30+ Mile Weekend

Saturday's Fat Ass (or The Seemingly Infinite Do-Loop): Rick and I headed to Chuck and Katy's for the Second Annual Hedgehog Hill Fat Ass. Everything started out like your typical fat ass with the Monsters all showing up, the goodie table growing, and fun chatter. It was a nice-sized group, but, looking around, I could tell it was a fast one.

Chuck gave us a little speech about the loop we were heading out on. There were two separate loops; the first was just over 4 miles in the woods behind their house and the second was around 6.25 miles through the Hedgehog Mountain trails not too far from their house. The trail was marked with yellow, pink, and, perhaps, a third colored ribbons. When you got to the mud pit stay to the right....go straight through the sand (a small section of the Desert of Maine)...and more that no one really followed. After a group photo, we were off!

The trails were mostly single track through lots of oak. The footing reminded me a lot of my run at USM on Thursday. The pace was fine, but faster than I would have chosen given that I was aiming for 20 miles. I talked with Dora for a little (she pointed out the little tee-pee that someone had made - see I really wasn't the builder, Chuck. It was there all along), but mostly held onto the back with Rick (who was trying for a loop after only running like twice since pulling something in his calf before our fat ass). Chuck stopped periodically to make sure the group was together (good time for people to pee, too).

We got back to the house and people refueled and prepared to head out on the second loop. Rick's calf was giving him grief, more of just the bike in the basement for a while. I made the fateful decision to stay with the first loop, not wanting to hold anyone back (or feel like I was), but also not wanting to push my pace. I wish I'd had some more to eat and drink. I wish I'd brought more than a little 7 oz bottle of diluted Gatorade with me when I headed out, but it was only a 4 mile loop.

Just as I was leaving, I decided it would be good to get Katy's phone number in my cell - just in case. That done, I got going. In just a couple of minutes I came back to the house via the road. Rick was surprised. So was I. OK, lets try that again. This time I made it to the gorge at the beginning where I heard Bolt barking. Ian and Emma were returning from their walk. I guess they never really found their way around the entire loop - and they were walking, not running, so the markers should have been easier to pick up (perhaps, I should have realized what that meant to me). We talked a teeny bit before going our separate ways.

It wasn't long before I realized I was doing a bit of a loop that combined the start of the course with the end of the course. Finally I saw a jumping off spot and was headed out. Once I got to the Desert of Maine, the trail was pretty easy to follow. I kind of chuckled to myself because Chris's Garmin told me that I would end up doing about 6 miles for this lap. Although I was pretty sure the others would have finished theirs first. Did the road portion and crossed to head back. I got to the gorge (what I call it anyway) and knew I was practically back. Crap! I was back into that do-loop. Now the CSNY song Deja Vu was running through my head...Actually the one line was coming out of my mouth over and over "We have all been here before...".

Then I saw the place to head back out through the Desert. I thought maybe if I did that and approached the trail from where ever I was supposed to that I might see the way to go. At least I wasn't on the same ground I cover front and back I don't know how many times. I was doing fine, except I became very aware of how thirsty I was. Very. I also realized I was really hot. The temperature (going by the car thermometer on the way back) had crept into the low 70's. Definitely not conditioned to that yet. When I came to one of the little icy streams (may even have been what Chuck called the mud pit), I took off my shirt and soaked it. I thought it would be a shock to put it back on, but, just glorious relief. I wish I trusted the water to drink. I finally pulled out the cell phone. I should let them know I was ok, but, if someone was headed this way, they should bring some extra water. I got the answering machine. Told them I was on the road portion again and heading back.

Running that portion didn't make the escape any more obvious to me. Back to my loop of hell. Rick called (I never figured he had his cell on him, rarely does). Nope I'm OK, just (and I believe I used the "f" word as an adjective many times) thirsty. I told him I was coming up to the gorge again and would wait there for someone to find me. See, I always knew I could just stop. I was never off the trail. If I stayed in one place, someone would come across me. But I was fine running; it's was I was there to do. I just wished I realized I was getting dehydrated before I was dehydrated. It made me get grumpy.

Rick called back minutes later and said Chuck and Ryan were headed out and I should be seeing them soon (I really was so close to the finish). Well, I was able to tell him, I had found my way. Stopping to wait, I was finally able to spot a ribbon to the end leg - a ribbon tied higher than my head in a tree. I also told him it was a good thing Ryan was with Chuck.

When I got back to the house, Jim, Blaine, Ian, and Rick were all out on the lawn. I think most had beers and chili or soup. I cheered. They cheered. It's a fun group to return to!
Lori, Katy's mom, wanted to give me food. She was a wonderful aid-station manager. I think she should be at every fat ass! But I just needed water, Gatorade, liquids right away. Eventually I got around to her tasty soup because I decided not to go out for my last (just under) five miles I would need to make 20. I would have, but most people had done their distances for the day and were leaving soon. I would finish my miles at home.

We packed up and drove home. I filled Rick in on lots more of the do-loop of doom (I do have more stuff, but this post is long enough) on the way. When I told Sam my story, he said I was a physical test of the halting problem!

I walked Spot Dog when we got back to help loosen the muscles back up and did my last miles very slowly in our fields. Two 7 oz bottles of Gatorade were not enough.

When I closed my eyes to sleep, I just kept seeing yellow ribbons. Yikes!

Sunday's Slow Ten: I woke up tired, but nothing was sore (not even the toes!). I was still thirsty though. Had even woken up during the night thirsty and downed another .5 liter of water.

Rick and I walked Spot. Flurries sputtered down on us. I was almost glad for a reprieve from our heat of the day before. Rick went into the basement to ride his bike while I was getting my running stuff on. He asked me my intended course and to write the time I left on the white board.

I planned to run the Packard's (the farm on Littlefield Rd) dirt road and then come back and do our fields. As I ran down their dirt road, I noticed that their fields looked pretty runnable. I enjoy their fields, but there is just a small window when they are available. Well, better make hay while the sunshine or, in this case, run the fields before they're all hay.

They were well-manured from the previous fall. The boggy areas became a challenge. Any miscalculation became another steeping of the feet in manure tea. Now I am a farm girl, but...maybe Trail Monsters should make sure they're current on tetanus shots (I am good there). Gave me something to focus on. I discovered a path into the woods on one corner of the field and headed in. I was a beautiful trail till it got narrower and narrower till there were UGH! pink ribbons marking the way. Flash backs! Turned around immediately.

The run was good for me. It's the kind where you learn that you can keep going while tired. But when I got home I was truly done for the day. Rick took me to get the NY Times so I could do the Sunday crossword, but I did very little before I was snoozing on the couch. Good thing I'd made so much chili for the fat ass and that Chuck and Katy wouldn't have eaten the left overs. It was really all we ate this weekend. Sam, our vegetarian, fended for himself.