Buffalo Run 50 Miler

Some dude got pinned against the fence. I passed this spot twice and was as close as
50 yards to probably this same buffalo, but never had a problem with it.

This race has so many beginnings I cannot name them all. I could say that it started with how I locked my keys and all my gear in the car right when I arrived at the race. Or I could say that it started when I signed up for the race back in the end of October 2012. It could be that it started when Craig Lloyd said to me about 8 months ago in regards to his race, Quest for King's "if you can run this, you can run an ultra." Maybe a better place is when I first started trail-running shortly after I finished my first marathon almost two years ago. Steve and I were on the Thaynes trail in Millcreek Canyon when he mentioned the possibility of running a 50 miler. I think I laughed and in my mind said "Ya, right, like that will ever happen." But I thought about it for a moment then responded, "I used to think that 26 miles was far." No, I think the best place to start this story is almost four and a half years ago. It was the first time the OTM's ever did King's Peak in a day. We thought we were pretty cool—doing 26+ miles in about 12 ½ hours. During that adventure we happened to get passed by someone running on the trail. A conversation ensued about how one would need to be in incredibly good shape and how we'd never do anything like that. Well, over four years ago a seed was planted, and it has finally been realized.

Yep, that's my gear and car keys, locked in the car.

So, I arrived on Antelope Island about 5:15 a.m., about 45 mins. before the race started. I had no idea what to expect as far as pre-race check-in stuff. So, I thought I'd go to the big tent and check it out before putting all my gear on. I got out of the car and went to put my keys in my pocket and realized I wasn't holding any keys. I quickly checked my door and it was locked. All the doors were locked and I could see the keys on the passenger seat, right next to my gear. I did not sink into despair. I let myself sigh once for the loss and made my way to the starting line tent optimistically. I took stock of what I already had on me. All my clothes, my phone, my head lamp, my knee straps and one GU. I guess I should consider myself lucky for at least having my head lamp. While waiting inside the tent I stretched a bit and grabbed another GU for the trail. More people started showing up and I recognized a nice short man, Mark Allgood, who ran Quest for King's last year. I said, "Hey, last year, Quest for King's, I passed you coming down the summit right as you were starting up." He replied, "I bet you did pass me, and you have a good memory." He asked me how I was doing and I informed him of my ordeal, but I was optimistic because the aid stations are all about 6 miles apart. He said, "As they say in ultra-running, 'everything will be ok.'" Then we parted ways and I didn't expect to see him again. However, 15 mins later he came back with a small handheld water bottle that he let me borrow. He was a lifesaver.

Trail of Headlamps.

Miles 1-6, 9:45 average mile.
Just as we were lining up to start the race I found some fellow Wranglers, Matt Williams, Josh Greenwell, and Leslie Howlett. We gave some high-fives and the race started. The four of us weaved in and out of people for the first few miles then were able to stay together easily after about mile 4. My eyebrows froze a bit during the first two miles with the wind chill at about 20 degrees. The wind was consistently blowing south throughout the race, so we got a tail wind for half and a head wind for the other (in that order, unfortunately). As we climbed a few switchbacks we looked back and could see a trail of headlamps that was pretty cool.

Split Rock Bay, looking south. 6-7 Buffalo down in the middle.

Miles 7-11, 10:00 average mile.
We decided to do the Elephant Head out-and-back on the way back. The race director suggested doing it first but left it for us to decide. So, for these few miles we were all alone and in the lead, at least in our minds. We had a great time together and it flew by. We passed about 6-7 buffalo on the shore in front of Split Rock Bay. They never bothered us.

Miles 12-14, 10:00 average mile.
These were the last miles the four of us stayed pretty close together. We ran out to the edge of Elephant Head and could see across the valley to the south. It's always fun to look out over a vast landscape and say "I was just running over there." On the way back we caught the beautiful sunrise. I stopped at the aid station for the first time and made sure to fuel up as much as possible. I enjoyed a can of Coke and tried to get down the second GU of the day. Yuck! Meanwhile, Matt, Josh and Leslie gained about a mile lead on me.

Sunrise over the Island. Matt and Josh down in the center, Leslie to the right.

