Western States 100- Dragon's Blood and Butterscotch

Day Before text messages:

Western Freaking States!

OJ- Do you want anything else for tonight?  Fruit? Cookies? Juice?

Me- Not sure maybe something salty.  Not really sure I can eat….

OJ-Ps maybe nobody’s mentioned you’re a total, undeniable bad-ass and you’re going to whoop this race’s ass.

Me- I know. It’s not really like me to be this nervous is it?

As OJ and I sat eating lunch in Squaw Valley she was flipping through the participants guide.  We were both really quite. I was guzzling waters by the liter and thinking about the fact that I just checked in for Western Freaking States! She stopped flipping looked up at me and said " Do you know you could suffer from renal shut down, heat stroke, hyperthermia, or muscle necrosis?"

They actually gave me an arm band, don't tell anyone!

Thanks.

To say that I was freaking out was an understatement I was practically silent, which is never good for me.  I was worried that my training wasn’t adequate.  That I wasn’t hydrated.  That I was going to feel the altitude. That I was going to have renal shutdown, heat stroke, hyperthermia, and muscle necrosis!

Morning of text message:

Me to Craig- i hugged geoff roes!!!!  aaaaaaaaa,
(I guess I was feeling better!)

Ready in 180 seconds flat!

Race morning getting ready took approximately 180 seconds.  I had neatly laid out everything I was going to need the night before, something I never do.  We were out the door and at the start by 4:15a.  I was still pretty worried, but now more because I couldn’t crap, then because I might die.

The start line is not like other races where there is a mass of runners lined by spectators; everyone just clusters together.  So OJ was with me as I was jumping up and down clapping and shouting “Western Freaking States!!!”  

I can't believe its starting!

Let the games begin!  I loved running in the snow in hind-site, I fell 3 times though I never got injured.  Everyone was super excited to be running and the energy during the snow was awesome.  Everyone was whooping and hollering.  Forming human chains to pull fallen people back up to the path (I won't call it a trail).  But the snow is what I think stole my quads from me, that bracing and gripping with each foot strike for so long really tore me up!  

My goal was to always be able to spit and I did really well at it, though I did not dare waste any water by actually spitting.  I filled both my bottles at each aid station regardless of the distance to the next aid station.  If I wasn't finished with them I chugged as much as I could before refilling.  I think this was a good strategy!  My biggest complaint for the entire race was how often I had to pee. Sometimes less than 10 minutes apart, definitely every 20 minutes during the entire (ENTIRE) race that's approximately 80 times in a little over 1 day!!  It sucked.  Luckily as a thru hiker I learned to pee standing up, my pacer had never seen this before and was ubber impressed.   He took his wife to the side at the finish line and the first thing he told her was about my peeing strategy:  "she could pee faster than me!'  I do have to give a shout out to thru hiker Totally Rachel for teaching me this quad saving technique!

Headed up the escarpment, it was super steep

Heading into Miller’s defeat I made a super faux pas.  Though I will start by defend myself here with the lamest excuse, “I didn’t know!”

I had just caught up with E (some names changed to protect the innocent), who was a wiry man trying to speed walk Western States.  We were on an uphill section so I was glad to have someone to speed walk with.  We had a few cordial exchanges: What’s your name? Where are you from?  Is this your first 100? What was your qualifying run?  Normal stuff when you meet another runner for the first time mid race.  Then he was off: “I live in a Dojo with twenty sh*t head 20 year-old's they don’t do anything just lay around and play video games all day I do stuff on the weekends I run 100s I'm amazing I have goals in life they are nobodies I have 7 black belts and they steal my food!”  I think he did breath but definitely no periods.  Yes he said he lives in a Dojo.  Thankfully we crested the hill so I got to run. After getting about 100 yards in front of him I had processed enough of what just happened at me to turn around and yell “good luck E see you later.”    

Together we had been following this other runner X (for now) for quite a while.  He was just far enough in front of me that I would see him before he would go around a corner, but not close enough to really talk to.  So when I yelled bye to E, X heard me and turned around and said what?  I yelled sorry nothing.  We were on a switch back so he could hear me but it took me a minute to catch him.  He stood there waiting for me.  When I came into view he said "What?" again, I was embarrassed for holding up another runner and quickly got him on his way.  He was still a bit in front of me so I could not tell who it was.  Then there was a very sharp Y in the trail, where the course took the less obvious arm.  I immediately started looking for X but didn’t see him and I wasn’t going to go search for him. Its Western States after all.  Who runs backwards at WS?  I could see the other path below me for a quarter mile and was whistling and singing hoping he would hear me.  But just in case he was in front of me I didn't want to yell and make him wait for me again!

