Mid-State Mile - It's Only A Mile

Welcome to Franklin, TN home of the new 1 mile race with crazy elevation known as the Mid-State Mile.  To start the morning off right Mike and I get to the event an hour and half before the start to set up our area and make sure we are not rushed.  We hauled stuff over to the start/ finish line or better known as the runner starting corral area.  As we finish setting up our small section we are talking with a few of the other runners and one them was Doug and he asked me what our goal was.  I said we want to hit 100 miles and he looked at me like I was crazy and said have you been on the course?  I said "no."  Doug said, "it has some really big hills.  100 miles is going to be hard to get."  I looked at Mike and said "oh well that may change things."  Mike's dad has arrived and is setting up.  He is our 1 man crew that amazing takes care of both of us while we run.  He is like a moving Costco.  He has everything!  Or maybe like MacGyver...I then see a familiar face walk by but just couldn't realize how I knew this person and I did not have time to chat as the race was about to start.  Later I learned this familiar face was Jesse Itlzer.  I have his audiobook, "Living with a Seal" and it is so entertaining!  Please check it out if you have not read it.  I love the audiobook.  Turns out Jesse was here to run in the race as well.    

First lap.  Here we go.  Becca and Jon go over the rules.  You must be in the starting corral at the start of the next loop. You must leave the corral at the start and take two steps past the starting line.  Runners coming in after the 20 minute limit will be eliminated. No runner may accept aid while on the course. No trek poles for the first 6 hours of the race.  There we go.  Simple and off we go.  Mike and I start off running in the front of the pack and then we get to the hill.... So in 1 mile we climb over 300 feet of elevation and the peak of the hill is a 35 degree grade.  Everyone was walking and the hill just kept going and going... we then see a chair midways up the hill with a sign that reads... "Accept Defeat! Take A Seat."  I am only half way up the hill.  Still climbing.  6 minutes into the first lap and I am .31 miles into the first lap.  I realize real quick everything I thought about the race has quickly changed.  As we top the hill we then drop right back down and then repeat another hill ascent and descent and finally run out to the finish line.  Over 13 minutes to complete 1 lap on fresh legs... Uh oh.... 

When Mike and I cross the finish line I look at him and said this race will be over tomorrow.  Wow.  I was not ready for that. We run 3 laps in total.  We both call and talk to the kids and fam and let them know we will be home tonight or tomorrow morning.  Our original thought was that we may run all day Sunday and miss father's day. That's not going to happen. Murder mile has changed that.  As I am on the phone I hear Jon yell, "2 minutes!!"  Here we go.  Gotta roll.  If we are are not in the starting corral when the next lap is scheduled to start we are eliminated.  So 3 hours later which is a total of 9 laps... my quads are on FIRE and my shoes are rubbing a spot on my heel.  I can feel it starting to get irritated and I am getting anxious that my feet are going to be an issue.  I run several more laps like this.  A few of the laps I am running with Greg Armstrong.  For those of you that do not know Greg as I did not until this race... he is a very a very down to earth person but he is a determined runner with a no quite attitude and has a lot of running accomplishments to be proud of including he currently holds the record for the Vol State race and he also ran for USA 24 hours National Team.  One word comes to my mind now when I think of Greg.  GRIT.  

At this point I am feeling a hotpot on my heel from my shoe.  I decide it's time to change shoes before this turns into a blister.  I have a pair of barefoot shoes that I brought just in case and I decide I will change shoes and socks on this next lap.  I complete the lap with 4 minutes left and immediately set down and start taking off my shoes and socks and trying to change.  Mike's dad is watching the timer for me... He then says, "3 minutes left" and I start to panic.  I just now got one of my shoes off.  I quickly start tying to take the other one off and then I hear "2 Minutes" form Jon and now I am rushing.  I grab my fresh socks and slide them on then grab my shoes and slide one and then I hear "1 Minute" from Jon and I start thinking I have to be in the Corral.  Maybe I should go on up and so that I do not get eliminated.  Mikes dad says, "45 seconds" and I grab the other shoe and start trying to pull it on and run out to the corral with 20 seconds left.  Wow... you don't realize how fast 4 minutes goes by...

