2015 North Coast 24 Endurance Race

Boom and Bust - An NC24 Adventure

This was supposed to be my goal race again, but by the time I finished running the Dawn to Dusk to Dawn 50K in May I was beginning to wonder if I really liked ultra marathons. I've had great experiences at all of them, but the running wasn't always great. It ranged at times from tedious to painful, offsetting some of the joy of what I've accomplished and sharing the experience with so many friends. Then there was the training. Running solo for 3 or 4 hours or more was just plain tedious. I could manage 2 hour runs with little difficulty, but as I know from personal experience, 2 hour runs will not prepare me for running ultras, not at the pace I run. Others may cover 16-18 miles in 2 hours, but that will barely get me 10. The training over the summer was, as usual, more difficult because of the heat, humidity, and sun. The net result was going into the race severely under trained (June through August totaled 415 miles), with no clear goal though I had mentioned 100K as a target at various times and still mentioned that if anyone asked. I was really looking more toward reconnecting with old friends and finally meeting some virtual friends from the old RWOL forums and FaceBook.

As race day approached I tried to still get in a couple good 10-12 mile runs during my taper. They were encouraging as I averaged under 12:00 pace for 2 of the 3 double digit runs during my taper. Then I made a work related decision that undid much of what I was trying to accomplish during my taper. I agreed to work an extra 4 hours on the Sunday before NC24. It was one of the most stressful work days I've had outside of working during last minute holiday shopping. I came home exhausted and skipped running. Monday was a day off and by late afternoon I was starting to feel feverish. I called out sick on Tuesday. This was not how I envisioned taper week. I took Wednesday as another rest day, then ran an easy 2 miles on Thursday. Friday was travel day. Once I arrived in Cleveland I checked out the new detour to get to the park, then walked and jogged a few laps to refresh my memory of the course. And yes, what looks flat or a mild rise when you're fresh can turn into a hill 12 hours into the race. I still had some time to relax back at my motel before meeting with friends for pizza at the park pavilion. (How do you like the alliteration?)

Dinner with 8-9 friends and fellow runners really helped me start to get some enthusiasm for this race. It was a real pick up when one of my guardian angels from my first ultra two years before surprised me by showing up. I still had doubts about what I could do, but my main concern was to last for the entire 24 hours of the race. I'd jog, walk, take breaks, even naps if that was what it would take to last through the night. I trusted Dr. Lovy and the medical staff to handle any problems if I got to them early enough, and I trusted my friends to see me through any down periods. I was still under trained, but if I took enough breaks and managed my eating and drinking, I should be able to endure for the 24 hours. By the way, did I mention this was the US 24-hour national championship? There were a few speedy runners here. No pressure to perform well and not embarrass myself.

Surprisingly I actually slept well and woke up only once during the night before finally waking up a little before my 6:00 am wake up call which never came. Breakfast at the motel was like an ultra runners conference. I don't think I saw anyone there that wasn't running the race. I introduced myself to most of them and expected to see them on the course at some time during the race. After a Danish, a muffin, several cups of coffee, and juice, I headed out to the park. I wanted plenty of time to figure out how to set up my tent. I hadn't used it since last year here. Quite a few of us were already there and set up by the time I arrived and more kept coming. I think just in our group we had 16 runners and half a dozen or more supporters. People were constantly taking photos, both posed and candid. Then there was the food everyone brought for our own private aid station. I ended up eating strictly from the official aid station, but there was no need to stop there with all the food we had.

After picking up my packet I had two bibs to pin on for this race. The first was the typical bib with my number on, which went on the front. The second bib was because I was a USATF member and identified my age group. It went on the back. This was the National Championships, so I suppose this was a USATF rule pertaining to that. Throughout the race I was amazed at the number of runners identifyably 60 or older, most of whom seemed to be running faster than me. There were others that old, I sure, but if they weren't USATF members, there was no way to identify them. We eventually all drifted down to the pavilion where Charles Moman, one of the over-60 runners, led us in singing the national anthem before we ambled over to the start. Because of the odd distance of the loop and 100 miles in 24 hours being a landmark performance, the start was backed up enough that exactly 111 laps would be 100 miles. While not exact, it also meant that 69 laps was 100K. Nominally that was my goal for the day.

