Quicksilver 100k Archives ~ TRAILMOMMA

May 17, 2022May 18, 2022

QUICKSILVER 100k (Race Report)

I finally saw the infamous ultra “pain cave” that everyone talks about looming in front of me. I took a few steps inside, looked around but I refused to stay knowing that if I went in, I might not get back out.

Like a lot of runners who toed the line at the 2022 Quicksilver 100k this past weekend, this was supposed to be our 2020 race. Some chose to run the bonus race in September of 2021 (hindsight – it is way cooler in September than in May), but others, like myself, bumped it to May of 2022. A new course or really, just a new finish was the biggest change. For me, it was the farthest I have run since my 100 miler at Pine to Palm in September of 2019. There were many mental and physical hurdles between then and now which made my stomach a ball of nerves when race week arrived.

All throughout the week I would organize my race gear on my dining room table. Another big change between previous Quicksilver 100k races and the new course is the number of drop bags allowed. When I ran it in 2016 and 2018, there were 5 different spots you could potentially leave a drop bag. Now, there are two with the last one being at mile 44.1 of the race. Mentally, that threw me for a loop since I knew that in prior years, some of the aid-stations later in the race (namely the second to last) are so remote, they run out of ice and other items.

I worked a half day on Friday and took the afternoon off to drive to San Jose. I actually made great time and was there well before packet pick up was open. I swung by Whole Foods and got what I needed for my post-race meal and then drove over to Sports Basement (this place is incredible – I just love it) and wandered around the store until I could grab my race bib.

“Shopping” – I should have bought this. 🙂

As I was leaving with my race schwag and bib, I ran into S who was also running. He’d run the bonus race in September of 2021 as well so he knew the new course. Seeing him always makes me smile and got me more excited for race day.

This race is a tough one because it starts at 4:30 am. Yes, 4:30 … check-in is at 3:30 am. So that means waking around 2:00 am to start getting packed, fed and ready. Sleep did not come super easy. I went to bed as early as I could, I ate as early as I could but I still tossed and turned quite a bit with my brain overthinking everything.

Start line – that’s Miss P with the pony tail

I got to the starting area just fine. S and C arrived two seconds behind me. I checked in, then had to move my car and then used the porta potties about three or four times before it was time to line up. A headlamp is required to start this race and one of my goals was to NOT need the headlamp again for the finish.

Miss P my dear friend who I met when I first started doing ultras in 2010 was running as well. I helped pace her at her first 100 quite a few years ago, and I know, she is a super strong runner. She makes it look so easy. She is fierce and fast.

When the “gun” went off, the crowd started the run/march uphill. S took off, wanting to get ahead of the big crowd. After a while, I could not get footing myself, so I started to run uphill bobbing and weaving around a lot of people until I could get a nice spot. It is not super steep, and I felt it was runnable but I also wanted to make sure I did not trip as it was also quite rocky.

The temperatures were predicted to be somewhere between 85 and 90 degrees. That’s not really abnormal for a May Quicksilver BUT the week leading up to the race was downright chilly and rainy making the transition from cool temps one day to squelching hot unbearable temps another, a tough one. It was hot at 4:30 am! I just told myself to keep running as much as I could, comfortably so that I could get a lot of miles out of the way while it was dark and cool(er).

That was the last photo I took for a while because I decided I needed to focus on running.

Hicks #1 Mile 6.1 (6.4 to the next AS)

I ran through the first aid-station, not really needing anything here. I carry a lot in my pack because I try and rely on mostly what I carry with me until I no longer can.

When I started the race my stomach did not feel “awesome” … it wasn’t bad, more like a nervous pit kind of feeling so that is what I chalked it up to be. By mile 7 or so, it was making itself known that it wasn’t disappearing. It wasn’t getting worse, but it was making running uncomfortable at times.

Woods Road #1 Mile 12.5 (5.4 to the next AS)

Refilled my water bottle here. In and out.

Lexington Mile 17.9 (7.9 to the next AS)

Lexington is just off a paved road. I knew that the next aid station was quite a ways out and that we had some killer hills coming up. I just made sure I had water in my bottles and I started soaking my bandana to keep my neck and face cool.

Mile 20.7 – the start of some serious climbing

It was around mile 20 that things started to change. I looked down at my hands and noticed that my fingers looked huge. I could barely bend them they were so swollen. I also had “tried” to go to the bathroom a few times along the course with no luck. Something wasn’t right.

This section of the course is pretty gnarly. You have the Kennedy Rollers (photo above) followed directly into Dog Meat (photo below).

I was lucky enough to be with Miss P during quite a bit of this section or rather behind her watching her just cruise and crush every runner hiking up these hills. She just has the most steady, consistent and powerful uphill hike. She was blowing by runners with poles even.

All I could do was hike. It was hot. It was sunny. I was swelling a ton in my hands. Every step I took up, I felt like I slid back a few inches the gravel was so dry. I focused on my form and what I tell the kids I coach “hands follow feet – move your hands and your feet will follow.” So that is what I did until we got to the top and had to turn and go way way way way down.

On this crazy 3 mile-ish downhill stretch you pass runners hiking back up so you know, once you hit the bottom, you have to turn and hike back up. I was using gravity to just pull me knowing that perhaps this may come back to bite me later if I blow out my quads but my power hike I felt ate up so much time.

I passed S hiking his way up. He looked hot but smiley and it was nice to see his face.

