DNF at Hallucination 100

I dropped out of the Hallucination 100 after having run only 46 miles. Around mile 30 I was chatting with a female runner in the dark woods when I felt a pain with every foot fall in my right side near the rib cage. Before that pain occurred I had been listening to water bouncing in my stomach for about an hour. I had never experienced water sounds while running, and because I don't pee much during long races I was worried that I drank too much in the hours prior. I managed to pee twice after the pain started, which means I did drink too much. By the time I reached mile 40 the pain caused from my bloated stomach hitting the rib cage had gotten worse from repetition. I knew my stomach needed to absorb the excess liquid, but I did not know how long it would take. I decided to walk, hoping the easier pace would speed absorption.

After a few miles walking I again felt the pain near my ribs, which meant that it would probably be hours more before my water level was back to normal. During this time I stopped drinking, but my appetite was large, so I ate a lot at the aid stations. Around 3:00am the temperature dropped to the upper 40's with a stiff wind. I was walking with only a singlet and shorts and was getting chilled, and my legs were stiff from the prolonged break from running. I decided that it would be wise to stop my race at the 46 mile aid station. Walking casually for 3 hours had given me the time to think things through :

1) I had accidentally drank too much. I only drink when thirsty, and don't follow a schedule for when to drink, but this time my body overcompensated, probably because 95% of my runs during the past 3 months have been in hot and humid conditions. Race day was breezy and cool with low humidity, so the water, lemonade, and V8 I drank was overkill, and it settled into my stomach without being absorbed.

2) The excess liquid I heard bouncing in my gut with each stride had extended the size of my stomach, which now bumped against my ribs when running/walking. This caused the pain I was feeling in that area.

3) I had to decide if the stomach banging on the rib cage would cause damage to my stomach and any other organs. Since I was feeling pain, I believed that the potential for serious harm did exist.

4) Having given my body 3 hours to process the water, and seeing no improvement, I decided the best thing to do was drop from the race and try again another time.

So that is what I did, I dropped at the 46 mile aid station. A nice couple were there waiting for their son to pass through for his final 100k loop, and they offered to drive me back to the start line. When I got back to my camp site I slept in the tent for two hours, then packed up at dawn and drove home.

I have no regrets about my decision, it was the right thing to do. I don't feel sad about not finishing, as I predicted a 10% chance of completing the course. I tried my best, which was the main goal, I focused, ran smart, and was well trained. I made the mistake of drinking too much, but that had never occurred before, so I was not looking out for that problem. It is a lesson learned and I will now remember to drink moderately when running a long race if the conditions are cool and I am not sweating.

Other than the stomach bloat, everything else went well. I ran an easy, slow pace, hit the first 16.7 miles in 3:30, finished the 2nd loop in 3:34, and was running the same pace in the third loop until I had to walk for 3 hours. My legs were slightly sore by mile 35, but nothing too bad.

The course was great, and I loved running at night. My headlamp was bright enough, but the batteries died after only 5 hours. As the light dimmed on the bulb I tripped on a root I could not see and fell. The path was sandy and it was like landing on a beach, so no harm was sustained. I ran/walked from 4:00pm to 4:30am, I wanted to see the sunrise, but maybe next time.

It is now 2 days after the race and my legs are sore, but I can see that they will recover within a week. My stomach is still sore in the area below the ribs, so I am glad I stopped when I did. This was to be my last race of the season, but since I will most likely make a fast recovery I am thinking about running Farmdale (50 miles), and the McNotAgain 30 miler in October. November-December will be time off from training.

I would like to try another 100 mile race, but that will have to wait until next summer. If I can stay healthy this winter and start soft training in January, I would like to participate in the Kettle Moraine 100 in June.

It is exciting to attempt something which is not easy to achieve. It may take years of trying before I complete a 100 mile race. I am looking forward to the challenge and the adventure.

Musings on 100, Part XVIII

"In the words of the ancients,
one should make his decision within the space of seven breaths.
It is a matter of being determined and having the spirit
to break through to the other side."


Yamamoto Tsunetomo (1659 - 1719)

Musings on 100, Part XVII

Just a few days until I toe the line of my first attempt at running/walking 100 miles. I have no apparent injuries, my legs are fresh, and my mind is focused on the task at hand.

