Race Summary
53rd Ultra and 3rd 100 miler - 22nd in 19:16.01
Pack - Ultraspire Alpha 2.0
Shoes - Saucony Peregrines for 59 and Altra Lone Peaks for 41
Drink - All water except two collapsible cups of Coke
Food - Epic Bars, Nut butters, home made energy balls and an avocado (and a tortilla with avocado at an aid station)
Lesson - I actually learned this at the San Juan Solstice this year when running at high elevations. When you are really tired and want to walk more than run, pick a running speed that is slower than you think you should run. This will keep you running for a longer period of time. I've found that my brain tells me to run faster, which gets me winded and more tired, causing me to stop sooner and more frequently than had I run at a slower pace.
The Long Story Option
The Backstory
I never intended to do a 100 miler. I was content with doing all distances below 100 from the start, back in 2002. But due to another long story made short, we changed the 2015 RNUTS schedule so that it didn't conflict with the Beast Series. For more 2015 craziness look here.
Since 2015 and the completion of the Grindstone 100 and Beast Series I've been in the lottery game for the Western States and Hardrock 100s. I've decided that as long as the desire is there, I'll try to qualify and keep accumulating tickets until I get in. Each year since, I've needed a WS100 qualifying race and then every other year I need to complete a Hardrock qualifier. Once I got past the lotteries for these races in early December the mission became which WS100 qualifier to do.
I'm not sure when he first mentioned it but, James Decker has wanted to go up and do the Vermont 100 for quite some time. Vermont is one of the oldest 100s in the US (I think the 4th oldest and one of the five 100s of the Grand Slam) and this was the 30th year. The downside is that it has 70 miles of dirt/gravel road. As a Mountain Junkie, that doesn't have a lot of appeal but there were some details to sway me;
- WS100 qualifier
- it occurrs during the summer
- it has 17,000ft of climbing
- it was 3 months after our block of training for the Boston Marathon
- it should be a "fast" 100
- bigger buckles for under 24 hour finishers
- Gina and I have never been to Vermont
So, sometime around January 21st at 7pm I sat at the computer and signed up for the race and fortunately got right in. James has a little different story about getting in the race but that is a whole blog post in itself. Anyway, we got in and had something to focus on.
The Training
The first quarter of 2018 was been filled with lots of road miles and a small bit of speed work in preparation for the Boston Marathon (I should have done a post about that race but the desire to forget it was too strong). I've been averaging 50 miles a week this year, which is more than usual. After Boston I had 6 weeks cram session of putting in some mountain climbing in preparation for the San Juan Solstice 50 miler. That race would be my last big week before tapering for Vermont. In hindsight, I probably could have put more emphasis on recovery vs. training in the weeks between the SJS50 and Vermont. In the weeks preceding Vermont my legs never felt good, but that has been my experience over the years so I didn't worry too much.
The Vermont 100 miler (4am), 100k (8am) and 100 mile horse endurance ride (5am)
West Windsor Vermont - we flew in on Thursday to PVD and then drove 3 hours north through RI, MA, NH, and finally Vermont, staying in White River Junction. Friday we had a relaxed morning, got some race supplies and were on our way to the race headquarters. James had already arrived and set up some tents in what would become a giant tent city for the 100miler and 100k racers. At 4pm we got the race briefing, course details and the etiquette when encountering the horses along the course. Following the race dinner we hung out, got our race gear in order and then it was off to bed with a 2:30am alarm setting.
In preparation for the race I had looked over some splits for 20, 22 and 24 hour finishes and added them to a spreadsheet. Then somewhere along the way I saw that RD, Amy Rusiecki, had run an 18:47. We've run some of the same races and finished close together, so I set her time as my "best case scenario" and had a sub 20 hour time as my main goal. Obviously over the course of 100 miles anything can happen, but I feel like setting a reasonable goal will help, and gives your mind and legs something to focus on, over all the miles.
The Crew
Gina came along to crew me at the 8 different locations crews could be at. She was armed with the spreadsheet, directions and a few food options.
Side note; since going low carb high fat I've needed less food during ultras and have stuck with water as my only hydration.
- Energy balls - quick oats, coconut flakes, dried cranberries, maple syrup, dark chocolate chips , salt and almond butter.
- Nut butters - all types of Trail Butter branded options
- Epic Bars
- Avocado
- food from the course I took; sweet potato, avocado tortilla and a few sips of coke.
- I had S! caps and a gel on hand, just in case, but didn't use them.
Spreadsheet
The Game Plan
I used my HR monitor as a guide and set the alarm at 145. When the alarm would go off or I felt like I was pushing I would walk or back down the intensity. This would dictate my pace. I figured I would run the first 50 in a 10 minute (8:20) to 11 min average (9:10) and clocked in right at 9 hours.
James was going unsupported, so he had his drop bags set ready to go and we had a plan to run our own races but to stay together for as long as we could.
