INDIANA 100 - A MORE DETAILED REPORT

PHOTO FROM: SUANN LUNDSBERG

INDIANA TRAIL 100- A MORE DETAILED REPORT THE COURSE WAS 6 16.67 MILE LOOPS OF ROLLING HILLS, WATER CROSSINGS, MUD, MUCK, AND AFTER THE RE-ROUTED SECOND LOOP- SOME TECHNICAL GOOD OL' FASHIONED BUSH WACKING. AS YOU ALL CAN SEE, I AM A LITTLE BIT DISAPPOINTED IN MY TIME, HOWEVER...THOSE WHO PARTICIPATED IN IT WITH ME (ESPECIALLY THOSE WITH PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE) ARE CHEERING ME UP! YES COURSE CONDITIONS WERE PRETTY CRAZY. TO BE MORE SPECIFIC: THE RACE DIRECTOR SAID IT WAS THE WORST HE HAS EVER SEEN THE TRAIL CONDITIONS, THE RACE STARTED OUT IN SIDEWAYS SNOW WITH WINDS UP TO 20 MPH MOST OF THE DAY, TEMPERATURE WAS 30 AT THE START (WIND CHILL 23) UP TO 40 DURING THE DAY....AND BACK DOWN TO 20 AT NIGHT FALL (ONLY HALF OF THE LAST LAP FOR ME SO IT WASN'T TOO BAD). THE ACTUAL COURSE (DUE TO THE MONSOON WEATHER ALL THE WAY UP TO RACE DAY) HAD 35 WATER CROSSINGS AND 60 MUDDY BOGS THAT TOOK SOME SERIOUS CORE AND LEG STRENGTH TO MANEUVER THROUGH...ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT TIME. THE RACE DIRECTOR AND VOLUNTEERS DID AN OUTSTANDING JOB RE-ROUTING THE COURSE THE DAY BEFORE AND EVEN DURING (YES DURING THE RACE- AFTER THE REPORTS AND DROP OUTS IN THE FIRST LAP)..IN ORDER TO OFFSET SOME OF THE WATER CROSSINGS THAT WERE DANGEROUS THE RD POSTED SOME FLAGS THROUGH THE WOODS. ....THE TRIP STARTED OFF A LITTLE ROUGH. A DELAYED FLIGHT INTO INDIANAPOLIS WEDNESDAY MEANT A 9:30PM DINNER AND LATE TO BED. NEXT DAY WAS MONSOON DAY. DOWN POUR AND FLOODED ROADS GREETED MYSELF AND HUBBY AS WE MADE OUR WAY UP TO SYRACUSE INDIANA (WHERE WYATT-MY HUSBAND, WOULD HAVE TO DO SOME WORK). I STILL STAYED IN A POSITIVE MIND SET AND WAS FEELING REALLY GOOD. FRIDAY FINALLY CAME AND WE HAD A CHANCE TO MEET UP WITH MY FAMILY, FRIENDS FROM ALPENA MICHIGAN (WHO ALSO ROCKED THE COURSE!), AND VIEWED PARTS OF THE COURSE. THE PARTS OF THE COURSE THAT WE SAW WERE ALMOST ALL UNDER WATER...ONLY THE TIPS OF THE PINK MARKER FLAGS COULD BE SEEN (IF AT ALL). I STILL STAYED POSITIVE. RACE MORNING- I WOKE UP WITH RENEWED ENERGY AND EXCITEMENT....LOOKED OUT THE WINDOW AND SAW THAT IT WAS SNOWING! FOR REAL?! WELL, GOOD THING I GREW UP IN NORTHERN MICHIGAN! WIND CHILL WAS A COOL 23 DEGREES. YIKES! ...SO I SAT FOR A SECOND AND THOUGHT ABOUT HOW I COULD KEEP MY CORE TEMPERATURE WARM WITHOUT FEELING LIKE AN ESKIMO! THIS IS HOW I COUNTERED ALL THE CHALLENGES I ENCOUNTERED ON THIS JOURNEY- 1. PEARL IZUMI H3'S WITH ICESPIKES!!! FOR MY SHOES- WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT ROAD SHOES WOULD WORK AND HAVE GREAT DRAINAGE TOO! (AND OF COURSE HAD A FEW EXTRA PAIRS AT THE AID STATIONS) 2. PEARL IZUMI'S GAITORS (THEY HELPED KEEP THE DEBRIS OUT OF MY SHOES) 3. COMPRESSION SOCKS (EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE GOING TO GET SOAKED, THEY STILL KEPT ME WARM AND COMPRESSED!) 4. PEARL IZUMI'S ULTRA SHORTS ( HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO ALL!!! THESE SHORTS ROCK, NO CHAFFING-EVEN WHEN SOAKED FOR 100 MILES- ALTHOUGH THEY DRY QUICKLY AND FEEL LIKE YOUR RUNNING NAKED!) 