Lost Soul Ultra... Take 2!

Running in the coulees of LSU

Slow and steady wins the race or in my case slow and steady finishes the race injury free! This was my second time running Lost Soul Ultra and I was well prepared due to my many rookie mistakes last time. This time around the race plan was to run conservatively and do some time management.

In 2012, I went out fairly hard the first 3 legs and ended up paying for it in leg 4. I then had to drag my aching carcass around leg 5 and 6. I was determined not to make the same mistake this year. My training was similar to 2012, maybe even more kilometers run (but less hill work?) and I was on top of my race nutrition. Carla (my wife and aide station crew captain) and I had done a bit of research in regards to what my body was going to need for roughly 10 hours of running and we were prepared.

Leg 1 (~ 7km) went well, racers were sent off with the sound of bag pipes and for most of this leg we were stuck in a long train of slowly moving runners. This was just fine for me, as I got to run with Dave Buchner (Saskatoon trail running guru) for at least part of the race! By the end of leg one I was nicely set up as race caboose and eating up kilometers at a slow and steady pace.

Leg 1 to leg 2 transition was done quickly, swipe in and swipe out and heading northbound to softball valley (~ 8.4km). This would be the last I would see Dave until the finish (He finished in just over 8 hours, an incredible feat!). No real surprises on this leg, some of the first big hills show up here, but still no real struggles or challenges, just putting one foot in front of the other.

Leg 2 to leg 3 transition was a little slower than the first transition. I stopped long enough to eat some real food, couple pieces of jerky, bacon and some chicken noodle soup all served to me by my fantastic crew. This year my wife and two eldest children were going to be my support and they did a fantastic job! Some high fives and positive words from my kids and off I went to tackle Gun Range hill and leg 3 (9.6km).

Best support crew ever!

Leg 3 starts with one bugger of a climb, Gun Range hill. As you ascend, the drop off on the right grows and grows and adds to the physical and mental struggle of climbing! Thank God for the fence on the left, it kept me from going for a tumble or two! This leg went well and my running time was just a little slower than 2012. Bailey and Aidan (my eldest two children) met me about a kilometer out from the transition area and I rolled into the transition area feeling good and positive.

I have to admit, leg 4 was what I was fearing the most. In 2012, this was my downfall, I was ill prepared, didn't fill my backpack with enough food and suffered because of it. This year, I wasn't going to make the same mistakes. I did offer up a few lame comments about quitting here, but my crew pretended they didn't hear me and continued to load my backpack and provide me with drinks and snacks. Recharged, I headed out to conquer leg 4 (16.5km). I left this transition area with a young lady and her husband. The woman had run LSU last year 6 months pregnant (because it isn't difficult enough already!) and was out to complete it this time with her husband.  It was nice to share some thoughts and space with people while we climbed the first hill into leg 4. For the rest of this leg, I would be chasing their shadows around the coulees. This leg has lots of hills and climbs to start, then a few kilometers on gravel road and back into the coulees for a few more steep climbs, then flat sandy trail for roughly 7 km back into aide station. I knew if I could get through the first half of this leg, that I would be able to put it in cruise control for the last half. Slow and steady on the climbs, an easy pace on the flats and I was able to get to the last half of this leg with little distress and absolutely no cramping or real fatigue. I was feeling real good about myself and my race plan! I came up on the water station (roughly 3ish km from Pavan) and caught up to another 50km soloist, Brad Tomlinson. He hadn't brought enough water and had also hurt his hamstring. His struggle reminded me of mine in 2012, so I offered him snacks and water and we trekked the last few kilometers together into the aide station. My kids came to greet me again and offered me a McDonald's cheeseburger and Coke. What a great support team!  I was pumped to finish the last two legs.

