The Endless Mile: The Planning

The Endless Mile – October 18, 2019

The start/finish line arch was light up for the campers the night before.

Located just south of Birmingham, AL

https://www.southeasterntrailruns.com/endless-mile.html

Race Options –
6 Hour, 12 hour, 24 hour and 48 hour solo races
24 and 48 hour relay races

Before the Big Day(s):

About 6 months before, my two running friends were tossing around the idea of doing a 24 hour race in Alabama.  I already have run a race in AL so I wasn’t very interested.  When you are trying to do a marathon (or longer) in every state, it’s hard to justify to do repeat states.  My friends signed up for the 12 hour to complete a 50k and spoke about The Endless Mile while we traveled to other races.  Somehow I found out that they offered a 48 hour.  I don’t know if my friends were thinking about a 100 miler for the 48 hours in the next few years for themselves, or if they were trying to appeal to my sense to crazy. Regardless, I was willing to do AL again to try my hand at a 48 hours race. 

Everything in this post is about my pre-planning for the event.  My next blog will be what actually happened (when the plan sometimes goes to shit) on Day One and Day Two of the race.

Research and Math

One part of my calculations.

The first thing I did was attempt to find blogs from other runners for 48 hours. I found two. And both were from fast guys.  While reading those two points of view, I did my own math and figured out about 2/3 of the miles would be in the first 24 hours and the last 1/3 would be in the second half of the race.  Being a numbers person, I started an excel spreadsheet (I do this for all my ultras!) to see what kind of mileage range I thought I could do.  With out boring you to death on how I worked everything out, I figured I would make a goal to be between 125-140 miles.  The breakdown would be 84-94 miles the first day and 41-46 miles the second.  Honestly, to make the math easier in my head, I did 80/40 even though that wouldn’t get me my minimum range.

Nutrition

Nutrition is an “easy” one, eat frequently, eat before you are hungry, and keep eating. Easier said than done (The Essex 1963).   I don’t think I have ever heard a runner say at an ultra that she ate too much.  Nope, never!  If I ever have a problem during an ultra, it’s because I didn’t eat enough or didn’t eat soon enough and normally a combination of both.  As I thought of ideas, I would write them down in my excel sheet (you know, with my calculations I was doing above).  

I need foods that are easy to eat that I can swallow without chewing.  I rely mostly on aid station food, but I wanted to have my own back up in case I was having a hard time chewing.  This sounds crazy if you have never done an ultra, but after awhile, you don’t want to chew anything.  Even foods that you think would be easy to eat, like PB&J or grilled cheese, I can’t eat without washing down with water.  Think of wallpaper paste in your mouth.  When this happens, then I start drinking too much water, and other issues come up, yadda, yadda, yadda.  (side note ended!)

So back to choosing easy foods.  A few of the items on my list were instant oatmeal (on the runny side), instant mac & cheese, pudding, Jell-O, instant mashed potatoes, and my all time favorite, RAMEN!  Ramen is my go-to ALL the time during races.  I could care less if it is 100F outside, I still want ramen.   “All noodles, no broth”  That’s my order!   Just like “Coke, with ice, and bubbly,” even when it is 45F (or colder). 

Campfire apples that Lori made.  Soft and easy to slurp down!
It's a granny smith apple, caramel, peanut butter,and cinnamon.

Training

In 2019, before The Endless Mile, I had already run 6 marathons and 4 ultras (three 100’s and one 12-hour) and few races scheduled after it as well.  With these events, I wasn’t starting from scratch on my training.  I had followed my normal 26 week 100 miler training plan to get me to Hallucination 100 in early September.  

5 weeks to Endless Mile: Resting from Hallucination. I did walk but just normal errand type things, no Garmin.  Plus, motion is lotion.  NEVER just sit after an event.

4 weeks to Endless Mile: 20 miles for the week.

3 weeks to Endless Mile: 30 miles for the week.

2 weeks to Endless Mile: 45 miles for the week. This included a marathon in WV (another new state!) on crushed limestone.  I made sure to run a nice consistent marathon and enjoy myself. I ended up running it with approximately 45 second negative split.  That is a good thing, I did not over exert myself in the beginning nor at the end.

