Sins of a runner and a little "Catsmacking"

I almost wished something bad had happened on Sunday just to give myself something to talk about.  The Catsmacker Fun Run started out at Lake Winona and included the forest roads of various quality and a little Ouachita Trail.  I showed up, ran, chatted, ate some food and went on my merry way to finish the 23 mile course in 4:19.  I ran the distance with Stacey who is high spirited enough for two people and a runner who is infectiously in love with the sport.

The only instances of note were:  Approaching the first aid station we saw PoDog, Stan, and PT hovering around a bunch of empty water containers.  Some ______ hilly billies decided that at 7:30am on a Sunday it would be fun to punch a bunch of holes in the jugs and dump them out as well as hiding some of the other jugs in the bushes off of the trail.  I tell ya, I envy the fun they must have had.  Also, I was endlessly pursued by a host of horseflies.  They seemed to come from everywhere and had me dancing around screaming like a girl trying to avoid the painful bites.  Stacey wasn't bothered by them at all of course and observed "back on the farm the horseflies always landed on the horse's ass."  Thanks Shorty!

The Catsmacker ended my highest volume week to date, 70 miles.  A portion of these miles came from my new second workout of the day, 4-5 miles on the treadmills at UAMS.  I'm doing this to try and keep up my mileage during the summer (and possibly here on out) when I have some traveling to do on the weekend and don't want to can't get a long run in.  This marks my first successful attempts at treadmill running and after doing it, I am expecting good results to come from it.  I have also implemented a little heavy weight lifting in the equation to hopefully help with the vertical climbing I always seem to find myself doing and maybe a little vanity.  This is just a session 2-3 times a week including 2x6 of bis, tris, shoulder, bench and squat.  Nothing too big or too much.

So you may think, "My goodness, the boy's doing 70 miles a week.  That's a lot of training...or...He must have read something in RunnersWorld to give him all these ideas..."  Which leads me to my thought of the day and something I am noticing more and more; fluffy running.  It is an all inclusive term to include anything that is ever written in a magazine about running (such as "The Athlete's Palate", "10 Mental Tricks to Run Better", "10 Signs You Need a Rest Day", "Why You Should Run Barefoot", "Why You Shouldn't Run Barefoot") or hear from a medical "professional" ("alternate your breathing pattern so the weight of the air your breathing in doesn't make you off-balance").  My other favorites include the subjects of tapering (which can be anywhere from a week to a month depending on who you talk to), nutrition (way too much) and how to increase your training volume ("don't go more than 10% per week").  If you've made it this far I'm sure you can infer the tone of my typing to mean that I think all these things range between goofy to hypocritical or just plain nonsense.

So if there is a runner's Bible, I'm breaking the rules (kind of like we all do with the real one, huh?).  In sequential list of which Circle of Runner's Hell I'm going to:  I don't taper more than a few days; I consistently am inconsistent with my mileage (last 2 months 58, 45, 22, 7, 35, 44, 70), I follow no training plan, I run 9-12 times per week, I don't use gels during runs (because I think they produce the opposite effect we desire, ask me about this one if you dare), I don't do a long run longer than 16, and FINALLY....I don't read RunnersWorld for advice.

After all is said and done, running is an individual sport/activity where your success is going to come only from the effort you put in.  My best piece of advice, put one foot in front of the other and GO!

"Are you ready? Are you set? Go kick ass!" Ouachita Trail 50M

Very nice words to hear at 6am to start a 50 mile run.  The Ouachita Trail 50M starts and ends at the entrance to Maumelle Park, traveling to the Pinnacle SP Visitor's Center, over Pinnacle and out for 43 miles on mostly beautiful single track trail.  It is the last race of the Ultra Trail Series operated through AURA and is probably the more popular of the races; especially considering the 50K option.

