After a few miles walking I again felt the pain near my ribs, which meant that it would probably be hours more before my water level was back to normal. During this time I stopped drinking, but my appetite was large, so I ate a lot at the aid stations. Around 3:00am the temperature dropped to the upper 40's with a stiff wind. I was walking with only a singlet and shorts and was getting chilled, and my legs were stiff from the prolonged break from running. I decided that it would be wise to stop my race at the 46 mile aid station. Walking casually for 3 hours had given me the time to think things through :
1) I had accidentally drank too much. I only drink when thirsty, and don't follow a schedule for when to drink, but this time my body overcompensated, probably because 95% of my runs during the past 3 months have been in hot and humid conditions. Race day was breezy and cool with low humidity, so the water, lemonade, and V8 I drank was overkill, and it settled into my stomach without being absorbed.
2) The excess liquid I heard bouncing in my gut with each stride had extended the size of my stomach, which now bumped against my ribs when running/walking. This caused the pain I was feeling in that area.
3) I had to decide if the stomach banging on the rib cage would cause damage to my stomach and any other organs. Since I was feeling pain, I believed that the potential for serious harm did exist.
4) Having given my body 3 hours to process the water, and seeing no improvement, I decided the best thing to do was drop from the race and try again another time.
So that is what I did, I dropped at the 46 mile aid station. A nice couple were there waiting for their son to pass through for his final 100k loop, and they offered to drive me back to the start line. When I got back to my camp site I slept in the tent for two hours, then packed up at dawn and drove home.
I have no regrets about my decision, it was the right thing to do. I don't feel sad about not finishing, as I predicted a 10% chance of completing the course. I tried my best, which was the main goal, I focused, ran smart, and was well trained. I made the mistake of drinking too much, but that had never occurred before, so I was not looking out for that problem. It is a lesson learned and I will now remember to drink moderately when running a long race if the conditions are cool and I am not sweating.
Other than the stomach bloat, everything else went well. I ran an easy, slow pace, hit the first 16.7 miles in 3:30, finished the 2nd loop in 3:34, and was running the same pace in the third loop until I had to walk for 3 hours. My legs were slightly sore by mile 35, but nothing too bad.
The course was great, and I loved running at night. My headlamp was bright enough, but the batteries died after only 5 hours. As the light dimmed on the bulb I tripped on a root I could not see and fell. The path was sandy and it was like landing on a beach, so no harm was sustained. I ran/walked from 4:00pm to 4:30am, I wanted to see the sunrise, but maybe next time.
It is now 2 days after the race and my legs are sore, but I can see that they will recover within a week. My stomach is still sore in the area below the ribs, so I am glad I stopped when I did. This was to be my last race of the season, but since I will most likely make a fast recovery I am thinking about running Farmdale (50 miles), and the McNotAgain 30 miler in October. November-December will be time off from training.
I would like to try another 100 mile race, but that will have to wait until next summer. If I can stay healthy this winter and start soft training in January, I would like to participate in the Kettle Moraine 100 in June.
It is exciting to attempt something which is not easy to achieve. It may take years of trying before I complete a 100 mile race. I am looking forward to the challenge and the adventure.
