Hells Hills was a race of firsts after a year of firsts.  One year ago, Hells Hills 25k was my first trail race and first race completed period since college years.  When I was planning out my calendar at the beginning of the year, I pencilled in the 25k again.  I thought it would be interesting to see how much I’ve improved since the prior year.  However, over the past few weeks the idea of stepping up to the 50 miler started to arise.  The primary reason is that I want to run the Angels Staircase 50 mile race in August and I need qualifying races to do so.  Having run the Gorge Waterfall 50k two week before, I decided to hold off committing to a distance until shortly before the race.  4am Saturday morning found me at the registration table signing up for my first 50 mile run.

I really only had 1 goal for the day:  stay healthy.  Coming off a faster 50k where I really pushed my quads, I knew I wasn’t fresh so the risk of injury was higher.  Plus I hadn’t been training for a 50 miler yet so while my overall base was good, I hadn’t ramped up my miles like you would normal do to in getting prepared for 10+ hours of time on your feet.  Lastly, I was planning to take off most of April to rest before ramping training up for the summer.  I wanted to rest up for the summer cycle of training, not to be recovering from injury.

Loop 1

I was determined to go out very slow.  I didn’t turn on my GPS and I hung well back in the pack taking the short hills that make up the first 2 miles very, very easy.  By mile 3, I settled in behind Paul Salazar who set us on a perfect pace.   Most this loop was in the dark and there is not much to report except that I fell for the first time during a race.  It was a pretty smooth area but I dropped something out of my back pocket and when the runner behind me went to hand it to me, I turned to look and immediately fell.  Our little clutch of 4 continue on until we lost one of our runners who was probably tired of listening to me chat up Paul.

Loop 2

Headed out after loading up on supplies.  We were about 2 hours and 52 minutes in at this point.  Paul powered away during those first few miles and by mile 20 I was pretty much running alone.  There was probably 500+ people on the course at that moment but I only saw a few here or there.  Somewhere around mile 25, Brandon Ostrander came gilding up.  We chatted for a moment before he headed to claim 4th overall in the 50k.

The temps were rising but the humidity was dropping.  Coupled with a mild breeze, it felt fairly pleasant though you can sense the hints of the heat to come.    I continued to play it very conservative on the pace and would take a walk break every 30 minutes or so while I consumed gels.  The course definitely isn’t my favorite style of courses but it was lovely enough and I was enjoying my time out there so far.

(picture by Henry Hobbs)

Loop 3

I found it hard to get into a rhythm the first few miles the first few miles after leaving the start / finish aid station.  I felt pretty good energy wise but just couldn’t get a groove going.  At the water only aid station, I refilled and took a gel.  It was around here that I probably crossed into truly unchartered territory, having never run further than about 60k.  This section of the course is twisty mountain bike trail.  Lots of dips, quick ups, 180 degree turns.  You don’t really have a good sense of which direction you are moving in or how far you have gone or to go.

I was feeling a bit low when Micah True came to mind.  I don’t have a personal connection to Micah that many do. I never read Born to Run so I only had a passing knowledge of him.  However, in the wake of his passing, it was moving to see the outpouring of stories about him and the one thing that stayed with me was the joy he imparted in running and in others.  Running ultras may seem “Mas Loco” in the context of today’s society but at this moment nothing felt more natural.  I hit on pretty good groove and ran a solid 4+ miles into the first manned aid station.  I wish I had my gps here because I think I ran some of my fastest miles in this section since the first loop.

Stopping at the aid station seemed to break the rhythm even though it was critical to load up on more water and food.  I had 10 miles left at this point.   Within a few miles of the aid station, I found my heart rate really climbing due to overheating.  It had certainly been hot for a while but this was the first time it was really driving heart rate and overheating issues.  I had to slow down and focus on cooling for the next few miles as I made my way to the last aid station where I was greeted by friends bearing gifts from gods:  an ice water sprayer and popsicles.

(picture by Henry Hobbs, those jokers at Tunnel of Pines)

The run to the finish was long and slow.  My struggles throughout the day most came from very tight back and core area.  I actually felt pretty good on the energy level side.  At this point I was just happy that I was going to be able to finish.  Last year, I ran the 25k and I suffered more in the last 10k of that race than I did at any point during the 50 miles.  Even though I was reduced to walking most of the last 5 miles I was pretty elated with the day.

Splits and gear

Loop 1:  2h 51m

• 0-12 miles:  2h 1m (10m 5s pace)
• 12-16.7 miles:  50m (10m 38s pace)

Loop 2:  3h 7m

• 16.7 to 28.7 miles:  2h 5m (10m 30s pace)
• 28.7 to 33.3 miles:  61m (13m 16s pace)

Loop 3:  3h 39m

• 33.3 to 45.3 miles:  2h 32 m (12m 40s pace)
• 45.3  to 50 miles:  67m (14m 15s pace)

Finish:  9:37:16.  20th out of 129 starters.

My average 16.67 loop time was as fast this year than the single 15.5 mile loop from last year.

Gear:

• Brooks shorts
• Hoka Stinson Evos
• Injinji socks
• 1 handheld bottle.  Nathan holder with an Ultimate Direction bottle
• gels, water, nuun plus bits of food, coke, and s-caps from the aid station.  One Bearded Brothers bar between loop 1 & 2.  It was tasty and good for me but I think I should have only ate half it as I felt a bit overly full in the stomach for the next 10+ miles.

Year in Review

During last year’s Hells Hills, even though I had a miserable time I knew I wanted to do more.  I also knew that I would benefit from running with a group.  After looking at the groups around town, it was pretty clear that Joe Prusaitis and Tejas Trails was the right group.  Reading Joe’s reports of past races were hugely inspiring.  It just seemed to fit the vibe I was looking for.

At that time I summed up my goals to Joe as:

“to get stronger and faster at races in the 25k to 30k range and to be able to bounce up to 50k races.  While finishing is a worthy feat in itself, I want to be reasonably proficient at those levels before considering anything further.”

