Front Range Ultra Dayze (FRUD) 100M (Race Recap)

Loveland, CO

Saturday, August 31

100 Mile attempt #21

Weather - HOT, sunny

I was the very first person (again) to sign up for Ultraventure Supplement's newest race, the Front Range Ultra Dayze (FRUD) in Loveland, CO. While I love the organization and race directors, this race was basically all the things I do not like. A "looped" course, late start and in the summer. I was unsure of how the race would go without a ton of running since the Summit 200 DNF.

Race morning

I had been helping at packet pick up and with about 15 minutes before the race started I used the bathroom and got some selfies.

Me, Ben, Caolan, Maureen & Lisa

Other than finishing 100 miles, I didn't really have a plan. Ben had signed up last minute and thought he was going to win and/or do really well, so we didn't have any plans to run together at all. I lined up somewhere in the middle. Ben took off pretty quick and I put headphones in and planned to run at least a full loop before beginning my run/walk intervals.

The forecast was for low 90's and I knew it was going to be rough. I spent a bit chatting with Eric, a guy that I met at Happy Camper a few years ago, but he ended up hanging back and said I was going faster than he wanted (which no one ever says). 

I ran the first full 2 miles without walking and then maybe another mile before I started in on  my run/walk intervals. I started with 3 minutes running and 1 minute walking and that worked for a bit. The heat was making me a bit nauseous - and it didn't help that it was full sun! About the only thing that sounded good was watermelon and apple sauce packets. I knew that wasn't going to be enough calories for the day, but I was eating what I could and mainly worrying about just staying hydrated. It was so warm that doing a 2 mile loop meant that I was drinking an entire flask each time, which seemed crazy. I was briefly seeing Ben on an out/back section but we didn't run together at all. Finally, I sent him a message and asked him if he wanted to do a quick happy hour at the camper - Liz, who was doing the 12 hour, opted to join us.

At some point Ben and I did a loop or two together, but he was really struggling with the heat and decided to take a break at some point.  We finally got some relief from the heat when the sun started to set. 

I did more intervals for 3-4 loops and then decided to take a break. Not because I was tired, just because I didn't really feel like being out. I tried to take a nap in the camper but gave up (which again, since I wasn't really tired made sense anyway). Wasted more than an hour. Went out again and did more intervals for 3-4 loops. Back to the camper to try to sleep. I set an alarm for 75 minutes. Got REALLY cold, but did not sleep. Even though I was still awake, I set it again for another 75 minutes, telling myself I would rather finish when the sun came up. Stupid. Since I felt "cold," I first grabbed my new hoodie and figured I would do a loop in that - then of course after a few minutes I got hot. I decided for the next loop that I would try the R1, but same thing. Too hot. Then of course, the sun came up for real and it was a zillion degrees with zero clouds again.

Ben was awake after having taken maybe 8 hours off. He said he wasn't feeling great but he would head over to the start to finish the loop and decide what he wanted to do. I tried to remind him that with the race set up that he could literally walk the rest of the race and still finish. I switched to short sleeve shirt again, and headed out, thinking he would catch up at some point.

Turns out, he decided to drop at 44 miles. UGH, so I was going to have to do the rest of these miles alone. Although, to be fair, I had been doing them alone this whole time (for the most part). I was still doing some intervals, although they were getting shorter and shorter. At one point he did bring me a Ziggi's protein smoothie - and it was DELICIOUS. I had initially hoped to be done by lunch, but with my 4+ hour stop overnight, this was definitely taking forever. It was also a HUGE mistake to not do more miles at night. I could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel when I had single digit miles. I switched into my crocs for the last loop because I was getting super tired of wearing shoes. Finally done.

Ben was at the finish line and got some pictures. I can't even remember what I did after finishing, but I think we stuck around to chat for a few minutes before going offsite to a brewery for a beer and food.

