2021 Jackalope Jam Virtual 72hr - 101 Miles

The Background

Finishing the Snowdrop Ultra 55 Hour 100 miler was a breakthrough for me, and after some time off I followed it up with the Brontosaurus Virtual Marathon.

I had planned to do two more virtual marathons leading up to another 100 mile virtual run during spring break.  But work got stressful and tiring. I was weary.  I bailed on one marathon attempt.

Nevertheless, I did keep up a bare minimum of fitness, running the 1.9 mile loop around my neighborhood regularly.

I had told some people I was going to run 101 miles over Spring Break - not as a brag, but as a trick to motivate myself to actually finish.  This would be the Jackalope Jam 72hr Virtual Race.

I had chosen Government Canyon State Natural Area for the Hill Country terrain. It was a good choice because of the miles of trails and interesting features.  Driving up on Monday and camping, I was set to race on Tuesday.

Day 1

Day 1 was humid and overcast but not too hot.

Government Canyon has some relatively smooth trails in the Front Country, the 5-mile Lytle's Loop and the 2-mile Savannah Loop.  But even these had a lot of rocks.  I ran for 2 miles on these, then switched to hiking.

I wasn't really motivated...I was feeling some of that existential depression that leads me to run in the first place, and I felt like giving up. If I hadn't told people what I was running, I might have quit or switched to a shorter distance.  But I went on, hiking.

I headed to the Back Country, which has steep, rocky trails like Bandera.  First, I headed up Joe Johnston's Route, a three mile trail leading to dinosaur tracks.  One set of tracks was submerged, the other visible.  Amazing to see the footprints of dinosaurs from millions of years ago!

Less than a mile up the trail is the Zemelman House. Built in the 1880s, no one knows its purpose and it was never lived in.

Next I took the 2.5-mile Caroline's Loop and the the 1-mile Overlook Trail, which runs across a cliff overlooking the dinosaur tracks.

Then I headed down the 4.5-mile Sendero Balcones, an up-and-down, very rocky trail. By this point I was 18 miles in and hitting a low, my pace slowing to 20+ minute miles.  Again, I thought of dropping but pressed on.  

Reaching camp at 22 miles, I focused on the smoother, Front Country trails to make time in my low state.  I did two 5-mile loops on Lytle's, then went out on Savannah's to make it to 34 miles.

My Plan A was to treat this like a 36-hour hundred miler and push through with minimal breaks.  The way I felt, finishing 101 miles at all would be a victory. So, a third of the way through I stopped for the day.  

The showers next to my camp were under renovation so I washed off with a garden hose.  I drove to In-and-Out Burger and ate, then played scrabble online before sleeping.

Day 2

Day 2 was clear skies, getting slightly hot in the afternoon.

I started off on the Far Reaches trail, a 3-mile, long, uphill climb past a Sotol Overlook. 

Then I headed across the 1.5-mile Wildcat Canyon trail, then went to the Bluff Spurs, a short trail with a couple of canyon overlooks. I was feeling pretty good at this point.

I hit a low at around 46 miles in, and did the Savannah Loop, taking a couple of long breaks.

At mile 51, I hit another low by the Zemelman House, stopping on a bench to lie and rest. Reaching camp at 57 miles, I rested again, then did the Lytle's and Savannah loops to get to 67.5 miles.

This time I headed to Cane's for food. The night was very windy; the tent shook.

Day 3

Waking up on Day 3, two-thirds done, my spirits finally lifted. Even though I had blisters on both pinky toes, I could move.   I headed up Sendero Balcones, having fun rock hopping and mentally planning other races.  I headed back down Joe Johnston, reaching camp at 82 miles.  

Then I headed back up the Far Reaches.  I had debated doing Caroline's Loop again, but I was starting to get low.  I crossed over Little Windmill, then back over the long downhill of Twin Oaks.  Heading back down Joe Johnston, I reached camp at 95 miles.

Mile 95

5.7 miles left. I headed up the Far Reaches, then turned back around, hitting camp at 100.  I actually ran mile 99 as the sun set.

Mile 98

Using a trick I learned at virtuals, I hosed off and changed, burning up .25 miles moving around with my watch on. My feet were swollen, barely fitting into my regular shoes.

I headed down the park road, flashlight in hand, looking up at a crescent moon and the stars. Then at 101 miles I was done.  

101 Miles Done

I had used up all the time for my campsite, so I drove home, listening to the Beatles Revolver, Magical Mystery Tour, and Please Please Me, getting home at 1am.

Reflections

Six years trying to finish a 100 miler, then two done in three months.  Who would have thought?

I haven't really made any progress since Snowdrop.  In fact, I slept all night on night 2 as opposed to a quick nap, which led to a 60:32 finish instead of 47 hours at Snowdrop. 

But I got it done and didn't give up.

Using a hydration pack instead of bottles worked out.  I'll probably do it again.

This race reminded me of why I love racing in the Hill Country, rock hopping.  Good news is this was perfect practice for Cactus Rose with its 60 hour cutoff.  I basically did exactly what I need to do to finish that one on the same terrain.  I wasn't trying at all to my manage sleep.

I still want to do a 100 miler where I don't sleep all night, just short naps maybe, and run more to get in under 36 hours.  At Cactus? Who knows?

But I'm a 100 mile runner again.  It feels good.

Thanks to Rob Goyen and Trail Racing Over Texas for the race and  Terri and Cesar for the emotional support!

Results
 

Strava Part 1

Strava Part 2

Strava Part 3