The Big Year Interrupted: A Western States DNF Story

I said before this race that I would be very disappointed if I didn't finish. I suppose that is true if you leave out the modifier "very". Of course I am disappointed. This is a prestigious race. My goal was not only this one but the following 3 races to complete the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning. All of that is out the window, at least for this year. It may be years before I get another opportunity. I'm fine with that. At the same time, however, I am reflecting on what happened and will be working to correct my mistakes and learn from my failures.

As always, I began watching the weather forecast going into race week. The temperatures in Squaw Valley and Auburn were hovering around 100 degrees F. This was my main concern, especially since I had repeatedly heard how the canyons section of the course would be hotter due to the stagnant air in the canyons. When I arrived in Sacramento, the rental car thermometer read 109 degrees at one point. This had my attention.

Friday morning I went out for a a brief run to try to relax and loosen up after a long day of travel. I then headed out to the race check in. The second I stepped out of the car, I already saw someone I knew. Over and over during the morning I would see and talk to people I had run with or met at other races. This made me feel at home even though I was far away and made me realize how small our community really is.

This guy has no idea what is coming

I had my picture taken with my bib number. Nikki Kimball, female ultrarunning bad ass, put on my wristband and then I received my bag filled with Western States swag. The pre-race meeting was filled to capacity with runners and crews, the room heated by all the bodies and excitement. I still couldn't really believe I was there. None of it seemed real. I went back to my room and tried to relax but could not sit still.

When they cut this off, you are out of the race.

I ate dinner early and got into bed around 7 with the intention of trying to get around 7 hours of sleep. It was difficult to relax but eventually I slept, though it was fitful. I still woke up before the alarm and surprisingly did not feel tired. For the first time ever, I had all my gear completely arranged the night before. All I had to do was get dressed and head to the start line. This is one of the first times my race mornings felt completely stress free.

I arrived at the start with plenty of time for some breakfast and to try to get myself into the proper frame of mind. The time on the clock over the start ticked down. The time passed quickly. I was excited but not overly so. I knew I had a long day ahead but felt good and confident that I would get it done. The crowd of runners counted down the final seconds, a shotgun blast went off, and we all headed across the start line, up the Escarpment and onto one of the most courses in ultrarunning.

The race starts at the Squaw Valley Resort. Directly from the start the course climbs around 2500 feet in 3.5 miles. I figured this was a good way to start since the climb would force me to take my time and not go out too fast. The sun had fully risen by the time I reached the top. The rest of this section to the first aid station at 10 miles was difficult and very slow due to poor footing on the deep snow that had not yet melted away. Where there wasn't snow, it was muddy. The mud was very deep in places and a couple times I nearly lost my shoe in it. Many of the runners around me were extremely tentative crossing the snow which slowed me down even more. I must have picked the right shoes because I could cross the fairly easily without much concern about slipping on the sloped snow.

My arrival time at the first two aid stations was a good hour later than I expected due to these course conditions. I already felt far behind where I wanted to be but was not too worried. I considered that taking it slow early would pay off later. In the meantime I tried to enjoy the scenery which was wonderful. When I wasn't looking to keep my footing I would gaze off at the snowy mountains in the distance. I had never heard much talk about this aspect of the race before and it was an excellent experience.

The next section has us descending into Duncan Canyon and then climbing out and that is when the heat started to affect me, even though I never did feel too hot. The climb out was exposed to the sun but I had stopped at a couple creeks and doused myself well with cold mountain stream water. I was already a bit off on my eating plan but didn't really feel hungry. I was not too thirsty either but I feel like I kept up well with drinking. By the time I reached Robinson Flat, 30 miles in, it was already early afternoon. I took a few minutes to take care of a couple hot spots on my feet, which felt remarkably good compared to my races over the last year. Again I wasn't there in a time I wanted to be but I still felt very confident about having plenty of time to finish.

Climbing out of Duncan Canyon

The canyons section of the Western States is known for the heat. What I really wasn't prepared for was how steep and relentless the climbs up Devil's Thumb and Michigan Bluff would be. The combination of the heat and the climb took everything out of me. The descent into the first canyon was steep and I tried to not fly down in order to save my quads for later. I doused in the stream at the bottom and looked up to see a steep canyon wall. The climb was steep and my heart rate shot up. I tried to keep moving, even if it was slow but had to stop to try to catch my breath and get the heart rate down but it wouldn't.