The start heads down Pinnacle Valley Rd 2.7 miles to the trailhead of the OT which immediately goes to a steep, stepped descent and through a nice 1 mile section to reach the first aid station which marks the East Summit of Pinnacle Mtn.  the first section took about 33 minutes to cover so the Sun was just starting to peak over the horizon making a "picturesque climb" like the race website states.  But I've climbed Pinnacle before and had no interest in the view.  I descended and ran around the mountain's base trail to reach the East aid station again at mile 6.7 in 1:14 putting me up there with the leaders where a novice like me probably shouldn't be.  My "crew" for the day consisted of Helen, Lindsey and my parents.  Helen and Lindsey first met me here to pass along my hand held 22 oz water bottle pre-filled with some nutrition shake.  This gave me a little more lead on who would eventually be the leaders since they all stopped at this aid station.  Of great personal note, someone had a giant horn that they continued to blow as people approached Pinnacle.  So, running through the woods with that horn going off made me think of the "Horn of Gondor" from the Fellowship of the Ring and had me smiling with visions of me "hunting Orc."

The next section involved a short spur on pavement and then started the main trail section.  The area between here and the Northshore aid station (16.9) is the hilly part of the course and took a bit of effort to get through.  I reached Northshore with no major events and was well ahead of my goal time.  Going into the aid station, I was focused on getting to my drop bag and getting out as quickly as possible.  Here I began consuming my concocted race nutrition drink consisting of nutrition powder, Gatorade and BCAA/glutamine powder with a little salt.  This tasted surprisingly good and overall seems to have been an excellent addition to my racing strategy.  I was amazed at those people who have no need to stop at aid stations.  Personally, the 2-4 minutes I spend here aren't too much of a hindrance especially if it means the difference between hitting a wall later. This translated to me being viewed as delirious by the aid station captain and led to a rather funny conversation that resembled a mother with her four-year-old asking if I wanted real food instead of my red goop and if I knew where I was going.

After Northshore begins the quick sections of the course and I don't remember really walking any of this section up to the turnaround.  Since it was  a bit lower, there was a good amount of collected water from the week's rain a few days before.  This made for some squishy sections and for the creek crossings to be a bit more interesting.  I made great attempts at hop/skip/jumping of these creeks when possible and actually made myself quite proud with my dry feet.  Then I reached a creek with rushing, knee deep water with a cable strung across.  I made one last attempt at dry feet and tried to army rope crawl.  I failed and accepted my newly wet feet with plans to change shoes at the turnaround.  I reached the turnaround in great spirits especially compared to the fellow runners around me and even garnered a few laughs because I was singing along with my music coming out of the woods.

My crew was at the turnaround (26.3) with Vaseline and a change of shoes.  I slabbed on most of the container of Vaseline over my compression socks and put on the new pair of shoes.  Helen gave me more of my magic white powder drink and I was off.  I left the turnaround at 4:32 in about 5th place.  Coming out, my pace definitely began to slow considerably and could not get myself to run as much as I should have.  Cramping was an issue as it has been in the past and I became very conservative hoping that these cramps wouldn't become debilitating.  This time through, I accepted the idea of wet feet and hopped straight through most of the streams.  In this section, I also began to be passed by some of the more experienced runners and I remain in awe of the consistent motors that these men possess.  Since it was an out/back, I got to see some of the people I know doing the 50M like Cliff and Jenny which always improves the mood.  I decided to focus on my hydration during this section and ended up drinking much more than I probably needed.  I reached Northshore again, still ahead of my goal, and was once again greeted by my merry crew who helped refill my bottle.  Dad, of course, gave me words of caution and video taped my arrival and departure through this aid station.  I also got to see Harold Hays here who was waiting to pace Jenny in the rest of the 13.4 miles past this point.  He passed along some words of encouragement and finished with, "Don't let us catch you." I didn't plan on letting them...

