Day 17: I packed this morning and drove to Wakefield, MA for the 12 hour Around the Lake. I didn't know what to expect as I have never been to Wakefield, and was a little nervous. Traffic was pretty bad, so I am glad I left the house by about 1:15 to ensure adequate traveling time for the 7pm start. This was my first of two races this weekend, and I have been nursing a sore left ankle since Memorial Day. I actually haven't done anything more than a 10 mile run since Memorial Day, so I was planning on using this race as a long training run to start getting in shape for the 50 miler in September. I want to do at least 4 x 20+ milers before then. The Wakefield Inn/Clarion Inn looks kind of straight out of the 70s. Set right along Lake Quannapowitt and a beautiful view though. The race was slated to start right at 7 with four races starting at the same time: Marathon, 12 hour relay, 12 hour race, and 24 hour race. We would all do a ~.8 loop and then start the 3.17 loops after that so that people could all receive a marathon time. I always love people watching at races - you truly see some amazing characters. I stretched and read some more of Scott Jurek's book. Absolutely love it! Drank about half a bottle of Powerade before going to the line. Heard directions and then got ready for the start. I realized I made a rookie mistake; the veterans of this race know exactly where to park so that they have access to their vehicle at the start of every loop, rather than the end. As this is a timed race and placing is determined by distance, then time, with no incomplete laps counting, I was thinking to myself - this could be bad. In truth I had set expectations outside the expected realm of possibilities for my current physical state I suspect. After having been laid up in bed for nearly 28 hours with that awful stomach bug at the start of the week, I had to reevaluate my game plan and strategy. This was not a PR race - the loop was too big for my liking, at nearly 3.2 miles. The weather was too hot and muggy and humid (by about the second or third lap, EVERYONE was sweating as much as me - which was actually reassuring for once, as I am typically the biggest sweater at races). LAPS 1 & 2: Bided my time in the back next to a lot of 12 and 24 hour runners. Saw the marathon runners and relay runners make like jackrabbits and just take off . There was a lone 12 hour runner out there, but I wonder if he had different motives - the marathon had sold out before the 12 hour, so for only 20 bucks more if someone had wanted to they could pay to do the ultra and run just the marathon (an option that I would later take them up on as started to feel the effects of severe dehydration). At the last minute I had to change my shoes, as my trusty YELLOWS, the KomodoSports I have worn for well over a year and the ones that I have run all my marathons and ultras this year in, finally seemed at the end of their lifespan - plenty of tread on them, but the rubber on the bottom of the big toe had a huge gash exposing the bottom of my toe to whatever would be in the road any time I pushed off. (I saved them though to wear for the Color Run - a really great race to send a pair of shoes out in I think.) Saw my friend Fran Libasci who I first met at the double indoor marathon in February. She too was "crazy" enough to do both of them last year, and I believe we have both signed up to do them again in 2013. She is a 50 stater and recently finished her 100th marathon. So this was a piece of cake for her. She was looking really great when I saw her on lap 2. She has such a great attitude about the sport and I look up to her. LAPS 3 & 4: I ran all of lap 1 to get one lap under my belt, and then lost track of lap two, but ended up running almost all of that one too. I stopped for the first time at the start of lap 3, making sure to refill both of my water bottles - I was trying to drink 48 ounces of fluid per loop. There was an aid station at the starting line and another that was located about 1/2 way around the lake. I preferred this one, though it had no solid food, only because it was manned by kids and they were so funny. So awesome to have parents let their kids volunteer at a race like this! One downer that I did not like was that you could not fill your own bottles. I prefer to move into aid stations, with my bottle open, and just fill it and go instead of trying to track down a volunteer to go behind the table. By now the bugs were out in full force and I swallowed a couple dozen gnats I think as I made my way around the far side of the lake. The relay runners had already lapped me twice and the leaders of the marathon were getting ready to finish by the time I finished lap 4. Truly amazing how fast some people can run. One day perhaps.. LAPS 5 & 6: Stopped at my car to text Emm and give an update - Was really starting to get dehydrated. I felt like I could not stop sweating, but no matter how many bottles I drank of HEED, Water, and even Coke, I couldn't get myself to pee. (I actually would not pee for nearly 18 hours after the race, despite flooding my system with liquids). I started to do some walking and used my Fenix E21 flashlight on the really dark spots. Between miles 1.5 and 2.5 there are some really tricky footing on the sidewalk, but what I really like is that there's a nice single track dirt path that people have worn into the grass (more like crazy ultra runners that run loops around this lake). I made use of this for the last three loops. By now it was nearly 11pm at night and people were driving by shouting words of encouragement. I saw a runner go by who has set the World Record for most marathons run by a disabled vet. This was his 141st marathon! Wow! LAPS 7 & 8: By these last laps, the pomp and fanfare was gone, most of the marathoners had cleared out, but there was still music and words of encouragement from people waiting for their runners in the parking lot. I was feeling cooler, but still could not get my fluid intake regulated. I started thinking about why I'm out here running - to have fun, stay healthy and build towards loftier goals (Hancock 50 miler and BayState Marathon in October). With the Color Run on the horizon in the morning, I decided that a marathon was enough and that I would try to take a nap in the car and then drive down in the morning; I collected my medal and alerted race officials that I was not going to finish the race, but that I had had a lot of fun, and then made my way to the car in the parking lot. I tried to take a nap, but couldn't. My car is too small for my big frame to spread out, and I ended up napping for five or ten minutes then waking up for an hour, then falling asleep again. I woke at 6am and drove down to Essex Community College to meet Lindsay and Emm for the race. So would I run Around the Lake 12 hour (or even the 24 hour) again? Yes. Will I make sure to have a stronger game plan? You bet. And hopefully I will not come down with a nasty stomach bug just a couple days before the race! All in all a fun race, and I wore my CEP compression shorts after it and I am convinced that they work miracles. I have no lower leg pain, and just a little soreness in the quads. Watch out 12 hour in 2013. I will be back! (Total of 26.22 in 5:41:35)
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