tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81370405312509066502024-03-13T16:10:26.542-06:00It's a hill - get over it!David McMillanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908080467488720227noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8137040531250906650.post-64872851648731301562014-09-09T21:55:00.000-06:002014-09-09T22:05:53.291-06:00Leadville 100 Trail Run - When running is a team sport<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTQWL_rs2epX7_hrFE4W6lp0dx8fW6xJBBsKx_0jT28TIYdKcE3_HeUlCnLghnW091cQKc0CxgS_wso2URQYQkJS8fUD1bRAugEw0BzbB7g0sTF4_h9Tn42F46P3rGyc7BXWnGx2hwxJY/s1600/Leadville+Start.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTQWL_rs2epX7_hrFE4W6lp0dx8fW6xJBBsKx_0jT28TIYdKcE3_HeUlCnLghnW091cQKc0CxgS_wso2URQYQkJS8fUD1bRAugEw0BzbB7g0sTF4_h9Tn42F46P3rGyc7BXWnGx2hwxJY/s1600/Leadville+Start.jpg" height="288" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some time back in the 90s as a teenager, having not met my future wife or even visited the USA, I read a brief paragraph about the Leadville 100 trail run in a UK backpacking magazine. The author, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.topofly.com/kb3d/cto/walks.html" style="text-decoration: none;">Chris Townsend</a>,</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> was someone I had followed because of his legendary long walks and he happened to be passing through Leadville around race time. He commented that he could hardly get up the stairs in his B&B at the 10,200 ft altitude and couldn’t imagine how runners could move all day and cover 100 miles in the aptly named ‘Race Across the Sky’. That snippet captured my imagination ever since and was something I thought about over the years, as met my wife 16 years ago, moved to America, then to Colorado; and ultimately found myself at the start of the race in Leadville itself.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Profile pic courtesy of Irunultras</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I actually first entered the race back in 2000 but didn't yet have an appreciation of ultra racing, thinking that marathons and lots of trail and mountain experience would be enough to get me through. After a DNF at mile 35 of a double trail marathon in Winter Park following some crazy hallucinations, I joined the 30% or so of registrants that typically pull out before making the starting line. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As you learn more about the race and hear that around 50% of those who start and 80% of first timers don’t finish, you start to understand and appreciate the unique challenges that the event delivers. The crushing altitude, high and low temperatures, steep climbs, relatively tough cut-off times, and even the flatter sections that taunt you with runnable terrain. All combine to create a cauldron of factors that can derail your race at any moment. Even experienced ultra runners with multiple hundred milers under their belts have a DNF at Leadville as the only asterisk for races they still want to finish. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’d promised myself that I wanted to do something in Felix’s first year that would be inspirational to him one day, as he is already an inspiration to me. To have him grow up knowing that even the most difficult challenges he might face in life can be overcome with the right amount of commitment and drive, and that even the seemingly impossible can be a reality. With his 1 year birthday coming just a week later, the race felt like the perfect opportunity to celebrate him and such a memorable first year of life.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How did this year go so fast!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With no family help close by, having a great crew was going to be essential to success-- the last thing I wanted was to put Wendy and Felix through a huge day of supporting the race. The commitment it takes for crew and pacers to help in these types of events is enormous. It sounds cliche to say it, but I couldn't have done it without them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Start to Mayqueen (13.5mi)</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To describe the whole day start to finish would be an ultra in itself. I'm finding that even recalling the events of the day are difficult and coming in bits and pieces as I remember things here and there that now seem like a dream. Did we really get lost in the first 7 miles of the race? This was a section I was worried about only for the return leg, not in a group of 40 people following each other in the freshness of the first few miles! </span><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">The guys all running near me were shooting for 22-23 hrs and had plenty of experience, but it just goes to show how letting your guard down just a little bit can mean trouble early on if you are not careful.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maybe it was the two hours of darkness that started our journey, feeling like I was partially asleep led to a lack of concentration and acting like lemmings. It was only when sunrise hit beautiful Turqouise Lake near Mayqueen Aid station that the slumber lifted from the body and the 4 am start time faded to memory. Seeing the distant peaks rise up from the land in early morning alpenglow was both a welcoming and formidable sight of terrain yet to come later in the day. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pink and black flags were a constant companion throughout the day. Unless you got lost.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Mayqueen to Outward Bound (~25mi)</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The already mild morning got warmer as we ascended Sugarloaf to 11,000 ft and started the famous Powerline descent. The views continued to open up and for the first time in the day there was a sense of the true distance we were hoping to cover. While the gaps between runners were thinning out there was still enough company on the trail for groups to form as a sense of camaraderie of battling the task at hand developed. My descending legs were feeling good but going up hill was a different story and that would be the theme of the day. For the first time in years though I wasn't feeling too badly from the higher altitude so maybe spending the week in Breckenridge and using <a href="http://acli-mate.com/">Acli-mate</a> every day really helped with the adjustment. When you don't have the luxury of being able to spend 3 weeks up high to get the full affects, any shortcuts are welcome! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I've had something of a shoe obsession over the last couple of months, as I've struggled to find the most comfortable shoe with lots of cushioning. Even though I have been in Hoka's since they were first launched, they have never been the perfect shoe for all day events. Altra's and Hoka's made the cut as did my Saucony Peregrines, which have no match on tough technical terrain--especially when your feet are going to get soaked. I was planning to start in an older pair of Hoka's and switch at mile 40 when I saw everyone at Twin Lakes. The problem is, I was already getting a blister and I wasn't even 25 miles in yet. I really hate stopping for little irritations but every ultra veteran I've talked to always says to treat a hot spot early otherwise you are going to be miserable later. Fortunately, at the Outward Bound aid station I was able to get in the Med tent and have some help getting a dressing on. The doc wasn't too optimistic it would hold to Twin Lakes but it was better than nothing. A few minutes here could be time well spent later on.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Outward Bound to Twin Lakes (40mi)</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The expectation of running a long ultra is that you assume you should feel great in the early going as 25-30 miles is still relatively early in the day. In my last few races however, it's around this distances I've had some of my bigger struggles. Sure enough, that would be the case again. It's crazy that it's surprising really, as this kind of distance would be a very long training run; of course you'd feel tired at the end. It's just one more example of how you have to re-wire your brain to trick yourself into thinking it's still early days.</span><br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The new 2-mile section of trail didn't help matters as what amounted to a cross between a rabbit warren and a prairie dog colony begged for an ankle to disappear and was frustratingly slow. A nagging backache had now reappeared and I was starting to dwell on how long it might stay with me. Unbelievably, 2 nights before the race I had thrown out my back as I was lifting Felix out of the bath and twisted in an awkward way while passing him to Wendy. It was only through the good fortune of bumping into massage therapist Todd (crewing for Craig) that I was able to have some work done the evening before we started. It was going to be touch and go if it flared up, but was just one of those things that you can't do anything about but plow on.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We were now on our way to entering one of the largest Aspen groves in the US and a steady climb through to the Half Pipe aid station and beyond to Twin Lakes. While most of these grades were runnable, my pace was way off what I thought I could sustain and the enormity of the challenge was starting to sink in. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Most dropouts occur at Twin Lakes, probably for a couple of reasons. You are likely to have a big crew of family and supporters there and it's just a very easy, convenient place to throw in the towel. You also have the massively imposing Hope Pass in your view as you head down the hill into the aid station and the prospect of crossing it to Winfield and then back again makes you think about all your doubts. Mentally I had prepared for the race in thirds: to Twin Lakes; the 20 miles over Hope and back; and the last 40 miles. Even though it was 20 miles, I knew the next stretch could take between 6 and 8 hrs depending on how things were going.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good to get to Twin Lakes</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What an awesome cheering crew!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Super nice surprise!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The energy at Twin Lakes is fantastic. You can hear the noise rise up through the trees on your final descent and coming into the raucous cheers of encouragement is one of the races true highlights. It was great to see Derek and Charles waiting and have them usher me through to the aid station before I could head over to where the rest of the crew was stationed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While I was replenishing on soup and salty potatoes, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Ken Chlouber was hanging out in the corner, quietly observing all of the action. Ken in some ways is the soul of Leadville and a real hero for helping turn around the town 30+ years ago when it was struggling with the highest unemployment in the country from mine closures. He had the brainchild for the Leadville races that are now so well known starting with the 100 mile run 31 years ago. He gives a great speech to the racers the night before the event and delivers his famous quotes "You are better than you think you are, and you can do more than you think you can!". While some think it's a bit cheesy getting the audience to chant, "I commit, I will not quit!", I believe him when he says that we are all part of the Leadville family and that they are there waiting for us at the finish. He came over and we chatted briefly. He asked me why I was doing it and after I told him about my son, he got a little choked up as his son Cole was also racing this year. I expressed some of the doubts I was having and he gave me a big bear hug and some gritty words of encouragement that I can do this plus a big slap on the back to get back out there and get it done. It's a moment I'll never forget and a perfect reminder of how you can always dig deeper. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We headed down the road to where I could see Wendy, Felix, Laura and Chuck and it was such a lift to see familiar faces after 8+hrs on the trail alone and feel the wave of support coming my way. We took a quick look at the weather, decided to go light and not pack much rain gear, switched out bottles, shoes, socks and nutrition and had a pretty good turn around before heading off across the valley bottom outside of Twin Lakes.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGmi45U1kFTYdQOmZu14AjJ8aSJ7z_QS4OLaun3Kb7BymPINeka8jhP86Z4TuTD3uTnwdIgCKZ51AFusumvznrp0qz7vY4y06ZgLgAfQquvRUbiPkrQZI4Chsak7PoEeAhBkG5K1gS6L8/s1600/Ken.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGmi45U1kFTYdQOmZu14AjJ8aSJ7z_QS4OLaun3Kb7BymPINeka8jhP86Z4TuTD3uTnwdIgCKZ51AFusumvznrp0qz7vY4y06ZgLgAfQquvRUbiPkrQZI4Chsak7PoEeAhBkG5K1gS6L8/s1600/Ken.jpg" height="404" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The man who started it all - Ken Chlouber</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Twin Lakes to Winfield (50 miles & half way)</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The marsh quickly turned to stinky putrefying soup and then deeper water crossings. One after another, they got deeper and longer as the shin high wading went on and on. Finally after 6 or 7 we reached the real river crossing. Higher than most years and nice to have the rope across for stability. By the time I was done, my feet were numb and even getting moving again was slow going as things thawed out. There's nothing like climbing a mountain to warm you up though and within a few hundred yards of the lower slopes of Hope Pass, I was thinking about how I'd like the cold water again.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpbA-blSgbm-ONw6ZyHCIqj6W4MCHeW0lwmXadMyzQc0bld-MRICw9v8SHtyVD80tfFuD4yDYm1Uv9QflAZehj6wl9sbPD9M1Ki2beAkJ-j6zpApTjlHtOFJ7Qv23oIC7BnPCnaY3y6Jg/s1600/Leadville+river+crossing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpbA-blSgbm-ONw6ZyHCIqj6W4MCHeW0lwmXadMyzQc0bld-MRICw9v8SHtyVD80tfFuD4yDYm1Uv9QflAZehj6wl9sbPD9M1Ki2beAkJ-j6zpApTjlHtOFJ7Qv23oIC7BnPCnaY3y6Jg/s1600/Leadville+river+crossing.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To say I was on the most difficult part of the course was an understatement. The front side of Hope may not be as steep as the return journey, but it has more elevation gain and seems to take forever. It was nice to be back in the trees next to the rushing river as the day was heating up and any shade was going to be welcome through the afternoon. I tried to get into an all day hiking pace, conserving oxygen, not going too deep where I would have trouble recovering from and just make steady progress. The one disappointment of the day was my uphill hiking. It was that stuck in 1st gear feeling that so often comes at higher altitudes for me. I was getting passed a lot and just had to come to accept that I had to run my own race and not get sucked into what others were doing. Remembering that the race doesn't really start until mile 60-70 also gave me some confidence in trying to be as patient as possible before halfway.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizdy_nwIUk_SMiwcq59vKrvGDyNT7mRQV4McleCQwlu9MMe_uk3_BD2LR_JXngo_Up71TMPJ_Duo3LBBt7d4W9TbNelHA1Hh4lxJcu6XEmr1ksVZqpTS_x3vVmbyjfPs9IaTgyCuWttq4/s1600/Dave+on+Hope.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizdy_nwIUk_SMiwcq59vKrvGDyNT7mRQV4McleCQwlu9MMe_uk3_BD2LR_JXngo_Up71TMPJ_Duo3LBBt7d4W9TbNelHA1Hh4lxJcu6XEmr1ksVZqpTS_x3vVmbyjfPs9IaTgyCuWttq4/s1600/Dave+on+Hope.jpg" height="640" width="425" /></a></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was pretty close to the Hopeless aid station where I saw the first of the lead runners making their way back. Former track Olympian Mike Aish was heading back down as the lead runner. Rob Krar was only a minute back and it was quite a gap to Ian Sharman, last years winner after these two. After struggling across the pass and down the other side I was stoked to see Craig Howie coming up in 5th or 6th place. He and his pacer Adam were killing it and looking so strong. I was so happy to see Craig go on to another amazing top 10 finish and sub 20 hr PR. In addition to being a fantastic friend, he's a brilliant ultra running and triathlon coach that has really helped me get the most out of the tools and time I have to put into the sport.</span></span><br />
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Craig had warned me that there is a never ending section of trail that heads out to the turn around point at Winfield. He wasn't wrong. I really suffered on this part with the trail constantly rolling uphill and I was out of water and getting parched on the south facing slopes as the hottest part of the day was now here. It was getting slow going too as the narrow trail made passing other runners and their pacers difficult as they made their way back on the return leg. While there are rules for yielding it always ends up as a bit of a free for all in squeezing by each other and this was to become one of the most tiresome parts of the day. As most folks pick up a pacer in Winfield, you are instantly doubling the number of trail users and it quickly gets congested in the middle of the pack.</span></span><br />