The race start/finish is at Hell Creek Ranch, a private campground with a pool, showers, and access to trails and lakes. Because of the amenities the charge for setting up a tent is almost as much as staying a night in a hotel. Considering that hundreds of people will be at the campground, to use the shower will most likely include a long wait in line. Even so, it would be convenient to have a tent set up so that when my race is over I can immediately crash in my sleeping bag. Since I would be using the tent on Saturday night only I do not want to pay for two nights of camping, but I can't see myself setting up a tent in the dark after running 100 miles. I emailed the race director and asked if I could get a discount for Friday since I will set up the tent a few hours before the race (4:00pm Friday), and won't see it again until late Saturday. The director replied that I was the first person to ask this, but he did not mind me putting the tent up on Friday and paying for Saturday only. Since there is a chance he may forget this gesture of generosity, I will bring my tent along and if they decide to charge me for Friday/Saturday, I will forgo the tent and find a hotel to sleep in after the race.

Yesterday I walked barefoot up and down the hill at the arboretum for an hour. I am lessening my training and won't do any more running until the race. I was contemplating a final short workout of intervals today but I don't want to risk injury and it is more important to have fresh rather than sharp legs, so I will instead take it easy and rest.

I currently have a good balance of confidence and trepidation. I am prepared to face the pain and struggle. I did not cut corners in my training so I have given myself the opportunity to run to my potential. However, my potential may not be enough, and if this is so I will need to find the strength and luck from another source - spirit, soul, will - whatever it is called, coming into contact with it is the reason I am interested in running 100 miles.

Musings on 100, Part XVI

With less than 1 week until the Hallucination 100, my body is feeling strong, my fitness is at a decent level, and my attitude is where it should be.

During the remaining days I plan to study the small details, such as travel plans, food items I will need, and how I want to pace myself during the race.

As for pacing, I recently read a blog in which the runner perfectly described my own hesitations about how to run the first half of the race. She wrote that she can get to mile 70 in good shape, but the final 30 miles are always a death march. She wonders if this is an effect of running the first 50 miles too fast, or if it is the natural way in which her body responds to running such a long distance. In all of her 100 mile races she would go out somewhat hard, and hold on at the end. She wondered if she should try going out slow for the first 10 hours, hoping the turtle pace would bypass the 70 mile crash and burn. But she concluded that no matter how slow she went, it would not matter - miles 70-100 were going to hurt, so why not go fast at the beginning of the race?

That is what I have been asking myself - if I run the first 35-50 fast or slow, will it matter? if I am going to be hurting at mile 70, why not run a normal pace until I reach that point? If I hiked the first 50 miles and ran the final 50, would I crash at mile 70? I may be feeling stiff and achy at mile 70, but there is a chance I would not be in death march mode due to the gentle first 50 miles. If this is true, then pacing during the first 50 miles does matter, and can affect how I feel at mile 70. Holding that belief I have to decide what a proper pace should be for the first half of the race. Since I do not have a finishing time goal, a good pacing strategy would be slow, and slower. Will I be able to watch most of the competitors run away from me during the first 20 miles? If I can contain my competitive urges and keep the pain of mile 70 within my imagination, maybe I can.

Musings on 100 - Part XV

My mother called today to say that the doctors working with my sister believe her cancer to be at a stage which is curable, and that the surgery should not be as difficult because of this. If this remains the case then I will not need to attend the surgery, and this allows me to participate in the Hallucination 100. There is still a chance that the cancer will be serious, so I may need to be at the surgery, but it now seems unlikely. That is happy news for my sister.

Yesterday I decided to time a walking mile, so I went to the track at dusk and walked 4 laps in 15:48. I was pleased with this because I predicted my walking rate being close to 20 minutes per mile. If I were to walk 100 miles at that pace, and add in 90 minutes for aid station breaks and an increased rate due to hilly and rough terrain, I would finish in 27:50. It strikes me as ridiculous that people who "run" 100 miles in over 28 hours are actually walking the entire distance. Since everyone begins a race by running, there must be a segment where the 28 hour finishers are sleeping on the side of the trail.