Kennedy Road Mile 25.8 (5.5 to the next aid-station)

When I got here I had to make a decision. I tried (again) to use the restroom (no luck) so I switched from what I had been consuming to just plain water. I was hopeful that maybe I could flush out the sodium I was clearly retaining in my hands. I also grabbed a Coke which is rare for me this early in a race (if at all) but I was hoping it would act as a diuretic.

Luckily, I was still able to consume the Spring Energy gels I had on me, even if they were warm.

The climb back up is long, hot, brutal and when you get to the top, you still have to go even farther before you get to the aid-station.

Woods Road #2 Mile 31.3 (6.5 to the next aid-station)

This aid-station is always a site for sore eyes because by now you’re dying for an ice cold refuel, shade and the awareness that you are half way done with the race! The volunteers (at all the aid-stations) are awesome but these guys are great because you are SO happy to see them.

Hicks Road #2 Mile 37.8 (3.6 miles to the next aid-station)

I am not entirely sure, but I think it was in this stretch that I accidentally kicked a rock with my LEFT foot. I immediately felt my toenail sort of dislodge a bit. I have been blessed in my ultra career to not have any foot issues. That was all about to change in this race.

The stretch here was uplifting for me because we were heading back to the start (and finish) area. This is where I had my only drop bag and I was ready to dump what I had been carrying, that wasn’t working and pick up some new gels and items to see if I could continue to make progress in my hand swelling and stomach discomfort.

Hacienda Mile 41.4 (3.1 miles to the next aid-station)

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This was a downhill stretch coming in and so I ran it and then my drop bag. I was starting to worry about the lack of electrolytes. I didn’t want too much sodium, but it was just so hot. I changed one of my soft flasks to the fuel being handed out at the aid-stations (Skratch Pink Lemonade). At first sip, it made me nauseous but then, it really started to help make me feel better. I would continue to fill one bottle with that.

The rough part here is that you have to walk/run past the finish line and head back out for another 20 something miles while watching 50k finishers run into the finish, see the food trucks and everyone chilling in the shade. Mind battles!

The stretch to the next aid-station is only 3.1 miles but for me, it has always been a struggle. It is up hill. Paula was with me for a bit and then in Paula fashion, she blazed ahead uphill like a machine. I struggled to just keep hiking, focusing on my form, fueling and ignoring the weird feeling in my stomach and in my left foot (didn’t hurt but I could feel the toe nail).

Mockingbird Mile 44.5 (3.9 to the next aid-station)

Another aid-station – same ritual. Ice down the sports bra, water in one bottle at all times.

From here, you climb some shaded (finally) single track but it’s rocky and uphill. Paula and I were once again together. We caught up a lot here. She said she was struggling a bit but she looked amazing. Most of the runners around us had pacers with them so it was nice to have someone to chat with and pass some miles with here. I was feeling pretty low, like I wasn’t going to qualify for Western States. I knew I could finish this race, but would I qualify? I realized I didn’t care whether I did or didn’t (that’s what I was telling myself). I even texted C to tell her that I didn’t think I would qualify but that I would finish. I told her about my sodium issues and my struggle with my stomach.

On the way to the next aid-station, there was some downhill and I separated from Paula because I started to feel really good. Maybe it was the Scratch kicking in (yay electrolytes) but I got a second wind. I also decided that it was ok not to qualify for WS but I’ll be damned if I miss it by just few minutes.

I ran into a runner and her pacer here as well. I learned that it was her first 100k and she was struggling a bit. I told her to put ice in her sports bra when we go to the aid-station and to start counting down the miles. My jedi mind trick. Helping her, in turn helped give me a boost.

Bull Run #1 Mile 48.4 (5.7 to the next aid-station)

I love this aid-station because they are usually so fun and loud and energetic and best of all, fully stocked. I arrived, grabbed ice for my sports bra, some fuel and headed out.

To add some mileage, you have to veer right onto what I’ve always called the Lollipop loop. You run out around a tree and then back and someone is at the entrance marking when you entered and when you come back to ensure all runners honestly do this loop and do not bypass it.

It was on this loop that kicked (hard) a rock with my RIGHT foot. Earlier it was with my left. This one was SO hard that expletives came flying out and I hopped a little bit. Like my right, I felt the toe nail dislodge. What in the world was happening with my feet today???!!!!

I made the right turn out of the lollipop trail and knew instantly what was coming … my favorite section of the course, Tina’s Den (no longer called that I don’t think). This is a single track shaded downhill section that in 2016 and 2018 I just FLEW down. I have always had the energy and the power here … except this year.

I’d let gravity pull me and then have to hike some, let it pull, then hike again. My toes were killing me, my quads were finally starting to protest all of those earlier hills I bombed. My second wind, my second life, was slowly deflating.

This used to be the “fastest” section in my head but this year, it went on forever and ever and ever. I was mostly alone. A few runners passed me, I passed one or two who were struggling.

Finally we are dumped off the single track and onto the fire road, I knew that the second to last aid-station was coming. I knew when I got to that aid-station, I had to look at my watch to see what my time was to see if I was still within range to qualify for Western States.

McAbee Mile 54.1 (4.9 miles to the next aid-station)

I arrived at McAbee and there was some carnage like there is every year. There was no ice so I refilled with warm water. I looked at my watch and saw that I had 45 minutes before the cutoff for a Western States qualifying time. Dang it, that’s too close in my math challenged head. Realistically, I probably had TONS of time but I am bad at math and luckily in the right direction so it pushed me forward.