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rolling into Winfield I was dizzy with fluid loss and annoyed that I was going to be made to step on the scales to get a medical check in. I'd worked really hard all day to keep the hydration going and was hoping that I hadn't blown it in the last couple of hours. Fortunately I was at 170 lbs and only 2 pounds down on my starting weight so got the all clear to carry on. Oh yay. Only 50 miles to go!</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAkQMgZUgOmySX1yuaTIUwzAd1rrBLxir0g-FTSTdhYA71XgdpOQxNGt-BzBh4OWAImC3LoHkxb6aWokXCeNhfFN_tsIEBADlUPDkR0b4_taw5KOLmKzn0pmYRwh9ptJnJZqBoeebY0OA/s1600/Winfield+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAkQMgZUgOmySX1yuaTIUwzAd1rrBLxir0g-FTSTdhYA71XgdpOQxNGt-BzBh4OWAImC3LoHkxb6aWokXCeNhfFN_tsIEBADlUPDkR0b4_taw5KOLmKzn0pmYRwh9ptJnJZqBoeebY0OA/s1600/Winfield+1.jpg" height="400" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arrived in Winfield out of water and bone dry</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi91AildZLCbTusc-YzvM2FFzzEM9g04jDjsLqpfXjqTrIXxXoRcHWrNwORJ_Q22Q2jcXSmBjW8qi25PC1uey8yEk2JnB17qSB2dyxJB1MneNWdNkNgATwcNlUIbaGxr60m7eILm-lj7As/s1600/Winfield+Mayhem.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi91AildZLCbTusc-YzvM2FFzzEM9g04jDjsLqpfXjqTrIXxXoRcHWrNwORJ_Q22Q2jcXSmBjW8qi25PC1uey8yEk2JnB17qSB2dyxJB1MneNWdNkNgATwcNlUIbaGxr60m7eILm-lj7As/s1600/Winfield+Mayhem.jpg" height="518" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Winfield was crazy with activity</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Winfield to Twin Lakes (60 mi)</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On reflection I stayed at Winfield way too long. I actually don't even know how long it was. What felt like 5 or 10 mins could have been nearer 20-25 mins. I really needed to load up on fluids and food and the guys were quickly noticing that not much in the way of solids were going down. I was chugging everything I could. Sprite, noodles, Coke, noodles, cookies, Coke. Warning Chuck that we were going to have to walk for a bit to give this any chance to settle. It's no joke that 100 milers are eating competitions with running thrown in. It's all a fuel/energy equation when it comes down to it.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh8mJF4uMrAbl9E2yEkQN-3Jgpko8eQqaSzgax5myM63t4AUKV1rsiQGnGIGAtkNpNBi4pCKE8HS7UPEJcDgDrHkwWmsda8xI6nHPL0-N-BYzoxOhE5L6tebJldky3C3OVnIDJpVQ8DbU/s1600/Winfield2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh8mJF4uMrAbl9E2yEkQN-3Jgpko8eQqaSzgax5myM63t4AUKV1rsiQGnGIGAtkNpNBi4pCKE8HS7UPEJcDgDrHkwWmsda8xI6nHPL0-N-BYzoxOhE5L6tebJldky3C3OVnIDJpVQ8DbU/s1600/Winfield2.jpg" height="398" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At least Chuck is in a good mood! </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally we were ready to head out. Chuck asked when it would be the longest run I'd ever done and one step out of the aid station I said 'right about now!' Everything from this point on was going to be an exploration of the unknown and it felt so good to have some company as Chuck was a massive boost to the spirits. As we hit the Colorado trail, Chuck was already distracting me with trail talk, adventure stories and later pointing out ski descents on the nearby Fourteeners and talk of future expeditions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The backside of Hope Pass is steep, loose and hot. Not to mention pretty crowded given the two-way traffic. Leadville got a lot of criticism last year after bumping up the number of entrants and I can see why because even with reduced numbers this year, it was hard to get any kind of rhythm around all the passing and single track trail. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A couple of miles in and we see Trent on the trail. He's the founder of Elevation Tat that makes tattoo's of race course profiles and are a handy reference when you are out on the course. He was bent over on his poles and looked to be going through a bad patch as he made his way on to Winfield. If I had to put money on it in the moment, I would have said there is no way he would be finishing as he looked in a world of hurt. It just shows what determination and fortitude can do as he must have dug so deep to get through that bad patch and have a strong finish.</span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After a near messy puking episode on a fellow competitor, we eventually made the top of the pass on the return trip and took a moment to soak it all in. If you don't leave time to enjoy the view then...</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFOTZ5BTghyphenhyphenxINdpeYrROFu1I6aex-7Q_cCTgq0-a2yZ3yjWO4SNGjI6wxlPQCbXTjpbf94ubv7_kNqK8JSdR6h8uj1CODghlsUWwmLDkUWxHqYdJtGlbN_Hn_RILwyFWQSirwD6msGzM/s1600/C&D+on+Hope2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFOTZ5BTghyphenhyphenxINdpeYrROFu1I6aex-7Q_cCTgq0-a2yZ3yjWO4SNGjI6wxlPQCbXTjpbf94ubv7_kNqK8JSdR6h8uj1CODghlsUWwmLDkUWxHqYdJtGlbN_Hn_RILwyFWQSirwD6msGzM/s1600/C&D+on+Hope2.jpg" height="410" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chuck doing a great job of propping me up.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Heading down to Twin Lakes felt like such a relief. Lower altitude with every step, being able to stretch out and Chuck blazing the way with a fast tempo and some good incentive in catching up with folks that passed us earlier on the climb. A trudge across the marsh and the water crossings and it was back to Twin Lakes and 60 miles done!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx4uL8QylhhID3clQvheGI7Eo5O05hRIFlL1jdOS2NLtDk6ev9B4FA3bovZ1sQq_bNleNvwFTV9wammffy74ErvNggJG6lWke6sD8DknlmfovtFzLhfYatLJXvaYWBZ88uaOVXniWgXbA/s1600/Fam+in+TL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx4uL8QylhhID3clQvheGI7Eo5O05hRIFlL1jdOS2NLtDk6ev9B4FA3bovZ1sQq_bNleNvwFTV9wammffy74ErvNggJG6lWke6sD8DknlmfovtFzLhfYatLJXvaYWBZ88uaOVXniWgXbA/s1600/Fam+in+TL.jpg" height="376" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Felix wondering what the heck is going on!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicDLsBQ9X0ENXSBt2jtLA_QZ6-eQ7dGri28D75bN9jDx2szJ2bk0TG8wnhL9x2VgjfdFSp37kzGiGQo5iWUxsRZYEaDb-yUb897y1QVMHbnqAsAZftIEWFz6MJeuvBM8wl4aY3eeTqDDg/s1600/Strategy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicDLsBQ9X0ENXSBt2jtLA_QZ6-eQ7dGri28D75bN9jDx2szJ2bk0TG8wnhL9x2VgjfdFSp37kzGiGQo5iWUxsRZYEaDb-yUb897y1QVMHbnqAsAZftIEWFz6MJeuvBM8wl4aY3eeTqDDg/s1600/Strategy.jpg" height="542" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Talking strategy and seeing how slow I'm going :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgqrCXFUf9FYIn1AcrpJ1_-4TzUfW6saPd_VOKUai7kg531tyKV0Xf9cH4fRtiL1OJOpTGKdVjNfbAxYTBOhIxCGNoMfdCdHznKEyhB-_KIvXLTKg__F6dJxQvAJENRSR5zGr5oKV3i4w/s1600/CG+TL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgqrCXFUf9FYIn1AcrpJ1_-4TzUfW6saPd_VOKUai7kg531tyKV0Xf9cH4fRtiL1OJOpTGKdVjNfbAxYTBOhIxCGNoMfdCdHznKEyhB-_KIvXLTKg__F6dJxQvAJENRSR5zGr5oKV3i4w/s1600/CG+TL.jpg" height="640" width="427" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Have you ever seen a pacer more ready!?!</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Twin Lakes to Outward Bound (~75mi)</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We had a great pit stop with the crew. I may have dreamed it, but I remember a neck and foot massage, and we were off again with Charles G. leading the way. For his 17 mile stretch he had the brilliant idea of bringing along a bluetooth speaker which hung on the outside of the pack that I dutifully followed for so many miles. The playlist was awesome too, everything from British invasion to my favorite Paul Oakenfold tracks which seemed very appropriate after we lost all the daylight and our headlamps meant that we were often drifting into a trance to trance music. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many people say that a good Leadville includes running the trail through Half Pipe after you crest the big hill out of Twin Lakes. I was happy to be jogging along here and we were making good time and catching lots of folks. If there was one section that seemed like zombie land, then this was it. Lots of carnage with pacers helping their runners take one step at a time, folks caught out at night without headlamps, those feeling the cold and already dressed in puffy jackets and full winter wear. If you were having a bad patch and not moving well through here it would be a tough hole to dig out of knowing there were still 30 miles or so to go. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Charles pointed out rocks and roots for hours upon hours and even with an awesome headlamp (thanks for the loan Jody!) we were still stumbling here and there as so much time staring at a beam started to play tricks on the mind. With the clearing sky came a rush of cold air and the night started to suck all the heat out of me. By the time we hit a small road stretch near the changeover, the teeth were starting to chatter and the last 2 miles over the rabbit hole strewn field to the aid station couldn't come quick enough. By the time we rolled in, I was starting to get those uncontrollable shakes that only a good warm up can get rid of. Fortunately Laura and Mike managed to barge a path to an open fire that some crews had going and get me a front row seat to warm up while they ferried me over some hot ramen and broth. That fire was a life saver and it was really hard to leave. I later found out that a lot of folks had sought refuge at that fire through the night.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Outward Bound to Mayqueen</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Having someone pass you and say "only a marathon to go!" didn't do as much for my spirits as they intended. To veteran ultra runners, that probably comes across as 'yay, we are in the homestretch', but to me it was another 'are you kidding me?' reality check of how much there was to go. Fortunately I had big <a href="http://mikeguzek.com/">Mike G</a>. with me. Mike's the kind of guy you just know instantly you can depend on him. A 15+ time Ironman finisher with that strong as an Ox type character, which was great for carrying all my junk. A father who manages to fit it all in around a wonderful family, and is a big inspiration to his kids. Another big endurance athlete at 6'5", we must have looked pretty comical-- two former basketball players trotting down the road in this land of tiny endurance jockeys weighing barely 100 bucks soaking wet. I know Mike loves the trails and has had some crazy antics up and around Mt. Sanitas in Boulder. If you are looking for a good laugh check out this <a href="http://mikeguzek.com/2012/10/24/mount-sanitas-fun-run-friday-a-foolish-exercise/">post</a>. I'm looking forward to his return to ultras one day and hope he gives the 100 mi distance a go as I'd love to be there and get him through it.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike back in Boulder (courtesy of his blog). I was getting this kind of service the whole way.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The famous Powerline was up next and is the last real hill on the course. Energy was running low but Mike was running some funny cognitive tests on me and seemed be giving me the all clear. He was saving a string of movie and motivational talks for when things got really bad in order to get me through to Mayqueen. I kept chuckling at his honesty, as a lot of times folks will just sugarcoat things in order to keep you going. There was no mind games with Mike. "Man, this hill is REALLY steep!" "We're at the top...wait, never mind, I see lights further up above us, like WAY above us." It was just what I needed. No BS and some great conversation that helped the hours tick by. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally at the top of Powerline we got a welcome surprise with lots of whooping and hollering. An impromptu aid station had been set up with explicit banners across the trail, green inflatable aliens pinned to trees and trucks and some spooky green lighting as well as a very drunk town cryer type fellow greeting all the dazed runners. It was maybe one of the most surreal sights I've ever seen and if Mike wasn't there to witness it I'm pretty sure it would have ranked as the first hallucination of the day. In addition to alcohol, there was Sprite and Coke and I tried to get some extra fluid down. The problem was instead of cups, they had used something that resembled a cross between those little ketchup cups you get at fast food restaurants and a mini cupcake wrapper that became an impossible dexterity test with cold gloved fingers. Still, I couldn't complain with the enthusiasm, and even a few sips of caffeine sent us off down the other side in better spirits. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The narrow Colorado trail down to Mayqueen was fairly uneventful until near the bottom when we both stopped dead in our tracks for a minute. We could hear wild animal noises with lots of honking, grunting and guttural sounds. It sounded like an unhappy Moose or Elk that was above us and getting closer through the woods. The lights we had seen behind us were now gone and for a second I had that wondering thought of what the hell would we actually do if we confronted some angry wildlife in the middle of the trail. It wasn't as if I had the energy to run away - I was barely moving! We carried on, only to turn at the first sound of movement behind us. Phew, the light was back and we were passed by a runner dashing by while apologizing for all the throwing up back there. He said he couldn't keep anything down but was now was feeling much better and he scampered off down to Mayqueen.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mayqueen to Finish</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The final changeover had arrived and I don't remember a whole lot from Mayqueen to the finish. While I was fairly 'with it' up until now, things really took a turn for the worse as Derek and I took to the Turquoise Lake trail and the final stretch to Leadville. In hindsight, I needed to be eating more and had been running on fumes for a while. Derek later pointed out that they were worried I wasn't eating a lot in the aid stations and given that I wasn't eating much in between, the deficit was now pretty big. While I had been confident of finishing all day, I hit my low point around mile 95 and started having really big doubts. I couldn't believe it. I had pictured this section as being the easiest of all as you 'smell the barn' and power home. Now I was struggling to work out if I could make it in before the cutoff, doing bad mathematics in my head and hearing other runners and their pacers passing, saying "If we hurry, we can just make it". </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Derek was trying his best to get me to eat and magicked up one of Wendy's brownies from thin air. He remembered from my pre-race notes that if I go quiet at any point it's probably because I need food. I think I was silent for a lot of the last section. The sun was now on its way up and while I hoped the warming rays would give me energy it was a reminder that we still had to move, and as quick as we could. The blisters I had developed all along both feet were now almost unbearable and my right foot could hardly take any weight. It all came to a head when I had an excruciating moment 3 miles from the finish where I pulled up lame on the edge of the trail. Either the blister had popped or I just got a stress fracture. It was hard to tell the difference for a few minutes until the pain subsided and I could try out my foot again. Time was ticking and we were just standing still on the side of the trail wondering what was going to happen next. Using my poles and going as gingerly as possible we started hobbling again and then finally moving faster through gritted teeth to just get to the finish. We'd been getting inaccurate reports of how far to go from about 6 miles out so that the next section seemed to take an eternity. In the end, out of sheer frustration to get it done, we got into a full run for the last couple of miles and just decided not to stop until we saw the finish. </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYIFwZxZ8nnpmnpe6tZViwLqsIhHb7204xBKVWMyxALyySVIh3g6q9Xh5HOumpogY92_fTr4GbvLQk4vLUU2RLleRAYY8gB66IG-kYisdXS3dyx_jKT8X10WwAx617jor2gw8ofx5aMtA/s1600/Derek.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYIFwZxZ8nnpmnpe6tZViwLqsIhHb7204xBKVWMyxALyySVIh3g6q9Xh5HOumpogY92_fTr4GbvLQk4vLUU2RLleRAYY8gB66IG-kYisdXS3dyx_jKT8X10WwAx617jor2gw8ofx5aMtA/s1600/Derek.jpg" height="427" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Derek took pictures all day and we didn't even get one of him. Here he is with the locals in Asia.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I knew Derek would be perfect for the final leg of the journey, and after being out on the course more than anyone all day, sleeping in his freezing car, acting as photographer, and waiting and waiting for me to show up, his mix of calm Zen made it all come together. We hit 6th St. and with the sun blinding our faces could just make out the gathering of folks at the finish in the distance. Half way along, he was able to point out Wendy running toward us with Felix in the stroller. I was just in time to see the comical way he went from bawling his eyes out, exhausted, to fast asleep in the space of a few seconds as we approached. Mike had also just made it to the finish area and we were all able to cross together, finally done in 28 hrs 33 mins and 51 seconds later. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'd imagined crossing the line full of emotion and tears but there was absolutely nothing left. I barely made it to the medical folks who weighed me in 1 pound heavier than I started (plenty of drinking!). The exultation I had expected wasn't there and while I was feeling totally drained, I could sense that the feeling of accomplishment was going to come later, over the days, weeks and months as the brain starts to reflect and process what just happened. Maybe it's only fitting that after such a long struggle in a long race that the reward comes over time and sticks with you more than that quick satisfaction our modern lives come to crave.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLEtWW27H2LAUG9pVxPKTtI2up9cbKoWbPaTfe4QQAx-aSt9UfbDYlOSA6j-0iCSCNfO9D_ffEJSMAcRN7jTkNIklFoQZHkRAPhJkyABeoNAtbhMglWZEAFpUH9UzjWx7rZ0vh6AqNam8/s1600/Leadville+Buckle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLEtWW27H2LAUG9pVxPKTtI2up9cbKoWbPaTfe4QQAx-aSt9UfbDYlOSA6j-0iCSCNfO9D_ffEJSMAcRN7jTkNIklFoQZHkRAPhJkyABeoNAtbhMglWZEAFpUH9UzjWx7rZ0vh6AqNam8/s1600/Leadville+Buckle.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The coveted finishers buckle.