Boston sorrow, Hyner View Trail 50k this weekend

Boston Marathon
Not a lot I can say here. Its often hard to understand or believe that there are people out there in the world that are this sick and twisted. Like most distance runners I had a lot of friends running Boston. They all were lucky enough to escape being physically injured although some saw things that they will surely never forget. Our hearts go out to those that were injured and their families. I can't image just how awful this is for them.

On the same note what is the main stream medias problem? How about you guys try to report actual facts instead of speculating and then calling those musings factual information. From constantly reporting on more bombs found right after the event to today saying an arrest had been made when it hadn't. Really guys? Really? How hard is it to actually get facts before reporting something as reality. We used to have a word for that. It was called journalism.


Hyner View Trail 50k
We are headed down to  Pennsylvania this weekend to run Hyner View. Kim is running the 25k and I am doing 50. Not really racing it as much as using it as a nice hard long run. Trails look really great with the 50k having 6600 ft of climb. The 25k also has a whopping 4226 ft of climb. Seems like a perfect way to open up the spring season.

This is a race almost didn't happen for me. The registration closed a month before the race and I totally missed this fact while I was considering running the race. I knew I really wanted to do it but was waiting for my injury issue to clear up before registering.

I actually left a message on the site expressing my disappointment at not noticing this and then I got a huge surprise. The RD, Craig Fleming, reopened the 50k registration for an extra week. That allowed both myself and Carlos Vicens to sign up. So a big thank you to the Race Director on this one.

Krissy Moehl talk monday night talk at the Patagonia store

On monday Kim and I headed downtown to take in the talk being given by Ultra Marathoner Krissy Moehl. Great event all around. We got some free endurance swag on top of getting to hear an amazing runner talk about her experiences in the sport. It was also really great to talk with lots of people that we haven't seen since the trail season ended last fall.

On Tuesday morning Chris Henderson and I headed back down to the Patagonia store to join in the fun run. It was a small but fun group and great weather.

Krissy Moehl speaking in Toronto

fun run tuesday morning

running with April & Melanie Boultbee and Krissy Moehl

Breaking up is hard to do, March stats, Injury update

Dear Elliptical,
I am breaking up with you.
A few months ago we started hanging out together and at first things when great. I was relieved to be able to spend time with you having been abandoned by my ability to run. Truth is running had kept me really busy and on the days I had gone to the gym I hadn't even noticed you there sitting along the back wall. I came, I did weights, I headed home, not even noticing you were there.

After being hurt by running I was sad, lonely and desperate. Yes I said it, desperate! Thats when I saw you at the back of the room. Often you were alone, occasionally someone would engage you but they never stayed long. Once we got together I spent hours a day on you, pounding away with reckless abandon. At first it was fun. You were new and different and I got what I needed out of you. I was temporarily satisfied. Unfortunately that did not last. 

I have been plotting to move on. It can't be helped elliptical. You are just boring, really uninspiring and boring. It's the same thing every day, you sit in the corner and never want to go anywhere else or do anything different. In the last few weeks our every day get togethers began to become every 2 days and then 3 days. Even when we did see each other I began to stay for as little time as possible. I got to be honest here. I began to loath you. I dreaded the thought of having to drag my ass out to the gym to see you. I couldn't wait to be rid of you. Frankly you suck, BIG TIME.

Well its official, we are done. I have gone back to my first love and have no intention of ever having anything to do with you again. I am going back to just ignoring you when I see you at the gym. Yes its true I was just using you until I could get back to my first love. Hasta La Vista baby.

Injury Update
No problems so far. I got a strong week of running in last week with no hip pain. Currently I am ramping the mileage back up. Maybe this thing is finally behind me. Not planning another injury update in my future posts (I hope).

March Training

Here are my March training totals. Finally it includes some running.

Running - 12 workouts - 15hrs 51 min    103.7 miles or 166.9km

Weight Training - 24 workouts -  28hrs 20 mins
Elliptical - 24 workouts - 28hrs 20 min
Cycle - 3 workouts - 1hrs 50 min

Around the Bay "race" report, injury update

Before ATB

Injury Update part 1
So eight days ago I headed out with the running room clinic I am coaching to test the hip. The plan was to do 6-8k easy and pray. Things went better then expected and my 6k turned into 12, sweet. There was a little discomfort but nothing I felt I should be worried about. I was fine the next day so followed it up with another 10k.

