We’re 2 days out from the race and currently en route from
LA through Denver to Sheridan Wyoming.
The day started early with meetings at work and a mad afternoon dash to
the airport to catch a 3PM flight to Denver.
Made it to Denver with 20 minutes to spare as they were just beginning
to board the connecting Great Lakes Flight to Sheridan. Late afternoon storms had settled in on the
airport as we landed in Denver, which then delayed our outbound flight.
Upon arrival in Denver I met up with Francisco and we used
the delay time to catch up and chat about race strategy and plans for the
BH100. On Thursday we have registration
and medical check in. We’ll mostly
likely hook up with Scott, Raj and Ray who are all running the 100 miler as
well. It’s nice to run this type of a
distance with friends and veteran of this distance. I’m certain we’ll share race strategies and
finish time objectives. My goal is
simple, make the cutoffs and finish on or before the 34-hour mark.
 |
| Francisco arriving at the tiny airport...my luggage didn't make the journey from Denver to Sheridan...Grrr!!!! |
The weather predictions are looking really really favorable
for the race. Highs in the low 80’s and
lows in 50’s, although at altitude and winds will make it a chill factor in the
40’s at night. The race start for the
BH100 is at 11AM, which is kind of unusual.
Most 100-mile distances start early in the morning, say 4 or 5AM or in
the case of UTMB at 4PM in the afternoon.
Because of this as well as the positioning of aid stations, drop bag
locations, etc. the plan is to race really light from 11AM till the 30Mile
marker/aid station. Mile 30 has a 9:30PM
cutoff that is 10.5 hours from the race start.
I’m expecting to average a 12 min mile for the first 30 miles which will
put me in at 8PM, which is about 30-45 minutes before sunset, 1.5 hours of a
buffer with the cutoff, before taking on the evening and the long climb from
mile 30 to the 50 mile turnaround. I’d
love to be able to build more of a buffer and will try to push the pace early
on as the plan is to not carry any of my gear and “race light” for the first 30
miles. This is at least an 8-10lb
differential or weight that I wont have to carry for that first 30M. My strategy if executed should pay late race
dividends.
I’ve been struggling lately with my weight and trying to get
it down to 183lbs for race day. It looks
as though I may be a pound or two short, but that’s ok, as I’ve raced at 185lbs
many times before. I’ve been getting
some decent rest the past couple of days and expect to get in at least 10 hours
of sleep the night before the race.
My training hasn’t been quite as disciplined as in other
races, however, I have gotten in some good mileage and haven’t really felt beat
up too badly. I’m definitely a
subscriber to under training versus over training. I’ve done a few early season races like the
100k run in Texas, the North Face 50 miler at Bear Mtn in NY as well as long
runs in the mid 20 mile range. Albeit I
haven’t trained at altitude, I’ve tried to push my pace and train in the heat
to emulate the effects of altitude. The
Big Horn Mountains only get up to 10,000 feet and it looks like the average is
around 6,500 -7,500 feet above sea level.
I’m not underestimating, at all, the impact of this altitude, as it will
surely have an effect on my overall performance. I’ve just got to remember to eat and hydrate
well. Keep the hydration, glucose,
electrolyte and sodium levels all topped off.
Well, we’re getting ready to land in Sheridan shortly so must
power down. More to follow….bumpy ride
today!
Cheers!!
PT
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