As you may know by now, last week I decided to run 100 miles. If you didn’t know that, then please go back and catch up on the last week before continuing reading. I don’t want to spoil anything.
In my Preface, I mentioned my “Why’s” to running this distance. I was curious to see if those motives changed at all through the process. I stayed motivated throughout the week, focusing on each run I had. I made sure to only think about completing one mile at a time, rather than the enormity of the task. In fact, I never actually thought about the 100 miles until I was at mile 95.
The biggest lesson I have learned though all of my training, which perhaps best translates to life, is to break down big tasks into smaller ones. Focus on the little things you can control or complete, in order to accomplish a larger goal. It makes the time go by faster, and is a key to success.
Challenges
Revisiting my challenges, I said there were four main areas I thought would provide me the most challenge.
- Mental – I anticipated days 3 and 5 being hard. However, I don’t recall a day that I did not want to run. If I had to pick a day, then day 5 would have been the toughest because it was a midday 10 mile run. However, since it was the only run of the day, I was able to just get it done.
- Physical – I fully expected to run into some physical ailments or tenderness. However, each day my runs got faster somehow, and up until mile 21 of the marathon, I was on my fastest day yet. It was almost like I got stronger as the days went on. I could still feel some fatigue later in runs, but never was I “sore” from the day before (aside from after my trail run).
- Double Days – On my first day, I did my first double day with a trail run in the afternoon. That put the most fatigue into my legs. After that double day, I was typically only affected by the afternoon heat, not the actual run.
- Going slow – I was able to go slow, but definitely not as slow as I had planned. I had walking breaks in every run except the last one. In the marathon I was forced into some walking breaks. I continually would get into nice running rhythms, and wouldn’t want to stop for a break. I think forcing yourself to run slowly can sometimes lead to a different running style, so it was more important to just take walking breaks as needed to keep my RPE in the 4-5 range.
Schedule
I was able to keep my schedule as planned, and happily didn’t need any extra days of rest.
- Day 1 – 10 mile morning run/6 mile afternoon run
- Day 2 – 10 mile morning run/6 miles afternoon run
- Day 3 – 15 mile morning run
- Day 4 – 10 mile morning run/6 mile afternoon run
- Day 5 – 10 mile morning run
- Day 6 – 27 mile morning run
Ultimately I think this was an ideal schedule for something like this. Especially for a one time deal. If I were building up to a week like this, it would look much different. However, for my purposes, this was perfect physically and mentally.
Key Takeaways
I was very fortunate to have survived this challenge without injury. There were a few big takeaways for me in terms of recovery, that I will use going forward.
Nutrition: I made sure I was eating enough each day to allow my body to heal itself. This wasn’t about losing weight or anything, so it was important to eat lots of healthy calories in the form of banana bread and protein shakes. And of course lots of fruits and veggies.
Sleep: While we all know sleep is so important for recovery and life, I made sure to create habits that allowed me 8-9 hours of GOOD sleep each day. I was also so tired when I went to bed that falling asleep wasn’t an issue.
Rolling out: I can get lazy when it comes to rolling out. I do it sometimes or when I feel sore. This week I made sure to do it daily, and early in the day so that my body didn’t heat up before bed (usually when I do it). I also used the Hypervolt on places the Vyper couldn’t reach.
Hang upside down: I will do this after long workouts typically, but this week I did it after each run. Basically I come home, and lie upside down with my feet against the wall and by legs and body at a 90 degree angle. I lie down for 5-10 minutes in this position. While there isn’t any scientific evidence that this helps with recovery, I think it makes me feel better post workout and the next day. If nothing else, it forces me to catch my breath and cool down after a hard workout.
Ice bath: While I would have loved an actual ice bath, I had to make do with what I had. The ice foot baths really seemed to help reduce inflammation each day so my feet felt fresh the next. However, make sure you clean your container (or in this case pot) very good after!
Have fun: While this was meant to be a hard challenge, I also wanted it to be fun. I made sure to have a positive outlook on each run, and be grateful that I was able to run. I think that helped me push through each day with a smile on my face.
I appreciate everyone who followed along and gave me encouraging words on my final run. The dream of UTMB is one step closer, but still many years and small steps away. One thing I know, is that if it truly is a dream, I know what I have to do to make it real.
Let me know in the comments below if you have any questions or need advice for your first 100 mile week!
