Monday:
No running today. I know that I am doing Cactus to Clouds on Friday and running Nanny Goat 12 hour on Saturday so I could take a day off. Since my house is a complete pit, I decided to use this morning to clean. Like real cleaning. Going through the papers and mail that has been stacking up. Putting things where they belong and deep cleaning this filthy place. I miss my parents, but I am glad my mom can’t just drop in, she would be mortified at the way this place looks most of the time.
Tuesday:
Because Enzo hurt his ankle last week, he can't drive. This means that Norm is taking Brandi to school. We pushed the run until 8am. I wasn’t sure Norm was going to make it. He was having vertigo problems yesterday and again this morning. He decided to run with me as an experiment. He wanted to see if running helped improve the symptoms. I decided to take it easy on him so he didn't fall down. I promised to go really slow and we ran to visitors center and back. It took a few miles, but he did start to feel better. If it was the running or not is hard to know.
Hayley, Jubilee and I texted about our upcoming adventure. Hotel or car camping. Of course Jubilee the young and energetic member of our group was super enthusiastic about car camping and not showering all weekend. I, on the other hand, want to know where I will get my coffee and where to poop. I sleep with a special $50 pillow! I am old! We decided to car camp the 1st night and our young hippie friend can sleep on the ground. But after Cactus to Clouds we will be relaxing by a pool and sleeping in a bed. Do I need to buy a swimsuit? The bed thing makes me happy because I have a big goal for Nanny Goat and car camping is not going to help me reach that goal. Of course the big goal is also dependent on how I feel after Cactus to Clouds. That unknown could change the goal for the day. There was some discussion about Cactus to Clouds or Cactus to Clouds to Cactus. We decided to leave that to a game day decision. We have all read that going back down can be tricky because the course is marked on the going up side, but not the going down side. Of course everything I have read also mentions several times that you can die on this hike so… (You can read about it here.)
Wednesday:
Another easy run. Since I am not really worried about miles this week it is really just a matter of keep my legs moving. I did spend too much money on Oiselle products. Does that count as training? It’s all Hayley’s fault. She’s like a Oiselle pusher, the first time it’s free. I am really more of a “what is ten dollars or less at Ross” kind of athletic clothes buyer. But I love these Oiselle shorts! The mac roga use to be my favorite, but then I bought the Flyte shorts on sale and they are perfect! Light weight, comfortable, no rubbing. I am a huge fan. So I bought 3 more pairs this morning. And because they were having such a great sale I also bought a swimsuit. A little risky since I can't return it, but the price was so cheap for a swimsuit. I lost my swimsuit last summer and have just been using running clothes as a swimsuit since that time.
I also signed up for the Tulsa Run which is the USATF 15K Masters Championships. Last year I signed up at the last minute, but didn’t really train as much as I wanted. This year I have plenty of time to plan and train. It’s also fun because I get to go home to see my family and my mom and I have a fun little get away. The race is amazing. Really well organized and fun. Well fun once you are finished running a 15K sprint on a hilly course.
Thursday:
Wake up, look at phone, see email that says 65 days until your 100 mile race, go back to sleep.
Today is Brandi’s last day of school and she is supper excited. Excited school is over, that she will be in Colorado soon and that she will be a senior next year. I wanted to see her off and Norm didn't get home until late because he had to pick up Sinjin from the other side of town at 10pm.
We did run, but just an easy run to move my legs. I came home to try to pack for the weekend. I have no idea what I am getting myself into and what to pack. When every report you read states that you might die no less than 3 times, it’s hard to know what to take. We are leaving for Palm Springs around 5:30pm so Hayley, Jubilee and I can do the Cactus the Clouds hike. My biggest concern was making sure that every device was fully charged.
