Derailed On The Zion Train

The forecast was not looking good.  Weeks ago when we decided to head down to Zion National Park to try our hands - or more appropriately, our feet - at the Zion Train (aka Zion Traverse, Trans Zion, etc.) the timing looked to be perfect for the 48 mile run across the park.  We chose to go mid-week when there were less crowds, and in the middle of May before the weather started getting too hot.  I'm sure any of us would've chosen hot over the conditions that stared us in the face.

We met up Tuesday night after work.  Those running the train were Craig, Scott, Matt, and myself.  Scott's nephews, whom Craig dubbed Ed & Frank, also came along to drop us off at the start and pick us up at the finish.  After sharing some laughs and stories on the road down to Zion, we stopped just outside the park and found a place to set up some tents.  We quickly set up camp and got to bed.  I don't think any of us slept well as we were intermittently being hit by showers and heavy wind gusts all night.  When do you really sleep well before a big event like this anyway?  If it's not rain and wind, it's excitement.

After a long night, we were awoken not by alarms, but to Ed repeatedly barking "my stuff's all wet!"  Turns out he failed to zip up his tent all the way.  That'll do it!  After quickly breaking down camp and getting dressed, we headed into the park and arrived at the trailhead where our adventure would begin.

From left to right - me, Craig, Matt, Scott


Finally, we were all aboard the Zion Train and ready for an epic adventure.  We started at the East Rim Trailhead and would be making our way west.  The first several miles are a gentle climb and went off without any problems.  Those first few miles also involve a lot of sand which keeps you honest.  In any race or adventure run, the adrenaline is flowing in the early stages and while it may feel easy, it's always good to hold back a bit or you'll usually regret it later.  The sand certainly helped keep me honest early on.  Plus, who wants sand all over in their shoes when they're running?!

The miles were absolutely ticking off.  We were running through some of the most unbelievable scenery.  And the fact that it was constantly changing, left me entertained literally every step of the way!  I honestly cannot describe it.  Atop the East Rim Trail, the park opened up and we were shown some of the breaktaking scenery that lay ahead.

After our quick jaunt around the East Rim, the first significant descent of the day began.  We took the opportunity to let out some "whoops" and "yeehaws" as we absolutely bombed it down the technical trail!  It was incredible.  The scenery again changed from beautiful canopies of pines, to sandstone slabs with cairns to guide us along our path.  Once the slabs ended, we found ourselves on a slightly paved trail and we knew what was coming up.  A little bit of this...

And some of this...

All while surrounded by this...

We eventually made our way down to the Echo Canyon trailhead and ran the 1.5 miles down to The Grotto where we'd meet up with Ed & Frank to refuel and drop any gear we felt we didn't need.  After we left, they were headed to hike a few of the trails in this canyon themselves. 

We'd been blessed with great weather up to this point; slightly overcast, cool, and a few short sections of hailstorm.  But it was here that it started raining for the first time.  We weren't excited about the prospects of rain and had been crossing our fingers the whole trip.  We topped off our water bladders then started the big ascent up Angel's Landing en-route to the West Rim Trail. 

I pulled out my green jacket that I'd put away after about mile 1 and put it back on to help combat the rain.  The other three pulled out their trash bags and we climbed.  And we climbed some more.  Then some more.

Matt was crashing a bit through here so I decided to hold back with him while the other two went ahead.  I told myself before the run even started that I was gonna be the caboose on this day.  I had no desire to burn out my legs two weeks before Squaw Peak. Scott and Craig never got more than a hundred yards or so ahead of us, though.  For as terrible as Matt was feeling, he sure was staying steady!

Matt pluggin' along with the other two just ahead

Eventually the rain turned into snow.  From a runner's standpoint, snow is much better than rain.  Snow doesn't soak you to the bone!  So I was really optimistic at this point that we'd be able to continue our journey, all while snow lightly fell down around us.  But my hopes were short lived.  As we climbed higher and higher, the conditions got worse and worse.  After reaching the West Rim Spring, we took a quick break so Matt could refill his water.  The snow was coming down hard at this point, but we decided to continue on for at least a few more miles to see if things might clear up.  My hands were starting to get a bit cold so I began putting them down my shorts to keep them warm!  Hahaha.  My feet were starting to get a bit cold as well, but along I trudged.

