Here's what the participants have
to say about
Heartland 100 -
Spirit of the Prairie
The 2005
race...........
Who said Kansas is Flat?
Dave Bursler, Bear Delaware
I made an impromptu decision to run the Heartland 100 as I struggled to make it
one more time around the Schuylkill River Loop to complete my 24-hour run for
Katrina. The disappointment in my performance on that day was so
overwhelming that thoughts of doing it again the following weekend were hard
not to satisfy. The one time I could have actually helped other people
with my running and I couldnt muster the energy to go beyond 105 miles in the
time allotted. So, with no research of the race and no specific training
I decided to make my way out to Kansas to redeem myself.
My Aunt, who was visiting from South Carolina, took my mother and I out to
dinner the night before my Friday flight to Wichita. What was supposed to
be an occasion to catch up on old times turned into a very emotional evening
for me. I barely said a word as my Aunt talked to me as if she knew
exactly what had been happening in my life over the last couple of
years. She beamed with pride as she spoke of my running
accomplishments but more importantly her ability to see deep inside me and know
that someone had hurt me stunned me. The words that came out of her mouth
were those of wisdom. I listened intently as she directed me toward the
path that would allow me to let go of the past. When she finished
talking it was as if I had been given a second chance at living
again. It was hard for me to hold back the tears when we parted
ways because I have never had anyone understand me the way she did that
night. The emotions of this day would stay with me the entire weekend and
ultimately played an integral role in my successful run.
I arrived in Wichita on Friday morning without a single problem. The
flights were all on time, I had no trouble retrieving my baggage, and I found
my hotel very easily. I stayed at the Club House Inn located just outside
the city. I thought it was convenient because I was within 40 miles of
Cassoday where the event is held and directly across the street from I-35 the
major access road into town. I checked into my hotel around noon
and then made my way to a Mall I had passed on my way from the airport to the
hotel. I hoped to find a GNC inside that stocked my favorite energy fluid
"Rocket Shot". The two GNCs closest to my home in
Delaware were out of it so I thought Id have to do without. I was
ecstatic to not only find a GNC in the Mall but also found that they indeed did
have the product I was looking for. It seemed like all the stars were
lining up for me. Before heading back to my hotel I stopped at Target to
load up on Sobe Adrenaline Energy drink and Ensure for my drop bags. Now
that all my shopping was done I went back to the hotel to quickly put my drop
bags together. Since this was an out and back course all my drops could
be used two times with the exception of the one at the 50-mile mark.
Along with the energy fluids and Ensure I packed warm clothes, moleskin,
aspirin, Succeed caps, arnica, and spare batteries in each bag. As I was
packing I tried to decide which bag to put my light in. I could gamble
and put it in the mile 75 bag or I could go conservatively and put it in the
mile 63 bag. I went with mile 63 knowing the only consequence would be
having to lug it around an extra hour or so. When my bags were packed I
started the trip to Cassoday for the pre-race briefing. Along the way I
noticed the scenery was very consistent and being a big city guy I thought it
was a bit boring. There were mainly open tall grass fields on
either side of the road with the occasional farm tucked away in the
background. As I exited the highway and entered Cassoday I had no idea
where I was going. The website provides little information about the
exact location of the run and the instructions sent to me in the mail just
indicated the briefing would be held in the town community center.
I figured that there would be a sign or two along the way pointing me in the
direction I needed to go but that proved to be untrue. I finally stopped
at the one convenience store in the small town and asked for directions.
Apparently I had driven by the Community Center several times already without
noticing it. Once there I checked in with the race director and
received my number and my tee shirt and then made my way back to the car to
take a nap before the briefing.
The briefing itself was very quick but informative. The R.D. Randy Albrecht
took some time to explain how the course was marked and described specific
points where getting lost was a distinct possibility. He took the time to
answer a few questions and then we broke for dinner. The pre-race meal
was catered by a local café and had to be the best food Ive ever been served
before a race. I had salisbury steak, scalloped potatoes, green beans,
corn, potato salad, macaroni salad, and a muffin. Probably more food than
I would normally eat in two days. I headed back to my hotel around 6 p.m.
to get what I hoped would be a good nights sleep.
