2019 Way Too Cool 50K

(I obviously haven't posted here in about a year, since before my first DNF at AC100.  But I have written a couple of race reports for other forums, and want to post them here just for my own archival purposes - I have no illusions that anyone reads this stuff but me.  But I'd like to "catch up" so that I can post some reports from this year, which I hope to be a big one!  This is from March 3rd, 2019.)



This was my fifth time at this race, so I know the course and how it runs pretty well.  The first 8 mile loop starts with about a mile on road, a little double track descent down to the first creek crossing, and then rolling single track until you get back to the start.  I've learned to start a little further up in the "corral" than I normally would, and to run the road section just slightly faster than comfortable for me for the start of a 31 mile race as if you get caught too far back when you hit single track the conga line is just going too slow.  In drier years there is a huge backup at the first creek crossing about two miles in as people try to tip-toe across and stay dry.  About year three I learned to just go around it and plow through.  This year there was no trying to stay dry as it was 3' deep, so while it slowed down as people crossed there wasn't a big line.  The conga line I ended up in after that was just about right, if anything maybe 10 seconds/mile or so faster than I wanted to go so I stepped off a couple of times to let people by.  There were six or seven creek crossings that hit from mid-calf to over the knee, and that obviously slowed things down.  And some sections were just super sloppy and you had to pick your way through the muck.  Imagine the wettest, muddiest trail you've been on, and then add almost 300 runners going through right before you mucking it up even more.  That was the first loop.  But I was happy with how it went, according to Strava it was my second fastest loop with an 11:09 pace (behind only a 10:38 pace in 2015 which was a dry year).  The only official timing split on the course was at the end of the loop, and I was 282nd out of 641 starters at that point.

Most of the Knickerbocker Creek loop was like this (pc Facchino Photo)

We then headed through a meadow and start a pretty good drop down to Highway 49.  I got passed by 5-10 runners on the somewhat technical downhill (which was pretty much a creek in parts), which was a little disappointing.  Downhill isn't necessarily my strong suit, but I was taking it more cautiously than others.  I think the IT band issues I've had over the years have made me tentative and less willing to attack them, but I'm to the point now that my ITs are usually good until sometime after mile 50 so I shouldn't be such a wuss.  I also just need to practice technical downhilling more than I have been.  This two mile section drops about 800', and I ran it in 10:23 pace.
 
We crossed the highway where Western States legend Tim Twietmeyer and URP's Eric Schranz were cheering on the runners, and then dropped down on fire road to run above the roaring Middle Fork of the American River.  The rain even let up for the first time, and it looked like it might turn into a nice day as I took off my rain shell and stowed it in my pack.  The fire road rolls along here for about 6 miles with a couple of 150'-200' climbs mixed in.  I passed a few, got passed by a few, and chatted up a few runners.  This section was just another reminder that if I really want to cut my time on a course like this, I need to get faster on the runnable sections.  If I can comfortably run along at 9:00 pace instead of 10:00-10:30 on the flats, that will make a big difference.  With those little climbs mixed in, I ran a decent 11:19 pace through here.

Feet were wet from the start to the finish (pc Facchino Photo)

I was looking forward to starting the climb out of the canyon, as that is my strong suit relative to most other mid-packers and I knew I'd start making up some ground.  Sure enough, I started chewing people up.  I even got three separate comments about how fast I was power hiking as I plowed past.  This section starts with about an 800' climb over four miles, rolls along for a bit, and then ends at almost exactly 26.2 miles with Goat Hill,  1/4 mile with a 20% grade.   I covered this 10 mile section in 2:09, a 12:53 pace.
 
Going into the race I had beating my PR of 5:54 as an A goal, and sub-6:00 as my B goal.  But with the weather forecast and trail conditions I decided to just take the day as it came and see where things stood when I got to the top of Goat Hill.  I didn't print out the pace chart, didn't even look at my watch for the first time until the end of the first loop, and rarely checked it throughout the day.  I hit the aid station at the top of the climb in about 5:10, filled a bottle and drank some coke, and kept going.  With five miles to go including the 450' climb from hwy 49 back to Cool still ahead, I knew it wasn't too likely that I could get in sub-6:00.  But I remembered that the course had measured closer to 30 than 31 miles on my GPS in the past.  "So you're telling me there's a chance!"  I decided to just charge on and see what I could do. 

