Thursday, March 22, 2012

The 50k That Wasn't RR



Whomever pissed off Mother Nature, you picked the absolute wrong weekend to do so.  Shame on you!

I knew I could potentially be in trouble when I started stalking weather.com days prior and saw the temps for race day steadily climbing.  Admittedly, I was a bit worried.  Forget the fact I wasn't in any sort of shape to even run this thing, which could have killed me on that alone, but I've had one too many heat related running issues in the past and call me crazy but I really didn't relish the thought of another.

Aside from the ridiculous-for-March high temps, there's also that little thing I needed to take into consideration that us Coloradoans lack training in much of: HUMIDITY!!!!

Race day provided plenty of both.  Plllleeeeeeenty.

Awesome.

My friend, Tom, came from Grand Island, NE to run the whole shebang with me.   Tom runs marathon a good hour better than I do yet offered to stick by my side for this race the entire way.  I can't even express in coherent words how touched I was he offered to do that for me.  This race was capped at 150 people and probably 100 of them were doing the 25k, so that left about 50 insanies doing the 50k.  Considering the lack of proper training or conditioning I was in for this thing, I knew I would be close to the back of the pack (and right I was!); my anxiety of getting lost was sky-high ... I know I couldn't have done this thing without him by my side.
Thank you, Tommy!!!
C2Iowa, another friend I have known for a couple years but never had the opportunity to actually meet in person, come from NE Iowa to run the race also.  We all met up for about a half hour before the race....

Myself, C2Iowa, Tom
Someone obviously has no St. Patty's day spirit, huh?
At least I was NOT going to get lost in those woods!!
The calm before the storm
This was the view from the race start.  Later in the race, the lake was filled with white-caps
My high school girlfriends, Meg and Karen, where there too to cheer us on.  I may have had one sucky past couple years with my foot and some personal stuff going on, but I am truly blessed for the few very close friends I do have and was so happy to spend some time with them....I've known these girls for 40 years!
Meg, myself, Karen: pre-race dinner
So with cheering squad, pacer, and friend all in place, it was time to go at 8am.  In about 70 degrees.  Bleh!


The first mile was on trails in a heavily wooded area (see pic above where Tom is standing).  Pretty...but lots of tree roots hidden underneath dead leaves and I almost bit it a couple times.  The trail here was short-lived and soon we were out on a fairly busy country road.  Exposed.  Hot.  Hills.  The absolute worst part of the race.


Mile 4.5 we hit the first aid station.  I wore my Camelbak filled with water....remember, whimpy heat/humidity girl here, but I only carried water in it and I was dying to get in some electrolytes.  I also grabbed some orange slices and took a salt pill.

I was literally dripping with sweat everywhere and my back under the Camelbak was soaked.  Lovely!
The smorgasbord in an ultra is pretty delicious
The trail now hits some pea gravel and runs along Lake McBride for the most part.

It's definitely pretty, but also fairly exposed to the elements.  This is March, after all - no leaves on the trees yet.  When we did pop back into the woods briefly, we got absolutely no breeze.

Exposed to the blazing sun and a slight breeze or a bit of shade and no breeze.  Pick your poison. That was pretty much how the entire race was.

I was slowly quickly melting.

Mile 9 was another aid station and here we picked up a 19-year old girl, Liz (she did the 25k) to tag along to our posse.  She was really sweet yet I'm certain she thought Tom and I were super lame.  Well, because we are.  God only knows what the hell we were talking about...and Tom has a habit of talking a lot :).  In another mile, we'd hit the water crossing...I was really excited, yet nervous, about this.

We ran along the lake and across a bank...
Until we got to the spillway where we had to cross to get to the other side...
Tom, showing me the way
Other runners crossing.   
I knew this water crossing was coming, I had seen Tim's (Race director friend of mine) video of the course.  He said the crossing was about 40', but I think it was a bit more.  I was so worried about slipping and ending up in the lake below, but when I got to the water I was so incredibly hot and just wanted to get wet in that cold water so was relieved to see it.

When I got there, Tom was ahead of me and I didn't want to get too far behind so I didn't even think about it, I just plodded through, stopping a couple times to throw water on my face and back to cool off.  I'd guess the water to be about mid-calf in depth; there was one little section that was a bit deeper at the end and it was filled with algae... but the rocks weren't slick at all and I crossed without incident.  Phew!!


