I'd see a person standing off the trail up ahead, but it would be a stump. I'd see birds clustered on the trail, but it was roots. We got to one mud pit, and I came to a screeching halt, Matt almost running me down.
I looked at the mud pit, and I couldn't make sense of it. It looked like it had two thin paths through it that were dirt instead of mud, but if I turned my head, the whole thing kinda SHIFTED, and I couldn't focus my eyes directly on it. It's pointless to attempt to explain it, I couldn't describe it even then.
I just told Matt he was going to have to lead us through that, and I'd stick straight on his heels, because I just could not make my brain process that image into a solid picture. So bizarre, and also kinda fun. We made it out to FarSide. Refilled my water, and Matt said to go on ahead while he used his phone to check in with the crew and let them know we were on our way back.
He caught up, and we settled into a kinda weird yoyo maneuver. I was running a lot more than I had been in the dark, and my running speed at that point was just a little too fast for his fast-walking pace, but awkward for his slow-running pace. So he'd walk and I'd pull ahead, then he'd run to catch up to me, repeat.
Because the pace was awkward for him, he was catching his toe on a lot of roots and rocks, and stumbling a lot, which was making me nervous and wanting to turn around and make sure he was okay.
We were a weary, exhausted comedy of errors out there. As we came to the hill leading back up to Decep.. Damnation, a guy passed us and said something about how if we pushed, we could still make it under the cut off. Wait, what? Not making it under the cut off wasn't even on my radar as a thing that could happen. I knew the first two loops had taken me just under 12 hours, but I really hadn't paid any attention to how long the 3rd loop had taken, or how long the 4th loop was currently taking.
Right then, a woman passed me and mentioned something about how we were just fine for the Damnation cut off. But suddenly I realized that maybe I had done too much walking, and I was going to have to find another gear to make sure I finished under the 30 hour cut off. If I recall correctly, and the odds of that are probably low, I basically had 2. Which sounded like a lot, but I wasn't sure how far it was from Damnation to the finish line, so I decided caution was the better part of valor.
And I ran. I ran up the hill to Damnation, and when I got there, Matt pressed some of his GU into my hands I had completely run out of the food I was carrying and said, "Go, I'll catch up. My feet felt like they were on fire, but I ran. If it was a particularly tall hill some people would argue there are no tall hills in Huntsville State Park, but those people hadn't run 90 miles , or a particularly menacing hunk of roots, I'd slow down, but otherwise I ran. Matt caught up and told me that it should be less than 7 miles from Damnation to the finish line, and that as long as I was doing under 20 minute miles, I should be fine.
But I was running scared at that point. And annoyed with myself for having fallen so far behind without realizing it. And more than anything, I just wanted to be done. So I ran. Matt stayed close to me, but neither of us were talking at that point. I was too focused on staying upright and pushing through the pain.
We passed several people who were trying to walk purposefully, fighting the same demons and finish line cut offs that we were. It was frustrating that I was moving well, but it was still taking so long to get from Damnation to Nature Center.
Also frustrating that I had to keep eating. I was ready to go into "I'm almost there, it doesn't matter anymore" mode, but I still had a long time to go, and couldn't afford a calorie deficit, or dehydration. So I dutifully ate every time my watch beeped, even though I had started gagging a little each time I ate something. The food stayed down once it was in, but it sure didn't want to go in. Finally I turned the corner to cross the road to Nature Center.
I had pulled ahead of Matt a bit, so we hadn't discussed what I needed at Nature Center, but the only thing I planned to do was hit one final portapotty and then go. I had enough water and food to get me to the finish line, and I didn't want to stop for any longer than necessary.
So my head was down and I was focused on the portapotty on the other end of the aid station, when I heard cheering. A lot of cheering. And there were my people! It nearly broke my brain at first, because of course Robyn was there, she had been there before. Except that had been an entire day ago. She had gone home!
To sleep! Like normal people who are just living their lives and not stupidly running in endless circles in the dark! But now here she was again! I was so happy to see everyone. But also super focused, so I don't even know what I said or did, other than kept running past them all and into the portapotty. My hands barely functioning to untie and then later retie the drawstring of my shorts, but I got in and out as quickly as my body would let me.