Miles 15-20, 12:00 average mile.
I walked a few minutes of the first mile in order to let the GU settle. At about mile 16 I passed Aaron Williams doing awesome at the start of the 50K. I also passed all the other 50K starters. Trail runners are actually some of the most friendliest, supportive people you'll ever share a trail with. A lot of "nice job's" and "good morning's" were exchanged. At mile 18 I caught poor Leslie walking. She apparently had injured  her quad pretty badly which eventually made her drop out. When I made it back to the start line I dumped my head lamp at my car and chatted with Craig Lloyd who had finished his 100 miler. He looked really good and did awesome setting a PR. Shortly thereafter I passed the legendary Davy Crockett with only about 5 miles left of his 52nd 100 miler. He's amazing.

Miles 21-24, 13:00 average mile.
About 4 hours had passed, my pace slowed a bit but I was taking it easy. After all, I was coming up on only the half way point. I also had a bit more trouble getting another GU down. On another out and back I passed Matt and Josh. They were about 1 ½ miles ahead of me. So I didn't feel too bad, I was staying consistently behind them, not really falling further behind.

Miles 25-29, 11:00 average mile.
I ran into Scott Wesermann looking grim with Rob Bladen pacing his last stretch of the 100 miler. It was good to see a lot of friends on the trail. The GU finally settled and I found a new friend to run with. His name was Mark, I think. He was from Montana. He paced me all the way to the next aid station. We had some friendly conversation and enjoyed one another's company. At the aid station he didn't stop long and that ended our short friendship. My energy level felt good. My muscles were a bit tight and sore, but what could one expect? Anyway, I made a decision to not eat any more GU's. From now on I only had a can of Mt. Dew, Coke, or Ginger Ale and various other goodies like peanut M&M's, potato chips, PB&J's, and potatoes. I had no problem getting those down, and I never lost energy for the rest of the race. While I'm talking about the aid stations let me just say that each and every one of them were staffed with the friendliest, nicest, happy-to-meet-your-every-need people.

Some chick, Josh, and Matt.

Miles 30-34, 12:30 average mile.
This was the last stretch out before turning around and running it all back to the finish line. About half way through this stretch I ran into Josh and Matt and some chick they picked up along the way, probably to pace them. They looked great and I was still only about 2 miles behind them, so I was encouraged (Unfortunately, that was the last time I saw them). At this point everything was new mileage for me. I had never crossed over 31.5 before today. I was elated. At the ranch aid station I decided to take a little extra time to drop a load off at the restroom, then I was on my way back, excited at the prospect of finishing strong.

Miles 35-40, 15:00 average mile.
My energy continued to feel good, however, my muscles were definitely past their limit. I had to alternate running and walking during this stretch. Old injuries crept up on me and started to hinder my progress. This is probably the best spot to talk about injuries. I started running marathons two years ago and shortly thereafter was diagnosed with a minor case of runner's knee. I saw a physical therapist and he helped me fix my form and gave me some good ways to combat and fix it. I followed the form corrections but didn't strengthen my legs as much as I should have. The pain subsided and even went away for a while. About four months ago it crept back up on me as I started to increase my training intensity. But the pain was still manageable, so I didn't worry too much. About three weeks ago I did a five hour, 20 mile snow slog up Farmington Canyon and totally inflamed my IT Band. This put my running on a hold for the last three weeks of training. Unfortunately, Steve, my fellow OTM, did not escape injury on that run either. He was signed up for the Buffalo Run and we planned on doing it together, however he got a stress fracture and had to drop out. I wanted so badly to run this race—my first 50 miler. I set my mind to it and proceeded optimistically. I did little running the last 3 weeks and hoped for the best.

I don't look tired, right?

Miles 41-45, 16:30 average mile.
I was still able to alternate running and walking for the first two miles of this stretch, but after that it was just walking. My IT band was sore, but ok. However, my knee was hurting badly. I started to compensate a lot using my other leg to take the brunt of the effort needed to keep a decent walking pace.

Miles 46-47, 18:30 average mile.
I was sore and tired and not well, especially since I saw the finish line, but could also see the large mountain I had to skirt around for the last 4 miles before coming back to the finish line.

Mile 48, 22:53 min mile.
Slowing down, but not too bad. Only two more to go.


Mile 49-50, 27:40 average mile.
An entire hour for the last two miles! The terrain became extremely rocky and much more difficult to manage. Too many twists and turns inflamed my IT Band and my left leg could no longer bend much at all. My right foot and leg were shooting pain from compensating. It was brutal, however, I knew I'd finish and I still kept my optimism. Many people passed me with encouraging words over the last 5 miles. I hobbled slowly across the finish line somewhere around 12 hours. I barely made it to the car and was grateful that I had locked the keys inside, because my wife had to come get me and I didn't have to drive home. I'm not sure I would have been able to.

