A Kick in the 50K

Donation to the Weather Gods
With travel plans postponed and an open weekend, I decided to go back to my original plan and run the Fremont Fat Ass 50K that Mike Palmer and Catra Corbett arranged. I could really use more hills in my training at this point, but given the weather I decided that just getting the miles in on would be more important and more productive. Also, speaking of weather, I really didn't want a repeat of my Monday drenching. With massive storms pummeling the Bay Area, I decided to head over to the Fremont REI to finally buy a real running rain jacket. I checked out an ultralight model, but Catra, who works there, told me that it was unlikely to hold up to any real rain and recommended the REI Taku Jacket which had good weather proof cred and was reasonably breathable. So, $200 later and I was ready for whatever Mother Nature decided to throw our way. Of course, what this really meant was that when I woke up on Saturday morning the storm had broken. The skies were clear, the air in the 50s and the news forecasting no rain until that evening. Wow, purchasing that jacket kept me drier than I ever imagined! I would be going with a lightweight shell after all.

Goals? What goals?
I did this run last year and had a good time. It starts in the Quarry Lakes park, mostly follows the Alameda Creek Trail going out to Niles and back then heading out to do a loop around Coyote Hills before returning back. The route is almost completely flat with only one real hill in the Coyote Hills. It is also mostly on a bike path that with the majority gravel, but about 1/3 of it paved.


Because of the flat, fast nature of the course, I was able to set a 50K PR at the time being completely out of shape and not even trying. While I am definitely not in top racing shape right now either, I still wanted to better my time. I've run faster than last year's time on much less flat courses and I have always wanted to establish a 50K PR that was below the 5-hour mark just for my own edification. I figured I could do this without even needing to really push it or go out like it was a serious race. I was just going to go out running in the low-9s and see how long I could hold that pace. If I felt good I could kick it in on the way back for something more dramatic.

Small group, big fun
Only 12 people showed up at the start this year. Apparently, quite a few who had previously contacted Mike or Catra had backed out after Friday night's storm. Too bad for them as this was a perfect day to be running. When Mark Tanaka pulled up a few minutes before the start, it was pretty much assumed who would be leading the pack. Even if he had only gotten a few hours sleep and didn't know the course, this guy actually wins real races, a claim to which none of the rest of us could make. Ultraholic Chihping Fu also showed up in his usual fashion eschewing automobiles and running to the start. He lived fairly close so he didn't have to sleep in the dirt at the start of this race. There were a few others like Ernesto whom I'd met before and some new faces as well. Also, well known ultrarunners, Barb Ellia and Linda McFadden (who together may have more miles to their names than the rest of us combined including Catra) started early and were already out on the course. We all started together and ran through the Quarry Lakes part, but quickly split into two main groups as we headed out on the Alameda Creek Trail. After the Niles turnaround things split up a bit more with Mark and Ohlone 50K RD, Rob Byrn disappearing out in front. After the water fill-up at Isherwood, Chihping fell back along with Claire and Scott while I sort of hung a little ways back from Brian Koo all the way going into Coyote Hills. I caught up with him just around the backside near the bay which allowed me to help him with the route as it is the one place where the course gets a bit tricky.

The idea is that this is to eventually be an official race with aid stations and all so some of the routing is due to where they are considering to put aid and checkpoints. In Coyote Hills it first comes around the west side of the Bayview Trail and then goes to the Dairy Glen. After that it heads back up and over the hill on the Meadowlark Trail loop before returning to Dairy Glen. It then heads over to the Quarry Staging Area and out the Tuibun Trail to the loop around the Chochenyo Trail to the Visitor Center and finishing the Bayview Trail back around to the Alameda Creek Trail. On my second trip to the Dairy Glen I saw Catra and company coming in for their first trip and was quite surprised to see Mark and Rob with them. Apparently, they had missed the point near Ardenwood where you are supposed to take the overpass and cut over to the paved side of the trail to get to Coyote Hills. They were into bonus miles.

What the tail wind giveth, the head wind (more than) taketh away
By the time I returned to the Alameda Creek Trail I was all alone and leading the run. A rather precarious position for a lifelong mid-packer such as myself. I fully expected Mark and Rob to catch me eventually even with my few miles of lead and I also figured Brian would catch up as well since he was a pretty descent marathoner in his past. However, the only thing I really cared about was breaking the 5 hour barrier. My average so far was about 9:10 per mile and I was even thinking that a 4:45 might be possible. Heck, I even thought about the idea of approaching 4:30, but some mental math and my tired legs immediately threw that out as total folly. Well, either I hadn't realized how much of a wind was at our backs on the way out, or the wind was seriously picking up. The head wind going back on the Alameda Trail was pretty brutal in parts and I suddenly I was having trouble even keeping my legs going below 10min per mile! Not only that, but pushing hard against the wind was draining. Even if the wind were the same as when we had headed out, the advantage of a direct tail wind never really matches the obvious disadvantage of a direct head wind. You are left with the choice of watching your pace slowly degrade or pushing hard to maintain pace while your energy dissipates or a little bit of both. I tried to take whatever advantage whenever the wind wasn't directly pushing on me and tried to run relaxed as much as possible otherwise. I thought that the course was a little shy of the standard 31mi, but I wasn't sure and my time was edging closer to that 5 hour limit as I approached the Quarry Lakes again. I filled my water bottle at Isherwood and decided to drop off my waste pack and jacket which I hadn't worn since about mile 4. There were about 3 miles left and I wanted to lighten the load and ease the pressure on my gut which was giving me a little trouble probably pushing into the wind.

The Fattest Ass
I just wanted to survive the mile or so of head wind before entering back into Quarry Lakes for the final run to the start where the wind would be back at my back. At this point, I knew I'd make my goal even if not by a very big margin. I also knew that the course was going to measure up a little short according to my GPS watch. As I came towards the "finish line", it read 30.3 and so I decided I would continue a little further to make sure I knew that I had run a full 50K. If you are going to try for a goal that is just for yourself then you better make sure you actually hit it. As I finished my final little jog back to the parking lot I realized that nobody had actually passed me on the way back. However, there was someone in what appeared to be a Dick Collins jacket waiting at the end. It turned out to be Brian Koo who, after some discussion, realized that he had stayed on the paved side of the path beyond Ardenwood and must have crossed back over in front of me. Oh well, I didn't get to win my first race after all. However, I did get the experience of a lifetime which was seeing a real front runner like Mark Tanaka come into a race finish after me even if he did have to run a few extra miles to make it happen. In the end, I met the one goal I set for myself and finished the 50K distance in a time of 4:57 and change. Looking back at it I think it is possible that in better condition and without the rain I could possible push down to something close to 4:45 and perhaps even wee bit lower if I were rested and in a supported race. However, relentlessly pushing for PRs is not really exciting to me and, given my schedule for the year, it will likely be the last time I try for a while.

Recovery or gear check?
Sunday and the rain returned. I had already decided that I would do a short run on this day partly to recover, but also to hit my weekly mileage goal. With the rain it would also give me an opportunity to test out my new jacket. Also, I did want to get a little hill work in for the weekend so I decided I would do my 5 miles by running up to the Mission Peak saddle and back down. I know, Mission Peak and "recovery run" really don't belong in the same sentence, but I really would be using very different muscles than I had on Saturday. Finally, there was one more bit of gear testing I wanted to do. Since becoming addicted to my new Garmin Forerunner 305 gadget, I have been looking for a way to make it last for much longer runs beyond its rated 10hour limit. Craig Slagel turned me on to the Energizer Energi To Go, portable cell phone charger that included a model with a mini-usb adapter that would work with the Garmin. The disadvantage is that to charge the watch you need to use the cradle and it then doesn't fit on the wrist. I hit on the idea of using my Ultimate Direction Fastdraw Plus hand-held bottle to solve the problem. The charger would fit in the pocket and I could then strap the watch with cradle around the pocket to keep it in place and attachable to the charger.

The parts - hand-held, charger, cradle, watch:

The Full Rig:


The jacket held up great keeping the rain (even the horizontal stuff) completely off. After the first half mile or so, I realized that, while my watch was rated as water resistant, I wasn't so sure about the cradle or charger. I took the rig apart and moved the questionable parts into my jacket pocket and the watch to my wrist. I only wore a very thin base layer of Patagonia Capalene 1 below the jacket to test how cool I could stay. I definitely didn't overheat and was actually even cold during parts of the run. I never felt rain getting through either. For longer runs in the rain, though, I would definitely go with two layers as it was a bit cold overall and I did experience some wetness from sweating which might have been better with the traditional base+outer layering strategy. Overall, the run in the rain and wind was perfect test for all my gear. Furthermore, I felt great physically after it and definitely feel like I am back in at least minimal ultra shape.

Ill and Ill-prepared

Well, I definitely got the cold bug and it pretty much took me out completely from Thursday through Saturday. I did a paltry 1.5m on the treadmill Friday morning, but that was about it. Saturday I slept and rested most of the day and managed to feel quite good come Sunday morning. In an attempt to salvage some of the weekend (though I missed the one nice weather day), I did get a run in Sunday evening. I kept it on the road and local sticking to one of my routes that has lots of options for turning back short if I didn't feel well. I figured that 8 miles was about the extent I could handle. However, I felt great so just kept on going all the way to the Mission Peak trailhead. The 10.5m route was one I hadn't done in a while and is a pretty nice run as far as roads go since there is a nice view of the bay at the turnaround. I think this run really helped clear all the "gunk" out of my system. There really is nothing better than the post-illness LSD run to really clear everything out. No, this is not a long run, the initials in this case stand for:

• Lung-butter
• Saliva
• Discharged nasal-mucus

This run brought the week's total to just over 32mi which is just about 1/2 of what I had hoped. However, it ended up not being a total loss and I was happy to recover so quickly.

I felt so good that come the Monday holiday I wanted to hit the trails at least for a bit. I had a lot of errands and chores to get caught up on so the run was once again postponed until afternoon. It was no sooner that I announced to my wife my intention to head up to Mission Peak than it started to rain. I didn't remember the forecast calling for any heavy showers so I only brought my light shell though I did add an extra layer of underarmor beneath my running shirt. My timing was once again impeccable as the rain seemed to just pick up the closer I got to the top. On the way up I took my standard route on the Peak Meadow fireroad which adds some extra distance. Being as this trail is not graveled over like the main fireroad the mud added significant time to my run. I was sliding all over and trying to run on the grassy side of the trail as much as possible. Even walking didn't seem to help as my road shoes just have no grip in the mud. This is one of the few times when I wish I could find some trail shoes that fit. I also wonder if anyone has every tried attaching traction devices to their shoes for the mud like they do when running on ice.

Eventually, this meets up with the main fireroad and I was able to pick it up to my normal slow shuffle. When I finally made it to the ridge I was happy to hit the downhill around the back side of the peak. However, this is where the storm really picked up. My shell was useless in the heavy downpour and the cold rain soaked right through all three layers. I could also feel that my legs were pretty worked from all the extra work trying to keep stable in the slippery mud. My intention was just to push on through, make it to the top and head down the main firetrail as quickly as possible. I decided to skip the Eagle Loop as I realized that this was not the best conditions to be running in having just gotten over a cold. As I reached the ridge again the rain came down harder and I could hear and feel it pelting my hood. As I looked up at the mist-enshrouded peak, I realized that this rain was no longer liquid. Even though I was almost at the top, I know from experience that conditions at the peak can be much, much worse than just a 100 feet below. Feeling my muscles starting to tighten up in the cold, I decided the wiser plan was to just turn tail and head back down the way I'd come. This was definitely the smart decision as I was freezing at this point. I kept having to squeeze my hands to keep them from stiffening up and I really just wanted this ill-advised run to be over.

I've never done the "pee on the run" technique in a race because I think it is totally rude and, quite frankly, I'm just not fast enough for seconds to matter. However, to avoid freezing I have to admit that I partook of this moving relief as the last thing I wanted to do was stand still for even 30 seconds. As I made my way back around the peak and to the other side of the ridge all I could think about was the last couple miles of downhill and wanting to get my body moving down it. Normally I can't run too fast down this hill as the ground tends to be quite hard and there are usually lots of other trail users. Both of those conditions were negated by the storm. In fact, the ground was so soft that I was able to just go all out. The last two miles of this run were taken completely at sub-7 minute pace with a top speed (Garmin measured) of just below 6. I was swinging my arms and moving my legs as fast and as much as I could just to keep the blood flowing. When I finally made it to my car and changed out of my wet clothes the temperature gauge read in the low 40s. I can only imagine that it was at least 10 degrees lower up top. Looking back it seems like a little mini-epic adventure. However, I think it was perhaps one of the stupider things I have done in terms of my recent running.

