Organic Runner Mom

The Vermont 100 on 100 Relay is one of my favorite races. The course runs along scenic Vermont Route 100 and back roads from Stowe Vermont to Ludlow, Vermont. This past spring when I got together with some of my awesome running blogger friends at Allie’s (Vita Train 4 Life-Allie was an original team member but due to family circumstances was unable to race) condo I brought up the idea of putting together a team for the race. And it was there that Team Air Supply was born!

The Team:

These kickass Runner Moms made up Team Air Supply for 2019.

• Sarah (sarah.canney)
• Angela (HappyFitMama)
• Kara (MaineGirl2Runs)
• Nat (NatRuns Far)
• Laura (MommyRunFast)
• me (OrganicRunnerMom)

The RACE:

The night before the race the six of us met up at Allie’s Condo (Huge thank you Allie!!!!) and then enjoyed a lovely dinner at Homestyle Hostel in Ludlow, Vermont where food is served family style. This was the perfect pre-race fuel! When we got back from dinner we decorated our van and we checked out our amazing swag from all of our generous race sponsors (more to come about sponsors in a future post).

Our awesome sponsors were:

• Brooks running shoes,
• Jay Bird Sport ear buds,
• Goodr sunglasses,
• Momentum jewelry,
• Moji heated rollers,
• Crazy Compression socks,
• Headsweats hats,
• RxBars
• Maurten hydration
• Testing from Inside Tracker.

We cozied up for the night in Allie’s comfy condo. My sleep was restless. I think I was anticipating the race morning to come. Our alarms woke us at 4:30 so we could grab breakfast before driving to Stowe to pick-up our race packets and to start the relay. I started my race morning off as usual with oatmeal and a banana. This is always what sits best in my stomach.

When we arrived at the race start we were excited to see other teams who had already started the event. I love all of the cheering on that happens between teams. This is one part that makes relay events so fun. We had about an hour to go before our first runner Kara would start. She had a trail run for the first leg.

The runner order was Kara, Angela, Laura, Me, Nat and then Sarah as the anchor leg. In the starting area we checked out the other teams and noted that there were a few Oiselle Volée Womens Teams and a few other all women’s teams (Just for the Hill of It) starting at the same time as us. This got the competitive juices flowing in all of us and we were ready to see how we would stack up against these teams.

Our team was psyched and when we got going our energy heightened. It was getting hot by the time we get started and much of the duration of the race was in the 80’s and very humid.

All of the runners on the course were definitely feeling the effects of the heat early on and it became clear that proper hydration would be important along the way. We always made sure to stop in between handoff points to share hydration with our runners.

My Legs:

I was runner 4 which meant I would be running leg 4 (5.5 Miles), 10 (4.2 Miles), and 16 (6.2 miles) for a total of 15.9 Miles. My first leg Laura came speeding in for the handoff and I took off feeling a few race day nerves. This run would be the hilliest of my legs. I was able to pass two runners on this leg and worked hard to keep up my pace on the hills and in the heat.

I passed off to Nat who had to race to meet me from the porta potty (LOL). Leg 10 was short and fast. There were two women within my sites and I pushed hard to pass one of them but just could not pass the other one. All through the race we were jockeying back and forth with the Oiselle runners and we wanted to stay ahead of them!

My final leg started in the dark and it was foggy having just rained hard (torrential rain and thunderstorms during Kara’s leg). It was a bit eerie out and quite lonely on the road as there were no other runners with me when I started.

I appreciated the vans full of runners that were stopped along the course to support their runners as they also cheered me along and one team even supplied me with some water. I was so happy to see my team along the way too! The footing was a little tricky on the shoulder of the road. I was trying very hard not to roll my ankle. Finally I caught up to some blinking lights (runners in flashing vests) and was able to pass a few runners before I came in to the handoff to Nat. Nat charged off for a strong final leg passing off to Sarah who took us in for a solid fast finish at the Jackson Gore Lodge at Okemo Mountain.

100 Miles on Route 100 at the #VT100on100Relay with #TeamAIRSUPPLYVT Check out all of our fun shenanigans! #locoraces

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We were sweaty and exhausted and so proud of our team at the finish. All of our runners worked so hard on their legs Kara pushing hard especially when the weather got crazy, Angela rocking the longest mileage like a pro, Laura the secret speed demon crushing each of her legs, Nat sprinting like a gazelle into each handoff and Sarah challenging every runner she came across. We were eager for our results as we devoured the post-race meal (Chicken has never tasted so good and salty!) Finally our results were posted! We were the second place women’s team overall in a time of 14:07!

And we beat the Oiselle teams! We were only eight minutes back from the first place women’s team which made us hungry to come back for more next year (we’ll see if we can make it happen!) Overall we were the 23rd place team. We are super proud of our Team Air Supply Finish and how hard everyone worked. We cheered each other on and supported each other all day long and we shared a ton of laughter along the way! I hope we get to do it again next year!

Race Day Fuel

You are probably wondering what to eat during an event like this. Here is a quick breakdown of my race day fuel. I had oatmeal and a banana for breakfast. Then a pre-leg GU with caffeine before my leg. After my leg I down a nut butter sandwich as well as an energy ball with honey and oats (courtesy of another team). I made sure to have Maurten hydration after each leg to replace the electrolytes. Before my second leg I also had a piece of pizza (Thank you team Money Drugs Power for sharing your pizzas with us!). The salt from the pizza tasted amazing. Before my second leg I had another GU. After the leg I ate some beef jerky which I like for the salt and protein. I also ate a banana. I probably should have had another small sandwich but the heat had gotten to me a bit. Before my third leg I had another GU with caffeine. After the race we loaded up at the post race meal where I ate pasta salad, chicken, fresh fruit and cookies . . . I couldn’t stomach the post race beer though lol.

Team AIR SUPPLY takes on the VT 100 on 100 Relay

Here is an awesome recap video sharing our race day adventure at the VT 100 on 100 Relay thanks to Sarah Canney!

RACE DAY Recaps from Team AIR SUPPLY

Mommy Run Fast

Have you ever raced a relay event? What did you enjoy the most about it?