Trevor Hostetler

Reflecting on 2011

2011-10-01T19:51:00.000-07:00

As I finish off the year of races, it is time to reflect on the previous few months.

The year didn't start off well for me. I was injured till mid/late March with severe tendonitis in the ankle. I was a DNS at the HURT 100. It was to be a week of celebrating (10 year wedding anniversary) and a day of racing. However we decided to forgo the trip to Hawaii and I spent my time and energy in a major remodel on the house.

As my ankle improved...so did my fitness, albeit at, what it seemed like the speed of a glacier. I didn't have any expectations on my running was to be like for the summer. My main goal was to remain healthy and enjoy time on the trails.

At the last minute, I signed up for the Beacon Rock 50K (luckily it hadn't filled) in June. I ran well there, placing 3rd.

As my confidence soared from this race, I began to put more miles & time on the trails. My twin brother who resides in Vietnam and had been running consistently, we both decided to run the PCT 50. Soon after his arrival in the U.S., the entire family (parents, both of my brother's families and my family) spent 8 days in Central Oregon. Here Thad and I explored some new trails for the first time as well as some old......Newberry National Monument, Smith Rocks, multiple runs along with the Deschutes River Trail....as well as a few mountain bike rides. It was this week that I put in some serious miles getting ready for the PCT 50 miler.

The PCT 50 miler came and went. Another great race for me, 4th overall, and just missing the 7 hour barrier by 2 minutes! Thad did extremely well there for his first ultra in a time of 9.5 hrs.

Instead of racing, I tend to enjoy the solitude of running in the mountains by myself or with friends, at steady pace, thinking a lot while being out for 6-10+ hours. So for the next number of weeks, that is what I did:

Mt Hood Circumnavigation - Joe K, Joe G, Nick, Yassine, Willie, Ian (August)
Climbed Mt Adams - with Nelson (August)
3 Sisters Circumnavigation - solo (August)
Mt St Helens Circumnavigation - solo (August)
Climbed Prusik Peak - with Phil (first alpine climb in probably 5+ years) (Sept)
Mt Adams Circumnavigation - with Nelson (Sept)
Forest Park Marathon - Oct.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get around Mt Rainier.

So what is in store for next year? Well, I've got some ideas.....

Zane Grey
Pocatello
Cascade Crest
R2R2R
Continous runs of all the volcanoes
3 Sisters/Broken Top/Bachelor link-up
Some alpine climbing in the Cascades - Forbidden Peak, Mt. Stuart N. Ridge, Liberty Ridge on Rainier

If next year is anything like this past year (albeit the injury), I'll be satisfied.

Gotta say a big thanks to my family for making this past summer so special. They've supported me the entire time.

3 Sister's Loop - Solo

2011-08-23T12:43:00.001-07:00

I was debating about doing this loop. From what I read, it seemed long, but runnable. It was this loop or the Loowit Trail around Mt St Helens. But in the end, I wanted to do something new and so this was it! Running solo, in a new place, isn't that big of deal to me. I actually enjoy running solo. If I had to have a running partner on these longer, mountain runs I wouldn't get out much.....Forest Park doesn't fulfill the adventurous/youthful spirit in me.

I left the Pole Creek TH right about 6:45am after driving from my in-laws house in Salem (they were watching the kids as Christy was in Hood River spending the weekend with friends).

The trail was in great shape all the way till Green Lakes. I run much of the way albeit some short, steep sections gaining the "col" between S. Sister and Broken Top. Yes, some sections were sandy, but still runnable for the most part. There were many streams flowing due to the high snow pack this year so I periodically filled my 2 handheld water bottles in the numerous streams (not knowing the availability of water on the west side of these mountains).

I made it quickly around Green Lakes and down the trail before cutting west over to Moraine Lake. Once around Moraine Lake (on the south side) I came upon a 4-way junction. I looked at the map I had brought (which didn't have the 4-way junction). I opted to go further south towards Devils Lake - trying to head over to the trail that would drop me down to the PCT and the Wickiup Plan. I ended up picking the right trail as I crossed the trail that leads to the summit of S. Sister and soon found myself descending to the Wickiup Plan.

In a nutshell, the west side of this loop is incredible --plains, meadows, streams, pumice fields, forests, etc. A few more people but the scenery is much more enjoyable but definitely more exposed running through the plains and lava fields.

The weather had been perfect all day but the mercury started to rise. The hot, exposed rays of the big bright star eventually took its toll on me as I was nearing the area of Scott Spring/Camp Scott on the N/NW side of the N. Sister. This stupor lasted till I reached Alder Creek (below). This part of the trail was most striking and different from all other aspects of this adventure but I wasn't in any mood to savor the beauty of the landscape and enjoy it. I was just trying to stay cool by spraying water on my face and down my back. Water was scarce on this section from Scott Spring to Alder Creek (the water at Sawyer's Bar looked like it was infested with some protozoan/bacteria). I came upon 2 hikers on Scott Pass who were clearly in need of water. They asked if a water source was close and I mentioned it was over 3.5 miles away. They seemed a little surprised. I didn't stay long to contemplate their decision (or fate), so I dropped down the east side of Scott Pass. I had noticed on the map that Alder Creek was 4.1 miles away...hoping and praying that the creek was still flowing.

I made relatively quick time on the descent from Scott Pass. I came upon a fork in the trail about a mile (good thing for my Garmin) down from Scott Pass. I grabbed my map again. The trail I was needing to take was supposed to be 1.8miles from Scott Pass. I decided to trust my Garmin and map so I kept moving straight ahead. Sure enough, about 1.8miles from Scott Pass there was the trail that would lead to my car.
NOTE: That other trail wasn't on my map.

I was now running low on water. Once I got onto this new trail, I was 2.3 miles from Alder Creek. Again, I was hoping there was water still flowing. Those few miles seemed to drag on forever. A lone hiker and I crossed paths saying a brief hello. Any how, I made it to the creek, walking right into it. The ice cold water was refreshing. The 5 minute break was great!

I set off from Alder Creek (5 miles to the car) with a power-hike...hiking all the uphills as the trail was no different than walking on the beach. I ran the last 2.5 miles to the car as soon as I crested the last ridge.

Feels good to have done it. Hardest solo run ever. Time of 9hrs 40mins. Total 46 miles (Garmin captured 40 of it).

Mt Adams - FKT??

2011-08-16T13:44:00.000-07:00

Nelson and I cruised up Mt Adams Friday evening. With a few stops going up and down, our time: 4hrs 13mins (car-to-car). Is this the fastest known time (FKT)?? Not sure. Anyone else know?? Data below.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/106906020#.TkrWBCazZ64.blogger

Mt Hood 50 Mile Race Report

2011-07-31T15:21:00.000-07:00

Not interested in writing much at this moment. It's unlikely that I'll write a more indepth report in the coming days/weeks ahead.

Had a great time meeting new people and racing against great (and fast) friends.

Recap of race:
Great 1st half that seemed a bit fast but went with it. Last 22ish miles could've been better.....cramps and stomach issues. Ate a meager 3 GUs, 6 orange wedges and 6 Coke/Sprite mini-cups.

Result:
4th overall in a time of 7hrs 2mins. Thanks Todd for putting on a great race. A big thanks to all the volunteers for making this event possible.

I'm most impressed with my twin brother for finishing his first ultra. His training ground being the streets of Hanoi, Vietnam. Great job Thad!!

Beacon Rock 50K Race Report

2011-06-12T18:43:00.000-07:00

With some trepidation, I signed up for this race as I was a bit nervous as I hadn't raced since Pine2Palm in September. With significant elevation gain (stated 7500ft) over the course of just 31miles, I knew this would suite me, as my strength is in climbing. I had no "game plan" for the race. I honestly just wanted to have a good time on the trails and see how the race unfolded.

The first few miles was working out the kinks and getting into a good rhythm on the gradual gravel road. As we hit the single track about 3.5 miles into the race I would alternate between running and power-hiking, depending on the steepness of the trail. I crested the summit of Hardy Mtn and begun the approx mile descent of steep, technical terrain (I'm surprised I didn't twist an ankle or fall) to the aid station.

I hit the first aid station in 4th place (mile 5.5), filling my water bottle with Nuun and grabbed a GU. The slight downhill (half gravel road/other half single-track) to the start of the climb up to the summit of Hamilton Mtn took longer than expected. I pushed it a little bit but not too much on this part, thinking I would gain on the 3 in front while we started the climb.

The climb to the summit of Hamilton Mtn was steep with numerous switchbacks. The views were spectacular. I power-hiked some and ran some. I knew I made up some lost time cause I could see Joe up ahead. I still didn't push too hard as I knew we would be going up this steep climb again. I repeated over and over to myself........"Conserve. Be patient. You'll make lost time on the 2nd loop." Even so, I was still a disappointed that I didn't catch Joe on the climb.

The next few miles to the aid station went by quickly. Just as I was entering the aid station I could see Joe off in the distance going around a bend in the road. I grabbed a few GUs, an S-cap and drank some Coke and took off.

If I wanted to make up lost time on the 3 guys in front, I knew I needed to push the downhills. So after leaving the aid station for the turnaround/halfway point in the race, I found a higher gear and took off. I caught Joe about 2.5 miles from the turnaround. We ran together all the way to the turnaround - pushing each other - but at a nice comfortable pace. The 2 other guys were ahead of us by 4 and 6 minutes.

Joe and I didn't stay for long. My pace was definitely slower going up the gravel road the 2nd time around. Once we hit the single-track climbing up to Hardy Mtn, I was walking more than running. Joe and I caught up to the 2nd place guy - Michael Wedemeyer. But Hozumi Nakai caught up to all of us......and was looking STRONG. We all 3 passed Michael pretty much at the same time...me leading. I pushed the pace a little and Hozumi and I gapped Joe and Michael. I continued the pace but Hozumi was right on my tail so I stepped aside to let him pass. He mentioned something like I didn't need to do that but he was moving way too fast and I was clearly slowing him down. Within a few minutes Hozumi had already gapped me. I quickened the pace down the other side of Hardy on the steep, technical section, thinking that Joe and Michael would catch me.....but they didn't. I rolled into the aid station (mile 20ish) and quickly exited with a few GUs in hand. Just as I was leaving the aid station, Joe was arriving. I yelled, "Let's go Joe!"..... he probably not hearing me.

I got to within about 100meters of Hozumi (he had to take a pee-break along-side the road) but that was as near as I would get to him. I was struggling a little on the single-track leading over to the climb up Hamilton Mtn. I had spotted a Cliff Bar at the previous aid station and started slowly taking bites from it. My stomach began to act up but I knew I needed the calories. As a made the sharp turn to begin the steep climb up Hamilton, Michael appeared out of nowhere behind me, clearly making up time on the way over to Hamilton! His presence actually startled me. Hozumi wasn't going to be caught, he was just too strong today. I knew that if I hammered and made it up to the top of Hamilton before Joe or Michael, my chances of reaching the finish before them were pretty good. The second time going up the mountain seemed longer and harder, but I was able to manage a "fair amount" of running considering the steepness and switchbacks. Once I hit the top, I took off and started bombing down to the last aid station at mile 27ish.

