American River 2013 50 miler race report

I had a great time running the American River 50 mile Trail Race. This is my longest race that I have ever done, both in terms of distance and time. I toed the line with over 800 other runners and we ran from Sacramento to Auburn along the American River. It is also a qualifier for entering the Western States 100 mile race lottery - if you can finish in less than 11 hours.

Training

I signed up for the AR50 as my goal race for 2013. I wanted to get away from the road and track where I was pushing hard paces. I also wanted to look for a new challenge. Doing the 50 mile distance seemed pretty daunting, but doable if I was a bit conservative with my pace. The altitude gain for the race was not bad at all for a 50 miler, a 3500' ascent, although the bulk of it came at the end in the last few miles.

I did a pretty low mileage training plan, but I made sure that I kept the long weekend miles going, mainly running with my sister Jenny. I was also nursing shin splints and possible stress fracture in my left tibia. I found that if I controlled my pace and didn't push too far below 9 min/mile on the long runs it was ok. Every now and then I would get a twinge and think oops this is it, can't do the AR 50, but then it would go away and I would happily continue my training.

The longest run I did was a flat 28 miler where I did a run/walk plan (walk 2 min, run 10 min). On that run, I of course also lost my car key due to it falling out of a new gear pack that Jenny gave me. I think it was about 3 miles back from where I ended, but I was not ready to run another 6 miles to find it! I had to wait in this isolated place in a rough area of East Palo Alto waiting for Celine to rescue me, luckily there was a 4 cop car lunch group hanging out to protect this lonely tired runner. I also enjoyed doing some of my long runs with the ARM running team on Saturdays at Sawyer Camp Trail. I would typically go out early and run 10-12 then join the group to finish up with another 10-12, it's always nice to run with other folks.

After training with my light mileage (30-40 miles / week), I had two goals: 1st:  finish without blowing up, 2nd: finish with crawling to the end and a distant 3rd: finish in a WS100 qualifying time.

Race

We stayed overnight on Friday in Sacramento, we did a little scramble for hotels, because Mom and Dad thought they may not be able to drive Jenny up on race day to join me at mile 27 as we originally planned. After dodging getting a fleabag motel room for Jenny (who was flying in with our boys from vacation in Hawaii at the Four Seasons and it would have been quite a system shock to stay at another nearby ratty motel), we were able to get enough beds set up in our hotel. I ate dinner with my pal Drew and then tried to get some sleep after laying out my running gear. The family was going to join later w/ Jenny (and our new rollout bed in the hotel room). So, I got an hour of sleep, then was gently woken up again when the family arrived, but overall got a few solid hours of sleep.

 

With Drew before the start

I woke around 5:00AM and Drew was kind enough to come by the hotel and drive me to the start line, which was a great help. He had run some of the trails before and really knew the area well. He was able to hang out with me right at the start where it was a loose mix of runners and family and friends. It was pretty dark, but no need for a light, so that was nice. I planned for a 10 min / 2 min run / walk so that I would be ok for the full 50 miles. With the crush of folks, I didn't start with that for the first 10-20 min, but got back in the groove when the people spread out and other folks started the run/walk plan too. I found that I was yo-yoing with a few groups who were running steady at a slower pace and I had to watch myself for always trying to catch up with them when I fell back from walking. I wanted my running pace to be around 9:30 min/mile, but regularly dipped below that. I hope that wasn't going to be trouble later.

First 25 miles:

The first 25 miles was relatively flat, very nice scenery along the river, many groups of runners. I did some chatting along the way, there were definitely a number of n00bs likes myself. It was a bike trail for most of the way, but I typically ran on the dirt on the side for the extra cushion. It felt really nice, with almost perfect weather at that point. There were a couple of spots where there were big hills and people walked them, but I pushed pretty strongly. I was tweeting a couple pics along the way too, so Celine, the boys and Jenny would know where I was at on the course. My legs felt good, I did regular fueling of 1 Roctance / 30 min. I tried to not drink too much water (because I just heard a podcast on being 'Waterlogged' and I thought I probably did drink too much on races). I did a couple bathroom pit stops and my stomach which was aching the night before really calmed down and felt fine again. A nice bonus of running the bike trail was very civilized toilets, which I appreciated!

I tweeted a few pics during this portion of the race, it was a pain to take out my phone, but I was fresh enough to do it. Later in the race past mile 30, I could not be bothered with something as annoying as that!

Tweeting away on the bike path

 

During one of my walk breaks I ran into Drew at an aid station. This was nice, because we could walk and talk together on the course for a couple minutes, then my internal timer went off and I took off again, he said he'd see me later at one of the other aid stations, which I was happy to hear. It was nice to know folks were tracking my progress and I would see him and my family up the road.

