Musings of Runner and Pacer in the Western States 100

Today we're flying home from Sacramento and revisiting our memories, stories, and perspectives from the parts of Western States 100 mile we ran together. I crewed for Ben from the start to mile 62, met him at the aid station, and ran with him as his pacer for the last 38 miles of the race. Ben will fill you in on his experience in a full race recap soon, and I hope the other crew members may be able to share what they heard, did, and saw throughout the day.

Here's a look at some of our stories throughout the 12 hours we ran together. This is totally casual - so you're a part of the conversation, too!

Each milestone on the course, or Aid Station, is listed in bold and chronological.

Foresthill - Mile 62

B – I felt inspired and motivated leaving Foresthill. I felt like sub-24 was still possible, all I needed was 12:40 pace for those 38 miles. The trail was supposed to be getting easier so I thought it was possible… but the trail really wasn’t getting easier so I decided I should just try to keep it together and not risk something happening this late. (Legs seizing up, stomach issues, etc.) After I got to that point I wasn’t going for a time… just trying to relax.

S - The sun was setting and it started to get dark about 30 minutes into our run. We turned on our headlamps to the medium/dim setting to make sure we’d have enough battery to last through the night. It’s good that it starts getting light around 5am here! We actually started by running the road part all the way to the trail, probably 2 miles before we took a walk break. I hadn’t seen any of the actual trail yet and (being honest!) was kind of excited there appeared to be plenty of road.

Cal 1 (Dardanelle’s) - Mile 65.7

B – You (Steph) were getting very talkative about the day, but then you got inquisitive which was bad (because I didn’t want to think).

S – I was trying to tell some of the jokes that people suggested on facebook.

B – But I wasn’t in the mood to fake a laugh if I was on the spot to “get” the joke or pretend it was funny.

S – I wasn’t sure what to say but we run silent often too, which is okay. That’s the benefit of running with a pacer you know… you don’t have to mess around with awkward silences or small- talk!

B – [Silence.]

S – As we were approaching the aid station (it was dark by this time) we saw a deflated balloon in the trees. I commented that it was weird and looked like a UFO. We knew we were approaching the aid station when there were glow sticks and glowy things on the ground. I really liked this about all of the aid stations -- always rope lights or glow sticks on the approach, like a beacon! The balloon thing made sense at that point – the aid station was UFO-themed. There were glow-in-the-dark cardboard cutout aliens mounted on the trees and stuff. This was the first time it had been dark! It was kind of mean because … that’s scary.

B – Everything is scary to you.

S – You're the one who picked a pacer who’s afraid of the dark.

B – When you mentioned that the balloon looked like a UFO, I realized that this was going to be that aid station (one that’s UFO-themed). I had thought this one was going to be later, at mile 85 or 90. This is the aid station (at Cal 1) where the volunteer mentioned that my Salomon soft flasks were like condoms. I was not amused.

  

Cal 2 – Peachstone - Mile 70.7

B – Peachstone is when you can start hearing the river for the first time, but you still have like 17 miles to get to it.

S- The sign said 7.

B – It was really 11. This was about the time where you got mountain lion-scared.

S – I was afraid to look into the woods or on ledges. Our shuttle driver from the airport told us that they like to hunt their prey by hanging out and waiting to pounce/attack from a higher ledge. I was terrified that if I shined my headlamp onto a ledge, I’d see eyes looking back at me, but terrified not to know what was up there. It was definitely dark enough that we couldn’t see anything past 4-5 feet on either side of us.

B – I decided not to tell you about the memorial for thewoman who was attacked on a training run on the trails. This is also where we got onto a dirt road, saw the aid station in the distance below and to our left. So naturally, what did the course do?? We went uphill and to the right.

S – Fail. That was pretty much the theme every time we felt like we could see/hear the aid station nearby. It was kind of reassuring because I knew the noise would scare off the mountain lions.

B – [shakes head, laughs]

Cal 3 – Ford’s Bar - Mile 73

B – Steph started to get inquisitive again and decided she wanted to do a 100 mile race. She started asking me about which ones to do, what they are, and all that.

S – To which you replied, “Ask Chris Neoh.” Well, ok, you did answer some.

B – You started getting so specific that I couldn’t answer any more questions. But I was surprised you had decided you wanted to do a 100 (which excited me) so I felt obligated to answer.

S – Excited? Couldn’t tell... but maybe it was because of the 73 MILES that came before this point! I just wished I had my computer so I could search. I wish I knew more about this stuff!

B – You were asking for a popular Boston-Marathon-prestigious 100-mile race that wasn’t in mountains.

S – Why do they all have to be in mountains? It’s a hundred flippin’ miles! Watching a race like this is motivational like watching the Olympics. But I'm capable of running 100 (and not capable of winning a gold medal in ice dancing), so I decided I should.

B – I ate a quesadilla at the Ford’s Bar aid station. The aid station volunteer was not as helpful because she was so distracted telling her friends about Ann Trason, who’d just passed through (as a pacer).

S – Oh yeah!! I forgot about this aid station completely until you mentioned that. Not only that, but she was standing in your way as you were trying to get food and totally ignored you!

B – So then I had to explain to you who Ann Trayson was as we left the aid station.  The next three miles we were teased by the sound of the rushing water and impending Rucky Chucky crossing.

S – It was all a lot of downhill running out of Green Gate. Then it turned into a wide road.

B - At one point, a spectator coming in our direction (going backwards on the course) cheering on runners told us we were “almost there – a quarter mile to go.” So what happened? The trail started going uphill and the river was below us again.

S – You made a comment about how we were going in the wrong direction to be getting down to water! When we finally got there, it was pretty cool. It was probably the most lights and most commotion we’d seen since Foresthill.

B – I weighed in before the crossing at 147, so that was a pound under my starting weight.

S - When we got to Rucky Chucky you beat out my record for most at-once mileage in the family!

Rucky Chucky Near/Far - Mile 78 & 78.1
Crew met us to walk to Green Gate

B – I tried to take in the river crossing but it was just kind of annoying. I tried to take it in because of the monument of it all, but really it was just annoying to get wet. Just wanted to get through it. There were some big gas rocks.

S – I don’t know how you got across so fast, I felt bad for lagging so far behind. The river crossing is definitely a major disadvantage for short people. What they had said was only a few feet, maybe waist deep, put me more like chest deep when I fell in or missed some steps. At least the water wasn’t shockingly cold! They strung a nylon line and had a team of volunteers holding the taut rope and headlamps to show us where to step.

B –  And wetsuits.

S – They activated a bunch of glow sticks and threw them in the river so we could get a better view of the footing. Some of the rocks were really slippery or just big.

B – “The knee-basher.” I can’t imagine volunteering for that job.

S – I must’ve said, “Thank you so much,” or “How long have you been out here?” to each of them!

B – When I got across the river, that’s when I got some nice potato soup that I had up until Green Gate. Except all their soups were blazing hot and it took that long to cool down.

S – Good thing it wasn’t a million degrees out at this point. Hot soup on a hot day does not sound appetizing. Anyway, when I got out of the water, I was really confused on where go. But our crew was there and I heard Maria yelling my name, so I went in that direction and found you again. 

B – Rucky Chucky Far to Green Gate was just a power hike like the one from Bath Road to Foresthill.

S – It was all uphill for 1.8 miles, so our crew hiked that whole way down to come see. F

B- From where they parked, it was 3 miles down.

S – I couldn’t believe all of the stuff I saw people (crews) hauling in, considering it was a pretty long walk. Maybe they just didn’t know and were committed by the time they figured it out.

Green Gate - Mile 79.8
At the top of the climb from Rucky Chucky

S – When we were stopped at Green Gate, the woman sitting next to our crew camp saw my number, cheered like crazy (like, “Yay! Go number 75!!” and clapping). By the way, pacer bibs are yellow and runner bibs are white with red.

B – She saw my bib, which also said 75, and realized that I was the runner (perhaps because I didn’t look as fresh). Then she said, “Oh, are you number 75 too?”

S – I was changing into a new pair of shorts and eating a snack minding my own business when I guess she figured out that I was the pacer with the identical bib. She didn’t do anything to hide her – disappointment? – that she’d cheered for me and not Ben. So then she said unenergetically, “Oh… well, we like pacers too... I guess.”

