Lake Sonoma 50 Race Report: 2014

April 17, 2014 | By | 51 Replies More

I’ve been overanalyzing and agonizing over my performance at the 2014 Lake Sonoma 50 mile race. I’m a numbers guy and I like cold, hard scientific data.  The obvious results from this race of course demonstrate the fact that both men’s and women’s ultra-trail running fields are getting really close and competitive. Every second counts!

Before I get into all the quantitative  garble and “what ifs,” I first want to say that Zach Miller needs to be taken for real on all ultra-trail courses! The guy has some serious strength, talent and mental tenacity (as well as self-discipline for training on a ship). I’ll admit that I didn’t fully respect the move he made as he shot into the lead about 5 miles into the race as I figured that over 45 more miles and 9,200’ of climbing he’d come back into sight. Obviously I was very wrong. Big congrats to Zach (and Rob) for running tough, gritty races and soundly beating a competitive field head to head in course record time. I tried my best, had a solid (more even paced) race and lowered my time from last year but they were stronger on the day and I ended up 3rd.

 

iRunFar.com post race interview: (also check out my YouTube channel for a video of the race that will be out hopefully later this week)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4iPEcy9Rzs[/youtube]

 

I’m not going to give a detailed blow by blow account of the race (there will be lots of video footage showing that!), but here’s a brief summary of went through my head at various points along the course as things progressed:

 

First aid station (about 11.5 miles in): “Crap, we’re 3 minutes slower than I was last year at this point….the weather is much cooler and it’s overcast….so maybe we should have taken this thing out faster?!”

 

For a brief time there was a loosely formed "chase pack" of me, Chris Vargo, Max King and Rob Krar. Photo Credit: Greg Lanctot

For a brief time there was a loosely formed “chase pack” of me, Chris Vargo, Max King and Rob Krar. Photo Credit: Greg Lanctot

Half way at 25 miles: Okay, Zac is still 3 minutes ahead and you’re 2  minutes slower than last year at this point in the race. It’s time to make up time! Crap, but the pace doesn’t feel any easier than last year (and it should?)!”

 

The the first half of the race it was cloudy and cool...ideal to run fast! Photo Credit to Tanner Johnson

The the first half of the race it was cloudy and cool…ideal to run fast! Photo Credit to Tanner Johnson

38.5 miles (last crew aid station): Okay, you made a break on Rob…he must not be feeling good…but where is that Zac kid?…WHY is he not coming back?!”

 

Mile 42: “Oh, crap, gotta peel off into the bushes….just keep it together…no more 9min miles and NO WALKING!”

 

Mile 45.5 (last aid station): “Okay, there’s Zac and he has a half mile on you…he’s not coming back!…Okay there’s Rob, he’s 90 sec behind you…there’s a chance he’s going to charge so you better get moving…no time for a full coke and screw taking anymore gels..can’t waste time…”

 

Mile 48: “Okay, don’t see Rob back there, you probably have second locked up. Well, second place was designed to make the first loser feel better…”

 

 

Mile 49: “Holy crap! Rob is right behind you closing…put up a damn fight. Why won’t my hips respond?! Damn stiff-ass legs. There’s the 3:44 1500m speed…and I never thought it would be this close of a finish!”

 

The Finish: “If only you and Rob knew that Zac was finally starting to come back hard in the final 4 miles…if only the race was a mile or two longer….[more pointless regrets and meaningless ‘what-ifs’]”

 

Rob and I take in the moment of the effort right after finishing.. Photo Credit to: Tanner Johnson

Rob and I take in the moment of the effort right after finishing.. Photo Credit to: Tanner Johnson

 

 

Great race by Zach! Major props and respect for leading the whole thing and holding on to such a brutal pace! Photo Credit: J. Tanner Johnson

Great race by Zach! Major props and respect for leading the whole thing and holding on to such a brutal pace! Photo Credit: J. Tanner Johnson

Silly mistakes and bloopers that I’m kicking myself for:

 

  1. About 6 miles into the race I took off the hand strap on my Ultimate Direction bottle to pull out a VFuel gel. While doing this I managed to clumsily fumble my bottle and it fell off the trail and rolled about 40 feet down a steep ravine thick enough with vegetation that I could barely still see it. I paused for a second thinking of the time I may spend wasting to: a. retrieve it and b. only use my one remaining bottle (that my parents had while crewing for me) for the rest of the race. After also considering c. this is litter and you’ll have to come all the way out here after the race to get it I decided that “a” was my best option. I took a little tumble in the bushes as I slid down the very steep slope and then proceeded to crawl my way out. Rob Krar came running past just as I was climbing out and asked “what are you doing down there?!”.