When I arrived at the hotel I couldnt help but turn the TV on and low and
behold the first thing that came on was the Yankees game. Since Im
a baseball fan there was an excellent chance a good nights sleep would be out
of the question now. As I watched what I hoped would be the Yanks getting
their butts whooped I prepared my clothes for the next day. I planned to
wear shorts, a tank top, long sleeved shirt, and gloves. In my pack I carried
moleskin, aspirin, arnica, and a bottle of "Rocket Shot". I
also stashed a knit hat and a spare light in a compartment in my
pack. I placed my race number on my shorts knowing it would be most
visible there because I would be changing from long sleeve to short sleeve
shirts periodically throughout the day. I filled my water bottles
and put them in the refrigerator that was in my room and then sat down to watch
the game. When the stinkin Yankees came back to tie the game
at 5-5 I became frustrated and called it a night around 9:30 or so. I set
my clock for 4 a.m. and went fast to sleep.
I woke on my own around 3:30 a.m. feeling very rested and ready to go. I
did not feel the normal pre-race jitters and there was no second-guessing why I
was doing this to myself again. Since I woke early I took my time
to shower and get dressed. I made sure I had everything I needed and then
headed across the street to grab something to eat from a 24-hour
mini-mart. Eating something with a lot of sugar in it is critical for me
before long races so I always opt for what I would normally consider unhealthy
food. Maybe unhealthy but also one of my favorites I immediately
headed towards the frosted Pop Tarts. I grabbed to double packs of blueberry
frosted Pop Tarts and something to drink and then headed down the highway
towards Cassoday and the start of the race.
I arrived at the race start at 5:15 a.m. with plenty of time to spare. I
used the extra time to put on sun block, and Vaseline in the critical
areas. I adjusted my waist pack to fit snuggly around my body and did
some final mental preparation for what I figured would be another grueling
day. Before heading to the start line I stopped to check in with
the race director so he was aware I was there and ready to go. All
the runners were lined up and prepared to go by 5:55 a.m. Since there was
also a 50-mile event being held in conjunction with the 100 there seemed to be
an overflow crowd. It was impossible to distinguish between the runners participating
in the different events, which for me I thought might cause a problem at the
start. I have a tendency to go off very fast and try to keep up with
those in front. It could be a big mistake for me to try to stay with the
50-mile frontrunners. It was a decision I would make on the
fly because now it was too late to think about it. There was a countdown
from five and we were sent off into the early morning darkness.
Immediately I experienced problems that caused me to lose pace of those in
front. My sunglasses fell off of my head and I had to stop to get them
and as I did I fumbled with my water bottles trying to maintain a grasp on
them. I also had difficulty hitting the start button on my stopwatch
because the gloves I was wearing were too bulky and would not allow me to make
contact with the button. Finally I got things under control but by that
time two guys had pulled away and had a significant lead on me.
There are those that go by the motto start slow and then as the race progresses
taper off. Personally I do not subscribe to this motto. I like to
start fast and do my best to maintain it throughout. More times than not
Ive been burned by this method of running but the times that it has worked have
been very satisfying. There is no quit in me so the only
ramification would be a death march to the finish. I didnt push too
hard to catch up as I slowly saw myself gaining on the second place
guy. The runner in the lead was out of sight at this time but I knew
he couldnt be too far in front. It wasnt long before I could see
his shadow up front and a few minutes later I passed by as he refueled at the
first unmanned aid station. Me, well I always carry two water bottles
along the way and since it was cool I didnt need to replenish just yet.
