Hynerview Challenge 50K Race Report

SOB hill

Hynerview Race Report

On April 22nd we headed down to Pennsylvania for a big trail running weekend. The plan was to run back to back 50k races on the weekend so that I could really test the calf. Before I attempted to run any longer races I wanted to see what my gimpy peg leg was going to do when it got really tired. I managed to find two races with a huge amount of climbing which was a perfect test for the leg. First up on Saturday was the Hynerview Challenge.

As some of you already know I absolutely love this race. The course is beautiful, extremely challenging, super well marked and the RD does a great job of putting on a top notch event. Haven't run this race? You are definitely missing out and its only a 5 hour drive from Toronto.

This is the third time I have been to this race. We drove down Friday and stayed at the same place we have in previous years. The Kettle Creek Inn which is only about 10 minutes from the start line and has a restaurant with good food. It is no frills but decent and best of all the room is also super affordable. I am all for being cheap.

Saturday morning we picked up our race kits and made our way to the start line. Kim and our friend Elizabeth were both running the 25k race while Chris H and I were doing the 50. All four of us have run this race before so we all had a really good idea of what we were getting into.

                                                                        50k elevation profile

The 50k race features 9000+ feet of climb with a lot of single track and a decent amount of technical thrown in for fun. While the huge amount of climbing makes things difficult the way the climbs are laid out ups the Holy Crap factor substantially. There are numbers steep climbs that go on for 1-3km and the downhills tend to be steep and quad busting as well. Talk about fun!

 25k elevation profile

The plan was simple, no racing at all, just run it slow and easy to try and save something in the legs for the next day. I planned to treat it like it was 100 miler and just enjoy it. How long we were out there was not even a consideration.

As mentioned earlier I have run this race twice before. The first time I ran it at a moderate effort as a training run. Last year I attempted to run it in the midst of all my medical issues and it ended up being a disaster. I could not climb, could not breath and ended up turning my ankle at 12km and having to drop out. Okay it was not all bad I got to drink lots of free beer at the finish line.

Off and Running
The race starts off with about a mile of road until you hit the trail head then maybe another mile of slightly rolling single track. We ran this nice and easy and soon were at the first big climb "humble hill". Its steep, its long and pretty much goes on forever. After at least a good 2km of climbing you finally reach the lookout at the top of the hill. Someone told me that they use this place for hand gliding which makes sense, it's a long way down.

  part way up the first climb

 at the top of climb #1

As we reached the top I told Chris that I felt a hundred times better than the year before. It was a tough climb so it hurt but in the way it was suppose to. Also it put a huge amount of stress on my calf with no negative effect at all. That was a huge relief.

For the next few miles everything continued to go as planned. We stayed slow and before long had passed the spot where I had turned my ankle over the year before. I had come to call this place scream valley because last year you would have heard my scream (okay screaming curse word) for a long distance in either direction.

It's here that we saw our first course change, a new section for the 50k runners. This cut out a few kms of running along / through creek beds. The new section was nice but honestly I really loved the creek running so kind of missed that part of the course. Once we finished the new section we were at the bottom of "Sledge Hammer". As most trail and ultra runners know when hills have names they tend to be pretty nasty. Sledge Hammer is long, I was told 2 miles, steep and kind of never ending. After a long climb you are on to the 25k loop which will eventually lead you right back to the top of Sledge Hammer again.

This section went okay, lots of ups and downs. Lots of single track, lots of wondering why I didn't do the 25k. Legs were starting to tire as Chris H and I hit the 30k mark and headed back down that crazy hill.  Turns out running 2 miles of steep downhill is not the break for your legs that you might think. By the time we got to the bottom and turned back into the creek bed  our legs were shot. My quads seemed a bit confused and didn't seem to want to work / run much at all.

 Its hilly in PA

 SOB Hill

From that point on it became a slug fest. Lots of climbing including the infamous SOB hill which is so steep your hands are sometimes touching the ground (oh and keep an eye out for rattlesnakes) then a very long few kms of downhill back to the start of the trail head. By the time we make it to the road Chris H was feeling nauseous which is usually my job so we just kept moving forward until we finally make it to the finish line.

Both of us coming in

 finally finished

I was really glad to be finished and tried not to let it bother me that we were so slow, after all that was actually the plan. We got a cool finishers hat at the finish as well as some barbecue. Kim and Elizabeth also both had hard but decent races and were already into the post run beer by the time we got back.

Kim at the finish

Unfortunately we didn't get a long time to relax as it was back into Chris's truck to drive 3 hours further south for our Sunday race.

