What is it like to take on a huge endeavor such as a 100 mile race? Simply put... balls. I trained well for this race and really felt rested for it. The week before, I hardly did anything except work. On Wednesday morning, I got home from work only to sleep a few hours and head out the door for my solo road trip to Arizona. I would have loved having my family with me, however school and work commitments made it difficult for them to come. It was in my plan to spend some quality time with my Mom. I have been a bit worried about her since she has lost a lot of weight and has been having trouble eating. I hadn't seen her since late Spring. I arrived late Wednesday after a long drive. Great to see her! I was able to hang out with my Mom for several hours that evening looking at old pictures and talking about the past.
My Mom has been under a lot of stress and has essentially been stuck at home except for the occasional trip to the store or to the doctors. I had decided that I would take her with me to the hotel for much needed rest away from "home." We arrived around 2pm that afternoon, hung by the pool and just relaxed. As runners trickled into the host hotel and ventured out to the pool area, I was able to meet some people and chat about the race to come. That evening we spent out having a nice dinner and I was happy to see that my Mom mustered an appetite and ate all of hers. I slept fair that night in the hotel. My Mom likes the room very warm and I was a tad uncomfortable.
The next day, we had a delicious breakfest and once again sat by the pool. Soon, it was time to get by Mom back home. She would need to follow me down the road to Gilbert Rd., where she could then take it straight south to Queen Creek where she lives. I would be leaving and checking out at 4am the next morning, so it was best she left before then as there would be no one to guide her back in the right direction. A shower, and change of clothes and I was ready to meet up with my pals. You see, my good friends Chad and Jeff were also running this race too. Chad and Jeff are powerhouse guys. Chad being an Ironman, and Jeff being a 100 mile finisher certainly keeps this gal on her toes. I love hanging out with people that have a passion for running! My friends have that and it helps keep me motivated in my training. If it wasn't for them, I would have never signed up for this race because honestly I doubted if I would ever be able to do anything like this. Beth and Terry would be there to help provide support for all of us. I had only one pacer... Beth, and I was so thankful to have her commited for a loop. Beth is such a great friend... and one tough cookie! I met up with Beth, Chad and Chad's parents at the packet pickup at the hotel for a breif conversation and a photo op. We made our plans for dinner, I gave them my bags for the camp site at Javelina Headquarters and off they went to the grocery store to stock up on supplies and get settled at the hotel.
Later, we all met up at Houston's (a fabulous restaurant in Scottsdale) and had an amazing Tai steak salad (recommended by Chad's great taste buds). Some of us had baked potatos, and beans... we were sure to carb up! At dinner, Chad's parents joined us. Such awesome people and little did I know what a huge help they would become over the next 2 days. Chris and Eric also joined us for dinner. They were Chad's pacers. Chris is an amazing runner and I know him well. He typically places in the top three in many of the local ultras. I had not met Eric before, and he seemed to be a super guy. Most runners I know are indeed super people. I was so sleepy at the table that I had to leave early and head back to the hotel. I had a bit of preparation to do and hitting the sack before 8:45pm was my plan. Before I knew it, my alarm and wake up call both pulled my out of my slumber at 3:45am and I was out the door by 4:15 am. I met up with another runner in the hallway and asked if I could follow them to the race start and surely, we had formed a small caravan by the front entrance of the hotel. Arriving at the parking area, I realized that I had no headlamp (it was in my pack at the camp site at headquarters). I also realized that it was flippin' cold! I grabbed my pj bottoms out of my bag and found a nursing scrub jacket in the back of my car which I gladly put on!!! At the start, I was excited that I saw Catra Corbett stroll in and jumped on the opportunity to meet her. An incredible ultra runner, Catra has an incredible story as well.. all of which lead her to becoming a runner. She was in costume as many runners were! It added to the fun vibe. Headquarters was hopping with activity. People were chatting, eating, and getting their fill of caffeine before hitting the trail. Thankfully after arriving at the start/headquarters, I met up with my buddies, located Terry and she helped me with getting my headlamp. Then I found Jeff and Chad in the crowd at the start. A hug from both of them, we then exchanged our best wishes for eachother. It was only a minute or two before we heard the blare of the horn and off we went on our 100 mile journey. We ran together for the first 2 miles and then we all settled into our paces. They ran ahead as I slowed. My run/walk strategy was something I was going to stick with because walking early saves the legs for later (so I have been told). As people passed me, a few told me I was being smart but time would tell.
The race consisted of six 15 mile loops and then one shorter 10 miler to complete the distance. Each loop would be run in a washing machine type fashion, switching direction on each loop. As we ran the first loop, we crowded together and then the runners slowly dispersed and spaced out over the distance. It was dark at 6 AM but within 20 minutes the sun began to peak out over the mountains in the distance. Darkness became dim luster and colors of orange and pink lit our way as we ran down the trail overlooking cactus, mountains, and the beauty of the desert.
