Umstead 100 is a 100-mile race in Umstead State Park in NC. This year, it is in its 30th year.  The day before the race, I had driven up to check in to set up my canopy that my friend Tucker would crew out of. After checking in and finding my way around, we went to the hotel and took some time to relax. At about 4:00 pm, we headed to Target to pick up some water and a funnel to ensure the tailwind mix could be poured into my naked bottles. We then headed back to the race headquarters for a pasta dinner, where we met some of the other runners. 2 servings of pasta were needed, and it was nice as the race had plenty of food for us. After asking the race staff a few closing questions, we headed back to the hotel, where all items for the next day were set out.

    The night before the race, I could not sleep much as my brain was running through different scenarios that could come up during the race. After popping out of bed at 4:30 after a rough night of sleep, I quickly dressed and filled the coolers with ice. All the race day gear was kept in a specific bag, so that was all we needed to grab before heading to the race site. Once we arrived, we dropped the coolers and the race day bag off at our tent, parked, and headed back to sit down at the tent. I put on some sunscreen and bodyglide. I ate three bananas and used the bathroom 3 times before the race. I listened to some of the Transformers soundtrack and then closed it off with an Eric Thomas Soundcloud mix immediately before the race. 

    The race began! I was not sure what the pace of the day would look like or how the competition would shape up, so I started super easy. I ran with some of the other runners for the first couple of miles, talking about different training habits and race experiences. Most of the other front-runners had a history of completing 100s, but I did not let that get in my head. Through one lap, I was about right on pace with what I thought I would be. My legs felt so fresh, and the second lap was quicker. The warm-up laps were done now. I knew at this point I was in the top 10 and did not have to try and do anything special for the next 50ish miles- do what I did in training. Reassuring myself of this was calming and allowed the race to flow to me.

    As midday came, the sun came out ready to bring it on. My pace steadily declined from the third lap onwards. Consuming gels became a struggle at this point, using fruit wraps and carb mixes to keep putting calories down. Using an ice bandana was great and provided some relief. I was scooping ice into my shirt at the aid stations to keep my core cool, but my head would not cool down as much. Consuming about 2.5 L of fluid per hour to ensure I could avoid cramping or late race problems. In my head, I only needed to last until 6 pm because then it would get easier when the sun went down. 

    I made it to 6 pm and used the shadows to cool down. Now 12 hours into the race, I had broken it down into a run-walk to help me manage my fluid intake. The following hours, I could stay consistent, not pushing the pace much, but feeling some tightness in my left calf. At about mile 94, I could hear one of the competitors coming up behind me,, trying to take 5th place from me,, so I launched myself into a decent pace and was able to hold onto it. 

    Overall a great first 100 being able to average under a 10:00 mile and learn a lot from. Much more to come in the future; this is only the start.