Jubilee picked me up and we headed to Hayley’s. The traffic was ridiculous due to an accident, but we finally made it. We loaded everything into Hayley’s car and headed out. We stopped in Blythe to eat Mexican food. We ate quickly so we could get back on the road, but first we had to stop at the grocery store. Hayley had brought a lot of food. A lot of actual food. I had brought a Cliff bar, 3 granola bars and 2 honey stinger waffles. Hayley and Jubilee found this hysterical. I followed Jubilee around at first because I couldn’t even think what I might want the next day. I really wanted salty, but what? I settled on Inca Corn and GF bagel chips. I also bought two Payday bars and a bag of peanut m&m’s. We wanted to start the hike at 2am to beat the heat so we needed to get to Palm Springs as quickly as possible to get some sleep. It was interesting to arrive at night. You can't see the mountain at all. It was so windy in Palm Springs which was a little concerning since we were going to be hiking in a few hours. We passed a sign that warned of blowing sand and laughed until we where in a sand white out and the car was hard to control. But it was over as quick as it started. Totally insane! The trail starts in the back of the museum parking lot. We drove through the museum lot to find the trailhead before parking in the parking garage across the street to get a little sleep. Hayley put the seats down in the back of her car and she and I slept there. Jubilee slept on the ground in front of the car. We kept the doors open so we could get a breeze through the car. At 10:30pm we were going to sleep. As I closed my eyes I thought to myself, “I have 4 kids at home and I am sleeping in a car in a parking garage with the door wide open. This seems like a poor choice.” But I did fall asleep and I slept hard. I never heard the alarms go off, alarms that both got snoozed. I woke up to a security guard pulling up. He let Jubilee know we were fine to sleep there (which we knew people had done from the reports), but wanted us to be aware he had just chased off people shooting up right by us. I feel like they probably had other things on their mind, but it was time to get up and get going anyways. We got our packs ready which for me felt comical because I just couldn't even begin to fathom what I need. I did at this point realize my first mistake of the day. I didn’t bring anything with caffeine. I have 2 cups of coffee every morning. Strong, black coffee. I should have bought a soda or something, lesson learned.
No running today. I know that I am doing Cactus to Clouds on Friday and running Nanny Goat 12 hour on Saturday so I could take a day off. Since my house is a complete pit, I decided to use this morning to clean. Like real cleaning. Going through the papers and mail that has been stacking up. Putting things where they belong and deep cleaning this filthy place. I miss my parents, but I am glad my mom can’t just drop in, she would be mortified at the way this place looks most of the time.
Tuesday:
Because Enzo hurt his ankle last week, he can't drive. This means that Norm is taking Brandi to school. We pushed the run until 8am. I wasn’t sure Norm was going to make it. He was having vertigo problems yesterday and again this morning. He decided to run with me as an experiment. He wanted to see if running helped improve the symptoms. I decided to take it easy on him so he didn't fall down. I promised to go really slow and we ran to visitors center and back. It took a few miles, but he did start to feel better. If it was the running or not is hard to know.
Hayley, Jubilee and I texted about our upcoming adventure. Hotel or car camping. Of course Jubilee the young and energetic member of our group was super enthusiastic about car camping and not showering all weekend. I, on the other hand, want to know where I will get my coffee and where to poop. I sleep with a special $50 pillow! I am old! We decided to car camp the 1st night and our young hippie friend can sleep on the ground. But after Cactus to Clouds we will be relaxing by a pool and sleeping in a bed. Do I need to buy a swimsuit? The bed thing makes me happy because I have a big goal for Nanny Goat and car camping is not going to help me reach that goal. Of course the big goal is also dependent on how I feel after Cactus to Clouds. That unknown could change the goal for the day. There was some discussion about Cactus to Clouds or Cactus to Clouds to Cactus. We decided to leave that to a game day decision. We have all read that going back down can be tricky because the course is marked on the going up side, but not the going down side. Of course everything I have read also mentions several times that you can die on this hike so… (You can read about it here.)
Wednesday:
Another easy run. Since I am not really worried about miles this week it is really just a matter of keep my legs moving. I did spend too much money on Oiselle products. Does that count as training? It’s all Hayley’s fault. She’s like a Oiselle pusher, the first time it’s free. I am really more of a “what is ten dollars or less at Ross” kind of athletic clothes buyer. But I love these Oiselle shorts! The mac roga use to be my favorite, but then I bought the Flyte shorts on sale and they are perfect! Light weight, comfortable, no rubbing. I am a huge fan. So I bought 3 more pairs this morning. And because they were having such a great sale I also bought a swimsuit. A little risky since I can't return it, but the price was so cheap for a swimsuit. I lost my swimsuit last summer and have just been using running clothes as a swimsuit since that time.
I also signed up for the Tulsa Run which is the USATF 15K Masters Championships. Last year I signed up at the last minute, but didn’t really train as much as I wanted. This year I have plenty of time to plan and train. It’s also fun because I get to go home to see my family and my mom and I have a fun little get away. The race is amazing. Really well organized and fun. Well fun once you are finished running a 15K sprint on a hilly course.
