The Crew Chief's Perspective

Running 100 miles is a very selfish act. I spent my weekends running 5-10 hours, constantly thought about the race for 6+ months and then flew across the country asking both friends and complete strangers to give up their weekend to pull me through a race where all I get is a belt buckle at the end. And I haven't even touched on the selfless acts of the actual act of crewing and pacing. Therefore, I asked Laura (wife, pacer, crew chief, MVP) to give her thoughts on the race. I hope you enjoy!

From Laura

Why do we like to run races?  Specifically, why the heck does the guy I’m spending my life with feel compelled to fly across the country to run 100 miles, and why, for Pete’s sake, does anyone feel compelled to organize such a meeting of insane humans?  Furthermore, why do I have this perverse desire to support his suffering through it?!  I had plenty of time for the questions to roll around in my head throughout my 48 hours or so as crew chief for team TrailScience (Ryan Crisman’s twitter name) at the Cascade Crest 100 miler.

THE CRISMAN CREW ADVENTURES

Crewing is difficult because predicting when a runner will complete miles 53-75 of a race up and down Cascade mountain passes, on tired legs, sprained ankles, through blow-downs of 10’ diameter trees- well- it is not a precise science.  So, in order to avoid dreaming sweet nothings while your runner strolls in after a grueling 20 miles section, you are typically left on edge for a timeframe of 1-3 hours.  There is also the question, upon arrival at an aid station, of where exactly to park on the skinny, mountainside logging roads, where to haul the stuff for your runner, how much stuff to bring, how long your wait will be (do you need chairs? Beverages?  Do you need to hustle?), and are you forgetting anything?  Not to mention, the challenge of following vague driving directions on spottily marked logging roads, with a driver who is too tired (or distracted) to keep track of the mileage you’ve traveled from your last turn.  Are we going to make it in time? But perhaps the most anxiety-provoking part of crew is the unknown condition that your runner will arrive in at the aid station (Happy? Relaxed? Loopy? On a stretcher? Hypothermic from taking a wrong turn and jumping into a lake? Frustrated?  Punching people? Piggy-back on a bear?).  These are the struggles and glories of being crew.  So, again, why do we support the madness?

RACE DAY START

My role essentially commenced on Friday afternoon, as Ryan and I sat around the campfire, scrutinizing the clipboard with laminated directions to each aid station, breakdowns of approximate arrivals at each aid station for finish times between 24-32 hours, and then of course, the nutrition and footwear plan.   I know this sounds crazy, but as a responsible crew chief (and admittedly somewhat nervous wife)- it wasn’t just Ryan’s OCD driving the madness- I demanded details.  Then of course, all bets are off once the race starts.  You just hope your runner doesn’t run out of water in the hottest part of the day, that his or her headlamp doesn’t burn out during the blackness of night, and that his or her stomach doesn’t reject all foods for the last 50 miles of the race.

Saturday, Race day (one), started with an unhurried morning at camp.  Lake Easton State Park is a convenient ½ mile from the race start/finish, located at a beautiful, glacially cold lake, and accompanied by the sounds of the adjacent I-90 corridor.  The upside of the noise pollution is that you sleep through your tent-mate waking up in the middle of the night to pee, your in-laws snoring, and the bears rummaging around camp looking for the leftover smores.  The Cascade Crest starts at the leisurely hour of 10am.  So we had time to experiment on our runner, which Lindsay, who is a naturopathic doctor supporting preventative health (what was she doing here?!), had a keen interest in doing.  With the promise of increased energy and funny-colored pee, she swiftly delivered a B-vitamin shot that nearly caused our runner to pass out and/or puke.  

A few hours before the race and the pain was already starting.

Ryan later said this was the worst pain of the whole race.  We meandered to the race start, at the Easton Fire Station for pancake breakfast served by the firefighters and local high school kids.  It is a very relaxed start, with about 140 crazy people just chilling out getting ready for a beautiful 22-32 hour jaunt through the mountains, a bunch of volunteers, most of whom have completed the Cascade Crest at one point or another, sometimes as many as 10-15 times, and the rest of us crew folk.

The crew hanging out at the start line

Before we knew it, the runners were through the gate- ambling off to the start their weekend on their feet, through some of the most gorgeous trails that I’ve ever seen.   Momma and Dad Crisman, Uncle Dan, Valerie, Aly, Mat, Lindsay and I all watched for the 20 minutes or so that it took the runners to get to the first turn off up to Goat Peak (about a half mile).   The first aid station for us was 23 miles out (and up), and Ryan was planning to run conservatively.  While nerves were prompting Lindsay, Mat and I to head immediately from the start to the first aid station, our better judgment  (and the lure of Momma’s homemade, garden-blackberry pie) led us back to camp for a couple of hours, where we had time to devour the aforementioned pie, ride the fold-up bicycles around the camp loop, and take a refreshing (yet alarming- as in- “my heart may stop”) dip in the ice-water lake.  We left a few hours prior to Ryan’s ETA to the aid station, although the directions said it was only about 10 miles driving.  Good thing we did. 

The glacial melt swimming hole. Ryan's first marathon was along the ridgeline in the background.

THE NEXT 30 HOURS:  AN AID STATION BOOGIE

The road was winding, dirt, grated, logging-road, with steep drop-offs down the mountain.  I chose to focus on the gorgeous views.  We rounded a corner and a glacier-covered Rainier burst onto the horizon against the clear blue sky.  Wild-flowers filled the meadows.  Mat nearly cried at one turn over a poor squirrel on the side of the road that he covered in dust.  Lindsay pulled him back together.  We found our spot to camp out, and hauled Ryan’s bags and our chairs to a lovely spot near the runner’s trail.  We met a nice pair of sisters who run shorter ultras together (50-100k).  They were supporting their cousin.  We waited.  Mat had the best camp chair.  He relaxed.  We wandered up the old-growth trail (beautiful, gorgeous).  The trees made Mat look small.  It was at this point I wondered why Ryan had to be running this thing, and why the heck he hadn’t taken me on this loop for a luxurious 5-day backpack with his wife?!

