Mount Diablo 25k

I decided to explore my options, 50ks are great, I love the distance but why not throw in a 25k to shake things up? Half the distance but double the speed I figured, I feel as if I'm a speed kind'a guy anyways. My training suffered some as school came to a close this semester and finals took a beating on me. I otherwise felt that I could coast from Skyline to the Sea to Mount Diablo with next to no long runs and a few more short fast ones. I'm slightly familiar with the course so I figured I wasn't at too much of a disadvantage although this race was to be a La Sportiva Mountain Cup event so the odds were against me from the start. The night before I was in a funk, no carbo loading and the trip from Auburn to the start solo kinda felt weird. The next morning I finally found my way to the finish and got a ride with a fellow racer whom I met as I was walking to the startline. Luckily some people that I knew showed up, Barb Ashe, Eric Schranz , and Gregg Holmes and I had a great pre-race talk on having the shits during a long race (so glad I was only signed up for the 25k during that conversation). 

Soon enough we walked to the startline and I got the chance to look around me, Chikara Omine, Will Gotthardt, Caitlin Smith, and Leor Pantilat (he didn't race I guess), damn what a stacked race, I had no chance to stay with these guys. The weather was perfect, slightly cold near the bottom and warm as the day passed on, totally in my favor. The gun went off and we took off, I decided that I'd chase Caitlin to the top of the mountain and that worked till we got near the aid station (about 2 miles from the top) when she kicked into another gear and left me in the dust. From the start I had no clue where the aid station was or if I was even going to use it until I arrived, but when I finally reached the damn thing I was the only one who stopped! The 13 other runners around me didn't even slow down through the aid station... shit. So I decieded that they were on the move and I wasn't about to catch up in this short of a race, I let them go. I got my food and screwed around running to the top and with only about 20 mins left to the summit the first few runners passed me on their return, jesus, I thought I saw fire under the first guys feet, right as he passed I yelled "GO YOU FREAK! RUN!". I made it to the top finally in 1:20, I knew that at this pace I'd be around 3rd place had I ran it in 2008. So away I went back down, I yelled at nearly everyone I passed to tell them of the fictional beer and margarita party at the top, some laughed, some angered, some just looked confused about the lunatic coming at them, eh I had fun with it since I wasn't about to win anything. As I neared what I thought was the half way mark and my feet started to burn with all the downhill and rocks, so I slowed to rest for a few seconds at a time. Finally I reached the bottom with about a 3 or 4 mile flat section to go, I kicked up the speed and noticed that my time up wasn't that far off my time going up the fucking hill. I passed a few people on the downhill but otherwise found myself in no mans land from the aid station till the end. I had a few good words of encouragement from Caitlin and Will (they were already cooling down) with about a half mile left. So I finished in 2:32 and placed 25th, I'd like to think that I was too slow from the freakishly fast people and faster then the normal runners. Again, with getting my ass served to me I still managed to have a great run.

As I found a place to sit and rest after the race, I noticed Karalee Morris was starting her second lap to the top... only 10 mins after I finished the 25k. She later finished in about the same split, congrats to her on that amazing finish. I later met up with Eric and his wife Sammy (?) who looked like she was about to pop at any minute, we screwed around and joked about some of the freakishly fast runners and an old guy with a miss buttersworth bottle taped to his hand as a water bottle and super tight levis cut into short shorts. I also had the chance to talk with Caitlin about her training and everyday life which is refreshing once in awhile. After hanging around and grabbing a ton of food and booking like a thief (not before thanking Sarah for hosting the race), I finally left for my journey home. Maybe after I forget how hard that climb is I'll return, maybe....

