2013 Pigtails Challenge: My First 100 Smiler

2013 Pigtails Challenge: My First 100 Smiler

By Kathy Vaughan

     I awoke at 4:30 a.m.and glanced over at the tan easy-up shelter from which I'd been crewing my husband Ras for the past 2 days. I was looking for the glow of his headlamp to see if he was in from one of his loops.  This was his third morning of running around Lake Youngs in Renton ,Washington, where the Pigtails Challenge was being held.  This trail ultra race has 3 distances: 200 miles, 150 miles and 100 miles.  Ras had completed the 200 miler last May and was now in the process of completing his 2nd 200 miler on this same course.
  
     The course is a 9.4 mile loop around Lake Youngs, which runners glimpse only in one spot. The loop has 900 feet of elevation gain along rolling terrain.  The lake itself is surrounded by chain link fencing, as it belongs to the city of Renton.  A thick forest surrounds the lake inside this forbidden territory.  The trail is mostly double track, with a few sections of what became known as single “crap”.  At times the trail is alongside residential roads, behind houses, meandering through the woods and running near small wooded pastures.   The course is very easy to follow.  Runners reverse direction on each loop.  At the end of each loop, the runners tag up at the main aid station and their splits are recorded.  They can access their own food & gear at this time, plus a restroom with running water.  This is also where their crew is waiting, ready to help as soon as the runner checks in .

     I had been sleeping in the back of my Subaru Outback.  Warm inside my sleeping bag, I tossed and turned.  I would be starting the 100 mile distance of the Pigtails Challenge at 6 a.m. , my first 100 mile trail race. Ras had begun the 200 mile race at 6 a.m on Thursday. Twenty four hours later, the 150 mile runners had begun. I had been camping here during this time, helping Ras and enjoying visiting with other crew, pacers and runners arriving early to pick up their race packets.  

     Now it was game time.  I could see that the shelter was still dark, meaning Ras was out on the course somewhere.  I would soon be running also and would pass him each time we went around and around this loop.  He was 2 days deep though, and I would be fresh. He'd been rained on a lot.  Now the weather was turning.  The sky would be cloudy but the sun promised to shine. The air was chilly and the ground still damp in the early dawn.  I knew my morning plan as I had gone over it in my head many times. Eat a banana; drink coffee; put on running clothes; start drinking water; relax; fill water & Perpetuem bottle; stay warm until race time.

     The 100 mile runners were now arriving and soon I was laughing and nervously interacting with the group as we mingled near the starting area.  The ultra running community is very supportive and non-competitive for the most part, and runners were friendly and encouraging towards each other. Many runners already knew each other and lots of warm hugs were going around.  Occasionally a worn out 150 or 200 miler would come through the aid station to check in after having completed one of their loops. The fresh energy may have felt either welcome or overwhelming to these runners.  

     To complete the 200 miles on this course, runners start with a 2.3 mile out n'back and then run 21 loops around the lake.  The 150 milers are led just a short distance out the trail by Van Phan, the race director, to their start and then run 16 loops.  As a 100 miler, I would run a 6 mile out n'back first and then 10 loops around Lake Youngs. Each odd loop I would take a left at the  T, or the end of the lollipop stick (in runner's trail description terms) . For each even loop, I would take a right.  The distance from the start/finish/main aid station to this T where the loop begins is only a few hundred feet. 

     Van called us together for a pre-race briefing.  Oddly, she had to mention to us that we should be aware of Canada Geese families that had attacked a couple of runners so far, threatening many others. I had been hearing the reports the 2 days previous and had even seen a good size bite on the back of Francesca Carmichael , the women's winner of the 200 miler.  She cautioned us to not turn our backs on them. I chuckled with the others, but inside was secretly hoping I would not come across these guys out there!  