Brad and I entering softball valley

Brad ate and hydrated and appeared to be in much better spirits, so we decided to finish the last two legs together. Amazing what friendships can be forged over a long trail run! I changed socks and shoes, ate two bites of my cheeseburger, grabbed my trekking poles and off we went. Leg 5 (6.6km) and leg 6(6.4km) offered no real drama. Leg 5 had a few big climbs, but knowing they were the last hills we would have to climb, made the effort seem a little easier. Coming into Softball Valley to transition into the last leg was another great feeling. We had lots of time to finish, over two hours and I was still feeling great. My crew set me up with some snacks and drinks and away Brad and I went (still chasing the husband and wife team!). Brad seemed to be getting stronger as we went and I felt that maybe I was holding him back from a better finish, but he remained with me and we chatted back and forth until we came upon the last climb. I still had energy to jog at this point, so we focused on finishing before 11 hours 10 minutes. Brad was impressive, he flew up the last hill, all the while calling me to follow. I could see my wife and kids, I could hear Dave and Harvie (both Saskatoon running friends) cheering me on at the top of the hill. I pushed hard and crested into the parking lot with a couple minutes to spare. Brad had waited for me to reach the top of the hill, then he took off in a full out sprint, expecting me to follow him to the finish. I jogged the last 100 meters with my kids and crossed the finish line in 11 hours 8 minutes with my kids and Brad. I had finished LSU for a second time. What an accomplishment! What a great race! The course, the volunteers, the weather, my crew, everything came together to create a great race day experience.

Finish line photo

A few nuts and bolts of my race:
I used two pairs of Brooks Cascadias along with CEP compression sleeves and two pairs of Smartwool lite padding crew socks. I used MEC Elan shorts (and was generous with the Bodyglide!)along with two Brainsport running t-shirts, TNF sun visor, Salomon cross-country ski poles and an Innov-8 hydration backpack. I drank roughly 4 liters of Gatorade, a handful of beef jerky, a handful of bacon, 2 GU caramel flavored gels, two bites of McDonald's cheeseburger, a Coke and two coffee cups of instant chicken soup. I diligently took a Saltstick tablet every 45 minutes and ended up eating 4 Tums.

Volunteering and Pacing at SRRA trail race #2

I am falling behind terribly on my posts! Not sure what I do all day, but never seems to be enough time to get to the computer and throw a few ideas together for my next blog post!

I wanted to write about the second SRRA trail race at Cranberry Flats for a few reasons. First of all because it is the first time I have volunteered to help at a running race and this was the first time I would be running without thought to finishing time as I was running with my eldest two children.

The week before the Cranberry Flats trail race, Peter Goode sent out a Facebook message asking for volunteers. Seeing as I was still a little sore from K3 and was planning on running this trail with my eldest two children, I thought it would be an opportune time to volunteer. So, Sunday morning, Bailey, Aidan and I arrived 90 minutes before race start and helped man the registration table. Thankfully most participants had pre-registered so our job was not too difficult and those that came to register were well taken care of by my two registration pros! They alternated being responsible for giving out race bibs and writing down participants info. I busied myself hanging out with our dog and schmoozing with other racers. Really quite an enjoyable first time volunteering gig. Hopefully Peter doesn't mind if we help out at the next race in September.

I was getting a little anxious close to race start even though I was not racing, but more so for my offspring who would be running their farthest trail race to date. We weren't quite finished at the registration table at start time, so  I sent the kids off and I finished up what needed to be done. I watched as they placed themselves firmly at the back of the pack and cruised out of sight going at a good pace. A few moments later I was able to get on course and the dog and I went after the kids. This course at Cranberry is a tough, sandy and hilly, so I was expecting to catch up to the kids quite quickly, but to my surprise we didn't catch them until they were almost done the first lap. They had agreed to do two laps, so we stopped real quick for a drink at the water station and off we went. Aidan (my 10 year old) was still looking strong, but Bailey (my 11 year old) was having trouble with her shoes and socks and was quickly losing her joie de vivre. We started running/walking 1 and 1s, but that wasn't enough running for Aidan and was too much for Bailey. So Aidan took off ahead of us and Bailey and I ran from pin flag to pin flag. This little game seemed to help take her mind off of her feet, but her resolve to finish was taking a big hit. I have to admit, I thought we would eventually catch up to a winded and broken down Aidan, but he was not to be seen until the finish line, where he was waiting for us. Bailey was a trooper and with some encouragement from Dad, she finished her 5.5 km in under 60 minutes. Aidan had finished 6ish minutes before us and was enjoying the fresh biscuits and juice boxes at the finish line. He was so pumped and very proud that he "beat" his Dad the ultra runner! Bailey even managed a smile and some laughs once she had some food and drink. Both are super excited to volunteer and run the third SRRA trail race at Blackstrap in late September. Hopefully they have been bitten by the trail running bug.

