Boyer's Furnace 40 - A Club Run

 

Boyer's Furnace 40 - A Fat Ass Run

 

 

At 2:30 a.m. waking was easy thanks to my mind fighting sleep.  It was hard to stop thinking about the adventure to come.  Boyer's Furnace.  Boyer's is a club run or "fat ass" of about 42 miles which they describe as minimally supported but it is anything but "minimally" anything.  Having run this event before I should have been off in dream land envisioning that faster finishing time I had hoped to have this year but my mind kept replaying things; like the encouraging message between D and myself where I encouraged her to run even though she wasn't feeling great so we could share some time on the trail.  My mind couldn't help but also linger on the fact that my sister had dropped out.  I kept wondering why I felt so hesitate myself about my return to the Massanutten trails which I hadn't spent any real time on since May when I ran the MMT100 there.  So when I finally drifted off to sleep after 2:30 I wasn't completely surprised to hear my husband tell me it was past my wake up time and I needed to either get up or snuggle back in bed and keep dreaming of the Massanutten trails.  Obviously I got up.

 

Ready to take on Boyer's Furnace

 

After trying to get ready as fast as I could, I started the hour and a half drive toward one of the race director's homes.  The race would basically start and end at her front door.  That is one of the things I love about this course and many of the cub runs; that family feeling that taking part give you.  This year I did arrive at the start in time to hear the two minute warning and jump in for the group photo.  I threw my donations and drop bag down as I heard the seconds counted down and rushed to buckle my pack as I ran through the small pack of runners to settle in with some trail friends.  Since I am also a streak runner I wanted to take advantage of the early road section and get my consecutive minimum mile run so I stayed with a group of faster paced runners and fell in with a trail runner that I had run the majority of this event with last year, Katie.  I made mixed emotions about sticking with her again this year.  I knew that she would be great company and we would definitely be able to set a faster pace than last year but I couldn't help but remember that I had encouraged D to run today when she might otherwise have stayed home.  So I finished the first mile and a half and then said goodbye to Katie to take a few photos of the rising sun as I waited for D to catch up.

 

 

I waited a while before first her husband and then she rounded the turn.  She was power hiking the hill and said she wasn't feeling the best thanks to a nasty cold.  We chatted a bit to catch up since we hadn't been able to share the trail in a long time.  Her husband Harry and I would spend the majority of the first half of the run running together and then waiting for D to catch up.  I enjoyed the climb up to Woodstock and since Harry and I had such a lead on D, we ran out to climb the fire tower.  This was something I had never done on the trail.  I just had never taken the time to enjoy it but today I was so glad I had.  The view was amazing with the sun still low in the sky.

 

Woodstock Fire Toward

 

The rising sun through the gap

 

So happy to be back on the trail

 

 

After our quick detour we were back on the trail and through the first aid station.  Carter told us that D had just walked through with another runner.  Harry and I quickly made our way over the trail to D and Patricia, a relatively new trail runner. 

 

 

The pace was slow but the scenery was beautiful so I stayed back hoping the slower pace would help D find the joy in being out again. I knew there were several forest road sections that we could make up time on so I still wasn't too concerned about our pace. 

 

 

 

 As we went along this section Harry and I pulled ahead to settle into a more natural pace.  Harry was keeping his pace leisurely and we were pausing to clear as much fallen trees and branches as we could move without tools.   When we arrived at the Edinburg Gap aid station we were ahead of D and Patricia by a few minutes and knew that D did not have much push in her body or mind today. 

 

 

Hoping some positive energy could help her rebound we quickly fueled up on oranges, chips, coke and ginger ale as we talked with the volunteers and race director who had come out to support the runners.  Once D had refueled we were off again.  But the conversation quickly turned to dropping at Camp Roosevelt about 20ish miles into the run.  We tried to talk D into continuing at the relaxed pace she was going but it seemed as though she had made up her mind. 

 

 

 

 

 

Harry and I pulled ahead over this forest road section on Edinburg Gap.  We talked about how lucky we were to be out on such an amazingly mild, almost hot, December day.  I had already removed my base layer and was still wishing I had worn shorts. 

 

 

When we made it to the intersection with Moreland Gap, Harry decided to double back and check on D.  I was torn and falling into my bad habit of not running my own "race."  After a quick nature call I decided I had to continue on my own and knew D would be happy that I did. 

