The Farmdale "80" race report

RUN 80 miles in about 25.5 hours

Oh how to write this up. It's been rolling around in my head since the race ended 8 days ago, most of that spent just processing what happened and trying to piece it all together. Do I write it as a fail? A win? A learning experience? A stepping stone? My "A" race for 2016? I still don't know. Maybe I'll figure it out as this goes.

I drove up to home on Thursday ahead of my "hive" meetings. I needed to convey to my crew the basics of changing headlight batteries, how I packed my bags, what gear is what, and make sure we were all on the same page. I put lots of well-spent effort into making sure my crew was informed and comfortable. Maybe too much time? By the I left home on Friday to head to the race site I felt like I'd dedicated more planning to them than me? But I knew what I was doing, I didn't need to plan for me.

My well-spent efforts were rewarded with surprises from my crew. Notes from Mom, plans to set up a tent with lights and a table. And more, details later :)

Friday morning I re-packed my powerbars with mom's suggestion of parchment paper. I took over most of the dining room table to lay out my 10 nutrition bags according to my detailed lap by lap notes. Repacked my in-race meals of potato and rice balls. Visited with Jess, who was going to spend most of her birthday weekend cheering on a friend at the Chicago Marathon. Mid afternoon Friday I drove south to the site to get my packet. Once there I learned that course flooding (waist deep in the 'creek'!) led to a course change. They hadn't worked out the details yet, but were thinking 7-8 mile laps 12-13 times. Oh boy. One of the volunteers (I think an RD?) had also run Evergreen and compared the course, said this was waaayy less muddy even with all the rain.

Off to the hotel, mentally a bit fuzzy but I attributed it to pre-race distraction. Had my Tootsie Roll treat, avoided the telly, died a section of hair purple, checked and re-checked my bags, then bed.

Race morning, up at 3:15 with my biggest concern being whether or not my stomach was going to behave as expected. Friday morning was "off" and I was worried about their being a "back up". Took some time, but everything came out as needed. No pun intended! Before leaving I set my three goals for the day: To Embrace It, To Bee Honest, and to Bee Patient. 

The race started at 5am, I arrived on time in the still dark morning. Left most of my gear in the bed of the truck, avoided the wet dewy grass as much as possible, and joined a small group of 50 and 100 milers to learn that we were to expect 14 loops of about 7.25 miles, 2-3 creek crossings. I'm feeling good, still kinda 'flat'. Attributed it to ???  I was just so....calm.  Experience?

The first loop was in the dark and took 2 hours, much slower than I expected.  Sure it was dark, and sure I was caught sometimes behind the cha-cha train of runners, and sure we took a few wrong turns in the dark. One wrong turn took us across a major creek, we had to double back, then cross the creek again in the proper site. I managed to stay dry, but lost time in doing so. I ran this loop with a fellow Ironman triathlete. She fell a number of times behind me, and although she was fun to talk to and run with she was a bit on the negative side. Instead of being happy to summit the hill she was instead commenting on how it would affect her heart rate, instead of bouncing up after a fall she'd bemoan clumsiness, etc. I couldn't maintain this, so after the first lap I took off as best I could.

How was the lap? Out from the Start/Finish to a clockwise half mile loop mostly on a fire road, this loop went behind the S/F before heading out to the trails after a left run. Along the parking lot, a single track to the reservoir dam, first down a slow hill to the dam, then across the dam, then up a hill onto the mail course loop. There were some steep-ish hills up and down but nothing long. Mostly 'poppers'. Rocks and roots but mostly smooth trail. Lots of turns, but well-marked. The estimate of 2-3 creek crossings didn't include the smaller creeks, only the major ones. In the end I think...5-6 creeks hops, only 2 of them really threatened wet feet. Very pretty trail, mostly single track with some road, some dirt and some rock, some soft needle pine sections with other of 'forest'. The biggest creek crossing was near the base of the major hill that leads to the on-course aid station at 5.5 miles. This hill was beyond just a 'hill'. It was a hands-on climb pulling on roots and trees, feet lucky to find steps carved in the dirt, and it was so steep that sometimes I thought I'd go over backwards back to the bottom! At the top, there was a pile of rocks that in previous races runners carried up this hill as part of a challenge. Aid station, then some of the worst hills in the loop, not bad but had to walk carefully down some of them. At 1 mile out cross the dam, then back to the S/F.