The following day I was ready to go again but I got a couple of emails from friends reminding me that I had been on the shelf for 6 weeks and should come back slowly. Sage advice really but so hard to follow as  all I wanted to do is run again. I like running, I don't like the elliptical, every minute running means less time staring out the window of the gym. Even so I decided to make an attempt to behave at least somewhat.

I kept my runs shorter then 10k and took a day off between each run which meant more cross training. The elliptical is such a pain in the ass but somehow I managed to stick with the plan. What torture, every minute seemed like an hour as my brain had begun to feed me a steady diet of a new mantra. "You could be running, You could be running". Yes brain I know that now please shut up will yeah, I am trying to be responsible here.

Before I knew it Saturday had arrived and I had a decision to make. Sunday was Around the Bay and what was I going to do? Racing it was a non starter. Should I run it at easy run pace as a 30k long run, probably not as I haven't run longer then 12k in 7 weeks. I decided I would pace my wife Kim which would mean a speed that is a little slower then recover pace for me and see what happened. I could always drop at any point if I felt like it was to much. As I pounded out my 2 hour elliptical session on Saturday I really hoped this would be the last time I had to spend half my day on that infernal contraption.

Around the Bay 30k
I was really looking forward to racing this. Last year I treated it as part of back to back long runs as I hit the trails at Sulphur Springs for 5 hours the day before. This year as I ramped up my training I was feeling great and felt that I would be able to put up a solid time until the injury. Oh well at least I got to do the next best thing and run with my wife.

running clinic runners

Kim hiding behind Christian

 Kim has been training hard for her upcoming trail marathon at Bear Mountain and had already PBed at 5k and 8k this year. I hoped I could help her get a PB in this race as well. I also need to find out if I was going to be able to get the long runs I need in before the start of Ultra season which is fast approaching.

We lined up well back from the start line but a little ahead of  the 3:20 pace bunny hoping to seed ourselves properly. I was pacing Kim but also 2 other runners, Sharon and Paul, from the clinic who were also running around Kim's pace. The plan was to run right around 6:20 per km and stay as close to an even split as possible. I hoped to get Kim in around 3:12 - 3:16 for a decent PB.

The race started and we where off and by off I mean slowly walking towards the start line. It took us about 6 minutes to make it to the start but once we did it was crowded but moving at around the pace we had planned for.

Things went well right from the start as we stayed together as a group and stayed on pace. I knew I would have to be careful and keep it in check as my legs automatically wanted to go faster which would spell disaster for our little group. They would need all their leg power for the second half.

Paul, Sharon and Kim

It was fun running along with Kim which is something I almost never get to do and before you knew it we had passed the 10k mark. Everyone seemed to be doing well, working hard and our pace was consistant. We hit 10k on pace for a 3:14 finish. No pain in my hip.

The next 10k which mostly follows along the lakeshore is the section which I find the most difficult. That might seem strange to some of you that have run Around the Bay. Everyone always talks about the hills in the last section but they don't bother me at all in fact usually its a nice change of pace. Kim feels the same and we had to be careful not to drop any time along here. This is also the place where if you are racing hard you start to feel some initial fatigue. There was a KM or 2 along here where I began to worry a little as Kim struggled just a bit to keep the pace and had a little tightness in her leg but some gels and a little advil seemed to straighten everything back out.

A picture of me taking a picture

We hit the 20k marker still in great shape keeping a consistent pace and still looking at a 3:15 finish. Everyone in the group continued to run well. Still no hip pain so no need to drop.

Finally we were into the meat of the race, the rolling hills. For our little group this should be no problem at all. Those that train with me know that one thing that is different about my coaching than a lot of others is we run a lot of hills. We run hilly easy runs, we run extremely hilly long runs and of course we run hill repeats. If I could find a 400 meter track with hills on it I would make my runners run it.

Sharon and Kim

Everyone did great along this section and as we got deeper into the rollers we began to pass a lot of people. I began to push Kim here to try and speed up just a little which kept her working hard and before you knew it we were down the big hill and climbing up the last "killer" hill. No walking for our little group however Paul got a calf cramp and was forced to slow down a little after we crested the hill. He told us to leave him so we did. Our pace had been really consistent up to now but at 27k I decided to really crack the whip and push Kim and Sharon to run it out as fast as possible. Both of them ran awesome putting up their fastest KM splits in the final 2k.