Uncle Dan and Dad Crisman showed up at this aid station, wide-eyed at the treacherous drive up and doing what Crisman-men do best when confronted with a tough situation- laughing.  Ryan rolled in 20 minutes later- relaxed, happy, smiling.  He had run out of food, and it was hot.  But he had been training in the South in the dead of summer.  No problem.  Hills (i.e. Mountains)?  He’s always like them.  They probably would have killed me.  He downed a whole row of shot blocks.  5 minutes after his pit stop, he was off again.  And we were off to navigate to the next aid station.  Dan and Dad said have fun, and headed back to camp. 

Is he here yet? First aid station jitters are setting in.

Lindsay and I hiked a portion of the trail at the next station.  It was straight up.  Gorgeous trees.  Perfect weather.  We saw a couple runners bow out at this station- problems with body temperature control- I think the heat of this day was tough for some un-acclimatized Northwesterners.  There were a couple of Mom’s whose kids would run up to them at the aid station. Ryan was happy, took his headlamp and was on his way.  One guy sitting next to us had his wife in the race (her 3^rd time), and he had done it several times as well.  He counseled us that Ryan’s hold-back strategy was solid and that he looked great.  Good news from a veteran racer.

Sending our runner on his way after a quick pit stop.

Our plan was to skip from mile 33 to mile 53 aid station, but this was a long section, and a lot of it in the dark, at night.  We decided to head to one of the intermediate aid stations and surprise Ryan.  As we headed off, Mat’s truck protested with a lot of whining.  Oh crap.  We headed back to camp.  Again.  This time at 40 mph on I-90, listening to “whhheeeeeeeee” of the broken turbo charger in the F-350.  We unloaded our past 8 hours of rummaging for meals, changing clothes, and providing whatever our runner needed (think teenager’s bedroom).  We re-loaded Dad’s truck.  We left Mom and Dad Crisman without transportation.  I promised Mat wouldn’t break the Chevy.  Good thing Ryan wasn’t expecting us for a while.

As luck would have it, Luke and Rob had forgotten to print directions to our stated meet-up spot, so they met us at camp (thank you cell phones that sometimes work in the mountains).  Luke informed me he had slept no more than 3 hours the night prior.  He was pacing Ryan for the home stretch.  My anxiety increased but knew Luke was a trooper.  We headed off to Hyak, the mile 53 aid station, an accessible spot off the highway.  Despite the festive atmosphere of this aid station, where Mrs. Claus was ladleing out soup for the runners, we laid out our sleeping bags to catch a little rest.  The stars were brilliant.  The air was crisp, fresh, and mountainy.  Mat rolled out the nicest spot for me to sleep (although I did hear someone coming over to pee once; they didn’t pee on me).  I didn’t sleep. 

Mat catching a little rest in the bushes

Ryan rolled in here around midnight, looking good, and talking of how dark it was.  He wanted to change his shoes because of the horrible amount of dust and the concern that he “had rolled his ankle”.  He says this a lot when he runs, and usually it is not a big deal.  Too bad I didn’t give this one a closer look.  It should have been taped or something.  He met Rob, and then very publicly applied butter to his thighs (going in from the top of his shorts).  It was apparent he was happy to see people and perhaps a little tired.  No soup and not much fuss, another pit stop, and on his way, this time, thankfully, with Rob in tow.  

Cleaning up the feet. Adding some duct tape to the hot spots and ready to rock!

We headed to our next stop, Kachess Lake. Sleeping under the stars in the mountains in a cozy sleeping bag is the best thing in the world.  So, I let our crew rest a little longer as I attempted to be less neurotic about the timing of Ryan’s arrival (after all- we hadn’t missed him yet).  Of course, running with someone as awesome as Rob picks up one’s spirit, and apparently pace, and Rob and Ryan rolled in early.  Luckily, Rob recognized his truck and we didn’t miss too many beats before sending him on his way with Lu for the “Trail from Hell”.  Sounds lovely. 

We were off to Mineral Creek, which I realized was no less than 30 miles driving, much of which was through small mountain towns (including Rosyln, WA, where Northern Exposure was filmed) and forest service road, which left us at an average rate of 17 mph to get there. Between sleep deprivation and plain lack of attention to addition, Mat and I couldn’t get our driving team together to track this mileage.  If anyone less loveable and laid back than big Mat were in the car with me, I may not have made it.  We made it. 

DAY 2

We arrived at Mineral Creek thinking we didn’t have much time before they’d come rolling in.  I hiked down the trail in the very chilly morning, sunrise.  I came across a downed tree, where the root structure was 3x my height.  I breathed in and out.  I felt full of spirit.  I walked back to the station to wait with our crew.  I saw a woman come in and tell her husband she still had 6-8 hours to go, and he lovingly said:  “what else have you got to do today?”  I heard some mention of a hot bath, feet up, etc., but she was off and running again.  We donated a handful of trailmix to a pacer who had forgotten her food (you could have had more!).  We waited some more.  I started down the trail again.  I met a guy who was there with his running club; he had worked the Hyak aid station.  His son was based in North Carolina, and stationed in Afganistan, and he was recovering from knee surgery.  We cheered some racers and eagerly awaited our runners.  His came.  Then I saw them- Lu and Ryan, steadily making their way up the hill. Ryan felt good power-hiking it, but mentioned the technical downhill was killing him.  We headed up the hill to our crew at a quick clip.  Ryan seemed a little hurt, limping, tired- but smiling at me.  I ran ahead the last 100 yards to make sure the crew was ready for our guy.  They were sleeping in the car, but quickly roused and were ready to go.  Nobody could convince Luke that his long pants, long sleeves, hat, and gloves were overkill for setting off on a grueling trail on a day where the high was in the 70s.  Our lovable Arizonan just said “I hate being cold”.  

