Map of the course with Elevation info
There's a lot to say here and it will take time but I guess I should put down why I am doing this and more importantly how my perverse mind works AKA the crazy inner workings of a dumbass.
NOTE: This writeup has been a few months now in my head. I am finally putting it down on paper.
A few years back, Cinthya Sandoval found and suggested to me The Great New York 100 Running Exposition which is a 100 mile tour of the 4 boroughs. It's insane. The concept of doing a 100 miler is completly nuts. Yes - I said that about 5 miles, then 13.1 and 26.2 and Goofy and Back2Backs and well you get the picture. Still, filed it in the "maybe 1 day" category.
This year it seems like the newest running fad is collecting belt buckles or basically doing 100+ running races. I have never followed the herd but... Well, I want one too!
A friend, Elaine Acosta, did 3 this year. Another friend, Julia Khvasechko, attempted and ended up DNFing but more on that later. Another friend, Becky Tsai, ran a crazy distance over a few days in Paris with each days leg between 40-70 miles (I think).
There are 2 problems associated with these kind of Ultras as far as I am concerned above and beyond the whole how do I train and how do I complete a freaking 100 miler.
And then Vinny Cappadora came on the scene. He and his wife Nichole decided to stage an Ultra in Long Island. That changes everything....The qualifications are having a Credit Card and travel? What travel...? It's about an hour drive away from my house. Probably about 30 minutes from my parents house and probably about 15 minutes local driving from Elizabeth's cousin house. Hm...The other factor is it's a trail race. Trail races are interesting. They have distinct advantages and disadvantages over road races.
| Trail Races | Road Races |
| Very Informal | More Formal |
| Very few official clocks on the course | More official clocks on the course |
| Little or no support on the course in terms of aid stations and cheer stations |
More support on the course in terms of aid stations and cheer stations |
| Lots of Port-a-Trees and Port-a-Bushes on the course |
Some Port-a-Potties on the course |
| Course very forgiving on the knees and body | Course batters knees, feet and body in general |
| Much higher chance of falling and getting hurt | Course is what it is |
Some people might look at the previous table and say "never doing a trail race" but it's actually fun. I mean why ever take the training wheels of a bike right? It's safer but it's more fun without them and in the same sense, trails are more fun tho they can be more difficult.
So now the crazy thinking...Hm...I would like to do the Grand NY Exposition etc but have never done a 100 miler before...And now there's a 100 miler in Long Island...Hm...OK...Simple. Do the trail race. Finish/survive. Learn valuable lessons. Recover better due to trails. Have a 100 miler on running resume. Do the NY Exposition. Simple really how this just flows. No - I'm not kidding. Yes - this is how I think. Yes it's a little crazy yet it also does make some sense, no? I mean change 100 miler to a goal that's attainable to you and see if it makes sense. I bet it does...
During the course of an Ultra there are a lot of issues to solve or at least think about... (In no particular order)
Can I do it? Depends which part of me you ask. The physical part says "Hm...Undertrained. Probably can pull a 50 Miler. Not a pretty 50 Miler but a 50 Miler. The mental part of me says "YES! Won't be pretty but doable".
Nutrition? I have no freaking clue! What I do during a Marathon or a 50K or a 60K won't work. I will have to eat something on the course. That's obvious. That will probably cause GI issues and that cannot be prevented.
Lack of Sleep? At one point I exchanged emails with Andre about this and here is an excerpt.
And you have the other aspects of the race already dialed in - even if you may not know it: 1) you did back to back marathons so you are halfway there. 2) You are very, very, very, very good at sleep deprivation. 3) You know you are going to have eat and drink a bit more to get thru this one.I think he's right... Still will be interesting.
Pace? Pace...I know the pace will drop. Spoke to Davide and he made me realize that all I really have to is slightly more than a 4 MPH. More on that and him later. Still, my loops will get slooowwwwweeeeerrrr.
Clothes? Still not sure. These days it's in the low 50's in the morning and later gets to mid 70's. Will have to think this out more later.
Supplies? No idea yet. I have a basic list in my head but will have to wait with it.
Pacer? I asked Andre. This season he pretty much almost completly stopped swimming and riding. He's only running. Lots of trail running in fact. I thought he would be the perfect pacer as he would give me lots of "tough love" with the emphasis on "tough" and not so much "love". Asked him a long time ago and he answered that he just could not commit as he does not know his schedule. Hm...I would have just preferred a "NO!". Oh well...Pretty much decided on no pacer and then Julia Khvasechko posted what happened to her on her 100 quest and that stressed me out. I am jumping the gun on this one so it will have to wait on this too.
GI Issues? At this point, I am resigned to the fact that I will have them. I can't fight it. It's a losing battle. All I could do is to deal with them. I need to adopt the Aikido way of the door is stronger than you so instead of fighting with it, just go through it. All I can and intend to do is to try to minimize my issues and deal with them without getting upset or annoyed.
Running in the dark and headlamps? I have run at night by myself but it's not the same thing. I made sure to stay close to well-lit areas. One night some years ago, after a (at the time a very long distance) 3,000 yard workout swim, I came home tired. I then felt so guilty about missing my run the previous night, so I went out at midnight and ran 12 miles. Came back home, showered, slept a few hours and went to work. This isn't the same thing. Quite recently I was asked to join a relay race. It was great in that I ran on a desolate piece of road, in pitch black time (2am) with a headlamp for the first time. Lot of people report getting very nauseous with a headlamp but I had no problems. It's not the same as trails at night but it will have to do for now. I did a lot of research on headlamps and now I just need to purchase one.
Unexpected Issues? Well, there will be some. Hopefully not too many and hopefully manageable. I can only try to minimize them happening by anticipating them but by definition they will be "unexpected"...
So, it got me thinking that maybe just maybe I don't need a pacer. And then I saw Julia Khvasechko's post on Facebook. She after running 92 Marathons, attempted her first 100 Miler. She prepped and prepped. Definitly more than me. Here's her post from August 19th.
