Searching for Zabolee: To be a runner

MdS Stage 5 - Jdaid / Kourci Dial Zaid: 42.2KM

10April 2015

The wind howled and whipped through our tent like no other last night. I'm not sure whether the I was cold because the temperatures were low or because my calorie depletion has finally caught up to last night. With the last stage before me, I fall asleep struggling with my commitment to running. I've been pretty competitive my entire life but I've never experienced a sport that has provided opportunities to explore my soul, my commitment, and my endurance than running ultras. Just in the training alone, I have learned so much about myself and the few races that I've run have all been a means to see if I could even complete such a feat. For the least few years, I've ran with my grandfather along my side and I've run in memory of others. Running was my time to search, sort of, my way of going to church. Last night, I struggled with the idea of re-dedicating my efforts to compete or to continue to just simply run. The question I'm trying to answer is: Can you do both? What does it mean...to be a runner? I close my eyes, feel the wind, take a few deep breathes and quickly fall asleep.

The morning was different compared to the other mornings. This time, the Berbers came a later in the day which meant that we were able to stay under the tent a little while longer than before. As usual, most of the morning is spent getting kit squared away and working on my toes. I'm still feeling a serious pain in my left toe and I can't figure out why it hurts so bad when I run.

This morning I get to spend a little more time preparing my feet since I get to start with the second group. As usual, we take a group photo and we wish each of us good luck. Liza comes by as she is walking toward to finish and helps to reassure me on the run. I'm surprised that she was running in the first group even with her time. Needless to say, she'll have a good run as will everyone else.

The Road book for Stage 5

Bivouac 4 is of the left side of this map.

Todays route is pretty straight forward for this stage. We'll be running the classic marathon distance of 26.2 miles. The first leg of this stage will have us running mixed terrain. We'll run through dry river beds, across small dunes, a stony plateaus into CP1. After CP1, we'll run through a small pass, passed some small dwellings, and run along a plateau through some crop fields into CP2. As the plateau comes to an end, we'll run for roughly 10KM in and out of small dunes and rocky terrain to CP3. With only 10KM left, the rest of the marathon distance will be a slight downhill with some sand mounds and then a 5KM run slightly uphill to Bivouac-5.

The Start for Stage 5

With the first group cleared out, I'm left alone tending to my feet. I've gotten used to a pretty standard routine by now. My first steps were to clean the area around the blisters and drain them as much as possible. Once that was accomplished, I would cut thin pieces of tape and then tape the toes trying not to make the tape job too bulky. The once the toes were taped up, I would then take a sanitation wipe and clean the whole foot. After that, I'd put my socks on and, finally, lace up my shoes.

Once I got my shoes on, I grabbed my kit and went over to be with the other U.S. runners. Dave, Meghan, and Garth were hanging out where tent 177 used to be. We had small chit chat as we looked on the first group at the starting line. In no time, the music of AC/DC, Highway to Hell, was qued and the runners were off. We could Liza in the front pack and we all smiled and commented on how she was still in it win it. We had roughly an hour and a half before the second group would line and spent most of that time in conversation or silence as we prepared for the run.

Once it was time, we head over to the starting line. I always loved the walk to the starting line. For some reason, the pain in my toe would temporary go away. All the aches and pains would be gone and I would be at my clearest state of mind.

Starting with the top 200 was surreal moment. I haven't seen most of these runners as they would have all mostly started in the front and not played the catch up game like I was doing. There were tons of people that I recognized that I have read about or heard about through my preparation research of MdS. Here I was standing in line with them thinking "holy crap" these people are here to race. There was a different vide when I got the starting the line. Every one was still laughing but when the music came on and the countdown began those 5 seconds became a couple of deep breathes and a locked in focus that would stay with you the entire 26.2 miles. I've never felt that kind of intense focus before and there was literally wavering from it.

As you can see in the video, this was the closest that I'll have ever been positioned on the starting line and with that came a different mindset. When the count down stop, the whole group took off like it was a marathon and we hadn't been running for the last few days. The pace wasn't too fast and was definitely manageable. My locked-on focus would carry me for most of the race. There wasn't much that I remember of the actual stage other than constantly reminding myself to keep moving, hydrate, your doing fine, and how do you want to remember the last of MdS. I remember passing folks but I don't remember when I did. For most of the first half of the race, there were 3-4 of us that ran in a group and we would trade out the lead position. All of us moving in unison with no talking just a lot of concentration and focus to keep the group together. There was no decision or chit chat to run together; we just naturally found ourselves running the speed and taking the same amount of time through the first checkpoint. We averaged around a 9:30 mile pace for the first 13ish miles. We kept together through most of the second leg but I finally lost them going through CP2.