B – She was a dipstick*. [censored]

S – That comment kind of upset me. Like, I know I didn’t just run a billion miles, and I don’t need to get credit or recognition for it, but never dismiss the importance of a pacer. That was really not cool.

* We later found out more about her shenanigans from our crew... Apparently we'd barely scratched the surface. The cumulative oh-you're-just-the-pacer comments up to now were getting to me (and my fatigued brain). It made me feel bad for being there, for using up aid station supplies/resources, for being "in the way." I thought it was really strange that people would ignore or stare blankly at me and other pacers but enthusiastically cheer "Great work, runner!" (Um, not that hard to make the word 'runner' plural!) I don't need any glory - just give me polite acknowledgement, especially if I'm filling up my runner's handheld bottles. Maria: "Pacers are people, too!" 

S- I’m pretty sure at this aid station (Green Gate) they told us the trail was really runnable from here to the next, “much more runnable than the last stretch.”

B – Yeah, the guy even said it’s his “favorite trail in North America.” Not the United States, not in California, but North America. More runnable than a river crossing and an uphill hike to Green Gate? But this section was hardly runnable.  Paynetown is more runnable than this trail.

Auburn Lake Trails - Mile 85.2

S – I was starting to feel  really tired during this stretch. It was the first time I felt like I was almost nodding off while my legs were moving.

B – Maybe it’s ‘cause you saw Chris Muir sleeping at the crew station at Green Gate and not even flinch while we were there. He did have to drive though, so I’ll allow it.

S – I figured I was having trouble focusing from being hungry. I had one of those gels I stashed in my back shorts pocket and I felt better almost instantly!

S – I heard a low growl or roar coming from behind me somewhere off of the trail.

B – I heard it too. It was more like a snort.

S – Yeah, it was a big animal snort. I wigged out and pretty much jumped into your arms and almost tripped you. I don’t remember if this was before I ate that gel, but this raised my awareness paranoia that I could get mauled or eaten by a bear on this run too. Then I got really scared that they’d smell the food on me and FIND ME in the woods.

B – [rolling eyes] I was picturing Yogi Bear coming after your gel. I just kept hoping we wouldn’t see the memorial for the mountain lion attack** victim (that I continued to choose not to mention).

** After Ben told Steph about this the next day, she shipped her pants. S – I would have been so much more freaked out. 
B – Yep, that’s why I didn’t tell you.

S – I kept checking those ledges. Well, there was a point in time where I knew something was up and was legit freaked out because even though I was scared, you stopped and shined your flashlight into the darkness behind us. That scared me. A lot. Because I knew you wouldn’t have done that for fun or to be funny.

B – Luckily that Chatty Cathy wasn’t far off. Unluckily?

S –I feel like this was the first time we were starting to see a decent amount of people on the trail, either being passed or us passing (or both: yo-yo-ing.)  It felt less isolated in the dark dark dark.

B – The Chatty Cathy was a pacer for another woman. She was a loud talker, stayed up to 50 yards ahead of her runner, and we could hear her talking a quarter mile away. I started running more to get some distance on her and keep her out of earshot.

S – She suuuuuure liked to gossip. Too bad we yo-yo-ed with her and her runner for a few hours… fortunately all of that talking was scaring off the mountain lions.

B- After leaving Green Gate, I thought, “20 miles to go, 15-minute pace… that’s 5 hours. 5 hours left.” The next few miles, I was struggling to run 20-minute miles. At the next aid station, I had 15 miles to go at 20-minute miles… 5 hours.” So I’d gone 5 miles and it had taken a little over an hour, and I still have 5 hours left. That was the toughest hump to get over.  After that I was more confident I would finish.

Brown’s Bar - Mile 89.9

S – I’m gonna say it. I had to pee, so this is where I tried to pee. They didn’t have a portajohn and I was ok with going in the woods, but the aid station volunteer said there was a bathroom just 100 yards up a hill. I went, but then realized I was starting to get surrounded by higher bluffs. And then it occurred to me that it would be a good perch for a mountain lion. I went about 25 yards farther than I had the courage to but then wigged out and ran back down the hill as fast as I could with a full bladder.

B – I had to also, but I decided to hold it to keep my weight up for the next med check.

S – Once again, we heard that this next part would be really runnable.

B - “…If you have legs,” they say. Last I looked down, I had legs, but it still wasn’t runnable.

B - This is actually where Ann Trason passed us, this time pacing a different runner. Actually, we ran with them for a bit – like a tenth of a mile. (She must have picked him up at Green Gate.)

S – She seemed pretty chatty: “10 miles to go!!” She was wayyy too peppy.

B – We were just craving the sunrise at this point. Our headlamps were getting really low.

S – I turned mine down as low as I could without tripping on stuff. All of the lights we had were definitely starting to die. There were people sleeping on cots when I went up that dark hill to find the protajohns.

B – You suggested we take a nap before daylight. You really know how to make “good” suggestions to keep my spirits up, pacer.

S – Nailed it.

Partway into this segment it started getting light, at 5:15 am.

B –I had to “use the facilities” for a good half hour leading into the Highway 49 aid station. I hadn’t been eating and drinking as much as I did during the first part of the race, so I held it to keep my weight up.

S – We must’ve heard the Highway 49 aid station from at least a half mile away. And again… the trail kept winding away from where the commotion was coming from.

B – Somewhere around that point, I would must up a shuffle (a scoot), and I’m sure it was probably the most pathetic thing ever, and it felt like I had put together a solid half mile stretch of running when it was - in reality - more like a solid 100 meters that took a minute and a half. I had to stop thinking in miles because it was giving me false hope. That’s one of the reasons I decided not to get a different GPS out at the next aid station. That may have backfired because it made that feel even longer and still made the milse seem to tick away so slowly.

Highway 49  - Mile 93.5
Crew access - crews took shuttles in to the aid station.

B – I weighed four pounds over. Shoot! The med check person showed some concern but I told him I had to go to the bathroom and that I’d be right back. So when I got out I went to weigh in and he said, “Do you think you actually peed that much?” and I told him, “I didn’t just pee.” I dropped three pounds back to my starting weight.

S – There were pancakes and bacon and other real food (of substance) at this aid station. It was really nice to see a ROAD and signs of civilization. I was so hungry at the Highway 49 aid station – but I don’t think I ate anything here, and I chose not to take a gel with me… must not have been thinking straight. I regretted it almost immediately.

B – I had some sausage and hash browns. It was delicious.

S – Then we took off and started running in that huge grassy field.

B – Our shadows were really long in the grass, it would have made a good picture. I was just so ready to be done. This was probably the first time I was 100% sure I would finish.

S – I’m not sure if it was because it was finally light out, or if the terrain changed (it was “more runnable”?), but I felt like the tone of the run was completely different from here on out. We ran in silence for a big part of this stretch. I think we were both really tired – but least it was finally light. I was starting to feel really spacey, even though I hadn’t been running that long in the scheme of things (nor in the heat).

B – I was 100% sure I’d finish, but the crazy thing was that I probably still had 1:40 to two hours left. I felt like I could just gut it out and powerhike it as much as I could.

S - As  we were coming down that hill to get to the No-Hands Bridge aid station, I think I started falling asleep or dreaming while I was running. I saw MamaB sitting Indian style in the trees (which was in reality a drop-off ledge, so obviously impossible) and a brand new blue Chevy Cruze that was actually the side of a rock wall. I snapped out of it when I took an involuntary hard right turn almost off the trail and into a ravine. Woke up a few steps before I was tumbling down a hill.

No-Hands Bridge - Mile 96.8

S – I was so hungry at No-Hands Bridge!! (Possible explanation for sleep-running) I got caught up at the aid station by a chatty aid station worker and Ben gained a few hundred yards while hobbling away.

B –I caught up with another runner on the bridge. I found it amusing that we’d been in the woods for the past 4 hours or something and as soon as we come out into the open, the sun has come out just enough that boom – it’s on us. It wasn’t too terribly hot, but I just wanted light, not sun.

S – There was more climbing after No-Hands Bridge, wasn’t there?

