First, this might rank as my favorite
race venue ever! It's little valley nestled amongst the mountains
where the Methodists used to host a summer youth camp until mud
slides did so much damage that they abandoned the venue, but has
since been rescued and turned into a nice little retreat center that
hosts weddings and other special events. Roxanne and Billy have done
amazing work to clean, repair, and keep The Buffalo Camp open.
The course: Netta says it's 70-30,
paved to unpaved, Tony says 60-40, but regardless, it's 95-5 in terms
of elevation change,and better measuring devices than my eyes might
say there's not even 5% flat surface – lol. Still, it's a fast
course, as I was to learn as the race unfolded.
I arrive late afternoon, Thursday, and
enjoyed having the place to myself. There had been recent rain, so
Dry Creek was a bubbling brook, and there's little more soothing than
the sound of water rushing through the rocks. I sleep well, despite
temps dropping into the low 40's by morning.
The race starts at 8pm, so around 5pm,
I fix my first cup of real coffee in two weeks. I've been enduring a
blend of 85% decaf and 15% regular, hoping any caffeine I consume
during the race will have a better kick. I also heat up a can of
Progresso chicken noodle soup and mix in a whole bag in Four Cheese
instant potatoes. This isn't bad, but maybe next time I'll use just
a a half-bag of potatoes!
My race starts out well. The course is
1.25 miles long, and I soon realize that a 15 minute/lap pace might
work for me, at least for a while. By the six-hour mark, I've
reached 30 miles and know I'll be needing to slow soon. I drank a
wide range of beverages: Coke, Dr Pepper, Sunkist, coffee, Sword, and
even (gasp!) water – lol. I ate a little here and there and my
stomach responded well. The cooler temps must suit me :)
Early on, I knew I was 5th
place male, but I didn't focus on that. I only want to know two
things: what lap number I've just finished and what my elapsed time
was on the previous lap. I believe that if I set my goals right and
hit my marks, the race will take care of itself. However, I am aware
that that Tom Ecay and Shawn ??? are running up the hills, lapping me
with abandon. There's no temptation to follow suit, but I'm
impressed and a bit envious of their ability.
As I settle in, I decide that breaking
the race up into three 12-hour segments might help with my goal and
pace setting. I want 100 laps (125 miles), and a 40-40-20 strategy
seems doable. Paul Heckert, an astronomy professor, points out Mars,
Jupiter and Saturn in the night sky. It's a beautiful night, and if
the moon isn't full, it's very close to it! The temps drop into the
upper 30s, but I remember what Tony said about regulating my body
temperature and modify my dress accordingly.
By 8am, I've reached 45 laps (56.25
miles), and the daylight hours, which should be good ones, aren't
going as well as I've hoped. I've slowed to 17 minutes per lap, and
even that pace is erratic. I'm glad I built up that five-lap buffer,
but I don't like it that I'm struggling. Lianne Jennings did ask for
my thoughts on when to take a break, and I had been thinking about
right around sundown, as it would still be warm enough to not feel
chilled to the bones when I get up to head back out on the course.
My answer is holding me accountable, but these laps are not going
well. I even take a five-minute lay-down on the concrete at the aid
station!
(photo by Laurie Matecki)
I share my frustration with Tony, and
he asks me about my salt intake. He tells me that I am one of the few
people sweating, and that even in the cooler temps I am losing
electrolytes. I confess that I haven't been, so I immediately down
two Salt Stick caps, a caffeine pill, and a vitamin B-12, hoping that
the whole mess doesn't come right back up on me. My pace does not
improve, but it does not appear to getting worse, and I keep counting
down the laps. I really appreciate Tony converting my lap numbers
into miles, as it gives me more reference points to celebrate. I
need eighty laps to reach the 100 mile mark, and having goals within
the goal helps keep my mind in a slightly more positive space.
