gruecd
Footballguy
Great work!
Conversely, I ran 45 miles this past week and went to the gym 3 times for strength/core work. Thought I ate OK. Somehow managed to gain a pound or two.
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Ran a 10k - Official Thread (7 Viewers)
- Thread starter Ned
- Start date
Conversely, I ran 45 miles this past week and went to the gym 3 times for strength/core work. Thought I ate OK. Somehow managed to gain a pound or two.
jb1020
Footballguy
Once a Clydesdale, always a Clydesdale??? Isn't that how it goes?Great work!
Conversely, I ran 45 miles this past week and went to the gym 3 times for strength/core work. Thought I ate OK. Somehow managed to gain a pound or two.
Are you trying to lose weight now? I thought you were always trying to stay in that 210ish range? I'll miss complete pages of this thread at times, so I'm usually out of the loop.
gruecd
Footballguy
I tend to settle around 220 when I’m running 50+ mpw and eating halfway okay. I like to race at 210, but it’s hard for me to get there. I’m more like 225 now. #Pig
Nigel
Footballguy
Great update. Been nice having another rider in the Strava group to check in on, seems we gravitate towards the same types of rides. You should try to work in a longer (60 min+) ride here or there if time allows. That extra 15 min gets you more of that long-run feeling, which I miss.
We’re getting a couple Pelotons delivered to my work gym in the next week, might be able to get a few two-a-days in.
Juxtatarot
Footballguy
JShare87
Footballguy
Just my local marathon. It’s called the Treasure Coast Marathon. It’s a BQ, but I am just running it because I fell flat on my face the last time out. Not sure if I’ll follow a strict training plan or not. Would like to run somewhere around 3:20-3:15, but we’ll see.
Hang 10
Footballguy
-OZ-
Footballguy
Ran one of those night time 5k races last night with Oz Jr. At the local botanical garden. They put a decent collection of Christmas lights up over a 2 mile path (you turn at one point so you're running into people), we had walked it a few weeks ago without flashlights or anything other than the lights they put up. Yet apparently that wasn't enough light for many people 
Between the dark spots, the various headlamps that blind everyone, Christmas lights, and there being over 1200 people in a tight course, it was actually a lot of fun but was not going to be fast.
We got lined up later than we should have so got stuck behind walkers, 300 lb "joggers", and a few idiots who felt the need to keep turning around with their bright headlamps shining right in your face. (Did I mention how much I was irritated with these damn headlamps?) I seriously wanted to smack a fatass who was turning around every few moments shining her light in our faces. She wasn't trying to talk to us, she was just completely oblivious.
I realize I'm in the minority and maybe unsafe when I run or walk on our greenway at night, the Moon and ambient light is usually enough where you don't need another light. We'll bring it but usually it's kept off. We do wear reflective belts for safety.
Anyway fun event, but we were about 3 minutes slower than his best.
Between the dark spots, the various headlamps that blind everyone, Christmas lights, and there being over 1200 people in a tight course, it was actually a lot of fun but was not going to be fast.
We got lined up later than we should have so got stuck behind walkers, 300 lb "joggers", and a few idiots who felt the need to keep turning around with their bright headlamps shining right in your face. (Did I mention how much I was irritated with these damn headlamps?) I seriously wanted to smack a fatass who was turning around every few moments shining her light in our faces. She wasn't trying to talk to us, she was just completely oblivious.
I realize I'm in the minority and maybe unsafe when I run or walk on our greenway at night, the Moon and ambient light is usually enough where you don't need another light. We'll bring it but usually it's kept off. We do wear reflective belts for safety.
Anyway fun event, but we were about 3 minutes slower than his best.
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jb1020
Footballguy
Yeah, there aren't many options for 60+ minute rides. If I had to come up with a complaint about the Peloton that would be it. I have doubled up on 45 min Endurance rides once or twice, thats easy enough.Nigel said:
I'm trying to do somewhat of a plan each week. Endurance ride, power ride, Interval ride then just a aerobic ride or 2 each week.
I think it was the last class I took with Jennifer she said at the end look forward to 2018 when she rolls out her "endurance training plan." That would be a great idea if they could integrate some so plans into their app.
That awesome your work is getting one. They fact that these don't wear you out, I feel like I could handle a few two a days.
ChiefD
Footballguy
Should have played prison rules. Flying elbows, forearm shivers....the works.Ran one of those night time 5k races last night with Oz Jr. At the local botanical garden. They put a decent collection of Christmas lights up over a 2 mile path (you turn at one point so you're running into people), we had walked it a few weeks ago without flashlights or anything other than the lights they put up. Yet apparently that wasn't enough light for many people
Between the dark spots, the various headlamps that blind everyone, Christmas lights, and there being over 1200 people in a tight course, it was actually a lot of fun but was not going to be fast.
We got lined up later than we should have so got stuck behind walkers, 300 lb "joggers", and a few idiots who felt the need to keep turning around with their bright headlamps shining right in your face. (Did I mention how much I was irritated with these damn headlamps?) I seriously wanted to smack a fatass who was turning around every few moments shining her light in our faces. She wasn't trying to talk to us, she was just completely oblivious.
I realize I'm in the minority and maybe unsafe when I run or walk on our greenway at night, the Moon and ambient light is usually enough where you don't need another light. We'll bring it but usually it's kept off. We do wear reflective belts for safety.
Anyway fun event, but we were about 3 minutes slower than his best.
-OZ-
Footballguy
ChiefD
Footballguy
gianmarco
Footballguy
So I've noticed I definitely retain fluid after longer runs and then diurese a few days later. My weight will go UP after longer runs and then normalize 2-4 days later.
mr. furley
Footballguy
i wear a headlamp and STILL have had my fair share of near misses.
live near a college campus that has ample street lighting.... for the most part. where it's absent, even with moonlight and ambient light, it's really easy to miss the walkers/runners that are crossing. hitting someone who thinks they are visible because of reflective tape or bright clothes is one of my worst fears.
please, wear a head lamp. it's not just you who will be traumatized if you get hit.
Brony
Footballguy
I like running at night and I always thought an event like this would be cool to do. Now you got me rethinking that. Maybe they need to limit the numbers?Ran one of those night time 5k races last night with Oz Jr. At the local botanical garden. They put a decent collection of Christmas lights up over a 2 mile path (you turn at one point so you're running into people), we had walked it a few weeks ago without flashlights or anything other than the lights they put up. Yet apparently that wasn't enough light for many people
Between the dark spots, the various headlamps that blind everyone, Christmas lights, and there being over 1200 people in a tight course, it was actually a lot of fun but was not going to be fast.
We got lined up later than we should have so got stuck behind walkers, 300 lb "joggers", and a few idiots who felt the need to keep turning around with their bright headlamps shining right in your face. (Did I mention how much I was irritated with these damn headlamps?) I seriously wanted to smack a fatass who was turning around every few moments shining her light in our faces. She wasn't trying to talk to us, she was just completely oblivious.
I realize I'm in the minority and maybe unsafe when I run or walk on our greenway at night, the Moon and ambient light is usually enough where you don't need another light. We'll bring it but usually it's kept off. We do wear reflective belts for safety.
Anyway fun event, but we were about 3 minutes slower than his best.
Hang 10
Footballguy
I probably fluctuate around 5-7lbs throughout the week but it's mostly water weight. I think it has a lot to do with my higher carbohydrate diet. You definitely retain more water the more carbs you take in.
Hang 10
Footballguy
Getting back to light training lately and I just signed up for a race combo this Saturday. There's a 5K at 8AM & 7K at 9:30AM. Never done anything like this before. I'd like to make a run at a PR for the 5K and probably run the 7K a little more strategically. Previous years the field hasn't been all that competitive so I may have a shot for a "W" depending on who shows up.
tri-man 47
Footballguy
This message brought to you by that horse that literally got run into a few years ago by one of our own.
pbm107
Footballguy
Good luck, it is a really good sign that you're feeling up to racing a 5K. To me that is more important than your result.
-OZ-
Footballguy
On the greenway it's not an issue, we don't cross any roads. I guess a deer could hit me, or maybe another runner but that's about the extent of the risk and I'm not sure it's mitigated by the lamp.
I'm really surprised that you can't see runners wearing reflective belts, mine are super bright if there's any light. I wear the headlamp on the road.
