We leave this morning to drive up to the Blue Ridge for the Hellgate 100k run, which starts at 12:01am on Saturday morning.  Over the past week, as the race has gotten closer, I have been unable to think of much else.  I will obviously write a recap blog afterwards, but I thought it would be interesting to put my pre-race thoughts onto paper.  A few have risen to the surface over the last few days, and for ease of writing and reading, I’ve broken them out in bullet format:

– Training:  Since Richmond Marathon almost a month ago, my training has been a bit lower volume than I had planned.   I made a deliberate decision to favor knee recovery over training quality.  I’d rather be “over-tapered” than deal with an angry knee for 13-15 hours.  I’ve done more treadmill incline (easy on the knee) and less long runs.  Averaged about 40-50 miles a week, max was 56.   My one long run was the night after Thanksgiving, a midnight run of 22 miles in the state park with Pig, and the knee hurt the next day.  After that I said no more long runs until race day.   I feel good going in, and the knee feels good.

– Distance:  This will be the longest I’ve ever run.  The last time I could say that was prior to the JFK50 in 1999.  Everything past 50miles is new territory for me.  The race is 66.6 miles (100k is just a label, it’s well known to be 66.6)  so it’s a good bit past 50.   The consensus, though, is that this particular race feels much longer than it looks on paper, and the historical finishing times attest to that.  Since it’s inception in 2003, only 27 people have finished under 12 hours, and the course record is 10:45.
Honestly I’m not worried about the extra 16 miles….I’ve learned that adapting to a longer distance is as much about mental calibration as it is physical endurance and effort.   **This brings up a sidebar discussion which I’ll probably discuss in another post – but if you really want to throw a mental curveball at runners, introduce “unknown distance”  races.  I’ve never heard of one – a potential opportunity to start something new!

– Cold and midnight:  Two new variables will factor in this race that I haven’t dealt with prior: cold weather and the midnight start.
Cold just means it’ll be harder to strike the perfect balance with layering, and that I’ll have to deliberately drink water even though I won’t probably be thirsty.   It’s forecasted to be 20 deg at the start line, which is in the valley, so I expect it to be in the teens up in the mountains until the sun comes up 7 hrs in.   I think I have a good layer plan though…we’ll see.   I also grabbed a pair of YakTrax…rubber outsoles that attach to the bottom of your shoes designed for running on ice.  Not sure if I’ll need em, but I have em.
The midnight start throws off the normal “biorhythm” of running that most of us are used to.   As mentioned above, I did do one training run at midnight a few weeks back just to see what it felt like, and felt ok.  We will try to get a nap in the hours prior, but I anticipate that the pre-race anticipation may make sleeping hard.  Good coffee is definitely in order, but I don’t know what to expect with the GI tract….I have a pretty fine-tuned poo schedule based on a 5am wakeup, which isn’t going to help me for a midnight start.

– Goals:  This feeds a little bit into the next bullet, and I’ve meditated on it pretty extensively over the last week.  I do think it’s valuable and important to have a time in mind to shoot for, and based on historics and my performances this year, I’m looking to finish under 13 hours.  On average since 2010, a 13 hour finish would put one at about 10th place.

– Gratitude:  More than anything else leading up to this race, the one thing that I keep realizing is how lucky I am to even toe the line at Hellgate.  It is a selective entrant list, and I barely made the cut (see Mountain Masochist race review).   I could just as easily not been picked, which would have been ok and I probably would have crewed it for Carter.  There is a mystique surrounding Hellgate, and no matter how things go during the run, I feel extremely lucky to get to participate in it.
Even that aside, to look at it bigger picture – I am trying to enjoy the anticipation….with the knowledge that once the gun goes off Friday night, events kick into motion and I will be “in the moment” for (hopefully) about 13 hrs.  The run will unfold slowly enough during the run that I will be able to mentally step away periodically and savor the moment, but I’m trying to do that pre-race as well.

—
I also appreciate the good fortune that I’ve had in the last year that has led to me being able to do this.  That a year ago I happened to run into a buddy who one morning introduced me to a great long-distance running crew…that I’ve been fortunate enough to stay healthy throughout the year….that my wife has supported my obsession, even as we tried to learn how to be good parents to Finley….that I have a job that allows enough predictability for me to pursue running and racing.
In the end, I am one of the 141 luckiest people on the planet at midnight tonight – we get to spend a night and day in the cold mountains together.

//

We are hitting the road this morning in a few hours and picking up Carter for the ride up.   Allie and Finley are coming, and will be at the start and finish.  A guy I know from work, Jason, is also running it and he will meet us up there at the race briefing.  After the race we are all going to Devil’s Bone for food and beers, and hope to return to VB late Saturday night.   Will update the blog post-race.