I have been a road marathoner for many years back to 1991. Due to a multitude of issues that every runner can identify with, I have had some setbacks. I have flat fleet which I believe happened when I was marching in combat boots in the Marine Corps in the late 1980s. Through some natural ability and a lot of training I still managed to establish myself as a long distance runner. I developed the normal problems most runners encounter but probably seen more than a fair share of problems because of my biomechanical issues. I turned 42 this year and it looked like I would post a sub 24 hour 100 mile race and a sub 2:50 marathon as a master runner in one year. Earlier this spring I posted a 1:20 half-marathon and won a low-key 10K in Tucson in around 36 minutes. I had the Lincoln Marathon lined up in early May for the National Guard trials so I was right on track. Over the last couple of post 40 year old years, I was experiencing hamstring attachment soreness in both legs. It would take me several miles just to warm-up before a track workout. One month prior to Lincoln this soreness began to worsen. I decided to start an early taper and increased the frequency of massage therapy. Halfway through the marathon in Lincoln my left hamstring was very tight so I eased off of the pace and lightly jogged in for a personal worst of 3:08.

I spent the next two weeks cross training on the bike. On a Saturday in mid-May I went out for an enjoyable mountain bike ride on the Arizona Trail by my house in Vail. I ended up crashing my bike on a downhill switchback. In an effort to not get hurt worse I jumped away from the bike and planted my right foot straight into the ground. This blunt trauma tore my hamstring attachment from the ischial tuberosity otherwise known as the sit-bone. After an MRI showed the medial attachment completely torn away from the bone and another attachment partially torn the orthopedic surgeon told me that my injury was “A gray area inside of a gray area.” I am usually quite in tune with my body and only visit the doctor in emergencies like this when x-ray vision is needed. He didn’t know what to do. I opted for physical therapy and tried to be optimistic. From a standing position when I brought my right heel up to the buttock there was a bulging deformity above the back of the knee.

After a month of healing I started therapy involving band stretching and dynamic stretching. I rode the stationary bike and worked out on the stairmaster. I walked 30-45 minutes also. Eventually I was allowed to lift weights lightly and began to see some strength increase. Even in the so-called good leg I had a major strength discrepancy between my hamstrings and quadriceps. Self diagnosis told me that I had developed hamstring tendinosis in both hamstring attachments. This is a degeneration of the tendons caused by deterioration of the collagen fibers in the tendon because of decreased blood flow. This is usually caused through overuse. Let me think, I have been averaging 3 marathons a year since 1992 plus dozens of 50Ks, 50 miles, and 100 milers since 1997. Modern medicine has a procedure called proliferation therapy which involves injections of fluid, sometimes your own blood, into the attachment, causing inflammation resulting in increased blood flow to relieve the inflammation leading to healing. This is what the tendon can no longer do for itself. By tearing the tendon off of the bone I unintentionally created a method of healing in the right leg but the left leg still had problems. Hopefully physical therapy would help them both.

I eventually quit physical therapy as I began to determine for the therapists what my next workouts should be. I purchased a single speed road bike and rode 2-3 times a week. On weekends Trish and I went out to the trails around town and up on the mountains. I would fast hike uphills and shuffle the runnable sections usually averaging around 16 minute miles. We helped Bob Bachani by pacing him during the Hardrock 100 in Silverton, Colorado. As the weeks passed I was able to cover 13 miles in around 3 hours on mountainous trails at elevation. This is when I decided to enter the Bear 100 as a challenge to draw me through this relentless rehabilitation and training. I think in the back of my mind I never took it too seriously that I could actually finish the race. I figured it would be fun to pretend I was back in the game and at least go up to Utah and go until my leg couldn’t take it anymore and then stop. Eventually my endurance and strength increased to 5 hours and 20+ miles with 6 weeks left before the race. I performed the 8 hours of trail work required and sent in my verification form and started to take this a little more seriously. During the week I did jog / walk workouts up to 4 and 5 miles. On Fridays I would run 2 miles nonstop then 3, 4, and 5 miles as the weeks progressed. I finally ran 6 miles consecutively at a 7 minute pace. A week later in early September I had an opportunity to travel to Kauai with the National Guard Marathon team and ran a hilly half-marathon in a conservative 1:39 with no issues other than busting my lungs.

In the month prior to the race I ran 27 miles at Sabino Canyon one morning by doing a Bear Canyon loop and an out and back Phoneline Trail. The following weekend I convinced Bruce Gungle and Chris Fall into an overnight boondoggle up to Mica Mountain and back. We spent over 9 hours and 25 miles on trail and finished at 5am. In the process we renamed Spud Rock – Spewed Rock, but that’s a story for another day. 24 hours later I went back to Sabino Canyon and ran another Bear Canyon loop on tired legs. After this run I bought a new pair of Montrail shoes and only had 11 days before the race. 5 days prior to the race I ran 14 miles on the Sabino Basin Trail in order to break-in my shoes. I walked a few small uphill sections of this run but was able to run the majority of the trail for the first time all summer. Some people wondered why I was running this close to the race. I still felt like I needed to get in shape, cripes, 100 miles is a long way.

I planned to meet my brother in Salt Lake City the day prior to the race. Trish and I flew in from Phoenix and picked him up on our way to Logan, about 90 minutes north of SLC. Trish had pacing duty from mile 45 to 61 and mile 85 to the finish. My brother would pace me through the night from 61 to 85. I drew up a timeline for them so they could plan rest and downtime. The race is run through the Logan Canyon Wilderness of the Northern Wasatch Mountains from Logan, Utah to Fish Haven, Idaho at Bear Lake. The total ascent is in the vicinity of 22,000 feet. The course has a low point of 5200 feet and a high point of 9,100 feet. According to the elevation profile there are at least 10 major climbs and descents and is thus a qualifying race to enter Hardrock 100 in Colorado. The official cutoff time is 36 hours which equates to a seemingly generous 21:30 average pace per mile. You could do that in your sleep I’ll bet. My timeline ended at 32 hours which I thought was optimistic. This was quite an adventure for my brother Marcus. He is a couple years younger than me but has lived a life of fitness and outdoor activity and was excited to come to this kind of event and help. I assured Trish and Marcus both that by 10 hours into this race that I wouldn’t be running very much.

The race started Friday morning September 25^th at 6am. We needed headlamps for an hour as we headed up a street from Hyrum Gibbon Park on the eastside of Logan. The first 9 miles are virtually uphill with some runnable sections from 7-9 miles. The temperature was short sleeve shirt mild with clear skies forecast for the whole weekend. It appears there are many free-range cattle in the wilderness as I stepped over and around several piles of droppings.

Cow sighting

As the sun came up you could begin to see the amazing fall colors of the yellow aspens and red maples.

Aspens and Maples abundant

The first crew access was at 19 miles where I chased a small herd of cows into the aid station where Trish and Marcus were waiting. I felt pretty good to this point with one fall on a stretch of muddy downhill. My stomach is good and my energy level is high. Marcus took some pictures while I grabbed a snack and jogged up the canyon on the dirt road to eventually see them again at mile 29.

I chose this race because I like to see different parts of the Western United States rather than run the same race over and over again. This course exceeded my expectations in ruggedness and beauty. There were many small streams running along the trail but not enough to get your feet wet. The rock formations were looming ominously close to the trail at times with patches of bright yellow aspens everywhere and an azure sky backdrop. When I came into mile 45 Trish was rearing to go. She loves the wilderness as much as I do. I am very lucky that I have her willing to experience these adventures with me. I wore my new shoes for the first 45 miles of the race. My feet had begun to ache coming into 45 so I opted to change to my old Montrail Hardrock’s which had over 300 miles on them. So far I have one blister on top of my right pinky toe. The skin was already peeled back so there was nothing to drain. We grabbed headlamps even though the sun was still up near 6pm. There is a 5 mile climb with 3500 feet of ascent from this aid to the next and seems endless. Trish really enjoyed the fall foliage as the sun set. After the sun went down we heard the cows bellowing before bedding down for the evening. I think there was probably some elk bugling mixed into the cacophony of noises also.

Coming into 61 miles I had recently passed the 50 mile milestone and was approaching 100K. There tends to be a feeling of fatigue that sets in between these distances. The combination of physical tiredness and mental exhaustion combines to make you question your sanity and the sense of what the hell you are doing this for. I held this off until I arrived at the 61 mile aid station. If it wasn’t for knowing how much my brother was looking forward to this and his travel efforts to get here, I could have easily hit the showers and felt no regret. I had amassed an almost 2 hour cushion on my timeline. I had told myself prior to the race if I was ahead of plan then I would allow myself to take a nap when I felt I needed one. It was only 10pm and I was getting sleepy already. Trish helped me lay down in the back of the rental and I slept for twenty solid minutes. Upon awakening I mentally threw in the towel but Trish helped me up and I walked around while strapping my Camelbak on and snapped out of it. Speaking of the Camelbak, I had been almost draining the 100 ounces plus the 20 ounce handheld I carried coming to each aid station. I used the handheld for Exceed electrolyte drink. For the first 10-12 hours of the race I ingested one Succeed electrolyte cap an hour. During the first 6 hours of the race I urinated a half a dozen times. After 8 hours I was stopping to urinate more frequently and now after 15 hours I had to pee all the time. I stopped taking the e-caps after 12 hours and never took another one the rest of the 30 hours but continued to have to urinate every half hour. After rubbing the cobwebs from my eyes, Marcus and I took off with gloves, stocking caps and light jackets.

I opted ahead of time for a drop bag placement at mile 68. Marcus and I put warmer clothes in here for the middle of the night. The temperature dropped to the lower 30s in places and I was unsure how much colder it could get. We came into 68 and I drank some cappuccino. We checked the drop bag and decided we didn’t need anything. In retrospect I should have stashed the extra gloves and jacket into my Camelbak but I wasn’t thinking clearly at 1am and my brother probably just followed my lead. One mile out of the aid station I slipped off of some logs on a wide river crossing and was soaked from the waist down including my only gloves. I squeezed out the gloves and put them in my pack and trudged on up another long climb. I began to get the sleepies again and would stagger back and forth in an effort not to fall down. I had used little caffeine to this point and intentionally quit using caffeine over the last two weeks just to make it more effective now. I pulled out a caffeine tablet and also a GU gel with caffeine and ate them both. I felt more awake within 5 minutes and after 15 minutes pulled out of it. We reached Beaver Lodge Yurt at mile 75 and found an indoor aid station. Indoor aid is dangerous to the cold tired runner. I refused to sit in a chair here. I think we spent 12 minutes here mostly using the indoor toilet. Out of this aid station it began to get chilly as we climbed another hill to 8600 feet and 83 miles. My teeth were chattering but I continued to fast hike at a decent clip to the seemingly endless distances between aid stations. I was in the zone of a 100 miler where there is little doubt as to whether you will finish; the thing is how much longer can you suffer? Unfortunately for those around you, you can become an ogre complaining at every stumble or confusedly marked trail intersection.

As we climbed to 83 I got sleepy again and employed the same method as earlier with the caffeine. Again, good luck, and I woke back up. In this part of the race you will witness sporadic runners alone or with a pacer stumbling along trying to stay awake and sometimes you are the stumbler while someone goes by you with their 15 minute spurt of energy. I stopped and gave another runner a caffeine tablet which by later reports was a great help to her. We got in and out of 83 pretty quickly and had a 2.5 mile jaunt down to 85 to meet Trish for the final grind. Civil twilight was occurring and I knew that in an hour or so I will have beaten the sleep monster. The mile 85 aid station is at 7800 feet and by the looks of things it had gotten downright freezing as everything was covered in frost and the volunteers were dressed for winter.

Mile 85

Trish had just woken up to get ready to go and the aid station folks were cooking breakfast. I would have liked to enjoy a burrito or pancakes but with the sun coming up and 15 miles to go my vision was focused on ending the madness as soon as possible. I would be done in less than 5 hours.

