Race Report: Umstead 100 Miler

Race information

What? 24th Annual Umstead 100 Mile Endurance Run

When? April 7, 2018

How far? 100 Miles

Website? umstead100.org

Goals

Goal	Description	Completed?
A	Sub 24	No
B	PR (29:34)	Also no
C	Finish	Another no
D	Enjoy it	Let’s get one more “no” in here

Training and Background

I did this race last year (my first - and only - hundred) and loved it. I didn’t perform as well as I wanted to (wanted a sub-24 finish, scooted in just under the 30hr cutoff… see my post history if you have like 3 hours free and feel like reading a novel of a race report), so I was out for redemption. Another year and another bunch of races under my belt, I was hoping this would be it. I put down an okay-ish marathon in the fall but followed it up with a strong 6-hour race during which I nabbed an unofficial 20-min 50k PR and a 6hr distance PR of 33 miles. A few weeks later, I did the Dopey races with u/D1rtrunn3r and came away feeling confident in my endurance to handle back to back hard (and increasing in distance) efforts. Then I had a terrible 20 mile trail race in early February, a solid 50 mile and then 40 mile week after recovering, then a terrible trail marathon in early March that I didn’t taper at all for. I broke down and checked out mentally during both of those races, and then physically performed like garbage. After the marathon, I took a recovery week, then hit two solid 50 mile weeks just before what was a 12-day taper. I just had to trust in my training for this race and was going to try to stay upbeat. My volume was higher this year than last year, and included some great quality. Positive vibes only.

Pre-Race

Had a busy week of work and really wasn’t stressing about the race much. Last year I was nervous and tense, and this year I felt like I didn’t have as much to prove. There was nothing I could do to change anything about the cycle, and I knew my plans for fueling and pacing - I just needed to execute those the best I could, and everything else was out of my control. A slightly stressful/nerve-inducing situation at work on Thursday had me channeling all my nerves in that direction, so I was irrationally panicked about the work thing. Like, completely obsessing about it. Eventually got it figured out and moved on like I should have done before I blew it out of proportion. Spent the evening packing up my stuff. I also group-texted my parents and my pacers/crew so that they could keep each other updated throughout the race. I did this last year, as well, and I know my mom appreciated the first-hand updates about how I was still alive (I don’t think she trusts the automated texting updates).

On Friday, I hit the bib pick-up and the pre-race briefing and dinner. Met u/itsjustzach which was pretty cool since I’ve “known” him for like… what, three or so years now from being here? Ate dinner with u/blushingscarlet and her family. Went to bed later than I should have. Next morning, ate a mini bagel and a half with a little sunflower seed butter and some cereal (cracklin’ oat bran) around 4:00am, got to camp around 5:00/5:15am with plenty of time before the start and set up on a bench in the cabin, which was much more crowded than last year because of the pouring rain. 6:00am rolled around and we were off.

Race is 8 laps of 12.5 miles, on well-maintained “trail”. Big aid stations at the start/finish, and around 6.85mi.

Loop 1 Started in spandex capris, a tank, gloves, hat, and poncho. u/blushingscarlet and I set off together, chatting about work and school and our trajectories for how we ended up there. We also talked about how she had an exam Monday and I had a work thing Monday. FUN TIMES. We were breathing easy and feeling good. I shed my poncho after a little bit because I was heating up under the plastic, and gloves came off shortly after that. I had seen u/tyrannosaurarms post in the weekender with his bib number and as blushingscarlet and I were running, I noticed his number as he pulled ahead of us. I whispered to her that he was from ARTC and we debated whether or not it would be weird for us to say something, and decided to say hey. Ran with him and chatted for a bit, and then he pulled ahead of us. I forgot to stick to my fueling plan - in ultras, my plan is to eat early and often, but just a little at a time. Didn’t take my first bite of clif bar for a while. Wasn’t drinking much. Blushingscarlet and I split at the first aid station when I kept going and she refilled her bottles. She eventually caught back up to me, and then after a bit she pulled ahead. I felt fine physically, but mentally already wavering and not thrilled with the prospect of spending 22 or so more hours out there. I split the lap in 2:23. Was in and out of the cabin in about 3 minutes while getting rid of the poncho and gloves from my bag.

