Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Gorge Waterfalls 100K Race Report

Photo Credit: Rainshadow Running
Not since my first ultramarathon, the 2012 Leadville 100, have I prepared so intensely for a race. I ran over 1,125 miles since January and put in over 105,000 vertical feet in preparation. Apryle and I discussed the prospect of doing a Western States golden ticket race back in September of last year and I immediately signed up when the registration opened up on October 22nd. With my graduation from Physical Therapy school set for December 11th, and our migration from Austin, Texas to Seattle, Washington set for the next day, I knew I would have plenty of time to devote to training in a comparable climate and geographical location. Thus the planning for a targeted race began.

One of my favorite places in Texas;
Guadalupe NP
I considered my time in grad school to be somewhat of a two-year hiatus from serious training. Although, it was hard to stay away from the competitive side of the sport. I ended up running three or four races a year, and my time in Texas was capped off with the beautiful Franklin Mountain 50 kilometer race. However, once January 2016 hit, I was in full ultrarunning mode and my mileage and effort began reaching the levels that I have wanted to obtain for years. I ran two tune up races in the form of a rolling 50K and an undulating trail marathon. I was riding the high from these two races with a 3:25 and 3:28, respectively. These were solid performances but I knew Gorge Waterfalls would challenge me at a whole other level.

Build-Up Race: Fort Ebey Trail Marathon
Luckily my unrelentingly supportive fiancé, Apryle, developed me a training plan and even scheduled a weekend course preview trip.  This weekend consisted of van camping in pouring rain and previewing every inch of the course over three days. It was a beautifully miserable venture, we saw some of the most spectacular waterfalls in the highest concentration possible, but the cold rain ensured that we would not take too long to enjoy them. At any rate, I feel like I made every wrong turn I could and thus learned exactly how not to run the course during the race. I also learned about what pace I thought I could handle and when to push and back off.

Gorge Waterfalls Course Preview
Finally when the race week was upon me, I began losing confidence, I trained all winter with the hope and desire that I could finish within the top two and earn a spot on the start line at Western States. But who was I kidding, the list of names on ultrasignup was deep with competitors who had won or finished in the top ten at some of the most prestigious races in the nation. Not to mention, I was battling some nagging injuries related to overtraining for the event. But with the support of Apryle, my parents, future-in-laws, friends, and co-workers, I pulled it back together and toed the line confident and excited for the day.



Apryle Prerace
The race was underway at six in the morning, the pace set by the leaders was fast, much faster than had I expected. My prerace plan was to power hike the switch backs around the Multnomah Falls area no matter what… that did not last one switch back. I pretty much ran the whole thing and was still back in about eleventh or twelfth place. I felt comfortable though, and the sun illuminated my way down the slightly sketchy descent to the No Name aid station, where I was told I was eleventh and already ten minutes off the lead. I grabbed some calories and was back on trail.




Running by Ponytail Falls (Preview)
There was a short road stretch, maybe two or three miles that I used to catch a small chase group in front of me, I believe it consisted of Ben Stern, Rob Russel and Ryan Ghelfi. Embarrassingly, one of the miles was a 5:50, which Apryle was not happy about when we were analyzing my splits. None the less I left Yeon aid station in sixth or seventh place. Quickly Ryan and Rob caught back up to me on the trail I ran with them for a while. Then shortly before the Cascade Locks aid station at mile 22, I caught Jeremy Humphrey and Gary Gellin and began to think I was getting in over my head. Perhaps I was pushing a little too hard early, but I was feeling very comfortable.

Running in Olympic NP
Between Cascade Locks and the turn around in Wyeth aid station there was some more shuffling, I caught someone on trail, then Ryan caught me and we ran together for a while. After some solid miles in the mid eights, a small climb unhitched me from the pace, and Jeremy Humphrey rocketed past and I matched the pace of Ben Stern until we reached Wyeth aid station. This was an interesting stretch because I was able to see the leaders, Rui was flying, Ryan Smith was seconds back and Chris Mocko was a few minutes back. As Ben and I were reaching the aid station Ryan and Jeremy were back out on trail. I took a bit longer at this aid station to refill calories and water. As always Apryle made this process so easy and seamless, that  I barely lost any time at all.

