The day before Zane Grey 50 I received an email that due to weather conditions this year, they would be rerouting the race from the Fish Hatchery (mile 33) to the end. They may even end the race at Mile 33. The forecast was for a cold front that would include rain and cold weather. Maybe even some snow...
I stressed out about whether to change my plans about what I was going to wear (shorts and a tank). My past experience has suggested to me that extra clothing, when wet, is really not helpful. So I was thinking that I should just stick with my shorts. After consulting with other runners and with a good friend, I decided to add arm warmers, change my shorts to tights, and to wear my rain jacket. I knew from past experience that if I kept moving that I can stay warm. I have run in rain before. I have run in cold before. I have run in wind before (also part of the forecast). I have even run in snow before. I could do this.
What didn't really click in my mind is that I haven't ever run in rain, cold, sleet, hail, snow, wind, and on mud. All at the same time. And on a very technical trail. What a treat.
At the beginning of the race things seemed very calm and normal. Not even very cold.
We started in the dark at 5:00 am and I thought well maybe the forecast had been an over-exaggeration, as often it can be where I live...
A few miles in started up with some rain. Not too big of a deal. I was taking an easy pace. Still figuring that I was in for a 50 mile day. I was starting to get cold and my rain jacket isn't great. A $100 rain jacket from Nike a few years ago. It doesn't keep rain out. And my gloves were getting wet all the way through. And it was getting colder. I was glad for the tights I had changed into. Even if it wasn't for the cold, they were protecting me from all the brush crowding me on both sides of the trail.
There was a beautiful sunrise I tried to look at as much as I could while I maneuvered the rocks. The trail opened up to a beautiful sweeping view that I was glad to take in. I was enjoying the views and the woodsy atmosphere and the challenging trail. I like how the trail would wind down down down and take a sharp turn and wind up up up...It was fun and interesting. Sometimes you would run fast feeling like the side of the trail was dropping off the earth...
Before the first aid station (mile 8) I was already soaked through. I grabbed a bunch to eat and put my headlamp and flashlight into my drop bag so as to not carry the unnecessary weight. And then it was on toward mile 17 aid station.
Leaving the aid station I noticed that the trail was getting so muddy. I was dragging a ton of heavy mud on my shoes and stopped to scrape off the some of the mud. I noticed that other people were struggling with heavy muddy shoes also. I was making a strong effort to stay close to people. Speed up or slow down, but don't end up alone. Noah was worried about me doing this race and I promised him that I would put safety above speed or anything else. I followed a group of people up a hill. Then some people behind us yelled that we had blown through a blue ribbon. Blue ribbons were to mark the WRONG way. So a bunch of us yelled up to others who had went off the course "Come back! Wrong way!" And we turned around and took the correct turn. I got called back very quickly and wasn't off course long enough to even feel like I 'got lost' or got off course. I later learned that a couple of people had gotten way off course, and I wonder if that spot was where they took the wrong turn. Blue ribbons were bad, yellow were good. There were several places during the day where I couldn't see the trail and I had to look around until I found a pile of helpful rocks or a yellow ribbon. I have heard in years past that this trail can be tricky to stay on course. So I was doing my best to be alert. I really feel like the trail markings were good. I was comforted to see a yellow ribbon probably every mile....
So the weather took another interesting turn. The rain was getting thicker, slushy, snow and then hail. This happened at least by mile 12 for me. I was running along and sometimes chuckling. Because it seemed a little hilarious...and cool...to be running along in a wicked hail storm. On a Crazy trail. On a crazy day. It somehow all seemed ridiculous, in a fun way. If only my hands and feet weren't so darn cold!!! I kept telling myself to make the most of this coldness. I kept telling myself 'this is your year!' because I do better with cold then heat. All along I had been expecting heat to be what I struggled with at ZG. But here I had this wonderful cold weather. But....my hands and feet were not loving the degree of coldness that was being delivered here.
There was a beautiful misty fog everywhere. Everything about this race was starting to feel surreal. My thoughts went to Princess Bride...Was it just a dream??? So beautiful and fun but so painful.