I basically walked from 85 to 93. According to the clock I was definitely coming in under 32 hours but wouldn’t break 30 for the Brown Bear buckle. Counting the Franklin aid station at mile 62 that I took a nap at, I had spent a total of 1 hour and 51 minutes at aid stations. That sounds like a lot and it is when you have 12 aid stations it adds up. We reached mile 93 at full sunup. From here you will hear from spectators and volunteers, only 7 miles to go… it’s all downhill…except for this first little 700 foot climb in less than a mile that goes to the highest point on the course of 9100 feet. Now, I am able to laugh at a good joke and enjoy pulling pranks on the best of my friends but this climb out of 93 was just cruel, unusual, masochistic and downright nasty and mean. I wasted most of my verbal energy trying to reach the top but when we descended straight down the other side of the mountain 2500 feet in 3 miles I had much more to give. I believe I had saved my big toenails until this descent. After finally coming off of the mountain we moved onto a shaded section of trail and crossed a foot drenching river. All that remained was a 2 mile stretch of dirt and then paved road into the finish on a patch of green grass at Fish Haven Lodge on the immense blue Bear Lake in Idaho.

I finished in 30 hours and 38 minutes, good for the Black Bear buckle for finishers in the 30-35 hour range. I was surprisingly alert and awake. The day was warming up with full sun just after noon. I sat on the grass and pulled off my shoes to survey the damage. Sure enough, I had blood blisters under both big toenails. Except for the pinky toe blister mentioned earlier everything else looked ok. I never experienced nausea or leg cramps and hadn’t used an e-cap for the last 20 hours and probably peed 25-30 times. I admit that I used a 200 mg liqui-gel ibuprofen approximately every four hours to subdue inflammation and soreness during the race and I think it worked nicely. I never thought too deeply on whether I could finish this or not or thought too much about whether I should even be out here to start with. I listened to my body and my hamstring held steady the whole time with a conservative pace. My hill climbing ability seemed to be my biggest strength. I usually passed other runners here but would get passed back on the downhills. Well, I guess I have another year to figure it out at Leadville in August 2010.

I have been a road marathoner for many years back to 1991. Due to a multitude of issues that every runner can identify with, I have had some setbacks. I have flat fleet which I believe happened when I was marching in combat boots in the Marine Corps in the late 1980s. Through some natural ability and a lot of training I still managed to establish myself as a long distance runner. I developed the normal problems most runners encounter but probably seen more than a fair share of problems because of my biomechanical issues. I turned 42 this year and it looked like I would post a sub 24 hour 100 mile race and a sub 2:50 marathon as a master runner in one year. Earlier this spring I posted a 1:20 half-marathon and won a low-key 10K in Tucson in around 36 minutes. I had the Lincoln Marathon lined up in early May for the National Guard trials so I was right on track. Over the last couple of post 40 year old years, I was experiencing hamstring attachment soreness in both legs. It would take me several miles just to warm-up before a track workout. One month prior to Lincoln this soreness began to worsen. I decided to start an early taper and increased the frequency of massage therapy. Halfway through the marathon in Lincoln my left hamstring was very tight so I eased off of the pace and lightly jogged in for a personal worst of 3:08.

I spent the next two weeks cross training on the bike. On a Saturday in mid-May I went out for an enjoyable mountain bike ride on the Arizona Trail by my house in Vail. I ended up crashing my bike on a downhill switchback. In an effort to not get hurt worse I jumped away from the bike and planted my right foot straight into the ground. This blunt trauma tore my hamstring attachment from the ischial tuberosity otherwise known as the sit-bone. After an MRI showed the medial attachment completely torn away from the bone and another attachment partially torn the orthopedic surgeon told me that my injury was “A gray area inside of a gray area.” I am usually quite in tune with my body and only visit the doctor in emergencies like this when x-ray vision is needed. He didn’t know what to do. I opted for physical therapy and tried to be optimistic. From a standing position when I brought my right heel up to the buttock there was a bulging deformity above the back of the knee.

After a month of healing I started therapy involving band stretching and dynamic stretching. I rode the stationary bike and worked out on the stairmaster. I walked 30-45 minutes also. Eventually I was allowed to lift weights lightly and began to see some strength increase. Even in the so-called good leg I had a major strength discrepancy between my hamstrings and quadriceps. Self diagnosis told me that I had developed hamstring tendinosis in both hamstring attachments. This is a degeneration of the tendons caused by deterioration of the collagen fibers in the tendon because of decreased blood flow. This is usually caused through overuse. Let me think, I have been averaging 3 marathons a year since 1992 plus dozens of 50Ks, 50 miles, and 100 milers since 1997. Modern medicine has a procedure called proliferation therapy which involves injections of fluid, sometimes your own blood, into the attachment, causing inflammation resulting in increased blood flow to relieve the inflammation leading to healing. This is what the tendon can no longer do for itself. By tearing the tendon off of the bone I unintentionally created a method of healing in the right leg but the left leg still had problems. Hopefully physical therapy would help them both.

I eventually quit physical therapy as I began to determine for the therapists what my next workouts should be. I purchased a single speed road bike and rode 2-3 times a week. On weekends Trish and I went out to the trails around town and up on the mountains. I would fast hike uphills and shuffle the runnable sections usually averaging around 16 minute miles. We helped Bob Bachani by pacing him during the Hardrock 100 in Silverton, Colorado. As the weeks passed I was able to cover 13 miles in around 3 hours on mountainous trails at elevation. This is when I decided to enter the Bear 100 as a challenge to draw me through this relentless rehabilitation and training. I think in the back of my mind I never took it too seriously that I could actually finish the race. I figured it would be fun to pretend I was back in the game and at least go up to Utah and go until my leg couldn’t take it anymore and then stop. Eventually my endurance and strength increased to 5 hours and 20+ miles with 6 weeks left before the race. I performed the 8 hours of trail work required and sent in my verification form and started to take this a little more seriously. During the week I did jog / walk workouts up to 4 and 5 miles. On Fridays I would run 2 miles nonstop then 3, 4, and 5 miles as the weeks progressed. I finally ran 6 miles consecutively at a 7 minute pace. A week later in early September I had an opportunity to travel to Kauai with the National Guard Marathon team and ran a hilly half-marathon in a conservative 1:39 with no issues other than busting my lungs.

In the month prior to the race I ran 27 miles at Sabino Canyon one morning by doing a Bear Canyon loop and an out and back Phoneline Trail. The following weekend I convinced Bruce Gungle and Chris Fall into an overnight boondoggle up to Mica Mountain and back. We spent over 9 hours and 25 miles on trail and finished at 5am. In the process we renamed Spud Rock – Spewed Rock, but that’s a story for another day. 24 hours later I went back to Sabino Canyon and ran another Bear Canyon loop on tired legs. After this run I bought a new pair of Montrail shoes and only had 11 days before the race. 5 days prior to the race I ran 14 miles on the Sabino Basin Trail in order to break-in my shoes. I walked a few small uphill sections of this run but was able to run the majority of the trail for the first time all summer. Some people wondered why I was running this close to the race. I still felt like I needed to get in shape, cripes, 100 miles is a long way.

I planned to meet my brother in Salt Lake City the day prior to the race. Trish and I flew in from Phoenix and picked him up on our way to Logan, about 90 minutes north of SLC. Trish had pacing duty from mile 45 to 61 and mile 85 to the finish. My brother would pace me through the night from 61 to 85. I drew up a timeline for them so they could plan rest and downtime. The race is run through the Logan Canyon Wilderness of the Northern Wasatch Mountains from Logan, Utah to Fish Haven, Idaho at Bear Lake. The total ascent is in the vicinity of 22,000 feet. The course has a low point of 5200 feet and a high point of 9,100 feet. According to the elevation profile there are at least 10 major climbs and descents and is thus a qualifying race to enter Hardrock 100 in Colorado. The official cutoff time is 36 hours which equates to a seemingly generous 21:30 average pace per mile. You could do that in your sleep I’ll bet. My timeline ended at 32 hours which I thought was optimistic. This was quite an adventure for my brother Marcus. He is a couple years younger than me but has lived a life of fitness and outdoor activity and was excited to come to this kind of event and help. I assured Trish and Marcus both that by 10 hours into this race that I wouldn’t be running very much.

The race started Friday morning September 25^th at 6am. We needed headlamps for an hour as we headed up a street from Hyrum Gibbon Park on the eastside of Logan. The first 9 miles are virtually uphill with some runnable sections from 7-9 miles. The temperature was short sleeve shirt mild with clear skies forecast for the whole weekend. It appears there are many free-range cattle in the wilderness as I stepped over and around several piles of droppings. As the sun came up you could begin to see the amazing fall colors of the yellow aspens and red maples. The first crew access was at 19 miles where I chased a small herd of cows into the aid station where Trish and Marcus were waiting. I felt pretty good to this point with one fall on a stretch of muddy downhill. My stomach is good and my energy level is high. Marcus took some pictures while I grabbed a snack and jogged up the canyon on the dirt road to eventually see them again at mile 29.

I chose this race because I like to see different parts of the Western United States rather than run the same race over and over again. This course exceeded my expectations in ruggedness and beauty. There were many small streams running along the trail but not enough to get your feet wet. The rock formations were looming ominously close to the trail at times with patches of bright yellow aspens everywhere and an azure sky backdrop. When I came into mile 45 Trish was rearing to go. She loves the wilderness as much as I do. I am very lucky that I have her willing to experience these adventures with me. I wore my new shoes for the first 45 miles of the race. My feet had begun to ache coming into 45 so I opted to change to my old Montrail Hardrock’s which had over 300 miles on them. So far I have one blister on top of my right pinky toe. The skin was already peeled back so there was nothing to drain. We grabbed headlamps even though the sun was still up near 6pm. There is a 5 mile climb with 3500 feet of ascent from this aid to the next and seems endless. Trish really enjoyed the fall foliage as the sun set. After the sun went down we heard the cows bellowing before bedding down for the evening. I think there was probably some elk bugling mixed into the cacophony of noises also.

Coming into 61 miles I had recently passed the 50 mile milestone and was approaching 100K. There tends to be a feeling of fatigue that sets in between these distances. The combination of physical tiredness and mental exhaustion combines to make you question your sanity and the sense of what the hell you are doing this for. I held this off until I arrived at the 61 mile aid station. If it wasn’t for knowing how much my brother was looking forward to this and his travel efforts to get here, I could have easily hit the showers and felt no regret. I had amassed an almost 2 hour cushion on my timeline. I had told myself prior to the race if I was ahead of plan then I would allow myself to take a nap when I felt I needed one. It was only 10pm and I was getting sleepy already. Trish helped me lay down in the back of the rental and I slept for twenty solid minutes. Upon awakening I mentally threw in the towel but Trish helped me up and I walked around while strapping my Camelbak on and snapped out of it. Speaking of the Camelbak, I had been almost draining the 100 ounces plus the 20 ounce handheld I carried coming to each aid station. I used the handheld for Exceed electrolyte drink. For the first 10-12 hours of the race I ingested one Succeed electrolyte cap an hour. During the first 6 hours of the race I urinated a half a dozen times. After 8 hours I was stopping to urinate more frequently and now after 15 hours I had to pee all the time. I stopped taking the e-caps after 12 hours and never took another one the rest of the 30 hours but continued to have to urinate every half hour. After rubbing the cobwebs from my eyes, Marcus and I took off with gloves, stocking caps and light jackets.

I opted ahead of time for a drop bag placement at mile 68. Marcus and I put warmer clothes in here for the middle of the night. The temperature dropped to the lower 30s in places and I was unsure how much colder it could get. We came into 68 and I drank some cappuccino. We checked the drop bag and decided we didn’t need anything. In retrospect I should have stashed the extra gloves and jacket into my Camelbak but I wasn’t thinking clearly at 1am and my brother probably just followed my lead. One mile out of the aid station I slipped off of some logs on a wide river crossing and was soaked from the waist down including my only gloves. I squeezed out the gloves and put them in my pack and trudged on up another long climb. I began to get the sleepies again and would stagger back and forth in an effort not to fall down. I had used little caffeine to this point and intentionally quit using caffeine over the last two weeks just to make it more effective now. I pulled out a caffeine tablet and also a GU gel with caffeine and ate them both. I felt more awake within 5 minutes and after 15 minutes pulled out of it. We reached Beaver Lodge Yurt at mile 75 and found an indoor aid station. Indoor aid is dangerous to the cold tired runner. I refused to sit in a chair here. I think we spent 12 minutes here mostly using the indoor toilet. Out of this aid station it began to get chilly as we climbed another hill to 8600 feet and 83 miles. My teeth were chattering but I continued to fast hike at a decent clip to the seemingly endless distances between aid stations. I was in the zone of a 100 miler where there is little doubt as to whether you will finish; the thing is how much longer can you suffer? Unfortunately for those around you, you can become an ogre complaining at every stumble or confusedly marked trail intersection.

