I’ve checked all my prep blocks. Blood is flowing through the engine. Sweat means I’m heating up. I am hydrated and fueled up. I am ready to go.
I get to the line.
I’m pretty casual. I know my
capabilities. I see other runners
getting close to the start arch. Some
with a nervous look of both worried and excited anticipation. Some have run this before, many have never
run this distance, and others have yet to even run a mile.
But I go to my usual spot in the very back. I smile and thank the policeman in the very
back with me. He asks me, “Hey, why
aren’t you up in front. I’ve seen you run around the base before.” I reply with a polite grin, “I’m going
hunting.” He laughs.
The Opening Ceremony, National Anthem and speeches are
made. It will be show time. The Announcer calls the count down. Then the gun goes. Everyone starts crossing the line. But, I wait and watch the sea of humanity
pass under the starter arch. Calmly, I
walk to the line, I Thank GOD for this moment and say an “Our Father” in my
head while holding my wrist to start my Sportswatch. The announcement for Last Call to cross is
given. I cross the line and….
BANG
 |
| Starting at the Back. "Counting Stars" |
It’s
time to Hunt.
From zero to 180BPM, my
legs churn and I dart to the left side of the road, that’s where the first turn
will come in 300 yards.
I pass other
competitors and friends; I see them running in slow motion.
“Get to that turn!” I think to myself.
When I get to it, I immediately get to the
right of the next street.
It’s only 100
yards to the next right turn.
I need to
hit that corner fast.
Inexperienced and
novice runners go wide around corners.
It’s so wasteful because if you don’t cut it, you’re just
adding distance to your race. Yet, they
still do it.
I make the right turn and know another quick right turn will
come in less than 50yards. I hug the
right side of the road and glide into the right turn. A long straight half mile stretch will dissipate
the runners which lead to bigger holes to run through the traffic.
I dart, shuffle, accelerate, and weave. This is not something I learned from running,
it was my Friday Rush Hour drive from San Diego to Los Angeles when I was an
Ensign (late 1990s) coming home to my wife after a frustrating week on the ship. The need to get to my wife after a long week
surrounded by men.
The long stretch ends and a curved right gets me to the 1NM
flag and the first water stop. My data
download of my Sportswatch later read that I was 6m35 in that first mile, just
a bit fast for me. Even more interesting, I saw
ahead of me less than 60-70 runners.
“Hmm,” I thought with a slight chuckle, “I’ve just overtaken over a thousand
runners in less than a mile. Settle in,
the course is going to heat up.”
REHYDRATE
“Never miss an opportunity to hydrate, but don’t dilly-dally
at the aid station.”
When I first started running long distances, I would
stop/halt at an aid station, take the cup and drink it whole. Then restart my engine and go. Over the years, I found that to be very
inefficient. Not just the stopping, but
the entire intake process.
I figured that to get from one station to another, I’d
probably need 6-8oz of water. Typically
aid stations hand out cups about 10-12oz.
So, even if you spill 4-6oz, you still get what you need. I had learned that if you take the first cup
at the head of the water line, you could get another cup if necessary at towards
the end of the line.
I also thought of way to keep as much water in the cup as
possible.
If I grabbed the cup from the
middle then worked my hand to pinch the rim, I could funnel the water into my
mouth.
But the last most important step
in quick aid station hydration is to tilt the entire head back pour it right
down my mouth/throat.
Close the lips, tilt
your head to the normal position and drink up.
Dump the cup and go.
That’s 6-10oz
in less than 2 second.
 |
Passing Runners like Friday Los Angeles Freeway
Rush Hour Traffic |
THE SCENIC ROUTE
The 2nd through 4th NMs are out of a
Southern living country magazine. You
pass by Admiral’s homes, split a golf course on both sides of the road, then a
mile of horses and undulations leading to Navy Lake.
I already knew the elites were at least ½ a mile ahead. I could see some pulling away. Young guys in their prime, they were like
gazelles as they ran by the horse pastures in the distance. But they weren’t my targets, the course and
the runner in front of me were.
I kept a pace that continued to pass runners. I was getting into the tier of runners who were
either running buddies or circuit competitors.
Guys I trained with during the year. Each pass of a friend, I’d say, “Great Job”
or “Let’s Go”. They responded with
reciprocal kindness. Then I’d give them
a quick grin and burst forward. One of
my friends (Mike) a couple days later would tell me, “Rome, you passed, and
then saw you keep going. Your running
form was so smooth.” To me, that’s one
of the highest accolades another runner could ever bestow upon me.
