Race Week, the Week of Questions

Written by Andre Leonard, MD

The race is this Saturday, November 18th at 9am. We have spent the past several months running in preparation and managed to get a weekly average mileage up to 30 miles per week. We did our longest practice run at Carolina Beach State Park on November 4th. We made 5 loops, which was 22.5 miles. The picture is a nighttime photo of SugarLoaf trail at the park. It is dark and illuminated by our headlamps. Yes, we will be running in the day and night so we have been practicing for both scenarios.

Over the past two weeks, we have been following a taper program. Tapering is reducing your mileage and training volume from 10 to 50% over the two to three weeks leading up to the race to allow your body to be rested for the day of the event.

As the day approaches, self-doubt creeps in. How can I expect to run an ultramarathon if my peak mileage in a week is a little over 30 miles? Maybe I should go out and run a little more to get in shape? Why does my body hurt? My legs do not feel great, what is going to happen on Saturday? Oh, the weather looks awful. It is going to rain? It is going to be hot and humid?

One has to step back during this period of darkness and “trust the process.” We have trained many hours preparing for this day. It is hard to know how you will feel or what the day of the race may bring. What we do know is we have worked hard to develop our mind and body for this run. The keys to success reside in rest, nutrition, hydration and proper pacing.