2014 PINHOTI 100

2014 PINHOTI 100 RACE REPORT

 

WHY THE PINHOTI 100?

During 2014, my race schedule progressed as my love of running has continued to grow. I have met several runners who have previously run this race and had positive comments. As I was looking for a late Fall race, the Pinhoti 100 quickly went to the top of my list.

TRAINING FOR THE PINHOTI 100

Simply put… my legs are tired. I have now run over 3,000 miles in 2014. This is not a lot by some standards, but it was a significant increase in mileage for me. I will almost double my total annual miles in 2014 from 2013. Two weeks prior to the Pinhoti 100, I ran a 50k at the US Whitewater Center in Charlotte. Around mile 2, I felt a pain in my left hamstring.  I was running in the top 10 runners, so I decided to quickly pull off the trail and try to stretch the hamstring. As soon as I tried to stretch tit out, I knew I was in trouble. The sharp pain was significant, but I decided to keep running. My wife, son, and close friends were coming to see me finish, and I simply was not going to quit at this point in the race. I slowed down a little and knew to keep running and not stop. I felt that if I stopped running, I would be done for the day. By slowing down, I was able to finish and felt relatively ok. In hind sight, this was a blessing, because I learned that I could continue to run after experiencing a minor injury.  

 

Mileage leading up to the Pinhoti 100:

Week 3 – 81

Week 2 – 26

 Week of – 12

GETTING THERE:

 I decided to fly into BHM, and make the hour drive to Sylacauga for packet pick-up. This would be a fairly easy drive from Charlotte, but the flight was really cheap, so I decided to fly instead of drive. Packet pick-up was painless and well organized. I also stayed for the pasta dinner. I would recommend this… the pasta was good and it was nice to eat with new friends. The RD also provided a brief presentation and gave out some gifts for the participants. As typical, I did not win anything.

RACE DAY:

 Since this is a point-to-point race, I rode the bus that was offered to the start line and left my car at the finish line. The first part of the bus ride is nice and smooth on paved roads. If you wanted to get some extra sleep, this will be the last chance. The last 20 minutes or so of the bus ride is along a gravel road that is fairly bumpy. I mention this because you should not expect to get any sleep during this part of the ride. The total time of the ride was probably a little over an hour – maybe an hour and a half.  Upon arriving at the start, we had about 30 minutes before the race began. The bus dropped us off very close to the starting line, so I stayed on the heated bus as long as possible. About 5 minutes before the start, I got off the bus and walked to the start line.

From reading race reports, I planned to get out to a fast start to avoid significant delays at the water crossings. Looking back, I’m not sure a fast start is necessary, but it was nice not to experience any major delays.  I ran in the top 25 or so for the first part of the race and never ran into any major delays. The first 35 miles of the race is absolutely beautiful single track trails. There were quite a bit of leaves on the trail, but I did not see anyone get off course; although getting off course would have been easy to do in a few places.  While there were leaves, a few rocks and a few roots, I would not consider this portion of the trail to be overly technical. To me, it was about perfect. The leaves may have made this portion of the trail slightly more challenging; but overall, this was just a great single track trail.

I felt absolutely great during the first part of the race.  After the first aid station, I decided to turn on my iPod and enjoy some music. After I selected the shuffle option, the song that began to play was the My Morning Jacket version of “This Land Is Your Land”. I had just downloaded this song and could not think of a more fitting tune to be listing to while running through this beautiful Alabama trail. Somewhere in this section of the race is when the fun ended. While jumping over one of the small creeks, my hamstring issue reared its evil head.

My strategy for the race took a drastic turn. Instead of feeling great, looking to finish with a good time, I was now trying to figure out a way to simply finish. I had a bad hamstring and over 80 miles to go until the finish line. I immediately slowed down and began trying to convince myself that I could make it to the finish. I found that uphill climbs were proving to be the most difficult challenge. I seemed to be able to manage the flats, but simply had no leg strength for the climbs. From mile 20 -40, I was passed by MANY runners. While this was a little dis-heartening,  I tried to stay positive and focused on the goal – finishing.  

Around mile 35, one of the bigger climbs of the race began. The course became a little rockier during this section; however, I do not think the climb was as difficult as the elevation chart would indicate. Once arriving at the peak of the climb – Bald Rock, which is the highest point in AL at 2,408 ft - the view was simply stunning. I took a few minutes to view the beauty of the view and then got back to running. At the top of the mountain, runners were directed to the long wooded bridge that led to the next aid station.

Leaving Bald Rock, the course led runners through a mile or so of paved roads and then to an extremely technical downhill. Once off the pavement, runners were required to scale down a large rock formation. After approx. ½ mile of going down, I noticed 2 runners in front of me that were clearly lost. I began looking around and noticed there were no course markings, so I then realized that I was clearly lost. I looked up and saw 2 other runners headed my way and told them to go back that we were off course. After about 30 minutes of climbing back up the rocks, I found my way back on the course. For future reference, stay to right, those of us that were lost had veered to left. This is a very difficult area to mark with flags, so imagine we were not the only runners to get off course.  Thankfully it was not yet dark.  I would highly recommend all runners trying to get through this section during daylight. Darkness would make this section extremely difficult.