Luke preparing for the last 30 miles

And we were off again; this time to meet Ryan at the final aid station, Silver Creek, mile 96.  I was worried about the steep 8+ mile downhill at the end of this section, given the state of his injury (which we hadn’t quite pinpointed at the ankle at this point, but it was obvious something was wrong. Mat kept mentioning that the injury was probably due to running 75+ miles). I knew Luke would pull him through.

Rob and I drove past our campsite and ran into Dad and Aly who were excited to have cheered a few runners past the campsite on their way to the finish. After which we proceeded to turn around, because we realized we had passed our turn. We saw some runners finishing strong, and looking ready for a seat, we cheered heartily. Somehow we managed to find the bumpy, overgrown path of a road (which was signed “Camp Happy”) to get to Silver Creek around 9am. Here we realized what Mat had eaten for breakfast:  the remainder of the tuna casserole, the rest of Momma’s vegetarian, homemade spaghetti, a majority of the trail mix, and all of the chocolate almonds. Mat dutifully prepared PB&J’s for Lindsay and I (and two for himself).  Additionally, thanks to Rob, on hour 28 of barely any sleep, definitely no shower, and a fair bit of grease and mountain grit, I enjoyed a Starbucks Latte that he had hauled in with him. Not exactly roughing it.

We knew this station could be a while, so Mat and Lindsay laid down to rest, Rob picked a spot for him and Tika with his book, and I decided to head back and say hi to the family at camp and deliver the latest scoop.  Dan and Valerie had walked to the finish line to watch incoming runners.  Aly was riding around camp on her bike, and as far as I could tell, Grandma and Grandpa were pacing the campsite.

I went back and we milled around in the increasing warmth of a gorgeous mountain day and wandered our way down to the aid station. The station was creekside, just down the hill from a waterfall, in the shade of some big, Washington trees, filled with lichen. We saw some of the crew folks we’d been hanging out with for the past 24 hours.  We were family by now.  We saw the race dogs that had come along.  Tika took a particular interest in a very attractive pug.  I glimpsed up at the trail from which these runners were descending: it looked like an easy 35 degree decline. Ouch. I checked when Ryan had passed the last point, pretty good timing, should be here any minute, depending how the downhill treated him.  I chatted with the two veteran runners manning this aid station.  They were in love with the mountains, with running, with the atmosphere of the race.  They seemed excited to hear of this, Ryan’s, first 100 mile race.  (I am thinking:  FIRST race?  Are you implying that he will necessarily do this again??)  I became enthused with the race atmosphere myself.

And then they came:  Ryan making his way down, not as gingerly and not as aggressively as other runners we had seen, and Luke, with the heat of the day getting him affectionately became known as 'shirtless guy'. 

Shirtless guy leading the way at mile 96. He pulled Ryan through some low patches!

Ryan was in good spirits, glad to be finished with that last downhill section, and really ready to cross that finish line.

A shot of Mountain Dew to reward the last 25 miles

We headed off with just a couple handhelds of mountain dew for the final 4 mile stretch.  It was obvious the turns that came with roots and rocks were causing Ryan great pain.  I just kept smiling at him telling him how much I loved him.  And I did, and I do.

Heading off to the finish....four miles to go

Rob went to the finish line, but not before stopping along the way to cheer us on.  I insisted Ryan and Luke eat a few shot blocks, and not to give up on nutrition now, just because we were in the final stretch.  We rolled in, running through the finish line (even Momma Crisman).

Finished!

Belt buckle in hand.  Charlie Crissman (the race director) shook Ryan’s hand with a hearty smile.  Everyone hugged.  I looked around and saw all the amazing runners, crew, and volunteers that had made it through this race.

RD Charlie Crissman watching Ryan get a congratulations hug from his biggest fan

Time for Dad to stop worrying

Crewing doesn’t exactly finish at the finish line.  We got a chair, put the feet in a bucket of water, took one look at the ankle, the blisters, and shuddered.  We wrapped Ryan up in a blanket.  We made sure Luke good as he did just complete his first ultra!  Mat carried Ryan to the truck.  We were on the path to recovery, and sleep.

A great crew and even better people

CONCLUSION

So, why do we like to run races? Why wasn’t I there at the race, picketing the blatant promotion of exposure of ones self (and my spouse!) to unhealthy extremes?  Is it Ego? Goals? Boredom? Insanity? Perhaps elements of any of these things- but after participating in the Cascade Crest- a race that exemplifies this perhaps more than any other I’ve witnessed- I came to the realization that running races is like going to church. You spend all your time praying night and day (training) and working on your spiritual growth (physical and mental endurance), but you can only get so far by yourself.  By going to church (or, in this case, by running a race) and bringing your efforts together with a group of people, you can progress further than you ever could by yourself- by sharing in each others’ suffering, joy, progress, and missteps- you are lifted up.  It is not easy to understand why you would run a 100 mile race.  Many people don’t understand why you would go to church.  But we do, because it taps into the places that are hard to get to on our own, and it inspires us to persevere.

CREW AWARDS

The crew for team Crisman included many essential players, for which I would like to dole out a few awards (trophies will be given out at Lindsay’s 100 mile race):

 

Most likely to get Ryan to the starting line:  James for picking us up at the airport with last minute notice- Sorry about the blasting-delay.  Missed you at the race.

Most likely to be prepared for a blizzard in the middle of summer:  Luke

Most likely to do an ironman, win it by a landslide, and say it was no big deal and he’s just happy to be there:  Rob

Most likely person to carry Ryan in and out of the truck when his body has broken down:  Big Mat

Most likely to pass people on the Trail from Hell:   Dr. Lindsay - alternatively, to have the IV ready just in case she’s pushed you too hard

Completion of your first ultra through the Cascade Mountains to celebrate 30 years of life:  Luke

Most Likely to bail out mid-race:  Mat’s truck.

Most dismayed at the spectacle of people running 100 miles on purpose, for fun:  Uncle Dan and Valerie  (Dan- this is your blood, you know?!)

