Fuego y Agua Race Report

Forthose who just want to look at the pictures, they are here.  :)

Recently I ran the inaugural Fuego y Agua 100K ultramarathon on la Isla de Ometepe, Nicaragua. It was a very challenging race mentally and physically. I limped into the race under-trained, as I have not been able to train on hills the way I wanted to due to my Achilles problems that have been nagging me since July when I ran TRT100. This race consists of two primary climbs up the Maderas and Concepcion volcanoes, 1500 and 1000 meters, respectively. It's safe to say I was ready for the distance, but not those hills.

When I arrived in Nicaragua last Tuesday, it was very hot and humid, and I immediately knew that this was going to be a tough race in the heat. Fortunately, the temperature was slightly cooler on race day, but was still about 85 degrees in the sun.

The race started at 4am in the town of Moyogalpa, at the hostel where I was staying with several other runners. When the gun went off at 4am, we began our journey. The race started by circling through the town before working its way to a dirt road, the beginning of our traverse around the island. I settled into a good pace, but still comfortable at the beginning, and visited with Roger for a while. He is also from Austin, and was running the 50K. After a few kilometers, I decided to make my way ahead a bit. The temperature was cool, and I wanted to take as much advantage of it as possible, because I assumed it would likely get close to 90 degrees during the day.

After about 5 kilometers, I caught up with Heather, a runner from Maine who was running her first 100K. She was running a very good pace for me, so we quickly introduced ourselves and decided to run together for a bit. At this point, we were coming off of the dirt road and onto the paved road around the western side of Volcan Concepcion. The road had some rolling hills, nothing big but not tiny either. During the up hills I let her go ahead a bit, and quickly caught up on the downhills. I could tell this was going to be a long day on the up hills, as my legs just aren't strong enough this season.

Soon we rolled into the first aid station at 18km, and I was feeling great. I had some bananas and grabbed a gel. I had finished my water bottle, but realized I had not drank any from my camelback. That was a wasted 70oz on my back for 18km which is not a great way to save my legs for the upcoming climbs. I dumped a little of the water, but not too much, and we took off towards Maderas. As we crossed the isthmus to the Maderas side of the island, I could feel it starting to heat up. I backed off the pace to make sure I would be strong on Maderas, but I really had no clue what that climb was going to be like. Before long, we rolled into the 30k aid station in about 2:50. At this point I put on some insect repellant, ate some food, and drank some jugo de naranja. I felt really good, ready to power walk up the 1500m volcano, or so I thought.

As we started up the hill, it was not steep and I approached it pretty aggressively. Soon, however, it got steeper and I could see that I wasn't going to keep up with Heather. I was surprised, I thought I would climb well because, although I don't run up hills well, I can usually power walk well. This hill, though, was steeper than what I was used to. In hindsight, I hadn't even begun the tougher sections. So she went ahead, and I focused on my breathing and keeping a consistent pace.

At about 1:30 into the climb, and about 2/3 of the way up, I hit a wall. The climb was so steep that every single step was making my quads burn and my heart rate skyrocket. I was not trained for this, and my heavier frame doesn't do well on these hills. I got to the point that I would stop every 30 seconds and lean against a tree and catch my breath. I kept wondering when the field would pass me by, yet no one had come up from behind yet. I tried to remain focused on my own race, and just kept moving. At this point, the trail went from muddy to a complete mess. I was high-stepping up 3 foot muddy rocks, and steep slippery slopes that required me to hold on to roots with my hands. I was now 2 hours into the climb, and my engineering mind took over. I was going 1mph, maximum. This climb was 10k, so that means this would take 6 hours!?! Something doesn't make sense, no one could do this for 6 hours. Fortunetely, I was just too exhausted to think straight. At the beginning of the hill, I was running/walking at a good pace and did much of the 10km, so I was much closer to the top than I realized. At about 2:15 into the climb, with my legs burning and my heart out of control, I peaked the volcano crater, and began the descent into the crater. To my surprise, I also came up on the leader of the 50K race, who was moving even slower than me. He also was hurting and we were both too exhausted to talk. I just said 'muy dificil' and continued. Adreneline kicked in, and I began the descent very quickly to the lagoon in the crater, where the next aid station would be set up.

When I got there, they were just setting up. The field of runners was much faster than everyone expected, and so I was the first to actually receive aid. Everyone in front of me had to continue on without refueling. I had the tastiest tamale and a banana, snapped a few pictures of the lagoon, and began my ascent out of the crater. At this point I thought the climbing was over and it was all downhill, little did I know what lied ahead on the ledge of the crater... After an exhaustive climb up to the ledge, I was in the midst of a muddy, messy jungle. The trail was almost non-exhistent because the brush was so thick. At first glance it looked safe, but if you looked carefully through the brush you could see that the ledge was narrow and there were steep muddy drop-offs on both sides. I'm not a fan of heights, so I took my steps carefully in this area. It took about 20 minutes, but soon I was descending off of the volcano. The path down was muddier and steeper than the path up, and it was impossible to run. In fact, I got a great upper body workout dangling from trees and lowering my body down 7 and 8ft drops. Several times I found myself literally crawling under trees or sitting on my butt and sliding down the mud. I was having a blast! This was the most fun I've has 'running' in a very long time.