Thursday:
Wake up, look at phone, see email that says 65 days until your 100 mile race, go back to sleep.
Today is Brandi’s last day of school and she is supper excited. Excited school is over, that she will be in Colorado soon and that she will be a senior next year. I wanted to see her off and Norm didn't get home until late because he had to pick up Sinjin from the other side of town at 10pm.
We did run, but just an easy run to move my legs. I came home to try to pack for the weekend. I have no idea what I am getting myself into and what to pack. When every report you read states that you might die no less than 3 times, it’s hard to know what to take. We are leaving for Palm Springs around 5:30pm so Hayley, Jubilee and I can do the Cactus the Clouds hike. My biggest concern was making sure that every device was fully charged.
Jubilee picked me up and we headed to Hayley’s. The traffic was ridiculous due to an accident, but we finally made it. We loaded everything into Hayley’s car and headed out. We stopped in Blythe to eat Mexican food. We ate quickly so we could get back on the road, but first we had to stop at the grocery store. Hayley had brought a lot of food. A lot of actual food. I had brought a Cliff bar, 3 granola bars and 2 honey stinger waffles. Hayley and Jubilee found this hysterical. I followed Jubilee around at first because I couldn’t even think what I might want the next day. I really wanted salty, but what? I settled on Inca Corn and GF bagel chips. I also bought two Payday bars and a bag of peanut m&m’s. We wanted to start the hike at 2am to beat the heat so we needed to get to Palm Springs as quickly as possible to get some sleep. It was interesting to arrive at night. You can't see the mountain at all. It was so windy in Palm Springs which was a little concerning since we were going to be hiking in a few hours. We passed a sign that warned of blowing sand and laughed until we where in a sand white out and the car was hard to control. But it was over as quick as it started. Totally insane! The trail starts in the back of the museum parking lot. We drove through the museum lot to find the trailhead before parking in the parking garage across the street to get a little sleep. Hayley put the seats down in the back of her car and she and I slept there. Jubilee slept on the ground in front of the car. We kept the doors open so we could get a breeze through the car. At 10:30pm we were going to sleep. As I closed my eyes I thought to myself, “I have 4 kids at home and I am sleeping in a car in a parking garage with the door wide open. This seems like a poor choice.” But I did fall asleep and I slept hard. I never heard the alarms go off, alarms that both got snoozed. I woke up to a security guard pulling up. He let Jubilee know we were fine to sleep there (which we knew people had done from the reports), but wanted us to be aware he had just chased off people shooting up right by us. I feel like they probably had other things on their mind, but it was time to get up and get going anyways. We got our packs ready which for me felt comical because I just couldn't even begin to fathom what I need. I did at this point realize my first mistake of the day. I didn’t bring anything with caffeine. I have 2 cups of coffee every morning. Strong, black coffee. I should have bought a soda or something, lesson learned.
Last minute grocery decisions
We started right before 3am. It was dark, it was steep and there a lot of off shoot trails. We knew this going in and Hayley had loaded the route into her Suunto so it would tell us of we got of course. The first few miles were really well marked with white dots to follow. We did pretty good and only went the wrong way a couple times, but always realized it quickly. We passed the emergency water drop pretty early on. Maybe 2 miles in… While it was still dark I was pretty sure I heard a man clear his voice. We thought we had seen headlamps on the trail when we started. We thought there was probably a group ahead of us. Watching the sky change as the sun rose was amazing! Hayley came up with a plan that we would eat every 2 hours. We watched the sun rising and enjoyed the gorgeous views while we ate sitting in some boulders.
There had definitely been some steep sections but nothing too bad and there were sections that were not difficult at all. After our stop the trail seemed even easier. There was some up and some down, but nothing so hard or unlike you would find on any trail. The views were just so beautiful that we couldn’t stop commenting on it. Also, everything we read told us multiple times that we might die we were finding the trail pretty easy. Now that it was light we could see the marks of shoes that were ahead of us. These would be really handy later when we weren’t sure where to go.
There had definitely been some steep sections but nothing too bad and there were sections that were not difficult at all. After our stop the trail seemed even easier. There was some up and some down, but nothing so hard or unlike you would find on any trail. The views were just so beautiful that we couldn’t stop commenting on it. Also, everything we read told us multiple times that we might die we were finding the trail pretty easy. Now that it was light we could see the marks of shoes that were ahead of us. These would be really handy later when we weren’t sure where to go.
