A Birthday Like No Other

Another running adventure ahead for stick man...

When you're a kid, your birthday is so exciting.  The anticipation, the hope for maybe that special toy, fun times with family and friends.  I even remember having a birthday party at McDonald's years ago, maybe 1978 or so.  It was the coolest thing ever, all of my friends were excited and my memory is that is was a great time.  I have pictures of that somewhere, but can't seem to locate them right now. As we get older, birthday's are not always as enjoyable. We start to feel old, a party either seems like too much hassle or not interesting.  After graduating from college I'd never been one to make any sort of big deal out of my birthday.  I may go out to dinner or something casual like that.  I guess I always thought that birthdays were for kids and not having any kids myself, it sort of lost its luster.  Not to mention that once you turn 40, I mean, really who wants to keep track anyways.  Last year in what I thought would be the first year in my life that I would spend my birthday alone, it ended up as one of my best as I ran a 1/2 marathon in the morning and spent that night with new friends.  So this year being in Seattle and truly being alone, I thought I should do something unique, memorable.

The idea sprouted on SuperBowl Sunday.  With the Seahawks being in the SuperBowl this town was on fire with excitement as every member of the State of Washington jumped firmly on the bandwagon.  Sure they wouldn't know Pete Carroll from Carroll O'Conner, but all of a sudden everyone was a fan.  Reminded me of scUM fans, if not worse.  At any rate, being in training mode for the Phoenix Marathon, that morning I was set to do my last long training run of 22 miles.  Usually the day before a long run, I don't run at all, but having missed a few days during the week due to traveling for work, I ran 9 miles on Saturday.  After I finished a hard 22 Sunday morning, by the way I was wearing Bronco Orange and Blue that day and got many dirty looks and I loved all of them, I realized that since I ran a little bit later Saturday morning, that I had just run 31 miles during the last 24 hours.  Intrigued, a thought was born that maybe if the Phoenix Marathon went well on March 1, that on my birthday, March 24, I should try to run 43 miles, a mile for each year of my life. But I truly put that thought aside for the moment and focused on the marathon.

After the Phoenix Marathon went as well as I had hoped, the thought of 43 miles came back into play.  I scheduled the day off of work and started to make plans.  I only told a handful of people about it because I didn't want to be talked out of it or continually told how crazy/insane/ridiculous it sounded.  I agree it's all of those things, I just didn't want to lose any focus.  So I planned to do it and kept up my regular running in anticipation of the big day.

My initial plan was that I would have to run all 43 miles, no walking, not even an inch.  I wouldn't do it as a race, but rather over the course of the day, utilizing all 24 hours to try to accomplish it. I  am very fortunate that my recovery from any run, including the marathon, is usually really good.  I rarely have any soreness and only light fatigue after an hour or two of rest.  Knowing that, I thought starting at Midnight on March 24, I would set out to do a long run, a run I know that I can do, and then go from there.

Running along Lake Sammamish with Mt. Rainier looming, always makes for great scenery.

12:01 a.m. March 24, Phase I
My birthday had officially arrived, although I wasn't born until about 6:30 a.m.  I've always been an early riser, so maybe that has something to do with it.  To prepare, I bought a running headlight and an enormous amount of protein bars and running fuel that I was sure I would need throughout the day.  The plan for Phase I was to do a 16 mile run from my home, along the Lake Sammamish Trail, because it's flat, and back home.  This would cut out most of the hills as I needed to save as much energy as I could.  The weather was decent, 40's, dry, so with my water bottle full and headlight on, I set out in the darkness of the night.  Running in the middle of the night is a little strange, it's so quiet where I live and on the trail, it's pitch black, there would be no chance at doing this without a headlight.  I was getting about halfway down the trail, mile 5-6, when I thought to myself, instead of turning around at mile 8 and heading back, why not just do my regular 20 mile loop and get more miles out of the way.  I was feeling great, doing 20 wouldn't be an issue, although the second half of the loop was quite hilly.  But I figured, it's early in the day, I can handle the hills.  So at Mile 8 instead of turning around I ran up Issaquah Highlands hill and ventured on to do 20 miles.  Having been running slower on purpose(maybe 9 minute miles vs. my usual 7 or so), I was feeling very good and the hills were much less draining at this pace.  No traffic, no signs of life, even as I ran through the neighborhood section.  It was getting colder, I could feel it, but I was doing fine.  About Mile 17 I really started to have some stomach issues, felt nauseous, but kept going.  Around Mile 19, I made the final turn and was heading home and I was really feeling terrible.  It's hard to know if it was just from running 20 miles, the cold, fatigue, but really I was feeling like I needed to purge and that's not good, but I kept going.  As I get to my place and was heading up the final hill, right at the end, I proceed to indeed purge everything that was within me.  It was awful. I threw up all over my shoes, my clothes, my key chain and the grass.  Ugly, ugly scene.  When I was done, I went inside, and got right in the shower, as I was freezing cold.  What made  me sick, I'm not sure, but I had taken some gummy supplements before the run, a type I had taken before, but a different flavor.  I definitely expunged that, if you will, but who knows. I think I may have been a bit hypothermic as the temperature had dropped, I was sweating beyond belief and I wasn't dressed super warm to start because I thought the temperature would hold.  At any rate, it was now 3:00 a.m. on the nose, I took a very long, hot shower, then went right to bed with at least 3 extra blankets, seriously.
Phase I Complete: 20 Miles.