</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Post Script</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few folks have asked me how this ranks compared to all the other races I've done. I'm still telling them that I would trade all of those events and personal bests for this one day. It ranks that highly. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm not sure I'll ever do another and Derek remembers me telling him "this isn't healthy" plenty of times in those last miles. It was the first time I've ever set out to do something that I viewed as impossible for me and the sense of accomplishment that comes along with that is incredible.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Everyone that needed thanking has been thanked a dozen times and I hope they all remember that I couldn't have done it without any one of them. A particular shout out goes to of course Wendy for being there through everything and who is always so supportive in everything I do. Also to Craig Howie who has been the consummate guide/coach throughout this journey and a sounding board for every fear, worry and decision I stumbled my way through. I have a huge desire to return the favor in the months and years to come.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For those interested in the training, I averaged in the mid-40s mpw since the start of the year and nearer 50 mpw in the last few months. You don't need a lot of miles to get it done. In fact, as Ken Chlouber says, the most important distance is the 5 inches between your ears. There are so many ways I could have improved things with more altitude training, vertical, miles etc., but it just wasn't worth the trade off with family, work and Felix's first year on the other side of the equation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's a couple of screen shots from Training Peaks of my log. If you are interested in more detail, leave me a comment as I'm happy to share anything about my preparation.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh08HMhEmq6wBK4fwr2ilziUxX2_NboTass4iQ56imbuQjoXXyRA82tKdXoxyZzNoZhHUF7Osd6_cgZyfQpdSQrGVhSLjBI3v2tDYSSjtR4D3sZ9QgmVZF9OC93RBVsQFPSH3I-KNjHKUE/s1600/TP+Leadville.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh08HMhEmq6wBK4fwr2ilziUxX2_NboTass4iQ56imbuQjoXXyRA82tKdXoxyZzNoZhHUF7Osd6_cgZyfQpdSQrGVhSLjBI3v2tDYSSjtR4D3sZ9QgmVZF9OC93RBVsQFPSH3I-KNjHKUE/s1600/TP+Leadville.jpg" height="262" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">43mpw ave until race week. Biggest week was 65mi</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqOFXXrj0-YRfy5eIIX2slOLO3bFa96m_wUsZdE1ZnMA2-BAY4gvagcUilnd09Uh2TyC7oCFUEG2cVd06omCwLio2AjQr9L788B9vTpsM4Aa5IttLLi7HtVFwtdouCbbgThyphenhyphenx2-INT60I/s1600/PMC+Chart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqOFXXrj0-YRfy5eIIX2slOLO3bFa96m_wUsZdE1ZnMA2-BAY4gvagcUilnd09Uh2TyC7oCFUEG2cVd06omCwLio2AjQr9L788B9vTpsM4Aa5IttLLi7HtVFwtdouCbbgThyphenhyphenx2-INT60I/s1600/PMC+Chart.jpg" height="264" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PMC Chart since Jan 2012. CTL pre-Leadville was 75</td></tr>
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<br />David McMillanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908080467488720227noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8137040531250906650.post-3840363975176317932014-07-09T20:30:00.000-06:002014-07-10T14:41:19.987-06:00Hardrock 100!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglQUlrEVTiYisTtZP3ePe9G0ZxDQXE0goXShhKC0Uqk0MbR0itM5_3gAmblBrp7blF46ErizGzKGq14DSW6m0guoRcfafqCNmo1m8AxIrnNW-AsWdvbgB__swieceF0e9Fe9syXkLh1xg/s1600/Wendy+on+Handies3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglQUlrEVTiYisTtZP3ePe9G0ZxDQXE0goXShhKC0Uqk0MbR0itM5_3gAmblBrp7blF46ErizGzKGq14DSW6m0guoRcfafqCNmo1m8AxIrnNW-AsWdvbgB__swieceF0e9Fe9syXkLh1xg/s1600/Wendy+on+Handies3.jpg" height="348" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wendy up on Handies Peak</td></tr>
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Ahhh <a href="http://hardrock100.com/">Hardrock</a>. How tempting it is to get in the car and drive for 7hrs to Silverton and spectate high on the course for what may be the greatest ultra event of the year. Certainly one of the most highly anticipated as it will be a rare year again when we see the lottery be favorable to such running luminaries as:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Kilian Jornet</li>
<li>Seb Chaigneau</li>
<li>Julien Chorier</li>
<li>Dakota Jones</li>
<li>Joe Grant</li>
<li>Jeff Browning</li>
<li>Jared Campbell</li>
<li>Timmy Olson</li>
<li>Tsuyoshi Kaburaki</li>
<li>Adam Campbell and several more knocking on the door of the top 10.</li>
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Ever since we spent some time on the course a few years ago, checking out the climbs and sections of the route, we fell in love with the magnetism of the San Juans. It's a special place that brings together the familiarity of so many mountain ranges into it's own unique blend. Some of the ruggedness of the Alps ,the peace and solitude of the Scottish Highlands, the rarefied air of the Andes. The hues on the landscape are sharp and crystal clear, with such a vibrancy that makes you feel you can reach out into the view and touch the neighboring peaks.<br />
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The dream of participating grabs the attention of more each year and while getting in as a first time runner is likely to take years of entries, in a way that makes it all the more special. So often in today's world are we able to get self gratification quickly and at will. There's no way to 'buy' your way into Hardrock and I love that approach. I understand the chorus of folks who see it as an old boys club that favors multiple time finishers (which it does) and there is a severe lack of depth on the women's side that could be easily corrected. At it's core though, it's a race that is as unmovable as the mountains it traverses, and hopefully will hang on to this ethos as the race goes on.<br />
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My suspicion is that after the media circus subsides and leaves Silverton, we'll slip back to another year with a few class athletes, but much the same as it has been in years past. In the meantime we should celebrate what we are about to see in what is a historical race even before the first step is taken. A new legend will grow whether a record is set, or if Kyle Skaggs solo record holds on from the group assault of modern day ultra running stars. No matter what your prediction, count on lots of drama in SW Colorado over the next few days!<br />
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For full coverage, iRunFar has again excelled at providing some great interviews, live coverage and a great resource for where to find the latest information. Here's a good summary link with lots of detail - http://www.irunfar.com/2014/07/2014-hardrock-100-preview.html<br />
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<br />David McMillanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908080467488720227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8137040531250906650.post-38512657708111498772014-06-29T16:24:00.000-06:002014-07-07T21:16:06.686-06:005th Annual - North Fork 50 miler, Pine ColoradoNorth 'put a fork in me' 50 miler. A good start, a miserable middle and a strong finish!<br />
9:39.11 - 12th place.<br />
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The legendary Ann Trason, 14 time winner of the Western States 100 once remarked that running a 100 miles is like living your life from start to finish, beginning as a baby and growing old through the race. While not a 100-miler, I got as close to getting a sense of those feelings this weekend as I bobbed along a roller coaster of emotion I've never experienced in a foot race before. <br />
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With Western States coincidentally being held on the same day this year, I didn't get a chance to enjoy a day of following twitter feeds and FB posts about the incredibly deep field assembled in CA. Instead I was in Pine, Colorado trying to get a good training race in ahead of the Leadville 100 later this summer. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg-9AzWx_Q6eoGG2zPgAAyKyvtsZ7sDFdnZooQDFiCc7sTFa0CQ0WTp8nCpoNLuFlgcv_oYZ6gZt6k2G16l23rRTgRgyyu_zMS9y8N2M74wusO9LDtghGdoHUJ6GDBb4KH3s3cohVYjIU/s1600/Hoka+Felix.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg-9AzWx_Q6eoGG2zPgAAyKyvtsZ7sDFdnZooQDFiCc7sTFa0CQ0WTp8nCpoNLuFlgcv_oYZ6gZt6k2G16l23rRTgRgyyu_zMS9y8N2M74wusO9LDtghGdoHUJ6GDBb4KH3s3cohVYjIU/s1600/Hoka+Felix.jpg" height="400" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Felix wearing Dadda's race day shoes. He's got a ways to grow into them yet.</td></tr>
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While running has been a part of my life since a young boy, ultra running still feels relatively new. Particularly as this was only my second 50-miler; and, while my first at <a href="http://itsahillgetoverit.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/san-juan-solstice-50-mile-run-race.html">SJS 50</a><u> </u>last year was a 'race', it really became something of a nice long yomp over the hills enjoying the scenery. I wanted to see on this outing how much I could run over 50 miles from the get go without breaking down late in the race and having to slog it out to the finish. As with most ultra running, things rarely go to plan, and this day was a good reminder that sometimes the goals can go straight out the window when the going gets tough. I'm pretty sure they should start serving humble pie at the aid stations.<br />
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It's always tricky with races that start two distances at the same time. <a href="http://www.northfork50.com/">North Fork</a> had the 50 mile and 50K racers completing the same course for the first 15 miles before going their respective ways. While I was focused on my own effort from the beginning, it did leave me wondering if half of the folks around me were going to disappear in a couple of hours down the trail or whether I would have company the whole way. Because of the winding, twisting nature of the trails, I would have to wait until near the halfway mark to find out when some of the lead runners were coming back from the turn around point.<br />
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The course gains a total of around 7,300 ft over the 50 miles and tops out at an elevation of 8,400 ft. It's about 7 significant climbs starting with a solid 1,000 ft in the first few miles and ending with a similar descent to the finish. I chose North Fork as it's half the distance and half the elevation gain as Leadville, and would hopefully give me a sense of a mostly runnable course. Leadville would be flatter and higher with more occasional big climbs, whereas North Fork was up and down the whole way and almost all runnable except a few steep pitches of quick hiking here and there.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO9k6Un0KG3kp2o4hxTZLZCSLLU-dzW4g6dnVthiuOSR7JoxVqaek_zqJs_YKvfSi9Btz2h9PAnqPcb-RTWRbL-kr7NyzLHz-zHtsvPOV0z4dSl3jJKKsZtuWOIAujZx2BNt_ldUsh_wA/s1600/North+Fork+50+Elevation.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO9k6Un0KG3kp2o4hxTZLZCSLLU-dzW4g6dnVthiuOSR7JoxVqaek_zqJs_YKvfSi9Btz2h9PAnqPcb-RTWRbL-kr7NyzLHz-zHtsvPOV0z4dSl3jJKKsZtuWOIAujZx2BNt_ldUsh_wA/s1600/North+Fork+50+Elevation.JPG" height="344" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">North Fork 50mi course profile</td></tr>
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Just a few miles in, I was on my own with plenty of groups ahead and behind of me, feeling like it was going to be a pretty solo day. I've had a habit of listening to the ipod a lot lately. I'd loaded it up with podcasts and a go-to playlist, but decided to keep it stashed away and just enjoy what the trail had to offer. Great single track, sandy trails, a mix of very open exposed burn scar areas and beautiful aspen groves. Ultras have become a throwback for me from long days backpacking/mountaineering, where just the pleasure of traversing a lot of ground is a huge satisfaction in itself. It was nice to feel connected with the ground again in that way. Normally, most events don't give you that opportunity. But with ultras, even if someone is 15 seconds up the trail ahead of you they might be out of sight, so it still gives you that solitary feeling at times.<br />
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The first few hours rolled by very comfortably. My nutrition was dialed in with the usual batch of wonder food Wendy helped create to fuel me as naturally as possible and away from any products/gels etc. After repeated episodes of GI problems, it's clear that there is almost nothing on the market (other than <a href="http://www.skratchlabs.com/">Skratch</a>) that sits in my stomach well after a few hours. It has to be solid food, slowly ingested that gets the job done. Today, this meant banana waffles with homemade hazelnut spread, sweet potato cakes and rice cakes, each wrapped in a handy 300 Kcal package for my hourly dose of nutrition. I was on a regular schedule of a salt tab every hour and had a back up tube of glucose tabs for when the brain started to get foggy. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Descent to Buffalo Creek Aid Station</td></tr>
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Coming into the aid station at 22 miles, I was feeling good after a big looped climb through the woods where I was able to run the whole way. I knew the next 5 mile out-and-back section on the Colorado Trail was not as steep as some of the earlier climbs, and I was hoping the grade was such I could run out and cruise back to the Meadows aid station again for more fuel. <br />
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Oh how things can change quickly in an Ultra! I must have gone from hero to zero in the space of a quarter mile on this section. A few stumbles, including a toe stub that launched some massive hamstring cramps, the ever increasing oppressive heat and my favorite - the dreaded mosquito bite. I suffer from skeeter syndrome and just last week had a bite from a deer fly that put a grapefruit-sized lump on my elbow. What's worse than the swelling from the allergy is the nausea and bone pain it gives me for 4-5 days. Having just gotten over the last episode, the last thing I wanted was a repeat performance happening during the race itself.<br />
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With my mood deteriorating, the turnaround point seemed to take an eternity to arrive and I didn't even care when they said I was sitting in 7th place when I pulled in. Within 30 seconds, 3 fast moving runners showed up and I just stood there blankly staring at the food on the table and trying to figure out what to do next. The only thing that made sense was packing as much ice as I could into my Buff headband and to start cooling off the internal temperature. The dunk bucket they had also helped get some fluids on the skin, as I could already tell that the heat was affecting my appetite and fluid consumption. The quads generate the most heat so I was focused on getting them as cold as possible with the sponges they had. Cooling in this way was the mantra for the rest of the race. It's the bane of big guys in endurance sports and the British blood still runs pretty blue when it comes to how adapted I feel, even having lived in CO for over 10 years. <br />
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The next 10 miles were pretty much some of the hardest miles I've ever logged. Hands on knees, bent double at times, right on the edge of dry heaving. Slow walking all the uphills. Barely moving on the flats and downhills and a head that kept trying to convince me out of starting Leadville, and all the surrounding questions of why we decide to do this kind of thing. With the trail being so quiet, it's so easy to just throw in the towel as the motivation seeps away into the dirt. Without others around to help you along or stir the competitive juices, exhaustion mounts, and it's so easy to let the pace slip away. At mile 35 all I could think about is that it would still be 5 hrs to go if I couldn't raise the pace to more than a walk. 5hrs! Even 5 minutes was seeming like an eternity.<br />
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Slowly, I finally arrived at the aid station at mile 38. More ice, watermelon, ice, fig bars, ice, sunscreen, dunk bucket, water bottle squirts on the head, repeat. Just as I was about to leave I saw 3 more runners coming down the trail. Was it only me that was feeling this hot? Years ago as a student, I used to work summers in remote hotels in Scotland and had a bad case of heat stroke one weekend after a long day climbing Munros. While at first seeming fine, I collapsed at dinner service in a twitching heap. With the nearest hospital over an hour away, the local staff under the direction of a doctor had to submerge me in an ice cold bath for a couple of hours to get my temperature to regulate again. I'll never forget the feeling of being hot with fever while being completely immersed in cold water for that long. I was hoping that today I was just enough a head of the curve to avoid a repeat performance. <br />