I have to laugh at now that I just knocked out a 50 miler that 1 year ago I had no desire or inkling of what it meant to run one.  Running with the group has been so much more than just about doing the workouts with a goal in mind.  The friendship and support are amazing and priceless.  Races take on a whole different dimension and get considerably easier when there are friends to chat with and offer well timed words of encourage and help.  Plus it makes hanging out after a race all the more fun.

I’ve come to terms with the fact that I often need external motivation to perform better.  This is true of running and for other activities I do like music.  Having a training scheduled backed by a group creates a level of accountability that I would not met if I trained by myself and being around other high performers brings out my desire do better.  Train with Tejas Trails runners for a few months and you cannot help but want to push yourself to new limits and longer distances.

 

 

Late last year the group was discussing a destination race.  We settled on a James Varner (aka Rainshadow Running) race because he seemed to be in line with our vibe and it offered something different than what we have done here.  Unfortunately for me, Beacon Rock 50k ended up getting moved to a date that I couldn’t attend.  As consolation, I signed up for the Gorge Waterfall 50k instead.

We arrived in Hood River, Oregon, Saturday afternoon after a nice morning in Seattle with friends.  Despite living in the northwest for many years, neither my wife or I had never been to Hood River.  It turned out to be a great little town bustling with places to eat, drink and shop though we only took advantage of the first two.  Saturday was our 11th anniversary so after getting settled at the hotel room we headed out to Celilo for dinner and had a nice meal of scallops with sunchoke puree, mushroom bread pudding, and pasta with first of the season english peas and fresh chickpeas.  Very good all around.

We retired to the hotel and I packed up for the morning.  One nice thing about traveling west for a race is that your are primed for early bed time and mornings thanks to the 2 hour offset.  Even still, I had a bit of trouble falling a sleep, woke up a few times during the night, and was out of bed 20 minutes early.

Race morning

With all the changes leading up to the event, we now were 45 minutes from the check-in and start line.  When I booked the hotel, the schedule called for driving 10 minutes from Hood River to the finish line where we would check-in and then get on a shuttle to head to the start line.  We arrived a few minutes before 7 am and found about 30 other runners milling about and James nowhere to be found.  Turns outs he had a flat tire on the trailer.  For James, this race was comedy of errors (though none of his doing).  The flat tire set the start back about 35 minutes but after a quick briefing (summed up as “don’t fall off the cliffs, you’ll die”) we were off.

A few of the Texas runners that came up for the visit:  Rod, me, Elizabeth, Libby.

There were all sorts of course changes due to unfinished and unexpected construction along the course so we probably only ran a third of the original route.  Winters in the northwest can be rough on the park service and this year washed out bridges caused one set a problems.  One course revision had us climbing up even higher until a late season storm dropped a couple feet of snow up on Devil’s Rest.  However, by the morning of, we had an out-and-back made up 5 sections.

Section 1.  Elevation

After about a mile and half of easy grass path we hit what is the defining feature of this course:  the climb up around Multnomah & Wahkeena Falls.   Once we hit this trail it is climbing for about 2 miles.  The first mile is made up of paved path ways and encompasses 1,000 ft of elevation climbing.  The second mile is rock and mud over what normally is a pine needle bedded trail.  The lead pack of Max King, Ian Sharman, Yassine Diboun, among others attacked the climb and quickly left us behind.  You could see them above as the trail switched back and forth.  I tried to be conservative on the climb knowing that while you won’t really make your time on this climb, you certainly can break it.

above pictures via here

The top brought slushy snow and then we headed down the other side.  I was thrilled to find at last a bit of rock on the trail and I was able to pick my way down the first half the descent in good time.  The second half of the descent was more paved trails which were less fun as short, steep switch backs make it hard to get a rhythm going.   Near the bottom we popped off the main paved trail onto a side trail that lead us down to the first aid station.

I didn’t really have a great feel for how long this section of the course would take me so when I penciled out a a race split the night before, I figured that the first 7 miles would about 80 to 90 minutes.  This was simply to account for the climbing and the unknown factor of snowing / footing.  Until I reached the aid station, I had no idea what pace we were on since I decided the night before to run with a watch.

My lovely wife was crewing for me and was there with the trunk of the car open with anything I needed.  I grabbed a bit to drink and dropped off my gloves and compression arm sleeves as they were overkill for that turned out to be near perfect running weather (50 and overcast).   I asked for the time and was surprised to find that the first section took 72 minutes or roughly a 10/min average pace.

Section 2:  Half & Half

Ponytail Falls, yes we run behind that! It was as awesome as it looks.

Technically I suppose it should be 2/3, 1/3.  The first 4+ miles of this section was probably my favorite from a running standpoint.  Up to now, we pretty much had a non-technical run.  The footing was either paved path, smooth (though mud or slush), and the rocks we did hit were pretty worn down and embedded.  Cobblestone like.  Finally we got ourselves onto a proper trail with rocks, a short boulder field, and then a nice forest section with rocks and roots.

Finally, a real trail!

Trail gave way to the road and about half way down the road, we started seeing the lead pack returning on us.  Max King was cruising easily out front.

The road ends with aid station number 2 at mile 14.  I came through at 2:13 from the start for a section split of 61 minutes (8:43/min pace).

Section 3.  Hidden gem

From here we had a quick 2 mile out and back.  It consisted of a modest climb (400/ft elevation) and then a dip down to the very lovely Elowah Falls.  This was a 2 mile section and took about 20 minutes total.

This picture is from Libby.  If you want to go read a more detailed and picture rich report, check it out here.  As these things tend to do, she had a different opinion about the technical nature of the course

Section 4:  On the road again

Section 4 is the same as section 2 but really was defined by the return trip on the road.  For me, it became a bit of a death march.  I was passed by a few runners and was dropping well back of the pack I had been bouncing around most of the day.  The hips started to complain loudly and I had to take a break twice to try to loosen them up a bit.  Hated this section with a passion and was glad to hit the trails again even if that meant we had to start climbing again.

View from the road, via Libby

I started to feel better as we worked our way through the woods and my hips and legs started to loosen up again.  Others clearly felt that opposite of me as this is where I caught quite a few people.  We popped out again for the last aid station where we loaded what we needed for the final leg home.   This section took about 65 minutes (~9:20/min pace), 4 minutes slower than on the way out.

