Yo Momma huh?

This was the day I'd been training for since December 2011.  Back in November I was still on my post-marathon high when I was surfing the internet for races and stumbled upon this little gem called "50s For Yo Momma Ultra Trail Run".  Sight unseen I registered, because for the price I couldn't pass it up!  And I somehow talked my friend Jeanine into signing up as well.

In December I met the race director, Rob, at the trail for my first training run.  Talk about a shock to the system.  I was completely unprepared for the terrain.  I had done a 4-mile trail run at Alum Creek back in 2009, but that trail was almost completely flat.  The Hargus Lake course is a 5.2 mile loop around the lake with steep hill after steep hill.  While the majority of the steep hills were short, there were a couple of very long ones.  And multiple creeks to cross, a few of which had no logs or cinder blocks to jump on.  You were either Superman who could leap wide creeks in a single bound or you just ran through them.  And since I am clearly no Superman, I ended up with wet feet.  There was also mud.  Lots and lots of mud.  I can run a half marathon in about 3 hours.  On my first training run I did 2 loops around the lake for a total of 10.4 miles.  It took me 3 1/2 hours!  I realized at that moment how much training I was really going to have to do.

I spent the next 4 months building my mileage, including getting up at an obscene hour on Tuesday and Thursday mornings to run with Jeanine (I am NOT a morning person), running the Carmel Marathon 3 weeks before Yo Momma, and once a month I would drive to the trail and run it.  Each time I had every intention of adding 1 more loop, and each time I would get 1 loop done and then say to myself "I don't feel like going again.  I'll do an extra loop next time."  Come race day the most times I'd been around the lake was twice and that had been the first time I'd gone down there back in December.  The entire week before race day my only thought was, "I really do NOT want to do this race on Saturday."  I truly had no desire to run it.  And if I can be entirely honest, if not for the fact that I had talked Jeanine into registering for this thing and my friend, Maite, hadn't flown all the way from Miami, FL to cheer me on, I totally would have bagged it.  That is how much I was not looking forward to it.  Which has never happened to me with a race before! 

Race morning dawns!  Packet pick-up was from 5:30 a.m. - 6:15 a.m. so we were up at 4:00 to start getting ready!  Stephanie and Keith met Maite and me down there, and boy was Stephanie prepared, lol.  They had a canopy, chairs, coolers of food, water, Gatorade and various other types of fuel in case I needed it.  And to top it off, she had shirts made!!  My nickname/username/email/pretty much everything is "fzyfrog" which everyone shortens to "fzy", so my crew was "Team Fzy" which I LOVED!

Before the race started we were given instructions to make sure that our bib was visible as we crossed the start/finish area so they could record our number of laps.  I wanted to be as "minimalist" as possible before starting so I didn't wear my fuel belt like usual (there was an aid station at mile 3 1/2 as well as at the start/finish line), but rather just my Spi-belt with my phone so I could #1. Have music and #2. Call someone if I needed help.  I'm a pretty clumsy person and the terrain out there is uneven at best.  I had tripped, but luckily not fallen, each time I'd been out there so I knew the chances of me falling on race day were high, lol.  At 6:30, the 50-milers started.  The rest of us stood around cheering them on as they took off!  At 6:45 it was my (and the rest of the 50Ker's) turn to head out.  Even before I started the race my goal was to finish in under 13 hours (time limit for both races was 14 hours).  While 13 hours may seem high to most people, I was gauging this based on how fast I'd run a loop previously.  My fastest loop time was 1 1/2 hours, slowest was 1 hour 45 minutes.  I knew I'd stop in between loops to fuel up and rest for a minute so I wanted to give myself 2 hours for each loop because I knew by the end I'd slow way down.

I felt really good out there the first loop.  I'm a run/walker who typically does a 3:1 1/2 minute interval.  My plan on race day, however, was to run as often as I could and only walk when I had to, with no set interval limit because of the terrain and hills.  I ended up run/walking with a couple of gentlemen from northern Ohio.  We talked and joked and were just having a good time and enjoying the scenery.  As I came up the short hill to the start/finish area I yelled out my bib number for some reason, "one-sixty-six" and it sort of became my "thing" lol.  Then, I headed over to our "area" and grabbed some water.
   

After a quick water break, I headed out for loop #2.  I still felt ok, but noticed I slowed down a tiny bit.  Which was fine, considering I still had so far to go.  Because I was so slow I did my best to actually stop and move off the path, if possible, whenever I heard runners behind me.  I certainly wasn't going to win the race, and I knew the people passing me were trying for a much faster time than me so I didn't want to get in anyone's way of that.  So, about mile 4 1/2 of loop 2, I thought I heard someone behind me.  I looked over my shoulder and no sooner did I see the person when I tripped over something and went flying.  I landed on my side and partially on my back.  I got up, dusted myself off and kept going.  Luckily we were out of the wooded area and more in the open on the grassy path along the side of the lake, and I was fine aside from some minor abrasions on my shoulder blade and leg.  I close in on the start/finish line and yell out my bib number.

  
At the last creek crossing I didn't have the energy to strategize how to cross it without getting my feet wet so I just ran through it, lol.  Luckily, I had come prepared with 5 extra pairs of socks and another pair of running shoes.  So I sat down to rest, changed into dry socks, ate some chips and drank some Gatorade.  I also put on my fuel belt, because even though there was another aid station, I was getting thirsty before I hit it.  It took me 1 hour and 45 minutes to finish loop 2.  After resting for about 5-10 minutes I headed out for loop 3.

Loop 3 was slow to say the least.  I tripped multiple times and here is what parts of the trail looked like.

 









Check out those smiles...Fake it, 'til ya make it, right?

