MONTOUR
24
Wow! What an
amazing adventure. Ultra running is a surreal experience. As far as I can tell,
running 100 miles or more is always going to be tough. Beyond tough. It’s one
of those things that if you’ve never done it, sounds impossible. So tough that
while you’re training for a 100 mile race, no matter how many you’ve attempted,
you sometimes stop and say to yourself, “What the fuck am I doing?” For most of
us, at some point during each 100 mile journey, we’ll swear it’s the last. Running 100 miles in under 24 hours is super-crazy extra tough. This
is one of the many reasons I love 100 milers. They are really, really, REALLY
fucking tough.
It’s a pretty
bad-ass feeling, knowing I’ve pushed my body, mind and very essence, beyond what
used to be my limits. Knowing that I am stronger and have greater, more distant
limits than before. The realization that my limits were only a creation of my
mind.
Many people
are fond of saying that running 100 miles is like giving birth; you forget the
pain as soon as it’s over. For me that is totally untrue. I remember every
second of the pain- that’s what makes me want to do it again. Partly so I can
get better; learn; improve. Also because fighting through that pain is what
makes it worth doing. Worth the months of training. The early mornings. The
early bed times. The long runs in the fucking ice and snow to stay in shape
through the winter. The knowledge that for several HOURS, I pushed along
through the dark of the night, walking as fast as I could, accomplishing just
over 3 miles per hour, the whole time doing math in my head, the hours ticking
away- these are the things that make me stronger. These are the things that
make me proud to be me.
But this is
all getting ahead of myself. Let me back up a bit.
After
finishing Mo 100 last year, and re-affirming all this pain=gain philosophy, I
decided it was time to look for new diet and training plans- for racing and for
life. For the last half of 2012 and the first half of 2013 my stomach was
screwed if I ran any more than 5 hours at a stretch. A large part of this, I
slowly determined, was due to my core temperature getting too high. My poor
body was fighting so hard to stay cool that my digestive system just couldn’t
keep up. I believe this all stemmed from the fact that I had begun training
with some new friends who were much faster than me. Over the course of a year
or so, I had been able to increase my pace on progressively longer runs, and
was trying to translate this to races. The increased pace was just overloading
my body for efforts over 5 hours or so.
On top of this
situation, I was feeling fatigued more and more often. My workouts were getting
tougher and my recovery longer.
I solved the
overheating issue at Mo 100 by scaling back my pace and by carrying my
hydration pack as well as two handhelds. I was able to spray down my head and
face every 10-30 minutes throughout the day, and that really seemed to do the
trick! I also received the awesome advice from Angela Dripps-Chapelle, to learn
the joy of Gas-X. At the first twinge of rebellion, I introduced my belly to
Mrs. Gas-X, and all was well with the world :)
I felt great
at Mo all day, until I tried pushing the pace a bit too much on the third loop.
Biiiiig mistake! In just five miles I succeeded in fucking up the smart
running I had done all day. My stomach bitch-slapped me and I spent the first
section of the final loop walking through the dark and rain, cursing my own stupidity.
Thankfully my friend, and professional pacer Darcy Lallathin got me back on
track. I couldn’t eat for the entire loop, but damnit I finished!
After Mo I
began searching for training and eating plans that would allow me to finish
races without feeling like pure death for much of the time. Enter Cross Fit and
the Paleo Diet.
A couple of
friends introduced me to Cross Fit, and with the decent home gym I have pieced
together of the years, I am able to do most of the workouts from home. I scaled
back my mileage, replacing the miles with CF. It’s funny, but I still have this
feeling like I’m “cheating” on running by spending so much time with CF! Ha!
While
researching CF, I discovered the Paleo Diet, as many Cross Fitters utilize it.
Without going into all the lovely details, I went Paleo and it’s been a perfect
fit. I ran the Guana 50k after about 3
months of living Paleo and cross-training with Cross Fit. It was my fastest 50k
by more than 10 minutes, and I felt great all day! Three months later I ran the
second Rocks
& Roots race in about a foot of snow with my pal Adrienne Anderson. Not
my fastest 50k, but I felt like a million dollars all day. A month later I took
on my first 100k, the Buzzard Day
race. I ran nearly the entire 14+ hours with no stomach issues. It was only
during the last couple of hours that my stomach felt a bit off, and I believe
that had to do more with taking in too few calories than anything else.
For my really
long race of the year, I had my sights set on O24 in April. I had heard only great
reviews of both the event and the entire OutRun gang. However; at the Buzzard Day 100k I had
foolishly warn my Yak Trax for the entire race. This was against my better judgment,
but the course was covered in about four inches of packed down ice. I witnessed
several pretty rough falls throughout the day, so I kept them on. Apparently
this threw my feet into an awkward enough position to really fuck up my gait. A
week after the race I was experiencing an all new sensation- a pain so bad I
couldn’t just run through it!