Section 5:  The finishing burn

We rolled up and down for a bit (200 footers) before joining back up the main paved climb up.  On the way out there were a few early hikers out but by this time the trail was packed with day hikers.  Multnomah is one of Oregon’s most popular destinations to visit.  It is easy to see why.  It was packed today but I imagine that is even more so later in the spring as the weather warms.  Going up, the crowds were not too much of a problem.  Many in the crowd were great and cheered us on, gave high-fives and word of encouragement.  I think some thought we were just running to the top or something as they would say stuff like “only half a mile more”.  If only.

Up and up we went, there was no running but I was moving pretty steady and at a consistent pace.  I even felt pretty strong for a while there.  Near the top we switched over to trail and had a short down before more climbing.   It was in the second mile of climbing that I started to slow quite a bit and my calves started to knot up.  Nearly got off course with a wrong turn (a family was standing right in front of the markers and another women and I just headed up) but luckily a runner right behind us called out and we were able to relay it up to the women ahead as well.   It was through this last half mile of the climb that I really saw the benefit training in the training up here provides as I was passed by runners who were still running as we neared the top.  I was definitely jealous of them and all the amazing trails and mountains they have to train on.

A few miles from the finish.  I am smiling?  Picture by Glen Tachiyama.

The last 3.5 miles were half steep descent, half flat finish.  As before, the paved path sucked but now the trail was now much more of a muddy mess from all the runners and melted slush.  It was dicey at times coming fast down a muddy decline to the end of the switchback cut.  The tightness in the hips returned, the calves were really starting to complain, and I could find no rhythm on the paved switch backs.  Other than that things were going great and soon we were at the bottom and through 1.5 mile flats section and into the finish to be greeted by James, cheers, food, and beer.  The last section took 88 minutes (12:30/min pace), 16 minutes slower that the first time through.

Final time was 5hr 4m 27s.   I am not really sure what to make of that time.  The course was short of 50k.  GPS measurements are of no use with all the switchbacks, steep climbing, and ravines even if I had worn a watch.  James said 49k per the trail maps.  I’d hazard it was closer to 29 miles than 31.  4.5 miles of road certainly cut down on the times as the times of the elites certainly showed, yet the climbing was serious with about 6,000 feet of elevation gain (and equal descent).  In the end, it is nearly impossible to compare time on one course to another given all the variables.  Sitting here 2 days later, I am pleased with the run, happy with the progress I’ve made in the first year of running trails (a year ago I had never run further than 12 miles at once or 30 miles in a week, not to mention the extra weight), but at the same time I am not content.  I feel I should have and could have done better.  I suspect most of us feel that way after a race or otherwise we won’t go back out there, train the way we do, and throw ourselves against the rocks, the hills, and whatever else comes our way again and again.

Wrap up

James smiles at the incoherent man who stumbled out of the woods to steal his beer.

James and I talked briefly about this race compared to Angels Staircase.  For me, Angels Staircase is a more compelling course.  Gorge Waterfall is lovely and if I was living in the northwest, it would be part of my annual race calendar.  All of James’ races would be.  The views of the waterfalls and the surround area are among the best you could ever hope for in the race.  But I love rugged, remote races and Angels Staircase excels at that.  Angels is a race to plan your calendar and travel around and I am look forward to coming back up this August and trying my hand at the long course.

James has a great thing going up in the Northwest and all the runners I came across were a delight.  They are the second best community of runners out there, Tejas is number 1 but I couldn’t object if they wanted to lay claim to the title.

(me, waiting to head to the start)

(course elevation profile)

Start to Boyles

• Distance:  4.79 miles
• Target run time:  50 to 55 mins
• Target pace:  11 mins /  mile

Olga sends us on our way and less than a half mile we hit Cairns, a modestly steep climb that is just a taste of what the first 9 miles of the course has in store for us.  Cairns was built by Joe, Henry, and others in the earlier days of Bandera following deer trails.   At one time rock cairns guided you along but those are mostly gone and it is a fairly well established trail.

My general plan was to take the uphill easy, fast on the downhills, and sustainable long run pace on the flatter sections.  While that sounds like a pretty obvious tactic, many people who run Bandera for the first time find the downhills very tricky and don’t run them that fast.  If you are bombing down a hill, nothing is more dangerous than coming up on someone too fast (for you and them).  Cairns and Boyles have a bit of space on the downhills but later trails like Sky Island and Ice Cream don’t have as much room to maneuver so being mindful of the traffic around you is important as your approach the downhill sections.

Everything was going well enough as we headed down the hill towards the Boyles aid station.  I was wearing a vest with water with the plan of not stopping at Boyle to avoid the early traffic.  I looked down at my watch as I went past Boyles to see a time of 43 minutes and change.  That was too fast, nearly 2 minute per mile faster than I expect and should have been.  I made a mental note to back of the pace a bit for the next section.

Note about all course pictures, I was busy running so all pictures from earlier years taken by Joe Prusaitis.  Go here for the full gallery.  We had an especially lovely day during this year’s Bandera race and these pictures just barely begin to reflect out beautiful this course as we start our run in the early morning hours.

Boyles to Nachos

• Distance:  5.27 miles
• Target run time:  58 to 65 mins
• Target run pace:  11 mins / mile

As we hit Big Nasty I felt someone approaching fast.  Very fast.  I turned to see Erik Stanley gliding up.  He was running the 25k.  The 25k start at the same time but hit Lucky Peak before meeting up behind us on Cairns.  That puts them roughly 2 miles behind us on the course.  I expected to see the chase pack behind Erik at some point but we reached the 25k cut-off trail without seeing another runner.  Erik was flying, as usual.

Up Big Nasty, through the saddle, and up to the top of Sky Island.  This is easily my favorite part of the course.  The view from the top is stunning with a full view of the park.  As we came off Sky Island, I was chatting with Lance Gay but as we approached Ice Cream Hill, I let him go.  I knew I was well ahead of where I should be and I didn’t want to blow up early like I did during the Dorset Ultra the month prior.  Ice Cream Hill is also a bit in my head as it was where I hit a wall during the Cactus Rose relay run.  On the CR version of the course, it is near the half-way point rather than at 8.5 miles, but still I wanted to mind the climb up.

