Red Dirt 50k Race Recap

 

Last Saturday was the Red Dirt Ultra, and the first year in the race's 7 year history that I arrived as a participant and not the race director.  After last year's race, it was time for me to hand it off to someone who would care about the legacy of the race, but who would also take the time to grow it and make it an even better event.  That person is Fawn Hernandez.  Fawn is a very experienced trail and ultra runner, and she has a love of the sport that I believe is necessary to have an event that is pure to the spirit of trail running.

Friday evening, Randy and I hung out at packet pickup for a bit, visiting with old friends and making new ones, then for the first time in the history of this race, we went to our hotel room (not a tent or box trailer) to sleep and get ready for the race.  I wanted to see all of my 100 mile friends, so we got to the race site early Saturday morning before the 100 mile and 100k started.  

Ten minutes before the 50k started, Fawn did her trail briefing, giving specific info on the trail and what to expect for the day. She also mentioned the passing of the RD torch and said a few sweet words to acknowledge the handover, and before you know it, the countdown was started and we were on our way.  

The first few miles of this race have a fair amount of climbing and loose sand, so I knew I would take it easy until I hit a runnable section.  Sarah LeBlanc and I ran / hiked together for much of the first 12 miles on the course.  Since my piriformis flared up earlier in the week, causing me to have to take a few days off of running, while taking anti-inflammatories and spending time with the percussion massager, I knew there was a chance that I may not be able to finish the race.  After all, this was just a training run for the Badger 100 coming up in July, and I didn't want to push a minor injury into a major one that may cause me to lose training time.

In the last couple of miles before we hit the MudnGuts aid station at mile 12, I started to notice a sharp pain in my left knee when we were climbing.  I was pretty sure it was just a result of a tight and angry piriformis, but I began to resign myself that I would stop at mile 12 to avoid potential damage.

When I arrived at MudnGuts, Randy was there with my nutrition (Skratch Super Fuel - 400 calories per bottle, 200 - 250 calories per hour), and the aid station was ready to help me and get me on my way.  If you haven't done one of my races, the MudnGuts aid stations are always a highlight of the race. This aid station is filled with experienced trail and ultra runners and they are as loving as they are tough.  They have saved many people's races when they thought they could no longer continue.  Great people.

So, I stopped my watch.  I told Randy about the knee pain and that I didn't want to take any chances.... then I started thinking about getting to see Shipley Cafe (the last aid station on the trail, and another truly phenomenal one - coffee or espresso to order, delicious burritos and more!) or the new section of the trail run on the Caroline Dorman trail that I had not seen yet, not to mention that this was the first year of Fawn being RD, and it was important to both of us that she would be able to put a medal around my neck. 

So I stretched, took a couple of ibuprofen (Not recommending this!  Do this at your own risk!  I take very small doses just to take the edge off when I am hurting.), restarted my watch, and headed back onto the trail. I asked Randy to try to meet me at the next aid station as well, just in case the pain got worse.  Yes, it was a no crew access station, but I claim Founder's Privilege on this one.

I started run / walking again, and no knee pain!  But in a few miles, my lower back started tightening up - what I am sure is all still related to my whole left side being tight from the piriformis flare up.  I ran when I could, walked when I needed to navigate around mud, or just needed a break, and made it to the next aid station where Randy was waiting. I knew if I made it there, I would make it to the end. After this is was just 5 or so miles to Shipley Cafe and 6 or so to the finish line.  Stupid mental games you play with yourself in an ultra.

Between the third aid station and Shipley Cafe laid the new section of trail that I was looking forward to.  Most of Red Dirt Ultra is run on the Sandstone trail which is also an ATV trail from May - December, so it is a wide, not very technical trail.  The main thing you have to navigate are ruts from the ATV tires now and then and a few rocky sections.  

