The plan was the start at 4 a.m. Gary was going to run the first loop behind me just for protection. Jello had given me a cowbell to scare bears away. You better believe I planned on ringing that thing as often as possible. I waited to get some distance away form the campsites before I started though.
First Loop
This was it. I had a giddy grin on my face. Everything had come together up to this point. Now, it was up to me, my crew and pacers to get it done. I learned later that my part was the easy part. I started out with honey mustard pretzels, fig newtons and Tailwind. I also had purchased that handy dandy Kogalla light, which I highly recommend. It’s so bright it’s like you’re in your living room on the trail! The plan was to do one loop clockwise, then counter clockwise and continue to alternate. The trail went up the mountain, flattened at the top like a mesa for 3ish miles and then went back down. The first loop seemed to FLY by. It’s weird running a course for the first time in the dark. You can’t see too far ahead so you don’t have any mental expectations. I think that makes it easier. Nor can you really change pace or anticipate something until you are basically on top of it. I don’t remember thinking too much about the terrain or the course as much as I looked for animals. I heard a few scampers, but nothing came after me. I just made sure to ring the cowbell often. On this loop, Gary did tell me I should pick one person to communicate with when I came back to base camp so it didn’t get confusing. I picked Kimberly. We had spent a lot of time talking over the weeks leading in as she worked on my body to keep it healthy. I had also spent a lot of time the afternoon before and night before talking to her and Shane about
Finishing the first!
everything. It made the most sense in my mind. The first lap took me 2:25. And this is where things start to get fuzzy in my mind. What happened when. So let me preface the rest of the 100-mile event with…I’m sure there’s a different version from everyone who was there. The next 3 loops, I would be on my own. My group told me there were already people on the trail. A woman had started running and I would be going opposite her so I should see her. That made me excited. Someone to look for. The group filled me up with food and hydration and sent me on my way. I was headed out counter clockwise this time. That was the last time I did that! I don’t know if it was the fact that I could see or what, but I felt like the second loop was so incredibly hard. The only reason I was going to rotate the direction was to not get bored. Ha! I’m pretty sure getting bored during a 100-mile run is impossible. That second loop was really hard. I never looked, but I’m positive there was more climbing going that way than the other way. I decided after loop 2 I would just do the rest of the run going the same direction I had run on loop 1.
Lay’s potato chips!
Even though we were in New Mexico Mountains, it was still going to be a little warm that day. I was a little worried about the highs as I’ve never done well in the heat. By the second loop, I was swollen. I had anticipated the heat a little too early and got puffy from too much sodium. I had to adjust and stop drinking Tailwind and rely on my food options for calories and water for hydration. My plan was to eat back 100% of the calories I was burning. Since I’m small, that’s not much. By loop two, I had an urgent bathroom break. This was a first for me. Ever. I did have to stop once at Yosemite on a 13-hour hike to Half Dome for #2 but it was not urgent. It was a 13-hour day and to be expected. I knew what I was supposed to do from that experience so I was prepared. I had everything I needed just in case. The problem was I had no coverage because on was on top of the mesa and according to my group, there were people on the trail. I had no choice. All bare and in the open, I went. Fingers crossed no one came. That was not the only time that happened that day. It took a few loops to get that under control. 4 to be exact. All because I took too much sodium in the beginning. It became a joke when I made my loops to toss the used baby wipes and give me new ones. The bad thing about this is I didn’t know to use baby wipes in the beginning so that did me in. Apparently, I got something similar to diaper rash. THE MOST PAINFUL THING EVER. Thankfully, my crew new about this and they were able to point me in the right direction. Let’s just say Aquaphor to save the day and leave it at that.
Legs needed help!
I had a meltdown early on. I basically melted down from mile 34.5ish-50. It was a really loooooong meltdown. My legs were already hurting. I hadn’t planned on taking Tylenol until mile 50, but needed it early at 34.5. I took one and one wasn’t enough. I never take medicine for anything and generally speaking, 1 of anything is enough. LP and the girls had arrived after the second loop. That was helpful to see them and have them there to cheer me on. When I got to base camp around mile 35, a comment was made as a funny. But, I wasn’t in a funny mood. So, I took that comment with me for what was supposed to be another 11.5-mile loop. However, I told LP offhandedly, expect this to be my longest loop. I knew I was going to be walking a lot. I told him I’m going to walk a lot and take it all in. This was my way of saying everyone leave me the F alone. The comment festered. And festered. This was the loop I saw the wild horses that Mark told me would be there.
They were beautiful. Lots of pictures were taken. It was also when I started thinking that in most ultras, you don’t get a pacer until mile 50. If I just did a loop like we planned, I would get back around mile 46 for my pacer. Those pesky negative thoughts started to make their way in. What if someone (some imaginary someone, of course) said I did it wrong because I picked my first pacer up early? Oh no, I will not let that happen. This was not the best decision. This was my longest loop yet because I was “taking it all in” anyways. Then, I decided to add 4 extra miles. I did an out and back to be sure my watch said 50 miles when I got back to base camp. The other thing that happened during my last base camp visit is I was told my pacers were switching around from what I had said I wanted. That wasn’t really settling well with me. I called LP from the top of the mountain to tell him, Mark and the girls about the wild horses. I also told him I was going longer to get to 50 miles. Apparently, he texted the wrong Kimberly in his phone to tell her I would be going longer. And, they were still expecting me from one side of the trail when I was coming back the way I’d left. Grady had gone out on the course looking for me. I had run out of food and water. The 2nd loop had taken me 2:41. The 3rdwas 2:59. This 4thended up at 4:20 with the extra miles and bad attitude.
