The BEST way to run 100 miles! {Lean Horse 100-mile relay}

What an incredible weekend!!!!

It all started in January when Ann (a running friend I met when living in Green Bay) announced she was going to be doing her first 100-miler. I inquired where and when and all and she told me to come along to which I said— NO WAY was I running a 100 this year! But Ann assured me there were plenty of *other options* and so I looked into it. I mean, who doesn’t want to be there when their friend runs 100 miles for the first time??? Not me!

I found an option that seemed doable – the 100 mile relay and I liked the fact that there was a 2-person division. That way I could get in a “fun 50”, right? I asked my friend, Todd, who said HECK YEA! and we were on!

So, fast forward to this weekend. I had trained loosely to run a 50, plus added in some overnight training (we were CERTAIN we would be running well into the next morning), along with some runs where we rested in-between. Believe it or not, the hard part about this was running, resting, then running AGAIN (6 times!). Not to mention the task of finding 6+ running outfits that match and don't chafe. Oh! The logistics you just don't think about when signing up for a race.

Arriving in the Black Hills!

The first thing Ross went for - the saloon!

Secret mojo for the following day - unicorn poop cookies - courtesy of Ann's crew.

 The rules for this relay included that we could divy it up however we wanted. So Todd and I decided to go about every 2 aid stations/8-12 miles at a time. When we did this our run looked like this.

 Seeing that, we then opted to break the long climb up into 3 parts instead of 2. Believe it or not, I was willing to run the 12 continuous miles uphill, but he insisted, so we broke it up -- good for me, not-so-good for him, but again HIS IDEA...

We started off the day, bright (or rather dark) and early at 4 am. It was raining HARD when I woke up… oh no! But, by the time we were out of the hotel (5 am) it had stopped. Phew! Rain was forecasted on and off all day, so here’s hoping…

Got to the track to find Ann and crew + Todd and Torri (Todd’s daughter who would be crewing along with Ross).

Me and Anne

Team Pizza Pounders (we ate a lot of pizza on our training runs)

Ready to run - let's have some fun!

And after a few picts – off we/I went.

 The run was a 50 mile out-and-back along the George S. Michelson trail (even though I kept referring to it as the Phil Michelson trail). It was a nicely graded trail but, for the love of God, you would think that there would be SOME flat along it somewhere. Nope.

My first leg was a lot of up, up, up. No biggie, right? The trail was beautiful with load of clouds and fog, which actually made it quite eery. Evidently, about mile 5 I ran right by Crazy Horse Monument, but he, too, was covered with fog so I didn’t get to see him. I tried to stop and take picts with my camera, but my camera quality was not so good, so I stopped doing even that about halfway through that leg… geesh! Good thing I had Ross to take picts of the run.

Ordinarily, it would have looked something like this...

But today, it looked like this...

My first leg was about 6 miles up and then 4 down. Yay, down! (I was saying this now, but would not be saying so later.) Got to the end of my first leg to see everyone waiting for me and I was happy!

I saw Ann’s crew, too, and waited for Ann to come through (the only time would see her all day). 

Ann at mile 10 -- Aid Station #2. She looked great with her new friend, Norm.

 At this point, we were both feeling good and Todd had an awesome first leg/10 miles!

Todd at mile 20'ish - end of his first leg!

Even though the weather has horrible forecast for the day - everything turned out to be BEAUTIFUL! I only got sprinkled on 3 times and 2 of the 3 times it was actually a nice little shower!

Along the way, there were plenty of cool things -- especially the tunnels and bridges we got to experience:

Old steam engine tunnel

Cool bridge

Scenery along the way -- it was just gorgeous!

30 miles in -- Aid Station #6

Recovering with chocolate milk and icy leg wraps!

Plowing into Rochford - Aid Station #8. 38 miles in.

 This was the start of the climb. Todd got the first 4 miles or so of it heading into Rochford and was quite happy to be done. (He did AWESOME!)

Up, up, up was that leg! Another 6 miles of climbing. Finishing strong about mile 44 into Nahant.

Can we PLEASE be done with this CLIMB?!?! This was after Todd climbed another 6 miles.
Answer: yes!

We ran to the turnaround together! My fave pict of the day!

My turn to head to Nahant. This was 6 miles of decent.

Waiting for Todd in Rochford.

Torri- EXCELLENT CREW EXTRAORDINAIRE - Hanging in Rochford. Literally.

AND HERE HE COMES! Into Rochford.

As soon as I started my leg, my quads were SCREAMING! You know how I was happy for downhill at the beginning? Not so much anymore. It was pure pain from step 1, but I was proud of myself for fighting through it and that I kept on going- running the whole way!

