Gone For A Run, be back...

Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run

2016-07-06T18:44:00.001-04:00

Well Western States is all done! Yes I finished, but it didn’t look like it was going to be that way at times. We arrived at Squaw on Thursday afternoon and got settled in to our condo before heading down to the legends talk.

Met up with Sandy, Eric and their runner David. It was a very inspirational talk from the 4 “legends” which is just what I needed as my confidence had been lagging somewhat (see previous posts). We also got to say hi to Chris Thornley from Squirrels Nut Butter. We love this product and it definitely works well for us. After the talk we went for dinner at the Fireside Pizza place and were just about ready for bed once we had finished. Friday would be a busy day and expected to start early as we were still on Eastern time.

Friday morning we took our time to get moving. Joan and I went for a walk and saw the race folks setting up for the “expo” and registration.

It was a nice sunny, cool morning and we stopped at the Starbucks in the village for a few refreshments and got one for Gary to take back to the condo. The registration started at 9 and we went down at about 9:30. This year is much simpler than previous years as there are no medical checks, unless you sign up for a study, which I didn’t. So it was picture taking and picking up swag. If there was a complaint from this year it may be the swag, not nearly as much as I had seen when Gary ran in 2013 and 14.

After a walk through the vendors market and chatting with a few people we met up with Leon from Bowmanville and arranged to meet up at the Dam Café in Tahoe for brunch.
The Dam Café has the best breakfast burritos on the planet, and I had 2.
Once lunch was finished and we did some last minute shopping before we headed back to Squaw to drop off my drop bags and go to the pre race briefing.
The briefing was the usual, packed hall with lots of patting people on the back for a job well done etc., introducing the favourites, what to look out for on the course…
We got there early and got second row seats, before the rush. It got very warm once more people came in.

For our last meal we decided on the Dubliner Irish pub and I had a nice Salmon dinner.
Then it was off to bed for an early night, as it was going to be an early morning!

I had my alarm set for 3:45 a.m., but was awake a bit earlier than that. I got up and had my oatmeal, cup of coffee and dressed and before you know it we were on our way downstairs to register and pick up my bib and chip.
The morning air was chilly, but the atmosphere was electric. I soon had all my gear ready and it was then just about waiting for the start. I had decided to use my Inov8 shoes for the first half and my Speedgoats for the second half. The Speedgoats were half a size bigger so would give my feet more room for swelling.
I met up with Leon and we waited for the count down. Joan and Gary went up the hill a little ways to get some video and pictures of the start.
.. 3,2,1 and with the shotgun blast we were off. A quick jog before the walk to the top of the mountain, 4 miles up.

The climb to the top of Squaw is a bit of a blessing as there is not much opportunity to run and a good power hike gets you to the top in good time. At the top the views of the sun rise and Lake Tahoe in the distance are amazing. Once we crested we got in a conga line and proceeded on the single track trail downhill for a long stretch.

Soon as I started running I felt my glute area getting tight and it stayed like this for a long while. I wasn’t in any hurry and was quite happy just to stay behind those in front and go at a nice easy pace. Every now and again one or two runners would want by. Once we got back to the tree line it was a mix of up and down hills. It seemed like easy running at this point. The first aid station, Lyons Ridge, was at 10.5 miles, the longest stretch without on the whole course. By the time I got there I was doing ok, but not the best. I was in and out fairly quickly and continued on. Red Star Ridge at 16 miles was wear I started feeling it. I again went through quick and started the climb up the other side. This climb although short in comparison to other climbs, was still tough and probably the hardest early climb. The views were utterly incredible. It was almost 8 miles to Duncan Canyon and the first opportunity to see my crew. It would be a long 8 miles and a lot of runners passed me. I don’t know why, but I was already struggling. I could only put it down to lack of training, which would mean things would get a lot worse. Altitude and the now rapidly rising temperature could also have something to do with it too. This section was very runnable, but I was having trouble maintaining a decent pace at all. I was walking a lot. I did notice that the trail was extremely dusty. Anytime you were behind anyone, you were breathing in the dust they were kicking up. The trail to Duncan Canyon is mostly downhill, abbreviated with the odd climb. It seemed like a long time coming, but eventually I decended into Duncan Canyon aid station and the first person I saw was Rebecca, who I met on the training runs. She gave me a big hug and a kiss and showed me to food. I grabbed a few items, while someone filled my water bottles. Then over to Joan and Gary to get some aid!! I Sat down and a girl came over and gave me a sponge to soak my head. I had my hat and arm sleeves filled with ice, Joan made me a shake, which I drank and before I knew it I was heading out again. I found out after wards that although I was an hour behind where I thought I’d be at this point, Joan and Gary had only just got the aid station in time. I told them before I left that I needed to change shoes at Dusty Corners. My toes were not doing well in the Inov8s.

I was under the assumption that the trail was downhill from Duncan Canyon, but apparently other than the first 50 yards it is either up or flat. At least it felt that way. But eventually decended to a creek, which I managed to cross without getting my feet wet. Crossing the creek also meant going from a shaded area to exposed and the long climb to Robinson Flat. This part of the course did some serious damage to me, at least my mind. I was hot, and tired and struggled to get in any running. I resigned myself to the fact that walking to Robinson was all that I could muster and dark thoughts started to take over. I was beginning to think that I wasn’t going to be able to finish. As I walked up to Robinson I came across others in the same state, we were stopping here and there to sit for short breaks. Eventually I came into the aid station not knowing what I would do next. I sat down and decided to just rest for a bit and take in some nutrition. I took off my calf sleeves as I felt they were only adding to the heat I was feeling. They were black and just absorbing the sun. I drank a few glasses of ginger ale, some watermelon and after 22 minutes got up and left. Another climb greeted me and the group I was with to Mount Baldy. After cresting this peak there was a lot of downhill running to come. I was able to muster up a bit of running through here, but it would be a while before I would see my crew again at Dusty Corners. My feet, or my toes, were killing me and I needed a shoe change desperately. I would keep a walk/run pace up but it wasn’t good and I wasn’t very positive at this point either. I don’t remember Millers Defeat aid station, but I’m sure I sat down for a few minutes. The run down to Dusty Corners is just that, down! It starts off flat and gradually gets a bit steeper. By the time I got close I was flying down the hill and saw Joan waiting for me a few 100m outside the station. I went in got refueled and sat in a chair for a shoe, sock and shirt change. Joan gave me some orange pieces and they were to die for. I hadn’t been eating enough, but my stomach wasn’t the best. These went down nicely.

Just behind me was Gunhild Swanson, who got lots of cheers. Ann Trason was there to crew for her. Gunhild is over 70, so it made me feel like shit to know that she was about to pass me.
I left Dusty Corners after Gunhild, but soon passed her. The change of shoes felt great, but he damage to my toe nails had been done. I got in line with a group on some more single track and got into a rhythm, at least for a little while. I knew this was the trail to Pucker Point, one of the most beautiful views on the trail, so I was looking forward to that. The problem was that it took a lot longer than I remembered and that played heavily on my mind. I started walking again, but my walk was as fast as the people in front were running. I was quite happy to maintain this for a while. I followed two older gentlemen and young lady as we turned on the dirt road to Last Chance aid station. I ran down here quite well and again needed to sit down for a rest. A young volunteer asked to fill my bottles and asked if I needed anything. I grabbed a few things to try and eat and drink. The volunteer was quite adamant that I should not sit around too long as the cut offs were getting close. I went to the bathroom before I left. Then realized I had a drop bag, so figured out what I needed and then continued on.
The next section was the drop into the first canyon before the climb up to Devils Thumb. On the training run I did this section well, conservative on the decent and power hiked up the other side very well. I again took it easy on the decent , about almost 2 miles down the switch backs to the bridge across the river. The climb up to Devils Thumb is daunting on a good day, and so far today had not been a banner day at all. I started up the 36 switch backs, but quickly found the going tough. I slowed down to a crawl and really started to feel lethargic. Yes it was hot, but not as hot as it could be, it was early evening by now. I was well behind where I thought I would be and my mind was not in a good place. The further I climbed, the worse things got and I had to stop a half a dozen times to sit down. The mosiquitos reminded it was time to get up and go, but I wasn’t too interested and I was sure I would hear the cut off horns soon. I was thinking at this point that maybe it would be better just to miss the cutoffs and put me out of my misery. I heard the first 3 horn blast (30 minutes to the final cut off), I wasn’t far from the aid station, but… The second 2 horn blast went off and I was almost at the top. I wandered in the aid station and the volunteers were all over me, what did I need? Fill my bottles? Food? I saw a cot and said I needed to lay down. They said I didn’t have enough time, they needed to get me out quick. I said I couldn’t I thought I was going to pass out. My stomach was in knots. They gave me Pepto which I ate, to settle the stomach. Then felt like throwing up. Not quite though. The young lady assigned to look after me kept trying to to get me up and out of the aid station. “you have to get moving soon or you’ll miss the cutoff!” And that is a problem? I thought. I saw Elke there, but she didn’t say anything, she knows that the volunteers know there job and what needs to be done. I reluctantly got up and the young lady walked me out. I was grumbling under my breath about going, but go I did. #245 out! I walked on for a while trying to come to grips with the fact that I was still out there. As I left the third horn went off 10 minutes to the final cut off. At this point I started to do the math. What would it take for me to finish in 30 hours. No matter which way I did it, it didn’t matter, I couldn’t finish in 30 hours. This didn’t help! So I thought let me get to Michigan Bluff at 55 miles to reassess the situation. At this time to the problem was I had no light and it would get dark before I got to Michigan Bluff, especially at the pace I was going.

The section to El Dorado Creek was almost all downhill, about 3 miles worth! I tried running what I could on the initial gentle downhill to the canyon. Once I got into the switch backs I ran a bit, walked a bit, and then saw some runners ahead and passed them, then I was running more and passing more. By the time I got to El Dorado I had passed half a dozen and was feeling great again, well maybe not great, but better! I had a few things to eat, some drinks and a sponge over the head a few times. WOW, that felt good. I said to the volunteer that it was almost orgasmic! She laughed.
Off I went up the hill to Michigan Bluff, almost 3 miles up hill, which after the last uphill you’d think I’d be creading it, but I was power hiking and doing it “quickly”. I passed more in the aid station and more up the hill. I’m not sure what was driving me, but thought of a pacer and my crew at the top helped. I had pushed aside any thoughts of not finishing. And I didn’t hear any horns coming out of or after leaving EL Dorado.about a mile from the aid station I came across Gary coming down and he mentioned how strong I looked. I came into Michigan Bluff after passing a total of 17 runners since Devils Thumb.
After a quick change of socks (I think), grabbed 2 headlamps and we were off. Power hiked for a bit, then ran the down hills and passed quite a few more. This section followed a long uphill climb on a forest road, before turning downhill and then onto some single track down into Volcano Canyon, we ran almost all of this, took a minute to dose ourselves in the creek, before heading up hill to Bath Road. The climb up to Bath Rd., is tough, but Gary kept me on track and I was feeling much better at this point. We came into Foresthill after passing another 15 runners in the last 6 miles. We only spent a minute or so at Foresthill and then walked down the road to Cal St. I was concerned that I would find running impossible after this walk, but once we hit the trails again we ran consistently. To Cal 1 it is mostly downhill and we ran almost all of it. The section to Cal 2 is a bit hillier and walked a bit more, but we came into it after passing another 24 runners, although I didn’t know that at the time. The section to Rucky Chucky always seems to take forever, and I walked a lot of it. I was looking forward to the river, but not enough to run at this point. We checked in and out of the aid station and down to the river, donned our life jackets and into the water we went. Woooo it was cold! But it felt so good too. We went across slowly as the runners in front were going slowly and it wasn’t easy. It felt good to just stand in the strong current holding on to the rope. Once on the other side I wasn’t sure if we’d see Joan at this point or she would wait at Green Gate, but there was no sign of her on the other side. I quickly changed socks out of my drop bag and we were off again. This is a 2 mile climb to Green Gate and I left the River just after 3:30 a.m., my goal now was to get to Green gate before sun rise. Part way up, we came across Joan on her way down. What a welcome site! She was ready to go from Green Gate (80 miles) and we made it there by 4:20 a.m. I had over 6 hours to run 20 miles. It seemed like I had pulled it out of the bag, but there was a lot of work to do yet.
I told Joan to do the same thing Gary was doing, I would run the down hills and flat sections, unless otherwise told and power hike the uphills. She paced me like a pro. To Auburn Lakes it is a mix of up and down, but nothing great. We made good time. Joan said we ran the 5.4 miles in 1 hour and 25 minutes. By the time we arrived at ALT it was daylight. I grabbed a bit of pancake and syrup and a coffee and immediately ditched the coffee, more because it was too hot than anything. The gentle trails from ALT to Browns Bar were good, and Joan kept me at a decent pace and we finished the 4.7 miles in 1 hour and 15 minutes. At Browns Bar we had passed another 26 runners, although as we came into it we were followed by at least half a dozen runners and their pacers. We left quickly.
There is about a mile of downhill after Browns Bar that is followed by a dirt road section by the river, that is continuously rolling. I seemed a lot longer tha I remember to get to the trail again. I warned Joan about the next uphill as it is long technical and told her it would be the toughest section she would experience. Low and behold it Joan did find it hard, but pushed ahead. The sun had come up and the we were feeling it on the exposed portions. Eventually we hit the short downhill to Hwy 49 and crossed to the aid station.

Again we didn’t spend much time there and headed out. Uphill again. Joan groaned, she was struggling with these uphills and on this one felt a twinge in her calf. We let a few people pass and continued on up, eventually coming to the meadow as we were crossing the meadow I saw a flock of turkeys and pointed them out to Joan, as she looked she tripped and twisted her ankle. She was ok, but was not moving well. At this point she told me to go on ahead. All I could think about was that she would miss me finish! There had to be a way to get her to the finish. I ran on and pretty well ran all the way to No Hands Bridge, passing all those who had passed us since Hwy 49 and then some.
They warned us at No Hands that it was all exposed across the other side and to load with ice and ice water, which I did. I crossed the bridge and hit the gentle climb on the other side. There wasn’t much shade and it was HOT! I made it to the small bridge with a creek that I soaked in and said hello to a couple with their two dogs. The dogs loving the water in the creek. From here the hill got steeper and then turned up on single track I thought my heart was going to pump out of my chest at this point, but kept on power hiking. The single track gave way to another dirt road by a gate and there was Arnoud walking towards me. We had met him on the plane to Reno. Arnoud (from France) was filming the race for the Ultra Trail World Tour and asked if he could film me on my way back. I said certainly. We chatted a bit as he filmed and we got to Robie Point with a mile and half to go at 9:49 a.m. Over an hour to finish a mile and a half! The hill continues past Robie into town and it is only the last half mile that is downhill to the track. As we climbed, I looked up to see Joan waiting at the top of the first steep bit and what a relief that was. Gave her a hug and a kiss as we continued on. She had recovered after I left her and ran after me, only getting into to No Hands 5 minutes after me. A volunteer offered to drive to Robie and that’s how she got there.

