[note: Nope, I'm not sponsored by Terra chips!]

Sometimes positive tangents are all you have to put your faith in when things go sour. The Terra chips were deliciously sweet, but getting to the point to appreciate their subtle salty flavors mixed with various veggies took a change in perspective on my part. Let me rewind to before the race:

My girlfriend Sandi had a very eloquent blog post recap about the Cayuga Trails 50 and putting things in perspective. The week going into the race was a lot harder for her than me given how low her iron stores have been and the fact that she had an operation done a mere 4 days before the race! But Sandi also writes about how our finishing places and times are just numbers that don’t tell the real story behind the scenes; the processes that we all overcame to cross the finish line (regardless of place or time).  She goes on to mention that we don’t know the backgrounds and stories of our fellow runners who may have just worked a 60 hour week or are going through a divorce. But we are united by the joy of the struggle that it takes to complete 50-miles with 8,000 feet of vertical gain and hundreds of stone steps.

The day before the race representing SCOTT shoes with local rep Tanya Wildonger!

As a professional trail runner with a slew of sponsors I am quite fortunate and spoiled. Getting to the starting line with a string of solid training under my belt was easy. However, the race itself was a high pressure event for me and the physical and mental demands take their toil…

At mile 33 I was 90% sure I was going to drop from the race. I had about a 3-minute lead on the field and reports from iRunFar declared that I was looking strong and poised. The fact of the matter is that I was running on the edge of bonking and my hamstrings were rigid and tight. Like most 50 mile races I’ve experienced, I was in a state of fairly intense fatigue and pain already from the first 20-miles. A large rock in a rather shallow river crossing at 33 miles almost put the nails in the coffin that surrounded my desire to even finish the race.

Mid-race and being hunted photo credit: iRunFar.com

My SCOTT Kinabalu trail shoes worked great to get me through the muddy sections and slick sets of steps, but when I clumsily ran right into a large rock in the river I prompted tripped and banged my knee. The impact caused me to twist around in pain and land on my back so my shoulders were engulfed in the stream.  As I lay in the water for a couple seconds I thought back to my first ultra, the Chuckanut 50k when I earned 5 stitches for falling on the very same knee.  At about the same instant my hamstrings seized up and I yelled out-loud in pain from such a debilitating cramp. I’m glad nobody was around to witness this spectacle because I’m sure it would’ve been quite a show!

As I walked up the bank of the river and into a little hill on the trail my mind got negative. I thought about how I was dizzy and how my knee surely would need stiches (there was a bit of blood running down my leg). I thought about how I’ve been racing too much this year already and that my legs needed a break before Mt. Washington anyway.  I convinced myself that at the very next aid station I’d throw in the towel and call it a day.

Problem was the next aid station was a good 3-4 miles away. It was going to take a long time to walk there! I took my last gel and decided that maybe I could muster up a slow jog…that way at least I won’t be caught by too many people before I DNFed. I started thinking about the $2500 prize for winning the race and how a $0 payday would really hurt my yearly income (when you run for a living you rely a lot on prize money from races!). I thought about how disappointed I was after DNFing at the North Face 50 championships in San Francisco I thought about my girlfriend and her sister still out there competing on the course and all the runners who started with much harder circumstances.. Suddenly after about a half mile I felt like I could pick up the pace…I went from a walk to a jog to a run!

In search of chips…

My thought processes totally changed:

I may have been on the edge of bonking, but I knew that last gel I took would start kicking in in another 5-10 minutes.

The blood on my knee got washed away from the river and rain water and there was merely just a little scratch…nothing that would require stitches! (I’m not a total wuss as it is still quite bruised though).

If my hamstrings would cramp up again I would just have to stop and stretch (something I ended up doing about 5 more times)..plus, maybe the salt from more Terra chips would help!

