Burning River Preparation

In preparing for this 100 miler, I've had to make decisions about what is essential enough that I need to carry it with me, and what can be left in drop bags at various points along the route. I have decided that I will wear a fuel belt with the following:

• 32 ounces of Heed
• S-Caps
  
• Endurolytes
• Gels (a few)
• Cliff and/or Mojo bars (one or two)
  
• A small amount of medical tape/band aids/toilet paper in a plastic bag.
  

At each aid station, I'll top-off my Heed and replace any items I've used along the way. Everything else I'll need will have to be in my drop bags.


I have been gathering and staging the supplies that I'll need for the eight drop bags I'll leave at various aid stations. I've talked with some of the more experienced 100 miler veterans like Mark Godale, Connie Gardner, and Wyatt Hornsby to insure that I don't neglect any essential. Each bag will contain:

• Lubricant (Body Glide or Vaseline)
• Medical tape and gauze
• Band Aids
• Antiseptic
  
• High caloric eat-and-run food like Cliff Bars and Mojo Bars.
  
• High protein food like beef jerky
• S-Caps
  
• Endurolytes
  
• Dried ginger (in case I need something to soothe my stomach)
  
• Sports/energy drink other than Heed (I'll be carrying Heed in my fuel belt, and refilling at the aid stations, so I'll want something different in my drop bags. I am packing coconut water and maybe another alternative.)
  
• Dry socks

Additionally, some drop bags will also have some fresh clothing in case I need to change:

• Shirt
• Shorts
• Cap
• Shoes (in case I want to change because I am getting blisters or just want a dry pair)
  
• Spare sunglasses

I will also have one bag stocked with my supplies which I'll need as day turns to night, and it gets cooler. I'll need to calculate the appropriate aid station at which to drop this one since I don't want to carry this stuff any longer than I need to, but I want to be sure to have it when the sun and the temperatures go down. This bag will have the following additional items:

• Long-sleeve shirt
  
• Head lamp and flashlight
  
• Spare batteries (in the bags after this point as well)
  

Still working out the particulars but I should be able to start packing my bags soon.

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Recap of the Last 2 Weeks

Very little of note in the prior two weeks. The week of the 13th, I was easing down the miles for the BT50k on Saturday of that week. I still had a solid speed workout on Tuesday of that week with mile intervals of 5:35, 5:42,and 5:35. The rest of the week was light mileage until the race on Saturday. The Sunday after the BT, I ran the Solon 8 mile with the SERC group rather than the 12 mile , but I was not hurting as bad as I had expected. I was more bothered by the muscle tightness. I did only 6 miles on Monday, trying to get loose. Tuesday at the track was interesting. I was not mentally or physically ready for hard 1 mile repeats, but I forced myself into the first one. Mark G. really helped pull me along, as I tried to keep close enough that I wasn't embarrassed. I ran a 5:31, the fastest mile I have done in 25 years. The last lap hurt and the last 100 was worse. I ran an 800 after than, but kept the aggressive pace with a 2:42. I was feeling about lifeless after than, but couldn't go home without one more mile, and surprised myself with a 5:37. I had trouble with nausea after that. I did a very slow recovery lap before my stomach was OK again. Back on the trails on Saturday, feeling good, if not exactly perky. Sunday, I did about 12 miles on the bike and 12.5 with the SERC group.

Burning River 100 Wrap-Up

Saturday was a great day. The weather was sunny and warm, and there without a chance of rain. Sue and I got to Boston Store (photo by Mark Shelton) early. After we had unloaded the car and grabbed a load of ice from 'The Iceman', Elizabeth and her army of family and friends arrived. We had chosen a Hawaiian theme for the aid station this year. Once the aid station set-up was well underway, I ran and re-mark the loop from taking runners to the north and east then back into the Boston. I put out additional streamers with reflective tape to make them more visible at night, since many of the runners would be coming through at dusk or later.

