even though there were only 162 runners, this is a fairly big event as Ultras go. most people knew each other. once again i felt like the new kid in class.

it was nice to see Wendell Doman there, the guy who runs Pacific Coast Trail Runs. he made me feel a bit less out of place.

there is absolutely no jockeying for position at the start of an Ultra. people chat and take it easy. the race is not against other people.

i got to chat with a woman named Julie Nye in the pre dawn. it turned out that she's the sister of Betsy Nye (who also ran), a bit of a legend in the Ultra community. She's won the Wasatch 100 and did several new course records for the Hardrock 100. Julie told me that there were a lot of very strong runners, especially women, in the race. it was a sort of a class reunion.

by watching the 'real' Ultra runners i learned several things:
- walk the hills. Julie told me that not even the top runners would run them. the speed is all in the downhill and flats.
- stay away from ibuprofen. it's not going to kill the pain and it'll put stress on the kidneys that they really don't need on top of it all.
- Ultra runners are really, really nice people!

the first half was eventless. i made it to the turnaround at mile 26 in 4:27. after the turnaround there was a long ascend back up a fireroad. i caught up with Betsy Nye then and let her pace me. she told me she'd been sick the last week and was a bit burned out from the 3 100 mile race she'd done that summer. i stuck with her for 10 or 12 miles, then she left me in the dust during a long downhill. i've really got to practice downhill running...

i started to feel exausted from about mile 36 on. that mile conincided with yet another very steep, exposed fireroad. i had to stop in the middle and knew then that i really had to watch myself. this was also when people started passing me. well, i'm a newbie...

i made it to the 38 mile aid station with a 5min run / 1 min walk cycle. and hit my critical point right there. all of a sudden i got tunnel vision and nearly fainted. at Ultras, there is an experienced runner at every aids station, just in case a rookie (like me) runs into troubles. Mr. Experienced Runner knew exactly how to get me going again. "queasy stomach? no? ok. time for the rocket fuel!" he made me drink 12 ounces of coke, pop an electrolye tablet and top it off with a GU. a minute later i felt like Popeye after a good dose of spinach! well, not exactly. but i knew i could run on. i was told to keep drinking coke - once you start on the caffeine it's better not to stop - and off i went again.

i kept running the downhills, although it took a great deal of concentration by now to not misstep and it hurt. a lot. it was still better than walking, though. walking downhill takes more energy than running.

right before the 40 mile station Wendell passed me again. much to his surprise i had overtaken him a few miles after the turnaround. he enthusiastically told me that i was doing great for a first timer - "there's no way you won't qualify for the WS100 now!"

that did me some good. i kept up my 5min run / 1min walk routine as best i could. passed some, got passed by more. luckily, the hills were nearly over by mile 43 and it was just a matter of staying upright. at mile 48 i started to get tunnel vision again, but by then i knew that i had made it. it's amazing what the horsie can put up with when it smells the barn! i did manage some semblance of a sprint through the finish.

being able to stop running was sweet, so very sweet!

in conclusion i have to say that this was by far the most physically demanding thing i've done so far in my life. harder than my Ironman races by a margin. i told Wendell afterwards that i just couldn't see how a human being could run for 100 miles. he just said "meh, you just run slower". as if it was a foregone conclusion that this was going to be the next step for me. can't help but like the guy!

- go out slower
- drink more
- practice running downhill.

it was all i could do to keep myself from passing out after the race. i was hyperventilating badly and my legs wouldn't quit asking "WTF happened?".
apparently other people didn't think there was much wrong with me. Sarah and Wendell both said i was looking strong. heh.

i ate 2 cups of soup and a hamburger, some ice cream and drank 2 sodas. that was all my stomach could take at that time.

interestingly, my fingers turned white and numb for a while. probably because all the blood was required in my legs and around my intestinal tract. nothing to spare for the hands.

NO stretching. not a good idea after 50 miles. it's easy to tear something or cramp up.

Sunday i was a mess. i had maybe 3 hours of sleep during the night. my body just didn't feel it was safe to shut down. i walked around like a newborn horse. sometimes my legs just buckled under me. luckily there was always something or someone to hold onto.

on the bright side:
- only one minor blister that i only discovered long after the race was over.
- no cramps.
- no stomach issues.

today (Monday) i feel much better. i slept for 10h straight, a thing that i haven't done in years. my legs are ok again and i can get up from the toilet again without having to use my hands (heh!)

now i have to face the post race blues again...


lack of experience and the Iroman 3 weeks ago. i wasn't trained right for either event because i tried to train for both.

such is life. i'd still do it again.