On other running-related notes, Zane and I have had to postpone our Costa Rica trip that was planned for the end of this week. Our main reason for going was to see my wife's nieces. They are not going to make it back into the country in time for us to see them so we decided to move the trip to March. This is actually a much better time. It is during Frederick's spring break so we are thinking to have him bring a friend and join us. We have also been able to extend the length of the trip so it can be a real vacation. It will be the week right after Coyote 2 Moons so it will be the perfect locale for me to rest and recover from the race. What better way to celebrate a tough 100-miler than a vacation trip to paradise?

The change in plans leaves this weekend open. I could return to my original plan and do the Fremont Fat Ass 50K. However, some friends who are also doing C2M are planning a training run up in Marin. If I can work the logistics out that would be a better option in terms of hill training as the Fremont race is as flat as they get. I'm also leaning much more towards the Andes Adventure run in July. I have printed out the form and just need to send it in with the deposit check. With TRT100 out and a desire to do something at higher altitude before heading to the Andes, I am considering doing the Bighorn 100 in Wyoming in late June. It has a similar altitude profile to TRT and while it is nothing close to what I will experience in the Andes, I think it would help make sure my conditioning is at its peak before I head down there. I need to look at logistics and the family summer schedule especially in terms of my son's basketball as he will have school summer league as well as AAU going on. If I do end up signing up I think that fills the calendar for most of the year pending some decisions about the last few months.

With hope for no more illness or ill-advised, ill-planned adventures, it's time to get back to my training ramp up.

Weekend by ear

My attempt to completely avoid the bug that seems to be going around seems to have failed. Right now it is just a bit of a throat/sinus thing that I think I can still run through. I will see this afternoon. As for my weekend plans, I will definitely not be signing up for an organized race. Doing my original plan of a Quad MP is also pretty much going to have to be "played by ear". I to start the run at 7am on Saturday and invite anyone who was interested to join me. At this point, I am going to have to see how my body does over the next couple days.

I'm it!

I thought now that we were well into January that I had avoided this trail runner blog tagging thing, but apparently Chihping Fu just tagged me so I guess I'll answer the call.

1. Most memorable moment on the trails in 2007.
My most memorable moment on the trails last year has to be the point during Headlands Hundred in the wee hours of the morning when I found myself off course at the bottom of the Pirate's Cove stairs. I know, one would expect that it would be when I crossed the finish line and that realizing I had taken a wrong turn late in my first 100-miler would be the low point and not the high point. However, the question was about "memorable" moments and this one will stick with me for a long time. The most memorable part of the experience was not the disappointment in realizing I had gone wrong, but the surprise at my own mental reaction to it. Once I knew where I was I simply became even more determined. In fact, it was at that very point where I knew I would finish the race no matter what. As my mind became more focused, my body followed and I actually ran a good portion of the rest of that leg even on some of the steep uphills.

2. Best new trail discovered in 2007.
This is a tough one. I could pick one of the new trails at one of the races I did such as the beautiful desert at Javelina. However, when I think of new trails my mind automatically goes to some of my training runs. I have run some beautiful trails in a great variety of terrain, but, in my mind, the best trails are the ones that you get to run the most often. Discovering Garin/Dry Creek Pioneer Parks up in the hills of Hayward was probably the best new discovery. The trails are nothing spectacular. They aren't as brutal as my Mission Peak training grounds and offer nowhere near the distance options of the Ohlone Wilderness and Sonol. They aren't nearly as beautiful as the trails further north up at Chabot or in the Oakland Hills. It doesn't even offer the continuous "bit loop" option of Pleasanton Ridge. However, nothing beats finding a new option for running some hilly trails within easy driving distance from home.

3. My best performance of 2007.
This, without a doubt, has to be my finish at Javelina Jundred. I went into that race with one goal and that was to notch a sub-24 hour 100-miler. I did it with plenty of time to spare. In fact, I took the last mile or so easier than I have ever run any final mile of any race, savoring the knowledge that I had reached a goal that I had set for myself.

4. I don't know how I previously survived without...
Oreo Cookies! I love discovering what new foods work for me at different races. For some reason, during the heat of Javelina, those cookies from my childhood just seemed to do the trick. I would have put Ensure ahead of them since I have learned that it really does help me get through those longer trail races, but it just doesn't have the fun factor of two chocolate wafers with white sugary goo in the middle!

5. The person I would most like to meet on the trails in 2008.
I really enjoy meeting new people out on the trail, getting to know them a little, sharing stories and what not. In some ways, trail races have actually become my social life (sad though that may sound). However, all of my most special moments on the trail have been by myself. My solo training runs are my sanctuary and meditation time. Those moments in tough trail races where I just go inside myself and find the means to endure are also very special to me. So, as far as meeting any particular people out on the trail I can't really pinpoint any individual except perhaps one very important person: my wife. She has decided to get her exercise routine back in order this year and has asked me to take her out for some short trail runs. I will be doing some of my Sunday recovery runs with her.

6. The race I am most excited about for 2008.
I probably would have answered this question differently a week ago. With a plan to do 4 100-milers I certainly would have named one of them in response to this query. However, now that I am being encouraged to go for an Andes Running Adventure by both friends and family, I think all of my excitement is starting to focus on July

The Full Purisima

Plans
My original plan for this weekend was to do some loops on Mission Peak. I needed at least 25mi for the weekend to meet my mileage goals and I need to start hitting the hills in prep for Two Moons. However, I wasn't quite up for the full 32 miles of my Quad MP concept, yet. My wife had to go into work in San Mateo on Saturday so I decided I would get my run in on that side of the bay. Purisima Creek is sort of the old stand-by as it is the closest serious trail to her office and is also a beautiful park right off Skyline Ridge. It starts from the ridge and goes down to meet the road into Half Moon Bay. There are three main trails that travel from top-to-bottom covering between 3.5 to 4 miles on the trip from the 2000ft ridge down to about 400ft at the bottom.

The Full Purisima...almost
I pulled out the trail map and started calculating to find a route that would give me at least 20 miles for the day on a couple of down-up trips. As I started playing around, doing the math, I realized that, if I planned my route properly, I could traverse just about every trail in the entire park over a course of between 25-26 miles. I would have to leave out the Bald Knob, Irish Ridge and Lobitos Creek Trails as they would add another 7+ miles traveling directly out-and-back from the main preserve area. They would also require that I either carry more than my planned two water bottles or deal with further logistics of an extra water drop off Tunitas Creek Rd. As for the the planned run it could be done with just one drop. There are two main parking areas off Skyline Blvd., one at the start of the North Ridge Trail and the other at the Purisima Creek trailhead. I would stash a water jug and a bag of trail goodies in the bushes at the first area and start my run down at the other area down Purisima Creek Trail. Once I realized the concept, I knew I had to do it. However, I had a time limit and would need to be done by 4:30 at the latest which meant starting no later than 11am.

Summary
For those who are impatient or who simply don't want to wade through my long-winded account of the run, here is the full route that I planned (I took one slight variation noted by *'s):

• Purisima Creek Trail (down 3.1mi)
• Borden Hatch Mill Trail (up 2.7mi)
• Out-and-back to Tunitas Crreek Rd. (up-down 0.6mi)
• Grabtown Gulch Trail (down 1.5mi)
• Purisima Creek Trail (down 1.2mi)
• Harkins Ridge Trail (up 3.0mi)
• North Ridge "Hiking Only" Trail (0.5mi)
• Get food/water stash, eat, drink, fill bottles
• North Ridge Trail (down 2.3mi)
• North Ridge Trail (up 1.5mi)*[1.3mi]
• Whittemore Gulch Trail (down 2.8mi)*[2.2mi]
• Harkins Ridge Trail (up 2.1mi)
• Soda Gulch Trail (mostly down 2.6mi)
• Purisima Creek Trail (up 1.8mi)

Total: 25.7 [24.8mi] from map values

My GPS-measured distance came to a bit over 24.7mi which seems pretty accurate.

As for elevation gain, all I could say at the end of the run was "lots". Some of these trails were much steeper than I expected. My Forerunner 305 is notoriously inaccurate and gave a reading of greater than +/- 10K ft. Importing the route into various mapping programs and web sites produced varying results. One of them gave even higher numbers than the GPS and another was so low as to be impossible. That particular web site is very inaccurate and has given me elevation measurements in the past that are actually less than the difference of the highest and lowest elevation points. How does that work? The one I am learning to trust the most is from a desktop program called SportTracks that I would recommend for anyone with a GPS watch. You can actually tweak the amount of smoothing that it does over imported elevation and pace values in the 2.0 beta version.

Based on this data the summary for my run is as follows:
Distance: 24.7mi
Time: 5:03hrs (5:13 with stops)
Elevation: +/-6800ft (approx.)

Here are some pictures for those who like visual aids:

Map of the route with start/end at far right

Elevation change over the course of the run

The Full Details
OK, that's the stats. Let's get to the details...

Purisima Creek to Borden Hatch
When running in this park I usually either head down Whittemore Gulch or Purisima Creek. I've done runs all the way down to Half Moon Bay and back from both starting points. Purisima Creek is a wide fireroad that does less twisting and turning but has more distance overall covering about 4.2 miles directly to the bottom. This time I would add an extra loop of trails about 3/4 of the way down. The whole Purisima Creek park is heavy covered with Redwoods and the fallen needles plus the rain soften dirt made for a very plush trail. Even trying to take it very easy my pace on this downhill often dipped below 7 min/mi. It is a beautiful and fun trail to run down as the many little "moguls" (what we used to call "whoop-de-dos" when mountain biking) can be used to catch a little air and a big smile. The one thing I noticed about halfway down was that the entrance to the Soda Gulch Trail was marked as "Closed due to storm damage." I guess I would have to decide how important it was for me to hit all the trails or whether I was going to need to find another route on the way back. I decided to wait and see if the other end of the trail was marked the same as they sometimes leave these signs up well beyond necessity. I eventually reached the start of the Grabtown Gulch Trail and continued down to the Borden Hatch Trail to start the loop choosing to repeat the small section between the two rather than skip it completely.

Borden Hatch - Grabtown Gulch Loop and on
I headed up Borden Hatch which I hadn't been on since my mountain biking days. I remembered it being a pretty tough climb on the bike. As a run it wasn't horribly steep, but I could see how the mud and plethora of tree droppings would make it a very tough ride. It is a nice trail and much more secluded than the main thoroughfares of this park where one often sees hikers especially near the trailheads. I was really enjoyed the quiet and the grade did provide some good uphill practice climbing nearly 1000ft in a little under 3mi. I paused briefly at the Bald Knob trailhead and glanced up it. I've never been up that way and it looks like a nice trail. It would have to wait for another day as I had a time limit today needing to finish up the run in less under 5 1/2 hours. I little further on was the intersection to the Grabtown Gulch Trail. However, before heading down this I took the little .3mi extension out to Tunitas Creek Rd. so as not to miss any trail. This also let me scout out this remote trailhead as another option for a water drop on a future run here. After that it was all downhill and I have to say that Grabtown Gulch was a blast! All downhill and some wonderful twisty single-track to boot. All good things must end and this one did back at the wide Purisima Creek Trail after a mile and a half. Then it was a bit over a mile down to the bottom where the folks from the coast enter the park at Purisima-Higgins Rd. It was less busy then one would expect given the perfect weather of the day due to the fact that the Mavericks Surf Contest was on just above HMB.

Up Harkins Ridge
I don't think I'd ever been on this trail on foot before and it was quite nice starting in the deep trees along the creek. A little ways on it turns and heads up the ridge and out into the exposed sun. It was quite nice out and I was surprised at how warm it actually was given that we are in the middle of winter. Gotta love California weather. Heading up this trail has some really steep hills and it was time to start working on some of my power-hiking skills. I also wanted to preserve some energy in the middle of my run on this trail which is the shortest path to cover the 1600ft climb back up to the road. I did notice that Soda Gulch was closed here too so a decision would have to be made about my return. The last section of this is all open ridge and I could see the ocean from the vantage point. The sun also kept me plenty warm and I drained my water just as I reached the intersection with the North Ridge Trail. No worry as it was only another half mile to the parking lot via the "Hiking Only" trail that I planned to take on the way up. This option is a little longer than the direct route, but is much more runnable and a nicer option for heading up. Taking the direct route down is always recommended for making good time.

Aid Station
At the parking lot I went into the bushes and retrieved my little drop bag and jug of water. I got a couple of weird looks from hikers as I stuffed myself with Pringles, cookies and Ensure as well as downed a bunch of water. I then filled my bottles and re-stashed my goods planning to pick it up after I was done. I took in as much water as I could as the warmer-than-expected temperatures meant that I was going to likely be pushing the two bottles on the return trip which was going to be a little longer than the one I took getting here. Just as I was about to leave a couple of runners came up the trail. One of them was wearing a race shirt from some 50miler I didn't recognize, but he saw my TRT shirt and asked about it first anyway. I turns out he did the 100 last year when I did the 50. I believe he said his name was Mark and he looked like a pretty studly dude so it may well have been Mark Gilligan, second place finisher in the 100. Given that one of his planned runs this year is the 100K national championship race, it seems even more likely now that I think about it. He also told me that they had been on Soda Gulch Trail and that it wasn't too bad. So, my return trip was going to go as planned. I'd wasted enough time at my self-made aid station and bid him and his friend (Kay?) goodbye. I told them about my water/food stash and to grab whatever they wanted as I headed back down the trail.