If I am fortunate enough to finish, I will find out just where those extra hours come from because I doubt I can finish in under 27:30.

Earlier in the day I hiked at Kickapoo with Rachel and I noticed that my walking pace was twice as fast as hers. When we hiked the steep hills I was ascending with little effort. All of the hill walking the past 2 months have paid off, as my hiking strength is better than it has been in a while.

After the timed mile at the track my body was craving more distance, which was good because I wanted to test my new headlamp. When I got to the arboretum hill it was dark and I switched on the light and it was as bright as a car lamp. It was much brighter than Rachel's bike light, so I was glad to have invested $30 for it. Walking up and down the hill with the bright light was fun, but I felt uneasy because if anyone was lurking in the shadows they would know where I was at all times. So I now know I am afflicted with a bit of night fright, but I hope having a lot of runners on the course will help me feel at ease during the night portion of the race.

Today I did all out hill sprints at the arboretum, I only did 8 reps, then 2 x 200m all out sprints in the flat grass - short and sweet taper workout.

As the race approaches the intensity of my focus and concentration is reaching a high pitch. Although never having been in the military, I imagine a soldier awaiting a momentous battle offensive experiencing something similar - the arduous tasks which await, the enemy fire which will assault his senses, and the preparation for possible death. While my task does not include an enemy shooting bullets and bombs, it is similar to a courier whose job is to cover 100 miles in the shortest possible time to deliver an important message.

D minus 9 to race day.

Musings on 100, Part XIV - The Urbana 100

This morning I set out walking and covered a 3 hour hike, some of it barefoot up and down the hill at the arboretum. It was thus far the easiest 3 hour walk, so everything is falling into place fitness wise.

While on the walk I had a chance to examine all of the feelings directed at the sudden news of my sister's serious illness. It is not an easy thing to sift through because of the odd nuances which exist in our relationship. The reason I may have to miss the Hallucination 100 is because my mother asked me to be at the hospital for my sister's surgery. It is yet unknown when the date of the surgery will be, but if it happens to fall between the 23-26 I will not be able to run.

If I do have to miss the race, I considered registering for another one in the autumn, but after searching for races in the midwest or south, I could not find anything suitable. The Arkansas Traveler is in early October, and was one of the races I considered before registering for the Hallucination. The Arkansas deadline is Sept. 20th, so it is possible I will not know when the surgery is before then. The financial cost would be a burden, as I would have to pay the highest entry fee due to registering late, and I won't get a refund on the Hallucination entry fee.

It is likely that if I cannot run the Hallucination, the next time I could run a 100 mile race would be in one year's time. Since I am planning on taking the winter off, I would need to rebuild my fitness for 6 months beginning in March. Having to wait so long I have a bad feeling that it would be easy for something else to block my way for next year's race, thus thwarting my plans once again.

Then I came up with an idea which made everything with running seem good again. A couple of months ago Rachel tried to convince me that I should run 100 miles here in town, a one man race. Her motivation was she would get the entry fee in exchange of managing a small aid station. I thought about it briefly, but concluded that I would have no chance to finish due to the solitary nature of the run - I would be lacking the adrenalin and motivation which running with others would bring. I therefore would be slower, tire more easily, and be more inclined to stop when the pain began to settle into my legs. But now that circumstance may dictate that I miss my chance this year to run an organized 100 mile race, the "Urbana 100" may be my only option to participate in this form of Vision Quest.

I asked Rachel about it and she told me she would manage the aid station for no entry fee as long as I pay for all of the supplies. I now have a back up plan to make sure I can attempt to run 100 miles in 2010, so I have two races to plan for. I mapped out a 5 mile loop which begins/ends at the garden pavilion in Meadowbrook Park. The aid station will be in the pavilion (if someone has it rented for the afternoon we can move the supplies to the picnic tables outside the pavilion). I will set up a small bag of supplies somewhere along the South Farms road at the half way point, so aid every 2.5 miles will make fueling/hydrating not a problem.

I will have to run the loop 20 times. I give myself 1% chance of finishing the Urbana 100, but having attempted a 100 mile race will leave me without the regrets if I was unable to run one this year. To continue to put it off is a dangerous thing, as life is short and so many things could occur which can destroy one's ability to attempt such a run - injury, illness, outside forces - to toe the line is a small miracle in itself. To start a 100 mile race would leave me feeling satisfied and content, regardless if I finished or not.

