McNaughton 150 mile race report -"Does this mud make my butt look fat?"

This was a quote that Shawn came up with about 70 miles into our 150 'run.' It was a well timed query and much needed laugh.

Preparation for the race:

What inspired us to run this race in the first place? Well, last summer Shawn and I were discussing races that we would like to run in 2009. She noted that there was a 150 miler in Illinois. "Sounds good to me," was my reply. She also was considering returning to Susitna but that another story and hers to tell. So, we were mostly serious about signing up for this race. I told her that if I had any chance of completing the course, I would need to put in a lot of miles. Whereas some people don't need that, or worse yet get injured with high mileage, I really need to put in the body pounding. To do this I knew that I just needed to sign up for all the FA races I could and put in some extra mileage both at some of those runs and on open weekends. After the DNF at Plain in September, I started my LSD training in earnest. The tough part about doing long slow distance is that I generally will gain weight and lose speed. The weight came on easily as I went from my summer racing weight (142-145) up to as much as 156. And no matter how much I ate, I still couldn't seem to keep the weight off (tongue in cheek). I continued in faith and had some decent races in November (Carceek 12 hr, Autumn Leaves 50M, Wishbone 27M, and Ghost of Seattle 50K). Both Autumn Leaves and Ghost showed that I still had speed but that I needed to work on my eating ... I bonked in both of those as well as Carceek - where I was shaking so hard I had to sit down for a while just to be able to walk to the aid station. I was fine after stuffing my face. December brought more FA type runs and also brought on the slowing of my weekday runs. In January we had scheduled some high mileage to see where we were and to test our tenacity. 12/31 - Last Chance Marathon, 1/1 First Call 50K, 1/10 Bridle Trails 50K (where Shawn showed her prowess in the muddy darkness and nearly lapped me), 1/17 - Foolish Gerbil 24 hr (which showed we needed to work on sleep depravation training), 1/24 - 48 miles at Pigtails 50K, and 1/31 - 19 late night miles of sleep depravation training. For my old body this was just what the Dr ordered but for Shawn, increasing the mileage so quickly was not so good on her knees. We took it very slow at Orcas 50K, enjoying the weekend and taking advantage of the great weather we had there this year. I did a solo Yours Truly 50K on 2/22 to finish off an easier month. We also put in a 12 summits run in decent weather with Joe Tompkins and Shawna Wilskey. In March we ran another 12 summits in not so ideal weather where we had deep snow in some sections and slush in others. This was good for me in that I don't do well in cold and I suck and uphill climbing where snow and ice are involved. We took 11 hours on a course that normally takes 8 hours or less. It was good mental training for McNaughton. March also found Shawn running the Chuckanut 50K in quick style followed by some extra credit night time running and my running the PacRim One Day run the same weekend. My goal in that race was to stay out there 24 hours without taking my normal nap. With very little rain, it was much easier to stay out there all night although the 100+ miles came very slowly. I had developed blisters early on from the fresh crushed gravel laid down on the course. I started walking in the mid 90 miles once I knew I could make 100. This was 3 weeks out from McNaughton. The following weekend was a taper run. We were hoping to run the Dizzy Daze 50K and then walk the rest of the day and possibly get in 50 miles. However since the weather was so cold and rainy we decided that 50K in this miserable stuff was quite enough. The following weekend we planned on running a short run on Tiger ... but then decided to bag the whole thing last minute and really rest. Since we had all the training we could get in, both physical and mentally, all we could do at this point was make sure we were well prepared logistically. From my winter FA runs I found out I needed to eat more real food and practiced doing just that in our longer runs. Pizza, pepperoni sticks, deli meat and cheese were mainstays. I also worked on eating chips for salt - not something I've done in 100 milers much. And I ate a lot of fruit as I normally would. In doing so, I found I not only had more energy to run but I didn't get as sleepy at night. Frappachinos were also going to play a big part of our night time running. After some very cold runs and the freezing rain at Dizzy Daze, we knew we needed to bring our down jackets as well as have a rain jacket on hand. I won't itemize the clothing we both brought because it would take forever. I know I had at least one shirt for each of the 15 loops we were to run. I had my red Patagonia sweeter (down), newly purchased rain jacket, old rain jacket, wind breaker, Northface Gortex Windstopper, as well as a Underarmour shirt, several pairs of mittens, 2 pairs of snow gloves, some water bottles for good weather and a hydration pack for night/cold running, 3 pairs of shoes and probably a dozen pairs of socks. Shawn’s wardrobe was very similar although she had no intention of carrying a water bottle. We purchased a long, flat bin at Wal-Mart once in Pekin, Ill and filled it will food we bought there as well as the supplies we would need through out the race (lights, batteries, body glide, ibuprofen, salt, etc). And we had designated bags with clothes that we would need throughout. We rented a small SUV so that we could use it as an aid station as well as for short naps that we had planned. Unfortunately, the parking area was not as close as we had hoped so we only visited the car a few times throughout.

