Running through the night

A few posts ago, I talked about sleep deprivation not being on my training radar for my 100 miler that is before another ultra-runner pointed in out to me. Since then, the thought of how to make this happen has been circling in the back of mind like a Disney song that I cannot get out my head.

I wondered if I should do this run from my house or should I perhaps run it on the trails. Mostly, just the thought of slugging along at 3 AM alone kept me looking for options.

This past weekend, I stumbled across a local 12 hour event. Normally, timed events are not something that I am interested in doing. For some reason, I like the idea of having a fixed distance where time is variable and not the other way around.  The time is fixed while the distance is the variable. I liken these type of races to watching a tea pot and waiting for it to boil.

However, in this case, I signed up for this one. I did it because this race goes from 8 PM to 8 AM. This was perfect for what I needed to do my sleep deprivation run.  I could pretty much be up all day, drive to the race, setup my camp, and then run through the night. Bonus, I would have some other runners to keep my company. The course is a little 4 mile loop so I have plenty of access to fluids and nutrition. This was an added bonus because I can test out some different foods to see how my tummy handles them.

Strangely for someone not normally interested in these type of events, I am kind of excited about it. It is kind of like a new adventure. Who knows where it will led.

So look for more to come on this adventure...

Tails from the trail,

The Cool Down Runner