On September 17, I ran for 29 hours from Williams to Ashland on a 100 mile adventure in Southern Oregon's Siskiyou Mountains. The event started at 6 am with headlamps in the dark up the Rock Creek trailhead. Out of a field of 80 participants, I selected a position about 25 runners back in order to avoid wasting energy using pre-race nerves or following competitors which tends to dictate to aggressive of a pace to early in the race. It's going to be a long day, so my plan is to race smart.
O'Brien Creek marked the completion of the first 13 miles. The uphill trail had multiple switch backs and I noticed 5 runners overstepped a marked log on the ground missing a turn so I took off after them and brought them back on course. The course was well marked and heeding the race director's advice if you take responsibility to keep your head up looking out for typical trail markings you won't get lost.
Running to Steamboat Ranch at mile 20 my training partner Josh enjoyed conversational pace with fellow runners on the trail, finding out where they were from and the story that lead them here. He also commented that I was quieter than usual and noticed I had an inward focus trying to digest the sheer magnitude of the distance we just fully committed to by starting. I had thoughts flashing through my head about preserving energy & slowly entering into my game face rather than diving in head first like I typically do.
Then came the wake up call, shit I heard behind me. A screaming yell so I turned & found Josh sitting down on the trail. My heart beat skyrocketed with a rush of adrenalin, this could not be good. Josh must have kicked a branch on the ground instigating two bees to sting him and from what I recall he always avoided bees in our training routes because he's allergic to them. In response to the sting, he wanted to get to the next aid station ASAP to have it treated and avoid an unknown reaction on the trail. Not to mention the cost of a back country rescue in these woods. He told me to meet him at the next aid station and takes of at a sub 7 minute mile pace which is a risky pace faster than anyone else at that early point in the race.
As I continue running, that one scenario we specifically agreed to avoid just occurred, he was no longer running behind me, an approach we planned to ensure the greatest chance of a finish together. After months of practicing every aspect of this race in training we could, an element out of our control, a little bee, just took over the plan.
Come to find out, because Josh was running scared to the next aid station to treat the bee sting settling, he ran down hill at too risky of a pace and this gamble cost him a sprained ankle. By the time I meet him at the aid station to assess the damage of the bee stink, I realized he was not going to make it as his ankle appeared swollen, the same size of his calf. Josh and the aid station medic confirmed how it looked, he was out but being head strong he paced with me to Seattle Bar ignoring the pain just to get that self confirmation & allow the fact to settle in this really did just happen.
After leaving Josh, I picked up a new group. A couple kids I dubbed the Montana boys whom I meet the night before at the pre-race dinner. I introduced them to other runners we came upon as such, the Montana boys. Those kids were running strong, tall & shirtless but I got the sense this would be short lived after finding out the strenght of their youth came with no experience under their belt at any significant distance to warrant the pace they held this early in the race. Then came the most seasoned ultrarunner I’ve ever run with, Todd Ragsdale, whose credentials included 30 ultra's including one he ran completely barefoot. When he told me to slow the pace, I heeded his advice. We ran side by side and for about a dozen miles before he left me at the Squaw Lakes aid station at 37 where I took a break to shed some gear including leaving my backpack and shirt. As it turns out, that guy Todd held that same smart pace for the rest of the race going from the 20-30 field position to finish 7th simply due to attrition from those in front not staying even with their early pace. Todd demonstrated to me how to race smart at these events.
O'Brien Creek marked the completion of the first 13 miles. The uphill trail had multiple switch backs and I noticed 5 runners overstepped a marked log on the ground missing a turn so I took off after them and brought them back on course. The course was well marked and heeding the race director's advice if you take responsibility to keep your head up looking out for typical trail markings you won't get lost.
Running to Steamboat Ranch at mile 20 my training partner Josh enjoyed conversational pace with fellow runners on the trail, finding out where they were from and the story that lead them here. He also commented that I was quieter than usual and noticed I had an inward focus trying to digest the sheer magnitude of the distance we just fully committed to by starting. I had thoughts flashing through my head about preserving energy & slowly entering into my game face rather than diving in head first like I typically do.
