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August 2, 2007
The Vermont 100
I had hoped to run the Vermont 100 last summer but soon realized attempting my first 100 mile race the week before my wedding might not be the greatest idea. In retrospect, having completed VT this year and still recovering over a week later I am confident I made the right decision.
Heading into the spring and summer I had high hopes for vast quantities of training and inspiration here in the green mountains of Vermont, the home turf for the race. I wrote down a training plan and hung it on my refrigerator in the same manner I had always done to prepare for the Headlands 50k. Easy, right, just follow the program!
My spring was a rollercoaster of events, planning, and traveling. Mark and I spent seven months preparing for a big move to Alaska, sending applications, making connections, and getting really exciting for a big move to Anchorage. Mark flew out for an interview in late May and had a potential job offer; however, it was not economically viable for both of us. We soon realized the Anchorage Public School District was having a hiring freeze and I might not get any offers. Quickly we decided to remain in VT an additional year and reapply for our own current jobs. This brought with it a wealth of emotions and disappointments but in the end we found peace with our decision. Meanwhile, these changes provided me with a myriad of excuses for my lack of high mileage, mega long runs, and stellar weight lifting programs.
I was able to do three long events that mentally and physically prepared me a bit for the 100 miles I hoped to cover in late July.
The first was a 6 hour run on Mother’s Day in MA. I spent the day before this event volunteering at an ultra race in the same state. My goal was to complete at least a marathon and if I felt good to continue the entire six hours. The course was a four mile loop with small rolling hills which was very well marked out. I ran with another man who was preparing for the VT 100 for the first three hours. We were running exactly an eight minute pace which I was not sure I should be doing but it felt comfortable. After three hours he slowed to run with his wife who had come to pace him/crew him and I continued. He met me again about 40 minutes later just about the time I decided to finish. I completed about 28 miles in just under 4 hours and can’t say I felt horrible but mostly I just wanted to go home and see Mark and get school work done. I was pretty distracted. The man I was running with was surprised I was leaving but the only thing I had on my mind was home and mountains of school work that needed to be graded. Not completing the 6 hours of running was a disappointment and left me wondering if I’d really have it in me to run 100 miles.
The second key event I entered was the Pittsfield Peaks 50 mile race the second week of June which was actually 53 miles! I was very nervous entering this race because I heard it was incredibly hard and might involve running through bushes. I also knew the course had 14,000 feet of climbing. I told myself before hand if I did not complete this race I would not do the 100 mile race. The winner of the Pittsfield Peaks race had a huge purse but I did not even worry about it because I mostly wanted the time on my feet. The race had very little support with regard to aid stations and each hour we ran another grueling hill. The race wound up being mentally more difficult than physically difficult. I was incredibly disappointed when after running what I considered actual running rather than an ultra shuffle for two hours we had only gone eight miles. At that moment I settled in for a very long day. The first four hours of the day was good, I stayed steady and ran and took care of myself. The middle four hours I fell apart and walked a lot. Looking back I can’t believe how much walking I did. It began when I got off course with a ton of other people and we were all lost for a half hour. I was determined to finish so I continued walking fast and jogging sporadically. I got a great second wind with 15 miles to go and managed to pass tons of people and somehow really ran the last three miles at a descent pace. I finished the 53 mile race in a crazy 14+ hours in third place. I knew once I finished this race that I would not only do the 100 mile race but that I would complete it. I was very happy and so glad I stuck out the bad patch in the middle of this race.
The third key event was a 100 mile century I did with my brother in law the week before the VT 100. We did not ride especially hard but we rode nice and steady. I really wanted to pay attention to what I ate and drank and in this event knew I would be good with peanut butter and jelly and Heed. This event took me about five and a half hours and I felt very good afterwards. I had a lot of fun and it did not take a lot out of me. I also mentally focused on biking from aid station to aid station and never worried too much about how many miles I had to go in the event. This focus was what I wanted out of this race. I just stayed in the moment and had a great time.
I knew I was anxious for the VT 100 because I did not sleep well the entire week before the race. I had nightmares about missing the starting line almost every single night, I dreamed about the race itself, and I was uptight all week. I just could not relax. I figured this was good. I also continually reminded myself of my two goals. My first most important goal was to complete the race and my second goal was to finish before midnight and run under 20 hours. To prepare for this I prepared two cheat sheets with splits from two runners who have both run well on the course, Krissy Moehl who ran 18:45 on the course during her Grand Slam year and Zeke Zuker’s splits when he ran in the 19 hour range. I wanted to give myself a ball park of where I should be at the various aid stations. I lamented these splits and put them in my water bottle sleeve and also had a few memorized.
Mark and my good friend and training partner Jen were lined up to pace me. They were interested in crewing me all day long but I persuaded them to meet me at mile 70 where pacers could meet their runners. I am so happy I made this decision. It allowed me to get in and out of aid stations quickly and gave me something awesome to look forward to.
As it turned out at almost every aid station before 70 miles I knew at least one person which was a surprise to me.
