I went into Bandera – my first 100K – with pretty much equal parts excitement and trepidation. I was pretty certain I could finish the race, but given the circumstances I had no idea whether my goal to finish before midnight was realistic or not. I had trained well, and then a week before Christmas a fainting spell put me in the hospital. Thankfully my injuries were minor, but I missed my last long run and my recovery was harder than I had expected. As a result, I went into this race with less confidence than I would have liked. I was determined to do whatever I had to do to finish, but I was also really hoping for a good racing experience. Race Start to Nachos The day couldn’t have started off much better. It was a beautiful cold morning in the hill country, very windy but otherwise just about perfect conditions for running. The forecast called for a high in the 50’s, and I know I was not alone in hoping that prediction would come true. I had made the mistake on a couple of recent runs of wearing too much clothing, so I was determined not to do that here. I am a big weenie about the cold before I start running, but after 10 minutes I warm up and then I tend to not need many layers. So I started the day with a long sleeve shirt, running skirt, and light gloves … it turned out to be perfect. I also made the decision to carry just one bottle. I figured with the cold weather and my estimated time between aid stations, that one bottle would be enough. This was not such a great decision, although it did work out in the end. In addition to the terrific weather, it was such a joy to start the race among so many familiar faces! I was surrounded by friends and hoped that each of them would have a positive race experience. I had barely lined up when Joe signaled the start of the race and we were off! The 100K started right at the Lodge, heading across the field and down the jeep road to Boyle’s. I had put together a pretty conservative race plan to get me through the first loop, with the hope that I would have something left later in the race, and so I made sure to run easy and not try to keep up with some of my faster friends. It turned out there were plenty of us taking it easy early on, and so those first few miles I just enjoyed having company, running with Stephanie, Lonnie, Gordon, John, and others. Big Nasty went by quickly, as did the climb up Sky Island ... climbing big hills has become one of my strengths over the past year, and I love this section of the course, so I just kept moving, enjoying the scenery and the time with friends. Pretty soon we hit the downhill stretch that would take us from Sky Island over toward the trail to Ice Cream Hill. As much as I wanted to run fast, I held back and tried not to hammer the downhill. There would be plenty of time for that later and my quads had to last me another 60 miles! We came to the intersection where the 25K runners would split off from the 100K and 50K route and I joked with Damon – who was directing traffic - that I could be done much faster if I went left. We both laughed, but of course I wasn’t ready to give in this early. I ran on, and in no time at all I was climbing Ice Cream Hill, joking with Lonnie about doing the billy goat climb … an absurd reference that goes back to my climb up Lucky Peak during last year’s Bandera 50K, but it has stuck and has turned out to be a really effective metaphor for those short, steep, rocky climbs. After reaching the top of Ice Cream Hill, I came to the part of the course that winds downhill for over a mile all the way to Nachos. This was one of my favorite sections of the day! I picked up the pace a little bit and settled into a really nice groove, taking a few minutes to run by myself and thinking about how good I felt and how grateful I was to be able to run this race and enjoy this beautiful day. Eventually, I came around a curve and there was the Nachos aid station, complete with music, supplies, and helpful volunteers. After that great stretch of running, I was in a really happy mood, and even happier when I realized I was right on time by my pace band. I needed a quick pit stop, but other than that I didn’t want to linger. I got some water in my bottle, asked Mark Licatino to take my gloves, and then I was off to Chapas, with our little running group still banded together. Nachos to Chapas The early part of this section of the course is mostly flat, which is not my favorite thing to run. I was really thankful to have company to keep me both entertained and running steady. I had done a little bit of practice on flats to try to keep up my mental energy, but it’s never going to be something I love the way I love hills. Our group meandered along to Bar-O and then over to the 8’s, which I don’t mind so much. The 8’s are a rolling section of trail with lots of embedded rock that runs beneath power lines. I have some nice memories of the first couple times I ran this section of trail, so I always just try to go back there in my mind and retrieve that same happy feeling. It worked like a charm and I just cruised along, steadily walking the uphills and running the downhills comfortably but not too fast. Pretty soon I made the turn toward the overlook, past the cliff, and then down the hill, across the road and into Chapas. I still felt good, but I wasn’t really looking forward to the next section. I was pleased that I was still right on pace, so I didn’t want to waste time in the aid station. While I was