North Coast 24, The USA 24 Hour National Championships

Preface

For those interested in only the race portion, feel free to skip the first few paragraphs and find yourself to the section titled, "Start to Noon".  For those who don't know any better and want to read EVERYTHING... you asked for it!

Since the failed attempt at making a new PR in my race early in January of this year, I've been wanting a good comeback race where I would bring my body and mind to a whole new level.  At first, I thought it was going to be at Cruel Jewel.  In preparation, I ran the Pistol 100km and won that.  I continued training and a week before a 6 hour race, I was sidelined by a turned rib.  With a miraculous recovery by falling mid-race, I was able to salvage some of the training, but not enough.  I then decided to make my goal at Cruel Jewel one that of survival.  MAKE IT TO THE END! The new goal was North Coast 24, the USA 24 Hour National Championships.  Here, I was going to set a new Personal Best, do well in the standings, and finish the year strong.

I spent a good portion of the summer practicing how to run slowly and as July turned into August, I reached my peak mileage of just under 100 miles in a week and began my tapering process.  It was time to get ready.  However, there was one thing I began to worry about.  I had added a little bit of sauna training to get use to the heat, but it immediately drained me of my energy the next day.  I was in trouble.  If the race was hot, I was not going to do well.... so I cut my mileage and added a little sauna training, but not enough time passed and before I knew it, there was only a week remaining until THE race... and forecast said it was going to be a hot one.  Crap....


The Course:

Located by Lake Erie, Edgewater Park hosts this race on an 8' wide asphalt track which goes around in a .8822 mile loop with minor elevation changes.  As a relatively flat course, it gives the individual racing the opportunity to go around with ease and therefore, high mileage is a high possibility!  However, as the day progresses, it's good to know that those minor elevation changes will turn into huge hills, so be aware!  The course is also fairly open and so should the sun shine down, you will be taking the brunt of its rays until night falls.  Once the night falls, I'd say about 80% of the course is well lit (and the unlit part is the running crew area) so it's a course where light is not needed.


My Gear:

2 pairs of Topo Ultrafly 2
1 pair of Topo Phantom
1 pair of Topo Zephyr
1 pair of Stoke Signal Socks
3 pairs of back-up generic socks
KT Tape and blister prevention/treatment tapes
KT Muscle Recovery+ and Chafe Safe Gel Stick
Squirrel's Nut Butter (new friend from Cruel Jewel gave me some!)
SAAX Compression Shorts
Nike Combat Compression Shorts as backup
Underarmour shorts
Backup shorts
Underarmour compression shirts (backup)
Topo shirt (made by Sugoi)
Topo jersey (made by Sugoi)
Topo long sleeved shirt (made by Sugoi)
OrangeMud endurance pack (in case crew got sleepy)
SWORD (berry flavored, duh)
Coca-Cola
Red Bull (for emergencies)
Peanut Butter Crackers
Pickle Juice
Topo Buff and Sleeves (in case of cold)
iPod shuffle with headphones
Coros Apex
Vitamin B


The Crew:

A few months back, I tried to see if my sisters were able to come but due to their busy work schedules, I was unable to get them to agree on making a trip up to Cleveland, OH but fortunately, I asked Christiann if he could come and be my sole crew member for this trip.  He agreed despite knowing that he'd be doing it solo and so I had no worries.  This was going to be a cake walk.  He's crewed me a few times so I knew I could trust him with my life when it came down to racing.  He had a good balance of sarcasm and truth telling as well as caring for the individual but not too much.  He would end up doing the driving to and from TN to OH which was a 14 hour round trip.

We were fortunate to be friends with Olaf (who was also running) and James who invited us to place our crew area right beside them, so now it was even better as our crew had the option of working together... isn't the ultra running community amazing?



The Plan:

Starting by running each lap in 8:00 for two hours, each two hours, I would slow down by 5 seconds, or if it was too much work.  In doing that, I was planning on never running any faster than a 9:00/mile pace.  Every lap, I'd be drinking a little swig of SWORD and coca-cola while every other lap, I would eat a few peanut butter crackers.  Every hour, I would be drinking a little pickle juice instead, and then get back to the usual drinks.  Switching shoes would happen only when I felt like it.

As the day goes on, I would little by little slow down, and in doing so, ideally slow faster than I tire and if I feel good enough at the end, I would hold onto a pace.  It was a rather simple plan and it seemed very doable, as most of my training has me running faster than a 9 minute mile.  If I need an energy boost, level 1 is vitamin B, level 2 is Red Bull and level 3 is music.

All that being said, my number one goal was to have the most fun through all of the race and see if I could stay awake the whole 24 hours without becoming too exhausted.  I also had a secondary goal of making a PB and ideally reaching above 130 miles.  Capable of more, I figured I could aim lower and be okay with going faster at the end if everything worked out.

Pre-Race:

Friday, Christiann and I drove up from Nashville to Brunswick and stay the night over at Pete Kostelnick's house.  Awesome guy!  Super glad he was there.  Arriving at 9:00pm, we only had a little time before I had to sleep, but it was easy.  I had everything planned and had it all packed the way I wanted it.  All I had to do was wake up, take a cold shower, and put on my clothes and go.  Saturday morning came and I woke up after having a decent night's rest and I did just as I planned and we drove the rest of the way to the park.  Having a lot of stuff, we dropped it off at the curb and proceeded to bit by bit bring it to the northern end where we would meet up with Olaf and James and prepare our home base.  I put my KT tape on the bottom of my feet and put on my socks, then put on my Zephyrs and put the Chafe Safe Gel Stick and Squirrel's Nut Butter where it needed to go, and then rubbed my quads and calves with the Muscle Recovery+.  Didn't have time to eat breakfast as I totally forgot, but eh, it's alright.  Things happen.  Race was starting in 5 minutes, so had to go!


Start to Noon

When we started, I did as I always did.  Jumped up and ran smoothly, putting myself out in first.  It wasn't a statement, but more or less that I needed to stretch out my legs before I calmed down and got into a good pace.  As I was the only one that did that, I laughed and asked if anyone would like to run and talk with me, and one brave soul did.  We had a nice conversation for a lap and then I figured out what my pace would be and at my station, I stopped and walked a little bit before going on the run again.  It would be a run walk kind of day.  It was nice to be out there.  A beautiful day... a beautiful sunny day... a sunny day... a hot sunny day... wait... it was getting hot.  I wasn't liking it.  My body was sweating.  I was feeling a little tired and thirsty despite drinking every .8822 miles... oh crap.  I'm in trouble.  3 hours into the race and I knew something was wrong.  I was about 18 miles in and already in bad shape.

Noon to 5:00


At around noon, my heart rate was going up to 170-180 bpm, which is high for running at a 9 minute pace.  I was following my plan carefully, but with this, my plan would have to fall into pieces one way or another.  I could either push through the heat and hopefully survive or have to stop/walk and do my best to recover and hope the change of pace meant I would be able to run in the evening with the same speed I originally planned on using.  It took me less than a lap to figure out what I was going to do.  I took a risk.  I bet that I would be able to make a comeback after taking an extremely long walking break.  With a lot on the line, I chose to walk.  At this point I was 4th place, so all of a sudden taking a walk would impact my standing rapidly, and it did.  I'm glad I wasn't paying any attention to my ranking because that would have sucked a lot.  Instead, I used my walk to try to figure out what to do and how I was going to do it.  Walking doesn't change how hot everything was.  It allowed me to use less energy and I wasn't heating up as much, but I needed something to cool me down.

At first, I had my bandana dipped in ice cold water so my head would be cold.  Then I got my cold towel and had that submerged in the water and wrapped around my neck, but it wasn't enough.  I was still having a pretty bad day.  I stopped by the medic tent and chatted a good bit with Dr Leah Frank and her team of medical students and they told me that I needed to stop drinking coca-cola and continue to drink SWORD.  Feeling a little better, I attempted a little jog, but my heart rate went crazy high again and I was like, 'nope, not this time' and went back to a decent paced walk.  I stopped by the medic tent and Dr Lovy was there, who promptly told me I was having a potassium deficiency and needed more bananas in my life, so I took some in.

