Meow!

Couple of cats at some people’s house a mile from my place.

Race Report: Jemez Mountain Trail Runs 50 mile

This is going to be a by-the-numbers race report, because that’s the kind of race it was for me. I had a plan and stuck to it really well. I ended up staying maybe a little too far on the conservative side, which resulted in a slower time than I guessed I would finish in, but I wouldn’t change a thing.

My mileage has been hovering in the mid-50 range for the past several weeks. Not a huge number, but very consistent - and it includes a lot of trail work and focus on climbing. I raced a 50 miler exactly a month ago, and I was probably not 100% recovered going into Jemez because of keeping the training load fairly high, but it was close enough. Especially since I was just using this mostly for training.

My nutrition plan was simple. Take a gel every 25 minutes, a salt cap every 50, and stay on top of my hydration level. The gel only approach has been working great. At my last race I did every 30 minutes, and it was a little too long - so a minor tweak this time around. I loaded my waist pack with 16 gels, and put 14 more in a drop bag for the Pajarito Canyon aid station at mile 28. The only downside is what to do with all of the wrappers, they add up quickly! Putting them in my shorts pocket is no good because after a while they ooze through the fabric and then my shorts are sticking to my thigh - yuck. I’ve tried putting them in one of the pockets of my pack, which worked well, but I hated to give up that storage space. I thought for a while and came up with my first ultra-running mod. I pinned socks on the back of my pack to hold the gel wrappers. The stretchy fabric was perfect for being able to shove the empty packets into and then holding on to them so they wouldn’t bounce out. It worked great!

I took Friday off of work and made the 6 hour drive to Los Alamos getting there in time to attend the pre-race briefing and dinner. The high school cafeteria was packed! The race director mentioned that the race had filled, and the Forest Service granted additional spots, and they had quickly filled as well. I think they said there were 400 runners in total (for the 50 mile, 50k, and half marathon). It was great to get a slideshow preview of the course and hear about the trail conditions. A few inches of snow on the peaks, and lots of fallen trees to climb/jump over. It was evident that there had been a TON of work put into this event.

It was great to meet and get a hug from my new Speedgoat teammate, Olga. And get some last minute words of advice and encouragment from the desert-tanned and very fit looking Coach Karl. It was obvious he’s been getting in the miles and was set for a nice little ‘training run’ of his own. I was excited and ready to take on the challenge.

With a 05:00 start time, the 03:30 wake up call came pretty early. I was already awake, and ready to get going. I made my way to the start, which I had scoped out the night before, and scored a sweet parking spot. In an effort to eliminate the bad blistering I endured at Fruita, I coated my feet in Vaseline and then put on a very thin pair of socks under a thick pair of Smartwools. I grabbed a bite to eat and hung out talking to Mike who I had run with at the Bear 100 last year. One thing I loved about this race is that even though there were 3 distances being offered, the start times were each 1 hour apart. Nice! The 50 milers were the first to go. They announced there were 130 starters and then spun us in a 180 to get us pointed in the correct direction - oops! Off into the darkness we went.

My plan was to take it really easy at the beginning, and generally easy for the whole first 35 miles. Then run it in from there with whatever I had left. Taking it really easy at the start was… really easy. Because I felt blah. I don’t know if it was the lack of sleep, tired legs, or what, but my body didn’t want to move very quickly. That was ok. It didn’t bother me a bit, and I just settled in to a comfortable pace and didn’t get concerned at all when people would pass me.

The first 6 miles were gently rolling and I was able to turn my headlamp off after 30 minutes or so. The trail went thorugh some dry stream beds and some fun contours on the hillside that had me smiling. At around mile 4 I noticed a guy with purple gaiters go running by. Hey, I recognize those! It was Kirk Apt, a very accomplished ultra runner who had come flying by me with half a mile to go at the Fruita 50 miler last month. He ran a very smart race there, with just a 15 minute positive split - compared to my dismal 1 hour. I knew he would be a ‘good wheel to follow’ (in cycling lingo), but resisted the urge to speed up and stay with him. I was going to be running my own race today. It was just as well, I passed him about a mile later while he was adjusting his pack. That was a good lesson to me - breaking out of your own rhythm to run someone else’s pace is rarely a good idea in these events. There are always nature calls to answer, things to adjust, aid station stops, etc. that will make lead changes frequent. If someone is really stronger than you, there isn’t a whole lot you can do about it. You have to run your own race, manage the course, and let it take care of doing the sorting out.

