Exhausted from the excess hours and stress from work. So no morning run. The workday was cut short to only 10 hours today so I had time to take the kids in the stroller to Ryan's Place Park and spend a half hour playing before dark.
17 FLAT miles on the South Platte River Trail. I haven't run a run this flat on a Saturday for at least 6 months. So, instead of hills I focused on speed and maintaining a good tempo. An hour for the 8.5 miles out and 57:25 for the return trip. It might have been a bit faster but I didn't carry water and man was I thirsty. I started to worry for the last 5 miles. Not good.
10 miles wandering around the endless bike trails of Thornton. I stumbled on East Lake and enjoyed 3 laps of its 1.25 mile dirt trail. The drive home was 10 hours of misery except for the break at Bear Lake and its raspberry shakes.
Mid Mountain Marathon (26 Miles) 03:04:29, Place overall: 4
Slow miles
Fast miles
Total Distance
1.00
26.00
27.00
Mid Mountain Marathon -
Totally awesome singletrack for all but 1.5 miles of the course. Some of it was rocky but the majority was buffed out smooth. The course takes you from Deer Valley over to The Canyons via a "not flat" route. The course is technically rolling and there was not a flat stretch to be seen. True, there was a lack of 1000' relentless climbs up 12% grade, but the course is not easy. There had to have been 100+ switchbacks on that course as well. That being said, it was the fastest marathon I ran this year.
Things began early with a brief warmup to earn a few stars. It was cool (< 32 degrees) but once the sun peeked over the mountains things warmed up quickly. The race was pretty large with 300+ runners but things started on time with a quick mile lap around the paved neighborhoods to thin out the crowds. I found myself in 8th place after a 6:47 mile on not-flat roads. The singletrack began in earnest. From here on, I tried to relax and enjoy the views. It was challenging to not fall on my face while admiring the views but I managed. I focused on keeping the pace reasonable and being patient about the fact that I was losing ground to the lead pack with every step. Soon, they were out of sight and more than 90 seconds ahead. I did manage to pick up my first roadkill but for the most part I was all by myself. Just out for a run.
I wont bore you with splits and numbers of stuff, so the report basically skips to mile 20 or so. I had passed 5 guys but got passed by 1 other guy (who ended up finishing 2nd) so I figured I was in 4th place. I did pass celebrity blogger steve cuttitta but had a hard time keeping him behind me. I was still "attacking" and hoping that around the next corner the next victim would appear and I would find myself winning a pie (top 3 won a pie). No such luck, but I did manage to keep my roadkill behind me. I found that I was faster then they were on the downhills and either the same or slower on the uphills. How does that happen? I thought I was a decent hill runner.
In all, it was a great course, great weather, I felt good and I am happy with the results. I was no match for BJ Christenson who posted the winning time on this year's course (reportedly 2 mins longer as it had an extra hill somewhere in there) with a 2:56 something. That is ok though, maybe next year.
I was "lucky" enough to catch the first shuttle to my car back at Deer Valley. We filled the van with 15 people and as we chugged up the steep hills to the Silver Lake Lodge things went downhill as the van suddenly stopped. Engine revving, but no forward movement. The van was done. Probable failed transmission. We were left to hike up the final mile to the cars. It was easily the slowest mile of the day.
T- (watch) 3:04:49 (7:06) official results 3:04:29
4.5 super slow miles with the kids in the stroller. We went to the "Red Track". Recovery is going well. All soreness is a 1 or less at this point. Still no motivation to get up early. Maybe tomorrow, if I go hit a trail or something.
My knee caps has been getting progressively more and more sore and stiff since the race saturday. I rested it this morning and it got a bit better during the day. I ran 2 miles with the kids in the stroller to the park again. When I got home, things still felt pretty good so I drove up to Green Canyon to get some dirt running in. I made it 7 miles in just under an hour before it got dark.
6 slow trail miles in the dark. I need better batteries in my headlamp as I was having a hard time seeing anything this morning. My knee was pretty stiff and tender this morning. The first mile I debated bagging it all together. I kept going and it felt better as time went on. Any deep knee bends really hurts, but the rest of the time its ok. Just going to take it easy and let it heal. I am convinced it was the brutal downhill of the Marathon finish that did it.
T- 56:30 (9:25) Deer Fence from Providence to Dry and back. 750'
This was the first year in 5 years that I have not been a part of the marathon either doing the 5K or the marathon. This year, I was recovering from my trail race from last week and looking forward to about 55 tough miles next week in 2 days in the mountians. So, needless to say, I wasn't running it today. I didn't let that stop me from running much of the course and even getting some pacing miles in.
