Sunday morning, it was clear and 40 degrees as I prepared to drive up the valley to Steamboat and partake in the annual running of Ski Haus' Continental Divide Trail Run, a trail race from the bottom of Fish Creek Falls to Long Lake and then up the backside of Mount Werner via the Mountain View trail and finishing at the top of the Gondola. Roughly 100 people lined up at the start and, as the final race directions were given, the mood was fun yet focused. My goals for the race were to run under 2 hours 20 minutes and/or be first Masters. I wanted to run hard to gauge where my overall fitness was going into Run Rabbit Run in three weeks. That said, I went out with the lead pack of runners and decided to try and run my race "from the front" instead of starting slower and gradually trying to build speed as the race went on. Of course, that only lasted about 5 minutes into the race as the trail started climbing up the canyon for about 1000' in the first mile. I managed to keep the speedy Harry Niedl in sight all the way to the top of the first climb but there was no way I was going to hang with the rabbits longer than that. I felt good though and continued running all but the steepest uphill sections.
The morning air was nice and cool and it felt really good to be running hard up the rocky canyon trail. Flecks of gold leaves decorated the otherwise green canopy. I reached the Second Falls in 30 minutes and felt like I was right on pace to make 2:20 but it wouldn't be easy to hold on. Mercifully, the trail begins to even out and there aren't any steep climbs after the Second Falls. A few, short tough ones but after conquering those, the trail opens up and a beautiful alpine meadow is revealed. Even in a dry year like this one, there was still a little water to cross. After that meadow, there was another short section in the trees before we crossed another meadow and began the gradual ascent to Long Lake and the junction with the next section of trail, Mountain View. During this time, I talked a little with the runner behind me, Stephen Castle from Ft. Collins. Stephen had been chasing me up the canyon and breathing HARD the whole climb. I thought he was pushing too hard and was going to fade but he just kept crushing it. He actually apologized for breathing so hard but it didn't bother me a bit. I just told him he was killing it and doing a great job. I gave him a brief synopsis of the rest of the course and he was really cool and gracious. Just before the first aid station, I was able to pull away from him just a bit and I made the turn onto Mountain View ready for the next 6 mile grind.
At the aid station, I was down to half a bottle of water and had fallen 5 minutes behind where I thought I should've been. I filled the rest of the bottle with Gatorade ate a little gummy, chewy looking thing and took off on Mountain View determined to run as much of it as I could. I've run this trail many times now and it is almost never very forgiving. In this direction, it is a gradual, 6-mile climb up to the back of Mt. Werner. The trail is mostly smooth single track but there are just enough rocks to trip you up if aren't paying attention. Not long after getting on the trail, I got passed by one runner (Paul Datsko) who seemed totally relaxed and in control of his effort. He was just steady plugging and I gave him an 'attaboy' as he passed. He commented that he had to take advantage of the ups because he wasn't a great downhiller. I just called after him, "Maybe I'll catch you on the downhill. Probably not." (I didn't. But I might have if the race had been another half mile or so.) About a minute behind him, I heard Stephen closing on me and I could tell he was going to pass, too. He was still breathing pretty hard but I could tell that he was getting used to this extra gear and was going to fly up Mountain View. He passed, gracious as ever, and soon caught and passed Paul, too. Killing it! I hung behind for another mile or so but soon found myself running up the trail by myself. I was moving pretty good through the pine forest, thanks to a couple of downhill and rolling sections that were smooth enough trail to get a good leg turnover going. The trail just continued on and on through the forest. Another runner, kindly passed me with a couple more miles left to go to the summit and I tried to hang onto him as we power hiked some of the last steep climbs. The guy kind of looked like Leor Pantilat, so I imagined for a moment that I was racing one of the fastest ultrarunners in the country, and had a little laugh to myself about that. Then, reminscent of Leor, he left me in the dust. About 3 minutes after losing sight of "Leor", I made the last bit of ascent to the top of Mt. Werner. My watch read about 2:10 and I didn't think I had two 5-minute miles in me but I was still super stoked and ready to slay some downhill. In hindsight, my 1:05 split for Mountain View is the fastest I have ever run that trail in the uphill direction.
Next year, the race organizers are going to reroute the race so that runners descend to the Gondola via single track trails. So on this running and, I guess for the last time, the course finished with a 2 mile run down Storm Peak Challenge, a dirt road with tons of "baby head" sized rocks. My first few steps down the road were a little unsteady but I soon found a rhythm and started working gravity for all it was worth, running about as hard as I thought I could for two miles and 1000+ feet. I checked the switchbacks ahead of me for someone to chase but didn't see anyone until the final 3/4 mile. I tried hard to close the gap but couldn't reel him in more than a couple hundred yards before the last quarter mile climb up to the Gondy. I pushed the last uphill and sprinted for the finish line under a bluebird, cloudless sky. As it turned out, I did have two 6 minute miles left in my legs and I ran strong all the way to the finish and completed the course in 2:22:51. Not quite hitting my time goal but good enough for 9th place overall and 1st Masters. I finished feeling good despite pushing hard the whole race and my legs felt surprisingly unaffected once I was done. I jogged a cool down for a few minutes after I finished and I even considered running down to the base area.
Fortunately, I wised up and decided it would be more fun to kick it at the finish and spent the rest of the morning talking it up with other runners and locals who had come up to cheer on their friends. The post race food, drink and company was great and I got to meet a few other Steamboat runners that I didn't previously know. Probably the most fun I had though was chatting it up with Stephen Castle after the race. The hard-breathing, hard-charger from the Front Range delivered a 2:20:48 run despite being, by his own admission, woefully unprepared for the gnarly course. (Stud.) Unfortunately, we were both losers when it came to the post race raffle. I may never win a race but by golly, I'm going to win a raffle prize one these days!
I'm very happy about how my race went and I think I proved to myself that I am fit enough to give the 100 a good effort. I have no idea what kind of finishing time I could expect to run and coming up with a pace schedule feels a bit daunting. Still, I'm ready to get it done. Mostly because I am tired of waiting and, in many ways, tired of training. Not that I really did a stellar job in my training. I could've logged more miles. Or maybe SHOULD have but I still feel good about the running I did do this year and how my prep races went. I just started losing motivation to train as Katy's pregnancy progressed and I wanted to spend more time with her. I kind of feel like I ended up doing kind of a half-assed job of both...well, I hope not but it's hard to split what little time you have between all the things you want to do and the things you need to do.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Weekly Summary: August 6 - August 12
8/6 - Rest. Wanted to run but got shot down by the wife! Ha!
8/7 - 6.0 miles. 1:00:xx. 1300'v. Stagecoach Mountain - Stagecoach. Hard effort climbing up to The Beach with trekking poles and back to the house. Then, dropped them off at the house and ran another 3 miles down to the fire station and back on dirt trail. Pushed the effort the whole way.
8/8 - 7.3 miles. 1:12:xx. 500'v. Stagecoach. Easy paced evening run from dusk til dark on the road down to the lake and a couple miles of trail.
8/9 - 6.76 miles. :52:45. 500'v. Stagecoach. Quick run down to Elk Run Trail and a few 7 minute miles on dirt before climbing back to the house.
8/10 - Rest.