It was fun, but not ideal for a PR.
mr. furley
Footballguy
mr. furley
Footballguy
it seems to be more an issue when broadside to someone wearing reflective gear. it's not always super noticeable. maybe it's me.
almost clipped a couple last night while turning on to my street. there are street lights across the road but not on my corner. the chick (i found out) had on reflective shoes and a vest with reflective material on the front. he was wearing all black.
never saw them until i was cutting them off. thankfully they saw me in time.
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-OZ-
Footballguy
I'm still debating about buying one of those multi colored vest things. Seems smart.
This https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00OIHTFGQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1511884232&sr=8-10&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=running+safety+vest&dpPl=1&dpID=41revG%2BCwEL&ref=plSrch
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Hang 10
Footballguy
Thanks.
Yeah, when I got back to running last week I noticed that my legs felt good but it was hard to get a rhythm going but by the weekend I felt like my premarathon self.
I'm not really sure if a PR is realistic. I know I'm in better shape but coming off a marathon and no practice at speed, it should be interesting at least.
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mr. furley
Footballguy
gianmarco
Footballguy
Got back from London a couple days ago, able to get ~20 miles in over there. That was fun although it was cold as ####. I also am not used to having all these dirty clothes while traveling and our hotel didn't have a place to wash anything. Some stinky laundry in our suitcases when I got back home :X
Couple questions:
1) After my runs, my clothes are really starting to smell of ammonia and it's hard to get out while washing. Does that happen to any of you? Any tips to help get that smell out?
2) I just put on my wife's Garmin for a run this morning to look at some HR data as I haven't done that in a couple of months. 8 mile run at a decent but not really uncomfortable pace with an average HR of 161. Is that too high still? I was in upper 150's for first 3 miles, mid 160's for next 2-3, 170's for my fastest mile (mile 7) and low 160's/high 150's for last mile.
Wife out of town and my little one being watched by grandparents, so I was excited to go out on a solo stress free run through our park. First time doing this by myself. I started out today with intention of doing 8-10 at an easy pace but the weather was absolutely pristine (upper 50's, a little sun and a little wind) and I felt great and my first couple miles were faster than expected so I just went with it and used it to run more of a progression in tempo. I'll take it easier tomorrow. 15k race in just under 2 weeks so this is my last week to really push it as I'll take it easier next week.
I don't know if it was the cold or just that I wasn't putting in as many miles the last 2-3 weeks but I felt like I struggled more with my runs in London and that my fitness was taking a step back. Today was VERY encouraging as it felt much better than any run last week. And while I love running with my wife, I find that I do better on my own as I'm not adjusting my pace to anyone but myself.
Couple questions:
1) After my runs, my clothes are really starting to smell of ammonia and it's hard to get out while washing. Does that happen to any of you? Any tips to help get that smell out?
2) I just put on my wife's Garmin for a run this morning to look at some HR data as I haven't done that in a couple of months. 8 mile run at a decent but not really uncomfortable pace with an average HR of 161. Is that too high still? I was in upper 150's for first 3 miles, mid 160's for next 2-3, 170's for my fastest mile (mile 7) and low 160's/high 150's for last mile.
Wife out of town and my little one being watched by grandparents, so I was excited to go out on a solo stress free run through our park. First time doing this by myself. I started out today with intention of doing 8-10 at an easy pace but the weather was absolutely pristine (upper 50's, a little sun and a little wind) and I felt great and my first couple miles were faster than expected so I just went with it and used it to run more of a progression in tempo. I'll take it easier tomorrow. 15k race in just under 2 weeks so this is my last week to really push it as I'll take it easier next week.
I don't know if it was the cold or just that I wasn't putting in as many miles the last 2-3 weeks but I felt like I struggled more with my runs in London and that my fitness was taking a step back. Today was VERY encouraging as it felt much better than any run last week. And while I love running with my wife, I find that I do better on my own as I'm not adjusting my pace to anyone but myself.
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Hang 10
Footballguy
1. Try a sports detergent or use the sanitize function on your washing machine.
2. Unless you find out what your max heart rate is, the other numbers don't mean a whole lot. You really need to collect data for a month or so with a variety of runs to make sense of where you are and at what HR you should train.
gianmarco
Footballguy
1. Tried both. No dice. Using vinegar next.
2. My max on that run was 179. I ask because the Garmin said it was a 5.0 aerobic activity. Makes sense what you said, not sure if it's something I'll try to do unless you guys recommend.
gruecd
Footballguy
I wear a headlamp AND a vest AND a neon-yellow jacket, and people still almost hit me on the regular. I don't know if everybody is just looking at their phones and not paying attention or what!
bushdocda
Footballguy
Think the watch is just saying that based on the HRs it’s measured, not you and your max HR (which if done right is a hella workout).
My two cents is that HR can keep you from running too hard once you can correlate your effort and HR and paces achieved. No reason the data you mention seems high just at face value though.
Alright buckle in, or scroll waaaaaaay down the page to skip entirely and save yourself quite a bit of time.
Rio del Lago 100 Race Report (Folsom, CA)
Date: November 4-5, 2017
Distance: 100.5 miles
Pre-Race
The impetus behind this one was my DNF at Mile 78 of the Kettle Moraine 100 in early June, and the desire to get a Western States qualifier in yet this year so that I’d have two tickets in that lottery for the 2018 race. RdL just so happened to be a qualifier on the last possible weekend to qualify for Western States’ 2018 race.
Mrs. SayWhat and I booked a quick turnaround trip for this one, flying into Sacramento on Friday afternoon and departing back to Minnesota on Monday afternoon. With the race starting Saturday morning and hopefully concluding Sunday morning, this didn’t allow for a lot of leisure time.
The best story from this entire weekend occurred during our travels to the race. With it being such a short trip, we had visions of not needing to check a bag. But race gear quickly takes up an unreasonable amount of space, especially with the uncertain forecast calling for cooler temps and rain, so we ultimately decided to check one suitcase. When that decision was made, I packed everything I needed for the race into a carry-on suitcase because I’d be damned if I were going to travel all the way out to California for a race and have my race gear not show up in the checked suitcase. Mrs. SayWhat and I got to the airport, checked our suitcase, and made our way through security…myself with a backpack and carry-on suitcase and my wife with a purse and small carry-on shoulder bag. I go through the security line first, wait for her, collect all of our gear, and we head down towards our gate at the opposite end of the airport. On the way, we make a restroom stop and grab a cup of coffee. As we round the corner to head down the G concourse with our plane scheduled to board in less than 10 minutes and takeoff just 40 minutes away, I turn to Mrs. SayWhat with a look of pure horror and say “MY BAG!” I had my backpack slung across my shoulder but I had no other carry-on luggage in tow. At that exact moment I was in possession of exactly NONE of my race gear. Shoes, socks, compression sleeves, shorts, boxers, LS/SS t-shirts, rain shell, headlamps, ipod, hats, gloves, race vest/bottles, electrolytes, and basically anything/everything I might need for the race. MY. GOD. Panic gripped me. I did a stationary panic dance for what felt like a minute, but was likely a single second, before turning 180 degrees and starting a stressed jog back in the direction we had just come from without uttering any further directive towards my wife. I mentally retraced our steps. Did I lean it up against the counter at Caribou Coffee? And it immediately hit me. I did not have that piece of luggage when I used the restroom, as I would’ve distinctly remembered wheeling it in there. It had to be back at security. IT HAD TO BE. My pace back to security at the other end of the airport quickened as I darted around people. As I entered the area and headed towards the security line I had come through, I locked eyes with a TSA agent. He’s probably seen the look I had on my face thousands of times. “I think I left a bag here” I muttered, half out of breath, as my eyes scanned the area. And just then they locked on a black suitcase sitting on the floor in the rear corner of the room. I didn’t even wait for him to respond as I headed in that direction towards a suitcase which looked similar to mine. It was marked with a “CLEARED” post-it on the top. I unzipped a exterior zipper and recognized my rain shell. EXHALES. After providing my name, he let me head out with all of my luggage in hand. I encountered Mrs. SayWhat about halfway back to our concourse, just shaking her head. I too, felt the same way. That was a head-shaking moment if there ever was one, no doubt. In hindsight, that bag most definitely got pulled off the line by security as it was scanned. Since I collected all of our gear that came out and don’t normally bring a carry-on suitcase, it simply didn’t dawn on me that I was missing anything and thus, we departed before security brought the bag out to be searched. Tragedy averted, with an enormous sigh of relief.
