Could I run 100 miles?
This was a thought that began to take shape as I ran the 100k at the 2011 NJ Ultra Festival. At the time I was only a few months removed from my first marathon. But sharing the same course with the 100 mile runners got me to thinking maybe I could finish 100 miles as well.
Throughout 2011 I trained hard and ran a pair of fall marathons but then slacked through the holidays before finally pulling the trigger and registering for the 100 mile event before the price increase on Jan 1st. That left me a scant 13 weeks to build from my marathon base.
I drew up what felt like a very aggressive training plan culminating in three consecutive 50+ mile weekends. During my final long run, three weeks out, I developed a sharp pain in my calf. This was on top of several nagging foot and shin pains which made me think I was right on the edge of injury. Basically I felt like I had done as many miles as my body would allow and if it wasn’t enough at least I wouldn’t have any regrets about not training more. With a few weeks of easy running I was feeling 100% going into race weekend.
The week before the race was pretty hectic so I planned to pick up my bib on Saturday before the 7:00 start. I figured I would have plenty of time; the race was only about an hour away so I set my alarm for 4:30. At least I thought I set the alarm. I had never been late to a race in my life. But at 6:15 my father, who had driven in from out of state, called me. The conversation went something like this:
Dad: Where are you? I found the start building but I don’t see you.
Me: Um, I’m still at home. What the hell happened? See if you can pick up my bid! Tell them I’ll be late and can I still start.
A few minutes later he confirmed the super cool RD said I was still good to start and they would just clock me with the rest of the field at 7:00. By 8:15 I was in the parking lot pinning on my bid and ready to get to work.
The 2012 Ultra Festival had a variety of distances, marathon, 50k, 50 mile, 100k, 100 mile all taking place on the same 10 mile course in and around the Sussex County Fair Grounds. The route consisted of an initial loop along a paved service road. Then two out and back legs on a trail that followed an old gas line. The trail was pretty soft even with the dry winter; there were a few muddy sections and a flooded area that required stepping on rocks to avoid the standing water. Forecast was for a high around 60F with a low in the 40s and possibly rain overnight.
As I hit the first trail section I began to pass runners going the other direction. A friend from work was running the 50k and it wasn’t long before we crossed paths. I estimated he was a few miles ahead of me and I made the questionable decision to see if I could catch up so we could run together.
My goal for the race was first and foremost to finish. But I figured barring injury I could probably run between 20 and 24 hours, well under the 29 hour time limit even starting an hour late. But trying to catch a 50k runner caused me to put in several 8-9 minute miles, much faster than the 11-12 minutes I was planning for the first half of the race.
I eventually caught and unknowingly passed my friend around mile 15. He flagged me down at the next aid station and from then on we ran a very easy pace as the miles seemed to float by unnoticed. I went through 25 miles in 4.5 hours (about 5.5 hours official time) which I knew was wholly unsustainable. But I was feeling great and figured I would put in as many good miles as I could while I still had fresh legs.
After three laps my friend was done with his 50k and he wished me luck on the rest of my race. I was expecting a bit of a letdown with my running partner departed but it wasn't bad. Because of the out and back nature of the course I was able to see my father four times on each lap. That plus the incredible volunteers at the aid stations meant I was never more than 30 minutes without an emotional lift.
I finished 50 miles in about 10 hours and still felt pretty good; a few minor aches and pains and a hot spot on my left heel but nothing serious. But by 60 miles my stomach was not feeling so great. I was carrying a quart bottle of Heed and grazing liberally at each aid station but now I was feeling pretty sick to my stomach. A bathroom break and sitting down to drain my heal / change socks didn’t help much. I went through 100k almost an hour faster than last year but the stomach problems were definitely taking a toll on my pace.
It was full on dark at this point and my spirits were pretty low. Quite depressed as I felt strong but every time I tried to pick up the pace a wave of nausea would hit me. I did a lot of walking on that seventh lap, my slowest 10 miles of the entire race, but I knew if I could just get the distance down to less than a marathon I would finish. 26 miles was a distance I could easily wrap my head around as I would finally be in familiar territory.
Eventually, the stomach issues eased. I started drinking ginger ale at every aid station. I’m not sure if that helped but it didn’t seem to make it any worse. I was able to do a lot more running on lap eight finishing almost 30 minutes faster than I had the previous 10 miles. But now that my stomach was under control I started to fade physically. My running pace became my walking pace and my walking pace felt like a crawl. I forced myself to keep running a fair amount. Each time my legs would respond but without much speed.
On lap nine I finally fell off the rocks into the water hazard. This was an area I had skipped across earlier in the day but now I felt like I had as much coordination as if I was drunk. Luckily the water was all of a few inches deep and resulted only in soaked feet. At that point I couldn’t have cared less.
Crossing over the timing mat to begin my last lap I confirmed the 24 hour speedster deadline, I had almost 3.5 hours. I could probably walk the entire thing and still make it. But I wanted to run. I wanted it to be over. When I reached the trail section I noticed I was having trouble making out the rocks along the route. At first I panicked thinking my headlight was going out. But then I realized it was my eyes that were having trouble focusing. I took more care but continued to shuffle along as quickly as possible.
As I approached the last mile I decided I was going to start running and not stop until I crossed the finish line. That last mile took 14 minutes including an all-out sprint for the final few hundred feet. As I flopped down onto the nearest chair at the finish several people crowded around asking what I wanted, could they get me anything? The question seemed hilarious because all I wanted was to sit.
My official time was 23:18 and 22:04 by my watch. Not sure if or when I’ll attempt another 100 miles but it was definitely an amazing experience.
