This year I decided to run my second 100 miler. After running Leadville 100 in 2012, I wasn't super jazzed about running another 100 in 2013, it felt too soon. Leadville took a lot out of me. Then I got injured and it didn't really matter. I had hoped my second 100 miler would be Western States 100, but the qualification process changes sort of put a wrinkle into that plan. So, a few buddies decided they'd like to run a 100 this year and I figured, why not?! Here I am, signed up and ready to dig deep, again. It is no secret that I have had some hesitation, but I am slowly finding some excitement for the challenge.
Training
I could write a whole book on my thoughts on training, but it is simple enough to say that I just don't train as hard as I used to. There are too many good runners that are not training 100+ miles per week for me to believe that is a fundamental law of doing well. In fact, I would say it would be a disaster for more than 95% of the running population to even try. Probably the core principal for me is that anything more than 55-70 miles per week is a waste, at least for the "competitive recreational runner" (aka the weekend warrior). My peak month before LT100 was 310 miles and 38K of vertical. And I showed up to the race injured, fortunate to be able to finish. Other than following the philosophies outlined above, this year I have just done more specific training with several quality ultras and lots and lots of trail miles, lots and lots of vertical, and a whole new strategy around nutrition and hydration coupled with a new diet. And, I've been hitting the cross training much more consistently -- namely weight training -- than any other year.Nutrition and Hydration
This is another topic that I could write a book on -- I am not saying it would be a book worth reading -- with all the stuff I have tried. The nuts and bolts of it are that I have started trending toward a philosophy of "food in the pocket and water in the bottle". Combing a real food plan with my LCHF diet has opened up lots of flexibility and possibilities on race day. Note that I use LCHF for fat-adaption, not necessarily for ketosis. In other words, I want to burn a higher percentage of fat than the runner next to me at the same relative effort level without feeling like I am struggling or going into deficit. If I succeed, then I can theoretically burn more fat and eat less. The results so far have been very good.Generally speaking, during an ultra, I will aim to eat 200 - 300 Kcals per hour. For a guy my size, that represents a good 25-35% decrease from what I used to eat. And, I haven't had much difficulty making that happen. For the first two-thirds of a race, my primary goal is to get my calories from real food like Hammer Bars or Lara Bars. I recently had some great success with a multi hour bottle of Ucan (plain) mixed with a hydration tablet (for flavor) in a 20 oz bottle with a mixing whisk. I may utilize a light weight beverage like Skratch Labs (about 10g of sugar). The primary goals this early in the race are to provide some real building blocks for fueling and muscle repair (fat and protein), but also to avoid stuff that is likely to upset my stomach and GI system. Later in races, I switch to primarily water and gels. I will also add in some flat soda or water mixed with energy drinks.
With all that background, my plan for Bear is:
1) A Hammer Bar and a serving of Ucan per hour for as long as I can handle it (hopefully 50 miles or more), possibly a little bit of Skratch Labs when I want something with a little flavor.
2) Switch to gels and plain water for a boost with a goal of 2 gels per hour
3) Bring it home with anything that keeps me moving, this is likely where the energy drink comes into play...
4) At a few aid stations I may supplement with additional "real food" like Epic Bars or Almond Butter to get some fat and protein and help with any hunger pains.
Other Blog Posts and Important Links
- Race Day Strategy (In progress...)
- Pacing Plans
- Crew Directions
- Course Maps
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