Friday at Five: The Grittiest Week I've Had In Awhile

Happy Friday, friends! Boy, do I have stories to share with some insights along the way! So, we're getting straight into this week's Friday at Five to help us finish the week well:

🏃🏻‍♂️My Longest Ultra To Date

Last Saturday, I toed the line of the Beast of the East 50 miler, a 53-mile ultramarathon in the Crowders Mountains of North Carolina.

The race started beautifully, crushing the first climb and getting bacon and tater tots at the first few aid stations. In races like this, there are aid stations every few miles with all sorts of food and drink to keep you going.

I was feeling good. After spraining an ankle three weeks ago and DNF'ing, I was encouraged to get 10 miles under my belt with low effort and no issues. I was having fun!

Insight: When in doubt, just show up.

The rain came in around 11am, 12 full hours before we were supposed to see it. For the rest of the race, the rain was with us.

At mile 20, I hit the most technical vertical climbing and bouldering I've ever done. The race director literally uses 300 feet of rope in one section so you can find the trail.

I was at the halfway point at the 7 hours and 30 minutes mark, feeling good. I slammed a burger and some starburst jelly beans and was on my way after a Facetime with my family.

The night set in at 5pm, and I was only 31 miles in. I underestimated how much things would change in the dark, not to mention it was still raining. My strategy was going to have to change to walking quite a bit, which would take even more time.

Insight: Be patient with slow progress as long as you're still making progress.

At 9pm, I had the most difficult 10-mile stretch to go. And I had gotten credit card fraud alerts on all my credit cards... (more on that in a minute.) Two wrong turns in the dark in the last miles of the race, and I was home free after eating some ramen and chugging ginger ale. 53 miles. 17 hours. 10,000 feet of elevation gain.

Insight: Whatever it is, you can finish.

💳Credit Card Fraud?

Midrace credit card fraud alerts aren't exactly a variable you expect. You expect nausea, leg pain, and even injury. That one threw me off.

I realized that I had left my wallet in the car, and in the mental fog of driving two and a half hours race morning, I must've left my car unlocked. Someone waited until dark, snagged my cards, and bought who knows what for $900 at the local Wal-Mart.

To be fair, they left my ID and overnight bag... so at least they were nice about it?

Coming back to my car at 1am after running 53 miles, I was anxious. No windows broken. Nothing wrong with the handles. Okay, I left my door unlocked. Dumb. But it is what it is. I'm going to sleep.

Insight: Don't leave your wallet in your car.

🚗The Next Morning

I didn't sleep much. I had too much pain in my legs and feet. So I got up at 6:30am and decided to eat breakfast and head home to see the family. I missed them a lot.

I grabbed some Frosted Flakes (teary-eyed because Frosted Flakes sounded that good...), gathered my belongings, and headed to my car.

The car wouldn't unlock.

What? What happened? What's wrong? My key fob is lighting up as I press the button, so I know the battery is good. There's a red light flashing on the console, so the car battery is good.

After about ten minutes, I realized there was a manual keyhole on the driver's side. I put the key in, turn it, and it grinds. Eventually, the door opened.

As I examined the keyhole, I realized that I hadn't actually left my car unlocked. They had forced the manual keyhole last night when they broke in. I hopped in the driver's side and hit the button to start the car.

The car wouldn't start.

The antitheft system was fully engaged from the broken lock, and no matter what I did, the car thought it has been broken into. It won't start.

Three hours went by of working with people over the phone trying to figure out how I would get this car started, all with the mental fog of 53 miles and very little sleep.

Insight: Sometimes, things are just broken.

Then, some people pull up and ask if they could help. I thanked them but declined as they didn't seem like the mechanic type. They noticed Gwinnett County on my tag and mentioned they're from Barrow County. They had a friend in the race that weekend and had seen me check in the night before.

It couldn't hurt, so I asked, "Is there any way you could give me a ride home? My car won't start." They were getting off on my exit. They agreed, and I packed up my stuff, abandoning my car.

Insight: Just ask.

I returned the next day while meeting a locksmith to get the car functioning, and then had to take it to a dealership to repair the damage.

Insight: When you can't solve a problem in three hours, sleep on it. The problem (and solution) will be there in the morning.

🤒 The Following Week

After two days of driving back and forth to North Carolina, working with locksmiths and dealerships, we got my car fixed and everything back together.

That's when my daughter and, later, my wife both spiked a fever.

We've been sick and down for the count here at the Wright house.

The interesting thing is how many times I've mentally returned to the night on the trails. Rain. Dark. Cold. Miles to go. I remember thinking that it would be 2 hours, 3 hours, 4 hours, 5 hours until I finished. And I remember saying to myself, "Yep, I might be out here that long. That's fine. One aid station at a time. I'm going to finish this race."

Insight: When life seems overwhelming, just make it to the next "aid station."

💬 "In running, it doesn't matter whether you come in first, in the middle of the pack, or last. You can say, 'I have finished.' There is a lot of satisfaction in that." -Fred Lebow

Finish your week well!

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