Runner 65

Is outta here!

San Diego 100 will try to update this page throughout the day. Cell coverage is spotty but I'm thankful that they are trying anyway. Mighty nice of them.

Butterflies

It is race week, the San Diego 100-Mile Endurance Run is upon us! It is only Wednesday but I am already way too excited. I was up late again last night working on my new work website but I got up early this morning and was unable to go back to sleep due to anxiety and excitement. I forced myself to stay in bed so I could eek out that little bit of rest.

My friend Randy Katz asked me the other day if I still get nervous, he's running too and I told him of course I did. It's a long way to go and the journey from start to finish is always hilly on so several levels; the course itself, emotions, energy and strength and unforeseen issues coming up. There are always peaks and valleys inside and out, at least that has been my experience.

It's only Wednesday but I leave tomorrow morning, probably why my body thinks it's already race weekend. My mom lives in Corona, California and it's her birthday on Friday, the day before the race. The last three years I've been making this trip. Even when I ran Western States 100 last year instead of San Diego I was still present in SoCal for Mom's birthday and San Diego weekend.

What even makes it more exciting is that four other members from my Thursday morning run gang - the Ninjas, are participating in San Diego as well. I already mentioned Randy Katz, in addition is Larissa Polischuk, Chris Wolfe and Jennifer Patee. In tow are more friends who are helping crew and pace. Speaking of which I'm going solo. I don't really need a crew and I've always run San Diego solo, a tradition I'd like to continue. Besides it's never really solo, there are other runners and the aid stations are not that far apart. Am I scared running in the dark by myself? Only when I think about it, only when I have time to think about the wildlife and creepy films I've seen in the past - running around with flashlights always reminds me of The Blair Witch Project. When I am actually running the only thing that scares me is failure; failure in the task whether from weakness, injury or unforeseen problems. Fun is always part of the equation too and I'm pretty sure I won't be having fun if I have to pull out of a race.

I'll leave you all with two pictures Gary Wang shot of our Thursday morning run crew. Gary is beyond phenomenal right now with his running, not only has he done really well at races but last month, during the Strava climbing challenge, he amassed 130, 732 feet of climbing for the month of May taking 2nd place. Third place will be a familiar name to the ultra folk out there. I'm at 56 for that Strava challenge. Had I not been in the UK the first 9 days of the challenge I would have cracked top 30 but nothing close to the leaders, mountain goats! All that and he has been taking great shots of his GoPro camera, finding new angles for the usual places. We've been seeing a lot of him on Thursdays as he trains hard for his 12th Western States 100. Most likely I'll see you guys on the other side of the San Diego 100. If you are a Strava user look me up, don't mind meeting more folks in that social space.

Getting up at 4:30am to run is hard but always worth it especially on mornings such as these. Photo courtesy of Gary Wang.

I once won a photo contest sponsored by Wend Magazine with a photo similar to this one - I received clothes, a pair of Saucony Peregrines, an Osprey pack and my picture with credits on their website, let's just say I'm glad Gary didn't enter the contest then:) Photo courtesy of Gary Wang.

Zion 100-Mile Ultramarathon

Hello Everyone! Just popped in to share a video my buddy Randy Katz put together from Zion 100. While I was sweating about the possibility of a hot race at Quicksilver the day before the race, Friday, pals Dana Katz (no relation to Randy) and Kara Teklinski started the Zion 100 - warmer for longer. Randy was one of the crew and pacers for Kara and got some great video and still shots in.

These two ladies are too awesome for words and they've come a long way. I was with them a couple of years ago when they ran their first 50 mile at American River. That day I was Randy, crew and pacer for Kara, no awesome video after I was done though:) Great to see them finish, to see all the friends that were there to crew, pace and celebrate their finish. Jessica Fewless who lead the crew for Dana has seen me through 3 of my 100 milers. Just too awesome for words.

I had the opportunity to join in on the fun but had to decline knowing how important Quicksilver would be leading up to San Diego. Stil, I wish I had been there.

And speaking of San Diego, watching this video over and over again and receiving a last email update from RD Scott Mills this morning has got me all pumped up and way too excited a week early. Love the rest and extra time for other things that comes with the taper, not sure about the butterflies.