8/11 - 13.55 miles. 3:34:08. 2910'v. Black Mountain Trail to East Fork Trail just nouth of Round Lake. Woke up at 4 a.m. and got to the trail head at Sheriff Reservoir just before 6 a.m. Looked like it might rain so I waited a few minutes in my truck before deciding to just go for it. The run started out great and I felt great climbing up into the mountains at dawn. It was a little bit cloudy but I really didn't think the rain would come. I ran a couple hours up trail and found a nice spot next to a creek to eat some food (a clementine, some bread with Pocket Fuel peanut butter on it and a Salt Stick tablet). I sat on a rock, admiring my surroundings and suddenly realized that I should just turn around and spend a little time at home with Katy. I missed her very much. I packed up and started back when I felt a drop or two of rain. I looked northwest and saw rain and suddenly felt a little panicked to get back since I was now climbing back up to some exposed areas. It eventually began raining steadily on me as I hiked up the rocky trail but it wasn't a complete deluge. I got pretty wet but after a half hour or so it let up and I started back down towards Sheriff under clearing skies. I had fun and made it back home by 11 a.m. I walked around the neighborhood with Katy for about 45 minutes then spent a little while clearing some branches from a couple of trees we had cut down earlier in the week. That afternoon, I drove up to Clark to meet up with Jonny B, Christian, Paul and Brady and a couple of other people, at a favorite camping spot out on Greenville Mine Road to watch a meteor shower that evening. I ended up deciding to treat it all as a training day and stayed on my feet (and even did some late night hiking with the dogs) most of the night. The sky was clear and we saw some really amazing meteors! I fell asleep in my sleeping bag staring at the stars after a great 20-hour day.
8/12 - Rest.?
Uh-oh. DNF'ed another training run! I haven't quite mastered the long, wilderness training run but I'm still happy with the time I've been getting on my feet and the quality of my shorter runs. It's just logistically difficult to run in the mountains for several hours and I just don't like spending that much time away from my wife during her pregnancy. Anyway, it's almost taper time so my plan from here until September 14th is to run hard this week, finishing with the Continental Divide Trail Run next Sunday, August 19th (my sister Sommai's birthday!), where I'd like to got under 2 hours and 20 minutes. After that, I will just put in 3 weeks of easy running and get plenty of rest leading up to race day. Simple.
8/7 - 6.0 miles. 1:00:xx. 1300'v. Stagecoach Mountain - Stagecoach. Hard effort climbing up to The Beach with trekking poles and back to the house. Then, dropped them off at the house and ran another 3 miles down to the fire station and back on dirt trail. Pushed the effort the whole way.
8/8 - 7.3 miles. 1:12:xx. 500'v. Stagecoach. Easy paced evening run from dusk til dark on the road down to the lake and a couple miles of trail.
8/9 - 6.76 miles. :52:45. 500'v. Stagecoach. Quick run down to Elk Run Trail and a few 7 minute miles on dirt before climbing back to the house.
8/10 - Rest.
8/11 - 13.55 miles. 3:34:08. 2910'v. Black Mountain Trail to East Fork Trail just nouth of Round Lake. Woke up at 4 a.m. and got to the trail head at Sheriff Reservoir just before 6 a.m. Looked like it might rain so I waited a few minutes in my truck before deciding to just go for it. The run started out great and I felt great climbing up into the mountains at dawn. It was a little bit cloudy but I really didn't think the rain would come. I ran a couple hours up trail and found a nice spot next to a creek to eat some food (a clementine, some bread with Pocket Fuel peanut butter on it and a Salt Stick tablet). I sat on a rock, admiring my surroundings and suddenly realized that I should just turn around and spend a little time at home with Katy. I missed her very much. I packed up and started back when I felt a drop or two of rain. I looked northwest and saw rain and suddenly felt a little panicked to get back since I was now climbing back up to some exposed areas. It eventually began raining steadily on me as I hiked up the rocky trail but it wasn't a complete deluge. I got pretty wet but after a half hour or so it let up and I started back down towards Sheriff under clearing skies. I had fun and made it back home by 11 a.m. I walked around the neighborhood with Katy for about 45 minutes then spent a little while clearing some branches from a couple of trees we had cut down earlier in the week. That afternoon, I drove up to Clark to meet up with Jonny B, Christian, Paul and Brady and a couple of other people, at a favorite camping spot out on Greenville Mine Road to watch a meteor shower that evening. I ended up deciding to treat it all as a training day and stayed on my feet (and even did some late night hiking with the dogs) most of the night. The sky was clear and we saw some really amazing meteors! I fell asleep in my sleeping bag staring at the stars after a great 20-hour day.
8/12 - Rest.?
Uh-oh. DNF'ed another training run! I haven't quite mastered the long, wilderness training run but I'm still happy with the time I've been getting on my feet and the quality of my shorter runs. It's just logistically difficult to run in the mountains for several hours and I just don't like spending that much time away from my wife during her pregnancy. Anyway, it's almost taper time so my plan from here until September 14th is to run hard this week, finishing with the Continental Divide Trail Run next Sunday, August 19th (my sister Sommai's birthday!), where I'd like to got under 2 hours and 20 minutes. After that, I will just put in 3 weeks of easy running and get plenty of rest leading up to race day. Simple.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Weekly Summary: July 30 - August 5
7/30 - Rest.
7/31 - 6.17 miles. 1:05:33. 400'v. Stagecoach. An easy and much need run to decompress after a full day of moving equipment to the new shop. Over the past 2 weeks Bob and I have been relocating the business, which is no small feat. Today, in particular, was a hot day and we began moving the larger shop equipment. This run felt like one of my longest this year as I was on my feet the entire work day. Route was from the house, down to the lakeshore and about half a mile of trail before turning around and running back uphill to the house.
8/1 - Rest. Completely whooped after another day of moving.
8/2 - 6.27 miles. :56:39. 400'v. Stagecoach. Almost the same route as Tuesday but with a little more pep in the legs.
8/3 - 4.41 miles. :45:02. 400'v. Stagecoach. Waited until the sun went down so that I could run in the dark and practice running with the headlamp on. I ran about 1.5 miles on the road and then cut through the sagebrush to get down to Elk Run Trail next to the lake. My depth perception was playing tricks on me on the trails. It's a strange feeling running on trails in the dark. Even with a headlamp, your vision is so limited that you have to slow down and be careful of your footing, even on a wide trail like the one by the lake. From past experience, it's even stranger in the woods, when the trail is rockier and every sound coming from the darkness is like something stalking you. Funny thing this evening was that I didn't make a wrong turn until I got back on the roads. I should do a few more night runs before RRR.
