50k Across the Prairie

 

The weeks leading up to the inaugural Prairie Spirit Fall Classic 50k/50miler were a whirlwind.  There was the Flat Rock 50k mud run in September, the Heartland 100 (my husband, Justin's, first 100 completion) and then the Pumpkin Holler Hunnerd (crewing and pacing for EPIC friend Zach Adams at his first 100 completion) in early October leading up to the event weekend at the end of October.

The race started with a quick out-n-back North into town before heading out to the trail on the South side of Ottawa.  All I can really say about this part is "Too Fast"!  After about 3 miles, the about 30 runner field was hitting the trail.  It was another 7 miles until Princeton and getting to see my girls for the first time since 3:30am. This part went fairly quickly, my pace was good and I felt good.  I arrived at Princeton, grabbed a couple gels, some water and some hugs…then back down the trail.

From there, it's about 6.5 miles to Richmond.  About halfway to Richmond, I realized I had not been drinking enough.  It was getting to be close to noon and now I couldn't get enough water and had nothing to fill my bottle with until I got to Richmond.  Overall, I was still doing well when I made it to Richmond.  Once there, I decided I was going to down a bunch of fluid!  I had something like 5 cups of soda, a couple cups of water, filled my water bottle and grabbed 2 gels, then headed out.  I believe Shawn Walters asked if I was doing okay, hmmm…wonder if he was a little concerned with the amount I was drinking??  I was, because usually, I shouldn't be able to drink that much in a race and not start to feel slogged down, and I wasn't feeling the least bit slogged!  Real food also wasn't sounding very good and didn’t think until after I was done that maybe I should have just grabbed a plain tortilla.  One of those live and learn moments, something to think about before the next one.

At this point, I slowed a bunch!  It was disheartening, because I just couldn't quite keep to the pace I needed to make my goal and each mile that I fell behind, I kept seeing that goal fading faster and faster.  Finally I made it back to Princeton and my family.  I made the decision on the way there that I was going to spend a little longer there, I was going to talk with Justin and Max (and whoever else might be there at the time), I was going to get plenty of hugs and kisses from my girls, then I would get fueled up to head out for the last 7 miles and the finish line that was calling my name.

Leaving out of Princeton, I worked out a plan to make the last bit more manageable.  I started with a .25 mile walk break, then ran the rest of the mile, then I wanted to run the entire next mile.  If the mile was fast enough, I'd reward myself with another .25 mile walk break, than repeat. It's a form of mind game to play on myself, something to break up the last bit.  I also talked with ?? for awhile during this point, although eventually he would move on ahead.  This plan would get me to the unmanned water station on the trail.  At that point, refuel, then, I decided to take to heart something I had heard Candi saying that she had told Zach at Pumpkin Holler Hunnerd the week before…who walks in a 5k?  So, at that point, no more walking for me!


Next thing I know, I'm heading out of the trees and ready to take the short climb into town and back to the finish line.  I remember watching the guy in front of me (I had talked with him for awhile coming out of Princeton) and thinking to myself, "turn, turn so I know where the finish line is".  To come into the finish line greeted by yells, bells, Sam Steele making the announcement, is an awesome experience.  I finished in 6:22:55.  I won't lie, it wasn't the time I had hoped for, but I have to keep it in perspective, it's still an hour faster than my previous best and I know I've got plenty of work to put in to continue to improve.  Rick Mayo from Mile 90 Photography was snapping finish line shots and Eric Steele came over to give me that coveted belt buckle!  I also got a congrats from the top woman finisher, Sandy Scott from Colorado, I had just met her that morning and she already felt like a long time friend.