As I continued on walking towards my goal, Harvey, who was leading the race let me know that I was making a good move, but also gave me some tips and asked if I wanted an ice-bandana.  I said yes, and he said he'd tell his crew to get it to me, so I was relieved.  The ultra running community really is the best place.  When I finished my lap, I got the ice pack and WOW that felt great.  I also started wearing the long sleeved Topo shirt so I wouldn't be directly getting hit by the sun and heating up.  I put that on and instantly felt so much better, I knew I could recover with this as long as I didn't do anything stupid and start running earlier than I needed to.  Good thing I had goal number 1.  Have the most fun.  I would be cheering on people as they passed me and encourage them as they were doing their best.  It would be fun.  I would tell them that they're looking great and that after the sun went down, I'd be running with them so wait for me until that happened.  (I also ate a ton of Skittles, Twizzlers, and gummy bears... weird things to eat, I know)

As I was still feeling better, I began planning.  What did I need to do?  How could I make a comeback?  How were my legs feeling?  How was I going to survive the night?  When the plan was somewhat summarized, I began to have even more fun.  I had a direction, a path I could take to get me to the next level.  I continued on encouraging those that were running that they were looking break and letting the ones walking that the temperature would start dropping soon.  It was nice.  At this point of the race, I was getting to know people and enjoying my time.  This wasn't all part of the original plan, but I was still going to have a lot of fun and help as many as I could with their goals.

5:00 to 9:00

As 5:00 pm rolled around, the temperature had already gone some.  I wasn't sure when exactly I would go run, but it was soon.  I itched for a run, but had to make sure I was ready.  I had to listen to my body and make sure that it was ready for some continuous running, and I also needed to know if it was sore from the hours of walking.  All I know is that after mile 40 around 9 hours after the race started, I decided to ease into my running and began running half a lap and see how I was doing.  It felt good.  I figured another would be okay... and it felt good as well.  My legs were recovered and not feeling well, I had enough potassium in me for the rest of the day.  My water level was good.  The ice-bandana would remain on me to keep my body from heating up.  I felt ready.

And so I ran.

Between 6:00 and 7:00, Christiann later told me I was 18th place or something but at 7:00pm, I was for sure in 16th place.  I knew it was going to happen.  I told Christiann, "You're about to see the biggest comeback ever." and he responded, "You got this bro!" (or something like that) and off I went.  Not too fast, but fast enough where I was comfortable.  It was going to be a smooth sailing til 9:00pm where he would tell me what place I was and who was in front of me.  Right now, it was all about getting to the starting line.  I was moving fast and passing people and enjoying the journey.  Most people were surprised to see me running and I was happy to surprise them.  I had finished about 57-58 miles by this time.  I needed to do the same number of miles on the flip side... could I do it?  I don't know... but I did know one thing.

I was back!



9:00 to 3:00

Finally, arriving at my crew, I was told my place.  I was 6th place.  I wasn't too far behind.  The next person was only a few miles in front of me.  I could definitely catch them.  The heat had zapped all of us, and those that recovered were pulling ahead.  The people ahead of me were going to be harder to catch.  Not sure if it was possible, but you never know til you try.  I still had 12 hours and that was more than enough time to reach them.  As I continued to run at a controlled speed, I began to pick off people and wasn't feeling too exhausted from the running.  I was given Ramen Noodles, and that was a life saver.  I needed more energy and the sugar was killing me.  It was taking a while to catch people and so I needed to continue to fuel myself as I continued to bit by bit chisel down the distance in front of me.  It was a lot easier to aim at the people in front of me rather than a number.

Harvey, Robert, Gabe, Kristy, Olaf.  The kill list... okay, that was way dark... but it was night time, and I needed a good game to play.  I was hurting a little by then and needed to fake it til I make it (my motto).  If I could catch them, that would be fun.  Competition to help me run the best I could.  I knew (or knew of) all of them so it was going to be a fun run.  I hardly saw Harvey as he and I were running at about the same pace (though he was 14-15 miles ahead of me) but I did randomly see the others.  I just needed my crew to let me know how close I was so I could count.


I kept running at a controlled pace and did my best to have fun as I went round and round in circles... I mean, even writing about it is an ultra-marathon sometimes.  I kept coming up to the crew pit stop but not much has changed.  They were a few miles ahead and just lapping them once isn't good enough.  Unfortunately, I did see Olaf not doing well, as the heat had taken it's toll on him.  I wanted him to be well, but the sun had done its damage.  Right around the time I passed him for 5th place, he announced his retirement from the race.  With the way things were going, I didn't like it, but it was for the best.  I still have 4 people to go after.  Kristy, I could tell because of her hair, Robert because of his running form, and Gabe because of his neon shirt.  When I was out running, I was always looking for those three because worrying about trying to catch Harvey... extremely unlikely.

As I continued on, I managed to catch Kristy (where? I have no clue, it was a long night, forgive my lack of memory). I only had 3 people ahead of me, only 2-3 laps ahead of me.  Definitely doable, but I needed to calm down.  I've been known to go too fast and blow up.  This would be the worst possible thing to do.  Go get them, get ahead, blow up, have them pass me.  This was a competition against myself and them.  I did have one goal though.  I wanted to be the second person to get 100 miles.  With that deadline, I planned that I would overtake them sometime before 3 in the morning, and so I kept that in mind and continued to search for them as I ran along.

Except I didn't see them for some time.  I had no clue where they were.  For a little bit, I had lost sight of them.  Did they speed up?  Did I slow down?  I started to get worried.  I thought I was in 3rd and 2nd was in front of me but I was unsure what was going on.  What was my pace again?  2:30 am isn't the best time to solve world problems or personal problems.  Fortunately, I had a crew that knew what was up.  Christiann was asleep for a little bit so James had taken up Christiann's position as my lead man, and so tired ol' me begged him, "Where's second place?  I need to catch him."

James said, "You're never going to catch 2nd place Sho..."

"What?!?" said Sho, appalled and in shock.

"You're 2nd place, Sho." replied James with a grin.

Oh crap, this isn't a dialogue in a novel... well I was happy and angry with him but was pleased.  I had 6.5 hours to catch up with Harvey....did some quick math, and basically, I needed to lap him once every 20 minutes in order to beat him.

That was practically impossible.

But I'm also kinda stupid.

So I went for it to see if it was possible.

After chugging a Red Bull, for the next 2ish miles, I burned rubber and ran without stopping.  I ran my fastest lap 93 miles into the race just to see if I could catch Harvey.  Obviously, I couldn't, but hey, I did have to try right?  It was rough, but it was fun.  I was playing leap frog with Gabe who was 3rd and in doing a 2 mile speed drill in the middle of the race, I got myself 4-5 laps ahead of him.  I didn't need to worry too much about placing, but I did need to survive for the last 6 hours if I wanted to stay 2nd place.  Well, I guess I'll have to go for that 100 mile and then see how much I could do after that.

3:00 to Finish

With Harvey far ahead of me and my PB was also at a point where I would be unable to reach, there was considerably less stress and I just had to continue to press on and enjoy as much as I could, but it was harder to do so.  I chatted with people for a bit, but everyone has their own pace.  My walking pace is toooooosloooooowww and my running pace is decently fast (but not as fast as Harvey now).  I guess I could do some visits and then run... and so I did.  It wasn't too bad, and I was able to run with quite a few people, from an 8 year old who ran 40 miles up to an 84 year old who ran 50. 

Ultramarathon running is amazing.  Ultramarathon running is fun.  As the sun came up, I ran/walked with Harvey for the last hour, and for the last partial lap, Gabe joined us.  1st, 2nd, and 3rd place, all together.  It was one heck of a race.  Filled with so much going on.  I made a lot of friends, hopefully no enemies, and had a lot of fun.  So many people were filled with smiles as the closing horn sounded and we placed our flags down.  I finished 114 miles for the day, my 3rd best 24 hour distance, but at this prestigious race, my best ranking.  Obviously, I'm going to forget bits and pieces of what went on, but I enjoyed my time here and had a great time with great people.






Photo Acknowledgements:

 Lets give credit to the photographers for their amazing shots.  Hannah Kasamias (clementinephoto.smugmug.com) for the awesome mid course shots.  James Suh for the extra wide shots.  Christiann for the other shots.

Acknowledgements:

First of all, I could never do this without the head honcho, my bro, my best friend Christiann.  He stayed up almost all night to take care of my every need.  He let me know who was cheering for me and what they said.  He drove all the way up and back so I wouldn't stress out from the drive.  He dealt with me, the bratty prince that I am in the race.  Always wanting this and that, and taking care of everything to the best of his knowledge. He kept things in stock and made sure I was alright.  Thanks a bunch.

