99 days until 100 miles
That’s what I have left before “the big race”. Every day the size of the upcoming challenge becomes a bit more real. My lack of a specific training plan is suiting me well, I think, but it is hard to knock back the jitters from time to time. Two nights ago I did a super steep hike-run in the dark up the front side of Green Mountain – a 2+ hour session that covered less than 8 miles but included thousands of feet of climbing. I followed that up yesterday with 3 hours and 17 miles of rolling hills south of town.
I was able to run with an assortment of trail characters. As I get to know some of them better, I’ll share some of their stories. One does solo 100-mile training runs just for fun, another was in the middle of training month with a goal of 100,000 feet of elevation gain (Everest is 29k’), yet another was out with me to celebrate his birthday while finishing up his 110-mile week of running. A handful of others were out just days after pacing at Hardrock; when I asked one mentioned that she “only” paced for 43 miles – a stretch that took 23 hours. So, I’m still the rookie around here but I’m holding my own, most days.
Time to refuel, finish up this rare rest day, and get ready to hit the high country again in the morning.
Kind of Like Fun 