Kettle Moraine 100 Mile Endurance Run: Last Horse in the Barn

This past weekend I participated in the Kettle Moraine 100 mile ultramarathon. This was to be the redemption race for my DNF (did not finish) in the Ozark Trail 100 back in November 2012. The enormity of what happened during this race will be hard to relate so I will try to do it in sections. It was such a long time frame it was almost like multiple events.

Pre-Race

I had taken a few vacation days from work so the day before the race I got up, ran a few miles with Jay, and then mowed my lawn (my crew later teased me about doing this before running 100 miles). Then I packed 4 drop bags and laid out my equipment for the race on my garage floor.

My friends Brian and Ross, who were going to act as pacers and crew, picked myself and Jay up about 1200 and we made the 3.5 hour drive to Wisconsin. Upon arrival we checked in to our hotel and then drove the 25 minutes farther north to the race start/finish and packet pickup. I picked up my packet and then we headed to a local Italian restaurant that Ross, Jay, and I had eaten at during our trip to the Ice Age 50 mile race. We had a good pre race meal, lets just say I ate so much spaghetti I felt like I was getting a head rush. After dinner we went back to the hotel and discussed race strategy for a few hours, until I forced myself to go to sleep at about 9 pm.

Mile 1-31

The next morning we woke about 0400 and checked out and left the hotel about 0430. I ate about 4 donuts from the dozen we had purchased the night before and drank a Styrofoam cup of coffee from the hotel lobby. We arrived at the start/finish line at the Nordic trailhead about 0500, 1 hour before the start. This was the exact same start finish/line as the Ice Age 50 mile I had run 3 weeks earlier. I went and picked up my timing chip, made my last pitstop at the porto potty, and nervously waited around. About 15 minutes before the start the race director gave a little speech. Then we lined up and without further ado we were off. The first 7.5 miles of the course ran over some cross country skiing trails that were wide, grassy but extremely hilly. Eventually I would run this section 4 times during the course of the race. At this point there were lots of people on the course and it was fairly crowded as the 100K racers had also started with us. It was also during this portion that I reconnected and had a good conversation with fellow team Red White and Blue teammate and ultrarunner Keith. Keith was running his second 100 mile race of the year and would finish strong. Once we hit the 7.5 mile aid station, the course turned into more technical single track. When we left the aid station we made our way up a bluff and through the infamous "confusion corner". Confusion corner is where three trails converged, for the first out and back section I would take the trail to the right, heading north. This section had some significant elevation change but I had run it before in previous races so I was expecting it. I was really working on maintaining a conservative pace and sticking to my nutrition plan. In previous races I had gotten nauseous on too many nutritional gels and was determined to eat as much real food at aid stations as possible and keep the gels to a minimum. This strategy worked as I ate less than 10 gels in 100 miles and never really experienced nausea. Once I got to the Emma Carlin aid station at mile 15.5 the humidity forced me to change my shirt to a tank top. I then headed out for the 19 or so miles I would run over the  "Meadows." This portion of the course was feared because it was out of the forest and over wide open marshy grass land where runners would be exposed to the full rays of the sun. I was told by many that this section although deceptively flat and easy would chew runners up and spit them out. During this section I discovered that I was actually running too much, so to conserve energy I forced myself to run 4 minutes and walk 1 minute. The cloud cover kept the sun at bay and I reached the Scuppernong aid station turnaround at 31 miles, 2 hours before the cut off time. I was holding a consistent pace and feeling pretty good.

