2013 SJS50 - Race Report

Wow that was one fun weekend!!!

The Lake City 50 (aka SJS50) is so much more then a bunch of trail runners tackling a stunning 50 mile loop thru the San Juan's.  It's all about the ultra running community's family and friends getting together and spending the weekend in the heart of the most beautiful mountains this country has to offer.  It's honestly more then that but I don't have the words to describe how amazing this weekend is.  It's why I've brought my family to Lake City, CO 3 of the last 4 years for the race and this year didn't disappoint.

A few things had me really worried as race day neared:

1) The nearby Papoose Fire.  The ridge in far back is roughly mile 31 of the course.  The fires were another 15 miles east of there & west of Creede. The winds thankfully blowing east.

 (Thur Evening)

(Fri Afternoon)

2) My inconsistent training over the past few months (the latest being a thrashed right foot forcing me to rest more then I wanted too...an injury I'm sure related to my strained shin muscle from early May).

Start to Williams (Mile 0 to 15.7):
Tecate cans and nudie girls on some playing cards marking the course!  Going out really easy on the climb.  Almost to easy. Going easier on the downhill.  Noticing how I wish I had a 1/2 size longer pair of PI N2s.  Noticing my quads feeling the drop to Williams and blaming it on the way to easy effort and altered running gait as to not smash my toes.

Getting into Williams in 3 hours 25 minutes.  Exactly like I was hoping too. But then spending like 10 minutes fumbling with my drop bag and sitting on the can.

Mixed bag on feelings here.  Worried about the quads and the lack of training.  Worried if the foot would hold.  Excited to tackle the next 2 sections which are my favorite.

Williams to Carson (Mile 15.7 to 21.5):
The flattish 2.5 miles went by quickly and I started the Carson climb on a mission to pass everyone I saw.  Huge problem though.  I passed 3 folks within the first 1/3 mile and saw no one else ahead of me for the next 2 miles!  Was easy to pull off the accelerator when there's no one to track down.  However I continued strong up the climb.

About 1 mile to go I FINALLY saw a runner.  Lots of them.  A dozen or so.  I was feeling great and just worked it passing them all into Carson.  As I entered the aid station I saw another dozen or so just up ahead and looked forward to tracking them all down as well.

4 hours and 45/50 minutes to Carson.  Spent a few minutes here just loading up on water and fuel.  No drop bag to mess with.  Mentally I was feeling amazing and looking forward to a lot more climbing ahead.

Carson to Divide (Mile 21.5 to 31):
Instead of pushing the effort on the remainder of the climb, I got in the mind set of holding a consistent effort till the high point of the course.  Roughly 3 miles and 1,700 feet of climbing up to 13,300 feet.  I was still moving well and I just knew other runners would be slower and I'd catch up that way. Another dozen plus folks were running slower and another dozen caught.

I've never had much of an issue being at high elevations and not once did I notice the thin air along the divide section.  It's been since last fall since I've run any technical high alpine terrain but my footing apparently hadn't missed a beat.  There is still no greater running playground then high above treeline on technical terrain and I was enjoying every breath and step of it!

I continued to hold back my effort knowing that taking an extra 5 or 10 minutes to get to the next aid station would only benefit me over the last 10 miles of the course.

With roughly 3 or 4 miles to go, I had somewhat of a teenage girl at a Beatles concert moment.  I was quickly approaching the machine himself who's closing performance at last years Hardrock ranks as pure awesomeness.

But it was who he was running with that made me stop and almost ask for an autograph.  Before I got into running, I was a huge skier.  A huge fan of the sport and of those who simply lay down the hammer out there on the big mountain.  I still have a few DVDs in my basement produced by companies like MSP, TGR..some including Mr. Chris Davenport himself!  Running side by side these 2 absolutely accomplished/bad ass skiers was pretty f'ing cool.

Shade over 7 hours into the Divide A.S.  Easily the smartest running I did all day was during this 9 mile stretch.  I could have kept this pace up all day.  A few minutes spent here and I was off.

Divide to Slum (Mile 31 to 40):
Since leaving Williams, I was in this very positive state mentally.  That didn't last long as I stepped into this section of the course.  The same section that literally brought me to my knees a year ago as my quad strain couldn't handle anymore.  Last year I walked 7+ miles of this section.  This year I walked maybe a mile of it.

