Holy cow! What a race!
So 8 months ago I set forth a goal to train for my first 100 miler. In January, registration opened for Vermont 100 and I ended up getting in. I worked my but off, dealt with a nagging ankle injury, ran a few shorter ultras to fine tune some things (especially nutrition), and the day was finally here to do the damn thing. One hundred miles definitely felt daunting, but then again, so did 50 miles only a year ago. I knew I was going to need help on this journey and I received from a myriad of places. So before I get into the thick of the race report, I want to give thanks to those that helped me out tremendously along the way:
1. Catalina Sposato - She is my partner in every facet of life. She has always been there to listen when I have a good run, a bad run, when I'm in my head about a race, feeling low because of an injury, and is the best damn Crew Chief I have ever had! Thanks for all the support babe!
2. Fleet Feet Maine Running - I have never had a job that has been this supportive of me pursuing my goals. The ability to take off for training or races when needed has been a blessing. To be in a position to have colleagues that have competed at a super high level, whether that's the 5k speedsters or triathletes, is something I'm so fortunate to have at my disposal to ask questions and get advice. Knowing that they follow the race online when I'm running always gives me a bit of extra energy. Plus, the free swag and perks of working at a running shop aren't bad either.
3. Tanya Holbrook - Tanya was the first ultrarunner I met when I moved to Maine. She is so inspiring and so strong! I was always asking her questions about what has worked for her, how she trains, and most importantly, she turned me on to Tailwind nutrition. Seriously, check out Tailwind on your next long run!
4. Lori Emory - Lori came into the store in the Spring for shoes. We chatted for a bit and found out we were both registered Pineland Farms 50 mile and Vermont 100. A few days later we went on our first of many training runs together. We discovered we had very similar race pace and same goals for Vermont. We even spent the first 50ish miles running side by side at Vermont.
5. My Crew - Ian Reutlinger, Kris Reutlinger, Jess Nomack, Matt Liskom, Mickey Clarisse - These folks decided to spend their weekend stuffed in a van, traveling aid station to aid station, just to make sure I had enough nutrition for each section. They made race day so much easier!
We arrived at the venue Friday afternoon and went through my packet pickup, medical checkin, and the pre race briefing. I was nervous and excited. I kept thinking about all the hard work coming down to one day-tomorrow! The last thing I needed to do was find my pacer! I originally had a pacer and a back up pacer, but things happened and it didn't work out. I reached out to the race about getting a pacer and luckily they found me one the Monday before the race. So I met up with my pacer friend, Andy, and discussed with him my plan and that I believed I would be walking it in after mile 70ish.
I found my crew and had a short meeting about the plan for tomorrow (aka show them the binder that I had planned out with every aid station and what I might need). Then it was just sitting around and drinking a couple of beers to get the nerves down. I ended up going to bed in the van around 9ish and slept so well.
I woke up at 3am, got my gear on, and headed down to the tent to checkin and find Lori. Lori and I decided that we were going to start the race together, but knowing neither one of us was going to slow down or wait for one another. This is a race after all!
I said my goodbyes and off I went!
This was my first race that started in the dark and was pretty exciting to start with hundreds of folks shoulder to shoulder with headlamps on. The first two miles were a nice gradual downhill and uneventful, until I rolled my left ankle. Whoops! Luckily, nothing bad.
As the sun rose and the temperature and elevation climbed I was so looking forward to meeting my crew at Pretty House (mile 21.3) to change shirts, switch my hydration pack out for handhelds and grab more nutrition. I knew Pretty House would be right after the first big climb of the race. Unfortunately, MY CREW WASN'T THERE!! I felt like now was a good time to use the bathroom. So I finished my business and waited for 3 minutes for my crew. They didn't show up and I had to get going. So I grabbed a packet of tailwind and a package of honey stinger gummies and got on my way! No time to worry about the crew, I'll see them at the next stop. Long story short, they missed me because I arrived about 30 minutes earlier than expected and also learned many other crews missed their runners at Pretty House as well.
I spent the next 10 miles staying positive but venting and discussing the issues we had with our crew. It was frustrating because we both knew so much has to go right in a race like this. It ended up not being a big issue, but at the time it sucked. Sometimes in a race you get caught up thinking its all "me! me! me!" From my point of view it was me running for the first fifth of the race without seeing my crew and expecting to see them, then nothing! From the Crew's point of view, I told them a time to meet me at the aid station at a certain time and they showed up at the time. I missed the time, not them.
I got over the missed connection and kept pushing. Lori and I realized we needed to slow it down a bit, we went out way too fast! The next 10 miles until Stage Road (30.3) had a few ups and downs. We still spent most of the time on pavement, gravel, and hard packed dirt roads for this section so I was glad I started off with road shoes (Brooks Adrenaline), despite the awkward feeling of a high drop shoe on some parts that were a bit more rocky and rooty.
I came into Stage Road (30.3) happy, feeling great, and in good spirits. I saw my crew and took care of business. There wasn't a need to ask them why they missed me at the last spot--just had to keep working forward towards the goal. I got my pack off and switched to 2 handhelds with tailwind, clif bar, and untapped maple. I switched out socks and changed over to the Saucony Koa trail shoe. This shoe has a lower drop and a broad base, but not super aggressive tread. Perfect for a day like today. I changed out my soak drenched shirt for a lighter bright pink crop top -- it was time to have some extra fun this race and bring some smiles to some folks. I grabbed a bagel with PB (shout out to Union Bagel in Portland, Maine) and started the power hike forward. I wouldn't see my crew again until mile 47 at Camp 10 Bear.