 Mile 31-62

 So at Scuppernong I changed my socks and ditched some gear. I talked briefly about strategy with my crew. The plan was for Brian to meet me at mile 55 and pace me until mile 77 then Ross would take me the rest of the way. Sounded like a good plan to me I just needed to make it to the Bluff aid station at mile 55 and I would have company for the rest of the race. A young women started talking to me  almost immediately after we started back towards the start/finish. She was participating in the relay and was running a 31 mile leg. I listened to her mindless chatter for a while until surprise surprise my friend Tim approached from the other direction. He had been following my progress on the race website and had driven the 30 minutes to the trails to try and find me. He did just that, after he introduced me to his daughter we ran a mile or so talking until he wished me luck and headed back to the parking lot. I thought that was pretty cool of him. So I headed out back acrossed the Meadows, this time it sucked much worse than the way out. I learned why the infamous Meadows were infamous. The clouds had left us and the sun was out, it felt like I was running in the Sahara as I slogged back through what felt like miles upon miles of open terrain. During this section I passed and talked for a few miles with a college runner whose coach had basically made the whole team run the 100K. He was from Tennessee and had not trained for the race at all. He told me that he was in the top 10 until about 20 miles when he blew up in a spectacular fashion. He was now struggling to make it back to the 100k mark without quitting. He didn't even have a water bottle and had to borrow one. I left him behind once we again hit the woods and didn't see him again until I was heading out on my last section and he was coming into the 100K finish. Shortly after hitting the woods it started thunder,lightning and pouring rain. The trees kept me dry for awhile but eventually I got soaking wet. This was actually ok as it cooled down the hot humid weather. Suddenly I heard a caterwauling in the bushes, as I was searching for the noise the runner behind me told me to watch out. Right next to my foot was a wet, pissed off baby raccoon. Little dude was not happy, I kept it moving down the trail as I kept an eye open for Mom. Eventually I hit mile 55 and picked up Brian. I also switched from hand bottles to my hydration pack and picked up my head lamp and handheld flashlight. It was starting to get dark and we had 7.5 miles to go to hit the 100K point, where the real race started. It was during this section where things started to blur together for me. The rest of the night would be a surreal mix of hills,running, walking and trails. This section was also insanely hilly as we traversed the same course I had covered after the start. Brian and I talked about ultrarunning, and the things he had learned for his upcoming 50 mile race. We also bitched about the stupid hills. Eventually we saw what we thought were taillights but was actually was the timing clock at the start/finish. It was 2341, 16 hours and 41 minutes for me to finish the first 100K. Now the real race would begin.

 Mile 62-100.6

I knew that if I waited at the turnaround I would never leave. Having the last leg start at the finish line made dropping down to the 100K very tempting. I thought about it briefly, but my crew kept me moving and I had a mission. Brian and I headed out into the darkness and the link up with Ross at mile 77. I started out running but after traversing those soul sucking hills for the 3rd time I started walking more than I was running. I also started going a bit delusional and started singing Army running cadence out loud to take my mind off the terrain. By the time we got to mile 70 and the more technical trail I started walking almost exclusively. And so it would be for the next 2-3 hours. Brian and I walked the steep rocky single track in the pitch dark, occasionally making way for some 38 mile fun runners and faster 100 mile runners coming from the other way. Once we hit mile 77 Ross and I headed out acrossed the highway and up the bluff on the last 4 mile section to the turnaround at Rice Lake. I was still walking and it was still dark. At one point I found my self walking straight into a tree. I had fallen asleep on my feet and staggered off the trail. Ross later told me his pacing strategy was to let me walk until daylight and then try to motivate me to pick up the pace. About an hour after he started pacing me the sun started coming up. We hit the swampy bridge at Rice Lake and I teased Ross a little by jumping up and down on it before we hit the aid station and the last turnaround. Only 19 more miles to go. Now it was fully light as we headed back. Ross informed me in his casual way that if we didn't start walking faster or running more we wouldn't make the cutoff at mile 85.I started getting pissed, as I had been there before on my last 100 mile attempt and it wasn't going to happen again. So I started running, navigating the single track like I hadn't for several hours. I felt like I ran several miles without much walking but I am not entirely sure of the distance.When we hit the last official cutoff at mile 85. I just dropped my hydration pack and lights,filled my handheld bottles with water and left. I didn't even wait for Ross figuring he could easily catch me. I just kept running. He later told me I surprised him as it took him a solid 3 minutes to catch me as we ran up the trail. Once he caught me It looked like I would make it so I started running/walking again. By the time I hit the mile 93 aid station I was mostly walking again. Once we hit the last 7 miles and the hills for the 4th time my previous spurt of energy had dissipated. Ross and I walked, as I complained about the hills and Ross agreed that they were uncalled for. We hit the last aid station with 5 miles to go and 1 hour 35 minutes before the 30 hour cutoff for race completion. One of the aid station volunteers took my number and said we need to get moving if we  wanted to make the cutoff. He looked at me and said it was doable but I had to move. I was concerned about not making the race after being so close. So Ross pulled out his cell phone and got Brian to talk to the race director, who assured us that he would not pull me so close to the finish. So now I was running for pride, anything but a sub 30 hour finish was somehow tainted even though official. Brian met us 2.5 mile out and ran with us. Ross once again informed me we were really cutting the margin thin, once again I got irritated with myself and I started running hard. After 95 plus miles of movement I started busting out sub 10 minute miles as I headed into the finish. About a mile out Brian ran ahead to get some pictures. I kept moving forward eventually seeing the finish line. Ross dropped behind me as I crossed the finish line and slapped the banner with my hand. Once I crossed the timing mat a volunteer removed my chip and handed me my copper kettle for finishing the race. I had finished the race in 29 hours 50 minutes and 58 seconds. The last finisher, the last horse in the barn. Over 120 racers had failed to finish, but I did. A reporter talked to me briefly about some work she was doing with veterans and handed me a magazine article she had written.I was exhausted and elated not quite sure what to do. The guys and I had her take our picture and I changed into some regular clothes in the bathroom for the trip back. I don't remember much about the trip home other than devouring some Taco Bell and sleeping in the front seat.

