I have always thought that 6 Days in the Dome would be a neat race to run, but it seemed; come in, run 24 hours and you’re done, there would be four or five 24 hour races during the week. However; this year they added an Invitational (with entry standards). I found out about it after the race was full and a waiting list had just formed. On April 15th, I emailed Mike Melton, co-race director and asked if I was fast enough. He said that I was and placed me on the waiting list. I was told that I would be contacted if and when a spot opened up. Being just over eight weeks away, I figured that I had better start cranking up the mileage.
89, 101, 100, 61 (recovery week), 100, 101, 152, then it was taper time, which was two weeks.
On May 2nd, I received an email from Mike, stating that I was in. My training went surprisingly well, considering that I work from 6:00am to 2:00pm, then coach at 4:00. Get in as many as I can between 2:30 and 3:45 and then after coaching, another run to achieve the day’s desired total. This was tough because it was track season and every Saturday, we would leave for a meet at 4:00 or 5:00am and return between 8:00 and 9:00pm. So I basically had to get 100s in six days instead of seven. This training cycle was going very well and I was getting fit (in race shape) relatively quickly, plus my high school 800 meter guys were running really well.
Things were going well, track season ended on May 18th, with my boys 4×800 relay and Bryce Broome (800 meters) achieving All-State honors. Two more weeks of training, which was easier and less hectic, now that track season has ended.
Two of the guys that I train with, Ron Maver and Harrison Moore were each doing 500 miles in May, most of my runs were with them, my last week totaled 152. The last day of training for my race ended up being a race (sort of). On Saturday, June 1st, a group of about 10-12 idiots gathered on Hilton Head at 9:00 am and ran 2.5 miles and drank a 12 ounce beer every 30 minutes (Last Man Standing style). I finished 2nd, with 32.5 miles and 12 beers. I just couldn’t bring myself to drink my 13th beer, entirely too much liquid in my body. Alex “Big Country” Campbell was the winner with 35 miles and 14 warm Miller Lites consumed. My stomach was in such turmoil that there was no running to be done the next day, so I started my taper a day early.
Everything was going great…until it wasn’t. On Wednesday, June 5th, my peroneal tendon in my right foot decided it had enough. Five months to the day of my last cortisone shot. Two weeks before the race, my total for the week was 13 miles. A text to my favorite doctor, two days later, the needle was in the foot and I was back running 48 hours later. My last week consisted of a ten miler on Sunday, five on Monday, four on Wednesday, fly to Chicago on Thursday and three miles on Friday (the day before the race).
This race felt very different to me. I didn’t pack (anything) until the day my flight left. I don’t know if it was because I had to fly or that I was excited to spend the weekend with my daughter. But I wasn’t that excited to run this race. On Friday morning, I went out for an easy three mile shakeout run, got back and put off going to the grocery store for “race vittles”. I finally left for the store around 1:00, with no list, just grabbing whatever looks like I might want to consume during the race. And my pre-race meal; gnocchis (which I ate for lunch). Well, I forgot the two most important items, WATER and Jarritos Mandarin soda (pop for my Burgh people).
I took my Chicago based innkeepers/crew, daughter, Emma Bruno and her boyfriend, Garrett McCue to dinner. A Cuban restaurant, I had a vegan Cuban sandwich, which is exactly what experts tell you to eat the night before an ultra. After dinner, I started getting my shoes, apparel, first aid and food. I finally showered and went to bed (couch) about 10:00. I may have gotten five non-continuous hours of sleep. The plan was to leave for Milwaulkee at 6:00 am. A quick breakfast of a few packets of Quaker instant oatmeal and some applesauce. The car was loaded and we were on the road by 6:02. We arrived at the Pettit National Ice Center just before 7:30, I had to pee so bad that Garrett stopped at the entrance to let me out. When I started running, my left Achilles tendon throbbed. My first reaction was “shit, this is going to suck”. I limped to the bathroom,took care of business, and then helped Emma and Garrett carry in my supplies. The first thing that I did after we found a table was sit down and put a strip of KT Tape on my left Achilles.
It was cold in the Petitt Center, so I went into the lobby (where the temperature was much warmer) to stretch and relax before the race. 8:45 came soon enough and I had to go to the pre-race meeting, where we were instructed about several things (I’m not too sure of what as I wasn’t really listening). I went back to the table, put on my new adidas racing shoes that super rep, Bret Freed got me for the race. I received them on Tuesday night before the race, so I only had a chance to run four miles in them…but they felt fast!
