Umstead 100 Retrospective
On April 5, 2025, at 6:30 am EST, I officially began my first 100 mile race. Twenty-three hours, 10 minutes, and 37 seconds later, I finished it.
If you already know who's who and how this was all set up, you can skip directly to the detailed account of the race.
Throughout this page, I'll try to link any specific runs to their corresponding Strava activity. For example, here's the actual race activity.
Who's Who
As the saying goes, it takes a village. I didn't do this alone. To protect their privacy, I'll refer to the people who most directly helped me by their first and last initial:
- UM: Pacer for lap 5 (miles 50 through 62.5)
- MC: Pacer for lap 6 (miles 62.5 through 75)
- DO: Pacer for lap 7 (miles 75 through 87.5)
- JT: Pacer for lap 8 (miles 87.5 through 100) and crew
- LH: Crew Chief
- NT: Crew and Official Chef
- CC: Coach, and fellow runner
The Prep Work
A race like this isn't something I could just wake up and do. Obviously it required physical training, but at this kind of distance you also have to think about gear and nutrition.
Training
Training started in late September of 2024 and continued up until the last week. CC was gracious enough to create a plan for all of us running; if you're interested it's posted on Google Sheets. It's week-oriented; let's focus on a few key weeks.
LH was nice enough to print out the plan and stick it on the fridge. This was great for early morning runs where I didn't want to have to look up the plan again!
Week 17 (Jan 27 - Feb 2)
The weekend started with 8 miles on Friday, 16 miles on Saturday, and 24 miles on Sunday. This weekend was notable for two reasons:
- I stretched my Achilles tendon, which is something I would worry about (unnecessarily) for the next six weeks.
- I met DO for the first time.
At the end of the Saturday run I half-jokingly asked her if she'd be willing to pace me. I was nervous asking her because that run had been fast (especially by my standards), and I worried that if she did end up pacing me, she'd cause me to burn out. Looking back, of course that was a really stupid thing to be worrying about.
Week 19 (Feb 10 - Feb 16)
This was the first of two "Peak Weeks", the weeks where we'll achieve our longest distance. This weekend consists of a 10 mile run on Friday evening; a 31 mile run at 3:30 am on Saturday; and finally another 31 mile run sometime on Sunday. The Friday and Saturday runs went more or less as expected; I got to learn more about the race course on the Saturday run.
The Sunday run was split into two different runs, with a break for solid food in between. This ended up being a mistake, but one I'm glad I made. At the break, I practiced changing shoes and ate the Chipotle bowl that LH generously brought for me. Critically, I sat down while doing this — an error I didn't realize I'd made until I tried to get up. My legs were suddenly extremely stiff, and I found it hard to even walk, much less run. At this point I'd run 24 miles, so I had seven to go; my assumption was that the stiffness would wear off in half a mile. That turned out to be wrong, and for the first four miles it was a fight just to make it each tenth of a mile. I think I was running somewhere around a 16-minute mile at this point; however, right around four miles a switch flipped and I found my footing again. By the end of that run, I was running a seven minute mile, something I hadn't done in a very long time. This taught me seveal things that became essential during the race:
- Do not sit down if you can help it
- No matter how bad it gets, it's going to get better, and potentially much better
- Real food helps a lot, but can take a while to kick in
Week 21 (Feb 24 - Mar 2)
This was the second peak week; just as before, it consisted of a 10 mile run, followed by a 31 mile run, and finally another 31 mile run. The Saturday run was relatively uneventful, but the Sunday run was where I discovered what kind of speed I could sustain — that ended up being a 9:34 pace. That gave me the confidence that I could actually do this, and did a lot to ease my worries that signing up for this thing was a mistake. Incidentally, my fastest split during the race was exactly 9:34.
Why two peak weeks? Well, as CC put it, The first is to ensure you'll finish the race. The second is to ensure you'll finish the race with a smile. Not to jump ahead, but as much as I hate to say it... he was right.