Overall Time - 32:31:09
Overall Place - 7/22

Gender Place - 2/8

Garmin Time - 32:31:32 (Run 10:46:22, Walk 1537:38, Idle 6:07:31)

Garmin Distance - 103.14

Elevation Gain - 1,985'

Miles 1-10 - 11:23, 11:33, 12:22, 12:08, 12:15, 11:59, 12:30, 13:19, 12:55, 12:40

Miles 11-20 - 14:36, 13:42, 16:08, 13:02, 15:38, 12:59, 13:42, 16:52, 17:29, 14:58

Miles 21-30 - 17:24, 13:59, 17:56, 14:03, 18:47, 17:39, 46:55, 17:36, 15:39, 13:00

Miles 31-40 - 13:20, 12:41, 14:49, 13:28, 18:26, 14:08, 15:58, 21:00, 16:42, 23:21

Miles 41-50 - 18:25, 23:25, 13:42, 20:49, 13:15, 13:31, 13:38, 15:06, 13:33, 13:17

Miles 51-60 - 13:37, 19:30, 13:29, 16:45, 14:55, 18:51, 16:34, 1:15:38, 16:48, 16:43

Miles 61-70 - 15:19, 15:50, 15:38, 2:37:37, 18:03, 14:22, 15:26, 14:13, 14:41, 16:53

Miles 71-80 - 16:25, 16:31, 23:30, 18:28, 17:57, 16:08, 23:42, 15:52, 27:09, 18:40

Miles 81-90 - 23:51, 18:59, 35:44, 18:16, 19:58, 15:19, 14:52, 14:52, 17:09, 16:00

Miles 91-100 - 21:52, 15:09, 17:21, 15:44, 20:15, 16:22, 17:32, 20:27, 21:44, 22:47

Miles 101-104ish - 20:48, 21:51, 19:17, 17:43

There was one girl who started the 100 mile on Sunday and was running really well, but based on the other finishers, I was actually looking to podium for the females. I had to wait until Monday to confirm, but the fast gal dropped and I got 2nd Female! I hate the coulda would shoulda, but if I hadn't spent so much time in the camper, I definitely could have won this one. But super happy with a 2nd place finish on a horrifically hot day.

Thoughts:

• I still do not like loop courses. I did this race to support the race directors. I will not run it again (unless I do a shorter timed distance), but I will come up and volunteer again. The event itself is fun!
• Good swag! Dry bag and beanie vs. a shirt, although they had them for purchase (both pre-sale and at the event), plus stickers, etc.
• Course was very well marked, never went more than probably 20 feet without seeing a flag and/or reflective. (I did assist with confirming markings were in place before day one of the race.
• Multiple distances for everyone! 200 mile, 100 mile, 100 hour, 72 hour, 48 hour, 24 hour, 12 hour and 6 hour (although the 6 hour will not be back for next year).
• One aid station, with lots of food options.
• Bathroom access on multiple parts of the course.
• Mix of sidewalk and packed dirt with a small section of rocky gravel. Terrain was fine, but man, it is very exposed, so on a sunny day it is HOT HOT HOT.

Kettle Moraine 100 (Race Recap)

LaGrange, WI

Saturday, June 8

100 mile attempt ?

Weather - overcast and humid, rain

Race Day

I had to get up at 4 am to ensure I had time to get ready and drive the estimated 35 minutes to the start line. I had tossed and turned all night and was up before the alarm.

Took a (very) quick shower because the water was absolutely freezing and took forever to warm up. Finished getting ready and got all my bags out the door. I threw my breakfast into the microwave in the lobby. Decided to take my bags to the car and drive to the door so I could leave right away. THE LOBBY DOORS LOCKED ON ME!!? Thankfully, there happened to be a janitor emptying the trash that let me back in. Not sure what I would've done otherwise since there was no one at the desk.

On the road by 4:35ish and, understandably, I was afraid of the GPS not working, and was somewhat relieved when I appeared to be following someone. Arrived to a really full lot at 5:15ish, and thankfully the way the volunteers were filling the spaces, I would be VERY close to the finish line.

Usual cycling through the bathroom line multiple times until it was a few minutes before the start and time to line up.

Start - Bluff (7.4)

I had been back and forth about whether or not I should bring poles. It was suggested that if it rained, poles would/might be helpful, although the general consensus was that there were no hills big enough to justify their use. Since I had flown Southwest, I figured I might as well bring them. With that said, I did NOT start with them, and I put them in my only drop bag, which was at Nordic, which I would not see again until roughly the 100k mark.

The start of the race is on faded, grassy trail. Per the norm, I started in the very back. I never did look behind me to see how many people there were, and that was probably a good thing. 

There was nothing too exciting for the first mile or two, and I was struck by how this "easy" pace was so slow. Every minute under an 18 is banking time, so I tried to not stress about it. I believe it was a few miles in before the rollers started. They did NOT feel that bad this early in the race, but I could see how they would not feel great many hours later.

