The Pain is Only Temporary

So why does one decide to run 100 miles through the mountains of Virginia with 23,000 ft of climbing and 23,000 ft of descending? I don’t know that I have a really good answer for that question. I have always been a competitive person and enjoy challenging myself. After completing my first 50 miler last November 2011, I figured the next logical step would be to attempt a 100 miler. Once a friend, Wayne Ingram, heard of my desire to run a 100 mile race, he offered to crew for me if I decided to run Grindstone 100. Not knowing much about the race, I decided why not chose that one. The timing of it fit pretty well in my schedule. The location was convenient and provided camping arrangements, so the costs of the weekend wouldn’t be that bad. So it was settled, 2012 Grindstone 100 will be my first 100 mile race. Then I started to research the race, read race reports from past Grindstone finishers, and watch youtube videos of the event. Maybe this is more than just any 100 mile race. I learned of the killer climbs, technical terrain through the mountains, many rocks and roots, and the 6 pm start with a 38 hour time limit. Wait…38 hours? You mean I could be running for 38 hours? I could run through the night twice? The longest distance I had run going into Grindstone was 50 miles. I had completed that distance twice, once in 8:40 and a second time in 9:25. So to think I could be running 3-4 times longer than I had ever run before was a little daunting. I knew I had my work cut out for me.

I started training in April for Grindstone, which would give me 6 months to be ready. My training consisted of about 60-80 miles per week, 2 gym days per week at ASI (cross-fit type workout), and 2 hot yoga days per week (which I was not as consistent in attending). From the research I had done on 100 mile training plans, my weekly mileage was a little on the low end. I read that would be ok as long as most of those miles were part of my long runs. My typical weekend was a 4-6 hour run on Saturday, followed by a 2-3 hour run on Sunday. As part of the training, I did four 50k races and one 50 mile race on the different trails of Virginia, West Virginia, and South Carolina. I spent some time at 2 different local state parks (Paris Mtn & Table Rock). Looking back, I wish I would have spent much more time climbing the trails at Table Rock in preparation for Grindstone. There aren’t many areas to train around the upstate of South Carolina that can prepare you for what you will face at Grindstone, but Table Rock was probably the closest thing to it. Health wise, I felt good and injury free going into Grindstone. I experienced a couple little injuries early on in training, but nothing too bad. Thankfully, the last 3 months of training were injury free, so I felt good to go.

The 2012 Grindstone 100 would start on Friday, October 5th at 6 pm. I was very fortunate to have a large crew going with me for support. My dad, mom, brother (Luke), sister (Kara), and 5 other friends (Nick Davis, Wayne Ingram, Matt Thomas, Mark Mixon, Lori Mixon) would be there to crew for me. It was such a blessing to have family and friends there to support me on this race. My parents, Nick, and I drove up on Thursday and camped the night before the race. The start/finish area was located at a boy scout camp, Camp Shenandoah, in Swoope, VA. The rest of the crew would be arriving on Friday.

On Friday, there was a pre-race meeting at 1 pm. The race director, Clark Zealand, introduced the support staff for the race. He did an informal survey of the runners in the room to see how many 100’s each runner had participated in. I was one of about 20 or so who was attempting their very first 100. We then learned of about 6-8 runners who had completed over thirty 100’s, including one gentleman who had run sixty-two 100 mile races. That was hard to comprehend. Clark then went on to talk about the course and the type of markings we should be looking for to follow. He seemed to stress that the runners should have studied the course and have a pretty good idea of where it goes. I wasn’t too concerned before the meeting, but since I hadn’t spent a lot of time studying the course, his warnings had me a little concerned. He then went on to mention that while they were doing a final check of the course, they noticed some of the course markings (pink streamers with reflective strips attached to the end) had been pulled down and torn into pieces. I didn’t care to think about what was out there in the forest tearing up the course markings (bears, mountain lions, pumas). Hopefully it was just some mischievous squirrels. Thankfully, I found the course well marked and did not run into any dangerous wildlife. The meeting ended with well-known ultra runner, David Horton, warning runners: “Don’t be stupid”.