Ice Cream Hill was still a tough climb but treated me better than at Cactus.  The sotol cactus make their first serious appearance but they didn’t seem all that bad today and I ran straight through them.  Maybe I am just getting used to them.  I did come through the finish to find my knees covered in blood so they did take a bite out of me.

Ice Cream Hill dumps you down into the Nachos Aid Station.  You can close your eyes and find your way to Nachos as they like their music and they like it loud.  It looked like they were having a great time as I approached.  I took off my pack to get some more water and was surprised to see how much I still had in there.  This should have been more of a warning sign than it was but I felt pretty good and I had been staying up on salt and food to this point.

This section took  me about 55 minutes or just under 10:30 pace.

Nachos to Chapas

• Distance:  5.44 miles
• Target run time:  57 to 63 mins
• Target run pace:  10:30 mins / mile

Nachos begins the ‘runnable’ section of the Bandera course.  For the next 2 miles it is a a mix of creek beds, small ledges, and nearly rock free dirt trail that then gives way to 3 miles of choppy rock trail.  What dirt there is has been torn up by horses after the rains a few weeks back and now is hardening into divots.  Then it takes you up a small hill and kicks you out on a trail of rocks, rocks and more rocks.  It is flat and you can move pretty well but can reach up and grab you.  I saw a couple people take a tumble in this section.

Somewhere on the way down into Chapas I see the brightest shirt imaginable and I knew it was Jeremy Day, who was running the 100k.  I had started to see 100k folks about a few miles back but now we were coming across them in greater numbers.  The 100k runners had started on a path that put them about 5 miles ahead of us.

Chapas came in at 53 minutes, 9:50 pace.  At this point I was 15.5 miles through the race and it had taken me 2 hours and 30 minutes.  I was ahead of my target pace and, in theory, I had plenty of runnable terrain ahead.  I knew that the Three Sisters and Trail 6 awaited but I was feeling good outside of a some pain in the adductor (groin) muscle group area.  Foolishly, I started to entertain ideas of a 5 hour finish.

My wife was at Chapas with my drop bag.  I decided to switch it out my pack for a handheld, drank a coconut water, had a snack, made a request for sunglasses at the next aid station, and headed back out.

Chapas to Crossroads 1

• Distance:  5.85 miles
• Target run time:  61 to 65 mins
• Target run pace:  10:30 mins / mile

Chapas to Crossroads is the easiest part of the course overall based on terrain and profile.  It starts with a dirt trail that was very chopped up from horse trailers and horses and then dumps out into the field.  I have been through the field a couple times during training runs and during Cactus Rose but only in the dark.  Now I know what others say when it they talk about how uninspiring that section it.  It also was very exposed and it was warming up.  It only got to the upper 60s but out there it was felt much hotter.

We trudged through the field.  Despite being an opportunity to stretch out the legs and run a  good pace, I just couldn’t find the rhythm.  About 2/3s the way through the field, I came up on David Jacobson and took the the opportunity to run with with him for a while and gather myself.

David dropped back as we came up on Crossroads.  It had taken me just under 63 minutes of running to get here.  10:45 minute pace.  This is definitely a part of the course that I could do better on in future races.

At Crossroad, I got some more water, picked up some more food, sunscreen, sunglasses and headed back out.

Crossroads 1 to Crossroads 2 (aka the inner-loop)

• Distance:  4.96 miles
• Target run time:  55-60 mins
• Target run pace:  11:30 mins / mile

I thought I felt pretty good heading out of the aid station and moved down the trail, a smooth jeep road, at sub-9 minute pace for the next mile.  I came along Sam who was running the one loop of the 100k course as a training run, chatted with him and headed along.  All of a sudden I cratered.  I stopped to go to the bathroom but that was actually a cover for the fact that suddenly I didn’t have any more go in my legs.  Sam came up on me and dragged me through the Three Sisters.  On the downhill of the Sisters I started to feel better and I ran ok for a bit.  As we came up to Trail 6, we came up on Parvaneh Moayedi who was trucking along in the 100k.  She is a machine and is just relentless in her forward motion.

Somewhere around the Sisters I looked down to see that I had run 25 miles in 4 hours and 20 minutes.  I thought about Cactus Rose and how just a few months ago, it took me 4:50 to run a 25 mile loop.  While the course route is not exactly comparable, I was pleased to see how much better I was doing and lifted my spirits.

The inner-loop took right about an hour to run, a 12 min pace. It wasn’t pretty at all and I am very thankful that Sam was there provide encouragement.  Without him, I could have easily drifted off into a much worse state.  Running with the Tejas Trails training group has been better than I could ever imagine and one of the biggest reasons is how everyone looks out for each other.

Crossroads 2 to Finish

• Distance:  4.75 miles
• Target run time:  50-55 mins
• Target run pace:  10:30 mins / mile

Came down into Crossroads and got my last re-fill of food and drink before heading out.  As I was heading out, I saw John Kuss heading back in because he forgot his salt caps.  We headed out more or less together, walking while I ate some food and had a bit to drink.  Parvaneh caught us again and for the next mile or so we passed and re-passed each other.  She was the locomotive powering forward while I was the local commuter train speeding up and slowing down.  At some point I got into a bit of groove and was able to run more or less consistently until we started to hit the pre-hills before Lucky.  I came upon another 50k runner (the first I’d seen in a while) and he mentioned he was cramping badly.  As if in sympathy, my right calf and left quad started twitching.  Joy.

At this point, I wasn’t really worried about places but I knew I was close to the 50k time I ran at Wild Hare in November. That course is a piece of cake compared to Bandera, flat and mostly smooth.  We approached Lucky Peak together and he moved up it much better than my crawl.  I was just trying to survive to the top since I knew it was downhill and flat from there on in to the finish.  As we crested, I summoned whatever reminding nerve I had to bomb the downhill.  I passed several people on the way down include the aforementioned 50k runner.  This last section is about a mile of very gradual down slope on mostly smooth trail so I tried to push through to the finish.

