Source
r/artc•
LL37

Umstead 100

Race Report

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What? Umstead 100

When? April 6, 2019

How far? 100 miles

Where? Raleigh, NC

Website: [http://www.umstead100.org/results.html](http://www.umstead100.org/results.html)

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Goals

| A | Finish | Yes |

| B | New PR | Yes |

| C | Be satisfied with performance | Yes |

​

Since I live near Raleigh, I've been running at Umstead State Park every week for the past year. I know the course inside and out. And I love it. For those that aren't too familiar, it's a 12.5 mile loop on a well maintained gravel road that we all refer to as "bridle path" because it's shared with bikers, hikers, horses and runners. There's no major climbs or dramatic elevation but it does roll along.

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Training

I've been following the general marathon base building plan from Lydiard's Running to the top.

Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday 60 minutes aerobic, Tuesday & Thursday 90 minutes aerobic, Sunday is 120 minutes plus. Days off just happen. This means I usually ended up around 50 miles a week.

Some of my 60 minute days are tempos to get in some speed and turnover but zero speed work outside of that. I added some weightlifting this time around to harden my legs for the pounding but it was very simple stuff. Mostly squats, chin ups and over head press. Finished the final three weeks with 30 minutes a day of sauna time too.

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Race

My last 100 was at Yeti and I thought I could run under 20 hours and ended up with a new PR of 23:49. I blew up fantastically there and swore to never do that again. And I kept that promise.

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Training on the course is invaluable. My plan was to walk the first mile of each loop, then run sections I identified were doable with planned walking sections. That's right, I walked the first mile of every loop on purpose. The entire course is runnable, so you have find ways to give your legs a break before you need to. I also didn't set a time goal for myself, I just knew I could do 24 hours, believed I had a better result in my legs and just was going to take what the day was giving me.

The day gave me 19:50:30.

I never fell apart. I definitely think the plan to walk the first mile out of the start/finish area kept me from sitting more than three minutes. I spent way less time in the AS because of it. Even at AS #2, I planned a longer walking section there before the hills of Turkey Creek start ( I LOVE TURKEY CREEK!) and that helped too. It's just a mental relief to not have to decide when to run again.

Other things I've learned over the years is to keep eating something every 30 minutes. For the first time I had pacers for laps 5, 6 & 7 and that helped keep me from getting stuck in my head.

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Post-race

Just shy of a four hour PR. Holy schnikes. Feels good to finally put up a time that I knew I was capable of.

The race organizers set up a system to text updates when runners cross the timing mats and that was so helpful to my crew. The second AS had a mat and it was such a relief to my wife to know how I was doing from the time I left the Start/Finish and they could figure out when I'd be back. Seems so simple but in actual use it was something I think more races should invest in.

On a whim, I wore my Tracksmith Harrier long sleeve shirt for the race and it was the best. I stayed cool and collected all day even as the temps rose because it stayed damp. Never chafed or anything. Normally you can smell me coming and that didn't happen here. I just may never buy a tech fabric shirt again.

I'm totally satisfied with the day and ready for the Western States lottery in December. PICK ME WS, I'm ready for you.

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*This post was generated using [the new race-reportr](https://coachview.github.io/race-reportr/), powered by [coachview](https://www.coachview.io), for making organized, easy-to-read, and beautiful race reports.*

Posted Apr 8, 2019, 11:39 PM UTC · edited

5545
tyrannosaurarms•

Awesome job and huge PR! Sounds like you really executed your plan and that’s so critical at the hundred mile distance. I’m sure you passed me somewhere in those last couple of laps but I don’t recall anyone wearing a long sleeve shirt so go figure.

8
LL37OPUmstead 100•

I'm sure we leap frogged or stayed just a few steps out of each other's reach. The rain the night before was fantastic for removing all the yellow pollen and keeping it from flowing on Saturday. If you were still here for Sunday, we got coated with the yellow powdery stuff. Mother Nature was looking out for us!

1
tyrannosaurarms•

Yeah, my allergies were nonexistent during the race but Sunday was another story.

2
ultrahobbyjoggeris a bear•

Congrats. I don’t even like to drive that far!

7
IamShartacus•

Your mom doesn't like to drive that far!

2
tripsdRetiring•

Nothing like 4 hour PRs! Also the idea of a 100 that is completely runnable is terrifying. I dont think i have the self control to do that, so huge kudos.

6
LL37OPUmstead 100•

Thanks! Any time you can run something four hours faster, I highly recommend it. I'd say the YETI 100 is a sneaky bastard of runnable 100 that will try to kill you.

2
Zenosparadox1•

Wow, congratulations on the sub-20 and the 4-hour PR! Way to stick to your plan.

