Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1998 21:13 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Another Vt 100 race report
From: Oliver Holt <oholt@sanders.com>

If you don't like long race reports, some whining about sore calfs, bad
writing and spelling delete know. If you can suffer through that here is my
Vt 100 race report.

I wish I could say I had as much fun at VT100 as last year but I can't. It
was of my own doing though. My wife and I drove over from N.H. on Thursday
afternoon and we stayed in a nice apartment in Woodstock. Very simple drive
and nice comfortable accommodations compared to those who traveled for many
hours or even days and then camped at Smoke Rise Farm.
It was early to bed Thursday night but still got very litHe sleep, keep
reliving last years run over in my head an wondering how I would ever match
that effort. You see I have this mental block, my first run at any course
is always my best and I have never broken that trend. So last years 23:23
was the obstacle. I keep trying to tell myself it was unimportant but for
some reason parts of me was not buying it.
Went over to the Farm early Friday morning to check in, before eating, did
not want to weigh to much. Then my wife, Sue and I went to the Creamery in
Woodstock for breakfast. I hung around the apartment while Sue went to
visit Billings Farm and The Raptor Science place. I probably would have
been better off going with her, for I could not sleep or eat all Friday
afternoon, I just sat and worried.
Around 3:30 pm Sue returned and we went over to0 the prerace briefing, This
years was good but last years had even more detail and questions.
Met up wiTh Sue Johnston and shared a table with her at supper. I actually
had the hornor of running a race with Sue about 3 years ago. Since then she
either got a lot faster or I got a lot slower. I prefer to believe she got
faster. I still was not able to eat as much as usual. I did ruin Sue's meal
by bringing up the subject of pit stops and how my last years race
consisted of many as the race went on. Sue informed me she was using CLIP
and Electrolyte Caps. That made me feel better because that was my plan
also.
After the meal it was back to the apartment and early to bed. Still no
sleep. No mutter how much I tried to convince myself I was here to have fun
and to forget time it did not relax me.
Up at 2:45am try to eat an drink, get the dry heaves just thinking about
it, so I carry the food to the car and have my wife drive us to Smoke Rise
Farm.
At the Farm I get in the Port-a-John line and wait. Still can't eat so I
throw the food away, I do finish the Gatorade though.
Finish packing my Fanny Pack, 5 flask's of CLIP, 30 electrolyte caps,
Compeed, and a zip lock bag full of Gatorade powder. Go to the start and
stay way in the back trying to relax. Start nice and easy and just try to
go with the flow. Everything starting to feel good. Get to the first aid
station take some fluid and quickly up chuck it all. Now this looks good
I've only gone 3-4 miles and and I am losing my breakfast already. I will
tell you it was not a confidence building moment. Next I notice I never
started my watch (ended up being a good thing). Now I am wondering what
else could possibly go wrong. Decide I will take my first electrolyte cap.
Reach bach into my fanny pack and the zipper is stuck, pull on it some and
get it open. Everything is sticky. So I figure one of the CLIP flask's had
leaked a little. Take the cap and struggle to close the zipper. Next my
shorts are starting to get sticky, what's going on. Next time back into the
pack the zipper works even harder and I think it must be just sticky. Third
time in the pack I broke the zipper. Now I am starting to worry about how
to get stuff out of the pack. I had planned on not having a crew or support
until Camp 10 Bear, but luckily my wife wanted a picture of me at Lincoln
Bridge and I had a second fanny pack for my daughter, who was to pace me
latter on, in the car so I switched packs while the aid station people told
me it was not a crew station. I completely agreed with them but my day was
going down hill faster than the ups and downs of the trail so I disregarded
their comments and changed fanny packs.
It was too late for my shorts and the back of my legs though, they were
completely covered in white sticky powder. Turns out that zip lock bags and
zippers don't mix.
>From the Lincoln Bridge on things actually got better. The horse handlers
let me use their buckets to soak my head. One of the aid station people
actually stopped me and covered me with Suntan lotion. Good thing because I
burn very easily and the sun was very bright.
Last year I had a very good uneventful run but I only ran up to about 62
miles then walked every step to finish in 23:23. This year my wife told me
I was about 1 hour behind at the Lincoln Bridge but was only about 3o
minutes behind at Camp 10 Bear the first time and almost on time for the
second trip through Camp 10 Bear. This was a good surprise because I was
still running some compared to last year's walking at this point. The climb
from Camp 10 Bear to mile 70 was no easier this year than last. Continued
on to the mile 82 or so weight-in and found I was only 3 lbs down. Picked
up my daughter as my pacer at this point. It was fun talking with her and
getting to here all the things she has been up too. Kids don't seem to
communicate much with you until you can get them alone and have a good
one-on-one adult conversation and this was my opportunity.
I was still running a few steps now and then but complaining about the new
hills. I think they bring in new hills every year and distribute then
around the course. I remembered the climb up Blood Hill but where did the
climb from 90 to 94 come from, that was not in my memory bank or my energy
plan.
When I sot to 96 I was back in the behind column by about 30 minutes. I
know had 40 minutes to finish in under 24 hours. Last year I somehow made
it over this hill in 41 minutes. This year my calfs were so sore and my
energy gone so I did not even try to break 24. As the hill continued and I
slowed. I gave my daughter permission to shoot me if I ever discussed doing
this again. She accepted. Then the dry and wet heaves started, Then the
hick ups (SP) and then finally the field, the top of the hill. I just
wanted to lay down in the cool damp grass and take a nap, looking at all
those stars. None of this hiding behind horses like Steve Pero. If someone
caught me I wished them well and moved out of the way. I had no competive
energy left and when my daughter said lets get that buckle my response was
I got a buckle lets so for a plaque.
Here it is Thursday, my calfs are still in pain, I have no regrets about
not getting a buckle and I am trying to figure out how I will tell my wife
and daughter I want to go back next year.
I want to thank Steve Pero, Sue Johnston, my daughter and wife for all the
support and good information, and last and least Jim Gilford (Gilly) for
making all the noise at all the aid stations keeping the whole state of
Vermont awake all night as he cheered for his GAC team mates.
Lesson Learned:
Don't Carry Gatorade in a zip lock bag.
Lesson not learned:
how to relax.
Ollie Holt
ultra sore runner