OC100 October 10th 2015

 

  The OC100 is an Ultra Marathon event held in October on the Oil Creek State Park trails in Titusville PA. The event consists of the 100 mile/100k/50k events. Most say and I agree the event has the best aid stations in trail running along with the best volunteers. the race director is a real class act, he works tirelessly on this event and is at the finish line to greet every single finisher and hands them their buckle and the coveted OC100 sticker.

     There are 4 aid stations in this race and 2 are crew accessible. The race headquarters, start/finish line and aid station 4 are at the Titusville middle school. The Friday prior to the race there is a dinner at the school along with packet pick up. Lodging is limited in town but you can pitch a tent on the school grounds or just roll out a sleeping bag in the school gym ( lights out at 9 PM Friday). But you can also stay in near by Oil City if you cant get a room in Titusville. There are no running stores in the area so make sure you bring everything with you.

     The race consists of loops on a 50k course and the 100 mile runners will have an extra 7ish mile loop (going home loop). This is run primarily on the rocky rooty single track of the Gerard hiking trail inside of Oil Creek State Park. Each loop has about 4600 feet of gain. You will see relics from the oil drilling era of the 1860's along the course.

     I have run the 50k and dropped from the 100k event here and swore I would never try the 100 miler. I train on these trails and know how they grind you up, I wanted no part of it. However my June 100 miler at Mohican didn't end the way I would have liked and since I was signed up for the 100k I sent an email to the RD and asked for an up grade since the 100 miler was not sold out. I now had another chance to prove to myself I could go 100 miles.

Unfortunately I don't have as clear of a memory of this race as others, so this may not be as detailed as in the past.

     Since I had a base built up from Mohican my training would not have to be as demanding as the build up to Mohican, I just needed to get more gain weekly and maintain my fitness. I have been working with Damian Stoy most of the year on my training and diet and he helped me work up a great training plan that I pretty much followed to the letter. I did a lot more body weight strength training during this cycle which was great because I didn't have to go to the gym, I worked on it right at home. I also included my new Jacobs Ladder on strength days, which was a huge help in climbing hills.


     As the race was nearing I was getting heel pain and figured it was the Achilles tendon, so that would be something I would have to manage over the 100 miles, but was confident I could get it done without any major issues. I had no crew and the pacer I had lined up backed out. Pat Krott and I were talking and he didn't have a crew or pacer either so we decided to just run it together like a 100 mile training run until one of us dropped the other. So now the plan, training and location were set, only thing left was I just had to get it done.


     On Friday we went to the school for the dinner, my wife came along and she worked at aid station 3 on Saturday. After eating and picking up my packet we went to the hotel and hoped to get to bed early, as I only slept about 3 hours before Mohican and I didn't want to do that again. Pat stayed in our room, and while getting things ready for morning we watched Unbreakable: Western States 100 because its awesome and motivating. He and Denise fell to sleep around 9 or so, I know because they both snore VERY loud. I tried to sleep but could not, I laid there till at least 12:17 AM ( last I looked at the clock). I did get some sleep but got woke up around 2:40 to the shower in our room, Denise got up first to get ready, I fell back to sleep till about 3:30 when the alarm went off.

     We got our gear on and went over to the school got our race instructions and were ready to go. At about 4:50 everyone started moving towards the starting line and at 5 it was go time. Since the plan was to stay conservative early we settled near the middleish of the pack, may even have been towards the back for all I know.... it was dark (HA HA). So we start out on the 1 mile of black top bike path from the school to the trail head and as always the slinky effect started on the first climb right at the trail head. this did get better quickly as the packs started to form up and the hill separated folks some. Section 1 ends up around 7.5 miles to the aid station, which was awesome they had lights strung on trees as you got closer to the AS. We were in and out pretty quick after saying hello to everyone there ( nice running on your home trail) and started up the switchbacks that start section 2.

     While in Section 2 it stated getting light and we could see that Autumn was starting to take over Oil Creek and the green woods were becoming a mix of greens, yellows, and orange. Thankfully the leaves had not fallen much yet and the trail was pretty clear, well except for the rocks and roots that is. This section has 2 big climbs one of which is the switchbacks at the beginning the other is known as the never ending hill but they are both pretty early in the section and the rest is very runnable. Section 2 ends up being about 6 miles. As we came toward the end of the section there is a set of steps that are fairly tough to climb and I said to Pat these are gonna suck on the 3rd loop aren't they, of course he said yes. As we exit the trail we head down a dirt road towards AS 2 (crew accessible) and find our drop bags, get some food, fill our bottles and grab some Hammer gels. I dropped my head lamp, long sleeve shirt and buff but put on a visor and we set out for section 3.