Lap 2 and Lap 3 were mostly unremarkable. In lap 2 I hung with the RD from Evergreen, lots of fun talking to him but he fell a lot too! Was I a jinx? He wanted to run the 3rd lap together but between his slower pace, the falling, and his leg pains I had to get away. In these laps I was watching the phone to know when Dad was going to arrive. I have his notes from the race, they start at 10:37am so I'm guessing he came in around lap 3? In these laps the aid station volunteers were singing country music, Adalida and Ticks, loud and bad and with unrepeatable lyrics :)

And after Dad and K did arrive, there was a moment that K wanted to run with me and wailed when I turned away and left her behind. When I came back some laps later she was wearing a bee dress with yellow and black striped tights? LOVE!! 

The course change made this so confusing. But in these next laps I nailed super steady times:
Lap 1: 2:01 Garmin said 7.5 miles
Lap 2: 1:51 Garmin said 7.25-ish miles and kept to this estimate, 15 miles as I left S/F
Lap 3: 1:48 Math estimates now: 21.75 miles
Lap 4: 1:49 29 miles
Lap 5: 1:51 36 miles about 2:30pm Grabbed headlights just in case.
Lap 6: 1:54 43.5 miles 6:22 pm
Lap 7: 2:01 50.75 miles. Garmin here said 52-53 miles. Bee skirt went on!

The race went wonderfully up to this point. TH was here! And I have her notes to include here too, I'll weave them in as relevant. Especially since she wrote things down I don't remember very well!

At the aid station in lap 6 I texted TH that I was feeling dizzy. Attributed it to having just climbed the steep hill then stopping at the aid station. I was making a point to stop here even though it was only 2 miles from the S/F. Sometimes I really needed water, mostly I wanted to force rest, talk to the volunteers (one was an RD from Poto, he brought the best-est ever potato chips I've ever eaten!), and just take a break. But in this lap I was wobbly when stopped. Staggery, kinda. I hesitated to let TH know I was dizzy, as I didn't want her to worry about something she couldn't easily help with. But I was forcing myself to be honest, and she drove all this way to help so I couldn't deny her the needed info.

After lap 7 I added warmer clothes, I commented that I needed to slow down according to TH's notes. I was otherwise feeling OK so back out. In lap 7 I was literally falling asleep on the trail. Literally. I was still running but it was a floaty feeling, I would realize that I wasn't remember some steps, I knew I was losing focus but couldn't stop. As the aid station I took some Mountain Dew, refused the Fireball cinammon wiskey. The volunteers aid I need to run more to keep myself awake. The last two miles I was more awake. I was wonderfully surprised to see Dave and Wendy at the S/F!!! I had been texted back and forth with D all day, had no idea they'd be there!

I arrived at the S/F falling asleep. Unfocused, couldn't think. Wanted to sit. Sleep. I'd been debating taking a 20 min nap. As soon as I stopped I started to get cold. They put me in mom and dad's car where I tried to sleep. I think I did? I know I meditated at least. Was very calm but mentally stressed. TH woke me up after 20 mins. I put on more clothes including my B2B jacket. Back out with my left hip flexor in awful pain. I tried to not limp. It brought tears to my eyes in the first half mile. Going behind the tents in the first loop  and knowing my family was watching me leave in this condition was terribly hard.

Lap 8: 2:45 58 miles 9pm, "looks flush and not feeling good...grabbed potato snack...rested in car for 20-mins...mind still doing OK". So from here on out I'm piecing things together from what I can remember and her notes. It took 1-2 miles for the hip muscle to loosen up. It had been bothering me for most of the race but since it's now a new pain I did my best to manage it by not creek hopping on it and easing up hills that taxed it. The leg was getting hard to flex from this. And my left compression sock was bothering my pes anserinus, the "goosefoot" set of tendons just below the know of the knee that connects the quads to the tibia. So far the right leg was doing OK. I don't remember much of this lap. I'm guessing I mixed walking and running? Is this right, does this lap include the nap time? Or should it be in lap 9? I left The Hive at 9:45pm, I do remember that, so ugh, I don't know. I'm confused too because the timing sheet shows I finished lap 11, but doesn't say "lap 14" so I keep reading that last column as over all time, but no it's lap 14. So yeah I had yet to do 12. 13, and 14. Why is this so hard? 

Lap 9: 3:31 65 miles 12:35am "not eating much but found Mountain dew is great! also banana and Nutella tastes good right now...color came back in face and the spirits are better...sleep but this time is a good improvement from the last time we saw her...wrists swollen need to keep an eye out -- not good". Was this the first lap I tried MD? And I was eating Nutella on a bite of banana, a piece of bacon, or on a spoon at the aid station. The S/F didn't have Nutella, I don't think. TH noted my wrists, something I still can't explain. Both wrists were swollen from mid arm to wrist, but not my hands so much? So swollen that I had to loosen the Garmin and watch, and remove the RoadID! So much that when I touched a tree I couldn't bend my wrist!

