Leadman 2013 Crew Report (Part 1)

A triumph. A shit-show. The race of a lifetime. An unprecedented cluster-fuck. And that, my friends, sums up the 2013 Leadville 100 Run.

I am beyond proud to say that my fiancée, Andy Wooten, is now a Leadman.

For those who do not know being a Leadman entails, it requires athletes complete 5 events: the Leadville Marathon, a 50 Mile Run or Bike (also called the “Silver Rush”), the Leadville 100 MTB, a 10K the day AFTER the 100 MTB, and finally, the Leadville 100 Run.

Not only did he achieve Leadman status, but he also accomplished one of his long-standing goals: earn the BIG Buckle; this means that he ran the Leadville 100 Run in under 25 hours. Last year, he ran the 100 in 26:05. This year, his time was 23:18. Amazing!

It was a different ball game this year – from both a runner perspective and a crewing perspective.

I am sure that Andy’s blog will address the runner perspective. After four years of crewing Andy at the Leadville 100, Annie (Andy’s daughter) and I are a very strong team. Experience has taught me that a strong crew and pacer team can be the difference between finishing and not – or between getting the big buckle and not. But even with the best crew and pacer team assembled, there is always room for improvement. And we did indeed improve.

Andy only sat down twice: first at Twin Lakes inbound to re-bandage his feet for extra blister protection and to change his shoes and socks (kudos to Neeraj for his savvy sock rolling technique) and the second time was at Treeline/Pipeline where he fixed the bandages once again.

This was one of the big tricks to cutting time: don’t stop at aid stations. There was no lingering. No joking. No loving kisses or embraces. It was all business.

We always set up our crewing beyond the aid station, after the timing mat. The goal is for Andy to clock in (obviously this is imperative if your runner is short on time), and then run directly to us without spending a single second at the official aid stations.

Outbound, he would discard his empty handhelds and one of us would quickly hand off the replacements and his fanny pack with fueling inside. Each aid station had its own ziplock of fuel meticulously labeled and assembled. With the sun coming up at Fish Hatchery and beating down on the runners at Twin Lakes, we heavily applied sunscreen. It still amazes me how quickly he passed through each crewing point.

Another big trick to seamless crewing: someone takes care of the body while another takes care of the fueling. In other words, Annie and his pacers, Hawaiian-Shirt Ray or Neeraj, would help with Andy’s bottles, take his trash, give him food and beverages, etc. while I concentrated on sunscreen, sportshield, medicine and gear/clothing.

You have to be very careful that there are not too many cooks in the kitchen. Too many people helping is just as bad if not worse than not enough people helping.

When you are crewing a fast runner at Leadville, the reality is that they can and will run the course FASTER than you can drive to the next aid station. In the words of Tim Waggoner, “I’m in a car and I can’t keep up with him!!!” One of the most brilliant ideas we came up with was to divide and conquer. I stayed at Twin Lakes with our Twin Lakes crew bag while Annie/Ray/Neeraj hauled ass to Winfield.

Oh, did I mention that I was also crewing for our friend and Leadman teammate/competitor, Lisa Erikson?

Around 3:30am on Saturday morning, Andy headed down to the starting line while Lisa and Chris, her other crew chief, met me at the Bed and Breakfast for a bathroom break, applied sportshield, and dropped off Lisa’s bags and gear....

Running...to the bathroom! Liquid diet day 4

About a week ago I finally got around to watching the movie, "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead." Andy has watched it 4 times and said it was very inspiring. I agree. In fact, I was so inspired -- not only by the results of the juicing diet but also just the idea of "re-booting" the body -- that I decided to try a predominantly juice diet for a minimum of 3 days. I am on day 4. I have also abstained from all coffee drinks during this time. Breakfast - juice. Lunch - juice. Dinner - solid food.

The results? The first evening - headache. I think it might have been coffee deprivation. The second day - lots of running -- to the bathroom. Liquid diet in. Liquid diet out.

And OH MY GHOD... the gas! Noxious fumes the likes of which I hope to never smell again. I'm not sure if it was the spinach, the collard greens, the ginger, the carrots or just a combination but it was BAD. Both dogs went running out of the bathroom, tail between their legs.

