My first 100km run

I’ve been running for a while now, but there are still times when I want to test myself to see what I’m truly capable of. Recently, I wondered if I could run 100km in a single stretch, and apparently, I can.

It took me quite a while to accomplish this, so I had a lot of time to think. I also took some time to write down my thoughts from all that time on the track

• Your clothing can kill you. On these long-distance runs, your lovely socks can destroy your feet or inappropriate pants can practically saw your legs cleanly off. Test these clothing items first and only wear things that you confidently trust.
• Friends can save you. They can offer support during the race, rescue you when you fall to pieces, and take care of you after the race when you have no sanity left.
• You’ll learn to hate and love food at the same time. When you can’t take any more gels or bars, turn to pickles, bananas, or sandwiches, which can motivate you more than you imagine. Have “normal” food when you are in a “bad place”, and pack a variety of different stuff.
• Minerals are your best friends. Different salts keep your legs bending, improve your mood, and keep the color in your eyes.
• Painkillers should also be considered reliable friends, in moderation.
• Music can be great motivator at times.
• Other times, headphones can effectively protect your ears against the wind.
• However, don’t forget to enjoy the sounds of the world, as they can relax and energize you.
• Sometimes, it doesn’t matter what happens elsewhere; your body and spirit need you. Learn to free yourself of random thoughts and enjoy yourself through feelings.
• Why was there a wall at 70km? When running marathon, that wall lies around the 30km mark. It looks like there is some fascinating research about this but in simple terms, you run out of your fuel, which hits your body and creates some truly unique thoughts.
• Feeling low? Eat something… Still feeling low? Eat more…. Apparently, food can be your savior, but it’s probably not smart to use that technique every day :)
• Pace-tracking on the wrist is a weirdly meditative activity, especially when doing it for hours at a time. You really learn to listen to your body and measure the impact each of your actions has.
• I should have practiced more!
• Can’t get out of that hole of exhaustion? Should I quit? No! It will pass… pain is temporary.
• Pack toilet paper -.-
• Feeling those blisters start to burn? Tape them. Even more blisters? Tape them even more.
• Reached a strangely emotional place at 85km… enjoy that. It’s probably a combination of my body being in an extreme empty state and the realisation that I’m actually able to finish this thing. Random, mostly positive emotions and thoughts rushed into my brain. Sometimes I experience a runner’s high… this was more like a runner’s LSD overdose.
• Don’t have anything important planned for the next day. Your body will hurt. My day after — I woke up, ate some food, went back to sleep, and repeated that 3 times. Also, spice your food with the occasional painkiller.
• Don’t forget to enjoy the view — oddly enough, sunrises and sunsets happen every day, but somehow we fail to notice them!

Your body will argue that there is no justifiable reason to continue. Your only recourse is to call on your spirit, which fortunately functions independently of logic — Tim Noakes

Why I Run Long Distances

I can’t write that story …