It is finally over! We had been training pretty hard for this race - some heat training, a lot of long distance endurance training, and finally it's here! This last weekend, Hannah and I raced in the Titletown 15.5-hour Ultra. We had two goals in mind - we were planning to first reach 50 miles, and if time and energy permits, we were going to try to complete 100K.
The race started at 5.08am, and we were supposed to run until sunset (15.5 hours), or whenever we gave up. There were also 6-hour and a 8-hour races as well. The weather was perfect for the race - we had expected to be very warm (thus all the heat training) but it turned out to be pretty cool throughout the day. The only miserable part of the day was when it thunderstorm for about 15 mins, drenching us throughout.
Everything was going very well. Both Hannah and I were making good time, and we were feeling pretty good. At around 40 miles, my knee started to hurt really bad - I had the same old injury for months, and this was what was worrying me. I knew I would slow Hannah down, and told her to go ahead. I had to start walking when my knee hurt so much that I could no longer run. However, I was pretty stubborn, and decided that no matter how much it hurt, I am going to finish the first goal - 50 miles. So I literally limped for the next 12 miles, and finished the race at 52.25 miles in 13 hours, coming in position 24 among the 51 runners in the 15.5-hour race.
Hannah was doing very well - she was making good time, and I was confident she would be able to make the 100 K mark! Grace was pacing Hannah in the last 16 miles, but somehow Hannah got her second wind (or I would think it was the last wind :P) and abandoned Grace in the last 2 miles. Hannah completed the race around 15 hours 25 mins, making a total distance of 66.5 miles, gaining her the second position in the overall women! I am so proud of her :)
We were very grateful that Grace was there again to help us through the race - she kept us updated on our timing, gave us food/ drinks and encouragement. We were grateful to Hannah's parents for taking care of Jet and Lilith so that we could get a good night's sleep before and after the race... And all the volunteers at the race were great - Watermelon Grandma/ Grandpa, the organizers, the Chicago Flatlanders (for the pizza and whiskey shot), Elvis that sang to us on the trail, the sports message therapist for helping me with my sore muscle and painful knee. Thank you all...
And now, we got a great coffee cup to remember that we made it in the Titletown 15.5 hour Ultra, every morning when we drink our coffee :)
