Chasing the Impossible - Strolling Jim 2022

but isnt that why we run these things?

to find the impossible?

-Lazarus Lake

I broke the cardinal rule of racing/running and signed up for Strolling Jim 40 mile the week after I completed my first 50 mile race. When I was still riding that post race high and looking for my next big challenge, it sounded like a good idea. I ran the half marathon at Strolling Jim in 2021 and had a blast. It was beautiful and I just enjoyed the scenery. My comment after the race was "I will be back to run this one again.". So here I am, back again facing the big dog 40 miler (actually 41.2 miles).

Scott and I head out on Friday morning with our first stop being Bell Buckle Café. The weather was unseasonably cool and a bit rainy. Bell Buckle was bustling with people and we had a bit of a wait for a late lunch. I was determined to get my fix, my choice of the day was chicken and dumplings, fried okra and a roll. Lot's of good carbs. After a quick stop at the bakery for a piece of carrot cake cheesecake, we head to our Airbnb in Shelbyville, TN.

We get settled in at the Airbnb and decide to rest for a bit before heading to Wartrace to pick up my bib. This year the local fire station was hosting a spaghetti dinner and we decided to support them and have dinner there. I wasn't feeling that hungry but knew I needed to eat something. When we arrived at packet pickup there weren't many people around. It was starting to rain again so I quickly grab my bib/shirt and snap a picture by the funny sign.

We cross the tracks to the firehall and head to the spaghetti dinner. There weren't many people there so we got served quickly a plate of spaghetti with meat sauce, salad and garlic bread. We pick a table close to the entrance and proceed to enjoy our meal. Scott and I both grab a dessert and look up to see Laz coming in the door. He proceeds to get his plate of spaghetti and before I know it he's standing at our table asking if the extra seats were taken. I was dying inside as he is a celebrity in the Ultra world and I was about to be sitting directly across from him eating dinner. He had Alex Holl with him, a gentleman from Germany that is the Chief statistician of Backyard Ultra International. We would later be joined by his wife Sandra Cantrell and Seth the lawyer from Nashville. My night was made. We sat and listened to his stories for an extra 30 minutes (we were finished eating but I couldn't make myself leave). What an interesting man. And Sandra is absolutely the sweetest. It would be the highlight of my weekend for sure - I was giddy with excitement. When we left I told him I would see him tomorrow and he said if you run up front I will see you a lot and told me to hang on to the tail of Camille Herron. I assured him that would not be the case.

We head to the truck and I mention that I really wanted a picture but just couldn't bring myself to ask for one. I didn't want to be that person and bother him while he was having dinner. But promised that I would ask for one after I finished the race.

The rest of the night was a pretty typical evening before a race. A snack, somewhat early bedtime but a restless night of sleep. My right hip was bothering me and the soft bed was not helping matters.

My alarm was set for 5 a.m. and I was sleeping good. I hesitantly climb out of bed and make my way to the kitchen of the Airbnb to start a cup of coffee. Eating that early is super hard for me but I managed to eat a half bagel with almond butter and a banana along with my coffee. I proceed with my usual race morning activities - taping my feet, lots of lube to prevent chafing, power buns in the hair. As time approaches 6 a.m. Scott asks what is taking so long. I quickly drink my UCAN and we load the car to head to the race around 6:15 a.m. It's a short 15 minute drive and we pass the finish line as we make our way to the parking area (I would later run the last 2 miles of the race on that very same highway). The temps are cool and it's misting but the humidity is palpable. I head to the start line to get my spot in line for the bathroom. I get a text from Coach Brian "You can do this Kim!" - one thing I love about working with him is his positive and encouraging messages. If you run Strolling Jim you will here people say "be on the right side of the tracks before the race starts" a lot. With that in mind we make our way over the tracks as quick as possible and I do a little warming up. With no train in sight I decide to take one more bathroom break before the race starts. Scott and I say our goodbyes and he heads to the front of the starting area to get some video and pictures of Camille Herron and Harvey Lewis.

