The Hitchcock Experience 100 mile

HITCHCOCK 100

December 14th, 2019

Hitchcock Nature Center

Honey Creek, Iowa

6th Overall, 26:55

Phote Credit : Michael Price

I ran Hitchcock a month ago already? I thought that by letting the race sink in a little over the holiday season it would give me some added inspiration to write something unique and entertaining, but to be honest, it really hasn't. But I suppose I will give it a shot anyway!

So, I knew going into Hitchcock that I picked another humbling 100 miler. After all, how else was I going to celebrate my 40th birthday? Seemed like a good idea to prove to myself that I am not getting too old or weak, right?! Plus, I was going to run my age that weekend one way or another. (That's a little yearly tradition I have going)

View from the Fire Tower

The race is set in the Loess Hills in western Iowa which is a beautiful area. The course has a lot of ups and downs that eventually bring you to some tall ridges and some really nice views of the river valley and Omaha. I like running along the ridges so the climbs made it worth it when you got to the top. With 23,000 feet of climb and 23,000 feet of descent it proved to be very challenging. The 8 laps of 12.5 miles was also a mental barrier late in the race when I knew exactly what to expect and how many times to expect it. Each time I do a 100 mile race I learn a little more about the race and little more about myself. For example, 100 miles is hard. Its hard no matter if its flat, hilly, or the weather is horrible. Its going to be HARD, and hard in different ways.

Just past the Chute.

I went into Hitchcock wanting to break 24 hours. I realistically thought 22 hours was doable if things were clicking. Almost all ultra runners go into a hundred thinking the same thing, "I am going to be patient and take my time, and take what the course gives me." Of course, this race was no different. I was going to dial it back and roll with it.

The Fam

I had a great set-up for the race with family as my crew and 2 pacers. Anna and the 5 kids would hang out at the lodge aid station and have everything I would need in my race bin. I would see them every 12.5 miles for sure when I came through which would be a nice morale boost. There were also 2 other fully stocked aid stations along the way each lap. Brett Rosauer and Dave Fischer were going to be my pacers after the 50 mile mark. Its always fun to look forward to some company on the trail. I got lucky, both are great guys and experienced runners.

DAVE FISCHER 

BRETT ROSAUER

The course conditions were decent with little snow in December. It could have been so much worse like in years past. The only tricky spots were going to be the descents since they are very steep and slippery, especially when the quads were blowing up. But at least everything else on the course looked good from a footing standpoint.

DAVE AND BRETT

The 100 started at 5am so I had a few hours with my headlamp in the dark which I really enjoy. Again, the goal was just put it on auto pilot for a few laps and just enjoy the running and delay the inevitable. That plan really worked out well the first half of the race. I can't think of any issues. The aid stations were well stocked and the volunteers where incredible!

There wasn't a whole lot to complain about for the first part of the race so there isn't a whole lot to report! The trails were beautiful and I was feeling good. At the 50 mile mark I was holding a steady pace and came through without really and issues in about 9.5 hours. I felt really great through 50, but you know what, there is no award for feeling great at 50 miles. I would learn that lesson again later in the evening. 

The rest of the race I was paced by Brett for lap 5 and 7, and then Dave for 6 and 8. If I remember correctly 5 actually went well with Brett. During lap six things were definitely starting to get hard with temperatures dropping. When things are getting difficult at that point it makes it tough to look ahead to lap 7 and 8 which are only going to be increasingly harder. Lap 7 was the one that did me in. This is where I insert my own analogy of what a 100 miler feels like to me. Maybe its a bad analogy, but it makes sense in my head.

Nate's Analogy of a 100 mile race:

A one hundred mile race is like an onion. An onion you say? Yes, an onion. When the onion is whole it looks great, it looks fresh and full - much like me before the start of the race, all excited and ready to go. But like the race the onion has many layers. With each mile you start peeling the layers of the onion one at a time. And much like myself, the onion starts to smell pretty strong, or so my kids have told me 50 miles into a race! But back to the onion...As you start pealing more of the layers off (running more miles), you are left more exposed. The energy you once had starts to fade, the fresh legs turn to rocks, the positive attitude starts to waiver. It always looks like a lot of layers left, but like the pacing yourself, its hard to tell if you are peeling them off too fast. Well, during the race you just keep chipping away the miles and keep peeling the layers until eventually your are left with just the last small piece of the onion. That's usually the same point in the race where physically and mentally you hit a wall, or the fork in the road. Its the spot where the going gets tough and you have to contemplate whether a finish is doable. Even the most positive outlook is tested with thoughts of quitting. At that point, with no more layers left to peel, no more energy, and your body broken, you have to decision to make. Do I A.) quit and pack it in (sleep sounds so good right now) OR do I B.) find a way to get past the pain and finish no matter what. I mean, that is what I signed up for...The onion doesn't know, only I know!

