Speedgoat 50k 2012 Race Report

Speedgoat 50k Race Report 2012 So here we are again. Another day and another race. This time it’s the Speedgoat 50k, the toughest race per mile that I have done. My Garmin showed me ending up with 32.3 miles and 11, 343 feet of elevation gain in 7 hours 8 minutes and 53 seconds. Race weekend started off with Sami and I piling all of our gear and accessories into the Soob Friday afternoon and heading down to Snowbird resort. We checked into our hotel room, got settled in then headed out to meet some of the HUMR group to have some dinner. After dinner we headed back to the room so I could get myself prepared for the next day. We got to bed around 11 but I didn’t sleep very well and before I knew it the alarm was going off at 4:45 a.m. We gathered our things and headed down to the lobby to meet up with the rest of the crew. We take a short drive and we are at the start line checking in, getting some sweet swag, chatting excitedly with each other and pointing out the pro runners to each other like school girls gushing over Justin Beiber. 5...4...3...2...1...GO! The race begins and the front runners are sprinting down the trail and heading up the mountain. That’s the last time I will see them until the finish. I settle into a comfortable pace with Bj, Ryan and Matt as we start our first climb of the day. We start pretty conservatively walking up the hills and Matt leaves us here as he keeps up his run. I bumped into Justin Nelson and he ran with us a bit as we chatted about our recent races and those coming up. He took off and it was back to me, Bj and Ryan until around mile 3.5 where Ryan dropped back a bit and then at mile 5 I started pushing a little harder and left Bj. I have had my best training year yet so I was feeling confident I could try to push myself harder than I did 2 years ago at this race. I caught back up to Matt around mile 6 or so and we hiked the rest of the way up to Hidden together where Britta was waiting to cheer us on and hand out popsicles to the HUMR‘s. Thanks Britta! At aid station #1(Hidden Peak, mile 8) the volunteers re-filled our water quickly and we were back out on the trail in no time. We run down a service road for a little bit then we are back on some sweet single track winding through a beautiful field of wildflowers. On the this downhill section I decided to open it up a bit and I start cruising at a faster but comfortable pace until I catch some runners ahead of me. The wildflowers are growing right up to the trail and hanging over some making it difficult to pass. The first runner I catch lets me pass but the next one has headphones in with his music blaring so he can’t hear me. He also has some trekking poles sticking was out from his sides making it even harder to get by. After a few failed attempts to get his attention I just settle in behind him until the trail finally opens up a little and I can get by. Once I get past him I have a wide open trail to the next aid station. Aid station #2(Mineral Basin, mile 10.2) was close enough to the last one that I didn’t need to stop and just kept on rolling through. A little more downhill on a service road takes me to Larry’s hole before I am climbing up another hill. The climb doesn’t last very long before I am heading back downhill. The trail is steep and technical single track before we turn onto a jeep road that is so washed out that it is basically a dried up river bed. I get my first signal that I am a little behind on my electrolytes when my groin gives me a little twinge going through the rocky section. This rocky downhill lasts for about a mile and a half before I find myself climbing again. Just as I start climbing I catch a glimpse of Justin again but he has been climbing better than I have and I lose sight of him again quickly. After the climb the road drops down to a flat out and back section with aid station #3 (Pacific Mine, mile 14.8) at the end of it. As I head to the aid station I get to see the runners ahead of me heading back out. I pass by Joe Grant who took 2nd place at the Hardrock100 two weeks ago and he compliments my beard as he passes by. Thanks Joe. As I pulled into the aid station I got a cold water soaked towel on my neck that felt amazing after the hot flat section I had just run. The volunteers were awesome(they were awesome at every aid station) and quickly filled up my hydration vest as I ate a potato and some watermelon. I put my vest back on and headed out with a popsicle to enjoy on the way. Back along the flat section I saw Matt with Bj not too far behind him. We exchanged some motivational words as we ran past each other and continued on our respective ways. The next section consisted of mostly hiking with running mixed in when the grade of the jeep road allowed. I had left Justin back at Pacific Mine AS but he caught back up to me within a couple of miles. He told me that he rolled his ankle back on the rocky downhill around mile 13 and that it is giving him trouble on the downhill sections. His ankle wasn’t affecting his climbing though and he pulled away from me about a mile and a half into the Miller Hill climb. I felt good with my pace so I didn’t try to stay with him. It was starting to get hot now so I made it a point to drink extra water. My groin was still twinging every now and then so I needed to hydrate as much as possible. My weak ankle started to hurt around mile 20 which is about par for me. My feet were hurting also but my energy was good and I was still in it mentally. I pushed on until I reached the top of the climb and cruised some flat and downhill back to Larry’s Hole. My groin gave me a few twinges here but never fully cramped. I had to be careful with my downhill stride to prevent the cramp from coming. Once I get a cramp I usually