Coach Spencer Runs in the Woods

Coach Spencer Runs in the Woods

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

100 Miler Checklist

After questions about my sanity, how you run 100 miles, if you walk, and if you sleep, the next questions are inevitably about gear. I thought I'd post what I plan to take with me... partially as a checklist for myself. Rocky Raccoon 100 Miler is coming up in a few weeks (February 6-7) in Huntsville, TX. I feel ready. Here's what I plan on taking with me:

Clothes:
Brooks Podium Short Sleeve Shirt- 1 lime green & 1 black TrySports one in case of rain
Brooks Revelation Trainer Sleeveless Shirt- Lime green
Brooks Sherpa Shorts- These are a little long, but they're nice and stretchy & have small pockets in the back.
New Balance Sequence Pants- Hope I don't have to wear these. I don't like running in anything except shorts. Won't unless it gets under 30 or I'm getting really slow and cold
Titan Wear Tri Shorts- I used to always race and run long runs in these.
Patagonia Long Sleeve Capilene Shirt (New River Trail 50K Finishers Shirt)
Injinji Mini-Crew Socks- Funny lookin' toe socks that I've never had toe blisters with.
Dirty Girl Gaiters - Prevent dirt and rocks from getting in your shoes. If bits of trail gunk get in your shoes for hours and hours you end up with blisters.

Shoes:
Brooks Adrenaline ASR 5- This will be my main shoe. I may run the whole race in these shoes, but I plan on taking others.
New Balance 873- These are EE width & are what I'll use if my feet swell.
Brooks Cascadia 2- I'll only use these if the Adrenaline ASRs get wet. I love these shoes but sometimes get a blister in them on longer runs.

Eatin' & Drinkin':
Hammer HEED- I used to drink a lot of this, but I drink more water and eat more gel & food now. I'll rely on aid stations for some of my food- pretzels, potatoes, crackers, cookies, Mountain Dew- whatever seems appealing at the time.
CarbBOOM Gel- My favorite tasting gel. Apple pie, Creamsicle, chocolate covered cherry, and all sorts of fantastic flavors.
Gu Gel- I like the taste of Gu too and have a boxful of it. It's got amino acids and vitamin C & E.
Clif Bloks- Feels more like food than a gel, but nutritionally, about the same. I've been eating a lot of these lately.
Clif Mojo Bar- Perfect mixture of salty & sweet.
Sport Beans- Something else I can chew when drinks & gels get old. Pretty sweet tasting and more simple sugars than I'd like, but whatever.
EAS AdvantEDGE Protein Shake- I'll down one of these at the end of the each 20 mile lap because I can't just eat carbs all day & night.
Emergen-C- Vitamin drink mix
Stonewall's Jerquee- Vegetarian fake beef jerky. Something nice to chew on that's very different from anything else I'll eat and will provide protein.

Supplements & Medication:
SaltStick Electrolyte Capsules - Depending on the temperature, I'll take one of these about every 2 hours or so.
Hammer Nutrition Anti-Fatigue Caps- I'm skeptical about supplements, but I swear I can tell a difference when I take these. Legs just feel better. I take one an hour on long runs, but I'll check with Hammer about how many is too many.
Ibuprofen- I have a tendency to take to many of these. None before I run. 3 every 6 hours?
8 Hour Tylenol
Tums
Immodium

Other Junk:
Sport Shield- Necessary anti-chafing lubricant. I carry this with me & reapply every 90 minutes or so though I probably don't need to. I LOVE this stuff. Works so much better than Body Glide in my opinion. Instead of the gunky Body Glide or the messy Vaseline, Sport Shield is a lot more viscous and slippery. Great!
Kinesio Tape- I don't use this in the way most people do. I tape my feet with it to prevent blisters.
Foam Roller- I put this on the ground and roll my hamstrings and crack my back with it. I'm not sure a chiropractor would approve, but it makes it feel so much better. The back absorbs a lot through miles & miles of pounding. I'll leave the roller at the start/finish line.
REI Single Shot Belt- I picked this up recently & wore it in my last 50K. Nice big main pocket for phone (with no crew, this is my portable cheering section), camera and Sport Shield. 2 additional pockets that will each fit about 2 gels. Carries 1 waterbottle up to 28 oz.
Nathan Quickdraw Plus- I doubt I'll use the handheld waterbottle, but I'll take it just in case.
Nathan HPL #020 Hydration Pack- When it gets late and I get slow, I might want to carry more with me. The belt might start giving me problems with chafing around my waste.
Polar S625X- Watch, heartrate monitor, pedometer, altimeter, etc. Do I even bother with the HRM strap? Nah.

2 comments:

Meggan Goodpasture said...

This sounds like a lot, can you hire a sherpa to carry everything else? We will hire out our dog, bob barley, he can carry the pack.

Coach Spencer said...

A sherpa sounds good, but nah- the race is a 20 mile loop & I'll have drop bags. I won't be carrying all of that with me.