The Seven Secrets to Winning a Grand Prix Running Series

This weekend's Jenkinson Lake Fall Trail Runs 50K was the season finale of the ultrarunner.net grand prix series. The series kicked off with the Pony Express race at the end of February and consisted of 9 races with distances ranging from 20-miles to 12-hour runs.

I am very happy to report that I clinched the series title for the second time!

In 2007, I learned a few lessons about what it takes to win a grand prix series. That year, the series became a mano-y-mano duel with my good friend Scott Dunlap, and I ended up winning the series--and the associated $3000 supersonic mattress grand prize--by just one and a half points (out of 282 total points). In the end it all came down to the last race--if the overall 50-mile winner had run just a few minutes slower, I would taken second place. Way too close!

Jethro Smith Wins Second Place Overall in the Grand Prix

Some people have asked, so at the risk of shooting myself in the foot for a future grand prix series title attempt in 2011 (I am not running the entire series next year), I'll share with you my seven secrets for winning a grand prix running series. Actually, most of these concepts are so basic that they can hardly be called "secrets," but make a few mistakes and your series title hopes can be toast. There is some strategy behind it.

Lainie Callahan-Mattoon Takes Home Hardware for Winning First Place Overall in the GP

Having run quite a few of these series, I know now that it is actually possible for a non-elite runner (like me) to do quite well or even win. You don't have to be a mountain goat or even super fast. A firm aim coupled with some smart strategy and some hard work (and a little luck) is all you really need. It is true--the tortoise can beat the hair.

1. Go For It!--That is, make the conscious decision to compete in the entire series up front, train for it, and add the races to your schedule. Entering one of the early races with a let's-just-see-what-happens attitude leaves a lot to chance.
   
2. Start Out "Guns Blazing"--Once you have decided to really go for it, you want to create the biggest gap on the competition as you can in the shortest amount of time. You want to kick butt and take names starting at race number 1. This doesn't mean that you should show up at the first race and start running like a 10-year old, however. It does mean that you ramp up training well in advance of the first race and taper properly. The first series race is often early in the year and many people will skip running in the cold winter months; instead using the early races to get in shape. It certainly helps if you can be in great shape at the start of the very first race.
   
3. Show Up--This, you could argue, is one of my specialties. As I mentioned before, you don't have to be the fastest runner or the best climber. If you're not at the starting line at 7 a.m. all those great strengths won't do you much good.
4. Finish--David Goggins recently said: "It's not about winning; it's about not quitting." That's true. You really don't have to win every race outright to do well, but you have to actually cross the finish line at some point for your results to count towards your overall points.
5. Every Minute Counts--While you're in a series race, keep moving forward. In the end, the series could be decided by just a few minutes, so you don't want to think back with regret about that time where you leisurely sat down at an aid station, chatting it up with your friends. For an hour. Also, if you really want to do well, organize a crew that can keep you moving. You can save a huge amount of time with a seasoned crew that is aware of all your preferences. (A huge thank you to Chris, Rebecca, and Troy for coming out to crew for me this year!)
   
6. Read--Carefully read the series rules, and the individual race details, including course maps for races that you have not run before and scout out the race course before the race if you can. Your best race time is usually achieved when you run the most even pace throughout the race. Knowing the course will allow you to set specific time goals for a course.
   
7. Super-Size It--Sometimes races offer a variety of distances. For example, a 6 or a 12-hour run, offering a series point per mile. Always run the absolute longest distance you can to pick up the most points possible. You never know. Sometimes things come up and you may have to miss one of the races (I missed one due to a nearby forest fire this year). Running the longest possible distance every time you can will put some points in the grand prix bank. Occasionally, however, it may pay off to run a shorter distance for some reason. Again, being familiar with the race details is key here.
   

And... don't forget the other half: hard work and luck. At some point, competing in series race after series race and always trying to be on top of your game can wear you out and it starts to feel a little bit like a job. You have to grind out some miles here and there on tired legs and isn't always fun. Of course, there is a certain element of luck involved as well. To stay injury free, to pick the right race--you never know how things will work out. Oh, and, try to have some fun while you're out there, too. One thing I really enjoyed during the series was meeting old and new running friends at every race.

Yesterday's Race--The Season Finale
Here's a quick report about yesterday's Jenkinson Lake Trail Run 50K.

