Western States 100

Gail and I went down to Auburn to check out the Western States 100 Trail Race. We had a blast hanging out and the Aid Stations and getting a bit of a run in. The temperature was 97 degrees at the Forest Hill AS and over 100 down in the canyons. It was a rough day to try and do a 100 mile run. Kudo's to the 280 or so (out of 400 starters) that finished the race in under 30 hours.



Forest Hills AS




Notice the sign


Early posting on the wall of the times. Go Oregon!


Zack ended up in the top 5 I think.


You gotta get your weight checked at most AS.


Drop bags laid out nicely.


More early runners coming in. This AS was at
the 100k point. (62 miles)


Sean Meissner of Sisters. He was having a
rough time here with gut problems.


Most the time you would see his feet flying.
The heat was taking its toll on everyone.
Sean was about in 45th place here.


Gulp gulp gulp...ahhhh! At this AS the runners
would pick up their pacers.


WS trail sign near Rucky-Chucky.


Mile 72 and ya gotta cross the American River
The girls would be up their necks in the early
part of this crossing.


Who is that girl!!! Go Detour. I had to hold her
back from crossing the river.
The wet area is how high the river is normally.
The get the damn up stream to lower the flow
for just this day of the race. Pretty cool!



There is gator's in that river!!!!



AS volunteers spend up to two hours
in the river assisting the runners.
The busiest time is around 2 AM.
These pix were around 8pm



Gail and I running back up the canyon. It
doesn't look steep but we climbed over 1,000
feet in about 2.3 miles. Temps over 90 here.
She is so awesome of a hill climber!



Fat Boyee is pretty happy. Out on
the trails running at the greatest
Ultra of them all. Some day folks,
some day.



We got to the finish line just as Hal Koerner won
the race in around 16 hours and 25 minutes.
We hung around for another couple hours and
watched 15 or so other runners come in, including
the top 3 women.
Gail and I both said this was the most fun we
have had in a long time. Good job to all the runners
who even started this race.

Forest Park 50k

I am the worst blogger in the world. I have been so lazy to write in this thing. I just put it off and I am 3 races behind in my posts. I know not many folks follow my blog or at least you never post comments, but I often post for my own knowledge in the future. I enjoy going back and looking what I thought about a previous race I did. What can I learn from last years race? I do that before I run any race a second time and it has helped me in most cases.

Well this post is about the Forest Park 50k back on May 24th. It was going to be a great day to run with mostly clear skies and mild temps. I parked at the bridge on Thurman and just went a 100 yards down the stairs to Macleay park where the race starts. It is so sweet to have this nice races 10 miles from your house. My buddy Eric was going to run the 20k so he was there. So was Sarah, Marc and big guy Bart. Marc hadn't run over 5 miles in the last 6 months or so and now he was going to do 31 miles. Hey, its so Marc! So we all had a great chat before the race as we stand in line for the "blue boxes".

The race started and Eric and I just hung back. He let me set the pace and we just cruised up the hill. The first six miles of this race are mostly up hill so we just ran what we could and walked some of the rest. We chatted while Eric picked out a few "Targets" for his solo run back to the finish. (He knows what I am talking about.)

Around mile 5 we saw Sarah and Bart and they yelled for me to speed up and catch Marc and tell him to slow down. I usually catch Marc somewhere between mile 15 and 20 on these races. He likes to push it early and I just putt-putt along. At the 10k point we hit AS number 1.

My stomach was not happy and I refueled and set Eric back to the finish. We ran this is 1:12 or so. I told him he would do around 55 minutes back in and that ended up to be what he did. I spent almost 15 minutes at this AS. I had to get my stomach issues fixed before I could leave. So probably no PR today with that delay.

I left the AS and headed out down the canyon. Its a nice downhill run for a mile or so. The climb on the other side isn't too bad either. I enjoy this part of Wildwood. I was just bouncing along at a 10 minute pace or so enjoying the woods and great condition of the trail. I dropped onto the climb up Salzman road. I decided to run the entire thing this year. I didn't struggle too bad. At the top is AS 2 at around mile 12? Next we drop down into the 10k loop. This is the fun part. So steeps on the fire lanes, some nice Wildwood then some steep climbs and finally the big ass downhill on the Oil Pipeline trail. Last year was wet and I fell twice. I forgot how steep it really is. Then we drop onto Leif road. This is where last year Marc and I missed the firelane and ended up running a bit extra. But this year I was ready and found it. We do the big climb back to AS 3 at around mile 18. I see Marc finally and catch him at the AS. We chat for a bit and he says he is pretty much walking it in from here.

