I met a fellow ultramarathoner a few weeks ago. During our conversation, we agreed that he would help me train for one of the hardest 100-milers in the country. He’s run the TRT100 15 (FIFTEEN!) times before, after all!
After the party, I saw him again at the urinals.
“When did you start running ultras?” he asked.
“About two and a half years ago?”
“And you’re going to run a 100-miler next year?”
“…Yes?”
“…”
“What?”
“That’s fast. For most people, there’s a… psychological barrier to 100 miles. Myself included, a long time ago.”
I think secretly, I’ve been kind of hoping that I wouldn’t get selected. Even when I entered the lottery, this still wasn’t real, and even now it doesn’t feel real. I mean, I still have my first 100K (on completely unknown trail, in a completely unknown climate, on a continent I’ve never set foot on before) next month to worry about!
I’m really amused that lottery results are sent on New Years Day, cuz now everyone know for sure what the first half of the year’s going to look like. Personally, even though I’m going to prep and attempt to race Boston in April like it’s a priority, I know the idea of surviving 100 f-ing miles is going to gnaw at my mind until I either crawl through that finish line on July 19th, or fail.
The longest time on feet I’ve ever run is 52 miles, with 8500ft of vertical gain, in 10.5 hours. The most vert I’ve ever tackled in a single run comes out to just around 10000 feet. TRT won’t only be 100 miles, but also just under 20000 feet of climbing. I’m projected to move for 27 straight hours.
This year just keeps getting more interesting. 