The race starts right on time (no train this year). As you turn the first corner you are immediately met with a small hill. Not to anyone's surprise it always feels much harder than it should. The entire group contains people running 10k, 13.1, 26.2 and 40 miles. As the day goes by each group will split off until you are just left with the rest of the crazies running the full distance. Heading down a hill there are a couple of ladies in front of me and one of them is singing "I'm on the highway to hell"! Boy, who knew. About a mile in we get to the 13.1 split. You always have those regrets at each split and the lady starts singing "should I stay or should I go!"! She was entertaining the crowd and having a blast. I was close to them and a few other ladies running the marathon for a while but eventually our pace/strategy would differ enough for me to get out in front of them. I eventually end up with a pack of men, somewhat spread out but we stay close through the marathon split. We pick up a German Shephard dog along the way and he hangs out with us all the way to Normandy, when his owner arrived to give him a ride back home. Shortly after passing through Normandy we hit our first big hill around mile 10. This is the first of many big hills that require me to walk the entire time. Simply a struggle to walk up it so adding in a few run spurts was not reasonable for me. But those downhills were nice, until they weren't.

Around 13 miles in, there's an aid station and "35 miles" written on the road. That would be the turn you make on the way back to head to the finish. It seemed so far away I was having a hard time imagining getting back there. But I pressed on, focusing on getting to mile 14 where Scott was waiting. There was one major highway crossing where you had police stopping traffic. As I cross U.S. 41A and take a left on Whiteside Hill Rd. I see a runner coming back out. It was a marathoner making his way back to the finish. He turned towards me and then stopped. He turned around and ran the other way as I turned left. As I look back he's just standing there looking confused so I point in the direction of the crossing with the police and he screams "Thank you" and takes off. Scott would later tell me it was Seth the lawyer from Nashville and he in fact did find his way back to the finish line. I knew I was getting close to seeing Scott for the first time and as I top the hill I see him in the distance and give a waive.

As I get there he says Coach wants to know how you are doing. My response was UGH! I wasn't feeling great. It all felt hard. My mind was telling me it would be okay to drop out or just quit at xx miles. But I asked for some coke and pickle juice, refilled my water bottles and fuel and told Scott to tell Coach I was fine and took off. More hills - the hills that aren't hills. Everyone I passed was splitting off for the marathon and I wanted to go with them. But the coke kicked in and I had a pretty good mile and as I watched them turn left I stayed the course and told Scott I was feeling better. And crickets! One guy out of the entire group was left. We would stay together for a bit until we hit some dogs and he dropped back a bit to make sure they didn't come after us. There were some flat parts, some hills that were manageable but I was running for mile 20 when I knew I would hit the next real hill. Scott would drive 4ish miles ahead and wait for me. The miles crept by. It was agonizing.

At this point it was pretty much just me, in the middle of nowhere, wondering if I was even still on course. The only markings were on the road and if you zoned out and missed that little red arrow you could be in big trouble. No portable bathrooms so if you need to go you just find a tree or barn (much like running Ballard Backroads). The roads are open and sometimes busy. You have to stay alert. As I turn a corner I see Scott step out into the road. As I approach he's there with another runner and his crew. He yells there's a dog up ahead that went after another lady and the other runner was going to wait for me to go by together. My response was give me my Mace out of the truck - that should handle it. So we take off up the hill to pass the dog and the guy from earlier catches up to us. The dog looks as we pass and barks after we pass but never moved. Crisis diverted. The 3 of us hang together for a while, we pass an aid station and once again get a little separated.

The hill at mile 20 was forever long. Just when you think it's over you turn the corner and there's more. Scott was parked about halfway up the hill so I stop for a quick drink of coke and one of the guys catches back up. We continue the slow climb to the top where his crew is waiting for him and I never see him again. There would be several more hills between 20 and 26 that were equally as difficult. The descent after each one was so steep that I was afraid to run. The last thing I needed was to roll down that hill. So I side step, and gently try to descend without killing my quads (to no avail they still got crushed). As we turn a corner I see a lady sitting on a rock wall with her shoes off. Scott was passing by slowly as I asked her if she needed anything. She assured me she was fine, just addressing some blisters with supplies from her pack (enter Kim, from So. California). As I get to mile 26 and stop to see Scott again he has questions/comments from Coach. He says you are on track and wants to know how you are doing mentally. My response was I'm on track to finish. I knew it would happen but I just didn't know how long it would take me to get there. I refused to look at my average pace all day. I knew my time was slipping away. I knew my goal was probably out of reach. And when I finally let all of that go I was able to just focus on getting to the finish no matter what.

