Cayuga 50

“We don’t rise to the occasion, we fall to our level of training”

The Cayuga trails 50 was my sixth 50 miler and fourth ultra this year!  This race was originally a C race, just a long run to prepare for Eastern States 100 but Eatern's cancellation caused me to form some type of time goal for this race.  Rinchen joined the race which also put some pressure in me to at least keep up with her for half the race.  My fastest 50 miler was in the flat and completely runnable Ice Age 50 in Wiscon two years ago at a time of 11:20.  It's hard to compare trail races since they differ so much terrain wise but I decided I would attempt a sub 11 hours in this race which has more than 2.5 times the elevation gain of Ice Age but was also a very runnable course. 

Two years ago I ran the marathon version of this race (1 loop instead of two).  It was my first in a race with no sleep - I went swimming the night before and then late dinner with friends, I barely had time to pack and head out the door.  I ended up arriving a few minutes late, missed the start and when finally starting I headed off the wrong direction.  Much of the rest of the race was a blur but I do remember how beautiful coming down the last 5k of the race was.  I decided to come back later that year to spend more time enjoying the Ithaca area.  It's a beautiful place and the Ithaca area is easiest one of my favorite spots in NY.  I went to train in the course itself two weeks before this race.  The training helped create a strong mental map of the course.  I pretty much knew where everything was and I was able to break up the course to smaller chunks which helped mentally.  Special thanks to Ami who helped me not get lost in that trip!

With two 50 milers done in June I knew I had the endurance and nutrition down so I focused more on speed and strength in the three weeks post Maintou's Revenge.  I spent time doing track, yoga, weight training and core bootcamp type workouts.  My weekly mileage was on the low side (averaged 42 miles the three weeks) but I did end up spending a lot of time in training.  I didn't taper much going into the race, I did my usual training till Tuesday and then took it easy.  I still felt pretty drained during the easy days leading to the race.  I wasn't really able to catch up on sleep either which might have factored in a bit.  Lucky, Jordan and Deki were going to support.  Jordan drove most of the way there giving me a chance to get some sleep on the commute.

I learned a lot from my previous races which gave me more ideas on prepping for this one.  Part of the reason why I went to Ithaca two weeks beforehand to practice on the course was because there really isn't anything similar to the historical steps in the trails around here in NYC.  The only thing close I could think of is the steps going from the shore trail to the long path in the palisades.  I brought new running shorts, I specially wanted mesh pockets where I could store trash.  I have to eat quite a bit during ultras and while I could use one of my hip belt pockets for trash, it's a bit clumsy.  The risky part was that I got my shorts two days before the race and I tested one pair out for an easy 7 miles on road and track.  Trail running is different (something I found out with my New Balance split shorts in the NJ marathon where they were great on the trails but caused chaffing on the road).  I spend more time prepping my drop bags.  Instead of throwing things I think I might need in the bag and then fumbling around and figuring out how many I need, this time I organized using containers to store a predetermined amount to withdraw.  Extra gels in a talenti jar, waffle cookies with hazelnut banana gel spread in another container, salt pills in another pocket, etc.  I knew the aid stations were going to be well stocked and I did plan on mostly using them but I wanted to have backups just in case.  I was once again using an old pair of Brooks trail shoes where the soles were worn out (it wasn’t a technical course so I wasn’t worried about grip) and I also stashed my merrels trail shoes in a bag as a just in case.  I prepared two drops bags, though there was an option to have a bag at each of the 4 aid stations of the course.

I met the Jordan, Deki, and Rinchen at 12:45 am on Saturday morning (race morning) and then drove a little more than an hour and half before Jordan took over off the rest.  I had about 2 hours of sleep at home and got another 2.5 in and out during the drive.  Think that's the best for a 50 miler this year!  Arrived on site at 5 am, an hour before start.  It was pretty dark, but lucky I had a headlamp and flashlight in the car.  Wasn't a long walk to North Shelter where the racing HQ was.  I should have gone to the bathroom right away but instead I scouted around to figure out where bib pickup and drop bags were.  Then told Rinchen, got my bib and went back to the car to drop off the singlet and get my drop bags.  I met Jeremy who asked if I was ready.  He asked how the course compared to Bear mountain and I said something like it was more runnable so you should expect faster times despite more elevation gain.  By the time I got to the bathroom there was a long line.  Next off to the start line.  Didn't get much of a chance to warm up.  There weren’t any waves for this race.  Rinchen stayed near the front of the pack but I moved to the middle where Jeremy was.  A horn got blown to signal the start.  A few minutes into the race I took a look at my watch and saw I was at an 8:40 pace which I recognized as too fast so I slowed down.  Jeremy passed me at about the mile mark.  Jeremy is a much stronger runner than me so that makes me think I didn't slow down enough for that first mile.  I completely lost Rinchen by this point and got worried that she might be going out too fast.  I got into a pack of runners and we stayed pretty steady.  Got through Robert Treman Park, did a mile loop that we had to do on the way back as well but not at all on the second go around (26 miles first time, 24 second).  Then the course changed a bit from the last time where it doesn't go back into the rim trail of Robert Treman but continues on a different trail as we exit Robert Treman state park and head to Buttermilk state park.  More trail trail this way and less stairs this way which I don’t mind.  I was fearful of the stairs on the last quarter where you quads are spent.  