This shift in perspective was all it took for me to continue onward. I think if the aid station was near the scene of my fall I may have dropped at that very point in the race when my thoughts were at their darkest. Meghan Hicks of iRunFar.com later asked me: “Did the physical manifest the mental or did the mental manifest the physical?” I replied that I thought the physical pain of the fall and cramping was what made my thoughts turn so negative. Generally I try to take the mental aspect of distance running totally out of the equation by just focusing on the physical: If I’ve trained well and my body is ready then it can perform a specific task..hopefully.  However, one cannot deny the inevitable connection between brain synapses, leg muscle fibers and (most importantly) the heart. The perception of pain seems to change with different body systems and in the hundreds of distance races that I’ve competed in there are only a handful where I can say that I willed myself to go 100% into the deepest and darkest amount of pain that my body could handle before it actually totally failed (this seems to be a little easier to do in shorter races like the 800m when you can merely lock yourself up with lactic acid). Learning to combat the fatigue of racing an ultra is still a continual process for me, and little “mental tricks” like breaking the distance into smaller segments, or just focusing on the current situation at hand can make the difference between finishing or stopping at 33 miles.

glad to make it the full distance! photo credit: iRunFar.com

In the end I was able to re-establish my 5 minute lead and pull off a win at the inaugural Cayuga Trails 50. Thanks to the hard work of RD Ian Golden there was a very generous prize purse that will help Sandi and I pay rent in Colorado, train at a higher level, and purchase more healthy food.  But the end result (my slowest/worse 50-mile time by 30min btw) doesn’t really matter as much as the process that it took to get there. The drive up from Cleveland with the support crew of Steve Hawthorne (Vertical Runner in Ohio) and Rachel Nypaver, the support from RD Ian Golden, funding and gear from my Sponsors, and the support of the ultra-trail running community (fellow runners like yourself) are what made this race possible. Everyone toed the starting line with a different background story (some filled with more challenges than others), but after running through lush wooded forests, up and down rocky steps and through gorges with magnificent waterfalls, we all shared a new experience.

My video recap of the experience:

Click here to view the embedded video.

I believe the more of these experiences we have the more challenges we face;  the more challenges we face the more creative solutions we gain in our toolbox of solving problems. I believe that that in itself leads to a more enriching life. Running may be an escape, a hobby, or a “job,” but the passion behind training for these experiences, the camaraderie of fellow runners, the physical and mental challenges one must face, and new perspectives that can be gained surely make it infused in one’s life style. If that lifestyle involves some Terra chips every now and then (as well as some beer) then I’m all in!

See you on the trails,

Sage

May 19^th to May 25^th, 2013.

After taking a couple days off after the Transvulcania ultra (followed by a relatively low mileage week), I put in one of my best weeks of training so far this year. I’ve only just began to track vertical gain for each training week, but I think I accumulated the most I ever have in my life (16,643 feet of climbing) in this past 7 days:

5/19 Group run at Cougar Mtn. Park in Seattle with Eric Sach at The Balanced Athlete providing a SCOTT Kinabalu shoe demo…about 2 hrs for 10 miles and   1000’vert.

5/20   Easy 10 miles with Sandi (100min) and 500’ vert. in Seattle.

5/21   Steady 10 miles up Gregory-Ranger to summit Green Mtn. (33min or so ascent) then back    down West ridge/bear canyon and back on Mesa trail for 79min. and 3793’ vert.

5/22  AM: Easy 8 miles flat at low 7-min pace in S. Boulder (flat)

PM:  Easy 4 miles (35min) with Sandi in S. Boulder

5/23    Long Run: 5 hrs with Sandi in Golden Gate State Park for 25 miles at around 9,000 of altitude. No gels! Just a bite of a Kind Bar and a handful of salted  pumpkin seeds..pretty hot and dehydrated. 5800’ vert.

5/24     Easy 10 miles with Sandi up from Nederland to Eldora (road). 78min and 650’ vert.

5/25   Long Run (aka “adventure run). Lots of hiking through 3-5’ of snow…got a  little lost with Trent Briney and Josh Arthur. Hit the summit of Audubon  (13,200+). 8.5 hours out from the car… on 4 gels and 2 Kind Bars.  40 ounces   water to drink.  24.5 miles for the day and 6,000’ vert.

Trent enjoys the view at 13,000+ ft

Weekly Totals:

Mileage: 101.5 miles

Vert.:   16,643’

Time:  about 21 hours.

Right now I’m just happy I still have my health and have the time to explore new trails and mountains!