Now that I was up in the front and leading I felt pretty good. I knew the
lead wouldnt last for long but I liked the feeling of being there for
now. Up to this point the course was as I expected very flat and very
easy. The hard packed, wide gravel road made for easy footing but
could also promote blistering later on. It remained dark for about
45 minutes to an hour before I finally felt comfortable packing my flashlight
away. In the distance the sunrise was beautiful as it beamed magnificent
colors in my path. There were open fields to the right and left of me
with little to see other than what lay ahead. There were barbed wire
fences on either side of the gravel road a scene that I would become accustomed
to as the day progressed. I maintained my lead through the first
manned aid station at 8.3 miles. I still did not need water so I just
called my number off as I made my way through.
I guess Ive always believed that Dorothy, the Tin Man, Scarecrow, and the
Cowardly Lion were always for real and that Kansas is as flat as a
pancake. Well, after I ran from mile 8.3 to the turnaround at mile 50 I
still believed in the Wizard of Oz but realized that indeed Kansas is not
flat. In the distance I was stunned to see what looked like miniature
mountains. This was the most scenic and beautiful part of the
course. The mountains indeed reminded me of a miniature Wasatch Mountain
Range. Now dont get me wrong there was no significant elevation
gain but these little hills were certainly going to be a bit more of a
challenge than I expected. I ran up and down hoping that eventually
the course would return to how it was the first 8 miles but the hills continued
to come. Occasionally the path would change from what was once hard
packed gravel to looser bigger stones making it feel like I was running in
sand. The bigger stones seemed to stab at the bottoms of my feet causing
me to worry about blistering. The uneven surface was twisting my ankles
aggravating the tendonitis Ive had in my left foot since March of this
year. I continued up and down the undulating hills all the time
maintaining my lead and at times even thinking I was pulling away a
bit.
I didnt want to get too carried away because my training has not been up to par
for many months because of the foot injury Ive been battling. Going into the
race I was very concerned that I could potentially injure my foot to the point
where I may never be able to run again. I have put a lot of effort
into identifying the injury and getting proper treatment but to no
avail. Ive spent upwards of a thousand dollars on doctors,
orthotics, and medications. Recently I started a treatment of amino acids
including glycine, lysine, and glucosamine. I apply heat and only ice
after running and I also stopped taking aspirin. Ive also stopped all
stretching and wont resume until the pain is gone completely. I relieved
the pain for the race by cutting a hole in the gel pad used in the left shoe
that makes contact with the affected area. I stabilized my mileage
around 75-80 miles a week down from my normal 90-100 and I cut out all
exercises that cause pain to my foot. Ive seen dramatic improvement
using this treatment plan and hoped there wouldnt be any setbacks by doing this
race.
The pain in my foot seemed to intensify more on the uphills than the descents
so I decided to take it a little easier going up. I kept running but took
shorter strides and looked for the softest areas to land. I
was confident I could overcome any kind of physical pain and motivated myself
by thinking about how I hobbled through the last 40 miles of Wasatch on a
severely injured quad.
The weather was beautiful with temperatures in the 50s in the morning hours and
not a cloud in the sky. The wind was present blowing about 15 miles an
hour in a direction that always seemed to be in my face but was mild compared
to the 40 mph in past races. There were certainly other challenges
that stood in the way of a successful race. Having nothing in the distance but
the open prairie was the main challenge I faced all day with nothing to block
the view of the long trail in front of me. It started to drive me crazy shortly
after the race began so to counteract this I refused to look any more than 10
feet ahead of me. It was definitely a contest that my mind would
have to win in order for me to finish well.
As I approached the mile 17-aid station it seemed as if they had just set-up
and were startled that I arrived so soon. One of my bottles was bone dry
but since the volunteers did not seem to have a system set up yet where they
could quickly refill them I moved on before it was even half
filled. As the volunteer was filling my bottle I made some
suggestions that would allow her to not be overwhelmed as the other runners
came piling through. I thought having a few cups of water pre-poured and
maybe putting some water in a pitcher to fill the bottles quickly would be a
better and more efficient method. I, being the first to come through saw
that they would just be overwhelmed if they continued to just open the valve to
the cooler and slowly fill each bottle. I was okay with the amount of
water I had and wasnt the least bit frustrated that the aid station didnt seem
to be ready. Heck how could I have any frustration if it wasnt for these
people I wouldnt even have the opportunity to be running in this race. I
also knew that once they settled into a groove they would do a fabulous
job.