Most Valuable:  Mom and Dad Crisman - without you, none of us would have been here this weekend.

Most Delicious Blackberry pie on the planet:  Momma Crisman - alternatively, best finish line hug

Best Woohoo at the finish line (and most likely to listen to Justin Bieber):  Aly, age 9

Best Morale Booster and most likely to hump the competition:  Tika......Rob was a close second

???

Lastly, here's a few extra pictures from the race:

Sunrising on Day 2....Love the Mountains!

Tika fishing

Proud Parents

What your feet look like after 100 miles

Taking a little break on I-90 for blasting. Best taxi driver ever!

Cascade Crest 100 Race Report

I'm writing this six days after the race which has given me some time to ponder the happenings of the 29+ hour event from my own perspective and that of my crew and pacers. You won't get a blow-by-blow breakdown of the race, I don't feel like doing that. Instead, I'll try to hit the hightlights in hopes of giving you an idea what it took being a novice ultrarunner completing such a difficult event. With that said, I'm sure I'll ramble as I had an absolute blast at this race.

The terrain of the area. Courtesy of Glen Tachiyama

Three-fifths of the crew were up and ready to go from our campground at Easton Lake State Park on Saturday morning.



Crew going over some last minute details

 Lindsay (Lu), Mat and crew chief Laura made sure I had anything I needed to get the party started and Luke and Rob would meet up at Hyak around 8:00pm to join the rest of the crew. Lu even supplied me with a B-vitamin shot to keep my energy high for the race. This would turn out to be the worst pain of the race until I sprained my ankle. I almost passed out!


PAIN

 It was also great to have everybody (Mom, Dad, Uncle Dan and Valerie) at the start line and before I knew it I was off and running.

Rock Stars having some breakfast at the start line

My plan was to run very conservatively for the first day/night and then, if I still had some energy, I would push it when the sun came up. Therefore, I was on a very easy 28-hr pace for the first 53 miles. I won't give all the details but this course goes up, down, repeat for 40,000+ feet and 96 miles. All with unstable footing and angled single-track that makes you feel like one leg is longer. I was actually wishing I wasn't wearing the Hoka Mafates because they just aren't made for that type of angled trail. My ankles got bruised and worked from the get go and if I had to do it all over again I'd probably go with something more laterally stable. Then again, my quads feel great so who really knows. When we finally hit the PCT after the climb up Goat Peak I was truly in trail running heaven. I really wanted to let my fresh legs loose and rip through the wildflowers with Mt. Rainier as the backdrop but I stayed true and shuffled around a 12 min/mile pace enjoying the views.



I came into mile 23, Tacoma Pass, where I met my crew for the first time (here's a link to me coming into mile 23 from Glen Tachiyama's website of pictures http://www.pbase.com/gtach/image/137642698). As a crew you never know what to expect after your runner just ran a mountainous marathon so you kind of expect the worst and hope for the best. Well, I was feeling great even though I ran out of gels and water about 45 minutes prior. It was a HOT day but my training in Raleigh really helped out here (not so much with the mountain part). I was AMAZED at my crew, especially with two rookie crew members. These guys grabbed my bag and started loading up gels, water, S-caps and feeding me all in one swoop. I swear Mat even changed a tire and filled up the SUV next to us with gas just because he got caught up in the moment. This group was A+ the entire race and I'd put them up against any crew at any race. It was actually quite comical for me to come in and see how efficient they worked. They made my job look easy!




The pit crew loading me up with gels and water. Efficient, fast, clockwork!



Had me on my way in just a couple minutes.

After this A/S it was more trail running porn through a few more A/S until nightime fell and the real fun began. I was still feeling great and loved being in the dark dark old growth forests of the Cascades. Surprisingly, I ran by myself for about 6 hours through this whole section until I stumbled upon a French runner who was a little loopy running the wrong way saying he couldn't find the trail. It turns out he had jumped into a lake on accident and I'm pretty sure he was a little hypothermic. I found the elusive trail for us and ran with him for the next few miles to make sure he was ok. I would later see him again around mile 60 bonked with stomach issues. I shot him some ginger pills and eventually saw him finish arond 31 hours. What a trooper! Right before they 53 mile A/S where I would pick up my pacer for the first time I rolled my ankle pretty bad. I started going a little loopy here as it was about 12:30AM and sort of shrugged it off and ran into my crew. I apparently let crew chief Laura know that I rolled my ankle but didn't think anything of it. I loaded up on some butt-glide in the crack and headed out with Rob, my first pacer.



Changing shoes and socks at mile 53. It was pretty dusty that first half.

 I had never met Rob before the race. However, he embodies everything that is ultra running. Unselfish, willing to help anybody and addictingly positive. It was a pleasure to run the ridge with him and we even enjoyed a few moments under the moonless, starlit sky. For instance, I took my only bm during the entire race under Rob's watch. I shared Rob with two separate solo runners who were WAY loopy and just wanting to fall asleep on the trail. Rob ran with each of them for a few minutes making sure they were well fed and hydrated before catching back up with me. I learned his favorite candy bar is a PayDay and he learned that I always finish in the middle of the pack at any race I enter because I'm slower than the fast people but faster than the slow people. It made more sense at 2AM after 65 miles. Overall, this section was the last 'running' section that I had because my rolled ankle decided to blow up. However, at the time I thought it was shin splints. So, I headed out with Lu on the Trail from Hell letting her know that i could run well because of my right shin.

