2013 Vermont 100 Race Report

It's 3:55am and I'm standing at the starting line for the Vermont 100.  It's a familiar place to me.  In 2008 I was lined up at the same place, incredibly full of anticipation for the unknown experience of attempting to cover 100 mile by foot for my first time.  Except for 2010, I have been at every start since.  Until last year, I had finished every race.  My quickest time being 20:29.

Last year was a rough one for me, as far as finishing races go.  I ended up DNFing Vt at mile 70.   It just seemed like I lacked the desire to get to the finish line.  Sure, I had problems (wrecked quads and blisters) but that's par for the course when doing one of these things.

Unfortunately the string of DNF's (Did not Finish) continued for me earlier this year at the Massanutten 100.  I got sick on Monday before the race and the cold turned into walking pneumonia by race day.  I started, but only got to mile 20 before massive fatigue, coughing fits and a tough time breathing got the best of me.  It was particularly disappointing because I  trained harder than ever and felt very ready to go.

And now again I find myself full of nervous anticipation.  I want to break 20 hours.  Badly.  But I don't know if my head is strong enough.  Will I fail once again?  I tell myself to relax and trust my training.  I know that if things go terribly wrong my real goal is to just finish.  If things go right hopefully I can get that sub 20 hour finish that has eluded me at this race.

I know that in order to get my goal I have to be quicker through the aid stations.  In the years past I have wasted a lot of time there managing blisters, sitting down too long and just being unfocused.  This year I have my favorite crew, my wife Amy and my brother Barry.  And as an added bonus, my best friend Jeremy is along for the ride.  I have given the exact instructions on what I need at each stop.  The goal is for me to spend 2 minutes max at each stop.

I have a strategy for everything.  But as anybody who has ever done a 100 mile race knows, the best strategy is to be mentally prepared for surprises.  You just can't anticipate what you are going to have to deal with for this big of an undertaking.  And I have painfully learned that even my experience doing these races doesn't guarantee a finish.

Amy and I at the start.  The calm before the storm.

The race stared promptly at 4am after a nice surprise fireworks show on a nearby hill. (Yes, I know I just changed from present tense to past tense....) It was a cool way to start the race and I felt great as I ran down the first hill and into the woods for the first time.  We had been warned that the trails were much wetter than years past due to the extraordinary amount of rain that Vermont has received this year.  Keeping that in mind, I started the race in my Brooks PureGrit II shoes.  I had planned on wearing my Altra Torins, but the Brooks offer better traction and drainage.  My plan was to see just how wet it was and then change into the Altras if possible.

Although the trails were somewhat wet, they really weren't that bad.  I was enjoying the early easy pace, but my stomach felt like it had a big bubble of gas in it for a bunch of miles.  I took a couple minute bio break in the woods off the road and felt much better afterwards.  As I was running down the hill into Woodstock I saw my old buddy, Sherpa John up ahead.  I caught up with him and chatted a bit.  He was running great and it was nice to see him.  He was wearing a GPS watch and informed me that we were running at a 7:45 pace.  I was surprised as I felt so comfortable.  I reminded myself to make sure I didn't hammer too early.

Changing into the awesome Altra Torin shoes

I reached the first Handler station, Pretty House (mile 22.5) at 7:34am.   I spent less than two minutes changing shoes and socks into the Altras, grabbing two new bottles, and an extra gel and 3 Perpetuem solids that I ate as I took off.  I also drank a Vespa CV-25.  My crew was absolutely fantastic and had everything ready to go.  About a half a mile after leaving I realized that I still had my headlight on my head.  For about 10 seconds I started to get upset, but then decided that it really was no big deal even though I would have to have it there for another 8 miles.  Just as I stopped worrying about it coach Jack came driving by and I yelled at him to stop.  He took the light from me and later gave it back to my crew.

Amy helping me make another super quick aid station stop

Stage road was the next Handler station, at mile 31.4.  I arrived at 9:09am and was out in one minute.  In that time I got two new bottles, drank a Vespa, ate 3 Perpetuem Solids and restocked on my gels.  I was in great spirits and ready for the 17 mile stretch until I saw my crew again.  My shoes were working very well, my feet were great and my fueling strategy was working excellent.  The day was not nearly as warm as I had expected and there was a nice cloud cover keeping the sun from being to hot.  As far as I was concerned, the conditions were perfect.

