Believe to Achieve

  Official Race Report: Okay I am ready to try again. 615 am picked up good friend and speedy runner Melanie from Lehi Park and Ride. Drove 70 miles to Antelope Island, picked up pre-race bag at entrance (Brrrr as we got out of the car to get them, a little worried and sleepless). Drove to race start and parked. It was 730 am. Thirty minutes to start. Quickly got things together and waited in potty line and talked about what we should wear or not wear. I kept on my wisk moisture away turtle neck and long sleeve tech shirt with long nylon winter pants. Okay enough of the boring pre race stuff.

New trail made the last year so we got to start closer to the actual trail instead of run on the dirt road/parking area. However we started immediately running up hill for 3.5 miles. Oh yah!!! Then down for almost a mile then back up for almost a mile (Steep here) when we walked about .3 miles of it. Our plan was to take it easy the first loop. Didnt want to die the second loop. I have run the 25k two other times and felt I would never want to run the loop twice ever. Apparently that message never made it to my long term memory. Okay back to the course...got to the rest area (only one that you hit twice, like a figure eight, then at the finish, so total of five aide stations that we stopped at for 1 to almost two minutes each). The next part is down hill for two miles then comes the uphill rockie terrain and the switchbacks for another two to three miles. Oh yah!!! Melanie and I talked the entire first loop. Like hey this is easy no problem. Hope we feel this good the second loop. Passed several people in our glory. Actually stayed ahead of them the entire race.

Got to the halfway mark in 2:35. Took our longest break and took a deep breath and said "lets go do it" "we're all over it". We are feeling pretty good after 16 miles. Side note: a 50K translates to 31 miles but much to our surprise it was really 32 to 32.1 miles on everyone's individual garmins, didn't have one, glad for that, didn't need that mental trauma. Anyway. Loop two I am feeling strong on the uphill and thank Cedar Hills and 1100 North for that. They kept me honest. Hill runs are a necessity for a trail run. Melanie had been doing treadmill runs and the difference was my strength on the uphill. However Melanie is speedy downhill. Like really. 1:30 at Moab. So I figure I better stay strong on uphill so we could end up together in the end. We get to the 2nd loop first aide (remember the figure eight) and take off down the hill and the shin splints hit. They were hitting on the last downhill but I got to walk a bit on the uphill like the first loop so I thought the pain would go away, but oh no it did not. I am trying to find some inner strength here and Melanie is zooming down the hill, me close behing but in pain. Great I am gonna hit a wall and we are at about 23 miles here and have the switch backs and rockie uphill to get thru. I am saying a mantra over and over and telling Melanie about my shins. I stopped myself and decided to change the negative energy to positive, focus Julie, focus, one leg in front of the other, no pain, no gain, just keep running and the finish line will come. I got in some brain numbing zone but my lungs were burning like I couldn't breath deep, asthma-like. I simply said "too bad lungs I ain't stopping for you either" and if my heart even thinks about skipping more beats it may as well just sing a different tune, I am running and that is final. I am not going to die I am going to push myself. IPod music blaring and I don't care about what song is playing just as long as I can occasionally hear the music.

Oh but of course three sets of five horses come trudging along the narrow trail hogging the path...excuse me I am on mile 26 here (a guess) like could you get more in my way? Instead of thinking of this as an excuse to stop I keep running but I have to go off trail into bigger rocks to jump over and that is some feat considering the heaviness of my legs and the burning muscles that are screaming at me. Too bad muscles it has to be this way. Oh I get by the ranch-dudes just fine huffing a little more and then I reach for my water bottle wrapped around my back and lazy footing causes me to go flying thru the air with the greatest of ease (kidding here, it was painful, hands scraped and one bloody and hip yelling for help, near chin split, alleluyah). A few PG-13 explatives and I was on my feet, brushing myself off while running hoping my new running pants for the winter were intact (they were amazingly). The fall got my adrenaline going even though I ached in more spots now so I just kept going angry at myself for not being more watchful. Now I was. No way was that going to happen again. Melanie and I got further apart but knowing her I was sure she'd speedily find me on the last of the gradual downhills to the finish. The pain of stopping was just as painful as running so I figured I'd better run to get to the finish faster. Mind over body. I love this kind of sick masochism. My left knee and leg were just dragging me down. Like my back was out of whack. Come on leg like give in already, a few miles to go. It just wouldn't listen. It intended to be the thorn in my side. I didn't dare pick the pace up too much near the end because it was rockie and steeper downhill and my memory of the last fall kept me at bay.....no women near in front and none as far as the eye could see in back...so I just stayed steady and crossed the longed for finish line with such gladness...it was over. I did it.

I worked two night shifts in a row (Wed and Thurs) and miraculously mother nature made it a perfect weather day and I ran, for myself, a pretty good first time ever ultramarathon. What could I do if I actually got to sleep this week? I am amazed at the power of the mind. One thought could put you under and one thought could put you over the top. That is running. All about the mind controlling the body. After years of running, I realize that one true fact. Treat the body though, it can't take daily punishment no matter how thoughtful you are. Sleep necessary, eating well necessary. Positive attitude, necessary. Pace 10:06 (including the five stops). 2nd in age category and fifth overall for women. Congrats to all attempted and/or finished this awesome run.