Rocky Raccoon 100 Mile Recap
Monday, February 26, 2018
February 26, 2018
Leading up to race day
For the weeks and months leading up to this race, I experienced a roller coaster of emotions. What if I couldn't do this? Am I prepared enough? What if I don't finish? I thought of all the possible things that could go wrong. I had to dig deep to think of all the things that could go right. My training was pretty smooth. I came off of running and PR'ing at Brazos Bend in December, but had to take a little extra time to recover from it. Once my training got back on track, I was all in. I even had a few runs that were thirty miles long and I got them done out on the trails by myself. These were key runs for me, as they gave me the confidence that my mental toughness was in line. Or so I thought...
Race Time
My husband, mom and I arrived in Huntsville on Friday afternoon. I was feeling good about everything. We checked in, listened to the pre-race meeting and headed off to dinner and then checked in to the hotel. I laid everything out for in the morning, took a shower and tried to go to sleep. As with most races, I didn't sleep very well the night before. For some reason my mind races and I can't get it to turn off. Go figure...haha.I woke up at 4AM and started getting ready. Today I decided that with the chaffing I had endured that last few races, I was going to basically Skin Glide my whole body. My husband helped me get the places that I couldn't reach. I finished getting ready and we were out the door by 4:45AM. Once at the start/finish line, I started warming up a little and the nerves started setting in. The nerves really began to set in. My husband, Casey, reassured me that I was going to do great and that I just needed to "run my race" and not anyone else's. As start time neared, I kissed Casey and headed to the start line. For some reason, this time I didn't go near the front. I settled in somewhere in the middle and waited for the start.
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| Just before start time! Feeling excited to start! |
Loop 1
6AM and we are off into the dark. But I am not running or even jogging. There is this accordion effect happening as everyone starts. Instantly, I feel myself panic. I feel "stuck". I'm anxious to get around everyone that is walking but also know that I just need to be patient. Maybe this is a good thing. This will force me to walk a little bit more. But I still felt "stuck". It took me about 3.5 miles to work my way around people to a place where I can finally jog and run. And then the rain started. I pulled my rain jacket out of my pack, put it on and kept moving forward.
As I made my way from aid station to aid station, I was feeling good. The rain sucked but hey, race day conditions are not predictable. At least I was staying somewhat dry. The longest stretch & most technical was from the Damnation aid station out to the Far Side aid station and back. Nine miles of roots and soon to be lots of mud. I took my time, made it out and back without falling and finish the first loop just under 5 hours... right where I want to be.
Loop 2
Before I headed back out for the second loop, I changed my socks, got on a dry shirt, switched to a wind breaker, emptied out my trash and repacked my pack. Casey asked me how I was doing and I guess I replied with a "Meh, I'm okay." I don't remember saying this and when I think back on it, in my head I was feeling good. Back out for the second loop.My mind was focused on keeping this loop easy but also getting back so that I could pick up my first pacer, Nick, to really "start the race". The rain had stopped for a little bit and I thought that it was going to be over but as I made my way to the Gate aid station, it really started to come down. The jeep road turned to slick mud. I took my time and made it to the Gate. There, Michael, from Dallas Dirt Runners started talking to me as I collected myself a little and then he walked/jogged with me for about 5 minutes or so. This helped me so much and got me out of my head. I began running again and was off towards Damnation. This time the out and back to Far Side was a lot more messy. I managed to get out and back without falling (which not so many people were able to do). By this time I was beginning to feel my left hip flexor start talking to me a bit. It was bothering me on my way back to the start/finish but I made it in around 5 and a half hours. Right on track.
My down fall to this loop was the fact that I didn't stay on top of my nutrition. I emptied out more food than I should have and Casey told me to eat. I took in a few calories and just wanted to get back out there. All the signs were pointing for me to eat more but I wasn't listening to it. I changed my socks & shirt again, grabbed my rain jacket & flashlight/headlamp, and tried to roll out my hip flexor before heading back out onto the course with Nick.
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| Neil working on my hips. |
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| Nick & I heading out on loop 3 |
Loop 3
I was so excited to have Nick pacing me, but at the moment, all I could think about was my hip flexor. We talked on and off as I tried to gather myself and get out of my head. The best thing that Nick kept saying to me was, "We just need to get to the next aid station. Thats all you need to think about right now." This worked for a while but as I kept moving and kept forgetting to eat, I began to sink into my first "low" of the night. And it was LOW. I just need to keep moving forward, no matter how slow it was. The darkness was setting in, I could feel my body wanting to stop and sleep. I was fading fast. I dug in my pack and
Loop 4
Neil and I made it back to the start/finish area and he was trying to get me to eat, keep me moving and get back out so we could finish. Casey got me some chicken broth and tried to get me to eat anything. The broth was AMAZING! I took in calories and started back out for the final loop. You think this in itself would have been all the motivation I needed to finish this loop fast. Neil and I were making descent time power hiking. He was leading the way and I just set my eyes on his shoes. I tried not to think about anything. I wanted to mindlessly follow him. My hip flexor was still talking to me and now it was getting louder (not literally...lol). We made it to the first aid station and Neil gave me his first of many doses of reverse psychology for the night. He said, "Well you've gone almost 80 miles so far. We can go down the road a mile and get back to the car or we can turn down this trail and keep going. It's up to you." If looks could kill, he would have fallen right then and there. haha. Of course I was not going to give in to that, so we continued down the trail. He just wanted me to keep moving forward from aid station to aid station. "Just don't stop.", he kept repeating. I hit many more lows between aid stations. When I got to Damnation aid station for the second to last time, I found myself sneaking past Neil and into a chair. Dumb idea. I didn't want to get up. He finally got me to get up and move to get some more broth. SO good. I finally took in a good amount of calories after we made our way down to the Far Side aid station and began a solid power hike. We made it down and back to Damnation in ok time (for walking that is) and met Casey & Nick there. Casey took over for the final 6+ miles. I at least had some energy from taking in a good amount of calories during this loop to make it to the finish. Neil got me to a good place and I was so thankful. As Casey and I headed off down the trail, he was quickly getting me to move with a huge sense of purpose. We were talking and laughing and soon I found myself really power hiking. My watch had died around mile 90 and I had given it to Casey to charge so I had no sense of how quickly or slowly we were moving. The miles seemed to go by faster with each one. Soon we were catching up to people. Casey would motion ahead and I would see someone moving slowly. He'd whisper, "You got this. Let's get ahead of them." And one by one we ended up passing 5-6 people in those last few miles. This felt so good and gave me just enough momentum to get to the finish faster.
