Date: Wed, 21 Oct 1998 11:57:51 -0500 (CDT) From: TriSloth Subject: AT100 Report (long, X-post) Dear UltraFolks, Here's my long delayed racer report. Work is really cutting into my life. It's long, it's self-indulgent, it's me. Arkansas Traveler 100 1998 TRAINING I've been looking forward to this run for a quite a while. My training has been pretty limited, <100 miles/month but I had put out a good effort at Ironman Canada 5 weeks earlier. This year the weather had to be better than the high 80's F of last year. I happily planned my drop bags, figured out splits (based on times from other years) and prepared maps of the course. I was a little heavier and have been running slower this year so although I hoped to run under 24 hours I estimated a finish time of 24:30. Then I got sick. All the students coming back to University, I often end up with a cold this time of year. So I gained a little weight, and didn't get the recovery I would have liked from IMC but I was still pretty happy. Then about a week before the race the rain started in Tulsa, just for a day or two, but there was a lot of it. The worst possible scenario for me is to run the whole way in constant rain. It's unpleasant, screws up the aid stations, makes the trail messy and generally isn't how I'd like to spend a weekend. The last two days before the race, Tulsa is deluged. As I drove down to Arkansas the rain slowed and stopped, but they usually get what we have. I pack rain gear into each drop bag and fix up a jar of bag balm to carry in my pack. Just in case I stick in a cyanide pill. You never know (R,R,R). CARBOLOAD and PACKET PICK-UP It was great to see so many people before the race. A lot of list people were in attendance, either racing or volunteering. There were more runners this year than last, around 110. Limited parking at Camp Ouchita meant Chateau Blewett (my station wagon, air mattress and sleeping bag) would be an inconvenient distance from the finish line (i.e. more than a short crawl). I decided to set up a tent for post-race snoozing and park my car away from the finish. I put an air mattress, pillow, sleeping bag, extra blanket, cooler loaded with food, clean clothes and a lot of other junk into the tent. After the race I like to scrape off as much dirt as possible, change into clean clothes and snack a bit and go to sleep. It wasn't until I was slowly trying to load is all back up on Sunday I realized, this may not have been such a great idea. John Hargrove from Oklahoma City and I headed back into Little Rock for the luxury of a night at Motel 6. After pinning numbers on and arranging running junk John was asleep by 6:30, I held out until 7:00. I am getting old fast. WEATHER We were lucky. Back in Little Rock, the rain woke me up near midnight. It was really coming down. Since there wasn't a lot I could do about it I closed the drapes and went back to sleep. It stopped raining about and hour before the race and didn't really start up again until 25 hours in. The course was wet but it could have been much worse. It had rained for the last two days in Tulsa and I had been quite worried about running in the rain for 24 hours. RACE MORNING We were up by 4:00 A.M.,cleared out of the motel and headed off into the slightly damp night. As I was driving along, talking to John, I noticed a car closely behind us. Oh, it's another runner coming from one of the hotels on West Markham Street. Wrong! Flash, Flash, Flash! Lot's of red and blue lights, it's one of Little Rocks finest and he's pulling me over. I'm going to be late for the start, I'm going to be late, I'm going to be late... was running through my mind. I guess I looked harmless enough, since after digging my wallet out of the back of the wagon he gave me a warning and drove off. My legs were shaking. About 5 minutes we came on him again, parked across the road, lights flashing. This time it's to detour us around a fallen tree. I couldn't see it until we were almost on it. If he hadn't been there I'd have hit it. Out on Hwy10 the empty gas tank light goes and I remember I was supposed to fill up the night before. We got to the start on fumes. I didn't need a warm-up my heart was beating pretty well. When John looked in his truck, he found a drop bag had fallen on his brake pedal and his battery was dead. We were definitely vehicularly-challenged, but it could wait until Sunday. On to the race. THE RACE There were sounds blaring through a loudspeaker that the Arkies claimed was hog-calling (but sounded like animals being tortured) so we knew we were in the right place. We wandered down the road to the race start. A last pit stop and Charley's shotgunned boomed and we were on our way. I don't know why but the first few miles are always the worst for me. My legs feet heavy, I felt sluggish and my knee and foot hurt from the pavement. Once past Flatside Pinnacle and onto the Ouchita Trail I usually feel better. The Ouchita Trail is just beautiful and running on the mountain ridges through the morning mist is my favorite part of the race. I always move pretty fast through there, running with people like Nick Basset who will finish hours ahead of me. My only fall of the race came in this section. I slowed to go down a set of wet logs cut into steps and tripped over a root on the first step after the steps. It was also apparent from the first 2 splits at Brown's Creek and Flatside Pinnacle that I was running several minutes behind last year's time. Last year I squeaked in just under 24 hours so I pretty much had to match the times if I wanted the 24 hour buckle. Although I enjoyed the trail section my body doesn't feel like it's in the run at all. I've had days like this before and can only hope I wake up. It's taking a lot of effort to run several minutes slower than last