Cliff notes: I finished!
What a wild ride it has been. Friday evening I made my way over to Manitou to pick up my packet and check out the expo. They slapped a bracelet on me, new this year to curb bib swapping, and I dug through my bag full of goodies. I tooled around the expo for a few minutes, grabbed a few samples, a new pair of running gloves, and then headed over to the massage chairs. My hamstrings had been sore most of the week leading up to the race after working in the yard the previous Sunday. They weren't exactly set up to handle any leg therapy, but the lady running the show worked on my hammies for a few minutes. I then turned around and got a quick shoulder and back rub to take the edge off a little bit. Nerves were definitely starting to kick in. Most of the day Friday I was extremely anxious.
After the massage, Josh, Jill, and I headed over to meet Michelle at Olive Garden for a meal of carb filled goodness. We broke from dinner about 8:30 and planned to meet up with them again tomorrow morning at 6:15 and head over to Manitou. Michelle asked me if I wanted anything special for breakfast. I put in my requests and she said she would make it happen. I went home, packed up all my gear, popped a melatonin, and fell asleep around 10pm.
Saturday morning I woke up at 5am and started prepping for the long day ahead of me. I left the house around 5:35 and went to pick up Michelle. Being the sweetheart that she is, she provided me with two pieces of toasted blueberry muffin bread and a banana. I scarfed it down and made a quick stop at the store for some Gatorade and water.
We arrived at Josh and Jill's house around 6:15 and loaded up to head over to the starting line. Once in Manitou, the scene was a madhouse. They dropped us off and we headed to the expo area where we made last minute preparations. We heard the countdown and the gun go off for Wave 1 and all the cheers that accompanied the send off of the first group of runners. By that time, Michelle and Jill had managed to find a parking spot and hung out with us while we stretched and waited for the start of Wave 2. Not much time went by before we were standing in a huge pack about 20 yards from the banner hanging over Manitou Avenue and they were counting us down. We hung on the right side of the street so that Michelle could snap some pics as we came through the starting line. Apparently her camera died as we went by, but I wasn't about to stop for pics then.
I settled into a nice light jog down Manitou Avenue and rounded the corner onto Ruxton St. I got passed by a ton of people, but I wasn't worried about them. I still had almost 13 miles to go.... UP HILL! I slowed to a quick walk just before reaching Iron Springs Chateau. At Hydro St, I was two minutes ahead of the pace for a 5 hour Ascent. I didn't get too terribly excited since it was real early and Matt Carpenter's pace chart indicated that almost everyone is ahead of pace there anyway. As soon as I passed Hydro St, I looked up to see runners barely 50 yards ahead of me were way up on a hill. I had walked down this section once or twice, but never gone up it. It was pretty intimidating seeing a huge crowd headed up the path. There were still plenty of people passing me, mostly walking at this point, but I settled into a brisk walk and kept my heart rate steady. We hit the first aid station along the banks of Ruxton Creek and I grabbed a quick cup of water and dumped it into my bottle that was about half full of Gatorade. Just after the aid station, the course turns up a long switchback and then joins with Barr Trail proper and thus starts the "W's".
The "W's" proved to be a slow and arduous hike. Being near the back of the pack, there were times where we would all stop and wait for someone in front of us to step up on a rock ledge before the pack would start moving again. It was halfway up the first switchback that another friend of mine, Mark, passed me on the left. I had only learned a week prior that he was in the race and it was cool actually running into him. He was moving along at a good pace and eventually made his way out of traffic and I wouldn't see him again for a while. I made my way up to the second aid station at the incline bailout, grabbed a cup of water to drink, and dumped some more into my Gatorade bottle to water it down a little more. The Gatorade at the aid stations was extremely watered down, but still proved to be too strong to drink in huge quantities unless I watered it down some more. I hit my lap button to split time again. I would later find out that I was splitting at all the wrong spots on the bottom half of the course and my splits against the pace calculator were essentially worthless. I did know my target to get to Barr Camp, however.
I had passed a few people going up the "W's" and also got passed by some others coming up from the back. I slowed way down at one point to work out a side stitch and was then able to resume a steady pace. I had a pretty good idea that I wanted to be at the rock arch in about an hour and twenty minutes, but I think it was closer to 1:45 when I finally got there. The crowds really slowed me down and took me out of my race at that point. Not to worry, I could make up some time in the flats above No Name Creek.
