Run Recap: Fat Ass on the CIS

I am a part of a running group here in Michigan called "Michigan Runners".  The group has more than a thousand members, with varying ages, races, and backgrounds, but we are all runners.  I have had the privilege of meeting several of them, and when group runs are planned, they are hard to resist.  Back in January, I met up with a group to run 38ish miles at subzero temps on the west side of Michigan.  I had so much fun that when another one of these crazy long runs was proposed, I knew I wanted in.  The plan was simple: Meet in Owosso, and run the entire Clinton Ionia Shiawassee (CIS) Rail Trail all the way through to Ionia.  The course would take us 44ish miles, passing through five towns along the way.  If you're wondering about the name "Fat Ass" run, basically it's a "no fees, no awards, no aid, no wimps" long run.  The route and details were planned out by friends, Matt and Ed, and Ed's wife, Misty, was to be our "moving aid station."  Although the course was 44 miles, there were only five of us planning to attempt the full distance.  The rest of the runners would be running portions of the distance with us.

7am Saturday arrived, and six of us, coated with sunscreen and bug spray, and weighted down with lots of fluids and snacks, started the run: Matt, Ed, Jon, Steve, Jessica and me.  

A little bit of background: Steve is a seasoned ultrarunner, with two 100 milers under his belt along with all kinds of other crazy things, Matt has recently completed his third 50k, Ed and Jon are fresh off of their first 50k at Orcas Island, and Jessica was planning 10-12 miles as a training run while she contemplated signing up for her first marathon.  The morning was still cool, with clear blue skies and we happily took off down the trail with our fresh legs.

An hour into the run, and we were just trotting along, sharing stories and having fun. Jessica talks a LOT so there wasn't much quiet time!

There also wasn't a lot to look at, as we traveled through farm country, so when anything of interest popped up, we stopped for a quick picture!

By 9am, the sun was starting to kick out some serious heat, and we were all happy that we decided to take short walk breaks every mile.  I do a lot of my training runs this way, because it not only gives me physical and mental breaks, but helps me conserve energy for the miles near the end.

In our tenth mile, we came to our first "aid station".  We took a little detour down a road and there was Misty at her mom's house, with a table and chairs set up under a tree with a BUFFET of items for us.

Jessica was feeling good and decided to go a few more miles with us. Our bellies were full, as well as our packs, and we were ready to head back to the trail!

Again I will say, there wasn't much to look at out there, so you get me standing next to these balancing rocks.  Haha!

As we headed towards our next stop, Jessica was heading into unknown territory.  She had never run more than 14 miles before, so I celebrated every mile after that by yelling, "THIS IS THE FARTHEST YOU'VE EVER GONE!"  We stopped at our next 'aid station" in St. John's and celebrated the end of Jessica's run for the day and her new distance PR of 18 miles!  You go, girl!  (Now go sign up for that marathon! You got this!)

We knew the next nine or ten miles or so would be much quieter without our talkative girl, and they were!  It was getting really hot now, and we didn't have much shade on the trail.  We strategically planned our walk breaks based on where a big tree cast a shadow across our path.  As we got closer to our next stop in Fowler, Jon realized he was running short on fluids.  We were soooo salty and sweaty.  

Ed called in for some backup and boy, were we glad to see Misty's van appear at a crossroad.  We loaded up with ice and water and the five of us continued on.

At this point, Ed was really starting to overheat and we could all tell he wasn't having much fun.  He decided to walk to the next stop in Fowler, where he would finish with a marathon distance under his belt.  It was a great effort in tough conditions and we felt his pain.

As we came into Fowler, not only was Misty waiting for us, but Ashleigh was waiting to join in on the run.  We were all excited to have a fresh, energized face to liven us up.  We spent a little extra time in Fowler because we really needed a recharge.  We set up camp at a little rest area there where there were real bathrooms and cold, running water!  We took time to rinse off the saltiness, reapply sunscreen, and grab a bite to eat.

I also had the enjoyment of watching Matt pop this awesome blister on his toe!

Before we left, we posed for another photo...

With about five miles to our next stop, we hit the trail once again.  It was midday and the heat was sweltering.  The trail was leading us on as far as the eye could see...

As we approached Pewamo, Jon hit a new PR of 32 miles and of course I yelled, "THIS IS THE FARTHEST YOU'VE EVER GONE!"  His knee had started to bother him, so he decided to take his shiny new PR and call it a day.  One last pic as we said goodbye to him!

And Steve couldn't resist rubbing his gross sweat all over me.  Check out my face! GROOOSSSSS!

And then there were four: Matt, Steve, Ashleigh and me.  Our pace had slowed a bit from earlier in the day, but we were still moving quite well.  We stopped here and there to pose on bridges over both freeways and rivers.  

