Why run a 100 mile race?

When I finished running the 50 mile race last Saturday I was asked by so many of the trail runners when I was going to attempt my first 100 mile race. Most of them encouraged me to do so because they said that I had done well for my first 50 and that I was in shape physically to do so. Running a 100 mile race was something that I actually never thought about doing because I hate running at night (LOL). However, I was so surprised at how quickly my body bounced back after running the 50 that I said "why not try it?"

As soon as I made the decision to run the Sulphur 100 Mile race, I was encouraged by even more of my fellow trail running friends. I was lucky to get an email from one runner who is also attempting his first 100 mile race at Sulphur and we have agreed to run the race together. This will help to take the pressure off and honestly I'm going into this race as I did with my first 50 which is just to finish. I have 30 hours to complete this race and I'll likely need all of those. I also know that there have been much better runners than me who have tried many times to run a 100 mile trail race but who haven't suceeded yet.

Between now and the 26th of May, I'll do some practice running at night. I'll probably set my alarm for 1 AM and do a 10 mile run just so my body can get used to the idea of running that early in the morning. I'm also going to try and get a practice run in at Sulphur so I can get used to the conditions there.

During my 5 AM run today, my hands got really cold so I know I'll have to purchase some thin gloves as I'm sure the temperature will drop dramatically at my race. The one thing I'm most fearful of is having my core temperature drop too low during my race. I'll have to bring at least one or two changes of clothes for my race and most likely will go through two pairs of trail shoes as well. I noticed that after the Seaton race my new trail shoes already have holes in them. This will be my last pair of Brooks Cascadias as I simply cannot afford to keep buying a new pair of trail shoes for each race/run that I do. If anyone can recommend a more sturdy trail shoe, please let me know.