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.