I somehow got through this climb and was face with doing the same thing again going into Michigan Bluff. Again the descent wasn't too bad and the climb wasn't quite as steep but it just went on forever. I was beginning to fall dangerously close to the cutoffs. Prior to this climb I had paired up with a lady who had her headlamp at Michigan Bluff and asked if she could share my light. It did help to run with someone for a bit though both of us seemed to alternate in who was suffering from the heat.

Pulling into Michigan Bluff, I had around 20 minutes until the cutoff. I decided I would take 10 minutes and move on to Forest Hill. On the way in to the station I met up with Quinitn who was crewing and waiting for his runner to come in. He walked me in a gave me a bit of a pep talk. I really needed this and ended up only taking 5 minutes at the station before moving on, determined to make up some time on the cutoff at the next station.

The headlamp I had with me was my back up as I had my good primary one at Forest Hill. I had originally expected to get there around sundown but now I was way behind. At Michigan Bluff I had put new batteries in my backup lamp but it was still dim as I left. I tried sticking with it as long as possible, even asking several runners who passed me if they had batteries, which they didn't. I ended up pulling out my phone and using the flashlight app as a light source.

From Michigan Bluff to Forest Hill is 6.3 miles. I had 2 hours and 15 minutes to make the cutoff, which didn't seem too bad. I tried running here and there but was loosing my will. I still had hope that it would turn around at some point. I wasn't going to quit but I started to think that missing the cutoff was very likely. Most of this section followed a gravel road and at one point I realized I had not seen a course marker. I kept going for several more minutes looked back and didn't see any lights behind me. Had I missed a turn off onto the trail? I went back the way I came and about 10 minutes later saw the turn off I had missed. I had easily lost around 15 or 20 minutes. I pretty much knew at that point it was over. I would still try to keep going and make the cutoff but I knew. You may expect that I would be devastated at a mistake like this costing my race, but I also knew that even if I made the cut off at Forest Hill, it was still a very outside shot at finishing.

The Forest Hill station never seemed like it would come. As the cutoff time ticked down, I heard cheering up ahead, and it was too far away. They were cheering as the station closed. It was over. 11:45 PM. I was surprisingly OK with. There were no tears or overwhelming disappointment. It just was. I had done the best I could do this day and this was how it turned out. About 5 minutes after the cutoff I walked up to the school where the volunteers were furiously packing up.

No one took any notice of me for a minute or two. This was more upsetting to me then the actual end of my race. Eventually, someone walked up and asked if I was a runner and led me to the medical room where I lay in a cot and immediately cramped up painfully. After an hour or so I was driven to the finish line where I would spend the next 10 hours watching runner finish. It was inspiring to see people finish but it also stung a little bit. It was super inspiring to see fellow Arrowhead finisher Lourdes cross the line with about 15 minutes to spare.

So that was that. It was over that quickly. The Grand Slam was gone. My Western States lottery win was wasted. I was surprisingly fine with all of this and, in general, I have been in the days since. The only disappointment is in not knowing when I will get a chance to try again.

I have been replaying the race over and over since it ended. There is no place, other than the missed turn, that I honestly feel I could have done anything to get a different outcome. I did let me nutrition and hydration lapse slightly but overall I thought I did that fairly well. My pacing and effort level were good. My feet were in the best shape of any race over the last year. When I see the elite runner times and hear how they struggled, I am left wondering if I even had a chance. At the same time, others finished so, why couldn't I? The reasons I have come up with are in no way excuses and I think there are important lessons to learn. The reasons I have come up with are in no way excuses and I think there are important lessons to learn.

First, the conditions were a huge factor and those are, for the most part, out of my control. I should have worked in some more heat training but I feel that would have only given marginal improvement but, perhaps it would have been enough to get me over the hump.

Second, my schedule this year did not give me an opportunity to get the proper training build up. It was well into April before I started to feel "normal" again after the Hrimthurs. This resulted in not getting in the miles and/or training time necessary. I was worried about this and thought that maybe I could just be stubborn and tough my way through it. That is a dangerous game to play and sooner or later you lose. I did this time.

