Mountain Lakes 100 Part Deux: Sept 21, 2024:

Leading up to Mountain Lakes 100 this year I had the feeling that I was seeking revenge but during the race my emotions turned more towards the notion of redemption.  The circumstances surrounding my DNF (did not finish) at my first attempt in 2017 were largely beyond my control but I couldn’t help but feel a sting of defeat which lingered for years after.  I am not going to spell out everything that happened because it’s in my race report from 2017 but it was the first time that I failed to complete an ultra marathon.  The fact that it was a 100 miler on the other side of the country (at the time) which I had to plan logistics for and spend money on travel, made it an even tougher pill to swallow.  In the aftermath of my failed attempt, I wasn’t sure when I would have the chance to get back to Oregon for this specific race but in the back of my mind I knew that I would someday have another go at it. 

After 2017 a lot of things in our lives had drastically changed and the biggest alteration was moving across the country from Detroit to San Francisco.  Since we now would be living much closer to Oregon I had an optimistic outlook that my next attempt at Mountain Lakes would become a reality.  However, I started running tougher mountain races with the influence of a few new running compadres so my focus shifted to other 100 mile races over the next 5 years.  Finally in 2024 I made the decision to sign up for Mountain Lakes and  declared this is the year that I would get my revenge on 2017!

Jessica said she would come along and crew for me which I was ecstatic about since she is a champion at getting me to the finish line of long races.  She couldn’t make it to my first attempt at Mountain Lakes so I was happy to hear that she would come to this one.  Also, we had plenty of room at our AirBnB so we casually mentioned an invite to anyone who may want to come along for the adventure and Jessica’s cousin Therese said she was in!  This gave me some relief to know that Jess wouldn’t have to be out there in the remote back roads of Oregon by herself.  Also, just a few short weeks before the race our friend Tania and her daughter Luna showed interest in coming and they bought last minute plane tickets!  I was honored that Therese, Tania, and Luna gave up some of their vacation and school time to help me run all day and night through the Oregon forest.  My confidence grew because I knew I would be in good hands with this all-star group in my corner.  Stepping back to the beginning of the year, after I signed up for the race, I put good care into designing my training plan.  I knew that not having any major life distractions in 2024 would be good for training because my focus on the race would be the main priority.  

I had set my personal record at the 50 mile distance in March at MUC 50 miler and my confidence soared.  Then in April my Mountain Lakes 100 training plan went into full effect.  Things were going really well and I didn’t want to jinx anything but was feeling really great about the pending revenge on 2017.  The only training injury I experienced was moderate heal pain for a few months; however, it was a steady lingering pain and not getting worse so I was not too worried about it.  Then in August, about a month before the race I found out that we were going to be moving due to Jessica’s new job.  Oh no!  Something similar happened in 2017 where we sold our house and had to be moved out by the Wednesday before the race and this was one of the many things that lead to my DNF in 2017.  When we were trying to figure out the best time to move I was adamant that we try and wait until after the race which we were able to work out.  We would have a week after Mountain Lakes to finish packing our stuff before the move.  This helped to relieve the mental stress of having to have everything done ahead of time and allowed me to focus on the race more than the move.

I wrapped up my training feeling pretty great about everything.  The travel to Oregon was seamless and we had a really nice couple of days with the crew.  We were able to go sightseeing as well as enjoy some relaxation and hang out time.  We arrived to the AirBnb in Government Camp right around check in time the night before the race and I was able to take my time doing last minute race prep along with going over all the details with the crew.  This may have been the most prepared I have ever been for a 100 miler and I was in bed super early.  A rock-climbing documentary on Netflix helped me fall asleep earlier than expected.  Typically, the night before a 100 mile race my mind is going a thousand miles per hour and I can’t get to sleep.  I would say two hours of scattered light sleep is the best I can ever hope for in this situation.  For whatever reason this time I was able to crash out and get maybe 4-5 hours of solid sleep!  What a bonus!  That’s never happened before and I was happy about it since I would be up for at least 36 more hours.  Perhaps I was able to relax more due to being so prepared mentally and physically along with having such a solid crew.

The weather forecast was nothing short of perfect as it was going to be warm during the day and cold at night.  The drive to the start line at Olallie Lake was extremely uneventful compared to 2017 when we had to drive as fast as possible on the rutted forest service roads with a donut tire.  We made it with plenty of time to get checked in and line up on the start line.  As we got into position to start my mind drifted back to 2017 as I was standing there trying to calm down from panicked events of the 24 hours leading up to the race.  I was in a much better mental space now and was excited to get started.  Before I knew it the race was underway and I was caught up in the mass crowd at the start.  We hit the single-track trail pretty early so there was not much time to spread out and the trail was very dry and dust was floating in the air due to being stirred up by everyone in front of us.  Breathing in the dust and trying to run uphill to stay with the crowd was not a very good way to start.  This distraction broke my concentration and I tripped and had a wipeout not even 1 mile into the race!  Trying to wipe the dust from my wound and clean up some of the blood while everyone was going by was not fun.  Great I thought to myself, here we go again, I am cursed when it comes to this race!  We kept going up a gradual climb for quite some time and then eventually got to the downhill part.  This was pretty technical single track for a few miles and I was going slow trying not to trip on any rocks or roots. 

Crew having fun in between aid stations

I was having flashbacks to the nightmare that was the first 26 miles on this part of the course from 2017.  It crushed my soul back then and it was trying it’s best to crush my soul again 7 years later.  One good thing is that half of the original first loop was cut out from the race this year and the 14 miles left out of the race were some difficult technical miles so I was not disappointed that we didn’t have to run that part.  About mile 7 we were routed onto a forest service road that had a nice long downhill and a flat section as well.  I was flying along this part of the course and getting my overall pace in a really good place.  My confidence before the race was pretty high and even though finishing was the most important thing I also had a lofty sub goal of finishing under 24 hours, even though it would take a miracle for that to happen.  Then we had a mile or so on a technical trail along Olallie Lake back to the start finish area which slowed me down a bit.  I was happy to see my crew at mile 12 and I made really quick work of that aid station as it was early in the race and I didn’t want to lose my good overall pace.  The next section is about 28 miles on the Pacific Crest trail which I was excited about.  From the 2017 race I remembered the trail being well maintained with beautiful sections of forested single track trail as well as looking over some beautiful tribal lands which awoken my spirit. 