There are no words to describe how thankful I am to everyone for their show of support in my attempt to complete my first 100 miler. I learned so much from this wild and beautiful adventure. I learned that no matter how many marathons or ultramarathons you have run (92), nothing prepares you for the daunting distance of 100 miles like actually doing a 100 miler. I started out a freshman and even though I walked away without the much anticipated buckle, I walked away with a bachelor's of ultramarathoning this weekend. I learned that the buckle, as impressive as it is, is just a fringe benefit. The learning curve is far greater and its own reward. I learned that our bodies undergoe huge physiological changes as we pass from our comfortably to our pushing it hard zone (which for me was 100k) to an unknown territory yet to be explored. I worked hard for the last few years building longer and longer runs and piggybacking marathons many weekends to teach my body how to race beyond the 50 miler. By mimicking the ultrarace fatigue by doing back to back marathons 4 days in a row at Quadzilla I was preparing the muscles and the mind to race when tired and depleted. I trained the body to do longer runs in the morning before breakfast because that teaches the body to use fuel stores more sparingly and perform more efficiently on low blood sugar. I have a condition known as hypoglycemia, which is caused by a drop in blood sugar (glucose) and so I have taught my body to eat every 45 minutes to prevent a low drop, which can cause serious damage like cardiac arrest. But learning to run first thing in the morning, adding little longer distance each week teaches your body to run on low levels of glycogen despite the condition. I talked to everyone I know who has finished a 100 miler and asked their advice on how best to prepare but I learned that athletes vary greatly in physiology and athletic history and a one size fits all approach is not going to work since we are dynamic being and what works great for one might not work so well for another. I learned that as much as I love my vibrams and feel great in them for 50 miles, when you approach the longer distances, at least in the heat, the metatarsals swell and resemble overcooked sausages that are about to pop out of their skins. Both my compression sleeves (which work great for the marathon distance) and my vibrams (at least in the toe compartments) needed to be cut off me at the 62 mile mark since I got so inflamed. I thought I was well prepared. I packed everything I could possibly need in my drop bags, change of clothes for both day and night, blister aid kits in both bags, extra head lamp, extra batteries, an extra garmin watch when one died (amazingly enough my 310 lasted 19+ hours). What I didn't prepare myself for was how much my gastrointestinal tract would revolt against me for running for 20 hours straight. I made some mistakes along the way. 1stly, I started off too fast, the bane of all runners' existence. I did the first 25 mile loop a good 30 minutes faster than I planned on since I was so well rested and so excited I just started talking to people and got pulled into their pace. I didn't drink nearly enough water for the amount of heat that was being absorbed by my body, it occurred to me too late that I didn't use the port-a- potty at all first 50 miles. I thought I was just sweating profusely and that would be enough, but it should have been a sign to drink more water. And most importantly, I didn't consume enough calories the 3rd loop. I have mastered the art of eating for the marathon, I have learned how to eat for the 50 miler. Now I just have to keep learning on how to consume enough calories for the 100 miler and yet not the kind of calories that make you go puke in the night. Every experience is powerful and necessary, including the bad ones, when you can learn and grow from it and sometimes not getting what you want is exactly what you need. Maybe I could have mustered enough strength to go another 5 miles but at the rate I was going there is no guarantee that I wouldn't be strapped to an IV in a few miles if I continued going on nothing the way I was going. Nothing could have prepared me for the gastrointestinal revolt my body did on me between the 65-70 mile markers. I tried to remember that this is just a wall and if I continue, if I dig deep enough, I could possibly find the strength to push through it, I will be victorious if I just suck it up, I will find energy I never knew I had, its worked before to get me over other walls. I told myself to focus on the bright beautiful full moon that was shining over us. I tried to think about all those people who could not be here today because they lost their battle due to brain cancer and I dedicated my steps to them. I tried to be grateful for how far I have come, completing 100k and still feeling good in my muscles and joins and one bright thing did happen during those awful 5 miles that seemed to stretch for what appeared to be 50 miles. In the pitch blackness of the night, circa 3:30 am, I saw a tree that had pink and white flowers, like the cherry blossoms that line central park in the spring, it felt so real. I pointed this beautiful pink and white tree out to @michelle stevens but she had no idea what I was talking about. She also noted at that time that not only was I seeing things but I was slurring my words and wasn't going in a straight line ‘Julia we are going to go into the cliff’ or something like that came out of her mouth as she urged me to move over to the left. I was confused. I had nothing left to give, I was spending more time in the bushes than on the actual trail, but I just kept telling myself to keep going… perpetual forward motion was my motto.. However, somewhere inside my desperately starved for sleep and severely depleted body I knew that it was my ego talking. My body was also talking to me too and it said “quit”. In the end, it’s a war between the ego and the body and I chose to listen to the body. To honor my vehicle for life took courage because in the end, I am human and I knew that quitting would make me look like I couldn't cut the mustard of my first 100 miler and of course who wants a DNF on their running resume? I think my amazing friend and indisputable the worlds greatest pacer @Michelle Stevens convinced me when she said ‘it takes an experienced runner to know when to call it quits’ and just then a mirage appeared. It was like a fountain of a water in the desert, I saw benches out of nowhere. Something I didn't see before on the earlier 2 loops, they were as inviting as a Tempurpedic bed and a down comforter. We were 2 miles away from the aid station but the benches were calling me loudly and when Michelle confirmed that it wasn't a mirage but indeed real, she helped me down the cliff and onto a bench safely and laid to rest while she went to get the car and alert the medical tent that I was coming. Beast of Burden 1; JK = 0. Sitting in the medical tent being treated by the kindest volunteers I realized that the ultramarathoning community is a tribe, a running tribe. We are a close knit family that supports each other and comes together when one of us needs a helping hand. Like the badwater goddess @Tammy Massie who took off her pink bandanna and filled it with ice and put it around my neck when she saw that I was severely overheated. The first loop was beyond hot and I was well rested and so excited about this journey I didn't even notice how hot it got, but she knew, she, just coming out of Badwater, she knew the signs and she got to work to make sure I could do another loop and not pass out. And like @Mike halko, who gave me his clear glasses for the night running when he learned that I didn't have any. Being a local he knew what the bugs would be like running through the night. He was right, they were drawn to my headlamp and when I looked up there was bugs everywhere. Like Edward Broadnax who took off his gloves even though he had another 20 mile loop to complete when he saw me lying on the bench shivering circa mile 73, he stopped his own run, came over to me to make sure I was okay and took off his gloves to help keep the warmth in. I am so grateful to these amazing runners for taking care of me while my system was shutting down. Speaking of taking care… the volunteers were beyond amazing. They were there all day and all night just like us, and they were so kind and supportive. They cheered for us as we approached the tents and they clapped for us as we ran by, they asked us what we needed several times before we left to make sure we had everything, they gave us their time, their support, and their love. I witnessed a community of good people and good friends using running as a way to help lift everyone’s spirits. I learned that sometimes there’s more to running than just racing and buckles. We are there for each other. We are a close knit tribe that poured our hearts out on that event. If you were running or volunteering, or pacing, if you took 1st place or you DNF’d, if you were running your 1st or your 100th ultra, you are all amazing and I feel privilege to have shared this journey with you. I might not have come home with a shiny buckle like I had hoped to but I came home with a renewed spirit and greater love of our ultra running community and I learned a great deal of what to do for next time. This was my first attempt but it won’t be my last. I am an ultra marathoner. I have gone further than I ever have before, 73 miles, and longer than I have before, 20 hours, and I know that there is much more learning to do. I am forever changed and humbled by what the body could do and grateful that I pulled the plug when I did. After a few hours of rest I was visiting Niagara falls with my friends and was able to move without much effort, which I must say is far better than visiting Mount St. Mary’s hospital because I didn't listen to my body. Congratulations to everyone who was at Beast of Burden and a huge thank you to my amazing pacer and friend Michelle Stevens who I never would have been able to do this without, and a giant than you to everyone who participated. You are all amazing.
I need a pacer...Oh My God...I need a pacer...
In any case, he did it. So, I contacted him and asked. Can't hurt right? His immediate reply (and I love him for this) was "I'm doing the Wineglass Marathon on October 6th. If it doesn't conflict then SURE!"...A few minutes later he then also sent "Hm...What pace is it that you want?"...
Awesome...Dude said YES without a 2nd thought. My reply to him was of course "Pace? What pace? The only question to ask is how big a carrot to bring or how big a whip". Pace won't be a question truly... Pacers are allowed after 6pm, which is 12 hours from race start. At that point, pace won't be an issue. Actually, and he is crazy, his plan is this:
Of course, if he arrives after I completed a loop, there is a chance that I won't see him until midnight or so. In any case, I'm already better off. At this point in the race, here is what I hope for.
| 70 miles | AWESOME! |
| 60 miles | Great... |
| 50 miles | ok...... |
| Less than 50 miles | I'm in trouble... |
Hm....It's obvious where I want to be before I meet up with him. He is a great guy and brings hiking and camping knowledge. Also, he's now a runner and can understand what I say assuming that I won't be delusional. Let's hope this all works out...
On a side note, Andre just announced that he is planning on doing the 50K (3 loops). He knows he can do 2 loops. When Donald said, "you can run 5 miles and then walk the last 5", Andre replied that "he won't walk. If he has to walk the last 5 miles then he will walk to straight to the car and DNF". Jeez...