After about 45 minutes, the trail dried up a bit and leveled off, so I started to run to the base of Maderas. I still had to be very careful not to slide off of the trail, but at least I was able to run. Twice I slid off the trail and slammed my shin into a root. It was swollen and bleeding, and I had to remind myself to slow down because an injury up here would be almost impossible to treat, or to get me off of the mountain. Of course, as I dropped elevation, it was also getting hot. In fact, by the time I reached the bottom it was about 85C and I was sweating quite a bit. The good news was that I was approaching the Hacienda Merida aid station, the halfway point in the race.

I knew my shoes and socks would be a mess after Maderas, so I planned to change my shoes at this point. If I changed here, I knew blisters would not be a problem. But, lo and behond, when I got to the aid station my drop bag was not there. One thing I've learned doing long distance running is that you can NEVER focus on the negative, always keep moving forward. So, I made due with cleaning off my socks and shoes in some running water, put them back on, and took off again. I knew it wasn't ideal, and most likely I would deal with blisters over the next 50K, but I've been through much worse and there wasn't anything I could do about it now. I also found Heather at the 50K point, she was cleaning off and getting ready to go back out. I was happy to see she was going to continue, and we decided to leave together for the next aid station. It was definitely nice to have the company, but I also knew that it was hot and there was a good chance my next 30K would be slow.

Sure enough, I was right. We ran about 5 kilometers together but clearly I couldn't keep up. I'm quick to admit when I can't keep up, mostly because I don't want to get sucked into a pace that that risks my overall goals for the race. So I let her go for a second time, figuring that this time I would not see her again.

I struggled on for the next 25K in the heat. I was not adjusting well, I could barely manage a slow jog. Each time I tried to pick up the pace, my heart rate would shoot through the roof and I got nauseous. The only way I could stay cool was to stop at a Pulperia every 10 minutes, buy some cold water, and dump it on my head. It led some some pretty confused looks from the locals. A stupid American running around the island, stopping at the local stores, clumsily asking "tienes agua fria" then instead of drinking it, dumping it on his head and neck. But it worked, and once a few clouds came in to block the sun, I found myself running again. In fact, as I approached the aid station at Altagracia, I was moving well. In the town, there were many children out cheering (or laughing?). Some would come up next to me and run with an exxagerated form, I'm not sure if they were mocking us or not, but I wouldn't blame them if they were. As they would drop off, I would say "Vamos" and they always laughed. When I finally reached the aid station, I was surprised to find Heather again. Looks like I would have a running partner again, which would be nice after the long lonely miles I had just completed.

We left together for the final push before Concepcion. I was feeling quite good, but also cautious since my quads were like jello and I still had a 1000 meter climb straight up a volcano. It was still warm, but not hot like before. The dirt track was mostly rolling hills, unlike a lot of the flats I had been doing. These hills took their toll, and we did a lot of walking on the rolling uphills. I wanted to run, but just didn't have it in me. Or, even when I could, I kept thinking about the climb ahead and how I would need every ounce of energy I could get. These miles went fast, though, and before I knew it we were at 75km and the base of Concepcion.

At the aid station i had some watermelon, drank a ton of water, and changed out my socks. I felt some adreneline now, because I could sense the finish. There was still some hard work ahead, but once I left that aid station I knew nothing could stop me now. I also knew that we left the aid station with 5 others just coming in. I run to push myself not to race others, but we're all a little competetive or we wouldn't be out there, and in this case I didn't just want to let 5 people run right past me.... Not that there was much I could do to stop it on that volcano, because as soon as I hit the steep areas I could barely move forward. For those that hven't run this race, let me be clear about these volcanoes. They are real mountains, and there are no switchbacks. Were are ascending at an extremely steep and unrelenting angle. Once you've redlined, there is no pace you can recover. The key is not to redline, unfortunately I learned this the hard way.

About 1:45 into the climb, I was perched against a tree trying to hold in what little food I had in my stomach. I could have quit right there. I had no clue how much farther the climb was and I was worried about how I would get off the volcano in the dark without getting lost. I couldn't take more than 10 steps without getting sick. In the past 10 minutes, I had seen 5 runners pass me by and they all looked much stronger than me. I was completely broken. At this point Peter, one of the volunteers, came zipping up te hill hanging glowsticks. I asked how much farther and he said not much. I was desperate, so I asked him to quantify and he said "definitely more than half way." I almost sat down and quit right there, and if there was an easy way to do that I would have, but I had to keep going at this point or I'd never get home. Then, as he was almost out of earshot he screamed back that we were almost at the top, just a few miinutes away. It was te encouragement I needed, and I felt a little energy rush through my body. I started moving again. Still slow, but the positive attitude goes a long way.

