San Juan Solstice 50 Race Report

Say whaaaat! Yep, it's another race report and this one is actually done in a timely manner...San Juan Solstice 50 miler. For the happenings before the race I will refer you to Aric's blog(http://leavenothing-manners.blogspot.com/2012/06/san-juan-solstice-50-race-report.html) That just made my report that much shorter, thanks Aric. So...race day morning. I wake up from a restless night of tossing and turning at 3:30am. We prepared our gear for the journey ahead. Those Chewbacca noises Aric was talking about were coming from me. All I have say is good thing the walls weren't thin in the cabin or I would have felt a little awkward...anyway we get out the door and head to the Armory to check in. We are all checked in by 4:45 and all we have to do is wait for the start. As we are hanging around waiting for the gun to go off I can feel the excitement build more and more(the Pre-Race I took 30 minutes before may have helped intensify that). 5 minutes to go and the lights are shut off in the Armory to signal the runners to the start line. We all head over to the start line and before you know it, BANG!!! It's business time. Bj and I start off together as my strategy for every race with him is to use him as a pace setter until the end and I can usually outrun him to the finish. Just kidding Bj, I enjoy the company. We were separated from Aric, Breein and Shawn before the start of the race so I wouldn't see them until the finish. The start of the race, like most races, went by pretty quickly. All the built up adrenaline and excitement I guess. Bj and I cruise up the dirt road at an easy pace and shortly have our first "Lori sighting" of the day. Thanks for being there and taking pictures Lori, you're awesome. I just wish her sidekick Sami(my beautiful girlfriend) could have been there too. In no time we hit the single track and start our first of 3 major climbs. At the pre-race briefing we were told that we would inevitably get wet so we might as well run through the first stream crossing(there were many) but Bj and I decided to cross using the logs hoping to keep our feet dry. We lucked out. The stream was lower than normal and we were able to use logs to cross all the streams without getting wet. Major bonus. My feet don't do well on runs when wet for an extended period of time. The climb up to AS #1 at the top of Alpine Gulch isn't more than I am usually used to on a run but when you throw in the elevation it feels a bit harder. Still Bj and I made kept a decent pace to the aid station. A mile or so back I started our game of lead changes early when I passed Bj while he was taking a picture...1. I came into the aid station just ahead of Bj who refilled one of his bottles quickly. I didn't need water but I made the mistake of taking off my pack to double check my water level. This led to lead change #2, Bj was back in the lead. From the aid station the climb intensified and so did the views.

We climbed for about 3 miles before we got a break from straight uphill. The wind was blowing up top and kept the temps down as we traversed along the ridge above treeline. This was our first exposure to above 13,000'elevation. This early in the race I didn't feel it's effects much but that would change later on. After the traverse we were treated to some downhill, about 5 miles of it. We kept our pace pretty casual so we could preserve our legs for the rest of the race. Somewhere on the downhill we took a pee break and I was able to pass Bj again. Up to this point there had been a few more lead changes so we'll call this one lead change #7. Our next Lori and Jared sighting was about a half a mile before AS #2, thanks for the mental boost. We rolled into AS #2 Williams Creek(15.7) somewhere in the 3 hour 20 minute range. We both had drop bags here so we refilled our water bottles and hydration packs, restocked our supply of running food and we were on our way. For the next couple of miles we ran on a rolling dirt road. I could tell Bj wasn't feeling his best so I tried to encourage him and get him back into the race. I initiated a few more lead changes along the road to take his mind off of his tired legs but it didn't seem to be working. Once we hit the jeep road off of the main road I could tell he wasn't his normal self. I started hiking at a little faster pace than we had been so I could get out ahead of him and hopefully entice him to catch back up to me. No go. Today his legs just weren't responding to what he wanted them to do and I started to pull away. Lead change #13 and it would be the last today. The jeep road signaled our next significant climb. I hiked most of this section but when I came across a part that wasn't too steep I would run it. Eventually I made it to AS #3 Carson(21.5). I had a drop bag here as well since the next 9.5 miles could be very unpredictable. I had a jacket and arm sleeves in my pack and decided to keep them not knowing what could happen exposed above treeline. The aid station volunteers took great care of me(all the aid stations had great volunteers),got me fueled up and headed back out on my way. As I was leaving the aid station I saw Bj for the last time before the finish. I yelled some encouraging words to him and continued on my was up the mountain. The remainder of this climb would do it's best to break my spirits. The scenery on the way to the top of this climb was amazing and I used it to fuel my drive.

