Squaw Peak 50- 2009 report

Well, it just wasn't my day. I know anything can happen in a race but I was sure hoping for more. I got to the start in time this year which was a plus. I dropped off my drop bags and began to focus on my 3rd running of the race. Once again my goal was 11:30 and I really thought I could do this. To put it in perspective, the winner finished in 8:05.

I lined up next to my buddy Phil and the race began. I wanted to get off the bike path ahead of a lot of runners in order to be in good shape at the beginning on the dirt trail and climb. I settled in behind Tom and Kacey. As we hit the dirt I felt like I put myself in a good spot not to get stuck behind too many people on the first climb. After a stop to take care of a wardrobe malfunction I was off again. I decided not to look at my split card until AS #6. I didn't want to put any added pressure on myself and just wanted to run according to how comfortable I felt. I felt strong early on and just tried to keep on top of my nutrition. I was hoping for a little cooler temps and even a little sprinkle during the day but no luck. I came into AS #5 and knew I needed to run Hobble Creek road in order to have a realistic shot at my goal. In the two prior years I walked almost if not all of the road. I HATE running on roads! I ran about 90% of it this year and was pleased with the effort. I got to AS#6 and checked my split card for the first time. I was 2 minutes off my projected pace. At that point I was psyched. Last year I felt I had a great second half of the course and looked forward to getting it on again. I left 6 and about 15-20 minutes later, all hell broke loose. It started with my Achilles. It felt great all day and I hadn't even thought about it but I got some good pain and then what I would describe as "spasms". I sat on a rock to assess what was going on. I rubbed my Achilles for about 5 minutes and began to push up the dirt road. Out of nowhere my stomach turned south. I decided to walk ab it to see if I could gather myself. I knew by going this slow I would need to push somewhere else along the way. I hit AS#7 and still wasn't feeling that great. I looked forward to leaving 7 because I love this section of the course. Fortunately/unfortunately it lasted long enough this year to enjoy it. I came into 8 and knew I couldn't stay long. I grabbed my drop bag, reloaded and off I went. After the endless climb I got into a little groove and ran the single track do the bottom of Windy Pass. It looked like a death march up the mountain and I was next. Half way up I came across a guy who decided 2- 10 ounce water bottles were going to be enough for him. SURPRISE- it wasn't. He was in pretty bad shape so I gave him some of mine and kept on going. As I was going through the bowl on Windy there was another guy just shivering on the side of the trail. I gave him my gloves and arm warmers in hopes that would help. As I got into AS #9 a few other runners already notified the volunteers about the dude shivering on the mountain so they grabbed a blanket and went after him (I hope he was okay, I never heard anymore about him- you can keep the clothes though). I left 9 knowing my goal was out of reach and could only think about my wife and kids waiting for me to show up at 10. Poor family waited along time. I bombed down the mountain and before I got to 10 I saw my 2 kids and my sister. What a rush! I then saw my wife who took pictures of her ego broken husband. I limped into 10 and spent a few minutes with the family before heading down the final 3+ miles of road. I HATE road! With about a mile and a half to go, my wife jumped out of the car and paced me the rest of the way. Boy did that ever help. Without her I wouldn't have gotten my PR. I would have probably walked it in-Thanks honey! As like the 2 years past, I met my 2 beautiful girls and we crossed the line together. 12:26:44. YIKES! Not real happy about it but hey- what can I do about it now. Overall I am disappointed in the result. Yes I got a PR but my time was less than stellar. No excuses- I just didn't have it on this day. My littlest one said' "what took you so long", my response- "it just wasn't daddy's day". No excuses, the mountain beat me down.

It was great to see so many friends and family at the finish. I feel so lucky to be surrounded by so many great people. Thank you all for your support and friendship. Congrats to all those who ran- too many people to mention. Congrats to Corky Esquivel for a PR of 13 hours- good luck at Wasatch this September. A huge congrats to Scott Jaime- 1st place in 8:05 and 8th fastest time ever. Way to go Fast Eddy! You deserve it!

It's too early to break down what went wrong/right but I am sure I will figure some things out. Prediction for 2010- under 11 hours! No question. Squaw Peak is already my focus race for next year. Race results are not up yet but I will post the link soon.

Hey- did anyone else get cut to hell on all the over growth?

Squaw Peak 50 Preview

Well the time is here- Squaw Peak 2009- my first focus race. I think of it as my favorite because this is where I was able to cross the finish line in 2007 holding one daughter and running holding hands with the other (photo). My wife was at the finish with a huge smile and a much needed hug. We did it! From there a tradition was born. Seeing my 3 girls at the finish with huge smiles more than made it all worth it. To have them tell you they are proud of you will always bring a tear to my eye and make the pounding in my legs go away- only if for a moment.

