Interview with Carolynn Nauta 1) Our audience loves reading stories from the Midwest Super Slam participants. Can you describe your experiences and maybe some of the high and low points? It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. Indiana was my very first 100 miler and I felt pretty good throughout the entire race. I got fifth female, an awesome sub 24 time, “sprinted” to the finish and recovered pretty well. I even remember wearing heels the next day. Fast forward about a month to Kettle, where I felt pretty good for the first part of the race. Midway, the humidity caught up with me and the downpour I found myself in led to some nasty blisters on my ankles, which had me debating a DNF at mile 70 for over an hour. I ended up finishing but I literally walked 40 miles of the course. After I was done I couldn’t fit my feet into any shoes because both swelled up so bad I couldn’t walk for about a week. Two weeks later came Mohican and I was nervous because although my feet had healed up pretty well, I knew I was still recovering. But I ended up feeling pretty good and got fifth overall female. About a month later came Burning River, which I was worried about because my Achilles was very tender and I was babying it with very low mileage and time off. This is the first injury I have had to deal with and it was actually more of a tightness/sensitivity issue. If I wasn’t doing the slam I probably wouldn’t have done the race. I ended up feeling okay for the beginning and end of the race but during the middle, I did struggle quite a bit with pain. I found my friend and ended up “sprinting” with him to the end. After the race the bottom of my feet had blood blisters and my skin on my feet peeled off for months, despite numerous efforts to prevent it. About a month later came Woodstock. I had just gotten a new job and done a lot of running and traveling with the slam. Even though I had done the Woodstock 50k and 50 miler in the past and absolutely loved the race, I had no desire to do the 100 miler, none. I had a very large desire to sit by the pool in my bikini and drink a hard cider. That was my mindset, I wanted to relax and was burned out and I knew it. I debated not starting the race but c’mon it was my last race in the slam! I ended up running through the wind storm while trees were falling down next to me and through the rainy muddy night. I was starting to feel good after about 50/60 miles or so. But then I went to change my clothes and happened to notice something wasn’t quite right with my urine. I cautiously continued onto my fifth loop. In the middle of the fifth loop, I checked my urine again and it was dark brown, like the color of a diet coke. A doctor who happened to be running the course and at the aid station at the same time as me said it wasn’t good because I could be deteriorating my muscles. I waited for medical to show up and give me their opinion, while I drank lots of Gatorade and water. He came and said I looked good and I could continue very carefully if I wanted, so my pacer and I grabbed a bunch of extra waters and I chugged those as I walked very slowly. I was peeing all the time and my urine was getting lighter but mentally I was still freaked out and was still moving very slow. I came back to the start and finish area with one loop left to go, only 16.67 miles to go! I was so conflicted. I hate DNF’s but I had been through a lot over the summer and pushed through so many times and knew I could push through this but I didn’t know if I SHOULD! I had enough and even though I was third overall in the slam I decided not to continue. That was my slam experience and I’m definitely not the same person I was when I crossed the start line at the Indiana Trail 100. I’m weaker than I ever imagined and stronger than I ever believed. That is the beauty of ultra running. 2) What’s been the biggest lesson learned throughout all of your adventures over these past six months? I like a good challenge. In the past I had often wondered and wanted to be at the point where I felt I couldn’t go any further. I had wondered how I would react. I had some tough times and in some ways I thought to myself, just kidding, I don’t want any challenges. But in reality when the “what ifs” set in and I find myself reflecting, I wouldn’t go back if I could! I feel pain a little more deeply but I also feel more alive. It is not really about getting to point where you couldn’t go any further. It is about making a choice. Making tough choices and being at peace with what you decide. The competitive perfectionist inside haunts me but I know that if I want to be strong and healthy, I have to silence that part of me sometimes. I can always go further. Just give me a couple minutes, give me a day or two, and give me some time. There’s a reason patience is a virtue, because we need to allow ourselves time to grow. 3) Tell us about the local running scene in Grand Rapids. Do you have a group you train with? I started out doing road races several years ago. I’m still a part of RunGR, which consists mainly of road runners who do marathons, 25k, half marathons, 5k and 10k’s. We do hill, speed, tempo, and easy runs, depending on where we are on the training plan and what our coach recommends. I don’t really like roads very much but still try to incorporate it into my training, especially in