The other thing I am discovering about a juicing diet is that not only do your bowels explode but so does the kitchen. It takes a LOT of fruits and veggies to maintain a juice diet and there is no way our fridge can handle it all. Imagine a garden inside the kitchen. Additionally, when making preparations, you'll have celery leaves here and there, onion slices on the floor, ends of carrots flying hither and yon, and lots of cleaning to do. But it is pretty amazing to see just how much food you can eat just by juicing.

All in all, I'm feeling pretty good. There was a moment this morning when I felt queazy and lightheaded so I drank more water and that helped. The yearning for coffee is significantly weaker than it was yesterday and the day before. One image from the movie that we both love and find inspiring is the image of comparing an empty stomach filled with 4 oz of oil vs 4 oz of chicken vs 4 oz of salad. The 4 oz of salad fills the stomach completely.

2013 - The Year of the Leadman

I am glad to say goodbye to 2012. Admittedly, there were some very happy moments - Annie's graduation and first semester in college, crewing Andy towards a PR at LT100, proposing to Andy on bended knee at our favorite restaurant, the vacation of a lifetime in Acapulco and welcoming foster dog Reggie to our home. Even so, I cannot help but think that this was a challenging year...in life and in running....Rocky Raccoon, Fruita and the 5K in Maryland... the passing of beloved Roxy, Andy's family tragedy, our postponed wedding, my car accident, Asia's two surgeries and roadblocks at work. I am looking forward to putting this year behind us and moving on. This coming year will present some unique experiences as Andy dedicates himself to Leadman. As I said to him a short time ago, I am proud to help in any way I can and play a small role in something this monumental.

One of the most profound changes in our lifestyle over the past few weeks has been Andy's commitment to the paleo-diet. Here is a description courtesy of Wikipedia - "The paleolithic diet (abbreviated paleo diet or paleodiet), also popularly referred to as the caveman diet, Stone Age diet and hunter-gatherer diet, is a modern nutritional plan based on the presumed ancient diet of wild plants and animals that various hominid species habitually consumed during the Paleolithic era—a period of about 2.5 million years duration that ended around 10,000 years ago with the development of agriculture and grain-based diets. In common usage, such terms as the "Paleolithic diet" also refer to the actual ancestral human diet.[1][2] Centered on commonly available modern foods, the "contemporary" Paleolithic diet consists mainly of fish, grass-fed pasture raised meats, vegetables, fruit, fungi, roots, and nuts, and excludes grains, legumes, dairy products, potatoes, refined salt, refined sugar, and processed oils.[1][3][4]." This diet has necessitated a dramatic change in the food we buy, consume and... more specifically for me... cook.

It is impossible to deny the results not only in weight loss but also emotionally. The combination of cutting out everything with HFCS, soda of any kind, fast food, and what I would call "bad" carbs, along with his biking and running training, has produced some impressive results. 12lbs lighter since December 3rd. He is definitely what I would call a lean, mean machine. Overall, we all seem to be much more conscious of eating things that are healthier for us and it feels good. Sometimes it feels self-righteous and pompous to talk about it so I try not to get on a soapbox about it. But it is fun to share ideas, recipes and results. I am finding that I have to be more creative with my cooking and am using ingredients that I have never used before -- Coconut Oil, Coconut Sugar, Almond Flour, Vegetable Shortening, Almond Milk, Tapioca bread and Daiya cheese. I'm having a harder time than Andy cutting out the sweets but it is pretty inspiring and... interesting. Today I made paleo friendly chocolate covered almonds. Last night I made us some kick-ass salads with grilled chicken and orange-infused vinegar for dressing. Yesterday I also made beef stew and the previous week I made a meat lovers pizza with almond flour and daiya cheese crust. All of it has been quite tasty!

Fruita 50 Mile Crew Report

Me (melting in the sun): "We're not the fucking Tarahumara Indians you know!" Andy (looks himself up and down): "Yup. Definitely white."

Andy's decision to drop at mile 32 was one of the wisest and most courageous choices he has made in his running career. This was a decision based on knowing himself, knowing the conditions, learning from past mistakes and having the balls to listen to his instincts despite the pressures surrounding him."C'mon, man. You can do it. Sit for a bit and get it together. Keep going." You know what? He did keep going. He was one of the few who went back out there for a second lap. But this was one of those times when respecting the elements and understanding one's limits were vital to self-preservation.