1 week to Endless Mile: Taper Week; 16 miles for the week

The Endless Mile Week: My taper with only a few 3-5 mile walks. I didn't use my Garmin!

Had I not just come off a 100 mile race, I would have used my normal 100 mile training plan with the end date being The Endless Mile. 

Yes.  Just yes.

Breaks/Napping

When running ultras, I can say that I take casual breaks.  I may take a longer break at an aid station to change clothes or get more food in the belly, maybe even have a beer.   Sometimes I just need a few minutes off my feet so I sit and put my feet up on another chair (or box, or whatever) to drain my feet.  For the 48 hours,  I wanted to take more consistent breaks to roll my legs before issues started to happen and to also drain my feet/legs.  I didn’t want to set a schedule for that until I was out there running.  I decided to take ten to fifteen minutes breaks at our campsite where I would use that time as well to charge my watch and eat. 

"To sleep or not sleep?", that is the question.  I have taken a nap at one or two of my 100’s before.  I have previously set my timer for 15 minutes (or asked the aid station volunteer to) and laid down (if they had cots) or slumped into a chair.  Once that alarm did go off, I would grab more food and leave.  

I knew this 48 hour thing was going to be different.  I love sleep.  On a normal day, I like to get 9-10 hours of sleep.  I can sleep anywhere, anytime.  It’s a long running joke in my house.  I knew I never should have told my husband I slept on plywood when I was 10 years old in India.  So how was I going to get through 48 hours without sleeping?  

I decided that I would need sleep, at some point.  Rather than scheduling sleep (i.e. 2 hour nap after mile 100, or one hour nap after 24 hours, etc) I knew that I was going to have to let my body tell me when I needed it.  I know that I can go for 100 miles without sleep, I’ve done it.  So I wasn’t expecting to sleep until after that point. I did know that I was going to plan on my naps being between 60-75 minutes.  I did not want to enter REM sleep which happens approximately 90 minutes after falling asleep since it is so much harder to get up and drag myself back onto the course if I was in the middle of REM.  Heck, on a normal day if I wake up during a dream, I feel the negative effect of that the entire day.  So I had a plan which means don’t plan times for sleep but when I did sleep, keep those naps short. 

Packing 

The packed van, return trip.  That is NOT a box of paper towels,
it is a fire pit.  

The packing list grew and grew and grew!  Actually more for my running mates than me.  I was busy the whole 48 hours of the event, but they were not going to be.  All of Friday was open for them plus Saturday evening (they were completing the 12 hour event).  They needed some luxuries, camping essentials, and comforts.  Our list consisted of two anti-gravity chairs, one or two regular camp chairs, a fire pit, other cooking items for the fire pit, two large sleeping tents, one pop up tent, two tables, 5 gallons of water, food galore, and then some.  Of course we each had our own sleeping bags, cots/mats, running clothes, regular clothes, etc.  If it sounds insane, it was! 

As for me, for my running portion included the foods I mentioned above and special tasty drinks such as sparkling yuzu coconut water, green tea lattes, and hard ciders; and lots and lots of clothing!

    

Most of my belongings are in the corner. 
So even though my list looks long,
it really wasn't that bad.
And three of those bags hold snacks. 
(Sounds like L, K, & I ... ha ha ha)

• 2 jackets, both waterproof
• 3 long sleeve shirts (2 regular tech and one thermal)
• 2 pairs of running pants (one pair of tights and one pair of pull over w/ ankle zippers)
• 4 running shorts/skirts
• 4 running shirts
• 6 sports bras
• 4 pairs of Injinji socks (I wear these socks almost exclusively even when I am not running)
• 4 buffs
• 1 pair of gloves
•  2 pairs of running shoes – one of my normal pairs and one pair a ½ size bigger (since my feet do get larger being on them so many hours and for so many miles)
•  Large foam roller
• Rolling stick ("The Stick" brand)
• Hard foam ball and a lacrosse ball for rolling
• 3 small portable chargers with all of the many cords
• Running belt for bib only (easier to take on and off for clothing changes)
• Anti-chafe roll (I use 2Toms) and powder
• Ultra first aid kit (My own personal concoction - I am a travelling Walgreens/CVS)
• Salt pills
• Running hat (one with a bill to help deflect rain from the face)
• Headlamp
• Sunglasses and sunscreen (were not going to be needed because of the weather, but I always bring them anyways)