I ran hard, focused and pretty mad.  I remember seeing the blogger formally known as ARunInWithTheLaw (great seeing you out there!) briefly.  I remember my toes slamming against the front of my shoes on the downhill.  I remember the toes really getting thrashed the last quarter mile of downhill of this section.  Don't remember much else.

Roughly 8 Hours and 25 minutes into Slum.  Hardest miles I ran all day was in this section and I felt really good.  I think it took me 1:20 to run this section. Spent a few minutes getting what I needed.  Thoughts of a 10 1/2 hour finish crept into my head as I wondered if a 2 hour split was possible over the next section (I know, wishful thinking).

Slum to Lake City (Mile 40 to 50):
Damn it was starting to get hot out.  Them strong climbing legs I had earlier were gone.  The last section of running hard got to me.  I focused on water and a few calories every 5 to 10 minutes with hopes of a slow consistent uphill.  I passed one running close to the Vickers A.S.  That was it.

Got passed smoked on the uphill by the 3rd place M in the 35-59 age group (I ended up 4th in the age group) around mile 43.  Absolutely impressive.  I got passed smoked on the downhill by Mr StuckInTheRockies around mile 48. Absolutely impressive.

Once at the Vickers aid station, I had 40 minutes to cover 4 miles at a shot at breaking 10:30.  With my thrashed toes, that wasn't happening.  I simply couldn't open up on the downhill anymore regardless of how good my quads still felt.  So instead I just sat and chatted with those in the aid station before cruising it in.  The 3 running encounters I just mentioned were the only runners I saw this whole section.

They never called in my bib number as I entered the finish line chute.  So no running with my daughter down that stretch.  But she was right there at the finish line waiting for me.  A huge "DADDY!", embrace around my legs and fall to the ground followed by a kiss and a "I want ice cream" request.  The next morning I got to hold her in my arms as she accepted my visor for finishing in the 10 to 11 hour range. So a solid way to end the race weekend with my little girl.

(Took me an hour before I could drink a beer)

The nearby fire smoke never an issue.  Blue skies all weekend.  The foot and shin injuries never an issue.  It's like they were never injured.

10 Hours 39 Minutes 47 Seconds
18th Place Overall --16th Male Overall

I ran (mostly) smart all day.  I left it all on the course but I know there's still room for improvement. A low 10?  Realistic. A sub 10? Doubt it. A 7:35.03? I still don't believe that's the new course record!!!

Congrats to all the other amazing runners out there giving the course all they had!  Awesome job by all the volunteers out there who made the course and aid stations spectacular!  I'll see you all in 2014!!!!!!!

(Well earned Cannibal Division visor)

May 2013 Summary

Runs - 17
Weightlifting - 4
Running Days - 17
Average Mile per Running Day - 10.75
Vertical Feet Ran - 24,000
Injured - Missed out on roughly 100 miles for the month

The best way to describe my month of Running is one of running through an injury.  Amazes me how stubborn I can be about an injury that impacts my running.  If I had a friend who asked for advice regarding a similar injury, I would have told them to stop running for a few days the minute the muscle was strained.  And not do what I just did over the past 5 weeks.  

A solid 3 days to start out the month followed by 2 races and roughly 19 days of very inconsistent running.  This chunk of time is where I lost most of my running days.

To stay positive, I did get in some quality long runs in of 22, 25 and 31 over the month.  Ideally would have like to gotten in another 20+ over Memorial Day weekend but was just happy with knocking out Mt Falcon v1 for the 5th straight month and 10th time for the year.

Weightlifting days is exactly where I expected it to be considering the race schedule and family vacation.  Right when I'm feeling my healthiest and fittest in the weight room I start to back off.  Thankfully I still have my own little goofy Push Up Challenge going.  I averaged 139 push ups a day for the month bringing my year-to-date variance down by 1,200 to (1,415).

I'm still wondering if I'll post anything general on my family trip to the State of Washington.  What I will say now is what a wonderful state it is and what a great time I had out there.  The city of Seattle reminds me a lot of San Francisco and the state itself is as diverse as Colorado in regards to the various ecosystems.