Again I have to send a shout out to the SRRA and more importantly Peter Goode (and his merry band of volunteers) for his (and their) efforts to get this trail series off and running. What a great addition to our city's running schedule.

K3 - Stage 3



 So I did not run stage 2 of the Kananaskis 3. I think I knew right from January that this was not going to happen, but held out some hope that I might convince myself otherwise. Carla and I walked around Banff for half of Saturday and had a  great lunch at The Magpie and Stump before heading back to our hotel for a much deserved afternoon nap!

 

Sunday morning came all too early and I did my best to convince Carla that it would be a much better day if we slept in, however she wasn't hearing any of my excuses and off we headed to Stage 3 of K3.

 

Stage 3 started at Little Elbow Campground and was to be 24ish kilometers of mountain trail racing. The first kilometer was on the road out of the campground. What a great way to thin out the pack before we started our 6 kilometer ascent to the top of Powderface Ridge. Living on the prairies, there is absolutely no way to prepare oneself for such an ascent. We can run Pembina, Ravine, Big Mac and even Mount Blackstrap, but none of these hills do any justice to ascending for 6ish kilometers. Thankfully I have very little (running) pride and positioned myself at the back of the pack, so I didn't have to feel the sting of being passed going uphill! My mantra was relentless forward progress. As long as I was moving up the mountain, I was headed in the right direction.There were many times I contemplated heading back down the way I came (especially when it started to rain); however when I crested the ridge, the view was worth the effort. Panoramic view for miles and miles. No time to stop and enjoy (too much) as I had to make the aide station before the cut off time of 2.5 hours. Lots of rocks and scree fields on the ridge and then headed downhill through the trees. At this point, downhill still felt much better than uphill, so I made some good time and rolled into the aide station 30 minutes before the cutoff.

 

Aide stations are always a tricky situation. The body wants to sit, enjoy the food and drink, talk with the volunteers, anything to not get back to running. The spirit just wants to grab a pop, some fruit and go. This aide station stop lasted only a couple minutes. A couple drinks of cola, some watermelon and off I went to finish off the last 13 kilometers.

 

These last 13ish kilometers were a real adventure, numerous creek crossings, two snow field crossings, some steep ascents, lots of tree roots and lots of downhill! I could tell that I was feeling fatigued because I started imagining cougars and bears. Every tree stump or cluster of bushes was a bear ready to chase or a cougar ready to pounce. These hallucinations pushed me to keep up an aggressive pace (for me anyways!)! I was hiking the uphills and using gravity to pull me down the downhills. I did my best to run the flats and when that didn't work I played run to the next pin flag. About a kilometer out of the finish line I could hear music and people noises, which gave me that little extra boost I needed to finish. I popped out of the trees into the parking lot and hit the finish line 5 hours and 18 minutes after I started.

What a feeling of accomplishment and the cola and wraps at the food table were a welcome site after too many gels and warm hydration vest water! Thanks to the volunteers and organizers and as always a giant thank you to my wife who chauffeurs me to and from these events and acts as my aide station crew.

  

 

 





K3 Stage Race - Stage 1

Well it has been quite awhile since I've written anything on here, but as my running cycles go, so does my writing go... I guess!

Registering for my first stage trail race seemed like a good idea in January. I figured I was ready to try something new, plus who can resist a weekend in the Canmore/Kananaskis/Bragg Creek area in the summer? I was feeling so confident that this was a good idea that I even registered my wife (who is not a runner) to run the first stage with me! Carla was registered to run Stage 1 of the Kananaskis 3 and I was originally planning on running all three legs.

Winter training went better than usual thanks to my participation in a Brainsport Marathon training clinic. I felt as prepared as I was going to be to run 13km, 42km and 24km in the mountains, but as always I knew I had not done enough hill work.

Friday July 4th was leg 1 and a distance of 13ish km. This stage started and finished at the West Bragg Creek Trailhead. Upon arrival we were informed of bear activity (so be sure to have your scatbelt) and that the original trail was too muddy and wet, so we were now running two loops of roughly 8km for a total of 16km. Not too much of a leap for me, but my wife who was already anxious for her first trail run, was ready to call it quits. Thankfully for her mental well being, the organizers mentioned that runners could easily opt out of the second lap and come home after 8km.

