Wildwood 30.2 mile Birthday Run
This year I decided if I was to forget my name I'd like it to be from running too long than drinking too much. So I decided to run my birthday age, kind of sort of....close enough. Since my bday lands on a work day I opted for the weekend prior and since the Wildwood trail was 30.2 miles and I was turning 29 I would the run extra mile for "good measure."
The run felt like an eternity...
*Prior to the start the local toolhead aka weatherman decided to freak the whole city out with predications of snow, ice and freezing rain. This was a pretty large downer as the trail I would be running on was above the city. The Skyline to get up and around it was steep and curvy. This was enough to scare a few away from joining. I was not going to let a little Jack Frost bring me down. I ran hours in the rain and cold prior. Come hell or high water I was determined to run.
"There is no chance, no destiny, no fate, that can circumvent or hinder or control the firm resolve a determined soul".*Run started at 7am, darkness. Mark led me through the first 3.5 miles. Roxy guided the way with her "raving" red flashy light collar. The first 45 minutes sucked ass. It had been a week since I had run and I could have sworn that my legs forgot what to do. My left heel instantly hurt. Since I experienced planter last week I was expecting this to last for the run duration and inflict some serious pain later down the line. My right shin hurt too. I figured I was over compensating for the left planter some how. The straight up mile climb to Pittock Mansion was a serious wake up call. I was proud of myself for not being too proud not to walk. I'd run up the vertical until I'd hit an uber steep spot and then walk for a short while.
*Mile 3.5 and my support crew (hehe) meets and greats with water and whatever else I may need. But I was all good. My buddy Joe then joins the run up to mile marker 9.25. Another aid stop at mile 5, a litle water and I was good to go. It was at this point that my legs stopped hurting. Yay! The next 6 miles or so were really great. My body was now warmed up and I stayed highly entertained by Joe's stories.
*Mile 9.25 I say farewell to Joe. Another aid stop, time for more water, salt stick and a swap out of gloves. I had sweated through my first pair and the wetness was numbing my fingers. This aid stop was too long and by the time I started running again I was uber chilled. Dean joined in at mile 9.25 and stuck with me through the end. The next couple miles I talk....I talked way too much. You can ask Dean, I'm sure he would say the same. I talked so much that by the time we reached the next aid at mile 16 I was tired. Too tired, too soon.
*Mile 16 Mark, Robert, Brian and Roxy (dog) joined our run. Brian aka Batman was kind enough to drop off several gallons of water down along the middle of the trail. He also took random pics and video through the run. I took too long of a rest stop at this aid as well. I starting to chafe and chafe in the not so right places. But really though, is there ever a "good" place to chafe? A few re apps of Body Glide and I was back on my way - 1/2 way done!
*By Mile 19 I started to suffer. I had hit said "wall". I was tired. It's all I could think about. Tired, fatigued....I wanted to lie down on the side of the trail and nap in the leaves. I tried to talk to help keep me awake, to feel alive. But that took too much energy. I knew what was happening, I was in a negative caloric deficit. I had feared this. I had run 4 hours or 24 miles prior and never hit this wall. The wall happened do to lack of nutrition the night prior and the morning of. Not to say I was caloric deficient in either case, but I had not maxed out my glycogen stores. I know how a max out should feel and I didn't have the food induced comatose the night prior I was accustom to. I made a mistake and I was now learning from it. It took a whole 20 miles for me to take my first fall. A stick had jumped out in front of me! Out goes my hands and I land softly into a pile of leaves. I had a knight behind me to help pick me back up. A soft fall and a helping hand made me a very lucky girl. The fall didn't hurt much but it was another match lit from my energy book.
*Mile 22 or so and I see Kyle, Johan....unexpected friends, yay! Then came Sue, Don and their cute little mixed pug. Sorry, I forgot his name and breed but the little guy had mass amounts of energy. Michelle and Jeremy soon joined in. I was now running with a pretty large train. I was also floating in and out of reality. I'm pretty sure I told Kyle his Mizunos reminded me of a Christmas tree, all green and shinny with a bring yellow spot. Roxy and the pug were talking to one another....I swear I wasn't the only one that heard this. Sue and Don where uber supportive and helped boost my spirits when they started to hit bottom.
*Mile 24 1/2 and I'm joined by Michelle, Carly and Susan. These ladies came at the right time. My heart grew warm and fuzzy, I rocked a silly fatigued smile and somehow had the energy to run to the end. Ok, ok, maybe I didn't run it all...but most. The last couple miles had more vertical climbing. Oh the humanity! As I'm shuffling along Michelle tells me to quick being a pussy. In my confused state of mind I'm not clear if I heard her right....but then again this is Michelle, she knows how to talk to me, she knows what makes me tick. I really needed to HTFU. During the last hour I felt pathetic. I felt pathetic and ashamed. I was was allowing this run to run over me. My body actually felt pretty good for almost the entire run. All was good but the first hour and the last 30 minutes. The last 30 minutes I felt fatigue pain. No cramping, no injury...just a body that was tired. The last mile or two felt like the last 10 miles, never ending. At mile 29 I was wishing that someone would just give me a damn piggy back to the finish. The very end and I'm greeted with another veritcal climb. WTF?! At the end several of my friends had ran ahead and waited for me to finish first....they would not let me walk, somehow deep within I ran up to the top....and almost collapsed at the finish.
The End - I gave everyone home made peppermint bark for giving me "what I needed" to get me through
30.2 miles - finished 5:45
*I had estimated 5:30 but did not account for the 3-4, 5-8 min aid stops I ended up taking. My finishing time was off by 15 mins but if you exclude the aid I was constantly on pace.
*Hydration was on point. Never dehydrated, no feeling of thirst, hunger or sodium. No swelling.
*GI was nice to me and I only had to make one pit stop.
*I chafed like a mofo - in all the wrong places. I seriously had massive welts :(
*My friends really made the last 8 miles for me. My spirits/energy was down and they carried me to the finish.
*When I finished I think I felt more accomplished then when I finished IMC. I can't explain this.
Maybe it was hitting that "dark spot" and holding on to it for soooooo long. It's truly amazing how you can be in such a dark place and with the right company not give in. At any given time I was never alone. Mile 1-3.5 I had one friend, mile 3.5-9.25 had another friend. Mile 9.25 is where I picked up friends to the end, one here. 3 more at mile 16.25, one more at 16.75, 6 more at 22.5 and 3 more at 24.5. I ended with 14 friends and two dogs.
*I have learned that I am not an ultra runner nor will I ever be. I am an Ironman and will stick to the 26.2 distance after the swim and bike.
Mucho kudos to Mark for helping me plan and organize this birthday goal, along with providing aid support. Xoxo to Robert for being there....for everything, aid, support and picking me up when I tripped in front of him.
I can't forget to thank my amazing room mate and the 40lbs of ice I had waiting in the bathtub.
The day after my body was a little stiff but that was all. 2 days later and my legs feel fine. No injuries and no signs of planter :)
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I'm going to take the next two weeks off. I'm going to eat, drink and be Merry.
Come 2010 I will have composed a badass training calendar that will take me into brutal HIM, my A race IM and end of the season IM that may just as well kill me. It think I have found a partner in crime to train, race and support me.
It's going to be a VERY good year.
