Embrace the Suck, Embrace the Joy
Strap on your seat belts, this is a long one:
As I finished up another lab on a Friday afternoon, I was greatly looking forward to tomorrow's race. I've been having a lot of work piling up lately and a few other stressors that have been weighing me down that I've needed to clear my head of for a while. As it would turn out, my head would be clear for quite sometime indeed come Saturday.
I'd never been to the Callaway Gardens area south of the town of Pine Mountain, GA and was pleasantly surprised to see this natural theme park as the backdrop of the hotel that would serve as the packet pickup/ expo and for my shelter for the night. The hotel itself was actually something to write home about. It was one of those places that looked like it had been folded in to the surrounding pines and other such shrubberies without causing any damage to the forest during its construction.
The night before the race, a panel of well accomplished runners, including Dean Karnazes and Nikki Kimball, held a Q and A session before the race director gave us some important info for the next morning.
My friends Dillard and Mac were nice enough to let me sleep on their hotel room floor for the night and as we all know, floor sleeping always produces long, restful and deep sleep. The phone alarms went off at 3 am (2 am central time which was what you could say I'm used to), about 3 hours after I think I finally fell asleep. I feel like there's something in my body that overrides sleepyness on mornings before a race. If only it would do that more often...alas.
After a short shuttle ride to the starting line, I drop off by drop bag and huddle near some area heaters in the pre-pre-dawn coolness and start to get to know some of my fellow 50 milers. As it turned out, a guy by the name of Josh had pretty much my exact game plan, use this as the last major training run for Pinhoti. I met another guy who had gone to Airborne school in 1969 and a handful of others.
Minutes pass and we make our way to the iconic north face red arch that they so love to display at the starting line of their endurance challenge races. With headlamps donned and lit we set off to the nearby trail head and start forming the good ol' conga line as we had no time at all to thin out.
The first 2 hours consisted mainly of my trying to keep from falling over, banging my head on a low lying branch, or destroying my ankle on these dark unfamiliar trails. I was successful on two accounts. I didn't manage to avoid every low hanging branch and early on in the race one of them clotheshangs me right on the headlamp which translated to a bloody bruise on my forehead and sent my rear straight onto the trail beneath me, more out of surprise than force really. Being tall sucks sometimes. There were a few cases where I came very close to face planting but managed to maintain my balance. Those trails were particularly rocky and rooty, way more so than Stump Jump.
As BOB finally decides to join us some 12-13 miles into the race, I shed my long sleeve tech shirt and ear warmers at the next aid station. From hear on out some portions of the trail seemed to melt together. There really was no flat trail and many sections were borderline with runnable and unrunnable but I ran most of them all the same.
I make my way into what could be described as a draw with steep sides or simply a small ravine with a creek running through it and enjoy the slight change of scenery. I'm suddenly engulfed with thick green vegetation and the creek provided me with a nice place to wash the dried salt off my face. I pass what I'm pretty sure is the largest pine tree known to man. It could stand truck to truck with those Sequoias out west. Honestly that was the only pine tree I specifically notice during the run, though many a piney tree loosed their soft needles on some sections of trail to cushion our foot falls.
Up and down the trails went. Funny, I never really felt like I was climbing a mountain so much as I was traversing hill after rolling hill. I run into some friends along the way that helped pass the time well. I was delighted to find that the nearing aid station was where my drop bag was. I underestimated how far I had gone and before I knew it, I was rollin in to mile 28. Some sips from my Mountain Dew Code Red give me a nice caffeine boost and I have one of my bonk breaker energy bars and set off. At this point I'm starting to sort of make my way back from wince I came. The trail takes me back along the same route I went as well as along some other trails that run parallel with the incoming runners.
Several miles later and I notice I'm crossing some horse trails, wondering if they're still used as such. My question was soon answered as I saw a group of riders and their companions walkin down the trail in my general direction.
Not long after I come to another much needed aid station, mile 37.5 now, I had my one hick-up of the day. It all started when I pulled in to the AS and saw a box of krispy kremes behind one of the seated volunteers. I eyed it and said to her "I spy some Krispy Kremes." She smiles and replies, "You want some?" "Yeah!" I said enthusiastically and went on to proclaim that Christmas had come early. Never in my life up to this point have I enjoyed a classic Kreme donut as much as in this moment. My memory's already kinda sketchy but seems I remember hearing harps in the distance and had a sudden feeling of weightlessness all about me. There may have even been beams of light emanating from the fat pill in my hand. At this point, without anyone telling me otherwise, I headed back the way I came. (I had misunderstood one of the guys at the trail intersection I had gone through and thought I was supposed to come back.) Fortunately I was corrected of my error within a few minutes and only ran an extra quarter mile or so. More trails for me. Goody.