Although this should be the end of the story, there's still a bit more to tell.  After grabbing a bite to eat (thanks for the delicious cheeseburger, it really hit the spot) and a change of clothes.  It was time to head back to Princeton.  First and most important, to see my girls!  They were such troopers, having left the house at 3:30am to go work at the aid station all day.  They cheered runners and rung the bells.  It's so nice as a parent to hear different runners saying nice things about the girls all day.  Then, I started helping as other 50 mile runners started coming in on the trail to the finish line.  I had two good friends out on the course, Reina and Melissa, and couldn't wait to see how they were doing.  First came Reina and she was looking strong.  She grabbed some food, a shot of bourbon while we refilled her water, than she was off again.  Shortly after, I see Melissa and Kodi coming down the road.  Kodi would be trading out pacing duties with Melissa's older son, Ryan, at this point and it was up to him to get her to the finish line. It feels like cheering on the sisters I never had.

Next step was to load up and get back to the finish line.  I've read Melissa's race report, and I agree, Libby is such a huge help!  During the wait at the finish line, she did so much to help with the girls that allowed me to talk to some other runners and just to rest!  She got them food, she got their coats when it cooled off some, she let them maul on her to give them something to do other than maul on me.  She was amazing! During this time, 50 mile finishers keep filtering in and after being at the Princeton aid station, Libby and I kind of know the order and have a good idea when Reina should be the next finisher.  A couple other volunteers are going out to the trail and watching to let everyone know when the next runner is getting close, and sure enough, right on track is Reina.  Shortly after and in under 12 hours comes Melissa.  An amazing finish to an amazing day spent with a group of ultra runners that I consider family.

There is one last important part of this story…the drive home.  After a long day of volunteering with my husband at the Princeton aid station, our twins, Alexis and Paige, were still wired even though they had been up for 15 hours.  I had thought they would fall asleep, but to no avail.  During the drive home, I was thinking about my venture into ultra running; why do I do this?  Why do I train for races spending hours and hours on my feet? Why do I push myself on race days?  Then I hear a voice from the backseat asking "Mommy, when I get older, will I get to run races with you?"…and yes, that makes everything so right and that's the reason I do this.

No Luck Involved...

 

The ominous sky blazed with bright flashes of lightening as the clouds threatened imminent downpours.  On a course notorious for eating its young, I wondered what it would do to even the experienced on a day like this. Without time for second thoughts, the 50k runners huddle together for the last bits of wisdom before the walk to the start line.  A deep voice comes blasting out of the dark, "This is going to be Epic"!
My first Flat Rock 50k had officially started.  Reina and I were just tooling along and I was keeping an eye on Melissa as well.  Right before we jumped of the road and down to the trail, I noticed that Melissa had dropped back a bit.  I knew today was about her running her race, so I just kept moving along and knew I'd see her again later in the day.

I try to break longer races into manageable pieces, so for today, it was about going from aid station to aid station.  The first part of the trail is pretty technical, but with enough rocks, at least you weren't sliding around in mud.  The rain pelted down steadily, but the miles were rolling by.  Made it through the first aid station, then it's about the same distance to the next one.  Again, conditions weren't too bad, so overall I was happy with how we were moving.  The 25k turnaround came in roughly where I had hoped based on the conditions (and the promises from last year that the second half of the course was easier with many more 'runnable' sections of trail) and at that point, I was still hoping to have a good showing overall.  The next section from the 25k turnaround to Dana's Aid Station, proved to be much tougher than expected.  By this point, the mud was getting thicker and the rain was still coming down.  I walked much more than planned and didn't make it Dana's near as fast as I had hoped.  I still thought maybe, just maybe, the race could be salvaged.
Leaving Dana's, there's roughly 5.5 miles until the turnaround and it should be more runnable sections of trail.  But, the rain had done its work and instead of nice trail, runners were facing 3+ inches of watery mud to slop through.  There was no going around it; the best option was just going straight through.  Going through this section, I was amazed at all the positive comments coming from runners on their way back.  We met the second overall runner (Ron Lapoint) and he even made a comment about how hard it was to run in these conditions.  Not long after, I saw Zach and I will say he was  looking very good!  I knew the race was going well for him.  I also saw Candi and could tell she was not having the day she had hoped for, but she was still pushing herself to the limit.  One of the most interesting parts of the day was the warning of a Copperhead snake just off the trail, several runners warned us to stay to the left, wait, maybe the other left? I just prayed to not see it!  There's also a section where there's a metal ladder to cross over a barbed wire fence and I remember Reina saying "Really, they expect me to climb a ladder".  I just laughed.  About this point, I saw Justin and while he wasn't as far ahead as I expected him to be, he seemed to be in great spirits and not injured, both good things with a 100 mile race coming in just two short weeks.