And that was just for the running.  I don’t have any of the post race stuff listed such as Epsom salt lotion, compression boots, sandals, compression socks, etc!  My list kept changing as I adjusted for changes in expected weather conditions, so your list will be likely be different than mine. 

So you can see that I did a little bit of planning without over planning, but...

Expect the unexpected.

.

History of Wombat Racing

I get the question a lot, what's a wombat, or why a wombat?  My old high school car plates even said wombat. Here is the story.

Why wombat?  

The wombat has been been my favorite animal since I was knee high of a...well....wombat!  Even though I grew up in the States and have lived here all of my life (one year was spent abroad), my dad was born and raised in Australia and I also have Australian citizenship.  My family  has been been there for generations.

Here is a lovely wombat I am petting in Australia in 1996.

So yes, a cute, burrowing marsupial is my favorite animal.  Learn more about them.

How did the racing part come in?

Roughly twelve years ago I started driving Porsches on the track.  We have had several Porsches over the years as we use them for product development and testing at our business, LN Engineering. I began with a slow 1999 2.5 Boxster and all of the other cars would fly by me.  But as I learned the proper techniques, I was able to catch them in the corners.  I then came up with the slogan "I know I'm Slow, Get Over It" with a wombat wearing my car number 107.  For these driving events, you have to wear long sleeve cotton shirt (yes, in the humid summers of Chicago) so had them made up for myself and my husband (with his number 407).  Wombat Racing was born.

I'm in line for a run at AutoCross back in 2009.
This car is still known as Wombat and holds my wombat plates that I have had for 23 years.

My  old logo, circa 2010.

And since then?

I haven't driven on the track for years, maybe I decided to get out while on top.  Our team had won quite a few awards in 24 hours of LeMons (yes, like the fruit) and we retired winners.

That's me in the corner (that's me in the spot light....)
24 Hours of LeMons at Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, IL.  We are the old beat up VW wagon.

What about the running part?

I ran my first marathon in 2008, The Chicago Marathon.  I ran my first ultra, Des Plaines River Trail 50, in 2013. For those of you new to running or know nothing about it, an ultra is anything longer than a marathon (marathon = 26.2 miles = 42.195 km).  As I started to run longer distances, which so far is 137.8 miles, I remembered to slow down and enjoy the journey.  I knew that my Wombat Racing applied to running as well.  Go slow to go fast.  Huh, how?  In endurance events such as marathons and  ultras, you need to learn how to pace yourself.  If you go out too fast, you will burn yourself out.  A popular saying among ultra runners is "Start out slow and go slower".

Finish line photo from 2008 Chicago Marathon.
I am currently on my way to have run
over 100 marathons or longer.

Turn around point at the DPRT 50 miles in 2013.
My very first ultra and certainly not  my last.

  

                                

So there you have it, Wombat Racing!  

The outfit that inspired the wombat's look.

I guess I look it, at least that's what people say.

Quite often I am asked if I have always been a runner. 

My short answer: Yea, I guess, somewhat.

My actual story:

Way back when in 8th grade, I vaguely remember having to do a fundraiser during PE by running mile loops.  I don't remember the charity, how much I raised, or how many loops I ran. I feel like I ran the most loops which later on was my only qualification for my peers to vote me as cross-country captain of a brand new team sport.  Some how we were able to conjure up a team and at least have practices after school in the big square grass field behind the school.

Freshman XC.  I also danced,
so that is why I am wearing a dance shirt and Danskin shorts. 

