LEADVILLE 100

The beauty of the mind is that it remembers in vivid detail every accomplishment and success (oftentimes exaggerating them to such a degree that they no longer represent any actual memory) while quickly erasing pain. Such is the case with me and the Vermont 100. After a solid 18 miles of singing such classics as "I hate 100's" and "Never Again" and suffering my first DNF ever, I vowed that I would never do another 100 mile race. Fast-forward to Christmas Eve: Bolstered by the holiday spirit and strong Egg-Nog, I just signed up for the Leadville 100.
The Leadville 100?! Isn't that at 10,000 feet? Doesn't it have more vertical feet than VT? Are you crazy? Where'd the Egg-nog go?
Yes, runners do climb and descend 15,600 feet, with elevations ranging between 9,200-12,620 feet. Yes, that's twice the elevation of the highest peak in the Northeast. Yes, it is common for less than half the starters to complete the race ahead of its 30 hour time limit.
Still, if nothing else, VT100 was an eye-opening experience for me in that it glaringly pointed out my weaknesses. Not so much my mileage, but my lack of hiking. I could keep up with anyone on the flats and descents or any incline that I could run. As soon as I had to resort to walking, I would fall dreadfully off pace. To remedy this, I plan on significantly upping my hiking mileage in the coming months hopefully culminating with the 75 mile loop of the Kearsarge-Ragged-Sunapee Greenway.
There's no way of knowing what I will encounter on August 22nd, 2010 but I can tell you now that I will not DNF due to lack of preparation. LEADVILLE HERE I COME!