An Overheating Riot

     So, we're trying this thing where I actually do my write-ups on time, and not 6 months after-the-fact. We'll see how it goes. A couple weekends ago I got the opportunity to take part in a more local 50K that I had signed up for in the beginning of the year. I try to plan as many of my ultras in the beginning of the year so I have an idea of what time I need to account for and what training needs to take place before that. This one was about half an hour away so figured, why not. As it turns out, I was the second person to sign up for it! So, snagged a solid "number 2" on the bib. And, again, with it being local, I was able to drive up the day before and do packet pickup so I'm not in my usual rush come race morning, as well as being able to enjoy sleeping in a normal bed. As much as I love my car for the little race-ready sleeper-mobile that it is, I do love to sleep at a normal temperature. And Texas is getting hot. As someone from the north, Texas is getting really  hot. So a normal nights sleep was appreciated. 

Steppin' off. Just hoping not to die.

    I felt like I needed everything to go right to even finish this race as I was just coming off nearly a 6 week training block of bullshit. Got super disheartened after essentially just being lazy at Toughest 'N Texas 50K and stopping after 20 miles. Was it a rough course on a hot and humid day, yes. Did I have another ten miles in me? Absolutely. I was just coming in off scoring a 3rd at Crazy Desert 100K and came at it with much more of a "racing-mindset" than I do, and upon realizing that the third loop was going to quickly turn into a dehydrated death march I decided that wasn't what I wanted. But, it should have been. The DNF ate away at me, not because I haven't had DNF's before, but because I didn't at least get a finish when I know I damn well could have. So we'll be back there next year for some redemption. Run, walk, or crawl, I'm finishing that damn race. But, I digress, after those two weeks of feeling sorry for myself the whole household came down with some nasty flu, of which my resting heart rate still hasn't recovered, and it ended up seriously kicking my ass for about two weeks. I was able to do just about fuck-all in terms of sleep, training, school. A shit two-weeks to say the least. Then up to Kansas City for two weeks where I became handyman-extraordinaire and only got to get out for about two or three runs the whole time and spent most of my waking hours just working on tasks. Which left me with about a week and a half of "training and tapering" before Ricochets Riot 50K. Which, honestly didn't go too bad. Was able to score a couple runs in the low double digits and then have a hard, hard taper of about two days before the race.

Appreciate the chit-chat and the distraction buddy

    And in comes race day, pretty standard wake up after not enough sleep, things generally prepped from the night before, gas station stop to get drinks and snacks for after (or during if necessary). A buddy I had met from Instagram was coming, so tried to link up with him before the race and was good to meet someone from the online community in person. As always, gotta try to sneak in the last bathroom break, get out what I can before that first step-off, miss the pre-race meeting and damn near miss the starting "gun" go off, but made it in time, and before too long I had caught up with Milton, the buddy from IG, and with him running a similar pace/HR as me figured I'd just tag along and chug away some miles with him. Any good conversation can be the best time killer during an ultra, honestly anything to keep your mind off how you feel sometimes can make or break it. And chat we did, for really the whole first loop (hopefully ya didn't mind buddy!). After the first loop we each broke off to our cars to restock some stuff, and after taking a tad too long refilling things he was already off, but no harm, everyone's got to run their own race and he was shooting for a PR that day and I didn't want to hold that up. But up to that point things had generally been going reasonably well, granted I was really only able to hold my heart rate in zone 2 for about the first half of the first lap. So, that was a concern. 

 oh look, I didn't die. 

    Second lap step-off and was able to be joined by the Twin for about four or so miles. And props to him for putting up with it, because as rough as my heart rate was, his was even higher. And he had even run some miles earlier in the day with a kid that wanted someone to run with. Again, anything to keep your mind off the miles (and the damned heat!). And heat was definitely becoming more and more of an issue as the day went on, but generally, even with the high heart rate, everything was going better than I figured it would considering the previous 6-weeks. And that's when I spoke too soon. in between the 3rd from last and 2nd to last aid stations there wasn't a ton of distance so I didn't top off my fluids or calories (and forgot to refill my stash of chewable electrolytes at the car). So after that 2nd to last aid station begins a series of exposed climbing sections. From about the second loop on, we were pushing the 90s into triple digits. So, it suffice it to say, it was getting warm out. And this is where things went south, hard. Ran out of water. Ran out of calories. Ran out of electrolytes. Legs began cramping and seizing at the slightest jog or even if I walked on it wrong, or god forbid: stopped. Breathing was heavily labored. And if I'm being honest, vision was starting to get a bit off as well and I had concerns. Stopping wasn't an option, I was literally going to die on that course before I suffered a back-to-back DNF. And after a couple of calls to the twin panicking about the location of the last aid station, it was there.

A finish, is a finish. And in this case. A way better one than anticipated.

    Now. I've never puked during an ultra, I feel very fortunate in that. I've had my stomach flip and not feel tip-top but I've always been able to avoid the dreaded yak-attack. And thankfully never shit myself, but that didn't feel to be a pressing issue. At the aid station, I topped off my water, topped off my tailwind, had a couple swigs of warm as heck pickle juice, four salt capsules (with four more on me for the final few miles). but as soon as I left the aid station a flush came over me and I definitely had a solid fight with my gag reflex and was 100% convinced a puke was incoming. So I kept on with the walking instead of running for about a hundred yards. Tried running again, instant gag. Walked some more. And after a while my stomach seemed to be ok. I don't know if it was the warm pickle juice, or just because I had gone so far in the negative with my electrolytes and fluids, but wow did that suck. unfortunately capsules aren't as quick as the chewables and it took me until about the last mile before I could actually do anything other than my continued death march because of how bad the cramping and seizing was. But, in the end I got there and with a time I had zero expectations of getting. Especially in that heat.

I'll see you on that medal, and raise you a shade.

    It was a great course and everyone involved, from the volunteers to the race director did a fantastic job for this being the first year (or really any year for that matter)! If it lines up again next year, it'll definitely be a race I shoot for again. Big, big thank you again to all those involved!