2014 Cornbelt 24 Hour Race: Adventures in Iowa

Pre-Race
It was a long pre-race day. I left Omaha Friday morning around 9:30 after doing some grocery shopping at Target there. I slept great in Omaha though I didn't plan the hotel location very well. It was out of the way of I-80 so I got a scenic tour of Omaha strip malls and suburbia.

It was windy as hell all the way across Nebraska and Iowa. I got great gas mileage.

It was a 4 1/2 hour drive east on I-80 across Iowa, after 7 1/2 hours on the road across Nebraska the day before. I stayed hydrated so I had to stop a lot, and finally, finally, finally got to Eldridge around 2:30 pm.

People drive slow in Iowa and there were a lot more semi trucks on the road, along with roadwork and the 70 mph speed limit. I kept seeing all these "Maid Rite" signs along the highway and I texted Rachel when I was close to Des Moines, just to see if there was a chance she wasn't at work that day. I asked her about Maid Rite. I was thinking it was like Home Depot.

She told me it's "loose meat sandwiches like Sloppy Joes" which already sounds really gross to me. But okay. I know what that is. It's just that Maid Rite doesn't sound like a restaurant. Sloppy Joes sounds a lot better than "loose meat"- that sort of makes my skin crawl. Is that a porn star's name?

Anyway, I arrived in Eldridge, the room wasn't ready, but at the front desk there were a couple of scruffy-looking characters fresh off the road asking questions. They turned around and one was Andy Lovy! Andy is the team physician for the U.S. National 24 Hour team and many other races, including Across The Years. He was trying to figure out how to get to the armory in Moline with a friend of his, John Surdyk, another ultrarunner who has been around for years but I've never met before.

Andy told me I should go for 127 to make the women's national team. One thing at a time, I told him, 110 was my goal for now. I needed to see if I could make it through that before setting my sights on that far out goal. Actually I'm not even sure 127 would qualify at this point, there have been so many women in the 130s or better. John started asking me questions and I didn't want to talk about it, so I changed the subject. They soon took off for their sightseeing, Andy offered to let me hang out in their room until my room was ready but I told him I had plenty of stuff to do.

I knew with Andy there that it would be a good day. I love going around in circles with him, he's always so encouraging and positive, and funny.

I went out in the parking lot while I was waiting for my room, and started making my PBJs and portioning out my race food into bags. As I was making PBJs a big truck from Minnesota pulled up next to me and I was so involved in spreading the peanut butter I didn't notice the guy walked up behind me until he said something. It was Ed Rousseau, longtime ultrarunner from Minnesota. He's 74.

He kept me entertained by his stories for a while as I made PBJs, then we must have both headed over to the track at the same time, so we helped each other drag our stuff to Lancer Stadium and onto lane 1 of the track. He entertained me with a few more stories and then we took a pre-race selfie, and he continued putting up his tent and I went back to the hotel to check into my room. Then it was time for the prerace dinner.

At the pre-race dinner I saw many familiar faces. It's been two years and that was the only other time I ran this event, but a good number of people remembered me. What a nice bunch of people. I sat with Ed and Dick Hogan and talked with Andy, Bonnie Busch, and the RD Karl Ungurean. We ate pasta and Karl gave a short pre-race briefing. There's not much to say. Hopefully no one would get lost on the course.

When we left there was a little sprinkling outside- some clouds, but the wind calmed down. The sunset from my room window was pretty. The weather forecast looked good, as long as the wind didn't get too bad.

In the morning the sunrise was gorgeous but I was too busy getting my stuff together, which is unusual for me. I usually never want to miss a sunrise or sunset. But this time I missed all of them- the pictures, anyway. I did get to enjoy them, they were all spectacular. I was focused and didn't want to waste time dealing with my phone.

I ended up only with these few pictures, and the selfies below, taken 12 hours apart.

The race
I did not sleep well the night before the race this time. This is unusual because ever since last fall since I quit work I have been sleeping great, including before races. The walls of this hotel are paper-thin and there were kids bouncing up and down on the floors somewhere, probably not anywhere close to my room, maybe upstairs. It took me forever to fall asleep, I got up and did things for a while, and then I probably got 4 hours of sleep. I woke up maybe half an hour before my alarm went off at 5.

I was glad I had my stash of chocolate cherry crack Clif Shots. I had coffee and ate a ham and cheese sandwich and some oatmeal. I left at 6 and went over to the track to finish setting up my table. There is so much to do to get things organized and set up right so you don't end up wasting time looking for things at each table stop.

Before the race, we met our first lap counters who work in 3 hour shifts. Then it was the national anthem, and at 7 am it was time to start.