The race offers a choice of up to four 8-mile, 95% single-track trail loops around Jenkinson Lake. It uses the same course as the Jenkinson Lake Spring Run, except that it was run in reverse and had an extra half mile.

Adventure Racer Mats Ready to Run (and Win!) the 24-Miler

There were some new faces at the start along with some die-hard grand prix racers trying to get some final points in the final race of the season--Gretchen, Lainie, Jethro, and Matt. The race started out fast, I led for the first 4 miles or so and then let the 16-milers set the pace. I chatted briefly with Swedish adventure racer Mats Jensen (last name?) who was running the 24-miler and then it became pretty quiet.

I cranked up some tunes on lap 2 and 3 and was in first place in the 50K, but slowing down a little bit each lap and walking more of the steep hills. The last month of less than 10 training miles and eating danishes was rapidly catching up to me. I plodded my way through the third lap and then, finally, it was time for the victory lap that I had been envisioning since the beginning of the year! The ultra series title was mine unless I fell into Lake Jenkinson and drowned.

Matt Thau Ran Every Single GP Race this Year and Takes Third Place Overall

Ed Walsh and a friend of his were manning the first aid station and Ed kindly kept me posted on where I was relative to the other 50K runners. A lot of runners dropped down to the 24-mile race and apart from Lainie, who was about five minutes behind me, there was nobody in sight. With the series win in the bag, it was hard to get motivated to pick up the pace significantly.

Ed Walsh (right) Won the 60-69 AG

Lainie, who was running another strong race, passed me at the final aid station of the bell lap--both of us were happy to be done with the race and the series in general. Lainie went on to win the 50K and she also won the female grand prix title, followed by Gretchen and Jennifer Dicus.

Lainie Wins the 50K, and the Overall Grand Prix Title

I just kept running at my own pace until I reached the finish line, where Lainie, Jethro, and their parents, Matt, Robert, and Linda were all cheering. It was great to finish what I had started so long ago. A huge congratulations to all the other grand prix finishers and their support crews. Next year has even more races, including a new race at Bullard's Bar Dam that I will be designing the course for. Stay tuned for more details on that.

We had a short awards ceremony and the top-three winners overall, as well as the age group winners, received a truckload of goodies and prizes. For winning the series overall, I received an all-expense-paid vacation package worth $550 (the real reason my family was so supportive of these monthly races!) and another $200+ worth of useful other running-related goodies, like two pairs of Inov-8 shoes, Hammer gel, a Fuel Belt hydration pack, and more.

Jethro (2nd overall), Matt (3rd overall and only one to run every race), and Yours Truly--Watch Out For These Guys Next Year!

Thanks to Robert and Linda, Ed Walsh, and all the other great volunteers, and to the grand prix sponsors for making this an exciting (and rewarding) series. I'll take a break next year, but I may be back for the hat-trick in 2011! So far, in the series history (since 2004), only Beverly Anderson Abbs and I have won two series titles.

Next up: Relaxing... and a few interesting bike rides around Lake Tahoe and around the Sutter Buttes.

Gold Country 20-Miler

Karalee Morris (first overall in the 20-miler) and I

On Saturday, I had to fly to Denmark for work. However, I also wanted to run the Gold Country 50K (and pick up some ultrarunner.net grand prix points to stay in first place) that day, but knew I would never be able to finish it in time for my 1 o'clock flight (it is about a 45-minute drive to the airport from Auburn). Skipping the race would be risky though (I just might lose my first place overall).

Robert Mathis (RD) Explains the Course

Fortunately, there was also a 20-mile option. I had run the course before and estimated that it would take me about 3:15 to run 20 miles and that would leave me exactly 15 minutes to get changed and book it to the airport.

Jethro Smith (Second in the Grand Prix) Gets Ready

I started out fast on the four-mile downhill section to No-Hands Bridge, where Lainie was running the aid station. I could still feel some residual fatigue from the Tahoe Triple in my legs, expecially on the flats and the uphills.

Ray Sanchez pulled past me on the first uphill (K2) and soon after that, Aaron Summerhayes passed me as well. Aaron had marked the course, but he was patching up the flagging as he went, because a lot of the flags had been taken down and thrown on the ground.

