By: Chris Thayer
This blog is a recap of my attempt to run a 100 mile ultramarathon in the mountains of Tennessee and Kentucky. Preparing for a 100-mile ultramarathon in the mountains while living in the flat terrain of Tampa, FL, was a journey marked by profound challenges and personal growth. This endeavor was not just about the physical act of running but a challenge that tested the limits of my mental and physical endurance. I often ask my clients to do the hard things and step out of their comfort zone in relationships with others. I feel that when I push myself in the hard things I am actually practicing what I preach when working with clients and as I parent my kids. Overall, I spent one year training for this event with research, planning, watching tips on YouTube, securing necessary equipment, and of course a lot of running. It didn’t come easy, and it definitely had a few setbacks. But so will your journey in life! Funny enough, I do not find running to be interesting or engaging. I find it to be quite boring, actually. So why then would I attempt an ultramarathon? Just for the challenge to be honest. I was hopeful that the goal would push me in ways that I would not push myself otherwise. Another question may be: so why attempt it in the mountains when I live in flat Tampa, FL? Again, the challenge of something difficult. Training for an ultramarathon in the mountains, while living in FL, became more of a challenge than just running that distance on flat terrain. But this writing is not about the work I put in to get to this point. It is about tackling something that would push my mind and body to the brink and to see the transformation that could bring.
RACE RECAP
To start off, this location was beautiful, the race started in Jamestown, TN and ran into KY. The scenery was astounding, the leaves were changing, there were cool overlooks and bridges. But... the terrain was absolutely ridiculous, meaning harder than I could imagine. Side note: I was bunk mates with the 3rd place finisher and he stated he has never seen trails like that in his life. So, I felt validated :) I don’t remember any There was no real flat terrain, it was either up or down the entire race and even some of the downhill sections were so extreme they were not runnable. Multiple times we went over a mile at 30+ degree incline (Treadmills generally only do 10 degree max). But my training was enough and for that I was thankful because I had to be very creative to train in FL adequately. Unfortunately, it only takes one part of your body to give up even when I felt so good in every other way.
Here is a recap of my 100 mile race in which I completed 70 miles.
The race began at 8am on Friday October 25th. Miles 0-20 I felt great in the beginning, it was daylight and the scenery was astounding. At Mile 20 I rolled my ankle so bad I fell down. I got up, walked it off and I was able to keep running on that with no issues (I rolled both ankles a couple of times throughout the race, but all of the rest were minor and no swelling or discoloration thankfully). Miles 20-25 My legs started feeling weary and I was hoping that it wouldn’t last forever. Miles 25-30 I got a boost from seeing my crew and my legs were strong again. Miles 30-35 My legs were weary again, but I knew I could still maintain. I tried to make it to 38 miles before dark but missed it by 20 minutes or so. Luckily, I had my headlamp because it got dark dark out there fast. At this point I started telling myself, “I have to get to a chair at the next Aid station”, so I start to go faster to get to the chair faster. This happened for every section moving forward. Keep moving, don’t stop until you get to the next chair haha. Miles 35-38 The darkness began. It was so dark, pitch black very quick. I actually liked it because I couldn’t see far enough ahead to know how bad the terrain was in front of me. I just had to focus on one step at a time to avoid tripping and falling off a cliff: seriously, at some points. Miles 38-48 I felt really good, moving through the dark. I joined up with 4 guys from Bowling Green in this section that helped me keep moving. I felt so good, I was on a high but the terrain was so tough it was barely possible to run in the dark, and everyone walked a lot in this section. The last 1.7 miles was straight uphill, no switchbacks, just straight up. That was mentally nauseating, but I surprised myself by keeping my head down and not looking up ahead. The dark actually helped a lot with the mental part because I couldn’t see how long the climb was. Miles 48-56 I don’t remember much standing out in this section. Still staying with the guys from Bowling Green. They helped me so much to just keep moving as fast as I could to keep up with them. Then, another 1.5 mile+ section at the end that was a steep uphill climb to get to a chair at the aid station. When I got to the aid station I was moving enough to be wet with sweat even with the night getting colder. This caused me to start shaking pretty bad from the cold, so I sat by the fire for at least 5 minutes. I knew I had to force myself to start moving again, knowing it should warm me back up. The Bowling Green guys headed out a minute or so before me and I knew I had to catch them to feel more energized from the camaraderie. Miles 56-63 Somewhere in this section was the first time I had 100 mg of caffeine, at 2 am, to try and avoid tiredness. Apparently it was good timing because I was never tired before or after during the race ( I stopped all caffeine 6 weeks before the race hoping the caffeine would work when I actually wanted it in the race).
