100 Mile Race - Which One To Do

Without doubt, there is only one 100 mile I really care to do. Hardrock. I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way and it goes without saying that I bit of hard work (and even luck) needs to be put in before being considered for this race.

The list below are races that I'm considering doing. I have pros and cons for each race. What I don't get caught up in is the difficulty of a specific race. Bottom line is any 100 mile race I consider will be a total bitch to complete. Regardless of elevation, terrain, location, number of aid stations, etc...

1st Option: Cascade Crest 100
Pros: A gorgeous setting, a loop course, a 10am start time, a very low key event with no Big Buckle Envy. The high point of the course is equivalent to that of my house so training wouldn't require long drives to the high country for acclimation.

Cons: Being no where near home and not knowing anyone in the Seattle area would mean I'd be running this race solo and likely with little assistance from a crew. My wife would only be helping once at mile 23 and this while caring for our daughter. This trip can get costly.

Registration: The race has never exceeded 128 offical starters and in 2011 filled up in 7 minutes. Speaking with the RD, 2012 will have some type of undetermined lottery system in February. No clue what entrant cap will be.

2nd Option: Leadville 100
Pros: The course is only a few hours away. Very familiar with the course. The recruitment of family and friends for pacing and crewing will be (hopefully) extremely easy. The community of those running/supporting the race is awesome!

Cons: 700 plus folks lining up at the start. Not a fan of the out and back design of the course. Damn early start time. Getting up to elevation for training on a frequent basis (which means more time away from the family). Big Buckle Envy. Reality is everyone is fixated with this. Regardless of their ability to achieve the 25 hour mark. Do I really need to add this possible stress to an already demanding event?

Registration: From my understanding, registration opens up November 1st. Will it sell out in 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, next January? No clue but guessing from the popularity of the race and possible release of a movie on some book, I can only imagine this race, regardless of number of entrants, will sell out fast.

Distant 3rd Option: Bear 100
Pros: A point to point course along a beautiful stretch of backcountry between North East Utah and South East Idaho. Extremely low key event with no Big Buckle Envy (though there is animal buckle envy but not nearly as stressful).

Cons: Logistics made even more difficult being in a remote part of the state. Very likely no crew or pacer. Might not be possible due to work constraints this time of year.

Registration: I actually have no clue when registration opens up but guessing some time in Feb. Last years race wasn't full when I last checked which was just weeks leading into the race.

Choosing which 100 miler to sign up for is easy. It's the registration process and their respective dates that makes picking a race so damn difficult. My negative mindset with all this falls along the lines of - "If I wait for the Cascade Crest lottery to open, I won't get picked. Which means I already missed my opportunity to get into Leadville since that race will fill up before Thanksgiving. Leaving Bear as my only option which might not be doable anyway."

So do I pull the trigger and sign up for Leadville? Do I take my chances and wait for Cascade? Do I consider other races like Angeles Crest, Big Horn or Wasatch and complicate this whole process even more?

And for the record, my wife is pushing for Leadville as she's completely opposed to me running this distance alone. Even though she'd rather wait for me in the heart of the Cascades versus Leadville during the long weekend.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

September 2011 Summary

Runs - 19
Workouts - 2
Injured - 0

The Bad:

Outside of being damn near frozen solid on the 17th, I can't complain about one thing over the past month.

The Good:

Recovery - I am so pleased with how well I've recovered from Steamboat. I took 3 days off after the race and went for an easy 5 mile run with nearly no issues. So happy about that. And with that, I did almost no running over the last 2 weeks of the month. Just didn't see the point. Mentally refreshing to escape the daily grind of training every day.

Family Time! - No long runs on the weekend has allowed for much time with the wife and daughter. Strolls thru Wash Park, the Farmers Market, trips to the high country. Highlighted by some amazing time spent in Grand Lake when the weather was warm, colors stunning and beer tasty.


Mustache - I some how pulled off sporting a mustache the last 2 weeks of the month. It was awesome and made me feel like a real man!!! For some reason though, my wife hated it. Not sure why.

