Grey's Lake is a park near downtown Des Moines, IA with a walking/hiking/biking path surrounding the lake. The path is 1.905 miles long with two very minimal inclines which I THOUGHT were nothing at all and not worth mentioning. This was going to be my first attempt at a 24 hour race. 50 miles is the longest run I have ever completed so I knew I was in for something entirely new and uncharted. Regardless of the preconceived notions I had I knew my training was good and I was feeling very strong going into the race. Two weeks prior to this event I paced the 5:15 group for the Des Moines marathon (which actually included the entire loop I was doing during this race).
Running a 5:15 marathon, almost 2 hours slower than my PR, taught me a lot about my abilities to control my pace, follow a plan and stay strong. During that marathon my heart rate didn't get anywhere near my race zone, and I felt so good after the marathon that I actually ran more of the course later in the day. All of this and more gave me a beautifully laid plan that I knew I could follow and finish the day. Plan the Race, Race the Plan. This race report is a testament that anything.......and I do mean anything can happen in 24 hours.
The race started at 6am. I arrived at the park far earlier than I expected, so early in fact that the Race Director hadn't even started setting up yet. I took advantage and slept about 30 minutes in my car and had just about enough time to get my rest area set up, my bottles filled with INfinit, my baggies of food set out by lap and hour, etc. The atmosphere was very laid back before the race. I am no longer new to the ultra scene but after an entire season in the marathon world I was immediately reminded why I love Ultra people so much. Their attitudes and hospitality cannot be compared or equaled.

The race began with an air horn and I ran my first lap rather hard in around 16:00 minutes. Normally I would have considered that a huge error but I was freezing and it helped to warm me up. The wind from that lake was brutally cold and the first lap being quick helped me warm up a lot faster. After the quick lap I settled into my plan. My plan was 20 minutes of running to 5 minutes of walking and always walk the small inclines. If I felt I was getting in trouble I could alter my plan to 20 minutes of running to 10 minutes of walking and eventually to 10 and 10. I never wanted to walk more than 10 consecutive minutes....looking back I have no idea why I decided on that rule but I knew I wanted to stick to it.

Hours 0-2
I felt strong, very strong. I was practically forcing myself to take my walk breaks and tell myself to slow my running down. My first bottle in INfinit was too strong and it gave me an upset stomach fairly early. Luckily, I stopped and added some water to my bottle and the problem resolved itself. The first two hours were fairly uneventful until......

Hours 2-4
Right around the 2 hour mark something happened that took my well constructed plan, rolled it up in a ball, and set it on fire. This wouldn't have been a problem if the competitor deep inside me wasn't so attracted to the smell of my burning plan. I came around my next lap and my lap counter said the words that led to my death "I think you took the lead on that lap." Yep, that was all it took. My 20 minutes of running slowly crept to 25 minutes of running. My intentions of stopping to refuel and evaluate my clothing choices every 4 laps went unheeded. The only in my head was, 'I'm in the lead, and I feel great!'

Hours 4-6
I crossed my 50k mark under 5 hours. I knew then and there that I wasn't going to finish the full 24 hours. I was in some pain, but not a significant amount. My plan had called for the 50k mark to come at right over 6 hours. I was over an hour fast. Despite all my planning and mental prep I allowed myself to get caught up in the race instead of my own run. No matter, I still felt strong and mentally committed to getting back on my plan.

Hours 6-8
I was starting to learn the trick to these races. Bury everything you have so deep inside yourself that nothing matters or concerns you but the next step. I focused very hard on ignoring the onset of pain, the horrible cramps I was starting to get, etc. Just worry about the next step, everything else is static.

Hours 8-10
Hello, my name is Wall.
I met the wall around the 45 mile mark. He introduced himself by causing me to expel the 8 or so starbursts and coke I just ate. Luckily it happened before I left the aid station so I did the smart thing and sat down. I sipped some water, went to the sink and washed up a little bit, and made the decision to keep going. My stomach was in knots, but my early hours of running hard still put me waaaaaay ahead of the goal to reach 100 so I knew I had the time to spare. Mile 45-47 were my slowest of the day as I walked the entire lap. Back to the aid station and I knew I needed to eat again. As a precaution people were encouraged to weigh themselves at the start of the race to determine weight loss during the day. Before I put down some food one of the volunteers suggested I weigh myself, I must have looked like hell. I started the day at 158lbs. I had lost almost 4lbs in 10 hours. It also occurred to me that I had yet to use the bathroom during the entire race. Here is a brief glimpse into my thought process, it seems so clear now but my brain wasn't working at full capacity.
"Ok, damage report. lots of weight loss, haven't had to pee, stomach cramps and can't keep food down.....what could be wrong? I just need to take a few laps easy."
You would think I could have spotted dehydration, but nope, the obvious escaped me.

Hours 10-12
This is where things got dark. I had a brief celebration as I crossed the line on my lap after 50 marking the furthest I have ever gone in a single race, but other than that. Just try to eat, throw up, try to drink, almost throw up and repeat. My left foot was getting really sore so I made a shoe change from a stability shoe to a cushion shoe. The change made a world of difference on my legs and my stride found new strength.
I still couldn't keep anything down, and was still losing weight but my muscles were doing surprisingly well. At the 55 mile mark I made the decision that I would not be completing the 24 hours. My stomach was not cooperating and without the proper fuel I wouldn't have a chance at completing the day. I had gone farther than I ever had, led an ultramarathon for near 8 hours, and learned more than I could ever hope for. I made it to the 101k mark and had to call it quits.

Looking back on the race I realized that I should have paced myself way more in the beginning. I ripped my stomach apart by running the first 30 miles at near marathon pace. If my stomach could have help together and I would have slowed down I might have had a chance to go the full distance. It is humbling to realize that I didn't even make it halfway through the race. It was a very positive experience, I qualified for Western States, ran farther than I ever have, set a PR in a 50k and made some new friends. Really, what more could we ask for in a weekend?