I have been running for about 4 ½ years now and it has truly
become a defining part of my life. Much
to the annoyance of my friends and wife, I tend to talk about running way more
than I probably should. I talk about my
runs, race plans, and the latest running articles or race video that I’ve seen. When I first started running, it was a
struggle to run for more than a few minutes without stopping and I was
incredibly slow (in my opinion).
I spent much of my first year injured from various overuse
injuries. I tried to progress both in
mileage and speed too quickly and ended up with shin splints, IT Band Syndrome,
and other various injuries. Without
these complications, I would have never started to do research on running
injuries, how to prevent them, and eventually starting my own blog to help
others avoid the mistakes that I made.
I ran my first half marathon in 2014 and my first full
marathon in 2015. My goal was to
complete the marathon in 4:00:00 and my training was going great until I
started to have some foot pain, which resulted in a 4:13ish marathon, which was
still really good considering everything I had overcome. I trained hard in 2016 doing several half
marathons and trained again to try and hit the 4 hour marathon goal, only to
have calf and Achilles injuries from overuse.
I tried to train faster and longer than my training plan called
for. I ended up walking about a minute
of every mile after the 14 mile mark.
While my time was not as good as I would have liked, I still was able to
take lessons from that race. I made some
bold challenges for myself in 2017 after that race.
I decided that 2017 was going to be the year I became an
ultra runner. I signed up for the Salmon Falls 50k outside of Auburn,
California with my running partner. I
trained quite a bit and even was able to completely overcome my Achilles and
calf issues. I went into the race strong
and scared, not knowing how I would be able to handle running 31 miles on the
trail. I completed my first ultra in
just under 7 hours and more importantly, I discovered how amazing the trail
running community is. I love talking
with people as we hike up a steep hill and end up chatting for quite a while
after that. I have become friends with
some of these people and we encourage each other in our journeys. It is just so awesome that the trail
community is so quick to encourage you, no matter if they are elite runners, or
out for their first few trail runs, it is truly my second home.
I signed up for another 50k (Gold Rush 50k) and unfortunately because
of the storm damage in California, the trail race was converted to a 5 mile
loop on mostly paved bike paths near the American River in Sacramento. I decided that I wanted to run the first 26.2
miles as if it were a marathon. I
started out feeling awesome and was ahead of my goal pace by over 15 seconds
per mile. I felt like it was a
comfortable pace and even ran with some friends for a while (at a slower pace)
just to see how they were doing and to encourage them in their first ultra
attempt, which they finished. I realized
with a few miles left that I would have to pick up the pace a little if I
wanted to break that 4 hour goal for the 26.2 miles. I was definitely pushing the pace and with
about a mile to go, I knew I needed to kick it up even more. With about ½ a mile to go, I knew I would
have to do a full sprint to the start/finish line (which was the 26.2 mile
mark) and even then I wasn’t sure if I would hit my goal. I ran faster than I thought I was capable
of. I pulled every ounce of energy out
in that sprint and crossed the line in 4:00:00 exactly. I finally broke the 4 hour marathon goal that
I set a few years back.
After I crossed the line, I stretched and ate some food at
the aid station. I stretched some more
and headed back out to finish the final 5 mile loop. I could barely run for a good mile before my
legs started to loosen up. I eventually
finished the 31ish miles in just under 5 hours and again made some awesome
friends in the process.
My friend and I then signed up for the Dirty Dozen 12-Hour Race
that is put on by Brazen Racing. They put on awesome races in the greater San
Francisco Bay Area and this was no exception.
I had no idea what to expect. It
was a 3.5 mile trail loop. Each lap you
came through the finish area where you could set up your own aid station. I had an easy up, a chair, and my bag of
gear. The course had a few
port-o-potties along the course and an aid station at the start/finish line and
half way through the course.
After doing tons of research about ultra running, I fully
expected to feel nauseous and possibly give back some of the food I took in (I’m
all about giving back, but not in that way).
I also expected to go to the “dark place” at some point in the race. This is typically a place where a lack of
nutrition or physical fatigue take you to a bad place emotionally. You questions if you will be able to
continue.
I started out at a conservative pace and walked the two
larger hills on each lap. I had
Tailwinds and Glukos gummies to take between aid stations and consumed Coke and
boiled potatoes with salt at the aid stations.
I took an MP3 player with me, but only had 9 hours of battery life, so I
decided I would run the first 3-4 hours without music. That first several hours went by so
slow. I was wondering how I would ever last
for another 10 hours, but I kept just chugging along.
My first pair of shoes (Altra
Olympus 2.0) were letting in too much debris and my feet were getting
irritated because of small rocks and dirt in my shoes. I decided to make a shoe change at about mile
10.5, which was earlier than I was planning on switching shoes. I threw on my Hoka
Challenger ATR3’s which I ran both of my 50k’s in and headed back out. I discovered that the debris got into my
socks so on the next lap, I took off my socks and replaced them as well. After that switch, I started to really get
into a groove. I would grab more
nutrition at my tent, threw on some sun screen, and grabbed a handful of ice to
cool me down each time I came around. It
got up to about 83, which wasn’t bad since I had been training in 90+ degree
temps all summer.
