Sulphur Springs 100mile Race Report

I remember a few years ago after I finished my first 50km race, someone asked me if I would ever attempt to run a 100mile race. My response was “Not a chance, those people are nuts running all day and night”. Well that came back to bite me.

This adventure actually started 2.5yrs ago when I paced Derrick for the last 30kms of his sub-18hr 100mile race at Haliburton. The experience and thrill of the night trail running and (as Derrick put it in a recent interview) the absurdity of running 100miles buried itself deep under my skin and once there, I found difficult to shake. As with every other “new” distance that I have attempted, I have approached it with caution. I just don’t want to’ just RUN X’, I want to run it well. If I was going to try to run a 100miles, I first had to learn how to run 50miles. And so the adventure began. It was at this point that I enlisted Derrick as my coach, knowing full well that I would not be able to tackle this on my own. So over the next 2 years I ran 3 50 mile races, with the last being the JFK50 last fall which was one of the best races of my life. It was then when I knew that I was ready to take the next step and attempt the 100 mile distance. I chose the Sulphur Springs 100 as my first for a couple of key reasons. The first was that as I ran the 50mile there last year, I knew the course and what to expect. The second was that it was a 20km loop course that I would have to run 8 times which would allow for much easier crewing logistics.

So with the decision made, it was time to begin the training. I ran the Yukon Arctic Marathon in February, and was pretty sick during and afterwards, but I was fortunate that I was able to finally get better with 12 weeks of the race. This didn’t provide a ton of time, but my base was solid and by the end of March was finally able to get in some solid runs. It was decision time. I talked it over with the family (needed their support) and Derrick, got the green light and registered for the race. Here we go.

Training went very well. I was able to keep on top of all the aches, pains and niggles. I set myself up for alternating Physio and Chiro appointments, made sure I got the sleep I needed, basically keeping on top of everything. Training time was limited and I needed to make sure that I had no setbacks (I did have one really bad ankle roll, but fortunately got through it).

Imagine having to do 4-5-6 hour runs by yourself. The voice in your head that keeps you company gets a little boring after a while. I started doing something I have never done before in training and that was listening to Podcasts, specifically http://ultrarunnerpodcast.com/. Little did I know at the time what a huge impact this would have on me. Not only did it keep me company for many hours of training and allow me to just keep running along, it provided me with a wealth of information and inspiration. Being able to listen to so many incredibly experienced people and their advice, the lows and the highs that even the elites encounter you can’t help but be inspired and absorb that wealth of information. After my runs, I would make sure to summarize what I had listened to, to myself, mentally filing away little tidbits of information that could/would be useful.

So enough about race prep, but suffice it to say it went as well as it could. Derrick said I was ready and I have learned to trust him. One of the nice things about having a coach is that you don’t have to 2nd guess yourself as that is his job while yours is to execute and that was what I was getting ready to do.

As I said Sulphur is a 20km loop which may sound like it could get boring, but it really doesn’t. There are enough twists and climbs and variations that it stays pretty fresh. Kim and Justine both had signed up to crew and be there for me at each loop. Kim, because she is just the greatest, and Justine HAD to be there for Dad’s first 100mile race, and Kim needed some support to keep her sane through the long day and night (and she is the greatest too).

My Crew
 

Okay, so on to the race itself. We drove down to Hamilton on the Thursday so that I could spend Friday with my feet up, hydrating, watching movies and just relaxing; getting ready for the big day. It was wonderful, one of the most peaceful days we have had in a while. Friday night, we went to the Pasta Dinner, mandatory for the 100mile runners (it really was one of the best pre-race dinners I have been to). We met up with Eric and Marc, fellow Gatineau Park Trail runners. Then, back to the hotel nice and early for a little more R&R and to do a final gear sort and check for the early morning start.

Dinner Bib display
 

 Friday night’s sleep was restless, but I did manage to get some and woke at 4am to start what I thought would be one of the longest days of my life. Pre-race routine went off like a well oiled machine, only change was that I ate more than I usually do. Kim and I got to the race site with plenty of time to get my gear and nutrition totes organized for the day. Weather looked like it was going to be warm, but luckily not the +30 that had been predicted the week before. This last 2.5yrs had come down to this day; at this point all I wanted was to get started. I had trained and learned everything I could and I now wanted to see if I could execute.

 Looking a little scared before the start
 

Start – Loop1 
Everything I read, everything I heard, everything I was told, start slow; don’t get caught up in the rush off the start. Derrick told me to lock into my ‘run all day pace’, and in hindsight I would call it my ‘run all day effort’. The race starts with quite the dramatic 350m downhill that also by the loop nature of the course is your finishing climb (8 times). I held back on the descent, took the right turn on to the trail and the day had officially begun. I held back my pace and locked into a steady even cadence that would be my constant friend for the day. Aside from the even effort for the day, the other task for the day was to eat and drink from the start and continue for the duration. Consume calories every 20min (goal of 250+/HR), drink constantly as allowing either of these to slip would ruin the day. I spent the first loop getting comfortable with the day, remembering the course and focusing on getting into the routine that I needed to carry me to the finish. I had forgotten how undulating the course was, and how steep some of the climbs/descents could be. I did realize early on that my feet would take quite a beating today. I completed the First loop in 2:03, admittedly faster that I had planned, but my effort had been low. As I was feeling comfortable and keeping up with everything, I wasn’t worried.

Loop 2 
My awesome crew was waiting for me with what we had rehearsed, so it was a simple matter of switching Gel/Water bottles, grabbing a little water and heading back out. I had thought before the race that I would want to do something different for each loop to make them unique and therefore a little less monotonous. Well this never happened as I never once found the loop structure mentally tough. So, in/out I went fairly quickly and I was back off running again each time. I managed to lock back into the pace/effort of the first loop and just continued on with the day. The trails were a little bit busier now with the 50k & 25k runners but it never seemed crowded or congested. It did feel a little odd to be running a 100miles and passing people running much shorter distances. Again, I thought I might be pushing the pace too much but was feeling quite comfortable and relaxed, so not worried. I was 100% on top of both nutrition and hydration and feeling no real ill effects. Things were just ticking along as I completed the first quarter of the race hiked to the top of the nasty hill and finished the 2nd loop in 2:08.

Loop 3 & 4 
I have to roll these two together because to be honest I don’t remember them that well. I do know at the beginning of one of the two a couple of, I think, college kids asked if they could interview me to which I said ‘Sure if you run along with me.’, and to they did. They were filming and asking me questions for 5 or so mins. I also remember having a Popsicle at the gatehouse aid station which was wonderful. But aside from that, I was just getting the job done, focusing on the theme for the day: Relentless Forward Progress. Splits for the 2 loops were 2:12 & 2:20. I purposefully started slowing on the 4th loop for fear that I had gone out too fast and that I should take a little more recovery time and I spent a little longer at the aid stations and walked a little more after the uphill hikes.

Halfway in 8:44
So my original lofty goal was to finish the first 50miles in 9hrs and here I was a good 15min ahead. So, I took extra time to change shirts and sock and bandage up a toe that had been taking a beating and was quite sore. I decided to bring my little iPod shuffle out with me to keep me company and headed out for loop 5, rocking to the beat.

