Self Transcendence 7 Hour

I signed up for the Self-Transcendence 13-hour run on May 30th. But, the 13-hour race was cancelled due to lack of interest. Luckily, I was allowed to do the 7-hour race instead. On the day of the race, I was so thankful that I was doing the 7-hour since I completed my first 62 mile race just the week before!

This 7-hour race was small (16 solo runners and 3 teams) and it was a wonderful community to run with. The course was a flat mile and a half loop through a park on Lake Washington. One part of the loop was a lolly-pop and that gave us an opportunity to see each other more often on the course. Every participant was encouraging and supportive when we passed each other. And each time I rounded the corner and headed for the start/finish, the volunteer lap counters called me by name. That was so energizing! There was a table of food, the regular ultra run fare, at the start/finish. I also had a large cooler with food and drink that I accessed each lap. The cooler also made for a good seat when I decided to change my socks and shoes sometime during the race. Changing shoes probably wasn't necessary but it felt good anyway. My favorite part of the start/finish area was a leader board. I could see my progress, and how I was doing compared to the other runners.

This was the leader board and clock that told us how we were doing and how much longer we had to run.

My friend, Tami, joined me for 3 laps just as I was reaching my half-marathon mark. That's when my body usually wants to stop. I am not sure why 13 miles seems to be a low point for me but maybe my legs have a memory of my 52-half-marathon-in-a-year streak last year. I thought my family would show up later in the day but they never materialized. Their plan was to rock climb on a wall in the park, and cheer for me at the finish. My daughter was also signed up for a virtual 5K and we planned for her to do 2 laps with me to complete her virtual race. I heard they decided to go hit a bucket of golf balls at the driving range instead.

It was a sunny day, and hot for May in Seattle. I brought sunscreen and applied it once, albeit not very successfully. I got a sunburned. It reminds me that I need to get some spray-on sunscreen!

 

 

I started the race with a bottle full of Tailwind, a carbohydrate and electrolyte drink. I drank too much liquid that first hour and had to stop in the restroom to pee three times during the first couple of hours of the run. It was uncharacteristically warm out and I was over-cautious by drinking too much. Lesson learned--it's a fine line between dehydration and water logging myself.

After the race finished, I stood in the lake up to my waist to give myself an "ice bath." This was a recommendation from my new chiropractor. I think the lake has already warmed up enough that it didn't do much to ice my hips and legs. Then, we were treated to a delicious meal donated by Silence-Heart-Nest  Restaurant. Awards were handed out and I received a trophy for being the second woman. If I am still ultra running next year, I want to do this race again.

Dinner by the lake.

 

Maybe the lap counters cheered for me by name because it was written on my bib.

 

Finally, I headed home for family pictures. Reason: My cousin's daughter is in a 2-year commercial photography program at Seattle Central Community College. Our family was the subject of her classmate's family portrait assignment. Here are the results.