I did, however, didn't execute that plan very well.  This next section is generally a blur and involved more walking than I should have allowed.  Here I finally turned off my music and immersed myself in the sounds of the woods and my own feet hitting the trail which was a soothing experience even after the long day.  I had my first and only fall on the last 0.1 mile of trail here but popped right up and continued with only a small loss of momentum.  I completely walked the road section to return to Pinnacle's trails and mostly walked back the the third run in with the East Summit aid station.  On the way there, some day hikers asked how far I was running and why.  I said, "50 miles...for shits and giggles."  They laughed, I didn't.  But what kind of mood do you expect me to be in after 45 miles of pounding trail.  I headed back down the flat area between the visitor's center and Pinnacle and stopped immediately for a 4 foot water moccasin stretched out across the trail.  It won the short standoff and forced me off the trail to get by.  I climbed the stretch of stairs to the parking lot and decided that that was it.  I ran another half a mile then stopped.  I looked at my watch and saw that I had about 32 minutes to make a 2 mile distance to reach my ten hour goal.  I started my power walking routine which seems to be the 50 mile close for me through my first two races of this distance.  I finally saw the start line with 3 minutes to go and decided to run it in on this last section.  I finished in 9:57 and stood in front of Chrissy for my award.  She held it behind her back and asked, "Did you earn it?"  "Oh yeah I did."  I scooted around a bit around the finish area consuming some chili, a few cheeseburgers and a beer.  I headed off with my crew to kill some Mexican food after I showered, of course.  All in all, I consumed right at 5,000 calories of my nutrition shakes.  I do feel like a could have shaved at least half and hour off my time with more running but I just didn't know how my body was going to react to this distance.  This gives me hope for the future.

I am now a firm believer in compression socks for a boost in performance.  I typically am hindered by cramps after 4+ hours of running but this seemed to subside by wearing these socks.  I have also since worn compression tights to bed for recovery and have noticed an acceleration in healing compared to even shorter distances like a marathon.  I was back pounding pavement on Tuesday and am starting to look forward to a summer of hard training and another short at the TATUR Midnight Madness 50 on July 1st.

"Do or do not, there is no try" - Little Rock Marathon 3/6/11

My race bib was personalized to say, "Do or do not," a snip from Empire Strikes Back Yoda.  I was more than elated when I was coming over the Dillard's hill near the finish and a middle age woman looked me in the face, pointed at me and said, "There is no try!"  That's a cool lady!

I had a lot of hopes going into the LR weekend hoping for the marathon experience that I missed the first time around.  Doing a "taper" has been a difficult subject for me and I once again failed since I did the Mini Traveler Loop the weekend before.  I remained tremendously sore from that run until (literally) the Friday before.  Helen and I did go for a massage that week and I thoroughly enjoyed having that relief on my body.

I followed my shake plan to the letter the whole week.  Monday-Wednesday I ate normally but had a shake for breakfast.  I included iron and protein rich meaty foods during the week to help with my muscle soreness and the anemic feeling I get after a hard week.  Thursday through race morning I had nothing but shakes except for a pre-race celebration meal with a group of classmates I had somewhat coaxed into running during the weekend.  To keep up their support, my parents came and spent the night with us and helped out with getting us to the race and carrying all our stuff.

Race morning was cold (40F) before the start but seemed near perfect during the run.  The run was relatively uneventful though quite enjoyable during the first part of the course.  There was a great amount of spectators with the usual unique signs with a few passing out booze at about mile 6!  Even the governor took time out of his Sunday morning to step out of the mansion and wave at us as we passed by.  I started out faster than normally advisable but, it was my strategy.  I had planned to keep pace with the 3:20 pace group but I found the early pass to be unbearable for the amount of adrenaline I had going.  I knew that if I made some time now and hit the wall later, the difference would work itself out.  I kept a nice 7:35/mile pace through 20 miles and began hitting the wall after the first aid station on Riverfront Drive.  Before this happened, my pace and concentration suffered when the "nice" running temperature reared its ugly head.  My Nike running shorts have a pocket on the back hip where I stored my gels with a plan to eat them coming over and down the hill around mile 17.  I didn't count on my hands being so cold that I couldn't manage to get any of my gels out!  I spent much more time attempting this than I should have and started seeing the 3:20 pace group catch back up with me.  I had my first 8:00+ mile at 23 and continued to slow going over the bridge and into the Dillard's hill.  The stretch on Riverfront and the River Trail is unbearable and I wish that the race could do away with it though I know it is probably convenient from a planning perspective. 