8/4 - 17.45 miles. 3:48:14. 2750'v. Sarvis Creek Trail. Attempted to run Sarvis Creek from end to end and back and failed miserably. About 45 minutes before my run, I took a 2.7 fl.oz. dose of Vespa CV-25, an amino acid supplement that is supposed to help athletes metabolize body fat. For fueling, I carried 1.8oz. packet of Pocket Fuel Almond Butter, a couple Clif Shot gels, three SaltStick capsules and a clementine. I also carried a 20 oz. water bottle and a SteriPen Adventurer to purify water that I would be refilling from creeks and streams. There were several groups of hikers on the early portion of the trail, which was nice to see, and I hiked and ran the first 800' climb in the first couple miles. I reached the wooden bridge crossing the creek (around 3 miles) in about a half-hour and felt really good as I continued another mile up trail on the portion I had run a couple months ago. I noticed alot of cow piles on the trail (this area is Wilderness Area but apparently Open Range for ranchers, also) and it made me nervous about getting water from the creek but I figured that's why I have a water purifier. Around the 6 mile mark, I had run through a couple of open meadows and it was getting close to noon and warming up pretty good. I finally stopped at the creek for a few minutes to refill my bottle and then continued back on the trail. About a mile later, I ran into 3 people who had come in on horseback from the Buffalo Park end of the trail and were having a little lunch. I surprised them by coming down the trail solo and I stopped to talk for a couple minutes. They were visitors from Arizona and said it had taken them 2 hours to ride to that point. By now, I was sure that I wouldn't make it to Buffalo Park but I continued on, waded through Sarvis Creek and started a climb for another mile until I reached 9000' elevation before deciding to turn around. Originally, I had thought the trail was about 8 miles end to end but I pulled out my map, determined my location and figured that it was actually 12-13 miles. I definitely didn't have enough food to make the trip so I turned and ran the downhill through some pine trees until I hit a creek crossing where I stopped to refill my water bottle again. Here, I saw the threesome again, this time on horses, and yeilded the trail to let them pass. At the creek crossing, I filled my bottle up, yet again, and stopped to take a couple photos. I ran the next 3 miles at an easy pace on some technical single track, mostly because I was feeling the heat and lacked energy, despite eating all my Pocket Fuel, the clementine, one gel and all my SaltSticks. I passed a family I saw earlier with about 4 miles to go and looked forward to the bridge where I would dip into the creek again, refill and cool off. In the last few miles, I was thankful to be in the trees and hiked the short climb from the bridge and ran the last 2 mile downhill portion feeling pretty drained. Once I made it back to my truck, I pounded a warm Gatorade and ate a banana, and while tired, didn't feel exceptionally bad. I drove about 15 minutes to get back home and shortly thereafter my stomach turned and I promptly vomitted before I could get in the shower. Demoralized, I climbed into bed and napped for an hour or so before I finally felt a little better and was able to eat dinner.
8/5 - 2 miles. Walked with Katy. Man, it's hot. Legs felt a little stiff.
Weekly mileage: 36 miles.
Moving the shop was a real pain early in the week, rough on my back and made it tough to even want to run in the evening. I decided to do the night run on Friday to 1) reaquaint myself with running in the dark and 2) run on somewhat tired legs before my Saturday long run. I'm not sure what caused my problems on Saturday. It could have been the heat, the Vespa (first time I've tried this product), accumulated fatigue, contaminated water or any combination these things. From my Wilderness First Responder training, I'm inclined to rule out water contamination since I did purify my water and it usually takes at least a few days for waterborne illness to show up. It's also possible that I didn't stay hydrated enough for the weather as I held back on drinking early in the run. I'll try the Vespa again on next week's long run to see what happens.
7/31 - 6.17 miles. 1:05:33. 400'v. Stagecoach. An easy and much need run to decompress after a full day of moving equipment to the new shop. Over the past 2 weeks Bob and I have been relocating the business, which is no small feat. Today, in particular, was a hot day and we began moving the larger shop equipment. This run felt like one of my longest this year as I was on my feet the entire work day. Route was from the house, down to the lakeshore and about half a mile of trail before turning around and running back uphill to the house.
8/1 - Rest. Completely whooped after another day of moving.
8/2 - 6.27 miles. :56:39. 400'v. Stagecoach. Almost the same route as Tuesday but with a little more pep in the legs.
8/3 - 4.41 miles. :45:02. 400'v. Stagecoach. Waited until the sun went down so that I could run in the dark and practice running with the headlamp on. I ran about 1.5 miles on the road and then cut through the sagebrush to get down to Elk Run Trail next to the lake. My depth perception was playing tricks on me on the trails. It's a strange feeling running on trails in the dark. Even with a headlamp, your vision is so limited that you have to slow down and be careful of your footing, even on a wide trail like the one by the lake. From past experience, it's even stranger in the woods, when the trail is rockier and every sound coming from the darkness is like something stalking you. Funny thing this evening was that I didn't make a wrong turn until I got back on the roads. I should do a few more night runs before RRR.
8/4 - 17.45 miles. 3:48:14. 2750'v. Sarvis Creek Trail. Attempted to run Sarvis Creek from end to end and back and failed miserably. About 45 minutes before my run, I took a 2.7 fl.oz. dose of Vespa CV-25, an amino acid supplement that is supposed to help athletes metabolize body fat. For fueling, I carried 1.8oz. packet of Pocket Fuel Almond Butter, a couple Clif Shot gels, three SaltStick capsules and a clementine. I also carried a 20 oz. water bottle and a SteriPen Adventurer to purify water that I would be refilling from creeks and streams. There were several groups of hikers on the early portion of the trail, which was nice to see, and I hiked and ran the first 800' climb in the first couple miles. I reached the wooden bridge crossing the creek (around 3 miles) in about a half-hour and felt really good as I continued another mile up trail on the portion I had run a couple months ago. I noticed alot of cow piles on the trail (this area is Wilderness Area but apparently Open Range for ranchers, also) and it made me nervous about getting water from the creek but I figured that's why I have a water purifier. Around the 6 mile mark, I had run through a couple of open meadows and it was getting close to noon and warming up pretty good. I finally stopped at the creek for a few minutes to refill my bottle and then continued back on the trail. About a mile later, I ran into 3 people who had come in on horseback from the Buffalo Park end of the trail and were having a little lunch. I surprised them by coming down the trail solo and I stopped to talk for a couple minutes. They were visitors from Arizona and said it had taken them 2 hours to ride to that point. By now, I was sure that I wouldn't make it to Buffalo Park but I continued on, waded through Sarvis Creek and started a climb for another mile until I reached 9000' elevation before deciding to turn around. Originally, I had thought the trail was about 8 miles end to end but I pulled out my map, determined my location and figured that it was actually 12-13 miles. I definitely didn't have enough food to make the trip so I turned and ran the downhill through some pine trees until I hit a creek crossing where I stopped to refill my water bottle again. Here, I saw the threesome again, this time on horses, and yeilded the trail to let them pass. At the creek crossing, I filled my bottle up, yet again, and stopped to take a couple photos. I ran the next 3 miles at an easy pace on some technical single track, mostly because I was feeling the heat and lacked energy, despite eating all my Pocket Fuel, the clementine, one gel and all my SaltSticks. I passed a family I saw earlier with about 4 miles to go and looked forward to the bridge where I would dip into the creek again, refill and cool off. In the last few miles, I was thankful to be in the trees and hiked the short climb from the bridge and ran the last 2 mile downhill portion feeling pretty drained. Once I made it back to my truck, I pounded a warm Gatorade and ate a banana, and while tired, didn't feel exceptionally bad. I drove about 15 minutes to get back home and shortly thereafter my stomach turned and I promptly vomitted before I could get in the shower. Demoralized, I climbed into bed and napped for an hour or so before I finally felt a little better and was able to eat dinner.
8/5 - 2 miles. Walked with Katy. Man, it's hot. Legs felt a little stiff.
Weekly mileage: 36 miles.