This section thankfully only had a difficult climb that wasn’t as long as previous ones. BUT it had a downhill section that dropped almost 500 ft in less than a half a mile. That might sound great but it was so steep even walking it fast was difficult. To make matters worse it had softball size, or a little bigger, loose rocks that moved with every step. I was ok until I started seeing people running up them! It was the only part of the course that overlapped itself. My mental energy was destroyed. I thought there was no way I could go up this mountain the opposite direction. I just kept moving to get to a chair, as always, in my mind. To get into the aid station was the first true river crossing and the water was up to my knees. Holding a rope, rushing water, those same stupid rocks from the downhill under my feet in the water. It was 75-100 steps across at b est guess. I let go of the rope toward the end because the water exit was away from it, and I instantly started slipping and tripping and somehow didn’t face plant into the river. I splashed myself and others around me but stayed upright thank goodness. I got to my chair, and instantly feeling frozen again, very very cold. Multiple blankets and a jacket helped very little. My crew stated the bathroom had a strong heater. So I went to get out of the chair to make it to the bathroom and warm up before starting to run the next section. My upper calf locked up at some point after I sat down, and I couldn’t stand up without help. Immediately, I was starting to feel devastated because I felt so good in every other way at this point. My crew helped me limp to the bathroom to warm up and get some warm clothes on to try and keep moving. I was ready to start moving and see if the calf would release through movement because nothing else was working. Miles 63-69.95 I thought this was the incline I did not want to attempt. My crew helped me start moving anyways. I pushed through the calf pain. I ran hard, was passing people over and over until I could barely walk because my calf was getting worse instead of loosening. My crew ran this section with me and that allowed me to just keep moving even though I lost the ability to run at some point. There were multiple sections here that had wooden staircases that resembled ladders more than stairs. Then a steep stair section that was at least 50-80 steps down with only 1 handrail for half of it. I really needed 2 haha. But I figured out how to go down sideways and kept moving despite my calf. I had to get back to the car either way, so it was easy to keep moving. It took me over 2 hours to do these 6-7 miles which ruined my pace. I still felt so good and mentally ready, but my leg wouldn’t work anymore My last mile was just under 30 minutes and I was moving as fast as I could with no breaks. I knew that I couldn’t continue on at that pace. 63.95-70 I got back to my chair, but I was .05 miles away from 70 miles even. You could call me OCD. I wouldn’t argue with you. But I also just felt like the number 70 sounded better than the 60’s. So I started lightly jogging in a circle around some picnic tables while my crew thought I lost my mind haha. I just had to hit 70 before sitting in the chair. I hit 70 then sat down. Back to freezing cold, my calf was completely done working. It was not an Electrolyte issue; it was overuse from the terrain. There was nothing left I could do, it hurt too much to touch let alone try a massage gun.
