2021 Never Summer Very Done - Part 1(Eye Roll Here)

 

It's been a long time coming.  I am done with Never Summer.  I do not need to go back again (unless Brian does it and needs a pacer).  It started in 2017, well, 2016 if you count when I first decided to run it (thanks, Jedi - insert eye roll emoji here.  Rick blames Jedi for all my over 50 mile races).  In 2019, I felt as fit and ready for the race as I believe I could be, except for proper gear (insert another eye roll emoji).  I thought I'd prepared enough, given what I went through in 2018, but 2019 storms proved longer and crazier than 2018, definitely not enough or even the right gear.  Of course we all know what happened in 2020 to races.  Still, I trained like I was going and felt really strong.  The TMR 105 Mile Challenge was fun and good training!  GNAR pulled off Never Summer in 2020 with some alterations, but allowed people the option of deferring to 2021.  I wasn't ready to get on a plane without a vaccination so took the deferral.  Another year to train and dread.

In addition to me getting all the right gear, GNAR put out their required gear list for 2021.  I think the China incident has races covering their asses.  I needed to get a whistle, but, other than that, I was actually carrying more than what they were requiring.  I had picked up two very good, water-proof NorthFace running rain jackets.  My new, grownup Salomon 12L pack allowed me to easily carry it all.  I just needed to learn where I put everything.  (I really miss good emojis.  This app only supports a couple and definitely not my favorites.  Please put eye rolls wherever you suspect I would be rolling my eyes.)

So, if you read the previous post, you know that this year I would be allowed a pacer - like I've said to anyone I've talked to, it's the only plus to being over 60.  That was a huge relief.  Another really wonderful bonus was having fellow Trail Monsters doing the race.  PT, Peter Troast, was doing the 60k the day before the 100k.  Bucky and Brent were both doing the 100k.  While I wouldn't share miles with any of them, there was a comfort in having friends out there sharing the journey.  Plus, I love the race so much, I couldn't wait for my friends to experience it.

Oh, I know it's taking a while to get to the actual race, but, hey, it took me a long while to get to the actual race.  I want to thank a few more people because I had some pretty special people seeing that my getting to the race went as easily as possible.  Mindy and Bucky always seemed to find a way to share some of my long miles and usually the ones that were the suckiest.  Once, while I was doing a ridiculous long run on the hill across the street, Bucky and Squirrel tag teamed for my last 10ish miles.  They didn't even coordinate, but somehow just showed up at the right times.  And then there was the final long run where Scout and Squirrel ran though torrential rain for hours only to learn it had washed all the BTM caterpillar hairs onto them.We paid for it for two weeks, but it was a run for the books!

Nathan Augustine had run and finished NS in 2019.  He'd poked fun at my gear or lack there of.  It was the kind that is funny, but also lets you know what you should have.  When he visited us in Breckenridge before the race, I showed him all my new stuff.  I'll paraphrase, but he said something like, be sure you put the rain jacket on before you get all wet.  Noted.  It's so hard to warm up at altitude.

 Let's at least start us on the road to the race.  On Friday, the 23rd, Rick and I did our usual, heading to Breckenridge for an amazing vacation and acclimating all at once.  In Breck, we pretty much never went lower than 9,500' and got as high as 12,800'.  Early morning hikes/runs followed by leisurely beers and lunches were the rule.  The tourists were out in big numbers, but we were able to get outside seats for every meal.  It was great.  

Thursday I laid out all my drop bags and planned.  I added more food and Tailwind to each bag after I was "finished".  It couldn't hurt to have some extra.  As usual, I put in bottled water in all the bags.  I really am a delicate flower and can tell when water is chlorinated.  With a stomach that goes south in long, long runs, I prefer to eliminate any potential problems that I are in my control.

I watched the Never Summer Mountain Range weather.  It wasn't good.  Breathe.  I let Bucky, Mindy, and Brian know my apprehension.  Oh, I know worry doesn't help, but I also know it's scary as shit on a mountain, above timberline with wind, hail, and lightning.  Not just scary, but real actual dangerous.  They kidded.  Brian would be the lightning rod.  Ok, then I'd lose my pacer (remember the eye rolls).  We were doing it.  No matter.  

