Testing My Human Potential
Journey of my back-to-back 100 Milers: Ultramarathon #032 & #033
This was originally posted on my Facebook notes 2018-12-18.
Lead Up
2018 thus far has been a great year for me in running. I’ve
been building up my mileage and running a lot of races. I’ve spent majority of
the year running the Trail Racing Over Texas (TROT) races and a few others
sporadically dispersed among as well. I had been entered into Brazos Bend 100
since the spring time or so, and so I knew this race would be on my calendar
for year end. So how then did I happen to stumble across the idea of
back-to-back 100 milers? Well I had run the Dinosaur Valley Endurance Run 100
km race last year and had a great time at the race. I can’t recall when exactly,
but the race came up on my Facebook news feed saying an event you attended is
upcoming again this year. It was scheduled for beginning of November again and
I thought this would be a great chance to get two 100 milers in during
back-to-back months. Mother Nature had some other plans though and the central
Texas weather. There were some floods that caused excess water around these
parts which prompted the race to be cancelled.
But it was not fully cancelled...they made the brave
decision to delay the race and host it on another date. With that it was moved
to Dec.1-2, which turned out to be the weekend before Brazos. Now at first, I
figured well so much for that race this year. However, the dark thoughts of
ultrarunning started creeping in and I somehow was telling myself that
back-to-back 100 milers would a great way to test myself for a 200 miler in the
future, perhaps next year. I was batting the idea around and chatting with my
wife about it and then the race announced that the course had changed, again
due to the weather effects prior. So now instead of 6 large 16.75mi loops it
was now going to consist of 10 loops (x1 5 mi loop & x9 10.5 mi loops). As
soon as I heard this it had the opposite effect that normally you might think.
Instead of turning me off from the race, I immediately thought that a 100 mile
race consists of smaller loops would be one hell of a mental challenge! And
with that I signed up about 2 weeks out from the race I threw my name in. There
I was late November, been training up for Brazos, going to go for my 100 mile
PR and now instead I was in for 2 weekends of 100 milers back-to-back. A big
challenge indeed.
Ultra #032 – Dinosaur Valley Endurance Run 100 mile
Friday, November 30th
I had booked off work completely. Due to the fact I had
recently switched into a new job role, and had a lot to do, I ended up going
into work that morning to do a full morning of work and meetings. I managed to
leave just after lunch and commuted home to grab my bags that were pre-packed
from the night before. I gave my wife and kids a big hug and kiss and headed
north to Glen Rose, TX in the afternoon. Thanks to traffic it took me nearly
5.5 hours to get there and I finally arrived after dinner. I got myself a great
Subway sandwich (and got a 2nd for race day fuel as well). After a
brief downpour of rain, which literally lasted about 8 minutes, I got back to
my car and headed out to the race start/finish which was also hosted overnight
camping. I thought I’d be meeting a bunch of runners however I pulled up and
there was only one other vehicle there. Their lights were on and he walked over
once he saw me pull in. I introduced myself and himself to me. His name was Dan
and he was also running the 100 miles. We both wondered where the others were
as usually on these things more people camp out the night before. The stars
were out and it was pitch black in the middle of the field. We both wandered
back to our respective vehicles to bunker down for the night. I prepared my
sleeping arrangement which included 2 blankets underneath as I lay down across
the folded down back seats, stretching into the truck of my car. Dirt Bag
running at its best right there!
Saturday, December 1st
 |
| Race morning sunrise |
I had a decent night sleep considering. The colder Texas air
crept into my car and stirred me awake around 05:00 but I managed to stay
relaxed and comfortable until 06:30. Bib pick up was arranged for 07:00 since
the race start was not until 08:00 for the 100 milers & 100 km runners. I crawled
out of my car and let the morning air wake me completely up. Walked the 25 ft
from my parked car to the pickup and grabbed my bib #1005. I was all set.
