Ok, so I trained over the last month. February was just training, yoga, weightlifting and running. That's why I did not post anything because there was really nothing interesting to post....Sorry.
I have however been training with some wonderful friends. I have reunited with a friend from grade school (yes...like 8th grade), we have been getting in some quality gym time. I have been training with lots of great running friends, and getting some serious mountain climbing. Or at least as serious as you can get in Little Rock without having to drive two hours.
All in preparation for the Jamez Mountain 50 miler in May.
Another thing I did, I ran the Mississippi 50 trail run on Saturday March 1. Many ask why I would travel to Mississippi to run an ultra when there was a marathon in my back yard the following day. Well I tell them ...I just needed to.
I needed a 50 mile trail run THAT weekend....I'm so happy I did it.
I have to say I have begun to figure out that runs on horse trails are probably better left in the dry part of the summer. This is the second race on a horse trail I have done and it was the second muddiest. We began at 6 am, which was great because I did not like the idea of running in the dark on a cold day. It was cold. It started out at about 29 degrees and the temp never got above 50 all day. There was also a very strong wind. Fortunately the forest protected us from that but you could still hear it roaring in the treetops. That is an eerie feeling for me. The first half mile was easy. The trail was pine needle covered soft dirt. I was running with a friend I had met at an earlier race and we decided we would try to stay together. He had never run a 50 miler before. I had a little experience with the Punkin holler 100K last October so I guess somehow there was a little advice I could give during the run.
We ran across our first mud puddle and the whole line of runners stopped to navigate around it. After the third mud puddle people were becoming less cautious and resigning themselves to the fact things were going to get real dirty. On one particularly deep puddle there was a front runner wearing one shoe frantically poking the mud with a stick searching for his footwear. We ran around him sympathetically....
The game became how to keep your shoes on. Tip toeing through the mud and keeping your heels from becoming completely buried was helpful when possible, but not always.
After a few mud puddles, the choices were to risk the mud or the briars on the side. Then there was the water crossing. The first one was deep and again caused a huge log jam as panicked runners tried to not get completely soaked in the icy water. But after the third water crossing that became futile as well. Walking carefully through the water was the best way to get through and not lose a shoe or an ipod.
The first 36 miles were three 12 mile loops, so everything we saw we knew we would get to see twice over. By the time we got to the third 12 mile loop the puddles and crossings were so destroyed that footing was tricky. Once I stepped off into a creek and my foot continued to sink in the muddy water. Fortunately my friend was right behind me and he held me up before I sank completely in. My glove and sleeve got soaked with mud and I finally righted myself before I fell in entirely. During another creek crossing I fell forward and landed on my hands in elbow deep water. It was not pretty. All the while we had a strict time deadline looming over us.
I did my best to eat on the run.. I had packed my nuts and candy corn in my camelback. I grabbed handfuls of goldfish and chex mix at aid stations and ate while I walked with my food. The sun came out briefly but then dipped again behind a wall of clouds never to be seen again. It stayed cold.
After the three 12 mile loops the thought of only doing 6 miles twice sounded so wonderful. After a bathroom stop we carried on to the 6 mile loop to finally see something new.
Three creek crossings on the 6 mile loop, and more mud. Oh well, so much for something new. My running companion finally took off as he is a stronger runner than I. I ran into a poor girl who had sock issues and ended up taking off her socks early in the race. The backs of her ankles are rubbed so raw I'm sure I could see ligaments in the back of her heels. She was one tough mudder....I don't know how she did it.
At the end of my first 6 mile loop I crossed the mats with her and a couple others. The race director came out and said "your done"....I was like "what"? "No"...He looked at the time and asked "how many loops do you have left? " I said " one six mile loop" He said "ok, you can finish"
Wow...that was the closest I had ever gotten to missing a time cut off ever..... and I do not feel like I was dilly dallying around on the course. I only walked when I came on a hill. On well, guess I was slower than I thought. Maybe those creek and mud crossing took more time than I expected. oh well... anyway I got to go on Thank goodness!
I took off....straight passed the aid stations, the toilets the car...took off, did not look left or right and ran as fast as I possibly could to cover my last loop as quickly as I could. I dipped into the woods as darkness was threatening and the wind was picking up and the temperature was dropping. Run..runn...run.. dont stop for anything cause they can still make you take a 50K time if you don't get this loop done in less than 2 hours. and it aint an easy loop.
I did the first two miles and came on the aid station . I had sucked down a gu with caffeine to give me a kick and handed off the shriveled packet to the aid station volunteer. "do you need anything ? " he asked.... "Just to finish " I answered. and kept running. I had 4 miles to go but I told myself there was 5.
5 miles to go
5 miles to go
5 miles to go...
I passed the next mile marker, there was only three miles to go but I told myself there was 4
4 miles to go
don't stop
don't stop
I came on a water crossing and a hill I had to walk....
I saw another runner up ahead. A guy in blue. Other than that I was alone. I had left the rest of the group that had crossed the mat with me. They had stopped at the aid station at the start finish. I did not take that luxurey..just run
I passed the next mile marker...
only 2 miles to go but I told myself there was 3...
I kept gunning for the runner ahead of me and almost got close. I kept looking back for the runners who crossed with me but they never caught up....Ok, that means I'm keeping pace. My garmin had shut down hours ago so I had no idea how fast I was running.
A sharp pain started to creep up in my right leg....
don't stop
keep running
kept getting darker and the wind was roaring in the trees.
Just three miles to go...
finally finally I see where the pink and gold trail meet. That is where another runner had told me there would just be 3/4 of a mile to the start finish on my earlier loop
I told myself it was 1 and 3/4 so I could not slow down!
I wanted to burst into tears cause my knee hurt and I wanted to stop and get warm, get my belt buckle and be done, stop and go to the hotel for a hot shower. I wanted to get in my car and blast the heater, I wanted to stop running.
I saw the sign to the park entrance for the Longleaf horse trail and the cars parked at the start finish...was this true? was this the finish line? I ran down the road by the orange cones. past cars and into the chute....
done...
More to come...
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