Just a short post to tell you that I'm fine (if you care... ;-) although still recovering after last week's painful episode at Rio Del Lago. It took me three days to regain my pre-race weight, something I never experienced before. And I've been unusually tired all week. Granted, I didn't take much rest with a lot of work, long working days, including three starting at 5:30 am on the phone. My legs were still sore on Wednesday and I decided to go for a run on Thursday for 6 easy miles. On Friday, I ran 9 miles with the last 4 under 6:30 min/mile pace. It felt good to feel some speed again after all the slow miles of these past weeks.
On Saturday, I attended our Stevens Creek Striders Saturday morning meeting at the Stevens Creek Park and ran the REI Trail with the group before continuing on Stevens Creek Canyon Road and Trail and climbing up to Black Mountain on the Bellavista Trail, then down on Montebello Road. 28.6 miles and 4,000 feet cumulative elevation.
And, this Sunday, I went back up to Black Mountain on Montebello Road, even racing with cyclists on the way up, which provided great motivation to work harder. I refilled my bottles at the camp ground (yes, I know, it says "Non potable water...") and made the detour on Waterwheel Trail on the way back. Total 24.7 miles and 3,800 cumulative elevation.
Now, while I'm so glad to get back to training again, especially in this wonderful weather, and happy to have logged more than 68 miles in 4 days, all these miles didn't come easy. I know that, by saying this, you will wonder why I'm doing this as a hobby then. My first answer is that, training hard will provide satisfactions down the road. And I'll use the famous "no pain, no gain" as my second answer...
Anyway, the Rio Del Lago 100 results have finally been published on Thursday. 38 finishers out of 84 starters (45% finisher rate). Of these, 15 finished between 30 and 32 hours. Tough one...
This weekend, Dan Decker and Greg Lanctot, from our QuickSilver Ultra Running Team ran Pine to Palm 100 in 25 hours flat and 27:13 respectively. Next week, Gary Gellin will participate in his first hundred at the Bear. Busy September for the team!
Next week too, Adam Blum directs the Quicksilver Trail Half Marathon and 10K in San Jose. It is still time to enter or volunteer! Quicksilver Almaden County Park, Hacienda Entrance, Sunday September 25, 2011, 8:30 AM.
This was post #249, talk to you next week for the 250 milestone! Have a great week in the meantime!
Showing posts with label Rio Del Lago. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rio Del Lago. Show all posts
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Monday, September 13, 2010
Rio del Lago 2010: several steps further into the ultra world
In Japanese, "Sen ri no ko, mo so ka ni, ajimaru" means "A journey of a thousand miles starts with one step." With the project of settling in Japan back in 1989 (instead of California!), Agnès and I studied Japanese for one year and we used this Asian philosophical quote and piece of wisdom on the menu of our wedding banquet to tell our friends and family we were in together for the long... run! Although we were both running occasionally at the time, our running paths diverged with her hip issues (she is going for total replacement in 10 days) and I, now running for two as she teases me. But Agnès has always been on my side for major races and she actually planned her surgery to make sure she could crew for me at Rio del Lago this month. Planning has its limits however with all the imponderables and hiccups that life and destiny have for all of us. After losing her dad last March, Agnès had to fly to France again in an emergency, this time for her mom who was hospitalized last Tuesday. Max is now settled in New Haven (or heaven, it's hard to tell the difference!) on the East Coast, Alex had rowing practice on Saturday and Greg, volley-ball, and not driving anyway, so that meant I was on my own for the first time on a 100-miler, "the way it should be anyway" Norm (Klein) told me before the start on Saturday morning. But this new experience was not my only step further in the ultra world: no crew, no pacer, very limited pre-race planning and focus, uneven pace, challenging sodium level management, meeting with the Kleins and Gordy Ainslegh, my first IV, these are some challenges or events which got me closer to the original ultra world this past weekend. Or the true and real ultra world for some. Sometimes I feel that I'm getting more proficient at this sport but, as we say, "The more you are expert, the less you know..." (meaning, the more you know about something, the more you realize how much more there is to learn).
By the way, the major issue with the authentic no-crew approach is that it deprives us from the crew taking pictures of other runners as I still do not carry a camera when racing seriously. Another step to make for me, like Scott Dunlap or Chihping Fu have done numerous time. Thus I just have a few pre and post-race pictures in Picasa. Some of which I may add to this post later with more time.
The path to the race
I just mentioned little planning before the race but I actually took the decision to run Rio del Lago right after running Western States 10 weeks ago. When I started running seriously and thinking about running a marathon back in 1998, my sister and most trusted medical doctor advised me not to run more than one or two marathons a year. With an average of 12 ultra races a year for the past 4 years, and many more ultra runs for training, I am way off the chart, yet I thought that one 100-miler a year was enough for me. However, while many would give a lot to run Western States under 22 hours, I was disappointed by only placing 52nd this year, despite the increased competition and therefore decided to give it another try this month. I registered by mail, got an email confirmation, sent the medical form and forgot about it. So much that Agnès had to rush to get a hotel room, two weeks ago, while we usually plan for Western States months ahead. Thankfully, this race is not as popular as the legendary Western States and there are quite some options in the Sacramento area for lodging. A couple of days before the race, I also contacted my running team, Rhomobile/Quicksilver, for carpooling arrangements and posted a few messages to check potential pacing options without any luck for the latter.
Coach Greg (Lanctot), from our ultra running team, picked me up on Friday and we arrived mid-afternoon at the Cavitt High School gymnasium for the pre-race medical check and briefing. Because I had not registered online, I was not on the entrants list and got assigned the last bib of the 100-mile "batch", that is 98. There were about 30 other participants on the 50K. A few familiar faces as usual, but also many people I did not know, which illustrates the increasing popularity of our sport. Popularity which is also illustrated by the number of new races popping up across the country and around the world. When I started running ultra races in 2006, I kind of remember that the number of 100-milers in North America as tracked by Stan Jensen's on his www.run100s.com website crossed the 40 threshold. Last week, I saw that Stan has now 85 100-mile races listed! That is a lot and comes with pros and cons. On one side it gives everybody an opportunity to run one, with some events filling up so quickly or with very competitive lottery systems. On the other, such events demand a lot of preparation and volunteer support, and this represents a stretch for a community which is not that large yet. Not to mention some real "hard core" ultra runners who do not like the increased popularity as they see it as a threat of the original roots of individual challenge and self-sufficiency...
Anyway, with such a small to medium size field, the pre-race check-in process was fast and we were all ready to hear the briefing from the new race directors, Molly Sheridan and Jimmy Gabany. Indeed, after a hiatus in 2009, Norm Klein passed the management hat to Desert Sky Adventures (DSA). Actually, as you will see below, the management of such an event is so demanding especially on D-day that Helen (bio) explicitly asked Norm, her husband, to stop being the race director, only allowing him to keep managing the race in her honor, the Helen Klein Running Classic (30K, 50K and 50-mile). While not directing, Norm and Helen still play an enormous role in this event that they designed in and out, including the design of the course as finishers are reminded with an inscription on the newly designed belt buckle.
After Molly and Jimmy covered the necessary details about the weekend agenda, the aid station spread and the course marking for instance, Molly presented to Norm and Helen a commemorative plate for the management hand-over. Then Norm took the mic (figuratively) to pass some key messages. First that, based on real life and picturesque examples, he will never let anyone quit. Second, reminding us that he had the second edition of this race run 4 days after the tragic 9/11/2001 and, as we were going to run on the anniversary run, that 9/11/2010, he asked us to reflect on the luck we all have in our lives compared to others. He then picked half a dozen participants to share more anecdotes with this "ultra" audience, and sent us for a good sleep before the race.
Five out of six representatives from our Rhomobile/Quicksilver running team had dinner together at Past Pomodoro, at Johnson Ranch on Douglas Boulevard, half way between the Cavitt school and the race "headquarters" hotel (Orchids Suites on North Sunrise). Apart from the joyful atmosphere and mood of our group, the pasta portions were not big enough for my pre-race carbo-loading and I had to ask for some refill. There may be more generous places around, let me know for next time!
We were to reconvene at 5AM on Saturday morning in the gymansium for a last briefing (hydrate, hydrate, hydrate, and eat!) and final check-in, but the latter was replaced with the use of computer-based timing chips and all of us passing on the mat at the start. The race started promptly at 6AM, before sun rise.