Laps started passing by and I realized that I was 1st
place in my age group, which lit a spark for me. I had never done that well in a race and I
felt fresh after that. Sometime around
mile 35, I was passed and remained in 2nd place in my AG. For the
remainder of the race. I completed 55.3
miles in 12 hours. In that time, I never
got sick and never went to the “dark place” although I was ready for either and
knew that I just had to keep going because it would eventually pass, according
to people who are much wiser and more experienced than I am. It is by far my favorite race and reaffirmed
that we can accomplish way more than we give ourselves credit for. Looking back on the race, I spent way too
much time at my tent, so there are areas where I can improve this for future
ultra races.
I had been battling with plantar fasciitis for several
months before the Dirty
Dozen 12-Hour Race and ended getting a cortisone shot a few weeks after the
race. I continued to train and the pain
never went away completely. It actually
started to get worse again as I finished my marathon training for my last race
of 2017, the California International Marathon.
I ran the race only 6 days after getting my second cortisone shot and I
could barely walk on it up until 3 days before the race (because of excess
fluid in my foot from the shot). I just
wanted to finish the marathon healthy and decided I wasn’t going to push too
hard. I finished around 4:28 or so. There was a lot of walking on the second half
of the race because I pulled a muscle in my big toe at mile 14, but I pushed
through the pain and earned my medal.
In 2017, I learned that it is more important to train
smarter than train faster. I over
trained again in 2017, which will be rectified in my 2018 training. I also learned that I don’t need to run fast
very often to complete my goals. Many of
the most established runners out there only run a few fast runs per week
(tempo, fartlek or interval runs). I
will move forward with confidence in myself and will strive to be smarter in
2018.
So now my goals for 2018…
After I finished my first 50k last year, I really wanted to
get into the Way Too Cool 50k which is one
of the most sought after 50k’s in the United States and always has some awesome
elite runners like Max
King toeing the line. It was a
lottery and I got in, which I was thrilled about. That is on March 3rd in Cool,
California.
Even though I have run 55.3 miles in my 12-hour race, it was
relatively flat. In 2018, I want to run
my first 50 mile race (American River 50
Miler) on April 7th. You get an
awesome Patagonia jacket when you finish, but I have another reason for doing this
race which I will explain a little later.
I was also hoping to get into the Miwok 100k in May, but I unfortunately
didn’t get picked for the lottery.
Hopefully that will be on my 2019 race calendar because it looks like an
awesome race and is a Western States 100 qualifier.
So here is the big goal for 2018… I am going to do the Rio Del Lago 100 Mile Endurance Run. It consists of the American River 50 Mile course and the Way Too Cool 50k course, so getting to run
both of those races this year will be awesome.
I will know what to expect during the 100 miler as far as terrain, even
though I am familiar with running in Auburn.
I know it will be incredible hard and I will be putting my family
through a lot during my long training runs.
I wake up at 3:30 on the weekends to get my long runs in and trying to
put as little stress on my family as possible.
Running 100 miles may sound stupid to some people, and
honestly, it probably isn’t the smartest thing I have done. My grandfather even asked why I would want to
run 100 miles and asked if it was all about ego. My response is that is has nothing to do with
ego or wanting to be better than anybody else.
I turned 40 a few months back and I have reflected on the legacy I want
to leave my kids. I am running 100 miles
for two reasons. The first reason is
that I want to see if I can do it. It
would be an incredible accomplishment and I am all about pushing the limits
that I think I am capable of. The second
reason is far more important though. I want
to show my kids (twins that are almost 5 and a 7 year old) that if you work
hard enough, there is nothing that out can’t do.
One of my favorite film makers is Ethan Newberry (AKA The Ginger
Runner). He makes incredible films
about running and really reminds me of the old Warren Miller ski movies from
when I was a kid. He has built a large
following and I encourage you to check out his films on YouTube. He has inspired me to film my journey to run
100 miles, so I picked up a GoPro Hero 6 and some accessories. I want my kids to see all the hard work that goes
into preparing and training for a 100 mile race. I also want them to see the ups and downs
during the race. Those times when I just
want to quit and those times when I feel awesome. I want to make a film (very armature film since
my film editing skills are horrible) that my kids can watch years from now when
they are trying to accomplish the improbable and know that if they put in the
work that they too can accomplish way more than they think they can.
I would love to hear some of your goal for 2018. Are you trying to eat healthier, run a new
race distance, become stronger, or more injury-free? Whatever it is, we can all support each other
in our journeys and I wish everyone a very happy and healthy new year.
