Javelina Jundred 2023
Was a Good day until it wasn’t. And it was fun.
I put a lot of time and effort into this race. Starting the season with a 50k, a mid-season 50 miler, and time for a 3rd build. I have had my eye on this race for over a decade. Always saying I would do 2 x 100 mile races in my lifetime. My goal was to place myself mid-pack and finish in 30 hours. A race as long as this one, I chose to use an RPE(rate of perceived exertion) 4-5, Z2-3 heart rate for the entirety of the race. To do a 30 hour finish I would need to average 18 minute miles. Totally doable. I received special permission for poles, on account of the bone spur on my calcaneus, and having not been able to walk without a cane just 3 years ago. I would go as long as I could without them. The sub 24 hour folks at a dark start at 6 am. Wave 2 had a 630 AM start. Perfect!
I felt absolutely AMAZING! I LOVE racing in Arizona, 2000 feet of elevation, and an extra hour. Unfortunately I did not start where I wanted so I found myself quick stepping around a lot of people. Of course, there are the regular mumblings, “we are out here all day” blah, blah, blah. Yup. Got this. And for your information, 30 hours is a lot more than a day!!
Around 10 am, I took my 1st aspirin, it was already getting warm, and I felt what I know to be inflammation near my heart. It was already warm. The part I don’t like about Arizona is 82 feels like 90+. Everything was good, and I kept on. And then, I got HOT. I remembered this feeling from a 24 hour Mountain Bike Race that I had done. And I had remembered promising myself, if ever I felt this way again, I would stop in the shade, rest, and even take a nap. I fought it for a bit, and finally I said F’it. Pulled over and put myself under a small prickly shrub. I knew that if I could chill, lower my body temperature, that from 3 pm on the temperature would be cooling. Next time I will carry a sign: Dirt Nap. I could have likely fallen asleep. After my 20 minute ‘nap’ I was able to average 16 minute miles again. Which was very close to my start lap pace. It paid off huge dividends, and I knew for long term it was the right thing to do. During that time, sweet Courtney Dauwalter came by. I thought she was on her 3rd lap, with a pacer, it turns out she was running with her mom. We had a quick convo, but I could tell Mom wanted to keep her focused. I thought, I know why I like her so much, born and raised in Minnesota, living in Leadville. Turns out, we have tons in common.
I did make a mistake. I forgot my dark lenses for that second lap, it cost me, my eyes were frying. Tim was sweet enough to bring them to jackass junction, and they made a huge difference in my speed.
3rd loop, this is where it gets interesting. I felt so good after my 1st dirt nap I decided to take another one. I ate some dinner, enjoy the darkness, the shadows, the runners, around 8 PM, did some stretches, those hurt but helped AMAZINGLY, when I started up again I felt so much better. 13, 14 hours into my heart started hurting again. I had to slow down, and keep my heart rate below a certain rate, 96 and 103 beats per minute. That is so low. I remember 10:12 PM I took an aspirin, kept going, and kept tabs on the time, where the aid station was, and started making Plan B. 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes, if the pain isn’t gone by the time the aspirin takes effect I am going to have to pull the plug. I got the aid station and asked if I sagged out, if I could come back and start again after I got some rest. They said no, that it was 3.7 miles to the Jeadquarters, so I started out. I felt a strong pull in my heart, and high tailed and back, withdrew from the race.
I do everything in my power to limit my inflammation. I wear a mask in transition to avoid fossil fuels, and airborne gluten. I use powerful nutritional anti-inflammatories. I even limit my pace. It’s clear that this is the new normal for me post covid 2020. Mountain Man Invitational ended the same way for me. This go around, compared to Mountain Man Invitational, I avoided a greater concentrations of glucose, and sucrose for more maple syrup and honey.
I know that with an increase of systematic inflammation I get this feeling when 1) 3+ day sugar binge 2) I’m getting sick, and 3) excessive exercise >than 12 hours. Which came 1st the chicken or the egg?
My favorite part of the race: The guy puking and eating at the same time. I was like, ‘dude, you need to hold that down. Hold it down, man, hold it down. It’s worth taking a couple of minutes to keep that down.’ And his pacer unknowingly telling me, “We’ve got this.”. Fortunately the racer listened, and passed me a a little more than a few minutes later.
My least favorite part of the race was when the 100k winner had the audacity to put his hands on me on a pass, and apply force to move. I can’t say push, and I can’t say nudge. It was quite irritating. And poor sportsmanship. A simple, on your left would have been sufficient. He’s lucky I didn’t pull any indoor soccer moves. I wanted to, except sportsmanship is important to me.
I also have to say the entertainment was coolAF!
All in all it was a great experience. Does it suck that I couldn’t finish? Of course, it does. It’s not what life gives us, it’s how we react that makes the biggest difference. Does it suck I ran 60 miles, NO! Does it suck that I have 99.8% reconsider my lifetime goal of doing Leadwoman, absolutely. What else came from Covid, besides the new normal? PIVOT. The heavily used term, pivot. So what, I may have to limit my running events to 50 miles. Poor me. I may have to limit my cycling events to 12 hours, oh shucks. It is what it is. I am so grateful, so blessed to be doing what I am, at the level that I am. And Tim did notice that I got more time under my belt at JJ than MMI. Both events were hot, and I know that plays a role. I’m not sure I am in to risking it again, scar tissue on my cardiac muscle does not sound appealing to me, which is why I choose to pull the plug.
PIVOT.
Thank you Javelilna, for a real good time.
And thank you readers for checking in with me. Each and everyone of you is a blessing, thank you so much for being part of my experience, and allowing me to be part of yours. I couldn’t do it without you.
And p.s. Yes I am still working on the piece, Science Experiment 2023 that I started back in February. I had some things I needed to define in my own life. Sometimes, do you ever notice, that hard decisions, eventually work themselves out. What’s that old rock song,
“If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice” Rush -Freewill enjoy.
-Be Your Ultimate Potential
Coach Zoe