Trails 4 Tails
Ultramarathon 40 miles
Sept 22, 2012
Okay I'll give you the mile by mile play. hahaha. not really. I think Josh ran me too fast on Thursday and gave me bad advice. Just Kidding. Your advice had me running like I knew what I was doing.
I ran into Ryan at the start and he disappeared in a flash. I stuck to my slow run strategy. Had my first today. We had to jump logs, climb through trees and even navigate the ropes holing the lochness monster. ( a pontoon boat in the shape of a moster tied to the shore) I was traveling with a group until mile 6 when I had to stop for a bio break. From that point forward I would mostly run alone. First lap clocked 1:27. A little faster than I expected
Lap 2 I chatted with a you lady for a mile then took off at the 4 mile aid station. The food, drink and assistance at the stops was amazing. Nothing exciting on this lap. The morning was still cool and completed this lap in 1:25. I was hoping this isn't too fast, but it felt good.
Lap 3 was just another warm up lap. As I went through the start/finish area they all commented how well I was doing, as they had done on the previous lap. I assumed this was just standard encouragement. I had covered this distance at a faster pace so I was not worried. Made friends with the guys at the 4 mile aid station. It is great to have someone call you by name. Finish this lap around 1:23, too fast. I am at 4:15 for 3 laps. I needed to slow down lap 4.
nothing unusual about lap 4. As I passed the 4 mile aid station I told the guys this was a DR and all new territory. I continued though seeing only a few runners. finished this lap at 1:28. Again the ladies at the start/finish commented how well I was doing. I said I had no idea what the hell I was doing. That wasn't completely true. I used Josh's advice. I was not hungry or thirsty, as Josh indicated would happen, but I forced myself to drink 20 oz per 4 miles. I also drank and ate every 4 miles. Small food quantities is the secret.
With only 8 miles to go I thought I would pick up the pace. MISTAKE. Mile six I jumped a log and when I landed my left hamstring cramped. So i ran a little slower. at the 4 mile aid station I come up to a runner. I imaged he and I dueling for 3rd place. He saw me at the aid station and was off in a flash. Cramps continued but I kept on moving. With 1 mile to go my entire left leg froZE> the quad, groin, hamstring all cramped and I walked dragging my leg. It loosened up and on I went. With 6ths to go that same thing but worse. I screamed in agony. It was at this point I saw my wife and sister in-law. Silly sister in-law wanted to know if I wanted a ride. Yeah right! I walked for 2 more minutes and it loosened up. I finished the last half mile at a slow pace. 1:26 for this lap.
I was very pleased to see my finish time of 7:09. When Kev told me I was 4th overall I just could not believe it. Remember the guy I thought about dueling. He was 3rd, finished 5 mins ahead of me. dam those cramps. It was a lot of fun and had a great time. It was a fun course and an easy trail run. Thanks for all your support. Hope to see you guys this week. This ultra did not beat me up as bad as a marathon. Of course I could change my mind tomorrow. Hope you enjoy the attached pics.
Dave