year. I do wish the first 40-50 miles of the race were on the Ouchita Trail. It would be slower but I'd love it. I pull into Lake Sylvia at least 5 minutes slower than the year before, grabbed my hat and a map and headed out. Nick Bassett who'd been catching me then dropping back passed me for good going up the hills after Lake Sylvia. It was much cooler than last year. I was waiting for a flood of people to go by (which usually happens) but no one appeared. The pools on the trail to Pumpkin Aid station were back, but not as bad as in 1996. I did get scratched up going around them. I was really surprised that I wasn't being overtaken, especially since I was making extended stops in the bushes. This unpleasant chore would significantly add to my time (finding the right bush, taking off the pack, digging the hole, boy it adds up) and would continue all day and night. My legs woke up somewhere around 25 miles and I began to run more smoothly. This was where the day got so ugly last year, with the heat. I started picking up a minute or two on each split. Still no one passing me. The section between Electric Tower and 212 was as bad as I remembered but I cruised down into Lake Winona feeling pretty good and blessing the cool weather. Immediately after Lake Winona Rod Hammons went by in flash. I think it was him. I like the rolling hills from Lake Winona to Barton Mountain Road, although it is pretty rocky. At Pigtrail I found Marc Friessen, a KUS guy, not feeling well and sitting down in an aid station. He got moving again after I threatened to poke him with a stick. We ran together over the rough terrain between Pigtrail and Dropoff (Club Flamingo) where we had drop bags. We were passed by 4 runners over this stretch even though we ran 1 minute faster than last years pace. I left Marc on the long downhill into the aid station, got leied, photographed, proposed to a girl and took off. There's some good up and downhills here. I walked the uphills (eating) and then ran the flats and downhills until I headed into the Smith Mountain Aid station. I grabbed a bit of food and headed out to climb Smith Mountain, still behind the 4 runners but close. I hate/love this section of the course. Now that I have good (heavy) shoes I don't have as much trouble with the rocks. The downhills aren't that steep so you can really make up time on them if you have no fear and can avoid bruising your feet. I caught up to the 4 runners who included Kylie M. (very fast) Anong (won female race at Mt. Rushmore 100) and 2 other guys. We strung out along the top of Smith Mountain as some of them ran the uphills and I took another extended trip into the woods. I got a head of steam on the long downhill into the Barton Mountain Aid station and passed all 4 of them. Kylie would eventually pass me and finish an hour ahead but it was nice at the time (occasionally I am competitive). I was feeling good and running my own race, walk uphill, run easily on the flats and run hard down the hills. Protect the feet still only a little blister on my 4th toe. More food at Barton Mountain, then on to Powerline and a drop bag. The Powerline to Turnaround stretch is easy running and you get to see the leaders head out by you. It does seem to take forever although I was still picking up time on last years. I went through the 50 mile sign at 19:57, if the mileage was accurate I was 23 minutes ahead of last year. If 1 mile short I was only 5 minutes ahead. I was happy as long as I didn't have to run faster than last year. In 1997 Ken Ashby pulled me along over some parts that I don't think I could do as fast alone. Joe Hildebrand went by fast, even before the Buffalo Gap aid station. It seemed a long time before I saw Ann Trason and her pacer. I soon saw Stan and Chrissy go by and as I approached the Turnaround many others streamed past. Before the aid station I remembered to take out my contacts and put them in a case and reviewed in my mind what I needed to do here. Pick up flashlights, spare batteries, glasses, change hats, jacket? It was still pretty warm out but if it rained it could get pretty unpleasant. I dumped my drop bag out, tossed my cowboy hat in and pulled out the necessaries. I drank some Ensure, grabbed some aid station food and headed off into the dusk. There were a lot of people in the 5 minutes me. It's nice to see some people around at this stage of the race. Heading back towards the finish is so nice, even if it's 12 hours away. When Jeannie McDaniels from Tulsa went by (not having a great race) she said she'd discovered God and was now praying. Long Vu from Oklahoma City and I crossed several miles closer to Turnaround than last year. Since I was also running ahead of 97 pace he had really improved. In 1997 he dropped in the night but he looked like he'd finish this year. Last year I got sick as I went up Barton Mountain, this year I felt great (no 90 F heat). I ran the flattish parts and stormed the downhills. On Smith Mountain segment it was the same. I took 9 minutes off last years pace, no blisters although I had a couple of hot spots. I was now 57' ahead of last years pace. If I slowed down and maintained last years pace I would be 22"59, and I was still feeling great. Somewhere between Dropoff and Pigtrail my legs stiffened up. Not my quads, or hamstrings, or calves just a general tightening, I couldn't run fast. I still had the energy and felt good but even downhill wasn't working well. At an aid station I dropped my pace chart and spent 10' hunting for it. A volunteer found it for me. At Pigtrail I left my flashlight behind. They called me back for it. I was burning time. Later when I thought about it, this is probably where my body started telling me it's time to go to sleep. I can barely keep my eyes open past 11:00 P.M. , no