Mind the Ducks 2016

Warning:  This post is really long, kind of like how far I went.  I remember a fellow MRTT momma talking about an Ultra where you run as many 1 mile laps as you can in 12 hours and thought, "that's nuts.  I'd never do something like that and I don't want to."  Well apparently having a kid has made me turn into a nut.  I signed up for MTD.  I would have an almost 10 month old the day of the race.  

In the weeks leading up to the race I made a few lists of things I would like to have the day of the event as well as things I would need.  I decided that if I had a large first aid kit then I wouldn't need it.  That ended up true.  I also packed a bunch of clothes in zip-top bags, labeled and in a clear plastic bin to make finding items easier.  

Checking the weather leading up my amazing parents were at the park at about 5:15am setting up our team Happy Feet tent.  Knowing that I would need to pump a few times during the race (and another momma on our team would as well) we scouted out our spot the day before--next to the bathroom so we could do a quick change of clothes or use the outlet in the bathroom for the pump.  With the winds and rains in the forecast they secured a tarp over our tents (yes, we had 2--an open one and a "camping" one that we could use for changing, pumping, napping babies if the weather was good...).  Being a "high maintenance" runner I did not want a camping chair to sit on for changing shoes because I hate getting out of those.  My dad brought plastic patio chairs from the cottage (and the tent) for us to use.  Did I mention how amazing my parents are?    

When I arrived to North Ponds about 6:15 the tents were up and just needed the tarp over them.  I set up my food/water and organized my gear in the camping tent before sitting down to pump.  I finished pumping, walked out of the tent and over to the start line just as the race was beginning.  Perfect timing.  

I ran the first few miles with fellow MRTT momma Gretchen and chatted away with her.  She made up the word "gooselings," about the baby geese.  I was feeling pretty good and was coming off of some very fast races in the past month (PR at Flower City and a fast 19k at Seneca Falls) so my comfy pace was a little different than hers and we parted ways shortly after a snack break during mile 5.  I knew I would need to make a conscious effort to eat something every 4-6 miles and drink something every lap or every other lap.  My parents stayed with my daughter for the first 2 laps and left for their house to put her down for a nap. 

I was running comfortable and in a fairly consistent zone with a few "hiccups" in my pace re-filling my bottles at my own aid station for the next few laps at a time.  At about mile 18 I was feeling good but made the decision to stop and pump at mile 20.  I grabbed my hand pump and walked the lap pumping so I would at least get some milage in.  While finishing that lap my parents returned with my daughter who was more than ready for a bottle.  Perfect timing!  I changed my clothes since I didn't want to pull my sweaty shirt and sports bra back down.  I request a peanut butter only sandwich at the aid station and they have it ready for me on the next lap.  I also start eating the Weg-O's at this point every few laps.  

 My parents just wanted to stop over quick and check to see if anyone on our team needed anything.  I ended up with a crispy chicken sandwich and fries from Wendy's a few miles later.  I said goodbye to my dad since he had to go to work that afternoon.  My mom would be back after my daughter took her afternoon nap.  We had decided early on that with the chilly windy weather she was better off hanging at their house most of the day instead of at the park.  I opened the orange Circus Peanuts I bought on a whim checking out at Wegman's.  Let's just say that by the end of the day there were 8 of those orange marshmallow things left.

 Not long after they left I finished marathon distance.  I was still feeling pretty good but slowed it down a bit because it was uncharted territory for me.  Mile 29 I stopped to pump--this time in the tent and snacked on some food, changed my shoes.  I could hear it start to rain outside and the wind pick up a bit.  Ugh, what had I gotten myself into.  When I started back running I seriously contemplated calling it a day at 50k.  Everything seemed to hurt and it sucked--worse than what I call the mile 20 suckfest of marathons.  I decided that I would just keep going until my mom came back with my daughter so I wouldn't get all stiff sitting in the tent and cheering.  I told the MRTT mom that I thought was crazy a few years ago that everything hurt and I was pretty sure I'd end up losing my first toe-nail ever.  Guess what, toenails all still intact :) and only a few small blisters on the tips of my pointer toes.

 There were a few very rough miles in there.  I was approaching 35 miles and it kind of stopped hurting.  I mean it was still not pretty but it wasn't getting any worse.  My mom showed up about mile 38 and my daughter started to fuss something fierce so I stopped to pump for  a third time at mile 40--there was no way she was going to nurse from my smelly, sweaty self.  Well, my mom also happened to show up with bacon and chocolate milk.  Oh. My. Word. It was heavenly.

My husband showed up at this point along with my sister and her two boys (2 1/2 and 8 months).  I would stop by our tent and grab a bottle to drink and some food to munch and walk until about the timing mats.  My sister wanted none of that since she had some songs cued up on her iphone that she wanted to play and run along side me.  So I entertained her a bit.  Well, time was approaching 5:30 and I could see my daughter continuing to fuss and squirm something fierce every time I went by the tent.  I decided to call it a day at a double marathon plus a lap for good measure so that I could go home and put her to bed at her usual time of around 6:30 (it ended up being 7 but close).  I grabbed my daughter and walked the last little bit from our tent to the finish line and collected my swag.  At the time it was 53 laps completed but upon reviewing lap splits it was determined a few laps were missed because of my jacket so I totaled up 55 laps.

My favorite is photo and words of "wisdom" come from my sister's facebook post that afternoon.  "My sister looks like this after running 53.4 miles in a day. And that table of food was her fuel. Meanwhile I'm like "I just want ice cream for accomplishing nothing today""  Speaking of food I ended up eating circus peanuts, bacon, pizza, peanut butter sandwich, pringles, fruit snacks, chocolate milk, M&M's, almost 3 bottles of powerade watered down, GuBru, and a lot of water.  

My mom stayed until the end to cheer on the runners--handing out bacon and chocolate milk along with cheers.  My sister went to her house, filled her soaker tub with epson salts and started to make dinner for me since her house is on the way to mine.  I wasn't hungry but the gesture of dinner and that hot bath meant so much to me.  I nursed my daughter and rocked her to sleep.  I know I had more laps in me and somewhat wonder what I could have done but at the same time I wouldn't give up those bedtime snuggles.
I said it would be a one and done for me with an Ultra but now I am already thinking of another one and have been amazed that I've felt worse for wear after a marathon than this.  And if you are wondering about my training, my longest run going into this event was 16 miles but I was averaging 50 miles a week for almost 8 weeks prior.