At one point, Aaron and I came to an intersection that had been vandalized. Somebody had changed the tape around altogether and that had sent Ray the wrong way. Fortunately, Aaron quickly corrected it for me and all the other runners, and Ray could run the loop in reverse without losing time. I really don't understand why someone would do this. Let's just say it was a good thing we did not run into these pranksters (Ray being an ex-golden glove boxer and... let's just say it is hard to outrun any of us). So, vandalize at your own risk!

Aaron Summerhayes Marked the Original Course and Marked it Again While Running!

The rest of the run was pretty uneventful. It was a great day for a morning run, but I kept looking at my watch to see how I was doing for time. I made it back to No Hands bridge with 45 minutes to spare. I was in first place in the 20-miler at that point. I slowed down a bit on the uphill sections and this is where Karalee passed me like I was standing still. She ran a great race and finished in first place overall.

I finished in 3:17 and that's when the real race began. For winning the male race, I received a shoe certificate, I ate about ten pieces of watermelon, and then Vicky and the kids helped hose me off, and I changed in less than 5 minutes. Then we were off to the airport! I made it in time and made it safely to Aarhus Denmark where I will be presenting a training session at the JAOO conference this week. And, guess what? The conference is going to put on a 7.5 kilometer run on Tuesday night. That should be fun.

Auburn Trail 50K and Fitness in the Foothills

Rocky Wins the Fitness in the Foothills Triathlon!

On Saturday (D-Day!), we decided to use a divide-and-conquer race strategy, Vicky was taking our youngest son Rocky to the first annual Fitness in the Foothills triathlon, our oldest son Sean, was studying his brains out in an effort to become valedictorian of his eighth grade class (we'll know the results of that on Wednesday), and I would run the 5th straight ultrarunner.net series race--the Auburn Trail 50K.

Let's start with the least impressive result of the day: mine. I had not been feeling too well all week and if it was not for my insatiable appetite for grand prix points and the fact that I had already preregistered, I probably would have stayed home. When I stopped at Starbucks at 6 a.m. for a much-needed extra jolt of caffeine and it felt like an effort to just walk 50 feet from my car to the store, I knew this was going to be a long day...

Winner Van McCarty and Thomas Reiss (4th) Before the Start

I had run the Auburn Trail 50K race last year, but the course had been changed significantly. This year, the race would start at Overlook Park in Auburn (Not at the Cool fire station), bomb down the hill for 4 miles to No Hands Bridge, then do a double loop of the dreaded "K2" climb and the Olmstead Loop, and finally head back up the steep hill to the finish at Overlook Park. This course change also made the race quite a bit longer than 50K. In the end I measured the course to be 33.62 miles. Maybe this supposed to be payback for the very short Jenkinson Lake 50K course--ouch!

Before the start, I caught up with lots of running friends. Thomas Reiss and his friend (and ultimately the 50K winner) Van McCarty, Gretchen Brugman, Lainie Callahan-Matoon, Matt Thau, Jethro Smith, Austin Violette (crewing his friend), Joe Palubeski, Greg Bomhoff, and many others. Many runners were doing a last training run before Western States (some sections of the course run on the WS course) and others were simply taking advantage of the unseasonably cool weather to go for a nice long run.

Jethro Smith With his Very Supportive Parents Before the Start

In an effort not to completely kill myself, I settled in at about 15th place and just kept a steady easy pace. To save some weight, and because it was so cool, I decided to run without any water bottles. This strategy would have been foolish on a normal day in June, but it worked out pretty well this time. I just stopped a little longer at the aid stations, but enjoyed running blue-tooth style. If this weather stays like this for another three weeks, we could see a new course record at Western States!

I ran a few miles with Gretchen and even the downhill miles felt like work; I was just not feeling it. Yet, I did get the sense that breathing the fresh air and being outside was actually doing me some good and I felt re-energized and quite a bit better the next day.

After about seven miles I caught up with Lainie, the women's leader in the ultrarunner.net series. Lainie is now running for Team Inov-8 and I am sure she will make a great addition to their team. We pretty much paced together for the rest of the race and finished together, which was fun and it made the miles go by quite a bit faster.

