Tags
races, rdl100, rio del lago 100, running, trail running, Training
It finally happened: I registered for my first 100 mile footrace this morning – Rio Del Lago 100. I chose Rio Del Lago because it’s within driving distance and it gains a little over 10,000′ – the same elevation I gained over 50 miles at North Face Endurance Challenge last weekend. A “runnable” 100 appeals to me much more than the races with ~20,000′ of gain, and I’m hoping I’ll be able to leverage my speed to cover as much distance as possible before things get very ugly.
I’ve been wavering on the idea of a 100 for some time now, but an interaction I had last week sealed the deal. I met a guy who recently ran his first 100 – Javelina Jundred, after speculating for some time, and he put it bluntly: when will you ever truly feel ready to register for a 100? I agreed wholeheartedly. He proceeded to finish in a respectable 27 hours after devising his own training plan that weighed heavily on cross-training. Challenge accepted.
100 miles is uncharted territory for me to say the least. Although I’ve never attempted anything longer than a 50 miler, I feel confident that I’ll be able to adapt my training approach to a 100. Here’s my rough plan and the races I have on the calendar next year:
January-May 2015: high volume triathlon training – emphasis on long aerobic bike rides and running speed work. My body responds very well to cross training and I want to improve on my aerobic base by leveraging biking and swimming in addition to running.
June-November 2015: high volume trail running – one (very) long run per week, and a long bike on the following day instead of posting massive 20+ mile runs in consecutive days. My body doesn’t respond well to massive running volume without reprieve in the form of cross training.
2015 Race Schedule:
February: Kaiser Permanente Half Marathon
March: Way Too Cool 50K (pending lottery results)
May: Wildflower Long Course (pending rain this winter!)
May: Mountains to Beach Road Marathon (culmination of early season speedwork)
June: Vineman Monte Rio Olympic Triathlon (just for fun)
July: Vineman 70.3 (A-priority triathlon)
September: Berlin Marathon (A-priority PR marathon)
October: Dick Collins 50 Miler* (tbd – this will be a last minute decision depending on our eurotrip)
November: Rio Del Lago 100 Miler (A-priority)
It will be a long and interesting journey, and I’m already looking forward to kicking off next season. Stay tuned!
Single-tracked Mind 
Holy moly! That’s crazy cool. Good for you, man.
I can’t get my mind around 100 miles…
That makes two of us Joe – thank you! We’ll see how it goes.
Way to challenge yourself! Maybe some day i will get up the nerve to do this too
I hope you do! Thanks for reading!
Wow! Good for you! A 100 miler is a huge and remarkable challenge. Best of luck!
Your race schedule alone is making me sweat. I have been eying the Mountains 2 Beach as a dream race for someday when I have money to travel that far. I’ve heard it’s the place where PRs and BQs are made!
Thanks Hanna! M2B should be a great race – I think a 2015 BQ is a reach for me, but I do think M2B will be my BQ course in the next few years. I hope you can swing it soon!
Wow! Heavy stuff, heavy season. Surely interesting enough to start following.
I hope to accomplish a 100k within 2years, 100mi that’s yet some other stuff. Good luck with the journey!
Wow! I can’t say I can imagine such a thing but good for you! Best of luck with the training!
That race lineup looks fun! Big things next year, good luck!
Wow! That is quite a challenge! Good luck! I am scaling back from triathlon next year (only doing sprints) and will focus on running, with an emphasis on endurance challenges. I will do my first (and likely last) ultra. It isn’t something that I have a passion for (I enjoy huge events like major marathons). But I want an ultra on the books. There is a very low key ultra in town. It has about 125 runners and is a 2 mile loop with two aid stations…on a flat course. The event is 24 hours. There is no minimum distance and no DNF. I can stop anytime, and can resume anytime. I can pitch a tent and have my own aid station. I ran 50k in a training run this year. If I do it at a real event, I will be fine with that. But I would like to go farther if I can. I am also planning the I-35 challenge (KC marathon on Saturday, Des Moines on Sunday). Two very different running challenges. After next year, I will likely settle into a routine of a spring and fall marathon, a 70.3, and a bunch of shorter events for fun. But I still want to challenge my limits a little bit in 2015.
Good luck in your 100!!!
Holy exciting! Congratulations. I can’t wait to read all about your training!
Nice! Can’t wait to hear about this one 🙂
Yes!! Sounds like a great challenge and adventure 2015 will be!! 100 miler!! Hardcore!!!! Are you going to wait and see if WF goes back to the original course before you sign up??!
Wow. A 100 miler is a whole other level. Good luck !!
Wow that’s insane!! Can’t wait to hear about your journey!
AWESOME!!! I’m so excited for you!! I’m considering a 100 in 2015 too… that sounds like a great race!!
Awesome, Jesse! Can’t wait to follow along!
insanely awesome!! I’m sure you’ll be ready. When there is will, there is a way!
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