Secondly, I gotta thank all the runners on the course.  Despite all of us suffering, people still had time to encourage me and some even gave me smiles.  Harvey gave me his ice bandana and told me how I should wear a long sleeved shirt to protect me from the sun.  Thirdly, I'd like to thank the medical staff for their support and knowledge.  They not only helped me with my issues during the race, but even after the race.  Brian Polen was also one of the best directors, having energy wanting to help, just BEING there for the runners.  He's such a great guy.  The aid station people were also the bomb.  They had EVERYTHING!

I'm also super thankful for my sponsors as they were supporting my training and giving me the tools I needed to succeed.  Topo for the shoes that carried me here.  Uncle Lem's for providing me some of the other garments I needed to get through.  KT Tape for their literal support and some of their new stuff!  Orange Mud.  I didn't get to use their pack, but during almost every training run, I've worn the pack.  In supporting my training, they supported my success in the race.  SWORD Performance for the wonderful berry elixir.  Drank like I was a swordaholic.  Stoke Signal, we still talking, but a shout out for you.  Your socks were wonderful.

Final Acknowledgements:

Thank you for everyone who supported me that weren't in the race.  I had such a huge amount of support from all over the world (LITERALLY) that were sending me messages of encouragements.  If you weren't there, I'd have an extremely lonely night and it would've been a harder race than it was.  Thank you for cheering and sending powerful words that cheered me up, pushed me forward, and supported me to being my best.  I'm looking forward to our next adventure together.

CRUEL JEWEL 100

Preface

(As many of my stories do, this story comes with a back story.  If you want to skip to the race report, feel free to go down to where it says "Start to Mile 31" and go from there.)

December 2018, I was given the opportunity to run at the Desert Solstice and a week prior to the race, I had gotten sick and though the recovery went well, I did not race well and my stomach wasn't feeling too happy with the water of Arizona while I was staying there.  I ended the race without even getting through half of what I thought I was capable of.

January 2019, I signed up for another race in Florida, due to my failed attempt in December, but was foolish in deciding that I needed to change my eating habits and tried to go keto and race, causing great discomfort throughout the month I should have been recuperating and didn't even give myself a shot at improvement between the time, and lost a month of solid training.  With that, I was behind in fitness, my stomach was sick, and the race also did not go well.

Two races where I didn't get even close to running the whole 24 hours.  Two races where I had failed.  The results of those races sidelined my mind and I wasn't as motivated to continue training.  It was definitely a rough patch, and I needed to do something about it.  So I thought of one race that would be the hardest race I would ever do, something that would require me to be out all night long for a minimum of 24 hours but way worse than a 24 hour race.  I chose the Cruel Jewel 100 because it would give me that.  I don't know how many people knows this, but I am rather awful when it comes to hilly courses and the only reason I compete decently in some hilly terrain is due to the speed in my legs.  Whether it was going up or down, I had a hard time finding the strength to get through it, but in the flats, I've always been able to make up ground... and Cruel Jewel would not provide me that luxury.  It was perfect.  My weakness for 106 miles.

Training was going rather well and I managed a win at the Pistol 100k, but when I had a peak week planned, all of a sudden, I found myself unable to breathe as my lungs felt a severe pain any time I had more than half a breath within me.  Somehow, I had turned my rib, and knocked myself out of training.  I spent 5 days in agony as I could not breathe and I had already signed up for a 6 hour race so I went despite not having run at all prior to the race.  I spent the first 2.5 hours barely breathing and my heart rate slowly climbed despite my slow pace.  Fortunately, I fell down and as if planned, due to the fall, the rib jerked back into place, and my lungs felt free.  I ended up winning the race, but the first half still cost me a good bit, but the week still wasn't the peak week that I had hoped and it was now time for me to taper before Cruel Jewel.

My original goal was to get under 30 hours and get as close to 24 hours as I possibly could, but with the unexpected 5 week taper, the main thing I was going for was to finish the race.

When the race started, I was over rested and nervous about the incline and decline I was about to hit.  This would definitely prove to be as cruel as the course was meant to be.

The Course:

Located in Vogel State Park, in north Georgia, there is a course that is feared due to the 106 miles of mountain running, boasting 33,000 ft of elevation change both up and down.  That's equivalent to climbing up and down Mt Everest and having a few bonus ascents and descents while you're traversing 106 miles.  Most of the course is on trail, but there are a few spots where you will be running on the road.  The majority of the race is either going up or down and an extremely few areas are flat running.  With so many ascents and descents, twists and turns, it's hard to maintain any sort of speed and it is a road runner's nightmare.  Perfect, since I consider myself more of a road runner type of individual.  I just enjoy trails.  The start is at noon on Friday and there is a 48 hour cutoff.  Only one person has made it across the finish line in under 24 hours, and even he was extremely beat down by the course.  Making it through the course is in itself an achievement... so most would consider any finish a glorious feat.

My Gear:

4 Pairs of Topo UltraFly 2's

1 Pair of Topo Phantom
Stoke Signal Socks

KT Tape (to wrap my feet to support the arches)

Nike Combat Compression Shorts and SAAX Compression Shorts

Underarmour shorts

Underarmour compression shirt

Topo singlet, KT tape shirt

OrangeMud endurance pack x2

SWORD (the only drink I would carry in my pack)

Ben Gay (instead of warming up, I use this guy to relax my muscles)

Peanut Butter Crackers

Pickle Juice (gross but effective)

Topo Buff

iPod Shuffle (when the going gets tough)
Coros Apex (tells time and how fast I can go)

The Crew:

Jacob was one of my first cross country runners I've coached when I first began coaching at Johnson University, and now he's also doing ultras.  We made a deal that I would help him in his run at D3 and he would help me in my run over at Cruel Jewel.  It was his first time crewing me, and I knew there wouldn't be a problem as long as he followed the plan.  Aaron Mawfo is one of my best friends from college and he has been to a few of my races.  He would be there only for the first half of the day.  He would be there to help with one of the hardest parts of the race, the first 20 miles and however long he could stay.  With those two and the plan, I would eventually get to the finish line.

The Plan:

At first, the plan was for me to get as close as I could to 24 hours, but with the lung issue during my training, I told my crew to look at the timing plan as a way they could get to the next area ahead of me without ever worrying about missing me.  Other than that, it was simple.  The race would be filled with inclines and declines so I would not have to worry about speed at all unless I had the opportunity.  Walk the uphills and jog the downhills.  The race would come once I get to the half way point.  As I had thrown the plans out the window, time was no longer important to me.  If I was remotely close to my original goals, my crew would be able to tell me what I needed to do, but if it was not close, then I had no worries.  The plans are only guidelines.  I would carry SWORD with me at all times.  I would eat 2 peanut butter crackers every two miles, and whenever I came to an aid station, I would consume coca cola and make sure I was getting properly iced down and cooled off and then get out of there.  At the half way point, I would then know what place I was and begin slowly picking people off, bit by bit.  I would run a little more often now, running a few slight inclines, getting me towards the goal at a faster pace.  Towards the end, I was hoping to get in under 30 hours if possible, and push my luck as far as it would go, and finish strong.  Little did I know that the plan would go askew after the first 25.5 miles....

Pre Race:

Staying the night over at Aaron's place, I had a 1:45 minute drive to the start line.  It wouldn't be too bad as it was a noon start, so I knew I would get the sleep I needed.  I went to sleep before 11, woke up at around 8, it was a good night's rest. I put on the racing outfit except for the KT tape and got ready lazily, and drove into Vogel State Park to get my stuff.  Arriving around 10:45, I went to packet pickup and enjoyed seeing people and then went back to my car, got lubed up, taped up, and put on the icy hot stuff and was ready to begin.  The race would begin at noon....

Start to Mile 31

Starting off, I knew that unlike the rest of the course, the first small portion would be rather easy as it would be on the road.  Being okay with getting passed as the race went on, I went forward as I normally would on a flat course and found myself pushing faster than everyone else.  Knowing that this wouldn't last long, I enjoyed the scenery, and kept it up til I came to the first hill where I promptly walked and was passed by so many people.  As the race had yet to start for me, it was absolutely okay for them all to pass me.  I needed to survive and get to the end in one piece without burning out.  However, that being said, I also needed to get myself out there and back in one piece as fast as I was capable of.  Game day decisions are very taxing and at any moment, like a house of cards, anything can break me.  It didn't matter if I was off by a few hours from what I would have loved to hit because I was going at a pace that was comfortable to me.  Even when my SWORD ran out between meeting my crew, it didn't affect me because I asked the aid station if they could get me some salt tablets and put water in my pack and ate a little more than usual.  Problems are easily averted when I'm in control of reacting and being proactive to each situation.