I reached the first aid station (Mitchell Trailhead @ mile 4.9) in 57 minutes. Wow, I really was taking it easy. Karl later told me their lead group reached this point in 32 minutes or something crazy like that. They were hauling! We had climbed a little over 900′ to that point. I topped off my bottle and was on my way in about 30 seconds.

Next up was a 1,500′ climb over 2.2 miles to the next aid station on Guaje Ridge. I was still going really slow, but starting to feel better and better. As soon as the climb got really steep, I could feel blisters forming on the soles of my feet - not again!! My feet were sliding all over inside my shoes. I pulled off the trail and completely retied them, making them snug. That felt so much better that I did it again in another half of a mile. I cranked them down so much that the eyelets were nearly touching! I couldn’t believe it. My feet aren’t that narrow, and I was wearing two pairs of socks! It was time well spent, and although it was touch-and-go at times, I never developed any real blisters.

I arrived at the Guaje Ridge aid station at mile 7.1 in 42 minutes, 1:39 elapsed. Topped off the water bottle again and got ready for the first real descent. Over 1,000′ down into Guaje Canyon. This was a really cool trail. Very narrow, and lots of short switchbacks pasted on to the hillside. It seemed like you would run straight for about 25 feet, then crank a 180 around a hairpin switchback, then repeat over and over. I was now totally warmed up and feeling fine.

There was a gentle climb up the lush canyon bottom where we hopped a small stream several times. It was very pretty in this area, and the running was great. I passed the time chatting with some other runners for a mile or two. Soon we came to a ladder next to a waterfall. I can’t say that I had ever climbed a ladder during a run before. It was a cool addition and the first of many obstacles we would face during the day.

Up you go

Photo credit: Olga Varlamova

Soon we arrived at the Caballo Base aid station (:45 split/2:25 elapsed) and a sign indicating we were facing an 1,800′ climb in 2 miles. I was second in line with a group of 4 or 5 that included Kirk, who had caught back up, and we headed up at a very consistent pace. After a few minutes Nate flew by, then shortly after that was Karl (Kyle had already finished the out-and-back by the time we started). It was only the second time I’ve seen Karl run in person, he levitated down the trail - very cool. As we got closer to the top, there was a steady stream of runners coming down the trail at us. I kept track of the count just for fun. There were also many downed trees laying over the trail that we had to climb over. The volunteers did an outstanding job in clearing much of the trail, but this section was just a little too remote for them this early in the year. They even used llamas to pack water and supplies to the top of the mountain for a small aid station there. As if a 20% slope wasn’t enough to keep us occupied, we were also going through several inches of new snow which made traction a little scarce at times. The trail leveled off for the last little bit to the turnaround at the top of Caballo Mountain which I hit in 56th place (mile 12.1 - :49 split / 3:14 elapsed).

Run to the tree and turn around

Photo credit: Olga Varlamova

Now it was time to have a little fun. I ran fairly casually for the first part of the descent and soon caught up with another runner. She offered to let me by, but I told her I was fine - unless I came rolling by… It was steep! After a minute or two, more runners started to stack up behind us so she stepped aside on a switchback. Now I was leading a train of 5-6 people, time to quit sandbagging and RUN. I was on the very edge of control for much of the descent, leaping logs in full flight, landing on snowy switchbacks, carving the corners, dodging a few rocks and all the time thinking that if I eat it there are going to be about a dozen trail shoe footprints going right up my back. That was fun!

Another quick water stop at the Caballo Base AS, then we continued the climb up the canyon. It was starting to get hot here, and several people were really struggling. I felt pretty good and passed several others. The rolling trail got steeper and steeper as we gained 1,000′ going up the headwall of the canyon finally reaching a nice runnable section with some amazing views into the vast Valle Grande Caldera.

