Unicorns, Rainbows, and Yetis

Race Report-The Yeti 100 Abingdon, VA

§  Where: The race was held on the 33mi portion of the Virginia Creeper Trail in Abingdon, VA

  §   How long: The race began at 7am, just after the sun came up.  This eliminated the need for headlamps at the start.  There was a 30 hr time limit to the 100mi event. There were cutoffs as appropriate for some of the checkpoints.

  §  When: September 29, 2017 

  §  Weather: 54-75 degrees

  §  Course description and evaluation of event logistics: The path was 33mi of crushed gravel, limestone, leftover cinders from the rails to trails conversion, and smooth, hard-packed dirt.  There were softball sized rocks that hid within the fallen leaves.  I managed to stumble upon and kick these rocks many times.  The path itself was very runnable and mostly flat.  To me, there was no real discernable grade change except for the final 1mi approach back to Whitetop.  There were several stretches of exposed path where you could get a really good dose of sunlight. For the majority of the path, there was tree coverage and shade.  The course comprised of a wide path for the duration.  There was no single-track, however, there were a couple of areas where we ran on paths made from tire tracks from a vehicle.  We crossed 44 trestles with each pass of the 33mi path.  The leaves were beginning to turn colors, which provided a peaceful scenery throughout. The path also took us along a river/stream, and alongside some mountains along the Appalachian Trail.  The crew checkpoints and aid stations were easily accessible and easy to find.  The packet pickup was held on the night before the race.  We dropped off our drop bags at the very brief pre-race meeting.  Everything was well-thought out and planned for the race.  The venue for the meeting became a little crowded.  I think that for a first run (the first two years were invite-only) everything went very smoothly. 
§  How you trained for the event: I used the ultraladies.com 100mi training plan to prepare for this event.  I’ll admit that I slacked off in the last month, skipping the last long back to back weekend.  I had some difficulty in the beginning when trying to get used to running during the week.  I was able to stay on track for maybe a month with the mid-week runs, then began to slack off again.  I honestly feel that I can do so much better in my next race if I use the same plan and actually do a better job of doing the workouts.

§  Nutrition: I made some great choices for how to handle my nutrition.  I planned to use one packet of Tailwind per every two hours of running.  The packets contain 200cal each.  I planned to supplement my Tailwind with food from the aid station.  I labeled each Tailwind packet for the timeframe in which I intended to use it.  This was particularly helpful as I have learned with past experiences.  In the past I had trouble remembering which packet I was on, and if I was indeed keeping up with the intake.  I will change a couple of things in the future: eliminate the naked, caffeine-free Tailwind, find an easier way to open the stick packets (maybe open and tape shut again), remind my pacers that you have to pour the Tailwind in first, then water, not drink Coke or ginger ale as a substitute for Tailwind.  Coke or ginger ale can supplement, but not be a substitute for Tailwind.  I ate bananas, potatoes, cookies, and oranges while at the aid stations.  I had a cup of broth once, and it seemed fine.  I didn’t have any G.I. issues for the duration of the race.  There was only one portion where I felt a little hungry.   I slowed down a bit and ate at the next aide station and recovered quickly.

§  Gear: I grouped my Tailwind packets into the time frames in which I would need them.  The put them in larger bags with a label on the outside to indicate when I would need them.  I ended up using two Garmins for this race.  I missed one change in my own instructions which called for me to carry the second Garmin from the beginning. My battery ultimately died, and I lost about 30-40 min of data tracking.  I used the Petzl headlamp that Alicja gave me.  This lasted many hours, and kept me on path and well-illuminated throughout the night. I think if I get a second headlamp, I’ll buy the same kind, as this worked well for me. I used my Milestone Pod to track my metrics.  I was really happy to see that my rate of impact was still very low! It also recorded 80 of my last miles.  It was my fault that it didn’t capture everything.  I only had my backup phone on my, and I couldn’t sync it to this phone. Luckily, I still had 80 miles captured.

This is where I stashed my chocolate chip cookies!!

I can stay here and party, right?

