Wrap Up

Photo By Astrid Volzke. © May 2, 2010

This was one of the most intense weeks of my life. After receiving an emergency IV drip at the end of just the first day, the event was no longer a race for me, but rather a matter of survival. I literally had to manage progress one step at a time. It is hard to imagine, but owing to the challenging terrain, blaring hot sun, injuries and fatigue, any forward motion required a completely concentrated and determined effort.

My entire being was racked with various pains that came and went throughout the week. The IT bands were irritated and only worse from the start, though flat portions of the course were a relief relative to the murderous rocky ascents and descents. A left hamstring tendon that seemed to be pulling off the bone of my inner knee reminded me of every step I shouldn’t be taking and an axe splitting headache pounded me the first two and a half days. Imagine the worst hangover of your life and instead of abstaining from the drink, you have to keep downing shots of tequila.

At some point during the race I realized that it was not my body, but rather my mind that was moving me through the outback. I was at once frightened and empowered to acknowledge that even though I was pushed beyond my physical limits I could still go further. At the same time, I was concerned that my will would be my undoing by pushing the body too far.

I am not sure what the moral of the story is or will be. My cousin Ulla was a major inspiration for me. Knowing what she has had to deal with left me no option, but to push on. I am also grateful and aware of the positive influence of other runners on my efforts who at times offered sage advice or other times, saying nothing, coaxed me further as they too carried on with the impossible task.

Then, PHEW. Unbelievably, about 10 am on May 2nd I saw the finish line in the distance. A last surge of energy flooded my body and I moved faster than at any other point during the week toward the final goal. Aching legs that could barely start, let alone finish each stage, somehow found the umph to leap for the finish line banner.

My celebration lasted about five adrenalin filled minutes and then the aches and fatigue once again set in, but at least now I could try to heal myself as opposed to further aggravation. My body is recovering well, but I have yet to sleep without dreaming that I am pushing on through the outback in search of the next checkpoint or finish line.

Just Getting Started

Receiving emergency IV after finishing Stage One of six. The just emptied red barf bucket waits for a refill.

Check in

Bag weighed in at 9.9 kilos approx 23 lbs which means there is 6:1 bag to weight ratio. To give an idea of how it compares to other runners, my mate Gab has a 10:1 ratio so in a self-supported race situation like this being bigger is better in a way.

The course looks to be extremely challenging. In addition to rocky undulating terrain and hot humid climate, we will have to contend with razorsharp spinoflex grass and potential snake, croc and spider hazards. Hmmm

We set off in half hour for the first campsite and start racing tomorrow.

4/20

Desert gear and sustenance minutes before heading to JFK. I think I have everything...

Spring

I spent the past weekend at my cousin Ulla’s country house in New Milford, CT.  Inspired by the spring vibes and the outdoors I attempted to resuscitate my atrophied muscles which have had little exercise since the foot injury.  While I didn’t actually run, I did coax my legs into lunges, knee ups and heel-to-butt kicks.  Today I am sore , but encouraged as my left foot feels no worse for the wear.

New Milford, CT. Photos by Zandy Mangold © 2010

Bad News Is Good News

I have never been so grateful for such bad news.  Yesterday’s MRI analysis showed that I have a neuroma (inflamed nerve) in-between two of my left toes as well as a partially torn fascia – but no stress fracture – thus the race will go on! After not running for a month and wearing nothing but running shoes, a la Jerry Seinfeld, the injuries have healed enough to give me hope that I can cover some ground in Australia.

Mobic, aka Meloxicam

This past Thursday the pain in my left foot lead me to Dr. Fridman’s office on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. The gloomy day almost matched my running deprived sentiments.  Dr. Fridman wasted no time in poking the most pain inducing parts of my second and third metatarsals (small bones near the front of my left foot).  Xrays were administered and upon examining the film, Dr. Fridman summarized the tortured past of my left foot and ankle – arthritis here, an old stress fracture there , scar tissue from a fractured heel and finally, swelling in the aforementioned metatarsal region.

He prescribed an anti-inflammatory called Mobic.  I normally shy away from drugs, but in this case I made a fast hobble to the nearest pharmacy.   After three days of taking the NSAID, my foot feels much better.  Not healed by any means, but relieved.

Mobic. Photo by Zandy Mangold

Left Foot

11 days since my last run..Very unsettled since my left foot has been slow to heal and I had planned to do build mileage during this time period.  Am seeing a podiatrist on Thursday to get the bad news.

Disabled List

Aggravatingly, training screeched to a halt on Monday when I awoke to a dull, pulsating pain in the sole of my left foot.  My last run was on a Saturday, but two days later my foot was in full on rebellion.  I theorize that the weight of the pack and increase in mileage are to blame for what seems to be a very intense bruise to the left of my big toe.  In all my years as a runner I have never experienced such an injury, which is part of the reason I pushed on when I should have stopped.

Continuous icing and anti-inflammatories helped ease the pain and hopefully, a new pair of Asics Nimbus from the Jack Rabbit store on 14th Street will provide more cushioning than my other worn out trainers.

Nike Vs. Asics

I met Gab for a run in Central Park on yet another snow filled saturday. Half an hour into our run on the Bridle-turned-cross-country-skiing path a seering pain in my right toe caused me to stop. We had been churning through the path at a good pace, especially considering our heavy packs, so Gab carried on and I dealt with the latest recurring injury. Fortunately, I had stuffed a spare pair of Asics in between the bags of rice and exchanged the Nike trail shoe for an Asics Kayano road shoe. After a few tentative steps i was off and hobbling again for another hour until the pain became too unbearable to continue. Exhausted from a general lack of sleep and the hard run, I came home and immediately passed out in my clothes, sharing a bed with my cat and a light stand and a photo umbrella from an earlier assignment. The sorry state of my room photo courtesy of Eveline Cioflec.