Sunrise was amazing!
Comfy boulders for eating breakfast
Admiring the views and the clouds.
At mile 7 we sat down to eat again. Another amazing spot, except the bugs. The mosquitos were really bad and so were the bees! I think they were century plants, but I might be wrong. They were flowering and beautiful, but full of bees. It would turn out that we were really smart about this decision because as soon as we got up to start again it was the worst part of the hike. Miles 7 to 9.5 were 2.5 miles of really hard work. Super steep, super rocky and super loose. Often all fours was the best way to get up the trail. Poor Jubilee was starting to not feel well. She was definitely riding the struggle bus up that section. I went up a steep section to find myself in a meadow. It was so beautiful and surprising, but also confusing. We weren’t expecting this though d anwe had more climbing. We almost went the wrong way because we weren’t expecting to be at the tram already. I am sure Jubilee was the most happy. We went to the ranger station to fill out our permit before we made our way to the tram building. The café wasn’t open yet, but the employees knew we were coming up the trail from Palm Springs and sent someone to let us buy drinks. I bought water and a mountain dew. It was the best mountain dew ever! My caffeine headache was driving me crazy and I was hoping this would help. I almost bought a sandwich because every time Hayley pulled one out of pack to eat I wanted to punch her and steal it! I was very jealous of food planning. This was mistake #2. Next time I will bring actual food, like sandwiches, to eat. Instead I ate my Inca Corn. I was very happy with my decision to buy these and would definitely carry them again on long hike. When we got to the tram building I asked Hayley if she thought Jubilee was okay and that I didn't care if we didn’t summit. After we ate Hayley mentioned to Jubilee that we didn’t have to summit and Jubilee said “Oh no, we are summiting today.” We packed up our stuff and headed back out the trail. This part was beautiful in a different way. Instead of looking at expanses we enjoying tree canopy and running creek with the occasional waterfall and even snow. We are such desert dwellers, at the first snow clump we all break out our cameras to take picture. We ran into an older couple that had been hiking for a month but were ending at the tram. They were so fun to talk to, through hikers always are. The husband said, “it’s easy, we’re just strolling.” His wife replied, “the hell we are!” Ha! Hayley told us we would be coming up to a place were we would be able to see to San Diego and Orange County. When we got there it was amazing! I know I have said this a lot, but I really can't explain the beauty of the views on this hike. There was a couple sitting having lunch here and we chatted with them for a while. They had come from Idyllwild. As the day unfolded we talked of coming back and hiking up the skyline trail and then going down the Idyllwild trail which is suppose to be a bit easier.
Our lunch spot (lunch was at 9am)
Finally in the pines! But the climbing was hard in this part.
The meadow was amazing! And full of people who had taken the tram up.
Paired with a mountain dew this was the perfect meal for the final push.
Obligatory "first snow we see" photo
We left the beautiful views and headed for the final push to the summit. I can’t tell you how happy we were to be so close! We were making good time and we were so close. The trail from the tram to summit is relatively easy. Some guy running down said to us, “there’s a lot of snow up there ladies, a lot of snow.” This really pissed us off. We just hiked from Palm Springs Mr. I took the tram up to run these easy 5 miles. We joked all the way up every time we saw snow. Lots of “be careful ladies, there’s snow here!” The hardest part was following the trail as we started hitting the remaining snow, not the actual snow. The snow wasn’t so terrible but we were trying to go around it, especially because in some places it was pretty deep. Right before the scramble to the top there is a small hut that can be used in an emergency. The scramble wasn’t too bad. Some bouldering to the summit, but it was windy and the temperature dropped quickly. We summited, took some pictures and then headed back down. We were elated! We felt like bad asses! We had completed the hike. It didn't seem terribly hard and we had done it in a time we were proud of. We were practically skipping down the trail. We made the turn on the trail toward the tram and nothing looked familiar. In retrospect, we think part of the problem was that the snow was starting to melt and the trail now looked like a creek bed and not trail. But aside from that, nothing looked the same. We turned my watch on route finder (we had charged my watch during the hike with a portable battery pack). We were on route, but it didn't seem like it. Finally we started seeing things that looked familiar, but during that time when we weren’t sure we were on the right trail out and the mood had changed. With 2.5 miles left everyone was done. Feet were hurting, there were blisters and chaffing. It was just a bad scene. We got to the tram station and went to buy tickets. The cashier took one look at Hayley and asked “tram ticket?” We must have been a sight compared to all the clean, nicely dressed tourist who had taken the tram up. The staff at the tram station seemed to know we were the girls that had hiked up the skyline trail because people were congratulating us. I have to say the staff at the tram station were super kind and helpful. We ordered our Lyft back to the car and were herded onto the tram. This was the worst part of the day for me. I have a fear of heights. This tram was not what I was expecting and it was the longest 11 minutes of my life. I think I was expecting something like a gondola, not a large building that moves down wires. On the hike up we had seen the tram wires and towers, I knew what a steep trip down this was. I closed my eyes and prayed for it to be over. Waiting for the Lyft we shared some snacks. This poor Lyft driver. He took one look at us and jumped out of the car to open his trunk. His car was the cleanest car I have ever been in. I felt really bad for him. I know he was talking about us all night to his friends.