I barely stopped at this last aid station -- just enough time to fill the waterbottle. I then started hammering the last downhill section. With a cramp here (groin area) and a cramp there (right-side of abdomen), I was able to stroll into the finish at 4hrs 55mins. 3rd place overall. Hozumi kicked some serious you-know-what and finished in 4hrs 50mins - 2nd place.

Great course! Great volunteers! Great competition! Great race James! Happy to be back racing again. James Varner's Angels Staircase in mid-August looks pretty cool. I just may sign up for that remote and brutal course.

Thanks Joe for pushing me out there....even tho you probably didn't realize you were doing so. You had me running scared those last miles.

Time

2011-06-09T15:19:00.001-07:00

Much time has passed since my last posting. I tend not to write when I'm injured, hence the hibernation. A month before the start of the HURT 100 I got injured. It was an exacerbation of my injury from Pine 2 Palm. What was supposed to be a 4-5 hour run turned into a 2 hour run with a 3 mile walk back to the car. I pretty much didn't run for about 4 months.

It would've been nice to have run HURT...and spend some time with my wife without the kids (the trip was supposed to have been a "delayed" 10-year anniversary trip). With a cancelled trip to Hawaii, I sunk my time and energy (and money) into a major remodel. (The "alternate" 10 year anniversary gift. In my mind, Christy got a great gift. She thinks so too.) With the help from family and friends (William, Jeremy and Joe), I finished the remodel in about 2 months. What a person can accomplish when one isn't training!!

Over the past few months I've put some consistent mileage on the legs. This past week was a big week - at least for me - which consisted of running 85 miles in 4 days and biking 45. I've never been a mega-mile person. Actually, this is the biggest training week I've ever had. So with some consistent mileage behind me, I figured I needed to see how "fit" I really am, so I signed up for the Beacon Rock 50k this Sunday. Looks to be a good course with some good elevation gain.

No matter what the outcome of the race is, I'm just happy to be back running again. I'm certain you will see a grin from ear to ear throughout the race.

Pine 2 Palm Race Report

2010-09-22T13:14:00.000-07:00

I'm layed-up on the sofa, foot elevated, looking down at my swollen right ankle, writing this email. I'll spare you all the details of the race...just some highlights. This was my most challenging 100 miler thus far.

First off, I need to say thanks to Orval (father-in-law) and Angela (cousin's girlfriend) for supporting me during the race. I ask for them to stay up all night in wet/windy/cold conditions, and only to support me for a mere few minutes at a time. Angela then had to endure (all at night) a slow slog through the same conditions with a guy who was moaning and groaning (and cursing) for 12 hours. Words can't express my gratitude to the both of you for these sacrifices.

The first 60 miles went by relatively well. I was fueling and drinking properly and taking the necessary electrolyte caps on schedule. It was raining about 90% of the time, albeit the first few miles on the road out of Williams. I had my pace under control....not running the downhills too hard and walking most of the uphills. From miles 60-65, I noticed that my right ankle was a little painful attempting to run downhill....but the pain wasn't alarming. In addition, just around mile 60, my core body temperature dropped and I became cold. This was a result of climbing in elevation, the temperature dropped and the wind and rain increased in intensity. I was able to borrow a light weight shell from a generous volunteer at the 60 mile aid station but it only helped slightly. One mile from the 65 mile aid station, a woman whom I'd never met, stopped her car as I was hiking up the gravel road and offered a garbage bag to put over my upper body. I thanked her and my friend Trevor (we were running together at this stage in the race) made a make-shift coat - as my hands were worthless due to the cold.

I arrived at the 65 mile aid station - exposed on a ridge on Dutchman Peak - shivering violently and in about 5th place. The wind and rain were blowing from all directions. Orval and Angela were there waiting for me with reassurance and calming voices (it sure is nice to have a crew in such conditions). I was able to get dry clothes on with help of Angela and Orval as I huddled around a propane heater. I stayed here for about 15-20 minutes (maybe even longer)...making sure I got my core body temperature up. I tried to eat some food but was feeling pretty nauseous at this point.

This was the start of pacing duty for Angela. It sure was nice to have her with me during the last 35 miles. As she and I left the aid station, the pain in my right ankle was slowly increasing. As we neared the Glade Creek Aid Station at mile 78, I had been relegated to walking the past number of miles on much of the downhills and muster only running for 3-5 minutes on level stretches before needing to take a break from the pain. This is where my spirits took the first nose dive as I was passed by at least 10 runners. There was nothing I could do as this pain persisted throughout the rest of the race. I was afraid to take any pain medications to prevent any kidney issues later on in the race or after.

The climb up to Wagner Peak was another low point. The trail was steep. The temperature dropped. I became cold again. And yes, it was still spitting rain. I hadn't been able to eat much of anything since Glade Creek as nausea episodes would wax and wane. It was during this stretch that my emotions spilled out on the trail. It was at this moment that I thought I wouldn't finish. But getting to the short out and back section to the summit of Wagner Peak, my spirits lifted as I noticed that I hadn't lost much ground to some of the runners that blew passed me between Dutchman Peak (mile 65) and Glade Creek (mile 78).

The downhill from the top of Wagner Peak to the finish was slow and painful. I hiked all the way down to the Road 2060 Aid Station. I was then able to muster a fast hike on this gravel road with a few minutes of running. A last ditch effort was made of "running" about 75% of the last 4 miles to the finish. Again, cold and wet conditions as a torrential rain spell hit Angela and I. So much for a dry finish! I finished in 26hrs and change.

I want to thank all of the volunteers who came out for this inaugural race. The aid stations were well-manned and stocked. They anticipated what the runner needed. The course was well marked - except on a few sections the spacing of the ribbons was a little far.

Lastly, to my #1 fan-base, my family. The support they provide makes this all possible.

Mt St Helens Circumnav

2010-08-02T13:09:00.000-07:00

Not sure how many times I've run the Loowit Trail around Mt St Helens. And I'm not sure why I like that trail so much. I think it is just the beauty of the area...but also the diversity for which the trail offers....all single track, steep climbs (not too long), boulder fields, stream crossings, a little route finding, etc. The trail is approximently 32+/-miles in length. My fastest time to date was 6hrs 10mins. This was a few years ago when I couldn't even fathom running much longer....but also it was before the rains from 2006 hit the Northwest and caused some massive slides in the area and a number of "detours" were developed to cross over some major washouts.
Nick was eager to take another stab at the trail. His first major ultra run was last summer with Joe Grant. It sounded like an epic run that lasted 10hrs with a significant amount of suffering. Luckily the run didn't dissuade him from running long again.

I picked Nick up at his house at 0330 and made quick time to the June Lake Trailhead. I'm grateful for Nick's flexibility in the early wakeup call. With 2 kids and a wife back at home, these days which have longer runs start rather early. Thanks buddy!

We started right at 0530. We ran into some campers that were already awake at June Lake. We made the ascent up to the trail that is the main route up to the summit in short order - about an hour.

It was rather pleasant out. There was a ever-so slight mist starting out but as we climbed the clouds started to part and got some glimpses of blue sky. As we made our way around the west side of the mountain, the clouds cleared. We came across a lone hiker who had started the day previous and was also doing the entire loop. We chatted for a few minutes. Soon after, we stopped 9 elk that were scrampering along. It was really neat to see.

The descent down to the Toutle River was nice. We stopped to take a few photos.

At the river, we stopped to fill up our water bottles and dropped a Nuun tablet. Just as we crossed the river, we came across a father and son. They were contemplating how they were going to get down to the river. The "trail" down to the river is rather steep and involves just a little down climbing. I told them that this was the worst of the stream crossings. Again, we chatted for about 2 minutes and we were on our way. I think we made it to the river in 2hrs 45mins.

The steep ascent up to the NW side of the mountain was a grinder. It reminded us of the ascent up to Bull Wheel at Tahoe 50/100....steep, sandy. Even tho our legs were a bit fresher than at Tahoe, it still was seemed steep.

We cruised the trail on the NW/N sides of the mountain. For some reason, this part of the trail always takes longer than what I would expect. Just lots of undulations in the trail as well as steep, rocky, short descents and a little meandering to follow the trail through the blast zone. We filled our bottles at a creek and proceeded to make it to Windy Pass, the high point of the route at 4885ft right at 5hrs. I was struggling a little bit at this point and had to take in a Clif Bar. For just having finished Tahoe 100 just two weeks ago, my legs were feeling pretty good. (Sorry for the 2 videos...my video making skills are, let's just say lacking.)

The run on the Plains of Abraham was great. We pushed the pace during this segment as the trail widens and feels more like a compacted, sandy road. We came across 2 mountain bikers and 4 hikers. I'd never seen more than 6 people at any given time on this trail before.

The last 6 miles to June Lake went by fast. However my left knee was throbbing making the downhills a little painful. We blazed past a few more hikers/climbers on their way up to June Lake. We touch the trailhead sign, making our circumnav of Mt St Helens in 6hrs 50mins. Not bad!

Nick, thanks for a great run!

Tahoe Rim Trail 100 Short Race Report

2010-07-20T14:08:00.000-07:00

I'm going to spare every one all the details....just don't feel like taking the time to write a full report. It was a great course in a beautiful area. It was my first 100 (out of the 4 total) that actually went pretty well...all things considering (i.e. heat/altitude). I fueled and hydrated well.

The aid stations were fantastic - most noteably Tunnel Creek and Hobart. The volunteers were incredible!! Thanks to Erik Skaden for the positive words and getting my out of Diamond Peak (mile 80) quickly. You walking with me those few hundred meters out of the aid station got my head back in the race.

I finished 11th overall (10th male) in a time of 25hrs 5min. I'm grateful for my family to be there to support me. It was a pleasure running with my twin brother - Thad - the last 7+ miles. He met me at the last aid station - Snow Valley Peak. It was big a surprise seeing him up there since he and my Dad miscalculated when I was to come in at Diamond Peak. He definitely pushed me those last miles. I didn't walk more than a few minutes.

Most importantly, I'm ever so blessed to have a wife who supports me in these endeavors.

(at the finish)

P50 - An Adventure

2010-06-04T14:06:00.000-07:00

Just now getting the time to sit down and write this report after thinking about the race. Sorry for the length.

The Pocatello 50 (or P50) I heard much about from my friend Trevor, who ran the inaugural race last year. What drew me to the course was its difficulty (i.e. hills) and how well organized it was. The steeper the course, the better I seem to do (albeit Wasatch Front 100...that is a different story altogether and my first 100miler). The moment registration opened I signed up for the race. Good thing I did. I believe it filled within 3 days.

My older brother and his family were coming back to the States for a number of weeks during the time of the race. I felt it would be a great experience for him to crew me at an ultra, in addition to spending some quality time with him. So we planned the road trip to Pocatello with his son - Lukas - and my son - Mason - in tow.

