Jackson County 100k Race Report
- MaryEllenaaa
- Dec 16, 2024
- 9 min read
The Jackson County 100k was organized this year as an attempt to become a Western States Qualifying race at the 100k distance. The main course consists of a 10-mile loop with 1600 feet per loop. This brings the total elevation gain to about 9600 ft over the 62 miles. The 100k event started at 730am and had a 24-hour time limit. I decided to take one for the team, even though I was undertrained, but knew I had the experience and belief to get it done.
It was hovering around 20 degrees at the start with low to no wind. We took a short shuttle ride from the HQ to the start line to gain the extra 2+ miles to make the 100k distance. Those of us on the first shuttle were dropped off with 23 minutes to wait until the whistle blew. Brr.
It can be a delicate balance between wearing enough clothing and wearing too much to put yourself at risk for hypothermia. The weather forecast for this day was perfect, highs in the low 40’s. This is perfect running weather if you ask me as running in the cold gives me a feeling of exhilaration but, it can be mentally taxing especially if there is wind. It's nature's way of giving me a dopamine hit in exchange for the effort put in.
My training prior to race day was nothing special and admittingly I was very undertrained. I don’t know if I’ve ever been physically trained for some of the big races I do. I just know I would rather be somewhat undertrained and strong rather than overtrained and on the verge of injury or exhaustion. Starting my own businesses and focusing on my children’s sports activities this past year has made time for running pretty sparse unless I get up at 3:45am to run between 4-5am on the weekdays. I normally focus quite a bit on strength training, but this past 6 months I was not very diligent with this, and my legs could feel it.
Having never experienced this course before, I only knew what others said about it. “There are some good climbs! They just keep going up, up and up!” We are used to the small ups and downs in the hills of Southern Indiana, but I was not expecting the ascending climbs and descents as what this course had to offer. The middle miles in this loop were pressed with these nice big climbs that can easily crush you. The front and back ends of the loop were very runnable along with varying spots in the middle. The course flowed quite well overall.
My strengths as a runner have always been my ability to descend a hike and a consistent pace uphill. I have long legs, and I make them work for me. My other strength is that I am good at moving consistently over the course of many hours, varying my paces from a run, a shuffle, speed walking, or steady climbing. I’m that runner that will break up flat runs with intervals of run walk. This method has paid off over the last 3 years giving me the ability to sub 24 and still be running at the end of a 100-mile foot race.
How it went. The first loop felt good, and I got the full experience of the course. I was really excited about it because it was a tough hard course but had good flow and rhythm to it. I only stopped at the start/finish aid station to refill my bottles, eat a bite of real food, and adjust my clothing. I wasn’t there long before I left for lap two.
Lap 2 was terrible! My body literally was screaming in pain, muscle twitching, and cramping, ... WTF?! What are you doing!? I was cramping in places I hadn’t cramped in before or in a long time. I could definitely feel the lack of strength work. I had downed nearly a full dry packet of mountain ops ignite which is a great energizer that is down to last about 20 hrs. I was likely a bit too tweaked during that second lap which didn’t help how my body felt. After lap two I saw my girl Cheryl who completed the 10-mile race and was there to hang out and crew me the rest of the day. I love her. I was feeling really defeated with how jacked my body felt and the thought of doing 4 more of those loops seemed so daunting. I was feeling a little panicked inside and discouraged, but I took the rest of that packet, filled my bottles, adjusted my clothing and went back out.
Lap 3. I thought, this loop I’ll get out my phone and start listening to music or a podcast. Mentally I was in fairly decent headspace through those first two laps, despite feeling the longevity of the day ahead. I was playing the “Frosty the Snowman” song on repeat in my head hearing my youngest child’s voice. He had been singing it all month preparing for his school program a few days before. Honestly the rhythm of it kept me going but I was ready for something different. The problem was my phone wouldn’t work. It was locked and wouldn’t unlock, and I was feeling panicked. But Frosty stayed with me through that third lap and I was able to keep going. My body still felt pretty bad but not as bad as the second lap. I definitely didn’t feel as strong and wondered if I was able to pull this off. I had the thought in my head that if too many people dropped and they couldn’t get the 100k qualifier, I would just go ahead and drop too at some point. That thought didn’t last long though.
After coming in my third loop, I was a bit frazzled and upset about not having my phone and the option to keep my head focused with music. I left it there with Cheryl to figure out, she let me have her phone, I adjusted clothing, liquids, and food and took my time there before heading back out. The longer break was a good reset to get my head right and because I’m not about to die in the chair.
