Done with week 8, now, this is the week we’ve been building towards. We are now at the apex of our training, entering the most specific and demanding workout of the entire cycle: the back-to-back-to-back long runs. This is more than just logging miles. This is The Simulation. The purpose of these next three days is to purposefully replicate the physical and mental fatigue you will experience in the final 40 miles of the Umstead 100.

---

This is part of a series of posts regarding how we prepare, plan, and train to complete the 100-mile Ultramarathon Umstead 100. Our series for this event: Collecting Laps: one lap at a time to 100. For all the ultrarunning series, here, follow the link. Training for a 100. Alternatively, you can also follow our Podcast so you don’t miss the weekly summary post.

---

The feeling of waking up on day two, with sore, stiff legs, and forcing yourself out the door—that is the feeling of leaving the aid station at mile 62. The mental fog and sloppy mistakes you might make on day three—that is what happens at 3 AM on race day. We are not just training our legs; we are training our minds to override the powerful urge to stop. We are deliberately probing for weaknesses in our systems so we can fix them now. Embrace the difficulty; every challenge this weekend is a lesson learned.

Assessment:

Your most important work this week happens after you stop running. You must conduct a Post-Simulation Debrief after each of the three long runs. The goal is to capture data and identify the points of failure that only appear under compounded stress.

1. Physical Systems Failure: Your body changes over three days of sustained effort. You may experience slight swelling, and your digestion will be taxed. Look for these specific issues:

• Fueling: Did your A-List foods still work on day three, or did your stomach start to rebel? Did you stay on your timed nutrition plan, or did you start to neglect it as you got tired?

• Gear: Did a new chafing spot appear on day two or three? Did the shoes that felt great on Friday feel dead and unresponsive by Sunday? Did your pack start to rub differently as your posture changed with fatigue?

2. Mental Systems Failure: Compounded fatigue attacks your brain first. This is where the most valuable learning occurs.

• Sloppy Execution: Did you forget to lube a critical spot on day three? Did you fumble at your “car aid station,” wasting time looking for things you normally have organized?

• Negative Headspace: When your motivation cratered, what did you do? Did you lean on your ‘Why’? Did you use your mental toolkit? Or did you let the negative thoughts spiral? Be brutally honest.

Planning:

Your plan for this week is simple: execute the runs, then meticulously execute your debrief. To turn your assessment into actionable intelligence, use this simple but powerful logging method for each run. This is your Iterative Learning Loop.

On a piece of paper or in your journal, for each of the three runs, write down:

1. The Run: (e.g., “Peak Week – Day 1: 8 miles”)
2. The Rating: Give it a simple grade. ++ (Great), + (Good), - (So-so), -- (Felt awful).
3. The ‘Why’: A single sentence on why it earned that rating. (e.g., “Felt strong but started chafing on my back at mile 20.”)
4. The Solution: What is the specific, actionable change you will make? (e.g., “I will apply KT tape to my lower back before tomorrow’s run.”)

This simple, four-step process forces you to analyze, learn, and adapt. This log becomes your personalized troubleshooting guide for race day.

Diabetes Learning Notes:

For the Type 1 athlete, the back-to-back-to-back is the ultimate metabolic stress test. The person who starts the run on Friday has a fundamentally different physiology than the person who finishes on Sunday. The compounding effect of exercise dramatically increases insulin sensitivity, creating a high-risk environment for hypoglycemia. Your goal is to learn how to manage this dynamic, shifting system safely.

Your T1D Post-Simulation Debrief must focus on the trends over the three days.

• How did your insulin needs change from Day 1 to Day 3? Did you notice you needed significantly less insulin for your meals on Saturday and Sunday?
• Did you experience lows later in the day or overnight after the Day 2 or Day 3 runs? This is the classic signature of compounding insulin sensitivity.
• How did your infusion sites hold up? Did the combination of sweat, friction, and duration cause irritation or affect insulin absorption by Day 3?

Your Planning must be adaptive. You cannot use the same plan for all three days.

• Proactive Insulin Adjustments: Go into the weekend expecting to reduce your insulin. A smart strategy might be: Day 1, use your standard long-run settings. Day 2, plan for a 10% more aggressive temporary basal reduction. Day 3, plan for a 20% more aggressive reduction and be prepared to lower your carb-to-insulin ratios for meals. It is always safer to run slightly higher and correct than to risk a severe low.
• Prioritize Glycogen Repletion: Aggressively replenish your carbohydrate stores with a planned recovery meal immediately after each run. This is your primary defense against the “empty tank” lows on subsequent days.
• Simplify to Survive: This is not the weekend for experimentation. Stick only to your A-List foods and fluids. Your body and brain will be under enough stress; do not add the variable of a new food with an unknown glycemic impact. The goal is to execute your most reliable plan to get through The Simulation safely.

This week’s actual numbers:

Week 8	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thur	Fri	Sat	Sun	Total
Plan	Stretches & Rolling	6	5	6	Rest	20	24	61
Actual

Next Week Plan: Peak Week 1

Week 7	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thur	Fri	Sat	Sun	Total
Plan	Stretches & Rolling	6	5	Rest	10	31	31	83

---