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| The beautiful Al Bahr Lodge near Laguna Mountain |
So my brother and I were discussing the merits of going on
an all 'Gu' diet recently. Since I
consumed around 40 Gu energy gel's at this race, I think I've prepped my system
for the switch! Imagine how quick
breakfast will be now; no need to make coffee, just pop two or three
Gu's with caffeine on the drive to work!
No more tough decisions on what's for dinner; everyone picks from one of
the two or three flavors that have no caffeine! Snack bags will get smaller too, and lastly,
think how easy it will be to maintain a vegan diet! If the family wants a real treat we can
spread a banana flavored Gu on bread, or drizzle a mint chocolate flavored Gu
on soy ice cream! I will have to get
sponsored by Gu to pull this off, because at a buck a piece the cost can add up
pretty quickly. Small details!
I could go on all day about training, diet, and all that junk, but I'm not going to. I ran some every week, long, short, fast,
slow, trail, road etc. A couple of weeks
were in the low 70 mile range, but I probably averaged around 60. Definitely a little under trained, but more or
less healthy and uninjured at the start line, and that counts for a lot in this
game. I wished I had at least one 50
mile weekend, or 50 mile race in the last couple of months, but my biggest
distance was several 31 mile races in the last few months, culminating in a second
place showing at Sun Mountain 50k.
The Friday trip down to San Diego was uneventful, and I had
time to meet up with friends Bill and his wife Jennifer. Bill agreed to crew for me and his wife, and
it was a huge mental relief to know that someone who knew me would be out there
to support if I needed it. The
generosity and enthusiasm they showed was second to none, and I am lucky to
know such great people! From there I
drove out to the start/finish area about an hour drive east of San Diego near
Laguna Mountain, checked in, enjoyed a good pasta and salad pre-race dinner,
and just soaked up the views. What a
spectacular area!
Back at my hotel in San Diego I was in bed before 9pm, with
the alarm set for 4:30am. Surprisingly I
got a great night's sleep, and woke up pretty refreshed. The drive east was beautiful as the sun was
rising, and I just concentrated on keeping my nerves down and trying to
relax. Before I knew it I was lined up
near the front of 193 runners ready to participate in a huge adventure. Let's face it, it doesn't matter how many
people run these distances, or how many
times a person has run one, it's going to be a test, and it's just hard to
visualize the distance. The only way to
do it is to put one foot in front of the other, and focus on whatever is
directly ahead, like the next climb, or descent, or just the next turn in the
trail.
0-23miles-ish. This
race was stacked with talent on the men's side.
Jeff Browning, Luke Nelson, Dan Olmstead, Adam Hewey, Fabrice Hardel,
and a few others that could easily win.
The women's side was easier to pick, with Shawna Tompkins the easy
favorite, and capable of beating anybody in the race. I took off near the leaders, but allowed
about 10 or 12 people to run out front, figuring some would come back to me,
and others, well, anything could happen!
This was beautiful running. The
feeling of having a strong body, a high level of fitness, running smoothly over
rolling mountain trails (mostly around 5000-6000 feet elevation), beautiful
meadows, forests, incredible mountain vistas, wild flowers, boulders, and so
much more. What a feeling! My plan was to run these easy miles
conservatively, but not slowly. I didn't
want to waste the cooler morning temperatures, and the easy terrain. I was in the zone, and cruised at an 8-9 min
mile pace, barely breaking a sweat, even at this altitude.23-50. Canyons and climbs! Nobel Canyon was where it got a bit hot, but I enjoyed the change of scenery, and concentrated on good hydration, and keeping my core temperature in check. There were several creek crossings, and I dunked my hat in every one. The fun level came down off the pegged side of the gauge, but overall I still felt pretty smooth, and rolled into mile 31 in a touch over five hours. Solid. Here came the part we had been warned about: A hot four mile loop consisting of a solid climb, and then a six mile climb (the first two of which were on a paved road) all exposed. My plan was to stay way ahead of my temperature and back off if I even thought I was getting hot. It seemed to be working as I blew past one of the favorites, Luke Nelson, around mile 33. He was complaining of the heat, and I didn't even feel it! That put me in fifth overall, and I started contemplating racing. Too early! The following big climb felt ok, the highlights being a wonderful volunteer half way up with cold water and ice, and a little further up the road a guy handing out popsicles! As I left the aid station at mile 43 a man recording race numbers said "Go for it Fabrice! Oh, you're not Fabrice, you're ahead of him.. GO GO GO!!". Sweet, I was in fourth place, and I used a powerful tail wind to help me run the next climb. I hit the 51 mile mark in nine hours flat. 27 gel's down (I was taking one every 20 minutes)! Yummy!
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| Great photo by Glen Tachiyama! |
51-73 Although I never hit serious mental downs, the fun was about over at this point, and it was time to get to work. The sun was still sitting on my shoulder, there were solid climbs, treacherous footing in places, and I kept kicking rocks. Several I kicked so hard that I felt my toenails separate painfully. Some runners change shoes and socks during the race.. no way I was even going to peek under those socks! I was offered a quesadilla at mile 59, but no way that was happening... all Gu baby! A highlight was coming off a big climb to mile 62, and then descending to an aid station at mile 64. I flew down that mountain, and amused the aid station volunteers (and Bill and my friend Joe who was preparing to pace his wife Shawna and had been helping me as I came through aids) by letting out a big YEEEHAW! To run 64 miles and still feel pretty strong is amazing! Strong legs, no joint pain, just some chafing, and broken toenails. I was out of there, and pushed on into the evening, foolishly slowing a bit to conserve. Looking back I should have pushed those miles hard to minimize night time running. The lights came on at mile 73, and I started substituting drink mix for gels, as I could barely open a pack without gagging! Oh, and as I ran out of the mile 73 aid, a runner and his pacer came in.