This climb finally topped out about mile 25. There was a lot of run-able sections now but the climbing and the elevation were taking their toll. I did my best to run as much as possible but if I ran for too long my ears would start to ring and I would get light headed. I would slow down to a walk until I felt better and run again. This lasted for the next couple of miles. The elevation was delivering body blows but I refused to go down. Scenes from "Rocky" kept going through my head, hahaha. Eventually it went from rolling trail to all downhill. By this point my weak ankle was starting to act up. It hurt when I started to run again but I found out if I ran far enough it would loosen up and not hurt as bad. By now it has been hot for a couple of hours but the heat is really starting to set in and being exposed above treeline isn't helping. Now a giant cloud of smoke has blown into the area making it even harder to get air. Around mile 28.5 the trails dives back into the trees and I get a mental boost. The trail is winds through pine trees, their dropped needles making the trail soft. I'm able to run a decent pace until AS#4 Divide aid station(31). Over the last section I found myself praying a lot asking God for strength and the will power to finish what I had started. Over the remainder of the race I found myself praying more and more. He gave me everything I needed to complete my journey and more. Thank you God. I refilled my water, threw down some watermelon and other snacks and was back on the trail. If you have read Aric's blog already you know that the volunteers were telling people that the next 9 miles were rolling. I guess I didn't know what their definition of "rolling" was but climbing for the next 2 miles didn't seem to fit the description. It was really hot now and the smoke cloud only made the heat worse along with making it really hard to breathe. This section was mainly run on a dusty jeep road and was completely exposed. This was probably my lowest point in the race. I was hot, tired, aching and couldn't breathe very well but I pushed forward. Around mile 37 we start heading down again. The jeep road is very rocky and steep. I start feeling better running downhill and I chose my line through the rocks carefully to keep from falling or rolling my ankle. Soon I turn a corner to see Jared and Lori. What a nice surprise! I chat with them briefly, hand of my GoPro to Jared and head on my way. Jared told me that I'm about 2 miles from the next aid station. Sweet! I cruise the next 2 miles at a decent pace and I am in the aid station with a popsicle in my hand before I know it. AS #5 Slumgullion(40) is full of volunteers and people cheering on the runners. I take some extra time here to clean the rocks out of my shoes and clean my socks. I was hoping this would make my feet feel like I had just started this run. Not quite, but better than they were. Only 10 miles to go... From the aid station there is about a mile or so of downhill before the last climb. Overall it's not that bad of a climb, but after 40 miles my legs were not happy about it. I tried to keep myself in it mentally and just kept grinding away up the hill. It seemed to go on for 5 or 6 miles but in reality was only about 2. I wanted to stop and take a break so badly but I knew if I stopped I would lose all the momentum I had going for me. So I pushed on. With each step I got closer to the top of the climb and around mile 43 I was done with the last major climb. Now I had to convince my legs that running was a good idea again. The next 3 miles before the last aid station was the true definition of rolling. I would hike any of the little hills and run the flat and downhill the best I could. I was finally at AS#6 Vickers Upper Ranch(46.5). I refilled my hydration vest, visited with the volunteers a bit, downed some Coke and I was on my way again. Just over 3 miles to go... The Coke was a bad choice. Actually the Coke probably wasn't the bad choice, it was the amount of Coke. I asked for half a cup at the aid station and got a full cup. Instead of just drinking what I wanted to I finished the whole thing. This would cause my stomach to hurt for the remainder of the race. Once the trail started downhill at a decent pace I just let loose. I was mentally done and wanted off of the mountain ASAP. I felt pretty good considering and I ended up passing a few runners. I hit the dirt roads in town and my body decided to test me one last time. A tiny uphill pitch in the road reduced me back to a walk. After that I forced myself to finish of the run properly and ran the rest of the way in. I saw Lori about 2 blocks from the finish and she ran in with me. 11 hours, 22 minutes and 28 seconds later and I am done. Good for 26th overall. Wow, what a race! I came in expecting it to be difficult but it exceeded my expectations. The smoke and the heat were the two biggest factors that made this race harder than I thought it would be. I'm proud of what I accomplished and I am quite certain that I will be back again to push myself even harder now knowing what I am getting myself into. Congrats to the rest of the HUMR crew that ran this race with me: Aric, Bj, Breein and Shawn. Nice job to everyone for finishing a tough, tough race. Now on to the next adventure...

