Kevin's 240 Mile Trans-Illinois Run - October 4-9 2009
Index
Prologue
Day 1: Hannibal, Missouri to Pittsfield
– Sunday, 4 Oct 09 – 36.4
miles - The "Gimme"
Day 2: Pittsfield to Jacksonville – Monday, 5 Oct 09 –
34.2 miles - Finding My Rhythm
Day 3: Jacksonville to Grandview/Springfield – Tuesday, 6 Oct 09 – 39.4
miles
Day 4: Grandview/Springfield to Clinton – Wednesday, 7 Oct 09 – 41.7
miles
Day 5: Clinton to Champaign – Thursday, 8 Oct 09 – 40.3 miles
- MISSION SCRUBBED!
Day 6: Champaign to Danville (State Line) – Friday, 9 Oct 09 – 44.6 miles
Epilogue
Ultra-running is one of those things that's hard to explain...
Most people don't even like running, so the first thing they have to figure out
is that running isn't painful, it can just sometimes be "uncomfortable" (at
least compared to lying on the couch). Serious runners are those that
have figured out how to get comfortable with being uncomfortable - so then they
run regularly, then train, and finally race - even if it's just competition
against themselves.
A few runners, though, either take the "competition against themselves" too far - or they genuinely begin to LIKE the feeling that was formerly uncomfortable - and these sorry souls descend into the ranks of ultra-runners...
Technically, an ultra-marathon is any race over 26.2 miles. Most popular are races at distances of 50 kilometers (31 miles - sometimes called a "sprint ultra"), 50 miles, 100 kilometers (62 miles), and 100 miles - all run pretty much non-stop against other competitors and the clock.
As mentioned, these are generally run non-stop, although the runners will pause for a minute or two every 10 miles or so to refill drink bottles and grab a fast bite to eat.
There's another category of ultra-marathon though: the Stage Race - where runners will run for multiple days, but take a sizable break every day for eating and sleeping. While it's nice to "get a break" and rest, recovery is never complete and the days do begin to wear - making it awfully difficult to start the days run knowing that you're already sore, tired, blistered, etc.
Having performed quite well in numerous "regular" ultras and wanting to meet a challenge greater than
I'd faced before, I decided I'd try a stage ultra - but wanted to make it
one of my own doing and thus came up with the idea of running across Illinois.
Determined the best path would be west to east "across the wide part of the state" from Hannibal, Missouri back home to Danville on the Indiana border - which is approximately 240 miles. A reasonable distance to cover in a day is 40 miles, so worked out the route below where I'd have a hotel every evening. Six days thus being a pretty big time commitment for anyone to come along as a support person in a chase vehicle, opted to make it even more challenging by running "unsupported" - where it would just be me and the road and a jogging stroller loaded with drink, shoes, clothes, and high calorie food to consume while burning over 6,000 calories a day.
Below is a Google map of the route with waypoints added to stay off the interstate highways and indicators of where I'll be finishing each day. Click on the map for an interactive version at http://maps/google.com
Day 1: Hannibal to Pittsfield - Sunday 4 Oct 09 - 36.4 miles - The "Gimme"
The first day of a stage race is often referred to as a "gimme"
- legs are fresh, body is fueled - this is definitely the easiest day. So,
how come it was so tough for me today?!
Had some pretty good runs and races back through the spring and summer, but as my Trans-Illinois approached training definitely wasn't optimized. About six or seven weeks ago, I fell hard while running the Forest Glen trail and broke/bruised my tailbone. Was difficult to walk for a few days - and I set on a "pillow doughnut" for two weeks and then slowly got back into running (with some initial pain) about a month ago. Was able to ramp up distance pretty quickly and had a great 31 mile training run with the stroller two weeks ago - average running pace of 8:15 a mile, with total time to cover the distance (including a 20 minute rest stop for lunch) well under 5 hours. Then got an upper respiratory infection that laid me low with stuffy head, running sinuses, and ultimately chest congestion and hacking cough - never did run a fever though, so don't think it was swine flu! Anyways, my taper for the last two weeks was an extremely steep one and, while feeling a lot better, the chest congestion hasn't completely let go.