Notes that CC left on my desk following the peak weeks
Gear & Nutrition
For any longer distance, you'll need to refuel along the way; if you've ever heard of "gels" or the brand GU®, there is a whole industry around creating nutrition that's easy to run with, easy to consume, and easy for your body to process. From the few marathons I've run, I know I tend to need a GU every three-ish miles; naively, I thought I could just extend this out to the full 100 miles. If you look at my checklist, you'll see all the bags are just filled with GUs. Of special note is that the Cold Brew Coffee was by far my favorite GU, so I figured if I couldn't get anything else in, I could at least get one of those; this is reflected in how many of those I brought (over 40!)
As for gear, I kept mine relatively simple:
- Two Amphipod "squishy" water bottles. I'd carry one and alternate each lap
- An insulated, hard-shelled water bottle. This one was intended for the pacer to carry later on
- A running belt with enough room for my phone, up to eight gels, and one larger item
- A headlamp
- ASICS 25 Gel-Nimbus running shoes
The three water bottles I ended up taking to the race
Additionally, NT, as the official chef of my first Umstead 100, graciously made me an apple pie and lasagna to take to the race. These were intended as "break in case of emergency" options; if I couldn't get anything else down, and I couldn't move, then these were intended to motivate me. I didn't end up eating them at the race, but afterwards I wolfed them down.
The Course
Map of the course, showing the route in red. You can see the elevation on the Ultrapacer Course.
The Umstead 100 is a race consisting of eight laps around a 12.5-mile loop in the William B. Umstead State Park. The first four laps (50 miles) must be done alone, after which an accompanying pacer is permitted.
View coming up into the start/finish line, which is also known as "HQ". This was the most treacherous part of the race because those steps represent a tripping hazard.
Photo courtesy of Ben Dillon
The race starts at "HQ" you then start going west (towards RDU airport, the "Airport Spur") until the first turnaround. Then, you head east towards the second aid station, passing the water station along the way. Finally, you head back to the start/finish line so that you can do it all over again!
Aid tent at HQ. The second aid station looked similar; take a look at the complete menu to get a feel for the sheer variety of foods available.
Photo courtesy of Hope Squires.
Right before (and after, unless you're finishing) HQ is what's called "Canopy Row". Runners are allowed to set up whatever they want the day before along this row, space permitting. Your crew is typically set up here, and this is where you keep supplies, refills, etc. Especially after the first few laps, I checked in here every time.
The running club I'm part of, Insane Running, had several canopies set up on Canopy Row. At night there were even Christmas lights!
Photo courtesy of Jamie Thompson
The course mostly follows a Multi-Use Trail (or MUT), which means it's friendly to pedestrians, cyclists, and horses. The benefit to runners is fewer tripping hazards than many other ultra marathons.
This was the tent at the first turnaround, which was the end of the "Airport Spur". I was most afraid of missing this, especially at night.
Photo courtesy of Jamie Thompson
Detailed Account
Given how hot it was going to get, my plan was:
- Speed up in the first two laps while the temperature was (relatively) cool
- Slow down and conserve energy in the hot laps
- Make up time once the sun set
That's more or less how it happened, but it wasn't nearly as easy as I'd hoped. It got much hotter than I was expecting, and I made several mistakes that meant later laps were more brutal than necessary. Live and learn, I guess!
Before the start
3:40 am Wake up, eat a baked sweet potato, and get out the door. Due to nerves, I was only abel to get three hours of sleep (but not for a lack of trying!).
4:00 am Get to the gate. I was fourth in line, which meant I didn't have to wait out on Glenwood Ave. I put my stuff in the back of CC's car and waited.
4:45 am Gates open and I make my way to my parking spot. I hype myself up a bit in the car and then leave, accidentally leaving my window open. I'd eventually come back to the car with a thin layer of pollen blanketing the entire inside.
The InsaneRunning club racers, except for our coach, CC. Most of us were running the full 100, but a few were running 50 instead.