 |
| Race bib. |
I Opened up my trunk and started laying out and setting up
my gear. The fact that it was loop based was a challenge mentally but in terms
of self-crewing it was ideal because I could literally walk over to my car at
the end of every loop back to the start/finish since my family was unable to
make the trip. So I got all my stuff laid out in my trunk and set up my chair
right beside my vehicle. I was now ready for go time. The 100 km and 100 milers
all started at 08:00. There was a fair number at the start line. I was in no
rush and when they said go, I was actually still beside my car. I then wandered
over the 25ft as I started my watch and followed the crowd down the chute and
out onto the trails. The first loop went by fairly quickly as it was the only
small loop. There was one spot well marked where we made a hard turn and ducked
back to the start/finish area. As mentioned I was just taking easy pace and
came in I think in 4th at this point. Trying to keep my stops short
and sweet I just kept moving. The full loops were now left: 9 to go. The first
one seemed to go by fast. I ran beside a guy named Ryan, that I had run with
last year at the same event. We bounced some stories back and forth which made
this loop go by nicely. We both had a nice pace that suited both of us. By the
end of that second loop I think we were 2nd/3rd. As I
took off from the next loop I noticed he was right there again and so we just
stayed with each other again for another loop. In fact the first ~65 miles (7
loops, including the initial short one) we were basically going back and forth
always catching each other in the aid stations, never pulling away, never too
far behind. Normally I would have let this bug me and tried to drop the runner
but this time I was consciously trying “not to race” until 75 miles or so. Why?
Well because I’m trying to mature as a 100 miler damn it! After the 7th
loop when I came in basically same time again to the first aid station, I
dropped back and just stayed directly behind Ryan. My pace was good and I was
still feeling good, no low had gotten ahold of me yet. I used this opportunity
to see where he was at and keep the pressure on him from behind pushing the
pace. It paid off. After about 1/3 of the way through the loop, he was slowing,
and I could tell was favoring one foot (or knee perhaps) for one reason or
another. At this point I seized this opportunity and passed him and picked up
my pace to try and gap him. This eventually worked as I was able to maintain my
pace and kept the momentum going. From this point on I was able to gauge
exactly where I was in relation since it was loop format and we would pass each
other every lap at one point or another. I kept my fueling going strong and
never wavered my plan. I tried to kept my pace strong and kept the walk breaks
to a minimum. The night miles ticked by fairly quickly and it did not bother me
at all under the clear starry sky. I maintained my effort for those last 3
loops and kept increasing my lead. When I approached the finish line it was
somewhat surreal to realize I had just crushed 100 miles and never experienced
a low point nor ever had a hint of cramps or nutrition issues (since this has
been something I have struggled with in the past). I was very proud of this
effort and very satisfied to get my sub-24hrs but a large margin!
 |
| Photo: unknown, from Facebook. |
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| Post race buckle & prize presentation with RD Libby Hallas Jones | Photo: unknown, from Facebook. |
Sunday, December 2nd (Post-Race)
Since there was very few people awake, except the race
director, Libby Hollas Jones, and a couple volunteers I thanked everyone and
then went to my car to get some dry(er) warm(er) clothing on. I also got
extremely tired instantly upon realizing I had just completed it. I changed and
curled up in my vehicle with a blanket and slept for couple hours. I had the
intentions of waking up and cheering on a couple more runners that would be finishing
still. But the reality of family and getting home had set in once I got up from
my nap. Also there was only a few runners out still on the course being a
smaller race, very little people were let around except the crew and runners of
the remainding 100 milers. So I set off for home, back to Sugar Land, TX.
Post-Race Nutrition Analysis
I mentioned above that this was one of my better fueled
races. I had kept to a very simple strategy. I used 2 handhelds the entire
time: 1 for tailwind mix and 1 for water. For food I basically just ate a ton
of fruit and mixed in some gels and other snack type stuff off the table as I
saw fit throughout the race. Never once did I ever feel low and so I think the
slow drip of tailwind combined with food throughout worked great for me.
Post-Race Data Analysis
 |
| official results. |
 |
| STRAVA lap data |
 |
| My own personal data analysis from my spreadsheet |
Gear Used
Headwear
·
rabbit
ELITE ’18 trucker
·
Boco/rabbit RADrabbit ’17 tweener (yellow)
Headlamp: Nathan
Nebula Fire
Sunglasses: Goodr
Trail Racing Over Texas (TROT) edition
Handhelds:
·
Nathan
SpeedDraw Plus Insulated Flask (electric blue) x2
Watch: Garmin
Fenix 3 HR
Clothing:
·
rabbit
tops: x1 tank, x2 long sleeves, x2 short sleeves
·
rabbit
ELITE team shorts 3” shorts: black
Others: rabbit get vested (black)
Socks: Injinji
trail socks
Shoes: Altra Timp
(blue)
Recovering? or Tapering?
