Several weeks ago I was having the first of many lunches with Josh Holmes. Someone told me he was "into running crazy distances" and I thought "well, in that case, I need to hang out with this guy." We sat down at a restaurant in Jackson, TN and, after small talk, I said something like..."So, I signed up to run 50 miles in March and, last Saturday, I dropped out of St. Jude Marathon at mile 18 with an injury." Expecting something like, "dude, you may want to rethink the whole run for 50 miles thing...you do realize that's like running from this restaurant to Memphis???", I was shocked when he said, "Lets do it...how can I help?". For the next hour or so we sat and talked about running...different races...different distances...different locations...different nutrition...different gear. It was great!! No matter what it is you are into, there is something really special when you can spend time with others who "get it". I left that conversation with lots of determination and a very VERY loose plan on how to get my body ready for an endurance race.
A few weeks (and miles) later, I was looking over my training schedule and started thinking that maybe a 50Miler was a bit much for my first Ultra and that, since I was going to have a training run of 26-30 miles anyway, why not find a 50K and get some race experience (and, of course, a shirt and medal). I told Josh about this and he immediately started looking round for races. Unfortunately, all the races we found were either bad dates or full. Again, thinking I would get a "better luck next time" response...Josh said "what if we just create a race and invite some folks?". And so, the Jackson Jackass 50K was born (at least in Josh's brain).
Privately, I was hoping for, at least, eight runners. Why eight? I'm not really sure, I think I just thought that would give the race some legitimacy and I knew better than to hope that ten people would show up in West Tennessee in February to run a hilly trail 50K. Well, at least one that had only been planned for about 30 days and was the first time anyone had ever held an ultra in Jackson. After Josh started sending out invitations, I began getting texts from him..."five runners are in for JJ50K"..."2 more"..."Lisa from California is in"..."Dallas Smith, Ultra Legend, running JJ50K!!!!"..."just got 16 and 17"..."dude, race is full, folks still asking for a bib". It was Nuts!! Twenty (TWENTY!!) people signed up in about two weeks and Josh was having to turn folks away. Not just any runners either...serious ultra running vets! There were something like 336 marathons and ultras between the top 10 runners. Folks from Tennessee, Mississippi, Kentucky and California were set to run on February 4, 2012.
The week before the race was great! I pulled back on the miles I was logging and my body was repairing itself nicely. There was tons of chatter on Twitter and everyone seemed really excited about the race. By mid-week we were all very well aware that the forecast for the weekend was rain...and lots of it! Not that big of a deal for a road race...but a hilly dirt trail is a different animal when one adds water.
My alarm was set for 5:30am which was completely unnecessary. The rain and my nerves dragged me out of the bed around 5. I immediately ate two bananas and started in on my pop tarts. I was sipping coffee and being sure I had everything I might need for the day (GU, pretzels, dry socks, 2nd pair shoes, Nuun, needle/tape for blisters...etc). I did a little stretching and moved from coffee to HEED...checked Twitter, weather and text messages. Got some great texts that morning...some funny and some inspirational. Honestly, I had a great morning getting ready for the race and, in the back of my mind I was thinking that this could be a really good day. considering the pain I was anticipating, this was a happy mental place to be ;)
When I got to the trail, Josh, Naresh, Estes and Jeff were carrying water the the make-shift RD tent and so I grabbed some water and hiked up the trail. It was WET!! Water standing everywhere and the rain still coming down. Runners started trickling in and everyone was milling around and shaking hands. Before I knew it, Josh said..."okay, y'all back up over here...everyone smile for a picture..." After a few pics, we were given some general instructions and then Naresh said..."GO!". We were of...SPLASH...SPLASH...SPLASH!!!
Fortunately, I was familiar with the trail and I knew it was going to be really tough footing. Some others were having a difficult time adjusting but, after a lap (4.3 mileS) or so, everyone seemed to have their trail legs under them and the falls began to decrease. On my second lap, I was THRILLED to see Karen, Ella and Will (wife/kids)!!! Kids were yelling "GO DADDY!!!" Karen was taking pics...and for the next several miles I was mentally preoccupied with their sweet faces and encouragement. I was also completely blown away that my brave wife had gotten those two kids out on wet trail and crossed a foot-bridge without falling in the pond or ditch.
The loop course was great because, every once in a while, I would see someone on another part of the trail and we could yell at each other and exchange quick stories of some seriously epic falls. Comic relief was GOOD! I felt really good throughout loop four and five wasn't quite the monster I expected it to be. The aid station was my oasis for the day. Pulling in there to refuel a get some coaching and encouragement from Naresh was an instant battery charge. I'm not sure I've ever met someone who could be so ridiculously kind and sensitive to a runner's needs and yet so motivating at the same time. Naresh is just one of the many great people and runners I met this past weekend! REALLY REALLY good people!
Maybe the biggest surprise for me was the finish. Don't get me wrong...it was great and I had an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. But, it was over! I realized at that moment that running (just like most things in life) is mostly about the process and not the result. Sure, the medal is great, but I'd give it back in a second if I had to choose between it and the training, planning, discussions, relationships and experiences.
While I have plenty to be thankful for, my sweet wife tops the list! All those Saturdays and Sundays when I was gone...for hours...she was at home keeping peace and taking care of these two!!
Sure, I made lots of sacrifices to train and prepare. But in the end, I got to receive the benefit of the experience. Karen sacrificed even more...and not so that she could benefit, but so that I could. There's not a medal big enough for that!
All in all, this was an amazing experience! A great race with great people...Thanks a ton to everyone who played a part!
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