Monday: Paris Explorations: another short jaunt around the suburbs outside paris. Everything feels ok.
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:
Saturday: VCU 100. an encore performance of leadville. except this time i stretched it out to 36miles. the morning started out ok, a little sluggish, but nothing too bad. the temperatures were warm for this time of year.
the terrain was much drier then last year, with only a couple sections of mud. took a short detour about 500' before the 1st aid station, a group of us went off trail for maybe 1/4 mile before turning around and getting back on course.
i grabbed some gels and water at the first aid station and a handful of cookies. the next section is a fun little jaunt through the woods. Around mile 7 a group of bees set up a hive, or so it seems.
several of us were stung on the way through. i got stung on my right achilles.
there was a bit of walk run going on here. I started feeling a little better and decided to try and get some miles behind me while things were going ok.
The alpine loop was a lot of walking up some slick and steeper climbs, and a little slippery section through mudy rocks on the descent back into the aid station.
The next section is an out and back with some ups and downs leading out to daisy hollow. The 13 miles out took me 3 hours and the return 13 miles took me 4 hours.
The return trip from daisy hollow was where things really rell apart. I pretty much walked back with some punctuations of a poor attempt at jogging.
Sunday:
Retrospective: another eye opening week, lots of rest coming up, and an appointment to follow up on the blood work on monday oct 1. after that i'll see how to proceed. until then i'm going to take it easy and try to focus on getting some consistently good meals.
Summary:
Total Time: 11:12
Run Time: 11:12
Distance: 38.8
TSS: 222
Climbing: 7,605'
Friday, September 28, 2012
20120916 week summary
Monday: coronado 10k loop: i started out interested in seeing how i could do on a solid effort at a10k, just a bit short of racing. let's call it a high tempo effort. the first 3 miles felt very comfortable, then miles 4 and 5 caught up to me and i found myself trying to keep the balance between a hard effort and abdominal cramps. i was able to stay pretty consistent and struggled through the last 3 miles. it turned out to be a bit closer to race pace then i was hoping for. and an overall slow race pace. perhaps some faster stuff is calling.
Tuesday: rest
Wednesday: torrey santa fe wanderings: i'm really tiring of these lackluster days. after about 50 yards of slogging, i opted for a walk around the neighborhoods
Thursday: short loop around home: sirius and i took a short walk, which he considers more of a longer walk.
Peerless loop: started off nice and relaxed, once i saw things clicking off pretty well, i decided to hold the effort around an easier tempo to see how long it would last. i felt pretty good the entire time
Friday: travel/rest day
Saturday: Paris explorations: run down champs-elysees. my legs felt pretty good, i kept it pretty mellow and easy, just happy to be out in the early morning and feeling good
Sunday: Paris park explorations: legs a little flat, but better then most runs of late. so i decided to wander around one of the parks in paris. my feet are a little beat up. the run was short and easy, just a short jaunt to keep my legs loose and try to keep moving.
Retrospective: another week littered with rest and a couple tempo efforts, trying to keep things low mileage and higher intensity, allowing for more recovery time to see if it helps alleviate the lethargy.
Summary:
Total Time: 3:56
Run Time: 3:56
Distance: 26.1
TSS: 289
Climbing: 1,880'
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Leadville 100 - or in my case 30
Just in case i wasn't having enough trouble figuring things out, there are some new and exciting unknowns brought about by this years experience in leadville.
There was nothing spectacular or really even out of the ordinary leading up to saturday's effort. I had a fairly normal week leading up to the race, full of my typical lethargy i get on a good taper. The only thing abnormal was come race morning the lethargy never lifted, i just dug deeper into the hole of sluggishness.
I was up early and had a light breakfast, mixed nutrition that would last through the 1st 20 - 25 miles and should get me to the fish hatchery. Sara and i were at the start between 3:30 and 3:45, Her brother Eric and dad were out to support her for the weekend.
I went through one last check, the morning was warm so i had only a long sleeve and hat on. there was the usual hooha leading up to the start and then the starting shot and we were off in a grand old walk to the front and starting line. oh so reminiscent of those lovely marathon starts where they cram too many people into too small a space.
yes, this is exactly why i prefer trail runs, to avoid just this predicament. i was hoping to finish leadville this year and not have to return for this part of the experience. Sara and i were together for the first couple miles then we drifted apart and were on our own journeys.
i was feeling ok for the 1st 3 - 4 miles, then shortly before we turned into the single track the lead filled my legs. hmm, i'm sure this will pass. so i kept plodding along.
as i followed the train into the woods around turquoise lake, even the small inclines warranted a walk. i tried drinking and getting in my calories, hoping this would help shake off the sluggishness.
At mile 7 I saw Eric and Craig, smiled briefly and kept plodding along. things continued to degrade as i made my way to mayqueen. Roughly 2.5 hours for the 1st 13 miles and i wasn't getting any better. I grabbed a sandwich at mayqueen, washed it down with some water and continued to drink my calories.
I was coming to grips with the fact that it was likely going to be a much shorter day then i expected. another bad day. going up towards hagerman pass proved as slow. it wasn't long before sara passed me. she smiled and continued on.
I walked much of this section, and the dirt road leading up and over. I attempted to run some of the flat sections, but there wasn't anything there. I was able to muster a very meek showing on the descent down to the road leading to the fish hatchery.
when i got on the road, Eric and Craig were waiting there, smiling and offering words of encouragement. i grimaced and commented that i may be getting a ride from them at the fish hatchery. I had 20 minutes to make it the 2 miles to fish hatchery before the cutoff.
i mustered the best jog i could and beat the cutoff out of the fish hatchery, which promised me another 7 or 8 miles of struggle trying to keep things moving forward. I was hopeful i'd catch Eric and Craig before they left the outward bound section so i could finish my day up.
Unfortunately i was too slow, and saw them leaving as i was heading in. There was another 3 or 4 miles to the next aid station, then 9 more into twin lakes. so i figured i'd have another 1/2 marathon before i'd be done. I did what i could to maintain a steady jog through the rest. On the climbs it was all i could do to keep moving forward, running or jogging wasn't even a remote thought.
things continued to descend into a pretty abysmal state. I couldn't get enough calories in and there was no energy coming back out. when i finally got to the next aid station, i was informed i was too slow to carry on: 7:30 for 30 miles off a relatively fast section of the course. yeah, that's not gonna cut it.
today definitely wasn't my day. I have no idea what happened, i just know my legs were never there, and with every step, i felt like someone was sucking more energy from my body.
perhaps it's time for a little rest and relaxation. I need to figure out my energy issues before things get any worse.
There was nothing spectacular or really even out of the ordinary leading up to saturday's effort. I had a fairly normal week leading up to the race, full of my typical lethargy i get on a good taper. The only thing abnormal was come race morning the lethargy never lifted, i just dug deeper into the hole of sluggishness.
I was up early and had a light breakfast, mixed nutrition that would last through the 1st 20 - 25 miles and should get me to the fish hatchery. Sara and i were at the start between 3:30 and 3:45, Her brother Eric and dad were out to support her for the weekend.
I went through one last check, the morning was warm so i had only a long sleeve and hat on. there was the usual hooha leading up to the start and then the starting shot and we were off in a grand old walk to the front and starting line. oh so reminiscent of those lovely marathon starts where they cram too many people into too small a space.
yes, this is exactly why i prefer trail runs, to avoid just this predicament. i was hoping to finish leadville this year and not have to return for this part of the experience. Sara and i were together for the first couple miles then we drifted apart and were on our own journeys.
i was feeling ok for the 1st 3 - 4 miles, then shortly before we turned into the single track the lead filled my legs. hmm, i'm sure this will pass. so i kept plodding along.
as i followed the train into the woods around turquoise lake, even the small inclines warranted a walk. i tried drinking and getting in my calories, hoping this would help shake off the sluggishness.
At mile 7 I saw Eric and Craig, smiled briefly and kept plodding along. things continued to degrade as i made my way to mayqueen. Roughly 2.5 hours for the 1st 13 miles and i wasn't getting any better. I grabbed a sandwich at mayqueen, washed it down with some water and continued to drink my calories.
I was coming to grips with the fact that it was likely going to be a much shorter day then i expected. another bad day. going up towards hagerman pass proved as slow. it wasn't long before sara passed me. she smiled and continued on.
I walked much of this section, and the dirt road leading up and over. I attempted to run some of the flat sections, but there wasn't anything there. I was able to muster a very meek showing on the descent down to the road leading to the fish hatchery.
when i got on the road, Eric and Craig were waiting there, smiling and offering words of encouragement. i grimaced and commented that i may be getting a ride from them at the fish hatchery. I had 20 minutes to make it the 2 miles to fish hatchery before the cutoff.
i mustered the best jog i could and beat the cutoff out of the fish hatchery, which promised me another 7 or 8 miles of struggle trying to keep things moving forward. I was hopeful i'd catch Eric and Craig before they left the outward bound section so i could finish my day up.
Unfortunately i was too slow, and saw them leaving as i was heading in. There was another 3 or 4 miles to the next aid station, then 9 more into twin lakes. so i figured i'd have another 1/2 marathon before i'd be done. I did what i could to maintain a steady jog through the rest. On the climbs it was all i could do to keep moving forward, running or jogging wasn't even a remote thought.
things continued to descend into a pretty abysmal state. I couldn't get enough calories in and there was no energy coming back out. when i finally got to the next aid station, i was informed i was too slow to carry on: 7:30 for 30 miles off a relatively fast section of the course. yeah, that's not gonna cut it.
today definitely wasn't my day. I have no idea what happened, i just know my legs were never there, and with every step, i felt like someone was sucking more energy from my body.
perhaps it's time for a little rest and relaxation. I need to figure out my energy issues before things get any worse.
Monday, September 24, 2012
20120909 Week summary
Monday: rest
Tuesday: more rest
Wednesday: Black mtn carmel mtn loop: so so run. legs are a bit flat and i'm a bit tired, but it seemed to go ok.
Thursday: wanderings: my legs and energy have absolutely fallen through the basement. a poor nights sleep combined with whatever riddle is plaguing me resulted in an incredibly slow run today. i almost turned around after 1/4 mile, but decided to plug ahead. during the last 2 miles i decided to really press the pace and see if i had anything in the tank. i was able to muster a couple of 7:30 ish miles mainly downhill and some flats. a very dissappointing day.
Friday: Black mtn carmel mtn loop: i decided to press things a bit today and see if i'm tired or just complacent from running slowly for so long. things started out very lethargic, heavy legs low motivation and it looked like another slog. then a little over a mile into it, starting into the climb up to black mountain i was holding a decent pace. i was pleasantly suprised and kept on it, at the top i was a bit tired, but continued to press through, knowing the back half was primarily downhill. i held a decent turnover through to the last 1/2 mile at which point i could feel my legs fading quickly. i settled back slightly and cruised in for my 1st sub 40 run of this route in a long time.
Saturday: El Capitan mtn alternative: today started out with the intent to summit el capitan mountain. only to find that neither my legs nor victoria's legs were interested in the elevation gain. so we turned around and explored a bit on the west side of wild cat canyon. there were some wanderings on the trans county trail and a meager attempt to get to san vicente resevoir followed by some good old bushwacking. the run turned into a fun filled escapade. a welcome variant to the usual quest for elevation gain or high mileage.
Sunday:
Retrospective: another week of lethargy and non responsive legs. outside of friday's run, everything was pretty lackluster and pointing towards a real need for big changes, perhaps rest and an evaluation of my current diet. i've scheduled an appointment to get some blood work done and see if that turns up anything
Summary:
Total Time: 3:48
Run Time: 3:48
Distance: 25.23
TSS: 245
Climbing: 3,186'
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
20120902 Week summary
Monday: Mission trails: and the legs are revolting again. absolutely nothing in the tank today. i walked up all of the climbs and muddled my way through the downs and flats. the mountain masochists feel a bit clunky for my taste so far and my feet move around in them a lot. though they are suprisingly nimble (i know a bit of a contradiction) through the rocky stuff.
Tuesday: Black mtn carmel mtn loop: good run. legs still feeling some affects from the mystery lethargy. as the run progressed my legs felt a bit better, still have some way to go on getting back into the swing of things. i'll continue with easy stuff for a bit longer then try to mix it up.
Wednesday: rest
Thursday: rest
Friday: rest
Saturday: rest
Sunday: rest
Retrospective: another week of extensive lethargy. hopefully all this rest is going in the bank, more likely i'm just in need of a complete re-work of my eating habits, which have been very poor for the last 2 or 3 months. i will likely be adjusting my training and diet for the remainder of the year in an attempt to find my energy and motivation.
Summary:
Total Time: 1:53
Run Time: 1:53
Distance: 11.99
TSS: 100
Climbing: 1405'
Tuesday: Black mtn carmel mtn loop: good run. legs still feeling some affects from the mystery lethargy. as the run progressed my legs felt a bit better, still have some way to go on getting back into the swing of things. i'll continue with easy stuff for a bit longer then try to mix it up.
Wednesday: rest
Thursday: rest
Friday: rest
Saturday: rest
Sunday: rest
Retrospective: another week of extensive lethargy. hopefully all this rest is going in the bank, more likely i'm just in need of a complete re-work of my eating habits, which have been very poor for the last 2 or 3 months. i will likely be adjusting my training and diet for the remainder of the year in an attempt to find my energy and motivation.
Summary:
Total Time: 1:53
Run Time: 1:53
Distance: 11.99
TSS: 100
Climbing: 1405'
20120826 Week summary
Monday: nothing - i'm going to make an honest attempt at letting my body get over this fatigue
Tuesday: repeat of monday - though i spent some time back and forthing on whether i could squeeze in a short easy run. ultimately being tired won out.