We both positioned ourselves towards the back of the pack and started off nice and slow. We started in the parking lot, lots of open space and made our way to the singletrack trail. Uphill, uphill and more uphill. For the first 3ish kilometers we climbed, nothing terrible, but enough that the best I could do was a fast hike. Carla and I separated here and she tells me it was for best that we did as she was none to pleased at how much she had to climb!

The course was great singletrack, lots of rocks, roots and dirt. Very runnable as evidenced by the front runners who finished almost 17km in just over 60 minutes. I completed my 2 loops in 2hours 18 minutes and felt great about my accomplishment. I was also super impressed by my wife Carla who gutted out her lap and was still smiling and standing when I rolled in!

 

Possibly one of the best parts of this stage was sharing a celebratory pizza with Carla after the race! Now she was starting to understand my cravings for pizza and pop after long runs! However she did inform me that she wouldn't be doing anything like that again.

 

I decided not to run Saturday mornings stage 2, as I could tell that my body was not going to hold up for both Saturday and Sunday. So Saturday ended up being a tourist day and recuperating for Sundays 24km. More on that in my next post.

Meet My Pet Rock!

The seed to run Lost Soul Ultra was planted during my running of the 2010 SK Ultra. Dave, a running buddy, commented that if I wanted to have a real feeling of accomplishment, I should run the Lost Soul Ultra in Lethbridge. The idea of running LSU was put to rest until the winter of 2012 when I decided to enter my name in the registration lottery and as luck would have it, I won a spot in the Saturday 50k grouping.

I won’t bore you with my training woes and triumphs, but I will say that I was as prepared as I thought I could be.

6h00 Saturday morning, September 8^th, saw almost 80 participants grouped together in the conference room of the Lethbridge Lodge for our pre-race meeting. I remember thinking that everyone else looked like “real” runners and no one seemed as nervous as me. Thank goodness for Jonathan Schmidt, who recognized me and came over to offer some words of advice, “maintain an easy pace, stay hydrated and fueled, and have fun.” Wise words; if only I would have been more precise in my execution!

The first few legs went well. I felt good and I was lulled into a false sense of confidence. The hills were not as terrifying as I had imagined, the weather was perfect and I was maintaining a fairly swift pace (for me anyways). I hit the first two aid stations well ahead of my estimated time and because I was feeling good, continued on with just a handheld bottle and a pack of energy gummies borrowed from my hydration pack (this would prove a costly mistake).

At the Pavan Aid station, things were still going well, body felt fine, hydration and fueling was in line with the race plan. Thirteen minutes after checking in, I checked out with fresh shoes and my hydration pack. This was the leg that concerned me the most, it was the longest and from what I could tell it was going to have some nasty ascents and descents. I was not overly anxious, as I was still well ahead of cut off times and my own imposed aid station times. The plan was still holding together until 4 kilometers in, I went to grab some food from my pack pockets and only found one energy bar. It had slipped my mind that I had borrowed from this pack earlier and I had forgotten to refill at the aid station. I began mentally beating myself up for such a rookie mistake, but soon realized there was nothing I could do about it, so determinedly I continued on.

8 kilometers in, halfway around this leg, my calves started cramping and my stomach was rumbling. I was caught by a few experienced runners, and through the sharing of stories, they found out I was out of food and starting to cramp. One of them gave me some salt tabs and the other shared some energy gel, but the damage was done and not long after they bounded off and I was left to plod along.

I was beginning to let the DNF thoughts enter my mind, “I have already done 30 kilometers in the most difficult race I have ever done, I have nothing to prove, I am happy with what I have done. My wife will be at the aid station, I’ll tell her I am done and we can drive back to the hotel.” However during the last few kilometers of this leg I passed a few runners who seemed to be doing worse than me and my resolve to finish was renewed.

Roughly half a kilometer from the aid station is a barbed wire fence, spread apart and wrapped. The cramping in my calves had worked its way up to my quads and hamstrings and going under or over this barbed wire seemed impossible. I decided to try and step over and straddle the wrap, but half way over my legs seized and I fell over to the other side. After a few choice words in French and some very deep cleansing breaths, I managed to push my carcass up and limp towards the aid station.

There was not a more beautiful sight than seeing my wife and the Pavan building! I explained to Carla my thoughts and without a moment’s hesitation she informed me that we did not come this far to give up. I guess this wasn’t just my adventure, it was hers too. We had invested too much family time for my training to give up so easily.