What did matter to me was at mile 20.6 when too much SWORD was placed in my pack and the shoe change happened an aid station too early.  Though it may seem like a minor detail, to me it was huge.  Though the plan was to put half of a bag of SWORD in my pack, through a misunderstanding of what I needed, the plan was not executed and I ended up carrying extra weight for 4.9 miles, causing me to tire faster (more mental than physical).  The whole idea of me planning ahead was so that I would only have to worry about my race.  After this, now for the rest of the race, I would be worried that there would be more miscommunications again and thus, the extra physical and mental weight wore me down.  At the aid station I left from, I had already consumed a good bit of coca cola and pickle juice, so I was too full to even drink more between the aid stations.  I was planning on exploding at the next aid station because I had a plan and the plan was meant to be followed, but instead, I calmed myself down.  I needed the crew to be supporting me and me exploding on them as I wanted to would not help that happen.

At mile 25.5 I explained thoroughly what it meant to be my crew.  My sisters were thorough at following the plans and they knew what to do, and I found out how hard it could be to work with a new crew that didn't know me and my plans well.  Still ticked because of the lack of apology/recognition for how a small mishap would really affect the rest of the race, I would have to forgive and move forward because at this point, anger was a waste of energy.  I was still frustrated, but at least (hopefully) the plans would be followed and it would be okay.  (I was shown a picture later of how much SWORD I had still left and was told that I hadn't been drinking enough... but to me, when I looked at the picture, all I saw was a pound of extra weight I was carrying throughout the section).  I went out trying to recover, but the house of cards had already fallen and now it was time for me to get into survival mode.  I was still angry and this was not fun.  I made it to mile 31 and at that point, I was emotionally exhausted and needed rest and space from my crew, but wasn't given any.  I guess I was coddled by my sisters who knew me and knew that when I needed space, to stay away and when I needed all the attention, they gave it to me.  At this point, some chafing had also developed and I tried to get some bag balm on it, and it was alright, but it would only get worse.  The only time I was glad my crew was nearby was when I had a sudden cramp attack and also felt nauseated and wanted to throw up.  They were there for me and got me out of those two scenarios.

It was a dark place.  I was not happy at this point.  I felt like I was having to do two people's jobs instead of my own and the mental battle wore me down.  Fortunately, from this point on, things got better.  I knew deep deep down that my crew was doing their best to help me, but I so desperately missed my sisters.

Mile 31 to Mile 50.2

As I was extremely tired and needed a way to get through this horrid mess, Jacob talked to Kevin and Annie and thus I began my journey to the half way point with Annie.  This portion wasn't bad at all as Annie was a wonderful individual to talk to whilst we made our way across the Georgia mountains.  It was easier for me to encourage her instead of focusing on why I felt so crappy and my negativity blew away.  It was a rather joyful time jogging, walking, hiking with another and I was able to eat a buttload at each aid station, powering me up, getting ready for the return trip.  In the trip, I discovered that both Annie and I ran our first ultra in the same race and ran at Leadville the same year!  As this was a rather nice night run we were out for, I had a wonderful time telling stories and getting some back in return.  The bridge with lights was beautiful, the fireflies were out there and it was soothing.  Of course, we weren't dilly dallying around and moving forward, but it was a very very enjoyable night and gave my body time to recover.

Unfortunately, there was nothing dramatic going on during this time except my excessive eating so there's really not much to tell other than this was a good time for me to get ready for the return trip, where I planned on making a great comeback.  The 'turnaround' point was always just a bit further than what one would think, but knowing that it was so close made it alright and so when we saw the turnaround point, we were both glad and the crew gave us a big cheer as we meandered into the camp.

Mile 50.2 to Mile 75

After changing clothes and feeling refreshed, I calculated that if I ran well, I would be able to catch up and get top 20 in the race.  At this point I was somewhere close to 100th place and it wasn't looking too good.  After putting on my earphones and shoved the ipod shuffle in the pouch, I immediately took off and ran where I could and my legs felt so free.  It was wonderful.  I even forgot to walk up some of the ascents!  But after the excitement wore down, I went smoothly to the next aid station where I took a few foods in and then proceeded to continue on my merry way.  I had come in placing around 80-90th at this point and thought to myself, "wouldn't it be fun if I caught a lot of people?" and so I did.  Looking back, I know I definitely went too fast, but what can I say?  I enjoy the thrill of the chase.  Like a hunter hunting, I had to continue on after my prey and my prey was always one runner ahead.  As I went around the 5.8 mile loop, I felt like I was flying.  My legs were burning a little to much, but it was totally worth it.  Passing by people and flying, I felt like I was on the top of the world.

Coming back to the aid station, I had come out of that loop in the top 60 and now I went off to chase after those who went up the mountain.... but first, some vaseline... it was getting worse now.  My running form was slightly off, leaning on each foot a little too much, the pain little by little intensifying... I knew it was going to be a problem later... but oh well, not now, I had people to catch!  I slowly climbed up the hill and at every possible moment, I ran.  Once at the top, it was easy to run the trails and pass a few people and I counted how many people would be in front of me as I went on as they would only be 5 miles ahead of me... about 20.  This was fun!  I kept on passing people as I made my way down on the out and back portion of the course and when I arrived at the bottom and asked what place I was, they informed me that I would be approximately 44th place.  Interesting....

So the chase was on, but this time, I had to go uphill, and again, before I left... vaseline!  It was really bugging me now and it became harder and harder to climb.  At the rate I was going, it was looking pretty good for me as long as I didn't blow up, and I didn't feel like it would happen.  I had my water refilled half way so I would make it to the next aid station where Jacob would be waiting for me, and went out.  I thought I knew where I was and drank continuously so as to arrive at the aid station right when I ran out of water, but a false summit made me drink faster than what I should have and by the time I actually reached the top, I was far from the aid station and without water.... this was going to be a problem.  I had around 2 miles left and no water... somehow I needed to get there without busting.  I began breathing through my nose and checked my heart rate to make sure I wasn't going too fast... everything mattered.  I slowly descended without catching anyone and I was feeling a little hot and my thirst now was very noticeable.  The end had better be there or I would have to retire due to my own stupidity!  I was feeling a little exhausted and knew it meant I was in trouble, but fortunately, I saw someone continuing on the path and caught up with him and right at that point, the aid station.  Whew, I made it to mile 69.1 and still had some ways to go.

The next portion was 5.9 miles and a lot of it was on the road and so I thought I would take a break at the aid station to get my fluids in, as well as my food, but the lack of liquids had already taken its toll.  Not only was that an issue, but the chafing was even worse.... (yes, you're going to hear a lot about this from this point on).  I went on as best I could as the road portion is my specialty, but at this point, the sun had come up and the heat had turned on (thus the importance on hydration).  I went on as best I could but managed only to barely make it to the end of the road where a nice little mountain bade me to climb its back.  Normally I would decline, but this being a part of the race, I obliged myself and hobbled up.  Vaseline was no longer working.  Bag balm would not help.  I was going to be in a lot of pain for the remainder of the trip.  I climbed over the mountain and at the bottom, was met with the aid station.  I was tired and didn't really make up any placement, and the plan was about to change....

Mile 75 to Finish

Coming in, I was spent.  It was hot, I was tired, I made a huge mistake of letting my liquids run out before it was time, and I was paying for the consequences of running like a penguin.  Though I am willing to bet a leg that my calculations were off when I thought I could run a good bit of the 56 miles, the reason it was extremely off would have to be because of my wonderful bio-mechanics.  Running while trying to keep the chafing pain at a minimum required me to put extra weight onto each leg, thus tiring the quadriceps til it would eventually totally destroy themselves.  Coupled with slight dehydration and that's the perfect combination for blowing up the legs, which is exactly WHAT I DID NOT WANT TO DO.  You know, things happen, and as I did not pay enough attention to detail, I ended up causing my own downfall.  Getting up and hobbling, the pace was over a 30 minute mile, which is appalling, but as time went on, I warmed up and waddled my way to a 24 minute mile, and even jogged but sigh.... too early.  Being an overeager individual that wants nothing more than to get back to running, I ran a tad too early, resulting in another waddling walk of terror and when I came to mile 80.5, I was a beautiful mess.