On the other side of the water crossing, we literally had to climb on all fours to get up over this cliff and then a steep climb until you came to some dirt trails.  It was heavily wooded here ... and also very hilly.  I was running pretty well but could tell the heat was taking its toll on me, I was starting to get lead-like legs and I was only at mile 11.  Ugh.

Mile 12ish, we come into the starting area before the final 3-mile loop to the half way point.
Heading up to the starting area with our new friend, Liz
Tom and I talked about switching out shoes here after the water crossing, but I knew if I stopped too long I was going to have trouble getting going again; I just wanted to get to the half way point.  So we high-fived my girlfriends and grabbed some aid-station supplies and hit the last 3-mile loop.

This last section was the prettiest of the entire course; it was starting to turn green and you wandered in and out of the woods.  Here, we met up with a group of 3 woman, one of whom had done Badwater.  I enjoyed the Badwater chick's company and grilled her all about Badwater, but I don't think Tom was overly impressed with any of them.  And made that well-known.  Ha.
We reached the half way point at almost 3 hours exactly.  Not speedy by any means, but this was actually my first lap goal and I was happy we made it.  My watch clocked us at 15.03 miles, Tom's at 15.55 miles.  Crazy Garmins.

But .... I was starting to really struggle with the heat.  I spent a lot of time at the aid station filling my Camelbak full of more water and grabbing a lot of calories.  Tom went over and switched his wet shoes and socks... but for whatever stupid reasons, I opted to stay in what I had on.

Dumb.  I was starting to get a blister on my little toe; new socks might have solved that problem.  But I just wanted to get moving again....just let me get the hell done with this race and out of the heat!
Off we go for loop #2
Once we got to the godforsaken exposed busy country road, I was pretty much cooked.  I had a blister on my little toe and it was killing me, and my right armpit was chaffing and rubbing my skin raw.  I was walking a lot more here and made Tom start telling me some jokes to keep my mind distracted.  The aid station at mile 19 couldn't have come soon enough.

I think I snarfed down 300 salt pills and 160 bananas and begged for some Vaseline or Body Glide for my toe and arm.  They had neither.  WTH!?!  I don't think I was even logical here otherwise I would have asked for a Band-aid for my toe, but I wasn't thinking straing.  I had some Chapstick in my Camelbak so I slathered that everywhere.  That seemed to work for the moment.

Tom told me it was a good thing I didn't hear someone tell him what the temperature was.  I asked, "80?"  He said, "No, 86."

Holy hell.  86 degrees in the middle of March!!!!  The humidity had to be an equivalent percentage!     I lived in Iowa a good chunk of my life, I don't ever recall it so warm and humid this year in the year!  But back to all the fun...

After the aid station, we're back on the exposed trails - the breeze felt great.

I started walking a lot here.  I kept trying to do the math in my head on our estimated finish time by where we were but I couldn't do it.  So I made Tom make sure we were on schedule and I just dragged my feet along.  All I could think of was how great that water crossing was going to be when we got to it at mile 25 - I just wanted to sit in that cold water and I couldn't think of anything else.

So we're plodding along at something like a 14+ min/mile.  And I was grateful for that.  Really!!  I'd run a little and walk a lot but at least we were (somewhat) moving forward.  We were alone out there; I saw no runners in front or behind us.  So grateful for Tom's company!

Around mile 24.5, Tom and I came up on a park ranger.  She started speaking ... but I wasn't fully computing the words coming out of her mouth.  Tom said a few things to her and then we started moving again and then it hit me what she said:

THE RACE WAS DONE.

A few runners were having heat related issues and a runner had gone down due to heat exhaustion smack in front of the ranger station.  Ambulance called (runner is actually just fine now.  Phew).  Angry park ranger lady freaked and shut the race down.

A few minutes later, the race director's girlfriend came by and talked about the down runner and explained that Tom and I could continue on, but she'd have to pull our bibs and we'd be on our own.  Tom and I talked about doing this and Tom was all for it....BUT....as soon as we said we were doing to keep going on, she spits out that Tim (race director) could actually get into "some trouble" if we ended up having any issues.