At this time Lori and I were still on pace to break 24 hours! so exciting! Things were going perfectly! It was also awesome having horses pass you while running and sometimes passing them while running downhill!
A couple more hills and we were headed downhill to Lincoln covered bridge at mile 40. It isn't a crew aid station, but Trail Monsters were there giving all the support. I refilled my water, made some more tailwind, grabbed a wet paper towel to put on my neck, and learned they had popsicles!!!! I obviously asked if I could get one. I was even picky and asked for any flavor besides orange (I'm assuming I asked that because the last flavor of tailwind I had at this point was orange flavored) and the volunteer laughed and complied. I cannot stress enough how great the volunteers were!!!
Now we had a big climb out, but we had popsicles, so everything was great!
Camp 10 Bear (mile 47) was the first medical check in location of the race. After changing out socks refilling fluid and food, I swung by the med tent to get the okay from the staff and kept moving forward. I was still feeling great, but could definitely feel like I was a little tired. I came in an hour later than expected, but still felt like sub24 would be manageable.
Like almost every aid station, there was a big climb before and a big climb out! The next crewed aid station would be at margaritaville at mile 58.5. This 11 mile section was the hardest for me. It is unrelenting rolling hills followed by a major climb for the last half. This was the only time of the race I started to doubt myself and hit a low point. My ankles felt trashed and I started getting pain in my hip flexor. It was here that I decided sub24 was not going to happen, but I would be happy just finishing the race. I never doubted whether I would finish, but just adjusting and creating a plan B.
I was so glad to see my crew at mile 58.5! I ended up spending about 20 minutes at this aid station, which is double the amount of time I would have liked to spend. I changed out socks and put in different inserts in my sauconys. I had my brother do a cold compress on my ankle, just like he did at Camp 10 Bear along with spraying some biofreeze on it. I rolled out my legs with the R8 roller and fell reinvigorated. I also changed back into my Solomon hydration pack and headlamp on the off chance I didn't make it to the next aid station before nightfall. This was all new to me, the longest I ever ran was 55ish miles. I didn't know what my body would do after this point. The things I did know: My nutrition was perfect, my hydration was perfect, and I kept a positive attitude. This is where the race really started for me. I was going into the unknown but having trust in the training process that my legs would take me to the finish.
What goes up, must come down! After a couple of rolling elevation changes, it was a plunge back down to camp 10 Bear #2 at mile 69.4. This is where I picked up my pacer, Andy. After some ramen and a complete clothes change and throwing on the Hoka Speedgoats, I was ready to go. It was starting to get dark and it was a hike up out of the aid station for a couple of miles. After you hit the peak of the climb at 72, its almost all downhill the rest of the race. When I say downhill, I mean no more climbs higher then the equivalent downhill. We ended up back on some smoother road and kept pushing it. By the time I got to 76, I was ready to race! Spirit of 76 was a quick aid station stop. I got the things I needed quickly and kept moving.
This is where the single track started! It was smooth and soft and downhill! I got my legs back and I was flying! It felt great to be passing folks and have my legs feeling great! I assume most folks didnt trust their legs 76 miles in on downhill single track in the night, but this was my favorite part! Guided only by headlamp I felt so fresh. It was somewhere in this section where I ended up dropping my pacer and just cruised on autopilot. After the single track, it turned into road gradual downhill road. My watch had died at this point so I was running strictly on feel and it was so liberating.
I got to Bill's (mile 88.3) in a state of flow. I was feeling great, stomach was feeling great, mentally I was all there, and the race was almost over! Unfortunately, I had made up so much time on the last section, that I beat my crew there! As I came into the aid station, I was asked if I had a pacer earlier. I responded that I did, but I dropped him around mile 77 or so. They wanted to let me know that he was alright. I jokingly asked the volunteer if he had seen my crew. He responded no, but instantly asked if he could help me. He refilled my tailwind for me and reminded me what time it was and how many more miles I had left. This was such a big help for me! I could make sub24 if I didn't mess up anything!
The next few miles are a blur. I know I was running hard and constantly asking folks the time and distance. I knew I could keep pushing, but I also knew the tank was pretty close to empty. I know we went through some woods, on some road, and through some meadows. My headlamp was getting pretty dim so I made friends fast with those that had a brighter headlamp and stayed close to them. It seemed like there was a bunch of us wanting to hit under that 24 hour mark the last 10 miles. I remember flying by Keatings aid station (92?) because at the point of leaving Bill's, it would just be a short 12 mile run to the finish.
I arrived at Polly's (94.9) with the biggest grin on my face. I wanted this to be a quick stop, but also wanted to make sure everything I wasn't skipping over anything. I drank a coffee, a cola, and was off with my caffeinated tailwind.
The last 5 miles were brutal. Just ups and downs on the trail, and just when you think you are close, you get a steep incline, a false summit, and another steep incline to the finish. I was tired and cursing the hills. I was going to hit sub24, and I was so damn tired and sore.
I crossed the line, gave the RD, amy, a hug and told her she was a bad woman for all the hills at the end. I immediately greeted my crew and sat down. I was done. I just did the hardest thing in my life. I accomplished something that took 8 months of training.
Official finish time: 23:32:47
Stay Persistent and Run Wild
*a more tech specific post will follow this one in regards to gear and shoes used for VT100