I needed the next bit to clear my mind of all and recover so I could get to the end and as it was already the second day without sleep, Jacob convinced me that he would walk with me.  Half of me wanted to kill him for his incessant talking, but the other half revered him as an angel bringing me to the next aid station.  It truly was a love hate relationship at this point.  The sun was little by little beginning to wane and I had the lights packed.  This time, I was carrying the SWORD because there would be no more aid as Jacob was my only aid (which is why conscious Sho told him not to do that, but semi conscious Sho didn't care).  When we reached the next aid station, it was alright, but I was beginning to hit another low.  I was tired.  85.4 miles and I needed a break... and unfortunately, that's where we heard the bad news.  Through a series of unfortunate events, Jacob's car was towed and so he was now stuck.  I had my keys so I was safe, but the racing equipment was with him... but that wasn't my problem exactly.  I was too tired for that.

With him having to deal with that and me not able to sleep, it was time for me to go.  Alone.  It was going to be a long waddle but I knew that I came here to finish the race and so I would finish it.  With a newfound energy which lasted for about 3 minutes, I pushed forward and once again fell into a wonderful trap of exhaustion, but this time, without my headphones.  They were with the other bag.  Sigh.  It was going to be rough, but I knew that as long as I kept going, I would make it.  I passed by another runner who wasn't doing well and told him that I would tell the next aid station to be ready for him to make sure he had a place to rest and then did my calculations again to see how long it would take me to finish.  There was one important thing going on where I had less time than everyone else.  Most people had 48 hours to finish the race, but for me... FOR ME.... I had 42 hours.  Why?  Well it's quite simple.  I told my church that I was going to make it to lead the worship service, do communion meditation, and children's church.  I calculated and recalculated, and figured that if I push hard enough, I would be able to just make it as long as the chafing doesn't affect me too much.

Except it did.

It sucked.

A lot.

I continued on my merry way and made it to mile 90.3 with the help of a 50 mile runner named Heather and two sticks I found on the ground, I managed to push forward.  We talked about life and got her back story on how she started ultras and though my watch said it was 91.3 miles, it was the aid station we were suppose to be at.... at this point, every tenth of a mile off mattered.  At the station, Heather seemed to be hit by a wave of nausea and had to drop and so I lent her my phone to text her husband to pick her up, so hopefully she got helped out, and I went on my lovely way waddling like a pregnant penguin.  At the aid station, someone had left their hiking poles, so the aid station guy thought I should trade in my tree branches for the poles and return them to their owners at the finish line, and I thought that that was a grand idea!  My spirits were lifted, and though my energy level was back to where I would normally run, the pain was too severe and the affected area was raw.  It was hopeless.  I was going to have a sucky shower when I finished.  At this point, the darkness had come in, which meant it was very cool and I had a wonderful time walking around the woods, having no idea where the trails were.  All I knew was we were going up, then down, then up, then down, then up, then down.  Miles passed by like a turtle drinking vodka and at that point, my feet started hurting.  Being on your feet for a good portion of two days does really get to you, and in that forest, it really got to me.

Into the darkness I continued to walk, but this time, I had no idea where the aid station is.  My mind was going crazy because of the lack of sleep, and every ten minutes or so, I would almost fall off the trail.  I was tired but looked at my watch in hopes that it would read a higher mileage... no use.  I actually had to work to get there.  When I could, I jogged a weird waddle jog but it seemed to make no difference.  The aid station was at mile 97.6 but my watch read 98.6 and I didn't see any lights.... this was a big problem.  A few 50 milers asked if their mileage was right and I assured them that the miles were right but the aid was nowhere.  I asked if they could whoop if they see the aid station as they went ahead and they were very much obliged to do so, and I heard a loud hoot after about ten minutes and I whooped back.... but they yelled back saying it wasn't them but an owl... such a depressing thing to hear.  Normally I'd be excited but not this time.  The owl continued to hoot so if they did holler or whatever, I didn't really hear it.  All I know is that when my watch read 99.?? I suddenly came across an aid station with a fire.  I came in there, had them fill up my water bag and took off my shoes and sat near the fire while massaging my feet.  It was too tiring.

Not even 30 minutes later, Annie and her pacer came and it was a pleasant surprise.  They urged me to come with them but I politely declined, deciding that I would rest my feet before I undertook the last 4 hours of hiking.  I continued stalling until I left and when I did, a good number of people also left with me.  They seemed to be hiking very well, but as for me, I was shaking my butt because my hips don't lie.  It hurt.  All I had to do was go up the mountain, then down to the water aid station (4.7 miles away) and then go up again and then down to the road and it would be a straight shot to the finish (3.7 miles) for a grand total of 8.4 miles... I didn't know if I could do it.  I just kept it up as best I could.  Going up, we had two false summits and then finally when we were going down, I was super glad for the poles I had received.  By then, shaking my hips and putting extra weight on each quad had taken its toll and both my quads were rather dead.  Going down to the water aid station took way too long and my sanity was wearing down with each step.  I always said that I would rather be slow cooked to death than being fried alive, but in this case.... I'll choose the frying pan.

From the water aid station, there was only one more climb to the top and then it was down to the road where it was a straight shot to the finish line.  The climb however, was extremely deceiving.  We all knew that after a long straight climb, the path would veer to the right and then it would be the top of the hill, but I had no idea how many times it seemed to veer to the right.  The first time, I wasn't caught unaware of the situation and so it was good that I continued onward as if nothing had happened, but after the 3rd time, I was sure each time it veered right, it was the final one.  My watch had already stopped measuring the distance due to low batteries (around 39:45:00) so I only had the time to calculate how much longer we would have to do.  By then, I had mastered the waddling, but it was still hard climbing up when I didn't know where the top was.  Eventually, I caved and let someone else lead so I could take a mental breather.  After the 7th? time I reached the top, we had finally made it.  Only one thing that stood between me and the finish line.  The downhill.  I knew I had the roads but the downhill... oh my goodness it was going to suck.  The chafing was still the biggest issue and I needed to get to the end ASAP so I could shower and GET TO CHURCH!

The downhill was very similar to the uphill.  It would go down, and then we'd have to go over a fallen tree, then it would mean we were close to the end.... but 4 times?  Really?  Does that really need to happen?  Apparently Cruel Jewel is extremely cruel.  At some point in the downhill, Jacob came galloping in, with his annoyingly jovial self and told me that he got his car back so I didn't have to worry about figuring out how to get him home... but all was well.  He distracted me so well that before I realized it, we were at the bottom.  I was tired, and I wanted to get out, so I did what I would naturally do in such circumstances.  Ignore the chafing and run.  It was going to hurt anyway.  Might as well give it a reason!  So off we went.  A ten minute mile quickly went into 9, and then maybe we hit 8.  Who knows.  It felt like a 7 but it didn't matter.  I passed a few people as I went in and saw the wonderful finish line and so I continued on and finished strong.  Hey.  At least I looked pretty good going out and coming in right?  It was a long day and I was so glad that I got to stop.

Acknowledgements

Thank you Jacob and Aaron for dealing with the Bratty Prince.  I like my way and it's hard to deal with a person that expects people to do exactly as he asks of them.  It was a tough day and Jacob pulled through, only sleeping bits here and there, supporting me as best he can.  Thanks to every single aid station worker because it was because of them that I was able to get out and continue from each aid station to the next.  It must be tough to deal with so many needy people!  Thanks to the RD fam.  As always, you all are awesome.  Especially thanks for the breakfast you had at the finish line.  Glorious food indeed.  Thanks to Annie for having a wonderful walk/hike/run with me.  Congratulations on your finish and it was a pleasure sharing the trails with you.  To all my new friends I've made on the trails, good job with what you've done, it was nice meeting you all.  Thank you to Topo (for the shoes as they didn't give me any issues at all), KT tape for the KT tape and blister prevention tape (only 2 blisters on where I didn't put the tape on), Stoke Signal for the socks (kept me mostly poison ivy free!), Orange Mud (the pack was awesome and kept me properly hydrated and kept all my stuff close to me), SWORD (the drink is the best thing ever!), Coros (the watch was epic.  Lasted almost 40 hours! Dang!).  Special thanks to Adam for some great pics!!


