The Body-Training-Nutrition

It's a new year -and hopefully- a new version of me.

I didn't quite make it through last year with two DNF's (which doubled my lifetime total) but for some reason the mind kept pressing on while the body disintegrated.  I've been running trail ultra's for 10 years now, accumulating 24,704 myles while making it to the finish line at 64 ultras - something eventually had to give.  Whether it was the mind or body, it was hard for me to take a step back and not do something I truly love.

The Body

Last October I decided to take that step back to put everything back together and re-evaluate my passions.  I ran a total of 628 myles in 3 months and only ran when I wanted to and only if the body had allowed me to enjoy it.  Rewinding to the beginning of last year, my job had me traveling quite a bit but I still wanted to maintain a race a month so the only way to do that was to race myself into shape.  I picked 4 - 50 mile races in a span of 8 weeks and paid the price with shin splints.  Doesn't sound too bad but since shin splints were the very thing that almost made me quit the Colorado Trail back in 2009, I had to let them heal or miss out on Hardrock.  Next up was the lower back that I had been "putting up with" on and off for the past two years.  If I would have just looked at the tread wear on my shoes I would have seen that my stride was not symmetrical.  I was wearing through the tread on my left outside soul within two weeks.  The PT in October told me I had a proximal rotated hip which caused my SI joint to cease up on the left side.  Cindy Stonesmith fixed me up during Leadville this year but my non-symmetrical stride put the hip rotated again before I hit Winfield, resulting in a DQMITTFL.  I did, however, manage to finish UROC 100K in Virginia afterwards but I did so only to get the sour taste out of mouth and because it was relatively flat on even running surfaces.

From October through December of last year I concentrated on core work every day.  One of the books I purchased was Run with No Pain by Ben Greenfield , which had me doing very specific one sided resistance and stretches.  The pain slowly went away and with a little maintenance I am now relatively pain free.

Training

In January I put in 245 myles with another 40 on the skate skis for some cross training.  I can't confirm this but I feel the skate skiing complimented the core work I was doing to straighten out my hip.  My approach to training has taken a little twist as well.  I have taken things I have learned from coaches I have had and combined them with nutrition.  More on nutrition in the next paragraph.   January training has been a base building month by using a heart rate monitor.  I used the first 3 weeks with nothing over 150 bpm.  Then for the last 3 weeks I integrated some tempo work twice a week in the range of 160-170 bpm.  One workout designed as an LT (mile repeats) and one as a tempo (10 mile @ mp) each week, alternating weeks with flat and hills.  Here is an example:

Flat week			Hill week
Monday	2+ hrs	Long run	3+ hr	Long run
Tuesday	1.5 hrs	recovery	1+ hr	recovery
Wednesday	4 x 1mile	LT run	10 x 1 min (7%)	LT run
Thursday	1.5 hrs	recovery	1+ hr	recovery
Friday	10 mile	Tempo	2 x 20 min (undulating)	Tempo
Saturday	1 hr	recovery	2+ hrs	recovery
Sunday	off		1 hr	recovery

This schedule has been giving me about 70 myles and 10+ hrs on the feet.  Little by little I have been watching my HR drop with the same perceived effort during those long runs.  For instance, in the beginning I averaged 145 bpm with a pace around 8:20 on a course that offers 1200 ft of climbing over 15 myles.  Now the pace has dropped to 8:00 with the same average.  As I get past The Buffalo 50 mile race I will drop the flat week and go strictly on the hill week to get ready for Hardrock and other 'hilly' 50 mile races.  Here's a profile my most recent run to show where my fitness is at right now.  Getting fit.

Nutrition

As some of you might know every year I give up a food that I really love and is really bad for me.  This year it's bread.  I also gave up coffee last September so the "Bakery and Espresso shops" are a sinful place.  At any rate, I'm trying to teach my body to rely more on nutrient dense foods as opposed to carbohydrate dense foods.  I have never been a good eater and always find myself gravitating to the sweets, pastas, and breads because they satiate me most.  Call it a high carbohydrate craving that needs to come down.  Truth be told there is a real chemical dependence here with serotonin but I won't get into it.

