Holy crap batman! Where does one begin a blog with finishing an event like that?? i’ll try to give you all a good synopsis of the race. I can’t promise it will be brief as one can cover a lot in a hundred miles and so many thoughts happen during an event of that magnitude.
This was my first attempt at a 100 mile run. I hated even using the word attempt while I was preparing for it as I felt that gave me the option of not finishing. I was going to do this. quitting was not an option. My crew knew it and I knew it. Its funny that after finishing 4 Ironman races that I was scared of the 100 miler. I was holding on to a lot of fear about it. There were so may unknowns with never having gone anywhere near the distance of this race. I kept thinking “sure, I’ve done a few ironman, but when you train for that, you can easily train for not just the distance but you often go over the amount you need-expecially in the swim and sometimes on the bike.” For this race, I had no idea what my body would do, what my mind would do, what I would need for nutrition etc. I was pretty confident I could get through 50. It was that back half that I knew would be rough.
I started to get really nervous Thursday night. I was with my girls from the running group and they were asking me all sorts of questions. the fear of the unknown was eating away at me. When I show up at the hotel on Friday night, many of the other runners were there checking in. John Pyle was there so at least I saw a familiar face. the runner behind me started talking to me and started asking me if I knew about this race, or that person and I realized how little I knew about the ultra world. shoot, I’ve followed tris, i don’t know anyone (or anything in the ultra world) all I could think is WTF did I get myself into? Can I do this? to help ease the nerves, I went to Wal-mart to get some last minute stuff for the race. Finally settled in at the hotel and into bed.
I show up at the race site at 6 am. Head up to check in. My race number was 262. I was bummed that I didnt get Kathrine Switzer’s number -261 from her Boston Marathon. (If you don’t know her story-look her up) I just thought that would have been so cool to get her number since she is such an inspiration to me. Anyways, I head to the car to get set up. The crew wasn’t arriving until much later in the day so I had to make sure I was ready before they got there. The course was designed so that we would run by our cars on every loop. It was a 3.46 mile loop for 29 loops. When all was said and done, we would do 100.34 miles. the trail consisted of 2 main areas with sugar sand and lots of time in the center of the woods among the giant oaks, spanish moss, cypress trees sabal palms. A long stretch of the trail was laden with large roots that could certainly take you out if you werent paying attention.
This is when I told Andy he just met his biggest competitor.
John and I pre-race
the next thing I know, we’re off and running. the first lap was awesome and I got through it pretty quickly although I knew I needed to slow down so I could make it through the 100 miles. On the 2nd loop I connected with Lorna Michael and we decided we would try to run it together as much as we could. As she told me her story, I felt like I was running next to one of the greats. I was honored. Her story was completely amazing and it was her story that helped me know I need to listen to her advice and follow her lead as she had some absolutely incredible experience in the ultraworld. when we finish the 2nd loop, her crew person yelled to us that we were in the 11s we need to slow down. We were able to do several loops together and we finally got separated during one of my pit stops when she was back to running and I needed to take a little more time.
Throughout the day, I’d run with other runners and stories would unfold. every athlete out there was amazing in their own right.
My plan was to mentally treat this like four marathons. I would change shoes and maybe clothes at every 25 miles or so. I would also eat real food at that point. I was also going to stop at the car on every loop making sure I took in what I needed and to make sure I walked. When I stopped at the 31 mile mark, I made a PBJ sandwhich, ate chips, drank some coke and changed shoes and socks. I was still feeling pretty good. somewhere in the mid- 30s I said to myself, “anything I do from this point forward is the longest I’ve ever run.” That was an awesome thing to keep reminding myself. Somewhere around mile 38 I had the first tiny meltdown of the day. From all the training Ive done and from all my conversations with other ultra athletes, we know that 1) these mental moments are part of the day. 2) It’s usually a sign you need more nutrition 3) these times don’t last. Glad to have that one over and now having Jill and Justin there I could carry on.
i thought switching shoes was a great idea. the first pair I’d run in hadn’t even had a mile in them when I put them on that day. The 2nd pair had been used on several trail and beach runs. I wasn’t thinking about how swollen my feet would be. i quickly realized that the laces would have to be adjusted more than I thought. it took some time to get the laces right as I kept stopping to fix them.
