Part I: Finally made It—
I stayed up until after 10 p.m. yesterday and then went right to sleep and stayed in bed until 4 a.m. I am still dealing with blisters, chafing, and sore shoulders, but besides that, I feel remarkably well!Before the Race
We got there for the packet around 4 p.m. The earliest I have ever gotten there. We had just enough time to get there go to the hotel, go to a Mexican restaurant, and be back at the hotel by 7 p.m. I spent the rest of the evening getting ice from the ice machine to put in my two coolers. I also stretched and took a bath.
I was asleep at 9 p.m. and I woke up at 1 a.m. and every hour after until I got up at 4 a.m. We left for the race at 5:06 a.m. I thought we had plenty of time, but it took longer than we thought and weren’t at Camp Ondessonk until 5:41 a.m.
I rushed to finish my prep work. I still needed to put Vaseline on and use the bathroom.
5:55 a.m.
The guy talks for a minute before we start emphasizing that the flags are on the right, and then he makes a joke about finding pages out of a book. I recorded some, but I saw my dad was recording, and the place looked packed!
Only 20 runners started, so I thought there would be a lot fewer people, but I am guessing most runners just figured they would get there early.
Lap: 1
Miles: 0-34
Time: 8 hours
Average Pace: 14 minutes and 7 seconds
I started in 2nd place and was going around an 8-minute pace. I figured that why not with the gravel trail? You start doing a 2-mile loop around the camp. This was one of the easiest parts of the race. I talked to the guy who was leading. He* was surprisingly shirtless and carrying a water bottle. He turned around and saw me and asked me to run with him, so I did, and we talked for the next half of a mile or so. He exchanged stats about our previous runs. He was on a huge winning streak. He won and got the course record for a race in Ohio and a 150-mile race in the spring. He was looking to do this race in under 20 hours. I was impressed, but also asked him how familiar he was with the route and told him how long the distance between some aid stations was.
He was nice, but at the same time, he was focused on his run. I wished him the best, and he took off and I slowed down. I never saw him again. A couple of miles later, I ran with a guy who had run with him. It was good to talk with him because he was telling me about the next race that I am doing, the Farmdale 100. He said it was a 10-mile loop, which I kind of hated on. I just don’t like the loop format in general. I like to feel like I am going somewhere, but if there must be a loop, make it as long as possible. At first, I liked the idea of trying to do 200 in that format, and still think I might try next spring for this 10-mile loop race that offers up to 200. It sounds like the safest (and cheapest) to attempt a 200-mile run.
I told him my plan was for 24 hours or just around that. He said he wanted to get there a little sooner, but was super nice and slowly went ahead of me. I was now in 3rd place.
I made it to the first aid station, Trigg Tower after about 8 miles and my drop bag wasn’t there yet, but they had the GU tabs but not in the coolers like I expected. I put one in one of my bottles and headed back out. It was fine, but I almost wanted to change socks even though I just had gotten started. It was going to be a long time until I saw my next drop bag (10 more miles at least), so I was hoping to get into my routine. I also wanted to drop my headlamp, but instead, I put my headlamp in my vest and kept moving.
A third guy passed me, who I greeted, but didn’t talk to. He was listening to music or something, but he was going at a steady pace. I passed him on the downhills, and he caught me going uphill. What I liked about him is he was just doing his own thing. I thought maybe I would catch him in a little bit because in my mind I am now in 4th place.
I climb the rocks and make it to the next two aid stations. I change my socks, but still haven’t eaten anything. I am focused on hydration and staying at a pace where I am not overexerting myself, and the race continues.
When I make it back to Trigg I change my socks and talk to a woman who was part of the rescue team from last year!
“Were you cramped in the truck?!”
“Yes! Are the other guys back?”
“Yeah, I am crewing for them”
She was part of a crew that helped me until my dad showed up later. They were all so nice, I remember another younger woman was helping me and a kid who might have been 10 that was funny. He said something like, “Why isn’t he in 1st place?”
I told him that’s what my daughter asks me whenever I get home from a race. They were all so kind and helped me in small ways, but it made me feel so much better having friendly faces asking me what they could do to help. I think in the future I want to record a video of everyone who helps, so I can do a supercut of all the people who make it possible for me to do a race like this. It was also just good seeing familiar faces, and they were all cheering me on.