Kim passing the reaper at 28k

We finished in 3:14:14 which was an 8 minute PB for Kim. Paul ended up coming in just a couple of minutes behind. I was really happy for Kim but also very encouraged by her awareness and keeping her pacing super consistent. That will bode well for her in future marathons although not so much at Bear Mountain with its 4000ft of climbing and tough single track trails.

Well done Kim, Sharon and Paul, congrats.

Kim and I at the finish

Injury Update part 2
No hip issue during ATB and no problem the day after. I had a little quad soreness but that was to be expected having not run any real distance in so long. Now its time to start slowly ramping up the training again. Should be able to build up the mileage but I don't expect to attempt to do any quality runs for a few more weeks as I want to make sure I don't have any setbacks.

Next blog - 2013 racing plans

I Broke My Ass, February Training, Race Plan Changes

It's official, I have broken my ass. What at first appeared to be a slight hip strain has become a full on case of bum breakitis. I should have been more careful but it seems that I inadvertently poked the running gods. When my friend and co running clinic instructor Chris Henderson pulled up lame in January with a glute problem I joked about his broken ass. I know better but I just couldn't help myself.

Did you know that bum breakitis was contagious? Neither did I but it is. It has to be because my butt was totally fine until I ran together with Chris at Robbie Burns. All was great until 6k and then blammo I was hurting. I guess 6k is the gestation period for this kind of thing.

That was a month ago and still no running. I did a test run on Monday and there is still significant pain. Not as bad as it was but its still there. At PT they advised me to hold off running for a little while longer. I am left wondering what will happen first. Will I be able to run or will I end up going completely insane instead of holding onto the partially insane label that I usually wear.

Actually its not all bad. I have read many a runners blog where their struggles with injury are much worse than my little hip problem. I can at least sort of, kind of see the light at the end of the tunnel. So in the hope of staying positive here is a few good things that have come out of my down time.

I have because of the nature of the injury been able to cross train like a maniac. Biking (indoors) is fine, pounding away on the elliptical no problem, doing weights sure thing. One good thing about my test run the other day was that I realized that my aerobic fitness level is excellent. Since I need to go to the gym to do cardio my 4 days a week of weights has become 6. I am as strong or stronger now then at any point last year already.

I have also managed to drop 14 pounds of off season weight since the start of January and  gotten my body fat back down to around 10%. For me that means I am in mid season form (except for the actual running). I expect to be a little slow once I can run again but at least I will not be lugging around extra pounds as well.

Here are my February training totals.

Weight Training - 24 workouts -  28hrs
Elliptical - 25 workouts - 23hrs 55 min
Cycle - 25 workouts - 22hrs 13 min
Run - 3 workouts - 2hrs 13 min
Arc Trainer - 20 min

Race Plan Changes
Of course the injury has caused me to have to change a great deal of my spring racing plans. The half marathon I planned to run last weekend was a no go. This saturday I was suppose to run a 5k and that is not happening. Around The Bay (30k) is a couple of weeks away and I see it slowly circling the toilet bowl. I will not be racing it but still hold out some hope of using it as a long run.

The biggest casualty is my plan to try and run a BQ marathon in mid April. No way that is going to happen and once my ultra season starts in May there will be no room to fit in a hard marathon effort.

One thing I have come to realize is that if there is a hell and I end up there I figure it will involve me looking out the window at runners happily prancing along as I grind it out minute by minute on the elliptical machine for all eternity.

Then and Now, how to recap 5 months in a single post

I have been MIA from the blog for quite some time. Amazing how a few weeks can turn into months in no time. Even Pierre Marcoux's attempt to poke me with a sharp stick all the way from Creemore a few weeks ago only managed to awaken me from my slumber briefly before I managed to hit the snooze button again. Anyway for the 5 or so people still checking this blog once and a while here is what has been happening.

THEN or how my season ended with a painful whimper
After Leadville with my legs still fresh and in great shape to run long distances I headed up north to run the 100 at Haliburton. I know, maybe I should have just waited for Oil Creek 5 weeks later but I just couldn't resist it as I love the course.

Things started out great. I went to the race with a bunch of friends and their giant camper, we had food, beer and I had pacers, sweet. Sure the rain started at 8 PM the night before and continued for the next 20hrs but come on kids its just a little water. Okay maybe a lot of water and mud but come on thats half the fun.