My plan was to run 6:1 (run 6 laps, walk 1 lap) for the first 12 hours, keeping a comfortable pace for both. I was shooting for 3 minute laps average, but leaving time for screwing around. Bathroom breaks, a night clothes change, and table stops. That would put me in 12 hrs at 58 miles with lots of wiggle room. The plan was 110, 58/52. I was going to drop back to 4:1 for the second half, but if it was hot in the afternoon, I could drop back to 4:1 during the heat of the day, from about 1 to 5 pm. I could always make it up later.

The race is run in lane 2 of the track, which allows runners to set up their tables and gear in lane 1 instead of on the infield, where it is usually wet and muddy. That also makes it nice because the measurements result in 396 laps being 100 miles, or 99 laps per 25 miles. It's just nice to know you have the "bonus" miles already built in.

I got through 50K at 5:55 a little ahead of schedule, but it was cool outside. The wind was strong from the west, whichever direction we were going we would have the north or south side of the track into the wind, with a tailwind on the opposite side. I reached 50 miles in 9:43, again ahead of schedule, but I wasn't pushing it and I was actually holding back. At 12 hours I was at 60.5 miles. Then I took a 20 minute break to change clothes and get ready for night. I texted Wheaties Boy and told him how I was feeling. I told him I was trying to figure out at what point to bust it wide open- if I should wait for 100 miles to do that. He agreed.

I did great with hydration and eating all day, until about 9 pm. I ate 2 ham and cheese sandwiches, six of the 10 PBJs I made, ate 8 of the 12 yogurts, and just a few handfuls of potato chips. I also ate a baked potato at night, had about 4 bananas, half a bag of chocolate covered donuts, drank iced tea, lots of coke, a ton of vitamin water zeros, I like those with S caps in them, they taste better than water, and give some variety. I also did maybe half a dozen gels all night, just the caffeinated ones.

I hit 70 miles in 14:15, and 80 miles in about 16:30. Around 16 to 20 hours I was really struggling with getting the calories in. I was still running a lot more than I was walking, but I did dial it back to more like 2:2 for a while so I could find a way to get my stomach to cooperate. Finally I tried a banana and that did the trick, then I was able to eat donuts too. I did well most of the day so that saved me. I was peeing once an hour, the entire time, even toward the end when my fluid intake was down to a couple of cups of coke each hour.

I stayed on 6:1 through about 70 miles, but I noticed it was making it more difficult to eat and digest food at that point. I knew I would have to keep a balance between pushing it, being able to take in enough fluids and food, and not burning myself out before the end. I would have to say I managed it all pretty well and got a great result.

I wasn't swelling, didn't have blisters, and I never bothered with my feet at all- same shoes, socks, gaiters, compression sleeves the entire race. I did have a hot spot in the usual spot under my left foot, but I haven't been taking care of the calluses there the way John Vonhof always warns about. But it wasn't bad and in 24 hours it wasn't even uncomfortable enough to distract me, I just knew it was there.

One thing I was concerned about before the race was my left ankle. A few times, after the last few races, I had terrible swelling in front of the lateral malleolus. When I did my 30 miler on the track a few weeks ago, my ankle did that again. This time there was nothing. Whatever it is, it didn't cause a problem.

Bonnie is an incredibly strong runner. Going into the race I figured she would be my main competition and we could push each other. She wasn't having her best day though.

I had no idea but there was this young runner named Trista who is a marathoner, and for a while she was ahead of me. The only way I found out was that at one point we passed by the lap counters at the same time and it surprised me to hear that she was one lap ahead of me. She was running with two of her friends who came to the track. It looked like she was hanging in there, but fading.

My walk is a lot faster than just about anyone's, except for this one racewalker who was out there. Every time Trista started walking, I knew that I could gain on her by walking myself. So that kept me occupied for a while when my stomach wasn't cooperating and I didn't feel like pushing it yet.

When I got to 100 miles, it was at 21:16, which was a 2 1/2 hour PR for me. While having nearly 2 hours and 45 minutes seems like plenty to reach my goal of 110, but it's not as easy as it sounds. Averaging 4 miles an hour at this point in a race can be a challenge, especially when you're running low on fuel and fluids. If you're doing a lot of walking, unless you stay on top of a decent pace and get sub-4 minute laps, that's still 16 minute miles, which is slower than 4 mph.

I picked it up a little, but I decided to wait to really turn the afterburners on until we did our last direction switch at 22 hours. At that point I was at about 103 miles and I knew 110 was doable if I stayed with it, but maybe more if I had it in me. Doug was my lap counter and I told him I was going for at least 110, and I got lots of support from the lap counting tent. I can't wait to see the splits because I wonder how fast I went those last two miles. I think I had about 23 minutes left on the clock at 110 miles. I got through 111, and then started on 112. My final distance with the last partial lap was 112.29 miles.