I finished in 3:25 with a high five from Bart Yasso and wobbled over to the chip removers and on past to get my MYTHIC medal!  I also got to see several schoolmates and Helen finish their first half marathons with smiles on their faces.  I finished knowing that I had given it my all; evident by the feeling in my legs.  It was also enjoyable having so many runners in the race or on the curb spectating that I knew and who threw out a few words of encouragement as I went by.  I ended up placing 3rd in my age group which is a combination of my effort and the lack of 20-24 yearolds who do stupid things like this!

Training for the LR covered two phases:  a very active December/January and a relatively lazy February.  December and January were marked with the addition of indoor cross-training including swimming, elliptical, and, my favorite, stair climbing.  The last was an attempt to improve myself after the experience at LOViT and was vindicated during the Traveler Mini Loop.  The transition into February included a few attempts at back-to-back long runs.  This aspect of training is probably the only thing that separates marathon training and ultra training in my mind and this had me looking further into the future.  I also added in a Tuesday night run (now a Thursday night run) at Go! Running store following around Gary Taylor (a former UA track stud) and Nick Lewis (a current ultrarunning stud).  All in all, my training has consisted of 45 miles per week with little efforts at speed work.  There's still lots of room for improvement...

Pre-race Shake Plan and the Traveler Mini Loop 25M - 2/26/11

One of the main things I wanted to run this race was to try out a new "liquid" nutrition plan the morning of and a few days before the run.  I've noticed over the course of paying attention to my weight how greatly it can fluctuate depending on how much and what I eat.  Of course a lot of that is body weight, but even a greater deal seems to be "food weight."  The idea came from reading another ultrarunners website (the link can be found on this blog's homepage).  His idea included some exercise nutrition studies which found endurance to be increased with supplemental powders such as branched chain amino acids (BCAAs), glutamine, and another protein powder  as pre-race and during race nutrition source.  I tried this out and made a shake composed of 2 servings of a soy protein meal replacement product, a 5 g glutamine/BCAA powder (tropical punch), 2 tbsp of red Gatorade powder and 2 tsp salt.  This was taken about 2 hours before the race and I was happy to not have any stomach discomfort from this mixture.  (BodyTech - Bcaa & Glutamine, 6.9 oz powder).  Lab studies have found BCAAs to increase fat metabolism during endurance events and glutamine supplementation has been shown to increase endurance in rats.  FYI - endurance athletes are actually recommended to have more protein than bodybuilders!  I think that says something about our sport.

My last 2 days of meals before the race were also all shake based with a combination of the soy powder, bananas, cocoa powder, peanut butter, etc.  The idea to have what I'm going to call "pre-chewed" food to allow better digestion and less "bulk" build up.  By no means was I malnourished, each meal shake consisted of 1000 calories and was well balanced nutritionally.  The main reason I did this came to fruition race morning when I weighed in at 178 after starting the week at 188.  A ten pound drop is nothing to play with over hours of activity!  Coming from Jack Daniels, 1 pound of fat loss (healthy) can drop 2 sec/mile off your pace which can quickly add up to a PR during a race.  Since this, I have switched to having shakes for breakfast to increase my protein intake and I simply like my shakes.  I have also started using a pure protein powder to achieve the former.