I was a bit surprised to arrive at the first aid station sooner than expected, Tamarack. This is the only time this would happen in the race. I don't think I even topped off my bottle, but I did grab an orange cup, although it was hard to open and without a fork I ended up making a big mess trying to get any of it in my mouth. 

To interject here, there are a TON of aid stations at this race, hence all the choices I made in terms of pack size and water. I opted to use my favorite Salomon Adv Skin 8 pack, which is my daily pack. I like everything about it for shorter things, BUT, the pockets are NOT great for a race. Meaning, there are pouches in the front, one zipper pocket and then the big pocket in the back. Although most of it did not get used (and definitely some of it could have been placed at another drop bag), I carried my dry bag of electronics and my (ever-growing) medical stash. These items did bounce around in the big back pocket and I believe it was likely the small battery pack that contributed to my eventual horrific back chafing.

Onward.

Arrived at the Bluff aid station and used the bathroom - there were actually FOUR port-o-potties there (but I still had to wait). I definitely topped off bottles and I'm sure I grabbed food but I don't remember what. This was also the location of the first timing mat, which I apparently hit at 1:46:05, about dead on with my initial time "goal."

Bluff to Horseriders to Natalies to McMiller:

I have no idea what this was. I believe we climbed out of the aid station and moved onto the more single track trail. It was rockier and more narrow. I want to say I read somewhere that this would be the hardest part of the race, but I don't remember it being that bad. Somewhere along the way, my pace chart was way off, which I think messed with me a LOT going forward. Maybe there is something to be said about just being ignorant?

I don't know what Stone Elephant is, but I liked the sign.

The 100k runners started an hour after us, and I believe it was in this section between Horseriders and Natalies that I started to get passed by them. Probably annoying for them, but wasn't fun for me either. 

I cannot remember the Horseriders aid station at ALL. I think Natalies was the one by the road? I kept wondering where this "prairie" section would be, and then I figured we had finally arrived there. It was REALLY getting humid at this point and I was constantly having to adjust my shirt. We were back on the grassy trail area, and I was running a bit more here than I thought I would. Thankfully, with the cooler temperatures, this wasn't as awful as I had feared.

After leaving this area we ran behind a shooting area. It was pretty crazy. Felt like we were in the Hunger Games or something. 

I arrived at the McMiller aid station, just over the pace I hoped to maintain. Of course my mileage was already off, so I was getting discouraged. I was so happy to see Doug and Kristin! I used the bathroom and grabbed some food, including a banana, which Kristin felt the need to document since I hate them.

I left the McMiller aid station with 4:53:46. Just over the pace I hoped to be .

McMiller to Wilton to Hwy 67 to ZZ

I have no idea what this section was. At all. At some point, we were in the trees and there were some wooden bridges. 

The Wilton/Squatch aid station was at the edge of a dirt road. I had been running with an older gentleman and he had been lamenting about wanting a popsicle, and what do you know, they had some! I filled bottles and I think grabbed a granola bar before heading out. We had a straight, exposed area before turning and having more marshy (and moist) meadow areas.

I am pretty sure this is where I saw teammate Jeff, coming the other direction, which meant that he was like 15 miles ahead of me. At the time I think I did the math and thought it was less than that. I can't remember the Hwy 67 aid station at all. At some point maybe a mile before we got to the ZZ aid station, we were met with a barrage of 50k runners heading towards us. 

ZZ to ZZ...

The ZZ aid station was hopping when I first got there. I hadn't realized that we would hit this one twice, and the 100k and 100M runners had to do a 5ish mile loop and then we would head back the way we came. Used the bathroom and headed out for the loop with 7:26:45 elapsed, about 15 minutes over goal. I was not super pumped about going out, but there were other people ahead of me. I had been informed that this was a tough loop and to be prepared. The hardest part of the loop turned out to be when it started raining maybe a mile in. I do not mind running in the rain, and the temperatures weren't that cold. But it did make the steeper descents not a ton of fun. I ended up running with a guy for maybe a mile or two - this was his second attempt at Kettle Moraine. We came to a wider dirt road section and could see people camping off the trail. Getting close to getting back to ZZ and caught my toe on something and went flying. Ugh. The aid station was basically a ghost town by now and all the spectators seemed to have retreated to avoid the rain. Grabbed some grilled cheese and headed back out, leaving at 8:55:29.