     As we started on our way to section 3 we had seen a couple of our friends come in that I didn't figure would be near us but they looked to be in good shape and not pushing hard. As with every section at OC, we started the climb up into section 3. Section 3 is the longest of the 4 at 9ish miles but the local Boy Scout troop sets up at Cow Run Camp Grounds with water and a Ham radio, and that is about 5 miles in. Most of section 3 is very runnable, which is nice because you can really make up time if you need it but its so long it seems it takes forever to get through it. I really enjoy the section except for about 1.5 miles of it near the end. its a huge climb with most of it in what seems like a creek bed, thankfully it was dry. Once to the top of that hill though its pretty easy going to the aid station. The last bit of section 3 is a technical decent to a dirt road that you run down hill on right to the aid station. This happens to be the one my wife was working at and again we knew all the volunteers which makes it nice. We ate, filled the bottles, grabbed more Hammer gels and we were off to section 4 but as we were leaving the aid station my friends Bill and Tiffany were hot on us again, this time I talked to Bill. I said how far a head of your plan are you he said 40ish min. so I said isn't that about how far a head you were last year and he said yep. In 2014 Bill went out too fast and paid for it in the end with a DNF by not making a cut off. He assured me he felt good, I was worried for him but I had myself to think about so off we went.

    Section 4 starts with a climb named cemetery hill, there is a cemetery on the hill, dating back to at least 1812. During this climb is when my heel really started to bother me. after we ran through a good part of section 4 I had to sit down and do some massage work on the Achilles to relieve the pain and tightness. I made the decision at that point to stop every 5 or 6 miles and hit it real quick to keep it at bay and not have it impact the run. At the end of section 4 we came out to the black top road and crossed the tracks to start what is known as the Drake Well loop, which is about a 1 mile loop around Drake Well and along side Oil Creek back to the tracks and to the bike trail back to the school for the end of lap 1 and AS 4. Before we were able to leave Bill had come in right behind us again, I talked to him and he said he still felt great so that was good to hear.

     We got some food, addressed any thing that needed it, like my heel, got our gels and were on our way back out the bike path to start the 2nd loop. The 2nd and 3rd loop follow the same line as the first loop. Section 1 was pretty uneventful we just kind of moved a long at a slow pace  put still within my personal goal, stopping once to hit the heel. We came into AS 1 and it was not too busy at all, we just got what we needed and started the climb up the section 2 switchbacks, and on to the never ending hill. It had become a great day, sun was shining and it was in the mid 60's, perfect for what we were doing. Some time in section 2 my knee started to hurt a bit, I think it was compensation due to my heel issue, but it wasn't bad. We got to the steps that I spoke about above and they were a treat, I could only imagine how loop 3 was going to feel. We came in to AS2 which had some activity but not too busy and we grabbed our drop bags as it was late evening at this point and starting to cool. I grabbed some trail mix and a couple fig bars to eat later put on a dry t shirt and long sleeve shirt, a buff and my headlamp. We got some food and I addressed my heel and knee for a bit before heading back out. On our way out we did see Tiffany but no Bill.


     As we were climbing the hill into section 3 we heard the familiar WHOOOOO from Bill, he was still not far behind us.  Section 3 seemed much longer this time and it was nice to get to Cow Run and take a bathroom break. We finished section 3 a bit behind but well under cut off so there was no concern, just running easy. I think we were in and out of AS 3 pretty quick and into section 4 again. During this climb my knee was really starting to bother me, I took some fish oil in hopes of keeping it reasonable. It seemed to work ok, but it was getting colder, and I was getting sleepy. We got through section 4 pretty fast and I was on the lookout for zombies. Zombies as I found out from Pat along the way since dark were the folks that were in rough shape and could hardly function. We got into AS 4 around 10 PM, still on pace for a 28-29 hr. finish. We spent some time here ate some soup, addressed my heel and knee. Oddly Pat was having knee issues as well. I had 2 cups of soup and 2 cups of coffee. We got out of there in about 20 ,min, which was far too long but much needed.  We started the 3rd loop and somewhere early in section 1 I could hardly keep my eyes open, it was crazy. Pat was having the same problem so rather than get injured stumbling like a zombie ourselves we thought lets nap for 15 min. Pat set his watch, we pick out our spots just off the trail and too a nap. All of a sudden someone is waking us up....... it was Bill. Its funny now but man I lost 5 min of sleep. He introduced us to his pacer and new friend from Canada.

     We hiked with them for a bit but wanted to start running, so we went around and really started feeling good. The nap was a huge success! We had passed a few folks rather quickly and one guy said " Hey you guys woke up" and we all laughed then we never seen them again, maybe they took a nap. We got to AS 1 for the last time and took care of what we could and ate. I had a bunch of strawberries, which were awesome. The climbs in 2 were rough and seemed far longer than earlier in the run. I don't recall passing anyone in section 2 but we might have. The hellish steps were tough but it was the last time I had to deal with them and I was thankful for that.  AS 2 was buzzing and we got to see Allison ( Pats girlfriend) which lifted out sprits, she crewed us there and I ate whatever fresh  fruit I could find. I took a trick from a friend and laid on the ground and elevated my legs on a picnic table while I ate.  We took a while at this AS as well, but it was needed. We had heard that Tiffany was not feeling well and she had slowed down considerably. We got out of there after far too long and started the climb up into section 3.