Before I reached the top, I watched several people descending. They were a good 10 minutes in front of me. I didn't want any more bananas or gels, so I asked Peter what else he had. He gave me some Tuna, and it was like heaven in a vacuum sealed bag. I ate almost all of it, and felt re-energized. I zipped down the hill immediately passing 2 of the guys in front of me. I kept going at a slightly dangerous pace in the dark, and before long I found 3 more runners. I spent a little time with them, but I felt too good to slow down. In a race like this, I've found that it's important to run hard when you feel good, because you never know when the tides will turn. And so I ran.

I was now 5 kilometers from the finish and getting on the main road. It was a straight shot back to Moyogalpo and the finish line. I ran most of it, got lost a little, and even got a motorcycle escort for the end. It was a cool way to finish, running through Moyogalpo. There were people all over, but I'm not sure any of them had a clue that I was running a race. I just smiles, said "hola", and kept going.

Finishing the race at Hostel Ibesa felt great. A bunch of runners and volunteers were around at the finish line to cheer me in. I was happy to see them.

The best part of this experience wasn't the race, it was the experience of traveling to a foreign land, meeting runners from all over the globe and spending a week with them, and then having the opportunity to share the run (and the island) with them for a day. I look forward to running more international runs in the future, and I hope to see these guys again. I had an amazing time on this trip, and I can't wait to do it again someday. I would recommend it to everyone, but I will also warn them that the race is not for the faint of heart. You can not over prepare for the heat and hills of this race.

Bandera Pacing

I went to Bandera this weekend to help out with pacing. My original plan was to pace Brad for 25 miles (50-75), then get some sleep and knock out a few more miles on my own in the morning. When I got there, I learned that I could possibly pace Dalton for 25 miles from 75-100 after I was finished with Brad. I didn't rally think about it much, it sounded like fun so I signed myself up. It didn't really occur to me that now I was doing 50 miles on a previously easy and relaxed weekend.

I have to admit, I was nervous about keeping up with both of them. They are great runners, and I had a really tough week of hill running going into the weekend, my legs were sore before I started. What I failed to realize was that they had already run 50 miles in Bandera, and much of the day was in the 80's, so the heat and long hours had already worn them down. You'd think I would realize this since I've done 100 miles, but it didn't click. Both of them ran great, but keeping up wasn't an issue.

I ran, off and on, from 4pm Saturday until 8am Sunday. There were some breaks when switching runners, and there was quite a bit of walking, but I got good hours on my feet that will benefit me for Fuego y Agua 100K in December. And, based on what I know of about that course, the walking I did might be the best training I can do!

Overall I had a great time visiting with everyone, and just enjoying Bandera as I always do.

Training Update

My training has been going pretty well the past month or so. Right now I'm struggling with my achilles, although it is getting better. It's still a nagging pain, and has forced me to cut a few runs short.

Friday night I did a long night run. I started around 8pm, and ran until close to 10pm to the top of the HOL. There I met Pete, Josue, Brad, and Ryan for a great stroll through the greenbelt. We hit a few trails that I hadn't ever been on and that I didn't even know existed. These guys are all great runners, it was everything I could do to keep up. I planned on running until midnight, but I was having so much fun that I decided to stick it out until 2am, which is what the other guys had planned. It turns out, we didn't finish until 3am, so I got in close to 7 hours when I only planned 4. On top of the extra time, it was much faster than I realized I could run for 7 hours. These guys didn't seem to be pushing it, but I was working pretty hard to keep up with them.

I was happy with my nutrition, which was my main goal for the evening. I did eventually bonk with about 5 miles to go, but that was only because I didn't have enough food or drink for those extra unplanned miles. Had I prepared for that, I'm confident I could have finished stronger.

All in all, it was a great weekend of running. Now I'm focused on some easy recovery runs so that I can be ready to push it again on wednesday.

Bandera Epiphany

I made it out to Bandera this weekend for a couple of runs. Bandera is my favorite place to run, bar none, so I was excited to get out there. I left work early, so we got there around 5. Right away I went out for a quick run of about 7 miles. It felt pretty good, although I felt a little heavy and less nimble than I like. I know I'm not a little guy, but I felt like a 250 pound linebacker trying to run on some of the technical areas. This was part 1 of my epiphany. But I finished strong, and was just happy to be there.

The next morning, Jim and I headed out for another run, this time with Charlene, Daniel, and Melanie. Melanie ran up ahead pretty quick, but the rest of us stayed together. This is where I had a really interesting conversation that was the second part of my epiphany. Daniel and I were talking about our kids, and somehow I mentioned how amazing it was that Micah (my kid) could develop so fast. Specifically, that in 3 days he could completely change his life (when he started sleeping through the night, when he learned to crawl, etc). I said, without much thought, how I wish I could change aspects of my life in just 3 days. I don't know why, but Daniel jumped on it and asked what I would change. I thought for a second, and answered the truth, I'd change my diet. I eat and drink all the wrong things at all the wrong times, and way too much of it. I eat the wrong things, and even when I eat healthy I eat 3-4 portions. I skip meals all the time. I don't eat while I run, then binge when it's over. I do everything you shouldn't do as an athlete, or for that matter, as a human. I answered the questions, and I meant it, but I didn't expect anything to come of it.