After another quick climb it was a pretty steep technical descent, losing about 400' in a mile or so.  I did my best to pick my way through the rocks, mud, and water as it started to rain again.  I'm checking my watch as the traffic noises of Highway 49 start to pick up, but it always takes longer than you think it will to finally come out of the clearing and cross the road.  This is the final aid station, and I knew it was over a mile to the finish - and my PR time was already gone, as was the chance at sub-6:00.  So what, let's finish this thing!  I skipped the aid station and kept charging, and began the final climb up to Cool.  I passed another couple of runners on the 250' rocky climb, and then stomped through the mud in the meadow up top.  As I approached the finish I could hear someone splashing behind me, and I kept running hard to try and stay in front.  Around the corner, splashing through the mud while trying not to fall in front of the gathered spectators, and across the line in 6:06:08 chip time.  That was the fastest I've run that segment in my five times here, so I was happy to finish so strong even with my pre-race goals out the window.  This time the course measured the full 31 miles (it's shown exactly 30 miles twice before), which shows how far off gps can be during trail races.

Just trying to finish the last 100 yards without slipping (pc Keather Kehoe)

I finished 238th out of 641 starters which means I moved up 44 spots from mile 8 to the finish, almost all of that on the climbs.  In looking at how I did relative to the rest of the field, this was actually my best finish at 37th percentile, with my other finishes ranging from 43%-67%.  So I'm pretty happy with that.  I stuck to my nutrition plan of gels, electrolyte drink, and coke, and had no issues there.  My knee and my achilles held up. I somehow managed to not fall even once, although I did almost lose it during a late creek crossing.  Afterward it was some chili, burritos, and a couple of IPAs with fellow racers while we commiserated about the conditions out there and tried to get warm.  Good times.

Dick Collins Firetrails 50 Miler

I’ve had a hard time this summer and fall trying to decide what to do next, what to commit to.  My initial plan earlier in the summer was to run Mountain Lakes 100M up in Oregon in late September, but it turned out the date didn’t work out.  My running has been as consistent as it’s ever been including six 20 milers and a 50K, and several weeks with 5K-10K of climbing, continuing even without a race on the calendar.  What has been lacking without that focus race has been my diet and nutrition, so I knew I wasn’t in peak shape.  But I still wanted to get in one big effort before the year was up, or I kind of felt like I would be “wasting” the endurance I’ve been building all summer.  So on the last day of registration and six days before the race, I finally pulled the trigger and registered for the Firetrails 50M.

This race was my second 50 miler back in 2013 so I knew it has five good climbs but nothing too steep, and being in the East Bay in early October that heat would be a factor.  It’s an out and back and the biggest climb is coming back out of the turnaround – a 4 mile, 1,250’ slog up mostly exposed fireroad in the heat of the day.  Heat, climbing, exposure, dust – sounds awesome, right?  And it was all exactly what I was looking for.  With my ultimate focus being Western States, opportunities to continue to experiment and gain experience with heat management, long climbs, nutrition, aid station management, etc., were really what pushed me to sign up.  My time in 2013 was 10:55 so I set a stretch goal of 10:00 (that I knew was unlikely with my lack of focus this summer), a backup goal of PRing the course, and as always with an ultra, the ultimate goal of just finishing still upright.  I put together my pace chart with the 9:59 and 10:55 Aid Station splits, assembled drop bags for the turnaround and the finish, and had the gear all ready to go.