The first few miles of this section this year were a little different though because a few years ago a wildfire had burned a big section of the area.  After the exposed burned-out section we were deep into the Oregon woods and the well maintained single track trail just flowed along nicely.  There is more downhill than uphill on this section but the 28 miles would be repeated later on the way back to the finish line.  At that point it will be a net uphill and on tired legs making it more difficult.  I was excited at the chance to do the return trip to the finish on this section because in 2017 I had stopped right before going back.  I was enjoying the nice flow with fresh legs on this nice and easy section of downhill trails and just soaking in the Oregon vibe.  One of the aid stations in this section provided some comedic relief as the volunteers were telling some funny “dad jokes.”  In the 2017 race this section was hard for me because I was pushing myself to make up time from the train wreck that was the first part of the course and I couldn’t really enjoy it.  Overall, I was feeling pretty decent through this section and the miles went by quickly as I passed through the remote aid stations.  I did start to feel some fatigue as I got to the 50K mark and I started to slow down at this point.  In 2017 there were a few crucial mistakes that lead to my DNF and not staying hydrated and not taking in enough calories were two of the biggest snafus which lead to the ischemic colitis that knocked me out of the race.  This year I was doing a much better job at staying hydrated and consuming calories as I knew what I had to do in order to achieve my redemption at Mountain Lakes 100.  

Then I got to mile 40 at Clackamas aid station which is the next place I would see my crew.  It is always so nice to see crew, sit down, and reset at an aid station.  I usually leave these crew points feeling so much better than I did going into them.  Jess, Therese, Tania, and Luna had an area set up for me with all the stuff I might need spread out on the ground.  This is the point where I needed to load up my gear for the night portion of the race.  Temperatures were going to drop quickly after the sun went down.  In 2017 I did not take enough stuff for this portion of the course and I paid for it as I was slowed to a crawl and freezing to my core from the frozen fog coming off Timothy Lake.  This year I shoved as much cold weather gear as I could into my pack so I would be prepared and not make a rookie mistake that might put my race in jeopardy.  The next aid station was only 4 miles away and mostly flat trail to get there, this section passed by part of Timothy Lake and I was pretty happy to be able to see the lake in the daylight.  The last time I went by this area in 2017 it was well past dark and I was in a really bad place.  At this point I was starting to feel pretty worn down and my pace was reduced to an alternating shuffle and walk routine.  As I was getting to the aid station at mile 44 there were some lead runners that had already done the next out and back section of 16 miles and they were headed to finish the loop around Timothy Lake.  Nothing like seeing runners that are 16 miles ahead of you to give a good reality check.

After leaving the aid station I began the long 8 mile slog, mostly climbing uphill, to the Frog Lake aid station.  I hiked most of this section because running uphill, even with a gradual grade, was out of the question at this point.  I had my waist light on as it was now fully dark and there were frogs actually jumping around near the trail.  It was pretty cool and I guess why the area is called Frog Lake?  There were runners who were ahead of me and coming back from the Frog Lake aid station that were passing by and I was jealous.  Also, it was a bit annoying passing runners coming at me on this section of single track because it was now dark and their head and waist lights were glaring into my eyes.  I tried to be courteous and cover my waist light as I went by so I didn’t blind anyone.  I finally made it up to Frog Lake and was exhausted, it seemed like a very long 8 miles, but I was glad to be at the half way point in the race.  I was able to sit down and eat a little food but it was starting to get cold fast so I didn’t stay long.  The nice volunteers offered to let me sit by the fire and warm up but I knew that would be a death sentence as I might never leave.  So I decided to press on and began a slow shuffle on some of the downhill after leaving Frog lake.  I was passing other runner who were still going up and giving them some encouragement as I know how I felt when I was in their position and other runners were on their way back down. 

I made it back to the aid station which was at mile 44 the first time in there and now it was 16 miles later at mile 60.  Mentally it felt good to be close to the 100K mark of the race as I felt like progress was being made and I was still well under cutoffs even though my pace had taken a big hit on the out and back section which I had just completed.  Now I had a flat-ish section to finish going around Timothy Lake.  This section brought back really bad memories of 2017.  Back then my side was in so much pain going around the lake.  I was extremely cold and so tired that I was leaning against trees trying not to fall asleep.  I had Jessica’s cousin Joe pacing me that year in this section and he was trying everything he could to get me out of my funk but unfortunately, I was too far gone. This year however I was no where near that level of exhaustion and my side was not destroyed from colon inflammation so I was just happy to be power hiking and shuffling when I could.  I had to laugh just reflecting on the difference between the two races.  I finally made it to the next crew point at mile 64 which was three fourths of the way around Timothy Lake.  It was very late at night now and my all-star crew were all there waiting for me!  They even brought me a hot baked potato from the Airbnb but I was pretty out of it at the point and declined.  In hindsight I should have eaten the potato because it would have been hot delicious food and I really did need the calories.  It’s just hard to eat sometimes this late in a 100 mile race when nothing sounds good.

I power hiked the next 4 miles to Clackamas aid station to complete the loop around Timothy Lake.  It was maybe 3:30 am at this point and Jessica and Therese were there to get me loaded up with everything I would need for the long morning ahead.  This was mile 68 and I still had 33 miles to go and I wouldn’t see my crew again until the finish line.  As much as I tried to muster a jog I just couldn’t.  I was reduced to hiking as fast as I could.  I was ok on time but not as far ahead as I had hoped to be before heading back to Olallie Lake on the Pacific Crest Trail.  It got really cold in the lower elevations on the trip back but then I would power hike the uphill sections and get warmed up.  It was just a steady hike for what seemed like days and not hours.  My thoughts started to turn a bit negative at times as I was just telling myself that 100 miles is so freaking far and had self-doubts about why I even want to do races of this distance.  “This is really stupid” is a thought that popped into my ahead a lot in this last 33 miles. 

