Anchor Down 24 Hour Ultra - August 19 - 20, 2016 - Bristol, RI
I love running 24 hour ultras. I was excited to find the Anchor Down 24 hour ultra in Colt State Park, Bristol, Rhode Island. It was the second year of its running and the race filled up quickly. I was on the wait list and was soon registered. Even though this ultra is advertised as a flat seaside course, it fails to mention that a mile of the 2.45 mile loop is a pretty technical trail with very massive tree roots. I was not expecting this and it slowed me down.
The weather was great - hot and humid! I got my bib and a great technical shirt. I fueled a little before the Friday 7 pm start with homemade spanikopita (spinach pie) and my concoction of coconut milk, dark chocolate almond milk and seltzer...so good!
Running with the sunset along Narragansett Bay was magical. With great anticipation, I visualized the break of dawn while running endless 2.45 mile loops in darkness and with a headlamp whose batterie died while deep in the trail. The trees hid the full moon from beaming in the darkness of the trail portion.
Sleep deprivation and a little nausea after biting into a salty potato. Time to give me feet an ice bath and time to re-ducttape my blistered toe.
The humid but cooler night turned into scorcher of a beautiful day in the 80s. The North Face mister and my pink umbrella prevented my head from frying. My pacer husband fried with me for 24.5 miles.
When it was all over, I soaked my duct taped toes and beaten feet in another ice bath. With a wet towel, I removed the trail dirt that looked like it had been tattooed onto my legs. Underneath all that dirt were my swollen legs covered in thick red bumps and blotches of heat rash.
But it was all worth it. I placed 5th overall woman and 3rd in my age group with 63.7 miles in 21:54:08.
Anchor Down was my third ultra in 5 months after healing my plantar fasciitis. Here's how I healed my PF.
Read next: Be A Fanatic About Your Running Gait and Heal Your Plantar Fasciitis.
Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
Subscribe to my Youtube Channel