Shortly after we made it to Underpass aid station.  In the last race you had to go through two waist deep stream crossing.  A dry spring led to only one stream crossing which water going up to only the calf.  I quickly refilled my bottle and got some oranges before I headed off.  I started following someone that was heading to the road before a volunteer called us back and correct us.  That was the only time I almost went the wrong way.  The course was well marked.  A little before mile 8, at a massive uphill climb I saw Rinchen.  It took a few minutes of power hiking to catch up.  We then started running together.  I think from the moment I caught up with her she had doubts about starting the second loop.  I wasn't really sure how to respond to that.  It was about 90 minutes in and I asked if she had eaten any gels.  She had not so I told to take one.  I tried to remind her about every hour afterwards to eat one.  By then I was on my second gel (one twenty minutes before, another 40 minutes in) and getting close to my third (I did one every 50 minutes).  We joined another pack which I somehow ended up leading till we got to the picnic area of buttermilk state park before entering the rim trail.  There was a short road run where the group broke up.  I talked briefly with a man who does Spartans and was doing his first 50 miler with two friends.  They broke off to the bathroom.  At buttermilk I took a little more time at the aid station stocking up on calories.  I tried Gu's waffle cookie and it was delicious.  I also had some watermelons.  Now was the journey back to the start!  The Spartan group caught up and we ran together after going back and forth for a bit.  Towards underpass aid station I said hi to Ami who was running the marathon version.  At underpass aid station I restocked on some gels and over ate on oranges.  They froze the oranges and the coldness just felt so good.  I felt a bit full and decided to skip on a gel because of it.  We ran with the Spartans till close to the next aid station (Old mill ) where they broke off.  Around mile 21 I got into a low point (hit the wall feeling) and I started struggling mentally.  We passed by a man who was walking.  He seemed very beat and looked like he was going to walk a lot of the rest.  He accepted it and seemed resolved to finish.  At Old mill aid station I drank 4 cups of ginger ale and the sugar helped me feel much better.  At the last 5k back to the start on the gorge trail of Robert Treman state park Il I felt revived.  I started saying good morning with high energy to the many tourist checking out the park.  I talked briefly with another man who was doing his first 50 miler.  He's done a few marathons and this was the next challenge.  I shared with him that I felt better with the ginger ale.  I saw Jeremy on his way back and he seemed a bit tired (but who wouldn’t about 28 miles in), I estimate he was about 30 minutes ahead of me.  At the final downhill before arriving back at the start Rinchen pushed the pace a bit.  She usually pushed me a bit at the flat and wider trails.

At the start once again, I quickly went to the bathroom back and then proceed to eat.  There weren't any watermelons at this location to my disappointment (I was motivating myself thinking of the refreshing watermelons).  I stocked up on some of the GU salt tablets before starting the second loop.  Rinchen continued as well and she didn’t seem to be thinking about stopping.  In my head I broke the rest of the race down by aid stations.  Aid station to aid station wasn't that far so in my head I broke it down to get to old mill (3ish miles), then to underpass (another 3ish miles), and then a bit of a long stretch to buttermilk (6ish miles) but once there I'm heading home which I figure would give me a mental boost.  So run a bit to the aid station where you get rewarded with some fruit and soda before continuing.  Towards the gorge trail I joked to some of the runners returning to the start that there was an all you can eat buffet down there (in reference to the aid stations).  A little farther on the way to old mill the runner I told about drinking soda caught up and thanked me for the tip.  I saw Ami again, I think close to underpass aid station again.  A little farther we went back and forth with a woman in the 45-49 USAT age group competition and she eventually passed us (life goals).  Between underpass and buttermilk we passed a man who was having stomach problems.  Sadly this was at the long stretch part and the aid station was close to 4 miles away.  After talking to him a bit to make sure he didn’t emergency help we passed by (couldn’t really help).  Towards Lake Treman, going up a small set of the stairs that overlook the lake, we passed a man.  I joked that passing people on the uphill was dangerous (in terms of blowing up later on).  This whole stretch, I definitely didn't feel as light and quick as the first time around running in the pack. 

Towards the descend down buttermilk I briefly lost Rinchen but she caught up at the aid station.  Then the path long stair walk up the waterfalls of buttermilk state park towards bear trail to the finish.  Rinchen started getting tired so after climbs I tried to emphasis taking a deep breath before starting to run again.  It made me feel better so I thought it might help her.  I continued to drink a lot of soda at the aid stations.  Around mile 45 Rinchen asked for a break so I said walking break and we did a brief walk.  Around this point we caught up to Romain who we passed but he was able to hang on to us pace.  Close to old mill aid station we all got passed by Lizzy.  When she passed I started pushing in hopes of keeping up.  It’s easier to follow someone else’s pace so it was nice to not be leading for a tiny bit.  I mentioned to Rinchen that at the final aid station I was going to walk by.  I had to make sure they got my bib number, otherwise I might have just ran by.  Rinchen took a break at the aid station so I lost her here.  I did want to finish with her but I was really excited at the thought of finishing.

The final 5k was mostly downhill and Romain, Lizzy, and I started pushing our pace.  I initially took the lead (steep downhills are a favorite of mine) and carved out a path through the tourists of Robert Treman park.  As I said excuse me to get people out of the way I warned that there were two more runners.  Sprinting down stone steps is a unique experience and it’s a lot different than any other downhills on road or trail that I experienced.  About halfway through the final 5k, Lizzy passed.  I tried to keep up but slowed at the small rolling hills.  I ended up finishing a minute behind her.  At the final grassy stretch I turned my head and saw Romain catching up.  Nope!  I sprinted hard to the finish.  He finished 11 seconds behind me.  I congratulated him on his strong finish.  I thought Rinchen might take a little longer to finish so I went inside to get some food.  She finished about 10 minutes after me which is really good for a first 50 miler.  I ate some portabella tacos with some beer (only cold thing) and peaches. 