Then came the wake up call, shit I heard behind me. A screaming yell so I turned & found Josh sitting down on the trail. My heart beat skyrocketed with a rush of adrenalin, this could not be good. Josh must have kicked a branch on the ground instigating two bees to sting him and from what I recall he always avoided bees in our training routes because he's allergic to them. In response to the sting, he wanted to get to the next aid station ASAP to have it treated and avoid an unknown reaction on the trail. Not to mention the cost of a back country rescue in these woods. He told me to meet him at the next aid station and takes of at a sub 7 minute mile pace which is a risky pace faster than anyone else at that early point in the race.
As I continue running, that one scenario we specifically agreed to avoid just occurred, he was no longer running behind me, an approach we planned to ensure the greatest chance of a finish together. After months of practicing every aspect of this race in training we could, an element out of our control, a little bee, just took over the plan.
Come to find out, because Josh was running scared to the next aid station to treat the bee sting settling, he ran down hill at too risky of a pace and this gamble cost him a sprained ankle. By the time I meet him at the aid station to assess the damage of the bee stink, I realized he was not going to make it as his ankle appeared swollen, the same size of his calf. Josh and the aid station medic confirmed how it looked, he was out but being head strong he paced with me to Seattle Bar ignoring the pain just to get that self confirmation & allow the fact to settle in this really did just happen.
After leaving Josh, I picked up a new group. A couple kids I dubbed the Montana boys whom I meet the night before at the pre-race dinner. I introduced them to other runners we came upon as such, the Montana boys. Those kids were running strong, tall & shirtless but I got the sense this would be short lived after finding out the strenght of their youth came with no experience under their belt at any significant distance to warrant the pace they held this early in the race. Then came the most seasoned ultrarunner I’ve ever run with, Todd Ragsdale, whose credentials included 30 ultra's including one he ran completely barefoot. When he told me to slow the pace, I heeded his advice. We ran side by side and for about a dozen miles before he left me at the Squaw Lakes aid station at 37 where I took a break to shed some gear including leaving my backpack and shirt. As it turns out, that guy Todd held that same smart pace for the rest of the race going from the 20-30 field position to finish 7th simply due to attrition from those in front not staying even with their early pace. Todd demonstrated to me how to race smart at these events.
The descent to Squaw lakes was rocking single track dowhill. I caught up with a group of 5 who took off fast early in the race and now took the head position in the pack with these 5 running behind me. Those boys went out faster than me but I caught them after the marathon warm up by pacing it right. I was starting to feel my runners high and at this point, they were hitting a mental barrier at the marathon distance waypoint.
At the Squaw Lake loop around the lake the pack dispersed and I ran with one runner, Randy Nidalmia. I had meet Randy the night before at the pre-race dinner and marked him as someone I wanted to run with when I found out he's a 10:20 Ironman athlete and 2:56 marathoner. Credentials I aspire to. His wife was great and shared sunscreen with me at the aid station which was nice since I was crewless. She was hilarious too, she’s a nurse and wore a nurses Halloween costume to contribute to the ultrarunning vibe.
Running with Randy at the French Gulch Divide, I had him look away from the trail and out at the vast tree landscape and by doing so, your eye's are so used to the movement of the trail that they play an illusion with the tree's landscape moving in an outward motion. Randy and I admittedly were in the zone, in a running trance. The best way to explain the running trance to a non runner is think entering pirates of the caribbean davy jones locker for the race and leaving this place at the finish. During this trance you are aware of your thoughts as they impact performance and physically hyper sensitive to taste, touch, feel, etc. It a very primal state of being fully aware of living in that exact moment, like an animal must feel.
At this point, my nutrition was on schedule. This included one eGel plus one salt tab an hour and two bottles of electrolyte fluid between each aid station. I felt very good rehearsing this nutrition plan in training and felt good executing it today. The large number of eGel's I took in like clockwork was more than Randy could imagine taking in himself and witnessed it impact his performance. As we descended Hanley Gap, he could no longer hold my pace and we parted ways. It was good running with this new friend.
Climbing Dutchman peak I was alone at mile 61. Going beyond the 100K has been a significant waypoint in my mind where I take my first step running further than I’ve ever run before. To compound the virgin distance, the sun was setting and along with it the temperature drops. As the temperature dropped, I was not uncomfortable because running kept my core warm but my extremities got cold, most significantly my hands. This started to impact me when I realized my thumbs were so cold I could not physically open an eGel packet no matter how hard I tried. I continued on just knowing I was missing my one eGel per hour interval hoping there was an aid station just around the corner.
When I did reach the next aid station, I intentionally played catch up eating deli turkey wrapped avocado and walked away to allow my big meal of the day to digest. As I pressed on, it continued to get cold. I over estimated where to check in my drop bag which would not be until Glade Creek at mile 73. At this point it was dark and I turned my headlamp on. My nutrition dilemma solved at the last aid station would be short lived as I still did not have my jacket and my thumbs were once again frozen unable to open an eGel. Then came the aid station with miso soup, food never tasted so well. This was still not the aid station with my jacket but fortunately there was Josh and Trish with my spare drop bag. Josh pulls out my puffy brooks jacket, pearl izume gloves and powered by warm miso soup I was back in the game.
Arriving at the Wagner Gap aid station mile 80, the field was getting thin. This aid station was on the side of a ridge with gusty winds. Based on my experience skiing in bad conditions, if you stop at the lodge you don't go back out so being prepared by meeting Josh and Trish at the prior aid station, I blew through this one only changing my shoes and socks from my drop bag and not succumbing to the other comforts drawing everyone in to stay. I pressed on through the night on the Wagner trail perfectly warm and perfectly able to stay on track with my nutrition.
Nutrition and running was going well. But my demons came in the form of being tired from lack of sleep with no access to caffeine and I was alone without a pacer next to me to help stay awake. If you have ever driven your car tired you know your skills are just as impaired as driving drunk and being so tired I was running and swerving all across the trail. Spiralling downhill in my thoughts and my tracks while descending, a car light came up behind me and there was my second save of the day, Josh and Trish. They pulled up behind me with my emergency aid bag which I had tucked a Red Bull into. That Red Bull kept me going to the end of Wagner Gap.
Then came Wagner Trailhead at mile 82. This would be interesting, heading off the dirt road and onto the trail in the middle of the wilderness in the middle of night and at this point, a little sketch as I could fall asleep mid flight standing up. I told myself, don't get lost on this trail, stay awake and would have been willing to double back at any point I stopped seeing trail markers. But I continued on course and felt assurance as I passed each trail marker, even though the trail itself was sketchy with overgrowth. To combat the sleepiness, I would run on the trail and every quarter mile reach a tree to lean up against for 10 seconds to close my eyes for a mini break before trekking on. I almost fell asleep leaning up against those trees but the intervals worked to break up the distance and fatigue into manageable piences and I barely made it to the top.
At the top of Wagner Glade at mile 85 I meet two college students camping out and I stared at the mat next to their blazing fire. Their instructions were to pick up the flag at the top of the climb, the final 3 mile peak, then after bringing them the flag all that is left is a half marathon downhill to get home. I was drawn by that fire, way more appealing than leaning up against those trees. I laid myself down and just before falling asleep from exhaustion; I had that shock that goes through your nerves waking me up just enough so I could talk myself into just picking up that flag first before taking a nap.
Picking up that flag at the final peak was gratifying and along with it came sunrise presenting the most amazing views and a sense of renewal. The flags were placed on top of a rock formation they made you climb and at the top you could see 360 views, everywhere I just ran and the lights of Ashland where I would finish. I ran right past that camp fire on my way down & felt the emotions running through me as I overcame that struggle within.
On the way down I ran along side Juliano Wilson. This guy was a character, had a thick accent and was joined by his wife to pace him. I was descending faster on the single track and looking forward to that last aid station. All of a sudden, I heard Juliano scream behind me, waving his hands in the air. I was so fatigue I just stopped like a deer in the headlights. Ten feet away, a bear ran by straight through bushes stomping and breathing loud. It was watching me and Juliano had scared it away. It was brown and what must have been a teenager in size and I hugged Juliano and his wife for looking out for me. We ran home together.