It was CP2 where I ran into Martin and we had a quick chat and then I was on my way. From miles 14-20, I ran on my own. The top 200 was pretty much spread out at this point and everyone was running their own pace. I rarely saw anyone packed together as we ran through the dunes and rocky terrain. We were running on a slight uphill grade and I could feel my effort starting to slow. I would go back to reciting my focus phrases and just kept running through the dunes. I thought about Mosi in the first group and I was pretty sure he was going to be running this stage hard which ultimately motivated me to run this section hard as well.

As CP3 came within sight, I began to second guess where I was at on the course. For some reason, I kept thinking there were only two checkpoints so I was a little surprised to see a third. My road book was in the back of my pack and I wasn't about to get it out. I also stuffed my watch away and stopped looking at the data. I promised I wouldn't do so until I crossed the finish line. So now, the mind begins to wonder.

I clear through CP3 just as fast as I did the CP's except this time I turn back around and ask one of the ladies how far it was to the finish line. She thought about it for a second and said that I had about 8 or 9 kilometers to go. For some reason, I didn't believe her. I thank her and then set off toward the finish line. We were out of the dunes and running on pretty good trail. With less than 10KM to run, I decided to pick up the pace again to what I felt to be about a 9 minute pace. It was fairly difficult but I felt I could hold this pace to the finish. What I didn't realize was we would be running a series of heartbreak hills that hid the finish line from us until we were about a 1/4 mile out. Around mile 24 I was feeling pretty tuckered out and decided that I needed to slow up a bit. I jogged until I reached the top of that heartbreak hill and then started to pickup the pace again. The last couple miles had a few small rollercoaster hills to overcome. I once topped the second rollercoaster hill, the finish was in sight.

As I picked up the pace, I pulled my phone out and took a quick shot of the finish line.

It took no time to cover the distance in this picture.

Stage 5 finish line after stepping over the time keeper.

As MdS tradition has it, all runners cross the finish line, are draped with their medal, and personally congratulated by the race director, Patrick Bauer. I've been waiting for this moment for a long time and as I walk toward the lady giving out the medals, I think back to that very first moment as a young kid completely wide-eyed about this race as I read about it in a magazine. I would have never thought I was be crossing the finish line of that very race many years later. Now it's my time to get that famous photo with Patrick Bauer.

Here's my awesome photo with Patrick:

Major fail!

After the photo opportunity I cruised over to the webcam and did a fist pump to the folks watching the live feed and the went to go get my fine Sultan tea. Mosi and Mark had already crossed the finish line and was waiting for people to cross and gave me a shout out. It was fun to see them again and in good spirits. After the tea, I got hosed down with some cool water which got sweat into my eyes which felt great and painful at the same time. I grabbed the rest of my water rations for the day and went back to the tent. There I met Liza, Dave and a few others that made it in. We all congratulated each other and then I went over the tent that Mosi squared up this time and started into recovery mode.

About an hour or so after I arrived, Martin showed up and was also in good spirits. All three of us was sitting there when a race official arrived at our tent. She something in french and none of us understood what she said. As she tried to get out words in English, all three of us got a little closer to try and make out what she was saying. At first we thought she asked for who was 878, which was Mosi, and then she said that a female was asking for him, which we all busted out laughing. Then we made out wife and that made us laugh even more. We shook our heads implying "no". Then she got on the radio and I heard my number which I volunteered that the number was me. She replied with "Your wife is here", to which, I shook my head and said "no" and she shook her head and said "yes". She went on to explain that I needed to go with her so I could see my wife. I was in disbelief because my wife as I was just telling Mosi and Martin was in Krakow, Poland getting ready to watch the first ever Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in Poland. Surely, this lady is mistaken. So I ended up going with her. Once I arrived at the control tent, I was met by another race official who spoke better english and she relayed to me that I am not to take my wife to the tent and we are only allowed to be near the control tent. At this point, I see Aja and our friend Jenn come out from under the Berber tent. I cant believe my eye's! Turns out she ditched the UFC event to come out and watch me cross the finish line. They were late on that day but would be there to watch us finish the charity stage.