Those five miles were the quietest of the day, and I think we were all looking forward to picking up some new runners at our next stop.  Steve was having a tough time in the heat and I could tell he wasn't quite himself.  

The trail into Muir had slightly more shade, which was nice because the paved parts of the trail were extra hot, soaking up the sun.  I did stop for a close-up pic of this baby snapper who was out for a stroll as well.

And then we were to our next pit stop: Muir.  It was grassy and shady and had another bathroom with running water. Score!  There to greet us were Misty, Ed, Jon, another Steve and Danielle. 

We took a few extra minutes to cool down and collect ourselves and Steve decided he had had enough of the heat and ended his day with 38 miles logged.

We filled our packs and Steve (the other Steve) and Danielle joined Matt, Ashleigh and me for the final miles.  I was excited for Matt because 38 miles was as far as he'd ever run, and we were about to get him a new distance PR.

Just six miles.  Six.  That wasn't too bad, right?  Matt, Ashleigh and I were so happy to have Steve and Danielle along.  They definitely brightened our moods and they smelled so fresh and clean!  And when we hit mile 39 I yelled to Matt, "THIS IS THE FARTHEST YOU'VE EVER GONE!"

After a couple miles, Steve said he had a surprise for us waiting at the end.  What could it be?!  He told us at mile 44 there was an icy cold splash park waiting for us.  ARE YOU SERIOUS?!  I kid you not, that cold water was all I could think about those last four miles. I was tired and hot and had been running for more than nine hours and could think of nothing better than a good cold soak. Slowly, sloooowwwwly, the end came into view.  And then we were there.  44 miles and change.  

We threw off our packs and headed into the water.

And it was COLD.  So cold it literally took my breath away.  And it was amazing.  We played in the water like kids and celebrated our finish.

Matt and I were the sole survivors of the entire distance.  We were tired and we were hungry and we were proud.

As we headed to dinner, Steve's grandson came running up to congratulate him on his run, and it was such a touching moment.  Pure love right there, you guys.

In just a few minutes we were all crowded around a big table in a little brewery, celebrating the day.  Nine runners took part in this run, and it wouldn't have been the same without any one of them.  We celebrated PR's and we celebrated achieved goals and we celebrated the adventure of the day.  

It doesn't look lie much from a distance, but that little line on that big mitten was filled with joy and comradery and teamwork.  

I would like to send out an extra-special thank you to Misty for spending her 40th birthday being and the beck and call of nine runners.  You truly were amazing and we absolutely could not have done this run without your help and support. You totally ROCK!

So, if you're a Michigan Runner, I encourage you to join us on a run, big or small.  You won't be disappointed.  And if you're not a Michigan Runner, you're welcome to come for a visit and be our guest.

Race Recap: Tie Dye 50k

A year ago, I took a four hour road trip to run the Tie Dye 50k in the little town of Yellow Springs, Ohio, through John Bryan State Park.  I knew a few people who would also be running it, and for the bargain price of just $45, what did I have to lose?  The trails were beautiful, and it was a great day, despite torrential rains, thunder and lightning, and getting lost not once, but twice, in the same spot on both loops.  The race is advertised as 32 miles, but with my apparent inability to follow course markings, I ended the race with nearly 35 miles.  Despite the soggy, slippery trails and the extra mileage, I managed to finish 6th female overall, with a time of 7 hours and 13 minutes.  It was the perfect springtime race.

This year, when I began planning my year of running, I decided to go back to the Tie Dye 50k.  The Pinckney Trail Weekend combined with this race proved to be great training for the Mohican 50 which I ran last year and plan to run again this year.  So, I forked over my $45 entry fee, booked a cheap hotel as close as I could get (which was still 45 minutes away) and I was set.

Race weekend finally arrived and I made the solo trip four hours south.  Unlike last year, I only knew one other person running the 50k this year-my cousin's cousin, Todd, who lives near Cincinnati.  After a quiet Friday night and a nice dinner, I laid out all of my gear, set my alarms, and drifted off to sleep.

4:25am came and I popped out of bed.  I dressed, lubed my body, braided my hair, and made some quick hotel room coffee for my drive to the race start.  The moon was big and bright as I made the drive into Yellow Springs, and the sun was just rising as I reached John Bryan State Park.  I headed to packet pickup and received my bib, pins, and tech shirt, and then watched as a small group took off on their race, opting for the one hour early start.  Temperatures were predicted to be near 87 degrees, and the early morning was already thick with humidity.  The campground was full this morning, and people were in various stages of their morning routines.

I headed back to my car to make final preparations, applying a liberal amount of bug spray because with the humidity had come the mosquitoes.  Then, it was time to head to the start line, where I met up with Todd. 

There was a short meeting discussing a last minute course change because part of a trail that had been just a little wet two days prior had become a rushing river due to the previous day's rainfall.  I hoped everything was well-marked because you know how good I am at getting lost!  And then, without any fanfare, the race director said, "Get out of here!", and we were off. 

