2015 USA 100mi Trail Championships: Third Overall 14:15:53
Lap One: 2:32:41
Right off the start there was a front group that formed with
about six runners (5 men & 1 woman), and then two guys flying off the front
from that group. I was with this group
of six for the first quarter mile but backed off and continued at a comfortable
effort. I watched the start of this race last year and
there are some of the same guys racing again so I knew it would be a quick
start and fast first lap. Plus the
weather is better this year so there is more of a chance they will take it out
faster. I found myself with five others
which included last year's woman's winner Nicole Studer, recent US 100K
championship runner-up Paul Terranova, Nathan Leehman who is a well-established
distance runner, and a few others. I
chose to stay behind them about five steps so I could have time to react to the
terrain as we were on single track trails and I did not want to take a fall
this early on. I've ran Huntsville
enough to know you have to watch every step due to the roots, and the pine
needles on the course make it more difficult to spot. I've had my share of falls... I came prepared and wore the most powerful
headlamp I could find so would easily be able to see the trails and make the
best choice on foot placement. One guy
behind us was not so lucky as he fell a couple times within the first few
miles. I had a feeling it was going to
be a long day for the poor guy and I actually felt bad for him. I slowed down once just to make sure he was
okay. It made me that much more
conscious to pay attention.
Within about 15 minutes into the race I realized I did not
take a gel 30 minutes prior to the start and that was part of my race day
nutrition plan. I quickly consumed one
of the six carried on me so I wouldn’t get behind on fuel. The first few miles went by quick and we went
through the Nature Center aid station (mi
3.1) without stopping as it was
too soon to refill our bottles with fluids.
On a warmer day I would have filled up just to make sure I always had
fluids.
The next section of trails was familiar to me because I came
to the park the week before and ran 14 of the 20 mile course and started in the
early morning to get some practice in the dark.
Somewhere along this section I took another gel because I knew we were
getting close to the next aid station so I wanted to get one more in and use
the remaining water I had in my bottle. My thought is to arrive at an aid station with
an empty bottle so you can fill up your entire bottle and therefore get in more
fluids over time. We approached the
DamNation aid station (mi 6.2) which I was looking forward to because all the
aid stations have a reputation and these volunteers have been talking it up for
quite some time and are known to give off some good energy the entire
race. I had the top off my bottle and
ready for a refill. I was drinking water
so you shout out water or whatever you need and a volunteer carrying a gallon approaches
you to refill your bottle.
The next section is a six mile loop with half on jeep trail
and the other half on single track trail looping back to DamNation. I stopped once around mile seven to go pee
and when you’re in the wilderness you go wherever you are most
comfortable. Since I was at the back of
the pack I just quietly stepped off the trail, did my thing, and continued on. By this time it was starting to get light
outside so I turned off my head lamp to conserve the batteries for later
on. Our group started to chatter now
since we didn’t have to concentrate so much on the trails. Paul and another guy from Asia were talking
and I was listening to their conversation.
I was finding it amusing because I knew quite a lot about Paul already since
I've read his race reports before when he paced the Trail Record holder (Ian
Sharman) here in 2011, and I had watched interviews on Paul the week before the
race. I'm not a stalker but I pay
attention to what the top guys are doing.
Paul mentioned something I don't recall hearing before and it was very
reassuring to me. He said on this course
you will have more success if you can keep the time deviation from your slowest
lap to your fastest lap around 10 minutes.
I thought it was great advice and figured maybe that's what I should
shoot for. We completed that loop and
came back into DamNation aid station (mi 12).
The group refilled their bottles.
Some went for their special needs bags and others took their time. I didn't feel like going out of there alone
so I took time to stretch a little. My
initial race plan was to run 8:30 pace and stretch for one minute every two
miles so my overall pace would be 9 min/mi and 15 hour overall finishing
time. The pace we were running according
to my watch was low 8's and I didn't feel like it was necessary to stop and stretch
before this as nothing was tight this early on.
Plus I had been monitoring my heart rate and it was low 140's (15 bpm
less than my first 100 attempt).
Once we started going again after 20-30 seconds (if that)
there was a slight uphill section on jeep trails. Paul and one other started to separate from
the group and put a little distance on us.
I know Paul is from Austin which has more hills for training so I
figured he would be built to handle the inclines a little better than me. I stayed calm and just made sure my heart
rate didn't spike. My mantra became stay
calm, cool, and collective and I repeated that on the uphill sections as the
next three miles had rollers. We would
seem to regroup on the downhill or flats and separate on the uphills. What I like about this section of jeep trails
is that you can see at least a half mile ahead and I notice the front group was
splitting up.
