Loopty Loops RECAP

 "I thought I was broken but you were breaking ground on me." Tasha Layton

2 years to the DAY later. 

 

Loopty Loops 12 hour Ultra

Course: 3 mile trail at Bloomer Park

Start: 7am

Object: To get the most loops in before 8pm, but you must starrt last loop by 7pm. 

The plan: to run my first 7 loops (21 miles) at 33-36 minutes. Next 7 loops 40-45. Then assess my time, body and go from there.  

It took 2 years. 2 years of fighting, clawing, begging, crying, praying to feel. 

To feel pain, to feel accomplishment, to feel alive, to feel that all that hell was defeated. 

Loopty Loops would be my first ultra that I would lay it all out there. All the fighting, all the recovery, all the training, all the work I have put in, all the prayers, all my faith and all I had, I would give. 

I decided I would just run, run till my legs fell off, then find a way to put them back on and RUN some more. To run with joy, to run with gratitude, to run on purpose, to run for pain but to run with everything I had and to run with everything I didn't. 

I had nothing to prove to ANYONE. 

I had everything to prove to MYSELF. 

The race started at 7am thick with humidity. Everybody took off into the woods with me trailing in the back of the pack. 

I was not my normal obnoxious self.  Even in the midst of all the runners I felt introverted. I had many friends there but I started alone. 

As we entered the woods I realized Ryan L was in front of me. We chatted a bit but I was uncharacteristically quite. 

Loops 2: Lacey was running the 8 hour, her start time was 7:30am. She was a breath of fresh air standing there waiting for me. 

Before coming into the loop it had started to rain. Andy gave me a hat and cheered us on. 

It rained and rained. We found our groove splashing each other, jumping in the puddles and keeping pace. 

Lacey took a little break and sat a loop out. 

So I picked up my pace. I came in that loop at 32 minutes. Andy came out with the biggest SH!% eating grin, "I KNEW IT! I knew you were going to come through this loop under paced!"  

Lacey jumped back in with me. 

The rain had stopped, but the air was thicker then snot. Running in the heat has always been my super power. 

I ate and drank as much as I could, pickle juice, pickles, pizza, Pringles, Roll-ups, cheese quesadillas, Ucan, watermelon. I new I had to keep on it. 

I never used the port-a jons to pee, that's the beauty of trail running! The best was Lacey getting caught peeing by a runner, squatting on the side of the trail, I couldn't stop laughing! 

Somewhere I fell apart. As we came into a loop Mom and dad were there and I was a mess. I could see the look of panic on moms face. I tried so hard to look better but I couldnt disguise it. Mom had to leave, it hurts her to see me that way. She would come back. 

Nothing last forever. Lacey went over her goal  of running a marathon and did a 50K! She ran so good but now I had to dial it in. 

I had 37 miles and was running solo back on the trails. I had everything I needed, my music was blasting old school Grease soundtrack as I found a second wind. 

Andy discovered he could pace me after 4 pm. Mom and dad came back and I felt so much better, or at least faked it better! 

Andy the whole day had been keeping track of all my loops, taking care of my needs. I was no longer counting my loops, I had my watch on the time. I was dialed into trying my laps in so I could go back out at 7pm. 

I came in so pumped. The aid stations would cheer me on, Andy was grabbing me ginger ale for my belly issue and I rushed through to another loop. 

As I came in he jumped in to run with me. I was so excited. 

I think it was loop 17 Antonio jumped in with us. I was so elated. I was getting tired and my body was beginning to hurt. 

My brain wasn't calculating correctly. I was trying to compute my time for the laps but it was all foggy. Antonio was able to decipher my thoughts and did some quick math, "Anita, you have to get through this loops in 42 minutes...." 

"Pick up the pace..." I responded. 

Game on. 

I picked up the pace, Andy and Antonio dropped and I was alone to bring in the last couple loops. 

Most of the runners were done. I had made the time to hit the last loop. Everyone was so encouraging. People were clapping and cheering me on as I went out for my final loop, 6:58pm. 

I had an hour, my legs were cramping and I was scared I was going to have to walk. 

Then the thunder rolled. The lightning crashed. Walking 3 miles was no longer an option. I was genuinely nervous. I tried to run but felt my hamstrings started spasming. I prayed. 

I prayed a lot that last loop. And by the grace of God, with the woods storming behind me I finished. 

CHARACTERS: 

Lacey: So proud of her. She ran her little heart out, running her farthest trail run ever. She actually signed up for this race FIRST, and talked me into it! I love this girl. 

JOE:

This guy always makes me laugh, This was the text I got from him the night before, "Picked up your loopty bib and chucked it in the dumpster when I grabbed mine. Save you some disappointment.:)"

JOE tell Lacey "My only job is to beat Anita..." Joe did awesome. He only has one lung we found out. He was struggling to breath. I came into a loop and he was standing there with 2 black eyes. "JOE! what happened?!" I asked panicked he broke the bloods vessels in his eyes as a symptom of over exertion. YEAH, NOPE! He let Antonio's daughters put make up on him! 

Andy: Andy hasn't crewed me in a long time. He is so meticulous. We had our tent and the Complete Runner tent, he brought 2 tables, food, chairs, towels, the Theragun, ibuprofen and the list goes on. He was there almost every loop taking care of not just me but a lot of us runners.  

He jumped in to pace me at the last minute not knowing he could. He pushed me knowing I could do more than I thought. He had the biggest grin as I came in those last two laps. His smile for me was priceless. 

Nicole: It was her first go at 50 miles, and a trail run and she rocked it out! 

Ryan L: This guy is the most humble runner I know. He has such an amazing story. I love watching him run. He is so disciplined. He is one of the most polite runners I know. He did amazing running over 50 miles preparing him for Hennipen in the fall. 

Sean C.:

I have ran a few races with Sean. I saw him several times on the course, always smiling. We heard ice cream truck music in the woods, we thought we were hallucinating! Sure enough there was Valerie and another volunteer like angels with POPSCICLES! It was like mana from heaven! 

Mom and Dad: Do you have someone in you life you think "Why do they love me so much?" I think about them loving the way they do and I am in awe. So grateful for them always chasing me around, encouraging me, cheering for me, believing in me and supporting me. I love them so much. 

Antonio: I was coming out of the woods some loop around 4 pm and I heard him singing into a microphone. I couldn't quit smiling! 

Then next I knew he was running and pacing me. He was thinking for me and my goal became his mission. 

Great JOB out there, Christina and Brian, Brian ran his first 50K! Congrats to Claudia and Matt, Mark and Shirley and all those I am forgetting. 

Big thank you to Geneva and all the volunteers. The volunteers were so amazing.  

 "I thought I was broken but you were breaking ground on me." Tasha Layton 

So I never knew how many loops I was doing. I wanted to run not afraid of chemo, or injuries, or surgeries, 

I wanted to run with nothing left in me but my faith in God, with the strength He would give me. 

I wanted nothing left. 

I had no idea when I finished that I would end up first place OVERALL. 

I just couldn't process it. I haven't really posted anything about it until now. 

"Anita, can I just have 90 seconds of your time..." A woman I didn't know asked to talk to me as I was coming through the aid station...

Nikki P. pulled me side to share that she had 6 more treatments to go, TNBC. I felt the tears well up and just reached into to hold her. 

We FIGHT. We go another round, we never give up. And when its not our fight we get in the ring and help others fight. 

So many times I thought I couldn't go, broken...But God was breaking ground on me. 

Anita