Endurance test (by Brian Williams

The Rub

By Brian Williams

Beaverhead 100K — July 11, 2020 miles faster than what is safe to prevent injury but if vegetarian and put away my peanut M&Ms. As I did not take that chance I might as well drop from

“It is easy to go down into hell … ; but to climb the race. My Garmin for the month of February had back again, to retrace one’s steps to the upper air – me walking 24 miles and March was only slightly there is the rub … ” better with a combination walk/running of 83 miles. — Virgil Aeneid During the month of April, Covid-19 started really shutting things down, giving me more free time than In January this year, I found myself in a bit of a I have ever had. I got my miles up to 179 for the hole. Literally, I stepped in a month. I also started running hole during the Village Creek stairs for elevation training. 25K and severely sprained Once a week I would enter the my upper and lower ankle. To tallest building in Memphis compound my injury, I kept and run/hike to the top floor running and finished the last and back down two times and 12 miles of the race on a bad then go outside and run two foot. By the end of February miles. Then I would go back I was out of shape, heavy, inside and repeat that first set even for me, still injured, and two more times. It worked out facing the problem of how and to be 204 flights of stairs and if I would be able to right the 6 miles every Thursday. On ship. You see, in December a May 1, I joined 19,000 other few friends and I had signed people in the Great Virtual up for the Beaverhead 100K Race Across Tennessee 1000K. on the Continental Divide I do not like virtual races, but Trail (CDT) on the Montana/ I figured that I had to get the Idaho state line. This race had miles anyway, and this might over 11,000 feet of climbing give me motivation since I 17,000 feet of descent and knew a bunch of friends were was known for a 3 mile-longinvolved. It worked. In May I scree field. The scree field The author at the finish line of the Beaverhead ran 250 miles in the middle of was between miles 51 and 100K. the day and hiked another 100 56 at the highest point of the in the afternoons. Then June race. It also ran alongside a 1,000-foot drop down to hit and I got kidney stones. There is a lot that goes a lake formed from snow melt. I wanted to go on this into that story but I eventually had to have surgery “racecation” and run more than anything. It was time to and training was uncomfortable for the entire month. buckle down and make a plan. I still got 175 miles of running in the midday heat

I had been going to the foot doctor already but I the 1000K in 66 days and it was now time to taper added some physical therapy. The second thing I did for the race. I didn’t know if I had done enough, was start working on my core while I could not run. but I had done what I could and was ready for the I also changed my diet and almost went completely Continental Divide Trail. and 100 miles of hiking in the evening. I finished the days progressed, I slowly started gaining core Sean Hilsdon, Graham Benson, Stephen Whatley strength, range of motion in my foot, and the pounds and I flew into Spokane WA the Wednesday before started coming off. I slowly started hiking and adding the race. We traveled east a few hours each day and short runs back into the routine. I knew I had to build eventually made it to the prerace meeting in Salmon 12