Before I knew it, I was rolling into the Pipeline aid station (mile 17 - 4:24 elapsed). This was a large aid station with many people milling around. True to form, I grabbed some water and was out of there. My energy level was staying just about right so far. Sticking with the plan… A volunteer directed me to two orange flags spaced about 15 feet apart on the edge of a cliff overlooking the caldera. It looked like a launching pad for hang gliders! Unfortunately, I didn’t go very fast on this part. I wasn’t wearing any gaiters over my shoes and the dirt was soft and deep. I was being careful not to load my shoes up with rocks and junk. After the really steep descent it was pretty nice running for the next few miles across the bottom of the caldera. I wish I could have felt a little better to take advantage of it, but I was starting to struggle just a tiny bit. My legs ached something fierce. In fact, they had been waking me up at night for the week before the race because they would just ache so much. I ran the best I could and knew that things would be better if I just pushed through. I hit the Valle Grande aid station (mile 21 - :44 split / 5:08 elapsed), grabbed water and a couple of cookies, then headed through the grass for the cross-country section of the course.

Follow the flags through the grass

Photo Credit: Bill Geist

The grass was a kind of clumpy, making running a little bit difficult, but the view was outstanding and I was starting to feel a lot better. We climbed gradually through the grass and everyone seemed to slow down quite a bit. Most people were looking very worn out. Soon, we came to a large talus slope full of furniture-sized boulders. I had a blast hopping up and over the rocks. I passed several more people in this section.

Two markers are easy to spot, look really close to find the third

Photo Credit: Jeff O’Reilly

Wobbly legs + wobbly rocks made for a good challenge. This section was a new addition to the course this year. I loved it. I made it through unscathed and started up the very steep hillside through the trees. This climb was so steep in places that I was actually grabbing on to trees and using them to haul myself up. I was barely moving, but I was still passing people! I think I ended up passing around 15 or so from just before the boulders to the top of the peak. It was a 7 mile stretch between aid stations here, so I made sure to keep hydrated and fueled for the long haul. We crested Cerro Grande, which was the 2nd of 3 10k+ foot peaks of the day, and headed into a long, long, descent down Cañon de Valle. The trail was steep, snowy, and muddy at first. Soon it gave way to a gentle downhill grade and some really nice running. I held a good steady pace for several miles on this trail.

Sweet trail in the CdV

Photo Credit: Olga Varlamova

After descending the canyon, the course swung north and made its way over to the Pajarito Canyon aid station (mile 28 - 1:57 split / 7:06 elapsed). We were more or less on the way back to Los Alamos now. All of the aid stations were great, the volunteers and spectators were top notch and their support and assistance was very much appreciated. Pajarito was cool because it was one of the more easily accessible spots on the course, so there was a lot of people there. It was a blast to come running in feeling strong with all the cheering and cowbells ringing. They were scoping out our race numbers with binoculars so they could have our drop bags ready to hand to us as soon as we rolled in. What great service! This would be my longest stop of the day at about 2-3 minutes. I spent time reloading my pack with gels and having fun trading smart remarks with the volunteers. They couldn’t believe how fresh I looked.

Now I was in a bit of no-man’s land, going it alone for a while. The trail headed back up another canyon that would take us to the base of Pajarito Ski Resort. It got a little warm in this section, but I was drinking enough and generally doing alright. I caught up to a couple of guys and not much was said as we all plugged away on the incline. I was last (3rd) in line about a mile from the ski resort when I thought I heard a stick crack behind me. Feeling a little tired, I just shrugged it off and kept going. A minute later I heard it again. This time I turned around to see Kirk right there. Where had he come from!?! There hadn’t been anyone behind me for miles it seemed, then poof, there he was. Uh-oh, I thought, he’s gonna take us to school now. This time I sped up a little to keep pace and the 4 of us hit the Pajarito Base aid station together (mile 32 - 1:07 / split 8:14). I didn’t know it at the time, but Kyle Skaggs had already finished the race at this point! He ran a very strong 8:08 to take a minute of his own course record - and the course was longer and more difficult this year. Great performance!

