scary stories. I don’t know the full set of hunting time-frames of arrows versus guns, all I know is that it is hunting season, which means be careful where you run until probably December.

So I have been doing some thinking about the future and what runs sound promising for the year to come. In 2010 I will be turning the BIG 4-0. This really hit home when I registered for my first race of 2010, The HAT Run 50K, and when it asked for my age on race day it was my first experience having to enter 40. Wow. One of my friends recently turned 40 and she celebrated her birthday with a gathering of friends to run a 40K. Nice idea; relaxed and just a great group of people celebrating life and running. So this got me thinking about how I want to celebrate my 40th. Somehow I want to celebrate life, running, and friendship. And then it hit me. How about a 100-miler with all of my friends? After running a few possible scenarios in my head I think I have finally come up with a very doable plan. One of my favorite running routes is a 9.5 mile loop starting & finishing at home. Home would be a great place to set-up the home-base aid station and I could run repeat loops, hopefully with the support of my friends joining me throughout the run for as many loops as they can tolerate – and hopefully there will be a few die-hards who will be willing to get me through the night! My birthday is in March which likely would not be conducive to the event, so I think I will likely be looking to the end of April or early May sometime. I am already way excited about doing this! I love the camaraderie at ultras but I despise those terribly high entry fees and the cost of travel and housing. This way it costs me very little, I have my own bed, shower, and toilet at close disposal, and Joe will finally get to run some of a 100 with me. What better way to start a new decade of life!

"Great people and great athletes realize early in their lives their destiny, and accept it. Even if they do not consciously realize the how, the where, the what." --Percy Cerutty

Heineken Cup Rugby Off & Running!

Rugby action has been basically hit or miss for me over the summer, but things are back in action! Heineken Cup play is in full-swing and my Munster men seem to be getting their crap together. I watched in disgust as my team lost to Northhampton last week - didn't see that one coming.

Saturday night I got home for work around midnight and when I finally got to tune into the Munster vs. Treviso match, around 30 minutes into the match, Munster was down 10-7. I was worried that they were blowing it again. But things took a quick turn-around and despite some really disappointing kicking from Ronan O'Gara, who is normally a pretty stealth weapon in the kicking department, Munster managed to just roll all over Treviso. It was awesome and well worth staying up until 2am.

Crewing, Recovering, & Converting

It’s been time to ease-off a bit and enjoy the Fall. I feel that I recovered well after IT50 and I have just been out and enjoying the Fall weather and colors. The nicest thing has been running with Joe and helping him to get ready for his Fall ultra, CanLake50(K), which was this past Saturday. Despite reports that the day was to start out rainy and overcast and that it would blow over early, it didn’t happen that way. The day started out with temps in the high 40s, raining, and overcast. It was actually pretty nice weather, if you were running. I, however, was crew for Joe this time around. It was great fun and an honor to do this job, but it did get a little cold at times as I was standing and waiting for Joe to come into the aid stations. I suppose I could have sat in the car, but I really wanted to watch the other runners and help out Lorrie, who was at different stages of the race than Joe. All in all, it was a really fun day with Joe finishing the 50K in 5:44:XX and Lorrie 5:08:XX. A warmer day would have been nice for the crews but definitely deadly for the runners.

I have been reading “Born To Run” by Christopher McDougal. It really is a great book and I am becoming a total convert. I am really seeing the light of less being more. It’s time to go back to “old-school” running, time to get rid of the straps and spending so much on the latest styles of sneakers. I have been running in an old pair of Asics Gel Trainers, which are a pretty flat running shoe and very light weight. I have been focusing more on my form and am finding out that running in these lighter less shoes has made my form better. Running is feeling less of an effort and much more enjoyable. And, much to my chagrin, I have to say that Joe has always been on to something. I am always after him to get new shoes and get more cushion under him. I am finding out that as long as the form is good and there are no structural parts altering your foot function, running in those old shoes is OK. It’s a neat concept and hard to explain, but I would highly recommend reading this book and seriously thinking about how you run.