ZZ to Hwy 67 to Wilton to McMiller...

Still raining. The trail in the woods was fine. A little slick and only really muddy in the flatter areas where water had pooled. Conditions were deteriorating pretty quick though. And then we got back to the meadow area. That's where the mess started. What had been dry earlier was now a disgusting mud pit. 

I don't mind getting dirty, but it takes a lot more energy to run in the mud! The rain did stop, and then the humidity kicked up a notch. It was making me feel nauseous, which is not something I normally deal with when I am running. Nothing was sounding good to eat and the more remote aid stations only seemed to have sweet food items, which made my stomach churn. Arrived at McMiller and got some food and a magical beer! Historically a beer midrace tends to make me really happy and the volunteer gave me a full one! Left McMiller at 11:36:15.

McMiller to ... eventually Bluff:

I had a few REALLY great miles. Like I let the beer settle in my stomach for a few minutes and then ran a LOT! I had some of my fastest miles of the race in this section and passed multiple people.

Maybe Horseriders was this aid station where we had the horses cross? Either way, volunteer Nicole had recognized me on the way out from the 200 mile circuit. I was hungry here and starting to get tired. I had some delicious meatballs, a shot of fireball and made a dose of my caffeine. 

Unfortunately, literally the second the sun started to set I started to get tired.

I came into Bluff feeling super tired. Wasn't sure what I needed to get me back to Nordic. I used the bathroom, grabbed some food and then found a random partial beer. Sadly, it was a weird peach flavor and it did not give me super powers. Left Bluff at 15:16:43, nearly an hour over my goal pace. 

Bluff to Nordic

By now my pack was driving me nuts. Something was rubbing me uncomfortably on my lower back. I was getting SO INCREDIBLY tired and was just trying to keep moving. I knew the cutoff to be out of Nordic was 12:30 am and I was on track to make the cutoff, I would just be a lot closer to it than I had wanted to be. 

The few miles to Tamarack went ON FOREVER. The longest miles of the race, seemingly. I asked the people at the aid station what they might have to help me and I think I got some coffee, but it didn't help. I talked to Ben for a bit but then just threw in some music and tried to run as much as possible to get back. The hills didn't seem as bad as I feared. I arrived at Nordic and tried to rush to swap out packs, debating what I actually thought I would need for the last 38 miles. I asked about food and unfortunately a lot of the food options were gone, the volunteer telling me they had run out, but that burgers would be prepared at 12:30.... like only if I was going to miss the cutoff. Blah. I was out of the aid station about 35 minutes under cutoff.

Nordic back to DNF

Things unfortunately seemed to get worse. The poles didn't really do much and I only found myself having them out because I had thought maybe they would help. I was SO FREAKING TIRED. I had taken a second caffeine dose at Nordic, along with the coffee/caffeine gum and it didn't seem to be helping. Tried not to stay too long at Tamarack but I remember sitting there. Someone asked what mile the aid station was and for some reason I had thought I was way over on miles, I got a very small pep in my step for a bit when I realized I was further than I thought. On to Bluff again. I don't remember what happened here. Maybe I did another fireball shot? Or maybe this was when I had the gross peach beer. Either way, I left at 20:28:46 - over an hour off my goal. 

This is probably where things went even worse for me. YES, I was moving slow. At some point I think all the aid stations when I got tired were a bad thing. I really got in my head here and when that happens I mentally check out. 

The next aid station was Duffin, which is where I finally saw Kristin. I gave her a hug and told her I was in a sad space because I was just so unbelievably tired. I told her I was going to eat and try to nap for 5 minutes to see if I could get a reset. I took my last caffeine dose, ate a pancake with sausage and closed my eyes. Didn't help. I wasn't going to drop while there was still time on the clock so I headed out. I didn't make it more than a mile or so up the trail before I had to sit and close my eyes again.

A guy I had been running with a small amount walked by and asked if I wanted to walk instead of sitting. I agreed. I was still tired but it helped having someone to chat with. 

I was feeling a tiny tiny bit better when the sun started to come up, but we came into the Hwy 12 aid station with only about 45 minutes to get to the NEXT aid station, which was over 4 miles away. Megan said I could continue if I wanted, but the idea of 4 more miles just to DNF seemed awful. I wonder if those times were actually enforced, because looking back now, once the sun was up, maybe I could have bounced back from being tired...