I lined up at the start line and things just went down hill from there. You see apparently I had forgotten how to run. I took a spill  before I had hit the 3k mark, on a very technical flat road, cutting up my hands and slightly twisting my ankle. Man how embarrassing but not race ending. I slowed down a little and with it still being dark knew I would have to be careful with the ankle as it would now be really easy to roll it again. As I made my way around the Normac Loop (which is actually technical) I stepped on root hidden in the mud, slid sideways and turned my ankle over bad. When I say bad I mean really bad and I am only 7k into the race.

Now someone with brains would at this point call it a day and head back to the trailer for some morning beer but no not me. I can be kind of stubborn that way so I grab a tensor bandage out of my drop bag at the next aid station and carry on. I can not run, heck I can't even really walk but on I go at a snails pace, it could get better right?

I struggle along this way for another 20 hours or so.  By the time I hit the 75 mile mark I am borderline hypothermic from the cold and at my slow crawl most likely will not make the finish line cutoff so I pack it in. The next morning I take a good look at my ankle and it is not pretty.

Oil Creek 100
Five weeks after Haliburton I am at the start line of the Oil Creek 100. I have not been able to run at all due to the ankle. Its deja vu all over again. The year before I got injured in the fall and couldn't train for Oil Creek and here we are again. I have no illusions about a finish and would have cancelled but my wife was running her first 50k so I figured go and run what I can.

I end up running with my buddy Steve for the first 20 miles or so. I am slow for my effort level, its amazing how quick the fitness goes. I know at 18 miles in that a running miracle will not be happening so I just try and enjoy the trail. I end up doing 2 loops for 100k and then pack it in. Kim finishes her 50k much faster then expected, way to go Kim.

My season ends with a whimper or maybe the sounds of squealing tires, broken glass and crunching metal. The running gods can be so fickle sometimes. I had a great 8 months of training and was in the best trail running shape of my life and all I got to show for it was a couple of shirts that I can't wear because I didn't finish the races. Sheeesh. Maybe next year I will just train my elbow on restaurant patio all summer instead. I could save a bundle on shoes.

 Oil Creek

NOW or at least the last little while
I had a good mileage rebuild in November and December with lots of strength training thrown in. In January I ramped it back up getting in some solid 120-130 km weeks with a good helping of quality running and was feeling good.

January Stats
runs 27 - 400km or 249 miles
weight workouts - 16
cardio x training - 12 hours

Robbie Burns 8k

Hip deep in it
On January 28th I ran the Robbie Burns 8k with the plan to use it as a speed workout. I ended up not having a proper warm up due to a very unexpected bathroom emergency. That lack of warm up came back to bite me in the ass literally as I pulled something in my hip right at the 6k mark but still finished the race. It didn't seem too serious.

I dealt with this the same way I always do with injuries. First I ran a couple of days on it seeing if it was a "run through it " problem. As soon as it felt worse I took 2 days off (thats a really long time in my running world). It felt better so I tried to run on it again but the pain returned so I completely shut things down for 8 days. Yesterday I tested it on the treadmill where I ran pain free for 10 minutes and then started to have a problem so its still not healed enough to run. I am hoping maybe another week to get healthy.

The only good thing about this injury is that I can still cross train on the bike, elliptical, weights etc.. Its the force of impact up through the leg that causes the issue.

The bad thing about this injury is that I can cross train. Do you know just how boring 2 hours a day on cardio machines becomes. I do, and it is mind numbing. Hopefully its only for another week or so.

Leadville 100 mile race report

It appears that I am the last one of the group that I went to the Leadville 100 mile trail race with to get around to posting a race report. Does that mean I am slower and lazier than my friends? Of course it does, like duh you should have caught on to that by now. You new here or what? Actually I have been slow as this is a report I didn't want to write and wanted to write all at the same time.

SPOILER ALERT - As many of you know I didn't finish. So now that we have gotten that tidbit out of the way what the heck happened out there? Here are the gory details.

Prerace
Not a lot to say here. Kim and I flew into Denver, hooked up with Carlos and drove up to Leadville. This race starts in Leadville at 10,000 ft and you spend the entire race running between 9,000 and 12,600 ft so altitude is a big factor in this one. I knew that my Toronto training at a lofty 200ft above sea level and zero altitude training was going to factor into this race big time and I wasn't disappointed.

Holy crap reinforcement incident number 1. We arrive at the hotel. I climb the 2 flights of stairs to the room. At the top I am sucking wind like I just ran a 5k, unbelievable. Not a good sign at all.

