So Paleozoic spring 50K. My training had not been going as planned, I felt under trained even for a 50K.. my motivation to run this year has been a pretty severe struggle. I was not feeling confident, it was raining and muddy and I didn't want to run for 31 miles, but off I went because I needed a training run and the thought of not running a race I had paid for was killing me. I enjoyed riding down with Kim and Arturo, those two are so happy they can make the most irritable runner smile! The thought of running in the mud and cold rain was not helping my mood.. we sat in Kim's new (yes, brand new car and she knew there would be muddy runners needing a ride home that day, she is an awesome friend!) car and watched the rain hit the windows as we waited for the race to start.
The race started and because of blog I read about wasting energy avoiding puddles and mud during a rainy race, I decided to just plow on through the puddles and mud.. what the heck.. I wasn't going to be able to avoid getting muddy and wet and energy was pretty important to me at that point. The course was hilly, but not bad. Crushed limestone, not many roots or rocks along the way. The hills were irritating from time to time, but really not difficult (however, my perspective on "hills" have changed greatly since World's End, so at the time a few of Paleo's did seem unpleasant). Honestly, the mud and out and back X2 course were probably the most irritating things about this race. After a few muddy miles I found myself with two other female runners and the three of us chatted for a time about races we had run and other nerdy running talk. They were cool, and the miles melted away. We hit the first turn around point at mile 7.75 and managed to run another 3 or 4 together.
There was a point I think around mile 27, where one of the puddles was at least a quarter mile long and up to my almost my knees most of the way. I gave up "running" this section and power hiked as quickly as I could while hoping I didn't step in a black hole. I then heard quacking.. and noticed two ducks happily swimming in their newly expanded habitat. This was a new one for me.. plowing through water deep enough to support ducks haha! I had to giggle to myself even though I was getting really tired at that point!
So getting to the end here.. I'm climbing (again, perception has changed, so I was just walking up a hill in reality) up the last hill (still a pretty steep hill compared to the others in this race) and I get to the top, only to discover another female has reached the bottom of the hill! HELL NO! I get to the top and haul it for the remaining couple miles! Never underestimate a non-competitive runner when they find themselves in a competitive position! I crossed that finish line 2nd place female! Probably the last time too, but hey, I'll take it! Paleo ended up being a great day for me and I'm thankful for that experience because the rest of my races for the year were not as successful. But that's just the thing, ultras are meant to challenge, and any one of them is going to challenge you in different ways. Only you know what it took during an given race and that experience is what I value the most.
EARTH DAY
So next up on the training race agenda is Earth Day, one of my favorite races. Michele Hartwig is an amazing race director and I love the races she puts on: Frozen Gnome, Hennepin 100, and Earth Day are all great and I can't recommend them enough! I had a blast running this course the last two years and was really looking forward to my third time.
I still had not been feeling great (I mean really, it's time for me to feel good again right?! I'm really getting tired of struggling through training runs and would just be thrilled if I could have another happy run again), but that happened at Paleo and it turned out ok so I tried to remain optimistic. My sister, friend Kim, cousin Stormy, and a number of other folks I knew were running ED, so I was excited to see everyone. One of the great things about repeating races, you really form a "running family" and meet so many new friends and see old friends at the same races each year.
Off we went and right from the start, something just felt wrong. I was not in a happy place, my body felt like it had an extra 100lbs attached to it and I was SO TIRED. I've never felt that tired at a race before, and I have no idea why. I slept fine, I didn't change anything. I was just "off". The ED course is set up in loops, so each loop is about 5ish miles and you would run right by the parking lot again, and again, and again (X6!). For the first three to 4 loops I really thought about sneaking over to my car and taking a nap.. but I resisted the urge and carried on. It was a beautiful day, I loved the course and I should have been running happy, but I wasn't, and I started sinking into a bad mental place.
I was able to catch up to my sister after the first loop because she had smashed her knee during a portion of the course which you are climbing a stair case. This lifted my spirits a little.. we hadn't run a race together since the prior year so it was nice to have her company. I made it my goal at that point not to loose her and did my best to keep up, and she catered to me at times too. For the first time at a race I also started to experience extreme difficulty eating.. this was very concerning since eating during ultras is vital. I did my best to pick easily digestible foods that I didn't have to chew much so they would go down without my gag reflex kicking in, but I still was not able to eat much.
Photo credit Scott Laudick Photography
By the 4th loop I was finally starting to feel a bit better, but my sister started to feel worse. So we trudged on together, just like we did the first part of the race when I wasn't feeling so great. Neither of us were going to set a PR (for non-runners, personal record is a PR) that day, so we might as well enjoy it together. We ended up finishing, even though we both wanted to quit very badly by the third loop. Michele (one of the many reasons she is amazing) and her daughter (plus a few others) hand paint the finishers medals which I look forward to every year. This year I half jokingly requested a dragonfly medal (my favorite!) and Michele's daughter made one for me! Even after a tough race, and a disappointing personal performance I will always love this race for so many reasons.
Who's down for 2018?!
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