At some point the Garmin died, this lap or another one. Crew took it to charge in the car and I got it back next lap. Also my phone died, took Michelle's but not sure which lap. Can't give more details here, things were so fuzzy. And still are! I'm guessing I walked most of this lap, based on the time.

Lap 10: 2:54 72.5 miles 3:42am "ate more during this loop and no tummy problems...color still good and better mood...worried about race cut-off time and has race brain mush...still not want a pacer". No, I wanted a pacer!!!!!!!!!! I wanted to run with TH so bad but I knew I needed her MORE in the last laps. And oh these last laps. Somewhere in this lap I was doing the math and realized I wouldn't make the cut-off. I talked to the aid station volunteers they said I had to have my number of laps wrong, that I had to be in lap 11. Otherwise it's a 3pm finish, with a 1pm cut off time. I text TH my concerns. She encouraged me to keep me positive. Glad she did, but my mental math was so messed up. At the S/F I confirmed that this was lap 10, 4 more to go. And serious doubts about being able to finish on time.

Every one said I'd speed up when the sun rose, so I kept going. My left hip was now almost constant, and I almost felt like I need to use my hands to lift my leg over logs! Was this the lap that I was veering off trail? The trail would turn and I'd keep going straight. Twice I'd find myself in underbrush only to realize I wandered off trail and had to find my way back with headlamps. I also tried to use a walking stick to cross one of the major creek crossings and the stupid thing broke as soon as put weight on it! 

Lap 11: 3:12 80 miles done at 6:40am "limping into camp and the left compression sock is pulled down.  not fall but her groin was acting up.  Found out later this started on loop 1 and never mentioned this.  no previous limping or awkward walking any other time when coming into camp (I was carful to walk behind or next to her to make sure she wasn't crooked or off on her gait)  This would come and go. We decided to go out and see what happened  Walked and talked.  The leg acted up, cramping and twitching.  Not sure if this is mental or physical.  Did a quick test and I raised her leg for her and due to the pain it was time to call the race.  This wasn't mental it was physical and no need to add additional injury. Gave it all she had and left nothing out on the course.  The groin just wasn't going to let her go any further today.  we arrived back at the Y and half joking said which way? then we turned back to camp." Her notes sum this up best, all I did of lap 11 was the first half mile. 

She said it took 45 mins for me to cover the 2 miles from the on-course aid station. It took us 25 mins to walk that half mile, the Garmin said a 46 min mile! My left leg would drag sometimes, I honestly can't tell if it wouldn't move because it hurt too much (mental block) or if it really really couldn't move (physical). Whether this was mental or physical plagued me at that moment, and still does now many days later (writing this on the 20th).

Either way, I wasn't going to make the cut-off time. I'd have to cover those three laps in just over 6 hours. No amount of sunshine or Mountain Dew or TH was going to make that happen, that's the type of pace I was holding in the first laps on Saturday.

We took the right turn back to camp, talked to the RD and that was it. I dropped out.

I limped back to the Hive and TH got me warm and dry clothes, food and drink, anything I needed. I could never repay her for all this! When the still-running 100'ers went by I watched with pangs of not-quite-regret. They were limping too, they didn't look as good as they did yesterday, yet they kept going. And that still eats at me.

Mom and Sis came back from the hotel, Dad was at home and hadn't left yet. The Hive site was quickly packed up while I sat in the car, still confused and wishing I could help them. Sis drove my truck back, and TH left after Mom bought her a drink at a gas station....and my day was over. It was barely 9am. 

I didn't sleep the rest of the day. I was able to eat slowly, my gut felt kinda shut down but still functional. It hurt to move my right foot (shin pain) and my left leg (hip flexor?). I colored in the new book TH got me with the new pencils Mom got me, rested on the floor occasionally icing my shin. But I was able to walk, talk, and function. 

But oddly, I couldn't remember much of the race. It was like it never happened. Like the whole weekend thus far was just a vapory dream. I kept thinking, did that really happen? What happened? When did it happen? And I still feel that way, although over the past 12 days with help from the notes and timing sheet I've been able to piece things together better. 

I got the split times Monday. There were 16 registered runners, and it looks like 13 started. 8 Finished, 3 females and 5 males. Before this race, I was thinking I could do a 28-29 hour race. The overall winners did a 27-28 hours (one each male and female)!! The last finisher did 31:30, and most did 29 hours. So my estimate of time for myself, was it off? Or right on? Let's leave that for the post-race analysis, another long blog post coming up!