You can see to San Diego and Orange County!
Plenty of snow at the top
We made it!
Only shot from the tram because I was trying not to pass out from anxiety
One disappointing part of the hike was that we never found the guys hiking ahead of us. We asked everyone coming down if they had hiked up from Palm Springs. Everyone knew who were talking about, and kept saying they were ahead of us, but we never met up with them. It would have been fun to exchange stories and meet. We could hear their voices most of the day and they must have heard us.
We dumped our gear in the car and drove to the hotel. We made a stop for gas and alcohol, but the wine choices didn't include anything that was screw top so I didn’t buy anything. At the hotel we pulled all of our stuff out of the car thinking we would walk to our room from the lobby. Check in was exhausting. We must have looked a disaster I know for a fact that we smelled. The staff was really nice, but we were in no mood for small talk. Finally we got our room key, but we had to put our stuff back in the car and drive around to our room. We got to the room and I think we were just too exhausted to make any decisions. I took a shower and then laid down on the bed when our discussion about dinner seemed to be going no where. I fell asleep. Like deep dark drooling sleep. But after that 30 minute nap I felt like a new person. Hayley and Jubilee were trying hard to find gluten free pizza, but I told them not to worry. Just order from Pizza Hut, it would be fine. We ordered a pizza, Hayley fell asleep and Jubilee and I went to bar. Jubilee wore socks with no shoes and I didn't bother to find a bra. It was a very classy evening, but the staff treated us really well. The best thing about the resort – they pour large glasses of wine! After a bit Jubilee went to see about the pizza. When she came back she told me Hayley had woken up and eaten half the pizza. Ha! Hayley came down for a drink and we ordered onion rings. We finished up and went to get some sleep. Nanny Goat 12 hour race was on the schedule for the next day. Jubilee and I shared some cold pizza before calling it a night. I slept really well.
Saturday:
Those 5am alarms were annoying. Especially because my phone was across the room and the alarm kept going off but I didn't realize it was my phone. Some how the alarm sound got changed and I didn't recognize it. I am sure Hayley and Jubilee wanted to kill me. Sorry girls!
We dressed and packed up to leave for Nanny Goat. We stopped at Starbucks for coffee and for some reason I thought I really needed a spinach, egg, feta wrap. Yep – all things I don't normally eat. I ended up pulling out a lot of the egg because it was grossing me out. I would discover later that this was mistake #3. The drive was only about an hour and we used the time to discuss other epic adventures we needed to complete. We have quite the list going now. We had plenty of time to get ready to race, but I think this was the most minimal I have ever been. I took my hat, squirrels nut butter, water bottle, and iPod to our little area. We picked a nice shady spot and put up the hammock. I think we picked the spot because it was close to the car, but it ended up being a great place to set up. And that hammock was pure genius! Thank you Jubilee!
The race starts in a horse corral. Of course the Jester was there, because it’s a 100 mile race. He told me it was his first 100 mile race 9 years ago. But we didn't get to talk much more because he is rock star and everyone wanted a selfie with him. The RD explained where we were going but after his first sentence I was already confused. I followed someone who had been to the race before. Thank you Jen for guiding the way! If you ever go to Nanny Goat know that the course isn’t marked, which doesn't matter after you do one loop, but if it’s your first time you probably want to follow someone who knows what they are doing for a lap. The course itself is easy to run. Lots of dirt path, some concrete and a little grass that has some gopher holes, but after my first time across the grass I was able to find a line that was hole free and stick to that. I had heard some people complain about the tight turn at the end of the concrete, but it didn’t bother me. Sometimes I took it wide and when I wanted an excuse to walk I would cut it tight and walk a few steps.
