Run It Fast®

Today I ran the 6 hour 60th birthday run in Sunken Meadow State Park in Long Island.  This event took place on a 2.1 mile dirt trail loop which contained some hills just over half way that kicked my butt worse each time.  I wasn’t sure what I could do and part of me felt that maybe I shouldn’t really be heading out there at all.  However, it has been hard to set aside time for a decent long run lately that I figured that I could jog through about 20 miles I would get more mileage than if I stayed home.

I woke up late, scrambled around the house for gear. I grabbed my Team Fight running shirt out of the dryer along with some other gear, stuffed some juice in a cooler along with a bottle of Endurolytes, advil, and my inhaler.  I grabbed my Brooks Ghosts, put on my Launches and headed out the run.

GUN GOES OFF: I happily run behind Ray for a few minutes before I fade back.  I run the first loop to get a feel for the course and I already know I am in trouble.  I am working way too hard for an 18 -19 minute lap, I am not a fan of the sandy parts (which turned out to be just fine).  I can feel my heart pounding in my chest whenever the course elevation is even imperceptible uphill.  The visible hills became my walk breaks. By lap 2, I wonder how long I would be in this before I hit the wall hard.

By lap 3, I found my rhythm, knew the course was “comfortable” for the first 8 minutes, “uncomfortable” for the next 8 minutes and then “comfortable” again for the last 4 minutes for per loop.  I tried to hold that pattern and managed a 20-21 minute per lap average. I was moving well for about 3 hours until I started to falter and get negative.

I had started out in my Brooks Launches which are the most comfortable long run shoes I own.  I love my Ghost for training, but they are too heavy for me when I race. I knew if I switched to the Ghosts now, I might as well just stop.  I only brought them as a last resort and I was not ready to swap.

At about 3:30 into the run, I took a short break to think about what I wanted to do.  I took some Endurolytes, should have taken Advil for my achy feet, gave Arpan (a really nice man who remembered me from the 6-day and who ran much of this event with me) some juice to try, and took a minute to myself.   At that point, I began debating trying to cover 50k and calling it a day or stopping sooner to save my feet the pain.

While running alone, I passed two runners who said “Hey there are some fast twitch muscles coming by, she is one of the leaders!” I thanked them for their vote of confidence, but assured them that I was not leading.  However, since I wore my Team Fight shirt which says “Wanna Fight” on the back, I heard the guy say “Wanna Fight…. That is Kenyan for ….” (I wish I heard the end but I missed it).  This really made me smile because I am not anywhere near my peak shape but it felt great to hear others comment that I looked good (when I felt so bad!)

I continued trying to get out of my funk. Later I rounded a corner to see two young guys flying towards me. One called out “TEAM FIGHT!!!  Go Team Fight! I am from Columbia!!”.  Again this made me feel so great to hear this kind of support and fed me with some reason to fight the pain.  At the end of the lap I remembered the Advil.

Unfortunately by 4:20 hours in, my plantar fascias felt terribly inflamed and the nodules felt like needles were being jabbed into them.  My gait was getting painful and I just started walking, sending Arpan, whom I had caught up to again off without me.

Elaine showed up and she took some time to walk and talk with me about my favorite subject (Enzo) as I hobbled along.  I decided I was ready to quit when Ray and Cherie came flying down the downhill. Ray advised…”Don’t walk the down”.  I assured him I am lucky to be walking at all.  He could see my limp as the pains shot through my foot and told me do what I need. I am sure he has used up all his go to motivational tid-bits on me in the last year or more.

But, Ray has a way of knowing exactly what to say and do to get me moving.  As he took off down the hill, he said “Remember, Sometimes Things Hurt.”  As I watched him, Elaine, and Cherie move away into the distance, I walked alone, feeling left behind and sorry for myself, I wondered when exactly did I forgot how to Fight?  When did I lose my ability to tolerate Hurt?  Which is worse, the pain of failure or the pain in my feet stopping any chance of success?  I have always been good at ignoring pain.  When I was 5 years old I broke my arm and still went to gymnastics class for a week because I LOVED gymnastics.  I would tell my mom my arm felt sore, but I really wanted to go tumbling.  After a week, I got an x-ray and I had a fracture but I never let that stop me from doing what I loved.  Why am I letting some pain stop me now?  When will this become who I am?  How am I letting this happen to me?