By the time I got back, the set-up was done and the place was ready for the first runner to come through. We were actually much too efficient, as were were ready about an hour before the first runner actually arrived. So we had time to talk and make sure we all knew the drill when runners arrived, and take a few photos. Here is the crew. (photo courtesy of Elizabeth).
There is a reason for the look on my face in this photo, and it has nothing to do the fact that my cup of ice cream had melted while I was working. Elizabeth was explaining to me that her camera has a 'smile' mode which will only allow her to snap a photo if it detects a smile on the subject. I was trying to prove that the 'smile detection' technology was not reliable, and I think I made my point. That's the renowned tri-athlete Papa Lou to my right, trying to maintain a more professional demeanor. I've known Lou for a few years, and I was glad to have the chance to work with him at the aid station.

I should exactly where our little aid station was located. Boston store is tucked up against the canal tow path, at the 56 mile mark in the Burning River 100 mile course. It is also on the 60.7 mile mark, since the runners enter from the west then make a 4.7 mile loop to the north and east east after leaving the store, coming through again before heading south through my favorite section of the course, Pine Lane. That meant that we would have runners coming at us from the east and from the west. It made us a very busy little aid station once the runners started coming through.

The first one through was Tim Clement, the eventual winner.
He looked good, as good as you can look after having run 56 miles, with 44 more to go. I picked him up about about 30 yards from the aid station, asking him what he needed and offering him various food and drink. Tim, and some of the other runners, had his own little crew waiting for him with his food and drink, so he really didn't need much assistance from the aid station crew.

As the afternoon wore on, the runners started coming in just a few minutes apart. We developed a routine, with another greeter running them in from the east, then I would send them off to the north , giving them directions for the loop that would bring them back in about 45 minutes. On their second pass through the aid station, I would run them in and get them taken care of, before steering them south on the tow path. With runners coming from both directions, I was busy most of the afternoon.

I love this photo. It shows three of the best runners I know, in one of the few scenes where none of them were actually running. Barb (in the grass skirt) was working the aid station all afternoon, then she got on her running gear and headlamp and paced another runner for about 15 miles. Kam (asleep in the camp chair) who won the Buckeye Trail 50k a few weeks ago, was going to be pacing Mark Godale, last years' Burning River 100 winner, for the last 40 miles. Unfortunately Mark had to drop due to an injury, so Kam got the day off. Wayne, who was running strong at the track on Tuesday, broke a bone in his foot right after that workout.


And of course, my blog would be incomplete without a reference to and image of Steve 'Hundred Mile' Hawthorne. This was his first 100 mile ultra and he finished in 25:41. CONGRATULATIONS STEVE!

For the complete results listing, go to the Burning River 100 Mile Endurance Run website.

July Summary, Trail Marking, Steve Hawthorne

August sneaked in under cover of darkness, and pushed July out the window. Sorry to see July go, it was a good month of real summer weather: hot, humid, lots of thunder storms, hot, humid. I thoroughly enjoyed all of it, including riding my bike home through many of those storms. Every time I rode my bike to work in July, it rained on the ride home. On some days I got only a sprinkle, on others it rained so hard I could have paddled rather than peddled.
I didn't do much speed work in July, mostly due to trying to get enough miles in to prepare for my first ultra. I did go to the track on Tuesday of this week. Despite the nagging thoughts that I hadn't given myself enough time to recover from the BT50k, I was pleased to clock three miles as follow: 5:56, 5:55, and 5:54. That is probably the best, most consistent interval session I've had. It was reassuring to know that I could bounce back from the 50k so quickly. I went right home and had a beer to celebrate.

Totals for July 2008
- 206 miles running
- 175 miles biking




I marked trails for the Burning River 100 Mile Endurance Run for 8 hours on Saturday (with Paul R.) and four hours on Sunday, I met up with Paul R. and Jeff U. yesterday at 5:00 PM and we marked trails until around 9:30 PM. The race starts tomorrow (Saturday, August 2) at 5:00 AM, so we had to be sure to get this last section done. On Saturday morning, I'll run sections of the trail to check for storm and/or vandal damage to the markings. During the race, Sue and I will be working the Aid station at the Boston Store. Among all the other things going on, I'll try to take some photos to include on the next blog post, because this blogging thing gets a bit tedious without colorful, fun images.

Steve Hawthorne, an extraordinary human being.