Farley's Furloughed Fat Ass Fifty: April 15th, 2020

 I have always thought about doing run from our apartment in Northwest San Francisco to the East Peak of Mt. Tamalpais which is about ~25 miles away by mostly trail.  Due to the COVID pandemic I was furloughed from my job around mid April to mid June.  I immediately recognized this as a great opportunity to complete this mission.  I had my route all planned out and was praying there would be water available on the course.  Since the pandemic was only about a month in and the parking lots at the parks were closed I was unsure whether the bathrooms would be open etc..  Anyway, I decided to find out and would have enough water with me to last awhile and I could always call Jess for a ride if the worse case scenario happened.  Like many of us I was definitely in a weird place mentally and needed a big effort like this to clear my head and reflect on everything going on.  The furlough allowed me to get out there during the week which was a good thing because I knew there would be a lot less foot traffic on a Wednesday.  The run ended up being very spiritual and the water was on at Mt. Tam and in the Headlands.  The last 15 miles on the way back were very tough as I was extremely tired and exhausted as it turned out to be a sunny and warm day.  Rather than break this run down I am going to copy and paste an article that I wrote for Medium about this day.  I will post pictures at the end.  

Here is my article titled "Ultrarunning, Creativity, and Gratitude in the Midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic"-----

As a trail and ultra runner, or maybe more of an ultra walker, I am tuned into the world of this niche sport. The definition of an ultra run is any distance greater than a marathon, so basically longer than 26.2 miles. In March all of the ultrarunning races within the near future were cancelled due to limits on social gathering. People who enjoy the pain of endurance running immediately came up with creative ideas for virtual ultra races and similar challenges. Live video streaming of these virtual ideas became popular along with other activities such as live music and talk shows. One particularly inspiring idea was a “Quarantine Backyard Ultra” conjured up by Personal Peak, a running company based in Canada. The Original Backyard Ultra concept was created about six years ago by a race director in Tennessee, Gary “Laz” Cantrell, and his event became so popular that other race directors started their own Backyard Ultras. The format consists of all runners doing a 4.167 mile lap every hour on the hour. You must complete the 4.167 miles before the end of the hour and can rest with any remaining time until the next lap begins. If you fail to complete the 4.167 miles before the end of the hour or don’t start the following lap at the top of the next hour then you are disqualified. The event will continue until there is only one person left in the race.

Personal Peak threw together their idea for the virtual backyard ultra within a couple of days. It was free to enter and would be conducted over Zoom as each runner would set up a computer or iPad showing a streaming video of their home base. Some people were going to do it on a treadmill and others were going to do it outside. Either way you had to show proof of your result at the end of each 4.167 miles by taking a picture of your treadmill results or uploading GPS data to Strava, an exercise social media platform. Since everyone’s spring races were cancelled there was an overwhelming number of people that signed up for the Quarantine Backyard Ultra. There were 2,400 runners from across the globe, including many elite runners, who would be starting this quest on the Saturday morning of April 4th. Personal Peak also figured out they could live stream the event by broadcasting the Zoom feed over YouTube and Facebook live so that anyone could watch and interact with each other through the comments section. It really was a gift to be able to shift our anxiety about the pandemic towards the camaraderie of the community and humans in general. I did not find out about this event until a day before it started so there was not enough time to logistically plan for and run it; however, I gladly tuned into the live stream on and off all weekend. 

There were some interesting and creative folks out there, especially since the local lock down orders were stricter in some countries. One runner set up a small route in a closed coffee shop and did thousands of loops around the perimeter of tables and chairs. Another runner was actually doing tiny loops around his living room and measured to accurately know how many circles he had to do in order to achieve the required distance. There was a runner in Sweden, based in a tiny cabin North of the Arctic Circle, and she did laps around a frozen lake. Its mind blowing what humans come up with sometimes and it definitely held my attention throughout the weekend. Fifty hours into the event only two people were left dueling it out for the coveted trophy, a golden roll of toilet paper! Throughout the day on Monday I was taking breaks from work to check on the results. Two runners were heading into the 63rd hour with 258 miles under their feet and one of the guys did not start his treadmill at the top of the hour which was a rule violation. There was a technical glitch on his iPad and he did not hear the virtual bell sound which went off at the top of each hour. The other runner completed his 63rd lap and was declared the winner after going 262 miles! Both runners wanted to continue and could have easily gone much further but Personal Peak called the race completed because they adhered to the rule. I was fascinated by this event and how it brought people together. I felt inspired to do something on my own but I had to be careful due to the challenges of social distancing. At the time I was still working and doing something on a weekend would be tough because that’s when everyone around here seems to go outside.

I was furloughed from my job on April 11th and a plan was quickly put into place. The idea of doing a self-supported run from our apartment in San Francisco to the East Peak summit of Mt. Tamalpais, and return home, has been on my mind since moving here in 2018. It was a distant thought during normal life circumstances but always lingering in the back of my mind. In order to keep with the social distancing requirements a Wednesday seemed like the perfect day as the trails would be reasonably quiet. For the next few evenings my lap top was devoted to creating the route, incorporating my favorite trails, and making sure the total round-trip distance equaled fifty miles. All the logistics were set and on a Wednesday morning at 6:15 AM I set out on my journey.

