"So let's go there, to that place where
We sing these broken prayers. where the light shines through
The wound is where the light shines through"- Switchfoot
I Love Ultra running because it strips us of modern day comforts and gets down to the essentials...Can you go the distance? Do you have what it takes? Shoes, shorts, water bottle, GO!!...
Well, on this day we needed a few more layers! I rode the emotional roller coaster of being waitlisted for an event before, at possibly my favorite event, the Wapack 21.5 spring race...I didn't get in...But this time around, I got a spot! After an awesome fall campaign, I really doubted if I had enough fitness, or enough energy left in the tank for one more race...gulp... the farthest of my racing season!
But, as a survivor of a NDE (Near Death Experience) and a person with a chronic disease, I have vowed, that in my life, when opportunity comes-a-knockin' I'll answer it!! With all I've got!
So my lovely wife booked us a B&B closer to the event, we had some dinner and shopping and went to bed preparing for a long day ahead- My wife loves sleep and hates mornings, so she is an absolute angel in putting up with my "Ultra habit", so of course, I got up earlier, let her rise at her own pace and we were off to Stoneham, MA, site of the 2016 TARC Winter Ultra-
I was bummed my uncle couldn't come (he lives in the same town), but I had AMAZING support with one of my best college buddies (Evan, guiatrist at our wedding), my main man Eric coming down to pace me on the last lap (He's become quite the runner in his own right) and of course, Jac to keep the knuckleheads in line and help me cover some 40 miles with just my TNF shorts and SALMING Elements shoes (sponsor plug, you've gotta try these shoes)!!
First lap was good- I passed every runner in the field...except one- Shoutout to Patrick Caron who is a young runner with great passion and Elite speed...but it didn't helped that I spent the first few minutes in the porta-john (long drive, extra coffee, you know).
Second lap was a little more casual, solid effort, legs started to notice the terrain, but energy was still high- Now the interesting thing about the race was that you could choose which direction you went on every loop- after hearing the leaders went right, I ended up staying right the entire way (I am a creature of habit)! this lap was when I started to encounter some issues- Mostly with low bloods sugar! I grabbed a bunch of candy at the halfway aid station and doubled up my gels, but I still slowed and lost time due to low sugars (legs felt ok at this point). As I headed into the turn-around, I looked at Jacqui and Eric and thought, "maybe one more lap, the 32miler sounds nice"- But knowing Eric was going to join me on lap 5 and the fact that my gels finally kicked in, I rallied for an ugly, but solid 4th lap-
Once Eric joined me for my last lap, I knew we were all but home free! I was eager to show him the course, but it quickly became apparent I didn't have much left in the tank. After a few low spots, we reached halfway aid, and after a few swigs of coke, we were off to the last section of the race. Eric did a great job in his first time pacing and helped me drag all that was left out of my tired brain and legs. As we crested the last hill before the home stretch, I surprised him by running the whole thing and we fell into a nice 8minute mile pace "sprint" for the last 200 yards or so...
A kiss for Jac, a hug for Evan and Eric, a nice "yeti" ornament for second place (Ultra running is all about the Benjamins, kids) and I was ready to eat Every and ANYthing in site! I love sharing my world of trail and ultra adventures with friends and it means so much to me to have friends out there like last Saturday.
I also dedicated this race to my cousin Chad. He passed away this fall and his birthday would have been Sunday. Chad lived with a disease that affected the mitochondria in ones body, the same mitochondria all of the runners used every minute of the race and probably had no idea how important these cells are to everyday activity, to life itself. I Hope I could honor Chad with my performance and I also Hope to become involved with foundations that help raise awareness for his disease in the future- We Love you and miss you Chad Baker. Your perseverance through living with mitochondrial disease makes running 40miles seem like a walk in the park.
Thank you to Salming running for supporting me with amazing road and trail shoes and clothing! Thank you to all my friends and family for helping at various races and changing social plans based on my needing to run to the cookout, etc.
And finally, time to turn in the racer buff for a Race Director hat- Get ready for what promises to be the biggest and craziest Winter Wild yet- 9 mountains, one winter fun run...all in the spirit of Chad Denning and adopting an Active Lifestyle for generations to come-
Thanks for tuning in and we'll see you on the slopes!
@TeamAMP@Winter Wild@Explore4Chad@SalmingRunningNorthAmerica
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