The approach to the Caroline Dorman trail was a dirt road for about .8 miles which seemed longer as it was midday and the temps got up to 80.  Once on the trail, you went from running on packed sand to running on grass, and since this section is not heavily used, the trail was not always obvious.  After a few stops to look for trail markings, I made it to Bayou Kisatchie, where the trail skirted alongside for the last mile or so before Shipley Cafe. Here are a few pics from that section:

My feet were wet most of the day due to water crossings.  Between that and the sand, it wrecked havoc on runners feet.

The water on this trail is cold and clear.  Feels great on tired feet that are already wet from the trail.

Kisatchie Bayou

A washout on the trail. One of the many reasons I was happy I wouldn't have to run this section at night.

Once you finished this section, you found yourself on a cement sidewalk that led straight to Shipley Cafe, where I was happy to get a big hug from Jeff Shipley, the Aid Station Captain and an old friend.  Jeff is an aid station genius. His station was about 25 miles into a very hot loop, and the first thing he offered was a popsicle.  Perfect.  The next thing I wanted was a cold beer.  During a long race like this, about half of a cold beer if perfect - carbs for a quick pick me up, cold, and bubbly to refresh your mouth from the sugary sweet stuff you've been eating at the aid stations.  If you know Randy, you know that where he is, there is usually beer, so I met him at the car, drank my beer, refilled my pack and headed up the road.

This was by far my least favorite part of the race.  It was midday and hot, and this was 1.5 miles of dirt road until we could reenter the trail.  I told Randy at Shipley Cafe that I had decided to walk it in from this point.  I was 25 miles into a race that I was seriously undertrained for (longest run prior was 9 miles), and I really just wanted to enjoy the rest of the race.  

Once I entered the trail again, I played leap frog for a while with Scott - an active duty Air Force member, who was walk/running ahead of me.  He would jog a bit, then stop and walk and I would keep catching up with him.  Eventually, he decided just to walk it in as well and we walked the rest of the race together and visited the whole way.  

One of the beauties of these races is watching people who would never meet otherwise, or who may have nothing in common, become friends.  The trail is the great equalizer. It doesn't matter what you do, what your political beliefs are, or how much money you have in the bank.  On the trail, everyone is equal.

To wrap up a too long post, I finished at 8:40, I think. Nowhere near a pr, but that wasn't the goal, and this is a tough course - about 2300 feet of gain in 30 miles.  I got my medal and hug from Fawn, Georgie, an angel on earth cleaned and worked on my feet, I drank a couple of beers with friends, ate some of Darrins delicious gumbo, and headed back to the hotel to shower and rest so I could clear 9 miles of trails for Fawn the next day.

All in all a great weekend! 

Happy Running, y'all! 

Edie

I wouldn't have listened either.

Now don't take the title of this post as being negative - it is just being honest about the potential good this may do, but I figure it is worth a try.  It's the age old saying, "If one person is helped..."

A few months ago I noticed an odd spot on my shoulder.  I am fair skinned and freckle/burn easily so I am always very aware of any changes in my skin.  After watching the spot for a bit to see what it would do, I decided to get it checked out.  I called a couple of dermatologists on my insurance and the answer was the same - we can see you in six months.  Wow - did I ever go into the wrong business!  Luckily, a trail running friend also happens to be married to a dermatologist, and after contacting them they were able to see me sooner.  Good thing, too, since the diagnosis was that the spot was basal cell carcinoma.  Skin cancer.  It is a "good" cancer to get, if you have to get one at all, but it still has to be removed or it will continue to grow.  The skin immediately around the spot had to be removed as well to be sure they got it all, leading to a slightly larger scar, but also more peace of mind.

Since my doctor is married to a runner, she understood what she was dealing with.  When asked about running post surgery, she just asked me to give her two days of rest because of the increased bleeding risk from the incision, so I did.  The surgery was on Monday, so I moved my Tuesday run to early Monday morning and took the following two days off.  My Saturday long run was a little uncomfortable with stitches in my shoulder, but she cleared me to do it, just saying to refrain from excessive arm movement.  It was a hot, humid slog for a little over 2 hours.  I am not sure my legs were actually moving, much less my arms.

My stitches were removed yesterday so now I am just left with this lovely scar, which will fade over time...

