Ultramiriam | MONTOUR 24 HOUR

Montour 24-Hour Trail Ultra - July 25, 2015 - Danville, PA

I enjoyed the inaugural 2014 Montour so much, I went back in 2015. Only this time I was suffering with plantar fasciitis. In April 2015 I started to feel a painful sensation on my right heel when I woke up in the morning and hit the floor. I went to my podiatrist, got new sport orthotics, and a foot brace. I continued to train with some discomfort. At times, my pain was alleviated by my running. I had never experienced a running injury. The only other time I had been side-lined was when I was B12 deficient and when I endured my medical nightmare. In comparison, my plantar fasciitis, while painful, was mild. I pushed through the annoying pain and discomfort during my training and during the ultra.

It was a beautiful day. I was feeling good at the start. Then at about mile 21, I trip over this small rock protruding from the ground and landed hard. The race director then spray painted it orange.

I scraped the right side of my head, shoulder and arm, and my right knee. I fell again at about mile 23 when I tripped over a cluster of tree roots. This time I scraped the palms of both hands and my left knee. But I chugged along.

Ice baths through out the day and through out the night helped to alleviate my right heel plantar fasciitis and beaten feet and toes. Foot massages by my husband in the dark of the night helped to propel my exhausted legs and feet through out the night.

I was still standing at mile 45.5 and logged 62 miles in 23:21:53 and it felt good!

My painful plantar fasciitis slowed me down as did the two bloody tumbles. But I was so happy I placed 10th overall in the women's division. I would not have been able to complete these 62 miles without my husband, who walked with me the last 23 miles.

I am also the author of Come What May, I Want to Run: A Memoir of the Saving Grace of Ultrarunning in Overwhelming Times. Read excerpts, praise, and reviews, and order the book here from the publisher, Amazon, Bookshop, or Barnes & Noble. My ultrarunning and many of my ultramarathon experiences are weaved throughout my memoir.