Juliana Moves

Ahhhh, a week later and I am finally sitting down to write my race recap! Truthfully, I haven’t had enough brain power the last several days to organize my thoughts and experience into something coherent. The day after the race, I tried to capture some highlights or things I didn’t want to forget to mention in my Notes app. 31 hours, 23 minutes of running and no sleep do not really set you up for great memory recall, it turns out!

In classic Juliana race recap fashion, I’ll break it down into chunks. For the purposes of this race, I think we’ll go from aid station to aid station where I saw my crew. Those were the most memorable!

Before that though, I just have to reflect on this accomplishment. In December 2013, I read Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. I had only started running in May of that year (half a mile on the treadmill) but had quickly come to love it and dreamed of running a marathon one day. That book was my first exposure to ultrarunning and I was immediately intrigued. I was not fast but I was passionate, and I quickly thought that maybe ultrarunning would be something I could be interested in!

Fast forward through many years of stubborn injuries (from my own lack of prehab/rehab), running all around Austin, and inconsistent training, Erica and I finally ran our first marathon in December 2019. The next month, I ran my first ultra – the 50k at Bandera. I think it took me 8:30 to finish but completing an ultra distance was beyond my comprehension!

When we moved to Virginia, I got more and more into trail running and slowly started to up my mileage. All of that is well documented on this blog! On Halloween 2023, I finally decided to register for my first 100 miler. I DNFd. The next year, I decided to try again! Also, a DNF. Obviously I was disappointed, but in hindsight I was so inexperienced and unsure and acted like I had something to prove.

I decided to scale back and focused as having a 100k this April as my A race. In the lead up, I also ran a 50k and a 40 miler. My 100k went well, and I had such a nice time doing something different. My training was structured differently from previous 100 miler efforts, and I was so laid back the whole season. I didn’t take myself or the running too seriously and just tried to have fun with it. I guess that approach works very well for me because my spring season was fantastic!

After the 100k, I decided to throw myself on the waitlist for Rim to River 100 because it felt right to try the distance again! The 50k, 100k, and 100 miler are all put on by the same race company, Rim to River Endurance, and if you do all three in the same calendar year then you complete the trifecta. I thought that would be a fun accomplishment too!

I trained through the summer as if I’d be doing the race, despite being 40th on the waitlist, but I ended up coming off of it in July or so! Officially registering made things real. I kept up strength training, long runs, and speed work, and started dialing in previous issues like my nutrition strategy and chafing.

Finally, Patrick and I headed out to Fayetteville, WV on Thursday to get there early and settle in. On Friday, we spent the day prepping my gear, talking through my nutrition strategy, and visiting our favorite Fayetteville spots. Erica and Derek arrived on Friday afternoon since they were also serving as my crew and pacers!

Before I forget, the week of the race I developed a gnarly canker sore pretty far back on my cheek where your jaw hinges. It was so painful that eating was miserable. I was very worried that it would interfere with my eating during the race, so I was slathering it in Orajel and using an Orajel mouthwash to try to heal it as quickly as possible. This will come back to haunt me later!

Now, in the wise words of Taylor Swift, let’s get into it…

Race Morning

I woke up with a very upset stomach. I’m used to some pre-race jitters but nothing like this. I felt so nauseous trying to eat my bagel but kept telling myself that I was carrying a lot of mental baggage about the 100 mile distance, so it would go away as soon as I started running. Moments before the race started, I also cried very briefly (lol) from the overwhelm of it all.

Start to Concho Rim Aid Station (mile 7)

The first few miles were mostly in the dark and started with an uphill road climb. My strategy for this race was to stay calm, cool, and collected. I was in no rush, I had no fear of cutoffs, and I wanted to stay on top of my nutrition. I did a good job of that during this first chunk, but my stomach never really started to feel better. I tried not to let it freak me out because I kept assuming it would just randomly abate at some point.

Concho Rim to Cunard Aid Station (mile 27)

This was a long, eventful stretch between seeing my crew! Also, there were aid stations in between but I honestly don’t remember them at all… Much of miles 7-15 were similar to the route for Falling Water 100k, which felt good and bad. It was nice knowing what was to come but I also didn’t want to carry my 100k feelings into this race, you know?!

My stomach continued to feel terrible. It was like no matter what I took in, nothing was absorbing, so my stomach continued to feel fuller and more bloated. It wasn’t even that my fluids were sloshing around in there, it just felt like digestion wasn’t happening. From miles 13-19ish, there was an out and back to the Thurmond Aid Station. It was fun to see all the faster folks on their way back as I was headed out! We started up a big climb and I immediately felt very bad. I briefly thought I was going to pass out and wondered if I was actually sick. I sat down for a moment to lower my heart rate, and then stood back up to continue on. In that moment, I felt a small urge to throw up and knew what was coming.

