Days 4,290-91—I Lost Time, My Leg hurt, My Watch Died, but I Still Ran One Hundred Miles —

 

The Shippey 100 Part I

Loop 1

Time of Day: 6 a.m.

        I didn’t know how far in the front I wanted to start. I knew I would get frustrated if I was stuck behind too many people going up the rocks where the rope was, so I stayed in the front of the pack. There were so many people at the start, and everyone was wearing vastly different clothes. Some people were bundled up like me, while others were wearing shorts and what looked like street clothes. Almost half the group didn’t have a running vest. Snow started to fall as the clock ticked closer to the start.

        The first leg, I stayed in the same group I started with. I hadn’t gone too far when someone was walking the other way. They told me they thought they were lost because they hadn’t seen a flag yet. I promised them we were going the right way, even though their uncertainty made me less sure of myself, but then we saw another flag, and all was good, but it wasn’t long until I ran into two more people who did the same thing. I felt like an old guide who finally knew the course so well. Although I had only run this course in the other direction for 63.x miles, the legs were still the same, just going a different direction, and it was all coming back to me.

        When I started on the second leg, I had changed headlamps because the one I started with wasn’t bright enough. I went full speed ahead, and soon I was in an area where I didn’t see anyone for a while, which made me feel good because I guessed I must be ahead of the main pack, but when I saw a big group moving on a connecting trail, I realized I must have made a mistake. At first, I convinced myself that maybe everyone else had gone the wrong way, as ludicrous as that sounds, but once I caught up with Eric, I asked him what distances he had on his watch. He was at 5.9, and I was at 7, so I confirmed I made the mistake, which was hard to accept so early in the race. What was wrong with me! How did I already screw up and add a mile!

        The rest of the loop went by quickly. I fell once royally and ended up all dirty, and I tripped a few times, but so far, I have been mostly in good shape, and my leg issue wasn’t bothering me too much. I realized I was wet, so I took off my hat, which caused my hair to freeze. My hands were also getting cold, and my gloves were soaking. When I made it back to Emerson at the completion of the first loop, I was ready to change gloves and change hats.

Loop 1

Time: 4:21:20

Loop Pace: 13 mi

Distance: 20.09 (unofficial 21.x)

The Shippey Part II: Pat’s Gloves

Loop II

Time of Day: 10:21 a.m.

        I ended up talking to two runners at the end of Loop 1 and part of Loop 2, if I remember right. First, I started talking to Pat who I had done a couple of races with, including the Shippey last year and the Get Your Butt Kicked the year before. We ended up talking about different races and plans, and a little bit about how bad the year before was. He had done the 100K and was doing the 100K again this year. He, like me, had spent most of his career in education. We talked about teaching and school-related stuff. I think he told me his wife was a teacher. He had taught college, if I remember right, at a school that used to be prominent, that is now closed.

        I was probably complaining about how wet my gloves were and how hard it was to keep my hands warm. He said that he read on a forum for female runners that if you wear plastic gloves under your regular gloves, it is a huge help to keep your gloves dry and your hands warm. He told me the name of the plastic gloves because they weren’t the typical blue sanitary gloves as I had imagined, but I have forgotten now. He said that when we got back to Emerson, he would let me try a pair. He had brought a box and had plenty to share. When I put them on, I immediately knew this was a good idea and wondered how I hadn’t thought of it before. The gloves kept my hands from sweating, but they also didn’t dry my hands out. My heated gloves weren’t working well at all. I had brought enough batteries for multiple replacements, which wasn’t easy considering each glove required 3 double-A batteries, but I was determined to have a plan and be prepared. Yet when I initially tried them, the batteries died after 30 minutes. They were completely worthless, or so I thought. They did have a pocket that went over the back of my hand that was the spot for the battery, and that large pocket ended up being hugely helpful in my quest to keep my hands from freezing.

        I crammed two hand warmers in those pockets, and with my new plastic gloves as liners, I was golden, and my hands were finally at a consistent temperature. Later, I added two more hand warmers to my gloves, and these two I put directly over my plastic gloves. Usually, if I have hand warmers inside my gloves, my hands get too warm, so I take my hands out. My gloves end up getting wet, and then frozen. It is not a fun cycle to get caught in, but this was like a magic trick. It stopped the cycle because it prevented my hands from sweating even if they were warm. I am going to have to immediately see if I can find the type of plastic gloves they were, so I can use this again.

        Unfortunately, this was the last loop I went without my poles and had a decent pace. Once within 10 miles of the end of this loop, I was contemplating quitting, and my leg was aching from my recent trips. I didn’t want to, but I knew if I was going to finish, I was going to need to take a long break after 40, which would end up making it impossible for me to catch up later in the race, but I didn’t have a choice. It was either that or quitting. I decided I would change my shirt, my jacket, my socks, and reapply Vaseline. I told myself I would try to be done by 20 minutes, but once I sat down and started changing, that 20 minutes became 30 minutes.