I've known Lu for a long time and she comes from a background of competitive D-I 800m running. I say this because she was absolutely the most competitive person on the mountain this day. "I see two people up there Ryan, let's go catch them". I'd give her my best smile and then proceed to hobble down any technical sections because I couldn't bend my ankle without shooting pain up my right shin. Even with this, we managed to pass a few groups since my power hiking was really solid and my ability to climb under all the blowdown due to my gnome-like size was very advantageous. We cruised into the A/S feeling really good except for my shin. Lu started pulling on my ankle to stretch my shinsplint that was keeping me from running which made it feel a little better at which point I made the 2-mile trek to the top of the hill where I met up with the crew and Luke, my pacer for the last 25 miles. Three marathons down, one to go. I was mentally still really strong. My stomach was solid all day and I was eating and drinking perfect. In fact, my legs were feeling great except for this damn shin splint keeping me from running. So even though the sun was up and my gameplan was to start pushing the pace, I just couldn't. Luke and I headed off on my hands-on-knees powerhike at about a 17 min/mile.

A few miles down the road I looked down to my shin and realized that my ankle was swollen so much that it was mushroomed over the top of my right shoe and I couldn't really see my shoe laces on the top of my shoe. Hmmmm, turns out my shin splint was actually a horrible ankle sprain. I initially thought that I might not be able to finish but I told Luke to prepare for a long trek with a gimp. He smiled and said 'you got this buddy, doing great'. I knew he was lying as I was barely able to do anything down the technical hills which is 50% of what we had left. The pain was almost unbearable and made Lu's VitaminB shot seem like childsplay.  However, Luke just kept moving in front of me, calling out all the roots and rocks for me and telling me I was doing great. He even told me I could still make it under 30 hours if I kept my power hike strong. That gave me something to focus on over the course of the next 8 hours. From this point on I sort of zoned out to take my mind off the pain and just followed Luke. I was mentally strong and kept eating and drinking, I just couldn't put much weight on my right ankle. This was the only time the entire race that I got a little pissed. I felt so good that I wanted to run all the sweet single-track. Afterall, this is why I went out so conservatively but now I'm stuck with this gimpy powerhike. Once I got out of my self-pity I enjoyed the views and accepted the challenge of sub-30 hours and enjoyed the company of a guy that is more a brother than a friend. It was a hell of a gut check for both of us but we managed to roll into the final A/S at mile 96 where we got to pick up crew chief Laura for the last 4 miles. She was all smiles and ready to rock. This last section is the only flat section of the whole course. However, there are little 2 foot rolling hills for the first mile that would be no problem on healthy ankles but holy hell did they hurt. Laura just kept positive. We ended up power hiking the last four miles at about a 16 min/mile clip with Laura being super positive the whole time, making sure I kept eating and drinking. Luke kept with us but I'm pretty sure he was bonking a little after leaving all his energy on the trail pulling me through those last difficult miles. We all were able to shuffle-run the last half mile through the finish line in 29 hours 37 minutes to finish my first 100 up in the mountains of the Cascades.




Coming in around mile 99.7 with Laura leading the way and Luke there to pick up any carnage.



A sorry attempt at a strong finish

Big Mat with a congratulations and me with a big Thank You!

Crew chief, Pacer and MVP of the race walking me in to the firehall

Seriously, BEST CREW EVER!!!!!



And not bad looking either :) We got the buckle!!!!

We hung out in the fire hall for about an hour, I went hypothermic when we got back to camp so Lu and Mat put an IV in me and Luke wrapped my ankle all while I slept in my sleeping bag for a few hours. It took a couple days to overcome that "chilled" feeling and I'm feeling pretty strong now. My muscles all feel great and I just need to get my ankle healthy again. Overall, this is a fantastic race and embodies what ultramarathons should be. I look forward to being active in this race in one way or another going forward.




Even with the race over the crew just keeps on crewing




what a sprained ankle looks like after running on it for 50+ miles

Shout outs:
1. This race would not have been so succesful for me without my crew and pacers. Crew chief Laura put up with me and my OCD issues for 8 months while I prepared for this race. She was amazing and I thank her for that. Mat, Luke, Lu and Rob...thanks for the unselfish act of giving up your weekend to stay awake and deal with a zombie for 29 hours. You guys are the best!
2. Mom and Dad, thanks for hauling the trailer up and supporting me throughout the race even though I know I kept you up worrying while I ran through the night by myself in the woods. It was awesome having you guys cheering me on at the finish line. I think momma might have even run with me a few steps at the end!
3. Uncle Dan and Valerie, thanks for putting up with the I-90 noise for a couple nights to support us all in this adventure. Having you guys at the finish line were a site for tired eyes!
4. Charlie Crissman, hell of an event!
5. James, thanks for the ride from the airport.

Lastly, sometimes I just don't have any words

Happy running to all

Less than one week!

As you've noticed this blog has turned into more of a racing blog than a blog discussing the ins and outs of day-to-day running. I like it that way, it allows me to use my down time to hang out with Laura and Cougar and enjoy life outside of running. With that said, my last month has been heavily focused on training and the logistics of an event like running 100 miles. As I am finally getting around to sitting down and typing this I feel confident that our team has a good game plan, my running miles are logged and it's time to rest and hydrate. I'm excited and nervous all in one small bundle.

Training:
I don't do high mileage weeks. I don't have the time or desire to run 100+ mpw all the time. I found that my balance is somewhere between 50-70 mpw for my 'high mile' weeks and closer to 45 for my recovery weeks. I have been running about 5-6 days per week with each run being specific for the CC100 coming up. I've been doing a ton of hill intervals, both up and down, to get my legs ready for the 20,000 feet of elevation gain (and 20,000 feet of decent), I've been doing a lot of speed work to get my legs used to turning over and I've never missed my weekend long runs. Overall, this has been a really good balance of training for me and I'm definitely not burnt out but I do feel that I am peaking at just the right time.