Somewhere in the next few miles I caught up with Amy Rusiecki who was going through a rough patch already.  I usually keep to myself and don't do much talking to anybody else during a long race, but Amy said that her hamstring was hurting and she was upset that she already felt bad so early in the day.  We had a nice chat and I reminded her that last year she wanted to drop, but stuck it out and got second place.  During our talk she seemed to pick up the pace and started to feel better.  It's amazing how much our brain is in control of our bodies, regardless of how hard we train or how fit we are.  I was able to physically see a change in her demeanor, running and attitude just by having something to take her mind off of her current pain.  It was cool.  And she went on to finish 3rd woman with a time of 19:53!

Weighing in at the medical check

As the miles clicked away I was happy that I never really slipped into any type of low patch.  I was starting to chafe a bit, but it was nothing serious (yet....) and I just kept plugging away.  It just a hair under 3 hours until I arrived at Camp 10 Bear at mile 47.6.  It was 12:10 and I had covered almost half the course in 8 hours and 10 minutes.  I was over one hour ahead of my planned time and I felt great.  I got checked in by the medical staff, where I weighed 2lbs less than my starting weight.  That was a good sign that I was staying properly hydrated.  With the usual drill of two new bottles, a Vespa and some new gels I was on my way out for more.

I don't remember much about the next 11.5 miles except that somewhere along the way I got hit with a huge wave of nausea.  I thought for sure this would finally be the first time I've thrown up in a race, but nope, it didn't happen.  After a few dry heaves I felt better.  It was strange and I was grateful to not have to deal with being sick.  As I arrived at the Seven Seas station, mile 59.1 I decided that I needed some real food.  I ate some brown rice with tofu and avocado and felt much better.  My crew got me out in 2 minutes and then made the mad dash to the next handler station, the famous Margaritaville.  It was only 3.4 miles away for me to run but it was 17 miles of driving for the crew to get there.  When I got into the station they were just pulling in.

Wet macerated feet

Here is where I made the decision to take a bit longer than normal and fix some issues.  Since my feet had been wet from the trails for hours and hours, they were starting to get macerated.  The military calls this condition "swamp foot" and if not addressed it can be extremely painful as the waterlogged creases on the bottom of your feet start to blister.   I took my shoes off then rinsed, washed and dried them.  I changed the insoles for dry ones and powdered the hell out of my feet to absorb any moisture.  I put on a dry pair of Wright Socks and was ready to go.  Since the chafe was starting to get pretty bad too (you really don't want more details on where I was chaffing...), I decided to change my shorts as well.   After everything was done I had spent 8 minutes, my longest stop of the race.

Feeling much better after dry socks and new shorts

I'm convinced that it was one of the smartest moves I made all day.  Although I was starting to get pretty tired I felt like a new man with clean dry shorts and shoes.  The new shorts didn't eliminate the chaffing, but it did improve it.  Sometimes the little things make a huge difference when you are so raw.

The next 8 miles felt great.  Mentally I was super excited.  Last year this stretch is where everything fell apart for me.  This year I was cranking.  There are some long downhill stretches and I felt like I was flying.  I was trying to preserve my quads, but I also knew that if I wanted to break 20 hours I needed to take advantage of these quicker parts because the last 30 have lots of hills and are slow.

I pulled in to Camp 10 Bear, mile 70.5 in high spirits at 4:41pm and was super psyched to be there so early in the afternoon.  I lubed the chaffe, ate some more rice and tofu, drank a Vespa, and got new bottles and gels.  I was out in 2 minutes accompanied by Matt Wilson, my pacer for the last 30 miles.

Matt at Western States this year (Photo Luis Escobar)

I actually have not used a pacer in over 2 years.  And I had no plans on doing so here.  In the few days leading up to the race Jack emailed me explaining that Matt was coming up all the way from PA to pace me and that he was a great guy was had just run Western States in a little over 20 hours.  Jack said that he would kick my ass to the finish line and get me home in under 20 hours.  Frankly I was a little bit reluctant and told Jack, thanks, but no thanks.  But it seemed that he wouldn't take no for an answer.  It sounded like a recipe for disaster to me.   At the same time, I am learning that the Universe answers all requests and provides us with all the resources we need to achieve our wants and needs.  It's up to us to choose to recognize those gifts or ignore them.  I decided that this must be one of those occasions and gave in to the fact that Matt was going to pace me.  As I'll explain, I'm glad I did.