Third, I keep intending to do more strength and speed work. I did very little prior to this race, due once again to fatigue after the winter races. I don't think I need to do too much but I do feel that the climbs exposed my weakness here and I need to fix that.

Fourth, my weight going into the race was a good 10 pounds over where I thought I should be. Again, combined with strength training this would help in the climbs but should also help mitigate some of the effects of the heat.

Lastly, I don't think I respected the course as much as I should have. Maybe I have grown complacent, assuming I could just show up and finish any 100 miler because I have so many times before. The climbs were much harder than I thought they would be. The heat was much hotter. Western States is no easy, runable race for someone of my skill level. It was extremely humbling and I very much needed that.

I have to admit I over committed this year. I knew this but I went for it anyway. I'm still glad I tried. I have had a good streak of completing races. There is some creeping doubt now and I wonder if now I am just a fraud. Will I ever be able to finish another? This is probably foolish but the seed is there now.

So now what? In less than 3 weeks I will be headed to attempt 100 miles again in Vermont. I suppose I could have thrown out the remainder of the schedule since the Slam is over, but that would be giving up. It would be giving up on my commitment to these race. It would be giving up on an opportunity to learn from my mistakes. It would be giving up on a chance to run 3 other iconic ultras. It would have been giving up on myself and all the good I have done for myself by trying these crazy things. I'm not going to do that. I'm going to show up in Vermont at 4 AM on the 15th of July and do my best to finish that race.

Western States Preview

I was laying on the floor doing the corpse pose in a hot yoga session yesterday when it really hit me what is about to happen. I am only a few days away from running Western States. It is easily the most well known and followed race on the ultra-running calendar each year and I will be there. Not only will I be running this big race, I will be beginning an attempt at the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning, which consists of four of the oldest 100 mile races over a twelve week period. 

The four months since the end of my winter racing season have seemed to fly by. I was exhausted in all aspects: physically, mentally and emotionally. The idea of running another series of races was still months away so I counted on the idea that I would be able to recover and get some good training in prior to Western States. It took a good couple of months before I started to feel somewhat normal again when I ran. The Lumberjack 50 gave me a ton of confidence by showing me that I could run 50 miles without it being a huge struggle. I thought back to this race often over the last couple of months. This was probably the turning point for me. Since then, I have not trained at the volume nor as with as much intensity as I intended. Still, I am feeling very confident that I will get to the finish one way or another. 

Other than the 50 mile race in April, I have had several long runs that, while not fast, went reasonably well. In the last couple of weeks I have even run a couple 5ks and a 10k, which were rather eye opening since I ran at speeds I didn't think I had in me after this past winter. To my amazement, I PR'd a 10k last weekend by 3 minutes. To be fair, I never run 10ks but I believe it indicates that maybe I am in better shape than I think I am. 

I spent Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning hanging out at the Mohican 100. I was able to observe runners passing through aid stations in the later parts of the race. This was very helpful at getting myself into the mindset needed to handle a 100 mile race mentally. I'm not looking forward to the extreme discomfort that is coming. I will, however, accept it and do all I can to remain positive and focused on moving forward and not wasting time in aid stations feeling sorry for myself. 

The taper madness has not been too bad this time, likely due to the fact that I never really sustained high mileage for this training block. I averaged between 50 and 60 miles a week, which compared to others is not that much. The need to recover from the winter dictated this so I feel it will be enough. At this point it will have to be.

Western States is a point to point 100.2 mile race with around 18000 feet of climbing and 22000 feet of descent. This much descent can make it a fast race but can also overload the quadriceps, slowing a runner to a snail's pace. The race begins in Squaw Valley, California and finishes on the track of Placer High School in Auburn. It passes through the high country, in and out of super heated canyons, and across rivers. It has been documented and filmed more than any other ultra that I know of.  

All downhill?

The forecast is calling for highs around 100 which will be even hotter in the still air of the canyons. Hot yoga and commuting without A/C have been my heat training. The heat factor will be the most concerning to me and will require much attention to hydration and pacing. 

There has not been a single run I have done over the last few months that I have not thought about running onto that track at the finish. I'm expecting it to be a very emotional experience. Finishing a 100 miler always is for me but this is one that I have thought about over and over and over. I have to get there first. Lately, I've finally been really craving to be out there and mid-race miserable again. I will also continue to remind myself that getting on that track is just another step. 