Donald is talking about perhaps also doing the same and seeing how it goes. I doubt he will show up. Hammad is also talking about it but I think it would be stupid and too much for him. Better for him to come in on Sunday and do the 10 miler.
Monday, the headlamp came in. I think I should have ordered 2 but oh well. So, I finally got around to change the batteries in my toothbrush when I realized no more batteries...! Thank God Ed came through tho. He works right near the BJ's we go to and he was kind enought to buy me batteries. I'll get them tonight. Things are coming together, right?
The weather initially was supposed to be nice for this weekend. Andre ruined it by mentioning the "R" word but I thought he was wrong. Then yesterday the weather weenies predicted heavy rain Thursday and Friday. I figured that's ok...It will come in and pass. The trails might be muddy but we will be ok. The weather report today was ugly. Heavy winds and rain Thursday (today) and Friday. Rain Saturday and Sunday. Worst even tho we will have 30-40 MPH winds today, the storm will move very slow. It will stall on top of us. Sucks. Of course the storm will move East which is even worse as the race is East of my house. Sucks...
Today, I also bought a portable cellphone charger for the run. Lots to carry.
Last bit of news....Andre finally signed up for the 50K this weekend. He didn't do Paine to Pain which was very surprising but whatever. Hammad after running with me 11 on Satuday and 11 on Sunday, had a great 8 mile run on Tuesday and took the plunge too. He's in. I don't think it's the wisest idea and I hope all goes well for him and that he doesn't get injured. Donald had a great run in Georgia on the weekend and he is now in as well. Funny as he always said he won't run anything longer than 25K. And then there were 4...
So, the weekend before the race I ran 11 on Saturday and 11 on Sunday. I wasn't worried or anything but Saturday morning I woke up with knee pain. Wasn't sure what that was all about. Still, ran on Saturday and it was perfect. Knee pain went away. With all these pundits telling you that running is "so bad for you" and "you will get early arthritis" and all that garbage and meanwhile my knee pain went away. Ha!
Thursday we were supposed to have heavy rain. Didn't happen. I was sure Jeremy's tennis would get cancelled but it didn't. I didn't want his tennis to get cancelled but I did want the storm to come in already and leave. I mean they were using bad words like "Nor-easter" and "huge storm" and it was getting annoying. The waiting for it...
Friday, I took off. The plan was for me to relax and perhaps to pack up my stuff. Got Elizabeth and the kids out the door and tried to relax a little. Ended up doing some serious nesting. Cleaned the first floor and the basement. Instead of being off my feet, did the exact opposite. Had a quick lunch with Elizabeth and she went for another homecare and then to get the kids. I (finally) worked on getting a list going of things I want to take with me.
The plan for the rest of the day was this: Lee gets back with the kids. She and I go to pick up the car from Hertz. Car was supposed to be ready by 4. I make dinner for us and make extra so I have food for the race (more on that later). I take Jessie to Karate as it is sparring class and Elizabeth doesn't like to go to that. Something about taking your kid to go fight with someone and then watching either your kid getting beat up or watching your kid beat up someone else. It's a little stressful at times.
At 3:30 they call. Car won't start. She called Geico and as I thought the battery was dead. Long story short, the sliding door was closed enough for the door open indicator light and yet the lights stayed on in the car the WHOLE day! No one besides me notices these things. So, Geico road assistance came and eventually got her going. Battery was VERY dead. Guy "suggested" we go check the battery. Apparently Auto-Zone and Pep-Boys both do free tests. They went to auto-zone and I went to walk the dog. Not needing this stress...
Called Hertz and they close at 6 and they can pick me up but not sure when. They will let me know. Called Donald who told me to call his daughter. His daughter has a doctor's appointment at 5 but after that she could take me. Well, finally my guys got home around 5 and we went to the car. I kept trying to call Hertz but obviously they were slammed. I forgot that it's a 3 day weekend. Couldn't get through to them. Finally got there and the line was huge. Oh well. Elizabeth went home and took Jessie to Karate. I finally got home with the Hyundai Elantra. It's the cheapest thing they could give me which is fine but the car is very low to the ground which I knew I would hate after the race. As I parked the car, Donald turns the corner with his car. He just got home so we talked for about 20 minutes. Finally went inside and started making food.
I have GI issues during runs and races. Sometimes things are "good" and at other times not so much. I experimented with a lot of different foods and for a while I was eating cereal with milk the night before. Easy and quick to digest so hopefully fast to get out of system. Lately, I have been eating Matzah-brei. It's made of Matzah, eggs and Matzah meal. Sort of like Matzah balls except fried. I also now add olives to it to make it even softer and tastier. If you think about it, you got Carbs, Protein and salt. What could be better? Oh yeah, it also blocks your system so that an advantage too.
Made a lot of it. Ate some and packed the rest into 2 ziplock bags. Lee and Jessie came back and the family was all together at last. I started going around the house getting all my stuff into 1 big pile. The list was great except that I missed one item which later really hurt me. I forgot the compression sleeves for after the race. More on that later...
The list in all it's glory but not in any order:
The course is 1 10.4 mile loop with an aid station in the middle and they allowed drop bags in both stations. That's why I took so much extra stuff and split it up.
Hm....It was longer than 10 miles so probably we actually did 104 miles but from what I understand a 100 miler is NEVER 100 miles. Sounds like a bike century is NEVER 100 miles. There are always these bonus miles...Once I start the actual race coverage I will get to my opinion of the course...
Anyway, I could have packed at that point but decided not to. Why? I knew that tomorrow morning, I would second guess myself and take everything out. Also, this will give me something to do in the morning and will stress my stomach out a little too which would also help (again convulted logic that makes sense).
I went up to bed at the same time that Jessie went which was 9pm. She had some issues but finally went to sleep around 9:20ish. This is crazy early for me but with a wake up of 1am, it is what I have to do. I need 4 hours of sleep and now it became 3.5 hours. Oh well.
Lee woke me up at 1 point all annoyed. Apparently I interrupted her sneeze. I think she was dreaming. I probably was bugging her in my sleep tho. Still, I woke up and had a horrible feeling. If this was wake up, then I was in trouble as I was exhausted. It was only 10:38 thank God. Went back to sleep and the alarm went off 2 seconds later or so it seemed. It was actually 1am. Got up and turned the backup alarm off. Headed downstairs to eat. Ate and started packing. Made good time. I was planning on leaving at 4am for the hour drive but actually ended up leaving at 4:15. That's ok...I'd rather be a little delayed instead of carrying more weight that will need to exit the body later if you know what I mean.
My knees were hurting a little so I took Tylenol now knowing I will probably take more later. I also as a premptive strike took Immodium.
I wasn't planning on taking the GPS but last minute I changed my mind so had to go get it. Glad I did. The race instructions gave easiest directions as get off the LIE at Exit 68, go North and then eventually head West for 4 miles. The GPS wanted me to go local starting at around exit 42. Neither really made sense. Decided to do my own thing until around exit 62 and then let the GPS lead the way. Glad I did...Seemed like this was the fastest way.
While I was driving, it started raining. I wasn't happy but it suddenly stopped and all I could think was "ok God....you made a funny. Wonderful. Glad you got that out of your system..." and then it started coming down hard. Ok...Resigned that the day was going to be what it is. Rain not really affecting my speed so moving on. Rain stopped and again I relaxed. You know it started raining again right? Three times it rained during the drive. Oh boy...