It’s now time to start getting ready for the Stone Cat 50-Miler on November 7. This is a really awesome race. Last year was the first time running it for me and for Joe, who did the marathon (which he will be doing again this year). The course is a 12.5-mile loop which is run 4 times for the 50 miles. The volunteers are great and have a lot of fun out there and the amenities are totally excellent with a tech shirt when you get your number and a great jacket when you finish! And did I mention free beer?! It doesn’t get any better than this and you completely get back your $75 entry fee with all the stuff. And it will be another “family reunion” with Barbara, Greg, Karen, Rob, Will, Laura, and Jeff. Looks like this year we will also get to reunion with Aliza, Kelly, and Jack from Vermont. I guess it’s time to get back into training mode . . . I mean, it is a race, isn’t it? It’s just hard to think of it that way when you’re having so much fun.

And Heineken Cup rugby is back in action. My Munster team had a bad weekend, losing to Northampton. My man, O’Gara, had a bad day kicking, and I thought at the last minute the team might come through, but it just didn’t happen. Just as bizarre was the match between Leinster and London Irish, with London Irish beating the defending Heineken Cup Champions Leinster. Very Bizarre. But I’m not giving up on the Irish men of Leinster and Munster . . . they will come back.

So that’s it for this week; not much to report. Had to break-out the tights today for the first time . . . it was a whopping 34 degrees when we went out to run! I had the constraints of wearing tights, but I think I have a few more shorts-wearing days left.

Over-and-out for now. Have a great week and get out and enjoy the cool Fall weather and the great mosaic of colors!

IROQUOIS TRAILS ULTRAS

Rule #1: Run happy.
Rule #2: If you can run happy then you can run harder.
Rule #3: If you can run harder then you can catch the runner in front of you.
Rule #4: If you can catch the runner in front of you then you can break 11 hours.

THESE ARE THE RULES OF THE GAME; IF YOU CAN'T PLAY BY THE RULES, DON'T PLAY.

After a disappointing DNF at mile 83.6 at the Vermont 100 in July I decided to do some soul-searching with my running and try to make some positive changes. Originally I had planned to run the Iroquois Trails 100-miler and the first change I made was to switch to the 50-mile race, take some pressure off of myself, and focus on what my body is asking for and listening to it while I run. That done, I decided that some guidelines needed to be set so as to keep myself from getting out of hand and blowing-up and having a bad day. Next I volunteered myself (and Joe and Lorrie) to man the overnight shift of an aid station for the 100-milers. This would keep me from going back on my promise to myself; and there were oh so many times when I thought “oh, I think I can run that 100.” But everytime that thought entered my head I knew I couldn't go back on my commitment to volunteer, so I was commited to running the 50-miler. Running the 100 would not have been the thing to do. I needed to stick to my guns.

Joe and I arrived out in Virgil on Friday afternoon and set-up our tent home. I could already feel the excitement – like I was running my first ultra instead of my – hmmmm, I don’t know how many I have run – but you get the point. The pre-race gathering was, as I suspected, wonderful – a regular family reunion. The best part for me was that Ian had brought some supplies to sell to runners in need and there was just what I had been looking for – Clif Shot Roks! These are a new product of Clif Bar, a package of 10 malt-ball sized protein balls, each containing 2 grams of protein. I found out about these about a month ago and had been waiting for them to appear locally and I was really bummed that I could not find any to test during this run. So finding them just waiting for me at the race was primo! I just innately felt that they would work well for me – nice to be able to have something that I could just “graze” on that would sustain me well.

Dinner of salad, bread, pasta, chicken, and coffee served-up by the staff at the Gatherings restaurant was excellent and just what I needed – not too many choices for me to make wrong decisions on.

Then it was off to bed early, a bit after 8pm. I really wanted to stay up for the Christopher McDougal (author of "Born to Run") talk, but knowing that my internal clock is usually pretty screwed-up from my work schedule and that sleep would likely be hard to come by, I decided that at least if I was lying down and resting I would be better off.

I awoke well before the 4:30am alarm, downed a Starbuck’s Double Shot, vanilla soy milk, and a cheese danish. It was a bit chilly stepping out of the tent, and I was so glad that I brought gloves and a winter cap for the start.

The starting line was about 50 yards from our tent, which I really liked. Note for next year: camping at the start/finish area was an excellent idea. At 6am the whole damn bunch of us running fools were off, running and laughing, as we headed off into the dark down Tone Road.

(reaching the alpine slope summit - me illuminating in the flash!)


