Dia de Los Muertos Endurance Run 2023

Dia de Los Muertos Endurance Run...

Take Two

Last year I did a marathon and was pretty damn excited about it.  Even though it hurt on so many levels.  

But I wished I had been able to do two more laps and get a 50k done.  It was most definitely not in the cards at that point.  Too many blisters.  Too sore and tired.  

So close.

You know what that means?

New goals and challenges.  

I signed up again and the goal this year was to get a 50k, which is 31.07 miles.  

Unfortunatley this fall was a lot like last fall.  No work outs, no training and tired all the time.  So once again, I was heading into a challenging event without the preperation I probably should have to be successful.  

I did have a couple things going for me.  

I have lost almost 35 pounds since February.  It's amazing how much easier it is to do things without the extra weight.  Still not where I want to be but I'm happy to be heading in the right direction.  (Slowly but surely.) 

I also learned a lot about treating blisters and being able to keep moving with hurting feet while we were doing the Camino last summer.  

Both of those things would definitely help. 

The week at work was SUPER busy, as in no prep periods at school since Monday and things were busy every day.  Trying to get all the work things done, food prep for the weekend and try and get good sleep was a little difficult.  

Joe left for the beach on Thursday afternoon to get our trailer set up in the Day Use area at South Beach State Park.  Ardor Adventures, the organizers of the event, had added a 48 hour to the event so Josh was going to be doing that.  Joe and Wendie were both going to crew Josh and then me when I got there to do my 24 hour event.  

I left after work on Friday and headed to the beach to meet up with everyone.  The weather was gorgeous!   Beautiful blue skys and sunshine.  Quite warm during the day for the end of October but it got cold once it got dark.  

View from the camper in the South Beach Day Use area.

Wendie made us dinner and all I had to do when I got there was sit in a chair and hang out.  It was fun to be cheering on the runners as they went by.  We have the perfect spot in the parking lot to be able to see everyone as they go by to finish up their lap.  

I went to bed early because I was TIRED!  And I had a busy day ahead of me the next day.  

Busy walking in circles.

Because the start time for my 24 hour segment wasn't until 10:00 am I was able to slow roll my morning.  I slept in, then ate some breakfast and read a book for awhile.  Then I got dressed and wandered over to the start line to get my race bib.  Came back and finished getting ready.  

It had gotten very cold overnight and all the puddles were frozen so I had a few layers on.  It's hard for me to judge how many layers to go with right now.  I'm in the time of life (menopause) where I get a wee bit overheated pretty quickly.  So while I was cold at the start I knew it wouldn't take me long to get warmued up once I was moving.  So then it becomes a question of how many layers do I need to stay warm but not become completely overheated.  I went with one extra layer and left it at that.  I figured I could add more or take a layer off after the first lap.  

It was absolutely beautiful out.  I love cold, crisp, blue sky days in Oregon in the fall.  The sky just looks extra blue this time of year.  There wasn't much of a breeze which helped the cold feel more manageable.  

Been awhile since I brought out the sparkly headband.

Josh walked with me the first couple of laps.  He was a long ways into his event since he had started Friday morning and was doing the 48 hour event.  We had a great time walking and talking.  I love our friendship and how we just chat it up when we are out on the trail or hanging out.  He's definitely top of the list of most favorite people in my life.  

Josh and I showing Joe some love for taking such good care of us!

Towards the end of my second lap I decided to run and so I took off in a slow trot.  Pretty sure Josh went into Sasquatch mode when walking behind me with his long legs and stride because he wasn't far behind me.  

I made a pit stop to take off a layer and Josh kept going.  Once I knew I wasn't going to get overheated I took off again.  I took a soda and grabbed a quesadilla in the official aide station.  Once the soda and food were gone I began to run again.  It was so fun to feel good about running.  I wasn't setting an speed records but it was still fun to just be moving!

I caught up to Josh just as the trail pops out by the jetty in Newport. 