The first loop seemed to take quite a while, but I maintained my plan. I took in 2 large gulps of gatorade when each song ended. Staying hydrated in this desert climate would be key to doing well in this race. Knowing that as the race progressed I could have issues with my stomach due to sodium loss, I started taking in calories early. Every 30 minutes I took in a mouthfull of gu out of my small squeeze bottle. The trail was a bit rocky in areas then smoothed out. Each loop was a gradual up hill then downhill back to headquarters.
It was warming up out there, so I took off my long sleeved tech shirt and tied it around my waste. Watching people run in costume was a hoot. I came across a clown and in my momment of wit I said to him, "This ain't no circus. Stop clowning around!" Yeah, silly. Arriving back at headquarters, my friends had prepared a little ziplock bag with gu, fritos, and gummy fish. It was a bit of a scramble as my pals had never crewed for me before so we fumbled a bit with the supplies but they did a great job in getting me out of there quickly! Eric was also there helping me re-apply sunblock and making sure I had all I needed before heading out for the next loop. I shed my headlamp and tech shirt, grabbed my secret weapon (my small umbrella) and off I went! Loop 2- Heading back up the sandy trail seemed daunting. Many people were struggling with this area of the course, including myself. I felt like crap but always with running, "this too shall pass" is a very true statement and that crappy feeling soon went away. By the time I hit the rocky area and aide station, I felt better and downed 2 bite sized pieces of pumpkin pie, popped a squat behind a large rock nearby and off I went. I was happy to see that I was urinating a good amount so I knew I was taking in enough fluids. I also downed 2 salt tabs at this time. I licked my arm and it was quite salty, indicating to me that I was losing sodium quickly. Arriving back at headquarters, Terry and Beth once again helped me replenish my supplies. It was getting hot out there and many people were feeling it. I had a dull headache and when I got to the aide station after running 30 miles, I welcomed two tabs of tylenol. P.S. Never take Ibuprofen during a really long race such as this. Not only because of the risks of bleeding but it is very bad for the kidneys.
Loop 3- I love my little umbrella! I have instant shade and it really helped. I found it at Walgreens. Very petite, with bright colored flowers but very effective. It was small enought to where I could run with it too. The nice breeze that we had that morning as we initially hit the trails, now had subsided to a dull lull. That sun is hot in Arizona! The heat of the day brought 90 degree temps. I kept with my plan. I was still feeling good, urinating well, taking in chips, fritos, some gu, and salt tabs every hour. I could see other runners pass and some had a white haze on their black shorts. They were losing salt too and it was drying on their clothing. Although I was sweating, I never dripped sweat off my forehead and my clothes kept dry. It was evaporating off in the heat of the day. This could be very misleading to those not realizing that indeed they were losing fluids. After this loop, I will have completed about 45 miles or so. It is the farthest I have ever run at one time and as I stroll into headquarters, I am still feeling pretty good. Beth, Terry, and Chad's parents were a wonderful site for dry eyes! My nose was sore from the dry air and about every 10 minutes, I was applying lip balm while out there on the trail. Beth commented on my faux diamond earrings. Yes, I wore bling during my ultra. It is now my signature thing. Some people have tats, some wear costumes, I wear bling!
A few bites of sandwhich (thanks Terry for that great turkey with avocado)and I was off again. A few miles down the trail, I passed yet another milestone... 50 miles. I had run it in about 11 hours, 45 minutes. All accorning to plan! Hydration wasn't an issue, I had not bonked once, and I was ready for the next 50 miles!!! I still had that dull headache so a couple more tylenol were a much needed fix.
Loop 4- It is now dusk heading into night. I started the day running in the darkness and I saw the sun rise. I then saw the entire day pass and now once again, I am running in the darkness. The full moon struggled to light the trail for me and my head lamp bounced with each stride. I can't see for crap so I had to slow down. I really needed just a plain old flash light and I put that on my "must haves" list on my arrival back at headquarters.
Suddenly, I met up with Chad on the trail several miles now into the loop. Chad tells me I am running the wrong way!! I had gotten confused and went the wrong way at the start of the loop! OMG! All I can think is ... my race is probably over! They are going to disqualify me for not going the right direction!!! I had wondered why people were being so enthusiastic in cheering me on... they thought I was one of the leaders because in the 5th loop, we were supposed to run in the direction that I was running, but they didn't realize that I was actually on loop 4. I was so embarrassed. I ran quickly...to the next aid station. I had to find out what the officials would say. Was my race over because of my mistake?