My original plan had been to try to get as close to 85 miles as possible. I had no idea how I would feel after Cactus to Clouds but when I started running I felt really good. Since this was a training run and I decided to just have fun with it. I was running around 7:30 pace and decided to see how long I could hold that pace. I did a pretty good job and held the pace until mile 30. Of course some of the miles were off because I had to stop for the bathroom or water, but I made sure to make those stops quick. My stomach had started to bother me as the clouds moved out and it started to get warm. The sloshy stomach had me struggling. I told myself to run as fast as possible and then I could walk a few miles when I got to 40. To manage the heat I would stop for water every 2 miles. I would drink some and then pour water into my hat and over my head.
For some reason I thought the course record was 60 miles so I made 61 miles the goal. No one is really sure where the number came from…I thought Hayley told me that but later she said she didn’t so maybe Jubilee? Maybe I was hallucinating from the heat? I don't know, but I was wrong about the record somehow.
At mile 40 I caught up to a guy I had spoken to briefly earlier because I wanted to chat with him. His back is covered in beautiful tattoos of different religious symbols. Someone complimented as I was passing and I jokingly said “I see you covered all your bases, just in case.” He laughed and said it was because of his graduate degree. That got me curious. If I could go back, I would major in religious studies so I love talking to people who have degrees in religious studies. When I caught up I asked if he minded walking and talking. He said sure and we did 4 miles chatting about school, degrees, divorce and running. For me it was awesome. The conversation was so easy and I was having fun. It was nice because all morning I had watched people chatting and enjoying the day while I was on a mission. I was jealous of all the fun going on around me. When I had 5 miles left to 50 miles I decided to run again. I turned on my headphones and pushed to get the 50 miles done. I was happy with the time 7:37 for 50 miles. I walked with John a bit after I finished 50 miles. He told me that when I left him to run again he got a lot of questions from people about why I was walking. I asked him if he told everyone that he was so interesting I just had to walk to chat with him. Ha! We parted ways to take care of different needs. My need was to sit down. I was tired of fighting sloshy stomach and my back was hurting a bit. And I was tired. I went to the hammock, took off my shoes and fell asleep. I am not sure how long I slept, I think 25 minutes or so. Norm would tell me later that when he saw a 48 minute mile on the live tracker he was a little concerned. I got up from the nap and put on my shoes right as Jubilee was walking by. I joined her to walk and told her that I would be plenty happy to go home if they were ready to call it a day. But Jubilee and Hayley wanted to get their 50K done so we walked. With a few miles left to break the record (I thought) I put on the headphones, put my head down and ran fast to just get it done. When I finished I walked with Hayley and Jubilee until we ran the last mile so they could finish the 50K.
What a really fun day! I don't always get to run and also have fun. It’s usually serious business for me. This was a blast because I got some serious business done, but made a new friend, chatted with some really nice people and had fun with Hayley and Jubilee finishing the day.
I can't say enough great things about the volunteers at this race! They did everything they could to help and took a real interest in me. They wanted to make sure I was eating. They wouldn't let me do things for myself because they said I was working hard and to let them do it for me. I owe them!
I can't say enough nice things about my fellow runners and their crew. A lot of the runners asked my name saying they wanted to cheer for me by name. Everyone was super encouraging. Knowing your fellow runners are cheering for you and want to see you succeed makes it a lot more tolerable to fight through stomach issues. And the people who were crewing were equally as kind and helpful! Many would ask me if I needed anything or if I was okay. At one point I told Jubilee I would kill for a Life Saver and someone went and got me Jolly Ranchers from her kid.
I highly recommend this race and imagine I will go back again next year. Thank you to everyone for all of your help and encouragement!
I finished 64 miles in 11:20. At this point Hayley and Jubilee had finished their 50K so we turned in our race bibs and started to pack up for home. There is a shower but we didn't bring towels so we bathed with water and wipes in the parking lot and changed into clothes to drive home. We stopped at a place called Farmer Boys and wolfed down a ton of food before hitting the highway. We had been gone for a little over 48 hours but it felt like we had been gone for much longer. So much fun packed into such a short amount of time!