I signed not one but two waivers and doubted Tim would be held accountable if something happened to me in the next few miles.  But I also didn't want the park ranger to continue her freak-fest and not allow Tim to ever hold the race there again.  I've known Tim since high school, I didn't want to be responsible for if something happened and he'd never get to hold his race again at this park (damn me for being so nice!) so I succumbed and the race was officially done for me at mile 24.5.

Bummed?

Not really, not at that time anyway.  My feet hurt. I was sick of sweating.  I was starving.  I was sick of my water.  My blister was beginning to bother me again.  I was soooo tired (the heat just zapped me!)  When did I become such a wimp?  This wimp thing was really bugging me; I used to have a lot more grit then these lame excuses but at the time, I was almost relieved to be done.

OF COURSE, later when I had time for the dust to settle, all I could think of was how close I was.  5.5 miles was all I had left to do.  I was well within the cut-off time and know I could have finished.

5.5 miles between me and that illustrious 50k.

5.5 miles.

Sucks!

I've been home for 4 days now and have pretty much felt sloth-like for the vast majority of those days.  I have been incredibly tired and have done nothing but swimming one day and weight lifting boot camp another (which almost killed me).

Tim, RD, send me a very nice and sincere email when I got home, apologizing for the freaky park ranger and the race ending before I could finish. As he said, "the guy that went down couldn't have done it in a worse spot: right smack in front of the park ranger station.  You were just in the absolute worst spot at the absolute worst time."  Well hell, aren't I just one lucky girl!?!?

It's not his fault and I made him well aware of that.  Hell, it's more my fault than any one's.  Had I been in better condition for this thing, I would have been able to run faster and could have been ahead of all the flurry of heat incidents.  I'm done beating myself up for not continuing on, it was just one of those crazy flukes that life throws at us sometimes.  I've had many disappointments in races in my lifetime; I'll have many more.

I loved the race.  It was one of the most scenic race I think I've ever run.  I got to go back to my roots and hang with some of my favorite people.  I got to know my friend Tom a lot better.  I got to meet a good friend, C2Iowa.  I got to be re-acquainted with Tim, whom I hadn't seen since high school.  I got to run 24.5 miles.

Yep, I am one lucky girl.

Today (Thursday) was my first day back running since the race.

I pulled up my Garmin data from the race and the 24.5 mile was on display.  I was about to hit "reset".... but I waited a moment..... and instead I hit "start".

I ran 5.5 miles.

And I felt great!

31 miles - done!

88 comments:

Amanda@runninghood said...

I read every word of this and loved it. Felt like I was right there with you Jill. Great recap...loved the pictures to go along with the story. I especially love the end. Ahh, you ran those 5.5 miles! So cool. I would have done the same as you Jill...sounds brutal!! So great that you got to take the trip back home and meet up with friends. Cool seeing a pic of C2Iowa since I never have. Well done Jill. You're one tough woman in my book! xo

Amanda@runninghood said...

OMG could it be? Am I the first one to comment?!! out of the 75 that will?! Wahooo. I'm redeeming myself. :)

Liz said...

Wow, what a great read! That must have been so disappointing to not have been able to complete the race. But I love that you didn't reset your garmin and ran the last 5.5 miles! Awesome, well done!

Kandi said...

I know you could have finished that race!! The heat sounds positively horrible but you sucked it up and did it anyway.
For you to say this race was the scenic you've ever done says a lot - I've seen your photos from other races!!

C2Iowa said...

Much better post than mine. Of course - right? Right in front of the ranger station - seriously? Wow; some people. haha

Brian said...

Wow, Jill. 24.5 miles in that heat sounds awful to me. Congratulations!

These March heat waves wreck havoc on the race plans, don't they?

Julie said...

Jill you rocked it! No you didn't finish but you would have had they not stopped you. I can only hope to be as badass as you someday! :)

Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow!

Matthew Smith said...

What a bummer that the race got stopped, but way to go on kicking in that freaking heat! Ouch! You guys did great even if it wasn't the full distance. You'll get that 50k one day!!!

Abby @ Have Dental Floss, Will Travel said...

Sounds like a beautiful course and a rough day. Racing in that kind of weather is just brutal. It's a bummer that the race got cut short, but congrats on pushing through the bulk of it, and in decent time no less!

misszippy said...

