MY 100 MILE RACE WHICH WILL BE MY 100TH RACE…

I am now training for a 100 mile race which is just weeks away. This race is important to me for so many reasons.

1. This will be my 100^th race of marathon distance or greater. I have run 62 marathons and 37 ultramarathons.
2. I am attempting this 100 mile race after having not run a step in 8 years.
3. I have given myself 4 months to train for this event.
4. I have carefully selected the race to take advantage of my skills.
5. By doing this event I am taking back my life again. I am 61 years old…and I am only just beginning to challenge my age, and the expectations and perceptions of aging.

THE BUILDING BLOCKS.

RUNNING… I got out a notebook and started logging my daily runs. I was actually sort of running, hiking-walking. I live at 8 thousand feet in a very hilly area. I have mountain ranges on either side of me and I live in the valley which is about 10 miles across. I did a daily loop of 8 miles. In the beginning it would take my breath away because I found it hard to breathe while exercising.

Every day I would be grateful that the desire to train was still with me. I took each training run and would hope that I would be able to get in another day. One day turned into two, and one week turned into two weeks.

I just knew that I had to act quickly to pursue this desire to run again by putting concrete plans together that would help motivate me to continue on. If it worked out good, if not, oh well. No big deal.

I started looking for a race. At first I thought about doing a marathon. But my speed was just not there, and I was worried about pavement running so soon into training. So then I looked for a 50 km trail event. I wanted to run at the end of the summer so that helped me narrow down races. I also wanted heat, because I seem to do well in heat, and others seem to struggle. I felt this could work to my advantage.

At the same time I looked at training plans and books that could help me with training. I ended up deciding on a book by Krissy Moehl, “Running Your First Ultra”. It has customizable plans for 50K, 50-miles or 100K, and 100 miles. In the past I have had a coach to help me. But I did not want to take on a coach if I was going to decide that I couldn’t keep up with the running. I know, it is very weird. I was very methodic though in that every part of me knew I could do this and would do this… and yet I could easily seem to contemplate that it might not happen. It just felt like I had nothing to lose so why not try?

After reading the book and looking at the plans I very quickly decided that I could aim to do 100 miles. I took the 100 mile plan and modified it. The plan gives runners 48 weeks to prepare, almost a year. I took the plan and condensed it into 4 months.

GEAR

I started running in April with my hiking gear. So hiking boots, hiking socks, hiking pants with shorts over top, and smartwool base layer with fleece mid layer. I used an old backpack from eight years ago and was good to go.

The first thing I had to do was get a new pair of running shoes. I don’t know if you have noticed, but as you age your feet keep growing! In my twenties I was wearing a size 6 1/2 to size 7 high heel. (That doesn’t happen anymore!) In my thirties I was wearing a size 8 running shoe. For desert races I would go up one size to allow for swelling. Now I am in a size 9 1/2 shoe, one size bigger than my foot to allow for swelling. From reading I believe that the ligaments and tendons tend to relax over time. It has nothing to do with shoe brands and different sizing because I have always worn Asics.

I have put on a few pounds. I will lose that weight eventually, but for now I had to buy new capri tights and new t-shirts. I like my t-shirts to be baggy.

Backpacks have come a long way in the last eight years. For this race I needed a backpack with bottles on the shoulders. I am not going to be using a bladder, and never really have.

In the past I ran with an MP3 player to help me out if I needed music as a distraction. Now I have loaded my iphone with songs. I have airpods but they just keep falling out, so now I am getting shokz.

NUTRITION

Research into nutrition has come a long way. Eight years ago I was running with a 4 to 1 Carbo Pro and protein powder mixture. Carbo Pro is no longer around. From research into what to use in its place, I found that protein powder was no longer necessary.

I tried out so many different types of carbohydrate powders and could not seem to find one that did not cause major gastrointestinal distress. As you may or may not know, those tubs of powder are not cheap.

I finally found one that worked for me. I am using GU Roctane ultra endurance energy drink mix. I also have GU protein recovery drink mix and Gu energy chews. I also bought electrolyte capsules.

HEAT TRAINING

A lot of new research has come out on heat training since I quit running in 2015. All of my races that I loved were in deserts around the world. I really did come to know my body and how it performed in heat. I did extremely well in the heat and I hope that this has not changed with aging.

In 2015 researchers were hard at work looking into heat training in advance of the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. Athletes worldwide had to be ready for hot and humid conditions. There has been a lot of new information I have had to catch up on in order to prepare for this race coming up. I will have a blog on that in the lead up to my event.

VISUALIZING

Visualizing is so important in preparing for a race. I have done it my entire running career. As soon as I settled on this upcoming event I began to visualize the race every time I went out to run.

As a 61 year old athlete, my memory is short! So as I thought about the race in my head, I would think of important things I needed to consider and text myself the information.

1. I think about the travel there.
2. I visualize race morning and getting ready.
3. I have read blogs about the race, and have watched videos of the event.
4. I think about my crew and their needs as I am helped around the course.
5. I have a spreadsheet with different finishing times (although I really do just want to finish)
6. I think about pushing through pain.
7. I plan my race strategy (first and foremost,finish)
8. I visualize getting in and out of checkpoints as fast as possible.
9. I think about the last few hours of the race and my motivations for crossing the finish line.
10. I imagine the joy of crossing the finish line and completing my 100^th race of marathon distance or longer!

PREPARE

I used to be a reporter and I am very good at researching and keeping files. I have a binder that is filled with information about the race.

1. I have looked ahead at a map and planned the travel to the race.
2. I have booked hotels along the way and back.
3. My dogs are coming with me so I booked a kennel for them while I am running.
4. I have packing lists of what to bring.
5. I have written a schedule for the week leading up to the race.
6. I have a crew member-supporter (My husband!) and we have talked about getting in and out of the checkpoint as fast as possible
7. I have a checklist of what I need to do immediately following the race.
8. I also have an outline of what to do in the week following the event.

So there you have it. It is now the beginning of July. I am now counting down the weeks. I have a few big weeks of training coming up and then I will begin to wind down. I still have to work in the heat training and I will outline what I have learned and how I will apply it as the race gets closer.

As always, feel free to comment and let me and other readers know how you have persevered with aging and running. And I would like to emphasize that your race distance does not matter. Whether you excel at 5 km events or a marathon, knowledge is power.