Frequently Asked Questions - Daytona 100 Edition: Part 2 / The Gear
I promised y'all a part two (II) when I blogged: Frequently Asked Questions - Daytona 100 Edition: Part 1.
Part 1 focused on the experience. Feelings, Pains, Emotions, Foods, Fueling strategy, and for some weird reasons folks were highly interested in the music I listened to.
Well Part II is finally here folks! And part II will answer the gear questions I didn't get around to. Let's get at it.
What type of shoes did you wear?
Three pair of Brooks Glycerin 15s saw me to the finish. Changed shoes four times and finished in these puppies right here!
I was introduced to the Brooks Glycerin 15s by Jessica in Colorado. I would have NEVER considered Brooks as a shoe for consideration to complete my first shot at 100 miles! But I trusted her. She helped me select the shoes that would help me complete my first 100K, so why not give her a listen. Her recommendation for Brooks as my primary shoe and Adidas Ultra Boost STs as back up trainers kept me on course and injury free.
The morale of the story? Find a shoe fitter you trust and do just that. Trust them.
What type of clothing?
This is complicated. Why? Because plans are made to be thrown out. I had my gear selected for a typical early December Florida experience. But Winter Storm Benji would have different plans. I ended up having to make some last minute adjustments to my wardrobe for colder than normal / expected ventures. Here's the list of clothing I wore / packed:
What type of hydration vest did you use?
Solomon Advance Skin 12 Blue Medium / Large Hydration Running Vest. Lightweight. Breathable. Easy to get to all the compartments on the run without taking the vest off.
But don't you rock OrangeMud Packs? Yup, but a different tool for a different job. OrangeMud I use for back country needs where I need to pack A LOT! Solomon Vests I use for jobs where I need to keep weight to a minimum and don't need a lot of the extra gear in non-supported situations.
Did you use compression?
Yes! But strategically. For my first 100K I had a strategy to not put on compression until the final 15 miles. Why? I had read that compression can make your legs feel fresh when they are weary if you apply them later in a race. So all my training was done mainly without compression. I had built my legs up to endure 40 - 50 miles without an assistance with compression. So my strategy with the 100 was not to compress anything until post 50 miles. I held on to this strategy and did not put compression socks on until after mile 60 and I even had compression upper cold gear that I put on at the same time during a scheduled clothing change for the cold of the night.
I compressed my right leg further with tape around mile 83, as there was a fiber deep in my leg that troubled the shit out of me and I wrapped the hell out of my leg to journey onward. Surprised I didn't cut all blood flow off as tight as I wrapped my calf muscle.
What brand of shorts do you like / wear?
Birddog shorts! BDs were the only shorts I wore throughout the race. Not sure I changed or not. Memory kinda foggy. However, I reviewed them here and they performed as expected as I trained in them exclusively during the final two months.
Love BDs. I just wish they would A) put a kangaroo rear pouch on the shorts, and B) produces a version without built in briefs for those of us that like to use our own compression shorts / briefs.
Did you change clothes, and how often?
Wow! Glad I had more clothes than I needed. Changed socks constantly to keep my feet dry. About every 20 miles post mile 30 I changed socks. Dry feet are a necessity. If your feet fail, everything else no matter how great your "legs" feel, you're not going to make it. your feet are priority NUMBER ONE! I changed shorts at lest twice. Changed tights a couple of times. Changed tops three times. Changed outer jacket liner twice. Changed shoes four times (three pair). In short, there was a lot of wardrobe changes. Lesson learned with my 100K, keep gear fresh. Helps mentally when you feel fresh.
What electronics did you carry?
Parting words of wisdom / advice
If you haven't read part 1, click here where I answer general questions I got after D100
Part 1 focused on the experience. Feelings, Pains, Emotions, Foods, Fueling strategy, and for some weird reasons folks were highly interested in the music I listened to.
Well Part II is finally here folks! And part II will answer the gear questions I didn't get around to. Let's get at it.
What type of shoes did you wear?
Three pair of Brooks Glycerin 15s saw me to the finish. Changed shoes four times and finished in these puppies right here!
I was introduced to the Brooks Glycerin 15s by Jessica in Colorado. I would have NEVER considered Brooks as a shoe for consideration to complete my first shot at 100 miles! But I trusted her. She helped me select the shoes that would help me complete my first 100K, so why not give her a listen. Her recommendation for Brooks as my primary shoe and Adidas Ultra Boost STs as back up trainers kept me on course and injury free.
The morale of the story? Find a shoe fitter you trust and do just that. Trust them.
What type of clothing?
This is complicated. Why? Because plans are made to be thrown out. I had my gear selected for a typical early December Florida experience. But Winter Storm Benji would have different plans. I ended up having to make some last minute adjustments to my wardrobe for colder than normal / expected ventures. Here's the list of clothing I wore / packed:
- Ink N Burn top (4)
- Second Skin Long Sleeve top (1)
- Second Skin Long Sleeve compression top (2)
- Nike light weight packable outer shell - white
- Arcteryx Incendo Hoodie packable outer shell - yellow
- CEP Leg Compression sleeves (2 pair)
- Injini 2.0 No Show toe socks (6 pair)
- Nike Running Gloves (2 pair)
- Javelina Jundred Buff (needed more than 1, but 1 got me through)
- Nike Running Skull Caps (2)
- Headsweats Running Caps (3)
- Under Armor Cold Gear Tactical Hood
- Second Skin compression tights (2 pair)
- Second Skin running jacket
- Nike Compression briefs (2 pair)
- Birddogs Shorts (3 pair)
- Brooks Glycerin 15 (3 pair)
- Night Yellow Lens Bicycle Glasses (1 pair)
- Oakley Flak Draft Sunglasses (1 pair)
- Solomon Running Vest (2 - Ran in Blue Adv Skin 12)
- SunSleeves (2 pair)
- Just in Case: CEP Knee Sleeve
- Just in Case: Petela Band
- Just in Case: Medical Tape and Medical Kit
- Just in Case: Elbow Compression Sleeve
What type of hydration vest did you use?
