Capturing the Pre Race Anxiety of 100 Mile Run

I’m at work now, self admittedly not doing much work at all. All things pressing have been accounted for yet there are longer term projects that I could start but don’t. I’m immensely preoccupied with race preparations for my first attempt at completing a 100 mile course, all the planning, and emailing all the supportive friends and family the kindness that’s just oozing from my pores at this very moment. I’m usually very contained emotionally yet I’ve drifted off into my “race only” state of being giddy. I’m just outwardly happy now and, although uncharacteristic, it’s GREAT.

I haven’t posted about the 3 wonderful races that lead up to me feeling prepared for my 100 mile, 24+ hour excursion into the Cascade Mountain wilderness. Before I continue on I should.

First there was the Tahoe Rim Trail 50 miler: A test of elevation, mountainous terrain, and dryness. My time goal entering the race was to complete the race in under 12 hours. I exceeded it by finishing in 10:35:10 good for 15th place and astronomically more important I felt good – a race in which I recovered well from losing my legs from miles 30-35 coupled with a bought of dehydration.

Secondly and a mere TWO weeks following TRT50, I completed the 12 Hours at Cool Night Run: Ultimately this race was yet another long training run at NIGHT with a background goal of beating my time last year of 5 laps (45 miles) in 10:26:34. I ran very well that night, unknowingly in 2nd place in the early morning hours. Rather than run through the entire night I stopped at 5 laps (again 45 miles) in 8:30 !!! It was amazing, while still holding back under the barrier of “it’s a training run” I STILL beat the last year Franz by almost 2 hours!

Thirdly and a mere ONE week following Cool at Night, I completed the Headlands 50 Mile Race: Again my goal was to beat the Franz of last year’s time of 10:37:39, which I might add was on an easier course with at least 1,000 ft less elevation ascent/descent. I did that, oh yes, I did. That day I finished in 9:22:58 not only destroying my time last year but setting a personal record for the 50 mile distance! Previously it was my last year’s Dick Collins race of 9:57:26 that’s held on a vastly less difficult course.

What’s profound about these 3 races is that they were very close in proximity (3 50 mile runs in the span of 3 weeks) and they were all training runs. Although I did run hard, I left something out there on the trail – a mental “GO” that remained unharvested. During the challenges I faced on those trails, I purposely made the conservative choice for the sake of running another day. As the story “should” go, you’d now expect me to say I WILL NOT leave anything on the trail come August 29th – 30th while racing my first 100 mile attempt at the Cascade Crest 100. Through all avenues of mentors, observation, training, and most importantly the races above I’ve been enlightened that by convincing myself it’s just a “training run” I’m able to effectively counter-balance all the race adrenaline searing through my body screaming go, go, go. The net result is I don’t go out too fast and have plenty of energy to conquer the second half of the course.

So forward I go into Easton, WA to run my 100 mile “training run” through the gorgeous Cascade Mountains that offers as a gift to me my next step into ultrarunning, a brief glimpse into my soul at mile 80 or so.

~ by pureh2o on August 25, 2009.