Fast forward an hour or so later, I'm now running with Daniel and Melanie, and we're approaching Ice Cream Hill. We're taking it pretty easy, but I felt my energy dropping fast. By the time we reached the top of Ice Cream Hill, I said goodbye as I knew I couldn't keep up any longer. I had gone from comfortable to dead within 10 minutes. It was depressing. When I take care of myself, eat right, drink plenty of water, I can run 100 miles with energy to spare. Yet here I was 13 or so miles into the run and I was absolutely depleted. This was the third and final part of my epiphany. I had the next hour to sludge home without food or water, with no energy, to think about what I was doing.

So there I was Saturday night, frustrated to where things have gone. I run because I love it, not because I want to compete. Yet, it's not fun to suck at it, or to under perform. Which is what I feel like I'm doing. So I've decided to make a change. Or, to be more specific, I'm starting a trial. I have a race in December that I want to do well in, and I want to have fun doing it, so I'm going to make some changes to accomplish it. It has nothing to do with my running, I'll train the same, it's everything else I'm going to improve starting immediately. We'll see how it goes...

Cool Weather

I had a great run last night. I met Larry and Melanie at the dog park for 7 or 8 miles at Bull Creek. They are, by all accounts, much better runners than I am. I run a lot with people slower than me, so it's fun to get out there and feel the pressure of keeping up. And, surprisingly, I felt great the whole time.

I think it's the cool weather. Every year in September or October we get the first sign of relief from the heat, and every year around that time running starts to become a lot more fun. For me that happened last night. We finished around 7:30 and it must have been 70 degrees at the finish. It felt great, and if I had brought my light, I probably would have went back out there for more.

No running for me tonight. I have to get home to babysit while Kara goes to tennis.

The "Why" Question

My friend Jim is working on his PhD in English and Rhetoric and the University of Texas. He and I have been close friends since 7th grade, and all our lives I've been getting him in trouble (or so he says). A few years ago, while I was still getting my own feet wet in ultrarunning, he moved to Austin and I convinced him to run his first marathon and then soon after the Pike's Peak marathon.

On many a long run together we've discussed why we run. We all have different answers, and it often changes. This is what makes it so interesting. Anyways, he decided to discuss it here:

http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~brown/the_why_question.mp3

I think it turned out great.

St Ed's - All Rights

Date: 8/21
When: 6pm
Where St. Ed's
Run: Joe put together a really tough 4 mile loop at St Ed's he calls "All Rights." It's basically a combination of 6 loops always clockwise slowly working your way to the top of the climb. The course was tough, but it was made harder because I tried to keep up with Larry. We ran the first loop together which, admittedly, was easy for him and killer for me. But it's the workout I needed, pushing the pace. I feel myself getting more confident with the shorter/faster runs, but I still have a long way to go. I cut the second loop short, totaling only 6 (tough) miles.

Timber Knoll Revisited

Well, I kind of blew it at Timber Knoll. Don't get me wrong, I ran OK and felt good doing it, but I didn't accomplish the things I set out to do. I did re-learn some things about myself though.

From the very beginning of the race, I went out too fast. I got caught up in the lead group for the first 3 miles and kept telling myself I should slow down and let them go. I felt OK, but my goal was to focus on nutrition, not to race. Still, as I got to the first aid station at 5 miles I was breathing heavy and flew right past the stop. Why did I do this when it was the exact opposite of what I promised myself I would do? Good question, and that leads in to the first thing I re-learned about myself. I am competitive and I like to suffer, and nothing I say or do before the race will change that. I'm not racing others out there, I'm pushing myself as hard as I physically and mentally can. I'm never going to be able to run a race as "just a training run" like some other people can do, it's just not in me. Call it lack of discipline or shortsightedness, but it's who I am. Just like I don't train smart, constantly pushing when I should be recovering, I also don't race smart.

Anyways, back to the race. I finished the first loop in 1:19, on pace to finish 3 before the 4:30 cutoff. And I still felt pretty fresh, so I grabbed a cookie, refilled my water bottle, and went back out. Most of the second loop was great, I felt great, the drizzle was cool, the sun went down and I was alone in the dark on new trails. I love the feeling of not knowing where I am or whats around the next turn. I was passing people and feeling good, so I knew it was time to admit my plans for running slow were out the door, I would go ahead and keep running hard until I couldn't. 3.5 miles into this loop, at the aid station, my achilles started hurting. It was the same achilles that made the last 20 miles at Tahoe pretty miserable, and I knew it would be a problem now. I debated whether I should stop after two loops. That debate lasted about 3 seconds, at which point I was once again reminded of my flaw: I am competitive and I like to suffer.

