iamthechan

Indeed it is a new year with new challenges, adventures, and whatever else may come to pass. A little reflection on the first half of past year before laying out the framework for the coming year (pictures at the bottom). This is by no means a complete list of the fun we had in 2011, but a sprinkling of highlights. The second half to follow…

My best man Josh came out to visit from the East coast. Nicole and I were the turn around point of an incredible road trip he made. We ate some great food and of course got out an the trails a bit.

In February we joined Figgy, Stitch, and their little one on an epic winter hike along the PCT to Deep Creek Hot Springs. We had the mountains to ourselves with hail falling around us as we soaked in the natural hot springs. The hike itself was amazing and scenic as well.

In March we overhauled our relationship with food. For about 9 months now we have eaten a whole foods plant based diet. Being more aware of what we eat has had many positive effects, not the least of which are related to how we feel (energy levels) and speedy recovery from intense exercise (epic mountain adventures, etc.).

In April we attended ADZPCTKO (annual Day Zero Pacific Crest Trail Kick Off). It was awesome to catch up with some old trail friends as well as meet a bunch of 2011 hikers. I got to represent the class of 2010 in the group photo down by the lake.

In May a lot of work was done around the house – painting, treating floors, etc. That wasn’t too bad, but I also got out for the “Baden Bivy” trip with Stitch. A somewhat snowy hike up, over, and around Mt. Baden Powell. It was fun running into some current year PCT thru-hikers and chatting with them.

In June my mom came out from the east coast to visit us. Good food, hanging out with more family, and taking in some local sights were all part of the goings on.

Also, enjoy a little Yosemite action in this beautiful time lapse representation.

Yosemite HD from Project Yosemite on Vimeo.

I’m tightening up my race schedule for 2012. The goal will be Angeles Crest 100 (round two). Probably a couple 50 milers and maybe a 50k before that to prep. Nothing until late February for sure.

I’ve been enjoying “gasp” my new road shoes. What? I think this is the second pair of non-trail shoes I have owned in probably 18 years. Yeah. I know. I have tried some on over the years but nothing matched the comfort of my Inov8′s…until they started making road shoes!

I figure I need to get in miles wherever I can. In this season (dark by 5pm) I don’t get in as much trail during the week so hit the treadmill and streets. With about 75 miles on them I’ve really liked the shoes thus far. Light, great fit, flexible and not overbuilt, 6mm drop. For those interested, they are the Inov8 Road-x 233. There is a blog review on them here.

That’s all for now…check out the killer video below, watch it full screen. I don’t ski, but this is just awesome. The first couple minutes gives you a taste, then at 2:30 it opens up!

JP Auclair Street Segment (from All.I.Can.) from Sherpas Cinema on Vimeo.

This was my third Santa Monica Mountains 50k. My training felt pretty solid. I didn’t expect to be super fast, but wanted to be more consistent and strong on the climbs. I definitely achieved that goal, unfortunately the weather slowed me down a bit in terms of overall time. The bonus was that I got to play in the mud which is super rare for Southern California.

Nicole and Figgy (the Adventure Sisters) ran the 18k. They are pictured below wearing their matching rain jackets. This turned out to be a critical piece of gear and ensured they were able to stay relatively dry and warm for the duration of their race. They broke their goal time and still had smiles this big at the end, so that’s a huge success!

There were some fast dudes out to run the 50k. Chris, Dom, and Pat (in the pink tutu) among others. You know it’s race time when everyone is hitting their watches.

I started off with Stitch in the sea of 30k and 50k runners settling into a relaxed pace and played the pass and get passed game of the first few miles of climbing. Somewhere along there we got separated and I wouldn’t see him again until just before I finished. The first loop (orange) was the worst of the weather for the day. Most of the course is exposed and the wind and sideways rain forced me to put my windshirt back on for what ended up being the rest of the race.

I came through the first aid station feeling pretty good and climbed up the Ray Miller Trail for the second loop (pink). The run down into Sycamore Canyon was pretty sloppy as the rain had a chance to work its magic and make some great mud.

I went through the next aid station after grabbing a water refill but passing up the tasty looking pumpkin pie. The climb back out of the canyon was better in the cool temps than it has been for me in the heat. I was able to pass several people and felt strong all the way back to the fire road. Then back to the mud up and over the ridge. Back at the aid station Evan and Timmy hooked me up with water and I grabbed a couple of gels for the second time around the orange loop.