Holy crap reinforcement incident number 2. JD is already in the room and is going for a short 20 minute run so I join him and Carlos as we run the last mile of the Leadville course. It is bad, real bad, obviously somebody forgot to add oxygen to the town. I am going slow and hurting just the same. I feel like I have been running all day when JD says we have just hit the 3 minute mark, what the heck? I could have sworn I was in shape before I got here.

The next 2 days fly by as the rest of our group shows up. I feel okay but have a low grade headache most of the time. Kim and I drive the aid stations on Friday so she knows where to meet me. Its beautiful along the course but one look from Twin Lakes towards Hopes Pass and I begin to get a good idea of what I am in for. Seriously folks what the heck was I thinking?

Race Start to Mayqueen 13.5 miles
The start of this race is amazing even if it does start at an ungodly 4am. There is so much energy in the corral and I have trouble remembering the last time I have been so hyped up and nervous before a race. I stay towards the back with most of our group waiting for the shotgun blast and then we are off.

Out of the gates I feel pretty good once I get going. I run along with Morgan while Steve, JD and Kendra are just behind us. Carlos who is much faster is already long gone by the time we hit mile 1.

The first 6 miles are mostly road, some paved and some dirt. Its downhill and should be fast but we keep it slow. EVERYTHING that I have read about this race (which is a lot) says the same thing. Don't get sucked in and run to fast, that you can lose your race right here if you trash yourself before getting to Hopes Pass. I stay extremely slow. It ends up being my first big mistake of the day. I am already putting my race in jeopardy and don't have a clue. At some point along here Morgan tells me he is going to speed up some. I decide to let him go and hang back (still part of mistake #1) and soon stop for my second pee break in the first 3 miles. I see JD going past and jump back in with him. We end up running a good chunk of the next 40 miles together.

Soon we are off the road and into single track trail. Its slow going as there is no where to pass along this  section so we end up in a conga line for about  7 miles. I kept having to stop and pee which puts me behind even slower people each time. As we circle the lake the sun begins to come up and we are soon into Mayqueen.

Mayqueen to Fish Hatchery 23.5 miles
Kim meets me at Mayqueen where I swap my bottles for a hydration pack, grab my sunglasses and chug down an ensure. Having smart crew is so great. I am out of the aid station in under a minute and still running with JD. The plan was to make Mayqueen between 2:20 and 2:30 but we end up being slow and come in at 2:36. I am unhappy with this but no need to panic. I  had to stop and pee 5 times which was a good 6 or 7 minutes lost. I just could not figure this out at all. If I went twice during the first 3 hours I would call that way to many times. Just one of those mysteries of life.

Soon we were into the woods and onto some really nice single track trail. We ran this at a good pace but eventually it gave way to some big climbs that dumped us out onto the dirt road that takes you 1200ft up Sugarloaf pass.  Both JD and I felt like we were making decent time as we were regularly passing people and not being passed to often ourselves.

Things continued to appear to be going well as we hit the top of the pass and started down the power lines. We were running along downhill, making decent time when suddenly JD was flying through the air sideways. He fell just about as hard as I have ever seen anyone fall and thank goodness there were some big rocks right there to help him skid to a stop. He was up quickly and seemed to be okay except for the complete lack of skin on his elbow. There was some swearing but nothing life threatening so we were back running in no time.

We went fast but not too fast down the Powerline. Maybe we should have hammered them but it was tough to know how hard was to hard. Go to hard your quads get destroyed descending the 1400 ft to Fish Hatchery but go to slow and you lose a chance to make good time.

We reached the bottom of hill and were back out onto the road which was crowded with spectators and crew. It was so crowded that we thought the aid station must be right there but we soon discovered that we had another mile of road before getting to the Fish Hatchery.

Fish Hatchery to Treeline 27 miles
I meet Kim at Fish Hatchery, down an ensure and switch to a bottle for the short leg to Treeline. It is a zoo here with huge crowds of people but Kim once again does an excellent job crewing. I am in and out in 2, 3 minutes max. JD stops to get his elbow looked at so I head out alone figuring he will catch up. Carlos and Morgan are somewhere ahead on the course, Steve and Kendra are somewhere behind.

The run to Treeline is mostly paved road so I make good time for awhile. Most people don't like this section but I didn't mind it. Around a mile before Treeline we turn onto a jeep trail which leads us to the crewing area. Treeline is not an aid station but crews meet runners here as there is no crew access at the next aid station.