I met Michelle L. at mile 21.5 and we chatted as we ran the course backwards until mile 15. She was doing a long run and was pacing a friend (from mile 15 to the finish). It was nice to catch up with her and I wish her well in her marathon next month. I wanted to run with Joe for a bit and hopefully not get dropped. He came flying down Hollow Road in 6th place and looking great. I jumped on and we cruised down hollow road in 5:44 and 5:42 before I said my goodbyes and wished him well. I was barely hanging on for dear life. That was the 2 fastest miles I have done in a long time. This put me at mile 17 and already tired and well over the miles I wanted to run today. I guess I didn't think this through too well. I was far from done, but enjoying my spectators view of the race. I decided to start walking down the road and take a little breather. Before too long I saw Allie killing it in first place (again). Not far behind was Dave N with TOU defending champ Paul P. pacing. I jumped in and chatted for a minute before waiting 20 seconds for Scott (redrooster). Last year, he did a great job motivating me to a "better than it would have been" finish and today it was my turn to return the favor. He was only 20 seconds behind his nemesis but slowly dropping back. He could still get him. Lots of racing left. Scott held strong and didn't fall off the pace more than is normal for that course. Too bad his nemesis picked up the pace and pulled away. I think Scott did a great job pushing the hills and surging to try and hang strong. He even passed two guys over the final 10K. He went on to PR and narrowly miss the sub 2:55 with a 2:55:20 (clock time). Congrats Scott. Dave went on to kill his sub 3 hour goal and was close to 2:50 (not sure exactly). Joe fought some cramping over the final bit to finish with a HUGE PR of 2:38 something. Awesome! Good job guys!
After the finish line festivities I jogged VERY slowly back to my car 2 miles away in Providence taking all the shortcuts. 20 exhausting miles, but the knee felt great. Only minor soreness at this point. More than I should have run, but well worth it. Now to rest up for next weeks awesome activities. I am getting pretty excited!
T-2:26 (7:18) *250' vertical
*Weekly summary 41.5 miles with 2000' vert. Things were rough with recovery being stalled by a sore knee. All that downhill at Mid Mountain Marathon did me in. Things improved over Friday/Saturday and I am optimistic things are better now.
Monday I was feeling crappy. My knee hurt and I wasn't even thinking about a run.
Tuesday was even worse. My neck cramped up and I couldn't turn my head all day. It was horrible.
Today, I wasn't having any of that. I didn't care if my legs fell off, I was going to run. And run I did. David and I met up and we ran the first 19 miles of the Bear 100 course (Logan Dry Canyon to Leatham Hollow). I had signed up to mark it for the big race Friday and today was the day I decided to do it. I took the day off of work too to enjoy the morning running and spend the rest of the day at home with the family. Doing projects of course, but home nonetheless.
The run took forever since we had to stop every 1/8 of a mile or so and put up another ribbon and when we got to any junction mark it up so no one would get lost. I would be shocked to see anyone lose their way in the first 19 miles. Not on my watch!
Sport Tracks says that we were stopped for 57 mins. I started the watch at the start and didn't stop it for any of our 200 breaks. We both took it easy because we are both nursing little injuries from previous races. Don't want to jeopardize my pacing duties at the bear. I hope today's run didn't do that, but I think I am in the clear. My knee is sore, but it didn't affect my running at all today. Plus, all that running loosened up my neck and now that is feeling great.
Anyway, it was a fun and enjoyable run catching up with Dave and enjoying the mountains. It was a great day to be outdoors. The minor hail storm didn't even change my mind about that. Now, back to the projects....
T-4:22:00 (13:47) (10:47 actual running pace) *5000' vert
The following is the elevation change for today's run. Just think about Jon as he finishes this section and still has 80 miles to go! Sucker.
I have slept 5 hours since the conclusion of this beastly event, and feel much better now. However, the report is still on hold for another day. Bottom line, it was super inspiring and insane, just plain insane. An incredible result and one Jon should be proud of (as he is).
Ok, its now sunday and I enjoyed a glorious 11 hours of sleep last night. I felt like I just ran a relay, sleep deprived and exhausted. Time to share the details.
The long awaited day had finally arrived. Jon and I spent hours upon hours running sections of the course and I was so excited to be a part of his big day. The weather turned out perfect. It was cool with clear skies as I picked up Jon at 5am to take him to the starting line at the mouth of Dry Canyon. As they (140? starters) took off, Paul, Dave and I stood together watching them and I shook my head and muttered what everyone else told me about someone running a hundred mile race, "I don't even like driving 100 miles." Little do they know what these racers go through during their journey to the finish line. It is insane.
After a breakfast at Angies, Paul, Dave and I went to set up and run the Leatham Hollow aid station at Mile 19.6. There we got to see the runners in action and help them on their way.
Here Dave shows off the food spread. The highlight of the aid station was when someone's crew offered to supplement the food we had with a dozen doughnuts he had. We even saved a few for the runners. Joe came and helped out crew Jon and then he took off to help Jon at the next available crewing location at Cowley Canyon.