Our pace naturally got quicker because it was open trails
with no turns. I was seeing my splits
get down to low 7's and thinking to myself to stay calm. We were putting time on the front pack and
beginning to catch a couple guys by the Park Road aid station (mi 16). They hung on so there was probably a group of
nine or so that went through the next four miles of single track trails. I stopped again to pee so I was emptying my
bladder once an hour. The last 2-1/2
miles of this section is also the beginning of the lap so I knew we would begin
seeing the leaders coming through and I could calculate how far ahead they
were. There was one dude off the front
with a huge lead that looked like he was out there running a marathon. It was obvious he was chasing the course
record and at that pace he would crush it.
Then a couple big names went by like Ian Sharman (has current AR for 100
miles on trails), and Dave James (has a couple US 100 mile championship titles). We entered the start/finish transition area
and I had a transition bag at the aid station with a baggie of my gels and
electrolytes that I grabbed, and then ran outside of transition to my tent to
get a bottle of coconut water and a full handheld bottle. I sat down in a chair to take off my shoes so
I could remove my leg warmers, remove my arm warmer sleeves, and drop off my
head lamp. I ate up too much time during
the transition because by the time I made it back out for lap two the group was
out of sight. I didn't panic because in
my mind I was planning on three hour laps anyways and it was 2:33. I usually take pride in fast transition times
but shook it off.
Lap 2: 2:38: 01
I started repeating to myself to stay calm, cool, and
collective. This section is the single
track portion and my least favorite as its continuous ups and downs with turns
so a little more wear on the body.
Within a 1-1/2 miles I could see the group ahead of me and I just stayed
relaxed and thought to myself to hold my pace and let them come to me but don't
chase anyone. By the Nature Center Aid
station (mi 23) I was back with the group.
It was great and it was just like the first lap. I positioned myself behind them and stayed
relaxed. Then I started analyzing the
other runners and what shoes they were wearing and thinking how their feet were
going to hold up on the trails over the course of the day. Not sure what shoes some of the guys wore but
they didn't look like enough cushion so I felt as if I was in a better position
to have fewer feet and ankle problems later.
Paul was doing some arm stretches above his head so I was mocking
him. I figured he was doing it for a
reason so it wouldn’t hurt if I did them too.
I was in really good spirits and a playful mood so I was out there
having fun. We entered DamNation (mi 26)
and everyone did their thing. Our group
of six was very courteous towards each other and some were communicating that
they would go to the next person with water.
It made it pleasant that we were looking out for each other.
Over the next six mile section we actually caught Dave James
and passed him. We moved by him pretty
quick as it looked like he was out of gas. We went through there pretty quickly and then
we were starting to split up. I sat
comfortably behind Paul and we gradually pulled away from the group. We came back through DamNation (mi 32) and
Paul pulled away on the uphills and I would catch up on the flat and descents. I introduced myself and we started
talking. I don't recall a lot between
miles 32-40 other than we chatted and alternated with the lead . At mile 40 I repeated my transition plan of
getting my nutrition pack and hydration.
Each nutrition pack contained about six gels and 4 electrolyte
pills. I was averaging one gel every
thirty minutes and two electrolyte pills every hour and half. This time I took a couple Advil and also changed
into my Klean Athlete tech shirt. I
asked my dad to start putting my gels in my handheld bottle sack so it would
save me a little time at mile 60. I
again spent a longer time in transition than Paul but I didn’t go out and chase
him.
Lap 3: 2:44:46
I continued repeating to myself to stay calm, cool, and
collective and not chase, but rather let the leaders come to me. I gradually caught up with Paul again by mile
46 and I heard someone say Ian was up ahead by 5-7 minutes. On this section we went by the guy that was
in first place for the first 40 miles of the race. He was lying on the ground in good spirits
which seemed really odd. It was nice
when we were coming up on the leaders and still felt full of reserves. I was focusing on getting my hydration and
taking my nutrition. We did our own
thing at the aids stations and kept on moving.