I continued with my run. As many of you who read this know, I am often really taken by the beauty in nature. When I stop to appreciate it I am often in awe, breathless, reminded how incredible God is and so incredibly blessed to be able to appreciate it. There were so many times I was running through the deep part of the forest just in awe of the natural beauty. There is nothing like that “swoosh” of the forest when the world becomes silent. My dear friend melissa also recently wrote about the silence in one of her blogs. It’s amazing.
I did another shoe and sock change around mile 51. This time just back to the first pair. By this time my feet were really feeling the pain. There were two wooden bridges and one tiny one. During the day I hated running across them as they seemed to increase the pain in my feet. by nighttime they were a Godsend because I could “run” on a smooth surface. during one lap when I was expressing my thoughts on the pain and wondering how to make the pain go away, Eric Friedman-who I only knew as Eric at the time- decided to give me the full blown physiological reason for it. It made me laugh. it also helped me understand why my feet become so sensitive when I run, the littlest thing can drive me crazy. It was one of those things I took with me throughout the remainder of the run. One of my other favorite moments was when I saw Andrei opening a beer and pouring it into his sports bottle. I couldn’t help but ask him about it. Of course he had all sorts of “good reasons” for drinking while running this thing. I couldn’t believe it. But if it worked for him-then ok!
Around mile 55, the next mental breakdown began to occur. I think it was triggered by the realization that I had gone past the 50 miles. I was an ultra runner and I was experiencing something I’d never done. i don’t know what else had gone through my mind during that one. It was a tougher one than the previous one. I knew I need more substance/nutrition. I got to the point where I wasn’t really remembering when I was eating solid food. I just know the crew was making sure I was getting it. Justin had told me going into this that I was calling the shots on everything except eating, drinking, and quitting. And I’m so glad he was enforcing that!
refueling as I'm heading into the dark
during the day as I was making my way through the trail, I was telling myself ”brain remember that for when the darkness hits.” I knew going into this that we were going to have darkness for about 12 hours. that was going to make a huge difference. I also know that in the heart of the woods it was going to be incredibly dark. I didn’t know what creatures-both real and in my mind- I would encounter. I also knew that I wanted to continue to run during the night. I was afraid that if I stopped I would have a hard time starting again. justin gave me his ipod to use during the nite. He had created a playlist for me and it was so nice having that. Running at nite was hard. Many of the runners had taken breaks so there were significantly fewer of us out there trying to get it done. Jill ran 2 laps with me. Justin couldn’t run much as he had hurt his back earlier in the day and we both decided that it was best to have him run with me towards the end when he could be of better use to me. Brian had a family emergency and I didn’t know until much later in the night that he was still going to make it. So it was up to me to run and get this done. much of it was me. alone with my thoughts. i had decided early in the day that I would walk the long section where all the roots were. I didn’t want to take a chance of falling. All those little moments of telling my brain to remember stuff helped. An example of this came later in the daylight hours when I was running with Brian. we were chatting away and I could feel my body/mind want to hesistate/take caution. I dismissed it as I couldnt see anything and tripped over a vine. Through the nite I never hit that thing. I had hit it early in the day on Saturday and again after the light had come.
trust me, I'm only smiling on the outside
While I was out there in the dark, I ran into Beth McCurdy. When we started talking, we both said, “How is it I haven’t seen you out here?” I asked her if she was somewhere in the lead, to which she said yes and I said well that’s why. We were able to run together for some time. And I am so thankful for her presence when I needed it. We shared stories and talked or not talked so we could get through it. She gave me some absolutely wonderful words of encouragement-again something I will treasure for some time.