Jon came through the aid in the lead pack of 7 or so runners. They were all looking pretty good and Jon showed them how to get in and out as he got what he needed from us in only seconds. I wouldn't see him until Right Hand Fork, as Joe was crewing him while Dave and I helped Paul handle the mass of humanity that passed through the aid station. It was cool to see some familiar faces and also cheer and support many people I didn't know. The other 2 bloggers represented well with Bryce and Davey both putting up excellent times.
View from my Jeep heading to Right Hand Fork (mile 36.9)
Jon came into Right Hand Fork aid where Joe and I had joined Jon's wife and kids who came to cheer him on. He was 2 mins behind 20 hour pace but 8 mins ahead of his 21 hour pace. He wanted a shoe change and although Joe and I forgot the new socks, we managed to find them and get him going again in 5 mins. Things are looking just fine and now Joe gets to jump in and pace him for 15 miles or so to Tony Grove. Check out his blog for details. Joe, this means that you can't just put, "it was fun pacing jon for 15 miles".
I drove to Temple Fork aid and set up for the next pit stop for Jon (which he actually did take a pit stop in the facilities). In and out in another 5 mins. Some of the guys in front of him looked like they had been working way too hard. Some of them had as they had put some decent gaps in the field and the runners were now quite spread out. Evan Honeyfield led by 3 mins over Mike Foote and Dakota Jones who ran together. Jared was 11 mins back and Leland and Scott were 20 back. As Jon left the aid station, he was now 36 mins behind Evan, but only 11 mins behind Scott Jamie (in 6th place and his next victim) but still right on schedule only 4 mins behind 20 hour pace.
Joe and Jon at Temple Fork Aid.
Still at Temple Fork. Get going Jon!
As things turned out the next climb to Tony Grove up Blind Hollow would turn out to be a killer for most of the leaders. The exception was Mike Foote as it was here he moved into first place and looked good. Dakota and Evan were both hurting and Scott managed to stay ahead of Jon although Jon managed to close the gap to 4 mins and due to his awesome crew, left at the same time as Scott.
Jon and Joe coming into Tony Grove (mile 51.8) in 7th place (counting the RD who left an hour early)
Now the fun begins as this is where I suspend my crewing duties and take up pacing duties. I was so excited to run and be a part of this moment that I just about trampled Jon as we ascended out of the Tony grove area. All my pacing instructions and maps flew from my vest pocket and I feared getting fired from Jon before I even got started. He didn't so I got to keep running. We quickly gapped Scott Jamie and settled into what Jon called his "all day pace". This area is one of the prettiest mountain trails I have ever run and the weather was perfect for it. I was having a blast catching up with Jon and getting his assessment of the day from him. He was surprisingly chatty (not normal during a race) and that was good as that meant that he wasn't too deep in the "pain cave" yet. He was really worried about a sore achilles and was favoring it heavily. That made the uphills slower and downhills slower. The flats were good though! I think there are about 5 miles of flats over the whole 100 mile course.
Jon heading up towards the White Pine area (mile 54)
We made decent time on the long 9.7 mile stretch from Tony Grove to Franklin Basin aid station. That trail is both awesome and smooth and nasty (read 'rocky') at times. Good one minute and crappy the next. As we all realized that sub 20 hours was looking very unlikely the goal shifted to sub 21 hours. In fact, I believe this was his original goal/projected pace. Either way, Jon was maintaining a 6 min lead on the imaginary 21 hour guy.
The next section of trail was one that chewed me up and spit me out during our pre-race scouting/training run. It is 4 miles gaining 1700 feet over some tough terrain. I knew that Jon would be huffing and puffing but this is where his sea-level lungs faltered. I didn't think he would make it at times. He stuck through the hills and picked it up on the downhills making up time. As it turned out, he picked up a few minutes and now sported an 8 minute lead.
Jon ripping on the flats
Running out of daylight
"Dude, check out the view!"
Jon's crew got him in and out of Logan River Aid so fast he nearly left at the same time as Leland and only a bit behind Dakota (who was slowing up considerably). Meanwhile I was busy stuffing my face at the aid station and took too long. By the time I left Jon had a bit of a gap on me. No worries, this next section is a smooth road and I poured it on. I was maintaining a sub 5:45 pace and couldn't catch Jon. I finally saw him as I crossed the River 0.6 of a mile past the aid station. It would take me another 2 mins to catch him. He said he flew through that section too and I believe it. This was proof for me that fast aid station stops are so important. Just 2 extra minutes at each aid is a full half hour and the difference between 1st and 2nd place.