There were so many moments during the race that I would observe the track and the sky and the people and for a moment realize that this was what I would rather be doing more than anything. running this type of event, where you truly get to share it with all the other runners, is my favorite thing of all. When the sun set in the evening and rose again in the morning, and we were all still out there, circling, more slowly but just as determined, to push through until the very last second when the finish gun went off.

I spoke to a young runner named Josh for a while, he was fascinated with Fort Collins and all things Colorado, and he is an admirer of Nick Clark. There were quite a few people doing their first 24 hour races. Amy was one of them, she was running well but she kept taking breaks and sitting down. I told her not to stop- to keep moving and do things while walking, because it takes longer to get your muscles moving again after you stop.

The Midwestern runners always are impressed when you tell them you're from Colorado. They love to visit Colorado. They always ask me why I come there for races when we have so many great trail races at home. I don't race trails anymore, and Colorado doesn't have enough road ultras and almost no track ultras, either.

Ed was doing well all day, he was trying to get at least 84 miles so he could finish his 1000th Cornbelt mile. He ended up going beyond his goal, and notably, won the men's race! At age 74!

Andy's friend John was plugging along, he said he had a headache, and he was starting to lurch to the right. Andy was having foot pain so he went as far as an ultra- 26.5 miles, and called it a day. The whole time he was out there it was fun hearing him cheer for me each time I went by.

There were several other runners I remembered from last time who I talked with, and their encouragement helped. And Bonnie, especially, she was cheering me on to my goal the whole time, and beyond it. At night on the track some of the runners had their spouses walking with them. In a small race like this it's nice that it's an uncrowded track. There were only 30 runners this time.

Between miles 90 and 100 I controlled my pace and spent time trying to force calories in. I knew I needed to have enough fuel to last through the two hours without wasting time to stop and eat and drink too often. I finally got bananas and chocolate donuts, along with iced coke, to work. Bob is one of the volunteers I remembered from last time, he runs the refreshment table at night. If no one comes by the table for a while, he sits on a cooler and nods off occasionally but if you let him know you need something, he is on top of it. He must have gotten me half a dozen cups of iced coke, and he cut up bananas for me, and brought everything to my table before I finished the next lap.

I was at absolute top speed for the last 3 or 4 miles. My legs felt like they were going to burn off. I doubt I was going much faster than 10 minute miles but that's fast enough at the end of 112 miles. When you see Karl walk out to the track with the gun, you are in an all-out sprint to get every last meter before you come to a dead stop when he shoots the gun.

I ended up with an 11 mile PR at 24 hours. I placed first overall, 10 miles ahead of the next runner. The top 3 spots were women, me, Trista and Bonnie, and 4th place was Ed.

The lap counters at this race are amazing. Totally on top of it. They let you know where you are each lap and make eye contact. Out of the nearly 445 laps I did, there were probably half a dozen times when the lap counter was distracted or had more than one runner going through and I had to yell their name to make sure they saw me. Every other time they were on it. It's the human touch, and they cheer for you, there's lots of support for the runners. Karl is the RD and he does a great job, along with the help of Bonnie Busch and her husband, and several other local runners.

Someone was nice enough to take this picture of me while I was waiting for Karl to roll the wheel around the track to measure our exact distance on the partial last lap we each did.

And just when you think the race is over...

I had enough time after the race to grab about half my stuff and put it in the car, then go to the hotel and shower before the post-race breakfast and awards. My last lap counter, Doug, helped me carry my heavy stuff to the car and Ed and I agreed to go back to the track after breakfast to help each other get the last of our stuff. While carrying my milk crate to the car, Doug remarked, "I see you have crack..."

My gels were organized by regular gels and "crack"- the super caffeine ones.

While undressing and taking a shower I had horrible foot cramps, leg cramps, back cramps, side stitches, and everything was seizing up. I figured I didn't take in enough fluids the last few hours when I picked up the pace but my stomach was not happy. I drank a bottle of water before the breakfast, but that was all I had time for.

I had an interesting experience at the post-race breakfast. I was sitting down at the table and started to eat a few small bites of food, when all of a sudden I started feeling funny. I felt the blood drain from my head and felt nauseated, so I got up to go over to the restroom. On my way to the door I don't know what happened, it happened so fast all I remember is that it felt like I tripped, hit the wall, and slid down, and suddenly I was on the floor, all I could see were some shoes and I heard some voices talking to me. "Are you all right?"

It was Bonnie and another woman from the group. I must have gotten up too fast and I bet my blood pressure tanked because I was so dehydrated from those last few hours on the track when I couldn't take in enough fluids.

Anyway I told them I felt nauseated and they helped me get up and took me into the bathroom, where I got down on the floor and sat there, waiting for it to pass. I had a few dry heaves but there was nothing coming up. Bonnie brought me some ice water and a wet towel, and hung out on the floor with me until I started to feel better. We started laughing about it. I said, this is too funny. She told me she's done it lots of times.