PS

I managed to drive back to church and have a late band practice, breezed through church without sleeping, shopped at Kroger, ate a snack, and went to sleep right away... It was a long day.  Awake from Friday all the way until Saturday afternoon.  I'm glad I was able to get through this race... and weirdly enough, I kinda want to get back there and challenge it one more time.

After all this, it's time I had a little break, and so I will take one.  After a week or two where I get to enjoy myself, I'll jump back into training again.  This time, I'll be even more prepared.  Mentally, I've grown through this race and now am ready for my next goal.  My next big race is the US 24 Hour Championships.  I plan on going there and winning it.  I have less than 4 months to get ready.  It's going to be fun, and I'm ready to step up there.  Thanks for reading!

-Sho

The Pistol Ultra: 100K

Prologue:

Coming back to the course where I made the TN State 100 mile record was nice... and a little daunting.  I was here to attempt a double barrel of 100k in the morning and 50 miles at night.  I wasn't sure what I was going to do, but in my head, I knew that I would at least win the first race.  Looking at last year's result and who was coming, I wanted to make sure I finished at about 8:30-9:00 to have a solid lead.  The pace wouldn't be the problem, the main problem was recovering in between races so I could run again at full speed.  I had never put myself in that situation before as finishing in 9 hours would give me 3 hours to recover and hopefully not get my legs locked up.... The second race, I hoped to keep it consistent but knew that if it would hurt me rather than help me, I wouldn't hesitate to pull myself out.  Taking care of myself is a priority.  Compared to last year, I only had 2 months to prepare for the two races and I hoped that it would be enough for me to be able to do that.

The Course:

The Pistol Ultra Run is run on the paved greenway in Alcoa, TN.  The start and finish is located at Alcoa High School (which is on top of a hill) and it goes out on a lollipop (out and back with a loop at the other end) for a little over 9 miles, and then on the other side, the 100 km (62 mile) runners go down and back to make the full loop 10.36 miles.  Down the long out and back, we would go on mostly flat terrain, with a few rolling hills, and the first aid station we would come across would be a little over 2 miles away from the start, while the second would be about 4 miles from the start.  Being a greenway, it's an easy run.  Definitely a good course for any record chasing.

My Gear/Food/Drink: 

3 Pairs of Topo UltraFly 2's

Your generic Walmart sports socks

KT Tape (to wrap my feet to support the arches)

Nike Combat Compression Shorts

Underarmour shorts

Underarmour compression shirt

Topo singlet

OrangeMud endurance pack x2 (to carry all my foods)

SWORD (the only drink I would carry in my pack)

Ben Gay (instead of warming up, I use this guy to relax my muscles)

Peanut Butter Crackers

Pickle Juice (because hey, lets stop cramping)

My favorite Buff that I got from Sinister 7

iPod Shuffle (when the going gets tough)
Coros Apex (tells time and how fast I can go)

The Crew:

I had the best people come for this one.  The last few races weren't great and I needed the best people to get me back to where I needed.  My sister Maika and her husband Nathan.  They knew exactly what I wanted and what they needed to do for me.  I am blessed to have a supportive, efficient team/family that would support me and get me out without wasting too much time at the 'camp'.  The surprise crew were Jacob Moss (who paced me/slowed me down) and his wife Riley.  At Woody's aid station, my man Chris Campbell was ready to help at a moment's notice.

The Plan:

As the course was basically a 10 mile loop, I used my calculations from my 100 miler last year that with minimal stoppage at the aide stations, I would only need 1200 mL for the big loop, and mainly eat the 2 crackers every 2 miles while stopping for drinking every mile to make sure I don't go too fast.  At the aide stations, I would only drink a cup of coca-cola or pickle juice, and then when I come back with an empty bladder, I would throw the bladder at my sister as I did the small out and back at the back half of the course, and when I came back to 'tent city' they would have everything prepared.  I would use that time to walk, drink pickle juice and coca-cola, put the endurance pack on, and then once I reached the starting line, I'd go off again and repeat it.  After every 2 laps, I would switch shoes, and take a 20 second breather, but I would be off again.  I knew I would start a little fast so planned on walking a good deal to slow myself down.  After finishing, I would shower, change, eat, and stretch out in preparation for the next race and I hoped it would be alright and play the 50 miler by ear.

PreRace

Before the race, unlike last year, I wasn't nervous at all because in my head, I was only running a 100 km race and that wasn't as long of a race as a 100 miler.  Waking up at 6:45am, I gave myself 15 minutes to prepare and leave at 7:00am to get to the race at about 7:30am.  I got everything ready, and ate a small breakfast and listened to some crazy loud songs and got there and set up my table with almost no time to spare.  I hurriedly got everything ready and barely got to the start line before the race started.  Talk about cutting it close!

Lap 1-2:  Excited and Too Fast

The difference between a 100 miles and a 100k race is more than just the literal 38 miles.  It's hours of time of running.  Comparatively, it's so little stress.  It's freedom.... but it's also faster.  Knowledge is good because it can be used to prepare the individual for success, but it can also be used as an excuse to go and push harder.  That's what I did.  In my head I had it all planned out.  Take it easy and enjoy the run, but when the leaders of the 100km/100 milers started, I felt the 'need' to keep up with them and outrun them.  Then since the 50 km runners that started 5 minutes ahead of us were out there, it became fun to cheer them on and before I knew it, I was going way under the 8:00 min/mile pace I was aiming at.  The first full lap was 1:20:29, which was a 7:49 pace, not what I was going for.  I needed to slow down.  The second loop was a lot better, but not as slow as I wanted, my average pace was still right at the 8:00 min/mile pace.  I knew I needed to slow down, but also was having way too much fun out there.  In my head, I was only running the 100km race and didn't see the need to slow down.  In fact, most of me wanted to push the pace a little more!

Lap 3-4:  Struggling with Pacing

The laps became harder (as they would after over 20 miles) but I still wasn't slowing down enough.  The biggest problem that I have with the Pistol Ultra is that it's way too fun and I enjoy it too much! I mean, I keep on coming back year after year right?  But anyway, having too much fun, around this point, I was running with my pacer Jacob whose job was to slow me down to prepare me for the 50 miler.  Sometimes it would work, and sometimes it wouldn't.  Those were problematic fun miles.  I enjoyed catching up with him and chatting with him about his training.... it was definitely a fun run.  At the 50km mark, I finished up at 4:11:04.  The average pace was 8:08 min/mile, which was what mile 20 was suppose to be at... I was doing really great with pacing.  But it was okay, it was nice knowing I could go fast and if I mess up, I mess up.  It's okay, as long as I'm enjoying the race out there.  It was right around here where I started thinking in my head whether or not the double barrel was doable, given the pacing and how my legs were feeling.  Another variable that entered into the equation was the fact that I slightly rolled my ankle.  My right ankle is slightly weaker and less flexible and I knew that running too hard would cause it to stiffen up even more during the break, but I also knew that I needed to keep up the pace.  My legs could finish a literal 112 mile race, but given the 3 hour break in between, was this going to be too much time?  When I would think of that, I would shake off that feeling and focus on this run, and slowing down to a proper pace was a lot more doable at this point.  I was happy at where I was and that was important as I ran though.  By the time I reached 41.2 miles, I had been out there running for 5:47:31 (8:26), and knew the last two laps would be a different kind of battle.

Lap 5-6:  Finishing Up

The battle in the last two laps was something I've dealt with before.  Part of me was focusing on the current race, but the other part was thinking about the 2nd race.  Thinking about the 2nd race is good and proper because it allowed me to slow down my pace and take care of myself, but mentally, I was also carrying an extra 50 miles.  When I run a race, I've trained myself to only think of the current portion I'm at because in doing so it allows me to perform at my best.  That being said, I've never had that 3 hour break and so little by little, I was mentally chipping myself down.  I was looking back at the training I've done til that day and was wondering whether it was enough to get me through all 112 miles.  I was looking at what I had to do to prepare myself for the next race.  I was looking at how I was feeling currently and how my pace was.  I was also deciding whether or not I would continue at this pace or slow down and take the win.  There were so many things on my mind that I was getting crushed by a race I hadn't even started running.  This was a low I have never dealt with and it was different.  The variables I had to look at was a little too much and I wasn't sure what would happen.  The last lap was especially tiring because I wasn't too sure if I should go for the sub 9 hour mark for the 100k or continue slowing down in anticipation for the 50 miler I would do next.  With about 2 miles to go, I decided that the most respectful thing I could do was to finish strong.  Do it for myself, my family, my friends, the runners out there, and the race director and volunteers.  Pushing aside all other thoughts, I was able to focus on everything on the road ahead of me, and I continued to up my pace and head to the finish line.  I finished the race in 8:56:32.1, nowhere near the course record.... but definitely a TN State Record.