Sunshine at the beach!

Did I mention that it was a beautiful day?  As the morning went on it got warmer and warmer.  I eventually took off my jacket and wrapped it around my waist.  I spent most of the day running in long pants and a tank top.  Crazy for the end of October!  And so much different than last years rainy slog. 

Love this stretch of the trail!  Go Josh and Kyle!!

I cruised right a long most of the day.  I would do a lap and then stop at the trailer.  Sometimes I would take a short rest and get food.  A couple of times I took off my shoes and checked my feet.  I was about 10 miles in when I decided to switch my shoes to a pair I have that are a little bigger.  I had a couple of tender spots but no blisters yet.  I had put the Compheed bandages that I discovered in Portugal on the areas of my feet that are prone to blisters.  Some preventative care hoping to avoid issues altogether.  Seemed to be working well up to this point.  

Joe and Wendie had taken a break from crew support to go for a walk and enjoy the sunshine themselves.  They ended up hanging at the start/finish line waiting for my to come through.  It was so much fun to see them there.  

Love my cheer squad!

Getting my quesadilla almost every lap.  Hits the spot!

I still had a long way to go but those little celebrations are so helpful in keeping the spirits up.  

I was keeping a pretty consistent pace with my walking and feeling good overall.  About 15 miles in my hip started complaining.  The same hip that derailed my Camino for a couple of days.  Joe had some Icy/Hot in the trailer so I made sure to use some of that each lap for a few laps until the hip stopped complaining so much.  

Suddenly it was evening and the sun was going down.  I decided to get one more lap in and get some sunset pictures and then I would take a break.  

The water in the jetty was lit up by the sun.  Spectacular!!

Opposite direction, the full moon was coming up.

The bridge and all the boats getting lit up.

When I got back to the trailer, Joe and Wendie made me mashed potatoes.  Warm, salty mashed potatoes are the best when you are tired, hungry and a little cold.  

I put back on my warm layer and then sat in the chair and just hung out for about an hour.  One of the best things about this type of event is how you are able to take breaks if that works for you and your goals.  

At this point I was WAY ahead of where I was last year at the same time.  I wasn't too far from reaching the marathon mark.  

I took off again knowing I was more than half way to my goal of a 50k!

I got to the marathon mark at about 9:30 pm.  Which was so much faster than last year!!  Last year I finished completely at 12:28 am.  That's 14 and a half hours after the start time of 10:00 am.  This year I was at the marathon mark after about 11 hours total time. 

Nothing like getting a huge PR on a distance while you are working towards a longer distrance.  

I got to the point where I didn't want to take any more long breaks and just wanted to keep pushing through till I was finished.  

Joe decided to walk with me the last five laps.  It was fun having him along.  We would walk along and not talk and other times we would talk about all the things.  Both were great.  I mostly just love having the time with him.  I love how we are comfortable with silence but yet always have things to talk about.  He is, quite literally, my favorite person to be with.  

Joe had told me that it would take 14 laps to reach a 50k.  Mostly because I would have to go past the start/finish line to get to the mileage I need and once you start another lap you need to finish it to get those miles to count.  

I was starting to think maybe I didn't need that many laps and could finish with 13 laps and just make it.  So when we finished lap 12 I asked Ed, the race director, if I needed one or two laps to get to my 50k (30.07 miles) and he said one more lap would do it.  

This girl was a happy walker!  

Overall I was doing really well all things considered.  But I was getting tired and sore.  I was going to be happy to be done.  

Joe let Wendie know that we were on my last lap so she was waiting for us when we went by the trailer.  Joe took a video of me finishing that last lap.  

I finished at 11:15 pm.  It took me 13 hours and 15 minutes to do a 50k.  

I finished a 50k in One hour and 15 minutes faster than I did a marathon the year before.  

I was stoked!  Not gonna lie!

I felt solid most of the day.

I kept an overall steady pace from start to finish, never really getting super slow.  