After resting a bit, the race director Ian gave out some fun rewards.  Person who had the most sunburn, best spouse crew, people that love gu.  It was nice.  They gave out the rewards for the top 10 USAT overalls.  We went to the camping bathrooms to take a shower (you could drive right in front of the bathroom).  I talked a while to a guy who DNF at mile 40 a bit on the way to the bathroom.  He had knee surgery recently so had to stop.  Back to the finish line I had to wait for my drop bag from underpass to return.  I met Ami again and we talked for a bit.  I got some more food.  Then I saw Deki ran toward the building near the start and come out with my drop bag.  I then headed back to the car.  I would have loved to have hanged out longer but it was getting late and the drive back is 4 hours.  

Got some sleep and went hiking the next day to recover!  Despite being alright on the hike (the uphills were a bit hard for me), later on Sunday I got the marathon legs.  I struggled a bit going down the stairs and by 10 pm I was beat.  I mostly felt in in my calves the following few days,

Mount Mitchell Challenge 2018

Mount Mitchell Challenge!

In the winter of 2016-2017 trail runner magazine came out with an article about the best winter races.  The one that caught my eye was the Mount Mitchell Challenge.  A 40 mile race that goes to the top of the highest peak east of the Mississippi.  Unfortunately, the lottery for the race was in September of the year before so I missed 2017.  Out of the five lotteries that I entered for 2018 running races, this was the only one I got in.

The race goes from the town of Black Mountain through the private college community of Montreat and then up double track trails till it hits the Blue Ridge Parkway.  From there it traditionally goes on road into Mount Mitchell state park and then to the summit!  This year, they changed the course to cut a bit of the road part to the top and instead go through the single track, rugged Old Mitchell trail.  Then we took the road back down back to the double track to a slightly different route back into Montreat and took smaller roads back to the town Black Mountain.  The race has about 4800 feet of elevation gain and of course you have to get back down!  For reference to my city folks, Harlem hill has about 82 feet of elevation gain.

The elevation gain wasn’t the crazy factor for me.  Just in NY, close by Breakneck marathon had 10,000 feet of gain in Coldsprings and the Whiteface Sky race in the ADK has 8,000 feet of gain in just 18 miles.   The new factor for me was that 1/3 of the course was on the road and most of the rest was on double track where I’m use to my ultras being out on single track.  So the course overall is easier and I feel like you could get away with training mostly on roads for this one.

I arrived to North Carolina two days before race day.  I did a moderate trail in Montreat run up Graybeard Mountain via Graybeard trail and then made a loop going down the West Ridge which went through some of the seven sisters (short hills) before descending back to Montreat.  9.1 miles and 2700 feet of elevation gain!  I planned to use my Nike Trail running shoes that I got for free from my 100 miler in the fall for the race but on this trail run I found that in the descent my toes hit the front.  The shoes were too small.  I recently got max cushion shoes and while they are comfortable, I found them extremely heavy when they got some mud so I switched back to my Brooks Puregrits.  These shoes have finger wide holes on both sizes and easily have done more than 600 miles but my quest for trail running replacements haven’t been going well.  The day before I did an easy trail run in the River trail by the agricultural Ward Wilson College, a flat 5 miles.  The Town of Black Mountain is by Asheville which the podcast hosts of No Meat Athlete are from.  One of the host specifically moved to Asheville because it was more vegan friendly so I was excited to eat around as well.

The Fear of Pain

I recently realized that I could run a lot faster than I previously thought.  I have always run at a comfortable pace for most of the race before pushing hard at the end.  I always thought it of it as running smart.  However, from racing shorter distances I realized that I didn’t even know what I was capable of.  When was the last time I blew up during a race or hit the wall?  I was determined this race to start off a bit faster than what I would usually do and see what happens.

Nutrition

I did both my practice runs wearing my Ultimate Direction SJ racing vest but in the race briefing the night before I learned that aid stations were only 5 miles apart.  So I decided to waist belt and double bottle it.  I had one ultimate direction hand handle and another Salmon soft flask that wraps around your wrist.  The Salmon flask has a pocket where I stashed a few gels and my waist belt stored my gel flask and more gels.  I brought 24 Science in Sport gels for $7 during a promotion they had so I used them for gels and I used my hammer gel flask which stores about 5 gels in a tiny bottle.  I planned to use the Science in Sport gels first, they had water in them so I used them to get some of my water needs in well.  At aids stations I usually ate two orange slices and then moved on.  I drank about 28 ounces of water during the almost 7.5 hours I ran the race.  Overall I felt like I didn’t need much.  I ate my first gel at 45 minutes and then ate another every 30 minutes or so.  Halfway I ate half a banana and near the marathon mark I felt slightly off so I ate a few chips and a shot cup of coke soda.  I ended up not eating half my hammer gel flask.