Bonus Lap:  Trial and Error

After the race, I ate 6 slices of pizza, took a shower, changed clothes to my running clothes for the 50 miler, went to the massage tent with the most amazing people ever, had my legs stretched and taken care of, and got myself to the line right at 8:00 to start the 50 miler.  During the 3 hours, I looked at all the variables and by the start of the race, it wasn't looking too favorable for me, but I knew that if I didn't try, I wouldn't know what would happen.  It's okay to fail, but failing to try?  I can't do that.  If I was able to run the whole 50 miles without succumbing to leg issues, then I would continue, but if at any point the pain would be too much and my running career be jeopardized, I would instantly pull the trigger and stop to take care of myself.  Fortunately, I had Chris "The Man" Campbell with me pacing me to make sure I was okay.  The first 4 miles, I was running somewhere between 9 and 10 minute miles but right around Woody's aid station, I hit a wall.  My legs were trashed, chafing sucked, and recovery was out of the question.  My hips were locking up, my knees were in pain, my ankles were both hurting (my right one being worse).  I started walking at the lollipop section and by the time I reached Woody's Aid station, I knew that I was 95% likely going to quit.  Chris took care of me and made sure I was okay and he and I had a long talk about life and we trudged on to the next aid station where I took a little break because it was starting to get too cold for me as I wasn't moving enough.  I eventually got up and we walked the rest of the way to the start finish line, where I gave up my bib and called it quits.  I was worked on by Jeanne and Brent Williams who got me headed towards recovery.  I decided that I wasn't going to focus on the attempted 50 miler, but instead on the glorious 100km race I had.  I had fun with my family (both blood and Pistol) and that was the main thing.

Acknowledgements:

Having Maika and Nathan there was the best thing to happen.  It's been a hot minutes since I've had them support me, and with their experience, I had almost nothing to worry about.  They are undoubtedly the only reason I am able to do so well in my races.  Without THE CREW, I am just a simple runner.

My sponsor Topo has been so amazing by providing me with the shoes that I run and race in.  It's always nice to run with these shoes as they've given my toes the space needed.  Thanks to Uncle Lem's for sponsoring me and also giving me some gear for the race.  They actually hooked me up with Topo and that's been a fun trip!  KT tape has always been a blessing and because of them, my feet have been taken care of like none other, glad to be supported by them (pun intended).  Orange Mud has had my back (literally) for a good bit and their packs are amazing.  Snug and never causing irritation, I've always enjoyed running around with their packs.  SWORD is the closest thing to the fountain of youth that I can get and I'm extremely thankful for them because I can RACE with SWORD (shoutout to the Berry Flavor).

Jacob Moss is one amazing dude.  He's a great runner and a great friend.  He ran A TON with me and I'm so glad he was there!  Excited to see how he'll do on his own race once he gets his mileage down.  Chris Campbell is truly THE MAN.  He's been a great friend and a great support only wanting me to succeed he's been there countless times for me and always makes sure I'm alright.

Jeanne and Brent Williams, the ultimate recovery tag team from Quest Health & Performance.  Thanks to them I am able to take care of myself and have a professional opinion on what my issues were instead of my amateur hypotheses.  It's nice to have people that know ultra runners take care of ultra runners.

Finally, to Will and his crew of amazing people (too many to name), I'm as always grateful for such an amazing race.  Perfectly done and a course that invites people to be the best they could, I couldn't ask for more.  As I said earlier, the only problem I have with Pistol is that it's TOO MUCH FUN!! So grateful for you guys and what everyone provides because that truly is what makes the Pistol Ultra one of the best races in the world.

The Pistol Ultra Run: 100 Miles

Prologue:

Two weeks before the race, I didn't know I was going to run the Pistol Ultra 100 miler.  I was planning on running a 24 hour race.  Unfortunately, during that week, a lot happened and I was told that the 24 hour race may or may not occur, and so I messaged Will Jorgensen if he would allow me to participate in the race.  I even 'promised' him that I would break the course record.  He was gracious and said that as long as I gave him the heads up a week before the race, he would get me in.  After finally getting word that the 24 hour race was officially cancelled, I had 1 week to prepare for this 100 mile race.  I would be carrying a pack while running as it was a 10 mile 'looped' course.  Things were not as I planned and so I had to make the best of the situation.  Although the course was 'flat', compared to a track it was still hilly, and knowing that, I immediately began my mental training to slow down the pace slightly to that of the course.  I had one week before the race, and a lot of time to think about it.

The Course:

The Pistol Ultra Run is run on the paved greenway in Alcoa, TN.  The start and finish is located at Alcoa High School (which is on top of a hill) and it goes out on a lollipop (out and back with a loop at the other end) for a little over 9 miles, and then on the other side, the 100 milers go down and back to make the full loop exactly 10 miles.  Down the long out and back, we would go on mostly flat terrain, with a few rolling hills, and the first aid station we would come across would be a little over 2 miles away from the start, while the second would be about 4 miles from the start.  Being a greenway, it was easy to run, and there were only a few places that I would never want to run in a 100 miler.

My Gear/Food/Drink: 

5 Pairs of ASICS Road Hawk FF (first time racing in them)

Injinji socks

KT Tape (to wrap my feet to support the arches)

Nike Combat Compression Shorts

Adidas shorts

Underarmour compression shirt

Tech shirt

OrangeMud endurance pack (to carry all my foods)

SWORD (the only drink I would carry in my pack)

Coca-Cola (caffeine+sugar)

Red Bull (for the extra caffeine boost)

Ben Gay (instead of warming up, I use this guy to relax my muscles)

Peanut Butter Crackers

Pickle Juice (because hey, lets stop cramping)

My favorite Buff that I got from Sinister 7

iPod Shuffle (when the going gets tough)

Yurbuds Focus 200 Earphones

The Crew:

I had the best people around.  My sisters and their husbands.  They knew exactly what I wanted, and I left with them a notebook with the details of what they needed to do for me.  I am blessed to have a supportive, efficient team/family that would support me and get me out without wasting too much time at the 'camp'.

The Plan:

As the course was basically a 10 mile loop, I calculated that with minimal stoppage at the aide stations, I would only need 1200 mL for the big loop, and mainly eat the 2 crackers every 2 miles while stopping for drinking every mile to make sure I don't go too fast.  At the aide stations, I would only drink a cup of coca-cola or pickle juice, and then when I come back with an empty bladder, I would throw the bladder at my sisters as I did the small out and back at the back half of the course, and when I came back to 'tent city' they would have everything prepared.  I would use that time to walk, drink pickle juice and coca-cola, put the endurance pack on, and then once I reached the 10 mile mark, I'd go off again and repeat it.  After every 2 laps, I would switch shoes, and take a 20 second breather, but I would be off again.  After finishing mile 40 and mile 80, I would try to jolt myself forward by drinking Red Bull.  I would start the race close to an 8 minute per mile pace, and as the day drug on, I would slow down at a decent rate, and coast til the finish to finish before midnight (On Friday night, I guessed that I would finish at 15:30... but my PR was 17:30, so I had no idea what was possible)

PreRace

Before the race, I was hit by nerves because I wasn't fully mental prepared, and I knew I had enough people out there that would support me, so I mass texted, FB statused, and IG storied for encouragement, and from there, the nervousness I had within me was forcefully expelled and I was able to listen to some crazy songs that I usually don't listen to and got myself to my bed to sleep.  Waking up at 6:00am, I gave myself 1 hour to prepare and leave at 7:00am to get to the race at about 7:30am.  I got everything ready, and ate a small breakfast and listened to some crazy loud songs and got there and set up my table with my friend Chris.