Craig and Scott truckin' along in the storm

We started gathering opinions from everyone at this point.  No one wanted to stop, but we felt like we had to explore our options.  We could continue on for another 20 miles to Hop Valley, not knowing what to expect.  The weather was getting increasingly worse by the minute and there were no bailout points between the two places.  Or, we could turn around and get out of this mess.  No one was offering opinions.  I know I was being stubborn and wanting to finish what I started.  I'm sure everyone else felt the same.  Finally, the train was officially DERAILED after a few hundred yards of this...

Realizing that we were looking at 30 miles to finish the journey, if we had to go through mile after mile of this, we wouldn't finish for a very long time. That's if we didn't die out on the trail! So with some regret, we made the smart move and turned around.  I think there was a sense of relief from everyone; myself included.  Now we could just enjoy the journey to the Visitor's Center without the fear of the unknown hovering around us.  We all took off our rain gear and headed back.

We hooted and hollered all the way back down the trail.  At this point there were quite a few tourists out.  Craig and I were flying down the path, hoping people would move aside when they hear us crashing down the mountain.  Most of them did, but some were just oblivious.  On the switchbacks, people aren't moving at all so Craig starts hopping the barriers between them!  He jumped off one, not knowing what was below... Turns out it was about an 8 foot drop!  Nice work.  Then less than a mile from the bottom a natural waterfall was literally falling over the trail.  You had to run through it to get by.  And so we did, screaming our lungs out as we're flying underneath it!

We arrived at the Grotto absolutely drenched!  We had the biggest smiles on our faces though.  There were about 15 people waiting for the shuttle to arrive when we came through.  They had to be wondering what in the world was wrong with us; we were soaked, but laughing and joking around.  We probably looked like the biggest idiots!

From here we ran the 5 or so miles of road down to the Visitor's Center, dodging shuttles along the way.  It was awesome though.  We were all relieved to almost be done and were excited about getting dry.  The only question that remained was whether or not Ed & Frank would still be at the Visitor's Center when we arrived.  We were relieved to find them there upon our arrival!  We quickly got into dry clothes and headed home.  It was nice knowing we'd made it out alive and would be getting home early also!

What an amazing adventure!  Even though we didn't end up running the 48 miles we'd planned, we still ended up with 29 miles or so on the day and 5,000+ feet of vertical ascent.  It was everything I'd hoped for and then some.  I certainly see myself going back to finish the entire thing sometime in the future.  Hopefully that ends up being sooner rather than later!

Onto more adventures!

Winter Is Coming

Recently I've been glued to my TV on Sunday nights watching HBO's new series, "Game Of Thrones."  It's based on the A Song Of Ice And Fire series by George R.R. Martin that I've been reading.  We're only two episodes into the season and I've been very pleased thus far.  It's fun watching the characters come to life.  And it's strange knowing what's going to happen, but fun watching it play out in front of my eyes.

Try wearing Ned's gear on a run!

One of the oft-quoted lines is that of House Stark; their words are "Winter Is Coming."  As I sit here and watch the snow fly out the window, it feels like winter is coming.  I realize we're nearly into May and winter is passing, though with the Squaw Peak 50 on the horizon, it looks like I'll be dealing with winter on race day.  So winter is definitely coming for me!

I'm not looking forward to slogging through mile after mile of white stuff in June.  What happened to the four seasons?  Instead I get 8 months of winter?  What a crappy tradeoff.  I'm especially done with snow covered trails, and post-holing up to my knees in snow.  It was fun for a few months, but this is getting ridiculous!  I want to be in the thin air, gasping for breath as I climb higher up a mountain face.  I want to go on a run with my wife (she doesn't do cold).  I want to feel the warmth of the sun shining down on my back.  I want salt caked on my face.  Mostly I just want it to be summer!

Since Squaw Peak looks to have plenty of snow however, I have no choice but to embrace the winter.  Looks like I'll need to keep up on my winter running skills.  So here's to one more month of cold, wet fun!  Winter is coming June 4th, whether I like it or not.

Life's Little Lessons

I meant to sit down and write out this post about a week ago.  Sometimes life gets in the way though, but I'm ok with that.  My family and close friends know that my grandfather passed away just over a week ago.  He was a shining example of what a role model should be.  He was constantly serving and helping others, and always supported those he loved in their endeavors.  In recent years, he showed a lot of interest in my running adventures and always inquired as to how races and training had gone.  I feel lucky to have had such a great person in my life.  I'll definitely miss him, but look forward to seeing him again someday.