Now that I have had one instance of this, I am 50% more likely to have another pop up in the next 5 years.  All those years outside all day as a kid, and a couple of bad sunburns have taken their toll, but there are things I can do to prevent recurrence as much as possible.  I have begun wearing long sleeved UV protectant shirts and a hat on EVERY run, and I am wearing lotion with sunscreen on any exposed skin every day.  

I anticipated wearing long sleeves to run in south Louisiana summertime to be completely miserable, but I have been pleasantly surprised.  Believe it or not, once you soak through the shirt, even the slightest breeze created by running has a noticeable cooling effect.

So, here is the advice most of you will not heed. (As the title notes, I wouldn't have listened either.)  Consider looking into long sleeved UV tech shirts.  Save yourself any additional sun damage, and hopefully avoid getting a chunk of your skin cut off.  Or don't.  But if you are interested, here are the shirts I found that are a great price and not terribly heavy to run in.  

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01NCZ0XL1/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Happy Running, Y'all!

Edie

Lots of Loopers!

Six names were added to the short list of crazy running-type people who have run the whole 20+ mile loop of Chicot State Park on Sunday, August 26th.  Here's the whole group:

From left: (standing) Tim and Karin Gill, Lonny Gaspard, Eric Gravish, Randy Aymond,
Me, Emma Valentine, Christina Gravish, Jason LeBlanc
(kneeling) Sandi Hernandez, Tara Greer, Kristi Mire

Three of this group had done the whole loop (20+ miles) the day before, but came out to grab a little more trail with us on Sunday - it's a sickness, folks. :)  Lonny, Randy, Emma, Jason, Colin and Sandi would all be looping for the first time.  They had all done trail runs of shorter distances in preparation, but this was the big day.  No out and backs for them, it was all or nothing.  Okay - that makes it sound a little more dramatic than it was, but it is a really big deal when folks make the whole loop for the first time.  It is NOT an easy run, and when it is hot, it is REALLY tough.  But, holding firm to looper tradition, there were no wimps or whiners in the group.  

We set out at a reasonable pace (walking the uphills from the start), knowing that it was going to be a tough day without us starting it out by making bad decisions.  Everything went as planned.  When the group would spread out a bit, we would bunch up at set points, then take off again.  We saw a huge family of hogs, but luckily they had no interest in some very smelly runners.  Everyone carried their own stuff - for me it took about 80 oz of water, and 2 gels.  For others it may have been less water and more gels - everyone is different.  But, everyone who was out there had completed long distance runs before, so they had taken the time to figure out their formula.

Even when we split up, it was easy for us to hear Emma.  Every time she saw a big mile marker, a yell could be heard throughout the forest.  It made me laugh every time.  The last mile marker on the trail is at mile 19, so it is tradition to get pictures with first time loopers there.  Some folks were ahead of me, so I missed them, but here are a few:

Yep, she yelled for this one too.  And yes, that is a
tiara on top of her hat.  This was her birthday present to herself -
her first 20 mile run EVER, and it happened to be a
very tough run.  Great job, Emma!!!

Randy at 19.  

Sandi at 19.

There were quiet spots when no one was talking when you knew there was some suffering going on, but there was no complaining, and everyone maintained a positive attitude (this is more important than you realize out there).  I have said it before folks - say what you want about other sports, but trail running only attracts the toughest and most humble people.  Those that are lacking in these qualities never last.  They may come out and crush the loop one time to say they did it, but they will never be a regular on these trails, and they will never have the discipline and smarts that these folks did to gradually work themselves up to running 20+ trail miles.  

There is no fancy equipment to buy for this.  You can't go out and spend hundreds of dollars to get the latest shoes that might be a little lighter, or made from carbon, or more aerodynamic, to help you out.  There is basic gear that everyone has that is pretty much the same stuff.  The results of your efforts are BECAUSE of your efforts.  If you run faster one loop than you did for the previous one, it can not be attributed to the gear or fancy bells and whistles.  It is because of YOU.  It is your legs that carried you forward, and your heart that kept you from quitting.  That is why it is so satisfying to me to bring people out there and watch them do something that is completely out of their comfort zone.  That is where the good stuff is, folks.