As I ran out, tying my shorts, I hooked a left and immediately started running down the trail, trusting that Matt was nearby and would follow me. Instead I heard Matt's voice yell from the distance, something like, "This was the plan! I love you! I had no idea why I'd swapped pacers, but I couldn't be bothered to be too concerned, other than verifying that as far as she knew, Matt wasn't injured. She didn't think so, just said she'd been called in to run me to the finish line, so I put that out of my head and concentrated on running.
And I ran nearly the entire 3. I mean, we're using the term "running" very loosely here. I was exhausted and sore and awkward, but what I was doing was notably, mostly, not walking. I was proud of how well I was still moving. And Melissa remarked on it, which helped me confirm that I wasn't just hallucinating my running. I don't even know what we talked about in those last 3 miles, or if we did talk. It's a blur. I do remember she revisited the signature finish line move, and offered forth a few new suggestions, like parking a semi just before the finish line, full of 30 dogs.
And then when I got close, someone would hand me 30 leashes, and I'd run those dogs across the finish line. I pointed out that maybe that was a little too much chaos to be realistic, and plus I wasn't sure you were even supposed to have dogs in the finish area.
She remarked that my brain still worked awfully well for someone who had run nearly miles. I'm not sure if we talked about other things, but Melissa kept telling me how well I was doing. I used her words and her strength to keep pushing myself. I felt like maybe I'd started my finish line push a little too early er.. I knew that I didn't need to "run" as "fast" as I was, but it felt amazing to be so strong at the end of something so difficult.
It felt amazing to BE at the end of something so difficult. That it would be over. That I could stop running. At some points it felt like maybe this was my life, forever. But I practiced patience, and I had made it.
We ran over the bridges that, for me, marked the beginning of the end. I was going to finish this. We hit a small uphill, and I let myself fall to a walk briefly. Then through the cheering Birthday Squad one final time, bookending my journey.
We had decided that, even though it was now February 4th, that it was still my birthday until my run was over. And my birthday was almost over.
Around the corner, and onto the home stretch. There's a small hill that's not even a hill until you're in your 99th mile, but keeps you from seeing the actual finish line at first.
Melissa had told me that the finish line could see the runners before the runners realized they could be seen, and they'd see all the runners walking until they realized they could be seen, then breaking into a run.
I started to walk, and then said, "Crap, when can they see me?! They can see your head! Up the hill, across the street, and then the finish line just ahead. Just one final time across the timing mat and through the arch. As I got closer, I could see my people up at the finish line, and they were cheering loudly and yelling for me.
Through the yelling, I heard Karen's voice say, "Amy, there's a dog you can pet! I waved to the dog as we approached, and Melissa said, "Do you want to run with the dog to the finish line? I believe we are in the Dog Negotiation Phase at this moment.
She turned to the owner of the dog and asked if we could take her dog and run across the finish line, and she looked equally confused, but then said yes, her dog loved to run! So she handed me the leash, and my new dog friend and I ran over the finish line together! Go go go go! Where "it" is "some stranger's dog".
And so I ran miles. Melissa was pleased that I found my signature finish line move run with stolen dog across the finish line, I guess? Everyone was looking at me in confusion. Especially when I flopped down on my stomach in the dirt and did the worm. And I must say, I felt like I did a passable job, given that I'd run miles! Of course, everyone figured I'd crossed the finish line, they were done with their phones, so there's no video evidence, but Matt did manage to catch what may be my favorite picture of the whole experience.
Maybe my favorite picture of myself ever. The dirt on my butt is from falling, the dirt on the backs of my legs is from running in the mud, the dirt on the front of my legs is from doin' the worm. My finishing time was , so I definitely didn't need to push as hard as I did at the end to come in under 30 hours. But it felt amazing if incredibly painful to push at the end of something so big. I had said that I would be happy as long as I came in under 30 hours, and I am, but at first I was a little dismayed with my splits.
That's some pretty damn positive splits, and I wished I could have run a little more consistent splits. Then I looked at a random sampling of other peoples' splits, and realized that's just how these things go. Everyone slows down after loop 2, when it gets dark. I'm actually pleased at how close loop 4 was to loop 3, which was probably entirely due to my push at the end.
Add to that, of the ish people who started the race, only finished under the time cutoff or finished at all. So I'm proud. On some level I don't really even believe that I did it. Running miles doesn't sound like something I could do.