Lots of uphill here again. At mile 55 I suddenly had to pee! Oh my gosh! I had to pee, FINALLY! There is pretty much no where to pee on a lot of these trails so I scrambled up a side hill and ducked behind some trees. Finally! My flush with water plan was working. My fingers were slowly reducing in size too.

Hiking toward what would be the last and final aid-station of the day (and again, my favorite) I ran into a guy who reminded me that this aid-station had otter pops! I had completely missed it on my first stop but I was hoping they had some left because that sounded amazing.

Bull Run #2 Mile 59 (3 miles to the FINISH)

When I arrived at the aid-station it was mellow, not too many runners at one time. I had one volunteer take one bottle and fill with water and ice (just in case), another pulled the trash out of my pocket and another got me an Otter Pop. Seriously could not love these volunteers more!

Otter pop heaven. Ready to be done with this.

They told me it was 3 miles down hill to the finish. I asked if it was REALLY downhill … because on the previous course, it was touted as downhill but there were a few sneaky rollers in there.

Once I got my legs under me, I took off. Sure enough it was down freaking hill! I inhaled the otter pop and just flew. You know when you feel like you’re just sprinting and flying and then you look at your splits and you so are not? 🙂 That is what this felt like. Mile 60 was 13:41 and mile 61 was 10:05 … but I felt like I was doing 7 minute miles. 🙂

I heard the finish and tried to run even harder. I crossed the finish line and the crowd went crazy. I guess I ran in faster than anyone had in a while. I just want to be done!

When I finished, a nice volunteer handed me my finishers medal and a second one handed that above medal, “Nice job Pamela! That was some finish!” he said. I looked at the medal and replied, “You must be mistaken. This can’t be right.” He said, “Nope, you got third in your age group! Congratulations!”

My finish time was 14:46. I qualified for Western States and while technically, this is a new course (the finish was the only difference), I ran faster than I had in 2018. However, I was toast.

I still couldn’t believe I had gotten 3rd AG. Not going to lie, it gave me that feel good boost to get my body in the car and drive all the way back to my hotel. It was a nice thing to text the family too who had been cheering for me.

Later when I checked the results, I saw I was actually 5th. I felt horrible. I emailed the race directors and told them I’d be happy to mail the medal to the appropriate owner. They said that I DID earn it. The two ladies who placed first and second, placed first and second OVERALL (my age bracket is a tough one) and since they don’t provide second sets of medals, I got 3rd via 5th. 🙂 I did get 12th female overall. None of that actually matters to me though, it’s all bonus and glory and great for a blog story (and to impress the kiddos). 🙂

What matters most is that I finished. I overcame some serious pain in my feet (which by the way look horrendous and are super painful). I also discovered the largest (and only) blister I have ever had on my big toe when I got back to my hotel (seriously, this is all new to me!). I had problem solved whatever was going on with my sodium intake and stomach. I stepped inside the pain cave, but I did not let myself stay there. I refused to let myself stay there.

My A-race for the year is over. Mentally, I have jumped that distance hurdle. The one that was nagging at me for the last two years. I felt so behind, so out of the ultra running loop. Now it is time to recover and heal and figure out what I need to tweak.

If you’re still reading (which I think no one does – but these are great for me to look back on), thank you. Thank you to S and C for being out there even if I never saw you. Thank you to Miss P for those miles and inspiring me to up my power hiking game. Thank you to Sandi and Higher Runner for your continued support, guidance and for always being a proponent of mind over matter and positive talk.

I fully believe: If the mind breaks, the body will follow.

Happy Trails!

~Trailmoma

EDITED TO ADD:

I do not think, that I really had a (dangerous) sodium issue during this race. What I DO think happened here for this race is that it was my first 100k back since 2019 and a really hot and difficult race with over 13,000 ft of climbing, 90 degree temps after a week of 50 degrees and rain and a course with very little shade. That’s my explanation for the finger swelling, it was hot and truly the first hot run of the year. Mentally, I had forgotten how difficult running 62 miles really is perhaps as well (I know I did).

As for my feet, that is me being super clumsy I guess and fatigued hitting those rocks. The blister can again be explained by perhaps my toes were swelling due to the heat. The lucky part about that, is that I never felt the blister. I did not know I even had one until after the race.

I am not done with racing or doing difficult races. I just now know taking a year or or even two year long breaks makes coming back a lot harder. 🙂

May 15, 2018May 16, 2018

QUICKSILVER 100K (Race Report)

I don’t even know where to begin with this race. I guess an apology should be first. I failed as a blogger by not really taking very many photos. My focus was to finish and at some point during my 62 mile adventure, my focus became “just survive.”

Photo from: www.quicksilver-running.com

The training road leading up to Quicksilver was long. Back in March I had run the Marin Ultra Challenge (MUC) mostly as a training run but it also was a bucket list race for me as well. However after MUC, I found myself not being as excited to go out for a long run anymore. That’s pretty rare in my world. I love running on trails. A lot.

To be fair, April and May have been insanely busy months for us. Birthdays, vacations, swim team, soccer team, volunteer duties and oh yeah, that full-time job that I have too. I was truly starting to feel like I was burning the candle at both ends some days but then other days, I had boundless energy.

When race week arrived, I had finally started to get excited. I spent the week using my dining room table as my race headquarters, adding and taking away things that I wanted to pack.

I had planned for three drop bags one of which would be a “safety” bag – a bag that I could use if I absolutely needed but wouldn’t mind donating to the post-race lost and found either.