The weather had calmed down a bit since the first time through, but the trails were easily as messy. It was funny the first time around to see people trying to avoid the water on the trail and keep their feet dry. As you can see below, that was not practical or possible. I personally thought it was fun splashing through the water and even the mud – as long as I stayed upright. I saw a couple people lose it and wipe out, but no one was seriously hurt.

Half way around the second orange loop (mile 21 or so?) was the first that my stomach felt less than great, but thankfully I was able to keep it in check and it never became a real problem. Back through the aid again for water and gels, then back up and down the RM Trail for the last stretch of the race. I had barely seen any other runners for at least an hour. Now I got to see other runners heading down toward the finish which was pretty cool.

I hit the top turn around and began the last couple miles of downhill. Thankfully I had plenty left to push it pretty hard the whole way down. It was near the bottom and finish when I passed by Stitch heading up for his last out and back. The picture below as with several of the others in the post were taken from a variety of sources and people (if it’s yours and you want credit just let me know.) This was from hours before I saw him, but note the DIY Luna Sandals!

A few minutes later I got to the finish. After a few hugs and congratulations I drank my homemade recovery smoothie and grazed on some food. Our new friend Jerry finished a short time later in his VFF’s, followed by Stitch.

All in all a fantastic day with friends and family. Thank you to all the volunteers and to PCTR for putting on a great race. I’ll leave you with a couple of videos of the race. One from Billy and another from someone who was running it. They help capture a bit of the spirit of the day. Thanks for reading.

PCTR Santa Monica Mountains Highlights from Billy Yang on Vimeo.

Tapering is arguably harder than training. The calm before the storm… I know there are those of you who would agree from experience. Five more days until the Santa Monica Mountains 50k, a race I have run twice before.

The first time would have been an epic failure had I not crossed the finish line before the cutoff. I did make it. Barely. I went out too fast and attacked hills where I should have been sitting back and paying attention to conserving for the last miles. That was my slowest 50k on any course, and remains one of the greatest learning experiences. Every time I trudge through the low points like I did during that race I learn something from it. That’s how we grow as runners, adventurers, and people. Perseverance has a big payoff on the other side if you are foolish enough to keep going back for more.

The next time I ran this race it was barely 2 months after completing the Pacific Crest Trail. I had just started running again and was going through active recovery from the 115 day long journey. I was much more relaxed during the second running of the SMM50k and never really pushed the pace, yet finished around 100 minutes faster than my weak previous attempt.

Since last years SMM50k I ran the Born to Run 50k (PR), Old Goat 50 miler (PR), Sycamore Canyon 50k, and DNF’d AC100 at mile 50 something.

So has experience taught me well? Do I have a stronger base of miles on my legs? I like to think so. I’m just looking forward to hanging out with Nicole and lots of crazy running friends. In a few days when the dust settles I’ll let you know what went down.

Yesterday Nicole and I registered for our race taking place November 20th. The countdown is on.

We have about one more “big” week of training before the taper for Santa Monica Mountains 50k. It was a good week with running three two a days, yoga, a sweet 22 miler with Stitch, and total elevation gain of over 12,200 feet in five days. I’ll shoot for the same next week with a few more miles, then maybe take out the pre-work run in favor of a little more sleep as the taper begins.

It was really nice to have dead legs on the first climb yesterday on the Westridge single track. That let me know I had done some good work during the week. By the end of the run everything was smooth and efficient, but I knew I had logged a solid week. Today is a rest day, then back at it tomorrow.

Long time no post.

No one reason for it, just haven’t been into blogging. I’ll see about getting back into it with a few random disjointed words, images, and a video.

I’ve been training with Nicole for the Santa Monica Mountains race taking place the end of November. We recently trained on the course with friends Figgy, Stitch, and their little boy.

Stitch is going to run in homemade Luna sandals. Below is a photo of his current sandals after our 18 miler. He’s making a new pair for the race.

For the past couple of months I have been doing “Yoga for Endurance Athletes”. The time works with my schedule, the instructor is great, and it is really close to my house. Nicole has joined me several times and plans to keep going as well. If you are in the Santa Monica area and interested in attending let me know in the comments and I would be happy to share the details.

Nicole and I met for dinner after work a little while back, then had the the pleasure of meeting ultra endurance legend Marshall Ulrich. He is an amazing athlete and down to earth guy.

Lastly, I saw this and it was awesome, so thought I would share. Full screen it and enjoy.

 

Landscapes: Volume Two from Dustin Farrell on Vimeo.

