Bear 100 mile race report

It has been one week since the start of the Bear 100. I really couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome. I chose this race to continue my quest to run a 100 miler a year which is 4 years in a row now. After a very difficult Wasatch 100 in 2007 two years ago I swore off of another one of these events.

Bear 100 mile race report

   It has been one week since the start of the Bear 100. I really couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome. I chose this race to continue my quest to run a 100 miler a year which is 4 years in a row now. After a very difficult Wasatch 100 in 2007 two years ago I swore off of another one of these events. 

Chapter 7 of The Journey to My First 100 Mile Run

25AUG02 Headlands 50K   The race starts at 7am on Rodeo Beach. We ran across the sand and funneled onto a short uphill single track trail. After a mile or so the trail follows the Miwok Trail up a long steep uphill. After topping out, the descent on the other side is just as long and steep dropping into Tennessee Valley. I passed about 5 or 6 runners on the first uphill and settled into about 20^th place by the first aid station which I blew right through.

Chapter 6 of My Journey to My First 100 Mile Run

27JUL02 White River 50 Mile I woke up at 5am at the Crystal mountain Resort about 80 miles southeast of Seattle, Washington. The sky is clear and clean, just beautiful. The race start is at 6:30am and the temperature is around 50 degrees. The only thing going through my head is “Wow, I can’t believe I haven’t run a 50 miler in over 2 years.”

My goal today is to use this race to gain some mental strength for Angeles Crest. I figure if I have a good day I might be around 8 hours but the worst case scenario would be anything under 10 hours on a difficult course. I would still have the benefit of completing the distance and time on my feet. The first six miles are basically flat with little dips on single track, densely wooded trail with abundant roots and rocks. I felt comfortable near the lead pack so I kept contact while running in a single file. Once we started climbing some serious switchbacks, the pace eased up. The climbing was relentless. The race start is at 500 feet elevation and this first part of the course tops out at 5600 feet. I worked a little to stay with the lead group at times but for the most part I was able to relax and followed my plan of using electrolytes at half hour intervals.

Chapter 5 of The Journey to My First 100 Mile Run

29MAY02 Since the Mt. Bigelow run I have spent a little extra effort on speedwork now that my foot is feeling better and my hip is no longer a deterrent. Initially, this diary started out as a synopsis of all the trail runs in the Tucson series but as I get closer to AC I feel my training focus needs to be broader. I went to the track a couple of times and ran a 5K and 7 mile tempo run. I ran a low-key 5k cross country race at Lincoln Park in 16:59 and place 3^rd overall. I was please with this effort considering I ran 35 minutes before the race and another 20 minutes to get home.

Chapter 4 of The Journey to My First 100 Mile Run

10MAR02 Esperero Canyon Loop As you can see, my last sentence was “I will try for 3 and a half hours.” I didn’t come close. Coming into today’s 21.3 mile Esperero Trail run I began experiencing a little quirk in my upper left leg. This feeling is reminiscent of a debilitating injury I incurred a year and a half ago. Once I tore the tissue in the upper left hamstring, inflammation put pressure on a nerve in my lower left back. I thought today would be a good ‘feeling’ out day prior to next weekend’s Crown King 50K.

Chapter 3 of The Journey to My First 100 Mile Run

04JAN02 Wasson Peak Twenty-one runners gathered at the Sus Picnic Grounds in Saguaro National Monument West at 7am in order to run the Wasson Peak figure eight version of trail. Just before sunrise we ran north on the dirt road for about 2 miles and then made a right at the first T-intersection. Then run another 2 miles east to the Esperanza Trailhead. This trail meanders to the south towards the mountain range for about a mile and gradually increases in elevation until ascending switchbacks until topping out at the saddle junction. I ran fairly hard tot his point in an effort to complete this run listed at 15 miles near 2 hours. Just prior to the start, Ross Zimmerman claimed he had GPS’d the route and it showed 13.6. I personally feel the trail is 14 or 14.25 (I’ve since measured the route with a better GPS and agree with Chase; 14.2 mi.–Ross Z).

The Journey to My First 100 Mile Run

The Journey to My First 100 Mile Run

 

The following entries are a compilation of diary entries from September, 2001 through September, 2002. I entered the Angeles Crest 100 Mile Endurance Run for 2002 and kept a log of all of my longer training runs for the entire year before the race. The majority of the runs are from the TTR trail schedule. After perusing through these entries almost 8 years later I found some interesting insights; especially where there is mention of glucose and salt tablets and my reluctance to use a Camelbak. I will publish these entries one at a time over several weeks in order to avoid overburdening the reader. There is a twist at the end of this story so if you have the patience…read on!

Passing of a Giant

While running Cactus Forest Trail last Thursday I came upon what must be a 200+ year old Saguaro lying across the trail, 1.1 mile South of the Broadway Trailhead, just below the Mica View Trail Junction.  I can’t imagine what it witnessed through its life, but felt its passing should be noted.

http://ttraz.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/att00018.jpg 

jlt

Molino to Sabino Basin Trail

On Sunday, Sept. 2, I ran from Molino Basin to Sabino Basin and back. The first ascent and descent into Sycamore creek was uneventful and the trail was minimally rutted. In Sycamore and along the creek, especially the first part, the trail is overgrown and somewhat difficult to follow. It helps to know where the trail is supposed to be. There was good water flowing at the creek crossing just before Head Splitter. This is a closed drainage and I don’t hesitate to drink there. I was not expecting the trail from Head Splitter down to have been worked on, but it was. There were several major washouts from last year’s flooding just below Head Splitter. These have been cleaned up and the trail built back up with rock bases so these areas are easily passable. There still are problems, however. The trail is badly rutted in places and this coupled with the fact that the vegetation has grown over the trail (one year of disuse) means slow going with your eyes on the ground. This will never be the trail that it was when it was paved. There are sections here where the trail is barely hanging on to the slope. The good news here is that fewer horses will travel here because of the conditions. I predict few Bear Canyon times under 3:30. As the season progresses the trail will be easier to see, but the ground in many places needs to be worked.