The flight into Sacramento and drive to Folsom were otherwise uneventful, so we headed to Fleet Feet in Folsom to get checked in for the race and pick up our bibs. I instantly wished I were a fast runner so that I could tell everyone that I was about to go 187 on this course, but alas I’m not, so I didn’t. I did receive more than a few comments about my bib number from other runners and aid station workers throughout the course of the race.
Our very own @SFBayDuckPM’d me the week before the race and offered up that he’d be making the trek to Folsom and would be willing to help crew. We had made arrangements to meet up the night before the race for a bite to eat, so we got in touch and decided on a place right next to Fleet Feet. I told Mrs. SayWhat that the ifriend we were about to meet and whom was about to help us crew would only respond to “Duck,” so that made things a bit awkward at first. My assumption that Duck was 100% good dude was quickly confirmed. We had a bite to eat, drank a couple beers, and talked a bit about life before getting into some race prep. Duck even wore his Western States belt buckle for the first time ever. If I needed any more motivation, Duck was bringing it. We departed with a plan in place and that plan was, and still is, mind boggling to me. Duck was planning to crew for this random internet stranger at every single crew-accessible aid station for the entirety of 100 miles. Words can’t describe how unbelievably generous of an offer that was.
Mrs. SayWhat and I headed back to our VRBO, I got all my race gear prepped, and got a decent block of about 5+ hours of sleep in before my alarm went off at 3:50am. I awoke without a headache, the first such day since Monday. My wife and I both had been battling a bug for two weeks straight, so it was an enormous relief to wake up the morning of the race without the headache that had plagued me all week especially considering I don’t typically get headaches. Things were looking up. We arrived at the race start and met up with Duck (again, at 4:45am!!). This was a bit surreal. Here I am in another state, about to give another 100 a go, with a random internet friend at the ready, while the hosts announcing at the race were from the Trail Runner Nation podcast which I listen to religiously on my work commute. They had a runner named Jimmy Dean Freeman speak for a bit before the race as well. Jimmy Dean is an extremely talented ultrarunner from California, with a resume including running the original six 100 mile races (Old Dominion, Western States, Vermont, Angeles Crest, Leadville, and Wasatch) in a three month stretch back in 2014. He’s also been a frequent guest on Trail Runner Nation. All of this was adding up and starting to get me fired up for day ahead.
The Plan
Having Duck on board to crew at every aid station, along with my wife, changed my approach a bit. I prepped no drop bags since I’d be seeing crew at miles 19, 23, 36, 44, 74, and 84. My nutrition plan was the same as it’s been in previous races…one bottle of Tailwind (200 calories) and one Huma Gel (100 calories) every hour with an S-Cap as needed. Sprinkle in whatever else called my name at the aid stations and go from there. With how cruddy I felt the previous two weeks, I was a bit concerned about my stomach and how it would deal with Tailwind and Gels for 24+ hours. Along with Duck crewing, my wife had trained in order to pace me from mile 74 through the finish. A trail marathon would be her longest run on the trails, as well as her first night run on the trails as well.
From a mental standpoint I broke the race up into 4 sections. First, a 19 mile southbound lollipop loop that from what I heard contained a lot of paved trail. Yuck. But that would bring me back through the start/finish area at Beals Point where I’d see Duck and Mrs. SayWhat for the first time. From there the course would head north into the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. I’d head northbound for 26 miles before hitting the Overlook aid station. From Overlook, I’d do a 30 mile loop with no crew accessible aid stations, where I’d be on my own, before coming back through Overlook at mile 74. I’d pick up Mrs. SayWhat there and we’d finish the race with her completion of a trail marathon. So four mini-goals to accomplish…0-19, 19-45, 45-74, 74-Finish. I figured miles 45-74, on my own at nightfall with a good chunk vertical, was going to be the big challenge.
Pre-Race Goals
My A goal was to get a finish and a Western States qualifier so that I’d have two tickets in the lottery this year. B goal was sub-24 hours if everything went reasonably well, though the illness leading into the race coupled with a less than ideal training log the previous 5-6 weeks led me to putting time goals on the back burner almost entirely. So what I really resided myself to was enjoying this race. I wanted to ensure that I soaked it all in while running in an area of the country that I’d never been to, and just as importantly make sure that my wife had a good time and successfully completed her goal of running a trail marathon. And we’re off…
The Race – Miles 0-19: Asphalt? Yep, and Lots of It
I felt fired up as the race start neared, though I hardly looked the part. Almost 400 runners headed off at the countdown come 5am. With the temps a bit on the cooler side and rain slated to start soon, I headed out with a LS t-shirt and light rain shell. Within a mile, the rain shell was off and strapped into my pack. I settled into a comfortable pace and started into the long day ahead. As the field started to space out a bit, I struggled to find course markings. Seriously? It’s literally miles into a 100 mile race and anytime there was a split in the path/trail, it frequently wasn’t visually evident in the dark which direction to go. On a few occasions only after searching for a marker would I find one, twenty feet down a trail, six inches off the ground, the orange marker with no reflective tape seemingly hiding from the runners. Frustrating. At one point I was near the caboose of ~10-15 runners whom I could see up to a quarter mile ahead of me when I heard a “HEY!” from behind. I turned around to see runners heading in a different direction than our train was. We passed word on down the line that all of us had missed a turn, and doubled back to get back on course. Within a mile of that incident, a runner was running towards three of us on a parallel path in the opposite direction we were heading while asking “are you guys on the right trail?” We were pretty certain that we were, as he indicated that he had gone a mile off trail. Man, the trail markings pretty much sucked and it made me worry about the 90+ miles yet to come. There was a bit over 1000 feet of elevation gain over these first 19 miles, which wasn’t bad at all. I kept a pretty consistent pace with all but six of the miles in the 10:XX/mi range, with a couple 9:XX, and a few 11:XX’s. I returned through Beal's Point at Mile 19 in about 3 1/2 hours with Duck and Mrs. SayWhat at the ready. Duck had a chair all set up for me if needed, with his custom ultramarathon drop bag containing anything a runner might need at the ready. I was feeling great and didn’t want to sit this early in the race. While I was grateful to see Mrs. SayWhat and Duck, I didn’t linger long as I ditched my headlamp, grabbed my gels/Tailwind for the next section, and headed out.
Miles 19-45: Weather the Storm
This was the exact same section I’d be coming back through with Mrs. SayWhat from miles 74 to the finish, so I was curious to get into this section and see what it entailed. There was a crew accessible aid station at Mile 23, so it wouldn’t be long until I’d see the crew again. Those first 4.5 miles went off without a hitch, I saw Duck and Mrs. SayWhat and got back out on the trail quickly. From there I’d be running about 12.5 miles before I’d see them again at Mile 35.5. It was during this section where I’d encounter a 3-4 mile stretch known as the “meat grinder.” The meat grinder was a section of continual rollers with a fair amount of rocks to traverse over and around. I honestly didn’t realize I was into the section until a runner in front of me mumbled something. When I asked him what he said, he stated “I think we’re pretty much through the meat grinder.” So much for any anxiety I had relating to that section! In all honestly, that section had similarities (without the tree roots) to what large portions of the Superior Hiking Trail here in Minnesota entail…continually rolling hills with technical trail to navigate. Well that was nothing that Mrs. SayWhat couldn’t handle on the way back. But it was after this that I hit my first low patch so maybe the section did unknowingly take a bite out of me. My stomach just hadn’t quite felt right from the start, so I had started to slow my intake of Tailwind and gels a bit at this stage. I was still moving alright, but just felt off. I crested a hill behind someone, and after a verbal exchange I recognized his voice as that of Jimmy Dean Freeman. After a brief introduction, he informed me that he had been shooting for a sub-19 hour race but admitted that it wasn’t happening for him as the wheels were coming off a bit. This was a welcome break for me since I was struggling some as well. I slowed my pace (yes, I, SayWhat of mid-pack status, slowed my pace for a real life actual legit ultramarathoner which just goes to show that anything can happen in an ultra) as we conversed, mostly about our families, for a three mile stretch before I wished him luck and headed out. It was also during this stretch that the newer pair of shoes I was wearing started giving me some unusual pinching problems around my ankle. I arrived at Rattlesnake Bar (mile 35.5) feeling like it was about time to tend to my feet and other regions. Once again, my crew was on their game. I took a Duck seat for a bit, cleaned up my feet, changed socks, and decided to swap from that newer pair of shoes to a pair that I knew wouldn’t give me the same ankle problem but which was nearing the end of their useful life. After about 10 minutes of sitting it was time to get back out there. I waited until I was out of sight of the aid station, cleaned the nether regions with a wet wipe and reapplied an excessive amount of Glide. Chaffing wasn’t going to be the end of my race this go round. I felt pretty good during the next 9 miles but quickly realized how trashed the “old” shoes I had on really were. Sure, I no longer was having the pinching near my ankle but the bottoms of my feet were hating the fact that I had just made that shoe swap. I very quickly made the decision to swap those shoes back again at my next opportunity and troubleshoot the ankle pinching issue. The final three miles into Overlook is an uphill grind, with one local describing it to me as “runnable” as we began the climb. Bull####. Not. Runnable. At least, not for a “runner” of my caliber. It was a slow and steady three mile climb, but I emerged excited to see Mrs. SayWhat and Duck at the ready. Once again I spent some time in the chair at this aid station, swapped those shoes back, and put on a dry LS t-shirt. Since this was the last time I’d see the crew for 30 miles, and the last time with daylight, I made sure we got a team shot before parting ways.