Musings on 100, Part XIII

I wrote out a long entry today, but deleted it due to the personal nature of the subject matter.

The short version is my sister was diagnosed with cancer today. Due to this I may have to miss the 100 mile race, which means I will have to wait a full year before getting another chance to run one.

I hope the best for my sister, may she be strong enough to pull through.

Musings on 100, Part XII

Got up this morning feeling a little groggy from allergies, but my legs felt strong, so decided to jog over to CLP and run the 5k in the park. On the way over I felt great, no aches or pains, lots of energy - running without injury is a blessing.

On my warm up I ran a few sprints up the hill, also some flat sprinting. I was predicting a time between 20:45-21:00, but I noticed the course was set up where I would have to run the hill twice. I saw Yong and he said he could forget about getting under 18:00 because of that.

I started out slow, real slow. I was near the back, but as usual after 1/2 mile I started going a little faster, and others began slowing down. I could hear the heavy breathing as I passed, their fatigue already setting in. I found a comfort zone and stayed there until the end of the first loop. I felt strong as I went up the hill just before starting the 2nd loop, and crossed the half way mark in 11:15. I realized I would end up running 22 and change, but that was fine with me. I was feeling great and did not feel the need to go above the 85% effort level I was expending.

If one of my season's goals was to run a 5k in a certain time, I would have to accustom myself to getting out of my comfort level and again learn how to run at 90-95% effort for 10-15 continuous minutes. But since the 5k distance is not important to me this year I look at the race as I do a longer one - find an appropriate comfort level for the distance, and remain there. Running is more enjoyable at 85%, at 95% it is a painful struggle. Sometimes I feel the mood to reach out and run at max level for an extended time segment (5-15 minutes), but this season I have been content to push my heart rate above average, but not too high, just enough to get into moderate speed fitness, but not where I will be getting close to PR times.

The 2nd loop went as expected, my endurance is strong so I did not get fatigued, I kept chugging along feeling happy and breathing moderately. I picked it up in the last 500m and sprinted the final 200m to cross in 22:05, for a slight negative split.

I saw Yong soon after I finished and he said he ran 19:05, well off his goal of running sub 18. He ran 18:15 on the 4th of July, so we both added close to a minute from that day. Even though the temperature was cool, the two hills must have been enough to slow us down.

While 22:05 is one of the slowest 5k's I have run, I am strangely happy with the race. I guess I have reached a point in my running life where time is not as important as how good I feel during the run. There is nothing better than having energy, health, and strong legs on any given day. Even in a race environment the effort and feel trump time.

Musings on 100, Part XI

Yesterday I decided to run a track workout with 2nd Wind. The clipboard called for 2 x 1600m, 1 x 1200m, 1 x 800m, 1 x 600m, 1 x 400m, 1 x 200m. The mixing of distances sounded perfect and I was wondering how much my fitness had improved since the last time I ran track with the club.

My legs were a little stiff, not from the 7 hour run last Friday, but from the 150's I did 2 days ago. I was running faster than usual and my legs were not accustomed to the quicker turnover rhythm. The stiffness was nothing heavy, so it did not hinder me.

I ran the first mile in 6:32. I started the first 400m of the mile really slow, was in dead last, but slowly started to gain speed and by the last lap I was moving pretty good. I ran the 2nd mile the same way and tagged it in 6:38. I was pleased with those times because I rarely run anything under 7:00 pace in training. The rest of the workout went as expected, my endurance is good so I had no problem keeping the intensity at 85%. I ran the 800m in 3:15, which is slower than I would have liked, 3:05 would have been better, but I recovered after that and ran the 400 in 85 and the 200 in 37 (unsure of times on the 1200m/600m).

Before we started the 200m Matt said we were going back up the ladder after, so I gritted my teeth and prepared for a lot more running. When I was walking back to the start I realized he was joking since we had already run 3 1/2 miles, but I was impressed that I still had something left in the tank - I believe I could have gone back up the ladder running the same paces.

