5 Lakes Ultra 100 #54 Bolivar, Ohio

While recovering from Froggy Mountain, my buddy Adam who ran that with me talked me into signing up for 5 Lakes. I really didn't want to, a midwestern race covering Ohio farm country in the heat of August had zero appeal, but I dropped in on the pre-race meeting, and dang, if I don't just love the Race Brimstone staff, I dumbly signed up knowing I'd be running Rocky Mountain High in Colorado the next weekend.

Because I'm going to run Ute 100 out in Utah on the same trip out west, it was a little bit crazy trying to pack gear and drop bags for 3 races all at once. I think I managed to organize it all pretty well. I thought I'd made one slipup not packing a sun/ice hat and sun sleeves but I actually did have them in a drop bag at 5 lakes, still, it was a feat getting so organized! Because Jason is driving us to Colorado this Wed morning, I encouraged him to stay home from traveling to Ohio, to relax and get some stuff done around the farm, especially chain sawing 3 fallen trees on our electric fence. Went out in a storm a few weeks ago and a coyote or something got in and killed my ducks. :( Anyway, because of that I was going solo, but I ended up having 2 good friends and a pacer I'd met once, offer to give me crew and pacing help! Susan has paced me quite a few times and it was super nice of her, she volunteered to do 38+ miles. Ellen had been her pacer back at Whispering Grace 100 and we'd met once. Out of the blue she contacted me and asked if she could help. She may not realize it but she was 100% inspired because she ended up being exactly the person and personality and professional that I needed at mile 50 when we met on course!

Came upon this pic of Dexter and his baby girl Aurora, the day before the race and I dunno, grief hit me like a ton of bricks.

Was feeling really down and sad. I tried listening to some church sermons and one said just the right thing for me...Elder Holland, whose wife actually just died and is going thru grief on his own at the moment. Reminded me of my mission running for Dexter, and felt grateful at how being able to run really has been a relief from grief, as it helped me find a purpose. I was out picking blackberries listening to this and in the middle of the patch just knelt down and said a quick prayer thanking God for helping me find my way on this hard road.

“Those who “wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength and shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; … they shall walk, and not faint.” by and by”—soon or late—those blessings will come to every one of you who seeks relief from your sorrow and freedom from your grief. “

Before I left Jason grabbed a pre race picture since he always does that! And he gave me a blessing. Whenever he prays for me like that he seeks inspiration for the right words to say that will help me with my race. This time it was unusual. He told me to trust in the people around me, that there would be some who would know what to do to help me and if I listened to what they said, I would be able to finish. I thought that seemed rather ominous but I tucked it into the back of my mind as I drove off for Ohio.

I enjoy road trips on my own, listening to music & sermons and podcasts. The change oil light came on in my car just an hour from home so I had a big hit of anxiety and had to stop and call Jason what to do. Because he takes such good care of me, I literally haven't checked the oil in a car for over 20 yrs, haha, and he worries about me (apparently for good reason) he typed up a big long step by step instructions in text that I followed, step by step, to check the oil. Needed a quart, so when the warning light actually went off I felt like a champ! Grateful I could count on Jasons help even away from home. He's so great!

Deb, Adam, me and Heather at packet pickup

A guy running the race arranged for some runners to stay in the bunkhouse at nearby Camp Tuscazoar for $20 a night, so I took advantage of it instead of sleeping in the car. Bed was not comfortable and the plastic mattress was giving me wierd sleeping issues, but lights, bathroom, space and electricity to get ready for the race was appreciated. Adam bunked there too, I think we both had a hard time sleeping. It was kindof spooky and vacant. The men slept a respectable distance away though I thought it was funny wrapping in a blanket to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, that I didn't really worry about bunking with men cuz we're all ultrarunners and we all moving into survival mode pre-race, haha.

Even tho I took a tylenol pm I tossed and turned all night and started the 4am race start with maybe 3-4 hrs sleep. Not ideal!

Adam and I left the bunkhouse together and made it to the start line with 10 min to go, enough time to dart behind a truck for a quick pee, lol. I kept feeling off like I'd forgotten something, but I think it was just because I didn't have Jason with me to be my brains and make sure all the logistics were taken care of. I had my phone & pack and poles so figured everything else would work out. Happily I remembered to have my keys safely tucked into my pack.

It was really cool at the start line to have Arlen Glick pick me out of the crowd in the dark and start the race with me! He's an elite runner from Ohio, I swear one of the nicest guys on the planet. At HardRock 100 a couple wks before he was running neck in neck with world champ Courtney Dewaulter for most of that race. Anyway, we left the start and ran maybe a quarter mile with Adam and I before he took of to be the lead and knock out spiderwebs for everyone.

The first dozen+ miles or so were on a towpath in the dark, part of the Tuscazoar 100 course, actually. I'd been having PMS symptoms all week so in the thicc humidity my heart rate was notoriously high. I tried to keep Adams pace but was struggling, he was running really easy so I encouraged him to go ahead after a few miles and fell back to listen to music and fall into a pace slower than I liked, but one I could run all day. Had a video come in on text of my amazing friend Derry from Wear Blue in England. He and his girls were out for a run in blue and videod me, wishing me luck on the race, remembering Dexter. I had to wipe tears from my eyes, it was just the most amazing kickstart of support.

Adam and ended up back together after a few miles, our pace leveled out to match so we enjoyed the first aid station together and were treated to a gorgeous Ohio sunrise. Fresh hot bacon gave me a good joly of motivation to enjoy my day. Met my sweet friend Deb Meeks there, she filled my bottles and made sure I was okay. She was crewing another friend Heather for her first 200 miler but she was there as backup help if I needed it, and arranged for me to have access to all my headlamps before dark.

Love Race Brimstone but putting this on as a 100/200 miler they needed to prepare and think thru just a few more things to make this race great. One thing was only having 2 drop bags, one at mile 30 and one around 68? Can't remember the exact mileage of both, because they didn't match what had been posted. It was great to have a bag at 28 miles but no access to another until the middle of the night meant I'd have to carry all my night gear for the whole entire day, and then have no place to drop it off. Luckily Heather got my lamps to my pacer but I did talk to another guy on the course who was a little crabby about the fact he was having to carry everything.

The first aid station needed to have ice. By 11am or so it was hot and humid enough that people were starting to struggle. I was so excited to see my buddy John there manning the aid station. He helped me get hydration, food and gave me some ice from his personal stash.

I really don't like running roads, the impact is harder on my knee and causes more inflammation. A good portion of the first half of the race was roads, it seems I heard about 40% of the total course. That being said, the Ohio countryside with its rolling hills was really beautiful and I enjoyed it. Had a blast running with Adam, we chatted about all kinds of stuff and were constantly crunching numbers. It's fun to do a race with another runner who doesn't mind analyzing everything about the race, course, pace, gear and all related things for miles upon end, haha. He got a lot of pics of the day together and hopefully he will forgive me stealing them for my race report. My camera is total junk. . Anyway. I did have some time on trails to myself during the day and sometimes we just ran near each other for companionship but were doing our own thing. We saw an apple tree at one farm and I grabbed a slightly unripe apple to eat. It was getting hot and I loved picking neighbors apples as a kid, tasted like a sour patch kid! We did a few miles with some of the 200 course runners. I had a wonderful chat with a girl named Crystal who has a brother with ptsd from his military service. I asked her about him and she told me all kinds of childhood stories about her baby brother. It was really sweet to hear her talk about him for miles and think how special sibling love is. Made me sad for my kids missing their big brother. :(

Was mid afternoon when we pulled into an aid station around 38 miles. Adam suddenly looked pretty sick, red face, nauseous, thought maybe he had some heat exhaustion. Me and the aid station workers got him stocked up with ice in his shirt and sleeves to cool off, hydration and he got a zofran down. I got him walking with me and we just took it easy for a little while. We dropped something on the ground and then I laughed my butt off because this weird random spill of tar looked like a good representation of how Adam was feeling. I shouldn't have laughed so hard because it ended up being me late in the race! We missed a turn and ended up running about a mile extra.