Finally, we had reached the turnaround and Tony's Aid Station. Surprisingly enough, he didn't want a hug from this wet, muddy gal!  I asked him how Justin was and he said he was doing just fine, not complaining of any injuries and in good spirits.  We gathered up a few snacks and headed back out.  The first section of the trail back actually seemed to go by pretty quickly, so I had high hopes for the time back to Dana's to pass quickly.  Sadly enough, that was not the case.  This section really sucked at my soul.  It was slick, it was hard to even walk, it seemed like I was making no progress at all.  It's times like these that the mind will start to mess with you.  I was questioning the sanity of what I was doing.  Why am I out here?  Why do I do this to myself?  Then I remind myself…because this is fun!  I love running, I love trail running, I love the people I've met and become friends with through trail running and I love being that role model for my three girls.

Finally, back to Dana's and I don’t think I've ever been happier to see someone's face as I was to see hers!  I also learned a new tip for nutrition at this point.  I knew I needed to eat more, I think because of the rain through the first 6ish hours, I hadn't really focused on eating or even drinking that much and knew to make it to the finish, I had to do better.  At this point, nothing sounded very appetizing, so no PB&J or Nutella for me.  Another runner asked for a plain tortilla and I thought, that does sound good. But, then he did this amazing thing, he put Pringles in his tortilla, folded it up and started crunching away at it!  I had to try this!  I think I have a new favorite Ultra food now!  I took mine with
me as we started back down the trail.  Just a short section back to the 25K turnaround and then we're ¾ the way done!

At this point, I hit what Reina later called a very 'bad' place for me.  I don't deal well with being down during a race because it rarely happens. I'm not saying I always have good races, just that usually, I can roll with the punches and just keep plugging along, but I was having a hard time.  We had moved along with 3 other runners for a good stretch, but then stopped for a call of nature break and to get a little more fuel; I was in need of some motivation.  About this point, Adam and Jason happened across us.  Following Adam as he was trying to maintain a decent pace and listening to Jason telling stories and just making us laugh worked magic on me.  We even ran into Ken (the 8th Knight in the Hall of Pain) and trekked with him for awhile.  All of this combined made the trek to the last aid station much more bearable.

Finally, the last aid station and a little shot of whiskey and back to it for those last four miles to the finish line.  I think the sugar from my gels kicked in, because I found a bit of a second gear.  Then, I saw Rick Mayo and knew I was reaching the point to go through the rocks and then the final downhill to be back to the road and the finish line.  At this point, it's such a relief because I know we've done it!

My first Flat Rock 50k was a mental challenge beyond any I have ever done. To all the runners out there, from the first finishers at just under 5 hours to the last finishers, crossing the finish line with seconds to spare
to beat that 11 hour cutoff, we all won on this day!  Big thanks to Eric and all of the Epic Ultra Brigade for all the long hours you put in.  The smiling faces and kind words mean the world to each of us.  And to all the
other runners out there, the words of encouragement on the trail and the celebration for others at the finish line show what the trail running community means to each of you!  BE EPIC!

What’s FIVE more miles?

