100-Mile Tips
Hundred-mile ultra season is upon us! We have several athletes running various races around the country, and it’s a good time to bring out some favorite kernels of advice that we’ve gleaned over the years of our own running, and folks we’ve worked with.
Smile. You signed up for this, committed lots of training time to get to the starting line, and you’re ready. We all have goals we get attached to, but at the end of the day, getting to the start line is already a success. Enjoy the time on the trail, and think about your favorite training runs, the people in your life that helped you get there, and all the people around you that you’ll share the race with (including volunteers): I get warm fuzzies even writing this!
Eat and drink. This seems obvious, but I got into trouble one year being so engrossed in my Bossypants audiobook that I forgot to drink water through the heat of the day. I love the idea of a 100 being a weekend of snacking with running in between.
Don’t quit at night. This comes from friend, athlete, crew and aid station leader extraordinaire Kelly Bolinger and has helped countless runners through the night. Many people want to stop at night, which makes sense! We want to be sleeping instead of running through mountains, but there’s also almost always a new energy that comes with the sunrise.
Break up the day with “meals”. Think about lesser versions of meals that you can eat at normal meal times. Eventhough you won’t be sitting down for a full dinner, having something that feels a bit more like a meal can help pass one part of the day and lead into another.
Don’t sit at the fire! Often night aid stations have a fire going. Don’t be tempted to sit down or you might not get up. A few minutes adds up over the course of the night.
Like most tips and advice, what works for one person might not work for another, and sometimes the opposite of something is also true. Maybe sitting at the fire for a few minutes will be just enough to regroup and feel better, allowing you to continue. And of course, if something is going on that would cause an injury, quitting can be the best thing you can do for your long-term health, no matter when in the day it is.
What’s your best 100 mile tip?
CE coach Lindsay Tucker crossing the line at the 2021 Cascade Crest 100.