We left Thursday morning to break up the drive. First day was spent driving to Boise. It was my son's first long road trip where he would remember anything. He did experience a few 9 hour nausea-induced bus rides in remote Central Mexico a few years back but wasn't of the age to remember. However, it was memorable for a father who gets sick if there are more than a few successive bends in the road. Good thing for Dramamine. At any rate, we made quick time to Boise - 7 hours - after making stops to empty the bladder, eat, etc. It was my first time staying in Boise for any length of time. We ate at Mai Thai Restaurant in downtown Boise just blocks away from the Capitol. I was impressed by the quality of the food, the various options, atmosphere, and service. They even had ample vegetarian and vegan options....of which I opted for a vegan dish that was delicious.

We got up Friday morning and drove the 3+ hour drive to Pocatello. It took a little longer than expected due to some major road construction that funnelled the Interstate down to one lane going in each direction. Stimulus funds?? Geez, couldn't believe the length of the construction. It also was raining......A LOT!! The rain had me peering through the windshield, death-gripped to the steering wheel.

We were able to check into the hotel a little early and I started to get my things ready for the race. We then headed to the start/finish for packet pickup which was a short drive - 20minutes. We stayed for the race briefing and then immediately left afterwards to get a bite to eat as to get to bed at an early hour.

We left the hotel right at 5am to get to the start. Skies were cloudy. Temps were probably in the high 30s/low 40s. Luckily there was no rain. At the very last minute I decided to bring my beanie and wear my lightweight Mountain Hardware vest. As I was stepping to the starting line I saw Trev and said a quick "hi" and we were off.

The first part of the race followed the road we drove up to the starting line for a brief 1/2mile or so. We veered off to the left and got onto some single track. It immediately climbed and I settled into a nice walk/run pace up the hill. After the first climb, it was rolling single track with short, steep ups/downs that were all runnable. It then started to rain somewhere along this nice single track section. I settled into a nice pace behind Sean, Joelle with Trevor and AJW behind. Trevor and I caught up on running, family, etc. This small train of runners lasted for a number of miles before AJW and Sean took off. I rolled into the first aid station (mile 8ish) and grabbed a few gels, filled up my water bottle with Nuun. Trevor, Sean and AJW were about 2 minutes in front.

The trails was beginning to turn really muddy. Trevor had forewarned me that if it was wet out, the trails were going to be slick...and they were. Some sections was like running on ice. I don't know how many times I nearly fell.

I caught up to Trevor just before we headed up the off-trail portion of the race. As we climbed, both Trevor and I caught up to a number of people. The weather started to turn for the worse. The winds picked up and sleet/snow began to fall. It was foggy and having never run the course, I had know idea what the surrounding terrain was like and I didn't recall how many vertical feet we were going to have to climb. My hands were freezing at this point so I tucked my hands underneath my armpits trying to get them warmed up. I put on my beanie and placed my Nuun visor inside of my vest. I knew my body needed food but it would've been futile trying to open a gel/bar/etc so I sucked on my water bottle thinking the little electrolytes I gained from the Nuun would do something for my calorie/electrolyte depleted body.

The conditions reminded me of my many forays into the mountains. However, I had the necessary gear to keep the core of the body warm during those adventures. Today I was just wearing some simple running clothes.

As we crested the ridge that we were on, the snow/sleet made it difficult to see and was covering up the course markers. Winds were probably blowing between 40-45mph. I started to follow AJW and some other guy towards the right on this large open plateau of sorts, when off to my left I noticed some markers. I yelled out to both of them and they followed. The course now followed a ATV/jeep road. I tried to maintain the pace with AJW to help me get off this god-forsaken hill but just couldn't. Within a few minutes I was running by myself in terrain that I wasn't familiar with and in conditions that were deteriorating. I wondered how long we were going to be on this road before dropping elevation. I just started thinking "Keep it together. Keep it together. Look for the course markers. Head up. Look for the course markers." Squinting through the sleet/snow and high winds that were now coming straight at me, I saw 2 course flags off to my right. I stopped for a moment just to be sure. Yes! The flags! I followed them. This ATV/jeep road was now starting to drop some elevation....and fast. In a few minutes, I caught up to AJW, who was stopped and looked like he was trying to warm up his hands to open a few gel packets. I grunted something and continued down. Within 15 minutes it actually felt warm. AJW passed me.....as did Matt. WTF?! Matt?! He had taken a wrong turn just before the off-trail section.

At times the road was a nightmare....muddy, slick and little traction. I fell once, pretty hard onto my left side, while trying to open a ShotBloks (the first fuel since the first AS). The road continued, crossed a few streams and then hit single track. The city came into view and it actually wasn't raining. It was beautiful single track that any ultra runner would love. Then a steep, short downhill section put me at City Creek AS. Just as I was coming in, I saw Trevor leaving. Derek was waiting for me.....boy, it sure was nice to see a familiar face!

I was at the AS a little longer than I usually take but I wanted to be sure I had all the essential items with me. I grabbed my lightweight Marmot jacket, ditched my I-pod and handheld water bottle. I figured I'd need to keep my fingers warm as we were going up again into the weather. It was just too hard to maintain some warm fingers with having the handheld. I had Derek slightly open my Sharkies bag --- again, anticipating my fingers would not be functional once I got into colder weather. I ate a Luna Bar, took two Endurolytes and off I went.

The next couple miles meandered on some single track before hitting a small aid station that had water. I filled what I had drank of my one water bottle since seeing Derek and continued the climb. I thanked them for being there. One of the volunteers said, "Two miles to the top. Then 4miles down to the next aid station." My response joking was, "Piece of cake!"

Just beyond I saw Trevor tying his shoe. We continued on together and again chatted about life. We climbed higher and higher and soon we were again in the wind, snow/sleet. I put on my jacket....and WOW!! what a difference. Sure was nice to have this. At this point, there was about 3 inches of snow on the ground. We caught up to Matt and crested another ridge and gained a ATV/jeep road. Matt and Trevor pushed the pace on the downhill that I couldn't match.

I eventually caught up to Trevor and ran together all the way till around mile 26 - at a remote aid station. Word at the aid station was that the race had been called and racers were stopping people at Mink Creek (mile 32). I grabbed one gel, filled up my water bottle with Nuun and took off. About 1/2 mile beyond I caught Matt. Then Trevor, Matt and I ran together for about a mile before Trevor and I pulled ahead of Matt and then Trevor eventually pulled ahead of me. At this time, there was about 4 inches of snow on the ground and as we descended to Mink Creek, rain began to fall and the snow started to melt. The trail was is in pretty bad shape - basically running in a small stream with the water temperature hovering just above freezing. You could say my feet were cold.

About 2 miles from Mink Creek some one came running up the trail and indeed confirmed that racers were being stopped at Mink Creek. I felt a sense of relief, but in all honestly, a little disappointed. I was looking forward to the next part of the race up and over Scout Mountain, but I knew, due to the conditions, that it was the right decision by the RD's.

Matt and another runner passed me about a mile from the "finish". As I rolled into the finish Derek was waiting for me. A tent was set up and people were mingling inside. I didn't stay for long...just wanted to get to the hotel, take a shower and rest now that the race had been stopped. I finished in 9th place with a time of 5hrs 50ish minutes.

A big thanks to the volunteers for being out in the elements and providing support for all participants. Thanks to the RDs for putting on a great race....and stopping it as well. Thanks to Derek for supporting me at the race. And a bigger thanks to my family for putting up with me and another adventure.

I'll be back next year....just hope the weather is bit nicer!

McDonald Forest 50K race report

2010-05-09T15:57:00.001-07:00

I was looking forward to running this race for the first time. It suited me well....the abundance of steep hills. I had run the course with Will, Mike and Angela in mid-March, but come race day, I had forgotten just how steep the hills were -- especially after running the relatively flat Rumble. My fitness was on par for a successful race after PR'ing at all the races this year. I had a goal of running under 4:30.

The race started out pretty fast....at least for me. I was able to hang on till the first substantial hill before falling back into more of a sustainable pace and let 3 guys go. However, just as I hit the first steep hill, my legs just weren't turning over like they normally do. Not sure what was going on. I swapped places with Joe (a ultrarunner from Portland - nice meeting you bro!) on a number of occassions -- he catching me on the downhills, I catching him on the uphills.

The miles were passing by but my legs still were not "functioning" normal...especially on the long, gradual dirt/gravel roads. In addition to my lack of leg turnover, somewhere around mile 16, I started having severe abdominal cramps and bloating. This persisted till the mile 22ish aid station. I attributed this to having too many electrolytes and salt consumption (via S-caps) on board....I was miscalculating.....I was taking these supplements at each of the aid stations and on the trail. Big mistake! This definitely won't happen again! At this point, I was contemplating dropping from the race since I felt like s#*t.

At around mile 24ish, things started to turn around. The bloating/cramps dissipated and I caught 2 runners right beginning of the last, long steep trail before hitting the road that bombs down to the last aid station. My legs felt a little better so I really pushed it -- thinking that they or some one else would catch me on the downhills to the last aid station and onto the finish line. Just outside of the last aid station, I had to stop for a quick restroom break.

I made it down to the last aid station in 4th place - 5 minutes behind 3rd. At this point, I decided to try and hang on to 4th place. I quickly refilled my handheld with water and dropping a Nuun tablet.

The 3+ mile gravel road outside of the last aid station killed me. It just never seemed to end. My legs felt heavy. I walked for about a minute thinking that a different pace would help. My legs are accustomed to varied speeds on trails -- not that same for miles on end on these long, gravel roads.

Just as I reached the last 1.5miles to the finish, Brian Morrison caught me. Ugh! He was moving fast. "Great finish. Keep it up," I said as I let him pass. I was able to match his pace up the final hill before he put the gear into overdrive and was gone, bombing down the hill to the finish.

I cruised the last mile and finished in 4:31 and 5th overall. I was pleased with the result given what all transpired over the day. A friend I went to high school with - Jason Moyer - finished right behind me. Will finished in 4:54 - great race my friend - given the limited training you've done over the past month! Mike finished in 4:42 -- great race -- for having smoked the Eugene marathon in 2:42 (only in my dreams would I be able to run that fast) just 6 days prior!

A great race put on by the race directors. The course was well-marked and the aid stations were well-stocked. Thanks to all the volunteers. They were helpful and ready to meet your needs! Amazing!!

Short Peterson Ridge Rumble 60K Race Report

2010-04-14T20:04:00.000-07:00

This was my 3rd straight year running this race. My times have progressively gotten faster and this year was to be no exception. I'm running faster then at any other point in my short career running ultras. I think there are a few reasons to this: #1 -I'm getting at least a 3-6hr run every Saturday (even though I don't run more than 3-4x/wk...thanks to my wife and other family for being so supportive!!), #2 - I'm monitoring what I eat (cutting out almost all dairy and eating very little meat), #3 - I haven't been injured - this is attributed to my monthly massages, #4 - running with local fast guys - Yassine Diboun, Joe Grant and Nick Triolo.