Squaw Peak 50

Squaw Peak 50 2012 Race Report So...it's been a while. I've been lazy about writing reports on my training this year(or lack there of) but I figured I would get one done for my first race of 2012. The problem is that I have waited too long to write this and now I’m not remembering everything that well so bear with me. Usually I would have a race or two under my belt at this point in the year but I had to get over a few injury setbacks early in the year. Back to the point…SP50 2012. Last year I did well at this race(9th overall, 1st in my age group) on the snow altered course. I was bummed last year that I didn’t get to run the original course so this year I was geared up to run it. So finally the Friday before the race came around. I gathered all my supplies I would need(plus enough for 2 or 3 more people apparently), loaded up the car with Sami, picked up Bj and Lori and then we were on our way to Provo. I had all the normal pre-race feelings thinking about what tomorrow would bring. We got into Provo around 8 or 9 and checked into our hotel 20 minutes from the start. Bj and I prepared our supplies for tomorrow and made sure we were set for the early morning start. We tried to get to bed around 10 but we were full of excitement and stayed up chatting for a while. The alarm went off at 3:30. Damn. I feel like I just fell asleep. We got ready pretty quickly and we were out the door. 20 minutes later we’re at Vivian Park getting checked in and making sure our drop bags are in order. I threw down a couple Pre-Race tablets, took a trip to the restroom, threw on my hydration pack and hip belt and waited for the start. A little chatting with some friends and then we were off. This race starts on my least favorite surface, road. It’s only for 2.5 miles or so and it’s early in the morning so it isn’t that bad. Bj and I start off together as usual and we head off into the early morning darkness. Pretty soon we are running with a bunch of guys from the Ogden group. I have my first Bryce sighting for the day and get geared up to battle him. Bryce beat me last year at Squaw and also at the Bear100 so I was looking for a little redemption. He has been calling me “go-fastie” and if he is going to nickname me that I am going to have to beat him sometime…hopefully today. We cruised along down the pathway talking and joking around filled with the adrenaline from race day. Tom Remkes was especially chipper today and seemed to focus most of his energy on bugging Bryce. Eventually we hit the single track and started our climbing for the day. There wasn’t much excitement heading up to the first aid station. Bryce decided to run the steep climb and Tom followed after to him so he could pester him some more. The rest of us just settled into a decent climbing pace but nothing too hard. As we got into the aid station Bj refilled his water bottles and I didn’t need anything so I just kept on going. I wanted to get ahead of the group of runners at the aid station and I didn’t need anything this early in the race. A little ways out of the aid station Bj caught back up to me and we headed up the rest of the climb. A little ways from the top of the climb we caught back up to Bryce, Tom and Matt C. We all cruised the downhill single track together until we reached the jeep road. From there Bj and I decided that we were feeling pretty good and we picked up the pace a bit. As we started to separate from the others Tom commented that Bj and I were “a cute couple”. Thanks Tom. The downhill didn’t last very long and soon we were climbing up again. It wasn’t very steep so we kept a good pace until we hit aid station #3 at mile 10.4. This was one of the aid stations that we had drop bags at and as we were getting our supplies ready for the next section Bryce, Tom, Phil L. and Matt passed us again. More uphill, but really runable. We were able to catch back up to the Ogden group that had just passed us and Tom was still having fun pretending like he wasn’t going to let us pass him. This section seemed to go by pretty quickly and without anything really exciting. We reached aid station #4 grabbed some supplies and took off just as we saw the Ogden group coming up the hill. As we were leaving the aid station Bj rolled his ankle on a loose rock. He hobbled for a little while but shook it off. The majority of this section is on a jeep road and lots of rocky downhill. We were ready for a change from the long uphill grind we had been doing and got a little burst of adrenaline. We were running 7:38 - 8:15 minute miles most of this section. There’s a game I like to play when I’m racing with Bj where I will keep track of all the lead changes between us. So when the run starts to get monotonous or if one of us hitting a bad spot I’ll speed up a little so I can be in the lead then usually slow down right after so Bj can pass me back. So at this