That's the great thing of the ultrarunning community: you go out and enjoy the day, and meet interesting people like Lainie, a mother of four, who had some excellent stories to share and even gave me tips on how to save a bundle of money on my favorite Starbucks drink (Iced Venti Mocha)--yes, the one I have been buying for the last ten years!

The course was extremely well marked and the aid stations were close enough together for my bottle-less approach. In the final miles, we passed another five runners. As expected, the last 4.2 miles were tough and it was a long grind up the hill from No Hands Bridge. Lainie and I finished the race together in tenth place overall in 5:55, with Lainie finishing second female just ten minutes behind Gretchen who won the women's race.

As far as the ultrarunner points go, I picked up another handful of points, further increasing my overall lead in the series. Matt Thau started the race, but unfortunately had to stop halfway through the race and Jethro Smith, who finished strong despite having some stomach issues during the middle miles, moved from third to second in the overall points division. Note, however, that a new race (The Jenkinson Fall 50K--this time a real 50K) has been added to the 2009 series, so it ain't over till it's over!

Rocky on the Home Stretch

After lounging around for a while, enjoying Linda's great barbecue, I headed home (stopping at Starbucks on the way) and called home to see how Rocky had done in his age group in the triathlon. Great news: he had won! Using a smart race strategy, Rocky had paced himself on the bike, coming in second place after the bike leg. He then floated by the bike leg winner who was throwing up from going out too fast, and went on to finish the obstacle course in first place.

Part of the Obstacle Course

Due to a lack of clean swimming water, the swim leg of this race had been replaced with an obstacle course. After that, the kids had to run a mile and Rocky ran pretty much all the way and completely blew away the competition in his age group, winning by about a half mile! Next year, we'll come with the whole family!

The Bike Ride

And Sean? Well, he studied for his finals the entire weekend, so let's hope he can keep up that 4.0 GPA for a few more days!

Next Up: The Tahoe Relay with the Sean, Rocky, Hayes, Chris, and Turi this weekend. I'm already looking forward to it.

Running the Jenkinson Lake "50K"

On Saturday, I joined about 60 runners for the Jenkinson Lake Trail Runs. Three distances were offered: 9.7 miles, 19.4 Miles, and a (short) 29.1-mile "50K." Always hungry for more ultrarunner.net series points, I signed up for the 50K.

Hoa Tran (1st overall in the 2-Lap Race) Before the Start

Before the race, I met up with Hoa Tran, who was running the 2-lap race. Hoa would have probably won the Pony Express 30K race earlier this year, but accidentally missed the start. This time, he was definitely going to start on time! I also met up with Marathon Maniac Ed Walsh, who has run three out of four races in the series this year.
I did not have any pain, but I did not quite feel completely recovered from the recent racing at the River City Marathon and the Spring Run 10K, which made the Sports headlines in our local paper.

Marathon Maniac Ed Walsh, Ready for Another Race

Chris, who had participated in last year's Run on the Sly, which also includes a loop around Jenkinson Lake gave me a last-minute rundown on the course: lots of rollers and a few decent climbs on mostly runnable single track and horse trails around a beautiful mountain lake at about 3500' elevation.
I also found some interesting YouTube videos on the Jenkinson Lake website, so I felt somewhat prepared. Based on what I had learnt about the course without actually running it, I concluded that breaking 4 hours would pretty much be impossible; it would probably be great to finish in less than 5 hours.

The Boat Ramps Close to the Start and Finish Area

The race started promptly at 8 a.m. and Truckee's Shannon Rahlues (the eventual overall 1-lap race winner) took off like a gazelle. Nobody else made a move, so I settled in behind Shannon, in second place and soon lost sight of her.
We ran the first 4.5 miles (to the Hazel Creek Aid Station) on fairly smooth, but sometimes slippery single track hiking trails. After that, the course followed some much rougher and steeper horse trails to the Miwok Aid Station. The last 1.5 miles were run on a hiking trail again, and included a double creek crossing in which it was almost impossible not to get your feet wet. All in all, it was a great venue for a trail race and, surprisingly, there was quite a bit of shade on the trail.