Loop 2

Time: 5:26:36

Loop Pace: 16:15 mi

Clock Time: 9:27:56

Distance: 40.18

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. I am getting better at making videos but I struggled to get a lot of video this race. I got enough to make a decent video, but I might still 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. 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. At least I got to eat some vegan meatballs! I had never tried the brand before, but one of the race directors 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 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 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. I started looking forward to the next 20 mile loop because my pacer, Joel, was coming up for that one, so it would be good to have some company again. 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

Start of Loop 4

The Shippey Part IV: Running with Joel

Time of Day: 9:55 p.m.

        I was drinking soda at every aid station. Also, I started drinking the energy drink that Sarah bought for me on the Friday before the race. I only brought three cans. I had all three throughout the night. I thought the caffeine was going to give me a bigger kick, but it basically just kept me normal. Joel said he was going to meet me at 10 p.m., and when I got to the end of the third loop a little before the time, I thought he might be waiting there, but he ended up being at the other aid station, so I told him to meet me at Emerson when I got back after the next leg. It was a nice break to have him there. The time was suddenly moving by quicker, even though my pace just gotten slower, but my spirit had changed, and I started thinking about the finish.

        I kept thinking that the loops through the evening were going to be so cold, but I don’t remember feeling like it was that much colder during the evening. Joel and I talked about the year and his new business. I was feeling nostalgic, having done this race 4 times now. It wasn’t easy, but I stopped feeling like it was impossible, although I started to worry about the cut-off time at the rate I was going. Part of me just wanted to push myself to go quicker, but I was moving as fast as I could with the poles in the dark. At this point, the 100K runners were done, and now it was only the 100-mile runners out there and some of the 40-mile runners. Jeremiah, who had planned to run the 100K, 40 Mile, and 20 Mile, was at the aid station helping crew in between runs. I also saw Levy helping out at Sverdrup; it was like a reunion of sorts. Seeing so many people who have helped me over the past 4-5 years at races, all in the same place. I never thought in my life that I would see them all so much, but as big as the sport has gotten. We’re still a small community.

        Joel had to go home after the 4th leg, so I had to do the longest leg by myself. That was a hard leg because it seemed like so many runners were finishing their fifth loop as I was finishing my 4th loop. I was convinced I was in last place, but I decided it didn’t matter. I was going to keep moving and finish this thing all the way up to cut off if necessary. I believed there was a chance I would finish under 30 hours, but I was going to have to move a lot faster I finished the 4th Loop a little under 24 hours.     

Loop 4

Time: 7:39:51

Clock Time: 23:35:45

Loop Pace: 22:53 mi

Distance: 80.36

5:35 a.m.

Start of Loop 5

The Shippey Part 5: my Watch Died

Time of Day: 5:35 a.m.

        It was difficult to start on this lap, knowing how late it was during the race. If I could run the next loop in 6 hours, I would be under 30, but I didn’t know how likely that was going to be. I tried to go faster, and some of my miles were a little faster, but inevitably, I would have to stop to fix my pole or for some other reason. I made it the first 10 miles without a lot happening. I enjoyed the sunrise and got some pictures and videos during it, but once I started on the last 10 miles, I was suddenly being constantly overtaken by the 20-mile runners. One 20-mile runner after another passed me. I just stood over for them initially, but then a few of them asked me not to and waited until we were in a wide enough section where they could pass without me stopping. It made a huge difference, even though not all the runners did it, but I had just been getting so mad with losing the momentum on my last loop, but then some of the 20-mile runners did exactly the thing to make me feel better.

        After a few had waited to pass more did that, and then it didn’t seem like that big of a deal. I saw a handful of other runners out, but I didn’t know where the other 100-mile runners were. I figured I was probably in last place and everyone else was way ahead of me. I had been watching my watch, and I kept doing the math to determine which mile on my watch I was going to hit the finish. I was confident it would be 104 miles, and I was finally within 7 miles of that goal. I had not looked at my watch for a while when I suddenly looked over and saw that my screen was black. There wasn’t a lot I could do. I thought of all the time I could have charged it, or if I had just changed the settings so as not to record heart rate, but it was too late now. I didn’t want to listen to music or anything at this point. I just wanted to be done, and having the miles to count down was helping me pass the time. Now I had nothing.

        On the last leg, I focused on the mile markers I knew from doing the route so much. I remembered that we go down for a couple of miles and then come up and climb, and when we get to a hill that is incredibly steep and by the highway, that’s when I will know I am almost done. I kept on imagining I was going to see that hill, but I kept on not seeing it. By the time I got there, I was past being excited about it. I just wanted to finish and try to get home. I was ready to be in my bath, and get some real food to eat. I was thankful I had such a short drive home. When I made it to the finish line, I saw Jake, who had my buckle but also two other prizes for me. He gave me another shirt that said, “250-mile club” and a backpack that said, “I went 100 miles both ways!” These rewards might not seem that prestigious, but I loved them. Some other runs do stuff like that for their locals, doing a lot of recognition for the runners who have done the race a bunch of times, so stuff like this will motivate me to keep coming back. I also like have a variety of belt buckles. I hope they make some different ones at some point.

I just stared at all my stuff for a while before I started packing up.

Loop 5

Time: 7:31:40

Clock Time: 31:07:25

Loop Pace: 22:29 mi

Distance: 100.45

1:07 p.m.