ultra crew – ultrarunningmom

Making the Leap into the Ultra-World: Crew and Pacers

August 10, 2016Nicole Lowe McBride1 Comment

Crew and pacers are unique to the ultra-world and not everyone uses them even for the one hundred mile distance. I recommend that first time 50 and 100 mile runners have a crew. First time 100 mile runners should have pacers as well. Once you have some experience figuring out how you run your races best, you can do whatever. So what do they do? Your crew and pacers can make or break your race.

Crew: Your crew is your support team. They wait for you at each aid station and help you with anything you need as you come in. Wait, isn’t that what the aid station is there for? Yes, but they have all the other runners to attend to as well, and you may need more than just a refill on water. Some aid stations will have volunteers who do more than just fill your hydration pack and guide you toward the food, but you can’t count on it.

You have to plan for the “unexpected” in a 100 mile race. Your crew is there to handle those issues and the planned issues beyond the refill. Your crew will help you change clothes, restock your supplies of food, salt tablets, and anything you carry in your hydration pack. They make sure your headlamp is working and that you have extra batteries. They take care of blisters and massage your muscles as needed during the race. They wait at the aid station for hot food and broth to be prepared while you take care of other things.

Your crew provides you with information and updates. Since they are hanging out at aid stations they hear about trail conditions and weather patterns. They also hear about placement, if you’re interested in where you are in the race or another particular runner.

An essential thing your crew provides is encouragement and tough love. It is so refreshing to come in from a difficult, physically or mentally, section of the course and see friendly faces waiting to help you in every way. They tell you things like, “You look strong,” “You’re doing great,” “Your on target for your goal finish time,” and other beautiful things. They also get tough. If you are whining and complaining they tell you to suck it up. If you feel like dropping out, they push your ass back out there. One runner recounted a story to me about a time where he wanted to drop at mile 80 of a 100. His wife was his crew. He told her he was quitting and he headed to the car. She beat him to the car and drove off calling, “See you at the next aid station.” Now that’s love.

Finally, your crew makes decisions when you cannot. They constantly evaluate your physical and mental status when you come in and go out of aid stations. When you are exhausted physically and mentally you don’t always make the best decisions about what you need. But as a prepared ultra-runner, you’ve had this conversation with your crew about important decisions such as when to drop and what to do with body functioning issues. So, even when you are falling asleep on your feet and hallucinating, they have your back. If you can’t think straight because your electrolytes are out of balance, they are there to recognize that and balance you out.

Pacers do many of the same things as crew, only they do it on the run. They are going to make decisions for you and evaluate how you are doing physically and mentally as you shuffle/crawl along down the trail. It’s important that you choose pacers who run under the conditions of the race. Their training should mimic your own in most way other than distance (unless they are training for the own 100). They need to be able to deal with crazy weather and technical trails during the day and night. They need to have their own gear to do this. They need to be able to keep pace with you.

Most 100 mile races allow pacers after mile 50. Some of the more difficult ones allow them at 40. Pacers make sure you stay on the right trail as you become more tired. They provide you company during the night. They are also added safety from larger animals that see lone runners as dinner.

Choosing: Take care who you ask to crew or pace for you. Many runners immediately pull in loved ones and close friends, but these are not always the best choices. It can get ugly out there and your crew has to be able to send you back out when you are not in the best condition and when you are hurting (a lot). Parents, siblings, and children cannot always do that and asking them to do it, is not very nice. Having experienced crew is ideal, but not always possible. You may have to learn/teach as you go. You need people who will stay positive even when you are grumpy, short, and negative.

What they can’t do: Crew cannot provide aid outside of aid stations. Pacers cannot carry (mule) things for you. They can hold your gloves or pack while you use the bathroom, but that’s about it.

Important: your crew or pacers violation of rules or unruly behavior can get YOU disqualified.

For more information on crew and pacers see my page titled Ultra Crew.

Could You Run Without Your Support Team?

March 10, 2016March 9, 2016Nicole Lowe McBrideLeave a comment

I couldn’t. My crew and pacers have been and continue to be instrumental in my ultrarunning and finishes. I know some runners complete ultras without crews or pacers. And my hat goes off to them. I sometimes think I could do it without, if I needed too. I’ve done the first fifty miles of a few hundreds without a crew (you typically can’t have pacers within the first fifty miles). And those races went fine. I’ve also had total melt downs at mile 83 and my crew has been able to get me back out there to finish the race.