 

 

 

Alone on Moreland Gap Road I was reliving the joy of finally getting to that same spot after 100 miles in May.  Today, the beautiful scenes along the road that I ran past in May, I paused to photograph.

 

 

Still feeling no real pressure to watch my pace I simply enjoyed a few miles alone and took in the scenery.  I knew Camp Roosevelt was only a few miles away.

 

 

 

I ran into Camp Roosevelt aid station to a group of happy helpful faces.  After learning the last runners to past through left about 15 minutes ahead of me, I grabbed some noodle soup, pickles, coke and my headlamp.  I struggled with not knowing if Harry and D would drop but I was eventually encouraged to keep moving.  I made the climb up to the ridgeline and paused to snap a few photos.  There were a lot of cars at the overlook were the Massanutten trail hops out onto the road at the eastern ridgeline and a picnicker offered to snap my photo.

 

 Amazing view

 



 

The next 12 mile section was part of Boyer's that had gotten lost in my mind.  I forgot how completely false it is when they say it "runs like 14."  It's false because it runs like 20!  It teases you with a wide easy to navigate trail for a few miles but then narrows and hardens as it runs the ridgeline keeping you from finding any semblance of a steady pace. 

 

 

But the views are always worth the effort!  This section was a real reminder of just how much training it takes to run on the Massanutten trails.  It is easy to forget all the hours of training practicing how to navigate these rocks trails but the eastern ridge was a fast reminder of all the work ahead to be ready for a date with her in May.

 

 

 

 

 

At some point along the ridge, Harry caught back up with me.  I was so happy to see him thinking that he had talked D into continuing.  However Harry wasn't sure if she was coming or had dropped.  I continued with Harry for a few miles but a nature call would delay me enough to fall behind again.

 

 

I was perfectly happy to be alone on the trail.  Even the thought of running alone once the sun had set didn't bother me.  Just being able to be on the trail for such a long time is a gift.  Early on the eastern ridge I had called my husband to hear how his day was going.  It is only because he was home with the kids that I was able to take a day for myself and I am always so grateful for his support and encouragement.  When I finally got to the Milford Gap aid station I saw Harry again and they confirmed that D had dropped at Camp Roo.  Harry said he was going to continue on his way to get as far as he could before the sun set.  The aid station crew was awesome!  They filled my pack and got me soup and soda while I sat down with Gary K for a little break.  I wanted to get all the wonderful soup into my body but it just wouldn't cool down fast enough and daylight was going to be fading fast so I had to get moving.  8 miles to go.

 

 

The last 8 miles of Boyer's Furnace should have been much faster than it was.  I had a turn sheet which was basically a bunch of lefts before coming down off the trails but then switch from Orange to Blue/Orange to yellow challenged my brain and my feet.  As the trail descended it became more and more a flowing creek filled with rocks and mud.  I quickly remember the fun of the yellow trail which actually lays within the creek bed.  It was fun to have the woods all to myself and splash through the muck.  But I was happy to hit the gravel road and begin the twisting country roads that would lead me back to Carter's home. 

 

2014 Boyer's Furnace

 

There was the wonderful trail magic that was left by a home owner along the trail, a little basket of fruit, water and snacks.  Then there was complete quiet where there was nothing to hear but the breath of the earth.  A few turns and there were houses, Christmas lights and a car coming towards me.  It was Tony and Arthur coming to check on me and ask if I wanted a ride.  Of course that was a silly question.  Arthur offer to "run" in with me.  Such a nice gesture even though he wasn't dressed for it.  So we made our way around a few bends to Carter's front yard and I ran up the front walk to tell her, "I'm home!"

Caroline Furnace to Signal Knob - MMT Training Run

 

If you think you see a mix of emotions in my face you would be right.  As I woke at the ridiculously early hour to get ready and drive an hour and a half to the meeting point at the Signal Knob parking lot, my emotions were indeed a mix.  My eagerness to be on the trails was tempered by my knowledge of how tough this training run would be. 

 

The drive was happily uneventful and I arrived at Signal Knob before 6 a.m.  Having arrived early I gathered my gear and stayed warm in my car until the run director arrived.  After checking in and dropping on my aid station supplies.  I was happy to see that Siobhan, Lisa and Mark had suffered from the same insanity and shown up to brave the snowy trails. 

