Bighorn 100 Race Recap

The BH100 is set in the Bighorn Mountains which is actually part of the Rockies.   Sheridan WY is a small town that hosts the race, however, the start takes place in Dayton, WY.  The primary economy is oil & gas.  It’s a very cool small town of about 17,000 real people.   My hat off to the race organizers for finding this gem of a course for us to race.  It’s by far the most scenic race that I’ve run to date.  The pics below do not do it justice.

It was an unusual race starting time at 11AM, which I actually liked but for the fact that they schedule a 9AM prerace meeting.  It was great not having to get up at the crack to get to the race start.  The course is a 100.5 mile out and back with about 18,000 feet of climb, which felt like much more than that due to the length and positioning of them.   It’s primarily single track with an uneven trail base, making it more difficult to traverse than the flat even trails on most courses.

Below is a summary of my race statistics.   Remember, it’s all about finishing.  There was about 300 entrants for the race and only 116 actually finished…even with a 34 hour cutoff.

Clock Time:	32:25:48.44
Chip Time:	32:25:48.44
Pace:	19:27/mile
Overall:	84 / 116
Gender:	69 / 93
Age Group:	16 / 25

The next race up is the Leadville 100.  I’ve completed it twice and DNF’d once.  My training has been solid so I’m thinking that I will be able to grind out yet another finish.  I’m taking nothing for granted.  It is a tough tough race with the altitude tough climbs and volatile weather.

All is good…CHEERS!

PT

Big Horn 100 Mile Trail Run

We’re 2 days out from the race and currently en route from LA through Denver to Sheridan Wyoming.  The day started early with meetings at work and a mad afternoon dash to the airport to catch a 3PM flight to Denver.  Made it to Denver with 20 minutes to spare as they were just beginning to board the connecting Great Lakes Flight to Sheridan.  Late afternoon storms had settled in on the airport as we landed in Denver, which then delayed our outbound flight.

Upon arrival in Denver I met up with Francisco and we used the delay time to catch up and chat about race strategy and plans for the BH100.  On Thursday we have registration and medical check in.  We’ll mostly likely hook up with Scott, Raj and Ray who are all running the 100 miler as well.  It’s nice to run this type of a distance with friends and veteran of this distance.  I’m certain we’ll share race strategies and finish time objectives.  My goal is simple, make the cutoffs and finish on or before the 34-hour mark.

 

Francisco arriving at the tiny airport...my luggage didn't
make the journey from Denver to Sheridan...Grrr!!!!

The weather predictions are looking really really favorable for the race.  Highs in the low 80’s and lows in 50’s, although at altitude and winds will make it a chill factor in the 40’s at night.  The race start for the BH100 is at 11AM, which is kind of unusual.  Most 100-mile distances start early in the morning, say 4 or 5AM or in the case of UTMB at 4PM in the afternoon.  Because of this as well as the positioning of aid stations, drop bag locations, etc. the plan is to race really light from 11AM till the 30Mile marker/aid station.  Mile 30 has a 9:30PM cutoff that is 10.5 hours from the race start.  I’m expecting to average a 12 min mile for the first 30 miles which will put me in at 8PM, which is about 30-45 minutes before sunset, 1.5 hours of a buffer with the cutoff, before taking on the evening and the long climb from mile 30 to the 50 mile turnaround.  I’d love to be able to build more of a buffer and will try to push the pace early on as the plan is to not carry any of my gear and “race light” for the first 30 miles.  This is at least an 8-10lb differential or weight that I wont have to carry for that first 30M.  My strategy if executed should pay late race dividends.

I’ve been struggling lately with my weight and trying to get it down to 183lbs for race day.  It looks as though I may be a pound or two short, but that’s ok, as I’ve raced at 185lbs many times before.  I’ve been getting some decent rest the past couple of days and expect to get in at least 10 hours of sleep the night before the race.

My training hasn’t been quite as disciplined as in other races, however, I have gotten in some good mileage and haven’t really felt beat up too badly.  I’m definitely a subscriber to under training versus over training.    I’ve done a few early season races like the 100k run in Texas, the North Face 50 miler at Bear Mtn in NY as well as long runs in the mid 20 mile range.  Albeit I haven’t trained at altitude, I’ve tried to push my pace and train in the heat to emulate the effects of altitude.  The Big Horn Mountains only get up to 10,000 feet and it looks like the average is around 6,500 -7,500 feet above sea level.  I’m not underestimating, at all, the impact of this altitude, as it will surely have an effect on my overall performance.  I’ve just got to remember to eat and hydrate well.  Keep the hydration, glucose, electrolyte and sodium levels all topped off.