As we climbed to 83 I got sleepy again and employed the same method as earlier with the caffeine. Again, good luck, and I woke back up. In this part of the race you will witness sporadic runners alone or with a pacer stumbling along trying to stay awake and sometimes you are the stumbler while someone goes by you with their 15 minute spurt of energy. I stopped and gave another runner a caffeine tablet which by later reports was a great help to her. We got in and out of 83 pretty quickly and had a 2.5 mile jaunt down to 85 to meet Trish for the final grind. Civil twilight was occurring and I knew that in an hour or so I will have beaten the sleep monster. The mile 85 aid station is at 7800 feet and by the looks of things it had gotten downright freezing as everything was covered in frost and the volunteers were dressed for winter. Trish had just woken up to get ready to go and the aid station folks were cooking breakfast. I would have liked to enjoy a burrito or pancakes but with the sun coming up and 15 miles to go my vision was focused on ending the madness as soon as possible. I would be done in less than 5 hours.

I basically walked from 85 to 93. According to the clock I was definitely coming in under 32 hours but wouldn’t break 30 for the Brown Bear buckle. Counting the Franklin aid station at mile 62 that I took a nap at, I had spent a total of 1 hour and 51 minutes at aid stations. That sounds like a lot and it is when you have 12 aid stations it adds up. We reached mile 93 at full sunup. From here you will hear from spectators and volunteers, only 7 miles to go… it’s all downhill…except for this first little 700 foot climb in less than a mile that goes to the highest point on the course of 9100 feet. Now, I am able to laugh at a good joke and enjoy pulling pranks on the best of my friends but this climb out of 93 was just cruel, unusual, masochistic and downright nasty and mean. I wasted most of my verbal energy trying to reach the top but when we descended straight down the other side of the mountain 2500 feet in 3 miles I had much more to give. I believe I had saved my big toenails until this descent. After finally coming off of the mountain we moved onto a shaded section of trail and crossed a foot drenching river. All that remained was a 2 mile stretch of dirt and then paved road into the finish on a patch of green grass at Fish Haven Lodge on the immense blue Bear Lake in Idaho.

I finished in 30 hours and 38 minutes, good for the Black Bear buckle for finishers in the 30-35 hour range. I was surprisingly alert and awake. The day was warming up with full sun just after noon. I sat on the grass and pulled off my shoes to survey the damage. Sure enough, I had blood blisters under both big toenails. Except for the pinky toe blister mentioned earlier everything else looked ok. I never experienced nausea or leg cramps and hadn’t used an e-cap for the last 20 hours and probably peed 25-30 times. I admit that I used a 200 mg liqui-gel ibuprofen approximately every four hours to subdue inflammation and soreness during the race and I think it worked nicely. I never thought too deeply on whether I could finish this or not or thought too much about whether I should even be out here to start with. I listened to my body and my hamstring held steady the whole time with a conservative pace. My hill climbing ability seemed to be my biggest strength. I usually passed other runners here but would get passed back on the downhills. Well, I guess I have another year to figure it out at Leadville in August 2010.

The course consists of eight major climbs and six descents. After the first aid station we began the 2^nd climb. There were a couple of runners around me that backed off on this hill. I am able to run the hill and ignoring the consequences later in the race and have created a gap between me and the next guy as I went into the next long downhill segment. I figure these guys I just passed will probably catch me before the bottom as I back off a little on the downhill to save my quads. I was right, by the third aid station three guys caught me as we prepared to climb up the Dipsea Trail. My hill climbing ability isn’t fast but it is relentless today and I am able to maintain a steady pace all the way up Dipsea to the double aid station prior to Stinson Beach loop.

Running this race last year and knowing the course has given me an advantage. Last year I ran early downhills with reckless abandon and paid for it late in the race. This year, by saving a little early on the descents I was able to climb out at the end pretty effectively. One interesting thing about this race is there is actually a 10 foot ladder to climb up at mile 19.

Once around the Stinson Beach loop I arrived back at the double aid station and was instructed that the next 5 miles are downhill with about 10 total miles remaining. As I leave and begin to descend I can feel the fatigue in my quads. This will be a section not to hammer. Finally at the second to last aid station there is a runner recuperating when I get there and a runner coming in behind me. The first guy and I leave at the same time and climb a steep hill while talking to each other. After this nasty hill the trail picks up Coastal trail which is fairly runnable except for a couple short steep spots. I walked away from the guy I was with and noticed another runner seemingly gaining ground. I continued to walk hard and fast on the steep uphills and kept moving to the downhill dirtroad to the last aid station. At this point it was very difficult to run hard downhill so I tried to relax and stride out. I grabbed a gel at the bottom and began the last major climb of the race at 28 miles.

Initially when I looked behind me while going around turns, there was a runner back about 150 feet. As I got further up the hill into some steeper portions my walking pace must have been faster than his. Actually I was jogging some sections that I had bonked on last year. There are a couple false summits before topping out but finally I reached the pavement, indicating half a mile left downhill. I ran in as fast as I could and even passed one more runner 200 yards from the finish. I finished in 4:22:41, 15 minutes faster than last year and a new PR for the course in 17^th place.

My foot problem turned out to not be a factor today although I was aware of it. The practice of consuming a gel at the first sign of hunger worked well. I took two salt tablets before the race and a Luna Bar and a can of Ensure. I thought that I had messed up by not taking electrolyte tabs after this but apparently the full finger pinches of rock salt at the aid stations worked. The weather turned out mostly overcast with wet fog in many areas unlike last year’s sunny warm day. I feel ready now for the 100 miler which is only five weeks away.

Four days after the race my foot pain is still an issue. I may have to implement a bike plan with minimal running over the next few weeks. The bike seems to be keeping me fit aerobically and leg strengthwise. All that is left now is tickets to Disneyland and don’t get injured.

08SEP02   Here I am, a year past my first entry into this journal and once again the Mt. Wrightson Ascent. I haven’t run in 9 days due to rehabilitating my toe problem. Instead of running I have been vigorously biking, stair stepping and lifting weights. This morning is cool and humid. We get started at 7:06am and begin the ascent from 5400 to 9400 feet. Due to the continuous climbing at the start I do not notice if my leg speed has been affected by the lack of running. They are accumulating lactic acid quickly though as my lungs go into oxygen debt. I reached Josephine saddle right at 30 minutes. I believe this is my fastest split to this point. As I continue to Baldy Saddle I have to power walk a few short stretches. From Baldy to the top is fairly runnable except that by this time you are usually beat. I check my watch a few times and it appears I may be able to go under 1:15. Each time I walk my chances become slimmer. With two switchbacks left my watch says 1:14:32. After the last final charge I stop my watch at exactly 1:15. The run up to Mt. Baldy is only 5.4 miles; 5.2 according to some. Instead of coming back the same route I decided to take a longer trail called Super Trail which is about 3 miles longer in length. I ended the day with 13.5 miles.

10SEP02  Yesterday I was notified by e-mail that the Angeles Crest 100 mile run was being cancelled this year due to forest fires in the Angeles Forest thus the Forest Service was denying the permit. Obviously this was an emotional blow. I knew there was a chance this could happen and sometimes actually wished it would since my toe was still in pain. Until it actually did happen though, I continued to prepare myself the last couple of weeks more mentally than physically. So when the news finally arrived I cried to myself as this past year’s training did not result in an ultimate effort. Yes, good things did come out of the past year. I ran a PR in the 50K. I ran my first 50 mile race in over two years and I am probably the most fit I have ever been. My entry has been rolled over for next year. Right now I don’t really know what I want to do. Thank God for our wonderful trail series in Tucson. They all start over again this month. So until next spring I will try and keep myself fit and injury free and maintain a good mental attitude. I think next year may be a good year to run five or six 50 mile races as I once again prepare to run the AC100. This time I believe I may be able to run a little more competitively since I’m bound to be stronger than I am now…famous last words.

Bob Bachani at 2009 Hardrock 100

Keep reading for the rest of Chase and Trish’s Hardrock Trip and check out his photos on Picasa

We continued our travels by heading northeast to Durango for the 4^th of July. Trish had reserved lodging for us at a condominium called “Nobody’s Inn.” This was a cozy room on Main Street. That evening we met up with a long time friend of ours, Barb Gossage and her mother. They live in Colorado Springs and drove down to visit us. There was a 4^th of July parade on Main Street at 6pm and then we went for dinner at the Steamworks Brewery. Durango held an awesome fireworks display which lasted for more than half an hour. The next morning we rode our mountain bikes around the town and the Animas (Soul) River bike path and eventually finished with breakfast and mimosas at a local café.

On our way out of Durango we shopped for groceries at the City Market and picked up some wine and microbrews for our camping trip near Silverton. Silverton is only 50 miles to the north of Durango and sits at 9318 feet elevation. I made campground reservations for us at Molas Lake where we stayed for three nights. The Lake Molas Campground is advertised to be the highest elevation campground in the continental U.S. at 10,100 feet. The morning of the 6^th we drove by Silverton and turned off onto Mineral Creek Road to the Ice Lake Trail. The round trip distance is 9 miles if you continue past Ice Lake to Fuller Lake and the top-out elevation is 12,500. This hike took four hours and was a good elevation acclimatization break-in. There were many water crossings and waterfalls on and near the trail. The wildflowers were in full bloom the entire way. We encountered sporadic cloudbursts and occasional threatening storms but never got soaked. Up high on the mountain there were several patches of unmelted snow and Fuller Lake was still mostly covered with ice. On all of our hikes we took camelbaks and energy bars.

The next day I found a trail a couple miles north of Silverton called Hematite Basin Trail. This trail is only 2.5 miles to top-out but reaches 12,600 feet from a 10,000 foot start point. Needless to say, it goes practically straight up. I’m not sure if this trail was named for the mineral or what you needed more of in your veins to accomplish the climb. The trail is not used very much and has a lot of difficult footing. After a 2 mile climb we topped over into the basin where there is a turquoise colored lake. The trail continues on about another mile over mining tailings and stretches of flower covered fields. We never found a good trail to Tower Mountain at 13,100 feet so we settled at a rock outcropping and ate an energy bar before turning around. Once we got back to the car we found a secluded stretch on the Animas River and soaked our legs while enjoying an IPA and Boulder Malt Vinegar potato chips.

The main reason that Trish and I went on this trip was ultimately to pace Bob Bachani at the Hardrock 100 mile race. The course starts and ends in Silverton and winds its way up and around 13 passes and peaks and through old mining sites and towns such as Ouray and Telluride. There is an approximate 33,000 plus elevation gain and equal descent on this course with a 48 hour cut-off. Bob has finished this race in 2006 running in the clockwise direction. He also dropped out in 2005 due to metabolic acidosis. This year the race is run in the counterclockwise direction. He invited us and Geno and Emily Foushee to crew for him and we thought it was a great idea. Both Trish and I had a portion of the race that would go over 13,100 feet so we thought it would be smart to top that elevation earlier in the week to see what it was like. After a day of rest we went out on Thursday, the day before the race started, and hiked a portion of the course starting at Grouse Gulch and topping out at Handies Peak, 14,048 feet. The trail is 12 miles round trip and traverses through American Basin. We got very lucky with the weather as it clouded up early and misted the skies but broke into sunshine by the time we reached the peak. This is the highest point I have ever been to. The views are stunning. It is literally like being on top of the world. Trish built her confidence level up on this trail in preparation for her pacing duties. We had our first marmot sighting on the way back to the trailhead. These animals normally run off but one of them seemed to be protecting an area and was reluctant to move very far. He laid on a rock by the trail as I went by. I noticed his sharp teeth and told Trish that we should continue to run along and make sure he did not follow us. Bob had several unfortunate encounters with marmots earlier in the week as one chewed through his pack and ate a portion of his water bladder tube. After a few misdirected shots from his .22 pistol the marmot ran away to haunt Bob another day. He lent us several bags of mothballs which we used to hang in the engine compartment and near the brake lines of the truck while it was parked at the trailhead. If there were any marmots in the area of the truck they did not bother our vehicle. Anyway, our Handies Peak hike took just under 5 hours and we felt ready for Hardrock.