The website mentioned that there was a small parking lot but that they would like to leave it for the pacers. That we should stop there, drop our stuff off and then go park at the Waldbaums across the street. I didn't want to do that. I was afraid of getting booted but when I got there, I found the Waldbaums but not the parking lot. Oh boy...Thankfully, I printed the image they put on the website. Got my bearings and made a U-turn and then noticed a small little entrance into woods with cones near it. Where were all the balloons and music they mentioned? I don't know but who cares. Drove in and it was crazy in there... Had to back out and back to Waldbaums. Left the car with an employee looking at me. Worried about getting booted but had to not think about it.
Crossed the street with all my stuff and into the parking lot and had no clue where to go. I asked and someone pointed to the left. I left the parking lot and was glad I put the light clip on my hat. It was pitch black and I had no idea where to go. Followed the path and it ended with a fork. Do I go left or right? I couldn't believe it. I was so frustrated I yelled out to the world "UN-FREAKING-BELIEVABLE... I AM ALREADY LOST AND THE RACE DIDN'T EVEN START YET". It was 5:25 at this point, gun time was 6am, my stomach needed the port-a-potty and I needed to check in and I AM LOST!!! Thank God, someone was walking toward me or rather toward their car so I decided to walk in the direction they came from. As I walked, I beheld a beautiful sight. Dropped my stuff and went right into the port-a-potty. Felt so good...
I then checked in and got my second drop bag ready and gave it to Tom who I later found out was Nichole's father. He and Nichole's sister were manning the other aid station. Nice...
So...I was ready and things are very surreal. I'm about to start a 100 miler and of course the insecurities start. Am I ready? All these people have done these things before and I am a 100 mile virgin... Did I bring everything I need? What did I forget? I actually wish the clock would move a little faster. Started talking to people. That's how I deal with stress. It's my mechanism.
I start talking to a guy wearing a Virgils Crest Marathon shirt and this other guy. Virgil Crest has his stuff in a water proof camouflage sleeping bag. Wow...The other guy, who I later found out was Bart, had his stuff in a black garbage bag. I told him that his stuff would get thrown out so they tried to stick his stuff in the sleeping bag. It didn't fit in but they took my suggestion and put his stuff under it.
Vinny came out and gave us his speech. He tried to explain about the "V" in the road but I had no idea what he was talking about. He did say that when we get to it, it will be clear. Hope he's right... He told us that we are going to start soon.
Course description: From the start we followed either the blue or white blazes or the pink ribbons. At about mile 3, we had a major road crossing. We were supposed to have a volunteer there but no one was there. From there we continueed on until 4.75 where we hit the "V". What was the "V"? It was a cluster of 3 trees, almost making up an arrow head. They were taped up and you were supposed to go right. Once you make that right, you followed either the red blazes or again the pink ribbons. This led you to the aid station, Whisky Girl. Once there, you turn around and head back to the "V". Again, go right and follow the red blazes or pink ribbons. That area from the "V" to the aid station was the only shared section between people going out and people coming back. At around mile 7, you cross the road again. Getting back into the trail was an ugly 2 step that got harder and harder. Running and runing until you got to the big hill. It wasn't terrible but it did get hard. It had elevation and loose rocks and sand. At the top, at the big log, you made a left and into a small downhill and then a big downhill. That downhill sucked. I ran it the first time and I thought it was stupid to do so but I wasn't going to lose Karl. From there you make a left instead of going up another big hill. Turns out, lots of people got lost here. I must admit that late in the game, Davide did just that except that 1/2 up the hill, I realized something was wrong and we came down and found the trail.
There was one other turn that people missed. I never did because I knew I would. Haha...Eventually, you see/hear a school on your right side and that was an indication that you were almost home...A little more than a mile, to a rock that signified the trail head and boom! There's the aid station. You just completed a loop.
Here's an excerpt from the website.
COURSE - 10 mile loop on trail. Starting at the most Northern point of the Pine Barrens Long Island Greenbelt Trail. The racers will run on a section of the greenbelt trail which is well maintained, with some technical spots and soft sand. Some rolling hills and a slight elevation change around the 8th mile of each loop. There are two road crossings, both will be monitored by a volunteer. We're going to ask crew members to please refrain from meeting your runners at the crossings. There isn't much room on the shoulders and we don’t want anyone to get hurt. AID STATIONS - The course will have two major aid stations, New Country Aid Station, which is the start and end of every loop, and Whiskey Girl, which is just about the halfway mark, at 5.14 miles. At New Country runners can leave a drop bag at the start with anything needed for the race, we will have shelter there. Crew can access this point. Whiskey Girl has a larger parking lot along with roadside parking, where crew members can see their runners here. We will also provide drop bag service for any runner who needs their "special items" here.
So Karl and I ran that first loop and almost right away we were joined by Virgil Crest guy. He took a wrong turn. OOPS! He stayed with us for a little before he dropped us. Good luck. He later DNFed.
Bart, Garbage dude, joined us too and he ran with us for at least 1.5 loops. He later DNFed too. He is a very interesting guy. He had completed 6 100's this year alone and DNFed twice. I heard him stumble 3 times and he told me that he already fell and that he is a klutz. Furthermore, he told us that in 1 race, he face planted between 30-40 times and finally realized that it would be faster for him to walk versus Run-Fall-Get Up-Repeat. That race he still broke 24 hours.
Also, with us was Kristy Staples. This was going to be her first 100. She and her 2 pacers (sister and male friend) drove down fron Canada. Her longest was a 100K. Her 2 pacers set up a tent near Whisky Girl and hung out. Later, they took turns pacing her. One slept/rested while the other ran with her. Nice...Anyway, she stayed with us for the first loop. We ended up dropping her at the completion of the first loop. I felt really bad about that as she seemed really nice but I wanted to stay with Karl as long as I could and she took a little time at the start/finish. In my head, I wished her luck. Later it turns out that she was the ONLY female finisher but more on that later as well.
Small tangent here: I'm doing this run and of course I have my worries and insecurities and the more I talk to the people around me, I realize that I truly don't belong here. I am so not in the same league as the people around me. Still, I have no intention of giving up and (SPOILER ALERT!!!) I didn't...!
I'm feeling good through the first loop. I was also glad to see that my bag made it to Whisky Girl. They weren't set up at all but my bag was there. Cool.
We completed the first loop and were heading into New Country. It was pretty cool seeing the 50Kers have their meeting and it was pretty cool also to see the ocean part as the runners split so we could go through. First I saw Hammad who looked calm and collected. I then heard Donald say my name. I think/hope I waved to both of them. I'm not sure tho. I had 3 things in my head. 1) Leave headlamp behind 2) get some Coke and 3) don't lose Karl.
Everyone I ran with, ran with a camelback or a handheld bottle. I never use either one. During a Marathon or training run, I don't usually drink until mile 18 or so and in this case we had an aid station every 5 miles so I didn't think it was neccessary. Since, Whisky Girl wasn't set up, I decided to sip something at the start/finish. Unfortunatly, my "beverage of preference" AKA "Runners Elixir" was not visible. I asked Vinny and he said they do have Coke but the volunteer couldn't find it and neither could I. Oh well.. Left my light and chased after Karl.
Right as we left I see Andre and I clap him on the shoulder...
It was weird running in the light. It was like seeing the course for the first time which was actually true. Earlier, I couldn't see anything.
So, again it was Karl, me and Bart - sorry Kristy...We ran and talked with the full realization that soon a train of runners would blow through. Took a while but eventually a few rabbits passed us. But where were all the rest of the runners?!?
The 3 of us ran and talked until Whiskey Girl. This time they were set up and lots of goodies were present. I really only cared about 1 thing and they had that. I said to Karl that I only need a second and I took a drink. Felt so good. Swallowed and realized he was gone. Oh well. I knew that it was going to happen.