I arrived at the “dad jokes” aid station and they were still cranking out the jokes and they were not repeats either!  I ate some instant mash potatoes here and they really hit the spot.  Also, I witnessed someone’s pacer take a shot of fireball and I was just extremely happy that it wasn’t me.  The aid station volunteers said that a runner did one of these shots the day before at this aid station and ended up dropping out of the race!  That aid station really helped to relax me and calm my negative thoughts.  After leaving that aid station with a full belly I met someone whose pace was similar to mine and we talked for about 5 miles or so which made the miles go by quick.  Then the sun came out as I was crossing back through the Tribal Lands and it was pretty spiritual.  As the temperature started to warm up I removed most of my winter gear, my pack was overfull with stuff and my mid back was absolutely killing me.  Also, with about 10 miles to go I developed a pretty bad pain on the top of my left foot that would nag me the rest of the race but nothing was going to stop me from getting this monkey off my back.  After hiking for well over 7 hours I finally reached the very last aid station and was so happy that I only had three and a half miles to go until the finish.  Redemption was in sight and I had plenty of time left before the cutoff.

As I traversed the burnt section on the way to the finish my thoughts turned to gratitude that I am physically able to come out here and do this.  I just felt so lucky to be there in the Oregon wilderness and being able to share the experience with people that I love made it all the better.  I will admit though, the last three miles seemed like they took forever!  I finally popped out from the single-track trail and onto the rutted dirt road which lead to the finish line.  There were many people standing next to their vehicles along this road and cheering me on.  One thing I love about the 100 mile distance is the comradery of the crews and volunteers and everyone involved as it really is a shared experience even if you’re not running the race.  When you are involved with the race you get a good sense of what an accomplishment like this really entails and can’t help but get emotional for every runner who gets across the finish line.  As the finish arch came into full view with Olallie Lake and Mt. Jefferson in the background I thought to myself that I have been waiting for 7 years to see the arch as a finish line and not just the starting line.  I felt really happy to cross over the finish and get this race done, redemption achieved!

We stuck around the finish line for awhile and cheered on many more runners who were coming into the finsh.  My final time was 28:37 so I finished more than an hour before the cutoff which was relieving since my last 100+ mile race (FatDog 120) I finished with only 5 minutes to spare and it was very stressful!  I want to say this is a very well run 100-mile race and it’s a grass roots family atmosphere type of race which I greatly appreciate.  The race directors Renee and Todd do an amazing job and their race company truly embraces the spirit of trail and ultrarunning.  The volunteers are top notch and the aid stations were phenomenal.  Lastly, I want to thank my crew.  Jessica is the best crew leader I could ever ask for and Therese, Tania, and Luna rose to the occasion and were all instrumental in getting me to the finish line.  They made the experience so much more rewarding to me and I was glad I could share the Mountain Lakes redemption with them.  The next day while in the airport waiting to fly home I could breath a sigh of relief that I finished the race.  The post-race beer in the airport bar tasted so good!

MUC 50: March 9th, 2024

MUC 50, or the Marin Ultra Challenge, is one of my favorite races out there and this was my 4th time running the course.  It encompasses some of the best trails in Marin county, traversing a big 50 mile loop starting in the Headlands and heading out to Mount Tamalpais and back with just shy of 11,000 feet of vertical gain.  The climbs are well spread out and there are some fast downhills.  This years event was extra special because two of Jessica's cousins, Joe and Claire, came into town for the race.  Joe ran the 50k in an effort to jump start his return to ultrarunning and he was on a mission and came very well trained.  Claire ran the 50 miler, she was a collegiate athlete and has been getting into ultrarunning the last few years and I knew she would do very well at this race. In addition, several of
Jessica's extended family members were coming as well to watch the race and hang out in SF.  We ended up having an awesome few days before the race hanging out with everyone.  We took them to Muir Woods, Cafe del Soul, and a few other spots.

Claire and I started our race at 6:00 am and Joe had to wait another hour with nervous excitement before his race started.  It was foggy and cool to start.  After the first climb out of Rodeo Beach, Claire just took off.  I was able to maintain a fairly steady pace through the Headlands and down into TN Valley.  I was a little ahead of where I thought I would be.  Got to see Jess and her extended fam at Muir Beach aid station.  It was so cool to see all of them there cheering us on and it definitely gave me a boost for the next section which was a long climb up to Cardiac Hill.  I got to Cardiac in a pretty good pace and bombed down to Stinson Beach.  The weather had remained cloudy which was helping as usually by this time in the race the sun is blazing.  The next section was the hardest climb of the day up Willow Camp and instead of intense heat it was like climbing into clouds and fog.  It was so foggy going across Bolinas Ridge that I literally got soaked.  I was really starting to feel the burn by the time I got back to Cardiac.  Shuffled down to Muir Woods and grinded on the climb up to Deer Park fire road.  I was able to maintain a decent shuffle down Deer Park.  The climb up Miwok to Dias Ridge was a slog but at this point in the race it's always nice because you have less than 10 miles to go.  Although the decent down to Muir Beach on Dias was muddier than I had ever seen it.  I couldn't believe how muddy it was and later found out that a rain storm had moved through that section of the course earlier in the day.  