In the October 2012 issue of Ultrarunning, Sunny Blende wrote an article entitled "Metabolic Efficiency - Becoming A Better-Butter-Burner" and a light bulb went off in my head.  I thought "I'm a carb-whore and that's what I burn, when it's gone so is my energy." Then I watched this and read "High Fat/Low Carbohydrate" by Tim Noakes.  And the last piece of influence, First Endurance has a great article on how to implement a low carb diet into training and racing.  Ultimately I am trying to teach my body to become more efficient, and by "efficient" I mean burn fat.  I honestly feel I will be better off in the late stages of 100 mile race and I will be healthier because of my eating habits.

Will this work or is this a bunch of mumbo-jumbo?  I don't know but I'm willing to give it a try and have been doing so since the beginning of the year.  I believe there is real substance here and with all the processed food here in America, it's time to train my body to reacquant itself with nutritious based food and less carbohydrate dense food.

If you care to remember anything from this post, remember this "You will never out-train a bad diet"

Pearl Izumi 2013

Not sure why I decided to put up a blogpost because for all intents and purposes, this thing is dead.  I've come to the computer several times over the past year to shut it down but just don't have the heart.  There is some good content on here and I find myself referring back to see what my fitness was like in any one month.  When I started the blog it was to log my workouts so friends and family could keep tabs on my fitness.  But now there are so many other avenues to log workouts on the computer, I just don't see the utility anymore.  Not to mention brevity is key, and with such media venues as Twitter and Facebook the blog becomes a thing of the past.  But for the sake of tradition I'll blog about important stuff and link it to my FB and Twitter accounts.

There has been talk about the Pearl Izumi Ultra running team folding.  Why would PI do such a thing when the attention was at an all time high, not to mention the launching of a new shoe line: E:Motion?  I'll put all rumors to rest by saying that the PI Ultra running team did not fold, it just changed shape.  Here is an official statement from the PI headquarters:

“We have decided to aggressively expand our trail and ultra presence in 2012 through a program called Team PI which is a grassroots program developed in concert with our rep and retailers.  In 2012 Team PI grew to 55-60 athletes across the country . This proved so successful that in 2013 that we want to grow that program to 250 members of the running community many who are a part of the trail and ultra community. Growing this program from the ground up awards many athletes a chance to be a part of PI and brings us brand awareness across the country.  There is also a direct tie to retailers. The expanded Team PI is an evolution of the concept started with the elite team and is intended to support the program with a broad base and a few highly visible athletes. We are aggressively evaluating new athletes for 2013 so, visit our facebook page to find out if a Team PI program exists in your territory and to learn more.”

7 years ago when Aric Manning, myself, and Bob Africa met for the first time in Moab to discuss the Pearl Izumi Ultra running team, it was by meer coincidence.  Aric had branded some Pearl Izumi shirts with the Smith logo for me and we were looking for additional sponsors to fully outfit a team.  I just so happened to be running with Bob Africa during Moab Red Hot 55K and he noticed my Peak I Pearl Izumi running shoes and started asking how I liked the shoes.  I began to tell my story as to why I love PI.  Little did I know Bob actually worked for PI and designed the very shoes I was wearing.  The rest is history.  The one thing I remember is that we all agreed that we wanted a small group of talented runners who loved to be on the race scene, hang out afterwards and have a beer together.  A group that genuinely was fun-loving.  I feel we accomplished that over the years.  But we all know nothing lasts forever and as business' morph so do areas of focus and marketing strategies.  So I say to Aric Manning and all those runners who flew the PI flag - thank you for making the team and Pearl Izumi products what they are today.    