Lap 1-2:  Nervous, but Easy

Before the countdown began, I meandered to the front, all lathered up in a minty smell, I stood beside James Barnard and Ron Wireman, two super speedy local runner friends of mine.  When the countdown started and the race started, I cruised forward at my pace, because, after all, this was MY race and I was only running against myself.  5 minutes before us, the 50k runners were set loose, so I decided it would be nice to catch them bit by bit, and that I did.  Forcing myself to walk at the first mile was nice because it was me displaying to everyone that I was doing my own race (and it was also an announcement to myself).  As I went out and greeted and encouraged everyone out and back, I felt pretty good.  I wasn't sure if I was ready, but the only way I know how to find out is to run ahead and try.  Ron eventually caught up with me on the return trip, and as my running pace was faster, I would end up going ahead of him until my walk point, at which he would catch up and pass me (he was running the 100k) and so we chatted a good bit on the way.  I saw a lot of other friends at the race and it was a fun mad gathering of people and I totally enjoyed the run, and as I came back.  At this point, the weather was on point, a little cloudy and a little sunny and the temperature was just perfect.  I finished the first two laps at about 80-85 minutes per lap, a pace I was confident in.

Lap 3-5:  Going Strong

At this point, it had started to get hot, so I took off my t-shirt and as I ran on, I began noticing how hot it was getting.  I eventually took off my underarmour shirt and just ran with my pack (I received a wonderful pack-tan, courtesy of OrangeMud).  I had slowed down slightly because of my plan, but I was still going at a fairly decent clip, as I was feeling strong... but it was getting really hot.  I had experienced heat exhaustion in prior races and I started taking notes on what I needed to watch out for... but I felt pretty good.  I kept on at a decent clip, finishing the loops in 85-90 min.  I was still gliding smoothly and still had enough energy, but with the heat, I did my best to drink enough... and on my 5th lap, I noticed a huge problem.  I had stopped sweating.  This was not good.  My body temperature was going to go high and I would have nothing to help me.  Just because I felt good didn't mean that things were going in a good direction.  I finished my 50th mile at 7:00:00 (8:24 min/mile pace) and knew that this would not continue, so I had to make sure to keep the next half safe.

Lap 6-7:  Can I Recover from this?

It was during my 6th lap that I started feeling my body slowly break down, and though my body was running at cruise control, my heart beat was getting a little bit out of whack, and my energy started depleting.  As it was 3:00pm when I started this portion of the race, it was still hot.  I'm not sure when the hottest part of the day was (which was at 74 degrees), but I knew that I was suffering from the temperature.  As I wasn't drinking enough, my body wasn't functioning as efficiently as I could.  I knew I was still going at a fairly decent pace, ready for a course record, but if I didn't take care of myself, I would end up on the side of the road out... and so after my 6th lap, I stopped a little because I knew I was screwed.  Normally, I'd have this feeling at about 70 miles into a 100 mile race, but today was different.  60 miles in, I was slightly overheated, didn't have enough water or food in me, and my stomach wasn't in the best of shape.  My 7th lap was going to be a hard one, but I went on. Instead of worrying too much about the other laps I would have to run after this, I needed to make sure I ran this lap as best as I could, knowing that slowing down will cost me.  I continued on at a slower pace (being close to 6:00pm at this time) and I looked around and thought, everyone else is suffering as much as I am, so I don't have time to feel sorry for myself.  Let's run to the nearest person and encourage them and push forward and continue to fake it til I make it.  I'm pretty sure it was at this lap that I stopped at Woody's Aid station and ate popsicles and put ice in my buff and water on my head... and wow, that made a difference.  I didn't feel any more dead than when I started the race... just about the same amount of dead.   I kept at it, and before I knew it, somehow found my way back to the starting line to get ready for my 8th lap.

Lap 8-10:  The Real Story (this one's a long one....)

I still had 3 laps, and my body was recovering from the heat beat down, but I had minimized the break down, and so I was not doing 'badly' but I was at hour 10 and change, and I needed to finish the next three laps in 5:30 to get to my goal.  That was about a ten minute mile to the finish, and so I figured I could just run this one at a 9 min mile and the next at a 10 min mile, and the final at a 11 minute mile and so I went off.  I continued onward and thought I was going at a decent clip.  However, when I made it back, I was even more exhausted, and I held onto a 10 minute pace, and I didn't know if I could go any faster.  I believe it was around this time when there was lightning and rain and a little hail, but that didn't bother me.  I welcomed it as I had put on another underarmour shirt.  At this point, my willpower started dying and I hoped that the rain could somewhat revive me.  I had 20 miles to go and the 10 minutes per mile pace was already killing me.  The pace to go at that speed was too much, and so when Mary Cates came up to me and asked how I was doing, I told her that I didn't think I could make it... hope was draining out of me.  She looked straight at me and told me to go on.  She told me that nothing was decided, and so I hobbled onward... and as I kept on going, that hobble turned into a run, and I continued pushing at that pace.  I came here to chase after a record.  Not to give up 20 miles before the finish without even trying.  But slowly, that momentum too died down, and so did my pace.... but all of a sudden, a multitude of faces poured into my head.  It was the faces of those I coached, the faces of those that knew I was out here, the faces of those who sent me texts of encouragement, the faces of those who supported me during the race, the faces of those running with me, the faces of those who knew my story.  I wasn't there for my own personal glory.  I was there to show them all something, that one can persevere through hardships and conquer it.  That despite the hard times, you can look at pain and suffering straight in their faces and give them the middle finger as you scream and press forward.  I chose this and I was going all the way to the end to finish what I came to do... and so that spark became a light.  Each step I took forward, I became a little more exhausted, I felt like I was slowly getting choked, and wires gripped my muscles.  I continued forward determined that I would go at that pace or die trying.  On the way back, I had caught up to one of the 50 mile runners who was going at a decent clip, and so my focus was only on him.  I followed him like a possessed man, knowing that this was the only way I could get back to the end in time, and as I caught him and made small talk with him, he told me something that instantly made my life better.  He said he was going to support me and help me get to the end and get that course record.  We ran on.  We met another guy on the way, and he also joined in on the mission.  I was going at their pace, and despite my weariness and negative attitude, I pushed that aside because now I had people that were willing to put up with me and help.  We went on to finish the 9th lap, and I threw off my OrangeMud pack to run without being held down for the last 10 miles, and drank a lot of liquids, knowing that this last push would be it.  I had 1:40:00 left and 10 miles to go.  We three went at it.  Mark Rollins (the first dude) talked about how he ran earlier that day and today would be his second race, and was visibly excited about the mission, and kept the group lively.  Doug Slater (who ended up winning the 50 mile race) let me mutter, "this freaking sucks" and 'yell' helped with the pace, but even with all that support, I felt like giving up... but they didn't let me.  I couldn't let them waste their time on me, and with their race and everyone else in mind, I had to push through.  I was running for more than myself.  I was running for everyone that supported me and everyone who could be encouraged by this story.  At the turnaround point, Mark could not keep up and told us to go ahead without him, and so Doug and I pursued my goal and kept on going and going.  Throughout the last 15 miles, I didn't really stop except for the 'huge' incline and aide stations so this was really taxing, and as the noose around my neck felt tighter, I was closer to the finish line.  I continued pushing at that pace and with 2.5 miles to go, I knew this was going to be okay.  I was going to make it.  I maintained that pace and continued towards the goal.  Once I reached the top of the hill, it was the small out and back, and so I went down, and on the way up, I felt my quads start to seize up, so I told Doug to go ahead, I would walk up and then run the last bit once I reached the top... and I did.  I came up the hill, started running, and then at the finish line, I crossed the mat at 15:24:56.3 a new personal record, a new course record, and so very glad to be finished.

Acknowledgements:

First of all, without the support of my crew (Maika, Mary, Nathan, Tim), I would not have been able to make it through.  They are THE BEST crew in the world.  Will Jorgensen and Mary Cates totally rocked as they made the race so epic.  Jeff Woody and his crew, as well as ALL my Haw Ridge friends made my run easier as they all supported.  Also, thanks to the Pistol Pic Peeps (Misty, Samantha, Kenneth, Ethan) because they were taking thousands and thousands of pictures of all the runners.  I have so many other friends and family that I would love to thank because each one of them supported me during the last 3 laps.  OrangeMud has been awesome in allowing me to use their pack, and rep them as well as SWORD with their drinks (Berry is best) because I made it through even though I wasn't making the smartest decisions.  I still have so much to learn, but with the support of so many, this time, I challenged, I fought, I persevered, and I was able to succeed.