Bear 100 – How I Did It and What I Used
I already posted my Bear 100 race report and another post with some additional photos from the day, but while I was writing the race report, I realized that there were a bunch of details about things like what I wore, what I carried and what I ate and drank that I didn’t want to include in the report itself but I still wanted to record as a reference for my future self and for anyone else who might be interested. I also wanted to write about what worked and what didn’t, what went right and what I’d do differently next time. I think these lessons would apply to any race, they’ll be more important the longer the race and even “little” mistakes get exacerbated in a 100 miler.
Here’s what I wore/carried during the race:
Start of the race (if you look closely you can see all of this in the above photo):
- Salomon EXO S-Lab II shorts – I really dig these shorts. The compression feels great, they have a bunch of pockets around the waist and I haven’t had any chafing issues.
- Homes 4 Athletes Race Ready Cool-T Tech Shirt – I wore this because I like Warren, but also because it’s the most comfortable light-weight tech shirt I own.
- Buff – This was a new purchase pretty much right before the race and I loved it. Despite breaking the “nothing new on race day” rule, I figured it wouldn’t chafe or cause any real problems and worse case scenario, I’d just ditch it during the race. I wore it around my neck in the cool early morning, “stored” it as a sweatband around my wrist for most of the day and then used it as a hat during the cold night. I’ll use this for any race that might be cold.
- Pink Headsweats Race Hat – My signature. I wore it for the first 60-or-so miles, until I swapped it for the buff.
- The North Face Flight Series arm warmers – these were a giveaway from the North Face 50 last year. They’re perfectly functional and do seem to fit me better than other arm warmers I’ve tried.
- Drymax Maximum Protection Trail Running socks – They’re not cheap – OK, they’re crazy expensive for socks – but worth every penny. I’ve worn them at every ultra I’ve run since mid-2010 and have never had a complaint. I’ve never gotten blisters, even after running through water or wearing them for nearly 24 hours. I never thought about changing out of them at either AC or the Bear.
- Saucony Kinvara TR Shoes – Despite some initial concerns about these shoes being too narrow, I really like them. But as my feet swell in longer races, they get a little tight. My plan at the Bear was to change them after 50 miles. I did that, but it still might have been 5-10 miles too long. I’ll probably write a real review of these shoes sometime soon.
- Rudy Project Rydon Sunglasses with ImpactX photochromatic lenses – I’ve had these sunglasses for five years and I’ve worn them for tons of runs and bike rides. I dig these sunglasses.
- Ultimate Direction Wasp (hydration pack) – The only hydration pack I’ve owned and I really have no complaints about it. It carries everything I need and never feels uncomfortable or unreasonably heavy. I reviewed it here a couple years ago.
- Ultimate Direction Fastdraw Extreme handheld bottle – My favorite handheld. The neoprene makes it very comfortable to hold. And maybe keeps the liquid colder longer.
- Black Diamond Spot headlamp – Though not a super-powerful headlamp, it’s lightweight and was perfect for the 60-75 minutes in the dark at the start of the race. This is the headlamp that I wear for most of my training runs because it’s lightweight and just good enough.
Change at Tony Grove (mile 52):
- Merrell Mix Master 2 Shoes – I thought I liked these great-looking shoes and they’d been decent in training, but I don’t think I’ll wear them again. They just don’t fit my feet very well and contributed to wrecking my feet over the last half of the race. They’re wider than the Kinvara TR and I thought that my swollen feet would appreciate the width. Instead, my toes moved around too much and kept jamming.
- Brooks Equilibrium Shortsleeve Shirt – I was happy to change shirts for the first time at mile 52 and this is comfortable, light-weight, sweat-wicking choice.
Change at Beaver Lodge (mile 76):
- Brooks ID Elite Longsleeve Shirt – I really like this close-fitting lightweight long sleeve. I had a bunch of heavier options in my drop bags in case it got colder, but this plus the windbreaker were all I ever needed.
- Stoic Wraith Shell – A 2.5 oz wind- and water-resistant shell that worked perfectly for the colder temps we had during the night. I had some heavier-weight jackets available, but never even thought about using them.