Long time no update. No good reason for that, unless the general excuse of being busy counts…

So in typical fashion here is a brief post. A week after the AC fail was a trip to Austria with a little bit of running every morning and walking all day every day through cities. Since there was no injury lingering from the race, “recovery” was really quick and I was 100% mobile.

Since then I have been ramping up mileage a bit in preparation for the Santa Monica Mountains 50k at the end of November. Nicole will be running the 18k with Figgy, and Stitch will be running his first 50k (in a homemade version of Luna sandals). The course is up in Malibu and pretty familiar to me as I’ve run it a couple times, so I know what to expect (as much as one can). I know I have not run this one to potential, so hopefully I can pull together a solid race.

Oh, and of course, I have already registered for next years AC100. I’m pretty excited about the challenge and opportunity to run through some awesome trails again.

One last note, I just realized a couple days ago marked the 4 year anniversary of summiting Mount Katahdin…marking the end of my 123 day thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. Good memories…

I’m not sure where this report begins or ends. My inaugural attempt at the 100 mile distance was this past weekend. In short, it resulted in a DNF at Chilao (mile 52.8). A little more of the story (turns out a lot more compared to my usual race reports) and a couple photos below.

I checked into Wrightwood Friday morning and picked up my race bib, went through the medical check, weigh in, and blood pressure, etc. I was a nice lean (for me) 172lbs. BIB#117. Then I had a chance to connect with some friends running and supporting the event and runners. HS, CG and his family and I hit up a local eating establishment for some nourishment before the race meeting. The food was pretty good, but took a really long time since they were so slammed with the extra 150+ people milling around the small town.

The meeting was pretty relaxed. It did after all start with about 15-20 minutes or comedy/magic. After the meeting and some more socializing it was time to head to Cajon Pass to the hotel. CG, his crew Paul, and I crashed on HS’s floor. After some snacking and trail review we pinned race bibs to our shorts and probably had lights out by 9pm or so with a 3am wake up call. Unfortunately I didn’t sleep well, which was to be expected. Truth be told, I didn’t sleep well or enough all week long. I don’t think it was nerves surrounding the race so much as trying to prepare logistically as much as possible, but who knows.

The next morning we all drove to Wrightwood and got checked in. Just before 5am runners crowded underneath the start banner. Then the countdown…and finally the race was under way.

The first mile or two are paved road from the Community Center to the Acorn trail. It was light enough already that probably less than half the people were using headlamps. By the time we started up the Acorn trail the real elevation began and soon the sunrise peeked through. An hour or so later I was on the PCT where I would remain for most of my day.

I went through Inspiration Point (mile 9.3) making decent time. My goal after all was to finish, so any time against the cutoff that I could rack was bonus. I was still strong and moving well through Vincent Gap (mile 13.85). Then I started up Mt. Baden-Powell to 9000+ feet. The altitude and heat were beginning to be a challenge and something I knew I needed to keep in check.

After a climb up and down Baden-Powell I was running out of water only 8 miles into the 12 mile section. That was a big deal since I had 70 oz. leaving Vincent Gap. In the event that this occurred, I knew Little Jimmy Camp Spring was a couple miles ahead and filled up enough to drink up and get me to the next aid station.

When I dropped into Islip Saddle (mile 25.91) I would first see my crew. It was awesome hearing them cheer me into every aid station and road crossing throughout the day. This was also where I first got to see the shirts and hats that Stitch, Figgy, their little one, and Nicole were wearing which read “Team Comet”. (Comet was my trail name on the Appalachian and Pacific Crest Trail thru-hikes) I’ve got to say that was pretty awesome. I had less than 4 miles before I would see them at a road crossing so dropped my pack and took two handhelds with me. At this point I noticed I had lost time going over Baden-Powell, but expected that to happen.

Going out of Islip is a steep 2500′  climb up and over Mt. Williamson. That was nasty. It took more time and energy than I would have liked to get to Eagles Roost aid station. Thankfully Stitch hooked me up with an ice bandanna wrapped around my neck which helped keep me cool in the increasing temperature.

Next stop Eagles Roost (mile 29.98). I sat down when I got there and down a 24 oz. bottle of water before setting off my my 70 oz. pack again. At this point I knew I was starting to get dehydrated and that Cooper Canyon was ahead and rumored to be difficult with the heat. I did my best to keep up on electrolytes, but nutrition was getting tough as I couldn’t stomach the calories that I should have been taking in. I couldn’t afford to slow down much since the cutoff was looming behind me, so I had to make the best of it and push on.