Rarely is run preparation ever perfect though! So, feeling very nearly recovered and wanting to begin somewhere "picture worthy", started at the bronze "Tom and Huck" statue in Hannibal at about 8:40am.
As you can see, the stroller is pretty well loaded (over
50 pounds of clothes and gear, including a laptop) and I've already figured out
that I've overpacked...
Having started in the town of Hannibal, hit the Missouri/Illinois state line about 1.75 miles into my run and got a quick pic in the middle of the bridge by the "Mile 0" sign.
One thing I'm sure my regular running friends are noticing is that I'm wearing a shirt in the pictures. I'm trying to keep this kid friendly <grin> - and took it off right after the start pics were done and then ran shirtless the rest of the day in beautiful weather with a high in the low 60s - ending up a little sunburned even though the sun now rises fairly low in the sky.
Something I noticed as I was running was that many of the roads I was crossing were listed with ever increasing street numbers. So I can't say that I was "in the middle of nowhere", because I'm obviously 335 blocks from "somewhere" in the picture to the right, but I don't know where they count the streets from? Couldn't be Hannibal since it's in Missouri, and there's no large city right across the river from it, so this remains a mystery to me...
Two other things I didn't realize was that the terrain is relatively hilly in Western Illinois between the Mississippi and Illinois rivers and, running away from a major river system today, my journey would be a net uphill climb.
What turned out to be more than 3,100 feet of net elevation gain, plus my over-tapering, made the pace slower than I expected with total distance according to my nifty Garmin 310/XT of 36.4 miles in a time of 6:51:58 (including lunch break in Barry, IL). Yes, that's a pace of a little over 11 minutes/mile but was consciously running conservatively. Tomorrow, the stage run really begins!
Day 2: Pittsfield to Jacksonville – Monday, 5 Oct 09 – 34.2 miles - Finding My Rhythm
Today was the expected "learning experience" on stage running. Not necessarily tougher than other ultra-runs - but definitely different...
As described above, regular ultra-marathons are run on fresh legs and finished in a single shot; while a stage-run starts on tired legs - today I also learned that it's a whole different mental approach...
In a regular ultra race, you're running through the woods and focused on the few feet of trail right in front of you to choose your footing among the rocks and roots. While often tedious, it keeps you mentally engaged with the moment. But here it's just miles and miles of road - often stretching to a very distant horizon here in the plains.
Additionly, most runners (including myself) mentally divide an ultra race into small pieces - such as "how far to the next aid station?" Then you do some quick math of your pace and the distance and you know that in, say, 90 minutes you'll see friendly faces and get fresh food and drink. In this run, though, it's just me and the distance for the day - and no way to really mentally divide that distance down into bite size pieces. So, instead of being able to run a handful of miles and then get a boost of accomplishment, I have the entire distance for the day in my head the entire time...
Having
said all that, the run today went fairly well. Overall pace was less than
a minute per mile slower (including breaks) - finishing 34.2 miles in 6:54:02.
Normally I won't be "uncomfortable" until well past the 20 mile mark - but
today's tired legs put me in the "uncomfortable" mode literally at the first
step, so I'm happy with the pace I'm accomplishing.
Not a lot of pictures today - but did cross 475th street, which is evidently a toll road, and it has a classic midwestern background!
Also crossed the Illinois River today about 10 miles into the run - after a steep two mile descent that included warning sign for trucks to be testing their brakes - and one thing all long distance runners agree on is that steep downhills can be tougher on your legs than steep uphills as they tire out your quadriceps (the Boston Marathon course being a classic example). Just missed getting a picture of the drawbridge being up - it came back down before I was close enough to get the shot.
Right after the bridge was an asphalt manufacturing plant - so for miles in both directions I was passed by dozens of WIDE trucks making deliveries as I tried to hug the side of the shoulderless road. The buffeting of the wind from their passing was only magnified by having the stroller to push and it catching the wind like a sail.
