Haunted By An Idea
A couple of years ago, I saw an ad in Marathon and Beyond magazine for the Somerville Road Runners' Around the Lake 24-hour race. The idea of going for 24 hours straight intrigues me. I'm a decent walker and the prospect of potentially averaging a tad over 4 mph for a full day and covering 100 miles is magical.
I have no idea how my participation at Boston a tad under two weeks ago will impact this, but I've done some reading and talking to some ultra guys I know. I hope I've done adequate homework to get me through. The thing that worries me the most is the middle of the night, when the wolves will howl, the big cats prowl, and the mind is known to play tricks. (OK, this will be in central New Jersey, so I'm overdramatizing...the dogs will bark, the drunks will cuss, but the mind will still play tricks.)
I think the distance record at this event is a double marathon (about 52.5 miles) set last year (2005). I've mentioned this to several of my friends, and may have told someone whose actions may well keep me from grabbing off that mark for a year or two. I won't go into details, but will say that if this friend of my friend shows, he's a man who's tough and may, even at his advanced age (early 70's, I think), set a mark that would be very tough to beat. Of course, having him there would also be a great boon. Having someone to chase always helps my performance.
So, on Friday afternoon, at 4:00PM, I should begin to walk in this event. If my body holds up, I'll stop 24 hours later and tally my performance. I'm sure I'll be exhausted, but I'm hopeful that my preparation for the Boston Marathon and my forays into racewalking will pay dividends and I'll post a mark that I'll feel good about.
I have no idea how my participation at Boston a tad under two weeks ago will impact this, but I've done some reading and talking to some ultra guys I know. I hope I've done adequate homework to get me through. The thing that worries me the most is the middle of the night, when the wolves will howl, the big cats prowl, and the mind is known to play tricks. (OK, this will be in central New Jersey, so I'm overdramatizing...the dogs will bark, the drunks will cuss, but the mind will still play tricks.)
I think the distance record at this event is a double marathon (about 52.5 miles) set last year (2005). I've mentioned this to several of my friends, and may have told someone whose actions may well keep me from grabbing off that mark for a year or two. I won't go into details, but will say that if this friend of my friend shows, he's a man who's tough and may, even at his advanced age (early 70's, I think), set a mark that would be very tough to beat. Of course, having him there would also be a great boon. Having someone to chase always helps my performance.
So, on Friday afternoon, at 4:00PM, I should begin to walk in this event. If my body holds up, I'll stop 24 hours later and tally my performance. I'm sure I'll be exhausted, but I'm hopeful that my preparation for the Boston Marathon and my forays into racewalking will pay dividends and I'll post a mark that I'll feel good about.
posted by Scooter at 10:49 AM
3 Comments:
Go for it!!! I think the US record is about 165 miles,just to give you
someting to shoot for!!!
Kiding aside I think this is great.
Listen to your body and you will be fine. But be warned it's not easy to keep moving for much over 8-9 hours no matter what the pace. A hundred miles is a very very lofty goal and will not be easy to obtain. Good luck, best wishes and be sure to keep well hydrated.
Tom H.
Sounds like a lofty goal. I bet it would be a lot of fun. Especially with someone you know there.
Having done a 100K before, I can tell you that pace is EVERYTHING.
I think you might find it easier to do a slow dog-trot of about twelve minutes per mile, and alternate that with periods of walking.
Just a thought.
And there is nothing better than having a supply of soft-boiled potatoes for fuel.
Also, I crave a little protein after eight hours and often chew on a bit of jerky, which lots of people swear by.
And you'll have stages where you crave something salty like pretzels.
Events like these are great fun and attract some real characters and interesting people.
I wish I was there!
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