Sock Change


Loop 5 
So, at this point I was heading out into the great unknown. Every step was a new distance record, further than I had ever run before. Thing was I was feeling good. Sure my feet were sore, toes were getting hammered, quads were starting to really hate the downhills, but my physical and mental strength were unwavering. I felt good. The heat was really starting to bug me, but I kept up on my hydration and that combined with the little heat training I did before, I was able to beat the heat. I ran smiling, enjoying the day, chatting and joking with the aid station crews, just staying as positive as I could. Done in 2:30 (but this also included a little longer at the start/finish before heading out).

Loop 6 
Okay, so now I was getting excited. Thinking back to my lofty goal, I was figuring I would be done 120km by 9pm so that is when I had told Robbie to plan on being there to pace me. Now, it was looking like there was a good chance that I would be there by 8pm. Here it was, 5:15 and I sure wasn't feeling like I was wavering at all. I asked Kim to get hold of Robbie and get him there before 8pm, as I had a feeling we’d be heading out then. Off I went for my last Solo loop. Again, not too much to report except my iPod died ½ way though. No concern because I knew that once finished, I’d have Robbie to keep me company and we’d be starting the last 40km. Completed in 2:36, arriving at 7:50pm and 10mins before 8pm when pacers were allowed to join. Seriously, could I have timed that any better? And, Robbie was there. Perfect.

Loop 7 
So changed shirts, put on my headlamp, chatted with everyone for a bit (had 10min to kill), some pics and finally, the time came and Robbie and I headed out.

The boys are ready to roll


First off, very BIG thanks to Robbie. Couldn't have done it without him! I wasn't sure what to expect or what I would need from him, but from the start, we hit a rhythm that would carry on for the next 40k. Robbie ran a few strides in front of me “pulling” me along. I just focused on him and his pace and kept the forward progress going. Shortly into the loop the realization hit that not only would I quite easily at this point hit my very lofty goal of 22hrs, but I was on track to break 20hrs if all went well. It was nice that we were able to run some of the loop in daylight but soon enough, we switched on our headlamps and ran through the darkness. Everything was ticking along well until the final aid station at the beginning of what is affectionately known as the lollipop loop. At his point, I was surviving on Coke, Ginger-ale and water to keep the calories in and the stomach under control. I grabbed a cup of each and said “I’m walking”, meaning I was going to walk while drinking. Robbie mis-heard me and thought I was going to the Port-a-potty. The result was I ran most of the lollipop solo while Robbie ran back and forth trying to find me. We did finally meet up and got the loop done in 2:41.

Coming in from loop 7 (awesome shot Justine)



Loop 8 – FINAL Loop 

 I’ve got to admit, I was tired. My feet hurt, my quads were killing me, I had to walk a few downhills, but I was still running. This loop was so magical. The trail that I had called home for the last 17hrs was rolling up and down and I was saying goodbye to. Each step was my last time on this section and it became a very exciting feeling. A couple of km’s from the return trip to the Gatehouse aid station, we caught up with another 100mile runner. Robbie had a brief chat with him and then dropped back to tell me he too was on his last lap. Funny, I could tell from Robbie’s tone that maybe he wanted us to pass him and move up a position, but I was fine just to keep ticking along. Once we hit the gatehouse, I stopped to get what I thought was a stone in my shoe, only to find it was a blister, well better now than earlier in the day. This allowed the other runner to put some distance on us. After a couple of minutes, we headed onward and caught back up a few km’s later. This time we were close enough (less than 10k) that I figured might as well, and pushed the pace on a couple of uphill’s to pass the runner, and never looked back. Damn, racing after 150km of running, crazy. The rest was as it had been for the whole day until that final climb. 350meters to go and we/I was done. With 50m to go on the hill, I put my head down and started the final run to the finish. Justine came running down and joined us, and with one final push, I was done. 100 miles in 19:14:19. Holy crap!!.

The boys are done
 

 I still can’t comprehend what I had accomplished. I was fully prepared to be exhausted at the finish. To hit such a low point in the race that I would want to quit and I would have to pull myself up from the depths of despair. Nothing. I ran the whole distance. My effort remained even all day. Everything worked. Execution was flawless, and looking back I would not change one single thing I did.

 Pure Happiness
 

Thanks just never seems enough, but I hope everyone knows how much I appreciated everything.
Kim and Justine, my amazing crew, I love you both dearly.
Coach D. You got me ready and I am glad I was able to execute.
Robbie, anytime I can return the favour brother, you know I’ll be there.
Joe and the Sulphur crew, thanks for making it an amazing day.

Final Stats 100 Miles – 19:14 – 5th overall + 2nd in the M50+ Age Group.
Elevation gain – ½ way up Everest. 'nuff said
Splits and placement (thanks to Marc)

Lap.......Lap Time......Cumulative Time.......Position
1..........2:02:47.............2:02:47..................14
2..........2:08:25............ 4:11:11..................13 
3..........2:12:20.............6:23:30................. 10 
4..........2:20:44.............8:44:13....................7
5..........2:30:39............11:14:52...................6
6..........2:36:00............13:50:52...................5
7..........2:41:45............16:32:36...................6
8..........2:41:43............19:14:19...................5

 Lots more pics at http://thebohns.zenfolio.com/sulphur_springs_2012

 Thanks everyone for your support, it really meant a lot

 David

(Follow up post coming with Gear and Nutrition breakdown. This one was long enough)

Weekly Summary Feb 27 - Mar 4

As Derrick put it, it was my "get un-sick" week. I am still blown away by how low I let myself get. You always like to think it is just a cold and all in good time and it will be gone. Not this time. I am thankful I had the smarts to go to the Doctor, twice, and that I followed his direction, I hate to think where I would be right now if I hadn't. The week started slow as you would expect as I only finished off the antibiotics on Thursday. I have been pretty tired and listening to my body and having some of the best sleeps in months. As everything is finally flushing out I am starting to feel more myself, and looking forward to getting in a semi-longish run this weekend. For now SS100 is still on and the thought of the race is really getting me excited.

Summary - Total time 5:07

Mon - PM 20min EFX (Elliptical) - 20min was all I had

Tue - PM 32min Treadmill. A little longer, felt good to get the legs moving

Wed - PM 40min EFX

Thu - PM 35min Treadmill. Got in a little progressive speed work - topped out a 9mph

Fri - Rest

Sat - AM 92min is very wet and slippery and windy roads

Sun - AM 89min Cold and windy, but faster than yesterday and .5km further.

So I am still being very cautious, but everyday I feel just that much better. Really hoping to be done with this sickness and recovery by the weekend and we can really focus on getting ready for Sulphur.

Weekly Summary Feb 20 - Feb 26

So that was a crappy start to my SS100 training. Monday and Tuesday went well. Tuesday evening I went back to the Doctor and was told to STOP all exercising as I was on the verge of pneumonia and unless I STOPPED everything I was going to get worse, not better. I do not remember that last time I did not run or do any form of exercise for 5 days, but that is what this week was about. I hated it but it was the right thing to do, no question. I have not been this sick for so long and I needed to get better. I am on the fence to be honest as to whether I will be able to run SS100 at this point. I don't know if I will be better by next week to kick back up to full speed training; just taking it one day at a time for now.

Mon: AM - 45min easy

Tues: AM - 45min easy. PM - 30min treadmill in minimal shoes

Wed: Sick - Feel like I am near death

Thu: Starting the slow crawl from the abyss

Fri: Made it to work for 1/2 day

Sat: Double naps

Sun: PM - 20min run/walk - that was enough. more napping.

This week's focus is to get "Un-Sick" and then we will re-access next week.

SS100 T-14 Weeks

So SS100 training started yesterday. I guess in reality it started back in Aug '03 when I went for my first run (in years) but we'll count yesterday as the starting point.