Well, we’re getting ready to land in Sheridan shortly so must power down.  More to follow….bumpy ride today!

Cheers!!

PT

Race Results & Training

Muddy Trails

The trip up to NY to race the NF50 Bear Mtn course was a success.  Despite some faulty mileage and tight cutoffs I was able to run a negative split for the last 6-7 miles finishing in 12:46:06.  The course itself was a muddy sloppy mess, with no less than 20 river/stream crossings.  I started out pretty slow and almost dead last for the first 5 miles.  I had decided to take it easy out of the gate which ended up being a mistake as the next 5 miles were barely runnable due to the conditions.  This left me dangerously close to first cutoff, making it by a mere 15 minutes.  For the rest of the race i was forced to push the pace to insure I was not going to DNF from a missed cutoff, which would've been a first for me.

Lot's of Mud

At about mile 40ish I was bombing a descent and caught a toe and ended up careening off the trail into a tree.  Trees are pretty stubborn and generally speaking unwillingly to move out of your way.  The tree I hit was no exception.  I was able to contort my body at the last moment so as to avoid a direct hit and let my left shoulder and forearm bare the brunt of the force.  Needless to say I ended up on my back/side in a muddy sloppy mess.  Too tired to get up I just laid in about 6 inches of watery muddy sludge.  Several runners stopped and asked me if I was ok or if I needed a hand, I told them "no, I'm just resting and will be just fine...see you at the finish".

Beautiful morning photo from the trail

Despite the fact that most of the course was challenging to run there were some really beautiful vistas that I stopped to snap a few pics.  The volunteers were great as well.  About mid way through the race I ran into a Death Race acquaintance, Olaf, who was limping down the trail.  He had injured his ankle or foot and was simply trying to get to the next aid station to DNF.  Olaf actually has won at least one or perhaps two Death Race's.  He's a hard core tough dude, so I was surprised to see him bow out of the race.  Always a bummer to see good athletes get injured and having to DNF.

Volunteers cheering on the racers

Late in the race I got really focused on making certain that I was going to come in under 13 hours.  The final cutoff was 14 hours, so I had plenty of time that I built up after the first cutoff.  It was interesting seeing that people had crew and pacers for a race with only a 50 mile distance...but they were there.   Having a crew in a 100 mile race is important.  The extra 50 miles makes a big difference and having a crew is a luxury and dramatically improves the likelihood of finishing.

It's all about finishing!!

I'm less than a week out now from the Big Horn 100 in Sheridan Wyoming.  It's a mountain course that I have never seen, in fact I've never been to Wyoming...it's a first.  Francisco and I are going to see if we can tackle an early season 100 miler.   As a build up to this race it's important to build a good base, which was the intent of doing the NF50 at Bear Mountain.  Since that race I have been training heavy, averaging 188-189 pounds.  Today I weighed in at 184 pounds en route to 180 pounds come race day, June 20th at 11AM.  My mileage over the past 6-8 weeks has been consistently around 40 miles per week along with solid core work outs.  Some weeks have reached 50 miles.  This is fairly typical mileage for me entering a 100 miler.  Always and ever anxious as I approach a 100 mile run.  Rest, nutrition, hydration and state of mind will carry the day.


All is good.......Cheers!!

NorthFace 50 mile Trail Run - Bear Mt

Getting ready to run my way into "race shape" at Bear Mountain State Park, NY North Face 50 mile trail run. Looking like a mild day. Current temps at 46F. Sunny with a high of 70F. 

Life is good.

Cheers!!

Bandera 100k Results

They say that Bandera Texas is where all rocks go to die.  I can confirm that this is actually a fact.  If you could create the perfect environment for a reptile, then Bandera Texas would be the result.   They call this part of Texas "Hill Country", which i think is a misprint from its pioneer founders. The "i" used to be an "e" and for marketing purposes they simply created a typo.  It is a God forsaken place on earth, unless of course you are a snake, scorpion, lizard or an ultra runner looking to get your rocks off....which from the looks of it many have.