I had a drop bag at Adams Gap (mile 55.3) that contained all my “cold gear”. I arrived shortly after nightfall, and just in time for the cold temperatures that were ahead of me.  The clothing I selected worked for me, and I stayed warm through the cold temperatures and high winds. Unfortunately, many runners did not prepare properly for the cold weather and were forced to drop. My guess is that the cold temperature caused more runners to drop than anything else.

My memory is foggy on specifics, but all the aid stations from mile 55 to 85 were incredible.  Some of these aid stations were in very remote areas, and the volunteers were just fantastic. Whoever made the bacon, egg and cheese burritos… THANKS! I ate two of them! There were a couple of aid stations that were more like running into a concert hall than an aid station. On a couple of occasions, I recall hearing music in the distance and thinking I was really close to the next aid station. After another mile of running, I would finally arrive. Much of this part of the course is on “jeep roads”. I can better describe these roads as rocky, rutty, dirt roads. By far, the most difficult climb of this course was from mile 72 to 74. This part of the course was uphill with too many switchbacks to count. My hamstring was completely shot, and I had also developed a burning right knee. I imagine this was caused by trying to compensate for the bad hamstring, but I am not sure. Regardless, my left hamstring was barely functional and my right knee was on fire.

For the entire race, I was under the impression that if I made it to mile 85, I was “home free”. The course looks very easy from this point on the elevation chart, and every other runner seemed to think the same thing. Just prior to the aid station at mile 85, runners leave the jeep roads and run a mile or so on a single track trail full of pine needles. My feet were so thankful for these pine needles. I had developed a “hot spot “on the bottom of my left foot, and I was just  sick of running on the jeep roads. I was lucky enough to find a great volunteer, who taped my foot up and had me back on the trail on around 5 minutes. Now that I was “home free”, I was mentally in a good place. The next 10 miles of the course are on a gravel road and at best should be considered “rolling hills”. In other words, this is not as easy as I had previously thought. More so than the hills, the gravel absolutely beat my feet to pieces. And some of the hills were significant. Regardless, we were close to the end and I knew that I was going to finish this race when my body had thrown me more challenges than I have ever previously encountered during a 100 mile race.

The final couple of miles of this race are on paved roads that lead into town and finally into a stadium finish. About a mile from the finish line, the roadway parallels a railroad track. I looked to the left and saw a fellow exiting the wood line of the railroad with an “oh crap” look on his face and immediately froze. Now, I can only speculate that his young man was up to no good; however, my previous law enforcement experience tells me that my thoughts are probably accurate. Luckily, this young man determined I was not a threat to him and went on his way.

After a left turn from a long straightaway, runners make a quick right turn into the stadium and after a short jog around the track is the finish line. After finishing, I went into a tent and had some pancakes and relaxed for a few minutes. The tent was a little too warm for me due to the heaters so I then went outside and sprawled out on the football field, periodically cheering on finishers.

Those of you that know me well know that I am a huge believer in the power of the human spirit. This belief has grown even further after this race. Our bodies are capable of doing so much more than our minds sometimes believe. During 100 mile races, I often describe the internal struggle occurring in my minds as a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other. The devil is trying to convince me to do the one thing that will make all the pain stop… immediately. To quit. The angel is speaking much softer trying to encourage me to think about the reward at the finish line. As in most parts of life, the devil seems to provide the easy way out and sometimes the most logical solution. On the other hand, the angel sometimes seemingly offers us a much more difficult path, but the road leads to a much happier and rewarding ending. I have repeatedly found first-hand that if we stay mentally positive, our minds have incredible power. Though the final miles of this race, I held back tears of both pain and joy. Some of the joy was probably caused by the pain, because this race was a complete struggle for me. In the end, it was worth every ounce of pain! After just over 28 hours, I finished the Pinhoti 100.

CONCLUSION:

Parts of this race are on some of the best trails in the US. The finishers buckle is one of favorites. The race is well organized and challenging. I would highly recommend this race to anyone wanting to challenge themselves and enjoy some beautiful trails. Be prepared for cold weather and high winds.

BEST CONVERSATION:

I had many great conversations with other runners during the race, but my favorite was when I returned my rental car to AVIS at BHM. Trying to exit the car, I was struggling to get out of the car seat. As I moaned and groaned and slowly got out of the car, the elderly female AVIS employee and I had the following conversation:

Avis: Sir, are you ok?

Me: Yes Ma’am.

Avis : Well, what’s wrong with you?

Me: Ma’am, I am ok, I just ran 100 miles.

Avis: 100 miles?

Me: Yes Ma’am.

Avis: Don’t you think that’s a little obsessive?

Me: Yes, Ma’am, probably so.

Avis: she then went on for five minutes of how I should use various bath salts to relieve my pain L

 

ANOTHER MEMORABLE CONVERSATION (at an Aid Station during the night):

Me: Does anyone know the final score of the MS State game? (I had previously heard they were losing)

Aid Station Worker: MS State won

Me: Woo Hoo!

