Chimera 100 mile: DNF.
I knew it going in, I knew it was very unlikeliy I would be able to pull of 100 miles with the injury I have been nursing along since the Bear 100 six weeks previous. Problem was, I had signed up, and in doing, had encouraged my buddy Cory Johnson to signup with me. I was committed to at least making the trip and seeing how it went.
My goal when I signed up was to get myself more comfortable with the 100 mile distance. I wanted to get one more under my belt this year. One more race that I had no real expectations about and no real plan going in, just show up run, take it easy and get it done. I needed to get my head past the some of the fear and overwhelm that seems to acompany the distance for me.
I may have only run 23 miles on Saturday, but I still feel like the goal was accomplished. I think I got there in a couple of ways. First, my head was in the game, I was relaxed, I was focused. I packed my drop bag in 10 minutes the night before the race, no second guessing, no 3 hours of laying out gear and trying to decide what and how to pack. No splits, no pouring over maps and elevations, just stuff some gels in my pockets, take some water and go run a 100 miles.
I knew the injury would play a role, but I had every intention of finishing if it would allow, but was unwilling to push it into further injury if it acted up in a signifigant way. The first 20 mile of the course was a loop back to the start/finish so the plan was to run that far and see how everyhting felt.
From the start everything seemed to be lining up for a great race. The weather was perfect, low 50's for a high, partly cloudy with some rain and mist hanging around on the peaks. My body felt great. Legs fresh and springy, nutrition perfect, and the thick, low elevation air was octane in the lungs. I gassed it a bit off the start line and setteled into 3rd place, running comfortably a bit back from second, with the leader getting off the front fast and far. After a mile of pavement, we hit a great single track that would roll mostly downhill for the next nine miles. There were four or five of us prety close togoether with no one else in sight behind. I worried about Cory, where he was and how he was feeling, but I'll get into that in a bit.
I was feeling great, no pain, running comfortable in third when a couple of guys came up behind. I stepped aside and let them go ahead then followed along on an awesome technical trail. The views were incrediable, the terrain very different from what I am used to. Steep green hills dotted with granite boulders, some cactus, lots of low brush, oak trees with fall leaves, really a pretty area.
Shortly after the two guys passed we came blowing into an open little meadow and two race volunteers were shouting 100k turn-around, 100 miles left turn. Just then the two in front of me spun and headed back up trail and I took a left up a slight climb and onto more downhill. Running alone and apparently still in 3rd place. I could hear a couple of guys chatting away behind and above me on the switchbacks, but other than that not a soul in sight.
I knew this section was a lolly pop loop. I thought we would make a big loop back to where the 100k had turned around. So when I ran through a section of trail that had lots of flour arrows and markings I figured it was just to keep us on the main trail and off of a spur trail theat seemed to go left. Wrong. After about a mile to a mile and half I ran into the leader, Dan Barger, coming toward me? I was going the wrong way on the 3 mile loop and had missed a turn in the area with lots of markers. I tunred around and follwed Dan to the correct turn, made the left I missed and settled into the middle of the pack. Amazing how many people pass you when you run nearly 3 miles off course.
I motored along, amazingly not frustrated or upset at myself at all, kinda laughing at how I might end up running the Chimera 103. With in a half mile or so I came to an aid station and a half mile or so after that I was running again on trail I was seeing for the 3rd time. Shortly after that I setteled into the long, 7-8 mile climb back up to the start/finish area. I was having a great time chatting with runners as I passed and felt great running uphill. I passed Cory through here and he was moving along suprsingly well. After a few miles and passing several people who were smart enough to not miss a critical turn I was again running alone, feeling great, listening to my music and motoring comfortably uphill.
Not long after I started to notice the dreaded and familiar tightness in my inner quad/groin. I knew it was from the uphill and stopped to walk a bit to see if it would mellow out. On the downhill rollers I could already feel ITB pain in my knee. Things got tighter and tighter the further I went to the point I was gritting teeth and hitching my stride to favor the left leg. Next came the familiar pain on the outside of my foot that kicks in when I favor my leg. Wheel had fallen off.
I limped into the Strat/finish feeling absolutley perfect except for the left leg. I stopped at the car and knew I had ot make a descision. Did I have 80 more miles in my injured left leg? Honestly, I probably did. Would it hurt the whole way, yes. Would it cause more damge, almost cretainly. Was I willing to risk that, and to death march it to finish if needed, absolutely not. Could I conntinue on and see how many miles I could get, yes, bu tthat would have left me dropping somewhere a long way from the car and relying on others to get me back, to the start, someting i knew would be irresponsible given how I felt. Descision made, race number off and walked into the race director.
DNFing a race sucks. No matter the reason. This was the second time for me. First one was from starting sick, second from starting injured. Which I hope will be the only reasons I would ever drop from a race. Dropping from loss of a will to finish would be pretty hard to handle. My expectaions for the race were low, but it is still hard to belive the let down that comes from not finishing someting that I started. It is a big deal, and I am glad that I feel that way. I hope I value my ability and the gift it is to be able to get to the start line of these kind of races enough that I will always give it my best shot and feel real let down if it doesn't work out.
Thankfully the sting was lessend by being there to see Cory's courageous and incredialbe performance. The guy is tougher than steel nails. He was so sick Friday on the way to the race he sat silent in the car for hours. He didn't eat anything at all Friday and laid in bed in our room all evening so sick he could barely move. I went out and got him some soup late and I think he ate half the bowl and drank some gingerale.
Race morning I got up and got in the shower, when I asked him how he was all I got was a grunt. When I came out of the bathroom, he was up and dressed in his running clothes and packing his drop bag. He ate nothing for breakfast and sat silent in the car as we drove to the start. He had the same approach as me, start and see how it went. I figured, given his state, it would not go well for him. Walking to the start area, he pulled over an heaved in the bushes, puking hard for a minute or so. While were standing at the start listening to the fianl instructions, he disapeared around the corner and puked again. He stood next to me shivering as the RD counted us down. He not only started, he moved up steadily through the day from the back of the pack to a 7th overall and 23:24 time. A PR for him in any hundred miler, and this one was not an easy race, with 23,000 feet of climb and a good amount of rough trail. I met him at aid stations where I could and his energy and attitude seemed to get better and better the further he went. Really incrediable to see.
Going in to this the only real goal was to get moe comfortable with the distance. I'll call it a success in that regard. Mentally, I was right were I wanted to be going into the start. I felt perfect through 23 miles other than the injury. I had run 23 miles with about 3800 feet of climb in 3:39 minutes, not bad for the start of a hundred and I felt perfect. Disapointing because everything lined up for a great race, weather, attitude, engery, but wasn't to be and that's ok. Seeing what Cory did will affect the way I race from here on out and made the whole trip more than worth while.
Some pics below.
Mile 37, looking up Holy Jim trail in Trabaco Canyon. 4200 ft climb in 7 miles from this point.
I DNF'ed and so did the car. Just outside of Mesquite we blew the engine. It was a rental so no worries and good entertainment. Feel sorry for you if you own a Kia though.
Part of a ghost town along Route 66 on the way down.
Crappy motel in Mesquite ;)
New buddy in Mesquite. Yes I ws glad to ge tthe He!! outa Mesquite.
Kolob section of Zion NP, near the start/end of the Zion Traverse.
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