Day 4,296—Before the Storm and the Shippey Part III—

 

       With all the focus on the winter storm coming in on Saturday and Sunday, I almost forgot about work today, or at least unconsciously I did, because I woke up 20 minutes late, which is the first time I have done that all year. It isn’t the end of the world, but it meant getting more than a short run in was impossible, which I was frustrated with because I am feeling better and wanted to run for at least three miles today, especially with what looks like to be difficult running days ahead. However, I was not expecting the intensity of the wind this morning. When I was running down Watson, the wind was so strong it felt like I was trying to swim upstream, but I don’t have a lot of time, so I am going to jump into the next part of the Shippey, and this is the one where the struggle gets real.

 

The Shippey Part III: Embracing the Struggle

Loop III

Time of Day: 3:27 p.m.

 

       I also talked with a runner, Nick Willard, during that second loop. We had done a bunch of the same races, including the Tunnel Hill and the Potawatomi, and he had completed Leadville, which is on every runner’s bucket list, and he was telling me about his experience. We are fans of banking time. I was able to spotlight him in my video, which I am getting better at, but at the same time, I struggled to get a lot of video this race. Although I think I got enough to make a decent youtube video, I might still just be overall disappointed about my time in the race, which is making it hard for me to appreciate things about the Shippey, but talking with Pat and Nick was a highlight for sure. I always learn so much about running whenever I meet people like them. We’re all just regular guys who have a passion to do something extraordinary, and although we lead different lives, whenever we talk, I see some consistency in the way we see the world. One thing is constant about ultrarunners: we’re fiercely independent and care deeply about what is right and wrong. We do not let injustice go in our own lives easily and often do things the hard way if it means doing them correctly. We do not hesitate to help someone else out if they’re in need, and we’re not afraid of hard work. Hearing other runners echo these values that are so important to me makes me feel honored to be considered part of the group. New ultra runners might ask me questions about “why,” but not seasoned ultrarunners. They understand why we’re all out here. I would trust an ultrarunner with my life even if I didn’t know them well.

       As I started this loop, I was feeling better because I was finally warm and my hands were warm. I was also using my poles, which meant I was going slow. Poles make doing things like taking out my phone to take a video or getting my Chapstick a difficult task. My gloves didn’t help the issue because they were big and bulky, and I had hand warmers in them, so that made it more difficult to get into a groove with my poles. The poles were helpful because every time I tripped, I caught myself with the poles as opposed to trying to balance myself with my legs. This made it much easier to manage my pain, but at the same time, I hated going slow. I need to get better at using poles if they’re going to be a regular strategy moving forward.

       Also, one of my poles would consistently get loose, and I would have to stop and tighten it again. I did this more times than I can count. I saw so many people passing me, and all I could do was try not to think about it. I finished 50 miles at a decent time for 100 (between 12-13 hours), but I knew even a 25-hour finish time was going to be out of reach by the way I was going now. I wasn’t moving that much faster than around a 15-minute mile, and I lost a full half an hour at the start of the loop. I did get to eat some vegan meatballs! I had never tried the brand before, but Megan told me she had gotten some for this run, so I was super happy to have something warm that would be filling to look forward to. I don’t remember exactly when I ate them, but I remember I had probably most, if not the entire bag, at some point during this loop. I always feel bad if I am the only person who is requesting vegan hot food, but they did a great job this year, always having something I could eat. I ate some of my own stuff, but in general, I was eating food from the aid stations. I had serval cups of veggie broth that was a great warm drink also the sodium content just helped with hydration. Besides that, I ate potato chips, Oreos, and pickles on a regular basis. I only added the vegan meatballs around dinner time, but I was good with food. I had no stomach problems. I was also doing great on hydration. I stopped needing as much water when I slowed down, so the tops of my nozzles kept freezing. I tried to remember the trick to keep them unfrozen, but it was never really an issue because I just didn’t need as much to drink. For a while, I would have about 16 ounces of water and The Right Stuff mixed together at least once if not twice a loop and by the time it was dark, I was having to stop to use the bathroom a few times an hour.

       After a few hours on the course, it was dark again, so I started using my headlamp. This course has next to enough aid stations that I never worried about running out of power for my headlamp because I had an extra at Sverdrup and a fully charged battery at Emerson, so it was easy to know when and where I could get a brighter light if needed. I also started listening to music and audiobooks this loop. I had held off listening to anything for the first two loops, but on the third loop, I started listening to stuff to help the time go by faster. I started looking forward to the next 20 because my pacer, Joel, was coming up for that lap, so it would be good to have some company again. And there you have it! I dug myself out of wanting to quit by going slow with poles, eating vegan meatballs!

 

Loop 3

Time: 6:27:58

Clock Time: 15:55:54

Loop Pace: 19:19 mi

Distance: 60.27