It's not something I'm proud of or embarrassed of, it's just the truth. I don't run to get faster or to stay in shape, I don't do it because of the places it takes me or anything else. I do it because it fulfills my need to push myself as hard as I can, prove that I can take more pain than I thought possible. The more I want to quit, the more important it is to me not to quit. I used to be a wrestler and my coach would tell me "It's the days you don't want to push yourself that you HAVE to push yourself." I can never get that out of my head.

So when I reached the aid station at the completion of the second loop, I grabbed some fruit and left again. At this point I was still on pace to finish the third loop in time for a fourth, but my achilles was unlikely to let me keep up the pace. Sure enough, I was behind pace in no time. It was OK, I wasn't bothered by it at all. I just ran when I could on flats and ups, walked when it hurt too bad on the downhills, and finished as best I could. In the end, I missed the chance at a fourth loop by 8 minutes. Despite some of the pain, I had a great time out there. After the race I was able to hang out and meet quite a few others that ran the 6 hour event. All in all, a good weekend trip that I'd like to make an annual tradition.

Timber Knoll Game Plan

Tonight I'm running a 6hr race out at Pedernales State Park called Timber Knoll. My game plan is very simple, just run 6 hours. I'm just now getting into these shorter distances, and I'm hoping to make the next 6hr run next month a fast one. But tonight, I just want to run 6 hours and have some fun.

Now, I've often said I would just take a run like this easy, then I get caught up and try to race it anyways. That's why I'm writing this down, so it's official that I will take it easy.

I do have a second goal tonight, which is to focus on drinking lots of fluids, taking in lots of calories, and avoiding nausea. I know I can run 6 hours with only water and gatorade, but in an effort to make this a fruitful training session, I will focus on consuming as much as possible and finishing relaxed and able to keep going. Running on the bare minimum is what made my nutrition so difficult out at TRT100.

No running yesterday or this morning. Just taking it easy so I'm fresh for tonight.

Tempo Run

Date: 8/14
Time: 6pm
Place: Walnut Creek
Run: Tempo run. I did a 5 minute warm-up and took off. I have no experience doing any speed work, so I still don't know my pace very well. I was planning on a 40 minute tempo, but after 25 I was crashing. I stuck it out to 30 and almost puked when I stopped. I walked/jogged back to my car, which ended up being a 20 minute cool-down.

I made the same mistake I always do, I ran without water and got really dehydrated. I may have finished the full 40 minutes with water, but it was over 90 degrees and I got really dry. I have got to start taking water with me on these runs. Seriously.

Easy 5

First off, am I the only one that is annoyed that the Chinese had 12 year old girls competing in gymnastics? I really don't care about gymnastics, and I don't even agree with the age restriction, but if everyone else follows it then they should enforce the rule. And if someone tries to say that those girls were 16, they are blind. But like I said, I don't care about gymnastics, let's get started with track and field.

Yesterday's workout was easy and felt good.

Date: 8/12/08
Time: 7pm
Place: Gym (treadmill)
Run: easy 5 miles, 8 minute pace. I wanted to get on the trail, but I got stuck at work late again, and by 7 I just wanted to squeeze in my run and go home t osee Micah before he went to bed. I'm saving my tough run for today.

Ladera Norte

I'm going to try a short term change of focus on the blog by logging my runs. My running goals for the last 2 years has been to lengthen my runs and finish a couple of hundreds, but no time goals. Now I'm going to try some shorter stuff, and going faster, so I feel like maybe I should start keeping track of what I do.

So I'll kick that off today.

Time: 7am
Place: Ladera Norte / Far West
Run: short hill run, 1 time up ladera norte, 1 time up far west. It uhrt because I hit them hard, but it was over quick. I had planned on two laps, but I waited around 20 minutes for 2 guys t oshow up but they stood me up. I needed to get to work, so I just ran one lap.

I felt pretty good after an easy weekend. No pains, although my legs felt heavy towards the end. I'm gonna do this every Monday, so hopefully it'll get faster.

Quick Recovery

I took a week completely off after TRT100, then started some x-training last weekend. I'm doing some mountain biking and plyometrics right now, just some things that don't have miles and miles of heavy impact on my feet and knees.

Wednesday I went out for a very quick run around St Edwards. Just one 3 mile loop was all I decided to do. I considered a second loop, but my achilles hurt and mostly I just wanted to get out there and end the 10 day break from running after TRT. It felt good. I hammered up all of the hills and felt great, down hurt my achilles a little but not bad. Woke up feeling good today, so I think I'm in the clear on my quick TRT100 recovery. After Bighorn it took 3 months, so I'm excited!

