ICY 8

It was a beautiful morning at Lake Anna. Perhaps a little on the cool side as the morning temperature was about 25 degrees. After a checking in and going through the pre-race briefing we were off, a small cadre of runners committed to spending the next eight hours logging as many miles as possible on one of two measured loops of 4.7 and 8 miles.

I had decided my goal was to run four of the long loops and then see how I felt. I started the first loop running with a neighbor, Stacy, and then found myself chatting with a pediatrician until the two loops split and he headed off on the short loop while I continued on the long. I soon caught up with, or was caught (I don't remember) by Theresa from our local running club. We would continue to travel together through the first four long loops before going our separate ways.

The ground was solid underfoot from the cold temperatures and the frozen mud was potted with large hoof prints from the many horses that used the trails. Every step was a potential ankle twisting moment.

The first loop went by relatively easily in 1:20 and before heading out for the second loop I dropped my pants (but I kept my shorts ;-)). I also grabbed a handful of chips and a strawberry Nutrigrain bar. Loop two would take me past my longest run since November but I still felt good at the end of loop two which I also ran in 1:20. Time for good old PB&J! I gobbled down my sandwich, a glass of gatorade and some chips and changed into a t-shirt before heading out on loop 3.

By now the sun was up and the day was warming. The frozen tundra was becoming a mud bath. We slipped and slided our way around. At one point Theresa and I got caught behind a half dozen horses and had to take an extended walk break until we could find a good place to pass them. After loop three I took on a lot more fluid, several cups of gatorade and ate more chips, the heat was starting to take a toll. It was a slower loop and just under 4 1/2 hours had passed in the race.

With 24 miles completed it was time to set out again. Theresa and I stuck together until about mile 30 when I took an extended walk break and she kept going (actually she'd go on and win the women's division). I lost my mental focus at this point and trudged into the checkpoint with 1:50 left in the race. I could have renewed my focus but I didn't feel like it. To many other things going on in life and it was now over 60 degrees out and I was tired and thirsty, 20 oz wasn't proving to be enough liquid for an 8 mile loop.

I knew I couldn't be done at this point so I decided to go out again and do a short loop, I didn't have the motivation to go long. So I plodded through the mud and up the hills and across two streams (narrow enough to jump) and finished with 36.7 miles and forty minutes to spare.

I was glad to have chosen the short loop for my last loop as I had a really nasty blister develop on my toe with about two miles to go and every step was painful.

I can't imagine doing a 24 hour or 100 mile race as some people do.

All in all a great day and a great event.

Comments

[Brian and Jan]

Nice job, Neil! Just the motivation I need to get out and do (one) lap of Lake Harriet before work tomorrow morning.

[neil]

Thanks, Jenny and I are looking forward to running with you both this summer! Perhaps Lumberjack days again.