Why Massanutten Mountain Trails 100 Mile Run is My Kind of Race (or Not)

Why Massanutten is My Kind of Race:

• The lottery process was unique, transparent, and got me in.
• The race is not at altitude, the high point less than 3000 feet above sea level.  I like oxygen!
• It keeps all my Circadian adjustment from my job from going to waste, since I have to wake up before 1 am Pacific Time to run this.
• The race recognizes my usual low maintenance style of running 100 milers.  I don't ask family or friends to schlep stuff around following me at these ridiculous and ridiculously long events anyways.(Only one exception, Headlands Hundred 2009, but this was unplanned.)  I am running in the Stonewall Jackson Foot Cavalry Division - No Crew, No Pacer. 
• I was a good excuse to visit my sister who lives only a couple hours away and see my new niece before she ceases to be an infant and becomes yet another bratty toddler.

my niece, chowing on bamboo

• The initials for the race are THE SAME as mine:  MMT, this coincidence is Most Magnificent and Terrific!

Why Massanutten is So NOT My Kind of Race

• I am uncoordinated and tend to trip over rocks.
• I am uncoordinated and tend to trip over roots.
• I am uncoordinated and have been known to trip for no good reason.
• Even if I don't trip, I'll probably blacken another nail or two.
• Stonewall Jackson?  Will the buckle have a Confederate flag on it?
• This ends my streak of 4 straight Quicksilver 50 milers and 6 straight Ohlone 50k's.
• I am scared of lightning, and the forecast was for scattered thunderstorms while I am running. (Actually, this has since miraculously changed, now clear skies for Saturday and Sunday, in between days with a chance of rain or storms.)
• That thing I wrote in the last section about keeping "my Circadian training from going to waste" is pile of BS and I really feel like crap waking up at what my body thinks is 1 am to run all night and the next day and into the next night.  I tried to mitigate this by working overnights last weekend and even taking an overnight call shift Tuesday night, but since my kids are still on Pacific time (3 hours later), while my sister's family get up early, and their daughter is not sleeping through the night, I think I just gave myself a massive extended sleep deficit leading up to the race.  But, I guess the extra challenge will make me tougher in the long run.  If it doesn't kill me.....

Well, I'm out here, so even if the Nots outweight the Izzes, it's happening, and we're going to have a century's worth of fun!  Gotta prepare my drop bags real fast...

If you have any downtime this weekend, you can follow me live-ish on the webcast, if it works.
I'm bib # 157:
http://www.vhtrc.org/mmtlive/

race website