At about the 19 mile mark, went very near the town of Winchester, then a couple miles later crossed Interstate 72 - and was hoping that at least one of these would have a gas station or Kwik-E Mart, but no such luck. Would have appreciated an "oasis in the desert" for an Icee/Slurpee, but instead had to settle for a picnic table at a roadside pull-off and a warm drink from my cooler of nearly melted ice.
Arrived at the hotel here in Jacksonville about 3pm - and the location is excellent with lots of businesses nearby. Ate a huge dinner (appetizer of spinach/artichoke dip, then steak, baked potato and broccoli) at Applebees - then was able to re-supply at the Shell station Kwik-E Mart right across the street.
Hitting the sack early - and my legs feel better tonight than last night - a good sign considering I'm now 1/3 of the way done.
Day 3:
Jacksonville to Grandview/Springfield – Tuesday, 6 Oct 09 – 39.4 miles
You know that you're in for a tough day, when the picture to the right is the view out the hotel window... Actually, the worst of the rain had passed by the time I hit the road about 8:15am - but did run in sprinkles for the first 10 miles. The rain wasn't bad (and was never squishing in my shoes) but the vehicles passing by that would spray me with water were no fun.
Running any significant distance is always a continual
negotiation between the mind and the body. Even for distances as short as
5K (3.1 miles), the mind is saying "faster, faster, pick up the pace" - while
the body is doing its best to ration the energy so you
don't run out before the distance is covered.
Even experienced runners, who know how much energy they have to burn in the distance before them, fight this fight. Especially when the distance to be run is as long as it is here and the running lasts for days, it's really tough to fight the mind/body battle.
I continually scan the horizon for a glimpse of a water tower to indicate civilization and the chance of chocolate milk or an Icee, but never found one today...
I'm wearing a Garmin "wristwatch" GPS that continually
tracks my distance and pace - and don't know how I would survive this without
it. Every quarter mile is a goal, every mile is a reason for celebration.
Never found the historical marker, but did pass an interesting sign - interesting to me because the Kickapoo and Potawatomi tribes were both native to the the Danville area. I also had to chuckle at running the "Trail of Death" as my spirits were so low at that point.
Did get a pick-me-up while running into Springfield at
about mile 35 today. I can count on one hand the number of people I'm on a
first name basis with in Springfield - so was very surprised to get a shout-out
from a passing vehicle, who turned out to be Bob Borcherding, Finance Director of
The United Way of Central Illinois and a client of NexLAN's. Didn't have
long to chat - but appreciated the handshake and positive affirmations!
Just shortly after that, my path took me right by the state capitol, and by that time the sun was out.
A few miles later, realized I was running on the original
Route 66 and passed a landmark - which let me know that I was running in the
footsteps of a running acquaintance of mine, Phil Rosenstein, who completed his
Trans-America solo run in the spring of 2009, running Route 66 from California to
Chicago, and then continuing on to New Jersey.
The miles are catching up with me - and today was the longest distance yet and, with a time of 7:39:42 for the 39.4 miles, almost 30 seconds per mile faster than yesterday - not really a smart move at this point, but I soooo wanted to be done!
Day 4: Grandview/Springfield to Clinton – Wednesday, 7 Oct 09 – 41.7 miles
I've given up on holding a particular pace - it's all about survival now... I know it may sound silly to be worried about "minutes per mile" in something like this, but as a (at least locally) competitive runner I've always kept a close eye on my pace - even when training. It's disheartening to know that, even though at the age of 44 I can crack out a mile under 5:30 - or a 5K right at 18 minutes - I'm averaging something that looks like a pace from Biggest Loser (my favorite TV show!). What a blow to the ego!
I'm breaking down now, though - in ways that I didn't expect. Of course, that's because I was prepared for the ways that I expected to break down - nutrition is good, chafing is minimal, no blisters, regular stretching for achilles tendons and iliotibial bands, etc.