There was a really long straight away and I could see a women, June (we bonded over our names), but no X.  I yelled up to her “Hey did you see an older guy with blue shorts and white shirt go by?  June: “You mean Gordy? Gordy Ainsleigh?”  Me: “What? That was Gordy Ainsleigh?”  June:  Yeah he is in front of me!” Me: Good!  Feeling relieved I matched pace with June.  Hesitatingly I said "So where are you from?  What was your qualifying run?"

Notice the placement of Gordy's number!

Rewind to Duncan Canyon aid station: Gordy rolls in wearing his number in a very long rectangle right in the center of his shorts.  Everyone is cheering at him and I yell “Gordy, your number is very…….um alluring.”  He immediately asked me to pose with him for a picture.  So yes I admit we had already met when I was worried he had taken a wrong turn.

Fast forward to Miller’s Defeat aid station, I’m wrapping up my aid station drill when Gordy strolls in.  “What you were behind me?"  Looking around I yell "Where’s June?” Gordy: “Yeah I took a wrong turn and lost about 20 minutes.”  Me: “I knew you went the wrong way but June told me you were in front.”  Um yes I just told a pissed off legend that I let him get lost.  I mumbled something about sorry and left the aid station.

Gordy showed up again in about 20 minutes not nearly as mad and we spent the next 20 or so miles bouncing back and forth chatting.  He gave me some tips on the only acute pain I had, a weird pinched nerve in my non-water bottle shoulder.  He even stopped to show me some exercises for my sprained ankle! And true to form we talked about women!

The canyons were not as hot as I expected I was waiting for the worst to hit when I realized it was 6pm so the heat must be over!  My quads were shot I didn't run down hill again after about mile 43....Last Chance AS. 

My food was crazy, I think maybe I was eating too much.  At one point I filled a to-go baggie with potatoes (my favorite running food), M&M's, and watermelon.  Ugh why did I do that?  I ended up gaggy over this mixture, though I did eat it.  It was horrible. I was semi-nauseous for about 20 miles from it.  I also had a strange craving for butterscotch candies.  I probably went through 25 of them during the race.  

Not being able to run down hill was really killing me time wise.  Luckily, all the McCullough repeats, I mean Franks, really paid off and I could haul on the up hills.  I was getting tired and was super eager to see my crew for the first time, Max and OJ.  When I pulled into Michigan Bluff they were yelling my name before I could see them.  I was ready to cry I was so excited but again I didn’t want to waste the water so I didn’t let myself.  Michigan Bluff is a super long aid station.  I had a lot to do here. I was starving and was craving broth, I was so excited to hear they had veggie broth. I needed to get my night gear on, apply some Vaseline and get pampered by my crew. Plus my pacer Jethro was joining me here.  

I was super duper excited here.  I got this burst of energy that I wish I could have bottled and sipped for the rest of the race.  Just as I was finishing up I hear over the PA: “Next runner is Gordy Ainsleigh." I started jumping up and down and clapping.  I ran back up the road.  I hear Max yell behind me “You’re running the wrong way at Western States?!  Who does that?”  I didn’t care I knew Gordy was having a hard time and wanted to say bye. Plus I felt I needed to make up for not running backwards before!

The excitement of seeing my crew and getting Jethro quickly wore off and next section was my first super slow section.  I just couldn’t run.  I got to Forest Hill and was feeling pretty bummed out about my pace.   I got there 2 hours after Craig did last year, I didn’t recognize the place at all.  Last year there were huge crowds lining the streets into town. This year there was silence.  I entered the aid station and immediately asked the announcers who had won the race.  The announcers at Forest Hill did not know who won the race they were announcing for.  This was super depressing.  Then I get some food and asked where the live video camera was, I wanted to say hi to my mom.  The aid station workers looked at me like I was crazy.  Video camera? there’s no video camera.  Then a volunteer comes over and tells us that we had better think about getting a move on as the aid station cut off was in only 15 minutes.  Ugh this aid station sucks.  Only thing awesome was I got to see Max and OJ again.  OJ was TCOBing and found out the winners for me.  I told Max, "Leave your phones on. I don’t think I can make it much farther." Stepping out of that aid station was kind of rewarding I was now to the point where every step I took was farther than I had ever run before.  

