I've been out here six months now, and a couple months into it my buddy and co-worker Nelson mentioned he was thinking of signing up for the Vermont 50K- his first ultra. Now, a supportive friend probably would have said something like 'Wow, your first ulltra! 50K is such a fun distance! When is that race? Maybe I'll come join you!' But a SUPER supportive friend like me said something more along the lines of 'Vermont 50K, is that at the same time as the VT50 miler? Why don't you just sign up for the 50miler? I mean, if you're gonna do it, run an ultra, you may as well really go for it. You've got plenty of time to train and I'd definitely run the 50miler with you. Seriously dude, if its your first ultra, what's 19 more miles?' And so, we both signed up for the Vermont 50miler.
Nelson had run some marathons, he knew what he was getting into, he got some books and created a training plan, and in spite of work and life and all the things, he did a pretty stellar job (by my observations) of sticking to it. I wish I could say the same for myself. I had work, I had...a life? Or was trying to create a new one, living pretty much near nothing, I got used to riding my bike 2 or so hours, or driving about an hour, to attend social things, to make new friends and to hang out with people. I would fit runs in here and there. I had a good base, so there was that. But focus was something I was completely lacking. In the past, my training has been pretty consistent and pretty spot on. I make a plan, and I stick to it. When things come up and my mileage for a week gets messed up I don't freak out, but I make sure that all my workouts are quality. This time around I just couldn't seem to get into a rhythm with it. I was living in a yurt provided by my work which was initially awesome and then not so much. So I moved to the warehouse where I work which was more convenient (indoor plumbing, a kitchen, little things) but it took away my built in morning/afternoon runs to and from work, and I didn't always make up for that lack of running time.
Fortunately, there was the Western New Hampshire Trail Run Series in honor of our friend Chad that Nelson and I also signed up for, and while most of these races were only around 10K or slightly more or less, it was a good thing to have around to keep me semi-on track. The long and the short of it is this: could I have trained better for this race? Absolutely. Zero Doubts. Was I horribly under-trained for this race? Nope, not ridiculous, but certainly a lot of room for improvement. The up side to all of it? Improvement for next year on the horizon!!! Goals to make and meet!!!
So, let's get to the race, right?
Fortunately the race website had this clever little countdown to help remind me how many days I had left to get ready:
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| This counter was awesome, and while some days it made me think- wait, what? only how many days? Mostly it just helped me get super stoked for the race as it got closer and closer. |
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| The bowl is full of my favorite homemade power mix. Recipe at the bottom of the page. |
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| Rocking the KEXP sticker, as I spent most of the night playing the Runners Podcast Episodes. If you're looking for a stellar music station to support I highly suggest KEXP. |
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| Feeling neurotic at this point in the organization game, but just trying to make life as easy as possible for my crew, a pair of very intelligent and capable human beans. So I wrote a note on my towel, so they'd know what I wanted them to do with it. |
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| The finished product!!! Drop bags done. |
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| The 'peak' in the background is Mt. Ascutney, where the race would start and finish. |
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| The building in the background may look a bit mangled, because it was destroyed in a fire a few years back. Kind of an epic piece of real estate to run past right as you're completing the race. |
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| The tents were up and people were starting to mill about, this place would be a zoo full of mountain bikers and runners in a very short time |
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| A glimpse of the start before the chaos of race day |
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| Race bib in hand! Ready for race day. |
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| The nearly full Harvest Moon...post race would be rewarded with the Full Lunar Eclipse!!! What a treat. |
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| A blurry morning picture, tents filling up with ready racers |
The race meeting informed us of what trail markers to look for, the basics. I happily showed myself to the line of port-o-johns and was so stoked to make a pre-race deposit...I know it seems gross to the non-runners (and maybe to some of the runners out there, I don't know) but lets be real...having that moment before the race is so fantastic. It means you're that much less likely to have to find another port-o-john or dig a cat-hole while out on the race. This is a glorious thing in my book. We milled about, I shed my warm layers, and stood around in the big tents hoping to not get too chilly. As the waves of mountain bikes continued to roll out and the sky continued to get lighter we came closer and closer to our start time. Finally Mike and Amy made the call for runners to head over to the start line and get ready to go. I knew Nelson would be running at a faster pace than me (see the aforementioned notes about training) so I wished him luck, found my place towards the back of the pack and waited for the countdown. The call came, we all counted down from 10, a bunch of satellite watch beeps happened in chorus, and we made our way through the chute and down the road from Mt. Ascutney and onto our 50 mile adventure through the country roads and trails of Vermont.