Moving the shop was a real pain early in the week, rough on my back and made it tough to even want to run in the evening. I decided to do the night run on Friday to 1) reaquaint myself with running in the dark and 2) run on somewhat tired legs before my Saturday long run. I'm not sure what caused my problems on Saturday. It could have been the heat, the Vespa (first time I've tried this product), accumulated fatigue, contaminated water or any combination these things. From my Wilderness First Responder training, I'm inclined to rule out water contamination since I did purify my water and it usually takes at least a few days for waterborne illness to show up. It's also possible that I didn't stay hydrated enough for the weather as I held back on drinking early in the run. I'll try the Vespa again on next week's long run to see what happens.
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Weekly Summary: July 22 - July 29
7/22 - Rest.
7/23 - Rest.
7/24 - Rest.
7/25 - 1 mile. Walking with Katy.
7/26 - A couple miles. Stagecoach. No watch. Just shaking things out a bit.
7/27 - Rest.
7/28 - 10.66 miles. 1:59:19. 700'v. Stagecoach. Some trail and alot of dirt road for this casual morning run. The weather was pretty clear but humid when I set out down the dirt road on my way to Sarvis Creek Trail. After a 2 mile warm up on the road I was ready to run some single track but only made it about a half mile up Sarvis Creek before running into two, dog-sized bear cubs. One bolted down the trail, FAST! and the smaller one tried to climb up an aspen tree. I immediately turned around, afraid that I would frighten the two bears into losing each other. It also crossed my mind that Mama Bear was probably within earshot of her cubs and wouldn't appreciate me bugging them. No worries, they were there first. I decided to run the road again for a while and saw a few guys fishing and three runners also enjoying the morning. I hiked quite a few hills on the way back as my legs seemed to lack some pep.
7/29 - 11.26 miles. 3:01:25. Gilpin Lake Trail (1161) - Gold Creek Trail (1150). Finally, I can check the famous "Zirkel Circle" off my list after wanting to do this route for over two years. My first attempt, two summers ago with Katy, ended rather abruptly when a rogue tree branch nearly scalped my then-girlfriend. This time I ran it with Richard Williams and we didn't run Mica Lake Trail, opting to do just the classic North Routt County mountain loop. It looked like it might rain all morning but we didn't get wet until the final two miles and, by then, it was a pleasant, light rain that cooled us off. The hike up was steady and relaxed for the first 3 miles and we didn't run a whole lot. There were many, many people on the trail and even more sitting at Gilpin Lake when we finally arrived there. I'm not used to sharing the trail with so many people (unless it's a race!) but I love seeing people getting out in the woods so it was cool to exchange greetings with them. Gilpin Lake was incredible and I can really see why it is such a popular destination. After leaving the lake, we climbed up and over a saddle and enjoyed 5 glorious miles of downhill all the way back to the trail head. The single track trail was both runnable and fairly technical but we were feeling good on the return so we kept up a pretty brisk pace most of the way down. Gorgeous track!
Two good runs on the weekend although I lacked a couple of maintenance runs during the week. Overall, feeling very good and looking forward to a few more wilderness runs with Richard in August. Right now, the only race I'm considering for next month is Continental Divide Trail Run on the 18th. Richard and I are planning to do an out-and-back run on the entire Mad Creek (Swamp Park) Trail in mid-August as a final long run (44 miles) before the RRR100. Next Sunday, I am planning on taking him to Sheriff Reservoir to check out the Black Mountain Trail.
7/23 - Rest.
7/24 - Rest.
7/25 - 1 mile. Walking with Katy.
7/26 - A couple miles. Stagecoach. No watch. Just shaking things out a bit.
7/27 - Rest.
7/28 - 10.66 miles. 1:59:19. 700'v. Stagecoach. Some trail and alot of dirt road for this casual morning run. The weather was pretty clear but humid when I set out down the dirt road on my way to Sarvis Creek Trail. After a 2 mile warm up on the road I was ready to run some single track but only made it about a half mile up Sarvis Creek before running into two, dog-sized bear cubs. One bolted down the trail, FAST! and the smaller one tried to climb up an aspen tree. I immediately turned around, afraid that I would frighten the two bears into losing each other. It also crossed my mind that Mama Bear was probably within earshot of her cubs and wouldn't appreciate me bugging them. No worries, they were there first. I decided to run the road again for a while and saw a few guys fishing and three runners also enjoying the morning. I hiked quite a few hills on the way back as my legs seemed to lack some pep.
7/29 - 11.26 miles. 3:01:25. Gilpin Lake Trail (1161) - Gold Creek Trail (1150). Finally, I can check the famous "Zirkel Circle" off my list after wanting to do this route for over two years. My first attempt, two summers ago with Katy, ended rather abruptly when a rogue tree branch nearly scalped my then-girlfriend. This time I ran it with Richard Williams and we didn't run Mica Lake Trail, opting to do just the classic North Routt County mountain loop. It looked like it might rain all morning but we didn't get wet until the final two miles and, by then, it was a pleasant, light rain that cooled us off. The hike up was steady and relaxed for the first 3 miles and we didn't run a whole lot. There were many, many people on the trail and even more sitting at Gilpin Lake when we finally arrived there. I'm not used to sharing the trail with so many people (unless it's a race!) but I love seeing people getting out in the woods so it was cool to exchange greetings with them. Gilpin Lake was incredible and I can really see why it is such a popular destination. After leaving the lake, we climbed up and over a saddle and enjoyed 5 glorious miles of downhill all the way back to the trail head. The single track trail was both runnable and fairly technical but we were feeling good on the return so we kept up a pretty brisk pace most of the way down. Gorgeous track!
Two good runs on the weekend although I lacked a couple of maintenance runs during the week. Overall, feeling very good and looking forward to a few more wilderness runs with Richard in August. Right now, the only race I'm considering for next month is Continental Divide Trail Run on the 18th. Richard and I are planning to do an out-and-back run on the entire Mad Creek (Swamp Park) Trail in mid-August as a final long run (44 miles) before the RRR100. Next Sunday, I am planning on taking him to Sheriff Reservoir to check out the Black Mountain Trail.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Fortnight Summary: July 8 - July 22
7/8 - 10.6 miles. 3:07:25. 2650'v. Lower Bear Creek Trail. Easy with Richard.
7/9 - Rest.
7/10 - 4.3 miles. :49:33. Stagecoach.
7/11- 3.59 miles. :36:17. Stagecoach.
7/12 - 2.30 miles. :26:42. Stagecoach.
7/13 - Rest.
7/14 - Rest. Travel to Leadville. Set up camp, eat and relax.
7/15 - Leadville Silver Rush 50 Mile. 47.5 miles. 9:49:56. 7,382'v.
7/16 - Rest. Despite feeling completely thrashed after the race yesterday, I felt pretty good when I woke up the next morning. My legs didn't start feeling sore until around noon the next day and then pretty rough in the afternoon. Slept OK that night but could feel my legs. Took an extra round of Juice Plus and drank alot of juice and berries for anti-oxidants.
7/17 - Rest. Pretty sore, primarily in the quadraceps but not so much anywhere else. A little soreness on top of my left foot. Slept like a champ.
7/18 - 3.42 miles. :39:08. Stagecoach. Easy road run felt awesome. Legs really weren't sore today at all. Just fatigued a bit but the run seemed to help shake out the cobwebs.
7/19 - 4.39 miles. :45:05. Stagecoach. Ran a few easy miles after starting out a little quick. Legs feel pretty good at the beginning of the run but after a while they felt a little dead. Walked a little, too.
7/20 - Rest.
