tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21460272289720135382024-03-05T14:19:26.768-08:00Ultra Old GuyMindless ramblings of a middle-aged guy who thought marathons were too short.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger87125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2146027228972013538.post-13548526378561891822015-02-11T12:08:00.002-08:002015-02-11T12:11:33.668-08:00CommunityAnother from the Salt Flats 100 site:
In 2008 I was introduced to the concept of the Ultramarathon when I was asked to provide the timing for Karl Meltzer's Speedgoat 50K at Snowbird UT. At the time, I was a runner for two reasons: First - I had my annual fitness assessment in the National Guard each year so I needed to maintain a reasonable level of fitness for that, and Second - I was running daily to de-stress from a very difficult business collapse. Meeting Karl was an eye-opener to be sure. The idea of running beyond 15 miles or so never even occurred to me, and here was this guy telling me that 31 miles through the mountains in a day is "normal". I'd never even entered a 5K in my entire life, and yet I signed up to run the Speedgoat the next year, and it became my first-ever "race".
Obviously, I was absorbed into the culture and have adopted running at ultra distances as a major part of my life. I've gone on adventure runs across the Highline Trail in the Uinta Mountains, and run solo through the West Desert in Utah. I've met 100s of amazing people who I call my friends. I enjoy the general lack of "competitiveness" and the supportive nature of most participants in these events. I've stopped to help others many times during an event I in which I was "competing" in, and had others offer their help when I was struggling. My competition has always been with myself, and for me the process of the ultramarathon has more importance than the result. I realize there are many to whom that concept is unappealing, but that's the magic of this sport; it is capable of supporting many different perspectives within it's ranks while not alienating any one of them.
Recently however, I've observed situations that indicate the culture of our sport is in danger. Some within this community are willing to deride and degrade others because of any number of things that aren't in-line with their own perspectives. I see exclusionary statements are being directed at people just looking into our sport via online forums because they've "only" done a 10K or 1/2. I've now heard of ridicule and derision being relentlessly laid upon a runner who became lost in the dark and epic storm of last years Salt Flats 100 event. I find it inconceivable that someone would find it acceptable to be anything but fully supportive and concerned for someone who experienced such a traumatic event.
I believe we are better than that. I believe that the ultramarathon itself allows us to become introspective, resilient, accommodating and generally better people as a result of our participation. I think we're a special community simply because we run in places where we often need volunteers, and each other to succeed. I hope that we as a community will work hard to continue to make our sport as welcoming and inclusive as when I was first introduced to it by Karl.
Keep running!
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2146027228972013538.post-27018789737229201092015-02-11T12:07:00.000-08:002015-02-11T12:07:28.747-08:002014 Salt Flats 100 Recap
I posted this recap on the Salt Flats 100 website, but thought I'd start posting these here as well. This is the recap from the 2014 Salt Flats 100 Event.
The NOAA radar picture Friday morning looked a little concerning with a number of storm cells in the area but the temperatures were good, and the forecast was wildly variable from hour to hour, so we started the race on time and sent the runners out onto the beautiful salt flats. All was looking good until just before dusk, when both the weather, and the NOAA radar picture turned very ugly. 80 mile per hour winds hit various parts of the course, and by night-fall the rain was in full force.
It turns out, the rainstorm was a "100 year storm"... average April rainfall is 0.40 inches, and this one storm alone was 1.1 inches. Temperature fell to below freezing by 0400. The entire Salt Flats flooded with 6" of water by 0600. Runners were dropping at every aid station, and the volunteers were shifting to Hypothermia triage rather than aid station workers. The racers that came through the finish in the dark were at various stages of hypothermia, and we quickly shuttled them into the trailer and fed them hot soup.
The 50 milers who were supposed to start at 0500 and run out on the Salt Flats ended up being re-routed twice... once off the salt (as it was under water), and again off the dirt roads (as aid vehicles were sliding off the road and unable to get out to the aid stations). It was chaotic, stressful, and insane. By 1000 on Saturday, the sun was poking through the clouds, the rain had stopped, and it was perfect running weather again. I thought back to the previous 3 years and how each had it's own "character", but all had been pretty friendly compared to this. It is truly amazing how much can change during the course of a 100 mile event.
When all was said and done, everyone was safe (one rescue did occur, proving our SAR and Comm team are truly world-class). All vehicles were accounted for, although one was stuck for several more days until Ray Smith (Assistant RD) and I could get out and extract it after the mud had dried a bit. One of the portable toilets was blown 2 1/2 miles away from it's original position on the Salt Flats. I found course flagging alongside the freeway near Wendover, many miles from its closest possible origin.
The Salt Flats is always a harsh environment. On the website I state that runners and volunteers alike should be prepared for any weather, but I must admit that mother nature hit with all she had this time, and it challenged every facet of the event. Good emergency plans, excellent personnel, and great teamwork paid off, and the event was a success despite all of it.
Epic. No other word for it.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2146027228972013538.post-47870271312708900552015-02-11T12:03:00.002-08:002015-02-11T12:04:46.723-08:00Altra Olympus ReviewI'm now throwing my hat into the ring on the topic of Altra Olympus reviews and provide my personal experience in the following paragraphs. First off, a little history. Six years ago I started running in a Solomon shoe <can't remember the model>, but then moved onto the Sportiva Wildcat and stuck with that for a couple years. I then tried the Sportiva Vertical K and the Hoka Mafate (ran in both, just depended on the terrain) for a couple years. I ended up with two sizes (8 and 8.5) of the Hoka trying to dial in the fit, but neither really stopped the blister and toenail issues. Then tried the Altra Wasatch, and at the beginning of 2014 I purchased a pair of the Altra Olympus. With that perspective of history, on to the Olympus.
I've now logged over 1000 miles on the Olympus (distributed between three different pairs), and am starting to really like them. I've done about 300 of those miles on pavement, and the remaining on trail, including a 66 mile Highline Trail crossing, several trail Ultras, a rim-to-river-to-rim in the Grand Canyon (all south side), and then endless Wasatch Mountain trails. I feel like the Hoka offers a bit more cushion on the downhills, and has a slightly better fit on my heel, but the Hoka pretty much trashes my fore-foot with that narrow toe-box. The Olympus really shines for me with it's wide toe box. I've yet to get a blister on any part of my foot in the Olympus. The tread is holding up on all three pairs well, as is the sole and upper. I'm optimistic I'll get better longevity out of these than out of my Hokas.
What do I think could be improved? The heel pocket would be a good start, as well as a lacing system that allows more torque in closing the shoe. It's pretty tough to get the sides cinched in. Other than that, I have to admit that I have a new favorite shoe, and just bought another pair to start alternating with. Good job Altra!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2146027228972013538.post-8455922181066465622013-09-24T21:20:00.002-07:002013-09-24T21:20:58.071-07:00"Tallest" mountain attemptHawaii's Mauna Kea volcano is the worlds "tallest" mountain... not highest, but tallest. When measured from the base, Everest is 8848 meters, and Mauna Kea is over 10,000 meters... of course Mauna Kea is only 13,796' in actual altitude, while Everest is 29,035'. Because I was spending the week on Hawaii as part of a vacation with my wife, I decided to do a Sea-level to the "tallest" mountain's summit run (42 miles, and 13,796' in altitude gain) one of the days we were on the island.
We randomly chose Tuesday the 24th of Sept as the date, as it fit in with all the other activities we were doing. The weather had been really nice since we arrived on Friday, so I figured there was no particular day that would be better than any other. Monday night, we drove the route and I placed "drop bags" in little stashes every 5 miles or so with water and snacks. I woke up Tuesday morning, suited up, and my wife dropped me at the beach pavilion in Hilo (probably 6' above sea-level), and I started my run. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQry7dXWNosY0LhEBG2Wl1t8pqQFmZgfvMYoDX3sshb4Kr-tXdtoKv-EtLBOIVkzn9gTJGikXBnW2qJQ5JYLQeGA1JdpixHrdO2vYIKI9r7O-VSfsbf4pv_l-yCMY0Ta8GpWE4mA8t2bDo/s1600/20130924_030009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQry7dXWNosY0LhEBG2Wl1t8pqQFmZgfvMYoDX3sshb4Kr-tXdtoKv-EtLBOIVkzn9gTJGikXBnW2qJQ5JYLQeGA1JdpixHrdO2vYIKI9r7O-VSfsbf4pv_l-yCMY0Ta8GpWE4mA8t2bDo/s320/20130924_030009.jpg" /></a></div> The clock on my phone read 3:00 am, and I punched the 'start' button on my Garmin 405 as I departed. The town was quiet as I ran up the dimply lit roads to the first drop bag, where I refilled my hand bottle and Nathan pack and continued up. Despite it being uphill, I was averaging 12:00 min miles and feeling great. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV8uaF6Sgh39_Vmx8JywcCLDFoyu7oBjJLzm7fP9YJIV9cmlfW1_Z9K1zO8pwWTLKpA8HL2a7zjPP_gBdmQRFjazgcPxVYCKF6GLSas-DEBeToU2zYDRQvgYLfu8s8mHtA6iAwzSfKhOXF/s1600/20130924_051843.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV8uaF6Sgh39_Vmx8JywcCLDFoyu7oBjJLzm7fP9YJIV9cmlfW1_Z9K1zO8pwWTLKpA8HL2a7zjPP_gBdmQRFjazgcPxVYCKF6GLSas-DEBeToU2zYDRQvgYLfu8s8mHtA6iAwzSfKhOXF/s320/20130924_051843.jpg" /></a></div> At the 10 mile drop bag, I realized I was in need of some biological relief, and so as I left there I began looking for an opportune place to wander into the jungle. I found a nice, lower-growth area and stomped several yards into the growth.
Continuing up the road, the sunlight began to filter through the clouds... <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBe0gCwPaOWhq4NndnJ3d_Ao83nTRZScL_zqy-CTXhaeqZoL7BdxRcTZUkpele-HF3RUKvWwoI5EmXquMzWp3iElNVlIEjRiXxUxfrOAIQpY2ldZdAnsN4woavQhoNpHWifbqL-LyL5hiH/s1600/20130924_064333.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBe0gCwPaOWhq4NndnJ3d_Ao83nTRZScL_zqy-CTXhaeqZoL7BdxRcTZUkpele-HF3RUKvWwoI5EmXquMzWp3iElNVlIEjRiXxUxfrOAIQpY2ldZdAnsN4woavQhoNpHWifbqL-LyL5hiH/s320/20130924_064333.jpg" /></a></div> yes, clouds... this was not in the plan. The first droplets of water started hitting me at the 15 mile drop bag, and quickly became "insistent". I was soaked by 20 miles. At 20 miles I started searching for my drop bag, and after several minutes I realized that someone must have needed it more than I did, so I hunkered down and started heading for the next stop. I was starting to lose the "fun" part of my fun-run at this point, and at mile 25, the wind really started kicking in. I refilled and refueled, and started back running. At this point I was into the run 6 hours and 34 minutes, so not exactly speedy. As the temperature continued to decrease, I started kicking harder to generate heat. I was making good time heading into the next drop bag at mile 31, until the cold-cramps started. I'd slow down to accommodate the muscle cramp, and then the shaking would start... not ideal. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhixTCkHGXifSbw0gPtiuZKxWshLOQud13aFCQyx9esWzkdTxkAV8mQP_ZOUWuZLo-lQGxr65TXGUucvZTVxTupWGcqWdfLQBn4BeVPdCWYFsnJgwM7VupKg3mhQtuLjh5gUtcce5nMZS_A/s1600/20130924_103046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhixTCkHGXifSbw0gPtiuZKxWshLOQud13aFCQyx9esWzkdTxkAV8mQP_ZOUWuZLo-lQGxr65TXGUucvZTVxTupWGcqWdfLQBn4BeVPdCWYFsnJgwM7VupKg3mhQtuLjh5gUtcce5nMZS_A/s320/20130924_103046.jpg" /></a></div> I reached the 31 mile mark in 7:38... and I was WORKED!
At the 31 mile drop bag, as soon as I stopped to grab the bag, the shaking started and I realized movement would be the best medicine, as I was now only 3.8 miles from the "warmth" of the Mauna Kea visitor's center. I grabbed the PB&Honey sandwich and started moving again. This is where the climb gets REALLY steep, so moving fast became increasingly difficult, and I started cramping again which put into the infamous "Frankenstein walk". As cars of tourists passed me on their way up to the visitor's center (or back), I must have been a wonderful comic relief from their rainy drive. I slowed to a crawl, fighting the shakes and the cramps, while trying to continue forward momentum... I was actually starting to get concerned that I'd go into full hypothermia before getting to the visitor's center.
The rain and wind became so heavy at this point that I could only see 100' or so in front of me, so as I heard a car approaching, I'd hobble to the guard-rail and wait for them to pass, then continue my awkward gait until I heard the next car. I finally dragged my sorry butt into the visitor's center at 11:58, almost exactly 9 hours after starting. The last 3.8 miles took me 1:22. Not my finest hour.
As I entered the visitor's center, it was full of tourists, and I asked attendant at the front desk if she could retrieve the bag I'd left the day before... then I took my drop bag and sat in the back row of the mini-theater they'd set up to show the educational videos about the mountain. As soon as I sat down, what little heat I was generating from moving dissipated, and I started to shake uncontrollably... what I sight for the tourists! One of the workers at the center came over and asked if I'd like his coat, which I gladly accepted. Then he suggested some hot water, which I again accepted... oops... still shaking, I promptly spilled all over his coat, the floor, and myself. I set what was left down on the floor, and realized that the wet clothing I was wearing was not helping matters.
I noted they were selling souvenir sweatshirts, so I quickly bought one, stripped off my shirt, and put it on... HEAVEN! The lack of moisture on my chest and back immediately started things moving the right direction. Two cups of hot water later, and a visit to the men's room "hand dryer" to minimize the moisture in my shorts, and I started to be able to sit without random convulsions. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiADbDejUphqth-wbSPmX2HaHFjQFMuHHv5ZlZDoCpehsGulycU3P46ohW4LcHGqGsYmwQfcOslA1V6tFUVr5aBMJxdhsTJ7eXGfnLSx3LAJD1Fe9UfCv6izUUR9i_xVHJGzVwKsFQc-sBe/s1600/20130924_123616.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiADbDejUphqth-wbSPmX2HaHFjQFMuHHv5ZlZDoCpehsGulycU3P46ohW4LcHGqGsYmwQfcOslA1V6tFUVr5aBMJxdhsTJ7eXGfnLSx3LAJD1Fe9UfCv6izUUR9i_xVHJGzVwKsFQc-sBe/s320/20130924_123616.jpg" /></a></div> One of the tourists who was there when I walked in, came up and asked where I'd run from. I said Hilo, and his expression went blank... he asked how far that was, and I said "the longest 34 miles of my life". He asked several questions about the run, and ultra-marathons in general, and shaking his head, turned and left for his drive to the summit.
I chose not to drive to the summit, but returned to our rental house, and its ocean-view hot-tub for some true recovery! Sadly, no Fastest Known Time for me this trip. However, I will be back to complete the run in a couple years... it's too good to let go. I've posted the attempt in http://fastestknowntime.proboards.com/, and so we should see some "real" ultra folks hitting this soon. Happy Running!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2146027228972013538.post-19293683935553878852013-08-26T13:19:00.001-07:002013-08-26T13:19:14.491-07:00Katchina Mosa 100KThis was my first Katchina, and from the start, it was in it's own special class... hard... 17,000' of climb, and 17,000' of descent hard... really hard.