Love that you did 5.5 miles first time out after this! Wow, that sounded brutal. So sorry it turned out this way. You've gotta go back, you know that, right?

And I didn't know Iowa could be so pretty!

Tasha Malcolm said...

Loved your race recap Jill. I think that you did pretty freaking awesome considering the crazy weather and humidity. Holy hell is right! I would have melted well before you!

bobbi said...

Loved every word of this. LOVED that you hit "start" and finished it off. Loved all the pictures.

You are outstanding! :)

Anonymous said...

You rocked - that was tough! Fun having you home for a bit! Keep on Keeping on! Meg from Iowa

Terzah said...

Wow! That was not what I expected. You were doing *awesome* and I know you would have finished had you been given free rein. I'm actually really happy for you, and continue to think you are a machine. And I *love* how you ended it, with your 5.5 miler yesterday. You *still* have grit, IMHO, as much as you ever had. You even make me (almost) want to try a 50K someday, maybe even in Iowa! :^)

Now I'm going to go eat breakfast because that aid station photo made me hungry.

Coy Martinez said...

Congrats!! Even if angry park ranger lady shut you down! I've hears about Ironman races being shut down before and it seems like such a bummer but you came and conquered!

I did a hot trail race once and it was around 90 out and I thought we were all gonna stroke out. Took most of us around 3 hours to complete it. Heat blows and heat in March just sucks!

Do your hands swell when you run? It's something I've been meaning to blog about. Mine get all big and puffy in the summer. I can't tell whether I'm retaining salt or whether I actually need salt pill!? HAHAHAHA!

CautiouslyAudacious said...

Awesome photos and race course, if you leave out the heat and humidity!! Way to keep going sorry you had to stop short. I am a HUGE whimp with humidity I'm just not use to it and I've suffered heat exhaustion in the past and don't blame you for not liking it. Good job!

C2Iowa said...

Its too bad that I went down right there. To be honest - I never even saw the park ranger. Maybe the good doc blocked my view! haha

Karen said...

Loved your race recap! hate that you didn't get to finish but it looks like you had a great time :) it looks like it was a nice course too. Might have to check into that one next year.

Chicken said...

Way to push through and finish that last 5.5!! That's totally awesome! You shouldn't feel bummed, because a lot of people have never run 24.5 miles before EVER (like me), so I congratulate you on an awesome race. And Tom must be the greatest friend ever for supporting you through everything!

brg said...

wow! what a crazy story! so much happened - thank goodness for Tom being there with you. I know you mentioned how much you dislike running in heat but with that humidity too! no doubt you would have finished but I think you made the right call with the park ranger freaking out.

Don't sell yourself short - you ARE tough! and strong!

Jennifer said...

Great post Jill! And congrats for an "almost" 50K. Tom sounds like an angle, can I borrow him for my next 50K? XOXO

Karen said...

Man, I would've thought that Iowa in March was plenty cool to run. That sucks they pulled you off the course. How about another 50K?: siskiyououtback(dot)com

Hubs and I are running this one.

I hate the heat too so all the problems you talked about are mine too. Why can't the world just be 60 and sunny all year long?

Ewa said...

What an adventure! I cannot believe you ran this far in such conditions. I mean I would die out there on mile 5 or so. I am not kidding. I am just not used to heat and humidity. And I sweat a lot even when it's cold.
I admire you for trying even though you felt undertrained.
I loved reading the story. Just think of stories you will have after PP. :))))

Lily on the Road said...

I'm in total awe ! Congratulation's! Whether or not you finished the 50k is irrelevant due to the conditions and over reactive park ranger, the fact you started AND did 25+ is amazing.

Thanks for sharing your incredible story and I just know that you will complete another race in the near future.

Whitney said...

That has to be a tough pill to swallow (I seriously just had to look up how to spell that - what is wrong with me?). But I love that you went out and ran 5.5 more on the Garmin. 24.5 is farther than most people EVER run. You'll get it one day!

Bubble Boy said...

It was a fun adventure, as was your trek home! Thanks for the memories.

Denae said...

Sounds crazy fun! Hey- there will always be more 50ks to do!What a great experience!Humidity sucks!!

