View Workout (Anthony Belber)

Return to Log

100 on 100 leg 1

August 15, 2015 (Morning)

Exercise Type: Run

Weather: 80s, sun and very humid

Comments:
After a ferry ride to Hyannis and a traffic delayed 6 hour drive to Montpelier, VT on Friday afternoon I had a restless sleep and we drove the half hour from Sparky's house in Montpelier to the Von Trapp Lodge near Stowe, VT to start the race in the last group at 10:15. I was lead off for our six person team and was expecting a mostly flat 2.5 lead off. Then a pair of 6.6 mile legs, the first of which would be down, then up, then down again. The final leg was supposedly the hardest leg of the day out of all 18 legs as it was 6.6 miles all uphill for 856ft.

Karl joined me for a 10 min warm up which went along parts of my loop. It was enough to know that my lead off leg wasn't going to be flat, in the slightest. I was drenched in sweat and already tired after the 10 minute warm up. This should have been a warning. As we gathered at the start line, the sun came out from behind the clouds...

There were five teams in our starting bracket (178 teams altogether, the rest of whom had started at least an hour ahead of us.) There were two high school teams from Darien Connecticut and two "Pain Train" teams from Princeton, NJ. One was called Diesel and they were in the masters (over 30) category like us. The other was called Steam and they were all over 40. (Our team had two guys under forty by a few months each, but the rest of us were over 40.)

The high school A team guy took off like a shot on the 200 flat meters before the trail dropped 200ft in half a mile. The rest of us leaned forward and vied for position on the steep dirt and rock trail through the woods. There was a flat half mile stretch where Diesel guy pulled away from us. I traded position a few times with the B high school kid and the old but fit Steam guy. They's pulled away from me by 8 meters along the slight up hills and flat sections int eh middle, but I caught back up to them on an incredibly steep 200meter uphill driveway. At the top we turned onto the side of a hill and the old guy opened up 15 or so meters on me and we dropped the high school kid. I trailed him for most of the last .75 mile as we came into switchbacks up the final hill, but closed on him enough that I was able to pass him as we emerged from the woods into the final 150 meter sprint to the exchange. I handed off a few strides ahead, having made my point but thoroughly and foolishly having spent myself. From this point onward, I knew I'd gotten too carried away on my first leg, but I'd been eager to prove myself to my teammates. I was pleased with my effort. The time was 13:23, but the distance couldn't possibly have been 2.5 miles. My guess is that my pace was low fives on the way downhill, sub six on the flats and slower on the uphills, depending upon the variation of steepness. Cooldown was jogging 300 meters down the hill until the van came by and picked me up.