I get a little confused but somewhere in here I started to dabble in the magical arts.  It started with 6 oz of Coke.  Next aid station was 12 oz of Mountain Dew.  Then Peachstone aid station was out of Dragon’s Blood, I mean Mountain Dew.  This was followed by 2.3 miles at about a 40 minute per mile pace.  I arrived at Ford’s bar Aid station with 75 minutes to go 5.0 miles to beat the next cutoff.  I could barely stand up, though sitting down would have been equivalent to race death.  Passing this aid station meant that I got to see the place where Craig proposed to me.  But if I wanted to go any further in the race I was going to have to run better than 15 minute miles in this section.  I was not feeling very encouraged by that statistic 73 miles into the race.  But, and this is a huge BUT, Ford’s bar still had Dragon’s blood.  Jethro promptly handed me a full can of the potion and made me drink it. Then he poured two into my water bottle. And we were off.  My quad’s felt like they had just drank the elixir of life.  It was Magic.  Pure Magic.  I ran faster in this section then I had in the last 50 miles, I even ran downhill.  I made it to Rucky Chucky with 9 minutes to spare.  That’s 13 minute miles, which included a slow walk through the spot where Craig proposed! I wanted to cry when we crossed the river, definitely didn't though.  That section was miraculous.

But the walk up to Green’s gate was slow and we hear near the top: "you have 2 minutes to run 200 yards."  We started sprinting, at the river crossing they told me Green gate did not have a cut off, so we took our time.   I sprinted through and Jethro grabbed some supplies for us.  It was crazy and the can of coke I downed did not help.  The caffeinated magic was no longer working.

Sorry Ladies.

I had 80 minutes to run 5.4 miles to beat the 7am cutoff at ALT.  I don’t want to say I gave up in this section, there has got to be a better phrase for what I was feeling.  I was in awe of myself, I was proud, I was tired, and I felt like the bones were pushing though the bottoms of my feet.  I was done. Jethro was practically prancing in front of me; he was constantly trying to hear the aid station so he could tell me we made it.  I was the last runner on the course at this point, the horse sweeps were following closely behind us.  When 7am rolled around I was really at peace with it all.  I don't feel like I gave up.  I did what I could do until I couldn't do it anymore.  I was excited to see how much I could do and am impressed with myself, sans buckle.  

When 7am arrived it was bitter sweet I cried a little.  I was thinking about how the website was going to get updated soon and Craig, my family and friends were going to see I had dropped.  I touched my cheek to see if my tears were the color of dragon's blood, I could finally afford to waste a little water. (I really did this then shook my head thinking OK your exhausted not crazy!) 

Done!

And Done!

 

      

Done!

   

  

  

  

  

  

  

   

Thanks OJ!

Juju

Todd, Me, and Porter

I have now officially DNFed three 50k's in a row.  Though I can't say I felt bad about today's race.  I'm improving.  In September I DNFed McKenzie River after only 3 miles due to a left ankle sprain, I was surprised to have my first DNF.  Then one week before the 2011 racing season started I lightly sprained  my right ankle.  I went to Orca's Island 50k since I was supposed to meet a freind at this race.  Arrogantly I did nothing about it when I realized I left my brace at home.  Made it 7 miles before I really sprained it.  So now two weeks later, I went to Hagg lake for a few reasons 1. It's close and I get to stay with my awesome friend Nadine the night before.  2. I was driving my friend Porter so I had to go anyway.  3.  I'm stubborn and 4. I'm a poor college student and I had already paid for it. So I'm feeling pretty great about my 17 miles today and that my mind choose to stop not my body!!  Progress. I'll take it.

That being said it was still a tough race for me it took me an hour and 6 minutes longer to get around the lake this year as compared to 2009, though this year was about 3 miles longer since I started with the 50k start and not the 25k start.  Still to be that slow was frustrating,  Plus I would have accepted a DNF but for some reason they turned me into a 25k finisher so I have an official finish time on ultrasign up.  This means my ranking decreased by 0.22%.  Would it have been better to DNF and just not have anything on Ultrasignup?

Ankle Brace Tan.

To top it off I got duded 3 times!  That's right my one lap around was slower then the top 3 finishers.  They made it around the lake 2 times in less time than it took me to get around one time. 

So what am I going to do ?  I have a big race schedule this year though I only really really care about finishing one of them.  My next race is my wedding, I have to rehab this ankle in time to break my streak and finish my wedding race.  I can't DNF my wedding that's just bad for so many reasons.


OK ankle I send you good Juju and promise to be consistent with your PT, you have to get better!!

