No pacer, no problem: Indiana Trail 100, 2018

Preface

IT100 has always been special for me.  It was my first 100M attempt and finish in 2013.  I had DNF there in 2015, and paced 2016 and 2017.  When the opportunity to run it this year fell into my lap, it wasn't even a decision to run it or not.  I decided to run it without crew or pacer this year.  Crew is simply not necessary at this race; the volunteers are the best, and there were four Aid Stations (AS) on the course.  Counting the main AS at the Start/Finish, that's five per loop.

Deciding to run without a pacer wasn't that difficult either.  Not that I'm some super experienced 100M runner, but I do have a handful of finishes, and a few DNFs.  I figured that this was the race to do it at due to the number of AS.

As always, notes on my training and lessons learned can be found at the end of this report.

A Bit About the Race

From 2013 - 2016, the race was 6 loops of 16 2/3 miles per loop.  Last year the course was changed to a 20 mile loop, and 50M and 100km distances were added.  In its current iteration, the course offers approximately 8,340 feet of gain for the 100 miles.  There are AS at miles 3, 7.5, 12.1, and 17.5 on the course.

It's mostly rolling hills, with a few larger climbs.  This year the race was moved from April to October, so I can now say that I ran the first IT ever, and the first one in October.

Prerace

I rode down to Indiana from my home state of MI on Friday with my ever present running partner, Kurt.  Kurt would be volunteering at the 3 mile AS, named South Park, the entirety of the race.  He would be the AS captain Saturday night until the AS closed Sunday morning.

We arrived at Chain O' Lakes State Park at 3:45 pm.  I got registered, got my picture taken, and said hello to the Race Director (RD) Mike Pfefferkorn.  We've known Mike since the inaugural race in 2013.  Since then, I've seen him at a couple of races outside of IT as well.

Kurt and I then went to check into our cabin, located in the park.  At 41, I feel that I've earned a bed before a race (as opposed to sleeping on the ground, camping style).

Also staying in our cabing was the timer for the event, Mike Melton.  He does the timing for events like Across the Years and the Big Dog Backyard Ultra.  Anyone that's been on the Ultra List has at least heard that name before.  I was pretty excited to meet Mike, who was a minor celebrity to me.   

We attended the pre-race, RD announcements more for something to do than anything else.  I had run this race when the course was underwater, and when the course was covered with shoe-sucking mud.  I knew what to expect.  The forecast for Saturday was sunny, a high in the 50s (F), and a low in the 30s.  Most importantly, no rain was forecast.

It did rain Friday evening, but not hard.

Go Time - Loop 1

The 50M started at 5:55am, and the 100k and 100M runners started at 6.  Kurt and I got to the main tent around 5am, and I sat in there to keep warm until the start.  I was wearing my trusty Altra Lone Peaks, tights, shorts,  short sleeved and long sleeved tech shirts, and my rain coat.  I also had on a bandana, which I always wear, a Buff, and my running hat.  The hat was there because I have to have it when wearing a head lamp.  I hate the way a head lamp feels on my head, and the hat mitigates that.  I had meant to bring a watch so I would know the time, but I had forgotten it at home.  I had one hand-held bottle.

When the announcement was made that the 50M would be starting, I headed out to the start corral.

After the 50M had left, I chose a spot in the middle of the remaining runners.  I had been used to the first couple of miles being single track, and didn't want to be at the end of the congo line that always results because of that.  Apparently I had forgotten that there really isn't much single track on the course, maybe 3-5 miles per loop, and that was not in the first five.  I was able to run along with everyone on the broad trail.

We came to a short, somewhat steep hill that was very slick with mud.  Halfway up, I slipped and went down to a knee.  It took a couple of tries to get back up because it was so slippery.

I cruised along solo until after the sun rose, at which time I came upon three runners running together.  The two guys were going for their first 100, and the woman was going for her second.  As is the case with most first time 100M runners I've talked to, the guys were shooting for a sub 24 hour finish.  I knew that running my own race was vital, due to a DNF at Yankee Springs quad marathon in 2016.  I realized that the pace at which I was running this loop was too fast for my goal.  But I felt good, so I ran with them.  I also knew that I would pay for that pace Saturday night.

I told them as we were nearing the end of this loop that we were right on pace for their goal, and that if they were going to continue to strive to that end, they would have to leave me sooner rather than later.

We finished that loop in ~4:05.

Loop 2

I had learned from my success at Hennepin last year that getting in and out of the AS as quickly as possible was key.  There would be 23 AS available during the race.  If one spent only five minutes at each one, that was nearly two hours of extra time.  

So I ducked into the AS, dropped my coat off, and went back out on the course, while the other three that I had been running with did not.

The pace of the first loop was already taking its toll.  Well, that and the fact that only 5.2% of my training was done on the trail.  My quads were pretty tight from the downhills.  Other than that, I still felt great.