Wednesday: Black Mtn Camino Del sur loop: legs a little lethargic on climbs, but seemingly far better then the showing at leadville.
Thursday: feeling a bit off after yesterday, another down day, no running
Friday: Black Mtn Carmel mtn loop: legs feel a little heavy but are definitely coming around. my times are decent, though my legs feel slow and heavy.
Saturday: more rest
Sunday: another day of rest.
Retrospective: my legs just don't seem to have any pep. i'm struggling to get out of bed and running doesn't seem to be helping. looks like some more down time.
Summary:
Total Time: 1:45
Run Time: 1:45
Distance: 13.5
TSS: 138
Climbing: 1,240'
Tuesday: repeat of monday - though i spent some time back and forthing on whether i could squeeze in a short easy run. ultimately being tired won out.
Wednesday: Black Mtn Camino Del sur loop: legs a little lethargic on climbs, but seemingly far better then the showing at leadville.
Thursday: feeling a bit off after yesterday, another down day, no running
Friday: Black Mtn Carmel mtn loop: legs feel a little heavy but are definitely coming around. my times are decent, though my legs feel slow and heavy.
Saturday: more rest
Sunday: another day of rest.
Retrospective: my legs just don't seem to have any pep. i'm struggling to get out of bed and running doesn't seem to be helping. looks like some more down time.
Summary:
Total Time: 1:45
Run Time: 1:45
Distance: 13.5
TSS: 138
Climbing: 1,240'
Thursday, August 30, 2012
20120819 week summary
Monday: tunnels explorations: intended to do a 6 - 7 mile loop but i got turned around and wound up exploring a bit, my legs put or a very lackluster performance today, so i decided to head back cutting the run short. it's time to be smart and let the legs come back around.
Tuesday: running clinic: consisted of form work, stretches, drills, some hill repeats and a couple intervals. i've really lost a bit of speed. perhaps i need to add in some faster efforts and start working a bit on turnover.
Wednesday: Black mtn Carmel mtn loop: legs started out feeling sluggish, but the pace was decent. once i reach the top of black mountain things got easier and my legs started to turn over a bit better. things seem to be coming around.
Thursday:
Friday:
Saturday: Leadville 100 - i mean 30, at least for me. the first 4 - 5 miles felt ok, then it was as if someone sucked all the life out of my legs. everything became a huge effort, i was walking short low grade climbs, not pro-actively, but because i really didn't have the energy to run up them. i tried taking in as many calories as i could hoping it would bring things around, but that never happened. by mile 10 i was feeling like i would expect to feel around 80 or 90. by mile 30 i was 10 minutes behind the cutof and my day was over: 7:30ish for 30 miles, that's one huge step backwards. now to figure out what happened. a full report is forthcoming
Sunday:
Retrospective: and saturday was a most incredible experience. i'm not exactly sure what happened, i do know that i had absolutely nothing in the tank after just 5 miles, so i managed to eak out just under a marathon in a little over 6 hours on fumes. i will be taking some down time to try and figure out what caused the incredible fatigue i experienced.
Summary
Total Time: 9:57
Run Time: 9:57
Other Time: 0
Distance: 43
TSS: 289
Climbing: 4,124'
20120812 week summary
Monday: Sunday: spalding meadows run: i don't recall where we started, but carl and i joined geoff to shuttle the van to the skate cabin and catch up with the group around muir cabin.
the day started out raining. the rest of the group started up while we shuttled the cars around to the finishing point. carl, geoff, and i started up the trail which was an ideal choice for a rainy day as we'd wind up getting soaked in the meadows anyway.
today the entire group was out: karl, donna, damien, scott, andreas, rich, becca, jenny, corle and geoff where joined by glenn, guy, and carlyn.
goeff, karl, and i shuttled the van to where we would end the run then drove glen's car back and made a meager attempt (primarily hampered by karl and myself not being world class mountain runners:) at catching the group.
the trail up to muir cabin started out as dirt and mud turned into a stream and worked its way up until it was planked over a muskeg bog. somewhere along the climb to muir cabin goeff pulled off the trail and i wound up in front followed by goeff and then karl. karl and geoff chatted for a good bit of the climb before geoff took off to catch the group. by chatted, i mean karl asked geoff a question about his running (i don't recall the details as i was fully absorbed in the absurd endeavor to not slow goeff down on his climb). this meant i was all but racing up the trail as best i could listening to goeff answer karl's question, and karl's monosyllabic replies as he tried to continue the conversation. i was laughing inside, pretty sure that karl was working about as hard as i was (and had entered that i can't speak and am barely able to grunt acknowledgements phase of running) while goeff was happily chatting away.
it just helps me appreciate the level at which one needs to be in order to compete at that level. very admirable.
the climb was runnable, though at a very slow pace for both karl and myself. we got to muir cabin shortly after the rest of the group and huddled inside to warm up and dry out before embarking on our adventure across the meadow.
we left the cabin and were pretty quickly into the meadow. glenn looked back and saw everyone but geoff when a bit of a smirk crossed his face and he inuired: " let's see how fast that geoff can run, lets go everybody" and took off through a small tree line and into another section of meadows.
these type of shennanigans continued throughout the meadows adventure. at one point we (Glen, Donna, Karl, Rich and myself) ducked down below a ridgeline to hide from the rest of the group, it was time for a new leader in glenn's words. we were there for a few minutes with Glenn hushing everybody, Donna and Karl were chatting and trying to figure out what we were doing down there while the others were passing us by.
running across the bog was quite the adventure, some of the footing was suprisingly good, like running on a giant foam covering floating on a bed of water. punctuated with pools of water, which make good swimming/hot tubs on warm days.
we did not partake in the pools as it was a bit overcast and chilly. we got to the end of the meadows (some 3 hours into the adventure) and regrouped 1 final time to go over the remainder of the route:
there would be a couple miles of slippery plank covered sections that would turn into some single track trail with logs laid down, then to dirt trails which would grow into double track dirt roads, and finally 1 - 2 miles of pavement which would take us pretty much to the van.
and we were off. everything stayed pretty well together until we got through to the dirt single track then the groups broke up a bit. the trail was pretty well washed out and neglected, we had some pretty good climbing over downed trees and sections of the hillside that had washed out over the trail.
after 3 or 4 of these and a handful of downed trees we were cruising down some fun single track.
before long scott and i were running down the double track together side by side, not talking just enjoying the experience, just a bit faster then was comfortable but not fast enough to be a race.
we traded off pressing the pace a bit throughout and continued like this until we were roughly 1/2 mile from the van, at which point we slowed just enough to make things comfortable. we got back to the van opened it up and grabbed some drinks.
the rest of the group trickled in, everybody was paired: becca and glenn came in, followed by damien and jenny. shortly thereafter donna and rich followed closely by karl and andreas. corle and goeff a little farther back.
another epic run.
Tuesday: Mt jumbo ascent: this was our introduction to juneau steep. the day was supposed to be a recovery day with 1 - 2 hours of running the pretty flat treadwell ditch trail.
the cloud cover lifted and the rain lightened enough that when we got to the meeting point for the run, there was another option: 1/2 of us chose plan b - mt jumbo ascent, the other 1/2 joined the geezers along the treadwell ditch trail.
damien, scott, becca, carl, and myself joined geoff and john for the climb up mt jumbo while rich, andreas, and donna went with glenn, klaus, guy, and some of the other geezers on treadwell ditch.
we would all meet up after the run at sandy beach for a picnic style brunch.
we started out with some runnable ascent over planked muskeg swamps and some muddy dirt climbs before we got to the stepe section. as promised very steep covered in wet roots, mud and rocks. we pressed on through this for quit some time before we got above treeline.
we looked back down to juneau and over at the ridges which we were hoping to get an opportunity to run later in the week. then we continued the ascent, crossed a handfull of snow fields and some mountain goat climbing. a completely different experince. once we were at the top we sat for a bit and enjoyed the views.
we started down and were greeted by geoff, he was looking for becca and scott, who had apparently taken a spur trail that wasn't really a trail. the 3 of us headed down so geoff and/or john could look for becca and scott. we ran into damien shortly thereafter followed soon by becca an scott. carl had turned around to head back to the brunch.
john went down to make sure carl made it back, geoff, becca, scott, damien and i continued back up to mt jumbo peak, enjoyed the views for a bit and started back down.
becca and scott made the descent look easy and were soon well out of sight. damien took a little longer to dissappear form sight, but did before we entered back into treeline.
geoff stayed back with me as i nervously picked my way through the descent. there is a lot of room for improvement in my ability to do technical descents especially when there is water, rocks and wet mud involved.
geoff would pick his way down and wait periodically, exchanging texts with the group at the bottom letting them know when to expect who in what order roughly.
It took me about the same time to descend from the peak as it took me to climb. definitely room to improve on the more technical descents.
Wednesday: Juneau Ridge loop: we (damien, carl, donna, rich, scott, andreas, becca, geoff, corle)met up with several locals (guy, rosie, dan, brian, john and glenn) for what would prove to be the most diverse and epic runs of the camp. which is saying a lot as we've had some great excurions over the last 3 days.
epic run. legs definitely a bit haggard from the past 3 days, of climbing (including yesterday's "recovery" day / climb up mt jumbo). we all started out together on perseverance trail. after ~ 1 mile we began the direct ascent of juneau peak and 1/2 the group continued on perseverance through to granite ridge.
those of use that went towards juneau peak were hoping the weather would hold and we'd get to do the ridge and connect up with granite ridge.
the climb up had some pretty good ascents and goat paths. Carl and Donna turned around before the peak and enjoyed some of the spur trails off perseverance. shortly after that, dan, brian and rosie turned down as well (they had some prior commitments).
those of us that continued enjoyed lots of hiking and slow running up to the peak. some very interesting stream crossing and traversals punctuated by seveal sections of scrambling on all 4s (at least for me). and then the peak.
once over the peak we regrouped. then carried on with some slow going jogging and incredible views. as we came into view of the snow fields, we were greeted by the other half of the camp (they came up through granite.
some of use followed the snowpack down for the rendevous while the rest of use picked our way down the dirt path into the snowfield to meet up and form nearly the full group again.
we regrouped exchanged some stories and all enjoyed the good fortune that allowed us to pass over the ridge and meet up for a group trek back down the snow fields and granite ridge into perseverance.
down into the snowfield. the hard pack made for a bit more challenging descent, somewhere between sliding down on foot, careening semi out of control on my bottom, and the occassional jog down on my feet.
we regrouped 2 times or so, and each of the locals paired up with 1 or 2 of us guests to ensure safe passage, impart a little local knowledge and share in the enjoyment.
the descent was fun, a bit slow for myself, as i'm still getting comfortable with the footing and coordination required to descend these types of trails.
i cautiously picked my way through the rocky, wet, muddy, icy and snow mixture gaining confidence, and wound up a little over confident on a planked section that saw my feet come out form under me and a good solid landing on my left hip and right hand.
i got up dusted off a bit and was back on the way, a bit more cautious and no worse for the wear other then a little soreness from the landing.
just before the trial opened up Geoff had turned back to check on us and I was fortunate enough to run the remainder 3ish miles down to the van with him. we spoke briefly early on, and then fell into silence as he glided over the course and i did what i could to enjoy the descent.
with 1 - 1.5 miles left i had a strange pain shoot through my left foot. this would come and go as we continued so i slowed my pace a bit, and geof continued to match my pace.
the pains continued periodically until we got to the van. scott and becca where already there, and damien was right behind us, followed shortly behind by john and andreas. not 5 minutes later rich, glen, and corle finished up.
the day turned out pretty well, we went from a shot at juneau ridge trail that wasn't likely to a full crossing of the ridge trail with some incredile views, to meeting up with the rest of the group and enjoying the trek down granite ridge and perseverance trail.
Thursday: Herbert River trail: a good run with some higher efforts enjoying the opportunity to stretch the legs and let things go a bit. karl and donna did just that. we were running for a little when glenn decided he needed to take a break for some reason or other. donna, rich, karl and i ran together for a bit.
after a little while Glenn came riding by on an old rusted up bike he had apparently stashed in the weeds along the trail.
after a little bit, karl and i pulled away from the group for a bit. damien and john caught up to us a little before we reached the glacier. today was a nice reprieve from the climbing earlier in the week.
Friday: Black mtn Carmel mtn Loop: legs definitely feel the weeks climbing efforts. i feel a bit sluggish and the legs are heavy. just took it easy, never pushed the pace as it would have been a futile effort.
Saturday:
Sunday:
Retrospective: an incredible week of running in alaska with a great group of people. damien managed to capture some breathtaking shots (also available grouped by map locales). I was welcomed back to reality with the Chula Vista Challenge race prep. so lots of helping out set up the course and trying to make sure things go just so for the athletes.
Summary
Total Time: 14:33
Run Time: 14:33
Other Time: 0
Distance: 51.5
TSS: 365
Climbing: 13,461'
20120805 Week summary
Monday:
Tuesday: pre-rehab run: i was running a bit behind schedule so the pace was pressed slightly, though my legs didn't really turn over very well.
post rehab run: the lethargy continues, though the route is slightly uphill, i'm still not running how i'd hoped to be at this point in my training. i'm really going to need to give some serious thought to recovery and diet changes.
Wednesday: bryce canyon - sunset rim trail to horse loop and some others: an easy start over relatively flat very nice trails.