We learned during Rocky Raccoon that it is very easy to underestimate Mother Nature. It is also very easy to allow one's arrogance to override reason and sound judgment; that's how people end up dead. Andy has had some real shitty luck with races this year, starting with Rocky. First time it rained during Rocky in 17years. And not just rain but torrential downpour of 2 1/2 inches in one day. Mud wrestling would have been more appropriate. His recovery in the days and weeks after the race was challenging to say the least. He was not a happy person much less a happy runner.

And now, for whatever reason, fate saw to it to bring him to a crossroads again. With record high temperatures on the Western Slope during Desert Rats (Denver reached a record 92 degrees this week) he was faced with the decision: what do I do? 19 miles to go. What do you do? We both feel that he made the right decision. There is no doubt in our minds and hearts. And that's the thing, too, see... he wasn't having any fun out there. His heart wasn't in it. Why do it if your heart isn't in it and you don't feel that fire inside driving you? This is supposed to be fun! We joked around later that some asshole would probably say, "Fun? This isn't about fun!? You're not supposed to be having any fun."

Andy is one of the hardest working, most focused and determined athletes and individuals that I know. He also sets very high expectations for himself. I knew self-doubt would very quickly creep in and threaten to overwhelm him. But we talked through the decision. It's one of those where it's so easy to let your emotions take over rather than working through it rationally and with a greater perspective of what's really important. I'm really proud of him for using his head and saying, "this isn't working" and deciding to do something about it. I also believe in my heart that his hard work will eventually pay off. He's due.

We still had a friend, Ray, out on the course, so we packed everything up and drove to the next aid station to meet up with him at mile 44. One of those wonderful silver linings emerged: we got to spend the remainder of the afternoon together. This was significant since I was leaving for a week of work travel immediately after the weekend. We relaxed in the shade of the canopy, we talked, we laughed, we watched a few other runners pass through. One of the highlights for me was when one of the runners asked the aid station if they had any soda. Unfortunately, they did not. But it immediately occurred to me that we had leftover soda in our cooler and well, we could probably spare a few. I ran up to the runner at the aid station and asked him, "Mountain Dew or Coca-Cola?" The look on his face was priceless. He downed the coke at once. I gave the aid station a few extra bottles and happily returned to our little nest in the sand to wait for Ray. I've crewed three separate 100 mile races for Andy and I'll tell you what, the runners who came through that aid station at mile 44 had the same beaten down, exhausted, withered look as those slogging through the last 20 miles of a 100. There was no running. There was only walking or hiking as though they were ascending Hope Pass or something. It hurt to watch. All I could think was how grateful I was that Andy wasn't still out there. Smart man. Smart decision.

Rocky Raccoon 100 Crew Report

Aut viam inveniam aut faciam -- "I shall either find a way or make one." 

A proper title for a crew report about Rocky Raccoon 100 in 2012.

"Rocky Raccoon is a flat and fast course...." Fast and flat my ass.

More like hilly trails with seemingly endless stretches, switchbacks that make you scream ("Where the FUCK is that turn-around?!") and muddy bogs that would rival any tough mudder.

Apparently this was the first time in 15 years that it rained during the race. Rain is an understatement. The area, Huntsville, was under a flood watch and in the end approximately 2 1/4 inches pummeled us in one day (the equivalent of a month in Colorado). The humidity was stifling. This was the tail end of a massive storm that also dumped over 18 inches of snow in Denver. We were lucky to make it out of Denver at all. Over 600 flights were cancelled. 

This was a hell of a race made even more memorable by the fact that I paced Andy for the last 20 mile loop. What is it they say... "these moments define us"? Those 20 miles together will stand out as some of our best times. No shit.

After arriving in Houston, we connected with the rest of the COS crew: Amy, Amanda and Mark, Dan and Karen (we met up with Brooks, Holly and Eric later). We made pit stops for food and supplies on the way to the house we were sharing, courtesy of Amy's coordination. There was no time to attend the race briefing.

From a crewing perspective, I should have packed large trash bags, large zip lock bags and baby wipes, hand sanitizer and lots more towels all for wet and muddy clothes and feet. But this was the first race I crewed where it rained and so I only sortof understood what awaited us. Other things we purchased: a camping chair, a five foot table, Gatorade and water, breakfast bars, coffee and creamer, a case of mountain dew. Oh, and lots of vodka. The necessities. 