I left work on the evening of the 9th and drove to the pre-race meeting in Orem, UT where John Bozung, the RD, said the course should be well marked (but it has been known to be pulled by random folks), and then went on to call out several people in the group who, despite being experienced runners had made wrong turns in previous years and scored bonus miles... not entirely confidence-inspiring.
After the meeting, I drove to Wally-world to get some supplies, and then drove up to the start of the race at Kelly Campground, and rolled out my sleeping bag and tried to get some sleep prior to my 2AM alarm, and the 3AM start. Sleep didn't come easy, but soon enough I passed out, and got a few hours sleep.
I awoke to the alarm, and got up and started the preparation routine. This time I took the time to use masking tape in between my toes to reduce the friction there and hopefully avoid those gnarly between-the-toes blisters at the end of the event (and also added the obligatory "anti-monkey-butt"). Confused at that early hour, I walked over to the pavilion, set out my drop bags, and walked to the start line with everyone else while leaving my sleeping bag and pad laid out on the park lawn... fortunately a good Samaritan did me a big favor and set it on the railing next to my truck where I found it that night.
John started us out at 3AM, and we started the first 1.5 mile-ish of pavement to where we turned North onto a dirt road that climbed for a few thousand feet to the first Aid Station. I had told myself I was going to start out slow on this run, and make sure I didn't blow up, so as people passed me I had to focus on not trying to "fall in" to their pace, particularly when it was folks I knew I should be finishing in front of ;)
We continued the climb to the second aid station, after which we had the descent into the third aid station, and finally, departure from the dirt road and onto the single-track and my favorite terrain. I passed several runners on the way down, refueled at Aid 3, and followed a couple motorcycles up the single-track to lightning ridge. (yep, motorcycles... kinda funny to be hammering up a trail behind these guys, and then meet them on their way down near the top).
As I climbed I caught up with Galen Garrison who I met when he ran Salt Flats 100 earlier in the year, we chatted for a bit, and then I fell back into my pace and headed on up the trail. I was then subsequently passed by Jarom Thurston <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSceGJX8T6boMRo08PHBm5yWlNXZ6gc4V0zhyudtVHG0xawZZ9uyQauW8vxIeY2q1-282gQi3fWD16fDkbcDzzPCGydKIC66pm9Jg-VYJnFbdesAYrgYwtv4a9OrapqL0L-3ei1hDm5eMM/s1600/Jarom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSceGJX8T6boMRo08PHBm5yWlNXZ6gc4V0zhyudtVHG0xawZZ9uyQauW8vxIeY2q1-282gQi3fWD16fDkbcDzzPCGydKIC66pm9Jg-VYJnFbdesAYrgYwtv4a9OrapqL0L-3ei1hDm5eMM/s320/Jarom.jpg" /></a></div>
and a couple of his friends from Addict-to-Athlete who were running their first 100K, another quick chat, and they carried on ahead. I love the fact that this community is so tightly-knit, and we love to support each other during our respective experiences on the trail.
As I turned to the final climb up to Lighting Pass, I was amazed at the distant view of Timpanogos Peak... it's amazing the views we get to experience through Ultras! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtLDZxWb6Mt-2_jOQ-Gy7QU5Cg9uPzKzI2wb0ZckHu3ekGA1J1XnUGM-xodVL52MZFHYtMDsv9kY6vphhS9QM5LucStnCDQPxVK8-oEfDkXN27qRARJKOM8uoByKxURCNod3J4WHls_UZx/s1600/ClimbToLightningRidge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtLDZxWb6Mt-2_jOQ-Gy7QU5Cg9uPzKzI2wb0ZckHu3ekGA1J1XnUGM-xodVL52MZFHYtMDsv9kY6vphhS9QM5LucStnCDQPxVK8-oEfDkXN27qRARJKOM8uoByKxURCNod3J4WHls_UZx/s320/ClimbToLightningRidge.jpg" /></a></div> I continued up to Lightning Pass (the "high-point" of the race at 9,800') where I realized that this course was kicking my butt! However, again, the views were stunning! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh77zuBkuNM8AY20v5D-gyZ2iWgkHNngK_5tC27EA5ERA_ExTYMxWTNJNPm3tIkDnpBDOHLRFuAuFpOwmy1THx4qSHwtlTOS3uboxKMrEimxE_FIfgQfEGrT6VsErZg1KQzuEITtQC2GXsI/s1600/LightningRidge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh77zuBkuNM8AY20v5D-gyZ2iWgkHNngK_5tC27EA5ERA_ExTYMxWTNJNPm3tIkDnpBDOHLRFuAuFpOwmy1THx4qSHwtlTOS3uboxKMrEimxE_FIfgQfEGrT6VsErZg1KQzuEITtQC2GXsI/s320/LightningRidge.jpg" /></a></div> Dropping down the other side, I saw the course flagging indicating to take the downhill fork and followed that trail... I wouldn't see another piece of course-flagging for the next several miles, and the further down the trail I ran I found myself coming up with various plans on how I would react when I came out at some trail-head in Provo Canyon, with no Aid Station and no clue how to get back on track.
Fortunately, after a little less than an hour of descending from Lightning Ridge, I encountered some hikers, and asked them if they had seen any other runners... they laughed and told me the Aid Station was only about 1/4 mile away. Sure enough, I soon saw flagging, and then the aid station came into view. I had been experiencing some issues with my toes, and so I took a moment to look and see what damage had been done... as I was pulling off my shoes, Galen arrived and sat down next to me and immediately started photo-documenting my toe-trauma ;) I could tell that all my center toes (2, 3, and 4) would be losing their toenails... crap... so I re-adjusted the lacing on my shoes to release pressure there, and hopefully further hold-back my feet on these steep descents. I slammed a coke, a PB&J, and refilled my fuel bottle, and headed out again.
Shortly after starting out, I passed a beautiful stream, and stopped to take a photo, and soak my cooling towel... which was very much appreciated for the rest of this section. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBCdMp1RpJrsIl1I-7N5i_FzY41IKz-mMW_IC4dDqS7LcvsRBjx7bVAQYnpdG5FDmTN1d7NbNEJ0uoQCHQL08EQTFDDv1OGfoizJ6HYqMcMtCvYnP-15TjA82xj9LLEPmrX8gjgRL8btrm/s1600/stream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBCdMp1RpJrsIl1I-7N5i_FzY41IKz-mMW_IC4dDqS7LcvsRBjx7bVAQYnpdG5FDmTN1d7NbNEJ0uoQCHQL08EQTFDDv1OGfoizJ6HYqMcMtCvYnP-15TjA82xj9LLEPmrX8gjgRL8btrm/s320/stream.jpg" /></a></div> The climb to Windy Pass is exposed and steep, so anything to add some cooling to my neck and face is appreciated.
A couple moments of indecision came shortly thereafter, as the trail itself doesn't match the description in the online course description that I'd printed out... turns out I was just expecting the "climb" to start sooner, and in short order I found myself on the familiar terrain of the trail to Windy Pass. I'd run down this section during the Squaw Peak 50 miler, so I knew that it was a serious climb... and it didn't disappoint. I fell in with John Maack for most of the climb. We passed Jarom who was feeling his heavy running schedule and was resting by the side of the trail... sadly, he wouldn't finish, but his AIA runners would! We continued up the trail, and on the last switch-back prior to the aid station, we came upon Moondoggy Dyatt! It was great to see him and we joked around, with him finally pushing me into a full sprint to the top... crazy guy!
I took a few minutes to refuel and relax at the aid station, and then took off up to Windy Pass, <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgQmMU4DmOz5ocmUKu0I2cWMD-KSnDWICCdkpYOnBPbVglTjyiSExAmvjh5KbDiSRn9wReH-fo-qXWafKL8O7omuP805ztl6GsSW6jko1Q6w7S_j5CDNHyEUlPlLixMtjTpXJVHgxzOR_z/s1600/WindyPass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgQmMU4DmOz5ocmUKu0I2cWMD-KSnDWICCdkpYOnBPbVglTjyiSExAmvjh5KbDiSRn9wReH-fo-qXWafKL8O7omuP805ztl6GsSW6jko1Q6w7S_j5CDNHyEUlPlLixMtjTpXJVHgxzOR_z/s320/WindyPass.jpg" /></a></div> and the fun descent down into Big Springs Aid Station. I was feeling great and hammering it in a full run down the trail, just enjoying the speed and intensity when I suddenly hooked my toe on a root, and was airborne...
Carl Tippets (who I caught up with shortly after this near-death-experience) calls this being "struck by lightning", because every muscle in your entire body seizes up to try to keep you from falling. In an instant, I reached out and grabbed hold of the branches hanging by the side of the trail, which stopped me from face-planting, and my feet whipped out in front of me, and then the branches slipped out of my hands, and I came to rest sitting on the trail... in near shock. I stood up, brushed off, and then walked slowly for a minute or two to work out all the kinks. I stopped and stretched out several times, and after 5 - 10 minutes, I managed to get back to running, but at a significantly slower pace as I suddenly felt very mortal.
I caught up to Carl Tippets and Shay Johansen and stuck with them to the Water Trough. We all got some water, but I was completely dry, so I stayed there and drank an entire bottle, and then filled my bottle again. I caught and passed them about a mile from Big Springs, ran into Big Spring, dropped my pack and filled my hand bottle with ice water for the "out and back" which assured us our "full 62 miles"... :) After the out and back, I changed socks, re-adjusted my shoes, and headed out again with Carl and Shay to what Carl called the "crux" of the race... it's a slow, grinding climb, fully exposed to the sun on a rocky dirt road.
I hung with Carl up through the first "summit" of the climb, after which I used the downhills to make some time... at this point, I was done with the event... I simply wanted to be finished... and I knew the only way to get it over with was get back to my truck at the finish. My right Anterior Tibialis tendon was screaming again (a legacy from last year's injury), and so I alternated between running and walking to minimize the pain. I limped into the second-to-last aid station, and sat down for a few minutes... the last 10 miles were going to be interesting. I was not feeling great at this point, but the AS folks were super nice so I put on my best face, chatted with them as I ate melon and PB&J, refilled my fuel bottle, and headed out again.
Now I was on the "mission to finish" portion of the run... four miles of gnarly, rocky, up and down through a stream-bed single-track, followed by 6 miles of pavement to the finish. More alternating running and walking to ease the pain, and cursing myself for my desire to run these silly things, and finally I saw the aid station appear. I slid in and asked if someone could just shoot me (got all of them laughing), and then pounded a red bull, had someone help me extract my headlamp (as it was closing in on dusk) and headed down the road... I was not in the mood to re-fuel, I just wanted to get to the finish.
I checked my watch, and figured the 6 miles would take me just over an hour... I put the blinders on and just maintained as much of a run as I could... and amazingly, the pain in my right tendon lessened, and then disappeared altogether! I was so grateful it had abated, and I settled into my finish pace and watched the light fade, and started to see the camp-fires in the campgrounds off to the side of the stream on the south side of the road. Occasional cheers from cars driving up or down the canyon, and even from one or two of the camp-fires let me know I was getting close. Sure enough, I saw the lights of the pavilion, then the traffic cones with lights inside illuminating them in the night, and cheers and cowbells from the folks at the finish... finally! It was over, and as always, the smile came back to my face. Every finish is a release of all the pain and emotion of the run, and I ran through the finish line, got a hug from John Bozung, and sat down to have my chocolate milk recovery drink.
Jade Mangus was there (having finished nearly two hours ahead of me), as were the Addict to Athlete folks from the Windy Pass Aid Station who had done such a great job of manning that station. It was an amazing experience, as are all tough races. I was definitely challenged throughout the run, many times questioning myself for even doing this stuff. And as always, the "salvation" of finishing relinquished those demons, and I once again loved ultra-running... funny thing these ultras!
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2146027228972013538.post-72986892842721170462013-07-29T14:50:00.001-07:002013-07-29T14:50:30.997-07:00SpeedGoat 50K RecapThis was my 5th year running Karl Meltzer's "nightmare" course, this year clocking in at about 32.2 miles. The course zig-zags it's way up the Snowbird Ski Resort to the summit of Hidden Peak at 11,000', and then descends into Mineral Basin, then up over a ridge and down to Pacific Mine in the Tibble Fork area at about 7000'. From there it returns to Mineral Basin up some very steep ATV trails, and then continues to the top of Mt Baldy (just over 11,000'). A quick descent through the "tunnel" into Peruvian Gulch, back to Hidden Peak via the Cirque Traverse, and then a fast 10K down to the base of the resort and the finish. Sounds simple, right?
Driving up the canyon at 5AM, I had no idea of the weather forecast and so as I got out of the car in the dawn light, the warmth of the air made me a little apprehensive. The past couple years the heat has crushed me and I was not looking forward to a repeat. I had nothing to worry about, as I would only see the sun twice during the entire run.
As usual, the event is highly organized and the volunteers are top-notch, directing the runners and helping answer questions. At 6:15-ish, Karl got on the PA system and went through the pre-race briefing, which included the mass-recitation of the phrases "I will not get into the water", and "I will not short-cut the switch-backs"... both legacies from previous races.
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The start finally kicked off at about 6:35AM, and we started the long grind up to our first visit to hidden peak. The air temp was no warmer than when I stepped out of the car at 5AM and so I continued at a conservative pace enjoying the morning and chatting with the folks cruising at the same general pace. Many were surprised to hear this was my 5th Speedgoat, but I assured them it was only because of a significant mental deficiency. At about mile 6 I started feeling my stomach going south, and as a result I slowed a tad, and tried to make some attempt at getting more nutrition in... it didn't sit well, but I kept at it. By the time I got to Hidden Peak at 8.3 miles, I realized that a visit to the bathroom at the summit shack was necessary. Feeling a little better afterwards, I had a couple pieces of watermelon, and then headed down for the 2.5 miles to Larry's Hole aid station. As I descended, my stomach continued to whine, and by the time I arrived, I knew I needed to put some solid food down or it was going to be a long day.
Friend and fellow runner Mike Place greeted me at Larry's Hole (he was volunteering at the Aid Station) and helped me get some solid food down, I quickly refilled my water and started for the 4 mile trek down into Tibble Fork and the Pacific Mine aid station. Sure enough, the solid food was the trick, and about a mile into the journey, I started feeling good again and started moving quickly, passing six or seven runners on the downhill. Downhill running, through the dry stream bed/avalanche path is often the worst part of a course for many runners, but I find the delicate dance of bouncing from rock to rock while in a full run incredibly fun and invigorating. I made great time and rolled into Pacific Mine feeling good, but ready for some food and popsicles... yes, every year, Pacific Mine is known for it's vast supply of popsicles. I indulged and ate two, plus some PB&J, and watermelon, washed down with a Red Bull and some ginger ale.