After getting home early afternoon on Sunday after my
post-race nap I met up with the family and relaxed a little bit. My body was
not in horrible shape relatively speaking. I could even walk up and down the
stairs in the house no problem. I Stayed up till the evening relying only on
that 2 hr nap in my car immediately after the race. The first night of full
sleep after these large ultras is usually the hard one for me, and this time
was no exception. The little aches and small pains made a full deep sleep nearly
impossible, but I had to get up and go to work. So up at 06:15 into my daily
routine and off I went. For the week Monday-Friday I kept the same normal work
week going and also managed to continue my current #runStreak that I am on,
which meant I had to run at least 2 miles a day. I am a big proponent of active
recovery and it actually felt great once I got moving again. But before you
knew it Friday night was here and all of a sudden I was one sleep away from
Brazos!
Of course, then the Houston weather hit and there was a
nice 4-7” of rain that fell in the area overnight from Friday evening until
early Saturday morning just before race start. Just to add a little adversity
into the challenge for myself, and all the other ultrarunners headed to Brazos
100.
Ultra #033 – Brazos Bend 100 mile
Saturday, December 8th
Since we live nice and close the family was coming on
this journey, and my lovely wife Katie was up at 03:15 to start getting things
ready. I finally rolled out of bed around 03:45 and started gathering the kids carrying
them downstairs into the van one by one by one by one. Katie had finished
packing up the van with the snacks and clothing for the kids while I gathered
my gear and ensured it was all in there as well. 04:10 and we were off headed
towards the park. A short 30 minute drive and arrived nice and early to avoid a
lot of the traffic at the park and obtain sort of a good parking spot. Had just
over 1 hour till go time, and it was a nice brisk 40f or so and still trying to
drizzle rain.
Unpacking my gear and securing a spot at the TROT
ambassador tent was ideal since it would provide some cover for my stuff while
out running. The kids were not having the best time getting ready for the early
morning 06:00 start time (which we knew from past experience). I got my final
stuff sorted and gave Katie a couple instructions on my gear layout in the
plastic bin we had protecting my clothes from the rain. But she was focused on
corralling our crazy little ones – which I don’t blame her.
 |
Pre-race tradition of picture with my daughters bright and early |
Photo: Katie Meding |
The race was about to start and it had just started
drizzling rain again. The forecast said it stop about 1 hour later when the
sunrise came, but this proved not to be the case. 06:00 and we are off, all 175
of the people who showed up for the 100 miler. I was at the front of the line
hanging out with some of the other TROT people as the race began. I had no
intention of running out hard, based on prior experience and also because I had
just learned a valuable lesson from last weekend starting conservatively. In fact,
I stuck with Matt Zmolek, Dena Carr, and Pat Sweeney (all 3 are teamTROT
members) for the majority of the entire first loop because I know they are
consistently smart runners on these long distances. Besides I did not know
exactly how my body would react to running again since I had only been doing 2
miles runs since Dinosaur Valley last weekend. Like mentioned before I don’t
really ever look at my watch when I run a race, I run on perceived effort the
whole time. This is good and bad. I usually start out fairly fast because of
this strategy and so I’ve been making a conscious effort lately to work on this
part of the longer races.
The first 10km went by pretty quickly after experiencing
all the mud holes on the initial part of the loop that never did dry up over
the duration of the race. This part of the loop swings by the start/finish
proximity and I was expecting to see my family here, but when coming up to the
turn there was no Meding family in sight. This bummed me out a little, but I
also completely understand as Katie has the task of keeping 4 little ones in
line when it is Texas cold and not ideal, muddy conditions. The end of the
first loop came after a solid run and I didn’t even realize how fast it
actually was until after the race. I knew it was not sustainable and so I tried
to slow it down after getting some aid, saying hi to the family,
and then heading out for loop 2.
 |
| Trail conditions due to the rain storm. Made for challenging wet feet day. |
The second loop went smooth. I started to separate from the
TROT people and it seemed I had found myself more or less by myself between
faster people in front and a bunch behind. I just kept trucking and got in
after the loop to see all my daughters pretty much oblivious to me there. They
knew I was running and acknowledged my presence but our second oldest was acting
out and making it hard for Katie to be able to enjoy the crewing experience or
even really assist me. I took care of getting my food in and trying to help
with the kids (whatever that means at this point in time while only there for
few minutes). Katie then mentioned she was taking the kids home for lunch/quiet
time to try and get them to calm down and also warm them up a little.