When I ran this race 2 years ago, the biggest concern was inventory at the aid-stations. If you were near the back of the pack, as Pigeon and I were back then, you were &hit out of luck if you wanted soda or water at an aid-station. This time around, I planned my drop bags accordingly.

When Friday rolled around, Pigeon and I left town. Our first stop was at Pushkins (a gluten free and partially vegan bakery) for sandwiches. It was Pigeon’s first time. She dug it.

San Jose is about a 2.5 hour drive for us. Leaving as early as we did, we missed a lot of gnarly traffic. .

We picked up our swag from the Sports Basement, grabbed some food from Whole Foods for post race and then headed to our hotel to chill. We both were spouse-less and childless for the next 24 to 48 hours.

With a 4:30 am race start, 2:15 am came pretty quick. Surprisingly I actually slept quite well. The hotel bed was heaven. We dressed, ate, packed our drop bags and headed to the race start.

This year we didn’t get our bibs until the morning of the race which caused a bit of a back-log and resulted in the race starting 15 minutes late on what was already going to be a VERY hot day. The sky was clear, every star visible which meant the sun would be beating down on us as soon as it came up.

The race director gave us a quick pep talk and at 4:45 am we were on our way, a line of headlamps heading straight up the mountain.

The course this year differed quite a bit compared to two years ago and to how it was listed in their course description (which differed from their turn-by-turn directions). I was a little thrown off by this but the mileage was panning out as expected. I was also running with people so I knew I had not made a wrong turn.

One familiar part was running around the cemetery (it is so cool). Someone yelled, “Trailmomma!” and whoever you were I apologize! I was still adjusting from removing my headlamp and I have no idea who you were but you made me smile so thank you!!!

The first aid-station we came to is Hicks #1 (mile 6.1). I was in and out and on my way.

My legs were feeling pretty good. I had been running quite a bit of the uphills and going slower on the down hills to preserve my quads (which would benefit me later in the day).

The second aid-station was Wood Road #1 (mile 12.5). What a lively bunch! I think I stopped briefly here to see what they had. My goal was to just keep moving and eat what I had on me, what I knew I liked and what I knew worked.

I just kept running and bobbing back and forth with a group that seemed to be running together. I was chatting with a guy who was asking me about Dogmeat. I inadvertently told him that it came around mile 15. Pretty sure it was more like mile 20 or something. Oops

The trail then dumps you out onto the pavement and you’re directed up the hill to the Lexington aid-station (mile 17.9). The girl directing us was none other than Amelia Boone! I totally fan-girled her and said her name and she turned and looked at me like, “Do I know you?” and I just had to say, “You don’t know me, but I follow you on Instagram.” HA! That’s a TOTAL “I carried a watermelon” line!! (Dirty Dancing reference for those who don’t get it).

I was actually laughing to myself as I ran into the aid-station. I was in and out of here pretty quick climbing up the hill to Priest Rock Trail (aka Dogmeat). I don’t think it even registered with me that I was even on Dogmeat until I was mostly done. It didn’t seem as bad as two years ago which is good because what came after WAS pretty terrible! 🙂

Me on Dogmeat Photo by: Sean McPherson — Me on Dogmeat
Photo by: Sean McPherson

The next 8 miles were newly added to the course last year. You run four miles down (and I do mean down) to the Kennedy Road aid-station (mile 25.8). As I was starting my descent, Cat Bradley was running up the hill and told me she liked my hat. 🙂 Another fan-girl moment.

The descent down wasn’t too terrible, it was hot and exposed but what I noticed most were all the runners coming back up. They looked like they’d been hit by a mack-truck! Brutal.

I made it to the bottom and I over heard the volunteers talking about conserving water and ice. They wouldn’t open another bag of ice for a runner. Uh-oh. That’s not a good sign.

I got in and out of there. I wasn’t eager to climb back out but I did want to get it over with.

Once you climb up those four miles, you continue climbing on the Kennedy Rollers (another 1.5 miles of that I believe) until you are back to the Wood Road aid-station #2 (mile 31.3) which also meant you are half-way done with the race! Yay!!

When I was at the bottom of the hill the volunteer wanted me to call out my bib number but I was so happy to see him that I yelled, “I am so happy to see you I could kiss you right now!” He laughed and told me that was the best response he’d received all day. 🙂

I was really starting to feel the affects of the heat, the distance and the hills. I think I did well by keeping myself cool with my bandanna and my extra water bottle that I used to spray my head and face. My mouth however was not into chewing anything. Certain things that I brought with me I was really trying to force down as I knew at some point, there would be no more solids happening. Calories help make you go and if you can’t take them in, you’ll be in trouble.

Hicks Road #2 (mile 37.8) was next. Here I had a drop bag. Lucky for me I had frozen water bottles that were just almost fully defrosted. I pulled those from my bag and refilled my pack and extra bottle here.

I was some what on a high now as I knew I would be heading to the Hacienda aid-station (mile 41.4) next which was only 3 miles from where there would be a large crowd.
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I left Hacienda excited to get to Mockingbird aid-station (mile 44.5) but my legs wouldn’t have it. I had completely blocked out of my brain how many hills were between Hacienda and Mockingbird. Some runners were picking up their pacers at Hacienda too so they were all happy and coming back to life. I was just eager to get to Mockingbird because I needed the boost and the energy from the crowd even if I didn’t know anyone. 🙂

I arrived at Mockingbird, found my drop bag and did some switching in and out of fuel. I left what wasn’t jiving for me anymore and pulled some new items out that I hoped would help. As I was there, Cat Bradley came through winning the 100k race as first female. I never saw her but I heard everyone cheer. Damn.