Paul said...

Wow, who would have thought you have weather like THAT?

I would have dropped at the halfway point...just too chicken of running with heat/humidity.

S2S some year!

XLMIC said...

Sounds like an amazing experience! Albeit a fairly arduous, somewhat tortuous one! So glad you survived :) And I love that cartoon...made me guffaw!

Black Knight said...

Thanks to this beautiful post and the many pictures we can imagine what you did and how tough the race was. It is not important what you didn't; it is more important what you did! You ran a lot of miles on that path with such weather conditions. Brava Jill.

Mike said...

Wow...what a day! Don't beat yourself up so much. You toed the line that day, and that takes guts. I like how you ran the final 5.5 miles on your first day back!

Jenny said...

What a great recap! I loved reading this. Love your bright colors too!
You did an amazing job considering the circumstances!! You rock, girl!

Marlene said...

I love that you finished your 50K! Cuz we all knew you could have and would have if it was reasonable to do so at the time. WHAT A DAY! Man that is some nutso weather in March. Congrats!!!!!

Char said...

You really lost the weather lottery didn't you? I'm disappointed for you but I know you would have finished. That was a great race report - felt like I was there with you.

SupermomE13 said...

First of all, YOU ARE AWESOME!!! You did an incredible job under tough, tough conditions!! It really stinks that you weren't able to finish officially, but I LOVE that you got those last 5.5 miles done anyway. You rock! :) Hugs!

Suz and Allan said...

I really enjoyed reading this. Not sure why the park ranger was freaking out so much. Heat affects everyone differently so to call it based on one person isn't fair.

Great job on the race! Do you think you will go back and run it again?

Shellyrm ~ just a country runner said...

I LOVE THAT ENDING!! I was sooo worried that I was going to hear a sad Jill end to a race that you didn't have any control over not finishing but instead strong confident awesome Jill hit start and ran that 5.5!!! I am soooo happy for you. Way to go!

I know you just wanna wait and get an ultra ran with me. ;-)

BabyWeightMyFatAss said...

I loved your ending! Sorry about the 86 degrees. Earth is burning from the inside out and it's not going to be pretty! Congrats!

bangle44 said...

Considering the heat and humidity, you gave more than 50K worth of effort, and had quite the adventure! Kudos!

On the Right Track said...

Jill...that was a story book ending for me! i actually got chills when you pushed" start" and then continued to finish your 5.5....a real testiment to finding a way to reach the end of a goal...keeping the end in mind and "winning" in very personal, yet creative way!

Kuddos to you...I am very impressed!

Teamarcia said...

I've been waiting for this RR! Holy heat and humidity. I swear anything goes weather wise lately. What a freakish day. But you handled it beautifully and toughed it out. I love that you finished the 5.5. Way to show mother nature who's boss!

Lindsay said...

bummer about the race being cut short :( but 'finishing' a few days later is still good! and the next time you do a 50k you will surely PR since this one was like, 3 days, x hrs and how many minutes ;) (hey, you have to count the time you were resting/refueling mid-race)

it's not even 80s here. well, it might hit low 80's, but this is also SC where you expect that sort of thing. props for putting up with the heat!

Adrienne Langelier, MA said...

Great post with some great pics and an even better ending!:)

I'm from Texas and 70 degrees sounds, well, very difficult for anyone to undertake. Way to gut it out. And represent Iowa in a different light! For a minute, I thought it was CO!

Raina said...

Well, we have not seen 80 yet here. And will never see that type of humidity. Thank God.
All the photos almost make me want to do an ultra. almost :) Loved seeing it all.

How very cool to just add on the 5.5 after all that! You have a great perspective, Jill.

Average Woman Runner said...

The scenery did look beautiful and I'm so sorry about the weather. This whole country is upside down right now. Record highs everywhere that shouldn't and lows here (Seattle had snow this week!). Not good for racing, especially when we're not acclimated. You did a great job though and I'm wondering if you'll be back to do the 50k next year?

Petraruns said...

Oh Jillie what a disappointment! But you did so well, considering, and given the circumstances you really did better being safe rather than sorry.

And you DID get to go home and spend time with friends which must have been a good thing for you - right? Big hug girl - you're back on track.

