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.
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 27th 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
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