I got in and out of Muir Beach aid station as fast as I could and then the long climb up Middle Green Gulch was brutal and I bonked hard but I knew it was the last long climb which was a good feeling.  Dropped down into TN Valley, the last aid station, and realized I had a great shot at a 50 mile PR.  I pushed the last 4 miles as hard as I could and after some final climbing I descended back to the start finish at Rodeo Beach to a group of cheering family, I kind of felt like a celebrity! I finished in 11:11 which is a huge PR at the ripe age of 45! I couldn't believe it but was glad to be done and ready to hang and party with everyone.  Claire absolutely crushed the 50 miler in under 10 hours and got 4th place female!  Joe had a great race and finishing much better than he estimated. All his hard work paid off and he got the mental boost he needed to start doing longer ultras again!  We had a great time throughout the rest of the weekend going sailing and drinking Irish coffees.  A race weekend I will never forget!  Oddly enough I didn't take any pics during the race which is maybe why I set a PR..haha.  Here is one of us at the finish line!

   

Mt. Umunhum Trail Conquest-Winter 50K: Feb 3rd, 2024

This is a very early season 50k but since I was running MUC 50 in March it fit nicely into my training schedule.  This race is an out and back in the South Bay and takes place mostly on fire roads with a nice trail that goes up to Mt Umunhum.  One thing with winter running in the Bay area is there's always a chance that it might be raining.  It poured the night before and also on the way to the race and the forecast was not promising for the rest of the weekend.  Only 13 brave souls toed the starting line for the 50k race although a lot of runners did the shorter distances.  The rain had stopped before getting to the race and I was thankful to at least be starting in dry conditions.  I felt that my training was good up to this point and I was excited to see if I could break 7 hours at this 50K.  The race has about 6,300 feet of climbing and really just one technical section for a few miles which was the first climb and we had to go up and down it two more times before finishing the race.  The temps were cool, in the 40s at the start but the humidity was high because of the lingering storms so it was a weird cold sweat situation.  We started and the big group got thinned out on the first climb.  There was a young kid that was doing the 5k and I asked him about 2.5 miles in what distance he was doing and when he told me I let him know that he missed the turnaround, bonus miles for that youngster!

I traversed the steep climbs up the fire roads on the way to Mt. Umunhum and ran with an older guy who shuffled at the same speed whether going up or down the hills.  He would beat me up the climbs and I was amazed that he was able to run them and then I would pass him on the downhills.  I eventually hit the nice smooth trail with switchbacks that to go up the mountain.  Once we got to the aid station up there it was the half way point of the first out and back, about mile 13.  Since it was higher in elevation it was windy and very cold up there.  I hurried up and drank some coke and ate some chips and started my decent down the trail to try and get warm again.  I was definitely on a great pace and sub 7 hours was looking great until coming down the trail and something stirred in my stomach.  There was a course monitor at the bottom of that trail before turning onto the fire road and I asked him if there was a bathroom nearby.  He said I would have to go on a different trail about .4 miles to a parking lot which was in the opposite direction of the course.  Damn!  

I really had no choice at this point so I went the extra .8 total miles (out and back) to the bathroom.  I felt a lot better but had gone almost mile out of the way!  The way back was pretty uneventful and I was wondering if we were going to get poured on because the sky looked really bad.  Most of the aid station workers had left and we just helped ourselves at that point.  I got back to the start finish aid station which was mile 26 and still had to climb 2.5 miles out and then drop back to the finish.  I gave it everything I had in order to still finish under my goal time of 7 hours and I knew it was gonna be close.  After the final descent was complete I sprinted across the grass field to the finish and missed it by 30 seconds!  Argh, that poop cost me sub 7!  I was still happy with my effort and also that the next round of atmospheric rivers had held out.  The rain completely let loose about 15 minutes after I left the race.  Pretty good timing as that was about the only 7 hours of the whole weekend where it wasn't raining.  Next stop is my fourth running of MUC 50 miler!  Can't wait.

Fat Dog 120 errr...128: August 11th, 2023

Pre Race and Training

Here is the story of the race that has changed me forever.  I've know about Fat Dog 120 for many years as it's the most well known 100+ miler in Canada and has been going on for quite sometime.  It is a Hardrock 100 qualifier so it's definitely not a cupcake race.  It takes place in and around Manning Provincial Park which is just North of Washington in the extremely remote Canadian Cascades with stunning scenery everywhere.  The race takes place on mostly single track trail and some fire roads.  It has around 27,000 feet of vertical climbing and at one time the race was point to point and 120 miles; however, after a few course modifications over the years the current course comes in around 127-128 miles.  Good thing they give a 48 hour time limit!!  This bucket list race finally became a reality this year as I needed a Hardrock 100 qualifier and it just made sense to finally sign up and run Fat Dog.

Face vs rock. Rock wins

Training for Fat Dog started a lot earlier than I expected for a few reasons.  I signed up for Black Canyon 100K which took place in February, see my blog post for Black Canyon if you want to learn more about that one.  I started training for Black Canyon in early October 2022 and I ran Mt. Tam 50K in November 2022.  So I put in a really solid training block for a few months leading up to Black Canyon,  After the race I took a week off and then jumped right into Fat Dog training.  In reality I should of waited about 4 weeks before ramping up for Fat Dog but I felt like I had to keep the momentum going.  Training was going very well throughout the spring.  Mileage was ramping up and I ended up setting my 50 mile PR at MUC in June.  At the end of June I was on a training run in the Headlands and I was feeling better then I have ever felt.  I felt like my training had me firing on all cylinders and I was running uphill and flying downhill.  Cruising down a nice gradual downhill on Old Spring Trail I must of caught a rock with the tip of my shoe and it sent me flying.  It all happened so fast that I didn't even have time to get my hands in front of my face to protect it.  In fact, my face smashed hard into a few rocks and left me stunned.  Basically I had a hole in my lip along with a badly bruised and scraped cheek under my eye.  Leg and arm also bleeding and some bikers stopped to make sure I was ok.  It took me a minute to peel myself up off the ground.  I was so pissed at myself as I was on top of the world with my training and then all of a sudden I was humbled beyond repair.