Sara and I stopped and enjoyed some of the views before dropping down into the canyon. my legs were feeling a bit tired but the scenery was making it all worth while. i did pretty well on the descents and had some slowness on the flats and climbs.
though i managed to run the entire climb back out of the canyon (some 700 - 800 ft of gain). my legs were better then they were at noble canyon, but still far from peppy.
we took it easy for the mile or so back to the camp site. an unspectacular day of running filled with incredible views.
Thursday: 3/4 hope pass ascent from twin lakes. my legs had very little in them today, sara, izzy, and i started out very slowly, i walked a good bit of the 2 mile lead up to the climb. when we got to the base of the climb i tried to muster a bit of a run, but nothing really came of it, so it was going to be a hiking day. we continued up for close to 1 hour before sara and izzy turned around.
i continued up, contemplating reaching the top.it soon started raining, my tired legs and desire to avoid being caught out in any kind of bad weather hastened my turn around, and i slowly picked my way down the path trying to avoid the rocks and other uneven or slippery surfaces. i soon caught back up with izzy and sara. we ran together for a little bit then i went ahead and waited at the first stream crossing. the water was cold and a little over knee deep. we again separated on the other side of the crossing, i wound up taking a different trail and chasing after a snake for a bit before heading back towards twin lakes. the lethargy in my legs continued and i slowly made my way back to the car, arriving a little after sara and izzy.
good company and good scenery to offset the poor showing by my legs.
Friday: travel to Juneau for Alaska Mountain Ultrarunning Camp hosted by Goeff Roes
Saturday:
Sunday: glacier loop with nugget creek trail spur: the day started out pretty clear but the cloud cover rolled in, relegating us to an easier introduction to juneau running then the juneau ridge route.
we parked at the skate cabin and were greeted by john and gina.
Goeff and John discussed the plan and off we went. the weather was a little chilly and damp, and within 20 minuites we were running through the shores of lake mendenhall were it had overrun the path due to high rains and snow levels.
the trail continued on flat and fun through some forests for another 10 - 15 minutes. when we came across a crowd of tourists. they were gathered looking at a treed bear cub. so we took a break and each took turns oggling the bear cub, then were on our way again.
the trail turned up and we were making our way through some muddy rooted rocky climbs with john telling us about how much the glacier had receded in the past several years. and other stories.
we stopped 2 or 3 times to enjoy some incredible views of the glacier, the ice floats in the lake, a small lean too that was weathered and falling apart, and a spectacular if not precarious view of a nugget creek waterfall at the turnaround.
we then proceeded to retrace our steps back to the glacier loop trail and back to the van, where we soaked in the icy lake for a little and ate our sandwiches and drinks while recounting the stories of who had fallen and how different the running is from anything any of us had done before.
Retrospective: an incredible week of running, i started out in southern california, worked my way up to colorado, stopping in utah, and finished off in Juneau. I couldn't think of a more disparate week from beginning to end. each stop along the way proved to be incredibly scenic and fun, despite the fact that i've had some pretty sluggish days, my legs seem to be coming around. i'm still tired, but feeling a little less sluggish. i'm really looking forward to the next 4 days exploring the trails in Juneau.
I'm really enjoying the group dynamics, everybody is pretty humble yet talented in their own right. it's fun to see how each persons strengths play out during the runs. Donna and Rich shine on the groomed trails and stretches of roads, Scott and Damien seem to have a good go on the technical descents as well as being pretty strong climbers, becca gets stronger as the trails get more technical, Karl did well on moderate trails with some light climbing, andreas is very persistent and entertaining in a german/austrian way - things he says that shouldn't really be funny are for some reason. i still haven't figured out why, but they definitely are. I'm not sure what Jenny's strengths were, as she only ran 1 day due to some lingering issues. She has a very strong personality and seems like one to be incredibly persistent. Corle is full of emotion and incredibly good at pointing out the positives. Goeff is an intersting mix of quiet reserved and incredibly talented and interested in sharing his love for running.
a very fun group to spend the week with and we all seem to be getting along magically.
Summary
Total Time: 8:06
Run Time: 8:06
Other Time: 0
Distance: 33
TSS: 235
Climbing: 6,785'
Tuesday: pre-rehab run: i was running a bit behind schedule so the pace was pressed slightly, though my legs didn't really turn over very well.
post rehab run: the lethargy continues, though the route is slightly uphill, i'm still not running how i'd hoped to be at this point in my training. i'm really going to need to give some serious thought to recovery and diet changes.
Wednesday: bryce canyon - sunset rim trail to horse loop and some others: an easy start over relatively flat very nice trails.
Sara and I stopped and enjoyed some of the views before dropping down into the canyon. my legs were feeling a bit tired but the scenery was making it all worth while. i did pretty well on the descents and had some slowness on the flats and climbs.
though i managed to run the entire climb back out of the canyon (some 700 - 800 ft of gain). my legs were better then they were at noble canyon, but still far from peppy.
we took it easy for the mile or so back to the camp site. an unspectacular day of running filled with incredible views.
Thursday: 3/4 hope pass ascent from twin lakes. my legs had very little in them today, sara, izzy, and i started out very slowly, i walked a good bit of the 2 mile lead up to the climb. when we got to the base of the climb i tried to muster a bit of a run, but nothing really came of it, so it was going to be a hiking day. we continued up for close to 1 hour before sara and izzy turned around.
i continued up, contemplating reaching the top.it soon started raining, my tired legs and desire to avoid being caught out in any kind of bad weather hastened my turn around, and i slowly picked my way down the path trying to avoid the rocks and other uneven or slippery surfaces. i soon caught back up with izzy and sara. we ran together for a little bit then i went ahead and waited at the first stream crossing. the water was cold and a little over knee deep. we again separated on the other side of the crossing, i wound up taking a different trail and chasing after a snake for a bit before heading back towards twin lakes. the lethargy in my legs continued and i slowly made my way back to the car, arriving a little after sara and izzy.
good company and good scenery to offset the poor showing by my legs.
Friday: travel to Juneau for Alaska Mountain Ultrarunning Camp hosted by Goeff Roes
Saturday:
Sunday: glacier loop with nugget creek trail spur: the day started out pretty clear but the cloud cover rolled in, relegating us to an easier introduction to juneau running then the juneau ridge route.
we parked at the skate cabin and were greeted by john and gina.
Goeff and John discussed the plan and off we went. the weather was a little chilly and damp, and within 20 minuites we were running through the shores of lake mendenhall were it had overrun the path due to high rains and snow levels.
the trail continued on flat and fun through some forests for another 10 - 15 minutes. when we came across a crowd of tourists. they were gathered looking at a treed bear cub. so we took a break and each took turns oggling the bear cub, then were on our way again.
the trail turned up and we were making our way through some muddy rooted rocky climbs with john telling us about how much the glacier had receded in the past several years. and other stories.
we stopped 2 or 3 times to enjoy some incredible views of the glacier, the ice floats in the lake, a small lean too that was weathered and falling apart, and a spectacular if not precarious view of a nugget creek waterfall at the turnaround.
we then proceeded to retrace our steps back to the glacier loop trail and back to the van, where we soaked in the icy lake for a little and ate our sandwiches and drinks while recounting the stories of who had fallen and how different the running is from anything any of us had done before.
Retrospective: an incredible week of running, i started out in southern california, worked my way up to colorado, stopping in utah, and finished off in Juneau. I couldn't think of a more disparate week from beginning to end. each stop along the way proved to be incredibly scenic and fun, despite the fact that i've had some pretty sluggish days, my legs seem to be coming around. i'm still tired, but feeling a little less sluggish. i'm really looking forward to the next 4 days exploring the trails in Juneau.
I'm really enjoying the group dynamics, everybody is pretty humble yet talented in their own right. it's fun to see how each persons strengths play out during the runs. Donna and Rich shine on the groomed trails and stretches of roads, Scott and Damien seem to have a good go on the technical descents as well as being pretty strong climbers, becca gets stronger as the trails get more technical, Karl did well on moderate trails with some light climbing, andreas is very persistent and entertaining in a german/austrian way - things he says that shouldn't really be funny are for some reason. i still haven't figured out why, but they definitely are. I'm not sure what Jenny's strengths were, as she only ran 1 day due to some lingering issues. She has a very strong personality and seems like one to be incredibly persistent. Corle is full of emotion and incredibly good at pointing out the positives. Goeff is an intersting mix of quiet reserved and incredibly talented and interested in sharing his love for running.
a very fun group to spend the week with and we all seem to be getting along magically.
Summary
Total Time: 8:06
Run Time: 8:06
Other Time: 0
Distance: 33
TSS: 235
Climbing: 6,785'
Sunday, July 29, 2012
20120729 week summary
Monday: Tunnels explorations - my lungs never really caught up with this run. it did not feel like an extraordinary effort on my legs, but for some reason my lungs were struggling to keep up. perhaps the scenery is just too breathtaking? it's a nice loop
Tuesday:
weights:
bench press:
10 @ 135
6 @ 155
2 @ 175 (some help on #2)
2 @ 185 (some help on both)
6 @ 135
curls:
10 @ 25
10 @ 35
squats:
2 x(20 @ 225 (single leg squats) 5 regular squats)
10 @ 315 (single leg squats) 5 regular squats<
pepper main broadway loop +. started out feeling good, so i decided to make it a harder tempo run, even with ~ 1:30 stop at the bank i managed to run a decent 10k. on this course. my legs felt pretty good throughout, though i felt as though i was fading slightly the last 1/2 mile. i almost forgot how fun it is to press the shorter efforts.
Wednesday: Black mtn Camino Del sur loop CW. good run this morning, expecially on the heels of last nights tempo. i tried to keep the entire run comfortable but found myself pressing the effort slightly on several sections due to things feeling pretty good, and the time being relatively quick. maybe i can uncover just a little speed in my legs after all.
Thursday: Mission trails north fortuna summit. legs are utterly worthless today. i managed to jog up the climbs, but felt completely useless.
Friday: El cajon mtn: managed to run the first 3 or 3.5 miles when i caught up to kariem. we hiked and jogged a bit more enjoyed some of the views from one of the lesser peaks then headed back down. legs still feel frustratingly flat.
Saturday: Greenfield cuyamaca gillespie marshall loop: in an effort to be smart and take my own advice, i opted for a flat easy run today so my legs can absorb the training. there were some sections that almost felt good, but soon faded back to mediocrity and lethargic.
Sunday: Noble Canyon: a very runnable climb for moderate to strong runners, not my classification this weekend. legs felt pretty good early on, then imploded about 2 miles from the top and never came back around. perhaps i didn't get enough water or nutrition, or perhaps i've just succeeded in running my legs into the ground. i'm looking forward to a couple easy days and seeing where things go.
Retrospective: a very gritty week. primarily me being stubborn and trying to jump back in with high mileage without really thinking about what has me feeling so run down. those questions are bubbling to the top, so i'll be spending some time thinking about it and seeing if i can find a way to absorb the hard work and hopefully improve my running along the way. for now i'll focus on enjoying things
SUMMARY
Total Time: 12:58
Run Time: 12:28
Other Time: :30
Distance: 62.5
TSS: 588
Climbing: 10,098'
Tuesday:
weights:
bench press:
10 @ 135
6 @ 155
2 @ 175 (some help on #2)
2 @ 185 (some help on both)
6 @ 135
curls:
10 @ 25
10 @ 35
squats:
2 x(20 @ 225 (single leg squats) 5 regular squats)
10 @ 315 (single leg squats) 5 regular squats<
pepper main broadway loop +. started out feeling good, so i decided to make it a harder tempo run, even with ~ 1:30 stop at the bank i managed to run a decent 10k. on this course. my legs felt pretty good throughout, though i felt as though i was fading slightly the last 1/2 mile. i almost forgot how fun it is to press the shorter efforts.
Wednesday: Black mtn Camino Del sur loop CW. good run this morning, expecially on the heels of last nights tempo. i tried to keep the entire run comfortable but found myself pressing the effort slightly on several sections due to things feeling pretty good, and the time being relatively quick. maybe i can uncover just a little speed in my legs after all.
Thursday: Mission trails north fortuna summit. legs are utterly worthless today. i managed to jog up the climbs, but felt completely useless.
Friday: El cajon mtn: managed to run the first 3 or 3.5 miles when i caught up to kariem. we hiked and jogged a bit more enjoyed some of the views from one of the lesser peaks then headed back down. legs still feel frustratingly flat.
Saturday: Greenfield cuyamaca gillespie marshall loop: in an effort to be smart and take my own advice, i opted for a flat easy run today so my legs can absorb the training. there were some sections that almost felt good, but soon faded back to mediocrity and lethargic.
Sunday: Noble Canyon: a very runnable climb for moderate to strong runners, not my classification this weekend. legs felt pretty good early on, then imploded about 2 miles from the top and never came back around. perhaps i didn't get enough water or nutrition, or perhaps i've just succeeded in running my legs into the ground. i'm looking forward to a couple easy days and seeing where things go.
Retrospective: a very gritty week. primarily me being stubborn and trying to jump back in with high mileage without really thinking about what has me feeling so run down. those questions are bubbling to the top, so i'll be spending some time thinking about it and seeing if i can find a way to absorb the hard work and hopefully improve my running along the way. for now i'll focus on enjoying things
SUMMARY
Total Time: 12:58
Run Time: 12:28
Other Time: :30
Distance: 62.5
TSS: 588
Climbing: 10,098'
Saturday, July 28, 2012
20120722 week summary
Monday: DAY OFF
Tuesday: short hike up at altitude. some short explorations from loveland pass in colorado. it's tough to breath above 10,000'
Wednesday: DAY OFF
Thursday: Tunnels explorations. legs felt pretty good today through most of it, i tried pressing the pace a bit early, and wound up a bit tired towards the end.