Start line

I parked at the finishing area of the race about an hour before start time.  Easily got a spot.  I had laid out half my gear out in the dashboard of my car the night before.  Bad idea, in the 20 minute drive quite a few things fell and got tossed around.  It took me about 45 minutes to get ready.  I actually had to rush out with one of my bottles only a fourth filled up.  I ran about a half mile to the start, got in the bathroom (thank goodness for a real bathroom at the start) and joined the 500+ runners at the race 3 minutes before start time.  Had enough time to tie my shoes and move near the back of the pack.  The race has two distances, the challengers who are doing the 40 miler and the marathoners who will run only to the Blue Ridge Parkway and then turnaround.  500 people was a lot for an ultra and it had a road running start feeling to it.

The first 13 miles

The first 3 miles of the race were on main roads going to Montreat.  I maintained about 10 mile pace with some steady elevation gain.  I passed a few people here and there.  Then we hit the double track where the pace quickly picked by.  Passed a lot of people in the next few miles here.  It was hard not to get excited when you finally hit the trails.  Despite the uphill the pace was quick but I stuck with it.  I passed by the first aid station without getting anything.  The next few miles you started to go back and forth with some people which allowed for some small conversations.  A guy gave me some of his dried mango which I found delicious.  Conservations were a mostly about where you’re from, training, and gear you’re wearing.  I met a man that is running this race for the 19^th time and he talked about someone else on course that is doing his 21^st one (that’s every year since the race started).  This man ended up running a lot faster than me and it blows my mind that someone who started running this race when I was around eight years is still crushing it!  As the trail got steeper I fell into a jog walk but still moved on the quick side.  Around mile 11 I started seeing the marathoners going back down. 

The Road Ascent

At around mile 13 we hit the Blue Ridge Parkway and started a 2.5 mile ascend up on road.  I drove up this road the day before to take some pictures from the summit of Mount Mitchell.  Recently, I stopped carrying a phone with me while racing (since I should be focusing my attention on moving faster) so I like to take my time the day before getting the photos.  It was weird seeing the road from this point of view.  I started jogging up, I figure that road would be a good way to do well on time but about a mile in, I got passed by three individuals walking.  So then I started walking but I couldn’t walk as fast as these three.  I fell about .8 of a mile behind by the end of the 2.5 mile road ascent.  Then the course turned to single track, rugged trail with plenty of roots and rocks.  It was very similar to Catskill terrain.  It was also wet from the light rain and fog.  I made good time here, easily passing those that passed me earlier.  I talked a bit with a man from Atlanta before I picked up the pace.  I kind of just went whatever pace was natural for me but people afterwards would tell me I crushed it there.  Two miles later and we end up right below the summit.  A volunteer marks an S on my bib.  Summit and turn around to the aid station.  I eat a bit more here since I’m halfway done before moving on.  Now the way back down is all roads till we are back on the double track.  I was expecting to make good time here.  Maybe 9 minutes a mile but I found my pace to be around 10:30 a mile.  I didn’t practice running downhill fast so I wasn’t able to pick it up here.  I found it different that running downhill on trails which I am somewhat good at.  Halfway through the three that passed me on the initial road climb passed me again.  I started feeling off towards the end of this section and then I touched my neck to find that there was a lot of salt on it.  As I hit the aid station at the end of the Blue ridge parkway I decided to drink a shot cup of coke with a few chips to get some salt and calories back in.  I passed a few runners here with my shorter time on the aid station.

The Double Track Downhill

The double back down was pretty rocky.  I sorted of noticed on the ascent but on the downhill I guess your feet hits the ground a bit harder so you feel it a lot more.  I did well here.  I passed by quite a lot of runners.  I talked briefly with a man from Burlington, NC, it seemed like quite a few people were here from there.  He was pretty impressed that I could manage this race while training in NYC.  The double track became less rocky but still downhill and I slowed a bit here.  There were quite a few splits of the trail and the course wasn’t marked that well in my opinion.  On the way up there were so many people so I had no trouble finding my way but now I was running alone 95% of the way.  I checked the map of my watch on a few of the splits; I pretty much had to assume that the larger trail was the right way.  After what the first aid station on the way up was is now the last aid station on the double track trail the trail became a very steep downhill.  I flew down but at one of the turns I couldn’t tell if I went the right way (again marking wasn’t as frequent as I’m used to).  So I went back up and found out that I was going the right way.  I wasted two or so minutes here which sucked since I was moving so fast. 

Back to Black Mountain!

The double track trail ended on Montreat roads and now the road descend was crazy steep.  It was the steepest road downhill I ever encountered (even steeper than San Francisco marathon downhills).  I passed by an aid station manned by Montreat college students.  As I got closer to finishing I thought about tips about moving fast that I have gotten recently.  I focused a bit on picking my legs up a bit.  A small section cut through park trails and in one of them I spotted orange marking in the middle of a stream and more orange marking on the other side.  It was hard to tell at this point if they belonged to the race or not.  I jumped to the giant boulder in the middle and was ready to jump into the stream to get to the other till I realized that the orange marking on the other side was no way a trail.  I must have wasted 3-4 minutes figuring this out and then proceed to continue the usual route.  Found more orange marking so I assumed that the other orange marking were a county or town mark for something else.  Rest of the two or so miles went smoothly.  The race ended with a loop around Lake Tomahawk.