Up next - Ironmasters race report

Around the Bay, Beer and Running, Sad news

ATB
Around The Bay went fairly well as far as training runs go. I would not call this a race report because I did no racing, just easy running but some observations. There was a great turn out in general as well as a lot of Longboat Roadrunners at the Race.

I had not planned on actually running ATB at all but with Longboat renting a bus for the race and a runner friend giving me his bib because he could not run I decided why not. It was cold but road conditions were good and the sun was out. I find it really hard to put the full winter gear back on when just a week earlier I had been running everyday in shorts but given how nice it was this winter I am going to try and not complain too much.

I ended up running into my friend Ryan Wilson for the second race in a row. For a guy that says he is not running much he sure is signed up for a bunch of races. He was just running it to get kms in as well so we decided to just run along at around 6 minute kms and see how it went.

For the first 20 kms or so I was really glad that I had signed up. Its much easier to do the long run in the cold with thousands of other runners instead of by yourself. Once I got to the last 10km I really just wanted to get finished. I was cold, hungry and getting tired but we kept the same pace anyway.

I did end up seeing a lot of road runners and ultra people that I knew, many using ATB for the same reason I was. One big downer was that once again the bigass hill near the end was not on the course. That kind of sucks as that is my favorite part of the whole course. Ryan and I ran together until maybe somewhere where  around 28k where I briefly lost him. Thanks for putting up with me for 3 hours Ryan!! Ended up running 3:02ish so pretty close to dead on a 6 minute pace.

runTObeer
Lately I have been doing a few of the runTObeer events in Toronto. This combines my love of beer and my love of running perfectly. It also gives me a chance just to run slow with my better half Kim which I dont get to do very often.

These guys have done a fantastic job of putting this group together where you sign up and end up running to local breweries where you often start with a free beer. The only draw back is its becoming so popular that events are filling up in hours after being announced which means if you want to join in you better be paying attention.

At the last event Kim as lucky enough to win a box of Powerbars which I am slowly devouring on running days which don't have a beer at the end.

You can check runTObeer here.

Sad News
Yesterday I was given some very sad news. Richard Leib a runner who I had the pleasure of coaching a number of times for Marathons passed away in early April. Richard was such a nice guy and pretty much always had a smile on his face. He was also one of those runners that is very easy to coach, he just showed up, did the workouts like he was suppose and never complained. Condolences to his family and friends.

Richard Leib (far left)

This past year has been really tough. Kim and I have lost some very close family members, friends and acquaintances. I think more than any other time that I can remember in the past.  One thing that has become clear for me is that we never know how long we are going to be here and healthy enough to do what we want. It's a pretty stark reminder that you should do what you love and live full out while you have the chance.

Next Up : OUTrace Spring Warm Up

Chilly HM and Upcoming Season

Kim after the Chilly HM

Chilly Half Marathon and Pikes Peak Qualifier
Chilly Half Marathon was a big success for Kim. We set a target time of 2:15 which slightly slower than her half PB even though there was really no proper training for the race as Kim hadn't started doing any quality runs in her program yet.

We had a really good day weather wise and the race started off well in the early going. We ended up running with our friend Ryan and I got to spend the first 5km of the race listening to him explain to Kim how Sith Lords are really not as badass and evil as they should be. Seriously I kid you not, my wife is such a geek sometimes.

After that Ryan took off and we settled into a steady 6:20 pace for pretty much the rest of the race. Kim ended up running 2:14:46 so pretty much right on the plan and less than a minute off her PB. Also this was easily good enough for her Pikes Peak qualifier.

As some of you know I am not a big fan of VRpro races and lets just say that I am still not a big fan of their races.  I will continue to try and avoid them in the future that's for sure as I had lots of issues with this race (again). I really don't want to get into details much here but having runners running in the middle lane of the road with live traffic on BOTH sides for the final 5km of a race is a big safety issue particularly when the sweepers on the out and back course have picked up all the cones that were separating our lane from the outgoing traffic lane. Live traffic on both sides and no cones separating the traffic on one of those sides. Golly guys what could possibly go wrong in that scenario.

Racing Season Looking Clearer
The plans for this season are starting to take shape. What I know for sure is I will be running Hynerview 50km, Pick Your Posion 50k and Seaton 50k as training runs for a return to 100 milers. Right now I am thinking I will run 100 miles at Sulphur Springs in May but that will be dependent on where I am at as far as my fitness level goes.

We have registered for the Pikes Peak Ascent in August and I plan to run 100 miles at Lean Horse in South Dakota the following weekend. I fully expect to also run Dirty Girls, Creemore, and Haliburton if my legs are feeling good. Not sure about distances but I expect that I will do semi long to longer distances.