One of the two things I would change about my race preparations and plans would be to have a light with me for the first hour. I feel silly that I did not have a light for the first hour at 4 a.m. and am extremely grateful to the several men who shared their lights with me. I thought the first hour was on roads so I did not use a light. That first hour was entirely on trails and I spent most of the time squeezing into other runner’s light and each person was so kind to me and did not mind at all. I ran cautiously and I think this did aid me in that I did not take off too quickly. However, next time I will definitely use a small light for this first part of the race.
For the first 70 miles I was hitting 10 minute pace per mile pretty consistently and hitting the splits I had written down. I felt relaxed and good and stuck with my plan of drinking a combination of water and heed, ¼ of a banana, and eating ¼ of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. For the first 30 miles I ran on my own and after that point I spent the next 40 miles or so running with various individuals for stretches of ten miles or so. This proved to be a great way to run some of these hilly sections. I had conversations with these individuals and stayed relaxed. From the start of the race I walked every steep hill as quickly as I could and ran all of the flats and downhills. These first 70 miles were mostly dirt roads with a few trails scattered in between.
Around 40 miles I got off course and managed to run an extra three miles on a side trail, about 15 minutes out and 15 minutes back. I was following yellow snow mobile signs instead of yellow plates that served as markers for the race. I was a little frustrated but knew that a half hour over 40 miles did not mean very much.
The VT 100 is unique in that horses are racing at the same time as the runners. I had some reservations about this initially wondering if it would be distracting yet, it was very fun and made for many more interactions. The riders were extremely friendly and supportive and the horses were athletic and beautiful.
The weather for the race was perfect. I am not sure anyone could ask for a better July day in VT. It was about 75 to 78 with no humidity. I was never bothered by the weather which I am so thankful for.
During the race I never saw another woman, someone told me around mile 30 that I was first woman and when I grew tired wondered if I would be caught. No matter what I had told myself to stick to my pace and stay steady and that is just what I did.
My best stretch of the race was probably 40-70 because I thought it would be the hardest and it turned out to be my strongest and go by the fastest. I felt good running and had great energy.
When I met my first pacer Jen I was struck with severe shin pain, the first physical effect I felt of the race. I had a really hard time running down the hills because both shins were shooting with pain. I told Jen I wanted to run the flats, walk the uphills, and jog the downhills. This worked but I knew my pace was slipping. Because my shins were so painful I told Jen all I wanted to do was finish. She paced me the next 7 miles and did a great job distracting me and helping me forget about my shins.
For the next 18 miles Mark paced me and still my shins were aching. I would ask him to run ahead a bit and then run behind a bit and walk quickly with me up the hills. I enjoyed seeing Mark at the aid stations because he loved all of the food. I would be in and out of the aid stations in a minute and he would remain behind eating sandwiches and chips, four minutes later he would catch up to me and ask me if I ate enough. Mark was looking behind to find out if a woman was near us and he also estimated mileage which I was thankful for. I wanted to keep track or at least estimate our pace. I think these last 30 miles was close to a 15 min. per mile pace, maybe a bit faster but not much. I was really worried about my shins and did not want to injury myself long term.
At miles 89 I had to weigh in and found out I had lost almost 10 pounds, just shy of 10 pounds, around 9.5 lbs over the course of the race. I estimated the water loss to be about 3 pounds every 30 miles. The medics at the aid station wanted to watch me eat and wanted me to eat soup. They were really surprised how energetic I was considering the fact that I was dehydrated. Had I not been weighed I would not have known I was so depleted. I was able to leave after about five minutes and continued to feel fine apart from my shins.
At miles 95 my friend Jen ran with me. The last 5 miles seemed to fly by even though it took me over an hour to complete this section of the race. I fell flat on my face with about a mile to go because I was hardly lifting my feet off the ground due to my sore shins. With a half mile to go I saw lanterns along the side of the trail and I got really excited. The next thing I knew I heard a familiar voice saying, “Go Fagan, Sprint, Spring!”. I told my friend Jen that sounds just like my friend Kim. And to my great surprise Kim and her husband and new born baby were there waiting for me at the finish with Mark. I was so surprised. Kim lives in DE so I never expected her to be there. I just could not believe it. I finished with both goals, completing the race and finishing under 20 hours. I finished in 19 hours and 41 minutes and surprisingly finished first.
When I finished I went to the food tent and had some chicken noodle soup that had extra doses of bouillon cubes and salts in it. As soon as I tried to get up my feet and shins hurt more than ever. Fortunately, the car was right near the tent. We all got into the car and went home which was an hour and a half away. I showered as soon as I got home and when I got out of the shower realized that my feet and shins were swollen and bruised. It looked and felt terrible. I spent the next three days with swollen and bruised feet and shins. By Wed. the swelling had gone down and I was able to walk comfortably. Apart from this I felt good and was very happy. I was beginning to think I was not really an ultra runner anymore.
Having had such severe swelling and bruising after the race the second thing I would change about my race would be to carry two bottles. I would use one for Heed and one for straight water. The Heed was terrific in that I never had any cramping and my muscles felt well feed. However, I think I would have felt better those last thirty miles had I been more hydrated and simply drank more pure water in addition to the Heed.
