Round and Round - The Hamster Endurance Runs

Cute hamster fun my mommy got me long ago

Not their logo - one of  our hammies

"Round and round, what comes around goes around..."  If you're like me and you remember 80's rock music with fondness, you just sang those words, made famous by the group Ratt.  It's a great theme song for a 12 hour loop course.  It's an even better song for a loop course like the Hamster Endurance Run.  Why?  Because their logo is a hamster running round and round on its wheel.

I've always loved Hamsters.  I got my first one when I was 8 and my most recent one when I was, oh, 40?  I blamed the hamster ownership on my kids but really, all hamsters in this house have been mine.  Shhh ... don't tell my kids.  Anyway, when I saw there was a race called The Hamster Endurance Run and that it had a shirt with a hamster on it, I knew I had to run it.
 It had a 6 hour, 12 hour and 24 hour option.  The 24 hour option was crazy and out.  No way I could do that!  The 6 hour I knew I could run as I'd done one 50K already that took me 6.5 hours and I've also run 5.5 hour marathons. The 6 hour wasn't going to challenge me beyond the normal.  That left me with one final choice, the 12 hour.  Was I really going to run for 12 hours?  I had truly passed over into the crazy.  I hit the sign up button and forked over my cash before posting my crazy goal to facebook.  Accountability at its finest!

Training was not much.  I ran the Vancouver USA Marathon in June and a half marathon in July. With a big vacation trip to Yellowstone in July my running was sporadic, at best.  I basically maintained my marathon fitness and prayed it would pull me through. I wasn't expecting much in way of miles for the race.  But it was a 12 hour which meant, I could stop whenever I needed to and that took lots of the pressure off.

Race morning arrived and I sweet talked my hubby into getting up early with me to drive me to the race start, about 1.5 hours away.  My reasoning for the ride?  I had no idea if I would be physically able to drive myself home after finishing.  It was good reasoning.  My legs were toast at the end!  And besides, I really wanted someone there to see me off in the beginning and cheer me on at the end.  He told me after that he drove home, did some yard work, ate lunch, did some other stuff, ate dinner, and the whole time kept thinking, "She's still running".  Yes, yes, I was.

The entire atmosphere at the beginning was relaxed and friendly.  I chatted with people in the registration line and heard their recounts of their first 12 hours.  It seemed 40-42 miles was average for a first time 12 hour and they all spoke confidently that I could do it.  My "A" goal was 40 miles with my reality "B" goal being a 50K.  Could I really possibly make 40 like these amazing people?  I noticed folks setting up their drop bags around me, more like drop coolers.  Yes, some folks had coolers full of stuff. Others had multiple bags and even camp chairs set up. I looked at my one small bag and towel and wondered if I'd brought enough.  Then I figured the folks with that much stuff must all be doing the 24 hour option.

That's me in the blue shirt, orange scarf with my awesome hubby standing beside me.

The course is a 2.6 mile loop around Lake Padden in Bellingham, WA.  I wondered if I'd get bored after so many loops but the course is really beautiful and the park is busy enough that I found my brain had plenty to keep me occupied and entertained mentally. There was a swim meet going on at the same time that included a 10K swim in the lake, by teens.  Having done a few sprint tri's I was highly impressed by the tenacity of these kids and enjoyed watching them swim while I ran. 10K is a long way to swim!
I found the friendliness of everyone participating also helped the miles and hours fly by.  I was never shy of having someone to talk to and run beside. In addition to the busy atmosphere of the park there are also quieter, forested sections of the route which allowed for quiet respite and solitude.  Really, the course had it all and I found I enjoyed all of it.  I even enjoyed the few rolling hills.  They were a good excuse to walk!

When the race started I reminded myself to go slow.  I executed my plan of run 5 minutes and walk 2 minutes.  This worked pretty good for me for most of the race.  During the hilly portions I did tend to fall into a run the flats/downs and walk the hills strategy instead and there were a couple sections at the end where I resorted to a 1:1 pattern but for the most part, the 5:2 worked great. A few times I stopped to walk with other participants who were walking.  It was great getting to know people and worth the time loss.  I made sure to swing by the food table at every loop as I wanted to be sure I was eating and drinking enough.  Looking back, I know I wasted a ton of time there but, eh, I was in no hurry.  Better to be properly fueled but for future races, when I have a steeper mile goal in mind, I know I can cut some time out there.

Early miles of the race but I was smiling later too.

 I couldn't believe how quickly the miles and hours clicked by.  I was in no hurry as I knew I could easily finish a 50K in 12 hours and was beginning to feel confident I could do 40 miles in that time frame also. I felt great for most of the race and can honestly say I enjoyed every minute of the 12 hours. Okay, maybe that 1:1 pattern came during a lower moment but I was still enjoying myself.  I was just past 40 miles at this point and the gravel section was getting to me mentally. I was so tired of gravel.  That's where I walked more.  It was also at this point I walked an entire loop and told myself, "That's it.  I'm done.  I'll call it when I finish this loop". I would finish with around 44 miles which was more than my goal.  I was thrilled. As I finished this loop I stopped at the table and said, "I think I'm going to call it".  The word "think" must have registered with them because the gal sitting there said, "Just so you know, you're in the running for 3rd place.  There's still some others out on the course so it could change but are you sure you want to quit?"  Um, 3rd place?  I'm doing that well?  There was about 40 minutes left on the clock.  "You think I can finish another loop in the time left?" I asked.  Kelly, the RD, walked up just then, looked at me and said, "You look like you've got plenty of energy still.  I think you can do it.  Just run it." I am so grateful for her words.

That was all the encouragement I needed. I made a quick potty stop and headed back out.   Fine, if you insist I'll go again.  Ha.  I'm so glad I didn't stop there because if I had, I would have stopped after a low moment in the race.  I would never have known how much I still had in me, how much I could pull out of myself when I thought I had reached my end. In order to learn what we're truly capable of we need to push beyond what we think we're capable of doing and this finish was a good reminder for me of that truth. That last loop was my best loop of the entire race.  I had plenty left in my tank.  I had no idea!  I ran the entire 2.6 miles, only walking the uphills. I imagined that 3rd place hamster etched glass in my hand and let my feet fly.  Alas, when I finished, I discovered I had slipped into 4th place but I was okay with it.  I was elated that I had not only surpassed my goal of 40 miles, finishing with 46.8 miles (my garmin said 48 because it included all my side stops to the yummy food table and the bathrooms) but had finished feeling super strong.  I felt great!  I had far exceeded what I thought I could do. I was an ultra runner for real. Maybe this longer distance stuff is where it's at for me. I finished with a huge grin on my face and got hugs from my husband and kids who had come out to see me finish.  I picked up my super awesome, handmade, hamster on a wheel award and walked over to my stuff to change into my recovery sandals.  And then I tried to walk back to our truck.  Ugh.  How quickly one can go from runner to hobbler. One minute you're flying (or at least my slow semblance of flying) and the next you can't lift your own legs up without literally pulling them up with your hand. And to top it off, my husband brought the big F350 truck.  I have to climb up in that thing? That could be a blog post in and of itself but I'll just leave it up to your imagination.

Finished!

Never before seen mileage!

Awesome race swag

So, do I recommend this race?  You betcha!  Do I plan on doing it again this year?  I sure would like to.  I'm planning summer vacation and if the calendar cooperates, I'll be back!