Another Previewed Course Section
My watch said 31.2 miles 8:32 pace, and 4:26 overall time at the turn around. I joked that if I kept up the same pace that I would break 9 hours. However, even at this juncture I knew that was not going to be possible. During the next few miles I passed Ben, then Rob passed me, then just before Cascade Locks aid station at mile 40 I saw Ryan Smith walking down into the aid station. I assumed that either the early pace was taking its effect or he was recharging for a late race push. At any rate I was not expecting to keep the place that I picked up there.

Sea Turtle in Port Aransas
(Perhaps they have a quicker
pace than terrestrial turtles?)
Just out of the aid station Ben passed me and said he something to the effect that the turtle race was beginning. This seemed to be an accurate statement and my pace began fading fast. As I came into Yeon at mile 49, I was feeling defeated, I asked James Varner what the gap from the leaders was, and he said you are about five minutes behind Ben. I took this to mean that first through fifth place was now certainly out of reach, but I still wanted to finish strong. The road section was quite helpful because my pace on the trail was getting quite atrocious. But once the road section was over it was back to the perpetual excuse mes and on your lefts as I gutted out the final miles of the course.

Running in Olympic NP
I knew I was not going to catch anybody after I went through No Name aid station, I hiked the switchbacks around Multnomah Falls and when I got to the runnable sections my quads were shaking, making running a laughable idea. I continued to peer over my shoulder thinking any minute I would lose my spot to people that ran a more consistent race. But I reached the flat portion to Benson State Park without a person in sight and mustered my remaining energy for one last kick. I crossed the line in 10:14, good enough for seventh place.

I did not get a golden ticket, I cannot say that I or anyone else is too surprised by that, but I would be lying if I didn’t say that I trained everyday thinking that I could do it, and that I will continue to train everyday thinking that I can do it eventually. I love running for the sake of running, keeping my lifetime stats (striving to hit 150,000 miles before I die), exploring knew places, meeting new people. I love running for the way that it makes me feel, the endorphins and the sense of accomplishment. But most of all I love running for the eternal since of optimism it gives me for the future. If I work hard enough and put in the time and effort, one day I will accomplish my dreams. But most importantly, even if I never attain a single one of my goals, as long as I continue to strive for them and believe that I can see them come to fruition, then I am quite content.

Family at Graduation
Now back to the race… the course was everything I hoped it would be and more, competitive, stunningly aesthetic, and miserably painful. I owe gratitude to such an extensive list of people that I could not possibly include them all on this post, but there are a few that I must single out. 





My Strava Race Map Data
First, thank you to Rainshadow Running and all of the volunteers for putting on another top notch event, the course was well marked and mapped and the post race pizza and music always makes for a memorable atmosphere. 







My Strava Elevation Profile Data
Thank you to the participating Oregon State Parks and the Forest Service for allowing all of us to run the beautiful trails in the area. Thank you to my parents, future in-laws, and friends for the support and checking in on me on the race feed. Finally, thank you to my fiancé Apryle for all of your encouragement and your unwavering support of my  quest to accomplish my dreams.


Training
Month
Days
Mileage
Time
Pace
Long Run
Vertical
December
27 to 2
75.08
11:15:19
8:59
14.01
January
3 to 9
116.75
15:14:45
7:50
31.2
January
10 to 16
82.98
12:59:15
9:23
18
10052
January
17 to 23
83.72
12:49:50
9:11
17.42
12025
January
24 to 30
64.91
8:53:01
8:12
14.32
8874
February
31 to 6
89.12
11:39:46
7:51
30
7454
February
7 to 13
84.82
11:03:20
7:49
26.25
9436
February
14 to 20
73.24
10:41:02
8:45
21.79
7913
February
21 to 27
88.63
11:33:22
7:49
29.1
7215
March
28 to 5
46.48
6:29:12
8:22
10.15
3885
March
6 to 12
93.67
12:50:14
8:13
25.03
8060
March
13 to 19
69.42
10:19:24
8:55
15.41
9529
March
20 to 26
66.22
8:47:32
7:57
13.8
5173
March
27 to 2
90.5
14:11:00
7:57
7.7
14361

Result:
7th Place Overall in 10:14:11 

Monday, April 4, 2016

Kal-lut-chin, Issaquah Alps, Eschrichtius robustus and the Lead-Up to Gorge Waterfalls

Spruce Railroad Trail
Continuing on with the theme of 2016, Apryle and I ventured to a new and different destination each weekend in the month of March. Additionally, my training hit its peak and also its valley in the form of a taper for Gorge Waterfalls 100 kilometer race. We traveled to the islands of the north, the beginning of the Cascades to the east and to the Olympic Peninsula to the west.