I fully admit that I am bad at math. As I was leaving Mockingbird I was texting Vans and Stonegate on my status. I apparently for a little while in my head thought a 100k was 60 miles and thereby eliminated the fact that I had to run more 2 miles. 🙂 I eventually figured out my mistake and again laughed at myself.

When I came to Bull Run #1 aid-station (mile 48.4) I glanced at the table and saw the largest pile of freshly cut orange slices! I grabbed one, shoved it in my mouth and then proceeded to exclaim, “Oh my god this is the best orange in the world!” The woman next to me started laughing. I’m a dork, what can I say? 🙂

I was pretty eager to get to Tina’s Den (aka the mountain lion zone). I was excited NOT because of the potential of seeing a mountain lion but because it is a glorious single track rolling trail (in the shade) and I absolutely LOVE this section.

Once I hit mile 52 on my watch, my brain chemistry changed. I went from “Oh man this race is never going to end,” to “Hell yeah, 10 miles to go let’s do this!”

Whatever I had left in my legs I used them here for a quite a while. I ran and ran. I encouraged some guy who I passed to run and he joined me happy to have me pull him (or so he said). I didn’t have as much energy and power as I had two years ago on this same section but I had also run the whole race faster this time around, I left more on the course. I was trying to remind myself of that.

McAbee aid-station (mile 54.1 formerly Tina’s Den aid-station) came a lot sooner than I remembered. I grabbed a drink here and left. The volunteer said I was the fastest person in and out of that aid-station. There were people laying on the ground, it didn’t look like a place I wanted to stay for very long.

The next 5 miles are some what brutal. You are back on the fire road on a fully exposed trail. Luckily it wasn’t as hot as it had been when I was on Dogmeat and on the Kennedy Rollers but it was still pretty dang hot.

I just kept running all the downs and focusing on the ups and running little stretches of them when my legs would work. I kept counting down the miles in my head. I was doing this! No stopping me now.

Sun, sun, sun … that photo just shows what the day was like. Hot and dry.

I could not wait to get to Bull Run #2 (mile 59) because I knew (even with my lacking math skills) that the finish was just 3 miles away and MOSTLY down hill.

When I reached the aid-station they called out my number and then I walked right past the table. No stopping. Not when there are only 3 miles left. I started hiking with this nice guy from Berkeley. We chatted about our past races etc. It was nice to have someone to talk to for a mile or so. He was one of the few like me without a pacer.

He mentioned that we could finish in sub 15 hours. I wanted to finish in 14:30 but I knew that was out of the picture with the last few hills that lay ahead. My legs had nothing to propel me up but they were doing a pretty bang up job of getting me down.

The minute we came to a down hill I just turned it on and ran. The guy stayed with me for a bit but then said goodbye. I didn’t want to stop. I wanted to run until I could hear the sounds of the finish line and not stop.

Of course I had to stop when I ran right into a massive hill. Darn it! I had forgotten about those hills near the finish line! I was still a little bummed my time was slipping away but was determined to stay under 15 hours.

Finally I heard the sounds of the aid-station. It sounded so far away but I knew it wasn’t, my watch was keeping pretty accurate distance all day and it said it wasn’t far.

Finally I saw it and I just tried so hard to run as fast as I could. I thought I was sprinting but when you look at my splits I think I might have been sprinting if I was in quicksand! 🙂

Finished!! Photo by Nina Giraudo — Finished!!
Photo by Nina Giraudo

I crossed the finish line and threw my hands up in the air. I was so relieved to be done!

What a day!? I am proud of myself for gutting this out. I normally am a pretty positive up beat person when running, but I definitely had one or two internal dark moments out there. I never said the word “quit” but I did have some inner discussions with myself trying to figure out how to keep moving. Luckily I have the ability to laugh at myself a lot and that really helps.

Sadly I found Pigeon waiting for me at the finish line. She had been caught by the sweeps. Neither one of us wanted to stick around the finish line so we hopped on the shuttle and headed back to our hotel.

Luckily we had planned well and had dinner waiting for us. Plant-based pizza and a gluten free Sufferfest beer for me. I think I earned it.

I can’t end this without thanking Vans for all his support these last few months. Not only did he have to hear my whining and moaning about random aches and pains during training, he also stepped up and handled the girls’ mock meet while I was out racing.

I have to thank my Coaches too for seeing me through this and helping me over some hurdles and always reminding me to think about my form (I TOTALLY DID COACH!) and to remain positive and problem solve.

Shout out to Pigeon for sharing hundreds of miles of trails with me every weekend and for all the laughs that we have when we’re together.

Stonegate for all her funny texts and motivation during the race and for consistently getting up with me at the butt crack of dawn to run during the week.

Now it is time to rest. I am going to honor my body and give it what it needs. I’ve been consistently running/training since last summer. I think I deserve a little break and I want to find the joy again. I want to head out on a long run because I WANT to not because I HAVE to.

Happy Trails!

~Trailmomma

May 17, 2016May 17, 2018

QUICKSILVER 100K RACE REPORT (First 100k and Western States Qualifier)

“About 53 miles into the race is the aid-station called Tina’s Den. It is home to four female mountain lions who like to hang out there. Two days ago, one of the cougars scared away a few mountain bikers. Don’t worry though, just don’t be last.”

