Chafing the Dream

Judging by the way I've been feeling and moving around (slooowly), one would assume I had one helluva rager weekend. And in a way, it was. But this one included camping, running and one sharp medal (literally).  It was the Ragnar Northwoods. It was everything that I thought it would be -- no sleep and madness. Alright, maybe it was due to lack of sleep that made it seem like madness.

 

I drove in and dropped my gear off before driving up another 3 miles ahead to park my car in a field.  Once I took the shuttle back, I met up with my teammates (who were awesome enough to carry my gear to the campsite!).  I only knew our captain but I have to admit, he did a great job of recruiting  a    wonderful group of runners.  

After we cheered on our first runner, I decided to grab some dinner.  I was the last runner and wanted to get those last minute carbs in before my leg started.

I wandered around the village and got lost amongst the crowd.  There was the gear tent (thank God I didn't have my money on me at the time), REI tent, Salomon shoe area where you could test out a pair on a loop, tech charge area, hammock villages, camp fire, etc...

And 3 TV screens that showed each team/runner that was coming around the 1/4 mi mark (back to the village). This is when you get in the transition tent and wait for your runner and embark on your own loop.

(Almost) everyone watching for their team's name on the screen.

 I attempted to get some rest but since I wasn't familiar with everyone's pace and an unknown trail on top of that, I was too nervous about missing my turn and making the other runner wait for me.  We cheered on our runners until it started getting dark.  I listened to the others talk about their loops and got an idea of each trails.  There are 3 different loops: green (easy), yellow (intermediate) and red (difficult).

REI handing out hot coffee

Around 11pm, my turn came up. By then, I was tired and chilled. But looked forward to trail running in the dark - I love running with just the headlamp on and zoning out.  My body shook in the cold temps while watching the screen.  I warmed up a few times by the bonfire and tried to distract myself from the cold by watching the movie they were showing - Indiana Jones.

Finally, got in the transition tent, got my yellow loop wristband on and once my teammate handed me the bib belt, I was off!  Because of my previous weekend's disasterous DNF due to ITB issues, I was more than nervous about this run.  After warming up the first mile, I got into a groove and ran hard.  It was a bike trail so there were lots of bends and the usual trail obstacles (rocks, roots, etc).  Towards the end of the loop, I came across a girl who was just standing there.  I asked if she was ok and she said "Oh my God, I thought it was an animal coming this way." Cool, thanks.  There were actually a lot of people that were genuinely scared of running in the dark, based on conversations with other people there.

The loop was not 4.7 miles but rather 5.5 miles.  By mile 4, I couldn't ignore the cramping in my stomach. I'd realized halfway through that I hadn't eaten since my dinner (around 5pm) and I neglected to bring my gel with me.  It was a catch 22 - I could just run faster and harder to get to the finish so I can eat. But that caused more cramping... but the slower I ran, the longer it would take to refuel.

The village. Mess hall to the right, transistion & everything else up ahead.

I saw the "one mile to go" mark and was pissed.  I should be done by now!! As I continued, I heard the crowd at the village and kicked it up for a strong first leg finish.  I handed off the bib to the next runner and immediately found a place to throw up.  Except my stomach was empty so I deliriously shuffled my way to the campsite, about 1/2 mile away.

Hard ginger ale & choc chip cookie. Delicious mistake.

Since I didn't have a cup handy to drink the hot chocolate they had available by the village, I decided a beer and cookie was a good substition. Sugar and carbs, right? They tasted delicious.  I dozed off in the tent for about an hour and woke up chilled to the core (hadn't changed my clothes) and nauseous.  I went out by a few of the other teammates and tried to eat & hydrate while bundled up like a taco in my sleeping bag. I tried to hydrate with Cocogo & consume some tortilla chips (it was all I could handle).  I dozed off on the chair, only to wake up in daylight -- and freaked out.  "Oh shit, oh shit!!" I threw off the sleeping bag, removed the layers of clothing, frantically searching for my handheld and as I headed to the village, I finally noticed the sharp pain in my inner left knee.  I must've slept with my legs crossed- damn it!

Tents. Tents everywhere! Walk all the way up, turn right and walk some more to the village.

I checked the transition tent to see if our runner was waiting on me (he wasn't). I was glued to the screen for a good chunk of time before a few of my teammates came down to the screen area.  I explained what happened but they were sure I hadn't missed him.

Warming up after my 2nd loop. 

My 2nd loop was miserable.  My nausea would turn into cramping and the lack of sleep was hitting me hard.  I tried to focus on the trails. By then it was light out and I was running on the green loop.  I took so many walk breaks because I didn't trust my stomach.  I hated that I was taking so long while another runner was waiting for me. But I finished out the 3.5 miles - again, realizing I'd forgotten to fuel up before this loop.

There was no more sleeping after I got back to the campsite.  I felt like a zombie but must've gotten a second wind because I was busy packing up my gear so I wouldn't have much to do after I did the final leg. Ate some potatos for breakfast, hung out at the campsite until it was time to head down for the 3rd loop. This time, I brought 2 gels. One to consume while waiting and the other for the trail.

Hot breakfast. They didn't have the eggs and such, as promised.

My last loop was my favorite. It took a few miles to get into it, as my nausea persisted.  But then the technical part of the trail came along and I was in my element. I don't even care if it's uphill - if there are rocks to jump over, roots to avoid and possibility of falling and cracking my head, I'm running!
I did walk a few parts - the boring, grassy areas and mud.  So much mud that I can't believe there were runners doing this in the dark!  (From what I heard, there lots of slips and falls during the night).

Mess hall. 2 TV screens ahead.

I sent a picture of the "one mile to go" marker to my teammates so they knew I was almost there.  I took my earbuds out once I got close so I could only hear the cheering from the finish and again, kicked it up to meet up with my teammates near the finish so we could cross together.

What a high!! I handed over my red wristband, traded in the race belt for our medals and we got our finisher pics.  On one hand, I was beyond relieved to be done. But that meant it was over... no more camaradarie with other runners. Back to reality.

I packed up my tent and sat, waiting for the shuttle to bring me back to my reality.  Reality wasn't so bad when I stopped to grab some Rocky Rococo's - that's all I craved. My body must've needed those greasy, cheesy calories as I soon felt better. (But not so great that I thought I could handle Culver's custard - I don't usually eat a lot of dairy to begin with).

My glamorous camping attire when not running.

All throughout the loops, I kept thinking "I'm so raced-out". It was my 3rd one this month and I was so over it.  I even decided to put off my full ironman until 2018. I wanted to just enjoy running and maybe put the focus on my 50ks (besides the Chattanooga 70.3 again in May). But the last 2 days have been low.  I'm sure I'm still recovering from the chaos of the weekend but also a little bit of that post-race low you get after running on adrenaline and the beautiful runner's high for the last few weeks.

With that said, I'm doing my best to enjoy my little rest time.  I have the Chicago marathon coming up in a few weeks and my goal is to not injure myself before/during that time as I did the last time I ran Chicago!  For now, a lot of yoga and hydration :)

Namaste ~

Dye