By the time I left mile 26, Kim had put her shoes back on and caught up with me. As I passed she asked if that was my husband crewing me. She was in awe of him being out there and told me and Scott how wonderful it was for him to be there. I agree - he has a tough job hopping from spot to spot all day. Trying to guess what I need only to be told I need something different. But per usual he was encouraging and helpful and endured right along with me.

At some point before the walls we had to pass the buzzards/vultures. On the road was a message left by Laz, "they are watching"! At that point I thought the walls were watching but then I see this sight. It was so creepy that I didn't stop to take the picture, but another runner did so I grabbed their photo off Facebook for proof I wasn't hallucinating.

Kim and I would go back and forth over the remainder of the course. We both entered the walls together to the best aid station of the day. They were cheering and we both gave out a shout. I stopped for a slice of watermelon and she kept pushing forward. And the walls are called the walls because that's exactly what they look like - tough climbs, quick but quad killing descents - over and over and over until you get to mile 34. I knew at the top of one hill there would be a scenic overlook. I was afraid that I had missed it but there was a message on the road and the most amazing view. I stopped, snapped some pictures, teared up a bit before proceeding for more pain.

My focus at this point was to get back to that aid station where 35 miles was painted on the road. I would see Scott one more time at mile 34 and then it was time to get to that finish. Again, the clock was ticking and I wondered if I was even close to my goal. As I turned left to head to the finish at mile 35 the young athletes manning the aid station yelled 10k to go. I wanted to pick up the pace but there would be more hills (that aren't hills) and my quads were on fire. As Scott drove by me around mile 36 I told him the quads couldn't take much more and gave him permission to go to the finish line and wait.

I would catch up once again to Kim with 5k to go. On the road was a message from Laz - "5k to go kick it now". I didn't have much left to kick but I kept moving. One final aid station, once again manned by young students yelling two miles to go. We turned right on the highway - the one we drove to the race that morning. It would be a long stretch with a slow, steady incline. The slant of the road was killing my hips - my feet were on fire - but I managed to catch and pass a few people heading to the finish. When we could see the sign "Welcome to Wartrace" I knew it would be over soon. Kim had caught back up to me and we finished together.

Finish time 9:06:20

I see Laz under the tent and head straight over there to get that picture I wanted. I told him I missed getting a picture of him at dinner and my reward for finishing was a picture with him. As he walks away he says that was the easiest 40 mile race in the country (insert evil laugh).

After the race they have a buffet of food - grilled chicken (grilled onsite), mac-n-cheese and baked beans (provided by Bell Buckle Café). Scott and I get a plate full of food and make our way to a table under the tent. My comment was I'm not sure what is going to happen when I sit down. I wasn't able to eat much yet, but Scott was very appreciative of the meal after a long day in the truck. I sent a few texts to my coach and a message to my running tribe and of course, I start crying, for no reason other than pure exhaustion. To be honest, my goal was to finish in under 9 hours and I was disappointed that I didn't make that happen. But in the end does it really matter. It was a tough course and I didn't quit. Simply finishing is enough. I won't ever be the fastest or strongest but I have always found a way to the finish line.

Random thoughts:

1. I cannot imagine what the day would have looked like in heat, humidity with full sun. I am thankful for the cool, misty day even though it was annoying at times. Scott said he was freezing all day.

2. Nutrition and hydration seemed to be fine all day. I was sick of the UCAN Edge to go packets and had a lot of coke and pickle juice but never had that I cannot eat feeling. I actually told Scott at mile 34 I was hungry.

3. If you want to try a race like this you really need to be okay being by yourself as there were some lonely, long miles out there - just me and my mind. I did listen to music but at some point along the way lost cell phone service so I was stuck with some random playlist I had downloaded on my phone.

4. This race draws runners back year after year. I'm not sure I will fall into that category.

5. If you've ever run a race and birthed a child you will understand that you soon forget about the pain and only carry the good memories for a lifetime. One week post race and I've recovered nicely. So what's next?

6. Never stop looking for your impossible. The moment you stop accepting challenges, is the moment you stop moving forward.

2022 Strolling Jim Statistics:

41 mile - 146 starters 144 finishers

Marathon - 38 starters 38 finishers

1/2 marathon - 61 starters 61 finishers

10 km - 56 starters 56 finishers

301 runners started at 0700 and 299 of them completed their races

Badass Women:

Camille Herron broke the women's record with a 4:44:01

Allison Mercer finished 4th overall with a sub 5 hour, one of only 3 females to ever go sub 5 at SJ