Sole Challenge 24 Hour Race

Taking some time to think about things....

I have been struggling a bit with some things in my personal life.. and so I was looking for something..to get away from everything... I guess normal would be heading to the beach for some R&R... but I found something better....

Sole Challenge 24 hour race....

Sole Challenge Hoodie and Bib #

I mean what could be better.. ?!!....24 hours of me time to think!!!  It was only 2 hours from home, on a long weekend, camping was allowed, a 1.54 loop....a perfect match for what I wanted to do.  So I signed up.. then I told Joe...

“Joe, I am going to drive the camper to run this 24 hour race and then I will be back on Sunday..."  OK..so that didn’t go as well as planned...I can only imagine how his face doesn’t just stay in the perpetual state of exhaustion.

I guess number one was.. he was in no way in hell going to let me drive the camper back 2+ hours alone after being up and running around for 24 hours... and two.. I actually think he enjoys crewing for me so he wanted to come that weekend!... I am SO glad he is the “sense” in this relationship.

Since the race was not one that I originally had planned to do, I had no stress about it, it was a SHOW AND GO.. as my girlfriend and I always refer to races that we just happen to show up and go about it.. the only difference here is I was not completely unprepared..

Bessie co-pilot

I knew that since it was a timed event there would be no feeling that "I HAD to do 26.2 miles.. or I had to do 50 miles" or really anything.. I could walk, run, sit... do whatever I wanted for 24 hours.. HELL I could sleep for that if I wanted.... this weekend was for me.. to think...

OK.. so let's back up to the think part... if I had thought about it.. I would have probably not started knowing this race was unexpectedly going to be hotter than hell....

We just had a month of cold, rainy, wet weather and now the forecast for the weekend was 90’s HOT, HUMID, and the course had no shade... can anyone say, "Where is my heat acclimation time?"

So Joe and I packed up the RV on Friday and headed up to Fayetteville PA.. a few miles from Chambersburg.  For my weekend of thinking..

Joe setting up the camper

I have to say I had so much fun parking our little RV in a parking spot and making ourselves a home away from home.. We had an awesome very low key prerace dinner of ziti, salad and water..  cooked by the race director's wife (who by the way) is an awesome cook!  And then we settled in for the night.

Sunset at the Park

The next morning came early ...people started to arrive and so I was up and about at day break...

Bessie watching the people arrive

.. even though my race didn’t start until 10am I was excited... and by the way.. it was already starting to get toasty warm out..

Fellow racer parked next to us for the shade!

I walked down to see the marathoners off to their start (they started at 8am)... 

Clint (who runs the Mainly Marathons) and Larry (1500 marathoner) were there and although I am sure they don’t remember me... I know them and was pleased to say hi..

Marathoners getting ready to start

I think what I like best about these no frill races is how really old school they are.. you run to run not for the fancy trinkets, no expos, no need to have live bands... no need for anything but just Show and GO!

Calk marks the start and finish... there would be two lap timers.. one at the finish.. and one half way around just to make sure the laps were counted right..and a pleasant surprise is the course was actually wheel measured and certified..

24 hours..I knew the hardest part for me would be when it came around to the time that I normally go to bed and to find that inner strength to fight back the really increasing desire to just lay down and die..

But even more so was the unexpected heat.  Normally I am a good warm weather runner but with no chance to acclimate ...it was unknown how that would affect me...

Good Morning, ready to get this party started!

YES... it was HOT.. hotter than H-LL actually...and YES after mile 20 there was a lot of walking and longer breaks.. AND did I mention it was HOT!??

Luckily and I think this was my saving grace.. since the loop was only 1.5 miles I could get back and put my legs up and soak them in cold rags to keep my core temperature down.. I could change shoes and socks and make sure to stop and get fluids or fuel....

Dr Joe fixing up the patient! LOL

Wonder what he is going to get into?

By the time the sun started to set.. I was fairly spent.. I was mentally exhausted.. physically tired.. and now it was hitting my normal bedtime... UH OH.. what is great about having a good support crew is they KNOW how to keep you motivated.. keep you eating.. keep you well hydrated and supported..

Joe does an amazing job at this.. he knows exactly what I need when I needed it and made sure he was there each lap icing my legs, handing me ice pops, and making sure I was ok...if you look around at the best runners... and I don’t mean the best in first but in the best in how they are holding up.. have the best support crews..

If you have never been to an endurance event... what you see is a family of like minded people.  

10am (the Start) to about 2pm – felt good and motivated...being in fairly good marathon shape the front end of the miles came easier especially since I wasn’t actually “racing”... even though I was going a tad faster than I should be.. I knew within a few laps I would tone it down... I just didn’t expect it to come to a screeching halt.

• Things I was happy about:  that I had gotten my hair cut a couple weeks ago!  No more pig tails heating up the back!