Aid Station Worker: And Ole Mille lost!

Me: Woo Hoo!

Aid Station Worker: Go DAWGS!

Me: (Silently Thinking):  But he was wearing an Auburn hat; oh well, I guess everyone hates Ole Miss

 

WHAT WENT WRONG?

After the SD100, I pushed myself too much and was over-trained. I had many weeks in which I was running at least 10 miles per day, 7 days a week. This felt great for about three weeks, and then my body began to start showing some wear and tear. I suffered a torn ear drum that refused to heal … This was on top of the hamstring injury and the rest of my body feeling worn down. Looking back, I think 100 mile weeks are probably too much for me. In the future, I am going to try to listen to my body and reduce mileage when necessary. I can probably accomplish my race goals if I top out at around 70-80 per week.

 

WHAT WENT RIGHT?

Clothing. I stayed warm during the entire race. The Patagonia Capilene worked wonderfully.

Mentality. While this would have been a very easy race to quit, I feel really good about forcing myself to finish.  

WHAT’s NEXT?

Once again, I was not selected in the Western States lottery. I’ll keep trying. If the stats remain the same for next year, I will go from this year 9% chance to selection to around 17%. Depending on lotteries, luck, etc.,  I hope to run the following 100 mile races in 2015:

June: San Diego 100

July: Tahoe Rim Trail 100 or Vermont 100 – both really interest me

Sept: Run Rabbit Run (Steamboat Springs)

Nov: Pinhoti, I want to come back for “Round 2”

GEAR

Shirts –                 Day -      Patagonia Long-Sleeved Outpacer

                Night – Patagonia Capilene 3

                                Patagonia All-Weather Pullover

                                Patagonia Houdini Jacket

Shorts – Patagonia Strider Pro

Shoes – Patagonia EVERlong – I have heard that Patagonia will stop producing shoes in late 2014, so buy   them now if you want a supply of their shoes.

                Pearl Izumi N1 – I switched to these when I put on my night layers around mile 55

Socks – Smartwool Toes socks, AND  Smartwool PhD  Ultra Light

Gloves – REI Thermo Pro (w/hand warmers)

2014 San Diego 100 Race Report

2014 SAN DIEG0 100 RACE REPORT

WHY the SD100?

As a resident of South Carolina, several people have asked me why I selected the SD100. In 2013, I decided to give myself a B-Day present of running my first 50 mile race in DC. That race just happened to fall on my B-Day. Since Southern California is one of my favorite places to run (and in general), for my 2014 present to myself, I chose to run in the SD100. I knew there would be several challenges to this race. When I signed up for this race, I had not previously even run 100 miles. Additionally, the SD100 was only 2 months after Umstead (my first 100 mile race); the heat seemed likely to pose a challenge; and the total course elevation change was approximately 26k feet (much more than I had ever run). Not to mention that I would have to adjust to the time zone difference of CA, as opposed to my normal EST. 

For my 2015 present to me… I am hopeful that the Western States 100 gods are kind and select me in the lottery process. If not, I will probably be back at the SD100.

FAMILY/FRIENDS–

Before I get to the race report, I want to say a few “thank you’s”. I am very blessed to have a great support system in my family and friends.  I have a wife, a 3 year old son, a miniature schnauzer (who thinks she is a human), and a full time job (this allows me to afford this crazy habit of long distance running). To work 50+ hours a week, run at least 50 miles a week (at a bare minimum), and maintain some form a family life is challenging to say the least. It has taken several arguments with my wife and a lot of soul searching for me to realize the sacrifice my family makes, but I finally “get it” (I think). While I am out running for hours at a time, I am spending time running that would have otherwise have been spent with families/friends. I have made every attempt to work in training around my family; but in reality, I have found that my family is actually the one sacrifices working their schedule around my running.  Honestly, I do not think there is a perfect balance when spending this much time training and having the family life my wife would like. If you have not recently done so, I would encourage you to take a minute to thank those around you for making so many sacrifices that allow us to enjoy our passion of running. I am certainly thankful for all the support I have from both friends and family. The trail head that I enter/exit for training runs is near my house. I love to exit the trail and find my son running up the street to greet me with a hug and tell me the he wants “to run like daddy”. This forces me to quickly realize that he and my wife have been waiting for the past couple (or few) hours for me to come home.  I can only hope that my son someday finds a passion in life like I have found with running.

For the SD100, I had three friends (Mark, Cari, and Matt) that gave up their time and sleep to pace me during the middle of the night. This is time that they could have spent with their friends and families; but instead they chose to help me finish this race by pacing me for the final 46 miles. Thanks to each of you.

I also want to thank all the many volunteers of the SD100.