At 9:31AM I crossed the finish line hand in hand with my husband and my mama videoing the whole thing. There could not have been a more special moment captured. I taken over by emotion that I had finished. I WAS DONE!
Official time was 27:31:27 hrs. It was far off of my original goal but I was proud to have finished. There were so many DNF's (Did Not Finish) that day due to the conditions out on the course. Even Neil & Nick stated that they would not have continued on with the conditions. As sad as I am that I wasn't able to meet my goal, I walk away from this 100 mile race with so much happiness. I learned so much in those 27+ hours about myself and about what I am capable of. How to deal with things when nothing is going your way and how to recognize when you need to listen (to your body and to your crew).
100 Miles Completed. Take time to recover. Take the lessons learned from this and move toward the next goal relentlessly.
Samantha, The Blissfully Fit Mama
******To my amazing husband, Casey, I am so grateful to you for being out there and taking care of me. His support during this training phase was unwavering. I am one lucky girl to have him. To my amazing mama, for making the trip from Michigan down to Texas and for allowing me to dedicate every mile to her and her amazing fight against cancer. (Cancer sucks) To my amazing pacers, Neil & Nick, I am so grateful for the both of you. You knew what I needed before I knew I needed it and you kept me moving in the darkest of hours. Thank you! Finally to Tejas Trails, thank you for hosting a great race even in the worst of conditions. You made me feel so special at that finish line. My buckle will be forever cherished and I can't wait to partake in more your great races! Thank you.
Sweet Potato Hash
Thursday, February 1, 2018
February 01, 2018
This sweet potato hash is one of our house favorites. My 2 year old daughter ended up eating all of hers and moving on to my plate before I could finish. My downfall was that I didn't make enough for seconds. My poor husband had his gone in about 2.4 seconds and was looking for more (he ended up letting it all settle for a few minutes and was fine...well, after looking in the pantry for a few minutes too...hahaha).
There are a few different variations that you can do with this dish. For instance, I typically like to use chicken sausage (Whole Foods will grind up chicken thighs and breast (usually 2:1 ratio) for you right there in the store and season it with their maple breakfast seasoning! They are the best!), but I will occasionally just get the ground pork sausage that is seasoned with the maple breakfast seasoning. Both taste great, it usually just depends on what kind of mood I am in...haha
As far as the veggie option, I also change it up. My daughter loves broccoli (wait...what?! Yep, my 2 year old loves it) and so most of the time I will add chopped up broccoli. I also like spinach and asparagus. Again, it usually depends on the mood or time year.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do! ENJOY!!
Sweet Potato Hash
What you need:
2-3 medium to large sweet potatoes, peeled and small diced
1/2 lb preseasoned breakfast pork or chicken sausage (Whole Foods)
1 bag Steam Fresh Broccoli Florets
Eggs
Grass-Fed Butter or Ghee
Avocado
Himilayan Pink Salt
Ground Pepper
Garlic Powder
1. Melt 2 TBSP Butter or Ghee in large, deep skillet on Medium-High Heat. Add diced sweet potatoes and coat evenly. Stirring occasionally, cover to allow for them to steam a little and soften faster. About 8 minutes.
2. While sweet potatoes are cooking, in a large fry pan on medium heat, add sausage and cook through on medium heat. Be sure to break into small pieces. Once done, remove from heat and set aside.
3. Cook Steam Fresh Broccoli per package directions. Remove water from bag and place on cutting board. Chop into small pieces and remove big stem parts if desired.
4. Once sweet potatoes are browned slightly, add in broccoli and sausage and mix well. Season with pink salt, ground pepper and garlic powder to taste. Set aside and cover to keep warm.
5. In large skillet cook eggs how you like them with a little ghee or butter. My daughter and I love ours over medium and my hubs like his over hard. You can also scramble them, too.
6. Plate up your desired portion onto your plate and add the eggs on top. Add avocado slices to the top and ENJOY!
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| Over medium eggs- I like to break the yolks and mix it all in. YUM! |
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| Over hard eggs- I break the yolks so they cook faster. |
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| This plate was not full for long! |
