This was supposed to be a 100 miler with my ultra-siblings John and Jen. I think Jen and I may have triple-dog dared each other back in early September. Then my world blew up and I was cancelling races left and right.
Recently I have been training again and it has been going well. I was about 2.5 months into my Vermont 100 training and I started getting the itch to race, so I signed up for the 100k. It took a lot of restraint not to check the 100 mile box because they would be getting the coveted belt buckle for finishing, but I was responsible for once and signed up for what I could pull off comfortably.
I rode to NJ with Jen, John and Scott S. We went to the pre-race dinner and we got to chat with some runners, many of them also running VT 100 next July, and I got to say hi to my marathon maniac friend/scrabble buddy also John. We got to talk to Kirsten and Scott P who were both tackling new distances the next day. We went back to the hotel, got our gear ready and got to bed early. We were back at the Fairgrounds by 6 am for my 6:45 start. The race director Rick was trying to explain to us where to go to get our 2.18 miles in before be started on our 6X10 miles loops. He asked if we had any questions and one guy raised his hand and said "I'm confused". Rick asked if there were any other questions and the rest of us raised our hands and said "I'm confused". He tried to explain it again. I asked if he wouldn't mind just running the course with us so we would not get lost. He declined.
It was go time and we were off. I ran with Scott P. for the 2 mile loop and then we started out on the official course. Once around the perimeter of the fairground, then right onto an out and back of lumpy grass, single track and some mud. Before I got on the trail I could see the 100 milers who had started 15 minutes after us. At the end there was a metal fence we had to tap and turn back the way we came. I gave it a loud "thwack!" with my celtic knot ring. It was satisfying. Back to the road, we crossed and headed out on another out-and back. This side was more interesting. There was the large puddle with the giant half-deflated beach ball, the muddy grasslands, there were multiple bridges with particle board strategically placed across to cover the gaping holes. A stream with stepping stones, you had to time it just right so you could get across before runners coming the opposite direction were on the stones. I ended up with a foot in the stream on the first lap. There was one road crossing you had to watch for cars, and another on a quiet backroad. At the end of this turn around was a small aid station. I was pretty sure there was only one woman ahead of me in the 100k race as we headed back to complete our first loop. I decided I was going to try to keep her in sight. She was about my speed. My plan backfired when halfway back she pulled to the side and let me pass. Yikes, I didn't want to pace. We talked for a moment or two, her name was Kanae (Kanaya) and this was her first 100k. I told her she looked good and that it was my second. Now I was in front and felt like I might be running just a little too fast. I was excited to see John and Jen multiple times on the course. Jen was looking super strong and chatting up a storm with a large group around her. People like to run with Jen whenever we go to an ultra because she is so friendly and takes your mind off the miles. As we passed each other she would tell me how I rock, and I would reply with "No YOU rock!". John is more of a solitary runner, he would pull out an ear bud and we would chat as we passed but other than that he is all business for the first 50 miles when he starts to warm up. Around the end of the second lap Kanae passed me back and I felt somewhat relieved. On the third lap a man that had been following me for a while took the lead and said "Thanks hun, now I'll pace you for a while". Ok? I thought. He would give me advice, some of it was good (don't look directly down in front of you, remember to eat) some of it not so much have a gel every hour (barf) stop eating salt (faint), he told me we were on a plan for a 10 hour? I wasn't sure what race he was running because I couldn't see his number, but if he was running the 100k that was too fast. I had only run one other 100k on a very hilly course, and it took me 14:58. I knew I could do this one faster, but not that fast. I realised I had to let him go, I was going too fast, I hadn't really eaten yet so I pulled out a PB&J square from my pack and ate and drank. I started running again, and with the realisation that the first place woman was out of sight, and I couldn't keep up with the pacer guy, I started to feel bad and push again. I was already tired and it was only my third lap. I wasn't even half way done, I had wanted to finish in the top 1-3 women. I had been very sad that week and pushing hard suddenly brought me over the physical threshold and tapped into the emotional trauma of losing my son. I was crying for the last mile or two of the third lap and it was making me not be able to breath. I questioned why I was doing this to myself. Everything was hard so why did I also have to be hard on myself? I wondered if I should just give myself a break and call it. I wondered if I could recover and continue even if I wanted too. I was coming into the main check point and I got myself together, but when I saw Jen's husband Scott waiting for me I lost it again and started blubbering. He asked if I was ok, and I told him I was fine physically. 3 separate people ran over to see if I was ok, was I hurt, was I nauseous? I thought they must think I was a huge baby crying after 32 miles. One woman, Maya who was running the 100 mile asked if I wanted to run with her for a bit. I said sure and stopped crying. She ran off to find her brother. Scott told me I was WAY ahead of where I thought I would be in comparison to my last 100k, and I could just take it easy for a lap. I said "you're right, I don't have to be so hard on myself". It was a good realisation. I made him promise not to tell Jen or John I cried. The last thing I wanted was anybody worrying about ME when they had to run a HUNDRED miles! I am not a crier, so it is a huge event for me to cry, especially in public. I'm tough. Even when I'm devastated my strength makes me feel better. Scott walked with me out into the fairgrounds, I asked if he would tell the nice woman with the ponytails that I had to start off on my own so I didn't talk myself out of continuing and he said he would. I saw her a while later and she told me I looked 100% better. I went out on my 4th lap taking it a bit easier. Once I backed off I was able to keep a steady pace. I felt strong, in control. My legs were tired but the sadness had subsided. At the end of the fourth loop I saw the third place woman. She had gained ground on me while I was regrouping. As I passed through the main check point I was happy again. I was back. Scott saw me coming and said "she's smiling!" Rick asked if I needed any food, but I really needed to go to the table and browse. The appetite was starting to get that-ultra funny feeling. I told them "when I grow up I want to be on my last lap". He said one more time around and I could then be on my last lap. I grabbed some fresh fruit and hit the rest room (real bathrooms that flush and have hand soap!) and went on my way. I wanted to maintain or increase my pace a bit to try and keep my position. Third would be okay, but second was definitely better. Fourth lap was uneventful. I met some cool people. A guy named Vic who had run the 100 miler last year and hated it. He was running the 100k this year and having a better time. He told me he was starting to get tired. At first he thought the beach ball was kind of cute, but by now he was starting to hate that beach ball. I was feeling grateful I had signed up for the 100k myself. I know what the last 30 of a hundred miler feels like, and was not far enough along in my training to go there. It would have been a major suffer fest. At the far aid station I was pretty nauseous. I had been using a little trick, salt pill, a mouthfull of Hammer gel, and a ginger chew
(I termed it the ginger plug) to keep it all down. They asked if I wanted anything to eat and I told them everything was starting to lose it's appeal. "Especially those!" I said and pointed to the evil Hammer gels. They asked if this was my last lap and I told them I would come to see them one more time and that would be it. One of the guys said "We're breaking up?"
"We're through!" I replied.
I made it back to the fairgrounds and told Scott I was just doing a drive through, I didn't want to get passed on my last lap. He said "you go!" and I did. Lap 6 was rewarding. It wasn't easy, 62 miles still isn't easy, but I was able to keep my pace, I got to see my friends, I got to come back from my low and conquer my goal. I passed the pacer guy from earlier in the race. He said the wheels had come off. I tried to get him to follow me in but he didn't think he could. I saw Kanae on the course and she was so strong and steady. She deserved to win and I was impressed. I saw the girl that had been in third and she had fallen back quite a bit, looked like her leg might be hurt. I hoped she was ok because she was nice too. When I got within sight of the finish line I started sprinting. It was fun and the people in the cars and camp ground cheered. I crossed the finish and they told me I was second place female, 7th over all. I was extremely happy. I thought I might have been second, but I really didn't know until that point. They gave me my metal, a sweatshirt and let me pick a prize from the table for being second. I chose a handheld for Jack. At 12 hours and 31 minutes I had a new 100k PR! I saw Kanae and gave her a hug, I was so impressed that she did so well on her first 100k.
They say you live a lifetime in an ultra. It's an exaggeration, but it is a good metaphor. Life can be 62 miles of suck, but if you can get through to that 5 minutes of happy, its worth working for. It may be fleeting, but it is there for you to grab. And there are other fleeting moments of happy out there. Although my life was absolutely devastated this past year, there are still tiny flecks of light to be found. I know that in July there will be a little speck of magic. I'd travel a 100 miles for that.
Huge congrats to Scott P. Kirsten, John on his kick-ass 100 mile PR, and Jen for being able to power through 20 miles of excruciating pain to get that damn buckle. Huge thanks to Scott for being a rock. Sorry you had to see the ugly side, but believe us, it's worth it.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Monday, July 18, 2011
VERMONT 100 MILE ENDURANCE RUN JULY 2011
For anyone looking for a quick breakdown of race terrain, stats or how tough I am, this is not the blog you are looking for. I like to document the experience as I see and feel it, so I can go back and relive how it actually happened when I am 95.