TRAINING FOR THE SD 100–

After running Umstead, I identified some areas that needed immediate improvement for me to have a successful SD 100. Overall, I needed to finish stronger… I just had to figure out how to accomplish that. My quads were destroyed at Umstead, so I decided that I would focus on gaining leg strength and try to lose a few pounds.  To achieve this, I incorporated lunges in my typical sit-up/push-up routine and squats while at the gym (typically once week). I also watched my diet a little closer and added on some additional mileage to try to lose some weight.

I took 2 days off after running Umstead and then decided to hit the trails on Wednesday. My mistake was pretending that I had not just run 100 miles. Over the next 2 weeks, I battled calf injuries in both legs. You may remember, the calf injuries began the week before Umstead.  After continuing to run, I ended up suffering a fairly significant strain during a training run – one in which I was forced to walk home. I decided that I would have to take some time off from running. After exploring the internet, educating myself on calf injuries, I learned that I should take at least a week off. Instead, I took 2 days off, put on the calf sleeves and headed out the door. However, I decided to run on the road instead of the trails. I did this for about a week, and felt like it allowed me to gain both strength and confidence to go back on the trails. I then began to ease my way back on the trails by making my runs consist of both road and trail portions. This is one of the benefits of living in a neighborhood with its own trail system. It is very easy to run in and out of the trails back onto a road. I maintained this routine throughout my training; since I did not suffer any further injuries, I view this decision as a success. I experienced some slight calf pain throughout training and during the race, but nothing too concerning.  I decided to take the calf sleeves off 2 weeks prior to the SD100. I had nothing more than some minimal pain, but if nothing else, I have found the calf sleeves provide me with a sense of security. Regardless, I have not pulled a calf muscle while wearing them, so something is working. I did not feel fully recovered from Umstead until at least 4 weeks after the race, but I felt I needed to continue running through the “tired legs”. I would guess that 2 months is about the minimum timeframe I need to recover between 100 mile races; but no less than 6 weeks.

The 4 weeks leading up to the SD100, I logged the following miles:

Week 4 – 93

Week 3 – 51

Week 2 – 74

Week 1 – 52

I also ran on Sunday, Monday and Wednesday prior to the race logging 19 miles. I ran a quick 3 miles on Wednesday after work in OC at the Peter’s Canyon Regional Park. As I was running, I heard a very loud, fast rattle. I now knew what a rattle snake sounded like. I also learned that they blend in remarkably well with the terrain.

PACKET PICK-UP –

Friday - Packet pick-up is located at the Start/Finish line in Lake Cuyamaca, which is about an hour east of San Diego. The RD (Scott Mills) also leads a briefing session. During the briefing, the RD recognized many of the volunteers that made the SD100 possible. The race was forced to change the Start/Finish line this year due to a fire, so this year was even more time consuming for volunteers than usual. I found this recognition to be a nice gesture of “thanks”.  It is easy to overlook the support of so many people that without, there would be no event; and they do this service for free. The briefing was relatively short and to the point, but informative.  Just behind the Start/Finish line were warning signs for Mountain Lions and Rattle Snakes. I had primarily been concerned with the mountain lions, but most of the locals seemed to be much more concerned with the rattlesnakes; I wanted nothing to do with either of them. I suppose this provided me with a little bit of confidence in the event that I crossed paths with a mountain lion during the race, but I would still rather not meet either of them.  In closing, the RD read the following quote:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” Theodore Roosevelt

... and welcomed us to "The Arena". 

I left the briefing and drove back to San Diego to eat a pasta dinner with my friends/pacers. They had selected an Italian restaurant in the North Park area of San Diego that was fantastic. After dinner, I went to the hotel to finish preparing for the race and try to get a few hours of sleep. I stayed in the Mission Valley area of San Diego; this location allowed for a very easy, 45-minute drive to/from the SD100.

THE SD100 –

Surprisingly, I was able to sleep quite well for about 4 hours. Due to anxiety, nerves, or whatever other reason(s), it is sometimes difficult for me to sleep prior to a big event. I wanted to be at the race site around 4:30 (per RD recommendation), so I woke up at 2:45 am. I went through my typical restroom routine; got a package of Frosted Strawberry Pop-Tarts, a banana, and a large bottle of water. I was out the door at 3:45, headed East on I-8 towards the East County Mountains. So far, so good.

I arrived at the Start/Finish before 4:45; went to the tent to pick up my Bib #, and then back to car for final preparations. The parking lot was at the Start/Finish Line, so it was very easily accessible. There were several portable toilets in the parking lot that make quick bathroom needs easy. Before I knew it, we were lining up to start the race. At 6 am sharp, the race began.

I am not a big fan of hydration vests (or vests in general), but I felt it was important to have enough hydration during this race. I placed my UD vest in my drop bag, which was located at the Sunrise 1 and 2 aid stations. This would allow me to pick up the vest at mile 23.2 and drop it off at mile 79.3. I started the race with 1 20 oz. handheld filled with Tailwind (Lemon).

Immediately after the start, runners cross Hwy 79 and begin climbing. I would guess the first climb is around 1k feet. After this initial climb (around mile 4ish), we came to an open area of single track trail. Looking to the right, the view was absolutely incredible. Below us was a cloud covered area, topped by several mountain peaks. This was one of those times I wished I had a camera with me to capture the moment.