Darn Ankles

The brusing

 I sprain my ankles multiple times a year and rarely do I get to tell a good story along with it.  This weekends is no exception:  Running down Nettleton road talking to Gaby and...."Ugh not again.  On the stupid road even."  There wasn't even anything to twist my ankle on.  This time I heard the pop felt the searing heat and immediately decided I didn't care.  I'd walk it off and then finish my 13 mile run.  (I was about 2 miles in).  I have a race next weekend Orca's Island 50k and I'm still going to go despite the brusing and swelling.  I've been RIICEing like crazy this week I just can't let these cheap models slow me down.  Maybe in my next life I'll get better ones. 

Diesel and Sophie are so not impressed by the swelling.

2010 in Review

Last day Hiking on the Appalachian Trail

What is life like when you return from hiking 1600 miles and are unemployed? Its pretty lazy.  While I did run the first 4 months of 2010 I didn’t really run anything planned.  I just ran when I felt like it.  So I ran Hagg Lake 50k while still coming off of my thru hiker high.  Meaning I was still in good enough shape from hiking everyday that I could just decide to run 31 miles, and like it afterwards.  Chuckanut 50k soon followed and with my Mom volunteering at the bottom of chin scraper I had a blast! Then Peterson Ridge Rumble 60k happened at me.  While it was a stunning course and I had a lot of fun I realized that If I was really going to run this much I needed to get organized.  So a week after Peterson I started my running schedule for the year. 

Hagg Lake

Craig, my Mom and I before Chuckanut

Anna and I before Peterson Ridge Rumble

So my real planning for the year began on April 19^th.   You can see from the following graph that I did a pretty good job sticking to my plan for about 5 months, until September. Funny that this also correlated with Craig leaving for Switzerland.  My sticking to a schedule was pretty much all over the place from there. 

Table 1. I want to be centered on 0 meaning I stuck to my scheduled plan(Injuries: 2 weeks in May 3 weeks in September)

Mac Forest 50k

The Mac celebrated my one year anniversary of running ultras, and I PR’d.  This PR still stand’s despite running a much flatter race later in the year.  This was surprising to me since the Mac
has the most cumulative elevation gain of all the 50k’s in the Oregon trail series.

Pacing Craig as he finishes Western States!

Earlier in the year Craig asked me if I would pace him at Western States.  After much shuffling of feet becuase I'd never run 38 miles before I agreed.  So in June I was ready to run my farthest run to date, and it was a good thing I decided to do it because we got engaged during the race. Read about it here: The engagement!

 

After Western States came SOB.  I was really excited to run this race not only because I knew I’d ordered a mug that said SOB, and was going to Ashland to see a play with my friend Susan afterwards, but also because Nalisha and Porter were going to be there.  Nalisha and Porter got engaged the same week Craig and I did.  The gun goes off and Nalisha and I started hashing engagement stories and wedding gossip,  then I looked at my watch and Holy Crap how did we just run 4 hours of a race and not realize it.  Sorry Nalisha I gots ta go! I had planned on PRing in this race, is there some kind of award for most wedding talk during a race?  Because we totally won that in the pairs division.

I'm engaged!  I'm engaged too!  AAAAHHHHH!!!!!

My first 50 miler.  Can we just say that my stomach hurt for at least 2 weeks leading up to Mt. Hood PCT 50 miler.  Craig had planned on volunteering but couldn’t help but bring his running clothes, just in case.  Sure enough, there was an empty spot, with one signed check he was in.  The gun goes off and 100 yards later the entire field turns around.  We’d all gone the wrong way!  After some laughter from the middle of the pack, and crankiness from the front and back, both of which were exactly opposite from where they wanted to be, the race started.   

It was awesome!  I stayed in front of Dave Bateham, Erik Bateham, and Craig until around mile 28.  Craig yelled at me a half a mile before the S/F aid station and I tried to take off, but didn't really have the energy too.  I just blew through the aid station to stay in front of them. 2 miles down the trail they passed me. 

I was so proud of myself, my finish time was 10:11:27!!

I had a strange experience in this race: for the first time ever I felt like peeing, went to do my thing, and nothing happened!  I was pretty nervous about that.  But there was only 8 miles left in the race at that point and I still had one more aid station to down a bunch of water.  I was clear and copious within 45 minutes of finishing!  It was such a weird feeling!


By the southern turn around I was counting ladies and realized I was in 17th place womens, including all the early starts.  So I guzzled a bunch of water to get back up that hill.  Took the popsicle out if its wrapper and holding it in my hand took off from that aid station, the women all came back to me one at a time until I knew I was in 10th place womens!  Turns out two of them were an early starts so I finished 8th womens!