 

Graciously Kevin squeezed 9 of us in his van and shuttled us to our starting point at Caroline Furnace.  It was nice to talk and get to know a few other runners as the day began to brighten.  Once we arrived no time was wasted and we quickly got out final instructions and were sent up Moreland Road for the first 3+ miles of icy climbing fun. 

 

I was not happy to see that my Garmin would not turn on.  Having last year's paces for comparison I was eager to see if "knowing" the course would help me better tackle the route.  As it would turn out, ultra running remains akin to childbirth in the what is remembered department.

 

 

Over the first 11 miles we enjoyed the majority of the deep snow that would be on the course that day.  The trip up and over Short Mountain was made more delightful by a wonderfully dry thick blanket of snow. 

 

With the majority of the climbing in the first half of the run I simply enjoyed the scenery and got to know the trail brethren I happened to be running with.  Our training run happened to coincide with the day to pay for entry into MMT if you had "won" the lottery or wanted to join the wait list.  Many of my fellow runners were making decisions about whether they would be clicking that Pay Now button for MMT.  I reminded some of them that this was only the first official training run and that after spending more time on the trails their definition of challenging would be reframed. 

 

Happily we reaching the aid station at Edinburg Gap.  Quickly I refueled, said my thank you and heading back to the trail to begin the next section.  This next 8ish miles began to get warm.  While it was nice to remove some layers the melting snow and softening ground made for some greasy footing.  It didn't take long to know that I was going to have two sun burnt ears before I arrived at Woodstock. 

 

I had settled in for the most part with a group of four runners.  Through climbs and descents I would float between them.  As we made our way to Woodstock we passed several groups of runners I knew the young man I was chatting with was setting a fast pace but I held on and was happy to have pushed the effort for those miles.

 

As we exited the trail we discovered that we would need to run down the road to access the aid station to check in.  As always the VHTRC supported the runners in style.

 

The final section seemed to go on forever.  My trail company now consisted of Alvin and Dani.  They would endure my chatter the remaining miles into the finish.  Often as was made our way I would have to double check the turn sheet simply because I felt like we were on one particular section too long.  This section, although not technically as hard as some, was a reminder of just how mental MMT can be.  After what seemed like 10 miles we were finally off the orange trail and turning right onto the blue trail.  I hugged the blazed tree so happy to be headed back onto single track.  Then I started up the blue trail.  At first I was giddy.  I love to climb.  I wish I could do it every day, all day.  In theory.  But in reality that climb on tired legs seemed to never top out.  I would push to keep my pace up only to remind myself of the miles of downhill trail I would have once we reached the top.  I laughed at myself for forgetting this climb. 

 

It seems that I have selective memory on the more challenging sections of MMT and the training runs.  Like a new mother remembers childbirth but the sharpness of that discomfort is softened by the joy of her new child.  MMT seems to do that to me.  I know it's challenging.  I know it is painful.  But I also know that it is uplifting.  It is rewarding.  It is amazing.  And it is something that changes you in having done it.



A look behind to see ahead

 

As a trail runner one thing you quickly learn is to not look back.  Looking behind almost always causes you to stumble and fall.  Then you lose momentum and, at times, have trouble starting back up again.  But there are times when it's safe and even beneficial to look back and take in the path you have already traveled.

 

 

 

As I was running this morning I was in a nostalgic frame of mind because today is my firstborns  birthday.  It was difficult to reduce to a few words what I wanted to say to him.  Those words were something like the first words he and I shared together, private.  Because I'm old fashioned like that.  But the walk down memory lane got me thinking about where I've been in different aspects of my life.  Of course, running was one of them.   

 

With that it's time for a numbers update: 2095.4 miles for the year. Day 1195 of the streak. 10,497.6 streak miles.

 

Now that I've looked back it's time to look forward.  Often I remind the biggest of my littles that he needs to remember where he has been but have a plan for the direction he wants to move forward in.  The same is true for me.  Let's see where I'm going in the days ahead.

 

In 15 days I will be running The Ring.  This is 71 miles on the Massanutten trail.  The reason I am running it three fold.  1.  I need to get past a mileage barrier I feel I have created for myself.  2. It will be the first on many runs to prepare myself for another MMT 100.  3.  The Massanutten trails are calling me back.

 

In 42 days I will be running the Mega.  The Mega is about a 27ish mile climb in PA.  It is a course like no other I've ever been on.  It offers an element - boulder climbing - that I don't get anywhere else. 
 