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I needed to find a way to lift myself over the last 12 miles and quickly get to the finish. We had a 4 mile downhill section to the next aid and then the last 1,000 ft climb before the descent to the finish. I was trying every mental trick in the book and kept thinking about some recent running quotes to try and get some of the lethargy to lift, one of the funniest being, "If the bone's not showing then get going!" Others talk about getting the marble back in the groove and sticking to a rhythm, but it was only when considering music that I got the turnaround I was looking for. It took me to the foot of the last climb before I decided to dig out the ipod and get some tunes cranking. I'd been putting together a monster play list over the last year or so and had never really tried it out in a race before. Turning up the volume at the beginning of that climb was like a lightning bolt to the senses, and as if with the flip of a switch my body became as fresh as at the start line. I'm not sure if it's music, coincidence, other competitors, finally feeling better, smelling the barn, or a combination of everything, but being able to run the whole of the last climb and fly down the descent seeing occasional stretches of 6 min/mi on the GPS was the most exhilarating feeling I've had in running. Seeing miles 48, then 49 on the watch and wondering how I could still be running hard after so many hours on the trail seemed to defy everything I expected to feel this late in a race<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ahh the finish always feels so good!</td></tr>
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Running past the lake and on through the finish was one of my most enjoyable moments. Giving Janice the race director a big sweaty hug topped off a race full of literal ups and downs in every conceivable way. A brilliantly supported event, well organized, runnable, yet more challenging than you might expect in a gem of a park where the trail network is incredible. Congratulations to all the runners and all the new folks I met, particularly Adam, Michelle and Chris - I hope to run into you guys again soon.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Well done to RD Janice and her crew for putting on a great event!</td></tr>
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While ultra veterans will tell you stories about comebacks from the grave, huge turnarounds on the trail when all seemed lost, I'd never given it much thought until experiencing it first hand. As runners, we listen to our bodies every day and are so in tune with every little nuance that it's so wonderfully surprising when you discover a 'bolt from the blue' that provides such a new life lesson. As longtime Leadville RD Ken Chlouber famously quipped. "You're better than you think you are and you can do more than you think you can". Well said.<br />
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Strava link for anyone interested - http://www.strava.com/activities/159606243<br />
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<br />David McMillanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908080467488720227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8137040531250906650.post-83831469397451386182014-06-25T13:38:00.000-06:002014-06-25T13:38:08.804-06:00iRunFar Interview with Andy Jones-Wilkins (AJW)If you are a fan of ultra running, you've no doubt spent a good amount of time on<a href="http://www.irunfar.com/"> iRunFar's</a> website at one time or another. The race coverage and pre/post event interviews are always great, with lots of good insight from the elites and plenty of tips and nuggets of information to learn from. <br />
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This extended interview with Andy Jones-Wilkins is perhaps the best so far. It taps into the essence of what this kind of running is about, the link to our own personal lives and how it becomes who we are. There is lots to identify with in here and it's refreshing to hear it come out in the week before Western States 100 when so much attention is on the sharp end of the field and how the elites will do. <br />
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Long may AJW and Bryon continue to mentor the ultra running community through their online presence.<br />
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Sit back with a beer, get the kettle on or enjoy your lunch break for the next 44 minutes.<br />
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P.s. There's still time to get your WS100 entries in to their prediction contest. Link here: http://www.irunfar.com/2014/06/2014-western-states-100-prediction-contest.html<br />
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<br />David McMillanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908080467488720227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8137040531250906650.post-70045429487153310132014-06-10T10:54:00.001-06:002014-06-10T10:54:33.611-06:00The Newbie Road to Leadville 100 Trail Run - Part 2 <b>Review of pacing </b><br />
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There's not a day that goes by when I don't think about the race. Most days include some kind of planning in my head around the race itself, training, nutrition, gear, pacers, weather, route finding you name it. Much of my focus goes into just keeping calm and not getting too worked up about things. For a newbie tackling the 100 mile distance for the first time, there are just so many variables to think about. Too many really, so I have distilled some of my thoughts down into lists that help get my head around the challenge ahead.<br />
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The first took me back to some pacing notes I made when helping Craig Howie out to his 10th place finish in 2012. By the way, Craig is a phenomenal coach and one of the most open, generous and caring guys/dad/husband out there. If you are ever in need of help with your training check him out at <a href="http://www.howieenduranceproject.com/">Howie Endurance Project</a>. You won't be disappointed.<br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Leadville 100 Pacing Notes (from 2012) - unedited 2 days post race.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What an incredible experience. Having both of us pacing two runners (Craig and Paul) and sharing emotions across two different crews and runners really added enormous depth to the day. Here are a few things that I didn’t quite appreciate about the Leadville 100 and 100 milers in general. Hopefully these serve as something of a reminder when I think about signing up for one of these, or provide a bit of insight for anyone else thinking about the challenge.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">100 miles really is FAR. It’s really easy to casually dismiss the distance in your head. Kind of like geological time - you can’t really grasp it too well even though you know it’s BIG!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This course is out and back. Obvious but wow, when you have gone out that far to Winfield and you know exactly what you have to do on the return it’s soul crushing.</span></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The drop rate is really high. Something like 360 out of 800 finished this year.</span></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The 25hr cutoff is HARD. Especially with the extra 3 miles they added this year it’s really been a difference maker for a lot of people.</span></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">10,000ft is HIGH. Even sleeping up there the night before I could feel my heart rate racing just from the extra elevation. It really adds up over the whole day.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hiking ability is perhaps more important than running ability, especially late in the day. Hours on the feet seem more valuable than a four hour run where you cover 30miles. That being said, they say this is one of the most runnable 100s out there so you need to be ready to cover a lot of miles efficiently. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You have to be good in the dark. Even pacing Craig to 10th overall, he had many, many hours in the dark. It’s really easy to lose it when you are loopy from sleep deprivation and are on technical trails and are zoned out from staring at a spotlight a few feet in front of you for hours. There’s no scenery at night. Buy a powerful handheld flashlight - best thing ever.</span></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Pacers are essential. This is such a key component. Especially through the night sections. I wouldn’t trust myself not to be in danger without a pacer in parts. It could be really sketchy coming down from Sugarloaf pass to Mayqueen. Easy to get lost from Mayqueen to finish as well. As muling is allowed you can really load them up with your gear. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Nutrition is key. If you don’t get this right you are going to be in for a day from hell. You just have to figure it out. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It will get FREEZING cold. Whether you are runner, pacer or crew you will be frozen at some point and need to be really ready for it. If it rains or is cold and windy up high it could be a very long day. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Just like any race, there are an amazing number of folks that start too fast and just detonate. Saw plenty of folks doing this. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Use poles on the uphills and steep down hills. Hope pass and Powerline. Ditch them for anything in between. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Be ready for long stretches alone (even with your pacer). It gets really spread out after 50miles and it will feel very much like a solo effort. Even waiting 10-30mins between the lead guys seemed like forever.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Most important advice – go and crew/pace the event before you run it. I kind of dismissed this before we were up there this weekend but I couldn’t imagine not having paced before running it. If you haven’t seen parts of the course it is essential. Seeing how steep Powerline is at mile 78 when your runner is barely able to mumble words gives you a sense of how you could handle it yourself if you were in that position. You’ll also figure out by the end of the weekend if you want to sign up for this kind of event.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s CRAZY. No matter how sane, rational etc. you think you are, you are nuts if you do this. It really still is such a stretch for the human body, even for the extremely fit. If you asked me about Ironman vs. 100 run, Ironman is like finishing a 5k. I’m a multi-sport/endurance guy but these guys are so much more hardcore than I gave them credit for. </span></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Find out how you handle sleep deprivation. In the end I think I was up for 41 hrs with 1 hour of broken sleep during that whole time (that included 20min in the car waiting for Paul and Wendy at the finish). Craig was nodding off while running and said he didn’t know that was even possible as he really thought he was running and sleeping at the same time in parts. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Logistics. I was surprised as I thought that being a run it would be much simpler than say an Ironman. Completely wrong. It was the same or more than planning all the details out for our R2R2R run. Meetings, schedules, nutrition plans, gear lists, contingency details, weather forecasting, pacing strategies, pacer responsibility, transport, accommodation, the list goes on and on.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Don’t underestimate the responsibility you burden your pacer with. Our runners may not have realized this, but we felt more nervous than if it was our race. I also felt that the sense of achievement and the experience as a whole is in the top 3 of all races I have done even when I have been the participant. It’s weird to say and I am still processing it but it may even be at the top of that list! You just get so emotionally attached to getting your guy to the finish or the next pacer that you will do everything you can.</span></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Be prepared to be an emotional vegetable. By sundown everyone is running on fumes and starting to be completely out of it. Brendan was seeing wild animals run across the road in front of the car when they weren’t there and no one could do the simplest math. Trying to figure out when the runner was due at the next aid station or trying to alter a pacing schedule was really hard. There were lots of tears from family members (spouses, parents etc). I got really choked up taking Craig down to Mayqueen. He started talking about all his family, his fears and how much he loves his family and friends. After handing him off to the next pacer in front of his wife Jen, she could tell that it had been an emotional stretch. She was already on the edge of tears for hours and we had a bit of a sobbing/hugging session about how tough Craig was being and what a great guy he is. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Get perspective. Paul is not only one of the toughest guys I know, he really just has a way of thinking about what he is doing and how it relates to the big picture. Whether it’s war, starvation, disease you name it, this isn’t as hard as going through those struggles that are present everyday on the planet. He’s also convinced that you could almost do the 100 right of the couch if someone had a gun held to your head. Much like Ken Clouber’s famous speeches – “You can do more than you think you can” and “You are better than you think you are”. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Don’t try and compare it to anything else you have done. It’s just not useful to think of it in terms of Ironman, marathon etc. It’s 100 miles at altitude through the mountains and it stands alone in it’s own category.</span></span></div>
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David McMillanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908080467488720227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8137040531250906650.post-43118434598500870032014-06-07T10:58:00.000-06:002014-06-10T11:27:41.817-06:0029th Annual Sunrise Stampede 10K Race Report - Longmont CO<b>10th Place Overall, 3rd AG - 38:58</b><br />
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<a href="http://www.sunrisestampede.com/images/29_sunrise-stampede_logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.sunrisestampede.com/images/29_sunrise-stampede_logo.png" height="320" width="272" /></a>What a great event! It's hard to believe that for as long as we have lived here, this was my first time at this race. Maybe it's a bit of a hidden gem, kind of like the <a href="http://www.ci.longmont.co.us/rec/special/triathlon.htm">Longmont Triathlon </a>which has to compete with it's bigger counterparts, but has so much history in the local community. Any race that has been going about 30 years is well worth checking out as they are clearly doing a lot right.<br />
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The race combines a 10K and 2 mile option so a great family event for everyone with lots of multiple generations taking part, spectating and stroller friendly so another bonus for getting out with the kiddies. I told Wendy that next year we'll all be back and get Felix involved in this event early on, even if his participation is from the buggy. You also can't beat a $15 race entry fee these days.<br />
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The other aspect I love is a race that finishes on a track and this event delivers a full 500m or so of tartan glory as you run in and past the finish banner, get a quick glance at the clock before sprinting with an all out lap.<br />
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Even though I am in the middle of full on Ultra training, I'm convinced of the need to keep some speedwork in the plan and I've always wanted to increase the distance but not lose the faster gains. It used to be that it was assumed that if you are going to run long then you had better get used to running slow to be able to go longer and that was a fair tradeoff. It's great to see that myth now has no legs and the influx of super fast elites are showing that keeping a good mix of speed and endurance is essential to performing to the best of your ability. Just look at Max King, Sage Canaday, Mike Wardian, Ian Sharman, Nick Clark, Rob Krar, the list goes on and on. That versatility to be able to have a barbell of performance at both ends of the spectrum is what appeals to me the most. After all, it is still all 'just running' and there is no reason you can't enjoy a huge range of distances and intensities in your racing and training.<br />
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My longest run of the year (29miles) came only 5 days ago and I was anxious to see how I would feel once I was in the race. I had that dread of getting to mile 1 only to feel my legs crumble around me after a week of very little running and trying to recover as best as I could. I went in with my taper plan that has been working really well in the last few races and has now become the gold standard in getting to the start line feeling fresh and healthy. It's only taken 20 years but I finally think I may have cracked the taper code - at least for me - which is a great confidence boost. More to come on that in a later post.<br />
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After a decent start at 5.58 pace, the first mile passed quickly and we started to get into the twisty, breezy, hilly part of the middle of the course. I was surprised by how many hills there were and how even small ones kill your pace. Looking at my splits I had 2 miles at 6.00pace, 2 miles at 6.15 pace and 2 miles at 6.30 pace with the two fastest first and last. Fortunately the legs felt solid although not super springy and I had that feeling of wanting to go longer but not faster which is always a little frustrating when you want to shift up gears for a strong finish.<br />
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I came into the stadium and passed the clock at 37.32 with 400m to go and new it would be a hustle to break 39mins which had become the goal of the day and just sneaked inside with a 38:58 for 10th place and 3rd AG. From chatting with a bunch of the runners afterwards it seems like those who just did the Bolder Boulder were about a minute slower so I'm decently pleased with the time given where the training focus is right now. <br />