I love to have them there even if I don’t “need” them. Their smiling faces and tough love make my race fun even when I’m struggling. Their belief in me, when I don’t believe, gets me through. Sharing my success and love of running is another reason I bring out such a large crew. I have six people, three pacers and three crew, who will be joining me out on Antelope Island for the Buffalo 100 on March 18^th and 19^th.

I also recognize they are giving up time with family to be out there supporting my running habit. It’s important to me to recognize that and remember it during races. I try to be very aware of their sacrifice when I come into aid stations. I don’t want to criticize them or be a pain in the ass. They are, after all, out there just for me.

Because of all of this, I make a special effort to make sure their needs are taken care of and that they will have a good time out there as well. When I have my crew meetings, I go through things they will need and what their experience will be like. I try to plan things as precisely as possible so they know what to expect and don’t have to guess about what I will need or search for things I am asking for.

Even though I don’t have to have drop bags with my amazing crew at every aid station they can get to, I put them there to make life easier for my crew. It is easy for them to come into an aid station get my drop bag, which has most of what I thought I would need at that particular place and time in the race.

I also try to find a gift for them which is meaningful and will remind them how important they all are to me.

Take care of your support system and never forget, they don’t have to be there. They are there because they love to watch and help you succeed.

The Ready of Ready, set, go!

August 26, 2015August 26, 2015Nicole Lowe McBrideLeave a comment

Other than training, how do you get ready for a 100-mile run?

I can’t speak for everyone, but I’ll tell you how I prepare for a 100. First, you need to read all the rules on the website. Also on the website, the race director will tell you when or if you can have a pacer. A pacer is usually allowed after the first 50 miles. You want to find out what they will have at the aid stations as well. You will need to train with that stuff if you plan to use it during the race.

I start looking for pacers and crew shortly after I register for a 100. You will need to find people who are pretty tough because they may need to watch you continue even when you look like you could fall over. Not only that, they have to send you back out there when you want to quit. I take my training partners, friends, and my dad. I took my son once and he asked to never be asked again because he had such a hard time watching me continue when I was hurting.

The other thing I try to do is predict when I will be coming into each aid station. This does a few things. It helps me keep on track to hit all the cut offs and finish. It also lets my crew know when I will be coming into each aid station.

To do this, I create a table in Microsoft word. It has a column with each aid station’s name, the mile the aid station is at, whether or not I can have a drop bag at that aid station, whether or not I have access to my crew at that aid station, whether or not I can pick up a pacer at that aid station, the cut off time, and what time I expect to arrive at that point. I’ve included my most recent chart at the end.

I estimate my time to the aid station by experience, distance between aid stations, and the elevation profile of the race. I know that I slowdown in the last 40 miles both in my ascents and descents. So in those estimates, I try to be generous on my time frame.

Once I have times, I can plan my drop bags. I usually put a drop bag in every twenty miles. There are things I put in every drop bag such as stomach medication, blister first aid, food options that the race doesn’t provide, a long sleeve and short shirt, and two pairs of socks. In my night bags, I put in a head light and extra batteries, long pants, gloves, and an extra long sleeve shirt. In my day bags, I have sunscreen and my long sleeve shirts are lighter in color usually white. There are things I leave with my crew too. My trekking poles, extra shoes, extra food, clothing for rain, extreme cold and snow, and pedialyte.

I have my crew at every aid station possible, unless they can’t get to the race until after I start. I really need them there after mile 50. Sure I could do the race without a crew, but it’s so nice to have a someone you know there to help you do whatever you need them to do. The aid station crew will help, but if they are not experienced ultrarunners, they can’t help you much when you are really struggling.

A pacer is helpful because they can keep your pace up when you are tired and hurting. They work as a distraction and encouragement. They can help find your drop bag and dig through it searching for what you need. They can massage aching muscles and help you change clothes and shoes when are off balance. They help you stay on the right trail. They CANNOT carry any of your gear.

My pacers do anywhere between 20-30 miles depending on their experience as a runner. I don’t want my pacer to slow down. Nor do I want them to have stomach issues, blisters, or anything else that will impact my race, so choose pacers wisely and don’t use them beyond their experience.

The final thing I do is have a crew/pacer meeting. At the meeting, I cover the possible weather, all the above information, and any strange behave I predictably have during a race such as I get really tired during the hours of 4-6 am but come back once the sun comes up. I also cover how they need to prepare. They need their own food, running gear especially for the weather conditions we expect to see. They need to be able to entertain themselves for hours while waiting for me to come in. How they can address problems that I am having and encourage me to keep going.