I was pretty far from home after the fall as I had left from our apartment and ran across the Golden Gate Bridge to the Headlands.  I still needed the training miles so I foolishly kept going and completed my training run.  I definitely got a few weird looks from all the people on the bridge as I made my way back home looking like I was coming back from war.  I had concussion symptoms after that for a long time.  Terrible headaches and I was unable to concentrate at work and I didn't feel like myself at all.  Running was just horrible so my training was suffering.  My Doctor basically said I had a mild concussion and healing time from something like that is different for everybody.  I think it took well over a month before I started feeling like my old self and it was pretty scary.  Also, in July while dealing with the concussion I was also dealing with training burnout since I had been nonstop grinding since October 2022.  My training peaked in June during MUC and still had a few months before the race.  Shaun and Ram were also running Fat Dog but both of them were injured and I was doing a lot of long miles by myself.  

Testing out the heavy loaded pack

As my late training block mileage was ramping way up I started to get these dreaded shin splints that I had during Bear 100 training.  The shin splints were debilitating and I had to manage them while trying to keep my mileage up.  Eventually the shin splints were beat into submission (a lot of calf rolling and scraping) and I successfully did my last big training run for Fat Dog which was a Tri Tam (summit Mt. Tamalpais 3 times in one day) and I felt like it was the perfect run to top off this grueling training block.  With my taper underway I started to plan the logistics which were proving to be difficult since I could potentially be out there for 48 hours during the race and I would likely be out there for two full nights.  Strategically figuring out the what to put in my drop bags and what aid stations I would need those things was not very fun.  It was hard to judge where I would be at any given time during the race but in the end I had to use my best guesstimate. Also, since it was a remote mountain race we had a bunch of required gear that we had to take with us so I had to get a bigger pack.  Two weeks before the race I put all the required gear into my new pack and took it out for a test run of 20 miles.  Upon starting this training run the pack was so heavy and I was not use to having this much weight on my runs and it was very uncomfortable and laborious right away.  This added burden was going to be difficult to manage and to make things worse my new pack was slightly to big and the cinch cords only tightened the abdomen area and they kept getting loose so all the weight kept falling on my shoulders.  I thought I had figured this out and dialed it in by the time this 20 mile training run was finished but realized it was going to be a nightmare to go two days with this heavy of a pack.  I should of worked on a solution for this much earlier than I did.  Oh well, I would have to play the hand that was dealt to me.  Overall, I was very pleased at how my training went and definitely felt like I gave it my all so I could take comfort in that as I was getting to the start line of what will be the hardest longest race I have ever attempted.

The Race

Starting Line

Pre race meeting

The race does not start and end in the same place and it's actually a decent drive from the finish to the start.  Initially we had signed up for the shuttle which would be an uncomfortable ride on a school bus for 2 hours.  Thankfully Jess offered to drive us to the start line so we could travel in the comfort of a rental SUV.  This year there were unprecedented wild fires all over Canada including a few fires right near where our race started.  We could see them on a smoke map and it appeared we would be driving right between two fires on the way to the start.  Going down this gravel forest service road it was clear and then all of a sudden we are between two mountains and couldn't see in front of the car because the smoke was so thick.  It made sense at that point because the fires were on top of the two mountains we were driving between.  Then all of a sudden we made it out of the smoke and it seemed fine.  We got really lucky the winds were blowing the smoke away from the race course.  Also, the forecast was calling for damn near perfect weather, maybe a little warm during the day but overall we couldn't ask for better in remote Canada in August.  Also, it was our luck the Perseid meteor shower happened to be in peak display this very weekend and the night skies were as clear as we could of hoped for.  More on that later.

On my way up the first big climb

After all the training and planning it all came down to this weekend and I was more than relieved that we were finally underway.  The first 8 or 9 miles is a 5,000 foot climb so nothing like starting the race with a ginormous climb!  Shaun and Ram both were outclimbing me here and I just let them go as I know I didn't want to burn myself out at the start of a 128 mile race.  I eventually caught up with Shaun and we finished the climb together and enjoyed the incredible views from the top.  Could also see the smoke from those two fires that I mentioned earlier but it didn't ruin the beauty of what we were witnessing up there.  The next section was about 9 miles downhill through a section of burnt trees where a previous fire did a lot of damage; however, it was kind of cool in it's own way.  With about a half mile until the aid station I slipped on a big boulder and both feet went out from underneath me.  I landed awkwardly on my shoulder and cut my thumb pretty good.  That took the wind out of my sails but luckily I regrouped at the next aid station.  Then we started the second of five major climbs in the race.  For whatever reason everything seemed very slow going.  I was in the back third of the race already and just having a hard time making up time.  The heavy pack was also starting to take a toll on my upper back and neck.

Shaun top of first climb

Me at top of first climb

Burned Trees Section

Top of the mountain

The race started at 10:00 am and it started getting dark at about the 50K mark as I made a steep decent down to the Pasayten River.  The river is really wide and knee to thigh deep and flowing pretty good.  They had a rope for us to hang onto but it was not super tight.  Keeping balance on this river crossing proved to be difficult but luckily I made it across without taking a swim.  I later learned that Shaun had unfortunately took a plunge into the river soaking everything he had including his warm clothes for the night ahead.  He dug out whatever was left in my drop bag and at least had some dry stuff on.  After I crossed the river I sat down to change my shoes and socks which they told us would be a good idea at this point so I had them in my drop bag.  I also scarfed down a veggie dog which really hit the spot!  Not only was it a comforting food but those things are loaded in sodium and just what I needed.  I admit I was probably behind on electrolytes and nutrition which does not help energy levels or just how you feel overall.  Then we had a mile or two stretch along a highway where we had to wear reflective vests as oncoming traffic was flying and it was quite terrifying but the only way to get over where the next trails are.  Jess was waiting at the next aid station and it was probably 11:00 pm and the cutoff was 12:30 pm I think.  I put on some of my nighttime warm clothes as temps were starting to drop.  I tried to get food and coke in my belly and also loaded up my heavy pack with a bunch more calories.  The next 40 miles were extremely remote, in fact, they told us we had to carry most of our own nutrition for this stretch since it was only remote hike in aid stations.  So the volunteers had to hike in with all the supplies meaning they would pretty much only have water and maybe a few light snacks.  