What's with all the hands on the hip shots too?  Is that supposed to help in some way, lol?







And again, more honesty here... If I had done this race alone, like I do a lot of races, after loop 3, I would have been done.  I was miserable.  Thank God there was pizza back at the start/finish line after this loop!!  And as I'm heading up that hill, I yell out "one-sixty-six", which has everyone clapping and laughing!  By the way, that was the BEST piece of pizza I've ever eaten, lol.  Of course, as the race director's wife said, "Lynde, if you'd eaten a saltine, that would have been the BEST cracker you'd ever eaten".  And you know what?  She would have been right, lol. 

After resting for about 15 minutes while eating my pizza and chips and drinking Gatorade, I was ready for loop 4. By now, it was taking me close to 2 hours to finish a loop.  I looked at my watch and said I'd be back around 2:30.  I was at about mile 2 of loop 4 when I heard people behind me.  I stepped over to the side to get out of the way when someone yelled out "One-sixty-six??"  I start laughing and was like "Yep, one-sixty-six!!"  They passed me with a "way to go!", "you're doing great" and various other encouragements.  And let me tell you...all of those other runners were the nicest, most encouraging and supportive people I have ever encountered at a race.  I don't remember a single person who passed me that didn't say something encouraging to me (and several people passed me more than once!!).  It certainly offered a boost when I really just wanted to sit down and cry because my feet hurt so bad.  So, to every single one of those people, I say THANK YOU!  I am so proud to have been part of a race with such amazing and outstanding people!

And I finished loop 4 - "One-sixty-six".  At the end of loop 4, one of Stephanie's co-workers and her husband were waiting at our crew tent and I was introduced to them.  I remember everyone talking to me asking me if there was anything I needed and all I remember was my continuous response being "I don't know.  Don't make me think.  My brain hurts too much to think right now".  After that they just offered me a few things and I took them, lol.  I was pretty out of it.  So much so, in fact, that later on Stephanie told me that her co-worker had texted her after they left asking if I was ok, lol.   And I was... eventually.

Before I before I began loop 5, Maite asked me if I wanted her to go with me.  Of course, I said "YES!"  Loop 5 involved no running whatsoever.  We walked the entire thing. 

<--- Down, down, down



UP, up, up --->
















Maite ---->






I got to mile 3 of loop 5 and I remembered suddenly feeling very light headed and actually thought I was going to pass out.  Which, of course, then caused a mild panic attack and my heart to start racing.  I took some slow deep breaths, slowed down my walk and kept telling myself, "Just get to the aid station, just get to the aid station".  I made it to the aid station and asked if there was a chair I could sit down in.  They didn't have a chair, but I ended up sitting down on their ice cooler.  I grabbed some chips and pretty much any other food I could find along with some watered down drink called Heed.   I sat there for a good 5-10 minutes before I felt like I could get up and keep going.  I hit the trail and met up with Maite where she had turned around to come back and check on me.  She used my phone to text back to "camp" and ask Stephanie if she could make me a turkey and cheese sandwich.  Finally, I see the start/finish line.  "One-sixty-six!!!"

By the picture you can tell that I clearly felt better, lol.  And actually, I did.  I tore into that turkey sandwich like I was never going to eat again.  And it was the BEST turkey sandwich I've ever eaten.  Truly :D  After I ate, I changed into dry socks again (the first loop ended up being the only time I didn't change them!), rested for a good 15 minutes, drank lots of Gatorade and water, grabbed some chips and a cookie and Maite and I set out for the last and final loop!!  Judging by the time we had 2 hours and 24 minutes to complete loop 6 in order for me to finish in my goal time of less than 13 hours.  In fact, it would have been 12:59.  Nothing like cutting it close, right?  We walked to the dam and I told Maite I wanted to try and run across it and then we'd walk again.  We made it across the dam and then went back to walking.  We ended up having to slow down the walk a little, because I started feeling light-headed again.  But, once we slowed down I felt fine.  I got to a few flat places where I felt like I could slow jog and be ok.  So I jogged here and there.  We hit the "big" stairs (67 stairs big!) and I slowly made it up.  We crossed 1 creek and I made it up the hill on the other side of it.  We went down the giant hill, crossed another creek and made it up the "Up, Up, Up, Up" hill on the other side.  We made it to the aid station where I grabbed some peanut M&Ms and kept going.  I jogged again in a couple of flat spots.  There were still people who were running the 50 miler that were passing me, including "Bill" who passed me 4 times and had a huge smile on his face and encouraging words for me each time.  Finally, I saw the bait shop and boat dock and knew the finish line was only about 1/4 mile away.  By now, I was getting so excited!  I started jogging.  I didn't want my bib covered when I crossed that finish line (got to think of those photo ops, lol), so I handed Maite my fuel belt and Spi-belt to carry for me.  And suddenly, THERE IT WAS!  THE FINISH LINE!  I picked up my pace and yelled, "ONE. SIXTY. SIX!!!!!!!!!"

It wasn't pretty, but I did it!!  Official time - 12:43:17!  I beat my goal by 17 minutes!!  I was the very last 50K finisher.  And you know what, I was beyond alright with that.  Because out of the 93 people who did register, 17 people didn't even show up for the race and 9 people weren't able to finish.  And there, at the finish line, cheering me on every step of the way, were my friends Stephanie, Keith, Maite and Jeanine, none of whom I would have ever been able to finish this race without!!!!

FINISHERS!!!!

Here's a pic of Jeanine, the race director, Rob, and me.

  Like I said, it wasn't pretty, but the feeling I had after I crossed that finish line is unmatchable!  It was over, I accomplished something I'd never thought to accomplish, and I was never going to do it again!  I felt so good knowing...

Oh, and I'm registering for this race next year, lol.