Gary Edwards – Gary Edwards

Cabin Fever Reliever 2023: Physically and Mentally painful.

A race that I want to forget, but am glad to have experienced.

In December of 2022, I stumbled across some videos of races that documented individuals attempting to run 100-miles. Most of my experience with running came in Junior High when I ran the 800 and 4×1, both sprint events. Long distance running has never been on my purview. I didn’t even think someone could run 100 miles! Still, something inside me wants to attempt it. So, to that end, I signed up for two races in February: a 20k (Cabin Fever Reliever) and a Half-marathon (Yeti).

My training for the 20k consisted of running some trails nearby when I could find the time. I wasn’t very focused and definitely didn’t follow a plan. I ran anywhere from 3 to 6 miles each time around 2 – 3 times per week. My approach was to use these races as training for longer distances and I set my goal to finish in under 2 hours, which I thought would put me solidly in the middle of the group. The day of the race came, and I planned to arrive about 15 minutes early to stretch and warm up; however, about halfway to the race, my wife called and said that I forgot my shoes! So, I turned around and raced home, grabbed my shoes and drove as fast as I dared to the race. I arrived with about 5 minutes to spare! I put my shoes on, ran to the bathroom, ran from the bathroom toward the start line, had to pause about 200 ft from the start for the National Anthem, and, finally, as I approached the start line the race began! No warmup, no stretching. Anyone that has ever run a race, no matter the distance, knows how easy it is to start too fast. Music and adrenaline pumping, the countdown, then you’re off! And like a fool, I kept up with the pack. My first two miles were around 8 minutes, which is not fast, but for me it was too fast.

The course was an out and back 10k on country roads nestled amongst farms and forest. The start of the race took place at the local High School. There were two aid stations, one about 2 miles from the start and then the start line itself. The aid stations were full of volunteers that were encouraging and always ready with water or Gatorade. Thank you volunteers!

For me, running has been a humbling experience. During my first 5k years ago, I was passed by a 70 year old and multiple people pushing their kids in strollers. This race was no different. Around mile 3, I was passed by two Ladies that were probably in their 60’s (I’m pretty confident in that guess). It was quite a casual race for them, they discussed family and life while passing me. I made a comment to them as they passed, trying to be funny, but I am not sure it was intelligible with my heavy breathing and the spit flying from my mouth. Still, they laughed as they passed. Later, as I was about a mile away from the finish line, they passed me heading back out onto the course. I found out they just used the race as part of there training and needed to get 8 more miles in that day!

As far as the race went, not much else happened. I continued getting passed while getting more and more exhausted. At the halfway point, I considered stopping, but couldn’t live with the thought of calling my wife and telling her that I was on my way home and didn’t finish, so I kept on. By the end of the race, every part of my lower body was in pain. I crossed the finish line, walked over to my family and while hugging them told my Wife to not let me sign up for any more races. She laughed and said, “You have a half-marathon in two weeks!”

This was a tough race for me. I finished 2^nd to last with a time of 1:59:01. It was the furthest I had ever run at one time. I had to force myself to keep running. I had to ignore pain. I had to be ok with being inferior to those I would have normally felt superior to (athletically speaking). Not that I expected to win! That was never a notion I had entertained. I thought I was in better shape than I was. I needed to be humbled. It helped put my 100-mile goal into perspective. An unfocused plan will not cut it. I need to train properly and follow a plan that will actually prepare me for the challenge. A lesson that can be applied to anything we want in life.

Two Rivers Bike Park Review

About 6 years ago I signed up for a 10k trail run called Trailfest (put on by Fleet Feet) held at the Two Rivers Bike Park in Highlandville, MO. The Park is owned and operated by Trailspring, which is a local organization that aims to connect ‘you to the beautiful terrain of the Ozarks.’ Trailfest was my first experience running trails at Two Rivers and, to be honest, it kicked my butt. However, the experience of Trailfest was a blast! Walking up to the start/finish of the race I could hear the music blasting, see a large fire (it was cold!), a coffee truck, a food truck, beer and lots of runners. The atmosphere could not have been better.