March 6th to March 12th

Mileage
93.67
Time
12:50:14
Pace
8:13
Long
25.03
Vertical
8060

Japanese Gulch
This was a relatively mild week of running until the latter portion, which consisted of 13, 25, and 18 mile days. Because my left knee was still acting up, I decided to take the early week very easy in order to rest up for my planned back-to-back long runs on Friday/Saturday. On Thursday night, Adam and I decided to run an out and back on the road from Mukilteo to Everett, and finish up the run with a hard push up the mile long hill on Mukilteo Speedway. The run went quite well and I put in a fair amount of effort on final hill push.

Japanese Gulch Trail Run

For my 25 miler on Friday, I decided to run over to Warren G. Magnuson Park from University of Washington. My plan was to do half the run solo and half the run with Apryle to break up the monotony. This road run was more scenic than I anticipated, despite consisting almost exclusively of residential neighborhoods. This was due in large part to the rolling hills and the unique landscaping of the homes in both Laurelhurst and Windermere. I ran thirteen solo and met up with Apryle and we finished up the last twelve around the Arboretum. Apryle kept up an impressive pace, especially considering it was her longest run of the year thus far.

Camano Island State Park
For the 18 miler, we made a trip over to Camano Island to continue our quest to visit all of the Washington State Parks. Although rain was in the forecast, it ended up being a beautiful day and the trails offered a chance to explore the island. We started at Cama Beach State Park and took the connector trail to Camano Island State Park. Between the two locations I was able to scrape together a long run, although the two parks were not nearly as stunning as Deception Pass or Fort Ebey, they were still worthwhile to explore.

March 13th to March 19th

Mileage
69.42
Time
10:19:24
Pace
8:55
Long
15.41
Vertical
9529

Apryle at Camano Island State Park
This week was a bit of a downslope in mileage volume with an upslope in vertical feet. Early on in the week, I met a coworker and fitness enthusiast, Brandon Dean who grew up in the Shoreline area. I learned he had an impressive high school running career and is now training for Spartan races. After some coordinating we worked out an early morning running schedule. Though I enjoy the solitude of my weekly runs, I also find it helpful to run with someone that shares the same passion for running and life. Additionally, Brandon hammers out an impressively fast pace, especially for an early morning run.

Rattlesnake Recreation Area
Also for the first time since my knee pain started up, I took to undulating trail once again with a hilly run through Carkeek early on in the week and an even hillier run through Japanese Gulch with Adam later in the week. Despite my initial apprehension, I felt like my body stood up to the challenge of the uneven terrain. 





Post Long Run Fiesta
However, concern over my lack of preparedness for Gorge Waterfalls began to creep in just two weeks before the race. The month of January was quite ideal, with high mileage, fast pace, plenty of time on the trail and consistent weekly vertical training. However, I feel that I pushed a little too hard, and thus my training quality decreased after the Fort Ebey Trail Marathon.








Apryle & I with our sloth Ebey
At any rate, I was on the downswing of the training block anyway, so I continued to press on. During my one day weekend, Apryle and I headed to Rattlesnake Mountain outside of North Bend. When Apryle and I run it is typically understood that we will jog the flats and down-hills together, but when there is any form of up-slope, we tackle it at our own pace, and this run was no exception. I went all out to the ridge, dodging hundreds of hikers (I will never return to this location on a weekend), waited for Apryle then we continued on to the summit. 

Gray Whale Fin
Not only did the numbers of people on trail plummet to near zero but the ground was covered in eight to twelve inches of snow. I reminisced back to my days of alpine running at Rocky Mountain National Park and then Apryle and I headed back to the trailhead. After a quick picnic lunch we hit the John Wayne Trail into Iron Horse State Park for a quick out and back, putting our mileage at just over fifteen for the day.



