Pumpkin Holler 100 miler!!

The whole reason I started this blog was for my first 100 mile race, and I have accomplished this goal! I will admit... my training was nothing like I wanted it to be or what it should have been. The longest training run I ever went on while training for the 100 miler was a 19 mile run. I had plans of following the training schedule I had put together which had several weekends where I was supposed to run 30 miles on Saturdays and 20 miles on Sunday. This was what you would call an EPIC FAIL! It was partly due to the fact that after my 19 mile training run a started having IT band issues that was never resolved till the race day (by the grace of God).

The final week before the race I did real good at tapering and eating appropriately.. easiest part of the training. My wife, father, and I camped in a tent at the race start/finish. The race was held at the Eagle Bluff Resort just north of Talequah Oklahoma. The Pumpkin Holler 100 miler was put on by a great racing company called Tatur.

                                                                   Before the Race

The night before the race I layered myself in warm clothes and cuddled up under a collection of blankets and tried to get to sleep. It didn't take too long, but longer than what I would have liked. I woke up several times throughout the night, but had no problem getting back to sleep. Just outside the warmth of cocoon was a cold crisp air.

For the first time in a long time, I actually hit the snooze button on the alarm on a race morning. That may have been due to the cold air and that I didn't want to get out of the warmth. But I knew I had to start organizing everything and getting ready for the race, so I slipped on some shoes and went out to find the chip pickup and the restroom. Surprising enough, I only had to use the restroom twice before the race, compared to my 6-10 typical times. The buzz of all the athletes made the morning get more and more exciting as the sun started to come up over the horizon. As at drew nearer to start time I stood among the crowd of 50k, 100k, 100 milers, and a few early 25k runners.

                                                                          The Start

The race director smashed a pumpkin at the start of the race and we were off... in a slow shuffle trying to stretch out the stride a little. A friend from Joplin area was there and so I went with him and we chatted a bit. I was going much faster than I had planned but not too fast to that I needed to slow down. I looked down at my watch thinking we had only been running for maybe five minutes and it was already 30 minutes. The time was flying! I also got to chat with a man from California who has ran 14 100 milers before and he hi fived me when I talked to him about running with a cross and shared with me about how he had just been baptized recently. The race started with a 7-8 mile out and back. When we got back to the start line we all separated from that point on because of the different amount of times we would each spend at aid stations.

                                                            Loop 1... Miles..

I shed my gloves, refilled my bottles and headed out for the first 50k loop. When I took a swig of my Gatorade it tasted horrible... the start/finish line aid station had some nasty tasting water. About four miles into the loop is probably one of the best aid stations, Mad Dog. You have to fight up a long tough hill to get there but once you do you are greeted by a very nice family. Like before I grabbed a few small thing to eat, some more water/Gatorade and I was back at it. I was informed that I was in 6th place... I didn't care, because it wouldn't matter.   Half marathon, and marathon distances passed by in no time.

I started passing the 100k and 50k runners around mile 10 of the loop. At this point I had already ran 8ish more miles than them. 

The longest distance I had ever run before the race was a 50k, and as I reached this distance I felt fine. In fact, I even ran it faster. As the day moved on the sun came out and it got hotter and my stomach did not like anything I put in it, especially the nasty water. Luckily some of the aid stations had good water. During a long stretch of sun exposed running a tried one of my gels (typically the only thing i take during races)... This did not go well with my stomach.

I didn't walk till one of the hills around mile 20. After that some of the hills I would walk up to save my energy. When I was at the Hard Up Ahead aid station I talked with a man very briefly about what my jersey meant and he looked forward to talking more next time I came by. Hard Up Ahead is called this because up ahead is a 3 mile stretch of asphalt road and some hills.The sun was not kind to me on this section of the course.

The course is described as relatively flat, which as of the first loop I would agree with. I finished the first loop + the out and back around 7 hours and had my amazing wife waiting for me with my water backpack. The waterbelt I was wearing was hurting my hips a bit. 

                                                                2nd Loop

When i finished the first 39ish miles I was burning up! The sweat was dried all over me. My dad tried to have me go cool off in the shower because my skin was so hot, but it didn't sound good to me. So I took off my jersey, strapped on the water pack, and headed out for the 2nd 50k loop. When I first started wearing the water back pack i felt very suffocated by it. Any time I wasn't running I had to loosen the chest straps and set them out on my shoulders.