I try not to think about the possibility of failure but it does cross my mind. I suppose there is some pressure to perform since I have been discussing it publicly. I would be very disappointed if I didn't finish this or any of the four races coming up. However, without the possibility of failure there is no satisfaction in completing the goal. 

So, now all the time for talk is over. The race is only days away. I'm scared and excited at the same time. The next twelve weeks will be very difficult. It will hurt. It will also be fun and rewarding. I will be meeting many new people with similar experiences who I can learn from and share in the moments. I will be running races that many other ultra-runners would love to run. I will be running in beautiful places with wonderful people. I'm very lucky no matter the outcome. 

Western States has good runner tracking and you can track me here: 

http://www.ultralive.net/ws100#tracking/info

The Western States site has good info about the course, results, etc. 

http://www.wser.org/

Finish Lines

Somehow my silly hobby got me an interview on a running podcast. It just so happens that I am of huge fan of said podcast. I also happen to know the host since we ran the crazy Hrimthurs races together and several other races it turns out. He does great work with the show. It was a tremendous opportunity to tell people how running has become part of my life and made it better. I was very nervous about it and hope someone found something redeeming about it. The one thing I have learned was that even in a long form, two hour interview, you only get a very small fraction of the story. This is no fault of the host, who has the difficult job of getting to all the topics in a timely and engaging manner, which Scott does marvelously. It is up to others to judge my performance as I can not impartial. I put myself out there and open myself up for judgment.  I'm fine with that.
Each story that was told, each race that was mentioned had much more going on below the surface. Being on the show was a great chance to get some of that out. This format is my chance to further elaborate on the details. A chance to self reflect and to share the rest of those stories. If you're here reading then it is because, maybe, you want to hear these things. Thank you for that.
One example of a topic briefly covered was the story of my first marathon finish. The months leading up to this will have to covered in another, deeper dive of a post but they were not the best of times. Running began to become a release form the stress in my life. I started to be consumed with the idea of running a marathon. It was the ultimate feat of endurance that I knew of. Well, maybe an Ironman triathlon but that was just some insane fringe sport {wink}. I finally decided it was time to commit to it and the 2009 Detroit free Press Marathon was my target.
I looked online for how to prepare for a marathon. Like so many before and after me, I found the Hal Higdon program. The mileage for each day and each week was laid out simply and logically. My engineer's mind ate this up. I printed it out and began the first week of June 2009 for the race which took place in late October.
Week One consisted of short runs around 3 or 4 miles. The long Sunday run that first week was a whole 6 miles. I had never run over 4 and it seemed to be a daunting task. For some reason I trusted that I would be able to get through the 18 and 20 mile runs later in the plan. I went out and did that run, not knowing if I could. I recall feeling good the whole way. Coming into the last mile I realized I was going to do it. 6 miles. I was so proud of myself and, honestly, it is still a special running memory. In comparison to what has happened since it doesn't seem so amazing, however, nothing that came after would have happened without that day. It was a critical first step. I began learning how to face seemingly difficult tasks and realize that I am capable of doing more than I think I can, as all of us are.
As the weeks went on I built up my confidence. The long runs became longer and I was finishing them. Every day there was work to do towards the goal. I still had no idea if I could really do it or what it would be like. I was afraid to miss a workout and I did the exact mileage called for every time. I felt I had to follow the plan exactly because if I didn't there was no way I could succeed.
The long weekend runs kept me away from the home environment which was always tense and uncomfortable. My wife at the time and I were rarely talking any more or doing anything together and when we did it was just a waiting game for one of us to get angry about something. Running was my place to think. It was my place to focus on other things. It was where I could succeed or fail on my own terms. I didn't know it but I was learning a way to address and cope with issues I was having with myself, which will have to be another post (or 2 or 3).
As the race approached, I was nervous but started to feel that it was entirely possible. I struggled with an 18 mile training run but had felt great during the 20 mile run. The lesson that has carried over is that not every day is your best but struggling and getting through difficult days is the real test.
I left very early race morning, worried about finding parking and getting to the start on time. The race takes place in late October which in Michigan can swing between freezing or high 70s. It was freezing at the start. It was a long cold wait for the starting gun. I became a bit emotional as the crowd started to move forward. My first race ever was beginning.
There is really no need to give a detailed recap of the race. I felt good for the first half marathon. I fed off the crowds that big city marathons have every where. As the half marathoners veered off, the race became a little lonely. At 20 miles the day was heating up and I hit that wall marathoners talk about for the first time.
The last 6 miles was a mix of walking and running. It was somewhere here that my decision to divorce began to take shape. I had committed to the marriage and still for some reason hoped it could be saved. That faded the closer I got to the finish line and was gone by the time I jogged the final half mile with tears in my eyes to the finish. Everything would be different from then on.