7/21 - Spring Creek Memorial Trail Run. 9 miles. 1:17:24. My third year running this race and I just love it. This year, the field was much smaller and alot of fast people didn't show up so it was anybody's race up front. Local Austrian-stud-speedster, Harald Niedl, who always seems to finish in the top five of whatever race he's in, finally scored a win in 1:11. Followed by high school stand-out runner, Chris Zirkle. I was feeling good and went out fast at the start, running in 4th, but knew the pace was too hot for me and even asked if anyone wanted to pass as we rolled down the first hill, across the first bridge and onto the gradually uphill rocky trail. Several people passed me before we made the climb up to the actual Spring Creek trailhead. I eased into a strong powerhike once we turned off the single track and started up Elevator Shaft, a steep drainage that course follows for a few hundred vertical feet. I opted not to pass immediately and stayed behind a few people to keep my breathing and heart rate down and felt really good the entire climb through the ferns and aspens. There were several trees downed along the course but even the tallest ones didn't really impede my ascent as I began to alternate running into my climb. I passed about 4 runners on the climb and soon caught site of Walter McGill as we made a gradual descent through the trees on a somewhat rocky trail. I could see Kelly Heany about 15 yards in front of Walter. About a mile later, we all emerged from the forest together and turned on a dirt road to leave the Tatanka Ridge property. We lamented running the dirt road up to Dry Lake as our least favorite part of the race. Having done this race a couple of times now, I know that the 3/4 mile dirt road climb can be really tough. It's a grind and there is one spot where you can't see around the corner but it looks like you are at the top and then you go a little farther and see the road just keeps going up. By this time another runner had caught us, so the four of us relaxed a bit and we talked a little bit as we ran. A few minutes later, we finally reached the Dry Lake parking lot and I sped up to be the first one on Spring Creek Trail. I was feeling really good as we started the 4.5 mile descent to the finish and I love to run this trail downhill. It's just a blast. There are 13 bridges that you cross as the dirt trail snakes it's way through aspen and pine trees, rocks, logs, ferns and water. There are a few small ascents along the way but overall the trail drops a couple thousand feet over those 4.5 miles. It's sublime. The rest of the way down the trail, I just tried to maintain a fast but in control cadence. In last year's race, I ran the down hill too hard and the last mile or so really hurt. I wanted to avoid that this year and be able to run strong at the end and enjoy the experience. Cruising over the final miles of the course, I just felt rock solid and kept wondering if I should push harder or maintain. I found myself wishing someone was close enough behind me to scare me into running faster. In the end, I'm amazed at how my legs have recovered from Silver Rush because I felt I could have run faster. My legs just felt that solid. In hindsight, I wish I had worn a watch for this race. I ran by feel today and even when I was going hard I was pretty much in control. If I had worn a watch, I would've set split-time goals for the ascent and descent and pushed harder to make those goals. If I had pushed a little harder at any time during the race I'd be able to claim a PR for the course instead of finishing five seconds slower than last year! Oh well, I finished sixth. Top ten three years in a row! Woo-hoo!
7/22 - Rest. Ahh. Feels good to stay home and relax.
The last couple weeks have been pretty solid. I had a nice taper going into Silver Rush and the legs felt good and delivered on race day. I knew I was capable of posting a sub-10 finish and I ran a smart enough race to make it happen, even if I had a rough spot at the end. I think my troubles really stemmed more from the nutrition end and not fitness because I still had leg strength but was just feeling lousy in my stomach and head. Between the altitude and heat, I was lacking adequate electrolyte intake because I kept watering down my Gatorade over the last 2.5 hours. The nausea was a real eye-opener though. In a way, I'm glad I experienced that so that I know what will happen if I fall behind on fueling. Lesson learned there.
Recovery after the 50 was also the best it's ever been. I was feeling it Monday and Tuesday, after the race, but ran easy on Wednesday and Thursday, without any discomfort. Friday off seemed like enough rest to run hard at Spring Creek and I'm just a little sore (mostly hamstrings) and fatigued today (Sunday). With less than two months until Run Rabbit Run, I will keep up with my 3 scheduled maintenance runs during the week and long runs on the weekend. I'm hoping to work out a 40-mile wilderness run with Richard Williams in mid-August, that will be my last long run before RRR. The only race I might do in August is Continental Divide but as much as I like that race, I'm not 100% sure that will register.
7/9 - Rest.
7/10 - 4.3 miles. :49:33. Stagecoach.
7/11- 3.59 miles. :36:17. Stagecoach.
7/12 - 2.30 miles. :26:42. Stagecoach.
7/13 - Rest.
7/14 - Rest. Travel to Leadville. Set up camp, eat and relax.
7/15 - Leadville Silver Rush 50 Mile. 47.5 miles. 9:49:56. 7,382'v.
7/16 - Rest. Despite feeling completely thrashed after the race yesterday, I felt pretty good when I woke up the next morning. My legs didn't start feeling sore until around noon the next day and then pretty rough in the afternoon. Slept OK that night but could feel my legs. Took an extra round of Juice Plus and drank alot of juice and berries for anti-oxidants.
7/17 - Rest. Pretty sore, primarily in the quadraceps but not so much anywhere else. A little soreness on top of my left foot. Slept like a champ.
7/18 - 3.42 miles. :39:08. Stagecoach. Easy road run felt awesome. Legs really weren't sore today at all. Just fatigued a bit but the run seemed to help shake out the cobwebs.
7/19 - 4.39 miles. :45:05. Stagecoach. Ran a few easy miles after starting out a little quick. Legs feel pretty good at the beginning of the run but after a while they felt a little dead. Walked a little, too.
7/20 - Rest.
7/21 - Spring Creek Memorial Trail Run. 9 miles. 1:17:24. My third year running this race and I just love it. This year, the field was much smaller and alot of fast people didn't show up so it was anybody's race up front. Local Austrian-stud-speedster, Harald Niedl, who always seems to finish in the top five of whatever race he's in, finally scored a win in 1:11. Followed by high school stand-out runner, Chris Zirkle. I was feeling good and went out fast at the start, running in 4th, but knew the pace was too hot for me and even asked if anyone wanted to pass as we rolled down the first hill, across the first bridge and onto the gradually uphill rocky trail. Several people passed me before we made the climb up to the actual Spring Creek trailhead. I eased into a strong powerhike once we turned off the single track and started up Elevator Shaft, a steep drainage that course follows for a few hundred vertical feet. I opted not to pass immediately and stayed behind a few people to keep my breathing and heart rate down and felt really good the entire climb through the ferns and aspens. There were several trees downed along the course but even the tallest ones didn't really impede my ascent as I began to alternate running into my climb. I passed about 4 runners on the climb and soon caught site of Walter McGill as we made a gradual descent through the trees on a somewhat rocky trail. I could see Kelly Heany about 15 yards in front of Walter. About a mile later, we all emerged from the forest together and turned on a dirt road to leave the Tatanka Ridge property. We lamented running the dirt road up to Dry Lake as our least favorite part of the race. Having done this race a couple of times now, I know that the 3/4 mile dirt road climb can be really tough. It's a grind and there is one spot where you can't see around the corner but it looks like you are at the top and then you go a little farther and see the road just keeps going up. By this time another runner had caught us, so the four of us relaxed a bit and we talked a little bit as we ran. A few minutes later, we finally reached the Dry Lake parking lot and I sped up to be the first one on Spring Creek Trail. I was feeling really good as we started the 4.5 mile descent to the finish and I love to run this trail downhill. It's just a blast. There are 13 bridges that you cross as the dirt trail snakes it's way through aspen and pine trees, rocks, logs, ferns and water. There are a few small ascents along the way but overall the trail drops a couple thousand feet over those 4.5 miles. It's sublime. The rest of the way down the trail, I just tried to maintain a fast but in control cadence. In last year's race, I ran the down hill too hard and the last mile or so really hurt. I wanted to avoid that this year and be able to run strong at the end and enjoy the experience. Cruising over the final miles of the course, I just felt rock solid and kept wondering if I should push harder or maintain. I found myself wishing someone was close enough behind me to scare me into running faster. In the end, I'm amazed at how my legs have recovered from Silver Rush because I felt I could have run faster. My legs just felt that solid. In hindsight, I wish I had worn a watch for this race. I ran by feel today and even when I was going hard I was pretty much in control. If I had worn a watch, I would've set split-time goals for the ascent and descent and pushed harder to make those goals. If I had pushed a little harder at any time during the race I'd be able to claim a PR for the course instead of finishing five seconds slower than last year! Oh well, I finished sixth. Top ten three years in a row! Woo-hoo!
