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| My Honey Badgers...Leah & Eric. I LOVE you guys! |
Now the waiting.
While waiting I got to see my mom, brother, and son who came to cheer me on and work the Scuppernong aid station. I was so happy to see them! I also got to see so many friends who were about to embark on this journey with me and wish them well. This felt like the longest 10 minutes of my life!
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| I was so happy to find mom and Elias before the start of the race. |
And we're off...
I was expecting the jittery feeling to subside the moment I started running - but it didn't. It was there full force. My mood was surprisingly sour. I couldn't figure out how to pull out of this mental hole. I found myself running in the middle of a pack of friends I've run with many times before. I am a very quiet runner. I like to listen to conversation with minimal participation, and typically I enjoy the distraction. Not this time. We stayed in this pack for a while and I was telling myself I just need some time to settle into a pace and I'll start to feel better. It took 20+ miles to pull out of this funk. Finally! I found myself happy to be running and able to visualize my race - what an incredible feeling! What happened? I don't know. I think I just needed some time alone to clear my head and visualize my day and night. My life has been so "noisy" lately - I think I just needed a little quiet time.
Move on through those aid stations.
My plan with Leah and Eric was to spend as little time as possible in the aid stations and boy did they stick to this plan. I would come in and they were there with a plate of food they knew I'd like (blackberries, potato chips, PB&J), camel back stripped off, refilled, chapstick, sunscreen, hydration...GO! And it all happened that fast. It was like a well oiled machine. They were extraordinary. Having them there to support me was just a blessing. They gave me the confidence I needed to press on - they could read my every move and sluggish step - they knew exactly what to do and when. Gosh I love those guys!
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| Crew and pacers get a little down time. They worked hard and earned this little break. |
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| So in sync with my crew. Eric walking me out of the aid station giving a pep talk I'm sure. |
Struggles.
One hundred miles does not come without it's share of struggles. I've written about the first 20. Twenty through sixty-seven was surprisingly easy with no physical or mental pain. I picked up my rock star pacer, Leah, at 62 and we headed out into the night. I felt great! It only took 5 miles for that great feeling to turn into doubt. Quit. Just typing that word makes me cringe! At Tamarack (67) I sat down, on the verge of tears questioning my ability to go on. Why? I was physically able to go on. I think I got scared. Scared of the night, of failure, of the what if's. What if I get hurt out there, what if I need medical attention and we have no quick way to get help, what if I'm not ready for this? Leah, Ian, and Carol huddled around and assured me that I would not die. They joined together and gave me the strength I needed to get out of that aid station and continue on. Luckily, this was the one and only time I doubted my ability and was lucky to be surrounded by an amazing group of friends to help me through.
There were other small struggles through the night that Leah was able to pick up on and address before I was even aware of the potential problem. At one point she noticed that I was getting tired and loopy. I don't take the caffeine pills or 5 hour energy or anything like that. I remember her handing me a water bottle that tasted "funny" - funny like grape. I asked about it and she said, I must have put my nuun (or something like that) in your bottle by accident...now lets run. Later she told me about my sluggish ways and how she had to sneak some caffeine into me. She knows me well because sneaking is the only way that was going to happen.
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| Best aid station ever! Thank you Carol for your support throughout. Especially when I came in at 67. You, Ian, and Leah were the best in helping me through my little "hiccup". |
Special Moments.
Seeing my kids was such a lift for me - this made me smile and want to cry each and every time. Elias, my 16 year old, made his way out onto the trail at some point. I wish I could remember when, but it was before Scuppernong. I was running and there he was walking toward me. It had already been such an emotional day and holding back these tears was SOOOO hard. Having a teenager is tough. There is normally a good amount of friction between us. Out on the trail that was all gone. He had an appreciation for what I was doing. We talked more during these miles on the trail than we have in months. It was a dream come true. If I could have that with my kid every time I run 100 miles - I'd do it every damn weekend.
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| Elias surprised me and met me out on the trail. Best moment ever! |
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| Need a pick me up? Hugs from kids do the trick:-) |
On the way out to Rice Lake when we reached the top of the stairs - tired, exhausted - Leah pointed out the beautiful view. There was a bench and we sat silently for a few minutes looking at what we just climbed under the full moon. It was like stopping to smell the roses. It gave me the energy to make it to the next aid station. And soon the sun would be rising.
The last 7 miles I "ran" with Leah, Eric, and Elias. It hurt like hell - but it is weirdly like childbirth in the way that you forget the bad and the good takes over. I remember the powerful feeling of "I'll never do this again" which quickly changed to "Yeah, that hurt but the good was so much better than the bad." This stretch was so special because I had these people by my side. And then the final stretch Michael and Jack were there to run it across the finish with me. Melt my heart! I could cry just writing about it.
I had a vision in my head about crossing the finish line and it being a highly emotional event. It was a great feeling - it was special - it felt like I accomplished something big. But, it wasn't nearly the emotional charge I had anticipated. Maybe this just means I need a bigger challenge. We'll see. To be continued...
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| 100 Miles and done...thank you Leah & Eric for your amazing friendship and support. Thank you mom, Elias, Jack, and Michael for being there for me, seeing you gave me tons of strength. Thank you Jeff for your support in teaching our children about supporting family and achieving goals. I love you all. |
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| Bad Ass buckle! Thank you, Leah! |
Finish time 27:40:18
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