Nothing was going to stand in my way,  at least I hoped.

10:30 a.m., March 24, Phase II
I had woken up about 6:30 a.m. and felt okay, not great, but I think I had rid myself of whatever was causing me problems.  However, I was then very cautious about what to eat knowing I would be running again soon.  I watched TV and laid around, relaxing, ate a protein bar and drank lots of water.  I honestly questioned going back out, but I figured I have to at least try and if I'm too sick or can't continue, I'll stop.  So with that, I loaded up my fuel belt and drove down to Lake Sammamish to run the trail again, up and down, all flat land with the hope of doing 13 miles.  I would run 6.5 down the trail then turn around and run back to my Jeep.  I planned it this way so that I couldn't cut it short at any point, once I went the 6.5 there would only be one way back.  I headed out and the first mile or two were a little stiff, not great, but not bad.  Around Mile 3 I started to feel pretty good.  The weather was perfect, 50's, sunny, the views along the lake are incredible, the trail is always perfectly groomed.  I proceed down to Mile 6.5, turned around and at Mile 7 I stopped to rest.  Again, there would be no walking, I planned to run every mile.  Stop and rest, sure, but no walking of the 43.  I ate another protein bar and started back out.  The next mile was brutal.  The sun was beating pretty good and I was sweating like mad.  After a mile or so I stopped to rest again.  I was starting to wonder how this might play out.  But after a few minutes of rest, I got back on the trail and headed back towards my Jeep.  At some point I just felt pretty good and kept going without stopping to rest again.  I was tired, for sure, but I just kept plugging away.  As I was getting closer, I was really feeling hungry.  At this point I had run 30+ miles and had only eaten a few protein bars.  After the episode that morning, I didn't feel like eating anything, but all of a sudden my appetite kicked in and thoughts of a good lunch certainly fueled me to finish.  I got back to my Jeep about 12:30.  I was feeling decent, definitely sweaty and drained, but I drove the few miles back home.  I took another shower, then proceed to eat 2 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, 2 oranges and 2 pieces of cheese along with a protein drink(similar to chocolate milk).  It all tasted fantastic!  I then tried to take a nap with plans to head back out around 4 p.m. or so.
Phase II Complete: 13 Miles, 33 Total.

Although there have been no sightings of Nessie in Lake Sammamish, at times it felt like I was trying to slay a dragon.

