Sweetwater 50k, Race day!
We will start with what is now a pre race tradition, a visit to Uncle Julios in the ATL. for the absolute best Mexican food I've ever had. We had a great time talking about their race last year and their continuing to tell me things I'm not sure I want to know about the course.
We head back to the hotel and prep our clothes, drop bags, water and fuel. My running partners are Randy Carr, Faith Holcolmbe, and Chip Norman. Last year this was their 1st endurance race. This year it would be mine. Faith helped me tape my feet as I assured her once again we were gonna stick together. She still doesn't believe me. Of course I've told her that on training runs and didn't keep my word so I can understand why. I know Randy and Chip are far better than I am so I'm banking that Faith and I should stay close to one another. Of course I also remember Randy telling me " everyone will struggle at different times. You need to get used to running alone." At the time I didn't understand it. Now I do.
In the bed at 11, alarm set for 5:30 a.m.
I'm up at 5 a.m. and off to the bathroom. I don't know if it was the mexican food, nerves, or a combination but I was in pretty bad shape. Between 5 and 6:30 when we were to meet downstairs for breakfast I pretty much rotated between eating pepcids and the toilet. "Nice" I thought. I head down for breakfast and try to get some food down. Half a waffle, oatmeal, bacon. I think that helped a ton. I still wasn't feeling great but I was improving. One more bathroom stop and off to the race we go!
We get parked at 7:22. The race takes off at 7:30. I take everyones drop bag to the designated truck and we make it to the starting line. We say a prayer for Boston, Texas, and ourselves. 3-2-1 go!
WE are running now. Finally. The first mile or better we are on pavement so we are trying to get warmed up and keep a moderate pace. Talking to each other and strangers and just trying to settle in. We make a right turn into the woods and cross a spillway. Two miles in our feet are soaked. Sweet. At 2.5 miles we hit the first aid station. I stop for water, the rest carry on. I know I'll need to drink, a lot. No need to put it off. I'm drinking about 32 ounces ever 3-5 miles plus 16 or so at every aid station.
The first 7 miles are pretty easy running along the river mostly. At 7 miles we hit the 2nd aid station. As we leave it we are running through tall grass and up and down moderate hills. At this point Faith says "this shit is about to get real". She wasn't joking. As we leave the tall grass we come to a gravel road. It's a continuous uphill grade and several hundred meters. At the top we are greeted by a pipeline. WE go down the pipeline towards the creek. At one point to an almost vertical drop. Chip loses it, rolls, regains his footing for a step or two and crashes again, regains and almost bites it a third time. Pretty scary stuff. Randy falls too but recovers quickly(later we find out we missed a turn and were not supposed to go down the death cliff). So at the bottom of the cliff we cross a creek. Waiting on the other side is "the wall".
The "wall" is vertical climb of around 800 feet in less than 1/4 mile. It's a climb, no other way to put it. When you finally reach the top there's no reprieve as you are greeted by the gas line. The gas line is a set of hills from 3-500 feet high. What's nasty about this is you can see two or three hills ahead so you know what's ahead. This is the first time I noticed Faith wasn't behind me. I had lost her either on the wall or on the gas line. At 10 miles I hit the aid station and waited on Faith. She was having some foot issues and the downhills were hurting her a good bit. AS we left the station and headed back out we were greeted a mile later by the power line, another set of large rolling hills although these were a bit rockier than the gas line. As turned back I noticed Faith was a full hill behind me. Thats a long way. I turned and kept running.
Plodding away, now by myself I cut on the ipod for the 1st time. "Walk when you have to, run when you can" is the mantra of the hour. I'm feeling good. Real good. Then I hit "Jacks hill". Jacks hills is an almost constant grade for 1 mile, or what seems like forever. I was starting to really hate myself now. I told Faith I'd wait. I didnt. When I hit the aid station at the top of Jacks hill (mile 13) I had actually caught Chip and Randy. I ran with them to the next station at the beach and river crossing.
The crossing doesn't look like much but it's no joke. The rocks are slippery, the current is strong and the water is icy. You come out of the water and start a one mile climb. Once you top it you can make good time back to the river for the second crossing. We are at about 18 miles as we come back across the river. Fresh dry shoes and socks, advil, a little food and water. I had made the decision, a hard one for me, to not put myself 1st for once. I was waiting on Faith. Randy said she would not be mad if I went and he's right. Faith would have not held it against me, but see I assured her I would wait, and I was going to. Chip and Randy pulled out. Faith and I weren't far behind. She was so happy I waited. I was so happy I waited. It seems the shoe change was just what she needed. I know the dry socks and shoes were heaven for me too. I pushed her and she kept me focused. We hit mile 24 aid station together and Randy and Chip were there too!
Well as we leave mile 24 we are back to the tall grass and the "shits getting real" part two. The 50 k is a 2 loop trail with just a few differences. Fact is we had the gravel road, the wall, and that damned gas line waiting for us in the nest 2 miles. WE stayed together through this part for the most. On the gasline for the second time i looked at my watch and announced to no one i had just completed my first marathon. As we hit the aid station at 27 we only had the power line and Jacks hill between us and the finish.Randy was on a mission and took off. Chip not far behind. Faith and I attacked the course once more. I stayed ahead of her, behind Chip, but we were all in sight.
At mile 28-29 the first cramp hits. It stopped me in my tracks. Not hamstring but inner thigh(abductor maybe?). This happened two or three times in a few minutes and the fear that it would stop me from finishing entered my mind. "Not now dammit! I'm too close!" I'd drink and stretch and after the steep hills it seemed to settle enough to tolerate. At the last aid station atop Jacks hill I caught up with Chip and we hung around a minute. Faith was right behind us. As we lingered she grabbed some water and passed up by as I said "go on and leave us Faith" with a big ol' grin on my face.
We did catch her and pull ahead slightly but we were always in sight. We all finished together pretty much.
It was an awesome experience. I loved it and would not have traded it for the world! I had great running partners to boot! As I look back on it Faith didn't slow me down a bit and I made sure she knew it. If anything she kept me from going too fast and trying to outpace myself. She's one of the toughest ladies I know and i'm better for having trained with her. She's way smarter than I am(that's not saying much). Faith would not have left me. I know it.
How bad was it? It was the toughest thing I've ever challenged myself to.
Would I do it again? This weekend if the opportunity was available. I'm hooked.