The goal I was now looking forward to reaching was mile 25 or the point where the
50-mile runners would be turning around. At this point I would know
whether the second place guy was running the 100 or the 50 and whether I could
relax or maintain my pace. The course leveled off a bit over the next 8
miles and even seemed to have a downward slope to it. As I made my
way down a hill from the mile 17 aid station I entered what would be the only
area lined with trees that I would see the entire day. It was
a very short stretch of maybe a ¼ mile where trees were on either side of me.
I honestly appreciated the beauty of the woods and hoped it would stay around
for awhile. As I exited the wooded area the most spectacular sight
of the day appeared before me. A young deer darted out of the woods and
stood in the path about 50 yards from me. We stared into each others eyes
as I approached and she didnt move an inch even as I got closer. I was
amazed that the young deer allowed me to get as close to her as I did before
running off into the woods. I had such an amazing feeling inside because
I truly believed the deer trusted me and knew I would not hurt
her. I peeked into the woods to see how far she had run off
as I went by but did not catch another glimpse. It is one of those
moments that will remain with me for a lifetime.
I made my way towards an unmanned aid station at mile 21 or so still feeling
very confident. Aid up to this point was sufficient with unmanned
stations and full aid stations alternating every 3 to 4 miles.
There was water, Conquest, potato chips, and crackers at the unmanned
stations. The full aid stations supplied the normal aid station fare of
peanut butter jelly, turkey and cheese, and ham and cheese sandwiches along
with hard candy, potato chips, soup, boiled potatoes, and cookies amongst other
things. There were two aid stations in particular that carried specialty
items that I looked forward to each time I passed through. The mile
42/58-aid station had sloppy joe and the mile 36/63-aid station had hot
beans.
Since I wasnt able to fill my bottles at the mile 17 aid station I had to stop
quickly at the mile 21 aid station to do so. Believe it or not there was
a method to my madness. I never like to waste time at aid stations no
matter if I'm running well or in the middle of the pack. In a 100-mile
race anything can happen so I believe time has to be used wisely and unless
injured or sick excessive time in an aid station does not seem like an
efficient way to use time. Anyhow I moved quickly through the aid
station and was now on my way to satisfying my first goal of maintaining my
lead through 25 miles.
The next 4 miles were more of the same that I had just encountered from miles
17 to 21. The course led me down a flat, downward path with miles of open
prairie before me. I had to be very careful because every now and again I
would come upon a grate that crossed the path used to keep the cows contained
in certain areas. We were urged by Randy during the pre-race briefing to
take our time and even consider walking across these grates in order to prevent
being injured. I took his advice every time I encountered one of these
and took the time to walk. The grates were less than three feet in width
but too far to jump over safely. If I would have missed my foot could
easily have slipped through one of the grates .It just wasnt worth the
risk.
Even though I rarely looked over my shoulder I could sense that I was still
being closely followed by the second place runner. Since I had run
the entire way up to this point I was kind of surprised the guy behind me was
still there. I knew Mark Henderson lurked in the back somewhere and
was just biding his time but didnt know who the guy was behind me at the
time. I stayed focused on my own run and tried to stay within my own
capability. My main goal was not necessarily to run fast but to run
consistently and up to this point I had accomplished both. As
the mile 24.8 aid station came near I anxiously wondered which direction the
second place runner would go. Would he turn at mile 25 and head back or
would he continue on with me? Again I didnt stop at the aid station
but not because I didnt need a refill but rather because I wanted to know what
my next course of action was going to be and the runner behind me would dictate
that.