She was still troubled by the hilly parts so we walked it all the way to the track. Gary also met us part way and we all went to the track together. Joan accompanied me along the track to the finish. It was all a little bit too much for me as I crossed (as expected) and broke down a bit after crossing the finish line. Once composed, I got a hug from Craig (RD), Elke and Gary, got my medal and looked for somewhere to lay down. We found a cot in the medical tent! Soon after Leon caught up with us. He had finished in just under 27 hours, a great finish.

It was all over, I had done it. How? I’m not sure when I think about the state I was in at Devils Thumb. But I’m sure knowing Joan and Gary were at Michigan Bluff waiting, I had lots of friends watching on the internet and that I knew it may be the only chance I ever get to do this race helped a lot. It is amazing what you can accomplish when you think all is lost, but I showed on this day that it is possible to come back from edge.

Especially big thanks to Joan, I couldn't have done it without you.

Here are my final splits. From almost last place at Devils Thumb (318th) to 228 at the finish.

Western States Training or lack of....

2016-06-17T15:44:00.000-04:00

Western States is 8 days away and nothing I can do now is going to make my race better. That’s how I am looking at it after, probably, the worst spring training I have ever gone through. Injuries have taken their toll at the worst possible time. It’s taken me 5 years to finally get selected at this race and it is the year the injuries have curbed my training more than ever. I figured after 5 years I was ready to tackle this race and started training shortly after being selected in the lottery. I have been dealing with Piriformis Syndrome in my right butt cheek for many years, but this year it seems to have gotten worse than ever. Add that to the knee problem I was dealing with from late last year. The left knee osteoarthritis had actually improved to the point where I wasn’t even thinking about it, but every now and then it would pop up to remind me, or worse the right knee would act up. But the knee problems were becoming less of an issue. After TJ100k in March the right calf was the main concern. It is fine now and was replaced by an Achilles pain on the left side. It is mostly healed now, but the PS just won’t go away and is also affecting my lower back on the right side too. This only seems to be a problem with sitting for long periods, like at work!!!

I signed up for the WS100 training runs with the idea of just experiencing the course and getting in some extra heat training. As the runs got closer it was clear that they would be much more than that. I would look at them as a test to see if my body and injuries could manage the most running I would do in a week for almost a year.
The weekend would entail 3 days of running over the WS course, covering a total of 72 miles, 32 miles the first day, followed by 18 and 22 mile days.
We flew to Florida the week before for some vacation time with friends and I managed to get in 4 decent runs in the Florida heat and humidity, although the PS was a pain.
I flew to California on the Thursday before the training runs, but didn’t get to my hotel room in Cupertino until 4:30 am due to flight delays in Dallas. I picked up Gary and Kate at SFO the next morning before going to Zombie Runner to achieve a long term desire to visit the store.

I subsequently spent too much money and we headed off for Auburn.

The traffic out of San Fransisco was the worst I have ever encountered. Similar to a long weekend in Ontario (Memorial Day) everyone was heading out of town and we were in the middle of it. What would normally take about 2.5 hours took 5.5 hours. We rolled in to Auburn at about 7 pm, just in time to catch the end of the Hoka One One film show at the Auburn Running Company. Got to see a few elites there including last year’s race winner Magda Boulet. Chatted with Gordie for a bit and he gave me some encouraging words.
We went back to Elke’s house and quickly settled in for the night as we had to get up early to get ready for the bus ride to Robinson Flat. The busses left for the Start from Foresthill, where we would finish later in the day. Overall they figured there was about 200 people running on the first day. It was about a 45 minute bus ride to Robinson Flat and I chatted with a guy in front of me from Oregon who had only run 1 100 miler before and it was WS a few years ago. A lot of the runners there were not in the race, but just there to experience what a lot of people never get to. We hopped off the bus and headed out on the trails, snowy trails. There was no official start, it was go when you want and we followed the crowd up the hill.
The first part of the trail from Robinson was snow covered, for the most part, and deep in spots, but we were able to run on top. The trail quickly goes up and climbs to Mount Baldy, before heading down for long stretches. The views at the top were stunning.

Once we started heading downhill, it was on easy single track on the side of the mountain, but very exposed. This is an area where things will start to get warm on race day. For the most part, the first number of miles were good as we ran the half marathon to the first canyon. The decent into the first canyon was quite steep, but manageable. I took it easy and saw no one. It was about 1.6 miles to the bottom and as I crossed the first bridge I came across Gary waiting for me.

There were a few people in the river, but I thought it was too far down to go there now. Maybe on race day if it’s too hot. Anyway I was interested in getting the next climb out of the way, Devils Thumb. We started up the 36 switch backs with a purposeful hike and passed many people on the way up. We were about ¾’s of the way up when we heard someone behind us! WTF. Yes two runners (RUNNERS) passing us up Devils Thumb. Turns out it was too of the elites, Jesse Haynes and Jeff Browning. Never saw them again. We continued passing folks and stopped a few times for photos ops.

Eventually 2 miles into it we got to the top of Devils Thumb and there was the thumb! We waited there for about 15 minutes for Kate and then continued on to the aid station a mile or so down the road. Shortly afterwards we headed down the trail to the next downhill. This one was longer over 2 miles down, but not as steep. By the time I got to the bottom I was toast. At the bottom was another river and lots of runners soaking, so I joined them.

The next climb was up to Michigan Bluff. Some consider this tougher than Devils Thumb and while not as steep, it is definitely longer and I would say it may be tougher. At Michigan Bluff I took the time to relax and chat with Craig Thornley for a bit. I had a bite to eat at the aid station and downed more than 2 cokes as I waited for Gary and Kate.
From Michigan Bluff on is familiar territory, at least in memory from 3 years ago, as it was here that I started pacing Gary in 2013. My memory can’t be that good though as I don’t remember a lot of it, particularly the length of the climbs. At the top before going into the last canyon we came across lots of bear tracks.

The last canyon (Volcano Canyon) was not nearly as tough as the others, but still lots of downhill running and a steep climb up the other side, before hitting the pavement on Bath Rd to climb up to Foresthill. Once I hit the flat trail into Foresthill I ran for a bit, but my hip/glute was rather sore and backed off to a walk before running in the last little bit.
A decided that this day was a big success, as for the most part, I came through fairly unscathed. Gary came in shortly after me and Kate a little bit after that.

Day 2 saw us start at Foresthill and would run 18 miles to just past the Rucky Chucky River crossing, although we wouldn’t cross the river.
We started down the road to Cal St. and the gradual downhill. I was feeling good after yesterday’s long run and followed Gary down the single track. For the most part, until the first aid station after about 7 miles, I was running well, although Gary had left me behind a while ago. But once I got to that aid station I started to suffer a bit. Not sure what, but I was tired I guess. At that first aid station met up with Ann Trason and Tim Tweitmeyer and his dog. Two WS legends.

I ran down the next set of switch backs, but was soon reduced to walking more. The heat was getting to me and what was worse was the fact that the river was so close, but yet so far. I was still passing lots of people on the hills though. What seemed like a long time passed before we finally made it to the river, where there was an aid station and… the river to soak in. almost everyone was taking advantage of that. I drank a lot of pop, probably too much, but I was craving it. We soaked in the river until Kate got there and it gave us an opportunity to chat with some of the fast guys who just hanging around socializing. I chatted with Sage Canaday about his choice of shoes (Hoka Claytons).
The last 2 miles of this run were up a steep dirt road up to the finish. It was hot with not much shade, but I still passed lots of people on the climb.
At the end I got a well needed Chiropractic adjustment from Gordie. He told me a few stories while he adjusted me. As he usually does.
Day 3 would see us bussed from Placer High in Auburn (WS100 finish) to as close to Green Gate as possible it was then a 22 mile run to the finish. Not on the track but almost.
We started down a dirt road to near the Green Gate aid station and then followed single track trails and bypassed Auburn Lake Trails AS site on to Browns bar. Most of this was flat to rolling single track trails. A few decent hills for good measure, but nothing compared to the past couple of days. I remembered most of this from pacing Gary in 2013 and 14. Some of it I don’t remember though. I ran well here, but in the back of my mind was the thought that the first aid wasn’t until 10 miles in. After about 8 miles I was reduced to walking some and felt the impact of the heat again. Along these trails I came across Mike, a Canadian who lives in Truckee (near by) who I met in 2014. He organizes the Canadian party prior to race and this year he’s having it on the Wednesday, which is before we get there. So it was good to run into him and chat briefly.
I got to the aid finally and saw that Chloe was working it and chatted with her for a bit. Refueled and off I went. I ran for while and took advantage of the hills for walks, but I knew there was a couple of bigger hills coming on either side of Hwy 49. I thought I remembered the first one, but wow it was a lot longer than I remember. I struggled to the top and wasn’t feeling the best by the time I got to Hwy 49. After is another hill and I didn’t remember it being as long as it was. Struggled again. From here on in I mostly walked it. Between the heat and glute aches I was resigned to just walking. I felt bad about walking here as it is such a runnable section, at least until the climb up to Robie Point.
Eventually I got to No Hands Bridge, it was hot and made worse watching all the people in the river below enjoy the nice cool water. The aid station was on the opposite side of the bridge and Ann Trason was there and she recognized me from the posted picture on FB with her. We chatted briefly and then I headed up the long climb to Robie. There were lots of people on the trail enjoying the nice day. About half was there is a bridge over a stream and another runner had “taken refuge” there to cool off in the stream. I did likewise and soaked myself shoes and all. I then continued up and the trail got steeper. It wasn’t as long as I remember it, but after turning onto the pavement the hill just continued into town. I caught up to 2 ladies who I chatted with for a few, took a few pictures at the 99 mile sign

and then with 1/2 mile to go there was a group of people with a pop up tent which looked like they were giving away drinks and I said jokingly cold beer. As it turned out they were giving away beer, so I took one for the last stretch. I tried running with it, but it just foamed over.

So I just walked in the last bit. Kate came in next after having what she said was a good day. Today it was Gary’s turn to struggle.

Over all, the weekend was a success. I proved that I could get through these sections of the course, albeit over 3 days. So I was happy.

Another Hurdle on the Way to Western States

2016-04-19T18:41:00.001-04:00

To say I am frustrated is an understatement. Depressed too, may be a good description. Injuries are putting a damper on my running life right now and I’m not happy. I have less than 10 weeks until toeing the line at Western States and I can’t put in any distance. I have run long since TJ100k which was a wash out and the start of my injury problems. Although it might have been just the camel the broke the straws back!!

I’ve been having piriformis issues for years, but all of a sudden this year they are way worse than they’ve been since I started running. Nothing worse than your butt screaming at you when you’re running and nothing can be done to relive the pain. But I have learned that I can run through the piriformis pain, although I wonder if one day it will just go snap and I’m completely screwed. But as much as this is a pain, the other issues are the ones that worry me; calf strain on the right side and a tight Achilles on the left. The Achilles issue is new, from last week and is only a dull ache, but I’m sure it has potential. The calf is where this whole mess started. Running TJ100k, 50k in and bang it went. No running for a week and a half and then out on a trail run, bang it went again, although not as bad, it still didn’t feel the best. So another week or so off and I tried it again at OTF on the tread mill and low and behold, not problem. Awesome! The following night I tried a run outside. That is when the Achilles started up. Late in the run the piriformis got worse again, but still no calf problem. Seemed to be around the corner on that. Another treadmill run the next night at OTF and the calf was good.
Last Saturday I ventured back into the trails to try it once more and other than the Achilles and PF, the calf was good… until the couple of k when it started to tighten up again. It’s been that way ever since, just tight not sore.
I’ve been going steadily to a range of specialists to get work done. Trish (PT) has been working diligently on the calf with Ultrasound and some massage, and giving me some exercises to work on. Dr. Burghardt had given me some exercises too, looked at my PF and suggested “needling” for it. I’ll have to follow up with Dr. Frank on that. Dr. Frank has been doing the usually painful ART. Went for a massage last night, and Trish has me booked in to see an Osteopath next week. Weekly visits to most of them.
This morning I go to Dr. Burghardt and she doesn’t have much positive to say and recommends pool running to keep the cardio up rather than putting more pressure on the calf and Achilles. I came out of the appointment feeling completely defeated. I’m losing control of my options and ability to do WS.
Joan has already made plans for us to go pool running, starting tomorrow night. I might end up going twice a day, so 2 hours a day. Fingers crossed there will be some improvement. 10 days until O24, 5 ½ weeks to WS training run and 9 ½ weeks until the big show.

Thomas Jefferson 100k or not!

2016-04-19T18:36:00.000-04:00

I hadn’t had any races planned until April, but I received a message from Ken Niemimaa asking if I would be interested going with him to Charlottesville, Virginia for the Thomas Jefferson 100k on March 12th. It didn’t take much convincing for me to say yes and off we went on Thursday evening to arrive some time on Friday afternoon.
The TJ100k is in its 3rd year and is Race Directed by the somewhat famous Ultrarunner Andy Jones-Wilkins. Andy is quite the personality and as it turns out a great race director. I had seen him talk as an MC for the legends presentation at Western States and he does like to talk.
The race is a multi-loop course of 7 x 9 mile loops with 1000 ft. of elevation per loop. As it turns out the course is deceivingly difficult.
My lead up to the race is was uneventful, but I wasn’t getting a lot of mileage per run, but I was getting in about 100 k per week, which is on the high side, but a good target for me. 35k being the longest run. The key for me is usually the back to back long runs, 30+ k on one day followed by 20+k the next. It was nice to taper for the two weeks prior to the race and although I usually abstain from running at all in the week before hand, I felt the need for a run or two the week before and ran twice, both at pace.
I had been working on a new exercise for my hips which seemed to give me some issues while running, so I was interested to see if things were improving or getting worse.
Back to the TJ100k, we attended the pre-race meeting the night before in which Andy filled us in with all the details and what to expect, including warmer than normal weather conditions. Ken had taken a picture of Andy during the talk and posted to Facebook which I commented on: We can’t hear you Andy! ;-) (tongue in cheek)
The race starts at 5 a.m. and we were up at 3:30 to get ready. It was a 20 minute drive from our hotel to Walnut Creek Park where the race is held. We were there early and meandered around while we waited to start. I wore my hydration vest, but only used one bottle as there was an aid station about every 7k or so. This worked well. We started on time into the trails we went.
I tried to keep an easy pace, as this was the goal of the race for me, to pace myself accordingly for a long race. I may have been going a little quicker than necessary, but it felt rather easy. I was looking at two other goals: one to finish each loop in about 2 hours or less and two finish in daylight. Each loop essentially consisted of two separate loops between the aid stations. The second half containing two good climbs up switch backs. Daylight appeared about ¾’s of the way through the second half, a couple of k from the start/finish area. The advantage of starting in the dark is that the second loop seems like another completely different loop. At the end of the first loop I was in dire need of the bathroom and was looking forward to stopping. On my way in Andy was reading off everyone’s name and making comments of one kind or another. After I had passed the finish are, Andy said “Oh, and by the way Keith. I saw your smart assed comment of FB”, I laughed as I went into the bathroom. When I came out he asked me if I felt a few pounds lighter. I left the aid station smiling. I finished the first loop in about 1:43.
The second loop started well enough and the temperature although warm was not as warm as I was expecting. I rolled down my arm sleeves and took them off after my 2nd loop. You get a better idea of the terrain in the daylight and it was hilly and technical. On the second loop was when I started kicking rocks and roots. I was doing it so often I was getting rather frustrated. The second loop was finished in 3:30, so very consistent, but I was starting to tire. Legs felt good though. The first mistake I made was forgetting to have my shake and eshot after lap two. I went into the aid station and browsed the table and left. It was on the third loop that things went a bit sour. I was kicking every rock and root there was and I was about 5k from the finish area when I realized why… my shoes. I was wearing the Altra Lone Peaks and with the big toe box and flat last I was catching everything. A combination of that and being tired made it worse. After lap 3 I stopped, finally got my nutrition, changed shoes, socks, lubed up and changed my shirt (next mistake). The shirt I put on was way too small, at first I thought it would feel better after wearing it for a little while, but no it was squeezing my arm pits! The shoes made a difference instantly. I felt much better and started to run well again. I was looking at walking the hills, but still trying to come in each lap under 2 hours. Lap 3 was done just under 2 hours, not bad for a lap that struggled on. Still on pace.
The fourth loop started well enough, felt better, but not 100%. Gradually I started kicking the odd rock or root here and there. My confidence was also not high. About 4k from the finish area I kicked another… something and my right calf immediately went rock solid. I stopped and tried to stretch it out with no luck. It felt like a huge knot in the middle of my calf. I tried to move but was hobbling badly so I stopped again at a log and tried to massage it out. Again no luck. So I just hobbled on, the closer I got to the finish area the more I thought my race was done. It wasn’t improving at all. I came in to the finish area and sought attention but there wasn’t much to give. I told the race folks that I’d try some arnica and massage for a few and see how it goes. It didn’t get any better, so I pulled the plug. Others said it was the best based on what I have coming up. I still couldn’t feel anything but disappointment though.
I spent the rest of the race cheering Ken on and watching the other racers compete. The race for first was amazing, two guys who had never run the distance came across the finish line together in a course record time of just over 10 hours. 3rd was about 15 minutes back. The next race was for 4th and Ken was leading after the 6th loop. He held on and finished in 11:11. The women’s winner finished 3 minutes ahead of second place in about 11:30, also a new course record.

An awesome event, that is well run. A very enthusiastic race director and crew. A beautiful place to run on a deceptively difficult course.

The calf is healing well and although there is still some soreness it I’m able to walk with no limp and barely a feeling of tightness. I will take most of the week off from running before getting back into the training next week.

Winter Training or not....

2016-02-10T19:03:00.001-05:00

Well it’s been a few months since getting in to the Western States 100 race via the lottery and now that it has sunk in (I think), I’ve been getting a bit more serious about the event. Maybe a bit too serious?? One thing I’ve thought about is that I want to do this right. Proper training and anything else I can do to have me at the starting line in the best condition, both physically and mentally.

We’ve been lucky so far this winter. A far cry from the past couple, it’s been milder and less snow by far. I’ve slowly got the mileage up and have been going to the gym twice weekly. The knee has been feeling good (touch wood), and I’ve only been dealing with a bit of the usual piriformis syndrome and resultant tight hamstring on the right side. I think going to the gym (Orange Theory Fitness) has had a big help in the strength in my knee and will eventually help with the piriformis too. OTF is HIIT training and it is pushing me like I haven’t been pushed in a long time. I am really “enjoying” it and would recommend it to anyone. Two nights a week of this on top of my running regime takes up most of my week. Usually I would take Mondays as a rest day, but this being February the challenge was put out there and I will be trying to run every day of the month. With that in mind, OTF days are treadmill days anyway, I only have to run the extra day. But it is tough. And I’m trying not to focus on mileage (right!). Right now it is about base mileage, strengthening and trying to stay healthy.
I’ve spent a lot of time reading race reports and watching videos of other’s adventures at WS. I would definitely recommend reading race reports to take in the advice of those who’ve raced this race before. I’ve been able to acknowledge a number positive tips on how to, not only finish, but do well at WS. Some of these are, but not limited to:

Take it easy for the first 62 miles.
The canyons will eat you alive. Use every water source you can for cooling.
Save your quads. You want to be able to run after Foresthill.
Train to strengthen your quads. Practice running downhills, LOTS!
Practice power hiking the up hills.
Get on top of your nutrition and be flexible. Have options.
Have everything you need ready, long before you head to California.
Change shoes and/or socks when you can in the event of blisters forming.
Enjoy the experience.
There may be a few others.

Since gaining entry to the race, I’ve made sure I’ve sent off my volunteer form (the race requires participants to show proof of either 8 hours of trail maintenance or volunteering at an Ultra event). I’ve booked a room/suite at the Village at Squaw Valley. Enough for myself, Joan, Gary, Kate (?) and maybe Cindy and Jean Guy. So a good crew.
I’ve also signed up for the training runs in May. 70 miles of the course over the Memorial day weekend. Gary and Kate are going, just have to book flights and look after accommodation. I haven’t booked flights for the big event yet either. Waiting for the dollar to improve or prices to change, whichever comes first. I will also be relying on my tax refund as well.

As for running, I will have to sort out footwear. What am I going to wear? My new Altra Lone Peaks are feeling good and will probably be a go to shoe, but they are not a long distance shoe, as far as I am concerned. They may last a lot longer than I think, I will see. But the Olympus might be a good longer distance shoe. My Inov8 290’s will be another good pair to rely on, as long as I get a new pair. Lots of time to figure that out.

In the meantime, this month will be continuing the challenge and then hopefully more spring like weather in March. Then it will be time to work on the long runs.

Western States Lottery

2015-12-16T16:31:00.000-05:00

As you may know, I have been trying to get into the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run for the past 4 years and I had qualified to enter the lottery process again this year. So at the beginning of November I got my application in and waited patiently for December 5th to come around to watch the lottery on line.
The lottery was revamped a few years ago to make it more heavily weighted for those that had been trying to get in longer, so I was holding some hope that this might be my year.
This is the way it works as per the WS100 web page:
Each runner who enters the lottery and fails to gain entry into the Run (and otherwise doesn’t gain an entry via other means such as an aid station, sponsor, or Golden Ticket spot) will have additional tickets in the hat when entering the lottery the following year, thus improving the probability of being selected. Every lottery applicant will receive 2^(n-1) tickets in the hat for each consecutive failure to gain entry where n is the number of years applied. As an example: If a runner applies and fails to gain entry two consecutive times, they will have four tickets in the hat when entered in the lottery the third consecutive year (2^2), eight in fourth consecutive year (2^3), 16 in fifth (2^4), 32 in sixth (2^5), etc. Conversely, if a runner enters the lottery one year, is not chosen and does not enter the following year, they will not have extra tickets in the hat when applying the year after that.
So each year the amount of tickets you get doubles. This year for 5 years of applying I had 16 and that worked out to a 45% chance of getting in. Here are what the computer simulations were predicting.

For the draw we were headed to Quebec to visit our friends Gary and Kate just south of Mt. Tremblant. I had crewed and paced Gary twice at WS100 and he was keen to return the favour. He was also in the lottery too, but with only 1 ticket his chances were slim.

After getting to their place fairly late we decided a nice easy morning would be good and we could go for a run after the draw. The draw takes place in Auburn, California where the race ends and was scheduled to start at 11:30 am our time.
While we waited Joan got started on her work out, 10 times up and down Gary’s stairs (Cottage to the cars, about 60 feet in height) with about 60 lbs of weight too!

We settled and got ready and soon found out that the live broadcast had no sound!!! After doing some checking we found that it was a problem on their end as lots of folks were “complaining”. We had two iPads set up, one with the muted video coverage and the other with the results as they were published. As the draw progressed, I was beginning to think my odds were still too great. 45% is not even a 1 in 2 chance! But then there it was selection # 177, Keith Lascelles. My name was drawn. The celebrations could begin and I could start planning. What a relief.

Lodging, flights, car rental, training… a lot to digest and get my head around. We quickly decided that the training run in May would be a good thing to attend. Joan wouldn’t go to that one, but I believe Kate and Gary are going. Now I could also finalize my race schedule for the year.

So Gary and I went for a run while the ladies went into to town for some shopping. Our run was in the hills of the Laurentions, where there are not a lot of flat spots. You are either going up or down it seems, and a lot of climbing. We went a lot farther than I was expecting and I was quite tired when we got back. It was also getting dark.

That evening I looked and found the right place in Squaw to stay and booked it. In a couple of days I had the car rentals booked for both this race and the Bear in September as well as hotels in Utah for the Bear. Booked myself in for the training run too.

Also got word that Trish was interested in coming along. Which would be great to have my own physio at the race.

So now the training begins. Since Javelina I renewed my emphasis on training properly instead of the hap hazard training I was doing this past summer. No more slacking off, lame excuses to not run, take it easy, avoid the tough hills etc. I’ve started this process and have been seeing results already. This includes starting at Orange Theory fitness. I’ve gone to 2 sessions so far and it will be a big part of my training. I plan on twice a week for the foreseeable future and go from there.

Right now the schedule for next year is:

April 9th – Marden half Marathon near Guelph, Ontario

April 30th – O24 24 hour endurance run. Kirtland, Ohio

May 28th Weekend – Western States training run, California

June 25th – Western States 100. Squaw Valley, California

September 24th – The Bear 100. Logan, Utah

The plan is to add a few local races in amongst the schedule too. Will figure that out after, but I’m looking at Dirty Girls and Creemore and maybe a return visit to Javelina to get that one completed. Joan wants to do the 100k too.

Javelina Hundred etc.

2015-12-16T16:25:00.000-05:00

So I DNF’d Javelina Jundred a 13 days ago and I’m still trying to get my head around it. Similar to the Bear last year I’m thinking that I should have been able to continue on, but something in my head caused me to say “that’s all folks”.
I had some tough times indeed at Javelina, but my last lap was a breeze. Well, maybe not that good, but once the sun went down I was feeling much better.

Anyway, so what happened?

My run up to Javelina had not been the best. I knew I was undertrained, but thought that my knowledge would get me through this as much as anything. Ever since my knee issues popped up earlier this year mileage was down. I got through Bighorn without any knee problems, until the last downhill. Long runs were tough to get in and I struggled with most of them, probably mentally as much as anything. In between Bighorn and Javelina I had an MRI done on my knee and discovered that it wasn’t a meniscus problem, but osteoarthritis of the knee cap. Something that is treatable and with work on strengthening some of the weaker muscles around my leg I could get back to “normal”! I also had two cortisone shots in this time period , the last one two weeks before race time.

We left for Phoenix on Thursday October 29th and met up with Dave and Sandra at our hotel. Relaxed the next morning we headed to the race site at McDowell Mountain Park to unload some of our gear in our rented tents. The first thing I noticed was that although it wasn’t hot, the sun was very intense. The cool weather felt good though and there were some clouds around too. It would be nice if this was the weather for race day. We can’t rely on or blame the weather though. We headed for lunch did some shopping for supplies etc. and then searched for the race kit pick up and expo. We got our kits quickly and looked around the few venders and picked up a few things and checked out the Altra shoe booth. They were selling demo’s for $60!!! Barely used shoes for less than half price in some cases. Joan picked up a pair quickly, but I couldn’t find an 11. I usually wear a 10 1/2, but they were a little snug. Eventually the sales guy offered me a missed match pair, a 10 ½ and an 11. I tried them on and initially wasn’t convinced, but when he offered them to me for $40 I thought, what the hey!! We left the expo went to Fountain Hills for dinner and then back to the tent city to try and get some sleep. I had set the alarm for 4:30, but was awake ahead of that, took my time to get ready and wandered around a bit before the start. Lots of the runners were in costume for this race as it was Halloween, some good, so not so good.

At 6 am we were off and into the dark desert wilderness. The idea was to run easy for the first loop, but you couldn’t help but try to get around other runners as it was rather congested for the first few miles. Dave was pushing the pace a bit quicker than I liked, but I kept up with him. I figured I would let him go later. The stretch to the first aid station was fairly flat and by the time we got there the sun was starting to rise. The scenery in the desert is absolutely beautiful in its own way. The next aid station (Jackass) would be over 6 miles away and was basically uphill all the way, although only a slight grade. We were warned to make sure you had enough water to run this stretch in the heat of the day. From Jackass it was more or less downhill to the start finish area to complete 15.3 miles for the loop. Near the end of the first loop I let Dave go, but caught up to him as we came into the aid station. After a quick fill up and a bite to eat and were headed back out in the opposite direction. Did I eat enough in the aid station? I’m not sure I did, but if I had a complaint about this race it would be about the food at the aid stations. Typical Ultra crap food. It might have got better later, but that is when I have a hard time eating anything.

The second loop reversed our trek and was a neat idea on a multi-loop course. The sun was higher now and I let Dave run on, he was running strong and I was not confident I could keep that up. The app on Suunto that predicts your 100 mile finish time based on your pace and distance so far was predicting a sub 17 hour finish time! Yikes!
I started walking more to conserve and settle my mind. The legs felt fine, but there were concerns about fatigue. I finished the second leg and the predicted time had dropped to 18+ hours. Still probably too quick, but I was sure that would drop dramatically. After two loops I was still feeling fairly good, but the sun was feeling very strong. It was warmer than the previous day, but still not hot. There was also a nice breeze blowing, nice when it was in your face, but unnoticeable when behind you.
I headed out on my third loop and quickly my mind became rather negative. I hooked up with Nathan from Texas, a US Marshall and we chatted and walked for a long way before he started running again. I couldn’t motivate myself at this point to move faster than a walk. I wasn’t feeling good and I couldn’t recognize what the problem was. I sat down at Jackass for 15 minutes to regroup. Took in some drinks and tried to eat. I headed out and proceeded to death march back to the start/finish. I was finished the 3 loop in about 10 hours, still well ahead of schedule, but unsure whether or not I could go back out. I told Joan that I Had never felt this bad in a race ever. I was nauseous, but didn’t feel like throwing up. I lay down for a bit, tried some broth and then after about 40 minutes, Joan got me some fresh running gear and new shoes to try. I got changed still not sure I would continue. I eventually got up and headed to the trail, expecting to turn around quickly, but I kept going and started running. I ran to the first aid station and felt great. The sun was going down and what a difference it made. As the daylight faded, I seemed to get stronger. My thoughts came around to finishing the race once again. I came and went into Jackass very briefly. From this point on I was looking for Dave coming the other way. I was passing many runners on this loop which was adding to my confidence, but in the few miles towards the next aid station I started to tire again. I started catching my left big toe on rocks on the trails and it was getting sore as I just didn’t seem able to prevent it. Usually a sign of fatigue catching up on me is when I start dragging my feet. AS I approached the last aid station (2 miles out) on the loop my mind had turned to just finishing the 4th loop and getting my 100 k buckle. I came into the aid station and Karl Meltzer was there going the opposite direction on his last half loop. He was complaining how it had been a bad race for him and he was feeling terrible. That made me feel much better about dropping at 100k, knowing that an elite athlete like Karl was struggling too. With 2 miles to go I still hadn’t seen Dave pass me and was getting concerned. Or maybe he had passed me and I didn’t notice. Anyway about another ½ mile towards the end I came across Dave. He had, had a rough time and spent about 4 minutes in the tent before heading out on lap 5. He looked good now and I wished him luck. I was still running (barn door open syndrome) and feeling not too bad, but I had made my decision. I caught up to and walked with Catra Corbett for a bit. She tried to talk me out of dropping, but to no avail. I finished and confirmed that I would still get the 100k buckle and officially dropped. I was officially not a finisher.

I then walked over to our tent to see Joan and Sandra, but couldn’t find them. Sandra’s tent was closed and she was obviously in there, but there was no one in our tent and one of the cots was in front of the tent with sleeping bags piled high on top. Where was Joan? I sat down on the cot and felt the sleeping bags, oops, Joan was underneath. We discussed my dropping and how Dave was doing and then went to bed. It was only just past 10 pm.

Later I started to think about things and we agreed that maybe I should have turned around gone back out. I had 15 hours to finish the last 2 ½ loops. Should have been easy. Joan could have paced me. I could have caught up to Dave (who dropped at the end of lap 5) and we could have helped each other get through it. Many of the runners I had passed on the 4th loop I saw finish later that day or saw them going out on their last half loop.

Overall it was bittersweet to get the buckle and not finish the goal of 100 miles. Mental weakness again reared its ugly head. Yes the sun was a factor, but I should have taken that into account and continued on when the sun went down.

The next day we (Dave and I) had said we would not come back and do this race again, but by the end of the day we had changed our mind and Joan was discussing doing the 100k as well. How soon we forget.

Next up? The Western States 100 lottery on Dec 6th.

Post Bighorn and knee issues

2015-07-15T18:36:00.000-04:00

They say you should rest 1 day for every mile you ran in a race to have a proper recovery. I’ve never thought that way myself and had no intention of it after Bighorn. After all, 100 days without running would be a bit too much. I was running about 10 days later after the initial swelling of my feet finally went down. The blisters and trench foot on the bottom of both feet took a little longer to go away, but I was able to run, gingerly, and got back at it. Then I was sucked into the July Challenge of running every day of the month. May be not a good idea!

I started running every day in July shortly after getting back at it. My left knee was still bothering somewhat, but it seemed to bother me less if I ran, than if I walked. So the I ran. Some run s weren’t as comfortable as others, but it gave me an opportunity to run to and from work too. After a week of this I stopped as my knee seemed to be getting worse.
I’d had my MRI the previous Saturday and was awaiting the results. I’d also signed up for Limberlost 56k in a moment of weakness. On Thursday, the 9th of July I ran trails with Rickymac and found that my knee was not feeling good. That cemented my decision not to run Limberlost. This race has been going on for 6 years and I have yet to run it. Usually due to schedule conflicts, but this year it was my knee.

On Monday I got my results for the MRI. The original thought was that it would be a meniscus tear, but as it turned out that wasn’t the case. My meniscus, ligaments, and cartilage are all in great shape. The problem is my knee cap not tracking right, causing some osteoarthritis. With this I get swelling on the knee, which has been excessive. With allthis swelling I’ve also had a Baker’s Cyst form in behind my knee, adding to the uncomfortable feeling. The Cyst has ruptured at some point and some fluid has drained down into my calf.

Positives? No surgery required. Negatives, still have a problem. Seeing Trish for physio on Tuesday had me feeling good as she says we just need to strengthen the muscles surrounding the knee, specifically on the outside. So I have a few exercises to do. If this doesn’t make a difference over the next month the Sports Med doctor said she would give me a cortisone shot in my knee to help with the swelling.

So now I have until October 31st to get better and trained for Javelina.

First up though is our wedding this weekend!

A Stroll through the Bighorn Mountains

2015-06-30T21:51:00.000-04:00

I signed up for the Bighorn 100 for two reasons, one as a backup to Western States in case I didn’t get selected in the lottery again and two, as a similar race to the Bear I could get some redemption for my DNF there last year. Obviously I didn’t get selected in the Western lottery so…

There were a lot of uncertainties with the Bighorn, would I be able to handle the most difficult race of the 100’s I’ve done? How would my gimpy left knee fair? Could we pull the logistics together for crewing and pacing etc.? Amongst others.

Joan and I picked up Oliver and we left for Toronto very early on Wednesday the 17th (it felt like I got up half an hour before I went to bed!) to fly to Billings, MT via Denver. The flight to Denver was uneventful, but we were supposed to have a short turn around for the flight to Billings. Once we got to Denver we found that the flight was delayed by 2.5 hours so there was lots of time to relax and get some lunch. While we were there we started noticing other Bighorn runners, yeah ultrarunners stand out! Chatted with Kevin from Boston, whose accent was so strong, he was almost hard to understand. The next flight to Billings was again uneventful and arrived in the small airport, picked up our luggage and rental car and headed out. Stopped to pick up a few supplies and then off to Sheridan Wyoming, about 2.5 hours away.

Sheridan turned out to be a very nice little town, lots going on. Lots of restaurants, a little shopping. We turned in for the night to get some well needed rest. It had been a long day of travelling. We were up early the next day as we were still on eastern time, went for breakfast in the hotel and ran into Elise from Ontario. Sharon would also be there later. Lots of Canadians doing this race and I knew a lot of them.

Before the expo opened we went to the Sport Stop store to look for a few things that we may need and chatted with the Race Director who works there, she immediately recognized us as Canadians! And we didn’t even say eh! Eventually the race expo opened and I picked up my race kit and weighed in. The swag was great, cooler bag, socks, buff, arm sleeves and a nice water bottle. There would be more for finishing the race too. Also dropped off a drop bag for the Footbridge aid station, the first time I have used a drop bag. I have always relied on my crew for everything, but in this race there are few opportunities to see my crew.

One of my main concerns for this race was my weight. I have found that in hot races I lose a lot of weight and this race has warnings about losing a certain percentage of weight during the race and there would be medical checks on the course. You could be pulled if you lose too much.

That afternoon we found the Crossfit gym for Joan and she went for a workout while Oliver and I wondered around town. It was then that we bumped into Jocelyn and some of her girls. Once done we went to dinner at the Wyoming Rib and Chop House (for the second time). A great place to eat with good food and service. Then it was time to head back and start the wind down and sleep.

With an 11 am start time the challenge was when and what to eat. There was also the 9 am prerace briefing. We went for breakfast and numerous runners were in the hotel breakfast area, including Elise and Sharon, so we chatted for a while before getting our things together and the drive to Dayton. The prerace briefing was in the park where the race finishes and was your typical briefing. Once done, it was off to the start in Tongue River Canyon.

The Tongue River Canyon is warm on a good day and today it was rather hot and everyone was looking for some shade. This is where an 11 am start is not necessarily a good thing. Nervous energy was evident throughout the crowd of runners and supporters.

At 11 am, we were finally running down the canyon for the first mile of road and then into the trails by the Tongue River. I ran with Elise for a bit, but let her go as I don’t like getting sucked into someone else’s pace, at least at this point of the race.

The first aid station was just 2.5 miles in and it was the prelude to the first big climb and up we went. 5 miles straight up, in a conga line on the single track trail in the alpine meadows.

It was neat to be able to fill up my water bottle about half way up in a spring. It was amazing to turn around every so often and take in the views. The higher we went up, the more we could see. Eventually we could even see Sheridan in the distance. I got talking to a guy in front of me, Randy, who was from Victoria, BC. Low and behold he was originally from Ontario and had worked at Ontario Hydro, he also knew a fellow work mate I worked with at Barrie Hydro. Small world.

We crested the mountain top and went down the other side, a very steep descent. I could only think about how tough this climb would be coming back. We were in and out of the next aid station and on to some dirt forest roads all the way to Dry Fork aid station.

This was my first time to see Joan and Oliver. I came in and asked if they had dry socks, mine were soaked with sweat. They did, but it would mean going to the car half a mile away. I declined and decided to soldier on, first mistake made. Actually the main mistake, because I had already started feeling the effects of trench foot on my left foot. I thought just relubing may be enough. It would be another seventeen miles to my drop bag and dry socks and 35 miles until I would see my crew again. The next 17 miles were mostly downhill to rolling, which you would think would feel good. By about 17 miles I was feeling like crap and this dragged on until the 26 mile aid station. I was definitely starting to doubt myself, but after this aid station I felt rejuvenated and took advantage of some serious downhills.

I came into Footbridge feeling very good, knowing I had a change of socks etc., I took my time changed socks, put some moleskin on the trench foot, relubed my feet and changed my shirt. Just before I left I noticed Oliver F. sitting beside me, we chatted briefly and then I left.

The trail from Footbridge to Jaws (the turnaround) is up hill for 18 miles and is almost entirely single track, through rough rocky technical terrain, forest tracks and meadows. I soon fell in behind another runner named Charles who I ended up “running” with for most of the next 18 miles.

Our conversations would take our mind off things for the next few miles and helped each other along, even stopping to sit down on the side of the trail to take in the incredible view of the night sky at one point. As we went on we often turned around to see a string of lights following us up the mountain, and eventually the leaders would be oncoming with lights coming from the other direction too. The closer we got to Jaws the more we came across some of the famous Bighorn mud, apparently not as bad as previous years, it was still shoe sucking in a few spots and there was lots of it. As the night wore on the temperature dropped significantly, although I didn’t really notice it except for my hands, so I had to at least don some gloves.
As the run progresses I had started this annoying habit of kicking rocks with my right big toe, which was becoming increasingly more sore. Also the trench foot had become somewhat of a pain. At this point I already knew a few toe nails would not last the next few weeks. Finally I arrived at the Jaws aid station (48 miles) to see Joan and Oliver waiting. I went into the aid station to look for the medical check and was told there wasn’t one! Ok, that’s suites me fine, but… So I went back out and had my crew look after my every need! Oliver got me coffee and a quesadea and some soup while Joan prepared a shake for me. I changed socks, shoes, shirt and got some new mole skin. As I was getting ready I saw Charles heading out with his pacer and wished him the best. Oliver was ready to go as my pacer. After a few minutes I was out again, not to see Joan until Dry fork again, probably midday. As we left we ran into a couple of familiar faces. Jocelyn was struggling and would drop at Jaws as would Oliver F, who was having foot troubles.

At least at this point most of the next 18 miles would be downhill, but through much mud. Oliver and myself had many laughs as we headed down the mountain, especially when Oliver was attacked by a tree while trying to maneuver around the mud. He still has the scar to prove it! Eventually daylight returned as we were crossing many miles of alpine meadows. Oliver finally got to see the spectacular sites and views that I had seen on the trek up.

By about 60 miles the trench foot was affecting both feet and they were very tender. It felt like one big blister across the balls of both feet, but worse on the left. In the miles approaching Footbridge again, it felt like the mole skin had ripped the skin off the bottom of my left foot and slowed me down to a hobble. My big toe on my right foot was also in pain and I had started kicking rocks with the two middle toes on my left foot too. At this point I was writing myself off and expecting to drop at Footbridge. It was a long hobble! We finally came in to the aid station and I asked how long till the cut off, 2.5 hours was the response. Oh! That’s better than I thought. I went and got someone to look at my feet, soaked them for a bit and as it turns out the pain was from a blister rupturing and not as bad as I had thought. I saw Elise there and she encouraged me to keep at it. Everything seemed to come together. Another change of socks, fresh mole skin and a new shirt and I was back at it. Oliver modified a long sleeve shirt into a short sleeve and we were off. But not long after leaving we ran into a bit of a roadblock. The next 3.5 miles were all up and steep, it was also getting hot again. Not long in Oliver told me that he didn’t think he could go on. The fact that he got this far with me with little training, I was very grateful for. So we decided it would be best for him to just walk it back to Dry Fork and me go solo. If he went back to Footbridge he may not be able to go anywhere for a long time or at the very least to end up in Dayton. That would mean our car would be stranded at Dry Fork! As it was I would worry about him for the next few hours and what would happen next.

The climb out of Footbridge was brutal. It was hot and very steep. I was sweating buckets. I would pass a few runners before the next aid station and once I got there I was able to maintain a positive run/walk with more running than walking. I was already starting to do the math in my head as to how I could finish. I initially gave myself an extra 1.5 half leeway, but then realized that I was wrong and only had about a half hour. Doing math and running an ultra is not a good thing at the best of times. It wasn’t working well here.
The section from the “bacon” aid Station to Dry Fork seems like a long haul, there were lots of 50 milers on the course now and when the sun was out it was hot, as we were in the open for the most part. I was being consistent though, running the downhills and flats as much as possible and power hiking the hills. I was using my trekking poles and they were a god send in this race. I really noticed how much on the last climb into Dry Fork. I was passing lots of runners. As I approached Dry Fork I looked up and saw what looked like Oliver. I had to give my head a shake! It was. WTF are you doing here? How? Apparently he had walked back to Footbridge and found someone who was willing to give him a ride to Dry Fork. At this point I was very relieved to see that he was ok and had made it here.

I was surprised how cool the air temperature was when I stopped. I fuelled up, Joan was ready to pace and off we went. Not long after we started I had to find somewhere to sit so Joan could relube my feet again. They were a mess. We kept moving forward though. The dirt road sections from Dry Fork were difficult to run or walk on due to my tender feet. Once we were on trails again, I was able to run again. I know Joan was happy to get out and run! I had only 17.5 miles to run when I started with Joan and about 6 hours to do it. We passed through one aid station quickly and then headed to the last major climb. We basically climb up the back side of the mountain that we have to go down back towards Dayton. It was the descent I commented on earlier. It was a long tough climb, Joan let another runner user her poles to try them out. He liked them a lot. They do make a big difference. Cresting the top of the mountain top/pass we could again see for miles and only had to go down to the bottom and the road into Dayton. Easier said than done. My knee hadn’t bothered me at all during the race, until we started down this hill side. I was moving very gingerly down, trying to move as fast as I could without doing any damage. Still runners passed me though as I was moving slowly. It was a long way down and seemed to take forever. But we made it to the aid station with about 7 miles to go and I had 4 hours left, easy! Someone at the aid station asked me how I felt? It was then that I realized that other than my feet I felt amazing. Not tired, nothing sore, just trashed feet that hurt! We ran/walked through the canyon to the trailhead and knew we only had 5 miles to go. This was the hard part, on the road, in the open. It was a dirt road, which again hurt the bottoms of my feet and it seemed to go on forever. I kept thinking the next corner is the last one… nope!!!

Finally we got into Dayton crossed the old bridge and turned the corner to the park and ran into the finish. Joan had to yell at a few people standing in front of me not realizing they were blocking my way to the finish line.