My body was, almost literally, on a high from the sudden intake of concentrated sugary goodness that lasted the better part of about 10 minutes. I ate another bonk breaker in that same time frame and I think that's what kept me goin for the next few miles. From this aid station to the next was about 5.5 miles of trail that I had already run on earlier in the day, in the same direction. It was here I hit my lowest point of the day. I was beginning to wonder if this was where I needed to be. The trails were very well marked, sure, but was this only meant for the first go-round? Could I possibly have taken a wrong turn in the wake of my semi-divine donut eating experience? I haven't seen anyone for the past 40 minutes. Is this pace just right in keeping me just ahead of those behind and just behind those ahead? A few more now-familiar climbs and descents later and I remember that the next aid station was one I was supposed to hit twice. Confident that I'm going the right way, I dig into my camelbak and retrieve some of my delicious and nutritious dried figs and eat. I'm still a mile and a fair bit of elevation away from aid. My mind doesn't want to run. My legs have been fine all along. I didn't even have any cramping to this point, which is new for me (thank you S!caps!) but mentally, I'm in a rut. This was soon to change as I saw my crazy run bum friend Sean (runbum.com) at this aid station excited to see me and lend a helping hand in serving me whatever I needed. I imbibed on some much needed coconut water, high in potassium and other key hydration...stuff, and tore the flesh off some orange slices and savored the citrus flavor. My body well hydrated and my spirits high after some much needed camaraderie, I was lifted from my rut and was ready to run again. Leaving this aid station I felt...fresh? Really? cool. I was running. Eight miles left. I quickly start passing people and gaining position. (I guess I was catching up earlier after all). I was even running hills. I felt good.
Miles pass and I'm nearly at the last aid station. I think I pass by some 9 other 50 mile runners by this point and am ready to start my final drive to the finish. I waste no time at all as the kind volunteers offer me water, food, etc. I pretty much blow through there and start the last 2.6 miles. I start to sort of recognize these trails as ones that I ran in the opposite direction so much earlier this morning in the dark. Soon I start to hear the MC over the loudspeaker at the start/ finish. Running as much of these last pieces of trail gets harder but I know I'm close so I don't let up. Cresting an incline, I see the now well-light booths and things surround that red arch I passed through over 10 hours ago. I even have enough left in the tank for a nice sprint to the finish.
I was almost stunned to find out that it had taken me 10 hours and 45 minutes to complete this endurance challenge, some two hours slower than my previous slower time. Then again, I did run in the dark and those trails did their very best to take your feet out from under you every chance they got, not to mention the perpetual rolling hills. Well more time on my feet means better prep for the Big Boy coming up in three weeks...*gulp*.
Though I was more than happy to finish that thing off, I felt like I could have gone further if I really needed to, even though I ran hard those last 8 miles. Trying not to think about Pinhoti too much, I chowed down on some chicken, banana pudding, and a huge dollop of good ol peanut butter to repair my worn body.
As I finished up another lab on a Friday afternoon, I was greatly looking forward to tomorrow's race. I've been having a lot of work piling up lately and a few other stressors that have been weighing me down that I've needed to clear my head of for a while. As it would turn out, my head would be clear for quite sometime indeed come Saturday.
I'd never been to the Callaway Gardens area south of the town of Pine Mountain, GA and was pleasantly surprised to see this natural theme park as the backdrop of the hotel that would serve as the packet pickup/ expo and for my shelter for the night. The hotel itself was actually something to write home about. It was one of those places that looked like it had been folded in to the surrounding pines and other such shrubberies without causing any damage to the forest during its construction.
The night before the race, a panel of well accomplished runners, including Dean Karnazes and Nikki Kimball, held a Q and A session before the race director gave us some important info for the next morning.
My friends Dillard and Mac were nice enough to let me sleep on their hotel room floor for the night and as we all know, floor sleeping always produces long, restful and deep sleep. The phone alarms went off at 3 am (2 am central time which was what you could say I'm used to), about 3 hours after I think I finally fell asleep. I feel like there's something in my body that overrides sleepyness on mornings before a race. If only it would do that more often...alas.
After a short shuttle ride to the starting line, I drop off by drop bag and huddle near some area heaters in the pre-pre-dawn coolness and start to get to know some of my fellow 50 milers. As it turned out, a guy by the name of Josh had pretty much my exact game plan, use this as the last major training run for Pinhoti. I met another guy who had gone to Airborne school in 1969 and a handful of others.
Minutes pass and we make our way to the iconic north face red arch that they so love to display at the starting line of their endurance challenge races. With headlamps donned and lit we set off to the nearby trail head and start forming the good ol' conga line as we had no time at all to thin out.
The first 2 hours consisted mainly of my trying to keep from falling over, banging my head on a low lying branch, or destroying my ankle on these dark unfamiliar trails. I was successful on two accounts. I didn't manage to avoid every low hanging branch and early on in the race one of them clotheshangs me right on the headlamp which translated to a bloody bruise on my forehead and sent my rear straight onto the trail beneath me, more out of surprise than force really. Being tall sucks sometimes. There were a few cases where I came very close to face planting but managed to maintain my balance. Those trails were particularly rocky and rooty, way more so than Stump Jump.
As BOB finally decides to join us some 12-13 miles into the race, I shed my long sleeve tech shirt and ear warmers at the next aid station. From hear on out some portions of the trail seemed to melt together. There really was no flat trail and many sections were borderline with runnable and unrunnable but I ran most of them all the same.