Trying not to overpack

Race morning I drove out to Lake Chabot Marina about an hour away while sipping on a coffee and a slurry of UCAN Superstarch and chia seeds, picked up my bib, took care of pre-race bathroom business, and waited for the 6:30 AM start.  It was still a little dark as we gathered near the start, but the first couple of miles are on bike path so I didn’t bother with a light and just settled into an easy pace.  Things felt pretty easy as we hit the first 500’ climb, and I chatted with a few other runners as the sun came up.  It was really muggy, actually foggy and in the mid-60s, so from the start I worked on keeping up on hydration.  I was wearing my Ultimate Direction AK Race Vest with one bottle of sports drink (Tailwind to start, refilling with GU Brew on the course) and the other with water so that I could use it to help keep cool.  My nutrition plan was to aim for about 200-250 calories an hour, and to keep it limited to sports nutrition products for as long as I could to see if that helped prevent the late race stomach issues I’ve had in the past.  This race has 13 aid stations so I figured on one GU gel at each one, take 2-3 more during the few spots on the course where it would take more than an hour to get from one aid to the next, and to just keep drinking sports drink out of the one bottle throughout the day.

Runners in the mist

Things really went according to plan for the first half.  I was moving comfortably at a pace right between the two splits on my pace chart, so I knew that the sub-10 goal wasn’t going to happen.  But that didn’t really bother me as I stayed focused on trying to manage effort, manage heat, manage nutrition, and move efficiently up the trail.  As we made the climb up to the high point of the course in miles 19-22, the leaders in the marathon that started at our turnaround started streaming by.  It’s always inspiring to see those guys and gals at the front of the pack fly up and down the trails.  Up and over the top and down the fireroad to the turnaround was a steady stream of encouragement both ways, and the leaders of the 50M coming back up the hill, running something that most of us would be power hiking.  I’ll never know the fitness it takes to do that.

Singletrack heading up to Steam Trains

I got to the turnaround at Loan Oak at about mile 26 at just under 5:23, a few minutes ahead of my pace from 2013 and feeling good, with my IT bands and quads holding up great down that 1,250’ downhill.  The Aid Station here is a fun Western-theme with a ton of great energy.  Even though it can be hard to appreciate the themes when I’m trying to get in and out quickly, this race has great aid stations and volunteers throughout.  I am always sure to thank everyone, as they put in a ton of time and effort to support the runners.  I haven’t yet done this, but I will be volunteering at a couple races next year to experience that side of things and give back to this sport that I love so much.  I didn’t have crew for this race, but a volunteer brought me my drop bag and I got to work cleaning and re-lubing my feet with Run Goo prior to changing socks.  Pouring water on myself all day to this point had me dealing with wet feet all day, but the Run Goo did a good job of keeping my feet in decent shape.  I refilled the bottles, put ice in my bandana, in my hat, and in my rolled-down arm sleeves, downed a gel, and began the long climb back up to Steam Trains.

Still feeling good early on (photo by Facchino Photography)

I passed probably a dozen runners as I just kept grinding it out for an hour, all while trying to stay cool as the temps were in the 80s by this point.  I got to the Steam Trains Aid Station just shy of the 50K mark in about 6:32, still ahead of my 2013 splits. I loaded up on more ice, popped another gel, filled the bottles, and down the trail I went still feeling good.  About three miles later I hit one of the steeper climbs of the course, not brutal but a good 450’ in about a mile, and for the first time all day I started to struggle.  I was barely managing a power hike, but my breathing was really hard.  I poured water on my head, water on my arm bands, took some GU Brew, but it kept getting worse.  I bent over and put my hands on my knees, and all the people I had passed on the big climb out of Loan Oak came streaming by, with every single one of them asking if I was ok or needed anything (did I mention I love this sport?).  “Yeah, I’m good, just struggling, thanks”.  By the time I reached the top I was lightheaded, and was even experiencing almost a tunnel vision where things in the periphery were a little fuzzy.  I popped an S-Cap thinking it might be electrolyte related, kept pouring water on myself, and kept sipping calories.  But even going downhill I was struggling now, with an almost 16-minute mile split there.  My head started to come back a little as I focused on just making it to the 37-mile aid station at Skyline Gate, where I would either regroup and figure this out or I would have to drop.   To make matters worse I caught my toe and went down, tumbling through the dirt.  I got up and checked to see if I had any injuries and not seeing any blood kept moving.  I finally stumbled into Skyline almost exactly on my 2013 split of about 8:21.