As I approach Last Chance, there was a short internal debate about stopping for a shot of tequila or a beer.  However, it looked busy and with only a half mile to go I was focused on making it to the line.  I nearly catch another 50k runner but he sees me and picks up his pace and I stop to walk for just a few seconds before trying again.  The last mile is around 8:40 pace, though it feels like the legs aren’t moving by this point.  The finish finally appears and I cross in 5:31:19.  Turns out that put me 32nd out of 214 overall.

Post race

I parked myself in a chair at the finish, re-hydrated, cheered the finishers coming through, and chatted with friends for the next couple hours until the need for food and and a shower was too overpowering.   Post race hanging out is really the best part of any race.

Summary / Lessons

I am very pleased with the race overall.  It was probably my most complete run to date.  Still there are plenty of lessons to be had and more than a few areas to work on.

One lesson is that handhelds are not for me on these longer runs.  I switched to a handheld half-way through and within a few miles regretted it.  Not only does it restrict how much food I can carry but my back started hurting and I felt that it impacted my running rhythm.

I probably didn’t take enough water early.  For the last 3 hours I was drinking about 40 oz per hour but it didn’t feel like enough there.  Once you are behind, it is very hard to catch up.  I probably got a bit loose with my food towards the second half of the race.  Both things to continue to work on.

My time at aid stations was well spent and efficient thanks in large part to my lovely wife.

Overall, my fitness is coming along, just need to continue to work on getting more efficient.  Core strength is certainly something in need of focus.  I also need to work on sustained pace and pushing it in the last third of a race.  Something to talk about with Joe and work on before future races.

On the plus side, my new shoes are working great for me.  While they may look dorky (they are alternatively referred to as moon shoes, clown shoes, or short-bus shoes), for the first time since August I can run regularly without pain in my right food.

(Hoka One One Mafate — yes, they are 2 inches thick on the bottom)

Quick year in review

2011 was my first year running with any amount of consistency in over 17 years.   I started hike / jogging summer of 2009.  Lots of 2 to 4 miles ‘runs’.  These were designed more to wear out my 2 year old Weimaraner than out of any notion of fitness.  2010 brought 3 to 5 mile runs with an occasional long of 8 miles.  The pounds dropped (I am now down just over 40 from my peak) and for the year I averaged less than 50 miles per month.  After an ill-fated attempt at the Austin Half, I confirmed roads were not for me.   I joined up with Joe and the Tejas Trails group and 8 months later I am running 40-50 miles per week almost all of it on trails, enjoying it much more, and running distances that I couldn’t contemplate just a year earlier with plans for many more.

For 2012, my tentative calendar is:

Gorge Waterfall 50k, March 24

Hells Hills 25k, April 7th - Anniversary of first trail race.

Guads – May

The Ranch 30k (maybe, I get free entry after the mess from last year), June 10th

Mule Shoe 30 or 60k, July 21st – training run

Angels Staircase 50 (k or mile), Sept 11th

Reveille Ranch 30k - training run

Cactus Rose (relay or ?)

Bandera 50k 2013

I look forward to what 2012 brings.

Last picture is from Ed Swarthout who took this the morning of Bandera:

 

Two months ago, my wife suggested we head to Berlin to visit some friends.  I decided since I was going to be Europe may as well try to see if there was an interesting race to run while I was there.  The Dorset Ultra fit the bill and the schedule.

Pre-Race

Plane (x2), train (x2), automobile.  Not an ideal pre-race rest plan spending 22 hours in transit from Austin, Texas, to Weymouth, England, with snatches of sleep along the way.  Rolled into where I was staying about 7pm and after checking in at race registration tried to head to bed.  Of course, I couldn’t sleep.  By morning, I had about 6 hours of fitful sleep over the course of the previous  2 nights.

Race

The series races include Ultra / 50k, marathon, half marathon, and 10k.  The attendance was tilted towards the shorted distances; 70% of the entries where half or 10k.   At 8pm, the 80 who were entered in the Ultra plus about 40 early start marathon runners headed to the starting corral.  Timing was done differently than I’ve seen before.  Instead of all heading out at once, one by one people slot their timing chip into a box and then head out on the course.  Chip time determines the finishing order.  You also slot your chip into boxes at each check point.

I don’t typically describe courses as in my race report in detail but this course had some unique features.  The first of which are these stiles that pass over between fields.

(picture not from the race weekend but this is along the Dorset coast)

They definitely caused minor traffic jams early in the race while later on they grew slick with mud (and seemed to have grown a few feet taller).

The first 2.5 miles are easy as you work through a series of these gates and down towards the coast.  Then comes the first  climb and sets the tone for the rest of the race to come:  hard climbs up and wicked steep descents.  The trail is clay mud so sticking to the grass if possible is the best plan of attack.  There are often stairs but it was best to avoid them if possible.

Next next little section features Bat Cove and Durdle Door, a major local sightseeing attraction.

(all images here and below from here)

Shortly after checkpoint 3 was a nice climb followed by another brutal descent (-35%).  The footing was bad and I simply couldn’t find a way to relax and let go.  Thus begun the trashing of my quads.  Mile 8 to mile 9 was easy enough and my total time was around 90 minutes so on the surface I was doing well but it wasn’t sustainable.  I was working too hard and my quads already were feeling the effects of the downhill descents.  Even worse, my foot issues flared up.  I’d had hoped that the relativity soft and smooth course would be kind to my foot where I am battling something that seems a lot like Morton’s Neuroma (official diagnosis has been elusive), however, a caught a rock just right and on came the pain.

Starting at mile 9-10 came the most difficult stretch of the race, both physically and mentality.  5 big climbs over 8 miles, average grade around 12%.  The first climb was the worst at ~30% over a quarter mile but the others were certainly no picnic.  Plus now I had to deal with foot pain.