After the meeting, I had a few hours to prepare myself for what was ahead. I was able to relax a bit before the race. I was excited to start the race, but I also had that sick/uneasy feeling in my stomach. It was sort of like the feeling you had as a kid when you knew you were in trouble, and as soon as your dad got home from work, you were going to receive your due punishment. As I relaxed in the camp, I knew that in a few hours my punishment was coming. I tried not to focus on that, but rather the joy that will come at the finish. I organized my nutrition bags and change of clothes for my crew to have ready and the aid stations. There would be 15 aid stations on the course, 7 of which allowed crew access. I would see my crew at miles 22, 35, 51, 66, 80, 87, and 96. My nutrition consisted of Infinit drink mix, Crank e-gels, oranges, bananas, salt tablets, and soup. The time came when I had to line up to start. I took a few pictures with family and then found a spot at the starting line. At this point reality sunk in. It had been so easy to tell people I was going to run 100 miles, but now the time had come to do it.

The race began promptly at 6 pm. The course was mostly single track trails with some fire road trails mixed in. It is an out and back course. We had 38 hours to finish within the time limit. Within the first 10 miles of the course, we would climb about 4500 ft. I knew this was going to be a tough course, but until you’re actually running it, it’s hard to fully understand its difficulty. Just over an hour into the race, we began running in the dark and I turned on my headlamp. Trail running in the dark can be a little challenging, so for me, it forces me to slow down and be more careful with my footing. In a race like this when you don’t want to go out too fast, slowing down is not such a bad thing. I made it up the first climb feeling pretty good. Throughout the first 10 miles, you were pretty close to other runners, so there was usually someone to run with. After the first 10 miles, the runners had spread out so most of my running was by myself. We then hit a section of the trail that had some pretty technical parts to it. There were areas with lots of rocks, which made it pretty hard to run. I don’t have a lot of experience running technical trails like that, so parts of it were pretty challenging for me. I had to step to the

side several times to let other runners pass who were able to handle the technical parts better. Around mile 15, my mind went to a bad place. I was running by myself in the dark on some difficult trails. I started thinking about how many more miles I had to go. I thought to myself that I would be the first person to drop Grindstone this early in the race. I knew there would be a mental battle during the race, but I didn’t think it would start at mile 15. A few weeks earlier, I had a conversation with my running group about how I was disappointed that Ryan Hall dropped at the Olympic Marathon. To me, it seemed like something he could have tried to fight through and finish. My group thought I was being a little too hard, and told me to remember this conversation on my 100 mile race. I knew dropping for any reason other than the doctor pulling me was not an option, or I would risk eating my own words when I returned home. Over the next few miles, I was able to get my mind focused on the race again. Instead of thinking about the whole 100 miles, I started thinking about just making it to the next aid station. Thankfully, that was really the only section of the race where I struggled mentally. The physical struggle would not be so kind. At mile 22, I was able to see my crew for the first time on the course which was a huge boost. Their support and encouragement gave me the confidence I needed to know I could finish. I felt pretty good over the next 13 mile section. Mile 35 was the next time I saw my crew. At this point I was starting to feel the fatigue in my legs. I put on some fresh socks and shoes at this aid station. I prepared myself for the next section which I knew was going to be tough. Over the next 6-7 miles, I would climb about 4500 ft. I knew they would be slow miles, but I was determined to plug away. After finishing the climb, I was really starting to feel fatigue in my legs. They had taken quite a beating and I still was not halfway there. It was probably around 4 am at this point, and I was craving sleep. I had read that the hours before the sun come up can be tough, and I would agree. The next section to the turn around point was pretty runable fire roads. Though I was not moving very fast, I was able to shuffle along. I made it to the halfway point right as the sun was coming up. Starting at mile 51, you are allowed to have a pacer run with you. I am so thankful I had 4 different pacers scheduled to run with me. They kept me motivated and moving on the second half of the course. The trail and scenery on the course is amazing. On the way out you don’t realize it since you’re running in the dark, but on the way back in it is pretty incredible. Matt paced me from miles 51-66. I was able to run some of the first 5 miles he ran with me. Miles 56-66 I started to experience significant pain in my knees. I was unable to run any of the down hills because my knees hurt too badly. I was already walking all the up hills, so that only left the flat sections for me to try and run. Unfortunately, Grindstone doesn’t have too many flat sections on the course. I felt bad for Matt who came up from South Carolina to run with me, and I wasn’t able to do much running. There were times when I tried to gut it out and run some for Matt, only to look over at him walking at my running pace. Up through the first half, there were not any female runners ahead of me. But at the mile 58 aid station, I was passed by the first place female, and she moved by me looking strong. I had joked with my crew that I wanted to finish first place female, but there she went. After much walking, we finally made it to the aid station at mile 66. It was probably around 11 am at this point. I was about 2 hours behind where I had hoped to be. By this point, I was just focusing on finishing and didn’t care about my time. I got a change of clothes, shoes, and took some ibuprofen to help with my knee pain. I did have a nice surprise at this aid station. My sister had called my wife who was back home,