Diet:
For the last month I have cut out nearly all sweets, beer and meat and instead have focused on eating really clean. I didn't have a real reason for doing this except the last time I did a diet like this (2007) I felt fantastic. Again, I'm not sure how this will affect my race but I am feeling extremely fit and have managed to cut the little spare tire I carry around because of my love of the hops and cookies. I officially weigh the same as when I was a freshman in high school so no extra baggage for this run :)

Race Day:
My crew is ready. It consists of a Professional Engineer and a Doctor so I'm feeling like we can handle the obstacles of the day. I have two pacers on standby for the last 47 miles if I need them. I am guessing I will want some company in the middle of the night through the Evergreens of WA. I've never wrestled a mountain lion but I don't think it's a good idea to have my first try at mile 80.....which means I have to make sure I can run faster than my pacers. We will be camping roughly one mile from the start at Easton State Park as my parents and uncle each have a campsite so it will be nice to have family to see at the finish line. My race plan is to go out slow and steady. I really want to run an even paced split which means I have to be very careful not to go out too fast.

Lastly, it has been a heck of a 9-month journey. I've gone through a few injury setbacks, missed some things with family and friends because of training and have learned a ton about myself. Lastly, I have to thank Laura as she has been the most impacted by my OCD-like tendencies of training. As usual, she takes everything in stride and always has that smile waiting when I come wobbling in after 30 miles in the 110 degree heat. I think she's got the bug and is wanting to ride the LT100 mountain bike race next year. I will gladly crew for that!

Happy running :)

Still Recovering

Nothing too exciting to post. I just wanted to jot down, for my own data archive, that it's been two weeks since the NF50 miler up in DC and i'm just now getting to where the little aches and pains are subsiding enough to run on a consistent basis.

Quick notes:

• My quads recovered very quickly (took about three days). Possibly thank the Hokas?
• My calves, shoulders and low abs did not recovery quickly. Especially my upper calves, I'm still not doing any hill running because they are a little tweaky.
• My resting hr flops between 48-52 bpm and I'm feeling super fit chomping at the bit to ramp up training again.
• It takes about two microbrews for me to be drunk.

I have decided that I will not do too many more long runs (of the 30+ mile range). In fact, I may just do one more 50k about 7 weeks out of CC100. I will instead focus on the 13-18 mile training variety with more speed/hill focus and throw in a few doubles if the schedule allows. Also, I have decided to listen to my smarter half (Laura) and incorporate a Recovery and Stretch yoga class 1x per week. I'm excited to see the benefits here. Lastly, I will be adding lifting in addition to more focus on my core for the next 10 weeks leading up to the race. I realized from the 50 that my upper body is going to be what pulls me through the last few miles of the race because my core and legs are going to be shot. Plus, if I have to crawl I want to make sure my shoulders are up to the task.

I am not planning on running less mpw, just having a different focus so my body can recovery more quickly allowing me to run strong the next day. I also think that not being out running 4-5 hours at a time will allow me to find more balance in life, something that is always an uphill battle in life.

Happy Running!

NF50 Race Report

Leading up to the race

I have been dealing with a nagging adductor issue with my left leg. Three weeks ago I was on mile 28 of my last long run when my left knee just locked up and shot a horrible pain up through my groin. I thought about calling Laura to have her come pick me up but I thought this would be a good training session on how to deal with pain issues that inevitably come with ultras. So, I walked. Then I stretched a body part. Then walked some more. Then stretched a different body part. Ultimately, I was looking for a good stretch that would subside the pain and allow me to move forward at a pace fast enough to finish in under the 13 hour time limit. Unfortunately nothing worked and I hobbled the last 3 miles home and jumped in an ice both wondering if I the last 12 weeks were a waste.

           

I started thumbing through my training log as I sat in the ice bath and realized that I have enough training that I may survive an extreme taper (i.e. no running until race day). At this point, I had been averaging around 55 miles per week with three 30-mile runs and a few weeks of good speed work. So, I quit running. Hell, I didn’t even put my running shoes on but not toeing the line was not an option, nor was quitting once I started. Without running I decided to focus on my diet. The biggest change was that I started eating mostly vegetarian with a few sprinkles of chicken or salmon. In addition, I cut out beer entirely. By the time I weighed myself the Thursday before we headed up to DC I was nearing my peak running weight and feeling really good. I still didn’t know how the knee was going to hold up but we were about to find out.

Race weekend

We drove up to DC on Thursday after work and rolled into the city around 12:30 in the morning. Melissa was awesome and stayed up for us and let us crash on her couch so I could be close to packet pickup the next morning. On Friday we grabbed my packet and headed off to Alice's where I managed to get a nap between playing with the kiddos and even watching Julie play a softball game! And, the MVP award for the weekend goes to Laura. She woke up at 3:00AM to drive me to the race start which was an hour away. Then, she met me at mile 14 to crew me for my first loop at the Great Falls Aid Station.

The night before the race I had a huge helping of spaghetti that Alice made and drank a bunch of water and started to up my electrolytes before I went to bed. I managed to crash at 20:30 (it’s nice having the kiddos around because they have early bed times) so I managed to get around 6.5 hours of really solid sleep. I didn’t have any ‘night before race’ jitters and just crashed as soon as my head hit the pillow. At 03:00 my alarm went off, in addition to my backup text from Luke, and I was ready to rock. I got my gear on, ate a banana and some juice and took off for the race start. We got to the start about 45 minutes early which allowed me to have some coffee and oranges and get that last toilet break in. I was feeling really excited and still not too nervous. Kind of weird but I guess when you bust your ass for 12 weeks you shouldn’t have too many surprises ahead. My only concern was my adductor but I decided I wouldn’t even think about that so, not an issue. I didn’t stretch, I didn’t do any warmups, I just sat. Any step I took before the race could be the one that got me over the finish line. When the 2-minute warning came Dean got on the microphone and wished everybody good luck then we were off. Laura got a pre-race photo and a video (I'll throw the videos up later).