I felt good being in 4th place and I hoped nobody else was going to pass me, but if they did, more power to them. I was going to run my race today, which meant I would be doing most of it alone. I finished lap 1 in a little under 8 hours. I remember last year I had finished 2 laps in 18 hours, so I thought my pace was good. I ran into Karolina who did the medical study a couple of years ago, and I have since seen her at several races. She was doing the 50 K, and she crushed it, winning the overall 5:44:19. She was there after the first lap and helped me as I sat and drank coconut water. I talked with her and the woman who got second, Addison. We all talked about how we normally don’t drink soda, but during races, it is a must. Addison asked me why I prefer diet Coke over regular, which I thought was a good question because I didn't really care about the sugar content during a race. If anything it was a good thing, but I just like the way Diet Coke tastes better, so it is race day. I get what I want. I don’t know if she was vegan, but she said she didn’t eat any sugar. I want to get back to the place where I don’t eat sugar. They were both helpful and encouraging, and a great mental boost before I started my next lap.
Hydration: Peed once, not great
Food: I ate some potato chips after the first lap
Health: My right foot feels like it is starting to blister
*I want to tell the story about this runner, but I don’t want to sound negative about a person. I don’t have anything negative to say about this runner personally. He didn’t make any mistakes that I haven’t made or any other runner, so great athlete. Nothing but respect.
Part II: Yes, I Wanted to Quit
Lap: 2
Miles: 34-66
Time: 10 hours
Average Pace: 18 minutes and 45 seconds
Time of Day: 2 p.m. — Midnight
I started on lap two thinking that I was doing okay but dealing with a blister on my right foot already. I was looking forward to seeing my dad and being able to change in the tent. I might have slowed down at the start, but the first 5–6 miles to Trigg Tower was the easiest section in the course. There is also a 1.5-mile section that is a gravel road. It isn’t great when it is super hot, but otherwise, it is mostly flat, and great to catch up on pace.
I approached a group of hikers that looked like they were having fun. I didn’t know if I should shout, but I figured that one of them would notice me, but they didn’t and when they saw me, some of them screamed and said I scared them. I felt bad. I was just moving pretty normally, not trying to call attention to myself, but when they saw me, they all moved out of the way like I was massive and needed a ton of space to make it through the trail.
I talked with my dad some and cooled down with my portable AC. I changed my socks and shirt. I didn’t spend that much time, but I felt like I was taking forever. I knew the next part would be tough, and now I am thinking about how tough the section is starting now. You do roughly 18 miles before you go back to Trigg Tower, so I was thinking I would see my dad soon at Trigg Tower, but it might be more than a few hours. I told him that I didn’t like the water at the aid stations and asked that he get some bottled water for me. I didn’t want to make a big deal about it but I felt like the water at some of the aid stations tasted awful and it was warm. I felt bad for complaining and then headed back out.
“YOU’RE GOING THE WRONG WAY!” Someone started yelling at me as I was heading out the correct way out of Trigg Tower, but it was so jarring because this is exactly what happened to me my first year.
I turned around and informed the woman who was telling me that I was going the wrong way. In fact, I did know where I was going, and I would appreciate it if she would stop telling me I was going the wrong way.
In her defense, there are not a lot of us 100-mile runners on the course and at this point, Trigg Tower had only seen three other 100-mile runner, and they came through a few hours before I did.
I was rattled and upset as I left Trigg Tower, and I was determined to make it to the aid station that had my headlamp. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to make it there before the sun went down, but I knew I was going to be close, I was miserable, and I wanted to quit.
Hydration: Still had only peed once
Food: I ate some chips
Health: Blisters in my right food, feeling sick, starting to feel like I could be sick. Not hungry.
I know I had still not had caffeine or started listening to music. Although I was having a mini meltdown right at mile 50ish, I was still holding onto hoping, knowing I had coping strategies that I had yet to tap into.
I was walking more, going up hills. I tripped a few times. I was doing 20-minute miles and feeling like I was going as hard as I could. When I made it to the aid station with my headlamp, I was so happy that it wasn’t that dark. I changed my socks again and tried to eat some and get some more water. I asked if they had food, and they said they had instant mashed potatoes that didn’t have milk that they would make for me by the next time I came through.
It wasn’t ideal because I was just craving any type of real food (vegan) at this point. I didn’t want anything too sweet or too salty, so I was unhappy with everything I had. I was still eating chips, but that was it. There were a lot of nonvegan options for real food like bacon and cheese quesadillas.
As I was packing up my stuff and heading back out, I overheard a runner talking about someone who dropped.
“I have never seen anyone do anything like that before. You run 50 miles and then just get in your truck and drink beer?”
I felt bad for whoever they were talking about. It sounded like someone got dehydrated and had to stop. It can happen so easily, and I was dealing with it now. I was even dry-heaving some, but I remembered the most important thing I do is that I slow down!
That’s right, not “drink water” but slow down. I didn’t like it, but I kept it slow all the way until it got dark enough for me to use my headlamp, and then I started peeing more, and it was clear.
Hydration: I am hydrated!
Food: More chips
Health: Blisters in my right food, a little sick, but mostly tired.