We arrived at Silver Hill Meadow early Friday. I went to registration and got my Bib number 158. I chatted with the man who asked me where I was from, if I knew Jen. He said he worked with her husband Scott. I told him she would be coming through shortly and moved on to get weighed in and vitals. I weighed in at 126. I had gotten down to 125 in my training but gained back a pound in the last week of my taper. My blood pressure was on the low side and she asked if this was normal for me and I said yes. The weight is significant because you are only allowed to lose 5% of your weight on the course, or you must sit out until you gain back, and if you lose 7% you are disqualified. This gave me a buffer of 6 pounds. They weigh you at 3 separate points on the course. Then we went through the merchandise and I bought an extra shirt, an extra dinner ticket for Jack, and 4 extra tickets for the post-race barbecue. It is a nice practice to buy the tickets for your pacer and crew, and I had doubled up.
A bit of history- in May, while training for the VT100, I was scheduled to do the 30 mile run at McNaughton, and had an impulse registration change to the 100 miler. I thought I would try out my training to see how far I could go. It was a 10 mile loop up and down a mountain 10 times. I expended a ton of energy on lap 6 when it got dark, my headlamp went dim, the temperature dropped and I was all alone out on this mountain. When I returned to the farm(check point) I had to take a nap to recover my core temp and energy before I could complete the race. It made me realize how vital good crew and a pacer were for me. They could have reminded me I had a hat in my pocket, to take warmer clothes, they would have had another headlamp and could lead the way. I am known as the person who likes to "try out the distance" by doing the same distance as the race I am training for. I am sure this is completely against what any coach will tell you and am not endorsing it for others.
My crew for VT100 were chosen as follows:
Maureen Newman- I run with her Sundays with team in training, very positive, fun, sweet and strong. She offered to be my pacer as soon as I signed up. I knew positive energy is what I would need when things got dark.
Eric Allard- convinced me that taking a nap at McNaughton would bring me back to life, paced me for the last 10 miles of McNaughton while finishing up his 130 miles for that weekend. Very fun, sang Ren and Stimpy's "Log" at my request. I asked him if he would help pace me for VT100 if I needed back up.
Sherry Ricker- BFF offered to pace, crew, whatever I needed as soon as I signed up. For anyone who has ever traveled with Sherry you know she can get anything you could possibly need into one of those ziplock baggies. She is tough and I knew she would watch out for me and not take any of my crap.
Jack Cary- I don't want to say too much, because every one will want him for their crew and pacer. He has been both for me in the past and is absolutely solid. He had just completed his second Death Race 2 weeks prior, so we decided his best position was crew and driver since he new the area from last year, and he knows me. Also very knowledgeable, gentle but won't take any of my crap. He knows just what to say to motivate me.
We then went to scope out a camping spot in the meadow. Jack wanted us near the tree line for shade. We started to set up next to a couple. I thought I recognised the man, and decided I had to take a chance. "Are you George?" "Yes" he said, and then a wave of recogniton flashed across his face. I ran with George briefly at McNaughton. He told me he was doing VT100 and chose McNaughton also as his first 100. He asked my plan for McNaughton and I told him I was going to do somewhere between 40-100 miles, whatever I could do as a training run. He said "Don't do that. Commit to it and finish the whole thing." I said I would and decided that I had to take a chance and go for it. If for some reason I could not finish VT100 I would regret not going for it at McNaughton. I always felt grateful and wanted to run into him at VT100 to tell him I did what he said. My results were not posted on the Peak race web site because I came in after the timer left, so George thought I dropped at 60 and was very happy to hear I finished.
We ended up moving up the hill to camp because there was some wet area around us and we were also scoping out an area for about 6-8 other tents, the Thursday night runners Bob and Jen, Todd, Jen Sorrell, John Lacroix and Aislyn, also Brenda and George were coming up from Boston with Betty and their friend Michael from Sheffield England who was running his first 100, and Rebekah was coming. Clem, Steve, Serena, Sam and Newton joined us for a while that night although they were not camping out in the meadow and we all sat around talking until bed time. We went to bed early since we had to be up by 3:00 AM. I was just about asleep when I heard some excited voices "You came!" I said to Jack "Jan's here?" He told me yes and I fell asleep happy.
I awoke multiple times and at 2:00 I could not go back to sleep. I lay there until 3 and I heard the Charriots of Fire play from the Start line. We all got dressed and headed over. Check-in, some pictures, Jen gave me a bite of her bagel, and we were off. I ran with John and Michael for the first 10 miles or so. I did not have my Garmin so it was nice to run with people so I did not go out too fast in the excitement. Michael was obviously holding back, walking the hills when we did. When he finally took off we said good luck. John said we would either see him again or we wouldn't. Since it was his first 100 we did not want him to burn out, but he seemed strong so we thought he could handle it. And boy did he, he wound up coming in tenth or 11th over all! The aid stations are a little blurry in my memory for the first section. I knew I would see Jack at mile 21 so I just tried to be quick, grab a coke and head out. I fly through the unmanned aid stations to save time. I caught up with Clem which surprised me. I thought he started behind me. I asked if he had seen Jen and he said she started ahead of us. I ran with John and Clem for a while. I was having so much fun! I talked to some new people along the way. There was Jody from Nova Scotia, he was doing his first 100 miler, his wife was there doing her first too. There was Jeff from Salt Lake City Utah. He had attempted two 100 milers before, one of which was VT100. He had come close but never finished. I hope he finished! I saw him a few times through out the day. I met John Izzo who I had heard of and not yet met. I also met a very nice man I think was John? He was running with another man who had gone sub 24 the year before and a girl named Kristin. She looked very strong, she was smaller than me and wearing a camel back and carrying a handheld water bottle in each hand. I saw John? at the cook out the next day and he did not finish. I was surprised because he looked strong and steady.
I was running by one guy and he said "you look familiar, do I know you?" The people around him laughed, but he looked familiar to me too. I asked him if it was at McNaughton, and yes, he paced his friend there for 40 miles. His name was Luiz and he was strong and ended up sub 24.
The horse racers began running by on a dirt country road. The riders would tell us we were doing great. The horses were absolutely beautiful. It definitely added to the race.
Later in the day it got very hot, and things got more difficult. I was a little concerned because I was hurting before 50 miles. My feet were blistering. I was coming up on an aid station but I was not sure which one. There was an older man with a golden puppy. I asked if I could pet her, he said yes. Her name was Bella and she loved me because I was salty! I moved on and when I rounded the corner someone said "Welcome to Ten Bear!" and people were cheering and saying wonderful things. Whatever I was feeling 10 minutes ago was washed away by this beautiful display of humanity. We always say we appreciate the spectators and volunteers, but when you are down, they are everything. I got weighed in and I was 125. I only lost one pound and was happy. I saw Jack and Eric and Jack put a bandaid and some tape on my pinky toe that was blistered. I was excited to see Jen at the aid station, she had a nasty cut on her knee where she must have wiped out. I gave her a big hug. I am not much of a hugger, but everyone got at least one that weekend. I moved on feeling refreshed. I caught up to Jen and she had a little group of young men following her. They said she was a slave driver. I ran with them for a while, then something popped and I had to stop and whip my shoe off in excruciating pain. I thought my pinky toenail ripped off, but when I got my shoe off it appeared to be a blister that had formed on the front of my pinky toe, in and around the nail and on the front. It had popped. A passer by stopped and gave me one of his band aids. I was very grateful. I patched it up and tried to move on but I could barely walk. I thought my race was done. How could I run when I could barely walk? How could I tell people it was my pinky toe that made me drop??? I kept going and eventually it drained more and I was able to resume a slower run. And then it hit. I suddenly was so nauseas. A man running by saw me and asked if I was ok. I told him I was, I just had an overwhelming feeling of nausea. He said he had recently experienced the same and once he threw up he was much better. So I tried. Nothing. Another passer by gave me a ginger candy. It worked! I was back in business! Andy Weinberg caught up and I ran with him for a while. We exchanged ailments and his quads were spent (he was doing this without proper training!!!) I asked him if he had tried Tylenol and Arnica gel. I told him Jack had it at the next aid station and we would fix him right up. When we got there it was quite a show. Both my pacers and both my crew were at this stop. They had two chairs set up. They plopped us in, put Arnica gel on our legs, I got a shoe change and better wraps on my blisters, "what can I get you to eat and drink?". Andy was over at the aid station now calling "Come on Queen Latifah, time to go!" Then proceeded to tell the other runners about how I had an entourage, a pedicure station and popsicle stand etc. He did say he felt better already. Next stop was quicker, Jack said "stay with Andy, he'll lift your spirits" Sherry said, "Yes, he's funny!"
We ran together to mile 70. He was doing a fast speed hike up the hills and I had to work to stay with him, and I was able to run the downs and flats and he had to work to keep up with me so we kept each other moving.
I was starting to lose my appetite at the next aid station and they reminded me there was a weigh in at the next one, so I took a cup of noodles and broth and went on my way. I power walked until I got all of it down, and when I hit Ten Bear at mile 70 I weighed in at 125 lb. This is where I picked up my pacers. We decided it was ok for both of them to come because Andy was coming too. When it was time to go Andy said not to wait for him, that I was going strong. My crew and pacers told me to go, Jack promised to take care of Andy.