Photo courtesy of Jamie Thompson
Lap 171˚ - 73˚
+00:00:00 (6:30 am) And we're off! This lap went off without a hitch. I refilled my water bottle once, and was able to eat all the GUs I brought with me.
+01:13:52 (7:43 am) I reach the second aid station. I don't end up taking anything or refilling my water bottle, which ended up being a bad call - I ran out of water before I hit the water aid station.
A snapshot of me crossing the start/finish line for after the first lap. I ran the first two laps faster in the hope that I would bank time to slow down during the hottest laps; the jury is still out on if that was the right choice.
Photo courtesy of Hope Squires.
Lap 273˚ - 78˚
+02:07:28 (8:37 am) I finish my first lap a good 10 minutes before my most aggressive goal (21 hours); I'm feeling pretty good at this point. I refilled my GUs and JT advised that I try to get some real food in me.
+03:24:28 (9:54 am) I didn't stop at the second aid station, except to refill my water bottle. From here on out I refilled my water bottle at every aid station.
A sign that LH made for me. The quote, "You're gonna be okay", is something I often say to myself (sometimes out loud) when I'm running and in pain
Lap 378˚ - 87˚
+04:25:33 (10:55 am) I finish my second lap 15 minutes before my 21 hour goal time. JT heavily encourages me to eat something solid. On the way to the second aid station, I tried, and failed, to take any GUs.
+05:56:22 (12:26 pm) I make it to the second aid station. I tried eating a quarter of a quesadilla but could barely keep it down; it mostly just stuck to the sides of my mouth. After opting for two small pickles, I gave up and turned around back up the hill.
I refilled my water at the water station on the way back, but otherwise I didn't get any other nutrition or hydration.
Menu at the second aid station. It varied throughout the day, but the staples (e.g., burgers, coffee, etc.) never changed. My biggest regret in this race was that I gave up on solid food in the third lap before trying most of what they had to offer; as you can see here, there's a lot to try!
Photo courtesy of Teri Saylor
Lap 487˚ - 88˚
+07:14:47 (1:44 pm) The heat is starting to get brutal; here I come in seven minutes behind my 21 hour goal. At the InsaneRunning tent, JT all but demanded I get some solid food in me, and sent UM down with me to make sure I did. One of the staff members at the start/finish line suggested a burger the start/finish line, and another suggested I add mustard. The burgers were incredible; I ended up wolfing down two of them.
Around this time, NT arrives with LH, who makes her way to the Insane Running canopy.
+09:04:39 (3:34 pm) I make it to the second aid station. Here I get two more burgers and walk back with them. As I said earlier, I've been refilling my water bottle every chance I get. Despite that, I'm not peeing at all - this is bad because typically not peeing is a sign of dehydration. In this case though it's just that all the water is coming out as sweat. Over the course of this lap I gave up my more aggressive goals, and instead focused on getting in under 24 hours.
Burgers were one of the few things that would go down, and they became critical to keeping up my energy. My order was always the same: plain burger with mustard. Over the course of the race, I'd have eight to nine of them
Photo courtesy of Jamie Thompson
Lap 588˚ - 82˚
+10:24:37 (4:54 pm) I reach 50 miles far behind my more aggressive goals (which at this point I'd already given up on). The heat is sucking all the energy out of me, but thankfully there's a good bit of cloud cover on this lap. I also decided to change my shirt. This lap I get to have UM as my pacer, which is the first ever time I've run a race with a pacer. He got me another burger and off we went.
UM, like all the other pacers, did an exceptional job at pacing. He kept me going through the first half, and came up with the idea of using salt tablets since I wasn't enjoying the Liquid IV water I'd brought along.
+12:21:27 (6:51 pm) I make it to the second aid station. Here, I got a surprise visit from my friends Danny & Andrea. They were a really nice distraction; I did feel bad because they had to run with me down the hill. It was nice seeing someone from outside the running "bubble"; helped me remember the gravity of what I was doing, and gave me reassurance that it was okay to be feeling pain at this point. UM in the meantime got me another burger and off we went.