I make it back to Trigg Tower at mile 58. My dad was surprised it took me so long, but I knew I was doing the right thing. I drank some caffeine for the first time while I sat with my dad. I also learned I was now in 2nd place! Two people in front of me had dropped.
My dad seemed to think that I was going to stay going close to 3 miles an hour. But I knew once I got some caffeine in me, ate some food, and started listening to music I would be crushing it again.
I made it to the next aid station quickly and got a cold bean burrito that was making me feel even better. I ran as hard as I could to the start/finish. I wanted to make it under midnight, which I did!
Now, I am singing along to music smiling big and feeling unstoppable.
Part III: 20-7-2—
20 individuals started the 100-mile race.
7 runners finished.
2 I finished in second place.
I fell fewer than ten times but more than four. After most of those falls, I went forward and caught myself with my hands. I was wearing gloves, so I didn’t break my skin and while I scratched my legs on tree limbs occasionally, I never hit the ground with any body part except my hands.
The worst fall I had was when I went backward on a steep rock, dirt, and sand section. I was moving downhill and had to lean back to stay upright, and I was to step from stone to stone, but many stones were loose, and I stepped on the wrong one and I went backward.
I am not sure how, but my left hand went back and caught my entire body. I felt my full weight go into my shoulder, but I didn’t fall backward: I didn’t hit my head on a rock.
Lap: 3
Miles: 66-98
Time: 9 hours and 28 minutes
Average Pace: 17 minutes and 43 seconds
Time of Day: Midnight — 9:27 a.m.
I heard a bear or some type of wild boar at the start of the 3rd lap. It sounded like thrashing and heavy stopping. I was scared and for a moment I was unsure of what to do because as I continued on the trail I was moving towards the sound. I couldn’t see any eyes, which concerned me because I had no idea the location of this animal. Normally, the green eyes of deer comfort me, or the yellow eyes of cats, but not seeing any eyes just made me more uncertain about where this animal was. I continued to hear the heavy stomping and thrashing. I was imagining they were angry about something and maybe trying to remove something from their body.
I wished I hadn't turned off my music. Now I was determined that I would turn it back on after I got away from whatever this animal was. I froze for half a moment deciding if I should stop or keep moving.
I moved as quietly and quickly as I could. Whatever it was it sounded distracted, so I didn’t want to make a lot of sound and scare it, so I ran fast and hoped I made the right decision.
Once, I got to the gravel road to Trigg Tower I felt better, and I decided I wanted to run as fast as I could for one mile on this road. I am never sure when I will run a mile on day 2 of a 24-hour run, so I wanted to be intentional this time and as fast as I could.
When I made it to Trigg Tower I was at mile 72, now I was finally near the end of this race. I kept doing the math, trying to figure out if this was only going to be a 98-mile race. My dad had retrieved my socks and made it back with all my stuff from the start/finish.
I changed shoes finally. I had forgotten completely that I had another pair of shoes ready. My dad had to point it out, but my shoes were muddy and had stuff in them. I was getting stung by more bugs, so I was putting on more bug spray.
The next section was the part that had caused me problems for the past two years. The first year I went the wrong way because someone got me confused with a 100 K runner. The next year, it was raining so hard that I got turned around multiple times and then ended up having to turn around once, encountering a section that was impossible to cross with the flooding.
This year, I didn’t take a step for granted. I was awake and paying attention, just focused on making it the 18 miles back to Trigg Tower. The 8 miles from Trigg going towards the finish aren’t so bad, and there is an aid station after only 4 miles. However, the 18 miles from Trigg are the worst on the course. This is where the ground hornets are and all the rocks and stones. This is the section where you must use your hands to climb.
This is the part where there are 2 aid stations and one water station but only after close to 6 miles for two sections. It never seems that bad looking at it from this perspective. After all, I will go for 20 miles without stopping sometimes, and I go for 13 + miles all the time at Lone Elk Park. It is different when you have been alone for such a long time, and you have been running all day. I couldn’t wait for the sun to come up, but I knew I still had at least 4 more hours of running until it was going to get light again. I hoped that I had mashed potatoes waiting for me at the second aid station.
When I got there, everyone looked asleep, but I looked over and saw the woman who had helped me before, and she went and got me the mashed potatoes. It felt so good to eat some real food that didn’t feel like it was going to upset my stomach. She told me her brother-in-law was vegan, so she knew what to look for in the mashed potatoes. When I got up to leave, she was surprised that I didn’t stay longer, but I had finished changing my socks, and I was determined to be back on the trail.
I headed back out, feeling revitalized as I headed towards the water-only aid station that marked the end for me these past two years. It was still dark, but I was starting to think how much the dark was helping by keeping me cool. I even started thinking I should go faster, just so I make it through this 8-mile section before it gets hot.