The Navy Lakes undulations came. People sometimes take these undulations like
hills. Truth is they aren’t hills at
all. They are rolling terrain. To me a hill exerts a bit more energy and you
have to slow down a bit to rev into a harder gear. The runners just ahead of me would rush the
undulation with so much power trying to kill the “hill”. Then on the down slope, slow themselves down
by slamming their heels into the ground, almost in a breaking motion. “My God, that looks painful I thought.”
I took a floating approach to it.
When the first up undulation comes, keep the
rate of my cadence the same.
Sure, I’ll
slow down by a second on the up-tick, but if the cadence is the same, gravity
will let me roll down giving me back 3 seconds.
When the second undulation comes, maintain the cadence and it’s like
giving you a rolling start upward.
In
just that 50 yard segment, I passed 5-10 runners.
CHURCH DOGS
After Navy Lake, there is a right turn at a Baptist
Church. For some odd reason, dogs come
out to attack me during training just before reaching that church. It’s as if the hounds of hell come out to
prevent me from getting to that church and that turn. But once you get past them, make the right
past the church and onto that straight away, it is heavenly. It’s called Bethel Road, a 2 mile stretch of
shade, two aid stations, the midway point sensor, and, oh yeah, a 100 foot
smooth elevation declination. Just lean
forward and feel the speed.
As the 5th aid station (midway) approached, I
snapped off a gel pack jamming 100 calories of GU into my mouth. Imagine a condiment catsup packet but packed
with a honey type liquid that you squeeze into your mouth. That’s quick refueling. However, I have to do it about a quarter mile
from the next aid station so I can gulp it down with liquids. As soon as the gel gets to work, the body
feels that fuel and energy is boosted back up.
All of this fueling is literally done on the run because you can’t stop.
Down Bethel, I was continuing to catching runners who kept
literally standing up as if to break into the ground. I looked over at one competitor I passed; his
head was way back, gasping for air. He
was both inefficient and didn’t use the course to his advantage. “Bro, we’re going downhill,” I wanted to tell
him. I got to the halfway point and
camera man smiling. I’m alive and some
guys are dying out and we aren’t even at the hard part yet.
After Bethel Road, there’s a right turn onto one mile of
Navy Road.
It’s rather comical to be on
that road.
Just after the turn is an aid
station for water/electrolyte drinks; there is also a group giving out free
beer only 50 yards beyond the aid station.
At the aid station you have a very loud Chief Petty Officer yelling
motivation at the top of his lungs while the chants of free beer are being sung
by roadside partiers.
The duality of it
all made me laugh as I passed them all heading into the base gates.
GATES OF HEAT
The entrance into to base is not actually a common
entrance. It is a closed entrance. It is only open during emergencies and the
10NM race. After being stationed on the
base for 5 years, it's one of those special feelings to go through. The gate has a check point for both security
and time chip check where the magnetic scanner looks for your bib and records
your time into the base as well as when you leave the base.
The first area past the gates is housing. Nice little homes resembling suburbia. Kids ambush runners with squirt guns; it’s
actually a refreshing water assault. The
roads weave a bit under the cover of large trees and embracing shade.
Once out of the housing area, runners skirt the security
fence-line. The security fence-line
provides a glimpse of Navy Road and other runners who were approaching the
gate. Some runners with smiling faces
ready to take on the hottest point of the race.
After a few moments east, the paved trail curves south with an aid
station just as runners run down the long corridor. The mile-long corridor is flat but offers no
shade. After training on it a few times,
especially on hot days, the best way to race it is to be patient. Putting on speed or attempting to hunt on
it will zap energy leaving even the fittest runner walking. I maintained my speed and cadence, and as
predicted three competitors (much younger) dropped to a walking pace. When I trailed them, I knew they would “blow
up their engines” from the tension in their shoulders and head droop. But as I passed, I knew that feeling and
tried to uplift them with a “Good Job” and “C’mon”. Regardless of wanting to win, runners give
their best to a race, respect it.
RACING THE DEER
Right turn, 8NM and the fence line on the very south edge of
the course. Weeks prior to this race a
young deer was in the distance. I was
able to come within 10 feet of it before it got spooked. The deer did not immediately bolt; it would
take off a few yards, stop then look (or wait) for me, and then take off
again. It was as if it wanted me to race
or chase it. Although I never got close
enough, it was a great exhilaration to match speed.
Today there would be no deer but a few more rabbits left to
track. The southern edge gave me the sun
behind my back and the vision and energy to hunt hard. I was able to track two last rabbits on that
1/4mile stretch.
In sight were only a few runners but at a great
distance. Let’s see what I got
left.