From the start to Cardiac
I was leading the charge as we left the school and, in the dark, missed the passage through the fence, leading the front runners a few yards into a dead-end. Pierre-Yves teased me and said it was not a good start... One of the runners had a headlamp and I let him pass on the trail up to the levee. After a few turns, two of us followed him, with the other runner actually telling us the way to get at some intersections. We were not a mile in the race, in an easy section and would have gone off course if it was not for this runner familiar with the course. I should also be familiar with this section which is shared between Sierra Nevada Run and American River, but I get confused between these races and, besides, paying more attention to my foot step, especially in the dark, I am really not good with directions (2 years ago I was following course record holder Jon Olsen and we all went off course at the beginning, not to mention Chikara Omine around mile 15 or Michael Kanning in Auburn, so it is definitely a hard course to sufficiently mark).
The three of us went through Twin Rocks (4.15 miles) without stopping, just saying Hi to Dave Combs as we were cruising at an aggressive 7:57 min/mile pace. I had just found out that the two others were actually on the 50K, and let one pass ahead to make sure I was not pushing myself too hard at the beginning. Of course, I like this pace so I got caught up with the fun of speed and our pace actually gradually went down (or up, effort-wise!) to 7:47 before hitting the rocky steps leading to Horseshoe Bar (mile 10). After checking it was not the last aid station before Cardiac, I didn't stop at this aid station either, but at the nearby one, less than 2 miles away, Rattlesnake Bar. While doing quick refill of my water and GU2O bottles assisted by David whose wife, Cynthia, was attempting her first 100, the second 50K runner passed through without stopping and I caught him up a few miles later as he was working on his shoes at the Power Plan water drop before Cardiac. He followed me again and I asked if he would consider pacing me during the evening but he replied "sorry, I would love to, but I'm not available." I made the same request to the lead 50K runner after he had just turned around at mile 15.5, as he indicated he was going to run 100 miles over the weekend, but got the exact same response. I tried... Based on the results, the front runner was no less than ultra elite Leigh Schmitt who has for instance won several of the Vermont events (50-mile, 100K and even Vermont 100 in 2004). He ran the return even faster to take first place in 3:52 or 7:29 min/mile pace. Our improvised and local guide was Gerell Eliott, from Folsom, and took second in 4:27.
After they both turned around, I continued alone and reached the new and temporary aid station at the bottom of Cardiac at an average pace of 8:17. The volunteers were still setting up the table and were surprised to see me coming, more so to see me gig through without stopping and running the steep hill... I only walked the last switch backs to go over some roots. It was not even 9 AM and, between the strenuous effort and the rising temperature, I got a good sweat before reaching the top and the wonderful section along the canal before and after Maidu. My average pace at the top of Cardiac had come down to 8:34 and only shave a couple of seconds before getting to the Auburn Dam Overlook station, barely stopping at Maidu.
Cardiac to K2 and Cool
I was really happy to see Jerry Hill welcoming me at the Dam Overlook. Jerry is a Friend of the Western Trail based on many ties with the event. Not only has he run it, but he spent countless hours volunteering, many of them as the Captain of the Last Chance aid station manned for 30 years or so and still helping before, during and after the race each year. Now, Jerry looked concerned and, indeed, informed me about Tom Kaisersatt who passed away last Wednesday. Although I knew well enough how serious Tom's conditions were, I was devastated and had hard time focusing on what to do at this aid station, mile 23, where I had my first drop bag. Jerry was officiating the medical checkpoint and noticed that my weight was down from 132 to 125 or so but, in the mist of the news, said it was ok. I left the aid station not really in the run and actually cried for the next mile to the point that I had trouble seeing. Tom has done so much for our community, for the Stevens Creek Striders, for the San Jose Fitters, inspiring hundreds of runners achieving a marathon goal or actually going beyond, experiencing the joy of ultra running world. He was always smiling even when suffering so much from his lung cancer, always upbeat and encouraging others, and still showing up to volunteer at races such as Ohlone in May (see the first picture of my race report, with Stan Jensen) or Western States in June. I was so happy to see him at Last Chance, cooking his famous grilled-cheese sandwiches, that I stopped to hug him, and take one piece for the run down to the canyons of course! It was so unexpected to see him in such a remote place, with his limited breathing ability he made his own ultras to just walk to these volunteering opportunities who kept him close to the running community which was his passion. He taught me many tips about trail maintenance when we worked together on Mount Diablo.
As I wrote the day before Western States, I ran for Tom this year. Walking slowly, Tom joined the Striders for more trail maintenance last March. Every encounter with Tom over the past years were so emotional because he was still so positive, yet we knew it could be the last time. In 2008, his friends and club mates organized a very special event for Tom whose second passion was flying and we offered him a flight on a vintage plane (see Speed though others' dream). Then, in October 2008, a yellow wave carried Tom to the finish of the San Jose marathon which he completed in stages after a major chemo. I am so thankful to have known Tom and experienced his generosity which touched so many of us runners in the Bay Area especially. People were so touched by his fight against cancer that they had already offered a bench in his honor on the Los Gatos Creek Trail, which Tom himself inaugurated. My tears were filled with both sadness of seeing Tom leaving our running "fraternity" and joy of knowing he was now liberated from such a pain in an ultra which did not seem to have a possible positive ending. For the past three years I'm thinking of Tom every time I put on my Livestrong wrist band when racing and ask for his guidance through my lows. He must have been so happy to see four Striders becoming ultra men (or rather ultra women for Penny, Peggy and his dearest Christina) while raising money through Team in Training (TnT). There is still so much to do to find cures for all the cancers undermining our lives...
As you can see, many memories came back as I was flying down the Western States section down to the famous No Hands Bridge (after the challenge of galloping on a horse on the bridge without holding the reins). And, to the risk of Agnès complaining my posts are too long, this event was an important emotional one of my run. And it is the minimum I can write at this time about this "saint." With that, I was certainly paying less attention to hydration. As a matter of fact, I got my water bottle refilled at Overlook with ice water, but did not like the taste at all, so took as little as possible and drinking more from the GU2O bottle. I changed water at No Hands and, thankfully, that water had no taste this time. Took a GU and some potato dipped in salt plus a piece of banana and rushed onto the second of three steep hill of the day, the local training hill called K2. Only 1.25 miles long but gaining about 1,000 feet in seven steep sections. I did walk the steepest "walls" but ran what I could, still having in mind the positive image of chasing Jon Olsen two years ago and even passing Chikara. Needless to say, being at the front, I had no idea about how others were doing behind and just wanted to get as much of the tough miles done before the hottest part of the day. From 8:30 at the bridge, my pace went down to 8:54 min/mile as I reached the Olmstead loop. Without any traffic yet at the station, the few volunteers were helpful and presented me my second drop bag from from which I just picked a pouch of GU2O powder. I also got my bandana refilled with ice before getting on the exposed and rolling loop from and back to Cool (the start of the famous Way Too Cool 50K, every March).
The loop has no major difficulty, yet is not flat either but a constant roll up and down, most of it with no shade at all. My cumulative average pace was oscillating between 8:56 and 9:00, just going up to 9:02 after I stopped to refill my bottles, take a Vespa and eat a bit. I also checked who was behind and, despite the volunteer saying that I should not even think about looking, I was able to see that I had about 15 minutes on bibs number 57 and 27. I knew Sean was 27 but had forgotten to check what Greg's one was (Greg Bomhoff, 2008 winner). That was before the loop during which I basically maintained the pace under 9, so I figured out they were probably closing the gap and kept going, thinking that Greg was really going much faster than what he ran two years ago.
Back to school
From Cool, we go back to No Hands Bridge but using another section than K2. Although it is going down to the river, I was barely able to get the pace down and reached the aid station right on 9:00 min/mile (average since the start, that is over 40 miles). Just as I was leaving Cool after my loop up there, I had seen Pierre-Yves cruising in after K2. And, from the bridge, I was now crossing the tail of the pack, receiving nice encouragements from most of the runners and trying to return the compliment when not out of breath while pushing up the hill (4 miles). On one high step over a root, I was trying to hurry to let two runners come down and got a cramp so bad that I almost felt backward if it was not for catching branches on the side of the trail. At this point, I did walk most of the uphills and my pace came down to 9:17 when I reached Dam Overlook for the second time. Rob Evans was all fired up as he was going to pace Bree who is both on his UltraSignup/Fleet Feet running team and our Quicksilver one for the Pacific Association's Mountain and Ultrarunning Grand Prix. As usual (Rob paced me for my first and best Western Sates in 2007) he said that I was looking strong and that only Sean was behind me and Bree about one hour behind. When I asked about Greg he said "oh yes, there is Greg too." Of course! Little did Rob know about me cramping for the past 10 miles, since mile 30. My goal was now to hold until the school like two years ago. I left the station without taking the water which I thought was not tasting good, and reached Maidu where I did a longer stop to remix more GU2O and get fresh iced water, plus more ice in my bandana. I had been for about 2 minutes at the station when Greg arrived behind, took two large bottles from his crew (I believe his father) and zip, disappeared along the canal. I had not even yet thought about what to eat at the station so I decided to take my time to recharge. I also stopped twice along the canal to splash and refresh my legs, my head and try to remove the salty stains on my top and shorts. Then I calmly went down in the tortuous Cardiac, trying to manage my quads which were badly cramping when going over roots and high steps. With that, I was very surprised to actually still see Greg after I had finished Cardiac indicating that him too must have had some "fun" in the killer switchbacks. Yet, its was going to be a long time before I see Greg again...