When I arrived at the aide station, one gentleman radioed in... the verdict? It was completely ok as the distance was the same. Apparently, I am not the only moron that has done this... at least 15 people do this every year so I was told. Thank God I'm not the only moron I thought to myself. I was told to make the correction when I returned to base camp and then would go the planned direction on the next loop. Once I heard the news, I ran as well as I could in the darkness. I could hear coyotes howling in the distance. I was freaked out but every so often someone would pass by and it would ease my mind. I wasn't alone out here although it felt at times that I was the only person in the world. The enthusiastic cheers as people passed me however while I was going the wrong way just reinforced my feelings of stupidity and in my embarrassment, I put my headphones in my ears so that I wouldn't have to hear another person telling me how "awesome" I was.
When I arrived back at headquarters. My legs felt tight and sore, but nothing that I couldn't manage mentally. I compared my pain to having children and suddenly the pain was no longer an issue. The right foot hurt and burned but I figured that I would change socks, and shoes when I got back to camp which may help that issue. I am tired though but I am ready to pull an all-nighter. I am no stranger to doing this since I work night shift. I have now run 100k... another milestone and I am still able to talk coherently and move. Running out there in the darkness, I started to see rings around my eyes, spots in my peripheral vision, and then I was seeing animals that were not there on the trail. The darkness was playing with my vision, but I thought that I was losing my mind.
When I arrived, I could hear Beth calling my name, but for some reason I just couldn't focus enough to find her in the crowd. She came to me and brought me quickly to the chairs where my crew had set up all of our supplies. They were pumping calories into me... pizza, little bean barritos, chips, salty soup... whatever appealed to me, I ate it. I changed my socks and shoes. Put on a tech tee as it was getting cool out there and got a flashlight for the next loop. Beth reminded me to take my gloves as I have Reynaud's disease and any cool temps could render my hands painfully numb. I was feeling better now that I had eaten. Beth was coming with me on this loop. I was so happy to see her in her running shoes! I was only in camp for about 7-8 minutes it seemed. It was my longest stop since the race began at 6am that morning.
When I stood up from the chair, my left leg completely locked up and I could feel almost like a spasm in my hip flexor and groin. The leg wasn't moving. I had to pick it up to get it to move forward. This was not good. Beth helped me hobble over the the porta potty and once I did my business, we started out on the trail now on Loop 5. For a mile, I dragged my leg. Beth held me close, motivating me to keep going as any great pacer would do. I was going to do this and Beth made me feel like I could drag that leg for miles. To my amazement, the leg finally loosened up and I was able to walk. Beth and I passed the time by singing songs. She knows the words to any song in "The Sound of Music!" We laughed and giggled our way for miles. At one point, a branch extending out on the trail sent Beth moving oddly in my direction and she was swatting at it like a crazed woman with the flashlight. She thought it was a snake! We were laughing hysterically! She really helped me keep my mind off the pain. In order to help my leg, I would walk sideways at times to use different muscles. Walking up the hills sideways, seemed to ease the pain some. As we made our way, Beth pointed out the logs on the dirt path. They were almost like steps. She kept saying "watch out for that." Sure enough, she was being so cautious with me that she ended up doing a superman off one of them and fell into the dirt. She's like "I'm ok... I'm ok" and she sprung up like a jack in the box of the ground. Her knee was bleeding but she kept on plugging away! Like I said... she's a tough cookie!
It was my longest loop. We ran into Chad and Chris as they were now heading towards us in Chad's 6th loop. Chad and I looked at eachother. We both had that look of despair in our eyes. I hugged them both. As I hugged Chris I said, "I'll get it done, it may not be pretty, but I'll get it done." I was going to do this. If I had to walk loop 6, and the last loop of 10 miles, I was going to do it. Soon, Jeff came up behind me. I hadn't realized it was him when he asked me how I was, but I was so happy to see his smiling face. Shacky was pacing him and they were doing great! Jeff had cought up to me and was having a fabulous loop!!! As I saw their shadows fade into the distance, I kept on with the task at hand.
At this point, I was only able to do bouts of running now and I could only tolerate running downhill and a little of the flats. My left leg hurt like a tooth needing a route canal. I no longer felt the pain in my right foot as the left hip/groin pain took over. I just put one foot in front of the other until I hit mile 72.
It is cold, I am shivering because I can no longer move quick enough to stay warm. Beth and I are walking together and suddenly a massive spasm hits my left hip and groin. My left leg locks up and I can no longer lift my leg. It is difficult to even stand. The pain causes me to shake even more and I am at my wits end. Beth asked me to rate my pain. I was 8/10, with 10 being the number where I would be on the ground crying. I stayed focussed on Beth's voice. We could see the next aide station lights in the distance. Beth kept saying how close we were to the aide station motivating me to keep trying. The spasms were excruciating and came in waves. We dragged my leg with us like it was a ball and chain. Another horrible spasm and I am frozen. A runner came up behind us and he gave up his coat for me. He ran ahead to the aide station for help and a truck soon approached us shining headlights into our eyes. The driver and passenger wrapped me in a sleeping bag and then helped me into the car seat. I yelled in pain. I couldn't lift my leg.