When I reached the turnaround point I kept looking straight ahead for about a ½
mile before peeking over my shoulder to see if anyone was behind. Sure
enough there he was sticking right on course to do the 100 miler. No big
deal I thought since I knew it was only a matter of time before some people
caught up to me anyway. I figured it would be later rather than earlier
and to be honest I thought it would be Mark Henderson.
The course once again became hilly and would remain that way for most of the
next 25 miles. Even though we ran out in the open and on roads it still
seemed as though we were out of civilization. There were very few homes
along the way and only one or two vehicles traveled up and down the
roads. Running alone is not something uncommon for me but its not
something I prefer to do either. One of the reasons I like to participate
in running events is to socialize and enjoy someone elses company.
It became very obvious to me at the halfway point that I was going to be alone
for most of this race and I had better be prepared. Those thoughts
brought me down a level and actually caused me to suffer over the next few
miles to the mile 31-aid station. Its not uncommon for me to hit a low
point this early in a race but its also a good indication that I havent
prepared properly. I became very sluggish and tired and the
pain in my foot became more intense. I knew the negative thoughts I
was having made my problems seem worse than they actually were. I needed
to find some positive motivation or a way to get me excited about running and
finishing with a decent time. This is where my conversation with my
Aunt the Thursday before the race came into play. She gave me reason to
believe again and reason to look forward to the future. She told me
she was proud of me for not only my running but also how I live my life and how
I treat other people. I could feel her presence as I ran. Her words
came to me as if they were coming directly from her lips and it sent a chill up
my spine that invigorated me and allowed me to overcome the negative thoughts I
was having. I had run several miles reaching the 50K point before
my spirits were uplifted and I returned to form.
I stopped at the 50K point to fill my bottles and then ran up a short hill
before having to stop again to empty some rocks out of my shoe. The
second place guy had gained a considerable amount of time on me as I struggled
from miles 25 to 31. He pulled into the aid station almost as I was
coming out. His catching up to me was imminent now and I was prepared to
watch him go by. The next full aid station was about 5 miles
off and I was sure he would overtake me before then. I stood at the
top of the hill for a split second just to take a look at what lay ahead.
Amazingly I was energized by seeing the hills rather than feeling
depleted. I honestly do love hilly courses and am confident in my ability
to do well on them. I picked up the pace and started to pull away a
little more from him but only briefly as I could sense he also picked it up a
bit. As the 5-mile stretch continued on the course flattened but the
scenery was still the same. I was concerned that the scenery could have
the same effect on me that the C & O Towpath used for the JFK 50 sometimes
has on me. Its just like running in place. Everything is the same
with nothing to keep my interest and allowing my mind to generate negative
thoughts. I am a creative guy and normally I have a knack to turn
nothing into something but for some reason on this day I just couldnt find
it. It was just having the ability to see so far ahead that was causing
the problems. Normally I break the race down into segments because I cant
see so far ahead of me. Focusing on the distance was a big
distraction. Anyhow I pulled into the mile 36-aid station with a lead
still intact but would be joined shortly by my next closest competitor.
Having been alone the entire day and not wanting to run alone anymore I waited
for him to refuel so we could continue together. As we left the aid station
we turned right down a big hill and ran for about ¼ mile. In the distance
directly behind us I heard a loud shrill and turned to see what it was.
Turns out it was a volunteer screaming for us to return because we went the
wrong way out of the aid station. The aid station captain sent a
car down with an offer to pick us up and drive us back to where we made the
wrong turn. I have run 17 one hundred-mile races and am very aware of the
rules whether written or unwritten. I immediately declined the offer and
ran the entire way back up to where I made the wrong turn.
Ive been lost before and know its my responsibility to backtrack every step I
made to get back on the course exactly where I got off. The guy I was
running with however decided to accept the offer and took the ride up the
hill. I was a little perturbed that he made that decision.
