Thread by @jenrunsup

How do u go from qualifying for Boston to running 100 miles? For me it was skin cancer, Covid, & a crazy ultrarunning trail partner. I've had time to mentally chew on bite-size pieces of my trek. See LONG thread for result (not sorry)... #ultrarunner #running @redtailseminole

*0-13 miles*
Heart pounding out of my chest out of pure excitement. Such a huge build up to such a huge personal goal. "Go sloooow to go far" and stop every 5k to snack and drink

*14-26 miles*
Body check: Amazing. "I'm doing the thing!" View check: Beautiful fall foliage. "I ❤ being outside!" Strategy check: crew told me to walk up the hills. Tried on 3 diff occasions & couldn't. Seemed easier to run up. There's that atmospheric moisture I was promised.

*15-30 miles*
"Enjoy the journey," I say to myself, but can I get to 50 miles already?! Rain, baby, rain
*31-50 miles*
"CARISSA!" My road running buddy arrived to help keep me going strong. Stopped at 50k to change socks & shoes. Feet were white prunes. Rain was there to stay.

My fam arrived to see me cross the 50 mark. Fatigue began to creep in at this point. At mi 50 I elevated my feet, rolled my legs, & ate a baked potato, protein shake, grapes, & cookie. Said bye to my fam. Now for the real work. Darkness joined the rain.

*51-75 miles*
I began getting angry because my trail partner was only about 6 miles behind me running through ankle deep water on an aggressive trail. I chose to stay on the blacktop to hit my first HUGE mileage goal.

When he stopped to change, I decided to skip two tent breaks to get further ahead of him (Yeah, I'm not competitive). Carissa stopped running with me to be ready to run with me later on. At this point, my feet were on fire.

The rain & the compression socks I changed into earlier caused terrible blisters to develop on the tops & sides of my feet. Did I stop? No. Should I have? Yes! Learn from my ways, y'all. I'd never experienced such nonsense.

I SHOULD have ditched those socks & tended the blisters. I was concerned about my motherhood induced varicose veins flaring up. Focusing on preventing one problem, created a different one. I neglected the source of my pain. Deal with what's at hand!

I began to get slightly delusional at 2 am. I laid down to give my feet relief. Coolness attacked my bones and made my body shiver uncontrollably. My dear friends told me to change, but I refused. Said there was no use since I was going to get wet again.

When I stood up to dance with the rain, dizziness and nausea pulled me back down. My trail partner told me my body was telling me to rest longer. I rolled my eyes and cursed him under my breath. I was not in a good spot mentally.

A gingerale & pickles later, my body normalized. Before my episode I downed a protein shake & ibprophen. I never take medicine. My knees & ankles were swelling & feet still felt fiery. The big blisters poped on their own. Every step felt like sandpaper on an open wound.

I'm guessing the pills on an empty-ish stomach caused some of the discomfort or maybe I simply needed more salt. Before starting again my three amazing girl friends stripped me down against my will and put dry clothes on me. I was grateful afterwards. Tough love is the best love.

To be continued... 🙃

*76-90 miles*
Oh no! I fell asleep. 10 min turned into 40+ min. No way I'm hitting 100 in 24 hrs. Note to self: set alarm no matter what.
Every time I stopped for an extended period of time, I did not think I would be able to resume running again. Mentally, yes. Physically, no.

I'd never felt the knee swelling like I had that night. I learned that if I started moving (no matter how it felt), my legs would eventually wake up. It was SO hard walking! It was SO hard running at a snail's pace!! But miles later, my pace inevitably would picked back up.

The final 8 mi in this block were my favorite. Carissa began running with me again. Somehow I managed to pick my pace up into the 8-9 min range to hit 90 miles by the 24 hr mark (I was told it was only 89 but later they came back & said 90, it was soul crushing at the time).

At this point I felt exhausted but strong, smooth, and capable of anything. The storm and real test of my training was about to hit FULL FORCE. Would I crumble at the end???

*Miles 91-100*
THREE extra hours is what it took to run a distance I can easily run on a weekday morning. It took me about an hour to pull myself together enough to continue past 24 hours. I was spent. I sat in the chair watching others grind on.

Every muscle in my body ached, even my arms. 90 miles was good, but 100 miles is I set out to conquer. Slowly and painfully I shuffled and at mile 95 I cracked. Five more miles seemed like another hundred. I sat down again. I watched others grind on.

My trail partner asked me if I wanted him to draw a line on the road and say, "This is where Jennifer quit"? I hated him for it. Pissed beyond words, I glared at him and got up. My sister walked with me for a half mile. I slowly jogged another half mile.

My road running buddy tried to run with me. I told her I needed to do the rest by myself. I ran in silence. I began to sob uncontrollably. Another half mile down. I saw my crew and wiped my eyes. I avoided eye contact. Three miles left. Suck it up and get it done.

Pace picked up back into the 8-9 mm range again. My feet went numb and I felt no pain. I was gliding on air. Breathe in. Breathe out. Control. Strength. Then, it happened: I was present in time and space and yet I was outside of it simultaneously. It was a transcendental moment.

Adrenaline kicked in. With 1 mile left to go, I cried again. The race director looked at me & said, "Finish, then we'll cry together." I melted into my trail partners arms at the end. I painfully walked over & rang the bell. It was done. I was done. 100 miles in 27 hours flat.

If you hung with me this far, you deserve a two gold star and a double high five!!!! 🌟🌟🙌🏻🙌🏻