After that school year, I ran a 5k in the new town I moved to with my dad.  The high school cross country coach was also the RD of this annual race.  He found me at the finish and talked to me about joining the cross-country team which was just about to start practice for the fall 1994 season. Let me be pretty clear about this, if you even thought you could run a tiny bit and showed up for practices, you were on the team.  There were no tryouts and everyone was welcome; we are talking about a farm town school with 300 some odd students.  I wasn't a coveted runner that coaches were recruiting!

Senior Year XC, with our horrible warm up gear!

Through out my four years of high school, I ran cross country and track religiously.  I wasn't very good, I didn't necessarily enjoy it, but I did it.  It was just another school subject to me. For cross country, I was consistently the second slowest girl on the team, no matter the year.  I did improve some year to year but I was mid- to back- of the packer.  In track, the faster cross country girls did the 4x800 relay or the one mile.  I always did the 2 mile race and once in a while I was given the privilege to run the mile.  I vaguely remember thinking those 2 mile races sucked and lasted forever.  But, that was my job, to run that race.  To this day, when I smell slightly composting mulch of a sewer plant, I think of spring track practices (our track was across the street from the small town sewer plant).  Running the front straight 100, I would stare at the 50,000 gallon, light blue water tower across the street; the back straight 100, I would stare at the beautifully groomed green softball field and quite frequently listen to "Put me in coach, I'm ready play today."  Ah, memories.

My only two sports, all four years.

The summers between school, I don't recall running at all.  I think I still did participate in the local 5k/10k race every August.  Of course, I only did the 5k.  How could someone run over 6 miles at one time?  It seemed so much farther down the country road for the turn around, so isolated.  These were the only two distances that I even knew existed in long distance running.  I didn't know anything else but I also wasn't curious, wondering, or even really interested.

In college, I never really ran.  Once in a great while I would.  I remember specifically one beautiful overly warm February day freshman year, I put on tennies and pair of shorts to run along the lake path on campus.  That's it; that's all I ever remember doing.


Fast forward a few years later, while walking on the treadmill (only to warm up before my weight training), I saw an ad on the TV for the Avon 2 Day Walk for breast cancer.  Cancer doesn't run in my family so I am not sure what persuaded me to want to walk 39.3 miles over 2 days (26.2 miles day one and 13.1 miles day two).  In June of 2005 I participated while 4 months pregnant (I did not do the entire 39.3 miles) and then I returned in 2007 to complete the 2 day event.  This event may not have been the main reason why I started marathons, but I am sure that the training I did helped me eventually realize I could do it when it later became a goal. I continued to participate in the Avon 2 Day walk but as a crew member from 2009-2017.

While pregnant with my daughter, I gained about 45 pounds. I lost most of it, but I had that annoying 10-15 pounds that didn't want to come off.  I decided to start to run.  No reason in particular why I chose to do that.  But I couldn't go out and just run. I couldn't do a mile, I couldn't really do half a mile.  So without knowing exactly what I was doing, I would use time to set up intervals to walk/run.  I know today that I actually had a pretty good instinct to know what to do, I recommend to people who want to start running to do what I did back in 2006.  In the very beginning I would walk 5 minutes, then run for a set interval, walk again, etc.  As I went out more and more, I would reduce the time walked and increase the time ran.  Eventually I was able to run a mile without any walking.  I kept increasing my mileage and I finally was able to loose the last baby weight over time.

While I was finishing my Master's degree in 2007, my adviser used the analogy of the program being a like a marathon.  The beginning is fun and new but you're nervous; the middle is long and dragged out, you start to stumble at the end of the middle; as you are nearing the finish, you can see the finish line, you know what you need to to do to get there, it's possible to finish.  Let me say now that he had NEVER run a marathon.  How could he know what it was like?  People also say giving birth is like running a marathon.  That is when I decided I wanted to run a marathon.

I remember watching the 2007 Chicago Marathon; yep, the one that was cancelled and rerouted during the event because of extreme heat.  That there solidified me wanting to run a marathon.  Whoa there, how does excessive heat, running out of water, dehydration of runners, and loss of life make you actually want to run a marathon.

I have now learned, it was because I like a challenge.