Tahoe Rim Trail 100M

I woke up at 3AM on Saturday morning to catch a bus ride from the host hotel in Carson City to the start of the race. I said goodbye to Kara and Micah and told them I'd see them at mile 25. I normally try to show up at races very close to the start time because I hate standing around, but the bus forced me to get there an hour early. I hung out with John (from San Antonio) and Allen (from Houston) waiting for the race to start. At 5AM sharp, we were off. They went up ahead of me, but I would see them both again...

The race starts with an 8 mile climb up about 1500 feet. It was an easy power walk, there were way too many people on this single track trail to do anything else. Besides, I new I had a long day in front of me so I was in no hurry at all. I hit the Tunnel aid station at 16 miles well ahead of 24-hour pace. While that would be great, I knew 24-hours wasn't within reach for me yet, at least not on this course. Hunstville, sure, but not on a course with 20,000 ft. of climbing.

An hour later, I made my first big mistake. After a sharp descent, there was a 700 ft steep incline out of the Red House aid station. I felt great, so I powered up it quickly. My heart rate red-lined, and by the time I got to the top of the climb I was beat. At that point, I should have laid back and recovered, but I pushed on for the next 10 miles of uphill climbing. Most of this portion of the trail is on what locals called "powder" but in Texas we call it sand. It was tough terrain to run on, your feet slid on the uphills and your shoes filled with sand on the downhills. I learned a valuable lesson on this trail, gaiters are not girly. I would have killed for a pair of gaiters on this trail, and I'm going to order a pair when I get home. By the time I hit 20 miles, I was beat. It didn't help that the aid station between Tunnel (16 miles) and Rose Mountain (26 miles) was missing. I had plenty of water, but it was mentally disturbing because you had no idea how far you had gone. On top of this, the altitude had hit me hard, and my poor pacing had knocked me down. I was nauseous and couldn't eat anything solid. I stumbled on for the next 25 miles to the half way point in a complete daze. It was frustrating.. While I knew I could recover, and always have recovered from these spells, I also knew that I would need to eat for it to happen. Only half way and I was beaten.

And then I reached Spooner Lake, the half way point. All I can say is thank goodness for friends, family, and the great trail running community. At Spooner my wonderful supportive wife was there to take care of my needs. Normally, I push my way in and out of the aid station, but she recognized that I needed to recover before I left again. She and Allen recommended some chicken noodle soup, which tasted like heaven. It was the first real food I had eaten in 12 hours. I ate 3 cups of soup and tons of canteloupe. A veteran runner (I know he was a veteran because he had a Badwater buckle on) working the aid station diagnosed my troubles, gave me salt and helped clean up my feet. I didn't catch his name, but I thanked him as I left. He said no problem, and told me to make sure I finish. After 25 minutes at the aid station I was feeling great. I watched several people come in and drop due to the heat (85 was the peak temp, not too bad after a solid Texas summer of training), and I think I took their energy each time I saw someone drop. I heard only 57% of 100 milers finished that day due to the heat... I left feeling good, and for the first time I knew that I would finish this race. I said goodbye to Kara and Micah, since I would not see them again until the following morning at the finish line.

The second 50 was identical to the first. I left Spooner at 13.5 hours, moving at a slightly slower pace than I had started. I figured 27 hours was probably out of reach, but I hadn't completely given up on it. I knew I was feeling better, but I also knew it would be tough to keep up the same pace in the dark. For now, I just power walked up to Tunnel aid station again at a similar pace to the first loop.

Darkness fell around mile 60, and it was a pleasant change. I got to watch the sun set over Lake Tahoe from a solitary spot on top of a 9000ft mountain, which was a magnificent site. It was just another reminder of why trail running, and especially ultra trail running, gives us rare moments that very few ever have. While enjoying the view, I sat down to check out my feet which were beginning to hurt. I discovered a couple of really big blisters on both feet. They were treatable, but it was a good thing I stopped when I did. I was proud in a way, because foot care was my fatal flaw last year at Big Horn. This time, I vowed to take my time and treat my problems before they ruined my run. A year ago I lost 2-3 hours because I was trying to tough out the pain in my feet, this time I wouldn't let that happen. I duct taped all the bad areas and put on some new socks. I had a new bounce in my step again.

As I hit the big hill out of Red House, I reminded myself not to ruin this loop like I did the first by powering up the hill. It was dark, and much cooler, but the hill was just as steep and sandy. I took it a little slower, but not much because I just felt so good. At the top I had a few more bowls of soup giving me some needed energy and also some time to recover, then proceeded up the long slow climb to Mt Rose (76 miles). Around 70 miles I saw John, who had taken off in front of me about 10 hours earlier as I was struggling on the first loop. He was hurting bad and announced he would drop at Mt. Rose. He had just run Big Horn last week, and his body was done. Normally I would try to talk someone out of stopping, but this was one of the rare times where I agreed he was done and that there should be no regrets in the morning.