Moving into 2013 I will once again fly the PI flag and hopefully it will be a year to remember in the racing and adventure department.  I am no spring chicken anymore but every time I see Karl Meltzer take down another 100 mile race, I'm inspired.  So we will see what the pins have left in them.  Here is my 2013 schedule:

Buffalo Run 50 - March 23rd
Zane Gray 50 - April 27th
PCT 50 - May 11th
Jemez 50 - May 25th
Hardrock 100m - July 12th
Colorado Trail - August 6th-13th (more to come on this juan)

Here's to 2013 and health!

UROC 100k - 9.38 12th

Going into UROC I knew my body wasn't 100%, but I also knew I'm as fit as I've been all year.  So I took a huge risk racing knowing that my previous race (Leadville) resulted in a DQMITTFL.  Above all, I wanted to end my year on positive note.  Here's how the weekend went:

Traveling to Charlottesville was quite the adventure with a huge delay in Denver that caused a missed connection flight.  I ended up renting a car from DC to Charlottesville and driving through a horrendous rain storm that ultimately would delay any incoming flights to Charlottesville.  It all worked out though as I met up with Rosemary and Ellie in Charlottesville airport.  Already 10:30 PM, I was was ready for the bed.  Turns out we would wait until 1:30 AM for our travel partners, Nick Clark, Jorge Maravilla and my luggage.  

Traveling partners to Wintergreen resort

Finally arrived at our house in the Wintergreen resort just after 2:30 AM.  A very nice house, I might add.  My roommates: Bryon and Meagan of iRunFar, Ian Sharman, Jorge Maravilla, and Jordan McDougal.  Having had a good nights rest, Friday was all about lounging around and race check in.  Gill and Francesca did an amazing job organizing this event as we did pre-race interviews and later that evening a panel discussion.  Lot's of work to organize but the result is what we all look for in an ultra event - camaraderie.

Race day morning I was feeling very optimistic in terms of having a steady day.  Notice I didn't say "fast".  The sciatica I have been experiencing has really limited me in doing any resemblance of speed work so I would have to rely on consistency throughout the race.  Right from the gun I settled into the back of the pack as we shot down (2800ft) a very rocky and slippery 3 mile trail.  I was really surprised how fast I lost sight of 20 guys but I really was in good company with Ellie by my side.  At the bottom 20 guys came running back, as they had taken a wrong turn and lost a couple of minutes.  Ellie and I benefited and quickly joined them on the climb back up.  Once we started to go back up, I began to feel very comfortable and rapidly made contact with the top 10.  If only I could have more of this climbing today I would be OK, I thought.  We transitioned back to the road and then back to the trail and so goes the back and forth sporadically throughout the day.

Wintergreen resort sits on top of a hill so there is a 3 mile/1000+ft descent to get to the Blue Ridge Pkwy (BRP). This being the second big descent my quads were already quivering in weakness.  I was really nervous as we started on the BRP but pleasantly surprised as I got into cruise mode.  Cruise mode for me turned out to be around 7:30/8 pace and I think for the most part I was maintaining my position.  Nearing the turn around Ellie caught me and rapidly went by at least 20 sec/mile faster.  So much for maintaining huh?  I actually felt good coming off the road as we approached the Whetstone aid (32 myles) and the beginning of 8 myles of trail.

Going into the race I had tinkered with my diet, primarily going gluten, coffee, and processed sugar free for a month.  I had a feeling that as much coffee as I've been drinking that I may have been taxing my adrenal glands and thus had nothing to tap into late in a race.  Sluggish every morning?  Yes.  So as I took my first cups of Mountain Dew at Whetstone I was buzzing, coupled with the fact I was on some beautiful single track.  Its almost as if a light had been switched on and I was in "hunting mode".  As I commented to iRunFar "the trail has awakened MexiFast!"

