Sunday, October 27, 2019
Ultra 49: Woodstock Hallucination 100 Mile
On September 6-7 I ran in the Woodstock Hallucination 100 Mile race. I completed 75 miles before being timed out, good for a finish in the Happening 100K. It was my second longest run ever. This is my second post about it -- the first was somehow devoured by the internet. I imagine it survives in some dark corner of the net, probably on some NSA server.
On the morning of September 6th I drove to Hell, Michigan, and the race HQ at the Hell Creek Ranch. I'd reserved a campsite and and quickly set up my tent and made myself at home. Liz J., a fried of Julie's, dropped by -- she would be tackling the 100 mile for the fourth time, trying for her first 100 mile finish. We went to packet pickup together and discussed race strategy, which is mostly RFM -- relentless forward motion.
The race consists of six 16 2/3 mile laps on mostly forested trails over rolling hills. There's a 4:00 PM start, so runners are relatively fresh for the night portion. Pacers aren't really necessary, but I had lined up a very strong crew: former student Emma M., who has been a top finisher at the Woodstock 50K and 50 mile, Loretta H., a very strong 100 mile runner, and her mountain bike/triathlon husband Derek H. Pacers aren't allowed in the first two laps, but later on the company would be welcome. Julie, Chaos, and Loretta all arrived before the 4:00PM start to see me off.
The first lap, in daylight, went well, except that it was extremely humid. After 2 miles I was soaking wet and in need of a shirt change; something that would hold less water was in order. I finished my first lap just before dark, changed shirts, and took off. By now Emma and Derek had arrived.
The second lap, in the dark, was more comfortable, albeit slower. I ran with a guy who had done this two years previously and we talked as we ran. One thing I noticed was how quickly mushrooms were springing up along the way. He hadn't noticed, but once I pointed them out, he was astonished. They were everywhere on some stretches, and from lap to lap grew noticeably.
I started lap three between midnight and one AM, with Emma supporting. I commented on the mushrooms, and at first she seemed doubtful, but then she saw them. And then, maybe five miles into the lap, she pointed it out in the headlight beam -- a gnome! Someone had placed gnome figures along the trail; we saw maybe four of them. Running with Emma was great fun, we talked much of the time, about running, about economics, about life. Her support really helped.
When we finished the lap, 5:00 AM-ish Loretta took over. When we mentioned gnomes and mushrooms she looked at us as if "that's why they call it the Hallucination 100" was in her head. Little did she expect...
Loretta is a top 100 miler, and an excellent crew member. She was really good at pushing me without making me feel as if I was being pushed. I was now into my second 50 miles. We moved consistently, if slowly. She was surprised, though, when I pointed out mushrooms, and astonished at the sight of gnomes. One other thing she noted that I'd missed was that I wasn't eating or drinking much. The aid stations did not appeal, and I was running fairly empty. We encountered Carissa M., a student from my college, running her first ultra (the 50K) on the course, which was exciting. I finished this fourth lap still on track, but my margin for error was shrinking; there are time cutoffs and I was getting closer to them.
Derek paced me on my fifth lap. Now the run started getting to me. In retrospect I think a big part was calorie depletion and hydration. Derek got me through to the first aid station, mile 71, on pace. But after that I began dragging horribly. I had time, but over the next four miles I lost the pace. I fell behind, way below what had been my average pace. When I reached the mile 75 aid station, I realized that only by greatly accelerating, well beyond what had been my average pace, would I make the next time cutoff. I realized that wasn't possible, and said so.
Derek got Loretta on the phone, and they tried to convince me otherwise, but after calculating they agreed I was right. Knowing I had Le Grizz -- my most important race -- coming up in four weeks, I decided it was time to begin recovery. I'd had a great training run, a great adventure, I know 100 was out of reach, and it was time to stop. Loretta and Emma came with the car to pick us up, but before they even arrived I was thinking strategy for next year.
I'm sure I can get 100 miles at Woodstock. I need first of all to handle nutrition and hydration better. That alone might have been enough this time. I also need longer long runs, and to pick up the pace on my mid-length training runs.
Back at camp, Julie and Chaos were waiting. Liz had already dropped. The first thing I did was begin refueling (see photos), and besides beer I ate three half-pound hamburgers. (Had I eaten these during the run I'd likely be writing about my 100 mile finish right now!)
Feeling pretty good but being in no shape to do much of anything else, I showered, crawled into my tent, and slept. In the morning, after coffee with Liz and her family, I broke camp and headed home.
The Woodstock weekend includes at least a dozen trail races at distances varying from 5K to 100 miles. They are masterfully organized by Randy Step and his Running Fit crew. Greatly appreciated and highly recommended! I will be there next year!