We saw Bob off on his Hardrock Wild and Tough adventure at 6am Friday. We aided Bob at mile 9 and wouldn’t see him again until 8pm. The rest of the morning was spent getting a nail repair done on one of truck tires and then trying to get some rest that afternoon. Maryalice, Emily, Geno, Trish and I went over to Handlebars for dinner to get some last minute carbs in for that evening’s work. Maryalice took Geno out to Grouse Gulch at mile 42 to pick up with Bob for the next 14 miles. Bob and Geno would come into Ouray about 1:15 in the morning. Meanwhile, Trish and I got about 2 hours of sleep and got up at 11:15pm and headed out with Maryalice and Emily to Ouray. My pace leg of the run was from 56.6 miles over Virginius Mine Pass and into Telluride mile 73.3.

Bob and I got going at 1:30 in the morning. The skies were clear with a three-quarter moon and another planet shining nearby the entire night. The route out of Ouray climbs gradually for 5 or 6 miles and then climbs steeply on a dirt jeep road for another 2 miles to Governor Basin aid station. I had some coffee here while Bob had some soup and we filled our waters and continued another 3.2 miles to 13,100 Virginius Pass. After filling Bob’s water bladder for some reason he would repeatedly ask me if I sucked the air out of his hydration tube…strange, but no, I can’t say I relished that idea. The report was that there was ice and snow at Virginius and many people were using Yak-trax or crampons. We took a short break for foot maintenance after wading through an icy creek about 4:30am. I noticed that Venus was rising bright in the eastern sky ahead of the sun. Civil twilight happened around 5am and it was near 6am when we approached the first of three steep icy climbs. Several of the runners had become bunched up in this area due to the slow and go up the snow covered ascents. It wasn’t really ice but more like a frozen slushy that you can get your foot into just enough not to slide backward. I could see the last climb from the top of the first one and it looked to go straight up. When we got there it proved to be snow and ice covered and about 150 feet top to bottom at about a 65 degree angle. Fortunately there was a climbing rope dangling from the top. I had hiking pants on which are nice and slippery in these conditions and a windbreaker. I had my gloves in my pants pocket but thought they were in the camelbak so I didn’t bother to grab them. Bob donned his Yak-trax and up we went. About halfway up I looked down at Bob while he asked me to take his picture when I got to the top. As I got within 25 feet of the top I looked down again and realized that if I slipped it would be a hell of a ride to the bottom. I kept climbing and stepped onto the pass where there was an aid station that had been backpacked in overnight. The volunteers at the aid station looked cold. I snapped off a photo of Bob and helped him over. The other side was not as steep and did not have snow but was covered with loose rocks. We had 5 miles downhill to go to Telluride.

Earlier in the week many stories were told by Bob about marmots and how cuddly they looked and how they liked to get close to your stuff. It sounded like a love – hate relationship; he hated when they were around but loved looking for them. The day of the race I found a stuffed toy marmot in town for $10 and strapped it to the back of my camelbak. It was actually a marmot purse with two small straps attached to its back and a zipper pouch where I stored three GU packets. When I ran with Bob at 1:30 in the morning I had a light jacket on and covering the camelbak. It stayed cool enough to keep the jacket on until daylight. As we descended to Telluride it began to warm up so I stopped and took off my hiking pants. Bob mentioned something about needing more motivation so while trailing behind I slipped off my jacket and ran by him screaming “Bob!!! Marmot!!! Get him off!!! Bob was so surprised he didn’t even look at me but began whirling around and searching by the rocks off the trail until he looked at me laughing my ass off with a marmot on my back. Now that Bob had his motivation back, we continued on down to Telluride and came in at 8am to mile 73.3.

Bob needed foot maintenance here due to a blister on the ball of his left foot so he spent a little downtime here while Linda Van Tilborg duct taped his feet. Linda appeared to be running this aid station and doing a good job of it. The next 9 mile leg to Chapman aid station was paced by Trish. We only have one 100 ounce camelbak so she shared mine when I was finished. I removed the marmot, but putting someone else’s sweaty camelbak on doesn’t give you a warm fuzzy. She was quite apprehensive about portions of the trail but due to our prep earlier in the week and Bob’s fatigued state now, she felt better that she could stay with him and she did.

I can’t vouch for Trish’s experience the next 4 hours so I’ll move over to Chapman aid station. I drove ‘Bubba’ with Maryalice and Molly over to Chapman mile 82 through Ophir Pass. Here we awaited Geno and Emily to come over the rocky four-wheel drive road in their Subaru. After some reflection from an earlier drive over this road Maryalice was not confident that they would get here in time. There was absolutely no cell phone signal so I trekked up to the top of the pass to try and find service. After two miles I gave up near top-out when a pick-up truck came by and the guy asked if I needed a ride. I told him I was fine and was stopping here to wait for the Subaru to come down. If they didn’t show in about 15 minutes I would head back down the hill and pace Bob to Kamm Traverse, only 7 more miles. The guy in the pick-up truck said he could see a red Subaru coming down the hill above us. Geno and Emily own a blue Subaru but I figured whoever was in it I would ask for a ride down. As the Subaru came around the corner I noticed two Dachsunds with their heads out the window and a full load of people, two of which were Geno and Emily in the backseat. I squeezed in the back and we bounced down to the aid station. It turned out that Geno and Emily were at the top of the pass from the other side and was suggested by passerby’s that they park their car and get in with them since they were going that way anyway. How uncanny all this turned out. At least I didn’t have to run any further.

Bob and Trish came in right at 4 hours and Bob took off with Geno at 1:00pm and everything worked out fine. That was the last we would see of Bob until 9:09pm at the finish line. Now came the last test of my strength and endurance; the drive back over the previous mentioned 4-wheel drive shaly, narrow road back to Silverton. The other option to taking this route is a roundabout 2 hour tour back through Telluride and Ouray. Not for us though; we gripped our seats and the steering wheel and trudged over rock and shale at less than 5 mph in ‘Bubba’ and made it back with minimal oncoming traffic. There was a report of Duane Arter in the area but luckily we had no encounters with him and the Suburban on this leg of our journey.

Emily seemed to be the only one that could take a nap back at the condo. Trish and I showered up and caroused around town while Maryalice kept track of runner’s progress whenever she could pick up a signal on the laptop. As 8pm rolled around we all headed over to the finish area and waited for the occasional finisher to come across the finish and smooch the Hardrock. Based on web reports we had an idea Bob should finish before 9:30 and actually break 40 hours, which quietly seemed to be his ideal goal. Around 9:05pm we spotted headlamps coming down the trail in twos and threes. It turned out to be Geno and Bob with Jimmy and Roger Wrublik in tow. This would be Roger’s 5^th and fastest finish and this year without a pacer. On a sidenote, Trish and I ran into Roger early in the week at his hotel, The Wyman, and discovered that he was practicing sleep deprivation by staying up all night working the hotel and then pounding stake holes in the street for finish line flags during the day. He also sleeps in a high altitude tent at 16,500 feet. I don’t’ think he really trains on the course at all. I don’t know where he manufactures this kind of endurance. Anyway, the gang came around into the finish line, Bob and Roger holding hands, to an ecstatic audience. Immediately after I heard spectator comments such as, “That’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen.” Soon, after many congratulations and rock licking, Bob moved into the gym and sat on the bleachers looking oddly blissful but purely exhausted and maybe not quite altogether in the head.

That was it for Trish and me that night. I had been up since 11:15pm the night before and quickly tired after the excitement ended. We went to bed and in the morning decided that if we hit the road by 10am we could get to Flagstaff and spend the night without trying to drive the whole 12 hours in one day. We missed the awards ceremony the morning after the race but said our goodbyes and that was the end of one of our greatest adventures maybe to be outdone by my own attempt at the Wild and Tough Hardrock in the near future.

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.

Prior to the start I drank an Ensure with two salt tablets. One hour into the race I consumed one electrolyte cap and another a half hour later. At 1:45 I ate a Clif shot. At the 16.9 full service aid station I took two electrolyte caps and let the front pack go. The next 2.9 miles after the aid station are slightly downhill except for one or two annoying uphills. After that the trail drops precipitously for almost 8 miles. At this point I reached the 27.1 mile aid station which is also the start right at 4 hours. I did not place a drop bag here so I wasn’t able to grab a hat or sunglasses as I originally planned for the second half of the more exposed second half of the race.

From the midway aid station I ran a couple of flat miles before beginning an 8 mile ascent to Sun Top. The Sun Top trail is the second major climb of the race topping out at 5200 feet. I walked the majority of this hill due to fatigue. Several runners passed me during this section. After the 33 mile aid station I passed a couple of runners and also a couple that decided to drop out. I was able to shuffle a little more after 33; maybe the orange slices helped. Eventually I came to a summit with an awesome unclouded view of snow covered Mt. Rainier. The trail then dropped for a mile, crossed a road and then climbed 400 feet in half a mile to the 36.4 mile aid station atop the actual Sun Top Peak. From here the course descends for 7 miles down a dirt road that you could actually lean forward and make some timely progress.

The last couple of miles before Sun Top and most of the way down the gravel road I was running with Tom Possert from Ohio and Dink Taylor from Alabama. I got to the 43.4 mile aid station about a minute ahead of them and spent only 30 seconds here in order to get out before they could see me leave. The last 6.6 miles of the race is undulating single track in heavy forest along the literally ‘White’ River. Except for a couple of steep small hills, I ran the entire way believing I had a remote shot at breaking 8 hours. I also wanted to maintain my place. After a couple miles my shoulders felt tight so I made a conscious effort to relax. My paced slowed a bit but mentally I felt better. With only one or two miles to go I forced myself to push again for fear of someone behind me. Finally I came to the gravel road that leads to the start / finish area with only .4 miles left. A quick glance at my watch said 7:57:45. I ran as hard as I could and made a left turn with no finish line in sight. Another couple hundred yards and out in a clearing were the orange cones as my watch said 7:59:43. I cleared the finish line in 8:00:14.

What a relief to stop and eat and drink and relax. I feel very good about this effort today. I finished in 15^th place with six guys all within 20 minutes ahead of me. I don’t feel so bad having guys in front me like Nate McDowell in 6:50 in a course record, or Hal Koerner, William Emerson, Karl Meltzer, Scott Jurek, Dennis Poolheco, and Mark Godale. Only four weeks remain before Headlands 50K in Marin County, north of San Francisco and nine weeks left before AC 100. I feel I’ll need at least a week to recover from this 50 mile. After that I need to start working on a couple of nighttime runs.

09AUG02 Night Run I organized our first night run for a Friday night. Trish and I bought refreshments for the end of the run and stashed our Suburban at Molino Basin. It has been raining pretty heavily for the last couple of hours in the Catalinas. As we head back over to Sabino Canyon Visitor’s Center for the 8pm start the rain has just moved out. This is my first time running trails at night. I just purchased two new flashlights; one handheld Princeton Tec halogen beam run on 2AA batteries and a Petzl Tikka headlamp lit by LEDs. There is a new moon tonight but with the remaining cloud cover and the reflection of the city lights we are able run up most of the 3.7 miles on the road without using our lamps. I ended up turning mine on halfway up the road after spotting a skunk or two out of the corner of my eye. For water I carried a full 100 ounce Camelbak with no handheld bottles. I am also breaking in a new pair of Saucony Gird Xterra trail shoes. I settled for a pair a half size too large and paid for it. These shoes sucked even if they had been the right size. They were very slippery on wet rocks. I figure these shoes must be a gimmick by Saucony to break into the trail running market with a flashy yellow pair of shoes with a few lugs on the bottom of the shoe. They went back into the box and were returned the next week. At least the lights worked real well.

Our route took us to Sabino Basin, over to Sycamore Reservoir, through Prison Camp and then down to Molino Basin; approximately 15 miles. There were plenty of stream crossings and slippery rocks after the monsoon. We turned onto the Sycamore Reservoir Trail in pretty good shape. As usual there were a few Manzanita trees bent over on trail that were hard to budge. We ran out of trail halfway in near a washout. Chris, Pete and I tried all kinds of options. I discovered a left turn up a scant trail prior to getting lost so we decided to take it. No luck. This route emptied us onto a sandbar so we turned back. After rechecking the washed out area we found the proper left turn right on front of our eyes. After 25 minutes of searching we were back on but only for a short while as we took another wrong turn. This time our detour was only five minutes but enough for Paul and the girls to catch up with us at the intersection heading up to Prison Camp.