 So much happened during this race I am not sure I captured it all. I learned a few things:

I finally got my nutrition plan down for future races

 I have awesome friends and ultrarunners are the most supportive people I have ever met

I can go faster, it is evident to me that my biggest enemy on these races is my own mind

I have already started thinking about my next hundred mile race..but first to help Brian complete his first 50 mile.

You can still contribute to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation..please consider it

https://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/michaelmcelmeel/kettlemoraine100mileendurancerace

Memorial Day 2013

As is customary I participated in Memorial Day activities today. What was not customary is I did not go to the large ceremony that is held not far from my house in the city where I live. Instead I went to the small town east of the city, where I am a member of the American Legion.

I was expecting to participate in the local parade and maybe listen to some speechifying..the normal Memorial Day fare. When I arrived however I was informed the parade was cancelled due to weather and the ceremony would be held in the local middle school auditorium. No problem, I then discovered I would be part of the firing squad and then due to the fact that I was a former senior NCO and only 9 years removed from active duty I was elected to command the firing squad. Again no problem, however I was nervous because I had not conducted this sort of ceremony in over 12 years. Also us Special Forces guys aren't really known for our drill and ceremony prowess.

So as any good NCO would do we practiced, and I screwed it up several times but eventually we got it right and we headed to the school. The ceremony was thoroughly enjoyable, The Legion Color guard with the aged veterans placing the colors on stage, the reading of poetry by the Ladies Auxiliary and the Gettysburg Address by a high school student swelled my heart with pride  like no big city ceremony does. The auditorium was packed with local folks, young children and boy scouts. The guest speaker was a retired Brigadier General, when reading the obligatory recitation of his awards and biography the emcee remarked how his farm had a record yield for the state in 1978. You don't hear statistics like that at Fort Bragg. And his speech was inspiring.

After he spoke we moved outside and conducted the volleys prior to the playing of taps. No one would have mistaken us for the silent drill team however things went off with out a hitch  and we received several post ceremony complements. I was also happy that for the first time in over 10 years I had organized a squad of men into action and heard the phrase "dirt dive" all in one day. It was a good day. Remember those that have fallen.

Woody

I don't usually get too serious on this blog but I lost a comrade today. Jan Wdowiarz was an immigrant that served his country in peace and war for most of his adult life. Woody spent his career in the Airborne and Special Operations Communities overseas and stateside. He was a good friend to many and was ultimately taken from us not by a sniper's bullet but by disease. Taken at an age when most people are looking forward to retirement and the golden years. Seeing my comrade's, the friends of my youth pass to the other side saddens me in a way I have never felt before.I am prepared for violent death but not this, not the stealing of a life insidiously by disease. Woody you fought like the  warrior you are and you will be missed. The world is a poorer place without men like you.

The Final Battle (A Warrior's Farewell)

The warrior stands tall with battle-ax 
Outnumbered, he fears not coming death 
To him, honor is not an unpaid tax 
But his shield whose enemies blood will wet 

Glistening is not a tear in steely eye 
Firm is the fist that he clenches 
The battlefield awaits those to die 
Fear is integrity that blood quenches 

And as the opposing ranks approach 
His heart hardens to any quarter 
Yet his mind flashes a final goodbye 
To the love he leaves before the slaughter 

A life hardened by war and hate 
Was briefly softened by her smiling face 
Surely this won't close to him Valhalla's gate 
As he feels his raging blood race 

One last prayer to Thor's mighty hammer 
He steps forward to meet his bloody fate 
As the Valkyries proudly around him clamor 
With strength and honor up there he'll wait.

C.A. Morrow 

Ice Age Trail 50 2013- The Airborne Shuffle ain't a Dance

Again this year I traveled to the wilds of Wisconsin to participate in the Ice Age Trail 50 mile ultramarathon. This year ,unlike last year, I would be going with a group of friends who would be running as well. One of my frequent training partners, Ross S, would be running his first 50 mile race. Kelly would be running her first 50K and Julia would be running the half marathon. Our other friend Ross K would be crewing and providing some morale support.