I am feeling pretty confident about getting through the training. I believe, physically I am in at a good point to handle the additional load, and mentally I am ready. 14 weeks isn't that long (some Marathon programs are 16 weeks) so I hope I can suck it up.

Things of note:

I am still sick (well actually we all are). 3.5 weeks and counting. I went to the Dr. last week and started antibiotics and I thought they were working, but Sunday afternoon the scratchy throat returned and I feel I am back where I was a week ago. Kim and Justine seem to be in the same boat, it is just going to take time. Back to the Dr. at 5:30 tonight.

I am giving up my Orthotics. It has been a long time coming and it seems like the right time. The only issue I am having is a flare of my Morton's Neuroma on my right foot. I am using a very shaved down orthotic with a beefed up Met pad on my trail runs which is helping significantly. Add to that exercises and stretches my physiotherapist has given me I anticipate being able to dump them completely in the next couple of months.

Diet? Yeah hot topic there. Hoping to loose about 7-8lbs in the coming weeks and get down to 145lbs (65.9kg). If I cut back on Hershey Kisses, peanut M&M', Cookies, Rolo Ice Cream and a little drinking it should be easy to loose the weight. I'll add that to my weekly summaries so I am a little more accountable.

So forward, lots to read and think about and I'll loads on time on the trails to do the thinking and recovery time to do the reading.

Sulphur Spring 100miler

So I have talked about this for a while and finally after discussions with Coach Derrick and my family, yesterday I registered for my first 100 mile race. I am trying not to think of it as 100 miles, but 8x20km loops. Last year I ran the 50mile at Sulphur and really enjoyed the course and it seemed like the perfect fit for my quest for my first Belt Buckle.

Derrick had given me one more week of recovery, and to get rid of this everlasting cold before we kick off training. I am nervous of what is in front of me and know I will need to focus more, and put more effort into recovery than I ever have before. There are only 14 weeks between now and then so anything I can do to prevent injuries and be ready for the next workout will be monumental.

I plan to resurrect my weekly training updates so I can log the craziness, so stand by.

One other note, part of the reason for registering yesterday, Valentine's Day, was it had been 13 years since my Father passed away. I haven't really thought of him when it came to races, as it was after he died that I took up this obsession. Still yesterday, while thinking of him, I got the courage to register - so this will be run in his memory.

YAU Marathon 2012 – Race Report

Ever since my failed (cancelled) attempt at Rock & Ice, I have been yearning to participate in some form of arctic race. I have been fascinated by the ruggedness of running in such conditions and have been looking forward to training and racing in the great north. Back in October when Kim was unfortunately diagnosed with pleurisy, we were forced to cancel a planned trip to NYC in November and we needed to re-book our flights or lose the AirMiles. Well, one thing led to another and before I knew what happened we had changed to fly to Whitehorse so that I could take part in the Yukon Arctic Ultra Marathon. The marathon was being run as part of the 100mile & 300mile race event, and as I told people who thought me crazy, I was one of the sanest racers.

After the JFK50 in November, I pretty well took the rest of the year off training. I still ran almost as frequently, but only to burn off the Mexican Beer and the Christmas treats. January saw me ramping up my mileage again, as well as trying to get out whenever it was cold to acclimatize and test gear. The marathon was totally self-supported so I tried to train by practicing real racing experience with both food and water. My endurance seemed to bounce back fine, but my speed was just not coming back. Truly I wasn’t too worried as I couldn’t imagine this being a hard foot race (wrong, I was).

The other draw for this race was that Derrick Spafford (Coach and Friend) was running the 100mile. I was looking forward to being able to spend some brief time with Derrick before and after the race, provide any support I could and also learn from him as I hope to be able to return and run the same 100mile race in a couple of years.

About 10 days before the race, and just as I started my taper I started getting the dreaded scratchy throat, and Kim was getting it too. Taper Flu? I was hoping was all it was and it would be well and gone come race day. Wrong! No matter what we did, pills we took, nothing was shaking the cold, cough and flu systems we both were feeling. Oh well we said as we headed to Whitehorse on the Thursday, it will be better in the next two days after a little R&R. That never happened.

We arrived in Whitehorse early Thursday afternoon, dropped off our bags at the Hotel and headed out to explore the city.



It really doesn’t take long to explore Whitehorse. End-to-end is likely a 20min walk so within 5 minutes we were in the city centre. We stopped in at Costal Mountain Sports to see if there were any last minute items we “needed” and at Shopper’s to pick up snacks, water, and more cold medication (yeah this stuff will get rid of it for sure). We met Derrick for a quick dinner and a couple of long overdue beers and headed for bed.

Friday morning, we woke up feeling no better (okay THAT stuff didn’t get rid of the cold either). I attended the trail briefing and then Kim and I went for a short shake out run. I had been training and planning on racing in temperatures around -15C or colder and when we headed out we were greeted with +3C and showers. We ran the trail to the start and the snow was soft, mushy and wet, far from ideal – this was not looking good. Returning from that short jog, I was exhausted. My energy levels were way down and I was starting to doubt that I would be able to complete the Marathon. We spent the rest of the day with our feet up, napping and taking it easy. We attended the pre-race dinner which was very good, and then called it a night.

With the later morning sunrise in Whitehorse, and allowing the longer distance racers time to prep their gear, the race didn’t start until 10:30 in the morning. This allowed for a relaxed pre-race which I desperately needed. My night had not gone well, a number of times I woke up feeling very feverish and nauseous and for the first time ever was having serious doubts about my ability to complete the race. I was having the same “scared” feeling I had when trying scuba diving for the first time, and to be honest I was terrified. But as with anything it was just time to suck it up. The worst that could happen is I would be walking back after 10km and if I didn’t try I’d regret it forever. Onward!

We met Derrick and his stealthy pulk in the lobby and walked the 15min to the start line together.



We did a group picture, all got in line, brief countdown and we were off.



The weather at this point was perfect for a winter race, not the stupid cold I had been hoping for, but a nice -5C, sunny and light southerly breeze. With the drop in temperature the trail had frozen somewhat and was no longer the mush we had run on the previous day.

The course for the marathon is pretty straight forward. Run up the Yukon River, hang a left a the Takhini River, run up that until the turnoff for CP1, run a short out and back from CP1 and you’re done. I lined up and started at the front of the racers, hoping I would be faster than those pulling pulks, and from the start I was in the lead.



Sick but still competitive, I figured it didn’t hurt to see who was serious about this race. I wouldn’t say I started out fast, just at a nice steady pace. I was pretty well by myself for the first km, but I soon heard the foot falls of another runner. So I wouldn’t be alone. I had a brief chat with Johann but soon found talking and running was just too difficult and we just ran along in silence taking turns in the lead. I was feeling him out to see if he was serious or just being too aggressive but after 17km and almost 1:30 he was still hanging on running strong. It was here that I had to make the decision, I knew on a good day I could keep up this effort, but being sick and my low energy levels, and the fact that every time I tried to eat or drink, and still another 24km to go, it was best I let Johann go and hope that he would hit a wall and I could catch him. So, just before the turn on to the Takhini, I pulled up for a quick nutrition break and let him go. From here, I was running on my own, as it turned out until the finish. I finally took the time to enjoy where I was and what I was doing. Racing up a river in the Yukon, surrounded by tree lined cliffs and mountains off in the distance. It was peaceful and beautiful and the real reason I wanted to be here. I hit the ½ way at about 1:50 and thinking that there is no way I could run an even split race, I figured that a 3:45 marathon was quite achievable.