When we arrived at the aide station, they helped me over to sit by the fire. I warmed up in a matter of 10 minutes. I stood and hobbled away to see if my leg would cooperate. I could feel the leg tightening and quickly I went back and sat down. I tried several times, to walk it off, but the realization that it was over for me killed me. After dealing with the pain, the hours out there on the trail, all I had done to prepare, it was over and it was then that I cried. Beth and I sat there for an hour waiting for the truck to return from helping another runner stranded somewhere out in the desert. After begging multiple times, finally someone said that they would drive us back. On our arrival back at camp, my friends scrambled to help me. Getting to the bathroom was a huge effort for all of us. They essentially were carrying me over there. The spasms continued. When Terry, Beth and Chad's mom finally got me to the tent, they worked on getting me warm. I was shaking uncontrollably both from the cold and the pain. Beth had some muscle relaxants and I took one with some tylenol. I laid there in the silence as they headed back out to support our boys still out there. I heard people arrive back at camp, I heard cheers and people laughing. I closed my eyes.
I woke up several hours later. The muscle relaxant had taken effect and I was able to get up and hobble out to the start/finish. In my sorrow and disappointment that overwhelmed me, I also had great joy for my friend Chad that had finished his race in under 24 hours. He had reached his goal. I saw Jeff come into camp and he was heading out again, but he finished and reached his goal time as well. I went and visited Chad over in the medical tent. He was wrapped in blankets defrosting from the cold of the night. We each looked at our belt buckles and we both said that we were going to wear them everywhere! LoL!
While Jeff was still out there on the trail, we helped Terry pack up at the camp site. I was essentially useless just placing a few items in the cooler and bagging a chair or two. We headed to the hotel. Chad's Dad drove with me to the hotel. Thankfully, my car is an automatic so I didn't have to move my left leg while I drove. I needed help in and out of the car as the leg still wouldn't lift more than just a shimmy to walk. It killed me to lift it. Chad was being wheeled around in the wheel chair. We were a rediculous sight. People stared wherever we went. After a fantastic shower at the hotel (we were all so dirty from being out there in the desert for what seemed like forever), we went to breakfast. It was so good and I felt so much better. I could see in Chad's face and in my own our sunken in cheeks. A nap after in the room and out to the pool we went to just chill. We were all spent. Later we went to dinner. I hadn't taken any muscle relaxants in a while and I felt my hip tightening when I sat down at the dinner table. I knew I would have to take another when I got back to the hotel.
Geez. After dinner, my left leg locked up again when I stood from the table and once again, I needed help to the bathroom. The spasms were severe as I hobbled. Beth offered to give me a piggy back out of the bathroom to the car. When we cought the sight of me behind her in the mirror in the bathroom, it looked pretty kincky and we laughed so hard that we were both brought to tears! She then wrapped her leg around mine and she helped kick it forward with hers so that I could walk. A tad embarrassed that after Beth and the waitress helped me down the stairs, my crew had to come and pick me up and bring me to the car. We were headed to get icecream but I opted to stay in the car. Chad's parents actually brought me out the menu so that I could pick what I wanted and then brought me my shake. It was the best coffee malted milk shake I have ever had. I fell asleep on the seat.
When we arrived back to the hotel, my left leg went into severe spasm again getting out of the car. I then graduated to the wheel chair. Chad 's parents wheeled me to the hotel room. They helped me lay on the bed. With every movement of my leg, it went into spasm. Beth brought me another muscle relaxant and after about an hour of laying there, I was finally able to roll out of bed, drag my leg to the bathroom to change and brush my teeth. When I finally got back into bed, I sacked out within minutes.
The next morning, we went to breakfast. I still hobbled but the leg felt better. We then said our goodbyes. Chad's parents were such a help and I thanked them profusely. Beth was my rock out there on the trail when it all fell apart. I can't express in words how much I appreciate the friends I have, how thankful I am for the wonderful people in my life and how I feel after this experience. Would I do it again? Someone asked me that after the race and I said, "Ask me again in 6 months." Now that a day had passed, I was already talking about "next year." Call me crazy... but I am who I am. I met up with my in-laws later and had a nice visit with them and managed to spend a bit more time with my Mom before I left the next day for California. I had far less gatoraides in the car, but a beautiful buckle and an amazing memory made with amazing people. You will see that this race report only goes to the 100k distance and a time posted for that, but I made it 72 miles and I feel really good about that. I was 13th female overall for the 100k which gets me thinking... hmm.
What have I learned from this experience? It is possible to do what seems impossible to many. A One hundred mile race will expose any weakness you have both physically and mentally. My body broke before my mind did and that says a lot to me about who I am. Chris said it best when he wrote to me on a facebook post, "It is not just about reaching the goal, but it is about the experience and the journey."
Happy Running!
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