Monday, October 27, 2014

Bad Apple Ultra 12 Hour--RR


If I was going to do the 12 hour race, I’d have to leave my house by about 3:15am so I could do the 2 hour drive, sign up and start at 6am. If I was going to do the 6 hour race, I could sleep in and not have to leave until 9am, which would get me there by 11am so that I could start at noon. I set my alarm for 3am, got to sleep early, and would see how I’d feel in the morning. I’d be a game time decision.

I woke up at 2:45am, and thought, “Well, I could try and sleep for 15 minutes, get up at 3, leave and do the 12 hour. Who am I kidding? Sleep for 15 minutes? No, if I’m going to get up and do this, I might as well get up now. Although, I’m really super comfortable, and warm, and tired, plus I can sleep in, still do the 6 hour and have a fine day of running, complete a marathon, it's all good. I’m not really in ‘12 hour’ shape anyway; heck I’m barely in 10k shape! Besides, I haven’t had any exceptionally good Long Races all year. On the other hand, if I did the 12 hour, am ‘just not feeling it’ and want to quit early, I’d have the flexibility of being able to quit whenever I wanted. Still, this is crazy, getting up this early to drive 2 hours to spend the money and do a race I’m not anywhere near adequately trained for? No way, I’m going back to sleep.”

Which meant that I was now wide awake at 2:50am, so there was no point in lying awake for the next hour hemming and hawing about why I should’ve gone ahead and left so that I could start at 6am for the 12 hour. Such is the mind of an ultra-marathon runner. So I got up, ate some yogurt, packed, made a bullet coffee and hit the road. The highways are blissfully free and clear of cars between 3am and 5am. Obviously there was a serious concern about deer and I did see one on the side of the road, but there were no incidents. I arrived, signed up, geared up and prepared to go. A last minute sit in the men’s room was critically important but I had to sprint to the starting line and everybody was just taking off as I arrived. Off we went into the dark.

The course was a 4 mile loop consisting of a combination of dirt roads, 2 track ‘roads’ through apple orchards and pumpkin fields, and a couple sections of single track. I’ve had plenty of experience running in the dark, but for some reason, I’ve not had too many problems seeing. Wearing two little headlamps, I thought I’d be ok…but between the unfamiliarity of this course, the clouds blocking any moonlight and just the seeming dimness of my lights, I couldn’t see worth a darn. Had to take it slow, feel my way through (especially on the single track section) and try not to get lost.

I got lost, but it wasn’t for very long. I basically missed a turn and ended up on a road to nowhere, but since I didn’t see any additional flag markers I had the wherewithal to turn around fairly quickly and get back on track. Only added about ¼ miles to my day. It was a relief when I finished my first loop, but it was still very dark when I headed out for my second loop. Legs felt good, energy was decent.

Second loop I got lost, in the woods. I missed a sharp turn and for a brief moment thought I might be seriously in a dead zone where I’d have to wait an hour for daylight. A brief pit-in-stomach moment passed before I was back on track. Either my headlamps were getting dimmer or I was getting blinder. Really hoping for light at this point. Finally light came on the third loop and I was able to start seeing the footing, the flags, the course, the apples and pumpkins.

One thing I really tried to do right from the start, since I was concerned about being woefully undertrained, was to walk even just the slightest uphills and only run slowly, lightly, on the flats and downhills. The longer I kept jogging (and not walking), the better I thought I might do. The goal was somewhere in the 40 mile range, around 10-12 loops. 48 miles would be a very good day.

The fall leaves were on full display, the clouds parted mid-morning and it became a sunny, beautiful day…except for the wind. When we were running with the wind at our backs, it was perfect and even got a little warm. Running into the wind was brutal. All morning and all afternoon. Loop after loop. And every loop finished with an uphill section dead into the wind. Yes a little wind is nice to help keep you cool and dry, but fighting it for hours and hours got really old for me.

