ISO: Ultra-Marathon Finish

As the title implies, I did not get my ultra marathon finish yesterday at the Big Basin 50k. In summary: it was hot as f*ck, we got a slow start, the aid station before a hot section ran out of water, I missed the 50k cutoff but since there was no marathon cutoff I could keep going on that course, I had a little sulk, kept trudging on, and many hours later got myself a shiny medal!

Long version:

T and I got packed up and set off for our nearly five-hour drive to Big Basin State Park, where we were crashing for the night. We had posted on the message board for somewhere to stay trying to avoid paying for a hotel, and C replied offering to share the tent cabin he had rented in the park. Thank you!

Gorgeous views

The alarm went off at 5:00, giving us time to get ready before heading out at 5:30 for the 50-minute drive to the parking and shuttle area. We got a little turned around on the way there, and pulled up just in time to hear the race organiser's calling to us that if we were in the race the buses were leaving NOW, with or without us. There was a last minute flurry of runners who pulled in at the same time of us to scramble onto the buses squeezing into the few available seats (also not important, but my first time on a school bus). T and I were both sat next to experienced ultra runners, one who is running Western States this year. My bus buddy had trained on the course, and played tour guide on the bus ride to the start. Once we got there everyone piled off the bus to pick up bibs and join the snail-pace porta-potty lines.  It was already pretty warm out. Sunscreen at the ready!

We lined up towards the back of the group at the start; the first trail had passing room but not a lot of it, and we didn't want to get caught up in the excitement and go out too fast or hold up faster runners.  I agreed to stick with T until the first aid station, Waterman Gap at 10.5km. We were moving much slower than anticipated, and I was itching to get moving. The trail was well maintained and great footing, with just the occasional small branch to hop over. Once we finally hit the aid station, I downed some water, wished T luck, and set off up the trail.

The guy ahead of me was wearing his shoes tied around his neck

This next section was mostly up. I was pleased to find that while it wasn't exactly easy, my power hike up the trail was strong enough to slowly but steadily pick off runners ahead of me. There were several backpackers and day hikers out who cheered for us as we passed. The temperature was now well in the 90s, and I drained the last of my water/tailwind about a mile from the aid station. My hips were a little tight from the climb, and the occasional niggle from ITB on the steeper downs, but otherwise feeling good. I hit the aid station a minute or so before noon. Now, I know it was a hot day and I was towards the back of the pack, but running out of both water and electrolyte drink Is Not Okay! I was able to get a splash at least, and got ready to head off on the next stretch, which turned out to be hot and not very shaded. Yay for no water!

Bleh. If not so hot, this would have been a fun section

Big thanks to the fellow runner who stopped me as I was leaving the aid station and offered to split the water from his pack with me. I really wanted to, but knew he didn't have a lot either and was moving faster than me earlier, and didn't look too good now. I ended up passing a lot of people on this stretch, even though I hiked most of it, with a few hops and skips here and there. A lot of people were just sat on fallen trees lamenting the heat and lack of water. There was a creek running below us alongside the trail, taunting us. I was so happy to find a place to get down to it and splash water over my head and neck, and rinse the salt from my face. My gloves stayed damp for a while which helped keep me a little cooler. I may have also taken a sip just to rinse my mouth out - fingers crossed for no water-borne illness please! I looked at my watch and realised I was cutting it close on time, so tried to pick up the pace a bit; cooling off made running possible again.

Happy Cyd post-creek

A bit further on was another spot with creek access, so I hopped in again. This time I took off a glove, soaked it, and shoved it still dripping in my bra to try and keep my temperature down a little. Pretty effective! I'm going to get a buff so I can do the same for my head, I was not feeling too good at this point, but really pushed on to try to make up lost time and get to Gazos Creek before the (only) cutoff. Eventually I could hear cheering up ahead, and was happy to find the aid station, but disappointed to see that I had missed the cutoff by eleven minutes. I tried my luck asking for an extension due to the lack of water issue, but was denied. We were, however, allowed to continue on the trail and transfer to the marathon. If you don't ask, you won't get, so figured it was worth trying. I was really let down, and hot, and thirsty. At least supplies were plentiful here. I grabbed some salty chips, and a few M&Ms. A volunteer offered to pour a jug of cool water down my back, which felt delicious, but I would later regret. I was having a bit of a sulk to myself, and trying not to be grumpy with the volunteers, so filled my pack and got out of there before adding tailwind to my pack. A lot of runners dropped here, and got a ride back to the finish, and several people were dropping from the 50k to the marathon distance. I also passed two people who had left the aid station but had turned back to drop. This section was going to be long, but thankfully back in the shade. If only we didn't start climbing again! Playing catch up on hydration was not fun, and I had still not thought to add the tailwind to my pack. It also wasn't long before I realised why the hikers were staring at me:

My skirt and shirt had dried, but the water from my aid station shower had soaked my shorts so it looked as above. This was also a big problem for my skin. Over the course of the rest of the run I experienced chafing that we won't go into... Our first stop once we reached the car was anywhere that sold Desitin (of course I forgot to bring it!) while I nearly cried. Let my error be a lesson to you all!

