For the last couple of years I’ve tried to find balance as a runner. Balance between running and training for races that inspire me while also training in a sustainable and healthy way. I’ve not always kept that balance and as a result I haven’t started about half the races I’ve registered for over the last two years.
But something changed last fall. For the first time ever I was able to get my volume up to 45+ miles per week and keep it there week after week, all while feeling strong and healthy – so much so that I felt I could have further increased my volume if I had more time to dedicate to training.
It’s hard to overstate how much of a departure that 9 week stretch was from the prior year when I’d struggled to string together 20-mile weeks with any kind of consistency. And that unlock reawakened a desire to run longer ultras; something I’d largely written off after a string of injuries following Georgia Jewel 100 in September 2024.
So in November of last year I registered for Cruel Jewel 100.
Why CJ100?
Cruel Jewel 100 appeals to me for a number of overlapping and complementary reasons which I’ll simplify down to: challenge, convenience, and qualification.
Challenge
CJ100 is considered one of the hardest 100 milers in the US. It includes over 30,000 feet of climbing and descending on technical choppy trails and is held in May in Georgia. This race is hard.
I’ve done hard things. The Georgia Death Race was hard. The Cruel Jewel 50 was hard. The Georgia Jewel was hard. This race feels like the next step in that progression of difficulty. It’s the next natural challenge in my development as an ultrarunner.
Convenience
Running ultramarathons, especially long ultramarathons, is logistically difficult. You often have to travel to the race location, plan lodging, line up someone to pick you up at the finish, and so forth.
CJ100 starts and ends about an hour from my house. It’s close, the start/finish are at the same place, and there are even bunk beds you can crash on for a few hours at the finish if you’re so inclined (which I probably will be). It’s close enough that I can get someone to drop me off and then pick me up at the finish without having to ask them to give me their whole weekend.
Qualification
One of my longer term dreams is to run the most storied and respected ultras in the US: Hardrock and Western States. Both of these races have lottery systems and it generally takes 5-10 years of consistently qualifying for and entering these lotteries before you are picked. CJ100 is a qualifier for both races, which is pretty rare as there are few races that qualify for both lotteries, making it a great building block towards my long-term ultrarunning ambitions.
Training for CJ100
CJ100 will be held May 15, 2026. That’s approximately 14 weeks from today. I’ve thought a lot about how to train for CJ100 and here’s my plan of attack as of today.
- February-March: build running volume consistently and gradually reaching ~60 miles per week by the end of March. The priority here is consistency and health. Keep the miles easy. No speed work. Increase individual run length and total volume very carefully and conservatively.
- April: keep volume steady but shift the focus to specificity: trails, vert, heat, humidity, race-day nutrition.
From a strength work perspective I’ll continue to emphasize single-leg movements (split-squats, single-leg weighted calf raises, peterson/poliquin step-ups, box step-ups) and engage in the same whole-body approach I’ve followed for the last few years.
I’ll also add short hiking doubles on the treadmill a few times per week to prioritize getting efficient at uphill hiking (e.g. 15-20 minutes at 10%+ grade at a comfortably fast pace, increasing the pace over time) – something I’ve done in the past and already started doing periodically.
The goal will be to arrive at the start line healthy, strong, and ready to climb (and descend) all day (and then some). Given my recent experience back in the fall I feel really good about my ability to execute on this plan.
The key will be self-control. Running fast is fun, but it’s also a surefire way for me to end up on the shelf. Going on super long weekend adventures in the woods is fun, but the injury risk from those super long runs is high. No hero workouts. No short intervals. Run today in such a way that I can run again tomorrow. Stick to that and I feel confident about taking on CJ100 in 100 days.
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