I also had three new compliments I've never gotten before: 1. "You've got nice legs."  2. a guy turned around, saw me and yelled "Shit!" and 3. "I've been following your running career online!"  That was Cheri Redwine, now I totally know the PC way to say- I stalk you on ultrasignup!

In August I ran Where's Waldo 100k.This was such a tough race for me that it get’s its own blog entry.

Craig ran Where's Waldo with his camera!!  Somewhere near the summit of Mt. Fuji.

Three miles into the final race of the Oregon Trail Series, BK, I sprained my ankle.  I would have been one of 3 to run the entire series in 2010 and the only female.  Such a letdown. But I still placed first in my age group for the Oregon Trail Series which was ubber exciting! 

Finish line for the 4 miler at the TRTF!

4 weeks after the sprain I decided I was healed enough to go to the Triple Ripple Trail Fest.  3 races, 2 days, 2 nights, 1 band, and all the beer you can drink. I was an awesome race put on by Susannah Beck and Jen Vollme. It was by far the best race weekend I’ve ever had.  This is a must do for race all calendars! The first race is 4 miles around a lake, the second is a 10k point to point to the top of Mt. Constitution, and the third was a 30k through the forests of the island!

After the trail fest my races were done for the year.  I attempted a few personal goals: 200 miles in one month.  Did 171 which was still my highest mileage month ever. Another goal was my 8 summits run.  3^rd goal was to get into Western States.  Accomplished that one.  I signed up for the lottery at 10pm on the final day.  While I did feel unsure pushing that enter button that evening, I have no doubts now I am so excited!!!

Bring it 2011!

8 Summits Run

I began this run with a hazy goal in mind; Run as many summits in the coast range as I could before the end of the day. I had one minor hiccup to address; I needed to let Sophie, my dog, out sometime during the day.

I was armed with 2 liters of water, a flashlight, a cell phone, a lot of food and gels, and some rough maps. So I loaded all my stuff up into my hydration pack (thanks Pam!) and drove to Lewisburg saddle. First summit was Vineyard Mountain via the Nettleton-Davis loop.

As I wrapped up the loop I took the Old Growth Trail. It boggles my mind how many people I see skip this section of trail. I always feel like asking them what was the point of coming out if they were going to skip this gem?

On the OGT I saw the one person in my world, besides Craig, that would understand the under taking that was developing in my mind. I ran into my friend Rob who routinely bikes to the coast, trying to use as little pavement as possible. We began ticking off summits that we thought were possible and thus my route was planned. I had a goal of 9 summits to do before nightfall. : Vineyard, Unnamed N. of Dimple, Dimple, Chip Ross, Bald Hill, Mulkey Ridge, Highest public place in Fitton Green, McCullough, and Price Peak.

At this point I was back to Lewisburg saddle, 6 miles in, and only one summit done. I knew that if I came back to my car so I could drive home to let Sophie out  1. I would run out of day light, and 2. I probably wouldn’t drive back up. So grabbed my loaded hydration pack and headed up to the unnamed peak north of Dimple leaving my car until the end of the day.

This section of trail has my all-time favorite tree in the entire forest “Hydra. (See video)”

Next on to Dimple and then Chip Ross. From Chip Ross I decided to run across town (oh horrors! pavement I know.) I stopped at the Coop and filled a container with some yummy food, stuffed it into my hydration pack sideways, and off I went to let Sophie out. I munched on lunch while I recharged my Garmin and threw the ball for Sophie. Then it was back out to the trail.

Red Tail Missing His Lunch

The run gets pretty boring here just ticking off summits: Bald hill, Mulkey ridge, and Fitton green. Oh except for the dead headless Band Tailed Pigeon I saw on the way to Fitton Green, I’m pretty sure the Red Tail that was screaming at me had dropped his lunch. Then it’s on to McCullough.

Lunch, Band Tailed Pigeon

I took Skillings Road and it is pretty steep. I was forced to a walk for nearly 5 miles as I drudged up to the summit. Just as I began to approach the summit an astonishing sun set began.  Do it again Daddy.


Oh wait running right, no problem I had a flashlight. So I topped out on McCullough Peak and headed down for Price peak.

This is when things get good I had never been to Price peak before and was just guessing which peak it was. After about a mile things were going well when my flashlight died. First Lesson learned: Change the batteries before long runs. But I had my phone and my camera both which could illuminate the trail. But that meant no more running since I’m prone to sprains and could no longer see the rocks in the road.