This event provided me with some time to deeply ponder what's really important in my life, and for that I'm grateful.  I've become more cognizant of the fact that running is nowhere near the top of that list.  At the end of the day, running - and particularly ultrarunning - is a self-indulgent activity.  No one but me benefits from the hours I spend running.  While it helps me maintain balance in my life, it does not serve to uplift others in any way.  Life frequently finds ways of reminding me to schedule running into my life, and not vice versa.
 
With all that said, recovery has gone well in the last two weeks.  I was only sore for about 2 days after, but took 5 full days off just to give my body some rest.  I've been running about every other day since and I'm looking forward to getting back on schedule this week.  I've got about 8 weeks until the Squaw Peak 50 and - based on the snowpack we're experiencing here in Utah - it looks like I'll need every bit of training I can fit into my schedule.

The lessons I learned from this last race will also aid in my ability to find success.  Actually racing an event taught me more than I learned in any other event last year; and last year was my "rookie" year!  This most recent event taught me valuable lessons about nutrition, water/salt balance, the value of a great crew, mental toughness, gear, and how training mileage relates to races.  That's the short list.  I could ramble about how each of these items pertain to me, but I won't.  It's sufficient to say that I feel much more prepared going into the summer than I thought possible.  And the importance of being prepared - both physically and mentally - cannot be overstated.

Today I have a happy outlook on life and look forward to my upcoming adventures in running!

2011 Buffalo Run Race Report

Now that I've had a few days to let everything sink in, I thought I'd write up a race report. Based on my training, I thought I had a good chance to finish in 8 hours and told myself I'd be happy with anything under 8:30. Going into these races you always have to factor in the unknown. It's such a long time to be out there on your feet and so many things can happen that are out of your control. You just do the best you can to keep your head up and keep on pushin'!

My friend Scott picked me up at about 4:45 and we drove to the start line. This was his first ultra and I was really excited for him to experience it. We arrived at the parking lot with about 20 minutes ‘til the start, so we grabbed our gear and made our way to the starting line. I wandered around for a few minutes and tried to gather my thoughts. Suddenly we're lining up and after a quick countdown we're off!

I fell in behind the guys up front and stayed just off their pace. The climb felt easy and effortless... Exactly how it should feel this early in a race. As I approached the top of the climb I heard Jun and his friend Kelli coming up behind me. We all ran the next few miles across the White Rock valley together and were only passed by a few of the top runners who had apparently missed a turn earlier. Finally, we came upon the steep hill at Lone Tree. As much fun as it would be to run this 400-ish foot climb, I was not about to kill my legs this early on, so we walked it. We hit the aid station just after the climb at about the 50 minute mark, then continued on to do the Split Rock loop first.

The loop starts on an immediate downhill that's just steep enough to go too fast if you're not careful. Jun and I held back a bit (running 6:30/mi according to his watch) and Kelli fell back just a minute or two by the time we hit the bottom. Here, the last of the runners who missed the early turn passed us. It was Duncan Callahan, last year's Leadville 100 winner. We all exchanged hellos and he passed us as we made our way toward the switchbacks. Jun and I kept a good, steady pace through the switchbacks - running the entire stretch - and made our way back up to the aid station around the 1:37 mark.

We ran through the aid station and did the out-and-back section. Jun led the way and was yelling "slap hands" to all the slower runners who did the out-and-back first. It was a good laugh! I was holding a water bottle in each hand and one guy just about ripped my bottle off my hand during our high five. I joked that he must have been thirsty! The rest of the out-and-back went off with no problems. I saw Scott on the way back and asked how he was doing as he took a couple pictures of me running by. I was glad to see he was taking in the whole experience! At the aid station Jun stopped to grab his drop bag and I continued on towards the start-finish area. This would be the last time I'd run with him, only seeing him on the few out-and-backs where we crossed paths. He went on to finish in a great time of 8:02:39.

I ran the next 3.5 mile section by myself. I just focused on trying to keep a steady, even pace. Several times, I caught myself trying to go a little too fast and had to reel it back in. I was not gonna blow up this early! Just before I came around the mountain where the Start-Finish area comes into view, I dropped a gel and had to pick it up, then decided I should pee quickly. I was passed by one guy here, who I re-passed later on (and later heard he dropped out of the race). When my pit-stop was done, I saw Jun maybe 150 yards or so back, but I decided to push on by myself. I arrived at mile 19 at the 2:41 mark; 10 to 15 minutes faster than I had planned, but I felt good. I met my crew here (my wife, sister, and parents) and got a new bottle, new gels, my ipod, and dropped my headlamp. What an awesome boost to see them!