B – We had about 2.5 miles to go and a mile/mile and a half was dirt road. We passed a guy who said, “You’ve got 15 minutes of climbing, almost there,” and it was stupid climbing. Like, it was stairs [which are harder than a constant slope] and it was hard for me, but I’m sure it was hard for you too. The rest of the trail was not-steps.

S – That’s when we saw that rock formation that looked like a spiral tower. And I told you to use the hands on the quads trick to get up the steep climbs.

B –Yeah, I was done trying to do things [figure out the spiral rock formation] at that point. We emptied out my water bottles at that point so I could put my hands on my quads. And who were they [that guy] to know what pace I was going that it’d take me 15 minutes to get to the top??

S- That was a lot of climbing. I feel like people were trying to sugar-coat

B – Everyone was saying congratulations lead up the aid station at Robie Point. That’s when you hit the road. And they were all ilke, “Great job! You Did it!” Except I was looking at a face-wall of climbing and I wasn’t done yet. I was appreciating it but I didn’t want to acknowledge them but didn’t want to be mean and not acknowledge them…

Robie Point - Mile 98.90
Crew met us to walk in to the Auburn finish stadium.

S – Maria had our InRunCo shirts when the crew met us at Robie Point.

B – She’s on it!

S – More hills, more climbing.

B – The thing was, even though it was slower, the climbing didn’t bother me.

S – It was the people lying how far we had to go!

B - The descending would bother me too, but any time we went up, we’d have to go down again. That was the double-edged sword: If there was an uphill, it would feel ok but was very slow. Couldn’t we just have flat??  I started wondering if the track would be flat. I hadn’t seen flat all day. I wonder what total distance of the course was actually flat – if you add up all the little hundredths of a mile somewhere. There’s probably 1,000 3 or 4-foot sections of flat on the course all day. Descending was not pleasant.

S – I seriously wondered where this track was. People told us we had so far to go, but after we’d covered that far, we were still not there!!

B – That’s when we had three people speed [run] by me, and I said, “Sorry guys, there’s no more run left.” Not even when we got to the track. Not even a 100-meter scoot.

S – So we got to the track FINALLY and had 300 meters to go. They were calling numbers and announcing over the PA system (to spectators) the finisher’s name, bio, and any other fun facts provided by the runner. Since there was a guy ahead of you, they must’ve talked about him for the entire time it took us to slowly go 200 meters. You only had 100 meters left (or less!) and they were still talking about him! I didn’t initially see the “Pacers that way” arrow sign, since we weren’t supposed to go through the finish arch. Someone told me to go right like I was supposed to, so I tried to pull off and let you finish. 

B – But then I said “Hell no!” and the rest can be seen in the finish video. As they say… the rest is history.

2013 Hawthorn Half Day 12-hour Race - Steph

Running. 12 hours. One day.

5k (3.1 mile) loop. Longest distance wins.

Ben signed us up for the Hawthorn Half Day ultra last week. He planned to run up to 50 miles to prepare for the Western States 100, while I decided to run up to the full 12 hours to push myself and see if I could. Since Dances With Dirt, we hadn't completed many long runs; Ben bruised/displaced a rib and had been struggling to let it heal, and I was just relaxing for a few weeks! You know that feeling of low motivation you get after a race?  Well, with the warmer weather and post-race-itis, I couldn't get my butt out the door... I was still getting out 5 times (maybe 6) per week thanks to group runs - so not really relaxing - but typically kept my mileage between 5-7 miles each run. Coming from super high-mileage 60-90 mile weeks earlier this year, that was quite a break.

On Saturday before the HHD, I started feeling kind of funny - sinuses dried out, general tiredness. When Monday rolled around, I was positive I'd caught some kind of cold. Coughing. Lots of coughing. This wouldn't be a big deal, but I was pretty worried about the rattling in my chest when I'd cough. UNfortunately, it turned out to be bronchitis, so I went home with a z-pak and a hope that I'd kick this thing within a few days. [I didn't start feeling any better until Thursday.] By Friday I felt about 90%. My cough sounded much worse than I felt. I wasn't sure how Saturday would go, but I felt well enough to run and didn't really sweat it.

Race Prep
If you've read any of my other ultra race reports, you know I don't do a lot of pre-race planning. This time was a little different! I'm doing the Whole30, a 30-day jump-start to change the way I choose and think about food. And because this is a new way of eating for me, most of my race prep was about planning and packing nutrition. Gone are the days of PB&Js and super-sugary energy gels, which were good for a quick boost and then a slight crash (then rinse and repeat). I really had to get my nutrition plan ready before the beginning of the race this time.

I'll probably put together another post outlining how I made it through the race on a completely different eating regimen than my usual run-gel-run-pbj-run-pbj-run-pbj-run-gel/salted potato routine. Here's the gang of food I actually packed and ready in a cooler:

-Sweet-

• Ignite Naturals Reload energy gel.
• Sweet potatoes - pureed with applesauce in a gel flask.
• Apple juice
• Baby food - not an intentional Whole30 move. I've been experimenting with this for a while.
• Endurolytes
• Vespa
• Larabars and homemade "Larabars" - I made some key lime homemade larabars the night before the race. Cashews, walnuts, dates, lime! Delicious!

-Salty-

• Prosciutto
• Sweet potato, in chunks, with a container of salt. 
• Aidell's Chicken & Apple sausage (Kroger) - cut into chunks

- Recovery/Post-WO Food Plan -

• Sweet potatoes + frittata

As far as other things I had ready for race day:

• I put a good Rhapsody playlist on my (borrowed) mp3 player.
• Flip Belt! Because of the way the race is set up, I never had to go longer than 3 miles before an aid station, so I figured I'd pack light. I don't usually carry water or hydration packs anyway.
• Change of clothes - including a full change of clothes for after the race, and an extra tank top for if it got hot enough to ditch sleeves. I usually pack extra socks, underwear, calf sleeves, shoes, and sports bra. I never know what I'll be running in/through (especially if on horse trails...)
• Garmin - 910 I borrowed from Rick! My 610 doesn't have enough battery life to make it, but the 910 can last up to 20 hours.
• The usual - sunglasses, running hat, sunblock, extra shoes, compression tights, calf sleeves

TIP: Bring a backpack and label the contents of the pockets to save time searching for things mid-race. (Same could apply to your food containers/cooler)

Race Day

We left Bloomington around 5:30am, expecting an hour drive (it was more like 1:15). Not surprisingly, we got there a little late, but had enough time to set up our camp (coolers on/under a folding table and a case of water), put on the right clothes, pick up timing chips, and hit the bathroom with - literally - 10 seconds to spare before the gun went off. The morning weather was so perfect! Cool, but not uncomfortable.

The Course

The first loop was all about getting familiar with the course. I was really surprised that there was so much non-traditional trail (~40%) on the course - we ran through a small parking lot, hit a few segments of paved path, and ran on some big gravel. Other than that, the other ~60% consisted of dirt and grass trails. Hills: There was one big hill on the course that had to be walked, and another little one that could've been run, but the grade was so awkward that I decided early on to walk it as well. Mixing in the paved trail/roads helped make me feel like I could get moving a little faster than on grass. The big gravel was just rough in general - oy! The course itself was extremely well-marked with arrows and tape for directional markings, and nearly every single root and rock was painted to help us tired fall-prone runners. The race directors did an excellent job with this!

I don't have a lot of photos, but you can find a fellow runner's video summary of the race - including some shots of the course and runners village (aid station) - in Charles Moman's videos here and here.

A 5k loop? Mind-numbing, you say? Think about it: running about 3 miles max before you hit an aid station. The aid station, fully stocked with whatever you choose (to bring). Predictable course. Mostly flat loops (minus 2-ish still-small walkable hills). You never end up in no-man's land because it's only 3 miles. Easy for spectators. C'mon, it's a great setup! [In all fairness, my first marathon was a 26 x 1-mile loop]

The Run...

I'll recap everything that I can recall, but no guarantees - it's all going to be pretty approximate... the loops and miles just start to blend together after a while! I put together a map so you can follow along in the spots I'm about to mention. [And if you do this race, use this for reference!]