Going down the hill from the spigot, I found my groove again and picked up the pace. UM tells me I hit a 7:30 pace, which I honestly didn't think I was capable of at that point. I think it was the salt tablets and solid food that gave me that extra energy.
At the bottom of the hill, UM turned on his headlamp and we kept moving. Neither of us realized at the time, but he'd forgotten to take off his sunglasses! It wasn't until we got close to the end that he realized why everything was so dark.
From left to right: UM, me + burger, and MC
Lap 682˚ - 77˚
+13:46:14 (8:16 pm) I trade off pacers from UM to MC. As we're walking down to the start/finish line, I can hear them talking about me, but for the life of me I can barely remember what they said. The only thing I remember is that they discussed I needed to up the amount of salt I was getting, so UM suggested I take four tablets during the next lap. MC and I take off from the InsaneRunning tent, but not before finishing my burger and some electrolytes. Pretty early on I noticed that the moon was out, which I pointed out to MC by saying "woah look, the moon!"
+15:34:08 (10:04 pm) MC asks what I want from the second aid station. Before the race, I had told the pacers that I'd send them ahead to get what I want, but when MC offered to go ahead and get it so I could keep moving… it felt like a brand new idea. He got me a burger, some chicken noodle soup, and some of the potato soup that CC loves so much. I was able to finish the chicken noodle soup, and made a good dent in the potato soup, but for some reason, I just couldn't stomach another burger. MC ended up taking a few bites and said, "This is a tasty burger!"
Now that it's getting cooler (well, less than 80˚), I'm not sweating as much. This means that my body is finally willing to let some water out as urine; at this point, most people would pair that with also drinking less. But not me! The earlier laps where I didn't pee at all scared me. So instead I keep up the drinking pace, and from here on out I feel like I use the restroom almost once a mile.
Later on, MC was trying to distract me and pointed out that, surprisingly, the moon was still there in the night sky. This was a genuinely surprising fact to me, which maybe gives you a hint as to my mental state at this point. In any case, the distraction worked quite well.
From left to right: MC, me, and DO
Lap 777˚ - 73˚
+16:53:49 (11:24 pm) I trade off pacers from MC to DO. I'm initially feeling pretty good; arriving with MC I had supposedly made up around half a mile. Lap 7 marks the beginning of the 75th mile; in my head, the race was basically over, but obviously 25 more miles isn't "almost done"! In any case, MC grabs me another burger and some soup, and then off I go with DO. I'd forgotten my phone at the charger, so after LH noticed it, MC had to sprint to meet us before we got too far out.
Pretty early on I started having trouble with staying motivated. I had forgotten to tell DO to grab any salt tablets, but luckily as part of my checklist, I had some salt tablets in my water bottle pouch. Those helped, but this is where I first entered the Pain Cave. For those unaware, the "Pain Cave" is a place endurance athletes reach where they've gone beyond (or at least feel that they've gone beyond) their physical and mental limits. There, every part of you wants to quit. Ironically, I thought I'd reached this in my first ultra marathon (Shakori 40 of 2023), but I was very much mistaken. I've never felt a pain like this before; it was great enough that it felt like the world around me just sort of stopped existing. It was just me, the path, and DO.
Typically, if you persist long enough you'll find your way back out of the pain cave; this time was no different. That being said, I'm not sure how DO kept me moving in the meantime; I've never wanted to quit something so badly in my life. Not only did she keep me from quitting, she kept me walking for the most part — there were only two times where I stopped solely for the sake of stopping, and she somehow kept those short. All of my pacers were phenomenal, but in any other pacer group she would easily be the MVP.
