7 Days Until I Lose My 100 Miler Virginity

A view of one of the climbs and descents from Lost Soul

 

7 Days......

Yes, 7 Days....

....That is how long until I am a virgin no more, this time next week I will be over 8 hours into my first 100 mile ultra marathon. Of course, I couldn't of picked a easy one either, Lost Soul 100 miler is considered one of the toughest races on the prairies. I laugh at this, as most people consider the prairies flat, well this run is not flat, there are over 17,000 ft of elevation change over the 100 miles. Here is the elevation grid for each lap of the run, remember 100 miles is 3 laps, that last climb to the finish is going to be a killer, not withstanding the rest of the climbs and descents.

Can we say a lots of up's and down's, I knew you could

 

A shot of the train bridge that we will be running by

I am looking forward to seeing this waterfall, one of the great things with running ultras, mother nature at its best.

 

Am I looking forward to this?

Well that is a stupid question, of course I am.

Am I ready to take on this distance?

As ready as I am ever going to be, I have played through this in my head a 'Hundred' times mile by mile for the last 3 weeks. I will be running this race first on strength, then heart (or passion) and then finally on guts and determination. I am sure I will want to quit numerous times throughout the run, but I am a stubborn son-of-a-bitch (no offence mom), and I just will not allow myself to do that. I am expecting to experience pain, lots of pain, hallucinations, serious fatigue and doubt in my abilities, and more pain. But I will persevere, because I believe I have found my bliss, running long and far and pushing my body to the limit and then seeing how much farther I can push it. It will be a test of wills, my brain saying, "Go on you can do it, you are a rock" while my body tells me, "Are you bloody well insane, I've got nothing left". It will be a battle, that is for sure, but I am determined to push myself through to the end. Besides, I will not be alone, a good friend will be with me, Scott Burton, another 100 miler virgin (yes we travel in groups), together we will be pushing each other along and motivating each other to finish.

Am I insane?

Yes, yes I am, everybody who I talk to thinks so, and maybe they are right. We will just have to see how that turns out.

Am I going to run it barefoot?

YES, for as long as I possibly can. Will my feet survive? I honestly do not know, I ran up and down Mount Hamel including the summit barefoot (oops, teaser from my future CDR blog post), so I know my soles can handle it, but for 100 miles? That I do not know, and is yet to be seen. Will I be the first to complete a 100 mile Ultra barefoot? That I am not sure about, there must be others out there, but I do know if I do complete it barefoot, I will be in the minority, one of the few to overcome and conquer the distance and barefoot to boot (pun intended).

I have been giddy with excitement, ready to boil over at the seams as I have been counting down the days to this point. I have been so engrossed with this run that I haven't even posted a new blog since before the Canadian Death Race, which I have still yet to complete and post, and yes that was epic and the story will be told, but it will be a little later.

So here I am, sitting and counting the days until next Thursday when I board the plane for Alberta and the new adventure that I am partaking in. I have a lot of nervous energy right now, most would probably say I should be tapering and resting but I cannot seem to do that. I have been running everyday for the last 20 days and have only missed one or two days in the last 200 plus days. I have been running in the heat of the day, at night in the dark with no headlamp, going out when I am tired and not sure if I have the energy to make it down the front stairs, running our husky so she pulls me and makes me speed up when I don't want to and slow down as well. Prepping for any possibility is very important as I do not have any idea what is going to happen or how my body will react to this. My last thoughts are..............

Get 'Er Done.......

Jumping In the Deep End With Both Bare Feet : Lost Soul 100 Miler Ultra Marathon

	Southern Alberta's Ultimate Trail Run September 7-8, 2012
	Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada 50Km 100Km 100Miles "The Toughest Race on the Prairies"

So I have been humming and hah-ing about upping the ante this year, and doing 2 legs of the Death Race is definitely doing that. But, I also wanted to really get out of my comfort zone by going all out and trying a 100 miler. Now this might seem pretty silly to some, as the longest I have run in a race situation is 50km but lets just say I was inspired by a couple of fantastic runners who were in the same place that I currently find myself in.

Vanessa Rodriguez of Vanessa Runs and her other half, Robert Shackleford affectionately known as Shacky ran their first 100 miler this spring, see the first of Vanessa's blog posts on the achievement here, followed by Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and finally Part 5. These are a awesome read and a good way to get a unique perspective from inside the head of a Ultra Marathoner who is finishing their first 100 miler. Plus Vanessa is such a good writer, she makes you feel like you are right there with her.

A friend of mine, Scott decided a few months ago that he was going to tackle the 100 miler this year, this will also be his first, and has been training relentlessly since. I have been reading and talking with him about his progress and in the back of my mind weighing the pro's and con's of jumping in as well. First, I was trying to figure out how I could help him crew and maybe be his pacer for the last lap, that seemed possible. The logistics would be interesting because we are both from Manitoba and I would need to get there, secure accommodations and of course take some time of work. Then I started to think, Could I actually run this now and finish? I was originally thinking and planning where I could try a 100 miler next year, but the more I thought (sometimes this is quite the process, I am blonde you know),  why not this year.  I kept all this to myself for the last month or so, not really sure if I wanted to seriously consider it or not, there was some serious logistics to be thought out and I wanted to make sure I was really committed to this. Of course this would mean my lovely and very talented wife would be left with the kids for a few days as Daddy travelled to Alberta, ran a crazy distance, then travelled home in total disarray and would be probably be pretty much useless for a couple of days afterwards. I love Nicole like crazy, because she is totally supportive in whatever crazy ass thing I decide to do, including this one.

I am super excited and nervous at the same time, once we finish the Death Race August long weekend, this will be the focus, so hopefully all my friends don't want to shoot me by the time I leave for Alberta, because I am sure it will be the only thing I want to talk about.

Wish me luck this is going to be a crazy ride, and I will be hanging on for dear life.

Course Map from the 2009 Race here