At Mt Rose, I had some more soup and tried a piece of cheese pizza that one of the volunteers offered. The pizza wouldn't sit, so I threw it out and took off towards home. This was the final 24 miles to the finish line. By now it was 2am. I knew I had 30 hours easily, with 28 as a real possibility. 28 in the mountains would be very satisfying for me, especially given my rough start. I ran from 75 to 80 miles still feeling good and keeping a good pace. As I passed most areas, I reminded myself of how bad I felt 14 hours earlier and how much better I was now. Around 80, however, things started to fall apart. My left Achilles tightened up pretty badly, and my left foot extensor muscle (top of the foot, used to pull your foot toward your shin - I had to look that up) starting aching. Within minutes, I could barely lift my left toes up while I ran. Up hill was OK, so I began running up hills that I normally would have power walked. Downhills, however, just wouldn't work. Unfortunately, most of the final 20 miles is down hill, including a 7 mile descent at the end. I hit the final major aid station, Snow Valley Peak, at 26 hours. It was 7.1 miles to the finish and a 2000 ft drop. If I could run, even after slowing down dramatically, I could have been close to 27 hours. But I knew 27 was out and so was 28 since I would be walking down the mountain. Even 29 was a stretch considering I could only limp down the hill. It was frustrating, but my main goal was to finish, break 30, and run a smart race. I was clearly going to succeed all 3, so it was still a joy to continue.

As I approached the finish, I did finally find some adrenaline to drown out the pain, and got into a decent jog towards the finish line. At the finish line was Robert, Diana, Kara and Micah. It was the first time Micah got to see my finish, which felt great. He's 5 months old, I don't pretend that he'll remember it, but it was still meaningful to me. I finished in 29:14, not what I had hoped, but it also gave me a ton of confidence for future runs. I was just one muscle away from finishing strong and probably close to 27 hours. At least in my mind, that was a success. I learned from mistakes of my first 100, and learned a few more lessons on this one.

The Tahoe Rim Trail is an awesome place, a trail everyone should run or hike at some point. It had some of the most amazing views I've ever seen. The race support was flawless, the volunteers were friendly and in most cases, experienced. I am also grateful for the support of my family, and also the other runners out there. Robert and Allen each gave me some sage advice and medicine when I needed it out on the trail when they could have focused solely on their own run. As always, this run was a gentle reminder that we can't succeed in great things by ourselves. I hope to be able to repay everyone in the future.

Tapers are Mean

The race is in 2.5 days, and I'm a complete mess. Physically and mentally, I'm just not in good shape. My knee is still hurting, I have no confidence in it anymore. I've always healed quickly, so I haven't completely lost hope, but it ain't looking good. I've been stretching non-stop, and using the foam roller 4 times a day. I've been foam-rolling so much I think some of the pain might be from the roller and not from the original knee problems. I can't even tell anymore. I'm icing every morning and every night.

Mentally, I'm a wreck. I always get nervous before a race, but with the physical unknowns of my knee I'm way worse than usual. I've been so bad that I was questioning whether I should start the race. The thing is, my knee is bad and it will likely be bad the whole race. If my IT band flares up early, there's no way I can fight through it. I know this because I've felt that pain before.

The thing is, I'm so afraid of failure that I'd rather not start if I don't think I can finish. I've never DNF'd, I've never even seriously considered it. To me it's not something I can consider because once I do, I'm already defeated. So here I am, with no confidence that I can go 100 miles, and 2.5 days away from the start. I've been at a crossroads. But then yesterday I had an epiphany. I remembered the old expression "It's better to have tried and failed than to have never tried at all." It's OK that I hate failure, but not so much that it prevents me from attempting anything. So I will start the race. I don't know if I'll finish it, but if I don't I won't have any regrets.

IT Band Hell

When my knee started hurting, I had no idea what it was but I was sure it wasn't my IT band. I've had a bad IT band twice, both times when training on roads for my first and second marathon. I know the pain very well, and I knew this wasn't it. It turns out I was wrong, I have ITBS and I have it pretty bad. 5 days to Tahoe and I'm starting to get really worried.

Right now my plan is to stretch it and ice it as much as possible, and we'll just see what happens. I've never DNF'd and don't plan to, but IT band pain is the only pain I've ever had that could have pushed me to it. I hate even talking about this, so I'll stop. My leg is bruised from the foam roller last night, lots more of that tonight.

Congrats to all the hardrockers. You guys got me inspired for my own run.

Hardrock

One of my favorite things to do this weekend every year is to watch the live Hardrock updates on the web. This year I'm watching the progress of Joe and JT.

It looks like JT started strong, but he just spent 1:15 at the 58 mile aid station, so I just hope everything is going alright. He did leave, and he's way ahead of the cutoff, so I'll be rooting for him. Joe is a few hours behind, but again well ahead of cutoff. I think a bone would have to be hanging out for him not to keep going.

Good luck guys, I'll be rooting for you all day.