As Matt and I got to know each other a bit better I found him to be very easy to talk to.  I was actually a bit intimidated by him because he is such a strong runner.  I wanted to be strong and run well even though I was getting tired.  I tried my best not to whine too much, but I have to admit I did so a bit.  Matt was super good about watching our average pace and keeping me moving in the areas that were flat or downhill.   The nice part was that he wasn't sharing with me the actual math, he was just telling me if we were on pace or not.  When I did have to hike up the steep hills he was very reassuring by telling me that we were still moving well and on track.

Tired and confused at mile 77

We next saw the crew at the Spirit of 76 aid station (mile 77.4) and we actually ran the steep hill that comes into the station.  It was still light out and it was only 6:09pm.  One of my stretch goals was to make it to Bills Barn, mile 89 in the light, which I've never done before.  Now I had about 2 1/2 hours to try to accomplish that, but I was starting to get pretty tired.  We were at the station for less than 2 minutes, did the usual bottles, Vespa, etc and headed out.

70% hardpacked VT roads = sore feet

My Altra Torin shoes were working great, but the pounding of the hard packed roads was starting to get to me.  Matt was wearing Hokas and we talked a bit about shoes. I decided that I would change into my Hokas at Bills for the final stretch once we got there.  This thought kept me going as we continued to pound out the miles.

This stretch has lots of very steep hills that are not runnable for me when I'm this tired.  I concentrated on power walking at a brisk pace and found that I was starting to catch people.  About a mile before Bills, while going up a miserably steep road I passed Bob Ayers from Vt.  Bob is a super nice guy and incredibly strong runner.  He was gracious and told me that I was doing great and I needed to enjoy the good ones when they happened.  Seeing him picked up my spirits a bit.  I've never been even close to him at any race.  It was a good sign for me that I was moving well.

Shortly after I passed the early woman's leader (who was now in second place ), Traci Falbo.  She was struggling a bit.  As I went by I said "Welcome to VT, these hills are brutal aren't they?"  She was in no mood to talk and gave me a look like she wanted to kill me.  I later apologized explaining that I was just trying to keep things light, but she was in no mood to engage with me.   I didn't take it personally.  When you are doing one of these races and in a bad spot you are incredibly raw.

Shortly after the top of the hill, with Bills in sight, I saw my friend Adam Wilcox for the first time.  I didn't realize it was him as the sun was just starting to go down.  He was facing a tree with both hands resting on it and had one foot lifted up behind him.  His pacer, my other friend Ryan Welts, was removing his sock and shoe to remove what Adam thought was a pebble in his sock.  It turns out there was nothing there, but the blisters felt like a pebble and they were trying to fix it.   Adam seemed a little surprised to see me and not really that happy about his situation.  I could tell he was hurting, but he wouldn't admit it to me.  I wished him luck and kept going.

Bills Barn, mile 89

I was elated to get into Bills while it was still light out!!  It was 8:28pm and I had now run 89 miles in 16 hours 28 minutes.  Matt went ahead to tell the crew that I needed my Hokas.  As I was approaching the station I saw our car and stopped to see if my Hokas were there.  That way they didn't have to run back to the car to get them.  I looked in my shoe bag and they weren't there so I assumed they had them with them and headed in.

Jeremy, keeping everybody entertained.

When I arrived I weighed in at one pound over starting weight and medical cleared me to keep on.  I went over to the crew to discover that they did not have my Hokas.  As I took off my socks and washed and prepped my feet Jeremy went on a mad sprinting dash to get the shoes.  I lost zero time as he had them back before I had my new socks on.  He was breathing hard and said, how the hell do you do that for 100 miles??  I only wish that I could run that fast for 100 miles!!! 

On top of the shoe change, I got my usual bottles, Vespa etc. I also did my best to try to fix the chaffing which now was starting to get pretty bad. Amy keeps notes from each station and for here they say "Surprise!, flying!, ready to kick ass".  Matt and I headed out excited that only 11 miles stood before me and the finish line. 

Heading out of Bills, with Hokas on feet.

The next 6 miles to the last handler station, Polly's (mile 95.9) were tough.  I was struggling to run even when it was flat and I was walking more than I wanted to.  My chaffing was killing me, so much so that I took off my shirt and stuffed it down my shorts to create a barrier between my thighs and my ....never mind....  My makeshift repair did make it a bit better and I was just trying to stay focused and get through the pain.  The entire time Matt kept being extremely supportive letting me know that we were way ahead of the 20 hour goal and prodded me to get into a running shuffle as much as possible.