She gave me some pretzels and Cheezies to eat. I drank some McDonald’s salt packages, crunched some Tums and downed a few glasses of flat Coke and after 37 minutes felt well enough to soldier on. There is no doubt in mind that I would not have continued without the encouragement and support of my wife and the two fantastic lady volunteers who spent every minute of my stay in the aid station with me.

My memories of the last two legs are a little hazy. I remember being severely upset at having to climb the two steep hills in the middle of the next leg. I remember being pushed over by a friendly, but overzealous large dog and the weird look on his owners’ face when I asked them to help me up. I remember joking and laughing with the bikini clad beach volleyball players when I left Peenaquim aid station. I remember joining up with Rod and Michael, two 100 milers, with about 3ish kilometers remaining and listening to their stories from their last 34 hours.

With less than a kilometer remaining, we had to climb what seemed to be the steepest hill of them all. I methodically made my way up the ridge and when I crested the lip I could see the finish banner. I tried to break into a celebratory jog, but my legs would not cooperate, so I did what I had been doing for most of the last 14 kilometers and walked into the finish. I had completed the Lost Soul Ultra in just over 11 hours.

 

And Dave was right; I did feel like I had accomplished something! 

Is it time to put this Clydesdale out to pasture?

I have reached the pinnacle of this cycle of my ultra training. Consistent weeks of high 50 and low to mid 60 kms have my body walking a tightrope between healthy and broken.

At this point my confidence is starting to take a hit. I have a nagging Jiminy Cricket that insists I am not made to do this kind of running (how many other Clydesdale ultra runners can there be?). Most days I don't listen, but nonetheless he seems to be creeping in more often!

I am however listening to my body. I know that I have to push past my (perceived) physical and mental limits if I am to be fully prepared for my fall ultras. I know from my previous 50km ultra that finishing is a balance of consistent training and a positive mental attitude.

I am lucky enough to have a wealth of experienced trail and ultra runners to lean on and I hope that my constant questions and requests for long run partners are not becoming tiresome. The physical benefits I gain from running with these guys and gals is just as valuable as the advice they are passing on. Hearing their stories of missed training runs, bloody nipples and aid station mistakes allow me to be less hard on myself when I make my own mistakes.

What is most important I guess is that I am still enjoying getting out the door and off the road. For now this Clydesdale is safe  from being sent out to pasture...

Race Report – 5 Peaks Central Alberta – Canmore Nordic Centre

June 16^th, 2012

The second race in the 5 Peaks Central Alberta trail running series took place at the Canmore Nordic Center. The Canmore Nordic Center is located just above the town of Canmore and was the host of the cross-country and biathlon events during the 1988 Winter Olympics.

Canmore enduro elevation chart

The weather leading up to the Saturday morning race was a little sketchy; rain, thunderstorms and snow. This mix of meteorological delights made for some muddy and slippery sections on the trail, but nevertheless added to the experience! 

223 participants ran the sport course (5ish kilometers) and 195 participants endured the enduro course (10ish kilometers). Both courses included double track, rolling hills, steep climbs and lots of single-track. Sport course racers began ten minutes before enduro racers to help alleviate bottlenecks in the single track. As with most 5 Peaks trail races, runners seeded themselves and started at the sound of “Get off the road!”

Canmore Enduro course map

The first couple of hundred meters was open and allowed (somewhat) for the crowd to thin out. Double track soon turned to single track with sharp turns, rolling hills and some minor traffic jams. Roughly 3 kilometers into the course, the trail opened up to a meadow and a leg punishing 1.5 kilometer of uphill. I managed to push myself through this section with a combination of running and walking, knowing that what goes up, must come down! At kilometer 6, the downhill started and continued for roughly one kilometer. This section included scree fields, double track and gnarly single track. It was here that I managed to catch 6 other runners and we ran the rest of the race in formation (sorry about the heavy breathing team!). With a little less than half a kilometer remaining we crested one last hill and the finish flags came into view. A gradual uphill brought us to the finish line of the most technical trail race that this Saskatchewan Clydesdale has ever run. Check out the race results here.

After the race I had an interesting conversation with a former Canadian Mountain Running team member (Phil Villeneuve) and a gifted young runner who is aspiring to make this year’s team. One amazing aspect of these local events is the mixture of elite and recreational runners. Few other races give you the ability to run and chat with runners from all backgrounds and experience levels.