For the next 1:15 , it was just me and the river enjoying the day, but feeling tired and out of breath every time I ate or drank – damn cold. Just before the 34km mark (on my GPS), the course turned off the river (through some of the THE worst sugar snow I have ever tried to run through) and up the river bank towards CP1. Eh? I thought I still had 8km to run. Coming on to the road leading to the CP, I passed a girl who said “almost finished”. Me “The Marathon? Really?” Her “Yes, just to the top of the hill and back”. I was confused.



As I arrived at the CP, Robert the race director started running beside me re-iterating what I am been told. “How far to the turn?” I asked. “About 1.5km” he tells me. Okay so off I go up the hill. So, as it turned out, it was just almost 2km to the turn, and it was uphill all the way. It was a nice treat after running the flat river path for so long. I passed Johann as he was returning, looking strong and happy – he ran a good race. Hit the turn (a painted line across the road) and headed for the finish – all downhill from here. Hit the finish in 3:23, but unfortunately only 38km on my GPS.

Shortly after I finished, Kim arrived (she had rented a car and had her own adventure getting there) – we chatted and waited for Derrick to come in.

It wasn’t long till he arrived looking strong and happy – we did what we could to help and then sent him on his way

before heading back to Whitehorse.

Sunday we spent anxiously waiting for updates on Derrick’s race, and then finally waiting for his return to the hotel. We enjoyed long overdue Pizza and Guinness with him hearing his tales and celebrating his amazing race. Monday our adventure was over, and it was time to say good-bye to the wonderful folks of Whitehorse and Robert and all his amazing volunteers.

This was not the race I had hoped it would be on a number of levels, but it was huge in that is gave me the experience of the YAU and great knowledge of the process and what the first 50km of the 100miler is like. It scares me to think of going back for the 100mile, but there is a draw to the beauty of the Yukon wilderness that will be hard to shake. I will be starting construction of my first Pulk soon and hope to get a couple of runs with it before the end of the season. And thank you to my wonderful wife for sharing my adventures and supporting me all the way.


More picture on our Zenfolio site here

JFK 50 2011 After Thoughts

Just like Sulphur, there are things that I didn't put in my report, cause I either didn't think of them at the time or it would have made it too long, but still I want to write down so I remember.

• Nutrition worked well as I said, and looking back was pretty light for the day, but it worked with virtually no stomach issues. 4 x EFS Gel Flasks, 2 x Gatorade Prime with serving of Chia , 1 of those 5 hour energy shots, 3 Gu Gels, 1 Jam Sandwich, 5 or 6 x S! Caps and a couple of Tylenol's to help dull the tired legs. So maybe 3,000 calories, if that, but it worked.
• During a section of the AT I had a brief chat with a guy running his 14th JFK - that is 700 miles - I told him I figured he knew every rock on the trail by now.
• The last km running into Antietam Aqueduct aid station (27.1 miles) I was running with a girl who was just flying, she had crew on cell phones calling ahead with what she needed. We were running a 4:45/km coming into the aid station. It felt great to open up the pace at that point in the race.
• Lost the toe nail from my right big toe. First time that has happened so fast. After the race it was the only thing that hurt.
• Last year at this time I was mentally done training, this year I am pretty excited looking towards the first half of 2012.
• Still in awe of what I did. I know there are 70 people who ran it faster, but still it's pretty cool, and as someone mentioned, largest Ultra in North America. Not Bad!
• Started Wall Sits today (see Sulphur)
• Next up is the Marathon, as part of the Yukon Arctic Ultra where Derrick is running the 100 Mile. (more on that in my next post)

URG @ JFK50-59

What can I say but Thank You to EJ@ultrarunningguy for my "victory portrait". What you say and what you do make us ALL feel very special. Hugs from everyone.

JFK 50 Mile Race Report – November 2011

Wow! Wow! Wow! Best three words to describe how this race went, but before I get into the details a little history is needed.

I remember after my 2^nd marathon (first ever destination race) cruising around the web looking at different races around North America and happened upon a report from the JFK50. Reading about these people running 50miles, finishing in the dark wearing reflective vests mesmerized me and boggled my mind. I just could not imagine doing this and that thought stuck with me for a couple of years. I decided this year would be the year that I ran it, and based on last year’s qualifications I would need to run a sub-9:00 50 miler to get in the early entries. I set my sites on Sulphur Springs in May and managed to pull off a nice 8:22. I sent my application into JFK the first day I could and was happy to make the cutoff as it seemed like it sold out in 7 days.

Heading into the fall and this race it was supposed to be just a relaxed, end of season race. My original goal was to aim for a sub 3:15 marathon at Wine Glass and that is where my summer training focused. However, all of that got sidelined with Kim’s pleurisy, so it ended as a false start. Since I had done the training and not the race, I decided to continue with the build and change my JFK goal from a fun run to a more ambitious goal of sub-8:00. I knew it was lofty, but I also figured I should try, after all I was in great shape and there was no reason not to at least try.

Kim and I drove down on Thursday so we had Friday to pre-drive the check points (where she would meet me as my handler) before the race. It was a good thing we did because a couple of the check points were pretty remote and it made her task a little easier on race day.

Race pickup was pretty simple as it was in the Hotel where we stayed and we just headed down in our PJ pants and Flip Flops. Love that.

As with most races, weather obsession became a big part of my life for the two weeks leading up. JFK can have quite the swing in temperatures and I was rehearsing for everything. Fortunately, the day turned out to be almost ideal with a starting low of -1C and a high of 10C with a slight SE wind. I went with shorts and three different tops as the day progressed, thank goodness for my handler. J Now, JFK50 has three distinct and different sections to it, and can be broken down like a triathlon; The Appalachian Trail (15.5miles), The Tow Path (26.5miles), The Rolling Country Road (8Miles). After reading a few reports and descriptions of the trail section, I decided it was best for me to run the first section in trail shoes and then take the time to switch to a road shoe for the final 34.5 miles. The only issue was that that section also included about 3.5 miles of road/pavement and really 12 miles of trail, but that trail was supposed to be a rocky road. I settled on using the new Lasportiva Syklites, a perfect hybrid trail and road shoe that I have fallen in love with and my trusty Mizuno Precisions for the remainder of the race. Fuel wise, I stayed with my trusty EFS Gel flasks with a side of Gu’s, S!Caps, and whatever I felt like at the aid stations (which ended up not being much).

Kim and I arrived at the High School in Boonsboro in plenty of time to hear the pre-race speech and chat with a few of the runners from the Burlington crew.

We made our way to the start line taking our time with a brief stop for the ceremonial picture in front of the Colombia Bank sign.

Then crap, we hear an announcement that there is one minute to the start, and we were not even close. We hustle to the start, I work my way in, take a breath, and the gun goes off. No waiting for this one to start.