A few things came to mind after my trip out there.  Damn I wish Denver was half as cool as Seattle.  If I didn't live in this wonderful State of Colorado, I would seriously consider living in the Pacific North West.

(Seattle Skyline from the Sound/Elliot Bay)

(Ruud Awakening IPA - One of the better beers I've had at one of the cooler breweries I've visited!)

Looking Forward

My right shin muscle strain turned to a slight case of tendinitis is thankfully getting better and allowed for some consistent running to end of the month.  Starting out June will thankfully be positive as I aim to put in a solid 2 weeks of miles and climbing in preparation for my all time favorite race, Lake City 50!   Goals for the race are pretty simple.  To have a blast, to finish strong and to enjoy Lake City with the family for the long weekend.        

Other then that, wait patiently for the snow to melt in the high country to play in the best playground this state has to offer!

Sun Mountain 50k & Kids 1k - Race Report

By far the best part of race day was running the Kids 1k race with my daughter prior to the start of the 50k race.  This was my daughters first race ever...and a trail race at that.  She has now been exposed to a few of my races and is starting to get it.

Cheering at the start of the race, at the aid stations and as runners cross the finish line.

Now it was time for her to be cheered on.

Lining up with 25 or so other kids, we started in the back so the bigger kids wouldn't trample us.  When the RD said go, we all went scampering off.  The smile and laughter my daughter expressed as she chased after the other kids was priceless!  Just another reminder how lucky I am to be the father of such a beautiful little girl!

The crowd quickly thinned out as the big kids continued to run on.  The back of the group started to walk, get distracted by flowers and do what every 2 year old kid does.  The 1k started at 9:45am, my race started at 10am.  So to keep things moving, I would pick up my daughter and run for a minute before she wanted to run again, or as she would say "I run, I run".

(one way to warm up the muscles for a 50k)

We finally arrived to the finish line to a very supporting and loud crowd.  My little girl couldn't have been happier throwing up a high five to the RD as she crossed the finish line.  Second to last place and probably the youngest runner out there.  

I had roughly 5 minutes to get my act together and prepare for my own little race.  By now, my excitement for the race had disappeared, especially compared to what I just got to share with my daughter.  The race itself had also become my last priority of the 6 day long family vacation.

Traveling with a 2 year old is exhausting.  Exhausting but one I would not have changed since I was loving every second of family time.  I also consumed way to many locally brewed IPAs during my trip which didn't help being exhausted.

I was pretty beat and tired but honestly more worrisome was my Right Shin Muscle which had been acting up over the past 3 weeks.  It had prevented me from any specific training since the CP25 race.  I never really gave it a break either and was left in this unstructured 2 week period between races that had left my running mojo all out of whack.

(Rockin the yellow 2010 Loveland Turkey Trot T)

I don't recall much over the first 17 miles and 2 hours, 8 minutes as I entered Aid Station #2.  Other then a beautiful course.  The wild flowers just blinding at times.  The sun and warmth almost overbearing when the shade provided no relief.  Thankfully fueling and hydration were spot on.  I didn't feel like I was moving well at all but my energy was remaining consistent from the start.  Attitude was high as I was simply enjoying the beautiful day.  

My 2 handhelds is all I had.  1 to be filled with water.  1 to be filled with my EFS flask and diluted with water.  Along with 2 gels and 6 SCaps to get me thru the race.  At AS #2 I went for a refill.  Bottle one of water filled...check.  Bottle two of EFS (stashed in a drop bag) and water...ERROR!  I had put my EFS into bottle number 2, asked the kid to top of with water.  He filled with water half way, shook the bottle and proceed to dump out the contents.  Then refilled with water.

I sat there in horror!  400 calories gone like that.  I had 1 gel left for 14 miles with heaps of climbing and a lone aid station left.

But what was I to do?  Get mad?  That wasn't going to happen.  The kids a volunteer and this is a race that I'm only competing against myself in, not for first place or prize money.  I had taken all I could get in at the aid station so I just moved on and put myself into race management mode.