Going to the race:

The day had finally come to fly to Illinois and show what we could do. Shawn and I had planned to run together with a contingency plan of running alone if one or the other needed to sleep. We couldn't figure out why the lap times from previous races were so slow but we were told the mud and hills were tough. Not being able to comprehend this, we simply took the max time allotted for the race (52 hours), subtracted two naps of about 3 hours each (52 - 6) and divided the rest of the time (46 hours) by 15 ... so we could do 3 hour loops (or 18 minute miles) and finish with an hour to spare. No problem right! We landed in Chicago and easily retrieved our baggage and our rental car and headed to Pekin. We took our time and the 3 hour drive took about 4 hours. Once we checked in, we decided to go to the race start so we would know where it was. We got there within 10 minutes and found some of the 150 mile runners setting up their tents to camp for the night. While I was not envious of their digs, I did see some possible benefit of having a tent to hide from the rain during the race if necessary. We met Will Taggart and Sherpa John Lecroix and they shared their experience with the course with us. They told us that there were indeed hills on the course (we still hadn't seen them) and that they would slow us down. When asked which race we were running they seemed rather surprised when our reply was, "the 150." I guess one is supposed to graduate to the 150 after completing the 100. But just as I don't see the point of water skiing on 2 skis when going straight to 1 is more fun, it made perfect sense to me to run the 150. We had a good dinner then went to bed early (10pm or 8pm Seattle time). We got a LOT of sleep the night before and gathered our supplies for the drive to the race start. It had been raining during the night (we could hear it hitting the window, which meant it was really windy as well), and it continued to rain during the morning. We had waffles and coffee for breakfast and were ready to drive to the race. We arrived at the race by about 10:30 and I was not happy about having to get out and get my number let alone running in the crap that was being dished out. I whined a bit (ok a LOT) and said that the rain had better stop by noon “or else.” I spent the last 45 minutes before the race preparing myself mentally for what was going to be a long afternoon and night. It was difficult to enjoy the race briefing as I kept thinking about the wind and rain. Soon it was time to head out and we were off.

And we’re off on our adventure:

The start of the loop as a steep downhill that was runable but I think we only ran down it once or twice. It wasn’t worth falling to gain some time. Once down to the bottom there was a left turn and a clockwise loop of an open field. The rain wasn’t bad here as I thought it would be in an open field. There were trees (no leaves) surrounding the field which shielded us somewhat from the wind. We jogged and talked about the high school runners that we found out were running with us. So here are some 18, 19 year old “swimmers converted to runners” who were attempting 150 miles. Who does that – let alone kids! Apparently Andy (RD) had quite an influence on these youngsters. Additionally, they didn’t take off like it was a 5k race. They were content to walk and chat and let us old folk move on ahead.

After the field we had our first climb, but not until we trudged through a mud mire that stayed wet all weekend long. Up the climb and I could barely make it without falling backwards. Here we go again – just like the snow on Tiger. Shawn had no trouble on this but I couldn’t get the stride to save my life. Up, up and then flat to this short open grassy area that was about a mile into the course and that was yards away from the starting line. There were fans there to cheer us on (or jeer us on – “1 down, 149 to go!”), and let us know we should “pace ourselves.” Through there we had another down hill that was NOT runable. It was so slick that it took all I had to stay upright. I knew I was using an inordinate amount of muscle and energy to stay upright and was trying to just let myself go and hope for the best. What I found would work was to plant myself and just let myself slide down on the real steep downs. I supposed it was like snow boarding or some sort of skiing but I have no experience in that. Shawn was loving it and decided early on that she liked the course. The rain and breeze was not too bad in the wooded areas so we were able to stay warm if not dry. Our logistical planning had already paid off as the rain jackets would do the trick for us. On the second loop, we changed to long sleeve shirt and our windbreakers. That worked well for that loop and the third, we stayed warm as we slipped around the course best as possible. By the 4th loop we were dawning our down jackets and bringing our lights as the night was already upon us. I was really slowing down during this loop. I have enough trouble staying upright in the mud but add the darkness and I just crawl along. Shawn started getting nervous that we were going too slowly and that we wouldn’t be able to take a nap. I got a bit frustrated with myself because I couldn’t keep up. I was slow on the slick mud and the downs in the light and especially in the dark. Shawn was slow on the flats. One thing about running together when your abilities are similar is that you go even slower than the slowest person; you go as slow as the slowest person at the time. The combination of our weaknesses were exposed and we would have another opportunity to show that we could over come them. We had little luck in previous races but we had a resolve this time. We agreed that if one of us needed to go ahead and the other stay behind and try to catch up later, that’s what we would do. I knew that I couldn’t sleep that night and that was my strength as I didn’t need to sleep. I told Shawn to let me know when she needed to sleep and I would go it alone. We struggled through the 5th and especially the 6th loop, both of which were in the dark. There was a point that I knew Shawn would not be able to finish the loop without falling asleep on her feet. I found a climb that offered a place to stop and rest. We sat on a log and put our heads between our legs. I felt myself fall in and out of sleep and heard talking in the background. I said hi as a few folks came walking by. Finally I told Shawn that it was time to get moving again. The few minutes of sleep got her through that loop and the sun came up soon after (about mile 65).