I came in to the finish at 32 hours 19 minutes and 4 seconds. My longest run ever. It all came crashing down at once, I had to lay down. I went to the river next to the finish line and soaked my poor feet and that was painful. Joan got my sandals, a chocolate milk and a beer! We then went and sat down in our chairs and relaxed for a bit, eventually I struggled to stay awake and suggested we think about heading back. I looked around for Charles, or anyone else I knew, but it looked like most were gone. I did see my new friend from Victoria, Randy. He had finished in 27 hours and change, awesome.

We headed back to Sheridan and on the way I started feeling a lot “off”, I was struggling to focus. Oliver pulled over and I blacked out completely. I awoke to Joan and Oliver putting cold water bottles on the back of my neck and just as quick I felt great again, tired, but great.

At the hotel I had a quick painful shower and then collapsed in bed, only to wake up at 3 am!!

In the morning we went to the awards and post-race breakfast in downtown Sheridan, met up with a number of people, Charles, Elise, Sharon, Chantel from Minesing, Oliver F amongst others. Collected my buckle and jacket and off we went to continue our journey in Yellowstone National Park.

In conclusion, the toughest race I have done. Although I think the foot issues added a lot to that. I think I could have taken a lot of time off if my feet were better. A great event, well put on, very remote aid stations, not a lot of opportunities for crews to meet runners, spectacular scenery and amazing volunteers.

Other than the blisters on the bottom of my feet, around my ankle and heels bones and multiple sore toes and black toe nails, I’ve come out of this rather unscathed. Oh yes my knee is very swollen, but that seems to be normal lately and I have an MRI scheduled for July 4th.

I highly recommend this race. With this I have now qualified to enter Hardrock, and Western again.

Ok what’s next?

O24 "Training Run".

2015-05-09T10:31:00.000-04:00

It was a decent training, but it wasn’t what I had planned. I’ve been to the O24 24 Hour endurance race for the past two years and never seem to be able to do what I plan on doing. This year was the same. My goal was 100 miles or more, but stopped at 80 miles after 18 hours and 38 minutes.

The day started well enough I ran with the eventual winner Steven Parke for a couple of loops to start and then backed off the pace a bit. I have learned that there is no point in going out like you are going to win it. Better off to start slow and maintain.

I had been worried somewhat about my left knee as I had some swelling and that had followed a few weeks of instability in the knee. While I had been amassing some fairly substantial mileage I had no problems, but when I started to back off the distance for my taper, the swelling started. As it turned out I had no issues during the race, except for the odd twinge here and there.

The first couple of hours went be quite uneventful, watching Steven cruise through the field and Dave Morl pushing himself with the look of someone who also wanted to win it. After 4 hours I stopped for something to eat, an Isagenix shake. The plan was to try Isagenix again for race nutrition and have one shake every 4 hours. I would also have an E-Shot every 4 hours too, but started them 3 hours in. SCaps would be taken based on the conditions and started with 1 every hour and a half.

Joan was running and looking to get in 100k at least. She had been through a lot lately and would be running on little training. Not long in she was having trouble with her breathing and asked our old RMT Rhonda to look at her. Rhonda was there as crew for Steven. Rhonda checked her out and said that she had a rib dislodged and some of her organs were twisted, probably due to her shoulder issues. It was time to reevaluate. Joan got her 50k in and then stopped, but walked a few extra laps with me later on. She would go on to be the best crew person a runner could have, again. It would have been nice for her to get in over the 100k, but under the circumstances still a good outing.

I ran on well and went through 50 miles just over 10 hours or so. Things were still good at that point, but I was getting tired. A few stops to get my legs rubbed down with Arnicare helped. By 58 miles things were going a bit rough. I was thinking that 100k might be good enough today. I stopped and actually had a lay down, changed my shoes and socks and headed back out. Shortly thereafter I got a spurt of energy and ran off 10 miles feeling rather good and probably moved up the ranks a lot. But by 70 miles things weren’t go quite as well. Approaching 80 miles I started to deliberate about stopping, leaving well enough alone. I still had time to get in the 100 miles easily, but my mind wasn’t in it any more. The argument that made the most sense was that I had got in a good long run in and had done some night running so rather than risk injury, play it safe for Bighorn. And with that my race was over.

I watched on as Steven and Dave ran hard against some other great runners. Steven winning with a new course record of 127 miles. Dave coming in second with 114 miles.

My initial feeling was of disappointment, but that quickly subsided as I was happy to get in the miles and some night running. I still have a lot to do to be ready for Bighorn and unfortunately ever since O24 I have aggravated the knee and haven’t been able to run. I tried on Wednesday and stopped at 2k. Now I have decided it’s time to rest and recover, ice and elevate for a few days. Went for physio today and the prognosis is that it could be a problem with my meniscus, but rest and icing might be all that is needed. So I have decided that there will be no running (let’s see if I follow through with that) until the Horse Capital Marathon on the 16th.

Rest is good, right?

April update

2015-04-21T18:02:00.000-04:00

So April has flown by. Probably because I’ve been running so much, not too much, but…

I have had 3 good high mileage weeks to start the month off capping it off with a 52k run this past Saturday, running from Penetanguishene to Barrie. Now that the weather is improved somewhat, the trails are finally clear of ice and snow, so trail running is going to be the order of the day most of the time now.

Last week was the peak so far of my running, getting in 115k, but this week is a down week as the taper starts for O24 on May 2nd. Nice to know that next weekend I can just run and not worry about being out there for hours. It’s also Pick Your Poison this coming Saturday, Joan is running one loop to get back into the swing of things, so I’ll just go and support/watch for the morning. Then get a run in on the afternoon.

My first decent trail run (single track) was this past Sunday. I was little concerned, due a left knee issue that I had picked up over the past couple of weeks, but as it turned out my knee was better on the trails than on the road. I think the high mileage on a cambered road was doing the damage. It was great being on the trails again and plan on going out regularly now. Hopefully the weather cooperates. There is some cool temps coming for the remainder of the week.

The training for O24 has been good and I hope to get at least 100 miles there. For some reason there is always something that comes up that prevents me from doing what I want there. Maybe it will be third time lucky!

As for preparations for Bighorn? Things are coming together. Finally booked some flights and confirmed Oliver coming to crew/pace. The prices for flights never did come down and if they were to come down it would not have been the most desirable of flights and connections. I think I got a decent deal and was able to get the flight times I wanted. Leaving early June 17th via Denver and returning later on the 23rd, also via Denver. Hope to make a good trip of this on top of getting a nice buckle. A drive through Yellowstone also.

Goodbye March!!!

2015-04-02T18:24:00.000-04:00

Last week I realized that it was only about 12 weeks until I run the Bighorn 100 in Wyoming. Although I have been getting in some decent mileage I was knocked back a bit last week with the dreaded “Man Cold”. I’d had a sore throat the week before and expected something, but I was hit hard and took 2 days off work. Last week, the only day I ran was Friday. I felt good running, but once I was done I felt like crap and realized that it was a mistake to run. I therefore took off the rest of the weekend from running. It was another cold weekend anyway and I really didn’t feel like running in the cold.
This week I thought I should actually put together a training schedule too. I can’t remember the last time I used an actual training schedule, but I figured that having it on paper I’m less likely to miss or skip a run. So here it is:

In another 4 weeks I will have O24 and hope to get about 100 miles there and thent he Horse Capital Marathon 2 weeks after that. Then it’s clear sailing until Bighorn.

There is a lot of high mileage (as far as I am concerned) in this schedule and its been a while since I’ve done this much.

The weather is improving somewhat, but winter is still trying to hang on with some sub freezing days still in the forecast, usually aligning to my long runs. I’m still not quite over the cold, but at least I can get out and run now.

Destin Beach

2015-02-26T21:34:00.000-05:00

After the Pistol it was time to get ready for my next adventure, Destin Beach 50 miler in Florida. But before this I signed up for Javelina Jundred the night after The Pistol. I woke up at 2 am in my hotel room in Alcona and thought “hey registration has just opened for Javelina”. So I got up and registered and as it turned out, I was the first to register.
No it was 6 weeks or so till Destin and lots of time to recover and then get back at it.
Problem was the weather was not cooperating. Like last winter it looked like this one would be a long one and ready to set records for cold temps.
We were invited to Destin by our friends from Michigan, Sandy and Eric. Joan signed up for the 50k, as did Sandy. The training sort of sucked, no really long runs, just doubling up long runs on the weekend. Longest run being about 28 – 30k.
Destin is in the panhandle area of Florida, so doesn’t get as warm as the more southerly areas. And the initial forecasts didn’t come across as even shorts weather. But it was still better than the Barrie area, or anywhere in the North East. We arrived on the Wednesday night and it was cool, but still shorts weather. The sun was shining and that again was positive. Race day meant an early morning as my race started at 5 am and the girls 50k at 6 am. The race travelled along the beach, on sand, for 15 miles to the east. You then turn around and head back to the start/finish area and then head west for another 10 miles, before turning around again back to the finish.
I started out in the dark, just trying to keep a nice easy pace and avoid any of the soft sand, as well as the water off the gulf as the waves came in. For the most part this was easy, but there were the odd “rivers” form lakes beyond the dunes to forge across. Most were easy, but we were warned of a large one that had just broken through the dunes the day before and could be waist deep or more.
Running into the sunrise was spectacular. And getting our feet wet didn’t seem to be a problem for me. I was looking forward to the turnaround as it would give me an indication of how I was doing in respect to the rest of the field. About ten miles in I started running with Ryan, a young local guy who went to school in Rochester, NY. He hadn’t run an Ultra before so he jumped in with both feet. It was early in the race and he was doing well. At the turnaround he left me as I looked for the washroom. After getting going again I guestimated that I was in about 14 place. Not bad, although there wasn’t a lot of runners in the race it was still rather popular, but not as popular as the 50k.
As we headed back to the start area, I started passing a few runners. It was a long way back and as the sun came up it got warmer than expected. I had to put sun tan lotion on 3 times. A nice breeze helped keep things cool.
For the most part the beach was deserted, but the closer we got to the start are the more populated it was getting.. I had to keep reminding myself it still early in the morning, about 9:30 when I got to the start area. At this point I figured I was in about 10th place, but not sure. I caught back up to Ryan at about 31 miles, and we walked to ether for a bit before I started running again. Ryan wasn’t doing well, but it was good to know that I had another behind me and was probably top ten. Top ten then became my goal. I was well ahead of PB pace, but could see that slipping away slowly. The beach was much more crowded now, but with lots of people cheering us on. At the next turn around I now knew that I was actually in 8th place and was determined to keep that, but I would be looking over my shoulder regularly on my way back. There were a couple of runners not far behind, including Ryan who now had a pacer.
Those last 10 miles were a struggle, but I could feel the runners from behind. I completed the last 2 miles bearfoot, figuring that would be better than having wet shoes for the last part of the race. It was actually harder on the feet.
I finished in 8:33:00 a new personal best, by about 10 minutes or so. I was 8th place and 1st in my age group. A very successful day, but again I was thinking of what could have been. Keeping myself running later in a race is still a problem and I need to work on my mental game. The day was the best day, weather wise, of the whole time we were down there. We went to the awards get together later and I got my age group award.
Joan had a very successful day, with her bad shoulder she un sure whether she would be able to do the race at all, but she started and finished in under 9 hours, using a run /walk plan. She was very happy and enjoyed her day. Sandy also had a good day on the 50k course, finishing in 7:08.
Now I have 2 weeks to get ready for Green Jewel, my 5th year in a row there and probably my last. After that a good two months before O24.

The Pistol

2015-02-26T21:29:00.000-05:00

Again, it’s been a while since I’ve blogged. I’m still running, just finding it hard to find the time to hit the keyboard. The last blog posting has been sitting in my in box for months waiting to get posted. Since then I had been planning on some down time before starting training again in the new year, but…
About 2 or 3 weeks after the Bear I got a message from Will Jorgenson (RD of the Pistol in Alcoa Tennessee). He asked me about coming down to do his race at the beginning of January. Initially I said no, but the stress of the Bear failure was getting to me and I thought, I really needed to get back on the horse and show what I can do. So within a few hours I had signed up, booked flights and hotels and was ready. Just meant starting the training program a bit earlier than expected. To make a long blog shorter, the training went well, not perfect, but well. I had started going to the gym and doing some weight training and yoga as well. On boxing day I went with Theo to Hamilton to do the Boxing day 10 miler again and had a good race, setting a new PB with a 1:08 time. Confidence was high again.
I travelled to Knoxville on the Friday before the race (The Pistol) and settled in. I met up with Crystal from Ohio at the pre-race meeting and also met up with Aaron from Guelph. A rather lack luster pasta dinner was followed by an early night. The 100 mile start was at a nice 8 am. So no issues with getting up too early. The weather forecast was for about 8C during the day and then rain late in the night.
The race would be a multi loop course consisting of 9 x 11 miles. All paved bike path and some slight hills here and there. By all means this could mean a new PB. The unknown was the pavement and what kind of toll it would take on my legs.
I met up with Aaron at the start and as the gun went off we wished each other good luck.
I would try to keep a nice easy pace, at least that was the plan, but as usual I was moving faster than I really needed to. I met up with and ran with Max from Corning, NY and ran with him for a bit, before pulling away from him. To say the first couple of loops went well would be an understatement. I had to slow myself down when I checked at one point and I was running a 5:20/km. I went through the marathon point under 4 hours! I hit 50 miles at about 8:20, well under any 50 mile time I have run before. Up to half way I was moving quickly, but I had also gone through the required bad patches too. A few stops at Woody’s aid station helped, but as usual eating was a challenge.
At some point I expected to lap Aaron, as he had been dealing with some mechanical issues and was walking a lot. He also hadn’t got much training in! This kept me going stronger. I finally caught him as I finished my 6th lap, we decided to help each other out and see if that would get us through this. At this point I know the pavement was taking it’s toll. We walked for a bit and mixed up the walking and running for the next two loops. It was on the 6th loop that the rain started.
The rain was light initially but gradually picked up steam. By the 7th lap it was pouring down and we had to avoid the underpasses as they were flooded to probably waist deep. A lot of the path through the mid point of the course were also flooded to ankle deep water and there was no way around them.
For most of the race I was well ahead of schedule, about 18 hour pace. I knew it wouldn’t last and it was a matter of how good my finish time would be and whether or not I could get a new PB. Gradually 20 hours flittered away and then it was whether I could get under 21 hours, but that seemed remote too, especially with the turn in the weather. When I got to my 9th and final loop, Aaron still another to do, I thought I might as well just walk the whole thing, I wanted it over, but I knew I would still beat my PB. There was no incentive to go any faster than a fast walk. The rain had slowed down for most of this last loop, but just as I finished the wind picked up and the rain came down again. The only positive was that it was warming up a bit.
I finished in 21:11 an new PB by over 90 minutes. 14th overall and 3rdin my age group. Over all a great day (and night), but I couldn’t help think what could have been. If I could have kept my mind on track I might have finished hours earlier.