Still no speed, yet steady, coming back on the BRP but I had a sense that I would be catching a few people.  Up through mile 48 I had only caught up with Dominic Grossman at the aid station.  Seeing him on the road it appeared we were running identical pace so I thought we could help each other.  Dr. David Horton was my crew and it always was a pleasure to see him on the course, having him give me aid and updates.  Thank you David!  Next up would be Frank Gonzales but on the long stretches of the BRP I was not catching sight of anyone.  A little demoralizing but I was still motivated to finish strong.

Finally to the last aid station, Reeds Gap (mile 59).  Meagan (iRunFar) was there and she conducted a little "on the run" interview.  Always gives me a boost to see Bryon and Meagan out on the course.  So I charged up the final 3 mile/1000ft climb and ran nearly all of it.  Energy was good all day, not really any down spots.  I felt the best while I was climbing and being able to run the last hill after 9 hours really made me feel satisfied with a 9.38 12th place finish.

Not only have I been tinkering with my diet but my race day nutrition as well.  I realize nutrition and hydration is very individualistic but for me here is what gave me good energy all day: 3 First Endurance EFS liquid shots - Kona Mocha, 2.5 oz (200 calories) diluted down into a 20 oz water bottle.  Each bottle lasts about an hours and 1/2.  In addition, I carry two EFS liquid shot flasks and take a nip at each full strength every 45 minutes.  I realized the full strength concentration was too much for my stomach to handle for extended periods of time so this diluted version did not mess with my stomach and gave me great -even keel- energy all day.  I also grabbed a handful of boiled potatoes at every aid station and would continually put them in my mouth to have something to chew on.  Last, I added Mountain Dew and Coke at about the 40 mile mark for the extra jolt of energy.

NOT gluten free beer.  Fat Tire all the way from Colorado

Great way to end the season.  I am very pleased with the result.  My legs are incredibly sore today but well worth it.  Thanks to Gill, Francesca, Rosemary, and David Horton for all of their wonderful support!  The last night made every bit of the race come together as we had burgers and beer with the AJW family, Scott McCoubrey, iRunFar, and few runners - all of whom I consider great friends.

Leadville....

Shit.Damn.Hell.

DNF is such a harsh term.  It makes me cringe every time I say it so I'm going with a new term -DQMITHFL.  Didn't Quite Make It To The Finish Line.  I did make it, however, I was assisted by a vehicle with my wristband cut off.  I am more bummed for my crew and pacer than I am for myself because they spent the day at Twin Lakes supporting me.

Not much to really elaborate on so I will be brief:

Since Hardrock (5 weeks ago) I put in about 250 myles with an entire week off and a taper week included.  With those myles I have been battling lower left back pain (don't want to self diagnose myself here but would appear to be Sciatica).  Yeah it causes me to limp but for some reason I thought it would go away the longer I ran.

Right from the gun I felt it but no different than the previous weeks so I plodded along with optimism.   I got to May Queen in pretty good time (1.44) but with no up or down, I had not really challenged the back. Up onto the Colorado Trail, up and over Sugar loaf, and into Fish Hatchery (3.21) my stride became altered but once back onto the flats it seemed to be tolerable.  I cruised the road pretty good and thought I could deal with it but then we hit the Colorado Trail again with some climbing and rolling hills.  Sure enough it started to hurt a little more.

Leaving Fish Hatch with Jason Ostrom and Lucho

I had every intention of dropping at Twin Lakes (5.54) but as my crew looked on while I rolled my back on a tennis ball (ala Nick Pedatella), I needed to make an attempt to get over Hope Pass.  The tennis ball was painful but it seemed to help so kept going over it.  Then my savior, Cindy Stonesmith (massage therapist), came over and really worked on me for the next 30 minutes.  I hate to admit it but she brought a little tear to my eye as she dug in there with her elbow, working my back and hip flexor.  She eventually made something in my foot pop, I have no idea what the correlation is but it seemed to release something and I was relatively better.