There were 2 short but steep climbs left in the race.  I was hoping to use my only gel for the last climb but ended up taking it in at the top of the first 900 foot climb.  Aid Station 3 came and I slammed 4 small cups of sodas and passed on the Watermelon Gu.  One very exposed 1,100 foot plus climb and roughly 6 miles left.

I got to the top and wasn't tired or anything, but just zapped of any real energy.  I needed some calories and had nothing but 15 ounces of water and roughly 4 more miles.  Down the last climb and I was feeling it.  Got half way down the climb and just needed to walk for a bit.  Whole body tingling and feeling lighted headed from the lack of fuel.  I just laughed it off and just hoped it would pass quickly.

1st place gal passed me 2 or so minutes later.  2nd place gal passed me a minute after that. After about 5 minutes of walking and I began to jog again.  Body was slowly coming around and I just went with it.  Another guy from Canada caught up to me and put 30 seconds on me on the lone flat road section around a lake which lasted a mile or so.  No one else behind me so I knew my forward momentum would hold my place

Finally on the single track and I just put my head down and knew it was an uphill mile+ and I'd be done.  Canadian who passed me on the flat was walking so I passed him with easily.  The 2 gals who left me on the downhill finished 30 and 45 seconds ahead of me respectively.  It was nice to finish on a strong running note.

7th Place Overall at 4 Hours 29 Minutes and 32 Seconds.  It would have been nice to hold my 5th place slot but I honestly didn't care.  It was a great day on the trails.

When all said and done, it honestly wasn't a great day of running for me.  I easily felt the worst so far of my 3 races this year.  I can compare the actual act of running in this race to a normal long run along the foothills on the weekends done alone.  Wasn't a grind or tough but just a shuffle till the end.  

However it was a great day to be running and so happy and luck I finally got to enjoy the some trails in the PNW! Getting out to this part of the country for a race has always been on my wish list and Rainshadow Running did not disappoint one little bit.  Would HIGHLY recommend their events    

The added bonus of running in this location and with this racing group was getting photographed by one of the best in the business.  Glenn Tachiyama.  While I really enjoy the scenic view of this pic taken on the descent off Patterson (also gives you an idea of terrain), I will forever love this pic of me pacing my daughter during her 1k!  Can't wait to frame that shot for my office!
  

Mt Washington Road Race HOF

I'm not one to name drop, especially on a public forum like this.

However I've got to name drop one person here simply because I'm so proud of the honor she's about to receive.  I'll be honest, I'm not all that knowledgeable when it comes to the famous race back east.  The Mt Washington Road Race.  What I do know is it has a rich history, loyal following and the course from my understanding is one tough SOB.

On June 14th, J'ne of Denver will be inducted into their HOF.  Being inducted with a few other runners who are well known around the world in the mountain running community.

I first met J'ne after my 3rd running of Imogene Pass Run in like 2004.  I'd only been living in Denver for a few years and just picked up running.  I knew a few people in Colorado at the time.  I knew no other runner in Colorado at the time.  J'ne quickly introduced me to her group of running gals.  I would join her and a group of older faster gals on the weekends to run trails.

Since then we've all become good friends and have gotten to know each others family well.  I've run countless miles with them.  Ran numerous races (including last weeks CP25) with them.  They were even there to celebrate my wedding celebration.  

Now all in their 50s, these ladies may have lost a step or two, but offer up so much inspiration.   Still running and having a blast doing so.  Never loosing sight of the pure joy associated with running trails.

Congratulations J'ne!

Starting with the CP25....ending with a Cigar

The week leading into the Collegiate Peaks 25 didn't go exactly like planned (but does it ever?).  I caught a nice cold, mixed in a few long work days and ran thru snow/20 degree temps to start out May.  Instead of being at 55 miles for the week to start the race, I was closer to 48ish.  Regardless, 73ish miles was a solid week of running.

As noted in my prior post, I would gauge this race on how well I hydrated and fueled.

Goal:
70 to 90 ounces of water
900 calories
3:45 to 4:00 completion time (an arbitrary time I randomly threw out there)

Actual:
90 ounces of water
700 calories
3:33 completion time

My only hiccup was my calorie intake.  At the second aid station (mile 11.7) I took in a gel but it went down the wrong hole.  My lungs loved being coated in Vanilla Honey Stinger and I proceeded to cough like some old smoking hag for the next 4 miles.  I intended to take in a gel at aid station 3 (mile 14.6) but was still trying to get gel substance out of my lungs.