point I believe we were somewhere around 23 or 24 lead changes. I was aiming for an average of one lead change per mile so a little ahead of schedule. We pulled into the aid station #5 where we had our next drop bags. We were almost done fueling up when Matt and Tom came into the aid station. Phil came in next and was in and out except for Tom messing with him a bit telling Phil that he had to walk back up to where Tom was sitting to check in and out properly. The aid station volunteer finally just told Phil to go and he was off. Bj and I left shortly after and Matt a little ways behind us. Matt caught up to us and the three of us ran together. Phil stopped at the road to refill at his mobile aid station provided by his family. The three of us passed him and that was the last time I saw Phil until the finish line. Yuck. Now we have 3-4 miles of road running to do with a slight uphill grade. It was starting to get hot at this point and the road was destroying my trail loving heart. Then Davy Crockett provided some temporary relief handing out popsicles on the side of the road. Awesome. Thanks Davy. After the popsicle was gone I starting having a mental battle. All I wanted to do was walk the rest of the way to the next aid station but the little voice inside wouldn’t let me do that. I struggled to stay with Matt and Bj but made sure I did. We looked back and we could see other runners starting to catch up. Finally I decided I didn’t want to spend one second longer than I had to on the damn road so I started pushing the pace a bit. Bj came with me and I think this is where we separated from Matt. Eventually we hit aid station #6. Hallelujah! Sami and Lori were suppose to be here but unfortunately they missed us by about 10 minutes. I was looking forward to seeing Sami knowing that she would give me a mental boost. I just kept telling myself that they would be at the next aid station and that helped me keep pushing on. Bj topped off my hydration pack with a couple cups of ice, refilled his handhelds and we were off. Back on dirt, finally! Not single track, but it will do. We are still heading uphill but it was all runable. A couple miles from the aid station and nature calls to Bj. He thinks he can make it to the aid station then we round the next corner and he changes his mind. He finds a suitable spot to take his pit stop and I decide to keep trudging along. I thought there was a good chance that it was the last time I would see Bj until the finish. I rolled into the next aid station welcomed by hoots and hollers from the volunteers. I love the feeling that I get when I am being cheered on. It always gives me a boost. I refilled my hydration pack and lingered a little bit at the snack table. I took a shot of Coke then I headed out. I didn’t get too far before I heard volunteers cheering again and I looked back to see Bj and Jeff Bertot. So we meet again. Last year at Squaw Peak Jeff and I battled each other for the last 15 miles or so. It looks like this race might turn out the same. Game on. I slowed my pace a bit so that I could run with Bj again and as I did Jeff passed me. Now our focus was to keep up with Jeff. We caught back up with him pretty quickly and we all ran together for a while. We reached a part of the trail that had a tree down across it and when I went to push off of it my foot slipped a bit and I came down funny on my left foot. I felt a little tweak in my hamstring. There was a tiny hill after this part and my hammy felt tight and uncomfortable. This made me a little nervous but I stretched it out and it felt better. The last part of the section before the next aid station was downhill. Usually I would be happy about that but my feet were starting to hurt(something that has been happening on longer runs since the Bear100) and my weak left ankle was acting up like it does. I coasted the rest of the way into aid station #8. We had our last drop bags here so we loaded up for the long hot section ahead. We headed out with a popsicle in hand and walked for a minute or so until we had finished them. The climb was pretty mellow so we trotted along the trail winding back and forth across a creek and threw some Aspen trees. We had caught back up to Jeff and we all hiked together until the trail got steeper. Jeff slowed his pace a bit(which I wanted to do) but Bj pushed forward so I followed because I couldn’t let him get out of sight. This part of the trail was a grind and made me work a lot harder than I wanted to at this point. My legs were screaming for mercy but we pushed on. Eventually the trail levels out and Jeff caught and passed us. Jeff led us down the rolling trail that turned into just downhill. I really didn’t feel like running at this point but I kept up with Bj and Jeff. My feet were hurting pretty bad at this point and the trail wasn’t helping much. There were lots of roots trying to