Fall - I love all four seasons here in Colorado. However winter and summer can get a bit old as the extreme temps can linger on a bit to long. With spring and fall, temps always seem to be perfect.

Looking Forward:

More Family Time - Enjoying the weather over the next month plus with the family will be my main immediate focus. Lots more long walks around the park and a few more trips up to the mountains.

Embracing the dark and cold of winter - I'll slowly start to increase my miles over the next few weeks. This increase will occur during the dark and slowly getting colder mornings. I love training in this type of environment because it helps me stay mentally strong and appreciate the upcoming spring that much more.

2012 - I've looked at the dates for a few races next year and I'm slowly putting it all together. Gotta admit, it's not if I'll sign up for a 100 mile race, but which 100 mile race I'll sign up for. More to come on this topic in a future post.

Run Rabbit Run - Mother Nature Not Playing Nice

Last year I approached Base Camp (Mile 32) completely out of gas due to an overheating body and on the verge of severe dehydration. This year I approached Base Camp shaking uncontrollably and hands so swollen I felt like each of my hands had 5 thumbs that couldn't bend.

Before I start, I gotta say a huge THANK YOU to all the volunteers who helped make this race happen. Folks were dropping left and right and it could have gotten really ugly had it not been for all these fine people.

Race morning had some surprisingly comfortable temps. My long sleeve almost seemed like too much and I questioned if my jacket tied to my Nathan was even necessary. My drop bag had a short sleeved shirt which I wish was on me instead.

The start is in the dark and was hiding the dark luminous clouds that were lingering some 2,000 feet above us. This year was a complete contrast to last year. No sun. No fall colors (yet). And worse, no warmth for those ready to run 50 miles.

(The Start from our condo...the day after the storm)

The first 23 miles were at a conservative pace with a focus on hydration and fuel. No gps today and only an old school Timex who's time is set to another hemispheres time zone which beeped every 15 minutes. All felt easy to this point with my only bumps in the road being 3 bio breaks in the woods.

Since about mile 5, heaps of fog, cold light winds and a steady mist kept us company. At first, it wasn't a big deal. Over a couple of hours though, this mist was more then enough to soak us. Refuge among the trees was bliss compared to the exposed open meadows where the weather was miserable at times. It was the climb up Rabbit Ears when the weather got nasty. The rain was now a down pour. The wind howling.

The turnaround came in at just under 5 hours flat. Pretty much spot on to last year. The big difference was I felt awesome. Well hydrated, well fueled. Ready to hammer it back home. Oh and it was snowing.

Bio break number 4 at Dumont (Mile 28 and my first on an actual toilet), reloading on gels and chews and being extremely thankful that I had my somewhat damp jacket with me but wishing I had gloves and a beanie.

The next 4 miles went by quick but are the most exposed. Again, I was feeling great but the mixture of upper 30's temps, wind and rain got to me. I ran the last mile into Base Camp pretty hard. Well as hard as one can run on a sloppy mess of a forest road.

Even after that effort, I got to Base Camp frozen. Next thing I know I'm getting put into a warm SUV and peeling off my jacket and long sleeve and wrapped in blankets. Sitting next to a gal who up to this point was leading the women's race. I spent the next 30 plus minutes shaking uncontrollably. The next 30 plus minutes after that pondering how to avoid another DNF as my shaking continued. Watching person after person approach Base Camp getting put into the one of the 10 cars with the hope of warming up.

After an hour and 15 minutes-ish, I put on my long sleeve which was now dry. My dry jacket and dry hat. Threw down 2 big cups of noodles and broth, a few sodas and stepped outside. It was raining worse, mixed with hail and felt 20 below. Running in this for even a few minutes would put be back in a state of hypothermia. Then possibly my saving grace, a garbage bag.