On the climb up to checkpoint 4, I started to cramp up a bit.  After troubles with hydration during a 50k 2 weeks ago, I was trying to be more vigilant with water but I think I got a bit sloppy during this section of climbs.  On the plus side, I was doing pretty well on nutrition and my stomach felt great.  I filled up at CP4, popped a few more s-caps, and started the trek back.   Up until this point we had been hugging the ridge line right next to the cliffs but now we were going to work a bit inland.  Passed through a gate and came upon a half dozen horses.  How nice it would be to borrow one of those for the rest of the race.  I was doing my best at this point not to start to entertain ideas of cutting the run short and finishing with the marathon runners but it was feeling like a losing battle.

Around mile 18, we came back through West Lulworth and where we merged with the half marathon runners.  Mixing in with the half marathon runners was a mixed blessing.  One one hand, it was nice to be around some people again and I had a few nice chats, but on the other hand, they were much fresher and moving much better than I was at this point on a whole.   There was a mix of locals, tourist, and spectators cheering on the runners as they came through town that provided a nice lift to the spirits.

Miles 18 to 21 was one long climb with a few false summit.  It was along one of these false summits, that I settled the question of whether I was going to finish the full Ultra or not.  Any time goal was long since out of the question.  The next 5 miles, I move as well as I have in a while.  Granted it was net down hill but, still, I was running more than I wasn’t and that couldn’t be said for the previous 10 miles.  At mile 25 was a turn-off for the Ultra from the Marathon course, I had made the cutoff with about 30 minutes to spare.  It was a pretty aggressive cutoff as they didn’t want anyone out there along the cliffs after dark and many runners didn’t make it.

The extra miles looped back onto part of the coarse we did earlier in the day.  After 1000 runners through, the muck was considerably worse.  Miles 27 and 28 was the very first climb of the day all over again, it just took 50% longer this time through.  At this point, I started hoping for a DFL.  If I was going to struggle so much at least I could get a DFL (dead fucking last).   Somewhere around mile 30 was the last aid station and I stopped and some biscuits (english biscuits, so closer to a light butter cookie) caught my eye.  They were the most brilliant thing ever at that point in time.

The last 5 miles took about an hour and I finished at 7 hours, 5 minutes, 51 seconds.  Unfortunately that wasn’t even close to a DFL as I was 27 out of the 39 who finished the Ultra (~50% starters finished).  Looking back at the splits, I gave up the majority of time and places in that middle section.  I could have been better prepared for the hills and the lack of sleep certainly played a role, but mostly I think it came down to bad technique on the downhills and loss of mental focus.  It probably didn’t help that I ran a 50k two weeks prior and I didn’t feel all that recovered from that race.  There certainly wasn’t that spring in my legs that you hope for pre-race.

Race stats:

• Distance:  33.6 miles (~55k)
• Ascent:  6013 ft
• Finishing time:  7:05:51

Post Race

That evening there was lecture (and beer) event.  Stuart Mills shared stories about his 2 runs through UTMB and his approach to training.  Tobias Mews & Phil Davis provided many laughs with their story of running the Marathon de Sables desert stage race.  What was interesting was both Stuart and Tobias’ approach to training which emphasized fewer but high quality miles.  The message in both was simply have confidence in your plan and follow it.  Both discount long slow miles.  This is a large debate right now in endurance running and the high-intensity workout method falls in line with the crossfit theory of workouts.  I see the merit in it but I also wonder if the improved performance is also due to having a strong endurance & fitness base.  I suspect that both methods are beneficial and cycling back and forth may be the right approach depending on where you are in your training / racing cycle.  Something I think I am going to think about as I start my next training cycle after Bandara.

I wasn’t pretty out of it from the lack of sleep and the run so I wasn’t overly sociable but I did meet some very nice runners and chatted about the usual things trail runners tend to chat about.

If I was in England, I’d do every one of these races.  I’d make another side trip if future travel plans align.  The races are in beautiful locations and well run.

One nice surprise is that I won the guess the winner’s number contest.  That scored me a free set of 2XU compression tights.  I can only compare them CW-X compression gear.  They are a bit thinner which is nicer during warmer days.  They also have a better seam design and overall are comfortable and good design.  The only problem I have with them right now is that it seems that the ankle opening is too small and not elastic so it is very difficult to get it over my heel when pulling on.

The other new is that I recently picked up is a pair of Hoka Mafate trail shoes.  I really wish I had them at Dorset.  I have 5 runs in them of varying lengths, including 3 over technical trails, and for the first time in many months, I haven’t had foot pain while running.  They are certainly a bit different but I’ll put up with clown feet for pain-free running.  So far the only area where I have found the Hokas to be a bit challenging is going fast through weaving trails, especially if the trail is slick.  In general, I wouldn’t call them an agility shoe but for trail running, they have solved one my biggest nagging problems and make running long technical trails fun again rather than being a run filled with tiny land mines on every step.

My plan was use Wild Hare as a test run prior to Bandera.  However, thanks to a bit of fortuitous timing, I signed up for the Dorset Ultra so now Wild Hare was 2 weeks before Dorset so I thought to use it as a gear check and last long run.  The required gear list for Dorset includes wind jacket, first aid, foil blanket, mobile phone, hat, gloves, whistle, water for the 7 to 10 miles between aid stations, and whatever food you may need for the full 34 mile run.  So I loaded up the pack and headed out to Warda.

Lap 1 

Went out a bit too fast but nothing new there.  The lead group of 6 or so jetted off.  I had never run here before so spent the first loop becoming familiar with the course and plotting it against the course map I had looked over.   One of the great things about joining up with a running group is seeing your training friends on the course.  They are always good for a smile and a word of encouragement.

Came through at about 73 minutes for first 8.5 miles.

Lap 2

Since this was practice for 7 mile apart aid stations, my plan was to only use the main start / stop aid station to refill on water.  I also was carrying the food and other supplies I’d need.  Stopped briefly to grab some more water and then walked for about a minute while eating a Stinger Waffle before heading out again.  From here to the next aid station, ran about on my target pace (10 min miles).