Friday came.  Time to drive up to Walden, CO, the biggest town next to where the race would be.  We'd be staying at the Antlers Inn again.  The plan was to get there in time to see PT finish his race.  We had a few updates from the tracker; it looked like he and his friend, Steve, were moving really well.  We heard from Bucky.  They'd be a little behind us.  Brent was flying in and driving up.  He was going to camp right near the start.  Youth.  Sigh.  And Brian?  He also was flying in that day.

We were able to get into our room a little early.  It was the smallest we've had there.  It was fine.  We checked the tracker.  If we wanted to see PT finish, we'd better head to the start/finish.  It's like a half an hour from the inn.  Bucky and Sarah were just checking in.  We said we'd see them up there.  I handed duct tape and a sharpie to Sarah while they stood getting their room.  She looked puzzled.  Bucky requested it for dropbags.  See you up there!

All the familiar feelings and sights.  Rick drives this route way more than I since he goes back and forth between crewing.  There looks to be weather all around, but PT and Steve are off all the big, exposed stuff.  No worries for them.  The race start is bustling so much more than ever before.  2020 was the first year they added the 60k.  We had to wait for runners coming in to finish to head to a parking spot.

Rick drops me of at the building so I can have my gear checked and pick up my number.  He parks and gets my dropbags where they go.  Hey!  Bucky and Sarah made it before PT finished!!  Not a whole lot before, but enough so we were all in place to cheer them in and get pics.  Wow!!!  They both look so strong and so happy (good heart emoji goes here; I hate the one this blogspot uses).

I'm not sure when we started seeing the emails from GNAR Runners, but we hear some interesting weather things are going down.  A mudslide on Rt 14, heading in from Fort Collins to the race, had closed the road.  There's potential for more of the same type of weather.  In fact, my weather app says we have 100% chance of heavy rain for the race.  Ugh.  Bucky heard from Brent.  He had to drive into Wyoming to get around the mudslide.  Then we here the same from Brian.  Wow!

Bucky, Sarah, Rick and I went down to the inn's restaurant.  We had no expectations.  In 2017, Mindy had her "worst meal in a restaurant ever".  The rest of ours were not that bad, but definitely not good.  In 2018, Rick and I had maybe our best ever burgers out.  They were amazing.  In 2019, the food was mediocre.  So, what would it be this time? The menu was drastically reduced.  Walden is not a place for vegetarians, let alone vegans.  Bucky and Sarah opted for salads (huge, but mainly ice burg lettuce) and baked potatoes.  Rick and I both had cheeseburgers.  And drinks?  Well, I wanted a beer.  Sorry, nothing on tap.  I picked on of the bottled beers.  We don't have that.  Or that.  OK, I'll take a MGD.  About 5 minutes later I learned they had to go out for my beer.  I assumed that meant to the liquor store a few doors down, but, no.  They meant to a fridge somewhere not in their kitchen.  OK, we're out of that.  I opted for water.  I'd like to say probably better for me, but I didn't feel that at the time.

We were back in our rooms fairly early.  Bucky messaged.  Did we want to have beers in the Death Room.  Um, yes please!  I knew exactly where he meant without asking, the room with all the taxidermy (laughing, diagonal face emoji here).  Meanwhile, PT and Steve came to town so we all had beers in the Death Room.  It was perfect.  They shared their race stories and we talked about our race tomorrow.  Soon Brian showed up!!!!!!!  He'd survived the caravan through Wyoming.  

I'm not sure who saw it first but another email from GNARs came through.  They'd lost their SAR crew due to the mudslide.  That and the potential for very serious weather caused them to change the course.  They were out there remarking as we sat.  Wow.  As a race director, I could just about imagine what they were going through.

 PT, Steve, and Brian headed down to eat while Bucky, Sarah, Rick and I headed to our rooms to pretend to sleep.  Tomorrow, the race.