     And then we were off.  I had trained & planned for this day for over 6 months now.  Since December, I had put in over 900 miles in training.  January through March, these miles included lots of long cross-country skiing days.  All of this training had been good, but it had token its toll on my Illiotibial band. A common injury amongst runners, straining this band causes outer knee pain and has to be massaged & stretched to heal. It had reared its ugly head with me only 4 weeks before Pigtails.  I was in my peak mileage week, running the Spokane River Run 50k, where I set a  PR.  I was about 10 miles from the finish when the knee pain came on.  After looking up the symptoms when I got home, it was classic IT Band Syndrome.  I had spent lots of time since then stretching, using trigger point massage and rolling out with foam rollers.  It felt better, but was not completely healed. 

     I would run this race anyway. It had been my focus and this was my chance. I would make it happen. I would believe in myself. I would focus on my basic healthiness and not on my pain. I would visualize the finish and remember why I wanted it. Everybody on the course would be feeling pain to a certain extent or other. I would not be alone in this. Together we would all be suffering at some point, some more than others, as the miles and the hours would be long. 

     I ran the first 6 mile out'n'back with ease. It was a delightful way to start the day. The sun began to shine and the runners were in good spirits. I visited with some folks I had met the day before as they came to get their packets. It now felt good to just cruise along with them, knowing in later miles I would be setting my own pace.  After this 6 miles, my friend Beth Glander would join me for 2 loops. We had met last summer on a 4 day trip running around Mt. Rainier together on the 94 mile Wonderland Trail.  This was easier trail, yet a different undertaking. I was happy to have Beth be a part of it with me.

     I completed the 6 miles in 1:14, 16 minutes faster than my goal time. I at first didn't see Beth, but by the time I shed a few layers, grabbed my sunglasses and got ready to head out on my first loop, I saw Beth appear in perfect synchronicity.  It was awesome. My journey was becoming ever more real and my planning was paying off.  Now I had a friend to run with me.

     Beth was ideal. A petite and fit little runner, she was up for the task.  She almost immediately made it clear that she wanted this to be all about me:    “Run where you want on the trail and I'll find a spot”,  “We can talk as much or as little as you want”, “You got this Kathy”.  She was totally encouraging and positive. She reminded me that my only true goal was to finish. My finishing time was that 32 hour cut-off.  I had a pie-in-the-sky goal of 29-30 hours and had charted out the splits necessary for that.  It was all a big question mark though, as this was a first. It was ok to not know. Hearing Beth say that 32 hours was my goal to finish this, helped me to accept that as a back-of-the-packer and a first time 100 miler, that would still be a legit accomplishment. 

     These loops went by fast and soon it was time to say good-bye to Beth and run 3 loops on my own. I planned on listening to my mp3 player and was pretty excited about getting pumped up on some good raggae dancehall music. The universe had other plans.  In my pre-race organization I had definitely charged my mp3 player. I had definitely not listened to it, saved it for this day. This moment. But now it was dead as I set off on this first of my solo loops. I saw Ken Michal, a 200 mile runner and host of the podcast  Running Stupid.  He said “Control what you can and let go of the rest”. Right. I tucked it away in my running vest and kept going.

     The middle miles went great.  I had good energy and lots of running legs left.  I cruised along happily, going by the other runners and smiling, sending good energy everyone's way.  I liked hitting the mid-way aid station each time, refilling my water bottle and nibbling on a salty snack mix, one of the volunteers had put together.  It was a tray filled with a mix of pretzels, potato chips, corn chips and cheetos (which I avoided due to my vegan diet). This was a good way to get some salt and I never did take any additional salt supplements during the event.  Because of such easy access to water, I only carried one hand bottle as I ran. My running vest was light and had a small 10 oz flask of Perpetuem in one front pocket.  The other pocket held a small ziplock bag of tums, ibuprofen and ginger chews.  Also in that pocket I carried a mix of Justin's Nut Butter pouches, salted nut mixes, Gu Chomps and soy or shiitake mushroom jerkeys.

    As the day wore on, I started drinking a delicious cup of Butternut Squash soup each time I hit the main aid station.   For fresh food, I nibbled on some cherry tomatoes Tracey Brown was kind to have brought  to the mid-way aid station and some celery sticks and watermenlon provided at the main aid.

