Vermont 100; 2nd race of the Grand Slam

2014 Slammers pre Vermont 100

Vermont 100 and officially halfway through the Grand Slam.

Going into the Slam I spoke of experiencing the highest of highs and the lowest of lows (at some point)…I can only hope (please, please, please) that VT100 was my lowest of lows. My first 100 was in 2011 and I figured out then that I am fairly tough.  Having finished VT100 (my 8th ,100 miler) I have decided that not only am I tough, I am stupid tough!!

What has led me to this conclusion??

03:50AM and feeling good!

I finished WS feeling really good. I came away unscathed outside of some left calf tightness of which I felt for approx the last 25 miles of WS. Post WS I took 5 days off. I purchased a weighted vest and went for a hike on the 6th day, and on the 7th day I went for a run. All was well, I felt an initial twinge in my calf at the start of this run and the tightness released. I continued to workout minimally for the following week with plans to sweep part of the PCT 50 course on the Sat prior to VT100 (VT100 was 3 weeks after WS100). On the advice of Ian Sharman I was only planning on sweeping no more than 12 miles, unless I was hiking. While I was feeling good post WS, he cautioned that come mi 20 of VT100 my legs would likely tell a different story. With intentions of sweeping only a short distance to maintain my recovery plan I ended up not sweeping at all. 2 miles into the run out to where we would begin sweeping, on a slight downhill and with my left leg leading, I landed toes pointed, calf flexed and felt a pull/pinch/niggle….call it what you may and just like that, I was done running. I stopped, called out to Ken while rubbing the source of discomfort but it refused to go away. After a few tears, I hobbled back to the race start and began what I would continue to do for the following week; Ice, compression, Advil, and elevation with a couple of massages thrown in for good measure. Recharge (Athletes recovery lounge in Bend, amazing place!) was kind and sent me to Vermont with a laser stimulator to use as needed. As hoped, my calf felt better with each of the 6 passing days until VT100. I opted to not test my calf prior to race day.

Mi 21, happy to see my crew;
Photo c/o Serena Wilcox

With Advil, Spider Tech tape, and compression sleeves in place I had high hopes come the 4am race start… hopes that were VERY short lived. I made it about a quarter of a mile (yup 400ish yards) when my calf “niggle” reared its ugly head with a pinching/pulling sensation. I moved off to the side of the road and began rubbing it, reassuring the passing runners that all was well when in reality I was freaking out. What the hell was I going to do??? Seriously, not even 1 mile!! I continued to rub my leg; taking a few test steps with the same result as I continued to reassure the steady stream of passing runners that all was well. At 4am it was dark, and with my light at my waist, my tears of frustration were easy to hide. Decision time…my options; quit the race and quit the Slam; continue the race and possibly tear my gastroc and then have to quit the race/Slam; or possibly continue the race without further injury to the muscle and make it to the finish line and stay in the Slam. My logic, I came to Vermont with time goals along with the possibility of a podium finish BUT, the reason I came to Vermont was for the Grand Slam and if I could manage to “finish” VT100 and stay in the Slam then that was what I would do. And so I began my shuffle. "One Step at a Time", just as the temporary tattoo provided by the race stated.  The majority of VT100 is on hard dirt packed roads making my shuffle even more doable. With the ENTIRE field of racers in front of me my shuffle allowed me to gradually rejoin the race.

Amazing countryside;
Photo c/o Serena Wilcox 

I finally saw my crew at mile 21, interesting how it’s the familiar faces that strike straight to the heart of your emotions. While it was easy enough to share with complete strangers my calf “niggle” dilemma in a matter of fact manner, it took only one look from my sister in law for the tears to surface. I think at this point I held it together for the most part, telling both her and Serena (crew and pacer for the last 30 miles as well as local resident) that my calf had flared up and that I was going to give it what I had to get to the finish. They plied me with Advil, bio-freeze, some calories and hydration and watched me shuffle away.

At the pre race briefing the 2014 Slam pack gathered. I picked up a cool bandanna created by Brad Bishop, fellow Slammer. For the race I decided to tie it to my hydration pack. The idea was to help identify fellow Slammers on the trail. It worked and what a nice touch. I passed a runner who saw the Bandanna and he shared his story of having registered for the 2014 Slam but was unable to finish WS which effectively took him out for his quest of the Grand Slam. With his DNF at WS he still planned to show up and race the last 3 races, and try again for the Slam next year.

Just a small smile please asked my crew!
Photo c/o S.W.

Another runner heard I was going for the Slam and shared with me his goal of attempting the same one day. And then there were those who knew of the Slam and were in awe that I was attempting it. These are the stories that feed the soul of us runners and unbeknownst to them they helped to keep me going. And going I did. Each time I saw my crew, they took the absolute best care of me they could. They would later share that they truly felt helpless and had no idea of how to help me. I can only hope that I conveyed to them the value of just having them out there. They helped me change socks, drain blisters, ply me with Advil, bio-freeze and give me a hug when I needed one.


Mi 70 and the beginnings
of my right quad bruise :(

Not a natural gait, but happy that
Serena would be joining me!

Serena finally joined me at mi 70 providing me with some much needed distraction. VT100 is a unique race in which runners are at times sharing the roads with horse and riders running the same race. Due to the hazard of the horses, music was not allowed. This meant I was stuck with only my thoughts…how I would have loved some upbeat tunes to fill my head and drown out my thoughts. My body was a wreck, my hip flexors were killing me as well as my groin from the external rotation of my left hip.  This was due to my inability to push off with my left foot, instead I would approach the hills with the side of my foot, protecting my calf.  My right quad was toast, it was doing all the work my left leg refused to do, all the climbing as well as the impact of the downhills....Finally, when I was close to my breaking point and upon my request, Serena and Carrie helped me onto a cot at Bill’s Cabin aid station mi 88, they removed my socks and shoes, elevated my legs and for a brief 5-6 minutes, I rested. They also consulted with Ken back in Oregon, who told them to let me have my 5 minutes and then get me back out there. Yup tough love from afar is what my fella gave me. And so they got me up after my brief rest, I drank some much needed coffee, took a bite of a grilled cheese sandwich and got back at it. The going was slow as I was only hiking at this point, Serena was a saint and yes, finally, I made it to the finish line. Carrie was there waiting and I walked straight into her arms and let the tears flow, finally letting the physical and mental guard that I had been holding in place for so long drop away.

Right quad post race---

And so yes, I am tough…..stupid tough. With my almost 25 hour VT100, I have had to let go of my time goals for the Grand Slam and you know what, that is okay. The Grand Slam is an amazing feat all on its own, if I can recover from my injury and see this thing through to fruition, I will be damn proud of myself.

Feeling very fortunate to have finished Vermont 100, I am happy to say that I will be toeing the start line for the 3rd 100 of the slam, Leadville 100 Aug 16th!

25 hours later I rested....

I can not tell Carrie and Serena how much it meant to have them out there for me.  They made me smile when I had no reason and helped to relieve some of the weight of my internal struggles when I was at my lowest. Thank you.  Thank you to the race volunteers for taking such great care of me as I came through their aid stations and always with a smile on there face.  For Harvey and Shasta, thank you for remembering me from the registration and giving me that great hug before you sent me on my way to get to that finish line.
As always thank you to my sponsors for providing me with the perfect gear, supporting me as I chase after my crazy running dreams! Patagonia; UltrAspire; Julbo; Honeystinger; Blackdiamond. While physical health is not a guarantee come race day, your gear can be.