Miles 45-74: The Lonely Loop
As I got underway, I made a shoelace adjustment that lessened the ankle pinching and felt grateful to have a bit more cushion under my feet again. This was the section that was going to make or break this race. Thirty miles, no crew, plenty of climbing, and the onset of nightfall, all as the miles began to add up. Being that I’m typically a pretty quiet runner, I had made it a point to converse a bit more throughout the race. Soak in the experience. Chat up the locals. This made a few stretches go by much more quickly, including one of the more memorable being the 4 mile descent from Overlook to the iconic No Hands Bridge. It was this time during which a local runner filled me in on much of the history of Folsom and the hills that we were running through. A very cool experience. Nightfall came and the rain, which was supposed to dissipate during the late afternoon, only worsened. The rain consistently fell a bit harder with periods of heavy downpours. While the rest of the course was in great condition despite the constant rain, this 30 mile loop was at times a complete mess. Particularly, a section called “Goat Hill” and the leadup to was almost comical. A steep and muddy mess of a climb, at times a 20% grade, made the going slow and slippery. It was funny watching everyone do anything and everything they could to get up that hill. Foot planting on rocks, two inch shuffle steps, leaning up against trees on the side of the trail, grabbing trees/shrubs/weeds/other runners…all of it was in play. Quite the sight. I had planned to tend to any areas of potential chaffing at least once during this section, but the rain onslaught changed that plan and I tried my best to just keep moving and get out of the aid stations quickly as the rain soaked darkness brought on a bit of a chill. I tagged onto the tail end of four runners during a good chunk of this section, two racers with their pacers, and let them carry me for miles. Thanks random runners. The terrain in this section was at times perfect…gorgeous single track remotely stowed away in the mountains with heavy fog giving it a serene backdrop. Perfect, if only for that rain. And oh yeah, mountain lions. After crossing back over No Hands, I made the 4 mile gradual climb back up into Overlook at mile 74 ½ knowing that a finish was going to happen and eager to share that time with my wife. Duck catered to us one more time and saw us depart about 17 ½ hours into the race for that final stretch.
Miles 74-100: Mrs. SayWhat's First Trail Marathon
The descent out of Overlook takes you down that “runnable” uphill road I had talked about at mile 44. I was doing some mental calculations on my way into Overlook and knew that going sub-24 hours would require a near perfect marathon with my wife. Well we slammed the door and locked the deadbolt on that pipedream about a mile into our time together as a group of five of us runners (three racers and two pacers) started to see some unfamiliar terrain. We collectively stopped to assess our situation. My wife ventured ahead a bit, one of the other runners attempted to pull up an “interactive race map” on his phone, and I sat there dumbfounded as to how we all could have missed a turn so quickly out of that aid station. Suddenly it hit me. I had a trackback screen on my Garmin and being we were now heading back the way I had come earlier, I should be able to see if we were indeed off course. I quickly announced that I had trackback while switching screens on my watch. Yep, we were definitely off course as we were presently headed in a direction 45 degrees to the road I had come up into Overlook on. Our group doubled back as I watched the arrow on my watch slowly approach the intersection of the two conflicting paths. That turned out to be exactly a one mile detour as we had gone a half mile off course. We got a good laugh out of this as my wife in her capacity as pacer joked “I had just one job!” We only had 3 ½ miles to the bottom of that hill and the next aid station and I was struggling to keep pace. I continued to pound Coke at the aid stations, trying to get some pep back into my step. We had 5 ½ miles until we would see Duck at the next aid station and as I started to get back on track, my wife began struggling with her stomach. A strange day for her threw off her food intake, and she started feeling off just as I started to come around. We simply couldn’t get in sync. Not only were our struggles not aligning, but we come from opposite schools of running. Her from the attack-the-uphill-but-uber-cautious-downhill-for-fear-of-tripping and me from the power-hike-the-uphill-and-run-the-rest. It was during this section that I rolled an ankle good for the first time which only added to the struggles. We talked a bit about getting her some real food at the next aid station, and as we did I started to battle something I never had while running before. Tiredness. I was starting to struggle focusing and getting extremely sleepy. We rolled into Rattlesnake and my wife found some real food to settle her stomach as Duck steered me into ordering the Red Bull, Coke, and quesadilla combination platter. Comically enough, that did the trick. Duck departed to get a bit of rest before the finish while Mrs. SayWhat and I headed out. We used the next 3 mile section to get in sync before hitting up a 9 ½ mile stretch that included the Meat Grinder. It was during this section that my wife had me call down the miles remaining until the final aid station as each mile ticked off. I didn’t love watch watching so much, but she seemed pumped as each mileage reduction was announced. We grinded through this section before emerging at Granite Beach (Mile 96) in 23:45, with just 4 ½ miles to go to the finish. It’s not a thing, but now I had my sights set on ensuring we finished in under 24:XX. So we got in and out and pushed hard for the next three miles before letting up a bit. We emerged from the woods to a familiar elevated concrete path less than ½ mile long. What lay in the distance at the end of that path? A lit up and bustling finish line. There it was. The end to this long journey reaching out to us. “I have to poop,” my wife uttered. “Now?” I ask, bewildered. “Yes, I think so” she added. “Well that’s the finish line right there,” as I pointed down the path. “Right, but I think it’s coming.” At this I’m shaking my head internally, and possibly externally as well. I let her know that this is likely her last chance to poop in the woods, as the last stretch was entirely on the isolated concrete walkway with no poop getaway possible. “So if you have to go and can’t make it to the finish, this is your last chance.” With that she started walking into the woods on the opposite side of the path we had just come from, yet quickly did a 180 and started walking back towards me. “Let’s go. I think I scared it back inside,” she quipped. I chuckled a bit at the absurdity of it all. Before I could even get moving again she doubled back towards the woods again as the poop roared with anger and won the battle. I stood there laughing to myself as another runner jogged past on their way to the finish. The battle of mind vs poop was a great way to cap off this journey and my wife’s first trail marathon. We crossed in 24:52:19 to cheers from Duck, almost assuredly the most elite crew any runner could’ve had. We hung out for a bit and chatted with Duck as he treated my chilled and cashless wife and I to a coffee and mocha, respectively, before we headed our separate ways.
Post-Race Musings
All in all I think I’d describe my feelings on the race as content. I felt that the course markings were a bit disappointing (and I read as much from many others online in the week following the race) , but since I wasn’t “racing” that truly wasn’t a huge deal. Considering how I felt leading into the race from a health standpoint, I was glad that my body held up relatively well. My typical fuel of Tailwind and Gels became unappealing far too early in the race (starting in miles 25-35) and I quickly moved away from them and into plain water along with aid station offerings such as Coke, oranges, soup, PB&J, chips, etc. And yes, even some Red Bull, quesadillas, and Red Vines mixed in there. From that perspective, I’m glad I was able to fuel with whatever looked appealing and that my stomach held firm utilizing that approach. My feet also came out of the race in relatively good shape. Per my Garmin, I had almost 2 hours of non-moving time during the race. Far too much for a 100, though it wasn’t surprising as I spent more time in a chair at miles 35 and 74 than I had in any other ultra I can recall. I'm going to blame that on my super inviting and accommodating crew.
