I knew I was in for a long day.
Ill start from the beginning...
I NEVER had nerves about this race. I had accepted that I took on this challenge and that if I did my training and worked my ass off, then I would be ok. Quitting has never crossed my mind with anything, but I did have some concerns of possible injuries or missing one of the rules and DQing myself. However, control what you can right? I viewed this race as a day spent on a mountain with fantastic scenery. Which is a perfect day in a Frayah world.
The race started at 5 am on Saturday morning. I woke up feeling pretty great. I still wasn't nervous, and even though I haven't slept all week, I felt wide awake and excited about this race. When I got to the starting line, everyone seemed to have the same mindset. I saw some "oh shit" faces, but the most were pretty damn excited that the GDR race was FINALLY here.
The race director Sean (who amazes me so much), gave the last final details and off we went. The weather couldn't of been more perfect. It was pitch black, and I felt overdressed right away. As Sean gave the GO, we were all on a single track escalating uphill for the first three miles. This was a lifesaver for as I have a very big problem of sprinting 6:30 miles right away and then I am crawling to the finish line. This start forced me to slow the hell down right away. I also really got a feel of how the scenery and terrain was going to be, and it also allowed me to get my mind ready for the day. I focused on my breathing, positive thoughts, and my plan.
Once I got on top of the hill, I was off. I was running next to a beautiful sunrise, and enjoying a really nice run. The uphill/downhill portion of the race was just beginning, and luckily downhill was easy with fresh legs. I really shed a ton of time with being so fresh and really understanding how to work the terrain. I got to the first aid station and realized how great and fueled I felt. I shoved 2 brownie bites down my throat, gave Happy (my favorite volunteer worker) a quick picture, and off I went.
I was about 9 miles in, and the downhill was now starting to become a "challenge". Not a "problem" yet, but definitely a "challenge". My shins were pounding a little, and I noticed many runners who I was passing on the uphills were killing me on the downhills. I adjusted the pace in my head, as I knew this was going to happen. Downhill running has ALWAYS been my weakest ability. As I reached the second aid station, I knew I needed more salt and to hydrate. I downed lots of Coca Cola and gatorade.. more of my brownie bites (god those things were GOOD), and realized that I was completely soaked from sweat. I stripped out of my thermals and turned my running tights until compressions and off I went. Right when I started moving, I tripped on a rock and busted my headlamp. This was the first time I had a sense of panic, as I knew this was very required gear and that I would not be finishing this race in the daylight. I contemplated on texting Sean, but knew there was nothing I could do at this point but keep running and figure it out later.
As I was continuing up the hills, I realized how tired people were getting. My quads were on fire but my endurance was still very good. I gained a lot of ground around mile 15 due to the high elevation changes. (thank god for the beginning 3 mile walk). I began to start being by myself, which initially freaked me out. I found myself secretly hoping someone would come up behind me, but I just began to be very focused on the finding all the correct markings and having to trust that I was going the right direction. ( I realized that reading a course map before this race would've been beneficial). As I was heading downhill to the next aid station (around mile 23), I could finally see on who was ahead of me as they were going back up the hill. I counted 3 girls, and about 10-15 guys. This gave me my second wind, and I sprinted down hill to the next aid station where I thankfully ran into Sean and told him about my headlamp fiasco. Luckily, a volunteer told me that he could get me one by the next aid station. Sean shouted out to me that I BETTER have my headlamp at the end of the race. Since I didn't read the course map, I didn't worry too much about his warnings. Ignorance was definitely bliss that day.
I was now making my way up back the hill which was the worst hill of the race for me. It was ascending in a way that was impossible to run, and just steep enough to make your quads want to commit suicide. On top of that, it was about 2 miles long. I was so happy to see the volunteer on top of the hill that I gave her a huge hug when she told me that the next part would be mostly flat and descending. She was LYING, but it gave me great assurance.
No one was near me at this point of the race, and so I bolted as much as I could, as I knew I would be running into downhill very shortly again. I made sure to keep my pace going and to not stop until the next aid station. When I reached the next aid station, I had caught up to one of the girls ahead of me. I could easily see how defeated she was as I overheard her discussing quitting with one of the volunteer workers. We continued to pass each other on and off throughout the next stretch was all uphill/downhill stretches. I could instantly tell she was much more advanced with downhill (shocker) but I instantly caught up to her with the uphill, which I could see instantly frustrated her. As we reached the next aid station, I saw her drop out.
The next part of the race is when my nightmare began.... Gravel roads. My body was now starting to slow down and I could feel my joints beginning to have this awful pain with every stride. Every time my foot hit the terrain, I flinched in pain. I caught up to another girl, and we started talking when we found out we were both from the midwest. She helped me out so much during this time, as it distracted me from the pain I was feeling. I learned she had a farm in Michigan and just recently dropped over 200 pounds and quit smoking a year ago. We talked a lot about our stories and shared laughs when we realized how miserable we were getting. I lost her when my cramps began to happen around mile 37. I began to really dig deep and think of things that I tell myself every day. I must've chanted "I can, I will, I must" over 400 times in a course of a hour. I had to make sure my emotions would not get the best of me and to have confidence that this pain would go away and I would finish.
