Day 4,474—The Last Days of Summer! and The Vero Beach Octopus 100 Part VI! Almost to the Section Where I got Lost in the Marsh—

 

Start time: 8:48 a.m.

Weather: High 70s, wind 3.1 mi/h, Humidity 82%

I slept for at least 8 hours, but I was still so sluggish this morning. I had to drive my wife home from the car shop, so I didn’t have much time. I tried to pick up a little before leaving but soon realized I had barely any time left to go for a run. Three miles seems like almost enough, and I want to now add maybe two more miles, but I could also just spend some time doing other things. Including working on the race video and picking up around my house. Also, reading in the bath has to take priority! On our way home, we stopped and saw the Big Boy Train driving through the country! It was so cool to catch it. It would have been neat to see it while running, but this was pretty close.

The Vero Beach Octopus 100 Part VI

Arm 5: The Blair Beach Project

Time of Day: 6:35 p.m.

Arm Distance: 11.6 Miles

Terrain: Beach, sand, sidewalk, Jungle Trail 

        I filled up my water again and made sure I had drunk plenty before I left the Octobase. It wasn’t dark yet, but I knew it was getting there, so I had someone put my lightest headlamp in the back of the vest. I didn’t think I would need that much water since the sun was going down, but I was fully topped off. Because I had spent too long at the aid station, I changed some of my clothes. I was on my second pair of shoes, and I still hadn’t listened to music or had any caffeine yet. Before I left, I looked at the route on my phone to double-check the general directions.

        It looked like we were heading back to the beach as we did on the first arm. This time, instead of turning right, we were going to turn left, then take that to the sidewalk and the Jungle Trail, and follow that back to the road that the Octobase is off of, so not that many turns; pretty simple. I was curious whether I would see the sign to turn onto the beach this time, but I didn’t. The beach was packed, and I couldn’t see that many other runners. All the other races were completed except for some 50-mile and 100K runners. When I got close to the beach, I saw a couple running a little ahead of me, and then a random guy asked me, “Where did you run from?”

        I was struggling to process the question, so I just responded, “We're doing a 100-mile run today.” The guy backed off, and I heard him telling someone else what I had told him not too long after. I was looking for the sign. I couldn’t find it, so I checked the Gai app on my phone to make sure I was going the right way. I passed that couple not too far after that, and then I was by myself scanning for big sea turtles. I was trying everything I could to will the sea turtles onto the beach, but I didn’t see any. I saw plenty of the areas designated for their eggs, but as much as I scanned the beach and the horizon, I didn’t see them. Then a guy on a motorbike flew by.

        In surprise, I went, “Whoa!” He was driving what looked like a scooter with huge wheels. I kept thinking this had to be breaking some kind of local beach ordinance. He was ruining the otherwise peaceful sound of the waves. To his credit, when he came back, he kept his distance, slowed down, and waved hello to me. I thought that was nice of him, and I realized I was just suddenly dealing with a lot of anger, so I didn’t want to give it too much credit. I was tired and hungry, just a little over halfway done with this race, and all I wanted to see was a sea turtle! But the Sea turtles decided they had better things to do. Soon, I turned off onto the beach and headed back along the Jungle Trail to the Octobase. I spent my time looking for a water fountain or a bathroom because I thought this arm was close to the 20-mile arm I was supposed to do later. I thought I saw some people who were ahead of doing the 20-mile section, but I couldn’t be sure. In the next section, I would break my caffeine fast and listen to music for the first time during the race!

Total Distance: 62.4 miles

Lap Pace: 16 minutes and 33 seconds

Race Pace: 15 minutes and 10 seconds

Lap Time:  3 hours and 12 minutes

Total Time: 15 hours and 47 minutes

Tomorrow! The scariest Section of a Race Ever!