     Section 3 was LONG, wow it was a huge mental challenge and physical beating. Towards the end of the section Pat had his lowest low of the night, we managed everything pretty well but it was tough. We came into AS 3 and there was a few folks at the fire and another set of people just taking of into section 4. We ate and sat down for a bit, I did close my eyes and slept for like 5 min. Pat called out to me and we went into section 4 and started the cemetery hill climb for the last time. Section 4 took a while, we were beat but we got it done. The sun had come up during this section, which was nice and it was another great sunrise with a blue sky. We got the Drake Well loop done and headed down the bike path, mostly walking it as the black top was putting a beating on me knee. We came into AS 4 to both Denise and Allison. We dropped some gear ate real quick, filled the bottles and got out for our last 7ish miles. Once we got into the trail I felt pretty good and kind of took off a bit, we passed a good number of folks so that was very cool at that point. We took out time the rest that loop, all we had left was the last climb of the day. Its called the Hill of Truth, very long and at 95 or 96ish miles it was very tough. But once we got to the top it was a couple small rollers but over all down hill and 1 mile on the bike path ( which we walked most of) and crossed the finish line at 30:23. Much slower than planned but the over all goal was to make it, which we did.

      It was amazing getting the 100 miles done on the home trails with so many friends at the finish line, I will not soon forget that finish!

What I learned:

• A nap isn't a bad thing and could save your day
• eating fruit as much as possible is very refreshing
• 100 miles is a long way
• seeing 2 sun rises within the same run is pretty amazing
• not changing socks and shoes if what you have is working ( learned at Mohican, tested at OC)
• have a plan but prepare to toss it out, don't be a slave to the race plan, take what you can and let the miles come to you.

Gear:

• Suunto Ambit 2 watch
• Montrail Mountain Masochist II
• Injinji sock liners
• Ice Breaker socks
• Race Ready shorts
• Nike Long Sleeve shirt
• Hanes long sleeve tech shirt
• Nike short Sleeve shirt (2)
• Pearl Izumi wind breaker
• 20 oz Amphipod handheld
• Buff, and Half Buff
• Sugoi visor
• Pearl Izumi gloves
• Nike gloves

Food and Nutrition:

• Hammer Endurolytes - since the temps stayed low I only took about 1 every 3-4 hours
• Hammer Anti-Fatigue Caps- took 2 each loop
• Fish oil as a pain reliever
• couple Tylenol on the 3rd loop to help with pain
• Aid station foods- fruit, pizza, grilled cheese, spinach wrap 
• 25-30 Hammer gels
• 3 Natures Bakery fig bars
• trail mix
• 2 bottles of Perpetuem through out the day

    


    


    


    

Health Update

Well its been about a month since the Mohican 100 and I am happy to report that my feet are 100% blister free. The swelling on the top of my foot is gone and the pain is nearly gone. I am back up to running about 40 miles a week and strength training 2-3 times a week.


Today I had my annual physical and got some great news, my blood pressure is perfect and all the other normal "stuff" checked out very well. I had blood work done last week so we could review the results today as well and these are the results:


Cholesterol - 115
HDL - 78
LDL - 29
Triglyceride - 38
Glucose - 90
Vitamin D - 39


My doctor said these are some of the best numbers he has ever seen. He also said he does not agree with how much I run but with a physical as good as this, how can I argue with the results.


I am sure exercising daily is a huge factor but the changes in my diet have added a great deal of improvement in these results and in my life. As of April I gave up Dairy for the most part, aside from pizza time to time (cheese), I also added 2 smoothies a day and recently have increased that to 4 a day.


The ingredients are as follows:


2 banana's
1 cup blueberries
1 cup strawberries
1 TBLS honey
2 TBLS chia seeds
2 TBLS flax seeds
hand full of almonds
1 cup of kale
1 cup of  spinach
1 tsp of ginger
1 tsp of cinnamon
1 tsb of turmeric
12 oz of water


blend this all up and it makes 2 servings. Very hydrating, filling and calorie packed.


On a side note I am waiting delivery of a Jacobs Ladder that I ordered in June and found out today I will be receiving July 31st. This is an amazing machine that will greatly aid in fitness and climbing ability. Check it out at http://www.jacobsladderexercise.com/ Most decent gyms have them, if you have any questions or interest in buying one contact me and I can help you out with that.

