As some of you may know I am going to participate in a Ultramarathon on December 6th, in Huntsville, Texas. Yes this is the city where we have a huge prison and this is also where we execute those on death row. What is a Ultramarathon you say? Well here is the Wiki:
"An ultramarathon (also called ultra distance) is any sporting event involving running longer than the traditional marathon length of 42.195 kilometres (26.2188 mi).
There are two general types of ultramarathon events: those that cover a specified distance, and events that take place during specified time (with the winner covering the most distance in that time). The most common distances are 50 and 100 miles, or 50 and 100 kilometers. Other distances/times include double marathons, 24-hour races, and multiday races of 1000 miles or even longer. The format of these events and the courses covered are quite variable, ranging from single or multiple loops (some as short as a 400 meter track), to point-to-point road or trail races, to cross-country rogaines. Many ultramarathons, especially trail challenges, are characterized by severe course obstacles, such as inclement weather, elevation change, or rugged terrain. Many of these races are run on dirt roads or mountain paths, though some are run on paved roads as well. Usually, there are aid stations every five to fifteen km apart, where runners can replenish food and drink supplies or take a short break.
Timed events range from 6, 12, and 24 hours to 3 and 6 days (known as multi-day events). Timed events are generally run on a track or a short road course, often one mile or less."
Now the race I am in is a 50 mile race. I am hoping to get done in less than 10 hours. It's a trail run, so I expect my time to be pretty slow as I will be dodging boulders and maybe some wildlife!
Saturday I ran a leasurely 15 miles. Took 02:30:00, so not too bad. I have this great loop in my neighborhood that is exactly 3.2 miles (that's 5 km for you racing folk). Now I am in my taper (I'll blog about that another day), so the mileage is going down, down as the race gets closer. I practiced my nutrition and hydration and I think I am fairly ready.
I do need to buy some kind of headlamp this week, because the race likely will extend into the night and the race director stated that you must have some light source if you don't finish by nightfall.
Anyway, everyone have a great Monday and check back soon for another update!
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