§  Planning: I took the time to map out the A, B, and C plan for pacing.  I had a really good idea of how fast I wanted to run and when I wanted to finish.  I made up pace and timing charts to keep me on track, and to prevent me from doing race math.  I wrote up instructions for my pacers/crew on what would work best for me.  I made some index cards to keep in my pocket.  On the cards, I had details on what I needed to grab from my drop bag, and what gear I needed to exchange, if any.  I prepared the cards ahead of time, put them in a Ziploc, and this really gave me peace of mind that I wouldn’t forget something due to a foggy brain. 

§  Specific experiences (this might include)

§  Thoughts while running:

I had a really positive mindset while running.  I kept myself on pace, and made a good effort to reign in from the very beginning.  I didn’t experience the crash around miles 75-90 that others warned me of.  I felt even and relaxed throughout.  My energy waned late at night, but that was just from being awake for 24s while running.  I didn’t feel the classic “hitting the wall” sensation either.  I never let the thought of “what if I can’t make sub24” enter my mind.  It just wasn’t an option or a part of my plan.  I was

§  Mantras you may have used: my new running mantra that I love: no whining, no complaining, no excuses.  It’s a powerful thing to have a mantra like this.  It truly kept me on track and prevented me from feeling sorry for myself and from getting stuck in a negativity rut.

§  Falls: I fell only once, and this was very close to the end of the race.  It was a flat section, and I was sleepy.  I stumbled many, many times during the race, but this time I tripped on nothing that I know of.  I somehow ended up doing a baseball-like slide.  I ended up with vey mild abrasions on my left hip.  The scars will likely fade away in a couple of weeks.  No bruising, just superficial scratches.

§  Conversations you’ve had with others: I specifically did not want to run at the pace of others to where I would get stuck in conversation.  I think I maybe mentioned the weather once and talked about my hat with a few people.  Other than that, I only talked to my pacers.

§  Conversations you’ve had with yourself: I repeated my mantra, called cadence, and tried not to let my mind wander.

  §  Crew: Hector crewed for me until it was time to pace at mile 42.  He did a great job of getting me out of the aid stations and refilling my Tailwind bottles.  He met me at nearly every station, and when he wouldn’t be there, I knew ahead of time.  It was nice to have help filling up the bottles and to have someone check on you who already knows you. 

  § Pacers: Hector began pacing me at mi 42.  He mostly ran in front of me while pacing.  The difficulty of this, for me, is that I felt like I should be keeping his pace, which was probably around 12-13.  I would speed up, and slow down to a walk as a result.  I switched pacers after around 38mi.  Alicja did a fantastic job pacing.  It was a better method for me.  She ran next to me the whole time. I informed her of the pace that I wanted, and that it would be very helpful to have updates if I was running too fast or too slow.  She did this perfectly!

§  Your finish and associated emotions: Once I began my training plan, I realized that I could seriously achieve a sub 24 on a good course.  It was in my mind that I would have a sub 24.  I was gliding through the race, feeling great, and performing to my expectations.  With the help of my crew and pacers, I achieved my sub 24 goal for my first 100mi. Official time: 23:36:07. When I finished, I received my big bear hug from Jason Green.  He truly is a remarkable guy-a top notch race director.  He had a huge surprise for everyone who finished with a sub 24: a full-color buckle in addition to the regular one.  I was so shocked that I couldn’t think of what to say.  I managed to mumble “but I didn’t call my shot”. You can tell that he really enjoys what he does.  He makes the people in his group a priority.

After the jump-hug, I went over to my crew and boyfriend and just let it all soak in.  I still felt in shock, a weird, empty feeling that you only experience every once in a while.  We took a couple pictures and that’s when I realized that I was crying.  It’s a really bizarre thing to have tears of happiness, shock, amazement, and just being overwhelmed.

§  Your overall evaluation of the event: This was such an incredible event.  My writing definitely doesn’t do it justice.  I know that I was able to accomplish my goals due to the training plan that I used.  I skipped many days of mileage during the week, and especially on the last month. For my next 100, I want to be more disciplined in order to see what is possible for me.  I am truly thankful to have the people in my life that I do. They push me to try harder, do better, and reach for big goals.