I stumbled up a few more feet on the climb, sat down on the trail, and threw up everything I had taken in that day. As I was violently hurling, a man coming back from the aid station told me something like “you’re going to feel like you’ve hit rock bottom and can’t come back from it, but you will come back from this.” It was a nice message while I was hurling my guts out! And, true to form, the moment I was done I felt like a new woman! The section to Thurmond was very runnable, so I ended up catching a number of folks who had passed me while I was sick.

Unfortunately, this relief only lasted for 30 mins or so and then my stomach was bothering me again. The nausea was gone but my stomach just hurt. The discomfort was frustrating to run with. When I got to Cunard, I needed a break. I had a hard time rehydrating and eating again after being sick, so I was already off my nutrition plan.

Cunard to Bike Farm Aid Station (mile 38.5)

My crew sent me off with a sparkling LMNT in hand and a pack full of nutrition that I basically didn’t touch. This section was rough for me. It started with a long and steep road climb before depositing into a pretty enjoyable trail section! Despite this, I was dragging. The lack of nutrition and hydration were catching up to me and the day was getting sneaky warm. I tried to keep shuffling as much as I could but I also allowed myself to walk for two whole miles. I knew the biggest climb on the course was somewhere in this section, and I didn’t want to force myself to overdo it so early in the race.

There was another out and back on this section to a beautiful overlook. It was also being enjoyed by every single tourist in Fayetteville!

When I finally got to Bike Farm, I was feeling a little better but was really wishing my stomach was better and my energy was higher. I took a very expired Tums at this aid station, enjoyed the hell out of some chicken broth, and I think maybe I changed my shirt? I was going to be heading into the dark when I left, but I kept telling myself that the next time I saw my crew I would be picking up Erica as a pacer!

Side note: This race had bathrooms at every aid station. Sometimes it was one portapotty, other times it was indoors, and Cunard had a large pit toilet complex. This spoiled me for races in the future!

Bike Farm to Hawks Nest Aid Station (mile 54)

So much of this section was downhill! Glorious! The Tums was kicking in, I finally switched to listening to music, and I could feel myself coming back a bit. This section overlapped with the end of the Cabin Fever course, so I was very familiar with what was to come. Since I still had daylight for much of it, I tried to keep up some good running and just enjoy it!

I honestly don’t have much memory of this section except for marveling at how bright the moon was. Once it got dark, there were a few moments where I thought a runner was behind me but it was just the moonlight!

Since Rim to River is a long out and back, I also saw a ton of the front runners headed back to the finish. Runners were so supportive the entire time. It was constant: “keep up the good work”, “looking strong”, “great work guys”! You’d think that would get old or cheesy but it was just lovely and encouraging.

Hawks Nest to Bike Farm Aid Station (mile 63ish)

When I ran into Hawks Nest, I almost said “she’s back, bitches!” but didn’t want to jinx myself. LOL. Erica gave me two GasX pills and we were off! Here’s what I learned: GasX works by taking all the air bubbles into your stomach and turning it into one megabubble. The idea is that this makes it easier to pass the gas. Since I had admittedly been gassy all day – sorry if TMI, but it’s the truth! – we figured this would solve my problems.

Eventually it did! But the formation of the megabubble was briefly even more painful than my prior stomach woes. I had regrets but we knew it would work eventually. Erica and I shuffled along under the moonlight and she did a great job of making me eat and drink. At this point I had mostly gotten back on track with eating and drinking, but it never hurts to have someone forcing you to stay on track.

We were about two miles or so from Bike Farm when I got the sudden urge to use the restroom. I jumped into the woods and… I’ll spare you the details. Let’s just say the megabubble was finally gone. The rest is between me, God, and Erica.

I came into Bike Farm feeling sleepy but otherwise pretty good!

Bike Farm to Cunard Aid Station (mile 80)

At Bike Farm, I picked up Derek to pace me through the night stretch. This part sucked, full stop. The first six miles of this section were different than on the way out. It was just windy mountain bike trails, which I admittedly hated running on. I tried to not be negative the entire race, but those six miles pissed me off! Some of the tight turns made me feel motion sick!

At this point I also noticed some hot spots on my feet. I had changed shoes at the halfway point but didn’t want to mess with my socks since my feet hadn’t been a problem. I had a blister kit with me but didn’t want to stop to mess with my feet unless it got worse because all I wanted was to put on my toe socks (the problem blisters were between my pinky toes).

When we finished that section and were headed back to Cunard, I was exhausted. The section also felt one million miles long. I had been running alone or around one or two other people all day, and suddenly it was like a party around us. There were so. many. people. Between all the people, the chatter and the extra headlamp light, I felt surprisingly overwhelmed. I really wanted to get back to running nearly solo (with Derek).

At 2-3 am, I was also convinced I was going to fall asleep while running. I kept thinking, “I have one brain cell and it is working overtime to keep me upright, keep me awake, and keep me moving.” I had been taking in caffeine throughout the day, but not enough. I knew that the trail we were on would eventually deposit us back on that road (but downhill this time!) so I was very eager to get there. The only thing I hallucinated was street signs because I was desperately trying to manifest the road.