Map of the Antelope Island Buffalo Run 50 miler.

What did I learn?
1. Locking my gear in the car forced me to rely on the aid stations and the small handheld water bottle that was lent to me. I noticed that I didn't really need my pack that much. Unless the race is self-sustained, in the future, I will carry less than I normally have.

2. Running an ultra race on an injury like mine was not very smart, I was lucky to finish at all. During the car ride home I told my wife that I'd never do that again, I mentioned the same thing on my first Facebook status after the race.

3. The day after a race always leaves me more optimistic about it. I am now pondering on what to do better next time. I still don't know how anyone runs 100 miles.

4. Replace the batteries in your headlamp right before a race. Mine didn't die, but it was noticeable dimmer than others.

5. Friends are a huge support. I've always been a do-it-yourselfer. However, I noticed that it was a lot more fun having friends to see and run with. 

6. Attitude means everything. I had the deck stacked against me for this race. I firmly believe that if I had let bad things effect my attitude I wouldn't have come close to finishing this race. Positive thinking leads to positive, sustaining energy. I enjoyed every minuted of the race, even the last two miles.

About mile 9.

New Taipei City WanJinShi International Marathon - International Monkey Race Review

Is Everybody Ready?  Thumbs-Up at the Starting Line!

Las Vegas, NV.  Salt Lake City, UT.  Seattle, WA.  Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan.  WanLi, Taiwan. 

What do these locations have in common?  Other than they are all in the Northern Hemisphere, the commonality I'm getting at is I've ran in each of these places in the last three weeks!  And it has been awesome!  I've been traveling a bit for work lately, and I make an effort to get out and run at least once everywhere I go.  Map-My-Run is having a heck of a time keeping up with the changing locales.

The first four locations on the list were just training and fun runs, but during my last run I was able to attend the New Taipei City WanJinShi International Marathon (hereafter NTCWJSIM).  The NTCWJSIM allows runners to choose from distances of Full Marathon (42K), Half Marathon (21K) and 10K.  I only did the half-marathon, as I'm not as fond of the strenuously long distances as are Sam and Steve.  I hear the longer distances can leave one injury prone.


Me and my running mates, possessed and ready to run.
left to right: Little Gao, Winston, Erica, Selma, and 席文凱

Our morning began at 3:30 AM, as we had to catch the race shuttle at 4:00 AM to take us from downtown Taipei to the NorthEast Coast.  Getting out of the big city is a good thing for aerobic activity, and good for breathing in general.  Soon we were at the racing plaza, checking in, trying to stay warm despite the cool ocean breeze, getting some snacks in prior to the run.

Here's the start.  And the Finish. 

I heard some wonderfully infectious beats coming from the race stage, and thought I had better go check out where this catchy music was coming from.  The entire race plaza was full of athletes getting ready for their run, with the Jane-Fondas on stage directing the crowd in aerobics and warm-ups and stretches!  What a great idea!  Why haven't they done this at any of the U.S. races I have attended?  Are we too cool for this great idea?  This is such an obviously wonderful program I hope it will be stolen and replicated at races across the West.  Alas, I probably hope in vain.

The gun sounded for the NTCWJSI-Full-Marathon at 6:30, but by that time just about all the Half-Marathoners had already crowded the starting line.  I made my way to my usual spot, looking around to find people who appeared to be a bit faster than me and hoped to fit into the sub 8 minute mile grouping.  Although your guess would be as good as mine when trying to find this segment of racers, because appearances can be deceiving.  It's usually that person that looks like they shouldn't be running at all that zips by me early, and similar folks passing me by at various parts of a race.


When 6:50 sounded the NTCWJSI-Half-Marathon began.  Like every other road race I've attended, it was a bit crowded for the first mile.  But the road was wide enough that it was never a real problem, even while we ran a mile in a man-made tunnel.  After the tunnel, the rest of the run was along the Pacific Ocean shoreline.  The largest major city in this area (Keelung) averages 214 rain days per year.  Keelung receives approximately 147 inches of rain per year, for a comparison Seattle averages 38 inches annually.  But on this day we were lucky enough to only have overcast skies and a slight cross-wind from the Ocean.  The cross-wind pressed you diagonally, but never really was it fully a headwind or fully a tailwind, just a minor interference breeze.  The only real climbs on the run were short, and you gained only 100 feet in less than a half a mile each time.  But the downside (literally) of not having more hills is that there are fewer hills to run down.  I guess it all evens out in the end.