The Traveler Mini Loop was a replacement race for the White Rock 50K in AURA's Ultra Series and, sadly, probably won't be ran again.  This was my first trip to this area where the AT100 is held (future goal!).  This is one of the most beautiful areas that I have ran in thus far.  Much of this is due to the pretty intense climbing that you have to do on old forest service roads.  There was about 3200' of climbing which was generally relentless throughout the course; it seemed you were always either walking up a hill or flying down one.  The highlight of the course came fairly early after a long climb.  I reached a vista overlooking Lake Winona where the race started - gorgeous.

It was also another great opportunity to meet and get to know some of the other crazy ultra runners in the area; a nice change from a traditional road race where there's just no time for that sort of business.  I covered the course in 4:17 which I am very happy with since I was taking it easy in preparation for the LR Marathon the next weekend.  This race gave me a great confidence boost going into the next week because of the way I handled the elevation and made me look forward to the next trail race.  It was also my first race to get to wear my Camelbak (packed with TP just in case).

Lake Ouachita Vista Trail Marathon - 12/11/2011

LOViT Marathon by sithkitty at Garmin Connect - Details

The LOViT run was my first trail run since being in Little Rock and was probably the most overall taxing run I have done to date.  The course was set on a nice single track trail on the southern coast of Lake Ouachita in what I imagine to be beautiful when you are not huffing and puffing through it.  It was also my first experience with elevation change during a race; involving 2600' or so of climbing with a large 800' climb to reach the halfway turnaround.  You can check out the details above.  The race is also part of the AURA Ultra Series.  It is a "fun run" meaning there is no cost but also no frills (medals, timing).  It was also my first week of using my new Garmin Forerunner 205 which I picked up on a "Deal of the Day" from Amazon.  It was my graduation of sorts from the low tech Nike+ system I had owned for 2 years or more.  It gets a bad rep for its "laptop on your wrist" look but you can't beat its functionality.

I hitched a ride to the race with friends and we arrived on the back edge of a rain front giving a drizzly and somewhat chilly start to the race.  From the race description that I saw, I didn't bring any fluid or fuel, an assumption that came back to bite me. At the start, I decided I was going to keep pace with the leaders and I did for a short time.  I was going at a pretty good sub 8:00 pace through 10 miles or so until I started to feel my inexperience on the trails as well as the flaws in my nutrition.  After the aid station at about 11 miles, I met up with Stacey who was doing her first trail run as well and seemed a bit lost.  We both hadn't seen another runner for a while and decided we would get lost together.  A short time after meeting her, I caught my first rock of the day and did a very graceful, stumbling lunge.  This shock immediately seized up my already cramping calves which gave me worse issue from that point on.  We reached the large ascent leading up Honey Mtn (?).  At this point we saw the leaders including Leah who was blazing to what would be a 3:15 marathon on a pretty tough course.  I reached the top where a more complete aid station was available.  I sat down and massaged my calves and inhaled what I remember to be about 3 bananas, 5 bite-sized candy bars, and peanut butter crackers.  I also took some crackers for the road.  I kept up my time honored tradition of spending too much time in the aid stations; wasting about 5 or more minutes.  Stacey had long since left and ended up finished at least 30 minutes ahead of me if memory serves me.

I continued the last half of the race with a run/walk strategy based on how I felt.  When I returned at the next manned aid station, a runner who had dropped out earlier let me know how terrible I looked and offered me some of his salt pills.  I pounded down some more crackers, thanked him for his assessment of my appearance and continued on my merry way.  Up to about mile 23, the run/walk/curse process continued until I felt the dreaded rumble of a very upset stomach.  I will spare the dirty details but I will say that I found a place off the trail and in the process lost my shirt for the sake of cleanliness.  This has had a long standing policy change on bringing toilet paper for all trail runs!  The good news was I felt better and I trudged along to the finish.  I decided to wait on Jenny to catch up so I didn't have to wait too long.  And Jenny being Jenny, I didn't.  We met up on the last straight away and finished together.  Overall, the run took me 5:14 and served as a humbling and eye opening event.  It has since helped focus my training to include a little more intensity and to appreciate what a little experience can do for a runner on the trails.  It was also a great opportunity to meet the quirky ultra community that abides in Central Arkansas including some people who have become my weekly running partners.  My lack of pacing at the beginning and my nutrition before and during stood out as well and began a long internet search for nutrition advice and sparked a love for hill repeats that I think most runners should include in their training.