The 1st finish line when it all began

That brings me to finish lines. I crossed that first finish line alone. I didn't know a single person that was there cheering. I had no one there supporting me or encouraging me. Though I had made a momentous decision, the moment I crossed the finish line wasn't some magical, cinematic moment. I simply ran across an arbitrary point in the universe. The next second life still continued just as before. I still had problems to deal with that finishing a race didn't solve. I'm sure I was not alone in mistakenly thinking that the completion of monumental goal will instantly produce positive results.
Since that race, I have worked my up to ultras and still occasionally have that flawed expectation of a triumphant finish.
Crossing the finish line of an ultramarathon can be one of the most anticlimactic events you'll experience. There are rarely large cheering crowds. Ice Age 50 had a nice group gathered along a finisher chute clapping as runners finished. When I finished Grindstone 100, it was  somewhere between 4 and 5 AM, and by the light of a single weak flashlight, I met the race director, who handed me a shirt and buckle. That was that after more than 34 hours of struggle. After finishing my first 50 miler, a huge step in my running development, I was handed a medal and then sat by a tree and cried.
No one I knew was there to share in that moment.
The rare exceptions stand out. My wife at the finish of my first 100. My brother, who met me at the finish of both Tuscobia and Arrowhead. My parents at the Marquette 50. My friend Chris most recently at the Lumberjack 50. These are are all very memorable to me. I cherish them.

Mohican 2014

Mohican 2016

As I run more races and get to know more people in the ultra running community, I recognize more of them at finish lines. Whether it is someone I've known for a while or just met that day on the trail, seeing them at the finish, congratulating each other, makes this sport fun. The triumphant finish isn't really what I needed, even though I thought I did. Getting to any finish line is a only temporary goal. The work and struggle to get there is the important part. Interacting with my fellow runners, who share similar experiences is important and helpful to me.
Personally, I enjoy hanging out at the finish line to cheer others on at the end of a race. From 5k to 100 milers you get to see the faces of those who fought to reach a goal and accomplished it. It is inspiring to, perhaps, see the moment when their lives have changed, even if there is no movie soundtrack playing or fireworks exploding.  I'm looking forward to my next finish line and what lies beyond.






Check out Ten Junk Miles Podcast on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts

Western States 100 Preview post coming next week

Birthday Miles, Rare Beer and Metal!

The idea came to me back in February when I was putting together my training plan to prepare me for Western States. I wanted to be building up mileage to peak about 6 to 8 weeks prior to the race. The idea was to get a hundred mile week in the first week of May and to run my age in miles on my birthday, which was the last day of that week. 45 miles was the goal . Following that I would maintain and try to work on heat, strength and a bit of speed training.
I've been over it enough times but the miles after the winter races have felt slower and harder than in the past. It has improved as I expected it would. The Lumberjack 50 showed me that I will be just fine this summer, however, I always want to be faster and better. The discipline of putting in the work and time required is not one of my strengths. I've noticed some complacency has set in. I've finished 100s multiple times and start to just expect to finish every time. This is is positive, yes, but I'm also afraid this can lead me to taking things too easy and getting a rude awakening at one of these races. Then again, the list of things worse than a DNF at a race is about as long as possible. I can't take it too seriously. Its just running.
My peak week thus far had been 60 miles so jumping to a 100 allegedly carries the risk of injury or getting "over trained". I came up a little short on my miles leading into my birthday run on Sunday. I don't care because, after all, what real difference is there between 95 and 100 for the week? It is not going to change anything on June 24.
The morning was very cool but the sky was clear and it turned out to be a beautiful day. A member of the Dirtbag Runners met me and we ran the first 8 or 9 miles together, which made those miles go by very quickly and easily. After that it was just me and the constant stream of mountain bikes. I tried to keep the pace slow and comfortable but often find myself going faster than I should. I was often to lost in thoughts and reflection as you tend to be on long runs.
Running repeated loops is harder for me than going from one point to another. Between miles 9 and 18 I kept thinking about the fact that I had to do the loop three more times. I'm not going to lie and say it was no problem. It was overwhelming and I started thinking that I didn't want to do it. It was too much. What the hell had I been thinking? In other words this was perfect practice for a 100 miler. Eventually the end comes and it was a huge relief. I was happy with the way it turned out. Even though I walked some of the last loop, my pace overall was just fine. I could tell myself I was ok.
The next week I took it very easy. I ended up only running 3 days for a total of 22 miles. I knew getting a weekend run in would be tough due to my plan of attending Dark Lord Day.
What is Dark Lord Day? Turns out it was what I though of as an ultra for craft beer. One day a year, Three Floyds Brewery releases their Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout. They hold an event at the brewery that has lots of beer, food and metal bands playing all day. Tickets sell out in a matter of minutes. I finally decided to go this year and enjoyed it immensely. You are allowed to bring beer in and most people do. There is an atmosphere of sharing rare and desired beers with strangers around you, which starts in the line to get in and continues all day. These aren't any light beers either. Most we tried topped 10% abv with many going higher. Just like an ultra, it was all about a slow pace.