March 20th to March 26th

Mileage
66.22
Time
8:47:32
Pace
7:57
Long
13.8
Vertical
5173

Apryle running on Shi Shi Beach
Two weeks out from the big race, I held on to a decrease in mileage, and also decreased my vertical training. The early week was low key and uneventful, some Shoreline/Woodway road miles and some Boeing Creek trail miles, both solo and with the company of Apryle or Brandon. Then on Thursday evening Apryle and I were excited to finally coordinate a Japanese Gulch trail run double date with Adam and Josie. The conditions were perfect for the quintessential Pacific Northwest trail run, with a light mist and mud-filled trail.

Point of Arches
The week was capped off with an unforgettable adventure to the Olympic Peninsula. Apryle and I caught the Edmonds/Kingston Ferry around ten in the morning on Friday and made our way over to the Spruce Railroad Trail. The trail was eight miles around the northeast side of Crescent Lake. The run was easy and the focus was on soaking in the scenery not setting a blistering pace. The water was an impressive shade of blue highlighted with a picturesque backdrop of tree-covered mountains. It was not the best of Olympic National Park, but still a beautiful and worthwhile run none the less.

Lyre River Campground
After the hike we headed back to Port Angeles to get a pizza, and while waiting I noticed an interesting zigzag boardwalk that seemed oddly positioned in the middle of town. Of course I decided that I needed to do a few laps on this before we headed over to the beach for dinner. As the sun began its decent into the Pacific we decided to look for a place to camp. We were lucky enough to choose the Lyre River Campground to spend the evening. This was a perfect spot, flat, soft, tree-covered and we fell asleep to the sound of the river rushing toward the Strait. It was quite cold in the morning and dew lined the tent, so we quickly packed and made our way west toward the Shi Shi Beach Trailhead.

Point of Arches
We stopped at some pullouts along the way and observed some harbor seals and gray whales spouting in the distance. We hit the trail about the same time we boarded the ferry a day earlier and anticipated the high point of the trip. The trail started similar to the Cape Alava Loop, with boardwalk planks but it quickly turned to shin deep mud. The understory and forest was not nearly as impressive as that found surrounding the Ozette Triangle in my opinion, but it was well worth the trip once we got to the beach. The final stretch of the wooded trail was a steep descent with ropes attached to the tree roots dropping down to the water.



Gray Whale Peaking Out of the Water
Once we hit the beach it was sunny and quite balmy with an almost palpable haze in the air. We immediately noticed Gray Whales spouting in the distance and once we got closer realized they were breeching just off shore. We were captivated by the spectacle for hours and almost forgot about the main point of the hike, which was to explore Point of Arches at low tide. We took a bit more time to wander around the arches and then finished out the run/hike of 9 miles and hopped back on the ferry. The surprise Gray Whale slighting makes this hike one of my all time favorites.

March 27th to April 2nd

Mileage
90.50
Time
14:11:00
Pace
7:57
Long
13.8
Vertical
14361

Apryle at Point of Arches
The final week before Gorge Waterfalls was tough one, I felt tired, ill-prepared, sore and generally negative about my chances of performing well. For a Physical Therapist, I made an embarrassing ergonomic mistake at work leading to somewhat debilitating back pain. The back pain in addition to the left knee pain was making me question whether my body could hold up over the course of 62.5 miles. 


Gray Whales off the Coast of Washington
Then I began thinking of negative consequences that stemmed from my training efforts for the race in addition to all of the sacrifices Apryle had to make in order to help me train for the race. I felt an overwhelming cloud of negativity for most of the week and began to assess the situation in a less dreamlike perspective. Instead of fantasizing of crossing the line in the top two, gaining a Western States 100 golden ticket, I was having nightmares of dropping out at mile 41 due to overwhelming knee pain. But ultimately with some inspiring words from my amazing fiancé and some confidence boost from my good friend and Texas training partner Anthony Jacobs, my prerace attitude improved.

Crescent Lake
If you are somehow still reading this post, you might be wondering how Gorge Waterfalls 100K race actually panned out. Unfortunately, I am out of energy to include that in this post, but stay tuned for the next Harriers to Chadron installment, aptly name “Gorge Waterfalls 100K Race Report”.