We were on our way and I was feeling good for a few miles and then it hit. Paralyzing nausea. I felt like my stomach was pushing against my throat causing a gag reflex. I knew Eric was super strong and probably bored out of his mind so when he said John had a whole bucket of ginger I asked him if he could run ahead to the Spirit of 76 aid station and see if he could catch Aislin who was crewing for John and score me some ginger. John was too far ahead and Aislin was already gone. By the time I got to 76 I was hurting. Paula and Vicki were volunteering and Paula gave me the best hug ever and found me some Tums. I moved on and the Tums started to help and I could run again for a little while. It went on like this for a while. I would be nauseas for what seemed like hours, trying to shuffle/run and speed hike. I must have pulled over 15 times to try to vomit but there was no relief. My crew wanted me to eat but every time I put something in my mouth the feeling came back. Maureen and Eric were very patient. Maureen reminded me the body was amazing and would recover. I got to a point where I could eat a couple gummy bears and Maureen had some little stick pretzels I would nibble on. I decided my mission was to get to Bill's at mile 88. After that they assured me the sun would come up and I would be renewed.
I was half hoping they would pull me at Bill's. Jack ran out to meet me and told me to look sharp, that they were being very strict and pulling people. Although the sick side of me wanted to be pulled, the strong side of me knew I came here to finish. I told Jack not to let anyone ask me what I wanted to eat, because I didn't want to gag when they started naming things off. "Just let me look and decide". I weighed in at 121. They asked me how I was and I said I was good. They said "she's good". I grabbed a cookie, and a PB&J square, asked for a shoe change, my feet were totally numb and I thought I must have blisters on all my toes. They pulled my shoes off and I did not have blisters. My feet were just numb. The shoe change felt better though. I heard Jack tell Eric I had to pick up the pace if I wanted to beat the cut off and I heard Eric tell him how slow the last stretch was. They sounded concerned. I took a tiny nibble of my cookie and one bite of my sandwich. On my way out a man came in and was explaining how he could not take in any calories. They told him that was not unusual at this stage and I felt better.
We set off from Bill's and I was moving faster. I remember telling Eric I needed to find my inner honey badger. I was not going to squeak by any cut offs! The next manned aid station Jack had run out to meet us. He was so relieved. He said there was an 8:00 cut off. It was about 6:20. He said "you don't know how happy I am to see you here so soon!" I moved pretty good for the last 10 miles, comparatively. I had another bout of nausea around mile 95. Maureen reminded me the body would recover, I said "I know, I just don't want to spend the next 5 miles feeling like this". I remember a volunteer telling me I was participating in an amazing event, and that I was going to finish. I tried a new speed walking technique until it passed, it avoided the up and down jostling of my "running". That worked. The last manned aid station there was an older gentleman that gave me a "supersonic" Tums. He was chatting but I had to move so I left him with Jack.
The last part of the race was a trail through the woods with switch backs. I remembered from the year before when I paced Steve that this was deceiving. You were supposed to have about 2 miles but it was longer. I passed a woman walking down who told me just a little over a mile. I ran for 3/4 of a mile and then we hit a sign that said- last mile, 99 down, one to go! "Oh no!" I said. I thought I had been running for a mile and was going to be in the 27 hour mark. "Either way, you will be done with this in less than half an hour" Maureen said. Ok, we kept going forever and hit a sign that said 1/2 mile to go! Getting closer. Jack met us and took our picture, "Ok but I'm not stopping for it" I told him. I wanted to be done. I told him I wanted a picture crossing the finish line so he ran back. As we neared the finish I could see the sun coming through the break in the trees and I could hear my friends cheering and calling my name. I was so happy and had the hugest smile come over my face. I knew they were all exhausted, and the fact that they came back to the finish for me was such a treat. I saw them all lined up on either side of the finish line and Sherry yelled "Finish like a Y!" one of our jokes, so I put my hands up over my head. Tania gave me a big hug, and with the pain fresh in my head I warned her "Don't ever do this!" We laughed and I gave a big stinky hug to whoever would let me.
They say you live a lifetime when you run an ultra. The ups and downs, you go from hero status to feeling like a vulnerable patient, you see wonderful things and a bit of suffering. You meet so many people. You help some people, and a lot of people help you.
My finish time was 28:07. The experience was priceless.
We arrived at Silver Hill Meadow early Friday. I went to registration and got my Bib number 158. I chatted with the man who asked me where I was from, if I knew Jen. He said he worked with her husband Scott. I told him she would be coming through shortly and moved on to get weighed in and vitals. I weighed in at 126. I had gotten down to 125 in my training but gained back a pound in the last week of my taper. My blood pressure was on the low side and she asked if this was normal for me and I said yes. The weight is significant because you are only allowed to lose 5% of your weight on the course, or you must sit out until you gain back, and if you lose 7% you are disqualified. This gave me a buffer of 6 pounds. They weigh you at 3 separate points on the course. Then we went through the merchandise and I bought an extra shirt, an extra dinner ticket for Jack, and 4 extra tickets for the post-race barbecue. It is a nice practice to buy the tickets for your pacer and crew, and I had doubled up.
A bit of history- in May, while training for the VT100, I was scheduled to do the 30 mile run at McNaughton, and had an impulse registration change to the 100 miler. I thought I would try out my training to see how far I could go. It was a 10 mile loop up and down a mountain 10 times. I expended a ton of energy on lap 6 when it got dark, my headlamp went dim, the temperature dropped and I was all alone out on this mountain. When I returned to the farm(check point) I had to take a nap to recover my core temp and energy before I could complete the race. It made me realize how vital good crew and a pacer were for me. They could have reminded me I had a hat in my pocket, to take warmer clothes, they would have had another headlamp and could lead the way. I am known as the person who likes to "try out the distance" by doing the same distance as the race I am training for. I am sure this is completely against what any coach will tell you and am not endorsing it for others.
My crew for VT100 were chosen as follows:
Maureen Newman- I run with her Sundays with team in training, very positive, fun, sweet and strong. She offered to be my pacer as soon as I signed up. I knew positive energy is what I would need when things got dark.
Eric Allard- convinced me that taking a nap at McNaughton would bring me back to life, paced me for the last 10 miles of McNaughton while finishing up his 130 miles for that weekend. Very fun, sang Ren and Stimpy's "Log" at my request. I asked him if he would help pace me for VT100 if I needed back up.
Sherry Ricker- BFF offered to pace, crew, whatever I needed as soon as I signed up. For anyone who has ever traveled with Sherry you know she can get anything you could possibly need into one of those ziplock baggies. She is tough and I knew she would watch out for me and not take any of my crap.
Jack Cary- I don't want to say too much, because every one will want him for their crew and pacer. He has been both for me in the past and is absolutely solid. He had just completed his second Death Race 2 weeks prior, so we decided his best position was crew and driver since he new the area from last year, and he knows me. Also very knowledgeable, gentle but won't take any of my crap. He knows just what to say to motivate me.
We then went to scope out a camping spot in the meadow. Jack wanted us near the tree line for shade. We started to set up next to a couple. I thought I recognised the man, and decided I had to take a chance. "Are you George?" "Yes" he said, and then a wave of recogniton flashed across his face. I ran with George briefly at McNaughton. He told me he was doing VT100 and chose McNaughton also as his first 100. He asked my plan for McNaughton and I told him I was going to do somewhere between 40-100 miles, whatever I could do as a training run. He said "Don't do that. Commit to it and finish the whole thing." I said I would and decided that I had to take a chance and go for it. If for some reason I could not finish VT100 I would regret not going for it at McNaughton. I always felt grateful and wanted to run into him at VT100 to tell him I did what he said. My results were not posted on the Peak race web site because I came in after the timer left, so George thought I dropped at 60 and was very happy to hear I finished.
We ended up moving up the hill to camp because there was some wet area around us and we were also scoping out an area for about 6-8 other tents, the Thursday night runners Bob and Jen, Todd, Jen Sorrell, John Lacroix and Aislyn, also Brenda and George were coming up from Boston with Betty and their friend Michael from Sheffield England who was running his first 100, and Rebekah was coming. Clem, Steve, Serena, Sam and Newton joined us for a while that night although they were not camping out in the meadow and we all sat around talking until bed time. We went to bed early since we had to be up by 3:00 AM. I was just about asleep when I heard some excited voices "You came!" I said to Jack "Jan's here?" He told me yes and I fell asleep happy.
I awoke multiple times and at 2:00 I could not go back to sleep. I lay there until 3 and I heard the Charriots of Fire play from the Start line. We all got dressed and headed over. Check-in, some pictures, Jen gave me a bite of her bagel, and we were off. I ran with John and Michael for the first 10 miles or so. I did not have my Garmin so it was nice to run with people so I did not go out too fast in the excitement. Michael was obviously holding back, walking the hills when we did. When he finally took off we said good luck. John said we would either see him again or we wouldn't. Since it was his first 100 we did not want him to burn out, but he seemed strong so we thought he could handle it. And boy did he, he wound up coming in tenth or 11th over all! The aid stations are a little blurry in my memory for the first section. I knew I would see Jack at mile 21 so I just tried to be quick, grab a coke and head out. I fly through the unmanned aid stations to save time. I caught up with Clem which surprised me. I thought he started behind me. I asked if he had seen Jen and he said she started ahead of us. I ran with John and Clem for a while. I was having so much fun! I talked to some new people along the way. There was Jody from Nova Scotia, he was doing his first 100 miler, his wife was there doing her first too. There was Jeff from Salt Lake City Utah. He had attempted two 100 milers before, one of which was VT100. He had come close but never finished. I hope he finished! I saw him a few times through out the day. I met John Izzo who I had heard of and not yet met. I also met a very nice man I think was John? He was running with another man who had gone sub 24 the year before and a girl named Kristin. She looked very strong, she was smaller than me and wearing a camel back and carrying a handheld water bottle in each hand. I saw John? at the cook out the next day and he did not finish. I was surprised because he looked strong and steady.