2015 Mohican 100

20-21 June 2015

     This event is my first 100 mile run. I had started training for Mohican way back in February with the goal of lots of cross training to get stronger, address my weaknesses, smart running, working on form and not over training. This was done by weight training 2 days a week, using a roller nearly every day and running, of course. I had to pick my crew and pacers next, one pacer was a no brainer, Pat Krott, I had to do some thinking for who else I would trust to join my 100 mile party. I went with a friend I train with time to time at Oil Creek, Adam Peterson. I now had to get a crew together and I went with another friend whom I spent time with on the Oil Creek trails, Bill Gilbert. I also gained Damian Stoy's guidance for training, nutrition and form. Now that the crew and pacers were set I could just train right... nope.


     Adam asked if Christine Vassen could come along and help Bill. Along the way I asked Mark Cangemi along since he had major knee surgery done and was not racing this year but very willing to share knowledge. Adam then asked Tom Lane along and Dylan Hyde got invited by someone... so now I had a very large group of supportive folks to help out. Things leading up to race day went well, such as diet, training, nutrition etc were feeling good and balanced. In the mean time Pat got a job out of town and was forced to drop from pacing duties. At first I was worried but I was able to look at my team and figured I had someone who could pick up that duty. The next day or two later Pat told me he worked it out, so he was back on the team and all was right with the world.


     Finally Friday the 19th came and Denise (my wife) and I started the road trip to Mohican Adventures where our cabin ( race HQ) was located. the rest of the team was to filter in sometime Friday evening and Pat was coming Sat evening. Denise and I got there around 4, did the check in thing and decided to head to packet pick up and dropped off my drop bag. After I got my bib and the bibs for the pacers, we went back to the cabin to relax for a bit before dinner. Around 6:30 or so we went to dinner and then to the runners meeting at 7 to get any last minute instruction for the race. Around 7:30 or so Bill and Christine arrived and they came down to the meeting ( which was across from our campground).


     The evening weather was awesome...70's and sunny. I had hoped the rain for the weekend somehow rerouted and it would be nice. By 8:30 Adam and Tom arrived and we had kind of a team meeting and found out Mark would not be coming till the following afternoon. Around 9 it started raining and by 10 PM we decided it was bed time. I don't think I fell to sleep until around 12:30 or so. We then got up at 3:15 to start the day I had waited 6 months for. I got dressed and ate a light breakfast. As the others were getting ready, I tried to relax and stretch. At last it was time to make our way to the start line. It was still raining off and on but by 4:50 it was a steady rain to start the race.



     At 5 am we were off! I used the strategy passed on to me from Pat and Tom to walk the first mile or so in order to let the conga line thin out before I hit the woods. and it worked perfectly! I hit the trail head and was only in a pack of about 4 of us.  I knew to hit my goal time of 27 hrs I would want to keep my pace average around 16 min miles. This is the first time I have run these trails but heard a lot about them and what was ahead. The rain kept coming as I finished the 4.5ish miles to come into the first aid station (Gorge Overlook). My crew was there, I grabbed some food and got my water bottles filled, felt great and off I went.

   The section between Gorge Overlook   and Fire tower was the worst so far, very muddy, but it was fun. Tons of single track after you get through the bit of black top to hit the trail head from Gorge Overlook. It was mostly rolling fairly fast, I only really remember 2 large climbs. One after you get on the trail from the road, awesome switch back section, and the one near the end of the 4.5 mile section heading to the Fire Tower aid station. This was my favorite section. All 3 times I went through it were very enjoyable. As I was climbing the hill at the end of the section I heard the bells and yelling so I knew the aid station was close and when I popped out of the woods it was great to see Tom waiting for me and direct me to the crew. I changed socks at this aid station, it was still raining but I still felt great and was very positive.

     Leaving the Fire Tower aid station Bill let me know I was about 15 minutes a head of my planned time. I didn't see it as an issue, I was just taking what the day was giving me. Most of the section from Fire Tower to Pleasant Hill Dam is not very memorable except the last 2 miles or so. However shortly after leaving Fire Tower I started getting a pain on the top of my foot, (near the top of the ankle joint) every time I took a step. It was not a big deal just an annoyance and not sure where it was coming from. The last mile and half or so of this section was very cool. We went through an area that can be best described as Jurassic Park. We ran under water falls, over large rocks, through/over/under fallen trees and through creeks. This all leads you to a root climb to get to the top trail, not tough but very cool. The  photo's I added of this area are not mine but it gives you an idea of what it looked like. As I got to the top of the root wall it seemed like just a short run to the end of the trail to the Dam where my crew was waiting.

     I did not even mention my foot issue as it did not seem to bother me at that point, or I just felt rushed to get back at it. This would be the last time I will see my crew till mile 27 at the start line ( Mohican Adventures). As you leave the Dam area you are sent down a lot of steps to descend the dam. The next aid station is only about a mile from the Dam, it is known as Covered Bridge and its the site of lone drop bag. I did not need anything from the drop bag so I ate, checked in and got back at it. The next two sections were by far the longest, both in distance and mentally. The first section to the Hickory Ridge Aid station was about 5.5 miles and was a ton of climbing. The trail was really getting beat at this point, 100 milers,/50 milers and marathon runners have tore up the trail into a muddy slog. At this point the top of foot pain was moving up the outside of my shin and becoming an issue that was on my mind a lot.