 

In 71 days I'll be back again for FOTM.  That's the 50k in MD that has an unexpectedly challenging course.  It's low key, real ultra trail running feel always makes me feel like a bada## when I finish it.  Plus this race was one of the first races I really found trail running peace during.  I go back year after year to find it again.

 

 

In 91 days I'll be back again for the Stone Mill 50 miler.  This could be the year that Lesley at Racing It Off joins me for some very supported fun.  Although with those long legs of hers and her killer racing lately she may been at the finish before me.  If she is she'd better get some great finish line photos of me. 

 

Sprinkled in between these dates are a hand full of training runs for different races and of course my daily running streak continues.  So it's a trail without end.  It's a race without a victory.  There will be no finisher's medal or golden buckle for reaching an end point.  I have not ultimate destination.  The trails just continues and as long as I keep feeling that pull to see what is around the next bend or over that hill, I will continue to run forward.  No matter the pace I will continue to see what draws me to those place that are just beyond where my eyes can see.

Why I Want Massanutten

When I realized the date yesterday, and how could I miss it with the world celebrating the "longest" day of the year, it dawned on me that it has been a month since I left Massanutten unsuccessful in my attempt to return to the meadow and cross that famous finish line.

I spent some time in the days after the race checking out other options to still make 2013 my 100 mile debut year but with concerns for my knee those hours were merely a means to use the energy and excitement I still had for wanting to have "done it."  I found myself seriously considering a looped 100 in PA in the middle of July only to present myself with a dozen reasons why I couldn't do it.

All this left me with a question I had been asked ringing through my head,
"Why do you want Massanutten?"

Biking Sherpa had asked this question while we filled miles with endless chatter.  She didn't exactly want an answer when she asked it.  She had wanted an explanation for not only her but for, maybe everyone who clicked refresh dozens of times that beautiful Saturday in May.  She wanted to know why another 100, any 100, couldn't be worked into the fall schedule and I could have that buckle.

The reason to me is simple, I want the real deal.  I don't want to run around in circles to say that I can run 100 miles.  Honestly the distance isn't the attraction.  I'm drawn to those climbs.  I want to see what is on top, around the next corner, down the next trail.   I want to know those rocks just like I know my favorite country routes that I grew my running on.  Wanting Massanutten is a little like being able to get any boyfriend in your school but wanting to date the teacher. 

I think back to what drew me to wanting Massanutten when this 100 mile dream first started.  I want to be honest about my reasons so I will admit that in choosing MMT I was making a decision based a bit on a preconceived idea of just how far I could reach...and couldn't.  I was giving myself such a big challenge that if I failed, the mere attempt would be a success.  In that way, it felt safe to want such a lofty goal.  Another thing that drew me to MMT was my running club.  The Virginia Happy Trails Running Club.  This is a group of the best people I have ever met.  In my trail running world, they are the in crowd.  But in my case I felt like the kid always picked last and I wanted to show this amazing group of people that I did belong on their dodge ball team at recess.  But there was one other thing rattling around in my head as I was encouraged by my trail brethren to do MMT, it was the thought that I actually could do it.  I didn't need loops or a flat course to join the club.  I simply could complete Massanutten.  I believed I could.

As it turned out, I didn't quite make it.  MMT slipped through my fingers - this time.  But I still believe I can and I will.  Now MMT is to me like many of my double day runs when I run a certain number of miles plus a point five.  I've run this way for years to leave something to finish.  MMT is now for me that half mile I left undone this morning, I don't have a choice but to finish it.  And how could I start another 100 before I finish this one.

 

MMT 100 Race Report - A Mental Mountain

Massanutten Mountain Trails 100

May 18 - 19th, 2013

This story really began more than a year ago when I entered one of the coolest lottery systems to try my luck at getting into one of the toughest 100s on the East Coast, perhaps one of the most challenging in the nation.  Thanks to my unsuccessful bid in 2012 I had priority to get in this year.  As luck would have it I didn't need it thanks to the DOW I got in! 

This is my story as I recall it.  The trail gives and takes many things while you are on it.  It is a balancing act to keep those moments clear as your mind and body are pushed beyond the limits you previously knew.  But these are my memories, my choices, my thoughts and my adventure.  I take responsibility for how I handled myself on that mountain and at the end of the trail, I am proud of all the choices I made.  I have never worked harder, pushed longer or given more to achieve something in my life.  The best part in already knowing the ending is the acceptance, no the declaration that it is not an end but a continuation of a journey I hope to never complete.  I hope to always be pushing towards a mountain top...even if I never make it there.