Trying to eat quickly and get the hell out of the aid station

I got to Pollys at 10:05pm, 18 hours and 5 minutes into the race.  Now I only had 4.1 miles to finish.  I remembered this section as pretty slow and tough, but it actually had more flat and downhill than I remembered.  For the next two miles I was doing the math and realizing that I had a real possibility to break my all time PR for a 100 mile race of 19:19.   When Matt and I came upon the 2 miles to go sign I looked at my watch.  It was 10:35pm.  If I could do the last two miles in under 25 minutes I could break 19 hours!!

Matt and I had actually run these miles on Friday before weigh in and I knew what they were like in the day.  They were hilly, but certainly runable.  I looked at Matt and said, "Lets go get a PR!"  Matt said "Hell yes, let's do this!" and I took off like a bat out of hell.  As I went flying down the trail, through the muddiest part of the course I started passing people.  We went by at least 3 runners with their pacers, two of which we actually startled because we were running so fast!

As I went by Adam and Ryan, whom had passed me a bit earlier, they were supportive and gave me words of encouragement.  But I know Adam's fierce sense of competitiveness and was running scared, positive that he would come flying back by me.  But nobody did.  I ran the last two miles in 18 minutes and crossed the finish line in 18 hours and 53 minutes.  I was floored when I learned that I had also finished in 9th place.  9th place!!! I never dreamed that I could do that at such a competitive event.

Crossing the line

Matt and I at the fnish

It's official - 18:53:56 and 9th place (2nd in age group)

Now the pain begins...

As I sat down in a chair the intense pain in my legs took over and an incredible wave of nausea overtook me as well.  I was sure I was going to throw up and even told Amy to move her feet as I was going to lose it.  After moaning and groaning a bit, the crew decided that I should go to the medical tent to lay in a cot for a bit.  I was shivering uncontrollably.  The extent of the chaffing became evident as the adrenaline wore off and the pain set in.  But I don't think any amount of pain could overshadow the feeling of accomplishment.

Special "Top Ten" Buckle

Standing with the fast crowd!

The next day at the awards ceremony I got to stand with the top ten.  I was pretty honored to be up there with such runners as Ian Sharman, Brian Rusiecki, Nick Clark, Jason Lantz and of course my good friend Adam Wilcox, whom I knew would be top 10.

It was an incredible day.  And I would not have been able to do it without Amy, Barry, Jeremy, Matt and Coach Jack.  A million thank you's go out to them and everybody else who has been so supportive of this endeavor.  Success is that much sweeter after failure, and I learned that the saying "Never give up" really holds pays off in the end.



Stats for the day:
Shoes - Brooks Pure Grit II - first 22 miles, Altra Torin - 66 miles, Hoka Bondi Speed - last 11 miles.
Socks - Write Sock cool mesh - 2 pairs
Gold Bond Powder - in socks and on feet after cleaning them
Shorts - Brooks
Shirt - Columbia Omni Freeze cooling shirt

Food: Vespa CV-25 - 8 Pouches, Vfuel gels - about 10, Hammer Sustained Energy - 9 bottles (3 scoops per bottle), 9 Perpetuem solids and about a cup of brown rice with avacado and tofu. 

Altra Lone Peak shoe review

Altra Lone Peak

When the Altra Instinct came out I was psyched.  Finally there was a cushioned zero drop shoe with a fantastic toe box.  You can read my review of the shoe here.  When I first discovered Altra, the shoe I was really looking forward to was the Lone Peak.  After reaching out to Altra and telling them about my PPS they emailed and said that they would like to sponsor my attempt.  They sent me a pair of the Instincts for free and gave me a discount on 2 additional pairs.  I wore them for the Western States 100, the Vermont 100 and part of the Leadville 100. 

As the summer wore on the release for the Lone Peaks kept getting delayed.  I couldn't wait for the additional traction and protection that the shoe promised.  When they finally came out my summer of racing was over.  Altra Co-Owner Brian Beckstead reached out to me recently and told me that Altra would love my feedback on the shoe now that it was out.  Originally they had promised to send me a pair for free when they were available.  For some reason, perhaps because my race schedule for the year was complete, Brian said that I could buy a pair at a discount.  At this point I have been using several other shoes as my go-to trail shoes, most notably the New Balance MT110's and Brooks Pure Grits.  I really did not need to buy another pair of shoes, but I had been waiting for these shoes to come out for almost 6 months and I do love the Instincts.  So I decide to take Brian up on his offer and bought a pair.

Notice how hard I'm pushing on the heel.  The sole feels like it's made out of steel.  It doesn't flex.

For comparisson, my Instincts with similar (if not less) pressure applied at the same point.