My Dad, son -Mason- and I left Portland at 4:30am. We made quick time - arriving in Sisters right at 7am.

All 115+ people toed the line and off we went. Yassine immediately took the lead - knowing I nor anyone racing today - would see him till the finish. I settled into a nice pace behind Jeff Browning and Matt Hart. As soon as we hit the single track they both picked up the pace. I guess this is why they're ultrarunners.....and sponsored. Soon Jeff was out of sight. I followed behind Matt for an additional 20-30minutes before he too was out of sight....after I paused to squat behind a bush. I was concerned that I was moving too fast, too early on...but I thought, "what the hell. might as well see what happens". I was hydrating well and eating regularly. However my intestines were in an uproar and had to relieve myself 2 additional times along the course. I did skip one crucial aid station - not filling up my water bottle. Big mistake! I misjudged the distance to the next aid station, so I dunked my handheld water bottle in a stream (time will tell if I get giardia, crypto, or campy) knowing that I would need the water.

I thought for sure Matt was gone for good. Then, on a long uphill stretch of a gravel road, I saw him about 2oo meters in front. I was on autopilot, putting one foot in front of the other. Within a few minutes, I caught up to him. Hills are my saving grace in these races....since I suck at downhills and the flats I'm OK. "Good job Matt. Keep it up," I said as I passed him. He said the same.

From that point on, I was running scared...thinking Matt would catch me. I stopped briefly at the second to last aid station - mile 28ish. I dumped what was left of the stream-fill water and refilled with Nunn. Grabbed a banana and I think a gel. Around mile 30, my legs on the inner aspects of the thigh started to cramp...just like what had happened at Hagg. I just kept moving and was able to shake off the cramps and reach the final aid station. Again, I filled my water bottle with Nuun and left in a matter of seconds.

The last 4ish miles went by relatively fast. I turned around countless times thinking Matt was going to be on my heels....but he wasn't.

I finished in 4hrs 40mins in 3rd place. Jeff was second in 4hrs 39min. Yassine was first in 4hrs 17mins.

Sean put on another great race. The volunteers were awesome. Next race is McDonald Forest 50K. I'll be volunteering at one of the aid stations at Capitol Peak 50miler.

Hagg Lake 50K

2010-02-27T04:15:00.000-08:00

At this year's race, I was hoping to break the 4 hour barrier. I'm in much better shape then last year and with only one hiccup in my training, I figured it would be possible to get under 4 hours. The weather was perfect, however, having run the trail a few times over the past couple of months, it would still be muddy.
Before the race I chatted with Sean Meissner (a Montrail sponsored athlete). He and I were wearing the same prototype shoes from Montrail. It was pretty cool to be wearing some shoe that only a few pairs existed and providing valueable input in the development of them. Nelson and I also chatted - catching up on life.
The race started promptly at 8am with the short out-and-back section. Within 400 meters, it was readily apparent the men from the boys - Max King, Andy Martin, Ruben Galbraith and Andrew Schupp - were out front and never to be seen again. Hats-off to the 4 of them for ripping-up the course!! This out and back section, although short, has always been tough for me. The return to the lake is a screaming downhill that just kills my quads (I've never been a good downhill runner).
The first loop around the lake was uneventful. If I recall correctly, I came into Sain Creek Aid Station (start/finish line) at 2hrs 8min. I was sitting in 5th place overall and was eating/drinking well. I also took in a few S-caps. The aid stations were well supported and stocked -- the volunteers were great!
It was probably less than a mile after passing the Sain Creek Aid Station, my muscles in the groin area (of all places!!) started cramping. I took 2 S-caps, hoping that would help and increased my fluid intake as well (I had Nuun). The words of encouragement from Yassine helped as I struggled to get up and out of the most technical part of the course that he was directing runners through.
The miles rolled by and the cramping didn't improve. Running across the dam was painful (have I said I hate running on asphalt!!). I left the aid station on the north side of the dam in agony and could see the next runner who was about 2 minutes back (at the time I couldn't recognize the runner but it turned out to be Will Swint). If there is any runner out there that maintains a steady - and fast pace - it is Will. Will caught up to me a few miles later. We ran together just briefly. A few words of encouragement were exchanged and then he was gone.
About 2 miles out from the last aid station, runners comes across a "series" of mud holes that one can go directly through....or around. I ran through the mud holes on the first lap without incident so I thought I would do the same. Well, not so. At the first mud hole I took one long stride and before I knew it, I was down on all fours covered in mud. I yelled a few words that will not be written....then I started laughing. I then got up and starting. After the little spill, my cramping subsided and was actually able to run some of the uphills.
I rolled into the last aid station....again, great volunteers!! They cleaned my mud-incased handheld water bottle with some baby wipes so that I didn't have to drink Nuun and mud.
The last miles to the finish were unremarkable. I didn't have any idea where the next runner behind was. Will was having a good day and I wasn't going to be catching him. I rolled into the finish in 4hrs 8mins - good enough for 6th place. Will was 4 minutes faster and in 5th.
A new PR by 15minutes - one has to be pleased. Next year I'll try and run that sub-4hr. At the finish I spoke with Max - who had won the race in just under 3hrs 27min!! - Will and many others. Craig, from Columbia, was also there.
Christy and the kids ate lunch while I got cleaned up. Mason loved throwing rocks and sticks in the creek. Another great day on the trails here in the Northwest!

Nothing in particular

2010-01-24T10:03:00.000-08:00

Capital Peak race went well. Really enjoyed the course and what it offered...steep ascents/descents, lots of mud, stream running/crossings, etc. Thanks to all the participated and volunteered! Results are here: http://www.capitolpeakultras.com/megafatass30mileresults.htm

Ran a tough 22+mile trail in the Coast Range with Angela yesterday. It was my first time running in the coast range...hard to believe since we've had a family vacation home in Oceanside before I was born!!

In a few weeks I'll know if I get into Hardrock 100. I've got a backup - Tahoe Rim Trail 100 - in the event my name doesn't get pulled in the lottery.

I signed up "local" (southern Oregon) 100 miler - Pine to Palm - in mid-September. I'm excited to be apart of a race in its inaugural year.

Cold, wet and snow on the Wildwood Trail

2010-01-01T04:37:00.000-08:00

Ran the complete length of the Wildwood Trail (30+ miles) with Nelson. We started in a drizzle as the temperature gauge on my Prius read 34 degrees. The rain increased soon after we started and never let up. Snow covered much of the trail - although it was rapidly melting due to the rain. Nelson and I split up at mile 16. I wasn't fueling properly and the last number of miles were a bit of a struggle. I finished right at 5 hours. When we got back to my car, the temperature gauge had ticked-up to a wopping 37 degrees! Nelson and I agreed.....it was the coldest/wettest run either of us had done in recent memory.

Another Attempt at a Lottery

2009-12-13T15:31:00.000-08:00

Not getting my name drawn for Western States, I'm hoping for some luck with the lottery process at Hardrock. If I get in, I'll have to think about Big Horn.

2010 Tentative Race Schedule

2009-11-27T17:44:00.001-08:00

Well, never got around to writing a full report for R2R2R. In short, it was a great day on the trail - met some great people, had good weather (although a tad bit chilly on the N. Rim) and most important, I just had fun.

Here is a possible race schedule for next year:

Jan - Capital Peak Fat Ass - 34miler

Feb - Hagg Lake - 50K

March - Chuckanut - 50K

April - Peterson Ridge Rumble -60K

May - Pocatello - 50miler

June - Big Horn 100
or
July - Hardrock 100

August - Cascade Crest 100
or
September - Wasatch 100

Quick R2R2R Report......

2009-11-16T12:50:00.000-08:00

Well, I did the run (starting and ending at the Bright Angel Trailhead) in 10hrs 16mins. A more lengthy report will be posted....hopefully soon.

R2R2R Run

2009-11-11T14:22:00.000-08:00

Getting my gear ready to run the R2R2R (basically running from the south rim of the Grand Canyon, over to the north rim and back to the south rim) this weekend. Still deciding if I'm wanting to go the Kaibab Trail or Bright Angel Trail upon my return to the south rim. The two previous times I've done this run, I've always opted for Bright Angel. Now that it is mid-November and the temps are looking rather "chilly" (my two previous times running this have always been in May) I may just decide on Kaibab.
I'm running with Nathan Spear, an old friend from high school. He and my twin brother battled for the top x-country spot in the Portland Interscholastic League (PIL) back in the early 90's -- while I was sucking wind as a mid-packer. This will be his first R2R2R. He has ran one other run about this same distance, but any one who has run this knows how challenging the R2R2R can be.
We fly out at 0830 Friday and return 1530 Sunday. I'll let every one know how it goes upon my return. Cheers.

100 In The Hood

2009-10-11T04:59:00.000-07:00

I'm terrible at maintaining this blog.....just seem to never find the time to write -- jungling long hours at work, family, training, etc.

Overall, I had a pretty good race. It was a great course and had perfect conditions the entire day. This is what I remember of the race as I've written this race report over the past several weeks. Sorry for the length....

The first 28 miles (North out & back) went smoothly. Spoke with Yassin (who just moved from the East coast to Portland) for a few miles in the dark....nice guy. Even though I was going faster than I would have liked, I was feeling great. If I remember correctly, I came into the AS at mile 28 in 4hrs 10min. My father-in-law who was crewing me had my gear bag open and ready for me....thanks! I was in and out pretty quick.

I hadn't run the Southern portion of the course and so all of it was new. About 2 miles out of the 28 mile AS, the trail crossed into the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. I was still feeling strong and all systems were a go! I was eating and fueling properly. I had been running for awhile and thought I should have come upon the mile 33 Red Wolf Pass AS....but it never came. I was getting low on liquid and not sure how far I had to the next AS, I dipped one of my handhelds in the Warm Springs River (or Creek).

At about mile 36, Ray Sanchez passed me. We talked briefly. He held a consistent pace no matter the level of terrain and soon he was around the next bend in the trail and was gone. I came upon an AS and sure enough....it was the Warm Springs AS at mile 38.5. I filled both handhelds with NUUN, grabbed some licorce and gels and I was gone. My legs were feeling a little sluggish but I wasn't too concerned.