MMT100 

My Mountain Story

Friday, May 17th

7:00 a.m.

I can't believe that in mere hours I will be leaving my family and starting an adventure that will be the reward for 2 years of work and dedication.  My stomach will not settle down.  My pacer, Diane has filled this week with daily encouragement.  I know I wouldn't be physically as ready without her.  Her quiet trail presence and ease on the Massanutten trails have helped to show me what I need to do.  We plan to meet at Caroline Furnace, the start/finish area, around 2 this afternoon but I am running late.  The music I have spent the week downloading will not go onto my MP3 player and I am panicking.  This music is what I will use to get through those early solo miles in the dark before getting to Camp Roosevelt and meeting Diane to finish the last 40 miles of the race.  But finally I dig out an old laptop and get the music transferred.  Another issue.  My watch is frozen.  I can't set the time of day.  This is the watch I will use to know that I am getting to aid stations ahead of cut offs.  Hubby gives me his but I decide to run to the store and just pick up a new one of my exact model.  The car is loaded.  Last minute kisses given.  2 hours late I am finally leaving.

2:15 p.m.

The briefing is at 4 and Diane has no cell phone so I am getting nervous that I'll miss the brief, get lost, have car trouble...my mind is already trying to psych me out.  I crank the music and try to get lost in the drive.

3:40 p.m.

Yeah!  I made it and got a great parking spot near the bunks and shower.  I try to text my family but there is not service.  Crap!  There are a few people milling around and they direct me to the start/finish area through the woods, down a hill and across a stream.  Diane and the crew are all there.  It is a relief to see everyone but I am probably not hiding my nervousness very well.  I get checked in and but my club tee shirt.  Diane and I walk back over to the camp area and gather my 9 drop bags and lug them back to the drop boxes.

4:15 p.m.

The brief runs late as does the caterers.  The RD, Kevin Sayers does his best to share all the needed information in a light hearted way.  I'm glued to his every word worrying that something important in what he is saying will make the difference and without it I'll be lost in the forest forever. 

5:00 p.m.

We enjoy a yummy dinner of pasta, salad, garlic bread and desserts.  Diane and I mingle with loads of trail friends.  Rande, Kari, Ed, Gary, Larry W, Larry H, Mark, Carter, Matt, Brenda, Caroline, Alan, Kim....actually there isn't anyway to list them all.  Talking with everyone seems to make me even more nervous. 

7:30 p..m.

We head back over to the camp area.  I head off to my bunk and Diane and her hubby are camping.  Lisa, Chris, Kim and several other ladies are all in my bunkhouse.  We sit on the porch and get a lesson in foot taping from Kim and talk about the day to come.

9:00 p.m.

Lights out.

May 18th
2:ish a.m.

I didn't sleep much.  Too many restless ladies.  Too many thoughts in my mind.  Too much nervousness.

3:30 a.m.

This is it.  I feel like I could throw up.  The entire weight of the mountain seems to be resting on my shoulders.  I'm sure I'm going to throw up.  I walk to the start with my very heavy pack.  I forget all about taking pictures.  But I do get this one of the start finish line.

4:00 - 7:03 a.m.

Caroline Furnace to Edinburg Gap  12.1 miles

MMT starts in an open field and then to a brief paved road section then onto gravel roads for a few miles before entering the trails.  My goal is to make sure I stayed behind a few friends who are very experienced trail runners on the MMT course.  I run by myself, I ran with several other runner but mostly I run this section with a trail friend, Charlie. I don't usually start off wanting or needing to talk but it helps to calm my nerves to listen to someone else.  With a goal to arrive at Edinsburg Gap by 7:15 I am happy with this section but disappointed that I run all of it feeling like I could not stop.  No nature call, no tightening my loose shoes, no stopping.  These choices might effect my run later on.  At Edinsburg Gap aid station I top off my pack, get my fuel bag out of my drop bag, drink some water and ginger ale then grab a quarter of a pbj and head out.  I am so afraid to stop moving.  It's still cool out but the day is brightening, the birds are singing and I feel happy to be out there.  I am running in my HAT Run tee, YMX skirt, compression socks and Saucony trail shoes.  So far the biggest issue is with my shoes but I am afraid to stop and tighten them.  There is a hot spot already developing on my left foot and starting to heat up on my right.  

