tick tick tick tick tick…
It is now less than 30 days until the TARC 100.
Cue mild panic attack.
Less than 30 days until I make my first (and possibly last) attempt at covering 100 miles on foot in less than 30 hours. 30 hours is the cutoff. The race’s website states that if one is not on at least 30 hour pace when he or she reaches the various aid stations then that person will be pulled from the course.
30 hours. That’s 3.33 miles per hour. 18 minute mile pace. Seems simple enough…until you really think about it.
Gah!
My buddy JB and I have set our goal to finish under 24 hours, with an A+ goal being sub-20; but this plantar fasciitis thing has proven to be harder to shake than hoped and that has set back training for the last few weeks. Sure I’ve continued to run through it to keep #AutismStreaks alive (I know, not wise) , but I haven’t been able to put in the miles one should when training for a 100 miler.
Sigh.
So what to do?
My thinking now is just finish. In my head now I’m thinking if we go sub-24, that would be fantastic, but in reality, if I can cover 100 miles in anywhere between 24 and 30 hours, I will be pleased as punch. In a perfect world I would have done a 50-miler last weekend. Instead, I ran a total of 4 miles.
The world’s not perfect; training doesn’t always go as planned; ultimately we need to make adjustments to our expectations.
That’s life.
Run Luau Run 
“The world’s not perfect.” That’s it in a nutshell, and profound at the same time. I have a friend who is leaving Saturday to do the Florida Keys 100 (32 hour cutoff). Talking to him about it is endlessly fascinating. Whatever your result, you’re taking my support with you!
“The world’s not perfect; training doesn’t always go as planned; ultimately we need to make adjustments to our expectations.” — with less than 3 days to go until the marathon… I needed to read that. My training was less than great, and I know I am going into this race not as prepared as I would like. I have had to adjust my time expectations, and I’m working on accepting that.
I know that is nothing compared to being injured while training for a 100 mile race…but what I do also know is that you are an incredible runner, running for an amazing cause and you will succeed. You may not get under 24, and maybe you will… no matter how hard we train sometimes things click and sometimes they don’t on race day. 5k, marathon, 100m…anything can happen.
Keep on running… you have 30 days… and a lifetime of running ahead of you.