This past weekend, February 28th, was the inaugural Dark Horse 24/48 hour race at Stable View Equestrian Center in Aiken, SC. This was the true start of the training cycle for Operation Carolina, and it has honestly set the stage for the most amazing training cycle to come. Not only did we complete 50 miles in under 12 hours, but we also learned a lot to make sure that Operation Carolina is a success, even though a crappy training cycle came in January due to the weather.
These are the splits I had throughout the race, and I will reference them a bit throughout the post because some of these times were key learning events. I apologize for the scattered thoughts, but I want to start sharing stories during training and racing so people can learn from them, and also give me the chance to give a post-race review and see what we could've done better.
To start this post, I want to stress that I truly believe anyone can complete a 12-hour race; it's just as much a mental game as it is a physical one. Now I am not saying that you need to hop off the couch today and go run 50 miles, that will lead to injuries. What I mean, though, is that anyone and everyone who can train for a marathon can train for and do a 50-mile race. I am going to use this post to talk more about what we learned throughout the day, some of the things I have learned about myself, and how we are going to successfully complete Operation Carolina, 700 miles and 17 days.
Lessons Learned
Nutrition, Nutrition, Nutrition
What I mean by this is not the drinks that I was having on each lap, but the solid foods that I probably should've started a little bit sooner. This happened right around lap 8, after I had dealt with some hip issues. I took a minute that lap, sat down, and ate a little bit of everything to get something back into my system. Looking back, I won't rely on liquid nutrition as much, or at least ensure we are getting solid calories as well.
We were very lucky to have the weather that we had. The race morning started out around 55ºF and overcast until about 4 PM, when the sun finally came out again, it was sunset time, and was already cooling down. No sun, but the humidity was 10000% percent being in South Carolina after a thunderstorm.
Starting out, laps 1-7, we alternated BPN G1M, drinking half a bottle, then refilling it with water. So, over about 60-75 minutes, a scoop was consumed while also focusing on electrolytes and getting some food in my stomach. We also had a HEAVY focus on electrolytes because of the humidity and the soaking we were in after just the first loop.
Listen to Your Body
The lap times that you see sitting over an hour, there was the food issue, but the first one, I had to walk the whole lap to work through some issues that I was not expecting.
In December, I ran the Phoenix Marathon and ended up with a hip flexor issue, which meant I had to take a month or so off from training. Well, I have had zero issues since Phoenix, but it's because of a focus on cross-training and ensuring that this issue doesn't come up again.
Something did happen on this 12-hour race, though. I was going out on my 7th lap, right under the marathon distance, and I started having extreme tenderness in my groin, something that most men only feel if they have been kicked or punched there. This obviously raised some red flags right away, spending the loop googling what it could be and ruling out that emergency care was not needed in that moment, I got back to the tent, and with the support of my crew, we were able to figure out that hip pain can radiate into your groin and cause these symptoms. After getting some stretching and lying flat for a minute, the discomfort finally subsided, and I was able to get back out onto the course without any issues.
I tell this story because my mind was going to the worst-case scenario because I felt so good, and if this was going to be the thing that took me out, I wouldn't be able to complete the challenge that had been on the calendar for months. Again, this is where the importance of having an amazing crew came into play, because they got me back out on the course and allowed me to continue on.
You're Stronger Than You Think
After completing the Phoenix marathon, I had a rough time with the distance, but there were other variables like the heat in Phoenix, AZ (even though it was December). I never thought that, after so many people had told me I wouldn't be able to even run a half-marathon again, I would be able to complete a 50 mi run, with plans to run even further distances.
When I say that people are stronger than they think, I truly mean this and believe that every person has another 80% that they are not even aware of. Something that you must get past to be able to see the true potential. I came out of the 50 miles with a smile on my face, a dying craving for a Chick-fil-A Frosted Soda (I ended up getting two: a cookie, a sandwich), and I also had minor soreness Sunday morning. This has given me true confidence in what the state-run must come for us and what we are trying to do with Operation Carolina.
With all of these thoughts, there were obviously a million other thoughts that were being had throughout the loops. One thing I can say is that running is one of the times when my mind just goes silent, and I am working through the motions and truly experiencing the moment. I say that, but I also still can't understand or think that I ran 50 miles this past weekend. It's the first of many races, but I get to call myself an Ultramarathoner now.
I tell this, as mentioned previously, to maybe help someone, but also to understand that even at mile 48, I was still thinking, "Am I actually going to be able to make it?" In my head, I knew I could do it, but I also had that one little voice questioning every step and whether it would be the last one I could take. I did end up silencing them and made it, and I honestly want to push that boundary even more in the coming months and years, which will obviously be done with Operation Carolina in September.
Stay tuned for more of these, as well as the podcast where I will talk about this. We are looking forward to the FireFly 12-hour race; the goal on the board right now is 50 miles under 10 hours. The stronger and quicker I get, the sooner in October we will be sitting on the Outer Banks of North Carolina having said I just ran across the state, we raised the $75,000 for Operation WarriorFit, and now we get to hear these similar stories from other people that need that finish line to keep them around for another day, week, month, year and a lifetime.
Truly, thank you, everyone, for the support and the endless messages encouraging me in these adventures, supporting Operation WarriorFit, and wanting to help us on each of these adventures!
Ready to support the mission? Donate today or apply for a race entry to start your own journey.