and I was able to talk to her for a brief minute. She was unable to come because we are expecting our 2nd boy in a couple weeks, but to hear her voice was very encouraging. From miles 66-80, Mark would begin to pace me. We left the aid station and Mark was like “let’s go, pick it up”. I said Mark, I cannot run up any hills. My legs are shot. Then Mark turned all boot camp instructor on me and said “the pain is in your head not your legs, you must beat these hills.” My first thought was to push him off the side of the hill and see how he beats the hills. Instead, I graciously informed him that I had already run 66 miles, and still had 35 miles to go. I will be walking up these hills. He finally agreed with my strategy, but he pushed me on everything that wasn’t up hill. By this point the ibuprofen was starting to work, and I was able to run at a descent pace. Before I knew it, I was starting to catch an occasional runner. This became a new game for Mark, to see how many people we could catch. Yay me! I think from miles 66 to the finish, I ended up passing 7 runners. At mile 80 aid station, Nick started pacing me. He got me through 2 really tough climbs. Miles 80-84 had about a 2500 ft climb, and miles 87-91 also had a 2500 ft climb. At mile 85, I caught the first place female that had passed me at mile 58. The chickee became the chickor. I did have to stop at the mile 87 aid station to have some blisters taped up. Thankfully this was the first time I had any blister issues. Wayne, who had been an invaluable crew member all day, got my feet taped up so I was able to finish the last 14 miles without any discomfort. I was starting to see light at the end of the tunnel. My favorite part of the race was the final 5 miles. From miles 96 to the finish (101.85), my dad ran with me. I was looking forward to it all race. I knew once I made it to mile 96, I was basically there and could enjoy the final 5 miles to the finish. I almost finished before the sun went down on Saturday, but we ran the last 3-4 miles in the dark. At the beginning of the race, I was worried it would be a death march to the finish. But I was really happy that I was able to run at a good pace and finish strong. As we entered the camp area and could see the finish line, the people at the finish started yelling something. At first I couldn’t make it out, but then the race director got on the microphone and said “hurry and you can break 26 hours”. I saw the clock on the board and I had about 30 seconds to get there. I thought I’d make it easily, but as I got closer, I realized it was going to be close. Then with about 50 yards to go, I realized I only had a few seconds left to get there. I looked at my dad and said let’s go. I took off as fast as I could go at what felt like Usain Bolt type speed. I crossed the finish line in 25:59:58. I was able to finish in 21st place out of 158 starters. Of the 158 starters, 50 people did not finish. Three people broke the course record. The previous course record holder set a new course record of 17:13 for the win. I remember him passing me at my mile 41 (his 59) on his way back in to the finish while I was still heading out to the halfway point. It was a pretty amazing performance.

I guess it would be an understatement to say that I was completely spent, not only physically, but emotionally as well. In reading about runners who have completed other 100 milers, some have reported to have hallucinations during their run. I was looking forward to what cool things I would hallucinate during the run, but was disappointed that I never had any. At the beginning of the year, my goal was to finish a 100 mile race. To see a year long plan realized is pretty cool. I know this would not have gone as well without the help of my family and friends. They took great care of me at each aid station and provided encouragement to keep me going. Without their support, I’d probably still

be out there walking the course. My name might be on the race results, but I am well aware that this was not a solo effort.

Elevation profile of the course.

Family support at the race.

Mile 35 Aid Station

Mile 66 Aid Station

Talking w/ Wendy & getting weighed.

Support of Pacers.

Treating blisters.

My Crew Team.