The race started at 9:00 am with the usual amount of fanfare (none). I had decided that I was going to run 8:30 per mile for at least 50 miles and then 10:00 per mile for the last 50 to run a time of 15 hours, 25 minutes or 9:15 per mile pace. The temperature in the building was 53 degrees, which meant that I was wearing a long sleeve shirt, hat and gloves. Amazingly, my Achilles didn’t bother me, nor did anything else. My nutrition plan was a half of a vegan chicken sandwich every 10 miles, with Skratch (electrolyte drink) every 2-3 miles and water substitute every third or fourth time. I took off at 8:30 pace and just before I finished my fourth lap, (by the way, I was in second place) Zach Bitter came by lapping me. This took place every four laps, me running sub 8:30 pace and Bitter running 6:30 pace. I have run thousands of laps on 400 meter tracks and can calculate pace in my sleep. This track is 443+ meters and my goal was to run 2:25 per lap which roughly equates to 8:30 per mile. I was under 2:20 for about 2 hours and 45 minutes. My legs usually loosen up after an hour or so, but this never happened. I felt good, but I didn’t run with anyone, so everything was on my own. At 3:00, switch directions to counter-clock wise. For the next 2 hours and 30 minutes, I ran under 2:25 per lap. I was feeling good, but it was cold and my nose started running at about 4 hours.
At about 45 miles, my shoes (adidas) started rubbing on the tops of the toes on both feet. I immediately told Emma to get my Nike Alpha Flys ready, I was going to switch at 50 miles. After a few more laps, the rubbing got worse, so I sat down at mile 47 and switched shoes and drank a Jarritos orange pop/soda, the sugar was exactly what I needed. During my only stop (except for two quick pee breaks), I decided that I would be more comfortable (warmer) with my running vest on. It took me a lap or two to get back to any semblance of my stride. I hit 50 miles in 7:11, which was six minutes over what I had planned, but four of those minutes were attributed to the shoe change.
Instead of averaging 2:45 per lap, I now had to average 2:42 to run under 15:25. I had Garrett keep track of how far under 2:42 I was (after three laps, he would say, ‘You are 42 seconds under’). This got my mind just playing mental games with the math and I just clicked off the laps and miles. After another 10 miles, we would readjust the pace needed. It seems odd, but just working the splits and projected finish time in my head made the race go by so much easier physically.
At about 70 miles, I told “my crew” that I couldn’t eat anything else. Now, in my head, I knew that if I had my normal crew, they would have made me keep eating. I was a little worried that I had over a marathon to go and wasn’t going to eat anything. A few laps later, Emma handed me three Twizzlers, then a half hour later, Garrett handed me an applesauce cup. They kept feeding me anything that I would eat. Damn, I was impressed with their next level crewing!
At one point, I was on pace to finish at about 15:11, but gradually my laps started to slow, but I kept the same effort as I was going to be under 15:25 quite easily. I didn’t want to work harder to keep the same pace and risk “blowing up” and finishing outside of 15:25.
Knowing I was going to finish at about 15:15, I wasn’t paying attention to the distance. Just what pace I needed to finish around that time. I was jolted out of my trance-like state when the announcement was made that we would be changing directions at midnight (15:00 into the race). Suddenly I realized that I had under 20 minutes left to run. I checked with Emma and Garrett about how many laps I had left for 100 miles, they said seven. I let myself enjoy the last 1.8ish miles (as much as one can enjoy miles after running 98+). I started lap 363 (last lap) and felt really good when I picked up the pace for a 100-200 meters, then decided; what’s the difference of 15 or 20 seconds over 15 hours and just cruised across the finish line in 15:16:55.
The best part was that it was Sunday, Father’s Day and I got a hug from Emma right after I finished. The 100 mile finish line was about 50-60 meters from the start/finish line. Mike Melton told me that I needed to cross the line so that his computer would read the 100 mile split. It took me exactly 60 seconds to cross that line.
They had locker rooms at the Pettit Center, so I took a shower, while Emma and Garrett packed up the car. When I finished, I limped to the car and we drove back to Chicago. I was asleep on their couch by 2:30. After a good six hour sleep, I woke up at around 8:30 and realized that most of the people that were running 24 hours still had a half hour to go. I took out my phone and checked the results, then got up and had a homemade cappuccino, breakfast and showered. Later in the day, we went to Garrett’s parents house (1:30 away) for a Father’s Day get together. After that, they dropped me off at Midway Airport and I was back in Savannah at 11:30, on Hilton Head by 12:30 and at work the next day at 6:00 am.
N of 1 Running 
Sounds like a good crew
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