Post The Bear

2015-02-26T21:26:00.000-05:00

Originally written on November 5th , 2014

It may take a lot of mental fortitude and strength to get through an ultra, especially a 100 mile race, but for some reason that mental strength seems to disappear when the question of signing up for another challenging race presents itself. This again happened to me just recently. Failure at the Bear was still sitting heavily on my mind and I was trying to find another race to do, maybe not till next spring, but the sooner the better. As it was Will Jorgensen, who I met a few years ago at O24 and ran across a few times at races over the next year or so, is the race director for the Pistol Ultra in Alcoa, Tennessee sent me a message asking if I’d be interested in coming down for his race in January. Iwas interested and had actually talked to Joan about it in the weeks before, but we had decided that we should stay at home over Christmas and New Year’s this year, especially with Jack around now. But after mentioning the message from Will Joan said if wanted to go myself then that wouldn’t be a problem. Within hours I was signed up, flights booked, hotel rooms booked and car rental arranged! What a pushover I am.
So I have gone from running for maintenance only and not worrying about mileage, to ramping up the mileage and putting in a lot more running. Mix this in with going to the gym 3 times a week and a bit of yoga once a week at least and I’ve become very busy again.
The Pistol Ultra is a 100 mile event (also with 100k and 50k events) that takes place in the town of Alcoa in eastern Tennessee, near Knoxville. The course is an eleven mile looped course on paved bike path. The course is basically flat and probably good for PB’s, with no hills/mountains, routes, rocks, mud etc. to worry about. Having said that, it is still a 100 miles and anything can happen. Weather could also be a factor, and in that part of the world, we could be talking about cold(ish) and snowy to warm and sunny. So who knows what that will bring.
As it is I am looking forward to this race and sure it will be a good time regardless. Training has been stepped up and I have now got just over 8 weeks to get ready.

2014-10-15T16:57:00.000-04:00

Sometimes you learn from your past mistakes, sometimes you don’t. Sometimes you can blame external factors that cause you to fail, but sometimes you only have yourself to blame.
I had been worried about how the Bear 100 would go, but as the days drew closer my confidence soared. At least to the point where I knew I could do the race, it would only be about what my time would be. It was all about just finishing the race and that I knew I could do. I knew this would be difficult and the experience at Harricana 2 weeks before made me feel better about this. So where did it all go wrong?
We had flown to Salt Lake City on the Wednesday before to give us lots of time before the Friday morning start. We met up with Gary on our layover in Minneapolis and got to SLC on time, picked up our rental car (Ford Expedition!!!) and off we went to Logan, about an hour and a half north of SLC.

We checked into the Hampton Inn and set about relaxing. Thursday we checked out the GPS to see if we could locate some of the Aid Stations for Joan and they seemed to work to a tee. So then we headed out to the race kit pick up and pre-race talk. Probably the most laid back kit pick up and talk ever. The talk mostly centered on how much they had improved on the course markings and how no one should get lost. It was also one of the few races where I didn’t know anyone personally. There were a few “celebrities” there though, Bryon Powell from IRunFar.com, Errol “the Rocket” Jones and somewhere about’s there was supposed to be Anna Frost, here to do her first 100, but I didn’t see her.
We went back to the hotel to get our stuff ready and then headed to our pre-race dinner. We decided on burgers at a diner downtown that was very well reviewed and they were definitely good.
We got up at 4:15 a.m., although it only felt 6:15 a.m. to us, as we were still, more or less, operating on eastern time.
We drove to the start which was in a small park at the edge of town in Logan.

We got there with plenty of time to spare and just chatted while we waited. The next thing I know I am standing beside Anna Frost and so I turned around and introduced myself and wished her the best of luck, Joan, Gary and myself then chatted with her till almost the start of the race.

What a great, down to earth person she is.

The race start was like the rest of the events surrounding it, very low key. Before we knew it we were off and running.
The first mile is on pavement through a subdivision to the trail head and is all uphill. We had decided to take it easy and just walk the up hills and see where that got us. The trail turned steeply up hill and we got into the conga line. It was a long steady climb, 5 miles worth is what we were told. Gradually the sun started to rise and we would look behind to see the amazing views down the mountain. I would stop to take the odd picture here and there.

I was also using my poles. Although I had used them at Harricana, this was the first big test and I found that it definitely made the going easier up hill. The only problem was trying to access other things with the poles in my hands. A new Ultimate Direction pack also confused things slightly, but I got the hang of it quickly.
We crested the top of the mountain to some incredible views, which pictures just don’t do justice. The first aid station was just before 10 miles and was a welcome site. We made quick work of it and got going again. There were guys taking swigs of Jack Daniels there!! At 10 miles?
I would say that was a recipe for disaster.
A mix of climbing followed by downhill’s was the norm for this race. The climbs were generally long and the downhill’s just as long if not more so at times. The next aid station was at 20 miles and would be the first opportunity to see Joan. I started running with my North Face Ultra Guides and felt it may be time to change them up already. The downhill to Leatham Hollow aid station was a very long single track that wound around the mountains. I had one nasty fall that banged up my right knee. After that I put my poles away as they seemed to get in the way on the single track flats and downhill’s. Gary had left me behind at this point and I was struggling a bit. I think I was pissed that we had talked about running the whole thing together and he had already taken off. As it was he was waiting at the next aid station with Joan.

We both had to relube our feet and I changed into my Hoka’s, then off we went. The next stretch was a long, mostly uphill, climb on a dirt road. We mixed up the running with a lot of walking and my mood got better. The next aid station was at the end of the road, where we headed up a trail. Again lots of climbing followed on a mix of single track and jeep roads. Gary and I ad run most of this together, but he would take off on the downhill’s and I would leave him behind on the uphill’s. Into Cowley Canyon aid station it was a very long downhill on dirt road and I flew down this stretch, feeling good and taking full advantage of gravity. I still expected Gary to pass me at any time, but he didn’t and only caught up to me at the aid station.

This was about 30 miles in and it was getting very warm. I got loaded up and off we went again.

I hadn’t been eating anything very substantial, lots of fruit and fig newtons etc. If I had a complaint about this race it would be the food at the aid stations. Although it was typical of what you normally get, I think races could do better. I don’t want junk, M&M’s, chips, pretzels etc. P&B sandwiches suck, unless I’m very hungry.
Another climb followed on more jeep roads. After this things became a bit fuzzy at times. It was only 7 miles to Right Hand Fork, but it was a lot of single track and downhill and Gary was struggling here a bit so we walked a lot of it. We finally got to a fork in the path with a guide sending us one way and others coming back the other way. The only out and back on the course into Right Hand Fork. I changed socks and relubed my feet again and filled up my water. I wanted to go to the bathroom, but the only one there was busy!! After a fairly lengthy stay we begrudgingly headed back down the trail. The water here had been in a large plastic container and when I tasted it, it tasted like plastic. That was difficult to “digest”. It was also very hot at this point. We walked to the trailhead and continued on. I had forgotten to wet my buff and cloth so took advantage of the creek beside us to do just that. It was nice and cold. There were some amazing vista’s all along the course and felt privileged to see it all. This section was about 9 miles and about half way through I was feeling rough. I had put it down to not eating, but at the same time didn’t want to eat. I tried one of my honey stinger bars, but the chocolate had melted all over. It was a mess and was tricky to eat. I got through some of it. After coming through a cow pasture we hit a road and came across a girl doubled over. This didn’t look good. We got to her and found she was feeling just like me. She had only heed to drink and was feeling the effects of it. We offered her some of our water and Gary gave her an apple. She ate half and gave me the other half. I ate some of it and it seemed to help. An unmanned aid station was at the top of the hill and we got some of the remaining water there. After that it downhill on a long gravel road for a long way and it felt good to run again. We passed quite a few runners here before heading back off road through a sheep meadow, crossing a river and following the river on nice single track.

Another long downhill on road took us into Temple Fork aid station.

A quick fuel up, grabbing our head lamps and a jacket just in case and were set to go. The clouds had started to come in and the temperature had dropped significantly, darkness was coming soon.

Out of this aid station we climbed on single track for a long way up a canyon. Lots of cattle in the surrounding hills and fields, as well as an Elk that came tearing through the bush after having an altercation with a bull up the mountain side. There was a lot of climbing here, but we were pushing on strong. I don’t remember much of the run into Tony Grove aid station, except that it was dark when we got there and I needed a rest. I got some black been soup and sat in the back of the truck while Joan looked after things. Gary had some chicken noodle soup and then threw it all back up. We were now over half way through. It seemed strange that it was dark already and we were only half done. Once we were on the go again we felt better, but I think Gary was struggling. It was a long climb out of Tony Grove, but an easy climb. We ended up with a string of us in another conga line going up. When we finally got to the top Gary didn’t want to run, so we walked, it was quite technical anyway. We ran a bit here and there, but it was a long 10 miles to the next aid station, which I do not remember at all. After Franklin Basin at 61 miles we wouldn’t see Joan again until 75 miles and Beaver Lodge. It was in this section that it started to rain. Very gently at first. I put my jacket on but it was still too warm. We hit a long flat stretch that I wanted to run, but Gary didn’t so I stuck with him and we trudged on. Soon the ground started getting a bit muddy. It became difficult going and then it became treacherous. On the side of a hill trying to navigate the ankle deep mud and stay on the hill. I had my poles which made it somewhat manageable, but Gary was all over the shop. A couple of guys went by us like we were standing still and wondered what we were doing wrong. After about 45 minutes of this we were out of it and I was hopeful that, that was all there would be. Soon we were back into it again and it was a lot worse. Gary asked to borrow one of my poles. As soon as I gave him it I was down and out. I could barely stand for any length of time and was almost resolved to crawling through the mud. We must have “crawled” through the mud for an hour, before finally coming to a dirt road. At this point both of us felt like shit. The mud had sapped our energy, we were tired and wet and Gary was feeling borderline hypothermic. We walked down the road and followed it to the next aid station at Logan River. It was a bit like a triage unit. We got some hot soup and sandwiches of some sort and sat by a nice warm fire. We left the aid station and had to cross a river. There logs and rocks to use so as not to get wet, but Gary slipped off the logs and ended up in the river and so walked across though it. I was luckier and stayed “dry”. We then climbed straight up and all of a sudden there were “runners” in front of us and behind us. It had become very busy. As a group we struggled on. Eventually we could see the next aid station, but as we approached the lightning resumed and soon it was pouring down. The aid station didn’t seem to get any closer! It actually seemed to be getting further away. Was it actually the aid station?
We descended for a long ways and then turned back towards Beaver Lodge. Making our through the trees and the rain, we came across another section of mud, a guy passed us and went right through like it was nothing. I tried and ended up down the hill in a ditch covered in mud. I noticed then that there was a road beside us, a paved road. It must be the road to Beaver Lodge. It was, but the course detoured us back up another sloppy hill. When we got there I was destroyed. I had never felt this bad. I told Gary I was done. I Couldn’t go on.
The aid station was in the lodge, with some warmth (hard to believe we could feel so cold and miserable after the heat earlier). I saw Joan and told her I was done. I had a hard time keeping myself together as I said that. She said no way and she would get me back on track. I disagreed with her. We went inside and I sat down and had a complete breakdown. I could not see myself going on for another 25 miles.

Gradually, somehow, Joan managed to turn me around. I got a fresh set of shirts etc. on. Changed back into my UtlraGuides and got a garbage bag to wear to keep the rain off. Apparently Gary was ready to set off by himself at this point, although I wouldn’t know this till after we got home. After some sustenance we headed back out and surprisingly I felt ok. We ran across a field and a road onto a dirt road and then started the usual climbing up the road that slowly became less of a road. It was again muddy in spots but manageable. It was another 5 mile climb to the next aid station and we would cross the Idaho border in this stretch. We got to the Gibson Basin Aid station with only 19 miles to go. The sun was up and it was still raining. From here we had to cross a large meadow on a double track that was basically flooded or muddy most of the way. It was more tough going, but things were looking up, or at least we should have been because more climbing followed. Then more downhill and the mud returned. We were trying to find ways around the mud by going through the bush rather than on the dirt track. The last downhill section was all rock and technical. It was also pouring down rain. We had step across stones to cross the river to the aid station. I was soaked. I got there before Gary and sat by the fire. Joan welcomed us and asked what we needed. I was ok, but Gary needed new socks and relubing. At this time Gary said that he was not enjoying this anymore and was not having fun. This meant that he wanted to quit. Although I was feeling ok, I was also tired, wet and looking for an excuse. Gary gave it to me and we decided that we were done. As much as Joan tried our minds couldn’t be changed.
To this date I still can’t believe I dropped so easily with only 15 miles to go, and 8 hours + to complete it. I can’t believe that I couldn’t be convinced to go on. And I’ve been kicking myself ever since. All that way to DNF! My mind has not been right ever since and I will suffer this one until I go back and try again. What didn’t help was seeing all the runners that were way behind us that still managed to finish.
But, what’s done is done and all I can do is look forward to coming back in 2016.
The next week I read that the area got 2.8 inches of rain from when it started to late Sunday. That’s a lot of rain. And a lot of mud!!!!

The week before The Bear

2014-09-22T15:57:00.002-04:00

It’s Monday and this coming Friday at this time I will be 6 hours into the toughest race I will have ever run, The Bear 100 in Utah/Idaho.

We leave this coming Wednesday to give us some time and will return on Monday. So far the run up to the race hasn’t been the best. A number of injuries have affected my training. I really haven’t run that much since Vermont in July. I was hoping to get in lots of hill training and some speed work. I did get in s couple of days of running at Snow Valley Ski resort and try out my new trekking poles. I also ran Harricana, north of Quebec City a week ago to get in a good training run, although it wasn’t quite the race I expected. I had calf issues pop up out of nowhere and cut the distance back to 65k from 80. I thought the calf was going to cause me to drop, but I was able to continue with the help of a new friend on the trail Tim, from Waterloo. I still managed to finish the race strongly, so that made me feel good. The fact that I was on my feet for over 10 hours was also a positive to take with me.

The calf was a secondary problem, which hadn’t been an issue before Harricana, although I have had numerous calf issues before and they are habitually very tight. The main problem going in to Harricana was my right hamstring, which had knotted up badly. Although it was tight throughout it never got worse than that. Since that race I have been nursing both through, rolling, massaging and lots of soaking in the new hot tub.

Although I am somewhat intimidated by The Bear, I plan on approaching it similarly to Harricana. That would be to run very easy, walk the hills and trek a lot of the race. I plan on finishing this race, not winning it, or even doing a PB.

Fingers crossed the muscles cooperate and I can get to the end.

Vermont 100 - Redemtion

2014-07-26T08:39:00.000-04:00

To say I had some concern coming into this race would be an understatement. At the same time I was also feeling relatively confident. I knew my training was not up to what it should have been, not enough long, long solo runs, but I had run a few decent races. The main problem was the previous 4 weeks. It started with an accident at home moving a large cement step. A slip and a fall later and I had 6 stitches in my chin and some bruised ribs. It was the ribs that concerned me the most. Doing anything, even laying down, hurt. Seeing what Joan had gone through with her fractured rib, I was definitely concerned for my ability to run at all. The next 4 weeks would be busy and hopefully the healing would be sufficient.
The first test would be the trip to California to pace Gary again at Western States. This would also be my first test with running and sore ribs. A test run the night before didn’t look promising. I had bought some tensor bandage to wrap the ribs and this just didn’t seem to work well. My thought was to try a larger tensor and try that. I would look for some the next day while crewing.
Crewing went well and Gary’s race was going good too. Lots of driving made for a tiring day. I found a 6 inch tensor and by 8 pm started to get ready for pacing. I put on the tensor around my upper abdomen and had to adjust it 3 times before I either left well enough alone or just said to hell with it. I ran from Foresthill back to the next aid station about a 1.5 miles to meet up with Gary. This would be the test and it seemed ok. Sore at first, but nothing too bad and manageable. I ran the next 40 miles with Gary to get him in at 29 hours and 3 minutes. A success all around. The only negative was my ribs the next day or trying to sleep. Very painful.