Friday: Black Mtn Carmel Mtn loop: a bit tired this morning. yesterdays effort is still lingering in my legs, and perhaps a bit from sunday. almost skipped today's run completely, but decided to press on and just keep it low key and slow. legs felt reasonably good towards the end.
deadlift: 3x10 @ 165lbs
pull ups - 0 assist - 3 sets of 4
Saturday: Oakzanita peak hike. trying to take some time and enjoy the scenery. it's a bit different, but quite lovely once you get past the thought of getting anywhere quickly.
Sunday: Arroyo Seco Airplane monument loop: another day of enjoying the scenery.
Retrospective: another tired week, i took the weekend to recover a bit and do some hiking.
Summary:
Total Time: 10:35
Run Time: 10:05
Other Time: :30
Distance: 26.2
TSS: 196
Climbing: 4,583'
Silver Rush 50
The Silver Rush 50 was an opportunity to get out to leadville and see how my legs and lungs hold up at altitude and how my current approach to training is panning out.
I found out a couple weeks before that Sara would be running this one too. We coordinated our travels and shared the rental car and camping expenses. It was good to have a familiar face to share the experience with, as well as witness Sara's first attempt at 50.
We camped out about 7 miles from the start. the night before there was a little rain but no wind, far better then my previous pre-race camp experience in south dakota. We woke up 1 hour before the start and I had some yogurt and berries for breakfast. Then we headed over to the race start finalized our preparation and were ready to run. My garmin 910xt had gotten turned on in my pack and killed the battery so i was running sans gps on this go
I'd filled my nathan pack with 2 liters of water and 2 gels added to my water. I anticipated that with my breakfast would get me through to the 1st aid station at what would turn out to be 7 miles (once again i went into this event with minimal knowledge of the logistics, other then we would climb above 12,000' a total of 4 times over the course of our roughly 50 mile journey).
we started at 6:01 am, with a scramble up the side of a short but steep hill - the first male and female to the top would each receive a coin which entitles them to an entry in august's Leadville 100. I was quite content walking up the hill and allowing the strong runner to duke it out. After getting to the top, we traversed a short ridge and then funneled down into some single track which carried on for a bit before opening up into a dirt road and some ski access roads. my legs were exceptionally flat from the start.
1 of the gels i added to my water was a peppermint flavored gel, which seemed to work it's way down into the drinking tube at near full concentration. this was far too sweet for my taste on the day. So i would sparingly sip on water due to the taste.
most of the first section was spent climbing, the first aid station consisted of a table with a big water cooler and a bowl of goldfish crackers and a lady with a bag of what i thought were gels. I grabbed two handfuls of goldfish crackers and was on my way.
i spent much of the 2nd section walking the climbs, once we got to the crest and started to descend slightly on a fire road. i mustered a jog for much of the descent and the short climb up to the 2nd aid station. i don't recall much of the options here, but think there was some fruit which i would likely have grabbed some of and pressed on through striking out for a bit of a descent and then another climb.
i ran pretty comfortably down and once the course turned up again, i was reduced to a walk again. my legs were flat and my energy levels were dropping due to lack of nutrition. the heat was getting to me, i got into the 3rd aid station and realized i needed to get food in me and gels in my nathan pack. i added 4 to my water and 3 in my pack to between here and the turn around. i had 2 sandwiches and some fruit, drank several cups of water and was on my way.
i was able to jog most of this section, walking the early climbs to let my body absorb the nutrition and catch up. the course turned down for a couple miles leading into the turnaround i mustered a comfortable jog and was holding consistent down into the turnaround.
i grabbed some more fruit restocked my gels and added 3 more gels to my water mixture and was on my way. i ran into sara shortly after leaving the aid station. she looked pretty fresh and in good spirits. i wished her well and went on my way.
i was able to jog slowly up most of the climbs from here to the next aid station. even when i was walking i was making pretty good time. i was able to maintain for much of return trip. had several cups of water and more food before restocking my gels and water mixture. then was back on my way, jogging much of the descent and a good bit of the climb back into the aid station. this is the 2nd to last aid station, i grab a couple bits of fruit, drink some and am on my way through.
the last of the tough climbs is just ahead, and this combined with the heat really slowed me. i kept pressing on and eventually made it up to the top of the climb. i was slow initially coming into the descent due to the rocky terrain and my legs being pretty beat up. i eased back into the running and after a few miles got it in my head to press it into the finish.
i came into the final aid station feeling ambitious and looking to finish this strong. the only roctane i found was chocolate cherry roctane (more of a dessert then sustenance during a run). i grabbed a couple drank some water and had 1 gel at the station before heading back out.
much of the rest of the course was very runable, mainly dirt with some rocks. at this time i was pressing hard. it started to rain, a welcome reprieve from the sun, just enough of a rain to cool down and not enough to really make it too muddy. i kept pressing and wondering how long can i sustain? how much is left until the finish?
every turn i was hoping to see the the final climb up to the top of the opening hill. i kept coming upon other runners and running out of ambition, but no final hill. i choked down one of the roctanes and washed it down with the last of my water. after about a mile i saw the last climb and i hiked it as quickly as i could muster. at the top i discovered the course looped around before coming down the hill.
i crossed the finish line and was pretty well spent from the final push. i sat down briefly. after a short rest i headed backwards on the course for a bit to see if i could come across sara, after about a mile i was tired and realized i wasn't up for hiking backwards on the course. i went back to the finish area and grabbed some food.
i choked down what i could of a pulled pork sandwich, some coleslaw and a fruit salad. i waited around a bit before hiking backwards on the course again to see if i could find sara. i ran into her on the top of the hill, we chatted a bit, and i left her to cross the finish the line.
all in all it was a good day i made some very rookie mistakes early on, and managed to turn things around and finish strong.
I found out a couple weeks before that Sara would be running this one too. We coordinated our travels and shared the rental car and camping expenses. It was good to have a familiar face to share the experience with, as well as witness Sara's first attempt at 50.
We camped out about 7 miles from the start. the night before there was a little rain but no wind, far better then my previous pre-race camp experience in south dakota. We woke up 1 hour before the start and I had some yogurt and berries for breakfast. Then we headed over to the race start finalized our preparation and were ready to run. My garmin 910xt had gotten turned on in my pack and killed the battery so i was running sans gps on this go
I'd filled my nathan pack with 2 liters of water and 2 gels added to my water. I anticipated that with my breakfast would get me through to the 1st aid station at what would turn out to be 7 miles (once again i went into this event with minimal knowledge of the logistics, other then we would climb above 12,000' a total of 4 times over the course of our roughly 50 mile journey).
we started at 6:01 am, with a scramble up the side of a short but steep hill - the first male and female to the top would each receive a coin which entitles them to an entry in august's Leadville 100. I was quite content walking up the hill and allowing the strong runner to duke it out. After getting to the top, we traversed a short ridge and then funneled down into some single track which carried on for a bit before opening up into a dirt road and some ski access roads. my legs were exceptionally flat from the start.
1 of the gels i added to my water was a peppermint flavored gel, which seemed to work it's way down into the drinking tube at near full concentration. this was far too sweet for my taste on the day. So i would sparingly sip on water due to the taste.
most of the first section was spent climbing, the first aid station consisted of a table with a big water cooler and a bowl of goldfish crackers and a lady with a bag of what i thought were gels. I grabbed two handfuls of goldfish crackers and was on my way.
i spent much of the 2nd section walking the climbs, once we got to the crest and started to descend slightly on a fire road. i mustered a jog for much of the descent and the short climb up to the 2nd aid station. i don't recall much of the options here, but think there was some fruit which i would likely have grabbed some of and pressed on through striking out for a bit of a descent and then another climb.
i ran pretty comfortably down and once the course turned up again, i was reduced to a walk again. my legs were flat and my energy levels were dropping due to lack of nutrition. the heat was getting to me, i got into the 3rd aid station and realized i needed to get food in me and gels in my nathan pack. i added 4 to my water and 3 in my pack to between here and the turn around. i had 2 sandwiches and some fruit, drank several cups of water and was on my way.
i was able to jog most of this section, walking the early climbs to let my body absorb the nutrition and catch up. the course turned down for a couple miles leading into the turnaround i mustered a comfortable jog and was holding consistent down into the turnaround.
i grabbed some more fruit restocked my gels and added 3 more gels to my water mixture and was on my way. i ran into sara shortly after leaving the aid station. she looked pretty fresh and in good spirits. i wished her well and went on my way.
i was able to jog slowly up most of the climbs from here to the next aid station. even when i was walking i was making pretty good time. i was able to maintain for much of return trip. had several cups of water and more food before restocking my gels and water mixture. then was back on my way, jogging much of the descent and a good bit of the climb back into the aid station. this is the 2nd to last aid station, i grab a couple bits of fruit, drink some and am on my way through.
the last of the tough climbs is just ahead, and this combined with the heat really slowed me. i kept pressing on and eventually made it up to the top of the climb. i was slow initially coming into the descent due to the rocky terrain and my legs being pretty beat up. i eased back into the running and after a few miles got it in my head to press it into the finish.
i came into the final aid station feeling ambitious and looking to finish this strong. the only roctane i found was chocolate cherry roctane (more of a dessert then sustenance during a run). i grabbed a couple drank some water and had 1 gel at the station before heading back out.
much of the rest of the course was very runable, mainly dirt with some rocks. at this time i was pressing hard. it started to rain, a welcome reprieve from the sun, just enough of a rain to cool down and not enough to really make it too muddy. i kept pressing and wondering how long can i sustain? how much is left until the finish?
every turn i was hoping to see the the final climb up to the top of the opening hill. i kept coming upon other runners and running out of ambition, but no final hill. i choked down one of the roctanes and washed it down with the last of my water. after about a mile i saw the last climb and i hiked it as quickly as i could muster. at the top i discovered the course looped around before coming down the hill.
i crossed the finish line and was pretty well spent from the final push. i sat down briefly. after a short rest i headed backwards on the course for a bit to see if i could come across sara, after about a mile i was tired and realized i wasn't up for hiking backwards on the course. i went back to the finish area and grabbed some food.
i choked down what i could of a pulled pork sandwich, some coleslaw and a fruit salad. i waited around a bit before hiking backwards on the course again to see if i could find sara. i ran into her on the top of the hill, we chatted a bit, and i left her to cross the finish the line.
all in all it was a good day i made some very rookie mistakes early on, and managed to turn things around and finish strong.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
20120715 week summary
Monday: Black mtn carmel mtn loop. nice slow run to try and shake out the weekends miles and laziness.
Tuesday: Pre-rehab run. day started off slow, i just don't seem to have much in the way of climbing legs of late. the flats and descents are ok, but the climbs are absolutely slothful. the questoin becomes do i try to push through it or do i try to rest and hope things rebuild?
Wednesday: pepper broadway loop. incredibly lethargic again today, and i could feel yesterdays' lunch and dinner sitting in my intestines. the climbs were pretty poor, once i got over pepper and started into the descent, things improved slightly, but i could still feel the mass of food sitting there. so is it sleep, eating, or just too much running. time to try and figure it out. the good news is i still have 4 days before leadville so if it's either food or sleep there is time to regroup.
San Miguel - group run. my legs actually felt pretty good on this outing, climbed fairly well but very conservatlively in order to save some legs for sunday. Ascent just under 1 hour, then enjoyed the views for sometime before a leisurely descent
Thursday: Black Mtn Camino Del Sur loop. nice comfortable run. everything felt good, started off a little slow, otherwise i would likely have been a couple minutes faster. never really pushed the pace, just crusing along comfortably. perhaps the legs are coming back around?
Friday: Black Mtn Carmel Mtn loop: my food intake has been far too high the last week, i've put on close to 10lbs and have felt the weight of all i've been eating sitting in my gut on all but 2 of my runs in the past week. time to be more sensible about eating and hopefully that will contribute to a more comfortable run. my legs felt fine today, just couldn't run due to the excess weight i'm carrying around.
nice easy loop from the shop with Natalie and Kariem. legs feel good, as they should on an easy run. got to enjoy some of the quiet trails in the dark around the shop.
Saturday: Day off. Number 23 of the year. yes, 23 days without running in 2012 so far.
Sunday: Silver Rush 50: a pretty poor start, not much in the tank and the legs were horribly heavy for the 1st 18 miles. I only took in 2 handfuls of goldfish and about 1 gel due to poor planning for the opening. at mile 18 i realized the error of my ways and enforced a minimum caloire intake between aid stations. from there i was able to move pretty consistently
through the rest of the course. i even pulled together for a strong finish, and only had 1 low point on the course whihc wasn't really a low point, just a long walk up what turns out to be a long slow climb. all in all i'm happy with the way the run went and have some more confidence going into august.
splits:
PrinterBoy (1 - 13): 3:05:31
Stumptown (13 - 24): 2:46:39
PrinterBoy (24 - 35): 2:19:45
Finish (37 - 48): 3:04:28
TOTAL: 11:16:22
Retrospective: it was an interesting week, lots of sluggishness and a bit too much eating makes for an interesting 50. I've made a big mental breakthrough on sunday, i'll go into the details of which in my post about the Silver Rush 50. Suffice it to say, there was 1 section during the run that i was wondering how much longer this would drag on, and that was within 2 miles of the finish and mainly because i'd decided to race from the last aid station into the finish (note this was the only section of the course that i tried to race). It seems i'm starting to wrap my head around this long stuff.