Jason said...

very awesome way to end the race by running those last 5.5 miles. That is awesome.

Congrats on getting through 24.5 miles in some tough conditions. Not easy, but you did it and that is something to be proud of.

Beth said...

Bummer that your race was cut short but way to finish it up anyway! Will you plan for another 50k?

Isn't it funny the choices you make during a race and then after it's over wonder where your sanity went?!? I have had that happen more time than I would like to admit.

Mark said...

Great post and memory! You are one tough lady!! Plus, you always make me laugh! Nice shirt, too Jilly!

ajh said...

I love that you ran the 5.5 miles the next time you ran. It is so too bad that this race got stopped when you could have done it. You were doing great! What's up next for you?

The Green Girl said...

Oh, Jill! Where do I start? Who doesn't wear green on St. Patrick's Day? That should be illegal!

You are so hard on yourself, girl. Way to really push through a rough race - I'm so sorry you couldn't finish. I could feel how miserable the heat and humidity was as I read this.

And I also love love love how you ran 5.5 miles. You rock. Seriously.

Jenn said...

Boo boo boo on calling the race! I do however understand the feeling of being willing to be done running trail in 86 degrees with a blister!!!! Super job Jill. Congrats on taking on the challenge! As always, impressed by your desire to keep pushing your limits. Proud of you this last year fighting through and continuing to do what you love! Inspiring.

You are one lucky girl!! This race sounds awesome even the "real" parts of it. I love your report. This just sounds like exactly what I dream about doing one day. Oh right-my body is not quite on the same page as my mind. They operate separately actually. When my mind is ON, my body is not. When my body is ON, my mind is not-ha!

Anyway, congrats on the race, the final 5.5:) ALL the positive in your life Jill. Always makes me smile to know you're smiling. Happy birthday soon!!

Unknown said...

Bummer on the race being called, so not fun but girl that is hot w/ humidity! It did sound beautiful though!

Unknown said...

Yikes, sorry about the text. I don't remember you texting me!! I was in marathon zone that whole weekend...just now coming back to EARTH!
WOWOWO, that's all I can say. 50ks are tough and my toughest was in 100 degree heat. The body just reacts to these stresses we put on it many different ways and you listened to the cries and obeyed. That was so smart. There will be others for you, I'm sure. Hope the family is all doing well!

Ana-Maria RunTriLive said...

Boo about the race, but I always admire your determination Jill. There will be another 50K and hopefully better temps. We had 80+ degrees here and it was horrible since we did not have a chance to acclimatize. Now we are in the 30s again, WTF?

Love the recap and love the pics:)

Kathy said...

Holy buckets, you wild woman. 86 with humidity in MARCH???? I can't believe you did that! I'm crazy proud of you, but still can't believe it!
Are you glad to be back in dry ol' Colorado?

Johann said...

Still a great run Jill, well done! That is really bad luck for someone to go down in front of the rangers. A traffic cop once stopped an ultra (54km) I ran because he felt we were causing too much traffic problems. He caused the biggest traffic chaos by stopping the race. Keep well my friend.

Anonymous said...

Damn. I know how humidity sucks the life out of you. Way to keep going as long as you were allowed to. You definintely earned that sloth break.

Suzy said...

Wow, 86F in March?!?! That is way too hot. It is too bad that your race was cut short, but so great to read that you finished the last 5.5 miles on your own.

Suzy said...

Wow, 86F in March?!?! That is way too hot. It is too bad that your race was cut short, but so great to read that you finished the last 5.5 miles on your own.

Suzy said...

Wow, 86F in March?!?! That is way too hot. It is too bad that your race was cut short, but so great to read that you finished the last 5.5 miles on your own.

Molly said...

Jill!!! UGH! I wish you could have finished that thing, and you would have aside from all those issues. Great recap, I can practically feel that cold water : )

Caratunk Girl said...

UGH!! That so sucks!! I can't believe it was SO HOT!! Great recap!! Love that cartoon.

Cory Reese said...

The race I did on Saturday got into the 70s and I seriously thought my skin was melting off my body. I am impressed that you guys made it as far as you did.

And the end of the report where you ran 5.5 more miles just made me so happy. You are amazing!

