6 PowerBar Gels, 2 packages of Clif Shot Bloks, 2 peanut butter and nutella sandwiches, 2 bananas, G2 and chia fresca, for about 2350 kcals, along with a Monster Rehab, G2 and protein powder for afterwards.
I slept pretty well the night before and got up at 5:30 to get some breakfast and coffee before heading off to meet up with James, Courtney and Scott to drive down to Muscatine.
5:30am and ready to race.
I was really glad to have some friends joining me for this race, James and Courtney only planned on doing 1 or 2 loops and Scott had ambitions of sticking it out for all 5.
3 Amigos and 1 Amiga
About 140 runners showed up to do anywhere from 1-5 loops, we all huddled up for a group photo and some words from the race director and we were off on our adventure.
The first loop went really well, I was full of energy and excitement for the day, I really had to fight the urge to go to fast to soon as I knew it was going to be a long day. After going through the course the first time and experiencing all the climbs and descents I knew there was going to be a fair amount of walking in my near future.
At the turn around was an aid station with goodies, water and Gatorade. The aid station volunteers really deserve a big thank you, they put in a long day and did a great job keeping peoples spirits up.
A much needed cup of cold water at the turn around aid station
Feeling better after the aid station
The biggest thing I learned while running 6+ hours and covering 30+ miles is that the course isn't the only thing that has peaks and valleys. When running for that kind of time and distance you go through a lot of emotional and physical highs and lows. For the first 3 loops I was pretty much on an emotional high, and having Scott running with me for those 3 loops really helped pass the time, when he decided to call it quits after 3 I was starting to spiral down a bit, but I grabbed some much needed refreshments and headed back out for another loop. Another nice thing about this race, you really could think about it as running 3 miles at a time, which doesn't sound so bad and made it a lot easier to head back out for another loop.
Half way through my 4th loop I really hit a low point and really considered calling it a day, it was probably a good thing I was almost to the aid station and not the start/finish line other wise I just might have. I took my time at the aid station, gobbled a couple handfuls of trail mix and pretzels (yeah seriously craved the salty and the sweats) refilled my water bottle and headed back out. By the time I made my way back to the start I was riding high again, doesn't hurt that heading back is on a nice down hill and nothing makes you feel better than an up tick in your speed.
I headed back out for my 5th and final loop which was definitely my toughest but also my most enjoyable. I walked a good portion of the first half, I was starting to feel the effects of the day and I really wanted to finish strong. After the turn around I ran would could and walked when I had to but by that point I knew I was almost done and I was riding an emotional high again, just a couple of miles left and I would be done. As I neared the finish and the down hill section I picked up my pace and was able to run my way to the finish ending my journey in 6 hours and 30 minutes, well over my goal of 5:30 but never the less a new PR and my first ultra distance finish.
At one point during one of the last loops I'm pretty sure I told myself I would never, ever run this kind of distance again, I've also said the same thing after both of my marathons, but now writing this race report a week later I'm certain I'll do it again next year, if not sooner, the Hawkeye 50k is in March I believe...
Until next time...
...do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.
You rock! Great job!
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