I was first out of the aid station and started to push the pace just a little bit. Kirk came cruising by me and I couldn’t keep up, he looked like he was really in his element now. I did what I could and tried to keep a steady pace going. There were some very steep snowy sections of trail that wound through the trees before we ended up on one of the ski runs and just headed straight for the top. I was beginning to feel the effort of the day, and started to feel tired for the first time. I was glad to top out on the climb, then had to hustle out of there as a hail storm was whipping things up. Thankfully it didn’t get too bad.

Reaching the top of Pajarito, feeling a little beat at this point

Photo Credit: Jim Stein

The course came around some trees and then pointed straight down a double black diamond run. I was glad to still have some quads left, I was going to need them! It was really really steep for a while, then mellowed out to just really steep. I soon caught sight of the ski lodge at the bottom and knew that would be my next stop. I reached the ski lodge aid station (mile 36 - 1:10 split / 9:25 elapsed) and looked at my watch for the first time all day. 9:25! No wonder I was just now getting tired, I really had been taking my time. In planning for the race, I had loosely estimated 8 1/2 hours to get to this point (I also forgot to factor in the 2 additional miles and 3rd 10k’ peak). Oh, well. Just a good training run in the mountains.

Now it was time to run it in with whatever I had left. I put my iPod on for the first time all day, slammed a gel, and started running. Next stop, finish line!

I ran all the way to the next aid station (Pipeline - :39 split / 10:04 elapsed) which was all uphill, and kept right on going. I had enough water to get to the next one. There were two more hills coming out of Pipeline that caught me a little bit off guard. They looked pretty intimidating, but went by pretty fast. After that, it was back on singletrack through the forest and down, down, down. This part of the course was really cool, there were sections that felt and looked like Oregon - then you’d round a corner and be in the middle of a desert. A very fast bottle fill at the Guaje Ridge AS and I kept right on going, jamming to the tunes and feeling a little tired - but good.

The Rendija Canyon aid station (:55 split / 11:39 elapsed) came at 2 miles to go. I stopped for another bottle fill, but should have just kept on going. I thought it was very strange now that I was ‘racing’, I saw basically no one. I think I only passed 2 or 3 people in the last 15 miles of the race. Ocassionaly I would glance back and see nothing but empty trail. I kept a strong pace up the little canyon that led to the final climb before the finish. As I was negotiating the final steep section of trail, I looked back and there was Kirk. Only 20 yards behind me! For about the fifth time today, he had materialized from out of nowhere right on my heels. I had visions of me eating his dust at the Fruita finish line and kicked it in with all I had for the last 1/3 mile. It was enough, and I came across the line in 12:04, 26th place. It was great to finally meet Kirk and talk about our races. I’ve learned a lot of good things by watching how he approaches racing. I felt very satisfied with the day. When Karl asked how it went, my one word answer was ‘textbook’. I was hoping to have finished a little faster, but wouldn’t go back and change anything. It turned out just right. Moving up 30 spots after mile 12 was a good outcome. Karl had a good training day of his own, cruising to a second place 8:58 - nice!

I can’t say enough good about the race and the organization. The guys and gals down in Los Alamos really know how to do it right! The hand crafted pottery and commemorative poster were excellent finishers awards. The volunteers were outstanding, and the trails spectacular. Hanging out with Karl, Kirk, Kyle, Olga, and Roch in the beautiful evening weather was a perfect ending to a nearly perfect day. This race had me smiling for many days afterwards, I kept wishing I was back in Los Alamos. I loved it!

Pottery

Poster

Click here for more reports and photos.

Back from Jemez

Mile 35. Top of Pajarito Ski Resort. Los Alamos is waaaay down there…

Photo credit: Jim Stein

A+

Outstanding day. Awesome, hard course. Had a blast. Took it pretty easy and am feeling great. My hotel room was on the third floor and I had no trouble at all carrying my bags up/down the stairs. Recovery will be very quick. This race deserves a full write up, so I’m going to take my time and work on one over the next few days.

Next up - Jemez 50 Miler

But first, a look back at what I learned at Fruita. Most of this text comes from an email exchange with my friend Kirk. I owe a big thanks to him for getting me to do some more critical thinking about my run in the desert.