 

2. After Rob had passed me at the 49.2 mile mark I was still trying to finish rather strong and therefore not thinking clearly. As I approached a road crossing (the only road crossing/intersection on the course) I started to make a B-line directly towards the finish line parking lot (which was in sight with about 300 yards to go). Well, it was also the wrong way as after about 40m of running I could hear shouts (my dad) and I didn’t spot any ribbons leading me to the finishing straight. After stopping dead in my tracks I turned around and clearly saw the trail markings after the road intersection crossing that I had totally missed. This cost an extra 15-20 seconds, but luckily it did not affect my finishing place!

 

 

“Mistakes” that were par for the course (i.e. somewhat typical things that happen in an ultra):

 

  1. I wasn’t having the best day in terms of how my GI tract was feeling. Sometimes it’s nerves, sometimes it’s just the lack of blood flood to that area of the body and sometimes it’s just something that you eat the night before that doesn’t sit very well….whatever the case (this is often out of one’s control) I had to peel off into the bushes a couple times for a good 30 seconds at a time. Gross.

 

 

         2. Pacing due to weather: My game-plan going into the race was to run off my splits from last year. If anything I wanted to be right on them or a couple minutes faster. After the first two miles were about 20 sec slower than last year I figured we might be playing “catch-up” to my ghost of last year. Regardless of what the other runners were doing my plan was to run off my splits and shoot for a sub 6:10 finishing time. However, after the first aid station I realized that we were perhaps a bit too conservative given the much cooler conditions (see weather comparison below). The fact that Zac had opened up a lead still didn’t bother me (it should have!), and with Rob lurking behind me the pace at the time seemed reasonable. In retrospect it might have been better to take advantage of the cooler conditions for the first 4 hours of the race instead of actually going out slower than last year…

From Wunderground.com Weather data Archives in nearby Healdsburg, CA:

In 2013 the temperature rose quickly, with a high of 74 degrees and 96% humidity (it was quite sunny). As you can see in the graphic below, the temperature was above 60 by 10AM (race start was 6:30AM).

 

2014 Lake Sonoma

2013 Lake Sonoma

In 2014 the temperature rose much slower, with a high of only 64 degrees and 89% humidity (it was quite foggy). As you can see in the graph below, the temperature remained below 60 until about 12:30pm (race start was at 6:30 AM).

 

2014 Lake Sonoma weather

2014 Lake Sonoma weather

 

Placing and head-to-head competition aside, if i honestly look at myself in the mirror and ask: “was your run at lake sonoma 50 this year a better performance than last year given the cooler weather conditions?” I’m inclined to answer: “No.”

 

More Speculation and a Training Rant:

Going into this year’s race I had a goal of running under 6:10. I thought that could be a reasonable winning time. I also thought that 2nd place would be over 6:15 though! Last year a lot of major ultras were decided by at least 2 minutes (if not 5 or 10!). A close finish was not what I would have predicted..

 

I don’t want to make any more excuses. I came into Lake Sonoma focused as an “A-race,” gave my all and got soundly beat. My tactics and pacing were solid and my crew and sponsor support was amazingly perfect. I live a pampered life where I have the time and flexibility to train however and whenever I want. What I start to question (as a self-coached athlete) is whether or not my training and racing schedule needs to be reexamined and tinkered with. Luckily, my co-coach and girlfriend at Vo2max Productions (Sandi Nypaver) has repeatedly told me how I’m lacking in vertical training. I agree.