The last race of the season has already been decided as Kim has signed up to run 50km at Oil Creek again this year and she is super excited about this. It was no easy task to get signed up as the registration was open and closed at random  for short windows of time in order to try and keep the servers from crashing. When I say short I mean short, I am guessing 3 -5 minutes. I will return to OC as well to try and get myself another 100 mile finish there. Both of us really love this race. The course is beautiful but it's a tough one particularly so late in the season and the 18,000 ft of climb can
be challenging.

Oil Creek 2014

Current Training
My current training as I work my way back from injury is going about as good as expected. I have settled into 100km weeks which feel fairly comfortable now although I'm not yet at the 120 - 130km volume that I usually like to be at.

I have not started quality workouts yet as I wanted to be careful upping the mileage however starting last week I have added some very hilly runs on the road. I also returned to the trails for the first time since the injury. Nothing gets me back in shape quicker than running some hilly trails. Things went okay on the trail but I got a lot of work to do. The uphills were not so bad but I found that I was having to think a little bit about picking my lines instead of it just happening naturally. I was horrible on the downhills though but I am sure that will all come back soon enough.

Still slow and still got some weight to get off but progressing so I can't complain. Bring on the summer.

Here is a short update on the follow up after the discovery of my DVT and my attempt to get back into shape. Most of its good news but also there is some not so great news.

In December the Hematologist that I saw about my calf told me that she suspected based on the blood work that my clot had become scar tissue in the vein and so the symptoms that I was experiencing were most likely not going to change. That meant that if she was correct the swelling in my calf would always be there due to the restricted blood flow. Also the tightening up of the calf when I walk or run would also be with me for life. Good grief.

The good news is that she is also a marathon runner so at least I felt like I was talking to someone that actually got how big a deal this was for me. She also cleared me to start running as there was no worry about doing any further damage to the leg. I was put on blood thinners for the next three months with a follow up after that.

I immediately put together a schedule to rebuild my mileage, a slow realistic build up to begin to get my base mileage up. I also really needed to get rid of the 25 pounds that my friend Mr. Beer had given me over the past 6-8 months of inactivity.

Week 1 of running consisted of  two 4km runs during the week. In all seriousness these may have been the most difficult runs I have ever done in my life. I was overweight, out of shape and my calf was a maddening painful ball of hate. I have not been this heavy and also this out of shape in at least 10 years. I was breathing like a freight train while running so very, very slowly and at 4km I was completely spent. Adding to this was a great deal of frustration as I had no idea if my calf would get better or worse as I went to longer distances. The reality is that I began to think distance trail running might be a thing of the past.

Oh yeah, one other thing, I forgot just how hard running can be. Man this running thing is tough sometimes. I found it hard at the end of week 1 to even imagine that at some point in the not so distant past I enjoyed going out for my runs or would enjoy going out for runs in the future.

Here is where I count myself extremely lucky. I have the good fortune to have a fantastic support system of  other runners in my life. My wife Kim (who is also a distance trail runner) was unbelievable over my down time and also dealing with the assholiness that came along with the aggravation and depression that I was feeling. Besides Kim my co-coach and running buddy Chris H. was great at helping to get me out for daily runs as were a number of other runners that I had been coaching last year. They were all kind enough to run really slow and listen to me complain about how out of shape I was.

Last week I had my follow up with the specialist. As expected the vein is scarred which happens in about 30% of all cases. The cause of the original blood clot is unknown which I was told is the case in about 50% of patients. They have no reason to expect that there will be a recurrence and I no longer need to be on blood thinners. That's great but still with a calf that will probably never feel normal it is a bit scary.

Last week was also my first week of getting in 100k of running for the week as well as my first long run over 30k. Everything seems to be going okay so far and I have managed to shed 15 of my beer pounds. Still I am trying to be careful and so far am sticking to building up the base so no quality runs yet and not a great deal of running on hilly courses which are usually a staple of my training. The plan is to begin adding more climbing over the next few weeks including some step mill or stair workouts. If all stays fine I most likely will ease back into tempos/hill repeats in 2 or 3 weeks.

 If things continue as they have been I should be in pretty decent shape by the end of April. To celebrate we will be headed back to Hynerview, PA to run the 50k with the hope of getting into 100 miler shape by mid May. Thats the hope but we will see how it goes from here.

Up next - pacing Kim in the Chilly Half Marathon on Sunday.

