Notes
Pre-Race: The 2 weeks leading up to the race I had had some abdominal issues. I knew the timing was going to be a problem, but was hoping it would pass in time. I did not get so lucky and ended up having one of the worst occurrences that I have had in the past few months. The goal was to be careful and just make sure I held things at bay and avoid making it worse before the race. Because of this, I was also pretty paranoid about food leading up to the weekend since any sort of excess pressure makes things worse. I pretty much at bread and cheddar for 3 days out of fear of branching out... that may have not been entirely smart, but it seemed at least safe. Miriam was a lovely host and I got some great sleep in the few days before which was definitely a step up from Tesla Hertz. Hung out and watched Saturday's races, which was a nice way to ease in.
Race day:
Had a pretty big breakfast maybe 2 hrs before, stomach was a bit unsettled which was unnerving, but ok. It was cool at the start and I was still feeling full. Chatted a bit at the line and then we were off. I was really surprised at the pace the whole field seemed to take off at. I was pretty far back and still going faster than I intended. I don't think it was so fast it ruined me, but probably not ideal. Tried to ignore everyone and not go crazy but as the 1st loop split shows I definitely got carried away. My stomach was kind of full and I had to pee so the pressure on my stomach combined with the very steep downhills was putting additional pressure on my abdomen, and I noticed some stress on it at the 10k, so I was pretty nervous and made sure to calm the pace. Stopped at the Yurt to pee, but after waiting a while for the portopot to free up I gave up and went on another loop knowing it wasn't long. Still full when I got back and I realized that it's a long race and I needed to relax and just wait it out this time. I felt a little better and settled in just trying to be careful on the downhills.
Got to the start/finish area the first time feeling good and starting to relax a bit. The second loop was less hilly which seemed nice the first time through.
The second circuit I was trying to keep food up, but didn't have as much interest in eating as I would have liked. Talked a bit to a few people, but never stayed in the same crowd for long. I felt great in the woods and although I was walking more than I was the first time through I seemed to be picking off people and moving up through the crowds. Heading back to the start finish area my legs were definitely noticeably beat from the hills. I was getting to the point where I felt horribly during Tesla Hertz so I was trying to mentally prepare for that whole body ache. It never came, but it was more that the heat was creeping up and I realized my muscles were doing a lot more work this go around. When I hit the second loop this time through I found the fact that there were fewer hills to make the time crawl. This was not helped by some terribly incorrect km markers that were utterly confusing. 2km to go was more like 2 miles, which is not helpful when running that far. Things were about to get tough and I could tell, so I was just trying to remember that was the point.
Starting the 3rd loop it was warm. It had gone from about 45 in the morning to about 75 and the temps were still climbing. The sunny fields in that loop were especially rough. My stomach was getting bloated from drinking water and not having enough salt, but the abdominal discomfort kept me from wanting to eat. I started to feel the pressure more on downhills and had started supporting the adomen with my hand when running down the steepest parts (more like trotting). I got to the Yurt and saw Joe Rachel and Matt. I felt beat and I could tell they could tell. I took off again after forcing down some chips. The last time into the Yurt I didn't stop, I knew it wasn't helping. I took off into the woods and down one of the steep hills.... and that hill was pretty much the end of me. I got the familiar sharp abdominal pain that signaled probably an end to running for the day. About two weeks earlier I had been able to walk for a bit because I stopped early enough and get back to an easy jog, so I told myself just walk a few miles and then see what happens. I was too far in to stop and it was going to be a great day even if I slogged it in from there. I tried to run again briefly after and shuffled through the aid station by Joe, Rachel and Matt not wanting to admit I had a problem, but before I got back into the woods I was walking again.
I hit the start/ finish area before heading to the second loop and since I had been walking for more than a mile at that point Joe was waiting at the edge of the woods. I was angry and frustrated that things were falling apart because of an injury that no one has been able to fix and that I thought I had learned to manage, so when I saw him I just lost it and started to cry. We walked through the area together and by the time we got to Matt and Rachel we decided I'd take Rachel with me for company on the last 5.5 since it looked like I'd be walking it in from there.
The company helped and after doing a little bit of bitching about it, I was in better spirits, but physically things hadn't improved. I had walked about 2 miles at 16 min/mile and tried to test a jog with no luck. We walked and talked and some familiar faces came by. After another half mile or so I was very rested and not in pain while walking which made it even more frustrating that the pain came back immediately after jogging. We tried to squeeze in 30 sec intervals on uphills which stressed it the least and could manage a bit of a jog before it crept back up. At this point i was now running up hills only and walking the flats and downhills ( complete reverse in strategy). This time around I knew the distance markers were off so I didn't get my hopes up too early. I managed to run/hobble in the finish for just over 9.
It was hard becuase I would have been thrilled with the time at the start of the day, but given how it happened it was frustrating. However I was done, which was great and I had some great support between Joe the Shanmeisters and the Morins. At some point before the injury but when the heat was bad Joe told me "don't worry there's a lot of carnage out there..." and somehow that was uplifting knowing I wasn't the only one suffering. When I finished I learned Tim dropped out of the 50k and Keith dropped from the 50 mile. My finish wasn't pretty, but given the circumstances I was really happy I got through it and to have a time like that under the circumstances has me itching to see what I can do next time...