North Ridge Trail
The North Ridge Trail is the main fireroad leaving the parking lot and is the most common route down. However, most people either head down Whittemore or Harkins as the North Ridge continues on to a dead end at the park boundary. I'd never been down there and new nothing about that trail section. What I learned was that it was steep. And, then, later on it is really steep. And, then, still further it is ridiculously steep. Before I get to that part, though, I had a surprise waiting for me on the trail. Just as I headed up the first uphill on the way to the turnaround I saw a guy coming down cleaning branches off the trail. He looked very familiar, but before I could call out to him he yelled down "Steve!" It was local ultrarunner Chuck Wilson who has probably run more races than I have miles. He was doing some volunteer work on the trail so I stopped and chatted for a bit. He said that the trail wasn't very runnable even with his cleaning job, so I better get going if I needed to make time. I learned pretty quickly that he wasn't kidding. The final downhill (and return back uphill) was crazy. I honestly don't know how the rocks stayed on that steep loose trail. Luckily it wasn't very long, but in the end the whole steepness of this trail up-and-down was more than I had planned. I decided to alter my return just slightly and take the short-cut over to Whittemore Gulch Trail. While this would mean missing 0.6mi of trail, it would take almost a full mile off my return trip and given my water situation as well as my time limit, I decided it was necessary. I could see Chuck up above me as I headed over to the cutoff. I decided not to yell up to him as I didn't want to waste too much more time. However, before going through the gate I paused and took in the vista. It was such a clear day I could see the ocean and Half Moon Bay perfectly. If I'd have brought binoculars I probably could have watched the surf contest from up there.

Down and back up
Whittemore Gulch is a wonderful with lots of twists and turns that I remember having a blast on when biking. However, today it had so much down tree foliage that it was actually hard to keep the momentum. My pace barely dropped below 9min/mi as I was constantly having to jump over branches or watch my step through brush. It was still a reasonably quick downhill through lush woods that helped keep me from draining too much more water. I hit the bottom at about 18.5 miles just after my GPS watch complained about low battery. I accidentally left it on the other day so I wasn't able to fully charge it before this run. I wasn't sure it would make it for the rest of the time as I headed up the long grind back up Harkins Ridge. I had decided I was going to take Soda Gulch and my mind was focused there. I knew that once I reached that intersection it was over 2 1/2 miles of flat to downhill running. I pushed it a bit up Harkins shuffling up whatever I could. I made it to the intersection in about the same time from the bottom as before despite being much more tired being 20 miles and 4 hours into the run. I also knew that my water was just about gone and that I would be making the final climb to the road bone dry.

Flying towards Hell
Soda Gulch wasn't bad at all in general. The trail was in decent condition and relatively clear of debris allowing for lots of running along its gently winding downhill path. However, there were a few downed trees that required climbing over or dipping under. A couple of these left nice trophy slashes on my legs. Also, there were two spots where the trail was washed out, but both were easy to bypass with careful navigation. Other than that it was a classic single-track that I had previously only taken in the opposite direction. Going down this beauty was definitely the recommended way. However, at the end that meant that I had just that much more climbing up the final trail of Purisma Creek to my car. It was just under two miles and about 1000ft to the top. I had no water and, without water, couldn't really take in calories either. Those last couple miles were over a half hour of slow painful grind. Each of those fun little bumps that I enjoyed so much on the way down just added insult to injury on the way back up as each one require a few extra steps of even steeper climb for barely a half step down on the other side. I shuffled as much as I could figuring this was all good ultra training as in a real race there would be aid at top of this "bad spell" to refuel and keep me moving relentlessly forward.

Done
I made it to the top and my watch read a little past 24.5 miles total. I felt like I had done much, much more than a marathon. With all the climbing, I felt easily as worked as in many of my 50K races. Looking back now, it is clear why since this shorter run had as much or even more climbing than many races of much longer distance. However, the elevation gain and the distance are both about 1/4 the distance of the Coyote Two Moons 100 which is a pretty scary thought right now. There is no way I could have done that route 4 more times! However, I will be ramping my training and will definitely start much easier come race day. Of course, if I run the first 25 miles of a that hundred miler anywhere near 5 hours time, I will be headed for some serious hurt later in the race. I drank up and ate up at my car and headed out as I had to pick up my wife and then get home to take my son to his basketball game. I stopped at the other parking lot first to clean up my stashed drop bag and water. Just as I was about to head out I saw Chuck coming up the trail. I stopped and chatted again with him briefly. However, I realized how much time I had wasted as it was already 4:30 and my son had to be at his game by 6 so I high-tailed it out of there and managed to just get him there on time.

Looking Forward
I followed up Saturday's run with a nice easy 4.5mi recovery on Sunday night. I am learning to use my Garmin and heartrate monitor to do "real" recovery runs. I put the watch in a mode where I it shows my HR, but not my pace or distance and then I run a known route trying to keep my HR in the 70-75% zone. With that final run my tally for the week comes to 54 miles which is right about where I should be in my ramp up. Had I been further in my training I might have done a 10 or 12 miler on Sunday and gotten closer to 60. To get my mileage up much beyond that I am going to have to figure out how to get a few extra mid-week miles along with some longer Sat. runs.
As for my race schedule, there are some potential changes. I definitely dropped Zane Grey from consideration as it is just too much with Diablo and Miwok. I may decide to do the Pacifica 50K next weekend if Freddy doesn't have practice. In which case I would save the Quad MP until Feb. As for the races in that month they are all up in the aid. Woodside seems unlikely as it is now on the 2nd and Freddy has a game that night and the night before. While I believe I could get the race done in time, I don't know about getting there after a later than desired Fri. night. Sequoia will also be a "wait and see" as that will be during the likely time of basketball sectional playoffs. Feb may just be lots of self-planned long runs. I am committed to Skyline Ridge for March as my last training before Two Moons. Diablo and Miwok are confirmed, but the rest of the season is still a bit spotty. I may actually end up bailing on TRT100 in July. Chuck was trying to convince me to join him and Beat at a "once in a lifetime" opportunity of a running adventure in the Peruvian Andes. It is the last time the organization will be doing this particular run and it looks quite simply amazing. I love South America and my wife is actually encouraging the endeavor. The amount of altitude is a bit scary, but perhaps I can find a high-mountain 100 in June to help prep me. I do have to admit, my it looks amazing!

Opportunistic running

The first week of the new year has come and gone. I did a lot of what I term "opportunistic" runs meaning that most were planned last minute and worked around various other (work and/or family) plans. My son's high school basketball season has started so that will eat up another couple evenings a week. I am still in a re-building phase as far as mileage goes, but I did still manage my second 45+ mile week in a row so things are progressing. In a way, I really like managing a week like this as I like the idea that training for and running ultras doesn't require outrageous time commitments or sacrificing everything else in one's life to fit it in. My week basically went as follows.

Mon 12/31/07
As mentioned previously, I ran an 8.1 mile figure-8 route up on Mission Peak this day. We were planning to drive down to Arroyo Grande to spend New Years Eve at our new vacation home, but had to leave a bit late as my son had a 4-hr basketball practice. I did the run while he was at practice and we made the 3+ hr drive south that afternoon/evening. The route is what I am planning to use for my "Quad MP" run where I will attempt to do this loop 4 times for a bit over a 50K training run (or "Fat Ass" race if anyone wants to join me). The elevation gain should be over 9000ft. The link above only shows each loop as a little over 2000ft, but that is not accurate as the simple difference between the peak and start is more than 2100ft and there is a bit of up and down in the route. My other mapping software shows it as at over 2300ft per loop.

Tue 01/01/08
After spending too much time just sitting around the house in the morning we needed to get out so my wife and I hopped in the car and went for a little drive. I decided to head up to Los Osos to check out Montaña de Oro State Park. We parked along the road and took a long and very sandy path to the beach. We were joking about how difficult this was going to be going back up, but when we reached the beach we found that there was a much easier path that led back through a parking lot. However, this meant we had a bit of a walk back to our car. My wife surprised me by starting to run back as we headed up the hill. We ended up jogging all the way, a bit over a mile, mostly uphill, me in my sandals and Zane in her casual shoes. We must have looked a sight to the passing cars, but we had fun.
Zane wanted to get in another 20min of running in. I plotted a little route around the residential area near "The Village" where the house is. It was a little under her desired time due to her picking up the pace (honestly, without any urging by me) near the end. It was fun and a good way to learn the lay of the land as this older residential area has a little confusing layout.
I wanted a bit more mileage before dinner so I went off on my own and did a longer loop around some local farms. Having looked on the map, I knew that the country road I was on would eventually intersect with a cross street to let me cut over and head back. However, the road kept heading in the opposite turning away from where I wanted to go. Eventually I found where I needed to be and ended up with a nice loop of about 5.4mi. I also discovered some other backroads that will make nice long road runs if I ever need them while down there.
Total for the day was about 8.1mi. Not bad for no planning.

Wed 01/02/08
We got up at 4am in order to make it back to the Bay Area in time for work. The drive north and to both our offices was over 4hrs. Being tired and Frederick having a basketball game that evening meant there would be no running on this day.

Thu 01/03/08
I decided to go to work late as Freddy needed to be dropped off at practice at 11am. This allowed for a rare morning run. A simple 6mi on one of my standard routes around our neighborhood.

Fri 01/04/08
A busy work schedule, a brewing storm and the need to get Freddy to his game in SF by 6pm meant that this would be another day sans running. Furthermore, the storm coming in looked to be a monster. I had already given up on my original plan to join the Epiphany Ultra up in Oakland as I didn't feel ready for the distance or the conditions on the trail. However, I wanted to find some way to fit in some running over the weekend despite the weather.

Sat 01/05/08
My wife had to meet a colleague for breakfast meeting in Castro Valley so I decided that I would head over to Lake Chabot. I planned to get in about an hour mostly on the paved path and the flat parts of the dirt trail around the lake. The morning had been pretty mild so it was possible some of the Ephiphany runners might be hitting the turnaround when I was heading out. Leaving at 11am the next wave of the storm was apparently just getting going. My run of a little over 6mi was done almost completely in the rain and, as I learned later, was pretty much right during the worst part of the storm. On the way back the thunder and lightening started and one near simultaneous flash/crack race followed by the skies just opening up and completely dumping. I was drenched. While trying to change at my car, none other than Chihping showed up heading down towards town. He had started at 5am and was on his way to completing his full run. He said things were much nicer earlier in the day. However, there was no way I would have been up there at that hour to run with my local ultraholic!
Zane needed to head to work over in San Mateo after her meeting. I had brought more running clothes in order to do another run over on the Penninsula while she worked. My original idea was to do another run on the paved Sawyer Camp Trail at the Crystal Springs Reservoir. However, first I needed some new shorts as I discovered that I had only brought one pair and the ones I had used in the morning were still soaking wet. I headed to the local REI only to find it closed due to storm damage. Luckily the Road Runner Sports store was just around the corner. After buying some shorts I headed straight to the trailhead off hwy 280. However, that was also closed. I knew that the north end of this trail connected with the San Andreas Trail further up so on I drove trying to remember which exit would take me there. I eventually found the trailhead that begins on a short dirt/gravel single-track section for a bit over a half mile. This first section was pretty much a stream on the hilly parts so my shoes that had been drying under my car heater were immediately soaked. The rest of the trail is paved and about 2 miles long. The storm had mostly moved through this area so it was actually nice weather relative to my earlier run. I decided to do run the paved section out-and-back twice in order to get some decent mileage in. The total came to around 9.3 which summed up to nearly 15.5 for the day.

Sun 01/06/08
This day started out at about 4:30am with a family crisis which, luckily, only resulted in the fatality of a car. Circumstances necessitated that we not receive the full details until 9am so the morning was spent sipping coffee in a daze of worry and sadness. Yet another bad decision in my older son's life with repercussions that will, no doubt, reach far beyond the day that was still to come. The only positive that came of the morning was that I happened to be up and online at 8am so I went ahead and signed up for the Miwok 100K. After things were eventually dealt with as much as they could be until insurance adjustments, police reports and court appearances eventually unfold, my wife and I spent the rest of the day simply wandering both in body and in thought. We both decided that some exercise at the end of the day would be a good thing so that evening my wife headed to the gym and I planned a final run for the first week of the new year on the nearby levees. 8.1m on flat, soggy dirt as night sank in and rain continued to drizzle. The same distance that started the week, but on a very different terrain and on a very different emotional note.