The orchard soon became a bustling hub of activity with all kinds of folks all over the place—out in the fields, on tractor rides, at the pony rides, in the parking lots, young, old, medium, everywhere. They pretty much all had the same bemused, uncertain curiosity looking at us, like we were a strange native species that they’d never really seen before (which we were).

Just as I was starting to hit 22-24 miles or so I struggled a bit, but it was short-lived and I kept going along nicely. My slow and easy start must have been paying dividends. One drawback to the morning was my shoes, which were no good, so I changed them out with a different pair and almost immediately my feet felt better. Simply going to a different model/year of the same brand of shoe can make a big difference. After passing the marathon point and approaching 50k the 6 hour starters assembled, began and joined us on the course. They all looked so clean, fresh, virginal without any signs of sweat or fatigue. It was cute. I thought about how my fellow 12 hour competitors and I probably looked exactly like that 6 hours ago when we started, but it would’ve been too dark out to notice.

Seemed like I saw a lot of folks over and over, either blowing by me or who were walking while I passed. Every single chance I got I said “Hi”, “Good job”, “Looking strong” etc. Karma may or may not be a real thing but in a race like that you need all the help you can get and besides, they were saying the same things right back to me. We’re all fighting the same battles and are on the same team, no matter what loops we were on. A lot of really wonderful people out there.

As the afternoon started to age I noticed something extraordinary; I was still running pretty much just as strong as when I’d started. Thanks to my very short stops at the aid stations I was also doing well on time, and as the loops ticked away I started to see 48 miles as a very realistic goal, with plenty of time left over in case I hit a rough patch and needed to walk a lap or two. I was having a good day.

4 miles is a good distance for a loop ultra because on the one hand there is plenty of distance and variety so that things don’t get monotonous, while on the other hand you’re regularly returning to the home base so there’s the frequent sense of consistent accomplishment. After 8 laps I thought, “Heck, Richie, only 5 more loops and I’ll have 52 miles. I definitely think I can break the 50 mark. Maybe I really am having a good day. Although I sure am getting sick of that wind. Ugh. I mean, man, come on, give it a rest already…”

For a bit I was concerned about dehydration, but then I got my fluid intake back up a bit and was fine. My food intake was less than it’d been at past races but this day it didn’t seem to be an issue. By now the 3 hour people were on the course were with us. A couple of them just flew by, it was quite a sight. And still I was running, even during loop 10, 11, 12. By this point it was no longer just a good day; I was having an epic day, one of the best races of my life. 13 loops would now be assured, and I was even entertaining thoughts of 14.

But I was also hurting. My hips, right ankle, feet, back, shoulder, IT band, all the usual suspects. And I knew I would have to drive all the way back to Flint after it was over. If I quit at 13 it would mean I’d have 52 miles which was still awesome and a very successful day. I could be on the road by 5:45pm, get home with plenty of time to clean up, relax, have a victory scotch and reflect on my day.

But…56 would sound so much better! Such is the mind of an ultra-marathon runner. Besides, how many more opportunities would I get like this? I literally was flying along effortlessly, figured I had another 30 or 40 miles in me if the need arose, and days like this just don’t come along very often at all. And most importantly, if I didn’t head back out for that 14th loop, I’d regret it for the rest of my life. That settled it. This was my day and I would not be denied. So I refilled my bottle and headed back out. Last lap was the most enjoyable, and the perfect ending to a dream day.

Final tally was 56 miles in about 12:15. I give it an A+. Maybe I was just delirious from the endorphins and sugary gels/beans/chews, but wow… If everyone felt like this during every run, every single person on earth would be a runner. This was my version of a BQ, sub 4:00 mile, summiting Mt. Everest or dating Katy Perry. Kudos to the race director(s) and volunteers, they did a spectacular job. I don’t know if I’ll ever go back to this race because I’d hate to tarnish the memory. For once in my short ultra life, it all came together. I spent the day running on magic legs.