I headed over to the east side of the island and thoughts of last year began creeping into my mind. This was by far, the worst section for me last year! I tried to push the negative feelings out of my head and think positively. The ipod certainly helped for awhile, but my back slowly began to hurt. Interesting that this is exactly what happened last year, in exactly the same spot! Stupid brain! By the time I hit the Lower Frary aid station (mile 27.5) at the 4 hour mark, I needed a break. I sat down in a chair, emptied the rocks from my shoe and took a few food items from the aid station table. I also downed a few baby aspirin to help my back. It worked miracles last year, but not this time around. I had officially psyched myself out!

The section from Lower Frary to the turnaround at The Ranch was miserable. I forgot to drop my jacket at Lower Frary and I was getting hot. Then just as I’m thinking about how warm it’s getting, a headwind picks up... Jacket's staying on. My back is absolutely killing me though, and I get really excited when The Ranch comes into sight! I rolled in at the 4:57 mark. I took another seat to down two ibuprofen, drink some Mt. Dew, and eat a couple cookies. Before I know it, I’m back at it and grateful to have the wind at my back. Finally!

Then it got hot. Again. I took my jacket off and tied it around my waist. Looking back on it, I should have worn a lighter jacket on this day. I went through way too much salt and liquid, all because I’m a baby about being cold. Oh well, hindsight’s always 20-20, right?! With all these thoughts running through my head, I rallied and knocked this section out with ease. No more back pain. No more cooking in my jacket. I just put my head down and got it done. I arrived back at Lower Frary in 5:50. As I was getting rid of my jacket and changing into a longsleeve, the runner behind me blew through the aid station (with his lady pacer friend in tow) without stopping. I was focused and missed the drama, but apparently she was like a drill sergeant, just yelling at him to keep pushing. Whatever it takes I guess!

I headed out for the last 11 miles and I was on a high. Then about 100 yards out of the aid station, I kicked a rock and ate dirt. I guess I was a little too giddy and forgot to watch where I was going. Oops! I shook it off and walked away with only a slight strain in my neck that went away after about 10 minutes. From here to the aid station at the turnoff where the short climb begins, I was struggling. My stomach was in a funk and I was having a moment. I kept moving though, constantly telling myself that it’s better to run 11 or 12 minute miles than to stop and walk. So that’s what I did, with a “grin and bear it” attitude. I finally made it to the aid station at the 6:39 mark and downed some Ginger Ale. It was a lifesaver! I also grabbed a few cookies for the road. I did the short climb back up to the road and felt totally revived.

I had about an hour and twenty minutes to do the last 6 miles for an 8 hour finish and I felt great, so I pushed it. I made my way down to the Bridger Bay aid station and just stopped briefly to grab a cookie. I hopped, bounded, and juked my way through the technical loop on the north end of the island, feeling like a new person. Before I know it, the finish comes into view. It's still a long way off, but I charged this last mile and a half or so around a 7:30 pace and ended up crossing the finish line in 7:39:55, besting last year's time by about 2 hours 12 minutes!  My time was good enough for 9th place overall and I even got a little plaque for 3rd place in the 30-39 age group.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around everything, but I'm certainly pleased with how the day went. Big thanks to everyone involved with putting on the race. Also, my crew deserves huge thanks for supporting me and encouraging me throughout! You're the best! Also, big congrats to Scott on finishing his first ultra... He pushed through it and finished in 10:48:19. Way to go!

I've got a lot more to say, but I think I'll stop here and save it for another post. Lucky you :)

Tapering And Racing

After stringing together a good training cycle, I feel ready to run a great race out on the island this coming weekend.  With this being a focus race and all, I'm faced with the dreaded tapering period.  I've been in tapering mode for a little over a week and frankly, it's no fun. Interesting how I can struggle to get the mileage in during training, but while tapering, feel so anxious.  I think that's the point of tapering: to be well rested so that you're anxious to run hard on race day.  It was all I could do this last week to take a few days off.  It was all I could do to keep my mileage down.  It was all I could do to keep my pace down for my Saturday long run (which I failed at doing, btw). 

Now that I'm tapering though, I've been thinking about a few things...

I'm looking forward to a brand new experience with this upcoming race: actually racing.  Go figure!  In reality though, I've gone into all my previous races with only the goal of finishing.  First marathon... check.  First 50... check.  First 100... check.  The only exception last year was Speedgoat, which I didn't taper at all for and which I used as a training run, rather than a focus race. 

