It’s been awhile
since I attempted a 48 hour race and so I targeted Across the Years as a challenge
to end 2015. I ran this race back in
2010 when it was held at a different location on a shorter, dirt track. The new location is at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, AZ, the
spring training facility for the LA Dodgers and Chicago White Sox, quite a fancy place.
The course was a little over a mile in length and wound through
the ballpark grounds. At different
places, we could see the grounds crew getting the ball field ready for spring
training. Signs warned us to “Watch for
flying bats and balls!” Other places
along the course had desert landscaping and a little lake. Plenty of things to keep me entertained for
48 hours, especially since we changed directions every four hours so got to see
whole different scenery then.
My ambitious goal was to run at least 200 miles with about
110-115 miles targeted for the first day.
I started the race very conservatively, walking the “hills” almost from the
first loop. I was hoping that this
strategy would leave me with plenty of energy left on day two to hit at least 75
miles. The best laid plans though did
not happen.
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| The 1st day seemed "easy!" |
At the start, the weather could not have been any
better. The temperatures were cool but
with brilliant sunshine. While weather
in Cleveland has been ridiculously warm this winter, I knew the nights in
Phoenix would be cold. In spite of
knowing this intellectually, the cold blast that accompanied the setting sun was
a rude awakening. Yikes, I sure wanted
to stop and get in my warm sleeping bag when the temperatures dipped to 28F
degrees. It took everything in my power
to resist this urge.
The course was mostly on gravel paths with short sections
of asphalt and concrete. I have definitely
gotten soft and sensitive in my old age.
As the race progressed the bottoms of my feet got increasingly sore even
though I had on cushy HOKA Clifton shoes.
Because my feet were so sore, I think I started running
differently. That caused my shins to
develop tendonitis and I was a mess. I
was also never so sleepy in a timed race.
Could it have been the time change?
I swear I drank 5 pots of coffee during the night of the first day, guzzled
other caffeine drinks, Red bull, etc. and nothing seemed to work. I felt like the walking, stumbling dead.
Eventually, the sun rose and the frigid temperatures
started to warm. I am not sure but believe
I hit around 105 or 106 miles for the first 24 hours. I sought out the comfy camper supplied by
Mike Dobies (who was crewing for Josh Irvin and Bill Schultz) and immediately
zonked out around 9:30 AM. Mike was kind
enough to wake me after 1 ½ hours or I probably would still be sleeping! Around 11:00 AM, I headed back out on the course. I did run some but gradually started the dreaded
death march. It was a LONG march. I listened to two books so I felt I was doing
something productive -- Let Me Be Frank
with You by Richard Ford and A
Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy O’Toole -- before my I-Pod died. Then I walked and chatted with other racers,
including Sue Scholl and Bill Schultz, who kept me entertained. I grabbed two more hours of sleep between 8-9
PM and midnight-1:00AM.
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| FINISHED!! |
I knew that my 200 mile vision was nowhere in sight. My next goal was a 166 mile American Women’s Age
Group (55-59) Road 48-hour Record. I
kept slogging away and reached 170 miles with about an hour left in the race. My feet and shins told me to stop at that
point. By then, my ankles and hands were
swollen too. I sat in the warming tent chatting
with the runners who would be starting their race in the next hour, trying to
stay awake and so happy I was FINISHED!
My take-away from this race: Having seen the 6-day race in progress, I can
say I have NO desire to do one of them!
Huge respect for the 6-day runners and congrats to those runners who
kept on the course for the entire 6 days.