We dumped our gear in the car and drove to the hotel. We made a stop for gas and alcohol, but the wine choices didn't include anything that was screw top so I didn’t buy anything. At the hotel we pulled all of our stuff out of the car thinking we would walk to our room from the lobby. Check in was exhausting. We must have looked a disaster I know for a fact that we smelled. The staff was really nice, but we were in no mood for small talk. Finally we got our room key, but we had to put our stuff back in the car and drive around to our room. We got to the room and I think we were just too exhausted to make any decisions. I took a shower and then laid down on the bed when our discussion about dinner seemed to be going no where. I fell asleep. Like deep dark drooling sleep. But after that 30 minute nap I felt like a new person. Hayley and Jubilee were trying hard to find gluten free pizza, but I told them not to worry. Just order from Pizza Hut, it would be fine. We ordered a pizza, Hayley fell asleep and Jubilee and I went to bar. Jubilee wore socks with no shoes and I didn't bother to find a bra. It was a very classy evening, but the staff treated us really well. The best thing about the resort – they pour large glasses of wine! After a bit Jubilee went to see about the pizza. When she came back she told me Hayley had woken up and eaten half the pizza. Ha! Hayley came down for a drink and we ordered onion rings. We finished up and went to get some sleep. Nanny Goat 12 hour race was on the schedule for the next day. Jubilee and I shared some cold pizza before calling it a night. I slept really well.
Saturday:
Those 5am alarms were annoying. Especially because my phone was across the room and the alarm kept going off but I didn't realize it was my phone. Some how the alarm sound got changed and I didn't recognize it. I am sure Hayley and Jubilee wanted to kill me. Sorry girls!
We dressed and packed up to leave for Nanny Goat. We stopped at Starbucks for coffee and for some reason I thought I really needed a spinach, egg, feta wrap. Yep – all things I don't normally eat. I ended up pulling out a lot of the egg because it was grossing me out. I would discover later that this was mistake #3. The drive was only about an hour and we used the time to discuss other epic adventures we needed to complete. We have quite the list going now. We had plenty of time to get ready to race, but I think this was the most minimal I have ever been. I took my hat, squirrels nut butter, water bottle, and iPod to our little area. We picked a nice shady spot and put up the hammock. I think we picked the spot because it was close to the car, but it ended up being a great place to set up. And that hammock was pure genius! Thank you Jubilee!
The race starts in a horse corral. Of course the Jester was there, because it’s a 100 mile race. He told me it was his first 100 mile race 9 years ago. But we didn't get to talk much more because he is rock star and everyone wanted a selfie with him. The RD explained where we were going but after his first sentence I was already confused. I followed someone who had been to the race before. Thank you Jen for guiding the way! If you ever go to Nanny Goat know that the course isn’t marked, which doesn't matter after you do one loop, but if it’s your first time you probably want to follow someone who knows what they are doing for a lap. The course itself is easy to run. Lots of dirt path, some concrete and a little grass that has some gopher holes, but after my first time across the grass I was able to find a line that was hole free and stick to that. I had heard some people complain about the tight turn at the end of the concrete, but it didn’t bother me. Sometimes I took it wide and when I wanted an excuse to walk I would cut it tight and walk a few steps.
My original plan had been to try to get as close to 85 miles as possible. I had no idea how I would feel after Cactus to Clouds but when I started running I felt really good. Since this was a training run and I decided to just have fun with it. I was running around 7:30 pace and decided to see how long I could hold that pace. I did a pretty good job and held the pace until mile 30. Of course some of the miles were off because I had to stop for the bathroom or water, but I made sure to make those stops quick. My stomach had started to bother me as the clouds moved out and it started to get warm. The sloshy stomach had me struggling. I told myself to run as fast as possible and then I could walk a few miles when I got to 40. To manage the heat I would stop for water every 2 miles. I would drink some and then pour water into my hat and over my head.
For some reason I thought the course record was 60 miles so I made 61 miles the goal. No one is really sure where the number came from…I thought Hayley told me that but later she said she didn’t so maybe Jubilee? Maybe I was hallucinating from the heat? I don't know, but I was wrong about the record somehow.