Came out of Whiskey Girl and Andre was right there waiting. I don't know why but he was there. So, we ran together with him drafting behind me. Behind me? I don't know why. I have ten miles over him so who's got fresher legs?
He told me what happened that morning. Andre got up and went to pick up Donald. When he got to Donald's house, all the lights were off and the place was dark. Turns out Donald had overslept. His alarm never went off - OOPS. He got ready fast but they left 20 minutes late. To make things worse, Andre who refuses to get a GPS and very strangely just glossed over the directions drove to the race and instead of turning on Route 25a, turned on Route 25. You'd think the letter "a" wouldn't make a huge difference but it did and they eventually found the place but certainly it was not a very auspicious start. Still, they eventually found the place and they parked right near Hammad who also just got there.
Now, hopefully that's it right? Nope...Andre stayed at the car while Donald and Hammad went to the race start. They used the port-a-potty and got ready. There really wasn't that much time for them to get ready. Well, when Vinny said "go", they were worried because they still didn't see Andre. Somehow, they started talking to Vinny about this (maybe he overheard? Maybe he asked why they weren't running?) and he said to them "if you mean the guy with the hat, he took off...". Comedy of errors. Donald took off with Hammad way behind the pack. I didn't know this yet but Donald was pissed!
I described the course to Andre and ran with him until the big hill. I had already ran up that hill and down that hill in the dark and decided that it was a fairly stupid thing to do so. Well, once I told that to Andre, it seemed to wake him up and he told me that hills are no problem and took off. That's fine. I could have chased him but there was no profit in it if you know what I mean. I let him go. Continueed running and decided that it's time to take care of my gardening duties especially as absolutly no one was around. Started peeing and of course the color was wrong but I was glad that something was coming out. No one is around and suddenly Donald shows up. Started running with him and we talk. He's doing well.
He's very annoyed at what happened with Andre. He is pissed. He waited for him only to found out that Andre already left. Hammad told me later that they initially ran together. Started nice and easy. All I know is that Donald looked good. I told him that and that if he is feeling well, he really should go for the 3 loops. I mean, his longest run ever has been 15 miles or so and in one fell swoop he can do not only a marathon but an Ultra marathon...
Eventually, he left me too and did his thing. I don't remember who told me (either Andre or Donald) that after they finish the race they plan on hanging out for at least an hour. Cool. Hopefully, I will see them.
Anyway, running and doing my thing. Never saw hammad but with the course what it is, it makes sense.
Andre wore Gators and I think I will have to get a pair. He wore it because of all the little rocks, leaves and branches that get in your shoes but also he sprays them against ticks and there was a tick warning on the website. I sprayed my legs but this seems like a better option. Interestingly enough Andre's gait seems strange. I wonder if he has flat feet.
Anyway, got back to New Country and none of my buds were there. That's ok. It was nice tho that every time I came to New Country, the volunteers and Nichole and Vinny made a big deal of it. It's the little things, you know?
Things are a little blurry (as they should be) what happened at which loop but one thing that annoyed me a little was that there was no timing mat or anything. How the hell do they know how many loops you did? Or more importantly, how the hell will I know how many loops I did? Didn't take the Garmin because it's battery is for 17 hours. I used my watch to take my own half-splits but it's conceivable (it has happened before) that I might forget to hit the button. Still, it was nice to see that suddenly there was a timing arch set up.
I really should give credit here to Nichole/Vinny. At the meeting, they mentioned that New Country is right near Wauldbaums and if anyone needs anything or wants anything (within reason) they could request. Apparently, other runners asked about splits so they set it up after the race started. We don't have official split for the first and maybe second lap but the rest are there. Cool. Other requests made were for Honey Stingers and I think I heard the runner who wanted them barely took any and perhaps DNFed. Still, how cool is it that the RDs are so damn responsive?!?
So, I got into a routine...Every aid station drink a nice cup of coke and grab a Matzah-brei. I made them so soft that I just put the whole thing in my mouth and it almost melted right in there. No chewing neccessary really and I am sure digestion was probably fast because of it.
Still, I started noticing a very alarming thing. During the 5 miles from aid station to aid station, there came a point where I would lose steam. It was obvious. I tried different things...I started singing out loud and talking to myself (in my head) and none of it helped. Usually does. During my second and best Ironman, during the Marathon I was feeling so great, I was singing/screaming Guns-n-Roses out loud and I felt awesome. Here, nothing helped.
This runner dude, who was not doing the race, came running along on his normal route. Talked to him a little and I told him how I am losing steam during the 5 miles. I told him my plan to take a small water bottle and fill it up with coke and to carry that. He pulled out a small water bottle full of water and gave it to me. I thanked him and he left. I was at a crossroad as to what to do...I needed the bottle and the water looked inviting so I should drink the water and use the the bottle but the logical side of me was having problems with that. When you go "long", your immune system gets stronger and better up until a magic line. Once you cross that line with your distance and/or effort, your immune system actually gets compromised. Doing a 100 miler especially while being undertrained would definitely count as going over that line. I truly expected to get sick after the race. Do I dare use that bottle then? Who knows what germs that guy has...? He might even be sick and not showing symptoms...Still, the practical side of me overruled. I drank that water and held on to that water bottle.
That dude was a really good guy for giving me the bottle. I immediatly felt a little better and knew that I was set for my future loops. Still, that dude didn't end it there. He ran ahead to New Country and told them that a runner needs a carry bottle to run with. I didn't ask him to do that and I didn't really feel I needed it. I never ran with such a thing before. Still, I got there and Nichole told me that Vinny went to get me a bottle. What?!? Ok... Again these guys were so good to us. I hung out and it took him to long so I just filled up my little water bottle with coke and headed out. Same thing at Whiskey Girl. Once I got back to New Country, they had a bottle ready for me. It was a bottle with a handstrap. Annoying little thing but I quickly got used to it and it was great. Filled it up with Coke at every aid station and I felt much better during the 5 mile half-loop.
Nichole actually remarked that she and some other people were amazed at what I am drinking. The coke went down great. Every aid staion, drink a cup and a half and fill up my bottle...Nice...
Now for some random and perhaps out of chronological order things that happened...
At one point, I started running with this girl. I'm pretty sure she came up from behind me and it was a good motivation to run. I have no problem getting chicked at all but it was a good incentive to run as I didn't want to lose the company. We talked and her boyfriend was doing his first (and longest distance yet) 50 miler. She was there to support him but not to pace him as this was his his to do and pacers really weren't supposed to be there before 6pm. She asked if I saw him but I didn't. I think she described him as tall, wearing white compression socks and a camel back. I think his name was Michael. The girl, and I am terrible with names, was also hardcore...She had run Badwater before with her boyfriend helping her pace team. Badwater is a 135 mile Ultra-Marathon in Death Valley! And she is running a nothing 5 miler with me...How freaking cool is that? She stopped at New Girl unfortunatly but that's ok.
Another runner came up behind me and we started talking for a few. He wanted to do the 50K I think and accidently signed up for the 100K. Why couldn't he just email the RDs I don't know but he decided that since he signed up for it, then he was just going to do it. What an awesome attitude...
When I finished my 3rd loop, I was very happy to not see Donald and Andre at New Country. I figured that since they are not hanging out, they went out for their 3rd loop. I was very happy for them tho I wished I would see them. Besides for the people I mentioned seeing, I didn't really see anyone else out there anymore. Sad...
I got into a habit of checking with Vinny my lap count every time I got to New Country. I did not want to do extra loops for no reason and I was worried that my timing chip would stop working. Good news was that his count and my count continually agreed.