After self-diagnosing
a stress fracture and conferring with my family doc, I opted to take 4-6 weeks
off of running. The first week was workout free, and then I cross-trained for
the next three weeks with water-jogging, mountain biking and Cross Fit. After
four weeks I tried some light running, and was still feeling a little twinge in
the same area of my shin. So I finally did what I should have done in the first
place- went to see Dr. Bright!
If you are an Ohio
Dr. Bright
took an X-ray and assured me I had not had a stress fracture. The Yak Trax were
most likely responsible, but it was nothing a bit of PT couldn’t fix. His words
to me were, “Run. If it hurts, slow down. Use your common sense and don’t
overdo it.” Have I mentioned how much I love this man?
This four week
hiatus from running had completely de-railed my plans for running O24.
Disappointment is an understatement for what I felt. I had been anticipating
O24 for a year. After running NC24
in the spring of 2013, I fell in love with the 24 hour format. It’s kind of
funny to reflect on. My ultra running mentor, Dennis Deane, had been trying to
get me to run 24 hour races for years. I always thought they sounded horrible.
Running in circles for a day. Yuck! Then I tried it and ZING! Instant infatuation!
Why? Having all my gear in one place. No need to carry anything beyond a single
handheld. Zoning out with my favorite audio books. Getting to see my awesome
family all day long. The opportunity to run with everyone throughout the day-
even those really fast folks I typically only see before the start! All great
things!
So I was
hooked on the format…but not the surface. All that blacktop royally trashed my
ankles (anterior and posterior tibials). It took four months and a shitload of
PT to fix me. Thus began my search for an all-trail 24 hour.
It didn’t take
long to discover O24. I
proceeded to drive RD Zack Johnson crazy with questions about his 2014 race,
about two days after the 2013 edition had taken place. Sorry about that Zack!
After collecting
myself from the crappiness of knowing there could be no attempt at O24, I began
searching for a new event. Enter the Montour 24!
The Montour 24
is a 24 hour race in Danville , PA.
I eased back
into running, with the first couple of weeks still being focused more on
keeping the intensity in my cross-training efforts. Soon, my miles were back up
and I was feeling strong on my legs again. My good pals Jason Pratt and David
Emch trained with me and inspired me to push my pace and work harder. Before I
knew it, race weekend was upon me!
Xander,
Izabella, Ang and I started out our adventure on Friday morning. It’s about a
7-hour drive to Danville Florida
We arrived at
the Hess Recreation Area in Danville- 4pm . It was a really nice location, with a
huge open field, set in a secluded spot in the woods. There was also a kick-ass
skate park attached. My kiddos had plenty of space to run and play, and they
had brought their roller blades for the skate park. We have been watching American
Ninja Warrior this year, so Xan and Izzy decided to “beat the wall” on a
couple of the skate park’s side walls :) We also brought along our kiddie pool,
partly for the kids to play in during the heat of the day, and partly for me to
soak in during the same time. We all enjoyed it!
The race
start/finish was located by a large shelter house, and tents could be set-up all
alongside the course as it crossed the large field near this shelter.
We got our
awesome tent set up pretty quickly, as well as the pop-up tent and pool. The
kids helped me haul water in buckets from the showers to the pool- about 100
yards. Xan pooped out on us early, but Izzy, tough-as-nails-princess that she
is, helped me wheel the igloo on a dolly while I carried two, 2-gallon buckets
back and forth. It was generally agreed that we had the most kick-ass campsite
there. I dubbed it Carrolltown.
As we were setting
up, the gentleman who had been next to us in a small, single-person tent, came
over and introduced himself. I thoroughly enjoyed his Jersey accent, and drove my kids crazy with
my own Godfather imitation after he
left. Anyway, this fella just wanted to let us know that he was moving his
set-up because he had discovered he could park his car extremely close, and he
wanted his tent to be close to his car. He was letting us know so that we were
not offended. He had feared we would take it personally- like we had hedged him
out or something. Have I mentioned how much I love this sport and the culture
of people it has brought together :)
After set-up
we headed into the little town of Danville
BTW- it was
whyse.
When we got
back I took the kids over to the skate park so they could get some time in on
their roller blades and “beating the wall”. They played until it was so dark we
could barely see :) It is probably my greatest pleasure in life to sit and
watch my children at play. To see them laughing and smiling and just enjoying
life. There’s nothing more beautiful!