I headed out for the brutal climb out of Pacific Mine, but amazingly, I was feeling great. As I started up the climb, I started passing folks (instead of the past two years where I was being passed the whole way up), and was actually enjoying the climb. This, I'm sure was in no small part to the fact that the cloud-cover had only broken for a total of 30 minutes or so the entire day. Either way, I was thrilled to find myself climbing well, and feeling good. I crested the pass and descended into Mineral Basin for my second visit to Larry's Hole. As I arrived at Larry's running strong, Mike Place again greeted me, but this time with "hey, you're looking strong!". He said I looked far better than when I'd arrived 9 miles earlier, and I assured him I was feeling a lot better than that first time as well. He made sure I ate well, and sent me off for the climb to the top of Baldy with a spare PB&J and a cookie. I munched on those as I worked my way up the long climb, again feeling better than I'd ever felt during that portion of the course.
Arriving at the "trail" to the top of Baldy, I looked up and laughed. This time Karl basically set the flags so that it was a "straight up the mountainside", 1000' bushwhack to the 11,000' summit, in less than a 1/2 mile of distance... steep is an understatement. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcMoI7LZwqudhevum1N566QdyBn0OmtIZ9v60LgwZLdltpZsKvCY7hEudm7yTcGevs3jhPfAfLYW9Mfaf88Jr8Sx_Xz4gZMuz42sANVw2Q1A4nA-c97mXQBLDgofP4phrEhbgOdMZMYdlO/s1600/20130727_141756.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcMoI7LZwqudhevum1N566QdyBn0OmtIZ9v60LgwZLdltpZsKvCY7hEudm7yTcGevs3jhPfAfLYW9Mfaf88Jr8Sx_Xz4gZMuz42sANVw2Q1A4nA-c97mXQBLDgofP4phrEhbgOdMZMYdlO/s320/20130727_141756.jpg" /></a></div>
The photo shows a line of tiny people working their way up the steep slope (and "experts only" run during the winter) but you have to look close 'cause they're tiny!
After reaching the summit, a short 1 mile downhill (mostly) run brought me to the "Tunnel" aid station, and another popsicle! I love popsicles during these runs as they are basically pure sugar, and are COLD! I ate some more watermelon, refilled my fuel bottle and water pack, and headed through the tunnel to the descent into Peruvian Gulch. It was here I met up with Jim Milar of the Wasatch Mountain Wranglers who had just run the Tahoe Rim Trail 100 the weekend prior, and was here hammering out arguably the hardest 50K in the country. We chatted for a couple miles and then when the trail steepened he slowed down (I'm sure his legs had to be toast at that point). What a fun guy and incredibly experienced runner! I love the fact that we get to meet so many great folks while out on these adventures! I rolled into the bottom of Peruvian Gulch and started the switch-backs that led up to the Cirque Traverse trail, and the last visit to Hidden Peak. As I crested the switch-backs and looked east, I saw the clouds rolling up the canyon threatening to envelop the entire ridge.
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Several minutes later, the only part of the mountain not covered in clouds was the trail we were on. I felt like I was on some Hobbit-sponsored trek looking for a ring with the power of the universe... or maybe I was just tired and almost delusional.
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As we climbed closer and closer to the summit, the rain became harder and I started to wonder if perhaps bringing a plastic bag would have been smart... fortunately, as I pushed harder up the hill I realized I was at the summit, and could get out of the rain for a minute. I refilled my hand-bottle a couple times with ginger ale and mountain dew, folded up my trekking poles, and started the final run down the mountain. I was feeling good and was able to keep a very solid pace on the way down. I covered the 6 miles in about 50 minutes, and came through the finish in 10:49, a personal best for me at the SpeedGoat. Karl as always was there at the finish to give a high-five and hand out the unique goat-medals. I enjoy this race because of the extreme challenge it presents (for me, this is harder than many 50 mile races), the great environment and atmosphere that surrounds it. It truly is a mountain running party! Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2146027228972013538.post-69138396448299302362013-05-09T10:05:00.003-07:002013-05-09T10:23:21.718-07:00Salt Flats 100 Mile Endurance Run (Race Director Recap)The 2013 Salt Flats 100 Mile Endurance Run is in the books, full of epic individual struggles, amazing experiences, and the joy of running in some of the most stunning landscapes on the planet!
First and foremost, many thanks to EVERYONE who participated, volunteered, crewed, sponsored, or simply supported someone who was a part of this event! A successful 100 is the work of hundreds of people, and this was no exception!
After packing the trailer with all the gear for the event the previous two days, my wife Chriss (who is also the Assistant RD in charge of Volunteers) and I drove from our home in Bluffdale, UT to the Bonneville Salt Flats, parked the trailer, and went to sleep knowing we had a LOT of work to get done. Wednesday morning came too soon and we were up and at it.
After unloading, Sam Collier, fellow ultra-runner, friend, and part of the Idaho ultra community pulled up
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTAB5qQBj_1YlkRQyZF5kbtO_YacBNVPezyWuKl7-bMwTh2HgJu2srWQLVIif8jTUwILmW2k9UW4z7u7T1JTrlUdgwtFp3UzypTppEH_-HhuHgU81q_gDIRvS2UZ3iKFJsHEAOGM0ndVuh/s1600/Salt+Flats+100+Mile-33-X3.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTAB5qQBj_1YlkRQyZF5kbtO_YacBNVPezyWuKl7-bMwTh2HgJu2srWQLVIif8jTUwILmW2k9UW4z7u7T1JTrlUdgwtFp3UzypTppEH_-HhuHgU81q_gDIRvS2UZ3iKFJsHEAOGM0ndVuh/s320/Salt+Flats+100+Mile-33-X3.jpg" /></a>
in his car and asked if there was anything he could do to help as he'd finished up work a couple days early and decided to come down and hang out before running the event. I took him up on the offer, and we rigged up and set out to flag the first 23 miles of the course. Heading out on the salt, we flagged all the way to the first aid station without issue, but only about a 1/2 mile beyond we started breaking through the salt crust and bogging down into the slimy mud underneath. Rather than make my truck a permanent feature of the salt flats, I decided a reverse-at-full-speed departure was the prudent option, and I'd flag the course via ATV or on foot from Aid 1 to Aid 2.
I dropped Sam off at the Start/Finish, he agreed to run the back side of Crater the next morning to help flag it, and he headed off to get some rest. Chriss and I drove into Wendover to check in with the Fire Department, get some supplies, and drop off the deposit check for the community center. While there, I decided it would be a good idea to wash the several inches of salt-mud off the chassis of the truck that I managed to accumulate extracting us off the edge of the flats. The Squaw Peak 50 shirt I was wearing is now permanently "speckled" from all the salt spray... if you ever want that "spilled bleach" look on your running clothes, I now have the solution.
After finally returning to the start/finish area, I set out to flag more of the course. After driving the long way out towards Aid 2, before I even arrived I realized something was really wrong with the Truck... start phase one of "operation fix the truck while still getting the race off successfully". The cooling fan clutch had failed, and my big 7.4 liter V8 was gasping for cooling air, and thus overheating very quickly. A long, temperature-balancing drive back to the Start/Finish put me there around midnight, and thus ended that day.
The next day after Ray and Becky Smith arrived (Assistant RD), we dropped the truck off at the local repair shop in Wendover, and headed out to flag Crater Island with Sam. Ray and Becky dropped Sam and I off just past Sheep Camp Aid Station (6), and they flagged backwards towards Hastings Aid Station (5/7) while Sam and I headed forwards towards Hastings. Sam and I had a great run setting the course through the "moonscape" on the back of Crater, stopping to punch pin-flags into the pie-crust of baked mud. I always enjoy the novelty of running this section of course as it's been my favorite part of the course since the first time I ran it. Once finished flagging that section, we continued backwards from the Hastings, flagging through 4 all the way to 3. We then headed back to the finish to drop Sam off and start on the water and Honey Buckets.
Ray and I continued placing water, Honey Buckets, and flagging through the evening and all the way till about 5 AM, when we headed back towards the finish so we could get the race started, and head back out to get the rest of the course setup.
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By the time we arrived at the Start/Finish, runners were already milling about, placing their drop-bags, and making their final preparations. I was able to get a few things organized, say hi to Jay Aldous (who had literally just arrived in Utah from Italy the night before), see a few other friends and then get everyone lined up for the start.
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At 0700, I kicked it off and 53 runners headed out onto the salt, for what I sincerely hoped would be an awesome experience for each one. Then it was time to get back to work.
On a side note, we lost an Aid Station Crew late in the game, and so Aid Station 3 became our own and several folks, including a couple who were just there to crew their runner out to Aid 3. Ray and Becky's daughter Rachael
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saved the day there by teaching the adults how to setup the canopy, and then she took over recording the runners in/out times. Thanks to everyone who stepped in to make Aid 3 possible!
Ray and I split up and went to work, he, Becky, and his son Parker took off to continue to drop water and Honey Buckets, and I jumped on one of a couple borrowed ATVs (THANK YOU Bastian Cowsert and Mark Pledger!)and headed out to keep the course flagging ahead of the racers. About 11:00 AM, I headed back to the Start/Finish to find out if my truck was ready to pick up at the shop, and it was! Ray was inbound, so as soon as he arrived, he and I headed into Wendover to get my Truck. Upon returning, Steve Gerritsen, friend and volunteer was at the finish so I grabbed him and we headed out to finish flagging from the "concrete bunker" through to 14. However, at the turn off of Ranch Road that starts the climb out to 13, the truck lost the cooling fan again... MURPHY! I called Ray, who had been diverted trying to assist a runner who had a stress fracture and had to be extracted back to the start, and he started heading our way. Then I called the repair shop, and as diplomatically as possible, told them that they were going to come out and pick up the truck, and fix it before they went home for the weekend (Steve volunteered to go with them so that as soon as it was done he could drive it back), and Ray, Rachael, Parker and I headed out to finish the flagging into 14.
Upon reaching 14, we headed back to the finish to regroup, and there I received the call that Steve was on the way back with my (once more fixed) truck. I also learned that Jay was running at least an hour back from his expected pace, so I had a little more time to get the last 5 miles of the course flagged, and the finish setup. Steve and I finished up the flagging by 6:30PM, and the finish was setup by 7:30PM. Somehow, with all the challenges, we still managed to pull it off. (I would learn later, that with the truck breakdowns, and the runner extraction, we failed to get the unmanned water placed at mile 48... FAIL!). My new, checklist-based approach will ensure that we don't let unexpected issues let a water placement slip by again.
All during the race, the aid stations were competing for votes by the runners for "best aid station" of the year. All of the aid stations stepped up and provided OUTSTANDING support to the runners. Many runners, including Traviss Willcox who has run 246 marathons and ultras, stated that this was the best supported race they had run!
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQfSwJxPwiS7jtpq-k_FzrHDNKItJcjo3E_mw80xn4BTMpti92stWLHKl7CgA206bwO2-jDHWwPWcHcQTnPstRso0KcsOIlD6Sgqfr9-iOs2vkBKMl-g1-VV56NFI2yjV2S4f-Ib1muZx3/s1600/Salt+Flats+100+Mile-414-X3.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQfSwJxPwiS7jtpq-k_FzrHDNKItJcjo3E_mw80xn4BTMpti92stWLHKl7CgA206bwO2-jDHWwPWcHcQTnPstRso0KcsOIlD6Sgqfr9-iOs2vkBKMl-g1-VV56NFI2yjV2S4f-Ib1muZx3/s320/Salt+Flats+100+Mile-414-X3.jpg" /></a>
Aid 4 had an amazing setup, as did 12,
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdND4mRYfAT7WFij6eGF5ddIIR1C315ndPjuexeqHhBiuylbSpUi7fPyRnRmUgsPdHeLNn5q3Vz4iSgoEiQqf1NtdyfNJq6Lok3ZOmTXZpdi3JHlJxI4SY_6OcOOh_ecPooh19YEgPoocQ/s1600/Aid12_night.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdND4mRYfAT7WFij6eGF5ddIIR1C315ndPjuexeqHhBiuylbSpUi7fPyRnRmUgsPdHeLNn5q3Vz4iSgoEiQqf1NtdyfNJq6Lok3ZOmTXZpdi3JHlJxI4SY_6OcOOh_ecPooh19YEgPoocQ/s320/Aid12_night.jpg" /></a>
and they ended up tied for 1st place. Close behind was Aid 13,
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj62eiQ0LKishEL26YjNv1bC4tJjIscwVK2vNhy0XMitWFXw-yHIsmqyF9w7J5ye7RbHQTNK4_s4krx9_AVfjHh6FzO2fvg7bAO4Uz714uc05O_mwSczNXwzOfcF77QGpxeQhPrF2jz8gyh/s1600/IMG_20130427_070632_594.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj62eiQ0LKishEL26YjNv1bC4tJjIscwVK2vNhy0XMitWFXw-yHIsmqyF9w7J5ye7RbHQTNK4_s4krx9_AVfjHh6FzO2fvg7bAO4Uz714uc05O_mwSczNXwzOfcF77QGpxeQhPrF2jz8gyh/s320/IMG_20130427_070632_594.jpg" /></a>
who were lauded by all for their expertise in moving runners through with both encouragement and tough-love.
The biggest win for me this year was that I was able to be at the finish for every runner who came through! It was an amazing experience being able to congratulate each finisher, and hand them their buckle personally. I recognized myself in many of them, having that mix of pain, euphoria, and just plain relief at having it over. It's an odd thing this ultra-running... particularly the 100 distance. Jay Aldous finished first, coming through at 17:59:30. His travel schedule and it's impact on his training was evident, but he was happy none-the-less for having the opportunity to finish another Salt Flats among friends.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid57gmFTiz4PkoajPmdT8BeDaYwp1Pf9tKGxU92dd44krvAnl_HOG59UzKl652A1ZEn-eF7TsYYX0v2ZSSuqSWQVRpEecARHju1CVSIrxXrSwTFBpjxn9KXK1zhocoMXK9feQoZWI9D4Dg/s1600/Salt+Flats+100+Mile-686-X3.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid57gmFTiz4PkoajPmdT8BeDaYwp1Pf9tKGxU92dd44krvAnl_HOG59UzKl652A1ZEn-eF7TsYYX0v2ZSSuqSWQVRpEecARHju1CVSIrxXrSwTFBpjxn9KXK1zhocoMXK9feQoZWI9D4Dg/s320/Salt+Flats+100+Mile-686-X3.jpg" /></a>
He is always a class-act, and it was fun to chat with him and Peter for a few minutes at the finish.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisyw3cYfVG-OV5DjSp9u-VtFiW4Gdcwiw0z09qO0ssNsdzRXjoYJEGGMzQ8jM6jcabdzGiBeHjr4RJVo0AIRZY4hYuYuyLys3iGzcWBLt8pWekibVyVI691suOfBTdV_R86HyB7DxXY-OK/s1600/Salt+Flats+100+Mile-690-X3.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisyw3cYfVG-OV5DjSp9u-VtFiW4Gdcwiw0z09qO0ssNsdzRXjoYJEGGMzQ8jM6jcabdzGiBeHjr4RJVo0AIRZY4hYuYuyLys3iGzcWBLt8pWekibVyVI691suOfBTdV_R86HyB7DxXY-OK/s320/Salt+Flats+100+Mile-690-X3.jpg" /></a>
As more and more runners finished through the night, I enjoyed seeing old friends and new friends crossing the finish line. My cousin Davy Crockett came through just after sunrise, finishing this 100 miler after completing a 104 miles the previous weekend.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYfrel_lXEfZZ_mKFX1eE1yV2vOITLEZNw0IwyDilSA3dT4IiqV9vEVKnVPcanJYGXjgmiZkELWdNpTw32UKQoW25N3Z-lbRUk4gOZpATOrdEsYK7cKCydp52AVO0rD0MtsaNnAn-rYc5M/s1600/Salt+Flats+100+Mile-738-X3.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYfrel_lXEfZZ_mKFX1eE1yV2vOITLEZNw0IwyDilSA3dT4IiqV9vEVKnVPcanJYGXjgmiZkELWdNpTw32UKQoW25N3Z-lbRUk4gOZpATOrdEsYK7cKCydp52AVO0rD0MtsaNnAn-rYc5M/s320/Salt+Flats+100+Mile-738-X3.jpg" /></a>
Next, good friend Sam Collier finished his first sub-24hr 100!