     Away from the roads, the trail does wind its way through a delightful forest, filled with a variety of trees.  Some old cedar still stand. Large ferns and mossy stumps line the trail. Buttercups and other spring wildflowers were lush amongst the wet, green grasses.  A variety of birdsong came through the trees and once in a while a chipmunk or squirrel would appear.  Sometimes the trail would pass small wooded pastures where people kept horses, chickens and goats. A white pony grazed in one of these and it seemed almost fairytale like.  Old fence lines sagged and rusted. I was curious about the old homesteads that once existed here.  At dusk, a wonderful chorus of frogs began to croak.  It was fun to hear them start up so loudly and then suddenly stop all together.  Enchanting moments were present along this route, though lined mainly by a prison-style fence,  keeping us from the inviting forest inside and the lake we could not see.  

     I grabbed my Black Diamond Z poles on my 4th loop to help with the IT band discomfort. I could use them on the climbs and carry them easily while I ran.  The downhill was becoming more uncomfortable too and the poles could help take some of the impact on the descents. My goal was to finish and I would use whatever tools I had in my tool kit to accomplish this.  

     It was fun to see the elite runners dash by on each loop.  They had now lapped me many times over, but I didn't care. I fed off of their energy as they passed and observed their form.  Tim Stroh won the 200 miler last year and came back to do the half this year.  He was strong the whole time and finished the race, 1st overall in 16:58 minutes.  It was fun sharing the course with him. I happened to be at the main aid station right after his finish.  He had dashed by on his final lapping of me as he pushed for that sub 17 hour finish.  It was amazing.  He held out his hand towards me for a handshake when I saw him.  I love in this community, that the overall winner has the humility to shake hands with a lady runner who would be the final finisher. DFL (Dead f'ing Last, for those of you who don't know the acronym)  I do prefer how my friend & veteran 100 miler,  Matt Hagen referred to me though, as “Our lovely caboose”  .

     With this well thought-out race design, spent 200 milers can encourage first time 100 milers.  Elite 100 milers can spur on the downtrodden. Back-of-the-packers can run with others. Solo lady runners can rest assured they will see other runners regularly.  Most runners at least said hi as they passed.  As pacers came on, they took over this job.  When runners fell silent because it took too much energy to talk, it was understood. James Varner, the race director of Rainshadow Running,  ran the 100 mile distance.  Each time he passed me he called out positive words.  This felt great. As an aspiring ultra runner just several years ago, James was someone I looked up to.  He is part of a group of runners I've become friends with that have helped me to believe that I can achieve these distances I attempt; doing it my way. 

     By loop 5,  Ras and I had synched up.  I rushed him out of the aid station and we stayed together until the mid-way aid .  He had to push himself to keep up with me as he was on loop  19.  He developed an unusual toe pain and slowed to the point where I had to leave him behind.  I took off with great renewed energy after having spent some time with Ras.  I was also excited because after this loop, I would be joined by my two friends Angel Mathis and Tonya Hoffman.  These gals would stay with me all night and bring me in to the finish.  Tonya is a mountain climber and a really strong runner.  She finished her first 100 miler in December.  Angel is a strong runner as well and will be running her first 100, Cascade Crest in Easton, Washington, in August.  I felt really honored to have these amazing women willing to join me in this challenge I had set before myself.  They would be with me during my hardest times, when the going got rough, and rougher.

     Deby Kumaska, another experienced 100 miler finisher and great friend of mine, would be helping to gear me up for the night. She wanted to make sure I was ready with all of the nighttime changes attended to before I set out on the loop where darkness would fall.  I was still 10 minutes ahead of my projected splits and this was a good thing. I was about to slow and slow considerably.  I was heading into new territory, mileage wise.  This would mean a lot of things to me that I could not now foresee.  Deby could, thankfully.  She prepared me as well as she could.  She put fresh batteries in my headlamp for me, as I had been using it all weekend to crew Ras.  She helped me think through what I should have in my running vest for the colder temperatures.  She got me another cup of the hearty, warm soup. This allowed Angel to get ready herself. Tonya had accidentally dropped a hammer on her toe the week before and decided to wait until the next loop to join us.  