At some point on this loop, I ended up taking off my shirts and tucking them into the back waistband of my tights.  My rule of thumb is that if it's over 50 degrees, I run shirtless.  I had also put my hat and buff into one of my pockets.

I met back up with two of them about halfway through this loop.  One of the guys had decided to go for sub 24, while the other one had changed his goal to just finishing.  I had to use the porta-john quickly, and then waited for them before we continued on.

We finished this loop in ~5:07

Loop 3

My quads now felt like someone had filleted pieces out of them.  It wasn't agonizing, but it was extremely uncomfortable.  Another rule of thumb I have is that if it's uncomfortable to walk, and it's uncomfortable to run, then I might as well run.  I was still able to walk very quickly due to my training for Hennepin when I trained specifically for that.  I read a race report where a runner described it as a Jason Voorheis walk, and that's how I've thought of it ever since.

So we ran when we could through the first half of this loop.  At some point the other two pulled ahead for a couple of miles.  I later passed them with the Voorheis walk, and never saw them again.  I found out later that they had both dropped.

The sun set while I was out on this loop.  I have a wonderful hand held, rechargable flashlight that my wife bought me, so I busted that out.

I was having fun with the volunteers who kept saying, "Andrew, you still don't have a shirt on!"  To which I replied, "I'm not cold yet!"  One time, my addled brain came up with, "I'm not hot yet!"  and they said, "You're not hot yet?"  I laughingly said, "I'm not hot yet, or I'm not cold yet, or whatever."

At the end of this loop, I stopped at the main AS to grab my mp3 players and change into my Altra Olympus.  

I felt like a new man!

I finished it around 5:40

Loop 4

With my music playing, and the shoe change, I ran the majority of the first three miles of this loop to the first AS.  I stopped there and sat down to talk to Kurt, and just have some company for a few minutes.  I knew not to stay too long, so after a cup of soup, I was on my way.

The time had come for me to pay the price for that first loop.  I continued to pay the toll until the sun rose Sunday morning.

The only running that I did on this loop was in those first three miles.  I stopped and sat at the 7.5 and 17.5 AS to enjoy some company, a cup of coffee, and a cup of soup.  I did not stop at the 12.1 AS because it was too hot in that tent.  I didn't want to sit down in there, because I knew how difficult it would be to get up again.  The AS I stopped at were small affairs, and the tents only had three sides so I was able to get a little warm, but was still exposed to the air outside.

Not having a pacer at night kind of sucked.

There was a guy that I would pass while walking, who would then catch up and pass me while I was sitting there.

I had put my shirts on after I left Kurt's AS, but it was getting a bit chilly.  I was losing my fine motor skills.  For about 20 miles now, I had only been eating Cliff bars I grabbed from AS.  I would grab a couple and put them into my pockets.  With my hands being occupied with a bottle and a flashlight, I was having increasing difficulty digging one out and opening it.

Shortly after leaving the 12.1 AS, I noticed some grit in one my shoes.  It's imperative to take care of problems as soon as possible, and mitigate the consequences.  I knew I would have to take that shoe and sock off, clean my foot, and reapply the 2 Toms lubricant to that foot.  I was hoping to make it to the AS at 17.5.

I could not.  I found a very large log on the side of the trail, stopped, and took care of my foot.  I cleaned it off as best I could with my buff, turned my sock out and shook it, and reapplied the 2 Toms.

A runner with his pacer and the guy that I had been leap frogging passed me while I was doing that, and both inquired if I was ok.

That's the amazing thing about ultras: the people are so kind.  They sounded genuinely concerned for my well being.

I assured them that I was fine, just doing some necessary foot work, and they continued on.

It took me over 7 hours for this loop.  I don't have the exact loop splits.

One of the gentleman that shared a cabin with us was volunteering at the main AS when I pulled in after this loop.  I told him, "I really don't want to do another loop".  He suggested that I sit down and rest for a few minutes.  I told him, "If I sit down here, I might not get up again".  So I went back out for loop 5.

Loop 5

I had the sunrise to look forward to on this loop.  Because I only do one 100 per year, and I finished Hennepin 2017 in the dark, it had been over two years since I had experienced that.  However, I still had about 4-5 hours before that happened.

This loop started much the same as loop 4: I ran about 2/3 of the way to the 3 mile AS.  I had been using my flashlight for ~8 hours now, and it was totally messing with my depth perception.  I couldn't see small divots in the trail, which caused my foot to come down realy hard, which jarred my lower back.  I couldn't see small mounds in the trail, which caused me to kick them and stumble.

When I finally reached the 3 mile AS, I asked Kurt if he had a headlamp I could use.  Mine was almost out of batteries.  He fished one out of his running box for me.  Another gentleman gave me 3 spare batteries as well.