 

The Future of MUT Running is bright and competitive. When I came out with the idea of my film project “MUT Runner.” I envisioned (as many predicted) that course records for ultras all around would start falling rapidly, sponsorship opportunities would open up, and the depth of numbers in the sport would grow.  It appears to be a continuing trend, along with the fact that nowadays to win a major ultra you need to do speedwork and periodize your in your training. Part of the reason I am doing the film project is because I want to share some (what is hopefully) informative training advice for all runners from top runners.

 

Based my own training and racing I feel that it is becoming even more essential to very selectively pick and choose my battles. Gone are the days of thinking one can show up on back to back weekends (or even back to back months) and win a major trail race. I also know that racing every month is probably not ideal. It is a vicious cycle of recovery, training hard and tapering on a 2 week basis! This will catch up with me and: a. injure me, or b. really make me come out flat (as in UROC and Sierre-Zinal I suspect last year). In examining how UROC was the worst race of my life I became afraid of logging more than 12,000 feet of climbing a week (I tend to climb too hard) and exhausting myself again. But when I hear that Zach Miller spends 75 min a lot of days running up and down stairs on a cruise ship and then follows that with a long treadmill session I get a kick in the butt! The guy is very disciplined and dedicated and probably puts in more vertical while working on a cruise ship than I do in the mountains of Boulder. I have no excuses!

Ideally in the future I need to sit back and focus on getting in a a good, consistent 2-3 month block of training in that specifically targets the demands any given course….

Next up: Transvulcania in 3.5 weeks (Oh, boy!).

 

Overall the 2014 Lake Sonoma 50 was a brutal, bloodbath of a race on a spectacular, challenging course. I did my best on the day with the knowledge and training I had and came up short of the win. I’m very competitive by nature and do not take these things lightly. I’m in a very fortunate position where I can train and race as a MUT Runner full time so there are no excuses! The amazing support of my girlfriend Sandi (who was helped film video footage of the race while cheering for me) , my family (the ultra supportive crew) who drove down from Oregon, my local friends and my awesome sponsors (including the HOKA One One entourage that was out on the course) are what make this dream possible and allow me to run to the best of my potential. I also want to thank RD John Medinger for another awesome race weekend (topped off with wine tasting!) as well as all the volunteers who armed the aid stations and made this race possible. Congrats to all the runners as well – it was a blast seeing you out on the course!

With RD John Medinger Photo Credit: Tanner Johnson

With RD John Medinger
Photo Credit: Tanner Johnson

 

wine tasting after the race!

wine tasting after the race!

Cheers,

Sage

 

PS I’m excited to annouce that I’ll be at the Wings For Life World Run on May 4th in Denver. This is a charity that is near and dear to my heart as it supports spinal cord research. My sister ming will also be attending and participating in her wheelchair. 100% of your entry fee goes towards the charity and it is an unique event open to all runners of all abilities. This will be taking place simultaneously in selected cities across the World and the finish line is actually a “chase car” that will catch you from behind and determine how far you run! Check out the Wings For Life website for more info and to sign up!

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoyjUlSeKtA&list=UUh_w_vLvlZNBeTAP8qaWhoA[/youtube]

Gear used/Shameless Sponsor Plugs:

 

Kicks: HOKA ONE ONE Huakas

Hydration: Ultimate Direction Fastdraw and Jurek Essential Waist Pack

Nutrition: Vfuel gels (one every 20 minutes)

FLORA Health Udo’s Oil/7 sources (used throughout training cycle for improved           recovery, fat burning and health.

Ugo Bars…snacks for recovery after long runs and other training sessions

Avery Beer…for post-race/workout celebrations!

 

Compression: Compressport Calf Sleeves

Socks: Drymax maximum protection (no blisters!)

Shades: Smith Optics Pivlock V2 glasses

Online Training Log/GPS: strava.com

 

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About the Author ()

2-time Olympic Trials Qualifier, Mountain runner, Author of "Running For The Hansons," trail runner, videos for Vo2max Productioins, LLC.

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Sites That Link to this Post

  1. Daily News, Thurs, Apr 17 | April 17, 2014
  2. UGo Star Athletes News | UGo bars | May 9, 2014
  3. Sage Canaday Transvulcania Ultra Marathon Race report 2014 | May 14, 2014
  1. Cody C says:

    Great run Sage! Take the WSER spot and go for the WS100/OT Qualifier double!