Update

Got another video of the race from Dana put together by Samantha Pinney. For some reason I can't embed it. Anyway Sammy Sam was my second pacer the last time I ran Headlands Hundred. Those last 25 miles was a roller coaster ride energy wise; high, low, lower, high, low then final high - ultimately finishing strong and feeling great in the end, all smiles. Thanks Sammy Sam.

Not So Quicksilver 50 Mile

Photo courtesy of Gary Wang. Not only did Gary kill it out there with 7:44 and 3rd place but he also took about 600 photos from the event. He would fly by, camera in hand with his finger on the trigger as he ran by. I love this photo because it partly communicates the dusty, hot conditions on the race.

About 24 miles into the Quicksilver 50-mile I started thinking that it was going to be a pleasant day after all. There was a breeze that kept us cool, the temperature wasn't as high as I expected and the trails were not as exposed as I remembered them to be. There is a saying in ultra that I heard a long time ago, I'll paraphrase as I don't remember the exact wording, "If it feels good don't worry, this too shall pass". Ouch, it did pass. I was "racing", up to the 32 mile mark at which point I switched to "just surviving".

The First Half

As I mentioned the first half started well. However the seeds of trouble was sown around mile 11 when my gps watch was about a mile short of the actual mileage that I ran (it would get worse as the race went on) . I didn't know it at the time and thinking I was way behind on my goal times I pushed the pace a bit. I wanted to finish the first 50k around 5 hours to get a shot at finishing around the 8 - 8.5 hour mark. By the time I figured it out I had already ran a good amount of miles at a faster pace than I should have. I was feeling so good then I decided to just roll with it and see how long I could keep up the unsustainable pace. Of course, too fast too soon always feels good in my experience. If it hurt I wouldn't do it.

The Grind

Things got hard where they usually did the last three times I've run the race, the climb from the start/finish at mile 31.5 to 35.4. 50k and 50-milers start together and we all loop back to the start/finish at mile 31 for the 50k finish. Some say it's a bit cruel to see all the 25k and 50k'ers kicking back enjoying the food and beers at the finish line while we the 50 milers have to keep going. I've never had a problem with it but the climb out of the start/finish line aid station always gets me, it's usually hot, dusty and long. I polish off the first 31 miles around 5:13 or so, similar to last year. I was pretty tired at this point having pushed the pace early and really feeling the effects of the heat. Thankfully they had ice there and buckets with cold water to sponge and douse ourselves off. I got to wipe away most of the nasty salt on my face and shirt. Larissa was there waiting to pace Amy but she left with me and kept me company for a mile before turning back. I had carpooled up with the both of them and Amy was going for her second 50-mile finish. Her husband and mother in-law even came out to cheer her on. Larissa was welcome company but I couldn't keep up with her even she was walking. I felt so sapped. She said "walk with a purpose!" but I walked like I was going to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Runners started passing me and I didn't have anything in the tank to chase back.

Getting it Back Together

Eventually the rolling and mostly uphill journey back to the Englishtown AS at mile 35.4 was over and I came in bedraggled and a mess - much like last year too actually. Grant Sisler asked if I had gotten lost probably because I looked like how I felt. I told him the heat had just really gotten to me. Thoughts of finishing in the low 8 hours, similar to my previous finishes, evaporated with the heat. At this point I just wanted to finish well, sub-9 preferably but not mandatory and my first order of business was to figure out a way to restart my sputtering engine. While the good stretches never last forever neither do the bad patches. I knew at this point that I was going to finish, how was the mystery.

I believe in getting out of aid stations as fast as possible but when things are not going smoothly I also believe in getting a little extra lovin' for however long it takes as the extra time hydrating, eating, addressing issues could be a lifesaver in the end. I drank cold iced soda, took a gel, sponged myself with cold water that they had available in buckets and left with ice in my bottle. Feeling much better I was able to focus on getting things rolling again. I wouldn't take as long at the aid stations for the remainder of the race but I made sure to sponge myself with the cold water they had available as it was doing remarkable job of cooling myself. Some runners, Steve Ansell and Amy Burton to name two, carried two water bottles, one with iced water for a portable shower on the go and the other for drinking - so smart. Steve shared with me his cooling strategy at the start but I forgot to pick up my second bottle at mile 31.