Downtime was virtually non-existent that evening and we crashed around 9. We actually got about 6 hours of sleep. It had been a stressful week at home and work, not to mention a stressful day of travel, so we were exhausted. While it was tempting to nap on the flight down, it would have sabotaged getting to sleep early. Prior to shutting down for the night, we laid out race clothing, attached his race number to his shorts and packed supplies. We always do this the night before. In retrospect, we think that all of the stress leading up to the race made it more difficult for Andy to get his head in the game so to speak. 

We were out the door by 4:30am. I was literally hunched over the steering wheel like a little old lady trying to see where the hell we were going. At one point Andy said to me, "Honey, I would feel much better if you slowed down." "Sure thing. Absolutely." Amy commented from the backseat, "I love the way you two communicate with each other." Auw. The silver lining begins to emerge. We waited in the car for as long as possible and then headed out into the torrent. 

Eric had set up a huge tent close to the start/finish for our group on Friday night and I don't think it is possible to accurately convey our gratitude. It became a home away from home. Andy said at one point that it was an amazing comfort to come in after each lap knowing, "just get to the tent where it's dry and you can sit down and change your socks...just get to the tent and it will be okay..." 

One of my challenges as crew was to keep our stuff dry and together in one place. It can be challenging when 10 people are sharing a tent but for the most part I think we all did a good job of keeping track of our gear as well as sharing supplies. I'm just glad that I remembered to bring one lonesome towel. The towel became very popular... and very ugly. 

So, here's the deal about crewing 100 mile races: it's a lot of hurry up and wait. Especially with Rocky where you are stationary as a crew team. At least with Leadville you get to drive around. While you are waiting it can be hard to make yourself relax. You are on edge. When is my runner coming in next? Where is the split chart? Okay, he came in at this time, so I need to re-calculate... What do I need to prepare? He might need more of this and this. Where can I get some of that pizza? Why the fuck don't they have hand-sanitizer inside the port-o-potties and who has some I can use? And then closer to the time you expect them....why aren't they here yet? Fuck. What's happening out there? Fuck. Is he/she hurt? Fuck. They should have been here by now. Fuck. Pacing ensues. Fuck. What do I say to help? Fuck. I need to stop eating so many Oreos. Fuck. OMG... Is that him? My heart rate jumps and nerves kick in. No. It's another bald guy with rippling pecs that are all wet and sweaty and pumped and holy shit look at those quads... I mean... Where the hell is he??

Just when you are about to sit down again you see him! He was looking really good the first lap. I think that was the consensus among most of the runners; the first lap was fun and went well. Shit went downhill fast from there. You can read more about it in Andy's blog. 

I just knew that sitting him down, drying his feet, applying Hydropel and changing socks and shoes would save him. Or at least keep him going for as long as his strength would carry him. So that's what we did. In retrospect (again, 20/20 hindsight and so much of this is about shooting from the hip), I should have included extra ibuprofen and extra stay awake pills in his pack. Later on, during laps 4 and 5, we should have packed more Hammer gel. But who knew it would take more time to finish the last 20 than it did to finish the first 50? 

The goal was to pace himself. Maintain 10 minute miles for the first 60. We had heard from others how easy it was to go out too fast on the first loop and Andy was determined to stay consistent. Come mile 60 and loop #4 that concept needed serious revision. 

It was actually a funny/sad moment when Amy, as pacer, excitedly started running beside him until he said, "We're walking..." It was like watching a movie in slow-motion. A heart-wrenching movie at that. I have never seen Andy in so much physical pain. Sometimes I laugh when I'm exhausted or feeling incredibly dejected because I would much rather laugh than cry. What's the point in crying? There would be a lot of laughing soon enough.

We had already agreed that I would serve as pacer during loop 5 but the lingering question was... how much? Initially, we planned 4 miles. The longest I had ever run up to that point was a 10K. But if he was basically walking that last 20 mile loop then I too could put one foot in front of another for 20 miles. I was going to see him through this and he would know that I was with him all the way. He wasn't going to quit. I can't imagine going out there in the dark by yourself for a final 20 miles and dealing with the loneliness and solitude.  

We set out on the last loop at 1:00am. We had until noon to finish. 

As it turns out, we would need all of it. 