About 1/2 mile from the end, a lady runs up to pace me. She was actually looking for someone else, but decided to stick with me regardless. She was a volunteer, had been drinking, was bored, so went back to find someone else from another relay to pace. She found me instead and stuck with me. She was quite lovely (I never got her name, since I was speaking in 1-word sentences/responses) and she did a great job filling our 5 minutes together with stories -- including one about a guy who had his own gold claim passed down through the family and we saw him panning for gold as we ran. Only in the West awesomeness.

Me and my new friend coming into the Mystic Aid Station.

Happy to be in Mystic. Don't let the smile deceive you. I went straight to my chair and Icy Hot after this.

 

More western love. The next aid station included a covered wagon.

Todd rolling into High Country. Mile 80.

 After this, I ran from High Country to Hill City (where I got momentarily lost) and then into darkness. After I hit Hill City, it was the "just get to" game going on in my head. I believed this leg was 9.6 miles long. Hill City Aid Station was about 5 miles, so directly after that was nightfall and then "just get to 6 miles" (look at watch) 5.2 miles. "Just get to 6 miles, just get to 6 miles" run, run, run, look at watch 5.41 miles... And then once it clicked over to 6 miles, it was "Just get to 7  miles", run, run, run (look at watch) 6.22 miles. Ugh! But so on and so forth until 9.6 miles. No one. Pitch dark.  Run to 9.8 (maybe I had the mileage wrong?). Nothing. I scream "HELLOOOOOO...." No one there. I see some lightsticks a little later and then an aid station finally. (Well after 10 miles and..) what I realize about this leg -- I don't like running in DARK!

Todd saw me. Gave me a big hug. I smelled the icy hot on him, too, and was glad he used it. It was the one thing that saved me on the last leg. Also, dare I mention that another relay (a 5-person team that we had been close to all day), was closing in on us. I had lost some time running uphill in the dark and this team was getting über competitive. Nice, but competitive.

Torri, Ross and I went straight to  the last aid station, to hang and cheer Todd on. I relaxed a little (I had no more legs to run - yay!) but mostly waited for Todd to come through. It was dark, they had a campfire and the other relay had come up waiting for their runner as well. At one point, Torri and I decided to walk back to find Todd. We walked back about 1/2 mile to find him running! He was in such good spirits and let me know that he ran UP the last 4 miles - WOW! At this point, I was so proud of him. I let him know the other team was gunning for him/us and he was so determined not to let them overtake us! He ran straight through the aid station and onto the end!

After Todd came through the aid station, we went to the end. Todd had 4.5 miles of downhill to cover. I placed our light-up lantern by the trail turn so that he would see where to turn from the trail and waited... then we got to run to the end together!
 

Running in from the trail

And me, Todd and Torri finishing!

16 hours and 40 minutes and 100 miles later!

---------------------------------------------


After finishing, we relaxed, ate a bit and went back to our hotels/teepees.

Ross and I slept in (a novelty of not having kids we don't often get), got up, texted Robin (from Ann's crew), ate breakfast, went back to bed, heard from Robin, got up and went back to SEE ANN FINISH HER 100!!!!!

Ann coming in with her 2 daughters!

Todd and I grabbing one of the first picts with our favorite new 100-miler!!!

A little recovery and off to the awards ceremony! (Also on the track grounds)

Ann got 2nd in her division

And we got first...

 While it wasn't like we beat out a ton of people -- there 2 other (5-person) teams -- I am SO proud of how Todd and I ran.We couldn't have asked for a better run - one we both enjoyed and ran well with.

Highlights of this race:

• We had the awesome support of Torri and Ross

• 

  16 hours and 40 minutes and 100 miles later!

• Got to be a part of Ann's first 100-mile run
  
• Spent a weekend with the love of my life
  
• Ran 100 miles with my running BFF
  

Honestly, can't think of a better weekend!

Boston: Baaaahston!!!! 2012

So, let me just start out this post with a HUGE shout-out to all of my peeps in Hopkinton, Ashland, Natick, Wellesley, Newton, Brookline and Boston, because without them, I would not have made it through this race. They really kicked it up a notch or two with their support in the form of sprinklers, hoses, "splash"es, busted fire hydrants... you name it! The good it did is truly immeasurable!


This morning started off quite early. With only a few hours of sleep (not sure exactly why), but I woke up and was  up an out the door by 4:50 a.m.

Shuttle Ride to the Boston Common

Bus ride out to Hopkinton!

We caught a hotel shuttle to the Boston Common and then a got on a bus. We were early enough to have our pick of the buses, so lucky #2 it was! After a short time, we were on our way to Hopkinton. Everything went off like clockwork. Which, I have learned about this race, it is like clockwork. They have done this for 116 YEARS, so they know how it goes and it is boom boom boom.