RUNNING ON EMPTY
“Gotta do what you can just to keep your love alive. Trying not to confuse it with what you do to
survive.”– Jackson Browne
My music is packed with an eclectic array of artist. But there is one thing they have in
common. They are 90 or 180 Beats per
minute (BPM). It’s how I keep (or
attempt) to keep cadence. I was very
meticulous on the order of music on my playlist that day. I thought of each stage of the race and
estimated where I would be as the music started. For instance, at the beginning, I needed to
get excited so I chose “Counting Stars" by One Republic. During the long 2mile Bethel stretch, I’ll
have “Dancing with Myself” by Billy Idol.
And, going into the base I chose “I’m Like a Bird” by Nelly Furtado. I chose music that was uplifting yet meaningful
to that stage of the race. I put together a play list that would only be 1Hr 24min.
I was now going north on Singleton, the base’s main road which would lead back to the entrance/exit
of the base. The song was now “Running
on Empty” by Jackson Browne. Perfect.
The song itself to me is not about running out of gas. It’s about pushing myself to a different
level, to give every ounce into the race, and facing fears in life that need to be conquered.
“Everyone I know, everywhere I go.
People need some reason to believe.
I don't know about anyone but me.”
I love this. People
may hate racing in the sun and 90° weather. But I Loved It! My body was ready and it was responding.
I couldn’t hear the last runner I passed at the southern
edge anymore, he must have died out and was way back. But on Singleton, it was just me
and Jackson Browne running to get that next target who was at an almost
insurmountable distance. But I was going
to try.
“Looking out at the road rushing under my wheels. I don't know how to tell you all just how
crazy this life feels. Look around for
the friends that I used to turn to to pull me through. Looking into their eyes I see them running
too”
I was behind maybe at 400-500 yards, then 100 by the time
the runner exited the gate. I finally
got in view to realize the runner was a Woman.
“Honey you really tempt me, You know the way you look so kind. I'd love to stick around but I'm running
behind. You know I don't even know what
I'm hoping to find. Running into the sun
but I'm running behind”
She would be my last target of the day.
HOMESTRETCH
Singleton slopes up
as you leave the base. It’s not so much
a hill as much as an incline which gets you out the gates and the 9NM flag,
“The last NM of the Day.”
 |
| Beginning and End of Course |
As I was exiting the gate, I noticed a large group of
runners beginning their trek into the base.
“Good luck at the fence line,” I thought, but my mind immediately
shifted to the task at hand.
There was one last target I could possibly get and she was
100 yards downrange. She wasn’t moving
slow. In fact she was going very
fast. However, I had practiced this kick
for 4 months. It was time to use it.
All that was left were 1/2 mile then a left turn, another 300 and another left turn,
and finally 400 yards up a slope to the finish. She
was at 80 yards by the time she got to the first left turn. The runner ahead of her was too far to even
consider. My music was blaring
“Pressure” by Billy Joel, yet I just kept it in the back of my mind. “This is not pressure,” I continually
reminded myself, “Run free, flow to the end but put some Damn gas on!”
She was at 50 yards by the time I got to the first
turn. “C’mon Rome, You can get the Bruja!”
Through “Bruja” in Spanish means “Witch”, it’s not a call out or insult
towards that female competitor.
* At the
100 Mile Leadville 1994 race, Ultra-marathoner Ann Trason led through most of
the race until she was caught by a Tarahumara Indian runner with less than 5 miles left. She was called “The Bruja” by the
Tarahumara for her magical abilities in running. After the race, a reporter asked her how she
felt to be so close to winning. Her reply, “Sometimes it takes a WOMAN to bring
out the Best in a Man.”
The woman, this “Bruja”, was bringing out the best in
me. I was still gaining ground until the last
turn.
She reached the last left turn. I was only 30 yards away from her with less
than 300 yards to go. But as she rounded,
she caught a glimpse. I saw it, her eye on me.
Just in the fraction of a second and the Bruja would not be caught. I was only 20 yards behind her as I made my turn; she churned faster to match my speed. Simple
math, two objects at equal speed, the back one will never catch up.
I let it go and thought, “Hey, she beat me to the line, but
I know I got her on the Chip.” Later I
would find out that the woman won overall female while I (despite finishing in
the back) gained 1m20sec on her to actually beat her chip time. However the
fact remained, I didn’t get my last rabbit.
 |
| Gliding into the Finish Line |
A CROSSING
The sorrow of not getting “The Bruja” was shortened by the
exhilaration of the final few feet to the finish.
The announcer had called my name.
“Here Comes #246, Row-maaa-del
Deelaz-Uhlas from Drummonds Tennessee.” Luckily he didn’t butcher my name too bad
like most Southern Gentlemen announcers.