Loop 2 Went downhill fast. I don’t remember much from this lap except for being miserable, though trying not to outwardly show it. I started this lap running near a nice guy with a big beard and when I told him my name (which is relatively uncommon), he told me he was supposed to run the race with another girl with my name who had withdrawn from the race a few weeks earlier, and that his wife would probably get a kick out of it. He also said his 11 year old daughter was gonna pace him for a loop later - she’s done a marathon and a 50k before! GO GURL. Was grateful to chat with him, since it kept my mind from drifting to negativity. We eventually split (though when crossing paths at points later in the race, we shouted encouragement at each other) and I was on my own. Would periodically run with someone else until one of us pulled away from the other. I still wasn’t eating much, and realized that I couldn’t even though I wanted to - it felt like something was caught in my throat, and I had to chew a lot to be able to swallow but still felt like I was gagging. I knew that being behind on fueling already was very bad, and that I wouldn’t be able to catch up even if I could magically get stuff down. I haven’t had issues with my stomach or eating in prior races, so I was confused about what was going on with my throat. Around mile 20 during a solo point, I got really teary-eyed. I was unhappy. I couldn’t bear the thought of another 29 hour race. Why was I doing this? I’m supposed to enjoy running, but nothing about what I was doing was enjoyable. I knew I’d be in for a hard fade. I hated it. I doubted myself. I came in from the loop at 5:09, went inside and found u/nutbrownhare14 who was volunteering before she was supposed to pace me later on and started sobbing. I told her how I couldn’t eat and how miserable I felt. My race might as well have been over then. I didn’t want to be there. I was unhappy. I was wet. I was underfueled. She gave me a big hug first and then went into action mode to assess what I needed. I didn’t know what I needed, so I was pretty useless. She recognized that I needed to get in some calories (which was also contributing to the moodiness) and got me some broth. I stopped crying momentarily. Saw u/aribev and u/ultrahobbyjogger and when aribev asked me how I was feeling, I got weepy again. I told them I just wanted to be done, but agreed to go out for another lap and to at least try to hit 50. My between-loop pity party took place over the span of about 8 minutes, and they shoved me out of the cabin.

Loop 3 again, up and down. At this point, I had eaten maybe a clif bar and a half, a little broth, and half a banana. Even the banana was tough to get down. I kept trying to drink my tailwind to get in the calories but I didn’t want a slushy stomach. Hit the halfway aid station and saw two friends (and very experienced ultra runners) who were volunteering, one of whom was scheduled to be my Loop 5 pacer. They asked how I was feeling and my eyes started watering again when I told them I couldn’t eat and felt like garbage, and they immediately started cheering louder and throwing a ton of positivity at me. They spelled out my name first, and then gave a “Gimme a one! Gimme a zero! Gimme another zero!” cheer, and I actually laughed because I couldn’t figure out where the cheer was going with a 1-0-… my bib number didn’t start with 10-, so… OH DUH, they’re doing 100 for 100 miles. 32 miles in and my brain wasn’t functioning so well. Spent 3 minutes with them and rolled outta there feeling at least a bit more upbeat, if only temporarily. Was mostly power walking at this point, but trying to run. Took periodic bites of my second clif bar, but felt like I was choking every time I tried to swallow food. Any time I’d try to exert harder - like running, or hold a fast walking pace up a hill - I’d feel myself starting to gag and burp, and had to stop because it felt like I was choking again. Yikes. Came through the start/finish in 8:39, not nearly as down as Loop 2, but still pretty unhappy. Grabbed a cup of broth from the aid station before going inside, as volunteers told me that I should consider layering up (was still in a tank) since it was due to drop 10 degrees over the next hour. Found NBH and she was back in action mode asking me important questions about what I wanted to change into and what I thought I could stomach. I still had no good responses to either other than “uhhhhhh. nothing sounds good. I don’t know”. She gave me more broth, which I drank, and then I tried to eat the noodles that were in there but as I was chewing them, spit them back into the cup because I could feel my throat starting to rebel early. I knew that this was going to be my last lap. I changed my shirt and socks and shoes - another tank, plus arm warmers and a thin rain shell, and switched from the Brooks Ravenna to the Hoka Arahi. Went outside, already felt colder, then turned around and come inside to switch my capris for a dry pair. NBH and some really nice girl whose boyfriend was racing held up towels so I had a little changing room in the cabin and didn’t have to go up to the bathroom building to change bottoms. We also told her all about our love for Tracksmith when she noticed the logo on the shirt I had shed and asked what we thought of the brand. Pulled gloves onto my swollen hands and layered back on the poncho I had tossed earlier. A solid 20 minutes after I had pulled into the aid station (dang, wet clothes are hard to get off, and dry clothes are hard to pull onto slightly damp skin), I was out for my fourth loop.

