The Saturday before the race both my left and right IT bands quit working 8 miles into a 12 mile run. So that wasn’t very cool and I was left very apprehensive heading into Sunmart. It was unfortunate because I had been looking forward to it so much. I went to the chiropractor on Monday, got a massage on Thursday, and did lots of foam rolling, stretching, and icing leading up to the race.
Saturday morning started pretty early at 5am. I had a car load of people riding up there with me, so that was fun. Mishele, Elizabeth, Ruthie, Jill, and her husband Bob all piled in the car and we were off, with Madelyn and Charmaine following.
The temperature slowly dropped as we headed north and fell from 40 in Houston to 31 in Huntsville by the time we got out of the car. A quick run through the breakfast line and it was time to start. By the way, breakfast was awesome. They have a huge buffet all lined up with steaming hot food.
Loop 1 – 6.1 miles, 1:20
The first part of the course is a 6 mile out and back. Its pretty congested, but you get to see everyone in the race, so that is neat. I felt pretty good and my IT band wasn’t bothering me, so that was good. Our group to start out was Madelyn, Meghan, Jill, and myself. Meghan, Jill, and I ran together the whole way last year and Madelyn was our new recruit who has not even run a marathon. We were very successful at the first aid station and “ate on the fly” instead of hanging out for 10 minutes. Last year we spent 40 minutes total stopped at aid stations and this year our goal was to spend a little less time eating.
Loop 2 – 12.5 miles, 3:00
The first of the two 12.5 mile loops was great until we were about to 15 or 16 miles. There is one point where you have to go 3.22 miles between aid stations, and then another 2.79 to finish the loop. The 3.22 was what I remember being the longest part last year and it was the same this year too. There is one out and back in the loop too so we were able to see many of our friends and cheer each other on. We kept leap-frogging Helen, Brent, Tammy, Karen and Charmaine (our regular running buddies), so it was nice to have so many people we knew so close. We continued to be very good about the aid stations and did not spend more than a minute or two at each. I grabbed a handful of pretzels, cheetos, Doritos, or jelly beans at each and walked and ate along the way instead of standing still for 5 minutes and eating. By the end of this loop we had picked up Charmaine – another Sunmart newbie. Jill started having IT band troubles somewhere around 15 or 16 and I started to worry about what our next loop was going to be like. I had IT band problems the year before and was not able to run another step past 23 miles, and it made for a VERY long day. I was willing to do the same this year though, if necessary, but also told myself I was going to try my hardest to keep Jill going the best she could. It was a huge relief to finish the loop – not totally sure why because it meant we still had to do the 12.5 mile loop again, but I think since it was the last loop it sounded a little easier. Jill found Bob and I think he pepped her up a little bit, and we had already voted him best husband ever for being there all day long and driving us all home. I felt rejuvenated a bit, not sure why, but was ready to tackle the last loop. I hadn’t seen my GPS all day. I had it tied to my camel back where I could hear it beep for our walk breaks, but never knew the time. I saw the time before we headed out for the last loop and was actually surprised we had done so well. I thought under 8 hours seemed pretty do-able, but wasn’t going to set my heart on anything other than finishing.
Loop 3 – 12.5 miles, 3:28
We had been running 8 minutes, walking 2 minutes for the first 18.6 miles, but decided to switch to run 3 minutes/walk 2 minutes for the last loop. If we could keep running at all we would be way better off than we were last year at this point. We told Meghan to go ahead at this point – she was having a great day. So it was the four-pack of Jill, Madelyn, Charmaine and me that headed off for the final loop. Our 3/2’s worked for a while then Jill asked if we could switch to running 2/walking 3. We did that until the first aid station and then we secretly switched it back without her knowing. After a few rounds of running 3 minutes I finally told her and congratulated her for doing so well. Each time we started running again I did not know if it would be our last, but sure enough Jill was able to keep going every time. I was counting down by aid stations, after we finished the short out and back, we only had 3 sections left, totaling around 8 miles. The first was 1.9 miles, then 3.22, then 2.79. I had been looking forward to finishing the 1.9 mile leg because I knew after that we just had 6 miles and one aid station left to go, and we could crawl that far if we had to. I decided that somewhere during the 3.2 leg I would throw a party at 26.3 for those who had never run farther than a marathon before. Somewhere during that part we also picked up Laura, a fellow Houston-Fitter who I had not met before. So when I thought we had run 26.3 miles (no real way of knowing where exactly that was…) we all stopped and I pulled out the party materials…advil, aleve, and pink peanut M&Ms. A few people passed and we asked them to join in the festivities. Some did and others thought we were a bit weird. But anyone calling anyone else weird in an ultramarathon is the pot calling the kettle black.