Loops 1-3: 

First reaction: "No one told me there were hills on this course!" Running the first few loops, I didn't feel a thing. Pace felt maybe a little bit fast for 50+ miles since I was running with Jesse for a lap or so. Everyone was really cheerful and energetic so it was good meeting and talking to people on the trail. Ben stayed back and chatted with some people so I went ahead and lost him temporarily. Jesse makes me laugh - he checked our speed and, doing the math, he saw that we were on pace for 83 miles. Honestly, I never really thought about it like that... I just thought about it like I was going out for a long run and I'd see where I ended up! Jesse was running as a fundraiser benefit for a friend, and he received plenty of pledge donations per-mile. More miles, more dollars raised.

In one of the early parts of the third loop, a bird flew out of a tree and didn't see me - I got smacked in the forehead by a wing or a tail feather as it flew by. [What are the odds: this is the second bird-related running incident I've had in the past month?!] I was really surprised when I finished the third loop, because it didn't seem like 9ish miles had gone by yet.

Loops 4-5:

Ben caught up with me and we ran together. From the very beginning, I'd been wearing my New Balance 1010 trail shoes, except I blew out part of the outer at DWD; since they were a safe bet and also because we didn't have my size/width at the store, I didn't want to run in a brand new pair of shoes. So, I started with the old ones.... which turned out to be a bad idea. The blowout let in a bunch of debris and little rocks in my shoes, which aggravated my feet. On top of that, the gravel was just too big to run on and I felt like I needed something more underfoot. I switched to my Newton Distance after loop 3 or 4 and it made a huge difference. Much softer! I wore those until the end. I also changed from my t-shirt into a tank top because it was already starting to get a little toasty out.

At the end of the 5th loop, my legs started feeling a little beat up. We commented on how it was starting to get warm on the lake stretch... I made a conscious decision to walk up the big hill (the one labeled "I love this hill") and up the little incline that was labeled "Bear left." The thing that got me through not stopping to walk for extended periods of time was giving myself a point, like the next arrow, at which I'd start running again.

Loops 6-10:

These miles blended together. Legs didn't feel any worse as the miles went on, but the one major change was that it was definitely much much warmer out on the lake stretch with the sun getting higher and hotter. (Earlier we talked about how it was bearable there primarily because of a breeze, and hoped it would continue throughout the day.) It was a clear day - not a cloud in sight. There was a moment during which I started feeling not-so-great, and I remember telling Ben, "I think I'm gonna have to stop and walk soon." The great part about these loops being 5k is that it's not too far until the aid station/runner camp, a good spot to relax, regroup, and reset. Mentally, I was starting to get exhausted and really relieved to reach our aid station table. I kept repeating to Ben: "I just want to hit 70. It would be so great if I could hit 70 miles."

Loops 11-13:

We pulled out our mp3 players at the 60k mark. It was such a good change of pace to have something to take my mind off of running for a bit. So Ben and I ran together while listening to music, and I felt like the mental distraction was really good for "tricking" me into running faster than I would have otherwise. Ben was such a good crew, even while running, helping by running ahead sometimes when we needed to have stuff prepared at the aid table - like ripping open a gel packet or pulling out my change of shoes.

Loops 14-18:

I realized after hearing the same songs multiple times that I must've downloaded only part of a playlist, or synced the wrong one. Argh! It's worse that this is the second time I've made this mistake. Sometime during the later part of these miles that I was finally able to un-pop my ears. With the bronchitis-related sinus issues I was having (I'll spare you the details), my right ear had been plugged up since I woke up. Finally got it and suddenly I could hear better! Little victories!!

Speaking of wins, we noticed the water spigots near the campsites for the first time in the later parts of our run together, just as it was getting hot. We stopped and I splashed my face, arms, and calf sleeves with water each time we came to this spot. It was a good chance to stop and feel refreshed!

Ben pulled off, finishing his 50 miles after lap 16. He continued to be a good crew and moved our camp table to a shady spot so I wouldn't have to hit the rest spot in the blinding sun. And, he'd been talking to our new friend, Lindsay, who had been set up at her runner's (Justin's) aid table next to us; around this time she let us have a bag of ice and cooler she'd brought...

...Later-ish:
It was around this point that I noticed the countdown clock for the first time, at around 4:30 to go. I'd run a loop and try to guess where the clock would be the next time I came through, somewhere around 32-38 minutes. I did a quick how-am-I-feeling check -- and strangely enough, my legs felt just the same amount of beat up at 20 miles, 30, 40, 50, 60, and 70 miles. No issues besides a little tightness in the hamstrings.

Nothing super notable here, besides seeing a big black snake on the trail. That was not so fun. I got a jolt of adrenaline after almost stepping on it.

6 laps left to go:

As I finished a lap, Ben started telling me that all I needed was to run 3 laps and I could walk 3 (at <14 min/mi pace) to match the course record. I was getting really mentally tired of going around and around for still another 3+ hours, so to break it down into "sets" of three laps like this was tremendously helpful in being able to.... chew it all. Knowing that I could walk?? Awesome! It was somewhere around this time that Ben recommended trying the running hat, since my head was getting hot! I headed off for the sixth-to-last lap to go.

As I started running, I started feeling a slight twinge in my foot. Minor concern... this is what put me in a boot after the Chicago Marathon! I kept running, paying attention to my running form, and - fortunately - it went away about a half mile later without ever coming back. I pressed on. Of course, it always seemed like the sky would cloud over as I was at my aid "table" and then the sun would come out full force when I got to the long sunny stretch around the lake. 

5 laps to go:

We discovered that the running hat was a good idea. Ben helped by putting ice in my hat AND in the back of my sports bra on every lap from here on out -- it was a lifesaver. It would still be a few hours before the sun would lay off, so this was so incredibly good at helping stay cool. In fact, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have finished or run like I did without the ice (THANK YOU, JUSTIN & LINDSAY!!!). The ice pack that Ben helped me with each lap would be perfectly melted by the time I returned back for the next lap.

As I ran with this lap, I started imagining walking or run-walking the remaining laps. So tempting!! I got excited at the idea of possibly walking the next lap, then running the one after that, and walking the last two. Or, running parts and walking parts within laps. The possibilities!!! Whatever I ended up doing, I couldn't do it until after this lap if I wanted to be safe. So, I kept going.

My mp3 player died at the end of this lap. I was really tired of listening to the same 10 songs, but since I'm such a creature of habit, felt kind of thrown off when the routine and rhythm I had gotten into was slightly disrupted. I was over it about a minute later.

4 laps to go:

Even though I had wanted to walk most of this lap, I decided it was smart to keep running through this - sun and all - so I could get far ahead enough to walk comfortably later. In other words, I didn't want to put myself in a time-crunch situation. So, I ran this lap too, and felt pretty good. In fact... I felt like I was going faster on this lap, because (like I mentioned earlier), sets of 3 laps were so much easier to digest than thinking about running 9 miles at a time. Again, little victories.

3 laps to go:

I really had a lot of intentions to walk these laps, but I wanted to keep the momentum I had from the last lap and I kept on running. This continued on... and I kept on feeling ok with the ice on my head and on my back, despite still plenty of sun. 

People suddenly got so much friendlier! Because we were so close to the finish, I think everyone was ready to be done and could taste the end of the 12 hours. A few people asked how many miles or laps I was at, and truthfully, I had no idea. I knew I was past 100k!

2 laps to go:

I headed off on my second-to-last lap. Partway into the lap, I met a very aggressive goose. I stopped, walked, didn't make eye contact... all those things. One bird-related incident for the day is enough, right? Let's not make it two. I snuck past the goose, and it chased me for a little ways. As I panicked a little, my mind started to devise ways to defend myself; kicking it was the best I could come up with. I continued on running pretty quickly with the adrenaline rush from my goose encounter. 

source: nataliedee.com

After this lap, Ben told me I was at a decision point. I could:

a) run the very last 5k lap in 40 minutes and then hang out for 5-10 minutes before I started on the half mile road loop in the last half hour of the race. The lap I'd just finished was somewhere around 36-38 minutes (I'd totally forgotten about the pit stop I made at the campground).

b) run two more 5k laps in ~35 minutes. Kind of faster, but doable.

I chose to run one last lap in 40 minutes (mostly because I didn't want to face off with the goose again).

