It's the Keys 100mi run from Key Largo to Key West. 100 miles along the scenic Florida coast.
This will be my longest run and first 100 miles race. So far, as an Ultrarunner, I've logged a 50K and 106K race. 160K is a different animal I am informed by everything I've read on the subject.
Over and over I see the expression: "The race doesn't really begin until mile 75."
I wonder if it's better to start there then?
As the race approaches there are a number of natural concerns:
1- Have I trained properly?
2- Do I have ANY idea what I'm in for?
3- Will I EVER find the right shoe?
1- I hope so. I've logged more miles this winter than ever before. Nothing over the 30mile mark but many around that distance. Above that I think it's more a matter of will. My fitness level is very good right now. Of course, I've had ZERO warm weather training so that's the big factor and apparently the primary reason for people not finishing this particular race. I have a hydration and fuel plan so that's all I can do for now.
2- Probably not. I know only how I felt after running 64 miles last September. I was damn tired. At the time I concluded that if I had to run another 36 more, I couldn't, but I don't know if that's really true, or just the standard finish line relief. When you run for 13hrs straight and you're done, you're not in a rational place to make such a conclusion. The prospect of 26-30hrs of running (which is most likely in the 100) is absurd of course, but only relatively.
Three years ago I couldn't run non-stop for 5 minutes. This is not an exaggeration. I couldn't. So if you had told me then I'd run a 13 hrs, I'd also have told you that you were insane.
3- Shoes. Yes. I ran the 106K wearing basically a zero-cushion shoe. Foolish for sure, but it was the most comfortable shoe I've ever run in. My feet were badly bruised after the race and understood how important cushioning is on long runs. Unfortunately, I have yet to find a shoe with cushioning that doesn't cause other issues. I'm not really concerned about blisters. I've had them and run on them. I'm sure I will have them in the Keys race. I just need to find the shoe that works. I hope I have time to succeed at this quest, or I'll be back on the Brooks Pureflows and paying for it.
In the next few weeks I'll continue to plan: what to put in drop-bags and when... all the details that the devil is hiding in, but shoes are the one thing I'd like to settle. Fortunately my wife is an excellent strategic planner and thinker and I know she'll help me with the devil's details.
Running from sun-up to sun-down to sun-up again is a daunting idea, but thrilling at the same time.
This is the test of my hard work both physically and mentally and I'm looking forward to see what I'm made of, and who I am at 3am on a dark road, physically and mentally drained.
There is no other way to find out.
I learned a lot about myself in the 106K race, things that I've written a bit about, but which cannot be fully explained.
To call distance running therapy is probably right. It is, but not in the way you might think. It's a blind topic at best. You never know what is going to happen in your mind. It's a mystery until you are there.
You can count on a few things as absolutes though:
1- you will feel amazing
2- you will feel terrible
3- you will feel elation and joy
4- you will feel despair and angst
These four things will come in the order and duration that they decide.
If I've learned anything important so far, it's this: don't get attached to any of them. They come and go unpredictably. Getting attached to feeling good is a sure path to disappointment. Getting lost in suffering is also foolish. It too will pass.
What I've learned is that all of these things are just ONE thing: being present.
We don't see the world as it truly is; we see it as WE are.
It's some zen shit for sure. Everything is everything else.
The gift of Ultrarunning is that you get to answer the questions:
Who ARE you?
Who is this person when you are alone, stripped down, exposed?
Will you break?
Will you rise?
Will you endure?
What part of you is unbeatable?
What part of you can harmonize and reconcile the physical, mental, and spiritual YOU in one place at one time, or a LONG time?
What are you made of beyond a collection of atoms?
There's your gift. You'll get the answers. They may be surprising.
Oh, and this is the buckle you get at the end of the 100mile race. HA!