I was starting to feel better and she got me a chair from the other room. I told her to let everyone know I was okay, because the entire group saw me do this. Quite dramatic!

When Bonnie brought the chair in the bathroom, she told me I looked like the wicked witch, she pointed at my shoes and legs that were sticking out under the stall.

Soon we were giggling hysterically. I said, I need pictures of this, this is blogworthy material. So she took pictures of me on the floor of the bathroom.

Finally I felt good enough to go back in the room, and I drank my orange juice and diluted it with water and shook some salt in it. That was my old cure for when I got lightheaded at work- it was so hard to drink or eat enough, I always found myself lightheaded or having muscle cramps there.

Ed and I got our post-race selfie (the two winners!) and we headed over to the track again, along with Mick, one of the volunteers, and his wife, and they helped us get all of stuff loaded up.

So now I'm back in the room and I took a two hour nap and then went to the store, and the only thing that sounded good was soup. So here is my first pre-race meal. I'll be eating and sleeping this off for a few days.

I'm planning to take it easy the month of May. I can feel that this race took more out of my body than the 24 hour races have in the past. I did a lot of running and my mileage going into it, while decent, was not particularly high. I think the key to improving at the 24 hour event now is going to be more high mileage weeks with more intensity, not all the time, but more than I've been doing.

The results are here. I'll be back again.

Recipe for a Tailwind

This entire week so far has been nothing but WIND. Constant blowing and cold. We got a few sprinkles one day but no more moisture, just a steady howling with a few extra strong gusts, the kind that split trees in half, blow trash cans over, and generally make a run down any street lined with trees into Russian Roulette.

I went out anyway, just for a few miles each day, 4 or 6 miles at a time. It really wasn't that bad, even running into the headwind. Probably because I knew I'd be out there for such a short time. I've been following the forecasts for Iowa and it doesn't look much better there, actually worse because of rain, but it looks like this storm system is headed east, so I might have a strong tailwind blowing me across Nebraska. Could save money on gas that way.

I waited until tonight to run because the wind was super gusty today. Once the sun went down, the wind died down quite a bit and there was a sliver of a moon out, and there was still light in the sky until almost 8:30.

Iris has been following me around, every time I go to the bathroom she follows me and stares at me. Isabelle is more subtle about it but she's been watching me, too.

The bags are packed, reservations made, I have a plan for the race. I was talking with a running friend from Georgia the other day, Beth McCurdy, and we were laughing about last spring in Cleveland. She was telling me the story of when we were running North Coast in that heinous windstorm last year, and Beth decided to drop out and she told me, I said to her, "Oh, no! Why?" She tells people, "Because I'm not from freaking Colorado!"

Beth runs with Joe Fejes, and according to Joe, running a 24 hour is like baking a cake, following the recipe. I have my own recipe for this one and I think it has plenty of wiggle room for bathroom breaks, changing clothes, and any quick stops that are needed.

I'm ready as usual, overpacked, for whatever the weather gods throw my way. All I can do now is let the wind blow and follow the recipe.

Machine

Thirty miles on the track this morning in 5:10, with a 400 meter walk after every 8 laps. I ran in lane 2, mostly, except I had to switch to lane 4 for about an hour while the sprinters and hurdlers from the CSU track team worked out. They usually aren't out that early but it was so hot yesterday and warm again today, I wonder if they held their workout earlier on purpose.

I arrived at the track at 6:30 and this huge colorful cloud was hanging out. It was cool, I started in shorts but had my jacket on until nearly 9:00. I parked my stuff on the bleachers including a cooler full of drinks and ice water, and got going.

I wasn't sure how I'd feel since it's only been 10 days since my race and I did 20 miles yesterday. But the pace was easy and I felt stronger throughout the run and gradually picked it up all the way through the end. We're talking 9 minute pace at the fastest, by the end, but I felt so strong. I felt like a machine. I wasn't tired after the workout either and was able to get some work done this afternoon.

As the sun came up a few people came out to the track. Then the hammer and discus throwers were out there, practicing. There was this one hammer thrower who was amazing. At least it looked like that to me. He heaved that thing way across the field and it looked like it was headed to Loveland, before it came down with a "thud". Maybe that was what caused the earthquake in California.

It was pretty quiet until 10:30 or so, when the rest of the track team suddenly showed up. It wasn't too bad even with all the athletes because they were using certain lanes and I just moved over during the time when they had their actual workout. Most of the time they were warming up. I'm sure they were wondering what this crazy gray haired runner was doing, I was there when they arrived and I was still running when they left.