Aaron Summerhays, Big Smiles After Winning the 50K

Before I knew it, I finished the first loop in about 1:05, in second place overall (first in the 50K). Wow, I'd better slow down a bit. Now, before you check the final results and call USATF to place me on the national 50K mountain trailrunning team, I must tell you that there was a problem with the length of the course...
Originally, the 50K was going to be slightly long with four 8-mile laps. Then, the course had been remeasured to be 9.7 miles and the race was shortened to three laps, resulting in the short 29.1-mile 50K. On race day, however, the marked course measured only about 8.1 miles long, resulting in something closer to a 24-miler, or 40K. Next year, RD Robert Mathis told me, the 50K will be adjusted to have four-laps. So despite my fast first lap, this was not the breakout performance that a glance at the results might lead you to believe it was!

Already Done? Female Winner, Lainie Callahan-Mattoon

In the beginning of the second lap, Aaron Summerhays passed me and slowly pulled away from me. Aaron was looking strong and he had done his homework: He and Brad Lael (winner of the 1-lap race) had come out a few weeks prior to the race and run the course. Aaron is a familiar face on the ultra scene; he volunteers almost as much as he runs.

The Evans' Dog Watches as Kate Devours a Post-Race Hamburger

When I finished lap 2, Team Ultra Signup runner and Pollock Pines resident Rob Evans who was crewing for his wife Kate, informed me that Aaron had built up a three to five minute lead. I grabbed my water bottle, turned on some music, and started running a little faster. Aaron's lead was about the same when I arrived at the Hazel Creek Aid Station and it was unlikely that I would make up a lot of time on the steeper sections in the second half of the course. There were two steep climbs on this section that I ran on the first lap, but walked on the last two.

Matt Thau Relaxes After Finishing His Fourth Straight ultrarunner.net Series Race

I started passing some of the 2-lap runners and finished in 3:36, about 9 minutes behind Aaron, who ran a great race. Lainie Callahan-Mattoon turned in another strong performance by finishing 1st (3rd overall), followed by Kate Evans, Jason Dumars, Jethro Smith, who survived a fall on the trail, and Matt Thau, who, like me, finished every single race in the ultrarunner.net series this year and will now most likely move into second place in the series overall standings (complete race results here).

Jason Dumars (5th Overall)

From one angle I was happy to run a shorter race given my short recovery period since the last race, but on the other hand, I think I would have done better in a real 50K, and we would have had the opportunity to gain more points for the same price ;-)

Rena Schuman (volunteer at the Hazel Creek Aid Station) and Some Other Runners at the Finish

The post-race BBQ was great, as usual. It was great to catch up with Jason Dumars and I also finally got to meet Matt Thau in person. I had seen Matt's name in all the series' race results, but had not yet met him in person.

Thanks to Robert, Linda, and all the volunteers for putting on this race and for the perfect course markings. I'll probably be back for four laps next year.

Next Up: The Auburn Trails 50K.

Sub-3 at the River City Marathon!

On Sunday, I joined about 135 marathoners and around 225 half marathoners for the first annual River City Marathon/Half Marathon in Sacramento. This point-to-point race was held on the bike path along the American river from Negro Bar in Folsom to Discovery Park, close to downtown.

My one and only goal for this race was to break 3 hours for the first time. Training went well and at one point I was playing around with the idea of shooting for an even faster time, but I really wanted to "knock the bastard off" first, before attempting anything even faster only to hit the wall and miss both targets. Add to that a prediction of roughly 90-degree heat (the race started at 7, so the heat would only play a role in the last hour or so) and sub-3 would be challenging enough.

I did one 13-mile training run on the course two weeks prior to the start and I had run other sections of the trail in past Helen Klein 50K/50M races, so I knew what to expect: a flat and fast course.

The Finish

Prior to the race, I was fortunate to get training and racing advice from all kinds of great runners. Alan and Scott shared some of their training schedules and George Farmer and V. Neelakantan turned me on to some interesting training techniques such as the fast-finish progression long runs. Marathon Junkie Chuck Engle, who actually runs sub-3 pace teams, recommended not to bank seconds or minutes but instead shoot for dead-even splits all the way, with a 1:30 first half and so that's what I set out to do. I soaked up some final advice from Haile Gebrselassie and I was ready to go!

The marathon started promptly at 7 a.m. In the first 5 or 6 miles I moved from 12th place to 4th and then moved into 2nd place at the one and only climb of the course (a bridge over the American River). First place was out of sight at this point, but I could care less--I was just focusing on maintaining even 6:52 spits and any sort of placing would be a bonus.