I was running by one guy and he said "you look familiar, do I know you?" The people around him laughed, but he looked familiar to me too. I asked him if it was at McNaughton, and yes, he paced his friend there for 40 miles. His name was Luiz and he was strong and ended up sub 24.
The horse racers began running by on a dirt country road. The riders would tell us we were doing great. The horses were absolutely beautiful. It definitely added to the race.
Later in the day it got very hot, and things got more difficult. I was a little concerned because I was hurting before 50 miles. My feet were blistering. I was coming up on an aid station but I was not sure which one. There was an older man with a golden puppy. I asked if I could pet her, he said yes. Her name was Bella and she loved me because I was salty! I moved on and when I rounded the corner someone said "Welcome to Ten Bear!" and people were cheering and saying wonderful things. Whatever I was feeling 10 minutes ago was washed away by this beautiful display of humanity. We always say we appreciate the spectators and volunteers, but when you are down, they are everything. I got weighed in and I was 125. I only lost one pound and was happy. I saw Jack and Eric and Jack put a bandaid and some tape on my pinky toe that was blistered. I was excited to see Jen at the aid station, she had a nasty cut on her knee where she must have wiped out. I gave her a big hug. I am not much of a hugger, but everyone got at least one that weekend. I moved on feeling refreshed. I caught up to Jen and she had a little group of young men following her. They said she was a slave driver. I ran with them for a while, then something popped and I had to stop and whip my shoe off in excruciating pain. I thought my pinky toenail ripped off, but when I got my shoe off it appeared to be a blister that had formed on the front of my pinky toe, in and around the nail and on the front. It had popped. A passer by stopped and gave me one of his band aids. I was very grateful. I patched it up and tried to move on but I could barely walk. I thought my race was done. How could I run when I could barely walk? How could I tell people it was my pinky toe that made me drop??? I kept going and eventually it drained more and I was able to resume a slower run. And then it hit. I suddenly was so nauseas. A man running by saw me and asked if I was ok. I told him I was, I just had an overwhelming feeling of nausea. He said he had recently experienced the same and once he threw up he was much better. So I tried. Nothing. Another passer by gave me a ginger candy. It worked! I was back in business! Andy Weinberg caught up and I ran with him for a while. We exchanged ailments and his quads were spent (he was doing this without proper training!!!) I asked him if he had tried Tylenol and Arnica gel. I told him Jack had it at the next aid station and we would fix him right up. When we got there it was quite a show. Both my pacers and both my crew were at this stop. They had two chairs set up. They plopped us in, put Arnica gel on our legs, I got a shoe change and better wraps on my blisters, "what can I get you to eat and drink?". Andy was over at the aid station now calling "Come on Queen Latifah, time to go!" Then proceeded to tell the other runners about how I had an entourage, a pedicure station and popsicle stand etc. He did say he felt better already. Next stop was quicker, Jack said "stay with Andy, he'll lift your spirits" Sherry said, "Yes, he's funny!"
We ran together to mile 70. He was doing a fast speed hike up the hills and I had to work to stay with him, and I was able to run the downs and flats and he had to work to keep up with me so we kept each other moving.
I was starting to lose my appetite at the next aid station and they reminded me there was a weigh in at the next one, so I took a cup of noodles and broth and went on my way. I power walked until I got all of it down, and when I hit Ten Bear at mile 70 I weighed in at 125 lb. This is where I picked up my pacers. We decided it was ok for both of them to come because Andy was coming too. When it was time to go Andy said not to wait for him, that I was going strong. My crew and pacers told me to go, Jack promised to take care of Andy.
We were on our way and I was feeling good for a few miles and then it hit. Paralyzing nausea. I felt like my stomach was pushing against my throat causing a gag reflex. I knew Eric was super strong and probably bored out of his mind so when he said John had a whole bucket of ginger I asked him if he could run ahead to the Spirit of 76 aid station and see if he could catch Aislin who was crewing for John and score me some ginger. John was too far ahead and Aislin was already gone. By the time I got to 76 I was hurting. Paula and Vicki were volunteering and Paula gave me the best hug ever and found me some Tums. I moved on and the Tums started to help and I could run again for a little while. It went on like this for a while. I would be nauseas for what seemed like hours, trying to shuffle/run and speed hike. I must have pulled over 15 times to try to vomit but there was no relief. My crew wanted me to eat but every time I put something in my mouth the feeling came back. Maureen and Eric were very patient. Maureen reminded me the body was amazing and would recover. I got to a point where I could eat a couple gummy bears and Maureen had some little stick pretzels I would nibble on. I decided my mission was to get to Bill's at mile 88. After that they assured me the sun would come up and I would be renewed.
I was half hoping they would pull me at Bill's. Jack ran out to meet me and told me to look sharp, that they were being very strict and pulling people. Although the sick side of me wanted to be pulled, the strong side of me knew I came here to finish. I told Jack not to let anyone ask me what I wanted to eat, because I didn't want to gag when they started naming things off. "Just let me look and decide". I weighed in at 121. They asked me how I was and I said I was good. They said "she's good". I grabbed a cookie, and a PB&J square, asked for a shoe change, my feet were totally numb and I thought I must have blisters on all my toes. They pulled my shoes off and I did not have blisters. My feet were just numb. The shoe change felt better though. I heard Jack tell Eric I had to pick up the pace if I wanted to beat the cut off and I heard Eric tell him how slow the last stretch was. They sounded concerned. I took a tiny nibble of my cookie and one bite of my sandwich. On my way out a man came in and was explaining how he could not take in any calories. They told him that was not unusual at this stage and I felt better.
We set off from Bill's and I was moving faster. I remember telling Eric I needed to find my inner honey badger. I was not going to squeak by any cut offs! The next manned aid station Jack had run out to meet us. He was so relieved. He said there was an 8:00 cut off. It was about 6:20. He said "you don't know how happy I am to see you here so soon!" I moved pretty good for the last 10 miles, comparatively. I had another bout of nausea around mile 95. Maureen reminded me the body would recover, I said "I know, I just don't want to spend the next 5 miles feeling like this". I remember a volunteer telling me I was participating in an amazing event, and that I was going to finish. I tried a new speed walking technique until it passed, it avoided the up and down jostling of my "running". That worked. The last manned aid station there was an older gentleman that gave me a "supersonic" Tums. He was chatting but I had to move so I left him with Jack.
The last part of the race was a trail through the woods with switch backs. I remembered from the year before when I paced Steve that this was deceiving. You were supposed to have about 2 miles but it was longer. I passed a woman walking down who told me just a little over a mile. I ran for 3/4 of a mile and then we hit a sign that said- last mile, 99 down, one to go! "Oh no!" I said. I thought I had been running for a mile and was going to be in the 27 hour mark. "Either way, you will be done with this in less than half an hour" Maureen said. Ok, we kept going forever and hit a sign that said 1/2 mile to go! Getting closer. Jack met us and took our picture, "Ok but I'm not stopping for it" I told him. I wanted to be done. I told him I wanted a picture crossing the finish line so he ran back. As we neared the finish I could see the sun coming through the break in the trees and I could hear my friends cheering and calling my name. I was so happy and had the hugest smile come over my face. I knew they were all exhausted, and the fact that they came back to the finish for me was such a treat. I saw them all lined up on either side of the finish line and Sherry yelled "Finish like a Y!" one of our jokes, so I put my hands up over my head. Tania gave me a big hug, and with the pain fresh in my head I warned her "Don't ever do this!" We laughed and I gave a big stinky hug to whoever would let me.
They say you live a lifetime when you run an ultra. The ups and downs, you go from hero status to feeling like a vulnerable patient, you see wonderful things and a bit of suffering. You meet so many people. You help some people, and a lot of people help you.
My finish time was 28:07. The experience was priceless.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Bandera 100K 2011
It all started with an offhand comment by Jack's brother Jason, telling me to find a race in Texas so we could go visit him. I have been on a trend of picking races in states where family members live since we lost my cousin Sam in a tragic Railway accident Dec 09. I had been extremely lucky to have recently visited while in Minnesota on business, and since I have been combining running with family visits. It was either the same day or the following day that Jason made the comment, I received an email from the race director of the VT50 which I had recently run. It stated that the VT50 was part of the Montrail race series, and listed other races that were part of this series. I saw Bandera TX on the list, and went to the web site to investigate. 2 hours SW of Austin, we could easily run the race and drive up for a visit. They had a 25k, 50k or 100k option, and there motto was
| A Trail Run of Rugged and Brutal Beauty where Everything Cuts, Stings, or Bites | |
A couple of months later, the web site announced that the race had been chosen as the USATF national trail run Championship. The top 10 male and females would receive a USATF medal, along with the belt buckle we would receive from the race director if we finished the 100k. (for non-runners: the belt buckle is the ultimate prize, it is usually awarded only for 100 milers, finishing under a certain time cut off, usually 24 hours. It is like receiving a medal for finishing a marathon, only 100 times better. The fact that this race was giving belt buckles to finishers of the 100k was daunting, and spoke to the difficulty of the course). I looked at the list of those registered for the Championship, and there were only 7 women at the time. There were 170 signed up for the regular 100 k, and I knew more could join, but I thought, what the hell. When would I ever get the chance again to compete in a National Championship? And if the numbers stayed in my favor, may even get a USATF medal? So I signed up. Not much later, the number of women climbed to 14. I looked up 10 of the names for race results, and discovered I was way out of my league. These women were presidents of their running club, had WON 100 milers, sub 3 hour marathons etc. Oh well, I still had a chance at a buckle and got the experience of competing in a championship!