Skillings Road

Fitton Green

So now I had a choice Left to Price peak or Right to Sulfer Springs and then my car. Getting bored I decided to bail on Price Peak. Second Lesson: Don’t attempt to run trails you’ve never been on 37 miles into a run in the dark. I’m going along thinking about whether or not I have cell service and at what point I can put in an order with Taqueria Alonzo (yes I have them on speed dial) when I look around. Wait? What! I was nearly back on McCullough Peak.

I’m not really sure how I did that but frustrated with no adequate light source, and only caffeinated gus left, I decide to stick to roads to get back to my car. I headed down to Sulphur Springs via the logging roads adding about 4 extra miles onto my run. I probably could have doubled back but I was feeling insecure about my ability to navigate by cell phone light.

Sunset Below McCullough Peak

Somewhere in here I out ran my Garmin battery. You know it’s been a fabulous run when you outlast your gps watch battery.

Arriving at Sulphur Springs starving and in the dark I still had to walk about 2 miles on the road to my car. This is when I really started freaking myself out. Cars by day are just cars. Cars by night are full of scary people wanting to hurt you. So every time I heard a car I would pitch it into the bushes scared to death. Those were some very long 2 miles.

Getting back to my car was exhilarating, not just because I escaped all the cars, but also because I’d completed 8 summits in ~45 miles, less than 9 hours of daylight, and ~7500 ft of elevation gain!

Next time I will include Peavy Peak, and the small summit where Nettleton and Davies come together at the North End, Price Peak, and a flashlight with batteries that work.

8 Summits Run!

What Just Happened to me? -Where's Waldo 2010 Race Report

Writing this race report was really the impetus for starting this blog.  I wrote the report and sent it to a few friends who then asked if they could forward it on.  In a few days it was posted on the running group forum I belong to.  After multiple positive email comments and several encounters with people who new me as the girl who wrote this report I decided to start a blog.  It has taking me about 5 months to get my blog going, mainly because I wanted to come up with a good title.   Hope I did!

At the Start the night before (by CSmith)

What just happened to me?

I have to say it even hurts to sit at my computer today.  To say the race was hard is an understatement but I guess in my case it could have been  5 minutes and 40 seconds harder and I still would have gotten my "I don't ever have to do this race again" finishers hat!

Yup with a time of 15:54:21 I finished my first 100k 5 minutes before the 9pm (hat) cutoff. 

The race started pretty well I fell in with Craig, John Liebeskind, and a few other runners.  We all warmed up on the big climb out of the start by laughing and yelling at John.  He decided it was more important to know his heart was beating than to start the race.  Hint for next year John: You’re moving so you’re beating!
 

AS1 came up and oh yes a pit toilet, guess I'll stop.  This was the end of the fun race for me.  I never ran with another racer again, except 5 miles towards the end.  The climb up Mt. Fuji made me dizzy, I almost left the AS2 without eating and I have absolutely no memory of someone taking off my headlamp which happened either here or at AS1.

More walking (by CSmith)

I saw Craig a few times in here but he didn't seem to be having a good time either.  The run down Mt. Fuji was fine but then the terrain flattened out and I couldn't run.  By mile 18 I was counting 100 paces to make myself run and was seriously thinking about a DNF. After a few hundred rounds I got cranky at counting and told myself I needed to figure out the cutoff times and go from there, so I started walking.

One of the few Happy Moments (by CSmith).

That's when the angels appeared handing out smiles and chocolate frosting (AS4) in fist size globs, I was in “Heaven!” As soon as I saw a familiar face I moaned "I need some Waldo." The Twins aid station was my salvation.  I stayed there so long Gaby (Tia Gabalita) was yelling at me to "Get up, Get going, Start running"  so I did, I walked another half hour out of there.  Then I came upon an early start who informed me of all the cutoffs.  I started running.

The Angels (by CSmith)

32 miles in I arrived at Charlton Lake Aid station (AS5) with 21 minutes until the cutoff.  I made Scott Leanord (the aid station captain and also the Co-RD for our local 50K) jump into Charlton Lake with me, since he's the one that made me think I could do this!  We waded into the water and he said to me “I can't go any further these are my only shorts.”  I laughed at him and said "These are my only shorts and I still have to run!"  He grabbed my hand and we dove in.  Thanks to everyone that dried me off and shoved Vaseline in my face reminding me of all the places I could potentially want it while dripping wet and running!

Shoes back on, I was sprinting. I was now making tracks from my frosting sugar rush and an adrenaline rush from the dunking.
 