I left Twin Lakes just under 7 hours into the race and I hiked up Hope Pass really smooth.  Leaning forward with my hands on my knees seem to the do the trick.  Down the back side of Hope and onto the new section of trail all was going smooth but the tightness returned on the left side going into Winfield (9.30).  Nick Pedatella was over there and he really tried to give me another work over but the longer I sat the tighter the back got.  Snipped off the wrist band and rode back to Twin Lakes with Brandon Fullers crew.

To be honest, I was embarrassed to walk up the street at Twin Lakes licking my wounds and telling people my sob story.  I saw the look in their eyes "you look fine, WTF?"  And that's the tough thing is that my spirits and energy were good and positive all day, even after 50 myles.  So as I walked up the street the Patricks (Garcia and Stewart) each came up offering a full beer.  Thanks guys, you know me well!

To my crew: Nicole and my boys, Mom and Dad, Rick, to my solitary pacer Scott Tucker, Nick Pedatella, and to Cindy Stonesmith - Thank you for supporting me.  It's never an easy decision to call it a day but I figure the longer I do this, it's inevitable this happen every once in a while.  Better days to come!

Some amazing performances out there: Of course everyone who finished but in particular my PI teammates Nick and Ashley for pulling down the number 3 positions and Darcy for cranking out yet another 100 mile to keep the Rocky Mountain Slam alive.  In addition, the Leadman race was outstanding, Lucho and Troy battled to within minutes of the title with Lucho pulling it out as Leadman champion and new record holder - Amazing!

Hardrock 100 - 28.37 6th

Start of HR 2012 - photo Fred Marmsater

First and foremost I need to say thank you to my wife and family!  The journey leading up to HR is never possible without my wife to support me in every decision we make around HR.  And that includes spending all our vacation time in Silverton, Colorado.  It's never "No" but "let's see how we can work this out"  Thank you Nicole!  1 month in Silverton is not easy.  Thank you Jaxon and Myles for understanding (trying anyways) to know what this HR thing is all about.  Thank you to my In Laws who love Hardrock as much -or even more- than I do.  Thank you to the Darnold's for the their continued support.  And last, thank you to my Dad, brother, and nephew for coming to see this crazy thing we do.  I hope the San Juans have left an impression of inspiration on you like they have for me over the past 6 years.

Is there any wonder why we run Hardrock? photo - irunfar

Nicole and her new friend after hanging out a month in Silverton

(she is not a DG)

Run your race---Be smart---Run within your limits...  That's what was engrained in my skull the days leading up to the race.  The last time I ran this race I blew up.  I remember it like it was yesterday so I wasn't going to let it happen again.  I've trained too hard for the past two months to let my race distintegrate in the matter of a few hours.  This is 100 myles and the one who is patient yet persistant will have a great day.  I wanted to hunt as opposed to survive the last 30 myles.  Here's how it went:

Start - KT (2.27) 11.5 myles
I knew Karl wasn't going out fast so I figured if I stayed with him through Telluride, I would be keeping it "under the hood".  A group of about 6 of us climbed steadily towards the Putnam basin, not a constant run but rather a run/hike, whatever felt natural.  There was a lot of chatter and joking going on and also many statements of how lucky we really are to be enjoying this day in the San Juans with such a good group of friends.  None of us felt like we were working and as we approached the KT aid station road we knew we were a little fast but because it felt easy so we just kept rolling along at that pace.

 Leaders at KT - Photo irunfar

KT - Chapman (1.32) 18.9 myles
Nicole, Rick, and the Darnold's hiked up from the South Mineral CG to give me some aid.  Nicole quickly gave me my Ultraspire Spry vest which contained an EFS liquid shot bottle (5 oz EFS LS + 15oz of water) tucked in the back, some boiled potatoes in the front pockets, and a light shell with gloves.  My fueling system was perfect. While I had two handhelds, only one in hand while the other was tucked in the back pocket of the vest.  When I was climbing for a while I would put the other bottle in the back of my shorts so I could use my hands to push on my lower thighs - that was a technique I picked up from the Euros last year at UTMB.

