Vermont 100 Mile Endurance Run
South Woodstock, Vermont
Saturday, July 17, 2004

I crossed the finish line Sunday morning at 9:29 am, 29 hours, 29 minutes and 36 seconds after beginning my 100 mile tour of lower Vermont. Along the way, I learned a few things about running ultras, and about myself.

* Vermont is hilly! And beautiful. We got tired of saying "look at that, isn't it beautiful"! It's really a, um, beautiful place to run :)

* Change socks every chance you get. It rained in the afternoon, and I didn't have dry socks for many more miles. While the rain cooled me off, the feet were soaked. Ended up with trench foot. Beth [1] literally gave me the socks off of her feet so I could dry out.

* If in doubt, tape. When we left the 44 mile aid station (Camp 10 Bear the first time), I mentioned to Rob that my feet were beginning to feel hot spots. I had no idea this was the trench foot causing my feet to literally crack. We considered going back the 10 feet to the aid station and taping, but decided to press on. Wrong! By the time we got to Tracer Brook, I was hobbling. Tape, vaseline, and Beth's dry socks got me moving again!

* It really is possible to take it nice and easy, walking the ups and trotting the downs, yet still maintain a 28 hour pace. Rob had offered to run with me, starting me out conservatively. He had said that we'd be in the back during the day, but would pass folks at night who had gone out too fast and burned up. This did indeed happen. And many of the folks I passed eventually dropped. So the old ultra saying "start slow and taper off" really does apply to 100s.

* Be prepared to go it alone. I was expecting a pacer to be with me during the night section. In previous attempts, I'd had difficulty getting through the night and had convinced myself that I couldn't do it alone. But my pacer was unable to meet me, and I was forced to manage [2]. It was a blessing in disguise, as I learned that I can indeed get through the night.

* "Ya gotta want it bad, Sarah." That's what Rob said to me during a bad low spot I was having around 52 miles. I was really crashing and already seeing yet another dnf coming. The nasty head games had begun and I was ready to drop. But I kept telling myself, "ya gotta want it bad, Sarah". And damnit I did want it bad. I had trained for it. I had done everything right. I deserved it. And I wanted it bad.

* Caffeine and calories. During the low spot, after Rob ran off and left me [3], I got to an unmanned aid station and drank part of a coke. Sugars really mess with my stomach during ultras, but I needed the caffeine so was willing to risk it. Just a few short minutes later, I was perking up and running again. Beth was waiting at Cox's/Margaritaville and, luckily, she had some NoDoz in her bag (so, if you're counting, she saved me twice in this race). Took one, ate, and really started to feel better. By the time I got to ~68 (Camp 10 Bear the second time), I was back to normal. I will definitely have NoDoz on me from now on. I've always struggled with staying awake, but certainly didn't expect that at 50 miles!

* I CAN do it. I have 3 dnfs in previous 100 miler attempts. The last one was at mile 92 in Arkansas, when compartment syndrome slowed me to a 45 minute per mile crawl. Because of that, I didn't feel as though I 'had it' until after 92 miles. You can bet the last 8 I was smiling like a kid on Christmas morning (and still am). Got rather emotional several times during those last 8, but had to hold back the tears as I couldn't run and cry at the same time :'-)

Notes:
1. Beth Terry had originally planned to run the race, but dnfed early. After dropping, she became Super Crew, taking care of Robert Newcomer and me despite us being hours apart. She really worked her butt off and totally is responsible for my finishing.

2. I did end up with a pacer at 89.2 miles. The pacer organizer, John Bassette, was feeling bad for me as my pacer got reassigned, leaving me with none. So he personally paced me the final 10.8 miles, making me move much faster than I would have on my own. I was a bit snappy by then, and I certainly owe him a big apology...and a big thank you!

3. You will PAY, Rob Apple ;)

Happy Trails,
Sarah

Addedum [because my brain is still too foggy to get it right the first time]:

* Kept about 15 minutes below a 28 hour pace well into the night.
That allowed me to mostly power walked at night, although I really
didn't lose any significant time until mile 89. The legs were shot
early and running was not something I really wanted to do. So I just
pushed. Ran a bit more once the sun was up, but not much :)

* Despite being exhausted and the legs being trashed, I
sprinted...UPHILL...the last 25 yards! Definitely ran faster than I'd
run then entire time! I was so happy so see that finish line. Can't
begin to describe the feelings that were welling up inside. Finally,
a finish.

* As soon as I finished, I headed to the medical tent. I'd been
fantasizing about the army cots for at least 20 miles. All I could
think of was lying down. And I wanted my blood pressure checked
because I knew I'd not been drinking enough. My weight had been down
4 pounds at one check, but had gone back up by the final check. But
my main concern was that I'd not been peeing despite drinking Suceed
Ultra and taking electrolytes. It made sense during the day because I
was really sweating. But I should have cooled down at night and
started actually processing fluids. That wasn't the case, though as I
continued to sweat all night while others were putting on long
sleeves and jackets. BP was fine. Now to focus on getting more fluids
until the kidneys kicked in. I felt ok (other than the obvious), so
there was no real concern over me. They gave me chicken broth, of
which I drank 2 cups. Then water. Then a beer (the sodium usually
does the trick). Nothing. More water. Nothing. It was easily 3 hours
after finishing before fluid started processing. Definitely gotta do
better next time. I'm convinced that one of the reasons I'm SO sore,
still, is inadequate hydration, both before the race and during. Yet
I never had an cramping issues or nausea, and only minor hand
swelling which went away with an electrolyte pill. Go figure.

Sarah