This will be my 3rd running and takes me back to my 1st 50 miler. My first year 2007, it was hot and I don't like heat. Last year 2008, it snowed and rained half the day which was welcomed. This year, it looks like scattered thunderstorms and a high around 70....PERFECT! My training leading up to the race has been better than years past. I got a late start on training due to my Achilles but it seems to be accepting of my running. I have gotten some great longs runs and more vertical than the past as well. I was on a run yesterday with Joel and Cory to give the legs a spin and it was funny thinking how much I enjoy trail running but sure can tell when the races are close. In 2007 I just wanted to finish, that's it. I remember the joy of crossing the finish line in a whopping 14:27. Time didn't matter. 2008 I wanted a 12 hour finish (time mattered) crossed the line in 12:44. Rumor was the times were almost 1 hour slower due to the weather but in my book it was 12:44. I missed my goal but was still pretty pleased with how I felt. It was a truly EPIC race. This year I have a goal. Attainable- sure. Putting a time on my race really makes me nervous. Running to finish makes me feel a little better. My goal for 2009......(drumroll).......11:30. Now lets put that in perspective. I believe the winner will go sub 9. That makes me at least 2.5 hours off the leader. Crazy to think how amazing these athletes are. In my mind I know where I need to make up some time from last year but doing it is another thing. I need to "take chances" (thanks Fish). As many know, anything can happen no the course. 50 miles is 50 miles for everyone. Nutrition, hydration, weather, pace, injury and attitude all play factors in the run. I hope most of those come together for me.

The race is sure to be competitive. There are some great athletes toeing the line: Christian Johnson, Erik Storheim, Brian Beckstead, Kevin Shilling, Leland Barker and Scott Jaime to name a few (sorry I know I left out many others). It will be great standing at the start with some great people but I am looking forward to being there next to Fast Eddy. He paced me back in 2007 and was vital to me finishing. There will be a lot of my training friends there as well: Joel, Cory, Phil, Matt, Kacey, Shane, Tom, Jaime and Ron. Good Luck to all of you and thanks for letting me share those training runs with you! Should be a great day in the mountains and sure beats yard work.

Again-GOOD LUCK to everyone and see you all at the finish line!

How sweet it is.

This post has more to do with my daughter Sami than anything else. I am so proud of her! She sometimes is reluctant to try new things are is very timid. She decided last week to try out for soccer all-stars. She gets nervous with soccer because she thinks its "my thing" and says she doesn't want to "embarrass" me. I let her make her own choices on soccer and try to encourage her to do what she wants to do instead of push her along the way. After try-outs she felt she didn't make it. Well- I got a call from the coach and said Sami had indeed made the all-star team! YES! I was so excited to tell her. When I finally let her know, she shrieked and jumped around like a little girl (wait, she is a little girl) I was pretty emotional too. Watching my kids succeed is the ultimate feeling. Congratulations Sami, I am so very proud of you. Looks like there will be a couple races I may miss due to some tournaments but hey- its worth it!

On a side note, I ran with a group and we went up to Ben Lomond Peak. LOTS of snow and lots of throbbing legs. Got up to 9700' and 16 miles. Probably my last climb until Squaw. Epic run being in the clouds and glissading one last time this year.

CONGRATS SAMI!

Pocatello 50

Finally, a race report and back on my blog. First- this is a must do race for everyone! Whether you do the 50 or the 2 or 3 person relay. Put this race on your to do list and you will not be disappointed. Jared Campbell, Ryan McDermott and company put on a first class race with some beautiful trails. To all the Pocatello locals, THANK YOU! You all have a nice backyard.