The bottom line is you really need to be prepared for every possibility because these races tend to be in remote areas where you cannot easily get something you forgot to pack or suddenly NEED to have. You do need to figure out where you can go to get stuff if really really really needed.

In my elation, I neglected to tell you I was accepted in to the Bear 100! At the beginning of this year the Bear was my goal race. In March, I found out it was full so I put my name on the wait list. Low and Behold, I got in and just found out a few weeks ago.

Bear 100

Where	mile	Crew allowed	Drop bag allowed	Cut off	Pacer allowed	Expected time in	Ascent From last aid
Start Hyrum Gibbons 1400 E 350 S	0 10. 5 to next aid	Yes	Yes		No	6:00 a.m.
Logan Peak	10.52 9 to next aid	No	No		No	11: 00 a.m.	4600
Leatham Hollow	19.66 3 to next aid	Yes	Yes		No	1:30 p.m.	300
Richards Hollow	22.50 7.5 to next aid	Yes	No		No	230 pm	200
Cowley Canyon	29.98 7 to next aid	Yes	Yes		No	5 pm	2100
Right Hand Fork	36.92 9 to next aid	Yes	Yes		Yes Robert	7 pm	800
Temple Fork	45.15 6.5 to next aid	Yes	Yes		Yes Robert	830 pm	1100
Tony Grove 5$ fee	51.84 8.5 to next aid	Yes	Yes	7:00 a.m Saturday	Yes Robert	10 30 p.m.	2700
Franklin Trailhead	61.48 7 to next aid	Yes	Yes	9:00 a.m. Saturday	Yes Robert	1 30 a.m.	900
Logan River/Steep	68.6 7.5 to next aid	Yes	No	11:00 a.m. Saturday	Yes Change to Steve	3 a.m.	1350
Beaver Lodge	75.82 5.5 to next aid	Yes	Yes	12:30 p.m. Saturday	Yes Change to Erin	6 a.m.	1500
Gibson Basin	81.18 4 to next aid	No	No	2:00 p.m. Saturday	Yes Erin	730 a.m.	200
Beaver Creek CG	85.25 7 to next aid	Yes	Yes	3:00 p.m. Saturday	Yes Erin	9:30 a.m.	1200
Ranger Dip	92.2 8 miles to finish	Yes	Yes	4:30 p.m. Saturday	Yes	11:30 a.m.	600
Finish	99.7	Yes	Yes	6:00 p.m.	Yes	3:30 pm.	All down hill

Share the Joy of Running

March 23, 2015March 23, 2015Nicole Lowe McBride1 Comment

A 100-mile run is not a one-person enterprise, at least not for me. I know there are some runners out there who run the full one hundred without the assistance of pacers or a crew, but I am not one of those runners.

Maybe one day I will have enough experience to go without, but even then, I would still choose to take them along for the adventure because my crew and pacers add so much to the race regardless of if my race is going well or is difficult.

The Buffalo Run had medallions available for pacers this year, which I thought was awesome. I would love to see other races pick up that trend and expand it for crews.

My poor crew really was tested this race. I was demanding, grouchy, exhausted, sun burned, nauseous, blistered, and aching early on in the race. Temperatures were high (75 degrees Fahrenheit), for the time of year, and then dropped low at night (34 degrees Fahrenheit) yet my crew stood waiting for hours for me to come into the aid station.

Regardless of how I was feeling at the time, they were smiling and laughing which always made things a little easier for me. They had everything I needed ready before I came in and tried to anticipate any extras based on conditions.

At mile 82, I was near ready to drop from the race. My pacer, J$, seeing I was having a difficult time suggested I get out of the sun for a while and eat some real food. We reached the aid station and my crew was unexpectedly there waiting for me. I hadn’t arranged for them to be there because I didn’t expect to come through that aid station so late in the race, but there they were smiling and joking around. I sat in the shade and ate some real food for twenty minutes and then set back out for six miles until the next aid station.

When I rolled into the aid station at mile 88, I was ready to call it quits. I laid in the van and whined about how crappy I felt and how much longer it was going to take at my current pace. I didn’t think I would make it before the finish line cut off. Swiss Miss, after running her own race of 17 miles, listened to me whine and convinced me to go back out with her and J$ pacing. It was slow going, but we made it another six miles. I was six miles from the finish line. I still wasn’t sure that I could make the finish line cut off, but I was going to try.