I have been glowing all week, just thinking about how proud I am of Sandi, Emma, Lonny, Randy, Colin, and Jason.  There is something very empowering about conquering something this difficult.  It makes you start to wonder what else you might be able to accomplish that you never even considered trying before.  I can't wait to see where this leads.  All good, all good.

Randy finishing.  It is so damn good to see those
cars, and know there is cold beer in your near future!!

Sandi finishing.  Sandi has brought most of her family
out with us to either run or hike the trails.
She is definitely paying it forward.

Special thanks to Lonny for the ice cold fruit at the finish.  That was such a great surprise, and much appreciated.  And special thanks to Randy for having beer iced down for when we got off of the trails.  The best tasting beers are those after a hard effort.

So if you are wondering if trail running is for you - there is only one way to find out!  Try it!!  It should be cooling off soon, and the insects should be chilling out some, so if that is what has been holding you back - EXCUSE CANCELED. :)

Have a great holiday weekend, and Happy Running!

Edie

Training Update:  Solid 50 mile week last week.  Felt strong, and no issues.  Staying on top of my stretching and cleaning up my diet.  Hurricane derailed me a bit this week, but no worries.  Got in a 13 miler today, and while it sucked, it was yet another deposit into my running account.  Cactus Rose in late October is a BIG withdrawal  so I have to build up my accounts as much as possible before then.  Hill training starting in September.  Tower of Terror runs looming!!  I'll keep you posted in case any knuckleheads out there care to jump on board.

Business Update:  Well I continue to be ignored in my requests for the same monthly reports that I sent my "partners" every week while I was working at the store. I guess they think that if they ignore me long enough, I will just give up.  :)

You never know what to expect.....

Sorry it's been so long since my last post.  Things blew up for a bit, and are just getting 

back to what I consider normal now. The last trail run was very well attended (as you can see).

18 runners, including a few first timers, joined us on the trails.  Three made the

whole loop (20 - 22 miles, depending on who you ask, and how much you suffer), and the rest

of us did out and backs for anywhere from 8 to 16 miles.

What was different about this loop?  Well - let's start by going over the expected during the run:

There were trees down.

There were lots of smiles.

There was quite a bit of sweat.

And there were lots of laughs.

What we didn't expect - the freshly killed bunny on the trail.  Definitely no pictures of that one.  I just wanted to get away before whatever killed it came back for its snack.  Besides, that would just be gross.

On the return leg of the 16 mile out and back, the group broke up a bit, and I was able to run by myself for a while.  As much as I love running with my buddies, I treasure these moments when I am sort of alone on the trail.  I say sort of because there is no one as far as I can see or hear, but I know that there are people both ahead of and behind me, which is comforting should something go wrong.  Being alone in the middle of the woods is the purest form of meditation for me.  This is always where I feel the closest to God, when I am surrounded by so much of the beauty he created.  I am always humbled by the enormity of all of it, as well as the attention put into the smallest details.

So when my phone rang about 5 miles from the exit to the trail, it startled me because I was in such a peaceful place in my mind. (Even though my ring tone is a nature sound - ducks quacking. :) No, I don't hunt, it just cracks me up every time it rings.  I stopped and took my phone out of my Camelbak and saw that it 

was my 13 year old son calling.  I had my answer to his question planned before I even answered - "Yes, Jeffrey can come over tonight."

Well, that wasn't what the call was about at all.  Instead, it was Josh telling me that I need to call my sister right away - there's an emergency.  My dad is 92, and ever since we lost my mom last year, all he has wanted was to join her, so I had a pretty good idea what I would hear when I made that call. Sure enough, my sister told me that Dad had eaten his breakfast, pushed his tray away, and stopped breathing.  The paramedics were at his house doing chest compressions at that time.

