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'

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.

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 50a 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

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'

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'

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.