The trails sit on 400 acres, snaking in and out of the trees, up and over hills and alongside a small bluff running next to the James River. There are a total of 14 miles of trail located on the property that are a mix of technical (golf ball to softball size rocks), gravel and dirt. Sometimes a tree will fall across the path that you’ll need to climb over, but the Trailspring crew clean up the trails quickly when they are made aware of issues like that. The elevation gain isn’t difficult for an experienced or even amateur trail runner, but to a beginner, it can be rough. Recently I ran 6 miles of the West trail and gained around 600ft of elevation. This isn’t bad, but be prepared for your legs to burn if you’re not used to elevation gain.

At the trail head, there is a large map of the trails with which you should be familiar. Best to take a picture of the map with your phone or download one from the Trailspring website. There are free apps, like MapMyRun, that will use GPS to track your route. It’s a good idea to utilize an app like this just in case you get turned around. Besides the map, there is a list of rules to get familiar with as well. And last but not least, there is a place for donations to help keep the park maintained, which, I think, is worth it.

I’ve not mentioned Mountain biking, but that is probably the most popular activity at the park. There are trails dedicated to Mountain biking, but most are multi-purpose. A professionally designed 18-hole disc-golf course was added in 2015, as well. The course looks difficult, but I have yet try it. There is a downloadable map of the course on the Trailspring website.

Since that first Trailfest at Two Rivers, I have been back many times to run the trails on my own and have hiked the trails with my family. I’ve yet to have a bad experience. The grounds are always clean and well maintained. Trailspring has provided us with a wonderful place to enjoy the beauty of the Ozarks.

Dogwood Canyon 15k

This photo was taken after I completed the Dogwood Canyon 15k on November 13th, 2022. It was a special day for me. This race was the final race of 6 that I completed in as many weekends. All but this race being 5k’s. I’ve always enjoyed running 5k’s or 10k’s, but I had never done so many in such a short amount of time. Normally my motivation for running comes from a desire for adventure. This time, however, I was motivated by a need to stay as healthy as possible. In August of last year, I received a call from my Dermatologist that I had Marginal Zone Lymphoma (MZL) on my left elbow. I called my wife and told her about the diagnosis. Both of us were shocked. A couple weeks later, a biospy showed that the MZL was also in a lymph node near my right elbow. Receiving news like this is never easy or simple to handle. There is always so much uncertainty and that can be devastating mentally. I remember driving with my coworkers to jobs having to fight back tears as I was tormented with what if’s. We’ve all read or experienced situations like these, so I won’t go into more detail; though, I will say that my faith was and is instrumental to my well-being.

A few scans and lots of bloodwork later, we had more information and found out that the MZL was indolent (not aggressive) and that it had not spread to any other part of my body. Whew! What a weight lifted from our shoulders. My doctor explained that I would need radiation treatment on both elbows. He said the treatments would be every weekday for roughly a month and that I needed to stay active during the treatment period. This was my motivation! Stay active while going through radiation. So, I went online and found 6 races.

The first was a 5k trail run at Trailfest which is held at Two Rivers Mountain Bike Park in Highlandville, MO. The second was on Table Rock Lake, but I couldn’t make it, so I ran a 5k at Wilson’s Creek Battlefield on my own. The third was a 5k called Priebe Strong held in Republic, MO. The fourth was a 5k in Branson, MO put on by K-Life. My family joined me on this one and my daughter took 1st place for her age group! The fifth was 5k put on by Bass Pro Fitness in Springfield, MO. I recorded a PB of 25:36 at this one! Finally, I finished with the 15k at Dogwood Canyon south of Branson, MO.

It was so much fun participating in so many events. I loved every minute of it. But my favorite part of each weekend was embracing my wife while holding our daughter after I crossed the finish line. I’ll never forget those moments.