Megan made me a sandwich and said she would get us a ride back to Nordic. I was so tired I fell asleep holding my sandwich. (I guess I was unfortunately as tired as I felt).

Once back at Nordic I saw Kristin and Doug. Got some pictures of my super muddy legs and "fake finish" picture with my consolation 100k buckle.

Thoughts:

• To say I'm disappointed is an understatement. I thought I was past all these temper tantrum "quitting" races. I ran a LOT (for me) in this race. For comparison, I ran 8:54:30 at Oregon Cascades (successful sub 30 100 mile completion) and 8:00:18 at Southern States (successful PR 200 mile). I ran over 10.5 hours here (with 20+ miles to go), and yet I failed. Of note, the aid station time is MUCH longer than normal 100s, but the last few stops were definitely time consuming trying to find food and caffeine solutions. Sad.

• Also upsetting to see JUST HOW FAR BACK I am in these. I was in the bottom 5% of people THE ENTIRE RACE. I know I'm slow, but wow. Sad and defeating.

• The aid station were fully stocked, just a lot of snacky things that didn't work for me. I was definitely in the minority of non-crewed runners and I wonder if I would have had some other food options that I could have fixed the nausea earlier. I did love that the major aid stations had multiple port-o-potties. I only peed ONCE on the trail, and that was at like mile 78!!
• The buckle is awesome and I am happy that I was able to get an unofficial 100k finish (which I didn't know the race did).
• The race shirt is so fun and I'm glad I can wear it because it doesn't have a distance on it.

• Gear issues this race. My shirt kept getting bunched up behind my pack. My pack was chafing me even though it never had before. 
• I was wearing a nearly new pair of Topo Ultraventure 2's and yet they didn't feel comfortable most of the race. Not sure if that was terrain related or what, but that hasn't happened before. While I came out filthy, zero blisters again.
• And wtf with my caffeine?? I definitely get tired in 200s, but that is days on my feet, not just one. I was drinking Mountain Dew and Dr. Pepper on course and I took THREE doses of my caffeine, and I felt like I had just been up for days. 
• Last thought - I wonder if I need to take a break from 100s for a bit. I really struggle to be fast enough for these, and it is so discouraging to get "so close" just to have a small thing or two go wrong and blow the race. It's only been a few days, maybe I just need to think on it.

Brazos Bend 100M (Race Recap)

Needville, TX

Saturday, December 3

100 mile attempt #16

Weather - warm and 100% hell humidity

I registered sort of last minute for this race, right before going to Arizona to pace at Javelina. After running so well at Heartland, I figured I could capitalize on my "flat and fast" training and maybe go for a new 100 mile PR at Brazos. The weekend was planned when I saw how cheap flights were on Frontier! (A week later, I would realize that I booked flights for the wrong weekend?!? I had to re-book for the correct weekend, but it was still less than $150 for TWO round trip flights...)

Race Morning

I had really not slept well. My alarm went off at 4:00, and I immediately headed to the bathroom to get ready. Heather and Melanie were running the half, but their race started two hours after mine, so they were still asleep. I was out the door a few minutes before planned, hoping to run to Sbux to get coffee and breakfast. Although google said they opened at 4:30, it was a lie, the door said 5:30. SAD!!! The drive to the start was supposed to be about a half hour, and we were warned to get there early since parking was somewhat limited. 

The first gas station I stopped at for breakfast was closed too, but then down the street the Buc-ees was open and I was able to get coffee and a breakfast sandwich. The sandwich was ok, but a croissant was a bad idea and I got flakes all over the rental. WHOOPS. 

It was an incredibly foggy and humid drive to the start. 

Arrived at the parking lot around 5:10 am, and followed a crowd of people to the start. Didn't realize it was going to be such a long walk to get there, glad I had arrived early! Caolan was messaging me and asking where I was, and we were able to meet up briefly at the main pavilion near the start line. I used the bathroom and then got all my stuff ready to start. I planned to run at least the first few loops with just my UltrAspire waist belt, since I didn't think I would want/need much to start.

We lined up and started right on time at 6 am. I had planned to start with 4:1 intervals like at Cowboy. These worked well for a while, and the trail was nice and wide and accommodating for that type of running. I was glad to have started with my headlamp since it was fairly dark for at least the first half hour. One of the "thrills" of this race is that there are alligators in the park! (Of course, we were told that at Rocky and I didn't see single one). Still, I was optimistic. 

