Bandera 100k Race Prep, Day 1

Local Roads & Trails, 8.34 mi, 1:10:44

Today I began the task of laying out and checking my gear for Bandera 100k next weekend. I am by nature an "over-packer", often displaying a tendency to overload myself in an attempt to prepare for every possible situation. For this one I am going to ease up a little bit. I know what works for me, what has worked in training, what I have and have not used in past races, and I am going to try to streamline things a little bit.

Some essentials will include:

• Battery powered USB recharger for my headlamp and phone
• Batteries for flashlight (backup)
• First aid kit (including band aids, vaseline, super glue, etc)
• Tailwind nutrition powder
• Scratch nutrition powder
• Nuun tablets
• Papaya enzymes (essential after my experience at Cactus Rose!)
• 2 Toms blister prevention powder
• Stinger waffles, and a few other assorted small snacks
• Endurolyte tablets

And that's pretty much it. I will carry most of my nutrition with me in an attempt to minimize aid station stops. I will limit drop bags to the Crossroads aid station, which we will pass through 4 times during the race, and Lodge, which will serve as our staging area. From a gear standpoint, I am considering my approach in the event of rain next weekend (currently standing at a 50/50 chance). My only concern here are my shoes. I do not have a pair that have significant tread on the bottom. If I am forced to navigate up and down steep, wet slopes, it could get interesting. Yet I am not inclined to don a brand new pair of shoes for an event of this duration. So I am going to go with my trusted Hokas and see what the day brings.

My race plan is pretty simple - 5 minutes max in the aid stations. That's it. In past events I have lost huge chunks of time to being parked in aid stations, whether as a result of dehydration, a poor nutrition plan, or some combination of the two. My thinking is that if I remain on top of my nutrition (~250 cal/hour) and continue to monitor my water and electrolytes I should be OK. I have an added advantage in that heat is not going to be a factor in this race. If I can do this, my finishing time should take care of itself.

I'll continue to review my plan and allow it to evolve as the week passes. It is not my intent to run this as a target race; instead, I am looking at this one as a supported long training exercise in preparation for Rocky Raccoon 100 later this month. Pacing, breathing, and hopefully a lot of smiling will be the order of the day. That's the idea, anyway.

“Smile, breathe and go slowly.” 

― Thích Nhất Hạnh

Today's run was a chilly 1 hour recovery run around town. A strong, bitter cold wind from the north made this one a bit uncomfortable, particularly when running north! Yet I felt good today and am pleased to head into my taper week with no physical issues or concerns. I think I may finally be nearing the end of the respiratory junk and am looking forward to many restful hours of sleep this week.