going through my drop bag, Meredith Terranova and Mike Davis both came through the aid station, the halfway point for the 50K runners. Based on the time, it looked like they were both having great races, and it gave me a little shot of energy to see them both looking strong. I quickly refilled my sports drink and my trail food, made yet another quick pit stop, and then took off again to conquer the 9’s and the Field. Chapas to Crossroads This next section was probably my least favorite part of the course, and yet again I was so thankful to have Stephanie and Lonnie keeping me company. I know that each of us has to run our own race, and sometimes that means running alone … but whenever I can spend time on the trail with my friends and still meet my racing goals, well that’s just the best experience I can ask for. Their company made a tedious section much more tolerable. The trail on this part of the course was mostly flat and not particularly exciting. I kept running at a nice steady pace, but all those flats started to take a toll on me, both physically and mentally, and I really just wanted to get to Crossroads so I could stretch my hips and have this section over with. It was such a relief when we crossed the park road at the end of the Field and ran that last little bit into the aid station. Lots of friendly faces at Crossroads … volunteers and other runners. I saw Melissa Heggen, already done with the inside loop and getting ready to head out toward Lucky. It was just great to see so many friends having successful races! Once again, I tried not to spend too much time in the aid station. I took a few minutes to refuel and then Stephanie and I walked out onto the trail heading to the Sisters. Crossroads to Crossroads Lonnie was still trying to deal with his Camelback at the aid station, but I figured if we just started walking, he would catch up pretty quickly. After a few minutes, Stephanie and I were about to start running alone when Lonnie finally came around the curve, and our little pack continued on together. Once again, I was so thankful for their company. The first part of the inner loop is always tough for me mentally. It’s just flat and endless, but on this day I was determined to run as much as possible. If nothing else, it would get me to the Sisters that much faster. We kept up a steady pace and in what seemed like no time at all we came to the intersection where we would turn to climb the first Sister. Lonnie and Stephanie had never done this section before. I let them know that the first climb was a little tough but not that long, and then we would get to the good part … running along the ridge that connects the three Sisters. This is another one of my favorite parts of the course, and I just reveled in it the entire way across. When we came to the peak of the third Sister, I decided to finally let myself have some real fun and I completely let go all the way down the hill to Tarantula Crossing. Wheeee!!! So much fun! I ran into Steve Williams at Tarantula Crossing and from there we all just ran the short stretch over to the 6 trail. This section has a few rocky climbs that run below Sky Island and over to the saddle. I ran into Mike Riggs on one of the last climbs, and pretty soon we were below the saddle and then Stephanie, Lonnie and I were cruising the downhill back to Crossroads. So far I was still right on pace for my first loop … more hip stretches, more refueling, more familiar faces in the aid station (seeing friends all day just made me so happy!), and then it was off along the creek and over to Lucky Peak. Crossroads to Last Chance I wasn’t really looking forward to this next section, even though I actually like a lot of this trail. It’s rocky, there are some small but nice hills, and it all leads up to Lucky Peak, which is a short but steep and rocky climb with a great downhill on the other side. I should have been enjoying myself. But while I was still running with friends and seeing familiar faces all the time, I also was starting to feel very physically drained, and I couldn’t figure out why. I tried some extra salt ... I thought I had taken plenty but figured maybe my slump was a shortage of electrolytes. That helped a little, but not enough. Then I realized that the weather, while not hot, had warmed up considerably ... and I was still only carrying one bottle. Maybe I was dehydrated. I’m usually really good with hydration, so this felt unfamiliar to me, but it seemed the most likely answer. I had been doing very well with my nutrition, and now I had taken more than enough salt, so hydration seemed to be all that was left. I resolved to drain my bottle before Last Chance and to start drinking more at the aid stations in addition to just refilling my bottle. I also had spare bottles in my drop bags, so I could grab one if I needed to. Apparently I wasn’t the only one struggling a little on this section. I passed several folks, and then at some point Lonnie decided to pull back and started running on his own. He assured Stephanie that he was fine, but he had settled into a pace that was more comfortable for him. I loved his company, but he absolutely needed to run his own race and I respected his decision to go his own way. This worked out very well for him later in the day, and I’m so glad he was able to know what he needed and follow that. Stephanie I kept running along – well, running as much as I could at this point. Stephanie was feeling pretty good, and I