I definitely wanted to start easy and I decided the best way to do that was to start with several friends who also intended to do that. We edged our way back towards the back of the 163 runners in the field so we wouldn't be in the way of anyone actually wanting to run. We never even noticed the gun or horn or whatever was used to start the race. All of a sudden we realized people were moving so we started our watched and began moving along with them. It didn't take long to settle into jogging a little then walking some with Diana, Steph, Krystal, and Misty. (I guess my secret is out now, that I run these to enjoy the female company.) We stayed together trying not to block the path for about 4 miles before we started to split up. I continued the same jog-walk pattern which we'd set using landmarks on the course rather than time or a specific distance. It seemed to be working well and I was feeling great. My pace picked up a little and continued that way for another 16 miles. I was eating and drinking regularly, mostly little cups of M&Ms and nuts and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I stayed with Gatorade and water to drink. My next lap must have included a potty break because it's a little slower. When I resumed I could feel my legs getting tired, so I slowed the pace for the next 10 miles. I took my first real break then, about 15 minutes to regroup and see if I could get some of that food digested and get more life back in my legs.

The rest seemed to help because I was moving along better and faster for the next couple miles, then my hip and lower back started bothering me resulting in a 20 minute mile. I was hoping a long break, maybe even laying down in my tent for a while, would help. I neglected to ask anyone to rouse me after a certain time. I dozed off and on, every time I woke up I kept thinking I don't really want to go back out; my back and hip ache. It was an hour and 45 minutes before I finally talked myself into getting up. This was probably the low point of the race for me. I'd essentially wasted well over an hour and wasn't feeling any better. At that point I decided the medical tent was a good place to be and one of our crew walked me down to get help. The medical staff pushed, prodded, and stretched me forever it seemed. They even called in Dr. Lovy himself because they couldn't localize the hip pain and treat it. It turned out to be the medial glute, not the IT band as initially suspected. Finally between that and getting my lower back more relaxed, I was given the okay to continue. Between that and my break is was over 2 and a half hours of time off the course. It looked like my 100K was slipping away because I knew I wouldn't be able to hold the pace I had for the first 50K.

As I got back on the course I was walking at about a 17-18 minute pace. My biggest concern, and the reason I didn't try to run or jog, was that my back would start spasming again and put me back on the sidelines. A couple miles later shortly after 12 hours on the course my Garmin died so I have no splits after that and won't until the RD can compile all that info for publication. I walked, talked with other runners when the opportunity presented itself, but otherwise there's little to tell through the rest of the evening and into the morning hours. We did get to see some fireworks after the Indians game which distracted us for a while. I took another break after finishing my 44th lap. That left me at 39.6 miles. Knowing I was just short of 40 miles helped get me up and moving again after a short break. While that break was a little longer, I had settled into a pattern of walking 2-4 laps, then taking a short break to let my legs recover. That continued until I was at 49.6 miles, the distance I had covered in my first ultra at North Coast two years ago when they also had a 12-hour race. This time when I sat down I couldn't get warm even with my jacket and a blanket wrapped around me. I took the first option that came to me, to slip back into my sleeping bag in my tent. Once again it was the prospect of stopping just short of 50 miles that eventually drove me out of the tent and back on the course.

Throughout all this all kinds of other things had been happening. One of our runners was having excruciating shin splints, another horrible blisters, and one had severe vomiting. In light of these my issues were miniscule. I found out about a lot of this as I took breaks and chatted with our overnight crew or other runners who were resting at the same time. Seeing the other runners back up and running, including a few first timers, inspired and shamed me into getting up and continuing. One more lap put me over 50 miles. Then I figured (yes, I could still make simple math computations in my head) that two more laps would match my PB. So two more laps went down when it occurred to me that only two more laps would bring me to 55.0 miles. That sounded like a nice number, so back out again. Last year a 13 year old girl ran 58.5 miles. Don't ask how I remember that, I'm a repository for miscellaneous trivia. I might as well see if I can get there too. We're now down to the last half hour and I pick up my numbered block to drop on my last lap to get credit for my final partial lap. I'd really like to finish the race running, even if only for the last 30 seconds, so with 5 minutes to go I break into a slow shuffle. It doesn't feeling nearly as bad as I'd feared, it's just not at all fast, more like a casual walk pace. As I continue I begin to loosen up a little. Maybe you could even call it a jog now. Only 3 minutes to go. I don't feel that bad. I think I can keep going. Two minutes to go, now one. It's time to kick. I don't know how I look to others, but I feel like I'm actually running. When the horn ending the race finally blows I've gotten in almost a half lap and have run the entire last 5 minutes. When the final tally is made including the partial lap, I have 58.04 miles, a PB by 5.68 miles.

It would be easy for this race to be another disappointment because I missed my goal of 100K, but it was far from that. The most significant victory was overcoming doubt, aches and pains, and inertia to keep getting out for another lap...and another...and another until the 24 hours had ended. I'm thrilled to have set another personal best, especially after how hard it was for me to get past 50 miles the first time back at Jackpot in February. This was by no means a solo effort. Many runners, crew, friends, race staff, and volunteers at the race contributed and I couldn't have done it without them. That community is what keeps drawing me back for more. This race has also reawakened my desire to train and race more. Now all I have to do is make some decisions on what distances and what races I'd like to run.