But I have the shiny belt buckle which seems to indicate that I did. And the terrible blisters. So shiny. I so don't even own a belt. Some time during loop 2, when I was at my lowest, I decided this was definitely a one-and-done sort of thing, if I managed to "done" it at all.
Melissa said that would change, and maybe it will. I'm now at the point where I'm not saying never, but I'm not googling " milers" and finding my next race. I'm not sure I'd do Rocky again, because there's some pretty intense demons still there.
I'm not sure I'd do a looped course again. I could maybe wrap my head around a single loop, where you see everything once. Or one out and back. Maybe in some beautiful mountains except that usually means elevation, and I've already proven I'm bad at that. For now I'm just focusing on walking normally again. So many people helped me get to the start line, and then get to the finish line, and it's a little overwhelming to thank all of them by name. But special thanks to Coach Russ Secker for handing me the plan that got me through this race in such good shape.
Thanks to my pacers, Karen and Melissa, for tolerating me, encouraging me, and seeing me safely through the woods in the dark. Thanks to my bonus crew, Ryan and Michael, who didn't sign up for helping me, but did it anyway. Thank you to Betsy, David, Julie, and Richard for spending so much of your weekend standing in the woods with balloons and beads, and cheering so enthusiastically for me. Though you got a BB-8 backpack out of it, so it wasn't completely selfless.
Thank you to Mike V. They were out there all day in the rain and dirt just to help a bunch of strangers realize their dreams. Some crew, some pacers, some fans. Thank you to all the other runners. Since every bit of that course was an out and back, we all saw each other innumerable times, and each time, everyone was so encouraging.
A Taste of Honey There's A Place Twist and Shout It Won't Be Long All I've got to Do All My Loving Don't Bother Me Little Child Till There was You Please Mr. Postman Roll Over Beethoven Hold Me Tight You Really Got a Hold on Me I Wanna Be Your Man Devil In Her Heart Not a Second Time Money That's What I Want A Hard Day's Night I Should Have Known Better If I Fell And I Love Her Tell Me Why Can't Buy Me Love Any Time At All I'll Cry Instead Things We Said Today When I Get Home You Can't Do That I'll Be Back No Reply I'm a Loser Baby's in Black Rock and Roll Music I'll Follow The Sun Moonlight Eight Days a Week Words of Love Honey Don't Every Little Thing I Don't Want to Spoil the Party What You're Doing Everybody's Trying to be My Baby The Night Before I Need You Another Girl He was to pace Rochelle after Todd did his loop with her.
Lynn Ballard — a smile never left his face — he had run to the aid station, helping so much at the aid station, was going to run back to the start and run the last loop with Rochelle!
She did way more than she anticipated, with a smile on her face and worked for almost 24 hrs.!!!! So, the night went by and the runners went by and during the night and early a. Tom had dropped, others had dropped and we had no way of getting them back, so they hiked it back in on their own or with assistance from a volunteer. What an experience and yes, Deborah was right, lots of stories to tell! But I do like the idea of adults playing outside and in the dark — sort of a comforting though that I have really found something that I love to do and there are lots of others who share that passion.
And, with all the issues we had, at just one aid station, just how the heck does Joe Prusaitis do it all? Especially right after Bandera? The ride home was rough, with so little sleep and really not too safe. A bit scary. Would I do it again? Of course! A wonderful way to pay back what others give — but — there is a stipulation!
Their feces are a real health hazard because they contain roundworm eggs. If these droppings or residue of droppings even are ingested, they can cause ascariasis and lead to severe damage to your nervous system.
Plus, raccoons are well-documented carriers of rabies and other diseases. Aside from posing a threat to your health, they are potentially vicious and should be approached with caution. They WILL bite or scratch you if they feel threatened. If a raccoon bites you or your pets, be sure to seek medical attention right away.
Always leave the lid closed, and consider using a robust fastener like a bungee cord to tie down the top if necessary. Raccoons are savvy, and will quickly figure out how to leverage their body weight and strength to tip it over to get at the goodies. Be sure to always keep your garage door shut at all times. Try to rinse your empty food cans and containers before discarding them to the trash or recycling bin. This minimizes any appealing odors that may attract raccoons.
When all else fails, buy a live raccoon trap. Trapping and relocating them is the most humane way of removing raccoons from your home.
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