told her she could go on without me if I was holding her back, but she said she was fine and so we just kept plugging along. I was still right on pace for my first loop, I just wasn’t feeling great. Then I heard someone behind me call my name and realized it was Ozzie catching up to us in the last few miles of his 50K and apparently making great time! I had recruited Ozzie to be my pacer later in the race, so I knew I would see him at some point, but it perked me up considerably to see him now and to know he was having a great race! We all ran together until we got to Lucky … my own little goat climb. After my experience in last year’s 50K, this is one climb that just makes me smile. That turned into a pretty big grin when I got to the top and saw Shawn Fagan sitting on a rock like our very own trail shaman. From there it was just the sweet downhill run almost all the way to Last Chance. There were lots of familiar faces here … Roger Davis and his crew manning the aid station, Stephanie’s husband William there to take some pictures, Lonnie catching up to us. Ozzie split off for the last ½ mile of his race while the rest of us took some pictures and refueled. I made sure to drink some Gatorade and had a little Coke just to get some caffeine for good measure. But again, a short break as I really just wanted to get through the next section and finish my first loop. Last Chance to Lodge I was still feeling a bit tired, but I really love this section and I have run these hills enough times that I knew exactly what to expect. Cairns is a long climb, but it felt so nice after hours and hours of flat. I maintained a nice steady pace to the top and then just ran comfortably all the way down. Boyle's was not quite so much fun. The climb is great, but Boyle's has lots and lots of flat plateaus, and at this point I was just so sick of flat. My body just did not want to run on flat ground anymore and so I was reduced to power walking the flat sections. I desperately hoped this was just a phase and that once I got to the Lodge I could repair myself. I know that these low points happen sometimes, so I just tried not to let it get me down and kept telling myself it was just temporary. At last we came to the turn that signaled the final downhill stretch. I took off and just enjoyed myself all the way to the bottom, then jogged it in for the end of the first loop. I crossed the mat in 7 hours and 12 minutes, right on schedule … I couldn’t have planned it better. Unfortunately, I still felt awful. I went into the tent and just sat down, unable to even figure out what I needed. Thankfully, Joyce was right there and realized that I was probably dehydrated, so she made sure I got plenty of fluids. I had a cup of water, then two cups of Gatorade, and finally I went into the house and begged some roasted potatoes off of Crash … yum!!! I spent over 10 minutes at this aid station, but it was much needed. Finally, Joyce noticed that I was getting starting to cool down and get goosebumps, so she handed me the light jacket from my drop bag and told me to get going. I didn’t need to be told twice. I knew at this point that the most important thing was getting out and starting my second loop, even if I still couldn’t run. My hopes for finishing the race by midnight were fading, but I was still determined to finish, even if I had to walk the entire second loop. Lodge to Nachos I walked out of the Lodge with Stephanie and Bill Patience just before 3:00 p.m. Bill had been battling an injury, and wasn’t having the race day he’d hoped for, but he seemed happy to power walk with us, and I was more than happy to have additional company. Having people around me had kept me positive all day, and I wanted to keep it going as long as I could. I kept up a brisk walk out of the Lodge and all the way past Big Nasty, Sky Island, and Ice Cream Hill. As a little experiment, I timed the climb up Ice Cream Hill. Bandera is a very tough course in lots of ways, but the short, gnarly climbs are part of what I like about it. It took exactly three minutes to get to the top of Ice Cream Hill! I figure I can stand almost anything for three minutes … it gave me some much needed perspective on the effort I was expending. From the top of Ice Cream Hill, I once again got to enjoy all the lovely downhill to Nachos. I didn’t think I could run, but I love that section so much I figured I might as well try. Much to my surprise, my legs cooperated! I think I just enjoy this section so much it inspired me to run even when I didn’t think I could. I got into Nachos before 4:30 p.m. … about 20 minutes behind where I wanted to be, but still not too bad. It turned out that I was keeping up a pretty good pace with my power walk, and it wasn’t draining my energy the way running was, so I decided to continue walking as fast as I could for as long as I needed to, even if that was for the entire second loop. I drank a cup of Gatorade in addition to filling my bottle. I needed something to eat, but nothing was appealing to me. Stephanie suggested I try the Ramen noodles and I figured that would be better than more cookies or shot blocks … turned out to be heaven in a little Styrofoam cup! This would turn out to be my main source of fuel for the rest of the race, providing warmth and much needed calories as the day and then night wore on. Nachos to Chapas While I was happy with the pace I was able to maintain by walking, my concern now became getting to Chapas before