Skyline to the Sea 50k

To start, I had slow recovery from Pirates Cove, I took the week off after the race and did little real running to prepare for this one (maybe only running 3 days a week). Although I took some time off, I did complete one long run about two weeks before Skyline, a 20 miler on the Way Too Cool course in under 2:40, eh that should be enough right? With a few days before the race I had thought little about how I was going to run it, my co-workers hounded me to figure out what my plan was, I guess my plan was to run it... But that all changed Friday before the race, I nervously pieced together a race plan that seemed to be completely based on how Bret Rivers ran and if that failed, just run as fast as possible and hopefully at around a sub 8:30 mile pace. With that in my head I was ready to tackle another ugly beast.

Off we went, two hundred of us down a narrow single trek to the sea. From the start I made a new plan that was now just to run fast as hell down hill and see how long I could keep up with the man Leor Pantilat... that didn't last long. Okay new plan, don't let everyone pass you till the end... right, another failure... new plan... awww back to the Bret plan. While making a pit stop to take a piss I watched on as a pack of guys passed me and thats when I saw him... no... it can't be, Bret was already ahead of me with only 4 or 5 miles in. Toss it back in the shorts and book it! I caught him quick and stuck on to him like a kid playing with superglue. First aid station came and went as Bret decided to skip it, okay this is going to fun now. He slowed the pace to a reasonable state, we had a chance to talk, joke, discuss everything from Nike ads to Caitlin Smith. Only minutes later here she came, she stuck with us for a short time then was gone just like that. We later caught up with her as she made personal pit stop to pee right next to the trail, nice to see ya again! Caitlin, Bret and I laughed, we all knew its just part of ultra running I guess. As we came into the third aid station I had to let both of them go and hang back, now my plan was to survive the next 25k alone. More people passed as I tried not to blow out my knee on the loop section. Coming into the fourth aid station everything seemed to kill me, my knee was hurting with every downhill step and ibuprofen was now my only savior. Luckily Lindsey was waiting for me at every aid station which helped my motivation, she helped me get my mind off the knee. Uphill a little and now a downhill on the last stretch. Mile after mile I was alone except the hikers I was passing, and at every bend I expected to see the next aid station... another few miles and nothing... at least I was on the right track I thought to myself with all the pink ribbons around me... that started to go away too. Okay left turn I think... hopefully. Yeah there it is. Out of the blue... Caitlin? She's passing me again, this isn't fair (jokingly)! She's just that fast, she told me she lost the trail and found her way back. She later passed me and with only a few miles left, then I was finished... Finally! Bret Rivers PR'd at 4:14, Caitlin Smith finished well for taking it easy at 4:17, and I followed a ways behind at 4:24... damn 30 minute PR and one minute faster then I was looking to run. Great day.

Pirates 'Love' 50k

Austin looked nervously around when we got on the line, Connor watched on and didnt race as his shins took a pounding the week before, while Lindsey and Jack cheered us on. We took off up the hill... what a hill... I run them all the time in Auburn but for some reason this hill was bit more painful then the ones by my house. The hill lasted only a mile or two then we sped down to Tennesse Valley hit up the aid station (I've heard from most people that the runs put on by the Pacific Coast Trail Run people are always well stacked on the aid, they were right, all the good stuff was there) to only run up another hill. I had lost Austin at the base of the hill. As I headed up the second hill I tried to conserve and save it for later, I tried to stay focused but found myself talking to a guy by the name of Brett Rivers. I followed his pace, passing each other up and down hill till we got near the steps leaving Pirates Cove where he started to pull away and I had to rest. By the time we got back to Tennesse Valley, Brett and some other 50k & 30k guys started to move up the fire roads to Marincello where I lost sight of them. At the top of Marincello (the first time) I started feeling pain all over, my hip flexors were tight and I saw my sub 5 hour goal slipping away. When I arrived on the Coastal Trail from SCA, I decided that downhill is where I need to move... and move I did.