- Petzl Myo Headlamp – Much more powerful but also heavier and bulkier than the Black Diamond Spot. It’s still a very comfortable running headlamp and after a few minutes, I don’t really notice that I have it on. A great amount of light for super dark night runs. The problem was that it ran out of juice after just four hours. And that was with lithium batteries. I expected it to last at least six hours. Maybe my expectations were off and I should read the manual…
- Fenix E11 flashlight – This tiny, super lightweight wonder saved our asses when both of our headlamps died. I actually carried it in my pack all day. When it’s this small (3.8 inches long) and light (less than 2 ounces, with the single AA battery), why wouldn’t I?
Nutrition:
- Inifint – My plan had been to use only Infinit and water for the first 5-6 hours of the race and then mix in gels, chews and real food along with Infinit for the rest of the race. Infinit was great for the first 6 hours, but after that I didn’t want to use it any more.
- Gu – Especially the Peanut Butter ones and various Roctane flavors. After I stopped using Infinit, I would guess I took about 1 gel and 1/2 packet of Honey Stinger Chews per hour, along with some broth and boiled potatoes at the later aid stations.
- Honey Stinger Chews – Especially the Lime-Ade and Pomegranate Passion Fruit flavors. I like the taste and they’re easy to chew and digest.
- On my longer training runs and during the race, I used my handheld for Infinit or electrolyte drink (Nuun during training, HEED during the race since that’s what was at the aid stations) and only put water in the bladder in my hydration pack. I did the same thing at AC. I like this system and it worked well again during the race. It ensures that I always have water with me because sometimes I don’t want to drink anything else.
I feel like my gear and clothes worked out nearly perfectly. It would have been nice to have had some extra batteries for the Petzl Myo and to have been able to open the Black Diamond Spot to change its batteries. Also, the Merrell Mix Masters didn’t work out particularly well. But those things didn’t really affect or disrupt my race
Now, here are some thoughts about other things that I did right and did wrong during the race.
Right:
- Never taking any more time than necessary at aid stations and not sitting down. I did the same thing at AC. I never sat during the Bear. Well, except the one time I went to the bathroom at mile 22.5. Even when I changed my shirt and shoes at mile 52, I didn’t really sit down or relax. I spent more time at the Beaver Lodge (mile 76) aid station than any other. But even that visit was quick and I spent the time moving around and getting ready to move on.
- Using tons of body glide pre-race and re-applying vaseline or Body Glide at a bunch of aid stations. I haven’t had any historical issues with chafing, but I didn’t want to take any chances. And it worked. No chafing at all.
- I covered my feet in Desitin before putting my socks on pre-race. I’m not sure who told me about this trick, but I did it before AC also. It worked both times.
- Taking salt/electrolyte pills at every aid station throughout the day and early evening. It might not have been hot out and my Infinit and gels have some electrolytes and I was drinking Heed from the aid stations, but the pills just seemed like extra insurance.
- Eating more during the first half of the race, assuming that at some point my stomach would turn and after that, I’d have to survive on a lower amount of calories. I didn’t expect it to happen as early as it did.
- Running my own race and not worrying one bit about who passed me or who I could potentially pass. Not having my Garmin for the first 60 miles helped with this also. I couldn’t focus on pace and just worked on consistently moving forward. That all went out the window in the final 1.5 miles when I “sprinted” to the finish so I wouldn’t get passed at the end.
Wrong:
- The morning of the race I decided that I wanted to duct tape my nipples as extra protection from chafing. I couldn’t get the tape to stick around my chest hair so I tried shaving around my nipples. First, I ended up nicking myself a few times which wasn’t a big deal but more importantly, the area that I shaved itched. The entire friggin’ race! And I still couldn’t get the tape to stick! Remember, nothing new on race day…
- I totally over-carried nutrition. I intended to carry more than I thought I would need, but I probably still over-did it by 50% over that amount! And when I’m carrying a pack for 24 hours, that extra unneccessary weight definitely added up.
- Not having extra batteries in drop bags. There was no reason not to throw some extras in the last two aid station drop bags
- I didn’t know the course at all, but there was no way I could get out to Utah to train on the course, so there wasn’t anything I could do about that
It is a great way to have those kind of things under the blog because it will be there and it is a great way to track those things.