Burning River, Here I Come

I only put in 22.6 miles last week (Sunday-Saturday, you’ll remember), but am nevertheless pretty pleased with the body of work I put in—some speedwork, some slower miles. It was a good start to my taper, as I also concentrated on getting acclimated to shoes and accessories (hats, shirts, etc.) I’ll be using on Saturday/Sunday. Put in 7.51 Sunday evening, with 3.7 last night and 3 scheduled for today, which will finish up my training—rest, rest, rest (and drive, drive, drive) after that. Of course, in between now and then stands mohawk-cutting, general packing, race packing, dog-readying, laundry, etc. And to think, I’ve already been complaining about my lack of sleep of late….

I guess that means it’s time to spill the proverbial beans (i.e. let you know that I’ll be running Burning River). Situated in/around Cuyahoga Valley National Park (near Cleveland, OH), Burning River is a 100 mile (101.1 mile, to be precise) endurance run (and home to this year’s USA Track & Field Trail Championship, which I will not be participating in—I’ll be running the same mileage as everyone else, but don’t pay the USATF dues which would make me eligible for the prize purse). The run is 75% trails and should be mostly well shaded (thankfully). Race particulars:

Start Time: 5:00 AM EDT on Saturday, 7/31
Time Cutoff: 30 hours (thus 11:00 AM EDT on Sunday, 8/1)
Aid Stations: 24 (3 unmanned water stops, and 21 manned stations)
Number of runners currently signed up: 268
My Bib Number: 216
Where you can track me in near-real time (my splits will be logged at every manned aid station): http://www.chaneyevents.com/webcast.html OR by calling Julia on either my phone or her own

Julia will be crewing for me (assisting me with the gathering of food/water or a change of sock/shoes, slap-in-the-face motivation, etc.), and I was lucky enough to “meet” (on the Burning River message board) Dave, who will be helping to pace me the final 46.6 miles.

Differences between this race (and ultramarathons in general) and just-plain-marathons:

1.) Like a marathon, ultramarathons are completed in one fell swoop—you don’t run 50 miles one day, get a good night’s sleep, then do the same the following day. However, your pace is far slower—my pace during my fastest marathon (2:53:40) was 6:38 per mile, while I would be “tickled pink” to run 12:00 per-mile pace (which would put me crossing the finishing line in just over 20 hours) during a 100 mile ultra. In order to insure you can complete the race (or give yourself a fighting chance, anyways), ultramarathoners run a pace they know won’t be too taxing over a prolonged period of time, and work walking into the race as well—during the uphill sections, perhaps during some of the more technical pieces of the course, or when they simply need a break.

2.) Due to the length of the races, most ultramarathons incorporate varying terrains: singletrack trails (narrow and oftentimes technical—roots and other obstacles on/around the trail), bridle paths (are oftentimes very pitted, through horse use) , bike-and-hike trails (are oftentimes paved and quite wide), roads, etc.

Burning River features all of these.

Because I’m using this race as more of a “is this something I’d be interested in doing more of” run than actual “how fast can I go?” race, I’m just looking to finish (i.e. goal #1: have fun, goal #2: finish). If I determine I would like to continue down the ultramarathon path, then I will train harder/better for the next one. It will help that I’ll have been through one and will know what to expect.

Burning River, here I come—I truly look forward to meeting you. Crazy, I know. This is what happens when you pretend you don’t know what you’re getting yourself in to.