The next section to Rattlesnake Bar was long, painful and slow. I was monitoring my average pace (some people, and not just Norm, would say obsessively, and I cannot disagree!) and saw it going up and up finally reaching the 10-minute threshold half way back to Cavitt. I had finished my water bottle when I reached Power Plant (self-aid) and stopped to refill. Surely, would I have had a crew, I would have gone for large bottles at Maidu like Greg (like I did for the Canyons at States). So, when volunteers asked how I was feeling at Rattlesnake, I replied "tired!" But I was also thirsty and somehow not managing well my fluid, electrolyte and sodium intake at this time of the day and the race (mid course).
I kept alternating some walking going uphill and over rocks and jogging in the downhills, hoping over the rocks which was tough for the cramps and kept focusing on the fact that I was still ahead of m overall goal, if only I could maintain a faster pace throughout the night and the easiest section, South of Cavitt. That got me through the next miles, albeit more slowly than I was hoping. At Twin Rocks, while he was refilling my bottles, I asked Dave Combs if he had any advice for the salt, saying that I had already taken more than 16 S!Caps (every 30 minutes after Cardiac because of the heat and excessive sweating). He proposed peanuts. I was thinking about Greg who, as a local fully accustomed to the heat, was hoping the temperature would get higher than the 88F forecast. With the breeze we had through the day, I could not tell if we were above that but learned later from Norm that it went up to 91F. Not as bad as the 100F we had two years ago though.
While keeping moving forward (thankfully not in circle as some like Greg did at night on their way back in this maze of trails!), I passed the last two 50K finishers and I kept looking behind to see if and when Sean will close on me as I kept hearing that he was 15 minutes behind when I was seeing his wife or one of his two pacers at the aid stations. I finally reached the school just before 5 PM (mile 66) and stopped for 10 minutes to get prepared for the night, both taking 2 lights with me (headlamp and belt) and drinking two cups of soup to make up for the lost sodium. Still no sign of Sean though when I was going South on the levee.
Night shift and... sprint
Two years ago, I did not take my lights with me and got caught in the dark in the 5 miles between Negro Bar and Hazel Bluff, slowing down considerably my progression on the trail sections. This year, without a crew, I wanted to be extra cautious and left the school with two lights and despite the bright sun at 5 in the afternoon. After the levee I ran into a guy who was wondering what I was doing with a headlamp and sun glasses. He asked "How much have you been running?" I replied "68 miles" without mentioning that I still had 32 to go... through at least the evening...
The first aid station after the school was manned by friends Lee and Winnie Jebian, from the Bay Area. I asked Winnie for the gap with Greg and she said about 25 minutes. It was only 3 miles since the school but, with the loss of weight, I knew I had to work hard on my hydration and I was drinking as much as possible, therefore having to refill at every station and losing some time every time.
I was looking forward to Negro Bar for some soup but it was still daylight, so the soup was not ready yet. Running the trails in daylight changes completely the game, it was much easier than two years ago for me. The short hill up to Hazel Bluff was tough on the legs but it felt good to get back to the civilization after almost 5 miles at this time of the day. And the station had pizza, what I was dreaming of, although I should have taken cheese only as the peperoni was really hard to swallow and digest. But definitely a great idea to change from my version of solid food for the day, aka potato-dipped-in-salt.
At this point of the race, it is mostly flat going up and down the turn-around of Mountain Lion Knoll. Worth mentioning is the quality and variety of the food at the small Willow Creek aid station. I particularly liked the fresh kiwis and strawberries, but decided to pass on the avocado. I don't know if each station is working on their own menu but I'd give these volunteers a special kudo and 5 stars, with 4.8 stars to Mountain Lion Knoll for the warm welcome at the top of the... knoll. I had crossed Greg before the turn around when my GPS was showing 78.6 miles, that is about 2 miles before the turnaround. At my new consistent pace of 11 minute/mile as I was walking less and less with the nicer temperature and flat terrain, it was about a 45-minute lead already. way out of reach given how strong Greg looked. I had run 14.5 hours and my Garmin 205 indicated 81.4 miles when it ran out of battery, not bad for a single charge, although I wish the battery life doubles soon for such a device. Or maybe it was better this way so I stopped looking at the average pace which had stabilized around 10:25 then. I crossed Sean and Toshi (his second pacer, from the school, his first one, Tom, having covered the Overlook-Cavitt section), and Sean was looking good. Actually, I was also moving reasonably fast. I had left the turnaround 7 minutes ago, so that was still about the same 15-minute gap which seemed to hold since for the past 40 miles. With now 16 miles to go, suspense...
Sean's crew, now Heidi and Tom, were at Hazel Bluff and I asked them to take my drop bag back to the finish as I was not going to use what was inside. I had actually carried my belt lamp all the way without actually needing it as very few sections of the trail were technical, mostly short sections with lose rocks. After Negro Bar, I heard voices and got convinced it was Sean and Toshi, finally..., but couldn't see any light. There were houses not far (the section where we run along a fence, over the cliff going down to the river), so I thought it might have been people on their deck. Still nothing behind when I reached Folsom Dam Park, 3 miles from the finish, this time not taking my chance of stopping to discuss with Lee and Winnie. I was moving quite consistently now, almost not walking and could not believe it when I finally saw two lights closing on me as we were reaching the end of the trail before the last mile on the levee. I had expected that for more than 30 miles now but, getting caught in the last mile, that was tough to swallow. All this time I had thought that between his frustration for not having able to run UTMB this year, his hard work and training, the support he got today with crew and pacers, he deserved to be in front of me. However, based on the popular say that "The race is not over until it is over" I pushed the pace to stay closely behind them, just trying not to "eat" too much dust on the levee and avoiding more cramps. I was less than 10 seconds behind when the passed the final gate at the end of the levee and could not find the trail down to the school. Toshi was convinced that it was on the right where there was glow sticks and Sean could feel it wasn't right and, together we finally rushed in the final downhill and dusty stretch followed by the sharp turns around the fence. We crossed two runners with their pacers, leaving the school for their own night shift, and one told me later that they were wondering what was going on with such a speedy finish. Toshi was still going through the pacer chute when I was in sight of the finish line, a few seconds behind. Since the race was using chip timing, I did not even stop my watch on the line but only after being weighted and my blood pressure taken, at 17:23:54. In 2008 I finished second in 18:45:59, so an impressive improvement and PR. Greg had taken first with an amazing PR too and blazing time of 16:39 versus 17:39 in 2008! Right below 10 minute/mile pace (9:59).
Now, the bad news is that Norm did not like my blood pressure at all, at 80 over 60. I attributed that to this final sprint but that was not sufficient as a justification for him. He and Helen asked me to lay down and the pressure came up to 90 but then down to 84 after 30 minutes or so. After an hour, Norm asked Dan, the physician for the night, to give me an IV, the 5th or 6th of the day! It was a bit frustrating to have put so much effort in finishing before midnight, under 18 hours, yet not being able to get release and get back to the hotel. Not to mention that I did not have a car so I was holding Sean and his crew to go to the same hotel as well. The IV worked as expected and the pressure came up at 110 versus 116 on Friday afternoon, so we were good to go. As we were leaving, I saw the father and pioneer of the Western State Endurance Run, Gordy Ainslegh (see his Wikipedia page, the picture is from me! ;-), who had dropped from the 100-mile race. I started asking more questions and in particular about the fact that he dropped at Robbie Point, at mile 99 at States this year, 1 mile from getting another finish (he has 12 since he started this race in 1974, with 9 sub-24hr). But Norm cut the interview short and urged me to go to bed. Something he could not enjoy himself. Norm, Helen and many other volunteers were up from 4 AM on Saturday and did not leave the gym before 2 PM, ending up in 36 hours without sleeping, not to mention the extreme stress of preparing and running such a demanding event in these conditions. All for our fun of pushing the envelope... And a very nice buckle!
Overall our team did very well given the circumstances (52 finishers out of 98 starters). After Sean and I, Bree battled GI issues through the night, yet won the women race in 19:57 and took 6th overall! She also got an IV... Pierre-Yves cruised and finished in 24:24, deciding not to push as he is now back to working hard on his/a first job. Greg followed with an impressive 25:17 for his first 100-miler after suffering from hypothermia in his first attempt at the distance at the weather-challenging Cascade Crest a couple of weeks ago. Way to go for a runner who jumped from 10K to 50K and for a Football aficionado who taught me some key elements of this other sport on our way back home this weekend! Last but not least, Jim and his legendary and efficient shuffling allowed him to take first in his age group in 26:24, 40 seconds ahead of another of these "French men", René, who got lost on his second 100-miler (30:33 at Headlands Hundred). I actually spoke to René before the race and learned that he only trains with 6 to 7 miles/week. There is potential for improvement, here... Anyway, 6 finishers out of 6, we could not dream of a better outcome for the team, allowing us to score in both the Men and Mixed divisions in the Grand Prix. Way to go, Quicksilver and teammates!
Post-mortem
Post-mortem? No, nobody died during the race, phew! But there was certain pain, disillusion, and a lot of suffering from the runners and hard work for the medical crew, Norm (again...) and Dan.
As I mentioned above, not only there are so many 100-mile events now which makes the organization challenging to concentrate the time of the volunteers, but at the same time the expectations increase in terms of quality, especially on the trail marking side. On our way back, I was telling Greg how certain races in Europe have no marking at all so you have to study the directions carefully before and while running and make the right judgment calls. Trail marking is particularly challenging on this course which goes through or close to urban neighborhoods, where non runners can make fun of playing with the markings and ribbons. Speaking of ribbons, Jimmy mentioned that he picked something really cool, reflecting in the night, but that feature did not work at all. Fortunately, there were quite a flew glow sticks out there this Saturday night!
A big thank you to DSA for having taken the challenge of carrying the RDL flag. And to the sponsors for following Molly and Jimmy in this new adventure: ZombieRunner (ordered two insulated Ultimate Direction bottles last week, and 2 DVDs), ModernEyewear (high end sun glasses), Ink n Burn (I won a "Burn or Die" t-shirt at the Sunday raffle, the boys found it cool), DiscoverStretch (I'm in much need as I write this post... ;-).
Last but not least, to all the volunteers who have worked hours before, during and after the race, covering such a distance along the American River. As Jimmy said to us about the organizers "Thanks for coming, there would not be a race without you!" Well, the same very much applies to the volunteers of course!
Next race is in 2 weeks, the Trailblazer 10K to support the Friends of the Stevens Creek Trail, I promise the race report will be much shorter. Need to sleep and work in the meantime... And please consider participating to this fun event if you live in the Bay Area (there is a 5K run and 5K walk too).
Run Happy out there, keeping the souvenir of Tom's smile in your mind!
By the way, the major issue with the authentic no-crew approach is that it deprives us from the crew taking pictures of other runners as I still do not carry a camera when racing seriously. Another step to make for me, like Scott Dunlap or Chihping Fu have done numerous time. Thus I just have a few pre and post-race pictures in Picasa. Some of which I may add to this post later with more time.
The path to the race
I just mentioned little planning before the race but I actually took the decision to run Rio del Lago right after running Western States 10 weeks ago. When I started running seriously and thinking about running a marathon back in 1998, my sister and most trusted medical doctor advised me not to run more than one or two marathons a year. With an average of 12 ultra races a year for the past 4 years, and many more ultra runs for training, I am way off the chart, yet I thought that one 100-miler a year was enough for me. However, while many would give a lot to run Western States under 22 hours, I was disappointed by only placing 52nd this year, despite the increased competition and therefore decided to give it another try this month. I registered by mail, got an email confirmation, sent the medical form and forgot about it. So much that Agnès had to rush to get a hotel room, two weeks ago, while we usually plan for Western States months ahead. Thankfully, this race is not as popular as the legendary Western States and there are quite some options in the Sacramento area for lodging. A couple of days before the race, I also contacted my running team, Rhomobile/Quicksilver, for carpooling arrangements and posted a few messages to check potential pacing options without any luck for the latter.
Coach Greg (Lanctot), from our ultra running team, picked me up on Friday and we arrived mid-afternoon at the Cavitt High School gymnasium for the pre-race medical check and briefing. Because I had not registered online, I was not on the entrants list and got assigned the last bib of the 100-mile "batch", that is 98. There were about 30 other participants on the 50K. A few familiar faces as usual, but also many people I did not know, which illustrates the increasing popularity of our sport. Popularity which is also illustrated by the number of new races popping up across the country and around the world. When I started running ultra races in 2006, I kind of remember that the number of 100-milers in North America as tracked by Stan Jensen's on his www.run100s.com website crossed the 40 threshold. Last week, I saw that Stan has now 85 100-mile races listed! That is a lot and comes with pros and cons. On one side it gives everybody an opportunity to run one, with some events filling up so quickly or with very competitive lottery systems. On the other, such events demand a lot of preparation and volunteer support, and this represents a stretch for a community which is not that large yet. Not to mention some real "hard core" ultra runners who do not like the increased popularity as they see it as a threat of the original roots of individual challenge and self-sufficiency...
Anyway, with such a small to medium size field, the pre-race check-in process was fast and we were all ready to hear the briefing from the new race directors, Molly Sheridan and Jimmy Gabany. Indeed, after a hiatus in 2009, Norm Klein passed the management hat to Desert Sky Adventures (DSA). Actually, as you will see below, the management of such an event is so demanding especially on D-day that Helen (bio) explicitly asked Norm, her husband, to stop being the race director, only allowing him to keep managing the race in her honor, the Helen Klein Running Classic (30K, 50K and 50-mile). While not directing, Norm and Helen still play an enormous role in this event that they designed in and out, including the design of the course as finishers are reminded with an inscription on the newly designed belt buckle.
Five out of six representatives from our Rhomobile/Quicksilver running team had dinner together at Past Pomodoro, at Johnson Ranch on Douglas Boulevard, half way between the Cavitt school and the race "headquarters" hotel (Orchids Suites on North Sunrise). Apart from the joyful atmosphere and mood of our group, the pasta portions were not big enough for my pre-race carbo-loading and I had to ask for some refill. There may be more generous places around, let me know for next time!
From the start to Cardiac
I was leading the charge as we left the school and, in the dark, missed the passage through the fence, leading the front runners a few yards into a dead-end. Pierre-Yves teased me and said it was not a good start... One of the runners had a headlamp and I let him pass on the trail up to the levee. After a few turns, two of us followed him, with the other runner actually telling us the way to get at some intersections. We were not a mile in the race, in an easy section and would have gone off course if it was not for this runner familiar with the course. I should also be familiar with this section which is shared between Sierra Nevada Run and American River, but I get confused between these races and, besides, paying more attention to my foot step, especially in the dark, I am really not good with directions (2 years ago I was following course record holder Jon Olsen and we all went off course at the beginning, not to mention Chikara Omine around mile 15 or Michael Kanning in Auburn, so it is definitely a hard course to sufficiently mark).
The three of us went through Twin Rocks (4.15 miles) without stopping, just saying Hi to Dave Combs as we were cruising at an aggressive 7:57 min/mile pace. I had just found out that the two others were actually on the 50K, and let one pass ahead to make sure I was not pushing myself too hard at the beginning. Of course, I like this pace so I got caught up with the fun of speed and our pace actually gradually went down (or up, effort-wise!) to 7:47 before hitting the rocky steps leading to Horseshoe Bar (mile 10). After checking it was not the last aid station before Cardiac, I didn't stop at this aid station either, but at the nearby one, less than 2 miles away, Rattlesnake Bar. While doing quick refill of my water and GU2O bottles assisted by David whose wife, Cynthia, was attempting her first 100, the second 50K runner passed through without stopping and I caught him up a few miles later as he was working on his shoes at the Power Plan water drop before Cardiac. He followed me again and I asked if he would consider pacing me during the evening but he replied "sorry, I would love to, but I'm not available." I made the same request to the lead 50K runner after he had just turned around at mile 15.5, as he indicated he was going to run 100 miles over the weekend, but got the exact same response. I tried... Based on the results, the front runner was no less than ultra elite Leigh Schmitt who has for instance won several of the Vermont events (50-mile, 100K and even Vermont 100 in 2004). He ran the return even faster to take first place in 3:52 or 7:29 min/mile pace. Our improvised and local guide was Gerell Eliott, from Folsom, and took second in 4:27.