I'll take the time to apologize here for a lack of race photos. I made the decision to start the run with only my handheld water bottles, and to pick up my race pack at the first drop-bag/crew support aid station at mile 12. This decision meant I wouldn't have a phone or camera on my person, and I decided I was fine with that. So, it may suffer a bit here, in the sense of visual appeal, but I can assure you, it was extraordinary out there. The first few miles were pretty chill, with a bit of a downhill and that was nice. I ran through the first aid station, taking nothing, but thanking the fantastic volunteers for being out there. If you know me you know that a) I volunteer within the ultra community whenever I can b) if I remember one thing on race day, I remember to thank the volunteers.
After passing through aid #1, the course took a started to climb a bit, with another short descent into the second aid station at mile 8.1. By this time I could officially feel my fingers, which was exciting. I was moving well, keeping what I felt to be a decent and manageable pace, and I was safely ahead of all the time cut-offs. I had given my stellar support team, Fischer and Jacsen, a mini spread sheet with goal times/expected times, and it seemed like I would be right on pace to see them at the first drop bag/support crew aid station. I was feeling good about this. Did I mention that there are roots on the trails out here? Almost in-synch with my watch noting that I had completed my 10th mile of the race (1/5th of the way done-woohoo!!) a root reached out and grabbed my ankle and I kissed the dirt. I got up pretty quickly, semi-dusted myself off, checked that my annoying old ankle injury was not aggravated, and kept moving down the trail. Things still felt good, I laughed about the blood donation program that trail running seems to be a part of, and kept moving. I've certainly had races in the past where friends or family were able to randomly show up at different points, but I never had an actual support crew. And these two were taking this seriously, I knew, and I found myself getting more and more excited to get to Skunk Hollow and aid #3 and see what these fantastic outfits looked like and get some encouragement from familiar faces. Before I knew it I was there. And wow. Their outfits did not disappoint. Jacsen had designed and handmade these amazing hoodies that were black...no wait, they were gold...wait what? They were like golden disco balls, shimmering in the light. It was an incredible site to run into. I grabbed some food, grabbed my pack, got a couple hugs and high fives, and kept moving down the trail.
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| Fischer and Jacsen. Do you see how they Sparkle?? Sparkle Motion had nothing on these outfits, sorry Donny Darko. |
I was feeling good and glad to be heading into a descent and hoping to make up some time. Unfortunately, I could feel the fall I had taken at 10 miles staking its claim on my shin and knees, but I shook it off, adjusted my gait, and kept moving. The country roads soon turned back to single track trail and I got back into a rhythm, rolling through the woods. The birds were out, at times I heard frogs, the soundtrack provided by nature kept me moving. Songs kept popping into my head at random and kept me moving along. Tracks like Helio Sequence -Keep Your Eyes Ahead, Lord Huron - Fool For Love, Phantogram - When I'm Small, Young Fathers -Nest and Sylvan Esso -Coffee. Great music in my head keeping me humming along and enjoying every moment of this adventure. A couple more climbs (smaller this time) and I found myself at Aid #6 aka Margaritaville. This place was a blast! Landowners, out having a great time cheering on a bunch of weirdos running through the woods. So incredible. I filled my bottles, ate some potatoes and salt and kept moving. I already felt myself getting excited about the fact that the next aid station would be my next drop bag site...which meant my next chance at seeing my support crew! I was still making all of the time cut offs, but definitely slowing down. The inconsistent training and the fall 10 miles in was certainly catching up with me, but I was still determined to keep pushing forward, one step at a time, and hoped that I'd still make it through to the finish. Somewhere before I got to the Aid station I found myself running on a road called 'Reeves Way' and then ran past a pretty huge equestrian facility that even had a 'Reeves Memorial Water Trough' so, I felt it only fitting to run a few steps past those stables with Superman arms raised high. It felt good.
Mile 31.3 meant Aid #7 and my second drop bag. My support team was there, and surprised me with a new patch on the back of Fischer's hoodie. Many of my friends call me Ponyboi- a nod to the Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. So as I rolled into the aid, I was greeted with a great patch that stated: 'Keep Trottin' Ponyboi!' It was awesome. In addition to my support team, Nelson's crew (also friends of mine) were there. I joked that at that point he must have been cursing my name at the realization that he could have been done at that point, had he signed up for the 50K. They said he made no such remark, but I joked that he was probably at least thinking it.
