strike 2! last weekend i went on down to Arkansas for my second 100 mile attempt. last year at the Javalina Jundred, I foolishly tried running 100 miles 4 weeks after a hard run at a 50 miler. the result was my MCL blowing up at mile 60. this year i did it right, training hard for a full 6-to-8 weeks leading up to the Arkansas Traveller 100. i was feeling fit and ready, as well as good and nervous the week of. i won't bore with tons of detail, but i was on pace to go around 18 to 19 hours and sitting comfortably in 3rd place when my body started reacting in a very peculiar way. we discovered later that i had taken in too much sodium and not enough water, transforming my body into a convulsing, smashed wreck that i had no control over. i had to drop at mile 84.
despite the obvious disappointment, there were some important details that i took away from the experience. here are 11 of them.
1-i got to experience life as a noodle for about 3 hours.
2-i can now say that it has taken me 2 hours to walk a mile.
3-go to SIMS Barbeque in Little Rock! the place has been around since 1937 and you might cry when
you bite into the beef sandwich. it's that good!
4-the 8 miles of singletrack on the Ouachita Trail at the AT100 are awesome. as was the race
direction and organization. i highly recommend the race to those wanting a late season 100 miler.
5-the folks at Fleet Feet Easy Runner are super nice peeps.
6-my family is awesome.
7-my friends Morgan and Ryan are awesome, too.
8-my girlfriend Lyssa is something special.
9-my beard is hot in 90 percent humidity.
10-forget 100's. next year i'm going back to focusing on 50ks and mountain runs.
11-13,000+ mg of sodium in 70 miles does not do a body good.
My two favorite pics from the experience.
with Lyssa at mile 68-ish
surrounded by the fam and friends