I cooled myself with the ice/sponge bucket, wiping down my face.  I grabbed some Coke and another S-cap, and just sat down for a bit trying to regain composure.  I knew a course PR was now out the window, but after about 10-15 minutes of just sitting there and getting some sugar and salt back in me, my head felt pretty clear so I decided to continue.  I figured if the light-headedness came back, I could either turn around or just drop at the next aid station 4 ½ mostly downhill miles away.  So I got back on the trail and headed down the hill.

Good to be off the ridge lines and back in the shadows of the trees

After my 100 miler last year my buddy Jim put together a race video that captured well the experience and the struggle I had out there.  The song he picked for the second half of the video, covering mile 50 to the finish, was Surrender by Angels and Airwaves.  I had never heard it before, but it’s obviously become one of great meaning to me (just watch from about the 4:50 mark).  Sure enough, 30 seconds after I left the aid station my iPod shuffles a five hour playlist and lands on that song.  “No I, I will not surrender.”  You can’t make this stuff up, and I instantly teared up - followed by laughing out loud and smiling for the first time in a couple of hours.   I knew then that it was going to be a slow time, but I was finishing this thing.

The rest of the race was really pretty uneventful, it was just a matter of moving forward for another three or so hours and getting it done.  I was moving slowly but I was moving, and I was able to keep hydrating, eating, and slowly hiking the ups and slowly running the flats and downs.  The last couple of miles of rolling bike path on pavement kind of suck, and as I was for probably a good third of the race I was completely by myself for most of it.  I actually passed two runners for the first time in hours in the final mile, and tried to run it in strong and crossed the finish in 11:38:45.

Relieved to be finished (photo by Facchino Photography)

I laid down after I crossed the finish and gathered myself for a few minutes.  I got up and took off my shoes (just one small blister), cleaned my feet, changed out of my wet shirt, and kept sipping water and walking around.  My stomach wasn’t ready to partake in a burger or beer yet, so I had some broth that seemed to go down ok.  I gathered my stuff and started to walk toward the car, and all of a sudden the light headed feeling came back and I immediately laid down on the ground.  A volunteer came over to check on me and then brought over a medical volunteer who talked to me for a bit.  As I sat up, out of nowhere I started puking, first the soup I had just put down but then completely emptying my stomach.  Medical brought me some Sprite and a couple of S-caps, and stayed with me for a good twenty minutes to make sure I was ok.  After another ten minutes or so I felt good enough to stand up, and slowly walked the 15 minutes back to my car for the drive home.

So while the race didn’t go as planned, I had seven great hours out there before having to gut out the rest.  My best guess on the problems I had are around electrolytes – I was cramping pretty severely all over when I got home, and I kept taking S-caps for a few hours (along with some pickle juice) until that finally stopped.  I didn’t really take any early in the race, relying upon the GU Brew to get what I thought would be enough.  As a salty sweater, the research by Tim Noakes would seem to indicate that I have plenty of electrolytes on board and don’t need to supplement, but I just don’t think that works for me on a warm day – next time I’ll be doing one per hour from the start and up that to two in the heat of the day.  I also think that as my diet hasn’t been on point the past few months with too many carbs, my fat burning has been suppressed a bit.  This leads to the 200 calories or so I was taking in being probably a little low, so blood sugar may have been a factor as well – especially considering Coke (during) and Sprite (after) both seemed to help.  I think getting back into a more metabolically efficient state and ramping my fat burning back up where it was last summer will make the biggest impact there, as when I try to go above 250 calories per hour during the heat I tend to have stomach issues.

Thanks to Julie Fingar and NorCalUltras for another great event, and a special thanks to all the volunteers out there!

Quicksilver 100K - Western States Lottery Qualified!