Camp Steele
Me and Loretta, prior to race start
Home!
Loretta, Derek, me, Emma, post-race:
Rehydrating!
Man does not live by beer alone.
On the morning of September 6th I drove to Hell, Michigan, and the race HQ at the Hell Creek Ranch. I'd reserved a campsite and and quickly set up my tent and made myself at home. Liz J., a fried of Julie's, dropped by -- she would be tackling the 100 mile for the fourth time, trying for her first 100 mile finish. We went to packet pickup together and discussed race strategy, which is mostly RFM -- relentless forward motion.
The race consists of six 16 2/3 mile laps on mostly forested trails over rolling hills. There's a 4:00 PM start, so runners are relatively fresh for the night portion. Pacers aren't really necessary, but I had lined up a very strong crew: former student Emma M., who has been a top finisher at the Woodstock 50K and 50 mile, Loretta H., a very strong 100 mile runner, and her mountain bike/triathlon husband Derek H. Pacers aren't allowed in the first two laps, but later on the company would be welcome. Julie, Chaos, and Loretta all arrived before the 4:00PM start to see me off.
The first lap, in daylight, went well, except that it was extremely humid. After 2 miles I was soaking wet and in need of a shirt change; something that would hold less water was in order. I finished my first lap just before dark, changed shirts, and took off. By now Emma and Derek had arrived.
The second lap, in the dark, was more comfortable, albeit slower. I ran with a guy who had done this two years previously and we talked as we ran. One thing I noticed was how quickly mushrooms were springing up along the way. He hadn't noticed, but once I pointed them out, he was astonished. They were everywhere on some stretches, and from lap to lap grew noticeably.
I started lap three between midnight and one AM, with Emma supporting. I commented on the mushrooms, and at first she seemed doubtful, but then she saw them. And then, maybe five miles into the lap, she pointed it out in the headlight beam -- a gnome! Someone had placed gnome figures along the trail; we saw maybe four of them. Running with Emma was great fun, we talked much of the time, about running, about economics, about life. Her support really helped.
When we finished the lap, 5:00 AM-ish Loretta took over. When we mentioned gnomes and mushrooms she looked at us as if "that's why they call it the Hallucination 100" was in her head. Little did she expect...
Loretta is a top 100 miler, and an excellent crew member. She was really good at pushing me without making me feel as if I was being pushed. I was now into my second 50 miles. We moved consistently, if slowly. She was surprised, though, when I pointed out mushrooms, and astonished at the sight of gnomes. One other thing she noted that I'd missed was that I wasn't eating or drinking much. The aid stations did not appeal, and I was running fairly empty. We encountered Carissa M., a student from my college, running her first ultra (the 50K) on the course, which was exciting. I finished this fourth lap still on track, but my margin for error was shrinking; there are time cutoffs and I was getting closer to them.
Derek paced me on my fifth lap. Now the run started getting to me. In retrospect I think a big part was calorie depletion and hydration. Derek got me through to the first aid station, mile 71, on pace. But after that I began dragging horribly. I had time, but over the next four miles I lost the pace. I fell behind, way below what had been my average pace. When I reached the mile 75 aid station, I realized that only by greatly accelerating, well beyond what had been my average pace, would I make the next time cutoff. I realized that wasn't possible, and said so.
Derek got Loretta on the phone, and they tried to convince me otherwise, but after calculating they agreed I was right. Knowing I had Le Grizz -- my most important race -- coming up in four weeks, I decided it was time to begin recovery. I'd had a great training run, a great adventure, I know 100 was out of reach, and it was time to stop. Loretta and Emma came with the car to pick us up, but before they even arrived I was thinking strategy for next year.
I'm sure I can get 100 miles at Woodstock. I need first of all to handle nutrition and hydration better. That alone might have been enough this time. I also need longer long runs, and to pick up the pace on my mid-length training runs.
Back at camp, Julie and Chaos were waiting. Liz had already dropped. The first thing I did was begin refueling (see photos), and besides beer I ate three half-pound hamburgers. (Had I eaten these during the run I'd likely be writing about my 100 mile finish right now!)
Feeling pretty good but being in no shape to do much of anything else, I showered, crawled into my tent, and slept. In the morning, after coffee with Liz and her family, I broke camp and headed home.
The Woodstock weekend includes at least a dozen trail races at distances varying from 5K to 100 miles. They are masterfully organized by Randy Step and his Running Fit crew. Greatly appreciated and highly recommended! I will be there next year!
Camp Steele
Me and Loretta, prior to race start
Home!
Rehydrating!
Man does not live by beer alone.