I told Kurt what I had been doing, spending 5 minutes at the two AS just for company.  He said, "You want me to pace you the rest of the way?"  I immediately replied, "No way.  Then I can't say that I did it by myself."
I remember once on this loop I pulled over to the side of the trail to pee.  I had my handheld tucked in my armpit and proceeded to relieve myself.  I must have fallen asleep for a few seconds, because I 'came to', noticing that I had been standing there, drooling on the ground.

I passed the guy I had been leap frogging on the way to the 7.5 AS, where we repeated what we had been doing.  I sat and enjoyed some coffee, soup, and company, he showed up, got some soup, and ate it while continuing on the loop.

I caught him again after a mile or two, but instead of passing him, I slowed down and struck up a conversation.  I suggested that we finish the race together, and he agreed.

I only know his name from the race results, but we talked about our careers (we're both in software development), our families (we both have three children, girl, boy, girl), and many other things.  This was his first 100M attempt, and would be his first finish.  I admired his grit and determination.

The longest stretch between AS is the 5.4 miles on the back of the loop.  In the dark, that was a long 5.4 miles.  The good thing is that, once you reach that AS at 17.5, you only have 2.7 miles to go until the end of the loop.

The sun rose in that stretch, and provided quite a lift to our spirits.

When we finally hit that last AS, the volunteers told us that they had some egg and cheese burritos.  After eating the same pb&j, turkey and cheese sandiches, and cheese quesadillas for over 90 miles, those burritos were so delicious.  We each enjoyed one, and then proceeded on to cover the last 2.7 miles to the finish.

Our quads were so beat up from the downhills at this point that every time we came to one, we cringed a bit.  The back eight miles of the course was the most hilly, so we did this more than a few times.

The end of the loop dumps you out on a road about .5 miles from the finish.  You run along the road, through a paking lot, up a hill, then down the hill to the finish.  We were super happy to see that road.  

When we reached the top of the hill, he said, "I'll let you go first."  I was confused until I realized he meant to the finish.  I just assumed we'd cross the mat together.  I told him, "This is way more of a big deal to you than it is to me, you go ahead."

I then watched him cross the mat before I hobbled/ran the hill to the finish.

I hugged one of the volunteers that's been volunteering since 2013, and Mike presented me with my buckle.

Kurt was right there, so we made our way to the main tent.  I sat down in a chair for a minute, he grabbed my tub of gear, and we went to his car.

Final time: 28:08.

Top is this years buckle.  Bottom is 2013's buckle

Postlude

Running 100 miles is never easy.  Having a pacer to keep you company, especially at night, can be very psychologically, but it's not necessary.  I'm glad I now know that I'm able to complete the distance without a pacer.  It's all about just doing what has to be done, and putting one foot in front of the other.

Lessons Learned

I suppose the biggest thing that I learned at this race is that I paid a far greater price for that first loop than I expected.  Run your own race.  As I mentioned, I already knew that, but this race defininitely reinforced it.
I learned that I din't necessarily need trail miles, in training, to finish a trail race.  But those trail miles sure would have been beneficial.
I learned that I'm very in tune with my body.  My urine was clear and colorless for the duration of the event, which means that I was staying very well hydrated.  My stomach never felt sloshy, which meant that I wasn't over-hydrating.  I alternated water and tailwind (available at the AS) in my bottle.  When my lips started feeling chapped, or if I had something salty to eat at an AS, I had water in my bottle.  This was to avoid having too much salt in my system.

I also learned that as long as I'm determined to finish, and I'm not broken or bleeding out, I can finish.

Training

After Hennepin and the World's Longest Turkey Trot, I took at least two-three months off.  I still ran a couple times each of those months.  I gained 25 pounds from my Henneping race weight, and was 10 pounds heavier than what I like to be.  That's where I was in June.  

I knew that I needed a month to just get into shape for my trainig, so that's what I did in June.

My training followed what I've always done: two cycles of four weeks, each week building on the previous one, with the fourth week at the same mileage of the first week.  The last cycle is three weeks long, and is followed by a four week taper.  The first week's mileage is 75% of the average of the previous 11 weeks, followed by weeks at 50% and 25%.  My last run is done seven days before the event.

Above spreadsheet also available as a stand alone page here

My average weekly mileage, pre taper, was 52.83.  Every Monday, including taper weeks, I went to the gym to strengthen my core.  I do upper and lower abs, and lower back.  I would also walk a 14 minute or quicker mile on the treadmill while I was there.
My longest run was 35 miles, which was pacing a friend at Hallucination 100.  My shortest long run was 20 miles, which was the first week of training.
This was by far the fewest number of miles I've ever done in training for an event, but it served me very well.
In addition to that, I stood while at work for the first five hours of the day.  I did this every week except for the week preceeding the race.  That week I stood for the first two hours.  That is a total of 333 hours of standing over 14 weeks.  All of that time on my feet did help.