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A really nice touch to the event is the hand crafted pottery mugs that are presented as awards in both races and also for top Longmont finishers. It meant I was lucky enough to take home two. I love anything hand crafted and need to drop into Mark Rossier's pottery studio in Niwot to say hi and thank him for providing such great awards to the race. You can check out Mark's website here if you want to support a local craftsman: - http://www.markrossierpottery.com/<br />
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<br />David McMillanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908080467488720227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8137040531250906650.post-90284017400062156732014-06-05T14:51:00.003-06:002014-06-05T14:52:07.186-06:00Spring in Colorado, training and perspectiveThe past couple of months have gone by in a flash. It's already getting hot in Colorado and we officially dropped inside the 100 days to go mark for Leadville. Training has been going really well and I'll put a few thoughts together in a separate post about Leadville prep and what a 100 mile newbie is going through at this stage of the game.<br />
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Felix is on the move - sort of. Lots of cruising around the furniture and furious walk/running when holding both his hands. Crawling is definitely taking a back seat as he realizes that walking might be just the more efficient way to get to where he wants as soon as possible.<br />
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As everyone tells you, having a child changes you completely and nothing will be the same again. It's so cliche' but I'm still so surprised at the truth in it. It's also the best feeling in the world and we are loving every minute of being a family. Every day seems to just keep getting better and better and I'm already sad that I'll look back on these days so fondly and wonder how they passed by so quickly. It makes living for the moment a lot more real and has also diminished many of the things I used to hold as important before Felix came along. <br />
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That's been an observation that surprised me as I never thought I would be able to to 'turn off' some of those things. The days where I would time trial the same 3 mile stretch of road 10 times holding perfectly steady watts and changing one variable at a time to get the most perfect position. Moving a water bottle, changing a helmet, clothing, cable location and even bar tape thickness and then completing all the regression analysis and working out that I can save 4 watts in x position which equals x secs over a 40K TT.<br />
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The geek is still in me and the passion for competition and racing is still there, but the obsession with certain things has gone. Regaining perspective has been so liberating and freeing. <br />
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One of the most enjoyable events of the past month was seeing Wendy race her first ultra at the Greenland 50K. I'm so glad she took the plunge even if it was on the back of minimal training and lots and lots of sleepless nights running up to the day. Felix's developing all four front teeth in one go didn't make for much rest in the week before. <br />
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It was a perfect Colorado day and the course was in excellent shape with great views of Pikes Peak and the rolling front range and she had a blast after all was said and done, winning her age group and finishing just outside of 5hrs. It couldn't have gone better for her first official ultra race and after all the aches and pains have gone I think it's going to light a spark for some further events later in the year. You can check out her post over on Fit and Frugal. <a href="http://www.fit-and-frugal.com/2014/05/05/race-report-greenland-50k/">http://www.fit-and-frugal.com/2014/05/05/race-report-greenland-50k/</a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Who doesn't like a Hippo?! Denver Zoo</td></tr>
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<br />David McMillanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908080467488720227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8137040531250906650.post-58734076702949988522014-05-21T15:03:00.002-06:002014-05-21T15:06:12.996-06:002nd Annual Carbon Valley Half Marathon - 1st half win!<b>1:26:37 1st place overall and course record</b><br />
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This race was added to the calendar after searching for another half after the debacle at <a href="http://itsahillgetoverit.blogspot.com/2014/04/redline-131-westminster-3-mile-detour.html">Redline 13.1 Westminster</a>. I had wanted to do the Platte River half and get a time on a known fast course but the family schedule wouldn't allow it on that weekend. I opted for a second year event in Firestone, where I had luck the previous year in getting second place at a local 5K. Knowing a bit of the area and course, I thought it could be a good fit.<br />
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I'd checked out the results from last year and was a little surprised with the slowish times from some runners I knew were pretty quick. Maybe it had been a hot day or slightly long - I guess I would soon find out.<br />
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I used the same taper as before Redline which is really working well for me right now. I'm getting to the end of the week feeling fresh and rested with an attitude of wanting to get after it on race day. Timing these races with natural low weeks has also helped get in some of the required recovery which is harder to do in a normal training week without a race looming. <br />
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The plan was to start off on the slow side and imagine that I was running a marathon. This generally calms me down a little, find a good pace and then settle in to running my own race. It was the perfect strategy and while there were 5 or 6 guys ahead in the early going we hit mile 1 right at 6.30 pace. Perfect! The course was much more challenging than I expected. The dirt roads and trails were muddy from the overnight rain and there were hills the whole way. Nothing too major, but enough to kill the pace a little. I sat in about 3rd for 5 or 6 miles behind one guy that turned out to be in the relay and another who must have looked at his GPS a thousand times. I used to love my Garmin (and still do for certain workouts) but usually leave it at home for races now. Part of the reason is that it can be such a distraction and so tempting to keep checking pace every now and again. I'd never seen this though. This guy should be in a Garmin commercial. I even joked about it with him but he couldn't hear me as he was plugged into his MP3 player. This guy was connected!<br />
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Right around 5 miles we blew through an intersection with no cop having arrived yet and narrowly missed a couple of cars. The lead bike told us to keep going and he'd be back in a minute. Noooo! This can't be happening again. I started to dread the Redline race repeating itself and having another disaster on my hands at the expense of a lead biker. Luckily, he was back within a minute and providing good directions. He turned out to be an awesome volunteer and did an outstanding job looking after the runners the whole morning. Thanks Skip!<br />
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About half way I got a lead and asked Skip how much of a gap I had. He kept telling me that it was 80yds for the next few miles which was just so frustrating. I couldn't shake the chasers and it was like I was the dangling carrot now, just hanging out there to be swallowed up. It felt like a bike race where they leave the breakaway just out front enough to give them hope, but can pull it back in a heart beat when the peloton decides they want to. A solid hill near 8 miles took me on to the wettest, muddiest section of the day before entering a nice paved downhill section. I decided to try and get to 10 miles and then make a push in the last 5K to finish it out, but I could sense that I was starting to slow a little. The gravel paths were great underfoot but loose and gave me that lead legged feeling. 10 miles came and went and when we got to 11 miles Skip shouted to me the lead was now about a quarter mile. Phew. I sneaked a glance behind and realized that I could coast to the short turn around, see a fun battle for 2nd and 3rd developing and have a strong downhill finish to the end. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What a lame smile!</td></tr>
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While I got my first ever win in a rinky dink 10K on a Wyoming air base last year, this felt a lot more special. Plenty of local athletes could have thrashed me today, but if you can't let yourself enjoy a win when one comes along then you'll never be happy with any performance. Sometimes you need that combination of luck, perseverance and a weekend with a ton of races to help you out :-) Having had lucky Felix in our lives he seems to be something of a talisman in performing better this past year!<br />
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I'm pretty happy with the time all things considered. The 3rd place finisher just ran a 1:25 half a couple of weeks ago and finished in 1:29 so maybe my time is good for a few mins quicker on a flat course. I'll probably jump into the Longmont Sunrise Stampede 10K in a few weeks so will get a better sense of my speed there. I'm happy that the body is responding to all the nutritional changes too. No need for any gels, sports drink or anything. Just a couple of sips of water from one of the aid stations in the last couple of miles was plenty to keep me feeling good to the finish.<br />
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Even though it's a newish event, they have done a great job in the first two years. Live music, food trucks, vendors and a very fun atmosphere. With the proceeds going to benefit Autism prevention, it's a great cause and one worthy of supporting. What a bonus to get the course record too. Hopefully I get a chance to come back next year and participate again. <br />
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http://cvhalfmarathon.org/David McMillanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908080467488720227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8137040531250906650.post-38280404224385903992014-04-15T16:26:00.000-06:002014-05-21T15:04:25.500-06:00Redline 13.1 Westminster, 3 mile detour, tapering and small fieldsDNF <br />
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While I guess this officially becomes a DNF, I think there should be a new category called DNF-LBF, the LBF for lead bike fiasco.<br />
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I'd been looking around for a spring half that would be a good gauge of current fitness, close enough to home that I could get back to the family quickly and have a sense of where my speed is at (or not at). I even gave it a reasonable taper in the week running up to it which coincided nicely with a down week. The stars were aligning....<br />
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A lot of local races have had a hard time this past year, as with so much flood damage on the front range it has meant that courses have had to be re-routed, events cancelled or moved to a completely different location. This was a case of the latter with the start beginning a bus ride away on a dirt trail that wound down onto a bike path on it's way to Westminster, before an out and back section to end at a park near the Westin hotel. <br />
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A small field gathered and with no one taking the front early, it was left to a couple of us to lead the way. It's tricky running in Colorado as you either seem to get absolutely stacked fields where placing high is really tough, events where you can be right up there, or occasionally, just one or two folks that dominate and dust the field by minutes. I guess it always depends on who shows up, but this dynamic still feels really unusual to me. Running in the UK I would struggle to finish top 10 even in the most local of 10Ks. You have some freakish mutants out here in the Boulder area but the depth isn't is great as say the UK, or particularly somewhere like Japan at the next tier down.<br />
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The first mile went by at 6.00 which was a bit too quick but felt easy enough given that it was almost all downhill. I've been trying to nail a regular, dependable taper that I can have as a go to before races and this was feeling about as good as I've felt in a long time with getting it right. Good to remember for the next race out in a month or so. <br />
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The trail wound through muddy areas away from the reservoir, twisty little goat trails, avoiding new construction machinery and big puddles towards the second mile. This is where some of the problems started. I was 10 yards behind the lead runner and the lead bike was starting to look around a little confused about the way to go. He dropped back behind the both of us for a second through a sandy section before his bike washed out and he had to catch up. We were still on a trail at this point, but I started to get that sinking feeling that it might not be the right one. The biker took the lead again but now had taken his cell phone out of his pocket and was looking even more confused. Argh!<br />
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I'd always read stories of going off course, getting lost etc. and wondered what that would feel like in a race situation. I knew that going for a time was pointless as I've not been wearing a GPS in races lately and that it was going to have to turn into a race for places based on effort. I looked back with the thought of turning around and finding the right way but there was such a steady stream of folks following that maybe the whole field was coming this way. Maybe the organizers would treat this as the 'new' course and register finishers accordingly.<br />
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We continued on and on with no sign of the next mile marker. We actually started heading west at one point and climbing again which was funny given that it was a west to east downhill race. Eventually we popped out on a busy highway road with no shoulder and were led down for another couple of miles in busy Saturday morning traffic into a twisty, winding neighborhood. The lead biker stopped and motioned that he needed to wait at the intersection and suggested we head in a rough, arm waving direction to look for the bike path. We dutifully followed, resigned now but also realizing that I had no idea where I was, and the fact that I needed to at least get back to my car and might as well make the most of a workout.<br />
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I'd lost all energy to race though, particularly as we hit the bike path and it became clear that half of the field had made the correct turn. We hit mile 3 with over a 30+min detour between miles 2 and 3 and started working our way through the rest of the field. I'd sat on the bus with a couple of people that were hoping to walk the half in about 3 hrs and I caught them near the mile 5 marker. I knew no matter what happened that there was no way I'd be running through the field to get even close to the front again.<br />
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The trail running nemesis of the concrete bike path was like hitting my head with a hammer every step. I would have been more willing to suffer the pounding on a legit, measured and certified course but all of the energy I had put in to preparing was completely drained out of me with the big detour. We were nearing the finish line and the prospect of making this a 16mile run on more concrete led me to making a quick turn to hit the finish chute, tear my number off and call it a day. <br />
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I found the race director and shared a few thoughts, got an agreement for a free entry and picked up my bag. I told the RD that I was going to go easy on him as he was going to hear it from all the other runners all day long so I did have some sympathy. The organizer Josh actually seems like a funny, straight up guy that was just dealt a bad card on race day so I consider it a one off for the races they run. It sounds like the construction workers on the course may have moved a few course markers and this caused all the confusion near the start.<br />
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I'm reminded by a quote I love " It's only running" and can now chuckle at the farce it turned into. The legitimate would-be-winner ended up 18th or so in the results and gamely stuck it out to finish the complete distance, while someone else found it was there lucky day and took home an unexpected win they might otherwise never had. I'm sure there were mixed emotions all around from the participants.<br />
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On to the next one. Will start to look for another half to get some more speed endurance in the body.David McMillanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908080467488720227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8137040531250906650.post-87157854769019623842014-01-15T14:54:00.000-07:002014-06-05T15:38:25.248-06:00The Newbie Road to Leadville 100 Trail Run - Part 1<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWHXYpx4O-7p4kn7FJ6LYPz_9ZToTnBwbzT_MPARUYdYDw7DraqsnUFID1BETmuTuoVfbku1Jw1u_rUt0edRANMJhtar0PP8xB2k7sHIZ6nWL-wxFOBEPgF3UpwMVrIs-kMC1bhfTQs8A/s1600/Leadville.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWHXYpx4O-7p4kn7FJ6LYPz_9ZToTnBwbzT_MPARUYdYDw7DraqsnUFID1BETmuTuoVfbku1Jw1u_rUt0edRANMJhtar0PP8xB2k7sHIZ6nWL-wxFOBEPgF3UpwMVrIs-kMC1bhfTQs8A/s1600/Leadville.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a>It's official. I'll be in Leadville on August 16th. It was touch and go using a cell phone with patchy coverage on the east coast at 2am, but the email came through and the spot is secured.<br />
