Running Tuscazoar was a pretty last minute decision for me. I finished Mohican and went looking for a race close to home that would be convenient for my family. I had no idea how it would go since I had done the Burning River Back 50 5 weeks earlier and Mohican just a month before that.

Going into the race, I decided on a more aggressive pacing strategy so I wouldn’t be fighting the cut off later in the race. I also was planning to eat real food for as long as my stomach would tolerate it.

The morning of the race I was more jittery than usual. I had higher expectations of myself and I wasn’t sure how my body was going to react since I hadn’t tapered for as long as I would have liked. All 65 or so of us lined up at 5:45am and took off right at 6am.

Loop 1

Everyone ran in a group single file into the trails in the dark. Everyone was pretty quiet at this point. I had my head down focused on not tripping over the rocks of roots. Suddenly out of nowhere, my head slammed into a short, sharp, broken tree branch, knocking my headlamp to the ground. It didn’t hurt too bad because my headlamp took the brunt of it, but I was caught off guard and definitely yelled out a few choice words at the branch! I told myself, “well I guess that was the first crazy thing to happen for the day, at least I got it out of the way early!”

We continued along single file until we hit the towpath. This 9 mile out and back is where I would make up time each loop. I was nervous about pushing too hard before the last 10 miles of the loop which contained all of the race’s elevation. I chatted with different runners and spent some time alone just enjoying the moment.

Zoar Aid Station

I came into the first crewed aid station 16 minutes ahead of schedule. Once back out on the towpath, I took a walk/run approach trying to get my hiking muscles warmed up and ready for the climbing ahead.

The first loop of climbing wasn’t too bad. There were some steep hills and plenty of rocks and roots. But my legs still felt great so I was able to run a lot of this section. I was moving really well, until I was about 2 miles away from finishing the loop. Out of nowhere I started a slow motion fall, sliding across the ground and skinning my elbows. I knew it was bound to happen eventually, so I brushed it off and kept moving. I came into the aid station at the end of loop one right on pace at 6 hours.

Loop 2

Loop 2 started off uneventful. I moved cautiously through the first section because of all the rocks and roots. Near the end of the section I started running with another runner who was struggling with a painful knee. As I talked him through it, it was a great distraction for me and we started running more easily and picking the pace back up. We moved along the towpath, picking up other runners along the way.

Zoar Aid Station

It was starting to get warm but I was having a great time as I came into the Zoar aid station. Dave grabbed my water bottles and quickly got me everything that I needed and rushed me right back out. My strategy was to eat only real food for this race for as long as my stomach would tolerate it. So I was mostly eating raspberry-mint rice squares and mashed potatoes. So far, they were giving me good energy without upsetting my stomach which was new for me!

Going into the 2nd half of the loop, I really tried to push myself to stay on pace. I hit a few low patches, where the aid stations started to feel further part. Still though, I kept my pacing plan in mind. I decided that I needed to start drinking Coke to give me a boost of caffeine and sugar. Starting this so early in the race wasn’t in the plan but I knew I had to just go with it! Leaving the wedding aid station for the 2nd time, I put my head down and pushed through it. There were some doubts in my mind, wondering if I would pay for this more aggressive approach later. I decided that I would deal with that when the time came.

Loop 3

I ran into the aid station at 12 hours 30 minutes, still right on pace. My parents were there waiting. Dave asked if I wanted my Dad to start pacing me at mile 55. I said yes, knowing that I was already feeling a lot more fatigue in my legs than I was used to. It would be nice to have a distraction out there. 5 more miles alone and then I would have pacers for the rest of the race. Those 5 miles were long and slow! I started feeling like I had to go to the bathroom but when I squatted down, nothing was happening. There was also a burning feeling which was alarming. I stopped probably 5 times during those 5 miles and was starting to wonder what was happening in my body.

Luckily my crew was waiting at the end of the trail. My Dad started pacing me right before the Route 800 aid station. He told me that I had taken in too many electrolytes and my kidneys were working over time to process them. Lesson learned! I didn’t even know this was a possibility! I immediately started drinking plain water and paid very close attention to how my body reacted to everything. We made up a ton of time as I ran to keep up with my Dad’s 13-14 minute/mile hiking pace.