I pulled into No Name and grabbed a couple cups of water. It was actually cold at this station and was quite refreshing. I popped down another GU pack and headed up. It wasn't long after No Name that I ran into my buddy Mark again. He was stopped, hanging onto a tree, and sucking on his Camelbak for all that it was worth. He filed in behind me and we chatted for a few minutes about how miserable this race was going to be. After we reached the top of the last couple switchbacks, I looked back and he was gone. Sadly, I didn't see his name on the finisher list and hope he was OK.
Once I reached the flats, I started walking pretty quickly. I kept thinking to myself that this was the spot I was going to make up time, but nobody else seemed to be in a big hurry. I settled in for the long walk and follwed the herd up to Barr Camp. The "longest half mile" didn't seem quite as long that day and I was at Barr Camp before too long. I checked my watch and I was 15 minutes behind my goal. Oops! I grabbed some more water, and had the awesome volunteers top of my water and watery Gatorade bottles. I quickly started moving again because I started getting worried about the new cutoff time at the A-Frame.
The stretch between Barr Camp and A-Frame was a section of the trail that I hadn't been on since July of 2006. I remember it being a particularly nasty haul and wasn't looking forward to it. I followed up a nice lady from Florissant and we spent about 20 or so minutes chatting as we walked up. She pulled off to the side about halfway between the two landmarks and I never saw her again. I asked a few people behind me if they would like to pass and they said my pace was good and we talked for a while. They came from Witchita, KS and I told them what to expect above treeline. At some point, they pulled off to take a break and I passed a few more people. I had a particularly chatty group of girls behind me that reminded everyone within earshot that we were "almost to A-Frame" at the end of every switchback. This went on for a few switchbacks and I jokingly suggested to them that they couldn't give us any more reminders until we were at A-Frame. I guess they got the hint because I didn't hear that phrase uttered again until we saw the balloons at the aid station.
At A-Frame, I was about 4 hours into the race. I was no longer worried about time, but I was concerned with cramps. I had felt a few twinges set into my calves as I stepped up on some of the rock ledges between Barr Camp and A-Frame. Having to water down the Gatorade to make it drinkable, it wasn't having much of an effect with regards to replenishing electrolytes. I yanked out my water bottle, had it topped off, and drank two more cups while I stood around for a couple minutes. I had to move off the rock I was standing on since I was using my calves to support me and they were screaming. I needed some salt in me fast. I grabbed a few pieces of pretzels and toast chips from the pub mix bowl and popped them in my mouth. I couldn't even chew them because my mouth was so dry so I spit it out. I asked the guy peddling "margaritas" to fill up my other bottle and he obliged. Once again, more watered down Gatorade. As a last ditch effort, I grabbed a handful of Mike and Ike candies and a few grapes and headed up the trail past treeline. The candies and grapes hit the spot. I washed them down with another GU and started working on the Gatorade. I ended up behind a lady from KS and while she was a little reluctant to chat (she probably couldn't breathe up there), I did manage to get her to talk a few times. She finished not far behind me. Right as I started the 1st mile above the trees, I could hear the announcer on the summit and the cheers as people crossed the line. I don't know what came over me, but there I was fighting back tears. I took a couple deep breaths and told myself that was going to have to wait.
As we got into the second mile above the trees, I was feeling pretty good. I was still pacing the lady from Kansas and there was another lady in front of her. We stuck together for a good while and passed quite a few people walking slower or stopped on a rock while traversing over to the Cirque. The final aid station was just before the Cirque. There was a guy before the water buckets with a bag full of grapes barking "I've got grapes if you like!" I raised my hand and yelled "I LIKE!" and he rewarded me with a handful of red grapes. I also grabbed a cup of water and left my bottles in my pack. They had plenty to get me up that last mile. Just as I exited the "trash zone" of the aid station somebody in front yelled "Boulder coming down!" I look up and another guy on a switchback just above repeated the warning. I spotted the boulder and stopped dead in my tracks. It looked as if it would roll across the trail a good 10 or 15 feet in front of me. At the last second it bounced off another rock and headed right at me. I crouched and did my best Reggie Bush impression to juke the boulder. I'm not sure if it went in front of me, behind me, or right under me, but I jumped up just as it crossed the trail. I remember hearing a couple of "nice jumps!" from behind me. What I remember more is the fact that my calves felt like they had tied themselves in a know when I hit the ground. I yelled in pain and let an expletive or two fly. The group behind me asked if I was OK. I did a couple of lunges on each leg and put my heels on the ground to stretch my calves. It only took a few strides before they untied themselves and my calves were working again. Disaster narrowly averted!
