My husband and I got to Morganton, NC on Friday afternoon and headed straight to the packet pickup. I have to admit that I was immediately intimidated as we drove into town and could see Table Rock from the road. It was massive. I could not believe that I would be at the summit of that mountain in less than 24 hours. After packet pickup there was no time to waste. I settled into my pre-race routine - meditation, a bottle of Nuun, and carb loading. I went to bed totally at peace and ready to embark on the uncharted territory of my first ultra.
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| Yikes! |
Driving out to Steele Creek Park for the start of the race, I was definitely nervous. It was dark and I didn't have a head lamp so I was really hoping the sun would be up soon. I checked in with the race directors and then made my last pit stop to the restroom. I was pleasantly surprised when I realized the long line I saw was for the men's restroom. So I was in and out and had only a few minutes before we began. I packed everything I needed into my handheld water bottle or my flip belt. Then, got some love and encouragement from my husband before heading to the start line.
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| Me and my amazing husband |
Oh. Em. Gee. Nothing could have prepared me for this. This was not even the hardest part of the race but I knew if this was what was yet to come then I was in for a world of hurt. By the end of this short single track section, my legs were already burning and I had to stop to walk multiple times because there was just no "running" to some of those trail sections.
As predicted the next couple miles were nice rolling hills that were much more my caliber. I was actually able to make up quite a bit of ground on this section and passed a handful of people. One group of young men I caught up to had an injured friend that had twisted his ankle in the first couple of miles. They stuck with him and helped him as much as they could but I found out later he had to drop at the first aid station.
When the first aid station approached, I had no idea how I was doing on time. I felt like I was going at a snail's pace and sure enough I was right. I think it took me a little over an hour to make it 4.2 miles. My next aid station wasn't until 10.2 and the cut-off time was 11am. At the rate I was going I wasn't sure if I'd make it. I just knew those next 6 miles were going to be a true test for me and the thought had already crossed my mind that I might need to drop to the 30K. I had no idea what was in store for me next.
Those next 6 miles were mostly single track trail. Steep inclines, multiple creek crossings, lots of rocks and boulders and tree limbs. I could not only feel my legs burning but now my lungs. That cough and cold I had been nursing all week caught up with me. Every push to run a little faster threw me into a coughing fit. And if it wasn't the coughing, it was my legs screaming for a rest. But I pressed on. I knew every step forward was progress. I tried not to think about the time but it was hard. I was starting to get passed by all the 30K people who had started 30 minutes after me. One lady stopped to walk with me a bit. She asked how I was doing when I clearly wasn't doing well. I told her "I think I bit off more than I can chew". She said, "No! This is just a hike in the woods. We've got all day." This put a huge smile on my face and definitely renewed my confidence. Yes, this was going to be hard but yes, I am going to be able to do this.
Slowly but surely I made it up those steep climbs. They were absolutely brutal. There is no other word for it. However, I was relishing in the atmosphere. The views were spectacular. I'm not sure when I actually made the decision to drop to the 30K but as I got closer to the 10.2 mile turnaround, I knew I had made the right decision. I barely made the cut-off time for the 10.2 aid station at 10:30am. 3 1/2 hours after I had started the race. I can walk 10.2 miles faster than that! At the aid station, I filled my water bottle and got some carbs in me. Then, I asked if I could drop to the 30K. The man radioed down to the race director and he made the changes from there. The 30K was a true out and back course. Now all I had to do was run back the way I came.
I was definitely re-energized at that 10.2 turnaround. Giving myself a new goal to finish the 30K, not risking a DNF with the 50K, made me feel much better about myself. For awhile, I was running and running fast. I passed several people again on the way down the mountain. I had expected to really feel the downhill after running uphill for so long but I was feeling great. I made it down to my first creek crossing and knew there was going to be an uphill again. I saw the tape that was there to mark the course but there was fork in the trail and I couldn't figure out which way to go. I choose left and I was wrong. I went out of my way for about 100 yards before I realized I was ducking out of the way of tree limbs way too much. I turned around and headed back and sure enough, I had missed the second strand of tape off to the right.
I got back on the right trail and continued on. The trail started to get to me again. The sections of trail with the huge rocks and boulders were not runnable at all and some of those steep uphill climbs with rocks and tree limbs littering the pathway were treacherous to go down. I ended up falling pretty hard down one of them and caught the whole thing on camera.
After the last aid station, with 4 miles left to go, my heart was already filled with regret and disappointment. I faced the reality that I was going way too slow. The best I could do was to just keep moving forward. I soaked in the beautiful scenery as much as I could. In the last 2 miles, one of the 50K guys stopped next to me to ask me how I was doing. I was honest. Haha. Nevertheless, we gave each other some encouragement and he bounded up to the finish line. I continued to take my time until making the turn toward the finish and then finished strong.
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| This was the last two miles. Beautiful! |
How am I doing now? I've recovered for the most part. Physically, I stopped being sore about 4 days later. Mentally, I still battle those inner demons that tell me I've failed or that I could have done better. I really wanted to go out this past weekend and knock out 31.5 miles just to prove that I could do it but I know my body needed to rest. I felt the urge to run Wednesday-Saturday but I didn't get around to it until tonight. I'm glad I waited. Even after waiting 8 days, my legs still aren't the same. I got in 6.2 miles tonight and it helped mostly to clear the fog in my head and refocus my energy on my next goal.
Every year after my marathons, I sign up for a 5K to keep myself motivated. This year is the UMCH Trick or Trot 5K on October 22nd. I have now switched gears from ultra training to 5K training which means lots of speed workouts. 2 years ago I was able to meet my goal of finishing under 30 minutes. This year I hope to the do the same but getting a PR would be icing on the cake.
After the 5K, you better believe that I'll start training for the next 50K. I've scouted out a couple of race possibilities at the beginning of next year. I will be coming into this next attempt with more determination than ever before. Stay tuned...
Amanda
