I have been trying to join the Marathon Maniacs for several years. I ran the Seaside marathon on Feb. 16th with the hope of running three marathons within 90 days of Feb 16th. I knew that I'll be racing Big Sur in April, so I was hoping to run a third and finally be able to join. It just happened that last week, I found out about a 12 hour, overnight race (1 mile loop) happening the following Friday night (a few days later). It would meet the criteria for the Marathon Maniacs. I decided immediately to do it, even though I had never done anything like that before. I've run 50ks, but I've never a race at night and certainly not overnight. An adventurous friend of mine immediately agreed to run as well which made me feel so much better.
How does one prep for a 12 hour race? I didn't know, but I came up with a plan. I wanted to complete a 50K in 6 hours. The race started at 8:45PM. The plan was to alternate taking 1/3 of Maurten 360 drink and one Maurten gel on every 1/2 hour until I complete a 50K. That would give me about 200 calories every hour. I also brought fig newtons, dates, oranges, and Nuun and planned to take a caffeine pill every three hours and salt every 2-3 hours. My plan was to run the first 20 miles at a long run pace (between 8:15-9:30) and then run the next 12 between 10:00-12:00. After that, I planned to walk as much of the night as I can. It turned out that this plan was a pipe dream. I didn't even come close to running 50k in 6 hours. It took me 8:30, but more about that later.
I had a few questions before the race. The race director answered the questions promptly. There was easy email communication. The race was held on the property of First Baptist Church in Santa Maria. I arrived at the venue about 7PM, checked in, and set up my table. We were given a beautiful mug with our number. I appreciated it much more than a participation medal.
My husband had to take me back home, because I forgot to take a medication. I got back to the venue at about 8:15. My husband left before the race started, but I met up with my friend who was also racing, and we consolidated our space.
The vibe was very friendly. People walked up and said hi. There was plenty of chit chat. The race was a fundraiser to support student mission trips. There were lots of young people participating in the 12 hour race. The kids were fun to watch. Most of the youth participants were between 7-14, I would guess. They were very well mannered and encouraging of each other and other participants.
The race started on time. The course was much more cross-country-ish than I anticipated. About half of the 1-mile loop was on grass and dirt for which you had to have a light to run. The other half was well lit on asphalt. I really enjoyed the varied nature of the course. I did a 1-mile loop once before, and, eventually, the course got boring. I honestly did not get bored on the course while I was running. There was a lot to keep your mind occupied in just navigating.
The course was well marked. Everything went fine for about 13 miles. I followed my plan exactly, but after about 13 miles, every time I checked my watch, I was running slower and slower. For some reason, I did not think that the fact that I ran a marathon just two weeks ago was going to impact my performance, but I was wrong. I did not have it in me to keep up such a fast pace on dirt and I probably couldn't have do on road. My body just couldn't do it. I did not feel tired in the slightest. I was wide awake. I did not feel hungry or nauseous. I had energy, but my legs hurt, and they hurt more and more as time passed. Maybe around 2 or 3 in the morning I abandoned my nutrition plan. It was working, I just didn't have the discipline to keep it up. This is when having a crew would have been helpful. If someone would been encouraging to follow the plan, I probably would have. At some point, I really can't remember when, I took a long break and used a percussion massager on my legs. It helped a lot.
At the 26 mile mark, I thought that I would run-walk, but once I started walking, I never did start running again. The only thing that was wrong with me was that my legs hurt...bad. It wasn't like running a road marathon. When I run a marathon, by the end, my whole body hurts. It is hard to even decipher the pain. This pain was localized and acute.
I didn't realize how cold it would be when I stopped running. I got very cold and changed my clothes completely. I put on tights, two shirts and gloves and I was still cold. I was shivering and tensing the muscles of my neck and back. Whereas before, only my legs hurt, now everything was hurting. Every now and then, I had to keep stopping to stretch my neck and back. I never thought that I would stop running before I met my goal, but I was getting more and more miserable.
The wee hours of the morning...when it got cold...when everyone was digging deep... is when I had the best conversations other runners and walkers. This experience was really epic. I decided to do this on a whim. Because I am in the middle of marathon training, I wanted the race to enhance the training. That is why I ran the first part of the race like a long run. I'm so excited about the prospect of running this next year with the specific goal of running it as it was meant to be run. I want to start off slow and just see how long I can really go.
My 6 hour 50k turned into an 8.5 hour 50k. When I hit 50k I was really, really done. I ordered a quesadilla with cheese, potato soup and a coke. Yes, food to order was amazing. I got in my car to attempt a few hours sleep at about 5:30. It was too cold for me to sleep. I had a blanket, and I was in a sleeping bag and I was still cold. When the sun came up, I knew that sleep would not come, so I got up. I saw a few runners that were still at it, so I did my best to encourage them. I reconnected with my friend. She was trying to sleep as well. We both decided to leave..
I was pretty irritated that the award ceremony was so long after the race was over. The race officially ended at 8:45, but the awards weren't until 10:30. There was a 5K & 10K on Saturday morning starting at 9:00. Instead of having two award ceremonies, there was just one for all the races. I had earned a trophy for running a 50k, and I definitely wanted it, so I was going back. I went home and got in my hot tub. Finally, I was warm and my body relaxed. I still wasn't particularly sleepy, but I felt almost drunk.
When I went back for the ceremony, one of the first people I saw gave me a big hug and told me how much my encouragement helped her during the race. It made me want to cry, but like I said, I was drunk. I love to encourage other runners at races (unless they are women in my age group...they can crash and burn..ha ha) Once the ceremony started, I understood. This race was a fundraiser for a Christian ministry. The award ceremony was an opportunity to evangelize and promote the ministry. It was all good once I understood the logic.
I got a lovely trophy for completing the 50K distance. I loved the race, and if they offer it next year, I'll be among the first to sign up. Also, I got my Marathon Maniac number today: 15560
I'm participating on the Runners Roundout.
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