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I had to ignore a lot of the bad publicity the race picked up last year (2013) due largely to overcrowding and congestion problems. Hopefully Lifetime have sorted it out with capping the entrants a few hundred lower and limiting the stress on the race. I've had good experiences with their multi-sport events and am going in with confidence they are putting any wrongs right.<br />
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The Leadville 100 journey has been a long time coming. I was entered back in 2001 when it was a lottery and you had to go up to Leadville and look at the list on a shop window to see if you got in. I did. I wasn't an ultra runner then, just a very naive marathon runner who didn't really grasp what I was jumping into. The Snow Mountain Ranch Double Marathon put paid to that with a combination of being sick on the day and totally unprepared, which led to dropping out at 35miles after some rather incredible hallucinations. My buildup was in tatters, I was wrecked and unready to even toe the line that year. Talk about unfinished business.<br />
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Now, years later we come full circle. Ultras are now part of my DNA and with years of Fell running and mountaineering from my youth providing a base to draw upon, all the components are now clicking into place. <br />
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Pacing our friends Craig and Paul in 2011 was the first step in seeing the race first hand and I was blown away by the feelings and emotions of that very long day. Even as a pacer it ranks as one of my best race experiences I have ever had, so what would it feel like to be the one participating?<br />
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Training in Boulder the tales of running 100 milers has become so commonplace that it's easy to think of the distance in a complacent sort of way. I'm trying to remind myself of just how big a challenge this really is and to not take anything for granted in the journey to the start line.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The course profile (out and back)</td></tr>
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I'll try and document my preparation over the upcoming months as I get closer to August and outline the good, bad and ugly of getting ready for the race. There is so much to consider in terms of training, nutrition, altitude, race day logistics, pacing/race strategy, and beyond. In the meantime, to get you excited about the event, have a read of the following article posted by a spectator at the 2012 race. The author does a very good job at capturing the event and all its emotion.<br />
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<a href="http://deadspin.com/5966723/boom-or-bust-48-hours-at-leadvilles-treacherous-ultramarathon">http://deadspin.com/5966723/boom-or-bust-48-hours-at-leadvilles-treacherous-ultramarathon</a><br />
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<br />David McMillanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908080467488720227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8137040531250906650.post-14689385581845961042014-01-15T14:43:00.001-07:002014-01-15T14:43:31.564-07:00Yep<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />David McMillanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908080467488720227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8137040531250906650.post-15498720667561770432013-12-12T18:54:00.001-07:002013-12-12T18:54:19.754-07:001972 Olympic 800m Final - Dave Wottle<br />
I love getting links from folks of classic track races in past championship races. There are some out there that are pure gold. This is a good example. I never knew much about Dave Wottle growing up as being from the UK I was completely surrounded by the legends of Coe, Cram and Ovett et al. <br />
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I won't spoil the ending but check out how far back he is in the early going. What a great example of control and pacing, not to mention confidence. Enjoy!<br />
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<br />David McMillanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908080467488720227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8137040531250906650.post-9401409235209490502013-11-28T10:02:00.000-07:002014-05-20T16:53:08.431-06:00Community Food Share 5k Turkey Trot Race Report - Boulder, Colorado<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">98 days</td></tr>
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<b>14th Place Overall, 6th AG (30-39), 18:12</b><br />
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There is such a choice of turkey trotting these days. It now seems to start a couple of weekends out and then on the day itself every small town in Colorado seems to be putting one on. It seems everyone likes the idea of creating a caloric deficit before the feasting begins.<br />
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I chose Boulder again this year for a few reasons. I like the cause (they raised about $9K and over 970lbs of food) for the community food share and I ran 18:17 there last year when I was training for CIM and felt in pretty good shape. That year I'd also ran the 10k in Longmont as I did a couple of weeks ago and was quicker there as well by a handful of seconds. This would be a good test to see if I could come close to that time without all the long miles and big training block. My big fear was repeating the calf injury I picked up in the race last year which meant sitting out CIM completely. I was wearing the same pair of shoes so had a bit of anxiety going in. I was hoping all the track work and foot stability strengthening was going to pay off.<br />
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The weather was good. A light wind but nothing much to complain about. I hate courses that are measured incorrectly so always glad to go along to a Boulder Road Runners event as I can be sure it's certified and marked properly. If I hear of another person telling me they set their 5k or 10k PR in such and such triathlon I'm going to freak out, but that's a story for another time...<br />
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The race started fast and I was surprised how close to the front I was and had to have a quick look around to see if I was making a big mistake with the pace. Normally the lead guys just disappear ahead in Boulder races so it was slightly weird only having a dozen folks ahead. Everything was feeling good so I just went with it and tried to relax through the first mile. One woman passed me near the mile marker and Colleen De Reuck came through as well. I'd finished close to her last year and wanted to see if I could stick with her pace. We went through mile 1 in 5.35 and started to climb the gradual hill back onto the second mile. I knew Colleen had just run an amazing <a href="http://www.runnersworld.com/elite-runners/16-year-old-49-year-old-qualify-for-olympic-marathon-trials">2:39 in Indianapolis</a> a couple of weeks back to qualify for the Olympic Trials at age 49. She didn't look tired!<br />
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I was getting gapped and starting to feel a bit in no-mans land. While passing my spectating Mother and Felix each lap gave me such a boost it was starting to become a game of how long I could hold on. Mile 2 came with a 5:56 split and I couldn't even do the simple math to calculate a sub 18min finish. That's usually a good sign for me that I'm working hard enough and not wanting to concentrate on other things. Coming into the track I laid it all out there in the last 300m and closed the gap to Colleen to 2 seconds at the finish and tied with the runner ahead of me on time. <br />
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In the end very happy with 18:12. Turns out it's my fastest altitude 5k (by 1 sec) since 2004. Probably would have ended with a better time if I had run a little slower on the first mile but to be honest, my best 5k's have always come from going out a little fast. Wendy had a fantastic day in her first race since giving birth 3 months ago. I was expecting her to run round in the high 28-29 range and she smoked it in 22:30 or so. So excited to see her get her running legs back and what she might want to shoot for next year.<br />
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Races that finish on tracks are just plain awesome. I wish there were more of them. I'd love to see a compilation of finishes at local 5k's because the sprints must be fantastic. I saw half a dozen alone at this race that would make any YouTube highlight reel. David McMillanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908080467488720227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8137040531250906650.post-6915813315805682202013-11-09T10:25:00.000-07:002014-05-20T16:53:08.416-06:0039th Annual Longmont Turkey Trot 10k Race Report - Longmont, Colorado<br />
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<b>38:04, 12th Place, 2nd AG</b><br />
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It's hard not to do this race. Partly, because I have absolutely no excuse as it's only a 10min jog from the house. With no need to drive, being able to do my warm up on the way over and knowing the course like the back of my hand makes it a must do. Plus, there is a chance of winning a pie if you place in your AG and running for pie is almost as motivating as running for a PB these days. <br />
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Last year I ran 37:54 in a stacked field and was really happy with the time even though the placing was way down the field. It was my fastest 10k at altitude and during a really good block of training for CIM before the wheels came off a couple of weeks later with an injury. With training going well, I was hoping for something similar this year if the conditions were good. <br />
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I'd been fighting the beginnings of a cold all week but didn't feel it was really holding me back as training was still going ok even though the legs had felt tired since the weekend track session. One thing I've noticed through the years is that if you are feeling slightly 'off' the way you can tell is by really erratic pacing while racing. Last year, I went through the first 3 miles at almost exactly 6min flat for each. This year we started with a 6:20, then a 5:50 then a 6:07 and a 5:58. Up down, up down. The conditions were fairly similar and while my effort felt even the mental games it was playing on me were no fun at all. <br />
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At least I was running through the field until Charles caught me at mile 5 right as I was having my worst patch. Two other runners went by and as we turned for the last half mile there was a group of 5 or so within 50m of each other. Fortunately, my finishing speed has been good and I was motivated by Felix and Wendy waiting at the finish, I was able to claw back all the passers and managed to join up with Charles for a joint finish in the last 10 yards. Not quite as good as Mike Cassidy and Meb Keflezghi at the New York marathon but a close second :-) I could have seen us sprinting it out, but I don't think either of us had the energy for it and it is a Turkey Trot after all!<br />
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Was hoping to go under 38 mins but happy enough with the time all things considered. Will be interesting to see how the next few weeks of training go and if this is exactly where my fitness is. Looking at the McMillan Calculator based on the last 5k it is pretty much spot on and that's usually a great gauge of what I can look for in the shorter races. <br />
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The pie result turned out to be a cheesecake result! What a fantastic one it was too and great job to the awesome folks at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Button-Rock-Bakery/415893421850272">Button Rock Bakery</a> for supplying the goods. Here's a picture of the aftermath.<br />
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<br />David McMillanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908080467488720227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8137040531250906650.post-14122946428542080612013-10-26T16:51:00.000-06:002014-05-20T16:53:08.404-06:0031st Annual Eerie Erie 5k Race Report - Erie, Colorado<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">65 days</td></tr>
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<b>2nd Place Overall, 1st AG. 18:22</b><br />
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I'd been excited for this race all week. Running has been going well of late and I was feeling the speed returning to the legs over the past few weeks. I'm still surprised that I'm running decently well as all the sleep deprivation since Felix was born about 2 months ago has been hitting me in waves of tiredness lately. Still, focusing on quality more than quality has been easier to fit into the schedule and knowing you only have a 40min workout available means getting down to business more quickly. <br />
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I was really shooting to go sub 18min at altitude again. I can't believe it's been 10 years or so since a 17:25 at a Cinco Cinco 5k in FoCo and a 17:57 in Aurora the same year. It's something of a milestone for me and one that I want to prove is not out of reach from the aging process. I think I'm close and just need to have the right course, conditions and competition.<br />
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<b>The Race</b><br />
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There were a couple of course changes this year due to the flood damage, and taking in some of the new bike paths in the area. I purposefully steered clear of the 10k as I remember I was surprised how hilly it was the last time I did it, and wanted a benchmark time on a flatter course to see where my fitness is at. <br />
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The race started quick with a few young bucks flying off the line. Boulder is full of legendary athletes but these guys were probably at 4min/mi pace for the first qtr mile. It was either going to be a State 5k record or some spectacular blow ups. It ended up being a bit of the latter as not long after the first mile I passed two of them and moved into second place. The course rolls and winds through neighborhoods before hitting a concrete bike path and looping back around towards town. I settled into pace and tried to run on feel. I only saw the 2 mile marker in the race and got a split of 11:34 or 5:47 pace which was a hair under 18min pace. Perfect, I thought. Just keep it together with a big push at the end and you can do it. Well the last mile was rough (when is it not in a 5k right?) and with a few hills and a steady headwind the time slipped away just as I slipped on the winners puke at the finish line. I don't think he was ever running scared but at least he wasn't just jogging round!<br />
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Here's a pic of the eventual winner and how spread out it got in the early going. You can't even see me in the shot way down at the end of the road.<br />
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The race continues to be a great little event. Looking forward to bringing Felix in the stroller next year and getting him involved in some of the Halloween festivities, and give Wendy a chance to race if she wants.<br />
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Great job to Amanda for rocking the Women's field and bring home the win and the ridiculously big trophy! Wearing a Tutu no less.<br />
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<br />David McMillanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908080467488720227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8137040531250906650.post-41951222989984207602013-09-07T16:50:00.000-06:002014-05-20T16:53:08.410-06:002nd Annual Full Moon 5k Race Report - Firestone, Colorado<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">16 days</td></tr>
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First Race since birth.<br />
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<b>2nd Place Overall, 2nd AG 18:39</b><br />
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What a fun race! No idea what to expect out of a small newish local race and was really going just to run as hard as I could and see where my fitness is at. Feeling very fortunate and lucky that Wendy let me escape for a couple of hours while she watched Felix and gave me a chance to run. Felix is only 16 days old and the lack of sleep is staggering. I'm not sure how we are both even functioning right now and even operating a vehicle is a bit sketchy at times. Another good reason not to travel too far for a race right now.<br />
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It looked like a few hundred runners turned up with a handful of folks that looked fast enough to be there to really run. It was a warm morning and I already had a sweat going just standing at the start line. After we were sent off there was a group of about 5 of us that stayed in a group most of the way to the first mile. The pace was solid but I was surprised that it was a bit nearer 6.07 pace and not faster. That seemed to shake up a few others as they took their splits and started to heat things up a bit. The eventual winner took off but came back to us as we hit a little hill and I took the lead around 1.5 miles. I started running scared, having no idea how close everyone was (RIGHT behind me I later found out) and trying to listen for the spectator claps/cheers to get a sense of where the others were. I pushed hard up the final hill before the turn and long straight descent to the finish. <br />