The next 20 miles were a blur. Within 1-1.5hrs out of the Warm Spring AS, I ran out of water. I was expecting to see aid stations at miles 44.4 & 48.5 but they never came. After the minutes flew by and having not arrived at one of the aid stations (or seeing another runner), I became concerned that I was off course (since I was maintaining a consistent pace of about 5 miles/hr). It was around noon that I ran out of water and by 1:00pm, I had slowed to a crawl and hurting badly. It must have been around mile 54ish that Tom Ederer passed me - about 1:30pm. I asked him if he had seen any aid since mile 38.5 and if I recall correctly, he hadn't either. He offered me some S-caps and water......and just about this same time, we came upon a spring. Thank you God!! I downed 2, 16oz bottles of water, 2 salt tabs and 2 or 3 endurolytes. We figured we would come upon the turnoff to Ollalie Meadows CG AS at mile 55 in just a few minutes. I could regroup and pickup my pacer - Angela - who was going to run with me till mile 75. Tom and I chatted just for a few minutes at the spring and he took off. Within 10 minutes or so, I came upon Tom, Yassin!! and previous race director of McDonald Forest 50K - Clem. Clem was a helping out at the Ollalie Lake AS (mile 58.6). Yassin wasn't looking good. He was limping from a bummed knee and, he too was severly dehydrated. None of us saw the turnoff to the AS at mile 55. The 4 of us chatted for a few minutes. Tom then took off. I walked/ran with Yassin for a mile or so. I stepped aside as Yassin's knee felt better by going at a slow, steady pace. He too was gone.

I struggled the last few miles to mile 58.6. I was severly dehydrated, hungry and was mentally at a low point (one of my worst moments). I sat down in a chair and leaned back and thought...."What the hell am I doing here!?" The volunteers at this AS were great. Tia - who was from Corvallis - was awesome. She continually asked me to eat and drink. I ate a range of foods and drinks. I wasn't certain how Orval, Brian and Angela were going to meet up with me. Justin Angle said as I was leaving the AS, "Keep it together. Continue drinking and eating and you'll bounce back."

I must have looked like crap at Ollalie Lake AS. I was no more than a mile or so out when Tia came bouncing up behind me and said, "Need a pacer?" I was like, "Sure!!" (very surprised). With my state of mind, I would've been crazy to refuse! Running with another ultra maniac, you get to know the other individual pretty quick. It was a pleasure getting to know Tia. She had some stellar races this past year and is eager to get into the 50/100mile ultras. (Tia, you'll do awesome at those distances.....and BTW, I hope you enjoyed those beers waiting for you back at the AS!) At the Breitenbush AS (mile 65), I saw Orval for the first time since mile 28 and the first time seeing Brian and Angela. It was sure good to see familiar faces. I downed a RedBull and few bites of food. I was grateful to Angela for being flexible and changing her plans to pace me from mile 75 to the finish. This would be her first time pacing and her first time "running" in the dark.

At Ollalie Meadows Camp Ground AS (mile 75) - which I pulled in right around 1845 - Angela was ready to go. I downed another RedBull, a few cookies, a Rice Krispie Treat and some drinks. I may have been there for about 10ish minutes. Just before leaving, I gave Tia a big hug, thanked her again, and Angela and I took off for the final stretch.

These last 25 miles went by fast at times.....and at other times painfully slow. However, it truly was nice to have Angela running with me these last miles and great getting to know her.

A pain developed in my left chin that at times became unbearable and would stop me in my tracks. The only food that look palatable during these last miles was Rice Krispie Treats, red licorce and Sharkies (thanks Angela!). I was passed by a number of runners who were flying!! The last 4 miles turned into 6.5. I thought the finish was never going to arrive. It did finally come and I crossed it in 20:57:33. Good enough for 15place. My fastest 100 miler by over 8 hours. Gave all my crew a hug. Gave Olga a hug. I stumbled to the car with the help of Brian -- belt buckle in hand.

Thanks to all the volunteers for their help - especially Tia. Yes, there were some mistakes made in the timing of the Aid Stations getting setup and directions to the Aid Stations for crews. After having time to think about these mistakes the days following the race........I came to realize that we all (racers, crew, volunteers, etc) should expect glitches like these to occur in a race's inaugural year. So congrats to Olga and Mike for putting on a great race. See Olga's blog: http://runmoretalkless.blogspot.com/2009/09/welcome-to-our-hoood.html . I truly appreciate her honesty.

Thanks to Brian and Orval for crewing me. For Angela running those last miles with me. Couldn't have done it without you 3! And finally to my entire family for supporting me in this endeavor of mine running these long races.

Throwin' in the Name

2009-10-02T20:06:00.000-07:00

It's done. The name is in the drawing for a coveted spot at Western States.

Quick Update: 100 In The Hood

2009-09-28T15:32:00.000-07:00

A more indepth writing will come, but finished the race in 20hrs 57min. Fastest 100 thus far. Met some great ultrarunners. Nursing some sore feet.

Smokin' the Timberline Trail

2009-08-25T20:18:00.000-07:00

I love it when everything goes as planned. This past weekend I ran around Mt. Hood - following the Timberline Trail - #600-which is some 42-44 miles. The weather was perfect. I traveled counter-clockwise starting/ending from Timberline Lodge. Initially the legs felt a little tired but about an hour into the run, they got some life back into them and felt strong. I ran all the downhills/flats and a lot of the uphills. I obviously wasn't moving at a blazing pace but was surprised how good I felt running the hills. My time of 8hrs 45mins was over 3 hours faster than my previous time. Now I'm hoping I can remain healthy and keep the fitness through PCT 100.

So get out there!

2009-08-12T08:02:00.000-07:00

A good article about the benefits of running (from the NY Times).....
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/11/phys-ed-can-running-actually-help-your-knees/?emc=eta1

When Things Don't Go as Planned...

2009-08-09T14:02:00.000-07:00

Nelson and I completed 60+/- miles of the 106. My ankle acted up about 3 hours east of Timberline Lodge. To avoid doing damage, I decided to forgo the last part of the adventure. It was a great trip - with some light drizzle/thick fog in the night to full-on sunshine in the early morning hours once higher up on the mountain. The trail wasn't in the best of conditions - lots of downed trees, a downclimb/detour of the Eliot River, etc (i.e. getting off course) - so moving wasn't as fast as expected. Thanks to my Dad for picking us up at Timberline Lodge, picking up the drop box at Lolo Pass and taking us to Cascade Locks where our cars were located.

Here are some pics:

A few miles from Cascade Locks

Lolo Pass - the drop box

Early morning hours - SW corner of Hood

many stream crossings - N. side of Hood

many tree crossings

self potrait - NE side

me - N. side

Nelson - N. side

Nelson - NE side

Finally

2009-08-06T20:10:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, Nelson and I head out from Cascade Locks following the PCT and then circumnavigating Mt Hood and returning. This adventure was something we've wanted to do since Nelson thought of it about 3 years ago but we just never got around to doing it. The time has finally arrived. Distance is roughly 106miles. I'm thinking it will take us between 30-32 hours due to the fact of having no aid stations. Should be a great adventure.

St Helens

2009-07-25T20:46:00.000-07:00

Needing to recharge the soul, I headed out for a small adventure by running around Mt. St Helens this past Saturday. I hadn't completed this run in over 2 years. I tried 2 previous times. One attempt I just wasn't motivated to do it but found myself at the trailhead any ways (needless to say, I turned around after maybe 10 miles). The other time I found myself getting way behind schedule after becoming "lost", trying to find my way around 2 canyons that took me off the trail for extended periods of time.

Knowing now that the trail wasn't it great shape, I allotted significant amount of time to be able to complete the run (i.e. telling the wife that it could be an all day adventure). My previous record for the run was 6hrs 10min (it is estimated that the trail is ~50K in length). This was back in 2005 when I hadn't really trained for long runs.

I started from the Climbers Bivouac parking lot having to go ~2 miles to get to the Loowit Trail that circumnavigates the mountain. I again went clockwise around the mountain (for some reason, I've always gone this way). The 2 canyons that had detours were finally marked well enough that I wasn't having to search for the trail. Running through the blaze zone, I meandered a few times, searching for the trail, but having crossed it a few times in the past, it went rather quickly. I met 3 other ultra runners from the Portland area about a mile from Windy Pass. I recognized the "leader's" face - Steve -from other local races. Hope he reads this......would be nice to run have other running partners in the area.

From the top of Windy Pass through the Plains of Abraham, I ran all of the way. I passed 3 mountain bikers just before the trail to Ape Canyon. Looked like they were having a good time. The trail for there to the June Lake Trail juction, I ran much of the way albeit some of the steep canyons and lava fields.

The grunt from June Lake up to Monitor Ridge (where you obtain the trail that gets you to the Climbers Bivouac) was brutal. I was hot and getting a little tired. Once reaching the other trail, I ran the entire way to the Bivouac. Finishing time - 7hrs 48min. A new PR for me starting from the Bivouac and the new, added detours (i.e. mileage).

Sorry. No pics.

2 for 2 - Big Horn 100

2009-06-26T20:09:00.000-07:00

After having completed the race a week ago, I've had a chance to think about it. Overall, I'm happy with my results. Having run only 4 times in the 6 weeks leading up to the race, I can't complain.

The course was beautiful - unusual rock formations, wild flowers, green prairies, etc. The aid stations were well spaced and stocked with an incredible selection of goodies. The volunteers were great!....always asking if one needed something. The pancakes at Foot Bridge and the quesadillas at Porcupine were fantastic!!

I definitely felt much better here at Big Horn than I did at Wasatch last year. I was eating and drinking more regularly.

The weather cooperated. It was actually pretty hot (compared to Oregon weather) the last 10 miles - once dropping into the canyon and on the home stretch to Dayton.

Trevor G. ran a good race - finishing in under 27 hours. Mike finished just under 32 hours.

I'm greatful for my father for crewing me again at this hundred. I sure do enjoy having him there for support. His willingness to stay out in the cold and up all night is great! I'm also greatful for Melissa and Mike getting me out the door at Porcupine. My ankle was dreadfully painful but glad they were there to get me refocused.

My blisters are on the mend as well as my ankle. What is up next one may ask? Not sure. The John Muir Trail is still on the calendar. Just not sure if my ankle is up for a 220 mile jaunt through the High Sierra. If not JMT...well there is always Headlands 100, Leadville 100 or just some adventure that I could conjure up in my mind that could be pretty cool (Wonderland Trail? N. Cascades NP trail run? Olympic NP run?....the possibilities are endless here in the NW).

Big Horn 100

2009-06-16T20:52:00.000-07:00

I'm all packed and ready to hit the road early tomorrow to head to Wyoming for the Big Horn 100. My Dad is supporting me again at another 100. He does a great job and it appears he enjoys it (at least I think he does....I trust he would tell me).
I'm lucky that I'm running at all. Thought I had a stress fracture in my ankle...after a number of diagnostic tests, it appears just an overuse injury. Haven't run much in the past 4 weeks -- longest run was 2.5hrs. The ankle didn't bother me too much riding the bike...but cycling isn't the same as trail running.
I'm sure I'll have a post-Big Horn blog. Until next time.......

Zane Grey

2009-04-28T19:01:00.000-07:00

I finally have some time to write about Zane Grey (even before leaving Arizona, I starting preparing for the H1N1 flu virus situation that my colleagues back home were handling - the news of this international flu outbreak became evident during this trip.....my other life is supervising the Communicable Diseases Program at Washington County Health and Human Services).

