Disappointing finish for me at the C&O 100 - I dropped at mile 63 with leg issues and a stomach that had been giving me trouble since the day before. It just wasn't my day. Now I find myself second guessing some decisions I made - especially if I started out a bit too fast and didn't walk enough through the first 50. It's a learning experience and I was humbled by the sheer flatness of the course - except for the killer hill at the start/finish. I feared the worst earlier on in the race as my legs felt quickly fatigued in the early stages, although I still felt like I was running strong. by mile 55 though I began to suspect that the repetitive aspect of running the course had taken a toll and my hipflexors and underside of kneecap clamped tight and made running difficult and walking not much better. I was reduced to a sub 25:00 minute pace and began getting chills and still had over 12 miles to go to get my jacket from my drop bag. It didn't help that my stomach rebelled ever several miles causing me to scramble to the bathroom and had been doing so since the beginning of the race (again this started the day before) I had at first put it down to pre -race nerves but as it hadn't subsided at all during the day I knew it was seriously off for the day. Still my fueling was pretty much on for the day and I'm happy with that. Dates, bananas and Lara Bars were the staple with some vegan jerky, and a sandwich thrown in when I began to tire of the sweet food. A handful of almonds worked nicely too. Oh, and miso soup at the half that Matt brought us worked wonders for warming me up and helping me feel ready for the second loop.Very few foot issues other then fatigue for the surface and the little rocks that litter the path - oddly enough this seemed to subside later in the race as it did for Moca too. Maybe we just got numb to the pain. I ran with some great people and got to see some old friends and make new ones. My friend Daniel came to pace me for 30 miles on the second loop and stuck by me for 13 before I dropped. I big thank you to him and great job pacing!
It's a beautiful course and deceptively tough - many started out way to fast and from the looks of things very few of them finished. There was only 49 finishers from the 88 who started.
To be honest I never doubted I would finish - yet when it became obvious my legs were done I felt there was very little I could do. Every bathroom break would cause them to stiffen further from the cooling air and lack of motion and once I sat at the 60+ mile aid station in the I knew for certain there was no going back. Still...I wonder if I could have walked it off. Other then the painful back of kneecap deal that's causing quite a limp and very sore hip flexors I feel fine. It's a mental thing that I still have to process and is a little difficult to come to terms with right now. One thing for certain - I am ready for another long race, and another go at 100. I'm not done.
A big thanks to all the volunteers (they were especially great!) RD Lance Dockery. And special thanks to Matt, Kevin, Daniel, Randy (for being ready!) and Sandy.
Peace,
Eric
No comments:
Post a Comment