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The one exception to the successful taper was when I cut the back of my right heel on a chair, lifting a section of skin a little over an inch round. I thought this was going to prevent me from running, but I decided after some soul searching to attempt the race anyway. I was able to position the damaged skin back to its original position, as I've found that this will improve the healing rate considerably. I bandaged the wound with a hydrocolloid dressing (Granuflex) with a little triple antibiotic ointment. I used [[GOMAD Grazing]] to try to promote the healing and used a [[Theratherm|heat blanket]] periodically. On the way to the race I realized I would not be able to use the heat blanket much, so I tried using chemical hand warmers instead. I found that this approach worked remarkably well, as the hand warmer kept the wound warm all the time, even when I slept. I used a thick sock to keep the hand warmer in place, and the thickness of the dressing prevented the warmer from burning. By race day, the wound was recovered enough for me to try simply [[Taping|taping]] the wound with Micropore and adhesive promoter, and then run in my usual shoes without [[Extreme Shoe Modifications|Extreme Modifications]].
=The Race=
The 2011 race was quite competitive, with some remarkably talented runners, including Philip McCarthy (US 48 hour record holder), Serge Arbona (who I've seen win Umstead 100), and Zach Gingerich (who I saw set an amazing course record at Umsteat Umstead 100). The leaders set a fast pace, but I took the advice of Ray Krolewicz to run my own race. I still found myself running faster then I should, going through the marathon distance in about 3:40. I changed my socks and checked my heel at about 5 hours. At about mile 65 I realized I was getting a slight blister on the side of my left heel foot. This was caused by leaving my shoes less tightly tied to help protect my damaged heel. Given its size and position, I could not leave the blister intact, so I burst it. The blister was more painful when burst, and occasionally I could feel it refill, but I'd made enough holes that it drained well enough. During the day the temperature was not high, and there was a slight breeze, but the sun was quite intense, and a number of people got slightly sunburned. As things warmed up, I slowed up a little, saving myself for later. I'm told I dropped from 7<sup>th</sup> place down to 10<sup>th</sup>, though the displayed board only showed the top 5. I was glad when the sun went down and I was able to shed my [[Under Armor Heat Gear Top]] and pick the pace back up. My wife and son Ben went back to the hotel at 9pm, as I needed them to be able to look after me on the journey home. I got some valuable support from Serge's crew in the night, such as changing batteries on my light, which would have taken me ages by that point in the race. I found myself in the top five about midnight (15 hours), with the two runners ahead of me on the same lap as me, making things close. My friend Shannon McGinn advised me to keep things steady and wait for the dawn to give me a spiritual lift. The next time I looked at the leader board, which was updated hourly, I had jumped to second place, but with the third place runner within a lap of me. We stayed with a lap or so of each other for the rest of the race. The level of pain rose steadily through the race, but it became quite a bit worse near dawn. The last few hours were interminable, with a lot of pain, and a slowing pace. If I had not been in second place with no margin, I would not have pushed so hard at the end. The last hour was some of the most painful running I've experienced, though my [[Epidermolysis Bullosa|skin condition]] has provided me with far more intense suffering to keep things in perspective. On the [[The Ivan Scale Of Perceived Suffering]] I was at about level 7 due to pain, but I had no depression or fear. I also started to get some [[Cramps|cramping] in the last hour, almost certainly due to having done 'more exercise than I was accustomed to'! The last hour of the race was also a little surreal in that I was in second place, chasing the third place runner. Confused? Well, it's a short loop course, with only a lap between us, so I could see the third place runner who was just ahead on the course, but a full lap behind in the race. It was close enough that I even ran part of a lap, which I really didn't want to do.
=What worked=
* My wife and son provided me with an outstanding crew, providing what I needed when I needed it before and after the race. They were also prepared to provide the nursing care for the battered cripple I became after the race.
* As always, my [[Modified Nike Free]] shoes work amazingly well.
* I was glad to my white, long sleeved [[Under Armor Heat Gear Top]] that kept me from getting sun burned.
* Being cooler, I didn't drink as much [[Fellrnr's Go Juice|Go Juice]], probably getting through only a few gallons. I had my crew make up some of it double strength, which worked surprisingly well. This time around I used 50/50 mix of Gatorade and Maltodextrose with no added BCAA or Glutamine. I also ate quite a few Mint Oreos; I mention the flavor because mint can calm the digestive system and doesn't become so overpoweringly sweet after you've been eating them for hours. (Newman's Own "Ginger O" are even better if you can find them.)I also got though lots of [[Comparison of Energy Gels|Accel Gels]], though I'm not sure how many. Gels are one of the few things I can consume while running.
* I like to listen to music when I run, and the [[Headphones for Running|Koss Sportapro]] are not only the best sounding headphones I've found for running, they are also comfortable after 24 hours of continuous use. I used my iPod 4G shuffle for most of the race, which has the best ergonomics of any MP3 player for running with, then changed to my Zune HD, which I prefer overall for its subscription based music service.
* We drove from Charlotte to Cleveland, a 9 hour drive on the Thursday before the race, and then chilled out at the hotel on the Friday. That extra day's rest worked wonders for relaxation and catching up on sleep. Having a great book to distract you helps; my wife got me [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Quantum_Thief "the quantum thief"], an outstanding bit of hardcore Science Fiction.
