This will probably be one of the most difficult race recaps to report on. This race was gut wrenching and sent me to the deepest of pain caves. But, more about that later. First things first, the race description. Grindstone 100 is a 101.5 mile trail run through the Allegheny Mountains in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. The race starts at Camp Shenandoah, traverses 51.5 miles through the mountains, at over 4,500 feet and then turns around and does it all over again back to the start. The course is rocky, mountainous and will suck the life right out of you. By the numbers, there are 300 spots for runners to sign up. Only 228 had still claimed to be committed come race day... and by the end, only 156 crossed the finish line in the allocated time. And to further put this thing in perspective.. only 20 women finished and received a buckle. The other interesting thing about this race is the fact that it starts at 6 pm on Friday night. It will force you to run through 2 nights. In order to earn the buckle, you must cross the finish line back at Camp Shenandoah by 8:30 am Sunday morning, a total of 38 hours.
Day 1:
The first day, Kevin and I flew out to Charlottesville on an early flight. We had pizza for lunch near the University of Virginia and enjoyed walking around town. After lunch we made the 55 min drive to Staunton where our hotel was located. I decided to head to the local running store in search of some caffeinated gels or tabs for the race. I ended up with caffeinated NUNN and we continued to explore Staunton. We enjoyed the quaint little town and all the shops. We took a nice long nap in the afternoon and then headed back to Charlottesville for dinner and to pick up my crew (my sister and brother-in-law). We absolutely loved downtown Charlottesville. We had a great dinner with a Scottish one man show who had us singing, clapping and laughing the night away. After dinner we made our way to the airport, retrieved Denise and Lamar and drove the 55 mins back to Staunton. It was well after midnight before we made it to bed. Some last minute planning and discussing pushed our bedtime back. I was having a very difficult time planning out times for my crew to meet me at aid stations. No matter how many times I figured, I just could not come up with good time estimates for them. The course was too difficult to predict.
We slept in and then found a wonderful local joint for breakfast. Kathy's had the most amazing pancakes, waffles and service. After breakfast, we made our way out to Camp Shenandoah to get my packet and race bib. The race swag was awesome! I got a nice hoodie, trucker hat, sticker and even a cookie! The race did a great job social distancing and everyone wore their masks. They had a weigh in station for each participant and kept track of your starting weight on your bib. Twice on the course you could weigh in and keep an eye on your hydration levels. I put my drop bags in the pile and we made our way back to the hotel. Since the race didn't start until 5:40 pm, I had time to go back and nap. I think working night shift truly helped me this race. I was able to sleep during the day, and feel less tired staying up all night. After a few hours of sleep it was go time! I shoved some left over pizza down and we headed out the door. We stopped by Dunkin for a coffee, but the line was too long. So unfortunately, I had to start the race without my coffee buzz.
Race Start:
The race was originally set to start at 6 pm. When the numbers kicked backed up, the race director decided to do a staggered start and we all split up. I chose the 5:40 start time so I could run with my friend from Georgia, Alex. Alex and I have ran several races together, including Yeti Snakebite and H9. We both knew having a running partner on this course to help keep each other moving and motivated would be a great asset. We watched as the other start times lined up and began. Finally it was my turn. I remember thinking as I towed the line that I wasn't nervous. I didn't feel scared or worried at all. I knew that I would just run one mile at a time. I would put one foot in front of the other and take it as it would come. And that is exactly what I did.
The first 50 miles:
The race had a total of 13 aid stations. 6 of the stations you access twice. Once on the way out and once on the way back. One thing I did not like about this race was the fact that the aid stations were further apart than I like them to be. Some of them were 8 to 10 miles apart. I like to run aid station to aid station, and having to go so far between really did a mental number on me. The first two aid stations had no crew access. So I was not able to see my crew until mile 22. Alex and I ran together most of the first 22 miles. We had a brutal climb in the first 10 miles that had us both miserable. I was beginning to rethink this race 15 miles in. By the time we made it to the aid station, Alex had broke the news to the me that he would be unable to keep going. His back had been causing him some issues leading up to the race, and the climbing as well as the downhill was really an issue. He knew this problem, this early on was a major red flag. So he dropped at Mile 22. My crew took him back to his car and there I was, all alone. There were other runners scattered about around me, but I felt alone. It was 2 am and I was leap-frogging here and there with different runners. One set in particular... two men, one of which signed up for the race to simply help another man finish it. They questioned me about my shoes- for those of you who don't know- I wear a very nontraditional trail shoe: Vibram Five Fingers. They seemed to find it odd and I could tell the older of the two men was very skeptical of my seriousness of the race and found my shoes to be almost a joke. I verified this sentiment about 4 am when I snuck off the trail to pee. Since I am a female and this race was 85% men and there were headlamps shining everywhere... I chose to go way up into the woods to pop a squat.. for fear of my hiney being shiney. While I was up in the woods peeing, I heard this duo go running by chit chatting about no other than ME. This guy was still running his mouth about my shoes and how he didn't think I was gonna make it to the finish. Well... I pulled up my pants and caught up with them. When I came running up from behind I could tell this guy was ready to eat crow. He tried to smooth things over a bit and asked how many hundreds I had run and nick named me "fingers". I just rolled my eyes and ran on. I continued to leap frog with him and we would chit chat throughout the day. But what he said just gave me fuel to the fire and I would keep that thought throughout the rest of the race. NO BODY tells me I can't do something.