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It's a fantastic finish. Downhill, long, straight as an arrow on crushed gravel that makes it a brilliant drag strip with no twists and turns that so many finishes have these days. I was going all out and just thinking how I'd try and win this for Felix. It's amazing how having a child can be such a good motivator to push you to your limit. It's not as if they are getting anything out of it of course, but it makes you try harder than ever in the closing stages and it feels like they are right there with you. Just past the 3 mile mark I started gaining on the lead bike who had to slow to get through a muddy patch. As I start shouting for him to go, go, go and get out of the way I get passed in a blur of sprinting speed by Stephen Karimi who pips me at the finish for the win.<br />
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I had to chuckle as it was all over so quickly, I didn't hear him coming at all and even though I rarely get beaten in a sprint don't think I was going to win that one on this day. It turns out he just moved here from Kenya and was a good steeple chaser in High School over there. As seems to be the case with all East Africans I have had the pleasure to meet, he was one of the nicest, most humble guys I've met. I couldn't have lost to a better person.<br />
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Couldn't be happier overall. After my first ever win at the Buffalo Stampede 10k in Wyoming, to get a 2nd place is just icing on the cake. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barely in the lead and no idea I was getting caught!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just too good!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That hurt!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The podium</td></tr>
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<br />David McMillanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908080467488720227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8137040531250906650.post-8200658794189939322013-07-20T17:47:00.000-06:002014-05-20T16:53:08.425-06:0035th Annual Buffalo Stampede 10k Race Report - Cheyenne, Wyoming<b>1st Overall, 38:59. Days from Felix</b>:<b> -33days</b><br />
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Well this one made my running career a lot more fun. For as long as I can remember I've had the dream of winning a stand alone running race outright. I've had two second places before, years ago, but never thought I would have the opportunity. It always comes down to who shows up on any given day and I guess I just got lucky today.<br />
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Coming on the back of my amazing 50mile race experience in the San Juan's this was all the sweeter. While that was a memory I will cherish forever, it wasn't a performance I am proud of as I struggled all day. Moving down to a shorter distance and getting a good result was very enjoyable. <br />
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The day started off with a challenge. Getting in to the Air Force Base to actually race! The guards at the gate were turning all non-registered runners away even though the RD had assured us there would be a lane devoted to runners arriving on race morning that hadn't signed up. After thinking I had driven a good 90mins for nothing we finally got a group of folks that couldn't get in (including the finish line timer) and slipped through. The 10k was entirely on the base and started at the same time as the 5k. While this was a small low key local race it had the most dramatic start I have ever been in.<br />
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The race is supported by the missile command which handles the inter-continental ballistic missile fortifications that protect the US. They kicked off the race with a cannon blast that literally stopped everyone in their tracks for a second or two. Talk about adrenalin rush and getting off to a quick start. I was in 3rd from the beginning and hoping the two ahead were going to turn off on the 5k course. Sure enough they did and I had the road to myself with the lead biker. I was nervous to take a peek behind to see who was close and left it to around the 2 mile marker before we hit a corner and I could get a safe look back. I had a really nice gap that as long as I kept up a strong pace meant I shouldn't get caught.<br />
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After that, it was all a bit uneventful. I was able to cruise the last mile and give myself a pat on the back for achieving a lifetime goal even if the competition was sparse. Sometimes you just get lucky I guess.David McMillanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908080467488720227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8137040531250906650.post-79817581416344322822013-06-22T19:16:00.000-06:002014-05-20T16:53:08.419-06:00San Juan Solstice 50 Mile Run Race Report - Lake City, Colorado<br />
<b>14:59:49, 140th place</b><br />
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<b>49.75 miles, 12,856 vertical ascent. Low point 8,671 ft, high point 13,224ft</b><br />
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Wow. What a day, what a race and what an experience. This will be a tough post to keep short as I feel like I could go on for hours. I'll try and break it into sections to give a sense of the build up, race and experience.<br />
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<b>Race Prep.</b><br />
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All had been going well. Long runs, decent miles etc. Certainly enough to be ready for the day given how I have seen others prepare for this. I was a little apprehensive about how much I suffered up high in the Mt. Evans race so wasn't sure how a big day with this much altitude was going to affect me. More on that later. Confidence level was high. After dropping from the 50mile to the 25mile at Collegiate Peaks I was really motivated and pretty much nothing was going to stop me this time round. The race itself has a reputation as one if not the hardest 50milers in the country (along with Zane Grey) but it is such an aesthetically pleasing course. One big circuit in the San Juan's is about as good as it gets.<br />
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<b>The Race</b><br />
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The biggest risk of not finishing actually came from wildfires in the area. It was touch and go whether the course would be changed or cancelled completely. Everyone was anxiously waiting for the RD to get back from a helicopter ride to assess the course and give us the thumbs up or down. Fortunately it was a go and I got what sleep I could at the campsite before the early rise and half mile walk down to the start. Before the race I was disappointed that Wendy couldn't join me on this one, but with the starting elevation too high for her pregnancy, it meant that it was going to be a solo trip. In the end, I think it turned out to be a good idea as I would have only spent the day worrying about them as like most of these types of events, crewing for someone is a very long day and in some ways harder than racing.<br />
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As with all my prep I knew every inch of the course from the map and had been studying it for weeks. I had the aid stations memorized, Trent's Elevation Tat on my arm and a really good sense of what to expect.<br />
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<b>The Start</b><br />
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After a nice couple of easy miles on the dirt road of the Alpine Loop, we quickly headed off into the trees for the first 4000ft ascent up Alpine gulch. I knew there would be a lot of water crossings and after trying to stay dry for the first few it was going to be much easier and faster just to take the plunge and get icy cold and dry off throughout the morning. Besides, trying to balance on logs while being surprised by sexy pin-up cards being stuck in the middle of the crossing was pretty difficult. The guys at the first aid station certainly had a sense of humor when it came to marking the course on the way up! The first aid station comes near the top of the climb at around 8 miles. Before I even got there I knew it was going to be a hard day. I was already struggling, with slow hiking, a nauseous stomach, dizzy spells and just massive lethargy. It was like my body had shifted down into first gear and was stuck there. It would turn out that it was stuck there all day. <br />
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There is only so much you can do when you find yourself moving slowly up hill, needing to pause lots and rest on your poles. I was trying to not let myself get too down as I secretly hoped that a slow start like this might be just what would help the most in the end. After all, I kept telling myself that this was all about finishing and not performance. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Above treeline on the first climb</td></tr>
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Within 10 miles you are already near 13,000ft and the views are outstanding. One of the biggest draws of completing this race was how Wendy and I fell in love with the San Juans after visiting last year. They are majestic, wild and full of great trails. It's like a hybrid landscape of The Lake District and the Alps thrown together. The scenery really keeps you going and the traverse along the alpine tundra to the first real descent was trail running at it's finest. It was incredible to look out to the horizon and see the distant continental divide and know that you would be up there later in the day. A quick scan of clouds also looked good so far. I was really hoping that it wouldn't get electric later on.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking back near the top of the first climb</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Endless views</td></tr>
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The descent to Williams Creek Campground was fun and I took it nice and controlled to save the quads. Once through the aid station we were on to a short 2.5mi road section that headed up to the Wager Jeep road. My running groove was coming back and I felt good again until we hit the 4x4 route that would take us up through the old mining town of Carson and on to the divide. The slow pace plod returned and it was all I could do to hike the whole way up to the 25 mile mark. Two 4,000ft climbs in a row mean that you do about 75% of the climbing in the first 25 miles of this race which means it feels very slow going. Getting on the divide is as incredible as ever with views in all directions. I got a nice surprise by getting caught by my friend Jen who was having a great day and promptly had to leave me as I couldn't handle her pace. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking back on the trail we had come on</td></tr>
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<b>The Divide</b><br />
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It was on this stretch that I met Kevin who was having a similar day and a good partner for the next 9 mile stretch on the divide. Another first timer at the race meant that we were able to relate with each other to what we had gotten ourselves into and swap a few stories of the race so far. The view of the fire from up here was insane with the whole horizon starting to be covered in billowing smoke. Fortunately the winds were keeping it away from us and we had fairly clear air, unlike last year when another fire made it hard for folks to breathe. Most people are nervous on this section as it's so exposed. They have good reason to be, as if a storm rolls in there is so little shelter, and in previous years there have been a few sketchy moments with bad weather. The race organizers suggest getting off the ridge immediately if lightning strikes. The problem is, heading down to the valley on the west is almost impossible in places due to cliffs and if you strike out east then you have a huge amount of ground to cover before you can get to tree line in a lot of places. Luckily for us the weather held with only a moderate wind keeping us company.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kevin 'on fire'</td></tr>
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By this time I just wanted to start descending. I was feeling pretty out of it and knew that it was either an acclimation problem I was dealing with or just a freaky bad day in the mountains. Either way, when I have had this experience before, I usually feel a lot better coming down a few thousand feet. After passing the Yurt aid station (great location!) and then starting the descent to Slumgullion at Mile 40 the legs started to finally cooperate and I was able to run a good solid 10 mile stretch. I even loved the rocky loose descent to Slum as I could feel my lungs starting to operate better and dipping below 10,000ft was such a relief. I enjoyed the popsicles at Slum and took a good break to refuel for the final section over Vickers Ranch. Kevin was coming out through the other side of a bad patch and was now looking strong as we headed off onto the early slopes. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slumming it in Slumgullion - last point to bail</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Near the top of Vickers Ranch. Lake San Cristobal in the distance.</td></tr>
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<b>Vickers to Finish</b><br />
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For me the same feelings started to surface again as soon as we headed up hill. I told Kevin to go ahead and that I'd see him at the finish. I hate nothing more than to hold someone back as everyone has their own rhythm that works for them, and different speeds when it comes to climbing, descending and on the flats. About 2 miles from the road I came across a lady that was sitting down on the trail. Unable to move more than a few steps at at time, she had just totally hit empty. She was considering trying to make her way back down to the road, but didn't know if she could find a ride and if that would even be worth it. Through the tears and confusion she was in a pretty bad state and after a bit of cajoling I managed to get her topped off with some fluids, glucose tabs and food. I convinced her that it was only a few hundred feet to the top of the climb before we would have a nice stretch that would lead us back down toward Lake City. I thought if she could get on a descent that it would encourage her enough to try and make it to the finish. We also had another aid station at half way so if we could just get her refueled it would be really helpful.<br />
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After taking rest breaks after every few steps, things gradually started to improve. We started swapping stories about races, how she was thinking about going back to Leadville for the 2nd time and how she was so surprised at the toughness of this race. It felt a little odd to be helping an experienced ultra runner out on my first 50 miler but it came at a good time for me. I'd long lost the desire for a fast finishing time and was just enjoying the day and soaking it all in. Her husband and son were going to be waiting at the end and we were both getting choked up thinking of her family being at the finish to greet her. I imagined what that would be like with our own son one day getting to see Mum or Dad finishing a big event and how special it would be to have them there.<br />
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The next hour or two became more enjoyable until the never ending descent into town. The run into Lake City with the light fading and hearing the announcers calling names a few blocks away was an evening to remember. What's more, we even managed to scrape in under the 15hr mark to top it all off!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwL7GUmAOWEQcTKmQ-XedHYCxtvBX26QbtlKVKDTRB6sSF_VtrZYkmIeT7x95nwO3nScYgbbeQQe4mpKVLeE8JyJuYVS3IJrr7-_bGyGMg4bo_9guQmmlu4iN2PDX0PISpJSxzGxPd3nQ/s1600/IMG_1231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwL7GUmAOWEQcTKmQ-XedHYCxtvBX26QbtlKVKDTRB6sSF_VtrZYkmIeT7x95nwO3nScYgbbeQQe4mpKVLeE8JyJuYVS3IJrr7-_bGyGMg4bo_9guQmmlu4iN2PDX0PISpJSxzGxPd3nQ/s1600/IMG_1231.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Done! Thanks Kevin for the Choc milk recovery drink!</td></tr>
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<b>On Reflection</b><br />
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There was so much good to come out of this race. It felt much more like a journey than a race and it really makes me question the need to perform in each race. There is a time and a place to just enjoy the day and celebrate with fellow runners that are all moving toward a common goal of finishing the distance and crossing that line. It also gave me such a great chance to think about the months and years to come and how are lives will be changing with the arrival of our little one. As it turns out it would be exactly 3 months to the day.<br />
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I'd highly recommend the event to anyone looking for a stout challenge. The terrain is mountainous but I didn't find it technical at all. If you are used to hiking and running in the hills you should be fine with the terrain. The big concern for folks should be their ability to operate well up high all day. This is an issue that continues to plague me. I've started to do some research and talk to some folks that seem to be 'non-responders' when it comes to working well up high. I don't think I'll turn my back on the high races just yet but certainly need a different approach and one that can't involve staying up high 3 weeks before race day just to get acclimated. <br />
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Great job to everyone that finished this year's edition. Particularly Jen, Meghan and Neeraj who all had great stories to tell afterward.<br />
