Subject: RR100 report for friends and beginners--a bit long Date: Wed, 16 Feb 2000 12:52:25 EST From: RandyDonna@aol.com Hi folks, I bow to public pressure (three people) and am writing my race report for RR100. However, I thought I would take a different approach. Since so many of us are asking how to prepare for these things (this was my first) I thought I'd start with some insights I learned, geared specifically for us newbies. I shall then give a brief report of the actual race. 1. This wasn't as hard as you think. Yeah, I really mean it. Yes, this was an "easy" trail 100. Yes, I trained hard (though not long--I averaged 50 miles a week), and yes it was difficult. But at not time after the first loop was there any question in my mind that I would finish short of breaking my ankle. If you are an ultrarunner who is putting in the training, you can probably do this. 2. Train to the task. I found that the by learning about that particular race and training on similar trails and conditions, my mind and body were ready. In hindsight, the most important training run I did was accidental. We had a 50K trail run planned one Sat. a.m. The night before I spent most of the night in the ER with my daughter who had injured her back. By the time I got home, I got one hour sleep, then got up and met my friends to hit the trails. We ran for 2+ hours in the dark on wet, muddy trails, then kept going. I wimped out and only did 26 miles, but training when I was that sleep deprived gave me a better feel for running through the night at RR100. 3. Train in the dark. Unless you are like certain people who finish in 16 hours and then (by her own admission!) go back to the motel and sleep in a bed before returning for the award's ceremony, you will run in and perhaps through the night. This isn't the same as daytime running, particularly on trails, so the more of it you do in training, the more comfortable you will be with it in the race. 4. Eat and drink and eat and drink and..... It is hard to make yourself do this, but I found if I found something that sounded like I would at least keep it down (bananas, turkey sandwiches and chicken noodle soup for me), I could keep up my strength by eating. I have a friend who is an extremely good runner, but he finds 100s to be horrible because he just can't make himself eat. (I actually gained 3 pounds during the race). 5. Take enough clothing to be ready. I was afraid of the heat, but it was the cold that got me. One reading near the swamp was 25 degrees. I admit that I wasn't as prepared for this as I should have been, and it took a good hour off my time (between slowing me down when I was struggling with it and sitting in a heated bathroom trying to bring my core temp. back up). 6. Pay attention! The first full loop after dark, I wasn't paying as much attention I should have to the markings on the trail (it was well marked) and I got lost. We lost about 20 min. getting back to the trail. I learned you can get lost even if you have been by there three times already! 7. Beware the transition from walking to running. I literally limped the last 5 1/2 miles in because of a muscle pull in the top of my left calf. I suspect this was because I didn't make the transition to from walking and cooling off (remember the cold) to running as slowly as I should have at one point, and the muscle paid the price. If you are like me, you *will* walk a lot, and you can still do well, but be careful to start running again slowly and easily, perhaps even stretching after initally warming up. 8. Run your race. I set out to do a 27 hour 100 (I felt this was a reasonable first time goal). My running partner was having a great day (finished in just over 22 hours) and I was tempted to stay with him. I didn't. Instead I found others who were running my pace and met, talked, leapfrogged, etc. If I had tried to run his race I suspect I would have done much worse. 9. Run your own pace. I got into trouble, not by running too much, but by running too fast when I did run. I was running spurts of 9 min. pace even after 60 miles, but I wasn't sustaining them as long I could have if I slowed it down a minute or two. I am convinced that if I had run slower and longer I would have used no more energy and would have finished much faster. 10. Don't sell yourself short in setting goals. I believe I was actually too conservative (though I don't regret getting one legal 100 under my belt for experience). In hindsight, I had the strength and energy to walk less and run more during the night. I think I could have....hmmmm , isn't that how we get hooked into the next 100? 11. Travel reasonably. One of the smartest things we did ( thanks to Bob Eaton's advice) was to give ourselves enough travel time to make sure we were still rested when we started. It meant an extra day of vacation, but it was a good idea. 12. Have fun! I was so nervous at the beginning I almost forgot to enjoy myself. I don't know how many of these the Lord will let me do, so I want to have fun with the ones I do. If you don't enjoy it, why bother? Well, none of this is earth shattering, but I hope it is encouraging. Many of you have written that you are training for your first 100s. Keep it up. Be safe, Have fun, Run well. Now, brief description (a good time to bale?) The first loop began in the dark. I used my little blue thumb light Scott Diamond gave me and it allowed me to see for the first hour, but avoid carrying a flashlight the rest of the loop. Great idea. I ran this loop with Rick Klocke (the 22 hour guy above) and felt good at the end of the loop, though a bit scared I had gone out too fast. I changed clothes at the end of the loop and started loop two with a group of runners I hadn't met before. I actually had fun on this one, establishing my own pace and reforming my strategy. One runner said, "if it isn't comfortable, slow down". For now, good advice. I started eating in earnest on this loop, and felt like I had a running picnic going. I didn't really notice the heat in the forest, but I did get sunburned on my face. I finished loop two and began loop three knowing it would be dark when I got back. I had stashed a flashlight at the 2-3 aid station, along with a jacket. I picked up the flashlight, and should have picked up the jacket, at 12 1/2 miles. By the time I finished the loop, I was cold, and it was affecting my balance. I changed clothes and picked up another flashlight (used lithium batteries and a krypton bulb--lasted all night). YES, I used a pacer (don't even start) enjoyed the company of an old friend who got me into this stuff to begin with. We got lost once and lost 15 minutes because I missed a ribbon, but we got back on track and were more careful from then on (Yes, you can get lost even if you have been by there before). This leg went well until the last four miles or so when I got into the swamp area. It was cold! and I began to have trouble moving in a straight line. By the time we got near the camp buildings, I was so out of it I needed to go into a heated restroom and sit for half an hour to get my temp. back up. When I did, I went back into the start/finish (1/2 mile away) and immediately doubled my clothing (I looked like one of those little kids whose mom bundles them up so tight that they can't move). This worked! But I had lost a good hour to the cold. We started the final loop feeling good about making my 27 hour goal. We walked a lot (I'm known for twisting my ankles, so I was being *real* cautious with the roots), so when the sun came up as I was leaving aid station 3 the last time, I had energy to use. I started running more and felt really good with it. Bob said I was easily going to make my goal--more like 26 1/2. Then, after starting to loop the lake, something pulled in my left calf and I could barely push off at all with my left foot. From that point on I limped in. It was frustrating, and I just knew I was going to come in at about 29 1/2 hours, I was going so slow. I'm not really competitive (:-)), but I didn't like it when 7 very tired people passed me during my limp phase. However, I did finally get in, and I crossed the finish line in 27:21. I had won my class (fat, middle-aged, asthmatic ministers)! Well, I admit to believing when I do it again I can pull 3 hours off my time. BUT, I don't regret running it this way this time. I learned a lot, I had fun, I got the stupid buckle, and I want to go out there again. I guess I did something right. In Christ, Randy Christian Aloha, OR Randydonna@aol.com