Last year was supposed to be my second 100 mile run. Coming off Marji and running some of the Kettle Course during Arktos, my ankle rebelled.

Last year certainly wasn’t a waste, I was still able to compete in Ironman Wisconsin, just needed a break for the ankle to heal up.

So here we are now, 5 days from go time, and it’s all just now starting to hit me. The nerves settled in last night, after finally looking at topo maps and aid station gaps yesterday.

It’s all starting to feel real!

and the fear is starting to settle in.

Honestly, I’m really glad it’s here. I’ve spent years doing this sort of thing now, and have finally realized Fear is my motivator. Not fear of failure, as such, more a mix of fear of uncertainty, of lack of preparation, of not living up to what I think I’m capable of.

Preparation

Training going into this race hasn’t been much like the others I’ve done. That fear wasn’t there for some reason. I was focused more on a balanced life, which was nice. If I was unable to make a workout, so be it. That relaxed pressure on myself though led to a sort of mediocrity in the workouts themselves. Up until pacing at Zumbro 100 that is. Running 9 hours through the night with Corey and Jake was a fantastic reminder of just how difficult this actually is. A great call back to reality.

So, perhaps I’m not where I want to be physically, but mentally, I’m feeling much stronger. Embracing realistic expectations and setting out a plan on how to achieve them.

What to Expect

This race is nothing like my first 100.

• There are aid stations, longest gap is 5 miles
• There are many runners
  • ~250 100 mile runners
  • ~175 100k runners
  • even more in the shorter distances
• The terrain is ‘easier’ to run (not a Mt Bike trail)
• There is far less elevation
• It probably won’t rain all night
• I shouldn’t get off course

Sounds like it should be easy then right? That was my initial thinking… and I’m wrong, it’s still up to 30 hours and 100 miles on my feet, ankles, knees, hips. That’s never going to be easy, but that’s the point right? That’s where the fear plays a roll as well. It’s going to be painful, it’s going to be hard. Fear comes through as anxiety in this regard. Anxiety turns to excitement in the anticipation of getting started.

So how do I handle that anticipation?

Race day planning and preparation!

The physical side is set, there’s nothing more I can gain there, just try to stay loose, and focus on flexibility and nutrition these last few days.

Focus on the controllable:

• Know the course
  • Where are the Aid Stations
    • What do they have?
    • How far between?
    • Should I leave a drop bag for specific ones?
  • Study the elevation maps
    • Where are the harder sections?
    • Where will I be when it gets dark?
• Packing Lists
  • What do I need for the race?
    • Running clothes/gear
      • Backups
    • Food – Medical
  • What do I need for the trip?
• Driving Plans
  • Who am I going with?
  • Do I know the area?
  • How far is this from the hotel?
• Weather
  • It’s going to be what it’s going to be – just be sure you know what gear is needed
• Communications
  • Write a blog post 😉
  • Share out the tracking link and have conversations with family and friends.

Mindset

The cutoff is 30 hours, and I’m now planning on using most of those. Starting at 6am on Saturday that would bring me to noon on Sunday.

From my original goal of sub 24 hours last year, I’m looking forward to just finishing at this point. It’s going to be a long time out on the trail, and the most important thing I can do is go in with that top of mind. Enjoy the journey, enjoy the company along the trail, enjoy the fact that I can be out there still doing this. My pacing targets are in place and I’m fully excepting to be on my feet for the weekend.

Additionally, I’ve set an audio book aside as well as some podcasts. But even more importunately, there are a number of side projects that need some good thinking through. So, I’ve prepared topics to remember to consider a long the way, and have found leaving voice notes to myself works really well.

Finally, while I have no intention of creating a film for this race, I do intend to have a camera with me, capturing those little moments I find entertaining or distracting.

So here it goes, ready to put forth my best effort and find the limit!