It was 3:30AM and the alarm went off. No more twisting and turning and listening to the wind blow against the tent. Overall, I slept pretty well even with the wind. My friend Kevin decided to join in this 44 mile running adventure as well. We had a super foods pre-race camp meal the night before our race with salmon, and quinoa, and spinach, and of course potato chips! (Thanks to him for grilling out the spectacular salmon!) Kevin tucked into his tent by 8PM. but I stayed out to get some last minute moonlight foam rolling in before crawling into my tent for the night. Nothing like foam rolling and hamstring stretching while staring at the moon and stars, listening to crickets, and smelling camp fires.
I wiggled out of my sleeping bag to put my running clothes on and get in some real food before embarking on the longest run of my life (thus far). For breakfast I opted to go with a banana and Vigilant Eats Organic Superfood Oat-Based Cereal (no gluten, no soy, no dairy, no additives, no preservatives, no refined sugar). I never tried it before (and yes I know you're not supposed to try new things on race day...but I did anyways as I usually do). Loved it and plan to eat it again. Even comes with a spoon inside the container, so it's really nice for traveling.
We met the 15 other ultra plusers at the race start for a 4:30AM "Go!" We placed our drop bags in 2 piles (one to keep at the start area which we would pass 5 times and one to keep half way through the big loop which we would pass twice). I loaded my bags with Ensures (yes there are preservatives and additives, etc. in these....but hey I'm not nutritiously perfect), a bag of mashed avocado (which didn't work out too well), gum, body splash, Stinger gummies, Bonk Breakers, Chocolate Haze PocketFuel Nut Butter, and Sports Legs. I kept extra socks in each bag and a pair of extra shoes in one bag just in case.
As all 17 of us started off in the dark we mostly stayed together for the first 5 minutes, then we gradually all spread out. The first 12 miles of the course consists of 3x 4 mile loops. For me, this was the most difficult part of the course. It was dark, my head lamp kept falling down over my face, it was hilly, there were lots of roots/rocks (things to trip over) and my HR was definitely elevated even though I was going slow. I started out cold, so I was wearing long sleeves, gloves, AND Hot Hands. The gloves and Hot Hands quickly came off after the first loop. During our third loop the sun was rising and it was so neat to actually see the environment I was running in for the past 2 hours in the pitch black. "Oh look, there's a lake I've been running past a few times and had no idea it was there!" After finishing the third loop, I realized that I was the last one in the race at that point, but I was totally ok with that. My legs were already tight and I knew that I had a LONG way left to go. I have to admit that I was worried about making the first cut off time.
The second 32 miles of the course consisted of 2x 16 mile loops. This part of the course was fun and beautiful. We ran on hiking trails, grass, gravel, and road every now and then. We went up, we went down, we climbed over logs, and tripped over sticks. In the middle of the first loop, my legs were just killing me, but I kept going. I ran into my friend Kevin who was also having some issues. You never know what race day will bring. Might be fine one moment and sick or injured the next. But there's always more days ahead. It was nice to run with him for a little bit though. Always good to have friends on the course with you. At the start of the second loop things felt a little looser, but my knees started bothering me due to all the downhills I'm not used to (most likely) and my glutes were on FIRE on the uphills. That's when I just started singing (sometimes out loud...it's not like there were people all over) "my glutes my glutes my glutes are on fire, they don't need no break, let them ** burn" to the tune of the Bloodhound Gang's The Roof is on Fire. Yeah. As I continued on, of course I started to feel more confident that I would finish and the running actually got easier and I felt stronger. I was thankful to be out there in the middle of nature with nothing to do but run and just be. I knew I would finish at that point and I knew I would finish strong.
Plenty of manned and unmanned aide stops spread every few miles. I really looked forward to the smiles and the fuel at each aide stop. You won't find any gels there...BUT you will find natural foods like gold potatoes, piles of salt, fruit, sweet potato chips and peirogis. My favorite snack were the energy bites, so of course I needed to get the recipe. http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/no-bake-energy-bites/ Can't go wrong with these! The volunteers were fantastic and helped you move in/out of the aide stops as quickly and easily as possible.
The finish was great too. Lots of homemade food and cool people waiting for you, along with some of the coolest finishers gear ever. Each runner who completes the 44 milers gets a handmade arrowhead medallion, a hand carved engraved hiking stick, and a thermal long sleeved hoodie. The plaques were cool too.
This race also offers an Ultra course (32 miles) and a Half Ultra course (16 miles). The 32 miler would be a really good "first time" ultra and the 16 miler would be a really good first time trail run. Considering the first time I ever ran on trails was the week prior to this at Mitchel Memorial park (which is awesome) back home I'm happy with my performance. Over the course of 44 miles, I was able to bump up from being in 17th place around mile 12 to finishing in 8th place overall. And now I'm also addicted to trail running:) Anyone looking for a good time laid back ultra run...I would definitely recommend the Evergreen Lakes Ultra hosted by the amazing Shady Hollow Trail Runners of Hudson, Illinois. Thanks to them for making my first ultra experience an enjoyable and memorable one. Thanks to my friend Kevin for joining me on this ultra-adventure! Thanks to Bob and Cody with Veritas Endurance Coaching and Go Fast Multi-Sport (http://www.veritasendurance.com/2012/) for their awesome coaching that gets me through any crazy endurance thing I want to do...even if it is kinda last minute notice:) They told me exactly where to keep my HR and pace during the race. I listened and finished right in the predicted time. I LUV them!!! Also thanks to ultra Craig at Tri-State Running Company for giving me lots of helpful advice on trail and ultra running. AND last but not least thanks to Team RWB for always supporting, inspiring and motivating me to push my limits.
EverGreen Lake Ultra & a Half: 44 miles
Bib: #213
Place: 8/17 overall, 2/3 female
Time: 9:51
September 15, 2013
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| Bringing it home through the finishers path! |
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| Handmade arrowhead plaque and medal |
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| Hand carved walking stick each finisher of ultra+ gets and thermal hood that each registered participant gets to take home with pride! The stick is very helpful with ambulation and steps during the days following the race. |
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| Pre race organization, much less than a triathlon...but important items one must not go without! Next time I would like to try different hydration gear...carrying the bottle got a little old after a few hours in. |