I took some S caps in my drinks, and ate a few gels and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I felt like I could have stayed out there for 24 hours. I was glad for the warmth, since Iowa is likely to be warm in early May. The rest of the week I plan to get another 50 miles in to total 100, and I'll do speedwork Friday with Wheaties Boy and the Horsetooth Half Marathon Sunday rain, snow, sleet, hail, or blazing sun.

I can't wait for race day in Iowa. I feel so ready to go. Three and a half weeks!

Sprung

It's still cold and sleeting on and off today but the green leaves and flowers are insisting on spring. The green leaves are ready to burst open any day, by the end of this week it will look like spring.

I got a good 60 mile recovery week in, with a speed session, and I feel like I came through the 50 mile race well. That is what I hoped to do, not having to back off on the training too much. I'm planning on a couple more weeks of good miles and then I will do a two week taper for Cornbelt.

I'm starting to get excited for running Cornbelt, I need to figure out my trip. I am thinking I will drive out there in 2 days like I did with Kansas, go to Omaha or somewhere near there the first night and then drive the rest of the way the next day. I'll need to figure out what else to add to my visit. I've been to the Omaha Zoo, I'm sure there are some other things worth seeing in that area.

I have been freezing my butt off all week. I finally got in the hot tub after my run and that helped somewhat, but now I'm cold again. Dennis is making green chile, which should help. I'm ready for warm weather!

INDY: Sub-Geezerdom Stares Me In The Face

Today I innocently decided to sign up for a race...

Except...when I went to fill out the form, THIS jumped out at me!

Signing up in my new age group for the first time. I have to admit it was a little bit of a shock.

It's only 50. I'm on the right side of the grass. It's not like I'm old. INDY, right?

I'm not dead yet! Still upright and moving forward, maybe a little bit more slowly, maybe not.

It's real. I'll be in the sub-geezer age group. I've been joking about it, but it really didn't hit me until this moment. Sometimes I feel like I'm still 23. My body doesn't feel like it, at least not today. But that's okay, I am ready to start thinking about what I want to run this spring. A tune-up to 24 hours again before the big race in September at North Coast.

It's the Cornbelt 24 Hour run, I did it in 2012 and enjoyed it, a low-key, local race that has all the charm of an old-fashioned ultra. It was quite relaxing. Plus it forces me to slow down and be at peace, with the requisite drive across Nebraska and Iowa each way.

I'm feeling pretty good after yesterday's long run but a little stiff if I sit in one place too long. Today we're getting the weather I expected for yesterday-the wind tunnel. All I'm doing today is walking.

The warm temperatures have made a dent in the Great Antarctic Ice Sheet too, except the gutters along the sidewalk are still full of ice. If you want to go from the sidewalk to the street, you have the option of leaping, and risking your life, or walking the sidewalk until you find a narrow place in the ice where you can step across. This morning it was warmer outside and reminded me of spring.

The Broncos are playing the Chargers today. Everything is orange. I inadvertently put on an orange shirt this morning. The Superbowl, first holiday of spring, approaches. Spring, everywhere.

It's supposed to be warm all week and I might even get brave and run the Prairie Dog Half Marathon in Louisville on Sunday if I feel up to a good butt kicking by some spring chickens in their 40s.

Irreverent, Pain in the Ass, and Proud of It!

I went on my truth-seeking mission this past weekend in Iowa. The simple truths revealed: I'm irreverent and a pain in the ass, capable of running over 100 miles in 24 hours, absolved of blame, and there's more than just pork in Iowa.

I could end the blogpost right here. But I'll add some stories and pictures to fill in the details. It was fun, it was a great event, great race, I got everything I could have asked for: nice weather, good competition, a challenge, met lots of great people, got to hang out with Doug & Marji from Fort Collins, and other than having to drive so far, it was perfect.

In Colorado they say if you don't like the weather, wait a minute. In the midwest, you can have totally different conditions that change almost instantly, from foggy and humid to hot and humid, to overcast and humid, to windy and raining, to thunderstorms, or tornadoes. Fortunately on race day the weather gods smiled on us and we only had foggy, hot, overcast, and windy. There was a brief, barely noticeable sprinkle of rain a few times at night. And of course, humid all the time. But I can't complain about heat and humidity. I've set my last two 100 mile PRs in hot, humid conditions.

I slept well the night before the race. Slept through the night, and woke up 5 minutes before my alarm went off. I threw some clothes on and went down to the little breakfast area in the hotel, and mixed up my coffee: Starbucks Via instant, which is better than any hotel coffee except for maybe the Ritz Carlton. Not that I've ever stayed at the Ritz Carlton.

I got my stuff loaded in the car and went to McDonalds for my 1000 calories grease bomb, then to a gas station to top off the ice in the coolers. It was 62 degrees and foggy, with a breeze. It looked like it could rain, or maybe not.