Solomon Advance Skin 12 Blue Medium / Large Hydration Running Vest. Lightweight. Breathable. Easy to get to all the compartments on the run without taking the vest off.
But don't you rock OrangeMud Packs? Yup, but a different tool for a different job. OrangeMud I use for back country needs where I need to pack A LOT! Solomon Vests I use for jobs where I need to keep weight to a minimum and don't need a lot of the extra gear in non-supported situations.
Did you use compression?
Yes! But strategically. For my first 100K I had a strategy to not put on compression until the final 15 miles. Why? I had read that compression can make your legs feel fresh when they are weary if you apply them later in a race. So all my training was done mainly without compression. I had built my legs up to endure 40 - 50 miles without an assistance with compression. So my strategy with the 100 was not to compress anything until post 50 miles. I held on to this strategy and did not put compression socks on until after mile 60 and I even had compression upper cold gear that I put on at the same time during a scheduled clothing change for the cold of the night.
I compressed my right leg further with tape around mile 83, as there was a fiber deep in my leg that troubled the shit out of me and I wrapped the hell out of my leg to journey onward. Surprised I didn't cut all blood flow off as tight as I wrapped my calf muscle.
What brand of shorts do you like / wear?
Birddog shorts! BDs were the only shorts I wore throughout the race. Not sure I changed or not. Memory kinda foggy. However, I reviewed them here and they performed as expected as I trained in them exclusively during the final two months.
Love BDs. I just wish they would A) put a kangaroo rear pouch on the shorts, and B) produces a version without built in briefs for those of us that like to use our own compression shorts / briefs.
Did you change clothes, and how often?
Wow! Glad I had more clothes than I needed. Changed socks constantly to keep my feet dry. About every 20 miles post mile 30 I changed socks. Dry feet are a necessity. If your feet fail, everything else no matter how great your "legs" feel, you're not going to make it. your feet are priority NUMBER ONE! I changed shorts at lest twice. Changed tights a couple of times. Changed tops three times. Changed outer jacket liner twice. Changed shoes four times (three pair). In short, there was a lot of wardrobe changes. Lesson learned with my 100K, keep gear fresh. Helps mentally when you feel fresh.
What electronics did you carry?
- Garmin Fenix 5 - on wrist (and it ran out of charge as I forgot to charge it 100% the night before)
- Garmin Fenix 3 - was on pack with an external battery as backup!
- Battery packs (2 on me; one for phone and one for watch - two in drop bags)
- Black Diamond Headlamps (2; and carried extra batteries on me)
- Nathan Handheld Rechargeable Running Flash Light
- Clip on USB Rechargeable Running Lights (night visibility; with 5 hours run time)
- Sony Xperia Compact Cell Phone (for it's small size, waterproof, and headphone jack)
- Bose SoundSport in-ear wired headphones
Parting words of wisdom / advice
- Be prepared for ALL possible weather scenarios and conditions! I was prepared for almost everything with the exception of near record low temperatures for the area and time of the year, which caused me to make a last minute run to the store to get some cold weather gear. I had some cool weather gear, but not COLD 32 degrees with wind weather gear packed. So I ended up having to buy a few pieces a day before the race. Nothing is worse than running in untested gear, but the alternative was freeze my ass off.
- Have multiples of essential gear!
- Be prepared to change clothes often. Makes a difference mentally. If you're not chasing a sub 24 hour run or a course record, take your time and tend to your mind. Your headspace is crucial in finishing a 100 mile run. Hell or any ultra, the mind is the major component. Everything physical follows the mind, excluding injuries of course.
- Pay attention to your feet! Keep 'em dry. Keep 'em happy. A fresh pair of shoes feels like a million dollars at mile 32, 61, 81. Just saying!
- Train, train, and train some more in your gear of choice. You should be intimately familiar with ALL of your gear on race day. There should be NO surprises by time you get to the start line. Your gear should be second nature, as if your gear is an extension of your body. All of your gear, including electronics. And train with your gear packed! Don't just train in parts of your gear here or there. No! Simulate conditions on the day. A lot of my long runs I used to simulate race day morning. All gear packed, regardless if I used it all or not. Everything I expected to carry ON me at any given time, I packed my vest down and took it with me, even if I didn't use it all because of weather conditions.
- Expect setbacks and remain calm when they come. I had so many set backs with my gear that didn't show up during my training. I had a hydration flask explode at mile 40, that I had to triage at my next stop. I had a glove develop a hole. Hell, I even had to double up my gloves because it got so cold. I didn't expect my shoes to get wet, but they did. My phone decided it wouldn't charge for 6 or 7 hours due to a faulty charge cable. My main GPS went dark around mile 80 (fortunately I had planned and practiced running my older Garmin; back up was in Ultra mode, while main was boring through its battery in GPS mode).
If you haven't read part 1, click here where I answer general questions I got after D100
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