The final running tally for the week was a pretty reasonable 45.7mi, all things considered. It's always nice being able to integrate my running in and amongst my other life commitments.


Welcome to 2008
On other running related fronts, I have decided to join my wife for a couple of days at the end of the month in Costa Rica. She is going to visit her brother and his family who live there. I was previously on the fence, but getting away together even for a short trip will be good after all the other things going on in our lives. This means that I won't be joining the Fremont Fat Ass 50K, but I will be planning my Quad MP the weekend before. I will post more details on it later. Also, my wife said I could sign her up for a local 5K so I will also be looking for one of those as well.

For better or worse, 2008 is under way. I have lots of plans for my running and lots of things going on in other areas of my life as well. Meeting goals as well as commitments, having fun while dealing with responsibilities and integrating work and play are the things that keep life interesting. Here's to a very interesting year (though, hopefully, not too interesting).

Themes, Goals, Plans and Aspirations

2008
There are a slew of races listed over there on the right side of this page in the "Under Consideration" category, far more than I could reasonably do this year. With so many ultras, both classic and new, these are only a fraction of the full list that I have really considered. To get through the myriad options I needed something to guide me at least into the first part of the year. If Western States had happened that would have set my initial plan for the year. Now, that will be 2009. My initial conception was to maybe go for some fast times to start things off. Establish a more serious marathon PR, do a sub-5 hour 50K and then try for under 9 at AR50. However, somehow I allowed myself to be talked into signing up for the Coyote Two Moons 100 in March. This race with over 28,000ft of climbing and a very unique format sort of sets both the underlying tone as well as the plan for the start of the season.

Theme
So my theme for the start of the year will definitely not be "fast" with the Two Moons ultra as the initial target. I have therefore decided that the theme to start the year off will be "hard". This also fits with one of the other ultras that I definitely wanted to put on my schedule which is the Diablo 50-miler. In general, I think going for difficulty rather than speed sort of suites me better anyway. I will never be a super fast distance runner, genetics has assured that. However, strength and perseverance are more up my alley. I love the idea of events with unique and/or interesting challenges. So the start of my year will be about hard runs and difficult races.

I got a good start on this theme during my final run of 2007. I had a few hours to kill before our planned trip to the central coast for New Years Eve so I decided to get my final run of the year up on Mission Peak. I also wanted to measure the distance of a particular route for a run idea I have. It was a windy day, but I didn't realize just how windy until I was out there on the trail. Luckily, I wore some extra layers, but the Underarmor and running vest weren't going to help running into those incredible breezes tearing down the hillside. At times I could barely move at all. Mostly it felt like trying to run on a treadmill set at 30% incline with the air-conditioner on full blast. I don't think I've ever worked so hard getting up that climb. At the top of the peak the wind was so strong I felt like I was going to be blown off. I had to hide below the peak from the wind in order to get my camera out. The main reward for all this work was that the wind left the entire Bay Area as clear as could be.

Goals
With my theme being one of difficulty, I thought I should try and challenge myself this year in my goals as well. One of my major goals is to try and complete four 100 milers this year. I did two last year and want to up the ante. Also, I like the idea of doing one each season of the year and sort of wrapping everything else around them. I also want to do some tough 50 miler or shorter runs including maybe one or two of my own design. Another goal of mine is to get better at the uphills. I want to increase my speed and efficiency especially when power-hiking. I would also like to up my weekly mileage to maintain more consistently around 60mpw with a few key weeks in the 70+ range (not including 100-mile races). Of course, most importantly, I would like to run consistently throughout the year keeping injuries at bay or at least under control.

Training Plans
I've already started one bit of training that I think will be key to meeting a few of my goals. In order to increase my mileage, become better at uphill pace and not spend more time away from home, I am going to start hitting the "dreadmill" more often. While taking time off from running recently I started doing some fast-pace walk training on the machine. Basically, I try to see how high an incline I can maintain a 4mph pace or how high a pace I can maintain at the top incline. Right now I can keep the 4mph pace at 12% incline. At 15% incline, I can keep about 3.6mph. I'd like to try and increase my 15% pace and make 4mph feel easier at the lower inclines. I figure doing a few hours a week of walking between these inclines, working my pace will give me an additional 5-10 miles per week. It should also help my walking efficiency and, finally, it is something I can do at home or at the gym with my wife.

Another thing in the training category that I want to do more consistently is cross-training. My wife is starting to get back into swimming and we went together the other night. It was a great recovery and full-body workout. I'm going to do yoga once a week and do more active recovery as well. On the weight and nutrition side, I'll just say that I want to be "better". I want to seriously try and keep the sugar under control and keep my energy, health and weight consistent. I'm hoping that keeping consistent mileage and workouts should help with this as I generally eat better when everything else is maintained. However, I am going to try to stay away from the "white stuff" meaning, white flower foods, white rice and sugar. These are my two downfalls in terms of nutrition.

Races
Well, I already mentioned that I am going to try and focus on one 100-miler per quarter so I will look at my runs/races in those units starting with the next three months from Jan-Mar. I am really still in a re-building phase right now so that is what January is about. Right now I have the Fremont Fat Ass on schedule as my first actual ultra, but that may change. My wife will be in Costa Rica for a short trip and I may decide to join her. Other than that, I am planning a self-designed Quad-MP (Mission Peak) run that will do 4 loops up to the peak and back. I will work out further details and post here for anyone wanting to join me, but it will either be on the 19th of Jan or sometime in Feb (perhaps both). This should be some good hill training as the route I am looking at will be a little over 32 miles and have over 9000ft of climbing. Speaking of Feb. I currently have two PCTR 50K events on the list. I will most likely only do one of these seeing as they are less than a week apart. However, that might be a good challenge in-and-of itself. I am definitely going to put Skyline Ridge 50K on my final list as it is 3-weeks from Two Moons to be the perfect "last long" training run. However, I am thinking that maybe I will show up early and do some extra miles to make it more like a 40-miler or something.

I've decided that my second quadrant of training will be geared towards the Tahoe Rim Trail 100-miler in July. Right now April through early-June are dominated by some of the tougher 50K and 50-mile ultras. Diablo 50 is a definite. Hopefully, I can recover from Two Moons in 3 weeks and be ready for that beast. I read about this race years ago and having grown up on the mountain, it has always been a desire of mine. It was too close to Miwok last year for me to do it. This year it is a priority. If I get into Miwok again I will do that, otherwise I think I will shoot for Zane Grey 50-miler in Arizona which has even more elevation gain that Diablo. I also want to do Ohlone which I had to miss last year and want to return to Mt. Diablo 50K which seriously kicked my butt last year having been ill the week before. Other than that, I think I will need to find some way to get out and do some runs at altitude during late June and/or early July. I want to be better prepared at least mentally for higher elevation of TRT.

I think that repeating Headlands 100 is not in the cards this year. If I do TRT, I expect to need at least a full month before running a second 100 miler. However, I really like the looks of the Cascade Crest 100 in Washington. It looks beautiful and challenging. It's the only west-coast 100 that fits my schedule for Fall other than Angeles Crest in Sept. I don't think I am ready for Plain 100, though it seems like my kind of race and will likely be on my 2009 list. I want to run the Montaña de Oro 50K near my new place in the central coast, but I think it is likely too close to CC100. It looks like the Skyline-to-the-Sea 50K is going to be in Sept and that will definitely be on my list once it is finalized. The later in the year I look, the less definite things appear. However, I will definitely return to Dick Collins as I like the idea of having one race that I do every year and this one happens to fall right around my birthday so it will be my first race as a 40-year old. Wow.

For my final 100-miler I am thinking either San Diego or a return to Javelina. San Diego's date isn't finalized, but it is usually in late October. I like doing new races and having the final big race in October gives lots of end-of-year recovery time. The other option is to go back to Javelina which was a lot of fun. It will be later in the year this time and likely not as hot. If I do this one, I will have to shoot for a sub-23 to better last year's finish. This would likely to keep me away from either the Quad Dipsea or the Santa Barbara 9 Trails as a final race. However, all of that is so far in the future that anything could change. I could end up mixing everything up near the end, I could end up wanting to do less races and more solo runs, I could get caught up in the fever doing more 100's than planned, or I could end up injured. Who knows. Right now the most likely case has about 11-12 races on the schedule. This is about the same as last year, but more of the longer variety.


It's time to get down to training. I've got a new GPS watch and custom orthotics and I just did my first week with greater than 45mi since October. While the storms look to derail my original plans for this weekend, I am focused and ready to get back on a training schedule. Stay tuned for reports and details...

Silent Scare

Heart disease is often referred to as a "silent killer" because the symptoms can come on both subtly and suddenly then escalate quickly with deadly consequences. Sitting alone in the middle of the night in my Tokyo hotel room, there was nothing silent about the discomfort I was feeling in my chest. Well aware that chest pains should always be taken seriously, I had managed to convince myself that what I was feeling was not so dire. A few years back I had had similar pains and a visit to the doctor led to the hospital and the cardiologist and full day of monitoring and testing and a conclusion of "nothing here." The current tightness and random aches had begun a couple days before my trip, but it was feeling much worse than the past few days. Still, I reasoned that other than the discomfort no other serious symptoms had manifested (i.e. no shortness of breath). Furthermore, I had actually gone for a morning run and felt fine for the full 7 miles and my heart-rate had kept pretty much in the 150s. My online research added further fodder for my beliefs as heart issues generally get worse with exercise and almost never feel worse upon resting or change with shifts in body position. I was having the worst time while lying down and the twinges would move to different parts of my chest as I tossed and turned.

Of course, my paranoid self kept me thinking that maybe all these rationalizations are the typical last thoughts of people who forcefully ignore all the warning signs. However, what could I do? Here I was thousands of miles from home and I didn't really speak the language that well. This certainly didn't feel like an emergency as I could get up and walk around fine. How could I explain that "I don't think I was having a heart attack, but I have some issues in my chest and maybe I should have it checked out or something?" Eventually, I'd make it through another restless night, awake too tired to run, eat a healthy breakfast and go through the day feeling mostly OK. After a night of typical Tokyo business dinner and drinks I would return to my hotel room. Each night my hypochondria waged a fierce battle with my rationalizations. I took aspirin as the best defense for a "worst case scenario" of heart disease or blood clots. However, it's the worst defense for the more likely issue of gastrointestinal origins. I obviously, made it through those nights and even managed a few runs in the mornings where I felt well enough. These, more than anything else, bolstered my confidence. Some trends emerged. When I managed to drink less, especially staying away from anything other than high-quality Sake, I felt better. I felt fine when running, but would have problems later in that day. The one morning where I partook of the buffet breakfast I felt terrible.

When I finally returned home on Saturday morning, I told my wife I was going to see the doctor on Monday. This was hint enough for her that something out of the norm was up as I am terrible about going to the doctor unless something feels really bad. After describing my symptoms and situation to the doctor she said that with chest pain they generally look at three things, heart, lungs and esophagus. Right off the bat, she didn't think it was my heart especially given my fairly normal 124/84 blood pressure and extremely low resting heart rate (sub-50). Also, my lungs sounded normal. Basically, her assessment was that it was a severe case of heartburn that could be indicative of GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) and prescribed some prescription strength acid reducers. So far they seem to be working and now that I am nearly over my jet-lag I am starting to feel normal.

So what's the lesson here? Does this mean that it should be acceptable to ignore chest pain, self diagnose and use the internet in exchange for a doctor's expert advice? Well, probably not. In fact, I could have saved myself an awful lot of physical and emotional distress had I just gone to see the doctor before flying off to Tokyo. Sitting in a lonely hotel room in a foreign city with an ocean separating you from your loved one's, wondering if maybe your heart might decide to seize up and stop beating isn't nearly as much fun as it might sound. While my past experience and specific symptoms did lead me to the correct conclusions, it is certainly not a path that I would recommend to anyone else finding themselves in a similar situation. Basically, if you feel it, get it checked!

OK, so yesterday I got my first run in since returning home. I feel like I might be able to get my head back on running and get my training towards the new year started. There is that long list of potential races on the right side over there that I need to mull through. That will be the focus my next post as there is another scare already scheduled out there in March.

Passing of a hero

IAAF Obit

In his own words

Ted Corbitt - 1919-2007
RIP

The 3 R's

Rest - Recovery - Rehabilitation

I've focused mainly on the first R this week as aside from my being beat up from The Quad, I also haven't been feeling too well in general. I'm not sure if it is some sort of bug or just general fatigue from being so run down lately. A good night's sleep (for a change) helped last night and I stayed home from work to get some extra rest. I have nothing planned for this weekend so some more good Z's should go along with those R's. I am still mandating NO RUNNING for myself for another entire week (if I can stand it).