We were getting used to what was coming up at each turn. The course had certain areas where water would drain to and the mud got soupier and soupier as the race went on. There were other spots that started to gum up and eventually dry enough to resemble hard clay. It made me feel good that the ups were now going to be easier for me and I could use my strength in the climbs with firm ground. The down side was that the downs were very hard – that is the ground became hard and later on began to take a toll on our quads, lower legs and feet. Also on the course we two major water crossings. The first time we crossed the first water crossing, which was just after the first aid station, the water was close to knee deep in the section where I chose to cross. I crossed there once more and then decided to follow the route where the arrows lead us. That part was not as deep … but still felt cold and tiny rocks still got into my shoes. After that crossing, there was a flat section and there were a lot of rolling hills and a nice climb before reaching an open field. We were able to run a lot of that section as it was a slight down. We passed the Meyers Cemetery and turned into the Heaven’s Gate aid station. We would go by that in and out with a mile loop in between. We always skipped the aid station on the in bound and used it as a reward on the out bound. This was our favorite time to stop. There was usually hot food, coffee, hot chocolate, sandwiches, and the normal ultra foods. About a mile out of that aid station, which exited in the field and headed down a steep path into a pot of mud, was the second water crossing. This was usually not as deep as the first yet had a mud pool as a reward for making it through. The course again became rolling with a good climb towards the end. We would start seeing the trail signs “3,” “2,” then “1,” which was our sign to celebrate as we were nearing the end of the loop. After skating through the mud at the bottom of a hill we moved through a small flat section then hit one more climb before reaching the final path that lead to the start/finish area.

Saturday was a beautiful day. Anyone in the 100 should have had a good time through the first part of their run. Shawn and I were starting to enjoy moving a lot quicker through the loops. We did the next 3 in about 3 hours each and even had time to take about a 15 minute nap in the middle of the day – and nice bright sunshine. The weather reports were right on with a miserable rainy and windy day on Friday, followed by a sunny day on Saturday. So we could expect an even colder night Saturday night and a cloudy, but dry day on Sunday.