 9:24 a.m.

Edinburg Gap to Woodstock Tower  8.2 miles

I realized I had to stop along this section to take care of two things; a nature call and tightening my shoes.  My shoes immediately felt like a new pair of shoes and my feet feel revived.  The nature call only shows me that I am way behind on fluids and even though it is still early in the morning I am sweating more than I am replacing.   I run alone.  I fall in with others.  Already my mind is not taking in anything except how I must keep moving forward.  Stopping to take pictures or enjoy the view is not on the agenda.  My hopes of finding signal to send tweets from the trail are forgotten.  I pause and  snap a photo to send to the family, praying it will go out before I turn off the phone.  For the briefest of moments I am lost inside my head thinking about what I need to do when I hit this aid station and whap!  I catch my right big toe and can not run out of it.  I try to roll but the rocks aimed for my falling body hit before I can adjust.  My left knee lands square on the edge of a sharp rock, I hit multiple points on rock on my right knee, both forearms and the side of my head thanks to my failed aerobatics.  I take a minute to let my head settle and than thank God I was alone.  Even in this moment I have the very human thought of, "At least no one else saw that."

10:55

Woodstock to Powells Fort 5.6 miles

I am feeling good and hitting my arrival times at aid station within minutes of my goals even with the time spent in stations.  I do pause briefly to attempt to send out a text to my family and a quick shot of the trail in front of me.  But I know that I have to keep moving and the slightest pause give tiny issues a louder voice so I move trying to stay focused on positive things. 

13:06

Powells Fort to Elizabeth Furnace 7.5 miles

I can't wait to get to EF.  My fresh shoes are there and my feet are ready to feel revived.  Another longer section that allows for a little roller coaster of feelings.  I spend miles feeling so proud of how strong I feel, enveloped in all the beauty of this mountain I am amazed how lucky I am, I think about my family and friends and how they all are pulling for me even more than I realized, I am thankful for my friends who eagerly volunteered to stay with the kids and bring them to the finish line when the super secret spy had to attend classes this weekend.  These high moments by far are outweighing the eventual low ones but they too come.  The low moments allow my mind to focus on the issues; tired feet, chafing on my left arm and the increasing pain in my left knee on every downhill swirl through my mind even as I get to the aid station.  I change out of my wet clothes and into a fresh shirt, shorts and shoes.  I'm rushing too much trying to get glide reapplied, pack topped and eat something.  I realized the difference a crew can make and why runners who do this solo deserve their own division.

14:46

Elizabeth Furnace to Shawl Gap 4.7 miles

Honestly all I really remember is moving forward.  Near Shawl Gap I send another text letting family know I'm nearing 40 miles and still close to my times and that I had a low point but was rallying.  A running friend, Cherry was at Shawl Gap.  She has the best smile.  It dimmed a little when she saw me.  I may have looked bad.  At this point I am really behind on fuel and although I can move forward and am still running the flats and downs, I'm sure my body posture and attitude are things I can't spare the energy for.  Cherry is so helpful.  She does get me to eat a cheese and bean quesadilla.  Yuck is what I think but I eat it any way.  I keep moving.  

15:45

Shawl Gap to Veach Gap 3.1 miles

   

At this point I am fairly often alone although John and Mark occasionally provide me with company.  I am looking forward to the climb after Veach Gap and not liking the road section.  John catches me on the road.  At the aid station I again rush through too fast.  Diane is just passed the aid station set up taking photos.  It's great to see her.  She is enjoying her day of volunteering.  She tells me I am just behind our friend Mark and I hurry along. 

18:52

Veach Gap to Indian Grave Trailhead 9.0 miles

I am enjoying the climb up Veach.   Diane and I had practiced this section solo just weeks ago and I loved how much of this course felt at least vaguely familiar.  I know that next year I will have hiking poles.  I frequently pick up thick branches to help keep me from bending over to much on long climbs.  I am loving the early part of this section.  It's beautiful.  I enjoy remembering my training run with Diane through this section.  I want to pause to take my usual photos of flowers but even the orchids I have seen off and on through the course are not enough to get my to pause.  I'm still afraid to stop for anything.  This is a long section and I go through a high at the beginning and a low as I unknowingly near the aid station.  I'm sick of feeling like I don't remember the course. I run some of this section with John who has been considering dropping since he dislocated his pinkie early in the race.  I am headed south mentally.  I pray that I can turn it around.  At long last, I pop out of the trail and there is the aid station.  I should have recognized I was having issues when I don't even know where I was. 