I told her to keep me posted, I hung up the phone, and I started to RUN.  I knew the odds were against me making it in time to tell him goodbye, but I had to try.  I ran for 10 minutes, all out.  During this time I jumped over two snakes, one of which I came REAL close to stepping on.  Talk about adrenaline.  With the hurdling of the second snake, I am surprised I didn't need chest compressions.

When I hit the 10 minute mark, I had a very strong feeling that there was no reason to hurry anymore.  I slowed to a walk, and called my sister back.  They had just declared Dad dead.  Of course, all of the expected emotions were there.  I was very much a daddy's girl.  My brothers and sisters were all much older than me, so I was pretty much raised as an only child.  I spent most of my childhood working with my dad and following him around.  If he stopped too suddenly, I would run right into him.  He was an amazing man, and an EXCELLENT role model.  Dad didn't talk about it, he just did it.

The note we found in his desk the day after he died.

In fact, I credit him heavily for my ultra running.  He instilled in me an adventurous spirit.  When I was afraid to try something, he would always say, "What's the worst that can happen?"  It's amazing how far those words have gotten me.

So, I stopped running and I listened.  It was so incredibly peaceful.  All I heard was the rustling of the leaves off of the side of the trail (which I walked away from quickly - better safe than sorry), and the birds.  It really was the perfect place to receive such news.  The peace I feel every time I run through the woods is the peace Dad feels all the time now.  I can't think of a better way to feel close to him than to return to the spot where I was when his soul was taken home.  Just when I thought I couldn't love Chicot more.

So, I walked and Emma caught up with me.  I told her what had happened and she was crying before I was.  We walked the rest of the way, talking about my dad and her bubbling stomach.  Then, as if I needed more comic relief, when we get off of the trail, Randy is holding ice on his face.  He was ambushed by wasps - not on the trail but afterwards when he was checking out the trail map.  I understand he put on quite the show when he was stung.  Just thinking about it makes me laugh. :)  Sorry Randy.

So, this last week was spent burying my Dad and taking care of final arrangements.  I only ran once -  Sunday for 11 miles.  But, it was a run with friends on a never run on before route.  All good.

And, once again this season, I find myself knocked off of my schedule a bit.  I am really not too torn up about it.  I will pick up where I left off as if last week never happened.  I never try to make up mileage.  If it is missed, it is deleted.   Move forward, don't look back.  

I started this blog to bring you along with me on my training journey, so that you could see that I am just a regular person who happens to run long races.  I get derailed, and I have to improvise.  Nothing in my life is set in stone, I just do my best to roll with the punches.  I really think my ability to adapt is a HUGE part of the reason that I am able to complete ultra distance races.  

I am adding a few more pics from the trail run on the 12th.  My next blog post will include an update on the business part, as well as a review of next Sunday's loop - a bunch of folks will be making the whole loop for the first time!! Can't wait to share it with them (and Dad!).

Have a great week, and Happy Running!!

Edie

Renee's first trail run!!  So happy she joined us!

Ahhh - the bridges!!

Running into the sunrise.

Colin learned that long legs are not an asset on the trails.

Smiles and more smiles!!

No, Keith, we are not making fun of your backpack.

Lonny leading the way.

Shane - a trail veteran now, and he just signed up for his
first trail race!!  Yay Shane!!

Great week running, and other funny stuff

First let's get the foolishness out of the way, then move on to more important things.  Maybe I am not understanding what it means to be terminated via text (which I saved copies of, as well as all of the other lovely texts I have received) and banned from the store that I am still part owner of (not sure of the legality of that).  Maybe some are realizing that things were handled poorly.  Maybe this would have all been cleared up sooner if handled in person, or if any of the parties involved would choose to speak to me in person instead of hiding behind texts and emails.  Funny that now I should receive a letter asking me to formally resign my position as general manager when I was "terminated". ( I can't say that word without picturing Arnold Schwarzenegger. )  Since I am being ignored otherwise, but I know those interested are following this blog, let me respond to their letter here.  Let's see....ummmm....NO.

Moving on to a more interesting topic - Danielle's first run at Chicot! (AND her longest run to date!!)

13 miles run!!  Awesome job Danielle!