Half way through each loop as steep decline through a set of switchbacks.  A couple other 50k runners and I approached the drop in only to run right up the backs of some 25k runners who pretty much stopped and then tiptoed down the path.  This was one of the narrowest sections of the course and there was pretty much no way around them.  After a couple requests, we got them to stand aside.  I loved those downhill sections since it is a nice time to stretch the legs out and fly so I was disappointed to not to be able to run them on that loop through.

It was during the back section (the fields) that some warning signs started to arise.  First my feet started with the hot spots.  I had been struggling with various foot pains for the past 2 months so that wasn’t unexpected but new was a hot spot on my left foot.  The bigger issue was that I was starting to labor with my running more than I expected.   I had the same thought that David did about training patterns being one of the possible causes.

Worked my way back to the start / stop aid station and came through at about 2:23 for 16 miles which was just about exactly on pace.

I spent about 8 minutes at the aid stations changing into a different pair of shoes and re-filling on water.  I wasn’t feeling good and I believe it was here I informed Joe that wasn’t all that fond of him.  Good natured, of course. Mostly.

Lap 3

There is always something new or unexpected when running for a long time on the trails.  The Wild Hare course isn’t really that technical, hilly, or difficult on the surface.  But for this race, we had a warmer weather and lots of humidity.

Lap 3 quickly became a struggle and by the time I reached the mid-point aid station I was cramping up.  I thought I was drinking enough so I loaded up some s-caps and had a banana + some gatorade and then headed back out.

The course plays a some mind games with you at this point.  Line of sight, you are never very far from the aid stations but on the course you may have 3 miles to go.  It is so easy to just walk off the course and be back at the start / finish line to be done with it all.  With about half the loop left, my main goal became not to get lapped by the leaders.  I expected them to come in around 4 hours.   I made it, but not my much.

On the plus side, the change of shoes seemed to help with some pains but the MT101s seem to collect little rocks and twigs.  It was here where I decided to let my wife order up some dirty girl gaiters.  I can only imagine what pattern she will inflict on me.

Lap 4

Simply a struggle at this point to stay running.  I looked forward to the uphill sections since it was an excuse to walk.  I was walking elsewhere but at least I didn’t feel bad about walking the uphill.  Stops here and there to empty the shoes (discovered later that what I was imagining as a twig in my left shoe was actually a very large blister).  Played leap frog with a few 50k runners but mostly lost places.

Crossed the line at 5:33.  By nature, I am disappointed with the result.  I always want to do better.  Lots of should of, could of, would of that run through your head.  But this was my first 50k and the basic goals were:  complete this distance so in my upcoming races I can focus on running and not question whether I can simply finish the distance, test out some gear, and learn new lessens (or re-enforce what you already know but sometimes fail to do).  All accomplished.

Post race

Beer, burgers and hanging out with other runners is pretty much why we run ourselves into the ground.   After a few hours of recovery disguised as hanging out and helping with medals, I got in the car and headed home.

“If it was easy, Oprah would do it.” — Joe Prusaitis, Race Director, coach, all run trail bad-ass.

I didn’t expect to struggle so much the last two laps.  For all the various reason I thought up, it was the most obvious:  dehydration.  Even after several beers, burgers, chips, coconut water, etc, I was down 5 pounds when I got on the scale upon returning home.  Ouch.  I know better and I really thought I was drinking enough.  It is pretty apparent what was happening in hindsight and this serves as brutal reminder about staying on top of hydration.

After coming off a reasonably good effort at Reveille Ranch I was trying to figure out what to do next.  Thinking that it would be nice to get up to the northwest in the summer, I floated the idea of a race to some of my friends up there and Angel’s Staircase came up as the best weekend for a trip up.  I then spent the next few months coming to terms with having to climb up 5,000 ft over the first half of a 25k.

Pre-Race.

Initially I was planning on flying Thursday evening but the giant ball of death has been unrelenting this summer and I was getting tetchy so I flew out Tuesday and spent a nice two days Seattle with friends before making the 4.5 hour drive east and north.  A 10k in Woodland Park and around Greenlake in 60 degree temps was refreshing.  Woodland Park used to be the main training ground and race course for a high school cross country team I coached about 8 years ago.  It was considered one of the hardest courses in the district but now feels pretty tame overall.

I rolled into the Foggy Dew campsite Thursday afternoon and grabbed a stunning spot right where 2 creeks come together.  Quickly met my camping neighbors which turned out to be a group down from Canada down for the race.  Amazing group of folks and a joy to be around all weekend.

I wanted a peek at the course so I headed up the road a bit and did a 10k out and back.  Oh my, what did I get myself into?  Headed back to the campsite, washed off in the ice cold creek and spent the next day and half before the race enjoying the outdoors, reading, hanging out with my new friends, while waiting for the rest of group to show up.

Race Day.

Up at 4:30 which wasn’t too bad since my internal clock was still on Austin time more or less.  Not a great night of sleep (nor the night before).  I am not a skilled veteran of camping and not well adjusted to sleeping on the hard ground or amongst the rushing waters.  Definitely have gone soft.  Gathered up my gear and my fellow runners and headed up for check-in.

James Varner (race director) gives us the pre-race briefing; difficult and minimal would be the summary.  Minimal course markings.  Minimal aid stations (the 50k and 50m is pretty much self supported with no drop bags).  Watch for horses and motorbikes.  Downgrade if you have any question at all.  He is billing this as the most difficult trail race in Washington.  And then we are on our way.

The course immediately heads onto a single track climb.  It pretty much looks like this:

Photo via Yitka Winn

The group settles in and after the first mile and half the rhythm of hike / run starts to set in.  Having run this first part a few days before, I have a good idea what to expect and know that it is best to be conservative through here since it gets only harder as we go along.  I am striving to run the Tejas Trails way:  steady on the climb, bomb the downhills.

We make our way to the first aid station at the 4.5 mile point.  I am carrying a pack and am well stocked with supplies so I cruise by to find a nice relatively flat section which leads us to first, holy $#@! climb up a set of switch backs that take us above the tree line.  Up to this point we had been bouncing along at about a 10-12% average grade with a few stretches up to 20%.  The switchbacks were 30% grade average.  It didn’t take that long to get through them, only about 15 minutes, but it moment of truth.  The only thing that was reassuring was that everyone was hitting the wall with me.  At this time I was in a pack of about 10 runners and I let a few go by.  These were locals who trained in these mountains with much stronger climbing legs.  Had a nice chat with a 50k runner from Kolowna until I let him continue on ahead.

