Mount Cheaha 50K

2/26/11

I finished!

Friday night, Andy S. and I met up at the hotel before going to the pasta dinner and packet pick up for the big event. Packet pick up was at the top of Mount Cheaha, the finish line, where our Saturday morning adventure would begin. Dinner was the typical pasta pre-race meal. There were door prizes, of course I didn't get anything - never do, haha. We had a guest speaker, Annette Bednosky, an super ultra runner in my opinion. What really caught my attention was that she had run the Burning River 100 last year - the same race that Gordon, Megan & Eric crewed for Mike & Kevin - finishing 6th overall and 1st female with a time of 16:44 and has set many female records in the ultra distances. After the dinner and talks, Andy and I headed back to the hotel to get some rest. This is Andy's first 50k attempt and I have done 3 prior to this one. We checked the weather in an attempt to make sure we had everything we thought we would need for the adventure in the morning.

Andy and I had done a few 14 - 20 mile runs at Lake Lurleen outside of Tuscaloosa to prepare for the race, none of which were in my opinion were "strong" runs. I had a minor achilles setback and a cold that really interrupted my training since my last 50K which was in December 2010 - birthday bash 50k run - causing me to not feel very strong or comfortable for this event. I didn't feel bad, just knew I could have had a few more weeks of good training.

Saturday morning arrives with Andy waking before the alarm clock which was set for 4am. We figured we would need to leave the hotel by 5:15am in order to be at the finish where we would catch the bus to the start. We get to the top of Mount Cheaha were it was a cool 38F and a beautiful sunrise beginning to fill the sky. Sorry, I didn't get a picture but trust me - it was beautiful. The sky was just starting to turn a burnt orange and fog was hanging in the valley below us. Once at the top, I was introduced to a few people, like Mike E. from dailymile and chatted with some people I knew before boarding the bus. The time came for the runners to board the buses and we were off.

Andy S. your's truly

Once we arrive at the starting area, as with any race, the line at the port-a-johns was quickly established. After that, I had to check in for the race. Yep, we had to check in so they knew how many started so they could make sure everyone was accounted for after the race. You know, wouldn't want to loose anyone out there. I met another dailymiler Paul P. and we talked a bit as we waited for the final word. 7:30am and the race began. It began to the sound of "Sweet Home Alabama" - Gordon would love this I thought, which caused me to reflect on the year and a half ago when Gordon and I ran 9 miles on this trail.

The start begins in a wide parking area which quickly turns to single track, single file running. No need to get in a hurry, plenty of time to change positions, I mean it's not like this was going to be over in half an hour .. haha. Funny thing was, many of the people I was with at the start, I would see throughout the day and we would change positions many times. I began my normal trail run humor and start making jokes. You know, banjo sounds, pigs squealing ... yada, yada, yada -references to the movie "Deliverance" - and just my normal chit chat to lighten things up. You just can't get to uptight running out on the trails. Know what I mean!? Everyone begins to settle into a pace the best we can considering the occasional slowdown because someone begins to walk up a hill. Positions change and shift as we stroll along, it's going to be a beautiful day. I'm feeling good, and starting to warm up. I'm sipping my HEED/Gel mix from my handheld and I'm feeling good, things are going well. Somewhere along the first couple miles Andy & I drift apart and I hope he's feeling good and that his foot isn't giving him a lot of pain or trouble. Down the first steep hill and we know have our first casualty of the day. Man, his knee looks pretty bad several of us discuss. Better tell them about this guy when we hit the aid station I think. It should be fairly soon.

3+ miles and Aid Station 1 comes into view, I fill up handheld, grab a PB&J 1/4 and start back out. Not much to report through the next several miles, to tell you the truth, I'm not really keeping track, I'm just enjoying the day. Somewhere around mile 6-ish, I stopped for a couple of pictures after our 2nd major climb. This would be the last time I took pictures, not by plan, not that I planned on when I would stop and take a picture, it's just the way it turned out.

things are rolling along just fine. Dirt road, big hill, great view and a lot of walking to the top. Not walking from pain, just trying to conserve a little. Hit the top and down I go - good grief, what am I doing running sub 8 down this hill, slow down fella lots of miles to go. I'm still feeling good and don't sense any problems.

Aid Station soon pops up but they are out of HEED & water. Well, they had some bottles of water and were rationing it until they could get the water jugs refilled. I ate a few things, tried to sip water then headed out.

Mile 14/15 and things begin to change. Rocks, rocks and more rocks. Not big rocks, not little rocks, ankle twister rocks which were hidden by leaves. Sometimes you can run, sometimes you had to walk or risk an injury. Tightness in the calves - what's this??? I note to myself: hands are a little swollen, that's not good; that's a sign I may be starting to dehydrate. I pop a couple extra E-caps. I had already taken a couple and I only packed enough for what I thought I would need. Note to self: take more than you think you need. In retrospect, I must have sweat more than I thought. I think the temps got up to the mid 70's.