Getting up the hill before Mad Dog was a bit harder than the first time, but still not too bad. At this point all of the aid station were infested with bees/wasps, attracted to the sugar from the Gatorade and foods. When I came into Mad Dog I thought I would try to use the restroom for the first time in over 40 miles. When I stood up i didn't feel so good. I knew I needed to get some food into my belly so I tried to eat a few things. I will use the same expression I used earlier, EPIC FAIL. I got up to try and leave and my stomach and head were driving me crazy. I felt so nauseous! I sat down in the chair trying to get my stomach back but it just wouldn't work. People came and went at the station. I was there long enough for the aid station man's son to ask his dad why I was here. Eventually I grabbed what little gut I still had and decided I might as well go for it. It started out real bad but as I got back to moving the nausea started to go away (but not completely). I'm not sure what was causing it.. but it seemed worse when I took off my waist strap for the pack.

Around mile 50 I was starting to feel tired, nothing big, just a feeling. I brought along with me a very useful motivational tool... my Iphone. I was updating my Facebook page and reading everyone's motivating words and prayers for me. It helped me out a lot! I may not have made it without their motivation, it gets extremely lonely out there. I know for sure I would not have made it with out their prayers! Up till the day of the race I struggled with an IT band issue and not once did it bother me during the race..

As it started to get darker outside I realized that I had forgotten my head lamp at the start/finish line, but I think (not for sure) my spare was at the Savannah's Corner aid station, about 13 miles into the loop. It got darker and darker and people would ask me if I had a light. I was able to see a huge fat snake and avoid it still. The sun went completely down before I made it to the aid station and when I came in I was praying that I had put it in this drop bag. I was wrong.. I put it in the Hard Up Ahead drop bag. I thought about running with some people that had a light but I didn't want to wait around. And so began the hardest part of the race... Being alone and in the dark.

The 6 miles I spent by myself were the hardest miles I think I had ever done. Luckily it was broken up 3 and 3. For the first 3 miles most of the course was in the open, not much was covered by the trees so I was able to see better because the sky was wide open! Most of it was fairly flat as well so I started striding out and picking off the miles quickly. Even though I was accomplishing a lot during this time it was emotionally very difficult. This is when I first started playing with the idea in my mind that I would stop after this lap. I had text my wife earlier telling her I wanted her to run the last lap with me, now I was texting her that I needed her. I was whimpering and every now and then I got cold. Finally I reached the next aid station, but no one had a light so I tried eating what ever I could and started getting ready to head out (Stomach was still driving me crazy).

I can't remember if it was at the aid station or a little bit after the aid station but it was because of this moment (and a few others) that I was able to finish. There was a girl running with her pacer and they suggested I run with them so that I could see. This not only enabled me to see better because of their light, but it also helped me go faster. It gave me someone to keep me going. This wasn't the first time I talked about my wife during the race, but it sure was the most important time. I am proud of my wife and I love her, she would do anything for me. And because she would do anything for me she would run 32 miles with in the middle of the dark even though the longest she has ever ran was 10 miles.. And those 10 miles she ran were because of me also (helping me with my first 50k back when we were dating). So I talked about her a lot during the race and how she was going to help me on the last loop.This girl and her pacer helped me through these 3miles and I started feeling like I could do this again. Once we got to the Hard Up Ahead aid station I got my head lamp so I finally had light! I wanted to keep going with them so I had someone to help me not slow down but I took too long at the aid station. I talked with the guy some more and he told me he looked forward to meeting my wife on the next lap, so I better show up!. And then I was off and then began the hardest 3 miles I had ever done.. (the second half of the 6 i mentioned earlier).

As I was running on the concrete section of road the mixture of not enough food, running for about 60 miles, awake since 7am, night time, and the glow from my head lamp.... made me very sleepy. My eyes got heavier and heavier and I started to doze off as I ran. Every now and then I would realize that my eyes had been closed and I would open them, and I was still moving down the road. I got a tad bit chilly. Finally I came into Bathtub Rock aid station. I sat down and felt so tired, I started to fall alseep. The guy was standing their watching me so I told him I was so tired, I just needed to rest my eyes. I got so cold! Eventually two runners came by and I knew I had to go with them or else I would never get back. This was another one of those moments that I would have never finished with out. It was a 100 miler and a 100k runner. It took a while for my muscle to unstiffen and to warm back up after sitting there for how ever long I did. It was tough but I was able to keep up with them and use them to pull me along. The entire time we talked about getting closer to the camp ground in my mind I started convincing myself I was going to tell my wife I was done. This was it, sorry I dont need you for the last lap because I'm not doing it. As we came into the camp ground the 100k runners went into finisher mode and I stayed in I am soo done mode.