A bag that would keep me dry and even possibly keep me warm due to its lack of breathing material. One hole for my head to poke thru, the rest of the bag tucked into my shorts. So I was off to finish this race. My goal of sub 10 was gone but still had a small shot at sub 11. The first few minutes out of the aid station led to some serious second guessing of my decision to leave. I started to get the chattering jaw again, still fat fingered and the sitting in the back seat of the SUV left my legs tight. Each step felt like I was driving my heel into the ground with no ability to bend my knees.

With a group of four other runners I made an unexplained move to pass down a sloppy slope. Bang! It all felt right. I ran damn near every step over the next 6 miles. Please keep in mind the running was ugly due to the horrible HORRIBLE trail conditions that now greeted me with every step.

Long Lake Aid Station was another refuge for those seeking warmth. Thankfully I wasn't one of them and didn't bother breaking stride. I continued on and made quick work over the next 5 miles running big chunks of it. The last time I ate anything was back at Base Camp. I tried since but I couldn't for the life of me open a gel. Open a pack of chews. (Cue in Benny Hill Theme Song - Yakety Sax) Fingers were beyond useless.

(Thankfully the rest of me was only frozen cold)

The last 2 miles to Mt. Werner (Mile 44) were much slower now but still felt good. Actually well hydrated and just unfortunately low on fuel. It was my now frozen hat causing issues and over these miles the cold winds at 10,000 feet caught up to me and I got into the aid station freezing agin.

I tried warming up for 10 minutes while covered in blankets and space blankets. Not working. Actually getting worse. Then I just said screw it and hoped the 6 miles of downhill would warm me up. It didn't. But I was moving along at a steady clip without any issues. With 2 miles left I wanted to ditch the garbage bag that saved my race. Second I peeled it off I started to freeze so I slipped it back on.

11 Hours 28 mintues, 51st place and the last 18 or so miles drapped in a garbage bag and I was now crossing the finish line.

Unofficial Results. Gloss in the local fish wrap.

So easy for me to be disappointed about this race. Over an hour an half spent on my ass trying to warm up. 4 stops wondering what was going on with my ass.

Honestly though, none of that mattered. Physically, from a pure running perspective, I got stronger as the day went on. My stomach never once even thought about going south on me. Hydration and fuel were spot on considering the circumstances. Menatally, I felt about as strong as I've ever felt during a race. No bonk, no quit in me. Only a desire to continue hammering.

Highlight of the race was seeing my family at the end. Being greeted by my overly supportive wife who for some unknown reason allows me to beat myself up in these races. And my daughter who's smile when seeing me at the finish made this race that much more memoriable.

(The family hanging out with a hobo in a garbage bag)

August 2011 Summary

Runs - 21
Workouts - 0
Injured - 0

The Bad:

A left ankle that can't catch a break. I can't remember the last time I woke up when my left ankle wasn't sore or stiff. I've rolled the ankle every possible way and it's been bruised up or inflamed for the better part of the past 2 months. What I am now left with is an inflamed bursa sack right where the Achilles tendon connects to the heel. Most days it takes a good mile plus to work thru the pain before it warms up. Some days the pain just doesn't go away. Now that I'm in taper mode, aspirin, ice and staying away from technical trails is about all my left ankle can ask for.

Recovery. In hindsight, not sure how smart it was to run the SF Marathon. Maybe it wasn't smart to run 22 miles at night in Leadville 6 days later. Either way, the first half of the month was spent trying to recover as quick as possible. Lots of days off (21 runs in the month was the least amount of running I've gotten in this year).

The Gym. My days off were complete days off were I didn't do shit. No gym, no running. Just relaxing and spending time with the family (a great thing) or working way to much (a crappy thing).

The Good:

Even with a slight cutback on the running, the month of August was a blast with the follow:

1st Weekend - Annual LT100 Night Run
2nd Weekend - Bergen Peak
3rd Weekend - Crewing and Pacing PG during his kick ass performance at LT100
4th Weekend - North Loop Indian Peaks Wilderness

With all the time off, I got in a healthy amount of stretching, foam roller and icing time in for the body. By the third weekend of the month, my body was starting to feel really good.