That’s essentially all I heard during the pre-race briefing from the Quicksilver Race Director on Saturday. Not exactly comforting news before I am about to begin my first ever 100k race.

While I haven’t written much about it on here, it was evident beginning back in January that I have been training for something …. something big. I wanted to run a 100k and not just any 100k, I wanted to run the Quicksilver 100k.

Yes, I am that kind of runner - folders, labels etc. — Yes, I am that kind of runner – folders, labels etc.

Last year everyone I knew did that race, including Pigeon because it was a Western States 100 mile qualifying race. I wanted to run it because I wanted to conquer that distance and I loved all the race photos from everyone last year. The chance to qualify was just icing on top for me.

Earlier this year, I raced two very challenging 50ks (one in February and the other in March) and that set the tone for my training. Going into Quicksilver with its 13,000 feet of elevation, I felt ready to climb but I was uneasy about the distance.

So sit back, grab a beer or cup of tea and read on if you care to see how my race unfolds (warning: it is LONG) or if you want to see a million photos, feel free to skim. 🙂

With its 4:30 am start time and the half-ish hour drive to the start, Quicksilver definitely taught me a few things about being flexible with my morning routine. I woke up at 2:15 am, ate and finalized my drop bags. I have never used drop bags before. This was totally new to me. You can tell it was new to me too because I used Star Wars lunch boxes that I got free from Target as two of my four drop bags! I also used two Dylan Flinchum RockOn Foundation bags as my other two because if anyone can boost my spirits, it’s that little boy and his family back in New Jersey.

My "fancy" drop bags! — My “fancy” drop bags!

I even taped a photo of my girls in one of them to give me a boost late in the race.

Inside my drop bag - my shining light! — Inside my drop bag – my shining light!

After that little “pep-talk” by the Race Director, we were off and running in the dark. I had my lights with me and everyone around me had headlamps so visibility wasn’t an issue. Pigeon and I ran into Miss P who was also running her first 100k.

The race starts with a pretty good climb and everyone is reduced to a solid hike in the dark. Miss P and I chatted a bit on the way up which was nice. Eventually though, everyone spread out. Pigeon and I just ran. Our plan had been to run the race together. She knew the splits she wanted or needed in order to get a Western States qualification. I was content to run with her because I was unsure as to how the day would unfold having never approached this distance OR this type of elevation before and of course running with a friend for that long is always nice.

Soon the sun was rising and the views started to appear around us. It was pretty amazing and the temperature was nice and cool. I started in shorts and a tank top never needing anything more.

The sun is waking up! — The sun waking up!

One thing to note about this race is that there are a lot of “lollypop” loops in it. Picture a lollypop at the end of stick. To get the mileage we needed, we’d run up a trail, do a loop and then run back down the same trail passing runners. I noticed early on that we’d pass a lot of the runners coming down from the loop but none when it was our turn to descend. It was clear that we were the back of the pack. This unnerved me a bit as it is something I am not used to but I also knew there were many more miles to the day and that anything could change at a moment’s notice.

A few times Pigeon and I found ourselves behind some runners that I wanted to pass but I wasn’t sure how she was feeling so we devised a “code” for those situations. We’d ask each other, “How is your foot?” And if we said, “good” we’d pass and if we said, “not good” we needed another moment. This situation actually only came into play once during the race. Pigeon asked me “How is your foot?” and I said, “What are you talking about? My foot is fine!” Hahaha I had completely forgotten about our little plan.

Hicks #1 Aid-Station (mile 7) was first. I had a drop bag here but didn’t need it. I did take advantage of the restrooms. We both did. The volunteers were so nice and cheerful. They were very eager to help. Pigeon grabbed some more apple sauces from her drop bag.

We left Hicks and headed towards Bald Mountain. I remember feeling pretty good. Nothing was bothering me and the trails were rocky but not too technical.

Coming into Bald Mountain - Photo by Quicksilver volunteers — Coming into Bald Mountain. Yes, I have a huge smile. -Photo by Quicksilver volunteers

Soon we approached Bald Mountain Aid-Station (mile 12.2). It was another lollypop type loop. You run past the aid-station to this beautiful cliff area, grabbed a purple rubber band to prove that you did the full loop and then back to the aid-station. We didn’t stop long here other than to use the restroom again.

After Bald Mountain we ran a short down hill followed by a pretty nice climb to get to Kennedy 1 Aid-Station (mile 18.9). Again, no drop bags for us but I noticed the aid-station was pretty bare bones. Not much to offer runners. I was fine with what I had been consuming thus far which was mostly fruit leather, some jelly beans (on the climbs) and my homemade Engine 2 Peanut Butter Oatmeal Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies. We did refill our packs here though and discovered that the water at the aid-stations tasted like rubberized chlorine! UGH! It was barely drinkable and we had to run 5.4 miles to the next aid-station with that water.

After Kennedy however, we ran DOWN and by down, I mean far down. Still, I was feeling okay. I was worried about my left knee going into this race as it tends to not like a lot of steep down hills but so far, it was behaving just fine.

When we reached Lexington Aid-Station (mile 24.2) I was feeling good. Pigeon’s wife Missouri and son were at this aid-station as was Miss P’s pacer, Christine. It’s always nice to see people you know and have them give you a good pep talk. We also had drop bags here.