The rules are at the discretion of the organizers and not for me to
debate. Personally I would not have felt right if I didnt follow my heart
on this one. I got up the hill not long after the car did so both
of us took off together. I made no mention of what had just happened
knowing that he would have to live with his decision and if he was okay with it
than it must be okay.
The course led us down a steep hill that allowed me to recover from having to
haul my butt back up the other side a ¼ mile. I was glad to finally have
some company but that was short lived as I realized the guy was wearing an Ipod
and had no interest in talking to me. We did chit chat enough for me to
find out his name, where he lived, and that his wife was waiting for him at the
next aid station 6 miles away. He was running strong and again I wasnt
but I fed off of his energy and tried my best to keep up. I was
sure this guy couldnt be as strong as he looked and knew he had to be
struggling just like me. Im pretty good at disguising pain myself so who
knows maybe he thought I was feeling good too. These were my thoughts as
I continued to run up and down what seemed to be the relentless
hills. This was one of the longest stretches between aid
stations. Six miles on a hot, muggy day could be very significant but
with the temperatures hovering in the 60s and a cool breeze I had no
problem. As I ran this section though I thought to myself that those in
the back of the pack power walking this section could have some real
problems.
At this point in the race I was willing to follow the other guys
lead. Not taking charge and running my own race has been my
downfall in the past and here I was allowing it again. When he stopped at
mile 40 to walk up a short steep hill I was content to follow suit. That
was not my game plan going in. I wanted to run as many miles as I could
without walking and 40 was not my target. Knowing now that my plan
had been altered I had to start readjusting my goals. Placing top 5, top
10, top 20, or whatever is a good goal to have but finishing is always priority
number 1 in my book. I think a lot of people DNF (did not finish)
because they realize their primary goal is unachievable and therefore feel its
not worth running in the race anymore. Readjusting the goals as you go is
critical to success. The initial goal may be unachievable but if
you keep making new goals you will eventually satisfy one of them even if its
finishing dead last.
My new goal was now going to be to relax and try to have some fun. If I
run fast so be it but if not thats okay too. Bottom line was that on the
return trip there was no way I was going to be able to run up and down these
hills like I did going out anyway so why not conserve now. We
were maybe a ½ mile from the mile 42-aid station when we heard someone yelling
at us from behind. Sure enough it was Mark Henderson, Mr. Heartland
100 himself. This guy was buzzing with energy as he gave a quick
description of the rest of the course from where we were to the turnaround at
mile 50. He talked about how beautiful the course was and how much
he loved the scenery. I couldnt help but snicker a bit as I asked him
what scenery. Well what he told me took by surprise and also taught me
another method of overcoming boredom. He said he visualizes cowboys and
Indians fighting on these same grounds as he runs. I looked at him and
said wow you sure have a vivid imagination. It sounds like an
excellent way to keep the mind occupied but somehow I just couldnt look at a
prairie full of tall grass and cows and imagine cowboys and
Indians. Mark pulled into the aid station first as some of
the volunteers snapped photos and took video of him. He joked with the
volunteers most of which he knew and moved out as quickly as he got in.
That would be the closest I would be to Mark the rest of the day with the
exception of when he passed me coming back from the 50 mile turnaround.
I entered the aid station and received the best treatment I had gotten all
day. The two ladies running this aid station did a spectacular job
and if not for them Im sure I would not have had a hot meal all
day. They fed me sloppy joe and pumped me full of coke and water
and catered to me as if I was a relative. I came out of the aid station
in second place as the third place guy spent some time with his crew.
I started a 3.5 mile stretch to the next unmanned aid station on hilly
terrain. The course profile has to be similar to that of the Bull Run 50
only on roads as opposed to muddy trails. The hills on the backside of
the course never seemed to stop. They were very short but never
ending. I was in full walk/run mode at this point. I would run up
part of the hill finishing it with a power walk and then I would run completely
down. I implemented this strategy all the way to the turnaround at mile
50. Its a lot less stressing on the mind not alone the body allowing
yourself to walk occasionally. I was hoping that the fact I
implemented this strategy so early would help me later in the race.