There were only a few people out on bikes this early as I crossed the Golden Gate Bridge and took in the view of the San Francisco skyline as the morning was coming into existence. I had a bunch of podcasts downloaded and was going to listen as I worked my way through the run but I was so deep in thought that I did not have a desire for technological stimuli. I climbed up and down the hills of the Marin Headlands, crossed through Tennessee Valley, and eventually made my way up to the East Peak of Mt. Tamalpais. The only time I turned airplane mode off from my phone was to check in by sending my wife Jessica a picture from the top of Mt. Tam letting her know I was looking back in her direction. 

So many thoughts raced through my head throughout this run about everything going on. As I made my way back along the coastal trail to Muir Beach, I began to feel the familiar mental and physical pain from all the elevation gain and miles under my feet. Climbing out of Muir Beach was very challenging. I focused my mind to what our healthcare workers and first responders are dealing with and came to the realization that my temporary pain was insignificant. My ultra marathon would be over in a few hours but their ultra marathon has been going on for quite some time with no end in sight. The gratitude for these selfless heroes gave me a boost of energy. I work with a lot of healthcare professionals and my mother is a retired a nurse and father a retired firefighter so I have always had a deep appreciation for these folks. That appreciation has risen to a new level in the current circumstances of our world. I also thought of all the grocery store workers and so many other professions who are still going out there and doing their jobs through this wild time in our life. We have come to expect and deal with certain types of disasters but I can’t imagine a virus was on the forefront of many people’s mind. Navigating back through the Marin Headlands toward the bridge I was reduced to an extremely slow foot shuffle and a lot of walking as well. When I got to the bridge, I was excited as there was only a few remaining miles between me and a shower followed by our couch. 

While crossing the Golden Gate Bridge on my way home I reflected on my personal journey throughout the day but also started to think about positive aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic. For instance, we’ve held Zoom video hang outs with friends and family on a weekly basis and attendance has been great since everyone has time. It has been years since we have spent this much time with them and it’s conveniently done through technology. Society is usually so busy that it’s eye opening when folks are forced to take a step back from crazy schedules and maybe play a game of cards or watch a movie together. In some way there is a feel that we have gone back in time. It’s also moving how people are pitching in to help out with food banks or in anyway they can. For instance, my mother has made thousands of masks for healthcare workers from her home in Ohio. Finally, the creativity of humans is what makes us a unique species that can inspire each other. Whether it’s a virtual backyard ultra or a family making a funny video together it gives me much hope for the future. The most important lessons I have learned is that we need to stick together, maybe slow things down once in a while, and really show gratitude for the unsung heroes in our society.

Pics from the run:

Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day 50K: Feb. 29th, 2020

Nice views from Dogmeat

This race in the South Bay mountains takes mental and physical toughness to a whole new level, the term sadistic comes to mind as an accurate description.  Ram convinced Shaun and myself that it was a good idea to sign up.  The entry fee for the race is $0 and it's completely self supported.  In order to reach the start line for the race you have to do a two mile hike with 1,000 feet of climbing.  To add to that challenge you have to carry all your personal "aid station" supplies with you on this hike.  We were expecting full sun exposure today with temps in the 70s so I knew that I would need some cold beverages and water for what we were about to undertake.  I froze some water and gatorade which I would put in a cooler with some food to take to the race start area.  That was a heavy cooler to carry up there but I knew it would be worth it in the grand scheme of things and it definitely proved to be!  I met Shaun and Ram in the parking area and we carried all our stuff up that hike to the start line.  There was no official race start time, in fact, everyone knew the objective of the day and would have GPS watches to track our time etc.. so you could get out there at anytime of your choosing.  Looking back on it now I think I would of preferred to get out there super early and do part of the race in the dark cooler weather.

Such an appropriate message!

So, your probably wondering what the actual course of this race consists of.  Well, there is a climb in this area called Dogmeat, it's basically a 1.5 mile trip up with 1,000 feet of elevation gain.  The race starts at the base of Dogmeat and the concept is simple: go up the climb and come back down and keep doing that pattern 10 times!  The downhill was not easy either, it is an uneven fire road which is very steep at times, your body really takes a pounding when you run down this thing.  I knew this sounded horrible before I even signed up so I have no idea why I ended up trying it.  I guess the fact that it would test me mentally and physically was appealing and peer pressure also had something to do with it.  I met Shaun and Ram at the parking area around 6:00 am.  We hiked up to the base of Dogmeat with all our stuff and got started right away.  To my surprise there were already a few people up there who had started before we did.  The first trip I did without trekking poles and after that I knew I was in for a long day.  The second trip I started using my trekking poles as I needed the help on the steep parts of the climb and they also assisted on some of the steep downhill sections.  Shaun and Ram seemed to be climbing a lot stronger than I was.  The downhills were beating up my quads very badly and all the pressure from the pounding went straight there as I was nursing a sore knee.   

