LOST 118 Finish

 I set myself up... saying that I would

 finish LOST, even if it took me until Monday morning.  So I had to finish.

I got a decent night’s sleep, which is unusual the night before a 100+ event. The early part of the race was cold. I wore my new scrap hat; almost left it in the car in exchange for a head band….good thing I kept the hat. I started out pushing myself. I wanted to stay with the Sullivans and others as long as I could. I didn’t really want to be dead last…. until the sun came up Sunday.
I wasn’t much company for anyone. Jim sensed it and let me go. Instead of running with anyone, I tried to stay in contact with the runners in front of me. That was a very good thing. It kept me moving forward with determination. If they got to far ahead I would try to push a little harder to try to make up the ground. 
At one point I looked down and saw the empty shell of a lake snail. I picked it up. If I finished that would truly symbolize my race; the “Lake Snail."

My dad started crewing me from Lakeport, around 22 miles. He was outstanding and met me at every stop thereafter. The rain began just as I was coming into Moore Haven (36 miles), where we get off the stones and onto the asphalt. I changed shoes, which felt very good! But the rain quickly became torrential and the wind was strong. It was cold. I had to move quick to stay warm.  After a while Mike, Sandy and Rebecca, came up behind me, they had been in front of me so it didn't make any sense. They had stopped for a hot coffee at a fish camp.  Boy that sounded good.
After about 4 hours the rain stopped, I put on dry shoes and continued pushing myself. As the sun went down, I put on my music and started felling real comfortable with my pace. That was the best I felt through the whole event.
I arrived at Pahokee (75 miles, where I dropped last time) about an hour ahead of my planned time to put the trail shoes and get through the next 12 miles of rock. I was relieved that it was more gravel and dirt then rock. But the wind really started to really pick up. I started to decline. The wind was relentless. I thought about just going off the levy just to get out of the wind, but I knew better.
It was well past bedtime and I felt fatigue. I could see lights ahead of me that really played with my mind.  I never seemed to get any closer to the lights. Once I did reach them; it was a construction zone; a surreal sight. Then I started seeing a wall in front of me (hallucination); literally a wall. I knew there wasn’t a wall, so I didn’t try to go around it. I figure if it was really a wall I would just walk right up to it and then find a way around it. At some point earlier in the evening , I started playing leap frog with Julie. She was also seemed to be having a bit of trouble with construction areas also. It was nice to know someone else was around. I think she felt the same.
At the 91 mile aid station, the boy scouts had set up tents, a shelter, warm food, and a fire. I fell apart. I told dad I couldn’t take any more wind. I thought I would try a nap. He suggested I get in the car, but I really wanted to lie flat. The boy scouts put me in a tent in a sleeping bag, I took a cat nap then just laid there. I did not want to go out in the wind. Finally, I to out of the tent explained that I could not deal with the wind anymore and announced that I was dropping. Suzi and the other volunteers encouraged me to think about it. Dad got me to sit in the warm car, out of the wind. That is when I realized that I was really cold. The heater was running, but I couldn’t feel it. My vision was blurred, so I tried rinsed them and putting in medicine. Eventually it helped.  I was also throwing up. Mostly just heaves, so I knew there wasn’t much in my stomach. I continued to sit in the car. Dad asked what I thought would help my stomach. I suggested potato chips. I ate a couple chips they stayed down well. Didn’t want to try too much. One of the volunteers had access to computer and told me that  the winds would die down a bit around 9 am, but that was 3 hours away. Could I take 3 more hours of the pounding wind? I came to my senses and realized I was just being a weenie. I had no real reason to stop. The chips had stopped the nausea, the vision  had cleared, my feet looked pretty good when I took of my shoes, only one blister and my neuroma area was bruised, hurt periodically, but not intolerably. My knee was sore, but I could try a wrap. So, I announced that I would go to the next aid station….7 more miles and decide there.  I loaded up with booste, heed and some other food, thanked the volunteers and I headed out. I still had more then a marathon

 in front of me. The additional hooded jacket helped block some of the wind.  But that next section was kind of a blur. I put on some music and just moved forward.

 

Julie caught up to me and we stayed together for a bit, she was seeing nonexistent alligators (hallucinations). I soon began having my own hallucinations,. For me, once a hallucinations starts, it does not stop. I saw alphabets carved into the asphalt, I realized that it wasn’t there, but once I saw it….the asphalt was marked with alphabet graffiti the rest of the way to the finish.

Suzi and dad both came out to meet me before the next station. I don’t think they  asked me if I planned to continue. As a result, I didn’t even think about it.  I sat on the ground and tried to stretch out a little, had my bottle refilled, got a 5 hour energy, and a little bit more food and headed out.

I was pretty close to the 100 mile mark, but was so stiff it was difficult to move, I took aleve and an S cap. That helped, but when I tried to run, my knee was so painful, I knew that I would not run another step.  But I kept pushing forward to

the next aid station and moved right through it. I was afraid to stop moving because I knew it would be difficult to start again.

I thought about just lying down on the asphalt and letting them come out and get me. I thought about crying. But I knew I didn’t have the energy. I just moved forward.

When I arrived at the next aid station, 9 more miles. Dad had a chair out for me. It was calling to me. I think that chair actually was possessed.  How could I possibly not sit in it. I don’t like chairs in a races. Why did I sit in it? I think I was hoping that I would be unable to get out of it. I swore not to do that again until the finish. Moving forward became difficult. I was so stiff, but my pace was consistent. I didn’t slowdown. I kept fearing I would start crawling along at a 20+ minute pace, but I never really did. Kept it between 18-19.

 I had two more stops before the finish. Dad kept pretty close tabs on me. He was concern when I had to get off the levee and out to the road to get around a canal. He bought a bag of ice at this late point so that my drink would be cold. That was awesome. 

I looked down at my feet and realized there was a bump on my right foot and blood appear to be leaking from a blood blister. I kept hoping that it wouldn’t open and start hurting. I looked down a little later and notice that I had the same blood seeping around my toes. Eventually, it appeared above all my toes. I kept wondering when I was going to actually feel the pain from those blood blisters. I hoped I would make it to the finish before they really start to hurt. The last 6 miles seemed like eternity.    I crossed the line in the dirt at 33:31:29.

Dad, Suzi, Scott, Mike and Stu were there to cheer me to the finish. It was over. 

 

I decided not take off my shoes off until I got home. I drove the 2:45 straight through.  Once home, I removed my bloody shoes. My socks weren’t bloody! How could that be! My feet weren’t bloody!  No blisters except the one I had at 91 miles and it was still in tact!  Hallucination! The bloody shoes were just a  hallucination.

 

Dad was incredible. He made sure I had everything I needed. He helped out others. Was positive even when I was down. He never pushing only encouraging.  Never complained about the cold, wind, rain or fatigue. I know that I would not have finished the race if he hadn’t been there for me.

 

Thanks to everyone!

The Lake Snail