Part 1

As mentioned, the race starts on paved roads, it progresses over a couple of rolling hills for about the first mile, and then climbs straight for 1.5 miles. It was the beginning of a long day so I just kept my effort easy and plodded up the hill. I was keeping around the same group of runners, so I knew it was pretty relaxed and everyone was just getting into the race. At the top of the first climb, we then turned on to the trail for about 1 mile. This was a great taste for what laid ahead. You read that it is rocky, and it is! There are rocks everywhere and you are either running on them or around them. They are not massive, but aren’t pebbles either. Thank goodness for trail races and training that I had done under similar conditions as I just let instinct take over and do my best mountain goat impersonation. Out of that short trail section, a brief aid station stop to refill my flask with water and then we were on pavement again. For this part you are on what seems to be a single lane road that ends at a communication tower at the top of the road. I say top of the road, because this was another section of continuous climbing. I like most others, ran most sections and just walked the steeper parts just grinding it to the top. Finally we were done and back on to the trail. I knew most of the climbing was over with at this point, and let myself open up the pace a bit, passing some less experienced on the trails, finally getting into race mentality (the warm up was over).

I wasn’t really too worried about pace at this time, I was trying to get close to a 6 min/km pace knowing that is what I needed to hit my 8:00 goal, but I was really trying to be off the trail by 2:30 into the race. With 3 different sections of the course, even pacing (like for a marathon) was out the window; I had found a pacing chart on the Reston Runners JFK50 site and that was the goal time for that section.

I was really enjoying the trail once I got into the groove of it, kept on top of my hydration and nutrition and just enjoyed the time in the woods; soon the trail started descending - slowly first and then quite steep through a series of very rocky switch backs and we descended the Weaverton Cliffs, exiting to the cheers of the crowd at the bottom. I exited at 2:27, right on schedule.

Kim was waiting for me just after the exit, so I jumped out of the way of the other runners and started my “transition”. Shoes and timing chip (that was a bit of a pain) shirt change, gloves, new fuel and water, Garmin back on and I was off running again in 4mins.

For the time lost here, it paid many times over for the security and comfort on the first section and for the next 34.5 miles.

Part 2

Leaving the base of the cliff, you are not on the tow path just yet, there was about .5km of some fun single track before you finally exit to the Weaverton aid station, cross a set of railway tracks and you are on the tow path; 26.2 miles to go on this section.

This was the section of the race I was really most worried about. It was the least technical/challenging, but it was also the easiest to lose time on. Goal was simply to stay focused for the tow path marathon and run a solid even pace. Again with the first section, I stayed on top of my nutrition and hydration, even taking a couple of brief walking breaks to make sure I took care of the little things, so they wouldn’t become big things.

I was pacing fairly steady and on target hitting the 25 mile mark on my Garmin just before the 4hr mark. However, about 5 minutes later, I hit an aid station that was at 24.8 miles. Oops, my Garmin was tracking long, first time ever for a trail race. I wasn’t too worried because I had the easier section(s) ahead, but also the more tired legs as well. Again, focus on keeping steady.

Kim was waiting for me at the Antietam Aqueduct aid station (27.1 miles).

I did my second shirt change of the day, it was a beautiful day and the bare arms felt refreshing, but stayed with gloves.

Quick swap of bottles and taking on more nutrition and I was out in a couple of minutes; still a long way to go.

Pace stayed fairly constant, and I checked every once and a while, but I was running a pretty even pace so stayed with what felt right. Just before my next meeting with Kim at Taylor’s Landing, I passed a spectator who told me I looked good, I responded that I felt like crap. She responded, you’ve just run 38 miles, how do you expect to feel? That summarized it well. I was getting tired, and pulling in at 38.5 miles, Kim knew it. I was tired.

But the best thing I could do was not linger, so I got moving again after a quick swap of things. Key thing with Ultras that way, you can’t waste too much time at aid stations as you get too comfortable and you can lose too much time. So I took off, running a little harder to get the body moving.

Again I passed another spectator who said the same as the previous and I responded the same. Their response was just what I needed. They said ‘You sure don’t look it’. This was the little boost I needed, because to me even though I was running tired, I was still running strong and that was most important. Stay on pace and stay on form.

Leaving Taylor’s Landing, I only had 3.5 miles until Damn #4 and the end of the tow path, just over 5km left, so the end was near and I started pushing as best I could. Then, with about 1km to go, I could see the Damn in the distance and then the tow path was over. I made as quick stop at the aid station and then onto the final 8.2 miles.

Part 3

So leaving the tow path was the first time I really had a feel for what my finishing time could be. I had run 46 miles in 6:30, just another 8.2miles in 1:30 to run sub-8 hours. Very possible, but I would have to keep it strong. Knowing full well of how tough the last 10km of a marathon can be, where when you start walking, you bleed minutes; nothing was for sure.

The first .2 miles of the last section are uphill. I had read that it is runnable on fresh legs, but best to walk it at this point in the race, so that is what I did, taking in water and gels while I had the chance. The top of the hill is the 8 miles to go mark and the countdown started.

The rest of the race course is roiling, paved country roads, a refreshing change from the tow path, but offering its own challenge as any sort of uphill at this point is tough. There were a few of us on this section within sight and I could tell we were all just in our own world, pushing to the finish. I thought of the early morning intervals and tempo runs, the races, and progression runs I had done to get me here and fed off those feelings. Dig deep, and keep pushing it will be over soon enough. I met Kim for the last time at the 46.0 mile mark where I dumped my Speed Belt, shoved a gel in my gloves and made for the finish.

I had been counting down in all seriousness since the 5mile (8km) mark and now with 6km to go, I was starting to smile inside.

At 5kms to go, it should hurt like Carleton Place 5km race last July, and it did. Reached the water station at 1.2 miles to go, grabbed a cup of water and took off for home. Then sooner than expected, the final turn for home and I saw the glorious finish line off in the distance.

I felt I had a little left in the tank to push harder to the end, but really what was the point? I enjoyed every moment of the final run to the finish of the JKF50, smiling and still feeling strong.

Time: 7:45:14, way under my 8:00 goal time and not one faltered step all day.

As I have stated many times in the past, this is not a journey I could make alone. Kim was there for me through all the training and spot on, at every station doing everything I asked. My life partner is also my race partner and I carried her on my shoulder the whole way. This one was for you sweetie. Thank you for all you do.

And Coach Derrick, I hate it when you are right, but you were in everything you made me do for this! There is no way that I would have come close by myself. Now let’s go after that 100 miler. J

Some Final Stats

Time 7:45:14. Distance: 50.2 Miles. 71^st Overall. 3^rd AG. 2^nd Canadian.

Paces – 6:05/km, 5:29/km, 5:34/km

A few more pictures can be found here on our Zenfolio Site

JFK 50 Mile Pre Race

So we head tomorrow down to Hagerstown, MA for the JFK50 this Saturday. It has been a roller coaster of a fall with but I think I am ready. I had some good speed / strength work through the summer and capped it off with a couple of 42+km runs and a couple of races to get me in the mood. Body is feeling good, no major pains, so basically what I am saying is there are no excuses. My goal is a simple sub-8:00 and I should have a good feel for where that will fall after the first 15.5miles coming off the Appalachian trail. If I fail anywhere it will because I am trying to push the pace and not focusing on nutrition. I am pretty nervous and excited for this, it ranks up there with the Boston Marathon in the history and prestige, it is a honour just to be able to participate. Hopefully Kim will be tweeting updates (if she figure's out that iPhone thingy).

JFK 50 Mile Race Entry Update

Whew!!! Made it in. I knew it would be tight, but it looks like it sold out in the first 10 days. Thank goodness for Priority Mail. Anyhow here is the entry list, #288.

Oh and in other news I ran a 5km time trial on the weekend. I was hoping to come in under 20mins, but I had a miserable 4th km and that didn't happen. So I am now officially in Marathon training for Wineglass. Time to get serious on the diet.

