Habanero 100 race report: 105 km of heat, sweat, ramen and blisters

...if they call it "the hottest race in Texas" there is a reason, and now I know why.

But let's go in order here.

I wasn't even sure if I was able to running it. I was still tired from the last two races (here and here) and also I had a stupid cold/flu/bug last week that 1) really killed all my ambitions and motivations and 2) basically didn't let me train how I was planning to... Also, I was busy sciencing and my mind wasn't in the right place. Long story short, I decided to running it just two days before the race day.

So Friday I headed to the Buescher state park, deep in the South of Texas (Figure 1a and 1b).

Figure 1a-b) Oh, texas...

After a night in my tiny-brand-new-20$ tent (I don't fit in that thing and I slept with my feet out), precisely at noon the race was on.

The race was on a up- and down-hill trail of about 11.5 km, and I had to run it 9 times. The loop itself wasn't hard, and it was all runnable, meaning that it was never to steep, but the real challenge was another.

The real challenge indeed was the heat.

...and of course, I totally underestimated it, as well as I did the same for the distance (my smartest thought was "It's just a 50 km, only two times...").

So I started faster as I can, and I kept going in that way, but the heat was hard. The sun was hitting hard on my skin, and I was smart enough to run with a hat, otherwise my brain was boiled after the first loop.

Anyway, I kept going, I didn't care about the heat or anything else, I was focus, I wanted to finish it.

After about 6 hours and something, the first 50 km were done (usually I'm at 50 in about 4 hours and a half, and this explains how hot it was). It's amazing to think that the 50 km mark was just the half of the race. Honestly, I had a moment of weakness, but I drank some more electrolytes, I ate some gels, and the weakness was flushed away.

I kept going, the sun was finally going down and completing its loop around the earth and it was getting colder.

...no, not really colder, just a little bit chiller.

Now it was time to wear my headlamp and be ready to run in the night.

I love run in the night. Everything changes. You feel even more alone and by yourself, it's almost """""spiritual""""": you just see what your headlamp allows you to see (not much in my case) and you're alone with your thoughts. You hold on happy thoughts and you try to stay away from negativity and bad dreams, and you keep going. It's just a stupid run, I know, and I paid for this, I wanted this, there are people out there suffering for real reasons, but still those moments out there in the dark are really challenging...

At this point of the race, the energy started to dim down like the light of my headlamp: I needed food/energy/fuel. Unfortunately, when I'm running I'm not really in the mood for big and happy meals, and the general idea of eating it doesn't excite me at all, but I also know that I must do it. This is something I'm struggling since I've decided to be in the ultra-business, and I'm working on it, and after all, I'm getting better and better.

Anyway, I was going through this "food debate" in my mind when at the aid station they offer me some ラーメン: that was the most amazing thing ever! I think for my next race I will prepare a couple of gallons of ramen and I will fill up my water bottles with that!! Thanks millenary culture of Japanese (or Chinese, apparently is not clear) for such great food!! Ok, I'm partially kidding, but it's true that the ramen really cheer me a little bit. At that point (between loop 6th and 7th) I was really tired and in my legs totally felt it, and still I had to run a lot (thats it's true: I still had ~40 km to run).

After the loop number 7 I started to feel that I was close to finish the race and I scrape out all of my energy for the last two loops.

At this point I asked to my buddy Augustin if he wanted to pace me for the last two loops, and I will be eternally thankful for that. It really helped having him there, mentally helping me, keeping up the moral, up-dating me with the miles (my GPS went of around km 96) and in general kicking my ass.

"Agustiiiin, I need to rest..."

...and after 21 hours and 33 minutes of running and 105 km, the race was over.

I finished it 9th overall, 2nd of my group age, and considering all of those DNFs and drop of, I can't really complain.

Done.

It was a great race and it has been amazing. Again, I learnt a lot from this race and I can't wait for the next one, and I'm wondering when I'll be ready for the next step of the 100 miles.

Peace and hug a tree.