 Next several laps go much better and my heel irritation goes away.  I run a few laps more chatting with Greg and also run a lap with Noah Cochran who has been leading most of the laps at this point and is a very talented young runner.  He has a bright future in ultra running.  As we run we talk about the race that Mike and I have been working on at the Fort and how we picked a hard year to start being race directors.  Noah thanked us for being race directors and then we talked about the fastest lap and he said we was going to go for it.  And just like that our lap was finished and we had about 5 minutes until the next lap start.  I grabbed some aid with Mike's dad as he was pretty much taking care of both of us at this point.  Mike made it back and I asked him for the Tylenol.  I needed something.  My quads are on FIRE!  Like I said earlier, he is a tremendous help to us in our races and could not do it without him.  My next lap does not go so well.  My quads are twitching as I start the next lap.  I just think to myself.  Finish this lap and you get your trek poles.  

Trek poles in hand the next lap is slower but I am trying to take some pain off the quads.  It is working.  I do several laps with the trek poles and go slightly slower and I can feel the pain starting to ease some.  I get into a groove of around 15 minute loops at this time.  It seems to be working for now but I can feel it.  As we tick off a few more laps Mike missed the cut-off after his 25th lap.  At this point Mike starts aiding me and Mike's dad is going to pack up everything up and start heading home.  Around 6pm I told Mike I did not think I could run much more.  We were down to around 20 people left in the field. Over 50 had fallen out or missed the cut-off.  This course is brutal... It just grinds you down every lap.  Wearing on you.  And then you hear the words of the day... "2 Minutes!" and you know its time to go grind out another lap.  My times are getting a little slower as I am over 16 minute loops at this time.  Which means not much time to eat or drink.  I would set down for about 1 minute and Mike would have my drink ready or whatever I would ask him for he would have ready for the next lap.  It is much better to not do these races by yourself.  You need help.  You need someone dependable but also someone that can tell you to suck it up and get back out there. 

Pushing 8pm now and still going.  Starting mile 36 and at this point in the race I have ran most of my laps with Doug Holder.  Our pace is right on with each other and as we are chatting we are both discussing that we are not going to run much longer.  I told him that "I really did not want to miss spending Father's day with my daughter and I don't think my quads will make it through the night anyway.   I did not do enough hill training for this race."  Doug said he pretty much done as well as he met his goal.  We finish the lap up.  I walk over to Mike and I hear "2 Minutes!" It just keeps wearing on you.  I told Mike again that I am about done and he just started laughing and said, "you have been saying that for hours dude."  Mile 37 here we go.  Doug and I run most of this lap together and we both said we are stopping after this lap. We push up murder mile and make it through the hill that never ends and just keep running.  Finally I think to myself.  I want a beer. Its time. I finish the lap and walk up to Mike and Doug and said, "one more lap" then lets stop.  Doug agreed and we heard, "2 Minutes!"  Does it ever stop! LOL...

Mile 38 is it and then I am finished.  Alex Brown looked at me and said you got to at least run 40.  I said, "I am done after this.  Going to call it so I can be home for Father's day tomorrow." We pound this next mile out right under 17  minutes.  I walk up to Mike and said "I'm done" and opened a beer.  He grinned and said, "no your not."  Doug is running another one.  I looked at Doug and said, "what?"  He said, "lets do 1 more lap."  I just stared at him for a minute but then I agreed and said, "after this I am done."  Mile 39 we climb and climb and climb up the hill that never ends and finally at the top I am relieved as I think to myself... my quads are fried.  We finish mile or lap 39 and Doug walked up to the Jon the RD and had him cut his band off.  That was it.  He was done.  I took a sip of my beer and then walked up behind both of them and put my arm in the middle and said I am done.  Jon said, "no." You cannot be done.  You 2 are the last race directors standing.  We cannot have a tie."  I said, "it's fine, cut it off and call it a tie."  Jon insisted that there were no ties.  "Run another lap" he said.  Doug looked at me and said, "go run another lap." I did.  I walked over to Mike grabbed my trek poles put my beer back down and ran lap 40 to be the last race director standing. Becca and Jon did an amazing job with their first race and I recommend you to try this race.  It will test you.  It will push you... and it will hurt.