The last time I ran a race was December of 2019. A 50K trail run in Bluffton, SC called the Buffalo Run. The reason is not because of COVID 19. It’s because at the beginning of 2020, I was getting ready to sell my house in Bethel Park, PA and move to Hilton Head, SC. After I moved in March, I was running okay, but not really fit because of the house and the move. In May, my mileage finally was where I feel comfortable (70-80 miles per week). However, in June, I broke a bone in my right foot, to go along with the peroneal tendinitis. I started riding a bike, at least 200 miles per week. And finally after six months of no running, I was finally cleared to run on December 4, 2020. The doctor said that the fracture never healed and your foot will be “a pain management issue”, which basically means, run until it hurts.
After the first of the year, I started developing IT band issues on my right side, which were attributed to compensating for my right foot. While only being able to run 25-30 miles per week and working through those problems, I developed achilles tendinitis on my left leg (again, a compensation issue). After a month or so of KT tape and stretching, I was starting to feel the first signs of fitness. My mileage finally climbed over 50/week, then the left IT band started acting up. But with agressive stretching, it wasn’t as bad of a problem as the right one was.
Finally, in May, I felt healthy (as healthy as a 55 year old who runs 80 miles a week could feel) and my weekly mileage cleared 80 miles a week for four out of five weeks. I had runs of 37, 30 and 27 miles. I was ready for my 12 day taper.
The race I was training for is called the Longest Day in Travelers Rest, SC (just north of Greenville). https://runsignup.com/Race/SC/TravelersRest/TheLongestDay100k It is a cross between an ultra circuit race and a last man standing elimination race. 100K race consisting of 31, two mile loops that has to be completed one minute faster than the previous one, starting at 45 minutes and ending at 15 minutes.
Well, with 12 days to go, the tendinitis in my right foot came back and I didn’t run a step for seven days. In the five days leading up to race day, I totaled 15 miles.
We (Melissa and I) arrived in Travelers Rest on Friday evening and set up the canopy tent at the race sight. I ran the “rolling” two mile loop and my foot did not feel right, but I decided to see how it goes on race day. I taped up my foot/ankle and was in the starting corral at 6:30 am, along with 141 other idiots. The start of the race was the least spectacular event that I have ever been a part of. 142 runners walking and slowly jogging so they could finish the two mile loop in under 45 minutes. I completed that first loop in 37:01! The early loops were absolutely boring, I wanted to start running, but none of my perceived competition was running yet. On about lap number seven, I started talking with Cory Evans, a 31 year old from Greenville, SC.
We discussed our strategies and realized that they were very similar. After walking 11 laps, we finally took our first strides, and it felt great. Once the race completed 16 laps (50K), a significant number of runners quit or were eliminated for not completing the loop under the cutoff time. We ran/walked together for the next 14 laps, where we hit the 50 mile mark. Eight runners completed 50 miles and only seven set out on lap 26. Two dropped out immediately (including the top female finisher, Olivia Svacha) and one dropped after finishing the lap, which left four of us in the starting corral for #27.
It was me (age 55), Cory (31), David Sullivan (28) and Tyler Scherbarth (29). I started to think if things go right, the old man has a shot at this one. We started off running at about 8:20 pace and I felt fine, except for all the old man and you’re old enough to be our father jokes. Well, at the top of the “rolling” hill, which was over 100 meters and everyone walked it all day, I tripped on a root or a stump, fell and wrenched my back. I got up with the help of Tyler and started running, but the back told my legs that today was over. I limped in with 54 miles, well over the cut off time of 19:00 and in 4th place. Right after my day/evening was over, I grabbed a Guinness and watched the last three fight it out. Cory finished 3rd after falling on lap 28. David missed the cut off time on #29. Which left Tyler the winner. He attempted lap #31, but soon turned around knowing he wouldn’t make it under the allotted time (15:00).
It was a different kind of race, I enjoyed it when we were finally running. The walking was absolutely horrible which used different muscles that I am not used to feeling sore and beat up the next day (in this case, four days). I don’t think I will compete in anything like this again, unless the early lap times are quicker, so everyone has to run them (even if it is very slowly).
N of 1 Running 