The G Running Diary

Javelina: Looping Along: 11/18/04

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Javelina was actually a Jalloween party, and runners were encouraged to dress up. Most were probably thinking the same as I was, that running 100 miles takes enough effort without worrying about a costume, but there were some brave souls. A hippie, an angel, a blond with a butt, and a very dark man with a big afro. We weren't sure who that one was at first, but after running by everyone, it was obvious to me. Rich Limacher had covered himself in black from head to toe. It was something else.

We started off slow. Really slow. Walking, in fact. I think we walked all the way to the first aid station. Karen stayed with us for about a minute. A few other people stayed with us too, but most of the people who had told me the day before that they would be really slow and have to walk the whole thing were up ahead. I knew they would be.

There were plenty of highlights out on the run. Hans had decided to hug all the women as he ran by. He had allocated some appropriate amount of time for it. By the last loop he called it a four-second hug. Rocket was also giving hugs, but didn't do so many loops. He said his heart wasn't in it, and he wanted to stop. I tried to encourage him, and we laughed about that, but then I didn't see him again. Another expression is when people say, "it's just not my day." I have had that feeling. It's takes a lot of determination to get through a hundred, so if you have other things going on in your life, then you might not feel like you want it enough.

Because Javelina is a 15 mile loop that you keep reversing, you see the other runners many times. It helps reinforce the bond that we all share as we participate in our little adventure. Many people smile and say good job. Others appear to be turned inward, and don't muster up the energy to reach out. Eveyone has their own way. I tried to say hi to everyone but as the hours passed, I became less enthusiastic. But for the first and second loop, everything was fun. In fact, on the second loop I got loopy and start laughing at nothing. After two loops we were at almost a 50K. That seemed fairly painless.

The weather warmed up at that point. It seemed like the heat got to some people. It got to Lucinda. I think it was hotter than it seemed, but because it was dry and a little breezy, you didn't realize how much sweat you were losing. It was easy to get dehydrated, and probably easy to lose more sodium, too. Don kept telling Lucinda to eat and drink. She was feeling queasy with the heat, but kept following orders. At the start/finish area, Barry was crewing for Lucinda and had her sandwiches ready.