Summary:
Total Time: 20:03
Run Time: 18:48
Other Time: 1:15
Distance: 89.5
TSS: 593
Climbing: 14,836'
Tuesday: Pre-rehab run. day started off slow, i just don't seem to have much in the way of climbing legs of late. the flats and descents are ok, but the climbs are absolutely slothful. the questoin becomes do i try to push through it or do i try to rest and hope things rebuild?
Wednesday: pepper broadway loop. incredibly lethargic again today, and i could feel yesterdays' lunch and dinner sitting in my intestines. the climbs were pretty poor, once i got over pepper and started into the descent, things improved slightly, but i could still feel the mass of food sitting there. so is it sleep, eating, or just too much running. time to try and figure it out. the good news is i still have 4 days before leadville so if it's either food or sleep there is time to regroup.
San Miguel - group run. my legs actually felt pretty good on this outing, climbed fairly well but very conservatlively in order to save some legs for sunday. Ascent just under 1 hour, then enjoyed the views for sometime before a leisurely descent
Thursday: Black Mtn Camino Del Sur loop. nice comfortable run. everything felt good, started off a little slow, otherwise i would likely have been a couple minutes faster. never really pushed the pace, just crusing along comfortably. perhaps the legs are coming back around?
Friday: Black Mtn Carmel Mtn loop: my food intake has been far too high the last week, i've put on close to 10lbs and have felt the weight of all i've been eating sitting in my gut on all but 2 of my runs in the past week. time to be more sensible about eating and hopefully that will contribute to a more comfortable run. my legs felt fine today, just couldn't run due to the excess weight i'm carrying around.
nice easy loop from the shop with Natalie and Kariem. legs feel good, as they should on an easy run. got to enjoy some of the quiet trails in the dark around the shop.
Saturday: Day off. Number 23 of the year. yes, 23 days without running in 2012 so far.
Sunday: Silver Rush 50: a pretty poor start, not much in the tank and the legs were horribly heavy for the 1st 18 miles. I only took in 2 handfuls of goldfish and about 1 gel due to poor planning for the opening. at mile 18 i realized the error of my ways and enforced a minimum caloire intake between aid stations. from there i was able to move pretty consistently
through the rest of the course. i even pulled together for a strong finish, and only had 1 low point on the course whihc wasn't really a low point, just a long walk up what turns out to be a long slow climb. all in all i'm happy with the way the run went and have some more confidence going into august.
splits:
PrinterBoy (1 - 13): 3:05:31
Stumptown (13 - 24): 2:46:39
PrinterBoy (24 - 35): 2:19:45
Finish (37 - 48): 3:04:28
TOTAL: 11:16:22
Retrospective: it was an interesting week, lots of sluggishness and a bit too much eating makes for an interesting 50. I've made a big mental breakthrough on sunday, i'll go into the details of which in my post about the Silver Rush 50. Suffice it to say, there was 1 section during the run that i was wondering how much longer this would drag on, and that was within 2 miles of the finish and mainly because i'd decided to race from the last aid station into the finish (note this was the only section of the course that i tried to race). It seems i'm starting to wrap my head around this long stuff.
Summary:
Total Time: 20:03
Run Time: 18:48
Other Time: 1:15
Distance: 89.5
TSS: 593
Climbing: 14,836'
Friday, July 13, 2012
Leadville 50 mile pre-race
I'll be heading out to leadville colorado saturday morning (the 14th) for a little altitude training and to take a crack at the 50 mile run. I don't have much expectations for the run as my legs have been hit or miss the last few weeks and i'm dealing with a lot of lethargy, but i am looking forward to the views i hope to get and being at altitude.
You can track my progress throughout the day on Sunday (the run is on the 15th). so if you find yourself having a tough time on sunday and want to be thankful you're not that poor sap out dragging himself through the mountains up over 9000' elevation, check the link:
Silver Rush 50 mile run tracker
You can track my progress throughout the day on Sunday (the run is on the 15th). so if you find yourself having a tough time on sunday and want to be thankful you're not that poor sap out dragging himself through the mountains up over 9000' elevation, check the link:
Silver Rush 50 mile run tracker
Sunday, July 8, 2012
20120708 Week Summary
Monday: black mtn carmel mtn loop. speed work. legs felt fresh for the first time in a very long time. i wsa able to cruise effortlessly up the climbs and through the run, very fun. the effort caught up with me between 4 and 5 miles and it became a concerted effort to maintain the effort. a lot of fun to run "fast"
Tuesday: pre-rehab run. legs are a little tired this morning from yesterday's effort. some slight lethargy.
post rehab run. legs are feeling the earlier run and rehab work. a little tired though still able to maintain steady state forward motion. i can feel a bit sluggish from last weeks near complete lack of effort.
Wednesday: kov loop: 1st longer effort since black hills run and right foot issues. started out a little behind schedule so pressed the first 7 miles to meet mike at mission trails. then a comofrotable effort for the next 4 miles, at which point the course turned slightly downhill and the pace picked up for the final 3 - 4 miles. can definitely feel the weeks earlier effort and some fatigue from doing squats yesterday. trying to stay with the "fast" theme for the week
Thursday: DAY OFF - legs too tired and there were too many excuses i found to not run.
Friday: black mtn camino del sur loop: easy effort, ball of right foot is a little tender from wednesday's outing. ran in glycerin 9s today, felt very soft and cushy, though quite odd with the big bulky heel. based on the current state of my foot, if i wish to continue running, i'm going to need to incorporate these shoes in more of the longer stuff until the foot is completely recovered. the run was a bit lethargic overall, still trying to shake off the sloth accumulated from the 5 days off. though my legs were heavy today, they continued to turn over without any additional complaints.
Wanderings from the shop: easy run from the shop. legs a little sluggish, mainly running with Kariem and catching up.
Saturday: Swallow weld loop. started out a bit heavy in the legs and lungs. had some gi issues, for 2 of the miles, other than that things went pretty well. had some issues on a couple of the descents which forced slow descents.
Sunday: Lake jennings loop: another attempt at a faster effort. legs still don't have the speed i'm hoping to get, guess it doesn't happen overnight. one thing for sure, i'm feeling a bit lethargic and beat up. i seem to be ok plugging away, but just can't seem to get too much speed. i'm going to have to focus on eating and sleeping better, i want to have a decent showing at the 50 next weekend, though it's not mandatory, and i'll be content to plug away slowly if that's the way the day falls out.
Retrospective: trying to run fast several times a week is challenging. my legs are quite heavy i think from a combination of last weeks complete lack of activity and this weeks trail by fire approach. i'm somewhat pleased with the fact that today's run felt pretty sluggish and like it would be much longer then it turned out to be, and pretty comparable to wednesday's effort, with the pace more consistent throughout. now it's time to figure out a game plan for next weeks trip to leadville for the Silver Rush 50 will i try to pile on some good miles before i get out there or will i sit back on the mileage a little bit and try to run fast? 1 thing for sure, it's highly unlikely to be fast as it will never drop below 9,800' and as i've heard coming from sea level to that elevation is a recipe for failure.
Summary:
Total Time: 12:06
Run Time: 10:21
Other: 1:45
Distance: 70.3
TSS: 645
Climbing: 6,680'
Tuesday: pre-rehab run. legs are a little tired this morning from yesterday's effort. some slight lethargy.
post rehab run. legs are feeling the earlier run and rehab work. a little tired though still able to maintain steady state forward motion. i can feel a bit sluggish from last weeks near complete lack of effort.
Wednesday: kov loop: 1st longer effort since black hills run and right foot issues. started out a little behind schedule so pressed the first 7 miles to meet mike at mission trails. then a comofrotable effort for the next 4 miles, at which point the course turned slightly downhill and the pace picked up for the final 3 - 4 miles. can definitely feel the weeks earlier effort and some fatigue from doing squats yesterday. trying to stay with the "fast" theme for the week
Thursday: DAY OFF - legs too tired and there were too many excuses i found to not run.
Friday: black mtn camino del sur loop: easy effort, ball of right foot is a little tender from wednesday's outing. ran in glycerin 9s today, felt very soft and cushy, though quite odd with the big bulky heel. based on the current state of my foot, if i wish to continue running, i'm going to need to incorporate these shoes in more of the longer stuff until the foot is completely recovered. the run was a bit lethargic overall, still trying to shake off the sloth accumulated from the 5 days off. though my legs were heavy today, they continued to turn over without any additional complaints.
Wanderings from the shop: easy run from the shop. legs a little sluggish, mainly running with Kariem and catching up.
Saturday: Swallow weld loop. started out a bit heavy in the legs and lungs. had some gi issues, for 2 of the miles, other than that things went pretty well. had some issues on a couple of the descents which forced slow descents.
Sunday: Lake jennings loop: another attempt at a faster effort. legs still don't have the speed i'm hoping to get, guess it doesn't happen overnight. one thing for sure, i'm feeling a bit lethargic and beat up. i seem to be ok plugging away, but just can't seem to get too much speed. i'm going to have to focus on eating and sleeping better, i want to have a decent showing at the 50 next weekend, though it's not mandatory, and i'll be content to plug away slowly if that's the way the day falls out.
Retrospective: trying to run fast several times a week is challenging. my legs are quite heavy i think from a combination of last weeks complete lack of activity and this weeks trail by fire approach. i'm somewhat pleased with the fact that today's run felt pretty sluggish and like it would be much longer then it turned out to be, and pretty comparable to wednesday's effort, with the pace more consistent throughout. now it's time to figure out a game plan for next weeks trip to leadville for the Silver Rush 50 will i try to pile on some good miles before i get out there or will i sit back on the mileage a little bit and try to run fast? 1 thing for sure, it's highly unlikely to be fast as it will never drop below 9,800' and as i've heard coming from sea level to that elevation is a recipe for failure.
Summary:
Total Time: 12:06
Run Time: 10:21
Other: 1:45
Distance: 70.3
TSS: 645
Climbing: 6,680'
Thursday, July 5, 2012
20120701 week summary
Monday: about 4 miles/45 minutes of exploring through the trails outside mt rushmoore. ball of right foot is pretty tender and not real happy about running. legs are a bit sore and slow to come around.
jog/hike ~ 20 minutes and 1.5 miles of exploration in south dakota. found a nice little pool along the creek and took some time to soak. legs still not happy, and ball of the right foot is even less happy. my running mechanics are severely negatively impacted by this tenderness. looks like it's going to be some slow easy days this week. due almost entirely to the ball of the foot. legs feel as they could be ready to resume normal mileage otherwise.
Tuesday: pre-rehab run. some significant tenderness in right forefoot just behind the ball of the foot on toe off. going to give this a few days to recover.
Retrospective: not much to speak of this week. this is definitely been a slow week for running, too much work and other priorities as well as a pretty significant niggle under the ball of my right foot. time to keep my eye on the prize and try to run smart. let's hope it all pans out. i ran briefly on monday and for about 20 minutes on tuesday. other than that i was occupied with work and some serious introspection trying to make the right choices. it was most all i could do to hold off on the running through sunday, let's see how the foot responds.
Summary:
Total Time: 2:25
Run Time: 1:25
Other: 1:00
Distance: 6.75 miles
TSS: 30
Climbing: 100'
jog/hike ~ 20 minutes and 1.5 miles of exploration in south dakota. found a nice little pool along the creek and took some time to soak. legs still not happy, and ball of the right foot is even less happy. my running mechanics are severely negatively impacted by this tenderness. looks like it's going to be some slow easy days this week. due almost entirely to the ball of the foot. legs feel as they could be ready to resume normal mileage otherwise.
Tuesday: pre-rehab run. some significant tenderness in right forefoot just behind the ball of the foot on toe off. going to give this a few days to recover.
Retrospective: not much to speak of this week. this is definitely been a slow week for running, too much work and other priorities as well as a pretty significant niggle under the ball of my right foot. time to keep my eye on the prize and try to run smart. let's hope it all pans out. i ran briefly on monday and for about 20 minutes on tuesday. other than that i was occupied with work and some serious introspection trying to make the right choices. it was most all i could do to hold off on the running through sunday, let's see how the foot responds.
Summary:
Total Time: 2:25
Run Time: 1:25
Other: 1:00
Distance: 6.75 miles
TSS: 30
Climbing: 100'
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Black Hills 100
This was to be an adventure, my focus was to accompany Victoria on her first go at 100 miles. my primary focus was to make sure she didn't do anything terribly stupid, offer some guidance along the way, and just run with her to help her through any tough spots that may have come up. It was also a test to see how my legs are handling the longer distances.
we started the run with odds stacked against us. We had a late arrival into rapid city on thursday night, then a bit of driving about to find some food a bit more driving to find camping, and some sleep before the sun came up.
On Friday we visited mt rushmore and crazy horse, each quite impressive in their own rights. then a short run to help shake off the travel lethargy. After which we went to registration, the race talk, and pasta dinner. Finally we were off to find a campsite. The nice thing about this part of south dakota is there is an abundance of free campsites. We wound up staying at bear butte state park.
as we were settling in, one of the neighboring campsite occupants came over and warned us to "keep your eyes on the sky", it looked like there was a bit of a storm coming in, and the wind was kicking up. so we set up the tent in case it started to rain. we stayed up for a bit watching the lightening in the distance before drifting off to sleep. after an hour or so, we felt some drops and moved inside the tent, within 30 or 40 minutes there were full on gale force gusts and a good bit of rain. the rain fly started to come off, so i went outside to try and re-stake it so we had some shelter from the rain. which turned out to be useless, somehow Victoria and her sleeping bag got soaked.
while i was outside trying to figure out how to drive the stakes in better to hold against the wind, a park ranger came by and informed me this should blow through in 10 - 15 more minutes, though the winds may pick up to 70mph or so.
i asked what we were at right now
he responded 40 - 50.