After they both turned around, I continued alone and reached the new and temporary aid station at the bottom of Cardiac at an average pace of 8:17. The volunteers were still setting up the table and were surprised to see me coming, more so to see me gig through without stopping and running the steep hill... I only walked the last switch backs to go over some roots. It was not even 9 AM and, between the strenuous effort and the rising temperature, I got a good sweat before reaching the top and the wonderful section along the canal before and after Maidu. My average pace at the top of Cardiac had come down to 8:34 and only shave a couple of seconds before getting to the Auburn Dam Overlook station, barely stopping at Maidu.
Cardiac to K2 and Cool
I was really happy to see Jerry Hill welcoming me at the Dam Overlook. Jerry is a Friend of the Western Trail based on many ties with the event. Not only has he run it, but he spent countless hours volunteering, many of them as the Captain of the Last Chance aid station manned for 30 years or so and still helping before, during and after the race each year. Now, Jerry looked concerned and, indeed, informed me about Tom Kaisersatt who passed away last Wednesday. Although I knew well enough how serious Tom's conditions were, I was devastated and had hard time focusing on what to do at this aid station, mile 23, where I had my first drop bag. Jerry was officiating the medical checkpoint and noticed that my weight was down from 132 to 125 or so but, in the mist of the news, said it was ok. I left the aid station not really in the run and actually cried for the next mile to the point that I had trouble seeing. Tom has done so much for our community, for the Stevens Creek Striders, for the San Jose Fitters, inspiring hundreds of runners achieving a marathon goal or actually going beyond, experiencing the joy of ultra running world. He was always smiling even when suffering so much from his lung cancer, always upbeat and encouraging others, and still showing up to volunteer at races such as Ohlone in May (see the first picture of my race report, with Stan Jensen) or Western States in June. I was so happy to see him at Last Chance, cooking his famous grilled-cheese sandwiches, that I stopped to hug him, and take one piece for the run down to the canyons of course! It was so unexpected to see him in such a remote place, with his limited breathing ability he made his own ultras to just walk to these volunteering opportunities who kept him close to the running community which was his passion. He taught me many tips about trail maintenance when we worked together on Mount Diablo.
The loop has no major difficulty, yet is not flat either but a constant roll up and down, most of it with no shade at all. My cumulative average pace was oscillating between 8:56 and 9:00, just going up to 9:02 after I stopped to refill my bottles, take a Vespa and eat a bit. I also checked who was behind and, despite the volunteer saying that I should not even think about looking, I was able to see that I had about 15 minutes on bibs number 57 and 27. I knew Sean was 27 but had forgotten to check what Greg's one was (Greg Bomhoff, 2008 winner). That was before the loop during which I basically maintained the pace under 9, so I figured out they were probably closing the gap and kept going, thinking that Greg was really going much faster than what he ran two years ago.
Back to school
From Cool, we go back to No Hands Bridge but using another section than K2. Although it is going down to the river, I was barely able to get the pace down and reached the aid station right on 9:00 min/mile (average since the start, that is over 40 miles). Just as I was leaving Cool after my loop up there, I had seen Pierre-Yves cruising in after K2. And, from the bridge, I was now crossing the tail of the pack, receiving nice encouragements from most of the runners and trying to return the compliment when not out of breath while pushing up the hill (4 miles). On one high step over a root, I was trying to hurry to let two runners come down and got a cramp so bad that I almost felt backward if it was not for catching branches on the side of the trail. At this point, I did walk most of the uphills and my pace came down to 9:17 when I reached Dam Overlook for the second time. Rob Evans was all fired up as he was going to pace Bree who is both on his UltraSignup/Fleet Feet running team and our Quicksilver one for the Pacific Association's Mountain and Ultrarunning Grand Prix. As usual (Rob paced me for my first and best Western Sates in 2007) he said that I was looking strong and that only Sean was behind me and Bree about one hour behind. When I asked about Greg he said "oh yes, there is Greg too." Of course! Little did Rob know about me cramping for the past 10 miles, since mile 30. My goal was now to hold until the school like two years ago. I left the station without taking the water which I thought was not tasting good, and reached Maidu where I did a longer stop to remix more GU2O and get fresh iced water, plus more ice in my bandana. I had been for about 2 minutes at the station when Greg arrived behind, took two large bottles from his crew (I believe his father) and zip, disappeared along the canal. I had not even yet thought about what to eat at the station so I decided to take my time to recharge. I also stopped twice along the canal to splash and refresh my legs, my head and try to remove the salty stains on my top and shorts. Then I calmly went down in the tortuous Cardiac, trying to manage my quads which were badly cramping when going over roots and high steps. With that, I was very surprised to actually still see Greg after I had finished Cardiac indicating that him too must have had some "fun" in the killer switchbacks. Yet, its was going to be a long time before I see Greg again...
The next section to Rattlesnake Bar was long, painful and slow. I was monitoring my average pace (some people, and not just Norm, would say obsessively, and I cannot disagree!) and saw it going up and up finally reaching the 10-minute threshold half way back to Cavitt. I had finished my water bottle when I reached Power Plant (self-aid) and stopped to refill. Surely, would I have had a crew, I would have gone for large bottles at Maidu like Greg (like I did for the Canyons at States). So, when volunteers asked how I was feeling at Rattlesnake, I replied "tired!" But I was also thirsty and somehow not managing well my fluid, electrolyte and sodium intake at this time of the day and the race (mid course).
I kept alternating some walking going uphill and over rocks and jogging in the downhills, hoping over the rocks which was tough for the cramps and kept focusing on the fact that I was still ahead of m overall goal, if only I could maintain a faster pace throughout the night and the easiest section, South of Cavitt. That got me through the next miles, albeit more slowly than I was hoping. At Twin Rocks, while he was refilling my bottles, I asked Dave Combs if he had any advice for the salt, saying that I had already taken more than 16 S!Caps (every 30 minutes after Cardiac because of the heat and excessive sweating). He proposed peanuts. I was thinking about Greg who, as a local fully accustomed to the heat, was hoping the temperature would get higher than the 88F forecast. With the breeze we had through the day, I could not tell if we were above that but learned later from Norm that it went up to 91F. Not as bad as the 100F we had two years ago though.
While keeping moving forward (thankfully not in circle as some like Greg did at night on their way back in this maze of trails!), I passed the last two 50K finishers and I kept looking behind to see if and when Sean will close on me as I kept hearing that he was 15 minutes behind when I was seeing his wife or one of his two pacers at the aid stations. I finally reached the school just before 5 PM (mile 66) and stopped for 10 minutes to get prepared for the night, both taking 2 lights with me (headlamp and belt) and drinking two cups of soup to make up for the lost sodium. Still no sign of Sean though when I was going South on the levee.
Night shift and... sprint
Two years ago, I did not take my lights with me and got caught in the dark in the 5 miles between Negro Bar and Hazel Bluff, slowing down considerably my progression on the trail sections. This year, without a crew, I wanted to be extra cautious and left the school with two lights and despite the bright sun at 5 in the afternoon. After the levee I ran into a guy who was wondering what I was doing with a headlamp and sun glasses. He asked "How much have you been running?" I replied "68 miles" without mentioning that I still had 32 to go... through at least the evening...
The first aid station after the school was manned by friends Lee and Winnie Jebian, from the Bay Area. I asked Winnie for the gap with Greg and she said about 25 minutes. It was only 3 miles since the school but, with the loss of weight, I knew I had to work hard on my hydration and I was drinking as much as possible, therefore having to refill at every station and losing some time every time.
I was looking forward to Negro Bar for some soup but it was still daylight, so the soup was not ready yet. Running the trails in daylight changes completely the game, it was much easier than two years ago for me. The short hill up to Hazel Bluff was tough on the legs but it felt good to get back to the civilization after almost 5 miles at this time of the day. And the station had pizza, what I was dreaming of, although I should have taken cheese only as the peperoni was really hard to swallow and digest. But definitely a great idea to change from my version of solid food for the day, aka potato-dipped-in-salt.