At the track I started carrying my stuff over and set up my table in lane 1. Doug and Marji showed up soon after me, and I sat there in my chair, relaxing. It was so humid that my socks and shoes were already damp, so I changed my socks before the start. That was one thing I should have done differently- worn a different pair of shoes over to the track than the ones I would run in. I learned a lot about humidity- it gets into everything. My foot box and first aid kit were full of condensation and I had to dry everything out later.

Karl gave a brief pre-race briefing, and that's important- a briefing is supposed to be brief. And it was. That's another nice thing about these homegrown, low-key, unsullied by corporate sponsorship and frills. You get what you need, and no bullshit. These days, races like this are becoming rare, and that's why they are the gems to seek out.

We met our first shift lap counters, and I asked each of my successive lap counters throughout the day to confirm my total number of laps with me each time I came around, that way there was never any confusion or a missed lap, and it could be addressed right away if something got screwed up. Fortunately it never did.

There was this wooden runner dude on the track with a bright yellow Cornbelt Running Club shirt who was always faced in the direction that the runners were going, to keep us from getting confused if we left the track and they switched directions.

We would switch directions every 3 hours after the first switch which was at 4 hours. This was done to facilitate lap counter shift changes, so it avoided the confusion of having a new lap counter coming on at the same time that we were switching directions. Very smart idea.

There was a major timing system failure at the NC24 in Ohio the same day, and I felt like I picked the right race. That would have been a horrible disaster. When the old lap counting system is done right, and with a reasonable number of runners present and plenty of volunteers available, it's actually more fun than using the chip timing. I haven't run a 24 hour race without the chip timing in a long time, and I forgot that having the human beings at the timing table adds a nice touch.

From the beginning I stuck to a plan. I ran 4 laps, then walked one. I was completely methodical about it and stuck to this pattern through 50 miles. I reached 50 in 10:40, which was only slightly faster than I'd planned. I figured on 11 hours. I found that I was running a fast pace during my running laps, maybe because of the low altitude, the cool temperatures early in the morning with the fog, but I've been working on my running pace so it didn't surprise me. I was struggling with the walk pace, though, because I haven't done much walking in training. I was managing 14 minute mile walk pace without working too hard, but I knew it would make me sore.

I stopped every 2 hours to eat a sandwich and some good calories, and even though it was foggy, it was warm, and I kept adding 2 S caps to my drinks. I didn't get puffy, I was peeing every hour, and my hydration seemed to be perfect all day. I forgot to take off my wedding ring before the race, something I normally do because my fingers get swollen, but I never got so puffy that I couldn't twist the ring off.

The sun came out at 11:00 and stayed out all day until about 6 pm when the clouds moved in again. According to the weather reports, we only had a high of 76 degrees, with 71 % humidity most of the day. It felt a lot warmer in the direct sunshine. I never needed ice on my body, I drank my cold drinks and I felt fine with the temperature. A lot of people were grabbing ice and complaining about the heat. It felt comfortable to me.

After 50 miles I reminded myself not to go over 55 miles in the first 12 hours, so I took a break, changed my socks, took a look at my feet, which were great- no issues, just a little damp. Things don't dry in the midwest like they do in Colorado. I wiped my feet off with alcohol and it took a minute or so to dry. I'd been having problems getting track dust in my shoes so I finally put my gaiters on.

I wasn't super hungry but I knew I needed the calories. I tried some pretzels but they were too dry. I didn't feel like another sandwich yet. I tried a chocolate covered donut, and that was okay but one was all could eat. I got back on the track and was stiff and slow. I knew I needed calories, but nothing sounded good. I kept drinking and started taking in some drinks with sugar to get a few calories. I tried a banana. Too sweet.

I kept moving but I'd slowed down a lot and I knew it was all about getting my blood sugar back up. I was having a bad patch and I needed to eat my way through it. Finally, about the time I hit 100 K, I managed to get enough calories in that I was feeling better. Then I started moving well again. I changed my pattern to running 2 laps out of every 5. I concentrated on the walking pace and was able to get down to 13 minute per mile pace on that.

I also started taking in the caffeine, with iced tea, and then Starbucks doubleshots. I didn't feel that afternoon weariness that I often feel, even when I'm not running. I was still peeing, getting plenty of hill repeats in with the bathroom across the track. It was closer to the track than the other bathroom, but necessitated a hill climb and descent on the grass. It was getting more difficult to descend the hill each time, but it as a nice break from the flats.

At 50 miles, Bonnie had about a 3 lap lead on me. By the end of my bad patch, she had gained 20 laps on me. I wasn't concerned about place, it was still early and my goal was really about making 100+ miles. Soon I narrowed her lead to 17 laps, then 14, then 11 by the end. Bonnie is strong and consistent. It was fun to watch her on the track, and we spent a good bit of time talking too.

