Friday, December 8, 2017

The Agony of Dunpheat



     This past Saturday, I ran the inaugural Run Santa Run 5k here in Pittsburgh (well, actually Cranberry.)  It turned out to be my 99th competitive race.   That brings me to this coming Sunday at the Trot for Tots in Oakdale, which as you can see mathematically is number 100.   I'm looking at that milestone and thinking to myself, "have I really competed in 100 races?"   I guess I have.

Wore number 89 for race 99
     I've kept every bib I've ever worn including one from The Great Race in 1997 (which I ran when I first got home from the Navy) and from The Big Boy Classic in 1999.  I wasn't really into running back then, but I ran each with one of my best friends growing up, Aaron Plunkett.  I don't remember much about the Great Race except holding my arms above my head as we learned in the military when we finished a run, and the only thing I remember about The Big Boy Classic was that it was very long and I walked a lot.  Twenty years ago I guess I decided I wanted no part of running, but a lot has changed since then.  So, here I am on the verge of race number 100.  The 99 preceding races I've run happily and willingly.  Each one has also been memorable.  However, not all of them have gone the way I thought they would.  In fact, two of those  races ended in three letters: D.N.F.

Sara and Amy cheering me on for
The Hell Hath No Hurry 30k in 2015
     As you can tell by the title of this blog post, I'm a fan of the show Modern Family.  I pretty much stole a great Phil Dunphy quote because Phil is a very "punny" guy.  (This pun was also intentional.)  For those of you that may not know, D.N.F. stands for "did not finish." (Would Phil call him self Phil DNFy if it was him?  I'd like to think so.)  The first time I encountered this terrorizing acronym was three years ago when I registered for the Hell Hath No Hurry 30k at Settler's Cabin Park in Robinson Township.  This is a great trail race organized by Peter Kozlowski.  I remember that day very well as it did nothing but rain the entire morning all the way up to the 2:00 PM start.  Within the first three quarters of a mile I rolled my ankle in a huge puddle of mud, and that ended my day.  I hobbled through the first 10k loop and as I crossed the timing map, I let the officials know that I was not going to be able to continue.  I was pretty bummed that I couldn't finish because at that point in time it would have been my longest race to date.  It simply was not in the cards for me that day, but I was smart enough to know that I had to stop.  My ankle hurt pretty bad and I had to take a break from running for about four weeks.  But, I told myself that I would live to run and fight another day.

First D.N.F.  I was in a lot of pain from the
swollen ankle, but I still needed a pic
that said, "Eh, oh well."
     Since then, I've finished not only a differnt 30k, but also two marathons and a 50k.  Knowing that, the wheels started turning in my head once more and I thought "what if I could go further?"  When registration for HHNH opened up this year, I decided to register for the 50 mile option (or as I like to call it, 8 fun laps through the park!)  I had all the confidence in the world that I could finish this one and told myself I would.  I had a goal, and I had a plan.  I told everyone I knew that there was no way I wasn't going to cross that finish line.  Yeah, I was wrong.

     It had rained all day the day before the race (I'm beginning to see a pattern.)  Since it hadn't rained all week, I was OK with the rain because I felt it would soften the trail a bit.  For me, sometimes a dry trail is a fast trail, and a little too fast for my legs.  A softer trail was my friend.  Well, all day rain is actually not my friend and it turned a good portion of the trail into a boggy, muddy, mess.  I still had my goal however, and I was ready to go.

Hobbling through the woods of the 30k
on a bum ankle.  Photo Credit: Mike
McNeil
     My first loop went very well.  I had run it in just over an hour and ten minutes.  When I appeared out of the woods ready to hit the timing map, my friends were there waiting to start the 10k and cheering me on.  I told them to hold their applause because I still had seven loops to go.  My second went just as well as the first, and even after my third loop I was still feeling pretty strong.  I felt as though I was drinking enough fluids and eating enough gels.  I was also eating salty things at the aid stations, and I felt pretty chipper.  My plan was working and so were my legs.   With an ear to ear grin on my face and only 5 more loops to go, I felt like this race was mine.

     It wasn't.

     Now, when I tell you how awesome and how much fun Hell Hath No Hurry is, I truly mean it.  Peter and his crew do such a fantastic job not just with the organization of the race and the trail upkeep, but also with the out of this word first aid/nutrition station at the end of each loop.  If you needed salt to keep from cramping, it was there.  If you needed pop, peanut butter sandwiches, chips, and pretzels, those were there, too.  If you needed pickles (again for a salty deli-case) they had them.  (God I love pickles.)  But, not only was there more than enough food to replenish there, but there was also enough at the mid point of each loop.