1st half of the race -

I give myself pretty high marks here. One of my biggest downfalls in the past has been going out too hard. After running with both Kirk and Sandy at different points in the first 25 miles, I pulled back and forced myself to stay at my own pace even though I wanted to continue with them. That is a major step for me. I was hopeful I would be able to pick up the pace later, but willing to live with it if it just wasn’t happening.

The only regret I have from the first 25 is not being faster while holding back - if that makes any sense. I was hoping to hit the turnaround at 4:20 or so. Instead it was 4:34. I felt pretty comfortable, it just seemed like the clock was running faster than I was. I look forward to the day when I can run somewhat comfortably and still hit the times I’m looking for!

calories -

This is the first ultra that I’ve done using only gels for fuel. I have been training that way, and felt confident in that approach. My mistake was in the frequency. I religiously took one every 30 minutes on the dot. 30-45 or even 60 minutes works fine for me in training. Not so much in the race. Halfway through the race I could feel that 30 minutes was stretching it. That’s around 200-220 calories an hour. I need to revise that to every 20-25 minutes to keep things running smoothly in a ultra-length race. I had only carried enough gels to support the every 30 minute approach and I don’t really care for the Hammer gels offered by the race.

I probably should have ‘grazed’ a bit at Crossroads and Moore Fun aid stations, but just wasn’t interested. Minimizing AS time is great, but not at the expense of feeling good. Still trying to find a balance there.

hydration -

Low marks. Especially for the second half of the race. I’m not sure why I struggle to drink enough, but it has dogged me through several races. I’ll be dehydrated, yet running along with two full bottles in my pack… I think a single bottle waist pack plus a handheld will be probably be the best combo for me. At least carrying the bottle in my hand makes me think about drinking more often. I was down 7 pounds the next morning, even after eating and drinking lots the night before while driving home after the race.

salt -

One S!cap on the hour. Like the calories, okay for training, probably not enough for trying to race an ultra. I should probably take one every 40 minutes +/-. Had slight hints of hamstring cramps once in a while, but fared much better than I have in most other races. My ziplock bag ended up splitting at the seam and I dropped a few caps without knowing it. I ended up short and took my last one with about 3 hours to go. I grabbed a couple of Endurolytes at Crossroads, but they’re no match for an S!cap IMO.

feet -

This was my number 1 performance killer. I don’t want to be whiny about it - I’ve run with blisters plenty of times. They suck, but can be endured for the most part. I ended up with 6 total, plus a detached toenail. 5 blisters and the toenail would have been fine. The one blister (right in the center of my left forefoot) was off the charts. There was some sort of fissure that formed in the crease of my foot there that felt like raw nerve endings were exposed. A much more intense sensation than just the normal skin friction and hot spot feeling. Even after 10 days I was still walking with a limp.

For my training runs I was gritting my teeth for the first couple of miles, waiting until it gets slightly more tolerable. I just looked at my logs, and the Cascadia 3’s I have been using this year are the 9th different make/model of trail shoe that I’ve tried in the 1.5 years I’ve been running. I really thought I had finally found my shoe - and still have hope that I did. They worked perfectly at the Psycho Wyco 50k and Salida, my feet were 100% in both races. I think the difference is that these shoes are just slightly roomy for me and I was wearing thicker socks in the earlier events. For Fruita I went with a very thin Smartwool and I think it ultimately let my foot slide around way too much despite me trying to account for it with my laces. I had thicker socks in my drop bag @ 25, but didn’t even think about them in my attempt to reload with gels and get out of there.

I’ve also been dealing with a foot injury left over from my 100 miler last year. Normal running doesn’t bother it at all, but when I step on a rock or uneven surface with the outside of my right foot it sends a lightning bolt of pain just below my ankle. It dissipates after a few steps, but takes its toll after a while on a course like Fruita - where I nailed it about 500 times.

pushing too hard when feeling good -

I definitely fell victim to this, as I’m prone to do. I have the running-while-feeling-bad part down cold. It’s running-smart-while-feeling-good that is the challenge. Actually, I had run the kind of race up to 35 coming back through Troy Built that I thought I could start winding it up steadily and keep building the pace all the way to the finish. I think the blister and foot issues that I had been dealing with for 25 miles by that point ultimately shut me down. Living with the pain and discomfort is one thing, but the way it caused me to alter my stride and the way I subsequently ran with tons of tension in my body and my torso sort of twisted away from center is what hurt me the most. By the flat section after Crossroads where I should have been cruising, I was running with a stiff and jagged gait just trying to escape the pain. Stopping to address the blister didn’t have much appeal. The damage was done, and with the location on my foot - there wasn’t much to do about it anyway.

