2020 Georgia Jewel~~The 100 That Actually Happened

It's Sunday afternoon, one week after our return from Dalton, GA, and I'm sitting here wondering, "Shouldn't I be doing something really hard and keeping busy right now?" All of a sudden, I've been gifted with some hours of quiet repose. What is this 'rest' I'm experiencing? Anyway, I'm thankful for it. This past week was crazy, hence, the reason I've waited until now to get my thoughts/report for the GJ100 started.

My race goals I wrote in my Compete Training Journal read as follows: A Goal: Win. B Goal: 100 Mile PR. C Goal: Successfully meet smaller goals.

Smaller Goals: #1: Don't get to 50K in under 6 hours. #2: Don't get to 50M in under 10.

I made these goals based on recent successes, such as, wins at Longest Day 100K and H9 50M. Also, I've stayed injury free and have really tried to not overdo my training (Thanks Matt!) The fact of the matter is, I wanted this race to not only go well, but to be an extension of the joy I've felt about actually having a 100 to run in 2020! After Western States and Hellbender were both cancelled, it was tough to have faith that any other 100 would be different. I can't tell you how thankful I was to learn that permits had been granted, and that with safety measures in place, the race would go on. The race directors, Jenny and Franklin Baker, worked so hard to make this thing happen. I can't imagine how many sleepless nights they spent wondering if they, too, would have to deliver bad news to extrants.

Don't let the amount of goal-setting fool you. I DID NOT overthink this race whatsoever. I simplified my planning, and didn't even start packing until the Wednesday before the race. The weather was looking warm and perfect, and there would be a good thirteen hour stretch of running in the dark. If I could mostly just take those things into account, the planning would be easy.

We left for Dalton, GA on Friday, 5.5 hrs. before the race start. We arrived later than expected due to an accident along the way. The time we spent in traffic made me so nervous. I climbed into the 3rd row of the car and started getting ready, not knowing how much time I'd have to prepare upon arrival. I began texting Sergio and Marty, asking them to please get my bib for me if I didn't make it on time for packet pickup. Thankfully, I made it by 3pm, and my bib was the one on the very top, ha!

We were sent out in waves of 10, based on our Ultrasignup scores. I was bib #3, so I was in the first wave. I was thrilled to be toeing the line with several amazing female runners, and got to run many miles with them as well. I'm so thankful for the time we were able to spend on the trails together, discussing family life as wives and mothers. (Thank you Meridith and Emma!)

The first mile's excitement completely masked the thought of having to go back up Mt. Baker on the return. That thing is steep! As we continued, it took what seemed forever to get in a groove. This is where running with the other ladies really helped, because my confidence seems to wane so early in these long races. All the feelings of "why do I do this to myself?" begin to foolishly creep in. Well, on a section of climbing, I remembered that I needed to give myself until at least mile 30 in order to fairly assess my body. Before that, it's about still adapting to the effort and what the trail is giving back.

I had hoped I would see Ken and Alex at mile 18, the Snake Creek aid station. This was 3:43 into the race. Where were they? I knew I wasn't going so fast that I missed them. I stood in front of the table looking for our car, and psyching myself up to continue without their aid, when I finally saw Ken off in the distance. Whew!

The course continued onto some more pretty single track, and I was finally starting to feel good. I was getting excited about getting to run in the dark--it's my favorite! Soon enough, I was wearing my headlamp, and headed to John's Mountain. So much of this stretch of trail is blur, mostly due to the darkness and amount of concentration it took for me to pay closer attention to the ground. Eventually, I caught up with Jason from Georgia on a somewhat confusing portion of the course. We couldn't find trail markers, but eventually found our way and started heading to the Dry Creek aid station. There turned out to be a long section of service road, and having someone to run with really made the miles go by so much quicker. Knowing that the biggest, busiest aid station of the day was coming up, I might have gone way faster than I needed to had I not been running with someone going at a smart pace. This was a long and runnable section, and our hip flexors were definitely feeling it after a while.

Finally, we got to Dry Creek. There is something really exciting and electric about this place since the runners all go through numerous times. Ken recorded my time of arrival at about 20 minutes after the first female arrived. With a crew, I was able to take off my pack and grab an already filled handheld and a gel for the first of four loops of about seven miles each. When I arrived back at the AS, I grabbed my Ultraspire Lumens waist light, a refill/gel, and a shot of Coke. The Coke would pretty much be the quick boost I'd receive at every aid station visit. I repeated the refill and Coke two more times before I finally left and headed inbound. As usual, I had my "yell at Ken" moment here--not my finest moment, but he was able to calm me down by letting me know that I gained over thirty minutes on the next female. I met my two small goals here and knew I should be happy about that, too, but I now had to settle down and not get stressed about placement.

Alex and I left Dry Creek, and he was able to get me chatting a little. He was pretty surprised by how coherent I still was. We ticked off the miles, and daylight finally came. The next few hours would be a bit stressful, but Alex's funny attempt at singing and trying to keep me moving would occupy most of it. By stressful, I mean:

1. We went off course and lost about 15 minutes somewhere around mile 71.

2. I had not one, but TWO nosebleeds.

3. I began to pee a lot.

4. Two big falls in the last ten miles.

5. Rocks, rocks, rocks

6. My stomach began feeling queazy, and I thought I might puke.

7. Alex had to make the decision at the final AS as to what I should have to eat before continuing. Honestly, I had no decision making left in me, and he chose gummy bears--perfect!

By the time we reached the final AS, I was really struggling with running at any good, consistent pace. We went downhill at the power lines, then on the road, then uphill, then towards Mount Baker. It was a short, steep climb to the top with a fun group waiting at the top, and then I was able to catch my breath and run to the finish.

It felt so good to be done, and to be done in daylight. I left with the guys about a half hour or so after, got a shower, and we headed back to the race to see the finishers from the hundred and the other distances. I never threw up, so that was good. Truthfully, I was feeling relatively good, but of course, very tired.

Once again, I want to thank the Bakers for the wonderful job they did with putting the race together. The volunteers were outstanding, and so helpful in keeping us all on track with the safety precautions.

I don’t normally add a gear or nutrition list to my reports, but I figured it might be helpful for some people.

Run in Rabbit shorts/sports bra/shorts

Altra Lone Peak 4.5

Xoskin Toe Socks

Salty Britches anti-chafing ointment

Ultimate Direction Ultra Vesta & soft flasks

Nathan Vapor Mag vest & soft flasks

Amphipod Minimalist 16oz. Handheld (love!)

Black Diamond Spot headlamp

Ultraspire 400 Lumens waist light (surprisingly comfy, and the pocket in back holds a phone)

Nutrition:

Hüma Gels (countless)

2 GU Stroopwafels

Someone‘s GU Roctane we found on the ground (don’t blame Alex, I begged for it)

Tailwind (Naked flavor) and water

Aid station bananas, mandarin oranges, pickles

Bacon!

Coke!

And finally...Gummy Bears