dark. Henry had warned me ahead of time that I would need a light by about 6:15, but I had purposely left behind the flashlight I had in my Lodge drop bag … I needed the motivation to keep moving. I knew I had enough time to get to Chapas, but if I was going to be walking as opposed to running I would need to hustle. Unfortunately, my body was not entirely cooperating. I was still walking very quickly, but I was also cramping … something else that has never happened to me before. I felt like I was hydrated by now, but maybe I still needed salt and electrolytes. I thought I had taken plenty of salt, but something was causing my calves to cramp. I took some more salt just in case, and pretty soon my calves started to feel better. I tried some downhill running and it felt great, but now when I got to the end of a downhill I started getting a horrible knotting cramp on the inside of my left quad. Pretty soon the cramping started happening whenever I tried to run downhill, so I gave up and just resigned myself to power walking the rest of the race. This would have been demoralizing except that my power walk was turning out to be far more effective than I anticipated. In fact, I was able to walk nearly as fast as I could run, and instead of draining my energy, the power walking was making me feel pumped up and energized. I kept my stride tall and strong and confident, and just moved as quickly as I could. I made it into Chapas a few minutes before 6:00, plenty of time to refuel and get back on the trail before dark. I had more Gatorade and Ramen noodles and put on my headlamp. Robert Heynen was there and I asked about Diana. He said she was having a great day and was on her way to a PR. Once again, I was so excited by the success others were having today … it spurred me on to make sure I had my own successful race! Chapas to Crossroads I was starting to get a little cold, so it was time to get going. After a few minutes I turned on the headlamp and settled back into my speedy walk as darkness fell around us. Conversation had pretty much stopped, and I started looking forward to having Ozzie with me once I got to Crossroads. I had really enjoyed having company throughout this race, and I knew it would only help me more as the race went into the night. As I walked along, I just started thinking about all the people who were still out on the course, and those who had run earlier in the day, and sent out little prayers that they each had or were still having the race they had hoped for. I got so caught up in this that I guess I stopped paying attention to what was going on around me … I suddenly realized that I was alone on the trail and probably had been for a while. I hoped Stephanie and Bill were okay, but I also knew that I felt great and I had to keep running – or in this case walking - my own race. I was making great time at this point, having just crossed the park road and heading toward the field. I checked my watch and realized that if I could keep up this pace, I might be able to power walk most of the rest of the loop and still finish within my goal time. This realization energized me and I picked up the pace even more. About a mile from Crossroads, a runner passed me in the field … it was Lonnie, running strong! Apparently, backing off on his pace during the first loop had really served him well. I was so excited for him … and he inspired me to try to run again. I hadn’t had any cramping for a while, so I started running and this time it felt fine ... not fine like I could run this way the rest of the race, but fine like running sections might still be an option. That was still enough to make me happy. I ran most of the way to the aid station, where the first person I saw was Ozzie, ready and waiting to pace me through the last 14+ miles of the race. I couldn’t believe it … I was nearly 48 miles into my race and I was still having fun and feeling great! I was also back on pace for a midnight finish. I took a few minutes to get myself ready for the next phase of the race … still more Gatorade and Ramen, exchange my lightweight jacket for my warm one, add gloves, a hat and a better headlamp (thanks for the loan Noelle!). Finally I grabbed a grilled cheese sandwich for the trail and Ozzie and I were off! Crossroads to Crossroads The trek out to the Sisters wasn’t so bad in the dark. It still took a while, but only a few minutes longer than it had taken on the first loop. Ozzie kept me motivated to keep up my walking pace, and it was refreshing to have company again. The moon was full and even though the sky was too cloudy to see any stars, the moon was bright enough to add some extra light to the night sky. The temperature had dropped considerably by now and the wind was still blowing as hard as it had been all day. This was just motivation to keep moving … as long as we were walking quickly enough, I never got all that cold. I always love climbing the Sisters, and this was my first time to see them at night. I had been looking forward to it all day, and it did not disappoint. Ozzie and I took a short break at the top of the second Sister just to take in the beautiful night around us. When we got the top of the third Sister, I thought I would try out my downhill legs again on the way to Tarantula Crossing. I wasn’t strong enough to hammer the hills, but I could still run as long as there wasn’t a lot of loose rock. The time on this section went by very quickly and we were back at Crossroads before 