The way I’ve recovered leg-wise, and how I’ve felt in training after Fruita have given me confidence that my training was good and I’m on the right track as far as that goes. I still have days that aren’t great, but for the most part have bounced back quickly.

Now the Jemez plan:

Go easy for 35 miles, then run strong from there to the finish. That’s it in a nutshell.

steady…

Success will be measured in how well I execute my plan, and how well I implement the things I have learned in my previous races, plus following the instructions from Coach Karl. Finish time and placing are not even on the radar. This is practice, and I’m actually looking forward to it. I want to approach it by giving myself enough slack as far as ‘racing’ goes that I can really concentrate on how to run a good race. Just showing up and running as fast as you can for as long as you can doesn’t work very well in these kinds of events. I know that for a fact…

Before I can start worrying more about speed, I need to get the basics down a lot better. I’m making good improvement in that area, and am hoping to have things pretty well dialed in after this race.

steady…

I’m looking at this as a chance for a Leadville dress rehearsal. Run well within my limits and stay on top of the critical areas of fuel, hydration, electrolytes, and foot care. I want to start picking up speed with 15 miles to go and finish strong, but still relatively fresh.

It will be critical for me to keep things under control pace-wise so my recovery period after the race stays short and I am able to quickly resume training towards my bigger goals in the summer. Training is on the upswing lately and I don’t want to derail that with an extended recovery, or forced layoff.

GO!!!

photo credits: Steve Pero

Thankfully my blister is healed. Karl gave me the heads-up on some stuff called Aquaphor. It’s kind of like Vaseline, only more oriented towards actually healing the affected area. 3x/day for 3 days and I was set free from the pain - yes! That stuff rocks!

I’m going with my trusty 2 bottle Nathan pack. I still think a handheld + a single bottle pack may be the best combo for me, but I haven’t been training that way so don’t want to go to it just yet. I will try very hard to stay hydrated. I think my overall slower pace and approach to this race will be a big help in that area. I will also take a little more time at the aid stations and try to consume some additional fluids there.

Stay tuned to hear how all of this works out!

Wasatch Speed Goat Mountain Racing Team

Last month I became a member of the newly-formed Wasatch Speed Goat Mountain Racing Team. The team came about from an idea Scott Mason had to put together a nationwide, grassroots running team consisting of readers of his website that are dedicated to the sport of trail running. Scott, and co-director Tim, have lined up a great group of sponsors and the team is starting to roll.

What kind of runners make up the team? Olga said it best …this is a team for regular folks, mid-pack (ok, there are some at the front, some aspire to be at the front and some used to be there) … The important part - we get to be who we are! The exciting engaging communicating eyes-popped-hooray trail mountain ultra junkies! … the camaraderie is amazing! Look out for us at the races and say hi, we are YOU!

I am definitely in the aspiring to be at the front of the middle, or back of the front category. I’m in awe of my teammates’ accomplishments and hope to learn as much as I can from them. Having only been running for a year and a half, I’m very lucky to be part of such an amazing group! There are 17 runners in total, with representation from California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, New York, and New Hampshire. The ‘goats are everywhere!

Take a look at the team results and schedule. That is one serious list of races! I’m very happy to be part of the team and am looking forward to meeting everyone as we race together. It’s a great bunch of guys and gals - hats off to Scott and Tim for putting it together, and to our sponsors for lending their support!

Nice Day at the ‘Office’!

So I end up working all day Sunday. EMERGENCY mode. LOTS of stress. Things breaking. I get home and here’s an email from Karl inviting me to check out his day at the office:

Ummm, yeah. I think I like his office better…