Weird side note: a northbound PCT thru hiker was hanging out at that aid station waiting for me.  He had talked to Craig earlier in the race and it turns out that we had met in Vermont while Craig and I were south bounding the AT and he was out on a long trail run!  Go Freebird!

I reached the next aid station with 20 minutes to go before its cutoff.  This adorable toothless 6 year old, Macy, asked me in the sweetest syrupy cute and worried voice "Are you last?"  I couldn't help but melt she was just too cute!  I said, "I don't think so, but almost."  Then she said "What's your name?" I said, "April" and she gasped "Oh that's cute!"  If anyone else in the world had asked and responded in such a way, after I’d run 37 miles, I probably would have knocked their two front teeth out.  Seeing how she didn't have any, I just wanted her to keep me company as hanging out with her for those few minutes really was one of the more pleasant moments in the race!

So her dad came over and I started drilling him.  What times the next cutoff?  How many miles? How much is uphill?  His answers just kept getting worse and worse. Where's Macy?  At least she would have been cute when telling me the bad news.  I had 150 minutes to get 7.5 miles and it was 80% uphill. Considering I was 37.5 miles in on the day it was devastating news.  Plus I had to start carrying extra gear here since it was the last aid station I could pick up my flashlight, extra water bottle, and warm clothes.  At this point (approximately 2pm) I had no idea if I was even going to finish, more or less finish before I’d needed any of it.

I guess the two espresso flavored Gu's, with 100mg caffeine each, really helped because I

Hell! (by CSmith)

made it into "Hell" with 30 minutes to spare!  This was the second to last cut off for the race and the last cutoff where you could be pulled from the race if you did not get there on time.  The final cutoff occurs at the finish line.  If you are not there by 9pm you still get a qualifying finish time, but no finisher’s hat! 

Lucky for me this was the same aid station with the good food, you loop your way back here so this was my second time through!  I'd eaten the fist size glob of frosting here earlier.  So I parked my butt in front of the food, it was nearly dinner time right? and proceeded to graze on everything: soysausages, grapes, melon, potato, m&m's and yep more chocolate frosting.  I'd never eaten so much or such a variety at a race before.  I was always strictly gu and potato girl before.  But I was starving and I spent a large portion of the race starving I need some serious calories.   

 Here I picked up 2 more racers and we walked, ran, and chatted another five miles to the next aid station.  I got stung by a bee in the section. Suck.

Doesn't he just look evil?  (by CSmith)

 Maiden Peak aid station arrived and I parked it in front of the food again, in a chair this time. Got the stats and was out of there.  3 miles to the top of Maiden Peak, 2 miles down to the last aid station and 12.5 miles left to go.  I left the aid station with the 2 other racers we talked about the seriousness of our situation.  It was 5:15pm and we had the hardest 3 miles of the race in front of us.  We had to be at the top of Maiden Peak by 7pm or we did not have a chance at that hat.   I had done Maiden Peak 3 weekends before, but this was an entirely different experience.  The other two racers fell behind me and I started having evil thoughts. “Craig Thornley is a bad bad man.  Craig Thronley is sadistic.”  “No one that I would call a friend would ever make people do this 53 miles into a race.” “Craig Thornley is so mean.”  

I made it to the top at 6:55pm.  That’s 3 miles in 100 minutes, a 33min/mile pace.  Really?  Really!

The top was carnage; there were volunteers 0.25 miles from the top and at the top.  There were racers sitting on the ground in the cold with the volunteers, there were people contemplating each step on the way down from the summit. It was not a pretty site.  But I had 125 minutes and 9.5 miles to get that darn hat.  So I ran, I started feeling shin splints and I ran.  There was an aid station in there somewhere and someone tried to put a sanitizing wipe across my forehead.  I’m allergic to those, but I freaked out.  I had 7.5 miles to go and someone was holding my chin trying to swipe my face with something that was going to give me a terrible rash.  I grabbed some potatoes and ran.

What just happened to me? (by CSmith)

I got to Rosary Lakes, aah 3 miles left and 50 minutes to do it in. I thought I was in the clear. So I slowed down but ran what I thought was another mile.  Then out of nowhere, they looked like ghosts, I hear “you’re at lower Rosary lake 3.4 miles to the finish line.” I had only 40 minutes left.  I said “Sh*t” and just kept running.  It was dark now and I was trying to get my headlamp out.  I was screaming at my fannypack.  I was screaming at my legs.  Every thought I had was spoken outloud. “OK you have about 2 miles left and 24 minutes that's 12 minute miles."  I even said the the "OK you" part outloud. There were a few “F*ck!” and a few, “April why are you walking?”  I may have been alone for most of this race but those last few miles I kept myself good company!  