After the race they had food in a community center building.  They had some delicious mushroom soups and I filled up on bread with peanut butter, bananas and pinto beans.  I talked with a few of the finishers and even a bit with the overall winner Morgan.  He finished the race in 4:20, more than three hours faster than my 7:23!  Others that finished the race said it was easier with snow since that covered up rocks.  It was the second hottest temperature of the race, high 60s in the bottom and high 40s on top.  After a little more than an hour of relaxing and talking I went back to Asheville to get a postcard which ended up being a lot harder than I thought.  Next was dinner and then the 10.5 hour drive back to NY!  I had two free beers that I could have claimed where they were doing the overall awards but I thought that to be a bad idea before a long drive.

Mountain Lakes 100 Round Two

15 miles south of Mt. Hood, about 160 runners attempted to run/walk/crawl 100 miles with a time cutoff of 30 hours. 81 finished. I was the 81st finisher at 29:47:44.

A Goal: Under 26 hours
B Goal: Under 30 hours (finisher)
C Goal: Finish 100 miles

Strategy
Keeping up my calories was an important strategy for the race. I had to eat for the second half. I decided to drink glukos (the on site sugar water drink), use the on site gu gels, my own few maple gels, apples, mandarins. I aimed to keep an easy 4 miles an hour pace...I would say that is about a 12 minute mile road pace for me (easy around 130 bpm heart rate).

Martha who placed third women at the Volcanic 50k greeted me at the start line. She was volunteering at the first aid station. After learning I was doing this race she said would remember my name. I wasn't expecting her to remember (she was a bit tipsy) but she did. She said it would be good to hear your name called out at the aid station.

Part I - The Winter Marathon - Miles 0 to 26 miles
Before the race started I found out that the first quarter of the race had snow. The first drop bag was right after this. Some people had a pair of shoes to switch out. I did bring an extra pair of shoes but kept them in my second drop bag at mile 55. The first three miles was the usual wide dirt road to separate the paces. Martha was at the aid station and it was nice to say hi to someone. I read the sign that said 97 miles to go and I remember not really being able to understand what that meant. As soon as the route turned to trail, the snow appeared and I started passing people fast. I got alarmed at the rate and decided to stick to a group at the middle of the pack. In addition to the snow the first 26 miles of the race is the most technical. Eventually I found the group too slow and soon followed some people that were passing by (it's hard to pass people on single track) and we formed another mid pack group. One runner I pasted called me sir making me feel old (I was the the 5th youngest person racing). I think people were just struggling with snow. I guess with the hot and dry summer in the PNE it was a new variable. I found it easier than running in mud. I eventually passed this group as well.

The snow gave out for a little bit at the half marathon mark and people then started passing me. It was hard to see that to be honest. I'm already running at a slow pace and seeing others pass you...but I had to keep reminding myself to run my own race. Then the snow returned but this time it was mostly icy water. The water burned. We passed up the first aid station again around at mile 23 where Martha was and it was good to hear my name (she was right). Then back to the dirt road to the start area. Around mile 24 I felt that I had to go to bathroom (#2). This was the first time I felt like this during any race. The feeling went away after a bit so I ignored it.

Part 2 - Shit Happens - Miles 26 to 55
Last year I DNF at mile 55, simply making it 55 was going to be a strong mental boost to me. A elderly lady helps grab food for me at the aid station. She really wanted me to sit down for a bit and eat but the chair is dangerous in my mind. I wanted to be in and out asap. At my drop bag I replaced some food and grabbed two apples. I held the apples in each hand and start running, slowly eating them. The trail turns to the PCT with rolling hills. Not technical and felt pretty easy. 3.6 miles to the next station I meet Moe who dressed as a butler in the 90 degrees Volcanic 50k and helped finishers get food and drinks. I also saw a woman from Rochester who I met the night before (I wore my Finger Lakes 50 finisher hoodie) so a bit of a NY connection. Moe grabbed my garbage (which included apple scraps) and I got refueled in liquids. At this point I started thinking of going to aid station to aid station, like how in mirror lake in lake placid my only thoughts were to go buoy to buoy. I don't think of the miles to come. Around mile 34 I had to go to bathroom. I knew there were no porter potties till mile 55. I held it in. It started hurting and the miles started feeling longer. I have done many trail races, hikes, backpacked, and camped a few times but I had never had to go outside behind some bushes (many backpacking sites have compost toilets). The pain became unbearable and at mile 38 I found a spot behind some bushes away from the trail. Felt a lot better afterwards but the problem didn't end there. I went another two times within 7 miles (I got more efficient each time) and once more at the porter potty at mile 55. I couldn't digest food. I started drinking ginger ale at the aid stations. I had no idea what was causing the problem so I continued to eat gu gels. At mile 37 a runner named Diana passed me. She was happy to find another runner after running alone for a while. I saw her again at mile 44 where I joined a group of runners. It was night now and it was nice to run with people. There was 4 of us, Peter, Diana, I and Franco. Franco was barely keeping up but he probably saw the value in running with people. The group ran a bit slow but it was still early in the race and decided to run with them till the next aid station. Peter who was leading had to go to bathroom and then Diana led. Lost Franco too. Diana ended up hitting a uphill too hard and needed a breather. I passed and all alone once again. Aid station 49 is special to me. Last year I reached here pretty late and the volunteer say you on the way back (we pass the aid station again at mile 75). She said the same thing this year too. Diana caught up at the aid station and we ran the next 5 miles together. We talked here and there but it was just nice being able to hear someone behind you. We reach the aid station at about 11 pm, 1.5 hours before the cutoff.