                                                                    Lap 3.. Last Lap

So about 70 miles done and 30 to go. I think it was somewhere between 1-2am. I sat down and my wife rushed over to me ready to help me with the last lap. She knew in my mind I was ready to be done and she was ready to fight me if I told her I couldn't do any more. I never said it out loud that I was done, but she gave me words of encouragement. I forget his name, but one of the race directors came over and started giving me a pep talk. Told me I could do it and that as soon as the sun came up I would feel like a new man. He got me some potato soup.. and would you believe it.. that was the best tasting thing ever! I finally could eat and my stomach felt fine!! 70 miles later and I finally felt good! They gave me a shot of 5 hour energy and I was feeling great! They kicked me out of the aid station and Alexis and I were on our way! I felt so good and we started running. I was talking up a storm, sharing with her how the race went and how people were excited to meet her and everything was awesome!! I already felt like a new man!

We stopped at Mad Dog and he noticed how much better I was feeling and how I was able to eat anything. The only thing that didn't sound good was the chicken noodle soup, it never ended up up sounding good. About 8 miles into the loop my "good knee" became my bad knee. Out of no where my right knee started hurting. No bueno.. It was from this point on that running was almost not an option anymore. I would run some, but my knee would hurt so the distance I would be able to run got shorter and shorter. With about 20 miles left and not being able to run... that's tough. Every time we stopped at an aid station I indulged in a variety of foods, and my stomach was great. 

Each mile got harder and harder and we both began wishing for the sun just to get out of the dark and to be able to see. This lap was very challenging but a really enjoyed it because I got to spend it with my wife. We bonded more, grew together, experienced each other in knew ways, it was really good. Its amazing how God helped me during this race. He healed my IT band, he healed my stomach, He provided me with people that cared and helped me. And with my lack of training there should have been no way I could have even completed half of this race.

The sky became kind of cloudy so when the sun came up the sky just started getting lighter till we could see. I was hoping for a beautiful sunrise, but I was more than happy to see light that it didn't matter. I stopped being alone when Alexis joined me, and I finally didn't have to be in the dark anymore. As time moved on I could no longer run because of my knee and it wouldn't have mattered because Lexi's foot was hurting very badly also.

I have to add... that earlier in the race one of the aid stations had jambalaya. I reeeeally wanted it, but my stomach was not going to like it so I never got it.. But on the last lap.... OOOOH BUDDY!! I ate 2 big bowels of it! mmmmmmmHMMMM!

Each mile seemed to get longer and longer as we kept going. And it seemed like time just started to drag on. We looked forward to the next aid station, and then the next, and then the next.. That's what kept us going. We would keep telling each other, "oh, it's just around that corner. Not much farther now, almost there." The longest mile ever was the last mile.. Which typically is the quickest and shortest because you are almost done! Not the case for this race... When we finally made it to the campsite my dad rushed over to give us hi fives and try to take pics of us as much as possible. When we rounded the last corner we went into what felt like a sprint to us.. but after watching the video... not exactly.
As we approached the finish line we grabbed hands, raised them high.. and Finished!

                                                                           Post-Race

The feeling of finishing 100 miles was awesome. And the feeling of finishing next to my wife who helped me do it and had never gone more than 10 miles before... even more Awesome! Because of how much I talked about my wife and them seeing her do it.. some of the race people gave her a medal and a shirt. It was very nice of them! And it is awesome that my wife has never even ran a half marathon, let alone a full... yet she just ran an Ultra-marathon!

After I laid down for awhile.. my legs started getting worse because I stopped moving. The funny thing I wasn't even sore. I had almost no muscle soreness the week after the race. The only thing that was bad was me knees. But Monday night... they got better and have been feeling better each day! Which makes me feel good, because I still have to run a marathon in 7 days carrying my cross!

Gonna need some more prayers in order to pull this one off!!!