Up Grant Swamp we go.  There was a little separation between myself, Dakota, Karl, and Nick as we trailed Hal, Timmy Parr, and Joe by about 400 yards.  At the top I could not believe how many people had made the climb, at least 30 people taking pictures, ringing bells, and just overall energy.  I bolted down the other side towards Chapman, going all the way to the right where the dirt was soft to get some good traction.  Across the rock field, down into the trees, and into Chapman with Joe, Hal, and Dakota.  It really did feel effortless up to this point but I questioned if it was too much.  I certainly wasn't going to push it up Oscar's.

Chapman - Telluride (2.25) 27.8 myles
I tucked my bottle in my shorts and started to push on my lower thighs.  Of the two previous training runs up Oscar's this was the best I had felt.  I soon caught up with the 3 leaders and just marched on very steadily up the 8 or so switchbacks.  The clouds had covered the sun so it was pleasant and not hot like I thought it would be.  Up at the top there was another slew of people who brought more energy.  I stopped to change bottles out of my vest and the top 3 were gone!  It was at this point I realized I was getting caught up in it again and made the decision to run down to Telluride at a very mellow pace.  Time to get refueled and let me body try to absorb some of the potatoes I was taking in.  The climb out of Telluride always kicks me in the teeth so I wanted to save something for it.

I really felt great getting into Telluride.  The energy was amazing!  I saw my brother and that gave me a really good boost.  He's never seen any of my races so I wanted to make a good impression.  As my wife restocked my potatoes and ran out of the aid station with me I told her that I was doing everything in my power to slow down.  I felt like I was crawling.  It was kind of scary because even though I had gone an addition two myles (reroute) I was still within 15 minutes of my time last time through here.

Starting up Oscar's - photo John Medinger

Telluride - Kroegers (1.49) 32.8 myles
There is no getting around the fact that the climb up to Kroegers is a kick in the teeth.  I was climbing good and even running the flatter sections but once we clear the trees - it is just plain tough!  As I cleared the trees it started raining pretty hard and I was soaked immediately.  I kept eating the potatoes and sucking on my EFS bottle but the energy was leaving me pretty quick.  I knew some of that had to do with the altitude so I wasn't worried too much.  By the time I had entered Roch's cantina I was a bit woosy and they could see it in my eyes.  I took my first coke and bolted down the other side.  Both Karl and Nick were on my heels but I didn't mind because I knew they were good company.

Kroegers - Governor Basin (0.32) 36 myles
I was absolutely freezing on top of Kroegers but as soon as I got onto the road leading to camp bird I was pretty much dry and warm again.  I didn't stop at Governor because I was in a groove and knew I should just maintain my pace so that I could get off the road as quickly as possible.

Governor Basin - Ouray (1.09) 43.9 myles
I ran the entire road.  Shouldn't be such a big deal but the two previous times in this direction I couldn't run the road because I was starting to feel it.  I knew I wasn't blazing but there were no doubts in my mind that the pace I was running was good.  Shortly before I turned to go into Ouray, Karl and Timmy Parr caught me and were moving just a tad bit faster.  Mentally and physically that was OK for me.  Flashback to last time, I had a feeling that I needed to push to stay in front, even though I was suffering by the time I got to Ouray.  I had to push harder than I ever had before.  We all know the result so this year I was in a good place.  Ironically as I pulled into the aid station, so did Diana Finkel.  Almost the same spot as the previous time.  Basically 10 hrs into the run now and I really do feel like I'm running a good race.