As for the race, I took it really easy for the first 15.  One thing I noticed right away was my legs were ready to climb.  Too bad I wasn't on the Quad Rock course instead.  Regardless, I walked a lot of the small early climbs during the first 15 miles.  Just to keep the pace easy.  Upon leaving aid station #3, one is greeted with the longest sustained climb of the day.  I didn't run the section hard, but damn did I run strong.  Passed some 15 runners in this stretch.  Got to the top (aid station #3 mile18) and felt fresh.  Sat up there for a good minute plus taking in a gel, drinking water and knowing I could just cruise it in for the day in comfortable fashion.

The last person I passed on the climbed got to the aid station a minute after I did.  We fist bumped each other on a job well done on the climb and proceeded to the finish line together.  I had never met the guy from Boulder before, but conversation was really good and pace was solid.  Around 2 miles before the finish, we caught up to some slacker which made for more good conversation.  That slacker bumped me near the end to edge me out at the finish line by 0.1 seconds.  The last 6 miles may have been faster then I intended for but conversation was had a huge majority of the stretch so I know I still had a lot left effort in me.

Ended the race feeling fantastic.  Reinforces my training as of late that I'm doing the right thing and that quality over quantity will always be better for me.    

Instead of heading to Eddylines for a beer, we stuck it out for the awards ceremony to cheer on my friends 2nd place overall women's finish in the 25M.  That a girl Hillary!

So what does one do after that?  Well I bombed it to Denver with a quick stop to Macy's to pick up a wedding gift.  By 4:00pm I was in a suit and tie (damn I was looking good) and off to a dear friends wedding.  Fast forward to midnight and there I was smoking a cigar with the groom and a dozen other friends celebrating an amazing & beautiful wedding celebration.

What a great weekend spent with so many friends on the trails and at the wedding.  Damn does my life not suck one little bit!      

April 2013 Summary

Runs - 21
Workouts (Weights) - 7
Running Days - 21
Avg Miles per Running Day - 11.3
Vert Feet Ran - 26,000

Outside of maybe 4 runs, all my Running days started at roughly 5:30am.  A necessity (and thankfully habit) that was needed if I was to get anything done this month.  Funny to look back at the month and find so many potential excuses to not run much.  Work could have been a great excuse.  To many 11 hour work days including some weekend work.  Weather may have been just as good as excuse.  Snow, temps in the teens, basically wintry conditions for a majority of Apr.

However that early time frame commitment to get my running in allowed me to stay the course with regards to my training.  And a solid training month it was.  The goal of 5 runs per week were met.  I'm sure some could argue more is needed per week, but I don't see the need to do so right now.  Each run is done for a reason.  There weren't any garbage miles (just a few tired runs including a tough 14 miler done hung over).  As the month continued on, I could feel myself getting stronger.  I'm comfortable in saying that I'm in better shape right now then I was entering the Moab race in Feb.

(Weekend long bachelor party in the mountains + Scotch = Hung Over Run)

The few extra days left in the week that I don't run are still focused in on the gym Lifting Weights.  This puts me at six straight months of having the weight room a main part of my training.  Limited in Dec/Jan by a messed up right shoulder, the past few months have seen huge improvements in weight being pushed.  I'm still sitting at a healthy weight in the low 180s.  Along with my boring healthy diet, my energy levels over the month have remained way high.

The one drawback of weight lifting is Doing To Much.  Which is exactly what happened during the middle of the month and left me rather flat for a few days.  After a strong 4 day stretch of running, I hit the weights hard.  So hard in fact that I was cashed the rest of day.  I'm sure the long work hours and poor diet during a short stretch didn't help, but it reminded me what my limits should be in the weight room.

My personal Push Up Challenge continues.  Averaging 135 per day for April and bringing down my YTD variance by 1,040 to (2,615).  I even did roughly 100 push ups over the month with my daughter either crawling on top of me or hammering away on me with a foam baseball bat.