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo7Oqa_raAAEgJTLmPaqhGj8ong_Wcmp5PzVSJf1gwPRSBc0Z1Vndw5uTA8_oesI_Gj9TqEoYrE5anw31i_PvR2HAxpahyphenhyphen2mlY5DsoLKqwJoDEn7uZh_UjnRbVDc1EsvIvCyQ-sQZHDTxY/s1600/Salt+Flats+100+Mile-746-X3.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo7Oqa_raAAEgJTLmPaqhGj8ong_Wcmp5PzVSJf1gwPRSBc0Z1Vndw5uTA8_oesI_Gj9TqEoYrE5anw31i_PvR2HAxpahyphenhyphen2mlY5DsoLKqwJoDEn7uZh_UjnRbVDc1EsvIvCyQ-sQZHDTxY/s320/Salt+Flats+100+Mile-746-X3.jpg" /></a>
He was obviously stoked on the great finish, and also pretty spent... a great accomplishment to be sure.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEJ9GJW3h720dOmMjP_PFm9_GX_fCoF6wLvxJ1Gnm9uweRR_VwTbMYN0C8xl8YC0hcg0AkBtOoOvxvb4Tymd6ylApSIK5ZUTM0XfcdGu0fX_TAxvWfn20ESszG7iV58Xc6CTkJM9ezFhTG/s1600/Salt+Flats+100+Mile-769-X3.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEJ9GJW3h720dOmMjP_PFm9_GX_fCoF6wLvxJ1Gnm9uweRR_VwTbMYN0C8xl8YC0hcg0AkBtOoOvxvb4Tymd6ylApSIK5ZUTM0XfcdGu0fX_TAxvWfn20ESszG7iV58Xc6CTkJM9ezFhTG/s320/Salt+Flats+100+Mile-769-X3.jpg" /></a>
Another great accomplishment is a runners first 100... as Galen Garrison approached the finish of his first 100, I could see the pride that only a 100 finish can give.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCmm7MHuTMfQoz7WW1z-XE8zTaPL_Nr7qiGQCbyBLw1PQx7KbbIsOM0opLq8e1kFug46Jcm1uSQLGMmwUe1nUnBif090gOQV2NBGH6nMT7Zw-AfQlnm2mBwBYER_I9q_O8714IHsleqwG0/s1600/Salt+Flats+100+Mile-781-X3.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCmm7MHuTMfQoz7WW1z-XE8zTaPL_Nr7qiGQCbyBLw1PQx7KbbIsOM0opLq8e1kFug46Jcm1uSQLGMmwUe1nUnBif090gOQV2NBGH6nMT7Zw-AfQlnm2mBwBYER_I9q_O8714IHsleqwG0/s320/Salt+Flats+100+Mile-781-X3.jpg" /></a>
This is definitely one of the coolest parts of being an RD, is seeing the emotion of completing a first 100... I know how cool it felt for me, and it's a genuine joy to see others do the same!
As the morning worked towards day, I decided to sit down and rest for a minute, as I'd been up for nearly 50 hours at this point...
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifJiAH-W21LgcQNsnCYAzhwrsqc4eKOMXCiBA690cEftvqhv3VAJ_gLyDfNBfGv35IiRzoc_5H6GVQ9OWiyQabrJxxqSm1OB-tZp75BDGwRuxdMiET-11tDWV7EzK4kibiw-YH6-lcI80h/s1600/Salt+Flats+100+Mile-792-X3.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifJiAH-W21LgcQNsnCYAzhwrsqc4eKOMXCiBA690cEftvqhv3VAJ_gLyDfNBfGv35IiRzoc_5H6GVQ9OWiyQabrJxxqSm1OB-tZp75BDGwRuxdMiET-11tDWV7EzK4kibiw-YH6-lcI80h/s320/Salt+Flats+100+Mile-792-X3.jpg" /></a>
and of course that turned into a 30 minute nap until the next runner was approaching the finish. Milko Mejia came through the finish, having completed his fourth 100 miler.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzc4vZ-sDPLWK83STRquaouvJj_WGFd0dFUMy5WVIFpvNqpGO-2nh1RFK5aW3Xq44djKK021ZJ_7zogDyZv5zITjE3s90K5dGxXn_1dKP9ZBZ822zNaoqVwNvXOdfDAOry-DyznBz0CmSn/s1600/Salt+Flats+100+Mile-799-X3.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzc4vZ-sDPLWK83STRquaouvJj_WGFd0dFUMy5WVIFpvNqpGO-2nh1RFK5aW3Xq44djKK021ZJ_7zogDyZv5zITjE3s90K5dGxXn_1dKP9ZBZ822zNaoqVwNvXOdfDAOry-DyznBz0CmSn/s320/Salt+Flats+100+Mile-799-X3.jpg" /></a>
This course is not the easiest 100 by any stretch. It's very doable, but not easy, and Milko stated that very plainly to me... he's a new convert to the unique challenge and pain that the Salt Flats provides, and yet another new friend.
The remainder of the day was a repetition of amazing efforts by unique individuals, all of whom came to this race with amazing personal stories and challenges. I watched our oldest runner, Bob Mercil (72) finish,
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmc-hD7c7hwTYelXIvpRgNvjNW118aQN5uu1xS6HO5lEhIp5c9bcNCsOGXP-S318wfVowXeQT1k-SyGQUDfZz3IBMJ9AsqmZN9nmahm7f5mSUQYzaCrUO-uxyIqOwMz_javVUXrKWf2tt4/s1600/Salt+Flats+100+Mile-918-X3.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmc-hD7c7hwTYelXIvpRgNvjNW118aQN5uu1xS6HO5lEhIp5c9bcNCsOGXP-S318wfVowXeQT1k-SyGQUDfZz3IBMJ9AsqmZN9nmahm7f5mSUQYzaCrUO-uxyIqOwMz_javVUXrKWf2tt4/s320/Salt+Flats+100+Mile-918-X3.jpg" /></a>
followed by our youngest runner, Kara John (25)
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVgLcLUIFUwUllawm6jdAouysTcb6PLBpFzHC7s9voXZXrLBIUYmncVgy9F5h3qt6pXnveeaq4LpSNpKjHqRgHsRSToh-EGPQStsTlGipPhZQe6FKDN8blYFtavetPcY1lVkCYPyv6G-Tf/s1600/Salt+Flats+100+Mile-1003-X3.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVgLcLUIFUwUllawm6jdAouysTcb6PLBpFzHC7s9voXZXrLBIUYmncVgy9F5h3qt6pXnveeaq4LpSNpKjHqRgHsRSToh-EGPQStsTlGipPhZQe6FKDN8blYFtavetPcY1lVkCYPyv6G-Tf/s320/Salt+Flats+100+Mile-1003-X3.jpg" /></a>.
Both endured some amazing challenges just to get to the finish. Somewhere along the day, we had a most unique visitor...
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEBddnHqx_NMJeP_I3bJQlActllMPFc9tsApj5OGd4RJR9ChH22NT0WvaBxVwFo473rPG9JMSd_qixUtx-dtxnAP1K83oIfLQoaFC8wAZDWPocDZhDmeZw_gEMzf02GXMOaOKSw_6yIzH1/s1600/NielYoung.jpeg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEBddnHqx_NMJeP_I3bJQlActllMPFc9tsApj5OGd4RJR9ChH22NT0WvaBxVwFo473rPG9JMSd_qixUtx-dtxnAP1K83oIfLQoaFC8wAZDWPocDZhDmeZw_gEMzf02GXMOaOKSw_6yIzH1/s320/NielYoung.jpeg" /></a>
Neil Young, who arguably shaped much of my musical taste as a youth arrived in his 1959 Lincoln Continental (modified to be a Hybrid Electric).
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He chatted amicably with a couple of the runners and crews, and then drove off. Had my head been in the game, I'd have grabbed a shirt and handed it to him, but alas, as I was chasing 60 hours without anything but a 30 minute nap, I wasn't really all there.
Overall, this was an amazingly successful event this year. We had phenomenal volunteers at the aid stations and with the organizing committee. We had outstanding support by the Elko County Sheriffs Department Search and Rescue, South Jordan City and South Jordan Police Department along with the Amateur Radio Public Service Events (www.arpse.org) which provided medical and communications support, as well as kept the website updated with real-time-ish results! Six Nutrition did an amazing job as title sponsor, and all the other sponsors stepped up and provided prizes and support which made a great impact on the runners! I felt privileged to host every one of them, as well as all the runners, their crews and supporters, and see them cross the finish of what I consider to be one of the most amazing courses on the planet. Thanks again to everyone, and I look forward to next year!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2146027228972013538.post-45725410535065381062013-05-08T10:31:00.000-07:002013-05-08T10:31:48.449-07:00Catch up time!Catching up for me means actually paying attention to my own running again! The overuse injury from last season kind of put me into a mindset where I focused on everything BUT my own running. I volunteered at the Ranch Aid Station for the Buffalo 100, and then spent a ton of energy working on organizing this year's Salt Flats 100 (report in the next blog post). That said, I'm plugging away again, putting miles in wherever I can squeeze them in. This last Saturday I joined Davy Crockett entering as solo runners in a local 50 mile relay race (patterned after the Ragnar Relays) that roughly followed the Denver/Rio Grande rail trail, Legacy Parkway trail, and Jordan River Parkway trail from Roy, UT, to West Jordan, UT. The two of us stood at the start rigged to pretty much self-support the entire 50 miles, surround by people in costumes, team shirts, and carrying a hand-bottle if anything at all. To say we were conspicuous would be an understatement.
Davy has already had an amazing running year and it was only May 4th. I on the other hand had only had a few decent runs, and was mainly relying on short-ish lunch runs as my main training body. We queued up at the start and walked forward until the guy with the clock entered our bib number and yelled "Go!". Davy held back for the first mile and we chatted about the last couple of weeks (where he'd run a 104 mile 24hr race on the west coast, then run my Salt Flats 100, and was now running this 50 miler), but after realizing I was at an entirely different level of training, he excused himself and opened it up. He ended up beating about 1/2 of the relay teams.
I on the other hand, plodded along slowly, hanging with the slowest of the relay teams, and pretty much enjoying the fact that I was on my first real long run. The first "exchange" for the relay at 6.5 miles had water right at the exchange (as expected), and I filled up all my bottles, pulled a PB&J slice out of my pack, and headed out again. They had volunteers posted at several key, and quite odd intersections/course deviations where we literally ran through some parking lots, up alley's behind manufacturing plants, and then joined the formal trail again.
After another 6 miles or so, the next exchange appeared, but no water was in sight... I still had about half of my water, so I chose to head out for the next section. Of course this is when the morning coolness started to wane and I really started drinking. With still two or so miles to go, I was bone dry. By the time I hit the third exchange at about 20.5 miles, I was parched. I refilled there (thanks to Davy who had arrived there to no water, after passing through #2 like I did without filling up and pretty much demanded they get some water there) grabbed more food from my pack, and headed out again. I was pounding the water, and I'd finished my main bottle after only a mile and a half, so I started looking for options. I saw a soccer park with a pavilion off the side of the trail, so I ran to that and found a drinking fountain! I topped off and headed out again. By the 4th exchange at 27 miles, I was starting to feel hydrated again despite finishing all my water before arriving, but was also noticing that my legs were losing energy.
After refilling and refueling, I set off for the next section which ran through the Rose Park section of Salt Lake City. This area has a reputation for being a not-so-nice area of town, and the ever increasing spray paint "art" seemed to be confirming that. The course had been marked with yellow spray-chalk up to this point, and as I ran the trail "ended" and became sidewalk with a couple direction options. No chalk marking here, so I chose the largest of the sidewalk options, and continued running that, passing over several roads, and then was spit out into a parking lot behind a trailer park. This seemed a bit odd, so I back tracked for a mile or so looking for where I'd missed the markings... but to no avail.
I then decided to try another direction at the previous "large" intersection, but this simply spit me out into a neighborhood after less than a 1/2 mile. Back again, and tried the other direction, which ended on the far side of a baseball park and amidst the parking lot full of little-leaguers... nope. I retraced and again followed my original route to see if I'd somehow missed some markings, but after arriving again at the parking lot behind the trailer park without seeing any markings, I figured I must be thoroughly lost. I decided to follow the fence line on the other side of the parking lot as it looked like it had a gate... which sure enough had a chalk marking pointing the opposite direction I was going! Doh!
At this point my GPS was showing 36.5 miles (I should have been at the next exchange by now). My legs were increasingly tightening up, and even my old injury was starting to make itself known, so I decided to call it a day.
All in all, it was my first real long run of the year, and it definitely felt good for most of those miles, so I'll call it a successful Saturday run!
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2146027228972013538.post-83988794677847070912012-10-22T19:50:00.000-07:002012-10-22T19:50:04.502-07:002012 Pony Express 100 Race ReportThe Pony Express 100 Mile Endurance Run has been on my list since meeting Davy Crockett and this year was the year. My wife and I awoke at 3:00AM and loaded the truck with all the necessary gear (as this is a self-supported event), and we headed towards Faust Utah. We arrived just in time to see the early start group heading out of the start chute, and I walked to the sign-in tent, picked up my race-bag, and headed back to the warmth of the truck.
At 0550, Davy called out for the runners to report to the start, and the handful of
us starting at 0600 formed a gaggle at the start chute and Davy briefed us on the last
minute details, and then counted down for the start. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As I left the start I locked into my pace and held it despite the easy grade and classic "group enthusiasm" at the beginning of a race. My epic fail at the Wasatch 100 was fresh in my mind so I disciplined myself to stay within my planned envelope. One runner named Darren (running his first 100) hung with me until Government Creek where he pulled ahead. I learned later he DNF'd on this one, but I'm sure he'll be back to try again.
The morning air was cool, but I soon warmed up and had to peel off my windbreaker. I
kept the gloves and hat on until Simpson Springs (16.4 miles) where I peeled off all my cool-weather gear and headed out for the looooong trip across the valley to the next mountain range and "Dugway Pass". <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As I passed through mile 25 I began to notice a previous injury in my right foot surfacing again, and by mile 30 it was back in full swing. Every step shot a stabbing pain up through my right leg, so I figured from this point on it was going to be all about pain management.