We both dumped our packs and refilled them with our own water. I dug into my drop bag for the first time and swapped out a few things, grabbed some more cookies and dumped the apple sauces as they weren’t working for me.

We left Lexington and headed for the longest biggest climb of the day, Dog Meat Hill. I have seen the photos of this climb, but none of them do it justice. This is one brutally long fully exposed climb. We were lucky in that it was overcast most of the time but it was definitely warm out there.

However, I was just in awe of the views and the trail itself. I did my thing and power hiked up every hill taking photos whenever I could. I’d wait for Pigeon at the top and then we’d repeat it again and again.

I had overheard a guy talking about how this is the hardest climb in the race and that nothing in the second half of the race compares. That’s exactly what I wanted to hear right then. It gave me a little boost that once we were done with this beast, things would be easier.

You can see how far off in the distance the road actually goes. Insane.

When we finally finished Dog Meat, we arrived at Kennedy 2 Aid-Station (mile 31.1). I mentioned to Pigeon that we had completed a 50k! She didn’t seem amused. She’d been battling some tummy issues along the way which is never very fun in a race.

When we reached the aid-station, they had nothing. Pigeon wanted a Coke or a turkey avocado sandwich desperately and they had none. I think this hit her pretty hard and knocked her spirits down quite a bit. Her mood had been quiet thus far but I could sense her go a little deeper into a dark spot.

I just tried my best to keep hiking and chatting when I could, hoping I wasn’t bothering her too much. Eventually, I told her that we had to just let it go. We couldn’t rely on the aid-stations at this point, they’ve proven to be pretty useless in the quantity of fuel provided and we’d have to make do. I knew we were heading back to Hicks 2 Aid-Station and I knew we had drop bags there. I tried to get her to focus on that.

Her stomach just wouldn’t let up though. Once we reached Hicks 2 Aid-Station (mile 36.4) we both used the restroom and then attacked our drop bags. I grabbed a few more things here including some Advil. My right knee (not my left knee as I mentioned earlier) had started to really bark on the long descent from Kennedy to Hicks. So much so that at one point, it literally gave way and Pigeon almost had to catch me from cratering to the ground. At Hicks 2, I took 2 Advil. I didn’t want to but I had no choice at this point.

From Hicks we ran towards Hacienda Aid-Station (mile 39.3) which was a little hard to stomach because Hacienda is where my car was parked!!! Yes, I had to run past my own car to get to the aid-station! That’s just cruel right?

The nice part about this section of the course though is that the distances between aid-stations were cut in half essentially which means, the next one after Hacienda was Mockingbird, just 3.1 miles away. Although Mockingbird was also the finish area so you have to run past the finish arch to go another 20 miles … again cruel.

Pigeon needed the restroom at Hacienda. I talked to the volunteers and took some pebbles out of my shoe. When we were finally back on the trail running, I reminded her that we were on our way to her wife and son. We had to do some climbing to get there, but I assured her it would be worth it.

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She was in her dark spot I think again. She snapped at me once about starting to run, which is fine, I get it, when you hurt you hurt. I wasn’t offended. I mentioned something about the time and trying to qualify and she shot back that she was already well aware. Up until that point, I hadn’t really been focusing too much on the time. It was on our way to Hacienda I think that I started calculating the math in my head with the pace that we’d been going and realized, our chances of qualifying for Western States was slipping away. I battled in my head with what to do.

The dilemma in my head was broken by the sights and sounds of Mockingbird Aid-Station (mile 42.9). I needed this boost. As I ran in, I told Missouri that Pigeon was hurting a bit, her tummy was just not happy. I had a drop bag here so I swapped out some things and I grabbed some cream for my knee. I applied some but I wanted to run with it just in case. The Advil had kicked in by now and the knee was feeling much better. As we left Mockingbird, I turned my phone on (it was on airplane mode most of the race) and I texted Stonegate and Vans that we had 20 miles left in the race and that any chances of qualifying were starting to slip away.

While I had been texting, a bunch of texts from earlier in the day came in, one of them was from my Peanut. My girls had a mock swim meet that day and my Peanut had sent me this:

That gave me such a boost. It got my thoughts running again. My little girl didn’t give up today. I shouldn’t either.

From Mockingbird to Bull Run 1 it’s up hill. We did not have to climb the huge rock pile that the Quicksilver race is known for but instead, they rerouted us an extra quarter mile. What’s an extra quarter of a mile in a 62 mile race?

I powered up the climbs but instead of waiting at the top for Pigeon like I had been, I wanted to keep moving. So on the downs, I’d slow down a bit hoping she’d catch up and she usually did.

We reached Bull Run 1 Aid-Station (mile 46.1) and we ran a weird little lollypop thing again. Pigeon and I ran that together. I think she was starting to get her mojo back because she said, “Hey, do you want to try for it? We have 15 miles to go and about 3.5 hours, we can push it. Want to go for broke?” I was just thrilled she had her spirit back! “Sure! Of course!” I said. Pigeon was coming back! She then said, “Okay, we’ll take turns pulling each other. I’ll go first!” She took off running down hill and I was hot on her heels behind her.

About five minutes later, she turned and said, “Ok, your turn!” and she let me pass. I never looked back. It was if a fire had been ignited within me, one that had been burning all along but I was too afraid let to come out.