The day before we left we got a call from Jason that his friend had been in a tragic accident, and he would need to be out of town helping the family with support, arrangements etc most of the time, but still wanted us to come. We flew into Austin and spent some time with Stacy and Aiden, Jack's 2 year old nephew, and their 2 pups. We went for a very small run around the neighborhood because my legs felt bloated and tight from the travel. We were both a little concerned at how hard that little run felt. The next morning we set out on our road trip to Bandera. We would return after the race to spend some time with Jason. I felt slightly dissappointed that Austin was such a big city, but the further we traveled, the more wild and open the land became, and I began to relax.
We checked into The Flying L Ranch. It was adorable, and I took some photos of a sign pointing to the "Ghost town" and some shops which included "Cactus Jack's".
Our next stop was to time our drive to the race start, and check out the terrain in person. We drove to the park and had a chance to chat with some of the volunteers. They were very friendly, one of them was an older gentleman who had run the race 3 times. They told us where to park in the morning, to feel free to look around for as long as we like, and gave us some tips on the course. He said the rocks were everywhere, try not to get frustrated and don't fight them, just go with it. Our feet would be sore. They asked where we were from, and when we told them Vermont they laughed out loud and shook their heads like we didn't have a chance. We thanked them and moved on to check out the course. I knew we were far from home, so I took no offense that they didn't seem to be aware that Vermonters aren't soft. I also knew a VT female WON this race the previous year.
The course seemed to flash back and forth between single track dusty trail, to completely covered in large rocks. I kept my eyes and ears open for rattle snakes and scorpions. I had read that they were mostly dormant in the winter, but it was 70 degrees F that day, and I wasn't so sure. I was very excited to spot an armadillo on the way back.
That night we attended the pre-race dinner at the Silver Sage corral. I enjoyed seeing the other runners, and we sat at a table with a USATF race official, a young man who said last year had taken him over 23 hours to complete. He had gotten injured and "hobbled in to the finish". We were in awe. We sat with another young woman who said she was not running this year, she was volunteering. Later in our discussion it came out that her name was Melanie. I said "wait, have you won this before?" She replied yes, twice. I told her I had read her blog and really enjoyed it. I read as many blogs as I could find before arriving, trying to get an idea of what the experience would be like. I was amused by the T-shirt on one of the young girls, that said "YOU RUN MARATHONS? THAT'S SO CUTE!"
Later that day I got a call from my dog sitter. I had taken one of my girls to the vet the previous week for arthritis in her hind quarter, and had set up another appt for when I returned. I left detailed instructions on her medication and comfort. The call was very bad news, she had taken a turn for the worst, lost function in her back legs, had to go to the emergency vet. The X-rays did not show arthritis, it was neurological, more than likely tumors on the spine. She would need a mylogram and surgery if it was treatable. I felt utterly helpless. All I could do was give direction over the phone and my credit card numbers. My heart was destroyed, as I am more attached to these dogs than I can explain.
I turned to Jack for a voice of reason. The facts,
1. we could not change our flight, we could spend thousands of dollars to try, would probably not get back any sooner, and there was nothing they could do until the day we were supposed to return anyway. If I spent all my money trying to get home earlier, I would not have enough for the expensive treatments.
2. This was the longest, hardest run of my life. I had to find a way to deal and commit to it if I was going to start.
I lay in bed with tears streaming down my face until I fell asleep. In the morning I tried to be emotionless and perform all my pre-race duties. I committed to getting myself to the start line.
It was dark and cold when we arrived. We checked in, delivered our drop bags and I got another number from the USATF official that I had to display on my back side at all times. It said F40.
The race started at 7:30. It was chip timed so we ran over the starting mat. I started fairly close to the front for me, in the first 25% or so, just because of where we happened to be standing. It was light out at this point. I had chosen to wear my tights, as it was supposed to be 34 at the start, 60 later with a possibility of rain. I usually run cold, and also was warned by the website and the pre-race briefing of the Sotol Texas cactus, which was quite sharp, and abundant in the hilly sections. The tights allowed me to plow through the cactus without worry, but I did take home a piece of cactus which still remains in my right hand.
We ran for a short period, and came to a hill that was steep enough that everyone started walking. It was single track so the decision was made for you. The sun got bright and it warmed up quickly. It wasn't long before my long sleeve was tied around my waist and I was carrying my beanie. I knew I should put on a hat, since the sun was beating on my head, but my first drop bag was not until Crossroads, the 3rd and 4th aid station. It was good to feel the adrenaline of the start, It numbed the sadness briefly and got me out into the course. I had originally wanted to run with Jack. I was afraid of being alone later in the race if it got cold and dark, I tend to get disoriented. Jack had told me the previous day he intended on beating me, so I was not surprised when he ditched me in the first mile.
The first aid station was called Nachos, it was only about 5 miles in, so I grabbed a couple of goldfish crackers and a salt pill and continued on. As the field thinned out, I found myself with more time to think. I would begin to get upset about my dog Dublin, and this would impede my breathing so I would try to concentrate on something else, that it would be a non malignant tumor they could easily remove, or I would replay a song in my head to drown out thoughts if they went negative. The track was "The stars at night, are big and bright...deep in the heart of Texas!" Think Adventures of Pee Wee Herman. I realized that Jack had done me a favor by ditching me, if he had been there I may have been emotionally weakened. Forced to rely on myself I was stronger.
Second aid station, Chappas. I refilled my camel back with water, took in more food, peanut butter and jelly, pringles, coca-cola. Yum. Another salt pill and washed it down with water and off again. I was as quick as possible out of the aid stations.
My breathing was heavier than I liked, my nose was running constantly. (This concerned me a bit as I have a history of breathing issues during races, one of the worst being the VT50. I had thought it was allergies, but it turned out I was sick. ) This time I was hoping for allergies. It was all over the Texas news that it was pollen season for their Mountain Cedar, and I was certainly reacting. The first half of the race was long and difficult. My nose ran the whole time and was raw by the halfway point. Luckily I remembered I had tucked 2 tissues into a pocket and these helped. After passing through Crossroads the second time I was looking forward to getting back to the Lodge (half way). How disappointed was I when I realized I had forgotten there was one more aid station, Last Chance before I got to halfway? I had to have a reality check. I run hard to train myself against adversity. Well this was adversity right here and now, so run. Things started turning around. My breathing eased up, I finally hit the halfway point and could concentrate on the second half. I was getting a snack at the aid station when I heard "Krit-Krat?" It was Jack! I honestly expected not to see him again until the end. He said he had just gotten there, and asked if this is where I said "catch me" and he never saw me again. I told him he could probably catch me, I was starting to slow down. I asked if he wanted me to wait for him, and he said no, go ahead. He was carrying a cup. I took off with out grabbing enough to eat.
I remembered Jack's words, if I started to get upset about Dubby-Dubs to push harder. I started to welcome the discomfort, physical pain was distracting from emotional pain. But amazingly there was not much physical discomfort, I had dealt with much worse. I concentrated running in any area I could, and when it was too steep and/or rocky, moving as quickly as I could. I started to get really hungry before the next aid station. It was about lunch time, and I hadn't eaten enough at the last station. I pulled a gel from my camel back and ate it to get me to the next station. I also took a salt tab and a sports leg with plenty of water, and soon I was at Nachos again. I discarded my gel wrapper (Vermonters don't litter!) and ate lunch, while they refilled my camel back. Let me just say here how wonderful and competent all the volunteers were at the aid stations. I was on a mission during the race, so I didn't get to tell each and everyone, but they really were incredible. You pulled in, they filled your water, took down your number, what can they get you, set you up with food and off you went.
On my way to the next station, I asked someone what time it was. It was around 2:00 I think. I did not have my Garmin, they were not allowed if you were in the Championship, and I hadn't worn my watch in so long the batteries were dead. You were also not allowed pacers, but I realized they are really not necessary for a 100k. Well I realized I hadn't used the restroom all day, since about 6:30 in the morning. With all the water I had been taking in, I thought maybe I should make sure my kidneys were still functioning. There are not a lot of big trees in Texas, so I asked at the aid station. She started to walk me over to show me where the bathroom was, and then said, oh is it too far? It was about 0.15 miles away, and I told her I just couldn't let my boyfriend pass me. We laughed, and I almost changed my mind, but I decided I should check my kidney function so I ran off. All was well so I ran back. I noticed a lot of people I had passed along the way had caught up to me. One older man started talking to me about Jack. He said he had been running with him and said something about one of us catching the other at mile 40, and he told Jack he didn't think so because I was flying. I was flattered that anyone would say I was flying! I ran with him and two other men I had been passing back and forth for a while. One of the men wiped out HARD, and never had the chance to put his hands out to break his fall so he landed on his face and knee. We stopped with him for a few minutes, he was a little dizzy, but had all his faculties. I asked if he wanted me to run ahead and send someone back, but eventually he got up and started running again. We stayed with him for a while. I was amazed he was running. When I was pretty sure he would make it, at least to the next aid station, I told them I would see them at the next station and took off. They were taking walk breaks a bit more frequently than I needed to. I remember at one of the stops a woman telling us we had only about marathon distance to go, and thinking how good that sounded. A couple years ago this would have seemed crazy to me.