I had run most of the course in sections prior to race day but the first section up through the alpine slopes was one I had not been on. Having run past this section before, I at least knew that it went up. And I wasn’t disappointed. We all hiked the hill at a pretty good clip, I thought, as I chatted with Joel Cisne as well as some new friends. The sunrise was absolutely amazing from the top of the hill and well worth the hike up. The run down the hill was a bit sloppy from the rains, but the easy pace kept me from losing control, killing my quads, and wearing too much of the mud. Note: After the race I talked with the 50-mile winner, Aliza LaPierre, who said that she was glad that she had a headlight on to see the mud on the downhill section. I, however, needed no light – the sun was out quite nicely by the time I hit this section!

Back to Joe Crew at Gatherings, a quick refill of my Gatorade bottle, dumped my vest and winter cap, and quickly head for Carson Road. As I peaked up on Carson I could see Joel and one of the other girls, Sherry, who I had run with earlier. Without really trying, I noticed that I was picking-up my speed and was even thinking about trying to catch them. Hmmm, this felt a little too much like work. Wait . . . remember the rules! I immediately slowed my pace a bit and just thought “either they will come back to me or I will let them go and hopefully I we will see each other again.”

Into the woods and the lovely single-track trail that I had been longing for. Fortunately, Joe and I had run this section before, so I knew what was ahead of me. I was still waking up and really hadn’t found my groove yet, but I was running happy. I had completely lost sight of Joel and Sherry, but with all the twists of the trail they could have been 50 feet or 500 feet ahead of me and I wouldn’t have known it. So I just stuck my with game plan and trudged along.

The sun was out but it was still quite cool when I hit the Pipeline Road aid station and was greeted by Joe and his cowbell. I filled my pack with Roks and Combos and refilled my bottles with water and Gatorade and I was off.

Onto Vinnedge Road where I got my first glance of the leaders heading back at me. Everyone looked to be in good spirits and were still running happy. This was the other section that I had never run so I really didn’t know what to expect. I caught up with Sherry and we talked and ran together and it was nice to have some company. I struck a pose for Steve Gallow and his camera and then headed up toward the power lines. On and off Sherry and I ran together. I was really enjoying talking with her but I soon realized that I was getting too distracted and at risk of violating my rules. I was inadvertently being pulled into her faster pace. So when we hit the next climb, I changed to walking while Sherry easily ran up the hill. I kept telling myself that it was better this way; I needed to focus on my needs and not falling apart too soon. I kept remembering the words of a runner from the Tahoe Rim Trail 100 DVD that I recently watched: “It doesn’t matter how long it takes as long as you finish. Nobody remembers you if you don’t finish.” But I would remember. I needed to make sure I finished – not to be remembered by everyone else, but more so I could remember.

The sun was coming out and I felt like I was starting to wake up and I just kind of hung back. Eventually I caught back up with Sherry and we ran together and talked until I reached Joe back at Pipeline. I refilled my stock of fuel, changed my shirt to short sleeves, and headed out. I was now running alone and able to get back into my head, a sometimes scary place. When I hit the trail off of Pipeline Road it was like magic. I was alive and I just felt at one with the trail. Eventually I came upon my friend Jim and another girl he was running with. Jim reminded me of how many times I was dying during last year’s Vermont 100 and how I would come back. I told him “I am like a cat with nine lives; I will die over and over but keep on coming back.” (And hope that I don’t reach and use up that ninth life!). So basically, no worries that I was passing him now, since I knew that my death would be imminent and eventually he would see me again. Sometimes you just gotta go with it when it’s there; you don’t know when – or if – you’ll have it again.

I felt like I was flying. It was awesome; the woods were so peaceful and I was happy. But all I could think about was Coke. I really wanted a Coke right then. So when I finally hit Carson Road, it seemed like an eternity getting back to Gatherings. When I finally did I downed two cups of Coke and it was as good as I had been dreaming. Joe was so engrossed with reviewing the trail maps with Greg Loomis’ father, Cal, that he didn’t even notice that I was there. But that was OK; I had my Coke.



(Here I am heading back from Pipeline to Carson Road via the Finger Lakes Trail. Feelin' groovy! )

The Clif Roks rocked! I felt totally satisfied with my fuelling and had not been having any low points so far. More Combos, more Roks, more Gatorade and water, new dry socks and sneakers, and I was off. Back down Tone Road to what I knew would be a grueling climb up Virgil Mountain. It’s a horrible climb when your legs are fresh – and let me say that the distance and the grade of the mountain grew ten-fold after 23 miles! It seemed like forever before I would see the old boiler on the hill; I was sure someone had moved it! I guess here was when I realized that it really isn’t always an advantage to know the trails we were running so well; I think ignorance at this point would have been better for me. Comparing how I normally go up this mountain to what was happening at this point in time just wasn’t helpful.