2pm-5pm – Heat was intolerable.  Trying to stay hydrated, stay cool, and stay motivated.. well.. it took every ounce of strength to not just pack it up and go home.. misery... trying to breathe was utterly impossible.. but then I thought of the reason why I was there..and I looked around and felt very blessed... 

·      Things I was happy about:  Watermelon and ice pops..SPF50

Running along

5-7pm – started to get depressed and unmotivated... the heat had sucked the life out of me and now I was tired, spent, hungry and miserable.  I really tried to enjoy the sunset and I did.. I looked up and briefly smiled but I was feeling so dejected.. I had already done all my thinking... I was done thinking.. I could go home now.. but then I couldn’t.. I was already vested in this race...but now I am frustrated... I am not at all as far along as I thought I should be and it's really hard to breathe with this DAMN HOT AIR!

·         Things I was happy about:  stuffing my face full of crumbled up homemade choc chips and a soggy hoagie

7-10pm – had a nice special surprise, a friend showed up (Manuel)to cheer me along and gave me an extra boost to go on (because last thing you want to do is stop running when someone drives the 1-1/2 hours to cheer you).. right!?  Joe took a slight nap while Manuel watch the camp for a bit as I continued onward!

·         Things I was happy about:  Periogies and Chicken Noodle soup! 

Ultra runners tent city at night

10pm-midnight – HOW MUCH TIME IS LEFT!???

·         Things I was happy about: UM YEAH not much LOL

It's kinda dark now

Midnight-4am – SO quiet, and since the 12 hour runners were now off the course it was completely desolate at times and we were not allowed pacers... forgot my headlamp one lap and HOT DAMN it's dark in the country with no lights. But I looked up and saw the most amazing stars ever... and then I heard things in the fields... that will put a little pep in the steps.. I think I saw things too.. but not sure.. could have been delirium setting in.  Alone.. utterly alone...

·         Things I was happy about:  That I was alone and now I could think... really think

Most awful pic ever!  LOL!

4am-6am – Good Morning ...watched the most amazing sunrise ever... beautiful mountains in the distance... fields.. absolutely worth ever step I have taken.... the morning was cool.. and I could breathe.. I have been moving forward for 18 hours now, powerwalked most of the last few hours.. and really second guessed if I would be able to run again .. ever.. and so I said let me try... and all of a sudden I am running.. not just jogging but running and zipping along

·         Things I was happy about: the mind is a powerful tool and can make anything happen.

Sunrise over tent city

6-8am – I’m BACK ... I think it's when Joe said to me only 4 more laps and you got 70 miles.. that motivated me to literally take off sprinting for 4 laps... it was still cool out and the sun was just coming up over the hills... and I was freeeeeeeee...

·         Things I am happy about:  I only have a few more hours of this shhhhhit too goooo..

8am-10am – The FINISH...the sun was back up and it was HOT AGAIN.. but I had made it to 70 miles and so the goal for these next two hours was to walk... walk as SLOW as I damn well wanted just because I wanted to run the clock out.. I had accomplished more than what I thought.

My last lap... I happen to have some issues prior to going out on my last lap that indicated to me that my body was finally starting to break down and so I asked this wonderful ultra runner friend (Stacy) who was just waiting for the clock to run out .. if she would walk with me... and so she did.. and that’s how it ended.. with a friend... and a life win.

Walking with Ultra-runner Stacy

74.256 miles for me... so thrilled... and I am OK it is not an even number! 

All done!

PS: I was 4th overall in race.. fairly impressive that the top 5 were women

24-Hour

Megan	Alvarado	F	27	Springfield, VA		121.073
Stacy	Gagne	F	40	Gainesville, VA		96
Linda	Dunbar	F	55	Elizabethtown, PA		85.085
Wendy	Mastripolito	F	50	Glenmore, PA		74.256
Lara	Gonzalez	F	41	Brooklyn, NY		72.709
Tim	Sheahan	M	51	Gettysburg, PA		65
Scott	Ferrari	M	58	Pittsburgh, PA		63.612
Lou	Manza	M	49	Jonestown, PA		63.427
Daryl	Lehman	M	64	Waynesboro, PA		62.035
Charlene	Howard	F	44	Mount Rainier, MD		61.88
Chancell	Condie	M	24	Piedmont, OH		60.35
Andrew	Thomas Iv	M	33	Winchester, VA		58.78
John	Godinet	M	59	Myersville, MD		57.889
Jess	Sheahan	F	50	Gettysburg, PA		57.239
Joyce	Ong	F	65	Bristow, VA		53.298
Thomas	Green	M	65	Columbia, MD		52.598
Amy	Good	F	39	West Reading, PA		51.05
Paul	Betker	M	70	Hagerstown, MD		48.003
Beverly	Dellinger	F	64	York, PA		46.585
Jim	Wahl		68	Dayton, OH		43.656
Rick	Palmer	M	46	Lincoln University, PA		41.76
Nelson	Stritehoff	M	64	Columbia, MD		38.675
Lisa	Thomas	F	34	Winchester, VA		35.58
Atlee	Burpee	M	59	Conshohocken, PA		34.03
Stephen	Otto	M	43	Wyomissing, PA		17.01

