Steamboat 50 (Part 1)

This is a tough one.  The memory is a bit vague.  It's been tough to codify my thoughts on the race.

The quick and dirty of it is:  Holy Crap, really?!

But if you're interested the rest of this one and probably 3 more posts will be dedicated to the race itself and it's denouement.  The longer version probably starts the night before...

Like I noted in the post on Saturday, I went to the race meeting and picked up my packet.  The race director gave a moving memoriam to Jenna Gruben, an ultra runner and uber-volunteer for the Steamboat race.  When I picked up my packet there was a little shrine set up to her with a couple of quilt tiles to be signed by the racers.  It didn't feel right, as I had never met Jenna, so I didn't put my name down or offer any words.  It's interesting though because when I think back, the Fruita race was touched by Jenna too and prior to the start, there was a moment of silence and some racers adopted some sort of iconography in remembrance.  Had Dave mentioned Imogene to me 4 years ago instead of three, I expect I would have known this person to whom I have devoted one of my longer paragraphs, but as it stands I guess I missed out.

After the meeting, I hightailed it for food.  Went to the City Market and picked up an 8 piece, dark meat, fried chicken box.  You know, "The cornerstone of a nutritious dinner."  I ate 4 pieces of chicken for dinner and added in some pasta salad, broccoli, a half gallon of apple juice and some Chips Ahoy with milk.  Probably a 2000 calorie dinner at a bare minimum.  Carbo-loading is for short races.

Upon eating, I set my alarm for 4:45 (I think) and turned out the lights.  It was about 9. I felt tired and expected to sleep.  Nope.  I usually don't have too much trouble sleeping, but before Imogene and before Run Rabbit Run, I slept like crap.  I actually got up around 4:20, turned on SportsCenter, and got my act together.

 "Mellow Cup Coffee" is enough to oil the works apparently.  It was nice to get that out of the way before I even left the motel.  I ate a few more Chips Ahoy with milk - "The cornerstone of a nutritious breakfast," - I mixed up a couple of water bottles full of Enduromax, grabbed my gear and headed out the door around 5:20.

I parked, got checked in, and got some water.  Mellow Cup had performed the most pressing duty and I figured I didn't need any more caffeine so I was looking for hydration.  I also grabbed a muffin, but I was pretty well topped up with Chips Ahoy so I only ate the top.  I usually hate when people do that, but I was willing to make an exception.

While milling about waiting to get marshalled to the start, I met Jim and Brooks.  Two dudes who would end up in the top 20.  I was familiar with Brooks because of Brandon and Jim from twitter.  Both gents are obviously much, much faster than I and I wouldn't see them at the finish, but that's a story for another day (Thursday maybe?).

Thanks for reading.
Jay

Yeah, so about that report...

Took a vacation day today.

Moved around a bit, didn't bother with the 'Puter. Not really all that interested in sitting in one place for a long time, but having trouble moving from one place to another...

 Maybe tomorrow.

Ooooooof...

After a long day on the trails behind the Steamboat Mountain Ski Resort, I spent a long day in the car.

Not ideal recovery.

I'll write up a race report tomorrow complete with video, but until then...

Thanks for reading, Jay

In Steamboat, Tired

That might be it.

Ran a bit this morning with Homey, took him to Julies and drove up to Steamboat.

I picked up my packet, and attended the pre-race meeting then went to the deli counter at the local Grocery store and picked up dinner.  Fried Chicken.  MMMmmmmm tasty.  Some pasta salad and a fairly hideous broccoli something or other rounded out the meal.  I've got Apple Juice some milk and Chips Ahoy for desert too.

Tomorrow is coming early.  Less than 11 hours until race start.  We'll see.
Thanks for reading.
J

T Minus 33 hours (ish)

Steamboat 50 is coming up.

Right.  I've said that already.

Steamboat 50 is coming up.

What did I do?

Um....  Some laundry?  I guess?  Gotta have clean Ijinji socks for the race.

Less than 1 year ago I said, "No way I'll ever do one of those!" and here I am about to "do one of those."  I honestly don't know how I'll finish or if I'll finish, but today I picked up enough "tech food" for two 50's.  That should be enough calories...

This race almost feels "spur of the moment" to me.   Imogene was always target A on my calendar.  I lost sight of it, dreams reminded me of it, and I raced it.  I feel like I might have left a bit on the course, but not alot (just a couple of skin cells)...  Here I am, like last year undertaking something unknown in the wake of something known - I knew Imogene was in the bag last year, just didn't know how fast I could go...

Allrighty then.

Guessing.

Presupposing no injuries, I think I'm going to go under 12 hours.  Not sure of course, but...

Why?  Running today with the Holmes, I felt like I was gliding.  Effortless.  Fast.  We didn't go far, but it felt good.  It was the first day since Imogene I felt fit and good again.  No soreness whatsoever.  Good.

We'll see.  The big challenge in the Steamboat 50 is right up front.  3750 feet in 6ish miles (profile). After that there is less than 5000 feet of climbing left (over 44 miles).  I'll take that first bit easy - at 210 lbs there isn't much choice.  After that, it's going to be a question of fuel.

