Sweat, Swat ‘n Swear Race Recap- Trading Expectations for Appreciation
On Sunday, I ran the Sweat, Swat ‘n Swear 50K in Inverness, Florida. My goals for this race were to 1) FINISH, and 2) not complain about the heat. I’ll tell you right now that I achieved both of them. WOOHOO! Was there sweating? Yes, about 20 gallons worth. Was there swatting? No! Either the bug spray I used worked, or the flies weren’t out that day. Was there swearing? Read on to find out! Inverness is a four hour drive from where I live. I drove up there on Saturday afternoon, and on the way I listened to this episode of the Everyday Ultra podcast with Joe Corcione, “How to Destroy Race Day Anxiety.” His #1 tip was “Trade expectations for appreciation.” I decided to make that the theme of my race. The race started at 6:30 am, at the Mutual Mine Campground. I was there nice and early, and as I was doing some ankle mobility exercises, I let it all soak in- three months ago I couldn’t even walk on my left ankle, let alone run. Now here I was ready to start a 50K race and honestly- I couldn’t even tell which ankle was the one I sprained. Time- and a lot of hard work- really does heal all wounds. The race started, and we were running on some nice single track trails. The weather was beautiful! It wasn’t hot yet, and I was feeling good. After a few miles, I noticed something puzzling. There would be times when I felt like I was working harder than usual, and then times where running felt very easy. Finally I figured out- these are HILLS. Very gentle, rolling hills. We don’t have these things in South Florida! It didn’t bother me- I was just happy to know why my effort seemed to vary so much. As a matter of fact, I was cruising along feeling really good until at mile eight… I suddenly felt a sharp, pulling sensation in my right calf. WHAT IN THE WORLD. Is this a cramp? I walked a little and tried to massage it, but it wouldn’t go away. Remember Calf Guy from my Dunes 50K race recap?? The poor guy had a terrible cramp in his calf and had to hobble through most of the race. Oh NO! Had I become Calf Guy??? I didn’t really know if this was a cramp, or a strained muscle- I’ve never had this happen before (but what better time to start than mile 8 of a 31 mile race?) I just continued on. The calf hurt with every step, but the good news was, it didn’t seem to be getting any worse. I left the 10 mile aid station the same time as another runner, and as we were running about the same pace we ran together for a while. His name was Mark, and we talked about various races we’ve done. I told him my sob story about the Forgotten Florida, and he said he’s done numerous 50k’s, some 50 miles races and one 100 mile race. As we ran on together, I noticed something extraordinary. Mark wasn’t wearing a hydration vest or any kind of waist pack. The only thing he had with him was… a bottle of Dr. Pepper. Sometimes he would hold it, and sometimes he would put it in the pocket of his shorts. WAIT A MINUTE! Is that really Dr. Pepper in your bottle? Yep. Is that all the fuel you’re carrying? Yep. He said he’s a “minimalist,” and drinks water and eats a little of whatever they have at the aid stations, but otherwise he just carries a bottle of soda. Sure enough, when we got to the 14 mile aid station, he drank some water while the aid station workers filled his bottle with Coke. And speaking of that aid station… while I was grateful for every aid station and every volunteer that day, Mile 14 aid station won first prize. They were making WATERMELON SLUSHIES. Did I want one? OH YES I DID! Wow, that tasted good. We continued on our way- me with my flasks filled with water, and Mark with his bottle of Coke. We ran together for about four more miles, and I started to notice Mark’s pace was getting a little erratic. When he was running it was great, but then he would take walking breaks. Now, walking breaks are fine- actually, necessary- but his were getting a little meandering. At mile 18 I decided I would do better on my own. I told him I was going to put some music on and run ahead for a little. He said “Oh, my company isn’t good enough for you?” and… it was a little awkward. I mean, I think he was kidding but I wasn’t entirely sure. I assured him that I had planned all along to listen to music at mile 18 and he said, again, I hope jokingly, “Oh, so you’re one of those runners.” Again… awkward. I felt bad, but with all due respect- did I really want to tie my fate to a guy running with a bottle of Dr. Pepper in his pocket? It was time to run alone. I did think I would see Mark again later, and as a matter of fact I told him that as I ran off- but unfortunately I didn’t see him again. My music really did pep me up, and I was feeling pretty great. Compared to the 20 mile run I had done the week before, which wiped me out, I now had a ton of energy. Yes, it was hot, but there was a LOT of shade on this course, which we don’t have in South Florida, and that helped tremendously. I got to the 21 mile aid station feeling good. Now once again- I’m grateful to ALL the aid station workers that day (and I made it a point to tell them all) but if Mile 14 won