Looking Forward:

Not looking at 2012 all that closely but was curious to see when Jemez was being ran. Was really sad to see the Las Conchas Fires impact on the area and the race itself. Home page unfortunately says it all. If permits allow for a race next year, I'll make every effort to get down there and support the race and community.

Oh and some little race I've been eyeing now for some time is only weeks away!

Parting shot of the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area -

North Loop - Indian Peaks Wilderness Area - Back Again

Not sure what more I can say about this loop that hasn't already been said. Well other then get out there and run it you haven't done so already.

Last year I ran this loop counter-clockwise alone. This year I ran it clockwise along with some fantastic company. I was some how able to talk both a run-in with the law and KM to wake up damn early, stomach a long drive up to the Long Lake trail head and hit the trails by 6:30am.

Temps at 10,500 feet couldn't have been any nicer at the start. Comfortable cool breeze's greeted us at both Pawnee and Buchanan. Typical of Indian Peaks, a bit of rain and thunder, lots of sun, water crossings and heaps amount of wildflowers helped paint a picture perfect day in the mountains high above the Front Range.

(Heading up towards Lake Isabelle and Pawnee Pass)

(Near the top of Pawnee Pass looking west)

(Run-In making quick work down towards Pawnee Lake)

(KM a few switch backs below Pawnee Pass itself)

I've been to the top of Pawnee Pass 6 times now in my life and the views and surrounding area have left me speechless each damn time. Run-In (who is running the Wasatch 100 and gunning for a Velvet Cougar aka Crimson Cheetah) set the pace most of the day but was kind enough to hold back from time to time. I personally felt great most of the run staying well ahead on both fluids and fuel. Also helps that the views and conversation offered up a great distraction to the running itself.

(Run-In leading the way down Cascade and up Buchanan. KM not far behind)

My only bottom happened shortly after leading us down a wrong trail about a mile before Coney Flats. What resulted was an additional 1 mile and damn near 30 minutes of bushwhacking and creek crossings to get back on the Beaver Creek Trail.

Leading the group the wrong way mentally drained me. Just felt bad for doing that even though no one cared. Having zero water on the last big climb of the day didn't help matters either. Most of the trail up to the Mt. Audubon intersection is runnable but not on this day for me. It was a slow slog up. Thankfully things came back together for me and we all made quick work of the last few technical miles back to the car.

Stats for the day were roughly:
27 3/4 Miles
7,100 Feet of Vert
7 Hours 20 Minutes (of that 30 mins spent lost, 30 mins spent just kicking it and enjoying the views)

(Indian Peaks Wilderness Area Single Track. Doesn't get much better then this)

July 2011 Summary

Runs - 25
Workouts - 5
Injured - 0

The Bad: Lots of travel days limited my running.

Is it possible for my left ankle to get even more thrashed? Yes when I seem to roll it every week.

The Good: Were to begin?

1st Weekend of July - Running Mt. Princeton.
2nd Weekend of July - Pacing/Crewing my friend at HR100.
3rd Weekend of July - Family vacation to Durango.
4th Weekend of July - Running the South Loop of the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area.
5th Weekend of July - Running the San Francisco Marathon while on vacation.

The month of July saw me spend the most hours on my feet, the most vertical feet climbed and almost the most monthly miles so far this year. Even more important, a lot of time spent with the family! Damn how I love summer time in Colorado.

Looking forward: There is still plenty of time to be spending in the high country so I'm banking on a few more running trips up high. I also have 6 weeks till Steamboat so I have another month of focused training ahead of me that I'm looking forward to.

Most excited that in a few weeks, along with a few of his buddies, we'll be crewing and pacing PG at Leadville. The tasks of getting PG thru the race is something I'll be taking extremely serious. There might not be one right way to train for a 100 mile race, but the time he's put in over the past 6 months is extremely impressive and one I'm sure will pay off nicely. It's going to be a great weekend for so many folks up in Leadville! Can't wait.