I reach the 100-mile mark before dark
(around 22.5 hours), the first time I've done a sub-24 hundred in a
long time, and this while walking all the uphill sections! I reward
myself with a break in my zero-gravity chair, and a change of
batteries in my handheld for the night ahead. It wasn't to be. The
flashlight doesn't turn on, and the new batteries, really are new,
and putting the old batteries back in doesn't solve the problem
either! I have a headlamp, so it will have to do. As for a nice
comfy nap? Nope! The legs are twitching and kicking and I can't get
comfortable. Nothing to do but get back at it.
I only need twenty laps to reach my
goal, so I walk a lot more, still hoping to keep my pace under 20
minutes per lap. I'm in a close race with Tom for the lead, as Shawn,
who finished his 100 miles at least 90 minutes before, is no longer
on the courser. (Shawn had dropped from the 36-hour to the 24 before
the race, though I didn't learn that until later, so kept wondering
if he would be back after a few hours of sleep.) Tom rests a little
too, but comes back out to help Greg reach his first-ever 100-mile
finish. Liann is still moving well, and has her sights on a new
distance PR. Later, Tom would help her reach that mark also.
I take a two-hour nap when I reach the
90th lap, and dread getting back out in the cold night
air. I bundle up, but after the first lap, I'm shedding layers. I
take another, even longer nap at the 95-lap mark, but after that
(3:30am?), I'm out there, mostly walking, for the rest of the night.
At one point I counted six headlamp on the course: Tom and Liane;
Paul, who wants to get to his age in miles (67), Don; hoping for 50
miles; Mateo, working hard for his first 100-mile finish; an me.
Towards dawn, Laurie Mateki will be back out on the course also.
There are many fewer cars in the parking lot.
As the sky lightens, I come across the
start-finish line with enough time for one more lap. Tom and Liane are sitting by the fire, but there are others standing around. I ask
if anyone wants to do my last lap with me, and Lisa agrees. She's
been volunteering and pacing through the night, but is a bundle of
energy and positivity. It is a great way to end what has been a
great event!!
(photo by Laurie Matecki) I finish with 102 laps, good for 127.5 miles, first place, and an event record.
(Jessie's crew: photo by Laurie Matecki)
A few odds and ends.
-During one of the two nights, someone
(Landy?) mentioned “to him who endureth to the end” and I ask for
the chapter and verse. I spent a lot of time thinking about that,
coming up with several possibilities. (I've since looked it up, and
one of my guesses was right.)
-I wish I had remembered earlier in the
race an idea I had gotten from Kevin Randolph on emptying salt caps
into my drink. That might have made a huge difference to my daylight
hours and overall performance.
-I saw a house get loaded onto a
trailer and hauled away. I learned later that Billy and Roxanne had
sold it, and it was getting moved to North Carolina where it will sit
overlooking the Appalachian Trail. How cool!!
-Amazing how one event can have so many
outcomes down the road. I met Tony, Netta and Carl at a one-off Laz
race, the name of which escaped me for many hours during the race. I
also met Rick Gray at that event. The race was The Bitter End, a
100-mile journey run that started in Bristol and ended in
Jonesborogh, Tennessee's first state capital, back before it was
called Tennessee. Later, I would meet Michelle, Liane and a host of
others from the Johnson City area, and run several events with the
group. I've asked Netta if she's up to another Bloody-Bitter this
coming Memorial Day; I didn't finish the first one and I want to make
amends. We'll see.
-My sleeping bag stunk SO bad!!!
Apparently, airing it out on the clothes line between races isn't
sufficient. It's already washed and hanging out to dry, even though
it's only 45° outside.
-I spent a lot of time trying to figure
out how I could settle in for an extended stay at The Buffalo Camp.
There were a lot of small cabin-like buildings that were being used
for storage, and one in particular has my name on it - rhetorically
speakin – right by the creek, a big roofed-over space that would
make a great three-season room, all those trails in the mountains...
I finally had to drop the topic as it was messing with my focus on
the race.
(my "dream home")
-I think I'll spare you the story about
the “moonshine” motivator that wasn't. Too many updates on too many races will do that to one no longer of sound mind or body.
