My First 100 : One Step at a Time

The following is a journal entry I penned a few days after my first one hundred mile ultra;

When I signed up for the Long Haul 100 four and a half months ago, I had no idea what to expect. I had my eye on the race since moving to Florida in 2016 but had never committed. August of 2019 was no different as my miles had tapered off and I was trying to recover from a lower back injury.

When I heard they were selected as a qualifying race for the Western States 100, a race I have wanted to do since getting into ultra running, I didn't hesitate to register. It was classic ready, fire, aim.

I immediately developed a training plan that I felt would best prepare me. It included a couple of tune-up races and some high mileage weeks.

The month of October went well and I was progressing nicely. Going into the Gate 2 Gate 50k in early November, I was feeling good and confident. I finished with a decent result and the following two weekends had long weekend runs over 26 miles, giving me my first three weekends in a row of running a marathon or more.

Going into my recovery week in mid-November I wasn't feeling great. My body wasn't recovering from the long weeks and my lower back injury was flaring up. Combined with a new Achilles injury, I was getting concerned. With a Ragnar Trail Ultra Relay coming up in December, I took a week to heal up. It helped, but only a little.

After twisting my ankle during one of my Ragnar legs, I was feeling a little concerned that I wasn't going to be at 100% for the Long Haul a few short weeks away.

The ankle healed though and I was able to get some quality back-to-back long runs in to wrap up December. Going into my taper, I was confident that I had done my best to prepare considering the injuries. I thought the light mileage of the taper would help my legs and back recover. It did not. The discomfort and feeling of sluggishness never really left. I stretched, foam rolled, went to physical therapy, but arrived at the start line feeling about 75%.

Going into the race I had no idea how things would go. Honestly, that is one of my favorite things about ultras. The unknown. Having no idea what the day will bring and how my body and mind will respond.

I tried to go into it with no doubt, telling myself each day leading up to the race that I was going to finish. But to say I had zero doubt would be a lie. I had a plan. I had a crew. I was as prepared as I could have been. But it's a hundred miles.

The weather was ideal and the first few laps went well. A brief overview of the course. It's 10, 10-mile laps on a spur shaped course. The terrain is mostly sandy, dirt trails with a few paved sections. I finished the first 50k in 5 hours 10 minutes, a new PR. Then the 50-mile mark in under 10 hours, another PR. I wasn't pushing incredibly hard, just running comfortably and chatting with other runners.

My goal going in was to get a qualifying time for WS100 of 30 hours. With that in mind, I had 20 hours to finish the second 50 miles of the race. At this point, I was walking more than running but I was ok with that. Even though a 24-hour finish would be great, I remained focused on my main goal.

Once the sun had set around mile 55, everyone on the course seemed to be quieter. There was a lot less chatting as many prepared for the long night ahead. Luckily at mile 60 I could pick up my pacers. My friends Dan and Patrick volunteered to join me. Patrick took the first 10-mile loop while Dan got some rest. My request to them was to just keep me moving and engage in conversation.

It was easy to focus on how much farther I had and how long it was going to take at my walking pace. I told my self to stay in the moment. ONE STEP AT A TIME. There were moments where I felt as though I could have fallen asleep while walking. My blinking got longer, hoping that an extra second or two may accumulate into some rest.

Each time I came through the base camp to get some food and water it was harder to get moving. I would sit and wrap myself in a sleeping bag. It felt so cozy and I didn't want to leave. Luckily I had my wife Amber as the leader of my crew. She was a great captain that kept me focused while sacrificing herself to keep me up and moving.

When the sun came up I had one 10 mile loop left. I attempted a 1:1 run/walk but after running I felt a weird pain in my knee. I decided walking at a 17:00 min/mile pace would have to do.

Dan had joined me for 30 miles, his longest distance ever. Patrick jumped on for the last 10-mile loop after getting some rest through the early morning. The three of us had some great conversation that helped me through the dark (literally, physically, and mentally) morning.

Amber walked with me the last 3 miles and the girls joined for the last 200 meters. It was great to all cross the line together.

Amber cried after I finished. I had a huge smile and maybe teared up a bit. I was incredibly happy and proud of what I had just accomplished. It took 28 hours. I can say there was never a time when I considered stopping. I continued to tell myself that as long as I kept moving forward, I would inevitably finish.

The human body and mind are so remarkable. We are capable of so much more than we give ourselves credit for.

N 28 11'25.2 W 82 41'29.0