Wild Fox approves of the SCOTT Kinabalu Trail shoes!

I am about 2 weeks out from my next race at the Cayuga Trails 50 in Ithaca, NY. I’m excited to go back to the college town where I went to school at Cornell and run this inaugural ultra-trail race.

Here’s a video log “VLOG” entry of my training recap as well as footage of some of my latest adventures and animal sightings! Stay tuned for more Vo2max Productions..

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here’s a running form video that Sandi and I made for her YouTube channel :

Click here to view the embedded video.

Thanks again for all the support and best of luck with your own training and racing!

Cheers,

Sage

I need more vert! Two days before the Transvulcania Ultramarathon on the volcano island of La Palma I suddenly feared my training this whole year had been totally inadequate. Looking up at the sheer vertical slopes leading up from the beach at sea level to the top of the volcano at 7900 feet was daunting. Taking into account much of the climb (and descent) was on uneven rocky paths and/or slippery sand that reached pitches exceeding 22% grade I wished that I had attacked more 14,000 foot mountains in Colorado (or at least did repeats of Green Mountain and Bear Peak in Boulder instead of running up and down them only on average once or twice a week).  After taking 5 days off after the Lake Sonoma 50 I had the following “hard training week” before my 2 week taper going into Transvulcania:

4-21-13:  Easy 6 miles in 50min..in Fruita, CO, 400 feet vert.

4-22-13: Easy 10 miles in Boulder, CO in 80min…300 feet vert.

4-23-13:  Tempo effort…2hrs 24min up Bear Peak in a foot of snow…10.25 miles, 3256′ vert.

4-24-13: AM: Eaasy 70min..9.5 miles for 300′ vert. , PM: Easy 5.2 miles in 40min, 400′ vert.

4-25-13: AM: Easy 6mi. in 55min, 1600 feet of vert (up part of Green Mtn)., PM: Easy 47min, for 6.25 miles, 230′ vert.

4-26-13: LONG 20 miles, up Bear Peak and Green Mtn. 3 hours. 5,000 feet vert.

4-27-13: Easy 13.7 miles in 90min, 545′ vert.

Weekly totals: 

Miles: 87 miles

Time: 12.5 hours

Vert.:  12,000

[note: it is only now, after the race that I am adding up vertical gain and training hours for the first time in my running log history as I’ve always gone by just miles per week}

Since I’m a numbers guy I like to compare quantitative data (sometimes obsessively).  The numbers don’t lie and when a week of training is added up like this it is easy to see that I need to start training with a lot more climbing and also need to be spending a lot more time on my feet if I ever want to compete at the top level in ultra marathon Sky Racing…. especially on the international scene. There is much work to be done and I have no excuses!

Now, on to the race report:

AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” boomed on the loud speakers moments before the  6AM stampede that was the start of the Transvulcania Ultra Marathon. I nervously waited at the front of the startline next to Adam Campbell, Cameron Clayton and Joe Grant. Joe pointed out that I was the most decked out in gear, having on almost every item that Ultimate Direction sold (it was true, of all the guys in the “elite field” I was loaded with gear).  I was paranoid about getting dehydrated and bonking so I started with 44 ounces of Powerade, 22 gels, 2 salt pills, a bag of potato chips, and the mandatory required items (cell phone, headlamp and emergency blanket)  all strapped on. Killian Jornet tucked in in the second row back looking a lot more minimal and light…I motioned for him to move up to the front of the starting line with the rest of us and he waved me off).

A remote control UFO sporting a video camera hovered above the thousands of runners as we sprinted off the line uphill and into the dark. After about 90 seconds the path narrowed to a width of about 8 feet and the surface became sand. I felt like I was running in the dark in the desert. The intensity of the initial quarter mile made me breathe hard like I was racing a 10k but I established a good position in 4^th place basically sharing the lead with the rest of the pack.

Photo from: http://runtramp.com/transvulcania/

About 2 miles in I took my share of the lead as we approached “T” intersection. There were no arrows or people at this point in the race so I paused for a moment and then started running off in what looked like the direction of the main path.  Within 5 seconds Killian came up and called me back, telling me the correct path was actually in the opposite direction I had mistakenly started running!

