The Bear can't catch me!!

 For the past 6 years, I have paced friends for 20-40 miles of different parts of the Bear 100. I have wanted to run it but it never worked out with other races I was doing. It has been long overdue for me to run this one and I picked a great year. Most years there is rain at one point or another during the race. One year it even snowed, some even call it the Polar Bear 100. Temperatures stayed in the 70s and got at low at 35 in the river bottoms. I have always run better in colder weather. 

Almost a month to the day before the race I started feeling a bit sick. Massive head cold. Ran a fun 22 miler at night. Every time I was on an uphill, I had no energy to go and was super tired. I figured it was the head cold. The next day at work things got worse and I was even more tired. I checked my tempter several times and I was normal. About 4 pm I started to get really cold. I work in a cold environment all the time and don't get cold very often but I was shaking so bad and couldn't stop. I put on a jacket and a warm blanket and still couldn't warm up. 30 min later I spiked a fever. (AH CRAP) I knew I had to get out of work and get checked for Covid. Got tested and before I could make it home got a call that I was positive for Covid. I took a few days off of running and then tried to run 2 days later. From mile one I was tired the whole time and called it quits after 3 miles. I ran 3 miles 2 days later and nothing had changed. (wife response: WORST PATIENT EVER! The dude was supposed to stay quarantined as we have an unvaccinated member of our household and maybe, just maybe, it might be a good idea to let your body heal, DUH!) Was still crazy tired even though I could breathe fine but had no energy. 

My poor wife had to deal with me. I was quarantined from the rest of the family for 10 days. She found me one day outside weeding the weeding in the yard. She texts me "What are you doing?" I told her weeding, It needs to get done. Or I would sneak out to go run. I know Covid is something not to be messed with but I had to test it out for myself. At times I think I am superhuman and nothing can stop me. My only worry was how well I would bounce back to run Bear 100. I have heard of many having a lack of energy for weeks after. Would I have to take it easy or could I jump right back into training? I took it easy the next week and then ramped up the miles with no problems. 

The race starts in a small little town about 1.5 hours north of home. If I could move to the valley I would. Time feels like it slows down there. I had planned to spend the night in my truck at the start line the night before the race. But got a great offer to stay 10 min from the start in a warm bed from my buddy Eric.  I have paced him most years of the bear 100. I was a bit sad I couldn't pace him again this year. The race started at 6 am on Friday. Most 100 milers start on Saturday. I loved the change. It gave me an extra day to recover before returning to work. At the pre-race meeting and before the race I was able to talk with many friends that I haven't seen in some time. Races are like family reunions. I get to see many of my friends that I haven't run with for some time.

The first few miles were in the dark and climbing 3,000 ft in 5 miles. I took it easy and had a blast talking with my buddy Robert. We ran together for at least 15 miles. I have learned I relax and run better if I chat with others. About mile 4 some guys in front of me got stung by bees. I thought I was lucky and wouldn't get hit. Not at all. The first one was behind my right knee and then on my inner thigh. Then a minute later my right glut. They stung for some time and the idea came in my head for a split moment my race is jacked. At the same time, I was having some pain in my right hip that has been bothering me for months. I have seen my PT and an ART guy. Still hasn't gotten better. It hurts off and on when I run but doesn't stop me from running. I just run with the pain. About 30 miles in the pain stopped in my hip and didn't return for the rest of the race. 

After getting stung I stopped to see if there was a stinger stuck in me. I spent the next few miles pushing the pace a bit to ketch back up to my friend Robert and the group of guys I was running with. Many of them had the same goal to go under 24 hours. If we work together I knew we could do it. When I caught back up to them there was another good friend there Preston. He had run the Bear 100 many times and done well. I figured if I could keep up with him I knew I could make my goal and have fun. My plan was to get in and out of aid stations as fast as I could. For the first 5-6 hours I drank Maurten drink mix 320/160 and then switched to Maurten gels one every 30-45 min for the next 6 hours. 

A few miles before the Right-hand aid station I ran into Leah. I don't know how long I have known her but have never run this much together. She set a great pace and ran the uphills. That was one of my goals for this race. Run the uphill and as much as I can. Run downhill no faster than a 9 min pace. We easily ran 20 miles together talking about life and laughing it up. Time was flying and we were moving fast. I would remind myself I can go faster but "Not yet". Running was easy and I could run fast downhill but "Not yet". I picked up my buddy Nicolas at the right hand and he kept the pace rolling. I met Nicolas for the first time during Bryce 100 this year. We had such an awesome time running together, I had to have him pace me. 

I saw my crew and family for the first time at mile 62 Franklin aid station. My amazing wife washed my feet and changed my socks. Also changed my pacer. Paul was another guy I met at a race years ago and we have been running together ever since. The party never stopped the whole race and I never felt tired. Another win for the fat-adapted diet. Moving through the night I was now on track to run an hour faster than my goal.

Flew into Beaver lodge aid station mile 75. This is where I pick up my last pacer Jessi and AKA The drill Sargent. I told her my plan before the race and she kept her word like my other pacers. Run everything we can and push me till I can't run anymore. It was a cold night and I loved it. It got the coldest in the river bottoms. Easily 30 degrees. I never felt that cold because we kept moving and didn't walk much. Jessi would ask me what my plan was before we came into the last aid station. "I plan to take this gel and drink some Mt. Dew," I told her. "NO" She replies. "You need a fast burning gel" As she explains to me why I knew she was right. I didn't put up a fight and did as I was told. Might have been the first time during this race without any talkback. The last climb was a killer. It wasn't long but it was steep. I took it easy to save everything for the last 6 miles of downhill. There were many parts of this downhill that were rocky. I rolled my ankle a bit but it didn't slow me down. With a few miles to go, I asked Jessi how she felt about running a 7:30 mile pace the last mile. She didn't know if she had it in her. I was going to find out and make her work for once. 

On the downhill I have been updating my family on my best estimate of when I would get to the finish. I was so wrong. Wrong on how many miles I had left and how long it would take me. We ran faster than I thought I would. The last .75 of a mile was on a grated road. We pick it up and hit 7:30 with ease. Next thing we know this van pulls up next to us. It's the family to see me finish. My daughter Natalie jumps out and starts running with us. The last few races she has run the last bit of the race with me. I love it. I get some happy to share my finish with her. 

We come flying into the finish in 22:08 and 8th overall.  I am amazed how well the race went and how much energy I had the whole race. I owe a great thanks to all my amazing pacers and stellar crew. I feel so blessed to have run with so many friends during the race and know they played a big part in my journey to finish.  I only spent a total of 39 min in aid stations during the race. 

Time for a raspberry shake. Too bad they are not open. I guess that's what I get for finishing at 4 am. 

This is the 2nd race I have done on the Fat adapted diet plan. Bear had 7k more vert and I feel it was harder. Yet I ran it 15 min faster than Bryce Canyon 100. I will find it really hard to go back to how I fueled before. Even though I really love donuts, bread, pasta, and many other things loaded with sugar and carbs. It's the salad life for me. For more info on why I changed my diet to Keto/fat adapted see Red Mountain 55k race report. 

This race showed I run faster than I think. I guess I need to set harder goals and push my next 100 miler faster. My wife says I need to find another job or a sponsor to help with all the fees and supplies. Does anybody want to share some ideas? I'm super chatty and helpful! Hoka, a good sock company, maurten gels, running gear (I like to run fancy in my plaid shirts) and I'm pretty good with all the hashtag influencer stuff 😉 Maybe I can hire out my family to crew other people at aid stations?