The next potion of the race was mostly a rocky descent into the Paso Pichacho aid station.  I was with a group of about 8 runners and we began joking about how this was going to suck climbing back up at the end of the race. It was also during this descent that we passed a skunk odor. We did not see the skunk, but we could certainly smell it.

After leaving the aid station, we began another climb. We could see the top of the mountain, so we knew we were in for quite a climb. The terrain was still very rocky, with both loose rocks and larger rock formations that we were required to maneuver either over or around. After reaching the peak, I somehow found myself in the lead of this pack on the descent. I typically do not like being in the lead as I have found that I push myself too much while leading a group of runners. I decided to just deal with it and run at a comfortable pace down the mountain to the next aid station. It was during the descent that the pack of runners began to separate. I don’t recall running in more than a group of 2 or 3 at any time after this. After the rocky descent, we ran across an open, grassy area and made our way to the Chambers 1 aid station (aka Pirates Cove). We were greeted by volunteers dressed as pirates – I have to admit, I thought this was really cool and it gave me a quick smile to “ARRR” back at the volunteers.

For the next 40 miles or so, I would describe the course as “trending uphill”. There were a few steep climbs, but the climbs seemed much smaller than the first 2 climbs of the race.  There were also some descents during this portion of the race, but generally, we could look around and find the next highest mountain and know that higher peak is where we were headed. Around mile 20, I realized that I was getting very hot. Prior to the Sunrise 1 aid station I was completely out of fluids and could feel my heart rate speeding up. I was thankful that I was able access my drop bag and put on my vest (the vest had 2, 20 oz bottles).  I filled both bottles with Tailwind headed out. The next aid station was over 7 miles away and I used very ounce of fluid in both bottles. For some reason, the thought of more Tailwind almost made me nauseous; I think I drank only water for the remainder of the race.  I knew I was way too hot; my heart rate was way too fast; and I was just plain old thirsty. The course remained much the same; rocky, trending uphill, with beautiful views. It was very windy during this part of the race as well. At the higher elevations, the wind was so strong, that I had to turn my hat backwards to keep it from blowing off my head. 

The next aid station was Pioneer Mall 1 at mile 30.4. Once again, I was extremely hot upon arrival. I received a nice ice bath from one of the volunteers. The volunteer also recommended that I put ice in my hat. I gladly complied. This felt so good! I continued to put ice in my had at every aid station until well after the sun went down. I believe that this was the most effective way of keeping my body temperature down. I also believe it was at this aid station that I found a box of donut holes… WOW, they were good. I cannot recall the last time I ate a donut hole, but this little piece of fried junk tasted heavenly.

By the time I reached the Todd’s Cabin aid station (Mile 39.4), I had noticed the heat was really beginning to take a toll on runners. This aid station had a few runners that had been suffering from severe cramps and vomiting. I later heard other volunteers describing Todd’s Cabin as a scene from MASH; unfortunately, it was an accurate description. I took at least 10 minutes here to try to cool down and ate loads of watermelon.

A few miles prior to the Meadows aid station (Mile 50.6), I saw the RD and another runner approaching me… they were informing runners that the course had been vandalized (someone had removed and/or misplaced) the orange flag markers that provided runners with directions. They informed me that we would be taking a slightly different route to the next aid station, but the mileage was the same, and there were no significant changes.  Upon arriving at Meadows, I saw my first pacer, Mark and his girlfriend cheering me on. It was good to see a familiar face. I ate some watermelon, chatted with them for a few minutes and took off. Mark would begin running with me at the next aid station. I left the aid station thinking that the downhill would begin soon… unfortunately, there was another climb first. A couple of miles after leaving the aid station, I encountered a small rattlesnake. Luckily, its feelings were similar to mine – we did not desire to meet each other and the snake kindly exited the trail into the brush.

I met Mark at the Penny Pines aid station (Mile 56.3) and we were off. I believe this is the aid station that had bacon... it was delicious. We knew that much of the course to the next aid station would be downhill. Although downhill, there were some very rocky sections that forced us to slow down our pace. I had heard some of the other runners talking about this section earlier in the race; mainly conversations regarding the rockiness of Noble Canyon. The other runners would say things like’” if you think this is rocky, wait until you reach Noble Canyon”. I get it now. I had a good idea of what we were approaching, but once again, I found myself not quite prepared for the rocks.  I had also attempted to warn Mark of the rocks, but my guess is that he was quite surprised as well. We arrived at the Pine Creek aid station near dark, so we put on our headlamps while there. While there, we filled up our water bottles  and made small talk with the volunteers. The volunteers were having some adult beverages that looked amazing.  They encouraged us to get to the finish line where we could enjoy something similar ourselves.