Jaxon with some solid advice in Ouray - photo Alyssa Wideboer

Ouray - Engineer (2.55) 51.5 myles
Both times previous this climb has always been the worst.  Something physiologically goes wrong on the climb to Engineer.  I was certain that I escaped this time, but it was not to be.  By the time I reached the "dinner plates" (4 myles out), I was dizzy and nausious.  At about which time Jonathan Bashman passed me and offered assistance.  I started shoving more potatoes and more EFS into my mouth as well as water.  In fact, I left Ouray with two bottles and I had to dip into the stream at the first crossing before Engineer aid station.  I was taking care of myself.  I seemed to snap out of it within 30 minutes and I was even running the flatter stuff in the meadows leading into the aid station.  At the aid station, I sat down and drank a coke and ate two cookies.  I left with a positive state of mind that I would be making it to Grouse before dark.

Engineer - Grouse (1.38) 58.4 myles
There is only one part to this section that is real tough, and it's the last 400 meters getting to Engineer pass.  This year some guy yelling "that's what I'm talking about" and his van was full of all sorts of goodness.  But my the time I got to the top I was hurting and didn't even want to talk.  Sorry dude.  Now down the road for 5 myles to Grouse.  All I kept thinking is "running is easy downhill".  My whole goal was to run the entire road at a relaxed pace.  Last time I was not able to run more than 5 minutes at a time and didn't reach Grouse till way after dark (without a headlamp).

Because I was way late last time, Dale Garland came up the road in his truck to check on me.  It's always good to see Dale, even if I don't like chatting, Dale has a way of striking up conversation.  It was a mental boost for me for sure.  I rolled into Grouse 14 and 1/2 hours after I started and it was still light.  Even though I wanted to use the daylight, I needed a little break to eat some pumpkin pie, soup broth, and more coke.  It was also good to chat it up with those who were driving around these mountains to support me.  By this time my EFS LS consumption was dwindling so my crew cut the concentration in 1/2 - 2.5 oz EFS LS to 18oz of water.  I need the calories because between Ouray and Grouse (4.5 hrs) I only had a few potatoes and a couple cookies.

Grouse - Sherman (4.21) 71.8 myles
In my mind this is when I start to hunt.  But as I climbing over to American Basin I would be a starving hunter...  I felt like crap!  I had to stop several times even before I crested the first climb.  I turned my light on about a mile outside of Grouse.  Down the valley I saw a string of better hunters and I was about to be dinner.  I kept eating, I kept drinking, but I couldn't help but stop after about 10 minutes.  Finally, Adam Wilcox caught me on the final ascent up Handies.  I was dry heaving and freezing cold. Adam stopped to offer anything but I was trashed and beyond repair at that point.  I just needed to rest for a good 5 minutes but I knew I would freeze before that.  I pushed on and over the top where I rejoined Adam.  I certainly was feeling better after I descended about thousand feet.

Now I was moving much better and started to get into a rhythm down to Burrows park.  Midway down I caught a slowing Timmy Parr and his pacer Duncan Callahan.  Hoping for Timmy to turn it around but it wasn't meant to be.  Although I will say, Timmy toughed this one out and got his HR finish.  Nice job Timmy!  Down the road I go into Sherman, and again, I don't want to stop at all.  All these roads are slightly down but this one feels uphill for some reason.  At any rate, I run into Sherman with Jason Koop and Pete Stevenson.  I need another break but both Jason and Adam barely stop.  I ate pretty good at Sherman and 10 minutes later left with some good energy.  My father in law Rick came over with Mindy Campbell so that was a boost of energy and confidence as well.

Sherman - Pole Creek (3.10) 80.9 myles
My spirits and energy are good despite being on my feet just over 19 hours.  I climbed really well up cataract gulch, catching Jason Koop around 30 minutes into the climb.  I could see two more sets of lights ahead so that gave me energy to push harder.  As soon as I reached the top, I was right behind one set while another had slowly gained from behind.  Ted Mahon and pacer passed me just as we started our descent into Pole Creek.  I thought I was moving good -forward anyways- but Ted was moving great!  I tried to stay attached but it was too much.  I got into Pole Creek just after 4 AM and Ted had put 10 minutes on me.