can’t get back to normal running for the rest of the race. So a little more climbing and I’m back at the Mineral Basin AS(mile 19.4 according to Karl but my Garmin said it was about mile 21.5) for the second time. I was at the aid station only long enough to get my water refilled and grab a few snacks then I was off. Leaving the aid station there is a sign that says the next section has about 2200 feet of gain in 2.2 miles so basically climbing Malan’s at mile 22, lovely. I trudged up the climb for what seemed like forever with my quads burning the whole way. Halfway up I ran into to Lori and I got a mental boost seeing someone familiar and hearing her encouraging words. Thanks for being the Lori! She told me I looked good but I felt pretty worked over. I make it to the jeep road and head down for a little bit. My groin starts acting up again so I decided to slow down a bit. In about 50 feet I didn’t really have a choice about going fast or not because the course sent me on a route straight up the mountainside to Baldy. This section was brutal with loose footing and steep terrain. Karl is a sick man. Eventually I made my way to the ridge and jogged over to the peak. Jogging down from the peak my groin and left hamstring were acting up again so I slowed down and kept the pace easy. I couldn’t get all the way caught up on my hydration to solve the problem apparently. Soon the trail spills out onto a service road where Britta is waiting for the HUMR’s to come through. She gives me two popsicles which hit the spot. Yum. As I cruise down the road to the Tunnel AS I see Bryce coming up. He gives me some encouragement and squirts me with some cold water that feels great now that the heat is in full force. As I come into the aid station Shane Martin comes down the road to meet me and see what I need. I just get a refill on my water and head out. Running through the tunnel was great. Nice and cool and out of the sun. I wish it would have lasted longer. More service road and more downhill for about 2 miles. My groin doesn’t give me any trouble finally so I am able to open up the pace more than I had been. Next up is the last climb, one and a half miles with 1500 feet of gain along the Ridgeline Trail. I know it’s the last climb so I do my best to keep pushing but the pain in my legs and feet starts to get to me mentally. I keep moving but am going at a much slower pace than I wanted to. I decide to focus on the runner ahead of me and not let him get too far ahead. There are also two runners behind me and I use them as motivation to not get caught. After what felt like an eternity I see Lori’s smiling face a little ways down from the top of the ridge. Sitting at the top of the ridge are a group of spectators drinking beer and relaxing in their camp chairs. I really wanted to trade places at that moment but they told me they would give me a beer at the finish so I trudged along up the hill. Bryce ran part way down the hill from the aid station(Hidden Peak 2, mile 27 on my Garmin) to meet me and see what I needed. He took my vest from me and refilled my water as I ate a few potato chips, a slice of watermelon and drank some Coke. Sami was there cheering me on which gave me a giant mental boost. Thanks for being there babe honey, you’re the best! My feet were hurting pretty bad at this point so I wanted to sit down and clean the dirt and rocks out of my shoes but Bryce kicked me out before I could even try. 5 miles to go…I take off running with a renewed energy from seeing my friends and family. The two runners that were behind me going up the ridge are now in front of me giving me someone to chase. There is about a half a mile of large loose rocks at the beginning of the downhill making it difficult to keep up a fast pace. Next there is some single track that spills out onto a service road. The service road is steep and technical. Part way down there is some loose road base that had been recently put there turning the run into scree skiing for a moment. I caught up to the two runners in front of me at this point and decided to see if I had anything left in my legs. I started pushing the pace and felt pretty good. My groin and hamstring didn’t give me any issues. Back onto the single track and I could smell the barn. I really don’t like the finish to this race because the trail sends you back and forth a couple times and all along I can see the finish down below teasing me. I keep pushing to make sure I don’t get caught and in no time I am on the final stretch. I come around the last turn to a burst of cheers from friends, family and strangers alike. I cross the finish line and am greeted by Karl Meltzer with a handshake. I can finally relax. Sami, Bryce and Karen are there to baby me; getting me food, ultragen and a chair so I can finally sit down and watch the rest of my friends finish. Overall I am really happy with how I ran this race. I did a great job getting in and out of aid stations for the first time really. I usually linger a little too long and I made it a point to get out quick. My legs responded extremely well all day except for the twinging of my groin and hamstring on some downhills from time to time. Luckily it never turned into a full on cramp. I stayed on top of my hydration and calorie consumption too. I must have started out behind on my hydration causing the twinges in my legs. I was aiming for a sub 7 hour finish and didn’t quite make it but I was basing that goal off of last years course instead of the harder course this year. Thanks to all the friends and family that was there either volunteering, running or just there to offer support. You all make these races much more enjoyable than they could be without you there. Congrats to all the HUMR’s who finished that beast of race, you guys rock!!!