Javelina Jundred...Oct 23, 2010 aka 30 years on this Earth!

Oct 23, 2010 03:30

Beep, Beep, beep…I crack an eye open and gaze over to the nightstand where my phone is lighting up, violently vibrating, and playing that all too familiar and slightly annoying melody, you know, that melody that doesn’t resemble any song you’ve ever heard, but is just obnoxious enough to wake you out of a dead sleep at 3 am! 

As I crawl out of bed to silence the little beast, I realize that THIS Saturday morning is unlike any to which I’ve ever embarked!  This Saturday is the day I’ve been anticipating for 15 weeks.  I’d visualized this morning in my head, planned for it, and NOW it’s finally here…excitement and trepidation settle in. 

I stumble to the kitchen where I begin to boil water for my oatmeal (Trader Joes Maple and Brown Sugar is a personal favorite).  For the past 10 weeks or so I would begin my long run with a bowl of oatmeal. I find it gives me the boost I need and helps tame my hunger while I’m out on the trail! 

Today is the day of my first 100 mile run.  My first ever Ultra Marathon!!  Some might point out my first ever marathon as well, but I’m not really into minor details!

It doesn’t take me long to get ready, after all it is my birthday and I have chosen to keep it simple and wear my Birthday suit!  Lucky for me the race is being held close to Halloween and the race directors' advertise the race as a “100 mile Jalloween Party”!   There is even a costume contest, so I know I won’t be alone in my “birthday suit”.

At 4:30 am my long time friend, pacer, and crew member, Bridget, drops me off at the trail head while she parks the car.  I struggle with my coolers of stuff to the spot I had picked out the night before.  Actually the spot picked me!!  At the packet pick up and pre-race dinner the night before, Bridget and I were navigating through the sea of tents, when some guys called out to us.  Not surprising as she was wearing heels and a cute ensemble that was more appropriate for a stroll in the trendy shopping district of Scottsdale than through Javelina’s dusty trailhead!  I of course was wearing a dress which was more appropriate for a casual dinner on Fort Lauderdale beach!  Needless to say we stuck out like a sore thumb!  We were a walking billboard of “ULTRA VIRGINS!”   

These gentlemen asked if we needed any help.  I guess we looked like lost childen in a department store!  Actually, we did need help, we were trying to figure out where we should set up camp the next morning!  As we began talking, we learned some valuable information.  1. That I would have to wear my “birthday suit” for the entire 7 laps in order to win the costume contest and 2. OH, I don’t remember what 2 was, as I was still in shock about the costume!  I had initially planned on wearing my “ birthday suit”  for the first 15.4 mile loop, smiling at the judges (those volunteers manning the timing booth) and then changing into something more comfortable and runner like for the next 6 laps/24hrs! 

The one thing I Iove about meeting other Ultra runners is that they don’t think you’re crazy like most other runners and/or people! 

One of the guys asked me when I thought I would finish.  I told him that I was looking to be finished between 26-28 hours.  He asked me what my average marathon pace was and I told him…like I’ve told many others throughout my training, that, "I’d didn’t know my marathon pace as I’d never ran a marathon before."  After a quick chuckle he announces to the other 6 men sitting around that I had “NEVER ran a marathon before”, they all laughed and then said “THAT’S AWESOME!!”  And there began my love affair for Ultra Marathoners!

So here it is before 5 am on my Birthday.  Now I’ve seen a lot of 5 ams on my birthday over the years, but they usually commence with a night of eating, drinking, and partying.  However, not today.  Today, the party would start promptly at 6 am! 

As I’m unloading my coolers of stuff, my new neighbor Ben Dunn, yes that’s really his name, asks “is this your first Ultra?”  My response, “it’s that obvious, eh?”. I’ve never been a light packer and today was NO exception!!

I quickly hopped in a line to the bathroom.  I’ve learned from my experienced running buddies that if there is a short line to the bathroom, hop in even if you don’t have to go!  Besides it’s much easier to go in a porta potty than behind a cactus on the trail.  Ask me how I know?

So back at the tent Bridget brings out this great big birthday cake hat.  At first I am reluctant to wear it.  It doesn’t fit my head properly (as I have a really small head…which is even more obvious by the fact that I want to run 100 miles in the first place!).  So we figure out how to put the cake hat over my running hat.  Bridget says that the giant cake hat makes my ensemble make sense…that way I don’t look like a streaker without a purpose! I oblige.

It’s getting closer and closer to the start time so I figure we should snap a few before photos…you know just in case my crew needs something to show the coroner later.

