Day 4,472—Vivian’s Birthday Party! and The Vero Beach Octopus 100 Part IV—

 

Start time: 8:39 a.m.

Weather: High 70s, wind 5.4 mi/h, Humidity 82%

     I wanted to get a few more things ready for the party, but I also needed to go run before people started arriving. I originally wanted to run 5 miles, but that wasn’t going to happen today because it was after 8 a.m. and the party starts at 10, and I hadn’t even started blowing up all the water toys. 

The party went well! It was so good to see some of Vivian’s cousins and see Vivian happy playing with other kids. She loves being outside so much! I bought all these anti-mosquito incense sticks that seemed to work better than what I have tried before.

        I was thinking about my next race and the Octopus as I ran today. I wondered how much elevation my run would be today and if it was comparable to the entire Octopus; the lack of elevation was one of the nice things about the race. It was good to work a different muscle group.

Arm 2: Arachnophobia

Time of Day: 9 a.m.

Arm Distance: 14.5 Miles

Terrain: Road, Trail, water crossing, island 

        It couldn’t be any worse compared to the run I just finished, running out of water and everything and all that beach section! It was 14 and a half miles, so over a half marathon, but this is one of the arms that he promised there would be ice and comfort! So I was just happy that was in the future. The route started out differently, heading onto another trail with sand and marshland. Then I got to the section where the RD described it as one you had to “shimmy” because the moss across the bridge was as slippery as ice. When I first saw it, I both knew it was it and didn’t think the description of a bridge was accurate. It was a big pipe. There was moss, and there was what looked like a wooden frame for a bridge halfway to the ground. I looked for another way, then stepped forward and immediately slipped and fell into the water!

        I got mud all over my arm, and my phone had gone underwater. I got back on the pipe and made it to the other side as soon as I could grab onto the tree branches in the middle. I was fine. The next section didn’t seem like trails but grassland. There was mud, sand, and tall grass. One part we started walking through blackwater up to our knees. The ground felt muddy, and I didn’t like not knowing how deep each section was when I put my foot down. Right past that section is the turnaround, so it wasn't that important to the route, but it added a lot of difficulty to the arm.

        I am only around 6 miles into this arm, and I am already out of water again! I wasn’t sure when the kayak rides to the island would be, but I felt like it should be close, and I figured that had to be the part with water and ice. Before getting there, I was miserable, so annoyed that I was running in this 100-plus-degree temperature without water. I debated giving up. Why not? Who cared about this besides me anywhere?

        Once I got to the water and saw the ice, I was blown away. I had my ice bandana filled and my entire hydration bladder, so I could drink the coldest water while trying to finish my entire bladder before making it back so I could fill up again. I sat there on the kayak asking the person paddling how much distance they thought I would lose not running over the water. Whatever the distance is, it couldn’t be much because we were only floating five minutes at the most. I made it to the island and went left. That’s the way that other people who landed before me went, but plenty of people went the other way. It seemed longer than a mile, but there was coverage, and it was nice to have plenty of water and more not that far away.

        Once back on the kayak, I tried to drink the rest of my water and enjoy the ice. I filled up on everything before heading back to Octobase. The best part of this loop was the popsicle! All of a sudden, there was a sign promising popsicles this way, and I ran to the end of a pier and got a popsicle! It was a magical moment. That popsicle hit like a thousand cups of ice-cold Gatorade. When I made it back to the pipe that posed as a bridge, I crossed without falling. I was in much better spirits heading back to my tent, where I planned to change shoes and drink as much hydration as possible. The race wasn’t over yet, but I felt like I had made it through some of the toughest parts, and I was still moving forward, so I was starting to smile again. I was thinking that I should go to 7/11 and get a Slurpee.

Tomorrow running in the hottest part of the day!!! 

Total Distance: 31.2 miles 

Lap Pace: 16 minutes and 36 seconds 

Race Pace: 13 minutes and 29 seconds

Lap Time: 4:00:50