In a nut shell, this race was hard. REALLY hard. I had no idea. It truly felt like running a 100 miles. Maybe I wasn't mentally prepared for it. The rocks. Rocks. And more ROCKS. There were stretches of the course that there wasn't a trail. And there were long stretches of "trail" that was basically overgrown grass with rocks underneath. One was lucky not to tweek an ankle or knee. Then the number of downed trees one had to jump over. Did I mention the rocks??

It became evident about half way through the race that I wouldn't be running the R2R2R run the following day.

To be honest, I think I went out way too fast. Also, I wasn't fueling properly. This was partly due to the fact that I ran out of water 10miles from the 33 mile aid station. I had let a volunteer fill my 2liter hydration bladder at the 17mile AS. I know for a fact I didn't suck down 2 liters of water in 1.5 hours. Thankfully Trevor gave me one of his water bottles that had about a cup of water left. Thanks buddy, I owe you one.

Trevor and I remained together up till AS #3. He pulled away and the loneliness settled in. I wouldn't see any one for lengthy stretches. I turned on the I-Pod to pass the time.

The last miles were a blur. I caught up to Trevor. We ran (I should say walked) to AS #4 (mile 44) together. We both had a bad stretch between miles 38-44.

I took off from the mile 44 AS feeling re-energized after downing a number of rice krispie treats (the only thing that seemed appetizing). The last stretch went by relatively quickly - running with some one else always makes the time go quickly.

I crossed the finish line in 16th place at 11hr 28 min. Upon finishing, I had no intent on participating in this race again. However, the pain in the knees and hips have passed, I'm looking forward to running it again. Maybe not next year, but soon.

Results: http://www.zanegrey.info/Highline_Trail_50/Results.html

Am I ready??

2009-04-23T18:17:00.000-07:00

Sure hope so! I'm getting the final items packed for this weekend's adventures.....the Zane Grey 50 miler on Saturday followed by the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim run on Sunday. T-Man is meeting me down there - driving from Idaho. I fly out tomorrow at 6am. However, gotta catch the MAX train near my parent's house at 4:20am to get to the airport.

It is the first time I've done back to back 50's. Great training for the Big Horn 100 in June and the John Muir Trail in August.

I'll get pictures posted once I'm rested-up upon my return.

Cheers-

Time....

2009-04-06T20:22:00.000-07:00

Family, work, playing with the kids, visiting friends, training & racing, etc.............life is busy. Hence the two and a half month "sabbatical" from blogging. Many people ask - both at work and in my personal life - where I find the time to do everything. I call it being efficient. Others (and I would agree with them) call it ADHD.

I've done two races since my last blog -

Chuckanut 50K where I got a PR
http://www.gbrc.net/cms/view_document.php?id=386

and just this past weekend,

Peterson Ridge Rumble (~55K) also another PR: http://www.time2race.com/Results/Peterson%20Ridge%20Rumble%202009.htm

Both are really great races, run on great courses and organized by two (of many) of ultrarunning ambassadors - Krissy Moehl and Sean Meissner.

I felt great at both races with much improvement over last year. Not sure why. Am I fueling properly? Am I training better? Do I now know how to suffer more? Yes is probably the right answer to all of these questions.

To be honest, I really don't run all that much. Other than one week in mid-March, I haven't run more than 3x in a week since August. Excluding a week in which a race falls into, on average I run ~5hrs per week. Given this, I'm very pleased with my race results.

My next race is the Zane Grey 50miler: http://www.zanegrey.info/Highline_Trail_50/Home.html . I'll be running with with my buddy Trevor. Then the following day, we will be running the Grand Canyon - an adventure just the 2 of us will be doing. Others refer to it as the Rim to Rim to Rim run. It is a ~45miles. Good training for Big Horn 100 in June.

Gotta go end this blog a little short.......a sick 5 month old is needing my attention.

Hagg Lake 50K

2009-02-22T03:55:00.000-08:00

Couldn't sleep so I thought I'd write this.

I'm sitting here, gazing at the computer screen, collecting my thoughts on the race. All I can think of right now are of my aching knees.....which are swollen and in more pain than usual..........................................

OK, back to writing. Here is a very brief summary of the race.
It was a great day for a race - the weather was perfect and I felt great. Having posted a pretty good time at the Capital Peak Mega Fat Ass 50K about a month ago, I was hoping to do the same at Hagg. Last years race ended in disaster (for me). I hardly slept the night before, having returned late that evening from a week-long work related trip in Atlanta. I really wasn't in the mood for to race, but did so anyways and it ended with me not finishing the 50K.

This year, the out and back part of the course had my legs aching once hitting the trail around the lake. Seems like my quads always take a beating on sustained, steep downhills (an area of improvement for me). The first loop around the lake went well - even though I took a spill about 5 miles from the start/finish line. Finished the first loop in 2hrs 11min.

As the second loop started, I knew immediately it was going to be a long 14 miles around the lake. I thought I had been taking in plenty of fluids, but had only polished off one water bottle. My legs were beginning to cramp so I ate one Luna Bar and downed my entire water bottle as I strolled into the 1st aid station - about 5 miles into the loop. It seemed to help a little but for the most part I settled into my own world of pain. I was wishing I had my I-Pod.

Crossing one of the many bridges on the course, I took another spill. I layed there for a brief moment, laughing at myself.

The several hundred 25K participants had done their loop and it showed in the trail conditions. The trail was far more muddy this time around than the first.

At the last aid station, I again refilled my water bottle and ate a few slices of oranges and bananas. I was now walking up the steep inclines and had to walk part of a road section. It was good to see the "1 mile to go" sign. I picked up the pace and stumbled into the finish line in 4hrs 23min. It was good enough for 10th overall. Results here: http://www.resultsdb.com/race_results.aspx?race_code=HAGG5009

PR at Capital Peak Mega Fat Ass

2009-01-18T07:15:00.000-08:00

Trevor rolled into Hillsboro late Friday night after having been bumped from 2 flights in Seattle. We were headed up to Washington State to run the Capital Peak Mega Fat Ass 50K. It is a low-key event with no entry fee but a donation to support a good cause. I haven't been running much (maybe 20-30 miles tops per week) over the past few months due to my IT band. I wasn't sure how I would do over the 30+/- miles.
To cut to the chase.....the race/course were great. It consisted of two loops of ~15 miles. All of it was runnable...and most of it single track!! Even though we ran in mud (and water) for some of the course, it was fast! The first loop took 2hrs 3min. The 2nd loop took 2hrs 13 min (we were at the only aid station between the 1st/2nd loops for ~5 minutes).
I was extremely happy with my overall time of 4hrs 20min -- a PR at this distance by 25 minutes! Not bad for very little running. It was great running with Trev again. He too finished in the same time. It's nice running with a good friend with equal running speed.
My IT band and quads are a little sore today. Went to the gym early this morning to remove the kinks and rode the stationary bike for 1hr. Felt great.

Results:
http://www.capitolpeakultras.com/cpmfa30mileresults.htm
Next race - Hagg Lake 50K - mid February.

Snow fall measurement

2008-12-21T12:02:00.000-08:00

I measured the snow fall depth at the house....8 inches with an additional 3/8inch of ice on top. Strapped the little guy in the backpack and went for a 2.5 mile "hike" in the neighborhood.

Snow in P-Town

2008-12-20T14:06:00.000-08:00

Well, it's snowing heavily in Portland.....maybe 4 inches has already fallen. Weather forcasters are predicting snow into the evening and possibly freezing rain. Was outside for a better part of 2 hours playing with Mason and shoveling the driveway.

Still haven't run since the Gorge run with Trev. My knee is feeling much better and am planning a short run for Monday.

Christmas is nearly upon us, which will be spent with family.

Happy Holidays!

Run in the Gorge

2008-12-13T06:39:00.001-08:00

Got a call late in the week from my friend Trevor that he was going to be in P-town. He was able to get some time away from family so we decided to go for a long run in the Gorge (our families really do put up with our addiction for adventure). He came over Saturday evening for some good pizza and beer...and to meet the family.

The alarm went off at 5am to make the 1.5 hour drive to the trailhead. Here is Trevor's blog - http://www.denali2030.blogspot.com/ - with pics from the run. It was a great loop with all that one could ask for: good company, steep ascents and descents, good mileage, mud, rain, rain...and...did I mention rain? The last 10 or so miles, I was soaked (and cold) to the core. There wasn't one dry part on my body. I left my rain jacket at home..thinking that is was going to be a relatively dry run. At times along the trail, I thought we were running in the middle of a creek. There was so much water! The last 8 miles, my IT band started to act up making it for a relatively painful finish. With all my training for Wasatch and the countless adventures over the past year, I've been blessed with no injuries.

We arrived at the car, 6.5 hours after starting. We piled into the car, turned on the heat full blast and made our way back to Portland. Thanks Trev for the great run!

Since last Sunday, I haven't run a single mile....and I'm going crazy. I'm wanting to get my IT band healed for the coming year. Plan is to take 2 weeks off from running!!! Over the past year I've realized how much I REALLY enjoy long distance trail running. It is an outlet for me and I believe I'm a better father and husband when I am able to run. For the most part, running is a healthy activity (one could dispute running a 100miles is healthy....I wouldn't disagree with you). However, we all have ways of dealing with stress, busy lives, etc. Running is my way of dealing with a busy life. If it calms the mind and soul and makes you a better person....then what could be wrong with that? So over the past 5 days I've been riding the bike or lifting weights at the gym.

I sit at the kitchen table writing this...looking outside at the dark, cold day ahead. The forcast is for snow here in P-town (haven't had a good winter storm in about 4 years) and cold temperatures. Maybe it is a good time to hang-up the trail running shoes for a few weeks...........

Recent photos of the family

2008-11-19T16:32:00.001-08:00

The pumpkin patch-

Madeline sleeping peacefully......

Redemption

2008-11-16T04:19:00.000-08:00

I decided to run the ORRC Autumn Leaves 50 miler http://www.orrc.net/races/autumnleaves/autumnleaves_tba.htm about a month ago thinking that it would be a good race to judge my fitness going into the winter months. I had never run this race or a 50 miler before but heard it was a fast course. My hope was to finish around 8 hours. At first I thought running 10 loops of 5 miles didn't sounds appealing along with running on pavement but surprisingly this changed quickly once the race got started.

The alarm went off at 3:30a.m. to get a bite to eat and pickup my Dad (who was crewing me) in Portland to get to the 6am starting time for the race. Only an hour had elapsed since being up doing "diaper duty" for our daughter who is now 1 month old.

It was going to be a perfect day to run - highs in the mid-50's to low-60's.......and sunny! Couldn't ask for better November weather in Oregon.

The race started promptly at 6am. I would guess there were 50 runners at the start line. It was a chilly morning so I donned my arm warmers and gloves. It was also dark so I had my Petzel e-light with me in the hopes of it providing adequate lighting. Wishful thinking. Once we got to the off-road section of the course, I rolled my ankle, on what was probably a tree branch or root. Luckily it was only going to be one loop in the dark (for night running, I usually wear the Petzel Myo XP headlamp). Approximently 2/3 of the course was on paved trail and the other 1/3 was on single track. Sunrise was spectacular. The sky was full of color. The air cold. And my breathing was relaxed.