I haven't done one lick of exercise since the race and my body is starting to feel recovered. This is the hard part where I would normally go out and start running because things always "feel" recovered long before they are. I am thinking of getting my mountain bike professionally tuned up so I can do some cross-training this winter. Luckily, REI doesn't do any bike work on weekends, but I can drop it off. That will assure I don't try another "hey its not running so I can push myself hard" bike workout. I may allow myself a little exercise this weekend to help with the recovery phase. It will either be some walking or very easy spinning at the gym. I will also be doing some stretching, foam-roller and icing anything that feels even slight tight.

Next week, I plan to start a more consistent walking routine and doing at least one yoga workout. I will also continue vigorous rehab efforts. The walking is actually something I am vowing to add more of into my training. I have been following Paul Dewitt's blog and he has some great training ideas. He also integrates quite a bit of walking into his routine and I figure if an elite like him walks in training then a mid-packer like myself sure should. Besides, with my one confirmed race next year being the Coyote Two Moons 100-Miler that has over 28,000ft of climbing (yes you read that right), I had better plan to do lots of walking in preparation. I will be planning my initial race schedule and training goals for next year this weekend. I will post about it later. However, there is this little thing called The Western States 100 Lottery tomorrow morning that could put a wrench into otherwise more certain plans. In the very likely event that I don't get in, I was originally thinking of going for some time goals early next season. However, with the 2 Moons race already on the schedule, I think that I will make the theme something more along the lines of picking some very difficult events.

That's about all for now.

If your interested the results and pictures of The Quad Dipsea are online and available for viewing.

Good luck to everyone in the lottery!

Short race?

I don't think I have ever felt less motivated the night before a race than I did before the Quad Dipsea. It's strange because I had really been looking forward to this race for most of the year. I've done the Double Dipsea in the past and was excited about having the Quad as a "season finale" as well as knowing that I would see lots of friends at this popular event. However, sitting in bed on Friday night at 8pm having not even started to prepare I was having my doubts. I just wasn't really feeling it either physically or mentally.

I turned to my wife and said, "I think I'm going to hurt myself tomorrow."

Her response, as always, was simply, "Yeah, but are you going to have fun?"

I smiled, "Of course!"

With that I got up and started getting my things together. It being a relatively short race with good aid station support would not require too much prep. Well, at 28.4 it's short only in terms of mileage. The 9200ft of climb/descent is more than just about any 50K trail race out there and more than quite a few 50-milers. I estimated that it should take me about the same time as a relatively tough 50K race. That is, assuming everything held together physically and I could get myself motivated mentally to do this thing.

I don't want to whine too much here, but physically I had a number of issues going on. I've had a pretty big year in terms of racing and I know that it has taken its toll. The first problem is the chronic heel pain in my right foot that still wasn't better. Not sure why I would expect it to be, since I haven't let it fully recover since it first flared up. My new inserts were helping some, but until I allow for a full rehab, even custom orthotics aren't going to really fix the problem. It'd been bothering me quite a bit since Javelina, but I knew I could get it in shape to make it through one more race. There were also a couple new issues since my last 100 including some knee pains and shin tightness mainly on the right side that started after my ill-advised mountain bike ride up Mission Peak one week after the race. Add to this, a strain in my lower abdominal on the left side that sprung up after doing speedwork on the treadmill the following week. Finally, a general feeling of malaise had started to creep in during the past few days. I hadn't been sleeping well recently and had awoken the past few mornings with some slight dizziness , chest tightness and an overall feeling of fatigue. I wrote most of it off as just the lack of sleep.

Basically, I had plenty of excuses to give myself for not really being excited about one more race. However, I also think that other factors played in as well. The holidays were here and I was enjoying the long 4-day weekend, Jefferson was home from college and I had also just found out that Freddy had a basketball scrimmage that I was going to miss on Saturday. I just kept thinking, "do I really want to do this?" I finally concluded that the best motivation was the fact that after the race, whether I hurt myself or not, I would be forced to take time off. Maybe even longer than I had originally planned. I would get it done and then enjoy the month of December free of regrets or second thoughts.

By the time I arose in the morning and went through my routine, I was much more motivated. I arrived in Mill Valley plenty early, went to check in and then walked around to see who else was there. I met a few friendly faces, but most people were staying in their cars as it was quite cold. I found Beat and ended up sitting in his car as it was closer to the start than mine. Eventually we got out a few minutes to race time and said hello to a number of other people whom we each knew. It was here, talking to Wendell Doman, that my goal for the race was set. I was trying to have no expectations for myself, but Wendell insisted that I needed to finish below 6 hours so there it was. At some point people started organizing into a starting area, the RD made some comments I couldn't really hear and then we were on our way.

1:16
The start hits the stairs pretty quickly so there isn't much running to begin with other than those up front. 676 steps in the first mile is enough to warm you up plenty, but there really is no way this feels like taking it easy regardless of how slow you go. Eventually we head down some trail stairs where I passed a few runners and then we have a stretch along the road before getting back to the main trail. I passed a few people on the little downhill and kept a relatively good pace on the road. In general, I was taking this first leg a bit stiffer than I would normally in an ultra, but I knew that there was a beautiful, technical downhill section later that was just my thing. I didn't want to be bottlenecked and have to pass too many people on those trails. Physically, none of my leg pains were a problem, but I definitely felt the effort as I bided my time waiting for the downhill. It was worth it as I thoroughly enjoyed flying by folks on the side of the steps going down through the deep woods. Then it was more blazing downhill on fireroad to the turnaround at the beach. An hour sixteen was probably a bit fast for me on this course, but I reasoned that this should be my faster direction as the stairs on the other side would limit my downhill speed significantly.

1:29
The return trip also starts out at a grind having to head back up the steep hills I'd just flown down. Here the focus was just on continued forward progress. I knew the steps through the woods would be a bear and it would be a long climb before the downhill respite. One might expect the longer, more gradual downhill in this direction to be faster, but for me the steeper the better to a point. I generally just let gravity set my pace going down and rarely push beyond that as I can gain both speed and recovery at the same time. Also, I am generally not as good on downhill fireroad for some reason. I think it is because the technical stuff with twists turns and things to leap over tend to keep me airborne a bit more. I also feel that the straight-down stuff takes more of a toll on my feet. Speaking of which, I began to feel some issues arising in my left foot and leg on this return trip. However, I made it to the stairs without incident and made my way down. I finished the double in 2:45. Just about right as that left plenty of buffer for a sub-6 hour Quad finish.

1:42
I didn't dally at the aid station as I always like to get out on the course fairly quickly after the half-way point. Soon, I would learn that a little more time might have been prudent. Immediately, I felt my body starting to degrade as I headed back up the stairs. My hamstrings were not happy and the more I climbed the more I felt a tightness knotting in my right leg. Furthermore, my knee which I didn't feel at all while bombing downhill, was twinging as I pushed up the steps. It was also starting to warm a bit so I decided to take an S!Cap a bit earlier and up my drinking on this leg to help stave off what felt like developing cramps. I made it to the road and then my right foot decided to join the chorus of pain as the pavement did a number on my heel. I could feel my gait becoming very uneven and the more I focused on the feeling that my whole right side was falling apart, the more my mental state followed my physical into the abyss. The final straw came during the climb up Cardiac as the slurping sound let me know that I had fully drained my bottle. The rest of the way to the aid station was a total trudge. When I arrived, I decided it was time to take some time. I handed my bottle over to Chuck Wilson who was running this station and ambled on over to the table.

I drank more, I ate more, I just sort of stood there for a while. I kind of gave up on my goal and even wondered if I should do more. I eventually guilted myself into moving again reminding myself once more that I had an entire month for recovery. My start along the ridge was at a limp. I hit a little downhill and found I could run that a bit more normally and going up I could still power-walk though my hamstring complained, but anything flat and my run was a limp. I passed someone coming the other way who looked at me and said, "just wait for the Advil to kick in." That was all the excuse I needed. I took the one Ibuprofen I had brought with me and hopped that it would eventually take effect. The downhill to the turnaround was not nearly as fast nor as fun as the last trip, but I was so glad when I finally made it. Coming in at 4:27, I heard the news about Kyle Skaggs who had already won the race in near record time. His 3:53 was not quite fast enough to drop Carl's record, but that amazing effort made him the only other person to break the illusive 4-hour barrier.

1:33
I was pretty efficient at the turnaround and grabbed some things to go as I walked a bit out of the aid station. I decided to just enjoy the rest of the course and the beautiful day we'd been given as I headed up the steep hills. I figured my goals to be shot unless somehow a miraculous recovery came about (which it usually does). I met up with "jennyray" from the Runner's World online forums and her husband. I chatted with her as we worked our way up. I eventually fell into complaining mode which was a bad place to be. It wasn't until a guy in front of us made a comment that I shook myself out of it. I said, "OK, nothing but positive thoughts from here on out" and began my uphill shuffle. The race was more than 3/4 done so I might as well just push it and see what I had in me. I basically kept this shuffle for the remainder of the hills. Being up on my toes a bit more seemed to help both my foot (stretching the PF) and my leg (moving the stress from hamstring to calf). I made it to the aid station before I realized. I allowed myself one more vitamin-I from the table when I realized that a sub-6 might still be a possibility if I really crushed the coming downhills. I mentally turned off my pain receptors and just let it go. I made great time and passed a number of people.

At the parking lot someone told me that it was just 2 more miles. I had 25 minutes to cover that. Normally this would seem a very simple task, but there was some good uphill coming up including a steep section with steps and then it was all downhill, but most of that on stairs. I continued to push the uphill pace as much as I could. I think I may have caught another person or two here, but I'm not sure. The steep little dirt section and the final road were tough. With a mile to go I was looking at something around 8-9 minutes. Those stairs were going to be an issue. I took the first stairs pretty well and there was a small section where I could go along side them in the dirt. However, the final stairs were even steeper. I was doing the best I could when I caught myself almost slip. I let up a bit. The next flight of stairs and two more near slips convinced me that breaking 6 hours was just not that important. I knew I wouldn't make it down the final flight and to the finish with a minute to go so I just focused on not falling. Fred Ecks passed me going the other way as he headed out once more to turn his Quad into a Hex. I couldn't even imagine turning my body around and going back up. I looked towards the finish as I came off the stairs to see a "6" already on the clock. I didn't push to hard in those final meters, but came in at 6:00:15. Dropping the seconds since this is an ultra gives me a 6-hour flat. Good enough for me.

Done
The rest of the day was spent milling around, eating, chatting and cheering. This was the best part of the day and reason enough to do this race. I can't even begin to name all the people I knew at this race let alone the new names and faces I'd met. I eventually managed to tear myself away and head home. I was really looking forward to some rest. I slept like a baby that night, but awoke feeling totally trashed. Literally, I think I felt as bad or worse than after either of my 100-milers. I think I explained it as feeling like I had a terrible hangover from a night of drinking where I had passed out and been beaten about the legs with a stick. Even four days later, my body doesn't quite feel right. I'm not sure if it is a bug or something, but I still feel like my equilibrium is "off" and I just feel drained in general. So, my main goal of forced recovery is now officially under way.

Despite not having a great race and feeling pretty beat up, The Quad is still a fabulous way to end the racing season.

Since

I haven't really done much running at all since Javelina. I guess it has still been less than a month and looking at the good old log, my trend is pretty similar to what I did after Headlands just a little less. For the record, here are my so-called recovery weeks.

Week 1 (10/29-11/04)
No running at all until Friday when I just couldn't take it anymore
Fri:
3 easy miles on the treadmill which left my legs feeling heavy
Sat:
Decided to ride my mountain bike up Mission Peak. Catra had organized a 12-hour event doing loops up at the peak. I obviously wasn't up for much running, but I thought it would be good to get out and do something. Mind you, I haven't done any real mountain biking in years and Mission Peak really isn't the place to do it one week after a 100-mile run. I took it as easy as possible, but even granny gear up the steepest hill pretty much puts you in the anaerobic zone. As an ultra-runner, I rarely peg my heart rate. However, half-way up I was seriously red-lined. I made it past the hardest hill, but had to stop and get off my bike as my back locked up, I got dizzy, nauseous, etc. I was sitting on the side of the trail when Catra and a couple guys came down just above me at a trail intersection. Catra continued on towards Horse Heaven and the guys went down the trail. I managed to eventually get myself up and back on the bike. I rode over and caught Catra to say hi. I told her I would meet her back at Eagle Camp as she headed up the single track. The rest of the ride was much less exciting. I waited at the camp and met Mylinh coming in for one of her loops and then Joe coming in before Catra. I ran a couple of loops with Joe and Catra. Since it was the end of their long day the pace was nice and easy. At the end Martin came back up to get his stuff. He was one of the guys I had seen going down the hill earlier. After some nice conversation and a photo op, I headed off. I met Jerry down the hill before finally heading home. I survived, but had a renewed respect for my old mountain biking training. It might not be a good idea to get my bike fully tuned up and add this in for some cross training.
Sun:
Joined my wife at the gym Sunday night for 3.5 miles on the treadmill. It was back at my normal pace and my legs felt pretty good.