I felt better after 26 miles than I did anywhere else in the race. I knew we were going to finish, and with a much faster time than the year before. After the “party” I decided we were all on a party train that I was driving. Jill was the caboose and kept moving steadily along. At one point I decided we all needed party train/trail names…I was Sacajawea, and I named Madelyn Shananaroro. Behind her, Laura was Lola, Charmaine was Pocahontas, and I named Jill Flicka because she likes horses. Sound like we were a little weird? Yes, but odd things happen after you run 26+ miles. It worked for us at the time, so we went with it. Party train and all. At one point it got pretty quiet towards the end of the train and we asked Jill if she was ok. Her reply: “I was just having a conversation with God.” It was hilarious. I asked if she was going to church the next day, but she said she would probably still be in bed at that time. I have never seen a more beautiful camper than the one at the last aid station. It was there last year too. It means the impossibly long 3.22 mile section is over and you only have 2.79 miles to the finish. It is like an oasis in the dessert that you stumble upon and it’s a beautiful sight. Jill spent the least time there and walked ahead down the trail and the rest of us soon caught up. I told her to lead because we were all finishing together and she was hurting the most by this point. She did an awesome job though and we were still running very strong through the end. We planned our finish during the last 5 minutes or so and had to make sure it was perfect. The single-file party train turned into a 5 abreast unbreakable chain that charged to the finish holding hands.
Finish – 7:48 (52 minute PR)
Lots of hugs and praise at the finish line – it was awesome. There were also high school kids manning the finish line and they were wonderful. They had whistles that they were blowing and cheering so loud as we finished. They were definitely the nicest kids I had come across in a while. We received our finisher’s medals (Madelyn’s first medal ever!) and our afghan blankets and headed straight to the food line. It was almost ceremonious as we wrapped ourselves in the blankets to stay warm – all so proud to have earned them.
All in all this was one of the most fun races I have ever done. Last year was great because it was my first time and we had done it to raise money for a very dear cause, but this year was great too because my body treated me well and I really enjoyed introducing some close running buddies to the world of trail racing. It is so supportive and rewarding. Everyone you pass has a smile on their face and you get equal encouragement from the spectators, other runners, and volunteers. I started to think somewhere during the last 6 miles how fortunate I am to be able to do these sorts of things and to do them with the most incredible people in the world. I said a little prayer of thanks and then went back to my job driving the party train.
Saturday morning started pretty early at 5am. I had a car load of people riding up there with me, so that was fun. Mishele, Elizabeth, Ruthie, Jill, and her husband Bob all piled in the car and we were off, with Madelyn and Charmaine following.
The temperature slowly dropped as we headed north and fell from 40 in Houston to 31 in Huntsville by the time we got out of the car. A quick run through the breakfast line and it was time to start. By the way, breakfast was awesome. They have a huge buffet all lined up with steaming hot food.
Loop 1 – 6.1 miles, 1:20
The first part of the course is a 6 mile out and back. Its pretty congested, but you get to see everyone in the race, so that is neat. I felt pretty good and my IT band wasn’t bothering me, so that was good. Our group to start out was Madelyn, Meghan, Jill, and myself. Meghan, Jill, and I ran together the whole way last year and Madelyn was our new recruit who has not even run a marathon. We were very successful at the first aid station and “ate on the fly” instead of hanging out for 10 minutes. Last year we spent 40 minutes total stopped at aid stations and this year our goal was to spend a little less time eating.
Loop 2 – 12.5 miles, 3:00
The first of the two 12.5 mile loops was great until we were about to 15 or 16 miles. There is one point where you have to go 3.22 miles between aid stations, and then another 2.79 to finish the loop. The 3.22 was what I remember being the longest part last year and it was the same this year too. There is one out and back in the loop too so we were able to see many of our friends and cheer each other on. We kept leap-frogging Helen, Brent, Tammy, Karen and Charmaine (our regular running buddies), so it was nice to have so many people we knew so close. We continued to be very good about the aid stations and did not spend more than a minute or two at each. I grabbed a handful of pretzels, cheetos, Doritos, or jelly beans at each and walked and ate along the way instead of standing still for 5 minutes and eating. By the end of this loop we had picked up Charmaine – another Sunmart newbie. Jill started having IT band troubles somewhere around 15 or 16 and I started to worry about what our next loop was going to be like. I had IT band problems the year before and was not able to run another step past 23 miles, and it made for a VERY long day. I was willing to do the same this year though, if necessary, but also told myself I was going to try my hardest to keep Jill going the best she could. It was a huge relief to finish the loop – not totally sure why because it meant we still had to do the 12.5 mile loop again, but I think since it was the last loop it sounded a little easier. Jill found Bob and I think he pepped her up a little bit, and we had already voted him best husband ever for being there all day long and driving us all home. I felt rejuvenated a bit, not sure why, but was ready to tackle the last loop. I hadn’t seen my GPS all day. I had it tied to my camel back where I could hear it beep for our walk breaks, but never knew the time. I saw the time before we headed out for the last loop and was actually surprised we had done so well. I thought under 8 hours seemed pretty do-able, but wasn’t going to set my heart on anything other than finishing.