Out of the AS is a great run down Salzman. I cruise at sub 9 and enjoy the downhill trot. We hop back on Wildwood and go back the way we came. I feel pretty good. I pass a few folks but a few pass me too. I don't seem to fast today. Hmmm....I wonder if its because I ran a killer 50k two weeks earlier. I just put on my tunes and drift away in my running. Around mile 24 I am climbing up a hill. I see a man with his dog standing above me on the trail waiting for me to pass. It is a good climb here so I put my head down to focus. Then I see a slobbery tennis ball come rolling down the hill towards me. I laugh! Too funny, the dog dropped his ball as he is a bit nervous as I come towards him. I toss the ball to him but he won't take his eyes off me. This was a great break for me emotionally.

I get into the finally AS at mile 25. I am tired now, but juiced up that the last 6 miles are mostly downhill or flat. So off I go hoping to get a good time in. As I run I don't feel right. Sort of dizzy or light headed. Stomach isn't great. I try to push but not allot is in the tank. I have gel'd and drank but now even water turns my gut. Oh well, its easy from here. I run 95% of the course. I pass a few more folks on the downhills. I hit the Macleay trail and know the finish is a mile or less. This trail is super rocky so I try to be careful yet still push it a bit. Being such a nice day there are tons of walkers out. I try to be polite and know they have just as much of a right to be here as me.

I bust out of the woods to the park and see the finish line. I am tired but don't feel dead. I cross the line in 6:02:11. I wanted to break six but it was faster than last year. Sarah and Marc cheer as I cross. I go for a walk to cool down but start feeling like crap. I grab some chilli and head to my car within 15 minutes.

The drive home I started to get real light headed. I was thinking where will I pull off the road if I don't feel good enough to go any further? I hate this!!! I get home and just drag my sorry ass into the house. I grab my cell phone and go into the living room. I lay flat on the floor and put my feet up on the couch so they are higher than my heart. I feel so bad that I keep the cell phone by me in case I need 911. I mean, I feel scary bad. I have not felt this bad in a long time. I lay this way for 45 minutes. I feel a tad better so I slowly get up. Take a quick shower to get the dirt off and go right to bed. I end up laying in bed for almost 3 hours, dozing off and on. I can't turn on my side as feel sick. Misery for a few more hours. Gail calls me on her way home at 6:30 pm. She offers to get me a coke slurrpy and I take her up on it. Caffeine really seems to help me. By the time she gets home I am feeling a bit better. The drink helps and an hour later I am ready for pizza!

I really hate being like this. My last two races this has happened again. I do have new condition that I have been diagnosed with. My thyroid is basically failing. So I will be on hormone therapy for life. I am supposed to feel tired and other things associated with low metabolism but I am pretty much the opposite of that. I attribute my crashing after these races to low blood pressure. Maybe this is part of the reason? I don't know but it sucks to die so hard after a race. If any experts have thoughts let me know.

Mac Forest 2, Bret 1

I was soooo looking forward to the McDonald Forest 50k Trail Run. This would be the third time I had run Mac. The first year I was rookie trail runner and finished in 7 hours. Last year I did really good and finished a half hour faster. So I was really confident I would do even better this year. The weather was perfect with blue skies and temps in the 50's at the start warming up to the mid 60's by the finish. The trails were a tad muddy in places but nothing to stress about for sure.

Prior to the start I chatted with some friends as usual. Got all set and headed out for the start. They banged the gong (huge bell for the start) and off I trotted. I was going to try and run more of the hills this year and not go super fast on the downhills. I thought this would be a good plan. The course starts out on a road for a mile or so then we end up on the trails. This course has a bit of everything, about half is on old logging roads and half on trail.

By mile 5 I passed the usual quick starters that run a slower pace than me. I chatted with folks then put on my ipod to try and get in a nice groove. My friend David and I kept trading places over the first bit of the race. He runs faster than me but also takes walking breaks.