The course itself was alright. I’m not a “runner” so the first 18 miles on mostly pavement I could’ve done without. The uninteresting start to this course was offset by touching on a bit of the Western States course, some beautiful views (that I could capture when it wasn't raining too hard), and the surreal single track/rain/dusk/fog combination on Saturday evening.
I’m extremely grateful to @SFBayDuck, for taking the time, energy, and resources to meet up with some strangers and crew them for 24+ hours, committing nearly 48 hours in all to the cause. Unreal. If he ever needs a pacer or crew and I can make possibly it work, I will. This trip also would not have happened if not for the encouragement from Mrs. SayWhat. She’s incredibly supportive and kicked some ### in her first trail marathon. That said, I don’t foresee her pacing further overnight sections as she didn’t particularly enjoy staring at the next 20 feet of trail lit up by only a headlamp for 7 straight hours. Her loss I guess, because who wouldn’t enjoy that?!
Another race with some nice gear. Finishing resulted in a comfortable lightweight zip up hoodie, long-sleeve t-shirt, finishers medal, and of course the belt buckle. It’s not a Western States buckle, but it’ll have to hold up the pants for the time being.
Recovery has gone reasonably well. A couple short runs with some creaky joints, but all in all my body feels fine sans the fact that my limbs are all now going numb.
As noted post-race, my wife essentially forced me to go on a hike at Lake Tahoe the morning after the race. Marriage defined. But that magnificent scene capped off the weekend perfectly.
Results
Starters: 393
Finishers: 297 (75.5% finish rate)
Time: 24:52:19 (14:50/mi avg)
Overall: 94/297
Men: 80/216
Men Masters: 35/97
What’s Next
First, two tickets in the Western States 100 lottery this Saturday and a ~3.75% chance of getting selected for the 2018 race. Considering the odds, it’s best I start alternate planning for a qualifier next year. I think I’ll likely take one of two paths to that qualifier:
1) Superior 100 (September 2018) – The Superior was my first 100 in 2016, and I love love LOVE this race. If I get into this race via January lottery, I’ll likely do the Zumbro 50 or 100 in April, and a mid-summer 50 miler somewhere local as a lead-up. The one positive to not getting selected in the 100 mile lottery would be that I'd likely run the Superior Marathon with my wife and some other friends then instead of the 100, which would be an awesome and more laid back experience.
2) If I don’t get into the Superior 100, which would suck, then I’d likely begrudgingly go after unfinished business from my DNF at Kettle Moraine 100 and sign up for that race in June. :X Less than ideal, but its easily the next closest qualifier as just a 5 hour drive from the Twin Cities. I’d almost certainly run the Zumbro 50 in April as leadup to this, which was my exact plan this year before injury forced me to drop down to the 17 miler.
If I run Superior in September, I’d give serious consideration to signing up for the Tunnel Hill 100 in Illinois in mid-November. This is an incredibly flat 100 miler that’s a 10 hour drive away, and it would be a Western States qualifier for 2020. So I could run Superior 100 in September 2018 as my WS100 2019 qualifier and two months later knock out the Tunnel Hill 100 as my WS100 2020 qualifier. I guess the downside to that plan is potentially running Tunnel Hill in mid-November and then actually getting selected, against the odds, in the December WS100 2019 lottery. That would make the entire Tunnel Hill trip/race unnecessary from a WS100 qualifying perspective, which would be the sole reason to make that trip.
tldr: @SFBayDuckis the man.
Rio del Lago 100 Race Report (Folsom, CA)
Date: November 4-5, 2017
Distance: 100.5 miles
Pre-Race
The impetus behind this one was my DNF at Mile 78 of the Kettle Moraine 100 in early June, and the desire to get a Western States qualifier in yet this year so that I’d have two tickets in that lottery for the 2018 race. RdL just so happened to be a qualifier on the last possible weekend to qualify for Western States’ 2018 race.
Mrs. SayWhat and I booked a quick turnaround trip for this one, flying into Sacramento on Friday afternoon and departing back to Minnesota on Monday afternoon. With the race starting Saturday morning and hopefully concluding Sunday morning, this didn’t allow for a lot of leisure time.
The best story from this entire weekend occurred during our travels to the race. With it being such a short trip, we had visions of not needing to check a bag. But race gear quickly takes up an unreasonable amount of space, especially with the uncertain forecast calling for cooler temps and rain, so we ultimately decided to check one suitcase. When that decision was made, I packed everything I needed for the race into a carry-on suitcase because I’d be damned if I were going to travel all the way out to California for a race and have my race gear not show up in the checked suitcase. Mrs. SayWhat and I got to the airport, checked our suitcase, and made our way through security…myself with a backpack and carry-on suitcase and my wife with a purse and small carry-on shoulder bag. I go through the security line first, wait for her, collect all of our gear, and we head down towards our gate at the opposite end of the airport. On the way, we make a restroom stop and grab a cup of coffee. As we round the corner to head down the G concourse with our plane scheduled to board in less than 10 minutes and takeoff just 40 minutes away, I turn to Mrs. SayWhat with a look of pure horror and say “MY BAG!” I had my backpack slung across my shoulder but I had no other carry-on luggage in tow. At that exact moment I was in possession of exactly NONE of my race gear. Shoes, socks, compression sleeves, shorts, boxers, LS/SS t-shirts, rain shell, headlamps, ipod, hats, gloves, race vest/bottles, electrolytes, and basically anything/everything I might need for the race. MY. GOD. Panic gripped me. I did a stationary panic dance for what felt like a minute, but was likely a single second, before turning 180 degrees and starting a stressed jog back in the direction we had just come from without uttering any further directive towards my wife. I mentally retraced our steps. Did I lean it up against the counter at Caribou Coffee? And it immediately hit me. I did not have that piece of luggage when I used the restroom, as I would’ve distinctly remembered wheeling it in there. It had to be back at security. IT HAD TO BE. My pace back to security at the other end of the airport quickened as I darted around people. As I entered the area and headed towards the security line I had come through, I locked eyes with a TSA agent. He’s probably seen the look I had on my face thousands of times. “I think I left a bag here” I muttered, half out of breath, as my eyes scanned the area. And just then they locked on a black suitcase sitting on the floor in the rear corner of the room. I didn’t even wait for him to respond as I headed in that direction towards a suitcase which looked similar to mine. It was marked with a “CLEARED” post-it on the top. I unzipped a exterior zipper and recognized my rain shell. EXHALES. After providing my name, he let me head out with all of my luggage in hand. I encountered Mrs. SayWhat about halfway back to our concourse, just shaking her head. I too, felt the same way. That was a head-shaking moment if there ever was one, no doubt. In hindsight, that bag most definitely got pulled off the line by security as it was scanned. Since I collected all of our gear that came out and don’t normally bring a carry-on suitcase, it simply didn’t dawn on me that I was missing anything and thus, we departed before security brought the bag out to be searched. Tragedy averted, with an enormous sigh of relief.
The flight into Sacramento and drive to Folsom were otherwise uneventful, so we headed to Fleet Feet in Folsom to get checked in for the race and pick up our bibs. I instantly wished I were a fast runner so that I could tell everyone that I was about to go 187 on this course, but alas I’m not, so I didn’t. I did receive more than a few comments about my bib number from other runners and aid station workers throughout the course of the race.
