Bloody Ben gets Dirty

I was so ready for this race!  I trained very hard this year, and after a successful run at Where’s Waldo 100K, I knew that I would be well trained for a good race.

The Check-In was as usual, with a lot of the same friends I do the races with typically.  I felt extra confident as many of the runners were asking me for advice on how to do the run.  After the briefing, I had a great dinner, got my pack ready, and dozed off around 7.  I was really happy I was able to sleep well that night.

4 AM came without me even needing an alarm clock to wake up.  Got breakfast, my last use of a man-made toilet,  and before you knew it I was back on the steps for Round 2.  The countdown came, and we were all off.  I saw about 10 people take off with Tim Stroh, and I appeared to be mid-pack.  We climbed the road to Maverick Saddle.  When I got to the top, I was already very pleased to see I was more than 20 minutes ahead of last year.  It is a short downhill to Mad River Trail 1409.1 from there.  Along this section I had a packet of dried apricots.  Delicious!  I used a big fanny pack this year to tote all my food around in, as my goal was to eat on the go and not stop for anything.  Having the food accessible and in the front proved to be extremely convenient.

I made the long nasty climb up Hi-Yu and back down to Mad River.  I was feeling great, and continued to do well running uphill all the way to Klone Peak.  I didn’t run uphill too much, wanting to conserve energy for the latter sections of the course, but it was quick going!  On the way up, one of the other racers flew by me.  I asked him if we were on the out-and-back, and he said we were not far from the top.  I was very surprised I had missed the turnoff for Klone.  1/4 mile farther, I was horrified to see that he had missed the turn, and was headed in the wrong direction!  I screamed very loudly to try and get him to turn back.  I imagine somebody put him in the right direction.  I reached the top of Klone at 10 AM sharp. I was 45 minutes ahead of last year!  From Klone I ran the brutal downhill to the Entiat.  I made it from Klone to Fox Creek in 2:40.  Along the way I had a couple of quesadillas with delicious Nutella, along with a turkey bagel sandwich.  Chris and Tom were at the Entiat River, and wished me well on my way.  I remember saying I was looking forward to the climb up to Signal, and finding out how well my training throughout the year was.  When I got to Fox Creek, and made a point fill up as quickly as possible, as I was behind schedule.  I had really wanted to arrive there at 12:30, but the Plain 100 Bermuda Triangle got me.  Shawn McTaggart arrived, and she was doing pretty well.  I was so great to see people!  I though the climb would take 2:30-2:45, and had really hoped I would get to the top by 3 PM.  I was sure this wouldn’t happen now.  Oh well, so I got my iPod going and began the long ascent.  I stayed great on fluids all the way up, but I did empty my 100 ounce bladder by the 4th mile of the climb.  I knew I would have to hold off on the next bottle until the junction with the  Tyee Ridge trail, and the other once until the junction with Billy Creek trail if I wanted to get to Cougar Creek in OK shape.  The climb was hot, but I felt great all the way up.  It didn’t take anything out of me, unlike last year, where I died on the way up.  I ran on Tyee Ridge, but my feet were becoming extremely battered from the rocky trail.  I was getting big blisters on my heels.

The Billy Creek trail came along sooner than I expected, and I hit that junction at 4:19 PM.  I was excited I was running so well, and though that I could get to Cougar Creek before 5:30.  But for all you Plain veterans, do remember how nasty the last descent to the creek is.  I arrived there at 5:47 PM.  On the way I passed the road 5705 SAR checkpoint.  I learned that Darrell Jensen was only 5 minutes ahead of me, and I was elated to see another runner.  Shawn M.  was the last person I had seen, and that was 5 hours beforehand!  I caught up with Darrell, and was bummed to see the guy hurting.  I wished him well and continued on my way, now feeling the drive to get to Deep Creek in a hurry.  On the descent to Cougar Creek last year, I was running in the dark, getting there at approx. 9:30 pm.  I was now 3 1/2 hours ahead of last years pace!  I passed Michael Popov on the descent as well, and offered him some encouraging words.

Cougar Creek’s water was wonderfully tasty!  I was happy to top off with some cold water again, and bounded up the trail to Maverick Saddle.  With a couple of navigation discrepancies, I got off track once I passed over the Mad River, but I made it to the SAR checkpoint at 7:11 PM.  3:45 faster than the year prior!  I felt better than I did at the start of the race, and made for a quick descent to Deep Creek.  My heels that had been beaten up on Tyee Ridge were toast though, so it took some gait changes to run easily.  It was a very beautiful view on the way down though, and the sun was casting some glorious colors into the sky.  I felt at peace with the world, and realized that this is what true happiness feels like.