Seriously Scary Stuff - a WTF Moment

Three weeks ago I sat in the ER at St. Joesph's hospital and had one of the scariest and somehow bizarrely surreal experiences of my life. I had given my test results to the doctor and as he read them he asked me "Do you know what this is?"

"Yes" I did, unfortunately.

"Do you know how lucky you are to still be here?"

 No reply from me as my brain tried to grapple with what was going on.

"You might think your unlucky because you have gotten a blood clot but actually you are very lucky."

And so my year of running hell continues.

Its been over 8 months since I posted here, wow. I would like to chalk it all up to laziness but the truth is I have not felt like talking about running AT ALL. This past year has been highlighted by health issues and been pretty much a disaster. Every time I thought I was about to come out of it I got hit by another bombshell.

Western States was a disaster and it was all down hill from there. In the next few weeks I will be retracing my steps and putting up an couple of posts on exactly what went on all spring, summer and fall. I expect that maybe the most boring series of posts in the history of the internet but I want to get it all down somewhere. The hope is that I will be able to look back at it all at some point down the road and be glad I am past it.

So here is the short version of what is happening right now. After not being able to run since the summer I was given a preliminary diagnosis of Compartmental Syndrome in my lower left leg which seemed really bad at the time. That means surgery and probably 6 months minimum off. Definitely not good but it could be worse. Well turns out it was worse.

I was sent to get imaging done so I would have those tests to give to the specialist I was going to have to see. What those test revealed was that what I really had was Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT). You can read about it here. Essentially a large blood clot in my left calf. It was chronic meaning it went undiagnosed for most likely months. This might have started last July but maybe it goes all the way back to March.

From the doctors office it was straight to the ER where they started DVT  periodicals. That meant a visit once a day to the ER for multiple injections of blood thinners into my stomach for 8 days until the oral medication could take effect.

It ends up that a DVT a very serious, sometimes fatal condition (death rate is 1 in 9). Its most dangerous in the first 1-10 days as a piece of the clot can break off and go to the lungs. During that time I didn't even know I had it which is why I was lucky that it didn't turn into something worse.

So where does that leave me now? I can start exercising again so I began to ease back into things with a couple of 4km runs this week. With any luck I will be able to build things back to where I used to be as a runner but that will be a slow process. It certainly doesn't help that I am now really overweight and completely out of shape. I will be okay to run as long as there are no more complications. How long and how far is another question which I have no answers for at this point. The hope is to go back doing all the things I did before but right now there is no way to tell for sure. Next week I hope to get a little bit more information when I see a Hematologist.

One of the issues is that I don't really fall under the categories / risk factors that usually cause this to happen. Was this related to my breathing issues earlier this year? None of the doctors are sure but all my tests (heart, lungs, blood, etc.) came back normal. Maybe that was viral, maybe that was Over Training Syndrome (OTS) or maybe the two things are related. All I know is that at least there is a little bit of a light at the end of the tunnel.

Running Again, Looking for Pacers, ATB this Weekend

Running

Finally I am back to running again. The calf is not 100% so I have to stay away from hills and trails for now but at least I am able to run. I expect I should be totally back to “normal” in another week or so. I am trying really hard to be smart and sensible about things but the trails tempt and taunt me every single day when I run past High Park. Man this running thing has to be the stupidest sport ever.

Pacers???

So with a return to running I can begin to allow myself to think about all my upcoming 100 mile races. I have already secured a pacer to run with me for the last 50 miles of Western States. Norman Nadon from Running Free Orangeville and Race Director for Chase The Coyote has been kind enough to offer to drag my ass through the Sierra Nevada mountains.

 chase the coyote website

I also have coaching and running buddy Chris Henderson coming out to Utah to pace me for part of Wasatch. Karen Pride, fresh off of racing the Canadian Death Race, will help get me through to the finish as well. I have run with both of them before and they have seen me at the end portions of other 100s so they already have a good idea of what to expect.

I don't have anyone officially lined up to run with me at Vermont but because we are driving to this race I am fairly certain I will be able to drag a few of my coaching clients out onto the trail with me. Kind of gives them a chance to torture me and get back at me for all the ridiculously hard workouts I keep giving them.

That leaves me looking for pacers for Leadville AGAIN. Why I have so much trouble finding someone to run with me here is odd. I mean they have legalized marijuana in Colorado, that should make this pacing gig a no brainer. Okay seriously if you are interested in running (or walking slowly) in the mountains on August 22^nd let me know. As an added bonus I all but guarantee that there will be bacon. Pot and bacon, together, seriously, thats like the biggest incentive ever.