I would say that this past weekends run didn't go according to plan, but I never really have a set plan when going out to Chicot.  I was aiming for my last 20 miler, but the morning of the run, a couple of people had schedule conflicts which would have had us rushing to finish so they could make it back home for another event, so we all agreed to do an out and back for 12 or 13 miles. (I really didn't need another 20, since my race is next weekend, so it was easy to agree to this).

I should have known this would not be just another trail run.  From the beginning, it was like the trail gods were trying to tell me something.  When we get to the park, the first stop we always make is at the park bathroom before we get to the trail head.  There are always deer around the area, since there is a feeder nearby.  The deer in Chicot are very bold.  They are protected, and they know it.  But this weekend was a first.  There was a herd of 5 or 6 does crossing the road ahead of our truck.  When we got close they just looked at us, and kept walking across the road.  We actually had to stop to let them get by, and as the last doe was crossing and we were about to start moving, a buck ran in front of us. It was like trying to drive through the parking lot of WalMart.  Crazy.

When we got to the trail head and I took my Camelbak out of the back of the truck, I noticed the bottom of the pack was soaked.  I fooled with it a bit and found that the bottom quick release valve was leaking.  I couldn't get it to stop completely, but I figured since I had filled the pack with enough water to do the full 20 miles, I should be able to make 12 or 13 even with a leak.  I was wrong.  As soon as we started running, it really started leaking - pouring out the pack, down my legs, and into my shoes.

By mile 2.5 or so, the pack was almost dry.  I knew it would be a bad decision to go in too far and risk running out of water completely, so I turned around at this point.  At first I was aggravated that my mileage goal would not be met, but it turned out to be a great run back.  Since I wasn't accomplishing a whole lot with this run, I decided to take this opportunity to take some pictures along the way.

This is my favorite!

Lots of trees down this week from the storms the night before.

And it sounds and smells just as relaxing as it looks.

So, my last long run turned into a 5 mile run/walk/photo shoot.  I didn't stay aggravated for long.  It is so peaceful out there, it has a way of washing any negative feelings right out of you.  I enjoyed waiting at the finish and getting to see all of my friends (new and old) pop out of the woods.

Emma finishing.  Evidently she ran so fast, her shirt
flew off.  A common occurrence on the trails.

Liz finishing strong as usual!

Sandi dancing.  Or having a muscle spasm.
Either way, pretty cute.

Run, hike, skip, prance -
All are welcome, regardless of your chosen
form of locomotion.

Taylor, Kristofer and Tara sweating and smiling!

Everyone did between 8 and 13 miles on this outing.  Three newbies were introduced to Chicot, and there were 10 of us in all.  What an awesome trip!!

Don and Christina tearing up the trail

"That spider was THIS big!"

Liz and Randy doing Chicot yoga.

Randy on the trail.

L to R
Kristofer Harrington, 12, first time trail runner!!
Tara Greer, first timer, Taylor and Sandi - veteran
trail monkeys.

So, this week ended with 36 miles.  About 20 miles short of my goal.  I'm not thrilled with that, but I am not all tied in knots about it either.  Keep in mind, the race this weekend is not my "A" race by any means.  It will be 31 miles of suck, and I am looking at it as a training run/learning experience.  I am also looking at it as a great break over race to lead me into training for Cactus Rose, my first 50 miler of the season, in late October.  I did 31 miles in 3 days this week - all in the hottest parts of the day.  Ouch.  I am not expecting to do anything spectacular with this race, I am just really looking forward to getting there, and being surrounded by other ultrarunning fools.  I know there will be some GREAT stories!!

A big group of new trail runners are planning on doing their first loop of Chicot together on August 26th.  I can not wait for that day!  They will finally get to see all of the beauty of Chicot, and see what it feels like to pop out at that finish line with one heck of a tough trail run under their belt.  I am VERY excited about sharing that with them!!

I will try to get my pacer blog done this week some time, and I will put together a full race report after my 50k this weekend.  As always, there will be stories to tell!!

Happy Running!

Edie