I don’t remember how the race started, maybe it was a countdown, maybe it was a gunshot, I can’t remember.  Well truth be told I think I might have missed the actual start, but fortunate for me, the start line was very close and narrow, so by the time I jumped in line I wasn’t the LAST person to cross the start line! 

Oh, but I was in the back.  In fact the  people around me started walking, I guess that is NOT abnormal as this IS a 100 mile race, but I wanted to get a little jog on!  The beginning was crowded and there were a lot of people.  Many with cameras and video cameras!  As I began to navigate through the people and the crowd began to thin out I began to settle into a pace.  The sun began to rise over the mountains and it looked to be another gorgeous day in the Arizona desert! 

The one thing I did not anticipate was all the attention my “birthday suit” would generate!  I know that might be a bit naïve of me, but I really had NO IDEA people would be so into the idea!  I mean, it wasn’t like I was alone out there!  There were men dressed as cheerleaders with huge knockers, the whole line of superheroes, supervillians, and all kinds of costumes that can only be described as WEIRD!

Due to my popular outfit, I did a lot of stopping and posing for the cameras.  I think I posed for no less than 60-80 photos!  Think of the time I could have saved. LOL!

So my first lap was uneventful.  I met some very nice people, many who had been out there before.  One guy explained to me the bibs.  Blue meant the person had finished Javelina before, Pink meant you were a Virgin (mine was pink!) and yellow meant you  had attempted JJ before and Did Not Finish (DNF).  DNF was a new term to me…I was actually concerned that it might have stood for something like “Dead Never Found”…so I was relieved to learn the meaning of all those DNFs on the results page!

I felt great my first lap and wanted to run all out!  Luckily I knew better and pulled the reigns in!  At one point I was on track to finish in 2:50, which is 10 minutes faster than my fastest training lap!  Not good when you  have 100 miles to go!  So I slowed it down, chatted to the people around me and enjoyed the scenery!  Yes, the desert has some nice scenery, contrary to popular belief!  Many people were wishing me a Happy Birthday so that was fun and kept me occupied! 

At the 2^nd aid station a lovely aid volunteer insisted I try the pumpkin pie.  “Pumpkin pie, really?  That sounds disgusting” I argued!  “No try it, it’s good”, she persisted.  “Ok, fine”, I gave in and…OMG!  Heaven!! I was hooked! 

As I came in for my first lap at 3:19 minutes, right on track to my predicted 3:20-3:30 time!, my crew was fantastic!  They asked if I wanted to change my outfit, to which I promptly responded “NO WAY!!”  They were great at weighing me and feeding me.  They were just like a loving mom nagging a teenager…”you need to eat more of your bagel, finish your Gatorade, turn around so we can put sunscreen on your backside,  blah, blah, blah”.  I spent a total of 13 minutes at the trailhead.

Lap 2 was more uneventful than the first lap! It was now fully daylight and more people were getting to see me in my full glory.  Many more requests for pictures and even some video footage!  My fan base had grown! LOL!  I soon became known as the Birthday girl.  Funny enough I had chosen Birthday Girl to be written on my pretty pink bib!

I should explain how the trail is laid out.  There is a 15.4 mile loop.  Some of the trail is packed gravel, some is sandy, some is rocky, and some is hilly!  So when you’re just about to get bored it changes!  We started out going clockwise on the loop.  The next time we went out, we started counterclockwise, alternating between each loop.  Which seems relatively simple, until you’re on your 4^th or is it 5^th lap and then have to ask, which way am I going? The sign was relatively helpful, if reading is in your repertoire of skills at this point!

Needless to say the  most notable thing on Lap 2 was those 2 cute guys I saw on the trail and the pumpkin pie volunteer girl!!  As I came in after my 2^nd lap, my fan base had grown exponentially!  I had dozens of people cheering for the “birthday girl”.  It was a great feeling to be “recognized” and that so many people were having fun!

Once again my crew was fantastic!!  Another one of my long time friends, Terra, came to show her support!  She is a nurse by occupation, so she was right at home bossing me around!  Telling me to drink my fluids, eat my food, put on more sun block, etc! According to my crew I ate ¼ bagel with Tuna, ¾ of a Gatorade, and ¼ cup of Ramen!  What a lunch!  I spent 19 minutes before I headed back out for lap 3.