I was pleasantly surprised at how pretty the course was, especially at sunrise.

I completed the first loop running very well, and was a bit surprised at how "fast" I had finished it. Only 5 loops to go... 

I was starting to wonder if this was going to be another race where I wasn't going to see any of the promised wildlife, when a guy in front of me pointed to the canal on the side of the trail, and low and behold - my first alligator sighting!! He was big!

Later in the loop, during the section I called "alligator alley," I saw a few right off the trail!

Nothing incredibly exciting was happening. It was hot and humid. It was so humid that I couldn't keep my phone in my pocket because it was messing with the touch screen. My Spotify would keep skipping or pausing or rewinding. Finally I had to hold it. The humidity also had me DRENCHED. I stopped to use the bathroom once a loop or so and by mid morning it was like trying to get back into a wetsuit I was so soaked. NOT FUN. I also could tell I was chafing on my inner thighs and along my bra line. I put some Squirrels Nut Butter on, but I think it was too humid to work properly.  Fugggg.

The humidity was making me nauseous and I was trying to stay on top of my hydration and fueling. Nothing really sounded good at the aid stations, but I did grab little bites of pumpkin pie a few times early in the race. Later in the afternoon the sun came out and things got REALLY brutal. I actually had to use my ice bandanna! In DECEMBER. Loops 2 and 3 had a lot more people out, which was helpful. I had my headphones in the entire time since I wasn't running with anyone.

It got dark right as I was coming in for my 4th loop. I texted Ben to see if he could find out if the alligators were nocturnal. Turns out they are most active dawn to dusk. And yet:

I was running as well as I had hoped, but the humidity was really taking a toll. I had opted to stop using my waist belt so I would have more room to hold stuff and was now using my Salomon pack. On the long out and back section I ran into Caolan. We ended up running together (doing my intervals) for probably 4-5 miles. These miles went by pretty fast! Hit my fastest 100k yet:

On the last paved section before we crossed the road we saw "swamp thing" - an alligator was sliming his way out of the water and was covered in algae. It was pretty creepy!!! Stopped to use the bathroom that was about a mile from the start/finish because it wasn't as far off the trail. I wasn't at the start/finish for very long, and I didn't see Caolan on my way out. Second to last loop. Things are not as "fun."

I was getting really tired and all my recent caffeine hacks weren't working well. Crystal, my hero, had picked up a few Monsters for me and I dumped one in my front flask, plus I was using the GOAT. I was walking a lot more more but still trying to do intervals when I could. 

Finally was coming in for my LAST loop. Grabbed another Java Monster and put in my flask. I considered changing shoes, but ended up just changing socks and putting more blister powder in my socks. Threw on my thin 1/4 zip, although it still didn't seem quite cool enough for it. I definitely spent the most time at this aid station. Grabbed more calories, but at this point I was incredibly nauseous. By the time I got to the first aid station I was basically sleep walking. The volunteers looked to be napping and I asked if there was a chair I could sit in to close my eyes for a minute and they directed me back to the bench by the bathrooms. I set a timer for a few minutes and closed my eyes. That didn't do it, so I did another few minutes. I'm watching time slip away, but I'm SO tired. Finally I decide I just have to get this done and suffer through the miles until the sun comes up. As I'm deciding what I might be able to eat a guy asks if I want a pacer. Normally I do NOT use one, but I was SO TIRED that I enthusiastically said, YES. Then the chaos of not being able to find the case for my headphones so I had to run back to check the bathroom and near the bench where I had been lying down. As I resigned to the fact that I'd have to check with the race later to see if someone found it, there it was in my pocket. Sigh.

Wayne and I headed out and I had just a bag of chips with me. I was SO SICK of the mashed potatoes and nothing else seemed good. I knew this was the longest stretch between aid. I was walking a lot more and I definitely felt like I had a blister on the ball of my left food, which was pretty painful. I was still taking a decent amount of ibuprofen, but it didn't seem to be helping as much. My stomach was NOT feeling good at all. I think this is probably the closest I've ever come to throwing up in a race. I kept telling Wayne that I have always said that I'll quit running if it ever makes me sick. He probably got super tired of hearing that.