Part 3 - The long night- Miles 55 to 70
This leg of the race was a 15 mile loop and the first part where you are allowed pacers. Most people used pacers, some had two (one for the 15 mile loop and then one for the 30 miles back). The entire race is very crew friendly (race starts at 8 am, the first 26 miles is a loop back to the start so you could see your runner off, sleep for a few hours and then catch up with them in the way back before driving to mile 55, then it's another loop back to the aid station at 55/70 before the runners heads back to the start/finish). I went to the aid station captain hoping they had medicine for the stomach, I had stopped eating completely. After talking for a bit, we determined that I over dosed on gu gels. I went on a diet of vegetable broth with potatoes and ginger ale for the next 20 miles, eating whatever bits of fruit the aid station had. At this point energy wise I was fine but legs were pretty beat. Diana surged past me with her pacer. I try to keep up but I took a minute to grab hot shot, a shot drink with a lot of salt that is suppose to prevent/stop cramming. I quickly lost Diana but soon the woman from Rochester passes by. She was pacing another person and invited me to join the group. I follow them and my pace improves. We pass up a lot of people but I lost the Rochester team after the next aid station. Alone my pace fell and people pass me soon afterwards. I tried focusing on my breath to get into a mediation mode but wasn't able to (something to practice in the future). Near the second aid station of the loop I got slightly lost and followed another group of runner and pacer team to the aid station. That's one advantage of the pacer, following the trail markers for you. The last 5 miles of the loop I was alone and it was mentally tough. I soon realize that I'm physically alone at that moment but with all the support I have gotten to simply be there at that point, that I'm not really alone. I think of friends and family and use these emotions to stay strong. I focus on passing tree by tree. Make it to one tree, then to the next. Okay I'll take a break at that tree over there, okay maybe a few more. As I approach back to the main aid station at mile 70. I break into tears which quickly gets me dizzy. I reach the aid station at 3:45, 1:15 before the cutoff. My left shin starts bugging a little before I reach the aid station.

Part 4 - "To run an ultra is to keep going when everything else wants to stop" (lost where I got the quote from) - Mile 70 to 100
Now all that was left was the return back to the start. I had 10 hours to finish, pretty comfortable time wise. To regain calories I started eating processed food - candy, Oreos, anything with sugar. I meet Diana again and she passed me once again (she ran faster but took longer times at aid stations). She was in high spirits. My left shin that was bugging a little before flared up. I found out that if I landed my left foot on the toe the pain wasn't bad. By this time my quads were pretty burnt too. I did a mix of running and walking. I decided to lift my compression sleeve to let my shin breath. I ended up double wrapping the hurting part and it felt better. I went with it. At the next aid station I sat on the chair and took off the compression sleeve from my right leg and double wrapped my left shin. This aid station was also the one where the volunteer wished to see everyone on the return. It took me a year but I made it back. I continued to run walk. There was a beautiful sunrise on the horizon. Around 7 am I saw I got a messenger message from Brenda saying go Vikram and a text from Jian saying good luck. I guess I got service at some point during the race. That helped and I once turned to thoughts of friends and family to keep going. At mile 88 I reached the second last aid station. Every runner there looked done. Diana was there too, sitting in a chair with a face in a lot of pain. I thought she was done but a mile later she would pass me. She said she wanted to quit twice. I would not see her again. I also met Martin, a retired 62 year ago who DNF with me last year due to a time cutoff in a race in Montana (he started the race two hours late, I didn't). He was pacing a young man. Martin also did this race last year and succeeded in finishing where I DNF. It was weird but nice seeing him. Miles 88 to 96 were the most difficult. I walked in a limp, my left hand pushing down my left quad to walk. I thought I looked normal but a team passing by asked if my ankle was okay. I was spent and up for more than 24 hours, a bit sleepy. I walked to the aid station at mile 96. It was a very long 8 miles. It never came. I counted course cone markers to pass a bit of time. Towards the end of that walk I realized I wasn't going to make the 30 hour time cutoff. I tried running the downhills but that only caused to me walk slower whenever I stopped. I had no more to give. As approach the final aid some runners passing by gave a few words of encouragement but I knew it was over for me. I had no regrets, I was trying my best.

At the final aid station I ate some m&ms and refilled one bottle with glukos. I had one hour and 10 minutes to do 3.6 miles. It didn't give me any hope. I fully intended to limp walk the rest in pain. As I was leaving, a man told me how much time I had and then he said that Martha wanted me to finish. I woke up at those words. I ate a gu gel (after over 12 hours of not eating one being afraid of upsetting the stomach) that I had left in my pocket and after hours of feeling beat and unable to run, I ran hard. Uphill, downhill, lung burning it didn't matter. Somehow I was able to keep going. All I think and hear was my breathing. Time sped up. With about .3 left to go I met two runners who finished and had gone back to cheer. They told me I only had one hill to go up and then down to the road. It was great hearing that. I broke into tears hitting the road about .1 miles from the finish. I tried to hold it in as I finished. A few people were still cheering and I thanked them on the way. I broke completely into tears at the finish. Another runner's pacer who finished 4 seconds before me gave me a long hug. Then I got hugs by both race directors and in the process I knocked the belt buckle out of the RD'a hand. The belt buckle is like the medal of 100 milers.

It's funny isn't it? After all my strategies failed, what saved me were the words that a stranger said from another stranger wanting me to finish.

Afterwards I found out that my compression sleeve fix for my shin caused swelling but lucky elevating it quickly reduced that. It wasn't a good idea. The shin recovery however will have to wait a few days to figure out. It still hurts and feels tender. I had no crew but people volunteered all over to help me. Everything from getting my drop bags, food and drinks, medical help, and even walking with me, carrying my running vest and two bags to the car. All strangers, only got one of their names (Pamela from Seattle who helped me to the car).