I ran to Deep Creek without a headlamp (8:20 PM)!  It was a big goal of mine to accomplish this task this year.  I was feeling great, and munched on tons of food.  Tim Stroh was there, and I was sad to learn he dropped from tendon issues.  The next runner was 45 minutes ahead of me.    It is amazing how spread out everyone gets during this race.   While I was chowing down, Shawn McTaggart arrived at Deep Creek as well.  In retrospect, I should have waited for her to get on the trail as well.  But I didn’t.  At 8:50 PM, I was back on the trail, ready to annihilate Loop 2.  A couple of miles in though, my world grew in around me.  My blisters were excruciating on the downhills, and my NoDoz wasn’t doing its job.  I tried to run but couldn’t gather the energy necessary for this.  The real battle began.  I fought my head and the demons it threw at me.  I wasn’t going to give up easy.  I was moving soooo slow.  I couldn’t figure out what went so wrong.  The hours flew by but the miles didn’t.  When I arrived at the Alder Ridge Trailhead, I realized I wouldn’t be able to continue.  It took me 3 hours to go 7 miles.  Weeping and in despair, I walked back down the asphalt road to the Lodge.   A SAR volunteer picked me up about 2 miles from there, and drove me back. I was moving for 21 hours.

Boy, did Plain ever crush me!  Definitely a post -grad run.  I am so happy that this is the only course I lay DNF claim to, as it is a worthy opponent.  The race rules disqualify pacers.  That is where I have the hardest time.  People really help, and probably makes ultra-running races 1000% easier.  So long to Plain for now, but I will make it.  Javelina Jundred next month.

Day One:

14 miles, out n’ back on Lower chiwawa ORV trail, 2:30.  I ran some of the parallel roads on the way too, in case I do get off track during the race.

Day Two:

15 miles, Alder Trailhead to FSR 6210. 4:15

Day Three

19 miles, Alder Trailhead to Alder Ridge n’ back, south to Thousand Trails.

Hot and dusty, not enough water on day two.  Lots of webs were disgusting.  Great scenery though.

What a great weekend.  I flew into San Diego Thursday, and was picked up by my old section leader Will Carr.  He plays in the Marine Band at MCRD San Diego.  Spent Thursday & Friday relaxing and eating large amounts of food.

Scottie Mills, RD

Pre-race briefing on Friday afternoon, rekindling old aquaintances, friends, and new ones.  I had a big steak dinner on Friday night, and hit the rack at an early 7:45.  I was up at 3:45 AM the next morning, raring and ready to run for 24+ hours.  I went into the race with expectations of a 26-27 hour finish.   Will & I arrived to Camp Cuyamaca at 5:15 AM.  Did my typical pre-race rituals, then really just tried to relax a little before the start.  I don’t think I ate a big enough breakfast.  Got the start, and charged ahead like I always like to do.  The first section is this rolling terrain, with a gradual uphill.  Lot of burnt trees, which gave this neat atmosphere to the area.  Arrived at Sunrise Highway in 1:04, a bit faster than I had planned.  Norm Haines was helping out here, so I said hello and continued my race.  The next section takes you along the PCT for a few miles, and was characterized by impressive views and gratuitous amounts of wind.

View from the PCT

It was really windy, and reports I have already heard from the other runners is that it became very chilly as the night wore on.  But I wasn’t concerned at that tiem about it.  The 1st 20 miles went by extremely fast, and I finished it in sub 3:30.  This was more than a 1/2 hour faster than I had anticipated, and had me worried that I was running too fast.  The cool weather though was having a good effect on my performance, so I decided to stay with it.  The 2nd loop is much more hilly, and offers large amounts of burnt-out forest.  the smaller growth had come back though, so I found it to be a neat environment to run through.  after you come to the start/finish line at mile 20, the trail is a long uphill to the Paso Pichaco campground.  I ran along this very pretty stream and was generally just having a good time.  A lot of the 1st 50 miles I was running with Linda Barton, and she kept me in good company.  A good easy downhill from Paso to the Big Bend aid station, with some very pretty meadows, easy trails, and a nice run along Lake Cuyamaca.  From Big Bend (mile 30.6) however, you have a long grinding uphill to the top of Middle Peak, about 5800′.  This was a long section to complete.  It is a somewhat technical downhill for 3 miles, and then a bit of a grinding uphill to the Milk Ranch aid station (36.2 mi).  I was really settling into a groove and having a good time. There was quesadilla and guacamole which tasted just incredible. From Milk Ranch you have a bit of an uphill, but the course is a general downhill to Sweetwater Bridge.  It was a fun section.  After you hit Sweetwater, you have the longest stretch without aid on the course, 7.6 miles.  the 1st half is uphill, and the last half is downhill.  There was some great scenery here, and I was happy to be closing in on the halfway mark.  I