04:45 pre-picture

I had a race plan and a goal. And no, my plan/goal was not “to just finish”. I think that is a bullshit answer that newbies use. Even if you want to ‘just finish’ you need to have a plan for a 50-miler otherwise you might as well just go to the beer tent and not waste a shuttle-drivers time having to drive you back after 20 miles. My goal was to finish in nine hours. My pacing plan was to go out slow and just when I think I should run faster, slow down. This was some advice that Charlie gave me some time ago when we were chatting on a trail run in Boulder (thanks Charlie…I thought of you and your Leadville race quite a bit during this race). My food-intake plan was simple: one gel every 20 minutes, NUUN in my two hand-held water bottles, one S-cap every hour. In addition, I brought Ibuprofen and ginger pills with me as needed. I knew the aid-stations were plenty and stocked but I wanted to be self-sustaining so I loaded up all my pockets and set out.

The gun went off at 05:00 sharp and we were off. I chose to start in the middle of the pack as I knew I didn’t want to get stuck behind the walkers but also didn’t want to end up in a sprint pack. The course cruised through some nice, flat single-track in what I think was a marshy area as it was dark and I didn’t dare take the light from my headlamp off the trail. I found myself running alone most of this section with the exception of a few people that were, to my best guess, doing interval training these first four miles. I cruised through the Sugarland aid station right on target of my pace. I didn’t need anything as we’d only gone 4.8 miles. The next few miles were mostly on double track and a few people cruised by me with a bit of a ‘slowpoke’ nod. I took Charlie’s advice and slowed down a little bit. I also took mental note of their numbers and 3 of the 4 DNFd and the fourth finished 3 hours behind me. So, coach Charlie was correct. I got to Fraser aid station and topped off my water bottles in addition to loading up with some extra gels.

The singletrack between Fraser and Great Falls has some really cool sections of trail. It’s the longest on the course without aid (still only 7 miles) but it was hands down my favorite section for running. The hills were short but steep and the trail was technical but runnable. I was still feeling really solid up to mile 12 and just kept my slow-n-steady mentality. I ran nearly all of this trail except for two of the really steep sections (still runnable but I was being conservative) and used those walking breaks to eat my gels, Scaps, etc. The best part about this whole section was that I only saw one group of runners so was able to focus on how I was feeling and just take in the sunrise over the Potomac. Around mile 12 the first hints of ‘I might have to poo’ started creeping into my head. I had 2.8 miles to go and figured I’d just wait until I got to the outhouse. Then, around mile 12.5 my body decided that it was going to happen now. One small problem, this entire section is lined with fields of stinging nettles meaning I was going to go on the trail or risk a scratchy 37.5 mile run. At this point, I was not going to choose either of those options and, instead, changed my running form to more of a straight-legged hobble. It definitely slowed me down and really sucked thinking I might mess myself with any step but, luckily, the feeling went away after about 15 minutes and I was able to make it to the aid station feeling strong and just a couple minutes behind my target (see the picture of me coming in at Great Falls below).

Coming into Great Falls at mile 15

The next 20 miles consisted of three loops around the Great Falls park. It was a mix between jeep road, double track and technical singletrack all topped off with a kick ass rock garden that puts you on the edge of a 50 foot cliff down to the Potomac. This was a very cool place as I even saw some people top-roping off the cliffs. As I said earlier, this race is extremely well stocked as the halfway point on the loop had a great aid station too. I thought about ditching one of my water bottles but really wanted to stay in my self-sustaining mode mostly for mental training for the Cascade Crest.

After I got a little cameo on the video, snuck a smooch from Laura and sent her on her way (she had other errands to run and was going to meet me at the finish line instead of be bored while I ran in circles for a few hours) and made a much-deserved bathroom stop I was off for my first loop still feeling really good. At this point (15 miles in) my game plan was spot on. Again, this loop is very runnable and reminded me of my training grounds in Umstead. The first loop went very smoothly. There was one section where I stepped funny off a rock and felt that adductor tighten up for a second but I refused to acknowledge it and kept on chugging. I realized finishing up the first loop that I was a little optimistic about my time here and lost a few minutes. However, my pee was still light yellow, my stomach was feeling great and I couldn’t stop smiling so things were solid. Hell, I wasn’t even sick of gels yet.

The second loop was still really solid for me but I started to notice the adductor more and more, especially as I was going downhill. It wasn’t a constant pain but it would definitely give me a little jolt occasionally. I knew that if I was able to finish this loop that I had my ITB strap back at my drop bag that might help out (probably not logical but it made me think I had a fix waiting for me). Since the uphills felt fine and downhills made the jolt of pain I decided to cruise the uphills and adjust my running style for the downhills. This worked really well except I’d fly by people on the uphill and they would return the favor on the downs. All-in-all, I finished that loop about 10 minutes slower than the previous but was still feeling great sans the occasional adductor pain. I dug through my drop bag and found my strap. I also had some Trameel (homeopathic pain gel) so rubbed that all over the leg then cinched down the ITB strap. At first I didn’t have it tight enough and the Trameel made it really slick so the strap just slid to my knee cap. Once I cranked on it and started to run I could tell the pain was going to stay above my knee which was a big mental win. The third lap was a great lap for me and I found myself cruising with a lot of the 50k runners as they made their way to the loop after a later morning start. I finished my third loop and was 6:50 into the run, only 20 minutes behind my goal pace. Overall I was still smiling and feeling great but did think to myself “I’ve been running almost 7 hours and I still have more than a half marathon to go. 50 miles is a long ways!”

I loaded up on gels, stuffed a bunch of salted potatoes in my mouth and took off down the road through the park. By this time, the marathon and 50k folks were all on the trail so you didn’t know who was running what. I found myself in a pack of marathon folks running my pace so I tucked into the back of their group and just zoned out for a little while until we hit the first big climb and I power-hiked past them. At this stage I was feeling good but I was just tired. The steep climbs seemed a little steeper, the downhills more technical and the stinging nettles more stingy. I never bonked during this race but from miles 35-42 were by far my most difficult. I found myself running alone and concentrating on the trail markers was becoming more challenging (this is where a pacer can earn their keep in my book). At mile 38 there is a big climb followed by a really cool rolling downhill section. I usually use these downhills to slow my heart rate and catch my breath after the big climb however I couldn’t get my heart rate to slow down even though I wasn’t running very fast. At one point I stopped and took a few deep breaths that seemed to help but it was still a little concerning. It wasn’t until the next steep climb followed by an equivalent downhill that I realized I was holding my breath on the downhill sections because I was concentrating on not burning out my quads. Once I figured this out I just focused solely on breathing and never had another issue with the heart rate. At mile 40 I caught up with a couple ladies running the marathon and asked if I could tuck behind them and follow them the next couple miles to the aid station. They did one better and said I could run in between them so I couldn’t fall off pace if I felt tempted. That gesture alone lifted my spirits and took me into mile 42.1 and the homestretch.