Badass with sparkle! 

Celebratory drink back at the trailer. 

I didn't officially finish until morning.   Just in case I woke up and got a crazy idea to do more laps. 

lol  That didn't happen. 

We went back to the trailer and I changed into cozy clothes and crawled into bed.  

You would think that falling asleep after all that would be easy.  

But it's not. 

You never realize how cold you really are until you stop.  

I had a couple of small blisters on my toes and one toenail that I was pretty sure was going to be coming off soon.  

All my muscles are achy and twitchy so it's hard to relax and get comfortable.  

When you are doing long distance crazy stuff like this, your body will hold on to the water you are drinking.  Just in case.  

When you are done and your body finally decides you aren't going to continue being a crazy person it decides you should expell some of that water.  So there are many trips to the bathroom to take care of that.  

It takes awhile for everything to settle enough so that sleep can actually happen.  

But once I was asleep it was awesome.  

One of the many reasons I love my trailer.  Basically I've got my own bed and blankets and cozies.  The bathroom is right there and anything I might need is probably in a cupboard somewhere.  Makes it really easy during and after an event.  

I got up in the morning and Joe was still sleeping.  He had walked 10 miles with me and had already been crewing since Friday morning for Josh and Kyle so he deserved to sleep as long as he wanted!  

I felt reasonably good overall.  I was sore but not feeling trashed.  The feet hurt a little but compared to the blisters I got last year or the ones I endured while I did the Camino last summer I was sitting pretty in that area too.  

Josh and Kyle had both gotten their 100 miles a few laps after I got done!  So proud of them for sticking to it.  I can't even imagine that distance!

Congratulations on another 100 miles Mr. Gum!!!

Josh, Kyle (Congrats on first 100 miles!) and Ed (Race Director)

It was another beautiful day but a little cooler since there was a bit of a breeze.  We wandered back to the finish so I could get my medal.  I love these medals!  They are so gorgeous.  They are Dia de los Muertos medals but when you really start looking closely you can see all the things they used that represent Oregon to create the shapes.  

Joe and I got the trailer somewhat packed up and moved to our campsite at the campground.  Then we went and took showers!  That was amazing as well.  

It was quite the adventure and I'm super proud of myself. 

Wendie Gum:  Thank you for taking such good care of everybody!  You are amazing and your heart is so huge!  I love you!

Josh Gum:  I don't know how you talk me into these crazy things but thank you for always encouraging, supporting and believing in me.  You help me believe I can do these things.  I love you!

Joe:  As always, you are my rock.  Thanks for always being my support crew in all things, not just on race day.  Thanks for walking with me and taking care of me from start to finish.  I 100% know I couldn't do these crazy things if you weren't there helping me all along the way.  I love you most of all!!

Ardor Adventures:  Thank you for putting on such an extraordinary event that makes every person, no matter their ability, feel welcome and successful.  From the amazing dancing and Dia de los Muertos shrine, the aide station with my favorite quesadillas and all the love and support you and your volunteers shower on everyone from start to finish, it is amazing!  So much hard work before and during to make it go well for the participants.  

Dia de los Muertos Endurance Run 2022

So I did a thing.  

It wasn't pretty.

I wasn't in shape for it.

I wasn't ready for it.

But I did it anyway.

And it was tough.

Really tough.

But I got it done.

Here's the story. 

This is a 24 hour endurance run.  Which is a whole lot of crazy.  The premise is that you run a circular course over and over again for 24 hours and try and get as far as you can or want during that 24 hours. One of the cool things about it is that you can take breaks as needed, even take a nap in here and there if needed.  

Last year I attended the race and crewed/supported my husband and several friends as they ran around in circles crushing various goals.  It was pretty awesome to watch.  The medal was epic as well.  

That got me thinking.

I have wanted to do a marathon for quite some time but always hesitated to sign up for one.  Mostly because, even when I was in better shape I run pretty slow compared to most marathoners.  Most marathon races have a cut off time so I would have to work pretty damn hard to make that happen and most likely wouldn't be able to.  