Immediately after leaving the aid station, we began to climb on a paved road. After a couple of miles, were turned left and were back on a trail. Just before the left turn, we saw a volunteer on a bicycle that had told us about the upcoming turn. After running a mile or so on the trail, we came to a crossing, in which once again, the RD was there. He again told us that the course had again been vandalized and provided us instructions on how to get to the next aid station. They were basically something like this… run up this hill a couple of miles and turn left. It will take you to the next aid station”. He was not joking about the running “up” part. This was an extremely steep uphill portion of the course. As we climbed, we could see headlamps of other runners that were miles away from us. We guessed that these runners were about to go down Noble Canyon, but I am not completely certain. Regardless of where they were located, it was really cool seeing their lights. We could also see the headlamp of a runner in front of us that was a little disheartening. Every time we saw the light from the headlamp, it was continuing to climb higher.  I am not sure if this was the original course that we stayed on or if the vandalism forced us to take a detour.  Regardless, the RD did a great job of identifying the vandalism and notifying runners of proper directions. One item I remember about this section is that the sky was beautiful. I did not have many chances to look up, but I did notice a shooting star.  It was also during this section that I used my portable charger to re-charge my Garmin. The one downside to this is that while re-charging, the watch does not show any information.

Upon arriving at the next aid station, Mark handed off the pacing duties to Cari. I had to get some dirt out of my socks while at the aid station, so I took a few extra minutes to remove and clean my shoes prior to leaving, while eating some watermelon. Although, we were limited to sight by our headlamps, the next section of the course felt as though we were running on the edge of a mountain. This was another section of the course in which we could look behind us and see headlamps of other runner’s miles away. We encountered a few scorpions during this section and more mice than I can count. The scorpions stayed still and we simply jumped over them; the mice would zigzag in front of us, so they were actually more difficult to get around.  The mice were not the “NYC Sewer Rats”; instead they were very small mice. I recall looking to the side of the mountain several times thinking it would be really bad time to trip and fall. Cari was wearing a watch with an altimeter and mentioned several times that we were above a mile high. It felt like it. I noticed that it was difficult to breath and that my throat was very sore, like I needed a "Halls". 

Once we arrived at the Sunrise 2 aid station, I removed my UD vest and gladly retrieved the handheld bottle. I was completely sick of wearing the vest. I was hurting pretty bad at this aid station, and I spent a few more minutes than I would have liked. However, after we left the aid station, I felt really good and was able to push the pace during the next section of the course.  About a mile before the next aid station (Chambers 2, Mile 87.9), we approached an intersection, in which a volunteer directed us to turn right to go to the aid station. About ½ mile after turning, I came to an intersection that I could wither go straight, right or left. I went straight and fairly quickly realized this was probably not the right direction. I then went back and took the left turn only to find another runner approaching me. I asked him if he knew where Chambers 2 was and he replied that he was also lost and was told by someone to take the right turn – the only one I had not taken. We both went down the  path to the right and determined that this was correct. Upon arriving at Chambers 2, Cari relinquished her pacing duties to Matt. I was later told that we passed a bear, who was in a tree as we neared the aid station. I never saw it, which is probably a good thing. 

Shortly after leaving Chambers 2, we began a brutal climb and descent. My legs were fried, and I had a very difficult time getting through this section. I also knew we were at a high altitude because my throat was hurting again and I was finding it difficult to talk. After some very slow miles we arrived at the final aid station. It was reality now that I would not be able to finish in less than 24 hours . 2 other runners passed me at the aid station while I ate some watermelon (again). Although I was not going to finish in less than 24 hours, I thought I had a descent shot at finishing in the top 30. We took off from the aid station for one more climb. The sun was now rising and we were able to turn off our headlamps. I also noticed pockets of warm and cool air. As we were running, we would encounter small sections in which the temperature would change drastically. Most of these were cool sections that  felt great. I bring this up because the temperature changes were very drastic.
As we were making our last climb, we saw a skunk. Luckily, he waddled away into the woods and decided that he did not want to have us smelling any worse than we already were smelling as we crossed the finish line.  This was the same area in which I had smelled a skunk at the beginning of the race; and yes, the climb sucked as we had expected. The final mile of the race was in an open field that led to the finish line. At mile 99, there was a sign telling us there was 1 mile to go. I noticed another runner beginning to close in on me. Matt pushed me to stay ahead of this runner and we were successful. I ended up running the final mile under an 11-minute pace. Upon crossing the finish line, the RD greeted me with a belt buckle and huge finishers medal.

I finished in 27^th place overall in 24:28. Not the under 24-hour finish I was hoping for, but I ran a very good race (for me at least). After finishing, Matt and I sat down and cheered on the finishers. We also enjoyed a fantastic pancake breakfast and met a few of the other finishers.  

Of the over 260 persons that signed up for the SD100, 229 started. 142 of those 229 finished and I finished 27 of those 142. I would highly recommend this race to anyone looking for a challenging race in the So. Cal area. The RD and volunteers are top-notch and work very hard so that runners can have a good experience. According to my Garmin, I spent almost 1.5 hours at the aid stations. This is simply too long and something I need to improve.