Climbing out of Cooper Canyon I ran out of water again with a few miles to go before Cloudburst aid station (mile 37.54). This was also the section where it was of increasing concern that I had not peed since the climb up Baden-Powell and I was barely if at all sweating anymore. Okay, I thought. That would be dehydration. There were still several hours before nightfall when it would get cooler out, and again the cutoff pushed me on. There was no time to slow down or stop which was what my body needed to correct itself.

After another 24oz bottle at Cloudburst and a few minutes off my feet in the shade it was time to push to Three Points aid station. I would see my crew two times in between which broke it up into nice small sections. Also, there were no major climbs in between which was nice in terms of energy conservation, though with the dehydration and cramping setting in even downhills were becoming more work than would have been nice.

When I finally arrived at Three Points (mile 42.72) I was only about 30 minutes from the cutoff time. This was the last that I would see my crew and my pacer Billy was 10 miles and two aid stations down the trail. I sat down and it sank in that if the hydration situation did not turn around I would not be able to finish the race. While I spun around this fact my crew helped me switch out my socks and got me what I would need (headlamp, hydration pack, windshirt) in order to push on.

My new task was to get in and out of the next aid station, Mt. Hillyer (mile 49.08) before the cutoff so that I could leave for Chilao and get there under my own power no matter how long it took. For the first hour or so I made really good time pushing through the pain of the cramps and focused on making the aid station. The last looong stretch to Mt. Hillyer was up a winding paved road. Lousy. It felt like it would never end! But, of course, it did. I think I had not lost any time in that stretch but still had just under 4 miles to get to Chilao. I had a quick sit at Mt. Hillyer and one or two other runners that were there seemed to be suffering the same issues.

The first half mile or so is up decently steep loose traction trail. I was burning up trying to get to the top and it seemed like I was going one mile an hour. Maybe I was. When I got to the top I was able to dig deep and force a pathetic, but consistent, pace forward. The last few miles to Chilao were difficult but nice trail. There were some big boulders, a few climbs, and I saw the sunset. By the time I dropped down onto the pavement I had been using my headlamp for about 15-20 minutes and I knew I was close. Sure enough, I saw a headlamp appear in the distance headed towards me. It was my pacer Billy coming to look for me since he knew I was the only person coming through that section.

After a few minutes we were at Chilao aid station (mile 52.8) and I was in a chair. Billy and the volunteers were awesome, trying to find me anything to eat or drink that I could keep down. In the end I sipped a little water and ate a couple grapes, but that’s all that would go in. The minutes ticked by and it was 9pm. 10 minutes before the cutoff. At that point I called the race and dropped. I had given myself from Three Points to Chilao, about 10 miles, as a last last last ditch opportunity for my body to turn around and start processing fluids again. Didn’t happen. So that was the end.

Given the day I was having I was proud to have made it to Chilao, but I’m not done with Angeles Crest. As I’ve mentioned before, ultra amnesia (UA) is a powerful force. I knew before I left the last aid station that I would be back. That feeling has only grown stronger. Looking back it’s easy to think “it wasn’t that bad”. Honestly, I’m not sure what the tone of this race report reads like, but I had an awesome time and only have positive memories. I know it was challenging, but if it weren’t I would wonder why I was out there.

Another huge thank you to Figgy, Stitch, Nicole, Billy, the runners, and everyone who was out there cheering and supporting this epic event. See you in 2012 Angeles Crest.

 

 

I’m in Wrightwood. Checked in for the race and hanging at the start line with the other crazy people. Race meeting in a few hours, then not a whole lot between me and the 5am start. Hopefully some sleep in there.

A couple Saturday’s ago I took the final step in the process to being “qualified” to run Angeles Crest this July. The Old Goat was my qualifying race, the entry fee was paid long ago, all that remained was the eight hours of trail work on the AC course. Twenty or so volunteers met up and headed out under the direction of Hal Winton cove race director and selected their tools of choice which we would use to preen the trails which we will run.

It was a great time and fun to meet new people and see familiar faces. The real fun began when the trail work was done and Chris, Howie, Bob and I headed out for a training run from Chantry (mile 75 of the course) to the finish line. We started in the last of the daylight and finished up around 1 AM.

Since then I also got in a solid 6 hour solo run and the next day 4 hours with pacer and friend Billy, as well as an awesome adventure in the Mineral King area of the Sierra with Nicole, Figgy, Stitch, and Pace.

With no more big runs training or otherwise between now and race day, the tapering has officially started…