9:00. I took some time to stretch my hips again. Sadly the aid station was now out of Ramen noodles … I tried some potatoes, but while they had hit the spot earlier in the day, now I couldn’t even get them down. Nothing else appealed, so I stuck with Gatorade and just hoped I was fueled enough to get to Last Chance. Crossroads to Last Chance It was cold and windy all the way out to Lucky Peak and I was so grateful to have Ozzie with me. His positive presence and our conversation really kept me from getting inside my own head too much and kept me motivated to keep pushing the pace. I was trying very hard to just focus on what was right ahead of me. I was a little nervous about those last three big climbs ahead, but I just kept telling myself that I had done them before many times, and I could certainly handle them this time. I was moving well and I felt good, so if I needed to take those climbs slowly, that was fine. Pretty soon we got to Lucky and I just tucked my head – climbing seems so much shorter when I don’t look up to see how far it is - shortened my stride, and just started a slow march to the top. In what seemed like no time, we were at the peak, and I was pumped! All that great downhill ahead and then the final aid station! I ran downhill as much as I could until we got close to Last Chance ... while I couldn’t sustain a run for very long, those short intervals provided a very nice break for my walking muscles and also put a big smile on my face. We made it into Last Chance at 10:15 p.m. … we had covered that last section in less than 75 minutes! I only had five miles to go, and I now had no doubt that I was going to finish this race. I also knew that as long I didn’t fall apart, my goal of finishing by midnight was a very real possibility. The familiar faces at Last Chance were a welcome sight. Roger teased me that Henry had been through in the past hour and said I was a weenie if I didn’t do a tequila shot. Now, normally I hate to be a weenie and I love a challenge … but I just didn’t think tequila was quite the thing to get me through those last few miles. Plus, they had Ramen noodles! What more could I want? Ozzie and I were just on our way out of the aid station when Lonnie came running in. He had been running for a while with Stephanie but was once again on his own and still looking really strong. I was so happy that his first 100k was going well and so impressed by how well he had managed himself throughout the day! Last Chance to Finish Two more climbs to go and I hustled to get to Cairns. I knew that the climb would feel longer this time around, so I kept up a steady pace but didn’t worry about going too fast. I really wanted to be done but I still had plenty of time until midnight. Plus, I wanted to finish strong so I needed to save some energy for Boyle's. I was determined to run some of this section if I could, so no use wearing myself out completely until the very end. The climb up Cairns went by in a blur, and pretty soon we were on our way down to the turn toward Boyle’s. I ran whenever I could while being careful not to lose it on the loose rock … I hadn’t come all this way to screw things up now. Ozzie and I hiked over to Boyle’s and started the last climb. This time all those plateaus on Boyle's just seemed endless! Lonnie passed us and I think I congratulated him on a great race, but I honestly can’t remember what I said. I was power walking my fastest and just hoping with every turn that I would finally see the one that signaled the end of the flat and the last downhill stretch to the finish. It took forever!!! Every time I thought we were close, we would hit yet another short climb or flat stretch. I was moving fine, but I was I getting pretty impatient. Finally … Finally! … I made it to the turn, and I just started to run. I kept telling myself to take it easy and be careful, but I just wanted to go for it and leave it all out on the course. It had been such an amazing day and I just let it all go and let gravity carry me down to the bottom. I hit the turn for the finish and took off running even faster. Of course, I forgot that it was nearly ½ mile to the finish line. After a couple minutes I was struggling for breath (for the first time all day), but I just told myself what I had said at the top of Ice Cream Hill … that I could do anything for 3 minutes. By now I wasn’t even that far away from the finish. Struggling to breathe or not, I was not slowing down! At last, I came around the curve and could see the Lodge and then the finish line and I could hear the cheers of those already at the finish. I ran as hard as I could and then I was across the finish line! I did it! My first 100K!!! And right within my goal … 16 hours and 11 minutes! I was bent over struggling to breathe but I was so happy! Henry was right there to celebrate with me and Joe was there with a hug and my buckle and then they huddled me into the tent to get warm and I just sat there, wrapped in a blanket, looking around at the other finishers and sort of in shock that I’d actually done it. I saw Ozzie across the room and signaled my thanks. I was too tired to get up and go over to him, but I think he knows how much it meant to me to have him with me. It was not the day I’d expected (when is it ever?), but I had more fun than I have ever had in a race, and I finished right when I had hoped to … I can’t ask for more than that. Afterthoughts ...
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