5.2 TANKS- ONE UNDER TANK AND PEARL IZUMI'S ELITE TRI TANK 6. 2 ARM WARMERS- PEARL IZUMI THERMAL ELITE 7. ONE THIN SHELL JACKET (TO START OFF AND FINISH WITH) 8. PEARL IZUMI JERSEY BIKE JACKET (TO START AND FINISH WITH) 9. PEARL IZUMI THERMAL HAT 10. PEARL IZUMI THERMAL GLOVES 11. ULTIMATE DIRECTION BLAZE PLUS FUEL BELT....THIS BABY IS LIGHT WEIGHT AND NEVER DISAPPOINTS ME!!! *** I WAS PREPARED TO CHANGE IF NEEDED, BUT DIDN'T END UP DOING ANY CHANGES. JUST RAN IT STRAIGHT THROUGH. THERE WAS NO POINT IN CHANGING SHOES/SOCKS ETC...I WASN'T HAVING ANY PROBLEMS AND THE NEW EMOTION H3'S WERE DRAINING GREAT! HOW I MANAGED MY NUTRITIONAL INTAKE- 1. ALTERNATED BETWEEN "THE SIMPLY BAR" AND "BOBO'S OAT BARS" 2. ALSO ADDED A POTATO HERE AND THERE WITH A FEW PEANUTS 3. GU ENERGY GELS- ISLAND NECTAR AND TRI- BERRY 4. WATER, WATER , WATER ,WATER! 5. CHICKEN BROTH 6. COKE 7. SALTSTICK SALT TABS *** I DIDN'T HAVE MY IPOD OR A PACER...I WANTED TO DO THIS ONE ON MY OWN!!! I DID HOWEVER, HAVE AN EXCELLENT CREW. MY FAMILY (MOM, DAD, BROTHER AND SISTER..AND OF COURSE MY WONDERFUL HUSBAND, WYATT AND OUR FRIENDS BRYAN AND ERIN (ERIN WOULD ACTUALLY BE TEARING UP THE 50MILE FOR A 8TH PLACE FEMALE FINISH BEFORE ALSO HELPING ME OUT!!). NOT TO MENTION ALL THE FELLOW RUNNERS FROM MY HOMETOWN- ALPENA MICHIGAN..AND PAUL STOLFKO -3RD PLACE! SO THE RACE STARTED OUT WITH HEAD LAMPS GLEAMING...WE BLEW THROUGH (KIND OF) THE FIRST LAP..THEN AS SOME DROPPED OUT DUE TO THE CONDITIONS...MYSELF AND A FEW OTHER GUYS CONTINUED ON...THEY TOO SEEM TO DROP BACK ( MADE SOME TIME ON KEEPING MY AID STATION STOPS SPEEDY). I KNEW THE FIRST LOOP TOOK A LOT OUT OF ME BECAUSE I ATE 3X AS MUCH AS I NORMALLY WOULD AND STILL FELT LIKE I COULD SIT DOWN FOR A BREAKFAST BUFFET. EVEN WITH THE CONDITIONS..I WAS STILL ON AMERICAN RECORD PACE...I WOULD HOLD THAT PACE THROUGH THE 60MILE MARK, BUT WAS STEADILY SLOWING...I TRIED TO STAY POSITIVE AND KNEW I COULD BOUNCE BACK AND ALSO REALIZED THAT I ACTUALLY JUST WON THE OVERALL 50 MILE PORTION OF THE RACE TECHNICALLY TOO..AND SET A PERSONAL BEST IN MY 100K ...NO SUCH LUCK WITH THIS ONE AS FAR AS THE 100 GOES :( ALTHOUGH I WAS STILL ENJOYING THE PAIN, THE BEAUTY OF CHAIN O LAKES, AND THE CHALLENGE OF THE COURSE- MY LEGS WERE SHOT. I WOULD CONTINUE TO SLOW. I MADE A PROMISE TO MYSELF THAT I WOULD RUN THE WHOLE THING- LITERALLY NOT STOP EXCEPT TO PEE REALLY QUICK AND WALK THOUGH THE AID STATIONS...THAT I DID - I ACCOMPLISHED THAT GOAL ( ALTHOUGH I THINK YOU COULD HAVE WALKED FASTER THAN I WAS "RUNNING" ON THE LAST LAP!). ONLY 57 RUNNERS OF THE 152 THAT ACTUALLY STARTED THE RACE, FINISHED. MY RESULTS: 1ST 17:35:17 100 MILE 7:20:51 50 MILE SPLITS: LAP 1: 2:20:42 LAP 2: 2:21:23 LAP 3: 2:38:44 LAP 4: 2:57:00 LAP 5: 3:17:16 LAP 6: 4:00:09 *** PUT THIS RACE ON YOUR RACE CALENDER FOR NEXT YEAR- UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS...IT WOULD BE A PHENOMENALLY FAST COURSE (AND THE RACE DIRECTORS WERE ORGANIZED, DETAILED AND SUPPORTIVE- WHERE ELSE DO YOU SEE RD'S AT SEVERAL LOCATIONS CHEERING YOU ON ON THE COURSE?) BELOW IS THE FINISHING VIDEO..BUT YOU CAN'T SEE MUCH UNTIL THE END~