The day was a bit of a struggle. Lots of sun, heat and humidity, I know quite a few runners dropped with stomach issues. I was staying fairly cool with ice in my hat and sleeves and down my back. I had my neck fan but I guess it had bumped to 'on' in my drop bag so had no battery charge. I was able to ration out what charge I had in my charger to keep my watch and phone going, Adams phone which was almost dead and charge the fan about 1/3 up so I'd have it in the heat of the afternoon.

Really enjoyed the country roads though I had to keep an easier non -impact pace. The trails were very pretty but some sections were extremely primitive, slanted, marked with flags though the actual trail which is very lightly used, was difficult to pick out at times. Brimstone did a good job clearing out all the dense foliage but there was still a lof of sticks, rubble, undergrowth etc along portions of the trial. The worst section though were grassy, mowed and slanted, like running through power line sections. They had done a tremendous amount of work getting all that moved for race day, if you can imagine just this team of a couple guys working their butts off to clear this ground covering 100 miles, all cut and ready for runners at the same time. Still, the long cut grass made for slow going. One point we had to use a rope to descend a steep bank! I found a public access to one of the lakes we were running past and used it to cool off. It was so hot! Was grateful to hit an aid station late afternoon and pack myself with ice! Beautiful country.

Meeting my friend Bob in the woods, he won the 200 miler!

I felt like I was pretty well on track with hydration and fuel but at some point late afternoon I felt my sugar was running low. I saw a big gummie in a small jewelry sized baggie that I thought was like a cliff block, on the trail so I snagged it and ate the whole thing. There was a small bite in it and it was like a square sour patch kid. I didn't think much of it.

Late afternoon/early evening we made it to the 50(ish) mile aid station where we picked up Ellen for a pacer. It was so great to see her, we'd only met once. She was like, incredibly overprepared and ready to help! Got my bottles filled, gave me an ice bandana full of ice and just thought of everything I might need, especially my headlamps, phew! As I was gearing up to head back out with Adam and Ellen, I suddenly started feeling really weird, like my brain was disconnecting from my body. I couldnt express what I was thinking and words just started tumbling out of my mouth. I'd never felt this weird or hit this hard with sortof an out -of-body, dizzy, disoriented kind of feeling. I didnt want to waste any time so I decided to just keep mostly quiet aside from saying I was feeling off, and we stared back out. Things got wierder and I started seeing things which was unusual at an early 50+ miles. I felt really silly and giggly. We saw this weird shaped object at a dam, to me it seemed like it was 15+ feet tall and I said something to the others about it being an alien spaceship. I mean, it looked like one!

I started seeing weird shapes around me, once thought a man was running with us and I asked who it was. Another time heard and saw a car just behind me, but Ellen assured me there was no car. I started to feel like my spirit was going to leave my body and levitate above my head. I realized that meant I would be dead so I decided instead of saying I was faint and gonna pass out and die, I'd just keep moving forward. If I actually did pass out I knew they'd call for help. So dumb but that was my determination level at the time with a disoriented head!!

I remembered earlier the gummy candy I'd eaten and it occurred to me that I might have accidentally eaten someones weed gummy lol! YIKES. It actually made a lot of sense with how wacked out I felt. I've never been drunk or done drugs but I felt I was acting how I might feel if I was high. So anyway, that was my conclusion. Ellen is a med student. I dont know how much basic medical training and like emergency triage she has, but I remembered Jasons prayer early before I started the race...listen to those around you who can give you help. Ellen was incredible. She watched me like a hawk, like checking on me every few minutes and directing me to drink water, take fuel, get some salt etc etc. Basic ultra self care I was possibly too wacked out to remember in my state of mind. We kept jogging/climbing/hiking and chatting and I remember having a fun time and laughing a lot while being mildly concerned I was going to die. :P I know Adam told me these were the toughest climbs of the course, but I only vaguely remember them. I kept thinking how Dexter was getting a laugh at his mom being high! I assumed he was keeping a watch over me so I just kept moving forward. Eventually after a few hours of this I started to feel somewhat stable by the time I met up with Susan around mile 68. I still look pretty wacked in this pic with Elllen Susan and I, haha.