I make my way into what could be described as a draw with steep sides or simply a small ravine with a creek running through it and enjoy the slight change of scenery. I'm suddenly engulfed with thick green vegetation and the creek provided me with a nice place to wash the dried salt off my face. I pass what I'm pretty sure is the largest pine tree known to man. It could stand truck to truck with those Sequoias out west. Honestly that was the only pine tree I specifically notice during the run, though many a piney tree loosed their soft needles on some sections of trail to cushion our foot falls.
Up and down the trails went. Funny, I never really felt like I was climbing a mountain so much as I was traversing hill after rolling hill. I run into some friends along the way that helped pass the time well. I was delighted to find that the nearing aid station was where my drop bag was. I underestimated how far I had gone and before I knew it, I was rollin in to mile 28. Some sips from my Mountain Dew Code Red give me a nice caffeine boost and I have one of my bonk breaker energy bars and set off. At this point I'm starting to sort of make my way back from wince I came. The trail takes me back along the same route I went as well as along some other trails that run parallel with the incoming runners.
Several miles later and I notice I'm crossing some horse trails, wondering if they're still used as such. My question was soon answered as I saw a group of riders and their companions walkin down the trail in my general direction.
Not long after I come to another much needed aid station, mile 37.5 now, I had my one hick-up of the day. It all started when I pulled in to the AS and saw a box of krispy kremes behind one of the seated volunteers. I eyed it and said to her "I spy some Krispy Kremes." She smiles and replies, "You want some?" "Yeah!" I said enthusiastically and went on to proclaim that Christmas had come early. Never in my life up to this point have I enjoyed a classic Kreme donut as much as in this moment. My memory's already kinda sketchy but seems I remember hearing harps in the distance and had a sudden feeling of weightlessness all about me. There may have even been beams of light emanating from the fat pill in my hand. At this point, without anyone telling me otherwise, I headed back the way I came. (I had misunderstood one of the guys at the trail intersection I had gone through and thought I was supposed to come back.) Fortunately I was corrected of my error within a few minutes and only ran an extra quarter mile or so. More trails for me. Goody.
My body was, almost literally, on a high from the sudden intake of concentrated sugary goodness that lasted the better part of about 10 minutes. I ate another bonk breaker in that same time frame and I think that's what kept me goin for the next few miles. From this aid station to the next was about 5.5 miles of trail that I had already run on earlier in the day, in the same direction. It was here I hit my lowest point of the day. I was beginning to wonder if this was where I needed to be. The trails were very well marked, sure, but was this only meant for the first go-round? Could I possibly have taken a wrong turn in the wake of my semi-divine donut eating experience? I haven't seen anyone for the past 40 minutes. Is this pace just right in keeping me just ahead of those behind and just behind those ahead? A few more now-familiar climbs and descents later and I remember that the next aid station was one I was supposed to hit twice. Confident that I'm going the right way, I dig into my camelbak and retrieve some of my delicious and nutritious dried figs and eat. I'm still a mile and a fair bit of elevation away from aid. My mind doesn't want to run. My legs have been fine all along. I didn't even have any cramping to this point, which is new for me (thank you S!caps!) but mentally, I'm in a rut. This was soon to change as I saw my crazy run bum friend Sean (runbum.com) at this aid station excited to see me and lend a helping hand in serving me whatever I needed. I imbibed on some much needed coconut water, high in potassium and other key hydration...stuff, and tore the flesh off some orange slices and savored the citrus flavor. My body well hydrated and my spirits high after some much needed camaraderie, I was lifted from my rut and was ready to run again. Leaving this aid station I felt...fresh? Really? cool. I was running. Eight miles left. I quickly start passing people and gaining position. (I guess I was catching up earlier after all). I was even running hills. I felt good.
Miles pass and I'm nearly at the last aid station. I think I pass by some 9 other 50 mile runners by this point and am ready to start my final drive to the finish. I waste no time at all as the kind volunteers offer me water, food, etc. I pretty much blow through there and start the last 2.6 miles. I start to sort of recognize these trails as ones that I ran in the opposite direction so much earlier this morning in the dark. Soon I start to hear the MC over the loudspeaker at the start/ finish. Running as much of these last pieces of trail gets harder but I know I'm close so I don't let up. Cresting an incline, I see the now well-light booths and things surround that red arch I passed through over 10 hours ago. I even have enough left in the tank for a nice sprint to the finish.
I was almost stunned to find out that it had taken me 10 hours and 45 minutes to complete this endurance challenge, some two hours slower than my previous slower time. Then again, I did run in the dark and those trails did their very best to take your feet out from under you every chance they got, not to mention the perpetual rolling hills. Well more time on my feet means better prep for the Big Boy coming up in three weeks...*gulp*.
Though I was more than happy to finish that thing off, I felt like I could have gone further if I really needed to, even though I ran hard those last 8 miles. Trying not to think about Pinhoti too much, I chowed down on some chicken, banana pudding, and a huge dollop of good ol peanut butter to repair my worn body.
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