Our very own @SFBayDuckPM’d me the week before the race and offered up that he’d be making the trek to Folsom and would be willing to help crew. We had made arrangements to meet up the night before the race for a bite to eat, so we got in touch and decided on a place right next to Fleet Feet. I told Mrs. SayWhat that the ifriend we were about to meet and whom was about to help us crew would only respond to “Duck,” so that made things a bit awkward at first. My assumption that Duck was 100% good dude was quickly confirmed. We had a bite to eat, drank a couple beers, and talked a bit about life before getting into some race prep. Duck even wore his Western States belt buckle for the first time ever. If I needed any more motivation, Duck was bringing it. We departed with a plan in place and that plan was, and still is, mind boggling to me. Duck was planning to crew for this random internet stranger at every single crew-accessible aid station for the entirety of 100 miles. Words can’t describe how unbelievably generous of an offer that was. Mrs. SayWhat and I headed back to our VRBO, I got all my race gear prepped, and got a decent block of about 5+ hours of sleep in before my alarm went off at 3:50am. I awoke without a headache, the first such day since Monday. My wife and I both had been battling a bug for two weeks straight, so it was an enormous relief to wake up the morning of the race without the headache that had plagued me all week especially considering I don’t typically get headaches. Things were looking up. We arrived at the race start and met up with Duck (again, at 4:45am!!). This was a bit surreal. Here I am in another state, about to give another 100 a go, with a random internet friend at the ready, while the hosts announcing at the race were from the Trail Runner Nation podcast which I listen to religiously on my work commute. They had a runner named Jimmy Dean Freeman speak for a bit before the race as well. Jimmy Dean is an extremely talented ultrarunner from California, with a resume including running the original six 100 mile races (Old Dominion, Western States, Vermont, Angeles Crest, Leadville, and Wasatch) in a three month stretch back in 2014. He’s also been a frequent guest on Trail Runner Nation. All of this was adding up and starting to get me fired up for day ahead.
The Plan
Having Duck on board to crew at every aid station, along with my wife, changed my approach a bit. I prepped no drop bags since I’d be seeing crew at miles 19, 23, 36, 44, 74, and 84. My nutrition plan was the same as it’s been in previous races…one bottle of Tailwind (200 calories) and one Huma Gel (100 calories) every hour with an S-Cap as needed. Sprinkle in whatever else called my name at the aid stations and go from there. With how cruddy I felt the previous two weeks, I was a bit concerned about my stomach and how it would deal with Tailwind and Gels for 24+ hours. Along with Duck crewing, my wife had trained in order to pace me from mile 74 through the finish. A trail marathon would be her longest run on the trails, as well as her first night run on the trails as well.
From a mental standpoint I broke the race up into 4 sections. First, a 19 mile southbound lollipop loop that from what I heard contained a lot of paved trail. Yuck. But that would bring me back through the start/finish area at Beals Point where I’d see Duck and Mrs. SayWhat for the first time. From there the course would head north into the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. I’d head northbound for 26 miles before hitting the Overlook aid station. From Overlook, I’d do a 30 mile loop with no crew accessible aid stations, where I’d be on my own, before coming back through Overlook at mile 74. I’d pick up Mrs. SayWhat there and we’d finish the race with her completion of a trail marathon. So four mini-goals to accomplish…0-19, 19-45, 45-74, 74-Finish. I figured miles 45-74, on my own at nightfall with a good chunk vertical, was going to be the big challenge.
Pre-Race Goals
My A goal was to get a finish and a Western States qualifier so that I’d have two tickets in the lottery this year. B goal was sub-24 hours if everything went reasonably well, though the illness leading into the race coupled with a less than ideal training log the previous 5-6 weeks led me to putting time goals on the back burner almost entirely. So what I really resided myself to was enjoying this race. I wanted to ensure that I soaked it all in while running in an area of the country that I’d never been to, and just as importantly make sure that my wife had a good time and successfully completed her goal of running a trail marathon. And we’re off…
The Race – Miles 0-19: Asphalt? Yep, and Lots of It
I felt fired up as the race start neared, though I hardly looked the part. Almost 400 runners headed off at the countdown come 5am. With the temps a bit on the cooler side and rain slated to start soon, I headed out with a LS t-shirt and light rain shell. Within a mile, the rain shell was off and strapped into my pack. I settled into a comfortable pace and started into the long day ahead. As the field started to space out a bit, I struggled to find course markings. Seriously? It’s literally miles into a 100 mile race and anytime there was a split in the path/trail, it frequently wasn’t visually evident in the dark which direction to go. On a few occasions only after searching for a marker would I find one, twenty feet down a trail, six inches off the ground, the orange marker with no reflective tape seemingly hiding from the runners. Frustrating. At one point I was near the caboose of ~10-15 runners whom I could see up to a quarter mile ahead of me when I heard a “HEY!” from behind. I turned around to see runners heading in a different direction than our train was. We passed word on down the line that all of us had missed a turn, and doubled back to get back on course. Within a mile of that incident, a runner was running towards three of us on a parallel path in the opposite direction we were heading while asking “are you guys on the right trail?” We were pretty certain that we were, as he indicated that he had gone a mile off trail. Man, the trail markings pretty much sucked and it made me worry about the 90+ miles yet to come. There was a bit over 1000 feet of elevation gain over these first 19 miles, which wasn’t bad at all. I kept a pretty consistent pace with all but six of the miles in the 10:XX/mi range, with a couple 9:XX, and a few 11:XX’s. I returned through Beal's Point at Mile 19 in about 3 1/2 hours with Duck and Mrs. SayWhat at the ready. Duck had a chair all set up for me if needed, with his custom ultramarathon drop bag containing anything a runner might need at the ready. I was feeling great and didn’t want to sit this early in the race. While I was grateful to see Mrs. SayWhat and Duck, I didn’t linger long as I ditched my headlamp, grabbed my gels/Tailwind for the next section, and headed out.
Miles 19-45: Weather the Storm
This was the exact same section I’d be coming back through with Mrs. SayWhat from miles 74 to the finish, so I was curious to get into this section and see what it entailed. There was a crew accessible aid station at Mile 23, so it wouldn’t be long until I’d see the crew again. Those first 4.5 miles went off without a hitch, I saw Duck and Mrs. SayWhat and got back out on the trail quickly. From there I’d be running about 12.5 miles before I’d see them again at Mile 35.5. It was during this section where I’d encounter a 3-4 mile stretch known as the “meat grinder.” The meat grinder was a section of continual rollers with a fair amount of rocks to traverse over and around. I honestly didn’t realize I was into the section until a runner in front of me mumbled something. When I asked him what he said, he stated “I think we’re pretty much through the meat grinder.” So much for any anxiety I had relating to that section!
