100 Mile Failure - Lessons Learned

So, before putting this event behind me, stuff that worked and stuff that didn't.

Training:
I don't think I'd change much here.  The volume felt suitable and most of the terrain types fitted well for the event.  Big chunks of running offroad, practised walking of hills, pack on the back for the longer training efforts, shorter faster bits once or twice a week.  I'd maybe try and push those shorter, faster runs a little harder as I was generally holding back with the next days of long mileage in the back of my mind.  I'd probably throw in a few more races of varying distances, and actually race some of them rather than taking each of them at just a training pace.  The training had become a little boring by the end of the it and I felt I was spending as much time keeping on top of washing as I was advancing my ability to run long.  I would stick with the lose plan of two heavy weeks with a step back week to seperate into the next two heavy weeks which helped to keep my legs relatively fresh.  Fresh is subjective.  The big difference that would need to be made is to get more rest so that there is some excitement for the even, and possibly a little energy.

Kit:
Shoes: Salomon Speedcross 3.  So I've never exactly been in love with these shoes but they have always done the job.  They fit like a built up road shoe and their lugs deal with most mud.  Like most shoes I've tried, they're like ice skates when it comes to wet rock but so be it.  In this event, they didn't really provide the service I was looking for.  Having my feet move around during the first steep descent which then caused to insoles to bunch was not good mentally at such an early stage.  I think I know what has caused this.  I suspect the use of some thick SealSkinz socks for a couple of walks has probably stretched the upper.  I did manage to keep them in reasonable order for the rest of my shortened run, but with the vast amount of cold water that had soaked into the shoe from the start, there were warm spots about the base of the heel and some soreness on the achillles where the rear of the shoe had rubbed.  I'm not blaming the model of shoe for any of this as they have been solid, I'll probably pick up another pair as spares and relegate these to pseudo-walking shoes.  For running where serious lugs are required, I'll make sure to keep my Fellcross 2s to hand.  Lovely shoes.

Gaiters: Salomon Low Trail Gaiters.  Mixed bag.  They probably prevented me having to dive into an early bog to find my left shoe but did rub a little.  For their main purpose of keeping as much rubbish out of the shoe as possible, spot on.  I might investigate some other styles of gaiter but these were fine.

Pack: Inov-8 Race Pro 1 with Nathan 2 litre vertical bladder.  Again, another bit of equipment I've never really loved, but we have come to an rrangement.  I struggled with the drink tube for the horizontal bladder and found that I was just avoiding drinking during runs.  That didn't seem like the way forward.  As a hydration system this now works for me, but it does cause me some chaffing, across my back, nothing particularly painful but I'd prefer it were not the case, and in this most recent of events it seems to have caused some more major wounds across my lower back probably due to the additional weight in the pack.  I'll continue to use it going forward but I'd like to fall in love with a pack some day, preferably with some reasonable storage access at the front.

Jacket: Inov8 Race Elite 150.  It was fine but didn't keep me dry.  There was a cold drizzle off and on with the rain getting heavier from time to time so the hood came up and down repeatedly so rain worked its way into the layers when the hood was down, and sweat built up easily when the hood was up and any effort was put in.  For shorter runs, or to pass a kit check while taking up the minimum weight and space, great smock, but for something longer I probably need to look at something else.  Certainly something breathable.  Probably one of the many other jackets that I have which I've avoided using for races due to how much I like them not to stink of my stale sweat...

Socks: Injinji Run 2.0.  No complaints at all.  They protected my feet from any real damage during six hours of excessive movement in cold and saturated shoes.  I sometimes feel they're a little thick and it takes away some of the feel of the terrain, but they were pretty perfect for this.  I guess there was the option of waterproof socks (with or without a liner), but although I am happy to use them while walking, I can't see me using them for running.  And besides, I don't think they would help much when your knee is getting wet by ground water.

Underwear: Rab MeCo 120 Boxer. They tend to keep chaffing to a minmum. They wick. They dry easily. Hard to get excited about them until I recall some of the issues I used to have with cotton or polyester while getting sweaty during ultras.