But I'm suffering terribly from what I call "stroller elbow" - which is like Tennis elbow and is mostly sore triceps - from using my right arm to constantly push/align the stroller and its 50 pounds of cargo. When on a straight road with no traffic nearby, I push the stroller ahead of me and then run as much as a dozen paces to it before having to push it again. When holding on to the stroller my stride is somewhat shortened, so I really like doing this - but it's like doing thousands of mini-bench-presses a day.
My upper stomach/abdomen muscles are sore from the same action. Normally I work out at a local gym three times a week - lots of core work and all upper body (I run enough that I never do anything "below the waist" in the gym) - but six weeks of my bruised/broken tailbone and upper respiratory infection knocked me out of the gym just prior to this run, so my triceps and abs could have been better prepared...
I've received a couple e-mail inquiries asking about the black socks that I'm wearing - and those are actually "toe socks" (where each toe has its own little sock!) from a company named Injinji. They're excellent for preventing blisters when ultra-running - but I have a small callous on my left big toe - and that made a blood blister yesterday that I lanced and then filled it with "super glue" (another ultra-running trick is to use the skin of the blister itself as the cover for it) so had to deal with the discomfort of that today. At least it doesn't look any worse after today.
Appreciated having a sunny day - but sunburn is really
getting me down since I can't keep sunscreen on when running for 8+ hours and
sweating the entire time. Am wearing a shirt and doing my best to reapply
sunscreen as necessary - but the sunburn is hitting unexpected area - my calves,
inside my right ear (since the sun is almost always on my right), and even high
on my right thigh where my short-shorts expose skin that doesn't normally see
daylight.
The worst part of the breakdown, though, is the bones in my feet - they just ache... There's 1,760 yards in a mile - and a stride averages around one yard - so 40 miles of running in a day is more than 70,000 footfalls on blacktop/concrete every day - or about 280,000 in the four days I've been running so far... Sure, I'm alternating two pairs of very new shoes (so the cushioning in them is fresh), but I'm used to running on woodland trails that are a lot more forgiving.
I know I can't keep up 40 miles/day forever, just two more days to go...
Well, better tell some stories of today then, huh?
About 10 miles into today's run went through the very tiny
hamlet of "Buffalo Hart" - and saw a sign to the town of Buffalo, Illinois - had
to get a picture of the sign since that's the name of the east-central Illinois
ultra-running club I run with.
I plotted my route using http://maps.google.com - but I'm not familiar with the roads/towns I'm passing through, so it's always a surprise as to what I'll find over the horizon. Knew that at approximately the halfway point today I would be passing the outskirts of a fairly sizable town, Mount Pulaski, and was REALLY hoping I'd be able to take a break there and get fresh drinks, ice, snack, etc. Finally got to the intersection I thought would have a Kwik-E-Mart, but could see it about a mile off my route and I nearly wept. Debated adding two miles to the run (a mile there, then a mile back) - and I know that two miles doesn't seem like a lot - but when I'm already over 20 miles for the day, with another 20+ to go, it's not an easy decision. Opted to just continue on. Laid down under a shade tree, and got this pic looking up through the branches. Beauty is where you look for it...
Shortly thereafter, learned the lesson of the day: It's hard to keep chewing your beef jerky when you run by a pungent possum roadkill!
Someone actually stopped to check on me today! Was
at about 35 miles, and pushing the stroller up a large hill, when a little old
lady pulled over and then asked me if I was OK? Told her that I was fine -
just running across Illinois for fun and I would be stopping for the night in
less than ten miles. I must have looked pretty bad (haven't shaved in days
because of my sunburned face) because she then asked if I had money for food?
Assured her that I wasn't indigent, but I'm not sure she was convinced!
But here is the prettiest picture of the day - taken at exactly mile 40. Can you pick out the water tower on the horizon? I knew the end was in sight.
Today was the longest distance yet, 41.7 miles, in 8:47:11 - nearly nine hours of running - but the day is done and only two to go. Feet don't fail me now...
Day 5: Clinton to Champaign – Thursday, 8 Oct 09 – 40.3 miles - MISSION SCRUBBED!
