In the Still of the Night – Pacing at Headlands Hundred

“Crazy” is an understatement for anyone running 100 miles or more. Pacing at Headlands Hundred was my first time pacing at a 100 mile race, through the night and early morning. I have a LOT of respect for all those who do these kinds of race.  My friend whom I paced, made it through the night.  We passed/overtook 10 runners/walkers along the way.  I was pushing him to his limits, as far as possible. He still had energy to run downhill and flats after 60 miles (his farthest before this race).  We ran from 9:15 PM on Saturday till 5:00 AM on Sunday.  Before driving up to the Headlands to pace and run, I took a nap on Saturday afternoon, then ate a lot during the day.  I didn’t quite know how to prepare for running all night.  This gave a different meaning to partying all night long.  We partied on the trails, although it was a mellow one.  We partied with the owls, the bobcat, the sounds from the coyotes, and the calm and silent dark night.  There was no sight of the moon.  We had our headlamps and flashlights that lead our way along the trails through the night.  I enjoyed pacing my friend, and I experienced and practiced running through the night without having to pay for the Night Marathon, which also happened the same time.  This was my night training run.

I finished pacing my friend at 5 AM, running a total of 25 miles and over 5k feet of elevation gain.  Soon after I sent him off on his last loop of 25 miles, I drove home.  It was one helluva night.