Once again it is a freaking zoo of craziness with people everywhere. I wonder if I might not even see Kim but once again she is right on the ball finding me and crewing me. I switch back to my hydration pack and stop for about a minute to chug and ensure and to wait for JD who is coming up the road just behind me.

Treeline to Half Pipe 30 miles
I can't tell you a lot about the next 3 miles to Half Pipe. I think I may have blotted this out of my mind. Mostly jeep road as far as I can remember but unshaded leaving you exposed. Nothing to see here, move along.

Half Pipe to Twin Lakes 40 miles
We arrive at Half Pipe in decent time, 11 minutes off schedule overall so not a problem. We are in and out quickly and are more than an hour and a half ahead of the cutoffs. I feel good and strong. I have no worry about finishing and believe its all under control.

This is a weird section and takes both JD and me by surprise. Its mostly uphill but with lots of slight inclines. There was a lot of do you walk this hill or run it. Everyone else is walking almost all the uphills. We run the flats and conserve for the Pass. This ends up being a mistake but seemed like a solid decision at the time.

We hit the water only aid station 3 miles from Twin Lakes. It seemed to take forever to get there and I am beginning to get nervous feet. Its mostly downhill but somewhat technical through here so we really pick it up. We are flying until I fail to see a giant rock and slam my big toe into it. Thats going to leave a mark and cost me the toenail. I tell JD I need to walk for a second to recover as it hurt real bad. Here is a piece of trail running advice. Don't drop kick 50 pound rocks, it just doesn't turn out well in the end. It goes numb quickly though and we speed into Twin Lakes.

Twin Lakes to Winfield 50 miles
We meet Kim at Twin Lakes and quickly refuel. She says Morgan is about 15 minutes ahead of us and is fighting the altitude. JD and I leave the aid station in good spirits almost 2 hours ahead of the cutoff with not a care in the world.

Its a mile to the base of the climb up Hopes Pass. We traverse the river crossings and before long we are headed up the mountain. I had hoped that my experience at altitude during Pikes Peak last year would have prepared me but boy was I wrong. This was a whole different thing done on legs that had been running all day. Is there a speed slower than slow because if there is then thats what I was doing.

We climbed and climbed never seeming to make any progress. It seems to me that no matter how good your legs felt the apparent lack of air was just crushing. Eating and drinking were impossible to do unless you stopped moving as just a few seconds of not breathing as you drank left you gasping for breath.

As we made are slow death march up the trail race leader Krupicka flies past us on the way back down followed a few minutes later by 2 or 3 other runners. They go past in a blur reinforcing the fact that I am barely moving.  That said we are not getting passed by anyone going up and so we figure we are still doing okay. As you climbed up the hill just about every big rock or fallen tree had someone sitting on it trying to catch their breath.

Around half way up JD decided to stop to catch is breath while I decide to keep on pushing. At some point the long straight up trail gave way to very nasty switchbacks and then to open field as we crossed the tree line. Finally I saw the hopeless aid station up ahead.

Aid station or MASH unit I am not really sure what was happening here. It was crazy with runners sprawled out all over the place. I grabbed 2 cokes and kept right on going as it is another half mile of switchbacks until you reach the top of the pass.

Nothing I can type here can describe just how incredible the view and landscape is on top of the pass. I would call it breathtaking but since you haven't been able to breath for the last couple of hours that doesn't mean anything. Huge mountains, fields with frolicking lamas, some guy on the switchback above me pulling down his pants and mooning some other runners below me. How awe inspiring, ever see mountain man ass, let me tell yeah its no treat.

Finally I top the pass at 12,600 ft and head down the other side. I think I will make good time here but not so much. Its rocky above the tree line and once we make it down a series of switchbacks to the woods its literally straight down. The trail is so steep that you are breaking hard the entire way. Hey remember my smashed toe, well neither did I until I started down the back side of Hopes Pass.

I know we will have to climb up this on the way back but try not to think about it. Finally we reach the turn onto the new part of course. Until this year you ran to the bottom of Hopes Pass and out onto the dirt road for three miles to Winfield. This year at the last minute they replaced it with trail. I though good I like trail but I failed to realize 3 things. First the trail added 1.6 miles extra each way making Leadville a 103 mile race. Secondly you are slowed down because of all the runners coming back along the mostly single track trail. Third unlike the road the trail was not relatively flat adding about 600 ft of climb.