Now that I had caught Jon, this point in the race was fun for me as I got to chat briefly with Leland and Dakota as Jon passed them. It proved to me how much of this race is mental. Leland and Jon were doing well and kept a positive attitude. Dakota was having a mental as well as a physical battle. Everyone goes through many ups and downs and has to learn to fight through the tough times.
It was now night time so the photos stopped, but the running/hiking didn't. We successfully stayed ahead of Leland and Dakota as we neared Beaver Lodge (mile 75.8). I decided (with Jon's blessing of course) to run ahead and prep the crew on what Jon needed while I changed my shoes as my foot was starting to hurt. It was dark, and I was running too fast over a poorly marked section of trail and missed a turn. The trail is vague here and probably only used for this race and the list of excuses go on and on, but the bottom line was I got off course (read lost). I could only imagine the confusion at the aid station as Jon would come in and I wouldn't be there and everyone would wonder where I went. That got me to panic enough to stop wandering in circles while calling out "Jon, where are you?" endlessly. I stopped guessing where the trail would go and merely backtracked until I found a marker. That marker led the way quickly to the road and soon I was back on track. I was getting tired and that half a mile or so of uphill sprinting to catch up to Jon took a lot out of me. I was able to catch Jon just as he entered the Aid Station, but now I was spent. Jon and I left the aid together as I decided it best not to waste time and change shoes. Really, I just didn't feel like chasing him down another time. That decision made the next 10 miles pretty painful for my foot. Live and learn. Take care of the nagging things as they only nag louder and louder.
Jon, on the other hand was still putting out great splits and maintaining his 9 min lead on the 21 hour guy. It got colder on the climb up to Gibson Basin, but Jon had prepared wisely by putting on some pants at the Lodge and was now sporting his winter gear. That was smart as the temps were near freezing. I managed to stay warm with less gear but now I was sporting a limp as my foot had the beginnings of tendon pain. I wouldn't have dropped off my pacing duties if my foot fell off. I was having a great time. For Jon though, things were getting rougher as the trail got steeper. As we neared the Gibson Basin Aid we saw the lights of another running catching us and that spurred him on to go a bit faster. It turned out to be Leland (who started early) but we weren't sure who it was for quite a while. I stopped to chat with the aid station workers while fueling up as Jon didn't even stop (don't know why the results read that he stopped for 6 mins as he didn't stop at all). I confirmed that Jon was in 4th place and the next guy up was 30 mins away.
The stretch from Gibson Basin to Beaver Creek is a small uphill (360') followed by 800' of descent. Jon had ditched the light following us but he paid a price for it as he was getting deeper into the "pain cave". He was by my estimation fully miserable now. Lucky for him (and me) the third and final pacer Dave would be to the rescue. My pacing duties finished at Beaver Creek Campground at mile 85.2 and 14.8 miles to go. His lead on the 21 hour guy was now 16 mins. Once again the timers messed up his time with Leland's and swapped times. Jon was actually 2 mins ahead of Leland, not 2 mins behind. I guess who really cares about splits during an all day event? Ok, just engineers like Jon and I who over analyze every race.
Jon and Dave now had the steepest ascent and descent of the course left to tackle. Now, I wasn't there, but Dave reported later the misery and the resurrection Jon experienced. They came into the final aid station (Ranger Dip mile 92.2) in good spirits with Leland. Joe and I quickly got him his fuel needs met and off he went with only a 3 minute lead on the 21 hour guy and still the same 30 minute gap to 3rd place. Can he do it?
Joe and I drove to the finish and were so anxious to see if he would make it we couldn't sleep. For about a minute. Then we dozed happily. I woke up when 3rd place runner Jared Scott finished at 20 hours and 37 minutes. Oh, no that meant that if Jon kept his 30 minute gap the same as he has all evening he would miss it by 7 minutes. Man, it was going to be close.
It turns out it wasn't as he had caught his second wind and flew down the final descent. Dave and Jon came in together at the finish happily running without lights on and enjoying the full moon. Joe and I joined them and ran the last 150 meters into the finish. Unfortunately no photos where taken to capture the moment, but I bet Jon will never forget that happy occasion. Jon's 4th place finishing time was 20 hours and 49 minutes and 47 seconds. Clearly beating the 21 hour guy and nearly catching the third place finisher as well. It was an awesome experience for me to prepare with Jon and execute the plan that has been in the making for years now. What a ride.
My stats:
T-7:23 (13:00) 6500' climb 6750' descent
PR for both total mileage in a day (by a mile) and total time on my feet running.
The recovery from this weekend is going well. The knees feel decent, the foot pain I had on Friday is gone. So I decided to hit the trails and test things out. I ran from the bottom of Spring Creek Road to Deer Fence and along the trail north until I hit 3 miles. Out and back.
River trail to long boardwalk and back. Legs felt a bit stiff but otherwise great. Perfect evening for a run. Ok, I lied. It was still hot and I ate too many gnats.