So what if I joined the crazy people the next year and try and get a marathon?  I could take lots of time to do it.  Walk a lot of it or most of it if I needed to and take plenty of breaks.  Sounds totally doable.  Right?  

It would also be the big start of training for our Camino we are planning in June.  It all seemed to make great sense on paper so I signed up.  

Fast forward seven months later and race weekend arrives.  

I haven't been training.  

My tired levels have been ridiculous. 

My job is exhausting.

All my big plans to be crushing workouts and losing weight leading up to this had evaporated into thin air weeks ago. 

But the race didn't go away and I was still signed up. 

Also, my hubby and friends weren't going to let me give up before even getting started.  

Going in I made the very deliberate decision to work really hard at doing MY thing.  

Not worrying about the others.  They are big boys and girls and could take care of themselves.  (This was a little hard because I'm usually the one taking care of everyone.)

Not worrying about being slow, or not being able to keep up with others.  Just work at doing my thing and being okay with it.  

We parked our trailer in the day use area at South Beach State park to make our aid station.  It worked out really well with the course and close to where we would run by.  With the awning out and the pop up cover up we had a good space to stay dry and be able to cheer for people running by.  Having the trailer meant we had a place to cook a little out of the cold and lay down on the bed if we wanted.  All pluses for sure.  

I was a little nervous to start but not overwhelmingly so.  The event started at 10:00 am on Saturday.  I posted up in the back of the pack since I knew I would be walking.  There were a lot of people with 100 mile goals!  So cool!  

Josh, Wendie, Cheryl, Joe and Me (Rain Ready!)

The first couple of laps I got to walk with Wendie and Sheryl.  Talk about amazing and supportive women!  Finn also got to come along and help me the first couple of laps.  He was a pretty happy puppy!  Toward the end of the second lap I decided I needed to start slowing down and do my own thing instead of trying to keep up with the two powerhouse ladies.  

One lap down, 10 to go

I would stop at the trailer each time by for a few minutes to add lube to any spots I was worried about chaffing.  I also grabbed a snack and sat for a bit.  I tried to keep it under 10 minutes of sitting because I was worried if I sat too long I would get going again.  

I was doing a lap that would bring me past a 13.1 miles.  I have never done anything longer than a half-marathon before.  So once I got to that point I was pretty stoked because every step was farther than I had ever done before.  Records being broken left and right.   

Making Records! 

I had done six laps and approximately 14. 4 miles.  

I had a very long way to go.  

Then things began to hurt. 

My right hip began to get sore and made it hard to walk. 

My feet were hurting.

I was tired. 

This whole marathon idea was just stupid.  

At this point I was really struggling mentally and physically.  

All these fit and fast people were going by me and I was sure they must be thinking, "what the hell is this fat lady doing out here?"  

Which is grossly unfair because EVERYONE was super encouraging!  I got so many people chatting with me for a few minutes or giving me encouragment as they went by.  It was truly amazing.  

But when you get in your deep dark place it's hard to see that very well.  

So I'm trudging along, having my own little pity party and I hear "Caw Caw" behind me.  I turn around and here are the two most amazing ladies waving and smiling as they catch up with me.  

Perfect timing. 

We walked together for a bit but Sheryl had some goals and she wanted to keep pushing along faster.  Wendie wanted to walk with me for a bit.  

And because Wendie is my beautiful friend and she knows me so well she asked the right things that got me to let the tears begin to flow.  My little pity party became a full blown melt down with a big hug from my friend telling me to let it all go.  

Wendie got me through that lap.  She decided she was going to change her clothes into dry clothes, take a bit of a break and crew everyone for their next laps so that we could all get some warm food.  Joe was waiting at the trailer for me with a beverage to give me a boost for the next lap.  Wendie got me some Advil to help with the hurting and took my order for when I returned.  