Aside from my third Way Too Cool 50K back in March, Quicksilver 100K has been the only race on my 2015 calendar.  While I have plans to run other ultras this year, most likely including a 100 miler in the Fall, the focus was solely on Quicksilver as it was, quite literally, my ticket to the 2016 Western States 100 lottery in December.  With a limited number of qualifying races and with many of them hard to get into (I'm 0-2 in the Miwok 100K lottery), what I choose to do the rest of the year was really dependent on getting this race done in the States-qualifying standard of sixteen hours or less.

Unfortunately, some knee pain that started in mid-March really kept me from hitting the key 50-60 mile hilly weeks I had planned for this training block, and over a three-week period from March 16th through April 5th I struggled to get in just under 20 miles per week.  I ramped up the visits to my secret weapon and self-proclaimed soft tissue geek, Chappy Wood, for electro-stim/lasers/Graston/chiropractic work, and a couple of 15ish mile runs and a relatively hilly 20 miler in April gave me a little confidence going into a two-week taper.

This was just my fourth race at 50+ miles, and unlike the previous three I was on my own.  My girlfriend/crew chief extraordinaire took a pass on this one as her mother was coming into town that weekend from out of the country.  I considered putting the word out to some local ultra friends to find a pacer, but decided to take on the challenge of doing this one solo.  So after a week of putting together my pace charts, drop bags, and octuple-checking my gear list, I headed down to the South Bay on Friday afternoon to get checked in to the hotel and the race.  After picking up my bib and swag and running through my gear one last time, I put down the salmon and rice I brought with me for dinner and tried to settle into the hotel watching some of my favorite ultra-themed YouTube videos (thanks Sage Canaday and Billy Yang!).  Unsurprisingly I was super-antsy, so I walked over to a local restaurant for a vodka soda to calm my nerves, and found distraction in encouraging someone I met that was getting ready to run the 50K as her first ultra the next day.  I'm sure that someday I'll be relaxed enough to get a good nights sleep the night before a race, but this was not to be that night.

I got up before my alarm at 2:30 AM and put down my chia/coconut milk/UCAN shake, brewed some coffee, and headed off to the start.  I was there in plenty of time to check in, mill about, talk to a few friends and then get ready for the start.  It was a low-key event, with the RD backing us up into a field that served as the parking lot and then saying, "This looks like a good place to start."  After earlier signing two additional waivers, we were once again appraised of the three mountain lions that had been recently seen around the course, and then at 4:30 AM we were off! 

Low key start, old school ultra style

Per usual I started at the back, and as it was already comfortably warm I threw my long sleeve shirt on the trunk of my car as I went by, and up the trail we went with headlamps bobbing.  The race starts with a 1,200' climb over 3.7 miles, some rollers, and then another 1,000' climb into the second aid station at mile 12.  I settled into a power hike, passing several people on the climbs (easy since I was the last person to hit the trail head) and running a bit where I could.  The knee was feeling fine, I was hydrating and fueling with Tailwind, Bonk Breakers, and banana chips, and things were going really well.   I had set the Virtual Partner on my Garmin for a 15 hour pace, my B-Goal, and I was easily gaining time on that mile after mile.  I cruised through the Hicks A/S at mile 7, and hit the Bald Mountain A/S around mile 12 in about 2:38, or sub-12:00 pace, which was well ahead of my 14-hour A-goal pace of 13:30. The sun came up and we were running through the fog and clouds, really comfortable.

Runners in the mist

  

The miles continued to tick off pretty well - 10:11, 10:33, 11:29, 10:36.  Then into mile 16 we hit the climb to the highest point of the course, a steep 1,200' up to Kennedy A/S over two miles.   As this was an out and back section I started to see some of the leaders, and as always the elites and the mid/back of the pack encouraged each other.  Then it was a 2,200' drop down into Lexington A/S, and my old nemesis started to make itself known on the downhill as my right IT band began to hurt a bit.  