Running along Nicomen Lake

Off I went into the mountains in the night and started the third major climb of the race.  Once that climb topped out we had some rolling terrain across the meadows on top of a mountain.  At this point the sun was starting to come out and the views were just incredible.  I kind of wanted to just sit down and stay up there doing nothing all day but the reality was I needed to keep moving as time was slipping away.  Then Nicomen Lake came into view from way up high and it was a sight to behold.  A pristine mountain lake in this spectacular remote part of western Canada and made it all worth it.  I took the steep downhill trail down to the lake and then we had to traverse along the lake for awhile until we got to the Nicomen aid station.  I was feeling pretty spent by the time I got here it was mid morning.  This was another remote aid station and they were doing a great job but didn't really have much to offer and people were waiting for stuff so I just filled water and left out of there.  I had a lot of calories with me but I just wasn't consuming enough and I knew it.  I started the next long downhill section after leaving the lake and part of the trail gave way over the edge (ground was just thick pine needles and edge was unstable with a big drop off) and I rolled my ankle pretty bad which caused me to bite it.  That one really put an exclamation point on how my race was going.  After I loosened up the ankle and started shuffling again I got bit by two hornets!  Good grief, couldn't catch a break!

I finally reached the aid station at the bottom of the huge decent and it was around lunch time.  I tried my best to get some calories in since the second biggest climb of the race was the next section but this was still remote aid station territory so supplies were limited.  I trudged on and this next climb snatched my mind, body, and soul.  It just kept going and going and I was getting super tired at this point.  Time was going faster then humanly possible.  I kept expecting to be at the top of the climb and at the mile 80 aid station (Hope Pass) where they would have full supplies and Jess might be there.  I was in such bad mental state that I had pretty much given up and decided that this race was not for me and I was ok with arriving past cutoff at the next aid station or quitting because finishing at this point seemed unlikely.  I'm pretty sure I swore to never do a 100 mile race again.  It seemed like forever before that moment arrived when I made it to Hope Pass but I finally did.  To avoid the time cutoff we had to leave Hope Pass by 4:00 pm and I arrived around 3:30-ish.  Jess told me I looked rough and I confirmed her observation and was expecting to have to make a tough decision on what to do.  Jess knew that deep down I wouldn't accept quitting when I had time to leave before cut off.  So she sprung into action and got me a chair, grabbed me some perogies, hashbrowns, chips, and coke.  By the way, those perogies were the chefs kiss, oh my god....they hit the spot!!!!  Jess gave me a back rub which I severely needed since the weight of my pack was crushing me. Jess also talked to the mountain rescue team and they agreed to let me lay on their cot for ten minutes.  I was hoping to sleep but I could only really just lay there; however, that little bit of rest and calories was just what I needed.  The aid station volunteers started to tell any remaining runners that we had to get going as it was 5 minutes before cutoff.  

Up above Nicomen Lake area

So, I grabbed some more food to go and thanked the volunteers and Jessica for helping me snap out of my death march.  Jessica truely saved my race here!!  I felt like I had new life walking out of that aid station and then I ran into Shaun who was inbound and wearing some of my clothes that he had to get from my drop bag after falling in the river, they were cold weather clothes too and it was hot out during the day..lol.  He would be arriving at the aid station right at cutoff and unfortunately not able to continue.  I felt bad for him as he has been dealing with a hamstring injury and chronic ankle pain for quite some time now.  He wasn't that far behind me but had succumb to his injuries and the clock did not work in his favor.  Shaun told me I had 18 hours to go 48 miles and said it's pretty doable.  The thought of doing 48 more miles was very dauting though and the next 25 miles were through those remote back country aid stations.  I did get somewhat of a second wind at this point and was able to run to the next aid station which was heading back to Nicomen lake.  I was moving pretty well on the climb out of Nicomen and got one last look at this majestic lake from overhead on top of the climb as the sun was just starting to set.  I was able to maintain some good stretches of jogging across the miles of meadows on top of that mountain.  It was starting to get dark as I was running across this section where 13 hours earlier the sun was coming up.

Back across the meadows

Sun setting on the alpine meadows..wow!

The next aid station seemed like it took forever to get to and I think this stretch was around 10-11 miles and a lot of gradual uphill.  I finally got there, filled my water, and quickly left as they didn't have many supplies, plus time seemed to be slipping away with abandon.  The next section was very technical downhill for awhile and then a gradual but persistent climb.  Finally I popped out onto a gravel road where I thought the aid station was supposed to be and there were no more course markings close by.  There were cars parked there but I didn't see the aid station.  Some people in the back of a truck didn't seemed too pleased when I accidentally shined my waist light in their face while asking them where the aid station was.  They pointed down the road so I started running down the road and it was not coming into view.  Mentally I started questioning whether it was back near those people but I just had to go a little bit in the other direction but I wasn't sure.  So I got a ways down the road and started freaking out about it and turned around to go back and look at the course markings again where we initially popped out of the trail.  Another runner came out of the trail at this point and he didn't speak English to well but kept saying he thought it was a ways down the road.  I trusted him and ran with him for awhile but no aid station was appearing.  I was checking the GPS route on my phone over and over.  I finally figured out I was not zooming out far enough on the map and the aid station was much further down the road then I thought.  Phew!!  I was going in the right direction but during the uncertainty I wasted precious time and energy running back and forth a few times on that gravel road.  Keep in mind that I have been awake for at least 40 hours straight at this point so mentally I was confused.