      I got into Hickory Ridge and it was STILL raining. The trail was really just becoming swamp but somehow I was still very positive and the miles were going well, except for foot pain. The aid station was not very well stocked at this point, though they promised to be better stocked for the following loops. The last section of this loop was about 6.8 miles to the start finish line. Tons of climbing  it seemed, but fun. I had not seen anyone since the aid station but heard voices in front of me and was making it a game to run down the voices. I was well within my planned pace and still feeling good. This section had mile markers ticking down till we hit the end of the trail head. As I neared the end of the trail, I passed a few people and got to a dirt road with a decent hill to climb. I followed the arrows which sent us through the back side of Mohican Adventures, crossed a bridge and ended up on a black top road that took us to a black top bike path, which took us to the start line. As I got close to the Start line I was surprised to see my crew short of the aid station but it was the only place for them to park. I took a seat, changed socks fueled up and wanted ice on my foot and shin. At some point Adam wanted to try deep tissue work and I gave in to it.



      After  changing my shirt and socks and taking some fuel we took the calf sleeves off, hoping that was the cause of my foot/shin issue. I was about to head out and Bill advised me I was still about 15 minutes a head of my plan. I left my crew and went to the aid station and checked in. Then off I went on my 2nd loop.


     Realizing I was spending too much time at the aid stations, I felt pressure to blow through the rest, but knew I needed to stop and get what I needed as well..... this was going to have to be balanced well because the foot/ shin had now become a point of concern. I enjoyed the pace I was running, very slow but controlled, never out of breath or over reaching in this section. As I heard the noise of the aid station I was surprised how quickly the miles passed. I came in, sat down and Adam went to work on my foot again as I fueled up. This stop was much quicker and I got up to get ready to head out, checking with Bill, I was only a couple minutes a head on that section so I slowed to my planned pace for this loop, I was happy about that. I did tell Tom I was really wanting some Pizza for some reason and had hoped the aid stations would have some soon. Away I go on my way to the Fire tower..... in the rain.

     As I stated before, the trails were complete shit at this point but my attitude was awesome and I accepted that this is my reality and everyone was fighting the same conditions. My foot was hurting and starting to swell ( from the deep massage I think).  This section was enjoyable and before I knew it I was back to the climb before Fire Tower aid station. When I came out of the woods I once again seen Tom, who directed me to keep going through the trail about a half mile and the crew was set up in a parking lot just off the trail. I got there and they had a great surprise for me..... PIZZA! I ate as Adam tried to do something with my ankle, and Bill in formed me I was still right on pace. I asked about Pat and Mark. I was told
Pat says slow down and Mark would be there in a few hours.  I spent far too much time feeding my face, but I needed a rest  and it was nice to get under the make shift shelter the crew made and be out of the rain for a bit.

I got going again and before I knew it I was at the root wall, this time it was a bit harder to climb due to mud from all the other runners shoes but still fun. I came to the Dam right on time and my crew was there. My foot was really hurting at this point, so I got off of it for a few minutes while I ate. I was really excited because I had just passed my longest run ever and I was right where I wanted to be time wise and felt amazing other than the foot. As I got up I informed my crew I would be late the next time I would meet up with them due to trail conditions and wanted to save my foot a bit. I got going down that large hill again and on my way to Covered Bridge aid station. This time through it was very, very muddy and I just wanted to start climbing to Hickory Ridge aid station because the trail was a bit dryer while climbing for some reason.

     I checked in at the Covered Bridge aid station and was on my way. This section seemed to take a long time, it was getting late and I had had my fill of aid station food and was taking fruit and eating gels. I finally got to Hickory Ridge and got some more fruit and pop ate and drank while I walked. I was getting tired... wanted a nap, ha ha. I got through the muddy mess and back out to the dirt road hill through the back side of Mohican Adventures, on the bike trail and ran till I got to my crew. I was happy to see them and excited to see Pat was there. At this point my foot/shin/and ankle had a ton of swelling, the crew iced and I changed my shirt, grabbed my hydration pack changed shoes and socks. Mark had got there also, so my crew was huge and things got very confusing for me and a bit stressful. Pat kept trying to get me out of there and finally I was able to do so. Adam was on pacing duty now so my next 23 miles I would have company.

      The 3rd loop started well enough, but it was not long and I started to feel blisters starting. I could not believe it, to get about 55 miles in the rain with no blisters then they start when the rain stops and I get fresh socks and shoes. In order to save my foot Adam and I took this section as a run and hike. Pace was great and when we got to the Gorge Overlook aid station we hit the target time and things were looking good, I was still on my 27-28 hr goal. The next stop for us was the Fire Tower, most of this section for me was a blur. I just could not focus and my blisters on my right foot and both heels were getting much worse, so I stopped and made my shoes much tighter, as I think the crew let them way too loose, I should have adjusted them before I left the Mohican Adventures aid station but I kind of just wanted out of there.