The course is a 50k, 2 loop track across a very rugged terrain that is designed to beat the average ultra runner down.   It is a Western States qualifying race if you can complete it in under 16 hours.  I'm guessing that there were about 200+ runners that lined up for the 7:30am start.  It was a chilly 45-50F but quickly warmed up as the sun climbed up over the hills and into the sky. 

Pre Race Pic Looking Fresh

Ken and Nancy Cales came in from CO and Francisco drove up from McAllen TX and was met by a friend, Deon Bez, that crewed for us...thankfully!  It was nice to see the fellow Leadville finishers for an early season race.   It was Ken's 50th birthday so I gave him the appropriate 50th smack on the ass as I ran by him. 

The course had 5 aid stations that were well manned and outfitted with great food.  As the sun was setting and the temperatures dropped, the aid stations fired up grilled cheese sandwiches, quesadillas along Ramon noodle soup.   The volunteers were outstanding and the race was really well run.  

How many Rocks Do You See?

Much of the course was a challenge to actually run due to the unstable footing.  After the first 10 or so miles I started to get use to terrain and was able to zig zag the trails avoiding the gazillion rocks on the course.  The competitors were very friendly and I found that most of them had run the course in prior years.   They all said that they swore off this race after they had finished but subsequently signed up again.  This is the sign of a really challenging course.  It keeps the crazies coming back for more.  

It was a blue sky day, not a cloud to be found.  The temps punctured the 70F ceiling which felt great.  It made for a very comfortable run.  After the sun had set the temps dropped like a rock into the high 30's and 40's.  Throughout the evening, there were warm and cold pockets of air to be found out on the trails.  Thankfully there were more warm than cold.  It was a 3/4 moon which lit up the desert landscape accompanied by a galaxy of stars.  My headlamp died with about 7 miles to go in the race which turned out to be pretty cool as the moon and stars provided more than ample light to see the trail and all of its traps. 

Tough Trails.......

I walked the last 5+ miles of the race by myself stopping occasionally to check out the landscape, moon and stars.  The owls were hooting and the coyotes were yipping and crying confusing their prey....which I was hoping that I was not. 

Cool Bad Ass Buckle!

At about 15 hours and 46 minutes I crossed the finish line to be greeted by the race organizer, Tom, along with some volunteers.  I was given a Bandera 100k belt buckle for finishing, which is pretty damn cool.  In addition, I qualified for the Western States for 2015 for finishing under 16 hours, despite the fact that I walked the last 5+ miles.  

Nancy and Ken crossed the finish line around 17 hours, while Francisco came in about 45 minutes later.  I was very proud that we all were able to finish this challenging course.




This race is officially in the record books and quite pleased with the overall results.  I'm working on the next early season race, which has yet to be determined.  I really enjoy the 50 mile distance and thinking that I'll try to focus on those in an attempt to build miles leading into the mid season 100 milers.

Cheers!

PT

Year End Review

Another racing season has come to an end. 2013 was a pretty busy and productive year.  While I never really raced with great speed, I did endure and managed to complete some very challenging races and distances.

The major races of 2013 were as follows:

1.  The Leadman

2.  Music City Marathon(actually 40 miles)

3.  Summer Death Race

4.  Leadville Silver Rush 50 Mile Trail Run

5.  Ironman Lake Placid

6.  Leadville 100 Trail Run

7.  Cascade Crest - DNF at mile 63

8.  Javelina Jundred Mile Trail Run

These races by any standard are really hard and require a combination of being fit mentally and physically.  So what does 2014 have in store??

Here's what it looks like so far with races on the schedule in 2014:

1.  Bandera 100k
2.  Big Horn 100
3.  Leadville Silver Rush 50 Mile Trail Run
4.  Leadville 100
5.  Ironman Louisville
6.  Ironman Florida

I've signed up for the Summer Death Race as well but most likely going to be taking a pass this year.  In addition, Daley and I have officially signed up for the Dec 2015 Atlantic Challenge which is going to require a significant amount of planning and work.

Tomorrow, meeting up with Fancisco, Ken and Nancy and giving the Bandera 100k some hell....Cheers!

PT

Javelina 100 Results

There is no such thing as an easy 100 mile trail run. Attempting this distance is considered by most to be off the hook.  Even if the entire distance was run downhill it would still probably only have a 50% finishing rate.  To date I have attempted Leadville 3 times and finished twice.  I was blanked at Rocky Raccoon as well as the Plain 100.  So going into the Javelina Jundred I was 2 for 5 which is a 40% finishing rate, about the average. The thought of being average is why I run the 100 mile distance, who wants to be average.  Hell, I'm 3 for 3 in the Spartan Death Races which is a spot reserved for those that are multiple standard deviations from the mean, which I don't consider myself either.  So my goal at the JJ 100 was to be anything but average.  Mission accomplished!

And that's all I have to say!!!

I arrived in Phoenix via Nashville on Friday morning to be greeted by Greg Unger, my crew for the race.   Greg suppose to have run but had to opt out due to a foot injury.  We rented an RV for the race and stayed at the race site, 50 yards from the race start/finish line....a smart move.  We got to bed at about 8PM and got up at 5:15AM.  This was probably the best/most rest that I've ever gotten before a race of this nature.  

The gun went off at 6AM and we had 30 hours to complete the 101.9 mile distance.  It was a 7 loop course through the desert, just north of Phoenix.  The weather was beautiful.  At the race start the temps were mild in the high 50's, low 60's.  The first loop was crowded and my goal was to just try to run a 9:30/mile which I did with relative ease.  The next couple of loops I managed to do the same, which set me up to be several hours in front of any of the generous cut off times.

The temperatures reached a heat index north of 100F during the afternoon, which caused me to load up with the camel bak 100 oz of water, which I was able to suck down and stayed hydrated throughout the afternoon during my run walk routine.  This was a pretty smart strategy as the body loses more than 30 oz of fluid during the periods of intense heat and you cannot replenish it any faster than that as the kidneys have a processing capacity constraint.  With that being said, I slowed down, took in a ton of water and was positioning myself for the nighttime.

At the junction point of the loop I would be greeted at the turnaround by Greg and his girlfriend, who kicked ass for me.  Without their support at the turnaround I would not have finished the race.  They loaded me up with gatorade at each turn as well as cheese sandwiches...yep cheese sandwiches...it did the trick...lots of fat and protein as well as carbs that offered a slow burn.  Surprisingly I did not have one hammer gel and only one shot block.  I tried to avoid surviving on the simple sugars, which create epic peaks as well as epic valleys.  At each aid station I would generally load up on water, potato chips (again high in fat and sodium) and chocolate chips cookies.  The key learning for this race was that a protein and fat rich nutrition carried the day

Another of Life's First.....

At Mile 60 I picked up Timmy as a pacer to take on the toughest miles of the course and during the toughest hours of the evening.  I think it must've been around 8PM ish before picking up Timmy at the beginning of loop 5. The temps had cooled down into the 70's and then 60's for most of the evening.  Not getting chilled was very beneficial.  The only real run in with any wild life during the race was a tarantula in the middle of the trail...yuk...do not like spiders.

Greg...You are the Man!

The course was sandy for the most part with some stretches that were a little more technical.  Timmy jacked up his ankle somewhere on the first loop which exacerbated  itself of the following loop.  On Sunday morning at about mile 88 I had to leave Timmy at the aid station while I pushed on to get to the turnaround and fuel up for the final 10 mile loop.  Timmy made into the turnaround while Greg and his girlfriend refueled.  She ended up pacing me for the final 10 miles.  Timmy got me through the most difficult stretch of the race, for which I am very thankful.  It is during that stretch of the race, mile 70-88, that is unbelievably difficult.  You are tired, sleep deprived, stumbling through the night just simply trying to make it to day break.  When the sun comes up and hits your face it breathes life back into your legs as well as your determined spirit.


The last loop I was forced to a walk only mode.  The miles had taken its toll on my left foot.  More specifically my left big toe, where it connects to your foot was beat up.  It felt like it was broken and I limped my way through the final miles to be greeted by Greg at mile 101 to be escorted in for the last .9 miles. 

BAM!!!  Got the Buckle....

It's always so hard to explain to people the rush and sense of accomplishment that you get when you complete a race of this distance so I wont even try.  I can only say that I am now 3 for 6 or batting 500 for the 100 mile distance.  It makes sense.  Each time I enter one of these races, it's always a toss of the coin as to whether you finish or not.  It's never guaranteed.  It's always about one simple word Perseverance.   I am a firm believer that if you just stick with it and NEVER GIVE UP that you will succeed.  This concept transcends all parts of life, which I try hard to practice.  But like a 100 mile race, there are no guarantees.

I am taking the rest of the year off to get ready for the 2014 racing season as well as begin getting organized for the Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge in Dec 2015.

Cheers!