Around the Bay

This Sunday is Around the Bay. I have a good group of runners that I have been coaching that will all be running the 30k race. I will be pacing someone as racing is out of the question due to the wonky calf. Should be fun regardless although I am super disappointed that they were forced to take out the big hill at the end of the course due to construction. I think this is the 7^th time I have run this race and I have somehow managed to have fun every time. Now if we just get decent weather it should be a great weekend.

Running frustrations, a slight reprieve, more running frustrations

All I can say is wow what a frustrating February and March it has been when it comes to my running. Things had been going so great in my base training until I got the flu in January and since then its been like I am trapped and blundering through a really bad Monty Python skit.

After I got mostly over the flu in January I just could not seem to shake off the cough and lack of energy. I was slow and lethargic even though I was putting in normal base effort. By mid January it was pretty clear that running the Beast of Burden 100 was not a good idea. Honestly I just didn't have the energy that it was going to take me and I worried how much it would end up beating me up for my spring training. I made what as it turns out was a good call and went for the DNS however unfortunately the right call didn't help me as much as I had hoped.

At the end of January I made trip number 1 to the doctor where they gave me a puffer and what I can only call a patronizing attitude. That was on the Friday and two days later I headed out to meet my coaching clients for a Sunday long run. Half way up the hill coming out of the humber valley on Bloor Street my run was reduced to a walk. I could not run at all as I could not breath. Air seemed to be going into my lungs yet failing to make it any farther. What the heck! I walked to the flat area at the top of the hill and tried to run again but same thing. So much for the long run but it was really cold out and I figured maybe that was an issue. Yeah I know thats a total lie to myself, we all know it but it made me feel better in the moment.

Two days after I headed into the gym figuring I would jump on the dreadmill where it was warm, dry and there would be not hills in sight. First attempt I lasted less than 2 minutes before I had to get off breathing like i just ran my 5k pace for 10k. I was incredulous, I walked around the gym in disbelieve until eventually ending back at the treadmill again. I know I stood there for a minute or two sizing the damn thing up like a sparring opponent. If anyone was watching I would have looked kind of silly to them for sure. I figured back on and just go really, really slow. Take 2 lasted less than 60 seconds, what the @%&#.

The next day it was doctor visit # 2 for a second opinion. They put me on a stronger inhaler and antibiotics with suspected bronchitis. I did not attempt to run for 10 days in fact walking up stairs or the escalator in the subway was leaving me winded. After 10 days I headed out for a slow run planning to pace Kim. It was a disaster, I could have sworn that I heard some yell “Ice-burg Ahead” but probably not as I was moving so slowly I could have easily turned the ship away.

I am now totally freaking right out and I mean right out. Seems being able to breath is somewhat important for a runner. Is there something seriously wrong with me (okay bit of a trick question). I stop calling myself a runner and think about taking up smoking right away. Kim must be a saint because I know that I am miserable and must be a great deal of fun to be around, even the cats avoid me.

Back to the Doc for trip # 3. He comes in and he looks like he is about 12 years old which makes me realize that I am getting old faster than expected. He tells me to do nothing and give it 4 more days over the long weekend. I put my smoking experiment on hold for the time being and wait it out.

Reprieve

After the 4 days are finally up I head out for a easy run. Holy crap I can run, not back to normal mind you but at least I can run and breath at the same time. I am so glad to be able to run even if every day it is -25 and the footing is terrible. Time lost to bronchitis ends up being 18 days, damn thats a long time.

I join some of the Longboat guys on Saturday morning for a short run. Its snowing and footing sucks but I actually run my normal easy run pace and it is easy. Hallelujah, finally let the serious training begin again.

Here we go again

Hold on, not so fast buddy. I feel fine after the run and head back home. Sometime later in the afternoon I feel some soreness in my left calf. No big deal, happens all the time to us old dudes. I go back to a more normal running schedule and all is fine for 3 or 4 days except for a bit of discomfort in the calf. Then after my end of week runs the calf sudden gets really angry and apparently hates me as it becomes very sore. Not sore (just tight) while running but really sore when not running.

I try to run through it for a few more days but its clear I need to get it back to normal or there will be no serious training especially hill training. As I type this its day 7 of no running. The good news is I could probably run on it right now but I am giving it an extra day or 2 to play it safe. With any luck the next time you hear from me I will be complaining about how the weather sucks during my runs or some such thing.

Running Plans in 2015

Well 2014 just flew by, so much pain, misery and fun that its going to take a lot longer blog entry than this to get it all wrapped up. I will save that for another upcoming post and talk about what 2015 has in store as far as my own running stuff.