Paul pulled away a little bit around mile 52 but then he went off into
the woods to use the bathroom so it made since why he did that. I may have dropped the pace about 10 seconds
per mile but I didn’t slow down to wait for him. It wasn’t like I was going to lose Paul but I
wanted to see what would happen if he stopped for a while. Another few miles went by and I noticed him
catching up. I could now see Ian Sharman
up ahead who was currently in fourth. I
didn’t pick it up any and just hoped I would slowly start making up more time
on him and eventually catch him. By the
turnaround point to start mile 60 he was about 5 seconds ahead of me. He had somebody there to hand him his
nutrition and he kept going. Paul was
right behind me and went quickly through there as well. I kept to my normal routine of entering the
transition to get a couple more Advil, then over to the tent for a new bottle
of coconut water, a new handheld bottle, and this time took a swig of a drink
with a good dose of caffeine. Jason
Johnston was there who I had not anticipated seeing and he was ready to run
with me. I thought it was cool that I
was going to be able to run with him as I wasn’t planning on having a “safety
runner” until mile 76. We left out of there and the next five to seven miles were a little slower than my first 60 as I was now running over 9 min/mile. The shot of caffeine was too much and I was having second thoughts about taking that much but it was too late so I tried as hard as I could to control my mind and not let it affect me mentally. The good thing about having Jason with me is the stories he shares. We’ve done lots of training runs together and he never runs out of stories. He doesn’t know this but I couldn’t focus so I don’t remember any of them that day. My mind was all over the place. We made it through the toughest section and entered DamNation (mi 66). I stopped for my specials needs bag to change shirts as my shirt was wet and it was getting later in the day so I wanted a dry shirt for when it got dark outside. I never eat solid foods because I haven’t been able to stomach solids well during runs, but I grabbed a couple cheese quesadillas. I felt like it was better to get something on my stomach and actually it went down with no problem.
We moved on and were still cruising at a 9 minute pace and
the buzz was going away so I knew I would be okay. I told Jason around mile 70 that I wanted him
to leave me and run ahead so he could tell a friend of ours Chris Strait, who
was taking pictures, to go to the start/finish line transition area and bring
me my headlamp just in case I slowed down and was going to need it. I was probably going to be okay but I wanted
to have it for assurance. He did and I
kept plugging away. I stopped to pee and
noticed that my urine was mostly clear but had a pink pigment to it. At that time I didn’t think too much of it
because I drank beet juice before the race and thought maybe that was it. I kept running and at mile 71 I passed
another guy so was now back in fifth place.
I remember him looking solid early
on so I figured he would probably stay with me.
I didn’t show any signs of weakness as I went by and he let me go. I grabbed a few more quesadilla slices at
mile 72 and that became my thing to go to.
It was actually good to me so I figured I would stick with it.
I made it to Park Road aid station (mi 76) and went for some
orange slices as that has helped me before in races. I was
also meeting up with Dana Lyons who would be running the next section of trails
with me. Dana owns Finish Strong Coaching
and coached me in my last two Ironman’s.
We’ve done several runs together as part of my training. We took off and he asked how I was doing and
I’m not sure what I told him. He also
asked if I saw certain people at that aid station there supporting me and I didn’t
recall seeing any one specific. I
remember seeing people in my peripheral vision but I was so focused on the
ground in front of me that I never took my eyes off the trails that long. Plus I was now getting tired and not as
mentally sharp. I stopped to pee again
on this section and noticed the pink color still in my urine. I didn’t think too much of it and kept on
running as my body felt normal and I didn’t feel like I was in any sort of
trouble. It was very helpful to have
Dana with me as he would give a lot compliments on my form. He would tell me that my body posture was
good and I was doing a good working the turns and letting gravity do the work
on the downhills. Even though it was
getting tougher by the mile I felt comfortable and didn’t have any mental
challenges. I actually had a few sub 9
min miles which was nice. Ian Sharman
came by when I had about a mile and half to go to the turnaround and he was
flying. I looked at my watch so I could
measure how far ahead he was. It looked
like he was on a mission and going to chase his American trail record. Then Paul came by with about ¾ mile into his
final lap and he was looking comfortable as well. We made it to the turnaround point and I was
12 minutes from Paul. I didn’t change up
my routine other than almost leaving out of there without my headlamp. Jason was at the tent and I remember him
asking me “aren’t you going to take your light?” I was now getting tired and not thinking as
clear. I was just ready to get back out
there to get this race over with.
Lap 5: 3:17:03
I went out for the
final lap with Zach Miller who is a Finish Strong team member and we usually
push each other during weekday track workouts.
We were averaging 9-1/2 minute miles and I was just trying to tune out
the fatigue that was setting in. I noticed
it was harder to control the pace going down the hills and my legs were taking
a beating. I stopped a few times to stretch
and tried to loosen up some tight muscles.
It didn’t feel like it helped much as my legs felt heavy when I tried to
go again. I focused as much as I could
on staying hydrated and just moving forward.