I got in a good groove and the first 5 laps (mile 25) went surprisingly smooth - time: 3 hrs 11 minutes. I was eating and drinking well. The 2 aid stations were well stocked with goodies - GU, fruit, cookies, a variety of drinks, fruit, etc. My Dad did a great job filling my water bottles with Nuun - my electrolyte drink nowadays which seems to work well for me.

The leaves were in full color change - reds, yellows and oranges - now I know why this race is called Autumn Leaves. The course was for the most part flat and much of it followed the Willamette River. Leaves covered some of the paved trail sections which made it even more pleasant.

Race director Fritz Pieper and others at the Start/Finish line gave me words of encouragement. I told them thanks...but didn't know how long I would be able to keep this pace up for. In races of this length one goes through highs and lows. My lowest point occurred around mile 31 and lasted a few miles. I had some stomach issues that needed attention. Finding places to relieve oneself in solitude on a looped course can be difficult. I guess if you've run any ultras before, you get used to seeing people relieving oneself and.....well enough with the stomach issues.......

The last few loops went well but my pace had slowed somewhat -- I was now averaging 41 minutes per loop. Volunteers and other runners some how new I was on my last loop (and in the lead) and were congratulating me on a great race. I crossed the finish line in 6hrs 36min.

Results here: http://www.orrc.net/results/08/08autumn50m.htm

Fritz congratulated me on a great race with my Dad snapping a photo.

Many thanks to the volunteers, Fritz for putting on a great race, and the other runners. The weather was perfect. My Dad did a fantastic job getting the drink/food I needed. And I received another buckle.

A race that finally went very, very well.

Testing Montrail Shoes

2008-11-02T16:39:00.000-08:00

Two weeks ago I received an email from a long-time friend's brother - Eric Groff - who has worked for North Face, Adidas, Keen and now Montrail shoes (owned by Columbia Sportswear) asking me if I would be interested in wear testing their shoes. Without hesitating I said YES!!! Even though my feet have grown a little, I can wear a size 9 (the industry standard for wear testing), depending on the model. I can't thank Eric enough for keeping me in the back of his mind when it comes to wear testing shoes/apparel or getting me apparel at unbelievable prices from the various outdoor gear companies he has worked for over the years. Thanks Eric!

Late last week I meet with employees at Montrail. The meeting was casual.....letting them know who I am, what I've done, providing them intial feedback on the Hardrock shoes from Wasatch 100, and trail running shoes in general. I saw familiar faces at Montrail - Craig and Matt - who both moved over from Adidas. It seems as though Montrail is putting a lot more focus on their shoes again.......they've become stagnant in product development and design.

I went away with a newer version of the Hardrocks, a stop at the employee store where I grabbed a few items made by Mountain Hardware (now owned by Columbia Sportswear), and a field test session scheduled for later this week at Forest Park.

Tentative 2009 Running Race Calendar

2008-10-31T06:56:00.000-07:00

January 17
Capital Peak 50K
http://www.capitolpeakultras.com/cpmfaindex.htm

February 21
Hagg Lake 50K
http://www.haggmud.com/

March 21
Chuckanut 50K
http://www.gbrc.net/chuckanut50k.php

April 5
Peterson Ridge Rumble 60K
http://www.fleetfeetbend.com/rumble/index.html

July
Hardrock 100
http://www.run100s.com/HR/entryreq.html
or Leadville 100
http://www.leadvilletrail100.com/
or Tahoe 100
http://tahoemtnmilers.org/trt50/

Mid August
John Muir Trail (~220 miles in 4/5 days) or the Sierra High Route (~190 miles over 9-11 days)

September
Run around Mt. Rainier
&
Three Sisters/Broken Top/Bachelor adventure

2010
H.U.R.T. 100?????
http://www.hurt100trailrace.com/

A week early

2008-10-16T20:23:00.000-07:00

A quick note to all-

Over the past several days, both Christy and I have had very little sleep - especially Christy - due to the new addition to the Hostetler clan. Madeline Grace Hostetler was born on 10/14 at 9:47pm via VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean). She weighed 6lbs 12oz and was 19 1/4 inches in length. Both she and Mom are doing great. So far, Mason is doing pretty good with his little sister now home. I'll be taking the next 6 weeks off from work to spend time with the family.

Here are some pics:

Lastly, a big thanks to family who helped take care of all of us during the past few days.

Now for some much needed sleep!

Struggle in the Gorge

2008-09-21T04:14:00.000-07:00

Mid week I emailed Nelson seeing if he had any plans for the weekends. His response "What you got in mind?" We decided initially on biking up to Mt. Hood, climbing it, then returning. A last minute decision was made - due to the changing weather - opting for riding out to the trailhead of Mt. Defiance in the Columbia Gorge, hiking to the top and returning. The hike part of this adventure would be like climbing Hood (albeit the altitude) since the elevation gain is ~5000ft (Mt Hood gain is Timberline Lodge at 6000ft and the summit is 11,200 +/-) so we thought it would be a good alternative.

We both bid farewell to the wives and headed out of Portland from Nelson's house at 10pm. Our rationale for these all-night adventures is to satisfy our addiction for adventure (and a little bit of pain and suffering) and be able to return to home at a reasonable hour - at least most of the time - to spend time with the family.

The ride out, for the most part, was uneventful. The descent from Crown Point is always fun to do.

The single track section just west of Cascade Locks, was a little dicey in areas so we did the hike-a-bike thing......the boulder fields with moss and lichen that were wet from recent showers made it slow going. Amazingly I ended up crashing once. My NiteRider headlamp worked great. They're worth every penny ---- even though they are expensive.

As usual, Nelson and I talked about future races/adventures....Hardrock, Badwater, John Muir Trail, Wonderland Trail....politics, the yoyo of the stock market, family, etc.

It starting raining as we rolled into Cascade Locks. We stopped briefly to relieve ourselves and to shed clothing since surprisingly it was rather mild. There wasn't a head or tail wind tonight so we made good progress. The last 8 miles was on I-84. We flew through this part of the bike section.....fearing that some driver would run into us after falling asleep at the wheel. We rolled into the trailhead at 2:45 am after having ridden 62 miles. We filled our hydration bladders, changed into our running shoes and ditched the bikes behind a rock wall.

The hike up Mt Defiance was steep, windy and cold. Trail is here: http://nwhiker.com/CGNSAHike45.html Nelson set a good pace. My legs were a little tired from the ride and were still in recovery mode from the Wasatch Front 100 - just 2 weeks previous. The rain had stopped, but as we ascended, we went through a layer of dense fog from 1500ft-3000ft. The wind also picked up --blowing 25-35 mph. About a mile from the top we added layers. We arrived at the top at 5:20am after having hiked 5.5 miles and ascended the 5000ft. I took one photo at the top and we headed down.

We arrived back at the trail head at 8am. We climbed onto the bikes and headed home. By now the wind had picked up down by the River and we were now having to deal with a 30mph head wind. After a number about 10 miles of this torture, my engine was out of gas. I was struggling to keep the pedals going. Luckily, Multnomah Falls came up rather quickly and we stopped for about 10 minutes. Nelson stopped because my lack of riding fitness. When I returned with a 16oz cup of coffee (in the hopes this would get me up and over Crown Point), Nelson was talking with a roadie who was going some where east of the Falls. I didn't listen much but was trying get get beta (info) from Nelson about any mountain bike trails in the vicinity. I quickly downed a Clif Bar, drank some Nuun and we headed off. The first few miles went well but as we started the ascent to Crown Point I was again out of gas. Apparently I was still recovering from Wasatch.....or that this bike ride (my longest in many, many years) was just too much for me. I told Nelson repeatedly he could go on and I would meet him at his house. However, he was nice enough to stay behind and go at a snails pace. He literally pushed me halfway up Crown Point. The ride down to Troutdale went well.

The long haul on Halsey St was pure agony. It seemed like it took an eternity to get into Portland. We stopped at an AM/PM and grabbed a bag of Doritos. I downed a few handfuls and we headed off again. We arrived at Nelson's house after 15 hours on the go ----- riding 122 miles and hiking 12+/- miles. Another Nelson and Trevor adventure completed. Thanks Nelson for getting me through this one!

I got home, slept for an hour and was then on my way to pickup a glider for our soon-to-be daughter's room.

Wasatch Front 100 Part II

2008-09-11T06:53:00.000-07:00

Start to Francis Peak (mile 18.76)

The Petzel eLite headlamp was doing its job in the early morning hours of the race. At only 27g, can't complain about the weight of this little beast. The pace was a bit faster than what I anticipated for a 100 miler. I think most people were nervous. I was beginning to wonder if we were racing in a marathon and people forgot we had 100 miles with ~27000 ft of elevation gain AND loss. As we turned and made our way up Chinscraper for the ascent, the pace started to slow and people began walking. The climb up wasn't all the bad. Having climbed extensively in the Pacific NW, I'm used to steep ascents with loose, chossy footings. I refilled my water bottle at Cool Springs (mile 8.93). I still had plenty of Nuun http://www.nuun.com/ left in my Nathan pack that I felt I could get all the way to the first aid station (A.S.). By this point I had caught up to Nelson who was moving along at a good clip. I settled into a nice pace with him and we began chatting about life, family, adventures. I again refilled my water bottle at Grobbens Corner (mile 13.35). The course follows a dirt road which is for access to the Francis Peak Radar Station - a large structure you can see from the valley's below. Nelson and I run in to Francis Peak A.S. at 9:30am (mile 18.76). Awaiting me are my Dad's and Trevor (my friend whom I met at the Peterson Ridge Rumble 50K in Sisters). I sit down briefly to grab some Clif & Clif Shots, Luna bars, orange slices, bananas and refilled my hydration bladder with Nuun. Trevor was surprised (as I was too) to see that I had only drank about 16oz out of the bladder. Trevor encouraged me to continue drinking. I left within 5 minutes of arriving. Nelson left just before I did.

Miles 18.76 to 39.4 (Big Mountain A.S)

For some reason I really don't remember this part of the course too well. I know that I had a low point between miles 30-33ish. I believe it was from lack of electrolyte/fluid intake early on. I had to sit down twice and collect myself. My stomach was acting up and was on the verge of puking on a number of occassions. Once I started gulping Nuun, I regained my composure and I was off running....all parts of the engine where now working properly again. My spirits were lifted to see Big Mountain A.S. from above. I cruized in to the A.S. at 2:41pm. Here again filled my water bottle (with water) and bladder (with Nunn). I downed a Myoplex protein drink and more slices of oranges, some Power Aid, and nibbled on a slice of leftover pizza from the night before. It was good to see the Dads and Trevor again. They really rejuvenated the spirits and the engine and told me I was doing great. Come to think of it, this was the first time I started to feel pressure points on my feet. I didn't think any thing of them since I hadn't experienced them in my long training runs and things were fine. However, as you will later find out, this is where I should have taken action to avoid what happened further along in the race to my feet. I was running in Montrail Hardrocks. I had to slightly modify the shoes...the lateral aspect of my ankle bone was rubbing against the shoe opening and I had my father-in-law cut a huge chunck out. This totally alleviated the pain on the ankle bone. Just before I left the A.S. I told Trevor to be ready a little earlier than expected - to begin pacing me at Lambs Canyon.