There was
supposed to be Friday night packet pick-up but it got canceled last minute for
some reason. Figures that the one race I’m there for early doesn’t have night
before pickup! Ha!
Getting ready
for bed, I reflected for about the ten-thousandth time this trip about the
unseasonably cold temp. WTF? I picked a race smack in the middle of what should
be the hottest part of the summer! It’s the end of July for fuck’s sake! Be
that as it may, the overnight temp got down to the high 50s/low 60s, which was
perty chilly for tent camping. Luckily we are planners, so we had our handy
dandy propane tent heater, which served us quite well through the night, though
Ang worried herself sick about it tipping over all night long.
I sat out all
my race clothes and gear while my babies got ready for bed. We hunkered down in
our sleeping bags a few minutes later, and I was out in my typically fast
fashion.
Race morning I
woke up feeling AWESOME! I had been waiting for this day for more than a year!
It was finally here! There was even a beautiful rainbow welcoming the day!
I stretched,
and hit the port-a-john for an Austin Powers style evacuation. Then I went
through my ideal race morning routine. Ideal meaning I’m actually up on time
and there at the race site and have all my shit together. Get dressed, eat
breakfast, attach Garmin to wrist, fill water bottle, hit porta-john again,
pick-up race packet, attach bib to shorts, stretch, hit porta-john one more
time (still with no line!), attend pre-race meeting. Of course I then went back
to our tent to hug and kiss my wife and kids one more time before the start,
and the race started while I was doing so :) So I ended up running past the
runners coming towards me, so as to start at the actual start :)
Off we went
into the woods for our first of (hopefully) many, 1.5 mile loops!
For this race
I actually had a plan. And by plan I don’t just mean, hey I think I’ll run
kinda fast for a while, and then maybe slow down when it gets hot.
ROB'S AWESOME RACE PLAN
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MONTOUR 24
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Cumulative Miles
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Loops
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Time
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Clock Time
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Run/Walk 1
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0-4.5
|
0-3
|
4.5
|
45 mins
|
:45
|
9:20/14 (
|
|
4.5-12
|
3-8
|
7.5
|
83 mins
|
10:30/14 (
|
||
12-16.5
|
8-11
|
4.5
|
45 mins
|
9:20/14 (
|
||
16.5-24
|
11-16
|
7.5
|
83 mins
|
10:30/14 (
|
||
24-28.5
|
16-19
|
4.5
|
45 mins
|
9:20/14 (
|
||
LUNCH
|
0
|
0
|
21 mins
|
None/None
|
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28.5-36
|
19-24
|
7.5
|
83 mins
|
10:30/14 (
|
||
36-40.5
|
24-27
|
4.5
|
45 mins
|
9:50/14 (
|
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40.5-48
|
27-32
|
7.5
|
83 mins
|
10:30/14 (
|
||
48-52.5
|
32-35
|
4.5
|
45 mins
|
9:50/14 (
|
||
52.5-60
|
35-40
|
7.5
|
83 mins
|
10:30/14 (
|
||
60-64.5
|
40-43
|
4.5
|
45 mins
|
9:50/14 (
|
||
64.5-66 DINNER/ WALK
|
43-44
|
1.5
|
40 mins
|
None/25
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66-73.5
|
44-49
|
7.5
|
83 mins
|
10:30/14 (
|
||
73.5-78
|
49-52
|
4.5
|
45 mins
|
10:10/14 (
|
||
78-85.5
|
52-57
|
7.5
|
83 mins
|
10:30/14 (
|
||
85.5-89.5
|
57-60
|
4.5
|
45 mins
|
10:10/14 (
|
||
89.5-97
|
60-65
|
7.5
|
83 mins
|
10:30/14 (
|
||
97-100.5
|
65-67
|
3
|
32 mins
|
10:10/14 (
|
||
This was
intended to be my best-case-scenario plan. It would put me reaching my 100 mile
goal at 3:00
am , leaving me
four hours of “wiggle room” to make adjustments. I put together two additional
variations to the plan, dubbing them fast, medium and slow :) Most importantly,
I went in with the attitude that I was going to slow down if I felt any sense
that I was going too fast or working too hard. Collecting all the data really
made me feel better about the idea of slowing down, and adding way more walking
if necessary.
The race was
underway! We began our journey with the co-RD leading us off through the open
field, past all our tents, and into some gorgeous double-track trail. The
course looped clockwise back to the start. There were lots of large, loose
stones through this section. I took a mental note to plan to be extra cautious
through here at night. The course followed along a large creek (or “crik, as we
call it out my way :), before crossing it via a cool, V-shaped bridge. Upon
crossing the bridge, I found myself at the base of the only significant hill on
the course. It was only about 35’ from bottom to top, but it was straight up
and covered with lots more of that fun, large, loose stone. I walked that baby
all 69 times :)
I took it as
“a sign” that the hill came just as my Garmin was beeping at me to indicate my
first walk break!