Then he was off to check on the other campers i presume. i sat outside holding the rain flap on as best i could. We decided once the wind provided a lull, we would break the tent down and throw it in the car. then wait out the storm in the car.
the wind lulled, we took the tent down, wadded it up and crammed it the trunk, then scurried around to get in the car ourselves. after "laying" in reclined seats for some time, i grew tired of this, and the rain seemed to have passed, so i went back outside to sleep. victoria stayed in the car, with her wet sleeping bag (i didn't learn of her situation until several hours into our run the next day).
This is not exactly how you want to spend the night before a 100 mile run.
4:30am rolled around and we were off to the start line. the good news is camp was particularly easy to break down.
we got to the start early and were able to get in a short nap before final check in and lining up for the start. the weather was very comfortable, which promised a warm one once we started moving.
we rolled out of the car, i do enjoy waking up multiple times in one day, and over to the start line. at the start line Billy, a local Lakota Indian, sang a native song wishing us all well and gave an incredibly compelling talk about the journey we were preparing to embark upon. he wished us all to run well and run strong and embrace the journey. He then treated us to some drumming and chanting.
and we were off. Victoria and i jogged along very patiently. the plan was loose, and called for 2:30 - 3 hours for every 10 miles, putting us at the 50 mile mark around 13.5 hours.
leading into the first aid station Victoria commented a lot of the people were passing us, "they seem to be going pretty fast". i checked the time and replied "if we maintain this pace all day we will be done in 20 hours, and likely be top 5". we carried on, people jogging by us.
the course had some little rollers which made it fun, particularly on the descents, which Victoria and i took like children, bounding down wiggling in and out and around the other runners. it was just too fun to let go a bit and allow gravity to do the work.
the first aid was about 6 miles in, we got in grabbed some food and liquid and were back on the trail pretty quickly. by this time the sun was coming out and things were starting to heat up, there was a little bit of humidity in the air to boot.
fortunately the trail had a good bit of tree coverage through most of the next 25 miles. before long we were at the 2nd aid station, almost 11 miles in and things were going well, Victoria was enjoying her day, and we continued to cruise down the hills like kids. and walk up the climbs. i was impressed (and still am) with Victoria's discpline. other then her 1 comment on everybody else going fast, there was little sense of urgency, even with the other runners passing us.
we chatted with a couple other runners along the course. then between the 2nd and 3rd aid stations it seemed things were getting more difficult, the heat was definitely taking it's toll. so the pace became even more conservative.
we were 15 - 20 minutes ahead of our goal time, at the 3rd aid station, around 17 miles we had our first drop bag with an avocado (thanks to sara for introducing me to these great little treats on runs, the nearly saved my day last year at leadville), some cherry tomatoes, coconut water and berries. the berries had been conveniently juiced, so the ziploc bag had an extra bonus: rasperry strawberry juice, fresh squeezed. Victoria laid down for a bit, while our packs were refilled with ice and water and heed. i rubbed her legs down a bit as there was still lots of mileage to come.
we likely spent too much time at the aid station, and this would continue on with most of them from here until the end. the next section of course was pretty shaded and relatively flat. nothing terribly exciting happened here.
at the 4th aid station (around 24 miles) Victoria collapsed down in a shady spot, the heat was starting to get tough. we refilled our packs and got some food in. i took a cup of ice and dumped it down Victoria's shirt. though probably a little late, it was time to start dissipating the heat before it got too bad. Coming out of the 4th aid station Victoria commented we were 3 hours ahead of our goal pace. i looked up at the sky, made some quick guesses then back at the ground and shook my head. i asked her what time she thought it was, and when we were supposed to be at 20 miles. it was around 12;30, and we were expecting to be at 20 miles between 11 and 11:30, 4 miles in in 1:30, puts us right on schedule, and maybe a little behind. as i said, ice might have come a little late, but at least it was on the radar.
we rolled into dalton lake aid station (mile 29) shortly before 2pm, the plan called for something closer to 1:30, so we weren't too bad. had i been more astute i would have picked up on the trend and taken more corrective action. Victoria was only interested in sitting in the shade, anything to avoid the sun. and she was having some trouble with her right hamstring and the back of that knee. again i tried to rub it out for her as best i could, and make sure she got some water and 1/2 coke 1/2 water mixture as well as some fruit.
i was eating everything i could get my hands on at the aid stations, 2 - 3 cups of water, ice in my pack and refilling water at every aid. i tried to keep Victoria on a similar regimen, at least as far as the water and ice goes. i let her eat what she wanted (mistake number 2 on my part). in the future i will be more conscious of the calorie and water intake.
we stayed at dalton lake for a while before moving on. the next few sections of the course would prove to be pretty relentless, a bit of climbing through switchbacks, that would dump us onto an exposed jeep trail. which soon turned rocky. we were now 30 minutes behind our goal time, and must have stopped half a dozen times to work through some issues in the 6 mile stretch from dalton lake to nemo.
i was unprepared to deal with this situation appropriately, and failed Victoria pretty significantly here (my 2nd biggest failure of the day). i should have planned better and been a little more insistent that we needed to press this part a little more. though honestly that would not have sufficed, i would have needed a way to help work through the issues experienced in this section, and i truly don't know how we could have done that any differently.
We were able to run the last couple miles into nemo, and again Victoria was quick to lay down in the grass. we were both aware of our tardiness, and Victoria asked that i not let us stay too long at this aid station. i failed again, we spent about 15 minutes. this time Victoria ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, got a quick leg massage again, and had vaseline re-applied to her feet.
about 1/2 a mile out of nemo, there was a creek crossing. Victoria got excited and we walked down to the creek and laid down in it for several minutes. this was quite refreshing. the next 6 or 7 miles into pilot knob or something like that were primarily uphill and through some pretty rocky jeep trail which made running very difficult at best. we ran what we could and picked our way through the rest. once it turned downhill we started to pick up the pace a bit.
at pilot knob Victoria took 2 tylenol and had some chicken noodle soup. i had 2 cups of soup, 2 or 3 grilled cheese sandwiches and some fruit as well as the usual 2 - 3 cups of water. the humidity and heat was still hanging out, it's not 6pm, the sun is sitting pretty low in the sky, and there is no sign of the heat subsiding. Victoria chatted with a couple people from merrel whom she'd run into on some of the other trail runs.
then we were off, the first few miles of this section were relatively flat and runnable, we jogged along pretty well, and were pleasantly surprised to find ourselves back in the tree cover. the miles and time on our feet were catching up, we were walking the slight climbs and jogging the flats and descents. but still carrying on.
we did 2 fun little descents and ended up in a field which would dump us onto the road, after crossing a cattle guard bridge and about 1/4 mile we rolled into the turn around just as dusk was setting in. quick refills on everything, some cookies (no milk, but there was promise of milk being there next year). a can of tomato soup (they opened the can and put a spoon in it). excellent. and since the temperature was still in the 80s, or so it felt, the soup was a meal much better served cold.
Victoria was having some issues with her hamstring, so we rubbed that out a bit as well as the back of her knee. she finished off her tomato soup, i dug out my light, checked for cutoff times, and we were on our way back shortly after 9pm.
we started across the field with 2 or 3 other runners, i turned on my light, damn it's incredibly faint, guess i should have checked the batteries before leaving san diego. Victoria was following me, and hadn't turned on her light yet. i wondered what she was waiting for, it was pretty dark and getting difficult to see.
we carried on and got to the first little climb (about 1/2 mile from the aid station) before i realized why Victoria hadn't turned on her light . . . she didn't have one. then the whole conversation we had when we were turning in the drop bags came flooding back: in summary
"I can't find my light, i hope i left it in one of the drop bags".
when we went back for the dinner, she checked her drop bags, and came up with nothing. Nor was it in her camping gear. lovely. so here we are on some of the more techincal sections of the course (thankfully not terribly technical) with Victoria using my dying head lamp and me trying to see her feet so i can figure out where to put mine. on top of this we are in the tree cover with virtually no moon, so ambient light is minimal.
this experience gives me a new respect for blind people. we continued on like this into the pilot knob aid station, almost getting lost in 1 spot (pretty respectable navigation considering the lighting situation). at which point we were extremely close to missing the cutoff at dalton lake (almost 13 miles away). fortunately 1 of the runners there was dropping and was gracious enough to lend us his headlamp.
we took it, got some food in and refilled our packs and were off. its now a little after 12, and we are very pressed for time. this is one of the rockiest sections of the course and it's very slow going. we have 1 good light and 1 that barely functions, so we are not to much better off then we were in the previous section. Victoria musters a jog through several sections, which i opt to power hike in an effort to reduce the likeliness of twisting and ankle, or even falling.
Victoria is wobbling back and forth behind me, and asks to lay down and take a 1 minute nap. sure, we can do that. and in 1 minute we are back up and moving. apparently the lack of sleep is catching up to her, and she is pretty close to falling asleep on her feet. not good. she asks for another break.
i tell her about our time constraints and how it looks like we are going to come up short, so we should forgo the nap if at all possible, she reluctantly agrees. We carry on for a bit trying to run what we can, but the rockiness and darkness make it all but impossible.
we finally come upon some familiar landmarks, which i believe where about half way or so, then see a sign indicating that nemo is 4.5 miles away. i swear to Victoria the sign is wrong, we can't be more then 2 maybe 2.5 miles. she is pretty disheartened, as am i, though i am having a very hard time believing the sign is accurate.
we carry on for another 20 minutes or so and come to our familiar sign: trailhead 1 mile, and soon see the bridge under which we soaked in the creek nearly 10 hours earlier. at this point we have all but resigned the hope of making it to Nemo, it's about 2:30, has taken us nearly 3 hours to cover each of the last 6-7 mile sections. earlier today it took 2.5 hours to cover the section from dalton lake to nemo, in the daylight on fresher legs, and we are down to about 2 hours to do that.
it's was difficult decision, but Victoria chose sleep over an incredibly unlikely final section. in order to make the 5am cutoff, we would have to have a heroic section, covering 6.8 miles of pretty rocky and a good little bit of climbing in 2 hours (it's now 3am) would be challenging if it were light, it is currently dark, Victoria is falling asleep on her feet and we have 1 good light and 1 that barely works. I've called it quits with far more in my favor on numerous occasions.
Victoria now has a better understanding of the endeavor that is 100 miles and will hopefully comeback far better prepared for her next venture.
we started the run with odds stacked against us. We had a late arrival into rapid city on thursday night, then a bit of driving about to find some food a bit more driving to find camping, and some sleep before the sun came up.
On Friday we visited mt rushmore and crazy horse, each quite impressive in their own rights. then a short run to help shake off the travel lethargy. After which we went to registration, the race talk, and pasta dinner. Finally we were off to find a campsite. The nice thing about this part of south dakota is there is an abundance of free campsites. We wound up staying at bear butte state park.
as we were settling in, one of the neighboring campsite occupants came over and warned us to "keep your eyes on the sky", it looked like there was a bit of a storm coming in, and the wind was kicking up. so we set up the tent in case it started to rain. we stayed up for a bit watching the lightening in the distance before drifting off to sleep. after an hour or so, we felt some drops and moved inside the tent, within 30 or 40 minutes there were full on gale force gusts and a good bit of rain. the rain fly started to come off, so i went outside to try and re-stake it so we had some shelter from the rain. which turned out to be useless, somehow Victoria and her sleeping bag got soaked.
while i was outside trying to figure out how to drive the stakes in better to hold against the wind, a park ranger came by and informed me this should blow through in 10 - 15 more minutes, though the winds may pick up to 70mph or so.
i asked what we were at right now
he responded 40 - 50.
Then he was off to check on the other campers i presume. i sat outside holding the rain flap on as best i could. We decided once the wind provided a lull, we would break the tent down and throw it in the car. then wait out the storm in the car.
the wind lulled, we took the tent down, wadded it up and crammed it the trunk, then scurried around to get in the car ourselves. after "laying" in reclined seats for some time, i grew tired of this, and the rain seemed to have passed, so i went back outside to sleep. victoria stayed in the car, with her wet sleeping bag (i didn't learn of her situation until several hours into our run the next day).
This is not exactly how you want to spend the night before a 100 mile run.