There were some other women in the race who looked strong. Danielle from Iowa was moving really well in the first half. We talked for a while and ran together. There was also Karen, from Minnesota, who was a strong walker, but was also running a lot. She was moving along, too.

A few hours later Danielle came to me and told me she hadn't peed and her stomach was sloshy, and she'd been vomiting. I suggested that she get in the shade and cool down for a while and see if that helped things. A few laps later I saw that she was back out on the track, and I asked her what happened. She said she peed a little but not much, but I knew she couldn't have cooled down very much, either. I explained to her about what happens at Badwater when people get into a cool environment and things start working again. Then she did get off the track for a while.

She never started feeling better, though, and she was really disappointed in herself. She came back to the track trying to put in a few more laps, not wanting to give up, but she knew better. I told her it wasn't her day, that there are so many lessons to be learned, and that her health is more important. I told her the story of Lisa Smith-Batchen at Badwater last year, how any runner, even the most experienced, can run into problems in the heat, and what happened with Lisa going into acute renal failure. I told Danielle that there will be so many other races, and that she learned an important lesson here, and it's not worth it to risk your health.

I continued having my own struggles but my hydration wasn't an issue. I just couldn't get interested in food all afternoon, and I knew I needed the calories to get through the night. Once I hit 100 K, I decided it wasn't worth it to stop anymore for any real breaks, because it was too hard to get started again once I stopped. I'd end up wasting more time doing two laps of waddling through my stiffness than if I just slowed down and ate or drank while moving forward.

At night when it was cooler, I did a little better with the food, but I was still struggling. I tried to eat the pizza they brought to the track but the cheese gagged me. I did have a baked potato. I ate all the yogurts I had, I should have thought to stock up on those since they worked so well at Badwater. But I only had 4 in the cooler and I went through those. They would have been perfect. Lesson learned.

Doug struggled with the heat at mid-day too, I think everyone did. He continued to look strong. I had no idea he was in the lead, though. I didn't know where anyone's overall places were until morning.

Around 6 pm some clouds moved in and the sun was no longer beating down on us, but it didn't cool off at the track until around 8 pm. I was not happy to see the clouds for two reasons: one was that they could mean rain, and the other was that it would block our view of the "super moon", the full moon that was supposed to be huge. But during the night the clouds moved away enough that we got a great view of the moon and some stars, too. I was too busy concentrating on running by that point and never took a picture.

It did get windy a few times and I put on a long sleeved shirt, and then a jacket at times. Other people were still in tshirts. I was freezing. My feet were holding up well, my hands weren't puffy, and other than trying to stay ahead of a calorie deficit, things were going extremely well.

We switched lap counters and directions every three hours, and that was the mental focus- getting through to each direction change. When we only had about 8 hours to go, I knew I had my goal, as long as I could keep everything together. I cranked up the tunes and got focused, and the laps flew by. I had great lap counters all day. I wish I could remember all their names. They cheered for the runners each time we hit 50 miles, 100K, or whatever other milestone: 200 laps, 300 laps, etc.

I never got sleepy at all. I drank iced tea and only two doubleshots all night, it didn't take much caffeine. The more I run these 24 hour/100 mile races, I realize that the struggles I used to have, years ago, with staying awake must have been from my thyroid. It's fun to re-discover the distances I used to struggle with.

When I hit 90 miles, I knew I had my goal in the bag. I started moving a little faster, doing a little more running. I had stayed on the 2 out of 5 lap pattern of running and walking, and it was working great.

Paul was my last lap counter and he cheered me on through my last 10 miles or so. He got all the lap counters to cheer for me when I passed my old PR of 90.4 miles. He was funny, he kept making these wisecracks every few laps, so I would give it back. When I hit 100 miles I still had time to go to make at least another whole mile, so I kept going, but I did ask him if it would be irreverent if I Tebowed.

As soon as I said it I realized how silly that was, it would have required bending and kneeling, which are impossible at that point in the race and for the next several days. Maybe it wasn't so irreverent, Iowa is the Cornbelt, but not so much the Bible Belt.

My 100 mile split was 23:47:17. Mission accomplished. Finally, after 22 years of running ultras, a sub-24 hour 100 miler. That took long enough!

I flew through the next mile and had time to spare, I passed 101 and there were still a few minutes on the clock, and I picked it up. I ran 400 meters in what felt like 6 minute pace but I'm sure it was more like 10. I passed the next lap before the gun went off, and made it about a quarter of the way around the track before Karl shot the gun and we had to stop and wait for him to measure the portion of the final lap we did.

Afterwards everyone helped break stuff down and helped me carry all my stuff to the car, I broke down the tent with Doug's help, and we all headed back to the hotel to shower before breakfast. When I was getting out of my car, I happened to notice two pieces of metal in the tread of my left front tire. I looked closer and realized I had two nails in the tire! Crap.

