I attempted my first 100 this last weekend, the Burning River 100. I DNF'ed at mile 64.7 by missing the cutoff. The DNF has been tough, but the learning experience has been invaluable. Here are some things I've learned, hopefully it will help others.
Before I get to the details of failing, I'd like to thank the KR's I met during the race- Professor, Roots, Sister Golden Hair, VoodooJunkie, and maybe a few more... honestly I don't remember. Knowing there were volunteers that knew me was a huge mental lift during the race! There are a lot of great people here at KR! Also, I'd like to thank the other volunteers, they were nothing short of amazing! I have never met so many friendly, positive volunteers in my life! Anyway…
What I did wrong:
1. Too few miles- I had originally planned on running Superior, so I started training a bit late for BR. That, coupled with my children getting sick, my ill-fated decision to run two road races during training, and a knee injury resulted in only about 420 miles from March through July. I hit a huge wall at mile 48 or so and never recovered. It was unlike anything I had experienced before. I believe more training miles would have delayed its onset and helped me get through it once it came.
2. Too few long runs- I only managed 4 runs between 25-30 miles. On top of those, I should have had at least two in the 45-50 range. A lack of downhill training also hurt me later in the race as I was reduced to a slow walk due to knee pain.
3. Poor shoe strategy- I had planned on running most of the race barefoot (which always leads to great conversations). However, I did carry a pair of Vibram 5 Finger shoes with me for rough terrain. I hadn’t planned on wearing them for more than 2-3 miles at a time. The section after Egbert aid Station was rocky, necessitating the shoes for about 7 miles. By the time I reached shoeless terrain, my feet were wet, swollen, and developing hot spots. At that point, going barefoot was more painful than it should have been. The result- I had to wear the Vibrams longer than planned, which required frequent stops to apply lube and tape.
4. Packed too much gear- when my crew had to find something, it took them too long because they had to dig through a ton of assorted running crap. What should have been 2-3 minute aid station stops turned out to be 5-10 minutes. Next time, I will bring about a quarter of what I brought for this race.
5. Pace too fast- I was very paranoid about going out too fast. After the first mile, I think I was third from last. I was proud of myself for holding back. It didn’t last. After about 15 miles, I felt great. Other runners around me rarely walked. I started running more than I should have at that point. Instead of running each section smartly, I started trying to add to the cutoff buffer I was developing. I may have been able to go further had I been more conservative after mile 15.
6. Should have eaten more calorie-dense food early in the race- I ate primarily aid station food (bananas, candy, peanuts, etc.) for the first 25-30 miles. In retrospect, I should have been pigging out during that time. This certainly contributed to my major crash around the halfway point.
7. I Quit- During the Boston Store loop (around mile 53 or so), I stopped trying to repeat positive mantras to bring myself out of the funk I was in. I started believing that the horrible feeling would last forever- it would only go away if I stop. That attitude led me to basically give up trying to run, I was resigned to a slow plodding walk guaranteed to make me miss the cutoff at some point. I gave up. That’s the worst part of the DNF… knowing that I consciously convinced myself that I couldn’t finish. This is the one that has left the bitterest taste in my mouth…
There were many other silly little things I did wrong (didn’t need drop bags with crew, should have packed more socks, should have practiced taping feet between aid stations, etc.), but the major mistakes led to the DNF.
I did do a few things right, so the race wasn’t a complete loss. My hydration strategy was flawless, clothing choices worked well, lighting was a success, the food I brought was palatable throughout, and my weight training worked very well.
Hopefully some of this will help others contemplating their first 100. Really, my failure came down to a lack of preparation. Despite warnings by many ultra vets, I don’t think I really respected the distance. Failure really is a great teacher, and I learned a lot. I’ll be ready for my next 100!
Before I get to the details of failing, I'd like to thank the KR's I met during the race- Professor, Roots, Sister Golden Hair, VoodooJunkie, and maybe a few more... honestly I don't remember. Knowing there were volunteers that knew me was a huge mental lift during the race! There are a lot of great people here at KR! Also, I'd like to thank the other volunteers, they were nothing short of amazing! I have never met so many friendly, positive volunteers in my life! Anyway…
What I did wrong:
1. Too few miles- I had originally planned on running Superior, so I started training a bit late for BR. That, coupled with my children getting sick, my ill-fated decision to run two road races during training, and a knee injury resulted in only about 420 miles from March through July. I hit a huge wall at mile 48 or so and never recovered. It was unlike anything I had experienced before. I believe more training miles would have delayed its onset and helped me get through it once it came.
2. Too few long runs- I only managed 4 runs between 25-30 miles. On top of those, I should have had at least two in the 45-50 range. A lack of downhill training also hurt me later in the race as I was reduced to a slow walk due to knee pain.
3. Poor shoe strategy- I had planned on running most of the race barefoot (which always leads to great conversations). However, I did carry a pair of Vibram 5 Finger shoes with me for rough terrain. I hadn’t planned on wearing them for more than 2-3 miles at a time. The section after Egbert aid Station was rocky, necessitating the shoes for about 7 miles. By the time I reached shoeless terrain, my feet were wet, swollen, and developing hot spots. At that point, going barefoot was more painful than it should have been. The result- I had to wear the Vibrams longer than planned, which required frequent stops to apply lube and tape.
4. Packed too much gear- when my crew had to find something, it took them too long because they had to dig through a ton of assorted running crap. What should have been 2-3 minute aid station stops turned out to be 5-10 minutes. Next time, I will bring about a quarter of what I brought for this race.
5. Pace too fast- I was very paranoid about going out too fast. After the first mile, I think I was third from last. I was proud of myself for holding back. It didn’t last. After about 15 miles, I felt great. Other runners around me rarely walked. I started running more than I should have at that point. Instead of running each section smartly, I started trying to add to the cutoff buffer I was developing. I may have been able to go further had I been more conservative after mile 15.
6. Should have eaten more calorie-dense food early in the race- I ate primarily aid station food (bananas, candy, peanuts, etc.) for the first 25-30 miles. In retrospect, I should have been pigging out during that time. This certainly contributed to my major crash around the halfway point.
7. I Quit- During the Boston Store loop (around mile 53 or so), I stopped trying to repeat positive mantras to bring myself out of the funk I was in. I started believing that the horrible feeling would last forever- it would only go away if I stop. That attitude led me to basically give up trying to run, I was resigned to a slow plodding walk guaranteed to make me miss the cutoff at some point. I gave up. That’s the worst part of the DNF… knowing that I consciously convinced myself that I couldn’t finish. This is the one that has left the bitterest taste in my mouth…
There were many other silly little things I did wrong (didn’t need drop bags with crew, should have packed more socks, should have practiced taping feet between aid stations, etc.), but the major mistakes led to the DNF.
I did do a few things right, so the race wasn’t a complete loss. My hydration strategy was flawless, clothing choices worked well, lighting was a success, the food I brought was palatable throughout, and my weight training worked very well.
Hopefully some of this will help others contemplating their first 100. Really, my failure came down to a lack of preparation. Despite warnings by many ultra vets, I don’t think I really respected the distance. Failure really is a great teacher, and I learned a lot. I’ll be ready for my next 100!
