Faster Than Your Couch!
For anyone running a 100-miler this year, let's get the list started!
March
28: Umstead 100: EatDrinkRunWoman
May
16: Massanutten 100: FTYC
23: Sole Challenge 24hr: AT-runner
July
10: Hardrock 100: cgerber (tentatively)
August
7: Bigfoot 200: EatDrinkRunWoman
14: Fat Dog 120: cgerber
September
25: UTMF (Japan): Sandy-2
October
10: Oil Creek 100: keystonerunner
November
7-8: Rio del Lago 100: EatDrinkRunWoman
14: Cottonmouth 100: LB2
Run for fun.
Tim
Sole Challenge 24hr in May.
“Paralysis-to-50k” training plan is underway!
Umstead 100, March 28-29
Bigfoot 200, August 7-11
Keep Going
Oil Creek 100. It will be my first!
100 milers are my favorite
keystone, you're going to love it! OC100 was my first, too!
Thanks FTYC! Sooooo stoked for it! I can't wait..Any tips for a rookie?
keystone, I think getting your nutrition thought out and tested out is very important. This can really make or break your 100-mile race.
When I ran OC, it was an unseasonably hot day, 83+ degrees during the day, and not below 56 (I think, or more?) during the night. Plenty humid with some rain in the night. It knocked out more than half of the crowd.
So be prepared for anything, it might as well be freezing overnight, and somewhat cool during the day (requiring tights and a jacket).
I had lots of layers available at the "halfway" (13-mile) aid station, and at the start/finish aid station, so it would never be much of an issue to adjust the clothing or change.
Take care of chafing, especially on your feet (blisters), and in that secret area where your legs meet. This is a pretty generic advice for running 100 miles.
In my next 100-miler, I used vaseline and odorless Desitin, and for yourself, you should try out what works for you and stick with it (and apply it twice as often as you think you should). But in the OC100, I did not have that knowledge, and it almost made me drop out at mile 80 or 90.
For some reason, at the OC, I felt that things were "easy" up to mile 80, then the real challenge began.
However, it makes things much more planable and digestible that it is a loop course, and each loop is of manageable length, not too short and not too long. Logistics are fairly simple because you can use the start/finish aid station and the 13-mile aid station as "base camps".
Don't bother to run the longer uphills, just walk them. There are plenty of shorter uphills that are worth running up, especially early in the race (first and second loop).
I did not "feel" the elevation gain, which is considerable with 18,300 feet total, because much of it is accumulated on lots of smaller hills, and the "longer" hills are pretty tame and not very steep. The last long loop definitely is exhausting, and the hills sure play a role in that, and the "home" loop is really mean, but it is never that steep that you'd think you won't be able to trudge up to the top, even on the last miles. Just keep moving, it will taper off at some point and get easier again.
The terrain is fairly easy (for Pennsylvania trails), the footing is good almost all along the course. But be careful in the early morning hours and later during the night, when the rocks become slick and slippery.
That's all I can think about for now. My RR is posted in this forum (somewhere back), and also lace_up has a great RR on OC100 on his blog (link is also somewhere her in this forum), which will provide more detailed information that might be useful.
Good luck, I hope you'll get to the start line fresh and fit and make it to the finish all well and in one piece!
Thanks so much FTYC! I will head all your advise. I can't imagine running it in that heat at that time of year. Especially if your expecting normal fall temps. You touched on my one question, which is condition of the trails. Are they exposed slate, exposed round type rocks like central pa, packed dirt, exposed roots..I'm not overly concerned about it but curious I guess. I should be able to get out there in the summer for a recon loop.
I am not fond of loops, however many of the races I have scheduled throughout the year are loops to get me used to it. I do hope that will help. I also love getting vertical on the trails. So many races I have coming up have elevation gain. I can definitely see the benefit with breaking the course up in chunks and stashing drop bags etc. I just need to get in the correct mental state for the loops.
Its funny I met Keith Straw for the first time this weekend at the George Washington Birthday Marathon (which was called halfway due to snowstorm..kinda sucked but it was dangerous) anyway I told him I was training for OC as my first and he just raved about it in his very proper British tone then said it's a difficult course but very good support. I probably looked like a little puppy dog. Cause when a Grand Slammer and six time BW 135 finisher tells you that..you listen! LOL
Undecided for now. We'll know in late April, early May.
LB2
You touched on my one question, which is condition of the trails. Are they exposed slate, exposed round type rocks like central pa, packed dirt, exposed roots..I'm not overly concerned about it but curious I guess. I should be able to get out there in the summer for a recon loop. I am not fond of loops, however many of the races I have scheduled throughout the year are loops to get me used to it. I do hope that will help. I also love getting vertical on the trails. So many races I have coming up have elevation gain. I can definitely see the benefit with breaking the course up in chunks and stashing drop bags etc. I just need to get in the correct mental state for the loops. Its funny I met Keith Straw for the first time this weekend at the George Washington Birthday Marathon (which was called halfway due to snowstorm..kinda sucked but it was dangerous) anyway I told him I was training for OC as my first and he just raved about it in his very proper British tone then said it's a difficult course but very good support. I probably looked like a little puppy dog. Cause when a Grand Slammer and six time BW 135 finisher tells you that..you listen! LOL
You touched on my one question, which is condition of the trails. Are they exposed slate, exposed round type rocks like central pa, packed dirt, exposed roots..I'm not overly concerned about it but curious I guess. I should be able to get out there in the summer for a recon loop.
Keystone, the trails are mostly fairly rounded rocks packed into dirt, and roots. Really not bad at all. Just a few sections with a few larger rocks to climb/jump over, this is where it can get slick in the night. Some sharper rocks, like in my part of central PA, but not quite as bad as on my home trails.
Some of the uphills have more roots, and some sliding dirt, so you might scramble a bit at times, but not over longer distances. Well manageable.
Some grassy areas, fun to run.
Some wooden steps and bridges, be careful with those in the night hours, as they get really slick.
The loops are great because they are each 31 miles long, so it doesn't feel as if you were running in circles. The last "home" loop has two nasty climbs, but hey, you're almost there, so you'll just trudge up and don't waste energy on rambling about it (as I did, until I realized it does not make sense trying to find out how much further to run, just get to the finish line no matter what).
OC is not a technically challenging course, but if you intend to run it fast, it is definitely difficult. You need to pay attention on where to run and where to walk, and how much energy to spend on the hills.
If you just run to enjoy and finish, it is really great as a first 100-miler, challenging, but not impossibly hard.
Signed up for Hardrock this year, but probably won't run it (will pace my friend instead).
Fat Dog 120 - 14-16
Hi FTYC, you can put me down for the UTMF (Japan) on Sept 25th.
tbd.
I'll be doing the Cottonmouth 100 on 11/14/15.
So far, all taken care of.
Anyone else, or someone doing another 100?
JJ100 - Oct 31st
My first attempt! Might die!
"The best day is today, even if it's kind of a sucky day." - Lazarus Lake