When they arrived I was super surprised at how stiff they were.  The addition of a rock plate and the additional stack height had turned the familiar shoe into a very rigid one.  I ordered the shoes a 1/2 size smaller on Brian's recommendation and I'm glad I did, as they fit well.  Once again, the toe box is excellent.  Nice and wide with plenty room to splay my toes.   But wearing them around the house the felt noticeably stiffer than the Instincts.  I put them in the closet where they stayed for a while. 

Much better traction than the Instinct

Finally I decided to give them a whirl and took them out for a 16 mile jaunt.  Within the first 100 feet I knew that they were a different animal than the Instincts.  My foot felt like it was trapped in a container, rather than being part of an instrument meant to enhance running.  My heel was rubbing up and down against the rear of the shoe with every step because the sole was so stiff that the shoe wasn't flexing with my steps.

Great Toebox

As the run continued onto the trails the shoe felt better, but still too stiff.  My foot had no ground feel whatsoever and the lack of lateral flexibility was frustrating.  The increased traction (over the Instincts) was a noticeable improvement.  One thing I noticed right away was that the rudder type thing on the back of the shoe was rubbing my opposite calf a lot and became rather irritating.  If I use these shoes again I am going to cut it off first.  I can't see that it serves any purpose. 

Calf hair remover....

Eventually I ran through a stream and discovered another issue.  The shoe doesn't drain.  More specifically, the insole is made of a squishy rubber that seems to absorb water like a diaper and then holds it against the bottom of your foot for the rest of the run.  It never dries out.  My feet were wet for the entire run, even though I ran through the water within the first few miles.  This would be a fatal flaw for me if I was going to run 100 miles in them.  I can't imagine how bad my blisters would be.

Honestly, I'm disappointed.  I love my Instincts and had such high hopes for this shoe.  It is so over built for my needs and feels just like the shoes I've been so happy to get away from since moving towards more minimal shoes.  Here's how it ends up for me:

Pros -
Excellent shaped last
Tons of toe room
Zero drop
Huge amount of protection from rocks, etc.

Con's -
Stiff sole
Stiff upper
Doesn't drain
Doesn't move with my foot

If you are looking for a Sherman Tank off road shoe with a zero drop this is your shoe.  For me, it's just to much shoe and lacks the elegance that I'm looking for in an off road shoe.

Two Weeks 'till Leadville

The Trail towards Hope Pass

 Its hard to believe that it's been almost three weeks since I've written anything.  It is even harder to believe that in only 2 weeks I'll be toeing the line for another 100 mile race.  Last year Leadville was my only 100 and I absolutely loved it.  The town is cool, the people were nice and the course wasn't nearly as tough as all the hype had me believing.  I feel much less stressed about doing the race than last year, even though my body has been through a lot more.  Last year I was well rested and trained and I finished in a little over 23 hours.  This year, who knows?  It would be nice to get a sub-hour buckle again, but I'll settle for anything that is an official finish (under 30 hours). 

I recovered really well from the VT100.  It was actually strange.  I had almost no soreness and was able to show up bright and early Monday for work without the usual "crab walk" that usually happens.  The week after VT I ran 29 miles, the next week 54 miles and this week was a hair under 60.  The running streak is still alive too.  As of today I have run 223 days in a row for a total of 2379 miles.  I think that if I get to one year I'll take a day off and kill the streak.  It is becoming a "thing" and I don't want it to turn into something that I "have" to do.

Last Sunday I ran the "Mansfield Loop" with an incredible group from Vt.  It is a 26 mile loop that has everything from trails to fire roads to rocky trails on "the chin" at Mount Mansfield.  Along with my coach, Jack Pilla, there was Aliza Lapierre,  Nick Yardley, Todd Archambault, Serena Wilcox, Scott and Joyce Holsten and Bob Ayers, Jr.   I was actually nervous to run with this group, even though they are all friends of mine.  They are a speedy group and I haven't been feeling so speedy lately, just tired.

Speedy group, taking a break.

After 12 miles we were at the base of the Mt. Mansfield access road.  It is a steep 4.5 mile auto road with no breaks.  I got about 1/2 a mile up it and just blew up.  I was completely wiped out. My legs wouldn't move and I just couldn't run. 

Much steeper than it looks

I felt terrible and was worried about being "that guy" who everybody had to wait for.  I realized that we were at about 3 hours into the run, which was exactly the same time I blew up at the VT100.  About halfway up Nick saw that I was struggling and hung back and walked with me.  This was the first time I've really had the chance to talk with him and it really helped.  He offered to run with me back to the parking lot when we got to the top, as I had absolutely no idea how to get back. 