  2. SageCanaday says:

    tempting…but i’m committed to representing the US team at the Sky Running World Champs at the Mont Blanc Marathon (against Killian) in June…one the same day!

  3. Vern Lovic says:

    I love your race reviews Sage. Thanks for taking the time! The ultra scene is getting ULTRA competitive. You’re right, you’ve got to pick your races and give it everything you’ve got. The complacency that I think some of you top guys have felt in the past has got to fall away as you start to consider how competitive it’s going to get. This Zach guy training on a cruise ship has got to be eye-opening to the whole crew. It’s insane… Let’s see what happens as he changes his training regimen to climbing mountains and running trails. Does he get better – or suffer setbacks? He might be doing it right by training on stair climbers and treadmills. Less injuries and many other variables are controlled.

    Anyway, great race! Hope to see you at an Ultra at some point. Cheers man!

  4. Buzz says:

    Great race, great report!

    Rest well … we can only race as hard as we can rest.

  5. Mark says:

    Sage, curious about your thoughts on Miller’s lack of altitude training. The guy pretty much lives at sea level. Do you think that he may actually have an advantage for that reason? Perhaps everyone is going about it wrongly by living and training high?

  6. Cody C says:

    Best of luck at the Skyrunning Champs then!

  7. Ivan says:

    Hi Sage.
    Good job on racing Lake Sonoma 50 and writing about it.
    I wanted to add to your comparison of weather in 2013 and 2014 that according to the graphs that you show humidity was actually higher this year. Dew point which is essentially measure of absolute humidity was under 45 F in 2013 and it was between 45 and 50 F this year. That’s not a huge difference but it makes some change.

  8. FlandriaRuns says:

    As usual, awesome report! I would love to know who you are going to tackle Transvulcania in 3.5 weeks or what your 3.5 weeks will look like? Do you think skipping Northburn 50K would make a difference in Lake Sonoma? In reading your race report, it soumds like you are still coming in to Lake Sonoma with good legs…if that is the case, that’s incredible recovery!

    Always looking forward to your race reports, there’s so much great information! Thank you for your continued effort to keep your fans updated!

  9. FlandriaRuns says:

    Correction to my question: “I would love to know HOW you are going to tackle Transvulcania in 3.5 weeks or what your 3.5 weeks will look like?”

    Sorry about that!

  10. Cole Crosby says:

    Sage,

    Really great write-up of the race! Your performance shows the top caliber of athlete you are. Not having a great day and you still run faster than last year! That is proof of your hard work. I am sure you will learn from this experience and bounce back hungry at Tramsvulcania. Keep up the great work, train smart and look forward to racing you at JFK!

    -Cole

  11. Heather D says:

    Great race report! Looks like a beautiful course. Is all of the single track that smooth? I’m so jealous if it is. Love the photo of you and Rob at the end.

  12. Brian Purcell says:

    Congrats, Sage. Nice report summary. I also took a wrong turn when the trail hit the road and ran up through the parking lot towards the finish. I was so focused I didn’t hear the screaming that I was going the wrong way. My wife ran down and stopped me just before reaching the top and told me I went the wrong way. When I ran back to the road, I still couldn’t see where I was supposed to go and getting freaked out. I stopped and yelled back for anyone to help me. Fortunately, a guy ran down and pointed to the ribbons across the street from the other trail. I felt so stupid. My detour and standing waiting for help cost me at least 3 minutes. Makes me want to go back next year and fix that mistake.

  13. George Harris says:

    Sage still a great race. Wondering how the Huakas held up on that course?

  14. Great recap, Sage. Great race as well.

  15. Shelby says:

    Sharing your inner dialog was a fun way to recount how your race went. Very entertaining! I don’t think anyone expected the cruise ship kid to run that fast and not blow up. I guess we can’t underestimate the wonder kids that are entering the sport, can we?

    Now that you’ve analyzed the heck out of the day, shake it off, apply the lessons learned and get after that vertical. There’s plenty of great races to be had and you’ll get your redemption, I’m sure.