1 lap to go (last lap):

I headed off for this lap, almost on a high from the excitement of being so close to done.... with the 5k loop, at least! I really didn't feel like I needed or wanted to walk, so I kept going. Legs still felt surprisingly good, even up the hills. I must've returned back to the aid station/base camp way before Ben expected me, because he was still lounging in the lawn chair. He hopped up and looked at his watch. I finished that lap in less than 35 minutes. Nice!

Since I was way ahead of time, I decided to head out for a very last - bonus - lap.

* Warning: Lots of excitement and exclamation marks ahead.

The bonus lap:

It was almost kind of eerie being out on this lap, since I encountered only two other runners on this loop. By this time, even though the sun was still out (and I still had a good amount of ice in the back of my sports bra), the sun was getting a little less strong. Finally! I did just as I did on every other lap, walking up the big hill. When I got to the "Bear Left" hill, I felt good enough to run up it. So close! The finish is near! (At least, the end of the 5k loops is done!)

Half Mile Loops:

The half mile loop was wonderful!! Like the groups of 3 5k loops, it was so much easier to bite off each half-mile loop at a time, as opposed to thinking about running 2 more miles. I thought I'd have time for only 2 or 3 laps, so I headed out. People were rolling (fast!) out on the half-mile road/parking lot loop! Caught up in the final moments of the entire 12 hours, I followed suit. It was crazy how short the half miles seemed compared to the 5ks! This was absolutely a-mazing. On such a short loop, I felt like I was flying! I saw Troy (who Ben had run with earlier in the day) through the trees a few times, and he was flying too!

I ran the three half-mile loops I knew I could get in without a problem. When I passed the time clock, I saw I had 7:39 (minutes-seconds) left to run a possibly fourth loop, so I headed out once more but with the intention of trying to run two more loops to make five. I took off, with my GPS pace reading at around <7 minutes per mile. After doing this for a few feet, my legs felt tired... and then they got really heavy... and didn't want to move this fast. I thought, "Hey, this kinda hurts. I think I'll stop running like this now," so I did. I trotted slowly and comfortably toward the finish of the fourth lap, not before seeing Ben. Ben who was standing on the side of the half-mile course, gave me grief for giving up on not squeezing out another full mile. I argued that I didn't have time left. He told me, "I bet you'll have four minutes left to do it. You can do that, easy."

Well, I got back to the timing clock. As much as I hated to admit it, he was right. I had 3:58 left to do another half mile. Possible? Ok, let's give it a shot.

I kept on going as fast as I could (given the circumstances of the past 11 hours and 56 minutes), made the turn as quickly as possible, and with probably 500 feet left of the loop, a car started awkwardly backing out of a parking spot, blocking the entire road we were running on! Me and another guy next to me both muttered, "Are you serious?!" and got around it as best we could. A quick glance at my pace told me I was sitting right on 7-minute pace.

Finish

Finishing was such a cool experience! There were tons of spectators, and so much clapping and cheering. What an amazing reminder of how joyous and inspiring race finish lines can be - whether you're running a 5k, marathon, half marathon, or an ultra... the crowd is what gets you through to the end! I used the energy and excitement from everyone to take me through to the finish, seeing Ben on the sideline about 20 yards of the end. With 15 seconds remaining on the clock when I crossed the finish line, I can confidently say that I squeezed as much mileage out of these 12 hours as I possibly could. (and Ben was right that I had time for a last lap)

The last steps - ignore that heel strike!

Post-Race

I was sopping wet from all of the melted ice and just realized it. Carefully, I changed into my compression tights to help recovery and grabbed a (recovery) bite to eat. We sat down with everyone in the picnic shelter, where the awards ceremony was held. It was so fun to be able to meet all of the people I'd seen on the course earlier! Maybe it's just me: I recognized each person best by seeing the back of his/her shirt. Ben and I had a good time sharing war stories with everyone and hearing theirs. It's sometimes really easy to just go home after a race, so this was a really good part of the event - the chance to hang out, have fun, and celebrate.

The medal

Outcome?

Ben won his age group, running 49.6 miles in 7 hours, 37 minutes!

I won the female overall award! We each went home with a medal and a trophy. Bartley win!

 

Other stats:

Ran 76.9 miles on the day

Broke the women's course record. Previous record: 71.2 mi set in 2012.

Third place overall finish. (By the way: Jesse won - running 78.4 mi!)

Average 9:02 min/mi while running

Average 9:39/mile including breaks between loops.

Projected 16:08 finish at this pace if I was insane enough to go 100 mi

Overall winner trophy weighs a solid 15.6 pounds
GPS: Strava  |  Garmin Connect

The immediate damage:

Everything was minor. Hooray!

• Sacro-iliac (SI) joint was stuck. This just caused some tightness in my back. Huge shout to Dr. Mandy Smith at Indiana Spine & Sports for "fixing me" with ART & some minor adjustments (and to Ben for preemptively scheduling the appointment knowing what was to come!)
• Tiny blister on foot - but that's it!
• Tight hamstrings & hip flexors
• Minor bruised toenail
• Sore biceps, on the inside of my elbow. It must take more effort to keep my arms ~90º while running than I thought.
• 1 horse fly bite
• Roof of mouth torn up until two days after. I'll admit, this one's weird. There's a "scientific" reason why, and since the internet says it, it must be true. Everything I ate - in particular, acidic things like tomato sauce or vinegar, would burn and make the roof of my mouth feel like it was on fire! This is something so minor, but the second time I've experienced it -- it lasted 2 days this time.

Wins:

• No plantar issues. I've been dealing with plantar fasciitis for months until a few weeks ago!
• No foot metatarsal issues, besides the minor twinge I felt toward the end.
• I'm not sunburned. Unbelievably. I ran Boston and got sunburned. Yet 12 hours in this and I'm not? Hmmm.
• IT bands ok. Sometimes I get really horrible IT band pulling, causing pain on the knee (resulting in hobbling/limping because of this at Boston 2011)
• Mostly stuck to Whole30. Besides small amounts of rice flour in the Endurolytes, honey in the Vespa, everything Whole30 went great! Energy levels stayed consistent throughout the day and I never once felt hungry.

Aftermath:

I want to eat... ALL the things! Can't.... stop... eating...! So... so... hungry...! And of the things I want to eat, I really want sugar. I'm not sure if this has to do with needing more sleep, but I'm craving something sugary and sweet. 

source: nataliedee.com

And last, although this is my fourth ultra, I still can't get over the struggle with a good night's sleep after the race. I'm always so achy and uncomfortable, it just hurts to move! So I try to put a positive spin on this: Yes, yes, surely that's accomplishment that I'm feeling.

Special Thanks

This has clearly been my longest race to date, and one that's pushed me beyond what I imagined I was capable of achieving. None of this would have happened without a few very important people (in no particular order):

• Ben - for being my crew, semi-unexpectedly. Best crew ever. And also for making important calculations and decisions late in the day when my brain was in no condition for critical thinking. And for signing us up! (In addition: loaning me his mp3 player, driving to/from Terre Haute, cheering for me, for adding ice... the list goes on)
• Bill & Mickey (Mama and Papa B) - for coming over to grill us a celebratory steak dinner... after 10pm.
• Rick - for loaning me your Garmin 910 so I could see my splits after my own watch would have died. And for a good laugh (and compliment) on Facebook. Never say never.....!

• Maria & Erin - for helping me figure out what food I was going to bring!
• The BARA gang - for getting me out the door and a reason to run, even when I sometimes didn't feel like it.
• Christy - for loaning me some Ignite Gels (while we wait for them to arrive on backorder). Huge help!
• Justin & Lindsay - I'll say it again. I would not have finished this well without your generous "donation" and willingness to share the cooler of ice you had! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
• Hawthorn Half Day Race Directors & staff - for hanging on, hanging out, and making this long day a spectacular one!
• And to YOU - For reading this far and this long, you deserve a medal.

Rocky Raccoon 50 Mile Race Recap

The back story
A long, long time ago, Ben signed up for the Rocky Raccoon 100 Mile with the intention of treating it as a prep/practice run for Western States later this year. Registration closed out quickly, and I like to tag along to races and do a shorter distance version "just to see" ... and kill time. Unfortunately, registration closed out months ago.