First and foremost on the coaching front I have a really good group of runners doing mostly long distance programs and training with me. Who knew there were so many people that are such gluttons for punishment and also willing to pay for it. In all seriousness though a big thanks to those that have chosen me to entrust their training to. It should be a lot of fun. You can check out what we are doing on the website.

Secondly I am in the process of trying to organize a couple of races for the coming year. I hope to have a lot more about that in the next few months so stayed tuned.

Last but not least my own racing schedule is quickly coming into focus. Originally the plan was that I was going to run both the winter and summer Beast of Burden 100s and if the lottery gods were kind run the Western States 100 in between. Well I got into Western so that should have been that until I woke up the next day with a bad case of the crazies.

I had always planned to attempt at some point to run the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning. A huge and difficult goal for anyone little lone a back of the pack 100 guy like me. When I got into Western after 5 years of trying I realized that this most likely will be the only chance I get to attempt this. If I manage to get into WS again down the road I will be older (read slower) so it's kind of like now or never. I am not sure what will happen but I know it will be a crazy adventure and hell what else can you ask for out of life.

For those that don't know the Grand Slam consists of 4 different 100 mile races run over the course of a single summer. Each one is very tough on its own with every race having its own unique challenges so here they are.

Western States June 27 - 28th

Western States Elevation Chart

Western States, busted quads here I come

Vermont 100  July 18th - 19th

Vermont 100 elevation chart

Vermonts heat and humidity makes it tough

Leadville 100 August 22 - 23

Leadville elevation chart

Leadville, its all about the altitude 

Wasatch Front 100

Wasatch Front elevation chart

25,763 feet of climbing, yikes! 

I am also running Beast of Burden 100 winter addition on January 24^th. I hope to run the full 100 however with the Slam now my main goal any potential serious problems will cause me to not take any chances. I really need to make sure I enter my WS training healthy.

Also expect to run a pile of trail races and maybe a couple of marathons as training runs starting in April. I know I expect to be running Around the Bay 30k, Hynerview Challenge 50k and PYP (50k or 25k). In early May it will be back to Bear Mountain to pace my friend Chris H to his first 50 Mile finish then  Seaton (25k or 50k) and Sulphur Springs 50k. Good possibility that I may throw in Buffalo and Waterloo Marathons to give me some big back to back long run days.

Kim will joining me in Colorado for a week leading up to Leadville so she will be running the Pikes Peak Ascent and then it looks like she will do Oil Creek (if she can get in). I may join her to pace during those races.

HOLY CRAP thats kind of busy but you know what they say keep moving or die. Want to crew or pace and watch me suffer live and in person? Let me know!

Beast of Burden 100 (summer) Race Report

Beast of Burden 100 Race Report

The first question to be answered is how did I end up in this race? I had originally intended on running 48hrs at Dirty Girls which is held the same weekend. Unfortunately crushing my ankle at Limberlost derailed those plans. I could not run for the next 2 weeks and after that I could only run flat. DG is very hilly and I knew that there is no way the ankle would last for 2 days of running on a tough technical course.

Problem is after getting my Western States qualifier at Mohican my main season objective was done so I came up with a new goal. I would attempt to run four 100 mile races in 4 months, kind of my own secret slam. I really wanted to see how my body would react as I was considering racing the mid Atlantic slam next year if I didn't get into WS.

A quick look at other 100 mile races in the area led me to Beast of Burden. The good, course is flat, on a towpath so not technical and less than 2 hours away. The bad, course is flat, not technical and totally exposed to the sun. Given my training had been aiming at hilly, technical runs I knew this would be a challenge. I figured I would either put up a really good time or I would struggle to finish, there would most likely be no in-between on this one.

Pre race

Kim and I drove down the morning of the race and arrived in plenty of time. This race starts at a weird time for 100 milers, 10AM. Good as we could drive there the same day, bad because if I ended up being slow I would be running in the midday heat twice. So far the summer had been unusually cool but forecast was calling for very hot temperatures all weekend.

I picked up my race kit which had a huge amount of swag in it and headed for the start line where I chatted briefly with fellow Ontario runner Brian Groot and then we were off.

Race

It didn't take long to discover what I was in for as it was already hot right out of the gate. The course is a simple 12.5 miles out, 12.5 miles back along the Erie Canal. Just complete it 4 times and you're done, that’s all there is to it, easy right? Yeah not so much.

The race was as advertised completely flat (I got 36 meters of elevation change over 100 miles) and there was not a root or rock in sight to trip you up. The running surface is a bit of pavement and a lot of finely crushed gravel on the towpath. Actually a very comfortable running surface which should lead to putting up a great time. Yeah not so much.