I knew as soon as the race started that I would finish because I did not give myself any other choice unless I was seriously injured or in medical trouble.
Lots of friends thought I’d be running two days after the race. To everyone’s surprise I did not start running until today, my birthday, and even today I only ran 3 miles. I took four days completely off and then swam for three days. This past week I have biked about 25 to 30 miles a day. And today I am going to gradually start running again slowly and start dreaming and planning about my next 100 mile race hopefully next summer. In the meantime, I want to continue to recover and look forward to some great fall centuries on my bike and marathons on trail and on the road.
I am really grateful to Liz, my twin sister, who never doubted what I could do and who is my perpetual cheerleader, to Mark, my husband, who put up with me the week before the race when I was so nervous and who did an amazing job pacing me and helping me the week after the race, and to Jen, who showed more enthusiasm for the race than I ever could have expected.
On a side note, I finished the race with zero blisters or black toes, while both Mark and Jen finished with a few blisters! I was a little surprised to find
Posted by mary at August 2, 2007 5:43 PM
Comments
Mary, Happy Birthday!!!!!! I hope you had a wonderful one. What a great race report. I'm a little disturbed by the bruising and swelling...especially the bruising, but I hope it's feeling better.
I can't believe the toughness it took to run that race, and I'm sure your cheerful attitude was an important ingredient in your success.
You kind of glossed over the fact that you won the race. Congratulations!!
I hope your recovery continues to go well.
Posted by: Alison at August 2, 2007 10:00 PM
Wow, Mary!! I'm so excited for you! Congratulations! You must feel especially good because I know you were having difficulty with your quads on your most recent ultra races. Way to go and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!
Posted by: Caitlin at August 2, 2007 11:15 PM
Mary,
A big, big, big congratulations to you! I was wondering if you would post a race report, and I'm so pleased that you did!
Your post touched so many times on what seems like the 3 elements of successful ultrarunning: 1) solid physical training (inclusive of key workouts rather than just gobs of miles); 2) mental focus; and 3) good fueling techniques.
I'll bet your shins hurt because your stride and pace were so different from your normal training, and because they continued to change as the race went on and you fatigued.
Happy birthday, Mary! I hope you had a great day! Good luck with your continued recovery!
Posted by: Meghan at August 3, 2007 2:39 AM
A happy victory birthday to you Mary! Sounds like it is only the beginning of many ultra-achievements. Rich story, great read. Take care.
Posted by: corrado giambalvo at August 3, 2007 1:52 PM
I love reading about the "3 keys" to your success in the 100. I am SO happy you ran this race and can't wait to see what fun events pop up on your calendar next. With tons of support & admiration xxxLiz
Posted by: Liz at August 3, 2007 5:43 PM
Mary
You are back blogging. I go to your site regularly. You inspire me to keep going as I train for my own ultra running. Congrats on a very good Vermont 100. You are an amazing athlete and individual. I hope you keep updating your blog.
John
Posted by: John at August 5, 2007 12:20 AM
Mary
You are back blogging. I go to your site regularly. You inspire me to keep going as I train for my own ultra running. Congrats on a very good Vermont 100. You are an amazing athlete and individual. I hope you keep updating your blog.
John
Posted by: John at August 5, 2007 12:20 AM
Mary
Thanks for getting back to blogging. You inspire me so much to keep training for my own ultra running. Congratulations on a wonderful Vermont 100. You are an amazing runner. Keep up the good recovery.
John
Posted by: John at August 5, 2007 12:22 AM
You are BACK!!!!!!!!! GREAT JOB at the VERMONT 100. WOW. What's NEXT? I LOVED your blog entry. The details of what you ate and how you stayed focused were great. Good luck getting back on your feet again. C an't wait to see what's next. Haley
Posted by: Haley at August 5, 2007 12:23 AM
Wow. I am going to try my first 50k soon and this gives me a lot of confidence. NO BLISTERS. Wow. What shoes do you race/run in? How many miles do you do a week? Do you bike a lot? Do you ever run shorter events? Thanks for the great race report.
Posted by: Sue at August 5, 2007 2:31 PM
Hi Sue! I wear Montrail sneakers the Masai, I also wear Asics DS Trainers. I run anywhere between 60 and 90 miles a week, usually averaging about 70 miles a week. During the summer I bike about 2-3 times a week, water run, and incorporate lifting when I can. This was my first 100 mile race, prior to this event, I had done 2 50 mile races, 1 100k race, and tons of marathons and 50k races, and lots of regular road races 13 miles to 5k's to work on tempo effort and speed. I hope your 50k goes well. If you have done a marathon and feel "marathon fit" you should do very well. Good Luck and thanks for reading the race report!
Posted by: Mary at August 5, 2007 11:03 PM
Happy birthday Mary and a HUGE congrats on accomplishing your goals in Vermont and winning the whole dang race!!! That is so exciting! I am in absolute amazement at the amount of endurance and physical and mental strength needed to get through a 20 hour race! You are a true inspiration!
Posted by: Beth at August 5, 2007 11:22 PM