The pacifier is hilarious

I wanted to slow down and told them to go ahead and I would just do the day at my own comfortable pace.  They pretty much denied me of that request but they did slow down for me which I was thankful for.  Shaun was nursing an injured hamstring so he was about the pace as me after a few trips up and down.  On the 5th trip up, the sun was out in full force and it became quite hot which added to the discomfort of this thing we were embarking on.  I was really happy that I had frozen some gatorade and it really hit the spot after each trip down Dogmeat.  Some a-hole was drinking the water that Shaun carried all the way up Dogmeat and didn't even ask if it was ok.  Most people in the ultra community are top notch.  I don't think this guy was an ultra runner.  In fact, I think he only did like 2 out and backs.  It put us in a bad frame of mind but we didn't have enough energy to get worked up over it.  

The last steep part of Dogmeat

This was just a brutal race from start to finish.  There was one big tree on the climb about 3/4 of the way up and it provided just a tiny bit of shade however it was a great place to take a little break each time up Dogmeat.  We started calling it the Tree of Life!  There were maybe 30 other people out there doing either the full 50K or just doing a few trips up and down and it was fun to see these people over and over.  We would just look at eachother and smile because we all knew how brutal this really was.  I think the 8th time up about broke me and I didn't really have any desire to do two more trips.  Once that was done the 9th trip was motivating because we knew only one more after that.  The last trip was very satisfying as we knew that we were almost done.  On the way back down the 10th time Ram slowed down right at the end to wait for Shaun and I ran past him to finish, not because I wanted to finish ahead of them rather I just wanted to be done with this nonsense!  I still get teased about that to this day, I just had to be first and I saved my energy burst until right at the end etc..

So glad that nonsense is over!

We did the 10 out and backs on Dogmeat...30 miles and 10,000+ feet of climbing in under 8 hours which I thought was extremely good considering how tough it was.  After crossing the finish line I was so damn grateful to be done.  All we had to do was hike two miles back to our cars while carrying a bunch of crap..haha.  This race absolutely destroyed my quads.  I was signed up for the Marin Ultra Challenge (MUC) 50 miler which was only two weeks out and I had zero idea of how I could even do that race.  Within this time COVID-19 had started spreading more rapidly in the U.S. and they decided to cancel the MUC 50 just a few days before the race so the pandemic made my decision for me.  In fact, pretty much all the races in California ended up getting cancelled after this point in time so I was happy to get two races completed in 2020 before COVID mania swept the world.  I don't know if I will ever do this race again as it seems like a good thing to do once and then never again. However, I am easily swayed by peer pressure so if any of my friends wanted to do it then I would unfortunately follow along like an idiot!   

Sean O' Brien 100K: Feb. 8th, 2020

I signed up for this event because Shaun and Ram were doing it and I thought it would be cool to have a nice challenge to start 2020 off right.  This is one of the toughest races I have ever attempted for several reasons.  It takes place in Southern California (Malibu Creek St. Park) which is a hot and sunny climate even in early February.  There is over 13,000 feet of climbing in the 100K and very strict cutoffs.  I know my own abilities and figured that even with good training that it was going to be a toss up if I could finish this one.  We didn't get serious with training until December.  We got a few 30+ mile training runs in and then two weeks before the race we did a 40 mile training run.  It seemed as if training went pretty well and we were ready to tackle this beast.  I grew more confident in my ability to finish this race after feeling good on these longer training runs.  Although the 40 miler two weeks before may have been a little to ambitious as the recovery time from that training run was fairly limited.

The race started at 5:00 AM which meant we had to get up really early in order to arrive in time to check in and get our race packets.  All of us flew in on the day before the race.  I felt bad for Ram because his flight got delayed and he arrived really late.  I was able to get about 4 hours of sleep the night before the race which was not ideal but it could of been worse.  It was cold out at the start line and I was embracing it because I knew it was game over once the sun came out.  The run got started right on time and off into the dark hills we went.  The pace was steady at the beginning but about a mile or two in we came to the famous river crossing and there was a really long line leading up to it.  In fact we stood there for a few minutes waiting and I was getting nervous because I knew how strict the cutoffs were.  After we got through the river we were facing a fairly large climb.  Our pace was good up this climb and the views of the sunrise and surrounding areas were incredible.  I was not feeling bad in these first five or six miles but I was not really feeling great either.  I knew it was going to be a long day and I would need calories and it was probably best to get them in early before the heat came.

