Race day has come and gone and so have all the aches and pains associated with our big day.

When you do a race in another state it always feels like a mix between, “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” and “Over the river and through the woods…” before it’s all said and done.  You feel like you have logged a marathon of sorts before you have even made it to your destination.

Andy and I flew into Cleveland, Ohio the afternoon before the event and met John and G at the race course.  They had already set the tent up and were prepared with all things running.  The back of their jeep had everything from food to a tackle box full of remedies for any ailment.  

We walked the course and talked about our strategy.  I knew Andy was apprehensive about the distance and his ability to accomplish our goal of 50k (31.1 miles), but I knew he could do it.  I felt at ease this time around.  I didn’t have the usual pre-race jitters and I am sure it had everything to do with it being my 4th ultra and being comfortable with the course.  I also felt okay with whatever happened that day. 

The four of us headed back to the hotel for some pizza and an early bedtime.  

At precisely 8am, in the midst of a cloudy, humid, morning the race began  S L O W L Y.  In a 24 ultra, nobody races out of the gate.  In fact, there is a moment where you just take a deep breath and wait for the slow progression of runners to take their first step. It’s very anticlimactic.  Now, for someone like Andy, who was a sprinter throughout college, it likely felt more like a racehorse whose gate didn’t open.  After months of anticipation, he was ready to get some miles under his belt.  He knew he needed to pace himself, though, so he stayed with G and Me for a good 10 miles.

WE HAD SO MUCH FUN!  

There was a lot of laughter, miles and miles of great conversation, and lot’s of running. And I will just say at the forefront that we did indeed run.  There was strategic walking in every mile, but we ran and for us highlanders, we could have run all day.  Being at sea level is such a cardiovascular advantage and one of the main reasons for traveling to a race like this. 

One of our favorite moments of the race was early on when Andy ran up the big hill that nobody runs because they are trying to conserve energy.  We were laughing because we knew he was messing around, but everyone behind us grumbled comments like, “he’s going to regret that” and “what an asshole.”  People take the strategy of this course very seriously and when someone goofs off early in the race they have a lot of opinions.  However, Andy redeemed himself as he fell back in line, laughed at himself and continued to put up a strong run.  One guy even ran up beside me and told me that my husband was stronger than he originally thought.  G and I got a chuckle out of that because we knew how strong he was, not to mention his competitive nature.

A one mile loop through the trees may sound monotonous or boring to some but it’s a dream  course to me.  Bathrooms, food, water and triage are only ever a mile away.  I don’t have to carry anything with me unless I need an extended chug of my electrolytes or I am having trouble choking down some food.  The course is a well maintained trail that runs through the trees and they have a fabulous aid station for those that don’t have their very own crew chief.  We, however, had Johnny Aramni, as we like to call him, who fed us, gave us fluids, counted our calories, and gave us iced bandanas when the humidity threatened to take us down.

I have no doubt we could have done more miles with Johnny Armani taking care of us, but this was not the year.  When Andy and I hit our 50k mark we felt good, we were tired and ready to be done, but we felt like it was the right amount of miles. Andy and I had discussed at length prior to the race, that while we wanted to get to 50k, we also wanted/needed to stop prior to any real pain because we had to fly home the next morning.  We had a big week ahead of us with our youngest  graduating in 6 days and we could not be hobbling across campus.  

G decided to continue on to 40 miles and re-evaluate.  She knew this wasn’t going to be a PR year for her, but a 50k felt…beneath her. There was a slight twinge knowing we could probably get there if we wanted, but common sense prevailed.

Later that evening Andy and I returned to our hotel in desperate need of a hot shower and to lay our weary bodies down.  I’m not sure exactly when the pain and stiffness began to set in, but it was before we fell asleep.  I’ve done ultras and marathons on flat terrain and felt fine, but when you add in a big hill and proceed to run down it 32 times, you are going to hurt.  Your quads have been firing for hours and your feet have been abused with all of that pounding.  There will be pain. Let’s just say we made an executive decision to give ourselves an extra hour the next morning to make it to the airport and we needed every minute.

On Sunday morning we made our long trek back to Colorado.  We were definitely moving a little slow.  On Sunday evening as we lay in bed with our feet up Andy asked how long we would feel this way.  I laughed as I told him we would be good by Wednesday.  After 3 times on this course, I knew that Wednesday was the magical day that we would wake up and feel good again.  True to my word, by Wednesday we were good as new and ready for all of the graduation festivities.

I already know what you are thinking because everyone has asked us the same question.  Would we do it again?  Obviously, I have zero sense and have been bullied into it 3 times, but I will leave you with my favorite quote from Andy in response to this question.

“I’m still in the postpartum phase.  I am not ready to think about it…”

To sum up the weekend, we had a great time, we are proud of ourselves for doing it and we highly recommend doing something outside your comfort zone.  You never know what you are capable of until you try.

I am a little scared of what Andy is going to make me do since he did this race with me.  I feel a 14er in my future and it’s been a hot minute since I have hiked a 14,000 foot mountain.  We hike over 11 and 12,000 foot mountains each summer, but not without a lot of whining on my part. 

Pray for me.