So I dragged myself out of the chair and got to work at lap seven.  

I'm not going to lie, it was really hard to get going again.  

Everything hurt. 

I had several blisters.

I just didn't see how I was going to make this work.

There was definitely thoughts of quitting after I finished the lap.  (Although I knew 100% that my husband and friends would NOT allow that to happen.)

I got done with lap seven and have gone 16.8 miles.  Which is a lot but also I still had basically 10 miles to go to finish.  That seemed very daunting still.  Partly because I knew it would take me hours to get done.  Partly because if I hurt this bad at mile 16 I didn't want to think about how bad I would hurt by mile 26.  

Wendie had mashed potatoes waiting for me and they hit the spot!  Warm and salty food!  Everything is more grub'n when you are doing things like this.  Then I decided that I should go and change into dry clothes and take a longer break.  I got on some cozies and hung out in the trailer with Wendie while she got food ready for the others that were still out and about.  It was nice to take off my shoes and socks for a bit.  

Seven laps done.  Five left to go.  

I finally took off again but I took Finn with me so he could get a little more exercise before he went to bed for the night.  He is such a great hiking dog!

Quick pit stop at the aid station. They were making quesadillas and those tasted so good to me!

Got done with lap eight and put Finn back in the trailer.  Wendie and Sheryl were at the trailer and were going to walk with me but I had some things I needed to do so I sent them on their way.  I took care of what I needed to do and then I took off as well.  It was dark by then and I was wearing my headlamp.  I wasn't too worried about walking alone in the dark.  There were plenty of people out and about doing laps so I never was alone for very long.  The trail was easy to follow so I felt good about doing a lap by myself.  

When I got done with lap eight, Joe was waiting for me at the trailer. Joe looked at my feet and helped me with some of my blisters.  The one on my second toe had developed into a blood blister right under the nail.  It was epic.  I'm definitely going to lose that toenail!

I had three laps to go.

That sounds better than 7.2 miles left. 

I was slowing down a lot.  The Advil was wearing off and I was starting to hurt badly again.  But I kept telling myself I would do three laps.  

Joe was having problems with his knee so he decided to walk the last three laps with me.  

I love this man so much for supporting me, even when I'm grumpy and tired.  

So we walked in the dark together.  It was nice quiet time together in a way that is unique to things like this.  Sometimes we walked in the silence, and other times we would talk about all the random things that couples who have been married a long time can talk about.  

We got two laps done together and as we were coming back around to the trailer all of the rest of our crew was waiting.  They all wanted to do my last lap with me.  

I seriously love these people!!  

10 laps done, ONE to go!!!

So our happy group took off on my last lap.  (Although Josh was really hoping I'd be doing two more laps to get my 50k.  I already was 99% sure I wouldn't be doing that!)

We got about to my mile 25, just a little over a mile to go and I started getting hot spots on the balls of my feet.  Seriously?!  More blisters.  This caused me to slow down even more.  Ugh.  Quite frustrating!!

I loved watching some of my favorite people talking to each other, teasing and laughing as we walked.  Several got ahead at different points but always waited somewhere to wait for me to catch up.  

Once we got to the trailer the rest of the crew went up ahead to be waiting for me to cross my finish line.  

I got emotional (shocker, I know). 

It suddenly was really REAL!  

I was slow.

I was hurt.

My blisters had blisters.

But I was finishing a marathon!  

My marathon.  

My awesome people went up ahead and my husband walked behind me as I finished.  

When we came through the trail to the point where I could see the purple lights on the tree I was at the finish.  

I grabbed Joe's hand and we walked over the timing pad together.  

My smile was ear to ear and the tears wouldn't stop. 

Josh had told the race director that I was finishing my first marathon and Ed announced it over the speakers as I was finishing.  All the runners that were taking a break, all the crews sitting around and all the volunteers cheered for me as if I had just done a 100 miles instead of 26.2.

