Sweat Hot Oklahoma

Another race report and philosophical update. I’m writing this for me. I do sometimes go and read my old blog posts years later.

Post-race: the morning after, I felt exhausted, like I had done a really long run. The numbers for my race don’t indicate that I at all went to the edge of my training envelope. But based on how I felt the next day, I know that the heat (99F humidex) metabolically wrecked me, and my brain was near shut down. I hadn’t sweat like that since I left Texas Gulf Coast. Kansas City is a much easier kind of humidity to take.

Pre-race: I signed up for a 12 hour race. My desire was to practice the mental fortitude necessary to stay on course for 12 hours. But as I watched the weather and how hot it would be, I realized that I couldn’t stay on course for that long. So I asked the race director to move me to the 6 hour race.

The drive to the small Oklahoma town (near Bartlesville) sucked. Apple Maps sent me to Bartlesville via the shortest way, but that’s all two lane. I had to continually risk my life passing trucks and slow cars. I vowed to go back by the interstate, even if it is longer because it is four lanes. Much less stressful. Also, the interstate would avoid Olathe, Kansas, where the traffic is annoying.

However, I did arrive at my destination in one piece. Success number one: I actually got out of my rut and drove to a race. I didn’t quit before I even got started. I didn’t sleep much due to a loud hotel air conditioner, and my usual pre-race stress.

Race: Success number two: I actually made it to the race start line, even though I didn’t sleep. Those Oklahoma ultra-runners are pretty damn serious. The tent setups along the track were elaborate. I just had a chair and a cooler. The race was on a 3.25 mile loop course, with aid at the start and water at about 1.7 miles in. The temperature was around 75F with humidity. At 6 am, the sun was not yet up.

The first 11 miles I ran went really well. I was rested and pain free and I was taking advantage of running before it got too hot. But then I thought, “If you are going to stay at this race for more than a half marathon (the end of this lap), you better slow down” so you don’t overheat. It was beginning to feel real hot since it was now about 8:30 am. So, I started to add walk breaks. 2×1 is two minutes jog and one minute walk. That is my ultra-pace. Every time I got to my chair in the start area, I drank some Pedialyte. I was also taking Endurolyte salt pills periodically. I was carrying two 10 oz flasks and refilled these with Skratch drink or water, as needed.

I finished that lap and began lap 4. I was doing 2×1 and I felt hot. My brain got busy again and said, “At the end of this lap, you will have 16.6 miles. That is my definition of a long run. Should we stop there?” Well, I realized that I had arrived at my mental challenge point. I wasn’t yet overheated and my feet felt fine. The challenge was to start lap 6. And I did. I took an ice water sponge bath at the start area, refilled my bottles and grabbed a bag of Skratch chews, and walked off on lap 6. It was too hot to run so I was walking. By the time I got to the 1.7 mile aid station, I had finished off the two water flasks, and the water wasn’t helping. As I walked the 1.6 miles back to the start area, finishing lap 6, my brain was talking to me. I was too hot. In hindsight, I think my brain was out of fuel and my body metabolism was going into heat-related exhaustion. I couldn’t think of a good reason to walk another lap. So, I quit after lap 6, 19.9 miles, 4.5 hours elapsed time. My moving time was 4 hours, 10 minutes, which I am happy with. I failed at staying on course for 6 hours but succeeded at listening to my body.

The drive home was peaceful, as I drove the interstate. A thunderstorm in the vicinity of Kansas City washed my car.

Yesterday, Monday after the race, I reflected on the past few months. Since May 1, I’ve devoted myself to The Great Virtual Race Along the Trace, and Back Along the Trace, 1,262 miles in total. I finished the virtual race in Oklahoma. I no longer have the need to accomplish tons of miles hanging over my head. Also, as I thought about my Oklahoma experience, I realized that I don’t want to do a 50 mile race. I’d rather do a 50k race really well, or a half marathon really fast. But I don’t feel like doing the pain of 50 miles. I accept that I’m not Sally McRae or Courtney Dauwalter or Camile Herron. I get excited about beating other old ladies in half marathons, not being in pain, and wondering if I just did show-stopping damage to myself. So, I pulled the trigger on my 50 mile race in September, downgrading to the 50k.

Seemingly unrelated, I just changed the company I’m using for my home and auto insurance. I buttoned up that deal on Monday. And then, I found out that I got the job at the hardware store. Yes, I applied for a job again. Maybe this is a fun place to spend my afternoons or not. We’ll see. It’s not about the money since I again have more money this month than last. But my life seems to have come to a fork in the road and I took it. I’m at the start of a different experience and ethos. That is exciting.