Run for Red – Pocono Mountain Marathon

Waking up at 3:30am, to be on the road by 4:30am, to drive the 2 hours, to run 26.2 miles....perhaps may not be the optimal way to have a stress free life.. but who wants stress free.. right?

I originally signed us up for The Run For Red Marathon because I ran it last year and thoroughly enjoyed the course.. and I thought if Joe was feeling good, it would be a great marathon for him to try to get a Boston qualifying time.  

Unfortunately by the time the marathon rolled around, Joe had too many setbacks in his training and would not be running it fast.   

Although I was a bit disappointed that he would NOT be running for a quick time... I was happy that I was able to run it again and was looking forward to getting my marathon legs back.

The morning was perfect.. a nip colder than I like but still perfect running weather and we lined up with the temps starting around 39 degrees... we saw our friend Pete who was going for his Boston qualifying time ahead of us... and then we were off..

I am fairly certain that this course is absolutely the most awesome course I have ever had the pleasure to run.. it has downhill sections and rollers... 

....and my legs thrive in that kind of environment and I take off somewhere passing Joe in my glorious state of euphoria... 

....the downhill courses, although can be quite traumatizing to the quads, my legs love them.. and I feel like I am freer than I have ever been. (as you will note from the erratic pacing).

I purposely was not looking at my watch and just running on pure feel.. the only time I had an indication on how I was doing is when I went zipping past the 3:40 pace group.. eep... 
About mile 16 or so a nice steady rain shower happened and then the sun peeked out...

By mile 20 I was starting to tire... and this also is where the uphills started, which really are not too bad uphills unless of course you are tired.. lol.. I was totally ok and expecting seeing every pace group from 3:40 to 4 hours pass me ..(actually the 3:40 group had passed me back by mile 13.. )

I only started to get annoyed while the 4 hour pacer passed me but as soon as she passed me and me grumbling under my breathe I happen to see her up ahead yelling and swinging her cardboard 4 hour pacer sign at a car that somehow was erratically driving on the course... I guess that called RACE RAGE?  Lol..

I assume it was around mile 22..and there is this older lady who lives near one of the uphills on the course.. she is known to stand in the road on top of that hill and wish runners well and offer her hand out for a hand slap to all the runners... honestly not sure how she continues to stand there hour after hour in the sun, rain, cold... and do that for us...

Last year I saw her and this year when I saw her on top of the hill.. I smiled and asked if I could give her a hug... thankfully she was thrilled.. and I apologized because I was kinda sweaty but I hope she knows how much she made my day!

The winds started to pick up in the last mile or so and I saw Joe.. he had come back on the course to run a little bit with me.. but after a few steps or so he decided... nah I will meet you at the finish... 

...and so I hit the track alone and pushed every last bit of energy out of my sneaks and crossed in 4:07:15... pleased and happy.. 

...NOW where the HELL is the shuttle to get us back to our car so we can drive the 2 hours home?!

I can’t wait to go back next year... 

Welcome to our Camper

Whoever thinks getting away is relaxing, restful, romantic, or blissful is out of their minds... 

Maybe it’s the illusion of awesomeness that fulfills our minds when we schedule these little getaways..??

Given age and experience you would think that more thought should have been put into having two adults and a angry ten pound chihuahua reside blissfully together in a tiny camper during a rainy and cold weekend.

So right now as I sit in my little love nest of awesomeness..next to the fat, angry Chihuahua... I am waiting for the hardworking Italian man to get back from the store with hopefully the replacement parts and tools to fix the “how the hell did that happen” holes in the camper's water pipes... which means we.. yes.. we DO NOT have any water.. that is the current state of affairs...

Having no water on a blissful weekend getaway..I mean is fairly crappy... but I really could have done without Bessie throwing up in our bed.

OH HELL NO...

But let’s not dwell on that...

Let’s back up to yesterday after hooking up the water and finding out somehow the pipes have holes in them even though we winterized them and typical Wendy fashion... "Joe what’s that sizzling noise coming from under the sink...??"

At least it didn’t look like last year's camper-escapades waterfall...what's the chances it happens also in the new camper.. right...

So back to sitting here typing ...in the tiny camper listening to raindrops on the roof... as Joe sends me Krispy Crème pictures from the hardware store... aint nothing better...