"This parade sucks" - Tulsa Route 66 Marathon 11/21/2010

The title comes from a sign I saw during my first official marathon and OH BOY did I screw the pooch on this one.  My training went well leading up to this race.  I ran 4-5 times a week and, until it got colder, I rode my road bike for cross training.  There was likely some yoga and core synergistic workouts from the P90x program as well.  Up to this point, I had used the Nike+ system which I would highly recommend for a beginning runner with an affinity for Nike shoes, like me!

As my luck would have it, Harry Potter 7.1 was released at midnight Thursday before and you bet I was there.  To add to that, the night before the race, typical OK winds picked up their efforts and continuously made a high-pitched whistling noise through the hotel door.  So, race morning I woke up with a bit less sleep than I prefer.  I downed my pre-race breakfast (at this time it included 3 Clif Bars) and had my coffee.  At this time I weighed in at 185+ depending on how much I ate a particular day.  I later learned that each pound you gain/lose can be estimated at 2 seconds/mile on your pace, but I digress. At race start the temperature was at a humid 65 degrees and the wind was gusting up to 25 mph.  I carried a fanny pack stuffed with my world famous honey burritos.  Most embarrassing was the goop of Vaseline that I had (and still have) to put on my nipples to prevent chafing and the dreaded bloody nipple syndrome!  The stains have persisted and that shirt is virtually ruined!  This race had the worst pre-race ceremonies I have seen so far which included an Indian drum/dance ritual that clashed with the feel of the race.  But whatever.

The course went out on several loops crossing the starting area a couple of times making it great for spectators who can move a few blocks to see their beloved athletes every hour or so.  Coming through the first time, about mile 7, I knew I was screwed.  Helen had a Star Wars themed poster that said "May the force be with you" and my parents had two digital devices each recording my progress.  There was also a fire-breathing guy and miscellaneous cowbells which is surprisingly appreciated when you are suffering.  But that was the problem, I was already suffering.  I was carrying an 8:20 pace and it hurt.  Not good at mile 7 of a 26.2 mile event.  I persisted, of course.

I continued running and periodically munching on my burritos (3 I think) with a plan to have them done by mile 15.  The somewhat ironic moment came about mile 12 and is why I have since abandoned the honey burritos.  As my mother had warned, the breathing required for a marathon does not coexist well with eating solid food.  I choked, on the run.

This year, the race had a commemorative detour to a place called the "Center of the Universe."  Running the 0.3 mile detour earned you some extra hardware.  I decided to take it since my time was already looking pretty bad.  I didn't expect to be given the commemorative coin  in the middle of the race to carry around.  Thank goodness for a fanny pack. It was funny to hear people talk about completing an "ultra" after they took the detour.  Personally, 26.5 doesn't count.

Regrettably, the marathon course met back up with the half marathon which had split at an earlier point.  It was about our mile 15 and their mile 10 putting my group with a considerable slower group of halfers.  This bottleneck was angering and was probably the only complaint I have about the course.  About a half mile in, there was a plethora of emergency workers and sirens rushing to a particular spot on the course.  As I passed, I finally saw a runner laying in the grass with a defibrillator hooked up to him getting CPR.  That was beyond disturbing to see.  Worse, it was later announced that that guy, a 27 y/o CPA from Tulsa, died during what was his first half marathon.  Along the last 10K of the race, I met up with a lady who I ran with during the Hogeye Half five months earlier.  She helped me to maintain my pace for the rest of the race and, I will admit, was an excellent wind block for me when we had head winds.