Flipping off the sun just angered it

After leaving the first aid station we had a bunch of rolling trails.  Another big climb and then a really nice long smooth downhill which we bombed down to the aid station at mile 23.  We had a really good pace going at this point.  It was really starting to get hot out as the sun moved overhead.  The course is completely exposed and the sun was blazing hard.  I think I ate too much food at this aid station because a sluggish feeling came over me.  We were facing a huge climb over the next 9 miles and I wanted to make sure I had enough calories.  As we started the climb my legs just gave out and all my energy was mysteriously zapped.  I could not keep up with Shaun and Ram and they were charging up the climb.  They got to mile 31 before I did and they had waited for me.  That was a long hot 9 miles with no aid stations in between.  The mile 31 aid station had run out of water!  That's not a good thing to happen in a race where the sun has been blazing on runners for a few hours and they desperately needed some water.  I was glad I had filled up my 3 liter bladder before that climb because I still had some water left.  They did have some bags of ice there so I filled up the rest of my bladder with ice.  It actually worked out pretty good for me  I was still hurting though leaving his aid station.  We shuffled to the next few aid stations and by the time we got to mile 40 I was pretty far gone and our pace had dropped off big time.  Those guys were telling me how badly people were hurting at that last aid station.  One guy decided to dropout of the race and called an Uber!  Very comical since we were in the middle of nowhere and I am surprised he had a cell signal!  We had a good laugh over that.

I was toying with the idea of dropping down to the 50 mile race, they give you that option at mile 44.  Shaun and Ram helped me get that negative thought out of my head.  I decided to give the rental car key to Shaun because I was hurting so bad that I couldn't keep up with them and I figured they would finish before me.  It was going to be dark and cold by the time we all finished so they would need to be able to get in the car to stay warm while waiting for me.  Over the next few rolling miles I fell further behind those guys as I just didn't have anything left and couldn't keep up with them.  I wanted them to go on because I didn't want to be the reason they would miss a cutoff and not finish the race.  I really gave it everything I had but did not make the cutoff at mile 44, in fact I missed it by 8 or 9 minutes.  I assumed that Shaun and Ram had made the cutoff and continued on with the 100K course.  The nice thing is they let you drop down to the 50 mile race if you fail to make the cutoff here.  So it was 6 miles to the finish, mostly downhill except for a climb out of the aid station.  I power hiked almost the whole way because I was so spent.  I was happy to cross the finish line and put this day behind me.  After I finished it became dark and the temperature dropped big time.  I then realized that Shaun had the rental car key..doH!  All I had to keep warm was a long sleeve t-shirt and thin pair of gloves.  There were no structures with heat at this park.  There was some warm soup which I would get a bowl every 45 minutes or so to try and warm up.  I basically just sat at a picnic table and shivered for a few hours.  I was really hoping Shaun and Ram were going to finish because I know that I held them up throughout the race.

I began to get worried when there was only 10 minutes to go before their cutoff and they had not come in yet.  Then 2 minutes later some headlamps came into sight and it was them!!  I was so happy they were able to finish and also excited to get the car started and get some heat turned on :)

This was an extremely challenging race for many reasons.  First, there was a ton of climbing, even with the 50 mile race I totaled over 11,000 feet of gain which is quite a bit.  Second, the sun in southern California is relentless and it's a very exposed course.  Finally, the cutoffs are very strict and hard to make.  It was extremely disappointing to not finish the 100K which I had set out to do however I have come to terms with it.  I am also please to finish the 50 mile course in about 13 hours which is pretty decent for myself.  After the race we hit up Chipotle and I ordered a bunch of food as I was starving.  The next morning I went to down to demolish the free hotel breakfast and I met another guy who ran the race.  Oddly enough he told me that he tried to call an Uber at mile 31 but he ended up cancelling it.  It was him!! I met the guy that called the Uber..haha.  He ended up continuing on and did the same thing as me, had to drop down to the 50 mile race.  

I am finishing this race report almost a year after the fact and little did I know that about a month later our lives would be turned upside down by a global pandemic.  I did get one more race in before the shit really hit the fan and I am about to complete that report as well.  

Mt. Tam 50K: Nov 09, 2019

Pre Race Photo

This was my final race of 2019.  After Kodiak 100 back in August I took it easy as I wanted to rest and enjoy life outside of running.  Shaun convinced Ram and myself that we should all sign up and run this race.  Ram and I were out of shape but Shaun had been getting some good training in while on paternity leave.  Also, Jessica Meeker, an ultra running friend from back home in Ohio, had moved out to Northern California and she signed up for this race as well.  I was excited to run the race since it takes place on trails that I have spent a lot of time training on along with some trails that were new to me.  Of course, the views are great from everywhere since the race takes place in the Mt. Tam area.  I was signed up for this race in 2018 but it got cancelled due to wild fire smoke so it was a relief that we got to run it this year.

Steep Ravine Trail Ladder Climb

The four of us were in a group when the race started from Stinson Beach but there were a lot of runners bunched up and we were starting to get spread out.  Jessica was moving quickly at the beginning and I was doing my best to keep up with her.  Shaun was moving along with us but Ram had somehow got caught in the pack behind us.  It was difficult to keep the group together in the crowded trails as we climbed up steep ravine trail to get to Cardiac Hill, the first aid station.  I stopped briefly at the first aid station, Shaun was feeling great and he decided to push on.  Jessica and I were still running together but I could not see Ram behind us.  It was nice to get caught up with Jessica as I had not seen her since she had moved out here.  We descended down to the Muir Woods area and then climbed back up to Deer Park Fire road.  Then we dropped down to the Miwok Trail where a long gradual climb awaited us.  This is one of those climbs where it's hard to know if you should spend the energy to run uphill or power hike and conserve the energy.  At the top of the Miwok Trail climb was Dias Ridge Trail which was a really fun and fast downhill to Muir Beach, the half way point aid station. Upon leaving that aid station Ram was coming into it.  I waited for Ram and ran the rest of the race with him.  

