Wow! What a day yesterday! I can honestly say it was one of the toughest races that I have done in a while...I was challenged in a different way than I was last year compared to this year. This is my 2nd 50k distance that I have accomplished, and goodness, I was soooooo happy to see that finish line yesterday! I was SUPER sore yesterday post race, and now I can say (other than my feet) that I feel GREAT! Just a couple of aches and pains, but hey, that's expected after running 30+ miles on the trails of Monte Sano Mountain!
So....here is how yesterday went down!
Pre-Race
So...on your mark, get set, GO!
When running the Dizzy 50k, you run a 9-10 mile figure 8 typed loop three times to get your 30+ miles. The Northern Dizzy Loop is hillier and a little more technical/rocky, while the South Dizzy Loop that consisted mostly of the Bucca Bike Trail is very flat. I took the same strategy that I did last year: run almost all of the Southern Loop, and then walk the steep/hilly parts of the Northern loop.
THE FIRST TENish MILES
So, before the race even started, I told myself I wouldn't think of it as miles, I would think of it as the three complete Dizzy Loops. When I run longer distances like this, in my mind, I have to think of it in chunks. While running the second of the first "chunk", I realized it got warmer quickly, so I had to ditch the ear warmers, the gloves, and the jacket. I was still feeling strong mentally and with my energy (I planned to fuel every 45 minutes in the race, which I did), but my feet began to hurt. I have had the same great trail shoes for a while now, but I was worried to change them out for a new pair of shoes to try on race day, but now I wonder how today would have been different if I did. I prayed a lot during this loop. I asked God to heal my feet and get me through it. I thanked Him over and over for healing my feet. And honestly, my feet felt better. I didn't feel the blisters and pain that I knew existed on my feet.
THE SECOND TENish MILES
I remember at this point thinking about last year's Dizzy 50k experience and how I hit a wall in regards to my energy, so I kept on fueling and kept on being positive and telling myself how great I felt and how great I was doing, and when I would feel my feet hurting me, I would pray even more and thank God for healing my feet. I was still moving at this point, and again, I wasn't looking at the miles on my watch, but the time I was on my feet so I knew when to fuel. I remember telling myself, "Wow, you're feeling great, if you keep this up, you will beat your time from last year!". I kept on moving on. I remember motivating myself to go faster because my friends would be getting to Monte Sano soon to cheer me on, and I wanted to be able to see them. Once I got to the pavilion, no one was there yet, but I remembered thinking "Wow! You're over halfway finished! Once you finish this tougher Northern Loop, your pals will be there! You need to finish this loop quick!"
THE THIRD (and final) COMPLETE DIZZY LOOP
Even with my energy draining and my feet hurting off and on, I kept my positive mindset on the final loops. I'll be honest, it was difficult to do that, and any runner will tell you how you think before and during the race is crucial. As I started the final Northern Loop, I started feeling sore in my legs and inner glutes, and my feet once again were hurting. I started to pray again, and thank God for the ability to run and for me to have come this far. I remember wanting to take my shoes off to see where the pain was coming from on both of my feet, but then I changed my mind because I was worried about what I would see (I am still thankful that I didn't take my shoes off...my blisters on both feet are horrible!) .I remember seeing David Collins before I got to Cold Springs, and how good it made me feel to get my picture taken when all I wanted to do was walk. I remember thinking this loop was taking forever...I knew at this point Katrina was waiting on me at the pavilion, and I remember having to encourage myself by forcing myself to run to certain trees, certain rocks, etc and then "rewarding" myself by walking or stretching. I kept telling myself how great my feet felt when in fact they weren't. I remember running up to the pavilion to start my final loop and seeing all of my friends' faces. I felt like a ROCKSTAR. I needed that confidence boost and the hugs. I remember feeling guilty at the time for wanting to hug them because I knew I stunk (haha!) but I remember how badly I wanted a hug. Yep, I knew after this I had the easier Southern Loop to do for a final time. I remember fueling a lot and sitting down to give my sore feet a break, and then I got back up to run (well, shuffle at this point).