Big Mountain to Lambs Canyon (mile 53.13)

I struggled to get out of the A.S. After having sat for ~15 minutes my legs felt like bricks. I immediately passed a family who said a few words of encouragement. I nodded and hobbled up the incline. I was still nibblin' on the pizza which took me 20 minutes to finish. Next time, I don't think I'll get BBQ chicken pizza for the race -- more of a "neutral" flavor would probably settle better in the stomach.

This section along this course was great. Was able to run a fair bit of this section. We dropped from a high of 79o0ft to a low of ~6000ft. The downside of this section was running through a wasp or hornets nest -- one landed on my head, another on my leg and could hear them buzzing about. I took off on a full sprint waving my hands franticly, rubbing my arms, legs and head. Luckily I didn't get stung. However, other runners weren't so fortunate.

The final descent to Lambs Canyon seemed like it took an eternity. You could see the A.S. from a distance but the route kept making wide loops and turns. The final short, but steep ascent into the A.S. wasn't surprising (this course kept on dishing out these short but steep ascents). I ran into the A.S. at 6:25pm to meet the crew, Trevor and Trevor's girlfriend - Jen.

In the A.S. I ate bites or rice, potatoes, cups of Poweraid. I changed my socks. Got a brief but great massage on the legs from Jennifer - who later I found out is a licensed massage therapist! Nice!! Trevor.....lucky you!! :) I was happy to know that Trevor would be running with me the rest of the race. I got my headlamp on and carried my lightweight Patagonia jacket, gloves, bini -- anticipating rolling in to Millcreek A.S. in the dark. We left at 6:45pm. I heard at this point that Nelson was only 30-45 minutes behind me.....he was having a great race!

Lambs Canyon to Millcreek (mile 61.68)

Leaving Lambs and walking up the asphalt road I felt really strong. We were walking at a good clip -- ~4 miles/hr. Trevor and I caught up on life. The "Bear" ascent went well, still moving at a good clip. I ate most of the slice of pizza I had with me. All systems were running smoothly. The last part of this section - the asphalt road - seemed to go on forever. I should have looked at the map a little bit better. It was dark now and the temperature dropped. I put on my Patagonia jacket and gloves.

The A.S. at Millcreek was all abuzz when we pulled in at 9:15pm and it was COLD!!. I had covered just over 60 miles in 16 hours. I sat down and immediately wrapped myself with a sleeping bag. I ate a bowl of sphagetti, had a bunch of vanilla cookies (yummy!), and hot chocolate. Nothing else seemed appetizing. Trevor was forcing me to eat something. But I had lost my appetite a few miles back. Words of encouragement were coming from the Dads. I was trying to put on my best behavior but I think my spirits were beginning to suffer a bit. Also, I think I was so cold that I didn't notice my feet bothering me at this point. We were at the A.S. for 25 minutes and left thinking it would take us about 4 hours to get to Brighton (mile 75).

Millcreek to Brighton Lodge (mile 75.61)

It wasn't more than 15 minutes out of Millcreek that I knew I was in trouble. I noticed that my heels were becoming very painful. I wasn't able to walk well. My left foot was bothering me more than the right. This made me compensate and I then began to have pain in my right knee due to the extra work and due to the weird hobble I was now doing. I don't know how many times I stopped but it was fair too many. Trevor was very patient, continually saying that I was doing fair better than most racers (however, I was now getting passed by many people and he was saying that so that I would continue moving forward). It took me 3.5 hours to get to Desolation Lake that should have taken me only 2 hours tops! At Desolation A.S. I sat down and began to contemplate my chances of finishing within my time frame of 26-28 hours. One thing I had to do was get my feet tapped. Waiting for - what other volunteers referred to - the "tape-guy" to finish another runners feet, I downed more vanilla cookies & hot chocolate. I could't eat anything else. My system was shutting down.

Once the "tape-guy" was done with the other runners feet he came over to where I was sitting. I looked at his name tag...it was Carl. I asked Carl, "Are you a podiatrist". He replied...."Nope, I'm a stock broker." I laughed. Here was this guy out in the middle of nowhere taping feet......and is stockbroker! He laughed to. He did a damn good job!! We stayed there 30 minutes! It was agony to get going. My feet were now feeling the effects of 60+ miles. I never experienced such blisters on my feet before. Was it the shoes? Don't know. I had run many miles in them before and hadn't experience such issues. Was it the course...all the ups/downs...making my feet move around more than normal? Don't know.

We pulled into Brighton A.S. after I suffered for 3.5 hours from Desolation Lake. The descent into Brighton should've been a breeze but I was relegated to walking the entire downhill. People were passing me left and right...after awhile I didn't care. It was my race, not their's. I wasn't out here to prove anthing to anyone. I was doing this race for myself.

Trevor was still continually providing words of encouragement. At this point I knew my chances of finishing in my projected time were long gone. I was now just wanting to finish the race under the cutoff. I didn't care what time I got. If I could finish my first 100 miler, I would be proud....let alone one of the hardest 100 milers on the planet. I would contemplate what I should/could have done differently at the end of the race - not now - and learn from my mistakes later. Being my first 100, it was trial and error.

As I hobbled into Brighton Lodge I got weighed -- 161#. Not sure how I weighed the same. I hadn't eaten anything in hours - last my appepite hours ago. I was drinking my Nuun so that probably helped with retaining my weight. I sat down where the Dad's and Jen were waiting. I tried to eat whatever the Dad's brought to me. However, I just staired at the food, took small nibbles, not really ever finishing anything they gave me. The only thing I did finish was the Myoplex protein shake and some more cookies.

As we were sitting there, my Dad asked, "Are you going to finish." I looked around at the others, and I replied, "unless I die before I get to the finish." It probably wasn't the best response to your father who is witnessing his youngest son in the worst shape his ever seen me in. However, I was determined to finish.

Jen's massage on my right knee was a God-send and made huge improvements in my hobble. We left 50 minutes after arriving.

Brighton to the Finish (mile 100)

I left Brighton in a hobble. This hobble would continue till the finish. I was extremely sleepy and Trevor did everything possible to keep me on my two feet. It was cold on the ascent - our high point of around 10,500ft. I could feel the altitude take hold as we gained elevation. As we descended to Ant Knolls A.S. the sun was rising. My appetite was slowly returning. I ate a PBJ, a cup of OJ and some potatoes at Ant Knolls. We left in short order and headed for Pole Line Pass A.S. We arrived at Pole Line A.S. at 8:15am. We ate some more.....pancakes, PowerAid, candy and PBJ. I was no longer sleepy at this point. We caught up to some other racers whom passed me some time ago. It was good to finally be passing some one other than some one passing me. We stayed at Pole Line for only 9 minutes before heading out to Rock Springs and Pot Bottom. This section was more difficult than I had imagined. The descents were steep. The ascents were too numerous to count. The temperature was rising -- luckily something we didn't have to contend with throughout the race this year. The descent into Pot Bottom was brutal on the quads and I was relegated to walking. We finally arrived at Pot Bottom at around noon. We left and headed towards the finish -- eager to get this race done.

The 1.3 mile ascent up the dirt road was hot. Luckily the ~2600ft descent came sooner than expected and we were heading down to the finish. Some fellow racers were sprinting the almost 3 mile downhill. I walked the entire way. I figured I didn't need to "make-up" time. This would also prevent me from twisting an ankle as well as save my knees for another race.

The last mile took forever. Crossing the finish line was awesome. I hadn't experienced emotion like that in a long time. I hugged my Dad's. It was all worth the pain and suffering I went through.

There are many people to thank:

All my family who watched Mason on weekends that Christy worked so that I could get in some long runs or climbs in the Cascades.

My parents for encouraging me to get outside as much as possible when I was a young boy -- the bike rides, local races, backpacking trips -- even though they think this is crazy. I guess I can blame it on them...right?

The Dad's....for coming along on this journey and crewing me and putting up with my every need/want.

Trevor....for putting up with my slow-ass. We've got many more adventures ahead. (I later found out that we have the same middle name as well. Weird bro!)

Nelson...for signing me up to do this race. (Nelson ended up finishing with a time of 35 hrs -- not bad for a person who last ran in early May!!). We've done many adventures....on foot and bike....and there are many more to come.

In-laws....for their never ending support in these adventures.

Finally...my wife and son -- who put up with me and my obsession for these long adventures. Their never ending support and love is what keeps me going. I couldn't do it without them.

Wasatch Front 100 Part I

2008-09-10T18:24:00.000-07:00

This is my first posting in my blog.

This past weekend I completed my first 1oo miler - the Wasatch Front 100 - http://www.wasatch100.com in Utah.

The extended weekend all started early Thursday morning when we (my Dad and Father-in-Law) left Hillsboro, Oregon and headed east to Twin Falls Idaho which was where we would spend our first night. Friday morning we continued to our finally destination - Salt Lake City - where check-in took place at Sugarhouse Park. Luckily our hotel was located right across the street from the park - which made for an easy weigh-in and race debriefing as well as getting my 2 drop bags ready for the race. My buddy Trevor Garner from Victor, Idaho (who was to pace me starting at either Lambs Canyon or Millscreek Aid Stations) called and wasn't going to be arriving till around 11:00pm. I met my friend Nelson Snyder - who lives in Portland and have done many adventures with - at Sugar house Park. I did the weigh-in - 160.2 pounds - and dropped off my small dropped bags for Pole Line Pass A.S. (mile 83.39) and Pot Bottom A.S. (mile 93.13). After the race debriefing, both Dads and I headed out to get pizza (my favorite pre-race meal). It was recommended we try "The Pie"-http://www.thepie.com . They know how to make excellent pizza. And the funky, alternative atmosphere reminded me of SE Portland. Cool place. I highly recommend it!! I opted not to have a beer. Better save that for after the race. After dinner, we retired to bed around 9pm since the alarm was set to go off at 3:30am to head back up north to the start of the race in Kaysville, UT. Surprisingly I slept well. The only interuption was T arriving.....which really wasn't an interuption. It was good seeing him again. Last adventure we did together was the Rim to Rim to Rim run in the GC (Grand Canyon) in early May. Since then Trevor completed Big Horn 100 & Leadville 100.
When we arrived at the start line I then started to feel a little nervous. Doubts started running through my mind.....Did I train enough? Was I in good enough shape? I know I should have done a few more 50 mile runs. Did I forget something?......then it was 5am, a few cheers and we were off and running.