We went up the "donkey kong" trail, this nickname came about due to a bunch of mini trail

Fog Hovering About The Area

switchbacks, when at the bottom of the trail it looks like people going up it are in the video game donkey kong.  Then we did the long climb up coastal trail back to Cardiac Hill.  After that we had one more loop down to the Muir Woods area and climb back to Cardiac Hill.  Finally we descended down the Dipsea Trail back to Stinson Beach for the finish.  Shaun had a really solid race as he felt good all day.  Ram and I picked it up toward the end even though we were both feeling pretty trashed due to being out of shape.  Jessica had forged ahead when I waited for Ram at Muir Beach and we ended up passing her on the second trip down to Muir Woods.  She had a strong finish as well.  After the race Ram, Jessica, and myself hung out for a little while.  This race is put on by Inside Trails and once again they did a great job of hosting this event.  This was a tough but fun race with over 6,300 feet of climbing and some beautiful scenery I will definitely be back for this one in the future.  Also, this 50K is the kickoff for training as we have a tough race coming up in early February!

The beast of a course

Kodiak 100: Aug 16, 2019

The calm before the storm that was Kodiak 100

At the beginning of 2019 I was itching for another 100 mile race attempt.  While searching for 100 milers in Northern California I realized my options were limited for a summer race.  I expanded my search to Southern California and stumbled upon Kodiak 100 which was mid August and takes place around Big Bear Lake.  I have always wanted to check out Big Bear and the timing of the race was perfect so I went ahead and signed up as soon as registration allowed.  My wife Jessica was going to be my crew chief and she has done an amazing job of getting me through the hundred mile races that I have been able to complete.  My good friend Chas stated he would come out to California from Ohio and crew for me, bonus!!  Also, a few months later my other good friend Amy asked if I needed an additional crew member and I absolutely welcomed her to join the party.  So, between Jessica, Chas, and Amy I had an all-star crew and they would all prove to be very essential in getting me through this race. 
 
The quality of my training for Kodiak 100 lead me to believe I was going to do really well however the race had different plans for me.  This was my toughest attempt at a one hundred mile race due to being at higher altitude, technical trails, and over 17,000 feet of climbing.  I designed my training plan and was able to follow it fairly well.  Of course I had to adjust for certain life events but I really put forth a lot of time and effort to preparing for this race. Training officially began in March and I had started to do some running with Shaun who introduced me to gnarly races and also tough training runs that really tested my mental and physical abilities.  The biggest boost to my confidence was Broken Arrow 52K because I was able to handle steep climbing at altitude with minimal problems.  This was very encouraging and I felt as if I was in peak shape at this point in time.  The only problem was that I had another 5 weeks or so of hard training left.  July was a grind but I had never felt that solid going into a taper.  I became a little over confident which was easy to do when training went so well and I didn't really have any taper or injury type issues etc..  There was a 36 hour time limit for this event which is a lot longer than most races of this distance or amount of climbing.  I was aiming to finish in 30 hours although I would be ecstatic just to finish and get the belt buckle.

Nice setting for a race!

In years past, this race was an 8:00 PM start.  I thought it would be nice to sleep a little longer than a usual 5:00 AM start for most 100 mile races.  Well, Kodiak made a change and decided to start this years event at 6:00 PM on the Friday.  Oh wow, this presented a whole new challenge.  It basically meant that I would wake up in the morning and wait all day for the race to start along with having to run over the course of two nights.  The positive thing is that I would not have any pressure or anxiety about getting to sleep early the night before since no alarms would be set.  I did have a really good nights sleep the night before and we had time to go over race plans with Chas and Amy who arrived Friday morning.  It's hard to describe the feeling at the start of a 100 mile race.  It' almost like a huge sign of relief and gratitude.  The culmination of all those training miles and time spent preparing.  I was excited to head out into the mountains around Big Bear for 30+ hours of connecting with nature and seeing what I am made of.  The race began and we did a parade lap around town to spread the crowd out a bit.  Then we hit a climb on a dirt road where cars were driving by and leaving a fog of dust for us to navigate through.  About 3 or 4 miles in we finally got to some single track trail which was really nice.  We had a long downhill to the first aid station at mile 6.

Chas was waiting for me at the trailhead and somehow we missed each other.  Jessica and Amy got me necessary supplies and I left quickly as I didn't need to spend a lot of time at aid stations early in the race.  I would not see my crew again for 19 more miles and it turned out to be a Mike Tyson style punch to the face getting to mile 25.  It got dark out and we had to face one of the toughest challenges of the race by dropping over 3,000 feet down into Siberia creek canyon.  Usually downhills are best for making up time because gravity is in your favor but not in this case.  In the pre-race meeting the race director mentioned there was one tree down on this section of trail that we would have to climb over or go under.  Well, she failed to mention there was not just one of these giant trees laying across the trail but several dozen of them!  Each time getting over, under, and through these trees was draining on the overall pace.  It didn't help the trail was extremely narrow in a lot of sections and slow going because one wrong step on the loose gravelly surface next to the cliff could result in a search and rescue operation or worse.  The parts of this section that were not next to a huge drop off were narrow trail that had large shrubbery protruding into the trail so it was like running the gauntlet in American Gladiators.  Once we reached the bottom of the canyon the trail sort of disappeared and it took a few of us searching in the dark to find the markings telling us which way to go.