At the top of
the hill I turned a sharp right onto the rail trail, purported by the website
to be the oldest rail trail in the country. The trail took me along the top of
the ridge, essentially running parallel to the creek and the trail we had ran
out on. There was quite a drop through some mean looking brush along this
section. My night vision is getting progressively worse, so I tried to remind
myself to hug the inside of the trail along here, to be in the habit when night
came.
This section
continued for another quarter to half mile or so before curving sharply to the
right and crossing a small bridge. It was about 4’ wide and I noticed on my
first trip across that a thin nail was sticking up a half inch or so, very
close to my path. I envisioned that nail stabbing through my shoe about 2:00 am , so I grabbed a large rock and
hammered it in after a few loops. Just before the bridge was my second walk
break. I liked having the landmarks of the hill and the bridge to help me with
pacing.
Continuing
along a nice, runable downhill with only a bit of loose gravel at the bottom,
and following a slight uphill turn to the left, I was guided to an intersection
where a sharp right turn landed me on a beautiful covered bridge. I picked up
the rail trail again and headed back towards the finish. This section wasn’t
long, but I blame it for the huge blisters on both my feet. For whatever
reason, a lot of the old railroad gravel was really sticking up along here, and
throughout the day and night, I could feel the abuse my feet were taking.
This section
ran like a hallway between the highway on my left, and a narrow wooded area on
my right. I was guided to a spot which was first marked with a log and later
with a pylon, though runners and walkers not in the race moved them throughout
the day. Here, I was guided down a steep and tricky downhill that was blessedly
short. I hopped over a couple of small bridges, which offered just enough of a
step up to trip me and a few others up as we fatigued later in the race.
Then POOF! I
was back in the open field, about 70 yards or so from the start/finish area.
The race had a
chip timing system, but interestingly it was being used as a back-up. The
primary loop counting was done old-school. Each loop I was handed a jelly
bracelet upon completion. I could choose to hold onto them and turn them in in
bundles, or hand them right over and be counted right away. I used them to help
me keep track of the loops I was counting for my own pacing chart. Many runners
simply handed them in as soon as they got one. Laps were tally marked on foam
boards and verified via the timing chips. I liked the jelly bracelets very much
and will most likely steal the idea for use at 50s For Yo Momma and Not Yo Momma’s 100, as a back-up lap
counting plan :)
Another sign
of my impending good fortune, I thought, was that my final walk cycle for the
loop came just as I was crossing the start/finish area! Perfect!
The morning
air was perty darn cold! I had to throw on my winter coat and toboggan while I
was waiting for the race to start. I even began the race with a thin,
long-sleeved tech shirt, knowing I had the option to ditch it in only 1.5
miles. Another thing to love about multi-loop courses. Too many layers? No
problem!
I dumped the
shirt on my second loop :)
Lately I have
switched from my trusty, Rock-of-Love style bandanas, to moisture-wicking hats.
The bandanas were a strictly aesthetic solution to a practical problem. I sweat
like a fucking pig when I run, but I already wear and carry so much dorky gear,
that I figured the bandanas were my one little rock-n-roll-n-run article. Alas,
the bandanas are kind of a pain because they have a tendency to loosen up over
time. Also, I like to soak them down with cold water and then I have to go all
through the process of getting them back on and adjusted to the correct tightness…it
exhausts and irritates me just writing about it!
I have a
couple of hats from other events, and they both multiply my inherent nerdiness
by a factor of about 100. I have discovered, however, that the hats are very
convenient for dunking in a tub of ice cold water and transferring to me an
instant cool down, with no hassle. Also, they help keep the fucking deer flies
from carrying away small chunks of my scalp all day long!
My dorky hat
and I headed out for lap two. Ang, Xan and Izabella cheered me on for a few
laps. Finally the kids retreated to the soft, warm awesomeness of their
sleeping bags inside the tent. Ang cuddled up in a blanket and chair and
switched into full-on crew mode.
I was feeling strong, positive and completely freakin’ awesome! The loops clicked by as I enjoyed something I always look forward to at races- eavesdropping ;) I can’t help it! I’m an artist and I’m nosy and I greatly enjoy catching little snippets of conversations! So I did! I also observed all the different gaits, foot strikes, short shorts, chest hair, beer bellies, running gear, compression socks, fast folks and beer-guzzling relay runners :) FUN! I noted that there is always a person or two out there on the course who smells like a bed of fucking fresh flowers dipped in perfume. That person is always female, btw.