  16. Allen Kinsler says:

    nice write up sage. keep up the good work. it was a fantastic day for running at lake sonoma. everyone was killing it out there. it’s always good to read and think about the things that can be done to improve. i was out there this weekend. my IT band quit on me at mile 35. it was a nice 5h40min effort to finish out the last 15 miles. luckily that was preceded by the best 35 miles of my life. it was an interesting balance.

    good luck with the rest of your season. stay healthy!

  17. SageCanaday says:

    Thanks for the support, Vern! Yeah, the stairs and vertical and intensity of training (as well as volume) is still an enigma to me. That, and gear/nutrition strategy (high variation). Seems like crew support is more vital and there is for sure no time to stop for bathroom breaks as these races are decided by seconds rather than minutes!

  18. SageCanaday says:

    Thanks Buzz – enjoy your epic adventure! I just came back to Boulder for a day and did Bear..but nice and easy…

  19. SageCanaday says:

    Yes and No. Ideally I could afford an altitude tent and I could train at lower altitude for 3 week cycles to focus on muscular integrity and speed. 50 miles on a race course at near sea level helps level the playing field (would Zach suffer at Pikes Peak or even Speedgoat?…probably). The breathing/Oxygen consumption isn’t much of an issue for me on a course like Lake Sonoma. It was rather the sheer muscular fatigue that did me in… so maybe Rob and I didn’t have much of an edge except for a few extra red blood cells. I’ve always thought that altitude training was more important for 5km to marathon runners…except when you are racing an ultra on a high altitude course!

  20. SageCanaday says:

    thanks! I’ll need it. Best of luck with your future endeavors as well!

  21. SageCanaday says:

    Thanks, that makes sense. We were running through fog this year! It was cool and the sun was hidden though. Last year I took my shirt off at the first aid station because I was soaked in sweat and the sun was beating down on us.

  22. SageCanaday says:

    I’m probably going to do what I did last year (with limited time): Take a down/easy week of hardly any running…then ramp the vert. and miles for 1.5 weeks, and then start tapering. Probably do some shorter, harder uphill tempo runs and more intensity since I can’t build the volume too high in such a short time. Also, probably only have time for one long run over 24 miles or so (in the mountains). The thing with racing an ultra every month is I feel like I’m only batting 90% most of the time. Legs felt decent going into Lake Sonoma 50 this year but I still think I ran Northburn too hard and the course is not similar. Transvulcania is also very very different from Lake Sonoma! Thanks again for the support and best of luck with your own training and racing!

  23. SageCanaday says:

    Got it! (see answer below)

  24. SageCanaday says:

    Hey thanks Cole,
    It was a good day for me…but I don’t like to get beat! Hope your racing and training are going well.

  25. SageCanaday says:

    Hey thanks Heather. Yes, it is pretty smooth the whole way!

  26. SageCanaday says:

    Hey thanks Brian. Sorry to hear about your finish mistake as well. It is probably the only point on the course one can take a wrong turn and we both did it! Even Max King said he thought it should have been marked differently. I feel like last year there was a chalk arrow on the road or something there guiding us to the next flag…

  27. SageCanaday says:

    They worked great! Really helped me bomb the downhills. Only in a couple spots there was some slick mud though and there is a bit of slippage in that (I didn’t fall). They are mainly designed for the roads anyway.

  28. SageCanaday says:

    Hey thanks Shelby! Yeah, Zach is not to be underestimated ever again. What is more amazing than cruise ship training is how he didn’t really stop at the aid stations either (he’s simply grab a banana and his homemade gel in the palm of his hand and go). There’s always much to learn every race and I’m not going to rest on my laurels. Thank you for all the support and best of luck with your own running!

  29. SageCanaday says:

    Hey thanks! Looks like a good idea. I love my breakfast of bread and almond butter though! I think part of the issue is that these races start so early in the morning (i.e. sunrise). I’m not an early bird and my system is not used to this. That and the fact i ate a solid dinner way too late the night before the race.