A trip to Timmins for work mid-week was followed by my trip to England for Victoria’s graduation from Northumbria University. In all 8 plane rides in 9 days. The trip to England went well, other than Aer Lingus misplacing my luggage for 4 days! Managed to climb Scafell in the Lake District. The highest peak in England took us 6.5 hours to climb and come back down on a beautiful day. Good time on my feet training is the way I saw it. A couple of days later I ran up Cheviot Hill, the highest point in Northumberland. Another test of the ribs that went well. It also gave me some good confidence with the hill running and the length of timeout there running.

I arrived back on the Sunday prior to leaving to Vermont. Jet lag and general fatigue set in, but decided to get out for a run on the Tuesday. Again to test the rib, but also to try it without wrapping my ribs. It was a short and successful run and felt good about the approaching weekend.

The Vermont 100 weekend began on Thursday after work with the drive to Montreal to stay at Kate and Gary’s, before setting off Friday morning to Vermont. Scott and Rhonda were supposed to come along for pacing and crewing duties, but had to back out. At this point I was looking forward to seeing what it would be like to run without a pacer. As it turned out Kate had been struggling with some foot issues and doubted whether or not she would be able to run the race. Eventually she would back out and volunteered to pace me. We arrived in Montreal about 10:30 pm and after something to eat and a drink or two we headed off to bed. We were up fairly early Friday and got off to a fairly quick start at 9 ish. Stopped in Burlington, VT for some supplies and lunch. We arrived at Silver Hill Meadow just in time for the registration , weigh in and then the pre-race talk!

Gary had made reservations at Skunk Hollow Tavern for dinner rather than the crappy pasta dinner. This was a good call and we enjoyed a great meal. Got back about 8 pm and attempted to get some sleep, as 3 am would come around far too soon.

3 am did come far too soon and as usual I didn’t get a lot of sleep, but that is par for the course when it comes to these type of events. The start was at 4, so it was just a matter of getting ready and a bite to eat and then we’d be off. Kate had decided not to run, because of a foot injury and therefore would help Joan crew. Gary had said we would run together so that we could both pace each other. I’m not big on running someone else’s race, but would see how it would go.
At 4 am the race started and we trotted down the gravel road from Silver Hill Meadow to the first hill and then the trails. I had worn a long sleeve over a short sleeve shirt as it was a cool morning, but we hadn’t hit the trails before I was taking the long sleeve off. There was definitely some humidity out there. When we hit the trails Gary started pushing the pace a bit. I wasn’t willing to go any faster than I needed and decided that if he wanted to go I wouldn’t hold him back. When I stopped for my first pee of many he was gone.
I tried to temper my pace so that I was taking it easy, but I was already struggling mentally for some reason. I just felt out of sorts. I was peeing a lot and started feeling the urge for a bathroom break in the first 5 miles or so. Like the last time I did the race the first porta potty was at 11 miles and I made sure I used it again. Ominously it seemed like a lot that was going on this race was very similar to 2 years ago when I DNF’d here. The course was slightly different in areas and I could only remember bits and pieces of it. I was in no hurry at this point and was more than willing to let runners pass me, which they did. As it was my running math equation was figuring out my pace and how I was doing based on a 24 hour finish or just finishing etc. I was well ahead of where I thought I should be. Eventually I came in Pretty House aid station where my crew would be at 4:07. I was thinking it would be closer to 4:30. I tried to eat a few things here as the Trail Butter that I was using wasn’t working well. Got rid of a few extra items I was carrying with Joan and as I was leaving I ran into Brent Colwell, who I had run with at the Midwest Grand slam last year. We ran and chatted for the next 10 miles to Stage Rd. and as Joan had told me, this made the time go by very quickly and I felt so much better at this aid station. Also ran into a couple of other Ontarians crewing for a runner here too, Joe Cleary and Kim van Delst. I grabbed more to eat, more mountain dew as usual and headed back out. A short run down the road was followed by a step climb straight up. At his time I was by myself again, but was feeling in a much better place. Definitely in a better place than 2 years ago. Typical of the trail sections, this climb was long and steep. It would be another 16 miles before I would see the girls and it would be a medical aid station. The only concern I had was losing too much weight, otherwise I was feeling stronger by the mile. At about 35 miles I was starting to pass some of the runners I had been passed by myself earlier and at the Lincoln Covered Bridge aid station (39.6 miles) we turned to power up one of the longest hills in the race, at least that’s the way it seemed.. I remembered this distinctly from 2 years ago. I was running/power walking with Bob from New Hampshire at this point and we chatted a lot. He is the president of the Sub 4 Hour 50 states marathon club and urged me to join up. He is 66 and this was his second attempt at Vermont to finish his first 100 miler. As the hill went on I left him behind. I was passing lots of runners again as my power walking was much quicker. This gave me a lot of confidence and I knew I feeling a lot better than last time. By the time I came into Camp 10 Bear I was feeling great and had just powered down one of the long downhills. I jumped on the scale and I was down 10 pounds!!!! Holy shit! I explained that the scales they used yesterday could not have been right as it showed me to be 176, about 10 pounds heavier than I normally am. After talking to the medical director, he realized I good to go and let me. I filled up with food and drink changed my shoes, socks and shirt and relubed my feet and off I went. I was only about 20 minutes behind Gary. I then chased off to get to the next aid station where I had dropped last time. I had been suffering muscle seizures and not fueled myself at all right. This time despite being down a lot of weight I was doing really well, both physically and now mentally. I wasn’t really looking forward to the next 20 miles as it “seemed like a long way”, but knew that Kate was going to pace me from Camp 10 Bear (2) at 70 miles. From this point on though I was running strong powering through the flats and down hills and power walking the up hills. I even had a few people comment on how I was doing on the up hills. I started picking runners off. I passed 40 runners between the Camp 10 Bear aid stations and had finished 70 miles in under 15 hours. At this rate I was on pace to go under 22 hours, although I knew this was unlikely as fatigue would set in soon enough and it did shortly after 70 miles. I cam into Camp 10 Bear and again got weighed. 165lbs! again they had to confer and talk to me. I told them it was the best I had felt in a race and was ready to go. I guess that was good enough as they let head out. Again a quick bite, some broth and drinks and off I went. The next section was another brutal up hill. Kate helped push me at this point as I was struggling to keep my pace up. I would still run the down hills hard and again no one was passing me, I was doing the passing. I came into Spirit of 76 aid station strong and was only 4 minutes behind Gary, but I Had to sit down and recoup here. I didn’t stay long, but just needed a little downtime. A can of mountain dew seemed to help too. I headed out again with 23 miles to go and a little over 7 hours to buckle (sub 24hours) Now I began to think that this was definitely possible. Initially my goal was to just finish and get the opportunity to qualify for Western States. Now it was to buckle as well. There were still a lot of hills to climb yet and I had stay focused.
Bills aid station at 89 miles was another medical weight station and I thought we’d never get there. It seemed to take forever. But we got there and I was surprised to see so many runners who had passed me early in the race. I had now caught them. One of the “elite” women racers, Denise Bourassa came in after me. Although I had another sit down I got going quick with a coffee in hand. My mind was losing it a bit and the coffee would help.
I was still running the down hills well and passing more runners. By the time I hit Polly’s at mile 96 I had passed almost 80 runners from mile 21. With less than 5 miles to go and 2 hours to complete 24 hours I knew I had this in the bag and could almost crawl in. The only problem was that running down hill had become an issue with a sore left knee starting to act up. So we walked the last 4 miles as much as possible anyway, knowing fine well that I’d have no trouble making it in under 24 hours.
I finished at 23:15:21 for 105th place. 14th in my age group. Very satisfying indeed. It was a tough course, the toughest 100 I have done. I know there are a lot tougher out there too, but for me right now I’m in good place, knowing that I have conquered one of my demons.

Gary finished 100th only 10 minutes ahead of me. Brent had a great second half finishing in 22:38 for 88th place. Bob got his finish too, in 26:52.

What’s next? Harricana 50 mile in Quebec in the middle of September, followed by the Bear 100 two weeks later. That one will be the very hard.

North Face Endurance Challenge

2014-06-02T16:24:00.000-04:00

I know! I’ve been a little negligent in updating my blog. So here is the latest since just before O24.

O24 in Kirtland, Ohio was a little different from the previous year, cooler temps, more runners, but for the most part the same good crowd of runners. So it was good to meet up with some old friends from the Ohio area and beyond.

We arrived on Friday around dinner time and went straight to the race site for our race packets and picked up Dave and Ben’s packets too. Then it was off to Dave’s for dinner and the Morl’s special hospitality. Great to have a place to stay when we go to the Cleveland area for races. Dinner is usually an open invitation to all who want to stop by and I’m surprised by how few do take advantage of it. My only issue was since switching to a low carb, high fat diet recently, pasta and bread really don’t work. But when in Rome…

We were up early the next morning to get ready for the nice 8am start. The race follows a 1 mile trail loop through a park with I hill in the middle. Actually its more or less uphill for the first part and downhill for the second.
I wasn’t sure what my goals were, just to go and have a decent time. Joan was coming off a recently fractured rib, so would be just happy getting in a few loops to see how it felt. For me, in the back of my mind I had to think about next week which would be the North Face Bear Mountain 50 mile race. As the day went on I started to reign in any lofty goals that I may have had. Partially being lazy, partially using as an excuse to stop early. As it was I got in 50 miles, and really didn’t feel like going any further. Although I got in another 5 miles pacing Dave later.
Joan surprisingly got in over 40 miles on the day. Her rib was sore, but she was able to run off and on and do a lot more than anyone thought. Quite a few people didn’t do what they expected to do. Our friend Sandy from Michigan was going for 100 miles, but settled with 100k. Dave managed a repeat of last year, getting in his 100 miles. The winner ran over 120 miles.

As I stated before the following weekend was a trip to Bear Mountain, NY for the TNF 50mile endurance challenge. Gary from Montreal was also coming down for it and would meet at the race hotel on Friday. This would be my first real race while on my new LCHF diet. So far I was feeling good and the food was great. Staying away from sugar was no problem, away from starches a bit more difficult. Not that I wanted the potatoes etc. it was that everywhere you go it is the main option, or fires, or chips, and bread!!!
We had made some pemmican the week before to experiment with snacking options. Although the consistency wasn’t great it tasted good. I would use it in the race to see how that would sustain me as opposed to gels. I would also bring a bag of nuts too. I had been running gel free for the past few weeks and only using nuts to sustain me with no issues at all. The LCHF theory is that after an initial time of getting used to the diet your body would then use its own fat stores to fuel itself, negating the need for carbs during endurance events. I had some special bacon/egg muffins for my pre-race breakfast too. Very tasty!
Friday night we had to drive down to White Plains, NY for the packet pick up and found a place to eat nearby, although not without some difficulty. The North Face store was in an upscale mall and we had a hard time finding our way out of it. We met up with Kent from Niagara Falls and he joined us for dinner.
The TNF race started at 5 am so it was a very early morning/ Up at 3 and on our way before 4. We travelled to the other side of the river to get on our shuttles o the start area. Unfortunately we went to the wrong place, the start area! Luckily someone was there to direct us to the shuttle bus pick up spot. It wasn’t long before we gathered at the start area milling about with others trying to stay calm. This race is advertised as the toughest on the NF circuit, lots of climbing, rocks, routes, water and after last week’s rains mud! And it didn’t disappoint in any of those. To the point that, it really hampered my race. The rocks gave me lots to worry about, due to the week ankles that I have. I made it worse by using some different shoes than I am used to. With the talk of the mud before had me questioning the use of my Hoka’s, which tend to be useless in the mud. Therefore I went bought a pair of Salomon Speed Cross 3’s. This was a very questionable move, knowing what my history with Salomon was. Years ago I owned a pair of XT Wings and they almost broke my ankle, the number of times I turned over on them. So I was very hesitant to buy Salomon shoes. My friend Scott had bought a pair of Fell Raiser shoes and raved about them. When I went looking for a pair they only had the Speed Cross, so I thought I’d take a chance. No don’t get me wrong these shoes are nice and enjoyed them on the trails at home, but they aren’t as gnarly as Bear Mountain was.
To make a long story short I had a crappy race, fell once, turned my ankle an unknown number of times (only the right one) and took it very easy on the rocky downhills. I think also the previous weeks 50 mile run took its toll. It was a tough race, very technical, lots of climbing, water and mud as advertised. Normally I would have expected to run about 10 to 11 hours for this type of race, but I finished in just under 13 hours!! I almost dropped at 40 miles. The aid station at 40 miles was beside the parking lot where my car was parked…. Oh so tempting. I had to lay down for a while before leaving that station and struggled mentally to keep going.
Scott and Gary had great races, although they were only about 45 minutes ahead of me, they were very happy.
So after that what do I do? Sign up for the next North Face Endurance Challenge event in Washington on June 7th. We Ultra runners have very poor or short memories.
Since NY, I’ve been taking it easy, maybe too easy. But I figured I needed some rest. Gary mentioned to me that running a quick half marathon and a decent 30k Around the Bay in the lead up to NY as well as the 50 miles at O24 probably had a lot to do with my lousy race than anything.
The LCHF diet is going good. I’m down to the lowest constant weight that I have been at in many years and feeling good. It’s still a work in progress, but we are working with recipes etc. Also started to see a new Chiropractor/physio/everything guy who is helping me with my ankles and especially my right side issues. Hope this will help the weakness in the right joints and make me a stronger runner.
Since originally writing this posting, I turned my ankle again last Thursday on some awesome trails that I was running with Scott. So I haven't run since an don't until the TNFEC DC race. Hopefully my ankles will cooperate.
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Prep for O24

2014-04-23T21:21:00.001-04:00

It's the Wednesday before O24 and I've just got my last run in, a 10k at a fairly quick pace. Not sure why I was running quick as )24 won't be quick.
O24 or Outrun 24 hour endurance run is held in Kirtland, Ohio and this will be the 3rd year of "running" this event and my second time there. I met the race director Zack Johnson while running Green Jewel the year he was preparing to put on the first O24 and invited to come down. Unfortunately I had already committed to Pick Your Poison and couldn't make the inaugural event. It has been held the same weekend as PYP each year. So I told him I would definitely make it for 2013. It was a great event held in a nice wooded park on a 1 mile trail loop with one significant hill in the middle. I dropped at 13 hours last year after getting in 100k. Although I was disappointed in not getting 100 miles in, I was looking at the bigger picture. I had a few knee issues the seemed to be getting worse as the race went on so with the Mid west Grand Slam on the horizon I thought it prudent to cut it "short". What made it more special though was Joan coming up with just over 100k to get in more than double her previous best mileage.
This year we committed to head down again and race and run with lots of friends we have made in north east Ohio, who we haven't seen in a quite a while.
The build up to O24 has been fairly good. While not getting in much long distance runs, I have been getting in lots of weekly mileage with many back to back long runs, culminating in the past weekends 85k. A couple of races thrown in for good measure have me feeling fairly good. Just the usual right leg issues which don't seem to bother me as much in long, long events.
Around the Bay was a surprise to be involved in and cam e up with a good race there. Then last week I did the Marden Marathon, actually a half. Not sure why they insist on calling it a Marathon. It was a good little event on a tough rolling hill course with some good climbs thrown in for good measure. Came out with a 1:34, which I was very pleased with.
So Friday we are off to Ohio. Joan is injured after fracturing a rib in a fall on some ice a few weeks ago, but is intent on getting some mileage in regardless, even if it is all walking.
We both have races the falling week too. Joan is off with her girls to run the Flying Pig marathon in Cincinnati, where she is also supposed to run the 5k and 10k too, to complete the triple.
I wil be off to Bear Mountain, NY for the North Face 50 mile race. Hopefully I can recover in time.