I saw the ski lift lights and threw down my handheld and fanny pack.  I had 7 minutes and I had no idea how much further.  I broke through the trees and I hear “It’s right there.” I had a football field size gravel lot to cross and I hear “Number 80 is coming to the finish!”  In this booming God like voice from on high.  Then I hear “Is that you April?”  I yelled Yep!  And Meghan Arboghast and Craig T. were there to give me a big hug.  I got my darn hat.

What just happened to me?

Western States- Getting Engaged!

Pre-Race

I am going to open my blog with the most memorable running experience I've had so far.  Craig ran Western States in 2010 and I paced him from Forest hill on.  This is the guest article that I wrote for his blog about getting engaged mid race

Start of Western States 2010

Craig showed up at Foresthill in the dark escorted by two of our friends.  I’d been waiting for Craig since 2pm, seeing as how it was now 9:30pm I was totally ecstatic! We took our time at the aid station and Craig even flirted with the volunteers. They wanted to know if he really had just run 62 miles to get there.  They had a hard time believing him he was in such a great mood.  

Craig looking great after 62 miles!

Our friends sent us off into the night at the bottom of the hill.  It was now just us!  We we’re off, but not for long.  We took the opportunity to pee as soon as we got off concrete.  Three minutes down the trail I realized I left my flashlight back on the ground.  So back up the trail I scampered trying not block any oncoming runners.  Once back with Craig I decided to adjust my ponytail holder and whack it snapped apart.  Telling Craig about the missing flashlight was a must, but telling him about the broken ponytail holder seemed ridiculous. In any other circumstance I would have whined to him about my tough luck.  But at that moment I realized what I was doing and what I was helping him accomplish.  I stepped out of my norm and began to think about him and what I needed to do for myself to take care of him.  He definitely didn’t need to be worrying about my hair.

And I’m glad I didn’t tell him.  Craig can be a pretty quiet guy so when he was just giving me yes, no, and the occasionally grunts I thought OK this is how he wants to run it.  I can do that for him.  When we got to Cal 1 Craig wanted to sit down, when he started staring at the guy with the IV and a blanket I didn’t get too worried, but then he asked for his own blanket.  I got him one, thought “Oh $#%# here we go!” and calmly told him I’d wake him up in 5 minutes. I was dying inside.  I wasn’t sure what he needed, but he has always been so levelheaded I decided to just watch him and do what he asked.  I had all these doubt scenarios running through my head- he had looked so yearningly at that IV bag.  4 minutes and 55 seconds later Craig popped his eyes open wanted food and off we went.  I was so relieved. 

That it turns out, was the lowest-low he had for the rest of the race.  He took one more nap, but that wasn’t until after the adrenaline rush of his engagement proposal! 

Where's we got engaged

At mile 75.99 I said to Craig “Look out at the river it’s so nice!” Craig kept running and said “April thank you so much for doing this with me I love you!”  Then he stopped and turned to face me.  Hoping that I knew what was coming next I said, “Hold on get off the trail.”  Two runners went by and I said, “Yes Craig?”  That’s when he asked me if we could spend the rest of our lives together!  Of course I said yes!  We did a little happy dance and then kept running.   About 1 minute later I said, “Did you really just ask me to marry you?”  He said, “Yep!”  I said, “Can I scream?”  He said, “Nope.”  And off we went to Rucky Chucky! 

Rucky Chucky was totally surreal.  I wanted to announce to everyone that we’d just gotten engaged, but there were so many people, so many lights, a glow stick trail, huge boats, pumping music and people with way more energy than Craig and I! Plus it was drop bag time. I got Craig settled down in a chair and went in search of food.  When I came back he had a blanket and was being entertained by a girl projectile vomiting 2 feet from his feet.   I tried to convince him to move but he didn’t want to stand up.  5 minutes later with the 2nd nap over Craig moved chairs; she on the other hand continued to puke.

Done and Done!

With the river crossing over the rest of the race fell into a rhythm: run, encourage Craig, walk, aid station, try to get him to eat something, do it again.

The rest of the race went pretty smoothly.  I have to say that I’ve never felt so connected to someone than I did pacing Craig.  Maybe it was because I saw him train for this race and knew how much it meant to him.  Maybe it was because we got engaged in the middle of it.  Maybe it’s because I was responsible for someone else which made me feel important.  Whatever it was there is no word to describe pacing Craig at WS.  It was amazing and I’m ready to do it again next year.  You in Craig?