Sometimes the races in which we give up our pace goals are
the ones we receive so much in return.
I headed into the Pineland 50 with two loose goals 1) Aim
for a sub 9-hour finish 2) Do not destroy my body so I could resume training
for the Vermont 100 by Thursday or Friday. I achieved one of those goals.
As is often the case in trail running, the day was defined
by so much more than goals, pace, and splits. Years from now I will remember
the immense amount of support I received and love I have for the trail running
community.
Pineland has been on my radar for a few years partly because
the trails are not technical and therefore very runnable. Last year, I emailed
Erik Boucher, the race director, letting him know I would like to run it with a
few sighted guides. He replied immediately and said “Yes, and let us know how
else we can support you.” They even printed “GUIDE” and “BLIND” bibs for me and
the team. Perfect and much appreciated.
Pineland Farms is in Maine so I knew I would need to recruit
a few guides outside of my current network (who I am asking to travel to VT to
guide me). Nicole Ponte was the first to respond and even though she had never
guided before she volunteered to take on two of the three 25k loops. Really?!
Well alright then.
Amy Rusiecki, who first guided me at Ghost Train, jumped in
a few weeks before the race when the other guide who kindly responded to
helping me out got injured. Even though Amy was already committed to pacing a
friend, she said yes to my request. What a beast.
Nicole and I did a short shakeout/practice run Saturday
morning while Jill was running the 10k and declared ourselves ready to roll.
About five miles into the first loop, Amy and I started
chatting with a few runners about the Vermont 100. I cracked a joke about how I
heard negative things about the race including the race director. Amy concurred
in the affirmative (#realnews-Amy is the VT 100 RD). One of these runners was a
guy named Nat who was also using Pineland as a VT 100 training run. We casually
chatted for a few miles in which I learned Nat is a two-time Ultra Ironman
finisher. I’ve heard about these people but I didn’t know they ACTUALLY
existed! Complete bonkers. As I was running behind Amy, Nat would here and
there call out a few rocks/roots and let me know if I was drifting too close to
the trail edge. With no training Nat was a natural at providing guiding
support.
After a few what Nat and I ended up calling “Amy Flats”
(hills that Amy was trying to pass off as flats and get us to run up instead of
hike) we stopped at an aid station. With Nat out of earshot and knowing that
guiding 30+ miles is both mentally and physically challenging, I mentioned to
Amy that it would be so cool if Nat would join us for the second loop.
As we neared the end of the first loop I floated the idea to
Nat and he quickly agreed to hang with us and to soak in all the “positive
vibes.” We swung back to the start/finish line, thanked and wished Amy well and
took off on the second loop. I was 10-15 minutes off my 9-hr pace and knew I
worked hard to get there. So I decided to bail on the pace goal and simply
enjoy the run.
I’ve trained over 50 sighted guides through my day job with
the Massachusetts Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired and United in
Stride as well as guides for my own runs. Not every guide is created equal. I
am always blown away when someone jumps in with such eagerness and willingness
to help and absolutely nails it. This is what Nicole did. And as Nat and I
joked throughout the day, she did it with a smile ALL day long. You could hear
her love and enjoyment of the trails in her voice and guide calls.
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| Embrace the mud! PC: Nat |
The Pineland trails are sweet. A nice mix of 10-12 foot wide
dirt trails, grassy farm land (soaked in water and mud due to the rain), with
very few roots. We passed a few small waterfalls and every runner we met was
having a great time.
Nat did in fact hang with us the entire time and was
incredibly helpful complimenting Nicole’s guiding. I often run behind my guide
on single track trails and sometimes veer off trail a bit. Nat was invaluable
in running behind me and subtly suggesting when to stay left/right.
We chatted about work, other trail races, and the beautiful scenery
all around us. We ran with a guy named John (I think that is his name) from
Maine for the last five or six miles. It was great to see John pull away from
us during the last mile and finish strong.
I finished in just over 11 hours. Not where I wanted to be
but the experience, friendship, and trail love far outweighs any time.
I am thrilled that Amy has yet another race experience as a
guide and is ready to not only direct VT 100 but also guide me for the first 15
miles. Nicole is now part of the sighted guide family and may even help at VT
100 and I hope more races in the future. Although no lead guide experience, I
would feel more than comfortable with Nat as my guide. And I cannot wait to see
him in Vermont and soak in as much of his positive energy as possible.
The people are what make trail running such a special sport
and is why I love being a part of it.
My memories of Pineland are not about how fast I ran (or
didn’t run) nor my finish time but the people I shared the trails with. I will forever
remember Amy saying as we neared the first section of mud “We are going straight
through it and will have the most fun playing in the mud today.” And Nicole
telling me to run left and right for over 30 miles and effortlessly climbing all
the hills. And rounding numerous corners to hear Lucy cheering me on and
rocking the cowbell. Although nasty, Jill helped me pull off my mud/water
soaked socks mid-way through the race. And coming through the start/finish area and
soaking in the crowd’s cheers and energy. And Nat getting absolutely jazzed
when I taught him the “3, 2, 1, jump” method when we can upon a raised water
culvert (I swear that culvert got bigger as the day went on).
Finally, thank you to Jill and Lucy for your unwavering
support. You got up well before 5:00AM to get me to the start line, ran to
numerous aid stations to cheer me on and help with fuel, and crewed me at the
transition points. Thanks so much.
See you on the trails!
GEAR
Topo Athletic Terraventures
Nathan Vapor vest
Injinji toe socks
Post-Race Beers
Mix of Maine local beer including Mast Head, Liquid Riot, Lone Pine.
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| Finishing w/ the entire team! L to R: Amy, Nicole, Nat & Lucy |