     As we made our way to the Fire Tower aid station we walked into a very sad state of affairs, lots of drops and folks looked rough. I grabbed some food and pop and headed over to the crew. Again we iced my foot I had some coffee and things were very, very confusing. We tried mole skin and tape on my feet to help the blistering but nothing would stick. I spent 20 min. there and only got stressed for the time spent. Since this loop is shorter, we would not see the root wall or Dam again, so the section was about 2.6 miles long. We started out hiking and I finished my coffee, did a lot of chatting and ended up walking the whole thing, my feet hurt so bad at this point. As we came into Covered Bridge Adam grabbed my drop bag, I lubed the blisters up really well, had coffee and some food and off we went.

    It was getting very late and we had some ground to cover. As we climbed up a long hill at the start of the Hickory Ridge section we talked time left vs miles left, I could not believe how much time had slipped away and now for the first time I was against the cut off. We were running and hiking pretty quick while coming up with a plan to get this thing done. The plan was I would not sit again and when we got to Mohican Adventures, I would drop my pack to my crew, I would check in at the aid station, Pat would bring my pack and batteries for head lamp to me and we would head out with out wasting any time. All I had to do now was make the cut off. Adam and I were passing folks, it was fun, Adam says see those fireflies (headlamps), lets catch em...lol and that's what we did for miles. But with about 4 miles to  go before leaving the woods for the dirt road I ran out of steam and my feet didn't want to work with me. The blisters hurt so bad, the swelling and pain in the foot was making it very hard to take steps.... and time was slipping away.

     We were within a couple miles from the dirt road and I could not put pressure on either. If I step on roots or rocks I would just tip, Adam would grab my pack and help me out, we did this for a mile or so then I came to realize it was after 5 and I had failed... more than 3 miles in less than 30 min was not going to happen at the pace I was reduced to. It was a tough few minutes of conversation with Adam but we both knew it was over I was not going to make the cutoff. At this point Adam suggested going to get his car and meeting me at the road instead of walking the dirt road and bike path. I agreed this was a good idea but we ended up just parking me on the side of the trail to get the pressure off my feet. I fell  asleep while there, for about 45 min or so, till the crew came into the woods to get me. We went out of the trail on a side trail that dumped into the camp ground, and ended up getting a ride down to the cars from a camper we accidentally woke up.

     When I got back to the cabin I took a shower, chatted with the crew for a bit, then fell  asleep while I had my legs elevated. I woke up and everyone was gone and Denise was packing up the car. I knew it had to be around noon for sure, but it was only 9:30. We checked out and finished loading the car and headed for home.

     As I sit here and type this a week later, I feel unfulfilled but I know I did give it all I had. I am happy to have made it 75 miles and that so much of my plan went well. A few things will change for my next 100, such as a much, MUCH smaller crew, too confusing and stressful late in the day. I will tie my own shoes and make as many adjustments myself as I can, go with my gut when I have a strong feeling about something and not use so much Hammer Perpetuem, it seems to bloat me after hours and hours of use, alternate with water is the answer I think. My foot swelling has gone down and I only have 1 blister left to heal, foot pain is getting better. I now have my attention on the OC100 in Oct.

Gear: 

• Black Diamond head lamp
• Buff
• Sugoi visor
• Suunto Ambit2 R watch (http://www.suunto.com/)
• Race Ready shorts
• Race Ready singlet
• Nike t-shirt
• Amphipod hand helds (www.amphipod.com)
• Nathan Hdration pack
• Icebreaker socks
• Injinji socks 
• Montrail Mountain Masochist II 
• High Desert Drop Bag (http://highdesertdropbags.com/hddb/index.php)

Nutrition:

• Hammer Gel (http://www.hammernutrition.com/)
• Gu Gel
• Hammer Endurolytes
• Hammer Perpetuem
• Hammer Sustained Energy
• Natures Bakery Fig Bars
• aid station food
• Hammer Recoverite

Odds and ends:

• Aquaphor
• Body Glide
• Pizza Hut 
• McDonalds Coffee 
• wholisticrunning.com
• Correct Toes (http://naturalfootgear.com/)

    

Glacier Ridge 50k

On May 9th I ran in the Glacier Ridge 50k. This event has 3 races, a 50 miler, 50k and a 30k. I did the 50k in preparation for Mohican 100 in June. This event is typically held during April but due to many complaints of very muddy sloppy conditions they moved the event 3 weeks later. 

This course is mostly rolling but very runable, my watch stopped at mile 29 but I logged 4026 feet of gain. It is mostly an out and back with a loop in the middle. It was very dry but I could see that if it had rained or in early spring this would be a mud fest. I have no issues with the race, the organization was great, aid stations were pretty good, and the volunteers were awesome! Post race food was great and plenty to eat and drink (water and gatorade). I will run the 50 miler here next year. 