I was listening to music and laughing at myself a little for how long everything seemed to be taking. Time was slowing down. I was somehow almost done, and it was still many hours away when I did the math.
When I made it to the water station, it was starting to get light. I saw the guy who had helped me last year again, so I recorded a short video of him and thanked him again. I didn’t stay long.
He told me I was in 2nd place. I asked him how far the guy was behind me, but he wasn’t sure. I knew the guy in front of me was a good couple of hours, so he would be finishing soon.
It was just starting to get light, so it was after 6 a.m. I climbed up to one of the prettiest sections of the race. There is a lake below you as you walk on what feels like a ridge at the highest point in the area. I got to see the sunrise there and take a picture.
I made it back to Trigg Tower in what seemed like an eternity, but still, I was happy, and once I hit mile 90, I decided to do a count-down, so every mile I recorded where I was at during that mile.
A lot of the trail back to Trigg is fine, but near the end, you just have to do a lot of climbing and there is a lot of mud. I walked the hills and tried to stay patient. I was almost to the last 8 miles, and then I could run the rest of the course.
I didn’t stay long at Trigg Tower, but the whole aid station and my dad were cheering me on loudly as I headed back out. I was finally going to do it! Here I was nearing the end. Still, probably close to 2 hours left.
It wasn’t long until I was at the last aid station, and I asked for bug spray and some Vaseline. I was getting so chafed, and the bugs were driving me insane!
They kept circling my legs, just going around in circles while I was running. I didn’t want to stop long, but I sprayed myself, got the ointment, and kept moving.
When I saw the course end and the gravel rail of the campground start, I wanted to cry. I was still moving fast. I wanted this to end, so I was going as fast as I could.
I saw someone walking on the bridge and wondered how long they had been just ahead of me. They couldn’t have been the person in first because it seemed like someone would have told me if they were slowing down.
In the last half of a mile, I caught the runner I had seen and passed them, but they were a 100 K runner. I looked down at my watch and realized I was definitely only going to get 98 miles, which I didn’t love, but what are you going to do? I thought I could do a little more, and maybe I will next year, but for now, I decided to stop at the end.
I kept thinking something might happen, and I would fall, or a tree branch would hit me in the head, but nothing happened. I made it to the finish.
I finished in 27 hours and 28 minutes and 9 seconds.
The race director was there, and my dad was close and started recording me when I went to go sit down. She gave me the option of taking two 2nd places plaques or one, so I took 2. Why not. I did run it last year as well, and maybe I would have finished 2nd, but I don’t really know.
My dad let me sit for a little bit, and then we packed up the car and headed out. I told my dad I would need to go to Burger King and get an Impossible Whopper before we went home.
I is always a little anticlimactic for me when it ends, and part of me wanted to stay and watch the other runners come in, but my dad wants to go, and I need to get back to my family.
When I was happy
Seeing the sunrise on the third lap. I didn’t cry, but part of me wanted to. It is so odd, but at the same time cathartic, when I start to cry during races. Tears fall from my eyes, but it is rare for me to sob--but during races sometimes I do.
When I was Scared
When I heard the sound of and animal that I couldn’t identify. I thought it might have been a bear, but I don’t know. It was scary, and I wasn’t sure what to do.
When I wanted to quit
During lap 2 when the sun was still up. I was so angry, and everything was irritating me. I knew it was going to get better, but right then I was so done with this stupid idea that I had to run this race.
Mistakes to Learn From
I didn’t eat enough, nor did I change socks enough. I needed to slow down early and change socks at every opportunity. I missed one chance to change socks and next time I could put the sock on my bag, so I could change them after the first 8 miles. I also didn’t need all the shirts and shorts I brought. I do want to change shirts and socks three times I think at a minimum, but I didn’t need as many as I brought. I need more salty snacks to eat early in the race.
Will I do it again?
Yes, I will be back. I want to do this in under 24 hours. I think I can do it, if not next year, in the future. This is a fun, challenging course that resonates with me. The aid stations are always fantastic, and I loved seeing all the familiar faces this year. This is a great community that is super supportive.
Advice to for the future
I would encourage you to do a lot of summer training and practice as many trails as you have access to prior to the race. If you can compete in a night trail race, that would be an ideal way to prepare. You will need bug spray and various ways to stay cool. I used a cool rag that was helpful this year. Also, make sure you either have the course on your watch or on your phone. You might not need it if you’re running with someone who does, but be prepared to have a difficult time navigating at night on this trail. Also, plan to help yourself have a good time. You got figure out how to laugh and be happy while you’re running.
Read about last year's race.
https://virtuesruns.blogspot.com/2024/09/shawnee-hills-2023-year-of-flood.html
Comments
Post a Comment