At this point of the race, it is mostly flat going up and down the turn-around of Mountain Lion Knoll. Worth mentioning is the quality and variety of the food at the small Willow Creek aid station. I particularly liked the fresh kiwis and strawberries, but decided to pass on the avocado. I don't know if each station is working on their own menu but I'd give these volunteers a special kudo and 5 stars, with 4.8 stars to Mountain Lion Knoll for the warm welcome at the top of the... knoll. I had crossed Greg before the turn around when my GPS was showing 78.6 miles, that is about 2 miles before the turnaround. At my new consistent pace of 11 minute/mile as I was walking less and less with the nicer temperature and flat terrain, it was about a 45-minute lead already. way out of reach given how strong Greg looked. I had run 14.5 hours and my Garmin 205 indicated 81.4 miles when it ran out of battery, not bad for a single charge, although I wish the battery life doubles soon for such a device. Or maybe it was better this way so I stopped looking at the average pace which had stabilized around 10:25 then. I crossed Sean and Toshi (his second pacer, from the school, his first one, Tom, having covered the Overlook-Cavitt section), and Sean was looking good. Actually, I was also moving reasonably fast. I had left the turnaround 7 minutes ago, so that was still about the same 15-minute gap which seemed to hold since for the past 40 miles. With now 16 miles to go, suspense...
Sean's crew, now Heidi and Tom, were at Hazel Bluff and I asked them to take my drop bag back to the finish as I was not going to use what was inside. I had actually carried my belt lamp all the way without actually needing it as very few sections of the trail were technical, mostly short sections with lose rocks. After Negro Bar, I heard voices and got convinced it was Sean and Toshi, finally..., but couldn't see any light. There were houses not far (the section where we run along a fence, over the cliff going down to the river), so I thought it might have been people on their deck. Still nothing behind when I reached Folsom Dam Park, 3 miles from the finish, this time not taking my chance of stopping to discuss with Lee and Winnie. I was moving quite consistently now, almost not walking and could not believe it when I finally saw two lights closing on me as we were reaching the end of the trail before the last mile on the levee. I had expected that for more than 30 miles now but, getting caught in the last mile, that was tough to swallow. All this time I had thought that between his frustration for not having able to run UTMB this year, his hard work and training, the support he got today with crew and pacers, he deserved to be in front of me. However, based on the popular say that "The race is not over until it is over" I pushed the pace to stay closely behind them, just trying not to "eat" too much dust on the levee and avoiding more cramps. I was less than 10 seconds behind when the passed the final gate at the end of the levee and could not find the trail down to the school. Toshi was convinced that it was on the right where there was glow sticks and Sean could feel it wasn't right and, together we finally rushed in the final downhill and dusty stretch followed by the sharp turns around the fence. We crossed two runners with their pacers, leaving the school for their own night shift, and one told me later that they were wondering what was going on with such a speedy finish. Toshi was still going through the pacer chute when I was in sight of the finish line, a few seconds behind. Since the race was using chip timing, I did not even stop my watch on the line but only after being weighted and my blood pressure taken, at 17:23:54. In 2008 I finished second in 18:45:59, so an impressive improvement and PR. Greg had taken first with an amazing PR too and blazing time of 16:39 versus 17:39 in 2008! Right below 10 minute/mile pace (9:59).
Post-mortem
Post-mortem? No, nobody died during the race, phew! But there was certain pain, disillusion, and a lot of suffering from the runners and hard work for the medical crew, Norm (again...) and Dan.
A big thank you to DSA for having taken the challenge of carrying the RDL flag. And to the sponsors for following Molly and Jimmy in this new adventure: ZombieRunner (ordered two insulated Ultimate Direction bottles last week, and 2 DVDs), ModernEyewear (high end sun glasses), Ink n Burn (I won a "Burn or Die" t-shirt at the Sunday raffle, the boys found it cool), DiscoverStretch (I'm in much need as I write this post... ;-).
Last but not least, to all the volunteers who have worked hours before, during and after the race, covering such a distance along the American River. As Jimmy said to us about the organizers "Thanks for coming, there would not be a race without you!" Well, the same very much applies to the volunteers of course!
Next race is in 2 weeks, the Trailblazer 10K to support the Friends of the Stevens Creek Trail, I promise the race report will be much shorter. Need to sleep and work in the meantime... And please consider participating to this fun event if you live in the Bay Area (there is a 5K run and 5K walk too).
Run Happy out there, keeping the souvenir of Tom's smile in your mind!
Monday, September 29, 2008
Rio Del Lago 100: giving it all
Almost. Giving it all is a strange expression because you had better keep some energy not to die in our ultra runs. But, from runners to crews to volunteers, there was a lot to giving in these hot conditions on the trail this Rio Del Lago weekend. And, at many points along the course, I had the feeling of giving it all...To make a long story short, this has been a successful experience finishing 2nd of my 2nd 100-miler with a time of 18:46. Every 100-miler provides a different experience and surely I found this one tougher than last year's Western States mainly because I went out too fast.
Now, there are so many things which I want to recount that I am going with numbered paragraphs for this post. For the ones not interested in the details, and a picture being worth thousands of words, you can jump to my online and commented Picasa album.
1. Pre-race
Getting there. I registered to Rio Del Lago (RDL) the day after I learned Western States (WS) was canceled in June. There are two 100-milers in our Pacific Association ultra Grand Prix and only one of WS or RDL count for the rankings. Without WS, and being too late to register for the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB), then RDL was the best option for my yearly 100-miler. Yet, I was not as focused on the event as WS to say the least and did not work on the logistics before a couple of weeks ago. I was glad when Michael (Kanning) offered to car pool as Agnès could not leave the Bay Area before Friday evening, which was too late to attend the mandatory medical check and briefing of Friday afternoon in Granite Bay. It was very nice to meet and get to know Michael's crew (father and grandfather). RDL 2007 was Michael's first 100-miler last year (at age 15!) and his grandfather paced him, what a great family story! Michael is working hard at improving the US junior record on the distance and it is really unique to meet these three generations involved in such an endeavour.
We arrived at Cavitt High School at 3pm, just in time to avoid the line for the medical check. After a quick check (blood pressure, pulse, weight), we were invited to participate to a study conducted by UC Davis on the evolution of body composition in such an ultra endurance event. The temperature in the afternoon was quite high and announcing a challenging race on Saturday.
At 5:30 pm Norm did the pre-race briefing in his unique and inimitable style. After reviewing the course in details he invited a few runners to join him and shared some personal annecdotes for each one. There was Mark Tanaka who was still wearing his Emergency Room clothes just out of work, Geoganna Quarles coming again from Florida, Shannon Farar-Griefer from Moeben who offered each runner a pair of white sleeves, Michael Kanning, whom Norm left competing last year for his first 100-miler at age 15, Rajeev Patel, an ultraholic who has inspired and coached many runners in the Bay Area, ultra elite Rena Schumann and favorite and local Greg Bomhoff.
RDL is for sale... That was the scoop of the day and a very moving and emotional part of Norm's speech. Norm explained that Helen is turning 86 and retiring from her spectacular senior marathon and ultra marathon career. Helen asked Norm ("only" 70) to step down from RDL. Norm still hopes that Helen will let him direct the Helen Klein Classic for many more years. He added that HK is much easier to set up than RDL. Told some stories about people unmarking the trail a few days prior to the run, the logistics starting 10 months before the race, 20 volunteers withdrawing in the last week, the difficulty to set up some aid stations for up to 18 hours. Personally, I also hope that HK will continue for many years in honnor of Helen. Anyway, Norm said that nobody has stepped up yet to take over RDL so this may be the last RDL and SNER.
With Michael's crew we went out for a past party at Pasta Pomodoro, conveniently located between the school and the hotel. We were joined by Rajeev, his pacer Anu, and another ultraholic, Karen Bonnett. As Karen was pronouncing Bonnett the French way (without the t), I asked if she knew James and sure enough, she is her aunt. I have seen James, an ultra prodige, compete in Western States several times including last year when he finished 14th overall, 43 minutes in front of me. It's not a small world, it's a connected world! And, between German, Indian and French roots, that was quite a cosmopiltan ultra dinner, reflecting well the richness of the Silicon Valley melting pot.
I met Mark Tanaka and Joseph Swenson at the hotel, where Mark was complaining about his hectic schedule, lack of preparation and wondering if he should enjoy the couple of complimentary beers. I advised him not and wished him a good night.2. Race day
Dedication. I ran this race with two special people in mind. My brother Thierry and a Bay Area ultra runner, Tom Kaisersatt. Thierry is going through rough personal times in Paris and he was running Paris-Versailles this weekend, a 10-miler which has a big and long hill half way. I told Thierry I will have plenty of opportunities to think of him when climbing dozens of hills on the Rio Del Lago course and I did. Thierry did very well, around 1:06 (I ran this race two years ago and finished just under the hour, after pulling a muscle in my calf in the first mile while chasing the three lead gals, from Kenya and Russia...).