At least I had peace of mind now that we were heading in the right direction and I hadn't missed the aid station which would of DQ'd me.  With this mental relief I stopped to relieve my bladder and take a deep breath and then I looked up at the sky and just saw a ton of stars. it was really clear and the meteor shower was in all it's glory out there in the remote mountains, I saw a few shooting stars as I was going to the bathroom and was hoping that Jess got to see this as well.  I pressed hard for another mile and a half down that road to the aid station. Had to take full advantage of any opportunity to make up time on runnable sections and this gravel road downhill was ripe for the taking even though I was 100+ miles into this thing.  I arrived at the aid station on this road at mile 105-ish and Jess was there!!  It was probably 1:30 in the morning and I was so happy to see her.  She seemed surprised that I was running into the aid station and seemingly looked as if I was in decent shape.  Jess later told me she thought she would be giving me a ride at this point but was super happy that I was doing ok and determined to keep going.  A few other runners that came in here just left right away as we were kind of tight on time but I knew if I didn't get a reset here the rest of the race was in jeopardy.  Jess was awesome once again making sure that I was well taken care of.  Then I set out for what would be the craziest 23 miles of my life.  I think I had around 8 hours to complete 23 miles and that included a giant climb of 3,500 feet up a mountain in the last 11 mile stretch.

Luckily when leaving that aid station we had a few miles of downhill on that road which turned from gravel to pavement.  I was actually happy to be off trail on a smooth surface for a change and I knew I had to take advantage of this and make up some time even though my feet were absolutely killing me on the hard surface.  I made it to the next aid station which was a little over 6 miles away.  I think it was around 3:30 or 4:00 am at this point but my memory is a bit hazy.  I made quick work at this one and kept moving.  On my way to the very last aid station which was about 6 more miles away. I had to run by the area where people were finishing and it crushed my soul a little bit.  Heading out along the lake there runners were coming in towards the finish and all excited which was brutal for me mentally.  My goal was to reach the last aid station and have 5 hours to complete the last 11 miles because of the huge climb etc...  At this time I started to see major hallucinations in the woods.  I was seeing a bunch of tents and cars and people that all turned out to be just fallen trees in the woods.  I was on this fire road that just kept going and going and going...I started to think I took a wrong turn because the last aid station was just not attainable.  I came across another runner who was taking a nap right in the fire road.  I was worried that he did not set an alarm and wouldn't wake up in time to finish.  I woke him up and asked him if he was planning on staying in the race.  He was not to happy that I woke him but I think he realized it was probably a good idea although he may have been going back to sleep as I left.  I finally got to the last aid station where they were insisting that I wait around for them to make me a breakfast burrito.  I only had 4 hours left to do the last section which was too close for comfort.  I politely declined the burrito and said I had to go and I think I offended them but she wrapped some potatoes in tin foil and seemed satisfied when I agreed to take that for the trail.  Anyway, with 4 hours left for 11 miles and a 3,500 foot climb up a mountain I was sweating it pretty badly but also determined to put forth my best effort.  I started the climb and was digging my poles in and just hiking with all my might.  I was having conversations in my head with people that were not there!  

Views from the last mountain

I had a serious case of deja vu on this trail as well.  I swear I had hiked this climb before; however, I had never been to this part of Canada so I was confused as to how I had been there before.  My mind was completely whacko from not sleeping through two nights.  Also, not a lot of sleep the night before the race so I pretty much had three nights with no sleep.  I kept climbing and climbing.  Then the trail seemed to level off and even start going downhill a little. This was also confusing to me as I had only climbed about 2,000 feet and it was supposed to be 3,500. At first I thought I missed a turn to continue up the mountain but according to the GPS I was on course.  I thought in my mind that maybe they just said that but were surprising us and the last section wasn't as bad as we thought it would be...lol was I wrong!!  This other runner kept asking me if we were on the right course and I kept checking my GPS and assuring her that we were indeed on the right trail according to my GPS.  Then the climbing started back up and we climbed and climbed and climbed some more.  The trail leveled off for awhile and just when you think we topped out on the mountain..nope..more climbing.  I kept looking at my watch and the time was slipping fast.  Doing the math I knew if we didn't start the decent off the mountain soon that I wasn't going to make it.  There were sections here where we started to drop down like we were starting the decent but then it would start going uphill again and I just couldn't believe it.  There were other runners that were just sitting on rocks up there taking a break and completely wiped out.  According to the time we had left I knew that no breaks could be taken at this point.  I will say, I would love to just go here and hike this section sometime because the views were just insanely nice.  

More views atop the last mountain

Finally we topped out and the first mile of descending was very steep on rocky terrain and I was just flailing my body downhill.  Only choice if I was going to make it in time was to go with everything I had.  The runner who kept asking me if we were on the right course got into an argument with her pacer and she took off sprinting ahead of him.  We ran together off and on in this last big downhill.  Finally got to some nice single track switch backs which I was running as fast as I could and huffing and puffing like never before.  I thought I was laying down a pace of 9 minutes per mile but it was probably more like 12 minute miles..haha. I was getting discouraged as it seemed these switch backs would never end and the drop off to the bottom of the mountain was so much further.  Two girls on the trail said welcome to lightning lakes day use area, which is where the finish is, and I got super excited like I was almost there but it turns out we still had a few miles to go.  Eventually we got out into the day use area and could see the lake.  

My toughest earned buckle

I had about 15 minutes to go the last mile and I ran with everything I had.  Flying on the trail next to the lake.  I lost the girl that had been staying with me and asking for directions and I'm not sure what happened to her. Huffing and puffing and running with a scared nervous energy I could finally see the finish area on the other side of the lake.  The crowd at the finish could see me although I was still in the trees so they didn't know who it was.  They were all cheering like crazy.  I popped out of the trail and I could see Shaun going crazy and pointing to what direction I needed to go.  I couldn't run directly to the finish, I had to go around some stuff and then I had the finish in clear sight.  Jess was there going crazy with this huge crowd all cheering for me.  I was all business with a death glare towards the finish and running as hard as I could.  I crossed the finish line with 5 minutes to spare and completely drained physically and mentally.  It was by far my greatest ultrarunning accomplishment to date. I was the very last finisher (DFL - dead fucking last) but I didn't care because I got it done.  I would of been devastated to not get it in time after all the training, planning, and logistics etc...  Note: Ram finished a few hours before I did.  He struggled with an injury but got it done with plenty of time to spare.  

