Western States The Short Version

Kathleen Egan and I are on our way to Mosquito Ridge. Kathleen paced me at my last hundred - Pine to Palm. It was great running with her again. A Glenn Tachiyama original.

Wow I got beat up on that run! Usually I'm able to go for an easy run by now, 4-5 days after a big race, but not this time. This is the best I've felt since Sunday, a good thing too because work was piling up. I have so much to do because I was so useless on Monday and partly useless on Tuesday. Deadlines don't care about 100 milers.

The event was another success and I got that finish. I missed the 24-hour mark and admittedly I'm still a bit disappointed by it but I'm more thankful to have finished as I did, losing a wheel the last 10 miles of the race. I couldn't have done it without my crew and pacers though; Jessica Fewless, Sarah Crosby-Helms, Steven Bin and Peter Duyan. I had a great crew.

I started the race nice and easy and for the first 55 miles I kept it conservative. There were many times when I just wanted to let loose but I kept that heart rate at the range it needed to be. My heart rate monitor was my speedometer. The climb out was tough and I felt breathless but once we summitted I felt good. The 4-mile climb was followed by 11 miles of snow however. Snow on flat ground is not a big deal, snow on the side of a mountain, up and down small hills...ummm yeah, not so good. I and the people I found myself with were slipping, sliding and falling all over the place. I worried that the early snow acrobatics we were doing would bite us in the butt later and in my case it did. After Michigan Bluff (mile 55) I had the energy to burn and from that point all the way to mile 90 I made up time, passed a lot of people and was within the 24-hour mark. However it was also at Michigan Bluff that I felt the twinges on my left posterior tibial tendon (runs along and on the inside of the achilles tendon). I could feel the twinges of pain going up my shin. By mile 90 the pain, even with acetaminophen and my lucky orange bandana wrapped around the ankle for compression, got a lot worse and I pretty much ended up walking the last 6 miles. The pain and pure exhaustion kept me out of the 24 mark. Like I mentioned I'm still a bit disappointed about that but I'm not too broken up about it.

Everything is okay except that damned tendon. There is a specific point that is swollen and tender to the touch, it also still hurts to walk. It's injured I'm sure and it will just need time to heal. Lucky for me I haven't planned anything for the summer. I can take my time healing and coming back. I'm also lucky that the injury is in an area that I can easily get to with my fingers. I can ice it and also massaged it when it's much better.

Steven Bin used my camera and took pictures all day, videos too. I have a lot of images to process but in the meantime I have pictures that friends took of me, from registration to finish. Enjoy the pictures.

At registration with fellow Pinoy runner, Jose San Gabriel. Photo by George Velasco.

With more fellow Pinoy runners, Ben Gaetos and Carmela Layson, during the pre-race brief. Photo courtesy of Ben Gaetos.

With Sarah Crosby-Helms at the start line the morning of the race. Photo by Steven Bin.

Almost at the top of the climb out of Squaw Valley. Photo by Drymax Socks.

Cath Todd in front of our merry group. This was an icy section, notice how the snow is not giving way under my feet. Yes it does suck falling on top of it. Well first it sucks tripping or sliding on it then it's the gift that keeps on giving when you slam on top of it with your knee or whatever. Photo by Gary Wang who volunteered all day. He was on the course as a safety runner and again at the river helping people cross.

Mosquito Road with Kathleen Egan. Another photo by Glenn Tachiyama.

This may be Dusty Corners. Photo by George Velasco.

This may be Dusty Corners. Photo by Glenn Tachiyama.

Happy to be out of the Canyons. Heading into the Michigan Bluff aid station, mile 55. Photo by Amy Freund McCrea.

Checking calories at Michigan Bluff. I like the cold coffee drinks later in the day. Photo by my crew chief Jessica Fewless.

Leaving Michigan Bluff with my crew, Steven Bin (in the back), Jessica Fewless (lugging supplies) and Sarah Crosby-Helms (also carrying gear and supplies). Photo by Ben Gaetos.

Leaving Bath road aid station, mile 60, flanked by my two pacers, Peter Duyan (60- 80) and Sarah Crosby-Helms (80 - 100). Photo courtesy of Chris Perillo.

Coming into Foresthill, mile 62, followed by Peter Duyan. Felt really, really good here.

The last friggin' mile to the school! Photo by Jessica Fewless.

Look at that sprinting form, a thing of beauty! Errr okay, maybe not. I like this photo because it shows Larissa Polischuk and Sarah Crosby-Helms running alongside. Photo by Stan Jensen.

Well that's it. I'll spend part of the weekend processing my own photos and videos, thank you Steven Bin. I should have those up by next week.