Mud Rain Wind then Snow

Wow!
I was pretty apprehensive about running 50km's. Especially since the first time I attempted to run one loop out at Blackfoot I :

a) got lost
b) got chewed up by the hills on the course
c) hated how cold and snowy it was

I trained with Marcella who is a graduate of Drug Court. She always said inspiring things like "we can call on this day when we run our 50k and it will be so much easier without the snow and wind!". We just kept pushing through endless weekend runs and did our best to get our weekly mileage up. We did a lot of runs at Chickakoo which is a beautiful park full of hills and forested trails. We stayed positive. I never believed for a second that I would DNS or DNF.

I checked the weather two days out and didn't check it again.

I went out and bought such a cozy long sleeve tech shirt for race day and thought I might overheat but wasn't concerned. I'd rather be too hot than too cold. I got my gels, hydration pack and hmmm'd and hawwww'd about trail shoes or road shoes. I felt PREPARED and ready mentally to take on the day.

Apparently the forecast was RAIN, SNOW, WIND and almost freezing temps.

The first loop started out fantastic. Beautiful, inspiring, and I could imagine it taking me a while because of the amount of rain, mud, and sludge but I couldn't imagine the outcome. Then I hit the central line which is a road and mostly clay. I stayed to the right of the road on a grassy trail but was forced repeatedly to get back on the road and slide and slip. My feet were now so wet I couldn't seem to keep my shoes attached so I mostly slid. This section makes up maybe 1km/2km max of the 25km loop but the amount of mud and the exposure to the rain started getting to me. I was cold now. My hips were screaming.

The rain did not let up.

I started walking large portions of the trail.

I saw Marcella and she looked great as she flew by me. We promised to wait for each other at the end. We promised to go out on the second loop and get this done.

I got to Islet (the start) and stood inside the warm cook shack. I met Marcella's Mother who breathed hot air onto my back. I saw Travis who had given up after finishing the first loop despite it only taking him 2.5 hours (a good time on a day like that) he was too cold to continue also.

All the ladies from the back of the pack (approximately 6 of them) arrived as well and were not going out for a second loop.

I walked up to the timing table and said "I will not be going out again" They took my name and wrote down on the timing sheet DNF. I looked at it and was furious. The race director, Gary, heard me getting down on myself and said "why aren't you going out again"

"I'm so cold"

"Don't you have some more clothes?"

"No" I wrung out my tech shirt and water poured out.

"Wait here"

He returned with his jacket and put it over me.

"Now you can go"

"Yes, now I can go" I gave him a hug "Thank you"

Along the second loop I ran into a guy named Don who was doing the 100km race. I knew him from somewhere. Maybe the Callingwood group? I said are you Don? And we proceeded to run together. He was suffering as much, probably more, than me. Off he went after a 20 minute chat about how we were going to get this done. I was running quite a bit. I was happy and warm in the jacket finally. Then Central came back....

and I knew if I could get through it I would be in the trees again and 10kms from the finish...

and I saw the road stretched out before me and there was no one around....

and I started

and the freezing rain turned to snow

and the wind whipped through my jacket

and I started to cry and shiver

and I knew I would give up right then and there.

A very nice man appeared at the end of this central road and said "Hi! how are you"

"Cold" I answered through tears.

"Are you withdrawing?"

"Yes" now I was bawling. I had the race director's jacket. I only had 10 K to go but I was so cold my fingers and feet started to cramp. My body was a mess of shivers. My head stopped making sense.

In the warmth of his truck and snacking on his dried fruit the tears started to dry up. He told me stories about the race, about Death Race, about the hard work that goes behind the day. We shared some laughs. I shivered away.

I got to the shack at Islet and ate my smoky. Sat by the fire. Sat in a friend's truck, took off my shoes and warmed up under a wool blanket. I felt like I'd been at war. I felt like I'd met my match and lost.

I love ultra racing!! I love trails and misery and trying to battle through your mind and your body!

I will be back. I have been bitten with a bug :) Wow!


(image of blackfoot yesterday taken from search on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sangudo/)