Picking up my pacer at Beal's point (Around mile 27):

There were some good ups just before Beal's point, a nice climb up a dam towards Folsom lake. Before that point I hit the 26.2 mile marker which had balloons, etc. one of the guys I was running with said that he just hit his marathon PR. This sounded like a really bad idea to me, to PR for your marathon pace when we still had 24 miles to go. He did fall off pretty hard later, but I bet he still made the distance. I crossed 26.2 in 4:38, my marathon PR is 3:34, so I was going at a nice relaxed pace (including my walk/run, averaged out to a 10:00 pace, which sounded good to me for completing another 23 miles).

About a mile before Beal's it got pretty tough mentally, I couldn't believe I had to run another 23+ miles. Running 27 by itself was pretty tough and I knew the next part was harder, single track with more and much steeper hills. I had already run for 4+ hours and knew I had around 6 more hours to go. How is that possible! What would it feel like to drop out, that would suck. I tried to get the 'Relentless Forward Progress' mindset on and kept up pace, thinking that I could reevaluate at Beal's point at mile 27, the first time you can pick up a pacer and where I'd see Celine and the boys and Jenny.

Family at Beal's Point

I hit Beal's point and it was a huge party! There were a ton of spectators and pacers hanging out cheering everyone on. Right away I saw Celine and the boys which made me so happy! They were bright and encouraging and excited. I was also wonderfully shocked to see that my parents had made it up in time to meet me at Beal's also, that was a nice boost, especially seeing Mom. Dad said some nice words and was taking great pix. Jenny was there too, looking ready to go. Initially I just stopped and chatted walking forwards while everyone was being really nice and encouraging. First I did not want to change my shirt, I was tired and did not want to deal with it. Later after some rest, I decided to change my shirt to my short sleeve ARM shirt as it was starting to get a little warmer. Celine was nice enough to help me re-pin my race bib, since that seemed like a tough task to me at the time. Jenny went off to use the bathroom as I changed.

Somehow, being surrounded by all my wonderful family, just stopping for a bit and changing my shirt, I felt like - hey this is still possible, I can do this, time to get running again. I looked for Jenny, but she was still hanging out by bathroom. I waved her over to get going, but she stayed over by the bathroom. I felt like I had a narrow window open up where I was ready to run, but my pacer was just hanging out, I was starting to get mad! Celine shouted over that I was ready to go and Jenny finally came over and we started running. Later in the run we laughed both because I was getting mad and because she got trapped by the bathroom by another pacer who asked her to be a lookout for the other pacer's runner while the pacer was in the bathroom!

With family at Beal's

And the pacing begins

I told Jenny a couple of things while we were running like I'm doing a gu every 1/2 hour, salt tab every hour and she really helped me track that when I could not remember what I had done and all the gu'ing up had become a blur. Overall my lesson for myself was to tell my pacer more about my condition / thoughts, e.g. my leg conditions, how my walk / run plan was going. I think it would help them help me more, or even just talking about any bad conditions out loud would help me think about them and how to address them immediately or later in the race. 

With Jenny pacing me in for the 2nd half

We ran/walked for a while passing folks and getting passed as we all settled into different paces as we hit the hills and single track trail along Lake Folsom. Oh, by the way Lake Folsom is the longest lake in the world! It just went on and on. We would sync up with folks and run together for a while, then split up. There were other pacers around also. You could tell who the pacers were, because they were so bright and chatty while the racers would generally respond with grunts. Jenny held up her end of the bargain chatting for most of the way and it was really nice to have the company. At one point I thought I could eat some more solid food, so I told Jenny to grab me a piece of a banana at an aid station. I was on the verge of eating it a couple times, but in the end she carried what became a slimy banana mess for 5 miles, before we hit the next aid station. We both laughed when she finally got to throw it away.

Note what Jenny is carrying in her left hand!

Lake Folsom (longest lake in the world - to me at this time!)

Around mile 35, my right calf became pretty tight and it slowed me down a little bit. If I stumbled, it would go to the edge of cramping. That became my one worry, since my shins splints and what I thought was a stress fracture were doing fine with the pace I was going. I thought this might be the one thing to take me out - if got a big calf strain or tear, that would probably be it for me. I didn't want to limp to the finish for 15 miles. I kept up my salt and Gu intake and hoped for the best.

Running the single track was nice, through woods, by the lake then later along the American River above the lake had spectacular scenery. My run/walk 10/2 changed to become very natural, I would run what was runnable in my current state and walk the hills that were tougher.

One of my mantras was not to waste time at the aid stations. There were 11 aid stations, so stopping for a few minutes in each one can add up to 30min+ easily. It's easy to get distracted there also, as they have a great spread of a lot of different foods (sandwiches, fruit, potatoes, soup!), gu's, different liquids and general supplies (vaseline, sun block, salt tabs). So, if you don't have a plan going in, you can just stand in front of the table in a daze (or worse, sit down in one of the inviting chairs nearby). On the other hand, the aid stations were also a big lift, because I saw Celine and the boys a bunch of different times along the route as they followed our progress up the river after mile 27. At the aid stations, they shouted and waved and I loved it.