I don't think we were running together long when I desperately needed a nap, so I threw off my pack and laid down on the gravel trail and asked her to wake me up in 5 minutes. It was a solid deep power nap and I felt revived when I woke up. Susan had left her phone or it got lost or something so I handed her mine and said I'd keep going and for her to catch up. I left down the trail and after a few minutes when she wasn't behind me, I started calling her name and turned off my light to try to see her lamp. Nowhere. I was all alone without my phone, map, and pacer in the woods and my brain wasn't at 100%. I didn't know what to do. I tried going back up the trail for half a mile or so but that didn't feel right, so I turned around and continued down the gravel road (I think ) that I was on. Eventually I spotted an SUV and it slowed for me, luckily it was a crew of another runner and he affirmed that I was running towards the next aid station, so I just chased it. This crew guy later saved mine and his wifes butt! I was so relieved getting to the next aid station. It was in some cute little cabin space and was probably a sleep station. If I'd been smart I would have stopped for a nap and gave Susan a chance to catch me. Instead I did a word vomit all over my buddy John and the other aid station worker about how high I'd been, then grabbed fuel and refill and headed back out into the night.

Somewhere along that route I was following another female runner and her pacer and following flags when they turned around and told me we were going the wrong direction and headed back into this campground or cabin neighborhood? I felt confused because there were clearly flags on the path we were on, but it didn't match up to her gps route of the course. I didn't know what to do so I just followed them. Behind us were a few more runners also feeling lost who followed me, following them. Eventually they sat in the road looking at the map and tried to figure it out. I wish I could remember her name, clarissa or something with a C. Anyway, we tried a few different tracks thru the neighborhood but nothing was matching the route. Thankfully she was able to get her husband on the phone, turned out to be the guy who'd saved me earlier. He put us on a trail (Fox trail) that would connect us to a road that would get us back on track to the correct aid station. As we were going down the Fox trail it didnt make sense and we were bewildered and close to tears. Without my phone I had no option but to stay with C and her pacer and husband on the phone and hope for the best. Eventually that trail came to an end and we met his SUV on the road. So relieved, we got better aquainted as we ran down the road, relieved to be safe and heading the right way. Sure enough eventually we made it to the 80-ish mile aid station in the early hours before Dawn and I was so relieved to hear Susans voice! She had made her way to that aid station somehow. (She told me the story but I really can't remember any of it.) She was wrapped in a blanket staying warm. I got my phone back and feeling relieved, we left together to tackle the last 20 (actually 24 :-P ) miles.

I had been looking forward to running with Susan and catching up and chatting but all I remember of the rest of that night was complaining. At least I had stopped sweating. It felt like the woods had been on fire all night but that was possibly just my body's reaction to whatever drug I ingested. :P Sometime after sunup we hit a nice stretch of road and caught up with Adam and his pacer and finally felt a little bit human for awhile.

I was hurting pretty badly on the gravel road and my stomach was starting to feel woozy and sick so Adam left us and we trudged along as the sun came out and the day again got hot. Finally, finally got to the last aid station. With SIX, not four, miles to go. Ugh. I did not feel good at all. I don't know and don't remember if I'd been vomiting. I grabbed ice and some fruit from here, cold water and electrolyte and hit the last bit of trail which ended up being a walking -hiking nightmarish afternoon. Just before the aid station we hit my friends Carol and Heather. Heather was on her way back to the starting line for the 200 miler. It was so hot and grueling, I couldn't even imagine turning around to go the other direction! Writing this I feel like such a heel though. At some point in the day Susan told me she found out her brother had just died. Oh my gosh. I should have been all over that and hugging her and crying for brothers who die. :( But I was so deep into this sick pain cave it barely registered. I'm so sorry Susan. :(

Susan ran -walked-hiked- behind me to keep me moving forward. We hardly talked unless I was complaining. I stopped at least 3 times, so sick I had to keep throwing up, probably anything I'd ingested in the previous 12 hours. I didnt dare eat or drink anything. The afternoon was humid and heavy, no breeze. Luckily my neck fan was working still and probably saved my life, sanity and race, lol. I found a small trickle of water & was able to get enough to pour over my head and arms and down my shirt to get cool. I felt maybe I was running a fever and had a little heat exhaustion. Took a 4 minute trail nap at some point and even tossed some rocks because my pack was too heavy :( The trail went on forever and was the least manicured trail on the course. Really some parts were so primitive I questioned if there was even a trail. The last quarter mile was an obstacle course with trees down all over. I thought it would never end. Finally as the skies clouded up we got out of the woods and sooo happy, took a jog around the marina which felt completely like overkill keeping me from that finish, and into the finish line @ 34hrs and change.