Our total time out was 3:48. I felt this run to be very beneficial and discovered night running was not as difficult as I originally thought it would be. Although we were awake until 1:00am I’m sure running until sunrise will be another experience.

24AUG02 Doctor’s Visit The week after the night run my left foot had experienced recurring pain and swelling from the thorn puncture of five weeks ago. Although I can run with discomfort it does not seem to be getting better. I finally visited the doctor in hopes of getting a prescription for an anti-inflammatory. I walked out with an X-ray that showed nothing. I decided not to run for five days during which time I biked three days for 120 miles. I also used Advil and soaked my foot in hot water a few times. Nothing seemed to have changed so I called the doctor’s office and told them I still had pain. A day later they called back and actually gave me 10 day sample of VIOXX. This is supposed to be the newest anti-inflammatory on the market mostly used for treating arthritis pain. I took the first dose one day before Headlands 50K held north of San Francisco in Marin County. I don’t know if it did any good or not so I took one more tablet that evening and then took the regular dose the morning of the race.

After another track workout and another 7 mile tempo run I entered and raced the Cinco de Mayo 10K at Starr Pass. I have never taken part in this race in previous years because it is on the same weekend as the Lincoln Marathon for the National Guard trials. I warmed up for two miles with my friend Joel O’Bryan; then we lined up and started the race. My first mile was 5:45 and I averaged 5:40 pace per mile for the race finishing in 35:10 and 8^th place overall. The course is hilly which explains my slower time. I was still happy with the effort.

The following weekend I ran an easy Bear Canyon loop with Bob Redwanc, Pete Gonzlik and Chris Fall. The weekend of May 18^th, my wife and I travelled to the Lake Tahoe area for Pete and Tonja’s wedding. We were able to spend a small amount of time checking out some of the Tahoe Rim Trail. The Tahoe Rim 50 Mile is definitely a must do event for the summer of 2003. The weekend after that, Trish and I drove down to Madera Canyon and I ran the Super Trail up to Baldy Saddle and turned around for a 2:15 run and then returned the next day and checked out Vault Mine and Josephine Saddle for a 1:30 effort. Vault Mine Trail is an extremely difficult, completely uphill hike but the views are well worth it. This kind of back to back training is what I am going to have to employ over the summer. I could feel the previous day’s Super Trail downhill in my quads.

Over the past three weeks I have been lifting more weights. Once or twice a week I lifted for upper body and arms and once a week I put in a major endurance session for legs which entails 4 sets of 12 repetitions at 35 pound single leg extensions, 4×12 at 35 pound single leg curls, 2×12 at 115 pound squats, and 2×12 at 95 pounds lunges. My legs are fairly sore and stiff for a couple of days after this workout which means I’m either out of shape or I’m overdoing it. Last Friday I rode my bike 19 miles into work in the morning and returned to in the late afternoon. I am planning on continuing this Friday routine throughout the summer. Also, for the past three weeks I have consumed only 4 beers and strictly stick to wine for weekend relaxing. In addition I have significantly reduced my simple sugar end enriched flour intake. Since then I have lost 7 pounds.

The Santa Catalina Ascent has been cancelled this upcoming weekend due to a major forest fire in the Santa Catalina – Mt. Bigelow – Reddington Pass area. The Forest Service has opted to close all of the Coronado National Forest which also eliminates all other trail options in places like the Santa Ritas, Huachucas, Chiricahuas, and Mt. Graham. For now, the National Park Service has not closed the Saguaro Monument so I will make an attempt to run some of the lesser used trail out by Happy valley on the eastside of the Rincon Range and plan to start by going over Heartbreak Ridge down to Grass Shack and back up to Happy Valley Saddle.

13JUL02 It has been some time since I posted to this journal. After my run in the Santa Ritas the forests were closed except for the Saguaro East Monument. Joel O’Bryan and I took quick advantage the following weekend and ran an easy paced trail to Cowhead Saddle and then down to Grass Shack Campground and returned for a total 22 miles. The weekend of June 8^th I did a solo trek starting at 5:10am up to Manning Camp at 8100 feet elevation. This run is 25 miles round trip and virtually all uphill going out and downhill coming back. It took me 4 hours and 46 minutes so I was finishing near 10am and the heat was coming on. It turned out to be a beautiful day with no dangerous animal sightings. Upon reaching manning Camp I saw a dozen or so “hotshot’ crews up and about eating breakfast.

So far for five out of six weeks I have kept up with the weekly ride into work as well as six weeks of leg weights. Between June 18^th and July 9^th I ran weekly track intervals on Tuesdays ranging from 5×1 mile, 2×2 mile, and 12×400 meters. One interesting span of training that I did over the 4^th of July period was for five consecutive days I ran a 14 mile loop, “Three Tanks Trail,” on the lower Saguaro East Monument trails. My initial plan was to run three Bear Canyons or five Douglas Springs but since everything virtually closed except for these lower trails my mind was made up.

The first day I ran by myself starting at 5:15am. The loop starts at the east end of Broadway on the Cactus Forest Trail and heads east past the dam and up to the gold fish tank then continues toward the Douglas Springs Trail intersection. At the junction you head back west toward the Speedway trailhead and take the split up to and over Bajada Vista. Run down the Westside of the vista and follow the trails back up towards Speedway and follow the trail around west then south and west back to the start. I ran this counterclockwise in just under two hours. The next three day Bob Redwanc joined me and we ran counterclockwise the next two days and clockwise the fourth day. Our times were 2:25, 2:26 and 2:28. The clockwise direction seems to have more prolonged difficult climbing although our times were almost identical. The fifth day I went alone in the clockwise direction and ran 2:01 in a hard effort. Thanks to Bob I had good motivation to show up every day especially after a 4^th of July party at our house. During these runs Bob convinced me to travel with him and Eileen and run the White River 50 mile National Trail Championship on the 27^th of July in Washington State. I found airfare for $185 on Alaskan Airlines and decided to run my first 50 miler in two years.

The second weekend of July Bob and I went out again for an easy Three Tank loop. Three miles into the run I stepped on a thorn just under my left big toes on the ball of my foot. God did that hurt. I pulled it out and finished the run with a little remaining pain. Later that morning after the run my foot swelled up and I could hardly walk. This persisted for two days when I finally bought some Ibuprofen and the swelling and pain subsided. Apparently these thorns contain some kind of poison and since this thing went to the bone, I was injected. Luckily, 50 mile race is a week and a half away and I have time to make this better.

20JUL02 One week before the race in Washington, Trish, Alli and I drove to Mt. Lemmon to get our first run on the trails since the reopening of the national forest. Actually this was my second trail run since the forest reopened July 18^th. I had run an out and back to Sabino Basin on Phoneline Trail. It has rained every other night for the past two weeks so the dryness in the forest is getting quenched.

We parked at Sunset Trail across from the closed Butterfly Trail on Mt. Lemmon Highway. I ran from Sunset to Marshall Gulch up to Mint Springs and back down to Marshall Gulch. I ran fairly easy just to climb a few hills and not wear myself out before the 50 miler. We had all planned on only running less than two hours. Since I had gained a mile or two on the girls I could take a mile long detour on the Aspen Draw Trail. To my dismay I misjudged the direction of the trail and ended back up at Mint Springs. I thought I might be going in the wrong direction as I was climbing a hell of a lot. I persisted though, and after awhile I was past the point of no return – about 30 minutes, and hoped for the best. Eventually after 40 minutes I came to the saddle and the four-way intersection. I couldn’t believe one of the signs said Mint Springs. To my recollection the only Mint Springs was back at Marshall Gulch. After reading the other trail signs it dawned on what had happened. I was now 2.8 miles away from where I needed to be and my watch said 1 hour and 43 minutes. From here I ran hard because I figured if I was over two hours the girls would get worried. I ended up back at the car in 2:10. The mistake added 3.7 miles to my run and a lot harder effort than I initially planned for.

The last week before the race I took Monday and then Friday off and biked 44 miles over two separate rides on Tuesday. The afternoon ride was brutal die to strong headwinds and side gusts. My quads were smashed for two days after this ride. I ran six and seven miles easy the next two days to loosen my quads. My big toe still hurts a little so I have still been using Ibuprofen.

After two-thirds of a mile jog up Sabino Canyon Road I turned left onto Esperero Trail and began the rolling section of hills for about a mile. After this the trail climbs significantly eventually climbing up through a draw. It’s pretty cool that there actually is a trail through here because the trail basically climbs over and around rocks all the way through the draw. Catching occasional glimpses of Cathedral Rock; it looks so far away. After the draw the trail crosses an area filled with oak, juniper and pine trees as well as the unbending Manzanita. Today’s forecast is for 80 degrees and the sun is already up high and bright but for now, this section of trees is cool and shaded. After gradual and sometimes steep climbs I reach an exposed section of trail where if I turn around I can see Tucson splayed out before me. I basically hiked up through this portion until I approach the south face of Cathedral Rock. The trail still ascends until the top-out on the eastside of the tip of Cathedral Rock. I got here in 1:47 and went over the other side and sat down on the trail to eat a glucose tablet and some salt.

I started the run with two hand held 20 ounce water bottles, one filled with water and the other with XLR8. I have drunk half a bottle of water and a quarter of XLR8. On the backside the trail descends steeply through the bushes and trees. Luckily there is some snow. Without foot prints I don’t think I would have been able to follow this trail. Under the branches I spied the tricky switchbacks and several times overshot the trail only to quickly discover there was no trail. After coming down to the Romero Pass Trail junction I turned right and continued to run downhill more gradually and with less vegetation. I consumed very little fluid since the top except for a few sips of XLR8. I still have 2.5 miles of exposed trail to reach Hutches Pool where there is water. I take little sips of water through the sunny parts of the trail just to wet my lips.

Upon arrival at Hutches Pool I still feel good and decide not to chance the water since it is not flowing but standing in pools. This is a popular place for campers. The trail continues for two miles to Sabino Basin then ascends a small hill onto a 2.4 mile section ending at the top of Sabino Canyon Road. I start to feel nauseated through here and my quads are hurting at every step. I began walking small sections and finally reach the half mile downhill to the 3.7 mile long road. Sipping on the XLR8 is not helping as it has sugar in it and is just upsetting my stomach more. My time at the top of the road is 3:37. Normally I could run down this road in 23 minutes but after the initial seven tenths of a mile descent my quads give out and I walk and run when I can.

I am comforted by dipping my water bottle into a slow flowing, clean looking water under a bridge crossing. The water tastes good but is too late as my stomach rejects it. With a mile and a half remaining I decide to walk it in because if I run I want to puke and don’t really want to vomit around all of the hikers. I reached the finish in 4:21:44. Two years ago I ran this trail in 4:32 with Gene Joseph. Three years ago I ran it around 4:15 with Rick Fenno and Benito Gonzales. That year we ran out of water at Hutches Pool and took a dip to cool off. I guess the moral of the story is that I should use my Camelbak on this run in the future. Next weekend is Crown King 50K.

16MAR02 Crown King 50K Here it is; the big event we all train for and travel to Crown King to scramble the 50K or 50 mile and then party at the cabins after the race. It is colder this year than the previous five years. The 50K starts near Lake Pleasant, northwest of Phoenix. The first mile is on the highway and then turns into gravel road. The first half of the race is an undulating dirt road. I started the race running stride for stride with my old friend, Sean Andrish, who is visiting from Leesburg, Virginia. Sean and I tied for 2^nd place last year behind Karl Metzler. This year, Sean thinks we can make a run for the 4 hour record. I do not have the same feeling due to all the past years I have run this course it has been hot.

Shortly after the first aid station at 8 miles I let Sean go ahead of me because I feel like I’m working too hard on the early hills of the race. By mile 11 Sean is out of view. My hip began aching a little but no real pain. I am still in 2^nd place as I come upon my wife Trish around mile 14. She started an hour early. As I reach her the thought enters my mind to bag the race and finish with her and just enjoy myself the rest of the way. Why is it that if I don’t think I can win this race then I don’t want to run at all? After slowing down momentarily with my wife I realize that I can still run and who gives a shit whether I win or not. Why not enjoy this race for once rather than treating it as a death march challenge every year?