Just before the first aid station at mile 4.6 I took the lead by powerhiking past a running Cameron Clayton on a sandy uphill. As I ran into town thousands of spectators enthusiastically cheered and applauded. Many shouted “Go Killian” as it was still quite dark and all they could make out was my dark hair and white t-shirt (SCOTT t-shirt NOT Salomon!).  I heard that over a hundred times throughout the course of my lead and it appeared some people were quite disappointed when I ran past them and they got a closer look to see who I was!

By mile 15 or so I had a 3-minute lead on the field. From what I gathered later Cameron was still in 2^nd and Killian and Luis Hernando were close on his heels. I had downed 10 gels by this time and re-filled by two 22 ounce bottles with some crazy orange sports drink which was pretty sweet. I figured the intensity of the climb had me quickly burning through carbs and the sheer work output of moving my 145lbs up 8,000 feet on not always runnable terrain was a recipe for an early bonk disaster (especially considering I had already done more powerhiking than I had ever done  in my life combined , my breathing was farily rapid, and I was sweating quite a bit).

photo credit: Monarch Running (Mr. Clayton)

After being received by another enthusiastic crowd at the 15 mile aid station I felt compelled to continue pushing the pace.  My name was announced on the loudspeaksers and I was feeling like I’d imagine what a rockstar feels when they take the stage…to a small degree.  Pretty cool. I attempted to eat a dried plum but spit most of it out.  I was about 5 minutes under Dakota Jone’s course record split.  And after hitting a stretch of road I suddenly felt a building pressure not only in my bladder but also in my lower stomach. Looking for a place behind a tree after the spectators had thinned out I peeled off the road and took a dump. This bathroom pitstop I timed at 40 seconds…which was a first timed pitstop and possible PR for me. A couple miles later the dirt road slowly winded up the hill and I became confused, as it appeared some “GR trails” would go off the road and into the bushes a bit and then pop back out on the road.  I took a couple of these side trails not really knowing if I was on course until one of them abruptly ended with a big pile of bushes stacked up in a “dead-end.” Luckily, I was only about 30 seconds in the bush away from the road so I peeled back around and got back on course. I’m still going to have to analyze this  part on my Strava map but it may have cost me another minute or so….

At the next aid station I was greeted by Anna Frost  and Bryon Powell who I asked about what was going on behind me (that was when I learned I had had a 3-minute lead at the previous aid station).  I quickly sipped some water and charged up the next steep section of road switchbacks. Much to my dismay, I heard the chase pack approach within a minute. At that point I knew it was only a matter of time before Killian caught me as I was losing ground.

“I went out too hard and now I’m paying the price.”

I already thought of what I’d mutter to Bryon to record as an iRunFar tweet if I saw him at the top of the volcano. By the 20 mile mark I was already feeling like my quads were shot and it was going to be a struggle just to finish. I feared that the whole field would swallow me up and I’d be left walking into the finish line in a place that I would be ashamed of.  Luckily I didn’t totally “blow a gasket” as I continued to hold off Killian and Luis for another couple miles and 1,000 feet of ascent as my pace slowed. A lot of times on the steep switchbacks of loose dirt we were power hiking and I’d get a good glance at their efficiency as they slowly ate up the ground that separated us.  I knew that the win was going to be impossible for me to pull off (given Killian’s ability to quickly descend) if I wasn’t leading at the 30 mile mark.  When Killian and Luis passed me they looked strong and I stepped off  of the narrow trail and waved them by. I watched as Luis made a stronger move and at one point he, Killian and I were all separated by a minute.

I spent my sweet time at the aid-station at the very top of  the volcano, the highest point in the race. After empting out some empty gel packs in the trash, filling up on 44 ounces of Gatorade and eating a banana I had pretty much two objectives for the rest of the race: 1. Don’t fall and hurt yourself, and 2. Don’t get caught by anyone else!

The technical downhill on rocks really was fairly uneventful for me because I didn’t fall or epically bonk. My quads were screaming the whole time and it was somewhat tortuous to see the ocean thousands of feet below and know that you had to somehow still descend to see level after already running a hard 40 miles.