The feeling of arriving in town in Ashland was surreal. People in the neighborhood looked at me like I was an animal and I felt like one. Completely stripped down from comforts to the basic simplicity of running and the heightened awareness of being fully present in the moment with one senses is primal. Crossing the finish line I realized I had acquired the ability to run 100 and the journey I took to accomplish this had transformed me in many ways. I had done it; I had completed 100 miles and relentlessly endured the physical perseverance and emotionally challenges faced.
Why did I do it? My fellow ultra friends will comment belt buckle but its more than that. My favorite quote goes "What you get by achieving your goals is not important as who you become". You begin with life's dreams and goals in your mind then work to build a successful life in the present, one day at a time. In our daily life, we are creatures of habit and routine and you will need to use self discipline to build positive rituals that support full engagement in the things that really matter and make conscious decisions to say no to the non-essentials that are not mission critical. Be deliberate about your decision making and similar to how I made the decision to press on from darkness to sunrise, don't just let your environment dictate your circumstances. Actions often reflect external pressures like wanting to sleep and not core values like wanting to finish. I am always amazed at what you can bring out of yourself when want something accomplished and have the will power to stick with it in the face of life's boundaries & obstacles to deliver results.
At the Squaw Lake loop around the lake the pack dispersed and I ran with one runner, Randy Nidalmia. I had meet Randy the night before at the pre-race dinner and marked him as someone I wanted to run with when I found out he's a 10:20 Ironman athlete and 2:56 marathoner. Credentials I aspire to. His wife was great and shared sunscreen with me at the aid station which was nice since I was crewless. She was hilarious too, she’s a nurse and wore a nurses Halloween costume to contribute to the ultrarunning vibe.
Running with Randy at the French Gulch Divide, I had him look away from the trail and out at the vast tree landscape and by doing so, your eye's are so used to the movement of the trail that they play an illusion with the tree's landscape moving in an outward motion. Randy and I admittedly were in the zone, in a running trance. The best way to explain the running trance to a non runner is think entering pirates of the caribbean davy jones locker for the race and leaving this place at the finish. During this trance you are aware of your thoughts as they impact performance and physically hyper sensitive to taste, touch, feel, etc. It a very primal state of being fully aware of living in that exact moment, like an animal must feel.
At this point, my nutrition was on schedule. This included one eGel plus one salt tab an hour and two bottles of electrolyte fluid between each aid station. I felt very good rehearsing this nutrition plan in training and felt good executing it today. The large number of eGel's I took in like clockwork was more than Randy could imagine taking in himself and witnessed it impact his performance. As we descended Hanley Gap, he could no longer hold my pace and we parted ways. It was good running with this new friend.
Climbing Dutchman peak I was alone at mile 61. Going beyond the 100K has been a significant waypoint in my mind where I take my first step running further than I’ve ever run before. To compound the virgin distance, the sun was setting and along with it the temperature drops. As the temperature dropped, I was not uncomfortable because running kept my core warm but my extremities got cold, most significantly my hands. This started to impact me when I realized my thumbs were so cold I could not physically open an eGel packet no matter how hard I tried. I continued on just knowing I was missing my one eGel per hour interval hoping there was an aid station just around the corner.
When I did reach the next aid station, I intentionally played catch up eating deli turkey wrapped avocado and walked away to allow my big meal of the day to digest. As I pressed on, it continued to get cold. I over estimated where to check in my drop bag which would not be until Glade Creek at mile 73. At this point it was dark and I turned my headlamp on. My nutrition dilemma solved at the last aid station would be short lived as I still did not have my jacket and my thumbs were once again frozen unable to open an eGel. Then came the aid station with miso soup, food never tasted so well. This was still not the aid station with my jacket but fortunately there was Josh and Trish with my spare drop bag. Josh pulls out my puffy brooks jacket, pearl izume gloves and powered by warm miso soup I was back in the game.
Arriving at the Wagner Gap aid station mile 80, the field was getting thin. This aid station was on the side of a ridge with gusty winds. Based on my experience skiing in bad conditions, if you stop at the lodge you don't go back out so being prepared by meeting Josh and Trish at the prior aid station, I blew through this one only changing my shoes and socks from my drop bag and not succumbing to the other comforts drawing everyone in to stay. I pressed on through the night on the Wagner trail perfectly warm and perfectly able to stay on track with my nutrition.
