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!

Race Report: 50s for yo momma 50M

This last weekend (mother's day weekend) I had the pleasure of running another 50 mile event in Circleville, OH. And the best part is.... my mom and oldest sister, Jamie, came along and joined in on the fun!

 I'll try to keep this report as concise as possible, but bear with me as I try to fully describe the experience of "yo momma!"

The race was set to begin at 6:30 with the pre-race meeting at 6:15. With it being a low key event we were able to get the the park with just a little time to hang out. I got my gear in place so there would be minimal time waisted between loops. My brain was already thinking strategy for staying motivated with a multi looped course. My mom and sister were running the 25k while I was in for the full 50m. I was thankful to have their company for the beginning of the day (except for the 1/2 mile section the 50 milers split from the rest) The full distance was a total of 6 loops with a "14 hour cutoff"

Due to the continual change of course throughout the day, I've separated the post into loop sections :)

Gear: 

brooks cascadia
garmin 310xt (froze loop one and died loop 6)
Pro compression socks
Road runner compression shorts
5 shirts
Nathan quickshot handheld water
Nathan hydration vest (loops 5/6)

Loops 1 & 2

Mom, Jamie, and I headed out for loop one right at 6:30. The plan was to stick together as long as possible and keep moving. It was great to get on course and see what we were going to be working with. We crossed a dam and went into a section of prairie grass. There were several runners since all three distances started out together. Once we made a little loop in the grass we crossed some decking and headed into the woods. Lots of roots, rocks, and turns. There were many sights, sounds, and hills. Within the first couple of miles (no watch made it difficult to keep track of distance/time) we came to a bouncy bridge and the split off that separated 50 milers from 25/50kers. They were going to walk this section and I would run on and catch back up to them. This worked out well and we met up after climbing set 1(of 3) of stairs on course. Once together again mom gave us her blessing to continue on at my pace and she would travel on her merry way. She is strong and brave and conquered this tough event on her own.

I was thankful to have Jamie with me.

Loop one was pretty uneventful but I will say I had an eerie feeling that this day was going to be much harder than I expected.

hill with ropes

Jamie and I came back into the start/finish, checked in to have our lap counted, grabbed food and walked back out to start the second loop (eating on the move). We were right on track for how I wanted to pace the day. And my watch was finally working! This loop we did a good amount of chitchatting and planned the split off strategy (Jamie would walk until I caught back up to her). It was fun to start to know the major landmarks on the course: new decking, bouncy bridge, stairs #1, hills with the ropes, stairs #2, the "big ass hole" , down, down, down section, up, up, up section, stairs #3, the big step down stairs, etc (not in order!)
(Time on clock: 4hours 14min)

Loops 3 & 4

After 2 loops with company it was hard to head out knowing the rest of my day would be alone. The great thing about looped courses is less drop bag worry and a lot of family support.... the bad thing about looped courses: the car is right there! Ha!

 I tried to push through without music for as long as possible. My legs were starting to really feel the fatigue. The mud was making things difficult on the ankles but I was maintaining pace pretty well. I lived for the unmanned water stop and the campground aid station. These were great mental checkpoints on the course and helped me stay motivated.

Things really started to get interesting at loop 4 when the rain hit, including  rumbling thunder! I continued on soaked but enjoying the new smells and sounds (add in ipod). The rain only made the course conditions exponentially sloppier. There were several spots on course where the footing was fairly narrow with steep drop offs just past the trail. I began walking sections due to mud, causing these previously runnable areas to slant more than my comfort level. You could see where others tried certain paths and failed. I was constantly planning, re-adjusting, and recovering which took a mental toll. All the while, the heart was happy knowing I was giving it my best.

These loops brought special gifts from nature. I know that sounds weird but it is something that keeps me motivated for so many hours in a run.
*The section by the dam was filled with beautiful yellow finches.
*I love the understated beauty of the female cardinal and the splash of vibrant red from its male counterpart.
*Of course the encouragement and camaraderie of fellow runners were welcomed distractions from the TOUGH course/run.