WHAT I WISH I KNEW PRIOR TO THE RACE –

The course is very rocky. I anticipated the elevation changes, but I did not anticipate the rockiness of the course. Some of the rocks were loose, while others are more formation rocks that the runners have to navigate around. Because of the rocks, I would recommend pushing the pace during any sections of the race that are not in rocky areas. Both of my big toes were black after the race due to hitting them on rocks. I recall both times very well as the pain was immediate.

I was concerned about the mountain lions. The locals seemed far more concerned with the rattlesnakes. Frankly, they are both concerning to me, but I would not lose any sleep over either of them. 

Although the temperature did not reach into triple digits as it did the prior year, this is a hot race. Be prepared for extreme temperatures.

The Mission Valley area of San Diego is a very convenient place to stay getting to/from this race; I-8 to Hwy 79, to the Start Line - about 45 minutes. 

Putting ice in my hat was probably the most important thing I did to finish this race. Even when the sun went down, I was still putting ice in my hat at the aid stations.

SWAG – At registration, each runner was provided a Patagonia T-Shirt and a High Desert Drop Bag. Upon crossing the finish line, each finisher was awarded a huge finishers medal and belt buckle. Also provide to each finisher was a SD100 Pulse Endurance Sports bag; Hooded sweatshirt; and Finishers coffee cup. I mention this because I was really impressed with all the swag!

NEXT RACE –

The Homestead 10 x 5k, August 2-14. Tim Waz does a great job as RD. This race consists of 10 5k’s that start on the top of each hour. The runner with the lowest cumulative time wins. There are even some overzealous participants that drink beer between laps. If you are looking for a different kind of race in this part of the US, I highly recommend this one.

NEXT 100's –
Run Rabbit Run, September 2014

Pinhoti 100, November 2014

FINALLY…

I want to say it again. I cannot thank my family and friends enough for allowing me to travel on this incredible journey. As much as I love to run, my family means far more to me. To my friends that gave up their sleep to pace me during the middle of the night… “Thanks!”. I also thank the many people who are supporting me that are unable to attend these races.

GEAR

·       Shirt –    Patagonia Fore Runner T-Shirt (Day);

o   Ink N Burn (Night) - Charlotte Ultra Running logo shirt (best running store in Charlotte!)  

·       Jacket – Patagonia Houdini – this is my favorite jacket. The jacket easily folds into the chest                pocket and allows for easy storage during Ultras.

·       Compression Shorts – Under Armour 6 inch

·       Shorts – Patagonia (liner free)

·       Socks – Injini (ultra lightweight) as a base layer; Swiftwick Aspire Zero over the Injini’s.

·       Sunglasses – Under Armour – polarized

·       Shoes – Patagonia EVERlong

·       Hat – Headsweats (White)

·       Gaiters – Dirty Girl

·       Calf Sleeves – 2XU

·       Hydration – UltrAspire 20 oz. handled;

o   Ultimate Direction Vest (Scott Jurek version)

·       Nutrition – Saltstick Tabs - regular during the day, Saltstick Plus (with caffeine)  during the night

o   PowerBar Energy Blends– I have found this is one of the few things that taste good to me during a 100mile run

o   Aid Stations – Watermelon and Oranges/Water and Tailwind drinks

·       Watch – Garmin 910XT – I also used a small Trend Micro portable charging device during the race to provide additional battery life.

·       Drop Bag – High Desert Drop Bag

·       Head Lamp – Black Diamond Spot; I also carried a small Fenix handheld flashlight in my UD vest just in case…but did not need to use it.

A quick note regarding the sponsors of the SD100… Patagonia, Black Diamond, and High Desert Drop Bags (among others) are all sponsors of the SD100. These are great companies whose products I regularly use and would recommend to anyone.

Robert Prestininzi, #186

2014 Umstead 100 Mile Endurance Run

The Umstead 100 is 8 laps of a 12.5 mile course. The course consists of mostly bridal trails, with some gravel areas. There is approximately 1k feet of elevation gain per lap (8k total). This was my first 100 mile race, and looking back, I could not have asked for a better 100 mile race to select as my first. Initially, I set a goal of just finishing within the 30 hour time limit, but I simply could not resist attempting to break the 24 hour mark. Prior to the race, I created a chart that had a 23:30 finish time and I made every attempt to follow that guideline during the race…. Pretty close finish time, huh?

I got out to a slightly faster start than I planned for, but this is to be expected – a ton of adrenaline and emotions were flowing through my body. The first two laps were uneventful; I was running the race just as planned, and had already built a little time cushion to successfully finish in under 24 hours. I will call Lap 3, the “lap from hell”. This name comes from temperature alone. The forecast called for a high of 70… I do not know the actual temperature, but I am certain it was greater than 70. At the end of lap 3, I realized I had become dehydrated; I knew the remainder of the race would be a challenge.  I spent lap 4 drinking as much as possible and taking several salt pills. I drank so much that my stomach felt bloated. I had completely lost my appetite for food and barely ate anything for the remainder of the race. 