The Course
The first 20 rolled right along, I think we had less than an hour in which we needed our headlamps. We talked throughout and met a few people that provided some comic relief and one that provided some intel on the Run Rabbit Run 100 miler that I'm considering for next year. Coming in to the 20 mile aid station and seeing Gina was a welcome sight, I restocked some food, got water, changed my lenses, relubed and off we went.
We had 11 miles to the next crew spot, at the 50k mark. It was this section that I started to have a few issues that concerned me; chafing, right piriformis tightness (long term issue) and a right quadratus lumborum spasm (new issue in the last week). Having something negative distract you in the early stages of a long race isn't good, but I tried to acknowledge what was going on but not to let it preoccupy me. I came in to mile 31 a little frustrated but seeing Gina helped reset things, more water, food, lube, sunscreen and we were off again.
I was picking up a few hints from James that he wanted to slow down a bit coming into mile 31. He actually left the aid station before me. Soon we had a few really good steep climbs, that made my day, I caught up with him, we wished each other well, fist bumped and separated to run our own races.
I'd say the rest of the first 50 miles when really smooth. I was running the flat, mild uphills and the downhills. I looked at my watch when it said 50 miles and it was just past 9hrs, so things were going as planned. That meant I needed to run the second half in 11 hours to be under 20 hours. See how I did that. Or go from a 10:50 pace to a 13:10 pace for the second half.
Miles 47 to 69 were a loop. You come to "camp 10 bear" at mile 47, do 22 miles and then your right back to "camp 10 bear". This is where they were doing medical check on those that didn't look so good. I fooled them and was on my way. The next spot I could meet Gina was mile 59. I'd say this loop and the next 12 miles were one of the longer sections. Fortunately this was also where I was catching the slower 100k runners which helped break up the monotony and allowed me to see other people in the race. This section was the hottest part of the day and the only thing making it easier was nice cold ice water. I think the ice kept me going.
I do remember an odd sight. The road ran through a farm with barns on each side and as I was approaching there was a cow standing approaching the side of the road, it stopped to let me by and then kept on walking. I was close enough to pet it, but opted not too (I did talk to it though).
At 59 I decided to change my shoes. I was hoping to hold off longer but I had been cooking up a hotspot on the ball of my right foot since the beginning. The sock and shoe changed helped a bunch. It was here that AJW gave me a rundown of what happened at the Hardrock 100 and described the last 2.5 miles of the Vermont course as a little "Blair Witch". I think I could have sat here a lot longer but a little verbal prodding had me on my way again.
I think for the rest of this loop I kept looking for anything that looked familiar to indicate that I was almost back to Camp 10. This was a big aid station with tons of people and pacers anxiously awaiting their runners. There was a lot going on. Fill water, food, get rid of trash, and on my way. Only a 50k to go.
I don't remember much of this next section except for the end. I remember being able to hear the next aid station for quite some time and towards the end there was a photographer and another guy that called me by name. I didn't see any papers with them but they knew who I was. At the end we popped out onto a road and I could hear the guy ahead of me puking up loads of fluid, not one but 4 times. Yuck! Sucks to be that guy. Then a short steep .15 and I was at Spirit of 76.
Next aid station for crew was 88. I'd take my light here. These next 12 miles were loaded with old rock walls, huge country estates, cows, sheep and nice breezes. I was looking forward to the cooler evening temps.
The flat and downhill road sections were starting to get harder and harder to run. Not from a physical standpoint but from a mental one. I kept having to think about there being an uphill soon, a justifiable reason to slow down. Over and over again I kept having to ^ bargain ^ with myself to run one section to be able to walk/hike another. The key, can you justify letting yourself go slower or can you figure out a way to keep going when you don't want to.
Bills aid station was in somebody's yard and barn. It was quite the setup. This is where I had some avocado. That was good. I made sure to take my light and have Gina's watch ready once mine died. I think I made it about half a mile before my watch said low battery. So at the next mile split I turned it off and started using hers. I like to run at night. Dusk/dawn hours and darkness tend to play tricks on me when I've been running all day/night so I had to keep my mind occupied until it was totally dark. No hallucinations this time.
At 5 miles to go I was at Polly's. Gina was able to get me some coffee here. Unfortunately I burped it up for the next 5 miles. Just 5 more miles. 2.5 miles of road and then 2.5 miles of trail to the finish. So close. At this point you know you are going to make it, you just don't know how long it will take.
At the entrance to the last trail there was a screech owl. I saw it fly from one tree to the next along the trail. It must have screeched 10 times. It was a creepy sound but cool to experience. There was a pacer and another runner with me and they were a little freaked out. They wouldn't take my word that it was an owl and were dreaming up some other racer eating creature was upon us.