trip me(a few almost succeeded) and plenty of rocks along this narrow single track. While running down this part we caught up to a few other runners and added them to our pack. Around mile 39 the real racing begins….Bozung Hill. Bj starts up the hill at a pace faster than I wanted to go but I’m stubborn and couldn’t let him get ahead of me. About a quarter mile into the climb Bj just steps off the side of the trail and stops. He was feeling the effects of the hill and needed a breather. I was surprised because he had been kicking my ass on all the climbs up to this point and I didn’t think I would be able to out climb him on this day. I gave some encouraging words to him as I climbed past. I knew that if I stopped at all on this hill that it would take me a long time to get back into the climb mentally. The trail isn’t even a trail. Just a beaten path through the scrubby trees and plants that reside on the steep hillside. This whole time it seems that Jeff is getting stronger and I look up every now and then to see him get further and further away. My legs feel drained at this point but I keep pressing forward. The hill only lasts for about a mile but it feels like 5 miles at the least. I finally reach the top but have a little confusion with the trail markings. After sorting it out with a couple other runners I am back on track. My legs are shot so I walk and lightly job for a while even though the trail is flat or only slightly uphill. I reach some snow and put some in my hat to cool down, take in the views for a moment and then I am back into race mode. Soon I come across Ryan Lauck hiking up the trail from the aid station where he is volunteering. It’s good to see a familiar face and he lets me know I only have about a quarter mile to the Windy Pass aid station(#9). Yes! I get into the aid station and see some more friendly faces. Jim is running the aid station and Britta is there to help out. They refill my water and get me some potatoes with salt. I swap out my socks and I am on my way down the mountain, finally! The downhill is a welcome break from grunting upwards so I start enjoying myself more. It doesn’t last long as the trail gets rocky and I’m not able to run as fast as I think I should be. My ankle is bothering me on the loose rocks and my feet fill bruised. I run on the good stretches and walk where the possibility of rolling my ankle is to high to be worth the risk. I’m just moving along in my own world when I get the best surprise of the day. Sami! Yay! She has hiked up the trail about 3 or 4 miles from the next aid station to see me as soon as possible. Thanks for being there babe, you helped me more than you know. Lori was just a little ways down the trail ready to get my photo. We said hello/goodbye and I was on my way with Sami running down behind me. The downhill felt like it lasted much longer than it should but eventually I popped out on an open plain. A little more downhill and I was at the last aid station. I had run out of water about a mile before and was pretty thirsty. A volunteer refilled my hydration pack and got me a cold towel. The cold towel on my neck felt amazing after suffering in the heat all day. I lingered a while enjoying the offerings they had. I finally got myself out of there and just as I was leaving I could see a green shirt come around the corner. Bj. I quickly checked out and took off down the road. Apparently Bj didn’t know that I had seen him so he had his bottles refilled quickly and started to chase after me. I was a little shocked to see him that close to me. He looked beaten when I left him heading up Bozung Hill. Bj yelled at me when he reached the road to the finish. I looked back and just kept on running. I couldn’t let him catch me now, not this far into the race. I looked back one more time and waved at him to catch up but he just gave me the “go ahead” gesture and I didn’t see him again until the finish. I picked up my pace. I felt miserable running on the road with sore, tired legs but I pressed on knowing that I was almost done. I passed a runner walking because he was dehydrated and got passed by a guy less than a half mile from the finish. I later learned from Bj that he is a fast road marathoner so that lessened the sting a little. I turn the corner onto the park sidewalk and get a good welcome from the crowd. Sami has made it back down to cheer me in with Cammie, Brevin and Wyatt. I cross the finish line after 9 hours 49 minutes and 15 seconds good for 11th place overall and 1st in my age group. Bj is just under 4 minutes behind me. Jeff finished the race really strong in 9:33:04 good for 6th overall. Now the score is one to one...until we meet again. I am happy with the race I ran and proud of the result. I know that I could have had a better time if it wasn’t so bloody hot, but you have to play the hand you are dealt…there’s always next year.