Shorts: Salomon Trail Long Running Tights.  Functioned well.  Kept me reasonably warm even when soaked through except when I stayed at a full stop a little too long at the third checkpoint. Still prefer these over my UnderArmour ColdGear Tights which do well for warmth in the dry but sag like buggery when they get wet and can easily get too warm.

Headtorch: Petzel Tikka-RXP.  No idea how this would have coped in the race and I'm frankly grateful to have avoided that section of the event.  One of the more special moments of my pre-race prep was realising that the newly purchased torch didn't take AAA batteries but instead used a Petzl specific unit.  Expedited next day delivery for a new battery it is then.

100 Mile Failure

So, while it is fresh in the memory.

After training for the LDWA Valleys 100 for more than five months, I stepped out of the event after 26 miles, just a quarter of the way through,  or after half of a regular Sunday morning training run which is how I am currently viewing it. I have no regrets about giving up (can't think of a more accurate turn of phrase) at such an early stage, which after such a spectacular failure, I find interesting. Where to start with the review? Maybe it would be best to work backward.

It is the day after my event finished.  I have slept well and eaten well,  however I remain tired and my eyes are struggling to stay open. My usual post race concern of dehydration is under control.  There are minor sores on my heels and waistband chaffing has caused a number of unattractive wounds on my back. Talking of which, both my back and neck are tight and ache pretty badly, as do my quads. Basically the sort of charge list that would expect after pushing a 50 miler without a proper taper, not half that distance with a taper suitable for the 100 miles that I was planning to tackle. So the event itself...

I dropped from the event at checkpoint 3. I had walked in and performed all the right tasks. I had swapped out my technical shirt, eaten and drank, chatted to a few volunteers, moved my night kit to the easier access pockets I even checked that each of the torches were still functioning correctly. I then wandered out of the village hall without any thoughts of not continuing, yet 100 metres down the road, I paused, turned around and handed my race card into the first official with a smile.  From his reaction, it wasn't the way that most people hacked jacked it, and my card was added to an already growing pile. My back, but particularly my neck, was sore and stiff and I was not relishing 8 hours with a head torch altering every stride, but there was more than that. I had been pretty beaten up by the event, and although a finish was still very doable,  this wasn't going to present the type of challenge I had in mind for the event. There was going to be a death march of a longer distance than I had in mind. I was definitely here for a running race and that was going to be intermittent at best.  So that I don't sound too naive here, I was never planning on 15 minute miling from start to finish to nail a sub 24 hour finish, I had in mind to walk most hills from the very start, jogging flats and downhills, taking technical descents with whatever pace best mixed effort and safety.  There would be walking when tiredness dictated, when lack of light required slower path choices, of course,  as well as the munching of calories,  but I had underestimated the course completely. Actually, probably not the course itself, but certainly the conditions underfoot. After 3 miles I had already plunged into a bog up to my knees and strained a selection of muscles to escape without losing my shoe (my gaiters earned their purchase right there). At the 6 mile mark, I had to remove my shoes as the insoles had bunched horribly during a steep descent.  The intermittent heavy rain was expected, but a lack of proper pre-race lubrication was causing rubbing in a number of places from an early stage.

And in the lead up to the event,  most things went well. The training went well, some tough technical stuff, heavy mileage weeks with step back recovery weeks. The only downside of the training was that I definitely fell out of love with running from time to time and putting on the shoes became a chore without obvious gain. Even after the poor showing at the race, I don't think I would change the training much, just to try and keep it slightly more fun. What I do need to fix next time is sleep, particularly in the lead up to an event. The negatives of tipping up to the start line of your big and scary event when your eyes are sore with tiredness cannot be overstated. Having your head hung from the beginning and not enjoying a step of the event is just not the way to go.

I learned plenty. I want to run 100 miles,so I need to choose an event where that is the target audience, not an event that is challenging for walkers to even complete. But not a canal run. I love hills and I will need something to keep me interested in the 30 to 70 mile section. I will start looking into it shortly, but at least I have the Ridgeway Challenge coming up soon which ticks those boxes. I also learned about a number of things which worked well on the day, or didn't, but I shall follow up on that next time, once I have started to catch up on this lacking sleep...