the harsh Michigan winters. I’m also involved in a couple trail running groups - The West Michigan Trails Runners and The Dirty Herd. My friends and I also have a group where we meet at a local brewery every week and do several of the big hills downtown. We also do several sets of stairs then hang out at the brewery after we are finished running. We call this group Hills and Stairs. My friends and I also put on several beer runs, where we run from brewery to brewery often times wearing crazy costumes (if people don’t have a costume I bring it for them and make them wear it). I am very grateful that I have so many great groups to run with! The ultra scene is growing in Grand Rapids but not a lot of people have done the longer distance races. It is really nice to feel the love and support of the running community. 4) Everyone has one person who was a great influence on their ultra career. Who was that person for you and in what way did this person influence you? My training partners are the ones that have had the biggest influence on me because they are more than just training partners; they are friends, the people I choose to do things with and I love them! I feel so fortunate for all the amazing people I have in my life! I have also been blessed with lots of support and encouragement from my friends and have had them pace and crew me at races. My parents have also been very supportive. My mom even crewed for a couple of my races, drove countless hours, stayed up the entire race and put up with me. Even after this past year, which in my mind was less than ideal, my friends and family are amazing and continue to support me. 5) If you could create your ideal ultra, what would it be and don’t be stingy with the details. It would involve lots of hills, some mud, maybe some hand on hand climbs, costumes, and a really good before/after party with camping! I love the fellas but I think my ideal ultra would be all female with the guys volunteering in tutus. I would call it the Badass Babe 100 and it would also have lots of distances and a very relaxed time limit to encourage women of all shapes, sizes and fitness levels to attend. I would also include lots of very motivating inspiration quotes along the way on signs. The race swag would include a tank top, tutu with a trendy belt buckle design. The aid stations would have martinis, wine, and craft beer and the male volunteers would have palm tree branches to fan us with. 6) Out of all the fellow slammers that you got to know, what trait would you like to borrow from any of them? I love the slammers, they are what made the experience worth it for me! Even though I had so many rough patches, I did get the chance the run with many of my badass slammer friends doing the races, which was so much fun! Everyone was really supportive of each other and I truly do love them all. It takes a very special group of people to be that crazy and to want to undertake those 100’s in less than six months, so obviously they are all amazing! 7) Are you having as good of time when you’re running as you look like you are? I am a very expressive person, so it is usually no surprise how I am feeling because you can read it all over my face. I find joy in running, I love the trails, and I love people. But I am not always a ray of sunshine, especially during some of my races this year. I refer to it as a case of the b*&%^es/grumpies and it happens to the best of us, no matter how much you love the sport. 8) It’s wonderful to have you back at our race in April. Are you excited to return? Hell to the yea! I love the Indiana Trail 100! I did really well last year, so I am trying not to put too many expectations on my performance. I just want to enjoy myself after my hard year. 9) Do you have any other ultras lined up between now and the Indiana Trail 100? I am not signed up for anything right now. I am planning on having somewhat of an off season with very low mileage until I begin officially training again. My first priority is to get my strength and speed back to where it was before I did the slam, which is going to take patience. I lost a lot of fitness because I had a rough year. I need to get it back but doing more races is not going to help me. I am going to try to do some shorter workouts for speed and I’m also planning on doing lots of running snowshoe workouts. I feel like I can complete a 100 miler anytime, because I am such a distance person but I really want to work on my speed a little more. I probably will end up doing some races but I’m just not signing up for those until I feel ready. 10) If you were to give advice to a first time 50 miler or 100 miler in our event – Name one thing they should do and one thing they shouldn’t do. No matter how positive you are, you cannot be positive for the entire race or for the entire training season. It is important to have a clear goal in mind because motivation will fail you. Be committed to your goal but be more committed to your body and overall well-being. Train smart, train hard. Also try to get pacers and a good crew because at times, even the strongest person needs help. After you cross the start line you will not be the same, enjoy the process. Success takes time. Strength takes time. Most importantly have fun!
Posted on: Sun, 28 Dec 2014 21:03:35 +0000
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