Leadville 100 Trail Run - When running is a team sport

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, Chris Townsend, 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.

Hardrock 100!

Wendy up on Handies Peak

Ahhh Hardrock.  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:

• Kilian Jornet
• Seb Chaigneau
• Julien Chorier
• Dakota Jones
• Joe Grant
• Jeff Browning
• Jared Campbell
• Timmy Olson
• Tsuyoshi Kaburaki
• Adam Campbell and several more knocking on the door of the top 10.

5th Annual - North Fork 50 miler, Pine Colorado

North 'put a fork in me' 50 miler.  A good start, a miserable middle and a strong finish!
9:39.11 - 12th place.

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.

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.

Felix wearing Dadda's race day shoes.  He's got a ways to grow into them yet.

iRunFar 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 iRunFar's 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.

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.

Long may AJW and Bryon continue to mentor the ultra running community through their online presence.

Sit back with a beer, get the kettle on or enjoy your lunch break for the next 44 minutes.

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

The Newbie Road to Leadville 100 Trail Run - Part 2

Review of pacing 

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.

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 Howie Endurance Project.  You won't be disappointed.

Leadville 100 Pacing Notes (from 2012) - unedited 2 days post race.

29th Annual Sunrise Stampede 10K Race Report - Longmont CO

10th Place Overall, 3rd AG - 38:58

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 Longmont Triathlon 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.

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.

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.

Spring in Colorado, training and perspective

The 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.

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.

2nd Annual Carbon Valley Half Marathon - 1st half win!

1:26:37  1st place overall and course record

This race was added to the calendar after searching for another half after the debacle at Redline 13.1 Westminster. 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.

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.

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.

Redline 13.1 Westminster, 3 mile detour, tapering and small fields

DNF

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.

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....

The Newbie Road to Leadville 100 Trail Run - Part 1

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

The course profile (out and back)

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.

 http://deadspin.com/5966723/boom-or-bust-48-hours-at-leadvilles-treacherous-ultramarathon

Yep

1972 Olympic 800m Final - Dave Wottle

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.

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!

Community Food Share 5k Turkey Trot Race Report - Boulder, Colorado

98 days

14th Place Overall, 6th AG (30-39), 18:12

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.

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.

39th Annual Longmont Turkey Trot 10k Race Report - Longmont, Colorado

38:04, 12th Place, 2nd AG

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.

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.

31st Annual Eerie Erie 5k Race Report - Erie, Colorado

65 days

2nd Place Overall, 1st AG. 18:22

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.

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.

2nd Annual Full Moon 5k Race Report - Firestone, Colorado

16 days

First Race since birth.

2nd Place Overall, 2nd AG 18:39

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.

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.

35th Annual Buffalo Stampede 10k Race Report - Cheyenne, Wyoming

1st Overall, 38:59.  Days from Felix: -33days

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.

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.

San Juan Solstice 50 Mile Run Race Report - Lake City, Colorado

14:59:49, 140th place

49.75 miles, 12,856 vertical ascent.  Low point 8,671 ft, high point 13,224ft

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.

Race Prep.

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.

Mt. Evans Ascent Race Report - Mt. Evans, Colorado

2:30:45, 51st Place, 10th AG

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.

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.

Lower slopes

35th Annual Napa Valley Marathon Race Report - Napa, California

-172 days to Felix

March 3rd, 2013

43rd Overall 9th AG. 2:56:57 

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.

The NVM 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.