Around mile 16 we start a long grind uphill on roads to the Dipple AS at mile 18. Last year I ran this entire section and I was going to do it this year too. For some reason it sure looked longer this year!! At the top I felt good but my legs were a bit fatigued. I got my drop bag and refueled. At this AS they always have a theme, last year it Scottish and they had free Scotch shots (blah!) but this year I don't remember the theme but they had made up White Russians (no not you Olga!) which have Vodka, Kahula and Cream. So I had one. Whooo Hooo! OK OK it was only about half the size of a tiny dixie cup but it was fun to do.

I was looking forward to the next section which I think they call "Dans Trail"? It is a nice wide soft trail that switch backs downhill. Dipple Hill is about at 1500 feet so were going to lose around a 1000 feet going down. Mac has a 6,700 elevation gain which is pretty big for only a 50k. I was cruising down the hill with the tunes cranked up having a blast. At the bottom we go flat for only a bit then its another climb (thats all you do here...up and down). At this point my legs were pretty tired (Mile 22 or so) so I was walking most uphills. By the AS at mile 24 I was dang tired. The climb out of the AS I felt pretty done. We then had some downhills and that perked me up again. Then we hit the big A** climb that killed me two years ago. My quads felt so finished. The steep sections I felt like I had zero climbing power. I would even put my hands on my quads to get up the steep sections. Many runners started to pass me in this section. This couple of mile climb was misery for me this day. I knew the logging road and its downhill was close but it took forever to get there. I got to the top and even had to rest for a bit. My upper back was killing me for some reason and my stomach was a bit restless. Last year I really moved on this section, this year I just waddled down the road.

I came into the last AS at around mile 27. I so wanted to sit down and rest. Food didn't look good so I skipped the goodies and pressed on. This next part is a few mile climb up more logging roads. Last year I ran most of it. This year it was a Slog on all the uphill sections. I did find someone to talk to for a bit and it raised my spirits. I now know why having a pacer is so nice, it takes your mind off things. Finally got to the downhill and I was not going to walk this. I trotted for the next mile or so passing a few more folks. We then hit the last trail section. This climb again killed me. My legs have never been this tired! I couldn't climb at all without almost going anaerobic in my breathing. I reached the top and the last few years I flew down this section. This time I just went slow,l even walked in some places. I know I only had a 1/2 mile or less to go my tank was dry. I heard the music and trotted across the bridge and the finish. 6:47 this year. Right in the middle of my last two years times.

I felt in really good shape for this race but I seem to be struggling a bit lately. I do have some medical issues I will share in the future but I don't think they would make a difference but who knows, its a new thing to me. I like Mac Forest and will run it next year. I think I just need better pacing in the first half so I got the gas to finish. I did feel like crap at the finish and so I quickly escaped to my car for the hour or so drive home. Its interesting that when I got home I took my blood pressure. Normally I am around 120/80. A couple hours after the race I was 106/68. I took it a few times and it took about 12 hours to get back to my usual rate. Maybe this is why I feel so light headed after a race of marathon or longer. Any one have any ideas or thoughts on this?

Well whats up next? I going to do the Forest Park 50k this weekend. Its the home course and I hope I don't get lost like last year! It's not an easy but it is a trail 50k with a few climbs in it for fun, but has about half the climb of Mac. I am running the Newport Marathon the week after that with my Slug Running group. We got a house at Newport so it should be a blast.

Well, its Bulls & Blood

It's dust and mud,
It's the roar of a Sunday crowd.

Those are lyrics from Garth Brooks "Rodeo". I had put this song on my ipod recently and and while running at the Spokane River Run 50k this song really hit home. It was about mile 23 or so and I was on a tough uphill climb. Little did I know that Gail was having some of this too.

Gail and I needed a run for April so we couldn't decide on Spokane or Sacramento. Sacramento was a marathon on pavement and Spokane was a 50k trail marathon. I just couldn't turn down the trails so off to Spokane we went. We spent the night at a hotel not to far from the start and with the 8:15 start time a super early wake up call was not required. We got to the start with plenty of time as this race only had about 50 folks doing the 50k. The 25k and 10k had hundreds and we would miss all of those crowds. As we were driving to the start we saw a guy running with a backpack and a white dog. I said to Gail "I bet that is Sean running here from Sisters. And that dog sure looks like Sascha" We drive by and look back and sure enough its Sean. We talk later and find out his parents only live a few miles away. Someday I will be a stud like that and just run to the start of a 50k!(And get 5th place after all that).

At the start we chatted with some other runners including Tim and Lisa. They both had been great in the last few weeks giving me trail reports, offers of a place to stay and what a nice course this was. You gotta love Ultra folk!

As we waited for the start the briefing from the RD was pretty simple. Follow the yellow signs, you will do one loop out then back to the start and then do another different loop for the second half. I do have to credit the folks who marked the trail. This was the best marked trail I have ever been on. I think I only doubted which way to go once. They used stakes with nailed on arrows and always followed up each turn with a confirmation arrow down the correct trail.

3...2...1...Go. That is how easy these races start. Gail and I started off down the trail. It was a nice jeep trail to start but soon we hit the single track and the rocks, and the rocks.... If you are familiar with the Spokane area you know they have lots of rocks, mostly basalt but some river bed type rocks thrown in for fun. Tree roots were not a problem on this trial. The course had very few big climbs. Most were short in being a quarter mile or less. But it still had its challenges of some areas so rocky that you had to walk over the loose basalt blocks the size of baseballs. After a few miles Gail and I split up. Soon there after I hear gunshots. And not 5 minutes later I see guys dressed in Army suits with camouflage carrying rifles through the woods. So I am thinking, "Did we take a wrong turn here somewhere?" And of course I am wearing an nice green running shirt! Yikes! I would see 3 more groups of these soldiers out in the woods this day. Made for some nice diversions.

I was feeling good. I Would catch up with some folks and have a nice talk for a mile or so. It's nice to not have to worry about ever being a winner in this sport. I can slow down and chat with anyone I want. My only competition is the clock and I can choose when to race against that.

We went through an amazing rock formation of loose rocks around mile 8. If I can find some pictures I will post them. The course had many different styles. Some nice open field running. Trails next to sharp drop offs. Pine forests, fresh burn areas, winding trails next to the roaring Spokane River. I though it was a pretty fun course as it had much to offer. It doesn't compare in beauty to a McKenzie River 50k but it did have its moments.

(Picture courtesy of Lisa Bliss)

I just kept plugging along this day. My legs never got tired early like they have done to me in the last few races. My energy level was strong so I ran more hills than I usually do. I would pass a runner every half hour or so since I started dead last I began counting to help pass the time. I turned on my music after the first hour. It was a new mix of songs that I have taken from my old albums and turned into mp3's. It makes running pretty fun listening to songs from your youth.

The course began to get more rocky the farther along we went. I like technical courses like this because my mind has to be constantly working to decide where my foot goes next. On road races you never really think about this. You just plod along thinking about your breathing or how bad you feel or "who picked this spot to run 26 miles?" I do like running road races but trails are more fun for sure.

The weather was great. Cool temps in the 40's at the start so I wore two shirts and gloves. With the loop type course I could pick up my gels and drop my gloves and shirt at the 15 mile point. Speaking of miles, this was one of the most accurate 50k trail runs I have been on. The mile markers were pretty dead on most the race compared to my Garmin and the distance was almost right at 31 miles. Nice job folks on making that all work out.

Well as I hit about mile 25 I remember Tim Englund telling me it was pretty much downhill the last 5 miles and that if I had anything left I could fly at this point. Well around mile 21 I started to get that usual tired feeling. Nothing bad but you just knew that you had been running for a long time. The course stayed technical but the climbs were not too bad. In places the trail became super soft and wide and running along the river was nice as temps had started to warm up and the cool river brought the temps down a bit. It sure is nice to run with temperature in the 50 to 70 degree range. I love summer but I sure don't do well in the heat.

I did start to push the last 5 miles as I thought I might be able to PR below 5:48. Soon that looked not possible as there were a few climbs I had to walk. But I knew if I kept it going I could break six hours so that was a nice goal to push for. I tried to go strong but its so funny at this point in the race. You think your really moving but all I was doing was just under a 10 minute pace.

