Laurel Valley Training Run For Western States 100

I love some Laurel Valley running!  It's hard to believe that this would be my 11th time taking on the 34 mile course.   This time would be with my soon to be Western States 100 pacer & bro-in-law Nick. 

We met up early at the gravel Whitewater Falls parking lot and drove over to begin our run at 7:00 AM.  The run began with a very comfortable cool mountain breeze which we enjoyed for the first 8 miles of mostly downhill single track.

I've learned that you may as well run the first 8-9 miles as fast as you like because the next 25 normally slap you around pretty good.

We hit the bench at Lake Jocassee in 3:04 which is about 15 minutes faster than I ever have before.  As we began the relentless climbs the valley begin to heat up.  It's amazing through this stretch of trail.  Not just the beauty, but the obvious temperature swings.  As you crest one mountain you feel a 10 degree cool down, then head back down into a valley and the heat quickly begins to smother you again.

Your mental ups & downs also begin to vary as much as the terrain.

This trail follows a painful pattern for the entire length.  You climb a very steep mountain, run atop a flat ridge for a short time, then head straight back down to water.  Water is always a welcome sight because you can get some fresh liquid and cool down, but then you find yourself starting the pattern all over again of climbing.

I was instantly shocked at how easy the 6 sets of stairs seemed to me at Heartbreak ridge.  I normally struggles up these at about 12 miles into the run, but going into this run 25 lbs. lighter made a huge difference.  I power hiked right up them and was surprised to see the top so easy & quickly.

We ran around the lake and I knew that another killer 2 mile climb was coming out of Canebrake.  Once again, I was surprised at how much better I was making my way up the steep hills.  I felt almost like I was cheating in some way.

It was great to see the Laurel Valley race RD - Claude Sinclair through this stretch.  He was out on a weekend backpacking trip and we were able to help him purify some water and get some salt pills into his system.

We hit the halfway mark in pretty good spirits and started running into a few folks on the trail.  We were both surprised to actually see lots of people out near Horsepastuer River and around that area.

Nick and I took some time to take a dip in the river under the bridge and the water was perfect.  Just cold enough to take your breath away at first, but then it felt cool enough to stay in for the rest of the afternoon.  I reluctantly started getting out after I saw Nick getting ready to head back on the trail.

The next 10-11 miles from here to the finish are BRUTAL.  I would guess that you have about 8 miles of uphill and maybe 2-3 of downhill.  Many of the climbs/descents are so steep that you could actually do them on all fours.

We ran up on a man hiking with two dogs through Bear Creek.  One of the dogs begin to charge us and show his teeth.  Of course the man said that he was friendly, but I still jumped out of the trail and gave him room.  I think Nick was in the zone because he just kept trudging ahead.

After running about 35 miles during the week leading up to this run my legs were starting to feel some fatigue, but nothing like I normally experience.  We both kept attacking the trail, pushing ahead as best as we could.  Power climbing the steep ups and running everything else.

We made our way past Thompson River and it was great to finally hear Whitewater River roaring which meant we only had about 3 more miles to do.  With about 1200 foot of elevation to climb of course.

We held on and climbed out and finished in 10:35.  I still can't believe how fast we covered this course.  We shared a Steripen to treat all of our water for the entire run.   We stopped eight times to do this and it took us 10-15 minutes each time.  We also stopped to talk with Claude and some other hikers for about 30 minutes.  Add in our 15 minute swim break and I would say that we stalled on the trail for at least two hours.  The fastest I've ever ran this course was at last years race in 9:13.  Plus, neither of us were "racing", but just out covering the distance. 

This has me very encouraged about WS100 which is only about four weeks away!  I should be able to shed at least another 15 lbs. between now and then which should go a long way in helping me finish.

This was a terrific run and I'm very proud of Nick & I both for toughing it out and finishing strong.  This was his 3rd ultra finish.  His other two were Laurel Valley and a 30 mile night run with me down the Chattooga River.  I even had the pleasure of seeing him toss up a belly full of creek water on the drive back to get my car at the start.  That type of tenacity will be what I need to cross that finish line on June 24th in Auburn California.

Can't wait!

Long Cane 50K "ish" Race Report 2012

This was another training run for Western States which is coming up in seven short weeks.  I didn't run well so I guess thats why I'm calling it a training run.   Well, OK, either way it was a training run.

First off, it's a HUGE pleasure to have an ultra only about 1 hour from my home.  Thanks again to Terri Hayes and all of the great volunteers who helped out.

This was my 42nd ultra and I have to say that it is the most runnable trail race that I've ever done.

  The start was perfect.  I arrived about 10 minutes before it began (which I love) and had plenty of time to check-in and get my number pinned on my shorts.   It was fairly cool on the Lake and I was surprised to see nearly 100 runners on the start line.  It was great to see so many friends and familiar faces.  There seemed to be a lot of 1st time ultra runners too which is something that makes a race even more special.

I've banked about a 50K run for the last five weekends or so and this one was going to be nice since it included aid stations and support.  I started off way too fast while keeping pace with Chris & Bo for a while.

I had completely forgotten how flat and runnable this trail system was.  The first eight miles flew by quickly and I feel behind my friends after stopping for a break in the woods.

Runners can either do a 50K or 55 miler and I chose the 50K which actually measured out closer to 34 miles in the end.

My legs didn't really turn heavy until about mile 20 where I left a nice aid station and walked up what seemed to be one of the few climbs of the day.  I was following some other runners out of the aid station and we all took a wrong right turn at the top of the hill.  I'm guessing we probably ran about a mile the wrong way before realizing that we had all screwed up.  

My head checked out of the run when I realized we went off course.  Suddenly my legs felt tired and I just wanted to walk.  I was on pace for a sub 7:00 hour finish at that point which really didn't matter any way, but it was keeping me motivated to run more.

I've learned that my body/mind always seem to hit a low point around mile 20-25.  Most people's bodies begin to convert over to burning fat at this point and I'm thinking that has something to do with it.  Either way, I just put on my music and went somewhere else mentally.  Today's random thoughts took me to chain link fence.  Who ever thought that stuff up anyway?  How did they just "make" it?   I wonder how many feet of it are in the world?  How much would it take to fence in this entire park?

And before I know it I'm at the next aid station, feeling a little better and getting some water and food.

I honestly walked a lot of the final stretch of this race.  I know, I should have at least shuffled more of it, but I just didn't care to fight it that day.   

There are a series of rolling hills at the end of this course that will just drive you crazy!  It looks like the lake & finish line is right over the next hill, but then you just find another one waiting for you.  The course must have followed this same pattern about a dozen times.  I finally just started laughing as I would crest one hill to only see another one waiting to torment me.

It was great to see Jason Rogers and Mark Connolly walking back down the trail after finishing.  I stopped and chatted with them for a few minutes.  Jason had ran his fastest 50K time ever and Mark seemed to be happy with his race too.  Both guys looked much leaner and stronger than last time I had seen them.  Very encouraging!

I walked it in over the finish line in about 7:58 totally about 36 miles.  I was just thrilled to have covered the distance again.  There were good, bad, and ugly parts of this run which is what a long training run normally is all about.

I joked around with Jeff, Merle, Viktor, Lynne, Epic, Bo, and some other briefly before driving back home.  Congratulations to Jeff Dixon, who I believe was the race winner with a 5:08.