Mt. Hood 50 Recap: Redemption & Coke

"Sometimes when you are in a dark place you think you've been buried, but actually you've been planted." Christine Caine

Who knew that running a 50k could feel so good? I didn't? If I were to base what a 50k is going to feel like off of my first one back in May... I would relate it to turning on a big oven to 4000 degrees, crawling inside and doing burpees for 9 hours in sand with cheese graters for shoes. And then being too sickly to have beer after. I literally wasted my favorite beer. Couldn't do it. About a month before Smith Rock Ascent I put my name on the waiting list for Mt. Hood 50. I was doing really well in training and was feeling really ambitious... That's because I hadn't done a 50k yet.

It's amazing how spending hours on the internet watching videos on ultra marathons can skew your view on mileage. I started thinking ..."ohhh 31 miles isn't that much...some people run 100 miles.." But, let me tell you....  it is no small feat. Maybe for someone who trains for 100K's and 100 milers...but not to me.
I wont reiterate how terrible Smith Rock was for me...I did finish...but I was destroyed mentally, emotionally and physically. If you really wanna re live that journey feel free to read the super exhilarating blog post on that nightmare.

For now, lets just rewind back to Tuesday of last week. I had been checking the wait list over and over again to see if I had moved. I went from 80th to 52nd and then all of a sudden I was 7th over a week or so. Tuesday night when I went to bed I was the next in line on the list. Wednesday morning I woke up and I was officially in. The Mt. Hood 50k was the one I really wanted to run. Next to Gorge 50k...this was a bucket list run for me. You have to start somewhere...and I wanted to start close to home. I train in the gorge where the ground is squishy and rocks are all mossy. This is where I wanted a sense of redemption. And I was in. Oh god. Oh god. I am in. I'm going to have to run another 50k... oh no no no. -------->Minor panic attack aside, I was ready. I had continued to train as if I was getting in until the weekend before. It didn't look like I was getting in and I really wanted a tough adventure. So my friend Ryan and I did a route that started at Herman Creek to PCT and a small trek up Chinidere Mountain. After 23 miles and almost 6000 ft elevation gain... my legs were toast. My quads were absolutely pissed. Not to mention I was suffering some kind of ear ache flu at the same time. It was all bad....but amazing. I will never forget that run------> and my legs weren't going to let me forget it either. Luckily, after a very very quick taper my legs felt normal by Saturday (Mt. Hood 50k Eve). Everything seemed to be working correctly and I felt great. Nervous. But, great.

My biggest fear was starting Mt. Hood 50K and being miserable the whole time..missing the beautiful parts of long distance trail running. I told myself before I started that this was my main goal... to enjoy. So, I woke up race day and had a piece of toast with butter and a Raspberry Munk Pack. Wasn't gonna not fuel this time.

RACE TIME!

I started out slow... much much slower than what I wanted to. The first 6 miles flew by. It was absolutely beautiful. The first aid station I forced myself to eat 1/4 of a peanut butter & jelly sandwich and a cup of coke and ginger ale and then I was off.  I do this thing to focus... I find a runner that is going my ideal pace and I snuggle up behind them (don't worry I have SOME boundaries....I keep a little distance)..my first "runner" was a guy with what looked like a puzzle piece man tattoo on his right calve. I followed behind him for a good 3 miles. Runner #2 was a woman who had a St. Johns Bridge tattoo on her left calve. Runner #3 was a really tall man who had ran the 50 miler the day before. I remember sending up a little prayer that he would do well because his early zombie shuffle made me nervous for him. After the 2nd aid station I started to struggle up a good size hill...and found my 4th runner. Her name is Bobi Jo and she was great. She asked me lots of questions and it kinda took my mind of the brutal climb. One of my favorite parts of running is the community. I love feeling like someones always got my back out there....complete strangers that are like family. Something that gave me a huge pep in my step was 3 different people yelling out "SMASH" on the course. ----> I guess more people follow my Instagram than I thought:)