(Time on clock: 9hours 4 min.... loop 4 killed the pace)




hill/bridge/hill combo

Loop 5

stairs #1

After coming in from loop 4 well past when I wanted, I immediately asked the RD "can I go out for more?" His quick response was of course! So I grabbed a new shirt (The 4th of the day) and snacks, a sip of Mountain Dew and hit the road.... ummmm trail for loop 5. By this point the trail was really quite sloppy. Areas that were the easy parts previous loops were SCARY! :) The ropes were necessary and where there weren't ropes, I found myself grabbing for branches, roots, and sometimes just digging my hands into the mud to stay upright.  I think the pixie sticks I grabbed from my gear box gave me a little sugar boost during this loop too. I had bananas at the campground aid station to stave off the twinge of cramps in the legs.  I was thankful to find some others on trail still working on loop 5 too. I was tired, but not completely discouraged. I set out to accomplish this run and I kept sticking to plan.

(Time on clock: 11hours 45min)

Loop 6

"So if I go out for loop 6 but come in after 14 hours will I still be considered a finisher?" This was a legit question knowing I'd be heading out into an extremely difficult final loop. "Yes! we want all that can to finish" was the RDs' answer. No change of shirt or shoes, not enough time, banana to go and another swig of pop. With my headlamp in tow I left home base for the final loop. Cheers from the pop up tents gave me a new spurt of energy. My plan was to run anywhere that was "runnable" even if it was an uphill. The places that were so muddy it felt dangerous would be my walk breaks. I was surprised with how much I was able to push and run, even with the conditions. Each person I came across gave a quick wave, good job, or "wow you look too fresh to be on loop 6!" I love to chat with others on course so I gave my cheerful responses and kept moving. I made it to the campground before needing my headlamp. I saw my mom and sister at this stop! I loved that they made the trip over to see me on course. My sister said get through the dangerous hill/bridge/hill section before dark! That was the plan but I knew the next mile and half were what I was most nervous about.

I found myself running along the edge of the path in the leaves to get more traction. At the bottom of several hills I spend a moment planning the best route knowing the wrong path would send me sliding back to the bottom only to have to climb again. Trees and ropes became my best friends in regards to climbing hills and even "skied" down a few declines in the grooves of previous sliding runners. I felt relieved after pulling myself up the worst of the inclines and made it through the creek. There was still course left, but it felt safe!

Dusk was upon me and I was thankful for my headlamp. The woods kind of took on a spooky element with the sounds of animals rusting in the dark (Was that a coyote yip???). "Get through the pines and near the lake.... parking lot with geese.... down the hill by the boat docks.... through the grassy area".... before the finish I could see my mom and sister (what a beautiful sight)! The checkered flag chute was mine! Rob (RD) was waiting for me at the finish ready to place the well-earned medal on my neck. I did it!! Definitely not a PR for time, but a new farthest distance: 52.2 miles.

(Time on clock: 14 hours 31 min.)

Reflection

This was the hardest event I've taken on and I am so glad I did it. I'm proud of my mom and sister! They both kicked butt on a tough course! They are strong women and were a wonderful support team for me. (I think they both proved more than capable at becoming my crew/pacers for longer events in the future) The run was also my mom's first trail race!

Lucy, my I Run 4 buddy gave me such inspiration all day! I run because she can't. I am so blessed to get to know this strong family that handles challenges like bosses! Awesome examples for me and my need for control!

Rob and Angie put on an awesome event. They cared for each person out there. Rob's energy was so fun and he wanted to all succeed and have a fun day.

Not only do I want to do this event again.... I don't see myself taking a break from ultras anytime soon.

I run ultras for me: to get away, to destress, to push myself past the comfort zone, to be better than I was yesterday....

But I also run these things for others. To encourage, to connect, to reflect and meditate for those in need, to inspire.

How about you???? What keeps you pushing and striving to be more of what this world needs?















Fun Extras:
* Food consumed on run: potato chips, 3 bananas, 4 pixie sticks, 1 oreo cookie, 1 chocolate chip cookie, 2 packages of fruit snacks, 1 jolly rancher, a few pretzel sticks, peanutbutter pretzels, and a couple doritos.
* 1 bathroom break at the campground aid station during loop 1
* 0 falls...... several close calls! :)
* 1 cheezy smile for several hours.