Early on in our trek, a runner passed us and said to me, "Are you crewing?" I responded with a yes. "Wow. I wish my wife would pace me..." Andy being the smart-ass piped up, "Me too!" (We are engaged). I knew at that point that we were going to make it. As long as Andy has a smart ass comment still in him there is a fighting chance. I think he was quite excited and delighted by the idea of showing me the muddy mess that he had to endure the past 80 miles. 

His feet were in such bad shape that every time he would land on a root the wrong way he would literally sway as if he was about to pass out from the pain. He would grind his teeth, close his eyes, breathe deeply and then keep going. It was pretty frickin' amazing. Only once, with Amy, did he throw his bottle down Super Bowl style and curse when he stubbed his toe. 

Someone asked him whether he was ever an asshole to me while we were out there. The answer is no. Anything but. As a novice pacer, I kept finding myself in front of him and he reminded me several times, "Sweetheart, I really need you to stay behind me. When you pass me like that it just crushes..." FUCK. "I'm so sorry!" I eventually learned to stay behind and keep my head down so as not to blind him with my headlight. 

I learned that saying, "Good job. You are doing awesome. I am so proud of you" every five minutes really loses its impact and validity. It was much more effective for me to stay back, keep quiet and every once in a while offer praise. Andy was also really great about indicating when he wanted me to shut up. "I could use some silence right now" worked really well because I was able to respect and honor what he wanted and not take it personally. 

At some point, I started hurting too. 

A bit of backstory: I recently learned that I have an 8mm leg length discrepancy. Anything over 1 inch is significant and requires special shoes. While inserts helped me, I was still heel striking too much. Andy encouraged me to wear my New Balance MT101s more regularly and work on proper form by running predominantly on my forefoot. Voila! When I ran, I did not experience any pain. Unfortunately, because we were walking RR100, I was wearing the wrong shoes. I should have been wearing my shoes with the insert. My hip began protesting quite painfully. What a bitch.

Picture two runners limping in unison. One runner passed us and congratulated both of us on getting through it. I guess we both looked like we had run 90+ miles at that point. We were among the dead and dying. It looked like a horror movie, like Night of the Living Dead, where all I could see behind me were lights bobbing up and down, like zombies shuffling to catch us. I thought I kept hearing the sound of people cheering, as if an aid station was right around the corner. But it was just the howling of the wind teasing and taunting. I wanted it to be daylight so badly at that point. 

Despite the pain, I had to remind myself that I was there to support him and be positive and encouraging. Along the way, I could not help but laugh about our condition and situation. A runner passed us and said, "You look like you're limping. That's not good." Once they were out of earshot Andy started making faces and joking, "Really? No Shit? How observant of you! Hey, honey, I'm limping. Did you know that?" I almost pissed my pants laughing so hard. 

Another time, a runner passed us and said, "we're gonna make it!" and all I could think was, "Speak for yourself. You're going a hell of a lot faster than we are, you know!" Ungrateful, I know, but we were reveling in our misery at that point. On another occasion, a runner passed us and he was literally running with both grace and speed. Andy's jaw dropped and he made this expression with his hand like, WTF?!?! I was nearly rolling on the ground laughing, which made him laugh, which made me laugh harder. He joked, "I'm gonna get that buckle and shove it up the RD's ass." 

Our pace for the last 4+ miles after DamNation was 30 minutes per mile. And this was a guy who did Leadville 100 in 27:58. Ian Sharman, course record holder, said in his blog, "Joe Prusaitis and his team put on a great event with fantastic volunteers and I can't fathom the effort it takes for the runners out there for up to 30 hours of rain and mud (I've still not done more than two thirds of a day on my feet!). I'm happy that I went for the record but learned that maybe less than perfect conditions on the trail should have made me adjust the goal." Yup. 

After the last aid station, I was done. Done. I looked forward to the moments when I would squat to pee because it relieved my hamstrings and calves. I would bend over and stretch every 5 minutes. I started mimicking the hunched over look that I see so often among runners where your lower back hurts so much that you can barely stand up straight. I was losing my patience. How much further? This is where Andy's selflessness emerged. He would offer praise and say he was incredibly proud of me and what I was doing. Ours was a give and take of support and encouragement. 

With about an hour to spare, we hit that last stretch and could see the finish. I heard the cheers from our friends and nearly lost it. I felt tears well up and struggled to hold it together for just a little bit longer. There was no warming tent. There was very little left of the aid station. But it didn't matter. Andy finished in 29 hours, 15 minutes with a smile on his face and another 100 under his belt. 

