Big Butt 50k Ultra, Lancaster, SC
Ok, I think that I have become a full
fledged idiot runner now. On Independence Day, I ran Claude
Sinclare's 50K Ultra in Lancaster, SC.
What make this crazy; you may ask?
Well, just run a 5k in the July heat and humidity. How tough is it?
Now, you need to multiple it by 10 x 5k back to back. That's crazy on
another level. It is July? July is hot, July is humid, That's crazy?
Right?
Shortly after the race, I turn on the
ignition in my car to check the temperate. It was 95 degrees in the
sun. There were only two thoughts on my mind then – I am glad that
I am done, and where is the water.
For a race director, Claude has it
easy. The starting line is not a stones through from his front porch.
The course that he setup is a certified 10k so 5 loops make up the
50k distance. Each lap, we run by his house so our laps are tracked.
So while he sets in the shade of the tree in his yard, we are running
up and down the road in front of his house. Think about it; we paid for the
privilege to do it.
So how was my race? Well, I arrived at
Claude's house around 5 AM, and I wasn't the first even the first one
to arrive yet everyone was up.
At 6 AM, I was packed up and ready to
go. Claude gave us a few pre-race instructions about the course, and
then fired his starter pistol.
One guy headed out quick. He was too
quick for me. I settled in to chat with these two guys for the first
couple of miles. The lead guy was soon out of sight.
We chatted for a while then I got ahead
of them. From then on, I was solo for the rest of the race. Solo,
yes, but not alone. With a loop course, I was seeing the other
runners along the way which really helped. We gave each other
encouragement and a reason to keep moving.
For the first lap, I was on high alert.
Claude had placed signs telling us where to turn, but still I had to
pay attention and look for them.
On the northern end of the course, we
ran by the memorial. On the south end of the course, we ran through
the state park and the camp ground. One note about the camp ground,
there is a wicked hill coming out of it. The hill is not very long but steep,
it is.
Finishing up the first lap, I already
felt over dressed. My Charlotte Running Company Race Team Jersey was soaked
and sticking to me. On the bright side, the sun hadn't crested over
the horizon that I could see. I dropped the hat that I expected to
ware for the entire race at my car. It was too hot, and I need all the heat being
generated from my head to escape.
The second lap felt easier. I settled
into a comfortable pace and went to work churning out laps.
By the completion of my 3rd
lap, I knew two things. My jersey was coming off. I needed air
flowing over my chest, and I was dropping my water vest replacing it
with my hand held water bottles.
During the first 2 laps, I turned down
the bottle water being offered to me, but starting my 4th
lap, I knew I needed it.
The moment that I touched it, I felt the cold. I
immediately placed it on top of my head and exhaled. Anything cold
felt good.
Within the next mile, I had down the
entire bottle. Normally if I did something like this during a run,
you could hear the water sloshing in my stomach. I never felt it or
heard it.
By the end of the 4th lap, I
felt like I was in a pressure cooker. The sun was up in the sky, and
I could not seem to find enough shade on the course.
My pace was slowing but not
drastically. I kept telling myself. If I cannot endure 50k in the
summer time heat, how am I going to endure running 50 miles this
fall. I kept pushing forward.
Starting the 5th lap, I took
another bottle of water. Easily I downed it over the next mile. I
also continued sipping from my hand-helds.
My pace was slowing a bit more, and I
could feel my hamstring wanting to cramp. As I thought about it
later, I was only drinking water straight up. I should have prepared
some Nunn to help with electrolights and sodium. Definitely, it will
be on my ticky list for the 50 miler.
I finished the upper half the course
and came by Claude's house. I so wanted to just be finished, but I
still had roughly 2 more miles to run.
I thought – “it is only two more
miles. You can do this”. In to the Start Park for the final time,
around the camp ground for the final time, and up the wicked little
hill for the final time, I was checking off the small victories to
keep my body moving.
But between ½ and ¾ from the finish,
my hamstrings finally balked on me. Not one but both of them. I came
to a slow awkward walk, but I kept moving. I was close to the finish,
and I was close to breaking 4 hours which is something else that I
wanted to do.
For nearly two minutes, I walked and
massaged my hamstrings. My walk definitely looked funny as I was
walking my heals with my toes pointed up in the air. I don't know why
but it felt good to stretch those hamstrings.
Time was slipping away if I wanted to
break 4 hours, so almost as if on que, I felt my hamstrings release and
relax. I don't know why. I attempted to run. At first, I started
easy. I was expecting them to balk again, but they didn't so I ran
little faster. Then, I ran faster. In fact, I covered the last half mile nearly as fast as I had when was starting the race. Makes me
wonder if I had slowed and walked a bit at the start the 5th
lap would I have been able to run the entire lap faster. No way to
know now, but it did cross my mind.
And, yes, I did break 4 hours with a
time of 3 hours 58 minutes and 54 seconds. I finish second overall.
Like I said, I must be an idiot for
running a 50k in the south in July.
Claude is an awesome host, and I
enjoyed his race. Not sure if I run his race next year. I am not
getting any younger and Lancaster doesn't have many cool July days.
The Cool Down Runner
Comments