The tire didn't seem to be deflated, but I wasn't about to try to kneel down with the pressure gauge then. I figured I would go find a garage in town and have them look at it before I left town in the morning, and hopefully my tire would stay inflated until then. I was too brain-dead to deal with it.

When I took off my racing clothes, all I had was some heat rash in my armpits, and all over my feet. Very little chafing anywhere, and no blisters whatsoever. My feet held up so well, and they really haven't been sore, just swollen from gravity.

We went to the post race breakfast and ate huge amounts of food, and Doug got a nice hourglass trophy for his win. I guess he can't blame me now, he said he should be thanking me, but I'm not sure his body was thanking me.

Bonnie was funny. I told her I was so impressed with her, she's so strong. I was so glad I had the competition, so many of these races don't have much in the way of people who are close enough to you to give you a challenge. She jokingly said, "You're a pain in the ass!" I guess I made her work for it. I'll be seeing her at Badwater this summer, she's crewing another runner this year. I hope I get to run with her again in the future, she was awesome.

I stayed in the hotel on Sunday, uploaded photos, and took two naps, managed to make up 5 hours of sleep in the afternoon. I went out to get a hamburger and a beer at Lancers around 5 pm and it was the greasiest burger I've had in maybe all my life, but it tasted damn good! I skipped the fries, that would have put me over the edge in grease tolerance.

I slept through the night again. We had thunderstorms and lots of rain. The weather gods definitely liked us this weekend, we managed to catch the hole in the storms. Monday morning it was drizzly and overcast. I took the car over to the local auto shop and they inspected the tires. There were little tacks in the tread of just that one tire, but they didn't puncture the tire. They didn't charge me anything to do it, either. They were so nice, and I was on the road by 8:30 am.

Driving back was another long haul and Nebraska was forever. But I cranked the tunes again and looked at the farmland, cursed the road work, stopped for gas in various armpit-like places along the way, and I don't know what I thought about, but somehow I eventually made it through Iowa, Nebraska and back home in 12 1/2 hours.

One thing I did notice in Iowa, is that I saw absolutely no Romney or Santorum or Gingrich or any other bumper stickers other than Obama, except for one: Cain. Yes, I saw a Herman Cain sticker on a car in Iowa. I did see lots of Obama stickers, and people wearing Obama t-shirts. Interesting.

Tuesday I spent the day unpacking and then went to visit a friend, talked all afternoon, and then I came home. Dennis and I went out for sushi, and I was in bed by 7:30. My feet are still swollen but the stairs are easier. I'll get on the bike today and do some walking, get rid of the swelling already so I can get back to running soon! Only 6 weeks to the Double Mick!

Cornbelt 24 Hour: Short Version

I've only had 3 hours of sleep since the post-race breakfast, and I will start driving home tomorrow, so I'll do a full race report once I get home. I hate to wait because blogging is time sensitive.

So the short version is, I went into the race to accomplish one thing: finally, after 22 years of running ultras, to run 100 miles in less than 24 hours. I've run lots of 24 hour races as training runs in the past, but usually as training runs, unless you count the 1994 Across the Years run, which was my first 24 hour, where I blew up from going too fast. I won it anyway, but only got 84 miles that year.

I also hoped to have some good competition and maybe do a little chicking and sharpei-ing along the way. That's the fun part, that comes only at the end, when you find out what the standings are going into the final few hours and honing in on your targets. It's what drives you to work your hardest, dig deep and run your best performance.

Well I succeeded on almost all counts: Ran 101.31 miles in humid, warm weather, got a 100 mile split of 23:47, and chicked almost all the field except for my friend Doug Nash from Fort Collins, who won the race overall, but I was the one who got sharpei-ed. Double sharpei-ed. Doug has 10 years on me, and Bonnie Busch from Iowa, the local star whom I know from Badwater, has 6 years on me. Doug finished first in 108+ miles, Bonnie finished 2nd in 104 miles, and I was 3rd.

I'll provide details later, but basically the race went pretty well for me except the stretch from 50 miles to 100 K. It took me 3 hours to cover those 12 miles, because I was bonking and couldn't get enough calories in- nothing looked good, and I had to eat small bites for a while until I got enough calories in to "re-boot". After that I moved really well.

I had a blast, and the race was one of the better organized and orchestrated races I've seen. No frills, but all of the runners' basic needs were met. It's definitely on my list for a repeat visit. I highly recommend it. As Wayne would say, "Excellent!"

I'm going to leave this here and work on a lengthier blogpost, because it was a fun-filled day. I'll post the full report sometime this coming week. Right now my priorities are sleep, food, and lowering myself onto chairs, toilets, and other low objects that require knee bending and quad work, using my triceps.