     Angel and I took off on loop 6. She was feeling fresh and I was 53 miles deep. This is what pacing is all about.  Angel would help remind me to sip water and nibble on my snacks.  She would visit with me and help keep me motivated, now that I was feeling the miles.  It was awesome to have her with me.  Angel is a real sweet lady and we immediately fell into great conversation.  For some reason I felt compelled to give her ongoing trail beta, very detailed.  I don't know if she appreciated or needed this on such a straightforward course, but its what my mind was doing. She was patient with me.  We cracked up later when I realized what I was doing and promised to not do it for each of the remaining loops.  

     Loop 6 done, Tonya now joined me and Angel. I was doing a lot of hiking at this point, more like trekking as I am good with using my poles.  I have a lot of experience with them both through skiing and fast packing.  I was able to use them to my advantage.  The trekking did not aggravate the pain in my IT band as much, so I made better time with this movement. Angel had come up with the idea to attach a toe warmer with a sticky backing to my outer knee and then hold it in place with my Zensah calf sleeve.  This was very soothing.  I could still intersperse some running on this loop, but by loop 8, almost no running was happening.  I felt bad for my pacers who were likely expecting to run more, but when I expressed this concern, they assured me they were about helping me get it done.

     My mind was playing funny tricks on me.  A pile of wet leaves looked like large shards of clear glass. A bike coming towards me in the dark with flashing lights (pacing a runner) sent me into hysterical laughter that was hard to stop. Sometimes I'd completely forget where we were on the trail, even though I had become  so familiar with it.  I was surprised at how slowly my brain was working. Answering questions that Tonya and Angel asked seemed to take so much effort and the answers seemed disconnected from my thoughts. 

     With loop 8 came tears.  It was hard to set out on that loop when I thought of the 28.2 miles I had left to cover.  Deby had finished her volunteer gig at the mid-way aid station and was back at the main aid now.  She was a huge help. She told me to not think about what miles I had left to cover but to think instead about how far I had already come, 71.8~this was more than I had ever covered in one shot.  Pretty awesome.  Okay.  Then she told me to remember the hardest thing I'd ever been through and how I'd gotten through that.   I could get through this too. I was here to do this. Jess Mullen, a local accomplished ultra runner working the aid station,  told me to remember that I wanted to be here.  She and I both laughed at this, as I replaced tears with this good feeling of shared understanding.  Van felt my running vest and said it was too heavy.  I remembered now I was carrying my lights that I no longer needed and all of my extra night layers. I replaced it with a small vest I'd been wearing earlier in the run.   All of this support and encouragement helped me get out there again.

     Once out on the trail, Angel and I began to work more and more like an intuitive team.  We made plans before we hit each aid station. We used strategy to keep on moving forward, no matter how much I had slowed. I moved steadily and my splits remained surprisingly consistent throughout these rougher miles.  Angel and I played “Truth” and told each other great stories about our lives.  We learned a lot in those dark hours about each other, and about ourselves. Tonya stuck with us until her own toe pain was too intense.  Her husband Allen Skytta was working at the mid-way aid station and so she joined him when her going got too rough.

     At the beginning of loop 9, the cut-off loomed ahead in my mind.  I began to think I was going to get pretty close.  It was time to amp up the speed. Angel helped by having me run to different signs hanging on the endless chain link fence.  This worked and helped push me through to the fastest loop I'd had with her yet.  I was suffering blisters and all kinds of pains here and there at this point. It was rough going. I pushed on. I wanted to finish. Angel had invested so much energy and time with me. It was necessary to remember it was not just about me at this point. It was about us. It was about Angel and I and everyone I'd mouthed off to about running my first 100 miler. I was going to finish this thing .

     Our turn around for loop 10 was super fast. I wanted to put on my new Pigtails bandana for this loop.  It had been in my swag bag I'd gotten before the race. This was part of the plan. I'd earned that adorable little bandana now, and yet I hadn't quite.  Jess made us coffee and we took off down the trail with the cups in our hands.  We had to go down the  steep hill first and so I slammed down my coffee before I got to it.  It was an interesting and ridiculous looking movement that got me down that hill.  Ahead in the distance I saw a Rasta man and some others.  The red, gold and green tam stood tall as I looked far ahead down the trail. I wondered what his business might be. A young, athletic looking runner flew by and I called to her that I wished I had her form right now.  Angel laughed.  The runner ran through the Rasta man and the others alongside the trail up ahead. I was now getting closer.   My brain had not been working clearly for many hours and now its fuzziness was thicker.  I got  to these people along the trail . I looked up and before me were friends, Ras Scott and his wife Tasha.  They had with them their two children, their daughter Ilah and their son Nijah.  They were here for me.  They were along the trail to cheer me on, on my final loop around Lake Youngs.   It was very surreal and touching. We hugged and they trekked a short distance with us. I said goodbye and off we went.

