Now the rest of the story.....

Yesterday I wrote a brief synopsis of my 100 mile race. Today, I'll try to fill in some of the gaps.

The alarm sounded at 4:00 AM Saturday morning. Cameron, the guy who was sharing the hotel with me and also running the 100 miler, and I left the hotel just after 5:00 AM. When I arrived it was a little cool and the runners were all huddled upstairs waiting for the 6:00 AM start. It was an eary feeling as everyone knew just how difficult this was going to be. I mingled with as many people as I could and then headed outside.

At 6:00 AM it started and as predicted, the first lap was fine. My ankle started to hurt a little but then went away pretty quickly. I chaulked it up to not running for the previous 2 days and a case of the nerves. I ran with my friend Mike for the first loop and we finished it in fine fashion. The hardest part of the race is a long steady climb which seems to go on forever. It is towards the end of the 20K loop and once you get to the top, it is relatively smooth sailing until the turn around point. There were aid stations every 3 KM's or so, so I realized that I would be fine with regards to getting enough fuel into my body.

The 2nd loop started just after 8:40 AM. Mike had to make a "pit-stop/bathroom break" so I decided to just keep on running and I knew that eventually he would catch up. The 2nd loop was very hard and there were times when I thought I was going to pack it in. My knee started to bother me but after taking some advil, I was ok. I made it to the end of the 2nd loop by 11:15 AM.

The 3rd loop I actually started to feel a little better and I was able to run more than I thought. I met so many memorable people along the way. Some I knew from before, some I met for the first time. All of them were helpful and offered so much encouragement. The volunteers were outstanding and did a great job of giving me anything I asked for. I finished the 3rd loop by 2:23 PM. I had now been running for over 8 hours.

The 4th loop really tested me both physically and mentally. I really thought about calling it quits right there. I was walking more and more as my feet were covered in several blisters. I also found myself alone for long stretches which made it difficult to stay focused at times. Eventually I was able to find enough strength to carry on and finished the loop by 5:25 PM.

As I started the 5th loop I was in agony but still able to run some. Everytime I tried to get into a rhythm though, I couldn't keep it going and then I'd get frustrated by having to walk more and more. I tried to walk as fast as I could but that also became difficult. I remember reading about something called the "death march" which happens to Ultra runners while doing these 100 mile races. I was hoping to avoid this but it seemed like that is all that I could do at the time.
My quadraceps were so burning that I needed some relief. Thankfully I was given some ice to keep on my thighs and this helped. I also changed my shoes and socks at this time, which was 1/2 way through the 5th loop. Just as I was getting ready to leave the aid station, I saw Mike come in. I decided to wait for him and finish out the looop. We managed to finish the loop by 9:40 PM. Just before finishing, I took my one and only fall of the day. It was dark by now and I knew that things would change dramatically from here on out.

After getting some light gloves, we left the start/finish area to do the 6th loop. Both Mike and I were very tired at this point and walking in the dark seemed more realistic than trying to run in it. My limp was getting worse and worse and when I made it to the 3KM aid station I thought about stopping. After changing into some warmer clothes, I headed off though. Mike went off without me as he was feeling better than I was. I started out walking slowly but as a familiar friend came up from behind me, I started to pick up my pace and was actually moving pretty well. Just then I heard a "pop" from my foot. I could feel liquid in my shoe and figured it was just a blister bursting. Although painfull, initially, I knew that if I could make it to the next aid station (4 KM's away) then I'd be able to hopefully deal with it there.

When I got to that aid station and took off my sock I could see that my toenail was snapped. Had it been any other toe but the baby one, I probably could have handled it. Unfortunately they didn't have anything at the aid station other than a bandaid. It was another 3K's back to where my drop bag was so I decided to walk back there and see what I could do at that point.

That last walk was very long and painful. I remember asking myself what I was doing. It was after 1:00 AM at this point and I started to hear voices. I didn't want to walk anymore. My head was filled with so much self-doubt that it was depressing. I spoke very little and just kept walking. When I got to the area where my drop bag was I had my helper burst the blister that was surrounding and under my baby toenail. He put a sleeve on it and I decided to try and walk a little bit with it to see if it was going to help. I started up the road and was really limping at this point. I made the decision to stop because I had had enough.

Even though I didn't finish the 100 Mile race, I can feel proud of the fact that I pushed myself to limits that I've never pushed myself to before. Here are the stats:
Total time on my feet: Over 19 hours
Total distance covered: 110 KM's or (68 Miles)
Food/drinks consumed: Pizza (2 slice), Peanut Butter and Jam Sandwiches (3-4), Pretzels, Boost and Ensure drinks (1 each), Potatoes dipped in salt (4), Lasagna, Potato chips, Coke (2 drinks), Marshmellow Square, Bananas, Watermelon

Now, the big question is will I attempt another 100 mile race? The answer today is probably not BUT if I do, it will be at Sulphur again. As for the rest of the year, I will do some 50 K or 50 Mile races between now and the end of October.
My next race will be in 2 weeks where I will be running for 6 hours. Hey, after running for 19, 6 will feel like a walk in the park right?