Land between the lakes - 50 mile Ultra

This was the fourth race in the list of races that I signed up for in one shot a couple of weeks back. After successfully completing the Frost Bite half marathon, the Mercedes-Benz Marathon and the Black Warrior 50K, it was time to conquer the last one, which was a mighty giant by itself, and it appeared as if it was just waiting to devour me. It’s a good thing sometimes to commit yourself to something without much planning.

On our way to LBL:

Amanda, Taylor, Diane, Kim, Jeff, Harrah and I headed towards Kentucky after work on Friday evening. The drive was really pleasant with occasional showers. I was so tired that I slept through the whole drive. The cabin that Diane got for us was really gorgeous.

(View from our cabin)

We dropped our stuff and headed to collect our race packets and then to Pattis 1880s Settlement, a local restaurant. The food was really delicious, but I really liked their “Flower Pot Bread”.

Diane and I had signed up for the 50 miles, while the rest decided to run the 60K, marathon and half marathon. I still wasn’t sure about the massive task that was waiting for me the next day. We headed to our cabin and called it a night.

Race day morning

I hate race day mornings. That’s when you get such thoughts as, “What the hell am I doing here? Wish I could just get more sleep”. Hastily, I pulled myself out of bed and grabbed a bagel and coffee. It was still cold outside, but being just a few yards from the start line, we took our own time to get there. Little did I know about the pain that I was about to go through, and that I wouldn’t be returning to the cabin until evening for sure.

Off we started

Jeff’s advice was constantly ringing in my head, “Keep up the pace, have a constant steady pace”. 50 miles, 80.5km, a 4-loop course, an elevation change of about 4000’ and a course filled with sections containing exposed roots and rocks. It was a single-track trail and the first loop was pretty much crowded with half marathon runners. The first loop of the race went great, and the density of runners started reducing. This particular race being a 4-loop course, the mile markers had three different distances, one for each loop. It’s bliss to not have the mile markers sometimes.

Cut-off

This race also had a cut-off: I had to start the fourth loop by 1:45PM. It was 1:15PM already and I still had about 4 miles to the start of the 4th loop. I had better meet the cut-off, or else I am out of the race. Either I can push myself and make the cut-off, or choose to go home by running the 60K. I wasn’t ready to settle for the 60K for sure. I ran an 8 min/mile pace. 60K runners on my way were really co-operative and made way for me on the trail. Pushed myself really hard for the last few yards and made the cut-off with still about 3 mins left. By this time I was lying down flat on the paved road looking at the sky. The volunteers were really helpful and got me some supplies.

The last loop

Now that I had met the cut-off, the volunteers mentioned that I was good to start the final loop and finish the race. The pain was unbearable and I was so very sore. Lying down for long wasn’t a good option. After devouring two bananas, I picked up a can of Coke and started the fourth loop. 7 hours into the race and still more to go. The trail and mile markers started looking familiar; of course, I had run through them three times by now. My Achilles and hamstrings were having some trouble. I could see an evident swelling near the arch of my left foot. A pain as if someone was piercing it with a needle.

I hadn’t seen a single runner in a long time. It was just silence. It started getting cloudy and the wind was really chilly. The worst I expected, rain! It poured out. I would have enjoyed running in the rain any other day, but definitely not today. The trails started getting slippery and I fell probably a dozen times. Every step that I took either made me slide or fall face first. I was completely covered in mud from head to toe. Every step felt like I was stepping on pieces of broken glass. I kept pushing myself until the road came into view, which meant I was just 4-5 miles away from the finish line.

The final stretch

The pain was uncontrollable and my body was screaming to stop, but my mind was constantly pushing. I can’t give up now. The goal is within reach and in fact it’s almost there. The last few miles of a marathon or ultra definitely break any runner, and in my case, they shattered me into a million pieces. Almost 10 hours into the race and still going. I could hardly feel my lower body. A couple of tears rolled down my cheeks when I hit the road, but the heavy downpour didn’t make it evident for those who were supporting me. Kim, Amanda and Diane drove by to cheer me up.

A long stretch of road to run and 2 miles seemed like an eternity. I tried forcing myself to think of the moment of crossing the finish line, a 50-mile ultra buckle being handed over to me, bragging about my finish with my friends, etc. As much as I was trying to motivate myself, on the other side, my body was waging a war to bring me to a full stop. I was crawling by now, but when I ran across the bridge, I knew that the finish line wasn’t too far. Finally, the intersection came in sight and I could vaguely see the finish time clock. Diane accompanied me for the last few yards. My friends, runners and volunteers were cheering me on. Pain? What pain? I felt nothing, absolutely nothing. A few long leaps and I crossed the finish line. The RD awarded me the belt buckle. My first ultra buckle, my first 50-mile run.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/27911712

I was totally out of control for the next few minutes, and I never thought this would happen to me. While Diane hugged me to congratulate me, tears started flooding my eyes to the point that I started crying almost like a baby. Why, I don’t know. Something that just happened involuntarily and I just couldn’t control it, not a bit. This had never happened before. I was really proud of my success. You’ll know whether you can accomplish a feat or not only if you try in the first place, and I was glad to know that it was something I could do and something I did.

Time to recover

Uncle Jeff congratulated me with his warm hugs as soon as I entered the cabin and handed me a glass of Chardonnay to celebrate. A hot shower felt like heaven. My wounds, which had been hiding under the dirt all day, started surfacing. After the shower it was more food, more wine and, of course, more Tylenol. The next day, every step was unbearable pain, but it comes with the territory, and I have no eternity left to recover. Why? Because I’ll have to get ready for my ‘Oak Mountain 50K’ ultramarathon.