The day before the Run d’ Amore 100 Mile, I was sure I had everything packed:
- 2 pair of shorts
- 4 pair of underwear
- 6 pair of socks
- 3 pair of shoes
- 6 shirts
- Thermal shirt
- 2 jackets
- band aides
- Athletic tape
- Aspirin
- Hat
- Sunglasses
- Sun screen
- Body Glide
- Salt
- 2 bandannas
I knew I would forget something. And I did. But I thought I was about as prepared as I could be. I also brought three water melons, four bottles of Coke, four bottles of Diet Coke, five gallons of water and three bags of pretzels. All this for the pot luck at the aid stations.
My father volunteered to drive me to the race in San Martin, about seven hours from my home. This was great, not for the fact that I didn’t have to drive there but that I wouldn’t have to drive back. To make things better, he decided to play golf on Saturday, guaranteeing that he would not be too bored watching me run in circles for 24 to 30 hours.
The drive up was pleasant enough. I was able to catch some sleep and the scenery was nice. We hit some pockets of rain that we highlighted by some beautiful rainbows.
When arriving at our hotel, we settled in a watched some television. I chatted with some people who were doing the race on Facebook and looked for a route to the course. My father combed the Internet looking for a golf course.
on Facebook, one runner complained that she chaffed badly between her legs and butt cheeks. One piece of advice she got was to get diaper rash ointment. I thought that was a good idea. I also needed to pick up batteries for my flashlight. We would do that before dinner. My father brought some wine up and we drank a couple of glasses. I wanted something to calm my nerves before trying to go to bed early.
At dinner I had something with chicken and had a beer. It was very good a and seemed like a light dinner before the run. The beer and wine had hit me hard. When we got to the hotel room, I took a shower and fell asleep at 7:30 PM.
The night was restful. I woke up at 10 PM and checked the clock. I did not want to oversleep. I was happy to see I had plenty of time and went back to sleep. I woke up again at midnight, 2 AM and 3 AM. I was not going to miss the race of my life because I did not wake up in time. Finally, I woke up for the final time at 3:30 AM. My pre-race ritual was about to begin.
First thing I did was take a nice hot shower. I knew there was an Alaskan low pressure system so that would be the last time I would be warm until the race was complete. After the shower, I got dressed in my thermal shirt, a long sleeve technical shirt and shorts. Before putting my socks and shoes on, I taped the areas of my feet known to develop blisters and put band aids on my toes to protect my toe nails. I rubbed the Body Glide on my feet for a little extra protection. I then put my socks and shoes on.
The dawn air was frigid. The temperature gauge on the car said it was 28 degrees. I knew the first couple of hours of the race were going to be unpleasant at least until the sun rises and warms the air and ground. The $84 thermal shirt was going to be put to the test right off the bat.
Upon arriving at the course, I got to try out my new flashlight. Its illumination impressed me. I knew the lightweight device would work well when the sun went down.
My father and I made several trips to the car for our gear and the food for the potluck. I brought a chair and set it up with my three gallons of water. I saw everyone else with their tents and tables filled with food, juices, energy drinks, electrolyte drinks and water. I felt a little unprepared but I knew the aid station would have enough of everything I needed and I wasn’t planning on sleeping much so a tent seemed like overkill.
I saw all I thought I would see. I saw Rajeev (runner, race director and coach) floating around cheerily. The race director, Alan, was busily trying to get the aid station prepared. I saw Jean, a lady who friended me on Facebook. She was getting ready to get a head start. I saw Ed, the man who runs constantly dressed in motley, a real fan favorite. Ed had just finished 125 miles the day before and didn’t get enough. He decided to run another 100 miles. I saw Catra and her dog. Catra is the one who holds the world record for running the John Muir trail and was mentioned in the book Born to Run. She would come in at the top of the 125 mile race, I was sure.
The only one I did not see was the one I really wanted to see. My running partner Chad was nowhere to be found. We had run our first 50 miler together and both decided to run our first 100 miler together. He was no longer a friend, but a blood brother and I know I would have my confidence shaken a bit if I started without him. He has a tendency to motivate me when I am not feeling my best. And, since I really did not know anyone except through Facebook, I felt a bit alone.
The ten minute call came up. No Chad. Oh, well. I said bye to my father and meandered up to the starting line. That’s when Chad appeared, looking confused and a tad frantic. In his hands was a pot of soup. He put it down, we hugged and got in line.
Alan made a short speech, mainly because he did not have a lot of time before the 6 AM start. He counted down, adjust his speed based on the time on his watch and we were off.