As I hit the last mile I came upon a woman running, not sure if she was in the race but we came upon a big water area with no way around. She just stopped looking for a spot to cross and I just plowed through the middle of it hoping it wasn't too deep. It was mid shin depth but only for 4 strides or so. Afterwards my feet were actually thanking me as it really cooled them down. I passed a couple of women on horses and then could smell the finish. I came around a corner and there was the finish line. I looked at my watch and I had about 2:30 to break six hours. "Why me?" This always happens to me. I can see the finish but will I get my goal. Well this one I did but it was not a sure thing till right at the end.

I finished my 50th marathon or longer race in 5:59:37. The official time shows me at 5:55 but I know I wasn't that close so the chip timer is not correct. I was pretty happy and felt good as I ended up with a 11:30 pace or so. The crowds were all gone with just maybe 75 folks or so still left.

I cleaned up and waited for Gail to finish. We were catching a flight right after the race so I had to change into street clothes to travel back home. I figured Gail would finish something around 7 hours so I did have some time. As I waited for Gail to finish I began to worry a bit. She was taking longer than I thought she would. Had she fallen? Was she hurt? The course marshals said she was still on the course so that was a good thing.

Here she comes. With that steady pace she does so well. I look as she passes and there is blood down the side of her leg. "Dang it! She took a tumble" I gave her a hug and we walked around. She had fallen hard at around mile 7. It knocked the wind out of her, cut her right leg and gave her a big ugly contusion on her left knee cap. I guess she thought she was done for right there. Its is so scary when you hit so hard you can't breath. So Gail won this race in my mind. She doesn't like technical courses much. She hates falling and today she did both and she finished! She is so tough! Gail, thanks for sharing this crazy sport with me. I am so lucky!

And now maybe the lyrics take more of a meaning, it does for me this day.


Well, its Bulls & Blood
It's Dust and Mud,
It's the Roar of a Sunday Crowd.

Last Minute

Gail and I are heading up to Spokane to do the Spokane River Run 50k. Looks like a nice small 50k race on some great single track. I think its mostly built for 10k racers as they have a large showing. Weather looks great for the race with temps forecast in the mid 60's. I am not looking to push myself on this run but just keep in shape and enjoy the experience of a new course.

My goals for now are to have fun, keep injury free and prepare myself for my number one goal which is to Finish the Where's Waldo 100k in August. If I can do that I will be one happy Fat-Boyee.

I Will Never Know

Rick, Gail and I had an awesome run on Wildwood today. We parked at Germantown road and ran to Newberry Road, about 10.5 miles round trip. Rick had never run that part of the trail and I had only a couple of times, so it was nice to be somewhere new. The weather was the best of the year so far, just blue sky and nice sunshine. We all just took it slow and easy and chatted most of the way.

My leg was perfect all day. I did have some foot pain but nothing severe. This was much better than I expected. I figured I would go 4 miles or so and it would really be hurting me. Now I will never know if I could have ran the Rumble or not? Darn.

Bummer Dude!

No Rumble for me this year. My leg injury is keeping me out of Sean's 60k over in Sisters. That race has got my number and this was the year it was getting the body-slam-take down! But I don't think I could have finished the race. So to keep on track I felt some rest would be best. I am going for a short trot on Wildwood tomorrow with Rick and Gail and will see how it feels. If anyone wants to join we are meeting at Germantown Road/Wildwood at 10 am Sunday. Gail and Rick will probably go long and I will play it by ear.

My last run was with Gail in Burbank last Sunday. She came with me on an overnight and I gave her a tour of the town. We ended up running over to the LA Zoo and spent a couple o hours walking around. It is not a great Zoo but it still was fun. We then ran back to the Hotel and my leg was killing me. It hurts more to walk than run so we just kept going. I have been going to PT and it is getting better. Tomorrow will be the test.

Gail and I are looking for an April race to do. We are thinking about the Salt Lake City marathon, the Spokane River Run, River City Marathon in Sacramento, Mt. Si 50k or even the Wenatchee marathon. Who knows? I am leaning towards Spokane or Sacramento. Any suggestions? Both are two weeks away so I should be mostly healed by then. Problem is I will be out of shape too.

All you "Rumblers" have fun in the sun and snow. Looking forward to the reports.