From here there was a short lollipop loop followed by a 2.5 mile fire road to the finish party. I felt really strong on the finish and even managed to catch a 50k crew finishing up to come in at 9:45. The most exciting part of all was that I had family and friends at the finish lie to celebrate the day with me!

Post Race Party Crew....best ever! Thanks guys!!!!!

Overall this was a very successful race for me. My quads are pretty tired and my stomach had some issues last night after the race but I feel good today. Here are a few bullet points of things I learned:

• Beer is better than a massage after a race
• Sitting down to go to the bathroom has added challenges after a 50-miler
• Friends and family crewing and at the finish line is awesome
• The North Face puts on a good show
•  50 miles is a long ways!

I'll throw some more pictures and videos up as they trickle in.

Sunrise coming up on the Potomac

 A view from the Great Falls Section of the Course

Mostly Likely Ultra to Get Punched in the Face

To my one reader (Luke) and my biggest fan (Momma), my apologies for lack of blogging. I have been doing a lot more outdoor activities in lieu these days. The spring time in Raleigh has been phenominal. Average temps have been in the upper 50s with a few days in the 80s. Yes, we've had some rainy days but it reminds me of home and I find myself wanting to go outside even in this 'bad' weather. In no particular order we have been :
1. planting a small herb garden
2. Ramping up my miles now that I have my insert into my new Hoka One Bondi Bs
3. Refinishing our front yard swing
4. Tackling our Backyard and...
5. Volunteering the swing shift at the Umstead Endurance 100 mile race

I'll start with number 5. I just realized that there was a 100 mile race outside my back door. I emailed Rhonda who is in charge of the volunteers asking if they needed any pacers. She informed me that they were filled up with pacers so she forwarded my email onto Joe Lugiano who is the assistant race director and a 22 time finisher of the Vermont 100M. He asked if I could help out with the timing at from 16:00-24:00. So, I packed up my puffy coat and my head lamp and headed into the park. The race is a 12.5 mile loop that each runner completes 8 times. After 4 laps or 16:00 they can pick up a pacer. If they did not plan on having a pacer then the volunteer pacers jump in on a first come first served basis. It's actually a really cool idea as most people just want the company and what better than a complete stranger to fill you in on their life story. My job was to shuttle between aid stations every couple hours and insert the runner's times into the computer data base (how it's done without timing chips). This process only took about 30 minutes to complete which left me 1.5 hours to help out elsewhere...and this is where the fun began. First, two runners came into the aid station all bloodied because they had been jumped by a drunk guy in the park, in mid day! Seriously, one of the runners apparently got punched right in the face. As if running 100 miles isn't tough enough why not throw in a fat bloodied lip from a bar brawl. After washing up a bit the runners were off. I love ultra running!

The first half of my shift, besides the brawl, was pretty uneventful as most people were chugging away pretty well in the daylight. The first finishers even started rolling in just as the sun was going down (somewhere around 14:08 was the winning time). As you can tell, this is definitely one of the 'easier' 100 milers as it's not a lot of elevation (maybe 8000 feet over the 100 miles which is mostly rollers). However, as the sun set and the elite runners were showering up the middle to back of pack runners were starting to show their wear and tear. This was a great reminder of what I love about the 100 mile distance, it is not about having the fastest time but overcoming the mental and physical obstacles that each person encounters during such a challenging event.Each and every competitor, whether they finished one lap or all eight, left all they had on the race course. You have to admire that. I could go on and on about the great experience but just call if you want to hear more stories. Overall, the Umstead 100 is an extremely well organized race with very experienced race directors. I'm not sure if I'll ever have the desire to run the same 8 laps for 100 miles but the fact that it's right out my back door I can't say never. Lastly, if you ever have the opportunity to volunteer for any race, especially an ultra, jump at the opportunity. It is a great way to give back to the race community and experience human perseverce up close and personal.

As for life, things are going well. I'm having more and more pain free runs which means my shoe insert and/or my Bondi Bs are rocking. I've ordered a pair of the Mafate to rotate between the two shoes and I do recommend ordering a half size up from your regular shoe as they do run about a 1/4 size too small with a pretty narrow toe box. Laura's herb garden is starting to show signs of life and I'll be planting cucumbers today or tomorrow. Now if we can just figure out how to overtake the weeds in our back yard :) Below is a few pics of what's been going on in the last few weeks. I'll be posting separately about my new $7 foam roller that is indestructable..stay tuned and enjoy the pics.

These are my new(er) Bondi Bs. You can see that the shoe on the right has a 1/2" full-length lift on the sole. This takes care of my short tibia and has really smoothed out my running, along with eliminating all knee issues.  I won't be going back to my old NB 101s or 760s that I used to run with. Shoot me a holler if you have any questions about these kick ass shoes.

Laura and I playing a little cribbage at our favorite coffee shop. If you've never had a European Cappucino I highly recommend one. It's basically a tall with an extra shot....you just sound so much more sophisticated ordering as a euro :)



This is the face of sad dog listening to us Skype our Colorado friends Chris and TBone. Every time he hears their voice on the computer and doesn't get to sit in Tauna's lap he just goes to his bed and has this look on his face.



This is the JackHammer (friend/co-worker) at $5 martini night. We were having a contest on who could order the girliest martini.....he won with his glowsticked Blue Orgasm.

Happy running to all!