FINALLY, I reached Greek Peak, feeling less strong but still with a good attitude. I had been running – well, moving – alone for a long time now and it was good to see people. I talked with Joe a bit, refueled and took my 5-hour Energy drink. Within minutes my attitude improved and I felt like I could move-on to rule #2 – run harder. So I took off singing my favorite running tune “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen. Me – Mr. Fahrenheit – travelling at the speed of light. OK, likely only in my head, but at least feeling fast. And then I heard the gunshots and found another gear. By the time I hit the climb up Hauck Hill Road, well, let me just say that 5-hour Energy didn’t last 5 hours. It was a long, arduous hike up the hill. I felt whipped but still not done yet. It was so great to see Joe waiting for me on Bleck Road before I entered the trail again. Just seeing him and getting to talk with him boosted me. The energy was back – only I wasn’t sure which of my nine lives I was working off from at this point. Hopefully I had a few more left. Down to the creek crossing where I really had to concentrate on my footing, and there was Steve Gallow hiding next to a rock wall snapping pics. He startled me so much that I almost crapped myself. But at least it got me paying more attention to my surroundings. Further on I passed two lady hikers who, when they heard me approaching, one yelled “runner” so she and her friend could step off of the trail. I assured them that “runner” was a far stretch of the word at this point! Again, this trail seemed much longer then I remembered. But I finally hit the Rock Pile, refueled, and quickly headed off to Daisy Hollow, remembering how hard this section always was during the old Mountain Madness race, when you would be tackling it on fresher legs.

(Watching my steps as I cross the creek on Dabes Diversion)





And then, maybe ¼ mile down the trail, my toe caught something and I flew! My water bottle flew another ¼ mile down the trail from me and I landed awkwardly on my right shoulder and knee. I sat for a bit to make sure I hadn’t done any major damage, eventually got up, and swore to myself that I would pay better attention. Right.

They told me at the Rock Pile that it was only 5 miles to Daisy Hollow. Well, it was a long and sucky 5 miles. Here I got to see all of the runners who were heading back, looking good, and giving me hope that some day I, too, would be going that same direction. Eventually I hit the aid station at Daisy Hollow and to my surprise found some excellent potatoes cooking. At this point I made a new discovery. I love the clang of the cowbell, but there are times when it can grate on me – usually when I am tired and teetering on hypoglycemia. I never knew that anything could wear on my nerves more than that bell does when I am at that point, but I found it there out in the middle of nowhere. The gong. It was loud and Joe was like a kid with a new toy. But I guess it did it’s job – one bong was welcoming, the many bongs of Joe woke me up and got me the hell out of the aid station fairly quickly.

Tired, but not broken, I shuffled on. Within a few minutes the potatoes kicked-in and I was able to run a bit. But the footing is very tricky in that first ½ mile leaving Daisy Hollow and I didn’t want to chance falling again, as there would be a good chance that I would either fall into the small ravine or that my body would just break.

I finally reached the Rock Pile aid station again and was rewarded with a chair to sit down in – not that I was really that tired, but it was just nice to take the pressure off of my back. I sat for maybe a minute while I refilled my Gatorade bottle, chatted with some friends who were volunteering, grabbed a bag of Cheetos, and headed out. Those Cheetos were really good but I just didn’t have enough room in my gut to finish the entire baggie and my waist pack was still full of Roks and Combos. Not wanting to waste them and thinking that I would likely need those Cheetos in a little while, I tucked them into the waist band of my pack.

Another fall – I let my concentration waiver for a minute – and I quickly woke back up. Wow – it really is true – I found out that the bigger you are, the harder you really do fall. Oh well, keep moving, I told myself. After the momentary deflation from the fall, my attitude did get a little boost when I saw that it looked like I could tackle rule #3: catch the runner ahead of you. Eventually I did catch up to and pass Ed Eddington; however, Ed was running the 100-miler. Oh well; the rules didn’t say that the runner ahead had to be in the same race as me!

And then it happened again – a momentary lapse in focus, I think a blade of grass grabbed my toe, and I was down again. A long line of very loud expletives escaped my mouth as my left leg completely went into spasm. Tears came to my eyes as all I could do was lay there and massage it. At least if total paralysis overcame me I knew that Ed would be coming along shortly and could let someone know where to find me! However, a few minutes of rest and crying (that always helps), a mixture of Cheetos (thank goodness I didn’t land on them and crush them!), Combos, Roks, and I was at least able to get myself vertical and moving forward again.

