The guy could have been a jerk or he perhaps he just comes from a very different perspective, was genuinely surprised and expressed his surprise before thinking about how it would make you feel. I have a buddy who runs ultras and is a sub-3 marathoner. He is a very nice guy and is very supportive, so he probably would not have said "OMG" , but he may have thought it. You see when he runs ultras, he runs much slower than his marathon pace. A hard 50-miler like North Face Bear Mountain would probably take him 3 - 3.5 times his marathon time. When he runs his first 100-miler, it will probably take him at least 8 x his marathon time. If you had a similar difference between your marathon pace and your 100-mile pace, you would probably not make the cut-off. People often think about their own running experiences and project them onto others. That may be all that is going on here.
The thing is, I don't think your ultra pace is that much different than your marathon pace. You seem to be able to maintain a strong pace for very long distances. That is what will be key for you in your upcoming 100-miler. I think you have a very good shot of finishing this race. Don't worry about anyone else's opinion. Just go out there and do it. Good luck.
2013 goals: 800m: 2:20 | mile: 4:59 | 5k: 18:59 | 10k: 39:59 | HM: 1:32 | Marathon: 3:20
Will run for scenery.
Wow. I just looked at the entry fee for BR.
Yowzers, that is steep! (Though it does include a meal and a backpack.)
Ironically, the Speedgoat 100 is much less steep, at only $8.
Stupid feet!
Stupid elbow!
r.e. the comments by TakeAHike...
Yeah, I think people approach ultras from vastly different backgrounds. Some are pretty darn fast runners, who (at some relative level) have "mastered" the shorter races. They tend (at first, anyways) to think of ultras as a longer version of what they already know. Some of these people excel, some do okay, some go down in flames.
The other approach to ultras (usually by us non-fast runners) is thinking in terms of just covering the distance within the alotted time. If you're shooting for 100 miles in 25 hours, say, that's a 15:00 pace. This could in theory be done without any running at all.
So a big factor in success/failure is what kind of event you think you're getting into, what kind of event you actually train for.
I was kind of surprised (and more than a little proud) to learn that I finished the Leadville Marathon a full hour ahead of a guy that has run Boston and NYC many times. He lives at my altitude, and is almost 10 years younger. The big diff : he did not train for this type of event (trails, mountains). There's NWIH I could actually run a full marathon, much less BQ.
My parents used to let my brother and I ride standing up in the back seat of the car. The fact that neither one of us ever got so much as a scratch does not thereby transform letting your children right standing up in the back seat into a good idea. I never wore a bike helmet either but my lack of head injuries from riding my bike doesn't mean I let my daughter get on her bike without a helmet. The fact that you managed to run decent marathons on 35 miles per week does not mean that most people can get by with that. Most of them blow up and have miserable experiences or fade horribly and run stuff like 30 minute positive splits. There are exceptions to everything but it behooves someone to assume they are not the exception until they can prove otherwise.
My parents used to let my brother and I ride standing up in the back seat of the car. The fact that neither one of us ever got so much as a scratch does not thereby transform letting your children right standing up in the back seat into a good idea. I never wore a bike helmet either but my lack of head injuries from riding my bike doesn't mean I let my daughter get on her bike without a helmet.
The fact that you managed to run decent marathons on 35 miles per week does not mean that most people can get by with that. Most of them blow up and have miserable experiences or fade horribly and run stuff like 30 minute positive splits.
There are exceptions to everything but it behooves someone to assume they are not the exception until they can prove otherwise.
Exactly what I said. I know that i can do it, doesn't mean everyone can, doesn't mean it can't be done.
But I know what I can do and that is what I trust in. Sometimes in life one doesn't know until one tries
and sometimes you have to listen to your gut and trust your own training and say to hell with everything
else.
My goal is to have fun training for and running marathons without them taking over all my free time and
still be able to cycle, swim and kayak. I achieve what I set out to and for an old formerly fat girl with
zero athletic talent or provenance I think I'm doing OK.
Banshee, set your doubts aside and let your legs, your training and your race plan be your guide. I have
no doubts that you are going to exceed your expectations.
Only an a-hole would try to knock someone's ability to run any distance. Don't listen and do what you need to get it done. I have run 8 marathons but never further. I admire anyone who goes beyond that let alone 100,