When we got to the top the entire group was hanging around chatting and there was no pressure to hurry up and continue.  Jack gently refused to let me leave and after eating and taking a rest I decided to continue.  As we started the more rocky trail and we switched to a faster hike/occasional run I felt better.  The rest of the run was a blast and the views from the top of Mansfield were incredible.  After making it back to the parking lot we took a quick dip and all met at the local store for sandwiches and ice creams.  The total trip took 6.5 hours and was a blast. 

View from the top of Mt. Mansfield

Todd coming down one of the ladders

This last week we spent at the beach in Ogunquit Maine.  Since I'm not much of a beach goer I spent most of the early part of the days riding my bike and going for short runs.  I discovered some great roads right outside of town and really enjoyed riding.  Right now I'm having a little bit of a hard time finding the motivation to run.  The biking really helps break it up a bit.  In the evenings we had a blast goofing around, going to nice restaurants and partaking in a drink or two.

Max

Izzy

Today for my long run Jack had instructed me to run 30 miles of "Big Hills".  He wanted me to do some mountain hiking/running to help prepare me for the upcoming race.  I couldn't find anybody who wanted to join me for a Pemi-loop of in the presi's so I decided to go to Pats Peak. 

I've posted here before about running there.  The Mountain Bike course is 5.15 miles and each loop has about 1000 ft of elevation.  Not as tough as the White Mountains, but I figured it would do.  The plan was to do 6 loops.  I have never done more than 4 so I knew it would be a big undertaking.  I started off well, running the entire first loop, but I quickly knew that it wasn't in me to do the full pull.  I ended up doing 3.5 loops plus a power hike up the steep access road.  It came to a little more than 20 miles and took me almost 4 hours.  I called it a day and for the first time in a long time I actually listened to my body and didn't push it.

So its time to taper, rest my tired body and get ready to take on the altitude in Colorado.  Part three of the Potentially Painful Summer, here I come!

Vermont 100 Race Report

This is my coach "helping" me the night before the race.

As coach Jack was pouring another cup of Tequila for me the thought just barely entered my mind that it might not be a good idea to drink this much 8 hours before the start of my second 100 mile race of the year.  I usually completely stop or severely cut back on my drinking in the weeks leading up to a race.  What I discovered at Western States was that a few beers the night before a race helps me get a good nights sleep.  I guess I took that idea a little bit to far as I was now 4 hard ciders and two shots of Tequila deep.  Once more shot of Southern Comfort and I was guaranteed a goods night sleep.  Amy warned me.  She even tried to stop me.

Me, Ron and Joe talking shoes.

I woke up around midnight to find my air mattress had deflated and I was now on the ground.  Amy woke up and insisted that I swap with her.  After that I just could not get back to sleep.  I gave up at 2:30 and started to get ready for the 4:00 start.  I was dizzy and realized that I still had a buzz.  I'm an idiot.

Altrokas? Hokaltras?

I put on my new Altra/Hoka hybrid shoes and wondered if I was doing a smart thing.  This invention of mine involved cutting a pair of Hoka soles off their uppers and attaching them to a pair of Altra Instincts.  I will be doing a more complete blog post shortly explaining why and how I did this. They felt great, but I would shortly learn that it was a dumb decision.  I checked in and waited for the start to go off.   At exactly 4am we were off.  As I headed down the road I concentrated on not getting sucked up with the leaders.  Even so, I found myself in the lead group of about 15 or so runners.  I made sure to stay within my comfortable pace and was happy that I felt ok. 

Amy and I at the start.

In the week leading up to the race I was a mess.  My hamstrings were sore and I was completely confused about my strategy for this race.  Early in the year coach asked me what my goals were for this year.  One of my goals was to finally break 20 hours in a 100 miler.  I knew that Vermont was realistically the only place where I would have a chance to do that.  What I didn't know is how my body would hold up after running Western States only three weeks ago.

Like I did at Western States, I tucked my voice recorder into the pocket on my bottle holder.  As the race wore on I took it out and recorded my thoughts.  This race report is a combination of those recordings and the notes my crew took at the aid stations.  Speaking of crew, my crew was incredible.  The is the third time Amy and Barry have crewed me together.  They are perfect.  They work well together and always are able to get me exactly what I need at each stop.  I can't imagine doing this race without them.