During these
early loops I got the biggest compliment you can ever give a runner, “Oh my
gosh! You were so quiet I didn’t even hear you coming up behind us!”
I stayed very
close to goal pace up through mile 28 and 19 loops, which was my planned “lunch
break”.
I love the Paleo,
but the snacking, even when done consistently, doesn’t do the job for ultras. I
need to get a couple of more substantial meals in. I have found through trial
and error, if I try to run while eating heavy foods, I risk big-time stomach
issues. So I opted to take 20 mins to eat, which meant I would also get 20 mins
with my family! Yay!
Spontaneously,
I decided to soak my feet in the kiddie pool while I ate a couple of the
mini-burgers my awesome wife made for the trip. Yummy! Next I cleaned up my
feet and switched shoes. I had begun the race in my New Balance Minimus, but
the large gravel here and there was really beating up my feet, so I switched to
what I consider my middle-weight trail shoes. I am terrible at remembering even
important info, so there is no way I can tell you what model they are. What I
do know is that they are not as rugged and heavy as my heaviest duty trail shoes,
but much tougher than my Minumus. Middle-weights.
Ang reminded
me to sunblock up, and I was back on the trail.
The sun was
out in full force now, and I could already feel the effects. The extra effort I
was expending to maintain the same pace was obvious. I opted to slow down a
bit. Until now I had been running a set number of loops at an overall pace of 10:00 min/mile, and then rotating to an
overall 11:00 min pace. Basically I just began
running my slower rotation throughout, instead of rotating back to a slightly
faster pace for a few laps.
As I came in
from loop #26 (or so), I related all this to Ang. She suggested I break earlier
than I had planned, avoiding some of the heat of the day and cooling off. She
and the kids also gave me the scoop on a really fast dude who’d been passing me
all day long.
This feller
was about my age, or a bit younger, and his wife and baby were there cheering
him on. Well, babies can’t actually do any cheering, but you get the idea. I
had assumed this guy was in the relay because his pace was insane. He was
passing me about every 2-3 loops, and he was even passing all the other relay
runners. Turns out he was Paul Riley, the ultimate winner with 126 miles! Not
only that, but this was his first ultra ever! Watching his progress throughout
the day; seeing him struggle through the heat and then bust out a bunch more
super fast miles- it was pretty damn inspiring!
Also around
this time, I strapped on my son’s new trail cam. He had been stoked for me to
wear it for a loop or two, and I was too! He and Ang had rigged it up on my
running belt and it stayed in place really well. After running almost a full
loop with it I realized that the one handheld I was carrying was passing right
in front of the camera. Crap. I slid the belt around and put in another loop
with it unobstructed. I actually haven’t had a chance to watch the video myself,
but Ang said she enjoyed it.
I opted to
continue on to lap 32, which would give me about 48 miles and was at the end of
one of my planned “cycles”. It seemed like a wise idea to adhere to my wife’s
advice (as is almost always true), and bump my “dinner” stop up by about 3
hours.
Continuing on,
even at an abbreviated pace, was working me over. I was also getting hungry,
which as we all know violates a cardinal ultra rule- eat before you're hungry.
My kiddos were
having a blast all throughout the day. Each time I’d come around they’d be engaged
in some new activity. They chased each other around the field, hit the skate
park, swam in our little pool, sprayed each other with the squirt guns Ang had
brought along and even made a couple of new friends they played board games
with. Thanks to the multi-loop format I got to see all of this, and it made me
smile all day long :)
About 5:30 pm , I took my second extended break. I
was still only slightly behind my projected time at this point. Stripping down
to my running drawers, I hopped into our little pool and immediately felt
better! The water was cold and wonderful! I slid down into it. I sponged it
over my head and chest and face. Aaaahhhhhh! Refreshing!
For 30 minutes
I soaked while my crew attended to all my needs. They brought me food,
pedialyte, fresh socks. They took such great care of me, just like they always
do. I am a very lucky guy!
Izabella
eventually joined me in the pool. We hung out together while I soaked and ate
some more mini-burgers, sweet potato (Paleo friendly) chips and a Gas-X. Ang
informed me that they had freezer pops available at the Aid Station (which I
was yet to visit), so I made the decision to have my first non-Paleo food of
this adventure. Izabella and I crunched our freezer pops while I continued
cooling down. A light breeze actually brought out goose bumps on my torso and
arms- Excellent!
