run willow run

16:41:33 2 hours 10 minutes than last year. faster 100 miler in an official race. 2nd fastest 100 mile effort ever, fastest effort since 2021. 4th place (some other faster runners).

this was the sort of result i feel i’ve been capable of but fallen short of in my finishes since april 2024, all of which were 2 to 6 hours slower than this one.

many things went right. some things went wrong. and i feel there is room for improvement, making me excited to work towards getting under 16 hours in a future race.

probably the biggest shift accounting for my success was freeing myself from the idea of needing lots of calories to do well. i trickled in about 70 to 100 calories an hour, mainly using UCAN gels (designed for hypoglycemic children and then used for athletes who want to avoid blood sugar spikes and falls), with occasional unsweetened cold brew coffee and unsweetened soy milk, and some fruit (which i maybe didn’t need). i think some of my slower times in the past year are a result of me trying to follow the high calorie trend: i’ve had various inconclusive tests but have a theory that my liver pumps out glycogen when i need it, my body runs well on fat, and that all those extra calories from gels and drinks are a burden that slowed me down. i may try going even lighter on my next race (which also means less to carry).

the weather also helped; it was a dreary drizzle the entire day; crummy weather for seeing views but excellent for a 100 mile race; the drizzle was light enough i didn’t the chafing or shivers you might get in a sustained heavy downpour; i was running hot most of the day.

the drizzle did make me make a last minute switch to slightly heavier shamma sandals: the maximus; and i was cold while warming up, so i wore xoskin toe socks all day.

people following my strava might have seen i seemed to be injured leading up to the race; i definitely had a niggle in my right foot that rik heinz the chiropractor was able to free up in two sessions; i, who love to blame my ills on things other than running, think this was caused by restaurant shoes being too narrow, and perhaps by my sleeping position. in any event, my body feels great now as i train for my next 100 miler in september.