100 Miles in 11 Hours 51 Minutes
I recently capped off a training cycle by competing in an event called, 6 Days in the Dome. Ironically, they offer a 10 day option, which is a timed event where you see how far you can go in 10 days. You can basically do any ultramarathon distance or timed event inside the 10 day window.
The event is organized inside the Pettit Center in Milwaukee, WI where they maintain ice rinks and a speed skating track. The speed skating track serves as a training facility for Olympic Speed Skaters. It is an impressive facility to say the least. Fortunately for crazy ultra runners, when they built the Pettit Center, they also put a three lane track around the speed skating rink.
I first did a race in the Pettit Center back in 2013. It was actually an indoor marathon I was using as a training race in preparation for an ultra. That is where I first got interested in the facility and learned they keep it at 55 degrees Fahrenheit and 30 percent humidity to maintain the ice rinks. This is basically optimal running weather. In 2019, I went back after a hot Summer peaking phase in Phoenix, AZ where long runs would end in the triple digit heat. I recall thinking during my taper that it will basically be half the temperature compared to my long runs! I went on to run my best 100 mile to date, and break the 100 mile and 12 hour World Records at the time by crossing 100 miles in 11 hrs 19 minutes 13 seconds and going on to run 104.88 miles in 12 hours. Since then, I have always kept this event in mind when focusing on a fast controlled 100 mile events.
This year my training cycle and peak block of training was done in Austin, TX. I got all the heat I could desire once again, but this time it was of the humid nature. I had a few long runs end in 93 percent humidity and “real feel” past 100 degrees. I was literally making sweat footprints on the track due to my shoes getting so wet! I was pretty happy with how things played during the parking phase. Most of my long sessions on the track were done in the mid to high 6:30 per mile range, which was pretty similar to my peak in 2019. I went to the Pettit Center with a mindset that a PR was on the table for this attempt if things went great.
The track in the Pettit Center is 443.5 meters in length, so slightly longer than a typical 400 meter track. The way I like to set up pacing for these types of 100 milers is to target a range for lap splits. I will set a split I don’t believe I should exceed, and one that I want to fight to not fall beneath. Going into the event this year, those were 1 minute 47 seconds (~6:30/mi), and 1 minute 55 seconds (~7:00/mi). I like to be mindful of effort from past experience in the early laps, and to some degree, learn during the event how realistic the various goals may be, especially when some of the race day variables are different from my long run development. In this case, the temperature was the big one. I determined pretty early that splits of 1:47 were likely overly aggressive and if I stacked too many of them, I’d probably pay with a slower finishing time than if I eased off. Splits in between 1:49-1:52 felt pretty manageable, so that is where a bulk of my early miles fell.
I hit the biggest hurdle of the day a few hours into the event. I went in with the hydration strategy I had used in 2019. My thought was the track and the climate hadn’t changed at all inside the Pettit Center, so it should be a good gauge to start with. As it turned out, I was wrong. I ended up nearly doubling my fluid intake from 2019. This disparity meant I had some catching up to do in the middle hours of the race. My peak fluid intake reached approximately 40 oz for two back to back hours. I was able to taper back down to around 20-25 oz per hour after that, but even that was high compared to 2019, where I was closer to 15-16 oz per hour average over the duration of the event.
There are likely lots of variables that could result in this scenario. Two worth considering are the humid training cycle versus dry. With the Pettit being at 30 percent humidity, it was dry compared to Austin, but perfectly fine compared to the dry desert. I also took on about 10-15 grams of carbohydrate extra per hour in the first half of the event this year compared to 2019. This would add a greater fluid demand. With that said, it wasn’t likely to a large degree. When you consider 1 gram of carbohydrate will require 3-4 grams of water to process and store, the additional intake would only be a couple ounces more per hour.
The increased carb intake may have been a gamble influenced by curiosity in hindsight as I didn’t notice any improvement in perceived effort or late stage energy and focus compared to 2019, or any of my previous 100 miles for that matter where I have historically hovered around 40 grams per hour. If there was a win there for me, it is I can be at least more confident my traditional 100 mile fueling strategy is likely the best path for me.
To what degree this all influenced my final result is anyone's guess, but it will be a hurdle I will aim to not have in future races. Ultimately, as I progressed beyond midway, my splits began to slow and my effort remained pretty consistent. This is usually not a good sign if it lasts for more than a couple miles, and likely means the early miles were a bit aggressive, or a mistake was made with other variables. I adjusted my expectations as best I could, knowing that a fast time was still very much on the table if I was willing to focus and ride things out.
I can honestly say there were plenty of times in the past this scenario would have caused me to stop or slow much more drastically had I been presented with a similar scenario as I did at this event. One of the biggest differences I notice with these track ultras versus trail events is the cognitive focus required is different. When you lapse it is right in your face with all the information available. Negatives can spiral much quicker, and the monotony and ease of withdrawal is just at another level. It was a really good exercise for me to be presented with some negatives and move on as best I could. Having experiences where you are able to retain focus and positivity beyond your typical standard are powerful. They teach you what you can do, and if learned from, can be leveraged in the future. The mindset shifts to getting the other things right, and a great performance may line up.
Crossing the 100 mile mark in 11 hours and 51 minutes lands as my fourth fastest 100 mile event and fourth under 12 hours. At the time of the event, it was the fourth fastest American 100 mile and 15th in the World. I suspect this will change soon as the sport continues to grow. It has been fun to test my limits with these types of events over the years, and I am very optimistic I have more sub 12 hour 100s in the future, and have not lost the desire to still attempt to PR. I can safely say my experience at the Pettit Center this year will serve as a great tool and motivation going forward.
If you are interested in some additional support, I am currently onboarding for my group coaching package. It is designed for all abilities, and race targets that will help you better understand the training and racing process. It includes: access to my complete catalog of training plans from 5km to 200+ miles, weekly group meetings to help adjust your plan and cover questions/topics, recordings of meetings, office hours, future guest speakers, and a private forum for all members. Details can be found here.
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