On a personal note, my knee is feeling a little better. It still feels swollen, but the pain is a little less. I haven't run now in 8 days. I biked a little at the gym, and have been doing some upper body weights, but no running. I would like to test it out sometime this weekend, but probably not until tomorrow.

Jacked Up Knee

So far my taper is less active than I had hoped. Before the 30K last weekend my knee was hurting, but I didn't take it too seriously. After the race, it hurt a little but not much worse. And I knew my tapering was starting, so I had lots of recovery time.

Well, fast forward to Friday. I went for a 10 mile run with a friend of mine, just an easy loop around town lake. A mile from the finish I had to pull up and walk it in because my knee hurt. It's a new pain, I'm not sure what to make of it. It hurts all the time, not just when I'm running. It's not a sharp pain, its a dull nagging discomfort. It feels kind of swollen, but it doesn't look swollen. And it cracks when I walk. It can't be good going into a 100M run.

So, I'm taking it easy (read: not running at all). I'll probably do very little running before Tahoe. My thoughts are that I could screw something up running on it, while not running will have very little short term impact on my goal, which is to run well at Tahoe and to finish.

There was one other notable experience this long 4th of July weekend. I took Micah running in his baby stroller on Thursday. He's been on lots of walks, but that was his first run. It was his 5 month birthday. It was surprisingly tough to run even small hills while pushing a stroller, especially since you can't really use your arms at all.

Taper and Recovery

My taper for Tahoe officially started on Monday. I made it a real easy day, running about 5 miles after work with some co-workers. I usually push the pace and show them shortcuts so I can go a little faster, but this time I took it slow. Very slow. Tuesday was completely off, and I'm amazed at how tired my body was. I hadn't realized how tired I was until now, as I feel my body recovering and my energy coming back.

Today I did a short treadmill run at lunch, and a light core workout. Looking forward, I'm going to make this a real easy week and just continue my focus on recovery. I have just over 2 weeks before Tahoe and I've got butterflies already.

When Life Interferes with Blogging

It’s been a long time since I wrote to this blog. After my last post I purposely took some time off. Soon after that I decided that I would not be writing to it anymore. I’m not sure why I made that decision, but it was OK with me. I just had no interest in it anymore. Now, 16 months later, I am once again motivated to write. So for now I’ll write…

I’ll start off by summarizing the last 16 months. Shortly after I quit writing, I ran and finished the Bighorn 100M trail race. It was like nothing I’ve ever done, one of the most excruciating and exhilarating experiences of my life. It’s been too long to try to write the details now, so I won’t even try. I suffered like never before, destroyed my feet ,and took over 3 months for my blisters to heal. I have pictures of my feet after the race, but they are inappropriate for public viewing.

After the run, Kara and I went to Yellowstone for a vacation of camping and hiking. Our trip did not work out as planned because I could not walk, let along hike, but we had a great time nevertheless. After all, we weren’t just celebrating the end of a long training schedule and a successful race, we were also celebrating our new child on the way. Kara was 8 weeks pregnant at the time of the race.

In February, our first kid was born. His name is Micah and I never knew how deeply I could care about someone or something until I met him. It put my priorities into perspective, but not in the simplistic way you might think. Before he was born, I would have guessed that any priority changes would have been working less, running less, and spending more time with my family. Well, that’s only kind of how it has worked out. Micah is 5 months old now, and I’m still figuring things out. But one thing I’ve noticed is that having him hasn’t forced me to push any priorities down. It just made me squeeze in something at the top. I have to be more efficient with my time, I have to make sure no time is wasted, but I don’t have to drop anything that is important to me. My runs now are less consistent, they are straight to the point and back home, they are sometimes run through the night while Micah and Kara sleep, or they are at times while he is taking a nap. But I’ve been able to run just as much and still have time with my family. I’ve had to remove some weekday runs, and supplement them with longer weekend runs, but it’s a small sacrifice.

So now that everyone is up to date on my life, I can talk about where I am now. I just finished my heavy training for the Tahoe Rim Trail 100M race which is in 3 weeks. As of today I’m tapering. I’ll do a few more tough runs, but nothing long. My legs are completely trashed. It’s taken awhile to realize it, but yesterday it became abundantly clear that I’m physically exhausted. I’m not recovering quickly, and I’m getting slow. Both are signs of overtraining for me. The good news is that I avoided injury, and I have plenty of time to really recover and to be strong for the race. Now I’m going to focus on my nutrition and my mental strength, which are the only two things standing in my way from a successful run at Tahoe.

One more thing I want to mention before I go. Over the past 6 months, I have taken terrible care of my body. While I exercise plenty, my nutrition and other habits have been terrible. I eat bad, I drink bad, I haven't cross-trained, I haven't stretched, I haven't recovered... I've done everything wrong and undisciplined, and if I wasn't blessed with a naturally healthy body I'd be 220lbs, slow, and injured. About a week ago I decided to change that. I want to document this change in writing so I'm not tempted to regress.

Until next time…