Complaining to coach Jack at mile 21

The first time I saw my crew was at mile 21.1, the "Pretty House" station.  I was not in good shape.  For the preceding few miles I was feeling terrible.  My hamstrings were killing me, I had no energy and I had no strength.  It didn't seem related to my pace.  I just was beat.  Perhaps this is what it feels like to do one of these races without recovering from one three weeks ago.  Or perhaps it was the result of the squishy soles of my shoes sucking the life out of my muscles.  I had no way of knowing which it was.  The one thing that had me seriously concerned was that I was already starting to get blisters.  I was trying to figure out how I was going to deal with increasing blister pain for another 80 miles.

The doubts that were filling my mind were soul crushing.  For the first time since I made this commitment I considered quitting.  I just didn't see how I was going to keep going.  I thought about giving up on the entire "Potentially Painful Summer", giving up on writing the book, giving up on the blog.  I thought about how I was going to deal with the failure of not completing it.  Then, I decided to readjust and just simply stop worrying.  I was going through a rough patch that I didn't know if I could pull out of, but I was still moving and I decided that I would keep moving no matter what. The only way I was stopping was if I missed the cutoffs. 

Horses racing at the same time make for a great distraction

The thought of missing the cutoffs at mile 21 was ridiculous.  I had gone 21 miles in 3 hours 15 minutes.  I was by no means going slow, I was just hurting.  I decided it was time to just be in the moment and enjoy myself.

I hit the marathon mark at around 4.5 hours.  I realized that today was going to be about learning to be patient.  Something that I am not.  I still had no strength, my hamstrings were killing me, my glutes were killing me and everybody was cruising by me on the uphills.  I stated in my voice recorder that I would just see what happened and let the race come to me.  In the meantime I tried to smile and keep going.  The funny thing is that I wasn't miserable.  I was eating well, my stomach never bothered me and I was actually averaging 5 miles an hour, which just so happens to be 20 hour pace. 

Mile 30 came at 5 hours 20 minutes.  I was now finally starting to feel better.  My mood was way better and I was really running the downhills well.  At the Stage Road Aid station Amy rolled ice into my bandanna and put it around my neck.  It was getting really hot and the ice felt awesome.

My wife Amy is the best!

Mile 40 hit exactly 7 hours into the race.  My energy was "extra medium".  I took a Tylenol because I was having shooting pains in my hamstrings and the blisters were starting to really hurt.  Both my pinkie toes were blistered under the bottoms and the tips and the outside of my big toes had them too.  It was now very hot, but luckily it wasn't that humid.  I was putting ice into my hat every chance I could and I was dealing with it ok.

First round of blister repair at mile 47

Since I had given up on trying to break 20 hours I decided to change socks and fix my blisters when I rolled into Camp 10 Bear at mile 47.2.  I took a 10 minute stop here and lanced and re taped my blisters.  I drank a boost, took a Vespa and ate a turkey, cheese and avocado wrap.  I also made the decision to switch back to a standard pair of Altra Instinct shoes.  I was wondering if the Hoka Soles on my modified shoes were using up more energy than necessary.  I was pretty sure that the squishiness of the bottoms was causing unnecessary movement of my feet inside the shoe and that was causing the blisters.  I figured that the trade off of having less cushion vs. the blisters getting worse was a good choice.

Altra Instincts - Zero drop + wide toebox = awesome shoe

As soon as I left the aid station and the sting of the popped blisters numbed I realized that I had made a good choice.  My stride felt quicker, lighter and needed less energy. I still felt like I wasn't moving that quickly, but I sure did feel better about how I was moving.  At a little less than 11 hours I did a three minute stop at the Tracer Brook aid station, mile 57.  I got food and quickly headed out for the quick section to Margaritaville, which I pulled into a little over an hour later.  It was now 4:06 in the afternoon and it was starting to cool off a bit.  Now it was perfectly warm, but not hot. 

More ice in the Bandana

At Margaritaville (yes, they actually serve margaritas if you want one) I decided to take off my shirt and get rid of one of my bottles.  I also ditched the fanny pack.  From this point in the race we see our crews more often so I didn't need to carry all this crap.  For the first time in a 100 I felt stripped down and light.  This is how I run as much of my training runs as I can.  I don't know if I was just in a weird place mentally, but I felt like an animal.  I felt primal.  I felt connected to the earth that I was running on.  I was positively ecstatic to be running and in love with running for the first time that day.  Sure, my blisters were getting worse and every time I stepped on a rock it hurt, but I seemed to be able to rise above all that.  It didn't seem to matter.  It was beautiful.

