Indiana Trail 100: "Get me to the Dawn and I'll finish!"

 

 

Bill and I on a training run
I got ZERO pics of us on course

Once night came, it got cold.... and really dark. I was starting loop 5 in complete darkness. Bill (my brother-in-law) was up for pacing and he headed out into the dark. I was excited to have some new energy as I was getting tired. Bill was awesome. We laughed, sang, talked, and did a lot of WALKING. The mud was really taxing in the dark. I think the night was playing with my brain too. I was afraid to run thinking I would fall with each step. I kept apologizing for going slow, especially when we could see our breaths, but Bill was easy going and said it was all good. I was still doing well with my nutrition and hydration. Getting all the water, gels, and salt tabs in between aid stations (Thanks to the alarm on Bill's phone!) and then grabbing hot food from the aid station tents. Every time I took a gel I would ask Bill if he wanted half. He never took one, but did snack on unwrapped starbursts.... I may have had a few too! I think I laughed more with Bill than anyone else on the course.

The mud was so awful and slippery.... I may have gone down once but Bill's several close calls gave me several close calls in the accident department (I know... TMI, but this is the reality of lack of sleep, falling in mud, laughter, and proper hydration) Along with the mud, we were also dealing with several "lakes" along the course. Bill and I took to naming the new lakes in the Chain O'Lakes Park. I hate to admit that some of the names aren't quite appropriate for this blog. Use your imagination and I'm sure you're on the right track. We kept seeing the crew: schoolhouse out, rally camp (half way), schoolhouse in, and start/finish. Each time I smiled, but said this is really far, the mud sucks, or I'm good but tired. I am forever grateful for Bill. I know this was outside his comfort zone and he did it for ME. Wow, I'm a lucky sister-in-law! Famous last words from Bill as we headed into the start/finish area after loop 5: "There isn't anyone else I would have done this for!"  I simply replied, "thanks so much, I just hope you aren't too sore or blistered"

I couldn't believe I was ready for loop 6... the final loop! I had completed eighty-some miles, I'm sure I couldn't have told you the exact number then so I won't do the math now. I went into the start-finish line tent and grab the last bag of supplies to keep moving. My family, of course, was there but I quickly said hello, that all my fuel/hydration/plan was going well, but I needed to keep moving. Steve, my husband, was pacing for the last loop. I wasn't sure if he would be able to go the whole way, but he was willing to give it a go since we figured there would be a good amount of walking. We headed out into the dark.... again. I had been on the course now for about 23 hours. It was cold and dark and I was beat. Steve put music on his phone and we planned on rocking out to some music to get me through the night. It was still hard to run in most places but we did our best. My theme for the first part of the course was "I need the sun.... I need the dawn." It felt like the sun was never going to rise. I continued to move forward. Running where possible, but mostly walking. 

1/2 through the loop

Then finally..... the dawn.... the beautiful dawn. It made a huge difference mentally. I had energy to run. My right knee was not feeling awesome and the down hills were taking their toll but I would focus on running 100 steps and then walking 100 steps. I kept alternating this as much as possible. When we saw the crew at mile 9 we checked in with Steve (his knees aren't the best and I knew this was a lot for him. He said he was up for the challenge. Yes!!!) My father-in-law, Ralph kept encouraging me to move it along and jog when I could. His words "just jog a little" stuck with me long after seeing them at the aid stations. I laughed about how hard moving forward really was. With this statement coming every time I saw them, I started to worry I was not going to finish within the cut off. I had no clue what time it was, how long I'd been out there, or how long it would take me to get to the finish. I kept pushing the pace as the course seemed to dry up. There was still mud, don't get me wrong, but it was much more runnable in the daylight.

 Once it was daylight we started to see a few other runners as we moved along. We said our hellos and encouraging words and kept pushing on. The music was a great distraction to my aching knee and feet. I knew for sure my feet were going to be raw. I was asked if I needed to change socks and too afraid of what I'd find, I said no each time. I had to keep moving... I had to finish. When We got to school house aid station at mile 14ish it was a relief. I knew this meant I had less than 3 miles to go. The workers had been faithful the entire time and were a part of my journey and success. I wish I would have gotten pictures of the workers because seriously, they were incredible. We hugged, grabbed snacks, and headed out. I was going to make it!!!!





At that point I kept saying... I can't believe I'm running 100 miles!!!! "Steve, I'm going to make it right?" Yes was his response. I quickly followed up with " will pushing it make the difference between a 28 or a 29 in the finish time?" He said that it would and I said lets get it. I picked up the pace again. I was hurting and tired, but motivated. Kyle joined us for a bit and made me feel like stronger was a possibility. It was just the boost I needed. I thought about what this finish meant: an average girl with big dreams... Hard work, support system, precious motivation from my running buddy Lucy, and the awesome community of ultra runners. I cruised into the finish line in 28 hours 11 minutes and 52 seconds.

Tears came when getting the buckle for Lucy. So meaningful!

Fun Facts:

*Jamie and Bill's kiddos were the best cheerleaders on the course.... cowbell included! They crewed, cheered, and napped like champs! So blessed.





Taylor faithful with the cowbell

Kellen still going strong

*Not a single blister thanks to desitin smeared on my feet! I highly recommend it.

*I was so paranoid about not having enough fuel I didn't execute my bag exchange plan properly (I blame exhaustion and paranoia) I ended up with about 5 -6 extra pounds in my hydration vest and a couple in my jacket. I wanted to ditch some to family, but they were outside of the aid stations and I wanted to follow all rules! Next time I'll give this responsibility over to my crew.

*Nutrition: first 50 miles intake was limited to gels, protein bars, salt tabs, and water. Last 50 included the previous list plus hot chicken soup, potato chips, grilled cheese pieces, and a slice of pizza (sorry Michele).... oh and some starburst.

*My mom was a perfect crew captain, her spreadsheet was a great tracking tool to record EVERYTHING that happened throughout the day.

Best Crew EVER!!!!

*Post race nutrition is just as important. I neglected post race and suffered swelling of the legs and feet. I needed to push more fluids post run.

*Fell asleep mid sentence in the car ride home.

* Encouraging letters from friends and family was a huge help! They were pick-me-ups and kicks in the butt when needed! I recommend it for others.

* Indiana Trail 100 offers training runs on the course all year long! What an awesome way to experience the course before race day. This is a top notch event and I will be returning. Mike is WONDERFUL!

Gear:

Road Runner Shorts
I Run 4 Lucy shirt
CEP compression socks
Altra Olympus shoes
Ultimate Direction Jenny Vesta
Carrots lightweight rain jacket
Nike insulated rain jacket
Nike gloves
Hand warmers
Nike hat
Various long sleeved t shirts

Extra Pictures

Awesome RD!!!



Crewing is tiring work

I thought for sure my feet would be tore up....
no blisters and kept all my nails



the mud in the daylight made me feel like
I wasn't too crazy walking most of the night



tired but still moving: about halfway through the lap





I know I could write more.... but sometimes I just can't find the right words so I'll just keep the memories. I encourage you to push out of your comfort zone.... experience, live with big dreams, encourage others, bring people together, and smile!