Laps 5 and 6 went well – 6 better than 5. During these laps, I was paced by an old college friend, Charlie Gibson. Charlie, thanks and phi phi! It was great conversation and I truly appreciate the sacrifice all pacers make.  Charlie is a great runner and I hope he completes his first 100 soon!

During laps 7 and 8, I was paced by my close friend, Troy Murray. I was in pretty rough shape during these laps… my first thought is that I can’t imagine attempting to finish my first 100 without the aid of a pacer. Once I finished lap 7, I was confident that I would finish in under 24 hours. I basically coasted during lap 8… mainly because that all the “gas I had left in the tank”. I crossed the finish line in 23:16. Goal accomplished! Dream fulfilled! During the last 2 miles, I had no leg strength left. Note to self… more squats and lunges are in your future. I was going at such a slow pace during these miles, that I actually felt bad for Troy. For every time he asked me if I was ok, I think I apologized for running so slow. At some point I asked him to stop asking me if I was ok, because the answer was “no”.

The Murray family is very special to me and I could not have asked to finish this race with any one else. Thanks Troy! BTW, what was the name of that band?

THINGS TO REMEMBER –

·      Meeting and talking to Hal Koerner – It was a great experience to meet and chat with Hal; he is a much bigger man than I expected. My simple description of Hal would be: “Hal is a big dude”.

·      Family and Friends - Seeing my wife, son and friends cheering me on. The Murray and Mika families made the trip to Raleigh to support me.  I am truly blessed to have all of these people in my life. As I was coming up the hill to complete lap 3, I heard a lot of commotion… it was my “fan base”. Being able to hug Slater (my son) and Carsyn (Troy’s daughter) was great. I felt rejuvenated after seeing everyone.

·      Elevation – Everyone talks about the elevation gain… during the last portion of the race, it’s the down hills that cause so much pain.

WHAT WORKED WELL –

·      Shoes – Patagonia EVERlongs were great. My toes were taped with KT tape,; I wore Injini toe socks as a base layer sock and a pair Swiftwick socks over those. No blisters or hotspots.

·      Planning – I created and followed a plan. I also found that running the course prior to the race was helpful. About a month prior to the race, there is a marathon at Umstead. Once I found this, I immediately signed up so I would gain some familiarity with the course.

·      Pacers – Pacers make a world of difference. If you have not noticed, trail running at night can be lonely.

WHAT DID NOT WORK SO WELL –

·      Tapering – After running Weymouth Woods 100k in Jan, I realized a couple of things… I needed to train more on trails and I needed to run more at night. In short, I did both very well over the few months. I was consistently running 60+ miles per week and decided to taper down to around 35 weekly miles. I just could not do and ended up running 50+. I attempted to compensate the lack of significant mileage reduction with running a few days on the road. Bad idea! On the Sunday prior to the race – after getting a shot for Poison Ivy – I decided to go for a quick run. I had been feeling great and did not want to change anything. SC had also had quite a bit of rain, so I did not want to risk the chance of injury by slipping on the trail. About 8 miles into my road run, I felt a slight injury in my calf.  I was able to run home, but knew I had tweaked my calf. Frankly, I then began to panic. I took Monday off. On Tuesday, I could still feel the pain, but thought it was important to try to run and test the muscle. I put on my calf sleeves and took off for a 5 mile trail run. Although a little painful, I was ok. I did the same routine on Wed. On Thursday, I began rolling the calf with a wooden bat. I had already decided that I was going to run and as long as the muscle stayed attached, I would keep running.

Fast forward to the race. I felt some pain during the first 2 laps, but never felt anything after that. I do not know if this is because the calf lad healed or if everything began to hurt making me forget about the calf. Either way, it was fine.  

Simply put… my anxiety was off the charts during the week prior to the race. I am just not good at tapering.

·      Compression Calf Sleeves – Due to the tweaked calf muscle, I decided to wear my 2XU compression calf guards during the race. I rarely wear these… the last time I can recall wearing them was during my first marathon in 2011 due to a similar calf issue. The good news is that my calves felt great during the run, I felt some slight pain during the beginning of the race, but that soon faded, and no calf issues existed during the remainder of the race. After the race was over, I removed the sleeves to find an approx.1 inch ring around my ankles. This ring was very swollen and bruised. Apparently, my circulation below the sleeves was poor causing this issue. I will probably not wear these sleeves during future races.

·      Heat – Although the temperature never reached 80 degrees, I simply did not handle the heat well at all. Looking back, I should have slowed down a little and increased my fluid intake. Since I have lived in the south my entire life, this caught me a little off guard…Lesson learned. 

RESULUTS: Overall, I am very pleased with the results. I finished my first 100 mile race in under 24 hours.  I could have probably finished in under 23 hours, but that was not my goal. When I knew I would finish in under 24 hours, I lost some of my motivation for any improved time. I realize the importance of setting a goal and trying to achieve that expectation.

NEXT RACE –

San Diego 100 – June 7, 2014. The SD100 appears to be slightly more difficult than Umstead.  I am once again going to set a goal of finishing in under 24 hours. Wish me luck, I need all the help I can get!

Robert Prestininzi