5:15 p.m., March 24, Phase III
Around 4:30 p.m. I woke up. I didn't realize I was asleep.  I had been watching tv, resting and must have dozed off.  I have to say I was really groggy at this point and thought the last 10 was going to be tough.  But I shook it off and got ready to go.  For the last part I planned to go to the local high school track, about 1/2 mile away and run the final 10 miles, 40 laps, in a controlled area. I  would have a bunch of stuff with me in the infield of the track and thus anytime I needed to take a break I would have water, food, more clothing, whatever, right there with me. Plus the track is flat and would be easier to run. I drove down to Eastlake High School and they were having a soccer match, so I couldn't run there.  So I went literally 1/4 mile down the road to Skyline High School(There really are 2 high schools virtually next to each other, different districts though.  Don't ask.)  Well  Skyline was having a soccer match too.  Did I mention that I hate soccer?  This wasn't helping.  So for Plan C, I drove a mile down the road to Pine Lake Middle School where they had just redone their whole track/football field and thankfully there was no soccer going on.  I jumped on the track, laid out my stuff, and proceed to start doing laps.  My plan was to do as many laps as I could before taking a break, figuring once I get really tired and hit the wall, every lap would be brutal, so try to do as much as I could right away.  The first few laps weren't too bad and eventually I was at lap 12, 3 miles, and kept going.  Then lap 16, mile 4, and then lap 20, mile 5.  I really wanted to do 6 miles at least, but after 5, I stopped and took a break.  20 laps down, 20 to go.  38 Miles total.  I rested for maybe 10 minutes, then got up and started back out.  Again the first few laps weren't too bad, but then fatigue was really starting to set in.  I did 8 laps, 2 miles, and took another break.  I had now done 40 Miles. Only 3 to go, but I knew it wasn't going to be easy.  After a few minutes rest, I got back out there and thank goodness for my iPod because it had been a godsend during this adventure and certainly helps when you are going round and round a track.  I had 12 laps left and burned off the first mile then proceeded to keep going.  After lap 6, 1.5 miles, I took another break.  I was really starting to fade.  41.5 Miles down.  But I knew I could make it, even if it took me all night.  After a few more minutes of rest, I started out for the last 6 laps.  I cruised the first two laps and was now within one mile of my goal.  I felt okay, better than I had anticipated, but far from finished.  The last mile, 4 laps, only person on the track, nobody around, no fanfare, no witnesses, no celebration, but also very fitting.  As a runner, you end up doing most of your running and/or training by yourself.  You have to motivate yourself, make yourself go out in bad weather, push yourself, dig deep, so I guess it only made sense that I would finish this journey all alone.  After running 3 laps with only one to go, I knew I was going to make it.  It felt good.  My mind wasn't too shot.  My body was stressed for sure, my legs tired, but overall nothing severe.  As I hit the last straightaway with the end in sight, I raised my hands, holding up 4 fingers in one hand and 3 in the other.  43 Miles.  I did it.
Phase III Complete 7:00 p.m.: 10 Miles, 43 MILES TOTAL!!!!!!!

43 Miles is a lot of weight for sure!

I gathered up all my stuff.  I hadn't ended up using most of it, as I had another pair of shoes, more clothes, food.  All I did was drink the water I brought and used the towel to wipe down the sweat.  I wish I could say I was ecstatic when I was done, that something magical happened, but really I just got my stuff, got in my Jeep and headed home.  I felt really good about doing it, making it, but maybe I was just to tired to think beyond that right now.  I got back home and took another shower.  You would think by now I would be starving as I had run 43 miles, burned probably 10K calories or more, had eaten very little throughout the day, yet my stomach was still somewhat unsettled.  But knowing I needed some food in me, I went to the local pizza place a few blocks away, MOD, and got a pizza.  I ate a few slices, but really it didn't taste good at all, which isn't their fault.  Often times when I run long distances my appetite takes awhile to come back and it hadn't yet.  I took the rest home, tried to stay up  to watch the Following, but fell asleep(although I taped it, didn't want to miss it, great show).

In the end, it was definitely a unique way to spend a birthday. First and foremost I am very happy and blessed to even have the health to engage is such activity.  I guess I know I may not always be able to do something like this so I figured I should take advantage of the chance to push myself to limits I never thought possible.  I am glad I did it for sure, glad that I was able to achieve it and that I learned to continue to push myself even when it seemed impossible only hours before when I was puking all over the grass.  What does it prove?  Nothing, really.  It was just something I thought would be unique and in a weird way, fun, to do.  Maybe it also proves that I need more hobbies, hard to argue with that.  Or maybe it proves that I need to move back to Arizona or Michigan where I have more family and friends.  Hard to argue with that too.  But maybe, just maybe, it proves that no matter what any of us are going through in our lives that we all have something deep inside that can push us, can get us through things, even if we have our own doubts.  But then again, maybe it just proves that a birthday party at McDonald's is always a more fun way and easier way to celebrate. Maybe next year Ronald. 

Forever Fired Up and now 43 years old!

Looking a little haggard, but 43 miles will do that to a person.  Well at least to me, but still Fired Up!

***Special thanks to my stick figure artist for their great work once again!