The trip & pre-race
The entire trip to Houston was almost a game-time decision, since Ben's knee had been bothering him for a few weeks. Fast-forward to our arrival in Texas. We made it down, narrowly escaped some snowy Indiana weather, and went to pick up Ben's race packet at the Huntsville State Park lodge. Walking through the door, I noticed a lonely table in the back of the space with a sign marked "Late Registration," and a stack of 2013 Rocky Raccoon paper entry forms next to it. Sure enough, they were allowing late registration to this filled-and-closed-out event! Cash or check only. Add one quick run (ok, not literally) to nearby town of Huntsville, TX, and we had enough cash to pay for me to sneak into the 50 miler the next day. Score*!

*Bonus: My assigned bib number was 884--- Obvious sign that it was going to be a good one.

The great part about heading to Houston for the weekend is that I got to see some of my favorite people!!!! We met up with Dave & Katie (who I have not seen in, oh, 3 long years) and had dinner at Maggiano's in Houston. This was a great idea, which turned into a potentially horrible idea after I chose to eat a whole plate of fried calamari and tons of linguine with clam sauce. (Darn you, bottomless Maggiano's entrees!) Nothing bad happened, but in hindsight that could have been the worst move ever. Food was good - and totally worth it for the company!! Unfortunately, we got to dinner so late, it was 11pm by the time we made the 45 minute drive back to Conroe (where we stayed). Ben spent the next 45 minutes packing his drop bag and making sure everything was ready to go. It was midnight by the time we went to sleep- so late, especially with an impending 5am wake-up!!

Race morning
We woke our butts up before the crack of dawn and made it to the park by 5:45am for the 6am 100 mile start time. I watched Ben take off into the darkness with his headlamp on, and although I lost him in the crowd, I watched the beginning of the 100 mile. Slowest race start ever! It was actually entertaining how slow it was. I tweeted a few things, took some photos, and checked out the start area after every one of the 100 milers had gone through.

I headed back to the car and tried to figure out what to wear. It was something like 48 degrees outside, which - I'm embarrassed to say - is still chilly enough for me to wear a long-sleeved shirt (and a short sleeved shirt, and my down jacket. True story). I fussed around with my shorts, shirts, put my Flip Belt on and filled it with Hammer gels, and tried to figure out how I'd stow my phone. After a while, I settled on my pink Indiana Running Company shirt and saucony tight shorts. Flip Belt, Garmin 610, and New Balance 1010.

I realized sometime after Ben's race start that I was, in fact, allowed to have a "drop bag" at the turnaround point (which was also the start line, though not one at the far part of the course). I threw pretty much everything I'd brought with me into a drawstring bag and called it my drop bag, you know -- just in case. I just had to label it with my race number and set it in the right area.

Back and forth - I took my water bottle to the start/turnaround area and filled it up. I stopped at the portajon. I went back to the car and fussed around again. It was kind of reminiscent of the I'm-a-lost-and lonely-puppy feeling I had during my first half iron distance triathlon! Finally, I decided to down a Vespa and take some multivitamins for the day. ....and here was my first mistake: the vitamins (6 of them) got stuck in my throat and I had to drink almost the entire bottle of water to wash them down and get rid of that uncomfortable feeling. I knew I was taking a risk with the Vespa -- not only was it the full-strength (not Junior) version, but it was the concentrated version in the tiny packets. I've had stomach issues before with Vespa, and I'm prone to stomach issues on a normal day anyway. And then, I realized that I had completely forgotten to eat breakfast in the rush to get to the park and get running. By this time, it was way too late to scarf something down, but it also wasn't a race-ending factor because I know I could rely on the closely-spaced aid stations. I sure loooooove to gamble on nutrition when it comes to racing!

Race Start
My race start seemed just as anti-climactic as Ben's did. It was slow, and I tucked in at the side-back of the pack of 50 milers behind the start line. Now, since I'm new to ultra running and trail running, I've always questioned my starting pace, because I always feel like I'm passing people. When this happens, it makes me wonder if the people who I've freshly passed are thinking, "Ha! Look at that jerk! She's going out like this is a 5k and is totally gonna pay for that later!" (a comment which, in a less exaggerated form, I overheard someone saying about me miles later on the trail)

So we started, the airhorn went off, and we walked for at least another 100 yards. Once we got to running, I continually passed people, and passed people, and passed people -- some who were starting off at a walk (which is totally ok!). If I were to do this race again, I would probably choose to start near the front of the pack so that I'm not getting in anyone's way or sitting on anyone's butt early on. Again - I'm not sure if this is normal, but I decided to run comfortably, I felt like I was going out at a conservative but sustainable pace, and I just thought it'd be smart to run how I felt without outside influences (for faster or slower).

Course Map

Course consisted of three 16.67-mile loops. Very flat (compared to other ultras), and no water crossings. 3 aid stations on each loop, each covered twice as the course doubles back on itself.

Loop 1 (Mile 0 - 16.67)
Disclaimer: I'm about to be an over-sharer. You've been warned.

It hit me partway into mile 1:   I. Have. To. Pee.
Thinking I was all smooth by foregoing the portajons at the first aid station, I figured I'd avoid restroom congestion -- just like in road races - by hitting the next one up at mile 6. (Aid stations were placed roughly 3 miles apart, which makes this a somewhat attractive race if you're mentally preparing to simply run from station to station.) WELL, that didn't happen. And FINALLY there was an aid station at ~mile 11. Honestly, the discomfort was getting so terrible that making it to this bank of portajohns was as triumphant a victory as finishing the entire race. I'm just saying... it was bad.


Early on, I appreciated the scenery and terrain (read: not covered with snow). This is a good trail!

The full bladder must've affected my ability to see tree roots, because I fell. Like, a lot. I fell so much that I lost count before the end of the first loop! There was even a stretch of a mile, around mile 9, where I tripped and fell 3 times. The third time I kind of laid there and had to chuckle a bit before getting up. Was this an indication that it was going to be a long day?! Fortunately, the majority of the terrain was mostly fine dirt (like sand) and dried pine needles, so at least I was falling (specifically, unable to tuck and roll, but just skidding along awkwardly post-fall) on a soft-ish surface. Unfortunately, I kept falling on the same spot on my knee.

Just after DamNation, near the middle of the loop, I passed Ben coming from the other direction and we high-fived. It gave me a little speed boost to see him! I'm telling you... it's all attitude -- good attitude, good running.

Some miles in, I started seeing 50 Mile runners coming back toward me - and then I started getting concerned that I was possibly going the wrong way. ...I never actually saw a course map, so I didn't know where I was and  asked a few guys I was about to pass which event they were in. I panicked a little when they replied, "The hundred." Seeing my alarm, they told me that they believed the 100 and 50 courses converged and ran together for a while at the point where we were. Relief. Except the fact that all of those runners were heading back already indicated to me that I was really far behind them! The guys shouted something like, "Or maybe you're really far ahead!" ...but that made no sense at the time.

After that wonderful, fantastic, life-saving portajohn stop, I felt relieved, but didn't really feel any better. I had this air bubble-water slosh going on in my stomach, which started to become kind of uncomfortable in the miles following. It's always something!! I hoped that I could run through it or "run it away," seeing as not-continuing wasn't really a choice. It went away probably 4 miles later.

Since my race start was at 7am, it took me a little over 2.5 hours to finish the first 16.67 mile loop. Even halfway through the loop, I remember still feeling pretty chilly. Not to the point that I wished I had a jacket or a long-sleeved shirt, but only to the degree that I consciously thought about how I didn't feel like I'd warmed up much. The sun was just coming up and it was getting brighter out. I was really thankful I didn't need to start the race with a headlamp like the 100 milers did! (Otherwise we could've chalked up more trips and falls)

I reached the start line - the turnaround point - and stopped for a few minutes to grab some more food and water. Skipping breakfast before the start made me fearful that nutrition could be my downfall, so I did everything that I could to make sure I had enough gas in the tank by eating something substantial/digestible at every aid station.