As I passed the Cirque overlook, search and rescue had a poor soul wrapped up in a blanket and were administering oxygen. I hope he was able to get off the mountain safely. The S&R crew was top notch and they were running all over the place above treeline to attend to distressed runners. At this point, I ate my final GU pack and prepared to take it home. The nice lady from Kansas was still with me and asked if I wanted to pass. I declined the offer and told her I would let her know when I was ready. Her pace quickly slowed considerably, and I gasped out a "ok, here i come on your left" and she moved over and I had nobody in front of me for a while. I caught and passed a few more people before the 16 Golden Stairs. Once there I was slowed by a few folks, but they quickly yielded after getting up a couple of the stairs. Once I hit the last small (maybe 20 yards) of downhill, I could audibly discern voices in the crowd. I heard a couple of "Go JAY" chants from the crowd and looked up to see if I could recognize anyone. I couldn't and assumed they were yelling for someone else. A few more switchbacks and I could see the banner over the finish line and I heard the chants again. I looked up and saw Michelle, Josh, and Jill and I raised my arms over my head in acknowledgement. Once again emotion took hold and I was fighting back tears in an effort not to hyperventilate before I finished the race. "Deep breath, almost there." As I made the final turn, the announcer called out my name and bib number and my cheering section erupted. It didn't go unnoticed as the announcer call them out too. A spectator on the rocks encourage me to finish strong and I gave him five as I went by. I jogged up the final straight and through the line. I was immediately handed a finisher medal and my tag was torn from my bib.
There were still a couple of switchbacks and about 30 yards of trail to get to the actual summit. I stopped and waited and no less than 5 people asked me if I was OK. I was fine... completely worn out, but fine. I waited for my cheering section to come up but they couldn't get to me fast enough. I walked up to the old rail stop on the summit and grabbed a water at the table. I slammed it and turned around to see Michelle standing there. I reached for her and while she was exclaiming that she really didn't want to hug me, I bear hugged her and broke into tears. I held her for a couple minutes and once all the sap was done, I realized that I had made it!
All the training and hard work had finally amounted to something and all the emotion came pouring out. I was as giddy as ever and couldn't wait to start sharing race stories with whomever would listen. I went to the tent to retrieve my finisher jacket and posed for a couple of pics. Josh and I shared a few stories while the girls made a final pit stop before we caught the shuttle down.
My final time was 5:42:50. I really wanted to be under 5:30, but there is always next year. We returned to Manitou, I got an awesome massage at the expo and I headed home for a much needed shower. We got back together Saturday night for pizza, beers, and plenty of war stories.
Now, two days removed from the race, I'm left wanting. The rush that I enjoyed after finishing is something that cannot be put into words. Those that know me as a pretty laid back dude can probably understand how much it takes to get me worked up as much as this race did. I can't wait to get back over to Manitou and do the incline again. I've started looking for trail races out of state to start preparing for. I don't want to stop now. I think this bug has just bitten and now it looks to sink its teeth in a little farther.
After I recover a little more, I'm going to get right back on my horse and start training for something. I don't know what yet, but I want to destroy that 5:30 mark in the Ascent next year. I'll need something to train for in the interim if the winter here is anything like it was last year.
Stay tuned... I have no idea what to expect next!
I picked up some cool gear for my birthday that has helped to make training, and hopefully the race, more enjoyable. Michelle got me a REI Doubleshot pack that goes around my waist. I wasn't crazy about carrying a backpack of any kind to keep my back from getting sore and the waist carried camelbaks struck me as inconvenient due to the hose and time to fill. The Doubleshot pack has a holster for two 24 oz squirt bottles and a small zippered pouch in between for storing gels or snacks. It also has some elastic webbing across the outside of the pouch which is perfect for stuffing a light windbreaker in and cinching it down. Most important of all, it doesn't feel cumbersome when running with it on. My parents got me a pair of RaceReady LD running shorts. They are super lightweight and have mesh pockets on the back for holding additional gels or food.