Good luck in the WS lottery!

6
LL37OPUmstead 100•

Pumped to be sub 20! Hope it helps me for this WS lottery that will be my seventh.

2
Simco_•

Potentially 71 seven-years next year...it's getting absurd.

2
LL37OPUmstead 100•

It really is getting absurd. The longer on I go, the more I'm glad that I've had time to improve as a runner. I wasn't ready for WS the first two or three years - I would have DNF'd.

2
iggywing•

It's a blessing in disguise. Now, not only are you obviously in shape to finish, you've got a fantastic shot at a silver buckle.

2
parasiteartist•

I ran this in 2016.
>The entire course is runnable
This is absolutely true but it's even sneakier than that. There are sections that are long extended uphills. Bridge to gate is essentially 2 miles uphill but gradual. It was my first 100 and since I live close to Umstead, it was great having such a good race that close with countless miles on the course already.

6
LL37OPUmstead 100•

May sound weird but I find the gradual climb up to the gate to be better to run than the flat airport spur. I passed a lot of people grinding up the hill. For me it was a lot easier to use my glutes on the climb and give the other parts of my legs a rest. I do think that was a big key to keeping my legs fresh all day.

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parasiteartist•

I absolutely agree. I actually do most of my passing during the top of an uphill and on the downhill when people are resting. I do not like flat paths, especially when I can see it from far away. It's the one thing I dread about the obx 100. I really want to do it, and I'm sure I will, but just thinking about a flat race that you can see 40 miles into the distance is brutal.

2
Simco_•

Really great time for that mileage. Wish I had the talent for that.

5
LL37OPUmstead 100•

Would you mind discussing this more? I'm not offended at all BTW but I think it's an interesting conversation to have about mileage.

I've never considered myself to be fast - I just ran a 5k under 20 minutes last year after 18 years of being stuck between 20:12 and 20:34. My marathon PR is 3:24 and HM is 1:38 - both of which I think are a bit soft but they're my PR's (and almost 10 years old). I've been running for the past 25 years and probably averaged about 1000 miles a year for the first 20. Then it started to go up to 1200 to 1500 for a few years, dropped in 2017 due to injury to 800 and I came back with 2039 miles in 2018. Where I'm going with this is the recent increase definitely helps but I think the consistency over the years is a big contributor as well. I'll also note my longest run in the build up to Umstead was 18 miles.

Much like the marathon, the 100 mile distance is hard to get right because you can only do it so many times in a year. You can take a crack at a 5k almost every weekend.

Back to the mileage, I do think it also depends on finding a training plan that works for you. If I run too hard (read: repeats), I get injured. But I can crank out lots of miles at aerobic pace consistently, so Lydiard-ish style base building works for me. I just can't sustain the workouts to run a faster 5k/HM

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TL;DR - I think lifetime miles matter a whole lot, plus super duper consistency.

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What do you think?

5
IamShartacus•

As a very mediocre runner who regularly finishes in the top 10% at ultras, I totally agree with your assessment.

2
Simco_•

I figured you had some years under you and agree that it likely plays a huge role in endurance for longer distances.

Generally, I'd day 50mpw is low for 100s. Doable (and how I did my first) but I think most people wouldn't expect 20 hours at that mileage.

I hope in a decade I can knock a couple hours out of my week and still put up good times. Camille said she just uses marathon training but I expect her to be an exception.

2
LL37OPUmstead 100•

Ok, don't get mad. I ran my first 100 in 2013 on 35 miles a week and finished a hair under 24 hours. And I'll agree, that sub 20 should not be a reasonable expectation when miles are relatively low. During the run, I was pondering where I could push it - to 18:5x? My first reaction to that was, you don't have the training for that can could blow up horrifically. Protect the finish and accept 20:xx.

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But for Camille, she's been putting 100+ mile weeks for like a decade. Still the exception there but damn that's a lot of running.

1
Simco_•

No that's cool. Like I said, I wish I could, too.

I think people can do way more than they think they can as far as race miles but speed takes work or talent.

2
goodgoodgorilla•

Great job! So glad the weather was better for you all than last year. I was at Aid Station 2 volunteering and then paced a friend for his last two loops. I guess I agree that the whole thing is runnable but I have no desire to run those 2-3 big climbs on Turkey Creek. Walk them always haha.

4
LL37OPUmstead 100•

The weather really was perfect. Not too hot, not too cold. The trees of Umstead filter out the direct sun and keep the temps down too. I moved here from California, so while the of Umstead hills are a wee bit steep and short for here they're not keeping me up at night.

1
RunRoarDinosaur•

Wow, congrats on the stellar PR!!!! Sounds like you were super well prepared, and being able to train on the course is a huge help. Umstead is an amazing race... glad you had a good time out there!!!