The next aid station was two miles away with a small climb and descent. I was hurting on the descents. We made okay time over the next two miles and met my crew at the final aid station, four miles from the finish line. I sat in the shade, ate some potato chips, and then had to get moving again. Swiss Miss stayed with the crew. J$ and I headed out.

We had 70 minutes to get to the finish line. I was doing an 18-minute mile due to the blisters on my feet, nausea, and aching quads. The last section is rocky with some bigger rolling hills. It would take 72 minutes to get there at my current pace. We had to pick up the pace.

My Garmin beeped. One mile down, three to go. J$ asked what our pace was. My Garmin read 19 minute pace. He cranked up the power walk to 14:30 and I had no choice but to keep up. He was about ten steps ahead of me. “Focus on the arm swing and use your butt.”

I put my head down and kept going.

“There is no way you’re not finishing this. It’s knocked you down about eight times. It’s hit you with every possibility and you keep getting back up. You’re the comeback queen!” J$ called.

All I could hear in my head was, “Comeback queen.”

J$ raised his hand and pointed. “There’s the white tent. The finish line. One more mile.”

And there was my crew ringing cow bells and hollering, “Go DVP! You’ve got this.”

We crossed the finish line with eight minutes to spare.

100 mile race plan

September 24, 2014September 21, 2014Nicole Lowe McBride2 Comments

Above is my dad and I at last years Pony Express coming over Dugway pass about 35 miles into the race.

I met with my race crew to go over the plan for Pony Express 100 yesterday. Last year, I made it to mile 72 and had to drop from the race because of pain in my knee caused by a high ankle sprain I had not allowed to heal sufficiently. Last year I vowed to come back and finish the race. This year, I’m coming in injury free, I have one 100 mile finish under my belt, I have trained better, and I am on the low carb diet.

There is a thirty-hour time limit on Pony Express 100. That means you have to maintain an 18-minute mile to finish the course before time runs out. But, I don’t want to be out there for thirty hours. The longer you are out there the harder it becomes to finish because you are tired, ache, and want to be done.

It takes six months to train for a one hundred mile event, at least for normal people who have a full time job and family to care for, and failure to finish after training for that long is a disheartening blow to say the least.

So you have to plan for every possibility that you can think of happening out there. One hundred miles is a long way and a lot can happen. I’m not saying that you need to be prepared for the zombie apocalypse, although I wouldn’t fault you for it, but each possibility that is within reason.

Pony Express is a great beginner’s race because you have to have your own crew and they can access you at any time during the race. There is only one aid station provided and it is at mile fifty. It is the finish line for the 50-mile runners and dinner for the 100-mile runners and their crew.

The major issues you have to consider are weather conditions, problems with your feet, and problems with your stomach. The best course of action is to do everything you can to prevent any of this by training well. And then be ready to deal with it when it does occur out on the course.

I have a blister kit to deal with any type of blister situation that arises, and I have a “medical kit,” which contains solutions to stomach problems that may arise. I pack the full gamut of clothing for Pony Express because daytime temperatures are around 75 degrees Fahrenheit and nighttime temperature drop below freezing.

Once I have all the gear I need, I have to teach my crew when I will need it. For this, I meet with my team before the race and go over a list I put together of what I will probably need and when. This list includes any important rules my crew has to follow, the food I have available, when I should change clothing, and any time cut offs for the race.

My parents are coming out for this race, which is exciting for me because they are not able to be at the finish line of many of my races due to work schedules and life events. They are pulling their camping trailer out to the race start and taking care of my son Sky (13) and my dogs while I run.

My dad is going to be my daytime crew. He will meet me along the road as my mobile aid station from 5:00 a.m. until about 5:00 p.m., which will be from the start to mile fifty or sixty depending on how I am feeling. Last year I had my crew meeting me every ten miles during the first fifty of the race, but this year I may cut that to every five miles.

Swiss Miss and another friend will by my nighttime crew performing the same duties that my dad did, but from 5:00 p.m. until I cross the finish line anywhere between 5:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.

Both my daytime crew and nighttime crew may become pacers at some point in the race to help encourage me to keep going or to provide me some company out there on the flat as a pancake western desert. J$ will be coming out to pace me from mile 75 into the finish line, which is what he did for the Salt Flats 100.

My goal for the race is 28 hours, but just finishing is a huge achievement and I will accept a 30-hour finish with open arms as well. I am really looking forward to crossing the finish line where my mom, dad, Sky and a few of my best friends will be. I cannot imagine a better way to spend an October day.