The sky darkened and the wind picked up. I remembered the race director Joe telling us to get out of the fields before the rain started. The mud and hay would stick to our shoes and make it much harder to run. I was trying to get as far as I could before the rain started and it got dark. I got pretty far. When I pulled into crossroads the volunteer filled my camel back quickly, said "you'll do the loop and come back here, then another 4.7 to last chance then 4.2 to the Lodge. You've got this". I took off feeling strong. It took a long time to get back to crossroads again. It started getting dark, and this slowed me down a bit. When I got back in, another man filled my pack. I asked him which leg had the giant hill, he said this one. He said the rain would start during this leg, but I'd be okay because I had my jacket around my waist. I thought I heard someone call my name, then I heard it again. It was Jack, he was at crossroads on the other side. He looked pale. He said he was sick and he didn't think he would make it. He said he thought he was going to call it and asked if I would mind. I said of course not. He had felt ill for some time and continued on hoping it would pass. A woman passed me as I was talking to him, I let her go. I felt bad that he looked so sick and I had been racing him in my mind. I told him to try to meet me at the finish and feel better. He said I looked good and was ahead of schedule. I did not know exactly what that meant, but I had told him I thought it would take me 16 hours so maybe I was ahead of that?
I took off quickly. I wanted to get to that hill before the rain started. When I got there it was both easier and harder than it had been the first time. Easier because I knew what to expect, I knew it did not actually go on forever. Harder because it was dark and my legs were tired. I imagined this is what a drunk elephant would look like trying to get up this hill. On the other side I tried to make my way down. It was loose shale and very steep. It was part that I was tired, part that it was dark, but it also seemed all the runners had loosened it more. I could not find a stable place to step. BAM! I went down hard. Okay, first time, I had seen many others wipe out way before this. BAM!! I went down again, harder. I swore out loud, a lot. My hands were cut and bleeding. BAM!!! This time I fell forward landing on my knee. I was pissed. This was so dangerous! What were they thinking? I was going to make it to the next aid station and tell someone what I thought.
By the time I made it to Last Chance I had cooled down. The guys joked with me and I asked them for a shot of tequila. When they actually started to pour me on, I said, no, no! I was joking. They said okay, but it might help your hands and the winner of the race drank a beer both times through. I told them if I had a mile left I would consider it, but I had 5 left and I already was going up the hills like a drunk.
The last leg it started to rain. The black rocks became slippery and I was a little timid to take chances after my wipe outs. Any place that was dirt I would run. I realized that for quite some time any place I could run I had been playing the music from the Grinch in my head- the part where he takes the sled with Max through the snowy mountains. I passed five people in that leg, I think two of them were runners and the other two with them were their pacers. It started to lightning and I picked it up because I was afraid they would call the race and I had come so far. In the last mile I was tempted to walk. I heard a woman's voice and could see their head lamps behind me. I think it was one of the couples I had passed. She was pacing the man and she was in a hurry for something. I heard her yell at him "I CAN'T HEAR YOU!!!" I didn't know what the hurry was but I figured I better run faster too! They passed me before the end and she was still yelling at him, come on come on! He said "I'm coming!" Jack was on the side line in a garbage bag cheering for me. I crossed the finish line and he ran up and congratulated me. Joe shook my hand and gave me my belt buckle. He peeked under my hat and said "Who is that?" I told him my name. I was so excited to have my buckle!! I asked them what my time was and they ran back and checked the clock. 14:58. Wow, I broke 15 hours, and I wasn't last! I realized the pacer was in a hurry to get her runner across under 15 hours. She did it!
The next morning we went to the breakfast and award ceremony. At the breakfast we sat with a young man wearing a VT50 beanie. I showed him my shirt, it was also the VT50. Turns out he was the winner, with an amazing time of 8:16, smashing the course record. Another girl told me she heard a rumor that Joe trucks in rocks to make the course even MORE difficult. I told her I believed he dumped them on the back of Lucky peak right before my second time down.
At the awards ceremony they began reading the names of the top ten females, and I was number 8! I was so surprised, I was going to get a USATF medal for the National Championship! We had no access to results and I had been certain I was last in the championship.
Before we left I heard someone call my name. I went to the the girl and asked if she called my name and she handed me an award and told me I won third place woman's Master. It was a beautiful piece of pottery. I was so surprised, and had such mixed emotions, I had to try not to cry. I decided to let myself be happy for this moment, because I knew it was going to be extremely difficult when I got home. A young man explained to me that the pottery was from the Tarahumara of Mexico, who are ultra runners. I thought this was very cool and told him I would look them up.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarahumara
Before I left I had to find the race director Joe and shake his hand for such an amazing event.
I was able to make it back to spend time with my beautiful girl. She had a very large tumor on her spine that involved the bone and was terminal. I told them no more procedures and had her lay on my lap and we all pet her and told her how much she was loved. She made her happy noises for me one last time.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Training plan 100k last 6 weeks
Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat Sun
1 Rest 15km-9 Easy8km jog 15km, Rest 2.5hr run/hike 3hr run
incl3x3km@8:30 5m 3@8:45
2 Rest 15km, Easy 8km 15km, Rest 4hr run/hike 5hr run
3 Rest 15km Easy 8km 15km Rest 4hr run/hike 5hr run
4 Rest 15km Easy 8km 15km, Rest 2hr run/hike 2hr run
5 Rest 12km Easy 8km 12km Rest 1.5hr run/hike Easy1hr
3x1.5km@8:30
6 Rest 10km Easy 8km jog Easy 5km Rest Race
5km@8:30
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
VT 50 mile run Sept 26, 2010
I arrived on Saturday with Jack to Ascutney state park and set up camp, then we headed over to the base lodge at Mt. Ascutney for packet pick up. We kept an eye out for our Thursday night running buddies since they would all be there in one form or another. As soon as I saw Todd, my would be pacer for the last 9 miles, I asked him if he were pacing me or running. I already knew the answer but wanted to watch him squirm. He couldn't even make eye contact. There is no way he could only run 9 when there was a chance to do 50. Once he turned we started to work on John, who had come on the guise of spectator, but by the time he got there, he and Jen(would be pacer for Noreen) had opted for the 50 k. Why do the 50 k when you could do 50 miles we taunted. He placed a call to Jen who was on her way and soon we had them both crossing over to the dark side. We saw Serena, a chatty little spit fire who convinced us we all had to buy matching VT50 beanies. We all did in part because she's just too cute, and in part because we thrive on healthy peer pressure. We joke that we are like drug dealers who push exercise. The next plan was to do the pasta dinner. This was hard for me because I really wanted to hang with my running peeps, but I have a super sensitive stomach when I run and have to follow a strict regimen or all hell breaks loose. I declined the pasta dinner so I could have an early dinner of my pre-made, boring white rice, red potatoes and hardboiled eggs. Jack was a trooper and had boring dinner with me. It actually wasn't that bad.
I went to bed early because I knew I had a hard day ahead. I did not sleep well, the Lean-to was hard on my hips and my legs kept falling asleep. I had bad allergies all week and my nose was running, there was a highway near the camp ground and we could hear every 18 wheeler, a train went by at 3 AM blowing its horn at every street crossing, and wild turkeys were engaging in something that produced a lot of noise. I finally got up at 3:30 so I could get more tissues and make my oatmeal and coffee.
I had been taking my singulair and Advair for a week prior because my allergies were acting up and I did not want my breathing to be an issue. The breathing issues are very unpredictable, allergies set it off and allergy seasons are hit or miss. This fall is proving to be a hit. I packed a tissue in my pocket and hoped it would clear up once I started running.
We lined up at the start with our running buds, Bob, Todd, Serena, Ellie, Jen, Clem and John. We also ran into Jack Pilla who we were all surprised to see. Eric, Jenna, Noreen and Heather were all doing the 50k so they had a later start. Right before the start Andy AKA "good cop" from peak death race gave a shout out to my Jack.
Then we were off. 3.5 miles of road, it was similar to a marathon start. I was a bit surprised at the quick pace some took. I tried to stay back and not get caught up in it. Before I knew it we were at the first aid station. I noticed Ellie stopped so I grabbed an obligatory cup of water and kept going. I am not sure why I even took a sip of water, I was wearing my camel back, and I did not need anything.
I stayed with Jack for a while, and then we started to get separated. I slowed down to get back with him, but I had to let him go and run my own pace. I tried to focus on people ahead of me and maintain a steady pace. I think I was about 15 miles in when I noticed I was having trouble breathing going up the hills. I was walking them, but people were passing me walking. My lungs were trying to expand to get more oxygen and my camel back became too tight, so I would loosed it. Then I would crest the hill and start running and my breathing would return to normal, my lungs would relax and my camel back would be too big and flop all over, so I would tighten it again. After a few hills I saw a pattern. I was on my way up a hill and I heard someone talking about zero days, I knew this must be Jack talking about the Appalacian trail. He introduced me to his new friend (Tom?) who had a glorious red beard and had hiked both the AT and the LT. Soon after Ellie went by. I wished her good luck as I knew I would not see her again. I am usually pretty close to Ellie in a race, but she is much stronger at the second half.