50 mile mark at SD 100

arrived at it in 10 hr, 30 min, right on the dot.  I had been feeling great, and sat down for a little rest.  My shoes filled up with large amounts of dust, so I dumped them and changed my socks.  I passed Linda Barton, and she wasn’t doing well.  I offered some encouraging words, and continued on.  Jess Mullen caught up, and I ran with her and her pacer for many miles.  I arrived back at Sunrise Hwy, excited that I had made it back in sunlight.  I set a goal for myself to make it to 100K before dark, and it looked like it was going to happen.  Upon entering the PCT for round 2, the wind picked up again.  It was rather ferocious all day, as well as the night time again.  I did my best just to gut it out and make it to the aid station as quick as possible.  I hit my 1st major low during this section, and was bonking due to my voracious appetite and serious need for some calories.  At Big Bend (62.6 miles) I had a large meal, got soem rest, and was charged up for the return to the start/finish line.  The run back is very easy, and is a very soft dirt road with large amounts of dust.  I arrived back, mile 70, in 15:30.  I grabbed the rest of my cold weather gear from my cooler, had a hearty meal, and took off on the last loop of the race.  I did the math, and I realized that if the rest of the race went well, I would be close to a 24-25 hour finish.  I tried not to let my hopes get up too high, but it was an incentive to moving with a sense of urgency.  The climb to Paso Pichaco was much more difficult this time around.  I tripped over many rocks, the branches pulled on my arms and legs, my world became a spot of light from my headlamp.  I was failing miserably, jsut doing what I could to keep on moving.  Then all of a sudden I had cell reception.  A great call from Dad, which really pumped me up ater 70+ miles.  I took some NoDoz, and in a few minutes was feeling great again.  Night time pace can be demoralizing, but I knew I was strong and could keep moving.  After some more great food and support at the Paso Pichaco aid (75.3 mi), I was ready to start kicking the course in the butt.  I had a weird out-0f-body experience, but that dissipated after a while and I was good again.  Then I was lost.  I don’t know how long I was off course, but I was at the horse farm that I seen during the 1st time around, and knew I was off course.  No headlamps or glowsticks to show the way, so I wandered around for a bit trying to find my way back.  Then I saw a bobbing headlamp and I was so happy to get back on track.  It was Derek Blaylock from Utah.  He wasn’t doing so well and was having a hard time moving forward.  I tried to cheer him up but it didn’t seem to work.  I ran on.   Ah, the turning point of the race.  Big Bend aid, mile 80.4.  This is where I caught up with Paul Escola and Nick Hollon.  I would run the rest of the race with them.  The folks at the aid station warned of cold wind and rain at the top of Middle peak, so I prepared for the cold.  Lots of hot food warmed me up, and the three of us were on our way.  Nick is a brutal pacer.  We powerwalked hard up the climb, and the weather delivered the predicted outcast.  The rain wasn’t bad though.  Then I see 2 headlamps coming down the road, in the wrong direction.  This guy dropped at 83 miles!  I felt bad, but knew I couldn’t suffer the same fate.  We arrived at the top, and the weather wasn’t too horrible, so I don’t know what the problem was.  We ran quick downhill, excited to get to Milk Ranch.  Got some more great food, and not taking too much time.  It was 2:30 AM.  We realized that if we pushed hard, a sub-24 hour finish might be possible.  I have to explain what “fast pace” is like at this mileage.  Walking uphill is 16-17 minutes a mile, hard running is 11 minutes a mile.  4.5 MPH tops.  I pushed to keep up with Nick & Paul, but it was tough.  We were really moving.  The moon came out, and we had a beautiful night sky to run with.  This really pumped me up.  Arrived at Sweetwater Bridge (92.4 mi), grabbed a couple of quick morsels, and was pumped for the finish.  We left at 3:50 AM.  Many people take 2-2 1/2 hours for this last section, but I knew I had to do it even faster to guarantee a sub-24 hour finish.  We were running very hard, and I was breathing like I usually do on a 5K!  My legs were jello, and I felt like death all over.  Everything hurts after 90 miles.  The sky started to light up, and birds were chirping.  Sunlight is not your friend when you are trying for a time like I wanted, so I pushed the pace even more.  Nick & Paul fell behind a bit, because he was having some trouble with steep downhills.  I had a few gnarly ankle rolls the last few miles, which really hurt, but I tried to ignore them.  When I saw the Camp, I hollered with delight.  Many stream crossings the I simply blasted through, wanting the fastest time possible.  I came across with a phenominal 23:37:04, and am now the proud owner of a silver SD 100 belt buckle.  Thanks to Scottie Mills and all the great volunteers, it was a wonderful race.