4:30am rolled around and we were off to the start line. the good news is camp was particularly easy to break down.
we got to the start early and were able to get in a short nap before final check in and lining up for the start. the weather was very comfortable, which promised a warm one once we started moving.
we rolled out of the car, i do enjoy waking up multiple times in one day, and over to the start line. at the start line Billy, a local Lakota Indian, sang a native song wishing us all well and gave an incredibly compelling talk about the journey we were preparing to embark upon. he wished us all to run well and run strong and embrace the journey. He then treated us to some drumming and chanting.
and we were off. Victoria and i jogged along very patiently. the plan was loose, and called for 2:30 - 3 hours for every 10 miles, putting us at the 50 mile mark around 13.5 hours.
leading into the first aid station Victoria commented a lot of the people were passing us, "they seem to be going pretty fast". i checked the time and replied "if we maintain this pace all day we will be done in 20 hours, and likely be top 5". we carried on, people jogging by us.
the course had some little rollers which made it fun, particularly on the descents, which Victoria and i took like children, bounding down wiggling in and out and around the other runners. it was just too fun to let go a bit and allow gravity to do the work.
the first aid was about 6 miles in, we got in grabbed some food and liquid and were back on the trail pretty quickly. by this time the sun was coming out and things were starting to heat up, there was a little bit of humidity in the air to boot.
fortunately the trail had a good bit of tree coverage through most of the next 25 miles. before long we were at the 2nd aid station, almost 11 miles in and things were going well, Victoria was enjoying her day, and we continued to cruise down the hills like kids. and walk up the climbs. i was impressed (and still am) with Victoria's discpline. other then her 1 comment on everybody else going fast, there was little sense of urgency, even with the other runners passing us.
we chatted with a couple other runners along the course. then between the 2nd and 3rd aid stations it seemed things were getting more difficult, the heat was definitely taking it's toll. so the pace became even more conservative.
we were 15 - 20 minutes ahead of our goal time, at the 3rd aid station, around 17 miles we had our first drop bag with an avocado (thanks to sara for introducing me to these great little treats on runs, the nearly saved my day last year at leadville), some cherry tomatoes, coconut water and berries. the berries had been conveniently juiced, so the ziploc bag had an extra bonus: rasperry strawberry juice, fresh squeezed. Victoria laid down for a bit, while our packs were refilled with ice and water and heed. i rubbed her legs down a bit as there was still lots of mileage to come.
we likely spent too much time at the aid station, and this would continue on with most of them from here until the end. the next section of course was pretty shaded and relatively flat. nothing terribly exciting happened here.
at the 4th aid station (around 24 miles) Victoria collapsed down in a shady spot, the heat was starting to get tough. we refilled our packs and got some food in. i took a cup of ice and dumped it down Victoria's shirt. though probably a little late, it was time to start dissipating the heat before it got too bad. Coming out of the 4th aid station Victoria commented we were 3 hours ahead of our goal pace. i looked up at the sky, made some quick guesses then back at the ground and shook my head. i asked her what time she thought it was, and when we were supposed to be at 20 miles. it was around 12;30, and we were expecting to be at 20 miles between 11 and 11:30, 4 miles in in 1:30, puts us right on schedule, and maybe a little behind. as i said, ice might have come a little late, but at least it was on the radar.
we rolled into dalton lake aid station (mile 29) shortly before 2pm, the plan called for something closer to 1:30, so we weren't too bad. had i been more astute i would have picked up on the trend and taken more corrective action. Victoria was only interested in sitting in the shade, anything to avoid the sun. and she was having some trouble with her right hamstring and the back of that knee. again i tried to rub it out for her as best i could, and make sure she got some water and 1/2 coke 1/2 water mixture as well as some fruit.
i was eating everything i could get my hands on at the aid stations, 2 - 3 cups of water, ice in my pack and refilling water at every aid. i tried to keep Victoria on a similar regimen, at least as far as the water and ice goes. i let her eat what she wanted (mistake number 2 on my part). in the future i will be more conscious of the calorie and water intake.
we stayed at dalton lake for a while before moving on. the next few sections of the course would prove to be pretty relentless, a bit of climbing through switchbacks, that would dump us onto an exposed jeep trail. which soon turned rocky. we were now 30 minutes behind our goal time, and must have stopped half a dozen times to work through some issues in the 6 mile stretch from dalton lake to nemo.
i was unprepared to deal with this situation appropriately, and failed Victoria pretty significantly here (my 2nd biggest failure of the day). i should have planned better and been a little more insistent that we needed to press this part a little more. though honestly that would not have sufficed, i would have needed a way to help work through the issues experienced in this section, and i truly don't know how we could have done that any differently.
We were able to run the last couple miles into nemo, and again Victoria was quick to lay down in the grass. we were both aware of our tardiness, and Victoria asked that i not let us stay too long at this aid station. i failed again, we spent about 15 minutes. this time Victoria ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, got a quick leg massage again, and had vaseline re-applied to her feet.
about 1/2 a mile out of nemo, there was a creek crossing. Victoria got excited and we walked down to the creek and laid down in it for several minutes. this was quite refreshing. the next 6 or 7 miles into pilot knob or something like that were primarily uphill and through some pretty rocky jeep trail which made running very difficult at best. we ran what we could and picked our way through the rest. once it turned downhill we started to pick up the pace a bit.
at pilot knob Victoria took 2 tylenol and had some chicken noodle soup. i had 2 cups of soup, 2 or 3 grilled cheese sandwiches and some fruit as well as the usual 2 - 3 cups of water. the humidity and heat was still hanging out, it's not 6pm, the sun is sitting pretty low in the sky, and there is no sign of the heat subsiding. Victoria chatted with a couple people from merrel whom she'd run into on some of the other trail runs.
then we were off, the first few miles of this section were relatively flat and runnable, we jogged along pretty well, and were pleasantly surprised to find ourselves back in the tree cover. the miles and time on our feet were catching up, we were walking the slight climbs and jogging the flats and descents. but still carrying on.
we did 2 fun little descents and ended up in a field which would dump us onto the road, after crossing a cattle guard bridge and about 1/4 mile we rolled into the turn around just as dusk was setting in. quick refills on everything, some cookies (no milk, but there was promise of milk being there next year). a can of tomato soup (they opened the can and put a spoon in it). excellent. and since the temperature was still in the 80s, or so it felt, the soup was a meal much better served cold.
Victoria was having some issues with her hamstring, so we rubbed that out a bit as well as the back of her knee. she finished off her tomato soup, i dug out my light, checked for cutoff times, and we were on our way back shortly after 9pm.
we started across the field with 2 or 3 other runners, i turned on my light, damn it's incredibly faint, guess i should have checked the batteries before leaving san diego. Victoria was following me, and hadn't turned on her light yet. i wondered what she was waiting for, it was pretty dark and getting difficult to see.
we carried on and got to the first little climb (about 1/2 mile from the aid station) before i realized why Victoria hadn't turned on her light . . . she didn't have one. then the whole conversation we had when we were turning in the drop bags came flooding back: in summary
"I can't find my light, i hope i left it in one of the drop bags".
when we went back for the dinner, she checked her drop bags, and came up with nothing. Nor was it in her camping gear. lovely. so here we are on some of the more techincal sections of the course (thankfully not terribly technical) with Victoria using my dying head lamp and me trying to see her feet so i can figure out where to put mine. on top of this we are in the tree cover with virtually no moon, so ambient light is minimal.
this experience gives me a new respect for blind people. we continued on like this into the pilot knob aid station, almost getting lost in 1 spot (pretty respectable navigation considering the lighting situation). at which point we were extremely close to missing the cutoff at dalton lake (almost 13 miles away). fortunately 1 of the runners there was dropping and was gracious enough to lend us his headlamp.
we took it, got some food in and refilled our packs and were off. its now a little after 12, and we are very pressed for time. this is one of the rockiest sections of the course and it's very slow going. we have 1 good light and 1 that barely functions, so we are not to much better off then we were in the previous section. Victoria musters a jog through several sections, which i opt to power hike in an effort to reduce the likeliness of twisting and ankle, or even falling.
Victoria is wobbling back and forth behind me, and asks to lay down and take a 1 minute nap. sure, we can do that. and in 1 minute we are back up and moving. apparently the lack of sleep is catching up to her, and she is pretty close to falling asleep on her feet. not good. she asks for another break.
i tell her about our time constraints and how it looks like we are going to come up short, so we should forgo the nap if at all possible, she reluctantly agrees. We carry on for a bit trying to run what we can, but the rockiness and darkness make it all but impossible.
we finally come upon some familiar landmarks, which i believe where about half way or so, then see a sign indicating that nemo is 4.5 miles away. i swear to Victoria the sign is wrong, we can't be more then 2 maybe 2.5 miles. she is pretty disheartened, as am i, though i am having a very hard time believing the sign is accurate.
we carry on for another 20 minutes or so and come to our familiar sign: trailhead 1 mile, and soon see the bridge under which we soaked in the creek nearly 10 hours earlier. at this point we have all but resigned the hope of making it to Nemo, it's about 2:30, has taken us nearly 3 hours to cover each of the last 6-7 mile sections. earlier today it took 2.5 hours to cover the section from dalton lake to nemo, in the daylight on fresher legs, and we are down to about 2 hours to do that.
it's was difficult decision, but Victoria chose sleep over an incredibly unlikely final section. in order to make the 5am cutoff, we would have to have a heroic section, covering 6.8 miles of pretty rocky and a good little bit of climbing in 2 hours (it's now 3am) would be challenging if it were light, it is currently dark, Victoria is falling asleep on her feet and we have 1 good light and 1 that barely works. I've called it quits with far more in my favor on numerous occasions.
Victoria now has a better understanding of the endeavor that is 100 miles and will hopefully comeback far better prepared for her next venture.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
20120624 week Summary
Monday: Black Mtn Carmel Mtn loop: Black Mtn Carmel Mtn loop: legs feeling pretty good, pressed the effort slightly a couple times and everything seemed to respond as expected
Tuesday: Pre Rehab run: Run to rehab: tough getting out of bed this morning, the run started off a bit sluggish in feel then loosened up nicely.
run back from rehab. legs felt ok so i decided to explore some of the roads i've been curious about. a little sluggish towards the end. could have used something to eat.
Wednesday: Copenhagen pink lion loop. nice little trail run with some elevated efforts. the double down on lunch definitely weighed heavily. had a difficult time with the cardio as a full stomach seemed to limit my lung functionality, and i'm sure there was a lot of blood flow to the stomach rather then my legs. a fun little run would be more fun with a mainly empty stomach.
tanners loop. this is the 2nd time i've been on tanners loop, and it has been different both times. fun little loop with some good short steeper climbs. higher effort the last 1.5 miles felt good to shake it out and a little bit on the edge of the envelope. good day.
Thursday: black mtn carmel mtn loop: difficult to get out of bed this morning. legs felt a bit lethargic, but still managed to run well and all comfortable. had a little higher effort on mile 4, wanted to come in under 7 minutes (got 6:44). a good day with a comfortable finish. legs feel heavy, but times are still good. hopefully the legs clear up a bit before saturday.
Friday: South Dakota explorations: short easy aclimation run to south dakota. good opportunity to shake the travel out of my legs. climbing was slow and calves a bit tight, took the descent nice and easy picking out clear lines with minimal rocks proved to be a bit challenging during several sections.
Saturday: Black hills 100. a fun start to a long day joining Victoria on her adventure. started out very conservative with good weather. before long the humidity and heat set in and slowed things. miles 30 - 44 were pretty rocky and a bit slow going. had technical and gear issues from miles 50 - 66 which required us to run 7 rocky miles in the dark in 2 hours. 30 minutes faster then on the way out. give the situation we decided to opt for some sleep instead.
Sunday: a day of rest, sort of
Retrospective: another pretty big week with a lot of hours on the feet. things went well for most of the week, i managed to shed much of the fatigue from san diego 100 and was feeling pretty good . Saturday's run was admittedly very slow with lots of breaks, but a good bit of time on the feet and some experimentation with nutrition. all in all i am pleased with the week. i'll spend a couple weeks absorbing the high mileage and then focus on switching to higher intensity runs and see how things go.
Summary:
Total Time: 26:08
Run Time: 25:00
Other: 1:00
Distance: 97.5
TSS: 717
Climbing 16,500'
Tuesday: Pre Rehab run: Run to rehab: tough getting out of bed this morning, the run started off a bit sluggish in feel then loosened up nicely.
run back from rehab. legs felt ok so i decided to explore some of the roads i've been curious about. a little sluggish towards the end. could have used something to eat.
Wednesday: Copenhagen pink lion loop. nice little trail run with some elevated efforts. the double down on lunch definitely weighed heavily. had a difficult time with the cardio as a full stomach seemed to limit my lung functionality, and i'm sure there was a lot of blood flow to the stomach rather then my legs. a fun little run would be more fun with a mainly empty stomach.
tanners loop. this is the 2nd time i've been on tanners loop, and it has been different both times. fun little loop with some good short steeper climbs. higher effort the last 1.5 miles felt good to shake it out and a little bit on the edge of the envelope. good day.
Thursday: black mtn carmel mtn loop: difficult to get out of bed this morning. legs felt a bit lethargic, but still managed to run well and all comfortable. had a little higher effort on mile 4, wanted to come in under 7 minutes (got 6:44). a good day with a comfortable finish. legs feel heavy, but times are still good. hopefully the legs clear up a bit before saturday.
Friday: South Dakota explorations: short easy aclimation run to south dakota. good opportunity to shake the travel out of my legs. climbing was slow and calves a bit tight, took the descent nice and easy picking out clear lines with minimal rocks proved to be a bit challenging during several sections.
Saturday: Black hills 100. a fun start to a long day joining Victoria on her adventure. started out very conservative with good weather. before long the humidity and heat set in and slowed things. miles 30 - 44 were pretty rocky and a bit slow going. had technical and gear issues from miles 50 - 66 which required us to run 7 rocky miles in the dark in 2 hours. 30 minutes faster then on the way out. give the situation we decided to opt for some sleep instead.
Sunday: a day of rest, sort of
Retrospective: another pretty big week with a lot of hours on the feet. things went well for most of the week, i managed to shed much of the fatigue from san diego 100 and was feeling pretty good . Saturday's run was admittedly very slow with lots of breaks, but a good bit of time on the feet and some experimentation with nutrition. all in all i am pleased with the week. i'll spend a couple weeks absorbing the high mileage and then focus on switching to higher intensity runs and see how things go.
Summary:
Total Time: 26:08
Run Time: 25:00
Other: 1:00
Distance: 97.5
TSS: 717
Climbing 16,500'
Friday, June 22, 2012
San Diego 100 Report
aaah yes, yet another attempt at the distance which riddles me into submission 6 out of 7 times. This time there are 3 others whom i run with at the starting line and promise of support from several others from the group. let's see if that changes things.
