Day 4,352—Today’s Run, and Part IV of the Thunder Kiss 100—

 

   I slept in by accident and started my day working on my running video. I am surprised by how much I was able to get done. This might be the first time I finished the video before writing about the race. I still have a lot more to do, but I finished editing most of the video, which is usually the most time-consuming part. When I made it through going through stuff for a 3rd time. I was happy with the length and ready to start my run.

        I originally didn’t want to run more than 10-12 miles, but the route I took forced me to run 16, which was fine. I was feeling amazing considering, and I like being able to do more miles now, so I won’t have to do as many over the weekend, but I got so dehydrated on this run. I thought, because today was the first day of spring, that there was a good chance that the water fountains would be turned on today. I wasn’t basing that on anything; it just seemed logical to me, so making it all the way to the first water fountain on the trail put me at almost 8 miles, which was a lot to do without any water, and now with no water there and because I didn’t bring my credit card, I was going to have to make it another 5 miles until I hit Grant’s historical site that has an indoor water fountain.

        For most of it, I was fine, but in the last two miles, I started feeling it. Once I filled up with water, I thought the worst was over, but I struggled on the last 3 miles back to my house. I walked the hills and had to stop again for water, so it wasn't an easy day, but I am still happy I was able to do it so soon after the race.

Thunder Kiss 100 Part IV

Time of Day: 4:04 p.m.

Miles 40-60

Temperature: 70-50s

        This lap would mark the most difficult part of the race. It was still hot, and the impact of running 40 miles on your feet was starting to take a toll. I was happy that it would be dark at some point during this loop, but I was worried about making it to my headlamp in time. I was also starting to worry about my pace. I was going to hit 50 miles soon, and I wasn’t sure if I would make it in under 12 hours. Even at the Shippey, I ran the first 50 miles in under 12 hours. Even realizing that made me feel like this race still had the potential to be between 28 and 30 hours.

        I noticed my stomach was growling, but I didn’t like a lot of what was on offer, so I knew I needed to keep snacking. I brought a bar and some chips. I was surprised by how little I got into my Oreos, but sweets just didn’t sound good to me, so I would graze on potato chips. There were still plenty of cut-up peanut butter sandwiches, but the bread had started to dry out.

        So far, my lack of food hadn’t hurt me. I was starting to overheat and slightly dehydrated, but I knew the sun would be down soon, and before then, it would start feeling cooler. It was consistently cooler on the other side of the hill we climbed, so once you finish the first leg, you get a nice downhill and cooler weather. Once I got there, I was taking advantage of the long stretches of flat. It is also where you can see who is in front of you, since it is an out-and-back, so I saw a few people. I wasn’t sure who was in the lead in the 100 miles, but I wasn’t thinking about it. At the aid station, the worker asked if we wanted to know where we were. I said no because I was sure it had to be mid-pack at best, but Travis suggested we were in 3rd and 4th, and the worker confirmed it. That truly shocked me. I felt like I was holding back most of the race, and then the past loop and a half had been legitimately tough, and I was just trying to hold on until the sun went down.

        The last section took forever, like it did each time. This one, I focused on how long each of the different types of terrain you encounter lasts. The first mile wasn’t that bad, and the last mile was mostly flat and then downhill, so I tried to pay attention to those sections so I wouldn’t throw myself too hard at the more difficult sections. I beat Travis back, but not by far. He told me he thought he was done, and I tried to clarify. He said he was at least going to take a nap and then go from there. I was worried he was going to call it, but I needed to go back out there, and he said he'd try. 

Lap 3

Lap Time: 6:06:36

Total Time: 15:10:48

Time of Day: 10:10 p.m. 

Miles: 60

Lap Pace: 18 minutes and 20 seconds

Race Pace: 15 minutes and 11 seconds