Well it's been 2 weeks since I competed at my first Leadville 100 Trail Run. Lot's of lessons were learned on this picture perfect race day. Let's start with the good......I had a great crew that was extremely supportive and patient throughout the race. They were at every allowable aid station with food, drinks and most of al encouragement. You cannot underestimate the impact that a crew has on your race and ability to stay motivated. My pacer, Daley Ervin, was as good as you get. Pushed me when needed and kept me on a very strict schedule with the nutrition and hydration. The other participants offered words of encouragement, a very different environment from a triathlon.
The day began at 2:15AM when my alarm went off in the RV at the MayQueen Campground. The view from our campsite of the lake, Sugarloaf pass and the stars at night was spectacular. After gathering all of my gear the rest of the crew, except for Daley my pacer, got out of bed and all headed into town. It was a chilly 45F morning so we stopped into Provin Grounds, a local coffee shop. We kept warm, at some danish and slurped down some coffee. There was quite a bit of nervous energy waiting for the gun to go off at 4AM. I reminded myself that I had spent 4 weekends in Leadville training on the course and more specifically running/hiking the hardest parts of the course, Hope Pass , Sugar Loaf and Twin Lakes. Of the 800 competitors I was certain to be as or more prepared than the majority of them. In fact I was confident that I was in the top 10% - a number that would get me the large belt buckle for finishing under 25 hours. Confidence is a good thing, but on this day it was a liability. Having trained with people who have finished the LT 100 numerous times and also DNF'd as well I figured I had my mind around the do's and dont's. I get into this later.
When the gun went off at 4AM my heart rate was already at 145BPM running a 9:30/mile pace - down hill. I knew that it would settle down. Between the coffee, excitement and altitude it took 13 miles or more for it to get down to a 135 BPM, which is still higher than I normally burn at. I had my schedule for the day and I was determined to stay on it. Which I did through mile 50 at the turnaround in Winfield Station, where I was weighed and checked out, just fine. I was feeling pretty good in Winfield but didn't take in very much nutrition which I think was a mistake as I headed back towards Hope Pass, for a steep ascent. Having ran/hiked Hope Pass 4X during training I was surprised at how much steeper it was on the initial ascent over Hope on my way to Winfield. Running Hope on 40 mile legs is an entirely different game than on fresh legs. The return ascent was a brutal climb that brought me to a stop on numerous occasions despite Daley's encouragement and push to get me over the pass. What I did not realize was that my lungs were beginning to fail me. Of all of the set backs that I was concerned about during the race I never would've thought that my lungs would actually be the issue. I thought my achilles or knees would be my issue, but they were fine, relatively speaking. After reaching the peak at Hope Pass I had a few things to say to Hope......none that I should repeat. Needless to say i was very pleased, but must say it kicked my ass. We rested for 5 minutes at the Hopeless Aid Station where I had the best damn chicken noodle soup and ate my cinnamon pop tarts. I knew that I was getting tired but was just happy to run down the mountain. We made pretty good time and I was able to actually run quite well as I was putting 60 miles on my legs - a new frontier - it was the farthest I had ever run and i was only 15-20 minutes behind schedule as I entered Twin Lakes aid station and medical check in. All went well and i got through the aid station just fine, but too quickly. I was in trouble but wasn't willing to recognize it and should've call a time out and regrouped. However, I still had a good shot at finishing under 25 hours and determined to keep pushing - a mistake that would deal me out a DNF at mile 72.
As Daley and I climbed out of Twin Lakes I was having serious problems breathing. I had to stop every 15 feet just to catch my breath. I had developed a rattle in my chest and was coughing up crap. I was certain that I was developing Pulmonary Edema a potentially serious condition. My other concern was my blood pressure and if it had risen to a level that was dangerous given my leaky heart valve. As we pushed on the sun set and the temperatures dropped fast. Neither of us had enough cold weather gear as we had planned to make it to the Fish Hatchery, where our dependable crew was waiting with hats, jackets, etc. for the final push up Powerline and over Sugarloaf and then down hill 15 miles to the finish in Leadville. As I began to get disoriented walking through the woods, many racers passed us as we stopped often to rest. We averaged a pathetic 1.5 MPH pace. It seemed like it took us only forever to get to the Halfmoon aid station. As I stumbled through the woods in the dark with my head down I knew that I may not be able to finish the race. I also knew that I would have to make it through the medical checkin and see what was happening to my lungs.
The docs at the halfmoon aid station checked my oxygen level in my blood and it was in the low 80's, not a good thing. In addition, they could year the rattle in my chest and concluded that I was at high risk for pulmonary edema. They took me from the main tent to a warmer tent. In the transition from warm to cold to warm my core temperature dropped and I knew that things were going to get ugly fast. They did and I began to shake uncontrollably a place that I'm familiar with so i didn't get too panicked but everyone else did. They got me inside a sleeping bag and 3 guys began rubbing and shaking the sleeping bag to create friction and heat. It worked. The head doc then gave me 3 options (i)airlift me out and take me into Denver (ii) take an ambulance to the local hospital or (iii) have one of the race officials take Daley and I to the local hospital in the back of his Suburban. With about 10% fight and 90% wanting to throw in the towel I held up my wrist and they cut my race band and my day was done. I couldn't believe that with just 28 miles left in the race I pulled a DNF. I still can't believe it. I never would've thought that I would not finish - in fact the thought never entered my mind till about mile 68.
Come to find out my blood pressure was great at 110/75. So no problem with my heart. The issue was my lungs and lack of oxygen in my red blood cells. At low levels it can cause heart failure - not a good thing. So my decision (maybe not mine but the docs) to throw in the towel was prudent. Live to fight another day. And fight I plan.
In hindsight I need to take my time, not worry about a 25 hour cut off. Take my BP at every aid station. Rest at the later aid stations and think through and plan for the worst, have the proper gear. Also, keep my cell phone with me as I could've googled and researched pulmonary edema and what to do for it - like drink water - when I stopped for fear that it would make the situation worse. Also, go to Leadville 2 days before, by myself to chill and rest and prepare for the race. Go to bed by 7PM the night before in Leadville so I can roll out of bed at 3:15AM and get 8 hours of sleep, have a good breakfast and be well rested.
Overall it was a great experience. Running 72 miles was a challenge. Right now it's Leadville 1 and Theodore 0. I will be back in 2011 to attempt the Leadman, which only but a handful are able to accomplish. It's a double or nothing play - old school.