  30. SageCanaday says:

    Hey Allen, sorry to hear about the IT band. Those hills are tough! Congrats on the finish though..that’s impressive. Thanks again for all the support and heal up!

  31. Ben says:

    Great race report, thanks Sage – love following your progress. Gutted you didn’t take first. For what its worth, you sound a little hard on yourself. Given that (1) it was so competetive and close at the end, (2) you had no idea Zach could blast it out and hold the lead (did anyone??) and (3) you might have misjudged the conditions and correspnding pace etc, plus your “errors”, sounds to me like you only missed out due to slight mis-calculation on the day and a touch of bad luck? I bet most of that can be mitigated in the future just by being more aware – nothing to do with physical training – you’re clearly in good shape. (Although it does seem incredbile Zach Miller can train on a cruise ship – best find some stairs, haha).

    Anyway, all the best for the future. Looking forward to Transvulcania!

  32. Dana Munger says:

    Congrads on the race and great write up Sage. I’ve heard you talk in the past about having stomach problems but never cramps. Do you or have you ever in the past used salt tablets. Last year at the CT50 I developed cramps in my squads ( could of been from all the steps) and was wondering if they would help. Good luck the rest of the year. Wish we could see you at the Cayuga trail 50 again.

  33. Ryan Alberti says:

    You’re honesty is epic, Sage! This is what makes following ultra running my favorite past time outside of running. You give us back-of-packers hope that we’re not that different than the studs killing it up front.

    On a serious note, you make a great point about the number of quality races a person can race at an ultra distance any given year. If you look at elite marathoners, 2 to 3 a year is a ton of “A” races. Now scale that up to the ultra mileage, and you’d have to believe the number would hold true- or quite possibly shrink even.

    That being said, until recently there were elite men and women in the ultra field who could dominate an ultra race while it still being a “B’ effort. It appears those days are quickly disappearing, and are completely gone in the major events.

    I respect you for having the courage to point out this change in the sport, because the ultra community is so good at more is better. And frankly, when you can drop the hammer at mile 50 or 60, you guys just seem super-human!

    This scenario gets really complicated however when you have sponsored athletes who get a mixed expectation. Be like the rest of the people running 10 ultras a year, but bring results. It’s just not realistic given the competition level that’s showing up now.

    I hope athletes like yourself don’t loose the ability to enter races-even major events or well recognized races- as a “B” race and feel good about nurturing the trail scene and supporting the culture in a different way than shattering course records.

    While we love nothing better than a race like Sonoma where we’re all glued to the irunfar.com’s coverage and the finish line coverage because Sage, Rob, and Zach are blazing it, the women are racing hard and probably going to demolish the course record, there’s all these new fast Nike guys, and who knows what the heck will happen the last miles of the race. I for one, hope we see you guys stick around for a long time.

    The sponsors seem to get it so far. They let people like you have legit A and ‘not A’ races right now, and do good about supporting the culture. I hope this grows and flourishes as people like yourself set the tone and keep the discussions going and help us along the way!

  34. Billy Yang says:

    Great report Sage. I think you’re being a tad too hard on yourself but also dig that you demand perfection, or close to it as possible at these events. At the end of the day, you paced yourself really well, you guys were seconds off from one another, all 3 under your CR from last year and a few little factors like the adrenaline Zach probably got of running scared in the last couple of miles, Rob’s ability to close and your GI distress that caught up to you. Who knows…you could train perfect and do all your homework and yet on any given race day, shit can figuratively and literally happen.

    Appreciate your candor and for always sharing your knowledge with the rest of the pack behind you. Heal and rest up and can’t wait to see you kick butt at your next race!

  35. Joaquin says:

    Love following your efforts and analysis! Inspiring me and my wife’s running. Thank you!

  36. Brian says:

    That was a great write up Sage. You do a great job of articulating what is going on up at the front of an ultra race. I have a question for you regarding the VFuel gels. How do they compare in your opinion to Clif Shots or Honey Stinger gels? Thank you for answering everyone’s responses as well. Good luck in Transvulcania!

  37. Kai says:

    Hey Sage,

    As in most cases, getting beat (by competition or the course), usually allows you to learn more than the wins and successes.