Preparing for Leadville 50 and other Reflections

We experienced the most memorable camping trip of our lives over July 4th weekend.

Three trips to find a hitch rack for the Jeep, a cast iron skillet falling on Andy's foot, scraped knuckles on the concrete, hitting one's head on the car frame, five storms and hail between COS and Chaffee County, a leak in the water jug (visualize a little boy statue pissing in a fountain), a veritable mudslide ontop of our clothing and tent cargo during the drive, switching campsites, mosquitos from hell, spiders and ants in our sleeping bag (the theory is still out on an apple sized bump on the back of Andy's head), a chipped tooth, a swollen butthole, sunburned and sore, the only wind of the day picking up just as Andy started pitching the tent, a dog addicted to eating elk poop, "It's 9pm and I still need to RUN!!!!" and a special, amazing, once in a lifetime surprise ontop of a mountain.

I'm thinking that crewing Andy at the Leadville 50 on Sunday will be a cakewalk in comparison. Andy's parents will be there to celebrate his finish. The goal is sub-10. A PR for 50. I know he can do it. We watched a bit of running porn last night. We have quite the collection: Spirit of the Marathon, Running the Sahara, On the Edge, Chariots of Fire... Anyway, we both love the quote from Spirit of the Marathon that goes something like this, "When we get together, all we talk about is running. But when we run, we talk about anything else."

Right now, what I'm hearing is the frustration of tapering. TAPERING! This must be like a four letter word for runners. The itch to turn that 5 miles into 10. Or to push that 3 miles and turn it into speed training. Or not take a day off because you just don't think you can afford to do it.... wow. I think we can be our own worst enemy sometimes. Your brain tells you one thing. Your passion tells you something else. I think this is where experience can play such a crucial role. Sometimes it's the experience of having NOT tapered wisely before a race and then blowing up or tapering, resting, planning and taking care of yourself and having your best race all year. It's my job to encourage and support the latter. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Leadville 100 Crew Report (2010)... partial

“So, 8 months ago, I met this asshole on plentyoffish.com…”

Andy helpfully offered this introduction to my crew report. He continued with, “then you could say, little did she know what she was getting herself into…”

My previous crew experience was limited to that of 2 aid stations at the San Juan Solstice. Essentially, little to none. But I’m anal-retentive and my daily job involves intense event planning. I should be ok, right? Yikes.

One of my smartest decisions was taking a vacation day prior to our departure. We finished laundry, errands, packing and reviewing crew and race details for the umpteenth time. Never underestimate how much time it takes to plan and pack as a crew team. And for the runner, never underestimate the fact that taking one extra day of vacation prior to your race will benefit you mentally and emotionally more than you might imagine. Especially if you anticipate driving several hours before race day.

We spent several hours creating ziplocks with exact amounts of Perp and Heed, Salt and Gels, labeled each with Outbound or Inbound and the aid station. At some point we separated fuel in one bag (extra baggies of Heed, Perp, water, etc.) and misc in another, consisting of first-aid, flashlight/batteries, braces and bandages, baby wipes, sportshield and sunscreen, ipod, etc. Another bag was additional clothing.

I had my clipboard with notes ready to go. So did our awesome crew. A spreadsheet of times, splits, distance, fuel and water, misc. needs and notes, cell phone numbers and directions. I had already driven the course twice prior to Thursday (except Winfield).

Thank goodness for the free car upgrade from Enterprise. The Jeep could barely hold all of our essentials while still leaving room to sit. Time to boogie. Andy typically leaves the car packing to me since I can fit a square peg into a round hole.

The night before the race was a memorable one. I’m not sure what Andy did to himself, but my ghod, Annie and I suffered for it. At one point he pushed up the bedroom window, bent over and stuck his ass outside. “I can’t believe I have to sleep next to stinky!” I whined. Annie retorted, “Hey! I’m the one sleeping on the floor at the foot of the bed. It hits me first!” I could only hope that he took care of business before the race. More hilarity ensued after he shoved cotton balls up his nostrils to relieve his sinuses. I got a “Fuck You” that sounded very much like the munchkins from the Wizard of Oz.