Breakfast base

Not running

My first taste of Dark Lord

Nearly $400 worth of beer

So back to ramping up miles again. Less than 6 weeks to go. I'm starting to feel like I really want to race again. Things are looking good!

Service Requirement

I spent the weekend working aid stations down at the Indiana Trail 100. I ran the race last year and this was a good time to get my required service hours in for Western States and Vermont. Even without having to do the hours to run those races, I would have done it. Every year, when planning my races and setting my goals, volunteering at races is on the list. Sure, it is altruistic and generous to "give back to the running community", blah, blah. It's fun and I enjoy it so it is also a selfish activity.

I saw many familiar faces, the number of which keeps growing as I continue to participate in these events. I also find it strange when people recognize me from previous events but I suppose I really shouldn't. I'm a 6' 5", 200+ lb. man so I can't really hide in the crowd even if I want to at times. I still have that feeling that I'm just a pretender in this ultra running world but I am getting better about it. Impostor syndrome I've heard it called. It is a constant nagging that I can't shake.

The race conditions looked good for what were at least the first couple of loops of the race. It was around midnight that the rain came that the Indiana race has become known for. The temperatures dropped and the runners began to pack our station for shelter from the elements. Shiny silver emergency blankets appeared throughout the tent suddenly and moved to surround the propane heaters. I ladled out dozens of cups of hot broth and soup. There was some crying and shivering that seemed it would never stop. It was then that best part would happen. Someone would stand up, their tired eyes showing resolve yet with some doubt and fear mixed in, and move towards the tent door, pause for moment and then enter the dark, cold outdoors to the loud cheers of those still inside. Each one was a beautiful example of the perseverance needed to finish a 100 mile run.

While working the race, I took the weekend off from running but figured spending more than 24 hours on my feet can only help <gasp> next month. The training is going decently. I am not hitting the mileage I would like to but in general I feel better most days and even on the days I don't feel good, I am still able to get through more than I could handle a short while ago. If Western States were this coming weekend, I am fairly confident I could finish it but I do have some work to do in order to avoid potential causes of a failure to finish.

Less than 8 weeks to go until Western States. While trying to increase miles and lose a few extra pounds, I am going to try to get in some strength training for the legs. Western States is an overall downhill course and it is often stated that it can leave the quads torn up towards the end. I would like to work on strengthening them but I don't know how to do this while maximizing running miles at the same time. I'll figure something out.

Before too long, I will also start attempting to acclimate myself to the heat I will face. I can't rely on spring and early summer in Michigan to provide weather that will help me in this. The plan currently is to suffer through an increasingly frequent schedule of hot yoga classes. More on how all this is going later.

Some exciting things (at least for me) in the next few weeks but I will hold off on mentioning those for a bit. Stay tuned.