     Now Angel and I carried with us the good feeling we had gotten from this familiy's presence on the trail.  They had come for us.  Soon, a vibrant and experienced looking ultra running couple came towards us in good form.  I'd not seen such good form for a while on the trail on any ultra runner.  Shortly Angel called out because she could see it was our friends Sophia Walker and Joel Bellezza out for a morning run.  They greeted us warmly and continued on.  They were here to both get in a good run and to cheer on Pigtails runners this morning.

     We marched on and on.  The end was in sight.  The final loop.  It was getting harder to keep moving,  yet easier at the same time.   I was on a roller coaster of emotions.  When I'd see the hills up ahead, I wanted to log roll down them; it seemed like it would be really fun and a much easier way to get down.   I could see other runners running it in on their final loop and this felt great. My friend  Stacey Nievweija was working at the mid-way aid station now with her son. As Angel and I approached it for our final time on this adventure, she came running towards us like a deer.  She looked so light and graceful. Her cute 12 year old son Keegan then ran up and said “good job”.  This felt uplifting.  The end was getting nearer.

     Just when Angel and I thought we could come up with no other distractions for our worn out minds, up came Sophia and Joel from behind.   They would escort us in the final 3 miles or so.  It was such perfect timing.  It proves the beauty and selflessness of the ultra running community I am amongst.  They had come back around and would slow to a crawl to help me finish my first 100 miler, because that would feel special to them too.   

      I felt distracted and happy to have lively conversation now all around me.  Occasionally Joel would ask me a question that was easy to answer, yet funny or meaningful.  It helped a lot and he sprinkled these in at just the right times.  Soon up ahead another runner came towards us with two dogs.  She had bright green compression socks on and cute pink running shoes.  I wondered what she was up to for the morning.  She had no race number on and I didn't recognize her.  She started hooting and calling out in a friendly way.  I thought it was nice and that she was a local runner, happy to help encourage one of the Pigtails runners.  When we got right up to the runner, I could clearly see it was Tonya.  She had come back to run with us the final stretch home.  This was a special moment. It was odd that I was recognizing no one this morning.

    I could "smell the oats in the barn".  It was just the single crap section, the houses, the water tower, the junk yard, the T.  And that was it.  I ran down from the T and hooted. No matter how much trekking I'd done on any of the loops, I always ran it in from the T, in good style.   A group of voices sounded from below and I just kept heading towards them.  It was time to cross the finish line and then I could stop moving.  I could stop with the relentless forward progress already.

     It felt unreal. It still feels unreal.   The little family had stayed at the finish line to wait for over 3 hours.  Ras was there, resting in a chair after finishing his 200 miler in 67:27. Allen was there, waiting for Tonya and to cheer for me too. The final finisher before me and a new friend, Jules Mann was there with his wife Mihaela, his new Pigtails bandana tied scout -style proudly around his neck.   Trey Bailey of Uphillrunning.com was there with his girlfriend Laura Kay, who had brought me a huge and yummy soy mocha from Starbucks.   Jess , Van and her husband Ken were patiently awaiting my finish before they could close down the race scene for the weekend. Van had spent 4 days taking excellent care of runners. She had put together a great event, and held it together all weekend.  Matt and Betsey Rogers were there.  They'd also been at my first 50 mile finish where I'd also DFL'd.  And they didn't care that I'd DFL'd.  Turns out nobody did.   Van handed me the cute Pigtails Challenge 100 Mile belt buckle.  I'd finished in 31:37 minutes, beating the cut-off and the 8 runners who didn't finish.