Sun setting over the lake and mountains

We reached the "creek" which was a very fast moving high rapids river.  There were large rocks which allowed us to cross without getting soaked in the cold water but one guy in front of me slipped and took a plunge.  I remember feeling sorry for him and secretly relieved that it was not me!  Once we reached the other side of this creek there was a guy and his family that hiked all the way down into the canyon to filter water out of the river for runners.  What an awesome thing for someone to do!  It was quite an operation they had going and there were runners lined up to get refills.  I had enough water in my bladder and decided to not waste time by standing in line.  Then we had to do a huge climb out of the canyon and it was getting past my normal bedtime.  A huge wave of exhaustion swept over me and I was frustrated that it took so long and such a physical toll getting to the bottom of the canyon and we were not even a quarter of the way finished with the race.  I was staying on top of drinking water but through the madness of the Siberia canyon section I was not consuming enough (or any) calories.  This no doubt was part of my exhaustion.

The climb out of the canyon took forever as suspected and I was pretty much a walking zombie as I strolled into the aid station and was greeted by my crew.  They were definitely concerned as I showed up way later than estimated but they also witnessed a lot of other runners coming into this aid station who were messed up and some were even dropping out.  Chas pulled out the baggie of gels from my pack which I had not touched and rightly called me out for not eating any calories.  I would never survive this race unless I started consuming calories so I knew what I had to do going forward.  I was so tired that I told them I wanted to take a nap but we collectively agreed that I didn't really have time for a nap here.  I was in such an exhausted stupor that I could of been mistaken for a drunken slurred speech college student stumbling home from the bars.  I was uncharacteristically angry about the situation in general and may not of treated my crew as well as they deserved to be treated, to them I apologize for that.  Luckily they know me and that I would never intentionally be a jerk to them, I am so lucky to have awesome people in my life.  It was about 1:30 AM at this point and after some rest and calories I trekked off into the night.  I would not see my crew for another 30 miles but they took such great care of me at this aid station that I felt rejuvenated and ready to continue on my mission.

That sun was out to get me!

The next 30 miles had rolling terrain in the forest and I was moving way better then earlier miles and it was relieving.  In fact, between passing people and others dropping out I was moving up quite a few spots during those late night / early morning hours.  My mind was very out of whack during these overnight miles so I do not have much of a memory of what happened.  I know that I did not see many other runners out there I just kept moving along.  Then the sun came up as I was getting on the Pacific Crest Trail section of the race.  I was very excited for this section because the miles I had on the PCT in Oregon at Mountain Lakes 100 were excellent.  The trail was well maintained and in great shape so I thought it would be similar in Southern California.  I was not accurate in my assessment because the PCT section around Big Bear was extremely rocky and technical.  It made for some very slow miles.  Although seeing the sunrise over Big Bear Lake from higher elevation was worth the price of admission and then some.  I had not carried sunscreen with me and I did not reach my crew until 10:30 AM or so.  The sun had been blazing and beating down on me since about 8:30 AM.  I used my long sleeve T-shirt to cover my head and neck, kind of like Chevy Chase did with his jeans walking through the desert in National Lampoons Vacation (credit to Ron Delozier for posting a pic on Facebook that reminded me of this caparison).

So Hot! So Exposed! 

9 hours ago my crew could not tell me apart from a zombie but coming into mile 55 I was awake and had a decent night of progress.  They were excited to see me and I was more excited to see them.  They gave me the royal treatment, I got a massage and got some clean socks. Also, they refilled the supplies in my pack and prepared an ice bandana as I was heading into the most exposed section of the course smack dab in the middle of the afternoon heat.  They said I looked good compared to most people coming into this aid station.  This gave me a nice little boost of confidence leaving the aid station.  I can't even put into words how thankful I am to Jessica, Chas, and Amy for everything they did for me during this whole race.  So off I went into the sun and I was mentally feeling great but physically I was pretty beat down.  Still drinking as much water as possible to stay hydrated and luckily the typical colon inflammation I battle at most 100 milers had not arrived yet.  I had 12 or 13 miles to go before seeing my crew again and these were some very tough miles in the heat.  The sun was blazing so hard that I took a lot of mini breaks were I would sit under a tall shrub even if there was a tiny bit of shade but that was rare out here is the high desert.  The ultra gods smiled down upon me as I came to the aid station at the bottom of a canyon and the awesome volunteers had two huge coolers filled with flavor ice Popsicles!  I sucked down two of those things standing there and took one for the road!  I also kept drinking as much water as I could get down because I knew the dry air at altitude and the heat would be a death sentence if I did not stay hydrated.

