Pre-Javelina 100

10/26-11/2: 100 miles
Gain: ~10,000 ft

Tour de Mont Blanc (TMB) 2009 (Italian side)

My final week of training concluded and even though I would have preferred one more month I think I'm as ready as I can be at the moment.  The rain the past week has cleared the air making running in the local mountains even clearer where views of the Santa Monica Bay and Catalina Island have been spectacular.  It was difficult to break the mode of running two times a day this past week because once I got into a rhythm it became a natural part of my day and a time-consuming one (in a good way).  Unlike my SD100 run back in June, I've typed out a list of the things I need for self-crewing (since it's a loop course) so I have all my essentials ready and organized.  My goals for the run are to: 1) stay on top of nutrition/water/salt 2) complete the race successfully 3) finish well 4) and remain injury free.  The 'finish well' remark is in reference to miles 60-90 of the SD100 where a complete disaster ensued. No food, water, or salt got me into a deep hole that I couldn't really get out of.  This was evidenced on a run this past weekend where my legs were feeling heavy, so when Megan forced me to take a gel within 5 minutes my legs felt lighter, my breathing less labored, and generally felt better.  I didn't realize how immediate it got into my system until that moment and now my number one priority is to stay on top of food and salt.  I think this is going to make a huge difference in how I perform throughout the race.
We're driving to Arizona early friday morning where I'll set up camp at Javelina Headquarters and then the fun begins 6 am the following day.  If you're interested in my real-time position during the race and (1 loop= 15 miles) you can go to this link this Saturday and early Sunday: http://www.aravaiparunning.com/avr/ultracast/
I also submitted an application to the Hardrock 100 people to be able to enter the lottery and even though I didn't run in any of their qualifying races my backpacking resume was enough to get me in, which I was ecstatic about.  That is an adventure I would absolutely love to experience and it's right up my alley: lots of hiking in the mountains at altitude.  I'll need some luck in the lottery and I'm crossing my fingers.  If I don't get into that, I'll enter the Ultra Tour de Mont Blanc (UTMB) in August, a tough but absolutely beautiful trail I backpacked in 2009.  However, that all depends on my success at JJ100 because that gives me the necessary points needed to enter.  Oh, and Western States 100 applications are due this Saturday. A lot is happening now with the lotteries coming up in December, and my twenty page research paper on the best current evidence for treating running injuries (good new stuff related to shod-less running) is due at the end of this month. Phew! 
Good luck to all 100 runners this weekend!