I passed Jack on the down hill and told him to catch me again on the uphill. Later I caught up with John who was having a tough spot. He asked if this is where he was going to get chicked (beat by a girl) I told him not yet. We ran together for a while but I was having trouble on the up hills. I finally came to the conclusion that the only way I was going to make the cut off was to give in to the fact that I was not going to be able to breath. I used my inhaler(albuterol), slowed down and walked for a while, then walked the uphills slowly so as not to irritate my lungs too much, loosened the camel back, and pounded down the hills and flats while tightening my camel back. I had found a system that worked. I knew it wasn't pretty, wasn't conventional, and that my quads were going to take a beating using this method, but I could keep up. People that passed me on the uphill would get passed back on the downhill and flat.
The remainder of the race was run this way. I tried to take in fuel at each aid station, if I got queasy I took a thermolyte and ate something salty. I made many "friends" along the way. We would talk for a bit then part ways. There was a group of 4 or so large guys I was either in front of or behind for about 3 aid stations. I did not enjoy this because they would swarm the aid station and I could barely get a hand in. Part of my strategy was not to spend a lot of time at aid stations so waiting for a minute felt like an hour. I remember being at mile 31, Dugdales, and going to our drop bag, opening it up and realizing I didn't really need anything, I was wasting time. It suddenly occurred to me that I had not used the ladies room all day, and I should at least try to make sure I was not dehydrated. It was wonderful to have a real tissue to blow my nose instead of my shirt. Gross I know, but allergies made my nose run all day and it was getting raw. Besides, if you are behind someone when they do a snot-shot into the sun light, you will thank me for not being one of those runners. The droplets are dispersed for miles. When I came out I heard Andy say "Jack look who's here! He's been flying to try to catch you!" I think he was kidding, but it did make me notice how much time I had spent. I chatted for a second and told Jack to catch me on the uphill. I fully expected him to if he too did not dilly-dally at the aid station, but I never saw him again.
I did run into Andy before the next aid station and I asked him about cut off times. My Garmin battery died at mile 31 and I knew I was going slower than I wanted. He assured me that I was way ahead of the cut off and had plenty of time. I wanted to believe him, but I didn't fully trust he would be able to deliver bad news, so I pushed a little harder.
I spent a few miles following and playing pass with a younger girl. We talked for a bit and she told me that it was really a race to the final aid station. She said they would let you finish in 12 and a half hours as long as you made it to the final aid station at 47 miles before the cut-off. She said then we can crawl to the finish if we want. I didn't get her name, but I enjoyed following her for a while as she was a strong runner. I like to fall in behind someone when I can because I can let my mind relax and not think about pace. Unfortunately she started to slow and pulled off into the woods for a pit stop and I never saw her again. I think that it may be the same girl Jack ran into at the finish and pulled in because she was upset she may miss the cut off. (she made it!) I was feeling strong with about 6 or 7 miles to go, my breathing had recovered. My quads were screaming with every step, they felt swollen and heavy and being pulled from my leg each step. But this I could handle, as long as I could breath I pushed on. For a couple miles I had two men following me. They asked if I minded and told me I had a strong pace. I said I did not mind leading and if they wanted to pass to give a shout. I tried to take a sip of my camel back since this pace was making me very thirsty and nothing came out. I shifted it and played with the hose and tried again. I was completely empty. We came out of the trails to a road and stopped for a moment. The view was spectacular. The foliage was peaking, right then and there in the middle of the 50. The 2 men headed off toward the glorious view and quickly realized the trail went to the right. They asked if I wanted them to lead for a while and I said yes. I knew I had to slow my pace to make it another 2 miles to the final aid station without water. I was soooo thirsty, but I didn't want to tell them I was out for fear they would offer me some of theirs, and then there would be the awkwardness of my germaphobia. So I slowly fell back and paced myself to the next aid station. By the time I got there I was so thirsty, and the volunteer (I think her name is Joy?) was so helpful. She had been cheering me on here and there through out the race as "Go GMAA!" I was wearing my Green MT athletic association singlet. She helped open and fill my camel back and stuff it back into the pack, not an easy feat even if you aren't running 50 miles. She asked me if I ate and I said yes, and then offered me a GU and I almost hurled. I thanked them all and took off. She reminded me it was the last three miles and to enjoy it. The first of mile after leaving an aid station is tough for me, because I am trying to get my food to settle and I do not like to eat when I run (believe me, that is the only time!). During this mile 2 people passed me. I was running but not very fast. With a mile and a half left I found myself going down HARD and rolling through the dust. The two people that had passed me paused and asked if I was ok. I shouted "I'm good!" and tried to figure out which way was up. I got up and another woman in orange looked at me shrugged and said something incoherent and passed me. I started running again trying to figure out if she did not speak English, or was delirious, or maybe just couldn't think of the right way to say, "sorry about your luck, see ya!" I found my speed coming back, but after my digger I was feeling cautious. I caught up to the man in the light blue shirt and he pulled over to let me pass. I was not sure if I wanted to because there were bright pink XXXs (caution) on the trail but I figured if I was able I should go for it. I saw some encouraging signs and I had less than a mile to go. The 2 women that had passed me in the last 3 miles were in sight, so I turned it on and never looked back. There was one man between me and the finish, I did not want to pass him or race to the finish, but I was going too fast downhill to put on the brakes so I gave him a warning "Go, go go I'm right behind you!" He picked it up and sprinted to the finish in front of me and then we crossed and high fived. It was the best finish ever. My peeps were there waiting and steered me to the pizza. I showed them my battle wounds and we we watched for Jack, and suddenly I panicked, "WHAT TIME IS IT?"
I don't remember the answer but I had made the cut-off. My time turned out to be 11:41. We saw Andy come in and he said Jack was right behind him. Eric told Jack to slow down so he could get some pictures and I thought I was going to have a heart attack. He had about 6 minutes to spare before the 12 hour cut off and decided he was going to ham it up before crossing the finish. It's amazing how the sight of that finish line does give you the strength of ten Grinches!
I went to bed early because I knew I had a hard day ahead. I did not sleep well, the Lean-to was hard on my hips and my legs kept falling asleep. I had bad allergies all week and my nose was running, there was a highway near the camp ground and we could hear every 18 wheeler, a train went by at 3 AM blowing its horn at every street crossing, and wild turkeys were engaging in something that produced a lot of noise. I finally got up at 3:30 so I could get more tissues and make my oatmeal and coffee.
I had been taking my singulair and Advair for a week prior because my allergies were acting up and I did not want my breathing to be an issue. The breathing issues are very unpredictable, allergies set it off and allergy seasons are hit or miss. This fall is proving to be a hit. I packed a tissue in my pocket and hoped it would clear up once I started running.
We lined up at the start with our running buds, Bob, Todd, Serena, Ellie, Jen, Clem and John. We also ran into Jack Pilla who we were all surprised to see. Eric, Jenna, Noreen and Heather were all doing the 50k so they had a later start. Right before the start Andy AKA "good cop" from peak death race gave a shout out to my Jack.
Then we were off. 3.5 miles of road, it was similar to a marathon start. I was a bit surprised at the quick pace some took. I tried to stay back and not get caught up in it. Before I knew it we were at the first aid station. I noticed Ellie stopped so I grabbed an obligatory cup of water and kept going. I am not sure why I even took a sip of water, I was wearing my camel back, and I did not need anything.
I stayed with Jack for a while, and then we started to get separated. I slowed down to get back with him, but I had to let him go and run my own pace. I tried to focus on people ahead of me and maintain a steady pace. I think I was about 15 miles in when I noticed I was having trouble breathing going up the hills. I was walking them, but people were passing me walking. My lungs were trying to expand to get more oxygen and my camel back became too tight, so I would loosed it. Then I would crest the hill and start running and my breathing would return to normal, my lungs would relax and my camel back would be too big and flop all over, so I would tighten it again. After a few hills I saw a pattern. I was on my way up a hill and I heard someone talking about zero days, I knew this must be Jack talking about the Appalacian trail. He introduced me to his new friend (Tom?) who had a glorious red beard and had hiked both the AT and the LT. Soon after Ellie went by. I wished her good luck as I knew I would not see her again. I am usually pretty close to Ellie in a race, but she is much stronger at the second half.
I passed Jack on the down hill and told him to catch me again on the uphill. Later I caught up with John who was having a tough spot. He asked if this is where he was going to get chicked (beat by a girl) I told him not yet. We ran together for a while but I was having trouble on the up hills. I finally came to the conclusion that the only way I was going to make the cut off was to give in to the fact that I was not going to be able to breath. I used my inhaler(albuterol), slowed down and walked for a while, then walked the uphills slowly so as not to irritate my lungs too much, loosened the camel back, and pounded down the hills and flats while tightening my camel back. I had found a system that worked. I knew it wasn't pretty, wasn't conventional, and that my quads were going to take a beating using this method, but I could keep up. People that passed me on the uphill would get passed back on the downhill and flat.