I looked down at my shirt.  “TEAM FIGHT!” boldly covered the front.  This shirt was given to me at the Half Full Tri fundraiser to raise money to help young adults fight their cancer.  I realized that I did more hard work during chemo and immediately after than I have been willing to endure lately.  What is going on? How can I accept this? How can I wear this shirt if I am just going to quit.  I can’t quit.

As I approached the end of that loop, I convinced myself the Advil is working, that running hurts less than walking and I did my best to get moving.  It helped tremendously to overhear one of the volunteers say my number and add “She’s has been moving strong all day.” (Obviously he missed that hour long period of lolli-gagging while on the verge of defeat).  I needed to hear those words.

My laps dropped to 21-22 minutes per lap again.  I lost track of what I was doing and just tried to stick with the girl ahead of me.  I thought I had timed it so I could start short loops with 30 minutes until the horn.  I looked forward to the course change.  Ironically because my last two laps were faster than 30 minutes, I was sent out on the big loop again with the advice “27 minutes left!”  Oh man! I had already said good-bye to all the hills and now I had to see them again.  There were mixed reviews about which was faster the long loop or the short with the hill there, but it did not matter now.

With about 4 minutes left, I finished my loop and was sent onto the short loop.  The last few minutes is by far the best minutes in duration races.  The second wind runners get when the announcer counts down the minutes is just awesome. The energy level is intense and I was so grateful to be a part of it.  The runners cheering for each other, because we were the once who endured! I get to be one of them today.

And when the horn sound, then comes the Collective Sigh of Relief, followed by the Collective Moans and Groans as people hunch over glad to be allowed to stop moving.  There is nothing like this in a marathon, where individuals express their relief one at a time.  Here the race survivors are together, all in one small loop, hugging, sighing, groaning and hobbling off in a pack of pride and understanding.  It is the most beautiful part of racing that I have ever experienced.

So was it worth the pain?  Pain, what pain?  I have no recollection of any foot pain at the moment because all of those memories have been replaced with the pride I feel from FIGHTING and learning my efforts earned me a 4th place female finish on a course that kicked my butt!  I ran just over 34 miles in 6 hours which is a good effort for me today.  I have run 31 in 4:15 this past March, but much was different then.  Today I was about 19th OA in a field of 160 because I did not quit and this brings me the same amount of pleasure.

When I think about how I almost walked away at 25 miles all I can say now is “Sometimes things hurt.”  Sometimes they hurt for a long time, like regret and the endless hurt you feel when you give up on yourself.   Sometimes they hurt for the moment and maybe that moment lasts like 3 hours, but it ends.  This time I am not hurting from the regret of quitting. I am tired of that type of hurt. In fact right now, there is no pain, no hurt, just the beauty of knowing I am still a Fighter.  I can endure 6 hours.  Now I need to work on 12 and 24. Thank you, Ray, once again for knowing me so well and giving me this gift of a job well done. 🙂  It is no surprise to me that all my best races have one thing in common, your presence 🙂

Location: 50k Nationals. Caumsett Park, Long Island.  March 6, 2011

So who’s up for some repeats?  10 x  5k?  In the rain?  I am!

2010 Recap:   My 2010 had been plagued with negativity.  My health was a mystery.  Hives attacked at random from February on.  I felt weak all the time.  I failed a Pulmonary Function Test (what?!) and needed a Nebulizer.   My thyroid was erroneously blamed.  I was possibly anemic.  Specialists started pointing fingers at each other.  I was allergic to “something”.  After 250 needles, I was declared allergic to myself.  I was given antihistamines, three inhalers, steroids, and some “emergency” pills.  I have huge zip-lock bag full of medications that served mostly to make be bloated, fat, tired, and anxious.  Eventually I just got better.

During all that, my training took a back seat.  When the hives calmed down, I jumped back in where I left off and I ended up with fibromas (marble-sized lumps of painful scar tissue) on my plantar fascias.  I had a hard time walking.  I got the fibromas removed with cortisone.  I felt so good I ran over 65 miles in 12 hours during a 24 hour race and strained my undertrained ACL.  I spent most of 2010 running less, gaining weight, and just feeling cruddy.

The first of my very many DNF’s of 2010 happened at Caumsett 50k.  I finished 2009 by crushing my PRs in every distance from 5k through 24 hours.  By February 2010, I was cruising through 24 mile runs on my treadmill during blizzards and racing marathons all around 3:25 or less as training.  I felt ready for a great Caumsett, until the week before when I ended up in the ER covered in hives.

Heavily medicated, I still arrived.  I started fast and felt horrible.  By loop 2, I ditched my arm warmers and saw the red welts surfacing.  By loop 3, my abdomen was itchy and I found them on my stomach.  By loop 4 I called it a day.  In about 150 races since my cancer treatment, I had only DNF’d once (at my first ultra in a snow storm).  This was #2 and it unfortunately set the tone for the rest of that disappointing year.

2011: I started 2011 with a “come back plan” that involved returning to my roots.  I started again with low mileage and weekly short races.  I was found driving up the highway by a small dog sitting roadside in the cold sleeting rain.  I named him Enzo (like Enzo Ferrari, like Enzo the dog from The Art of Racing in the Rain) and as it turns out he loves running fast and far.   He got me out the door when the weather was miserable.  He pushed (er… pulled) our pace.  My mileage finally made it back up to 80 miles per week and then hovered around 60.  My fastest long effort was only a 1:41 half marathon at the end of January (7 minutes off my best).

Looking at those numbers, I was not ready for a great 50k so I ran a slow 20 miles the day before.  Two nights before that I had a dream I ran a 4:33.  I decided that would be my goal.

The Race: My friend Ray came up to run.  We decided to spend some time together since I missed racing with him at the end of 2010.   Ray has had faith in me, most often when I have the least in myself.  Having him around always brings out my best.

A rainy road 50k with water stops twice per loops is pretty easy to pack for:  8 Endurolytes, a few gels, a pack of shot bloks, a 20 oz bottle of Gatorade and some dry clothes.  I took 4 Endurolytes and drank the Gatorade on the ride to the race.   At 8:25 am, I put one (1) Roctane pomegranate gel in one pocket and the 4 Endurolytes in the other.  I ate one pack of black cherry bloks and walked off to the start.

Oh no, Ray is not there!  I feel a pang of disappointment as the gun is fired.  But as the crowd lurches forward, Ray makes his fashionably late entrance and off we go!   First split 8:14.

I pass up the AS on the first loop and then wonder if I should have grabbed something.  On the back stretch of loop 2, I grab a few ounces of Gatorade. I am very comfortable and wonder when I should take that gel.

Loop 1: 25:45
Loop 2: 25:36
Loop 3: 25:15

Halfway through loop 4, I feel a surge of confidence. I’ve made it further than I did last year and I feel GREAT!  One more loop and we start the countdown!   I look at my legs and I think, “Ok. You are strong. We can do this!”  I stop looking at splits.  As long as I am happy I will finish.

At the end of loop 4, I take that gel.  I decide to take the 4 Endurolytes too. Why wait?  I feel good.  Nothing hurts.  I’m still grabbing about  6 oz of Gatorade total per loop.  My legs are steady.   I feel strong.  Then they run out of Gatorade on the back half during my 7^th loop.

Loop 4: 25:47
Loop 5: 25:29 (2:07:52 – first 25k)
Loop 6: 24:55
Loop 7: 25:27

Since I missed  those crucial 3 oz of blue Gatorade on the back stretch, I grab another gel at the start of  loop 8.  It takes me two full laps to sip that down.

As I approach the end of loop 9, I first start to feel a little wobbly.  I can feel my form weakening just a bit and I catch my self grunting a little.  I laugh out loud as I feel like a Mac truck barreling down a highway making a bunch of noise.

With so little consumed, I know I am running off momentum and awe that I am really almost done.  I see that one mile mark, smile and think “I will see you next year!”   I pass the 2 mile mark and reflect on how I am glad to be done with that hilly mile and realize there is just 1 mile left!  “I got this!  Caumsett Park, I have beaten you this year.”

There is no one to catch and I am not being chased.  It is a relaxing finish.  My legs are heavy and I could cruise in but I don’t and instead give once last push as I see that finish.  I almost fall over from a head rush once I finally allow myself to stop running for the first time in 4 hours and 15 minutes.

Loop 8:  25:52
Loop 9:  26:03
Loop10:  25:30 (2:07:48 – 2nd 25k)

Caumsett volunteers print you a receipt within minutes of your finish.  It contains your lap splits, final time, pace, place, etc…  I show my friend Mike who immediately says, “Oh Wow, look at how even you were! And your last 5k was faster than you first!”  I look at the pace and see that it is 8:14 per mile.  I remember Ray calling out our Mile 1 split as 8:14 and I knew immediately that he had something to do with this!  I suspect that he was out there with me just to help me find my rhythm and beat this demon.  I see Ray after and show him my receipt.  Like the human calculator that he is, he quickly adds up my splits and declares “You negative split this!”   Holy crap, I just negative split a 50k!  Sure by only 5 seconds, but it counts.  I tell Ray how much I needed this to be a good race and why.  He tells me that he knew..

Stats:
4:15:32 for 50k (negative split by 5 seconds)
27th place OA
8th Female OA

What a great day for Racing a 50k in the Rain!

Caumsett Park, I can’t wait to see you next year!

Thank you so much for reading.

I skipped the Mohawk Hudson Marathon on 10/10 in order to spend 6 days in Portsmouth, NH.   I decided to skip the race after my half for the Ulman Fund on 10/3.   My ACL had become very painful the day after that run, thus I imagined the marathon would have just left me home recovering for days.  Right now, I really need to be training not resting.  In exchange for a hard 26.2, I opted for 42 easier miles along some of the most beautiful waterside scenic routes.

Portsmouth, NH  has a wonderful running community.   The local running club ( http://www.coastalathletic.org/)    has links to group runs, pub runs, and trail and road races.    All the roads that I covered seemed to have a beaten down foot path along side the shoulders showing just how much runners are out there pounding out miles.   I mapped a  wonderful 13 mile loop through downtown Portsmouth and over the island town of New Castle, settled in the early 1600’s making it the oldest town in NH.   Hampton Beach and Rye are a short trip south from Portsmouth and a wonderful place to log some ocean and cliff-side miles over mildly rolling terrain.  The crisp 45-60 degree weather just made every run perfect.  Walk up to the window of the Beach Plum for a post-run Lobster Roll or some Pumpkin ice cream when in Hampton or stop by  Me and Ollie’s Café when back in Portsmouth for butternut squash/cranberry soup and a thick slice of gooey cinnamon swirl breac and it really it doesn’t get much better that this.

Skipping the marathon left me feeling good enough to run some mileage this weekend, so I attended to two local races: the Mountain Madness 50k and the Asbury Park Marathon.  My plan was to run while paying attention to my knee in order to stop before I do damage that would require rest and recovery.   There were not goal races, so I did not feel compelled to push through the pain.

Mountain Madness (MoMA)

Rick and Jennifer McNulty organize New Jersey Trail Series races (http://sites.google.com/site/xxctrailseries/Home).  The MoMa is in its second year.  The idea of running through the woods for hours and hours on a crisp fall day is so alluring.   I recall  feeling incredibly overwhelmed by the warm colors of the fallen leaves last year.  I looked forward to another beautiful day of slow hilly running.

The MoMa is truly second most difficult course I have run in NJ.  The first is another NJ Trail series run called Running with the Devil (RwtD), which takes place at Mountain Creek Ski Resort at the end of July.   At RwtD runners travel up 933 ft over 1 mile, then back down, and repeat for 3, 6, or 12 hours in the heat and humidity while being tortured by the sounds of people enjoying the adjacent water park.

The MoMa is much kinder, but the 50k loop over long hilly terrain is really quite challenging (for me).  Some sections are a bit too rocky for my trail running ability and I end up twisting my ankles a bit more than I care to tolerate.  Getting lost, as a group, is common.   Last year, a few of us were lost for a good half hour due to pulled markings.   This year, it seems the course markings were pulled again.  It became a group effort to determine where to go next.  This race is really beautiful, but runners could be disappointed if they expect to post a fast time.   As for me, after twisting my ankle four times, my ACL was not very happy.  It took just one very long decent around 13-14 miles for me to decide it was time to bail hoping to be able to run at least half if not all of the Asbury Marathon the next day.

Asbury Park Marathon

The Asbury Park Marathon is a fun race (http://www.runasburypark.org/index.html).   It is primarily a relay that takes place over a flat, fast, 8 loop course running through Bruce Springsteen’s home town.   The cool weather was absolutely perfect for a fast race.  The headwind in the early section of each loop was really the only obstacle.

As soon as I started, I could feel how the slow pace at the MoMa the day before left my legs feeling less than peppy. Regardless, I started just about sub-8 for the first mile.  It didnt take very long for my knee to rebel and knew I wasn’t going to run the entire way.   After 7 miles, I ran past my car, dropped off my gels and decided maybe a 10 mile run will be enough for the day.

At that point I met Art, who rode up to me on his bike and asked me if I was having knee pain.  Since my knee is taped, I laughed asking “Yes, how did you know?”  He told me that he is a physical therapist who just attended a seminar on knee problems in runners. He came to watch runners and talk to those who experience knee pain.  For the most part, I generally don’t engage men who ride up to me on their bike while I am running, but since there was zero creepiness about Art, I listened to what he had to say.  I ran a bit while Art rode and he asked if he could video tape my stride for a few seconds and discuss with me what he saw.  Since my run was almost over, I figured why not hear what he has to say.

Art explained that most runners try to strengthen their quads in order better hold the knee cap properly.   However, he recenty learned that the newer thinking is that the knee is being pulled out of place by strong quads and therefore the muscle groups that need the most attention are the glutes and hamstrings.  We discussed a few different types of exercises that could be done at the gym and I was off to finish my run.   I would love to hear more thoughts about this.

Just as I was about to finish off the run, I saw Colleen running along with her friend Valerie.  I met Colleen at the start and she is a Marathon Maniac who was working on her first double marathon weekend.  (Congratulations Colleen!)  I returned my chip at approximately the 9 mile mark  as I passed through the start/finish, I caught up  and talked with Colleen and Valerie while planning to stop once I reached my car at 11.   As I passed my car, I was feeling good enough to continue so I took things about ½ loop at time.  Once reaching the S/F line (very close to  my car), I decided to continue on.   Upon passing my car again, I decided I still was not ready to stop and went back out.  Again crossing the S/F line, I decided to continue on.   Briefly, I thought I would end up finishing the entire run.  That idea quickly vanished just after 16 miles, when I could feel my ACL  straining too much for my comfort level.   I ended up with about 17 miles for the day and 32 miles of wondering running for the weekend.

Thank you all so much for reading my posts.

Shannon

I spent this weekend in Maryland at the First Annual Half Full Triathlon.  This event was the brain child of Brian Satola at the Ulman Cancer Fund to help raise money to assist young adults diagnosed with cancer.

Pre Race:  Several months ago, I was picked to run the half marathon relay leg on team Bec and Friends.  Bec Wassner is a pro triathlete.  Her twin sister, Laurel, is the only pro triathlete that is also a cancer survivor.  Both were racing as part of relay teams to show their support of the Ulman Fund.

Bec was our swimmer and Mark Raynault, also a cancer survivor, was on the bike.  Mark is about 6 years out from his blood cancer diagnosis.   I meet Mark at the Team Fight luncheon.  He is a wonderful guy who I hope to see again in the future (maybe I can talk him into teaming up again next year!)  At the luncheon, Brain presented a very moving video showing just what Team Fight is all about.  I hope a link becomes available.  Many were moved to tears.

Just before the video, I was asked to say a few words about my journey from cancer to over 110 miles in 24 hours.  I enjoyed sharing with Team Fight  just how running has helped me through my own recovery and has shifted my self image from one of “cancer patient/survivor” to “athlete/survivor”.   I also explained how the Ulman Fund personally helped me get back on my feet by giving me a scholarship.

Race Day: There was over 1000 participants.  100 were cancer survivors! The start was a time trial wave start which meant swimmers were release in pairs every 2 seconds and sent off in group by age bracket or other designators.   The wave for Relay was one of the last to go.  Bec is incredible and swam her .9 mile leg in around 21 minutes, passing many of those released into the water well before her.

Mark took off on his 56 mile bike leg.   Mark was undertaking an incredible feat by racing the longest race of his life for our relay.   He did ride the course two weeks ago in about 3:45.  We were hoping that he would be back by that time or sooner.  I showed up in transition at 11:10 am, just 3 hours after he set off on the course.

While waiting for Mark, the leaders came in much later than anticipated due to a very strong head wind slowing everyone down.  I was hopeful that Mark could still pull off a 3:45.  At the 3:30 mark, I got ready to race and tried to stay that way.  It is terribly hard to be ready to race when you don’t know when you are going to start.   Like most bikers, Mark was running late and by 4 hours I began to worry.  Chatter started about flat tires, popped chains or other things that could go wrong out there.

Then suddenly I felt a sharp pinch under my arm, like someone stuck me with a safety pin.  Oh man! I just got stung by a bee (twice!)   Not sure if I was allergic, but knowing my dad is, I began to have a mini panic attack.  I watched the area and I felt fine while standing.   I was just not sure what would happened when I started getting my heart rate up.  The double loop run course had lots of police and volunteer presence and that helped me feel a bit at ease.   About 20 minutes after the sting, Mark came explaining that he did get a flat.  (I’m so sorry that happened Mark)

I wasn’t the least bit disappointed in the delay because I knew that I was feeling less than prepared to crank out a speedy half.   My ACL was not perfect and I was told the course was challenging.  I truly just wanted to finish the race with a good effort and hopefully stay sub-8 pace, chalking this up as a nice training effort.  Generally I don’t worry about whether or not I will finish a half, but if my ACL got too painful, I knew I would have to stop.

I took off out of transition and I was moving well.  It felt good to run fast until I started up the first little hill.  I could feel my heart pounding and hear my wheezing.  I started to get scared!  Oh no, is this anaphylaxis!  There isn’t even another runner nearby to help me!  I looked at my arm and the swelling had appeared to have gone down.  Then I hit mile marker 1 and saw it a 6:57 on my Timex.  Ha ha!  That explains it.  My heart is pounding and I can’t breath because I am running a lot faster than I should be.   I just needed to slow down.

Soon, I caught up to some others and tucked in behind a guy with a smooth stride.  We hovered at 7:30-7:40 per mile until the next water stop where he slowed and I passed.  The course was rolling with some truly substantial hills, the kind that make you question whether you can run to the top without walking a few steps.  I was pleased to never need to resort to that.  But if I had just come off a 56 mile bike ride, I probably would have walked half that course!

By the second loop the down hills and any sharp turns began to take a toll on my knee.  I slowed down my pace to see if I could reduce the strain that was starting.  It pained me to see some splits well into the 8’s on those last climbs, but today wasn’t the race for me to damage myself.

But when I saw that 12 mile mark, I decided to just open it up until the finish.  As I approached mile 13, I suspected I was in the mid-7’s.  I was happily surprised to find my last split was 6:53 and my fastest of the day.  I kicked hard into the shoot to finish in about 1:42.  There really is nothing more exhilarating than finishing strong and one thing Triathlete do well is set up a finish line!  Carpet, flags, flowers, fences and a gigantic framed in digital clock!  This sure beats the old standby shoot made from a few traffic cones and some police tape that I’ve seen show up at few good ol’ foot races. 😉

Overall, Brian did a fantastic job directing the first Half Full Tri.  Sarah was incredible at the Ulman Fund info table, interviewing and posting videos of willing participant explaining why they are at this event.   Katrina was another amazing Ulman Fund person I got to meet as she ran around with her camera snapping race day photos soon to be published online.

I feel honored to have been a part of this event and hope to return next year ready to rock those hills.  It honestly almost makes me wish I owned a bike!  🙂

(Please keep the Ulman Fund in mind when considering which cancer foundation to send a donation.  http://www.halffulltri.org/ or represent  Team Fight http://www.ulmanfund.org/Get-Involved/Team-Fight.aspx at your next event!)

Hinson Lake took place just one week after the NC24, the National 24 Hour Championship.   Boy do I wish there was just a little more time between these too events.  It seems that most people prepared to run substantial mileage would have chosen to do so at Nationals.   Therefore, seeing any impressive performances at Hinson would really be a wonderful surprise.

Tom Gabell is the RD of Hinson. The course is a 1.52 loop around a lake with one well-stocked aid station at the start finish area.  This year there were over 200 participants, making this race (what I was told by my friend Ray,who is likely the most reliable source on all thinks ultrarunning) the largest 24 hour event in the country.

It is obvious that Tom and his wife put on this race because they love the sport.  For a $24 fee he provides everything that a race costing 3-4 times that amount would provide, except chip timing.  As for timing, Tom recruited his family and they tracked us by tallying up our laps on a board.  The same person is your lap counter all day and with each crossing of the start/finish, you are greeted with a “I got you Shannon (or No. 7), that was lap #___ for you”.  I like this system 100 times better than chip timing.  Not only do you begin every lap knowing just what you have done, you also get your own personal cheerleader.  🙂  The volunteers were so fantastic that at one point, I changed my clothes, forget to pin on my bib, and STILL my countered called me out by name to tell me lap number.  Chip timing has nothing on the old school way.

As for my race, I am still recovering from the 75 mile run I completed last week.  I had low expectations, but that will not stop me from showing up.  I was hoping the soft clay surface would be forgiving on my knee.  I stopped last week when I felt pain building in my ACL.  There was just not enough time for my ACL to fully recover and I felt it early in the run.

This course is quietly sneaky in that it is much more challenging than it sounds.  Although generally flat on a non-technical trail with some short boardwalk bridges, the course seems like it would be rather fast.  However, there was one incline of significant length that was comprised of deep sand and some other shorter sand traps along the way.  In the addition to the sand, the temperatures, reaching as high as 96-97 as per some reports, added to the challenge of the day.

The unstable footing of the deeper sand immediately aggravated my ACL.  By laps 2, I began to experiment with some taping.  I did find that the tape helped enough to get me through half a loop, but increased pain would occur on the way in.  I would RICE for a few minutes, start to feel better, readjust the tape and then try another loop.  Eventually, it became painful to bend my knee at all and I figured that was enough messing around.  I believe I logged about 25 miles.  At that point I reverted to my original plan and purpose for going to Hinson, to crew for Jim.  It was great to see him reach the 100k mark in what turned out to be a tougher than expected race.

In consideration of the sandy trail and the 90 degree temperatures, Mike Morton’s performance is mind-boggling. Steady and strong, he strided along appearing quite focused all day.  Early on many people were not sure who he was and just what he thought he was doing putting about 15 laps on the second place guy in the first 12 hours of the race.  I tend to not get too excited about leaders since the 24 hour is about survival (and as I personally know, a great 12 hour run does not often make for a great 24 race).

However, as Mike approached his 66th lap, it was truly exciting to see him complete over 100 miles at just under13:15.  I feel lucky to have been present to witness such an amazing preformance!  The only question left was whether he could keep on going for the 40 more miles more he would need to make one of the three remaining spots on Team USA!

Mike was clearly in this for the duration and eventually went on to log about 154 miles!   This would have been good enough for 2^nd place and an auto-entry into Worlds had he been present at NC24.   I would even guess that had he raced last week, in much cooler temperatures and on a flatter and faster surface, he would have logged well over 154 and the race between Serge (last weeks winner at 156) and Mike would have been incredibly fantastic to watch (since Serge was slow and steady and Mike faded hard in his last 4 hours).

As for me, Hinson is keeper and I look forward  to returning next year.

Thanks for reading,

Shannon

On September 18, I ran the North Coast 24 Hour Endurance Run.  This race was the National Championship, which means the top 3 men and women who run at least the national standard (135 miles for men and 120 miles for women) earn the right to compete on Team USA in the World Championship.  Dan Horvath, the RD, did a great job putting on a fantastic race under what I assume was a tremendous amount of pressure.  Thank you Dan!

The race was held on a 0.9 mile asphalt loop in Edgewater Park in Cleveland, Ohio.  To most people, and even some runners, the idea of running all day on a short loop seems incredibly inhumane.  However, I find the short, flat, traffic free path ideal for a 24 hour.  I appreciate that it permits access to aid more often than needed.  The flat, fast course has tremendous record setting potential.  The short loop also makes for an extremely spectator friendly event, allowing even those participating the chance to watch the excitement as it unfolds.

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It was not until mid-July, that I discovered my foot pain, which had shut me down at almost every ultra in 2010, was from an actual treatable condition.  I had two plantar fibromas; two marble sized masses of scar tissue on my plantar fascias.  These little lumps made walking uncomfortable and running ultimately painful.  About 2.5 weeks ago, I finally had the fibromas injected with cortisone.  A few days later, I was suddenly able to move without the foot pain I had been living with for most of 2010.

Unfortunately, two weeks of pain free running would do little to make up for my lack of higher mileage training.  Intellectually, I understood that I was insufficiently trained for a great 24 hour run.  However, I tend to believe that anything is possible.  Accordingly, I devised my pace plan for 120 miles.  My goal for this race was NOT to run as far as I could in 24 hours.  Rather, I wanted to run as far as I could on pace for 120 miles in order to collect data about my pain, fatigue, hydration, and fueling.

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Crews at races on short loops are seem unnecessary unless you are trying to set some type of record, even if it’s a personal record.  I enjoy the company and my crew consisted of Sidney and two wonderful friends, Tony and Jim.  They put up with a lot from me, like me yelling stuff at them each lap.  (“I need my shirt, mashed potatoes, two Endurolytes and a bottle of water on the next lap!”)  At one point, I overheard a guy say, “Wow, she’s demanding!”  I am sure I am while racing.  After all, it’s a race and if I am going to have a crew, I am going to tell them what I need.  Crewing is hard work and I can’t thank Sid, Jim and Tony enough for helping me have a great race!