I hit the half marathon at exactly 1:30 and had to weave my way through over 200 half marathoners. By mile 16 or 17 I caught up to the front runner, who had slowed down a bit. From here on I would be paced by the "lead-bike," operated by super-fast runner and volunteer Brad Lael, which was kind of exciting.

I continued to pick up some half marathoners and got into a great rhythm, always hovering right around 6:52. I chatted briefly with Brad, but then tried to focus on my breathing again. Vicky, Sean, and Rocky would meet me at the finish line and Sean had brought his bike and he met me with some Gatorade with about three miles to go, which was just what I needed. Two weeks earlier, Rocky had volunteered to crew for me on his bike for the entire marathon, but unfortunately he broke his arm snowboarding.

The Hardware...

Miles 18 thru 24 felt the easiest of the entire race for me, but I had to give it my all in the last two miles to make it under 3 hours. with 1 mile to go, I started speeding up in order to make sure I would not need yet another marathon to break 3 hours. I ran a 6:10 mile and knew I had it locked up when I made the last turn with the clock in sight. I almost missed the turn to the finish chute, but fortunately Rocky yelled out that I had to make a right turn off the bike path and I crossed the line with 10 seconds to spare (2:59:50)! Naturally, I was really excited about the time (mission accomplished) and it was a nice bonus to win the race overall, of course!

Nachos!--a nice second (or third) post race meal at Dos Coyotes in Folsom

Although the course is USATF certified for the distance, it appeared to be roughly 0.15 miles longer on my GPS watch and I heard others say the same. (distances ranged between 26.35 and 26.66). It turned out to be a hot day, so even though this was a fast and flat marathon, hats off to all the finishers (especially first-timers) who were out there in the heat for many hours! Thanks to Robert and Lisa Mathis for putting on another great event on a much larger scale than the usual ultras and to all the volunteers who came out to help.

Next Up: The Spring Run 10K in Nevada City on the 25th of April.

Sub-5 at the Rucky Chucky 50K

Yesterday turned out to be a good day for the Lubbers family! In Marysville, my sons Sean and Rocky placed first and third respectively in their age groups in the 13th Annual Tri-Counties Music Competition and in Foresthill, I placed fourth overall (first in my age group) in the Rucky Chucky Roundabout 50K in a time of 4:52 (almost an hour faster than last year).
Of course, my wife deserves "honorable mention," because she cooked the pre-race pasta dinner, baked the post-race pancakes, drove the kids to countless rehearsals, and made sure everything was properly organized.

The American River

Last year, I did not have such a great day at this race. It was pretty warm that day and we had to carry a lot more water due to an inaccessible aid station. This year's forecast called for cooler weather with a chance of rain and there would be an extra aid station, so times would probably be faster.

Lots of vertical feet on the course

Based on some recent training times, I decided to shoot for a sub-5 hour finish. The course is a very steep out-and-back trail run. You start at Foresthill Elementary School (3300'), follow the Western States trail and bomb down to the famous Ruck-a-Chuck river crossing (750'). Then, you turn around and crawl back up to Foresthill.

Before the start

Last year, I started out a bit too fast and arrived at the turnaround at 2:15, but then the wheels came off. So this year my plan was to run a more conservative first half, leaving enough in the tank to actually run most of the return trip. My projected splits were:

• Sandy Bottoms aid station (mile 13.9)--2:00
  
• Rucky Chucky turnaround (Mile 15.8)--2:15
• Mile 22--3 hours
• Finish--sub-5

This schedule would leave two hours for the last ten (very steep uphill) miles and it would take into account being in better shape and running without a CamelBak.

Andy Anderson on his way back

Training had been going well. After recovering from the Pony Express 100K for about a week, I ramped up my training and focused exclusively on steep mountain training. I ran 111 miles with roughly 30,000' vertical in 11 straight days before tapering back down for Rucky Chucky. On day 6, I ran my usual 10-mile mountain training loop in my fastest time ever: 1:10:38, so I knew I was ready for some fast mountain miles. The main thing was not to go out too fast. This race is mostly about being able to run back up the hill.