I adjusted my gate, pace, stance, and whatever else I could figure out to adjust to try to mitigate the pain. By the time I started the climb up to Dugway Pass (mile 37.5), I was already falling behind my planned pace, and a variety of muscles in my right leg and lower back were feeling the effects of my adjustments to compensate for the foot pain. I arrived at the pass, checked in and took a minute to sit on the tail-gate of the truck to eat and drink.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The long downhill after the pass proved quite painful, but at least I made better time than on the climb up so I felt more optimistic about things simply because of the progress. During this section, I leap-frogged with a runner named Suzanne who also was running her first 100. Her step-dad was crewing her and was easily stopping two to three times as often as I was. I couldn't help but wonder how far ahead of me she'd be if she only stopped as often as I did...
The other thing that gave me some significant optimism during this portion of the course was that I'd had no stomach problems and had stayed pretty much perfect on my nutrition and hydration. I honestly felt great other than the leg pain... and as long as the pain was just pain (and not weakness, and the potential of injury), it was manageable.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I reached Blackrock station feeling a little hammered, but still mentally good so I took advantage of the facilities and the free grilled goodies (the chicken was super-good). I headed out again and within a half-mile, Suzanne had caught up with me. She asked if she could hang with me until her because her knee was starting to hurt. I talked her through the pain management concept, and told her to adjust her pace as needed to accommodate the pain. Her husband and a friend traded out crew duties with her step-dad, and so she had someone to hang with and I pulled ahead.
As I got closer to Fish Springs (Mile 58.2), I was getting better at pulling inside my head and letting the pain just flow through so I started making decent time again.
I left Fish Springs after a quick bite of food and started the return trip to Blackrock station. Suzanne was headed into Fish Springs as I headed out, but that was the last I saw of her, as she also DNF'd. Sad to see a first-timer DNF on a 100, but hopefully she'll be back to try again.
I made good time on the return, and very much enjoyed the cooler air of the night. I rolled into Blackrock (mile 67.9), again availed myself of the facilities, ate some soup, and some Argentinian sausage and then changed socks. I headed out into the night, ready to finish of the last 50K of the course. I actually felt good (other than the pain), and so kept the pressure on to keep my pace within my original envelope. As the night wore on, I struggled to keep the pace up just due to fatigue, but fortunately this is precisely when my pacer, Dan Eastman arrived.
Dan has paced me several times in the past, and has just the right amount of ridicule in his voice to make sure I don't wimp out. As soon as he arrived, my pace picked up and we made great time despite my body's protests. We crested Dugway Pass (mile 78.9) and headed down the other side to the return trip across the loooooong, straight, uphill road to the next mountain range. It was along this road that the magic of GI issues crept up. Fortunately, it was not the upper GI issues that trashed me at Wasatch, but it was the lower GI issues that made me extremely glad we'd brought along the "Porta-Loo". Yeah, Ultra-running is sooooo glamorous!
Just prior to Dawn, my wife picked up my pacer and drove him back to his vehicle, and I was on my own to reel in the last nine miles. At this point, my right foot had become partially numb, but the ankle was now feeling the effects of nearly 70 miles of adjusted gait, and so it was on fire. Still, no "malfunction" was happening, so I kept pressing; running for 1/2 mile, walking for a 1/10 mile, and repeating over and over. By the time my wife met back up with me, I had just over two miles remaining.
I started the 1.2 mile climb up the foothills with enthusiasm in running mode, and quickly reverted to survival mode and power hiked the steeper sections, only running when the grade lessened. As I approached the last 1/4 mile to the turn down to the finish, Ken Maughan, who had started at 5AM and just finished drove past me and cheered me on, so I decided I could somehow run the remainder. I ran to the turn-off to the corral, and looking down the rocky road I could see the finish so I sucked it up and ran hard. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As I ran through the finish <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I was welcomed by my awesome wife who'd stayed awake to crew me, as well as Dennis Ahern <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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(he'd finished about 40 minutes earlier and stayed around to welcome me in), and of course Davy Crockett was there to hand me my official belt buckle! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Every 100 is a tough challenge, each with it’s own character and appeal. I loved the stark landscapes, the contrasts between alkali desert and waterfowl refuge, and the cool fall weather. The Pony Express 100 is definitely a classic, and will remain on my list of repeaters.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2146027228972013538.post-62935292004128601902012-10-22T19:08:00.000-07:002012-10-22T19:08:45.824-07:00Wasatch 100 Epic FailWell, at some point in running 100s it is inevitable (at least I'm hoping it's not just me) to have that epic fail, where it wasn't even close, where the mileage was scarcely an approximation of the intended goal. Where the body and mind both conspired for failure and the race was over before it even got into the meat. So it was with my first attempt at the Wasatch 100. It took me three years to draw out for this one, and somehow I managed only to get 53 miles in before complete self-destruction occurred. In reality, the self-destruction occurred around mile 45, and the last 8 miles were a simple matter of putting the last nails in the coffin.
It didn't have to be this way. Looking back, I had several opportunities to salvage this event and pull out a finish. But by mile 53 I'd linked enough bad decisions to make it impossible. Here's how it came down:
First off, let me say that I married off both of my daughters in the 36 days prior to the Wasatch, so needless to say neither my nutrition, nor my training had been optimal. On race day, I arrived at the start feeling reasonable, and as we headed down the funnel onto the increasingly narrow trail that runs the foothills of Layton, UT, I fell in with a few guys in what felt like a comfortable pace. Not once did I look at my GPS and determine what pace I was really running (turns out it was 2 minutes per mile faster than what I'd planned). By the time I reached the part of the course where it turned uphill, I was already feeling a little fatigued.
Had I listened to my body at that point, I'd have slowed WAY down, walked very slowly up the steep climb letting lots of other runners pass me while I focused on mellowing out and eating some carbs to replenish my early-burn. Instead I set my sights on the group ahead of me and started making slow gains on them. When I reached the turn back south, I managed to pass that group, and then I focused on putting distance between them and me. I did manage to put down half a Cliff bar and a few Shot Bloks, but it was not even close to what I should have been consuming at that pace and distance.
The brutal climb up Chin-Scraper likewise prompted an unreasonable desire to "hammer" it, and I put everything I had into the climb. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Topping out, I was breathing like a sprinter, not an ultra-runner, and I still pressed as I moved out along the ridge-line to head up towards the radar domes. Oddly, I still wasn't feeling the full impact of my impetuous approach to one of the hardest 100s in the country. Once I arrived at the Francis Peak aid station at mile 18.7, I was starting to realize my stomach had shut down.
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I came in feeling really wobbly, and had a sharp pain in my stomach. I grabbed my drop bag, drank an Ensure, packed up my supplies, and as I walked past the table grabbed a couple bites of melon and a cookie. I tried to eat the cookie as I walked away from the aid station, but by this time my body was complaining loudly enough that I had to listen. From this point until about mile 35, I felt terrible. I literally forced myself to keep moving, and the sights of every upcoming climb made me want to lie down and sleep.
Obviously, I could have stopped at Francis Peak, stayed there relaxing until my stomach came back, refueled and rehydrated, and then moved on at a more moderate pace. I even could have stopped and laid down like my body was screaming for as I approached Swallow Rocks aid station at 34.9 miles. However, at Swallow Rocks, I actually did sit down, and ate a Popsicle. Then I ate another. I drank some Coke on ice. I started to feel significantly better. I enjoyed the shade of the canopy there for about 15 minutes, and then got up and started off again. The short downhill after the aid station helped as well, and I actually thought I was back in business.
What I actually was, was in a position to WALK all the way to Big Mountain, and take an even longer break there. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What I did do, was start running again. I came into Big Mountain having gained back a significant amount of lost time, and apparently was delusional enough to do a quick stop to make my planned sock change, eat a small amount of a boiled potato, and start off again running at a hard pace. That lasted for about a mile. Then it started deteriorating, and doing so quickly.
I puked at mile 41, and then never got it back. Nausea continued to Alexander Springs aid station at mile 47.4, where I tried a piece of cantaloupe, which promptly tried to come right back up. I forced it to stay down, and headed off at a snail’s pace hoping not to lose that little bit of nutrition. The steep ups and downs of the climb up the canyon proved mind-bending, and with the darkness settling in, and only my backup headlamp with me (I'd planned on being at Lambs Canyon long before dark), I started stumbling in the dark.
I somehow found the turn into the scrub-oak forest that would take me up over a ridge and into Parleys Canyon for my descent down to Lambs Canyon aid station, but as I headed up the single-track, my mental state began to match my physical state. I saw spiders on the trail (and I don't like spiders), so I tried to run which only made me trip and fall onto the trail where the spiders were (not sure if these were even real, but it was real to me at that time). I fell several times during the descent to Lambs Aid station at mile 53, and by mile 51 I was walking sideways to keep moving in a straight line. I was a mess.
After the amazing medical folks there squared me away to where I was coherent and speaking full sentences, I tried to stand up. Nothing left there. It was over physically, and honestly I didn't have any fight left in me emotionally either. Despite still having 45 minutes before the cutoff, I withdrew and DNF'd.
Disappointing? Yes. But surprisingly, I'm ok with it. I made those decisions, and I'll live with their consequences. But that said, I certainly don't have to make those same decisions again.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2146027228972013538.post-5959469238404072902012-05-16T13:57:00.002-07:002012-05-16T13:57:49.068-07:002012 Salt Flats 100 Race Director Report<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The check-in and Pre-Race meeting began Thursday night at 5PM at the Wendover Community Center, in Wendover, UT. Wendover is a study in contrast, with economically challenged, small-town Utah sitting east of the state line, and to the west, the Casinos and Strip Clubs of West Wendover, NV. The mayor of Wendover, UT had offered up the Community Center and as we setup for the meeting the ever-present winds of the area showed no signs of abating... it looked like the National Weather Service’s promised storm was soon to arrive.
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Runners showed up and gathered their race bags and visited the sponsors who had set up inside the center, and received the overview of the course markings, conditions, and last minute instructions. By 7PM the last of the runners had picked up their bags and went to get some sleep. At least that was the intention. Mother Nature, however had other ideas. The wind had been steadily increasing in intensity and by 8PM, 60 MPH gusts were slamming the area accompanied by a cold, driven rain. Driving out to the Start where I was to start marking the last of the course, I passed a 5th-wheel trailer laying on it’s side in the median, a casualty of the nuking winds.
At the start area, all the Honey Bucket portable toilets had been blown over, Liz Bauer and Scott Brockmeier’s RV was parked next to assistant RD Ray Smith’s Motor Home, and all the folks who had intended to camp at the start had bailed and driven the 5 miles back to Wendover to get a hotel room. It was a very lonely looking start area. I climbed out of my truck and went in to talk to Ray about our options, and figure out how we were going to pull off this race.
The BLM had required us to have a “rain route”, which would allow us to run the race if the Salt Flats was flooded, and as the rain continued we realized this might be a reality. We knew we’d be working through the night to get the course flagged either way, but running the rain route was not what people came out here to do. As if on cue, the rain ebbed, and then completely stopped. The wind continued to howl for another hour, and then it too backed off to the “normal” 15-20 MPH. We were going to be able to have a race after all.
We shot out and started checking the flagging we’d placed earlier, and found most of it needed to be reset. By the time we’d set the flagging out to mile 30, it was time to head back and get the race started.
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At 6:55, I formed up the runners out on the “Salt”, gave last minute instructions, and at 7:00AM sent them out into the white plain of salt. As the sun rose into the gray morning sky, the clouds broke up and the runners were able to experience the mirror-like reflection of the salt.
Because the salt surface is perfectly flat, the curvature of the earth makes it so you cannot see another person on the surface more than a few miles out, so the runners were guided along the salt by 4’ rebar hammered into the hard salt and bright orange streamers flapping in the wind. As they passed one of these, another would come into view.
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Very quickly, the favorite to win, Jay Aldous had taken the lead and by the time he hit the first aid station at mile 10, no one could be seen behind him.
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Pete Lindgren, Daryl Hultquist and several other possible “second placers” were working hard to keep Jay reasonably close as they followed several minutes back.
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The weather was cool and windy, but made for great running conditions and the runners set a quick pace so I needed to get out and finish flagging the course. I took a friend and training partner, Dan Eastman out to the tip of Crater Island and dropped him off to flag the west side of the island by foot while I headed back to keep flagging the remainder of the course, checking in with the “Sheep Camp” Aid Station crew (Aid 6) on the way.
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Only 1 mile from Sheep Camp, I passed a very strong-looking Jay Aldous, now easily 1 hr ahead of the next runner. He was putting down a blistering run, and I needed to get moving to ensure the course was flagged ahead of him.
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I was literally putting down the course markings two aid stations ahead of him .
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The weather kept improving, and by mid-afternoon the temperatures were in the low 60’s with mostly sunny skies.
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Even our K-9 competitor “Elvis” with 100 mile first-timer DeeAnna Croasman seemed to be enjoying the weather. I finished flagging the course by 7PM, and started setting up the finish. About this time I received a call from Ray, who had gone out to pull the Honey Buckets from Aid 1 and Aid 2 so they could be moved over to a couple other Aid Stations.
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He had driven off of the hard salt surface into the “salt mud”, and was now mired down. He started digging out while I completed setting up the finish, and thanks to some random 2x4’s in his pickup bed he called and said he was out shortly after I was done setting up the finish, but the trailer and Honey Buckets were stuck until we could get a winch or better vehicle out there.
As Ray drove back towards the finish, the deceptive illusions of the night desert took over, and he turned to what he thought were the lights of the finish, and again drove off the hard salt surface getting stuck once again. At least this time he had some experience on how to dig himself out. At 9:45 PM, we saw a headlight way down the approach to the finish. Jay was headed in.
The approach to the finish is 3.5 miles of perfectly flat road, and the lights of the finish are visible almost the entire way. Just like the Salt Flats themselves, the deceptive nature of distance in this environment adds a unique challenge to this last section.
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The agonizing nature of the finish was reflected in Jay’s face as he came through the finish at 10:04PM, a blazingly fast 15:04:45.
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Liz Bauer led the ladies the entire race, and finished with a 24:44:01.
From the Race Director perspective, the race was a great success. 49 runners started, 43 finished.
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Most of the “first timers” also finished, including DeeAnna Croasman and Elvis,
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and 18-year-old Tyler Bodily. Only one runner experienced a significant “lost” episode after missing a pivotal turn. No significant injuries, no damaged vehicles, and almost universally enjoyable experiences by all runners, volunteers, and staff. As is always the case, there is much room for improvement and the runners and volunteers have offered outstanding suggestions we will incorporate into next year’s event.
The Salt Flats 100 exposes the runner to truly other-worldly terrain, deceptive distances, and mental challenges unlike any other 100. This year’s event confirmed that unique status as virtually every competitor commented on the unique and challenging nature of the race. As we grow the event, I’m sure the experience will be even better year after year.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2146027228972013538.post-36900558219012571412012-05-04T10:46:00.000-07:002012-05-04T10:46:02.621-07:00The Buffalo 100 Mile Endurance RunTime to catch up! I never realized how totally absorbing being the Race Director for an event was! Before I get into that, time to recap the Buffalo 100 Mile Endurance Run. First off, Jim Skaggs puts on a first-class event! Loved every minute of it!
