Flatlanders 12-Hour Race

Just a short report to say that this race in St. Louis, MO is TERRIFIC!  It is a 1.4-mile loop in a park and it is very nice, mostly shaded and even in the heat of the day and at the end when I was very fatigued, it never seemed like the loop was 1.4 miles.

The SLUGs (St. Louis Ultrarunner Group) are some of the best people you will ever want to meet and this was the FIRST race I've ever been in where I didn't see one (not even the top pull tab..) Gu/Gel packet or any litter at all on the path.

I started off feeling quite good...considering I was only 2 weeks post-Leadville 100.  For 2 hours, I was truckin' right along...and then this pain in my butt (piriformis?) and hamstring flared up worse than ever.  OMG...it got so bad that I felt like I was pulling my right leg forward each step by hiking my hip and rotating my hip forward.  The back of my leg--all the way down to my foot was numb and tingling and yet it apparently was NOT numb as I cold still feel a sharp, deep pain in that same area.

Just when I decided I would either quit or just walk as long as I could, I broke the "cardinal rule" and took 2 small regular aspirins to see what would happen.  NOTHING.  No pain relief at all.  So, like a dummy, after about an hour, I took 2 more.  THAT helped...for a few hours.  I think, had I not been the first-place female and 3rd or 4th overall, I might have found it easier to just quit.  I know I still made a stupid decision, but I did it.

The middle of the day warmed up and I was cramping in my calves...and no amount of s!caps or decrease in intensity (was just walking for almost 3 loops) seemed to help relieve the cramping.  Once the sun started to move to the east a bit, I started to come alive a bit...and by 6pm, I was feeling pretty good.

After my last loop, I was actually almost sprinting the 1/4-mi "out-n-backs" until the finish.
I was not keeping track of my place throughout the afternoon and evening and did not know what my total mileage was although I never saw a woman pass me, so I was pretty sure that somehow I had managed to stay in first.

Much to my amazement, I ended up with 69.35 miles which was good for 1st female and 4th overall.
We were so lucky to have a day that was sunny and nice, yet cooler than normal!

Met a LOT of VERY nice people and got to chat with some great friends that I hadn't seen in a while.

After my struggle at Leadville, with my asthma and my continued problems with asthma (think the start of the fall harvest is the problem right now), I never imagined that I'd ever win another race!  Am i lucky or what!?

Anyway, this is a great race, with GREAT volunteers, great runners, the BEST RDs (Victoria and David White) and a very nice venue.  If you like loop courses...where you get to chat with folks and see them again and again, I highly recommend this race!!!

In Health and Happiness, Tracy--The Marvelous Mud Hen!