Going into this race, I felt surprisingly calm. It was almost as if, I was about to go out for a 50 mile training run. No nerves, just excitement to spend the day running! We showed up at 6:45am for a 7am start time. Everyone lined up with their masks on and they sent us off 3 runners at a time. We ran south on the Towpath for 7.5 mies, then turned around and ran back to Canal Fulton. From here we would run north up to Akron to the 30 mile mark and turn around again to the finish in Canal Fulton.

I decided to take the first few miles slow and took my time getting warmed up. My husband Dave, who was crewing for me was waiting at the first water stop at mile 4.5. I would continue to see him several more times over the next 15 miles. The temperature was a cold 24 degrees at the start but started to warm up quickly. By 10am, it was already 40 degrees. Once I was warmed up, I found myself running a steady 11:30 mile pace. It felt easy, so I decided to stick with that for as long as I could.

Once I got back to Canal Fulton, I grabbed my hat, headphones and more food and water from Dave. He rushed me right back out again so I wouldn’t waste any time. I put on some music and just kept going on the towpath. A few times, I started to wonder if I was going the right way because there was no one in sight.

20 Miles

Around 20 miles in, I started to get bored. I’m used to running races with lots of hills, rocks and roots that require 100% of my focus. This race is almost completely flat which was a mental challenge that I’m not used to. I slowed to a walk briefly, quickly realizing that my legs still felt great so I picked it back up. Finally, after running through a wooded area of the towpath I saw the mile 23 aid station. I grabbed more food from Dave and kept going. There was a huge hill right after the aid station and I welcomed it! It felt great to stretch my legs and use different muscles!

I saw Dave again several miles later. He told me my parents would be showing up with my two daughters, Elle and Maeve. Hearing this lifted my spirits and that next 2 miles flew by. When I saw them, they both ran towards me yelling my name which gave me new energy!

The next stretch felt long. We were running in between the canal and the woods. There were tons of gnats and I was having trouble focusing. I started to go to a dark place in my mind, thinking about the pain and how far I still had to run. I still managed to stay on pace by continuously reminding myself that everyone out here was feeling the same.

Turn Around: 32 miles

I finally reached the turn around point at mile 32, relieved to see Dave, Elle and Maeve again. I changed clothes quickly because by this point in the afternoon it was close to 60 degrees and I was still running in thermal tights. Blisters were starting to form on my big toes, so I also changed my socks. For the next mile, I was back to feel strong again but it wouldn’t last long.

My upper body was starting to get sore from carrying my hydration pack. Even my 7 year old daughter could even tell that I was hurting. But my husband kept encouraging me to push through it and keep running. He mentioned that I was closing in on some other runners ahead. AlI I had to do was keep running and I would catch them. The race went on like this for a while. Every time I felt like I wanted to slow down and walk, I questioned if that was just the fear and doubt or if I really did need to slow down. The answer is always the same. Push through it. When you think you can’t give anymore, keep going. You always have more to give.

Mile 43

Finally with 7 miles left in the race, I started running with another woman. I had been running alone up to this point and it was so nice to get my mind off of the pain. We ran together talking about running and our families for a few miles until I slowed down for a minute to eat some food. On my own once again, I willed myself to keep going even though the blisters that had started to form earlier were now pressing against my shoes. I could tell they were bad but my legs still felt decent so I pushed on.

The last mile of the race, I dug down and found reserves that surprised me. I pushed myself knowing that I wanted to be able to tell myself that I left it all out there. I ran as fast as I could and sprinted through to the finish line for my fastest mile of the day finishing in 10 hours and 23 minutes which is a huge PR for me!

Afterthoughts

This race felt somewhat uneventful compared to my other races. There was no catastrophic events, no nail in my shoe like at Mohican. No extreme pain in my knees, no stomach issues. It was just an overall feeling of constant discomfort that I found a way to make peace with. By relaxing into this pain and waiting it out, I was able to come to terms with it and push myself harder instead of letting the fear of it take over and slow me down.

In the end it was a huge breakthrough for me both mentally and physically. I learned that I can trust my body even when everything is telling me not to. When it seems like it’s so painful that you need to slow down, sometimes you can actually keep running. I went into the pain cave and somehow came out the other side. I gained a confidence from this race that you can only get from experience. This was my 10th ultra and now I can’t wait to see what #11 holds for me!

One of the things that I love about being an ultra runner is answering questions friends have about this crazy sport!  So this post is for the majority of people out there who are curious and probably confused about why anyone would put themselves through this.

1. Do you sleep during 50 or 100 mile races?

No, I personally don’t sleep. If I did, I most certainly wouldn’t make the race cutoffs. The not sleeping part of a 100 mile race is my weakness. During the Indiana Trail 100, I was a walking, shuffling, running zombie once my body realized that it was 3am and I should be in my warm bed. The amazing thing was though, once the sun started to rise, I felt so much better!

2. Do you go to the bathroom during an ultra?

Yes! There are usually porta potties, but if not, you just go along side the trail. You lose all sense of decency after running a certain amount of miles!

3. Do you eat during an ultra?

Definitely! Eating can make or break you in an ultra. I practice eating different foods during my long runs so that I can find foods that don’t upset my stomach. I prefer to eat Spring Energy Gels and drink Tailwind.  Anything longer than 20 miles, I usually start supplementing with real foods like mashed potatoes, rice balls, potato chips and pretzels. I also drink A LOT of Coke. I would never drink it in my daily life, but during an ultra, my body craves the sugar and caffeine.

4. Do you stop at all or sit down during an ultra?

There are chairs at the aid stations at most ultras, but the only time I ever sit down is to change my shoes. The second you sit down, your muscles tense up and it’s so much harder to get moving again! I get in and out of the aid stations as quickly as possible. I grab what I need and keep moving. Every minute that you stop is another minute added to your time. I learned this the hard way.  At the Outdoor X 12 hour Run, I stopped at the main aid station on every single loop and at the end of the day it added up to an entire hour!

5. Why?

This answer is different for everyone. For me, most days , it’s curiosity.  I’m curious about my limits. How far can I run, how far can I push myself both mentally and physically? When I reach my physical limits, how far will my mind take me from there and what will I find on the other side of the suffering that one experiences after running for hours and hours?  Ultra running may seem extreme to some, but to me, that’s where life is in it’s simplest form.  Put one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward. 

“The only limits you have are the limits you believe.” – Wayne Dyer