2 Slow 4 Boston said...

Looks like a nice but challenging trail run. Despite the heat, I wouldn't be too fond of running through water for the simple fact of my feet sloshing the rest of the race. Could that be why you got a blister on your foot?

Good job on with all the pics.

Holy Hell Batman! 86º is crazy hot for a race much less an endurance one. No wonder you were struggling. I have never ran a race that was that hot.

Too bad the race was shut down, but at least you got in a good workout.

2 Slow 4 Boston said...

One more thing... I like the new look of your blog!

Tara said...

Man you didn't tell me that the dude with the heat issues went down right in front of the ranger station! Talk about bad luck. I'm glad he's ok though.

You should have brought your snorkel, you could have swam thru the water and cooled off!

At least you made the attempt, 50K in 86 degrees with that freaking humidity doesn't sound like a fun day to me. Not one bit. Of course, I am a wimp who actually likes to run in the snow. LOL

ajh said...

At the airport. Laughing at your WWF goof or your daughters! May be awhile before I play unless I pull an Alec Baldwin.

Ransick said...

Tough run in the heat. Nice job though. Cool you ran 5.5 more miles on your next run. Now you can wear the cool shirt :-).

Thanks for the video on hip exercises. Those look a lot tougher than the ones I'm going. I'll give them a try.

Laurie said...

I realize I'm really late to commenting, but just wanted to say, what a great recap! I was totally entranced with the whole thing. I loved the end, way to go you for the extra 5.5! You rock!!

Aka Alice said...

I'm even later, but I knew I wanted to read the whole thing and I did.

1. You have to know that I completely approve of your wardrobe choice for the day!

2. I am so disappointed for you that you didn't get those last miles in. Running in the heat is the worst.

3. I use chapstick all the time as glide. It's very portable.

4. You have had some sucky luck with races so far this year. The next one has to be yours.

5. Hope you enjoyed your break and are off doing something super-fun!

Tim said...

Race Director Tim here: Just so folks know, according to wunderground.com, the official high was 82 on race day. That is THIRTY FIVE DEGREES ABOVE AVERAGE! Yes that was a new record high. Heck, the low the night before was only 59, still 8 above the average high. The humidity reached 90% on race day. Totally ridiculous.

Runners were collapsing all over. The guy who WON the 50K last time dropped.

Those who did the 25K had it pretty good and course records were set there, but it was crazy for those who did the 50K and thus no course records there.

Good idea about the vaseline. I should have thought of that. And bummer about being stopped. Obviously that did not make me happy.

If the race happens again, maybe you can get revenge on it, you won't be the only one.

Tim

PS. A little history: the first Hawkeye 50K was held December 2010. A freezing cold rain/ice/snow storm almost cancelled THAT race, prompting the same park ranger to move the race to March (against my wishes). You can see how well that worked out...

Shannon said...

OMG I am so inspired...I too love running but cannot imagaine running a 50k, in fact I am just training for my first half-marathon (seems puny when compared)in Sept. 2012. Can't wait to read more of your journey with running. Blessings and thanks for sharing your 50k story.

pensive pumpkin said...

at the end, when you said you hit "start?"

that was when i cried.

it might be the muscle relaxers talking, but i loved you before i started taking them. so probably not.

this is the best race recap ever. you are so insanely awesome, i can't think of words enough to describe you. *big hug*

Kate Geisen said...

So cool, Jill! I actually read this on my phone the day it posted, but in my rush to get ready for LBL I never got around to leaving a substantial comment (and you know how I like to talk!!). So here I am, finally trying to catch up on blogs after what, two weeks?

Anyway, you are so awesome! I LOVED the end of this, I LOVED that fantastic creek crossing, bad luck on the timing for sure, but you had it, you were there, and what a great experience. Besides, you don't really want to run a 50K when I'm not running mine, right? :)

TX Runner Mom said...

Great race report! I am so sorry that you weren't allowed to finish - I know you would have! All these crazy temps in March/April make we worry about what August is going to be like!?!

Ransick said...

The storm missed us here in Breckenridge so I've been hiking and having a blast. Hopefully we'll be back next year. If so, I'll let you know ahead of time and I'll take you up on a trail run if the weather is like this. You'll have to run 10 miles first to make up for my lack of altitude adjustment :-).

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