What goes up must come down

I regrouped a bit at the bottom knowing I had to turn around and climb right back up that 2,200', and it was 13:21-21:20 miles as I hiked as best I could.  It was a loooong climb, but coming into Kennedy A/S for the second time I was encouraged to have the biggest one out of the way at the 50K mark, and I was still well ahead of 14-hour pace.

I was surprised to see my buddy Tony sitting in a chair at the A/S, as he's a much better runner than me.  Turned out he was having a tough day already with some Achilles pain and stomach issues.  He got up and left with me and we hiked for a bit, but he was resigned to dropping at the next A/S - there was no good way to get him out at the last one, so he had to hike 5 miles just to be able to drop.  I wished him well and shuffled off again, knocking out four more sub-11 miles despite the worsening pain in my IT band.

Back at Hicks A/S and my drop bag at mile 36 I took the time to re-lube my feet and change socks. 

Still feeling good. It's Early!  Photo credit Chasqui Runner

Other than the IT band I was feeling pretty good, still eating and drinking, still moving alright, and dousing myself with ice water from my handheld insulated bottle to try and keep cool.  We hit my least favorite section of the course here as we rolled into Hacienda A/S at mile 43, but I was still moving ok.     

I got a good laugh out of a great sign at the A/S, and then it was down and then up a short, steep climb into Mockingbird Hill A/S at mile 42, and my pace continued to slow due to general fatigue and my IT band making it tougher to run the downhills.

Favorite.Sign.Ever

About 7 hours in I had switched from Tailwind to water in my hydration pack, and was nursing GUs regularly a nip at a time, trying to almost chew it and use saliva to kickstart the digestion.  My nutrition and hydration had been really good and my energy was great....until it wasn't.  As the day started to warm (it hit low-80s I think) and we hit the last major climb of the course at mile 43, my stomach simply shut down.   

We hit a section of trail around mile 45 that was basically crawling and climbing up loose rocks, and I struggled up. 

Those houses below have no idea of the struggle happening above them.  Photo credit Shiran Kochavi

I kept taking sips of water and nips of GU, but I could tell nothing was moving through.  I tried S-caps to change the osmolality of my stomach, I took some Coke at aid stations at miles 47 and 53, but things were just backing up.  As I started to dehydrate and run low on calories, I just got slower and slower.  The Enriquita A/S at mile 57 was an out and back, or rather a down and up, and I hit a serious low point.  My stomach was done, my IT band was shot, and when I got there they were out of Coke.  I filled my bottle with water and hiked back up the hill, running into volunteers coming down with a 12-pack.  They offered me some, I took a few ounces, and kept hiking.  But as I hit the top, I knew I was in trouble.  So I bent over on the side of the trail and puked and puked and puked.  Three to four hours of fluid and calories came gushing back out.  A runner asked if I was ok, I said, "Just hitting the reset button," and he replied, "Hit it hard!"  Totally fitting.

From then on, it was full death-march mode.  And my Garmin had died, so I was running blind a bit in terms of time.  The sun was going down, it was cooling off and I was taking sips of fluid, but calories weren't going in very well.   

Started in the dark, and now the sun is going down

It was 15-20 minute mile pace, but at the Bull Run A/S at mile 59 I confirmed that I had plenty time to get in under 16 hours.  I shuffled and shuffled, finally hearing the cowbells of the finish line.  I managed to put together a jog as I came into sight, and finally crossed the line in 15:17:13, and literally collapsed fifteen feet later, not moving for probably twenty minutes.  Not the sub-14:00 I thought I had a chance at earlier in the race (and I know I'm capable of), but well ahead of the 16:00:00 I needed.  Most importantly - I'll be in Auburn for my third straight Western States 100 lottery this December!

Exhausted but satisfied!

Huge thanks go out to the Race Directors and Volunteers, Quicksilver is a first class race all the way.  