In all honestly, that section had similarities (without the tree roots) to what large portions of the Superior Hiking Trail here in Minnesota entail…continually rolling hills with technical trail to navigate. Well that was nothing that Mrs. SayWhat couldn’t handle on the way back. But it was after this that I hit my first low patch so maybe the section did unknowingly take a bite out of me. My stomach just hadn’t quite felt right from the start, so I had started to slow my intake of Tailwind and gels a bit at this stage. I was still moving alright, but just felt off. I crested a hill behind someone, and after a verbal exchange I recognized his voice as that of Jimmy Dean Freeman. After a brief introduction, he informed me that he had been shooting for a sub-19 hour race but admitted that it wasn’t happening for him as the wheels were coming off a bit. This was a welcome break for me since I was struggling some as well. I slowed my pace (yes, I, SayWhat of mid-pack status, slowed my pace for a real life actual legit ultramarathoner which just goes to show that anything can happen in an ultra) as we conversed, mostly about our families, for a three mile stretch before I wished him luck and headed out. It was also during this stretch that the newer pair of shoes I was wearing started giving me some unusual pinching problems around my ankle. I arrived at Rattlesnake Bar (mile 35.5) feeling like it was about time to tend to my feet and other regions. Once again, my crew was on their game. I took a Duck seat for a bit, cleaned up my feet, changed socks, and decided to swap from that newer pair of shoes to a pair that I knew wouldn’t give me the same ankle problem but which was nearing the end of their useful life. After about 10 minutes of sitting it was time to get back out there. I waited until I was out of sight of the aid station, cleaned the nether regions with a wet wipe and reapplied an excessive amount of Glide. Chaffing wasn’t going to be the end of my race this go round. I felt pretty good during the next 9 miles but quickly realized how trashed the “old” shoes I had on really were. Sure, I no longer was having the pinching near my ankle but the bottoms of my feet were hating the fact that I had just made that shoe swap. I very quickly made the decision to swap those shoes back again at my next opportunity and troubleshoot the ankle pinching issue. The final three miles into Overlook is an uphill grind, with one local describing it to me as “runnable” as we began the climb. Bull####. Not. Runnable. At least, not for a “runner” of my caliber. It was a slow and steady three mile climb, but I emerged excited to see Mrs. SayWhat and Duck at the ready. Once again I spent some time in the chair at this aid station, swapped those shoes back, and put on a dry LS t-shirt. Since this was the last time I’d see the crew for 30 miles, and the last time with daylight, I made sure we got a team shot before parting ways.Miles 45-74: The Lonely Loop
As I got underway, I made a shoelace adjustment that lessened the ankle pinching and felt grateful to have a bit more cushion under my feet again. This was the section that was going to make or break this race. Thirty miles, no crew, plenty of climbing, and the onset of nightfall, all as the miles began to add up. Being that I’m typically a pretty quiet runner, I had made it a point to converse a bit more throughout the race. Soak in the experience. Chat up the locals. This made a few stretches go by much more quickly, including one of the more memorable being the 4 mile descent from Overlook to the iconic No Hands Bridge. It was this time during which a local runner filled me in on much of the history of Folsom and the hills that we were running through. A very cool experience. Nightfall came and the rain, which was supposed to dissipate during the late afternoon, only worsened. The rain consistently fell a bit harder with periods of heavy downpours. While the rest of the course was in great condition despite the constant rain, this 30 mile loop was at times a complete mess. Particularly, a section called “Goat Hill” and the leadup to was almost comical. A steep and muddy mess of a climb, at times a 20% grade, made the going slow and slippery. It was funny watching everyone do anything and everything they could to get up that hill. Foot planting on rocks, two inch shuffle steps, leaning up against trees on the side of the trail, grabbing trees/shrubs/weeds/other runners…all of it was in play. Quite the sight. I had planned to tend to any areas of potential chaffing at least once during this section, but the rain onslaught changed that plan and I tried my best to just keep moving and get out of the aid stations quickly as the rain soaked darkness brought on a bit of a chill. I tagged onto the tail end of four runners during a good chunk of this section, two racers with their pacers, and let them carry me for miles. Thanks random runners. The terrain in this section was at times perfect…gorgeous single track remotely stowed away in the mountains with heavy fog giving it a serene backdrop. Perfect, if only for that rain. And oh yeah, mountain lions. After crossing back over No Hands, I made the 4 mile gradual climb back up into Overlook at mile 74 ½ knowing that a finish was going to happen and eager to share that time with my wife. Duck catered to us one more time and saw us depart about 17 ½ hours into the race for that final stretch.
Miles 74-100: Mrs. SayWhat's First Trail Marathon
The descent out of Overlook takes you down that “runnable” uphill road I had talked about at mile 44. I was doing some mental calculations on my way into Overlook and knew that going sub-24 hours would require a near perfect marathon with my wife. Well we slammed the door and locked the deadbolt on that pipedream about a mile into our time together as a group of five of us runners (three racers and two pacers) started to see some unfamiliar terrain. We collectively stopped to assess our situation. My wife ventured ahead a bit, one of the other runners attempted to pull up an “interactive race map” on his phone, and I sat there dumbfounded as to how we all could have missed a turn so quickly out of that aid station. Suddenly it hit me. I had a trackback screen on my Garmin and being we were now heading back the way I had come earlier, I should be able to see if we were indeed off course. I quickly announced that I had trackback while switching screens on my watch. Yep, we were definitely off course as we were presently headed in a direction 45 degrees to the road I had come up into Overlook on. Our group doubled back as I watched the arrow on my watch slowly approach the intersection of the two conflicting paths. That turned out to be exactly a one mile detour as we had gone a half mile off course. We got a good laugh out of this as my wife in her capacity as pacer joked “I had just one job!” We only had 3 ½ miles to the bottom of that hill and the next aid station and I was struggling to keep pace. I continued to pound Coke at the aid stations, trying to get some pep back into my step. We had 5 ½ miles until we would see Duck at the next aid station and as I started to get back on track, my wife began struggling with her stomach. A strange day for her threw off her food intake, and she started feeling off just as I started to come around. We simply couldn’t get in sync. Not only were our struggles not aligning, but we come from opposite schools of running. Her from the attack-the-uphill-but-uber-cautious-downhill-for-fear-of-tripping and me from the power-hike-the-uphill-and-run-the-rest. It was during this section that I rolled an ankle good for the first time which only added to the struggles. We talked a bit about getting her some real food at the next aid station, and as we did I started to battle something I never had while running before. Tiredness. I was starting to struggle focusing and getting extremely sleepy. We rolled into Rattlesnake and my wife found some real food to settle her stomach as Duck steered me into ordering the Red Bull, Coke, and quesadilla combination platter. Comically enough, that did the trick. Duck departed to get a bit of rest before the finish while Mrs. SayWhat and I headed out. We used the next 3 mile section to get in sync before hitting up a 9 ½ mile stretch that included the Meat Grinder. It was during this section that my wife had me call down the miles remaining until the final aid station as each mile ticked off. I didn’t love watch watching so much, but she seemed pumped as each mileage reduction was announced. We grinded through this section before emerging at Granite Beach (Mile 96) in 23:45, with just 4 ½ miles to go to the finish. It’s not a thing, but now I had my sights set on ensuring we finished in under 24:XX. So we got in and out and pushed hard for the next three miles before letting up a bit. We emerged from the woods to a familiar elevated concrete path less than ½ mile long. What lay in the distance at the end of that path? A lit up and bustling finish line. There it was. The end to this long journey reaching out to us. “I have to poop,” my wife uttered. “Now?” I ask, bewildered. “Yes, I think so” she added. “Well that’s the finish line right there,” as I pointed down the path. “Right, but I think it’s coming.” At this I’m shaking my head internally, and possibly externally as well. I let her know that this is likely her last chance to poop in the woods, as the last stretch was entirely on the isolated concrete walkway with no poop getaway possible. “So if you have to go and can’t make it to the finish, this is your last chance.” With that she started walking into the woods on the opposite side of the path we had just come from, yet quickly did a 180 and started walking back towards me. “Let’s go. I think I scared it back inside,” she quipped. I chuckled a bit at the absurdity of it all. Before I could even get moving again she doubled back towards the woods again as the poop roared with anger and won the battle. I stood there laughing to myself as another runner jogged past on their way to the finish. The battle of mind vs poop was a great way to cap off this journey and my wife’s first trail marathon. We crossed in 24:52:19 to cheers from Duck, almost assuredly the most elite crew any runner could’ve had. We hung out for a bit and chatted with Duck as he treated my chilled and cashless wife and I to a coffee and mocha, respectively, before we headed our separate ways.
Post-Race Musings
All in all I think I’d describe my feelings on the race as content. I felt that the course markings were a bit disappointing (and I read as much from many others online in the week following the race) , but since I wasn’t “racing” that truly wasn’t a huge deal. Considering how I felt leading into the race from a health standpoint, I was glad that my body held up relatively well. My typical fuel of Tailwind and Gels became unappealing far too early in the race (starting in miles 25-35) and I quickly moved away from them and into plain water along with aid station offerings such as Coke, oranges, soup, PB&J, chips, etc. And yes, even some Red Bull, quesadillas, and Red Vines mixed in there. From that perspective, I’m glad I was able to fuel with whatever looked appealing and that my stomach held firm utilizing that approach. My feet also came out of the race in relatively good shape. Per my Garmin, I had almost 2 hours of non-moving time during the race. Far too much for a 100, though it wasn’t surprising as I spent more time in a chair at miles 35 and 74 than I had in any other ultra I can recall. I'm going to blame that on my super inviting and accommodating crew.
The course itself was alright. I’m not a “runner” so the first 18 miles on mostly pavement I could’ve done without. The uninteresting start to this course was offset by touching on a bit of the Western States course, some beautiful views (that I could capture when it wasn't raining too hard), and the surreal single track/rain/dusk/fog combination on Saturday evening.I’m extremely grateful to @SFBayDuck, for taking the time, energy, and resources to meet up with some strangers and crew them for 24+ hours, committing nearly 48 hours in all to the cause. Unreal. If he ever needs a pacer or crew and I can make possibly it work, I will. This trip also would not have happened if not for the encouragement from Mrs. SayWhat. She’s incredibly supportive and kicked some ### in her first trail marathon. That said, I don’t foresee her pacing further overnight sections as she didn’t particularly enjoy staring at the next 20 feet of trail lit up by only a headlamp for 7 straight hours. Her loss I guess, because who wouldn’t enjoy that?!