I came across a runner who asked me to tuck her jacket into the strings in the back of her pack. I was trying to do what she asked but my fingers were so stiff and I couldn't make them be helpful at all. She said never mind and sent me on my way. My gloves were so icy cold. I had my hands in balls inside of my wet gloves, without my fingers in the finger pockets. I wondered if I should take the wet gloves off. I didn't know if it was helpful to have them or not. I knew I was getting close to the 17 mile aid station. I tried to cross a little creek on the rocks but slipped and stepped fully into very cold water. Oh well...my feet were already wet and cold anyway. What did it matter? And then there was a big drop off in the trail and I stepped down cautiously but slipped on the rock and fell and hurt my tailbone. I got up and yelled a bad word and kept going. I started to wonder what I should do at the 17 aid station. Washington Park. I couldn't feel half my fingers and the other half hurt. My feet hurt with the cold. I wasn't at my breaking point. But if I continued on after mile 17...the next aid station was remote and you couldn't even have people drive in to see you there. I didn't think I could conveniently drop there. I kind of figured that the next time you could conveniently get an exit from the race would not be until the Fish Hatchery, mile 33. I knew that my change of clothes was in the drop bag for mile 44. When I thought it would be getting cool for the evening...all my mile 17 drop bag had to offer me was sunscreen, and a cold towel! I definitely didn't need a cold towel. If my guardian angel could just show up with a pair of waterproof gloves...but perhaps my guardian angel was saving me from something in the next miles to come.
At the aid station I waited while a volunteer helped retrieve my drop bag. As soon as I stopped running I turned into a mess of convulsive shivering. I saw MP, who was with me at Aid 8 (Geronimo) also. "How can we possibly get warmed up at this point?" I asked her. She seemed shaken up and was trying to make the decision that we didn't want to make. Her boyfriend told her that she looked "pretty good, better than most..." so off she went! I admired and coveted her toughness. I coudn't make my hands work to get my new gu's out of my drop bag. I looked around for help but everyone seemed so busy and everything was so crazy...I asked one volunteer if there was anywhere we could go to get warm just for a minute...he said that I could go sit in his truck. It took a long time to get my shaking shivering body under control. He moved me to his front seat, which was heated. This helped. He brought me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I saw them start to clean up the aid station. They were about to shut this aid station down soon. Another guy from Pennsylvania was in the truck getting warmed up. He asked the volunteer to tell them that he was dropping. I asked him to tell them that I was dropping too. I knew that I would suffer mental trauma about this decision. And I did. I played it out so many times in my head...if I had just kept going and not stopped then I would've stayed warm enough...but then I wouldn't have any nutrition with me for then next bunch of miles ahead. I wasn't at my breaking point, but would I be in 3 more miles??? I have had a hip injury...if my injury took a bad turn, would I be stuck walking or crawling through the blizzard??? I knew this was the decision I had to make because I had promised Noah that safety would be my first priority.
I sent a bunch of texts through and just one made it to Noah: I'm getting a ride the the fish hatchery. I dropped.
The 2 guys who gave me and Pennsylvania a ride were very nice. They were out there supporting a friend, Dean, who I think finished. They bought me a soda and got me to the fish hatchery. I spent the rest of the day at our friends trailer close to Christopher Creek. I watched movies and snuggled with my kids to stay warm. I always enjoy my time hanging out with my husband and children. But I couldn't help being a little honery because the day had not played out as I had planned. For a few days I muddled over in my mind if I could've done things differently. But then I came across some blog reports from other runners. Runners who had finished the Zane Grey 50k. (They did indeed shorten the race and end it at the Fish Hatchery 33 miles). The blog reports validated my experience. As I read them, I did get the feeling that I had made the right decision. I already knew I had, but now I finally felt some peace about my decision.
I am very glad that I got to experience and be a part of the Epic 2014 Zane Grey. I did get the 25K option. This was a good taste of the brutality and the awesomeness that is Zane Grey. It was the adventure that I long for and crave...experiences beyond the ordinary! Those awesome misty foggy foresty trails I will not forget. I will return and next time I will get more than 17 miles. It might be too much to say that I've found my calling in life....but I do feel that I have a mission to complete this race! It calls to me! It haunts me! It tantalizes me! I see why some runners return to Zane over and over...it is magical and wonderful. The experience that I had was worth every penny I spent in registration and hotel. It was worth every trip to the Physical Therapist to work through my injury. It was worth all my planning and training. The experience I had was priceless and worth it all. I have other plans for 2015, but ZG I will face you again in 2016...all 50 miles of you!!!
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