Another person who kept me going during this long race is Tom. Tom has inspired numerous runners in the Bay Area and beyond, mainly through his involvement in the San Jose Fit running club. I've known him through the Stevens Creek Striders. Tom has been helping out for many years at Western States, at our Last Chance aid station. There, he is known from the volunteers and runners from cooking delicious grilled cheese sandwiches, and I did indeed enjoyed one during my run in 2007 (June 2006 picture).
Tom is fighting lung cancer with the same obstination as his ultra running and we all wish and pray for a quick and complete recovery. After his third chemio, Tom plans on running the San Jose Marathon on October 26, in stages and at a 30 minute/mile pace. I will be there to support him and please consider joining us if you are free that Sunday morning. Here is Tom introducing me to the art of trail maintenance back in March 2008 when I was doing my service hours for Western States:
Another proof that it is a connected world: when I told Michael about Tom's conditions, his grand father remembered him from their time at the Mofett AMES/NASA facility in Mountain View, several decades ago. Yes, small world...Norm delivered his second briefing around 5:20 am. Just before, I had taken a pouch of Vespa, following recommendations from many other runners, lately, such as Jon Olsen, Scott Dunlap, Kiwi Paul. And I confirm it worked for me too. My gastric system was not so good just before the race but I had no issue for 36 hours, which really helped during the race. I'm sold!
With Rajeev and Karen:
With Mark and Michael:
With such a mental boost, we took the start at 6am (and not 5:56 am, thanks Norm!), in the dark morning of a hot day. It was really dark and thankfully, I had a headlight, based on some advice from past runners that it helps running in the first 20'. Michael stayed on my heels to take advantage of the light beam (he was not carrying a light), and I was following a few runners including Jon Olsen, last year winner and course record setter. Mark (Tanaka) and Bev (Abbs-Anderson) were just behind us, chatting (Bev took 2 months off to heal some quad injuries after Tahoe Rim Trail 100).
After a couple of miles, the course marking became confusing as we were getting on a trail shared with a triathlon this Saturday morning. Our lead group missed a turn and we went off course when about 8 of us reached the shore of the Lake at the start of the triathlon. Jon got us back on the trail and Michael took the lead of our group, pushing the pace as we were now passing the pack of runners, chasing Mark who was supposed to pace Michael in the first part of the race. After a few miles at a pace faster than 9 min/mile and still no sign of Mark, I had to calm Michael down. I went ahead and set the pace to 9 min/mile. We skipped the first aid station. Michael was excited because we were "putting time in the bank" in his own words. Unfortunately, there is not such thing in ultra, you'd rather have an even pace. At the second aid station, we asked if there were runners ahead of us (meaning Mark) and we were told yes. But it must have been the lead runners of the Sierra Nevada Endurance Run (52-miler or double-marathon) because, by the third aid station (Rattlesnake Bar, mile 12), I appeared first on the timesheet of the station.I left my headlight with Michael's grand-father, dipped some potatoes in salt, ate a few pieces of banana and got off to catch-up with Michael and Chikara who had already left the station. Seeing Chikara with only one bottle I remembered that we had more than 9 miles before Maidu and went back to the station to fill up my water bottle. Michael and I both did a pit stop after Rattlesnake and we let Chikara go. We did not stop at the unmanned Power Plant station (water only, and only 2.2 miles after Rattlesnake). After a few more miles in the shade, we reached the famous Cardiac hill which we half ran, half walked. In the last switchbacks of Cardiac I looked down and saw Jon closing the gap on us. The three of us reached Maidu (mile 21.24) at 9:05 am, but Jon left first and I told Michael "we won't see him again today!". At this point, Jon also confirmed that Mark had also missed a turn in the first miles and was "way behind us."
The mile before Maidu was along a small canal, in the shade, my favorite section of the whole course. Shortly after Maidu we reached the Auburn Dam Overlook aid station (mile 23). Again, Jon left first, then Michael, still in a rush.
Chikara was still ahead and out of sight. Just at the exit of the aid station, there is a large water container which horses competing in the Tevis Cup (the same course as Western States) can drink from. I dumped my Brooks cap in it to keep my ideas fresh and clear before getting in the hot canyon down to No Hands Bridge.
Faster than Michael on the downhills, I passed him and, after a couple of miles, caught up with Jon who had himself caught up with Chikara. When we reached No Hands Bridge, Chikara was first, I was second. There was white markings (arrows and lines) leading us not on the bridge but up a steep hill, like we had to climb on Highway 49. I was surprised but decided to follow Chikara, before I heard Jon yelling at us. For this reason, Jon entered the station first, followed by me then Chikara.Jon took off first in K2, a 1.25-mile up hill getting us to Cool. Chikara followed but I quickly passed him. To my surprise, I reached the Cool Fire Station aid station first. Jon told me later that he missed a turn at the top of K2 and started completing the loop that we were supposed to take later on our way back. Along with the nice volunteers, Greg helped me fill my Gu2O bottle up and Agnès prepared my Cool Off bandana with ice.
Needless to say, the temperature was already high at 10:30 in the morning. The Olmstead Loop after the aid station was as pleasant as advertized in the program. My second "voted best section" of the run. However, going over the rolling hills still at a fast pace (9-9:30) took its toll and I started cramping around mile 35 and worrying as I was seeing Chikara closing his gap on me. Chikara caught up with me at Knickerbocker Hill and we came back to the Fire Station together but he left first again, barely stopping to heat and hydrate.
The way back down to No Hands Bridge was much more dusty than K2 and I was glad to wear my Dirty Girl gaiters. Shortly after leaving the Cool Fire Station, I saw Michael, walking, on his way up to Cool. He was very disappointed, actually devastated, as he got lost in Auburn on the first way down to No Hands Bridge. Not finding the trail and the station he got dehydrated and lost his chance to set the Junior record today. Michael is so strong, he kept going up to Auburn Dam Overlook (mile 44) before deciding he was too much behind to reach his goal.I was still in second position when I caught up with Chikara in the long section between Maidu and Rattlesnake Bar (more than 9 miles). Chikara was not feeling well and I proposed some SCaps! (salt/electrolyte caps) but he was not interested.
At this point (above picture at Twin Rocks), I was not in better shape than Chikara, having lost a lot of salt as the white "frost" was showing on my shorts, but taking the lead gave me a mental boost which got me back to Cavitt School. I had no idea who was behind and which lead I had then.
At the School, Norm was not happy with my weight and asked me to rest for a while, taking soup, crackers and pretzels. Norm was worried that I was not going to be happy with his diagnostic but I've been an aid station captain myself and very much appreciate the outside and medical advice. Besides, when I now look at the pictures taken by Greg, I was surely pale and looked tired indeed. 
The only thing that I would interject is that Chikara was probably in worst shape, yet Norm kicked his butt and forced him to continue when Chikara wanted to drop at mile 67. Chikara went on for a few miles before turning back and calling it a day. Afterall he is only 26 and has already proven he is an elite ultra runner, and he has many years to fine tune his performance on this distance. I stayed for 20 minutes and left Cavitt as Greg (Bomhoff) reached the station in second place. Greg passed me between Folsom Dam Park and Negro Bar, around mile 72. I had evidently suffered from the heat and needed to keep working on my weight and sodium level at a time I was not really hungry.I left Negro Bar without my head lamp which was a big mistake. I almost got lost in the following section after I passed two volunteers placing glow sticks for the night. 2 miles before Hazel Bluff, it was so dark I could not see the trail and was running just following my feelings and some "trail instinct." I stopped from time to time to listen to any noise, and even yelled several times hoping to be close enough to the station for Agnès to hear me. No response, I kept going without seeing a single ribbon for a mile, i.e. at least 10 minutes. When the trail crossed the bike path along the river, I was afraid I had missed the station as I did not know this section of the run. Fortunately, thanks to some lighting from the bridge at the end of Hazel, I spotted a ribbon in the grass indicating the hill going up the Hazel Bluff aid station. At the top of the hill I found Agnès and Greg with my headlight (phew!) and my pacer Adam (Blum) who had been waiting since 5:30 pm (and it was now close to 8 pm...). Here is Greg, entering Hazel Bluff in the lead:
It felt good to know that Adam will pace me for the last 23 miles, through the night. Adam had run a 29K race in Santa Cruz in the morning and placed 2nd overall, 1 minute behind the winner. He was excited and ready to roll, needless to say, with much fresher legs than I. In addition to the moral kick of getting a pacer, and I realize on a much more practical level, I also got a boost when Agnès and Dave (Combs) proposed me some pizza. I could not believe it and the effect it did on me to have something different from the crackers and baked potatoes at this point of the race.