Loop 4 I couldn’t eat and had consumed probably less than 800 calories over 10 hours and 40 miles… I was far down in the hole. The rain had occasionally been easing up during earlier laps, but it was back and worse. It turned into that kind of rain that comes at you sideways and stings your face. The temperature was dropping. At points, I wondered if it was hailing tiny little baby hailstones because of how it felt on my face. My gloves were soaked through and my hands were cold and swollen. I got back to the halfway aid station and saw my two friends again, still volunteering. Told them I was definitely going to be done once I hit 50. Pacer Friend said she would gear up for pacing just in case I changed my mind and would see me back at the cabin. I tried a bit more broth and a potato dipped in salt. The salt hurt my tongue and the broth tasted all sorts of wrong. Forced a smile because I will always mug for a camera, even if I’m 44.5 miles into a race and absurdly unhappy. I left again, happy that I only had 5.5 miles to go. I started doing math. Could I walk 15 minute miles? Nope, but what about 17? Maybe if I can jog a bit. Ended up “sprinting” a few extremely short bursts during this segment. If I was gonna feel sick while running, I should at least try to go as fast as I possibly could, right? It was weird, because my legs were feeling tired but okay enough to move decently fast, but I couldn’t sustain it because I had no energy from not eating and the lump in my throat was really pronounced when trying to exert hard. Whatever. Just goooooo. Ran down the final hill toward camp. Carefully stepped through the mud. Jogged up the hill to the finish. Finished with a smile on my face. Saw pacer friend and NBH. Told them I’m definitely done. NBH asked me if I was positive, and if I’d be mad at her later for letting me drop. I confirmed that no, I would not be mad, I was absolutely positive about my decision. I went and told the timing tent people that I was officially done. I was sad, but I was hit with a massive wave of relief knowing that I had made the right choice. I hit 50 and have my qualifier if I want to do it again next year. I went inside, changed into a set of totally dry clothes, and tried to eat some more.

Reflections and Thoughts First off, I want to emphasize how absolutely INCREDIBLE all of the volunteers at this race are, and how well organized it is. Execution of the race seems flawless from the runner point of view. The volunteers are all super experienced in ultras and volunteering at races and genuinely care about how you do and want to support you - they refill your bottles while you browse the food for something you want, they cheer and exude positivity and cheerful vibes even when you’re low, they think for you when you can’t yourself. MASSIVE MASSIVE MASSIVE shoutout to u/nutbrownhare14, who is the MVP of this race, and my training cycle, too. Thanks for accompanying me during so many runs these past few months, and for being an awesome crew and mom’ing the heck out of me during this race to give me the best possible chance at performing well, even when I doubted myself.

I’m bummed that the race didn’t go how I wanted it to go, but I’m not as disappointed as I would’ve been had the conditions been better - while the majority of why I bombed the race was under my own control and I have nobody else to blame, the weather wasn’t something I could’ve done anything about, and it made my mistakes/weaknesses impact me extra hard. I know I made the right decision to stop, and I don’t regret making the call. To be honest, I decided going into the race that I wouldn’t be having another 29.5hr finish - I wanted to go sub24 or as close to it as possible, and knew that if I projected to be out there for a 26+ hour finish, I would probably opt to DNF it. I’ve already proved to myself that I can complete a 100 and I have no desire to be out there for that long again (and deal with the aftermath and recovery) without making some sort of substantial improvement to get a huge PR.

I think there are a few things I can work on right now to put down a stronger 100. For the past 6 months, I have been struggling hardcore with the mental side of running, which then destroys me in races because I mentally collapse and then my physical ability doesn’t even matter anymore because I’m checked out. I know that moving forward, I need to figure out what’s going on with my head and how I can stop that negativity. I also need to work more on strength and get lifting consistently into my routine, because I think that will be a huge benefit for my running. And for getting better at hills, which is something else to work on. Right now, the plan is to take some unstructured training time and cut back my mileage so that I can focus on getting three days of lifting in per week. I’ve been saying I’ll do it for months, but I keep avoiding it and running instead since I have races coming up and then using running as an excuse to not lift. No more races til fall, so I can “afford” to scale back running right now and focus on putting in a solid lifting effort without planning it totally around running.

I had some really solid weeks of training this cycle - some of the best I’ve ever had - and I know I have a lot more in me. However, I think I need to take a step back before I take another few steps forward with my running. I’m confident in my endurance, but my speed needs a lot of work if I want to go sub-4 at Chicago this fall. I’ve got my plan of attack for the next few months in mind, so… first recovery, then rebuild.

TL;DR: Poor fueling. Poor weather. Poor ability to control emotions. DNF at 50 miles.

[Edits: typos]

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