On race day the temperature was supposed to get up to an unseasonably hot 86 degrees with high humidity. Thankfully a lot of the leaves had opened during the week so we had some cover from the sun. The 50k started at 7:30 AM, the temps were high 60's and comfortable at that time but it would not last long.  Pre race I took 2 Hammer Endurolytes, 2 Hammer Anti-Fatigue caps, then filled one hand held with water and the other with Hammer Perpetuem. 

I had a goal of sub six hours for this 50k, my previous PR for this distance was 6:42 at the HAT 50k in March of this year (forgot to blog). With the training I had been doing heading towards Mohican 100 I had no doubt I had the ability to meet this goal. Pre race was laid back, just chatting with friends new and old ( the more of the ultras I run I find you make less new friends as the community is not really that big in relation to road running), but a lot of people were concerned about the coming temps. I really didnt have much of a concern because I thought I had a solid plan and would be done before the hottest part of the day. My Plan was keep between 10 and 12 min average pace, take 2 Endurolytes an hour, 2 gels an hour, at half way take 2 more Anti Fatigue Caps and I packed 1 more serving of Perpetuem for the later stage of the race. 

At 7:30 the horn went off and we were on our way. the first 2 miles or so were on a crushed gravel bike trail that turned into a black top bike trail. The pace of the group I ended up in was a bit faster than I planned but I went with it till the trail head. As we entered the trail it was great to see how dry the trail was, we could easily see the parts that had been really wet not long ago. I settled in with a group of 4 runners that were at about the pace I wanted to be. For a bit everyone chatted a little and the day was going great. As we started doing a few of the climbs our group started to spread out to the point that it was myself and another pulling away. I was moving well and felt great, my pace at this point was a bit fast but I felt great and I wanted to hit my goal. at about the 5 or 6 mile point I tweaked my left ankle a bit on a decent, no big deal just took a few steps to gather myself and get back my cadence.  

At 10 miles we came to the first full aid station (at mile 5 we had an water stop) Things were still feeling great, Filled my water bottles and grabbed some fruit and a cookie and off I went. It was getting hot at this point and I felt great then about mile 14-18 is were things started to fall apart. the cover was not as thick in this area known as Jennings center, it is basically a loop off the main trail. I got to mile 15 aid station and ate more fruit filled my bottles and off I went, I should have drank a bottle while I was there and refilled... lesson learned. By mile 16 I was feeling the heat and my pace slowed but I was at 2:53 and was pretty sure I could still hit my goal. As I finished the loop at Jennings Center I had seen my friend Scott McCray heading into the loop, he said he had to go much slower than he already was, the heat was taking its toll on us already. I had passed a few folks on the way back to the 528 aid station and this is where I would meet Jon Cray. I filled one bottle with water and the other was mixed with Perpetuem, the fruit was gone so I had another gel and a PB&J sandwich then hiked the long hill away from the aid station. Jon and I spent a good bit of the last 10 miles together, he and I were in about the same condition at this point and it was not good. From the 528 aid station to the water only aid station was only about 5.3 miles but it felt like much more. 

At this point I was hiking all hills and mentally helping Jon get up them, he kept stopping and I would say lets take a break at the top. So thats what we did, most of the bigger hill climbs anyhow. I ran out of water about 2 miles from the aid station which made a bad situation worse, Jon was about out as well. From that point on my goal was make it to the small pond because you kind of loop the pond and hit the road with the water point on the far side. I have gotten to a low on this day that I have never felt on a run and I have run injured, sick, in snow, rain, hot etc. but this was by far the lowest mentally I have been. I am sure that added to why I found it so hard to run at this point, well that and being very dehydrated. After what seemed like all day we finally got to the pond and in minutes we hit the water point. I drank at least one full bottle then refilled and got back on the trail for the last 5ish miles ( last 2 of which were the bike trail) I started to feel the energy come back and ran a bit seemed like 2 miles but it was only like a half mile and I was zapped reduced to a very slow trot. After a bit Jon was feeling better and he took off, later I found out he only felt great for a mile or so and slowed way down again. I past 2 more people just before the bike path, once on the bike path I felt happy because I was almost done BUT at that point my stride did not resemble a run much, I can only imagination what the folks riding by on bikes thought, but I was pretty sure anyone else they passed before me had to look about the same. 

The bike path is kind of rolling for the first mile and a half or so and I was at the point of walking any hill but when I got up the last little incline I knew I was about done. As I ran the last of the bike path I went by the field we parked in and the folks were saying just a couple hundred yards and you got this etc. it really didnt energize me but when I turned left and seen the finish line I perked up . As I crossed I had seen the lake in front of me, since I could not eat due to stomach cramping I went to the car and got a towel walked to the lake where a couple other runners were hanging out and sat in the cool water for about 20 min. It was great! I finished at 7:07, I was bummed at first but when I realized the suffering that was taking place that day I felt better. I ended 19th over all and found out the next day only 39 of the 75 starters finished due to heat, the 50 miler finish rate was about the same. 