I was the last official finisher and thus the last to get the belt buckle. I saw two others finish the 100 miles but just a little bit too late. I was going to be in their shoes but I was lucky enough to hear what I needed to hear at exactly the right moment.

As you could tell, my race was far from perfect but somehow I kept moving. I finally know now what it means to run an ultra. It was never about the distance, it was about about being completely broken down and then finding the strength to keep going. That eventually wears out and you have to keep digging to find another one. I read about this before but it was completely different to experience it.

Mountain Lakes 100 - Preconditions - The Journey

Last year, the cold and with quads hurting for miles I quit the Mountain Lakes 100. I had only gone 10% farther than my previous longest run (a 50 mile race). I still remember it clearly, my quads started bugging at mile 30ish and we're hurting by mid 40s. I slowed to a walk and not prepared for the drop in temperature of the night, got cold. The hard cutoff was at mile 70, I knew I wasn't going to make it and couldn't imagine going farther so I quit at the aid station at mile 55. I still have mixed feelings about it, I remember how horrible I felt but I also feel like quitting is against the idea I have of myself.

I sort of fell into a running slump after the race, I still ran races but wasn't doing well and just not motivated. I knew I had to try the 100 miler again but sometimes I would play with the idea of missing registration in my head. It wasn't till I was asked about it during a hike in January that I decided to definitely do it.

Also in January I happened to randomly pick two books to read where nutrition was played a big role. Finding Ultra and Whole: Rethinking the Science of Nutrition which slowly convinced me to changed my diet (I had to go through a couple more books as I figured things out). That started me on a course to slowly lose 50 pounds and with faster recoveries, I went from 25 miles a week of running to 60 plus miles a week while still biking and swimming (a bit). I gained free speed and for the first time since my second year of running I was crushing my previous PRs in all distances.

I decided to run more ultras this year and made destinations a part of the fun. A 50k in the Santa Montica mountains by LA, a 50k in the desert by Las Cruces, a 100k by the beautiful gorges and waterfalls by Portland, 50K in the finger lakes forest near Ithaca and another 50K around the volcano St. Helen. Training runs were also in the beautiful close by Palisades and Harriman state park, extending to the White and Green Mountains of New England.

Another strong boost to my running was joining a running club or two. During a run in March I met a man who ran with me for a while. We talked about running quite a bit and he encourage me to join a running group. I applied for Queens Distance Runners that night. Shorty after I moved from eastern Queens to western Queens and I ended up close to a whole bunch of running groups. On my second day, with boxes still to be unpacked I found out that WoodsideSunnyside Runners were doing a long run starting a half mile from me so I joined them. They clubs have been a good motivation to go running but I also drew inspiration just from seeing people so devoted to running. I started doing speed workouts for the first time and even followed my first training plan ever.

For September I decided to complete in three different types of endurance events. A Half Ironman (triathlon with 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride, and 13 mile run), Spartan Beast (14ish mile obstacle course racing up and down a mountain) and this 100 mile trail race. I didn't make the swim cutoff for the Half Ironman which cut that race short (bummer but next time)! After a two day mental break I started running again, without biking or swimming I ended up running more than scheduled but recovery seems okay. I did well on the Spartan race but scraped my right knee. I haven't been running since then to allow myself to cautiously recover. Last shakeout run is tomorrow! Feeling excited!

I know I'm physically capable of running 100 miles, the struggle is going to happen between the ears.

Picture: Sunrise at Olallie Lake, the start/finish of Mountain Lakes 100

Gorges 100k

Gorge 100k

A goal: Sub 16 hours
B goal: Sub 17 hours (official finisher + entry into lottery for 2018 Western states 100 miler, often called the Boston of 100 milers)
C goal: Make it pass the last aid station before cutoff so I could finish 100k, regardless of being an official finisher or not.

I took some pictures of waterfalls the day before so I don't have to worry about that during the race. I simply stock my drop bags with my favorite fuel foods, a hydration pack at the drop bag at 22 and an extra jacket in drop back mile 49. I have a running vest with some gels and 2 16 oz bottles. Never had so many drop bags before and I hit 3 of them twice!

The race director gave us a few rules
Don't get run over by a car
Don't slip and fall 50 to 100 feet
Don't push a tourist off a cliff

No name (0 to 6) - The first mile of the race starts at a grassy trail connecting Benson state recreation area to Multnomah falls. I quickly fall last place, and only start catching up on the first downhill which comes after a nice long uphill. I take the downhills easy, fearful of burning out my quads like I did in my 100 miler attempt in the fall. My garmin has my heart rate as fairy high so I check my Fitbit and it seems normal (under 150). So I end up ignoring heart rate for the entire race (Fitbit requires you to swipe a few times to see heart rate making it fairly inconvenient). It's my third time in this area and for some reason this time, looking at the vastness of the Columbia river I feel very small.

Yeon (6 to 13) - I refill my running vest which has water bottles with water mixed with gu brew. Towards the end of this distance I end up going back and forth with about the same three people. Didn't find people as chatty, guess I'm too close to a major city area? A runner asks me what my mileage is and I tell her the distance in kilometers, struggle a bit to calculate the simple conversion. The race goes two miles on road and I hit exact kilometer splits on them. I was a bit proud of that at the moment.

