iamthechan

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…

Below are a couple of pictures I took in the Santa Monica Mountains yesterday. I got out for a relaxing 20 miler. After navigating around two rattlesnakes and one scout troop on single track, I returned to the car hungry for burritos. Then, I went home and ate burritos. True story.

 

 

This past weekend Stitch and I took in some of the trails outside of Wrightwood, CA. This was a great location for a couple of reasons: we got to play in snow on Mount Baden-Powell (9300 ft), half of the 24 mile or so loop was on the PCT, a chunk of miles are also part of the Angeles Crest course that I’ll be running at the end of July.

It’s a great time of year to be hiking in that area also because we ran into several current year PCT thru-hikers. We had a good time chatting with hikers in the midst of their epic adventure.

Below are a few photos of our trip.

 

I mentioned a little while back that I had a outdoor/trail/adventure announcement that I would be making in the near future. A few of you already know this, but it’s time to go public.

I am running the 24th annual Angeles Crest 100 Mile Endurance Run on July 23, 2011.

My registration is paid, the Old Goat 50 was a qualifying race, all that is left is the mandatory 8 hours of trail work on the course itself. That will take place in the next month or so.

Course Description (with my comments):

From Wrightwood to Pasadena. 100 miles includes 90 miles of trails and 8 miles of dirt road in the Angeles National Forest including portions of the Pacific Crest Trail (approximately 45 miles from what I can tell, nice), and 2 miles of paved road. The race starts on Park Street in downtown Wrightwood and finishes at Johnson’s Field in Pasadena. There is a 21,610 ft. accumulative elevation gain, 26,700 ft. accumulative loss, resulting in a 48,310 feet total elevation change (ouch, that’s a lot!). The highest point is Mt. Balden-Powell at the 9,210 ft. level. The cutoff to complete the 100 miles is 33 hours (that means you run all day, all night, and into the next day if need be…).

There you have it.

Training updates and all that stuff to follow…

The Born to Run 50k. It had been three weeks since I ran Sycamore Canyon 50k. Three weeks before that was the Old Goat 50 miler. I didn’t run a ton of miles in between races, but did start doing some core/strength training. I think this helped out quite a bit in terms of having fresh legs and strong form.

I stayed the night at Hone’s house to save an extra hour in the car the morning of the race. The Price’s picked us up at 3:30am for the nearly two hour drive up to Los Olivos. The race took place on a private cattle ranch up there and started at 6am.

A lot of people camped at the ranch the night before to avoid the early drive and to hang out the night before. I saw a couple of familiar faces and met some cool new people throughout the day. It’s always a good crew hanging out at ultras.

The trail itself was good and wide at the start of the race, so there was no long train of people that you felt stuck in the middle of at the wrong running pace. For the 50k I would run a 10 mile loop back to the start/finish, a second (different) 10 mile loop again to the start/finish, the first loop again…then an out and back for the extra mile or so to make the distance.

The pre-race instructions were classic. They went something like “The first loop you will follow the pink markers. They will always be on your left, but sometimes they will not. Then you will follow the yellow ribbons. They will always be on your left. Sometimes you will see both pink and yellow ribbons. Follow the color of your loop, and never follow the blue ribbons.” On three hours of sleep and with the sun barely rising as this was explained, I hoped that I wouldn’t end up miles off course tangled in barbed wire fence somewhere. Thankfully this did not happen and it was pretty easy to follow.

I got off to a comfortable start, knowing that there was a good chance I would run a decent time if I ran consistent and strong. The course had only about 3500 feet of climbing (a couple thousand less than any other race I have run…therefore technically easier). It was also friendly terrain, meaning that the footing was mostly flat and solid.

The first loop was uneventful and went by quickly. The weather was good and the running was smooth. It was kind of nice to know that most of my last 10 miles would be that loop again since it was easy and scenic. The next 10 miles had some pretty ridges and more green hills all around. When I hit the start/finish aid station for the second time  I was feeling strong.

A few miles into the final loop, I knew I had a good shot at a PR time (personal record). I figured if I continued at the same effort and accounted for slowing down a little since it was getting later in the race and my legs were feeling heavier, I could still finish around 5:30-5:45. Previously I had not gone under 6 hours in a 50k. A few miles later I thought I had slowed down quite a bit and was likely going to the 5:45ish time and was happy with it. Somehow, however, I convinced my body to keep pace and crossed the finish at 5:11 and change. I was surprised and pleased.

For those of you who read the book Born to Run – Caballo Blanco and Barefoot Ted ran, and the race director Luis Escobar “el Coyote” was there dressed in a chicken suit for the early morning at least.

Recovery has been excellent, as it was for the previous races this year. I credit this in part to the ice bath I took when I got home, but more so to paying attention to my nutrition (day to day with training as well as during recovery from races). I’m getting a good strong base from which to do some good fun things on trails the remainder of the year…but that’s for another post.