20:00

Indian Grave Trailhead to Habron Gap 3.9 miles

I leave Indian Grave after a brief pause and with no solid recollection that I ate anything.  My fuel bags remain mostly untouched, my pack remains heavy and I am concerned about the lack of nature calls after this long in the race.  Praying distracts my mind through this road section.  I am alone for a long time with no runners in either direction.  I actually double back thinking I've missed a turn into the trail.  What I don't remember is this entire 3.9 miles is on a gravel road. 

My mood is heavy so finally I decide to stop.  I just stop in the middle of the road.  I take off my pack and look around.  I take care of a much overdue nature call which makes me feel better and shows me that I really must drink more.  I snap a picture to try and text out to the family that I am at about 50 miles into this adventure.  I read a few text that had bounced in from earlier in the day.  This is clearly much more mental than I realized.  Not needing to watch every step, I walk toward the Habron aid station.  I will pull this together.  My spirits are uplifted.  I check in with how my body is really feeling.  My left hamstring which is historically the big issue has not spoken once.  I'm amazed that I hadn't realized just how good I am feeling.  My hamstrings, quads, calves, back, arms are all feeling solid.  No fatigue or soreness in them.  My feet are tired and have a few hot spots growing.  My knees ache which is unusual especially my left knee which is hurting more sharply on every decline.  I feel like I have listed more pros than cons and this has lifted my mood. 

During my walking self-pep talk John catches up with me.  We chat and run the remainder of the road together.  At the aid station I am about an hour behind the time I wanted to arrive.  But I know that my "schedule" had not factored in time at aid stations (another of many lessons I've learned make a big deal in super long distances).  John tells me to not hang around.  I sit in a chair while I go through my drop bag.  I am not taking anything but my light.  I am still not eating much of anything along the trail even though I know I need to.  Again I don't know what if anything I eat but I gather my drop bag, put it in the box for return and I leave the aid station alone.  Mark and John remain in their chairs to contemplate whether they push for the next aid station.

00:06

Habron Gap to Camp Roosevelt 9.8 miles

I tuck my headlamp into my pack.  I get out my music only to realize that my play list didn't sync correctly.  With the light fading quickly as I climb I set my mp3 player on shuffle all and enjoy the mild distraction of Christmas songs, veggie tales, Larry the Cable Guy, ancient country songs and ABC practice.  During the next 4 hours I wouldn't hear a single one of the songs I actually wanted to hear while climbing this section.  But it laughed my way up Habron.  I found two near perfectly sized sticks to use an country hiking poles and I was actually enjoying being out in the woods solo as the light left the sky.  I pulled on the headlamp only when the last of the light faded.  It was amazing!  This was what I had waited for.  I love being in the woods at night.  The climb was made so much more manageable in the darkness. 

As I made great time near the top I came upon another runner.  It was Ed.  Saturday was Ed's birthday and as I near him sitting on a rock I was going to simply tease him that he was taking it easy since it was his birthday but what happened next changed my race day.  This was my choice and more a reflection on myself as a person and not a runner.  Ed told me that he had been getting very sick and was feeling fragile and he might backtrack to Habron and drop.  He stood up but didn't seem very solid on his feet.   But Ed thought maybe he could get his ninth life.  I told him we would finish the climb together.  We plodded along.  I tried to talk as much as I could just to see how Ed was doing.  At the top Ed sat to try and eat something.  I killed time with a nature call and tried to eat a Gu since the long plodding was sapping my physical and mental energy.  Now everything that had been a tiny issue in my body seemed to have multiplied.  Ed was violently ill multiple times as we sat there.  I couldn't leave him now.  Now I was worried.  How far to the aid station?  How far had we come?  Could I get him to sit while I tried to run into the aid station for help?  What if he fell while wobbling around on the rocks if I left him.  Throughout the race I often neared panic thinking I was the last runner.  As if that would matter if I finish as the last runner?!  But now it seemed to matter.  Now my mind was spinning out of control, tumbling negative thoughts.  Who was I to do this if even Ed, a trail veteran and MMT veteran was having so much trouble.  All logical thought seemed to evaporate.  I told Ed I wasn't leaving him.  He told me he'd be fine.  But I said no that we would walk this in together.  I tried to lead but Ed fell too far behind.  Ed lead.  We plodded.  My mind spun.  Every slight decline or twist on a rock would snap through my knee in a now unimaginable level of pain.  I stopped drinking completely.  My stomach was now to attached to the pain in my knee.  And now the bottom of me feet hurt beyond words.  Great now I realize I have a giant blister on my left foot!  All the things that I had pushed out of my mind were now able to begin to over whelm me.