Cascade lock (13 to 22) - This area of the trail is fairly muddy. A man I pass jokes welcome to the tough mudder. There are quite a few fallen trees, some requiring me to crawl a bit under, others I am able to go over. I do a run walk on uphills, I usually just walk it but I started feeling slightly cold walking for so long. I miscalculate the distance and end up drinking all my fluids.

Wyeth (22 to 31) - 9 miles to the turnaround point! I take my hydration pack (2 liters of water) with me. I push myself to make it to the turnaround point. I draw on moments where friends have came out to cheer me and I replay those memories to get me through. I made it to the aid station at 8:10 but it was a struggle. I make sure I eat along the way.

Mediation mode (31 to 40) - I feast on fruits and start making my way back. I leave with the same pack of runners I been around since around the half marathon distance. The first few miles are a struggle, I feel beat. I lose the pack putting my running jacket on. I start to take long deep breathes to pace myself. In and out the nose. Soon I end up only focusing on the breathes and the pain disappears. My subconscious takes over pretty much everything, the breath is the only thing consciously I'm focused on. I start moving faster. Food starts to give me a burst of energy and I feel like I could do a negative 50k split. I feel great! I quickly catch up and overtake the pack. A bit later I catch up to a man and woman. The man says "yea, you better run". At first I thought he was mocking me, then I realize we must be close to the cutoff. A downhill soon starts and I decide to not save anything for later, all out.

Tough Mudder (40 to 49) - Made it to the aid station but informed that cutoff is in a few. I kind of panic and start rushing the next mile. I end up exhausting myself. Back to breathing and everything starts going good. Here I encounter the fallen trees again. Instead this time I rarely go over any, choosing to go under. After a waterfall where a race photographer takes a pic I find out that the trail to continue requires about 30 feet of vertical gain of rope to get on top to. I guess this is why trails are more fun.

Despair and Hope (49 to 56) - A runner limps to the aid station and shortly drops out. I have nothing but utmost respect and admiration for people that made it this far. I put a jacket on top of my race vest, probably not looking too much like a runner but I'm a bit fearful of being cold at night (can you tell how much my failed 100 miler haunts me yet?). The sun is setting and the rest of the race will soon be in the dark. The race goes two miles on pavement which I thought would be great but as I hit the pavement both my IT bands flared up. The pain took over my mind and I was not able to mediate my way out of it. I struggled though. This completely demoralized me (I was expecting the road to be a sweet break) and I concluded that I could not make it to the next aid station. Back on the trail I feel a bit better. Took a little while to get back to my mediation mode. I check my watch and realize I could make it, with hope I move along happily. I do end up taking a nasty fall right after passing someone (so embarrassing) trying to get over a tree.

Finish (56 to 62) - Made it to the last aid station! No free ride to the finish line for me. C goal is achieved, though at this point I have a chance to make it to B goal. Only 6 miles and a huge climb left: I struggle though the trail at first but soon the race hits a paved trail up Multnomah falls. Despite the many switch backs I find the paved path going up easier than trail and I am able to move at a steady pace. Eventually I hit trail again and the struggle continues. Downhill starts soon after. I find the muddy downhill to not be much of a problem. There was one section where a strong stream overtook the trail which caused a few minutes of confusion. Back on more level ground I run slowly to the finish. Seeing the finish line, I see the clock tick 17:14:40 and sprint to try to get it under 17:15. My official time is 17:15:26 on ultrasignup. I missed the 17 hour deadline which would have gotten me into the Western States Lottery but I don't really care, lol.

And that's it! The race had no finisher medal or belt buckle. Afterwards there was pizza being made in a oven, had two olive slices and then back to Portland.

Note: My watch battery died so the mileage is a bit short. I believe most Garmins in the past record 63.5 miles for the course.

San O'Brien 50k

Precondition
Haven't done a trail run in about two months. Longest recent run was a half marathon distance done twice in the past weeks.
Prefuel - beet juice and an hammer gel anti fatigue. A croissant, banana muffins and chocolate croissant for breakfast from 7 eleven.
Strategy - 200 calories an hour. Keep heart rate around 160 till near end, then ignore heart rate and race till end.

What actually happened
Course went uphill right away which lead to a spike in heart rate. I had to walk for most of the uphill. I ate two gu gels the first hour keeping up with my calorie intake but forgot to eat anything the second hour. I ate a potato and half with a salt pill to make up for it in the third hour. The potato made me feel full at first but I felt super powered ten minutes later. Rest of the race I was pretty active in keeping calories up with gels and potatoes. It started raining and the course got muddy. It made for slippery conditions, reminding me of whiteface mountain trail race back in summer. Eventually the muddy conditions ended as I approached a different canyon. 

At mile 13 my legs felt tired and I noticed that the heart rate monitor that was originally telling me to slow down was now telling me to speed up. Miles 13 to 15.5 were mentally tough but I got a boost from other runners encouragement who were running back from the turnout point. I felt better on the return. At mile 22 I ate a rice ball which was delicious. Eventually around mile 25 I wasn't able to will myself to go faster even though my heart rate was low. I started focusing on my breathing which got me back to work. Around mile 27 I fell into a trance mode where I felt no pain and felt like a warm blanket was on me as I ran hard. The trance broke up around mile 30 when I had to do a stream crossing with the water a few inches above my knees. The rest of the 2 miles to the end were a struggle. Overall pretty happy with my results.