As I came to the end of the first lap and the beginning of the second, the crowds were still out cheering on the athletes. I found a little energy and started jogging slowly through the masses. The sun was starting to go down by this time, so as I started the next lap, the volunteers gave me a glow ring to wear around my neck. I put it on and immediately it hurt – the back of my neck was raw from the chafing. I kept jogging to the first aid station, took a sponge, squeezed out the water, and tried to use that as a pad on the back of my neck.
About that time, this chipper young girl came up, wearing a turkey hat – it was stuffed and made to look like a just-cooked turkey – a reminder that all the calories I was burning would be regained in the form of turkey, mashed potatoes and more. I couldn’t wait.
After she passed, I slowed down again and walked to the Pit Stop aid station, and had them give me a full leg massage – calves and quads this time. The masseuse was impressed that I had as much flexibility as I did when she went to stretch me out, so I thought that was a good sign.
After the aid station, I went up an incline and over a bridge, then started to jog a little on the decline. It felt pretty good, and with the sun going down, it seemed that I was better able to keep my heart rate from skyrocketing. I ran almost to the next aid station since it was flat terrain, but then walked a large portion of the lap – through the aid station (where all the water and Gatorade now wanted out) up the hill and through the big Ford display – they had a message board for the athletes to cheer them on (most of the spectators put their messages in at the transition area booth, and we could see them as we ran along).
By this time, I was starting to feel the need for more energy sources than just Gatorade. I had left my fuel belt and Clif bars behind, so I knew I needed a little more energy. At the next aid station, I grabbed a cup with pretzels, just as my bladder needed emptying. I stepped into the portajohn, set my cup on top of the TP dispenser, and as I turned to lock the door, the cup slid off and right into the latrine. So no pretzels for me.
The next aid station, I ate the pretzels BEFORE the portajohn so there would be no repeat. When I got to the special needs area, I grabbed the ibuprofen and cheddar Chex mix. It tasted awesome, but my throat just couldn’t handle the scratchiness of the food – it hurt to eat after a few handfuls. So I had to toss it at the next aid station.
I ran a couple more times, and was happy that my heart rate was staying in range. I knew then that if I could get my legs to cooperate, I might have a chance at beating 15 hours.
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