There's a part of me which thinks that I could hit 10 hours for the course, but then I remind myself of that first bit and readjust my estimate.  This is my first 50.  Modesty matters.  So:

• My first goal for this race is to finish.  
• My second goal is to finish smiling.
• My stretch goal is to come in under 12 hours.  

I really think I can get all three, but I really prefer being able to give the volunteers a grin and will sacrifice #3 in order to say thanks along the way.

I'll write something after the race orientation tomorrow.
Until then...
Thanks for reading,
J

Steamboat Ruminations

All right.  A couple of days removed from Imogene and I'm starting to realize the impending 50.  This is a similar year to last in that one week following "The Race" on my calendar, I scheduled another.  Last year, it was my first marathon.  Boulder.  That race was run on a day which was brutally hot, and the organizers somehow managed to run out of water and Gatorade for the later finishers of the race.  I also seem to remember results taking forever to get posted afterwards.  Googling around afterwards, in part to see if anyone was injured or worse as a result of the organizers rather lax preparations, I stumbled across Brandon's blog, and that really got this ball rolling - You know, if that dude can do this stuff, why can't I?  So...

Early in the year this year, I had proposed to my cousin that we run the Mount Desert Island Marathon.  He used to be a sub 3 hour marathoner, and might well be close to that now if he trained for it, but skiing is his real passion.  I was thinking I'd try for a Boston qualifier at MDI, but wanted to make sure that I wouldn't be wasting a plane ticket, lodging and the sundry assemblage of folks for what might turn out to be an abject failure...  So I put the Steamboat Marathon on my schedule with a time goal of 3:30.  If I could hit 3:30, I'd bust my ass with interval training and miserable hot runs throughout this summer and then try down at sea level to uncork 3:15.  It was a hard cap.

Steamboat went well through the first 22 miles.  I was well under my 3:30 goal, but two factors conspired against me in the last 4 miles.  One, a not insignificant hill got in my way and two, the sun.  The lower stretches of the course were very exposed and the temperature seemed to get very high.  I suffered.  I had opted not to don my "Sun Runner" hat prior to the race and that might have been the difference.  I finished Steamboat in 3:33.  Three minutes off of my goal pace.  No BQ attempt this year, run for fun was the name of the game.  Intervals suck, but running long in the mountains doesn't:  a fifty miler would make it onto my schedule.

At first I thought it would be the North Fork 50.  I've got some roots in Buffalo Creek, and a fundraiser for the volunteer fire department seemed like a tremendous idea.  But, couple the high temps of July 17th with a difficult course I was already very familiar with thanks to my MTB and I decided NF50 would be a no go.  I started thinking that a 50 after Imogene would be sweet.  Ideally something in October, but I wanted something that didn't involve laps.

I ended up deciding that Steamboat would be the race, but I had to hold off on registering until August because of financial timing issues.  When I got around to clicking the link "register now" the race was already over it's 150 runner cap.  I was sad.  I mailed the race director a note, "Are you going to open up more slots?"  and got back, "We're going to try.  Check the site regularly."  Which I dutifully did and lo, more slots opened.  Thanks Montrail.

So, just like last year.  One week after Imogene, I'll be undertaking my first of some crazy distance.  Last year it was a marathon which took almost 5 hours.  This year it'll be my first ultramarathon.  I'd say I have a specific time goal, but I wanted to go under 4 for last year's Boulder Marathon, so I'll just say I won't be breaking 10 hours this year.  Next year - 100?  Um... Doubtful.

Re: today's running.  Quads are still sore from Imogene, but much better than yesterday.  All else is happy.  I ran 3 miles very easy in my VFF with Homey who also got brushed today.  Good day all around.

Thank for reading.
J

Burned a Match

The title of this post could well be "and...Moving on Now," but I've got one last bit of Imogene left in me.  I'm fantastically sore from the race on Saturday.  I'm confident everything will be loosened up come Steamboat, but right now I'm having a little trouble creaking out of my chair.  Oh well.  I said I wanted to give the race a go and well, that's what I did.  In case you missed them and were interested, I posted my GPS file to Garmin Connect and I shot some video while out on the course.

Anyway.  Today has been about work, taking things pretty easy and debating what my effort should be today.  I debated a second day completely off, but opted instead for 2 miles super easy with Homey.   Sometimes a very light effort is more effective in enhancing recovery than is total rest.  A short easy effort would usually find me in my bare feet, but today I wore my vibrams because of the blisters on my heels and am pleased to report that they caused me zero discomfort.

I have a standard out and back which is perfectly 2 miles.  Homey has places he always tags and specific patches of grass which he likes to snack on.  Today though, there was something interesting in the tall grass next to the bike path.  He expressed a desire to go check something out so we stepped over and he sniffed and quickly jumped back.  He eased back in and sniffed really intently, but try as I might I couldn't see anything in the grass.  I did notice the grass moving, but I sure couldn't find anything.  I think it's spectacular that even with a 6th sense, there are times when life just hides from us.

I'm glad I got out this evening.  Hopefully I feel better tomorrow.  Today my quads are fantastically sore...

Thanks for reading.
J