I see Carlos coming back the other way and he is looking like he is doing okay. He tells me its about an hour to Winfield. I curse and swear under my breath, this "new" section is adding a lot of time to my race and was not calculated into my pace chart. I plug along still feeling okay but mentally in a not so great spot. At one point I can see the Winfield parking lot way down below as we keep going past it to eventually loop around. I take a big swig from my hydration pack but nothing happens. At first I think something must be wrong with the hose but soon I realize that I am out of water. F@#K me, it takes me another 30 minutes to get to Winfield from here.

Winfield to Twin Lakes inbound 60 miles (actually 63 miles but whos counting)
It is a madhouse here, absolute bedlam. This has got to be the Arkham Asylum of aid stations. I do the mandatory weigh in. No issues I am only 1.8 pounds down. I meet Kim and try to get some food and fluids into me. Morgan is there and is struggling. This is the only aid station I spend any time at all day and its only 5 or 6 minutes. I needed to make sure I got extra fluids into me after running out of water.

JD rolls in  just as I am getting ready to leave. He tells me Steve is just behind him and Kendra is somewhere in the aid station. We discuss the time problem and whether the cut off is makable at Twin Lakes. JD has already done the same math as I have and making the cut off is going to be a stretch. The added distance and change of terrain has kind of screwed us. I tell him I am running until they make me stop and head out.

I run as quick as I can but its no stroll in the park. Morgan passes me somewhere along the new section, I want to latch on but just cant do it but I keep up a decent effort. I reach the back side of the pass and start to climb. It is so hard, so steep, so crazy. I just bury my head and keep on moving. Every time I look up all I see is trail going straight up into the woods.

Finally I hit the tree line and start up the switchbacks. Its brutally tough going and when I look up I can see ant sized runners slowly working themselves towards the top. By the time I get to the top its getting dark and I put on my headlamp. I look back from the direction I came and see a line of about 100 headlamps making there way up the pass. None of them have a chance of making the cutoff. As I run the switchbacks down into Hopeless I look at my watch and try and do the math. Its an impossible task. My brain will not function enough to figure out how long I have until the cut off or how fast I need to go.

I have a simple solution to this. I decide to run as fast as I can back to Twin Lakes. Simple, except its 3,600 ft of downhill running on rocky trail in the dark. I go as fast as I can and pass 40 to 60 people along this stretch. I manage not to take any big falls but smash my toes repeatedly on many, many rocks.

I hit the bottom of the pass and soon am at the river crossing. I race across the shallow first river and then make the mistake of following another runner across the second. Halfway across my foot catches a submerged log and I face plant in the river. Nice. Just after I make it across two runners pass me and say that there is 8 minutes left until the cut off. I look at my watch for the first time since I started my kamikaze mission down Hopes Pass. It says 3 minutes and I am a mile from Twin Lakes. I know I am done but I still run as fast as I can. I end up missing the cut off by 8 minutes.

They cut my wristband off here. I have never had a race where I took a DNF and yet felt like I could still run no problem. It sucks. I warmed up at the aid station after my late night swim and I over heard them saying that 150 people missed the cutoff here.

Carlos is the only one out of our group that manages to finish and he is super trashed by the end. There are already plans by just about all of us to return next year and I plan to be there.

Some things I learned and some positives
A huge positive for me. Notice that this race report fails to mention puking? Looks like the changes I made worked. I switched to scaps for salt/electrolytes. I ran with water only no sports drinks. Geled every 20 minutes switching flavours after every 5 gels. Worked great and I ate about 60 gels while getting a few extra calories every 2 hours by drinking ensure.

Also aid stations / crewing went great. Almost no time spent in the aid stations at all which was helped by excellent crewing by Kim.

I DNFed but this was an amazing experience and what I learned on the course this year should get me there next time.

I also learned that altitude sucks. Next year I will need to get out there at least a week early and will have to rent an altitude tent for a month before hand. What I felt was my normal pace was 20-30 seconds a km slower at the same effort level. I am just not fast enough to give away that kind of time.

See the other runners in my groups blogs post below

JD's blog
Kendra's blog
Morgans blog
Carlos's blog

Also I had planned on running back over Hopes Pass with a camera but didnt because I was racing the cutoff. I dont have any good pics of the trails but if you go to this guys blog you will see some really great trail shots for those that might be curious.

Running and Rambling 

Next up the Haliburton 100 miler in two days.