From the start line you run about a mile, cross a bridge to the other side and run back in the opposite direction so that you pass the start line but on the other side of the canal at about 2 miles. From there you keep going along the canal in the same direction to the next aid station at 6.5 miles.

I run along with a guy from Florida for the next 6 miles or so and things seem to be going okay. My plan is to run faster than I would on trail and see what kind of time I can put up. It’s either crush it or be crushed and just end up finishing. There will be no in between in this race. I figure since there are no hills to walk I will run 25 min, walk 5. I mull this plan over for a week before the race and promise myself to stay with the plan. A mere hour into the race I end up off the plan. I feel great and am enjoying the company so I start skipping the walk breaks. It’s hot but not crazy hot so I kind of just go with it.

I end up losing Florida guy at the 6.5 mile aid station and back out on the course I run into another couple of Ontario guys at about 10 miles and run with them for a bit before letting them go. Its gone from hot to stupid stinking hot and its only noon. It is clear that this is going to get tough. The course is completely exposed to the sun and that is sure to spell trouble for me. By the time I hit the turn around aid station at 12.5 miles I am still hopeful of a good time but mildly concerned.

Kim is there and helps me get in and out fast. I pack some ice in my hat and bandana around my neck in an effort to stay cool and then head back out. It hits me right away, a wall of heat as soon as I turn back onto the canal to head the 11.5 miles back to the bridge crossing. There had been a nice breeze earlier but now that is gone and it is hot. I see a lot of people passing me outbound and many of them don't look happy.

This race is hard. I am roasting like a chicken on the spit at a Kenny Rogers restaurant. I stay on my drinking, take my salt and try to take my gels. The sun has converted the contents of my gel flask into a hot chocolate fudge sauce. It is disgusting but I manage to keep it down. It is so damn hot and at 20 miles I feel the wheels starting to come off already. What the hell!

I begin to see why this race can be so tough particularly for someone who does not run well in the heat. You often see a good mile ahead along the towpath where small ant size runners are making their way along the course well ahead of you until the path disappears around the next bend in the canal. Everything looks the same under a blazing sun, you can see the heat shimmering off the path ahead and the worse thing of all is you can see there is no shade. No shade just ahead, no shade for the next mile, no shade coming at all.

At 23 miles I pass the start/finish point which is still across the canal and 2 miles away. These next 2 miles seem to take forever. Finally I am in at 25 miles but things are a mess. My nutrition has been okay but I feel completely destroyed. The heat has already sucked most of the life out of me. I sit in a chair in complete disbelief as Kim gets me some food from the aid station. As far as I can remember I have never been this messed up this early in a race. Maybe at Creemore a few years back when it was crazy hot but that was a 50k, I didn't have 75 miles still to go.

I sit for a few minutes and rehydrate a bit. Kim brings me a snow cone from the aid station. Yes a snow cone and it is the best damn snow cone that has ever been made. I tell her I am no longer racing for time. I just got to make and effort and try to finish. I get ready to head out but first I pop into the aid station for another snow cone. I have to check and yes still the best snow cones ever made.

I am back on the course and moving, slowly but moving. I begin to feel a little better but not much. I run with an number of different people including a girl for Texas who was attempting the winter/summer Beast. She had done the winter version earlier in the year where there was no problem with it being too hot. I also ran a good deal of the leg alone which may have been good as I remember being tired and grumpy but slowly starting to come around.

I meet Kim and the 37.5 mile turn around. She gives me freezies and beer a near perfect combination for revival. I am starting to bounce back. She tells me that in the 15 minutes she has been at the aid station 7 people have come in and dropped. That is a huge number of drops for so early in the race. I tell her I am not surprised. The reality is there was only one reason that I had not dropped at 25 miles and that was previous 100 mile experience. If it had not been for all the previous races I had done, some ending in DNFs and some ending in finishes I would have called it quits. The one thing I have learned is that if you can hang in sometimes (but only sometimes) you can come back from the edge.

Soon I am back on the course again heading inbound. I go super slow to save my energy in the heat as soon it will be night and much cooler. By the time I get back to the 50 mile mark the sun is beginning to go down. I get a good bit of food into me and then proceed to throw it all back up as quickly as possible.

Back out the course I hook up with another guy and run a bit with him. The sun is almost down and swarms of black flies are out. I end up taking an unusually large mouthful of flies and one sticks in my throat. After a coughing fit I proceed to impress my new running buddy by puking out the flies, some gels and water all without having to stop or breaking stride. He says “Wow, that’s impressive.” I tell him not so much I just have a lot of practice at it.