I am taking today and tomorrow off, time to let my legs freshen up. I am thinking about running my 2nd 5k of the year, this one is at Crystal Lake Park. I ran 21:00 on the 4th of July on a short and flat course. The Crystal Lake course has a couple of hills and seems a little long, so if I go under 21:00 my speed endurance will have improved. Based on the track workout I think I can run 20:45-21:00, but who knows.

One thing different this year is I rarely go all out on any run. I ramp it up slowly to about 90% and then cruise. I just don't have it in my heart to expend 100%, at least most of the time. One reason I can think of is when I do go 100% it takes a lot out of my legs, and they are usually sore for a couple of days. By going 90% I avoid the soreness and the taxing of the body, which leads to fresher long term running, and maybe avoiding injury.

Today I was reading one of my fave running blogs and was discouraged by how poorly he is feeling about his dnf at the recent Leadville 100. Because of the altitude it is one of the tougher 100's, and has only a 50% finisher rate. It was his first dnf, and he was pulled at mile 62 because of a missed cutoff time. It took him by surprise, he didn't feel he was running all that slow. He was taking part in the Grand Slam, which is Vermont, Western States, Leadville, and Wasatch. He finished the first 2, but got cut at Leadville, and decided to skip out on Wasatch. I can see how a task as arduous as the Grand Slam could lead to sadness if one comes up short. Even if one has the proper attitude and goal, it would still hurt to get knocked out due to how much effort went into it.

Musings on 100, Part X

Imagining the race as a continuous run with no end point, I still feel the need to have a pacing plan. I was talking with Paul W. at the Howl who I ran with at McNaughton last year, and he finished his first 100 mile run this year at Kettle Moraine. His time was 27:30, which is a pace of 16:30 per mile. He told me he finished the first 50 miles in 10:30, for a 12:36 pace. The final 50 was obviously run in 17:00, for a 20:24 pace. Seeing that I walk the mile to work in approximately 20 minutes, that means Paul walked the 2nd half of the race. 10:30 pace was then too fast for the first 50 miles. To run the entire race at an even pace of 16:30 he could have run 13:45 for both 50 mile segments.

Seeing that 27 hours is a respectable time for 100 miles, I believe 13:45 for both 50's would be an excellent pace. Seeing that I ran last year's 50 miler in 9:44, having an extra 4 hours to run the distance may be slow enough to keep me jogging for most of the race.

The important thing is not to go too fast during the first 20 miles when I am feeling fresh. I can easily run 10 mile segments, when fresh, in 1:55, which is my normal 50k pace. The proper 10 mile segment pace to finish in 27 hours would be 2:45. If I go faster than that, I risk having to walk the final third or half of the race.

With all the speed work I have been doing, it is going to be hard to go that slow. I will need to do some walking during the initial 10 mile segments, that will help to keep my energy from burning out and my legs from getting sore too quickly.

On the days I don't run I walk 2-3 hours up and down a steep hill. I was hoping that the walking practice would help me in the final part of the race, but it appears it will also help at the beginning.

Musings on 100, Part IX

"Nothing can stop the man with the right attitude from achieving his goal, but nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong attitude."

Thomas Jefferson

Musings on 100, Part VIII

When I returned from my 7 hour run on Friday, Rachel saw me and said I looked like I had aged 5 years. "What are you going to look like after running 24 hours?" she asked. When I looked in the mirror I saw that my eyes were bloodshot. I also had some strange looking pimples on my upper thighs. I guessed the bloodshot eyes had to do with my allergies starting up, and also the windy day drying out my eyes. I have no idea about the pimples, but they cleared up after one day, and my eyes look better now, too.

It only took 2 days to fully recover from the 7 hour run. This morning I went over to the track (No school today so the track would be empty) and did my normal 150m hard 50m easy repeated until exhaustion. My legs had no stiffness or soreness, and I ran faster than I have all year. The cool weather helped, it was only 70 degrees with low humidity. The 100m sprints I did after the 150's went well, too, I had some pop in my legs which allowed me to relax and run fast.