+18:50:54 (1:21 am) I make it to the second aid station. As with MC, DO goes to get me some fuel; in this case, a burger and some chicken noodle soup. I'm not entirely sure where I found it, but I was able to push the pace back up the hill. I think the real reason I was able to start pushing again was my desire to make people proud; in this case, it was actually DO that I wanted to make proud. She is an amazing runner, so having her approval meant the world to me. Of course, I wasn't thinking that at the time; frankly I wasn't thinking at all. But in any case, she had to run up the hill with water, a burger, and a cup of hot soup… not a job I envy. Ironically, CC's past pacers had complained about being forced to do the exact same thing, and I'd promised my pacers they wouldn't have to do that. I guess I lied!
The rest of the lap went relatively smoothly. However, going down the hill from the spigot, I started to seriously doubt that I could do another lap. Obviously I couldn't quit now because at this point, I only had 3.5 more miles to go. I asked DO to try something risky— to convince me I wouldn't need to do the last lap, that I'd be JT's problem, and that he'd probably let me quit! This actually had the intended effect, and I was able to finish the seventh lap feeling pretty good. It is a testament to how good of a pacer DO was that by the time I finished the lap, quitting was the furthest thing from my mind.
One other funny tidbit: when I reached the mile 10 marker (85 miles in) I exclaimed "you know what that means? Pee break!". Like I said, my mental state at this point was questionable at best.
LH and myself. Her work as crew chief was critical to getting me to the finish line. From getting water, to adding drink mixes, to updating my family, to so much more, I simply could not have done this race without her
Lap 873˚ - 71˚
+20:15:20 (2:45 am) At the InsaneRunning tent, I trade off pacers from DO to JT. On the way down to the start/finish line, I ask JT if under 25 hours is still doable; he tells me that I can still aim for under 24, which is a goal I'd given up on in the previous lap.
Back with my burger and soup from the start/finish line, we quickly went over the game plan at the InsaneRunning tent. My parents had recorded a short encouraging message that LH played for me; it brought tears to my eyes. But being the excellent crew chief that she was, LH told me that there would be time to cry after I finished. So, off JT and I went.
The first three miles went smoothly; we ran the whole thing and I didn't even stop to use the bathroom! From there, though, things started falling apart. At that point I knew I had single digits left in terms of mileage (9.5 miles, to be exact), but I just lost the motivation to finish it. I had to start walking a bit, despite JT's constant nagging that we had to pick up the pace. I got a cramp in my right leg that we had to stop and address; shortly afterwards I got another cramp. Since we stopped to deal with those, my mind hatched a plan: convince JT that I was injured by faking another cramp, and he'd drop the 24 hour goal (which would mean I could walk more instead of running). He did stop to help me with my "cramps", but he clearly wasn't buying it. In between those "cramps", I stopped to use the bathroom, but made the mistake of closing my eyes; almost instantly I started to fall asleep, and I literally started falling backwards. Poor JT had to catch me, and I don't think I'll ever live this down (or be able to properly thank him).
It was around this time that JT offered me some Tylenol. I'd never tried Tylenol (or any drugs for that matter) during a run. The Golden Rule of running is "Never try someting in a race that you haven't tried in training". However, CC has an addendum to that: "Unless nothing else has worked". Basically, if you've tried everything you know is safe, it's time to start trying things you've never done. In this case, I didn't hesitate and took JT up on his offer.
The Tylenol didn't have any immediate effect; it was still slow going. Going up the hill to the spigot was basically just a walk with a tiny amount of jogging, and going down to the second aid station wasn't much better. My quads, which are the leg muscles you use when going downhill, were beyond killing me, so every step felt like hammering away at them.
+22:02:25 (4:32 am) I make it to the second aid station. As with the two pacers before, I give JT my empty water bottles and my order of a burger and chicken noodle soup. However, since this is my last lap, JT also has to pick up the drop bag that I'd left there. In the meantime, I was supposed to trudge up the hill, and JT would meet up with me.