Around the Bay Recap

2014-04-05T08:46:00.000-04:00

The 120th annual Around the Bay Road race too k place on Sunday and I was fortunate enough to pick up a bib, courtesy of Justin from the Running Room. He couldn’t run it and as Joan had already picked a bib herself I thought…

So with a 9:30 am start we could get up a reasonable time (6 am) for a race and drive down to Hamilton for the race. We got there with about an hour to spare and set about getting into Copps Coliseum to keep warm. Although it was milder than previous weeks it was still rather chilly, but sunny. I expected to see lots of familiar faces, but didn’t see anyone until we got into the start corals. We got there a little late and I wished Joan good luck and headed forward in the crowd to try and get a better starting position. The closest I could get was quite a ways behind the 3 hour pace bunny, but as nothing was at stake and I was “just running” this race I stood back and relaxed. I saw Chewy before the start, but that was it.

Soon we started, or at least shuffled towards the start line. It took about 4 minutes to get over the line. My goal was to just run by feel and hopefully get finished in under 2:30. My previous best was the last time I ran it in 2006 and was a 2:07, but those days were long past. Once we were able to actually start running I tried to keep a consistent pace and found myself passing lots of runners and knocking off pace bunnies as I went. Quickly passing the 3 hour bunny, then the 2:55… 2:50 and so on. About 4 k in I passed Steen and then Donna, I looked for others, but wasn’t seeing the runners I was expecting to see. I noticed my pace was steady at about a 4:35 min/k, which is much quicker than I was expecting, but it was feeling good. The first 10k were much different than when I last ran this race, with a few more hills to deal with. After about 13 k or so I came across Jamie Nielsen, who I hadn’t seen in a long while. So we chatted and ran together for the next 5 k or so, also passed Jim, before hitting the Burlington section of the course. I was surprised to come across Chris McPeake at about 18k or so. I was still passing lots of runners, but now the hills in Burlington were starting to slow me down a bit. Although they were probably slowing everyone down at this point. Through the next few k I passed Andre and Terry and then somehow lost Jamie. I was starting to get a little sore as we came across the last aid station before the “hill”. The next downhill helped and high fiving the “little” guy helped, but then the “hill” took a lot out of me. By the time I got to the top my legs were like jelly. I didn’t stop, but kept on going, albeit at a slower pace. 4 k to go and I passed Vince C. from Burlington who I’ve seen in a number of events of the years. I came into Copps and finished in 2:23. Much better than I was expecting and feeling good. Saw a few others after too, Bryan came in not long after me and Jamie.

Joan felt good about her race, she wasn’t racing and just determined to get it done.
All in all it was a good day. The weather cooperated and it wasn’t as windy as predicted.

Around The Bay

2014-03-28T07:13:00.001-04:00

Well apparently it has been 8 years since I last ran Around the Bay 30k. I had to look it up and I thought it had been at least 5 years. The last Time I ran it (2006), it was the first year that it finished in Copps Coliseum. I also thought I had run it seven years in a row, but it seems that it was only 6, according to the results at Sportstats.
I had no plan to run it again, but when Joan picked up a race bib from a friend, it became a question of how to get her down to Hamilton for the race. As it turned out the opportunity came about for me to pick up a bib too. So thinking that I would be running at least 30k that day anyway, I figured it would be worth running the race.
The last time I ran it I ran 2:07, still a PB for the distance which will not be in danger of being broken this year, or ever actually. 30k is basically a sprint now, in comparison to the races I normally do and I haven’t run “fast” in a long time.
Still I am looking forward to competing this weekend as “Justin” and looking to at least break 2:30. The silver medal days are past me now.
The course looks to have changed a bit from what I remember. Starting near Copps, it goes north toward the lake instead of going east. Taking Burlington St. out to the east end. Always a great event, hoping the small niggling injuries stay put long enough for me to get it done.

Green Jewel 50k

2014-03-10T11:20:00.000-04:00

I think this race was one that wasn't meant to be. Fortunately it did happen for me and ended with a decent result.
The week before was a challenge, with a calf strain on my "last" long run on Saturday I was worried about how that would affect my run. Then the tingling of a sore throat starting mid week, what else could go wrong? We had said that if there was even a hint that the weather would be crappy in Cleveland we wouldn't go after such a lousy winter, but as it happened the forecast was for temperatures above freezing. So we headed down to Cleveland on Friday afternoon.
This would be my 4th Green Jewel in a row. A great early season race to see where your fitness levels are. It would also be Joan's first crack at it. She was injured last year and came along for support the year before.
Its not an easy race, although its all on pavement it is mostly uphill, gradually for the first 38k, then sharply uphill and followed by about 10k of rolling hills and then finishing with 2k down hill. The 10k of rollers usually get me.

We arrived in Cleveland at about 6:00pm with the temperature at a balmy 11C!! woohoo.

We went directly to the Vertical Runner in Brecksville to pick up our race kits and then off to the hotel, a bite to eat and get ready for the morning.
The race doesn't start until 9am, but you have to be at the finish area by 7:30 to get on the buses to get you to the start. This changed from two years ago when the start was delayed as no one was allowed into the finish area until late due to a salamander migration was complete!!
No such troubles any more though.
WE got to the buses and off to the start where it was much cooler than the previous day. The temps were hovering just above freezing and there was ice on the paved trails. The forecast was for it to warm up and then cool down later. With snow possible. Luckily we were able to stay on the bus until just before the start.
Off we went and my plan was to take it easy for the first while as I was still unsure about my calf. The cold that I was battling had also taken hold and was affecting my breathing somewhat, but I couldn't do much about that. About 1.5k in my calf started to bother me a bit more and I started to think that this wasn't going to be a good race if I finished at all. The calf though, didn't get any worse, just some tightness (at least for now).

I was watching my pace and surprisingly Iw as keeping my pace under 5 min/k's (maybe that's not a surprise). The icy sections were tricky and care was needed to get by with out slipping. Just when I though I was doing ok, I went to avoid some ice and my feet went the wrong way and I ended up down on the ground. I quickly picked myself up with the help of another runner. Brushed it off an continued on, but I could feel my right ankle, knee and hip had hit the ground hard and there was some looseness in my ankle that wasn't there before. That was at about 10k. At 12k my left calf cramped badly and I began to think my race was over not even a quarter of the way in. I stopped and walked, walked for about 20 yards and thought I have to try it to see if I can get going again, otherwise I will be done. I slowly started trying to run, it was painful to start, but gradually it just subsided a bit. I backed off the pace to my "goal pace" of 5:20ish and this seemed manageable. I would feel the calf tighten every now and again, but no sharp pains. So I continued on.
I got to half way with no other incidents and my cold didn't seem to be affecting too much either. I passed through half way at about 2:08, which was well ahead of where I though I should be and was on pace to at least set a personal course best (4:31 in 2012). I was feeling very good, but took precautions to walk any steep hills to protect the calf. At the 38k mark is the major hill on the course and although I ran it last year I decided to proceed cautiously and walk it this year. I was starting to unravel a bit here too, my glutes were so tight it was almost painful. I walked past the aid station at the top of the hill to the next stop sign. Once past I ran and continued to run all but the hills. When I was running I was moving well, it was these damn hill stetting in the way. At the same time I was looking forward to them as it was a respite from the running. Somewhere along here with about 10k to go, Laurie Rehbergar passed by in her car to say hi. What I didn't realize initially was the person in the passenger seat waving madly at me was Joan.

She had dropped due to a "broken bum". Her periformis had cramped really badly and caused her enough pain to stop. Unfortunte, but she was smart about it and made the right decision. She still got 25k in.
I continued on and knew as I got closer that my time was liable to be more like 4:40 than 4:30 and as I hit the last 2k downhill stretch I was glad that it was almost over.
I came in at 4:37:52, 9 minutes quicker than last year, so I was happy with that. I will be much happy if one day I can run the entire last 12k strong.

Overall a good day and good to break the string of bad luck with races so far this year.

Run the Bruce Adventure

2014-03-04T12:00:00.001-05:00

The Challenge -- The Bruce TrailLegally blind runner, Rhonda-Marie Avery is set to run the Bruce Trail end to end (885km) in 20 days starting August 4 2014 in support of Achilles Canada... The Bruce Trail is Canada's longest, oldest footpath measuring some 885km from the north end in Tobermory to the south end in Niagara. It is small piece of heaven that many are unaware of, that few have ever even set foot upon. For those who have, they know the magic that the ground there contains. They have, perhaps, felt the lingering mist on their cheeks in the cool sunrise. They have heard the water falls and touched the moss trees, stood where bears have crossed and, maybe, spun around, arms wide, staring up through the coloured leaves at noon on a fall day. This small piece of earth is a welcoming place for hikers and, more recently, for a few brave ultrarunners. This challenge is about a journey from the northern tip of the trail to its southern most end. This journey has been done before, but never quite like this."My name is Rhonda-Marie Avery. I am legally blind. And I run. And I bike. And I swim. A lot. And I'm on a quest....to be the most powerful verb in my own life. None of these activities are easy for me to manage without the help of Achilles Canada"This nonprofit organization connects those with disabilities with volunteer guides. "Over the years, they have helped me to take part in events from 5Km to 100 miles of running, 13km of tethered open water swimming, and 500km of tandem cycling. Without their involvement, I wouldn't be possible for me to participate to this degree. Oftentimes, for the disabled athlete, getting to the start line is the most difficult task. As a disable endurance athlete, my goal is always to show up, do my best and put all concepts of my disability aside. I am there to complete an adventure, which regardless of having fewer limitations, perhaps, most would not undertake or would not consider being within my capacity to undertake. I say BE BRAVE, everyday! No matter what, do your best and see what you can accomplish"."Let me ask you this; What do you know of disability and sport, or disability in general? Did you know that apparently 10% of the global population is disabled? Did you know that the "disabled" are the world largest minority group? Did you realise, that this is also the group that any one of us could become a member of at any time?" "When you imagine an olympic swimmer, do they have two arms? Can they hear you cheering them on? Do you think altering your image of this swimmer changes your thinking....or changes theirs? Now, what if a disabled swimmer is impeding your exit from the gym change room? What if a disabled swimmer is stuck at home without a way to get to the gym to train? What if a disabled swimmer is a child lost in their dreams of one day, merely, taking part?..... This is why I am undertaking this journey" Every day, we are given a choice; not only how we view the world, but also how we let the world view us. It's time to see "disabled sport" differently, without limits, without boundaries and with all the hope and bravery it deserves, whether a person with challenges wants to simply participate or excel.On August 4 2014, with the help and support of a team of over 50 volunteers, Rhonda-Marie will be starting her quest to run the Bruce Trail from the north end to the south end. Each day accompanied by two guide runners, they will travel at least the distance of a marathon (42.2km). Each night they will be billeting with a volunteer family who has kindly opened their doors. The goal of this adventure in ultrarunning is to raise awareness for disabled athletes. The entire journey will take 20 days. On the last day, August 23, 2014, please come join in to walk the final 5km of the Bruce Trail and to complete the quest. In this way, together, we can all help create a space for openness for the involvement of all people, disabled or not.You can follow along in a number of ways;The Envisions Blog

Envisions On The Bruce Blog

Twitter

http://twitter.com/envisions2014

@envsions2014Facebook"Envisions ... Rhonda-Marie ... Bruce Trail... Totally Awesome!" Please go investigate the Bruce Trail's webpage... find out how there membership works. Also, find out how, through your help, they secure access to private portions of land that the trail runs through, as this trail is not eclusively on publicly owned land.

The Bruce Trail

Please check out Achilles Canada, this empowering organization that enables disabled athletes to take part.

Achilles Canada

Achilles Canada is directly sponsoring this run. Please show your support and donate here today. In the meantime, now you know the challenge. Please follow along as we attempt to make some changes to the way the world thinks about "disabilty" and "sport".We need your help to make this happen!! We will be uploading videos as the campaign continues.

Envisions YouTube Channel

As we travel through this Bruce Adventure, a Feature Documentary is being filmed;

8% No Limits Feature Documentary

No Snowshoe Marathon

2014-02-28T16:18:00.002-05:00

Well this year is off to a good start race wise, a DNF at Croom Zoom 50k in Florida and a DNS at the Snowshoe Marathon in Vermont. It looks like the Snowshoe event just wasn’t meant to be. Although I really didn’t have my heart in it, as we got closer I was definitely starting to look forward to it. As luck would have it though, a number of things mounted up to scuttle the whole thing. Number one was our Daughter in Law Johanna was admitted to hospital with complications to her pregnancy yesterday. We were not sure what was going on at first and we still planned on going, but then it sounded more serious and likely that she might have to deliver early… Trip off! This was the same day we were going to leave, so rather than leave and have to return we thought it best to stay. It wouldn’t have been a good trip if she had given birth while we were away or have us worrying the whole time either. The other problem was the weather, the cold and very windy conditions along with what turned out to be hours of snow squalls made travel from Barrie near impossible late yesterday. So we stayed home and watched the wind howl and snow blow around outside while we snuggled in and watched a movie.
As for Johanna? Turns out all was ok, at least according to the hospital and she is being released today. She had a fall last week which they believe caused her to have some bleeding and the contractions she was feeling was merely false labour. A night in hospital and lots of rest seem to have done the trick. Fingers crossed that the hospital is correct and all IS ok.
So after a week of tapering it’s time to get back on the horse and run. Although next week is taper week too as we have the Green Jewel again. My 4th year in a row at this event. This also has been up in the air due to concerns about racing in the freezing cold, but it looks like the weather is becoming a bit more favourable in Cleveland with a daytime high of nearly 8C. So at the moment with the forecast the way it is, we are going. Joan is concerned about completing a 50k at this time in her training, but I’ve told her she is very capable of getting it done and if the conditons are good it will be worth it.