The remainder of the race was run this way. I tried to take in fuel at each aid station, if I got queasy I took a thermolyte and ate something salty. I made many "friends" along the way. We would talk for a bit then part ways. There was a group of 4 or so large guys I was either in front of or behind for about 3 aid stations. I did not enjoy this because they would swarm the aid station and I could barely get a hand in. Part of my strategy was not to spend a lot of time at aid stations so waiting for a minute felt like an hour. I remember being at mile 31, Dugdales, and going to our drop bag, opening it up and realizing I didn't really need anything, I was wasting time. It suddenly occurred to me that I had not used the ladies room all day, and I should at least try to make sure I was not dehydrated. It was wonderful to have a real tissue to blow my nose instead of my shirt. Gross I know, but allergies made my nose run all day and it was getting raw. Besides, if you are behind someone when they do a snot-shot into the sun light, you will thank me for not being one of those runners. The droplets are dispersed for miles. When I came out I heard Andy say "Jack look who's here! He's been flying to try to catch you!" I think he was kidding, but it did make me notice how much time I had spent. I chatted for a second and told Jack to catch me on the uphill. I fully expected him to if he too did not dilly-dally at the aid station, but I never saw him again.
I did run into Andy before the next aid station and I asked him about cut off times. My Garmin battery died at mile 31 and I knew I was going slower than I wanted. He assured me that I was way ahead of the cut off and had plenty of time. I wanted to believe him, but I didn't fully trust he would be able to deliver bad news, so I pushed a little harder.
I spent a few miles following and playing pass with a younger girl. We talked for a bit and she told me that it was really a race to the final aid station. She said they would let you finish in 12 and a half hours as long as you made it to the final aid station at 47 miles before the cut-off. She said then we can crawl to the finish if we want. I didn't get her name, but I enjoyed following her for a while as she was a strong runner. I like to fall in behind someone when I can because I can let my mind relax and not think about pace. Unfortunately she started to slow and pulled off into the woods for a pit stop and I never saw her again. I think that it may be the same girl Jack ran into at the finish and pulled in because she was upset she may miss the cut off. (she made it!) I was feeling strong with about 6 or 7 miles to go, my breathing had recovered. My quads were screaming with every step, they felt swollen and heavy and being pulled from my leg each step. But this I could handle, as long as I could breath I pushed on. For a couple miles I had two men following me. They asked if I minded and told me I had a strong pace. I said I did not mind leading and if they wanted to pass to give a shout. I tried to take a sip of my camel back since this pace was making me very thirsty and nothing came out. I shifted it and played with the hose and tried again. I was completely empty. We came out of the trails to a road and stopped for a moment. The view was spectacular. The foliage was peaking, right then and there in the middle of the 50. The 2 men headed off toward the glorious view and quickly realized the trail went to the right. They asked if I wanted them to lead for a while and I said yes. I knew I had to slow my pace to make it another 2 miles to the final aid station without water. I was soooo thirsty, but I didn't want to tell them I was out for fear they would offer me some of theirs, and then there would be the awkwardness of my germaphobia. So I slowly fell back and paced myself to the next aid station. By the time I got there I was so thirsty, and the volunteer (I think her name is Joy?) was so helpful. She had been cheering me on here and there through out the race as "Go GMAA!" I was wearing my Green MT athletic association singlet. She helped open and fill my camel back and stuff it back into the pack, not an easy feat even if you aren't running 50 miles. She asked me if I ate and I said yes, and then offered me a GU and I almost hurled. I thanked them all and took off. She reminded me it was the last three miles and to enjoy it. The first of mile after leaving an aid station is tough for me, because I am trying to get my food to settle and I do not like to eat when I run (believe me, that is the only time!). During this mile 2 people passed me. I was running but not very fast. With a mile and a half left I found myself going down HARD and rolling through the dust. The two people that had passed me paused and asked if I was ok. I shouted "I'm good!" and tried to figure out which way was up. I got up and another woman in orange looked at me shrugged and said something incoherent and passed me. I started running again trying to figure out if she did not speak English, or was delirious, or maybe just couldn't think of the right way to say, "sorry about your luck, see ya!" I found my speed coming back, but after my digger I was feeling cautious. I caught up to the man in the light blue shirt and he pulled over to let me pass. I was not sure if I wanted to because there were bright pink XXXs (caution) on the trail but I figured if I was able I should go for it. I saw some encouraging signs and I had less than a mile to go. The 2 women that had passed me in the last 3 miles were in sight, so I turned it on and never looked back. There was one man between me and the finish, I did not want to pass him or race to the finish, but I was going too fast downhill to put on the brakes so I gave him a warning "Go, go go I'm right behind you!" He picked it up and sprinted to the finish in front of me and then we crossed and high fived. It was the best finish ever. My peeps were there waiting and steered me to the pizza. I showed them my battle wounds and we we watched for Jack, and suddenly I panicked, "WHAT TIME IS IT?"
I don't remember the answer but I had made the cut-off. My time turned out to be 11:41. We saw Andy come in and he said Jack was right behind him. Eric told Jack to slow down so he could get some pictures and I thought I was going to have a heart attack. He had about 6 minutes to spare before the 12 hour cut off and decided he was going to ham it up before crossing the finish. It's amazing how the sight of that finish line does give you the strength of ten Grinches!
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Sept 6-12 2010
- Monday- rest- date night for anniversary
- Tuesday- 5 miles before work, 4th mile at 8:38 last mile at 8:18 pace
- Wednesday-9miles?
- Thursday-trail run at catamount
- Friday-rest-core
- Saturday-2 hours
- Sunday- 2hours
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Marathon + Ultra Status
-2001 VCM relay runner #4
1. 2002 VCM net time 4:44:01 gun time 4:44:44 (longest run 16 miles due to shin splints)
2. 2003 VCM 4:54:57 (oops, went out too fast!)
3. 2004 VCM 4:19:10
4. 2005 VCM 4:33:48
5. 2006 VCM 4:09:58
6. 2007 VCM 4:14:01
Bay State Marathon DNF at 16 m
7. 2008 VCM 4:05:23
8. 2008 Bay State Marathon-MA4:06:55
9. 2008 Tucson Marathon 4:00:19 -AZ PR
10. 2009 Providence Marathon 4:40:24-RI
11. 2009 VCM 4:14:13
12. 2009 Mohawk Hudson 4:25:05-NY
13. 2009 Manchester City 4:43:02-NH
14. 2009 California International Marathon 4:05:47-CA
15. 2010 May 16 Sugarloaf Marathon -4:11:12 ME
16. 2010 May 30 VCM 4:09:58
U#1 2010 July 30-31 Around the lake 12 hour-MA 53.92 miles 11:19:53
U#2 2010 Sept 26 VT50 11:41
17. 2010 Oct 17 Denver -CO
18. 2010 Oct. 31 Marine Corps marathon -DC
19. 2010 Nov 21 Philadelphia Marathon
U#3 2011 Jan 8 Bandera TX 100k 14:58
U#4 4/23/11 TARC Spring Classic 50k 5:50
U#5 5/7/11 McNaughton 100 mile 34:??
20. VCM 5/29/11 4:54
U #6 VT 100 7/16/11 28:06
21 10/2/11 Wineglass marathon 4:19
22. 10/31/11 Dublin Marathon 5:
U #7 New Jersey Ultra Festival 100k 3/24/12 12:31
U #8 Old Route 50 mile 4/22/12
23. VCM 5/27/12
U #9 7/24/12 Vermont 100 mile endurance run
U # 10 9/29/12 UROC 100k Virginia
U #11 Rocky Raccoon 100 mile Texas
1. 2002 VCM net time 4:44:01 gun time 4:44:44 (longest run 16 miles due to shin splints)
2. 2003 VCM 4:54:57 (oops, went out too fast!)
3. 2004 VCM 4:19:10
4. 2005 VCM 4:33:48
5. 2006 VCM 4:09:58
6. 2007 VCM 4:14:01
Bay State Marathon DNF at 16 m
7. 2008 VCM 4:05:23
8. 2008 Bay State Marathon-MA4:06:55
9. 2008 Tucson Marathon 4:00:19 -AZ PR
10. 2009 Providence Marathon 4:40:24-RI
11. 2009 VCM 4:14:13
12. 2009 Mohawk Hudson 4:25:05-NY
13. 2009 Manchester City 4:43:02-NH
14. 2009 California International Marathon 4:05:47-CA
15. 2010 May 16 Sugarloaf Marathon -4:11:12 ME
16. 2010 May 30 VCM 4:09:58
U#1 2010 July 30-31 Around the lake 12 hour-MA 53.92 miles 11:19:53
U#2 2010 Sept 26 VT50 11:41
17. 2010 Oct 17 Denver -CO
18. 2010 Oct. 31 Marine Corps marathon -DC
19. 2010 Nov 21 Philadelphia Marathon
U#3 2011 Jan 8 Bandera TX 100k 14:58
U#4 4/23/11 TARC Spring Classic 50k 5:50
U#5 5/7/11 McNaughton 100 mile 34:??
20. VCM 5/29/11 4:54
U #6 VT 100 7/16/11 28:06
21 10/2/11 Wineglass marathon 4:19
22. 10/31/11 Dublin Marathon 5:
U #7 New Jersey Ultra Festival 100k 3/24/12 12:31
U #8 Old Route 50 mile 4/22/12
23. VCM 5/27/12
U #9 7/24/12 Vermont 100 mile endurance run
U # 10 9/29/12 UROC 100k Virginia
U #11 Rocky Raccoon 100 mile Texas
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