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| Best Support outfits EVER. |
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| Not sure what this face is... I think I was discussing my joy of Orgain creating a vegan protein shake that was both palatable and portable. |
The clock was ticking. When I realized I had about 15 minutes to get to mile 47, Aid Station #10, the last aid to see my support crew before the finish, my watch told me I was at mile 45. My brain had a moment and tried to freak out. Fortunately, this was not my first rodeo, and I quickly quelled the freak out. Stop thinking like that Scout, whether that's true or not, there's nothing you can do to change it. All you can do is keep moving forward and hope for the best. I finished a trail section, popped out onto a road and started moving down it...10 minutes left before the cut-off. I saw a Law Enforcement traffic support vehicle on an a road parallel to me across a creek...it looked like it was directing traffic, that must be where I need to get to...8 minutes before the cut-off. I cross a bridge, I'm on the road. Jacsen is running (what? he hates running...) towards his car, I'm confused, I keep moving forward. The traffic officer gives me the okay to cross, Fischer is also coming down the hill. (what is happening, did I miss it?) 'Did I miss the cut-off? Did I make it? I thought I still had 2 more miles before I got here? Am I good? Can I keep going?' There answers basically summed up to- 'We don't know but stop asking us questions and just get to the top of this hill and tell the Aid station people you're here and keep moving!'
I made it. Barely. About 5 minutes to spare on the Aid Station cut-off. They let me go. I was so stoked. The race was in the bag. It was entirely possible that I would be DFL, but honestly, I'd wear it with honor. I ditched my race pack and headed up the last climb of the day and onto some familiar trails that I had run months earlier as part of the WNHTRS. The sun was starting to get lower in the sky. The air was getting cooler. And I was running with the satisfied feeling of another 50 miler under my belt and on my legs. I felt Chad running with me at various times along the whole course, encouraging me to keep moving, laughing at me for my half-assed training and the predictable results, and mostly just enjoying being out there in the breeze, on the bird song, and in the setting rays of the sun. I laughed at the signs along the last 3 miles of trail- promises of the last hill 'no really!' a shortcut if you run naked and a bunch of discarded clothes, and promises of beer, and reminders of 'who's idea was this?' I moved along, and pushed, I knew I'd miss the 12 hour finish cut-off, but not by far, and knew my time and finish would be counted and honored. I finally hit the final hills of winding grassy side slope and couldn't keep the smile from consuming my face. The race finish was more or less empty, but Nelson and his crew and my stellar support crew made a lot of noise. Mike, the race director and also a friend of Chad, was out there too, which felt incredible. I ran in my finish. 12:11:33. I told myself I'd be back here to better my performance (hopefully next year) and hugged and celebrated with my friends and crew. It was amazing. That this race exists is really something else. It relies on the cooperation and participation of many private land owners allowing us access to their properties one day out of the year, and it makes for an extraordinary and unique experience. I'd definitely suggest that folks come check this race out.
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| Running down towards the finish chute |
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| I'm so fast I'm blurry!! |
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| Nelson and I celebrating with a fancy Cider post-race, I'm afraid the cork is going to hit my face. |
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| Nobody lost any eyeballs. And the cider was delicious. |
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| Post-race happy face. This Ponyboi and crew know how to Stay Gold. |
The Vermont 50 is a great race. Check it out.
As always, thanks for reading, keep exploring and enjoying all the amazing stuff the world has out there for us. I know I'll keep exploring, and I'll remember to do a little extra exploring every now and then, to #exploreforchad
POWER MIX RECIPE:
Pitted Deglet Dates
Dried Bananas- not the chips, whole bananas
Cacao Nibs
Large Flake Shredded Coconut (no sugar added)
Chia seeds
Cut dates and dried bananas into small chunks, add to a bowl with coconut, cacao nibs and chia seeds. Mix well, toss into a baggie or other container. Its that simple.
I don't put portions on here, because you'll find different ratios suit different tastes. It's very simple to play around with. If you don't care for banana or can't find whole dried bananas and/or don't have a dehydrator, try dried apricots, or something along those lines. The idea is to get a little sweet, but also some potassium.
Enjoy!