From this point on, this great day on the trails is beginning to take a turn for the worse. Cramps keep coming and going, I'm sipping more fluids and spending a little more time at the aid stations to get what I can in the way of fluids, sodium & potassium. I'm eating cut up bananas, oranges, pretzels and the ever wonderful trail race staple, PB&J. I'm slowing down. I'm in a dark spot, mentally. It's caused by the cramps, I know it. Fight through it. Next aid station, try to recover. It would never happen, I was too far gone.

Mental games begin. So, what are you made of? Are you going to quit? I wish I could quit, I won't quit. On and on it went. I'm mad, mad because I know that if it wasn't for the cramps I would be doing much better. The mind games continue .....

Even though this is not turning into the event I had envisioned, I still managed to crack a joke every now and then. The going is slow. I wonder how Andy is doing. I wonder how everyone else I had met today was doing. Mind games continue.

That dark spot is getting darker, so I try to change focus by encouraging those around me. It helps but that darkness just isn't lifting. I begin to think in terms of cut off times. I'm dehydrated & I'm cramping bad. The thought of 15/16 miles of cramping is weighing on my brain, not to mention body. How many more miles can go?

Around mile 26/27 I see Drew T. !!! What a surprise and very welcomed sight. I think it took me a minute to figure out I wasn't hallucinating ... haha .... What is he doing here? So, I ask, what are you doing here? He said, just payback. I'm still in awe of his attitude to take time out of his weekend, drive up there only to give us some encouragement. He walks with me a while and I let him know I'm cramping up like crazy but I'm determined to finish and that he just didn't know how much I appreciated seeing him. Last Aid station is about a mile away, he tells me and said he was going to go back (I'm sure he ran back too) and wait for Andy.

Last aid station. I check in and grab some food and drink, top off my handheld and prepare myself for the unknown climb known as "Blue Hell". This is the point in the race that will make or break you. This is the real gut check. this is the steepest and hardest part of the entire race. Here is when you don't run but rock climb and follow the blue painted marks on the trees and rocks (some are boulders). It is 900' or more nearly straight up over a .5-.75 trek. Yep, 3 miles to go and there is this mountain you have to climb before getting to the finish. Time, I'm running out of time but there is still time. I must keep moving forward, I can't quit!!

1/2 way up and the worst, most painful cramps overtake me. I scream, I'm mad, I hurt. Wait, is that Andy? I check on him, asking how he's doing. He says he hurts and his heel is really hurting but he's doing well and begins to move on. I lock up again and scream like I have never screamed before!!! Man this hurts!! He comes back down a few yards and tries to massage my calves -the things are like knots he tells me. Another runner comes up on us and she offers me a few E-caps, I take them and thank her, she moves on. Andy asks what can he do, I tell him go on, finish. What's that noise? Huh, what, wait, its my phone. Who the heck is calling me right now?!?!?!?!? It's my daughter. She's asking where I'm at? I said giving birth to some cramps about 2 miles away. She said I could do it and that they were waiting for me at the finish. I've gotta get going, I can't let her down, they came all the way to see me finish. "Snap"!! Something in my brain snapped. As I lay there in pain on that rock it happened. I will make it run, walk or crawl - just finish came to mind. I begin to crawl, yes crawl up those rocks. I'm going to finish this or they will have to pull me off the course but I'm gonna finish.

Pain, pain, it hurts but I'm moving. I'm moving forward, I'm climbing up the rocks .... the top, I'm at the top. I move on slow, there is no running, my legs hurt and I'm in pain. Finish, all I have to do is finish. Look back, no trail sweep, I'm going to finish. Stay ahead of the trail sweep and you finish. I glance back, I'm safe. On I plod. Sounds, what's that sound? Speakers, I hear a PA system, they're calling out names. I'm close, I'm gonna finish, another glance back, no trail sweep.

I pop out of the woods and there is the road to the finish. I start to run - I guess, it was to me anyway - I see Andy & Drew, they cheer me on. I round the corner to the finish line and I see my daughter & her boyfriend, they're cheering me on. They call out my name, I'm finished. They give me my reward - a tech-t shirt, yep I got the t-shirt, it's official, I'm a finisher. Andy, Congrats on finishing your first 50k.

Was this my best, by no means. Was it my worst, only time will tell. Was it the hardest, to this date YES! Did I learn something, you betya!! Did I dig deep, the deepest I think I've ever had to dig. It was a long day. Would I do this event again, I have to, I have a score to settle; Me vs Cheaha. When? I don't know but I will do it again!! What was my time? Under 9 hours. What was my position? I guess I was last, I have no idea.

If you are on Twitter or a dailymiler and don't follow anyone mentioned in my posting, please do; they're great people and my thanks goes out to each of them for any and all parts they've played in this experience in my life. I must also thank each person that sent me motivation or encouragement before and after this race, you don't know how much it means. It is really difficult to think that though in some ways I failed, failed to hit my goal; I encouraged others and that in itself means it wasn't a failure. Thanks Everyone!!