I remember last year, that it took nearly ten miles for the pack to thin out.  When I got lost, there were actually about 40 of us that got lost!  We had been in a tightly packed line and ALL of us had missed the turn.  This year, within two miles, the crowd had thinned considerably.  There were about six of us running together, including Todd and me.  We chatted as we ran, discussing our last races and what we had planned for the future.  I made friends with the guy behind me as well, Kenny was his name, and he told me he was contemplating his first 100 miler this year.  As always, there was a lot to talk about, and the first few miles flew by.  There were some pretty big mud pits as we went, and everyone had wet shoes and muddy legs right from the start.  But hey, every once in a while there was a random board thrown out there and we could try to stay a little less than soaked.

After mile 6, I started paying attention to flags.  I didn't want to get caught up in conversation and miss the turn as I had last year (TWICE).  Within another mile, we had found the turn and were on the right path.  No extra mileage for me this year!  We continued on and headed out on a little out-and-back portion of the route, and it was nice to see the runners ahead of us, and those behind us and share words of encouragement.  I noticed around this time that I was completely drenched in sweat already.  It was much hotter than I had been used to running in, and the humidity was so high everything looked hazy and steamy. 

Then came mile 9.  We were warned that this would be a good place to slow our pace and be careful.  The trail was a downward climb over loose rocks, which were slippery from rain and mud.  I definitely didn't want to fall at this point, so I took my time.  I guess I was being overly cautious because by the time I made it to the bottom of the trail, I was alone.  I didn't really mind, though, because it was beautiful.  This part of the trail ran right next to the raging river and was filled with huge, moss-covered rocks.

Nearing mile 10, there is a very steep and rocky climb back up out of the valley.  There wasn't much running in mile 9, but the scenery made up for it.

After all the ups and downs of the last mile or so, I came to the first aid station at mile 10.  There had been a couple of water stops earlier in the course, but this was the first one with food.  Runners actually pass through here four times throughout the race, so it was well-stocked.  I munched on watermelon and took my orange slice picture-just a half-to my dismay.

I grabbed some Gatorade to go, and headed out on a little 3-4 mile loop. 

This part of the course is a little bit different.  After heading down a nice wide path, runners follow a skinny trail through an open field, before ducking back into the woods onto a single track trail.  Then, it spits you out again into an open field before sending you deep into the forest.  Those open fields were getting hot, and it wasn't even 10am yet!

After the open fields, the trail was tight as it went through the forest.  There were tons of little water crossings, most with bridges or rocks to balance on.  This part of the course seemed wetter, and more untouched, and it smelled magnificent.  All of the trees and flowers were in full bloom and the air was thick with the sweet scent. 

I knew that I was nearing the waterfall-I remembered it from last year because as I had turned to look at it, I totally crashed and fell.  I made a mental note to stop first this year before looking!  The river was much higher than last year, but it was still pretty cool to be on the bridge over the waterfall!

After a few more rocky sections, it was time to follow the trail and head back onto the wide track that leads back to the aid station. 

The trail was wide and flat and I was feeling good. Despite how good I was feeling, I found myself walking.  I just had no desire to be running.  And then I thought, "I am really bored!"  I actually texted Jason and told him I was bored.  THAT'S how bored I was.  His response?  "What? You're in the woods!  You love being in the woods!"  And I do.  But I didn't right at that moment.  I just wasn't feeling it.  I decided that in a mile, when I got back to the aid station, I would drop.  I walked the last mile out of there, and said goodbye to the big, old tree that I had remembered from the prior year.

As I walked up to the aid station, I wasn't sad or upset.  I told them my number and that I was dropping and asked if there was a shortcut back to the starting line.  They didn't ask me why I was dropping, and I didn't offer an explanation.  One of the volunteers was heading back for more supplies, and he offered to give me a ride.  I got back to my car, changed all of my clothes and washed my legs and headed for home.

I could tell you that once I got on the road, I regretted my decision.  Or that when I got home I wondered what I had done. Or that once I slept on it I wished I could take it back.  But none of those things are true.  I am not sad or angry or embarrassed by my decision.  I had just decided that after 14 miles, I was done.  And I don't think there is anything wrong with making a decision like that.  I run trails for the challenge and the adventure and for the fun of it.  On that day, at that time, I just wasn't feeling it.  There is a time to push yourself, a time to slog through the worst parts of a run to get to the victory, but there is also a time to know when to say when.  Sure, I could've stayed out there another five hours and completed the race, but my heart wasn't in it, and I'm leaving it at that.

I made the four hour drive home, filled my belly with some yummy mexican food, and snuggled with the cat and watched the chickens out in the yard before sunset. 

And today?  Today was Sunday.  It was filled with family, and celebration, and pouring rain, and a nice seven mile run, and my heart was in it.