I learned a lot through experience last year.  Those lessons have helped me progress to where I am now.  It's also been fun sharing my newfound knowledge with my dad (training for his first 50 in June), and my friend Scott (who's running his first 50 this weekend).  I've done several runs with each of them this year and they've really helped me maintain my focus and stay consistent, which is something I struggle with.

So this time around I've got no excuses.  I'll be running to test my ability and to learn how hard I can push myself.  I still plan on enjoying the scenery and camaraderie, but I also plan on testing my limits.  I understand that it will certainly be uncomfortable.  As crazy as it sounds, that might be what I'm looking forward to most! It should make for an interesting day come Saturday.  Good luck to all those running, and hopefully I'll have a PR to report next week.

Another Great Day on the Island

As planned, I was able to get out on Saturday for the group training run out at Antelope Island. It was an absolute blast! We met up at 8:00 am and after some chatting and a quick bathroom break, the group started right around 8:30.

First, we headed to the north end of the island to run the campground loop which makes up the last 6 or so miles of the race. I ran with my friend Scott and we took it really easy on this loop. The views were amazing and this part of the trail is one of my favorite! It consists of lots of technical trail and seems to have endless rocks to dance your way around. As much as I love smooth single track, technical trail is where I feel at home.

After completing the loop, Scott continued on the trail to tackle the next section which is the first 19 miles of the race. I went back to the car to refill my water bottle and to grab my other bottle as well (knowing I had 3 hours or so in front of me with no place to refill). I didn't want to let him get too far ahead of me. In my rush to get back on the trail, I forgot to grab my waist pack. Not a big deal since the only reason I wanted to carry it was for my camera. Come to find out later though, I left my salt pills in there as well... Oops! Scott saved me and hooked me up with a few later on.

I pushed it hard to make up some ground and finally caught Scott just before the top of the ridge. We then kept a nice, easy pace up to the location of the Elephant Head aid station. Upon arrival, we decided to do the loop first.

Scott's knee had been bothering him a bit, but he wanted to see this section so we pushed on. After descending down to White Rock Bay, we made over way over to climb the switchbacks. I could tell Scott wasn't doing too well, and at the top of the switchbacks he told me to go ahead so I could get the out-and-back section done. He would head back to the parking lot.

I pushed it hard on the out-and-back and did it in under 30 minutes. When I got back to Elephant Head, I saw Jun there and stopped to talked with him and his group for a few minutes. They started the descent back to the parking lot and I tagged along with them. They pushed it pretty consistently the whole way and it felt great opening things up!

We finally arrived at the parking lot and chatted for a few minutes. I couldn't see Scott, so I went over to the truck and there he was, slouched in his seat. He had finished about 40 minutes ahead of me! His knee was giving him fits so he took the shortcut back to the car. I felt bad! He was pretty bummed about his knee situation. Looking back on his splits though, he was right on his mph target even though his knee was not in a great place.

All in all, it was a good day out on the trails. Ran the 25 miles in just over 4 hours, which included all the stops. Really encouraging results for me! Saw lots of familiar faces and got to spend time running with others, which is always enjoyable! I left my camera at the car, but Jun has some pics of his group over on his blog if you need some visual stimulation :)

What's With The Helicopter?

My buddy Scott and I decided to hit the hills last night after work. We were hoping to put in about 10 miles and the weather turned out to be absolutely perfect! We ran on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail in Draper and although it was still quite sloppy, and somewhat slippery, we didn't have too many problems keeping a running pace.

While making our way towards Corner Canyon, we heard a helicopter approaching from behind, flying low. It zipped right by us, then turned around and came back in our direction. Strange. We thought maybe they were searching for something (or someone), but then it stopped and hovered right next to us. We noticed it was a news helicopter, so we joked around saying we might be on the news. It hovered there for a good minute or two, then finally went off into the distance.

The run went really well and we got in a good amount of vertical. We were both pretty spent by the end of the run. I finally got home and started making dinner when I hear my phone ring. It's my sister Brittany.

She asks, "Did you run after work?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Did you run in the mountains?"

"Yes."

"Were you wearing a red jacket?"

"Yes."

At this point I thought for some weird reason that she was driving somewhere near the trail - not even close to her home, mind you - and she saw me.

Then she says, "I saw you on the news."

I laughed, completely forgetting about the helicopter. (Yeah, I'm a bit slow after a hard workout!) I didn't think it was really newsworthy, but we do live in Utah :)

Anyway, here's my 5 minutes of fame. (ok, so it's more like 10 seconds)

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