I pulled into Camp 10 Bear 2 (mile 70.1) at 5:40pm.  I had my crew find medical to see if somebody could help with my blisters.  I wish I got the name of the man that helped me, because he was awesome.   Awesome in a "I'm going to cut open both of your toes, squeezes out all the fluid, put alcohol on them and squeeze them again when I tape them" sort of way.  Bottom line...it hurt like hell.  Barry didn't know if he should be taking pictures because I was in so much pain, but Amy told him to make sure that he did. 

Son....of....a.....bitch.....

I don't know what hurt worse.  The treating of the blisters, or putting my socks and shoes back on.  Either way, I hobbled out of there after taking 25 minutes to get fixed.  I was hoping that I could just complete the last 30 miles with as little discomfort as possible and if it took a 25 minute stop to achieve that then so be it.

 

By the time I got to the Spirit of 76 at mile 77 I was feeling great.  My blisters still hurt of course, but it was the type of pain that I was able to manage.  Of course, now that my blisters were under control a new foe had reared its ugly head.  Chafe.  I...hate...chafing.  For those of you that don't know what it is, let me explain it to you.  Do you know that elastic string that is inside your running shorts surrounding the liner?  If your not a runner, its just like what is in a bathing suit.  Well, on a hot day when you are sweating out all the salt that you are taking to prevent cramping, that liner gets wet.  And its wet for a long time. And it rubs.  And rubs.  And rubs.  Eventually the skin right at that point gets rubbed raw.  The worst part is you usually don't feel it until it is to late.  By that time it feels like you have razor blades in your shorts. 

Me and Jack at mile 77

Luckily at this station Amy had a towel, which I used to clean the area(s) and then used body glide to lube it up.  Amy put a tiny little body glide into the pocket in my shorts so I could deal with it on the trail.  Again, this is why having a well prepared crew is golden.  I was also chafing under my left armpit which was a new experience for me. 

Bodyglide is a Godsend

Eventually I made my way to the aid station at mile 83 before I had to turn on my headlight.  I was feeling good and dealing with the never ending climbs that they throw at you over the last 30 miles.  I realized here that the taping job done on my toes might have saved the entire race for me.  I thought about how I was gaining experience doing these races and learning so much every time.  I completely gave up on my goal of going under 20 hours, but did the math and thought that I might be able to get in under 21 hours if I kept moving at the same pace.  I was careful not to put to much pressure on myself as I didn't want to ruin this beautiful full moon night.



I got to Bills Barn, the last medical check, at 10:05pm.  I was up 2 pounds from my starting weight and mentally clear.  Since I gave up on my 20 hour goal I decided to have a leisurely stop and eat.  My crew had hot soup for me and I took a full 10 minutes here eating and taking a short rest.  Man, I didn't want to get out of that chair! 

Late night dinner at Bills Barn

The rest of the race has a LOT of steep, long climbs.  I put my head down and went to work.  As I pounded my way through the last 10 miles alone (I have stopped using a pacer so I can concentrate on my run and I love it) I really thought a lot about how fortunate I am.  I really thought about Barry and Amy crewing me.  They had been up as long as I was and their sole focus was to take care of me.  It is so humbling to have them that dedicated to my success. 

Me, Joe Holland and Amy at mile 95.5

I hit the last crew aid station, Polly's (mile 95.5) at 11:50pm where I saw my friend Joe Holland.  Joe had paced me in 2009 and was awesome.  Seeing him here was great as I had been thinking about him getting me through it the last time.  I ended up having a great conversation with a runner with an Australian accent for the last miles.  We decided together that we were going to try to make it in under 21 hours, but those last steep long hills were really slowing down our pace. 

Over the last mile or so we ran into lots of company, including two horses.  We kept see-sawing with the horses and in the last .5 mile I got a burst of energy.  I passed the two horses, accidentally spooking one of them.  I apologized as I ran by and put my head down and sprinted for the finish.  With a time of 20:52:13 I finished in 28th place. 

Whew, done!

It is 5 days later and I still can't believe that I went from feeling like I wanted to quit at mile 21 to finishing so high up.  I learned a lot out there and I can't wait to see what happens at the Leadville 100 in 4 weeks.

Thanks again to Amy, Barry, Coach Jack Pilla, Joe Carera, Blister Fixer Man and Ron A. for all the support.  Your all incredible people.

Sub 24-Hour Buckle number two for the year!