Lap 3 was the last lap in the heat of the day!  By this point I was a bit bored of the trial!  I’d seen it 7 times already!(Race + Training).  I felt good physically on this lap, although there was one point when my blood sugar was probably low and I felt a bit down.  That’s one of the crazy parts of running these events is that you have so many different mood swings.  Much of this is controlled by the fuel you are putting into your body. 

This lap I caught up with my running buddy from my running group back  home.  It was great to see him!  It’s always nice to see a familiar face!  Unfortunately he was struggling with a quad injury and was in a tremendous amount of pain.  Sadly, this would be the last time I saw him on the trail!

When I came in after my 3^rd lap, my usual fans were there to cheer me in as well as a whole new set of fans.  Some seeing me and my outfit for the first time!  It brought many smiles and laughter.

At this point my pacer Bridget had left to go back to the condo to get some rest for her early morning run with me.  Another one of my pacers, Bill, a guy I had met at the local running group in Tempe Arizona was there in her place helping out. He told me that when he arrived he had overheard some man talking about a girl out there in her “birthday suit” and that it was controversial.  I guess this wasn’t a good time for him to mention that he would later be pacing me. LOL! 

As I came in after my 3^rd lap my crew fed me ¼ bagel with Peanut butter, and ¼ cup of Ramen.  I returned to the trail after just 15 short minutes.  This lap would end at night so I could now test my handy headlamp (Petzl Tikka XP 2-the purple one!) that I had purchased. Last time I ran at night I could barely see as my light was so poor.  I ended up running with a maglight flashlight, not ideal when you have two water bottles in your hands! (I LOVE this next video! I just discovered it as I forgot that I had taken it. It makes me feel so loved. Thank you Terra and Bill!!)

Today was different.  I enjoyed a beautiful sunset over the desert.  Then it turned dark.  I hit my fave aid station with the pumpkin pie!  As the sun disappeared the Arizona desert got cold.  The low was at 50F, which is COLD for a Florida girl!  My new favorite food was Ramen Noodle soup!  Nothing tasted so yummy!  I also really loved oranges.  After the first aid station on my 4^th lap, I pulled out a GU.  I had been really proud of myself for sticking to my nutrition and hydration needs!

Every 45minutes-1hr I would take 3 electrolyte pills.  Every 1:15-1:30 I would take a GU.  I have a hard time swallowing down Gu, but I realize that it is necessary for my fuel, so I stayed disciplined.  This particular GU (clif shots Razz) immediately made me gag.  Not unusual, so I went in for another big gulp.  This gulp made me vomit all that yummy ramen noodle soup I had just consumed! For good measure, my stomach, which hated me, threw up one more time!  As I looked at the ground with my fancy headlamp I could see ramen noodles and undigested orange slices.  Yuck! 

At this point a slight panic sunk in.  I quickly went through a checklist in my head, did I drink enough, have I been eating enough, etc.

One of the signs of dehydration is throwing up and stomach cramps, so I was nervous!  However, I calmed myself down and explained to my critical mind that I just had an adverse reaction to the yucky GU and that I would be fine, I just had to keep moving!  And moving is what I did, albeit, SLOW!  I began to walk as I didn’t think my stomach could handle any jiggling around!  I was on the uphill portion of the trail, so the time lost, although significant, wouldn’t be a deal breaker!

When I arrived at the next aid station I took some ginger ale to help calm the stomach.  It tasted SO sweet and wasn’t really what I wanted, but I had no choice.  As I left this aid station I did my best to jog, praying I wouldn’t anger my  stomach anymore.  I made it back to the trailhead.  I knew running at night would take longer than during the day, but this particular lap took almost 1 hour longer than my day laps. I was surprised, but still making good progress.  After all I had just finished 61.6 miles, the furthest I’d ever ran in my entire life! 

It was great to return to a group of cheers!  My crew was ready to serve.  I ate some Ramen (a theme) and a bagel with tuna. My pacer Bridget was ready to entertain!  Before we went out though I wanted to open a present that I had received the day before.  As I opened it, my crew read the wonderful note from Angela, one of my dear friends and awesome runners back home.  It was champagne and chocolate!  I needed that gift and especially the encouraging words to help lift my spirits.  Thank you SO MUCH Angela!!

The guys next to us warned me that Lap 5 was usually the hardest lap!  I thought lap 4 was the hardest (probably because of the vomiting scene), but Lap 5 was no cake walk and believe me it involved a lot of walking!  I still felt nauseous and was taking it slow.  I think Bridget wondered if we were EVER going to run! She did a great job of keeping me entertained.  She took her job as a pacer very seriously!  She had prepared things weeks in advance to talk about and/or distract me.  She read many of the beautiful birthday letters I’d received.  