I stopped at the aid stations a bit longer then I planned but it gave me a chance to catch my breath and pick it up again back down to Rodeo Beach, on the way down I found myself chasing an older man who I though was running the 50k but as we arrived at Rodeo Beach he turned right and finished... damn it... In my half happy, half angry daze I hung out with Connor a bit too long at the aid station. At 30k I clocked in at around 2:35, ouch... I gotta move out of this valley and get up Wolf Ridge and Marincello before Austin passes my ass. I had enough energy to get to the top of the first ridge but by this time a group of guys had moved slightly ahead of me, the downhill was tougher then the climb it seemed. I downed a coke, some chips, ibuprofen and whatever else. Time to try and catch these guys, I gained ground on every step up Marincello to only lose it on the back side of the hill. I slowly made it to the last aid station at 4:30, I decided to book it. Hard. I headed downhill on the heels of another runner who had helped push me, we worked it. I felt in full sprint to the finish beating the rain. 4:53:21. Couldn't have gone better.

Getting Ready for the Pirate Attack

First time for everything right? Well then its about time that I moved on to a little bit more of a challenge, complete a 50k (try and do it well at least). After I heard that the 'Con-Man' Connor Curley was thinking about racing a week after Way Too Cool (this is way before Way Too Cool), I decided to sign up for Pirates Cove 50k in Sausalito, so that I might have the chance to race my first one against someone I know. The 17 year old Austin Violette caught wind that the both of us were going so of course he jumped on board. Now with the three of us gearing up to race, I thought that this is gonna be a tough one to go up against.

Roughly two or three weeks before Pirates Cove, I started feeling good about my training and general health. I wish I could say the same about my partners, Connor while in preparation for his race was having shin problems and Austin somehow drove his car on top of another car. Problems continued for Connor all the way up to his race (I originally wanted to run Way Too Cool because it's my hometown course but signed up much too late), luckily he finished with a good time of 5:01, Matt and Derek also ran it in 5:02 and 5:16.

Now onto the race, my girlfriend Lindsey Meyer, her dad Jack Meyer, and I drove down the night before and stayed at the hostile at Rodeo Beach (well Jack did, we slept in the car), I geared up that day by taking in tons of carbs like my spaghetti with ensure for breakfast and dinner. The next day we were off to race, as I got prepared to run I thought about all my training and all the years of running I had done before this point... it wasn't enough.

Ultra Running?

A little background information before we start... I'm no stranger to running mileage, I ran distance in high school and junior college although the pace I'm sure was a whole hella'of a lot faster and the miles much shorter. Years have passed since then with drama, injuries, and surgeries behind me now I'm looking to start a new career in ultra running (hopefully without the above mentioned bumps in the road).

I started to ponder the idea of running the long stuff when I moved back to Auburn from my year and half hiatus in the Bay Area. My thoughts: My achilles is mostly made of metal so my sprint is a little 'rusty', also I'm going on my 4th year in college which is not the greatest of times to restart your career in track and field. With that I moved to the 'darkside' (what I called the sport when I was a kid) with not much resistance, I gained a job at the Auburn Running Co., ran some base miles with the high school cross country team, and dove two feet into the world of ultras by setting up runs with some younger guys Connor Curley and Austin Violette.

The idea was simple: run long and slow because you suck at running short and fast. Not easy for a kid whose been running no longer then a 10k races his whole life, the pace is off, the stride is off, and my brain is off. I decided to start from the bottom, why not? Everyone at this point was training for Way Too Cool, so I asked if Mr. Jack Meyer would allow me to tag along on a 15 mile run (which at the time was the 2 miles farther then I had ever gone before, when I was in cross country shape). Only about 4 or 5 miles in my coworker Matt Keyes and his friend Derek Semanski passed the slow train and jokingly asked if I wanted to run 20 mile instead of the 15 I had planned, I couldn't resist after all the egging on by Matt. What seemed slow turned into fast while Matt and his crew were staying on pace the whole way, they dragged my ass up and down that canyon with no sympathy.

Now to the near present, I had repeated the same high milage with a few days rest inbetween to just get knock down again by Matt and Derek but this time it was 26 miles with a rainstorm in Cool. Completed... Thats all I remember. I felt more accomplished then I had after one whole season of track at American River College. This very much appeals to me now.