Week 2 (11/05-11/11)
Tired legs and a desire to baby my feet meant I took Monday and Tuesday off to rest.
Wed:
Went to the Foot Solutions to talk to my shoe guy about some new inserts and the possibility of eventually being fitted for orthotics. After examinging my feet, gait and shoes, he put me in some Lynco insoles which instantly felt better than others I had tried in past. He also said that if I decided to go with customs he would apply the price of these towards the cost of the custom orthotics. I ran an easy 3.5 miles in the new inserts and they felt pretty good. I am going to try them for a while and decide after my first race in them if I want get fitted for customs. The advantage of having someone local to work with is that he can help me to adjust the orthotics over a period of time.
Thu:
Headed to the gym and did an hour (7.4 mi) on the 'mill at a good pace upping the speed with each mile. This was a good test for the new inserts. Both them and my legs felt pretty good.
Sat:
Lots of errands to take care of and no long run planned so I headed to the gym again in the evening. I decided to put some work on my legs and do a run up Mission Peak on Sunday. I started with 2 easy treadmill miles. I then hit the weights and ran my legs through the paces on a number of different machines working hips, thighs, hams and all. I then did a little over a 1/2 hour on the stationary bike and returned to the treadmill for some intervals. I did 5 repeats of 1/2-mile with 1/4-mile jogs in between. The pace wasn't crazy, but I think the final one was in the low 6s. By the end of the whole routine, I definitely felt "worked".
Sun:
Beat had mailed me after Javelina about wanting to come over to Mission Peak for some hill work. We agreed to do a run on Sunday afternoon. With both of us feeling pretty wiped, he from his Saturday run and me from my gym workout, we decided to just do the standard run up the main trail then around back to the peak. Going up the main trail means there is little respite from the hills for the first couple of miles. I was surprised at how good my legs felt going up while Beat was struggling after being surprised at how hard his run at Rancho San Antonio felt the day before. However, we actually made good time hitting the peak in just over an hour. Beat completed the role reversal where I felt good going up, he kicked my but going down. The long sustained downhill definitely tested my new insoles which seemed to get pretty hot on the heals as I took the fire road at speed. We came down in half the time we went up and then headed out for some lunch. We both agreed to do it again sometime and maybe do some hill repeats in prep for Coyote Two Moons in March. I realized later that this was the first time I had ever planned a training run with another person. I do almost all my running alone and generally like it that way, but it was nice to meet up with someone outside of a race for a change.

Week 3 (11/12-11/18)
Rested on Monday as the legs were toast.
Tue:
Ran 8 miles at lunch on the paved Guadalupe River Trail near work. Pace felt good, it was warmer than I expected, but I enjoyed getting a lunchtime run in as it had been a while.
Wed:
Busy, no run.
Thu:
Got in a nice 7 miler at home on one of my normal road routes with a little bit of hill.
Fri:
Had the day off work as my wife's old roommate was flying in from out of town. I was going to pick her up at the airport and the three of us head down to Monterey. I decided to hit Mission Peak in the morning as I didn't know how much running I would be able to get in on the weekend. 9.8 miles using the Valley View Trail and then doing an extra little loop along the back side before heading up to the peak and back. I actually forced myself to do some walking thus time which I almost never do in my training runs. Basically, any of the steep hills where I thought that I might be able to power-hike faster than my running pace, I did. I actually ended up really pushing it on some of these hills and felt like I got at least as much of a workout as if I had run the whole thing. I am going to add more walking to my routines in general. I have been checking out Paul DeWitt's blog and have been impressed by how much he integrates walking into his training. If an elite dude like that thinks that walking is important then who am I to argue! It was a good run as a whole and at a little under 2 hours the longest I have done since Javelina.
Sat:
I thought that maybe I would get up early and run along the coast as there was a nice trail just a few blocks from our B&B. I failed to get it done, though. OK, truth be told, a bit of overindulgence on Friday night left me in no condition to run. Oh well, the rest of the weekend was fun and it was good to rest my legs and just have fun walking around in Carmel on Saturday and then San Francisco on Sunday.

Week 4 (11/19-11/25)
Well, here we are. My plans are pretty fluid this week. I have the Quad Dipsea on Saturday as my last race of the year. It should be fun and I have no expectations. I have very little planned this week in terms of running as I mainly want to feel like my feet and legs are in good condition before taking on the 9200+ft of wild and woolly hills.
Mon:
Hit the treadmill for a very easy couple miles followed by some walking at a 15% grade all while watching Monday Night Football.
Tue:
Planning about 7 flat miles and maybe a Yoga workout tonight.
Wed:
Play it by ear. I should probably restrain myself from hitting any hills, but I do have the afternoon off.
Thu-Fri:
No running. We don't really celebrate Thanksgiving these days so it will be nice and low key couple of days. Spend time with my wife while the kids visit their grandmother. Maybe taking in a movie. Sleep.
Sat:
Race.
Sun:
Rest

That's it. After the Quad I am going to do some serious thinking about my 2008 calendar and then decide what I will plan for training in December. I guess a lot of it plans on what happens on the 1st.

Javelina - The Novel (unabridged)

Table of Contents

• Preface
• Introduction
• Chapter 1
• Chapter 2
• Chapter 3
• Chapter 4
• Chapter 5
• Chapter 6
• Chapter 6.6
  
• Postscript
• Appendix
  

Preface - Over-trained and under-prepared
My plan was certainly not to run two 100 miler races this year. In fact, my original plan for the year was simply to complete a 100K and then to complete a 100M next year before my 40th. Just as last year, though, things accelerated; one goal leading inexorably to the next. Late in the season I could definitely feel the build up of race miles on my body. Allowing friends to talk me into a second, late season 100 certainly doesn't seem the height of prudence. Agreeing to attempt one only two weeks after a tough 50-miler might seem downright stupid. However, being an ultrarunner in the Bay Area, running too many races, too close together seems almost endemic.

By way of example, I give you this look into some of the other local runners who were also headed to Javelina and their most recent ultra races prior to the event:

• Harry Walther, Fred Ecks, Flora Krivak-Tetley - Firetrails 50 - 2 weeks prior
• Steve Holman - San Francisco 12hr (50 mi) - 1 week prior
• Jonathon Gunderson - San Diego 100 (50mi) - 1 week prior
• Craig Slagel - San Francisco 24hr (106mi) - 1 week prior
• Beat Jegerlehner - San Diego 100 (100mi PR) - 1 week prior

These are the sort of people whom I let talk me into sign up for this race in the first place. Sometimes one's own mental state seems sane and rational only in comparison to the company one keeps.

However, truth be told, I did have my own motivation for heading to Arizona at the end of October. I'd heard about the race and the course. Other than the heat, it actually seemed like a really good chance to run a 100 miles in under 24 hours. For some reason my mathematical mind has always been sort of fixated on the seeming symmetry of this 100mi/1-day goal. The distance, the time, in the end it really is all arbitrary anyways. However, imagining some difficult goal and then pushing your mind and body through it is really what this game is all about.

I'd studied what info was available on the course. I'd read what previous runners had said. I talked to people who were knowledgeable. I had a plan. Here it is:

Loop 1 - Go out at a good pace and get some time under your belt in the cool of the morning. This doesn't mean going out fast, but at a comfortable, sustainable pace that isn't a push. Basically, this would be the pace I would try and run for a good 50 miler. Target sub-3 hr.
Loop 2 - Ease up some on the gradual uphill, but not too much if it is still cool. As the heat of the day comes on continue to slow up. Carefully monitor hydration, heat and energy levels. Target around 6 hours, maybe a little more for the 50K. Other than it getting hot by noon, this would be a very conservative time for this course.
Loops 3,4 - The heat of the day. The plan here is to continue to slow down, way down. Basically, I could afford to average as much as 4 hours per loop here in my assessment. This was less than 4 mi/hr which I can almost walk on flat ground; certainly something I could do with a walk-slow run intervals. This would leave 10 hours for the remaining 40 miles or so.
Loops 5,6 - Normally I would expect to go slower at night, but between the temperature and the very runnable course with almost no real technical sections, I was pretty sure I would speed up once the evening hit. If I could manage a relatively easy 3:45 average for these loops I would still have 2 1/2 hours for the final part loop.
Final "half" loop - The last loop is a shortened loop up to the first aid station and then back via a cutoff train. It would actually be less than 10 miles as the full loops were 15.3. If I executed well I would have even more time for this finale than I did for the mid-day loops. Knowing that I am a strong finisher and that I would lay it on the line if necessary, I considered this to be totally doable.

So, there it is. The plan. I truly believe, even now, that my initial plan was good and correct. It is a plan that I think should get someone of my ability level through a sub-24 hour run at Javelina even given the tough conditions we had this year. It includes plenty of buffer in order to either go out slower or recover faster depending on the conditions. There was just one problem, I didn't quite follow it myself.

Furthermore, I was definitely feeling the amount I had pushed myself at Firetrails. This had also left my foot needing extra healing before this race which meant that I did very little running which meant very little heat training. My hope that the little I did do along with my vague attempts to just keep generally warm would suffice. Otherwise all I could hope for was that the prediction of 88 degrees for race day would be lower (it wasn't).

So, there I was, over-trained, under-prepared, but not without a plan.

I headed to Phoenix


Introduction - Delays
A good Thursday night's rest. Sleep in a bit. Get to the airport with plenty of time for some breakfast. Everything looks good. What? Flight delayed? The waiting game begins. At some point I give up my prime seat in the crowded waiting area across from the punk kid blatantly lying across 4 seats pretending to sleep. I accidentally bump his elbow as I pass by. Well, the force with which my knee hit it was accidental anyway. I guess he got the point because when I looked over there later he was sitting up.

Anyway, I'm heading to get some water and there's Craig. I knew he was flying as well, but didn't know we'd be on the same flight. We talk and I discover he hasn't booked anything in terms of car, hotel, anything. And I thought I was a last minute guy. I offer him to share what he needs of mine and he at least accepts the ride once we land. More delays to get the plane off the ground and then the inevitable waiting for bags on the other side. By the time we get the car, learn that Phoenix has traffic too, and manage to find our way to the park (my directions were to the hotel first), it is already deep into check-in time. No worry, they haven't started dinner or the briefing yet. We have time to catch up with all the Bay Area runners including Beat, Fred, Sarah, Wendell, Flora and Chuck. I also meet fellow bloggers Angie and Jessica who will be doing pacing duty for a SoCal runner late in the race. I don't really recall much of the pre-race briefing other than the fact that Beat won some extra-small, bright pink, sleeves in the raffle.


(Beat and Flora)

After the briefing we head out and stop by the giant Safeway in Fountain Hills to buy the last minute supplies. For me, this means something for breakfast and the essentials of Red Bull and Ensure, a proven formula to get me (and anyone in my vicinity) through the night. I was unable to acquire a foam cooler, but all else goes marvelously mundanely; hotel check-in, drop-bag prep, gaiter gluing, pre-bed ice on the feet and some actual sleep before the alarm goes off. All that remained was to get procrastinating Craig out the door and driven to the start. At a few before 6 the weather and desert are perfect.I'm ready to go and ready to glow decked out in my florescent green shirt and matching gloves.

I start out running with Sarah.

Chapter 1 - Oreo Cookies
There was so much talk about going out too fast at Javelina that one almost felt that it was inevitable. The thing is that almost everyone also wants to bank some good time on that first lap before the sun really starts heating up the desert. This was definitely part of my plan. However, there is a difference between running some relatively fast early miles and going out too fast. I'll explain that a bit further later. I have been working on starting more slowly in my 50+ mile races lately. Starting with Sarah for the first few miles seemed the perfect opportunity to assure this at Javelina. First, Sarah is generally a little slower runner than me, but, more importantly, she is a much more consistent pacer than I am and claims to never ever go out too fast. Second, I really enjoy talking to Sarah at all of her PCTR races as well as online and consider her a good friend, but have never had the opportunity to actually run with her before. It was great just going at her pace and chatting and not thinking about the race other than the emerging beauty of this course as the sun began to rise. Eventually, Sarah being the well known persona she is, some runners behind us drew her into a conversation and it seemed the perfect opportunity for me to slowly begin to pull away. Besides, it was somewhere past 20 minutes at this point and I had I passed through my first stage of warm-up.