The night arrives as does the cooler temperatures. I had hoped to pick up the pace but I am having a problem with my hamstring. I have lots of time and know time will not factor into my finish so I opt to run less and walk more. I get to the 62.5 miles turn around in decent time. Its actually cool enough to put on a long sleeve. I head back out quickly and early on I get passed by Brian. He is 25 miles ahead of me and as far as I can tell is in second place which is where he ends up finishing.

Its dark and I run the whole way back alone. For the most part I see nobody. Usually I occupy my mind during night running by watching out for tripping hazards, hills, wild animals and trying to not get lost but there are none of these issues on the course. Outside of one aid station stop all I see is gravel path in the beam of my headlamp for hours. A new problem rears it ugly head during this time as I begin to fall asleep on my feet. I have heard of this happening to others but have never experienced it myself. It is bizarre, I keep almost nodding off and am not able to run or walk in a straight line. I end up spending the next hour wobbling along the trail like a drunken partier just out of the bar after last call on Queen St. West. Finally I can see the start/finish turn around on the other side of the canal. The 2 miles to get there takes forever and I roll in just before dawn.

Kim goes to grab me food at the aid station and comes back with bacon. I have come to the conclusion that bacon is the greatest ultra food ever invented and send her back for more. I swear it must have some kind of magical powers. You can eat it no matter how messed up you are. I am told it comes from pigs but I doubt it. At least I doubt it about this bacon, this bacon clearly comes from Unicorns or maybe a Griffin.

I head back out for the last 25 miles just as the sun comes up. I feel okay but the hamstring is not very cooperative. Kim meets me at mile 2 with a Tim Hortons coffee and a gallon of sugar which really hits the spot. I am mostly walking or running very slow due to the leg.

I have no worries about finishing now but its going to take awhile and I can tell from the mist coming off the water that it is going to be hot again soon. By the time I hit the middle aid station it is scorching hot. I ask them if they know the temperature. The guy checks his phone and tells me 84 degrees, its only 9 AM! Oh crap.

I stagger along to the turn around for the last time occasionally seeing a few runners well ahead of me. I make it to turn around and Kim fixes me up and sends me back from the direction I have come. Much of the final 12.5 miles is a blur, mostly burnt out of mind by the pounding sunshine. I remember seeing Texas girl at the half way aid station. She wants me to run with her but my leg will not allow it, I am into zombie mode now.

Foot traffic has picked up along the towpath some kids run by me and just before they get to me one yells snake and jumps in the air. I look over as I pass and sure enough there is a big ass snake lying in the middle of the path. Probably would have stepped right on it if the kids weren't coming in the other direction. No idea what kind of snake it was, maybe poisonous maybe not, don't think I cared much at that point. Pretty sure it wasn't a cobra or a black mamba but it was freaking big.

Just past the snake I see one of the bridges that cross the canal. I know its just a mile to the 10.5 mile mark from here. I am so happy I try to run some. It hurts but I don't care soon I will be done. I run for a good mile only to discover that the bridge I saw was not the one I though it was. Did I mention things looked the same on this course? When I see the actual real bridge I can't believe it and immediately fall back into the death shuffle.

Finally I round a corner and see the start finish line across the canal. I am literally 300 meters away but still have to run 2 more miles. So cruel, so very, very cruel. Kim meets me here to “run” me in. It is a million degrees out now and every step elicits a grunt, groan or some other sound effect from me.

Some other struggling runner catches up with me and Kim in the last half km. He chats with us a bit and the tags along. I think he didn't want to pass me in the last few 100 meters of the race so I tell him he should go ahead if he can which he does. Somehow this says a lot about what ultra running is about.

Finally I see the finish line and slowly make my way across it. I am slow with a finish time of 28:16:01 but I manage to get it done on what turns out to be the 2 hottest days of the summer. I pick up my belt buckle and sit in front the cooling station which is a giant fan that blows water mist at you. Greatest invention ever. I little bit of cooling and then its time for a beer sitting in the shade.

Post race

A couple of final thoughts about this race. I had a lot of fun here, race is very well organized, unbelievably good volunteers and aid stations. Also crazy race swag including 2 shirts, beer mug, almond butter, bandana, sombrero. Even though the terrain is not my cup of tea somehow I ended up signing up for the winter version in January.

PS. thanks to Kim for driving me, snow coning me, beering me, getting me bacon, coffee and helping me to keep going. Sorry for almost throwing up on your shoes. No way I finish without that help.