I Registered for a 100 Mile Ultramarathon!

I have some exciting news: I signed up to run my first 100 mile ultramarathon! (Cue butterflies in the stomach.) The Javelina Jundred in Arizona is coming up November 12th! The goal: complete 100 miles in less than 30 hours.

Even though the date is coming up soon, don't worry - this is not a decision I've rushed into. I've actually been discussing it with family and a few friends for many months now. I have been planning and training for it for many months but it took some time to build up enough courage to actually register.

I've been talking to a bunch of ultra-runners who said they think my training has prepared me to tackle 100.

In the last six months I have run:
*Six marathons (plus a bunch of halfs)
*One 50k ultramarathon
*One 50 mile run
*Lots of race-specific training (trail running, heat training, etc.)

There are lots of reasons that I think this race will be the perfect fit for me:
1) It's in the desert on trails almost identical to where I train.
2) It's a well-supported race with a history of taking good care of runners.
3) The course is a series of six 15-mile loops (plus a 10 mile loop). I train similarly and I think psychologically this helps to break up the race into chunks.
4) Running the same loop on a well-marked trail will make sure I don't get lost. Previously I was scared of trying 100 because I didn't want to be out by myself in the middle of a race and get lost.
5) It's a big race - almost 400 runners! So I don't think there will be as much of the lonliness that runners feel in most ultras. (Most reviews say it's a 30 hour party + a 100 mile run.)

BRING. ON. 100!!!!!!!!!!!

"Your biggest challenge isn't someone else. It's the ache in your lungs and the burning in your legs, and the voice inside you that yells 'CAN'T", but you don't listen. You just push harder. And then you hear the voice whisper 'can'. And you discover that the person you thought you were is no match for the one you really are."