Weather - 9-34 degrees, clear, windy. What a ride!
I
was lucky that everything held together - body, mind, spirit. I had
some low points, but that is part of the fun of long runs, and I was
fortunate that each low point was followed by moments of pure elation
and joy.
The weather held out, although it was nippy during the
first few loops. Temperature at race start was 9 degrees, with a 15-20
mph wind. Being a prairie run, that means not much wind break, although
there were a few parts of the run that had some tree cover. 
Standing Around the Fire,
Waiting for the Race to Begin A good turn out, over 100 people. However, I didn't know how many loops
each runner was doing, so someone could be running a good pace, and I
get behind that person, and think, wow, this guy/girl is fit, but then
they stop after 1 x 4 mile loop. 
Race Director Jeff Riddle Saying "No Wimps!" It is important with a multiple-distance race to be watchful of my
comfort level and to run my own race. At the end of the third loop a
guy blew by me in the last mile, I let him go, although for a few
moments my instinct was to chase him down to the staging area. Good
thing I didn't, as that runner was finishing up his 12 mile jaunt, and
I still had 16 to go.
I am happy with how I paced my race. I
checked my loop times when I got home and realized I averaged 45-46
minutes per loop for all 7 loops. That comes out to about an 11:20
pace, which is quite slow, but considering the conditions of the
course, I think I did pretty well when all things are considered.
I
had to add 20 minutes to my total running time because after the 3rd
loop I had to stop at my car and refuel for each remaining loop, which
added 5 minutes per loop to my result.
I was trying hard to get
in and out of my refuel area as quickly as possible, and I think I made
some improvement when compared to last year's Farmdale race, where I
lounged around eating and drinking after each 11 mile loop. I think I
can still find some improvement in this area of race management, so I
will keep working on it.
The first loop I had to try to keep
myself in check so I brought my camera along and stopped to make a few
pictures along the way. That kept me from going too fast. 
There was a dangerous creek crossing at the midway point of each loop,
a runner could either step gingerly on ice covered rocks to avoid
getting wet, or step directly into the freezing ankle deep water.
When
I got to the crossing the first time I had nobody behind me, so I
stopped and gazed at the rocks for about 1 minute. 10-12 runners then
arrived at the creek so I moved out of the way to watch them cross.
After 7-8 runners crossed successfully, I jumped in line and got myself
to the other side without falling or getting wet.
During the 2nd
loop when I got to the creek, a runner ahead of me was not so lucky. I
watched him slip on one of the rocks and fall directly into the water,
butt first. It looked like he hurt his hand, and he started walking
instead of running after removing himself from the creek. Ouch!
100%
of the trails were covered in 1-2 inches of slippery snow, so I never
was able to land flat on my feet, it was always at an angle, and it
made pushing off more difficult than normal. It felt like I was
expending more energy per step than I was accustomed to.
Because
of this my hip flexors became fatigued during loop 3. They rarely get
sore, rather it is my quads which are the usual complainers, so I had
to deal with not having good leg lift for the rest of the run.
I
was worried that as the race wore on, my hip muscles would get worse,
but it turned out that they remained just slightly fatigued all the way
through, so I got lucky.
Surprisingly my quads, hamstrings and
calves performed well considering the whole run was in snow. They did
not get sore, and only had some minor fatigue in loops 6 and 7.
I
experienced a drop in energy during the 4th loop, but I knew from my
training runs that it should pass. I kept telling myself during the low
that once I got through the 4th loop I would have some momentum to
finish, because of being past the halfway point.
When I began
the 5th loop, I knew the real struggle was beginning. I kept telling
myself to control my effort and to step lightly, and tried keeping my
upper body relaxed and loose.
My breathing was good until the
final loop, when my chest muscles got a little tight, which caused some
minor discomfort when trying to inhale large quantities of air.
By
the 5th loop I felt like I was out on the course by myself, because I
passed only 1 walker and 2 runners during the 4 miles. I figured that
most of the runners had quit after 16 miles. This knowledge sapped some
of my energy, but it also inspired me because I thought it would be
cool to be one of the few runners to finish 7 loops.
Once I got
to the 6th loop I felt relieved, because I now knew I had a chance to
finish, I just had to stay disciplined with my pace, which was easier
now that there were no runners around. I once again experienced some
energy lows, but I was happy how well my feet and legs were holding
out. I was constantly monitoring my feet because of how tricky the
footing was, but they never got tired or felt sore. I passed the walker
and 2 runners again.
My favorite moment of the race happened
during the final mile of the 6th loop. This was a tough stretch of
uphill running into a side wind. I had forgotten how hilly this course
was. Nothing steep, but some subtle long inclines which were good at
defeating morale.
I was starting to waver during that final mile
of the 6th loop, wondering how I was going to continue, because I was
feeling so crappy. Electrobank by The Chemical Brothers then started to
play on my ipod, and I had a surge of adrenaline shoot through my head.
I started dancing crazy while I was running, picking up the pace,
swinging my arms, shaking my legs out to the sides. I know I must have
looked like a clown out there in the desolate prairie dancing under the
cold sun, but nobody was around and it made me happy. I started shadow
boxing, feeling stubborn and willful, and I started punching at the
sun, which was just to the left of my eyes.
"I'm gonna beat you today sun", I yelled out, punching it square in the face a few times, "knock you out!"
This
foolishness got me to the staging area and I couldn't believe my spirit
concocted such a gimmick to get me through that rough stretch.
When
I completed the 6th loop the race director came up to me as I was
writing down my time and seemed excited. He asked me how I felt, and I
told him great, and that I felt I had a good chance to finish the 7th
loop.
"Oh, you'll finish that loop, these guys here will give
you a hard time if you don't", he told me, pointing to a group of
runners who were sitting by the fire, talking, and drinking beer.
Seeing
how nice it was to be sitting down by the fire, I tried not to let my
focus waver. I was psyched that I had made it to the final loop, and
was excited to get back out there and finish off the run.
The
7th loop was similar to the 6th, which was a relief, because throughout
the race I walked only 200m or so. Everything was forward motion with a
running stride, even if it was slow and methodical.
I threw a
few punches at the sun during the final mile, knowing I had it beat. I
kicked it home the final 400m, feeling great as the beer drinking
runners around the fire cheered me on as I sprinted the final 100m.
When
I finished I received my well deserved homemade cream filled cupcake,
stood by the fire, and drank water. I later noticed that the cupcake
made a ring of chocolate around my mouth, making me resemble the clown
I was during the bout with the sun.
I talked briefly with a
local ultra legend, and he told me that only 7 or 8 people did the full
28 miles, that made me feel good.
All in all, a great experience, what a race, I love running long distance! #442
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