Loop 3 – 12.5 miles, 3:28
We had been running 8 minutes, walking 2 minutes for the first 18.6 miles, but decided to switch to run 3 minutes/walk 2 minutes for the last loop. If we could keep running at all we would be way better off than we were last year at this point. We told Meghan to go ahead at this point – she was having a great day. So it was the four-pack of Jill, Madelyn, Charmaine and me that headed off for the final loop. Our 3/2’s worked for a while then Jill asked if we could switch to running 2/walking 3. We did that until the first aid station and then we secretly switched it back without her knowing. After a few rounds of running 3 minutes I finally told her and congratulated her for doing so well. Each time we started running again I did not know if it would be our last, but sure enough Jill was able to keep going every time. I was counting down by aid stations, after we finished the short out and back, we only had 3 sections left, totaling around 8 miles. The first was 1.9 miles, then 3.22, then 2.79. I had been looking forward to finishing the 1.9 mile leg because I knew after that we just had 6 miles and one aid station left to go, and we could crawl that far if we had to. I decided that somewhere during the 3.2 leg I would throw a party at 26.3 for those who had never run farther than a marathon before. Somewhere during that part we also picked up Laura, a fellow Houston-Fitter who I had not met before. So when I thought we had run 26.3 miles (no real way of knowing where exactly that was…) we all stopped and I pulled out the party materials…advil, aleve, and pink peanut M&Ms. A few people passed and we asked them to join in the festivities. Some did and others thought we were a bit weird. But anyone calling anyone else weird in an ultramarathon is the pot calling the kettle black.
I felt better after 26 miles than I did anywhere else in the race. I knew we were going to finish, and with a much faster time than the year before. After the “party” I decided we were all on a party train that I was driving. Jill was the caboose and kept moving steadily along. At one point I decided we all needed party train/trail names…I was Sacajawea, and I named Madelyn Shananaroro. Behind her, Laura was Lola, Charmaine was Pocahontas, and I named Jill Flicka because she likes horses. Sound like we were a little weird? Yes, but odd things happen after you run 26+ miles. It worked for us at the time, so we went with it. Party train and all. At one point it got pretty quiet towards the end of the train and we asked Jill if she was ok. Her reply: “I was just having a conversation with God.” It was hilarious. I asked if she was going to church the next day, but she said she would probably still be in bed at that time. I have never seen a more beautiful camper than the one at the last aid station. It was there last year too. It means the impossibly long 3.22 mile section is over and you only have 2.79 miles to the finish. It is like an oasis in the dessert that you stumble upon and it’s a beautiful sight. Jill spent the least time there and walked ahead down the trail and the rest of us soon caught up. I told her to lead because we were all finishing together and she was hurting the most by this point. She did an awesome job though and we were still running very strong through the end. We planned our finish during the last 5 minutes or so and had to make sure it was perfect. The single-file party train turned into a 5 abreast unbreakable chain that charged to the finish holding hands.
Finish – 7:48 (52 minute PR)
Lots of hugs and praise at the finish line – it was awesome. There were also high school kids manning the finish line and they were wonderful. They had whistles that they were blowing and cheering so loud as we finished. They were definitely the nicest kids I had come across in a while. We received our finisher’s medals (Madelyn’s first medal ever!) and our afghan blankets and headed straight to the food line. It was almost ceremonious as we wrapped ourselves in the blankets to stay warm – all so proud to have earned them.
All in all this was one of the most fun races I have ever done. Last year was great because it was my first time and we had done it to raise money for a very dear cause, but this year was great too because my body treated me well and I really enjoyed introducing some close running buddies to the world of trail racing. It is so supportive and rewarding. Everyone you pass has a smile on their face and you get equal encouragement from the spectators, other runners, and volunteers. I started to think somewhere during the last 6 miles how fortunate I am to be able to do these sorts of things and to do them with the most incredible people in the world. I said a little prayer of thanks and then went back to my job driving the party train.
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