I walked A LOT of the final Southern Loop. At first, I was beating myself up over it due to the fact that it was so much flatter and softer, but at this point, I wouldn't say I hit a wall, but energy was dwindling, and I remember there were NO other runners around me...I felt really alone and I didn't have the motivation to run since I didn't have anyone to run with. My stomach was hurting, A LOT. I had to keep pushing myself to run by giving myself stretch breaks and walk breaks. I also remember how I knew at this point that both of my feet had multiple blisters because I felt them, and I also knew if I kept this slow pace up, I would not get close to my time from last year. It was frustrating to say the least, but then I remember telling myself how far I'd come since my injury this summer, and if I was going to walk to whole way to finish (lol), I would do that. Once I got to the 28 mile mark, I started to see bikers, hikers, and runners sporadically on the course that would talk to me, clap for me, and encourage me. I think they could tell by the way I was running and how I was looking that I needed it, and I sure do appreciate it! I remember one biker saying "wow, I saw you 3 hours ago and you're still running now! great job!" Once I got on that long, final home stretch, I remembered being so happy and so out of it that I actually starting talking to myself out loud and talking to God out loud, and I had a runner behind me say "Preach, girl, preach!" Haha! I even tried to encourage a fellow Dizzy racer to run the final mile with me, and his response (umm, I will say it politely) was "Forget that, I'm walking. You have fun!"
The Finish Line
The pictures show the happiness/excitement I felt when seeing the finish line along with realizing more than ever the pain I felt...I remembered thinking "I want to take these shoes off, and I want a COCA COLA!" haha! I haven't felt this relieved/excited to see a finish line in a long time. I remember hearing my name as I went up the street to get to the finish...I couldn't even see my friends yet, but I heard my name, and I remember being able to give myself a final push to finish strong. I wanted to cry out of sheer happiness... and happy tears did come when I drank my coke and high fived my friends. They took the time out of their day to cheer us on during the race, and even cheer us in to that finish line. I don't have the words to show my true appreciation....wow, I am so thankful & grateful for my running community and these amazing friends!
I remember loving this race last year, and I will say it again: love this race! I love the volunteers, the course, and how you can create your own aid station. I love the Bible verses on the trees, and I love the fact that we are running through the woods and appreciating nature. I'm not sure if I will run it again next year, I almost want to volunteer so I can see how the "other side" works for this race, you know, how it all comes together to be so great!
I feel that this race could have been more comfortable for me if I broke in new trail shoes before this race. My feet are still in pain, and I will spare you by not putting a picture of my blistered feet and toes on facebook. I didn't have this problem last year, and like I said, I know it's time to get fitted for some trail shoes so I can be successful at the fourth and final race of the Grand Slam Challenge: Mountain Mist 50K! There is no way I can finish strong if I don't go ahead now and break in new trail shoes. Like I mentioned in the final loops, my stomach was causing me a lot of grief, and even with my IBS, I haven't had issues like that in a race in a long time. I feel like I didn't hydrate enough since it was hotter than I expected it to feel.
I am proud of myself on how I thought throughout the race. I stayed positive when it was hard. Keeping a good attitude through the tough runs/races have been my struggle as a runner, and since my injury, my attitude has gotten better and better. I know that if I keep this attitude through all my Grand Slam Races, especially Mountain Mist, I know I can go through with this challenge!
I am so happy to be finished with race one of four of the Grand Slam Challenge! I thank God for the ability to run and to train for races/challenges like this. I know I owe Him a lot for listening to my "heal my feet" prayers yesterday. I was reminded that God loves us and that He listens to our prayers, even when it's something as trivial as feet....haha!
I have had a few questions from runners and friends on how do I train for races of this magnitude, and I hope I can write a blog on that during my Thanksgiving Break. Thanks for reading!
Go for a run, it might change your life! :) :) Feel free to message/email me if you have questions!
-Holly
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