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. 

Race Report: Loopy Bunny 12hr FA

This weekend I ran the Loopy Bunny 12hr fat ass event. It was billed as a fat ass, only it wasn't. We were given a race shirt, water bottle, and a buff. They had one fully stocked aide station, timing, and awards for top finishers. It was so much more than a fat ass. This was an overall very positive experience for me.

The race description was 100% accurate:
"It is also ideal for those who are starting out on their path to running longer distances as they can choose among three different timed race events, experience running on an easy trail course but is not completely flat, and train other aspects of your ultrarunning skillset -- heat training, fueling schedule, pacing strategy, etc. Each loop has 413 ft of elevation gain, so do not expect to get your mountain running training out of this event, but do not expect to run your PR times here either."

The course: A 4.5mi loop in a state park in PA. It included crushed gravel, single and double tracks, paths along a stream, a few bridges, and was 95% shaded. There were three to four climbs that slowed me down to a walk. The course was very runable, with nice views throughout.

Weather: the temperature stayed pretty constant at around 85°. It was cloudy, hot and humid throughout. At the 11th hour into the race a storm rolled in.

Fuel/hydration: I brought my own food and refreshments for the race. I figured that I could supplement my food with whatever was at the aide station. I ate a cliff bar and two Hydroxycut an hour before the race began. I carried ice water with me, and noshed on food at the one turnaround point. I had some Tailwind after my first loop and some strawberries. After the second loop I ate more fruits and noticed that my hands were shaking. I made myself drink a serving of Tailwind before getting back at it. I felt much better after completing the third lap. I refueled with Tailwind, water, and fruits. I tried to eat some pb&j, but could only manage one bite. I downed ice water each time, and took a half bottle of ice water to go. I kept this pattern up and ate a couple potato chunks near the end. On my 9th loop I felt like I was starting to tank. I was running with someone else, and asked him what he used to fuel. He mentioned Carbo pro. I think on the prior loop I drank Gatorade in lieu of Tailwind. I could feel that difference in my stamina. I traded Gatorade because I was worried that I wouldn't have enough Tailwind to get me to the finish.
 I didn't feel nauseated, nor did I have any gut bombs. I urinated regularly and sweated normally. Afterwards, I noted that my sports bra reeked of ammonia. I read that this is due to your body using protein for fuel in lieu of carbs.

Gear/clothes: I used a handheld water bottle after having a good experience with it at WS. I think the key is to talk only what you need at the time. Filling it halfway was sufficient. The ice melted pretty quickly, and the bottle caused a sore neck/should muscle following the race.
I wanted to use my iPod, but the battery was less than 50% at the time. I ran without music for the duration of the race. My Garmin died after 9 hours or so. I charged it between laps, and it recharged to about 52% in an hour.
I used Brooks ghost 7, and they worked well. The drawback was that they produced a blister on top of an old blister. I put Vaseline on my feet, and wore Injinjis. I cursed myself for not wearing my new gaiters. I had to stop to dump out my shoes 3x.
I wore the half buff as a sweatband. This worked well. Initially, I wore a trucker cap. One I realized that direct sunlight would not be an issue, I lost the hat. The hat retained heat, so it had to go. I wore another buff on my wrist to collect sweat. I ended up wetting it in the stream several times and this felt great. I used my microfiber wash cloth as an ice towel. I wet it and kept it cold in the cooler. When I stopped by my aide station, I used it wipe my face and cool my neck. This was heavenly.

Lessons Learned:
1. Don't be afraid to challenge yourself. I used to think that trails were for other runners, not my thing. This was runnable and enjoyable.
2. Don't worry if your tech gear fails. Just let it be. Run.
3. Keep up with Tailwind consumption. Use it even if you feel great.
4. I can tolerate strawberries, watermelon, and potatoes. The potatoes especially seemed like a good idea for carbs. Watermelon is so refreshing, and strawberries are a sweet pick me up.
5. Don't complain. Negative thoughts make for a bad race. No whining or feeling sorry for yourself.
6. It's okay to change your goal as the situation changes.
7. Lube!! Body Glide, Vaseline, Aquaphor, all of it!! Reapply when you are sweating. Reapply when you are running and you've had to drench yourself with ice water. Lube!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!