I dropped back to third place about 1.5 miles after leaving the mile 42-aid
station. I actually felt more comfortable alone than with either of
the first two guys. Mark had way too much pizzazz and the other guy wasnt
interested in talking. It became clear that both of these guys were
better than me on this day. While I would have liked to have some company
I needed to follow my own plan and not get caught up somewhere I didnt
belong.
I stopped to refill my bottles at the final unmanned aid station before moving
on for the final 4 miles to the turnaround. I couldnt believe it the
scenery actually changed a little here. We passed by a couple of water towers
through an area where it looked as if people may occupy some time during the
day. I still had the second place guy in sight as we traversed a
few more rolling hills before descending deep into a valley. As I went
down Mark passed me going in the other direction. He fed me encouragement
as he told me the turnaround was just around the corner. It seemed
to take forever to get to the bottom but finally I reached and checked my watch
for the first and final time of the day. I had made it to the 50 mile
mark in a little under 8 hours. Immediately I thought of last year.
Could this be a recurrence of Javelina when I went out way too fast? My
50-mile split was just under 8 there too as I struggled to finish in a little
over 21 hours. There was no way I could let that happen
again. I have to admit though I knew I pushed way too hard at the start
so dying late was a distinct possibility.
I watched as the second place guy ran back up the hill we just came down.
I thought it would be a wise choice if I took the opportunity to do my first
significant walking of the day. I walked most of the way back up
the hill slipping in a little running when it crested for short
periods. As I started my walk up the hill the fourth place runner,
David Jones, passed by me on his way to the turn around. I couldnt tell
how much energy he had but he definitely looked very focused. Again
I was aware that my placing was in jeopardy but also again I had to stay with
my game plan. It was a long race and we were only 50 miles into it.
Heck I thought there was a remote possibility that I could still win the darn
thing. Sure enough as I walked up the final yards of the steep hill here
came David Jones rounding the bend poised to pass me. I thought for a moment
that maybe he would be a good person to hang with but as we ran I could tell he
had a purpose for being there and it was not to entertain me. I
certainly didnt want to hold him up or have him push me to an uncomfortable
pace so I didnt try to keep up with him. It was a while before I would
pass another runner going in the other direction so I felt I could at least
maintain 4th place to the finish. I had to follow my plan of
running as much as possible and then implementing the walk up the hills/ run
down the hills method later in the race to do so.
Leadville is the only other out and back course Ive ever run before. I
did not find that having knowledge of the course on the return made it any
easier. In fact the course going back looked totally different to me than
it did going out. I hoped this would not be the same with
Heartland. I figured things would be familiar at least until
the sun went down. By that time I hoped to have at least ¾ of the course
completed. I ran pretty steadily to the unmanned aid station where
I filled my bottles and grabbed a few chips before moving on. It
was very cool getting the chance to pass by the people directly behind me on
the way back because we could feed each others encouragement. It also,
for the first time during the day, gave me a sense of togetherness with these
people. I was able to feel part of a group fighting for the same outcome
rather than an individual fighting impossible odds.
I ran up and down the same path towards mile 58 as I did on the way out.
I knew I was near the aid station as I approached the highway on the right and
crossed over an old deserted bridge to the other side of the road. I
hustled the last half-mile or so into the aid station in dire need of some aspirin
to relieve the pain in my foot. When I arrived I again indulged in the
excellent food the aid station had prepared for the runners. This time I
went for the hot soup rather than the sloppy joe. I loaded up with soda
and water before leaving. I was making my way down the road drinking my
soup when I remembered the aspirin. I backtracked 50 yards to the aid
station where a volunteer thankfully supplied me with a couple. This was
the first aspirin I had taken all day and I hoped to limit my intake to no more
than two more throughout the rest of the race.