Anyways, we got to Hopkinton and entered the famed Athlete's Village, which was really nothing more other than some tents for people to camp underneath on and a bunch of food and beverages provided by the sponsors. Good enough for me. It was there we hooked up with Louis, Andrew and Bill (who caught a different hotel shuttle and bus). We all spread out our blankets, popped a squat, as the race was still 3+ hours away! I had never had a race where I had to wait that long, but time went by quickly with friends and we relished in the atmosphere reminding each other that the long wait was part of the "Boston experience".

 

Our little pre-race picnic. Notice all the room around us? Being type-a triathletes,
we all were on the first 2 buses out to Hopkinton. We told ourselves we just wanted the
"full Boston experience".

Heather educating us all on the benefits of Peanut Butter Gu

By this time, everyone was there.

No room in the tent now!

Lines for porta-potties.

After awhile, it was time for Andrew and Louis to head to their corrals (they started 20 minutes ahead of me, Heather and Bill), so they were off.

Our little 26.2 crew.

 Then it was the three of us to get ready to go, and off we went.

I wanted people to cheer for me. Wasn't effective. Next time use black.

Wave 2 buddies -- Holla!!!

Again, like clockwork. Dropping our bags, hitting the porta-potties (Boston Tip: there are porta-potties without lines by the bag drop and the start, don't waste your time in the village with these lines!) and off to our corrals to start the race.

Second wave - sixth corral. That's me!

 I think this is the first time I REALLY noticed the heat. Up until then, we had been in the shade and it hadn't really effected me, but now being in the sun - it was HOT!

 Now, if you have been following any of the coverage on Boston this year, you will know that the big news was the heat. Evidently in 2004, they had a race in the 80s and over 2,000 people ended up in the medical tent. They didn't want that happening again. Over the week, we received many emails from the B.A.A. pertaining to the weather and as the forecast got worse, so did the urges from the B.A.A. to run smart, run slow, possibly NOT run, to the point where they were offering deferments into next year's race. Crazy! My parents assured me that if I wanted to defer, they would not be let down and they would gladly come back to support me next year. I told them I wasn't contemplating that deferment was never an option for me, I was running this marathon and running it THIS YEAR.

Anyways, back to the race.

Heather and I ready to start in the corral!

The race started for us and off we went. Although Heather and I started together, I told her I didn't want the pressure of keeping up with her, so I just let her go and run off. And, I will be honest, I felt like CRUD. I don't know what it is, but I just did not fell like I had it in me today, but I was determined to finish. So I found a pace I knew I could keep for awhile. A loooong while. It wasn't fast, but it would do.

Now I will be the first to say I HATE running wet. I hate pouring water over my head because (a) it usually makes the salt (from sweat) go into my eyes and (b) I am terrified of blistering on my feet with so much moisture dripping to my shoes. After thinking, I decided that if I got wet right away, and kept myself showered with water to regulate my temperature, I didn't think I would get salt in my eyes BUT I would still be risking getting blisters. I decided to take the gamble and go with it. I think I saw my first aid station somewhere around 2.5 miles and was more than ready to pour water on my head. And did so.

As I went on, I continued to keep hydrated and cooled by pouring water on my head. A volunteer handed me two water cups and told me, "drink one, wear one". I quickly adopted that as my mantra for the day. At times it was "drink one, wear two". Or three. Or four.

The race starts in Hopkinton and travels down a pretty narrow road through a number of small towns all the way into Boston. The very cool thing about this is the amazing support along the route. I have run races through small towns a lot in my past and you generally see some support, but definitely not the amount that was along this route. And what was the coolest about this was that the residents were setting up their own aid stations along the route, setting out sprinklers, getting out their water hoses, cutting oranges, etc. My favorite were the kids with buckets of water that were offering "splashes", I was all over that one - oh, it felt so good! Whenever I could, I would tell the person with the hose, sprinkler, etc. "Thank you, you don't know how much this helps". I know, I know, you will say "I've seen that before", and I have too. But definitely NOT to the point that this race had. I will see a half dozen or so home-made aid stations along the way on a race, but here you had it continually for 26.2 miles - more in some towns, less in others - but you could count on getting water before the next aid station, if need be.

Makeshift aid and misting station set up by ambitious pre-teens. Awesome.

Kid handing out water: artistic interpretation or water-logged camera? You decide.

I'd like to say the miles ticked by quickly, but they didn't. It was hot and I was miserable for awhile. And then somewhere around mile 7, things all changed. I am not sure what did it. But I found my happy place, or as a banner for Gatorade said "find your happy pace", to me, they were the same. I'd like to say it was this that helped put me there:

That's a freeze pop handed to me by a little girl and it was HEAVEN.