Every single one of the volunteers at this race are SO FRIENDLY and HELPFUL. I felt completely fine, still relatively fresh, coming into the turnaround corral, but I was met with a gang of aid station volunteers who tried to do everything they possibly could to ensure I had everything I needed and was comfortable. It only took about 3 seconds of hesitating/standing still inside the tent for someone to ask, "What do you need? What can I get you? I'll get it for you!" The same thing happened less than 20 feet away when I went toward the drop bag area to get my other gel... A volunteer immediately flew over to me and tried to help me avoid something as simple as bending over or searching for my stuff. He retrieved my bag and even helped me open it! Very impressive.

Eats: I skipped the Mile 3 aid station altogether, and took a cup of water and a banana at the mile 6 aid station to call it breakfast. Somewhere along the way I also downed a gel that I'd brought from home a small cup of heed. At the turnaround, I grabbed a 1/4 of a PB&J. I knew I can stomach that, and I knew it'd be of good substance so I wouldn't feel hungry. Lots of water. One small cup of Gatorade.

Loop 2 (Miles 16.67 - 32.34ish)
More stomach slosh, more falls were the theme of Lap 2. Eventually I got through the stomach slosh, but I did have my worst fall of the day (which wasn't really all that bad) that resulted in some scrapes and bruises on my knees. On this lap, I realized that I fell in almost the exact same spot as I'd fallen on the first loop... chuckling again, I snow-angeled in the dirt before I got up. You know, keep things interesting.

This is the lap where I started getting kind of bored. The crowd had thinned out, and I was still passing people every few minutes, my mind just started to wander. I made it through the first loop without music, and  I felt like I was ok enough to make it without for the rest of the run - plus, I didn't want to mess with the ear buds. I must've been listening to some of these songs the night before, because I literally had TWO songs playing in my head the entire length of the race: 1) I Just Wanna Live - Good Charlotte; 2) Gives You Hell - All-American Rejects.

Mostly, this part stayed on Loop Repeat... in my head:
I rock a law suit when I'm goin' to court
A white suit when I'm getting divorced
A black suit at the funeral home
And my birthday suit when I'm home alone
Talking on the phone
Got an interview with the Rolling Stone
They're saying, "Now you're rich, now you're famous"
Fake *** girls all know your name and
Lifestyles of the rich and the famous
Your first hit aren't you ashamed
Of the life, of the life, of the life
We're living

I just want to live I just want to live
Don't really care about the things that they say 
Don't really care about what happens to me
I just want to live

I mean, at least it was a good-ish song for running.

Not long into Loop 2, I started feeling like I was slowing down. It worried me a little, so I took another gel, and within about 5 minutes I started feeling better. I discovered partway into loop 2 that all of the aid stations had Hammer gel - Montana Huckleberry, my favorite! - for everyone to take too... so I started hoarding gels  any time I could get my hands on some to make sure I'd never crash.

By this time, I also discovered that the PB&J I had was not only delicious, but that it made me feel full without feeling sick to my stomach or giving me a sidestitch! I started grabbing 2, then 3, then 4 quarters of cut-up PB&J sandwiches at each aid station. It took me probably ~1-2 minutes at each aid station before I downed the food I had in my hands and would take off running again.

Back to boredom. I got so bored during one of my loops that I pulled out my phone and made a vlog (video blog) for later. Apparently at the time the trail was notable and cool, but don't let the terrain you see in the video fool you into believing that's what the rest of the trail looks like. No sir! Roots. Everywhere. For some reason I felt like this back stretch reminded me of the Clear Creek Trail... except not-paved, with pine needles, different vegetation, and uphill. So maybe it wasn't like the CCT at all, but darn it- I thought so at the time! Please excuse any signs of crazy. Also note that the view of the trail started going down... and down... and down... and I tried to make sure not to trip on anything! Why do I sound so out of breath?!

Warning: don't watch if you get motion sick!

Ah yes, and less than 5 minutes after I took this video, I took a wrong turn and repeated a 2-2.5 mile section that I had *just* completed! It didn't destroy me mentally, but it was frustrating and I didn't know how much ground/time/distance I had lost... it was hard to know how much I had repeated. Of course, then I had to re-pass all of the same people I'd run by a little bit earlier. When I got to the turn and realized I'd gone the wrong way somehow, I exclaimed, "I'm so confused! I was just here 2 seconds ago!" to which another runner wittily replied, "I hope they don't charge you extra money for those bonus miles." It kind of made me laugh. (Had this conversation happened more loop later, I might have smacked him in the face. Truly crazy things happen when you're tired.)

A half mile from the time I took this photo, I checked my phone to see that Ben had tweeted that his knee wasn't doing so well after the first 20 mile loop. I wasn't sure how severe it was, but was kind of worried... and at the same time, had no clue what was going on with his run. There was really nothing I could do at the moment but continue running.

Here's a photo from near DamNation, one that I ended up seeing twice on that loop because of my mistake. Pretty.... this was the only area without tree cover (full out sun) during the race.

Despite all of this, I was running relatively fast on this loop and still feeling pretty good. Legs felt a little more beat up, but for good reason. I was still keeping pace, and besides aid stations, hadn't stopped to walk at all. Some of my miles went down as fast as 8:30s, and others were closer to 10 minutes. Either way, I felt strong, though less conservative than my start, and tried not to get into the mindset that I had to make up the time I'd lost from my repeating loop. I saw Ben about 2 miles from the finish of Loop 2, and he looked significantly more tired (while wearing his t-shirt as an infinity scarf around his neck), but he high-fived me and I think he said, "Love" as we passed. The stretch between the last aid station to the turnaround seemed to take forever. I specifically didn't ask anybody, nor did I want to know how long it was. I did remember that the race photographers were camped out near some water, and once I reached them it wasn't too long before the loop was over. ...kind of like the equivalent of running tree to tree, landmark to landmark. Little victories.

Somewhere near the turnaround point, I was getting antsy to reach it. I crossed a road and asked a spectator, "how far until the turnaround?" and he replied that it was about a half mile. Wrong - it was more like 3/4 of a mile.... every little bit counts!

That's all that was notable on this lap. It was definitely getting warmer outside, and by the time I reached the turnaround point, it was something like 12:30pm. At the turnaround, I had to gather up some will and motivation to head out for one more loop, and knowing I'd be done after the next lap was what got me to go  back out again.

Eats: The usual PB&J at every aid station (increasingly more with each one) and 2 or 3 gels taken between aid stations. I drank tons of water since the temperature was rising and I was starting to sweat. Downed 2 Endurolytes capsules at the turnaround.

Loop 3 (Miles 33ish to 50+)
I always felt more refreshed and mentally in a better place after each aid station, and even more after heading out from the turnaround. I changed to a cooler tank top and left for my last loop feeling positive and excited in the fact that I'd be done the next time I was back!

I kept experience some intermittent tired (s)lows, which I solved easily with an energy gel once I realized I had reached that point (and my pace reflected it); one of the key giveaways that I was getting to the low were the moments in which I would get weary of telling people "good job," "nice work," "looking good!" as I passed them. [Not going to lie: I'd change it up so my comment didn't seem like an insincere "good job." haha.] Sometimes it came off as a mumble, and sometimes it was accompanied with a thumbs up, but I tried for every single person. Attitude! I mean, I'm convinced I have run some of the best races & times in my life purely because I was smiling. I remember getting a boost of confidence (and a reminder to check my running form) when someone I passed or who passed me oncoming commented, "You look really fresh!" so I'll have to remember that. Another friendly person I scooted around on the back stretch (where I took the video on the second loop) responded to my "Strong work!" comment with, "You're my hero! (Pressure's on!)" I hope I can have the power to say something as little as that to someone, in a future race, that'll give him/her a little help - a little boost. :)

Somewhere on this loop, I remember hearing a person tell a girl in front of me, "You're sixth right now," which led me to believe I was doing ok in the race! I passed her eventually, but with so many people on the course and two different race distances, it was impossible to tell who was running what. By this time, I'm sure people were also on different laps.

I finally got to DamNation again, and I did not make the same mistake twice! It was truly hot out by the time I got to the full-sun section, and I had to tell myself that I'd wanted to get sun while we were here, and boy was I getting it! It wasn't blazing hot, just uncomfortable enough that I was glad to be in the woods for the other 98% of the run.