My Favorite Part

From 35.4 to 47.5 is a down and back section. We leave Englishtown AS, hit Hicks Road AS at mile 37.4, turnaround at Sierra Azul AS at mile 41.4 then back to Englishtown at 47.5. I love this section as I get to see the front pack coming back from Sierra Azul. The way out is mostly uphill and it was killing my groove as I found it tough to get any kind of rhythm going. My running was constantly punctuated by walks. I did my best to keep going however knowing the return trip would be easier. I was either going to punch through my funk or crawl trying. Never say Die!

Turning Things Around

So as I mentioned, from Sierra Azul back to Englishtown the course is mostly downhill. The last 2.5 miles from Englishtown is also mostly downhhill punctuated by several steep but short hills. It was great but not so great for folks who had trashed quads. On the first half I met Emilia, a graduate student at Stanford who was running her first ultra ever. She was leading the race until Sierra Azul where the eventual female winner, Johanna took over the lead. She left Sierra Azul hobbling and when I caught up to her minutes later she was gingerly walking a downhill because of trashed quads. She told me later she walked some of the downhills backwards.

Anyway I love downhills, especially the subtle kind that makes you feel like you are running with the wind at your back or being on the moving walkways at the airport. I cruised and my new motivation to run was external. When I left Sierra Azul a runner came in looking strong. At first I conceded that he would eventually pass me and in my mind I had already moved myself back a spot. However as I got some rhythm back I made up my mind to fight, to haul ass as much as possible and see if I could keep him off for as long as I could. I figured he would either catch me eventually but not before lighting a fire under me or I successfully keep him off by succeeding in maintaining a decent pace all the way to the finish – a win-win scenario. I ran and ran and ran and he remained right behind me. There was a couple of short inclines which I walked to catch my breath and instead of being passed I noticed that he walked too so I ran up all the other uphills from that point forward in an attempt to drop him - he remained on my tail. The last 2.5 miles has some steep downhills and I poured it on testing his quads, still couldn't shake him. It wasn't until I was in sight of the finish did I let up - 9:10:59 for 13th.

Photo courtesy of Leslie Antonis. Coming in for the finish. The female runner you see behind me is a 50k finisher and not far from her was Greg who I credit for motivating me those final miles.

Post Race

Turned out the guy behind me was a runner who started running with my Thursday morning run group. He joined while I was in the UK. Nice guy. I went over, introduced myself and told him what a difference he made on my race. Maybe he was racing after me, maybe he wasn't but his presence helped my run tremendously. I rested a bit, downed more fluids and continued socializing. I made new friends and caught up with old ones. I also introduced myself to the female winner as we passed each other a couple of times during the race. When my appetite came back I ate, the food at Quicksilver is not to be missed. The post race food at Quicksilver is always good! I had just polished off a plate of ribs, salad and pasta when Emilia finally came through. It was great to see that she had stuck it out and finished. She had walked all the way back to the finish. Her resolve was put to the test and she came through. Love stories like this especially since I've walked in several races myself. It's not fun but neither is a dnf.

The ultra community is so fortunate to have these guys.

Several members of the Quicksilver Running Team, our gracious hosts. Some didn't run so they could volunteer instead.

Jonathan Gunderson, he ran Miwok the weekend before and had a spectacular 7:48 for 4th place. He was running second until he got lost and ran an extra 3 miles. He wasn't too broken up about it. He laughed about it on the trail and again recounting the tale post race.

Female Champion Johanna.

Amy and her husband Lane.

Emilia sore but a finisher on her first ultra.

The amazing Rajeev Patel.

The usual suspects, chilin in the shade.

Good eatin' at Quicksilver once my appetite came back.

Mmm…. desserts.

Moving Forward

I need to remember the gps watch is a great tool but not infallible. I need to remember not to go out too hard too early and lastly I need some heat training before the San Diego 100 in three weeks. I've already started using Quicksilver as my start point but I need more.

Reunited

I would reconnect with Greg and Emilia the following Thursday on our group's morning trail run. Emilia came all the way from Stanford to hang out and behind the camera was Gary. Another great time at Quicksilver. Miwok 100k the weekend before is a great race, I've completed it 4 times and I'm tempted to test myself on the new course but with the price increase and the lottery I may just stick to Quicksilver. The race sells out but its entry fee is reasonable, there is no lotter and the post race food is one of the best.

br>Photo courtesy of Chris Jones. Emilia on the far left and Greg Benson 4th from the left.