Eventually I reached Joe and the Greek Peak aid station crew and just seeing them and getting their cheers brought some new energy. I knew that overcoming rule #4 – breaking 11 hours – was out of the question, but it didn’t matter anymore. I was ready to head home and so far things had gone quite successfully. I left one of my water bottles with Joe, hoping to make myself a little lighter for the final 3.5 miles, and changed into my “Diane’s Team” shirt. A quick kiss from Joe and I headed out of the aid station as fast as I could, knowing that I would soon be in tears. Just putting that shirt on and thinking of Diane and her strength and struggle always does it to me. But it makes me feel tougher and I know that would make Diane happy. She will always be there helping me.

OK, that long climb up Virgil Mountain is a hell of a lot longer going in the other direction. And a lot more painful. My quads squeaked just a bit with each step. And there is no walking here; walking is way more painful and just prolongs the agony. Get it over with. Finally, and fortunately with no falls, I reached Tone Road. Now you might think it would be a relief to finally hit the flat after all that downhill, but really, it’s like getting newborn baby legs. They just don’t know what to do with it. After about 20 feet of walking to reacclimatize my body position, I was able to run. And I was going to finish this thing running. Finally I saw Joe ahead and heard the cowbell and I knew I was home. Around the bend, into the parking lot, across the line . . . 11 hours, 21 minutes, and change. I didn’t overcome rule #4 but I came close, and I was happy with that, so it was a very successful day.

A HOT cheese quesadilla and everything was all good. All I needed was a hot shower, a cold beer, and good company. My camp shower was no longer warm and I couldn’t bear to hold a cold beer in my cold hands at the moment. Thank goodness for Audrey, Jim, and Jackie living so close by and having a hot shower so readily available. That hot shower did such wonders that my quads barely winced when I walked back down the stairs. Back to Gatherings for a nice sit-down meal of a very excellent mushroom cheeseburger (my traditional post-ultra feast; the rare occasion that I eat red meat) and salty hot fries and then it was back outside to park myself in a chair at the finish line with a cold Dundee Oktoberfest brew in my hand and time to catch-up with friends and watch the race unfold.

At around 10pm, Joe, Lorrie, Tam, and I headed out for our night shift duties of manning the Greek Peak aid station, but that’s another ultra story in itself. And better left for another day and many more pages of writing.

It was a great day spent with great friends and good memories. It was good to have that kind of day running again and I am very happy that I made the decision to go with the 50 instead of the 100. I have a new respect for the mountains in Virgil and running the 50 definitely gave me a better perspective of what I would need to do to successfully tackle the 100. So with that, I’ll be back again next year, hopefully to take on the 100. Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’, keep them doggies rollin’, keep them doggies rollin’, RAWHIDE!

Many thanks to Joe – we are a team and I am so lucky to have his support; I couldn't do it without him. Thanks to all of the volunteers and to the other runners, their families, friends, and crews. Many times we don’t even know each other, but the spirit of the run brings us all together.

(photos courtesy of Steve Gallow - thanks, Steve!)

Coming Soon To A Trail Near You - Iroquois Trail Ultras

It's down to business now . . . in exactly one week at this time I should be nearing the end of the Iroquois Trail 50-Miler. I am really excited about this and I feel really ready. I have been getting some rest, spending more time on the trails, and have been having good luck with my food-and-drink-for-the-run experimentation. Now it's just time to do it. Thank goodness I made the commitment to volunteer at an aid station for the 100-milers! I have so many times thought to myself "I think I could do the 100". No doubt that I think I could make it through, but my revamped goals for the rest of the running season were to scale it back a bit. If I hadn't made the commitment to volunteer I could easily see myself getting sucked back into the 100. But to make that a successful run for me, I feel that I need to be hungry for it. And by next year I will be starving for that 100 miles!

The race starts at 6am on Saturday, September 19. If you want to follow my progress through the mountains CLICK HERE (you will have to click on ITU 50 Mile on the left side of the page). You can click on the little cell phone icon next to my name and sign yourself up to receive text messages of my progress. CLICK HERE to see the leadboard and splits (click on ITU 50 Mile and the top of the page) and see how I am doing with the other runners. It will be just like you are out there in the mountains and on the trails with me!