I scream inside my head that I needed to stop it but my mind was a run away train now.

Mark and John had not dropped at Habron and had caught up to us.  We all plodded together until Mark suggested that he and I head on while John and Ed would remain together.  Off Mark and I headed.  Mark tried to get me to move but I was so busy inside my head trying to stop the negative chatter, trying to tell myself that the pain was temporary and not the unbearable crucifixion that I had worked it up to be.  I cried.  I swore.  I cried again. Gary Knipling passed us with a quick hello.  But even seeing Gary who was dealing with his own challenges couldn't pull me out of my spiral.   Mark tired.  I know he did.  He got me to that aid station with cutoff time to spare but I sat down.  I just needed to get myself under control.  Everyone was dropping.  I couldn't get that out of my mind.  And somehow it started to seem ok.  Ok to entertain the idea of letting myself down. 

I went through the motions of changing my top.  Diane filled my pack, gave me soup, coffee, everything from my drop bag.  We talked about my issues.  My aid station workers all told me to get off my butt.  I was still panicking.  I opened two of my letters from my drop bag, one was from my sister and the other from my hubby.  I cried.  Those words were what I needed.  I told Diane that we were going, I stood up and then I passed out.

I didn't really understand what was happening.  It just suddenly all went black and I was suddenly sweating and shivering.  I knew people were touching me and talking to me but I think all I kept saying was, what's happening?  Time got really messed up at that point.  I thought I was sitting with my head down and then I was laying down on a cot.  People were telling me things but I'm not sure what they were saying.  One thing I know for sure is that I was crying and I realized that this, 64 miles was going to be the end of my attempt to go 100.

Today as I try to put these thoughts together I know it isn't the end but merely a continuation.  This thing that I have wanted for 2 years, a thing that frightened me for wanting it.  This 100 mile, no it's not about 100 miles it is about Massanutten.  I don't simply want to go 100 miles.  I want to complete Massanutten.  I will complete Massanutten.  I know how to train my body and now I understand just how hard I need to train my mind.

"A visitor is expected to return."

Post script:  My 2013 MMT journey was a huge success.  Maybe not a success by the definition some would apply to it however I strengthened friendships, gained knowledge, enjoyed the mountain, cheered for hours and humbled myself more in two days than many do in years.  I need to thank hundreds of people who gave of their time, talent and energy to allow me and 195 others the privilege to do all those things.  Thank you to the VHTRC, Kevin Sayers, Diane B., my family and friends, Mark, John, Charlie, Rande & Kari, Bob, Kim, Cherry, Carter, Matt, Bobby, countless aid station volunteers and the VDCR.

MMT100 One More Sleep

That's it.  A single one mile run and now all I have is to drive to the start, bunk till 4 a.m. and then run 100+ mountainous mile. 

 

I'll start my day in this...

 

 

Spend the warmer hours in this...

 

And God willing, cross the finish line in this.

 

 

It's gone from this to...

 

This and now off I go.

 

 

 

My goal put simply is to finish but I think I nailed it when a runner friend asks some advice as he approaches his first 50 miler.

 



Shelly Cable Steve Modica First you'd want to see this site ( http://www.vhtrc.org/mmt/ ) for the MMT 100. Every 100 is different so the training for each and the race day are a widely different experience. For MMT I did as much training on the race course as possible to get used to the very technical terrain. My plan is what most any ultra runner's plan is on race day, to run every thing I can as efficiently as I can and hike like I mean it when I have to. There will be section that are too rocky, too steep or in the middle of the night too dark to be safely (for me) run so I will be making that judgment call as I progress over the course. The biggest factor in my finishing will be correct pacing and proper fueling. I won't "win" this race by a long stretch but if I can cross that finish line within the cutoff and have loved more moment than I have struggled; then I will have won!