Through the fourth lap I wasn’t feeling great in my stomach because of something I ate, but surprisingly my body felt pretty good. No cramping or discomfort honestly, except for the grind going uphill. Now the challenge was, not letting my minor nausea get in my head and working through it to adjust my pace and output and not tip the scales the wrong way. It’s too easy in endurance races to focus on a pain or ailment for if you do, your experience is miserable. Learning to find the balance between addressing the concern and distracting yourself from it, can be hard to do and takes practice. No one can coach you on some of those things, you just have to experience them in a race and learn how to manage. You can prepare with some of our tools, but nothing beats practical application during an event.
It did eventually get better. I was able to call my husband during that loop and my only request was to have Hudson sing his Frosty the Snowman Song to me. I tell you what, that made all the difference to hear his sweet voice sing that song and hear my sweet little boys at that time. My friend Cheryl's husband called me on her phone, and we talked briefly. He offered to come pace me the last two laps since they live close. I wasn’t sure at first, but I knew Benny would be great company to have those last two laps. He’s hilarious, super experienced, and having run races with him before I knew it would be a good time. My friend Bryan gave me some ginger candy on that lap when I saw him. I sat down when I needed to at different times to regroup and reset and had no shame in the game. If it means I keep going, I’m happy to take a morale break for 60 seconds or so. The lead winner kind of laughed at me at one point when he passed me ‘resting’ at the top of one of the climbs’, but it was fine. This was my race and not his and I knew what I went in with and how I had to manage.
Once I finished that loop I waited for Benny at the start/finish and probably spent a good 25 minutes there. It was well worth it. Normally I don’t take that amount of time at aid stations but considering my training deficits, I was fine adjusting to what I needed to finish the race. I dressed warmly, Cheryl rolled my legs (ouch), filled my bottles and we were off. I put some music in my right ear so I could get some grounding, but it was low enough I could still connect with Benny. Honestly, I felt so much better this loop and the hill climbs, although tough, didn’t seem as bad. Maybe I was used to them by lap 5, maybe it was the company, maybe it’s that I knew I was almost done. There was serene within the dark and the sky was lit up with stars. I was pulling from the positives in this moment. I was very grateful for the company on the trail because it made the last few hours enjoyable. What seemed so daunting in the beginning now was close to victory.
We finished that lap and spent some time regrouping for the final lap. How exciting it was to be almost done. At this point I didn’t really care how long it took. We still pushed but I also didn’t feel as pressured for time. The fact that I can still run later in a race is always a good mental boost. Because the body can go further than the mind thinks it can and that includes how I move. It’s easy to get into a death walk but the way I’ve trained the last 3-4 years has included a lot of run walk intervals. This has helped me to actually achieve sub 24 hours in the 100-mile distance on 3 occasions. I have always been able to walk fast, but training myself to run intervals and push for about ¼ mile or 2-4 minutes at a time with a run shuffle has helped me tremendously keep my energy and mind strong for the long game. Why, because I don’t get stuck in a death walk or a chair.
Although I haven’t raced for a long time besides completing a few 50 milers, it felt good to get back out in the scene and the community. The last 100 miler I ran was January 2023 in Tampa. It was good to see where my training deficits were and where I need to focus if I’m going to accomplish some of my bigger goals. I feel good about my headspace and my mental game. I feel confident in managing my energy and knowing what I need to do to enable me to keep going. I know how to check my thoughts in race and reframe and refocus when appropriate. It’s not always easy to do right away, but I get there much quicker than I used to and sometimes I need reminders from crew or others. This is no different than how I coach or how I provide therapy in my everyday life. Sport is just a great avenue to put everything into play and take some great lessons from.
Overall, it’s nice to be done with an ultra-marathon and go to sleep that night. That is not something that happens in a 100 miler or multi-day event. Whenever we put ourselves out there, you are always bound to learn something about yourself and see what’s important in your life. I’m always reminded how grateful I am to be able to go out and do what I do, but equally to have a family and husband that supports me and my adventures. I’ve met some of my bests friends in the trail running community and meet some of the greatest people along the way. The one thing that always comes through is a sense of calm and self-connection from reaching a goal and working through my own stuff through my races. I’ve always ended up better on the side of a race than before.
Key Gear to Note:
Fuel: Infinite Nutrition–Go Far Women’s Blend with an addition of a custom fructose blend. Honestly, I can survive a whole race with this and still get enough hydration, electrolytes, and calories.
Shoes: Topo Ultraventure 3
Socks: XO Toes
Layers: Outdoor Vitals thermal hoodie, Ventus
MindFIT Method Skills:
–Visualization
–Know Your Zones (based on polyvagal theory)
–Envision Performance: Zoning In (inverted U theory and polyvagal)
–Reset Ritual
–HEAR Process – because I understand how the brain works
–Next Level Vision: Post Performance
Thanks for reading!
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