As I came rolling into the aid station at the turn around I felt a little beat but still ready to rock n roll. I had continued to eat a 1/4 of a PB&J at every aid station and a cup or 2 of coke. I had also been sipping on my Hammer Perpetuem just to make sure I was keeping up on my nutrition. As I rolled back into the aid station at FSR 58 (where my husband was helping at a little over 17 miles-which was a WELCOMED surprise) I was no longer accepting solid foods. So, I switched over to just water, coke, and perpetuem. I had also been popping these wintergreen caffeine mints (Viter Energy Mints) that I got in last months stride box.

Coming down the hill after the aid station at FSR 58 I was flying (and when I say "flying" I mean faster than when I run on flat ground). I passed 6 guys struggling down the hill. Turns out that all of the training of down hill extravaganzas in the gorge really really helped out in the up and downhill department. Truth be told...my biggest struggle that day was the semi flat last 3-4 miles. It wasn't till about a mile after the Little Crater Lake AS that things got a little dark for me...Right before the AS at the Dam...my legs and internal organs felt like they were being thrown into a blender with rocks every step I took.I started think about what I could've done wrong. I had fueled, hydrated, paced myself...and what...it's still going to hurt? YES. Yes, it's still going to hurt. So, now I knew it was going to hurt whether I walked, jogged, ran or shuffled. So I ran. There was a moment where tears were streaming out of both eyes...I had to stop to fix my belt and pull myself together. Apparently, there was a ninja photographer hiding in the forest..because I stopped right in front of him just in time for a deer in the head lights standing in one spot picture. Yay!....great photo debut...but he kinda laughed as I said "wait wait wait I am not ready, I'm not ready!"..............HOLD UP...I'll address this...YES, I felt like I could be dying...but still wanted to make sure I got my running picture. When I ran Smith Rock...there was 1 picture of me... it barely seemed like I was at the event...it took me so long to run that event that the photographer left. So, I was very grateful that there was a photographer out there, hiding in the bushes like a picture snapping ninja, capturing my big crying, fixing my spibelt, deer in the head lights scene. I am pretty sure he got an actual running picture.... bless him. PS: Spibelt is broke...apparently the picture ninja startled me so much that I ripped it ...pfft who needs to use the zipper when you are so strong you can just rip it open...#winning.

The last 3 miles were a very close replay of Smith Rock...I repeated the words "Find a way" over and over again...mixed in with several hundred F bombs. My shoes were full of rocks and pine needles and every step felt like my feet were about to fall off. I prayed for them to fall off. I made weird facial expressions as I willed myself up what were tiny hills but felt like ginormous mountains.... turns out my face was really the only part of my body I was able to control at that time...so wiggling my eye browns and squinting my eyes was a fancy luxury. I started dreamed of a giant bottle of Coca Cola...this is coming from a person who has only had coke twice in the past 8 years. Once for my first ultra and then during my second. Apparently, ultra marathoner Ashley LOVES Coke. But, it's bad for you k...dont drink it #doasisaynotasido. My goal was to do WAY better than the last. My silent goal I made to myself was under 6.5 hours. I came up over that tiny hill and opening of the trees to the finish at 6:25:01. I actually remember crossing the finish. I reached for my face and almost started to cry but then my head start pounding. And I just remember thinking...I don't even care that it hurts...because I am present in this moment. I remember it all. I had a beautiful day of incredible amazing memories. The volunteers were amazing, the runners were amazing and I was amazing. I may not have won any awards....but I showed up for redemption and I got it. I might as well of won the whole thing...because my heart had wings....oh and lots of Coke.

After thoughts....

Go Beyond Racing is so great. I love participating in their races. Everything is very organized, the aid stations were fantastic and the course was well marked. So very grateful for races that are put on by people who actually care how the races goes. Thanks Go Beyond Racing!