Day 3,558 —Reflections on the Shippey 100 part 2—

6 a.m. The First Loop and a Half 

My dad recorded some video of me and a few of the other runners standing around a moment before the race started. There were only a few of us there; some people dropped to 100 K, and some didn’t make it. I didn’t know what to expect but I knew I had to at least try, and I was mostly feeling like parts of it were going to be hard at night, but ultimately the weather could still change, and at least at the time it wasn’t supposed to snow. 

During the first 20-mile lap, I ran with two other guys close. Brian, who was making his first attempt at a 100-mile distance had done an ultra over the summer and ran many marathons. He was worried about going out too fast. I was too but I was feeling good at the time. We finished the first 20 miles in a little under 4 hours. 

I took off my jacket because it was frozen, as was my water bladder. It kept freezing, and when I finally figured out how to put it under my shirt, it was just uncomfortable. I was drinking so much coconut water. Twice, my water bladder hose froze even when I changed from water to hydration powder. The aid workers were amazing and super helpful. I was also drinking so much potato soup that my wife made. 

It was incredible, and I don't think I would ever get tired of it. When Brian and I started the next lap, I wasn’t hungry; I was just always a little cold. I was surprised I had to change my clothes so soon, but I figured I was still holding up okay, and my feet still didn’t feel that cold. I was frustrated with the jacket I brought and not having anything on my face that was working. I was using my running buffs and trading them out, but they still kept freezing. I decided to wrap a hand warmer in the running buff and put it around my next. That worked really well and kept me feeling mostly comfortable even though I didn’t have anything covering my face. 

        It was great to talk to Brian, and we were pacing well together. I just liked that the time was going by so much faster compared to how it is when I am running on my own for hours at a time. I was doing what I planned to do. I wasn’t killing myself, and the next lap I slowed down. Partly to keep pace with Brian, but mostly because I didn’t want to go out too fast and expend too much energy during the day, knowing how difficult the night was going to be. 

It was still daytime, and after hitting that 50k distance, I was feeling amazing and that my training was really paying off. I was walking the hills, and I hadn’t fallen once.

Tomorrow, Part 3: We were Catching Our Second Wind