I don't remember when it happened. I do remember that it was on the 5 miles back to New Country. I heard a loud sound and a tree, about 10 feet away from me on the right, fell down. It just came down. There was no rhyme or reason. That was my cardio hit of the day...It really scared me.
I originally started with a long sleeve shirt on top of my Marathon Maniacs singlet but during the 3rd loop, I took it off and tied it to my waist. Later I put it back on so it was nice to have.
I think that around this time, I finally saw Michael heading into Whiskey Girl as I was leaving it. Talked to him a little. He was suprised at how much I knew about the 2 of them but then again, he didn't/doesn't know how much I like to talk to people. Hopefully I talked them into nycswim.org events. They had just seen the Little Red Lighthouse Swim (10K Swim in the Hudson) and his girlfriend was amazed that I have done it in the past. I was hoping to let his girlfriend know that here he was coming but a few minutes from New Country he overtook me. Cool.
I finished 5 loops. My longest run was a 60K (37 miles) the year before at the Knickerbocker which was followed by the Brooklyn Marathon. Here I was already at 50 Miles. I was elated at the craziest distance ever and was glad to have already conquered 1/2 the course but it also sucked to realize that I still had 50 Miles to go. Another half a race. Very depressive. Still, I felt good. I was running/walking at this point but feeling good. I had no problem eating or drinking. My stomach was good. I managed to pee again which is not enough but still was a good sign. I was not delusional. I was alert and in a good mood willing to talk and joke with everyone.
I came in to New Country and Hammad was there. The stubborn mule finished the 50K! Took him 9:27:59. That's 9 hours and 27 minutes which is nuts!!! But he finished. He pushed and did it. I asked him about Andre and Donald and he thought they finished but apparently Donald wanted him to text him the picture of the Medal. Weird. Hammad's legs were hurting and I told him to ice but he thought I wanted ice for myself...Sheesh...He, of course since he is a stubborn mule, refused the ice. He bandaged them up.
This was about 6pm so he filled up my bottle and I went and got my light. When I left Whiskey Girl, I was worried whether I would get back in time to New Country before it got dark. I did. Still, took the light with me and my filled up bottle and left. Didn't need it initially but definitly needed it at one point.
It was pretty strange and eery as night set in. While Vinny/Nichole picked a great date for the race - my paper calendar lists it as "race day", it unfortunatly was not a full moon date. I wish it was. We really could have used the full moon and the light that comes with it. Instead we had nothing. Shadows elongated and the dark settled in. Initially, I turned my light on as a helper but not really a neccessity. It then became just that.
I am used to running or riding very early in the a.m. While it is pitch black out there, it is at least an open road and you go knowing that in the near future, the sun will rise. Faster as I head East. Also there is some light from traffic lights etc. Here it was different. There were no lights whatsoever. There was nothing and worse it wasn't gonna get light out soon...There was another 11 hours of darkness. Very Eery.
Made the best of it. Looking forward to the aid stations even more so. Swore that when (not if) I do my next 100, it would have more lights on the trails or it would be a road race or I would have pacers up the gazoo always willing,ready and able to hold this little chickies hands. Do you understand yet how scared I was?
One of the thoughts that preoccuppied me was the "what if?". Remember the tree that fell down? What would have happened if it would have happened now, in the dark after most people either finished or DNFed? Imagining being hurt and lieing there for potentially 2-3 hours...I had a phone and what good would that do me? I would call 911 and they would ask me where I was and what would I tell them? Perhaps they would think I was pranking them about a 100 mile race (who is stupid enough to do such a thing anyway?) and they would get annoyed in which I would tell them to come and arrest me but please bring an ambulance. Or perhaps the conversation would be different. Perhaps they would listen and I would tell them to go to the race website and look at the map and I would tell them where I was with a 2 mile range. How ugly would this be. I kicked myself for not asking Vinny for a cellphone number for emergencies. I am going to suggest that to them for future races.
After we became fast friends, flashing people during races does that, we talked. The woman was running the 100 miler and her husband ran the 50K. Apparently he had a horrible 50K but was a good guy that when she said you need to run with me, he agreed. The woman? She did the math and knew she wasn't going to make it. They were going back to New Country so she can DNF. Ouch. We agreed to power walk with maybe a little running to New Country.
At Whiskey Girl, I also spoke to a dude wearing a ChesapeakeMan Iron distance race shirt. That was my first Ironman. I think that shirt was a year after I did it. How cool is that? He hung out a little there while we left but eventually joined us.
I was leading the pack. I was feeling awesome. Every step is one step closer!
Eventually, another runner came out of Whiskey Girl. His name was Ryan and apparently, if he heard right, he and ChesapeakeMan were in the lead. I was a whole loop behind them. Oh well... He and I agreed to work together and to run/walk as we feel. Awesome.
Ryan is another crazy and again completly out of my league. I think he said that he is working on his PHD and also runs. He had done 2 200 milers - YES, you read that right!!! But his last 2 100's ended up with DNFing so he was very happy for the company and for us working together.
Time to talk about Davide. He originally was going to leave home at 9pm. Friday day/night, he told me that he was actually going to leave at 8:30. Meanwhile he texted me at 8pm that he was leaving. Cool. By our estimation, then he was going to arrive around 9pm.
Again, I'm not sure when I started doing this but besides making sure Vinny and I agree with the lap count, I also asked him if I secured my spot yet as being last. He kept telling me that I'm not last but because people DNFed and were DNFing I might just end up being in last place. That's cool.
We got back to New Country with me finishing my 6th lap and Ryan's 7th. Ryan had a almost religious habit of sitting down for 5-10 minutes at every aid station and eating. I didn't want to sit. I was afraid I wasn't gonna get back up. We got to New Country and I wasn't sure what to do. Davide was allegedly going to get there any minute but Ryan was going to leave and if Davide would have any issue, I would lose the companionship. I decided to leave and Ryan joined me a little but later. By the way, I also started taking a few M&M's at one point and they were awesome.
As I was about to leave, ChesapeakeMan dude came in and his girlfriend/wife/whatever rushed to him and asked what he needed. His answer was "the car keys...I'm done". Whoa!!! I wonder if I heard right.
At the end, it was the right decision to leave. Davide texted me that he got to Waldbaums but couldn't find the entrance to the start. The website mentioned baloons and music and we had none of that. Remember how I missed it Saturday morning? He couldn't find it either...I texted him that I was a few minutes from Whiskey Girl and once there, I would give the volunteers his cellphone and ask Vinny to call him and get him to the start. I was almost there when I got the text that he found it. He saw someone that "looks like a runner" go toward the woods and he followed them. Cool. Of course now he had to wait for me which sucked but it is what it is.
How cool/weird that I am running with the leader of the 100 miler (tho really he was 10 miles ahead of me)? We got back to New Country and Davide and I took off. Ryan eventually caught up with us, stayed with us a little and took off. We saw him again at Whiskey Girl with his mandatory 5-10 minute break and every aid station after that.
At this point, I had 32ish miles to go or 3 loops. Davide was raring to go but I was at mostly powerwalking and some running. He led some of the way and I led some of it. Nice. At one point, we made a booboo. Remember the big hill that you only do once? That some people went up the second hill which they weren't supposed to? Well, we missed a turn and started climbing again and something felt wrong and I stopped us half way up. It just didn't seem right. We went back down and found the missing turn.
I was constantly evaluating myself as best I could but could I really be trusted to make an honest evaluation? There were times that I realized that I could not focus my eyes as much on the ground. I wasn't seeing the leaves for what they were, rather I saw a carpet of leaves. I also got nauseous at one point and dry heaved but nothing came out. I also had to stop a few times and just put my hands on my knees to relax and rest. I also decided to perform other gardening duties and fertlize the trees. I figure it would help my nausea and it did. Davide also told me at one point, that I was slurring my words. That woke me up! I didn't even realize that it happened. So glad to have Davide around. I can't believe I seriously contemplated my first 100 without any support.