I always glance ahead at the weather forecast the evening
before, and knew it didn't look good for today - but since I can't do anything
about it, don't pay too much attention until in the morning.
This morning... it's ATROCIOUS out there! Heard the storm start about 5am (yes, loud enough to wake me) and was hoping it would blow over by 8am, when I normally start - but that's not happening.
It's raining SIDEWAYS - sheets of rain - constant winds of 15 to 20 mph, with frequent gusts to 40mph.
This central US system is the talk of the day on The Weather Channel as it stretches all the way to Texas (they're calling it a "storm train") and there's flash flood warnings all along its path as it slowly moves northeast, dumping inches of water as it goes. It's not supposed to completely pass for 36 hours, which means these are the conditions expected tomorrow too.
In the RADAR map to the right, I drew a red line of my planned path today (Clinton to Champaign). While the trip might be easier pulling a boat than pushing a stroller, I'm close enough to home to know what's on the route now - and there's NOTHING in between for shelter.
I don't mind running in the rain - it's great fun, especially in the woods - but on a dark country road, where vehicles are traveling at 60+ mph with their windshield wipers on, doesn't appeal to me.
Even worse, though, is now the temps are in the upper 40s, and with the constant rain and slow pace the danger of hypothermia is serious. My body fat percentage is definitely on the lower half of the bell curve, so I regularly suffer from shakes in conditions like this.
If it were a matter of "the serum must get through" then I would be gutting out the miles right now instead of typing this - but being completely on my own (which was the goal!) with no chase vehicle or other support for the 40+ miles - the risk/reward curve of running in this weather has tipped the scales... Sadly, my legs actually feel great!
I definitely had fun and learned some things about stage running - hopefully entertaining friends and family along the way - and I'll be at the Buffalo Gathering in Champaign tonight (which was supposed to be a celebration of "one day to go") to commiserate.
Thank you all, sincerely, for the numerous e-mails and calls of support - MUCH appreciated - and more adventures to follow.
To quote J.R.R. Tolkien, "Not all those who wander are lost..."
Day 6: Champaign to Danville (State Line) – Friday, 9 Oct 09 – 44.6 miles
I'll often revisit an adventure a few weeks later (and it's been three weeks now) - when the events are hopefully still fresh enough in my mind to be clear, but removed enough to get some perspective and see what I learned.
The "storm train" continued to bring rain non-stop for 36 hours after I decided to quit on the morning of October 8th (total precipitation of almost 4 inches in that time) with the mean temperature in the 40s, so I know I made the right choice, having not expected/prepared for such a cold and wet spell so early in the fall season. Lesson learned: When possible, prepare for events and conditions that are impossible. I had way too much "regular gear", and could have easily had less of that and a full rain suit. Then the only obstacle would have been dodging vehicles - and I'm just probably dumb enough to have tried that if I wouldn't have also been suffering from hypothermia at the same time!
The Buffalo Gathering at Tracy and Laura's on Thursday (October 8th) was great - with nearly 20 head of The Herd in attendance appreciating the distance covered and commiserating having to stop. A few had run stage races and could relate to the challenges and those made for the most interesting conversations over pizza that evening. Lesson learned: Especially when an adventure doesn't turn out as planned, it's great to be able to wind down with people that have "been there, done that." This is the first time I'd ever not finished a race I'd started (if you can call this a "race") - so it was especially disappointing. There's quite a few more experienced Buffalo that I look up to that can't say that - so I knew it was just a matter of time before I too could claim a DNF (Did Not Finish). Having compatriots that could truly relate was a huge help (especially in light of comments like, "Well when it started raining on Forrest Gump, he just put on a poncho!" - which obviously came from a non-runner).
Travelled quite a bit in October (was gone three weeks out of four, including this adventure), so didn't just return to Clinton a few days later and run from there home (thought it would be "cheating" with the long break since the first four legs) - but I'm already planning my return trip to run across Illinois in consecutive days next spring. Hopefully the lesson learned will be: You don't have to succeed the first time to succeed. I had a great time, legs were in great shape, and I learned a lot in my first stage run - can't wait to do more!