Now, I did the 3 person relay with Phil (Ogden, UT) and Greg (Dillon, Montana). Phil did the 1st leg (16.9 miles 4500' gain, 5150' loss), Greg the 2nd (15.6 miles 3600' gain 2950' loss) and I was lucky enough to do the 3rd. Getting up at 4 am and not running until 2:30 pm makes for a tough day. I guess it can be like crewing and pacing rolled into one. Phil and Greg both did awesome in some tough terrain and conditions. It was hot and challenging. When Greg came into the end of the 2nd leg, I was less than ready to go. I wasn't sure what the course had in mind for me but I did see the thunder storm roll in. Knowing I was going to be on top of Scout Mtn (elev. 8600+ feet) I wanted to get up and down as quick as possible. My leg was 19.3 miles with 5580' of gain and 5580' of loss. The trail to the top took me awhile. I got the first aid station in 1:10 but after that it was slow and go. Once on top of Scout, it was time for some glissading. My plan was to stay upright on my feet and do the best I could but gravity and poor glissading skills ruined that plan. I slipped and feel on my ass and it was game on. I was cruising down the mountain and giggling like a school girl when over to my left noticed the trail- oops I was going too far down. I dug my feet into to the snow in hopes of stopping and it launched me close to 10 feet in the air down the mountain onto my back and moving again. I finally came to a stop (a little scared but still laughing) picked up my gear (had a small yard sale) and found the trail. From there it is about 4 miles of sweet and quad pounding downhill. As I hit the last aid station I got the pleasure of meeting Greg Norrander who takes amazing race photos. After a small delay there we went down the road for about a mile and then started a climb of 600'. That doesn't sound like much but it felt like pure hell. After the climb it was down again to the finish. I did my leg in 4:47 which wasn't too good but crossing the finish and seeing my relay buddies was pretty cool. Team time 13:24 but more important a great day on the trail with some great people. Thanks to Greg and Phil for letting me run with them and spending the day. I got to hang out with Bryon Powell for a bit and listen to his summer plans. (Bryon-wear those socks with pride, those racing stripes will make you faster...promise)

Again- way to go Pocatello 50 race organizers, volunteers, runners and all. Great race and a priceless time. See full results HERE.

Malan's Run

Left Rainbow at 6 am with Joel, Brian Beckstead and Shane Martin. The plan was to run over to waterfall canyon then come back and go up to Malan's and return to Rainbow. After the weekend I wasn't sure how my legs would feel and seeing Brian and Shane in the parking lot made them buckle. These guys are solid runners and both are great guys too. It was a good pace and the temps were perfect. We hit Malan's and Brian and Shane took off. Joel and I followed and met them at the overlook. From there it was fast (for me anyway). We bombed down Malan's and didn't stop till we hit the car. Another solid 10 miles and some vertical 3000+. It is great to run with these guys and sometimes a little intimidating. Overall, I feel good and after the back to back weekend I was pleasantly surprised how my legs responded. Thursday will be a easier 9 miles and then off to the Pocatello 50 to run the relay with a couple of friends.

Got that outta the way

This weekend was marked on my calendar for a nice back to back. Leading up to Squaw Peak last year I got out for some great training runs during the same time frame and felt it was the most beneficial so I wanted to try and replicate it a bit this year.
Friday night/Saturday morning= I met Cory, Matt, John and Leland at Rainbow Gardens at 11:00 pm for a solid run. The temps were great and once again I was the slowest guy in the group. We ran over the Bues parking lot and on the way back we went up to Malan's. This was the first and possibly last time I was on Malan's (lookout before the basin) at 2:35 am. After we left Malan's we all were pretty beat except for Matt who probably could have gone for another 15+ miles. Total distance was 18 miles and over 4000' of elevation. Total time was 4.5 hours.
Sunday= I met Joel and we drove up to Wheeler Creek for a nice 20 mile run. We headed up Wheelers and it was cold. Just my PI short sleeve shirt and shorts, no glove, no sleeves. We hit Art Nord and headed up to Maples and then to the Ogden Overlook for more vertical. From there we headed over to Snowbasin and it started to really heat up. We hit the lodge for a re-fill then took the upper Green Pond trail and winded down to the road. We crossed over and hit the trail down to icebox. Icebox was fantastic. Such a beautiful section of trail there. The heat really took its toll on me and reminded me I needed some heat training before Squaw or I will be in trouble. We reached the car with 19 miles and 4730' of elevation. Almost 20 but I will take it.
For the weekend= 37 miles 9 hours on my feet, 9000' of elevation, heat and some beat legs. I feel good about this heading into the week. This weeks goal is Tuesday run (maybe Malan's) then easy Thursday with the Pocatello 50 on Saturday (17 mile leg). Squaw is 2 weeks away.....

Nice little spin

Got out this morning at 6am with Cory for a nice little run. I wasn't sure if the weather was going to hold but it did. Cory mentioned he was pretty low on energy so I got lucky that I didn't have to red line all day just to say close. We started at Rainbow and went to the "gate" over by WSU. Not sure the exact distance- maybe around 9?
Solid run before heading out for 2 long back to backs this weekend. I am hoping to get close to 50 miles. We'll see.....