Seeing that a 7 hour run on a hilly course did little damage, I feel I am ready to knock off a 50 mile race. But I am running a 100 miler in less than 3 weeks, so even though my fitness is reaching a good height, I don't know if it will be close to what is needed. Oh well, the time for fretting is over, I just have to show up in good shape, not injured, and then run as best I can.

I decided that I will think of the race without a time or a distance, the reason being I most likely won't make the full distance. So when I hit the 30 mile mark and my legs are starting to feel trashed, I won't be thinking I have 70 more miles to go, but rather, I will go as far as my legs will take me. This will help allay the awful images which could destroy my will at miles 55-75. There is still so much distance left, and I will be feeling a lot of pain, but instead of thinking I have 45 stinkin' more miles left, I instead can imagine that I can run one more mile, 400 more yards, or even, one more step. Instead of my will being deflated by the outlook of a dreary future, it should stay strong if it is cemented in the present.

Musings on 100, Part VII

The rental car agency called me on Thursday to let me know that they ran out of cars, so I was out of luck making the 3 hour drive to Blackwell. Rachel had to work today so I drove her car to Kickapoo State Park and hoped to get a long, tough run in. Kickapoo is the better choice to train on as the terrain is similar to the 100 mile course (hilly, rocky, rooty), so I wasn't too disappointed with going there.

I arrived at 8:30am, the sky mostly blue, and it was cool at 58-60 degrees. I started my run at 8:45, and hit the Out and Back trail first, but changed it up a bit by turning right on the haul road instead of left at mile 2, which led me to the beginning of the mountain bike course. The bike trails are tougher than the running/hiking trails, more hills, narrow pathways, and lots of sharp twists and turns. I ran 5 miles of bike trails before coming out at the far end of the Out and Back, so I had 3 miles to get back to the car, making for a 10 mile loop. I ran this without food or water, so refueled at the car before heading out on the road loop, which covers the Mountain Goat course. I ran the 2 big hills, along with some rollers and longer, more gradual inclines/declines.

I ran these first 2 segments strong, cruising at a comfortable, yet speedy pace for a long run. I tried to keep it slow, but my cardio has improved over the last 2 months due to speed work, so running quicker does not take anything more out of me than running a slower pace.

I refueled at the car again after the Goat loop, and headed out on River View loop, which is 4-5 miles. I was still running strong, and when I returned to the car I had to decide whether to continue, and if so, which loop to run. My legs were starting feel fatigued, but everything else was good, so I decided to do the 10 mile Out and Back/bike loop again.

By the time I got to the bike path my legs felt like they usually do after 6 hours of running, weak and achey. The day was getting warmer, and halfway through the loop I was out of water. The discomfort in my legs was becoming intense due to the hills and tricky terrain. I was still running most sections, but I was now walking steep uphills. When I left the bike paths I was relieved, it seemed to take forever to get out of the dark forest. I still had 3 miles to go, and those miles were not easy. I decided to walk the last 1.5 miles as my cool down.

When I finished the run I checked the clock and saw that I had run for almost 7 hours. I was pleased with that, as I put my upper limit at 8 hours. While I normally would be pleased with such a training run, knowing that I have to run 3-4 times as long at the 100 miler has me questioning my sanity.

I can see from today's effort that a major obstacle to running 100 miles is leg strength. I doubt I have strong enough leg muscles to tolerate 100 miles. After only 7 hours my legs were already weak. While the soreness was not bad, I could sense that another 5 hours of running would have put my legs into a serious state of pain. After 12 hours of running my legs will be shot to hell, and I can't understand how I can run another 12-15 hours on legs that can barely move.

Thinking back to the 100 mile race reports I have read, most runners experience this leg pain, it is the main obstacle in completing the race. I know it will be for me. Due to this I am revising my finishing odds to 10/90. I don't know why I give myself a 10% chance to finish, maybe it should be 1%.

Musings on 100, Part VI

I was wanting to run a speed session this afternoon, but I woke this morning with a peculiar stiffness in my right leg. On my walk to work the leg felt a little off, and while at work I was having trouble bending it, as if it were some kind of circulation problem. I stretched it out while sitting in my chair, and by the time I left at 10:30 it was feeling better. The walk home went ok, but I decided to skip today's run, believing rest would be more beneficial.

Tomorrow I won't do anything but be lazy, so 2 days off will hopefully have me feeling strong for my big Friday workout at Blackwell.

I was planning to use Rachel's bike light as my light source for the 100 mile race, but when I took it out for a test run I found that I could barely see the path in front of my feet. Thinking about it, a good light source is probably just as important as a good pair of shoes - if I can't see the path I will probably trip on roots and rocks and ruin my race. So I ordered a Black Diamond head lamp yesterday.

The Hallucination 100 being only 1 year old, I have found only one race report on it. But what a race report - the guy is a great writer, a barefoot enthusiast, and even wrote a book on barefoot running. When I first read the report I thought it was a joke due to the screwball ideas this guy has about running a 100 mile race. However, after reading most of his other blog entries, I realized that the report was indeed true. I thus reread it with interest and focus.

Some of the unorthodox things he did before/during the 100 mile race :

• "I experimented with every food I could imagine. I found a good selection: ice cream, pancakes, and hot dogs. " - are you kidding me?! This sentence alone made me think the report was fake. Who the hell eats that on a regular old day, let alone during a 100 mile race?
• "We ran to McDonald's to grab a quick bite to eat. Quarter-Pounders are a favorite pre-race food of mine." - haha...
• "Eventually we ended up at the Dexter Bar. Going on the theory that carb-loading is good and beer has carbs, I drank two tall Killian's to wash down the order of Nachos we ordered." - hahahahah......
• We hung out there for a little while, got hungry, then headed to the Fenton House restaurant for pizza and beer. As it turns out, they don't serve beer. WTF? At least their bread sticks were to die for. The parmesan dip was Heavenly. " - I don't know if running 100 miles the next day will burn off all the calories he is consuming....
• "We started talking about the race logistics. At this point, I began to realize I really hadn't planned much of anything."
• "At McDonalds, they actually f-ed up the coffee machine. We told them we'd be back, then got the coffee from Speedway. Busy place for 3:15 on a Saturday morning. Anyway, we picked up the Mickey D's coffee and headed back to Jason's house. I scarfed down a cream cheese coffee cake and my 24 ounce cappuccino" - My stomach is queasy....
• "my crew couldn't resist teasing me about the "GAP" sweatshirt I was wearing. It's a good-luck charm, damn it! Every other runner and most of their pacers and crew were wearing running attire. I was dressed in clothes that appeared to be pulled from a "lost and found" bin at a Walmart." - this just gets better and better
• "After about 45 minutes or so, we hit the first aid station ("Grace"). It was a zoo! My crew was eagerly awaiting our arrival. There was considerable confusion as the crew tried to accomplish each task. I swapped the water bottle of my Nathan handheld with a full bottle and guzzled about two cups of a Ben and Jerry's Cookies and Cream/milk concoction." - italics are mine
• "I suddenly started to crash. It was totally unexpected... it hit me like a boxer that aimed a little too low below the belt. My pace slowed, I didn't have any energy, and my motivation suddenly disappeared. This wasn't supposed to happen this early! I started to panic. As the lap progressed, I went through my mental checklist of possible causes. I was going okay with hydration and electrolytes. I had plenty of calories. Maybe it was a sudden blood sugar crash due to 3000 calories of coffee cake and ice cream I ate." - italics are mine again - sounds about right.
• "Eventually I did start feeling better. Still suspecting the sugar buzz as the culprit, I was leery about the remainder of the Ben and Jerry's shakes. When I got to the first aid station on lap two, I took one sip and nearly gagged."
• "Shelly brought me the canister of chia seeds. I didn't think about the best method to eat them, so i just took a scoop and dumped it in my mouth. It felt a little like eating fine kitty litter. I immediately gagged, then choked on the tiny seeds that instantly absorbed the saliva from my mouth. I instinctively tried to swallow which only caused me to cough. Seeds sprayed everywhere! " hahahahahahahahahahahahah......

While I don't see myself following any of the things this guy did in his race, the fact is, he finished his first 100! I picked out the funny/loony things from his report, but the descriptions of the trails, aid stations, his thoughts while racing, were detailed and helpful. He says the course is hilly and rocky, so I know not to expect something flat, soft, and smooth.

It is going to be a tough race.