Zoar Aid Station

Back in Zoar, I grabbed my Kogalla light and trekking poles and we both took long sleeved shirts with us. The weather was still comfortable but I knew that there was a chance of light rain at some point. As we came into the wedding aid station after the long climbs, I told my Dad to just leave his long sleeved shirt. It seemed like the showers must have passed and the air still felt somewhat warm. Well, not even 5 minutes later, it started pouring down rain. The wind picked up and the temperature started to drop. Oops! I quickly pulled out my rain coat knowing that exhaustion plus rain can equal big problems quickly!

We continued on through the rain and I felt the huge swings of highs to lows. One minute I would be talking and laughing. The next minute, I would be silent, deep in the pain cave. I kept reaching into my pack for whatever sugar that I could find to restore my glycogen levels and bring my body back to life. Finally, we came back into the wedding aid station. They offered me warm tater tots which was exactly what I needed! I spent the rest of the loop chatting away even though the rain continued to fall, the tiny stream crossings becoming rivers and the trail now slick with mud.

Loop 4

I picked up my Mom to pace me for the first 9 miles of loop 4. I was excited to be on my last loop and spend some miles with her. My body was still was moving pretty well. But as the rain continued on, I hit another low point again. I slowed my pace down trying to navigate the trail in my now sleepy state.

My watch wasn’t accurate anymore and I was unsure of my pacing so in my mind, I told myself I was probably still on pace. The reality was though, I wasn’t even close. Running 100’s is all about constant problem solving. At this point though I stopped managing my race and instead settled into my misery. Finally we came out of the trail section which felt like a relief but once on the towpath, I was a running zombie. I tried drinking more Coke but the caffeine was no longer affecting me because I had been drinking it all day. My Mom tried to keep me awake, but I was falling asleep on my feet and felt like this section would never end. When we came into the Zoar aid station, I knew I had some work to do.

Zoar Aid Station

Dave picked me up for his pacing duties at mile 85 and would finish out the race with me. The first thing he said to me was “let’s do a body check. How do your feet feel? How do your legs feel? How’s your stomach? How’s your mental state?” Breaking it down like this made everything feel more manageable. I realized that it was up to me to push through this low and find the way out.

He told me that he knew that I was in pain, but I had to start running. I grimaced as I pushed my body through the pain. But honestly running and walking both hurt, so might as well be running! The sun was just starting to come up as we made it into the Route 800 aid station. We once again picked up my trekking poles, I grabbed a grilled cheese sandwich and Dave pushed me back out onto the road. One more mile of runnable trail until we could start hiking the hills.

I took the uphills pretty well as Dave pushed on ahead of me. But when faced with a downhill, I had to talk myself through each excruciating step. My quads were shot at this point and the pain in my knee was almost unbearable. After each downhill, it would take me a few minutes to recover, but still I shuffled through any section that was even slightly runnable.

Dave knows me better than anyone so he knows exactly what to say to get the most out of me. He repeated over and over, “This is the last time until the next 100 that you get to see how far you can push yourself. This is what you came for.” He was right, I run these races to reach the depths of my own personal hell. To find the way out and see what’s on the other side. That section was pure misery, but I kept shuffling forward.

In the last few miles of the race, we started chatting with another runner. I was able to get past the misery and actually laugh at the craziness of the situation. The trail once again seemed to go on forever, but eventually we reached the opening in the trail that we knew would take us down to the finish line.

The Finish

Dave ran ahead to grab his camera and sprinted to the finish. I struggled down that last hill, trying to give one last push. I crossed the finish line in what felt like a slow motion run. Someone immediately put a chair underneath me and handed me some orange juice. I finished with PR of 28 hours and 55 minutes.

The race director then came over and handed me a bottle of maple syrup (the prize for finishing 2nd in my age group). A minute later he came back with a check for $300. I was completely confused but he said that this was the cash prize for finishing 2nd overall. (later we found out that I actually finished 3rd overall). But regardless, I started crying because it was completely unexpected to place at all. During these races, I hold it together for so long. It’s a flood of emotions when I’m finally finished. Usually I can’t even digest the entire experience for several days.

The Week After

During the race, I remember thinking that I should probably take a break from racing to let my body heal. I could feel the fatigue in my legs earlier on than I was comfortable with. But that could have also been the result of pushing the pace earlier in the race. The night after the race, I couldn’t sleep which is pretty normal. I pulled out my phone and found myself looking at the website for Canal Corridor 100 on October 9th. My entire body was still feeling the miles but still I can’t help but wonder if I have one more 100 in me this year. I guess time will tell over these next few weeks!