The G Running Diary

AC100: The Cutoffs: 10/5/03

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We got through the Mount Hillyer aid station quickly, since Don had gone ahead and filled bottles for both of us. We were only just ahead of the cutoffs. We kept thinking we could gain some buffer in the next section, but there was always something difficult about it. The boulder field was the next obstacle. The trail meandered through rocks and the markings were placed after the turns. There were no glowsticks for finding your way in the dark. My approach was to go slowly and look around for markers, because if I turned wrong it would be impossible to figure out. Don made a wrong turn ahead of me but found his way back. We heard later that Barb Miller was lost on that section at about that time, and Rick ran up to go find her. I suppose it is easier in the light, and the markings were geared more toward those earlier runners.

It was uphill into the Shortcut aid station. I thought I would miss the cutoff there. If it had been any farther, I would have. I arrived in the nick of time, and was rushed through. They said that they could check me through and still provide some aid. Don had our stuff in a bag to carry along. Someone handed me soup. Don was trying to hurry me out, but they all said that I better have soup. A medical person wanted to make sure I was doing ok and took a look at my eyes. I appreciated how concerned he was when he saw how bloodshot my eyes were. I often have that in long races because of my hard contact lenses.

The next section was supposed to be easier. It was downhill for a while on a fireroad and then some uphill to the aid station. It sounded like smooth sailing and we had until 3:00 am to get there. Well, the downhill was tough for me with bruised knees and aching quads, and the fireroad wasn't smooth at all, so you still had to pick your way through rocks in many places. I was low on food and feeling low energy. I didn't need more caffeine. I felt alert but tired. Don was moving along well and then waiting. I mentioned that he probably shouldn't do that because I was going to miss a cutoff sooner or later. Eventually he just continued on. When he waited for me he would sit on a rock. I was so jealous that I was too slow to be allowed to sit on a rock. After he stopped waiting I looked around for good rocks to sit on, but they were all just low and pointy.