The switchbacks also introduce us to the technical portion of the course.  Up to this point, the trail has been mostly soft dirt and few rocks or roots.  A patch of mud here and creek there but very easy going footing wise.  Above the tree line was a different story.  The switchbacks are loose rock over hard rock.  Sharp turns with serious fall off would warrant attention on the way back down.

Photo via Thomas Frizelle

The switchbacks dumped us into Merchants Basin.  After the proceeding climb, you have a moment of hope of a flat section but it is a cruel lie.  The basin is mile or so section of 15% average grade single track where you have the option either running in a ankle to hip deep narrow rut lined with rocks or running up next to the track where you find ankle breaking mini-moguls of dirt.  I did a bit of both.  I felt like I made fairly ok progress through here but looking back at my splits, it was slow going.  I had gone from averaging around 15 minute pace for the first 4.5 miles to 20 minute pace average the next 3.  Through this area I made up a bit of ground on the few people ahead of me.  I couldn’t see the lead pack but figured that they were nearing the peak soon.

The basin is where the scale of the whole race really hits you.  Up to that point you are among the trees.  It is lovely with the creek and waterfalls to one side but your view is pretty limited to those area immediately around you.  In the basin everything opens up.

Photo via Thomas Frizelle

The basin trail does a long switch back that leads into another section of evil.  A mile or so of 20% grade climbs over a rocky trail.   One section peaked out at 39% grade and there was good sections of 25% plus.   But were were nearing the top so time to get a move on.  It was in this section, about a mile from the top I saw Erik Stanley bouncing down the trail.  Gave him a “Longhorns represent” as he cruised by.  Erik had brought up a group from Rogue that had trained for this race.  It was great to have contingent of Austin folks in the race and all acquitted themselves very well.  A few minutes later second came through and from there to the top it was a balance between staying focused on the climb and dodging runners coming down the hill.  I saw one of my new Canadian friends in about 8th but not too far back from the top 5.

I had caught back up to the 50k runner from Kolowna and he asked me about how I was finding the elevation.  I hadn’t given it any thought to that point.  We were 8,000 feet up so not too bad but certainly a change for us flat landers.  It was easier than breathing on our 100 degree runs;  the air was cool and felt great to me.

There is a short flat section from the peak to the turnaround spot.  After an hour of hard climbing it was nice to stretch the legs out.   The view that opens up at the turn around spot is stunning.  You can see all the way to Mount Rainer.

Photo via Thomas Frizelle

I didn’t stop to admire the view.  Others were smarter in that they took a few moments to have a snack and enjoy the view, but I wanted to get down.  It was time to start running fast.  I felt surprising good at this point and knew that I could step on gas and attack the second half.  I caught 2 runners within the first half mile or so on the hard scrabble descent into Merchants Basin.  Per the Texas way, I said ‘great job’ or the like to everyone on the way down.  Not sure if that is as much of thing up here as I didn’t really see it amongst others.  Barreling through the basin was tricky as this is where I ran into the bulk of the pack.  Some were in the trench and some where up next to it and that made it tricky when you are coming down so fast at them.  Games of chicken ensued and I had to jump in and out of the trench more than a few times.   I glanced behind me and saw that I had put some pretty good distance on the runners behind me.

By the time I got to the aid station, I figured that I was pretty much locked into whatever position I was in barring some drastic happening.  I wasn’t going to be caught and I knew there was a pretty good gap to the group ahead.  I was at least 20-25 minutes back of Rob (the Canadian) at the turnaround.  I figured I was just outside the top 10 but at the aid station they told me I was in 6th which sounded completely wrong.  I figured I needed about 20 oz of water for the rest of the journey and was surprised to find I still that much left.  So a glass of water, some M&Ms (they just struck me as a brilliant idea at that moment) and I headed on my way.

The rest of the way you could really fly with the good footing and some sections of longer straight aways.  I cranked away at sub 7:30 pace until it would start to catch up with me or I’d get a bit out of control and then I’d slow or stop for a second, get my balance back and spin it up again.  Also stopped to cool my hands in a creek which was lovely.  It was through here when I actually felt the elevation more as the pressure built back up.  Not sure if was made worse by the sinus cold I had been battling the past week but it was similar to the change you feel as you drop in for landing on a plane.

Before long I was at the finish.  My thighs were really starting to complain that last mile but I knew I was close so I didn’t pay them much head.  I came across at 3:04:55.  11th place which was much closer to what I expected (out of 70 finishers).  Looking at the results later, I realize I made up a good amount of time on the way down and was about 10 minutes out 6th where Rob came in after passing a couple people himself on the descent.  It took me just over 2 hours to get to the top and just over an hour to get back down.

Race in review.

Overall, I am very happy with the run.  Joe Prusaitis, John Kuss, and the rest of the Tejas Trails group did a great job preparing me.  The competitive part of me wishes I would have pushed harder up on the way up.  I felt pretty great at the finish, though that could have just been the elations of a finishing a great run through an amazing course.  I had done very well on my nutrition and hydration.  I probably could have cut out 15 minutes on the climb but hard to know what the cost would have been.  Would I have been able to bomb the downhill like I did with completely trashed legs?

However, it wasn’t all roses.  My lower back started killing me about 2.5 miles in and it would be a recurring feature of the climb up.  I think the cause is a weak core which leads to poor form on climbs where I lean too far forward.  That is something to work on and would have made a huge difference on the ascent.

Now time to pick the next race.  I tentatively had the last Capt’n Karl’s race in the plan, mostly as a training run but I have other plans that weekend.  Perhaps a Cactus Rose Relay leg?  Maybe the Warda 50k?  The next run I know I want to do and be specifically prepped for is the Bandara 50k.

Me (in orange) giving chase at the top of Angels Staircase.  Photo by Glenn Tachiyama.  Another picture of me by Glenn: