After helping a few clients through their own 100 mile races I felt a pull to complete the distance myself. They didn’t make the race look easy by any means but they made this once daunting distance seem possible.
Completing this race at 1 year and 1 week post-partum while breastfeeding was going to make this race extra special to me. I also needed a race without a tight cutoff as stopping to pump was going to add on time.
Enter Milestone Events. This isn’t your typical 100 mile race. The race provides lodging, 3 meals a day, on course aid stations, recovery tent, and even massages to help support you to completing the 10 – 10 mile loops. Without this set up, I wouldn’t have been saying yes to my first 100 mile race, at least not at this time.
Training for the race was going well until I had an injury pop up in June. My physical therapist (PT) described it as general hip weakness. The PT was ok with me continuing to run and train as long as the pain wasn’t sharp. I missed three long runs in a row in June and I worried that I was under trained.
Thankfully, I was able to nail my peak week with 69 miles which included a 38 mile day (spread out over 3 runs) and a 12 mile run the next day. All of that was done pain free which was a huge confidence booster. I had found that if I started every run with a 10 minute walk that I would most likely make it through the run without pain.
I felt really strong about my nutrition plan going into the race. In training I would take a 1-3 minute walk break to eat every 20-30 minutes. I found a wide variety of products that worked for me and even tried Coke on a particularly hot run.
Shane and I did every long run together and our plan was to stay together for the whole race.
The race had a basecamp with an aid station. This is where you would start and finish each lap as well as stamp the board. There were two other aid stations on course at miles 3.8 and 6.5. The recovery tent and restaurant where we ate meals was about a block away and the house I was staying in was about a quarter of a mile away from basecamp.
The alarm went off way too early at 3:30am and in hindsight I should have woken up even earlier. I started getting ready, pumped, and made it to breakfast with about 15 minutes before the start of the race. I felt very rushed and was starting to stress as I still needed to fill up bottles. Before I knew it the starting gun was going off.
Shane and I started this loop in the back as the plan was to start with a 10 minute walk, just like how I started my training runs. It worked out perfectly because the first two miles were uphill so would have included a lot walking anyway.
I noticed how quickly my breathing picked up and how I felt my heart was going to pound out of my chest. Hello altitude! This lap was all about walking the uphills and running the downhills as well as trying not to get lost in the dark. I remember loving the section between the last aid station at mile 6.5 and basecamp. Before I knew it loop one was done and only nine more loops to go!
We didn’t spend long at basecamp, refilled bottles and grabbed more nutrition before setting out on loop 2. Seeing the trail in the light made me realize how steep the first two miles were. I actually preferred the course in the dark, you couldn’t see what was coming. I feel that I was starting to fall slightly behind with my nutrition. With technical trails I found it hard to eat because I was very focused on not falling.
I realized if Shane and I didn’t spend long at the basecamp that we could do one more loop before I needed to pump. We were making really good time on this loop – almost too good of time. I’ve found that the uphill sections are my strong point. I don’t like to go slow on them and can hike fast and strong during those parts.
The sun was out in full force, 85 degrees and very little shade on the course. We arrived to the 6.5 mile aid station feeling really good. Shortly after is where the heat hit both of us and hit us hard. Looking back we pushed a little too hard on the first part of this loop. We struggled those last three miles. It must have been apparent when we finally made it back to basecamp as the volunteers went to work getting us in the shade, nutrition, and helping us cool down.
Since I needed to pump, we decided it would be best to grab a meal that was provided by the race, go back to the room so I could pump before heading back out for loop 4. I struggled to eat more than a few bites of the sandwich and focused on eating pretzels and drinking Gnarly instead.
Before heading out, someone recommended getting our sun shirts and hats wet. This was something we had talked about doing leading up to the race but in the moment had blanked on. It felt so good and really cooled us off. We ended up rewetting our shirts at the next two aid stations. We hiked this hole loop. That wasn’t the plan but both of us felt drained from the previous loop and thought this would help us hit the next few loops harder. I was starting to feel nauseous whenever I would try to eat.
After completing this loop, I needed to pump for the final time for the night and we grabbed pizza. Once again, I struggled to eat. I was able to get most of the crust but none of the toppings went down. I was starting to get nervous about my nutrition or lack there of. Options like pretzels, Swedish fish, watermelon, Coke, ginger ale, and chips were going down well but I was struggling with more calorie dense options which I knew my body needed with the mileage and pumping.
This loop was mostly in the dark. We saw a couple of coyotes and Shane who was leading at this time had a few bats swoop down at him. I started this loop on a high and had so much energy through the first aid station.
The energy really faded and I could not keep my eyes open during the last 4 miles. We had talked about taking a small break to sleep for an hour after this loop so I didn’t want to take in caffeine even if it meant an energy boost. Once the loop was finished, we went back to our room and this is where things took a turn.
I started shivering. I showered and was violently shaking because of how cold I was even though the water was scalding. I got under blankets and still could not stop shaking. I tossed and turned and started sweating followed by shivering. After that went on for 2 hours, a longer break than we had planned because of how I was feeling, I realized I should check-in with medical.
This is where I met Kevin. Kevin saved my (our) race. He started wrapping me in space blankets. The blankets didn’t help much so he started heating up water in tinfoil containers on an electric griddle, putting the water in Ziploc baggies and putting it on some of my major arteries. He kept telling me he wasn’t the medic but had worked in wilderness rescue. He also started lifting cups of warm water with honey in it to my mouth to help warm me from the inside out and give me much needed calories.
After about 90 minutes of this all of a sudden, I felt that I was going to fall asleep, like my body could finally relax. He instructed me to try and sleep for an hour, eat breakfast, and let’s talk about my race. At this point both Shane and I thought the 100 miles was done for. I knew that being ok was priority #1 but it was heartbreaking to think all the time and energy you put towards something was slipping away.
After sleeping for an hour, we went down to breakfast where we talked to Kevin and the medic who both gave me the ok to do one lap. They didn’t say no to finishing the five laps I had left but said I needed to take it lap by lap depending on how my body was feeling.
I was scared, uncertain, and hyperaware of how my body was feeling. We started this loop just under 12 hours after finishing loop 5. Instead of being close to done, we were only halfway. I went through moments thinking there is still time, you can still do this followed by tears of the 100 is over but you might be able to get in 80 or 90 miles. We hiked this whole loop. I was scared of pushing my body too far after what happened the night before. We are fairly fast hikers and was able to do the 10 miles in 3.5 hours.
At this point in the race, I was able to eat more substantial foods like grilled cheese and quesadillas. Although it was a lot harder to eat these foods if they weren’t warm. I also noticed that fruit was going down really easy and every few hours had a new fruit being offered: watermelon, bananas, grapes, pineapple, and peaches. When I first saw the peaches my mouth started watering. The volunteer offered to cut it up for me but I asked for the whole thing because I knew I would be able to eat it all.
I really focused on hitting the calories this day. This included having Coke or ginger ale at every aid station. I made sure I was finishing my bottle of Gnarly between aid stations.
Day 2 was proving to be hotter with less wind. We were ready for our next loop but decided to spend time in the recovery tent and wait for things to cool off slightly. I put on the Normatec boots and immediately said no because my big toe was in rough shape and the pressure was too much.
The timing of this loop wasn’t great. I knew I wouldn’t be able to make it back to base camp before needing to pump because we decided to wait. The mile 6.5 aid station was about a quarter of a mile from base camp so I asked if I could start the lap, check out at the aid station, pump at basecamp, and go back to the aid station. Instead, they offered to bring my pump to me. Milestone and all the volunteers were so accommodating with me needing to pump.
As soon as I got to the mile 6.5 aid station and saw Heidi was volunteering, I was so excited. I had known Heidi through IG so it was fun to meet her in-person. She let basecamp know I needed my pump and made me toast while I waited for it to be delivered. Looking back, I wish I would have had them bring it while I was at the previous aid station but it wasn’t a big deal as at this point, we were confident we would finish the race just with a lot slower time than we had thought.
Started this loop in the dark and all I could think about was the mountain lion sightings from other runners. I kept banging my poles on the rocks to a make noise as well as keeping my head down because I did not want to see their eyes glowing in the distance. We ended up spending a few miles with James who is an amputee and running with a blade prosthetic. Seeing him crush the challenging parts of the course was inspiring.
I also realized that I loved miles 6.5-10 during the first loop and they were becoming my least favorite miles. I didn’t realize how technical they were and the last two miles although on a dirt road made for jeep excursions, was so windy and felt that it would never, ever end.
During this lap we knew. We knew we were going to finish and get our buckle.
We were finishing this loop when I started to get cold. I was so scared of what happened the night before would happen again. Together, Shane and I decided to call it for the night. We decided to try and sleep for 2 hours and hammer out the last two loops early in the morning.
By the time I was back to the room I was shivering. I decided not to shower and instead put on sweatpants, sweatshirt, wrapped myself in the space blankets, and had about five other blankets on top. I still shivered throughout the night but it was nowhere near as bad.
It was chilly this morning but knew it was supposed to be the hottest of all three days. I ended up putting on gloves and a hat during the first mile because of how cold I felt. Milestone would give you a yellow jersey for your “golden lap” and seeing those yellow jerseys out there was inspiring and exciting because I knew the next lap we would be wearing ours. I was doing much better with eating compared to the first day and kept what I called an emergency supply of Swedish fish in my front vest pocket to munch on.
The final lap…finally! We started this loop with the biggest burst of adrenaline. Wearing the yellow jersey was special. It felt like you were getting extra cheers and smiles which is a big energy boost. There were a few rocks and stumps that we said goodbye to during our last loop like “I will not be stubbing my toe on you anymore.”
Miles 1-3.8 felt really great and flew by. Miles 3.8-6.5 weren’t bad but we didn’t have the pep in our step and it was starting to feel really hot. Miles 6.5-10 ugh the least favorite spot.
During a particularly low moment, even so close to the end, I was questioning if I could do this and how this is the hardest thing I have ever done. I stopped myself and thought “no, navigating a preemie baby in the NICU is the hardest thing you have ever done. You made it through that, you can make it through this”
Finally the finish line was in sight and we picked up the pace. We crossed the finish line and guess who was there even though his volunteer shift was over? Kevin.
We all cried and I told him this race, this finish is because of you. I wouldn’t have made it without you.
I left the race proud of myself but also wanting more. I’m hesitant to use the word disappointed because I know that accomplishing a 100 mile race at 1 year post-partum while breastfeeding is a huge accomplishment. I also know I have a better time in me and that I made mistakes out there.
Thank you, Milestone Events, for creating this special race and making the 100 miles possible.
Hi, I'm Amy aka the Running Dietitian. An expert in all things running and nutrition.