At the end of the day I learned several things: drink more at aid stations, try to not let emotion direct the body ( I could have ran more and hiked less the last 5 miles) and goals are great but every race is not apples to apples.. things such as temps, trail conditions and other factors out of my control will dictate the day, just take it in stride and have a good strong run and most important is have fun and enjoy the trails. 

Gear:

Race Ready shorts

Race Ready singlet 

Half Buff

2 20 0z Amphipods

Injinji socks

Montrail Mountain Masochist shoes

Sugoi visor

Suunto Ambit 2R watch

Dirty Girl Gaiters

Allegheny Front Trail Race 50k 7/27/2014

Since returning to running at the end of April I have slowly increased mileage and time on my feet. Heeding advice from Dr. Dan  to build the base and run slow has served me well and it is now time to test my recovery. A few weeks ago Pat Krott and I decided to run the Allegheny Front Trail Race which skirts the Moshannon State Park. Since I work 2nd shift I was able to get a couple hour nap before the road trip half way across the state. Joining me on the the trip was Pat "Ultra Dude" Krott and Allison Jeric-Carroll. I was able to get a bit of a nap (half hour maybe) on the way since Pat drove. Pat and I were aiming for PR's at this distance and Allison was not sure if she was going to run due to an illness (She ended up not running).

As we pull up registrations is just opening and we start to prepare for our run and right away I can see this is a pretty low budget event and become a bit concerned as to what will be at the aid stations. I make the decision to go with my Ultimate Direction belt so I can carry extra gels and a Clif Bar. As 7 AM nears the race director starts to review the course and moves us to the starting line.

Photos by Allison Jeric Carrol

 

 

And we are off!

Photo by Allsion Jeric Carrol



 





The race consists of black top, gravel road and single track trail. We begin the run on the road which most of us seemed to start too fast but it did thin out the pack before we hit the single track trails. As we entered the trail I was happy to see how soft the ground was, and by the end of the race realized this, in my opinion, was the best part of the 50k. Unfortunately the section was a short out and back that had us passing each other on the single track ( terrible idea, should have done it at the end). I was moving along what felt like a comfortable pace, but I knew I was moving too fast this early but I went with it. I settled in to a pace and just enjoyed the run only really thinking about foot fall and breathing. The single track was not bad, mostly flat till about mile 16 or so but around mile 15 my stomach started turning and I felt like vomiting so I spent a bit of extra time at the aid station at mile 16. From mile 17-20 or 21  was a steady grassy up hill. It was not steep but with the way I was feeling it seemed endless. Most of this section was also exposed to the sun which made things a bit more difficult. I ended up hiking most of the hill and throwing up a few times on my way up, I could not even keep down gels or water at this point. At one point the trail coming down the with the leaders crossed into the trail I was on and had seen Pat for the first time during the race he looked strong, he asked how I was and I said something like shitty, he said well the 3 miles section you are on now is the worst part of it.

I finally got to the top and tried some pop at the aid station, which I did keep down for a while. I had about 10 miles left so I got moving and pushed on. Going back down the hill I had just climbed should have been amazing but it was tough given my condition. I got to the section where I had seen Pat earlier and had seen a runner laying on the ground and he looked in rough shape, I asked if he was ok, he said yea, so I moved on. I got to the next aid station and had some watermelon which hit the spot at that moment and the volunteer said 6 miles left. I said ok just a 10k to go and pushed on. Very shortly after leaving that aid station I pucked again, ugh, so I hiked for a bit and glanced at my watch, knowing my goal was slipping away I had to push on.

I was running on some fairly smooth single track and moving at a decent pace but feeling terrible. I started to stumble a bit so I slowed my pace to avoid injury but by this point I just wanted to be done and get something to drink that would stay down. Ahead I see someone hiking towards me so I slow down. She asks if I knew if anyone was close behind me and I answer I had no idea, she replied well your almost done, only 2 miles left. This lifted my spirits, and I started moving faster. Finally through the trees I start to see buildings so my pace quickens as the trail opens up I see and hear Pat and Allison and I cross the line of my 2nd Ultra. As I came across I hear 6:48, I beat my goal then find out Pat beat his as well.


Photo by Allison

I had to deal with a few issues I had not faced in ultra running to this point to in that aspect it was great training.The trail was not bad, except for grassy hill climb. The race seemed poorly run, but the aid station volunteers were amazing. Hind sight: if I would have dealt with stomach issues better I am sure I would have been a lot faster, if I had started slower I likely could have finished faster and even though I didnt feel well I spent far too much time at the last 2 aid stations.