Duncan Ridge Trail 30k 2011

The DRT 30k is finally here, and I can hardly sleep.   I think I have been awake most of the night and literally counting down every hour.  I know that I am going to need my sleep, but I cannot no matter how hard I try.  I get out of the bed and turn the alarm off before it starts yapping.  No point in waking anyone else on an early Saturday morning.  Today, I am running my farther distance ever 18.6 miles on a trail.  I am excited and secretly scared because Coosa Bald hates me.  I try to eat some breakfast but my stomach is mostly full of butterflies, and I make myself eat.

I arrive at the race and stand around with Leigh, Gayle, Alan, Tyler, Dave, and Paul.  It's helping to listen to everyone talk to get my mind off my own nervousness and this is where I first meet Willy.   It's dark and soons turns to daylight.  The runners line up to start the race.  Leigh and I are standing next to each other.  It has started, and I jokingly say to her that I am in no rush and to let this crowd thin out as we both laugh.  Leigh says she has nothing to prove.  I will be happy just to experience the race and to finish.

However, I do not heed my own advice.  My adrenaline is high, and I start burning it up after about a half mile.  Before, I know it I am at the first aid station about 3 miles out.  I run right past it and start climbing Coosa Bald.  Shortly into the climb, Tyler climbs past me, and then shortly after Paul does.  Paul asks me if I am ok, and I reply yes..and to go on.  I always want to see my friends do well. 

My climb is not going well.  I am pushing and moving forward as hard as I can, but not fast enough.  Slowly but surely more runners are passing me, sometimes in two's or three's and sometimes in groups. They are offering words of encouragment as they pass, and they are hiking up this mountain like it's just a bump in the road.  I pull out a chocolate covered pretzel and decide to eat on the uphill and drink some water.  A runner named Rob walks just past me and tells me that I am smart to eat on the uphill to maintain my blood sugar.  I just agree and keep moving forward. I have a stomach cramp in my left upper abdomen.  I have never experienced stomach cramps before on a run.  It hurts.  I am nearing the top, and I hear bells.  I know it's Brad behind me, and I allow him to pass and we chit chat on the way up Coosa.  I also meet Tia who has chosen this as her first 50k, and we laugh as I tell her better her than me!

Good grief, I am at the top, and I begin to run to try and regain some time, but Coosa has taken the life out of my legs and I am wobbly, but I can run through it.  I am trying to block out my stomach cramp that is persisting.  I reach the bottom of the hill to the 2nd aid station.  I see Alan and Gayle and ask them about my stomach cramp to see if they know what this is?  Somehow, I think if I know what this is then it'll be ok.  Gayle gets me a cup of gatorade and I eat a piece of banana.  My strategy is to haul ass down the service road.

It's a struggle to go fast on this road, although I try.  A guy catches up to me while I am walking and he walks.  We are chit chatting and I learn that he has turned from the 50k point to finish out the 30k.  He explains that he has injured his knee on Coosa Bald and is disappointed to not do the 50k today.  I feel so badly for him and imagine how I would feel at this point.  He runs 40 miles as a regular training run, and I'm truly impressed.  He takes off running again.  I run as far as I can before I am forced to stop and walk.  I eventually catch back up to Injured Knee, and we chit chat again for a tad.  He talks about how he will rest over Thanksgiving.  He takes off again.  I catch up again.  Finally, on the 3rd time I run up to him I tell him we are playing "tortise and the hare" and we both crack up!   We make it to the 3rd aid station, and he runs ahead on the trail.

It's mile 11 and I am now on my own.  I am starting to hurt.  My feet hurt.  This little loop back to Coosa is hard, but I keep moving.  I eventually make it to Coosa, and I'm on the downhill.  I am happy to be running alone.  I am hurting in a way that I haven't hurt.  Every step I take feels like I am tearing tendons, bone, muscle, and connective tissue in my feet.  My stomach cramp that went away on the service road has now returned.  I pull out my PB&J sandwhich and eat it on yet another uphill. Finally, after about 20 minutes, my stomach pain subsides.  Now, it's my feet and the side of my knee.  My knee pain is chronic, and it's a pain that I am used to. 

It's mile 14, and I have under 5 miles to go.  I do not tell myself that I have already run 14 miles.  I tell myself that I only have 5 to go.  I can do 5 miles in my sleep, so I know I got this.  This is what I tell myself in my head to avoid the pain that I am trying not to feel.  My feet are being pulverized into dust, I know.  I'm doing math equations and calculating in my mind, but I am so tired that I am losing track of all the numbers.  I am suddently wishing it was 12 hours earlier when I couldn't sleep in my bed.

I am grateful and thankful for all of my solo runs and realize that all of my solo runs have just been good training for this moment in my life.  I am thinking about how much easier this would be to run with someone else to distract me from this pain,  I know I can take the pain because I know where to go in times of trouble.  I go to my happy place in my head, but right now it's hard to find it.  I keep trying.  Along about mile 16, my back spasms and the pain is awful.  It catches my breath, and I stop to stretch and silently berate myself that I need more core work and make a mental note of this.  I have less than 3 miles to go...I can do this in my sleep.

Mile 17 and I'm thinking to just keep one foot in front of the other.  If I just do that, I will get there.  The faster I can run, the faster I will finish and see my husband and kids.  I miss them.  It's Saturday, and here I am and they are at Mitchell's basketball game.  My calves are cramping and this is another first for me.  I pull out my electrolyte gummies as I run and begin to chew them one by one.  They sure do taste good.  My feet feel like I am beating them, and I imagine that they are bloodied hamburger.  My calves stop cramping and as I approach mile 18, I realize that this race is longer than it's supposed to be.  I start saying bad words over and over as I realize that this fucking race is going to be 20 miles and not the 18.6.  I am not .6 miles away and near the finish.  I have awhile to go.  DAMN!  And, then I start laughing and grinning...at how ironic this is.  I'm always wanting to run longer and now here's my chance!  A good reminder to becareful for what I ask for.   I am seeing hikers and ask them how much further and each one says not much further.  I keep going. 

Finally, I hit the pavement, so I know it's not far.  I follow the arrows and I see Theresa with her clipboard, and she tells me my Mom is at the finish line.  I am confused.  My Mom?  Why is she here?  I cannot think.  I just run.  My feet feel even worse on the pavement, and I try to land softly as I try to run faster.  It's time for this run to end.  Sure enough, I cross the finish line and my Mom is there!  I cannot believe it, and I smile!  I am so surprised to see her that I kind of forget that I am finishing this thing finally.  I ran my longest distance and it turns out to be 19.6 miles! My hardest race, and I am finished!  My time is 5:34 hours.  I wanted to finish around 5 hours, but I didn't count on the extra mile, and didn't count on the physcial problems I incurred. 

I have finished and I am not sure what to do, so I stretch some and eventually just sit.   I talk to my Mom for a few minutes, but I don't think I could do a good job of talking.  I remember telling her it was hard.  I remember telling her it's cold and it's ok to go home.  She had been waiting on me for an  hour outside.  She stays awhile and then goes.  I need to get my bearings, eat, and drink, before I drive home. Dave finished about 9 minutes after me. Paul finishes about 9 minutes ahead of me and Tyler about 45 minutes.  I am so proud of Tyler's speedy finish, and I wonder if it was as equally hard for him as it was for me, but then I remember he is nearly 22 and is probably just fine!  Not an old lady like me! LOL  I want to see the first 50k finisher.  I was just so thankful that I was not lapped by a 50k runner!

I make it home, and I'm sitting on the chair across from Lee in the living room.  I do not share the depth of my pain that I experienced on my run, but I tell him about the race.  It was awesome.  I enjoyed it.  He asks me if I will do it again next year....

And, I say in a quiet voice...I don't know....and Lee grins in his quiet way that I love....