My goal was to cover as much ground before the sun went down because I
knew once it got dark it would be a lot more challenging on the course with the
roots. We made it to DamNation aid
station (mi 86) and Dana was there to run with me again. I’m not sure if Dana made it two miles into
this section without having 3-4 tumbles and a turned ankle. He was behind me and his headlamp wasn’t as
strong as mine so he couldn’t pick up the roots as easily. We agreed that it was best for him to
probably turn around as I knew the next three miles was actually going to be a
lot worse with roots.
We eventually made it to the last aid station, Park Road
(mi 96) and Zach went with me. Dana was
there and said he was going to the finish line and that he would see us in
about 35 minutes. The first thought in
my head was there was no way I’m going to be at the finish line in 35
minutes. I was falling apart and doing
all I could to keep it together. This
was a very quiet run and we did see a lot more people on this section either
with me lapping them or others going back out to complete another loop. Before this I would pass someone and say on
your left before approaching or good job to the runners going the opposite
direction. I was so physically and mentally
exhausted that I couldn’t speak. Zach
did all the talking for me and warning people ahead that we were coming and he
did a good job complimenting the runners going by.
I knew there was no stopping but I wanted to walk a
couple times and didn’t care if someone was going to catch me. I asked Zach once to see if there were any
lights behind us approaching and he said no.
He did a great job and kept telling me to keep going. I have never been that exhausted before but I
was at a point where all I was saying to myself was one more step, just one
more step. We finally made it to the
last 200 yard stretch where it was an open section to the finish line. It was awesome running into the lights and knowing
I was going to be done very soon. I was
determined to cross the finish line without collapsing since there was live video
of the race streaming on the internet. I
crossed the finish line in 14:15:53 and stopped one step beyond the line and was
content with not taking another step.
My friends and family were all at the finish line
cheering for me and it was an incredible experience I’ll never forget. I knew I finished in third for the US
Championship race and in awe of how well I placed. I gave hugs to family and friends and then
the race director, Joe Prusaitis, presented me with my third place US
Championship medal, 100 mile finisher belt buckle, trophy, and $300 check. Paul also
greeted me and congratulated me on my finish.
He finished first in the championship race which is even more impressive
knowing that three weeks ago he finished second in the 100K national championships. Second place finisher, Sam Skeels,
congratulated me as well and then we had our picture taken.
Things chilled out and I went to the aid station area to
refuel with fluids and some soup. Around
that time I asked Dana if he would check with medical personnel there about the
red urine I was seeing which I thought was blood. The guy came to me and asked me quite a few
questions. From what I was telling him
he was thinking I had Rhabdomyolysis which is basically breakdown of your
muscles. His concern was the blood in my
urine. I told him I took some Advil as
well and he suggested it probably be best that I get checked out at an ER to
make sure everything was okay.
Apparently Advil is not good to take during exercise because it affects
the intestines. I took my shoes off
while waiting there because it felt like I had a few blisters and also felt
like I had a couple toenails that came off during the race. I kicked a few roots throughout the race and
it was pretty painful at the time feeling the toenails get banged around. The guy poured alcohol on my feet and I
wanted to scream and then he started to clean my feet with a cloth which was
painful but I was honestly so tired that I didn’t even care. We hung around a little longer and took some
more pictures with the current American men’s and women’s 100 mile trail record
holders, and then we packed up and left.
I did go to the ER (and hospital) that evening which is worthy of
another blog in itself so I’ll save that story for another day. I’m okay and survived my first hundi and
lived up to my goal of completing a 100 miles.
Shoes: Hoka Stinson ATR Trail
Shorts: Salomon S-Lab EXO Twinskin
Shirt: Nike Shirt and Klean Athlete Shirt
Water Bottle: Handheld Ultimate Direction
Headlamp: Petzl NAO
Hat: Finish Strong (worn backwards)
Head Sweat band to keep ears warm
Gloves: Nike
Socks: CEP ankle socks
Arm and Leg Sleeves: Pearl Izumi
Watch: Garmin 910XT.
Total Calories Burned: 13,348
Number of PowerGel’s consumed: 35-4,648 Calories (326/hr)
-4,660mg Potassium (327/hr)
-1093g Carbs (76/hr)
-8,530mg Sodium (598/hr)
Overall Time: 14:15:53
Moving Time: 14:05:19 (stopped for total of 10 minutes
during the race)Average HR: 142 bpm
Click the link below to see my splits
https://www.strava.com/activities/249880589
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