Shawn wanted to stop and nap after 100 miles. I convinced her that we should do one more loop while we at least had some sunlight – so we waited until after the 11th loop. We caught up to Van just as we were coming close to the end of the 10th loop and 100 miles. She was having difficulties but all-in-all looked and sounded good. Shawn had to fix her own feet as she had blisters and was loosing toe nails. We left with Van and eventually made it through the 11th loop and 110 miles. Our reward was to take a nap during the night and hope that we had enough time to be able to finish once we woke. Van apparently tried to sleep but couldn’t – also, Ken had secured a pacer for her so she headed out with him on her 12th loop. We took a bit over 3 hours – 20-30 to get our shoes off and get to sleep. A couple hours of sleep if that; then 20 minutes to put our shoes on and head out again. We were pretty cold starting up again and it was the coldest part of the races as well which didn’t help. Both Shawn and I moved as best we could and shook out the cold by wiggle and shaking our arms. We finished that loop and the 13th loop slowly but still in good enough time to keep us in the game. We ran the next loop as best as we could. We were both tired but had to keep moving as time was slipping away. Shawn was struggling with her blisters towards the end of the loop where Van caught up to us as she was finishing her 15th and final loop. We ran down to the water crossing and all the way in to the finish in enough time to see Van finish her race. It was a very emotional finish for her and a nice thing to witness. At that time, we didn’t know that she had won the woman’s race. And we didn’t find out until later that Shawn was the only other woman in the race. We have some tough women in the northwest and we were REPRESENTIN’! Jess was also there and she told us that she came in second in the woman’s 100 and 8th overall. We were all kickin’ butt yet Shawn and I still had one more loop to go. Shawn told me that she had to fix her feet again as her blisters were starting to fill up and the pain was too much to make it through another loop. We had close to 4 ½ hours at that time so I told her to take her time and make sure she felt as good as possible before we headed out. I looked all over for some white medical tape to better protect her feet from the blisters. Finally we settled for some duct tape that Andy found for her. Shawn had drained her blisters again and put on some ointment when we got there with the tape. She put on the tape as best as possible and we were out with 4 hours 5 minutes left. We had done pretty well on the last loop even with her feet and my legs soreness. I told her we could go much slower as we had yet to do a 4 hour loop. I had been paying attention the previous 2 loops as to how long it took to go from the last aid station to the finish (50 minutes, then 1 hour plus), so I wanted to give us 2 hours there on the last loop so that we wouldn’t have to push it. We started out pretty good once Shawn eased into the pain of her feet. We said good-bye to each section of the course as we would not see it again. We had some choice words for some of the sections and blew kisses to others. We were a bit disappointed that the first aid station was closed when we went through. They had water out and a few snacks but it would have been nice if there was someone there to say, “way to go.” We were pretty sure we were in last place but we didn’t care. We had left with another guy and had just passed him before hitting the aid station. We would see him again later as we took our time finishing. During the climb to the section that lead to the field right before the Heaven’s Gate aid station, we passed a fellow 150 mile runner. He was struggling and was sitting down as we passed him. We let him know that there was one other behind and tried to encourage him to get to the finish. He didn’t care who passed him, of course, and was focused on finishing, which he did right behind us. We went by the HG aid station per normal and waved to the workers who were busy tearing down the station. We struggled down to the loop and finished with the mud and uphill climb into our last aid station. We didn’t really need anything to eat but longed for some encouragement. We got there and they had a pony keg of Heineken beer. Shawn gladly took a cup as did 2, 100 mile runners who also came through at that time. We all said cheers, drank up and headed out to finish the course. Before we left I asked how long we had to finish. We had 1:55 left. No problem. We took it REAL slow and comfortable through the last sections of the course. Right before we hit the last creek crossing Erik, the guy who headed out with us on this loop, caught us and was moving way too fast for someone who had covered 148 miles. We wished him well and continued at our pace. We counted down the trail signs and blew a kiss to the “1” sign as we went by. As we approached the field that lead to the finish, I asked Shawn if I could hold her hand as we crossed the line. She was hesitant as she thought she would fall and pull me down with her. I said that would be fine and we finished as planned together. We finished in 51:16:30 – with plenty of time left. Ironically, it was very close to the time we had allotted for ourselves albeit minus 1 long nap.

I held Shawn in my arms and kissed her as we finished. I wanted to lay down right there on the finishing mat, roll up into the fetal position and suck my thumb, “mommy!” But I didn’t. Andy came over and congratulated us. He was happy to see us finish. Jess was there as well to take some pictures as was Van and Ken, who also took some pix. Andy commented on how alert I seemed to be. I’m not sure what that means but I always seem to be alert in these races and people always make that comment. I half way expected to be punchy at the end of this one but I had a lot of energy throughout.

Shawn and I did well with eating and drinking and never really had stomach issues. She was drinking coffee during the night times and I stayed away so that my stomach wouldn’t get too acidy. I did drink the frapps which was enough caffeine for me. On the first night I mistakenly put GU2O in my hydration pack instead of water. I thought it would be ok but after half a loop started dry heaving. I told Shawn that I felt fine and could only think that the GU2O was the cause. At the HG aid station, I dumped it out and filled with fresh water. I never had issues after that.

The aftermath:

We drove to the hotel, took a shower and a short nap before heading out to dinner with the others. I ate 2 dinners that night … I was soooo hungry. The next day it was raining sideways again on the way to the airport. The drive was not fun but we made it to the airport on time to catch a quick meal and get on the plane. Everyone’s feet were swelling but mine the worst. I was worried about it as I had to get on a flight to India Wednesday evening.

The next day I emailed Lisa Bliss and asked her what I should do. She said forget about the aspirin as that wouldn’t help but instead have someone push the water out of my feet and up my legs. Then put on some compression socks. Shawn did a wonderful job of getting the water moved up my legs and I put the socks on. That seemed to do the trick. I continued to wear the socks through the night. I put them on again before heading to the airport to catch my flight to India. I did better than expected on the flight but my feet were a bit swollen again by the time I arrived in country.

Now late Saturday night, I hope to run a bit tomorrow if I can get up early enough to avoid traffic and the heat.