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When it comes to pacing, everyone has their own plan.  I can’t resist my urge to run just a little too fast for a few loops before I settle down into my pattern.  The fast loops help me burn off some nervous energy, get a lay of the land and decide where I want to walk.  It may not be wise or efficient, but it is what I do for now.

After a few laps of running too fast, I started to focus hard on slowing down.  It is incredibly ironic how I fight to slow down while knowing at some point it will become too hard to run fast enough.  I planned for 6 loops per hour for the first 12 hours and then a fade.  Several hours in, I had already banked about 30 minutes.  It was getting hot and I was feeling dizzy, so I decided to cash in on some of that time.  I took a seat to eat, drink, and assess my needs.  Once I stopped moving, I discovered just how dehydrated I was.  In one swig, I drank a 16 oz bottle of water and then whatever Sid, Jim and Tony handed me.  I believe there was some iced-tea, OJ, a gel, and two Endurolytes.

Suddenly, among the gels, bottles, and candy all spread out on my little table, I noticed the pop tart.  I am sure Sid was eating this before I came though, however it looked good so I took half with me and walked about a 15 minute loop since I was just too full to run.

That break was the best thing I could have done for myself.  Once I started to run again, my pace had gotten back down to the low 9’s per loop.  It was at that moment, a new plan was born: Five loops at 9 then one loop to eat, drink, and walk it off with a pop-tart.  If I kept that pace, my walk breaks would tap into my banked time and by 12 hours I should be just even with my pace plan.

This pattern kept me extremely happy.  In fact I found myself smiling the entire time.  After 8 hours, I could see people starting to suffer.  Still, I was feeling like I was flying on a combination of a pop-tart sugar rush and a runner’s high.  At 9 hours in, I hit my 50 mile split.   At 10:54, I saw that I surpassed the 60 mile mark.  I already did much better than I expected I would do.

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It was at about 10 hours in that I started to feel an odd twisting sensation in my right knee.  The twisting was causing pain which led me to plant my foot in an unusual way.   By 11 hours in, pain was shooting up to my lower back.  After12 hours, I stopped to fix a blister and my crew urged me to see the medical staff.

The medical guys were amazing.  My stinging blister was repaired with some diaper rash cream.  My back pain was stretched out of me completely.  I eventually met Dr. Lovy, who stretched me out, assessed my situation and determined that I was exhibiting signs of low potassium.   He suspected that the low potassium was creating the weakened knee, so I was given some potassium, a pep talk, and then some test were done on my knee.  Unfortunately, it was found that my ACL was overstretched due to a combination of low potassium and pressure from the small loop we ran only in clockwise turns.

After a few slow loops, the doctor gave me an insert to adjust my gait.  A few more loops with the insert and it was too late.  By this point, any pressure from walking or running created sharp relentless growing knee pain.  After spending so much time with the medical staff, I knew I had to run 4 loops per hour to reach 100 miles.  I was walking just slower than that pace and still had pain.  The pain was slowly increasing with each step.  So I stopped at just under 75 miles.

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In the morning, as I watched the last of the survivors incredibly pushing themselves into the World Championships and personal bests, I became inspired.  I saw there was about 15 minutes left of the clock.  I decided go out for just one more lap to see how much damage I did to my knee.  I tried to run a little and it was still quite painful.  This confirmed that stopping was a good decision.

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In these races, there is nothing better than being on course at the sound of the horn.  It is as if the entire park collectively breathes a huge sigh of relief as all the little blocks of wood are dropped to the pavement marking the final place each runner stopped.  The tortured grimaces that were worn by those fighting for every last step twist into painful smiles. Runners, no longer in competition, turn to give out sweaty hugs and pats on the back to each other.  Everyone then hobbles like zombies to some chair somewhere in order to feel the sweet reward of finally removing their shoes.

At breakfast, only minutes past the horn, runners reminisce about the race, which now seems like it started forever ago.  Just when you think people are going to swear off racing forever, conversations turn to “So what’s next for you?”…“Oh, you’re racing that one too!”… “See you next weekend!”

For me, I plan to meet many of those I raced with last weekend at The Hinson Lakes 24 Hour this weekend.  Depending on the knee, I may run a few laps or try to beat 75 miles.  If I can’t run, then I will crew for Jim who will get to repay me with his own ultra demands, most likely for Nuun tablets, his homemade ice bandana, and possibly bacon.

Results from the NC24 can be found here: http://www.northcoast24.org/

Congratulations to all those who made team USA!

[photo by James Plant]