Loop 3 then ticked by. After completing this loop I think
this may have been my lowest point. I was
 |
My 3rd daughter checking in on me during end of
a loop | Photo: Katie Meding |
sad my crew had left and there I was
alone again, but also realizing that I had just run 50 miles and was only half
way done the race. This was the first time I had thought of the distance in
that perspective. I headed out on loop 4 and it was a real struggle. The first
10 km of that loop was brutal battle mentally where I think I was sleep running
for a bit and also just fighting off the mental demons of ultrarunning. I Can’t
recall exactly what sparked me back into a good mind set by at the 10 km mark of
loop 4 I was feeling normal-ish again. I had no idea when exactly Katie and the
kids were coming back but I assumed after my next loop (I had assumed they were
following my Garmin Connect Live – however post-race I’d learn it had quit
because of loss of connectivity). I was heading out onto the 16km section away
from the start/finish again and heard my wife yelling. I was aside the road at
this point, which is only about 0.5mi but my wife was just arriving back into
the park. Katie yelled a few words out the van and cheered me on. This simple
act perked me up and all of a sudden I had energy again. I knew I only had 16km
to go and I’d be able to see Katie, and my biggest fans (my daughters). Plus by
this time the combination of the rain finally quitting and some wind throughout
the day the ankle deep mud puddles were actually slowly starting to dry up. The
combination of these factors made the rest of this loop 4 tick by in no time. I
arrived at the aid start/finish here with big smile on my face to see my family
and also change into my 3
rd pair of socks for the day (more of a comfort thing at this point since they only stayed dry for so long out there due to the mud puddles that existed). The kids were excited, I think, to see me again even though their day had been super long. After a bunch of calories and the prior mentioned sock change I was ready to head back out for the last third of the race on loop 5 now. Katie was heading back to the house at this point to attempt to get some sleep for the kids and the plan was to arrive back for my final loop finish.
 |
| Running around Elm Lake | Photo: Trail Racing Over Texas / Stasulli photography |
Loop 5 was quite uneventful. Except for one part:
I was just pacing
myself to maintain the same level of running and tried to limit the walk breaks
as best I could. At this point I started doing “stupid runner math” in my head and I was starting to compare myself
to my 100 mile PR. This is never a good to do, and I know that, however I
rarely listen to music during my races, and never have pacers, and so my mind
does it own thing sometimes which seems to always circle back to doing stupid runner math at some point. The
weird thing was that on this 2nd weekend of the back-to-back journey
at about mile 75 I was within reach of my PR and my A-stretch-goal of 20:00:00
still, despite the conditions. Keeping this in mind and also just knowing if I
could somehow find an extra gear in the last loop I could just make it happen.
I came in the final transition after loop 5 and stopped very briefly at the aid
and grabbed some food and kept going after like 2 mins. This was the first time
I did not sit in my chair interloop. My goal was clear try and run a very solid
last loop and have a chance for the PR/sub-20.
 |
| Can't tell if girls are excited or not? | Photo: Katie Meding |
Last loop, the 6
th time on the out-and-back the
first and muddiest mile was nice to get over with. After that section I
consciously tried to maintain a more solid pace and keep walking to minimum. I
did not look at my watch yet at this point. I told myself that when I had 11km
to go, I would hear my beeps from my Garmin watch for the 150km at this point.
And that’s preciously what I did. I kept my decent pace and kept moving
forward. The time was close and I had to do a 6 mile in an hour to make my PR.
Sadly, I knew this would not happen at the end of this race (and well to cap
off an epic 8 days of running). I did not give up and just walk it in though I
kept my pace up to whatever I could manage and pushed for the best time I
could. The very final out and back was the hardest part as it is the longest
and straightest section as well, but once at that last aid station I gobbled
some final calories and topped up my water bottle with
Heed. I ran in those last 4 miles the best I could aiming for the
best time I could muster up for the day’s effort. I came into the final stretch
by the road for the last 0.5 mi crossing by the lake with the start/finish Red
Bull arc in view. I ran hard and pushed right through the line. 20:19:29 a mere
12 mins off my PR and time from BB100 from last year. I crossed the line and
immediately knelt down on the ground, not out of exhaustion, but out of pure
joy for completing this personal goal of back-to-back 100 mile weekend. My wife
holding our 2 month old was right there with big smiles. The other 3 daughters
were close by cheering, sort of as they were finishing watching their octonauts’
episode.
Post-Race Nutrition Analysis
Just like last week I maintained excellent fueling throughout,
and again one of my better fueled races. I basically did the same thing as last
week except this time around I stuck to 1 handheld the entire time: I used it
for Heed
the entire time. For food I basically just ate a ton of fruit and mixed in
some gels and other snack type stuff off the table as I saw fit throughout the
race. I did manage to get a lot of raman noodles and broth down too since it
sounded so good due to the colder conditions. For the second week in a row I never really
had a low associated with nutrition at all.