    I’ll be running in Transvulcania as well, but not competitively due to injured ankle.

    I’m optimistic I will return to (less illustrious) trail podiums this year despite my ankle problem and I’m sure you’ll bounce back as well. Racing would be no fun if it was too easy 🙂

    Good luck and hope to see you race well in La Palma.

    Kai

  38. SageCanaday says:

    Hey thanks so much for the support Ben! I coach a lot of runners and I could never have them race a bunch of different ultras every month (like I am doing to myself)…it’s not good for peak performances. I was happy enough with how the race went…but I just think given the weather conditions I should have been able to run faster than last year…

  39. SageCanaday says:

    Hey! Yeah, I used one S! cap at Lake Sonoma (chips also help with the salt), but usually I worry about too much salt causing stomach issues. I’ve honestly only had cramps in shorter races (Sierre-Zinal and Jungfrau marathon) from sheer muscle failure. You ask the legs to do something they aren’t trained well enough to do (i.e. steps or blast up steep hills) and they can fail before your sodium levels do!

  40. SageCanaday says:

    Hey Ryan,
    Thanks so much for the positive feedback! Glad you like the evolution of the sport (as I see it) and what the future may hold. Also, thanks so much for your support and kind words.

    When I raced “pro” for the Hansons-Brooks Team in road marathons we were told we could only race 3 marathons every 2 years! I hated it. We’d train 4 months for one race and if I overtrained and blew it (which I did at Boston in 2010) we would have to wait a long time until the next race. It became a chore and it was really boring!

    Now, doing ultras, I can have fun. I pick and choose events for competition, atmosphere, scenery and how a race makes me feel. Am i racing too much? Yes. Will I lose fitness and risk a crash and burn later this year? Yes. But it’s still fun for me. It’s a lifestyle and I enjoy the trails/races just like anyone else. In the future I know I can’t race as much.. Sure there are some pressures to do well and look good for the sponsors and possible prize money earnings…but most of that pressure comes from within…it’s one’s own competitive drive. Just like every other ultra runner we are seeking to improve ourselves and find our own “limits.” The challenge is always there…

    Thank you again for your comment and thanks for reading/following along.

    Best of luck with your own training and racing!
    Cheers,
    Sage

  41. SageCanaday says:

    Hey thanks Billy!
    Really liked your video. I’m still sticking to the fact that it was a lot cooler this year!

  42. SageCanaday says:

    Hey thanks great to hear!

  43. SageCanaday says:

    Hey Brian,
    Clif and Honey stingers (in my mind) tend to be sweeter and are more likely to make my stomach hurt. Vfuel should be a more smooth energy flow and not as super sweet. In this race most of my GI problems (I think) were from my solid meals before the race…that is it was my intestines and not my stomach. Another thing I notice with all these products is that the flavor really seems to matter to me (i.e. my favorite Vfuel hands down is Peach and then Citrus). Best of lick with your training as well!

  44. SageCanaday says:

    Hey Kai,
    I agree for sure. This is exactly what I needed to re-evaluate my own training and racing. It really fuels the fire for me to get beat and learn from mistakes!
    Looking forward to seeing you out at Transvulcania. Thank you again for all the support and hope you’ll bounce back soon!

    Cheers,
    Sage

  45. Roby says:

    Great race report coach! With lots of information that can help us to develop better strategies. Mainly I try to get the facts, figures, splits, waether, BPM, etc, after each race and evaluate my performance, just like you do

    Definitely discipline is the most valuable treasure we have, but imagination is the most important weapon we have: imagine ways to compensate the lack of tools or landscape can help us to overcome obstacles during our training, just like Zack did, and I know you are now thinking in new ways to catch up with him and even pass him.

    Keep it up coach! You are doing awesome!!

    Happy trails,

    Roby

  46. SageCanaday says:

    Hey Roby,
    Thanks so much for the support! I think writing about one’s race actually helps with this whole process…always a learning experience no matter how good or bad. There are a lot of variables at play in these ultra races and my goal is to minimize them (for myself and others).
    Keep up the great work!
    Coach Sage

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