The trip up was normal with me and my youngest Jessie arriving at the hotel Friday afternoon. We waited until the other folks showed up and we all went to packet pickup together. We browsed the expo and then ate at the restaurant next door. After returning to the hotel I tried to get some sleep but as usual pre race jitters made it somewhat difficult. I had been eagerly anticipating this race however it was not my "A" race. I was using the Ice Age 50 as a training run for my upcoming 100 mile race that will be held in 3 weeks on some of the exact same trails. Never the less I didn't get much sleep the night prior.

Early in the morning Ross S and I loaded into my Jeep and drove to the start. He and I were starting earlier than everyone else and wanted to get there plenty early. I met my crew of my sister and brother in law at the start. They had driven down from Madison as they had the year prior. We milled around and used the bathroom etc.. until the call to line up was given. We listened to some short announcements from the race director and the national anthem. Suddenly we were given the go which kind of caught us of guard, as we had to weave our way through the crowd to cross the start line. I gave Ross a fist bump as we headed out. I would see him again but briefly during the race.

 I started towards the back and is normal in these trail races I ended up having to run behind a large group of people. This always happens when a large group of people tries to funnel onto a single track trail. The first part of the course was a 9 mile loop on a nordic ski trail. The trail was wide and mostly grass. I had remembered this section from last year as fairly flat but  I had remembered it incorrectly. There were several large hills during this section. After the first 9 miles we passed the start/finish again. Here I met my crew and refilled my hydration bottles and nutrition. I then continued north to the meet of the course and where the single track began. After about 1.5 miles I hit the infamous confusion corner and took a left for the out an back to Rice Lake. This section was about 20 miles of single track and pine forest. Some very runnable sections as well as some elevation change. I felt pretty good during this section. About mile 10 I met up with Tim W the runner I had finished with last year. I would run with him on and off for the next 10 miles until I stopped to water the grass and lost him. During this section I also met up with Keith another member of Team Red White and Blue. We would yo yo past each other for the rest of the race. I met my crew twice during this section as I crossed a highway/aid station. Approximately mile 18 I passed Ross as he was heading back to confusion corner. At this point he was jogging easily and was about 6-7 miles ahead of me by my estimate.

After hitting Rice Lake I made the turnaround and headed back to confusion corner. Somewhere around mile 27 I started experiencing stomach cramps. I would struggle with these for the next 10 miles. They weren't debilitating but hurt enough to make me feel sorry for myself. I tried to get rid of them by breathing deeply and concentrating on other things. Once I hit confusion corner again and the second out and back section, that is when the hilly part started. This 18 mile section really tested my intestinal fortitude. The elevation changes where extreme but there were some flat sections here and there on top of the ridge lines. I also saw Ross for the second time on this section. He was about 10-12 miles ahead of me and was in a heated race with a dreadlocked runner who was right on his shoulder. I gave him encouragement as he sped past. I was hoping to see my crew at the second turnaround but a miscommunication made me miss them. No problem, the first rule of ultra is you need to be self sufficient. On the return trip I was telling myself out loud to pick up my feet. Some of the downhills were really technical and a fall would have really hurt. I looked at my watch at the 40 mile mark and saw that I was close to a personal record for the 50 mile distance. I started to stress myself out about beating my previous time. Eventually I got ahold of myself, reminded my pride that this was a training run for a bigger race and I didn't look at my watch for the last 10 miles. As usual the last section was a blur. A blur of running the flats and downhills and walking the uphills with as purposeful a stride as I could manage. More like the Airborne Shuffle I had learned in the Army. I remember seeing another runner I had run with the year prior, a marine, but I couldn't remember his name. I gave him some encouragement as well. About 4 miles out I met up with yet another runner I had run a trail race with 2 years previously. I would accompany him until the end. I kept on keeping on, finishing in 10:58:36. This was about 5 minutes slower than the previous year but I felt I had run a much smarter race. I am ready for my 100 mile race in 3 weeks.

On Killing

I am a killer..in the sense that I have killed other human beings or caused their death by my actions. Before you run to the cops I did these things during a time of war, so you won't see my mugshot anywhere. The other day I posted this video with an accompanying smartass remark.

Someone very close to me commented that this was a callous depiction of the taking of a human life and felt it was inappropriate. I answered back that I felt it was totally appropriate as the insurgent was trying to kill them. Essentially my defense was " he started it." Her comments did cause me to think however. Why did I react this way? Why did this video not affect me the way it affected her?

LTC Dave Grossman in his seminal book "On Killing" postulated that killing another human being is excruciating for a normal person. So excruciating that many soldiers in combat will intentional miss their targets while actively engaging the enemy. LTC Grossman also said to overcome the guilt of taking another human life many individuals will dehumanize the enemy. While there are many that dispute his conclusions, his explanation does provide a framework to explain my own reactions.