Famous last words, right?  It all started with a trail 25k last September.  The Epic Ultras Flat Rock event in Independence, Kansas was a truly ‘Epic’ day.  I had a blast killing my quads on the rocks and trails.  I met another runner as she was falling down a hill and we ended up running the last half together and it all made for a great day.  My trouble started the next week when the promised “heads up” email and early registration for the 2013 event came out.  Then the messages started…if you sign up for the 50k, I will…I have to admit, I’m a sucker for a challenge and promptly signed up for the 50k.

Fast forward to early 2013 and I’m starting to think about my upcoming races and looking into good training events for Justin as he was preparing for his first 100 mile race.  I found a little jewel in Iowa called the Hawkeye 50k and I was in luck because there was a 25k option too.  Perfect, Justin could run the 50k and I’d run the 25K.  The course also looked to be really good for me for easing into more trail running, part was on the road, part on crushed gravel trail and then the last third was hardcore trail.  Then comes the ‘sucker’ part again as Justin calls me to say he’s signing up for the 50k and asked if I was doing the 50k too.  I said, “No, I’m running the 25k”.  And he says again, “The 50k right?”…finally I relented; I’ve run a couple marathons and thought really, what’s five more miles??

Training leading up to the event went well.  I had a good 16 mile run in very cold, windy weather and then two 20 mile runs in decent weather (a little snow, a little wind) and felt ready for the race.  Then, the week before the race the freak of winter storm comes through and dumps snow across Kansas and Iowa.  I admit, that got me a little nervous, but I was hoping for it to melt off and be gone come race day.

We drove in to North Liberty, Iowa late the Friday night before the event.  We even made a drive out to the MacBride Nature/Recreation Area to make sure we knew where to go Saturday morning.  Next thing we know, it’s race morning and it’s only 12 degrees out!  Cold and snowy weather, what a great race day combination.  After the typical pre-race milling around, we were off and into the snow!  No chance to keep the feet dry for even a little while because the race starts off in about a 1 mile trail section before getting to the road.  Once the road got us to Solon, the course headed out on a crushed gravel (or on this day, I’ll say ‘ice’) trail.  All was going well until I misjudged a section as far as the gravel coming all the way through the ice.  One misstep and I was landing on my backside.  I gingerly got back up…sore knee, sore ankle, sore toe, but I was walking and then running again.  Not doing too bad either, maybe it was too cold to feel anything, but I was moving and that’s what mattered.  Through about the first 10 miles, the course is relatively flat, then it switches over to cross county ski trail which was a wide trail, but full of 6 inches of powdery snow.  I had to slow down a bit at that point because I was having a hard time making it up hill through the snow, but still managed to make it around and to the last section which is single-track trail.  Once I was back almost to the finish line, I had to stop at the vehicle to change out my hydration pack for a hand-held bottle.  Then, when I got to the finish line, I stopped to change out my shoes and socks.  At this point was the big decision because through the single-track, I had spent a lot of time trying to decide if I was going to make the second loop, it’s a daunting thought after trudging 5 -6 miles through deep snow.   Finally, with dry shoes laced up and a bottle full of Gatorade, I tossed the bag with my wet shoes back by the wall and told myself to get moving.  The second loop wasn’t any better than the first, some of the ice was now mud, but the snow was still there and still took some trudging to get through.  The second loop was pretty lonely, other than the two aid stations, I had exactly one person pass me in the first 3^rd of the course and I passed one person on the last 3^rd.  The single-track area was packed and slick which made navigating it a little tougher.  I even fell again there, although the way my feet slowly slid out from under me and then I slid several feet down the hill, I would be hard pressed to call that a ‘fall’.  Finally, I could see the opening that leads to the last 200 yards to the finish line…I was going to make it!

So, what did I learn on this first go at the 50k distance?  Busting your backside on ice at mile 6 of a 50k is not fun, a Camelback is just a cold, heavy weight on your back if you let the tubing freeze in 12 degree weather, running downhill in 6 inches of snow is fun, trying to run uphill in 6 inches of snow is not fun, and crossing the finish line in a 50k is priceless!