I'm an ultra "runner" again! But a pissed off ultra runner. . .

Hinson Lake 24 Hour Ultra Classic . . . one of the premier 24 hour races in America!

 

 Goal achieved!  Guess I finished 35-36 miles . . . actually forgot to check!!  Doesn't matter . . . I was well above 26.2 and that is what I wanted!  Guess I "got my card back!"


If you were one of the 10 or so people that read my last blog, you know I had planned to walk at Hinson to see how my toe would do with no running.  At about mile 8 or so my toe REALLY started complaining.  So I went to see Denise Martin . . . our ultra masseuse to see if she could help . . . and help she did!  I was able to continue on.  The pain was significant but managable.  I had walked everything up until this point and continued walking only.

Mentally . . . I sort of gave up.  Honestly I just wanted to get to a marathon distance.  When I did . . . I quit.  It was probably about 9 pm and I decided to go to bed.  But honestly, something strange was happening . . . my toe was hurting LESS not MORE!  But I was so far behind I just quit.















I actually couldn't sleep much and finally about 4:15 am I decided to get up and go do a lap or two.  And oddly, my toe was still not all that bad!  In fact, it was actually pretty good!  I even did some running!  Not much . . . I was still being very careful!  But the toe was doing great!

And I was thinking and asking myself why I had quit at 9pm.  I could have kept going.  Easy.  I wasn't really sleepy.  I wasn't hurting.  I was a little tired.  But I knew my toe was actually improving!  And I still quit!  And if I had just kept going I could easily have finished 50 miles.  Damn.


But the next morning I did turn some good laps and ended on a positive note . . . running the banana lap to Mt Hinson!  Wooo Hoo!  Pretty lame I know, but it made me fell better doing it.

















These 24 hour races are just so mental!!!  Physically hard to a degree but the real challenge is the mental challenges you are faced with.  I've won some in the past and this time I lost the mental challenge.

But oddly I'm actually pretty excited that I folded!!  I know . . . you're thinking "what the fuck?"

Well, I had planned Hinson as only a test run . . . my first race since surgery.  Just a little test.  And I did okay!  Not great . . . especially mentally . . . but my toe held up!!  My focus race this year is the Croatan 24 in November.

I had pledges of over $3,000 for the miles I would run at the Virginia 24 to benefit the American Cancer Society.  But I had my accident the week before and most of the people who pledged to help me agreed to defer until the Croatan 24 race this November!!  Awesome!

So I still have training time.  And more healing time.  And now I have a "bee in my bonnet" about my mental collapse at Hinson!  The chances of me wimping out twice in a row . . . not good!  I'll be ready.  Physically AND mentally.

The folks pledging "per mile" better hold on to their checkbooks!!!  I'm going to cost them some money!!!