Did you participate in all the weigh-ins and questions for the study they were doing? If so did it provide you with any information that you used on the trail or will use in the future?
Faster Than Your Couch!
I did, and it was quite amusing in between.
We were asked how much of what we had eaten, how we were feeling, how much we had to drink, and we were weighed.
T
Knowing that my weight would be assessed encouraged me to drink more often than I might have otherwise. Not by much, but I was more conscious about it.
During the race, I could see that I was managing my weight, or my drinking very well, and I was eating enough. It was funny, though, to add up how much you had had, it sounded a lot, e.g. "100 oz. of diluted HEED, 12 gels, 3 scoops of Sustained Energy, 30 g protein" - who eats that much on 20 or 40 miles?
For the future, it will help me, as it confirmed that my nutrition plan seems to work well for me.
Run for fun.
Awesome report, sort of epic in a way with all the challenges the course presented. For some reason I was pretty confident you were going to finish this even back when you just started training again after your bout of pneumonia. You just seem to be that sort of person. If you like challenging 100's, look up Massanutten in the spring. Another big loop course in the mountains of VA.. might be easy after your experience here!
The blessing/prayer on the trail was a nice touch. Congratulations on your journey, and the race!
In dog beers, I've only had one.
flashlight and sidewalk
Huge congrats Marie! I was happy to hear Stephen stuck with you for the last miles. I was tracking your progress on the website, but that was updated so infrequently more often then not I was just worrying. Completing a difficult 100 on its inaugural running just seems like it adds an extra layer of crazy...when I think about how heavily I rely on race reports, I can't even think about doing something like that without at least a scouting report. Congrats again! That's a nice buckle!
**Ask me about streaking**
Fantastic effort, Couch - very impressed with your physical and mental stamina. The nighttime running sounds long and frightening - glad you made it past the "black holes" unscathed.
Le professeur de trail
So ES 100 wasn't hard enough so you had to take Tylenol PM at the end sections??? I thought you were crazy before but now I know you are!
I had no doubt you would finish this race. You are a combination of stubborn, crazy, confident and strong. The finishing time on this course means nothing. The DNF rate was high considering that it wasn't even hot and humid like it should be this time of year. I wonder if you heard anything about why so many people dropped? I know 100's have a high DNF rate but it seemed unusually high for this one. Maybe not.
I think you need to work your 1-2 times of getting sick into your annual training schedule. It always seems to be there.
The lady that stopped and prayed for you was your guardian angel. Never under estimate the power of a simple prayer. It has gotten me through many things in life.
I hope to one day complete ES. I wanted very badly to run in the inaugural running of it. I had signed up and made it on the list of the original 200 even before running my qualifier (Stone Mill). But it wasn't long after SM that I knew something was wrong and 2014 would not be what I expected. All for the best I suppose. With moving, I would have had little time to get in the training runs I needed.
Speaking of training runs, I have to make a comment on your training. Aside from the pneumonia, it is amazing how you can get through a 100 miler without the LRs. Your consistency in the mountains around you is incredible. You seem to have found a great formula. One day when I do complete my first 100, I hope you can be a part of it - either crew, pacer or simply moral support as I train. You have been an inspiration for those of us that have kids in the home and try and balance running.
Congrats! (and way to go Stephen for keeping you on course)
My favorite day of the week is RUNday
So ES 100 wasn't hard enough so you had to take Tylenol PM at the end sections??? I thought you were crazy before but now I know you are! I had no doubt you would finish this race. You are a combination of stubborn, crazy, confident and strong. The finishing time on this course means nothing. The DNF rate was high considering that it wasn't even hot and humid like it should be this time of year. I wonder if you heard anything about why so many people dropped? I know 100's have a high DNF rate but it seemed unusually high for this one. Maybe not. I think you need to work your 1-2 times of getting sick into your annual training schedule. It always seems to be there. The lady that stopped and prayed for you was your guardian angel. Never under estimate the power of a simple prayer. It has gotten me through many things in life. I hope to one day complete ES. I wanted very badly to run in the inaugural running of it. I had signed up and made it on the list of the original 200 even before running my qualifier (Stone Mill). But it wasn't long after SM that I knew something was wrong and 2014 would not be what I expected. All for the best I suppose. With moving, I would have had little time to get in the training runs I needed. Speaking of training runs, I have to make a comment on your training. Aside from the pneumonia, it is amazing how you can get through a 100 miler without the LRs. Your consistency in the mountains around you is incredible. You seem to have found a great formula. One day when I do complete my first 100, I hope you can be a part of it - either crew, pacer or simply moral support as I train. You have been an inspiration for those of us that have kids in the home and try and balance running. Congrats! (and way to go Stephen for keeping you on course)
The DNF rate was so high due to the difficulty of the trails. Think of Hyner, for 100 miles, plus the drop-offs, black holes, night running, heavy rain, and deep creek crossings. Most of the participants were experienced 100-mile runners, not many newbies, that says a lot. Not many injuries due to falls, hardly any falls at all. (I think everybody was afraid of falling off a cliff, so we paid much attention to prevent falls!)
The aid stations were great, though, they provided moral support on top of good food, and medical staff was available almost at each one of them.
On my training, I think it was the lack of long runs (mostly because of the pneumonia setback) which made my knees hurt so badly. They were just not conditioned for the distance in addition to the hills. I had no problem at OC100, which has a respectable 18,300 ft elevation gain (though it is far less noticeable than the 20,000+ ft at ES).
I know you can complete a 100-miler, and I think and hope that ES will be around for a while, perhaps even become a classic. Just take your time to get ready, let things settle down, then start up again.
I would definitely love to be on your crew, or pacer!
Congratulations Marie !!!
I was following you online, but they were not updating the information for hours on end. Even though I knew it had to be "reporting problem" (I guess a glitch due to the first time running of the event), it made for some nerve-wracking hours. I'm so glad that you were able to get it done. You really toughed it out for sure. Enjoy the recovery time and wear that jacket proudly.
I'll be up your way in a few weeks, perhaps we can get together for another run.
tbd.
I think part of the delay in updating the webcast was caused by the remoteness of the area. No phone signals, no internet connection. They had to radio the results back to the base, who then updated the webcasts. Maybe the aid stations radioed back only after all of the runners were through, or only twice during their "business hours"?
I will forward this to the RD, perhaps it will get better with the years.
Looking forward to running with you!
Refurbished Hip
Sorry I am late to the party, but huge congrats, Marie! I never doubted you would make it to the end, but Tylenol PM?! You poor thing.
I'd be really interested to see what you could do in an "easier" 100. I think you have a sub-24 in you.
Running is dumb.
Yeah, what about Superior 100 next year? You can count me in to crew.
Haha. yes that there is one easy 100. LOL.
I just looked at Superior Sawtooth, and it sounds great. A bit more than ES, but much more generous cutoffs.
What are the trails like in the area?
EDIT: Let's continue the discussion on that topic in the other thread, "Winter-ultra in/near PA"