Looking Forward

With two races in May, I'm still focused on the bigger picture.  My 50M in June.

Race #1 is the Collegiate Peaks 25M on May 4th.  A race that I'll be running as a part of my current training cycle.  The way I'll measure success at this race is based on how well I hydrated and fueled.  Honestly time is irrelevant but it'll be interesting to see how I tame my competitiveness once the races starts.  I'm hoping tired legs from a big week leading to the race curbs my desire to run fast or hard.  

Race #2 is Sun Mountain 50K on May 19th.  This race I'll take much more seriously.  I plan on sticking with my training cycle as race day approaches but know I'll be resting a bit as the trip to the State of Washington is part of a week long family vacation.  I'll get a few runs the week of the race but can't imagine ever going longer then 5M which would be done during the little ones nap.    

I don't get caught up on the Ultra Signup stats (actually think most of them are BS), but do find some of the numbers regarding the race itself interesting:

420 - Total Number of runners signed up for the 25K, 50K & 50M
1 - Number of runners from the State of Colorado

Lastly, I'm shooting for a strong month of running and getting into a groove of 6 runs per week.  Cutting back on the weight room but still keep it in the equation for a few more months.  I figure by July, I'll get away from the gym completely for a few months as I focus in on RRR100. It'll be an interesting transition that I'm hoping my body can handle.

March 2013 Summary

Runs - 21
Workouts (Weights) - 7
Running Days - 21
Average Miles per Running Day - 9.0
Vertical Feet Climbed - 14,000

Last June and July I was in some of the best Running shape of my life.  By August I was fried.  With that in my mind, I approached March very conservatively.  Which was honestly easy to do since family, work and life in general were taking up a lot more of my spare time then normal.

After ending February with 2 weeks of no running I started March by slowly getting back into a groove.  The goal was to start with 2 very easy weeks of running.  10 runs with maybe 60 miles logged in.  By the end of the 2 plus week stretch, my mind and body feeling great and eager to get into the swing of things.

The last few weeks saw a nice steady increase in runs, mileage and effort.  I was very happy with the progression made, very happy with how the body and mind responded.

In a nutshell, running wasn't a high propriety this month, yet I was able to crank out some decent numbers without really trying.  Puts me in a positive mind set going forward to what I can potentially during the spring and summer months.

For a second straight month, my Weight Lifting routine saw a huge improvement.  More weights being pushed, more body parts being focused in on with a much healthier right shoulder.  I couldn't be more excited on this front.

183 pounds is where I'm at right now.  Where I've been since I got back into a groove of training beginning mid November 2012.  At this weight I feel very lean, very strong and very confident that it's my ideal running weight.  Maintaining this as the summer approaches as my weightlifting decreases will be tough but I'll have to find a way to maintain.  I came in at roughly 175 for Leadville last year.  At the time I thought it was a perfect weight to be at.  Hell, it might be for a short period of time.  However, over the long summer of training, I believe it's just to light for me.  Puts me in a vulnerable spot of breaking down.  At a slightly higher rate, I know I'm doing some basic stuff correctly.  Eating healthy and weight lifting enough.

I continued on with my Push Up Challenge and averaged 123 push ups a day for March.  Bringing down my year-to-date variance by over 700 to (3,655).  Long way to go to bring that variance down to 0 but really enjoying the challenge so far.

I love when I'm able to bring the San Juan's back home with me! Beers of remaining San Juan breweries have been consumed shortly after getting home.

Looking Forward

I get very excited about running right now with the nice change in weather.  Mix in the fact that I feel great and I look to focus in on building up my base this month while slowly extending them long runs to make them the norm by mid May.

April will be low key as I have no races planned but that just gives me an excuse to tackle all the front range locations I love running on.  White Ranch, more Mt Falcon, Mt Sanitas, just to name a few.

Let's just hope work doesn't kill me to much.  My direct boss has just left for maternity for the next 14 weeks.  Putting me in a position of Sr. Director of Finance.  A title I've carried a few times in the past for short stints due to various reasons.  A responsibility I don't mind having, but at this point in my life, something I don't care to carry full time.  I simply value my time away from the office WAY to much.  Regardless of what "esteem" or salary a title like this carries.