There was also another point, perhaps around now, that things got strange. The Matzah-brei that went down so good, suddenly didn't. I tried to eat one but couldn't chew or swallow. I'm not sure what I was feeling. The Coke didn't go down great either. I think at mile 80, I left my bottle at New Country. I did this on purpose not by accident. I couldn't stomach it anymore. Later when I was dry-heaving and perhaps slurring my words for a second, Davide mentioned that I wasn't drinking. Just hit me how glad I was that he was there. I didn't think of it at the time. When we got to Whiskey Girl, I drank Coke and immediatly felt better.
Before this lap we already started seeing light come up and eventually turned the lights off. Felt so good to put the headlamp back in the bag.
Crossed the road for almost the last time. Trudged it at the "V". Whiskey Girl never looked so good. Thanked everyone and said my goodbyes. They were already packed up and Tom was in his car waiting.
I forgot to mention earlier that the NY State Troopers checked in at Whiskey Girl quite a few times during the night. That's cool. Psychologically made me feel better.
Last 5ish miles to go. Where is that road crossing?!?
A guy came up to us as we left Whiskey Girl. He didn't say hello nor did he respond to our greeting. We thought he was rude. He was running well and soon caught up to us again. This time we talked for a second and I realized he was either Hard of Hearing or deaf as he had a thingie on his ear to help him hear. He wasn't a bad guy after all. Apparently, he was doing the 50 miler or 100K (I don't remember) but started late on purpose. Anyway, he left us but I realized he missed a turn and I started yelling to him but he just didn't hear me. If I was in a better place, I would have chased him down but my legs weren't up to chasing. I kept looking back hoping he would come back soon. He eventually did - YAY!!!
Kristy update: Every so often I would talk to her crew and she was still in the game. How awesome is that? Vinny kept assuring me that I wasn't last but due to DNF's I might ended up being last which was cool with me. He also told me that there is only 1 woman left on the course. Put 2 + 2 together and didn't get CAT...What I got was that Kristy WAS the only woman left on the course... Told her crew and asked them what's her status and they told me she is on the way. I was leaving Whiskey Girl and she was minutes away from Whiskey Girl. Now, I have no problem getting chicked or snagging last but suddenly my competitive spirit woke up and I really didn't want to get passed. I figured it was inevitable but I wasn't going to make it easy either.
Walked even faster and ran some too. If she wants it then she will have to work for it.
I noticed my fingers were swollen. Ok - They weren't swollen...They were SWOLLEN!!! I had sausages instead of fingers. Kinda alarmed me but I wasn't in pain or anything. Loosened my watch and my road id as they were getting very tight. I was very glad that I wasn't wearing my wedding ring. I had visions of me going to the ER and them cutting my ring off before I lose all circulation in my finger and eventually my hand etc. I should have taken a picture of it but didn't. Very stupid of me.
On Friday, Jim made a weird remark about maybe seeing me raceday. I didn't know what that meant. He had to go to Church on Sunday and had the YMCA stuff on Saturday and he hates running in the trails even tho he sometimes obliges me. Still, I wasn't sure what he meant. I secretly hoped, he did talk about this once, that he was bringing my guys in the am. This way they would be at the finish line when I finish and I also wouldn't have to drive home. I knew I would break down if I saw them at the finish line. They weren't there. I didn't need them there and I was glad they stayed home to rest and do homework and everything and who wants to drive an hour to hang out and drive back anyway. I'm cool about it but it would have been nice.
Last road crossing...No Kristy yet...Only 10-15 minutes to go. Saw the school. Where the hell is the finish? No Kristy yet...There's the trailhead rock. No Kristy yet...And no one is going to sneak up on me. No Kristy yet...Crossed the finish line...
Most of the bags are gone but both my bags are there. Tom brought mine in. Cool.
Turns out that at Whiskey Girl, he was there all night with his other daughter. Nicholle visited them too at 1 point. His ex-wife was running the 10 miler. Vinny and Nichole got the whole family in this one way or another...Awesome.
Made sure that Vinny agreed with me that I finished. He brought over my finishers medal, a handmade mug and the handmade belt buckle.
What a crazy long day. I was feeling good. I wasn't falling off my feet. I was coherent and I realized that I need to eat especially if I was going to drive home.
Ryan won the race. He was close to 24 hours at 24:05:12. Three hours and eight minutes later second place rolled in. An hour and 42 minutes later I arrived for 3rd place. Eleven minutes after me, Kristy finished surrounded by her people for fourth place. Ten minutes later fifth place rolled in. Awesome.
Twenty four people started the 100 miler. Of that 4 males and 1 female finished. I finished my first 100 miler and ACTUALLY got 3rd place. Kristy finished her first 100 miler and got 1st female overall. That's either a 20.8 % success rate or a 79.2 % attrition rate. Wow.
I laid on the ground for a minute with my feet up. I was hoping to try to alleviate the swollen hands issue. I never had that before. I checked my heart rate (see picture) and my heart rate was already down to 66. That's high for me as it should be in the 30's but only being double after this is cool with me. I drank some more Coke and ate some boiled potatoes. They had a generator going and so they made me some pancakes and a grilled cheese sandwich. Wow...I made sure Davide also had food. Pacers don't usually count for anything but more and more I realize that he was integral to this and I wanted to make sure he had food in him and was ok to drive home. I wasn't worried about me driving home as much as I was worried about him. Weird right?
We packed up and walked to the cars. He parked in the small trail lot while I had to cross the big street with all my stuff to Wauldbaums. He drove in and got a Coke from me for the drive home. I asked him to let me know he got home OK. I changed shoes to my crocs and got comfy. Got my Kettle corn and a soda and set up the GPS and phone and started driving.
Driving toward the LIE when came up to a road closure. Cops closed the street down due to an accident. Made a right turn and waited for the GPS to realize my "mistake". She did and redirected me. Cool. No worries. All good until I realized that I was having trouble focusing my eyes. Oh oh...I suddenly saw a Burger King on my right. Crossed over 2 lanes NY style while waving thanks and parked right in their parking lot. Cracked the window a little and closed my eyes. Took a nap for about 20 minutes and felt awesome. Power nap baby! Drove home without a problem. I didn't really feel like getting home, unloading and then driving back East to Hertz to return the car to then drive back West toward home so I called Lee. She and the kids weren't too far from Hertz so that was good. Met them at Hertz. Unloaded, returned the keys and straight home to a shower.
The hot shower felt amazing. Even tho I was a little red in certain areas, the liquid vaseline protected me. There was no pain due to chafing. Awesome.
Overall status: I was fine. No huge pains or anything. My hands eventually went back to normal size. Started peeing regularily again. Legs were a little tight. I really regretted forgetting my compression sleeves but did put them on after the shower. I think they would have helped. Also, the rental car while great was way to low to the ground which sucked and also didn't have butt warmers. I think the lack of compression sleeves and the no butt warmers and the hour ride in a small car didn't help my legs any. Stairs weren't Persona non Grata or anything but I took them nice and easy. I didn't have to go backwards or anything just slow.