wonder I was slowing down. Although I didn't feel sleepy I wonder what might have happened if I had taken some caffeine. Next time. Last year, the higher you went the hotter it got. This year on the ridge and mountaintops there was a dense mist. The headlight really lit it up making it difficult to see the ground. On smoother patches I turned off my lights, it was much nicer to run by moonlight. It was warm enough that at Lake Winona I ditched the jacket I'd been carrying since turnaround. I got a little food at Winona and headed up the long hill towards 212. I had really slowed down and even though I was running as much as before my speed was slow. I did see a coyote in bush. It didn't seem especially frightened by me. The rough stretch after 212 is my least favorite. I sprained an ankle in 1996 and hobbled for >10 miles in. This year I slipped on a couple of rocks and instantly developed a blister. I'd had hot spots for a long time. Coming out of the woods to the Electric Tower is so nice. The rest of the race is pretty runable. I was still slowing down. In the stretch after Pigtrail what seemed like a lot of people went by. My mind wasn't functioning too well and I can't say how many there were.. I wasn't worried about placing but rather the sub-24 hours finish. I had lost almost all of my extra time and the unknown distance from Lake Sylvia to the new finish really had me concerned. Going up the hill after the Electric Tower aid station I realized I wasn't going to make 24 hours. Last year Ken Ashby made us run all the way in and we just made it. So I started running continuously all the way to Pumpkin Pie station. Here we didn't stop at all in 1997 but I needed to quickly refilled my water bottles and headed off without taking pie to go (what a sacrifice). I immediately ran into another runner at the mouth to the trail, Roberta Orr, and told her if we ran we'd make it under 24, "I'd done it last year". I sprinted off onto that miserable trail of pools. I later calculated my sprint from Pumpkin to the finish was 15 minutes per mile, and I ran the whole way! I was passed by two other runners on this last stretch of trail. Ramon Diaz went by like I was standing still, splashing right through the middle of the big pools. I carefully edged my way around them, I wasn't going to get that water into my blisters and I also know they are often more than a foot deep with a soft mud bottom (I fell in during the night in 1996). I kept looking and looking but I never saw the mile 95 marker. When I hit the road I was pretty sure I could get in under the wire, especially after the mile 98 sign. I kept running the whole way, saw the mess at Lake Sylvia, didn't see the mile 99 sign there but the 99.5 marker was very welcome. I walked up the damn hill at the end, ran by the line of cars and within sight of the finish caught another runner who was struggling. I asked if he wanted to walk it in but he said his race ended some time ago so I pushed on aiming for a PR (ha, ha). Boy there were a lot of people around the finish this year. I managed an enamel buckle, 23:50:31, a whopping 92 seconds faster than last years finish 23:51:34. (Anyone wanting the rigorous training program I used to increase my speed 0.92 seconds per mile can email me offline) Surprisingly I was 17th again, the same as last year. I thought the better conditions and 20+ more runners would drop me down quite a bit. I think the better weather offset my extra weight, the week less recovery after IMC and my general slothful training this summer. I watched runners finish until to the 24 hour mark, worrying about Ken Ashby not making his 8th sub-24 hour finish (he was 23:51:26) then I headed off to the tent to clean up and nap. You know, you can stop running but the pain doesn't stop. After scraping a considerable amount of crud off and marveling at the serious chafing everywhere I settle down for a nap. Trying to find a position that wasn't painful took some doing. Although it hadn't hurt during the race my right knee was announcing that 100's really are abusive. I propped it up between a cooler and bag of clothes and drifted off to sleep as the rain and thunder started. My last thought was a somewhat selfish, "I'm glad I'm not out there". Despite camping 25 metres from a gas powered generator and an organ I had no trouble sleeping. The announcement, "Breakfast is served", however woke me immediately. I slipped into my thongs and teetered over to get some bacon and eggs. A little hot chocolate and I felt somewhat better. I like hanging around the finish watching friends (and others) finish. There were 5 finishers in the 10 minutes before 24 hours. The low finish rate (60%) was a bit surprising, as the conditions were pretty good. Jeannie McDaniels from Tulsa, John Hargrove and Long Vu from OK City all made it to the finish. POST-RACE Everywhere I had clothing I got a rash. I chafed under my watch! None of this has happened before. The only place that was chafing during the race was under my pack. Ugghh! About 4 square inches of skin missing there. My thighs chafed! bag balm has never let me down before. I have to admit, I've never been soaking wet for >24 hours before either. No poison ivy but many thorn scratches from the numerous pit stops. Two days post-race my knees quit hurting. Everything seems fine except I have no jump in my legs for some reason. After a short bike ride Wednesday I really felt good. On to the Rock Ledge Rumble III on Nov. 14. Earl ________________________________________________________________ Earl L. Blewett Ph.D.| Biochemistry + Microbiology | Slow Swimmer + College of Osteopathic Medicine, Oklahoma State U. | Slow Cyclist + Tulsa, OK 74107 Phone (918) 561-8405 | Slow Runner E-mail blewett@osuunx.ucc.okstate.edu | = TriSloth