It ain't Chinese algebra!

A BIG jump from the 50k. Well done getting as far as you did. I have no advice. 100 milers are nutters :-) Best to you and your family

100 miles are nutters...is a perfect description! A week later and I'm resolved to try again next year. That's normal, right? ;-)

Ooh, boy, sounds like a perfectly normal first-time 100 miler. Especially if you have only ever done one 50 mile run. My advice to first time 100 milers is to only really have 1 goal of finishing, don't think about times. I wouldn't say you're not mentally strong enough, I'd just say you learned how to run 75 miles and learned some things for next time. You learn a lot about life, highs and lows, and about yourself in 100 milers. The lows get lower as you get further into the race, but the highs often get higher.

Yes, it's very easy to get chilled when you're that tired, and very hard to recover from. Being wet magnifies that. I learned to carry at least 1 extra layer, and 2 if it's cold (below 60). And put them on before I think I need them. Once you stop and get cold and tighten up, your body literally does go into shock (of sorts) and it's very difficult to ever get moving again.

Ultrarunners have all experienced some DNF's- don't live in regret, just learn from it and come back with a new determination next time. I once quit a 100 miler at mile 75 while I was still in the top 8 of the race (https://fastrunningblog.com/u/jon/blog-06-04-2011.html and see my closing thoughts at http://greenshortsrunning.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-old-dominion-100-race-report.html), and it gave me the fire to get through some really tough races in the future. You'll be that much tougher next time.

Chin up, and keep moving forward. The next one will be that much sweeter.

Love the feedback/advice, Jon. Thanks for sending the message. I think I read just about every one of your race reports in the days leading up to my race (by the way...I forgot how many times heading into a race you had some injury or sickness pop up. Must have been super frustrating!).

My original plan; I signed up for the 12 hour run, simply to run for whatever distance I could above 50 miles. If it was 55, fine. 60, great. 65+, even better. I thought that would make for a logical increase in distance and then next year, I would tackle to 100. However, my neighbor a few doors down was also signed up for the 100 and after a few conversations, convinced me I was ready for a 100 mile race now. The tradeoff was the timed event could be any distance but the 100 was all or nothing. A gamble to some degree, but I certainly learned a lot and will be much better prepared for next time.

I was fully expecting the highs and lows during the race...but I was expecting them later (miles 60-90ish). It was a surprise when I started to struggle sooner than I expected.

Anyway...it's all good. After sleep, rest, food, etc, I'm fine/content with everything that happened. I still had a fun time and as always, the ultra running community is so welcoming, kind, and supportive.

75 miles is pretty amazing. Well done. Next time.

I think the injuries was a reflection of how much I was training- 100 mile weeks are tough on the body.

Yeah, bad times can start as early as mile 20 in a race (which, if you think about it, is already a good long-run distance). But you can definitely bounce back. When Geoff Roes won Western States in 2010, he had a very bad 25+ mile stretch that started at mile 45, but he still set the course record. Keep moving forward, keep eating and drinking (if you can), stay warm, and you'll bounce back.

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