I reached the next aid station, and made the biggest mistake of the race. I did not do anything from my cramp. I really thought it would go away if I downed some more fluid and gels. Stupid stupid stupid stupid. Within 3 miles, I was a wreck. People who I passed miles ago, were now catching up to me and asking me if I was ok. I became instantly frustrated and irritated, as I was so numb, I didn't realize how badly I was limping. A volunteer stopped me at the next aid station and asked me if I was ok to go on. I realized then that this was serious. My knee was either going to snap or if it didn't, I was going to be crawling very shortly. I was still being very stubborn and refused to admit that I was hurt. I downed chicken broth, bananas, and prayed it would work. Nope.
I ran into a group of people who I ran with awhile back in the race, and they were very positive and let me know that I was going to finish as I was way ahead of the cut offs. That gave me reassurance, but I was still do disappointed on how much time I had just lost and still losing. To make matters worse, I started realizing that the trail I was on had no markings. Right when I noticed this, I saw a lot of racers turning around and saying that we must've taken a wrong turn. (wishing again that I read the map). We decided to chance it and just keep going, as we could not figure out where we could've possibly missed a turn. Thank God for running into smart racers, as we saw the "skipper" come with the tape to put the markings back up. A lot of racers were PISSED, I however, was so relieved that it allowed me to make up some time.
I finally reached the Bacon Aid Station, and by the time, I was ready to get a saw and cut off my leg. The same volunteer was there from the last aid station, and convinced me to let him help me. He gave me a ton of advil, salt tablets, potassium pills, and stretched me out. After he was done, I felt like I had a fresh pair of legs. I was in tears on how great I finally felt. I wasn't even mad at the guy who ate all the bacon ahead of me. The sun was setting, I put my headlamp back on, and started sprinting.
The last three miles were instant hell for me. But I refused to walk. I started counting to 1000, and pray that I would start hearing cheers from the finish line. Once I reached the finish line, I got my spike and gave Sean and the volunteer who saved my leg a huge hug. It was by far one of the top 3 feelings I've ever had in my life.
TOP TEN HIGHLIGHTS/LEARNING LESSONS
10. Meeting fellow WTM participants. I had the best time getting to know fellow athletes and sharing so many laughs and memories.
9. Making up songs because I was too delirious to think of one song to sing. My song about a bee and its tree will make ITUNES top 10 shortly.
8. The FOOD. Omg, incredible. The aid stations were by far the BEST I've ever seen in any race.
7. Realizing that I need to be prepared for EVERYTHING. I have never experienced cramps before in races, so my cockiness got the best of me. I also had never ran a race with so many elevation changes. I need to be prepared for everything PHYSICALLY as well. I am a firm believer that the best athletes can and will endure anything... but your body will WIN if it is seriously hurt. It
6. Read a course map before a race. That might help when you are running through woods unmarked.
5. Seeing Sean and the volunteers. Everyone was so nice and Sean is such an incredible person/athlete. I felt very welcome and an instant bond with all of them.
4. It felt like home being at this race. I was surrounded by amazing and unbelievable athletes. But I was also surrounded by many people who thought like me. I felt it when I met Sean, I felt it when I met my mudders, and I felt it meeting all the other racers. It felt nice not having to question myself and have to explain myself to others. I was just instantly understood.
3. Pickle juice and ketchup will save your life.
2. I never once thought about quitting... not once. Just thought of ways on how the hell I can go fast on one leg.
Ha, but in all honesty, I used my physical pain and compared it to emotional pain. I've been through hell and back this last year. I had a long talk with my mother, aunt, and grandmother before this race, and told them I was representing the strong women in my family. This year has been so tough on my family, and it shows no signs of stopping the emotional struggle we have all been going through. I compared my cramp to the worst emotional pain I have experienced, and realized that I made it through. I know this sounds corny, but damn, it worked like magic.
1. The love and support I got from my coaches, friends, and family. I had so many emails, texts, friends calling each other on updates, cards sent to me before I even completed this race congratulating me on finishing. The confidence and encouragement I got from my fellow athletes who see how hard I have trained and who do the daily grind with me, meant THE WORLD to me. I really thought of all the messages and encouragement I got these last few months throughout this race.
I will be back next year. Thank you Sean for helping me find my favorite race.
1st in age group (females)
10th in age group overall
8th females overall
56th overall overall
S caps. 2 to 4 per hour depending on temps.
ReplyDeleteMost important lesson I learned. What kind do u use?
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