I stayed at Pole Creek for about 10 minutes drinking coke and eating cookies.  I was not in a hurry and really felt like I was coming into my own.  I was confident as I left Pole Creek!

Pole Creek - Maggie Gulch (1.25) 85.2 myles
As I looked across the valley I could see 3 sets of lights.  I started putting time checks in my mind which told me I was back into hunting mode.  I was not looking behind at all.  I ran most of the valley and then had to hike the climb to get up to the Colorado Trail.  I turned my light off at the crest of the climb leading into Maggie.  I was hurting but I was also gritting my teeth and wanted this to be over.  As I rolled into Maggie I saw Ben and then I saw Diana!  I couldn't believe it and was feeling bad for her.  I know she would not have been there unless something was really wrong.  She had such a fantastic race going but because of the Rhabdomyolisis symptoms, it was the right choice to stop.

I packed away all my night stuff, drank a coke, and ate some stuff.  They offered me a "bacon and maple" roll but I was not at all intrigued by that combo.  I have always had a good climb out of Maggie so I was hopeful I could catch a glimpse of someone to fuel my climb.

Maggie Gulch - Cunningham (1.54) 91.3 myles
The climb didn't go that smooth out of Maggie as I had to stop a few times but got sight of someone so I  kept pressing.  Up and over Buffalo Boy ridge and onto Green Mountain and I was slowly, but surely, reeling someone in.  By the time we could see Cunningham aid station we were running together.  Into the aid station, and again, I took my time.  I ate more pumpkin pie and more coke.  I emptied out my vest and took one water bottle over the Dives Little Giant climb.

Cunningham in hunt mode - photo irunfar

Cunningham - Silverton (2.39) 102.1 myles
All of that climbing goodness that I had in my legs had now suddenly left.  I couldn't keep pace and had to rest every 10 minutes.  Once I was near the top, Zeke Tiernan and James Bonnett came bolting by and it gave me reason to stop for a break.  They gave me some good energy and decided I would try to run it all the way in.  My time up to the top of the last climb was not good at all but once I started down I was moving really good.

Finally down the switchback road to the river where I caught up with Karl.  He had been having a rough go trying to stay awake since Sherman.  I offered to run it in together but he was having none of it. On the flat section coming in I had a renewed sense of energy so this section went by pretty quick.

Representin' the gray hairs

Eric and Dillon at the finish while Dad looks on

Sure I wanted the race to be over but when the awards are done, there is a certain emptiness that takes hold for the next few weeks.  The Hardrock family gets into your blood and I can't wait to go back!

100,000

Ascending 100,000 feet in the month of June was the goal.  I have never been close to that number while preparing for Hardrock so why not give a go and see what happens.  Result: 388 myles and 106,385 feet ascended for the month.  Check.

So what does this mean at Hardrock?  In terms of pain - nothing.  In terms of confidence - everything.  One of my favorite quotes by Dave Horton is "pain is inevitable, suffering is optional".  In my mind, preparation forces the balance one way or the other.  I know I've done my best work to prepare for this year.  You know the song "everybody hurts" by R.E.M.?  Hardrock 100 does that to every runner, and if not, then you're not pushing to give your best.  Confidence is the key, especially during the second half of Hardrock which can flip the switch from survival mode to hunting mode.

The last time I ran Hardrock was two years ago, same direction (clockwise) as this year.  Reference this post to find out what happened.  I don't want to repeat that so my number one goal is to  NOT be the first person to Ouray.  I've won that race before, now it's time to be the fastest in the second half.  Better yet, what I'd like most out of this year is a PR.  A PR is something that I control with my own actions.  I can't control what other people do.  I could be 50th place, but would be a success if I kiss that rock in 27.47:52.

I am leaving to Silverton tomorrow and really look forward to seeing my extended Hardrock family once again.  Safe travels everyone!  For those of you at home, follow along here.