At mile 40 I caught up to a guy I had spoken to briefly earlier because I wanted to chat with him. His back is covered in beautiful tattoos of different religious symbols. Someone complimented as I was passing and I jokingly said “I see you covered all your bases, just in case.” He laughed and said it was because of his graduate degree. That got me curious. If I could go back, I would major in religious studies so I love talking to people who have degrees in religious studies. When I caught up I asked if he minded walking and talking. He said sure and we did 4 miles chatting about school, degrees, divorce and running. For me it was awesome. The conversation was so easy and I was having fun. It was nice because all morning I had watched people chatting and enjoying the day while I was on a mission. I was jealous of all the fun going on around me. When I had 5 miles left to 50 miles I decided to run again. I turned on my headphones and pushed to get the 50 miles done. I was happy with the time 7:37 for 50 miles. I walked with John a bit after I finished 50 miles. He told me that when I left him to run again he got a lot of questions from people about why I was walking. I asked him if he told everyone that he was so interesting I just had to walk to chat with him. Ha! We parted ways to take care of different needs. My need was to sit down. I was tired of fighting sloshy stomach and my back was hurting a bit. And I was tired. I went to the hammock, took off my shoes and fell asleep. I am not sure how long I slept, I think 25 minutes or so. Norm would tell me later that when he saw a 48 minute mile on the live tracker he was a little concerned. I got up from the nap and put on my shoes right as Jubilee was walking by. I joined her to walk and told her that I would be plenty happy to go home if they were ready to call it a day. But Jubilee and Hayley wanted to get their 50K done so we walked. With a few miles left to break the record (I thought) I put on the headphones, put my head down and ran fast to just get it done. When I finished I walked with Hayley and Jubilee until we ran the last mile so they could finish the 50K.
What a really fun day! I don't always get to run and also have fun. It’s usually serious business for me. This was a blast because I got some serious business done, but made a new friend, chatted with some really nice people and had fun with Hayley and Jubilee finishing the day.
I can't say enough great things about the volunteers at this race! They did everything they could to help and took a real interest in me. They wanted to make sure I was eating. They wouldn't let me do things for myself because they said I was working hard and to let them do it for me. I owe them!
I can't say enough nice things about my fellow runners and their crew. A lot of the runners asked my name saying they wanted to cheer for me by name. Everyone was super encouraging. Knowing your fellow runners are cheering for you and want to see you succeed makes it a lot more tolerable to fight through stomach issues. And the people who were crewing were equally as kind and helpful! Many would ask me if I needed anything or if I was okay. At one point I told Jubilee I would kill for a Life Saver and someone went and got me Jolly Ranchers from her kid.
I highly recommend this race and imagine I will go back again next year. Thank you to everyone for all of your help and encouragement!
I finished 64 miles in 11:20. At this point Hayley and Jubilee had finished their 50K so we turned in our race bibs and started to pack up for home. There is a shower but we didn't bring towels so we bathed with water and wipes in the parking lot and changed into clothes to drive home. We stopped at a place called Farmer Boys and wolfed down a ton of food before hitting the highway. We had been gone for a little over 48 hours but it felt like we had been gone for much longer. So much fun packed into such a short amount of time!
We seem really happy at the start of Nanny Goat.
What I wore:
Saucony Kinvara 8
Oiselle Flyte - Love!!!
Drymax socks
$10 Target sports bra that is a few years old.
What I ate:
One fourth a peanut butter and jelly sandwich every hour after 15 miles
A shot of coke every time I ate a sandwich
Water every mile until it got hot (maybe hour 2 or 3) and then every 2 miles
Half a quesadilla after mile 50 (not exactly sure when)
One cherry jolly rancher late in the day - not sure when I asked for that
Of course I used my Squirrels Nut Butter on feet and under the hem of the shorts. No blisters and no chaffing.
Saucony Kinvara 8
Oiselle Flyte - Love!!!
Drymax socks
$10 Target sports bra that is a few years old.
What I ate:
One fourth a peanut butter and jelly sandwich every hour after 15 miles
A shot of coke every time I ate a sandwich
Water every mile until it got hot (maybe hour 2 or 3) and then every 2 miles
Half a quesadilla after mile 50 (not exactly sure when)
One cherry jolly rancher late in the day - not sure when I asked for that
Of course I used my Squirrels Nut Butter on feet and under the hem of the shorts. No blisters and no chaffing.