Sulphur Springs 2010 after thoughts

Just a couple of things that I didn't put in my report.

1. A woman past me about 3km into the 2nd loop, and as she went by said "I hope you don't mind me saying you have the most beautiful legs" - Just confirms what Kim has told me all these years :)
2. The mud was tough for sure, but it was a tacky mud, not the shoe sucking variety I found. It ended up being easier to run through the centre in most sections rather than skirting about it. I do feel sorry for those people trying to run the course in road shoes. Watching them slip and slide was painful. The LaSportiva Crosslites gripped like a studded tire.
3. What were those blue flowers in the woods? They were gorgeous, as was some of the forest sections.
4. As I said in my report, the course was hilly. Not crazy long climbs, but over the 20km loop very little flat so a lot of constant elevation changing. On that note, my quads were trashed after. I know I was running the downs hard and felt it at the end. Note for next year Derrick, back to wall sits
5. 90% sure I will run the 100 mile there next year - Post race I am feeling pretty confident I can do it on that course, and makes for easy crewing for Kim.

Recovery is going well, energy is mostly back and runs are slowly coming back. Not pushing too much as there is no rush to. Loads of time till Wineglass still, and best to start that training 100%.

On a completely unrelated running note, we just bought a new/used car. A 2010 Toyota Yaris. Bought it for the great fuel efficiency and that it is an automatic so much easier for the kids to drive. We get it Saturday - Her name is BlueBerry.

Sulphur Springs 2011 – 50 Mile Race Report

After finishing my first 50 mile race at Haliburton last year, I knew I had discovered a magical distance. As running for 10hrs and 50 miles gave me such a rush of accomplishment and satisfaction, I was itching to run another. So, I started laying plans for a spring 50 miler. However, if I was going to run another, there would be a purpose. For a number of years I have flirted with the idea of running the Granddaddy of 50 mile races, the JFK50. Thinking back to last year’s registration qualification times, I remembered seeing for 50+ yr old males the qualifying time needed for a 50 mile race was sub-9hrs, the goal had been set. I let Derrick know what I wanted to run, so then the question became where? I put my name in the lottery for the Bull Run Run, but was not picked; I thought of Seaton but having never run it and rumours that it was tougher than Haliburton had me re-thinking it, so I settled on Sulphur Springs, whose course record is very impressive so I knew it had to be the perfect race to attempt the 9 hour goal.

Fall, Winter, Spring training went well. Derrick had me focus on a lot of strength building, along with gym time and Physio to help correct some “weaknesses”. I managed most of my training uninjured, and had rediscovered some foot speed that I had lost. I did two pre-races; Chilly Dog, a 40km freezing rain snowshoe slush-fest and Seaton Trails, a 55km freezing rain mud-fest. Both races were tough outings, but I learned a lot about Gear, Mental, and Nutrition that I would not have discovered any other way. So, they were well worth it.

Leading up to Sulphur, my hopes for a 9 hour race were starting to wane, with all the rain, the normally fast and dry trail of Sulphur was becoming a slow, wet, slippery pathway. Still I never discounted the goal and headed to the race ready to do what it would take. My plan was simple: 4 loops with a 10min increase in time for each subsequent loop, so 2:00 / 2:10 / 2:20 / 2:30 for a total of 9:00.

Race morning dawned, cool, damp and foggy, but no rain thank goodness. I decided to go with a long sleeve shirt for the first loop and change after 20km. I set up two plastic totes just after the turnaround, one with my nutrition refills and another with equipment.

Race started quickly with a 400m that spread everyone out nicely before the right turn onto the trails. I settled into a comfortable pace, not really focusing on anything but trying to get a feel for what the trails were all about. After about 5kms, I was pretty confident that even though they were muddy and wet, when compared to my two previous races this year, they weren’t as tough. I found my pace a little quick, but also had the feeling that for the most part we were running downhill and having a little time in the bank is a good thing. I jumped on top of my nutrition from the start, something that Derrick had drilled into me. Things ticked along nicely with my pace just under my 6:00/km goal for the first loop. Heading into the last 7km, we met up with the 25km racers and the course started to get a little crowded, but nothing crazy. Still not knowing what the course was all about yet, I kept my pace up and when I hit the ridge at about 15km, I was still under my pace goal. Then guess what happened? The course headed downhill, w00t! More time in the bank as I made my way back to the aid station, on to the road and hit that ever so lovely 400m climb up to the turn around. Hit the turn, stopped at my totes to restock my Gels and Food, switched shirts, and headed back down the hill for the 2^nd loop. Done #1 in 1:55, nice, 5mins ahead.

On to loop 2, down the hill and into the trail. Now, I knew what I was in for and there was nothing surprising or overly challenging, just a nice trail of constant up and downs (I believe the net elevation change on the course description now). Feet were soaked, legs were muddy, body was just starting to feel the distance, and nutrition was ticking along nicely, just a day at the office. I was able to maintain a slightly faster pace than planned without pushing too hard. About ½ way though the loop, my Morton’s Neuroma on my right foot started acting up (it is a pain on the ball of the foot between the 2^nd and 3^rd toes). I tried various foot positions to help relieve some of the discomfort, and it would fade in and out. I had been having issues with it on and off for the past month, and I was figuring the wet shoes had compressed my metatarsal pads in my orthotics and I wasn’t getting the support that I needed. So I figured I would switch shoes at the end of the loop to get some relief. I found myself running across the ridge again, just ahead of goal pace (which I knew meant I could make up some more time on the downhill stretch). When I started on the descent, the strangest thing happened, the pain in my foot all but vanished. I could feel some lingering tenderness, but it felt mostly good. w00tx2!! Climbed the hill to the turn and chomped down some ginger as my stomach was starting to go a little south on me. Kim was there this time, looking quite fresh after her 10km race, restocked and NO shoe change out for Loop #3. 2:03 for the 2^nd loop, so 12mins ahead overall.

On a 4 loop race, the 3^rd loop is always the toughest, but knowing this I forced myself to keep my mental on and not think about where I was at, just push forward. I hit two major obstacles at this point. The thought of food was really starting to turn my stomach. Fortunately I could still stomach gels with water, but any real food touching my lips seemed to invoke a gag reflex. I had been ahead on my nutrition on the first two laps so I was confident that if I kept up the gels, I would have enough in the tank to get me to the finish without seriously bonking. The other issue was my right quad was really starting to give me grief for some reason; tight and sore. As with any race though, if it ain’t broke, run through it, and sure enough the pain in the quad eventually went away. Stomach on the other hand was a battle, but I was getting calories in me, and even better keeping them there. My pace was slowing as expected, but I was staying focused and still ahead of the laps goal pace. Finally I reached my favourite section, the Ridge and down to the aid station, opening the stride up a bit, power walk the final hill to the turn. Whew! 3 loops done, 1 to go. It was warming up so I decided to dump my shirt at this point, and food was useless to carry so I stripped off my zippered pouch from my waist pack. The less the better. On to loop #4, the final one. 2:11 for the 3^rd loop, so I had the 10min difference as I expected between the two loops, but I was ahead on goal time by over 20mins.