After Brian arrived, I wanted to run one more lap by myself. Halfway into that lap I was wishing I had him to run with. I didn’t need to be inside my head. the next meltdown was coming. I could feel it. During that lap with him the mental stuff and tears were coming. I may have indicated it to him or not. It was still dark so he wouldn’t have known if I was crying. during that lap I had asked Brian what he thought my approximate mileage was and and we figured i was probably in the very low 80s. I know I said something along the lines of how that explained things. I began telling him how my friend Scott D’angelo-an amazing ultrarunner-had told me that at mile 80 I’d be in a really dark place. Between miles 80 and 85 I had the worst breakdown of the run. I was 4 laps to go and couldn’t hold it together. Justin was running with me. He knew it was coming and kept offering me “space” and encouragement. it was only during this breakdown that I questioned finishing. I knew I could~ if I could get out of the spiral. I wasn’t getting this close and quitting. But everything in me hurt and mentally I just couldnt pull it together. I had consumed enough gu, water, gatorade etc that I didn’t feel like I could take anything in. I knew I needed to. when we crossed the timing area I told Justin I needed to take in something. I couldn’t decide what I needed or could choke down. He grabbed one of the breakfast sandwiches the race director had gotten for us, pulled off the meat and gave it to me. I knew I was going to have to force that down and I hoped it would work. when we finished that lap I saw Beth and she saw the emotion and asked if I was ok. “Its just the stuff. a bad moment ya know?” She nodded as she understood it completely.Brian ran the next lap with me and that’s when we hit daylight. It was amazing as soon as the darkness lifted, my pace increased. I finished that lap feeling better, stronger, faster. I’m gonna do this. we’re getting close to the end. I told everyone I didn’t care who ran the last 3 laps with me and I wanted everyone to run the final one with me.
Giving my feet some long overdue TLC with 3 laps to go!
If I’m remembering correctly, Jill ran with me at 3 to go and justin again at 2. When I hit the timing mat with one lap to go, justin said come on, you’re gonna finish this thing with a 30:30 or better. And that’s when it hit me… I was finishing a 100 mile run. Quick stop at the car to replenish water and gatorade. I started jogging before I even left the parking lot.
GO! GO! GO!
I was pulling my crew. I picked up the pace and was ahead of everyone. Brian asked me if I was in my zone. I said yes and kept running. We were running faster. I ran as much as I could and still took my time through the roots. We passed one rather large fallen branch/tree and I said “good bye branch, I’m gonna miss you” Brian asked me what kind of creature it looked like in the dark I said it still looked like a tree it just looked funny from the angle the light had shown on it. I was just glad to never see it again. I’m calling out the markers I had in my head- 1st long bridge ahead, then 2nd bridge, then it’s down, up and we’re bringing it home. when we hit the little downhill before the steep sandy stairs I give out a whoop! and the crew cheers with me.
Sprinting to the end!
We hit the clearing and the sugary sand for the final time and I said something to the effect that they all better hang on because I was running this to the end. As I’m sprinting it in (or what I felt was sprinting) Justin pulls ahead and snaps a pic and then back to Jill. Brian and I hit the final spot before the turn, I wait momentarily for Justin and Jill to catch up and we RUN it in! Holy shit! I just finished a 100 mile run! I think I took everyone near the timing tent by surprise as I came in so quickly. They are snapping pics. I turn to give the crew a big hug and to thank them. More pics. Mike gives me my “finisher” award. Holy shit. I finished 100! And I did it in 30 hrs and 17 min~beating the time justin projected. I wasn’t the fastest person out there, but by golly, I finished the damn thing!
I FINISHED!!!!
Without a doubt there is no way I could have finished this without the incredible support from my crew. Justin Radley, jill Bunnell, and Brian Curro, you were amazing!!! they all saw moments of my breakdowns and helped me get through them. You anticipated my needs and kept me on track. thank you all so much for dedicating your weekend to getting me through this. Justin, your support was absolutely amazing. I know you also helped other runners who were near us. Jill, thank you for running 14 miles with me. I think you have officially been inducted into the running world! Brian, thank you for coming out even after you had a family emergency. Words can’t adequately express how thankful I am to have you all out there supporting me in every sense of the word. You guys completely rocked it!!
Team Invincible-The most AMAZING crew ever!!
To Mike Melton, thank you for the invitation to the race and for giving back to the racing community. It’s a wonderful race, great “venue” and so well supported. thank you thank you thank you.
to ALL of the runners at AO100~named and not named in my blog~, thank you for being there, for running with me, for giving me support and encouragement and for making me laugh. You ALL are rockstars in my book!
Now that I have completed two ultra events with a crazy amount of laps, I can say I think I used the multiple laps as a crutch. I really think I stopped more than I would have if there were less laps. Since the Double was in Tampa, I had a lot of people stop by during various stages of the race and I felt like I had to stop and say “Hi” to whoever was there or pose for pics. =) I often had to be reminded by others to keep moving, or I had to keep myself from stopping too much. I also didn’t mind stopping because I was not out there to set any records. This was about me finishing something that I had set out to do. So if I took a little long talking-so what? I wanted to enjoy this race and by golly I was gunna.