7/22 - Rest. Ahh. Feels good to stay home and relax.
The last couple weeks have been pretty solid. I had a nice taper going into Silver Rush and the legs felt good and delivered on race day. I knew I was capable of posting a sub-10 finish and I ran a smart enough race to make it happen, even if I had a rough spot at the end. I think my troubles really stemmed more from the nutrition end and not fitness because I still had leg strength but was just feeling lousy in my stomach and head. Between the altitude and heat, I was lacking adequate electrolyte intake because I kept watering down my Gatorade over the last 2.5 hours. The nausea was a real eye-opener though. In a way, I'm glad I experienced that so that I know what will happen if I fall behind on fueling. Lesson learned there.
Recovery after the 50 was also the best it's ever been. I was feeling it Monday and Tuesday, after the race, but ran easy on Wednesday and Thursday, without any discomfort. Friday off seemed like enough rest to run hard at Spring Creek and I'm just a little sore (mostly hamstrings) and fatigued today (Sunday). With less than two months until Run Rabbit Run, I will keep up with my 3 scheduled maintenance runs during the week and long runs on the weekend. I'm hoping to work out a 40-mile wilderness run with Richard Williams in mid-August, that will be my last long run before RRR. The only race I might do in August is Continental Divide but as much as I like that race, I'm not 100% sure that will register.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Leadville Silver Rush 50
The Leadville Silver Rush 50 is a great race. Sunday morning, around 300 (of nearly 600 registered) runners lined up at the Dutch Henri Hill starting line to tackle just short of 50 miles of mountainous jeep and foot trails at elevations from ten to 12,000'. The starting area was already bursting with energy as music blared and the announcer counted down the time to the shotgun start. At 6 A.M., a run in the mountains seemed like a good idea.
The weather was clear and cool in the morning after some light rain the night before. The race begins with a short, steep climb up Dutch Henri Hill before entering a pine forest and beginning a slow, winding climb up to the first aid station around mile 6. Going into the race, I knew that alot of the course was on jeep trails and wasn't expecting it to be as fun as my beloved single track but I was impressed early on with the trail's footing, varied technicality and overall runnabilty. Once the intial pack stretched out a bit, I ran with a nice guy from the Denver area for a while, chatting it up about elite mountain runner Matt Carpenter's idea of "even-ness of effort" as we got warmed up. I moved ahead after a few minutes and ran within myself for a while just getting into the groove. What I found most impressive about the course were the incredible and expansive views of the very large mountains in the area around Leadville both initially and then, at the higher points of the course. Around mile 3, the trail paralleled a wide valley, Iowa Gulch, with some relic mining structures from the abandoned Hellena Mine and massive tailing piles at the foot of several enormous, treeless peaks. After Aid 1, the trail continued up the gulch on the rough jeep road through an open area with bushes and the occasional fir or spruce tree to the base of the Iowa Amphitheatre, watched over by Mount Sherman (14,036'), then met up with dirt County Road 6 for a 3 mile descent to the Printer Boy Aid Station (mile 13.5). Here, I met up with Katy and Bronwyn, who had come down to crew for me and did so in smashing style, I might add. As rolled in, I handed my water bottle to Bron, who immediately filled it and asked me what I needed and what I wanted to eat. Katy got some sunscreen on me and refilled my running vest with a fresh supply of gels and trail mix. I changed my shirt and was out of there in under two minutes.
A short, fast descent through a pine forest on near-single track trail greeted me next and I was elated to be in the cool trees as the morning temperature began to climb a bit. After about a mile descent, the course crossed a road and began a steady climb up a dirt road for the next mile or so before turning onto a double track that continued the climb back in the trees. So far in the race, I had kept my pace conservative and my effort even. Elevated, but even. I was running easy on the downhills and flats and hiking very well on the climbs. I was feeling really good and in control. As the climb continued above treeline, I was affored an awesome view of the town of Leadville, Turquoise Lake and Mount Massive (14,421'). Spectacular! Around here, I met Adam Whitehead, a native of Zimbabwe, living and working in Denver now, and we shared the climb. I asked Adam what he did for work and when he replied that he was into wealth management, I commented that I did the exact opposite. In addition to doing the 50, Adam was competing in the Leadman competition, which means he's a badass. We talked it up and took in the impressive views as we climbed up to 12,000' on a rocky jeep road. After cresting a false summit, the course descended a bit before climbing, again to 12,000' in prepartion for the descent to the race turnaround at Stumptown. A little ways into the descent, I partnered up with a runner named Jason (Jay Baker), a Frontier Airlines pilot and triathlete from Denver. We were both in the zone and chatted like a couple of old ladies about racing and life, all the while cheering on the front runners who were now passing us on their way out. Because I was having so much fun talking to him, I was a little sad to part company at Stumptown as I handed off my vest to Bronwyn and frantically chewed on some food. I continued on a convoluted loop climb up to the proper turnaround and met back up with Bronwyn to grab my refilled vest and water bottles. At this time, I took on a second water bottle filled with Gatorade in anticipation of the afternoon heat and headed back on the course. I hit the turnaround in under five hours.
The long climb back up to 12,000' after Stumptown was the first time I really had to push the effort. Between the altitude and the steepness of the trail, the effort to get back to the top of this climb was substantial. Still, I stuck to my program of eating gels and real food (clementines and a trail mix I pre-made of cashews, dried blueberries and cherries and M&Ms) and drinking to ensure I was properly fueling my body for the effort. The next descent and climb went well but I was definitely shakier than I was earlier in the race. This was the section of the course that is above treeline so I distracted myself by looking far off into the surrounding mountains. At the next aid station, I refilled my bottles and grabbed some pretzels but they turned to paste when I put them in my mouth so I didn't eat many. As the trail descended again, the temperature began to rise but I felt steady again and I knew I was going to get to see Katy again at the Printer Boy Aid Station. (I didn't get to see her at Stumptown because my lovely pregnant wife was getting some rest.) There was one more climb before the aid but I still felt good the entire way, just hiking smooth and strong up through the pine trees. I got pumped up by the crowd of people amassed on the road as I exited the forest and ran a little harder to give the spectators a good show, looking for my crew all the while. Once spotted, they changed out my gear and I put on a fresh pair of socks. I paused to take a picture with a cute puppy at the race and I kissed my wife and left again.