Weight

Last post  April 13  - 211 lbs
Today May 3  -  205.8 lbs  Got some work to do

Goal - 195ish

Mileage

Week of April 15  40 miles

Week of April 22  60 miles

Week of April 29  35 miles

If you're looking for a great race, perfect for a first time 50 mile, 100k or 100mile, check out the Indiana Trail 100. Relatively flat course that isn't technical. Excellent organization and atmosphere. 

http://www.indianatrail100.com/

I'm a Lumberjack and I'm Ok

My work sent me to the Pacific Northwest for a few days. As a crazed ultrarunner, I did a quick search to see what races were happening in the area. Gorge Waterfalls in Oregon, was that weekend but that race is so popular that there is a lottery to get in so that one was out, though I would like to run it some day. The race I found was Lumberjack up in Port Gamble, Washington, outside of Seattle offering 3 distances, 100 mile, 100k and 50 mile.

Based on where I am in my training plan, I decided to run the 50 mile. This felt rather ambitious to be running that far. Sure, I have gone 160, 135 and 100 miles just a couple months ago but on the other hand, as my previous posts have stated, those races left me feeling like I was starting over. Over the last couple of weeks I have been feeling much better. I am not dreading going for my training runs any more. These runs are still not very fast and I am still fine with that. I feel better and that is the important thing.

The race was both a chance to run somewhere new and to be a test of where I currently stand in my training. Leading up to it my longest run has been 15 miles so I was not very confident. I figured I could suffer my way through it by walking if I had to but that would mean I was nowhere near ready for a 100 miler in 10 weeks. My right hip, IT band and hamstring had not been feeling very good. They are fine when I run but start to hurt when everything tightens up, making them ache during the night and making it difficult to get comfortable to sleep. This has been a big concern to me because I don't want to run too much and make it worse but I also need to get into better shape.

I flew in to Seattle on Tuesday and spent the evening at an old friend's place that consisted of beers, music, nostalgia and general catching up. The next morning I was able to get out to a park to run some trail in the rainy weather this part of the country in known for. The rain was very light for the most part, misty at times, which added to the lush atmosphere of those forests. I wasn't sure how far I would go and found myself just wanting to keep going and exploring. It has been some time since I have felt that way and it was good to have it back. A very good sign.

I drove down to Portland the next day for the last part of the work trip. I didn't worry too much about not making time to run, instead deciding to walk around the downtown area, spending a good part of the day at Powell's City of Books, which has long been on my list of places to visit. I was able to get myself out of there without spending too much. It was impressive but I think King Books in Detroit is better. After finishing up the work duties on Friday, it was back up to the Seattle area for the race.

I fully expected a rainy day since the forecast had been calling for that but the morning was clear but cool. Waiting at the start line I was getting cold and just wanted to get going, This was a rare time before a race I didn't think about the magnitude of the distance. Sure, I have run 100 miles and longer but a 50 mile run is still a long way but on this day I felt no pressure.I had no real expectations or goal other than to get through it.

The old school nature of the race showed with the lack of inflatable arch or even a banner at the start/finish line. In fact there wasn't even a start/finish line. We just kind of gathered on the road and were sent on on our way. The race is a looped course with 12.5 miles per loop, meaning I would be going around 4 times.

Pre-race, the race director let us know that there were a couple muddy and wet areas and the first one came up before mile 1. Turning off the gravel road onto a single track trail into the woods, the mud began. There were some wood pallet type things put down to help get through the mud. The lush green forest seemed to collapse in, making me feel a little claustrophobic. The trail wound around right next to trees and it felt like there was barely room to get my shoulders through. The mud and roots made footing very difficult and I started to get a little frustrated right from the start.

Once out of this difficult section there was plenty of room to run with a mix of dirt road and trail. The sun came out and shown in rays through the tall pines trees. The trail sections were super soft thanks to a bed of pine needles and the rain, which made running easy. I kept the pace slow and consciously slowed down going uphill. The aid stations came up quickly but that may be because I was used to going hours between checkpoints. Before I knew it the first loop was done, in around 2 hours 30 minutes. I felt good and was happy with how things were going. The hip had initially ached a little bit but it had faded away.

Now I knew what to expect and started the second loop. As I approached the section that frustrated me before, I told myself to just take my time, get through it and it wouldn't be that bad. Too often in races I get into a negative place mentally and it saps my energy. Going through this muddy section again, I just took it a step at a time, didn't worry about being slow, and refused to be frustrated. I actually would laugh when I has having a hard time. Before I knew it, I was through it and moving along well.