I took my time at the 15 mile aid station. Then I jogged up the long steady climb at an easy pace and began to feel better. At this point a runner came by and asked me how far ahead Sean was. He looked intent on catching him so I told him at least 10 minutes. Now, in third place, I reach the top of the masochistic 19 mile hill and stop for a GU gel and water. I turned and looked back down the hill and seen Carl Anderson and Ann Trason climbing up to me. I bid them both good luck on the way by and told them the next four miles are smooth sailing to the 23 mile aid station.

After 23 is where the real work begins. The road climbs in and around the mountain to mile 27 and is rocky and difficult to run when you are wasted. I took my time again at the 27 mile aid station until I could see one or two runners approaching. I still have two more miles to climb to the top of the hill and then two more down hill to the town of Crown King. After the top-out I ran one mile down to a level area in the road that is about 200 yards long. This is where James Bonnett passed me. The kid looks fresh and is striding better than I am as I can’t match his pace and he gets away from me.

I finally ended this journey in 4:55 good for 7^th place. Breaking 5 hours in my mind is alright especially on a bad day. My competitive juices are drained as I do not feel like running another race again. Or maybe it’s that I don’t want to ‘race’ another race. I’m not sure how capable I am of doing this. I believe the Angeles Crest 100 miler is a good place to start. I will have no choice but to run and not race. I have no idea how to race a 100 miler and really don’t want to know. I want to finish and if I finish strong or ahead of anyone else then who cares. The 100 mile journey is my soul’s search for another adventure and it does not benefit from arriving at the finish line in any predetermined time or place. Time and place are both wants of the ego. I believe that if I am going to be successful at completing my first 100 miler then I need to put the ego to sleep and allow the soul to guide me through its wishes and desires and to run down a single track trail in the San Gabriel Mountain Wilderness.

I have cancelled my plans to run the Lincoln Marathon in May. It would have been my 11^th consecutive year at Lincoln, Nebraska and my 27^th marathon. I have no desire left to run a 6:00 pace for 26 miles on a hard road while competing for something my ego has already achieved 10 times over. I don’t know how long this has gone on but I figure back to my early teens when my soul has whispered wonderful ideas and places to go but I let my ego guide the way and make ill-fated decisions.

March 31, 2002 is Easter Sunday and also the Mica Mountain Marathon. I chose to sleep in and continue to take a break from the long trail.

13APR02 Mt. Bigelow On Saturday, April 13^th at 6:00am I ran up the road of Sabino Canyon with my friend Tom Boyle as we commenced our ascent to Mt. Bigelow. Since I knew it was going to get hot later that morning I carried a 100 ounce Camelbak. It seemed to be pretty comfortable and it was nice to have water at my lips anytime I needed it. My pace felt leisurely for most of the run. I really took it easy today and enjoyed the views of the Palisades trail.

This route has several options. The main distance is the 50K by reaching the top of Mt. Bigelow and then returning to the visitor center usually around 1:00pm in the heat. Tom and I decided ahead of time that we would go to the peak and come back to the aid station at the trailhead for a total of 18 miles. After about 7 or 8 miles into the run I gradually pulled ahead of Tom. I still slowed to walk the steeper sections and continually kept my eyes out for snakes. Amazingly, I never spotted a snake the entire morning. As I got higher in elevation the pines kept the trail shaded all the way to the trailhead near Palisade’s Ranger Station. Here, Rick Kelly and Bob Bachani’s wife, Mary Alice, were set up with a full aid station. I reached this point of 15.5 miles in 3 hours and talked with Rick for several minutes as Tom and Tim Varner came up behind me. The three of us left together for the 2 mile jaunt up to Mt. Bigelow and then descended back past the ranger station on Mt. Lemmon Highway. Tom and I bid Tim farewell on his trek back to Sabino and then we waited for Tom’s wife, Suzanna, to pick us up with beer and sandwiches.

The trail series is coming to and soon. Multiple Wrightson Ascent is May 18^th, but I will miss that due to attending Pete and Tonja Chagaris’ wedding at Lake Tahoe. You can bet that I will get some miles in on the Tahoe Rim Trail that weekend. The last run on the series is during the first weekend in June, organized by Julie Arter in the form of Santa Catalina Ascent. By the first week of June I should be mentally and physically rested and ready to commence my summer training for the Angeles Crest 100 miler.

I reached the saddle in 38 minutes and descended the backside of the hill. The trail here is very rocky so I had earlier decided to wear brand new Montrail Wasatch II trail shoes. They felt great travelling down the loose, rocky trail. These shoes seem to have better traction than the Vitesse. I continued at a fast pace around to the southside of the mountain range in an effort to beat the sunrise from blinding as I eventually turned eastward.

The next portion of trail starts to gradually ascend as it gets closer to Wasson Peak. There are many steep switchbacks and sharp turns on the climb to Wasson. I finally reached the trail split and ran the dog leg out to the peak in 1 hour and 20 minutes and returned to the split again. It is close to 5 miles back to the finish so I swiftly descended on the Hugh Norris Trail. Eight minute miles from here would net me a two hour finish. The Hugh Norris Trail descends quickly with two or three minor uphills along the ridge. Upon reaching the hills I found it hard to change muscle groups on the fly so I came to a walk on the climbs. I seemed to be developing a blister on my right heel and only now noticed it on the uphill sections.

Continuing to push the pace I eventually came to the step portion of the trail and realize that I have only a half mile to the road and then a short distance to the finish. As I reached the road I felt weary and wanted to stop. I kept churning my legs as I only have a half mile to go. My finish time is 2:03. I feel good about the effort. Three years ago I ran 2:16 and two years before that ran my PR in 1:58. Since I am 10-12 pounds heavier now than five years ago I view this as a good sign that some of my trail times are getting back to times of the past. The winter Bear Canyon loop is in two weeks and I feel I have a good shot at breaking my 2:14 PR.

19JAN02 Winter Bear Canyon It is a 7am start on a clear, cool morning. 34 runners took off from the parking lot of Sabino Canyon Visitor’s Center for the January version of Bear Canyon Loop. I hit the first part of the run at a brisk pace in order to bank time before hitting the trailhead. I am thinking I can run a PR today but know that I have to reach certain points at predetermined times. I ran quickly through the lower seven stream crossings and worked the ascending switchbacks nicely. I began to push the pace after the switchbacks until I reached the creek crossing below the grinder in 49 minutes. This is a good sign because it normally takes 15 minutes or less to reach the top.

I topped out at 1:03:50. I have never run a negative time from here to the finish. My closest effort was one minute to the positive; today is the fastest time that I have ever topped out. According to my predetermined time goal I must reach the top of Sabino Road by 1:50 which means I would have to run a 5:20 mile pace for the 3.7 miles of road to the end which would be extremely difficult coming off of the trail. So, not to get ahead of myself, I flew down the backside of Bear until I got to Sabino Basin and the East-West Fork junction. From here to the road I just don’t want to crash on the various small uphills along the way.

So far, so good as I descend to the road. After finally coming off of the trail a glance at my watch says 1:48:45. With a minute and 15 second cushion over 3.7 miles I should have to run a 5:40 pace to the end. As I pass the big rock near the Tram station I am under 2:10 but I still have to reach the original starting point in the parking lot and end up with a 2:10:40. At first I felt disappointment that I didn’t break 2:10 but then quickly realized I just took 4 minutes off my PR from five years ago.

02FEB02 Fort Eustis, Virginia Tomorrow, the Tucson Trail Runners are running Cowhead Saddle from the east end of Speedway. I will miss this run because I am spending three weeks in Fort Eustis, Virginia for military training. I located a half-marathon in Hampton on Saturday, February 9^th. The race is the RRCA National Half-marathon Championship for the Pomoco Running Crab Club.

It was a sunny but frigidly cold day with a starting temperature of just under 40 degrees and a windchill under 20 degrees. I wore my National Guard Marathon Team singlet and road training shoes. Since I didn’t anticipate racing when I packed for this trip I neglected to bring racing flats. High hopes said that I could break 1:15 but the wind and the shoes would not let that be reality.

I went out at 5:45 mile pace and then settled into a 5:50 pace feeling comfortable. The course had multiple turns and occasionally I ran straight into a chilling headwind for a lengthy distance. My pace suffered to near 6:00 pace. I managed to hold steady through the entire race even though my mind wanted to back off and take it easy. I sailed into the finish at 1:17:27 averaging 5:55 pace per mile. Considering the conditions and lack of training due to my plantar issue, I felt happy about my effort. I placed 2^nd in my age group and 18^th overall with one female placing ahead of me. The top eight finishers were awarded cash as well as the top three Masters.

09-10FEB02 Leesburg, Virginia As I am still in Virginia I decided to take a three hour drive to the north and visit my friend Sean Andrish who is living in Leesburg. Leesburg is about 50 miles northwest of Washington, D.C. and is near the Appalachian Trail.

Sean and I headed out for a difficult 22 mile out and back portion of the Appalachian Trail aptly named Roller Coaster. Over the length of 11 miles in one direction there are eight hills. I had lifted leg weights in the gym yesterday and paid for it early in the run on the long ascents. We reached the turnaround in two hours and refueled. We carried one water bottle each which proved to be not enough even though the trail was mostly shaded and cool. The trail also proved to much rockier than I had anticipated.

On the first climb after the turnaround I knew I was going to be in trouble. I was walking on the second hill and by the third hill I was walking the downhill. Ultimately, I bonked big time between miles 14 and 19. Sean decided to take it easy and hung with me through my hour long spell. We eventually reached a stream and filled out bottles and ate a gel. Within ten minutes I was feeling better and was able to run out the last 3.5 miles. We had spent 5 hours on trail. Runs like this have to make you stronger somewhere.

The next morning after a good dinner and lots of rehydration we headed over to a different portion of the A.T. and ran a 10 mile out and back. We were on a ridgeline in a cloud with ice crystals falling from the trees. Today’s route had gently rolling hills amongst large oak trees. My legs felt a little sore from the last two days but I found I could still extend my stride over the rocks better than yesterday. Sean and I ran briskly over most parts of the trail and ended up running 1:45 on a cold, moist morning.

17FEB02 Tanque Verde Loop Another clear morning with a forecasted high of 75 degrees greets us for the 28.5 mile Tanque Verde Loop. This is the 3^rd time that I have run this trail. The trail starts at the east end of Speedway and ascends to Douglas Springs. I felt a little rough during this stretch mainly due to drinking six beers last night and running 13 miles two days ago on Blackett’s Ridge. My legs were tired on the climbs so I buckled down and shuffled up the hills and tried to make up time on the flats and descents. There are no flats and descents from Douglas Springs to Cowhead Saddle. This 2.4 mile section gains about 1500 feet in elevation. I walked a few portions of uphill nearing Cowhead and to my amazement reached the saddle in 1:34:30.

Without stopping I turned right on to the Tanque Verde Peak Trail and drank some water. I carried two bottles to get me to Javalina Picnic area around 20 miles into the run where Rick Kelly has an aid vehicle. The 2.5 mile section to Tanque Verde Peak is rough and rolling and hard to follow in some places. There is little or no snow on the trail this year. After the peak the trail drops 2.1 miles to Juniper Basin Campground which is nestled in amongst large Juniper trees. After reaching this point in 2:31 I took my first salt and ate a tiger bar. For some odd reason I neglected to use anything but water to this point just to see how I would be affected. I was feeling a little nauseated until I used the electrolytes.

I continued down the ridge, slowly at first since the trail seems disconnected in spots. At first the trail gradually drops in elevation and then climbs and dips like a rollercoaster. The sweat on my legs is stinging the scratches I incurred from the overgrown section from the peak to the basin. The Manzanita trees don’t budge even though they look like they should. The ridgeline from Juniper to Javalina is 6.9 miles and is relentlessly downhill at times and seems to take forever to be done. I said “Hi” to my beautiful wife who was coming up the trail from the picnic grounds. She has a slight knee problem after running Pemberton 50K last weekend and cannot go the distance today. Rick Kelly asked me at the start how long I would be to Javalina and I told him 3:30. I was 10 minutes off and arrived in 3:40.