When I finally made it up to the town of Los Llanos de Ariande where the finish line I was, I vowed to savor the final minutes of the race as thousands of local spectators had made their way around the finish line area and many reached out to me for “high-fives.” As I approached the roar of loudspeakers, music and the giant finish line banner I had my arms out wide in both directions making sure I could high five as many children who stuck their hand out as possible. It was an amazing experience and I almost came to a walk in the final 200m with the density of the crowd reaching out.  I’ve never finished a race with so many cheering and it was really special!

Photo Credit: Monarch Running (Mr. Clayton)

Overall I’m pleased enough with my 3^rd place finish in my first Sky Race although I admit I’m somewhat disappointed with my execution of the race. I think if I had held back a little longer in the opening 10 miles and then pressed the uphill a little later I could have been leading at the top of the volcano – however, the outcome of the race would’ve still been the same…I still would’ve gotten third, but I think I could’ve run a better time. In closing I learned that I need to train with a lot more vertical and actually do some extended long runs up in the mountains. Also, I think my weekly mileage could use a little boost!

photo credit: Monarch Running (Mr. Clayton)

Thanks for reading and best of luck with your future training and racing!

-Sage

PS stay tuned for my Vo2max Productions YouTube video of the island and what the course looks like!!

PHOTO: when we first hit the trail around mile 3 I was in the lead…but not by much and not for long…:

photo by Brad Clayton:
http://mohirun.zenfolio.com/p722355350

PHOTO: “holding back” on a downhill with Chris Vargo around mile 20: 

photo by Evan Reimondo:
@Evan28R

The longest climbs on the course come near the turn-around point in the middle; somewhere between miles 20-24. Originally this was where I figured I’d “make my move” – however, at around this point Max and Cameron had increased their lead to 5-minutes.

Max King and Cameron Clayton came flying into the 25-mile aid station at 2hrs 55min

My legs felt stiff and unresponsive on the climbs and I suddenly feared that I had not tapered enough for this race (I also had Transvulcania next month in the back of my mind). Perhaps the cumulative fatigue of racing a tough 100km at Tarawera in New Zealand, along with a 95-mile week and 30-mile long run a couple weeks later had finally caught up to me? Every little up and down rollercoaster hill rocked my hip flexors and pulled at my hamstrings.  But the pace was hot and I still believed in my splits, my mental math, and the sheer work output required to sustain such a torrid pace for 50-miles of rolling hills. I knew all I could do was run my best for that day…whatever that was going to be.

downhill running at mile 26…still in control..barely
photo by immortal running:
https://twitter.com/immortalsrun

At mile 28 on a gradual uphill climb I decisively put the hammer down for the first time and gave chase.

“He’s got 4-minutes on you.”

“They’re 3- minutes ahead.”

Racers running in the opposite direction on the out-back course encouraged me (and provided me with valuable, tactical race information) as I gained a second wind and increased my effort to work my way back up to the lead. I grinded up some hills right around 7-min flat pace and really felt the intensity of the effort…motivated more than ever to make up ground as I gained confidence.

I passed Cameron around mile 34. He said something about having limited mobility in his stride and I think he was having hydration issues (I later found out that after drinking some water at the aid stations he got his legs back under him and was able to regain his stride). I had been in that same state just a month ago during the last 10 miles of the Tarawera 100km so today I was deliberately drinking more…

When I stopped to piss for a third time during the race at about mile 36 (by the way I hate having to stop and piss because it always seems like I’m losing 20 seconds each time…but I really had to go!) I had no idea Max King was just ahead of me around the next corner. Glancing at my GPS I braced myself for another 8min+ mile split because of my piss break and vowed to run the next mile faster to “make up time.” Around the corner and up a hill I was startled to see Max all of a sudden. I could tell from his stride that he was at a low-point in the race and that his pace had drastically slowed.  As I passed he mentioned he was hurting and he encouraged me to go for the course record.  By the time I got to the final full aid station at mile 38.5, I had put a couple minutes on Max and really surprised my parents (who assumed I would still be in 3^rd place).

my ultra supportive parents crewing for me (and filming) at mile 30

Around mile 40 the waves of nausea hit. I walked a couple steps and dry-heaved. The thought of another gel to wash down with my coke was sickening – still, I tore open a new packet every 20-30 minutes and forced myself to ingest at least a gulp or two of the slimy stuff. I figured that I was starting to get dehydrated as well and instantly regretted that my handheld wasn’t full of water for the 7 mile stretch to the final aid station at mile 45.5. My pace slowed and all I could think about was just trying to “hold it together.”