73-Finish. Night
moves. My night running blows. Stumble, fumble, and trip! Lights behind getting closer. Cold moving in. Heavy dark mountains all around, amazing
stars, my world huge, but at the same time confined to a 20 foot stretch of
trail in my lights. I would crank the
tunes until they made me sick, and then enjoy the silence of the
wilderness. Near mile 80 I got passed
and dropped to fifth. Kind of a bummer,
but I had no race left in me. The
'Sunrise' aid station at mile 81 was something to behold. RV's, lights, heaters, a buffet table of
food, music, even a guy making soup in a chef's outfit! What a class act (as were all of the aid
stations). Bill was working hard trying
to get me dressed for the cold, and the wind was absolutely HOWLING up
there. I insisted that I didn't need
much as I was sweating, but a minute later started uncontrollable shivering,
and unpacked my jacket shell. Out of
there! Mice running down the trail, Owls
zooming overhead, screaming wind, stop to pee, turn to look for lights, adjust
iPod, kick a rock, hike a climb, why am I barely going four miles per
hour?! I didn't really go too far in my
head, just pushed any bad thoughts to the back, and concentrated on what was
directly in front of me. Finally 'Rat
Hole' aid station at mile 96+. Almost
there. Very cold; frost was on the
ground. Hands kind of stinging? Wow... fingers swollen like sausages! Strange to see in the light of the head
lamp. Stumble, fumble, and trip. This should be fast running, but I just didn't
care anymore. I figure those lights I
saw behind me were probably Shawna, but they weren't getting closer, and my
legs still felt strong enough to race if she got close enough that I had to. Amazing that what was slowing me down was
mental exhaustion diminishing my ability to place my feet safely on the trail
without tripping. My legs were actually
strong and still pain free (mostly)! I
was able to hike hard, but my running was a slow jog. Finally I arrived at the large campground
complex where the finish was located, and the run through this was the final
torture. I was walking anything that
even pretended to have an incline, and most of the flats. Done!
A very solid 20:22 for fifth place.
Humbled seeing that Jeff Browning owned the course in an astounding
16:39! I won my 30-39 age group...
because all four runners ahead of me were 40 years old and older (there is
hope!). I crawled into my sleeping bag
on the floor of the lodge as the full-body agony set in. I'm pretty sure I looked and acted like an
addict withdrawing from a serious high.
I don't know what pushes people to do these things. I don't even know for certain what pushes me
to do them, but let's not over complicate things, it's just running. One foot in front of another, just for a long
time, over rough terrain. It breaks you
down, mentally and physically. You get
to catch a glimpse of what you're made of.
Not all of it, just enough to make you come back for more. As amazing as it is to admire the finish time
of a 'fast guy', it's just as inspirational to watch people cross the finish
line many hours later. The human spirit
is an incredible thing to see, and these events give you front row
tickets! I think that modern life is
becoming less and less physically demanding, and that basic human nature
thrives off a certain amount of adversity.
If we don't have it in our 'regular' lives, some of us seek it out, or
create it, as a way to experience certain fulfillment. Is that selfish? Perhaps, but I also see it as a gift to our
kids and the people around us. I want
them to see what's possible. I want my
friends and others to see what's possible, and to get out there and do
something with that powerful spirit that exists in all of us (and it sure
doesn't have to include running for 10, 20, or 30 hours)!What worked and what didn't?
1. Well, it's pretty clear that you don't need to log mega miles every week to run a successful 100. I topped out at 70+, but the average was in the 60 range. I ran conservative 50k races every month or so, and those counted as my 'long' runs. Other runners top out well over 100 miles per week, and log many 50+ mile weekends.
2. Nutrition. Gu's every 20 minutes straight up works. That plan kept me strong until very late in
the race. At that point I became a
little over hydrated, and that contributed to some nausea that prevented me
from eating. At that point I switched to
a mild tasting carbohydrate drink powder made by Hammer. That stuff is also great (a sandwich in every
scoop), but since I was now drinking my calories I continued to over
hydrate. I ended up stopping to pee
every mile, and the swelling in my hands was a concern. Next time I need to remember to adjust as the
temperature cools, and if I'm running on calories in a drink, to mix it
somewhat more concentrated (100 calories per 8oz instead of 100 per 20oz like I
was doing).
3. Hoka shoes. Great padding helped to protect my legs and
joints, but the shoes I wore were slightly too small, and I did great damage to
my toes from striking rocks.
4. Race strategy. Overall solid. I would tweak it a bit by going just a touch
faster during the hot part. I was a bit
too conservative, and I really need to minimize time running at night.
The recovery is going great as I write this. Amazingly the aches and pains disappeared
after a day, and by the time I got home Monday evening I was able to bound up
the stairs. The hurt toes are the only
sticking point, but honestly, it feels good to take a few days off from
training.
What's next? Hard to
contemplate. I'm on the wait list for
the Cascade Crest 100. I'm pretty
strong, came out of this uninjured, and I think with some tweaking I can get a
top result, but I can't imagine running 100 miles!
One disappointment was that I had heard there were mountain
lions in the area we were running, and I had planned to take one out if it
tackled me. That didn't happen, so no
neat ornaments for my house. At a
minimum I figured a rattler would make the mistake of striking at me. No such luck.
All I saw was lizards, mice, deer, and an owl.
Oh, and that Gu diet plan?
Ya, right now I never want to see another Gu as long as I live!
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| The aftermath... |