On a race like this I take nothing for granted. I bled minutes in Haliburton and knew how easy it was to lose time. With this in mind and knowing what the 1^st 5km of the loop was like, I decided to ”hammer” it as best I could. I figured the further I got, the less distance I would have to cover when I did start to slow. I was happy to see that after 60km I managed to cover the 5km in just over 30min. More of a buffer, 15kms to go and I was starting to feel confident that I could hit the sub-9hr goal. The next 10km were a mental and physical slug fest. I kept forward momentum, trying to actually run some of the final uphills, trying to save every second I could. I knew when I had made it to the Ridge Line that one last time it would be downhill to the finish and only a stupid mistake would screw things up. With about 10km left, I started to entertain a sub-8:30 time. Just as I was starting the final section up to the ridge line, I calculated that if I ran 7:00/min kms to the finish that I would break 8:30, it would be tough I knew but one final push. So then with 2km left, I hit 2hrs on my garmin for the loop. Excuse me, I thought how does that work? Based on my previous calculation, that didn’t make sense (math and running do not mix). So here I was with 2km and 20mins to cover the distance to run under 8:30. Ha, that was not going to be an issue, now it was time to push to the finish. I ran as much and as fast as I could, but in the end that final hill got me and I had to walk it. Still, once I crested the top, I started running again and finished strong and happy. Lap time 2:13 for a Total time for the 50 miles of 8:22. J A PB by 1:34.

Kim was there at the finish and I gave her the longest sweatiest hug. I was so happy and thrilled with how the DAY had unfolded. I was tired and sore, but I had far exceeded my goals and expectations, and stayed strong to the finish pushing the whole time and never loosing focus. We stood around and chatted with some people as I tried to let the Tylenol do its work and get some real food in me. Eventually, curiosity got the better of me and I wanted to know how I had placed. I was very surprised to find that not only had I placed 10^th overall (top 10 finish is always great), but I was also 1^st in my age group (50+). Well how about that! I received my first ever plaque, and yes I am still grinning.

Before the race, the JFK50 qualifications were posted and all I needed was a sub-10hrs this year. I knew that going in, but I had trained for the goal and was determined to do my best to reach it.

I am taking the time now to soak in everything and let my mind and body recover and renew before I start back training. I have a couple of goals left for the year and I know that with Kim at my side and Derrick in my corner, they will be reached – not going to be easy though, but what fun would that be? J

Re-Birth

I know it is about time...

So things around here have been a little quiet but I am hoping as the summer progresses I will be a little more active with the Blog, I have a journey I want to track, but till then I have one BIG hurtle to get over. Sulphur Springs 50 miler.

So since last we spoke I have run a couple of times...let's see there was NYC Marathon with Kimber - where she ran her first marathon and nailed it....then there was the Chilly Dog 50k Slush-fest - when I DNF'd at 40km...and then the Seaton Trails 55km Mud/Freeze-fest...all of which were really training for this weekends 50mile at Sulphur Springs. The course will be wetter than I would have likes, but with the last couple of races, combined with last years Muddy Haliburton I would say I am ready. Not much to do but shut up and run.

I am looking forward to the weekend, and promise to post a race report when I am done....the report will start something like...MY goal for this race was simple, have fun and break 9 hours...tune in to see what happened.

We'll talk later....

2010 Army 1/2 Marathon

This last Sunday the 3rd annual Canadian Army 5k and 1/2 Marathon races were held in Ottawa. The first year the race was held a couple of weeks after my 2nd 50km at Haliburton, so Kim and I took the conservative route and just ran the 5k race. Last year I was coming off my stress fracture and recovered off my Spafford pacing duties fairly well so we both competed in the 1/2 marathon, Kim running her 1/2 PB and me running a respectable 1:35.

This year it was a different beast. Kim registered to run it as a pre-NYC race and I bowed out because it was a week after Haliburton and I figured there is no way I could run even 5km a week later. Friday evening I did my first post Haliburton run with Kim and Strider, just an easy 20min. The first 10 mins were great, but after that my energy completely faded and my left Achilles flared up (damn shoes, different story). Saturday morning we went to pick up Kim's race kit and I must say I got caught up in the race fever. Kim was running this as a NYC practice race now, the injured soldiers, the beautiful day..so at the last minute I did something I have never done before and registered for the race.

Race day was perfect and Kim and I made it to the start as planned with about 2 minutes to spare. The plan was for Kim to run a 5:30/km for the first 10km and then run an 5:10'sh for the last 11km. Well, we started out behind the 1:50 pace bunny (thanks James) and Kim was feeling comfortable so we went with it. The race course was beautiful, winding down Sussex drive and through Rockcliffe for the first 1/2. Kim ran well right behind the 1:50 bunny, but faded a bit after about 8km, still we kept pretty even pacing and finished in 1:51:27. (we measure the course as 21.38 so pretty well a 1:50 for 21.1 :) ). It was a good practice for NYC and we worked out some good hydration and nutrition strategies. Well done sweetie.

Energy wise I felt good throughout the race, but my left Achilles was really getting annoyed with me and my right hip was tender, so still have some TLC and rehab to get through after Haliburton. Looking forward to a couple of weeks now of rolling, sticking and stretching. It felt good to run a nice steady 1/2 marathon though, and gives me a lot to build on for an fun NYC Marathon.

Haliburton 50mile Race Report – 2010

Run 50miles? Run for 10 hours? Sounds crazy when you say it, but that is what I did last weekend and loved every second of it. The Haliburton Forest 50 mile was my "A" race of the year and it was my first attempt at the distance. I was a little nervous about the distance, but knew I had done the training and all I really needed to do was run a smart race and things would fall into place.

Preamble

Kim and I arrived at the Base Camp around 3:00pm Friday and got our tent and gear set up fairly quickly and settle in for a glass of wine and some snacks. It was our first time camping in more than 15 years.

Race morning arrived early (4:30), but we had slept reasonably well and felt ready to tackle the day. Pre-Race seemed a little rushed, but we made it for the walk to the start line right on time. Just as we started walking, we were asked if this was the way to the start line by a surprise guest - Derrick - who even though was not running had driven up to cheer, coach, crew, and pace. NOW I knew it was going to be a great day.

The Race (course map)

Start -> Normac Loop -> AS#2 (0-11)

This is really just a warmup. You start in the dark so most people are running with some sort of lamp. This is the most social part of the race as people shake out their legs and get into the groove for the day. From the start I was on top of my nutrition taking my first Gel at just 20min, and continuing to consume calories every 20min, and drinking, this was the plan for the day and I was determined to stay on schedule no mater how or where I was. I controlled my pace well and settled in to what I felt would be the rhythm for the day.

Coming into AS#2 I was met by the smiling faces of Derrick and Kim (my crew, support, paparazzi) for the day.

Swtiched my Nathan Speed 2 Belt for my UD Handheld, restocked with a couple of Gels and headed onward

AS#2 - AS#3 (11-15)

I find on the way out Normac Trail is really just a warmup, not too technical and tough, just gets you into the groove. Poachers trail is where the fun really begins. This really is my favourite part of the course. Deep woods, nice climbs, and technical enough to be challenging without being stupid. Not much to say about this section. There was some nice mud, but after Wakely I was ready for anything muddy and wet.

Kim was ready for me as AS#3 (as she was the whole day at every station-she rocked!) and I switched back to my Speed belt and chowed down some PB and J

AS#4 - AS#5 (15-24)

Both heading out and on the return this is the toughest section. It is a long way to the next aid station and there are some nasty climbs and technical sections you have to negotiate. Add to that the endless mud and beaver created stream and you have a challenging 9km run. I did negotiate Bens and Krista trail fairly uneventfully but as it always does it took a little wind out of my sail. I kept up with nutrition and hydration, and actually took an extra S!Cap just to be sure. It felt good to get to AS#5 and know that I had 16km left till the turn.