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Bonus note: Before arriving I promised myself that upon leaving I would stop by Lake City Bakery after remembering how good their pies were last year. Just as I was about to walk to the car from the breakfast celebration the following morning my name was called as the last raffle winner. Guess what the prize was? Pie never tasted so good! I could get used to running for pie.<br />
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<br />David McMillanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908080467488720227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8137040531250906650.post-87743574032856723122013-06-15T13:48:00.000-06:002014-05-20T16:53:08.428-06:00Mt. Evans Ascent Race Report - Mt. Evans, Colorado<br />
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<b>2:30:45, 51st Place, 10th AG</b><br />
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Another classic race I am happy to finally check off the list. America's highest road race, going from a starting elevation of 10,600ft at Echo Lake all the way to the summit area near 14,264 ft. 14.5 miles and almost 4000ft of gain. The race also has an incredible history with it starting back in the early 70's.<br />
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With SJS 50 just around the corner, I felt like something a bit more intense with some good altitude would be a good preparation race. With it being uphill only, I wasn't too worried about beating the legs up too much on the road and with the pace being much slower with all that climbing, it kept the impact levels low and fairly easy to recover from. I met up with Craig and Jen down there. Wendy wasn't able to come and support because of how she has been reacting to higher altitudes while pregnant. It was a shame that she would have to sit out spectating a few of these races this year.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiukCLe78LMtnl6yyRjOaPhsLyN_qevomx8yhrWFrz7mP0lnegbAiGNQVrE7X1VGpIz28dUZXQ6XFLLjjlSInbmMXkTiu9qzpOVSiuj-aqY0VzSptcAPACxJ_XSBSXMkFGl46RXpVg4W5k/s1600/Mt+Evans+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiukCLe78LMtnl6yyRjOaPhsLyN_qevomx8yhrWFrz7mP0lnegbAiGNQVrE7X1VGpIz28dUZXQ6XFLLjjlSInbmMXkTiu9qzpOVSiuj-aqY0VzSptcAPACxJ_XSBSXMkFGl46RXpVg4W5k/s1600/Mt+Evans+3.jpg" height="476" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lower slopes<br />
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I started slowly as I knew going into any kind of O2 debt early on would be a disaster as recovering at this altitude is nearly impossible. It was going to be all about finding a pace that would be sustainable all the way to the top. The first 9 miles went by quite quickly. Craig had taken off like a rocket and would go on to have a fantastic day, with clearly all the training on Crazy Woman Canyon in Wyoming paying off. <br />
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Getting to Summit Lake felt like the biggest milestone as the ground actually flattens out for a bit before the final steep switchbacks to the summit. It's also the area where the wheels start to come off between 12,000ft and 13,000ft and it was frustrating to have to gear down to a shuffle and eventually a walk. Even on the final corner where I could look across and see the finish with the announcer calling names, it was hard to muster a run. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhykCNcunV-PdydSnv8DyLw00UnsGrU3PfqpAsAp4pR_aY7y6_9ST0pApkus5mIfLOEUpEYUi1yhmMRg19nACmurlF5yf6kdPuZb6dMGFmQ390zJiTAWBx7zQpbW7LQex_Yp_bojZVUpsk/s1600/Mt+Evans+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhykCNcunV-PdydSnv8DyLw00UnsGrU3PfqpAsAp4pR_aY7y6_9ST0pApkus5mIfLOEUpEYUi1yhmMRg19nACmurlF5yf6kdPuZb6dMGFmQ390zJiTAWBx7zQpbW7LQex_Yp_bojZVUpsk/s1600/Mt+Evans+2.jpg" height="640" width="476" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can I breathe now?</td></tr>
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What a challenge! The altitude really worked me over. The climbing was brutally sustained and I was drained completely. Wanted to break 2:30 so just outside but close enough not to be too disappointed. The second goal was to get a trophy rock for men running under 2:40 so glad I got a piece of granite for my trouble :-)<br />
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Not sure I enjoy what feels like breathing through a straw for so long this high up. Also feel my size is a bit of a limiting factor having to hoist my frame all the way to the top of the mountain. A good reminder to continue to work on my strength in the off season along with a much faster cadence for hill climbing.<br />
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Looking forward to Wendy having a crack at this one next year as I think it's the kind of course she would love and being so historic really should be a must do for all Colorado runners. I know she'd get a lot of motivation from seeing Felix along the course too as there are a quite a few spots to watch from.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0R0CUdUAHVbMCvNIZwS3EivEvMlYt6AGBmmtUkmxkoy3wa9qXaSSvqFUHeukJfulwemox31Y2NmYEL5rdzlpZwuLeZzW2Ob_UejyTLBfYLcKnIxEngu0DpIvePp1-8b_iPtfDf1KD-Z8/s1600/Mt+Evans+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0R0CUdUAHVbMCvNIZwS3EivEvMlYt6AGBmmtUkmxkoy3wa9qXaSSvqFUHeukJfulwemox31Y2NmYEL5rdzlpZwuLeZzW2Ob_UejyTLBfYLcKnIxEngu0DpIvePp1-8b_iPtfDf1KD-Z8/s1600/Mt+Evans+4.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nice race schwag!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxstDOAnhfFKls4uIrnZnRaqQTJRMeDMUcA0PLRuzccH-11sCqRftxXgzVbUiW-9jC5Ga-mux_kUSuGs2CbJBS5-N8aXkhKMYogZ03MsBKKgAVD-rfbw0jv9VgA1KzVxMKVqi3XrEpu30/s1600/Mt+Evans+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxstDOAnhfFKls4uIrnZnRaqQTJRMeDMUcA0PLRuzccH-11sCqRftxXgzVbUiW-9jC5Ga-mux_kUSuGs2CbJBS5-N8aXkhKMYogZ03MsBKKgAVD-rfbw0jv9VgA1KzVxMKVqi3XrEpu30/s1600/Mt+Evans+1.jpg" height="476" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Craig nailed it with a 5th place finish!</td></tr>
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<br />David McMillanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908080467488720227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8137040531250906650.post-81903118510722090712013-03-03T20:00:00.000-07:002014-05-21T15:06:25.998-06:0035th Annual Napa Valley Marathon Race Report - Napa, California<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">-172 days to Felix</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>March 3rd, 2013</b></span><br />
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<b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">43rd Overall 9th AG. 2:56:57</span> </b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><br />
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<b id="docs-internal-guid--6552472-7c1b-2f5b-6c9b-3a846133d90a" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What a day. Haven't felt this good pre, during and post marathon in any of the 10 marathons I have now done. Feel like I am starting to nail the training and glad Craig and I took a chance on this build to try something different and see how things would go.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The <a href="http://www.napavalleymarathon.org/">NVM</a> marathon itself is incredible. One of the best I have run and when you combine a closed course, point to point route, cool weather, superb scenery with only one race - the marathon, you get a great recipe. Added bonus was a complete ban (enforced by DQ) for headphone wearers. I'm split on whether folks should be allowed to race with them, but it was just nice to have this one race where everyone was aware of each other and even able to interact more than usual. That being said it was kind of weird seeing a pack of 7 guys around the 3 mile mark doing a round of introductions when most of them could hardly breathe let alone speak. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOyY9-9dsqWxy9t8xwCQy75JnPzKThfpGzxHOjCjgQfyV_TBT-OnxEDjG9CfVag15OeHslaBSr3N2ccCtByBW9Mk_U8bBZwIp8SsHTVPPOk9WkQUtRd3ygcNdSzpG8ijltpsLSmw4Uk1M/s1600/Near+Half+Way.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOyY9-9dsqWxy9t8xwCQy75JnPzKThfpGzxHOjCjgQfyV_TBT-OnxEDjG9CfVag15OeHslaBSr3N2ccCtByBW9Mk_U8bBZwIp8SsHTVPPOk9WkQUtRd3ygcNdSzpG8ijltpsLSmw4Uk1M/s1600/Near+Half+Way.jpg" height="298" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Comments on race prep.</b></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hokas</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - First full marathon in the Hoka's(Tucson doesn't count :-) and other than some rubbing the cushioning was awesome the whole way and a big reason why I think I could handle the shorter long runs and the recovery afterward.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Stretching</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - Daily since October now and think this is having an incredible impact. No tightness during the run (except quads late in the race from pounding) and post race feel more limber than usual. Also has been really protective against injury. I'm getting a long streak going now - woohoo!</span></div>
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<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/419FGzy98fL._SY344_PJlook-inside-v2,TopRight,1,0_SH20_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/419FGzy98fL._SY344_PJlook-inside-v2,TopRight,1,0_SH20_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Depletion Runs </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">- Easy runs to work before breakfast seem to be making me less reliant on Carbs and only needed 3 gels and a bit of Gatorade late in the race. Felt no hunger pangs at all and no bonking.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">16 mile Long Run</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - this still blows me away. Totally converted to thinking that higher weekly miles are more important than your longest run and doing that run faster is key to being able to hold pace during the late stages of the race. Also the mental effect of knowing you can handle the pace when you reach 10 miles for another 16 is super motivating. I just kept telling myself this is just another 16 mile run. You do these every week. Could do a whole post on the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Hanson Marathon Method</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. I was a HUGE skeptic but now a total believer and think it can really work for a lot of folks. . </span></div>
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<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51OwX%2B1A2iL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51OwX+1A2iL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nutrition & water intake</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - After reading </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Waterlogged</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> this past month, convinced I have my hydration nailed going forward. Big believer in the Tim Noakes approach and only drinking to thirst.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Reduced taper</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - 1 week taper. Ran 52mi week before and with an easy 16mi a week out. Think I might lose too much fitness if I have a longer taper.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sea Level</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - Felt like more oxygen than usual at sea level this trip. It always ends up faster but not as much of a benefit for me compared to Wendy. Does seem to help me more on the hills though.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fast long runs </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">- Not super quick but fast enough to get a really nice boost in fitness. These have been over 1 min/mile faster than most of my previous long runs and about 20-30secs slower than marathon pace.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Attitude</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - Much more relaxed before the race. Not stressed about how I was going to do. Focussed on having a big smile through the whole race and enjoying the experience. Finding I often perform better with that approach. Also left me with more energy through the race and recovery was better when I am often just crushed. Choosing a good course also really helps.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Splits for the race</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I think this was my best paced marathon yet as I normally fade a bit more than this.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Half Way in 1:26.55 6.38pace</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2nd half in 1:30.02 6.52pace</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1) 6.29 </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2) 6.34</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3) 6.42</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">4) 6.25</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">5) 6.31</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">6) 6.45</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">7) 6.37</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">8) 6.37</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">9) 6.39</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">10) 6.43</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">11) 6.43</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">12) 6.47</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">13) 6.33</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">14) 6.49</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">15) 6.37</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">16) 6.59</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">17) 6.47</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">18) 6.36</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">19) 6.46</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">20) 6.56</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">21) 6.45</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">22) 6.56</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">23) 6.58</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">24) 7.11</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">25) 7.01</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">26) 6.50</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">0.2) 1.30</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Only a couple of miles above 7mins/mile which I was really trying to keep under.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij05-Skl0Y-YkkAbKb32ayxfyOUvrI95Nj5P3vYIwj_xFZvnf3XCrYjCoYzk1t52cTnIk4A3AWY4FqFg_0UPTigMtZRYevoQHB1Zukiq61Y5shgjdYDriFGylpa3Ykl5gWDsPgRZ_ZaaY/s1600/Dave+&+Craig+at+Finish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij05-Skl0Y-YkkAbKb32ayxfyOUvrI95Nj5P3vYIwj_xFZvnf3XCrYjCoYzk1t52cTnIk4A3AWY4FqFg_0UPTigMtZRYevoQHB1Zukiq61Y5shgjdYDriFGylpa3Ykl5gWDsPgRZ_ZaaY/s1600/Dave+&+Craig+at+Finish.jpg" height="298" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post race felt good!</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Overall</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So happy with how things went. Couldn't expect more than to get through without an injury and it went so much better than that. Big props to Craig for always being willing to listen to my ideas and integrate them into training. Knew that prior to having to pull out of California International Marathon that I was in PB shape so after being sick and injured and only with a solid 7 weeks to train couldn't expect much. It's incredible that if you set your expectations just right you can be thrilled with reaching your goal. Good lesson to remember here for me to avoid having a tinge of disappointment after every performance.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Very motivated for the rest of the season. Know that recovery is really key now and don’t want to be that guy in a few months that says I should have taken a few extra days or gone easier after the marathon. It's true what they say about being 90% and on the start line rested is so much better than being 1% over trained or worse...injured.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Things to think about for future marathon races</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">a)</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Don’t get whooping cough! It really messes with your marathon build.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">b) </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Have a longer build. This one was only 7 weeks long after dropping down from Tucson and getting sick. Still had some base miles but having that average annual mpw bigger would be a big help.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">c)</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Go up to 18 or 20 for the long run (occasionally) and for an 18mi do a 1mi warm up and cool down with 16mi faster in the middle. Keep it maybe 2-3 weeks from race day and maybe one of those every 3 weeks with the rest at 16mi total</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">d)</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Some track work and one shorter race to get a sense of fitness but that’s about it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">e)</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Don’t stress about a down week and getting recovery in the middle of a big block. It’s only going to help.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">f) </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Listen to any warning signs from the body and get them addressed quick. Tightness etc.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">g)</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Keep being patient with the training. It’s a multi-year process of progress - just relax about it. Don't expect results overnight.</span></div>
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David McMillanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908080467488720227noreply@blogger.com0