I went into this race with high hopes after such a strong showing at Dirty German 6 weeks ago, but cognizant of the fact that I hadn't had a great deal of time to adjust to the sudden spike of heat and humidity in the days leading up to the race. I really only had one significant longer (14ish miles) in these conditions, and that was a gamble considering it was the Sunday prior to race day. I had the option of not getting a decent heat run in or not taking it a bit easy the weekend before Finger Lakes.
Finger Lakes was the first time I've ever had the opportunity to race outside of Pennsylvania, so it had the additional challenge of trying to figure out how travel would affect the equation. We packed up early Friday morning and headed north to Watkins Glen. Initially the plan was to camp at the race site in Finger Lakes National Forest, but with 2 small children and all the beach stuff we would need for the rest of our vacation, it was a better bet to get a room. We got checked in and then drove to dinner to meet my cousin and her fiance- my pacer and crew to go over our game plan.
The race started at 6:30, so my plan was to be there by 6:00. I got there a few minutes later than I had hoped, but was ready to go on time. It was already humid, although the heat wasn't bad at that time. Once we were off, I started to dread my decision to start toward the back of the field. I got stuck near this woman who kept repeating "I'm a marathoner, not a trail runner". This was done more as a complaint than as a runner who was looking to try something new. Considering the amount of people on the waiting list, I was a bit irritated about her attitude.
The race course was very muddy at sections, slowing my progress pretty significantly at times. I caught myself thinking how much faster the trail would be if it had been less muddy. One of the other aspects of the race that is a bit different is the cow pastures that require the runners to open and close the pasture gates. It was stressed at the start that the gates MUST be closed to keep the cows from wandering into the woods. I knew prior to the start that the field sections were not going to be my favorite parts of this race. For some strange reason, I've always disliked running in fields/on grass. The other aspect of this is being out in the full sun- not ideal as the temperature started to climb. As I continued, I was struck by the lack of elevation change. I had expected a bit more than there was, but the frequent mud made this more difficult (in my mind) than some decent hills would have made it. I even commented to another runner that this took away any advantage that I might have, because I didn't have any steep downhills to fly down.
This race is well supported, and I was never more than 4 miles without an aid station. Thankfully the aid stations were well stocked and manned with most of the standard ultra fare-except the potatoes. I did miss those, and it meant that I was getting tired of using pretzels as my salt source (I don't do salt caps). The volunteers were fantastic, and this was a good thing, as crews weren't allowed to help AT the aid stations.
Toward the end of the first 16.5 mile loop, the heat was increasing, and there was a long stretch along a fence row in the full sun. I knew this area was going to be brutal later in the race. As I got into the start/finish area, Niki and Anthony met me and got me ready for the next lap. I decided on a change of shorts, along with new socks and shoes. I normally sweat a good bit, but I was really sweating at this point. I made sure I was drinking very liberally. I had the iced tea flavor Nuun tabs in my hydration pack, and this was working well. As I got to each aid station this lap, I added ice and more Nuun accordingly. Even with this strategy, I slowed down considerably between the first two loops.
When I got finished the second lap, I picked up Niki to pace me to the finish. She informed me that of the runners signed up for the 50 miler, more were dropping down to 50k than continuing on. This race credits a 50k finish when a runner decides to drop at this point. Honestly, if I hadn't had Niki pacing me, I might have done the same. With such heavy sweating, I was having some major chafing on my thighs, and I was becoming very uncomfortable from this. Despite my best efforts, I wasn't able to stay ahead of this issue. I walked a lot the last loop, but I was still able to use external motivators to keep me going. I kept hearing a woman just behind me, so I started to run again.
Niki has been running with me for years, so I was able to just go when I felt like it, and I didn't need to say a thing. We also have a great ability to jump around with our conversations, which is perfect when I'm going through high and low points- I can just start talking about something and she'll run with it when I need a distraction. As we got to the 40-mile point, we decided that I'd really fill my hydration pack with ice, so I wouldn't have to use the last aid station. It was much easier at this point to keep moving, and this plan worked well. We headed into the start/finish, where we had to go back out for the last 1/2 mile section. I had talked about how much better I would feel after seeing my family at this point, and I had already decided to have my older son run me in if he wanted to.
Edison was thrilled to run with me, but he did slow me down a bit, so there were several runners that ended up passing me. I didn't care at this point, but he was pretty upset that they passed him; I think I have a fierce competitor on my hands. I ended up finishing in 12:15, well slower than the 9:50 I'd run just a few weeks earlier, but pretty content I was able to finish. Out of close to 80 50-mile runners, only 37 of us were able to finish.
I felt okay after the race, until we stopped for ice cream on the way back to the hotel. I was just anxious to get back and get a shower, so I hadn't changed after the race. This was the start of a brutal few hours for me. As I was eating the ice cream, I started to shiver, which I thought was just a result of sweaty clothes and ice cream. As we pulled into the parking lot of the hotel, I was shivering uncontrollably. Even worse, Edison decided to jump out of the truck, and landed on my foot. I was only wearing flip-flops, and this was a disaster. I hadn't realized it earlier, but I had a blood blister under my second toe, which popped when he landed on it. I deserve a huge award for not swearing when this happened. I made it into a hot shower, still shivering, toe bleeding, and then searing pain from the chafing. I curled up in bed after taking some motrin for the pain and then realized my shivering was due to hyperthermia- I only shiver this badly when my temperature is elevated. Once the motrin kicked in, I was more comfortable, but I didn't get much sleep.
Amazingly, I was able to hike early the next morning in Watkins Glen State Park, numerous flights of stairs and all without any discomfort. It was a hard race, but well supported, and I'm actually glad I had a harder time than my first 50 miler, because I gained confidence in knowing that I can push myself through the rough patches. I also learned the value of a top-notch pacer. I don't think I even would have attempted the last loop without knowing that I had Niki to keep me going. Next on the ultra horizon: Labor Pains, where I will attempt as many miles as possible in 12 hours. I'm dreaming of 100k, but I don't really think I can make the time limit, so I'll just aim for as far as time allows.
