100 Days to 100 Miles
We have reached a significant mile post for all who intend to run the HURT 100. 100 possible training days remain. If your schedule has not allowed you time to do significant distance and rigor training then it is high time to make the commitment to the distance. If you have run the 100 miler before you know what you face and how you will train. If you have only run the 100K then you need to start asking yourself what it was that has defeated you in the past and to devise a plan to deal with this in the coming race. Then you need to commit to the hardship of the training and begin to suffer through the routines that will make you successful this year. Finally, if you have never run or completed the 100K you must begin to run the course under all kinds of conditions and to begin to understand what it is that you have gotten yourself into. For the new participant it is a major point of verifying real commitment to the demands of race preparation.
As of tomorrow the race is no longer some distance possibility. The race is very very close. The Holidays witll eat up time, the bad weather of the season will eat up training days, the need to work, and the inevitable cold or flu will also push into your schedule. With all this in the future we probably don’t have much more than 10 good weeks of practice ahead of us, and, at best, most of us will only be looking at 5 to 7 long runs before the start.
This year is different. There are a lot of people wanting to run the race who are on the wait list. All accepted runners need to examine their plans to run the race, to judge their honest commitment, and, if it becomes evident that you can not meet the necessary training demands, to withdraw so that others can make a real attempt in your place.
This weeks 12 hour is a great opportunity to test your stamina and willingness to get dirty and slimy. It is going to be a hard nasty final few hours and a great time to understand gear and mental problems that come when you have gone some distance and are under stress. Newer runners should not miss this opportunity to suffer.
In the coming weeks we will be doing those endless Paradise-Nuuanu repeats. Going all day though the endless reps of these nasty hills is perfect for training and understanding. Even better try doing these ditties late at night when the siftings and the scurryings can set one on edge.
Good luck to everyone and train hard. Mike Muench