Elizabeth, Jessie and I walked the dog to Vacarro's to get pizza. I went with shorts and a t-shirt. Normally that would have been fine but I noticed that after ultra-marathons, Ironman and sometimes Marathons, my internal thermostat is messed up. I was cold. Should have taken a jacket or sweater but didn't. Instead, I tucked my hands in my shirt. I'm sure I looked stupid but when don't I? Walked into Vacarro and immediatly ordered a tea. They looked at me like I was nuts. Crocs, compression sleeves, shorts and hands in a t-shirt...Yup, stupid looking. They asked if I was cold while laughing and I explained to them that I did a long race and my internal temperature was messed up. They of course asked how far, perhaps expecting a marathon as an answer, but when I said 100 miles they did a double take. The guy behind the counter who was heading to the oven actually stumbled a little as he hit the emergency brake. Eyes popping he asked again "how much?". At this time, the server also came over and I spilled the beans. They were shocked.
Pesto Pizza and Garlic nuts...Yummy. Elizabeth asked me if I want some tea and I gladly said yes. I'm not sure if she had ulterior motives here as she was worried about my sleep deprivation. I mean it was 6pm and besides my 20 minute nap in the car, I was awake for 41 straight hours besides the 2 hour commute and the whole 100 miles. Not only she made me tea but she used a huge cup that holds about 2.5 cups of water. I barely finished it as I was falling asleep. Tea does that to me. Puts me right out. I was determined to finish the cup tho, so I chugged it and laid down on the carpet with my head a little in and a little leaning against the dogs bed. LC is used to me doing this and he slept with his head near mine. Woke up and it was an hour and a half later. Nice. Brushed my teeth and went to sleep by 8:30 with a normal wake up of 5am. Those 8.5 hours of sleep that night was a little more than 2 days of sleep for me so I felt awesome.
Drove Lee and the kids to their schools and came back home and walked LC. He loves it and I use him as a recovery tool. Later Arlene came for a massage. This was the first time that I did not carry her table into and out of the house. Stairs were better and I could definitly carry that but I just didn't trust myself carrying that big table those 4 steps.
Tuesday I went back to work. Stairs are more and more doable. Wednesday I was already running up and down the stairs like nothing.
The following weekend we attended a Bat-Mitzvah of one of Jessie's BFF's older sister. Saturday was the synagogue with a buffet lunch and Sunday was the party which was a big catered event. I already decided I would actually sample some desserts at this event so I was really excited. Saturday the food was great but the dessert were ok. Sunday tho was worth it. I ate. Lots of veggies and meat and some pastry things during the cocktail hour and then later dessert...They came out with fresh, just baked, non-dairy chocolate chip cookies and I took one. I held it in my hand not able to put it in my mouth for what seemed like an eternity but was probably only 5 seconds. Lee thought it was hillarious and told me to eat it already. I finally took the plunge and put the whole thing in my mouth. WOW! I also had 3 pieces of halvah and 2 chocolate covered non-dairy cheesecake thingies and they were awesome. I felt guilty as hell but decided the 100 miler covered it. I should have weighed myself pre/post race but didn't. Ended up weighing myself after food and shower post race and it looks like I lost about 10 pounds but probably was more. During this Bat-Mitzvah I was pretty sure I would recover it all.
Other little stuff...The course the RDs picked was supposed to be bike free. Bikes were NOT allowed on that trail. That being said, 3 times I had near misses. The first one was really scary as I made a turn and a biker almost crashed into me. I jumped out of the way and he slammed on his brakes. He at least apologized. The other bikers didn't.
We were told that hunting season started and we should keep our eyes open. They did what they can to let all hunters(bow/arrow) know and the truth is we were scaring all the game anyway but you never know. I never saw a hunter but I did see a few deer.
My injury...A truly sore subject. It's been getting better. This is the injury I got during the Knickerbocker last November (2012). I was sure I was going to aggravate it badly during the race but I think the race actually did quite the opposite. I don't know if it ripped the scar (internal) tissue or maybe I am just philosophizing but I felt good. I still feel it a little but really it's mostly gone.
Well it's been about 2.5 weeks post race and I think it's safe to say that I didn't get sick. Didn't get shingles again. Didn't get a bad cold or flu due to either the guy who gave me his bottles germs or due to a compromised immune system due to running 100 miles. Cool.
Donald/Andre update: After I left Hammad at my 50 mile mark, it hit me that if they want a picture of the medal then they probably don't have one and therefore DNF. So silly. Still apparently Donald ran really well and eventually overtook Andre who started with a big time lead. Still, 20 miles was a lot for Donald and he was starting to cramp up. He sat down to wait for Andre and cramped up. Andre came in not doing well either and they were both very happy to call it quits. And yet Hammad finished...Makes you wonder.
I, for most part, don't really care what people think about me. I do my own thing and if they think I am crazy, then that's ok...Still, I was/am shocked by people's response to this race. When I told people I was going to do this race, no one was really shocked. I think they kinda expected it of me. Me...! The kid who could never run! Weird. Len Richards was the only one who had a cool opinion about it... A few weeks before the race, I ran with him and when I told him about the race, with a straight face he said "Well, that takes a lot of testicular fortitude". Haha...
Debbie from the YMCA (Lifeguard/Gymnastics) was shocked when I told her about it. She's awesome and all the kids at the YMCA love her. She's like the grandmother to all the kids. I saw her last weekend and she came over to me and gave me a big hug. She told me she was so worried about me. She knew the race happened and she figured I was resting the week after which is why I wasn't swimming at 5am but then the weekend after was the Bat-Mitzvah and we weren't at the YMCA and she started freaking out. She's that nice...She got Dominique to give her my number and she was going to call me. On the way home, she stopped at Fairway and ran into Donald and she interrogated him and found out I was ok.
We did a mud run 2 weeks ago and I told someone about the 100 miler coming up. That info spread like wildfire even to people I didn't know but no one was really shocked. If they didn't know me, the quick response was "he does these kind of things". Their biggest question was "where the hell are you gonna run 100 miles?". Other comments were of the variety of "I'm doing a 5K now and you will do a 5K 33 times..." or I'm doing a 10K now and you will do a 10K 16 times...".
Still, the only ones who really were shocked were the people at Vacarro's. Weird.
I also had an epiphany about loops. I still hate loops. They S-U-C-K!!! And they are boring and de-moralizing but I now see the point in them. Yes - They are great for family spectating. Yes - They make the RD's life easier with less aid stations to maintain which means less volunteers and less expenses. I get that but they are boring and if your family isn't there...I hated 10 loops of the course but it was awesome to only have 2 dropbags as opposed to 20+. It was awesome to build a relationship with the volunteers because we saw them 10 times over a long period of time.
Here's an honest breakdown of what they got right and what they either didn't or perhaps should either improve or think about. I see nothing earth shattering. I definitly recommend this race and the RDs.
| What they did right | What they did wrong or could improve |
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Just a last by the way if it wasn't clear at all...Vinny and Nichole are awesome. They rock. They are the best. Thanks for doing this...
During one of my last 5 loops, I saw a guy sitting at New Country in a chair all bundled up. I Thought he might be volunteering or just a runner that was done. At one point, he wasn't there and I remarked to Vinny about it. Vinny told me that actually that dude is in the 100 mile race and that he's really a hardcore runner. There is a race called 3 days at the fair in New Jersey and they have a bunch of races those 3 days. They have a 6 hour, 12 hour, 48 hour and 72 hour races. Crazy right? Anyway, that dude ran 179 miles at that race. He stopped during one if loops, sat down and took a nap. Seemed like over a 3 hour nap but he sat and slept. Eventually, he got up and started running. I couldn't imagine. If I sat, I wasn't going to go out again. Anyway, after I finished and Kristy came in and the final dude, he eventually came in as well at 90 miles. He went out again and Vinny was confident that he would finish but that he would also get a DNF as 30 minutes wasn't gonna cover 10 miles and the noon cutoff is a hard cutoff. Unbelievable the caliber of people at these races.