Sugarloaf, the mountain I had to climb  

Rocky steep climbing was par for the course

There were some extremely rocky and steep climbs as I made my way to the base of Sugarloaf Mountain where my crew awaited me.  I was happy to see them but I was extremely wasted from the heat and felt like a dead man walking.  Also, he who shall remain nameless, pointed out the mountain in the background where I was facing a 3,600 foot climb to the top and it seemed like a monumental task.  Amy started pacing me at this point and I was glad to have her along as conversation with a friend helps to distract from the pain.  The climb up the mountain was very steep, rocky, and unforgiving.  Like other sections of the course the technical aspect of it made for very slow movement.  I was reduced to concentrating on one step at a time and resting by leaning on my trekking poles at very frequent intervals.  It seemed to take a lifetime to make it to the top of the mountain but we finally got there!  We had some really great views from the top as the sun was slowly starting to set.  We turned around and started heading back on the rocky terrain and to my surprise there were quite a few other runners still on their way up to the top.  At this time I started to get a bad pain in my stomach and it was not the usual side ache type pain but more centered under my rib cage.  The route down the mountain was different then the climb up.  It took us on a nice smooth fire road where I should of been running down and making up time but due to the pain in my stomach and a developing hot spot on my foot I was reduced to a power hike at best.  I tried to slowly run a few times but it was not happening.  The sky grew dark and I was sad to see the light go but at least it was getting cooler out.  The head lamps got switched on and night #2 was underway.

More rocky climbs

Putting in the work, gotta get to the Sugarloaf summit!

At the Sugarloaf summit, made it!

We made it to the bottom of the fire road and then had to go back into the woods in order to get back to that aid station where Chas and Jessica were waiting.  The course markings were a bit confusing and there was a big trail intersection where we were not sure which direction to go.  We did a big drop down this steep hill and then the trail did not look much like a trail so we hiked back up the hill to re-check the markings.  Come to find out the first attempt was the right direction after all but we did not see a course marking for awhile so I was praying it was the correct way to go.  Then we heard aid station noises and seen all the lights which gave me huge relief!  Chas checked out my hot spot and confirmed there was not much that could be done about it and I would have to suck it up for the next 18 miles.  Even though I was drinking plenty of water I was still extremely low on calories.  Chas grabbed me a hot grilled cheese from aid station which really hit the spot and even relieved my stomach pain for a little while.  Jess helped me change socks again and checked to make sure I had everything I needed for the next leg of the journey.  Amy and I continued on in the dark, still power hiking through the woods.  Over the next few miles that hot spot under my foot had turned painful as every step made me cringe.  I repeated the mantra over and over that quitting is not an option and pain is all in my head.  I was still sucking down water as I was not peeing much in the last 10 hours and it was dark when I did.  I drank so much water over the course of this race that I was so tired of it!

Amy and I headed out into the dark at mile 81

Amy helped keep my attention off all the pain and exhaustion by keeping the conversation going through these dark miles.  Crew was not allowed at the mile 87 aid station however they were allowed to meet us in a parking lot which was a half mile from the aid station.  Amy and I got to the parking lot but Chas and Jessica were no where to be seen.  There was an SUV way on the other end of the lot with the lights on but it was hard to tell if it was them.  We waved our arms a few times in their direction but the vehicle did not move.  Just as we were about to continue on the vehicle started pulling across the parking lot and low and behold it was them!  They got me situated and prepared for the last 12 miles.  After a quick stop at the aid station we had a decent climb and then a huge drop down a rocky fire road all the way to the bottom of another canyon.  There was a kind lady down there with some limited aid station supplies and it was a nice little rest before the next horror show of a section.  We basically had to do a huge climb up out of the canyon on a very narrow trail that was mostly loose gravel.  I was glad that I had trekking poles to help stabilize my ass whooped self.  This was a very tough and dangerous climb which seemed to go on forever and I was so glad when we finally seen lights at the top where the aid station was.  We could hear voices cheering runners on.  There were some interesting characters at this aid station and they were extremely helpful.  I would like to say that most of the aid stations were top notch at this race and much thanks to all the volunteers.  So, we only had 4 miles to go and I was salivating over crossing the finish line.  The last 4 miles seemed like they went on forever as there was no way that I was able to run.  Finally we got out of the woods and had about one mile to go on the road back into town.

A crew for the ages.  Lucky to have all-stars in my corner!

Amy and I jogged through the empty quiet street and then into the lighted downtown area.  I crossed that finish line and was so glad to see Jess and Chas and just being done was a relief.  There was not many people around at the finish at 4:23 AM so it was kind of anti-climatic but I got my buckle and more importantly I proved to myself I could finish a tough 100 miler at altitude.  So, my final time was 34 hours and 23 minutes.  It took a lot longer than I anticipated and I was happy that I finished but thought I didn't have a good race.  Upon seeing the results I found out that I got 55th place overall and there were 30 people that finished after me.  Along with 71 people who did not finish.  So, overall it was just a really tough race and I felt a lot better about my results.  I know that just finishing should be all that matters but when you train so hard for something you expect to perform well.  Without my incredible crew I honestly don't think this race would of turned out favorably.  They went above and beyond the normal crew duties to make sure I got through the race and I am forever grateful.  Chas and Amy didn't even hesitate to fly across the country and help me and Jessica gave up another weekend of sacrificing sleep for me.