But he added something special as I approached, “Ladies and Gentlemen.
This runner started the race dead last in the back and here he is finishing
with the top runners.” My moment of Redemption for the 10NM 2014 was realized.
I had finished strong! The song on my Smartphone belted out "Remember the Name" by Fort Minor. Right on time.
I glided in looking at the clock reading 1:23:42. I immediately went to my wrist to stop the
watch. It read 1:22:05 meaning there was
a minute and 37 seconds difference between the starting gun.
I did not win; I was not the overall winner. I didn’t
care. The winner was 12 minutes earlier
than me and already sucking down bananas and a beer. Ten other runners crossed before I did,
including the woman (her actually name was Brittany). I was on a high. I was at the finish and raced better than I
did in almost 30 years since being a runner-up in the 1986 Washington State
4x100M relay Championship.
I waited at the line to receive the next finisher. It is my custom and my belief in
sportsmanship that competitors should shake the person who beat them and the
person they just beat. I would have to
wait 2 minutes before a 56 year old runner named Bob crossed. I shook his hand in congratulations. I would later learn that Bob had won his Age
Group.
There were 1276 runners at the race, I tracked down 1267.
COMPLETE
I gathered my after-race gear to change into shorts, T-shirt,
and flip-flops. No need being nasty even
though everyone else might be sweaty. I
took a glance at the results board and printed out my results.
With a grin, I found that I had finished 8
th
overall. Two elite guys my age got #1 and #3 in the Masters Division. I
won the 45-49 Age Group Division.
I thought it would have been nice for an Age Group podium spot (2
nd or 3
rd) but got a division win instead.
Needless to say, I was elated, but refused to
be boastful.
I had to wait almost 2 hours until the awards ceremony. I tried to drink a beer but my beer didn't go down well in my sensitive fuel tank. As runners came in, they would ask
how I did or remark, “Hey you’re that crazy little guy darting around everyone
at the start. How’d you do?” Sheepishly, I’d reply, “I did Okay.”
When it was time to receive the 45-49 Age Group award, I
stood atop the podium. I took a quick
picture with the 2nd place runner and the Commanding Officer. I mentioned to him, that it was a great race
and that I finished this race a year ago in 2hrs20min. He was astounded. He asked how I accomplished the improvement? I replied, “Lose 40lbs and run.”
I had just enough time to make it to church. I walked to my car and saw a good friend,
Walt. He said, “That was amazing, what a
Beast to win and get that kind of time.”
I replied, “Walt, I didn’t come here to place or shoot for a time. No, I came here to Burn this course which
crushed me last year.” Then I got in the
car and drove to church to Thank God for a pretty good day.
EPILOGUE
I went a year to prepare for this race. However, the race never ends. In fact, for every race that ends, training
begins in preparation for the next race.
It’s a chance to do better and make greater goals. It’s an opportunity to take stock in what is
possible when what was impossible was overcome.
It’s also the chance to improve when goals aren’t met. It’s a time to ask, “Where do I need to
improve to get to that goal?”
Goal for Greatness! Your PERSONAL GREATNESS! If you goal for mediocrity, don't be angry when you reach it.
After finishing a race is not the time to say, I can Never be as good as (insert
here). The worst possible idea for any
runner/athlete at any level is DISBELIEF. "I can’t, I’ll never, I won’t."
Fine, if your goal is to stay where you are, then stay unchanged. Shoot for the Ground! It’s easier that way.
If you want to get to the next level you must Believe in It! Work, train, fight and love it.
No one can tell you how good you can be. Others will never know. That's why they call it "Self-Actualization." Seeing yourself at where you want to be and getting there.
Family, Friends, and Coaches can only help you. Don't be confused with them doing it for you. They cannot carry you 3.1, 6.2, 11.51, 13.1, or 26.2 miles. They can't even lift you one foot. This is your passion, GO GET IT!
There will be “Naysayers,” in my case, some Navy E8 in
Florida. I can only give them love. As I say, “With every positive result, I “LOVE”
that they have to shut-up." This leads
me to Motivation.
I joke about the Naysayers, but that’s not a reason, at least not a positive reason. The reason has to be something in you that
makes you want to get out there and give your best. It makes you get up and go. It can be to set an example. It can be to be healthy. In my case it’s a Grandfather whom God took
away in 2000. My Grandfather who wouldn’t
be able to walk for 15 years to his death.
I run because the gift of walking was taken from him.
Lastly, Enjoy that Gift.
Someday you won’t walk. Is today
that day? If it isn’t don’t waste
it. It’s your gift to enjoy.