I've always been very cognizant of the various stages my body goes through as I run. The 20-25 minute stage has been a constant for as long as I have been able to consistently run that long. Somewhere around this time is where I first begin to feel warmed up. It used to be about 2 miles, but now it is closer to 3 thanks to improvements in both endurance and speed. This first stage is the simple one where things feel just generally looser, more natural and rhythmic. As I've come to run longer and longer distances, I have been able to discover some other stages that I go through whether mental or physical or both. One of my favorites is the 2-hour mark. This is where I know I am running an ultra because I can begin counting (and focusing on) hours rather than miles. However, recently, I discovered a new sort of intermediate stage that I'm not quite sure how to interpret. Somewhere between 40-50 minutes, I can run faster. Something feels like it "opens up" and I can move the legs a bit faster or push a bit more, but seemingly without any major consequences for later miles. I haven't had time to give it proper study, but it is just that I just start to feel faster and so I go faster. Its not a pace I can keep forever, but it has seemed generally good for my overall running times. At Javelina this was perfect as it came not long before the uphill was done around the first aid station and the course began the rolling hills that would then lead to the gradual downhill after the second aid station.


(Feeling good in the morning)

I felt really good through this entire first loop. I felt like I was running strong, but at a sustainable pace. All was right with my world and I even discovered a new fueling option that I had never tried before. I love discovering new foods during ultras especially if they are something that I normally would not let myself eat. Oreo cookies seemed to be my miracle food out here in the desert. They were always yummy and filled with the perfect mix of carbs and fats. Ah, heaven on the run! Enjoying the gradual downhill after the second aid station, I got to experience another nice feature of Javelina which is the "washing-machine" loops. Since you change directions after each loop it is really more like running continuous out-and-backs as you get to see people both in front and behind you going the opposite direction. As of lap one, Eric Clifton was out in front and setting what seemed an almost reckless pace. Jorge Pacheco was behind him and was the pre-race favorite according to some, but Andy Jones-Wilkens was said to often run a smarter race and he was indeed pacing himself a few spots back in loops one. The woman's race was clearly going to be between previous winner Michelle Barton and Connie Gardner. Michelle had the early lead.

Watching the front-runners races unfold provided a nice diversion as the day went on as did seeing all my friends and acquaintances as we passed one another numerous times throughout the day. I finished lap one around 2:38. A bit faster than I planned, but not so aggressive to have me worried. It was well within my plan as I expected to slow for the next lap both due to the course and the fact that the sun would be coming into its own.

Chapter 2 - Blame Beat
The other warning that people give at Javelina is not to run to hard on the gradual uphill out of the aid station on the second loop. Again, advice I didn't take. However, I also don't think it was a mistake on my part. While the sun was up it wasn't really warm yet and there was an excellent cool breeze that made running this slight uphill feel like the right thing to do. I was still taking it easy and enjoying saying hello to everyone who was heading down. Most of my friends were where I expected them to be, Wendell was up with the front runners, Harry was in front of me a bit, Beat behind me a little, Sarah back some more and Craig taking it really easy cruising with Flora (he always seems to find a woman to run with). At any rate, I was taking it easy and as the temperature heated, I slowed.


(OK, so maybe I didn't slow for the camera...what a ham!)

After the second aid station I was slowing quite a bit. Walking the hills even if small and never pushing the pace at all. Then I heard it coming up behind me:

"I can't believe I caught you!"

Beat. It was like someone was playing a rerun of Headlands when he caught me on the way back from the first out-and-back. I've run with Beat quite a bit and we have a similar pace, I'm a bit faster on the downhills, he on the ups (especially when walking). He had done San Diego the weekend before and even though he is much more experienced than me, I didn't expect him to be pushing it here at Javelina a week later. Little did I know that he was about to have the race of his life!

The first time we met, Beat explained to me that his name was pronounced like bay-yacht. However, today, I was going to learn that it was more appropriate to say it like it was spelled, beat, as in beat you into the sand. I really don't like to blame anyone else for my own stupid decisions. Even though Beat was one of the people who first convinced me to do this race in the first place, I take full responsibility for what I was about to do next. I stuck with Beat. I kept up with his pace. I mean, he just PR'ed at San Diego the weekend before. How long could he keep pushing it? Well, apparently, quite a bit longer than I.

The heat was coming on strong now and I was drinking and taking my electrolytes on schedule, but it would turn out not to be enough. Even before the final downhill section was over, both my bottles were drained and I could feel the dehydration coming on fast. I could also feel a little cramping "twinge" in my left thigh. My quads are one of my greatest strengths. I couldn't afford to have them go south this early in a race. I let Beat go as I eased up during the last mile and a half into the start/finish area. I came in some where around 5:35 or a little more. Still way ahead of schedule and so I decided to take a little time. I said goodbye to Beat and something about maybe catching him later (I wouldn't). I drank some extra fluids and strapped on my waste pack to carry a third water bottle. Much like I learned running at altitude during TRT50, I needed more than just my 26oz NUUN and 20oz water. Besides, I was expecting to go slower now and that meant longer between aid. However, there's more and sometimes there's a bit too much more. I would learn a little bit about that later.

With one extra water bottle and ice in all three, I was ready to start taking it easy for the next couple laps. As per my schedule, I had over 4 hours per lap to work with. I could afford to take it very easy. What exactly is "easy"? In the middle of the Sonoran desert, when the mid-day sun arrives at its apex, there really is no amount of activity that can claim rights to that adjective.

Chapter 3 - Respect the heat
The beginning of loop 3 barely exists within my memory. I have particularly little recollection of the time between leaving the start/finish area and arriving at the first aid station. I always find it interesting which parts of a race stick firmly and vividly in my mind and which parts either fade or perhaps never make an impression at all. I often don't remember the early part of a race as I actively ignore the minutes waiting for my mind to lapse into the mode of "counting hours". However, sometimes sections right in the middle just disappear. I'm not sure if it is particularly difficult sections that I just want to forget or times when I am over-focused on my internal state and not paying much attention to the surroundings through which I'm moving. At any rate, there's not much there now. I do however, remember that it was hot.

I learned about the 95 degree record temperature much later, but I do remember how incredibly oppressive the heat felt during this loop. I have pretty clear memories of moving between the two on-course aid stations; the most rolling part of the course. This must also have been the peak of the day's heat. I recall that I only let myself run if it was downhill or if the sun was "behind" the semblance of clouds in the sky giving just the slightest respite. I probably should have been walking even more than I was. I also recall sucking down water constantly and trying to keep my S!Cap schedule around every 45 minutes, though I lost track at least once. This was probably my low point in terms of letting the conditions get to me mentally.

Funny that my wife would happen to post on her blog words that represented almost exactly the idea that got me out of my funk.

"Just smile when those insane words come out of your mouth."

I remember thinking that "this just isn't any fun". I immediately laughed at myself after forcing out a verbal "yes, it is." It was a forced laugh, but it worked on my mood. Then I remembered the idea of just smiling when you feel bad and I forced myself to do that even though having nothing particular to smile about. Somehow this seems to work. It's almost like the mind gets confused by what is normally a physical manifestation of an internal emotional state and finding that no such state seem to exist, it searches and then simply creates the emotion that it expected as an antecedent. That's a long winded and over-intellectualized way of saying "smiling works". However, I still do recall that, during this period, I swore of running in the heat and was going to sign up for Susitna as my next 100 miler.

At some point before the second aid station, I hooked up with Taylor Murphy. A 20-year old from the east coast who is attending West Point. He was doing his first 100, having only completed a single 50 miler at JFK in 2005. I can't imagine showing up in Arizona from New York after that little preparation. However, he was obviously a pretty tough kid with a whole heap of determination. I enjoyed talking to him and answering his myriad of questions. I encouraged him to take it as easy as possible over the next couple loops as he was obviously even less heat trained than I was. We went together most of the way down to the start/finish area and it was exactly the sort of diversion I needed.

We were now somewhere just past mile 45 and it was time to take a little inventory as the mid-way point of the race would soon be approaching. I sat down at the aid station and changed my socks. My feet looked good and felt fine as well. I had committed myself to stay away from the ibuprofen until the mid-way point and I now decided to extend that until the 100K mark. I spent a little extra time at the aid station trying to cool down. I chatted briefly with Angie and Jessica. I knew I was way ahead of my schedule. However, I also didn't want to start "growing roots" here either. I rubbed some soothing lotion stuff on my legs, added another layer of sunscreen and got ready to go.


(Yeah, that loop was hot!)

Someone suggested that I weigh myself to assure I was drinking enough. I was pretty sure I was drinking plenty, but hopped on the scale before going anyway. I failed to establish a baseline at the race start so it was just an estimate. However, my weight was pretty much what I would expect it to be if I hopped on a scale in running clothes on any given day. In fact, it might have even been a bit higher than normal. Clearly, I was no longer dehydrating. Could I actually be drinking too much? My body would soon answer that question for me.


(Not sure what I expected to learn)

I exited the aid station and headed out for loop 4. I had deposited more than enough time in the bank over the past 45 miles. It was time to make a nice large withdrawal. If I needed to walk the entire 4th loop that was fine with me. I put 24 hours out of my mind and decided to focus solely on finishing.

Chapter 4 - Withdrawal
Here we go. Time to walk. In fact, time to force myself to walk. As I said, I was mentally prepared to walk the entire loop if necessary. Of course, it didn't take very long for that to change to a statement of "no running until after sundown", but the point is I walked. I didn't care how many people might catch and pass me on the path up to the first aid station. Far fewer did than I expected indicating to me that my strategy seemed sound or that a lot of people were fading fast. I think that both were true in the end.

I did chat with one guy early on and I'm not sure how I looked, but he seemed to be concerned. He was a bit older than I and this wasn't his first go at Javelina. His main concern seemed to be my lack of hat. I had brought one in my bag, but I always feel hotter when I wear it as it seems to cause no end of sweating from my head. I never caught the guy's name, but he seemed pretty convinced that I hadn't made a good choice and that I was likely to pay for it later as the sun was probably draining my muscles more than I realized. Oh, he was pretty polite and I know he meant well, but I feel like I know my body pretty well at this point and I'm also pretty stubborn. I was polite back as I bid him farewell when he headed up the trail, but inside my natural sense defiance was building. I was more determined than ever that I was going to finish and finish in under 24 at that. I know I'm a strong finisher.

Right now, though, I continued to walk. I also learned that my hydration strategy needed some adjustment. Over a period of about an hour and a half, I probably urinated 5 times. Always steady and clear as could be. Usually, my body doesn't start dumping water until it cools down so I figured I was plenty hydrated, but might need to up the sodium a little. I focused on backing down to about 2 1/2 bottles between the next couple aid stations and upped my S!Caps to one every 1/2 hour. This actually seemed to work pretty well. It also left me with a half a bottle of ice water from my waste pack to utilize for cooling myself. The one in the pack stayed cooler and felt wonderful every time I poured a little over my head.

The sun went down as it is wont to do and it was surprising how quickly the desert air seemed to respond. I'm sure some of it was psychological. Pretty much everyone out on the trail was now commenting about how great it was that the sun was gone and that it was already starting to cool down. Amazingly, my legs started feeling better and better the cooler it became. What part was mental, what physical and what environmental, didn't matter. I was feeling better. I knew at this point that I was going to hit the 100K mark and have no trouble heading right back out on the trail.

Ted Nunes, whom I'd met on the Runner's World Forums, caught up with me at this point. He was looking really strong in his first 100. He said he was feeling great and was wondering if he should start to push it. My advice was to hold back a little longer until somewhere after the 2/3 point. A general rule I use is that in the last half of a 50-miler or the last 1/3 of a longer race, you take whatever your body gives you at the time. While there is no guarantee that your good feeling is going to last, there is also no guarantee that preserving it for the very end is going to work either. In my (admittedly limited) experience, the last 25-30 miles is where I find it generally OK to push a bit if my body is up for it. Ted and I stuck together. It was actually a good thing as I had only taken my headlamp with me for this loop and it was seeming very dim. While the moon would be bright enough later, it wasn't up yet. It was also that early evening gray where I actually needed more light as it was being dispersed by the not yet dark sky. I trailed Ted using his light to see down the trail and mine to focus on what was at my feet. We went thusly into the start/finish area.

Lap 4 was done, the night was upon us, I was ready to roll. I did want to give myself a bit of time here to make sure I was properly prepared for the night. However, I definitely felt the pressure of the clock. I exactly recall what time it was, but I think that it was after 8pm at this point and that I wanted to get going by 8:30 at the latest. I know that my goal was to be back for the final 1/2 loop as shortly after 3am as possible. I figured that anything beyond 2 1/2 hours was good buffer. I was definitely going to have to keep a good pace on those night loops. I had definitely taken a big time withdrawal on that last lap, but I needed it.


(Note the Red Bull at foot)

I had my special formula of Red Bull and Ensure to drive me through the night.

I love running at night.

Chapter 5 - I believe in miracles
Bring on the night! I was ready. However, not everything agreed with me. My stomach was the first to say so. I was a bit worried, but then I remembered that it was just the normal "Ensure Cycle." Some people have trouble with this liquid meal and I can understand why. It usually takes me a bit to get through the initial digestion phase, but I've learned to just ease up a bit and let my stomach do its thing. I know that once it gets through the gut and into the rest of the system it is pure magic. I walked a bit when it upset me then ran until it bothered me again and then walked a bit...you get the idea. Maybe around 15 minutes of this. Fred Ecks had caught me at the aid station, but I let him go ahead as I waited for my fuel to make its way to the engine, so to speak.

