June 21, 2009- Big Horn 30k

Another Big Horn 30k in the books… what to say about this year’s edition? For the second year in a row, I started the year signed up for the 50k, but an injury once again shot that out of the water. I started off with a phenomenal January and February of training, including my first 100 mile month ever, only to misalign my cuboid bone on the last day of February. Battled that for most of March only to begin developing tendonitis in one and then both knees. Finally got that all sorted out only to battle motivation issues, which means I spent the last two to three months building up to the race doing… well… almost nothing.

We jumped on the bus at Scott Park in Dayton at 8am to get shipped up to the start, and started the day on a somewhat humorous note. During the trip to the start, one guy asked the bus driver to pull over so he could take a leak, and she obliged. The guy jumped off the bus, and then almost half of the guys on the bus jumped off for the same purpose. So, we had the entire side of the bus lined with leaking runners because they couldn’t wait for the start, but the joke was on them- the bus turned the next corner, and sure enough, there was the starting line.

The day started off very warm right from the get-go. Normally there are lots of people in jackets trying to stay warm until they start running, but this morning, everyone was in t-shirts trying to stay cool. My goal for the day was to beat my first year; about 4:20 with a lot of suffering. We started off at 10am to hit the trails. I felt tired when we started on the dirt roads, but as soon as we hit the trails, it was almost like I was in my element… I hit the trails and just started moving, my body loosened up and I was able to just let go. Even on the uphills, I was feeling strong. I made it to the first aid station, 5 miles, in almost exactly an hour, which was almost the perfect pace in my mind. I got down there, stocked up on food and electrolytes, and got a move back on.

The Haul, as always, sucked but didn’t seem to be as hard as it normally feels some years. I made it up the Haul and at the top, there were wildflowers everywhere. I began the decent down into the canyon, and my knees started hurting almost right away. I didn’t slow up though, figuring that my knees would be killing me by the bottom regardless of how fast I hit that hill, so I might as well make up as much time as I can before I need to slow down. I was surprised at the trail conditions… there were some normally dry places that were wet and muddy, and then there were some normally wet places that were bone-dry. There were lots of very, very hot and humid areas along that downhill, which made things tough at times. I rolled down the hill at a pretty good pace, catching a lot of people, but by the bottom I was just flat out tired. I was lightheaded, and my entire body just slowed down.

How I always feel at the top of the Haul. All that's missing is some tear stains or maybe a streak of vomit off my beard.

I refilled my water, changed socks, ate a little bit, and got moving again. I was absolutely lethargic, the balls of my feet were killing me, and I was starting to get really hot due to not wearing enough sunscreen. I traveled the canyon trail at anything but a break-neck speed, rarely even breaking a walk. There was also the issue of the canyon itself being so damned hot, and the breeze was rarely there longer than mere seconds. Made it to the trailhead aid station about on time (planned on 12:30-1, ended up there at 1:15), rested, ate a bit more, and then got moving again.

By the dirt road, I was 100% out of gas. I walked nearly the entire way until the last half-mile, I was in a lot of pain, and I simply had nothing left. Ran the last half mile, though I started cramping up for the first time that race, which might have had something to do with me switching from 2 electrolyte tablets to one the previous time. Made it across the finish line in 4:50. 30 minutes slower than my target, but still 1 hour faster than the previous year.

Crossing the finish line

So, what to say about this year? To be honest, I really don’t care. I think I need to find a new adventure to challenge myself with. Last year, I proved that I could do this 30k with no training whatsoever, and this year there was no excitement or pride in finishing this. I know I can do this. I know I can do this by doing nothing but showing up. And, for one reason or another, finishing this race doesn’t make me proud anymore. It’s a great race, and they really do take care of you, but I don’t feel a sense of accomplishment with the 30k anymore. I can be suffering as much as I want, but ultimately there is only one logical conclusion to this race- the only force capable of keeping me from the finish is possibly injury. There was some discussion between my mom and I on our way to Sheridan that maybe this is why my motivation crashed so hard- I had to make a change from the 30k to the 50k and my ambition just died. Maybe I’ll feel differently tomorrow or a few days or weeks from now, but right now I just don’t care.

To end on a happier note, thank you Marie for showing up to the finish line to say hi. I definitely wasn’t expecting you, and it was a nice surprise to find you waiting there. Definitely a good end to an otherwise ‘blah’ day. It was good to see you and I’m glad you seem to be feeling better. :-)