The start was at 12:00 Noon on Friday, and about 40 of us formed up for the start. Karl Meltzer was in attendance, and I knew I'd likely see him hammering back from his first 50 mile loop as I was heading out to the Ranch Aid Station.
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The weather was cool and windy, so I was definitely feeling good and headed out at a good pace for the Elephant Head loop. Aid 1 (also Aid 2, 3, 12,13,and 14) came about 15 minutes ahead of schedule, but feeling good so I kept the pressure on for the loop out to the rock formation and after passing Aid 1 again, headed for the steep descent to the West shoreline of Antelope Island.
The trail heads South parallel to the shoreline and then starts to climb back up to the summit via some very punishing switchbacks. I kept the pressure on, and by the time I hit Aid 1 again I was over an hour ahead of my goal pace. However, I was feeling like crap, and actually wasn't sure I'd be able to continue. That seems to be the cycle in a 100 miler for me. Run well, feel crappy, then feel good, then feel crappy, then feel good ;) Maybe that's what makes it so attractive?!
I hit Aid 4 at Mile 22 and checked in, got some melon in me, and continued on to Aid 5. At this point I was starting to feel a little better as I'd backed off the pace a little. I was still 45 minutes ahead of schedule, but feeling good again so I decided to enjoy the run through the great single track on the east side of the island out to Aid 6 and 7. Aid 6 was managed by Black Diamond Equipment, so it was good to see a few folks I recognized in addition to my wife. I did the classic in/out at 6 and cooked it out to 7. By the time I hit 7, I was starting to "feel" it, partially because I'd been texting the executive staff I work for trying to help solve a breakdown in part of our reporting applications, and I was paying less attention to technique and more to the phone. Finally, on my way back from 7 I was able to call it "good" and put the phone away.
Aid 8 (Black Diamond again) came with me maintaining that 45 minute ahead of pace time, and I grabbed my headlamp and headed out knowing nightfall was fast approaching and I'd need this for the "torn up" part of the course, and the rocky single track on the north loop. I love night running, and so I definitely enjoyed the next 15 miles. I came into the start/finish area for my 50 mile aid station, and picked up my first pacer.
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Tim Shupe (on my left) would take me for the next 22 miles on the Elephant Head loop, and then Dan Eastman (on my right) would pick me up at this location for the last 28.
Tim kept me on a good pace, despite a recurring "feel like crap, feeling good" cycle that continued most of the night. We arrived back at the start/finish aid station and I swapped out pacers and we headed into the pre-dawn light to finish out the last 28 miles. Dan kept me on a solid pace despite my whining and protesting, and we made good time out to the Ranch aid station. The return from ranch became less and less enjoyable as my left calf started to complain, at first quietly, but then loudly. By mile 89, I was in significant "hurt", and was doing my best "gimp hop" to move along.
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At the Black Diamond aid station, a nurse from IHC did her best to release the muscle with some pressure point massage. The muscle would act like it was relaxing, but as soon as I stood up on it, it would tighten up worse than before. Dan convinced me to give it a shot, so we headed out at a snails pace. After another mile, I called it a day as I was basically hopping on my right leg to make progress. 91 miles in, I DNF'd rather than push it any further and risk a tear.
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My feet were definitely ok with the idea of calling it a day too. I'd developed a few good blisters in in the process, so I need to re-think my shoes!
The Buffalo is a fun run, with great support. The buffalo (Bison) do offer a unique element to the event, as they roam the island and in some cases get in the way of runners, requiring the runners to wait for them to pass, or even take WIDE detours. Bison are not known for beign fluffy and cuddly to runners getting too near them.
Jim was very gracious when I came into the finish and told him I was a DNF at 91 miles, and he offered up a 50 mile finisher's mug as my consolation prize ;) I will display it proudly!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2146027228972013538.post-61439255586444121092011-10-05T14:07:00.001-07:002011-10-05T14:07:27.211-07:00Bear 100, mile 30-ish<br /><p align='center'><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZFdsqHpO55I" width="400" height="300"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZFdsqHpO55I" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><!-- Fallback content --><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFdsqHpO55I"><img src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/ZFdsqHpO55I/0.jpg" width="400" height="300" />YouTube Video</a></object></p>- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2146027228972013538.post-22396439928443295392011-09-25T18:43:00.000-07:002011-09-25T18:43:42.571-07:002011 Bear 100 Race ReportThis morning I'm sore... but in a good way. Friday morning the alarm went off at 0400 and I dressed and loaded up the truck, and my wife (and crew chief) drove us from Bear Lake down to Logan. The temperature was chilly, but perfect for the 4000' climb to the 10 mile aid station. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX3-JFWuYQxpzNiVoIvYbd6yGs0cd3zgxuHPFVLeT8m_ghXkuH5Zz9SnpWn9VHwmA1GceGmDcD0OdonQGFFuc96xglwcAIRdmr_JTJPPG7E-NVDcv6lGYBAZYDSDSQUoSfV007pkSp0_EW/s1600/DSCF0595_R.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="200" width="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX3-JFWuYQxpzNiVoIvYbd6yGs0cd3zgxuHPFVLeT8m_ghXkuH5Zz9SnpWn9VHwmA1GceGmDcD0OdonQGFFuc96xglwcAIRdmr_JTJPPG7E-NVDcv6lGYBAZYDSDSQUoSfV007pkSp0_EW/s200/DSCF0595_R.jpg" /></a></div><br />
The scene at the start was the usual craziness, but event amidst the 234 starters, I ran into several running buddies just prior to the start. Ultra-running is a small community.<br />
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The climb to Logan Peak was consistently steep, but has a couple great, runnable sections and some killer views. I passed through the Logan Peak aid station in 3 minutes, and headed out for the next 9 mile leg to the Leatham Hollow aid station. The last 3 miles of this leg are great single-track running and I was "in the zone" when I was suddenly brought back to reality when I found myself stopped with my eye only an inch away from a sharp broken branch on an overhead deadfall. It had been flagged, but I didn't see it. I became more attentive when running single-track from then on.<br />
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I arrived at the Leatham Hollow aid station about 10 minutes ahead of my 27 hour pace, and I was feeling great. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnk3x1388Mzq7tD-ynGbDYI96IJ93eLBOgXJ1oqYKb3-c0KBM825udbqELM0s0CPuTfMY-_yg230_N8qst-dTY-cPj6EI0Lk4nKghhWnvuBR1Qy_UK054vV904y7ITv81pmFiDDfTE59y_/s1600/DSCF0601_C.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="164" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnk3x1388Mzq7tD-ynGbDYI96IJ93eLBOgXJ1oqYKb3-c0KBM825udbqELM0s0CPuTfMY-_yg230_N8qst-dTY-cPj6EI0Lk4nKghhWnvuBR1Qy_UK054vV904y7ITv81pmFiDDfTE59y_/s200/DSCF0601_C.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Chriss met me there and helped me through a quick re-fuel and I was off on the next leg which included a 3 mile run up a low-incline dirt road to the next Aid Station, and then a 7.8 mile climb to Cowley Canyon Aid station, and then another climb and subsequent descent to Right-Hand Fork aid station at 36 miles. I usually have a little stomach distress after an aid station as my body tries to adapt to having food in my stomach again. Same situation here, but I pressed through it and still maintained my pace.<br />
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I arrived at the third aid station, grabbed a quick snack and headed out for the climb to Cowley. This climb has minimal shade, and is consistently steep the whole way. I was feeling pretty good however, and I managed to arrive at Cowley still ahead of my 27 hour pace. I took a few extra minutes to cool down in the shade they had under a canopy there, and then headed out again for the next climb.<br />
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As I ascended the steep dirt road I took notice of the extremely fine dust that sat several inches deep in places on this road. Then the first of several trucks approached from above... and I realized I was going to be sucking in a TON of that dust as they passed. I pulled my shirt up over my mouth as the first one passed, but the filtering effect was limited, and I spent the next 30 minutes coughing and sputtering trying to get that stuff out of my lungs. Fortunately, I topped out and started the long descent into Right Hand Fork aid station about the time the coughing fits ended and was able to crank out the descent at a great pace. <br />
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Chriss met me at Right Hand Fork and I again refueled and headed out. The climb was hot in the late afternoon sun, and I struggled to keep my pace going strong. This section of the course climbs up single track to meet a dirt road in a wide mountain pass, and follows this road down to Temple Fork aid station at Highway 89. Fortunately, in the middle of the descent, RD Leland opts to have us run a beautiful section of single track past some beaver dams and an awesome stream. This is one of the most best sections as it's totally runnable and visually amazing.<br />
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At temple fork, I took advantage of the facilities there for a nature break, and then picked up my first pacer, Bastian Cowsert. Bastian is a young, enthusiastic "newbie" to the world of Ultra-running. He's extremely fit, and I sense he's going to do amazing things. This was his first experience pacing, so we spent a lot of time talking about the process associated with pacing and crewing, as well as running. My goal was to make it to Tony Grove aid station before dark (because I only had my mini-headlamp with me as a "just in case"). I had a serious bout of stomach distress going, but again, just pressed through it and pushed as hard as I could up the long climb to the short descent into Tony Grove. We hit the downhill as the sun was setting, and ran the last section into Tony Grove aid station in the last of twighlight. <br />
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At Tony Grove I again used the facilities, ate some soup, and geared up for the night session with my high-powered headlamp, long-sleeve shirt, beanie cap and running gloves. <br />
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We headed out on another long climb which linked to a long, rocky single-track descent to Franklin Basin aid station. Bastian did a great job of reminding me to take my electrolytes on schedule, and we made great time. We got to the descent, and with my "uber headlamp", we able to run at almost a daylight pace. Very shortly into the descent, running at that "daylight" pace, I slammed my foot full-force into a large rock. I immediately knew I'd broken the small toe on my left foot. The pain was incredibly sharp and shocking, and even setting my foot down on the ground fired that same pain shooting through me again. <br />
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I had nothing with me to deal with the break, so I changed up my stride by riding the inside of my left foot and trying not to put any weight on the outside of that foot at all. This would come back to haunt me, but at least it let me get to the Franklin Basin aid station at slightly better than a snail's pace. Arriving at the aid station, everyone kicked into gear to get me "repaired" and back out on the trail.<br />
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Bastian was trading off pacing duties with Steve Proffit here, and as Paislee started getting ready to work on my toe Steve jumped in to help as well. Paislee started removing my shoe so she could tape my little toe tightly to the adjacent toe. Pulling off my socks, she saw the effect of my adjustmented weighting of my feet. I had developed a huge blood blister on my left big toe, and my right big toenail was totally black. Steve lanced the blood blister and Paislee drained it, applied antibiotic and a bandaid. She then taped my left little to it's neighbor, and taped up my right big toe to hold the nail on for the rest of the run.<br />
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I ate some soup, and headed out with Steve for the next 15 miles. Paislee's work on my toes was perfect. I could run normally with only nominal discomfort. I felt confident I could finish, and might be able to still finish in under 30 hours. Steve and I put the hammer down and pushed on to the Logan River aid station. As usual, there is a long climb followed by a downhill into the aid station. This year, the aid station was moved to be near the river crossing. The river was still quite high, but the crossing looked like it could be done without getting wet... almost. I made it to the last 6 feet, stepped on a moss-covered rock (that simply looked black) and in I went. Both feet soaked in ice-cold water, I continued on into the night.<br />
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The cold water actually may have done some good, as it may have reduced the swelling from all the damage. Steve pushed me through the tough climb up to the steep descent down the ski slopes of Beaver Mountain where I picked up my last pacer, Sean Housel. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8QDkD4vqb3npMw6mSK_FKAfso-WQ8dwrdaJahVD_ZIybbBfugwPmDgP4oOrms16iLsYrDzwiBt4_8DAYyMy1jicEeku3IcMkfdAlRig1QLdpez6KVCRb7VuFa9P3x8pz9hQDvmP5QvsWh/s1600/DSCF0634.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8QDkD4vqb3npMw6mSK_FKAfso-WQ8dwrdaJahVD_ZIybbBfugwPmDgP4oOrms16iLsYrDzwiBt4_8DAYyMy1jicEeku3IcMkfdAlRig1QLdpez6KVCRb7VuFa9P3x8pz9hQDvmP5QvsWh/s200/DSCF0634.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Sean is an experienced pacer and would take me the remaining 24.3 miles into the finish. I had some significant GI distress at this point, so I took two Imodium, and after a couple sessions with the bathroom at the aid station, we headed out. The climb up to Gibson Basin aid station is only 5 miles, but it's all steep. Sean kept on me to keep the pace up, and by the time we hit Gibson basin, we were still on track to be under 30 hours. <br />
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From Gibson, we traversed the mile long basin (in some seriously cold temperatures) and climbed up an ATV trail to the summit where we started our descent into Beaver Creek aid station. Leland calls this descent "The Teeth of The Bear", as it's super rocky, steep, and with my toes in the shape they were in, painful. With the water at such a high level, this crossing was even more sketchy than Logan River. The aid station crew had laid a log across a 10' gap, and had found some long branches that served as "balance poles" we used to maintain an upright position as we crossed the frost-covered log. Both Sean and I nearly went in, but we somehow made it across dry... many others were not so lucky, with a few actually getting completely submerged after falling off the log.<br />
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I again made use of the facilities at the aid station, ate a little soup, and Sean and I headed out for the last 16 miles of the race. This section has a long climb up to a summit (where you catch a glimpse of Bear Lake), a descent to the Ranger Dip aid station, and then the last climb (also the steepest of the race) up to the 4 mile descent into the finish. I was struggling at this point to keep my pace up, and Sean was constantly checking his GPS and then telling me to increase my pace... I was obviously falling behind my sub-30-hour goal. As we came into the Ranger Dip aid station, I knew I was in risk of missing that goal. I knew the climb out of Ranger Dip would be a big factor. <br />
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We left Ranger Dip, and I steeled myself for the 800'-in-0.8 mile climb out of the basin. As we hit the climb, I focused on simply pressing without resting. I had to rest for about 30 seconds four times, so only lost about 4 minutes or so to resting, and crested the top with 70 minutes remaining to finish a 4 mile descent... sounded simple enough. However, this descent has several "special circumstances", including it being too steep for me to run most of it. It was exceptionally painful on the toes as each step is a "decelleration", and by the time I'd reached the point where it leveled off enough to actually run again, I was in serious danger of missing the 30 hour mark.<br />