Chatting with CJ Callans

Troy offered to crew for me, although there was really only one place where he could meet me on the course (The Rucky Chucky river turn-around). Nevertheless, it was good to get a little bit of race intelligence and, most importantly, a ride back home! Thanks again, Troy.

With Dave before the race

Before the race, I finally got to meet Dave "Atlanta Trails" Schoenberg in person. Dave lives in Berkeley these days and came out to explore the Western States trail.

Dave in action

I also caught up with Gretchen and met Mike Scammon plus a few other runners who were going to do their first ultra. They sure picked a challenging run for a first ultra, but then again, if you're going to run an ultra, you may as well go all the way.

Checking out the elevation profile with Dave and Mike

I started out a little bit more conservative than last year, holding back more on the steep downhills, in the hope I would be able to run a lot more of the return trip. This proved to be a good strategy. Mark Lantz, out for a training race a week after running the Way Too Cool 50K a week earlier, set the pace from the start and slowly pulled away with the very positive (and fast) Andy Anderson on his tail.

I spent the majority of the downhill section chatting with Oregon's JC Callans, a very fast marathon runner (2nd in the Redding Marathon this year) who was running his first ultra. JC would pull ahead of me occasionally, but I would catch up with him again at the aid stations. Although he was new to ultrarunning, JC had received plenty of good ultra advice. He lives close to the Rogue Valley Runners store, which seems to provide employment for about half of all the top ultrarunners in this country. JC even carried a good luck charm-a Gu Roctane, rung up by Anton Krupicka himself.

Some of the great volunteers

I hit the 14-mile mark at 1:52 and the turnaround in 2:05 (both earlier than expected, but feeling pretty comfortable), and then started making my way up the hill again, exchanging "good job" and "looking-good" with all the other runners coming down the trail. I hit the 22-mile mark a little behind schedule at 3:05. At the last aid station (with 8.7 miles to go) I found out that Andy Anderson had a commanding lead, Mark Lantz was about 10 minutes ahead, and JC was only about 3 minutes ahead.

Mark Lantz powers back up the hill

Some of the uphill sections were insanely steep and almost impossible to run. I took a few walking breaks, but tried to keep a running rhythm going as much as possible. For the longest time I was not sure if I would make it under 5 hours, but once I hit some of the familiar trail sections before California Street, I knew sub-5 was within reach. I sped up a little and crossed the finish line in 4:52 (4th overall and 1st AG), still 3 minutes behind JC, who definitely has a future in ultra running (his wife was running the 50K as well). I was quite happy with the result and stuck around for Lisa Mathis's excellent post-race buffet.

JC Callans cruises into the Sandy Bottoms aid station

Andy Anderson easily took first place in 4:18, just 5 minutes off Lon Freeman's CR and Mark Lantz came in second in about 4:30 (great time for a training run!). Though perhaps not a familiar name on the ultrarunning scene (yet), watch out for Andy Anderson. He's an avalanche forecaster, who logs about 30 miles on cross-country skis in the Tahoe Truckee area every day in addition to some low-volume high altitude running--wow!

Andy Anderson (1st place)

After the lunch, I found out that Sean and Rocky had won first and third place in the music competition and that they would be performing in the winner's concert/award ceremony that evening. I rushed home, took a shower, and made it just in time for the final concert, which was a real treat. All their hard work and practice had really paid off. Rocky played a Die Harfe (Mayer) on the piano and received a $50 third place prize and trophy, and Sean played Humoresque (Dvorak) on the cello and received $100 and a trophy. Hmm, there seems to be more prize money in music than in ultrarunning...

Sean and Rocky with their prizes

Next up: the River City Marathon on April 19th. Aim: sub-3.

Four Personal Records and a Course Record

Yesterday, I ran the Pony Express Race. This race offers a 30K, 50K, 50M, and 100K option and I picked the 100K. Having run the 100K in 2007 and coming in second to Scott Dunlap, I knew what to expect.

Before the start

The race is a 1.25-mile loop course around Cameron Park Lake (50 loops for the 100K) and this format allows friends and family members to come out and crew for their runners while enjoying a nice day in the park.

Sunrise at Cameron Park Lake

My training had been going well and the last day of dry and cool weather would make this a great day to break some records. On Friday, my friend Troy decided he would come out and crew for me, which would be a great help, too. Some days everything just goes right and this was one of those days.

