Mayapple 100K race report part 1

If you name something, can you still deny it ever happened? I attempted the Mayapple 100K last Saturday. After 12.5 hours of stomach pain, chafing, and endless hills, I did something I've never done in a race -- I quit. I did lie to myself enough to complete 51 miles of the course so I feel accomplished about that, at least. Still, I have this gnawing melancholy feeling inside me now. Runners call it the postrace blues. I keep wondering about Saturday, if I could have willed myself to press on and finish the last 10 miles.

After the race, my stomach felt so terrible, like times before when I suffered from food poisoning. 30 minutes later, I was vomiting on the side of the road. my dad had been driving me home and I felt that rush of saliva fill the corners of my mouth and told him to stop. Then I was finally expelling whatever had been tying knots in my stomach the whole day. Maybe that fat-laden buffalo chicken dinner I ate the night before was a little too much? It was filled with bars of cream cheese, two types of cheese, bacon, and mayonnaise. Bleh, that was a mistake alright.

Summer graduate classes have begun, so I'll finish up my report soon. It's filled with self-deception and unstoppable racers from around the globe. Goodnight y'all.