Post Race

Nice place to recover!!

The race that snatched my soul but something I will be proud of for the rest of my life.  The crazy thing was that I didn't take a #2 the whole race.  If I had done that just once I might not of finished in time..lol...one shit away from not finishing.  After the race we went to visit Jessica's cousin Corie and her family in Kelowna, BC.  They were super nice people and very gracious hosts.  They live in a nice house overlooking the Okanagan Lake with mountains in the background. Sitting in the hot tub on the deck the next morning was a pretty great way to recover.  Sadly a few days after we left a huge fire broke out in the mountains on the other side of the lake.  Luckily no lives were lost but there were dozens of houses and structures that burned.  Our heart goes out to everyone who has lost loved ones or houses in all these wildfires lately.  Anyway, this was my last race of 2023 and I was looking forward to a much needed break from long runs, training, and racing.  I need a huge mental and physical reset along with just living a normal life for a change instead of spending hours and hours training and trying to figure out how to get my long runs in.  We also went back to Michigan and Ohio for a few weeks after the race for two family parties and it was really great to see everyone and just relax.  Well, onto 2024, stay tuned!

MUC 50: June 3rd, 2023

MUC is short for Marin Ultra Challenge and as mentioned in previous blogs this is my favorite race in the Bay area.  Not only does the race start and end at Rodeo Beach which is just 15 minutes from my place but the 50 miler hits all of the best trails in Marin county which I train on and there is not overlap in the course.  The race is usually at the beginning of March and I decided to skip out this year since it was so close to Black Canyon 100K and I could not recover in time.  Mother nature intervened as she really wanted me to do MUC and there was an atmospheric river event going on the same weekend as MUC so they decided to move the race to the beginning of June.  This actually worked out really well because it lined up perfectly with my training schedule for Fat Dog 120 in August.  So I joined the waitlist to get into the June MUC 50 and immediately got in as some that couldn't make it in June for the race had to drop out.  I always thought that early March was a bit to soon for a 50 miler anyway but I guess if people are training for a spring or early summer 100+ miler it would work.  

I arrived early to the race because parking is at a premium for MUC.  If you show up late you have to park quite a ways away.  Shaun and Ram had arrived shortly before me and we hung out for awhile before the race start.  My goal has been for quite a few years to run a 50 miler in under 12 hours.  MUC would be a challenging course to do this because it has over 11,000 feet of climbing but my training was going well so I decided to give it a shot.  The race started and Ram and I noticed that we were right behind someone that we both recognized by the voice and lingo.  It was someone that used to be on a podcast that I listened to.  I was surprised that he was running MUC but I was not a big fan of his anyway for a few reasons so I kept my distance.  After the first climb I was still with Shaun and Ram and we bombed the smooth easy downhill on Miwok trail.  In fact, I think we went a little to fast because we were doing 7:30 miles and wasting a lot of energy.  The upside of this is that we were able to get our average pace down to a nice number.  On the next uphill Ram separated from Shaun and myself as he is a lot faster than us.  We had a steady pace on this climb and all the way to the stinky bathroom aid station.  The next section was uneventful and we bombed down our favorite downhill in Marin county, Marincello trail.  TN valley aid station was a quick stop to refill water and go.  In the next section on the Pirates cove trail Shaun and I got separated.  I was determined to get my sub 12 hour MUC and I pressed on.  Quickly got out of the Muir Beach aid station and started the long climb up Donkey Kong (Heather cutoff) and the Coastal trail all the way up the Cardiac aid station in Mt Tam state park.  On these long climbs I met Nizar and we discovered that we have some mutual acquaintances.  I was able to run most of Heather cutoff which proved to be valuable for later on when my pace slowed on the tougher climbs. 

Nizar and I stayed together for quite awhile, after leaving the cardiac aid station we bombed down the Dipsea trail into Stinson beach and then we did the dreaded super steep climb up the Willow Camp trail.  We kept a steady pace along the Bolinas ridge headed back toward Pantoll campground.  Nizar was feeling good in this section and I was starting to hit a wall.  Once we got on the Matt Davis trail he took off which I encouraged him todo since he was feeling good.  I got back to the Cardiac aid station and then kept a steady pace down to Muir Woods.  I started feeling good again on the climb up Ben Johnson trail which was the second toughest climb of the day.  I was able to bomb downhill to the Deer Park aid station.  Kept a steady pace up the single track switch backs of the Miwok trail.  By this time I was starting to feel pretty beat up but had to keep pressing on to get sub 12 hour.  I managed a speed just over a shuffle on the Dias Ridge downhill back to Muir Beach aid station.  On the next climb up middle green gulch trail I met someone named Shelly who was doing her first 50 miler.  She mentioned that she had overcome some health issues in the last few years and at one point couldn't even walk.  Through a lot of hard work she came back and started running with a new lease on life.  She still had a hard time running downhills but could crush the uphills and keep a steady pace along with being a really fast hiker.  She moved ahead of me toward the end of the uphill.  Then I passed her on the downhill into the final aid station at TN valley.  

There was only 4 miles to go and I was surprisingly on pace for my sub 12 hour MUC.  I made super quick work of that aid station as I only filled my water and bolted.  Nizar was at the aid station refueling and I said hi to him as I left out.  Although feeling pretty rough I was able to manage a shuffle after getting to the top of the last climb up the Old Spring trail.  Shelly must of ran up the entire Old Spring trail because she passed by me after getting to the top.  Only a few more steep little uphills and I was on the last decent into the finish at Rodeo Beach.  I was relived to know that not only was I going to get sub 12 but I ended up finishing in 11:37 and it was still light out so didn't even need my head lamp.  Pretty happy to set my PR on this day and in my favorite 50 mile race.  Only a few more months until what will be the hardest race I have ever attempted, Fat Dog 120.