And lastly, a trail running trip report (and pics) I never got around to posting. Columbine Lake attempted 1 day before my duties began at Hardrock. A comfortable 5 1/2 mile round trip route with 2,500 feet of up peaking at like 12,700 feet. A lake I've always wanted to visit. A lake that I got denied visiting due to waist deep snow. And I was only a few hundred yards away.

(Alpine Chicken!)

(Columbine Basin filled with snow)

(Looking towards the area between Ouray and Lake City)

(Looking towards Silverton)

2011 San Francisco Marathon

Heading back home now a days is all about spending time with family and extremely close friends. Nothing else matters. Not even my running. And this "doesn't matter" approach was exactly how I treated the San Francisco Marathon that was held a few days ago on the last day of July.

This year's trip back home was made even more special as my beautiful baby daughter got to meet so many new face. She also had some trouble getting adjusted to her new sleeping arraignment which meant sleepless nights for the wife and I for the duration of the trip.

Mix in a very short 3 day taper (Thur off due to travels, Fri & Sat combined 7 miles, 40 mile week and 21 miles just 8 days earlier) and I wasn't expecting much come race day. For no specific reason a slow 3:40 sounded right.

Sunday race day starts out stupid early. 5:32am to be specific. I won't break down my race but rather share random things that went on during my 26.2 mile training run in San Francisco (aka The City by the Bay, aka The Sucka Free City, aka The 415).


Overheard: "We are 20 seconds behind our goal pace and I already feel like I'm pushing hard." This was at the 1 mile marker

Pace Group Encounter #1: Shortly after watering the plants at mile 4, I saw the 3:40 pace group about 20 yards or so behind and thinking it would be tough to keep up with them.

Golden Gate Bride Crossing: Way to crowded to have it be enjoyable (to me) but still pretty freaking cool to be offered the opportunity to do so. Yup, that's a girl in a tu-tu smoking me early on.


Presidio: Hitting a high point of the course 10+ miles in and realizing I had another 3 or 4 gears in me. This is where the fun began.

Mile 15: Free Beer! Need I say more. And yes I will have another.

Pace Group Encounter #2: Creeping up and passing the 3:20 pace group around mile 18 and thinking their pace was way to slow.

Haight St: Awesome that the course ran down the heart of such an amazing place.


Hills: I love hills and I love watching people suffer up them.

Cell Phones: I called my wife at mile 21 to let her know where I was. The look from other runners was priceless.

Downhill finish: All that downhill over the last 6 miles came within what felt like 10 quad mashing blocks.

Passing Fools: I was maybe a foot or so away before noticing that I was passing up JT. I've only met JT a few times (read his blog all the time) and he seems like a solid guy but reality is I don't know him. So a smack on the ass as a motivation tool to the Sub Elite would have been weird. Now if you're reading PG, I will use this tactic if I see you slacking anywhere between Twin and Fish. You've been warned.

Toughest moment: Doing a healthy size whiskey shot at mile 25. I almost barfed on the party of crazies providing the free booze. Took me a 1/4 mile to be sure my stomach wouldn't come up.

3 Hours, 15 Minutes, 27 Seconds. 7:28Pace. 195th out of 5920 runners (finishers?).

I started out the race extremely slow and ate and drank a bunch early on. Once the legs warmed up I just sped up the pace every few miles till the race was done. 8 miles in I had a 7:54Pace going on. So yeah, I picked it up a bit there after even though I was easily goofing around much more during the second half of the race.

I was actually disappointed that the race was done and I could have easily headed out for lap 2 of the course. And this is what I was most proud of. So much left in the tank to take on more. Mentally wanting more. Yeah a marathon won't prep me for Steamboat but it's these little things that help ensure my current training plan is working.

As for the course layout, for the out of towner, it was great. You do get a great tour of the city. For me though, and as a native, I would have loved seeing the route go thru more of the cities neighborhoods and tackle a few more steeps. I believe that it's these two things that make the city what it is (you can have Pier 39 and the Wharf and I'll take North Beach or the Inner Sunset any day of the week).

I'm not one for finisher medals but the one below is pretty bad ass. Now to plan next weekends adventure in the high country.