3
LL37OPUmstead 100•

Thank you, I was smiling everytime I came through the Start Finish because I was having a great day.

2
azer89streaking •

Wowww, congrats, sub 20 is a great achievement!

I'm running my first 100 miler in late May. My biggest weakness is pacing and I've been thinking the same strategy: walk early and run strong later. Too many people run too fast too soon and I hope I don't get dragged.

I'm not a fast road runner, but my training cycle has been really solid, I've logged 1100 miles this year, with b2b2b2b2b long runs and weekly volume occasionally up to 130 miles. I'm still very nervous, 100M is a different sport. I have to learn so many little details, like foot care, nutrition, and gear.

3
LL37OPUmstead 100•

I'll point to Bob Hearn's interview on Ultrarunner Podcast as the inspiration for it. When I saw the interview come up in my feed, I was like "Bob Hearn is not famous but why do I know his name?" Oh yeah, I'd been creeping through past years finishers and he's done Umstead a bunch. But great thoughts on pacing and planning for walking. When he does 24 hours races on a track, he walks every sixth lap. It was a huge breakthrough to hear someone that runs 150 miles in 24 hours still walks that frequently.

Good luck on your 100! You've got the volume going and you know to be smart. Putting all of that together is hard and that's what makes this sport a lot of fun (if you're in to this kind of fun).

4
azer89streaking •

Yay, I will listen to the podcast right away!

2
azer89streaking •

Thanks for pointing out Bob Hearn, I'm so inspired and I'm currently working on a pace chart for my upcoming 100M.

Luckily, the race is also 8 loops, each is 12.5 miles, but I think it's hillier than Umstead. I cut the loop into 3 segments, each has different elevation profile. I use Strava's Grade Adjusted Pace (GAP) algorithm to determine the pace for each segment, thank you u/LL37 !!!

2
LL37OPUmstead 100•

Cool! This is why I posted a race recap - so other people can see it and give it a shot.

1
sumix_fit•

Way to go! I ran this as well, I'll probably post a report later this week. The weather was great out there.

You beat me by 40ish minutes :)

2
LL37OPUmstead 100•

Cool, can't wait to hear more about your race. SUPER great weather. The pollen dust storm resumed on Sunday and I'm glad we got a reprieve from it on Saturday.

1
zebano•

Wow stellar training and result. Coming from a non-ultra guy forcing yourself to walk the first mile sounds awful but looks like it worked out amazingly. Kudos.

2
LL37OPUmstead 100•

It was hard to accept that it was the right plan but now I know it works for 100 miles. Getting passed by so many people was an ego struggle but I let it go because that didn't matter, the finish did. I've tried for force it so many times and it didn't work. I'm not threatening any podiums, so I think I'll keep doing it for this distance.

2
iggywing•

Great work! Sounds like you learned the same lesson I did, and it's awesome to see how well the forced walk breaks worked for you. I went on sub-20 hour pace at my flat 100 because every step was runnable, and my legs started to give out at mile 65 for a brutal finish that included shuffling the whole last ten miles at 20 min/mi. It's really hard to pace so conservatively, so kudos for that. My next one is going to force me to walk a bit more because there are some mountains in the way, but I'm definitely taking your strategy when I return to the flat course in October.

2
LL37OPUmstead 100•

I'm definitely taking your strategy when I return to the flat course in October.

Cool, this is why I shared a race report. There are lots of us out there death marching the end of 100's and accepting it as normal. I remember quitting the sport a hundred times at the end of ultras, yet I keep coming back like a Cubs fan prior to 2016 that buys the line of "next year will be better." That didn't happen at this one.

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Good luck mate!

1
epiceyeroll•

Dude, I saw your splits and they were fantastic. Congratulations on your sub-20 and 4 hour PR! Amazing job with the smart pacing - I never thought about walking the entire first mile. I always power walked the sharp hills in the second half - in fact, they were my favorite part because I could take a small break =P.

2
LL37OPUmstead 100•

Thank you! I'm sorry to say this was the first time I've ever nailed the pacing part in an ultra. It was always a showup and blowup type effort.

1
dmmillr1Ow my leg! •

Congrats!!

Sounds like you ran a great race and had great weather.

2
LL37OPUmstead 100•

Thanks we really did get great weather and the rain delivered a one day relief from being bombarded with yellow pine pollen.

1
SeanLang•

I’ll check this out next year! I live in Fuquay-Varina so not far. Love running at umstead, I do the technical trails and then hit that main trail.

2
LL37OPUmstead 100•

Cool! It sells out fast so get on it at registration. It's a well run event.

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I too love Umstead.

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