There seems to always be a point in the race like this where a runner has to make that decision. For me that time came on the 7th lap at about mile 79. My stomach was rebelling and I was nauseous which meant for me I couldn't eat anything and moving made me want to puke. That's not a good combo since you need calories for energy, and you need energy to keep moving, especially when it is hovering around 10 degrees in the middle of the night. For me that is the part of ultra running that is my weakness...my stomach. It wants to cause problems around that part of the race. I am trying to figure out how to beat it, but it seems to keep bringing me back down to reality. To make it the whole 100 miles you have to keep putting food in your stomach for energy and to stay warm. Like Dave said to me during lap 6, "an Ultra is an eating contest with running in-between." Well, I was losing the battle at that point. Over the next 5 hour period I might have had 3 potato chips and a sip of ginger ale to keep me going.

On lap 7 with Brett I had to stop at the Oasis Aid Station to sit down for a but. I didn't want anything except to just close my eyes. Then I was awoken suddenly to Brett and the volunteers in my face singing me Happy Birthday because it had just turned midnight and I was now 40 years old. I just remember Brett looking so happy with the fact that he startled me! I know he enjoyed that part a lot. That made me smile though, and it gave me reason to get up and start moving down the trail. It wasn't fast but it was moving and generating some body heat. 

I still knew I would have to "turn that corner" if I wanted to finish and get that buckle. At this point all goals set prior to the race don't matter, only finishing matters. But first I needed to eat something and then keep putting one foot in front of the other.

I eventually made it to lap 8 and was able to eat part of a breakfast burrito back at the Oasis aid station and it surprisingly gave me that energy boost I needed. It was getting light out again which meant a new day and I finally had some substance in my stomach. After that I rebounded pretty well and made a big push to the finish with Dave. We started moving at a good clip heading into the last 3-4 miles which was my favorite part of the lap. I was also in great spirits knowing I was going to make it. Knowing you have it in the bag gives you a little second wind as well. As we ran the last ridge and headed down the last hill we knew we just had the dreaded "chute" to climb before the finish.

As we neared the chute Dave just says "I want you to run up it." I replied, "No, we are finishing together, Dave". And then Dave immediately came back and said, "you don't need me, just go". That's Dave for you, so I didn't argue and just took off up the chute, churning my legs and pumping my arms as hard as I could. As I was climbing I could see my kids up at the top and they were yelling for me to finish. When I got up past the last turn they ran with me up the last steep incline to the finish. My stomach was back to normal and it felt great to be done. No more ups and downs. The race director, Ron, made me run a few extra steps to get the buckle, but I didn't mind. It just felt good to finally hold the buckle and give everyone at the finish a hug and take in the view.

The FINISH

One last thing. There are usually 2 questions most people ask me about Ultra Marathon races when they see that I have completed another one.

"Why do you race 100 miles and what do you think about the whole time?"

My honest answers:

1.) I don't like the answer "because I can." That doesn't really cut it in my opinion. Just because you can doesn't give a lot of credit to the race or the finish. However, the question is also hard to answer because its personal. Its a feeling. Once you feel the journey and feel the finish line you know "the why." It reminds me of a years worth of journeys wrapped into one whole day. I really think it boils down to challenging myself and taking on an adventure that will test every part of my body from head toe. Its stepping beyond the normal boundaries we set for ourselves each day.

2.) I am constantly thinking while I am running. Running activates the brain. I am not trying to go too deep into thought  on my own but I can certainly have deep discussions while running that far with someone. But I really just keep taking mental assessments of how I am feeling. What I need to do in the upcoming miles, turns, terrain, food intake, etc. I am always making mental notes of what is ahead. I make goals, and listen to my breathing. I manage to keep my brain occupied with the sights and sounds around me. Sometimes its just dreaming of the future because my "right now" is just one foot in front of the other. And somehow that makes time fly by when I am running.


Thank You to my pacers Dave and Brett!
Thank You to Thorsday teammates for always inspiring me.
Thank You to my wife Anna for the endless support.
Thank you to my kids Bryson, Bridget, Briggs, Brokk, and Brita for keeping me young.

THE BUCKLE