What in DamNation...

You might think that my earlier video was a little cray, but it's not. Not compared to what I'm about to tell you. As Jeff described in his 24-hour race, in a long run, your mind can take you to a dark place. I was running on my own, and hadn't seen anyone in at least a mile. I started thinking about Todd and Ted, and about how we 'boop!' Ted on the head. Then I thought about how soft they both are. "Fuzzy..." slipped out of my mouth and I cheesed like a kindergartener on picture day. While I was running. By myself. At the time,  I had an inkling that what just happened was kind of out of the ordinary, but now that I'm in a normal state of mind... that's completely NUTS! So I don't know if I actually reached that dark place, but I can tell you my brain was kind of cracking up on me. Temporarily. I think. I'm all better now!

No falls on this loop! I had a few close calls, but nothing significant, if I remember right.I saw a girl bite it pretty hard as she was coming off and down from a bridge, and that made me scared enough to pick up my feet. As I got toward the middle/end of this loop, I felt my energy levels dip down and would down another gel and feel ok again - rinse and repeat.

If you know me well, you know my brain doesn't work so well when I run (nay, it turns off...). I'm embarrassed to admit that it wasn't until early in the third lap that I figured out this was some kind of a lollipop-shaped course and that I had actually been visiting each aid station twice on a lap. And then I finally figured out that all of the 50-Milers that I'd seen running at me, oncoming, were likely behind me as I was headed back and they were heading out. I'm totally slow - this discovery took me a while.

I take pictures when I get bored

As I reached the second aid station and just past mile 40, I really started feeling anxious to be done. In my head, I told myself, "I've run 10 miles on a day I feel like crap, so I can surely do it now." I even flashed back to a class that I've been attending at Vibe Yoga (TNT with Kelly!), realizing that I've been able to "do ten reps... and then when you're tired, do 10 more!", and willed myself to channel that (mental/physical) strength to get to the finish. When I was feeling blah, I thought, "They [the people I'm catching up to] feel just as tired/achy as I do, keep going!" My IT band felt a bit tight, I'd been stubbing my toes at the fronts of my shoes from each fall, and I felt a slight twinge on the inside of my right leg. But mostly, my legs were just tired and not used to so much pounding! I started thinking thoughts like, "I never want to do this ever again!" and "I will never ever ever do 100," and "I wonder how much less my legs would ache if I'd been wearing Hokas?"

When I reached 7 miles to go, I considered that Paynetown could be as long as 7 miles (it's so not, but anything to get through), and again, I've finished that distance on days I felt horrible. Same with 6 - a big campus loop. Easier than Paynetown on this flat course! I hit the last aid station and refueled, asking some other runners how much farther the turnaround/finish would be. 4.4 miles! And then they flew by me effortlessly (which was really impressive, since they were running 100). I could hang on for 4.4.... at that point, my remaining distance came to be measured in campus loops. My Garmin had been beeping at me for a few miles, and finally died around mile 44/45. 4 miles = a short campus loop, and then 3 miles seemed to be the home stretch as 3 miles is the shortest and quickest of the campus loops. My attitude that the 3-mile campus loop is short and simple should definitely carry over the finishing the last 3 miles. At 2 miles, I looked for the photographers near the lake, and when I didn't see them, was questioning how far was left. Once I hit the 2 bridges in a row, I knew I was getting closer... and strange enough, my legs felt refreshed.

Eats: a handful of dry, dry goldfish. There's something about continuously eating sugary-sweet stuff while running that is really not appealing/appetizing to me. Probably 3-4 gels, about 4 PB&J quarters, and tons of water. Oh- and lots of Cheetos!

Finish
I made it to the road crossing where I'd asked the spectator earlier how far was left, signaling that I was less than a mile to go. I found it in my legs to take off and go like a middle school cross country runner who's just caught a glimpse of the finish line. I rounded the corner, saw my finish line, and sprang to the end of 50 (plus) miles.

Here's the finish line, with some pretty awesome spectators!

Post-Race
My chip didn't have my name associated with it, but when I was hunted down by one of the event managers/race timers, we got that straightened out quickly and efficiently. Then, they put an award in my hand - 3rd place overall female! - and gave me my finisher medal. They were even nice enough to look up when they last logged Ben's chip, and what distance that was.

How fun are these awards??

I hobbled over to the car and laid in the backseat for a few minutes, texting and posting twitter updates on Ben, and then changed shoes. Ben actually called me on his phone while I was laying there, saying that he'd just finished 60 and was wondering where I was. He was to the point where his knee (or compensation for it) was really bothering him and wasn't sure if he wanted to continue. There was no way he could be running again, though, since walking hurt terribly. I joined him for the next few miles as he decided to go to 100k, and walk at least to the first aid station on the loop. I grabbed m&ms, cheez-its, Cheetos, gummy bears, and all sorts of goodies in a bowl to take on our walk. (Earned!!)

We made it to 100k on the walk back to the turnaround via the roads. The aid station couldn't process drop-outs, so we had to make it to the start/finish/turnaround to do this. Ben was totally ok with this given the circumstances, and I know he took a lot lessons from this race and experience, even if it didn't end with a finish. Injury considered, no regrets!

Here's us on the road headed back - tired as ever. Ben hit 100k on this walk and I hit ~55 miles for the day.

End scene!

For you time- and split-loving people, here you go...

Weighing in on the Rocky Raccoon 50 and 100 Mile

I've never experienced any other events to compare this to, but here's why I liked the RR100/50:

• Well marked course (I was just distracted and took a wrong turn!). The trails that are incorrect are actually flagged off and signage placed so that you know you're not going the right way.
• Great volunteers and aid stations - one was fiesta-themed, the volunteers were ALL extremely helpful and cheerful
• There were lots of people on the course, but no so many that it was overly crowded. Having a big field meant, to me, that I could use them to pull me along regardless of the distance I was running. Or, running from person to person.
• Course is flat with some rollers. If you train in Bloomington, it's cake. (That's not to say that the hills seem to get bigger and bigger with each lap...)
• Weather was nice. Starting temp was around 50 degrees, and the high on the day was 72. Sun! Low humidity (~50%) in Texas in the winter.
• You're usually running no more than 3-4 miles between aid stations, which is a mentally easier task compared to the setup you get in other ultras.
• This is one of the few ultra courses, as I overheard someone say, that doesn't take place on a mountain.
• The 50 mile starts at dawn, and assuming you run relatively fast enough, you could finish before it gets dark. Running in the dark can get creepy, and carrying a headlamp can get annoying.
• 50 Milers have just 1 less hour to complete the race (29 hours) as 100 milers. That comes out to a >30-minute mile.

Having completed this race, the + and - of my experience... things I need to remember for next time.

Things that went well:

• Went out conservatively and comfortably.
• Stayed positive, came out still liking running
• Ran the entire 50 miles (besides stopping at aid stations), no walk stops.
• Chose shoes that I could keep on the entire race
• Was pretty quick at the aid stations
• Gel and food "kicked in" at the right times, didn't crash
• No injury (kinda)! I've been working on strength training and form, but had some nagging twinges of plantar fasciitis and some foot irritation.
• When I go in with no expectations, I always surprise myself.
• Figured out how to maintain nutrition and its importance.
• No blisters!
• Heart rate training - with all the slow running I did, I built a pretty good aerobic base, which I think helped me get through this run and still gain speed at shorter (mile) distances.

To improve next time (next time?!)

• I really should've eaten breakfast.
• Drank WAY too much water before the race.
• Ate too much fried food the night before. Solution: Buy or pre-select dinner plans.
• Didn't get as much sleep as I wanted. Solution: Go to sleep earlier.
• Any longer and I might've had some overuse injury issues - the twinge in my lower shin could've progressed to become worse.
• Any longer and I might've had some shoe issues - my big toe was feeling cut up every time I fell, possibly from debris and sand in my shoe.

Links:

Garmin data - minus a few miles. Garmin battery died at mile 44.

Strava - fun side effect: winning the Strava February half marathon challenge!

RR100 info/Tejas Trails - race info for signing up next year
RR100 and RR50 results (2013) - results are not posted on the Tejas Trails site yet but searchable here (2/5/13)