I had already run over 21 miles and my stomach had almost revolted when I tried eating a short while ago. Yet I continued on. I did not have time to sit and rest until I felt better.
I had to figure out a way to keep moving despite it being
difficult keeping the food down. I also had a major climb ahead of me that
would sap some of my energy. I was feeling like crap. However, I was thinking
that this was a perfect run for me precisely because I was miserable. That is
because I needed to be challenged and pushed if I wanted to complete my upcoming
challenge in a few weeks.
When I run a trail race the one thing I always try and focus
on is being present in the moment. Enjoying the trail, maybe snapping a few
photos to document the beauty of the course. Trail running has taken me to
parks that I would never have visited without entering a race. It is a belief I
have in life as well: Be present in the moment. Sometimes we dwell on the past
and fret about the future, and do not enjoy the present.
Try as I might, I couldn’t quite keep that “present” feel on a recent trail ultra marathon. It was the Spring on the Trail 12 Hour Race. The race is located in the Hudson Valley region New York State. It is a beautiful course and I did snap a few pictures, but at times my mind was more than 2,300 miles away on the South or North Kaibab Trails of the Grand Canyon. These are trails my feet have never transversed—yet. In a few weeks I will be doing the Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim, a distance of between 43-47 miles depending on your route.
I signed up for the race in the Hudson Valley to get in
almost the same amount of miles as the Grand Canyon, but I got more than I
bargained for. It was more difficult than I anticipated partly because I didn’t
study the course enough and partly because things just go wrong in ultra races.
What surprised me about the course was how much elevation it
had. (Of course, had I studied it, it would have been apparent.)
There was an elevation rise of almost 600 feet per loop and
I would end up doing fourteen loops. That’s more than 8,000 feet of climbing. Those
600 feet of elevation were packed into about a mile and a half climb. This long
climb, while much shorter than the two long climbs I would do at the Grand
Canyon, was about as good as it gets in my area to train for long vertical
climbs. Since this was a loop run I did not really need to take in the views
every time. I could pretty much put my head down and pretend I was at the Grand
Canyon doing those two long steep ascents. I was pretty good on these climbs,
moving rather steadily even after forty miles.
Yet that mistake on my part was a blessing because it was
great training for the Grand Canyon run. Even my digestive issues around
halfway through were a blessing. I had to figure out how to keep moving when
eating was nearly impossible. While on this race I had an aid station plus my
own food at my car, at the Grand Canyon the only fuel I will have is what I can
carry with me on the run. I had been eating something small every six miles or
so but then made a mistake by skipping a meal and trying to eat more to make up
for it.
It was also warm day, and then I ate a warm, almost hot
pickle at the aid station. Normally pickles can provide a runner with
much-needed sodium but this one made me feel queasy. I just walked a bit and
ran slowly till my stomach settled down. Lesson learned: Don’t eat a pickle
that that has been sitting in the sun after running over 20 miles.
I finished my thirteenth lap and had time for the
fourteenth. While I was running this lap, I met a woman who was on the same lap
as me. She decided not to do another lap because she had a long ride home. I thought
about my Grand Canyon run and realized that there was no option to cut a run
short. As I came to this last lap the weather had changed dramatically. It was
much colder and began to rain, plus it was getting dark. I was almost gleeful
that I had to put on my rain gear and a head lamp. I knew on my Grand Canyon
Run I would need to run with my headlamp, so I was happy to take it out. While
I don’t anticipate a cold rain at the canyon, it is possible, plus running in
miserable weather is always a good training practice.
My legs were tired. My body was wet from the rain and sweat.
My stomach was still a little off. It was dark and I needed my headlamp to pack
up. I had a long ride home—almost two hours in heavy rain. However, I was very
happy with my performance and felt ready for the Grand Canyon. I covered about
the same amount of ground as that run in eleven and a half hours.
My putting my head down and plowing ahead made me faster. There
was one other lesson on this run. At one point at a beautiful overlook after
about ten loops I decided to walk out away from the trail to take a picture.
Previously it had been crowded with day hikers. After I took a couple of photos
and as I headed back I saw this man-made mini altar. It had a Buddha in the
middle, a golf ball, painted rocks, a rainbow heart, and other interesting
trinkets. I laughed and took a picture.
Lesson learned. Yes, it is important to plow ahead on a physical quest, but one
should take the time and be present in the moment or you might miss
something. I vowed that when I am in the
Grand Canyon, I will not blindly push on but take moments to stop and take it
all in.