AS#5 - AS#6 (24-30)

Started heading into new territory now, trails I had never run (well in the light at least), so it was all new fun. After 25km and almost 3 hours of running I wouldn't say I was feeling fresh, but I was getting into the Ultra Groove. The first half of this section turned out to be quite technical with a couple of good little climbs then the "corduroy road" (buried logs) followed by a nice run out on a dirt/logging road. It was here that I finally caught up to and ran with Johnny into AS#6 (it was great to have company).

At AS#6 I had my only drop bag. In it I had a shirt change and my Nathan Hydration Pack. Thinking was that if Kim had difficulty finding either this or AS#7 at the turn, I would have enough water and nutrition to get me to the turn and back. I took a little time at AS#6 to change and have some sweet potato with yummy salt before heading out.

AS#6 - AS#7 (30-40)

Johnny had been quicker out of AS#6 and as such I was running by myself again. This section began with a nice trail section for a couple of kms before coming out onto sandy road. To be honest at this point I was starting to tire a bit. 20 miles done and another 30 to go. My achilles felt stiff, but nothing to serious and I had a strange stiffness on the outside of my right knee, aside from that I was ticking along. I was feeling the extra weight of the 1.5litres of water I had just strapped to my back and was starting to wonder the decision to switch. After a while I could see Johnny in ahead of me, and by the time we came off East Road on onto King James I had finally caught him again. This last 5kms to the turn was tough. Long climbs and descents, rollers and some pretty nasty mud. John and I chatted and cursed together. It was great to finally run into runners returning as it meant we were getting nearer to the turn. Both my hips were starting to ache a bit and I decided that if Kim had made it to AS#7 I was dropping the hydration pack and going back to my waist pack. Strange that I have trained with the Hydration pack all summer, but I was just not feeling it on the day. Kim was there, so off came the pack

After arriving at the AS#7 we still had a .5km out (to the turn) and back spur to do. Without my pack I felt light as air and it wasn't as mentally painful as it could have been. Returning back to AS#7 my wonderful Crew (aka Kim) had everything ready.

Hitting the turn +.5km coming back to AS#7 was a huge mental lift for me. True I had run almost a marathon, and still had almost a marathon to run, but I was on the return and from here I could count down to the finish. I knew the trails, I new the aid stations, and now it was just a matter of doing the work. It was starting to warm up so I opted at this point to loose my shirt, the less I had annoying me the better.

AS#7 - AS#6 (40-50)

Johnny had headed out again before me, but it didn't take long for me catch him. We slugged it out through the muck and hills until I pulled ahead and never ran with him again. I felt a little bad when I realized he was no longer with me, but everyone needs to run their own race and I knew he was dealing with what he needed to. I was really starting to feel the downhills as my hip flexors started to bark at me, so I was running the downhills a little cautiously and was quite happy to be back on the sand road. Here I started to try and open up the pace a bit and run a little faster. I was tired, but stretching the legs with a little longer turnover felt great. Off the sand road, back onto a short trail section and out to AS#6. Yeah! 50km done, the countdown had begun

AS#6 - AS#5 (50-56)

Okay, so this I had run last year when I paced Derrick. It was nice to run on the logging road again for a short while to stretch out the legs some more, hit the trail and kept focused on looking for the turn-around sign for the 50km folks. Once at the sign I knew I would have just 25km to the finish. Finally I came across the sign and my watch said I had been running for 6:20, 10 minutes ahead of where I had hoped to be. Out of the woods and another km into AS#5, at exactly 6:30.

AS#5 - AS#4 (56-65)

Well I can't say the wheels fell off at this point, but damn it took a long time to get to AS#4. I didn't feel that tired, walked the uphills, but still ran most of the flats and slow jogged the downs, but I think it ended up taking me almost 1:30 to cover the 9km. I is one of the best feelings to come out of Bens and do that little jog downhill to AS#4. Both Kim and Derrick were there smiling and as tired as I was at this point it was a huge lift to see them and know I had survived the toughest section and only had 15km to go.

AS#4 - AS#2 (65-69)

Back on to my favourite trail. Seemed a lot tougher heading back for some reason, more because of some of the wicked steep downhills than anything else. This section ends with a run across some planks of wood, so once you hit them you know you're almost out of the woods (in more ways than one).

AS#2 - AS#3 (69-74.5)

This is one toughest sections mentally on the course, whether you are doing the 50km, 50m, or 100m having to run up the road and turn on to Normac for the final loop, rather than to the finish is always hard. I adopted the suck-it-up attitude and when I had to make the turn said out loud - "okay let's get it done!" Normac was as it always is, a slug fest. One day I'll run this trail on a return, but not today. It was a run-walk-run-walk and push to that last ugly downhill to when you finally come out on to the road for the final 6.5km run to the finish. I still had my mental on and was looking forward to the road to see of I could actually run the rest of the way to the finish. My last 2, 50km races here this has always totally beaten me up, but today I was feeling like I had the power to run it home. I climbed the first little hill and then started running. Not fast but the turnover was there. I had decided a while before that running was faster than walking and if I could, no matter what I would will myself to run and get this finished as quickly as possible. Once again seeing AS#3 and Kim waiting for me was such a great feeling. The end was soon in sight and the job would be done.

AS#3 - AS#2 (74.5-78)

My plan was to run with my handheld until AS#2 and then drop it and push to the finish, but first I had 3.5km of nasty road to get through. Kim pulled up beside me in the car to cheer me and I told her when I get to the finish I wanted my Northface Fleece, Gatorade(lesson from Wakely), and two Tylenol, I was hurting. I managed to run the whole distance, except for one hill that I just HAD to walk up. Drank almost my full bottle of water before AS#2.

AS#2 - AS#1(finish) (78-80)

So this was it 9:46 into the race, just under 2km to go and I now had a goal - break 10 hours. Before this I refused to set a goal other than to finish, but now I figured I really couldn't screw too much up, one thing stood in my way, the hill coming up to the final turn. Anyone who has run this race knows how tough this hill is especially after running up it the first time to loop into Normac. I refused to walk any of it. I focused on form and tempo and remembered those up hill repeats and just climbed the bastard; made it to the top turned the corner for home and there is a one little climb left - damn you! Still made it to the top, running, and then it was the final stretch home. I picked up the pace as best I could, and hammered. I have no idea how fast I was running, but it felt like I was flying, problem was the finish line didn't seem to get any closer for a long time. 9:53 - come on, come on. There is the finish line - run HARD. Cross the line screaming feeling amazingly good. In my last 2 50kms I have felt like I crawled over this finish line, today after 50miles I flew over it. What a great feeling.

Post race and conclusion

I ran this race smarter than any I have ever run. I ate/consumed calories every 20mins (Gels, Bars, PB+J, Chia/Honey, AS food) drank nothing but water (but a lot), S!caps every hour + 1. Never pushed the pace until the end. Ran in my LaSportiva Raptors and had zero foot issued, even with the mud and water. It was a perfect race, and I loved the distance. Plan now is to run a few more 50mile races maybe 100km over the next two years and then come back to Haliburton in 2012 to take on the 100mile (looking for pacers already).

Special thanks and love to Kimberley who did an amazing job at not only crewing and supporting me perfectly through the day, but also took all the pictures, so I would have a wonderful photo diary of the day. Also, Derrick who trained me, coached me, listened to my whines, and then made the trek to show his support to all the runners. You both were critical in the way the day turned out.