Time went by pretty fast as I realized he knew a lot of my Texas runner friends! At the aid station at the start of the never-ending out/back I was able to get some Tums, which I really hoped would help. This section was still VERY long and I was sooo tired. I was really looking forward to the sun coming up and hoped that would wake me up. At the far aid station I grabbed a cup of the potatoes (barf) and walked a bit on the short out/back section. They were out of coke at the aid station, but I filled up my bottle and we weren't there long.

Made it about a half mile down the trail before I decided to sit down and make another GOAT drink. THANKFULLY, between that and sunrise, I got a second wind.

The intervals weren't fast, but I managed to do more running. I had Wayne run ahead to the last aid station to top off my bottle since I knew it was less than 2 miles to the finish and I didn't want to stop again. I managed to have a 12:xx pace for the last 2/3 of a mile coming in to the finish. I COULD NOT BELIEVE THAT I WAS ACTUALLY GOING TO FINISH WITH A SUB 26 TIME. More than a 90 minute PR in the distance!!!!!

Official Time - 25:52:18

Garmin Time - 25:51:35 ("fake" chip timing)

Run Time - 13:18:21

Walk Time - 11:00:44

Idle Time - 1:32:30 (actually not as bad as I expected, and most of this was the last loop)

Miles 1-10 - 12:52, 12:58, 12:43, 12:49, 1237, 12:42, 12:39, 12:40, 13:54, 12:34

Miles 11-20 - 12:49, 12:42, 13:24, 12:17, 12:47, 14:10, 17:05, 12:26, 12:37, 14:47

Miles 21-30 - 13:17, 12:53, 12:34, 13:25, 12:29, 15:28, 12:25, 12:40, 13:06, 14:38

Miles 31-40 - 13:11, 13:20, 14:09, 16:40, 12:55, 13:14, 16:47, 13:16, 13:11, 13:04

Miles 41-50 - 13:23, 13:29, 17:20, 14:00, 13:43, 15:56, 14:13, 13:47, 14:09, 15:41

Miles 51-60 - 22:28, 14:33, 14:02, 15:35, 14:08, 13:49, 14:21, 13:45, 13:32, 14:55

Miles 61-70 - 13:27, 13:29, 16:07, 13:41, 13:48, 14:15, 15:00, 19:25, 14:35, 14:33

Miles 71-80 - 17:09, 14:50, 15:02, 15:25, 15:57, 15:25, 19:16, 15:09, 16:04, 19:40

Miles 81-90 - 16:01, 15:34, 15:30, 17:42, 31:13, 15:24, 14:51, 33:42, 16:27, 16:54

Miles 91-100 - 20:14, 16:42, 18:23, 22:51, 18:35, 18:07, 18:06, 26:22, 16:24, 14:50

Miles 101-finish - 14:17, 12:39 pace

Within 2 minutes of crossing the line, we found a volunteer that was willing to drive us to our respective vehicles. It was probably only 3/4 of a mile to walk myself, but man, I was tired, so the ride was really appreciated.

Thoughts:

• I did exactly what I came here to do - get a new 100 mile PR. I know this is a flat and non-technical course, but there is nothing "easy" about this distance, and I think the training that I have been doing was very conducive to getting a fast time. The biggest struggle here wasn't so much the heat, but the humidity, and then of course the nausea.
• The aid stations were really not good here either. Happy there was ice during the day - I used a LOT of this. By the 5th and 6th loops they ran out of coke. And like most other races, it was the same food at every aid station. And towards the end (even though there were PLENTY of people behind me), food wasn't actually ready? And the nacho cheese for quesadillas was really not great - I like nacho cheese, but appreciate more "bland" flavors. Also, the herb/spiced mashed potatoes were really not great. I ate those a lot, but again, bland would have been better. I even ate PB&J since there were so little options. Sigh.
• Volunteers were really good, like always, thank you!
• The course was marked really well considering the number of distances that were out on course. Never felt confusing to me at all.
• The course was a lot prettier than I expected. I also saw WAY more alligators than I thought I would. At night with their glowing orange eyes in the water, and during the day just swimming along. Pretty cool, but wow, they get REALLY close to the course.
• Once again, ZERO pictures of me from the professional photographer, which is weird since I saw him on probably 3 of the loops. I hate that. Like in 26 hours no one captured even a crap picture? Anyway.
• Buckle is awesome! Swag (hoodie) is awesome!
• Would I run this again? The 100? Hell no. Maybe the half. That seems reasonable.