Ah, sweet victory.

My hopes going into this race were extrememly high.  My last 24 hour race did not go so well, due to the fact that the temps soared during the day, and plummeted over 50 degrees that night.  At Pacific Rim, the temperatures hovered in between 50-35*F the whole time.  Due to this, I was able to maintain a much faster pace during the duration of the event, while led to a more productive run and very efficient body temperature.  I started out the morning as usual, getting my gear, canopy shelter, and drinks ready.  Saying hello to new and familiar faces.  I definitely remember feeling the pent-up energy being almost too much to bear.  Not going on a run for 3 days left me like a caffeine addict without his fix, and I needed mine soon.  RD said ‘Go!’ and I was off like a shot.  Clocking the 1st mile in 8:04 put me far ahead of everyone.  Thanks to CW-X, I felt like it was a pace that would tear me apart in the later stages, but was easy and very quick.  I hit the 7 mile mark in 1:03, 13 mile mark in 2:00:30.  I started to slow after this.  I kept 1st place for most of this time, until Tony Covarrubias passed me at about the 10 mile mark.  Still, I held a solid pace.  Hit the Marathon mark at about 4:13, and 50K at 5:09.  I was feeling really good.  Started to hit a rough patch at about 35 miles, but that dissipated quickly when I saw my best buds from Boise arrive.  Mark Johnson and Jordan Anderson were going to help crew for me during the nighttime portions of the race.  The legs grew weary, but I held strong.  I broke my 40 mile PR by 19 minutes, with a 6:56:00.  10:24 per mile, which really boosted my spirits.  Nothing really major hit yet, which was a surprise.  Usually by 40 miles I am feeling rather crappy.  2 hours later, I was rewarded with yet another PR at the 50 mile mark, an 8:58:00.  10:47 per mile.  Things were moving extremely well in my favor.  Please note that I have not received the official race results yet.  I will post them when I get them.  Lots of data for the RD to manually input.  Broke my 100K record by 45 minutes, at 11:30.  Stopped a little before 12 hours with 64 miles for my 1st real break.  My dad cooked up these vegetables, rice, and chicken that was just phenomenal.  He was pumped up.  I was pumped up.  My friends were pumped up.  I didn’t want to sit down long, so my table manners failed.  Gobbled the food down, and continued to hammer.  I couldn’t beleive how incredibly good I felt.  There was too much “pumpness” in the air for 65+ miles.  I decided to run harder.  I did.  I kept on cranking the miles out, sometimes running the entire loop.  The night grew cold, my energy stayed up, I had my tunes going, and was really just having a blast.  I was averaging 4-4.2 miles per hour.  Not that fast, but we all know slow and steady wins the race.  Joe Lee, good friend and ultrarunning comrade,  amazed me.  That beast never slowed down.  He caught up with me at the 50 mile mark, and continued to rack the miles up.  I knew going into the race he was going to have a good one, so I did my best to cheer him on.  Tim Englund was having a good run too.  I had settled into 6th overall, with Tim, Joe, Tony C,  Dave Stevenson & Van Phan all ahead.  The night wore on.  I hit my really low mark at about 5 AM when my caffiene ran out.  I think Dave S ran ahead and had my buddy Jordan get some coffe ready for me.  I hit that sleeping wall, where I could barely keep a straight line and was all over the run path.  But that lasted for only 1/2 a lap.  I was at mile 97.  I said “maybe I will take a break at 100.”  The sun started to come up, and I felt it’s rejuvenating effects.  My dad and good friend Jordan got the cameras ready, and at 6:40 AM, 21:40 into the race, I bagged my 3rd 100 mile run.  I was so happy!  So happy in fact, I didn’t even stop to walk.  I kept running.  I had just over 2 more hours, and I though I could get another 7-8 miles in.  It started raining, and that drove my concentration even deeper inside.  I finished the race with 110 miles, which was good enough for 5th OA.  God granted me with a great run, and for that I am extremely grateful.  It was great seeing other runners like Bob Lynes & Willie Holmes hang tough the whole time.  Leif, good on you for getting back out on the race course like a trooper.  Congrats to Tim and Lisa, looks like the relationship has made you two a wicked fast couple based on your matching plaques.  The was an awesome run everyone, thanks for such a great day.

Monday: 17.7 miles, 3:43, Trails

Tuesday: 4 miles, 8:00 pace

Wednesday: Rest

Thursday: 6.1 miles, 7:12/mi pace

Friday:  7 miles 7:18/mile pace, 2 miles 6:15 pace

Total: 38.4

Quality over quantity!

Saturday: Sprints 4×100.  Unit PT