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The descent was hard on Sean as well, and he'd fallen well behind me on the descent. I figured once it leveled out he'd catch me so I checked my watch, put my head down and started running as hard as I could. Sean caught up with me about a mile from the finish on the gravel road leading to the main highway. We were keeping about a 9:45 min/mile pace at this point, and as we crossed the highway over to the side where the turn to the finish area was located, I could hear Steve Proffit yelling. <br />
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He was standing at the turn into the finish area, which is about 100 yards from the actual finish line. As I made the turn, I finally understood what Steve was saying. He was yelling "less than a minute left!" Suddenly adrenalin took over, and I broke into a full sprint for the finish. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhOGQRXBK54kjoCkHgQUAsub6-n2h-wpS6TzuBjqBldLX5lGzZL8uSNdBFSy4Fe2wcgblHzsWTunZfmGVNQ_KbeLuDg_PHat1_TLydac6yPz-oepqaUiNsPleV6vqEPUDQHzuYIUKUctB2/s1600/DSCF0640_R_C.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="125" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhOGQRXBK54kjoCkHgQUAsub6-n2h-wpS6TzuBjqBldLX5lGzZL8uSNdBFSy4Fe2wcgblHzsWTunZfmGVNQ_KbeLuDg_PHat1_TLydac6yPz-oepqaUiNsPleV6vqEPUDQHzuYIUKUctB2/s200/DSCF0640_R_C.jpg" /></a></div><br />
I came through the finish totally blown out. Leland was standing there and grabbed me and told me "you're under 30 hours!". <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9KMV1jyLPp42COL0vKcqNbIvl-tYQuqFwVhsy1-1a3YSc-EHqHi2c_7Tm19LNCvgnj7infWdp0Oiedm8rNo76G5AANK9t6FDncAL8N2He_6mvKZSn94jt7tGgVuLUthDZ-OuWJRRnei_1/s1600/DSCF0642_R.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="200" width="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9KMV1jyLPp42COL0vKcqNbIvl-tYQuqFwVhsy1-1a3YSc-EHqHi2c_7Tm19LNCvgnj7infWdp0Oiedm8rNo76G5AANK9t6FDncAL8N2He_6mvKZSn94jt7tGgVuLUthDZ-OuWJRRnei_1/s200/DSCF0642_R.jpg" /></a></div> I stumbled and fell down onto the grass, completely exhausted and simultaneously elated. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvAwdeW_9SilcDJE4nzoZLPG1weiXyLs7mGVGCaaG1WXAPe7WwxQRJvzcBwKzogmh5gRSkGwJOFR4xfMGKsZ-zPWunVEUaGTW7Kv1XM7iCTjyVUdcKvF0EcrobXJSl5habDJKaZr8099oh/s1600/DSCF0644.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvAwdeW_9SilcDJE4nzoZLPG1weiXyLs7mGVGCaaG1WXAPe7WwxQRJvzcBwKzogmh5gRSkGwJOFR4xfMGKsZ-zPWunVEUaGTW7Kv1XM7iCTjyVUdcKvF0EcrobXJSl5habDJKaZr8099oh/s200/DSCF0644.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Somehow, with the broken toe, and the GI issues, we managed to get me through the finish in 29 hrs, 58 min, 12 sec. A new personal record for 100 miles!<br />
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This event totally proved how much of a team event a 100 miler is for me. Without Chriss and Paislee as my crew/medical team, <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiURLyquO0YQ1uRryHLqFbLilj5R0duWnmfy_HndaF7X55lk3F4ImQnZFNASyyxZjQCR7OsQRaGoFJmca65wgxINHzjl2a-bDuxPifJiVmfCNQC94hhL8uQ7OcesBBt0NZAE1r0mz3Ar30g/s1600/DSCF0654.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiURLyquO0YQ1uRryHLqFbLilj5R0duWnmfy_HndaF7X55lk3F4ImQnZFNASyyxZjQCR7OsQRaGoFJmca65wgxINHzjl2a-bDuxPifJiVmfCNQC94hhL8uQ7OcesBBt0NZAE1r0mz3Ar30g/s200/DSCF0654.JPG" /></a></div><br />
and without Bastian, Steve, and Sean being outstanding pacers, I wouldn't have made the 30 hour cutoff. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEcuN-HXRA4RDwp0Lap5l-zXuXCh3lKc5uueYYDXBVNQg6JMFKlDosEDy9faKBcI3Kdn2aAH0cLIYVgOGVcpSl4nVVIR0-HXRR0R8Uy9vzUIgGz8IE8a4vMxfB_qG5mZ9T9l3UyEps_x_o/s1600/DSCF0652.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEcuN-HXRA4RDwp0Lap5l-zXuXCh3lKc5uueYYDXBVNQg6JMFKlDosEDy9faKBcI3Kdn2aAH0cLIYVgOGVcpSl4nVVIR0-HXRR0R8Uy9vzUIgGz8IE8a4vMxfB_qG5mZ9T9l3UyEps_x_o/s200/DSCF0652.JPG" /></a></div><br />
I can't thank them enough for all they did this weekend! As usual, Leland put on a first-class event, and it was a great experience! It won't be long and he'll have to go to a lottery!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2146027228972013538.post-40284268605217931322011-08-23T11:30:00.000-07:002011-08-23T11:30:53.004-07:00The OZONE ExperimentSo two weeks ago, I tore the anterior capsule in my left knee. Fortunately, this is a "minor" injury compared to ligament or cartilage damage, but it was still painful and temporarily debilitating. Not a good situation in light of the fact that the BEAR 100 is only 4 weeks away! I went to my doc, who happens to be a very progressive D.O. and a fellow athlete for some advice. He suggested injecting Ozone (yes, three oxygen atoms) into the knee. Apparently, this technique has been pioneered in Europe and used to treat similar injury in Professional Football (Soccer) players.<br />
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Ozone injection has been investigated and shown to have therapeutic effects on inter-articular joints affected by Rheumatoid Arthritis, and the effects are apparently similar with injured health joints. Today was the first time I've run since the injection four days ago, and I have to admit I'm extremely impressed with the results. I did a short five mile run to "test" it out, and I had no pain, no discomfort, and no post-run swelling.<br />
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I'll do seven miles tomorrow and see how that fares, and then ease into my normal training program and build up to the Bear with hopefully minimal degradation in my performance... here's to progressive medicine!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2146027228972013538.post-26556434887556905042011-07-30T19:00:00.001-07:002011-08-02T20:58:17.935-07:00SpeedGoat 50K 2011 Race ReportAnother SpeedGoat 50K is complete, and I finished this time! 2009 I injured my knee, 2010, I got incredibly sick and puked for 22 miles only to miss the cutoff at Peruvian Tunnel by 10 minutes... so I was pretty determined to finish this time :) The morning was overcast and cool, so the weather for the climb to Hidden Peak was ideal. Karl kicked things off at 6:30 AM as usual, and we headed out for a "nice walk in the woods". The course was as normal for the first several miles, but due to the snow the climb up to Road To Provo was simply "straight up" the snow field with a couple hand lines anchored to help out. I chose to run with trekking poles this year due to having some significant Patellar Tendinitis in my left knee and figured they'd help me on the downhills to limit the impact to that knee... turns out they were pretty darn handy climbing up the snow field, and very helpful throughout the day due to the incredibly steep climbs and descents that make up virtually the entire course. <br />
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I made hidden peak at 9:02 (2hrs and 32 min), so well within my expectations, fueled up and got out of there four minutes later. The descent to the saddle, and subsequent climb to Mt. Baldy went well, but I was definitely "babying" my knee and so the descent off Baldy and down to "Larrys Hole" aid station at the bottom of Mineral Basin was a little slow and I got passed by several folks, but was still feeling really good. From Larry's hole up to the saddle, and then down to Pacific Mine was pretty punishing, and as steep as that descent is, I found myself having to slow way down to keep my knee from protesting too much.<br />
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Again, I was passed by several runners, but my goal was to simply finish this year so I kept my pace where it was despite my desire to keep up. Once down in the basin where Pacific Mine sits, there's a couple of rolling miles along the foothill to the aid station which aren't too steep, and I reeled a couple of them back in :) At the Pacific Mine Aid Station I think I "over indulged", as I felt like "Thanksgiving Aftermath" and had some significant pain in my stomach. Also not helping at all was the stagnant air, lack of cloud cover, and ever-increasing heat on the hike out to the ridge above Mineral Basin. Heading up the climb, I began to feel increasingly uncomfortable and slowed down considerably. As I neared the ridge above Mineral Basin, I decided I needed a push, and so I took a 200mg, time-release caffeine pill, along with some Motrin to limit the swelling in my left knee. This was the ticket! <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio11SzdiAy2YkA5iCIzCMDLSeQvHVHAuoR40ElfGxwkB1-n7WtleGg2zw-AHLT_XX_5fUsfMk_qvQDjMvXEb2RVW8r1QtSQHnVVEia68SpP2cRVAOkQAhQnk3_ZO4vJ-cltXlX2dmFhnug/s1600/GoatTimpPhoto.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio11SzdiAy2YkA5iCIzCMDLSeQvHVHAuoR40ElfGxwkB1-n7WtleGg2zw-AHLT_XX_5fUsfMk_qvQDjMvXEb2RVW8r1QtSQHnVVEia68SpP2cRVAOkQAhQnk3_ZO4vJ-cltXlX2dmFhnug/s200/GoatTimpPhoto.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635684790934696146" /></a><br />
I took a picture of myself with Mt. Timpanogos in the background, started to have some increased energy, and as a friend caught up with me I was able to hang with him along the ridge, and on the descent into Mineral and up to Larrys Hole Aid Station. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1UgOjJCbkLLNIbZ9CmMx93v9JsCcryXSYCd7YzvQTW-NCfuh-YGyPxn7kdTfcqz7S_C4lBWG9scPwsPX5yfnstxld2chQIL5ey76KQrUmTRkIm8WMALFfZRRlBivuCQW7c9Pcn-tF_xJc/s1600/bruise.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1UgOjJCbkLLNIbZ9CmMx93v9JsCcryXSYCd7YzvQTW-NCfuh-YGyPxn7kdTfcqz7S_C4lBWG9scPwsPX5yfnstxld2chQIL5ey76KQrUmTRkIm8WMALFfZRRlBivuCQW7c9Pcn-tF_xJc/s200/bruise.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636461582818875522" /></a><br />
I did decide to "wallow in some mud" on the way down from the ridge, as we were essentially running in a stream from the melt-off, and I slipped and went down hard in the mud and rocks. I popped up and kept running, but knew I was going to feel this one. ;)<br />
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At Larrys I chowed on some watermelon and ginger ale, a banana, and some s-caps, and then headed out. Due to the snow, Karl decided just to set a bunch of flags straight up the 40-45 degree slope, <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvHg3LNvDNtPmjpBE_FZZIzEd_QjrWyGQ92oytTG2H9_0K_B1kTGx8b1lUwOgsoEEyZMxNPtMjHJhx4baxq4T5a_k7AMovVxFQmFpoWEvDQxaZN6B-ARNJW5qmgOUuWhM0hkSqaC4WzUf8/s1600/Goat2.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 124px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvHg3LNvDNtPmjpBE_FZZIzEd_QjrWyGQ92oytTG2H9_0K_B1kTGx8b1lUwOgsoEEyZMxNPtMjHJhx4baxq4T5a_k7AMovVxFQmFpoWEvDQxaZN6B-ARNJW5qmgOUuWhM0hkSqaC4WzUf8/s200/Goat2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635685054402951154" /></a><br />
and it was PUNISHING! I arrived at the cat-track at the top, and headed across to the Peruvian Tunnel Aid station. I arrived at 2:14, 46 min ahead of the cuttoff. One point here... this is an AGGRESSIVE cutoff. Many folks miss this cutoff each year. It's just another part of what makes the SpeedGoat the most difficult 50K in North America. From a pure-effort standpoint, it's harder than most 50 Milers.<br />
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I felt great heading down the Peruvian Gulch, and the climb up the Cirque was super tough, but it was fun to pass some hikers who were struggling along the trail; they were only 2.5 miles into their hike ;) I also managed to pass a couple of the guys who had passed me on the climb out of Pacific Mine. I arrived at Hidden Peak again at 3:15, and left at 3:20 for the 5.5 mile descent to the finish.<br />
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The run to the finish was really sweet, as I managed to keep my knee from arguing too much, and made good time... and passed 6 more people who had passed me earlier. I finished feeling really strong at 4:44 (10 hrs and 14 min elapsed time). Not super fast, but I felt great about it considering the circumstances. A great day in the mountains!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2146027228972013538.post-65344511413905390712011-06-20T11:58:00.000-07:002011-06-20T12:01:52.193-07:00Ragnar Wasatch Back Relay #5Another year of the venerable Ragnar Wasatch Back Relay has come and gone, and yet again I found myself joining my wonderful wife on a team experiencing the “party in a van”. The Ragnar relay series is the only event my wife and I both participate in, and is less a running race and more a social event with a running component. Don’t get me wrong, there are some VERY competitive teams, including the BYU Cross Country team who finished the 191 miles in 18:38:18, taking first place… not exactly a casual jog in the park. <br /><br />However, for the most part the teams entered in the Ragnar relays are groups of friends, work associates, and occasionally strangers who’ve connected through word of mouth or online to fill vacancies in existing teams, and they participate for the “experience” of the event. Personally, I find it amazing to see the diversity of participants who found the event accessible enough to join a team and run three legs of between 3 and 10 miles within a 36 hour period. From the members of University and High-School Track and Field teams pounding out sub-6 minute miles, to clinically obese walkers pushing themselves to simply complete their longest leg of just over 5 miles, the broad range of participants demonstrates the appeal of the Ragnar Relay series. It’s attainable by nearly everyone, but challenging enough to draw elite athletes.<br /><br />My personal experience this year was consistent with my previous several Ragnar events. I ran a reasonably quick 3.9 mile leg keeping a 7:24 pace, followed by a 3AM 7.6 mile leg at a slow 8:54 pace, and then the upper “Ragnar” climb (4 miles, 1800ft of elevation gain), with a decent 12:00 pace. All things considered, I had a reasonable showing this year and came away from the event smiling. There’s no doubt that the running was a key element to that, but the “van” was filled with fun people, and 36 hours with fun people is always worth a smile. <br /><br />If you've never participated in one of these events, put it on your calendar. It's definitely unique, and for a lot of us, it's a "not to miss" event.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2146027228972013538.post-53482449122459484732011-06-06T12:42:00.000-07:002011-06-06T16:46:21.167-07:002011 Squaw Peak 50 Mile Race Report<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwBZpl5gXjPZH7hLyi0s0djcA39CdismrKxV8V4AqAgGFemNlmWA9lm2hHvIrvosR_9QufCYvoInQVpWfYlE195vAShYMlnVpo8JF2r_Rjy0gaPQUtLRXbhsTSUYxTW0IqP6fUe1Egg8TI/s1600/Vince+R.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 181px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwBZpl5gXjPZH7hLyi0s0djcA39CdismrKxV8V4AqAgGFemNlmWA9lm2hHvIrvosR_9QufCYvoInQVpWfYlE195vAShYMlnVpo8JF2r_Rjy0gaPQUtLRXbhsTSUYxTW0IqP6fUe1Egg8TI/s200/Vince+R.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615256821414941810" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeOOo4oxNOAvXmEDRJ04ZeQM3e4DX2kYuxmiMXqP47cBMCXkGGFD_3cXM13a0b5ZkhIbfgj89hBh_Lpletn-gmBfRHHx05CPumfrkbAXG_KGwc52oOsp4UsRi8M6jeoVrHIfAz4tKp1U1R/s1600/105photo.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeOOo4oxNOAvXmEDRJ04ZeQM3e4DX2kYuxmiMXqP47cBMCXkGGFD_3cXM13a0b5ZkhIbfgj89hBh_Lpletn-gmBfRHHx05CPumfrkbAXG_KGwc52oOsp4UsRi8M6jeoVrHIfAz4tKp1U1R/s200/105photo.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615256633582766194" /></a><br /><br /><br />The 15th Annual Squaw Peak 50 Mile Endurance Run is in the bag, and what an epic it was! John Bozung did an amazing job re-routing the entire course to accommodate the fact that everything above 8500 feet was buried in snow, and created a punishing out-and-back course that had minimal flat sections linked by serious climbs and descents, all of which we had the pleasure of running on the first hot, muggy day of the entire year. AWESOME!<br /><br />The morning started with a 3:30 AM alarm, and the subsequent disoriented attempt to gather everything, get into the car, and get to the start on time. I arrived at Vivian Park 15 minutes before the start, and realized that I’d forgotten my Bib! Without an official bib, I would not be counted at the aid stations, nor at the finish, so I asked my wife to drive back to the house, and then meet me at Aid 2 (the first check-in) where I could pin it on and continue on. I arrived at Aid 2 at 6:15, waited a few minutes for Chriss to arrive, and by 6:28 I was on my way again.