We later joked about how hard it was for her to read a letter on a dark trial while running after me!   She was an amazing sport and made lap 5 fun.  I can’t thank her enough for her optimism and support!

There is a saying in Ultras, “beware of the chair”.  Lap 6 was the hardest for me to get out of the chair.  My pacer Bill would be joining me for the almost 5 hr journey! Before leaving I ate some oatmeal and…can you guess?  RAMEN!  I was only at the trailhead for 12 minutes, but when I got up from the chair I had the most incredible pain in my left hip!  It was the only time during the run that I had a thought  “OMG, I might not be able to finish this race!”  But just as quickly as that crazy thought came into my head I pushed it out.  I figured if I did some light jogging it would alleviate some pressure on my left hip.  So I began jogging.   After about 7 painful miles my hip began to stop hurting! 

I came up with a new little saying while I was out on the trail.  After the 3^rd lap (about mile 50) things start to hurt. So when my body would say, “your knee hurts”, I would tell my body “yes I know, but give it 20 minutes and something else will override that hurt!”  It was just a sad, but humorous way of telling my mind…SHUT UP!  Of course I hurt, so STOP telling me!

At the first aid station on my 6^th lap I decided to do a little video with my Ipod, considering that this would be my last time at that aid station!!  It was a funny little video and showed just how exhausted I was after 20 something hours of running!!  I ate the usual…Ramen, Oranges, and Pumpkin Pie! 

At the next aid station I was sitting and next to me was a guy laying comfortably on one of the cots.  My pacer mentioned something about batman, as he thought this guy was dressed up as batman with his black facepaint around his eyes!  His pacer says, “he’s not batman, he’s at war!”  So me being very witty chime in and say “Oh, it looks like the war is winning!” After it leaves my mouth I feel horrible!  I can’t believe I even let the statement out of my mouth.  As soon as I say this, war pops up off the bed and hits the trail. As I’m running behind him I’m thinking…OH, should I go apologize…what was I thinking!  I guess my comment was the one he needed to get up and go back to battle!

This lap was funny in that everything I had been drinking decided it needed to come out!  I think I went pee no less than 5 times; which wasn’t an easy ordeal as I was still wearing my birthday suit.  My birthday suit was a full body nude leotard.  So every time I went pee, I had to take off my gloves, jacket, long sleeve shirt, and then pull off my leotard and HOPE that I don’t accidentally pee on myself!  After all it is dark out there!  Each time I needed to go pee, it came on me so fast that I was rushing to get in position!

This next part of my story is humorous, but also disgusting!  Beware! No, I’m serious, this next part is graphic and only intended for mature audiences! Read along at your own risk!

 So with about 4 miles to go in my 6^th lap I have to go poop.  Like my peeing, it came on me so fast that the only thing I could do was rush to find a cactus to squat behind.  At this point the sun has risen and everything was in full view.  Cacti don’t provide much coverage-F.Y.I.!

So as we are running along the trail, I suddenly  have this urge to go to the bathroom.  I tell my pacer, “I have to go to the bathroom.”  Now we’ve been through this routine about 5 times already, so he’s fine with it.  I hand him my water bottles and rush off behind a cactus.  I go through the whole remove the clothing routine once again.  Just as soon as everything is in place my body releases the most foul smelling, unrecognizable poop I’ve ever seen in my entire life!  For some reason it reminds me of an elephant turd!  It’s like an olive green color and is the consistency of pudding, which makes sense considering I haven’t eaten solid food in over 24 hours.  As I’m squatting there I think…hmmm..I’ve got to clean myself up back there!  So I call out to my pacer…”uhm, Bill…I don’t have any of those santi wipes in my water bottles do I?  His reply “uh, No”.  My mind starts spitting out those 4 letter words that your mom taught you to never say.  (It should be noted that Bill works for a company that sells sanitation products!! He had even given me a whole bag of stuff to use for the race, which is conveniently sitting on my table at the trailhead!!)

As I continue to squat behind the cactus I’m doing my best to engage my brain in some critical thinking.  Problem solving is exponentially difficult on only 3 hours of sleep never mind the 85 + miles I’ve just ran!

So I think…leaf, that’s what people in the woods use…Oh, but cactus don’t really have leaves…another 4 letter word.  So I think…do I use my shirt?  Oh! Light bulb!! How about my glove?!?  That’s perfect, my glove!  So I proceed to wipe my bum with my Nike dry fit glove, with the cute little key hole, you know the one that I bought at Niketown in Boston during the Boston Marathon…you know the one that has NO sentimental and/or practical value...