Photo Credit: Run Santa Run 5k
     One of the legends in the running world of Pittsburgh is Audrey Burgoon.  She had volunteered to help out with this race and set up a spread just as big at the halfway point of the runner's loops (grilled bacon and cheese sandwiches and more pickles!)  She had assistance from Suzanne Lancaster-Natter, Alyssa Cammarata-Chance, and a few other seasoned trail running veterans whose names escape me at this time.  Not only did these ladies volunteer their time to help aid everyone with their nutritional needs, but they also provided sound advise and energetic cheers each time me and everyone else reached their station.  I cannot emphasize enough how much crowd support helps when going the distance.  These ladies are beasts in their own right, and I look up to them and the many great things they have accomplished in the years I have gotten to know them, as well as run with them.

Hell Hath No Hurry 50M.  Climbing this 6 times
was not a lot of fun.
     I was in the middle of my fourth loop and when Suzanne looked at me and told me I needed to sit down.   Now mind you, I didn't feel like I needed to sit, but she's the coach and I listen to what coach says.  She had felt my face and told me I wasn't sweating enough and I looked tired and wanted me to eat and drink something.  I honestly did not feel as if anything was wrong, and I felt as though I was doing a great job of staying hydrated.  But when I look back and think about the race, I was not taking in enough fuel to keep me going.  I was not eating much, or anything really.  I thought that my gels would do the trick but I know now that they weren't.  So, on Suzanne's wise words, I rested as long as I could.  She knew what she was talking about so I'd better darn well listen.  I was working hard to finish this race, but I was pushing my body harder than I should have and ever had before.

Lap 5 I believe, but maybe lap 6.  Either way there
is fatigue in my expression.  Photo Credit Coach Kim
     When I finished that fourth loop, I saw that my running buddies (Amy, Sara, Stephanie, and Dana) had returned to to bring me some more moral support.  When they asked me how I was feeling the only thing I could say to them was, "what in the heck ever made me sign up for this?"  They encouraged me to keep going and assured me that I "got this."  I remember looking at my watch and telling them that I felt I was running out of time.  Their only words to me were, "just keep going."  So, I did.

Emerging from the woods after loop number 4
     On my fifth loop, I got to run into (again pun intended) another Pittsburgh running legend, Tony DeLuca. (Tony also happens to be an official Pittsburgh Marathon blogger for the 2018 season.)  He asked me how I was feeling, and I told him pretty tired but I was still going.  I also told him I didn't think I was going to finish because it looked like I was running out of time.  Not only did Tony offer me some encouragement much like my friends, but he also told me no matter the outcome to be proud of what I was trying to accomplish.  He knew it was my first attempt at a 50 miler and told me everything I needed to hear.  With a final "good luck Jedi Master" Tony went on his way as did I.

Photo Credit: Coach Suzanne.  I'm looking a little beat.
Loop 4 I believe.
     I was able to finish my fifth loop, but after the sixth one I knew I was finished for the day.  I was tired.  I was hungry (simply not enough pickles to satisfy my belly.)  I was also limping.  I just didn't have enough left in the tank.  I hobbled across the timing mat and had to let the race officials know that I couldn't go on.  I looked at my running buddies with a touch of disappointment on my face.   I really thought I had this one.  Sara even offered to go back on the trail with me to keep going, but I just couldn't continue.  But, it's like my friends said, like Tony said, and like Suzanne said: "be proud of what you've done."  Disappointment in not finishing the race soon turned into a smile.  I may not have run 50 miles, but I had run further than I had ever thought myself capable.  At no point of that day did I ever throw in the towel just because I could.  I played it smart and again said I'd live to run and fight another today.  It may not have been my day, but it was still a day I could l look back on and be proud of what I had done.  D.N.F may mean did not finish.  But, when you, I, and we are running, no matter the distance or race, it will never, ever mean "did not try."

     Hell Hath No Hurry 2018, I'm coming for you.  I've got you lined up and in my sights.  We're going for round two so you'd better be ready.  I will be.  I'm bringing pickles.

     Sinceriously yours,

     Chuck Hull
     The Running Jedi

     #10YearsRunning #runpgh #teamlemieux #lovetorun #pittsburghmarathon #runnerofsteel

PS:  Don't forget, if we raise $3500 for the Mario Lemieux foundation this year, I'll be running the full marathon in the flamingo suit.  To donate, click here:

https://www.crowdrise.com/mariolemieuxpitt2018/fundraiser/chuckhull


Enjoy just a few more pics:

Photo Credit Mike McNeil.  HHNH 30K 2015


Run Santa Run 5k
Goofin with Amy after the finish
Bryan got out an walked the day
to get a work out in. I was just
being "normal"  Photo Credit:
Run Santa Run 5k
Race 99 in the books! Photo Credit:
Run Santa Run 5k


SCRR Friend Sean Jonez and I
Photo Credit: Mike McNeil

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