At Rick’s aid station I drank a Pepsi, mixed a CLIP drink and talked with Rick. I left the parking lot at 3:43 and had a decent chance of finishing under 5 hours wit 8.5 miles to go. When I got to the visitor’s center of Saguaro Monument East Headquarters I used the cold drinking fountain to wet down my head and then headed north on the pavement of Freeman Road. The last 8.5 miles of the run are paved unless you opt for the slightly shorter trail alternative. Over the last 7 miles I employed a run 5 walk 1 minute strategy. I wasn’t really feeling bad; I just wanted to keep from feeling bad by pushing it too hard. Ultimately I reached the finish or the original start point in 4 hours and 56 minutes. I ended up running a 6 minute PR and actually felt pretty good.

With two trail PRs in a row I will next run Esperero Loop, 21.3 miles, on the 10^th of March. I have never really put forth a good effort at Esperero so running a PR shouldn’t be too tough. I’m not sure what to expect so I will try for 3 and a half hours…

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!

10SEP2001 Wrightson Ascent   I want to run my first 100 mile run next September at Angeles Crest in Wrightwood, California. The following journal will describe the training runs and events that I did from a year out to the race. Today is September 10^th and I consider myself in fairly good physical fitness when it comes to the 50K distance on trail. Yesterday was the first trail run on the Tucson Trail Runners series for 2001.

Mt. Wrightson Ascent starts at approximately 5,000 feet elevation and ascends Old Baldy Trail to Josephine Saddles covering two miles. At this junction the trail continues to ascend another 2.5 miles up to Old Baldy Saddle. From this saddle the runner turns right and travels uphill again another .9 miles to the highest peak in the area at approximately 9,500 feet. The trail gains 4,500 feet in 5.4 miles.

My trail season did not start off as well as I had hoped. The previous weekend our family went camping at the Black River in the White Mountains of Northern Arizona. During the camping weekend I hiked and bushwhacked up a mountain near our campsite. Later that day I discovered some red inflamed areas all over my legs. I have never experienced poison ivy, oak or sumac in the past so I didn’t give these red spots much consideration. That afternoon I went down to the river to bathe and wash with soap. Two days later three-quarters of my body was blistered from poison oak.

As the week progressed I went to the doctor and was prescribed a topical steroid lotion. Eventually by the end of the week I caught a cold and my chest and back broke out in hives. By Sunday, the morning of Wrightson Ascent, my condition could not have been worse with swollen itchy feet, ankles and legs and barely able to breathe from chest congestion. I laced up my shoes anyway and decided to head out on the trail.

At the start there were almost 20 runners. We were warned about the presence of bears in the area. As I climbed the trail my breathing was very difficult which in turn caused my legs to fatigue quickly due to lack of oxygen. I made it to Josephine Saddle in 34 minutes even though I walked at least a half a dozen times. The next 2.5 miles to Baldy Saddle was even more difficult. Eventually Ken Greco and Tom Wiper caught up to me within a mile of Baldy Saddle. This bit of company did me good as I pushed harder to stay ahead and once Ken passed me I pushed harder to keep him close. The most interesting comment came from Tom as he asked from behind what run I was recovering from. Everyone hates excuses, especially me, so spewing off my list of ailments crossed my mind before I spoke. Eventually I said, “I’m just a puss and I’m having a hard time breathing. That’s just the way it goes.” Tom pushed up the last .9 miles and finally within 100 yards of the peak he passed on by and we both clocked a time of 1:25.

After some chatting and picture taking with everyone at the top we made the descent back. I opted for the Super Trail route from Josephine Saddle. This trail section is about 2 miles longer than Old Baldy Trail and less steep. By going this way, my tired quads received less pounding and made it capable to get a couple of extra miles in for the day.

My next trail run is in two weeks starting at Sabino Canyon Visitor’s Center and run to Sabino Basin via Phoneline Trail and back. The trail length is 13.2 miles roundtrip. I think I should be feeling better in two weeks…

23SEP01 Sabino Basin   The poison oak has almost completely cleared up and my chest cold has subsided. Boy, I never want to see that stuff again. Today is the 2^nd run of the trail series. This run is a 13.2 mile round trip to Sabino Basin via Phoneline Trail starting at the Sabino Canyon Visitor’s Center parking lot. The entire trail is contained in the front range of the Santa Catalinas.

Twenty four runners showed up for the 6am start. The air was slightly warm with no clouds in the sky. I’m still wearing my worn out Montrails as they seem to still providing good support. Bill Cuculic took off at a fast clip down the flat groomed beginning. I followed with patience at an easier pace. Once the trail begins to ascend it becomes very rocky and gets rockier as it continues up. It is a popular trail for hikers because it parallels the tram road which makes it more accessible to pedestrians. After the first major hill climb, Bill has gained about 2 minutes on me but I maintained sight of him to the turnaround at the basin.

The trail descends into Sabino Basin then for this route you must turnaround and climb back out. At this point Bill has four minutes on me. My turnaround time is 1:01:14. I figure I can still break two hours coming back. With about 3 miles to go my quads are weakening as well as the beginning of a stomach ache which both conditions cause my pace to slow just at the time I should be picking it up. Yesterday I hashed an 11 mile trail on the road in 100 degree heat. I only consumed 4 beers the entire afternoon and evening. Apparently my hydration level and leg strength are low from those activities.

The last downhill was slower than usual due to my inability to lift my legs to their full capability. I still managed to run a negative split for the return trip and clocked 2:01:38. My cumulative weekend mileage is 24 miles so I feel good about that. The next run on the schedule is Bear Canyon 16.8 mile loop in three weeks. I should run this in two weeks because my wife and I have a trip planned to Cabo San Lucas the weekend of the TTR event.

03OCT01 Injury Report  I have run once in the last 5 days. I have been experiencing pain I the heel or arch of my left foot. I have had plantar fasciitis in the same foot eight or nine years ago and fixed it by getting custom made orthotics, not running for two months and cross country skiing over the winter. I do not believe this time that I have a plantar issue. The pain began to develop around last July. I have done two 50Ks and other various hard efforts without this pain affecting my running. The only association I can make with this is speed work and possibly worn out shoes. I started regular speed work on the track in late May and continued throughout the summer. During these workouts I wear lightweight less supportive shoes and run off of my toes. On a normal run I start out with slight discomfort, less than pain, and can run roads, track or trails without this injury slowing me down. Like plantar fasciitis, the area tightens up from inactivity or lying down but unlike plantar it is not painful when I begin to walk on it. Maybe it is the beginning of plantar?

Either way I have decided that October 1^st and on I would make an attempt to let this thing get better since I don’t have anything really going on running wise. I think I can still run dirt trails on weekends without worsening the condition and ride stationary bike and lift upper body weights and leg weights during the week. I will also use a night splint that I borrowed from my friend Garrett Ford. Driving on I will get through this. I read yesterday that only 64 out of 119 starters finished AC100. Great odds, huh? This is going to be fun.

28OCT01 Agua Caliente Loop   Today’s trail run starts at Ross Zimmerman and Pam Golden’s house off of Old Soldier Trail in the northeast side of Tucson. This is a good place to start this run because it breaks the 6 miles of road in half by running two and a half at the beginning and three and a half at the end. We used to start at the trailhead on Fort Lowell and do the last 6 miles on the long straight road.

The weather was a bit warm today. The runners who finished by 10am experience wispy clouds at the end of the run but once they cleared out it got hotter. The trail is a 15 mile loop with an out and back section in the middle that climbs Agua Caliente Hill. My left foot is still a pain but I am managing it wearing a night splint at bedtime and not walking around barefoot. We started on the road slowly warming up until we reached the trail in around 20 minutes. The trail climbs steadily for two miles and then drops into Agua Caliente Canyon then climbs to the saddle and heads east for about three miles topping out at Agua Caliente Hill. If you have never run this hill it seems like you should be reaching the top a couple of different times but there is always another bigger hill behind it. Finally, the top-out climb to 5,364 feet is up a loose rocky face but you are rewarded with awesome 360 degree views. I waited here for Garrett Ford and Ken Greco. No reason to run too hard prolonging the healing of my foot. I’m probably not doing it much good by even being out here but at least it doesn’t hurt when I run. It actually feels better the day after the run.

It is slow, tedious descent from the hill back to the saddle. From here the loop continues down the north side from the saddle into LaMilagrosa Canyon and runs through the wash to the north side of the canyon. Then it heads back west a couple of miles on trail until finally reaching the road. The canyon views are beautiful as we ran along the couple miles of wilderness to the streets. Only three and a half miles of street and road remain to Ross’s house and we finish up in 2 hours and 49 minutes. Garrett wanted to push the pace in the last two miles so I picked it up a little and finished with a good kick. Ahhh, my favorite Pale Ale at the finish!

04NOV01 Romero Pass   Garrett Ford organized this morning’s run starting at Catalina State Park, 2715 feet elevation and turning around at Romero Pass at 6014 feet. It was an overcast morning with humidity in the air. The trail starts on an uphill and climbs relentlessly and is very rocky for the first three miles. The run is advertised as 14 miles although the trail signage says 13. Overall timewise told me it was 14. There are many smaller trails that turn off of the main trail especially around Romero Pools, about three miles into the run. I took a wrong turn here and after a couple of minutes ended in a wash. I decided to turnaround and go back but still uncertain the trail might have continued on the other side of that wash. The wrong turn was worth it as I viewed a large tarantula climbing into a hole. I quickly discovered my mistake and continued on in search of the pass.

It seems the last three miles to the turnaround is where the majority of the elevation gain is to be found. After some very rocky and steep climbs the trail momentarily drops into a narrow wooded area. Right in here I spotted several fresh bear scat piles. I spotted cat droppings also but those appeared dried out. After the copse the trail climbs endlessly until finally reaching the pass. Before turning around I looked up to see the Mt. Lemmon Trail that we will see in two weeks as we ascend Mt. Lemmon.

I picked up the pace coming back due to the downhill even though it is steep. Eventually the rockiness of the trail slowed my pace too not much faster than I ascended. A welcome light rain began to fall but not enough to make the rocks slippery. My return trip was only several minutes faster due to the excessive rocks. I finished in 2:56.

Afterwards we all swapped stories about past trail conditions and PRs as we stood around a grill and a cooler of drinks. Ken Greco had a tough day as he fell three times. Trish was doing real well and then bonked but got back on top of it and ended up with a good run. My foot doesn’t seem to bother me on these trail run and is only a slight nuisance during my weekly runs on dirt surfaces. It does hurt a little when I am walking around. I am trying to focus on stretching more and icing my foot when I am watching television. This may take some time. As I mentioned earlier, Mt. Lemmon is in two weeks.

18NOV01 Mount Lemmon Ascent   We arrived early to Sabino Canyon Visitor’s Center at 6am in order for Trish, Pete, Charles and Alli to start up Mount Lemmon early. Meanwhile I watched the meteorite shower leftover from the previous night until the 7am start. The weather turned out great with the temp around 50 degrees, no clouds and a light breeze. I carried three 20 ounce bottles; two were filled with water and one with XLR8 electrolyte replacement drink. I also had a CLIP 2 packet in my waist belt along with two Gus and a package of Gummy Bears.

Feeling good, I ran up the road fairly quickly and arrived at Sabino Basin in 55 minutes. I decided to stretch it out from here and pick up some time between the Basin and the Cathedral Rock turnoff. I always forget how much uphill there is leading up to the Cathedral split. At the junction I ate a GU and two salt tablets. After the split the trail is a fairly runnable uphill to Romero Pass. The pass is 12.5 miles and my time here was 2:16. From the pass the trail climbs steeply for a couple of miles. While walking most of this section I mixed my CLIP 2 into my 3^rd water bottle. My stomach had begun to feel queasy and the CLIP helped settle it down.

I am moving again and continue to climb. After the Wilderness of Rocks Trail junction the trail descends for a quarter mile and then climbs again with relentless switchbacks until reaching the backside or north facing side of the mountain. I am trying to at least walk briskly and jog the gradual inclines and flat places. Eventually the trail leads to a clearing that has a trail sign indicating 1.5 miles to Mt. Lemmon. The rest of the trail is a jeep road that is runnable. There is no snow or water on the trail which makes the footing easier. At the trail sign my watch says 3:43. I have 17 minutes to 1.5 miles in order to break 4 hours.

