Well I guess it’s fitting that my 100th post is about my 100 mile run earlier this year in January. I previously wrote about my DNF at Ancient Oaks, pulling out in second place after 62 miles because I had fallen so many times on what for me was a difficult trail. I’m a road runner and only get to hit the trails about 5 times a year as I don’t pick my fit up high enough, it’s not the tree roots or rough sections cut up by the wild hogs, it’s the little rocks or roots that catch me out. It took me about a week to decide that I wasn’t done with 100’s and that I would enter the Long Haul 100 in just 3 weeks. Sure I wouldn’t lose my fitness in that time but would my body recover enough from this hard run and with all the eating and drinking associated with the holiday period. I guess there’s only one way to find out and I signed up.
I made one trip to the race location with my running buddy Ray to check out the course as it was slightly different from last year, and I needed a little confidence boost that it was going to be easier and I wouldn’t fall as often. It’s a 1 mile run in from the parking lot followed by 10 loops of a 3 leg layout returning to the hub after each smaller out and back. The first section starts on a hard pack dirt path and then out onto the grass, about 3.5 miles round trip and the easiest part of the course. Next is the longest leg, around 5 miles with a ¼ mile on tarmac before entering into the woods, along the Hall of Pines, out to the aid station and then back. This is the prettiest section and only contains a couple of areas where the footing is uneven due to the hogs and a small section with several hidden roots. The last section just less than 2 miles took the runners into … (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)