Changes

* '''Pre-race Massage'''. I had a very deep, painful massage a few days before the race, which eased the muscles. (For those in Charlotte, I went to Roseanne at University Neuromuscular Massage, 704-405-4270 - highly recommended).

* '''Relay teams '''. The Keys 100 is a relay race as well as an ultra. I found that the relay teams provided great company and support for a good chunk of the race. Being cheered on raises your spirits, and being cheered on by other runners is even better.

==What went badly==

* '''Gastrointestinal Issues'''. During the race I had to use a restroom four times, which has never happened before. (I have had to use the restroom in a race longer than 24 hours, but only once and due to normal biological activity.) I'm not sure what caused the problem, which cost me 20-40 minutes in wasted time. I probably ate too much the day before the race, but nothing significantly different from other races. I have started taking iron supplements recently, which can have an effect on the lower digestive system. I don't think my nutrition in the race contributed to the problem as I have taken large quantities of my sports drink before without any issue.

* '''Maceration'''. When skin is soaked in water for an extended period, it becomes white, wrinkled and softened. This is what happened in the race; 17 hours of continuous soaking took its toll on my skin. A blister formed just behind the ball of my left foot (see 'taping feet' below for the cause) and when I removed my shoes and socks to burst it, my feet were such a mess I could not work out where the blister was. I used [http://www.zombierunner.com/store/brands/hydropel/ Hydropel] on my toes and they were fine. Had I realized how bad the maceration would be, I would have used Hydropel more liberally and probably been fine.

* '''Chafing'''. With my skin condition, I am always careful to avoid chafing, and this is the first race I have ever had a problem. Luckily, I did not find out about the chafing until after the race, so it did not impact my performance. I wore my Race Ready compression shorts, but the weight of the water tended to pull them down slightly. I did not realize at the time, but this was enough to cause the shorts to ruck up between my thighs and chafe. I spoke to one runner who did not wear compression shorts and had to drop out at mile 50 with his shorts red with blood.

* '''Radiation Burns'''. I was mostly covered up from the sun, but the bits that were exposed burnt. The backs of my hands burnt but did not cause a problem. My face and my knees became sunburned and this was uncomfortable in the afternoon sun. I tried applying sunscreen, but the level of sweating washed it away in a few minutes.