Grudgingly, I
hauled my stinky ass out of the pool and began what is traditionally my most
dreaded task in ultras- changing my socks! The really amazing thing is that it
wasn’t all that bad. Let me just say that I wear cheap-ass toe socks. I buy
them from the dollar store in a 3-pack. I wear them until at least three toes
have holes in them. Through the years I have gelled, lubed, powdered, ointmented,
elixired, potioned, lotioned, taped and water-wicked, and what I’ve discovered
is that cheap-ass cotton toes socks are what work for me. The big down-side to
toe socks is that they are a total pain to put on. They take time. Time is
pretty much the most valuable thing to have on your side in ultras. Toe socks
take me a decent amount of time even under ideal circumstances. Typically when
I’m at a race, I’m trying to change my socks while perched on top of my drop
bag tote, or on the ground. I have no towel to properly clean my feet, and
limited water to get them really clean. Half the time I get completely
re-socked and re-shoed, only to find…wait a minute…what’s that…oh, a little
piece of fucking sand is right under my foot. Then the whole process begins
again, except now I’m super-happy about the whole thing :/
Once again,
the 24 hour format paid off. I had all my gear. I had a towel. I had just
soaked my feet “clean”. Most importantly, I had my awesome wife to bring me all
the stuff I needed to properly re-sock!
I stuck with
my middle-weight shoes. I also stuck with the same pair of shorts. I changed my
undies, of course, in true ultra runner fashion- with my wife holding a towel
up for me :) I kept the same shorts partly because they are my most favoritest
pair of running shorts in the whole wide world, and partly because I didn’t
want to deal with switching my race bib over, nor did I want to burden my
family to do it. I bet those shorts smelled down-right delicious on Sunday
morning! Mmmm-Hmmm! I went on without a shirt, sun-bloked, bug-sprayed, grabbed
my hat, hit the port-a-john and took one hand held. All said-and-done I had
about 40-45 minutes of down-time. Totally the right decision!
I scaled back
my pace to about 20 mins per loop, giving me roughly 3 loops per hour. My race
plan had me slowing down a lot after 9:00 pm , so I was confident that if I ran
smart now, I could maintain a 3-4 loop per hour pace for the duration.
I toyed with
different techniques for maximizing my distance while minimizing my effort. Up
through lap 41 I was pretty much continuing my run 4 mins, walk 1 min cycle.
Since my pace was slower, the hill was falling out-of-sync with my walk cycle. Eventually
I made it an extra walk cycle, but pushed myself to power walk it and begin
running again as soon as I hit the top.
Everything was
going well. My stomach still seemed a bit rebellious at times, but the latest
Gas-x was helping greatly.
I hit lap 41
about 8:30
pm. 13.5
hours! Woo Hoo!
Ang and the kiddos made me some motivation posters. I love them!
I had hoped
that Ang and the kids could join me for a loop. This is the kind of thing I
love to see at our Yo Mommas events- loved ones coming out to help runners
through those tough patches. The Montour RDs were happy to let my family join
me! Ang, Izzy and Xan all laced up their running shoes and grabbed some
flashlights (just in case) while I shivered under a blanket in the tent. Ha!
Funny that was burning up all day, and the moment I stood still I began to
shiver! I threw on a shirt and Ang asked if I wanted to try a cup of broth. I
desperately needed some quality calories, and the solid food was doing that
lovely thing where it just gums up in my mouth and I'm chewing
and chewing and chewing…..until I feel like Violet Beauregarde, chewing and chewing all...day...long. Oompah- fucking-loompah! So I had my second non-Paleo food of the adventure. It
was so delicious I ended up getting 2 or 3 more cups full on subsequent loops.
I had a blast
sharing the course with Ang and our kiddos! It was fun to be able to point out
things and know that I could talk to them about the experience after the race
and they would be able to have that cool visual. They especially enjoyed both
the v-shaped bridge and the covered bridge.
I had planned
to walk this whole loop, and I felt like my pace was really slow. However, Ang
said she had to let me get a little ahead and then run to catch up, because my pace
was faster than a walk but slower than a jog :) That made me feel strangely
better!
We finished the
loop with a little daylight still hanging in the sky. I turned in my bracelets
and asked if I could keep the one from that loop after it was cut. They
graciously agreed, and it now resides in my kiddos scrap book :)
My spirits
were boosted but my body was tired. At this point my crappy memory gets even
crappier, though I do remember that my kiddos got to hang out and watch Frozen
with their new friends on a big TV someone had set-up outside the tent right
next to us. Sweet! I couldn’t help but think, “The cold never bothered me
anyway”, and ,”Put me in summer and I’ll be a…..happy snowman!”
Ang had been
recording lap times for me throughout the day, along with other little notes.
She even included one that says “me sleep…maybe”. She typically gets the worst sleep
ever when she crews for me, simply because she worries about me. Worries that I’ll
need something and she won’t be there to get it for me. Have I mentioned how
incredibly awesome she is? I believe that she actually did get some quality
rest at Montour though. I think the multi-loops helped her too!