Several times on the climb I had to stop to catch my breath and try to bring my soaring heart rate down. Pretty much every runner that passed me whenever I was stopped checked to be sure I was okay and didn't need anything. Thank you, everyone! After a while I fell into step with B, who was taking it easy trying to keep his core temp down. He was running his first full marathon, having run 130+ half marathons. Amazing! His son had taken off a short while before. We didn't stick together long though, I was in a funk (and once alone even sat down and had a little cry to myself, but got to my feet again pretty quickly) and didn't want to make anybody else miserable so let myself drop back again. We caught up and chatted a while lounging around the finish, both he and his son finished, not far apart. Congratulations guys, hopefully see you at Salt Point. Finally, we started heading downhill. It was slow going, but I was running again, trying to ignore my screaming feet. At least I could look around for a good distraction:

Along here for about three miles I was being fairly regularly passed by 50k runners. Each time I would pick up and run a while, then drop back again. This section seemed to go on forever, and the trail wasn't always kind to us. At one point I thought the runner ahead of me had fallen, she was moving funny but I wasn't close to see. Then I found the obstacle she was maneuvering.

Not fun on jelly legs :)

And the wonderfully wobbly bridge that bounced with every step, I had to take a minute on the other side to stop my stomach from flipping:

The last section before the final aid station was not fun. I passed a rider looking pitifully at my sorry state, and missed my Bugsy-pony! I was slowly feeling a little better; the temperature had dropped some, and either the cooler feeling, or knowing that lower temps meant we were near the coast therefore nearly done perked me up. Lots of people were enjoying an afternoon walk, and gave encouragement. The exception being the guy on a bicycle. He passed and said "You're doing great, only a half-mile to your check point" which really lifted my spirits! Until I reached half-ish-mile and no aid station. Then a mile... and more. I was silently cursing him. "Nearly there" sucks when you're not, but non-runners don't necessarily realise this, but to give a completely false distance was mean and demoralizing. I heard at the aid station and the finish that several of us saw him at various points along this stretch, and were all told half a mile. Grr. Finally it was there. Even though we only had 1.8 miles to the finish, I finally put tailwind in my pack, and grabbed a couple of oreos for my growling stomach. Just to taunt us, as soon as we left the aid station we climbed again, about a mile. Once reaching the top, I didn't know whether to be disappointed that the fog had rolled in to spoil our ocean view, or thrilled to be nearly finished.

With lifted spirits, I started running again (except for the bit where I tripped and nearly fell off the loose single track - I walked the rest of that little stretch). I could hear the finish a long time before seeing it, and hearing the cheers of people finishing ahead was highly motivating. That, and being spurred on hearing people behind me, I wasn't letting anybody pass now! I even mustered the strength for a 'sprint' (ha!) finish, and there were even still people hanging around to cheer and clap. I nearly cried again at the end, this was the toughest race I've done so far. I need to heat condition more, I need to remember my fueling plan, and I need to run my own race. But I did it (in a grueling 7:36). After collecting my medal and shirt, and drop bag, I looked for T's drop bag. It was still there, and I couldn't see her around. I had been wondering if she had been one of the many who took a ride back to the finish but after checking with admin, they didn't have a track of her. I kept sipping away at my hydration pack, not sure about food. After spending a little time talking to fellow runners, I found a spot where I could see the runners coming in and settled down to wait and cheer for those coming in. T also managed a strong finish - her first trail race, and first marathon! My phone had died so we have no finish line pictures. We only had a short wait for the shuttle back to the parking area (stepping in and out of the van was pretty amusing for most of us...) There is, of course, the obligatory feet photo once we got back to the car:

I made the mistake of just putting on my fluffy socks, instead of flip flops or putting my shoes back on. Pretty much my whole left foot was a hotspot, and working the clutch was agony, especially when we got stuck in traffic!

Overall, I had fun. Just not at the time! I learned a lot, and am more determined than ever to finish the 50k at Salt Point. I'm still paying for the electrolyte imbalance, but made it to the gym this morning. Other than pretty shallow squats, it felt good to get moving. I'm going to see how I feel in the morning, but thinking about trying a short, easy run. Can't wait to drive down to Salt Point and train on the course so I know what I'm in for!