5:35. That was what Dakota Jones split at the 45.5 mile aid station en  route to his 6:17 course record run. It was exactly the time that read on my watch at that final aid station. With my stomach feeling better (and knowing I had at least a 5-minute lead) I was able to ramp up my effort again for the final miles of climbing. Sneaking under the course record was the main thought on my mind and every mile that clicked off on my GPS was a huge relief.

During the final mile I was able to enjoy feeling full of the run and reflect on the support of my family, my girlfriend, my sponsors, and the running community that made this opportunity for me to race in Lake Sonoma possible. When I crossed the finish line in 6:14:55 I was greeted by RD John Meddinger and awarded with an over-sized 3L bottle of wine from a local vineyard. Not ready to pop open the cork yet, I immediately downed a couple beers instead. [My parents who crewed for me while filming the race deserved this special bottle anyway and I assume they drove it back home to Oregon to age). I’d like to give a special thanks to the support of all the volunteers, local sponsors and John for putting on a great race and also allowing me to perform at my best on an amazing course against great competition.  The camaraderie of the ultra running community was also very enjoyable around the finish line after the race!

I was lucky that I didn’t trip and fall when I put my shirt back on for the final 100 yards… photo by Brad Clayton: http://mohirun.zenfolio.com/p722355350

Video footage of the race (thanks mom and dad!!):

Click here to view the embedded video.

Overall, I felt very fortunate to be able to run in such a scenic venue and execute a race according to plan without getting lost, breaking a bone or epically bonking. It was an effort that I’d like to compare to the White River 50 (as I ran similar time there), although the continuous bombardment of hills at Lake Sonoma proved to be a very difficult and different challenge. I look forward to racing at new venues and learning more about the sport this year.

3 weeks until Transvulcania!!

Thanks for reading and I wish you the best with your running,

Sage

@SageCanaday

www.YouTube.com/Vo2max Productions.

Blatant sponsor/gear/nutrition plugs:

Shoes: SCOTT Sports t2 Kinabalu trail shoe

Socks: Drymax maximum protection running

Shades: Smith Optics Pivlock 2

Hydration gear: Ultimate Direction

Nutrition: Flora Health/Udo’s Oil

Beer to fuel training: Avery Brewing

1. A tight-knit community of like-minded people that are very supportive of each other, AND

2. Runners that really love to kick back after a long run, eat a ton of great food and drink tasty beer (those fellow runners over the age of 21 of course)!

Now on the last thought I got to thinking of how refreshing an adult beverage is and how sharing a new set of brews with runners while sharing “battle stories” from the trail/race can be a very rewarding experience. I’m not a total beer snob (I’m a “wannabe beer snob”), but I will say that IPAs have a special place in my heart and I genuinely enjoy the taste of a quality beer  with my dinner after a challenging workout day . But I think a lot of us crazy ultra runners have a similar palate for these indulgences in life (and did you know having some beer helps with recovery and reduces inflammation due to polyphenols?!). …I think that that’s an awesome thing.

So anyway, I’m very proud to announce that Avery Brewing Company (local to Boulder Colorado) is going to be sponsoring me! It’s always been my dream to help support and spread the word about local brands dear to my heart and Avery totally fits the bill. They make an amazing selection of craft beers that will whet the palate of beer snobs across the country. Whether you like IPAs, Porters, Stouts, Pilsners, Amber Ales, Brown Ales, Belgian Wheat, etc.,  Avery Brewing has a beer for you!  I look forward to helping spread the word about such quality beers from a company that really cares about promoting events that get people together! Thanks for all the support and best of luck with your running (and beer tasting).

Kicking back after a cold, snowy run. An Avery IPA really hits the spot!

Cheers!

Sage