Running by our
tent throughout the night; seeing no light; hearing no sound; knowing that the
three people I love most in the world were snuggled soundly inside their warm
sleeping bags, getting some much deserved rest after taking care of me all day
and accompanying me on this crazy adventure; it made me feel so happy and
grateful that I thought I might burst. Awesome.
I kept on
keepin’ on.
Somewhere
between 60 and 80 miles is when I always have my low point- if there is to be
one. Montour was no exception. In the night I was letting my fatigue get into
my head. I hate that shit. Like it’s not bad enough to have it in my legs! I tried
my IPod. Usually a staple in races for me, I hadn’t broken it out at all this
trip. I made the foolish mistake of trying to hook it to this gy-normous
external speaker which I love but haven’t run with in over a year. I fiddled
with it for two laps before realizing my IPod has a built-in external speaker
and that I’m a dumbass. My IPod went dead at some point, as it doesn’t hold a
charge for over 3 hours or so. I then switched to my audio book- 1984.
This is one of my top 5 all-time favorite books. There was something absurdly poignant in the ideas of doublethink, newspeak and the three-minutes hate, as they apply to ultra running :) I was thoroughly enjoying
it. It offered some much needed distraction. It got me out of my own head and
got my head back in the game.
I failed to
mention that at some point after my dip in the pool, I realized I was chaffing.
By “realized” I mean that my junk was sticking to my leg and tearing off chunks
of my flesh with every step. Yee-Ouch! I rarely have issues with chaffing, so
I’ve never been able to figure out the best way to combat it. To make matters
worse, everything would get all nice and settled into a comfortable way of
traveling, until about a minute past the AS. Fuck! By the time I remembered to
lube up, it was like a frickin’ nuclear bomb site down there.
Throughout the
day I had managed to stay reasonably well hydrated. So much so that I was
peeing pretty healthily the entire race. During the night, when the chaffing went
from horrible to holy shit, I had a pretty rough patch when I would finally get
situated in a way to run without pain for a few minutes…and then I’d have to
pee. I would hold off as long as I could, but as soon as my man parts got
jostled around, it was crazy pain all over again.
Meanwhile…the
Gas-X and broth had worked wonders on my belly, but I was becoming more and
more exhausted. Not even George Orwell could pull me out of it anymore. As the nighttime hours wore on, I wasn’t able
to get my three loops per hour in. I did the math over and over in my head,
reassuring myself that I was still going to make my 100 miles. I gradually
moved from walking only in three spots, to extending each of those walking
sections longer, and then to walking during my running sequences.
The humidity
and heat had hung on pretty well through the night and now they were partnering
with my fatigue in an effort to slow my ass down even more. Around the 80 mile
mark was my lowest point. For about 2 hours I kept asking myself over and over
why the hell I was out there. I vowed to never do it again. I felt like rolled
shit in a salad, but the thought of quitting never even crossed my mind. Not
even for a split second. When I realized that fact, it made all the difference.
I began to assess my situation. What hadn’t I tried yet? What foods? What
strategy? What was there that could give me a little boost to push through
these last 20 or so miles? Suddenly it came to me…caffeine!
I gave up
caffeine about a year ago. I have had no pop and only an occasional cup of
decaf coffee since then. This was just a personal choice, which preceded my
switch to a Paleo diet. So I grabbed a very flat small cup of Coke and
Zzzzzziiiiiiinnnnggg! I could run again! Not only that, but I could maintain a
good pace for a decent stretch! After playing around with different run/walk
strategies I eventually landed on a one minute run/ one minute walk that saw me
through all the way to the end! This all came together with about 14 laps to go
to get me to 100 miles. Yes!
Not long after
my first caffeine boost, I realized I had a hot spot on the ball of each foot.
Crap. As I said earlier, I’m sure these were a result of the large railroad
gravel. At any rate, I wasn’t about to deal with them now. I was cutting it close
enough on time. The last thing I needed was to pull off my shoes and find huge
blisters that would take tons of time to deal with properly or just get worse
when I tried to get my socks and shoes back on again. Fuck it. I could run
another 14 loops on blisters.
I was entirely
too happy that my legs found me again to let anything bring me down. With my
one minute walk, one minute run plan I was able to get back into the 3 loops
per hour range again! Fuckin’ eh’! I did a shot of Coke about every third loop,
worried that any more than that would screw up my sugar-deprived system, though
it never did.
When the Coke
supply dried up I tried an iced coffee. It was still pretty hot and humid
outside so the thought of hot coffee didn’t agree with me. However, I hate iced
coffee with a powerful, fiery passion. This was one of my worst decisions ever.