The megabubble had passed and my stomach was feeling better, except at random times I would get struck with the need for an emergency bathroom break. This happened the one time with Erica but twice with Derek! It didn’t stress me out too much because, honestly, I didn’t have much in my body to pass (sorry, TMI again! read someone else’s recap!).

Once we got back to Cunard, I really wanted to take a 3 minute nap while Patrick fixed my feet! Instead, he handed me some Coke and said drink up!

Cunard to Concho Rim Aid Station (mile 93)

After refueling and getting my feet fixed, Patrick and I were off to finish the damn thing! Heading to mile 80, I did not know how I could possibly do 20 more miles. It seemed insane. We weren’t in a rush to finish, but we couldn’t dilly dally much at all. We had to keep up a good shuffle to make sure we didn’t flirt with cutoffs. Hilariously, we just needed to maintain sub-20 minute miles, which seems easy but felt a little daunting!

The first chunk of this section with Patrick was a false flat but very runnable! We took a run/walk approach. I also had another emergency bathroom break (the 4th in 40 miles!) Eventually, we starting doing the Falling Water course in reverse and had lots of climbing to do. I don’t know if Patrick was just blowing smoke up my ass, but he kept commenting on how strong my climbing was so far into the race. I think I agree!

He made me eat and drink, the sun came up, and I was so happy to be on the home stretch. My anterior tib (self-diagnosed, obvi) on my left leg had started aching earlier in the race but never got worse so I ignored it. By this point, it was pretty pissed off and was bothering me on some of the steeper descents.

As we approached Concho Rim, I tried to pick up the pace and find a regular running form again. Reader: this was a mistake. I don’t know what happened but I think that effort drained whatever juice I had left in my body.

We saw Erica and Derek at Concho Rim, dropped a bunch of cold weather, nighttime gear, changed shirts (because it was getting warm again), and headed off for the final 7 miles!

Concho Rim to the Finish (mile 100.5)!!!!

Well, I wish I could tell you more about this section but I dissociated for most of it. I have never had that happen before! I would snap back into reality and have no idea what my brain had been doing or what I was doing or what running even was.

Healthy, right?

I remember thinking that my job was to circle my legs like an eggbeater and Patrick’s job was to smash the leaves. That was the extent of my brain power at that point. I kept trekking though!

The last three miles felt like an eternity but we finally saw a sign that said one mile to the finish! At some point earlier in the race, my watch had gotten many miles ahead so I never had a good idea of my true distance. The mile markers the race put up also didn’t seem to be the most accurate, so it was a tad confusing all around.

Oh, and I had yet another emergency bathroom break. Lucky me! Fortunately, it was also my last one.

At this point I also realized that my poles that I had been carrying for 60 miles were blistering my hands (shocker!) so I handed them off to Patrick. I guess they had been functioning kind of like a highwire walker’s balance pole because the moment they were out of my hands, I felt like I was going to fall down! Not because I needed them to stay upright, but because they functioned like a weight balance mechanism of something.

The descent to the finish was back on that original road climb, but I couldn’t send it because I was dead and my anterior tib was big mad. Nonetheless, I shuffled it into the finish!

I had always wondered how emotional I would be at my first 100 mile finish. Turns out, I was so dead and in such disbelief that I was just grateful to have made it there! 31 hours and 23 minutes later.

Because I had finished the 100 and completed the trifecta, I got so much swag. So much of it!

I couldn’t even believe that I did it. As you can imagine, my legs hurt a lot!

We stopped at McDonalds on the way back to the Airbnb and I fell asleep eating French fries.

Post-Race

I am so grateful to my crew for coming up to WV, pacing me, and finally seeing me finish this distance! At this point, I do not feel the need to do one again. Maybe I’ll change my mind, but for now I think I’ll stick to the 100k-ish distance.

Recovery has been slow but my body has never been through something like this before! I am sleeping as much as I can, eating delicious food, and enjoying lounging on the couch. My anterior tib is feeling better but still isn’t perfect, so I won’t be running until that feels 100% again. I look forward to addressing that weakness when I’m back training again, though.

All in all, I am so proud of myself. I am proud for the finish, but mostly for not giving up on this distance. Coming into this race, I kept reminding myself that I was a different runner from my last two attempts. I had more racing and training under my belt, I had actually learned from my previous mistakes, and I knew I was stronger mentally.

I’m sure there will be more I wished I included here but I think this does the job! OH WAIT, one last thing. Back to the Orajel. During the race, I shared my hypothesis that the hydrogen peroxide in the Orajel I had been religiously using was causing a chemical reaction in my stomach and that was the root of my woes. On the car ride back to the Airbnb, I Googled it. Sure enough, using too much Orajel is known to cause “nausea, vomiting, or stomach cramps”. I KNEW IT.

Thanks for reading and for following my running journey! Who knows what will come next!

Love,

JN