The miles ended up just melting away. I moved from aid station to aid station. My pace was slow but I kept running, backing off if I felt myself pushing too hard. There were only a few hills that required walking. I finished the second loop in around 2 hours 40 minutes. I started thinking that getting under 12 hours would be a decent showing and I had some buffer now. The next two loops went rather easily. I never found myself struggling to keep running.

Rolling along
credit: Philip Oppliger

I brought my headlamp on the last loop in case it got dark but I never needed it as rolled into the finish at 7:32 for a 11 hours and 32 minutes time. My friend Chris, who I had seen earlier in the week, was there at the finish, which I truly appreciated deeply (again, finish line attendance is topic for whole future post). I grabbed a beer and quesadilla and that was that. A very good day.

Assessing the race and my status, I feel like I have work to do but I feel much better about things than I did. This race gave me a ton of confidence. I now know I can run 50 miles without it being an awful, difficult experience. My feet felt good with no blisters and only couple black toenails. I was sore but nothing like what I have gone through in my races over the last year. I'm really glad I decided to do this. Things are looking good.

Weight

Last post  Mar 29  - 206.8 lbs
Today April 13  -  211 lbs  Usual post race water weight and the likely effect of going off the diet while travelling and racing. No worries. 

Goal - 195ish

Mileage

Week of March 17  49 miles

Week of March 24  40 miles

Week of March 31  50 miles

Week of April 8   55 miles

Three Months Out

As I knew it would, running has gotten better. I am still not back to where I want to be or feel I should be but that is ok. I don't dread going out for a run any more. I am able to get through a longer run without wanting to quit after half a mile. I'm even able to go a bit faster here and there, and also having to back off on my easy runs. I'm still slow. The confidence is starting to come back and that is most important to me. I know that the key to the upcoming races is the mental aspect. The physical part will take care of itself through consistent training and diet.

Speaking of diet, I am conducting an experiment on myself with a low carb diet. The theory being that without carbohydrates the body becomes more efficient at burning fat. During an ultramarathon it is impossible to eat and absorb enough calories to keep up so fat burning efficiency is important. I don't know if this will work but the theory seems to make sense. The science is still not shown anything conclusive so I will just have to see if it works for. Eliminating sugar and grains from the diet can be a huge change but it has not been too bad for me so far. It has made me eat more vegetables, like cauliflower, broccoli and zucchini, which I like. So far so good. I feel full and I find I'm less prone to over eat. I'm hoping to drop down to better race weight for the upcoming Slam. I have been fine with more weight during the winter races since they are slow and cold. Anyway, like I said, this is an experiment and I'm not religious about diets. Many people love to argue about diets, but I am not one of those people. I'm just trying to find something that works for me and this seems to be so far. 

There are less than 90 days to go until Western States. I've seen a couple new films on last year's race that have gotten me excited about it. My mileage is going up according to the plan I laid out. I am trying to get some strength and core work in but I am not as good about that as I should be. At some point I will have to get serious about hill climbing and leg strength. I do have a muscle issue in my right hip and down into hamstring that I am trying to fix through stretching and massage. Its nothing to stop me from running but I'm keeping an eye on it that it doesn't become something worse. That is my main concern right now. 

Next week I will be travelling for work and decided to look for some running opportunity during my trip. Yes, I look for chances to run on work trips. My trip will be to the Pacific Northwest and the Lumberjack 100 is over that weekend. They also have a 100k and 50 mile so I decided I can to sign up for the 50. This will be a rare chance to run out there so I can't pass that up. The race looks like a small, grassroots kind of thing so that should be fun. I had not planned on any races prior to Western States but this will be a good early indication of where I am at, with plenty of time to recover and work on what I need to. I'm looking forward to it. Race report and update next time.

Finally, I'll just throw some numbers out there for the record, so we can all see how they trend as the training goes. Like I said when I started this, I am writing this as much for myself as a record for future reference. 

Weight

Post Order of Hrimthurs Feb 22  -  216 lbs

Today  Mar 29  - 206.8 lbs
Goal - 195ish

Mileage

Week of March 5    31 miles

Week of March 12  33 miles

Week of March 17  49 miles

Week of March 24  40 miles