There was a lot of climbing in this section. I went back and forth with a couple horses and at one point as soon as the horses crossed a road they started grazing in the middle of the path. The riders said the horses were super hungry from their 100 miles and quickly got them to the side of the trail for me to pass. We went back and forth again until the course came to the last tight twisty single track to the finish. They pulled aside and let me through. I could hear the finish and was so looking forward to being able to stop and sit down...... 19:16 was on the clock. Whew! The long day was done. I could finally sit down and rest.
I'd say the rest of the first 50 miles when really smooth. I was running the flat, mild uphills and the downhills. I looked at my watch when it said 50 miles and it was just past 9hrs, so things were going as planned. That meant I needed to run the second half in 11 hours to be under 20 hours. See how I did that. Or go from a 10:50 pace to a 13:10 pace for the second half.
Miles 47 to 69 were a loop. You come to "camp 10 bear" at mile 47, do 22 miles and then your right back to "camp 10 bear". This is where they were doing medical check on those that didn't look so good. I fooled them and was on my way. The next spot I could meet Gina was mile 59. I'd say this loop and the next 12 miles were one of the longer sections. Fortunately this was also where I was catching the slower 100k runners which helped break up the monotony and allowed me to see other people in the race. This section was the hottest part of the day and the only thing making it easier was nice cold ice water. I think the ice kept me going.
I do remember an odd sight. The road ran through a farm with barns on each side and as I was approaching there was a cow standing approaching the side of the road, it stopped to let me by and then kept on walking. I was close enough to pet it, but opted not too (I did talk to it though).
At 59 I decided to change my shoes. I was hoping to hold off longer but I had been cooking up a hotspot on the ball of my right foot since the beginning. The sock and shoe changed helped a bunch. It was here that AJW gave me a rundown of what happened at the Hardrock 100 and described the last 2.5 miles of the Vermont course as a little "Blair Witch". I think I could have sat here a lot longer but a little verbal prodding had me on my way again.
I think for the rest of this loop I kept looking for anything that looked familiar to indicate that I was almost back to Camp 10. This was a big aid station with tons of people and pacers anxiously awaiting their runners. There was a lot going on. Fill water, food, get rid of trash, and on my way. Only a 50k to go.
I don't remember much of this next section except for the end. I remember being able to hear the next aid station for quite some time and towards the end there was a photographer and another guy that called me by name. I didn't see any papers with them but they knew who I was. At the end we popped out onto a road and I could hear the guy ahead of me puking up loads of fluid, not one but 4 times. Yuck! Sucks to be that guy. Then a short steep .15 and I was at Spirit of 76.
Next aid station for crew was 88. I'd take my light here. These next 12 miles were loaded with old rock walls, huge country estates, cows, sheep and nice breezes. I was looking forward to the cooler evening temps.
BargainingThis is one of the major aspects of ultras and will come up over and over depending on how you feel, how long the race is and how much experience you have with the challenge. You brain starts to justify going slower, stopping to rest, walking instead of jogging, jogging instead of running. Something like this, "go ahead and walk, you deserve it, you've been out here all day."
The flat and downhill road sections were starting to get harder and harder to run. Not from a physical standpoint but from a mental one. I kept having to think about there being an uphill soon, a justifiable reason to slow down. Over and over again I kept having to ^ bargain ^ with myself to run one section to be able to walk/hike another. The key, can you justify letting yourself go slower or can you figure out a way to keep going when you don't want to.
Bills aid station was in somebody's yard and barn. It was quite the setup. This is where I had some avocado. That was good. I made sure to take my light and have Gina's watch ready once mine died. I think I made it about half a mile before my watch said low battery. So at the next mile split I turned it off and started using hers. I like to run at night. Dusk/dawn hours and darkness tend to play tricks on me when I've been running all day/night so I had to keep my mind occupied until it was totally dark. No hallucinations this time.
At 5 miles to go I was at Polly's. Gina was able to get me some coffee here. Unfortunately I burped it up for the next 5 miles. Just 5 more miles. 2.5 miles of road and then 2.5 miles of trail to the finish. So close. At this point you know you are going to make it, you just don't know how long it will take.
At the entrance to the last trail there was a screech owl. I saw it fly from one tree to the next along the trail. It must have screeched 10 times. It was a creepy sound but cool to experience. There was a pacer and another runner with me and they were a little freaked out. They wouldn't take my word that it was an owl and were dreaming up some other racer eating creature was upon us.
There was a lot of climbing in this section. I went back and forth with a couple horses and at one point as soon as the horses crossed a road they started grazing in the middle of the path. The riders said the horses were super hungry from their 100 miles and quickly got them to the side of the trail for me to pass. We went back and forth again until the course came to the last tight twisty single track to the finish. They pulled aside and let me through. I could hear the finish and was so looking forward to being able to stop and sit down...... 19:16 was on the clock. Whew! The long day was done. I could finally sit down and rest.