Earlier in the race, I had been told by one of the other runners that the next section was the crux of the race and now I believe him. A short descent on paved road takes you back to a 3 mile climb on dirt road back up to foot of Iowa Amphitheatre. By now, the mid-day heat has arrived and you are completely exposed on that road as you climb achingly slow up, up and up. I shuffled, hiked and walked. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat for one hour. I reached the top around the seven hour mark and relished the idea of a mostly downhill finish. Mostly.
I found myself grinding away the final miles of the race. I had felt so good the first half, it was hard to believe that I was starting to fade and I just kept calculating the time-to-mile pace that would let me finish in my under-10 hour goal. I hit the final aid station, still in pretty good spirits and chowed on some watermelon and had my water bottles refilled. I had been diluting my Gatorade bottle with water and, in hindsight, I suffered on electrolytes toward the end because I had been doing that. Particularly because it warm. As a result, I just slowly faded over the last part of the race. I could feel it coming and tried to keep taking on calories in the form of gels but I just continued to struggle as the miles wore on at the end. I still managed a pace in the high 10 min/mile but it I could tell it wouldn't last as the wheels started falling off the wagon. With only a few miles left in the race, I linked up with another runner (Sean Wetstine) who was still feeling good enough to talk to me and provide some encouragement. We shuffled along and I couldn't believe it didn't feel like we were getting closer to the finish. I checked my GPS and it just didn't tick off the distance quick enough for my liking. Then, the nausea. Whoa. My stomach did a 180 and started messing with me. I finally stopped dead in my tracks and coughed, heaved and cramped. No vomit just pain. Oh. I'm in the hurt locker now. I just turned and started up the trail. Just move forward. Finish. I walked. I hiked. I shuffled. I looked at my GPS and saw that we should be at the finish and all I saw on the course was a foot trail climbing up a hill, into the trees. "Those fuckers. They added a mile to the course." I thought to myself and I was right. I just kept moving and actually managed to run again. I told myself to take advantage of the lie that my brain was telling my body and kept moving.
Finally, I saw and heard people as I crested the top of Dutch Henri Hill and relief overwhelms me. I ran hard down the trail to the finish line. I saw Katy and Bronwyn and the red carpet finish and nothing mattered for a moment except the fact that I was finished and I did it under 10 hours. 9:49:56. Then, I remembered to look for the runner who pulled me through those final miles so that I can thank him but he's lost in the crowd. I am humbled.
Silver Rush was another great experience and full of surprises. The course is definitely tough, scenic and worthy of the effort. Towards the end of my race, the clouds started moving in and it rained and hailed for a while a few minutes after I finished. I immediately thought of the 200 or so runners still out on the course dealing with the mountain weather and how we are just visitors to those high peaks that we spent the day running through, up and down. Despite feeling low at the end of the race, the overall experience was exceptional and I got to run with some really amazing people.
The weather was clear and cool in the morning after some light rain the night before. The race begins with a short, steep climb up Dutch Henri Hill before entering a pine forest and beginning a slow, winding climb up to the first aid station around mile 6. Going into the race, I knew that alot of the course was on jeep trails and wasn't expecting it to be as fun as my beloved single track but I was impressed early on with the trail's footing, varied technicality and overall runnabilty. Once the intial pack stretched out a bit, I ran with a nice guy from the Denver area for a while, chatting it up about elite mountain runner Matt Carpenter's idea of "even-ness of effort" as we got warmed up. I moved ahead after a few minutes and ran within myself for a while just getting into the groove. What I found most impressive about the course were the incredible and expansive views of the very large mountains in the area around Leadville both initially and then, at the higher points of the course. Around mile 3, the trail paralleled a wide valley, Iowa Gulch, with some relic mining structures from the abandoned Hellena Mine and massive tailing piles at the foot of several enormous, treeless peaks. After Aid 1, the trail continued up the gulch on the rough jeep road through an open area with bushes and the occasional fir or spruce tree to the base of the Iowa Amphitheatre, watched over by Mount Sherman (14,036'), then met up with dirt County Road 6 for a 3 mile descent to the Printer Boy Aid Station (mile 13.5). Here, I met up with Katy and Bronwyn, who had come down to crew for me and did so in smashing style, I might add. As rolled in, I handed my water bottle to Bron, who immediately filled it and asked me what I needed and what I wanted to eat. Katy got some sunscreen on me and refilled my running vest with a fresh supply of gels and trail mix. I changed my shirt and was out of there in under two minutes.
A short, fast descent through a pine forest on near-single track trail greeted me next and I was elated to be in the cool trees as the morning temperature began to climb a bit. After about a mile descent, the course crossed a road and began a steady climb up a dirt road for the next mile or so before turning onto a double track that continued the climb back in the trees. So far in the race, I had kept my pace conservative and my effort even. Elevated, but even. I was running easy on the downhills and flats and hiking very well on the climbs. I was feeling really good and in control. As the climb continued above treeline, I was affored an awesome view of the town of Leadville, Turquoise Lake and Mount Massive (14,421'). Spectacular! Around here, I met Adam Whitehead, a native of Zimbabwe, living and working in Denver now, and we shared the climb. I asked Adam what he did for work and when he replied that he was into wealth management, I commented that I did the exact opposite. In addition to doing the 50, Adam was competing in the Leadman competition, which means he's a badass. We talked it up and took in the impressive views as we climbed up to 12,000' on a rocky jeep road. After cresting a false summit, the course descended a bit before climbing, again to 12,000' in prepartion for the descent to the race turnaround at Stumptown. A little ways into the descent, I partnered up with a runner named Jason (Jay Baker), a Frontier Airlines pilot and triathlete from Denver. We were both in the zone and chatted like a couple of old ladies about racing and life, all the while cheering on the front runners who were now passing us on their way out. Because I was having so much fun talking to him, I was a little sad to part company at Stumptown as I handed off my vest to Bronwyn and frantically chewed on some food. I continued on a convoluted loop climb up to the proper turnaround and met back up with Bronwyn to grab my refilled vest and water bottles. At this time, I took on a second water bottle filled with Gatorade in anticipation of the afternoon heat and headed back on the course. I hit the turnaround in under five hours.
The long climb back up to 12,000' after Stumptown was the first time I really had to push the effort. Between the altitude and the steepness of the trail, the effort to get back to the top of this climb was substantial. Still, I stuck to my program of eating gels and real food (clementines and a trail mix I pre-made of cashews, dried blueberries and cherries and M&Ms) and drinking to ensure I was properly fueling my body for the effort. The next descent and climb went well but I was definitely shakier than I was earlier in the race. This was the section of the course that is above treeline so I distracted myself by looking far off into the surrounding mountains. At the next aid station, I refilled my bottles and grabbed some pretzels but they turned to paste when I put them in my mouth so I didn't eat many. As the trail descended again, the temperature began to rise but I felt steady again and I knew I was going to get to see Katy again at the Printer Boy Aid Station. (I didn't get to see her at Stumptown because my lovely pregnant wife was getting some rest.) There was one more climb before the aid but I still felt good the entire way, just hiking smooth and strong up through the pine trees. I got pumped up by the crowd of people amassed on the road as I exited the forest and ran a little harder to give the spectators a good show, looking for my crew all the while. Once spotted, they changed out my gear and I put on a fresh pair of socks. I paused to take a picture with a cute puppy at the race and I kissed my wife and left again.