It was now Saturday morning 22 hours into the race, and it was impossible for me to cross back over the river and tackle the dreaded incline with the inability to even walk fast so I had to drop out. I still felt accomplished. Amazed at how great I felt at the end. I was amazed that my legs were not tired at all. Kind of relieved because I didn’t want to do that incline that was ingrained in my head anyways. Kind of relieved because my goal was 28 hours, and I knew that without being able to speed up when daylight returned I would have been closer to 34 hours which sounded horrible. The rest of Saturday I had trouble walking at all. My leg didn’t hurt until I used it or touched it. I checked in with the Race Dr. and he didn’t think there were any other symptoms to be worried about a worse issue. He advised I needed to give it time to rest and see how it feels in the next few days. So I knew I made the right choice and that it wasn’t going to just go away. By Sunday morning it was still very sensitive to touch, but I was able to walk normally at least so that was good. Unbelievably, I had no leg issues going up or down stairs. So surprised that my training in flat FL allowed me to tackle these mountains and still feel good (despite the calf). No digestion issues which are common in long distances. Very minimal muscle aches during and now a day after. I felt accomplished. 70 miles was not the goal but with the crazy difficulty level of this course it became the goal. Some inclines were 30% plus which I didn’t even know was possible for such long distances as a trail. I pushed myself to the end and I am thankful to all who encouraged me on this journey.
The Path to Personal Growth and Resilience
My takeaway for myself and for those that are still reading: Life is a remarkable journey of growth, and one of the most profound ways to foster that growth is by challenging yourself. Embracing adversity, though often daunting, is essential for personal development. It’s all an opportunity to connect with God and appreciate the gifts he has given us. Each obstacle encountered is an opportunity to learn, adapt, and strengthen resilience. By facing challenges, we uncover the true potential we have through God’s grace, pushing beyond perceived limits and achieving what once seemed impossible. Celebrating the gains from overcoming such trials not only boosts confidence but also inspires others to embark on their own paths of self- discovery. It’s in these moments of triumph, where perseverance meets achievement, that we have a chance to find the great reward.
As I reflect on the difficulty of the terrain and the inability to finish the race, several things stand out to me regarding life and mental health to be more specific. One thing is the recognition that work has to be put in to achieve difficult things. But no matter how much preparation, the goal, or finish line on this occasion, may have to be altered to find success. Thus, realizing that success may be different than you originally perceived. I realized through this event that the goal was not 100 miles, but it was the challenge of pushing myself further than I had ever imagined possible on a course that was more difficult than I originally pictured. Finding a way to accept one’s limitations with grace is vital. While the ultimate goal was not reached, redefining success in terms of effort and perseverance provided a profound sense of accomplishment. Each mile covered was a testament to dedication and resilience, reminding me that every challenge overcome is a stepping stone to future endeavors.
How Support and Perseverance Expand Our Limits
Another crucial lesson is the power of a supportive network. My crew’s unwavering encouragement and assistance, and my friends/family back home praying and cheering me on, were pivotal in helping me navigate through the toughest segments of the race. Their presence reinforced the idea that while personal goals drive us, the strength found in community support can propel us further than going it alone. Lastly, I learned that I can still encourage my kids and others that difficult things are achievable. Even though I didn’t achieve what I set out to accomplish. Based on my performance on this course, I now know that I have the ability to run 100 miles on less difficult terrain. The fact that I continued to move until my body forced me to stop shows that I could do more difficult things than I would have originally guessed. My mind could not imagine the difficulty of what I was going to face based on any previous experiences, and for this I was able to push myself beyond my perceived boundaries for longer than I may have otherwise.
Embracing Challenges for Personal Growth
This transformative journey highlighted the power of stepping out of my comfort zone. It was a testament to the resilience of the human ability to adapt and thrive in the face of daunting challenges. Each mile logged, each obstacle overcome, was a step toward personal transformation, revealing a newfound strength and resilience within. God put something deep inside of me that likes the challenge, the hard thing, and to pursue when everyone else thinks it make no sense or is worthless. How is God pushing you to step outside of the easy, away from the norm of others, to challenge yourself. You can have the opportunity to grow through accomplishment, even if the goal line moves closer as mine did, but it doesn’t happen if you keep doing the same old things over and over again. Challenge yourself, set goals, push hard, and ask God and your support team to encourage and assist you along the way. The effort is worth it, you may surprise yourself. Even if you don’t hit the original goal you may see that you did more than you would have ever imagined without the challenge.