Mile 50-65:
I made it through the first night no problems. I was a little sleepy as the sun came up, but I felt pretty good. I enjoyed seeing my crew at the mile 22 and mile 36 aid, but this was the last time I would see them for 30 more miles. By the afternoon, the sun had made its way out full force and I was on exposed ridgelines near the turnaround. This meant I had about 10 miles of 85 plus degrees and sun beating me down. I didn't get to the mile 65 aid station until about 3 pm Saturday. I had been running alone for most of the day and the heat had wiped me out. I had completed the 2 biggest climbs of the course as well. The food at the aid stations had not been very filling so my crew had been to town and gotten me a grilled chicken sandwich and a Redbull. This really hit the spot for me. I had intended on picking up my pacer Rich at mile 80, but he got there early. My crew decided I looked like shit and he should go ahead and go out with me. I agreed that the company would be nice, so we set out to tough out the last 35 miles together.
Mile 65-80:
I was very happy to have Rich with me. He told me lots of stories and kept me very entertained! However, I unfortunately had a major foot problem. My shoes had rubbed insane blisters all over both of my feet. The shoes I wore were brand new. They were also a size too big. This is the last shoe I could find on the planet of my fave trail running shoe because they quit making them. So I should of worn socks with them to make up for the size different, but it was so hot and I just didn't want to add to my heat level. What I was left with was a mound of blisters that caused a good bit of pain. When I came into the mile 80 aid station, I put my toe socks on... although it was really too late at this point to matter. It did help for a while though. Then to make matters worse, I got incredibly frustrated with my Garmin. I have a relatively new Garmin Instinct Solar. It holds a charge for about 18-20 hours running GPS, but then needs to be charged. I grabbed my charger and cord and plugged it up. It would not charge. I tried another battery and still it wouldn't charge. I could get it to to charge for about 30 seconds and then it would cut off. I was so angry! My watch died around mile 74. I was able to get it powered back a little later, but it didn't last long. I love my Garmin data and this made me so freaking mad! Rich had a fully charged watch and was able to help communicate pace and distance with me throughout the rest of the race, although I really hate not being able to look down at my wrist and see it for myself. I am going to have to figure out this portable charging issue before my next big race.
Mile 80-101.5:
I love my sister crewing me. She always has some awesome, exciting fun distraction for me going down at the aid stations. She didn't disappoint at Grindstone either! When we cruised into the mile 87 aid she had a whole entire glow party set up! She donned me glow bracelets and glasses and even had a parting song to jam to on my way out! They made me a cup of mashed potatoes which really hit the spot. I took the leftovers in a zip bag to finish down the trail. I also enjoyed some nice warm coffee in a thermos at some of the late aid stations. I had bought a big jug of cold brew and my crew had heated it up on the stove top for me and added in some cream. I am so glad Rich ended up driving to the race and bringing along the camp stove and chairs for my crew! It was very much appreciated. I continued to eat my secret weapon... sour patch kids.. throughout the majority of the race. This usually settles my stomach and gives me a sugar boost as well. I find these to be far better than gels or sport beans in an ultra! The next to the last section of the race was the hardest. From mile 87-96.. about 9 miles... I was struggling so badly. It was so painful to run, my feet hurt, my knee hurt and it was the steepest downhill of the entire course. I lost a huge chunk of time on this stretch and my mental strength alone got me through this section. Well, and Rich. He kept me putting one foot in front of the other. And maybe that ass hole from the first of the race that questioned whether or not I would finish Grindstone in my "toe shoes"... I had to prove him wrong! Once we finally came into the last aid station I had some renewed strength. I knew there was only a little over 5 miles left and I had plenty of time to finish the thing! I could taste it, I could see myself so close to the finish line. Only 5.2 miles stood in my way! Little did I know those 5.2 miles would seem like 10.2 and I would hold back tears 2 different times as I continued to kick rock after unsteady rock all the way back to Camp Shenandoah.
The Finish Line:
I seriously questioned every single decision in my life those last 5.2 miles. I wondered why I ran and why I thought I should run ultras, and why in the heck did I continue to choose harder and harder 100 mile races. What was the point? Why did I do this to myself? The pain was so intense and so overwhelming. It was all consuming and no matter how hard I tried I could not make it go away or quit thinking about it. But I just kept digging harder, I kept pushing my why into focus. I run because it makes me feel alive. I run because it takes away my anxiety. I run because I love to push myself to the limits. I run hard races because I love the challenge. I run for those who can't, like my Erica. I run because I can.
36 hours and 21 mins later, I finally crossed the finish line of the Grindstone 100. I knew when I started that race Friday at 5:40 pm that I would finish. There were times of course throughout the race that I envisioned quitting. I pictured myself telling my crew I was done. I was ending the misery. I thought about a nice hot shower and a comfy bed. But I knew I wouldn't go through with it. I knew I couldn't go through with it. I had to finish. I was going to finish. And I did. 
After the race we all headed back to the hotel to grab a little sleep. We then headed back into Charlottesville for some late lunch before our flight. We thoroughly enjoyed our amazing lunch at Citizen Burger! I'm not sure if we were just starving or not.. but it was incredible! We had to end the weekend on a crazy note however... when we got back to the parking area we were unable to find our rental car. I immediately knew it had been towed. After some searching, we found the number of the tow company located on the other side of the parking area. We parked in a spot that had no mention of paying, but apparently it was a pay to park lot. I mean, none of us had slept in over 36 hours... cut us come slack already! But the real problem was that our flight was dangerously close to departing. So we all panicked/freaked out (some of us more that others)! We called an Uber to take us as quickly as possible to the tow company. We bailed out our rental car and made our way back to the airport with time to spare! What an ending to our weekend! Overall, I am happy with my performance at the race and see ways I can improve for the next one. But I tell you what, that was by far the hardest race of my life and I don't know that I will be ready to tackle anything like it anytime soon! But I got it done and I got the buckle to prove it.