Post-Race Data Analysis
 |
| STRAVA laps |
The best and most accomplished long race I’ve run yet
because of those last 3 loops. I did not fade like normal. I managed to keep a
solid pace consistent for the entire last half of the race. To me this is huge
and a great step into the right direction looking forward it can only mean good
things. In fact diving deeper into the numbers (see table below) loop 6 was
actually negative split compared to loop 5)!
Gear Used
Headwear:
·
Buff various
·
Boco/rabbit RADrabbit ’17 tweener (yellow)
·
River
Valley Revenge beanie (green)
Headlamp: Nathan
Nebula Fire
Handheld: Nathan
SpeedDraw Plus Insulated Flask (electric blue) x1
Watch: Garmin
Fenix 3 HR
Clothing:
·
rabbit
tops: x2 long sleeves
·
Trail
Racing Over Texas (TROT) ambassador shirt
·
rabbit smooth operator 7” (iron gate grey)
Others: Under
Armor wind jacket (black)
Socks: Injinji
socks x3 pairs
Shoes: Altra Olympus
2.5 (lime) --- R.I.P. afterwards as the toe box upper completely came apart ¾
the way through loop 6 (just in time). They had a good life of 685 mi though.
Back-to-back 100 Milers
Why?
Well isn’t this the question most ultrarunners always get.
For me this challenge was 2-fold:
1.
With the opportunity of back-to-back 100 miler
weekend I was able to push myself and test my limits. I honestly didn’t know
how I would feel and how well I would come out of Dinosaur Valley heading into
Brazos. But this was part of the draw. Could I do it? Was 200+ miles in 8 days
too much for me? Only one way to find out, and so this became my personal goal,
just to get it done and get 2 buckles before the year was up.
2.
I have been toying with an idea of a longer race
in 2019. This opportunity of back-to-back 100s was a perfect way to test my
body, but more importantly my mind. I am not going to say exactly what I’ve scheming
yet for 2019 – stayed tuned for that coming soon.
Final Thoughts
6 months ago I attempted my 3rd ever 100 miler
where I gave up mentally and obtained my first and only DNF. This taught me a
lot of things. Coming into Dinosaur Valley the thoughts of my previous 100
attempt were in my mind but it was more motivational than fear factor. My goal
of 2 buckles were very clear in my mind. I knew my body was ready, the challenge
was going to be about me being able to mentally push myself through to getting
it done.
Week 1 (Dinosaur Valley) was great. I started off not stupid
fast, like normally I do, and just ran smart the whole time. Never having a low
obviously was beneficial and I ended winning the race coming in 1st
overall by over an hour and setting a course record there by over 2 hours. This
was not the initial goal heading there, but a very pleasant outcome based on a
great effort.
Week 2 (Brazos Bend) was more about just getting it done. I
had previously set my goal of getting my 100 mile PR this weekend, but that was
before I threw in the prior 100 the week before. As the race unfolded thanks to
the once again near flawless execution of nutrition I found myself chasing that
PR in the final loop, which was a very great feeling. Given the mud and looking
back at how long I took in the start/finish interloop aid station I know I
could of beaten my PR if I had that in mind from the start of the day. I just
don’t think I ever considered it after running the week prior, and with the 3-6”
of rain the night prior. (I’ll save that PR battle for another time).
Overall running 213 miles in 8 days was one hell of a
challenge. Physically I knew it could be done. My body held up great. Both days
after the 100s I was walking up and down my stairs and moving around, although
slightly slower than normal as expected. Mentally, this personal challenge of
back-to-back proved to be an obstacle but not the mountainous challenge I
thought it might be. So what does this all mean? Where are my limits? Do we
have any limitations as ultrarunners? As humans? There is only one way to find
out…
 |
| back-to-back 100 milers |
Thank you
A big shout out to my supporters this season:
rabbit for selecting me to the
rabbit ELITE trail team
·
Best, most comfy running clothes, check them out
·
Awesome atmosphere, race distances for everyone
·
Ain’t no
party, like a TROT party!
Race Directors:
·
Libby Hallas
Jones |
The ActiveJoe -- Thanks for hosting the event and doing everything in your
power to provide a great event. I know despite the date change and course
reroute it was probably tough logistically, but thank you from all the runners!
·
Robert Goyen
& Rachel
Wieland Goyen | TROT --
thank you for the biggest, best trail party in Texas! Great work on putting on
stellar event despite the rain. Thank you once again for allowing me to be an
ambassador.
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