My 100 mile journey

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“It seemed so easy when you sign up for it” and ” You paid money to do this” were 2 memorable quotes from my pacer, Ultra, in the middle of the night. Really it was not so easy after trying once at a different 100 last summer and missing a cut off at mile 85.7. It took a couple nights in a row of visiting the website to finally sign up. I signed up early to ensure the pressure to train as best I could.

I knew if I could just fight the fatigue of the middle of the night I could do it, but how? Well, I enlisted the company of Red Bull for training runs and some longer races and it seemed to help. I knew if my mom could deal with my kids out there at the aid stations that would be very motivating, and she signed up without hesitation, best mom ever! Then at some random run at Miller’s Pond, with some stroke of luck, Ultra offered to pace me. In the last weeks before my brother also decided to make the trip up to help out as crew. This was all stacked on my side so why was there this lingering doubt? I still was not sure about the night.

The doubt lingered, the nervousness on Friday night, watching Mr. Bimble so relaxed, I wondered how to relax. Somehow I was able to sleep pretty well the night before. The race started on time and off we went, I was finally able to relax a little and run through the darkness. Ultra had told me after a short downhill we would start a climb and it would get jammed up, to be patient and walk with the crowd. Sure enough the hill was there and so I walked. I was right next to several of the GAC runners whom I know fairly well from other events and I ran with them for a long time. Once they started to pair off and move ahead, one of their runners, Susan and I seemed to pace well together and ran, walked and climbed all the way to mile 70 together. It was a beautiful day and she was not new to the course so she was helpful with taking the trail and roads one section at a time. We shared stories along the way as well as meeting other runners and talking with them, including Sandy’s friend John, who helped pull us along for a while and vice versa. Even Susan’s husband and her crew and my family/crew started parking at the aid stations together, which got us in and out faster! We split off at mile 70 when we both picked up our pacers.

Off into the night, as it was dark when Ultra and I left mile 70. I was already getting a little sleepy but had decided to wait until 77 to drink the red bull, which I left in the safe hands of my brother. We plugged on through the dark, the stars and the crescent moon were amazing, we did stop a couple times to turn off our lights to admire the Vermont sky. Mile 77, surprised to see my girls still awake, and my son asleep in the arms of my mom…drank a red bull, ready to keep moving but still sleepy. 11 miles until the next handler’s (crew) station. This section is foggy in my mind. There were some conversations, there was Ultra asking me several times if I wanted the no-doze and me refusing, telling me to run now to the next chem light, there was some definite sleep running, there was some dry heaving and a lot of nausea, and finally me taking the no-doze, which kicked in about an hour later, just as we were coming upon mile 88, the furthest I had ever run. When I pulled into this aid station, I was awake and ready to go. The doubt lifted, I knew even if I truly had to walk from there I would finish, 12 miles to go, it was a pretty good feeling. I took off out of the aid station after refueling.

Sometime part way up the hill Ultra caught up to me and asked me who I was since I had been half asleep when he joined me at mile 70 until now. I could hear him calculating numbers and I asked him what he was doing, he said just trying to figure time to the finish. He did not want to tell me but I pressured him and he had figured 4 hours for the 12 miles into the finish. To which I replied “it is NOT going to take me 4 hours.” It was 2:45 am, and so I took on a challenge late in the day… or I should say early the next day. It was the first time during the whole journey I decided to watch the clock, and started running, for 20 mins and then I realized I could not really run 12 miles now, and so I walked. We had a beautiful sunrise and kept moving. I was sure to move as quickly as I could up the hills and run down as best I could. [singlepic=4380,280,200,,right] The flat stretches were tough since most of the day was spent climbing or descending, but I shuffled, more quickly than walking. There is a 1 mile to go sign and a 1/2 mile to go sign. As we passed the 1/2 mile to go sign, I told Ultra we had to run now because it was close enough time wise to 26 hours that I would like to be in before the next hour rolled over.. and off we went, down the hill and into the field, finish line, with just over 5 mins to spare. 25:54:57. My whole crew was there and awake!! (the last 12 miles took 3:10!!)

In every way this journey was on my side, the weather, the best pacer Ultra, my awesome crew headed up by my daughter who titled herself Crew Chief. All the encouragement of the Bimbler’s, the GAC members, it was amazing. A great thanks to all of them! A great journey.