So after that, I was all good. At least mentally, and that is when the miles really did just start ticking by. Soon I was at 10. Then 12. Then was Wellesley College, where the girls lined the course and for a long while you just heard some screeching, but it was still encouraging. All the girls had signs saying "Kiss me! I'm a senior!, "Kiss me- I'm a redhead", "Kiss me, I'm from Wiscoooooonsin", "I kiss girls, too", etc. I looked and I looked and I found one who was kissable--

But, considering I was married, I passed him by.

Runners coming through Wellesley.

Favorite shot because it has the steeple in the background, which to me is "New England".

I was almost to halfway and thought, "Man, it would be nice to see my family right about now", I thought they would be at mile 15.5 miles, but guess what --  THEY WERE THERE!!!

I was SOOO happy to see them!

Kisses and hugs to/from everyone -- they even love me when I am sweaty!

Close-up of how incredibly drenched I am in water, sweat, you name it!

As I left they got a shot of me, yet again, chasing a sprinkler.

Tip: throw your arms in the air to show you want the water and they spray you every time!

Then it was plug, plug, plug along. I was still feeling good and wondered when it was gonna hit. I was ticking down (or up) the miles and one just seamed to come after another. I knew that miles 16-22 the course went up, so I wondered if that is when I would really start slowing.

I hit mile 16 and nothing seemed to happen. I was still moving. Maybe 10 seconds or so slower per mile, but not too bad. I did start to notice people walking. Lots of people. But I tried not to think about them. People were talking about how slow they were going and how they hoped to finish in 5 hours. Really? We were on pace for a 4 hour marathon and I was only anticipating going faster. I guess not everyone was feeling the same way.

I wondered how many "hills" I was going to do. The course was going up, but I wasn't really sure... All of a sudden, I was somewhere around 20 and a spectator said "last hill!". I looked at him and said, "Really? This is Heartbreak?". He assured me it was and I was happy. I was running this bad boy.

Popsicles make me happy, so I took one as I was heading up.

All the runners - and the inspirational chalkings on the ground - on Heartbreak Hill.

HAPPY to be running it. The way the race started, I thought I might be crawling by now...

I think the top was around 21 miles. I knew I had another mile of up till I hit the "down" of 22. And that I did. Happy to be running on a downgrade for awhile, I just cruised. At 24, it turned flat and all the "down" momentum was gone. I felt like I was pushing so hard, but going soooo slow. But then, all I really had to do was look around me and there were people going much slower and loads walking, so I reminded myself I was doing "good".

Where was the end??? Between running in and out of of sprinklers and across the streets to get water, aid, etc. I had added a good 1/2 mile to my distance and wasn't sure when the end was going to be, BUT I knew there is a huge Citgo sign exactly 1 mile from the end, so I had that in my sites. When I hit the 1-mile-to-go point, I looked at my watch and knew I had to do an 8:50 mile to make a 4-hour marathon. So, off I went, mind over matter.

I got about 3/4 of the way through my last mile when I turned onto Boylson. Yay!!!! Until I saw that I had 3 minutes to make it to the end.

ALLL the way down there. Ugh. Yikes. Not sure if I will make it.

I didn't think I could make it, but I kept running. AND, I didn't want to miss out on this, either so, I whipped out my camera and started snapping pictures.

Almost there!

It was then my family spotted an arm reaching up in the air with a camera and knew it had to be me (evidently no one else was taking pictures at this point???) and I heard them yell my name and got to see them!!!! And then off to the finish line - would I make it???

YEP!!!!

Feeling good, and happy. I crossed in just under 4 hours (3:59:10). A far stretch from an ideal time goal, but considering the extreme conditions, it felt awesome! And that meant: Boston 2012 = success!

To top it off, after getting into the shoot, I turned around to see Heather. We had seen each other briefly at mile 7, but other than that, not till now, and I was ecstatic to end the race with the friend I started it with.

Yes, those are mylar blankets at 89 degrees.

It was a doozy of a day, but I loved every moment of it. The first 7 miles were not my favorite, but every race has a low point, and I am happy mine happened at the beginning and not the end.

On top of everything, I had the support of my family behind me, my friends, everyone watching online and I feel like the support of everyone who has encouraged me over the years. I really do look at the journey of getting to this finish line as starting when I ran my first marathon 10 years ago, not when I toed the line up in Hopkinton, and that made this 26.2 miles not the fastest, but the sweetest, I ever ran.

Thanks, especially, to my family who traveled to Boston with me. They are the reason I am here. I wanted to make this race not just about me, but experience it with them.

Freedom Trail (minus Ross)

Fenway (minus Mom)