Canal Corridor 100

Race Report Canal Corridor 100 Endurance Run: David Lane

I am a failure; I am a loser; I am an Overcomer…. Enjoy the Journey…. Be Epic

Long Post Notice: Post Race Review Canal Corridor 100. Did not Finish stopped at mile 69.8 in 19 hours 13 minutes.

General Thoughts: I went into the race without thought of a DNF; it has never been in my thought process during a set-distance race. I come away from this race with a newfound respect for long runners. I admire each one who toes the line, not knowing what the day will bring. Training: I started specific training for this race on July 4th with a consistent build-up each week. My max running mileage was 63 miles two weeks before the race. I had eight weeks with over 40 running miles. All runs, except for two races, were at a zone 2 pace (low heart rate). The longest run I did during the training block was 31.2 miles. During the training block, I completed a three-hour and a 6-hour race. The three-hour race was probably one of the best runs I have had in a long time. Everything came together that day. In addition to the running miles, I focused on nutrition by cutting back on bread and sugar and eating more whole foods. With several setbacks, I did very well with this routine for most weeks.

Lessons Learned from Training:

1. Need to do more long runs during a training block; longest two runs were at races, 19 and 31 miles.

2. Need to stand on feet more and get used to not sitting down for hours at a time.

3. Stay on the nutritional guidelines. Eat whole foods and follow the plan.

Pace Strategy: 20-minute walk and 20-minute run. This worked well until mile 56. I reduced it to a 5-minute walk and a 5-minute run, which did not last long. Shortly after that, I walked the entire time. For the first 48 miles, I could walk 16-minute miles; between miles 64 and 69.8, I was averaging 30 minutes miles walking, and it took over two hours to go 5 miles. 

Lessons Learned from Race Strategy: The 20/20 split is good for my 50 milers but a little ambitious with my current training plan. I need to slow down at the beginning and walk more. 

Food Strategy: One of my biggest downfalls. I read the runner’s manual, and all the food the aid stations carried suggested to me not to worry about food. I would eat what I wanted at the aid stations. End the end, trying to figure out what I wanted to eat with all those options was overwhelming. Second, I failed to eat breakfast and ran the first 10 miles with no food, only gels. Mandy bought breakfast burritos which helped tremendously at mile 30. The next time I ate was at the mile 48 aid station, where I ate a bowl of Ramen at the 12-hour mark. That was the last time I could hold food down. For the rest of the race, I struggled with nausea. 

Mental Process: Mentally, I was great until the late 50-mile range, when I could no longer run. One of my main mental challenges was that I continued to focus on the 24-hour mark. The race had a cutoff of 30 hours. Mentally all I focused on was 24 hours. When I started the race, I should work within the 30-hour range and focused all my efforts on 30 hours. When I dropped, I was 19 hours into the race, and mentally I was thinking 5 hours left when I still had 11 hours. I had plenty of time to regroup and think through the race. However, I lost the will to continue and dropped out. I could have continued to the next aid station and reached 74 miles. But with my averaging the 30-minute miles, I did not want to battle the cold and long slow walk to the next aid station.

Final Thoughts: I am already thinking about the next race and how I can overcome 100 miles. I am not done.