Just as I was feeling good, I was hit with another potential issue. My flashlight went dim. I had my leftover lithium batteries from Headland in them, but I was pretty sure that there would be plenty of juice as they only had a couple of hours of use on them. I switched them out for traditional alkalines from my pack. Still dim. Great. I could actually get by without a light as the moon was now providing plenty of illumination even for the upcoming rocky section. However, I knew it would slow my downhill running. I kept it off for a bit before giving it another attempt. Success! I love the brightness of my Fenix light, but sometimes the controls for all the various settings is just too much especially out on the trail. It seemed to be working fine now, but out of paranoia I decided to go without light on the non-technical uphill sections of the trail. Besides, running under moonlight in the desert was well worth it.

With all systems a go now, I was ready for a miracle. I truly believe in miracles though not of the mystical kind. I consider miracles to be epistemological rather than metaphysical concepts. Meaning, that I see a miracle as when the reality of a situation greatly exceeds one's plans based on preconceived expectations. You wouldn't expect after 60+ miles, much of it in the heat of the day, that you would suddenly find yourself running uphill faster and with greater ease than you did at mile 5. But, that is exactly how I felt when I caught back up to Fred. I felt great. Miraculously so.

I hit the first aid station just before Jorge came in for his final partial lap to the finish. His lead was untouchable at this point. He had about 45 minutes on second place and hours on everyone else. I was just happy that I arrived there before he did because it meant that I had managed not to be lapped! Hey, we all set our own goals in these things.

I remember hitting that second aid station and one of the volunteers commenting on how good I looked. I had clearly recovered. In fact, I think I was pretty much bouncing up and down at the time. I was very excited about the approaching gradual downhill to the start/finish area. I tried to hold back a bit as I wanted to retain this feeling into the final full lap. However, I kept moving and moving well. I saw Harry and Beat coming up the trail with less than 2 miles to the aid station. I cruised on in starting to do the mental math to figure out what I should plan for the rest of my trip.

Again, I can't exactly recall the exact time here, but I do remember thinking that I could still finish the next lap with close to 3 hours remaining if I maintained the pace. I didn't spend too much time at the turnaround, but downed plenty of Ensure, drank another Red Bull and grabbed some food to go. One thing to know at this point in the story is that Javelina doesn't have glow sticks on the trail except near the aid stations. It mostly isn't a problem with the easy trails and bright moon, but it still seems a little strange to me as it would be such an easy addition.

There was a guy in front of me leaving the aid station wearing last year's Javelina shirt. I followed him. As I did so, I noticed a glow stick off to my left that didn't quite seem right. I really should have listened to that little voice in the back of my head that said "stop and check". But, this guy seemed to know where he was going. I followed some more looking around for ribbons. When I didn't see any I asked him if we were on the right trail. He said he was pretty sure we were and explained how last year a bunch of them had taken a trail here that had lead right into the hills on our right.

"This trail should be curving left any minute now..."

Chapter 6 - Man on a mission
"Not again!"

That's all I could think as I told the guy in front of me I was pretty sure we were headed the wrong way and turned around to head back as quickly as I could. Memories of the Pirates Cove stairs from Headlands were in my mind as I cursed myself over and over. Was this now a trend? Always take a wrong turn in the middle of the night for my hundred milers? Should I add it to my pre-race plans? Luckily, I had probably only gone about 5 minutes or so before turning back. When I returned to the glowstick marking the correct trail, I yelled back at the guy whom I had followed to let him know. I didn't wait around to see if he followed me. I was already trying to work my anger into a more controlled form of energy. However, if I missed a sub-24 by 10 minutes, there was going to be no consolling me.

I managed to get things under control by the time I crossed the road. I had made up some time running hard for a couple miles, but fear of burning myself out with well over 20 miles still in the race was a serious consideration. As I started up the gradual slope I met Fred coming back down. He had apparently hit a bad stomach spell just before the aid station. I told him it was just a couple miles to the start/finish area, but I didn't dally as I was now a man on a mission. I don't remember much about the next few sections which usually indicates that I was pretty focused. I know I took another ensure at the aid station and I do remember listening to the coyotes howling in the distance. However, the time between the two aid stations just sort of cruised on by.

At the second aid station a woman and her pacer came in just as I was about to leave. I recognized her as someone who had been quite a bit ahead of me for most of the race. I heard them talking about getting off course and so I briefly shared my tale. Apparently, the woman had taken the same wrong turn, but had gone much further than I. She was talking about having done something like 3+ extra miles. However, we both agreed that a sub-24 was still within reach and so I headed out in haste. I powered the next section taking the downhills at speed. I just wanted to get back to the start/finish area in a time where the last lap wouldn't be an issue. My calculations indicated that there should be 8.2 miles in that last loop (15.3 x 6 = 91.8), but everyone kept saying 10 or between 9 and 10. I kept pushing. I saw both Harry and Beat on my way down and they each commented that I looked good. Sometimes a positive word from a friend is all you need. I powered on.

I arrived at the start/finish to the familiar call of "That's what I'm taking about!" which was now greeting every runner on every lap. It was about 3:15am. I quickly pulled off my waste pack figuring the two handhelds would be more than enough for the final partial lap. I downed half an ensure and some Red Bull then asked the RD about the remaining miles. He said it was 9.2 since the course was actually 101 miles. While this was news to me, I didn't have time to dwell on it. Besides, I still had plenty of time as I headed off having spent only a couple of minutes in the aid station.

2 Hours 42 minutes to go 9.2 miles. I felt good. There was no way I was not going to finish in under 24. Nothing could stand in my way now.

That's what I believed.

Chapter 6.6 - Mission...
The great mystery of running 100 miles is that when you push yourself that far and for that long, there is pretty much no telling what can happen and when. Breakdowns happen sometimes much closer to one's goal than you might think. I didn't know it at the time, but three challenges still awaited me on that last 2/3 of a lap. One emotional, one physical and one near complete breakdown stood between me and the finish line.

The loop started off good. With plenty of padding time, I started at an easy pace waiting for the ensure to digest. It shouldn't take long as I had only taken a half. I walked, jogged and waited. I haven't had hallucinations before (well, not since my mis-spent youth), but I have occasions where conversations just pop into my mind seemingly from nowhere. In this case it was my wife who appeared in my head. I was sort of looking at her pleadingly feeling like things were about to fall apart.

I said to her, my voice cracking, "Honey, why do I always have to hurt myself like this?"

Her response, a near whisper, but with strength in her voice, "You know why you do it."

When I would later tell her the story she laughed. She hoped that my mind would come up with something more inspiring for her to say, but she agreed that it did kind of sound like her. In truth, it was probably more what I needed than some platitude of inspiration. She was telling me that the "answer lies within", that my true inspiration must come from my own goals and desire. Being out there on the trail alone, running within myself late in a long race, this is why I do these things. I turned my mind to focus on the task at hand. I knew it was all downhill once I reached the aid station so I was ready to give what I had on the way up. However, it felt like maybe that last 1/2 ensure just wasn't gonna digest.

With the waste pack off, I hoped that the lessened pressure on my bladder would allow me to hold off on the constant pit stops I had to make in the last couple of laps. However, my gut wasn't feeling too great now. I tried to ignore it, but I knew exactly what was going on. Unfortunately, with my waste pack had went the all important package of wipes that would be somewhat critical at this juncture. I really had nothing to use in their place. From my days as a rock climber, I knew that a decent stick will work in a pinch. However, in the desert, where all of the plant life seemed to contain needles, spikes or thorns, sticks just were not a viable option. So, I pulled off the trail and searched around with my light for a properly shaped rock. I'll leave the details to those with overactive imaginations. To the rest, I will just say that I suddenly felt better. In fact, great.

I started running. I mean really running. Running up the hill. My mind went into a state of hyper-focus. Normally, when I pass people on the trail going the other way, I am the first to say "good job" or "keep it up" or some such. However, now it was all I could do to grunt a response to the "congratulations" that were passed my way. I barely even said words to the friends like Fred and Craig when we passed. I was just going. My eyes on the trail. My mind on my goal. My legs moving. A short downhill and the trail leveled a bit. I passed a couple of guys and asked quickly, "how far?" One of them said that it was just over a mile. Then, just before leaving earshot, "Steve, it's a bit longer than that. It's been 18 minutes." I recognized him as the guy from Utah whom we'd met at the Safeway the night before. I yelled back a thanks as I took another short pit stop checking my watch to see that I had plenty of time. However, I still took off running as I just wanted to be at that aid station.

I could see the lights. It couldn't be more than a couple minutes away. Suddenly, though things didn't feel so good. Whoa! What was that? I felt dizzy. I stopped running. I felt light headed. I started walking. I stumbled a bit. Images of Graham Cooper, Chris Leigh and other finish line collapses filled my head. Only, I wasn't approaching the finish line yet. I completely stopped trying to get my breathing in order. I downed what was left of my water. I started walking slowly. I felt a little better so I sped it up. Not much, though. I felt as though I just had no energy. Had I pushed too hard up the hill? There were only a few miles left after the aid station. I couldn't let things go down like this. I managed a little jog and then walked as I came into the station.

I held out my bottles and said, "water". The volunteers were cheering and congratulating me saying I had it "in the bag" and that it was "all downhill from here." I looked at them still not feeling well and just said, "I need something". The problem is, I didn't know what it was I needed. I walked over to the table and grabbed the first thing that looked good. I think it was a couple of Pringles. As soon as they hit my stomach my mind went, "OH!" in realization. In my haste, at the last aid station, I had neglected my fueling needs. Someone offered me some chicken noodle soup and I sucked it down. "WOW!" I handed the cup back and asked for more as I grabbed a couple of potatoes as well. I drank the second soup and then grabbed an Oreo cookie to go, just for good measure.

I was back. I headed out to the cutoff trail that would take me 2.7 miles downhill to the intersection and the final rolling section to the finish. I took the downhill at a decent, but cautious pace arriving at the trail junction with around a half hour to spare. At this point, I was there and I was just going to enjoy taking it easy to the finish. I saw the lights coming down the trail behind me, but it didn't matter. I was walking as they caught me encouraging me to pick it up and go with them. I passed. I told the woman that she deserved to be in front of me and that I was more than happy to take the honor of the final 24 hour finisher. She seemed more than happy to push for another spot up on the results. I was going to finish in my goal time and thats all that mattered to me. Besides, I really didn't want to finish with anyone else or even with someone close behind me. I took it easy until I heard the cheers for them finishing just as I hit the road.

I ran in, but slow and easy. I wasn't going to sprint this finish I was going to savor it. I could see the clock approaching 23:45 as I came up to the finish. I stopped just before the mat, put my bottles down at the edge and did a little dance before strolling across.

...accomplished!

(Me with buckle)

Postscript
I won't go into how great it was to finish and hit my goal, I think that can all be inferred. I will say that, in the end, I really enjoyed this race even more than I had expected. The heat was terrible in the midday and I am not a fan of running in the heat, but everything else about it was just fantastic. I even liked the loops since the "washing machine" style repeats meant you never ran the loop the same twice and the dramatic differences in the desert weather throughout the shortened fall day meant that each loop was became its own unique experience.


(Harry and I chillin' at the finish)

Harry and Beat had both finished and were there when I arrived. Beat really did have an incredible race coming in at 22:38 and almost catching Harry on the last loop. Wendell came in 7th. A few other friends had dropped down either at the 100K mark (Steve Holman, Chuck Wilson) or less (Sarah had an inner ear issue). Many other friends both old and new were still out on the course. I always enjoy hanging out and cheering people in. I have to say that those people near the back who had to do their last lap as it heated up again Sunday morning really had it tough as Sunday was to be even hotter than Saturday. Most inspiring to me was Eric Troska who came in "dead last" and seemed to have met with every problem imaginable. I met him with Harry early in the race and watched him slowly deteriorate throughout the day and night, but he never ever gave up.


(That's what I'm talking about!)

I few of us went out and grabbed some sandwiches for lunch and I eventually drove off to my hotel by the airport for Sunday night. While I didn't hallucinate on the run, I think they were about to start on the final drive. Luckily I managed to keep awake enough to find the hotel and take a nap. My son Jefferson drove up from college in Tucson to join me for dinner which was a really nice treat. Everything else was mostly uneventful except for my plane being seriously delayed again on the way home. I guess that just caps it perfectly at both ends.

Appendix
Links to pictures and stuff, some of which were shamelessly used in this report.

Race web site (now with video)
Some of the most excellent event photos I have ever seen.
Thread on Fried Quads forum
Angie's Blog entry (part 2)
Angie's Pictures
Will Follette race photos (long load time)
Even more photos


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