I'd hoped to do under 32 but all things considered I was just thrilled to be finished. I was so sick, I laid on the grass for several minutes not wanting to talk to anyone or get my medal, just wanted to die and not throw up. I hadnt realized but Susan pointed out to me later that I was probably experiencing a drug hangover...makes sense since Id never been drunk or high and I ate the whole thing of whatever I found that was laced! Its been a very long time since I was that sick in a 100 miler. We had a sudden huge downpour and all huddled under an awning, I sharted shivering uncontrollably so the RD, my friend Eric, grabbed an emergency blanket and wrapped me up.

I had no idea how I'd get back to my car or anything...Susan and Ellen worked out all the details, got all my drop bags and loaded me into Ellens car for the hour+ ride back to the start line. What an absolute angel she is! The last few bouts of vomiting had been so violent that it made me pee my pants so I smelled like vomit pee and urine, like some drunk homeless person lol. Ellen wrapped me in a sweatshirt he had, laying on the emergency blanket in the back seat, and kept checking to see how I felt and adjusting the car temp so I was in the perfect non shiver-not hot zone. At one point I had to have her hurry and pull over but we didnt make it in time, luckily I had a gallon ziplock and barfed in it. We made it to a gas station so I could dispose of the grossness and she picked me up some chips to eat when I felt better. I fell asleep and when we finally got to my car, was feeling a lot better. I was so grateful for her kindness!

Susan had gathered another drop bag of mine and left it at my car. It felt sooo good to crawl in back of my SUV, strip down out of my still soaking wet clothes, luckily an empty park because I didn't care a thing about modesty at that moment. I just wanted to get dry! Had a baby -wipe bath and got in some clean dry clothes. Adam showed up not long after and parked next to me and we both slept. I got in a 2 hr -ish nap before I was back up and ready to hit the road back home.

The drive home was kindof torturous. I was sooo drowsy. I drove 30 minutes at a time, then crawled in the stuffy backseat onto my foam mattress and would sleep an hour. Over and over, took about 14 hrs total to do the 5 hour drive. I did get some good naps though, that cushion was so comfortable, I slept soundly for those naps! I just couldn't kick the drowsies even with a caffeine pill and a couple no doze pills. I was fighting the shivers and nausea all the way home, ended up eating 3 small bags of chips and drinking a half gallon of water trying to rehydrate and get some salt in. Felt so good to come home, crawl in bed and sleep for real.

I loved waking up after race day and seeing these resurrection lillies which I didn't plan,t have now spread to a huge row. Made me smile and feel grateful for the chance I have to honor and remember Dexter knowing we will be together again one day.

I spent the day today napping, doing quick beehive inspections and some barn work, then repacking my car, all on stiff swollen legs and blistered feet, to head to Colorado first thing in the morning to attempt to run the Leadville 100 course on my own again, haha. I know my body pretty well so I expect to be feeling much better tomorrow and ready to go by Friday. I thought I was gonna have company on this run but for now it looks like a solo with Jason, Hannah, Peter and Ben and my grandbaby girls crewing. There is possibly a guy from a Wear Blue local group in Colorado who might come out and pace me. I'm looking forward to the high mountains and beauty and I've learned my lesson to not eat candy off the ground. Haha!

I'm tentatively shooting for making a run with the Wear Blue organization in October in conjunction with the Marine Corps Marathon, my 60th. So I'll be plowing thru courses the next 2 months. Hopefully my body and spirit will hold up! I didn't get the trail time with my angels that I usually look forward to because I had company for most of the race and was also out of it for such a long time, but I feel confident they were close and watchful. I'm grateful every run to remember Dexter, Nate, Taylor, Jacob, Jake & his mamma Jenn.