Joe with the newest Marathoner!

It's official!  My new glass says 26.2!!

Lots of hugs from my people.  Seriously the best people I know!  They took time out of their race and achieving their goals to support me while I finished crushing my goal.  That's a whole lot of love right there!

Side note.  I had paused my watch during my break after 14 miles and accidently stopped the activity.  I was so bummed because then my Garmin wouldn't show that I had done my first marathon, it would show two different activities.  Last night I emailed Garmin and they responded today.  Nothing they could do on their end but they found directions online on how to use another website to merge the two activites and upload it to Garmin.  They sent me all the directions and a link to the website that could do it.  I call that above and beyond!!!  So now even Garmin says I've done a marathon.  We all know that if the Garmin doesn't say it, it didn't happen.  lol 

They took off to continue their next lap.  Joe and I headed back to the trailer for some rest.  We didn't officially end our race in case we decided to add more laps in the morning.  (Josh was just sure I would go for two more laps. lol)

On the short walk back to the trailer (which seemed longer than it should) one of the blisters on my heel popped.  It started stinging so badly!  I was definitely gimping big time by the time we got to the trailer.  We changed our clothes and crawled into the bed in the trailer.  Best thing ever was have a cozy bed to get into right after we got done.  Took a while to warm up and for the muscle aches to calm down enough for me to get to sleep.  

Joe and I both got up around 6:00.  My legs felt pretty good.  My feet felt completely trashed.  Blisters on both heels. Blisters on the pads of both feet and the epic blood blister under the nail of the second toe on my right foot.  

It was so nice to sit in my little chair in the trailer, eat some breakfast and read a book for a little bit. But every time I thought about what I had accomplished I teared up again.  

Josh came knocking on the trailer door about 6:30 am.  Everyone was working on getting their last few laps in before the cutoff time of 10:00 am.  Josh was just sure that I had two more laps in me for that 50k.  My body overall probably could have done it.  My feet were saying HELL NO! He finally believed I meant it and the crew took off to finish up their epic goals for the event.  

I had originally asked Joe to grab my medal when he got done because I didn't even want to walk to the finish line to get it myself.  

But then I saw Wendie with her medal and the more I thought about it the more I wanted to get it myself.  So I go dressed and made my shoes as loose as possible.  (I couldn't put my sandals on because my feet were so swollen the straps were too tight).  Then I hobbled my way to the finish line with Wendie.  

I am so glad I did!!  

I got my medal and wow is it a stunner!

I got to see my husband and my friends finish and get their medals too.  

We got this crazy awesome picture of the whole group at the finish line.  Finn even got to be in the picture.  

The Fab Five! +Finn 💜

I'm bigger than I want to be.

I'm slower than I want to be.

I'm not anywhere close to where I want to be on so many levels. 

But this past weekend this big, out of shape body did something pretty amazing.

So I'm giving myself a whole heck of a lot of credit and being grateful for the friends and family I have that never give up on me.  And for a body that may not do all the things I want but it got the job done this weekend!

SHOUTOUTS!

• To all the amazing people I met, chatted with, told me good job throughout my journey.  No one, not one single time was anything less than cheerful and supportive.  All while crushing the course and being amazing as you chased your own goals.  You all have no idea how much that meant to me!  
• To Ardor Adventures for putting on such an amazing event.  You all take such awesome care of everyone from start to finish.  I loved being around the event last year as crew.  Being a participant was even better.  
• To Josh, Wendie and Cheryl.  Thanks for all the smiles and all the love along the way.  You three are the best and I love you all.  Josh & Wendie, it means a lot that you two were there for this big accomplishment.  Thanks for sticking with me through thick and thin. 
• To my fabulous best friend and husband.  You never stop believing in me, even when I have stopped believing in myself.  Those three laps together at the end are the best part of the whole thing for me because I did it with you and you were right there with me when I made my goal.  Like you are always right there with me through all the things.  I love you very much!