What actually happened was very different. As soon as JT left, several things occurred to me:
- My legs weren't actually hurting that badly anymore
- The second aid station is only five miles from the finish line, and at this point it's just going back the way I came
- This was a chance to make JT proud
Those thoughts didn't exactly occur in that order, and at this point I'm not sure you could call what my brain was doing as "thinking". Whatever the reasons, I decided I could sprint up the hill. When that didn't hurt anymore than walking did, I kept going. For the really steep parts I decided to "walk with purpose" (a phrase I have taken from LH; basically it means to walk with speed and determination). At the same time, I was listening to Wake Me Up, which is a song that I know really hypes me up and gives me extra energy. I saw CC coming down while I was on the way up, and that's when it occurred to me: JT probably had no idea where I was. For all he knew, I could be asleep in one of the bathrooms, or on the side of the trail. So I yelled out to CC to tell JT, when he saw him, that I was okay. In the meantime, I was actually able to force a GU down, which I hadn't been able to do for awhile. Later, JT told me that when he asked CC if he'd seen me, CC laughed and told JT he had a ways to go.
When I got close to the top of the hill, I tried calling JT, but there wasn't any answer. Getting to the spigot I decided to stop for water and text JT; that's when I saw him coming up the hill. It turned out I'd made JT sprint up a hill while carrying three water bottles, half of a burger, a cup of soup, and my drop bag. I can't tell who was more surprised by what just happened, but we kept cruising. I ate the fuel he'd brought and then kept moving, The downhill melted away, and I barely remember the uphills. Apparently, at one point I said "Walk with purpose" (to myself); then immediately turned back and asked JT "Am I walking with purpose?!"
I was most scared of the very end of the course, because it's got rocks, roots, and steps — all things I was nervous that I'd trip over. Usually I'd walk it, but given this was it, I decided to run it. I had JT be my guide, pointing out every little tripping hazard and how to avoid it. Incredibly, I didn't fall for the entire race.
+23:10:37 (5:40 am) I cross the finish line. The feeling was euphoric, beyond anything I've ever experienced. The staff, my crew, my pacers… it really did feel like the whole world was there cheering my name or number. The race director, Chris Squires, personally came up to give me my "One Day" belt buckle.
Me at the finish line with my hard-earned belt buckle. I still haven't found a belt it'll fit on
As expected, it turned out JT had lied to me. While I was worrying about below 25 hours, he had already set his sights on trying to get me in under 23 hours. So, especially in the back half of the lap, when he was telling me how little time I had left; turns out I had a lot more. I suppose that's karma for making him sprint up the hill with all that stuff.
JT and I at the finish line with my belt buckle. He had me fooled until the very end that I was going to barely eke out something under 24 hours; it wasn't until I saw the big display at the finish line that I realized he'd been lying!
After I finished, I went into the HQ where they were serving eggs and chocolate chip pancakes. Even now sometimes I dream about those pancakes; they tasted like the best thing in the whole world at the time. The rest of the day is hazy, but I believe LH packed up my stuff and drove me back home, where I fell asleep for most of the day. At some point NT brought over some extra supplies that helped the recovery process; I went on to sleep for the rest of Sunday and most of Monday.
What I Learned
- Solid food is key. Logically I already knew this (and I'd been told this many, many times), but now I've felt what a lack of solid food does.
- What I like on shorter runs, even longer training runs, isn't indicative of what I'll want in the race. Before this race, my favorite GU was the Cold Brew Coffee flavor, but pretty early on I couldn't force myself to even take one. So, having a variety of fuel options was helpful.
- I would say I packed too much, especially in terms of GUs. Packing a variety of things would have been better; in retrospect, there was no way I'd ever need that much of the same three flavors!
- I didn't need the drop bag at the second aid station. Before the race its existence made me feel better, but once the race got started I almost forgot about it. Unless the weather makes a backup pair of shoes mandatory, I don't think the drop bag will be useful.
- Pacers are critical to success. I got lucky that my pacers were so well prepared, but it didn't have to be that way. When I asked each of them to be my pacer, I didn't realize truly how much I was asking of them.
- The heat is real. It's one thing to just talk about a number (88˚); another thing entirely to run in it.
