Did something crazy... I ran my first 100k(62.2 miles)!

So here is the finisher photo!  Dawn and the kids made me a finish line for what was a crazy Saturday.  Lots of photos on the recap.  I want to write down the memories so when(if) I ever sign up for something like this again then I want to go back and reference this... 

So Saturday started off beautiful.  I signed up for Columbus Running Company's race called Find Your Limit Virtual Mile Challenge. The concept is simple: run one mile every 15 minutes from sunup to sundown, 6AM to 9PM.  Keep running as long as someone else is still running.  If you are the last runner then you win.  If multiple runners are left after the 9PM 1 mile run then it comes down to fastest cumulative time.

Everyone logged into a Zoom meeting and you had to start running within 60 seconds of the quarter hour.  This was 8 minutes and 44 minutes before the start at 6AM. So 6AM hit and I was out the door along with 64 other runners.  Many of them were running from their own homes or nearby park.

This was my organized aid station with extra clothes, shoes, snacks and drinks.  I had a cooler as well.  I ended up drinking 4-5 gallons of water/electrolyte mix during the day. This table got a lot messier through the day. Anyway...

I stayed in the neighborhood and even took the kids along with me for part of the run in the stroller. I did about 6 loops with the double stroller with both kids then about 3 or 4 loops with the single stroller and Summer.

It was hot so I knew I was going to need salt.  Dawn picked up breakfast and I asked for some extra bacon for the sodium.

Loved the pancakes.  Easy to grab a bite or two between the loops.  I was running the first 30 miles around 8-9 minute pace so I had about 6 minutes of down time to hydrate and cool off.

Popsicle was a nice treat from the heat.

I also elevated my feet between loops to minimize swelling of my feet.

This was a GREAT trick someone shared with me a while ago.  Take a buff and put ice in it and wear it around your head or neck. (Bounces less on your head) It cools your head and the cool water drips down your face/body.

My good friend Carl came over to run several loops with me and then he rode on my bike next to me part of the time. He is the president for the Columbus Westside Running Club and a certified running coach.  So to have him help help me was a blessing. Not only just chatting to keep me entertained, but he insisted I rested between the miles and he would grab ice and water from inside so I focused on resting. 

Softer foods worked best like oatmeal cream pies and avocados.

Staying cool with wet towels on my head during the hottest part of the day(we hit 87 during the race without even factoring in the humidity)

I also got creative during mile 59 and wrote out script Ohio in the nearby church parking lot.  If you see at the bottom of Ohio there is a row of trees.  Not too long, but I utilized those trees for shade during the hottest part of the day by running back and forth several times per mile to stay in the shade.  The sun was really wearing down on a lot of runners.  They were dropping out fast during the heat.

Again... can't thank this guy enough. The longest distance I have ever run before was 32 miles, so everything past that was uncharted territory.  About one runner would drop out every mile. Once I hit mile 50 I knew my only goal was get to 61 miles.  Carl encouraged me to include some walking so I can stay fresh.  It really helped. I feel about 95% recovered today.

In the end... 6 of us reached the mile 61 finish.  Here are all 6 of us finishers.  My time put me in 5th place for the total event.  Such a fun race, but I was not done.  61 miles is 61 miles.  I wanted to round that up to 100 kilometers so I needed 1.2 miles to get me to 62.2 miles.  

So after we got the finishers photo I went for a walk around the neighborhood with the family to get my over the hump for my first 100k finish!

Around mile 55 I came up with an idea to make a board to show all the miles ran to show myself how far I have come and how I could keep pushing on... It helped a lot.  

Burned almost 11,000 calories in one day.  Been enjoying lots of guilt-less food the past couple days. I learned a lot and still processing what went well and what I can do next time to do better.  If there is a next time.  Thanks for checking this out and thanks for Columbus Running Company to put on the event.  Big congrats to everyone who ran it on Saturday.  Weather was hot.  Speaking of weather...

Mother nature is about to crank up the heat more! Today we will start mild with low humidity with mostly clear skies. A warm front will lift through today and we will see our humidity jump up fast and temps climbing into the lower 90s. The heat and humidity will make it feel like the mid 90s by the afternoon with partly to mostly cloudy skies. There is about a 30% chance of rain today with some isolated showers and storms.

The Western half of Ohio is in the Marginal Risk for a few storms to become severe with gusty winds as the main threat and an isolated tornado possible. Staying warm and muggy tonight with overnight low temps in the mid 70s. We warm into the upper 80s on Wednesday with very stick air. Most of the day will be dry with a few isolated storms possible midday and afternoon, but a line of strong to severe storms likely in the evening. The risk of severe weather goes up for Wednesday into the Slight Risk category, from the Storm Prediction Center, with the same threats. These evening storms will be with a cold front and then our humidity will drop more heading into Thursday and the rest of the 7-day forecast.

Highs around 80 on Thursday with partly cloudy skies. A couple models are trying to wring out a spotty light rain shower Friday into Saturday, but most of us will likely stay dry as temps dip into the 70s for highs this weekend. Right now let's keep sunshine the main player for Sunday into Monday next week with the mild temps. There may be a storm system off the lower East Coast that may bring some clouds to our area. We will keep an eye on that, but be sure to stay weather aware the next couple days and try to avoid being in the heat too long. Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael