2014 Speedgoat 50K

Remember that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other. 

– Abraham Lincoln

The idea of doing the Speedgoat 50K started back at Slim Pickins last November.  This event is held every year, usually at Laurel Highlands, and brings together the finest members of the NEO Trail Club.  I had the itching to do another challenging race out West and Kimba suggested the Speedgoat 50K.  I never heard of it, but it sounded interesting, especially since Karl Meltzer was the race director.  Karl has completed 89 Ultramarathons and holds the record for the most 100 mile victories (35), so you figure he's going to put on a hell of a race.  The Speedgoat is advertised as the Toughest 50K in the U.S.  It has 11,000 feet of vertical climb at elevation.  The profile chart is below.

I thought this sounded like an interesting race and figured it would be a good chance to explore Utah, so I signed up for it as soon as registration opened on January 5th.

In the months leading up to the race, life got in the way of training and I found many excuses to skip runs quite often.  I got a new job, it was too humid outside, I was too tired, blah, blah, blah...

Anyway flash forward 6 months.  Kelly and I arrived in Snowbird Friday night before the race.  We got a bite to eat at the restaurant in the ski resort we were staying at.  It had big glass windows and a nice view of the mountains.  Usually such a view would be relaxing, but the night before this race it was just intimidating.  I couldn't believe how big the hills (I mean mountains) were and pointed out a guy hiking up there to Kelly.  He looked like an ant and really gave perspective to how big this mountain actually was.  All I could think of was my lack of training and how hard this was going to be.  I was also thinking about how I've never DNF'd a race.  I was not about to give in to the course, but knew this would test that streak. 


Race Day
The race was set to begin at 6:30am.  Morning came fast and before I knew it, we were walking down the path to the start line in darkness.  As we got closer, you could see a line of cars pulling in for the race.  I got checked in well before the start time.  We sat and talked to a couple other runners while we waited for the fun to begin.
  
It was cool to be around so many great runners and feel the excitement and nervous vibe in the air. 

We were given a few instructions about the course.  It was also mentioned that 4 or 5 moose were sighted on the other side of the ridge.

Just as quickly as the race had begun, everyone started walking.  The course climbed up and up and up until mile 8 for the first aid station.  There was a mix of different terrain including snow and rock piles as we got higher.  There were also wild flowers out at different points.

The first climb

Some sections were snow covered and a little icy

Almost at the 8.4 mile aid station

I got to the first aid station and was excited to see Kelly had taken the gondola up Hidden Peak at 11,000 ft to cheer me on.  It definitely helped boost my moral!  Somewhere along the first 8 miles, my Camelback water bladder mouthpiece fell off on the trail and water started pouring out.  So for the rest of the race, I had to tuck the tube upwards and always be careful so I didn't lose all my water.  A few times it slipped out and water came pouring out.

The climb up to the first aid station

As I was heading down the other side of Hidden Peak, I saw Karl standing there with a group of people.  I yelled over at him, "You're a sick sick man!" and he replied, "That's only the beginning.  It's about to get a lot worse!"

And worse it got.  Following the aid station, the course went downhill for a couple miles.  This was a nice break from the constant uphill climb, but soon enough another hill brought us back up to 9500'.

Next up was one of the worst, or most fun, parts of the race depending on how you look at it.  At the time it was definitely not fun.  The downhill descent from around mile 11 to 14 dropped a couple thousand feet.  My quads were feeling pretty tired at this point.  The trail was a mess of scattered rocks of all shapes and sizes.  It was like running downhill through a dried up river bed.  I had to watch and plan every step because one wrong step would mean a twisted ankle.  And with over half the race left, that would be the end of my day and hopes of finishing.

I somehow made it down this stretch only turning my ankle 2 or 3 times and able to pop out of it enough each time to avoid any serious damage.  The next mile or so was an out and back to the Pacific Mine Aid Station.  This section was a pretty exposed dry trail with some dust kicking up.  The cool morning start to the day gave way at this point to a clear sky with direct sunlight beating overhead.  The temperature was definitely rising.  My face was getting saltier and I was sweating less and less.

A few more climbs and downhills followed ending up at Larry's Hole Aid Station.  You came to this aid station twice, once at mile 11 and again 20 miles into the race.  The first time through I saw the leader, Sage Canaday.  I told him good job and wished him luck.  He was cruising.

My second time through the aid station, I fueled up for the big climb ahead on Mt. Baldy.  There's a 2 PM cutoff here around mile 20 and another two miles later a little after 3PM.  I made the first cutoff with plenty of time to spare.  I can't remember exactly, but I think I had over an hour to make the next cutoff.  Anyway, I thought I had plenty of time... 

Wrong.  I can certainly say this was the toughest part of the race.  It was the definitive make or break moment and I'm quite sure Karl designed it as such.  There was a point on the trail where it turned (either left or right) and the trail took a drastic change in grade.  It was at this point you could literally hear the runners give a groan, and a few swear words.  It was almost funny.  Almost.  It made me think of the last climb of McDonald's cross country course in high school that required you to go on all fours.  Except this was 20 miles into a race, not 3, and 11,000 ft' higher than Ohio.  There was a guy standing there giving motivation.  It was almost like it was planned.  Like Karl had some sign of sympathy for the runners who made it this far, like when the Grinch's' heart grew three sizes that day.

The climb up Mt Baldy

My pace slowed down considerably and the cutoff time was getting closer and closer.  Many runners passed me on this climb.  My legs were shot and I had no energy and ran out of water.  I was counting out every 10 steps and then literally laying on trail resting.  The view was beautiful, the hill not so much.  Somehow I eventually made it to the top.  This middle-aged guy reached the top around the same time.  I talked with him briefly and he told me we only have about 15 minutes till the cutoff!  I had no idea I was cutting it this close.  I instantly stopped reveling in the accomplishment of scaling the last climb and pushed it down the other side of the mountain.  I made it to the dirt road, looked at my cell phone time and saw I would make it!  I got to the aid station with about 5 minutes to spare.  The volunteers there would not let me lollygag (and I'm glad they didn't).  I was shoving anything and everything on the table that I could get my hands on into my mouth.  Salt tablets, pretzels, bananas, M&Ms.  And at the same time, a guy was squeezing cold water from a sponge over my head.  This felt great because I was pretty hot and parched at this point.  He did that about three times.  I felt revived and like I was brought back to life.  After a few more snacks and drinks, I was on my way to finish this damn race.

This aid station is called the "Tunnel" because right after it, you go through the Peruvian Tunnel which is used to connect ski areas in the winter (see skier's video of the tunnel to the right). The tunnel was nice and cool, especially since my shirt and hair were soaked. When I got in the tunnel, I let out a loud yell or cheer, or some kind of noise.  It all hit me how much effort and determination it required to get to this point.  This was one of my proudest moments in running and the closet I've ever come to a cutoff.  I still had 8 miles left in the race, but there were no more cutoffs.  Inside I knew that I would finish now, it was just a matter of when.

The rest of the race still had some climbs including a 1500' ascent back up to the Hidden Peak Aid Station at 11,000' (the same one as the first aid station in the race at mile 8) and an eventual 3500' descent back to the finish.

I met this guy named Troy, a Native American from Salt Lake City, and ran and talk to him throughout the race.  We pushed and motivated each other along.  The course eventually winded down this dirt road for about 2 or 3 miles to the finish.  Troy had more energy than me so he went ahead and ran this.  I mostly walked this part and ran when I could.  Slowly, but surely, I made it to the finish and a rush of emotions came flooding in.  I finished in 12:48:55.  The finish line balloons were taken down by now, but the people left watching clapped and cheered and made a human tunnel to run through. 

Troy and me

Karl and me

Here's a link to a video I made recapping the race.  And another made by Trail Runner Magazine recapping the race.  Thanks to Karl and all the volunteers who made this such a great event!

Firestone Hill Repeats

I ran over to Firestone Metro Park this morning to do a few hill repeats on the hill that runs alongside S. Main St.  Before I left, I mapped out the hill and found it is about .2 mile long and about 550 ft of elevation gain.  I had it in my head to do 10 loops of the route below.  This would give me 5500 ft of elevation gain and a total of 8 miles which includes the distance back to my apartment.

 

I forced myself not to go too hard up the hill early on.  I've done a hill workout here before when training for Pikes Peak, so I knew my legs would feel like jelly if I pushed it too hard.  I signed up for the Speedgoat 50K in July, so this will be great training for the climbs out there.

I clicked off each loop one by one, repeating the number I was on during each loop  When I got to 5, I felt good physically and also mentally because I would be counting down now.  

It was cold and windy out, but it's funny how 25-30 degrees doesn't feel so bad after the winter we've had.  

The loops got a little tougher at the end, but I still felt strong as I finished the 10th one.

I kicked my training into gear this past week and ended up with 30 miles.  I've been running sporadically the past couple months - enough to keep my base.  The Speedgoat is July 19th, so in my head I told myself I have 3 solid months of training left (even though it's a little more) and I think that gave me the bump to start running consistently now.  I had forgotten how good the feeling is to get runs in regularly and am always amazed how little fitness you usually lose.  I also got a membership at the Kent Rec Center and have been swimming laps there one or two times a week.

Hill at Firestone Metro Park (photo taken Feb 2013 - grass was showing today!)

I Lived

Good lyrics by OneRepublic...

Hope when you take that jump

You don't fear the fall

Hope when the water rises

You build a wall

Hope when the crowd screams out

They're screaming your name

Hope if everybody runs

You choose to stay

Hope that you fall in love

And it hurts so bad

The only way you can know

Is give it all you have

And I hope that you don't suffer

But take the pain

Hope when the moment comes

You'll say...

[Chorus]

I, I did it all

I, I did it all

I owned every second

That this world could give

I saw so many places

The things that I did

Yeah, with every broken bone

I swear I lived

[Verse 2]

Hope that you spend your days

But they all add up

And when that sun goes down

Hope you raise your cup

I wish that I could witness

All your joy and all your pain

But until my moment comes

I'll say...

[Chorus]

I, I did it all

I, I did it all

I owned every second

That this world could give

I saw so many places

The things that I did

Yeah, with every broken bone

I swear I lived

[Bridge]

Whoa

Whoa

Whoa

Oh

Oh

Yeah, with every broken bone

I swear I lived

Yeah, with every broken bone

I swear I lived

[Chorus]

I, I did it all

I, I did it all

I owned every second

That this world could give

I saw so many places

The things that I did

Yeah, with every broken bone

I swear I lived

[Outro]

Whoa

Whoa

Whoa

Oh

Oh

2013 URINEO

Back again for another URINEO.  I got to Mill Creek this morning at 8AM and met other runners at the Old Log Cabin.  It was drizzling out this morning and unseasonably warm.  We waited around until 8:10 for other runners to show up then left for a clock-wise loop to the Mill. 

A lot of people had on their screwed shoes.  I haven't had a pair for quite a few years and didn't have time (or the old shoes) to make them, so I just wore my Brooks Cascadias and hoped that there weren't any really icy areas.

The trail was really muddy as expected since the snow had melted and we were getting rain.  Probably the worst section was the Monkey Hills.  A couple people were attempting the Monkey Hill Marathon, so this really made the downhills slippery.  At a few spots, I felt like I was skiing rather than running.  I hurdled toward a tree a few times and knew if I missed it, I'd be falling down the hill further.

The trail was ice-free for the most part.  The iciest section was down by the creek headed towards the Mill.  The temperature also dropped quite a bit since it's down in a valley.  We switched running through warm and cold patches of air pretty frequently.

I met 3 runners from Pittsburgh who had never been to Mill Creek Park before.  It was fun seeing their reaction to the park.  Most people from out of town are surprised of the variety Mill Creek has and how technical and hilly some sections are.

I finished the first loop with the group and decided to call it a day with about 8  miles in.  I went inside the cabin and warmed up.  Moose was starting a fire, so I talked to him for awhile.  The rest of the runners slowly trickled in and soon we had everyone enjoying the food, fire and good company.

I always have a good time at URINEO.  It's great to catch up with runners I haven't seen in awhile and see what races they have planned. 

2013 Columbus Marathon

This weekend I traveled down to the capital for the Columbus Marathon.  Kelly came down to cheer me on.  We met my friend Marc, who was also running, at the expo and then grabbed a beer at Gordon Biersch Brewery right by the hockey arena.

We stayed a little outside the city, but still only 15 minutes away.  I woke up early to get my stuff together before the 7:30 AM start.  I like to get to the start line early, so I ended up having to wait in the cold for about half an hour.

I knew coming into this that I hadn't put in the training for a full marathon, so I was a little nervous about how the day was going to unfold.  I met Marc by the 7:20 pace group. 

Columbus was my first marathon and first Boston qualifier, so it's a fun race for me that brings back memories.  The course is nice and flat and perfect for a PR.  I hadn't run it since they changed the course to go through the Horseshoe.  I'd never been in the Buckeyes' football stadium so I was pumped to see it.

A band at the start line played some good music, a lot from the 70s, to get the runners pumped up.  A guy with a good set of lungs belted the national anthem, the mayor counted down from 10 the start of the race, the gun went off and to everyone's surprise some fireworks went off over the start line.

For the first half of the race I felt great.  I had gotten new shoes just a couple weeks before the race and only went on a 4 mile run in them.  Not something I usually do or like doing.  I was going to stick with Nike Pegasus since I've had 13 or so pairs, but after looking at the other shoes at Second Sole, the Pegasus seemed clunky.  I ended up getting a light pair of florescent yellow New Balance shoes.

So back to the race...  I felt good up to mile 13 and that's when things started declining....quickly.  Usually in marathons I start to feel my legs tighten around mile 18-20.  This was too early and not a good sign.  I tried to keep form and landed every stride with purpose not wanting to expend any extra energy.

I came through the half in 1:36:23.  Way too fast!

By the time I got to the Horseshoe, my legs were beat.  The crowd at the stadium and excitement of seeing it pushed me through there.  I heard someone yell my name, looked back, and it was Allison Holko!

The next 8 miles were torture.

I was relieved when I finally got to the final turn and headed downhill to the finish.  The crowd was really rooting on the runners and I feel especially for me since I probably looked spent.

It's funny because I wasn't sure if I was going to run this race since I hadn't trained enough to run a PR.  I talked to my dad before deciding to do it.  He said whether it was a PR race or not, he always felt satisfaction when finishing a marathon.  Inside I wasn't sure if I'd feel satisfaction with doing another road marathon in a time way off my PR.

When I crossed the finish line, I felt a great deal of satisfaction and pride and knew what my dad meant.  Each race has a different struggle and you never know what that will be until you toe the line.  In this case, the satisfaction came from not giving into the pain.  Even though I didn't train nearly hard enough to run a sub-3:08, I gutted it out and finished in 3:33:46.  That could have easily been over 4 hours if I had packed it up at the stadium and coasted in to the finish. 

Mill Creek Park Group Run

Today after work, I decided to drive to Mill Creek Park to go on a group run that Jim Harris posted on the NEO Trail forum.  Usually I'd rather run at the CVNP mid-week since it's closer, but I had an itchin' to run at Mill Creek.

There ended up being 4 other people including Tim Knapp, Jim, Frank and Todd Hanks.  I wasn't sure how far I'd end up going since I didn't want to get back to Akron too late.  They planned on running a full YUT-C loop.  When we got to Covered Bridge, I stuck with them and we finished with about 13.5 miles.

Tim signed up for the Oil Creek 100 miler and Frank is training for YUT-C 50K.  Always good to see others reaching for big goals.  I had a fun time tonight!  Afterward, even though it was getting late, I stopped at JibJab in Girard to get some hot dogs, fries and a milkshake.

Got a YUT-C 50K finisher's award (bottle opener) from Jim!

Boston Marathon Bombing

This afternoon at work, a coworker messaged me and said there had been an explosion at the Boston Marathon.  I first thought this must be something small or an accident.  I searched online and found a picture of the blast.  It looked much bigger than what I thought.  I then saw that a couple of people were dead and many injured. 

Many thoughts went through my head and I wondered whether all the local runners were safe.  I heard it happened around 4:09 into the race and knew there would still be big crowds coming in at this time.  I've run Boston twice in 2008 and 2010 with times of 3:42 and 3:45, so I felt chills learning of when this happened during the race.  I also thought of my parents.  They came both times to watch my sister and me and usually stand close to the finish line where this bomb exploded.  It makes you feel fortunate for family and friends and those things you take for granted.  It also makes you sad that this is the world we live in.  Innocent spectators enjoying a normally joyous day in Boston killed and injured for no good reason.

Another event in history that came to mind was the killing of Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics.  Although a different circumstance from what happened today, it was a terrorist attack at a major sporting event - a place that should be void of violence, politics, war and religion.

“This killing of Israel athletes is an act of war. And if there’s one place that war doesn’t belong, it’s here. 1200 years. From 776 B.C. to 393 A.D., your fellow Olympians laid down their arms to take part in these games. They understood there was more honor in out running a man than in killing him. I hope the competition will resume, and if it does, you must not think that running… or throwing… or jumping… is frivolous. The games were once your fellow Olympians answer to war – competition, not conquest. Now, they must be your answer.”

- Bill Bowerman

 Today is a sad day for our sport and our country, but we will rise again as runners and as Americans.