Gear List
Hoka One One Stinson Trail 

DryMax Socks
2Xu Compression Calf Sleeves
Saxx Pro Elite
UCAN SuperStarch
Tailwind Nutrition 

Run Goo (no blisters!)
Ultimate Direction AK Race Vest (original version)

Happy With a New PR at 2015 Way Too Cool 50K

This was my third straight year at this race, which serves as the unofficial kickoff of the ultra season on the West Coast.  With over 1000 registrants this year, it is also the largest trail 50K in the country.  

I ended last year's race report with the words "....of course by Sunday morning I was already thinking about the time I left out there, and thinking about how far below 6:00:00 I can get when I go back again next year....."  That was indeed my goal for this year, to get under that 6:00:00 mark.  I actually took a figurative page from Maffetone's 1:59 marathon book, and focused mentally on 5:59 and not sub-6:00, a subtle but important mental difference for me.  I knew my training was better this winter/spring than last year, and that it was realistic to cut 12+ minutes from my time.  I just didn't know how much.

Kylie and I with the Frog

Race day started out fine - coffee, UCAN and chia seed drink, and off to the Cool Fire Station to check in.  Once again my daughter and girlfriend were in tow, and they hung out in the pizzeria nearby while I took care of business, both in terms of picking up my bib and hitting the port-a-potty.  We then mingled with some friends around the start line, including the ubiquitous Way Too Cool Frog.  

With that many runners there are two wave starts, and I was in wave 1 and took off down the road at 8:00 AM. 

Getting ready to hit the trails with 1000 others

After about a mile-and-a-half of road the course veers off into doubletrack trail, and another mile into that is singletrack for most of the rest of the initial 8-mile loop.  I made a concerted effort to start a little further up than last year and move up the field to get in a position that the inevitable conga line would at least be quicker than what I faced the past couple of years.  It worked, and I made up quite a bit of time on this loop and finished it about 10 minutes quicker than each of my prior races here.  I knew I was pushing just a little, but it was comfortable through this pretty flat section of the course and I felt good coming back into the start area and heading down in to the American River Canyon.

I hit that 1,000' drop pretty well, but not pushing to hard, and then it was 6 miles of rolling, slightly climbing fire road above the river.  This is the best place to chat with others on the course, and I would talk until we hit a climb, then pull away from whoever I was next to, rinse, repeat.  At mile 17 the course veers back up out of the canyon and climbing begins, with the bulk of the 4,666' elevation gain occurring from that point on.  I hiked pretty well up that, and hit the rolling section from miles 20-25 with some legs still left - a part of the course that I had nothing for last year.  

Then I hit Goat Hill - a short, steep climb of 20% average grade over .3 miles, with sections that hit over 40% grade.  I had been running comfortably hard for 25 miles and over four and half hours, and this was a hands-on-knees struggle.  But I got up it, gasping for air, and got a sponge down from Volunteer Mike from Western States lore at the top.  But as I moved on, I couldn't catch my breath.  I could be walking or running on flats, hiking ups, running downs, it didn't matter - my breathing was completely labored.  Unfortunately that continued all the way through the final 5 miles or so, but I was able to push on and finish in 5:54:46, good for a more than 16 minute PR.

Pushing through the line for a new PR!

I collapsed afterward and really struggled to pull it together.  Every time I tried to stand up I would get light headed, and my breathing remained labored for a good 10-15 minutes.  I found a slight downhill to lie down on, head down, and finally started to feel "normal" again.  I think it was a combination of effort, dehydration (it was over 70 degrees by the finish, warm for this time of year), and possible low glycogen, but I'm not sure.  I'm re-evaluating my Tailwind drink nutrition strategy, as I think I get sick of sports drinks and end up getting neither enough water or calories in during warm efforts.

Obviously I'm excited with the improvement I've seen in this race, basically a minute per mile over a 2-year period.  It was also a good experience to be focused on my time from the beginning and almost feel like I was "racing", even if I was only racing against 2013 me.  That's not something I have a lot of experience with.  And I know I can continue to improve, which is exciting considering I'm 42.  It was a good check of my fitness at this point in my training for Quicksilver 100K, and gives me a little confidence for the next 2+ months.