My first marathon finish was anti-climatic.  I was glad to be finished but I think I missed that overwhelming joy that you are suppose to experience.  I finished in 3:38 for the 26.5 official miles I ran giving me about a 3:35 for the marathon.

I think this race is great for first timers; they give you a special bib and medal to commemorate your new achievement.  They also give an event cotton shirt and then a technical shirt if you finish.  Hooray for t-shirts!!  The medal was a neat spinner (like on a car).  I do plan to go back for some revenge in the future.

TATUR Midnight Madness 50M -7/2/2010

http://www.tatur.org/Midnight50/index.html

I've started this blog off the advice of two running buddies who may be the only people I can talk into reading this.  I decided it was a good idea considering now as, nearly a year later, I am trying to remember what I did last summer in preparation for my next 50M in the next 2 weeks.

The good news for me is that I didn't do anything to remember.  I did the worst thing someone could do for a race; I didn't train.  I've got plenty of excuses for that summer; vacations (2 weeks), sickness (2 weeks), injury (3weeks)... but that is an old song that will get played over and again by every runner at some point.  Going into the race, I had completed only two consecutive weeks of running, 14 and 30 miles, respectively.  Besides physical, I also failed to prepare for all the many particulars of trying to cover a week's worth of miles in one go.


I started the race already having been up the whole day; I never got to sleep before hand like I planned.  I was graciously driven there by my girlfriend, Helen, and our friend, Kara.  The TATUR group has an excellent packet pickup policy which allows for race day pick up.  This allows for skipping any hotel planning since you can arrive right before the race and be ready to go.  The race is ran on a 10.3 mile loop equivalent to the River Trail in LR.  The loop includes a steep uphill a Turkey Mountain with a long descent down back to the bike path to return to the start.  The race implements alternating directions, so the course profile changes whether you are going clockwise or counter-clockwise.  The good news is that an "over-the-top" aid station is at the crest of this hill (approx half way) stocked with all the goodies you could hope for as well as drop bag service.  There is also water drops halfway between the Turkey Mountain aid station and the start line (which has all the supplies as well).  I finished the 50K (3 laps) in roughly six hours relatively uneventful.  As planned, Kara joined me for the fourth lap while Helen continued to supply me with honey burritos after each loop.  The fourth lap is where it went downhill.  Sleep deprivation and physical fatigue began to take its toll as well as the incredible wear on my feet.  I had changed shoes between one of the laps and at this point had succeeded in filling both pairs of shoes I brought with sweat.  This would come back to haunt me.

Starting about mile 36, my legs and feet dictated that I begin mainly walking and I don't remember attempting to run much more after this point.  Kara also tells me that I began to be a little belligerent amounting to me making comments to those who were passing me in opposite direction.  She seemed to get a laugh out of it.  Luckily I can't remember a word I said.  Lap five was completed all by walking and I was accompanied by Helen this time.  By this point, obvious blisters had formed a were becoming increasingly painful; made worse by the heavy rain that began only a mile into the lap and continued through the finish.  The blisters formed and subsequently burst sending me into a panic.  I couldn't at the time imagine what was happening in my sneakers but it was not as bad as I thought.  After all, skin regenerates!  I finished the last lap, taking as much time for the last two laps as I took for the first three.  I was medaled with what is my favorite medal thus far, I climbed into the back of the car and was then whisked instantly away back home...

That night we drove to Fayetteville for a group dinner and I was on crutches that night and the next day.  I got into what I now know to be normal post-race soreness by Tuesday.  I took two solid weeks off to heal a concerning looking bruise on my left foot which I have assumed to be a fracture.

In retrospect, I have no regrets about this race.  To this point, it was the craziest thing I had ever done and heck, I survived.  If nothing else, I found a quality I seem to have an abundance of, stubbornness.  This is stubbornness to pain and to suffering but also to the inability to deal with the idea of not finishing something I've started.  I think it will take me places.