Changes

The MMT100 is generally considered the toughest 100 mile race east of the Rockies, and one of the toughest in the US. Some of that toughness comes from the elevation change, which is about 20,000 feet of ascent and the same descent. However, the real challenge is the rough trails. Some of the trails are good running, and some of the trail is rocky and you have to work on where to put your feet. However, a significant portion of the course is so rocky there is nowhere flat to put your feet. For many runners, a good chunk of MMT is not runnable; in fact, it is tough walking, let alone running.

* '''Buzzard Rock.''' The first part of the race starts easy, a road section, a nice trail, then a solid climb up to Buzzard Rock. It is on Buzzard Rock that I get some of the best views, and also my first taste of what the course was really like - rocky! The narrow ridge immediately starts to tear at my feet, which are not impressed.

* '''Habron Gap.''' This is the aid station at 24.5 miles, and time for me to check out the feet. Sadly the news is not good; I have blisters that require bursting. To have problems after less than 25 miles is grim news and I have to make some hard choices. There is no way I can continue running at a reasonable pace without my feet being completely destroyed before the end. The wise course of action is to drop at this point, but I decide that by taking it easy, I can finish. (I'm still not sure if I made the right choice or not - I'll have to wait and see how badly my feet scar from the blisters.) At Habron I leave my water bottle and put on my hydration pack. Up to this point the temperatures have only been warm and the [[Aid Stations]] reasonably close together. From here on, you need to carry a lot more fluid. I also pick up my first iPod and I really appreciate the tunes!

* '''Final section.''' The last five miles, from Elizabeth Furnace at mile 97 (it's 102 miles total) is remarkably nasty. This is a climb up and then a descent to the finish, but five miles at the pace we are making takes forever. Luckily, about two miles out we are joined by a few runners who want to finish as a large group. They join us a the point where the trail flattens out and becomes runnable, with a number of stream crossings to numb the feet. I am really glad I had the group, as the last section leaves you feeling you are at the finish for a long time. I cross the finish line with 9 other runners and a pacer, which appears on the MMT web site as a video.

* '''Aftermath.''' My feet took way too much damage on MMT. I have over a dozen blisters, one of them about four square inches. If I had normal skin, I would shrug this off as some temporary suffering, but with RDEB, each blister is likely to cause permanent scaring. When RDEB scars, the scars are far weaker than the original skin, making further blistering more likely. I won't know for some time if my decision to continue the MMT was a catastrophic mistake or not. (I actually have "non-Hallopeau-Siemens Recessive Dystrophic [[Epidermolysis Bullosa]]" for those with a medical interest.)

* Don't do MMT unless you are very strong on very tough terrain.

* Don't do MMT as a first 100 miler. Seriously.

* Print out the detailed route and keep it somewhere safe. I never needed mine, but it was nice to have if you get off course.

* The aid station volunteers at MMT are amazing - they offer a lot of TLC in addition to the practical care. Be nice to them; they are the unsung heroes of the race.

* Nathan 020 hydration pack. This was the most common pack on the race and worked great for me. I use a Camelbak bladder in mine, as I like it more than the Nathan version that comes with the pack. [http://blog.irunfar.com/2008/10/nathan-hpl-020-review.html http://blog.irunfar.com/2008/10/nathan-hpl-020-review.html]

* Wearing cycling mitts saved my hands after a fall (More at [[Running Trails]])

* Abstaining from [[Caffeine]] for a couple of weeks before the race seems to help.

* I think my recovery is speeded up by high [[Protein]] intake, lots of organic cocoa powder, vitamin C and bathing the feet in Epson salts.