Day 4,470—Happy Birthday Vivian! and The Vero Beach Octopus 100 Part II—

 

Start time: 9:47 a.m.

Weather: Low 80s, wind 1.8 mi/h, Humidity 79%

    

       It felt hotter today than yesterday, even though the temperature was the opposite, but it has everything to do with the jump in humidity! Humidity is the worst, and over the weekend in Florida it was in the 90s! I am so happy to be home and celebrating my daughter’s birthday today! Some of the other runners in Florida told me how much more established some of the other Florida ultras are, but they were the same weekend as my daughter’s birthday, and I love being home today celebrating with her. We’re going to go to Lava Island. Part of me wishes I had made more progress on the write-up and the video, but I am doing the best I can.

The Vero Beach Octopus 100 Part II

    The wind woke me up at 2 the night before the race. I was watching my tent sway back and forth, remembering last year's race that toppled tents and knocked over all my coolers. Just as I thought the wind was getting bad, it settled back down, but I figured I would see a mess of tents and coverings in the morning. When I opened my flap in the morning, I was happy to see that I was wrong. Also, I was glad both my coolers hadn’t spilled and were doing fine. I felt like I needed to get dressed before I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and put on my contacts, which meant I would be partially undressing again when I put on Vaseline all over my body, but I had the time. It was only a little after 4, and I was done trying to stay asleep. I kept hearing people walking around and cars driving by, so I got up.

        There were two bathrooms with showers in the back by the amphitheater and two more bathrooms that included urinals on the opposite side in a standalone building. All the bathrooms were clean, smelled nice, and were by far some of the best bathrooms I have ever had access to during a race. Also, I rarely had to wait long. I was slowly drinking LMNT hydration that I had premixed and ate six muffins. I found the race director to get his number, then went back to my tent to put on bug spray and sunscreen, and make sure I had Vaseline wherever my skin gets irritated.

        It didn’t seem long until I heard him say ten minutes and then five. I was walking over and was surprised to see how big the crowd had gotten. There was hardly an empty spot. Everywhere I looked, I saw a different tent or covering. I couldn’t remember how many people were doing the 100, but I figured more than half of the people there now would be gone in the next six hours.

        In the final moments, one of the RDs said that we should pay attention to the signs more than to the route! I didn’t hear him say it then, but I heard it when I played back the video. It seems so backward to what I am used to, but every race and state are different, and I made the mistake of assuming I understood how ultra races worked and that the GPX file is always the most accurate form of directions for any race. Then the other RD reminded us again to not poop in front of someone’s front yard! He said it would be an immediate cause of disqualification, and I just didn’t know what to think about why he kept mentioning that. I couldn’t remember a single other race where the RD has had to comment on this subject. However, most of my races were on trails, but I have done several that were close to residential housing; both Michigan races come to mind. I was carrying what I thought would be enough water. It was a little over two liters. One in my hydration bladder and one more in my bottles. The first arm was a little over 16 miles. I figured I would be fine going that distance with only the water I had brought. Sure, the heat index was 110, but it was the first section of the race. I have frequently gone 10-plus miles without stopping for hydration. I made sure to drink plenty before the race started, and I was carrying enough, or so I thought.

Tomorrow! The First Arm and Running out of Water!