Since Mockingbird I had been thinking, a lot. I thought about the time, about the race and about this course. Sure this race was a Western States Qualifier and while not my only reason for running, I had ran so much today that I wanted it. I wanted it bad. Pigeon is running Tahoe Rim 100 in July. I hated thinking this but I knew she had a second qualifying chance down the road. This, this race was my ONLY chance. So, I ran. I ran hard.

I passed runner after runner. I passed runners sitting on the ground. I passed pacers urging their runners to just take another step. I ran uphill. I ran down hill. I entered the scariest freakiest single track trail I have ever seen in my life. It led to Tina’s Den (remember Tina the mountain lion from the beginning of this post?) … I can see why Tina and her friends like to hang out there! I was too afraid to stop to be honest that I just high-tailed it as fast as I could.

You finally get dumped onto a road. A volunteer said, “It’s a mile down that road and then turn left and the aid-station is about a half mile from there.” What he failed to tell me is that it was like a half-mile UP hill but whatever. As I had made the left turn, I saw this woman jumping up and down on a rock.

I thought she was waving to the guy in front of me who didn’t look too enthused to see her. In my head I was like, “Man what a jerk!” Little did I know it was Stonegate!!! She had raced the 2.5 hours from home to catch me at mile 53!!!!! She was a sight for sore eyes!

She hiked with me to the aid-station. We got there and they were dry. Nothing left. I had a drop bag but my stomach did not want much. Stonegate refilled my pack with ice cold water without me even taking it off. THAT is what I wanted. I told her that I had left Pigeon and that if she sees her to tell her how sorry I was and that I really wanted to push. I felt bad for leaving her.

Stonegate encouraged me and reminded me that Pigeon will understand and that she would WANT me to go. So, I went. Less than 9 miles to the finish and I was racing the clock with a lot of uphill between us.

After Tina’s Den (luckily I saw NO mountain lions) it’s a good uphill climb to get to Enriquita Aid-Station (mile 55.8). I ran quite a bit of this uphill. I channeled my training runs up Stagecoach and just pushed. Every so often, I’d hike and then I’d run again.

At Enriquita Aid-Station I didn’t even stop and instead made a sharp right hand turn and went down this gully of a trail with terrible footing. Never mind there are runners hiking their way up too so it was a bit of a mess. When you reached the bottom, you had to read a sign (Read?! You want me to read and comprehend right now?). The sign said that in order to prove that you made it to the bottom of the hill, you had to hole punch your bib and show the volunteers at the top.

Um, the hole punch was attached to a cord that was ridiculously short! So after 56 miles, you have to try and stand on one leg while lifting your other leg, and hole punch your bib. Lordy!

I did it and then I ran my bum back up that hill. Just before reaching the top, I saw Pigeon making her way down. I hooted and hollered for her and she hooted and hollered for me and told me to just GO!

After reaching the top of Enriquita again, I ran towards Bull Run 2 Aid-station (mile 58.8), the final aid-station before the finish. It just happened to be completely up hill. I had to hike. There were moments where I wasn’t sure I was going to make it. I couldn’t eat anything. I wasn’t sure if it was from how hard I was pushing myself or from nerves of being on the edge of not making the cut off.

When I got to Bull-Run 2, I was sprinting, or at least I felt like I was sprinting.

The volunteers went wild when I came through! “Just 3.5 miles to go! You got this! Run just like that and don’t stop and you will qualify!” Wait, can they not SEE the big hill down the road that I have to go up in a minute? They want me to run like this, up that?! I had to laugh, it was funny.

I kept having these mini dialogs in my head pleading that there would be no more “rollers” and then I saw a sign that said, “Just a few more rollers and you’re at the finish!” I just want to note, you don’t SEE these “rollers” on the map or elevation chart but holy cow, were they ever there!

Course profile.

I pushed and pushed. I passed runner after runner. I was cutting every corner I ran around even if it meant cutting in front of another runner. Soon, it was all downhill. I pleaded with my knee not to flare up (it hadn’t make a squeak since Mockingbird). Other runners cheered me on. Hikers on their way up cheered me on and told me I was close. The sky to my left was insanely gorgeous with the sun setting and I wanted to stop and take a photo SO bad but I didn’t dare!

Finally I saw the finish. I heard Stonegate first, “You got this girl! Just up this hill!” Which made me laugh out loud! Another freaking hill! I heard Missouri and Christine (Miss P’s pacer) cheering. I was so overcome with joy and happiness. I had made it! I qualified! I made it with about 20 minutes to spare (my time was 15:38). I was done.

Five months of training was over in one day. It was totally worth it. My friends congratulated me and then asked where Pigeon was. I told them I left her on the way to Tina’s Den. I said she’s behind me but I am not sure how far.

Pigeon came in a short time later. She too qualified for Western States with just minutes to spare! She gutted it out and ran her butt off to get to that finish line. I am proud of how deep she dug to do it.

As it turns out, she wasn’t upset at me for leaving and was happy that I qualified. That’s how friends work, especially trail friends. We support each other.

Overall, I feel pretty good. I have some soreness and I stiffen when I sit too long but my heart is full. I feel like I set out to conquer something, something I’ve thought about for a while, and I did it. I worked hard for it, very hard.

Not sure what is next. I have a few training runs planned as I am pacing Pigeon at Tahoe Rim Trail in July so I have to be ready for that.

I definitely plan to rest though and let my body recover. I owe it that. It did everything I asked of it this season and I am grateful. So I will enjoy some down time with my two amazing little swimmers.

Happy Trails!

~Trailmomma

I ran this again in 2018 – read that Race Report here.

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