I’m sure that if anyone was watching me at that point, they probably dropped
over dead laughing at me. Chug. Gag. Chug. Yuck. Chug, “Holy fuck, that’s
nasty”. From then on I switched to hot
coffee and it carried me through to the end.
I had been
debating when to wake my fam. I knew they’d want to see me complete my 67th
loop, but I didn’t want them to have to get up any earlier than necessary. I
decided to wait until I was beginning that coveted 100.5 mile loop! Of course
Ang’s internal alarm of awesome wife and momness went off so that she was up
and at em’ when I came through with two loops to go. She had our babies up and
cheering me on, too. They were already telling me I wasn’t allowed to stop at
67. I would have “plenty of time left”, they cheered.
I kept it
together emotionally, not on purpose, but because I was simply on such a
sensory overload that the full weight of the moment just hadn’t registered
yet. I continued on, making good time, until here I was, beginning my 67th
loop.
I hugged and
kissed my babies and headed off into the woods. The moment I stepped onto that
double-track it hit me. All of it. All the work of the past year. The journey
to Montour. My unbelievable family supporting me. The adventure. The fatigue.
Those tough hours in the dark. The knowledge that I was about to accomplish
this huge dream. It was happening right now. I was experiencing something brand
new. I was living exactly in and for this moment. Something over-the-top and
amazing and pure and mine. I let the tears come and it felt beautiful.
Coming out of
the woods, into the open field and seeing my family waiting on me, it all
flooded me again. I smiled and let it engulf me. I ran it out to the finish and
my babies ran to meet me. We hugged each other so tightly that we had to stop
moving or fall over. Either option was fine by me :)
My jelly
bracelets were cut off and I stopped to confirm that I did, indeed, have 67
loops. Yeeeeees! 100 miles. One day. I’d finally done it!
After a couple
more hugs, my family kicked me out! I still had better than an hour. I could
get at least two more loops in. I was determined to keep going- but ready to
walk. I wanted to complete that 68th loop for two reasons: (1) I
didn’t want to quit just because I’d made 100 miles. This was a 24 hour race,
and I intended to participate for the full 24 hours. (2) I’d heard whispers
throughout the day that the course was actually a hair shy of 1.5 miles. Turns
out that it was a damn good thing I didn’t stop. The chip-timing back-up system
measured the loop at 1.49 miles. Translation: 67 loops=99.83 miles. 68
loops=101.32 miles. In addition, partial loops were not counted. You had to
finish an entire loop under the cut-off. This information would have been good
to put on the website, Face Book page, and pre-race email. Can you imagine how
you’d feel to run what you thought was 100 miles only to find out that you were
.17 miles short?!
I made it
around loop 68 in about 25 minutes. My babies once again came running to hug
me, before shoving me back out there again. Off I went.
I admit
nothing, but there’s a small chance that I could’ve walked at just the right
pace to ensure that I wouldn’t have quite enough time to complete a 70th
loop ;) I was spent and happy. 69 loops=102.81 miles. Woot-woot!
I managed to finish 3rd overall, which is pretty amazing for a guy who's usually middle-of-the-pack and proud of it! Just my luck that there were only awards for the top male and female, and in lieu of finisher medals the RDs decided to go with mugs :( That being the case, my awesome wife made me the best buckle and award I could ever ask for!
After the race
the kids and I enjoyed a little playtime in the sunshine before heading home.
Awesomeness.
I had promised
myself a non-Paleo reward if I made 100 miles or more. A wendy’s Frosty with
French fries to dunk! Ang had brought me an extra-special treat of Dutch Cocoa
cookies- mega-yum! I ate and I slept!
Looking back
on this amazing adventure has been wonderful. I hope that someday my kids will
enjoy reading these words, and maybe even remember a little about the
adventure. At the very least, I need them to know how important they are in
accomplishing this, and all goals in my life.
Of course,
none of this would have been possible without my awesome family. If you haven’t
gathered by now how much they mean to me, let me just state it for the record.
Everything that I am is because of them. My life with each of them, and because
of our family unit, has shaped the person that I am today. They inspire me. They
support me. They don’t just put up with my craziness, the encourage and
participate in it! Now that’s true love! There’s no way I can thank Ang, Xan and
Izabella enough, but I plan to spend my entire life trying.
I’d also like
to say thanks to my running mentor, and good friend Dennis Deane. When I told Dennis about my accomplishment, he congratulated me,
smiled a mischievous smile and said, “Now you just need another 23 miles to catch
up with my PR.”
Guess I know
what my next challenge is :) O24 2015, here I come!
