Monday, September 27, 2010

100 Miles, Baby! Woodstock Hallucination Race Report

Woohoo, I finally finished 100 miles; did it in 24:30.

The course was 6 loops of 16.6 miles and I think I liked it that way for a 100 miler. You could put one drop bag at the start/finish area and one at the 8 miler aid station. The majority of the course was flat with just a handful of hills that you could walk up without too much pain. I was surprised at how much of the race we actually ran. We probably ran 46 or 47 out of the first 50 miles and then a good bit of the last half, too.

Also, the course was surprisingly easier than all of the other races I was used to- nothing too technical or hilly like Mohican, the DWD races, or the Buckeye/Run for Regis run, and no water crossings. It was weird not seeing deep scratches and wounds on my thighs with thorns sticking out of them after the race.

I ran the whole race with Bill. He was so nice to have stayed with me the whole time, especially the last 2 loops when I was struggling and not talking much- just grunting. He somehow still had this super fast energy in him at the end and would run up ahead and then wait for me to catch up.

We ran a few loops with a fast runner and fellow Hoosier, Bernie, who was sneaky and stopped after 4 loops without telling us he was even struggling. It was actually smart of him because then he didn't have to listen to us trying to guilt him into finishing it out. Too bad, though. Next time! I also met Melissa from OH and James from IL.

So my feet...they started to hurt a little bit with just 8 miles into it. I did not want to get screwed again by dang blisters so I ended up switching out my socks 1-2 times each loop and then I switched my shoes about 4 different times. Only on loop 5 did I start to feel some blisters form but I kept on truckin, taped the toes at the end of the loop, took meds, and finished out fine. I think I'll actually keep my toenails this time. Awesome!

The ultimate problem has to be that my feet aren't used to running on trails, moving in different angles and stuff all the time. A couple weeks ago I ran 31 miles on flat pavement in the same pair of socks/shoes and had no problems...but when I go to trail, I have problems after just 8 miles. Hmm.

Let's see....I made it the whole way with just my handheld water bottle and Nathan vest- no heavy CamelBak. Thankfully the food situation was fine. I never had to force myself to suck down another turkey sandwich or anything. I ate and ate and felt fine. But uhhh, how did I burn around 10,000 calories but the scale now says a couple pounds more? Something's wrong. I wasn't eating donuts and drinking sugar water out there. And no, it's not a swollen body or water weight that's making the scale say what it does. I'd like to be like Mikey and get sick and lose 12 pounds after a 100 miler. Joke.

Overall it was a good experience and I never thought of quitting. I knew I came to run 100 miles and I was gonna do it. Right when I finished the race I said that I probably wouldn't do another one- anything over 12 hours is a lonnng time to be running and it gets kind of old. But---yesterday and today I'm reconsidering. Who knows what's next- maybe Burning River.

Enjoy the choppy video below and the bloopers at the end while my husband videotapes.


11 comments:

Heather said...

I'm so proud of you! Your video made me laugh out loud and made Connor and Addi ask for more!

The Seven Zolls said...

Congrats to you and Bill. I knew you guys were going to make it. Glad you enjoyed your well deserved beer and another Colts victory. Hopefully see you around at another race.

Anonymous said...

Way to go, Clara, you looked strong out there, I knew you had a good chance to finish, glad to see you did!

It was fun running with you and Bill in the dark forest, happy to know he finished with you.

Hope to see you at another 100 miler next year.

James
ps - School of Rock :)

Clara said...

Thanks guys! James- I'm still stumped on the movies. :)

sparlingville bill said...

ok, that does it. I'm drafting you for my fantasy team.
Como vas? Yo tengo un dolor de la pierna derecha cerca del tobillo, y un dedo del pie derecho esta golpeado, pero creo que la herida que me va a molestar mas es de la abeja que me pico.
Que bueno salio el video. Marita me mando una carta de felicitaciones para tu y yo.

The Seven Zolls said...

You ever think of trying the DWD Bloodied, Boned, Bruised, and Burned series? You've done 3 out of the 4. Why not try all 4 in one year.

Clara said...

I'd like to do all 4 DWD races but since the FL trip entails more travel and expenses, I'd probably prefer to run a diff race out west or something. Who knows. You?

The Seven Zolls said...

DWD Florida race is between Orlando & Tampa and you can usually find cheap flights into one of those cities so I think I'm going to go after all 4 races next year plus I will throw in Burning River cause I have to go for that one again. Since you are closer to them then I am straighten out the Colts for me. Ughh....
Later

chris mcpeake said...

congrats on your 100. Well done

doodlegirl said...

WOW!Whadda great blog I stumbled upon by clicking on Blogger's menu "next blog". I am a fairly new runner.. only started a little more than a year ago, but my sister is an ultra runner.. running The Western States, Wasatch, Big Horn... etc. You will probably enjoy her blog much more than mine: http://www.ridgrunner.blogspot.com/ .. but I will bookmark you because this is fun and brings a smile to my face. GREAT RUNNING YOU TWO!

Clara said...

Hey doodlegirl- thanks for the comment and info; I'll check out the blogs. Keep on truckin!