Nutrition and running was going well. But my demons came in the form of being tired from lack of sleep with no access to caffeine and I was alone without a pacer next to me to help stay awake. If you have ever driven your car tired you know your skills are just as impaired as driving drunk and being so tired I was running and swerving all across the trail. Spiralling downhill in my thoughts and my tracks while descending, a car light came up behind me and there was my second save of the day, Josh and Trish. They pulled up behind me with my emergency aid bag which I had tucked a Red Bull into. That Red Bull kept me going to the end of Wagner Gap.
Then came Wagner Trailhead at mile 82. This would be interesting, heading off the dirt road and onto the trail in the middle of the wilderness in the middle of night and at this point, a little sketch as I could fall asleep mid flight standing up. I told myself, don't get lost on this trail, stay awake and would have been willing to double back at any point I stopped seeing trail markers. But I continued on course and felt assurance as I passed each trail marker, even though the trail itself was sketchy with overgrowth. To combat the sleepiness, I would run on the trail and every quarter mile reach a tree to lean up against for 10 seconds to close my eyes for a mini break before trekking on. I almost fell asleep leaning up against those trees but the intervals worked to break up the distance and fatigue into manageable piences and I barely made it to the top.
At the top of Wagner Glade at mile 85 I meet two college students camping out and I stared at the mat next to their blazing fire. Their instructions were to pick up the flag at the top of the climb, the final 3 mile peak, then after bringing them the flag all that is left is a half marathon downhill to get home. I was drawn by that fire, way more appealing than leaning up against those trees. I laid myself down and just before falling asleep from exhaustion; I had that shock that goes through your nerves waking me up just enough so I could talk myself into just picking up that flag first before taking a nap.
Picking up that flag at the final peak was gratifying and along with it came sunrise presenting the most amazing views and a sense of renewal. The flags were placed on top of a rock formation they made you climb and at the top you could see 360 views, everywhere I just ran and the lights of Ashland where I would finish. I ran right past that camp fire on my way down & felt the emotions running through me as I overcame that struggle within.
On the way down I ran along side Juliano Wilson. This guy was a character, had a thick accent and was joined by his wife to pace him. I was descending faster on the single track and looking forward to that last aid station. All of a sudden, I heard Juliano scream behind me, waving his hands in the air. I was so fatigue I just stopped like a deer in the headlights. Ten feet away, a bear ran by straight through bushes stomping and breathing loud. It was watching me and Juliano had scared it away. It was brown and what must have been a teenager in size and I hugged Juliano and his wife for looking out for me. We ran home together.
The feeling of arriving in town in Ashland was surreal. People in the neighborhood looked at me like I was an animal and I felt like one. Completely stripped down from comforts to the basic simplicity of running and the heightened awareness of being fully present in the moment with one senses is primal. Crossing the finish line I realized I had acquired the ability to run 100 and the journey I took to accomplish this had transformed me in many ways. I had done it; I had completed 100 miles and relentlessly endured the physical perseverance and emotionally challenges faced.
Why did I do it? My fellow ultra friends will comment belt buckle but its more than that. My favorite quote goes "What you get by achieving your goals is not important as who you become". You begin with life's dreams and goals in your mind then work to build a successful life in the present, one day at a time. In our daily life, we are creatures of habit and routine and you will need to use self discipline to build positive rituals that support full engagement in the things that really matter and make conscious decisions to say no to the non-essentials that are not mission critical. Be deliberate about your decision making and similar to how I made the decision to press on from darkness to sunrise, don't just let your environment dictate your circumstances. Actions often reflect external pressures like wanting to sleep and not core values like wanting to finish. I am always amazed at what you can bring out of yourself when want something accomplished and have the will power to stick with it in the face of life's boundaries & obstacles to deliver results.
1 comment:
Amazing, Son !~ I am captivated by your story and inspired by your determination! Congratulations on this accomplishment! (I didn't need to hear about the bear incident, though, it's just the "Mom" in me)
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