The new Chocolate#9 chocolate agave gel

Today, I was going to try out a new gel--Chocolate#9 Chocolate Agave. I had been looking around for a healthier alternative to the basic assortment of gels and reading about these gels (sweetened with Agave, no artificial ingredients, no refined sugar, vegan, etc.) it sounded like I had finally found the right one. These gels are some of the best-tasting gels ever. Think of a rich Starbucks chocolate truffle drink in gel format, but without any sugar and other bad stuff--a chocolate-lover's delight. I ate one every 4 laps and they gave me plenty of energy. Definitely a winner!

Jon Olsen flies by on his way to the 50-mile win in 5:58

In my training I had experimented with different speeds and decided to shoot for an 8:30 finish time. The splits for that break down as follows:

• 8:12 per mile
• 10:15 per lap
• 51 minute 10K
• 3:35 marathon
• 4:14 50K
• 6:50 50M
• 8:30 100K

John Souza wins the 50K

To be successful, it would be critical not to start out with the lead pack, particularly because there were runners in 4 distances. I immediately tried to settle into an 8-minute mile pace, which felt ridiculously slow. Sure enough, about 12 runners took off fast and formed a pack up front. The "Modesto Trio" (Jon Olsen (50M), John Souza (50K), and Hao Tran (30K) was leading the pack and after a few short laps, the pack was no longer running together.

Hao Tran and Ray Sanchez (Team Pandemonium) pass through the start/finish area

My pacing strategy paid off. The first 50K felt super comfortable and I did not feel like I was working hard until about 45 miles. I was nailing the splits, one after another, almost within a few seconds. I never broke stride and just kept a cruising at a steady pace. I hit the marathon in 3 minutes fast, in 3:32, the 50K in 4:07 (my first PR of the day). By this time I had reeled in most of the people that had lapped me earlier, except for the eventual 30K, 50K, and 50M winners. Jon Olsen was really tearing it up, going faster as the race went on. He finished in 5:58, just shy of Brad Lael's 5:54 50-mile course record. Congrats, Jon!

Round and round we go...

At 45 miles it became harder to keep the pace, but it was still doable. I hit the 50M in 6:40 (PR#2) with 10 laps to go. After about 55 miles, I was unable to keep the pace no matter how hard I tried, dropping about a minute or more per mile.

Another race around this place (Eiffel 65)

Before the race, my son Sean had asked what the longest distance was that I had ever run without taking a walking break. That was a 50K and I had just increased my PR for running non-stop to 55 miles. It felt silly to stop now, somewhere in the no-man's land between 50 miles and 100K, so I kept on running, grinding out those final miles.

Finished!

Troy joined me for a few final laps and the company helped. By this time, there were not too many people left on the course and all of them were suffering, yet determined to finish. With the end in sight, the last two laps felt surprisingly easy again.

With R.D. Robert Mathis (and my Inov-8 Shoes Gift certificate)

In 2007, I ran 9:36, and with one lap to go, it was clear I would be a little bit slower than my projected 8:30, so it would be fun to at least break my old record by an hour. I had twelve minutes left to do that and cranked out one more lap at the old 10-minute-per-lap pace to finish in 8:34 and change (good for another two new PRs--longest non-stop run and 100K).

Kicking back after the race

I also set a new course record (The CR was 9:06). However, I have to add that I won the 100K by attrition, because there was an overall 10.5 hr cutoff and the people that had signed up for it ended up dropping down to the 50-mile race. Nevertheless, my splits would have been good enough for (I think) a second place in the 50-miler, and a top-spot in the 50K.

Loading up on Linda's famous post-race buffet (There was still plenty left!)

After the race, we enjoyed the post-race buffet while watching the other runners finish. All in all it was great day and weather-wise it worked out perfectly, because a huge storm moved in at night and it is supposed to rain for a while now.

Rick Santos ices the legs after a strong finish, Troy talks to Western States/Pony Express volunteer Brad McGoo

Another great benefit of having a crew with you: you don't have to drive home after the race! Thanks a lot Troy for coming out with me--I owe you one!

Jose San Gabriel with 200 yards to go

A huge thanks a lot to Robert and Linda Mathis and Brad Mcgoo for putting on the great race and keeping track of all the laps!