Run Toto Run 50k - The Warmup

My alarm clock went off at 5:30 am. I snoozed at least once, but no more than two times. As I rolled out of bed, I got a call from Sophie, asking if I would be so kind as to drop by Starbucks and pick up 2 lbs of coffee before I headed to Wyandotte County Lake Park. After layering up and packing the car, I headed out. I don't drink coffee, and I suspected that walking into a Starbucks and asking for "coffee" at 6 in the morning might elicit strange looks. Sure enough, when I did just that, the Starbucks gal, after a short pause, said simply, "Uh......what kind?" I had no answer for her, and after some apologetic fumbling I managed to get her to recommend something that would be appropriate for a large gathering of cold runners and race volunteers. I paid for two bags of freshly ground beans and left.

I showed up at the race site and got to work. I had volunteered to help out before the race. My assigned task was to be on the Shoe Screw Crew, a name that I made up just now. We were drilling 3/8" screws into the treads of racers' shoes to give them extra(any at all) traction in the snow, ice, and eventual mud quagmires they would be encountering. I was concerned that the morning was considerably colder than I had expected and my fingers were numb from being exposed to the air. I screwed shoes for awhile and the last pair I modified were my own. The very same trail shoes that had first tasted earth the previous July...my first ultramarathon and my first trail run of any kind. Since the day I removed them from their box, they had seen nearly 300 miles of dirt, rocks, roots, mud, and snow. And now they had teeth.

I began to remove my layers in preparation for the impending start of the race. I debated about what to take and what to leave behind. One or two layers of breath thermo? It was awful cold, but it was supposed to warm up considerably and I didn't want to be caught having to carry extra crap around for too long. I opted for one breath thermo layer, and I added a pair of smart wool socks. I chose wisely. Once the sun came up, I was comfortable all day long.

In the midst of all this picking and choosing....oh what to wear, what to wear!....Sophie walks by and says, "Danny! Hurry up, the race is about to start!" Shit. I see the large group of people consisting of the 20 milers and the 50k-ers. They are all walking towards a particular nondescript patch of snow-covered ground, so I grab my hydration pack, say goodbye to some friends, and join the crowd.

I remember my first trail race, which began maybe 30 yards from where we were standing. The same atmosphere of warm welcoming people and friendly chit-chat warmed me, despite the sub-freezing temperatures and the cold snow. Bad Ben was standing in front of a crowd of 300-some runners giving the pre-race instructions. I love how informal and laid back these events are, yet they always seem so professional because they go off without a hitch. The pre-race instructions consist of "Hey guys...follow the flags...if you're not winning and you're running on fresh snow, turn around...if you want to drop out, tell so-and-so, otherwise we'll think you're dead and send out a search party....ok....ready, set, go."

And with that...we went.

Having attempted this distance once before, on roughly the same course, I was excited to see how far I had come since July. My previous time was 8 hours and 10 minutes, and I was hoping to run sub-7 hours. The pack slowly surged to life and began to move forward.

Giddy up.