Finally, I come around a bend and see Julie’s red sweatshirt and I sprint up to her in time of 3:58:30. This is 9 minutes off of my best ascent which makes me feel good especially since my training has not been optimal of late due to my foot strain. The next run is the Sabino 50K in two weeks.

02DEC01 Sabino 50K   A crisp, clear morning greeted the runners at 6:30am for the start of the out and back 50K through Sabino Canyon. I began the run wearing gloves, stocking cap, long sleeve shirt and shorts. I kept in sight of Bill Cuculic for nearly nine miles up to the Sycamore Reservoir junction. It was quite chilly and frosty at this point. I backed off the pace through this area since I’ve only been through here a couple of times and recall some long climbing sections out of the reservoir area.

I reached Prison Camp and then descended into Molino basin. Ross Zimmerman and Jennifer Avriles set up an aid station in the parking lot of Molino Basin. I dropped my bottles here and ran to the top of the saddle 1.5 miles away on the other side of Mt. Lemmon Highway and then turned around and returned to the parking lot. I traded my long sleeve shirt and stocking cap for a singlet and hat. Total time spent here refueling was 7-8 minutes. My quads are spent. I left the aid station slowly to try and gather some much needed energy and ran back up the hill out of Molino back to Prison Camp. After reaching the top-out I was relieved to be able to run downhill back to Sycamore Reservoir. From there I basically shuffled down Sabino East Fork and before I knew it, Ken Greco came storming down a hill and went ahead of me. He was looking much fresher than I was feeling. After Sabino Basin I found that I needed to walk any inclines and my quads were really trashed. I eventually completed the run in 5:39 and was very happy to relax at the finish.

08DEC01 Solo Bear Canyon   I ran by myself on the Bear Canyon loop (16.8 miles) starting at 7am. I am doing this run as a make-up for missing the originally scheduled run in October. I took off quickly and felt comfortable. I encountered a stiff headwind as I entered the canyon. I breezed over the seven stream crossing leading to Seven Falls and climbed out easily. I stayed with the pace up the grinder and when I reached the top-out overlook my time was 1:08. I was surprised at how quickly I made it here without intentionally pushing the pace.

From the overlook which looks back down into the canyon I have never clocked a negative split to the finish. I have come as close as one or two minutes over but really need to push to make this happen. I decided today was a day to go for it and I really smoked the rest of the trail to the top of Sabin Canyon Road. The road is 3.7 miles of downhill except for one short, steep hill with 3/4s of a mile remaining to the end. With 2 miles to go I began to feel fatigued. Without looking at my watch I kept plugging to the finish. I crossed the line in 2:17:37. This is one minute and 26 seconds over my top-out split. This run gives me confidence that in 6 weeks at the January Bear Canyon run I might have a shot at my 2:14 PR.

16DEC01 LaMilagrosa Canyon Loop   The days are shorter and the mornings are freezing cold. We started at 7am with a 30 degree temperature. The rain and snow storm over the past couple of days have left a blanket of snow in the mountains. All of us anticipated seeing and running through the snow by the time we reached Prison Camp.

Ken Greco and I ran the entire trail together trading the lead several times. I wore tights, gloves, stocking cap and a long sleeve shirt and never felt hot.

This run starts at the Suzenu Trailhead near Snyder and Old Soldier Trail on the northeast side of Tucson. The route heads west on a dirt path to Soldier Trail and turns north to Catalina Highway. It then ascends 1.5 miles up the highway to the Soldier Trail intersection. From here the trail goes straight up for about a mile and then becomes runnable in spots as it nears Prison Camp. The views this morning were purely awesome. Fog and low clouds had set in the hills over a light dusting of snow on the ground with no ice. As the elevation increased we ran through and above the fog at the same time the sun began to rise. The backdrop of snow covered hills against a blue sky and hazy clouds on the fringes was probably the most beautiful sight I have witnessed on a trail. Upon reaching Prison Camp is where we first encountered ice and hard pack snow.

After crossing Mt. Lemmon Highway across form Molino Basin we climbed 1.5 miles to the saddle and descended the backside. This is the first time I have run this portion of the trail. Because of the snow and steepness of the trail we were able to glide over sections of the trail all the way to LaMilagrosa Ridge. The trail follows the ridgeline for 3 miles and then connects with the Agua Caliente Trail. From here the trail descends to a back road that runs east and west to the original starting point of the run. While still on the ridgeline, Ken and I encountered a herd of cows ambling down the trail heading in our direction. I wanted to get off of the trail and give them the right of way. Apparently Ken has had this experience before and stayed on course. They spooked easily and ran off of the trail.

This trail is one of the best runs of the series so far. It is 15.2 miles long and our time was 2 hours and 50 minutes. In the future I think 20 minutes could be trimmed off of this time. What a great day for sightseeing.

Looking west from Bar LY sign

Notice way off in the distance the road goes over a hill and disappears.  Then see the white crescent to the right that’s the same road curving over another rise?  A yellow-clad figure, Steve Kanoza, was on top of that hill waving his arms at me, or so he says.  (For the full-sized photo check out my Redington Ride Picasa Album and click on the magnifying glass.  I think I can make him out.).  We had established a pattern in which Steve would leave me on the climbs, then wait for me on hilltops.  When he commented that he was dropping under 4 miles per hour on the steep climbs, I admitted to going under 3.  He was sort of impressed that I could balance the bike at that speed.  Afterwards Steve commented to me that this was the hardest mountain bike ride he had ever done.  To Donna he commented he would never do it again, but he’s since relented.  It was the second longest and one of the 10 hardest mountain bike rides I’ve attempted,  so I was pleased with our effort, despite the cold I came down with later in the week.

So how did we get to that spot?  On Monday, March 23 2009 I took a day off work as my Cesar Chavez day.  I’ve wanted to attempt a ride over Redington Pass for several years, although my initial idea was a loop involving Mt. Lemmon Highway, the Control Road down the north side of the Santa Catalinas, and a return via San Manuel and Reddington Pass.  That morphed into a plan for the reverse direction, then a realization that I had ridden to the point of collapse on some of those roads and that first I should try and across to Redington and back before I committed to a loop.  The day before our ride, I realized the distance could work perfectly for a very supportable 100 kilometer run or ride course.  As usual with our longer routes, we’d lay out multiple options.   Read the words, look at the photos, and tell me what you think.  A small fraction of the 138 photos I took are in the narrative.  Look at the rest in the Web Album that goes with the story.

Steve Kanoza is an always-game adventure athlete.  He and his wife have biked thousands of miles, including the west coast highway.  When their trans-U.S. bike ride didn’t work out, they consoled themselves with a multi-day canoe trip to the Boundary Waters of Wisconsin.  They’ve completed numerous trail runs and marathons and a few ultras.  Recruiting Steve was a piece of cake.  Here he is at my house a few minutes before we started, just after 8:00 AM on Monday March 23, 2009.  His bike is at his back–

Shortly before our start...

 First we needed to cover the 5 miles to the point where Redington Pass Road climbs into the hills.  I used the route past Agua Caliente Elementary School I would use if we staged a run.  It’s practically all pavement, but there’s a good dirt shoulder much of the way–

At 5 miles, the climb is abrupt–

Now there’s 4 miles of mostly serious climbing.  This is where you pass through a striking series of life zones.  Botanically, there is the transition from Sonoran Desert Scrub vegetation (Mesquites, Palo Verdes, Saguaros) to Oak/Juniper upland.  Besides the plants, there is the Lower Tanque Verde Falls heterosexual alcohol zone, followed by the Upper Falls gay zone, then the vehicle-dweller switchbacks (darn steep), topping out at Gun Nut Canyon.  Here’s a view looking back west from above the switchbacks before swinging into GN Canyon–

Above GN Canyon, the road skirts the edge of the big valley feeding Tanque Verde Creek, then drops a bit into the rolling hills of the Oak/Juniper upland, mixed life zone of 4×4 drivers, dirt bikers, ATMers, hunters, and mountain bikers.  I took this shot on the way back, but it gives you a sense of the valley’s sweep with the Rincons looming above.  Sorry, this little thumbnail doesn’t do the effect justice.  You’ll have to do the run or the ride.

Mica and TV Ridge above TV valley

From where the road skirts this valley, there’s a drop, then some easy fast riding to the parking area for 4x4s and mountain bikers for the Chiva Falls jeep roads, which I’ve done on other occasions on my bike.  I don’t have a great picture of the parking area, but here’s a weird rock just past it with Mica behind it.  This is very close to 10 miles from my house–

Now the road does rollers for several miles, with big ones just past where this photo was taken.  Here’s a good one, with Steve up ahead as usual–

People who have been involved in Redington 50 K may recognize this shot.  This is the Italian Springs trailhead, where the Arizona Trail crosses the road.  Turns out it’s 14.6 miles into the ride and the highest elevation at 4350 feet, so this qualifies as the pass.  I also got a good photo of the strange little caterpillars that were trucking rapidly about.  Turns out they’re going to become Tiger moths–

Now we started more rollers, but with a downward trend.  We quickly came to the A-7 Ranch, which is owned by Pima County, but is a working cattle ranch, too.

At  5 miles past Italian Spring trail head, through very pretty country, we encountered the A-7 Ranch buildings.  This is looking back from just past the turn in.

By now we were down to about 3800 feet.  A-7 is in a valley (Youtey Canyon Valley, the original name of the ranch), so we had to climb out the other side–

Once out of Youtey Valley, we have the rollers down the desert hills dropping into the San Pedro River Valley.  Here’s where we had our first good view of the valley floor–

We dropped into the valley and continued a couple miles north until we reached this intersection.  There was no sign of a town of Redington.

End of the Road

We were puzzled.  We learned later (from Pam’s research) that the ranch we had passed just up the road  once had a post office and was established by the Redfield brothers, who cooked up the name Redington when the Postal Service wouldn’t accept Redfield.  One brother was later lynched up in Phoenix.  Sounds like the sort of things Phoenicians might do…

We went a ways south on San Pedro River Road and stopped at the bridge, where we had lunch and turned around.  Here’s Steve gazing east toward the Galiuro Mountains–

We started back and came to the side road that I suspected (correctly) was the remnants of Redington.  They weren’t too friendly.  The sign is saying “Access by Permission Only” and making dire threats.  We didn’t proceed further in.  Hopefully, you’re looking at my web album as well as reading this account, since I’m only including a fraction of my photos.

Here’s the beginning of our climb out.  I was struck by the great stands of saguaros on the slopes next to the valley floor.

This stretch on desert rollers working back up to the Redington Pass Upland was the worst grind for us and would probably be a tough piece on foot, too.  That mountain WAY off in the distance is Mica from an angle we’re not used to viewing it.

Steve sort of abandoned me here.  His climb is better than mine anyway, and he says he needs to focus and get it done.  Sound familiar relative some runners we know?

Here’s where we dropped back into Youtey Valley, with Mica a lot closer, thank goodness.

Once past the valley, we did a few hundred feet of climb back into familiar territory.  It’s interesting how much difference just a little elevation can make.  Notice how the plants are oaks and junipers again, not desert plants.

Steve waited for me at Italian Springs trailhead (again…) and we started the downward rollers on the west side of the pass.  Here’s the ATV area between Italian Springs and Chiva Falls parking areas.  The Catalinas are starting to show up again in the background–things are looking familiar.

We zipped along past Chiva Falls parking and came to the last climb before the descent into the Tucson Basin.  That’s Tanque Verde Ridge in the background.

There aren’t too many pictures after this, largely because we got to do what mountain bikes do best compared to feet–ripping down the descent.  On a decent day, I can do the almost 5 miles from Chiva down to the pavement in 18 minutes, and I’m a chicken on the switchbacks and won’t skid my bike.

So lastly here’s a map of our route.  This could be the basis for a very supportably dirt road ultramarathon in the cooler months of the year.  Steve and I talked about staging it from either of our houses–from his place it would be a little easier to scare up an honest 100K without making people wander around at the start or the turn around.  Thinks about it and let’s discuss the matter.  I could probably be talked into directing such an event at least once.  As with all the photos, click on the map to see a larger version.  The web album version can get even larger.  Think about whether you’d want to attempt this.