No real plan except to try a new concoction of carbopro and cherry lime roctane for nutrition. i premixed 3 bags of roughly 1800 calories each (500 from roctane and between 1300 and 1500 from carbopro) the night before and plan on using 1 of these every 30 miles in my nathan hydration pack.
I slept ok the night before and not so bad the night leading up to the run. Get up grab my gear and jump in with the others: Neil Feerick, Mike Drury, and Neil's support crew: Daniel and Maureen.
we get to the run start and grab our registration packets put on numbers and prepare for the long day(s) to come. Victor Tello shows up before long, and shortly thereafter Victoria Rochat is there as well. I want to say Kariem Ortiz-Vincenty is at the start as well, but it's a bit foggy, and this seems wrong. I did certainly see him at the first aid station (maybe mile 7 or 8ish).
Scott Mills, the race director announces 5 minutes left and shows everybody where to line up for the start, gives a few last minute pointers and admonitions prior to sending us off.
i settle in towards the back of the train for the first several miles, victor hangs out here for 1 or 2 miles before the pace becomes to much for him. Once there is a break he scurries ahead of several runners and starts making his way up to clear space so he can run a bit faster.
the initial pace was painfully slow, but i've gone out too fast plenty of times and paid dearly for it in the end, so i was content to cruise along at this leisurely pace and try to enjoy some of the scenery. besides my calves are pretty tight, and i'm a little concerned about asking too much to early and having the historic achilles issues end my day prematurely. so i cruise along waiting for my calves to release so i can go.
the 1st aid station was on a short out and back section, i saw mike on his way out, cruised in, grabbed a couple brownies and a cup of water and was back on my way. i slowly made my way up to mike and ran with him for 1 or 2 miles then my calves start to loosen up and there is a nice little downhill section. i decided it was far enough into things that i could start running a little bit without worrying about blowing up too soon. i bid him well and headed off.
this was some fun single track section with some little obstacles thrown in for mountain biking. the footing was soft, covered in pine needles and a welcome change from the rocks which i've become accustomed to up in the cuyamaca area, and which were so prevalent in the pct 50.
into aid station 2, grabbed a pack of pop tarts drank 2 cups of water and ran into neil, he wasn't doing too well, i think he was running a bit of a fever and had some pretty good congestion, so he wasn't able to do much running, and felt pretty bad. i wished him well and started out for uncle todd's cabin, aid station 3.
this section followed much of the same trails as the pct 50 through todd's cabin and up to penny pines. about 1 mile from todd's cabin i came up on victor, he was having some foot problems. a recurring thing which had been plaguing him leading up to catalina in january, and had apparently come back. we jogged and walked together into todd's cabin aid station. i grabbed a good bunch of fruit, drank some water and we started out on my way again.
shortly after leaving todd's cabin, victor was relegated to a walk, i wished him well and continued on. 2 of 4 are already feeling the course, and we were barely 20 miles in. the sun was started to climb towards it's apex and the heat was definitely building. much of the way to penny pines is in the open and you can notice the temperature climbing. though it does offer some great views down into the anza borrego dessert below. i was running along nicely through this section enjoying the desert views, and i managed to kick the same stump that i kicked in the PCT 50, this time i did not fall to the ground, and the abdomen strain was significantly less. a good sign, must mean it's getting better. as for the stump, apparently we have a relationship, and it either doesn't want me to leave, or doesn't want me around, either way i'm going to have to start paying more attention in this section, or remove the stump.
into penny pines i pull my roctane carbopro concoction out and attempt to dump it into my bladder. not so fast, it's clumped and stuck to the ziploc bag lovely. so i proceed to tear the bag apart and try to separate the plastic from the good stuff. note to self, don't mix gel with carbopro and expect it to easily come out of the storage container. maybe next time, i'll coat the bag with pam. or just stick to carbopro solo in the bag and add the gels afterwards. after a bit of struggling and some really sticky hands i've moved about 80% of the mixture into my bladder and had it filled with water. it's sealed up and i'm ready to descent down noble canyon.
On the way out there are several pulse regulars including Dave Tanner (who helped drag me through the last 2 or 3 miles of pct 50 after seeing what a tough go of it i was having, many thanks for that). they wished me well and inquired about the others running. i updated them and then trotted out, 24 miles down and we're starting to get into some of the exposed sections, just as the heat of the day is coming out. perfect timing.
i cruise down noble canyon still feeling good, though i'm starting to heat up, and my nutrition is a bit sweet, so i stop and drink from a couple of the creek crossings. a much welcome relief from the sweetness contained in my hydration pack. there are several pretty rocky sections which i slowly picked my way through in order to avoid injury. before too long, i'm coming into the 5th aid station, pine creek. by now it's getting hot, i grab some more fruit and a bit of ginger ale (2 cups) and 2 cups of water before heading out. 31 miles and 6.5 hours in and my legs are feeling pretty good. the heat is starting to get to me, and causing my stomach to shut down a bit, hence the ginger ale.
now it's on to a short lollipop loop and back to pine creek. there is a small creek crossing at the bottom (about 1/2 mile from the aid station then the lollipop begins and it's a good bit of climbing on the loop. i spend a bit of this walking and trying to conserve energy. when the course turns down, i resume a pretty comfortable jog as i pick my way through the backside of the loop. taking assessments along the way, legs are feeling pretty good, my stomach could really settle down and take in nutrition better, that would be helpful.
before long i'm back to the creek crossing, and the heat is taking it's toll, so i lay down in the creek and enjoy the cool of the water. then back up and jogging the last 1/2 mile back to pine creek aid station. i grab some fruit drink some more ginger ale. add water to my hydration pack to alleviate some of the sweetness, and prepare for the climb up to sunrise. so far all my aid station stops have been pretty quick, i think they are pretty consistently under 2 minutes, i'm pleased with this especially since i am pretty confident i am getting what i need at each one.
we spend several miles climbing up the road before cresting and coming back onto dirt. at the crest there is a volunteer with a bottle of ice cold water spraying down the runners, another welcome reprieve. then a small descent down fire roads, it takes a little while before my legs agree to run again, the miles are starting to catch up. after a little prompting my legs are turning over again and the running resumes.
there is another volunteer giving out popsicles, i take a cherry one and resume. the course turns onto some single track working it's way up and around back towards pioneer mail aid station. once again the course is littered with rocks and running is not really an option, between the climb and the rocky footing, i'm not interested in failing this early.
after a bit of this, the course starts to level out, and i can start to hear the cheers as people are entering into pioneer mail aid station and mile 44. 9 hours and 47 minutes into my day by now i'm pretty hungry, and looking for something of substance to eat. i grab some more pop tarts, fruit and some chips. more water and more ginger ale. i haven't really been getting any nutrition down since pine creek, that's almost 2 hours with virtually no calories, that is not sustainable, particularly not with nearly 60 miles left.
Daniel was there and very helpful filling my hydration pack (again i dilute the contents of my hydration pack) and getting me solid food. another quick aid station stop, and am on my way. now a bit more climbing up to top of sunrise highway and the half way point. my legs feel ok, i'm starting to worry about my nutrition problem, i need to get food in me between aid stations or it's going to be a long day.
i make my way along the single track winding around the mountains and working up towards sunrise, enjoying views of anza borrego off to the right remember coming back through here with J last year during his excursion. i'm looking forward to being up at sunrise and the 1/2 way point. from sunrise the course is less rocky, and the heat is starting to subside, so things will continue to cool down (yep, it will cool down all right).
the lack of nutrition is catching up with me, and i can feel my pace slowing. once i make it to sunrise i will change socks, re-lube my feet and anything else that may need lubing up, get real food in me and hopefully fix the nutrition problem i have been dragging around for nearly 20 miles.
after several disappointing corners (which i expected to be the aid station) i can finally hear the cheering in the distance. and feel the wind picking up indicating i'm close to the summit and should be coming around a corner to see the road and the aid station.
as i do, i'm greeted by Victoria, Victor, Kariem, and several other pulse regulars who just happen to be out supporting others.
Victoria has brought cookies. COOKIES, kariem has MILK, and victor has volunteered to try to transfer my carbopro concoction into my hydration pack. this is great. i scarf down several cookies, drink 1 bottle of chocolate milk, eat some apples, and grapes from Diana. change out my socks and re apply aquaphor to my feet. lay down with my legs up for a little bit, and begrudgingly set out on the backside of the course.
once again it took a bit of time before i was running smoothly again, and smoothly is now relative, and slow. after about a mile or so i pulled off the trail to take care of my necessaries. as i dropped my shorts, i looked down, and noticed a tick making it's way up my shorts. i proceeded to flick the little bugger back into the wild. finished up, and was back on the trail.
i resumed a slow jog for a bit with punctuated walk breaks, the lack of nutrition and fading light was starting to weigh on me. about this time my stomach started to shut down a bit more. i started thinking through some math, if i manage to hold 3 - 4 miles an hour i should be rolling into the finish around daybreak, that would be quite fine with me. with this new found motivation i was able to maintain a steady jog, though slow it was faster and moderately more comfortable then walking.
i continued as such for a bit, and made it in to stonewall aid station and mile 59 just as dark was casting it's shadow over the cuyamacas. i sat down and had a couple cups of gingerale to try and settle my stomach. this helped slightly. then i heard someone say Liam. i looked up and there was a guy i vaguely remember from one of the pulse swims. Jeff Bram (i think), he asked how things were going, i explained, and he brought his buddy over to help me with some suggestions to settle my stomach: soup, lots of broth, some noodles.
more food, i like food, so i indulged, had 2 or 3 cups of soup and started to come around. about that time stacia who had joined us on some of the training runs leading up to catalina was at the aid station cheering people on. we chatted for a bit.
Jeff came back and explained he was pacing his girlfriend in from here, and i was welcome to join them for as much or as little of the next section as i wanted. about the same time a volunteer found a light for me, as i thought i had a light in my drop bag, but it turned out that i neither had the drop bag at this aid station, nor a light (the light was actually in my truck). another one for poor planning.
we headed out and Robin was on a mission, she laid down a helacious pace up and over stonewall. i did all right holding on and came into paso picacho with them had some more food, only a small helping this time, laid down for a bit. Before long we were back on our way, heading into one of the longest stretches on the course, a dark cold section with some spots requiring a good bit of attention on the footing. i stayed with Jeff and Robin for a good bit of the way, then as we started descending further into sweetwater, i was getting colder, and the little i'd eaten at paso picacho was being used up. i slowed dramatically and was soon walking the last 1 - 2 miles into sweetwater.
by the time i arrived at sweetwater, i was thoroughly chilled. i sat by the heater, was greeted by Kariem. i huddled close to the heaters and began shivering pretty good. it wasn't long before i curled up in a ball on the ground in an attempt to warm up. before i knew it i was covered with a heap of blankets and had bottles of hot water being rotated under the covers to help stop the shivering. i heard Kariem and the aid station captain talking about carrying on and know there were 2 ladies trying to help warm me up. this lasted for some time.
eventually i was warm enough to lay out, but my legs didn't want to straighten. Kariem helped pull my legs straight and i laid still under the pile of blankets for a while. now i started eating soup and i think some bean and cheese burritos. after a bit more time, mike and victoria came in. they were a bit chilled and thoroughly enjoying the promise of another 28 miles. either that or seriously evaluating how fu--n stupid this was.
we stayed there for a bit more before starting the 8 mile hike up to sunrise. things were improving, i warmed up and kariem, mike and i continued plugging along. we rolled into sunrise just as the sun was peaking over the horizon. ate some eggs and bacon for breakfast. maureen and daniel were there, as was victor and victoria, they all sprung into action and made sure we were fed and warm and ready for the remaining 20 miles. sara happened to be there as well, and provided me 1/2 an avocado. we spoke briefly and before she headed off she smiled said some kind words and parted with "i'll see you at the finish line".
shortly thereafter kariem, mike and i were off again, we shuffled a bit and walked through to the next aid station, pioneer mail, again greeted by victor and victoria ate some food drank some and applied sunscreen, then sat down for a bit. one of the aid station volunteers recognized the pulse, and mike and myself, he greeted us by name and chatted with mike for a bit. then we were off again.
next was penny pines, the sun was coming up and heat was building again, and the remainder of the course is pretty exposed, unfortunately by this time, even the run was essentially the speed of a walk, so we were in for another bit of the heat treatment. only 8 miles left from penny pines, and that is pretty much a 5 mile stretch (3 of which are a bit of an exposed climb) to a water only aid station then a 3.5 mile stroll back into the finish line.
with about 1 mile left we were greated by diana hopping about all excited she joined us for much of the remaining mile, then with about 1/4 mile left she scampered off to alert everybody of our pending arrival. we joked about dropping at this point, i could take mike's number to the finsh line for him and he'd take the most direct route to the cars instead of the meandering option we were obligated to follow.
once again, mike and i spent a large stretch of the course together providing an unspoken support and encouragement that i'm sure helped me keep going through the ridiculousness of it all. thanks to all: Kariem, Victoria, Victor, Mike, Daniel, Maureen, Niel, Jeff, Robin, and the countless volunteers out on the course, without any of whom i would likely have been beaten yet again by this course.
the good news, sort of: just over 30 hours later, and on my 3rd attempt, i managed to complete the San Diego 100, fulfilling a promise i had made 4 years ago to my grandfather. though he is not physically here to see me cross the finish line i know he understands i did what i could and made good on my commitment.
it's not about how many times you get knocked down, life is more about how many times you choose to get up. everytime it's a choice. somethings aren't easy, but a promise is a promise, and persistence helped me come through and eventually make good on my word.
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