Day 3 - I woke up to chilly air and socked in conditions. As I rolled out of bed to get dressed I peeked out the window to see my next pacer stirring as she prepared to begin. She, like all of my pacers and crew, had made sacrifices to support me so the word for day 3 was GIVING. To make this dream become reality, we as a team all had to give. There truly was to be know "I" or "me" this was all a team effort and everyone played a role.
As Liz and I navigated off the pavement and back into the wilderness from AP Gap and headed towards Lincoln Gap the conditions were strange. The air heavy with moisture and the nature world seemed oddly quiet. I felt like this was calm before the storm and sensed that everything could swing one way or another in a moment's notice. I then remembered George saying something about three hours of rain, but knew we could handle that. After the initial climb many of the miles meander up short climbs and downhills with a several opportunities for beautiful views at the ski areas on nice days. Liz and I moved with intent and she did what she does best, sharing conversation while also beautifully working into her duties of a pacer gently into moments where you wouldn't expect them. Calorie check, hydration, body, mind, she had it all covered.
As we arrived at Lincoln Gap pacers and crew were huddled under a canopy and looking chilled. They were all so amazing for enduring all the waiting, the weather and trying to predict what I would want or need each step of the way. I thanked Liz, got to share some conversation with her husband Blake and my crew as I ate some food. As I sat and got chilled, it was clear today was a day we needed to be at minimum prepared, but me being me, I insisted on being over prepared.
Photo Credit: Kirsten Workman
I checked in Alex and Kirsten who would be pacing me and made sure we had enough calories and gear for the 17 mile stretch that was next. I had no idea what was in store for us, but the weather did not seem to be getting better. We began into the wilderness with a light rain falling on us. We all worked to navigate across rocks and around mud to keep our feet clean and dry. Then the rain came down harder and puddles became streams. Of course when we thought it couldn't get any worse it did and I couldn't believe these two ladies were committed to seeing me through this, it was amazing. We all stayed close to each other and had each others backs. From watching for falling trees, to Kirsten timing when we could run past trees whose root balls were ripping out of the ground more and more with each gust of wind.
Photo Credit: Kirsten Workman
Just when we thought we were in the brunt of it the wind gusts increased, the rain became torrential and in sections the trail had rapids running down it. We were now wading through knee deep water and trying to differentiate between what streams and the trail. Even though we were moving as fast as we safely could I started to get cold. I ended up donning the latest fashion in trail running, a tall trash bag and was the envy of all out on the trail (no one was on the trail, everyone was huddled in shelters trying to warm up and stay safe). Somehow we made it to the next crew stop filled with comical humor as we received 4 inches of rain during that 17 mile section. It was such a gift to be joined by such strong and inspirational females and I was happy to hear they both had brought lots of dry clothes from the trip home.
Photo Credit: Kirsten Workman
Despite having just ran through a hurricane I was excited for the next section as I had enjoyed it in training. Jason was joining me, and I was eager to share these miles with him. Maybe it was the fog, maybe it was the soaked trails, maybe it was the fatigue, but this section wasn't feeling like the one I had grown to love. It constantly felt like we were on a roller coaster that kept circling and doubling back on itself. It was hard to tell if we were moving in any particular direction or making ground at all. "Excuse me sir I would like to get off this ride." Jason must have seen my struggle, because he turned to music. A little T Swift, some of the top hits on the charts and then his own Vermont rendition of Harry Styles Watermelon Sugar which included the lyrics "Vermont Maple Sugar High". Given how many UnTapped's I was consuming the words were fitting, but lets just say it was a gift that he couldn't sing on technical downhills.
When arriving at Brandon Gap I was in agreeable spirits, although that immediately shifted when I was told my sleep time had been cut from 3 hours to 15 minutes. My response showed my fatigue, it was not pretty nor did I know I was at my breaking point, but somehow I went from screaming and crying to asleep.
Photo Credit: Berne Broudy
Comments