Out of the parking lot and on the trail by about 6:15pm, we were off to a great start. The heat index was pegged north of 100F, and the humidity was stifling. But this is what we signed up for. The first 5 miles go by without incident, and in fact, the first 10 miles are uneventful. We saw a couple bucks, which is a rarity, but otherwise it was a fairly normal start to the run.
We tried our best to keep the aid station breaks brief, but we also wanted to make sure we didn't rush ourselves past the point of enjoying the adventure. Still, we made pretty good time up to the turn-around point, and even covered a couple miles before we were forced to fire up the headlamps to light the way back to the cars. Another quick stop halfway through to slam a coke, wolf down a slice of heavenly watermelon, and grab a couple snickers bars... and we were on our way back to the parking lot. This was perhaps the toughest part of the run for me. Miles 15-20 felt awful. My legs were very heavy. They ached and throbbed more than they have on any other 20 mile effort. I was worried about my ability to head back out for another lap. I kept telling myself that it shouldn't hurt this bad this soon. This is NOT good.
My hands were shaky and I was exhausted when we arrived back at the cars in about 4hr 10min. I felt like I had already done 40 miles! I was going through the motions of getting ready for another 20 miles, but I wasn't feeling like doing it at all. A couple other folks called it a night after covering 20-25 miles, and I was tempted to do the same. Eating and drinking made me feel a little better, but the short break for my legs was nothing short of miraculous. I taped up a small hotspot on my right foot that I thought might cause a bad blister later on, and I was ready to go. Just like that, I snapped out of my funk and was eager to see how I would handle another challenging 4,000ft of climbing in the heat, in the dark, on tired legs.
As a group, we had to deal with a few stomach issues right after the turn-around. After we got that sorted out, we fell into a nice rhythm, running well together. Tommy, Travis, and I kept making progress. It was quiet progress, though. The combination of the time of night, and the long hot run rendered us speechless for a couple miles it seemed. Just the occasional reminder to keep taking salt would break our silence. Otherwise, the night was alive. Bugs chirped and creaked, frogs croaked, and bats dive-bombed our headlamps on a few occasions. I doubt it would have really hit me, but I dodged one that swooped just a few inches from my face. The was the fastest I moved all night.
Passing through the aid station again lifted our moods and improved our hydration situations. With fresh water and a brief rest, we were coming back to life. Chatter started to pick up as we got closer and closer to the turn-around for the second time. Personally, I was motivated by pb&j sandwhiches and gatorade that I knew would be waiting. They did not disappoint.
The return trip was both a mental and physical excercise. I found it tough to keep my eyes and my mind focused on the trail. The little tunnel of light coming from my headlamp is almost never bright enough, even though it is a really great lamp. By this point, my high and lows were coming a little more frequently. I noticed immediately if I hadn't eaten enough. Once I refueled, and the calories kicked in, there was an instant boost. Up and down we went. Just 5 more miles to go!
These 5 miles stand in stark contrast to the last 5 miles of this little event from about a year ago. I felt great this time around! I wasn't thirsty or hungry. I wasn't even yawning. Must have been the double-caffeine GU and 2 packs of Cliff Bloks I hammered about 30 minutes back. Either way, I was moving well and covering ground much better than I did in miles 15-20. I was so anxious to be done, and thrilled to have the energy to finish in style... at 3:45am no less.
The three of us cruised in together, and agreed that it was bitter-sweet. Nice to wrap up the grueling run as a trio of tough guys. But together, we smelled at least three times more horrible than we did as individuals.
We immediately headed to the creek for a quick dip in the cold water. I stood there, waist-deep, very pleased with my effort, and very thankful to have spent some quality time on the trail with some great people. Another successful run in the books.