One thing that always impresses me is how welcoming the Taiwanese people are to foreigners, and this race was no different.  At the halfway point, there was a turn-around, and at that point you began running against traffic on the other side of the street.  There were hundreds of runners who encouraged me with a thumbs up, cheering me on and being altogether supportive of me as I ran by.  I'm sure other Westerners on this run had the same experience, as the Taiwanese people are incredibly polite and will often go out of their way to try to make visitors feel welcome.  This race was no different, both the race support staff and the public on the side of the road.  I gave high fives to the little kids on the side of the road, had my photo taken with some protestors, and chatted up the folks at the drink stations.  Thank you for the love, all of my new found friends.

When I finished I was happy to have a new PR, besting my previous time by 2 minutes.  Some of that, actually most of that has to do with running at sea level, but I hope that my fitness has improved a bit as well.  We shall see after the next half marathon at altitude.  All in all it was a good time, the race was well organized and well staffed, the road clearly marked, my friends and I all enjoyed a fun, well-organized and scenic race and I feel lucky that I get to do these kinds of things while traveling for work.

At the Finish Line with My friend Mr. Wei.

These certificates officially prove that we finished the race.  Officially.

Post-Race Snack # 1
Zhong-zi - Sticky rice and pork wrapped in corn husks (like a tamale)
So-Hot-It-Burns-Your-Tongue Ginger Tea

Post-Race Snack # 2
SoyJoy Apple Energy Bar and Pocari Sweat Sports Drink

Winston, having a post-race smoke.  I guess he earned it. 
There were many others who joined him,
which was something I had never seen at a race before. 

 

Exhausted at Farmington Lake

As one of our last long training runs before the Buffalo 50 miler we decided to try and do the Skyline Drive loop. Last week we went up the South side near the Bountiful B on the mountain. It was a nice run, despite the snowstorm. We have actually been wanting to try the Skyline loop for some time now and finally we put it to the test. The original plan was to meet at the Bountiful B, park the cars, then load up into one car and drive over to start on the north side at Farmington Canyon. Fellow Wasatch Wrangler, Matt Ricks, once again joined us for this run. If he keeps it up he'll become an honorary OTM.

Map up to Farmington Lake.

Matt, signing the letter "E" for exhausted. Don't let his smile fool you.

We started at about 5:20 a.m. at the Farmington Pond. Right as I got out of the car I realized that I was going to need to drop a load of...well, ya know, before running. So, I hightailed it for the bushes and Steve and Matt started up the road. After my business was done I tried to catch up, but was unable for about 7 miles, and that's only because they were nice enough to stop and wait for me to make sure I didn't go the wrong way at the upper gate. The road is well packed by snowmobilers and was decent to run on.






After the upper gate we started to post hole the trail more and more, despite the snowmobile tracks. I fell behind yet again and after another 3 miles saw Steve and Matt coming back down. They made it to the lake and found that the snowmobile trail stopped. It was only a quarter of a mile farther but I was content to stop and turn around. I was wasted. We turned around and I hoped to keep up now that we were going down hill, but yet again I was left in the dust.

Steve and Matt taking the lead again.

I did catch up after about 5 miles. I passed Steve and caught Matt as well. Running on a snowpacked snowmobile road is an adventure. It's like never-ending hurdles. We ran the last few miles together until he took advantage of the steepness of the last mile and ran like it was his first mile of the day. Steve apparently did too, passing me with about 50 yards left. So, I still finished last. This was a good run for my ego. Spending most of the time in the back made me push the limit a little more than normal.

Sam, sporting the Altra foot.

A few hours after finishing Steve and I communicated via email regarding today's run. We both expressed that our tiredness level is somewhere between "just ran a marathon" and "just ran quest for king's". Doing 20 miles on the snow felt a lot more like 30. It took us almost 5 hours too. Maybe we won't be able to do anymore running until the 50 miler in 3 weeks. Also, we may have to take Jake's attitude and wait a week before we actually think on this run with fondness.