Training didn't go as well as I had hoped. I was just getting back to top form, running 10 miles at 8 min mile pace, when I came up lame with a strained calf. Naturally I pushed myself and came back too soon and re-injured it. I had a couple of good weeks of training before the race but didn't dare push it very hard. One cool thing we did for training was have the team use the Strava app that tracks runs and gives statistics. It was fun and motivational to see who on the team was running, how far they went, what their pace was and so on. I also love that Strava gives me medals when I get a personal record on a segment, or run my 3rd fastest half mile or whatever.
We were Van 1 this time (Big Blue, Keith and Katie's 15 passenger van). We also had Hayley Cochran and Keith's friend Brian Gollohan from work. JD had injury problems so he was our driver.
The night before the race we had a team meeting. Tim's and Doug's family stayed at our house and Keith and Katie brought their van over. They made a Costco run and bought a bunch of food. In our van we liked the chicken salad on croissants, quinoa salad, trail mix and muffins. I also liked the coconut water. It's just the right amount of sweet, and less so than Gatorade. We also washed the vans inside and out. Matt's van was kind of gross before we started, but ended up being completely sterilized inside because Tim is a little picky about germs. We also wanted the vans to provide a nice clean canvas for our decorating.
Leg 1
We started at 8:45 in Logan.
I ran the first leg from Utah State University track up the hill for 2 miles to the Bonneville Shoreline trail. I started with a group of about 10 runners and settled into about 4th place. When the race turned downhill I made good time, getting some personal records from Strava for 1/2 mile, 1k and 1 mile (6:42). The weather was ideal with a slight tailwind and intermittent misting rain. I didn't get to pass many people since I was so near the beginning of the course. I never realized how pretty Cache valley was. the scenery was great as I ran through some old neighborhoods and along the benches. I ended up finishing exactly at my predicted time.
After stretching, a sponge bath and change of clothes we hit the road to meet Hayley, our next runner about half way and give her some water. JD ran with her the last few miles. Half the fun and challenge of this type of relay is the logistics of getting the van and runners to the right place at the right time amid traffic jams and parking problems.
Rachelle's first leg was a nasty 7 mile run up Avon Pass, a narrow, muddy canyon road at the south end of Cache Valley. We leap-frogged with her several times to give her water. At the end she experienced a "runner's low" as she crawled into the van with a cramping calf and sobbed for a few minutes before regaining her composure. I'm sure her brain was marinated in a toxic stew of pre-menstrual hormones, hypoglycemia and fatigue that was a little too much to handle.
Leg 2
The course took us down to Huntsville where we handed off to the other van and went to find some ice cream. We didn't have a very long break before we had to be at Snow Basin ski resort. Right before my turn to run I had a bout of diarrhea. That was a bad sign. I waited for my exchange with a guy dressed in a Viking outfit complete with plastic sword. Later I found out from reading a newspaper article that he was Scott Jurek, the famous ultra-marthoner who ran the same legs as me. He passed me about 3 miles into my run.I felt good about the uphill first two miles. I made about 8:30 miles for that part. I was looking forward to the downhill and a fast pace but after about 5 miles I started having intense abdominal cramps and the only relief was to walk. I felt like if I didn't get to a potty soon I would explode, but running was almost intolerable. Then just before the last mile the hamstring started cramping too. It's too bad I was so miserable because it should have been a beautiful run. The sun was setting at my back, lighting up the mountains and valleys before me. I finished and went straight to the Honey Buckets. I ended up running the 9 miles at an 8:12 pace, not bad considering my problems. The real triumph was keeping my sphincter closed all the way.
Everyone else's 2nd leg was uneventful and it was a blur to me, as we ran through Morgan to East Canyon reservoir. Van 2 didn't make it to the exchange so Brian just kept running an extra mile and a half on a tough uphill run.
Leg 3
We headed to the next major exchange at Oakley, where we camped on the fairgrounds. I blew up air mattresses for Rachelle and I, but I don't think we needed them on the wood-chip mattress of the playground. I slept well from about 4 to 6 AM. Rachelle of course was cold and she couldn't get extra blankets because Brian insisted on taking the van back to Coalville so he could shower. I don't understand anybody preferring shower to sleep in that situation.I ate a muffin for breakfast and found that I still had some residual intestinal issues. It's nice to have Keith on any trip like this because he brings EVERYTHING. He gave me an imodium and some Gas-x for cramping. I took Ibuprofen for the muscle soreness. I was fully medicated and ready to go by 8 AM. Unfortunately we were running about 40 minutes behind schedule by this point and my exchange didn't happen until about 8:30.
My last leg was 5 miles from Oakley to Kamas. It was relatively flat and there were loads of people on the course. I passed 32 people on this shortest leg, about tripling my previous kill total. I made about 8 minute miles despite the fatigue, so I was happy with that. It was a clear, sunny morning with views of the Wasatch, but it was noticeably hotter in the sun than the shade. I felt sorry for anyone running later than me. My motivation on this run was seeing people ahead of me and trying to pass them.
The rest of our team had to deal with heat, and Keith had a particularly nasty climb on the way to Heber. We went to our favorite Mexican place, Tarahumara for a post-race meal before heading to the Park City finish line.
We had to leave our van and shuttle in. That was a good idea to cut down on congestion. I napped in the shade while we waited for our team. I had figured if we all ran on pace we would finish at about 5:30, but most people ran their last legs much slower. Next time I will have to figure in the effects of fatigue and heat on pace. Amy finished the last leg at almost 8 PM.
We were going to do a little tunnel and run in together but Amy had some issues with sphincter control during her run and was in no mood for celebration until after cleaning up, so that was a little awkward.
We finished the race in 35 hours and 1 minute, and we are already talking about doing another relay. I thought our van had an easy-going atmosphere, although JD and Hayley both said they missed hanging out with Doug. Meanwhile, Doug and Isabel learned a lot about the family dynamics of the Rawlings, and Doug and Collin seemed to be best buddies by the end. It's too bad that the 2 vans don't have more interaction.We never did find any frozen hot-chocolate. We heard Dunkin Donuts had it but there wasn't one in Park City, so that part of our quest remains unfulfilled.
No comments:
Post a Comment