Another race with some nice gear. Finishing resulted in a comfortable lightweight zip up hoodie, long-sleeve t-shirt, finishers medal, and of course the belt buckle. It’s not a Western States buckle, but it’ll have to hold up the pants for the time being.
Recovery has gone reasonably well. A couple short runs with some creaky joints, but all in all my body feels fine sans the fact that my limbs are all now going numb.
As noted post-race, my wife essentially forced me to go on a hike at Lake Tahoe the morning after the race. Marriage defined. But that magnificent scene capped off the weekend perfectly.
Results
Starters: 393
Finishers: 297 (75.5% finish rate)
Time: 24:52:19 (14:50/mi avg)
Overall: 94/297
Men: 80/216
Men Masters: 35/97
What’s Next
First, two tickets in the Western States 100 lottery this Saturday and a ~3.75% chance of getting selected for the 2018 race. Considering the odds, it’s best I start alternate planning for a qualifier next year. I think I’ll likely take one of two paths to that qualifier:
1) Superior 100 (September 2018) – The Superior was my first 100 in 2016, and I love love LOVE this race. If I get into this race via January lottery, I’ll likely do the Zumbro 50 or 100 in April, and a mid-summer 50 miler somewhere local as a lead-up. The one positive to not getting selected in the 100 mile lottery would be that I'd likely run the Superior Marathon with my wife and some other friends then instead of the 100, which would be an awesome and more laid back experience.
2) If I don’t get into the Superior 100, which would suck, then I’d likely begrudgingly go after unfinished business from my DNF at Kettle Moraine 100 and sign up for that race in June. :X Less than ideal, but its easily the next closest qualifier as just a 5 hour drive from the Twin Cities. I’d almost certainly run the Zumbro 50 in April as leadup to this, which was my exact plan this year before injury forced me to drop down to the 17 miler.
If I run Superior in September, I’d give serious consideration to signing up for the Tunnel Hill 100 in Illinois in mid-November. This is an incredibly flat 100 miler that’s a 10 hour drive away, and it would be a Western States qualifier for 2020. So I could run Superior 100 in September 2018 as my WS100 2019 qualifier and two months later knock out the Tunnel Hill 100 as my WS100 2020 qualifier. I guess the downside to that plan is potentially running Tunnel Hill in mid-November and then actually getting selected, against the odds, in the December WS100 2019 lottery. That would make the entire Tunnel Hill trip/race unnecessary from a WS100 qualifying perspective, which would be the sole reason to make that trip.
tldr: @SFBayDuckis the man.
Ned
Footballguy
Your Garmin is set up with default ranges - they're likely meaningless to you.
Here's a post I wrote a while back about this - https://forums.footballguys.com/forum/topic/302486-ran-a-10k-in-june/?page=964#comment-15307553
pbm107
Footballguy
ChiefD
Footballguy
Man, @SayWhat? - so much to digest in that report:
1. First, you, for going out and doing that race. You ultra guys just continually astound me. And to basically finish in the top third is incredible (for a guy who really wasn't racing - 
)
2. @SFBayDuck - for basically paying it back - all of the support you have gotten from your friends - you going out and doing it for a relative stranger/friend. Says a ton about your character and the type of guy all of us would want to have a beer with.
3. And Mrs. SayWhat - speaking about character. Wow. What a commitment to her husband. A trail marathon in the dark is no joke, and that in itself is an incredible accomplishment.
Such a great report. Thanks for posting that.
1. First, you, for going out and doing that race. You ultra guys just continually astound me. And to basically finish in the top third is incredible (for a guy who really wasn't racing -
)2. @SFBayDuck - for basically paying it back - all of the support you have gotten from your friends - you going out and doing it for a relative stranger/friend. Says a ton about your character and the type of guy all of us would want to have a beer with.
3. And Mrs. SayWhat - speaking about character. Wow. What a commitment to her husband. A trail marathon in the dark is no joke, and that in itself is an incredible accomplishment.
Such a great report. Thanks for posting that.
mr. furley
Footballguy
https://www.nathansports.com/power-wash-detergent-32oz
which reminds me that i'm out and need to get more.
it really cuts the smell by... 90%. they won't smell like fresh linens or anything but certainly they won't reek of ammonia after a wash anymore.
gianmarco
Footballguy
@SayWhat?.....Amazing report. What an incredible read. You guys astound me. I hope to one day meet @SFBayDuck for all the awesomeness he continues to contribute here....just not during a 100 mile race. Jesus.
Hang 10
Footballguy
Awesome report @SayWhat?! It's difficult for me to wrap my mind around doing a 100 miler but you and @SFBayDuck do a great job painting the picture with words...and some great pics!
Awesome that you have a supportive wife that not only lets you run these things but runs them with you! That's great. & yeah, Duck is the man. That's incredible that he was cool enough to crew for you. Good stuff all around.
Awesome that you have a supportive wife that not only lets you run these things but runs them with you! That's great. & yeah, Duck is the man. That's incredible that he was cool enough to crew for you. Good stuff all around.
First of all, jealous that you were in London. Never been, would love to go. I wouldn't take much from struggling on your runs in London. I'm quite sure the travel and (I assume) unusual schedule unknowingly took a bit out of you. Enjoy the trip?
gianmarco
Footballguy
It was amazing. It was a soccer trip for my son so I posted about it there. If you want to venture into that thread, you can read about it. I have several posts starting here.
https://forums.footballguys.com/forum/topic/724965-official-soccer-discussion-thread/?do=findComment&comment=20636223
Wow, just read through your posts. Looked like an awesome trip. What a fun bonding experience too!
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SFBayDuck
Footballguy
Fixed.
I said it before, I was super impressed with what @SayWhat? accomplished out there on minimal training, traveling across country the day before, and having been fighting a bug for 10 days. Add on to that getting lost a couple of times, some sloppy trails, a few typical ultra issues, and he still knocks out a 24:XX 100 miler. Dude has some talent. I had a blast crewing out there, although it sounds like I need to kick him out of the chair a little quicker next time
And funny how they didn't tell the dude they'd just met on Friday the wife's poop story in person! That was my first time hearing that tidbit (turdbit??)....classic!
And I'd be remiss if I didn't say "great race report". Fun to read someone else's detailed take on how a 100M race went when I was just spectating and popping in here and there.
SFBayDuck
Footballguy
You want to piss off a volunteer at a 100M? Leave your headlamp turned on when you come into the aid station and are talking to them.
Thanks Duck. Appreciate the kind words.Fixed.
I said it before, I was super impressed with what @SayWhat? accomplished out there on minimal training, traveling across country the day before, and having been fighting a bug for 10 days. Add on to that getting lost a couple of times, some sloppy trails, a few typical ultra issues, and he still knocks out a 24:XX 100 miler. Dude has some talent. I had a blast crewing out there, although it sounds like I need to kick him out of the chair a little quicker next time
I knew you'd enjoy that one. Classic indeed.
Oh man, I forgot another hilarious story at the expense of my wife from the race. Once we finally got in sync with each other we were making decent time through miles 83-96. Mrs. SayWhat was leading me as we rolled through some winding single track. We come around a corner and my wife freezes dead in the middle of the trail with two male runners, presumably racer and pacer, staggered slightly on each side of the trail not two feet off the trail...both taking a piss. And my wife literally froze for a second dead smack in the middle of the trail, directly between and within feet of each them, and pivoted her upper body back towards me with a "WHAT SHOULD I DO!??!" look on her face. She had a look like this --> 
She wasn't able to pause for more than a second before I ran up on her and was basically shoving her down the trail while mouthing "GOOOOO!" She said that she just panicked. Made me laugh so dang hard. In hindsight if I had any mental capacity at that point, I would have quickly doubled back 10 feet, turned my headlight off, jumped off the trail, and left her to stand there as they recognized her awkward presence. 
She wasn't able to pause for more than a second before I ran up on her and was basically shoving her down the trail while mouthing "GOOOOO!" She said that she just panicked. Made me laugh so dang hard. In hindsight if I had any mental capacity at that point, I would have quickly doubled back 10 feet, turned my headlight off, jumped off the trail, and left her to stand there as they recognized her awkward presence. 