Earlier in the race, I had been told by one of the other runners that the next section was the crux of the race and now I believe him. A short descent on paved road takes you back to a 3 mile climb on dirt road back up to foot of Iowa Amphitheatre. By now, the mid-day heat has arrived and you are completely exposed on that road as you climb achingly slow up, up and up. I shuffled, hiked and walked. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat for one hour. I reached the top around the seven hour mark and relished the idea of a mostly downhill finish. Mostly.
I found myself grinding away the final miles of the race. I had felt so good the first half, it was hard to believe that I was starting to fade and I just kept calculating the time-to-mile pace that would let me finish in my under-10 hour goal. I hit the final aid station, still in pretty good spirits and chowed on some watermelon and had my water bottles refilled. I had been diluting my Gatorade bottle with water and, in hindsight, I suffered on electrolytes toward the end because I had been doing that. Particularly because it warm. As a result, I just slowly faded over the last part of the race. I could feel it coming and tried to keep taking on calories in the form of gels but I just continued to struggle as the miles wore on at the end. I still managed a pace in the high 10 min/mile but it I could tell it wouldn't last as the wheels started falling off the wagon. With only a few miles left in the race, I linked up with another runner (Sean Wetstine) who was still feeling good enough to talk to me and provide some encouragement. We shuffled along and I couldn't believe it didn't feel like we were getting closer to the finish. I checked my GPS and it just didn't tick off the distance quick enough for my liking. Then, the nausea. Whoa. My stomach did a 180 and started messing with me. I finally stopped dead in my tracks and coughed, heaved and cramped. No vomit just pain. Oh. I'm in the hurt locker now. I just turned and started up the trail. Just move forward. Finish. I walked. I hiked. I shuffled. I looked at my GPS and saw that we should be at the finish and all I saw on the course was a foot trail climbing up a hill, into the trees. "Those fuckers. They added a mile to the course." I thought to myself and I was right. I just kept moving and actually managed to run again. I told myself to take advantage of the lie that my brain was telling my body and kept moving.
Finally, I saw and heard people as I crested the top of Dutch Henri Hill and relief overwhelms me. I ran hard down the trail to the finish line. I saw Katy and Bronwyn and the red carpet finish and nothing mattered for a moment except the fact that I was finished and I did it under 10 hours. 9:49:56. Then, I remembered to look for the runner who pulled me through those final miles so that I can thank him but he's lost in the crowd. I am humbled.
Silver Rush was another great experience and full of surprises. The course is definitely tough, scenic and worthy of the effort. Towards the end of my race, the clouds started moving in and it rained and hailed for a while a few minutes after I finished. I immediately thought of the 200 or so runners still out on the course dealing with the mountain weather and how we are just visitors to those high peaks that we spent the day running through, up and down. Despite feeling low at the end of the race, the overall experience was exceptional and I got to run with some really amazing people.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Weekly Summary: July 4 - July 8
7/4 - 9.06 miles. 2:04:15. 1800'v. Black Mountain Trail. Headed up to Sheriff Reservoir just outside of Phippsburg to check out a new trail and was blown away by the scenery. Once I located the trail (after a few minutes of bushwacking around the res) I found a nice, runnable track on a gradual ascent that traversed a hillside packed with skunk cabbage and wildflowers that went on for nearly a MILE. It was incredible. Once I hit the ridgeline, the trail continued to snake uphill along a massive cliff line with an expansive view of the Flat Tops to my right. The trail continued into the trees for a little while before cresting the mountain and offering panoramic views of more mountains, including Pyramid Peak, and a few big alpine meadows. I found an old trail marker for Baldy Trail (FS 1200, which doesn't appear on any of the maps I own) and ran from cairn to cairn for about a half mile through a meadow until I picked up the trail again and found a tiny pond. If I weren't tapering for my next race, I would've loved to continue exploring. The return trip offered up the same spectacular views and I had to pause for a while to take it all in. Although I only ventured a couple of miles on the trail, I can't wait to go back and explore it further.
7/5 - 3.51 miles. :34:22. Stagecoach. Easy effort from the house down the trail to the fire station and back.
7/6 - 7.51 miles. 1:24:49. Emerald Mountain. From JDs house downtown, I cruised over to Howelsen Hill and jumped on the Emerald Mountain Loop. From there, I climbed up to Lupine, then Larry's, MGM and Blair Witch before descending on Blackmere Drive to Lupine to Blackmere and down to Howelsen Lodge to refill my water bottle. Wicked single track!
7/7 - Rest.
7/8 - 10.61 miles. 3:07:25. 2650'v. Lower Bear Creek Trail. Hooked up with running buddy Richard for an easy effort 10 miler on this trail by the Strawberry Park Hot Springs. I had never been on this trail and rarely run with other people so I was stoked to get on the trail with Rich. We maintained a fairly even pace on the ascent, hiking most of the uphills. The trail started out nice and smooth and easy to run for the first 3 miles before it got rockier on the last 2 up to Summit Park. There were some nice views from the top so we scrambled around on the rocky high point for a few minutes before the return trip. The return trip went by quickly and I felt great when we wrapped it up.
Weekly mileage: 30.69 miles.
In tapering mode for the Silver Rush 50 (which is only 46 miles) so I'm easing up on how hard I run while still getting in some quality runs. Got to go out for over 2 hours on the Fourth and go in 3 hours today. I'll rest tomorrow and run very lightly the middle of the week before taking a couple days off before the race. Overall, I'm feeling really good and with a week of rest on my legs, I think I can finish the race in under 10 hours.
7/5 - 3.51 miles. :34:22. Stagecoach. Easy effort from the house down the trail to the fire station and back.
7/6 - 7.51 miles. 1:24:49. Emerald Mountain. From JDs house downtown, I cruised over to Howelsen Hill and jumped on the Emerald Mountain Loop. From there, I climbed up to Lupine, then Larry's, MGM and Blair Witch before descending on Blackmere Drive to Lupine to Blackmere and down to Howelsen Lodge to refill my water bottle. Wicked single track!
7/7 - Rest.
7/8 - 10.61 miles. 3:07:25. 2650'v. Lower Bear Creek Trail. Hooked up with running buddy Richard for an easy effort 10 miler on this trail by the Strawberry Park Hot Springs. I had never been on this trail and rarely run with other people so I was stoked to get on the trail with Rich. We maintained a fairly even pace on the ascent, hiking most of the uphills. The trail started out nice and smooth and easy to run for the first 3 miles before it got rockier on the last 2 up to Summit Park. There were some nice views from the top so we scrambled around on the rocky high point for a few minutes before the return trip. The return trip went by quickly and I felt great when we wrapped it up.
Weekly mileage: 30.69 miles.
In tapering mode for the Silver Rush 50 (which is only 46 miles) so I'm easing up on how hard I run while still getting in some quality runs. Got to go out for over 2 hours on the Fourth and go in 3 hours today. I'll rest tomorrow and run very lightly the middle of the week before taking a couple days off before the race. Overall, I'm feeling really good and with a week of rest on my legs, I think I can finish the race in under 10 hours.
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