<br /><br />I hammered it up the familiar course to the summit above Rock Creek Canyon, and then ran at a good pace down to where the course left it’s traditional route and descended all the way down Rock Canyon to it’s mouth. Arriving at Rock Canyon Aid Station at 7:43 (mile 11.88), I quickly stripped off my turtleneck, ate some melon, re-watered and was out my 7:46. I was feeling pretty good, and kept up a solid pace as we ran along the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. Where ever possible, John took the opportunity to put us up on the single-track segments of trail that climbed and descended the foothills along the Provo valley, proving he was steadfast in keeping his reputation alive and well… the Bozung Hill was there, it was just broken up into 100 short, punishing, steep climbs.<br /><br />I arrived at Aid 4 (mile 15.45), Buckley Draw at 8:38, and was out at 8:41, refueled, but feeling a little rough. I tried to keep up an aggressive pace, but could feel myself slipping a little bit. By the time I arrived at Aid 5 (Spring Creek, mile 20.65) it was 9:55, so my pace had definitely faltered a bit. I left Buckley draw at 10:00, and headed up the steep climb to the pass where I’d be able to descend to Pole Heaven Gate Aid station, and the turn-around. <br /><br />The climb was steep and rocky, and about half way up, the leader came racing down the canyon and passed me. He was flying, and I yelled out encouragement as he blew past me… at least someone was feeling strong at this point. Several other leaders passed me on their return leg while I continued to struggle up the climb, and by the summit I was feeling pretty low. Even the descent down to the turn-around Aid station was painful, so when I finally arrived at 11:23, I took some time to truly refresh, and fully grazed the buffet eating everything that was cold and wet. <br /><br />I ate several pieces of melon, cantaloupe, and watermelon, some banana, drank some coke and redbull, and enjoyed a cold towel which I placed on my head under my hat. At 11:32 I finally left the aid station and headed back up towards the pass to begin my descent back down to the Provo valley. As I neared the pass, I started to feel my energy returning, and I began running hard again. I arrived at Spring Creek (Aid 7, mile 29.8) at 12:34, refilled my water and fuel, and headed out at 12:39. I was feeling really good as I left the aid station, but the exposed trail had no shade, and the sun was full-bore. <br /><br />The sun seemed to actively avoid the sparse clouds, and the green ragweed next to the trail exuded hot, humid air. I began to feel sick from the heat, and I really started to slow down. I pushed myself as hard as I could through the pain and nausea, and made it to Aid 8 (mile 33.52) by 13:53. Again, I took the time to try to cool down at the Aid Station, and finally pulled away at 13:59. The heat at this point was unbearable, and even running the downhills was punishing as I was beginning to weaken on top of just feeling ill. <br /><br />It was only about 85F, but that was plenty hot considering the warmest it had been on any training day to that date was about 65F. By the time I pulled into Aid 9 (38.9 miles) at 15:10, my face and arms were flushed and I was really feeling torched. I told myself I would move quickly through this Aid Station, as I’d spent way too much time at the previous few aid stations. I found my drop bag, poured my fuel into my hand-bottle, and handed off my Nathan pack to get refilled with ice and water. The MD at Aid 9 came up and said “You are standing at rest and your heart rate is at max. You need to promise me you’re going to walk slowly up the canyon until your heart rate lowers, ok?”. He really didn’t need to tell me that, because I was definitely not ready to hammer 3.5 miles of steep canyon trails. I left Aid 9 at 15:14, having only spent 4 minutes there and began what would be a VERY long walk up Rock Canyon.<br /><br />My heart rate never did slow down, at least until I began the descent from the summit at the top of Rock Canyon. It’s been a while since I’ve felt that beaten down, but for some reason I simply wasn’t recovering. I felt like I was crawling by the time I reached the summit, and I just couldn’t persuade myself to start running on the downhill into Aid 10. After a couple miles of downhill walking, I ran into an guy hiking up the trail. He told me he was working the Aid Station, and it was only ¾ of a mile further down the trail and there was Ginger Ale there. That little bit of hope started me feeling human again and I started into a slow paced run, and in a few minutes I found myself at Aid 10 (mile 44.8) at 17:42.<br /><br />At the aid station I drank a cup of Ginger Ale, a ½ can of Coke, had some melon, and ate a candy orange slice and best of all, they had big towels drenched in ice water. That was HUGE! I felt great to have that cold water over my head, neck and back. While I stood there, Tony Christensen showed up as he’d been just a few minutes behind me. He and I finished up at the aid station at the same time, and we decided to run the last 6 miles into the finish together. <br /><br />We had a great time chatting off and on while we ran to the pavement of the canyon walking path, where we turned up canyon and walked the next mile and a half. As we saw the signage indicating we were coming up to Vivian Park, we went back into a run and finished together at 19:11:35. 14 hrs and 11 minutes isn’t exactly fast, but on this day, and this course, I was more than happy to have simply finished.<br /><br />I was not the only person who underestimated this course. Many people were completely surprised by the intensity of the climbs and descents, and I don’t think any of the runners were happy with the searing sun bearing down on us as we ran the roughly 10 miles along the foothills of Provo. On that section of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, no tree cover, bright sunlight, and high humidity did their damage, as we struggled to regulate our core temperature while pressing to keep a decent pace along the undulating single-track course. <br /><br />The rest of the course was no cake-walk either. One runner broke his leg on the upper part of Rock Canyon, while another took a tumble and broke his nose in lower Rock Canyon. Many runners simply dropped out of the run. There is no doubt this was a VERY tough course, and everyone who finished should feel a great sense of accomplishment. I definitely feel like I earned this "Wooden Nickel".Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2146027228972013538.post-38178213807710898682011-06-04T13:16:00.001-07:002011-06-04T13:16:29.491-07:00Leaving aid 8<br /><p align='center'><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.youtube.com/v/Fpc3C2rvMpo" width="400" height="300"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Fpc3C2rvMpo" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><!-- Fallback content --><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fpc3C2rvMpo"><img src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/Fpc3C2rvMpo/0.jpg" width="400" height="300" />YouTube Video</a></object></p>- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2146027228972013538.post-90001903031545661882011-06-04T11:47:00.001-07:002011-06-04T11:47:40.542-07:00TurnaroundLeft aid 6 at 1140<br /><br /><br />- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone<br /><p align='center'><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.youtube.com/v/s2D-oz100M4" width="400" height="300"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/s2D-oz100M4" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><!-- Fallback content --><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2D-oz100M4"><img src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/s2D-oz100M4/0.jpg" width="400" height="300" />YouTube Video</a></object></p><br /><p class='blogpress_location'>Location:<a href='http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Aid%206&z=10'>Aid 6</a></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2146027228972013538.post-69088888110055936302011-06-04T07:46:00.001-07:002011-06-04T07:46:52.824-07:0016 miles in<br /><p align='center'><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.youtube.com/v/dgV-An9Pz6I" width="400" height="300"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/dgV-An9Pz6I" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><!-- Fallback content --><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgV-An9Pz6I"><img src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/dgV-An9Pz6I/0.jpg" width="400" height="300" />YouTube Video</a></object></p>- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone<br /><p class='blogpress_location'>Location:<a href='http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Aid%204&z=10'>Aid 4</a></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2146027228972013538.post-80935432418071295732011-06-03T14:15:00.000-07:002011-06-03T14:31:01.312-07:00Squaw Peak 50 (but not quite?)Well, the Squaw Peak 50 Mile Endurance Run starts tomorrow at 5AM, and I'm shooting for a sub-11 hour finish... but it's not really the Squaw Peak 50 this year. Due to the record-setting snow fall this winter, more than 20 miles of the original course is under several feet of snow, making it impossible to support the runners, let alone actually run the course. <br /><br />So the race direcor John Bozung spent many sleepless nights and tiring days figuring out an alternative route that kept the runners and crews at lower elevations so we could at least still pull off a "one-off" version of the Squaw Peak this year. I'm still approaching this with the idea that I'm going for a "personal best", but not a Squaw Peak personal best... just a 50 mile personal best. I'm shooting for a sub-11 hour finish tomorrow, which means maintaining a better than 14 minute-per-mile pace including Aid Station stops. Doesn't sound like much, but over 50 miles of mountainous terrain, it's a legitimate challenge and I'm going to be pressing right up to the edge of my conditioning to pull it off.<br /><br />If you're at all interested in following this folly, John has set up a site where you can see the real-time results as I pass through the Aid Stations at http://sp50.kd7bbc.org. See you at the finish!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2146027228972013538.post-22638833626736286342011-05-01T13:40:00.000-07:002011-05-04T14:16:10.055-07:001st Annual Salt Flats 100 is "in the bag"!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOs1nxEDtgXxlmtx4qxe0Be_-VOeopFNrFJE06qqRRapI46InXhCJ6_wIrVOrz-vNR-KB3uQ4vwX22n-wh8suvbxFQr4iHlRhewS21TvUlDC6zpakNPXmRs8TEGSJiW5cFF-H6Gz5ry5bF/s1600/Startphoto.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOs1nxEDtgXxlmtx4qxe0Be_-VOeopFNrFJE06qqRRapI46InXhCJ6_wIrVOrz-vNR-KB3uQ4vwX22n-wh8suvbxFQr4iHlRhewS21TvUlDC6zpakNPXmRs8TEGSJiW5cFF-H6Gz5ry5bF/s200/Startphoto.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601864562945335970" /></a><br />The first ever Salt Flats 100 has successfully completed, and as the organizer and Race Director, I've learned a LOT! With a ton of help from great friends and a patient family, in a short two months the event was concieved and organized in two months. Friday at 7AM, 8 of us lined up at the "Bonneville Dike" that runs from a point about 18 miles from Wendover on I-80 out to Floating Island. The weather forecast was for snow and high winds, but at 7AM it was slightly overcast and a stiff breeze kept us extra-chilled as we prepared to run. We posed for a quick photo, and then I blew the starting horn and we headed up the dike road.<br /><br />Jay Aldous and Davy Crockett shot out in front, followed by Andre Cojocaru and Emmanuelle Dudon, then Heidi Bennett and myself, and Ben Benjamin. Shortly after the start, the sun came out briefly and Heidi pulled ahead of me as I held to my planned 11 minute/mile pace. The wind never dropped below a 15-20 mph breeze, and often approached 40 mph. Floating Island is about 13 miles up the dike road, and it never seemed to get any closer as I ran. Ultimately, Aid station 1 (self serve water and goodies brought by all the runners) came into view at 9.75 miles. As I finished up fueling, Ben arrived, we exchanged a few words, and I headed out again. The running around Floating Island was great, as the winds died down and the sun came out again.<br /><br />The crossing from Floating Island to Silver Island is long and straight, again deceptive in its appearance, but after about 5 miles having still not arrived at the junction with Silver Island road, I was reminded of the scale of this area. The scenery is amazing, with the salt desert off to the side, and the steep cliffs of the Silver Island mountains ahead. I stayed with my pace even as the weather started to close in and the winds picked up significantly... and finally hit the Silver Island road, and Aid 2 at 20.5 miles. Aid 2 is again a self serve station, and here Ben caught up with me much sooner than at Aid 1. <br /><br />As I left Aid 1, I sensed Ben gaining on me, and right before the historical sign-post indicating our intersection with the Hastings Crossing trail, Ben passed me up. I was now officially in both the worst position (last) and best position (8th) that I've ever been in in an Ultra :) It was also at this point that the first of several storms hit with a vengence. The snow was being driven by 40-50 mph winds, and all I could do was hunker down and run harder into the wind. This lasted for about 45 minutes, and by the time it ended, I could see in the distance the saddle between Silver Island and Crater Island, where Aid 3 was located. I was actually ahead of my pace at this point, and feeling pretty good. One thing was nagging me pretty hard though, and that was the fact that after hitting the Silver Island road, I hadn't seen ANY of the course flagging I'd put up the weekend prior. <br /><br />I came into Aid 3 (30 miles) at 6:01, which was an hour ahead of my pace, and I was feeling really solid... however, my wife told me that on her drive in on the other side of Silver Island Road, she had not seen any flagging either, and it was painfully evident that someone had pulled all of our flagging. I was now faced with a significant dilemma. As lean as we were with volunteers, nobody could go reflag the course, and with the additional issue that I was really the only person who knew the entire course, I made the decision to drop out of the run, jump in the car, and start reflagging the course. <br /><br />I started just ahead of Jay and completed the Cobb Peak loop keeping just ahead of Jay as he maintained his incredible pace, and getting all the other issues handled. After completing the re-flagging the loop, I got a flat tire on the Trooper, and after securing a jack (yep, my jack was missing a piece), I got it changed and went out and after 6 more hours had the whole course re-flagged. Lesson learned here... I need to have a race director "second", who knows as much about the course, preparations, and scheduling as I do, so that as I run in the event, they can handle any unforseen issues while I get to continue the run.<br /><br />After reflagging the course, I ended up manning an aid station due to a cancellation by a volunteer group. The weather was basically back-to-back storms until about 10PM, when it started back off, and by 4AM even the winds calmed down.<br /><br />The results of the event are as follows: <br /><br />Jay: 15:36:04 for 97.72 miles / 100 mile of 15:57:24 (penalty of 1.0228)<br />Davy: 21:36:10 for 98 miles / 100 mile of 22:22:05 (penalty of 1.02)<br />Heidi: 25:16:46 for 97.72 miles / 100 mile of 25:51:20 (penalty of 1.0228)<br />Andre and Emmanuelle: 26:53:33 for 97.72 miles / 100 mile of 27:50:21<br />(penalty of 1.0228)<br />Ben: 28:29:46 for 95.22 miles / 100 mile of 30:08:36 (penalty of 1.0578)<br /><br />All told, it was a very successful event with all the runners commenting on the amazing terrain and views, and the challenging conditions. It's definitely a "keeper"! Please take a look at Jay Aldous's blog as well, for his perspective on the run as well http://mrc-ultra.blogspot.com/. Thanks to EVERYONE who helped out, and to the runners for putting up with the first year challenges!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2146027228972013538.post-41134503077680502342011-04-29T09:04:00.001-07:002011-04-29T09:04:07.852-07:00Nearing Silver island<br /><br /><br />- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2146027228972013538.post-78701961544241872372011-04-29T05:59:00.001-07:002011-04-29T05:59:07.060-07:00Going out now!Here's the start!!!! Wish us luck!<br /><br /><br /><br />- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0