I have been conditioned from my late teens to think of an adversary, any adversary as subhuman. When I went to basic training the drill sergeants regularly referred to us as "Killer." The process continued throughout my military career until it reached its pinnacle during my stint in Special Forces. Violence of action is still the way I deal with most situations. Overwhelming firepower and aggressive offensive action, action intended to overwhelm the opposition, is now as much a part of my personality as my love of pizza. 

I do value human life, I am pro life and truly feel that every human life is precious. However those that would attack me or attack those I love are not in that category. They had a choice, a choice to leave me in peace. If they chose to follow the path that intersects with my aggression, they will reap what they sow. I carry a weapon for personal defense on a regular basis. I would not hesitate to use it to defend myself or others. And I would keep "defending" myself until the threat was eliminated. This is not to say that I look for trouble, just that I would not hesitate.

So am I right or wrong? Who is to say? As Popeye said " I yam what I yam and that it all that I yam." Society needs people like me, however those of us that are likeminded will never be understood by the majority of society. I leave you with a quote from LTC Grossman

"If you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive citizen: a sheep. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath--a wolf. But what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow citizens? Then you are a sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the hero’s path. Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed."

Energy Bits

Almost every Sunday I participate on a virtual chat or forum on Twitter called #ultrachat. Nerdy I know but it is my kind of nerdy. Any hooo a few weeks ago the chat was sponsored by EnergyBits an endurance supplement. Towards the end of the chat as they usual do the moderator asked us our website or blog if we wanted to promote it. So I posted the address for this very blog. A few days later I got an email from the makers of EnergyBits. They asked me if I wanted a free sample in exchange for a review on my blog. Pretty smart marketing campaign..free advertisement for the cost of a little product. I agreed and a week later I had a sample arrive in the mail. According to the EnergyBits website:

Made from 100% organicallly grown spirulina algae and loaded with 40 nutrients, ENERGYbits® algae tabs have the highest concentration of protein in the world (64%) all for just one calorie per tab. Endorsed by the United Nations as the most nutritious food on earth, spirulina algae has been a favorite of Olympic gold medalists for decades and is a super food in every sense of the word, delivering instant and enduring energy to your brain and body.

I am a man of my word so here is my review:

I tried Energybits on two different training runs. The first one was a 12 mile night trail run and I took the recommended dosage of bits and headed out with no other nutrition. I ran at a moderate pace but after about 10 miles I started bonking a little bit. This was probably a combination of not eating most of the day and the late night running. As the Energybits are high in protein I think I was a little deficient on carbs for this run.

On the next training run I ran 20 miles on a combination of trail and road. This time I mixed the Energybits with some other nutrition, a few gels and other snacks. I was totally fine and didn't get hungry during this run although I still didn't take as much nutrition as I normally do.

What did I learn using Energybits? I found out that at least for me they need to be used in conjunction with other nutrition however I do believe they helped in my recovery as I didn't take a rest day this week and I wasn't as sore as I usually am when I do that. Overall I give them a solid B+

On the Ambulance

As a member of EMS in rural Iowa I pick up my fair share of older folks. Iowa has a large geriatric population and it is getting bigger. However the other day I had a patient that both made me proud and sad. Recently we picked up a 95 year old gentleman from a care facility to be taken to a local hospital for evaluation. This gentleman wasn't too thrilled with  the idea to say the least. The sad fact is these folks often go to the hospital never to return and the other residents know this. We EMS providers have a duty to transport them for care but it often isn't a very pleasant job.

It was my turn to attend the patient so we loaded him on the cot and placed him in the back of the ambulance. Once he was comfortable and hooked up to the monitor my partner hopped in the driver's seat and started heading towards the hospital. I wasn't providing much but comfort care so I struck up a conversation trying to ease some of his stress.

He was wearing a hat that said " WWII/Korea Veteran" so I asked him which war he was in. He said "Both". I mumbled some comment about being a Vet myself but I find it hard to compare my service to men such as this. Men that spent years away from home, with no contact but the occasional letter. I don't know if it is hero worship or just much respect. This gentlemen told me he had been in the Navy and was a gunner on a Torpedo Bomber. He had been in Navy for 10 years much of that in combat. Then he had come home and driven a truck for 40+ years. Raised a family and went on with life. His wife had recently died and now he was all alone. By the time we reached the hospital I had him laughing but inside I felt sadness that great Americans such as these ended up so lonely.

We are losing the Greatest Generation day by day and week by week, our newest greatest generation. Veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan are everywhere. Working jobs and raising families. I hope in 40 years things do not turn out the same.