The next day was a Sunday and Chas got up early after only a few hours sleep and went for a run.  We mostly sat around the AirBnB all day drinking and eating along with going into town for some beer and food as well.  This was a very memorable experience and I was glad to share it with close friends.  This 100 mile distance is always such an unknown because there are a ton of ups and downs both mentally and physically.  Usually your body and mind are completely done with the race about mile 50 and it's a trip to realize your only half way done!  Keep putting one foot in front of the other and eventually you get to the finish.  I didn't have my usual side ache from this race which was enlightening.  The other stomach pain I got was kind of defeating during the race as it kept me from running over the last 30 miles or so but just another thing I must figure out!  I don't know when my next 100 mile race will be as I kind of get burnt out from the training.  Although after some time passes I am sure I will be itching for another challenge.

My fourth 100 mile buckle, it was a hard earned piece of metal.

 

Broken Arrow 52K Sky Race: June 22, 2019

Pre-Race, the calm before the pain!

Sky race trail running events are popular in Europe and have gained  a lot of attention in the United States within the last five or six years.  They are unique and challenging due to taking place in mountains at high altitude and also involve a lot of elevation gain / loss throughout the races.  I have followed the sky races in the US but I never thought I would sign up for one.  That is until Shaun peer pressured me into signing up for Broken Arrow 52K.  The timing of the event actually lined up nicely with my training plan for Kodiak 100 so I agreed to do it.  Broken Arrow starts around 6,000 feet above sea level and tops out at almost 10,000 feet.  There is over 10,000 feet of total elevation gain throughout the two loop race which starts and ends in Squaw Valley ski resort.  From certain vantage points on the course you can even see lake Tahoe in the distance.  Leading up to this race I was in pretty good shape from all my training over the last few months so I was excited to see how I would handle the difficulty of the course.  I was also interested in seeing how my body would handle the higher altitude since my goal race in August, Kodiak 100, was also going to be in the mountains at a higher altitude.

The First Climb

High enough for leftover snow in late June

The super steep rope climb!

We arrived to Olympic Village in Squaw Valley and got our bibs and all the great race schwag.  The race started in the cool mountain air and after parading down the main brick street of the ski resort we hit the first climb.  Then the next few miles of the course are rolling hills through a wooded section and you come out into a big opening.  That's when you face the first really tough climb, basically a very steep grade up to the top.  Then there is a big decent down to the first aid station.  This is followed by a few more long steep climbs.  Then you get to the steepest climb of the day, in fact, it's so steep they installed a rope to assist the ascent.  There was snow here making it even more difficult.  On the rope section on my first loop I used all upper body strength to get myself to the top.  In hindsight that was not a great idea because my shoulder and arms felt like they were going to fall off.  There were a lot of other people on the rope at the same time since it was the first loop so we had to keep moving in order to not break everyone's flow.  It was super hard and I had never experienced anything like it in a race.  I can't explain how happy I was to make it to the top of the rope climb.  This was my least favorite part of the race however it's all part of the challenge so I have learned to embrace it.  The next hard part was a steep climb up to the highest point on the course where we had to scale some rocks and climb up a shady ladder.  I'm not gonna lie it was kind of terrifying but the views from the top were incredible.  We could even see Lake Tahoe in the distance and that mental reward makes all the difficult aspects worth while.

Shaun on top of the world

Lake Tahoe in the background

Climbing up to the shady ladder

Then we started descending and came to a huge steep downhill.  The hill was covered in snow and going down was treacherous.  Some runners were sitting and sliding down the snow hill on their ass, including Shaun!  There were some complaints of burning skin after that because the snow was flying all up in there!  Climbing back up this hill was very difficult as well because the snow provided slippery footing and it was so steep that we could only do slow steps.  Luckily Shaun and I both had shoe traction for the snow which really helped with this section.  After this climb it was mostly all downhill back to the start finish area to end the first loop.  I had to reapply some sun screen after that loop because the sun was blazing down and it's easy to get burnt on an exposed snow covered mountain.  The second loop was the same route as the first loop.  Towards the end of the race I made it a priority to beat another runner who was playing music out loud on the course.  I don't mind if people listen to headphones during a race but it's disrespectful to play the music out loud.  Anyway this person was really gaining on us and I took off down the service road running as fast as I could ffor the last mile and a half or so.  I ended up accomplishing my goal but some older guy passed me right at the finish line.  I was a little deflated by that however it did not ruin the fact that I had a great time and I truly enjoyed the sky race!  It was super rewarding and this particular race is put on by Salomon so it was a very well run event.  After the race we smashed some pizza at the ski village and then headed back to the AirBnb in North Lake Tahoe for some beer and TV wind down. 

Strava Data: https://www.strava.com/activities/2472475149

A hard fought finish but got it done