JJ graciously made a run to Safeway for sandwich products. I definitely recommend sandwiches for any crew. The pizza that she and Carlos picked up on the second day was the best pizza I ever had. Seriously. OMG. I headed to bed around 9:30pm and after dozing off for several hours I woke up at midnight, went downstairs, made some sandwiches, went back to bed, got up again at 2am and began to pack it up and move it out.

After discussing our game strategy with the rest of the crew and Andy’s coach, Scott Weber, our team (JJ, Annie and myself) headed straight to MayQueen around 3:30am. Carolyn, his pacer, and Carolyn’s boyfriend (now husband), Carlos (her crew), would meet Andy at the start.

Picture 3 pack mules hauling multiple bags to the aid station. Pretty typical, I imagine. We positioned ourselves outbound from the exit. I recommend parking as close to the Mayqueen Aid Station as possible to reduce the hauling quotient. They will let you park near the gated entrance. Do it but turn your car around so you can easily exit. Setting up after the aid station exit, further down along the path and away from the huge crowd was a good idea. Andy made it clear that he did not want to linger at the aid stations, only spending 1-2 minutes at each if possible. We assembled the table that JJ brought along and arranged the bottles of Perp, sunglasses and sportshield, mountain dew and ibuprofen, ipod and extra water. Afterwards, Annie snuggled into her sleeping bag and literally stretched out on the road for a nap.

It was still dark as I waited for Andy at the entrance to the aid station where the runners quickly emerged. He blazed into MayQueen about 10 minutes ahead of our predetermined schedule. Although he felt great, I was concerned about him pushing it too fast too soon. We discussed the beginning of the course many times and we all agreed it would be better to go out conservatively while still ensuring a good position for the single-track running he had to do. He needed to regain control and pacing strategy.

All of a sudden Andy came running back to us. What’s the fuck?! Wrong effing sunglasses. They are both black. Both Oakleys. They must have gotten mixed up in the unpacking. Lost about 5 minutes there. I was sick with regret that we dropped the ball. If it came down to those lost 5 minutes… well, I just didn’t want to think about that. Would 5 minutes really matter THAT much?? Yes, it does, actually. Cross that bridge later. I eventually asked him why he chose to run back for the correct sunglasses and he said, “I didn’t want to run for the next few hours fuming over the fact that I was wearing the wrong shades.” Point taken.

At this point, I just summarized things I learned because the idea of writing down all the details from the remainder of the event was too daunting at the time. I still plan to work on a list of highlights though.

Things to note for next year:

☼     I always like to canvass the aid stations that I can reach the day before and familiarize myself with how to get there, making notes to myself as needed.

☼     Reduce the amount of shit you bring to the aid station specifically. Bring the essentials for your runner and a chair for you along with a small cooler to keep your runner’s bottles cool (as needed, obviously).

☼     Lay out on a blanket, mat or the underside of a plastic tote, the things you think he might need. Sometimes just seeing a bottle of ibuprofen will remind them that they need or want it.

☼     Label everything with aid station details and have splits on hand to prepare. I like to have everything ready about an hour before the estimated arrival time. You just never know.

☼     Remind them not to go out too fast at the beginning. Be encouraging and supportive.  Don’t say anything if your runner is falling behind their time. They KNOW.

☼     Pick your crew team carefully. Pick people who have worked together before and you know your personalities mesh well. It was really great to have a separate outbound team leader and an inbound team leader so you can give each other breaks.

☼     Coach Weber iced Andy’s legs and the back of his neck at Winfield inbound and it helped him enormously. The coolness rejuvenated him. I was worried about him sitting down but the pros outweighed the cons.

☼     Coach Weber bandaged Andy’s toes and soles at Twin Lakes and we changed socks, all of which was very important. The blisters were really painful and rather than take off the bandages and risk making things worse, we just wrapped him up like a mummy and hoped he wouldn’t feel the pain for a while. It was a good thing that Coach had good blister tape on hand.

☼     For the crew: keep a sleeping bag in the car along with extra socks, sweatpants and a warm sweater/coat/gloves/hat, etc. It will get cold at night and if you’re like me, you’ll probably catch a few zzzz’s in the car at some point.

☼     One cool thing that another crew team did at Treeline inbound: They taped a flashlight to a pole/stick and stuck it inside one of those glow stars that you can buy at Western Hardware in downtown Leadville. It was very easy to see at night. Plus, it’s peeerrrrty.

☼     Ask someone to take pictures throughout, especially at the finish.