Well, I really have no choice now do I?  After all I am wearing a thong with a see through leotard on top.  Nike glove it is!  I am now tasked with the thought…”what do I do with this glove?”  You can’t leave things out on the trail, so I figure I will turn it inside out and stuff it in my gaiter.  Now that I’ve composed myself and put my clothing back on I’m ready to hit the trail.  Granted this whole ordeal took a minimum of 10 minutes! 

As I begin to run down the trail again my pacer calls out to me…”Uhm, I think you have poop on your shirt!”  I stop, look at the shirt wrapped around my waste (pun intended)….sure enough, crap! We are both laughing hysterically at this point, after all, what else can you do? Somehow I had gotten my shirt in my poop. Fabulous! I decide that I will turn the shirt inside out in an effort to spare the innocent bystander and other runners! 

At this point in the run, we have to make up some time.  I’ve spent 30 minutes just on my various bathroom breaks!  Bill has a watch that gives the pace and time, which was fabulous for keeping us on track!  So we really picked it up those last 4 miles and ran it in.

As I returned to the trail head, once again more cheers.  When I crossed the finish line, one of the guys from the night before explains that I need to get a plastic glow stick necklace for my last lap.  The glow stick necklace notifies the aid station crew that I’m on my last lap.  He gives me a pep talk of how great I’m doing and that I have plenty of time to make the cutoff.  I head back to my crew tent, and figure out what I need for my last lap.  At this point, Bridget, Terra, and Bill are all there!  Bill and I figure it will take me 2 ½ hours to finish the last lap of 9 miles.  At this time it is 7:30 in the morning.  I had been running for 25 hrs and 30 minutes straight! 

The last lap is the one lap that had 3 miles of trial that I had never been on before, so I was a bit nervous as I did not know what kind of terrain it might entail. Bridget would be my pacer for the last 9 miles. At 7:46 we took off.  Bill said to me before I headed out that “this is it, leave it all out on the trail”!  I took his advice seriously.  This lap was my Victory Lap!  I ran almost the entire lap, which is not easy to do after 92 miles with the first 5 uphill! 

When I got to the aid station I only had 4 miles to go!  I wasted no time at the aid station.  Bridget made sure I was checked in and off we went.  The next 3 miles were like floating on a cloud!  This particular part of the trial was all downhill, hard packed gravel!  I couldn’t be more happy or alive!  I had done it!  I saw one guy ahead of me, I passed him and kept looking over my shoulder making sure he wasn’t gaining any ground on me. 

When we reached the 1 mile marker I told Bridget to take off without me and let everyone in the trail head know that I was coming.  I did a quiet celebration that I had just completed 100 miles!  Only 1 more to go!  I ran the fastest I could for that last mile!  I put into practice all those fast finish long runs that I had ran in the last 16 weeks.  Everything I had worked for was coming to an end!  All those early morning runs with very little sleep, the sacrifices, the sickness, the injuries, all that was behind me at this point!

Nothing was going to stop me from running the fastest mile my body would allow!  As I hit the trailhead I could see the finish line.  I had passed it 6 times already and this would be the final time.  I crossed arms raised high!

As I crossed one of the race directors congratulated me and handed me my much coveted belt buckle!  And to my surprise, I had won the award for the “best ass”!  Bill showered me with champagne and Bridget and Terra gave me hugs!

I had often thought of how I would feel when I crossed the finish line.  I’d visualized this moment during my hard runs.  I thought I might cry, but I didn’t.  I was so happy, elated, and proud of myself!  I was grateful that I had such a great group of friends from all over the world who were cheering for me and tracking my progress day and night!!  I felt like a rock star!  It was so wonderful to feel so loved!

This race symbolizes to me what being 30 is all about!  It’s about putting in the hard work, waking up early, making sacrifices, struggling through the ups and downs, depending on others to help you get through, crapping on yourself at the most inopportune times and learning to laugh about it, visualizing a successful ending, being enormously loved by friends, celebrating the big and small victories, learning to be patient and forgiving of yourself and others, learning to NEVER give up on yourself or others, to ALWAYS pick yourself up after a rough spell,  keeping the short term goal within sight, with the long term goal in mind, and most importantly learning to love and inspire the world around me!

Thank you for being my inspiration

XOXO,

Moderngypsygirl.