- The checklists worked remarkably well, but especially towards the end they did get tedious. Having the timing on there worked well because it made it easy for me to figure out how far ahead or behind I was, but it wasn't as useful to the crew as I thought it might be.
- The swapping of water bottles worked well. I think the extra pacer bottle was a good idea, but I'm not sure how helpful it was.
- Packing backups in the water bottle pouches came in handy, so I'll absolutely do that from now on.
- My battery backup might be better than nothing, but leaves a lot to be desired; it wasn't able to rapidly charge my phone or my watch. Next time I'll need to invest in something better.
- We did forget that my phone was charging; luckily, LH caught it before it was too late. But I need to think harder about some way to make sure I don't forget whatever I'm charging.
Key Takeaways
- Take solid food earlier. This was my biggest mistake. By the middle of the second lap I should have been trying harder to get something down. Even if it's not burgers.
- Vary the solid food I'm taking. It bears repeating how important solid food is. But, as great as burgers are, my stomach did start to hurt towards the end of the race. A bigger variety of foods means its more likely I'll find something that sits better.
- Eat a second sweet potato in the morning. The first one worked pretty well, but given that this race needs solid food anyway, a second one can't hurt.
- Pack less but vary more. Specifically, I'd pack fewer GUs, but I'd separate them by taste (e.g., sweet vs bitter) and pack more forms of fuel (e.g., Tailwind, chews, etc.). In this race, taste was the name of the game because it determined what I could force down. Having a great variety of flavor and form means I'm ready no matter where I end up.
- Lean more on Liquid fuel. Liquid fuel (e.g., Tailwind, etc.) was one of the few things I was able to get down easily. Next time, I'd bring extra Tailwind with me on the lap, so that when I refilled my bottle I'd also refill my fuel.
- Streamline the checklists. The checklist was great, both for my own sanity and for the crew. Leaning on it meant I had to think less, which towards the end of the race was critical. That being said, some of the questions on there just weren't necessary. For example, I was peeing constantly, so continuing to ask about it was pointless. Too many questions wastes time at the handoff point, so next time I'd work harder to find the right balance of questions.
- Make a separate sheet with lap goals. Having the earliest and latest lap times on the checklist worked well, but there's just not enough space there to list all the goals. Having a single sheet that the crew could refer to would make it easier to switch to the next goal instead of just the slowest goal.
Reflection
This race taught me a lot. Sure, I learned about what works and what doesn't during a race of this caliber, but it taught me more than that. It taught me how to ignore pain and push through. It taught me about the importance of preparation and training. And it taught me how to adapt to the situation at hand, especially when things get messy.
I also learned what it meant to rely on a team to be there for you and how great it can feel when that team delivers above and beyond your wildest hopes. It really does take a village, and I can say with utmost confidence that this is the first group project I've been on where every single member was a winner. Every pacer was exactly what I needed and more. My crew went above and beyond, coming up with creative solutions under serious time pressure. I dare say I'm not sure if a better team has ever existed; I can only hope I made them proud to be part of my team.
CC and I at the start/finish line on Friday. We were able to set up and stage anything that wasn't food the day before, so we got our canopy, lights, chairs, etc. all ready to go
There is no way I'd be here without the encouragement, support, and expertise from CC. Even during the race, when I knew he was hurting, he always had a smile. That determination in the face of pain helped me fight through some of my own darker moments; perhaps one day I can return the favor. If you're interested in how his race went, he's made a blog post of his own.
When I think about the past few years, I can't help but remember how scared I was in 2022 to sign up for my first half marathon. I'd never have imagined that just three years later I'd be writing about how I'd just finished my first 100 mile race, much less about how much fun I had. Who knows what I'll be writing about three years from now?
The note that CC left on my desk following the race. It's hard to explain how much this means to me, but what I can say is that I'm keeping this on my desk for as long as it'll stick
Thank you for taking the time to read this; I hope you had as much fun reading it as I had writing it. Don't go too far though, because next year's race is less than a year away! Sorry Mom, I can't help it.