Let me start by detailing my past running experience. I did one year of cross country as a kid. Hated every minute of it. I was never good at running and my cardio always seemed to be pretty horrendous. Fast forward to my weightlifting days. I neglected cardio for about 8 years straight. Near the end of university I signed up for a tough mudder 5k and remember gassing out and having to walk portions of it. Soon after, I was applying to become a police officer and had to log my fitness. The official test required your fastest mile and a half, but they also wanted some longer runs every week, topping out at 10km. At this point in my life the 1.5 miles took everything out of me, let alone running another 7.5km. Although it was probably my first real cardio stint (calling it that may be generous to the actual work I put in), it was short lived, and I went back to neglecting cardio soon after.
It was only when I became a personal trainer and wanted to develop a better approach to fitness that I started running more. After all, cardio and resistance training go hand in hand as a better heart means a better engine, capable of more energy and better recovery. Coincidentally, as I was getting more into running a friend asked to do a Spartan half marathon. I thought 21km may be a little much but I decided to give it a go. Despite walking a lot of it as it was up and down a mountain, as soon as I crossed the finish line I was hooked. I did a handful more spartan races over the next couple years and finally decided to move on to a trail race. I had done the 50km spartan which took about 9 hours, so I figured the next step would be 100km as I thought it'd take about 12-13 hours to complete.
Now let's get into the training. My method of personal training is similar to my own training. I take a well rounded approach, which is good for health and longevity but not necessarily the best to prepare for a race. Because I am unwilling to sacrifice resistance training and rock climbing, I limited myself to running twice per week. This is much less running mileage than any experienced ultra runner would recommend. Thankfully I am not just a personal trainer, but also a mailman. At work I walk roughly 75km/week, which allowed me to get away with less time running. I started with two, 2 hour runs per week, with one of them increasing by 30 minutes every other week. This topped me out with a 2 hour run, and a 4.5 hour long run in my 2 peak weeks. I was able to run 40km in 4.5 hours at the race trail. I was starting to get tired legs by the end of the runs but ultimately, my energy was pretty good post runs, which made me optimistic for race day.
My plan for race day was to fuel myself with maple syrup (1 cup per 20km loop) for my carbohydrates, and rehydrate with LMNT electrolytes (1 packet every hour). I also brought eggs, fruit, change of clothes and shoes, and advil. We had pretty good weather the day of, although it rained the night before so the course was bound to get muddy as the day went on.
And we're off! The first loop (20km) I ran with a few guys who seemed to be of similar speed. Making conversation the whole time, along with race day adrenaline, made it fly by. I came in at 2:11:56 feeling good enough I convinced myself I might even keep running after my 100km was done.
Lap 2 I eventually started running with one of the guys from lap 1, which again made it go by pretty smoothly. I had meant to take a precautionary advil because this was the longest my legs had gone in a while, but in the chaos of trying to get through the bag drop station as fast as possible, I forgot.
For the next 20km I would pay for this mistake. Most of this lap I ran (very slowly) alone, as the runner I spent most of the first two loops with ran into some stomach issues. I was finally in the pain cave that I had heard so many others talk about before. It felt like I was slowing to a crawl, doing my best to keep my legs moving forward. For the first time, a little doubt crossed my mind as I knew these next 2 loops (40km) were going to suck.
Or so I thought. I took my time at the bag drop area this lap. I took some advil, changed my socks and headed back out for the 4th loop. Each loop starts with a giant downhill stretch that you can fly down. When I got to the bottom I expected to slow right back down, but I actually felt kinda good again. I chalked it up to eating some solid food for the first time in the race. Then about halfway through the loop I moved my elbow which was weirdly causing me a ton of pain, and to my dismay, there was no longer any pain. That is when it clicked. The advil has brought me back to life! I picked up the pace again for the entirety of the fourth loop, feeling as fresh as I did on lap 2.
Now 10 hours 20 minutes into the race, I took one more lifesaving advil, put another in my pocket and got back on the course for the homestretch. About 30 minutes later I took it as I figured it could only help. I felt them kick in 30 minutes apart, first giving me a little boost and then a massive boost as I closed in on the final 5 km. I started picking off people one by one that had passed me on my treacherous third loop. I felt like I had a brand new set of legs as the euphoria of almost being finished set in. I was soaring, even running through uphill sections for the first time in the race. I got to the final climb up the monster starting/finishing hill and walked the first half just like the previous 4 loops. Something continued to take over me, and I picked up the pace for the final half of the hill, again passing runners one by one. It felt like the best pace of my entire race as I was greeted by my fiance and family at the top of the hill. I continued running around one final bend and across the finish line. Job Finished. 13:06:55.
Now for the aftermath. After watching some of the guys I had run with throughout the race come in, I headed home for a shower and some food. As I exited the car at my house I got so cold I had to stand in my boiler room to stop my teeth from chattering. After a warm shower the scary shakes were done. I had difficulty sleeping as my body was in some sort of flight mode and not able to shut down for the night. I managed to get a few poor quality hours in before I had to be back at the trail to watch my fiance and friend head off on their race. Funny enough, a man I had run with briefly the day before and joked about potentially getting to come back to see him finish his 100 miler, was just crossing the finish line holding his daughters' hands. It was a pretty cool moment to witness.
Anyway, my body was good enough to wobble around. Pretty stiff all over, with the worst being the front of my ankles. I managed to move around quite a bit the day after, which ultimately is great for getting blood flow and nutrients to all the tissues that desperately needed it. CAR's, which is something I prescribe daily for all of my personal training clients, were crucial to getting my joints back to a usable condition. When Monday rolled around I was back at work walking about 17km/day. I recall one ankle acting up for a couple days near the end of shifts, but nonetheless was exceedingly satisfied with being able to be back at work that quick.
Looking back, I think I had more to give and will likely be back to do so. I am leaning towards a last man standing race. The format consists of running 4.2 miles every hour on the hour, until there is only one runner left. I figure this is a surefire way to find my absolute limit and push myself like never before. We'll see if I come to my senses before then.
If you located in the Kitchener-Waterloo area, and want a body capable of doing whatever you like (including 100km), get started with some transformative personal training that will provide you with healthy joints, strong connective tissue, and capable muscles – Contact Tommy Kudoba Fitness – Personal Trainers Kitchener, ON