It basically took me 5 hours to complete the last 23 miles which does not reflect the relative lack of difficulty in this last section. You can read Adam's account of our "nice night walk in the park" on both sides of Lake Natoma, on his blog. Norm had told us in his briefing about a mega concert happening that evening at the turn around of the course, Mt Lion Knoll, and it was quite nice to have some music to keep us going through the night. I could not believe how nice this trail is, in such an urban area, so close to the city and car traffic. The two ladies manning the Mt Lion Knoll aid station were so nice and helpful, I was embarassed I could not eat more from their succulent buffet (soup and freshed baked brownies in particular). But Adam pressed me to return on the trail as we still did not know how far Mark was behind us.Adam kept track of my times and splits and told me we had a 40' lead on Mark when we saw him (Mark on his way to Mt Lion Knoll, us coming back to Hazel Bluff). Adam determined it was enough lead for second place, even allowing for some easy miles on the way back. Adam also thought I could get back to the School before midnight but that was not counting on my fatigue. Here, trying to make my mind over the food at Negro Bar (mile 94.5). This is where I took some water melon dipped into salt: I thought that would help my sodium but what was I thinking? That actually got me nauseous for the next 3 miles, really not recommended so late in the race...
I alternated walking and running more, keeping looking behind to see if there was any light coming. In the last mile, on the levée, something stranged happened. Adam told me I should run and I replied with a "not now, I have a story to tell you about Michael outsprinting his grand-father last year in the last mile." But Adam insisted and, sure enough, there were two lights at the end of the levee, 400-500 yards behind us. Although I thought I had given it all, it is amazing how you can still find resources for a final kick: I sprinted to the finish in such a hurry, it must have been funny to watch. And yes, Adam, you were right, my pace went down to 8 min/mile in that final stretch (according the my Garmin). As for the two lights, no clue who it was because Jimmy (Freeman) came in 3rd, 1h03 after me. Followed by Mark 25 minutes later, who himself had to sprint to the finish, with John Souza coming in only 1 minute later.
I was tired but happy with this second place in my second 100-miler. And, with a time of 18:46, an improvement from my 20:24 Western States although the course is of course very different with much less cumulative elevation (9,000 ft versus +18,000/-22,000 ft for Western States). Here I am at the finish with Jon (Olsen) and my pacer, Adam Blum:
I stayed for an hour in the gymasium to recover and participate in the second series of tests of the UC Davis study. Meanwhile, Agnès drove Adam to Hazel Bluff so he could get his car and we drove to the hotel, getting to bed around 3:30 am. Seems a dramatic picture below but it's just the UC Davis folks at work for some electro and blood work:
3. Post-raceAfter a few hours of sleep we had a nice and hearty breakfast at the hotel. A few limping runners, a few volunteers, a few crews, and many other "standard" people wondering from which planet we were. I could even chat with Jorge Pacheco, how cool is that? Jorge is so modest despite his achievements in ultra running. Last July he won the Badwater ultramarathon (135 miles across Death Valley in burning temperatures). He came at Rio Del Lago to pace his friend Shannon (Jorge is part of Team Moeben with Hal Korner and Tony Kkrupicka). I also got to know Shannon's husband and their son.
I slept again for 30 minutes after breakfast and, waking up in the middle of a sleep cycle, I was really not fresh when we got back to the school for the banquet and award ceremony, back in the heat. The food was very good though, as well as the company and legendary ultra camaraderie. Was nice to hear many more stories from each runner's individual experience of the run through this hot day and night. Rajeev and Karen (Bonnett) had just finished before we arrived at the school, with 4 minutes to spare before the 30-hour cut-off! There were followed by John Painting, DFL (Did Finish Last), who crossed the finish line with 40" to spare! 61 finishers out of 116 registered, that was a tough day for many. For all actually. Here, from left: Greg Bomhoff (1st), Jean (2nd), Jimmy Freeman (3rd), Norm Klein (RD):
Last, during the award ceremony, Norm spoiled us with amazing awards. Greg turned 40 so he should have been the Masters champion but Norm decided he had enough with the giant overall winner statue (ass above picture) and I was awarded the fancy top Masters clock as well as a cute pair of bears for 2nd overall, another one for first M40-49 and a nice eagle for RDL finisher. Luckily I was not flying back home but driving. For me who has still not seen a bear in the wild in California, I know have a representation of it on my shelf at home and in my office...
4. Additional notesMy first lesson and impression after the race was that it was not really "my race." Between pacing Michael, competing with Mark, keeping up with Jon and Chikara who both dropped afterwards, there was a lot of confusion in my head and I got caught in a too fast pace in the first part, given the unusual high temperatures.
Second, I believe I must have taken between 25 and 30 SCaps! yet it did not seem to be enough sodium. I was surely not heat trained for a race at the end of September, but I need to improve on the electrolyte management.
Agnès saw some really tuned crews in action (Jon and Greg in particular) and asked that we better prepare for next time. It feels good to have her getting so involved to support me in ultra running, in addition to all the support and love in all the other aspects and passions of my life!
One thing which striked me on my ways back to Cavitt School is how clean such a group of 200 ultra runners left the trail intact. Not a trace of garbage, I'm proud of you all, this is really sustainable running. As I was running at Rancho San Antonio this Sunday morning, 1 week after RDL, I had to stop 5 times to pick some garbage left by walkers...
My recovery was quite quick. Some soreness on Monday but it was all gone after a nice early morning 5-mile jog with my friend Bob at the track on Tuesday. 5 faster miles on Thursday, a long tempo run on Friday on the Stevens Creek trail (14.6 miles at 6:35 min/mile), 15 miles with the Stevens Creek Striders on Saturday morning and 2 times PG&E at Rancho this Sunday (1:06 and 1:01 for a total of 15.5 miles and 3,000 ft, a good training for next week's Firetrails 50).
Because of the long out and back course (67 miles) some aid stations need to remain open for up to 18 hours which is very demanding on volunteers. Some other stations are remote, and some are very exposed in the heat. More than any other races I have seen so far, this is really a race which would not be possible without the dedication of these volunteers, way less numerous than for Western States for instance. A sincere thank to all of you, volunteers!
I still consider myself new in the ultra community (I was a rookie at the Firetrails 50-mile, less than 2 years ago), but I can already appreciate the gift to have had Norm and Helen as part of the ultra community for all these years, on both sides of the sport, as runners and champions, and giving back to the community through race direction and motivational speaking engagements (Helen was not with Norm this weekend but speaking at the Quad City Marathon and ran the half-marathon there). What an amazing and beautiful "ultra couple!" Thank you Norm, thank you Helen, and see you in November! You are great examples of people... giving it all!"
Sunday, September 21, 2008
RDL: last minute training, and tapering...
RioDel Lago is coming next week, my 100-miler for the year, in replacement of the DNH (Did Not Happened) of Western States in June. Only three months have passed, a short period, but a significant one in terms of impact on training and preparation. Between the August injury, the DNF at the French Nationals, 3 round-trips to France over the summer and some worries at work, last June's running spirit has faltered.The good news is that the speed is still here. On Saturday, I ran at Rancho San Antonio where Max' cross-country team was gathering for practice (6:45 am). While Agnès was doing her own loop, Nordic walking, I went off on PG&E and ran the 9.3-mile loop in 1:05:44, 22 seconds shy of my personal best on this course.
This Sunday, I did not know if I should do a last long run, or take it easy and start tapering seriously. Instead of going up to Black Mountain I headed up to Rancho again (5.3 miles from my house) and got on PG&E at a slower pace than Saturday. Going down on Rogue, I had decided in my mind that I won't go for another PG&E loop, but run Wildcat Canyon after refilling my bottle at the farm. My Garmin 205 was showing 13 miles. I then caught-up with a group of 5 fast runners who happened to be from the famous Aggies Running Club (sorry, Brooks, an Asics-sponsored running club...). There were Jeff, Chris, Nick, Doug and a 5th runner.
This is exactly what I was missing to taper... some speed and push in the uphills! After sprinting up Upper Wildcat, we went down Rogue, then up again on Chamise first then on Wildcat Loop (switchbacks), then down on Hig Meadow, then up on Coyote and down to the tennis courts where I left the group after sharing 9 fast miles (it was now mile 22 for me, and I had 5.6 miles left to come back home).So, that's it for the tune-up, now is time for the real tapering for the rest of the week, until Saturday morning, 6am at Cavitt School. I promise, there will be pictures in the next post, thanks to Agnès coverage of the event. Have a good week!
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