For about 30 minutes of the race, I hit a nice Ultra pure moment. We were running with a small pack of runners on single track along the river at a nice cruising pace, in a good rhythm, not talking much, just eating up the miles with a smooth gait. No thoughts of run walking. The pace smoothly increased on the flat and slight downs and we kept running even as the trail rolled up hill at times. It was a moment in time, but I felt like this was my existence for a while and I could keep doing it for a long time. It was my mission for the day and I would continue going until I did not need to anymore. It felt good. This was the best part of the race for me, something I had not felt before even in other long Ultras. Something clicked.

The good times could not last forever though and we hit the last few miles where the trail abruptly climbed up the Overlook Dam into Auburn and changed into a wide paved road. It was now time to go into low gear and chug on up to the top and the finish. This is where we saw a little bit of carnage. One woman was throwing up on the side of the road, her pacer holding her hair back. She seemed to rebound from it well though and joined the group running up. There started to be open discussion about us all making the 11 hour cutoff for the WS100 lottery and I was now determined to make it happen too. Another woman cramped up badly, folks gave her salt tabs and she was shouting that she never had a cramp before, now she knew how bad it could feel. She also recovered and started running up the hill on top of that. Jenny reminded me to eat Gu's. I was pretty forgetful about when I last had a Gu at this point, so it was a real help to be reminded, so I didn't bonk or also have cramps.

Power hiking on the last mile

We came up to one of the final aid stations and this super fit shirtless runner volunteers would run down the hill to grab your water bottle, run up the hill to fill it and then run back to give it you, it was great. Of course, when they ran up to Jenny and I they grabbed my bottle, looked at Jenny and said 'Pacer? You can get your own.' Ouch!

We hit the one mile mark and the end felt close. I started running a little bit. Jenny liked my comment at this point, that whenever the terrain leveled out a little bit I would say 'seems runnable' and we'd go at a jog until the road got steep again. Very close to the end we could start to hear the cheering from the finish line and we knew it was close to over. I also saw one of my pals from work as he walked in from the finish. He did very well, finishing earlier in the day in around 8 hours. I got a high five and a 'WS100 qualifier!' and I ran up a little final hill to the finish.

Finish

I saw my family cheering me on near the finish chute and my boys ran along with me for a little while too. I passed through the finish with Jenny in 10:37 and was greeted by my wonderful wife Celine, my great boys, Drew and his son, and Mom and Dad. I was so happy to finish and do it in WS100 qualifying time! That's a very genuine smile below.

Finished!

I had to keep walking for a while, so I didn't pass out. It was good to be  done. We went back to Drew's house, had some good Chinese food and got some cool trophies from Dad and Mom. Mine was a miner panning for gold (the same as a statue in Auburn) and Jenny got one of a female runner, 'based on my physique' she quipped.

Trophies from Dad and Mom at Drew's house

  

I had great support from my lovely wife Celine, and my family throughout both my training and the race itself. Jenny did great pacing in the race and also in training, I could not have done it without her. I like this distance, it feels good and right for a long race. I'm not sure I need to go further (100K or 100 miler), but time will tell.

For now, I feel like a very legit Ultra runner having moved on from the 50Ks and conquering my first 50 miler!

Are You Tough Enough 2012

RUTE 2012 Race Report (Team Beauty and the Beasts)

Team B and B (L to R): Jim, Brian, Jenny, Dan, David

Intro (Dan reporting): 65 mile relay race, 5 team members, ten legs of varying difficulty and lots of fun climb and plunges (7000' climb, 7000' descent). The route goes from Summerland, south of Santa Barbara (Toro Canyon Park) along the mountain ridges on Camino Cielo Road, above Santa Barbara, down the backside of the Santa Barbara mountains to Solvang and the valley beyond. Team B and B's third running.

2012 Team Roster: Jim, Brian, Jenny, Dan, David.

Quick Race Summary

Epic Race Summary

This time we get to blame David for getting the ball rolling on this fun and punishing race! We were visiting the Thompson's in Santa Barbara and David was telling me how he hadn't been running in months due to injuries. We were commiserating over injuries and how hard it was to come back (I recently had a tibial stress fracture and still have sore shins). I was starting to wonder if David even was going to start running again at all.

Then he casually drops the bomb - to have a good goal to run again we should form another Team B and B and run RUTE! Whaaat - that's not even on my radar and it's a hard race with lots of fast teams.

Of course I was in!

We immediately grabbed Brian who has been part of the team B and B from the start and had been doing some good fast training runs lately. I also recruited my sister Jenny who is a great, fast runner and has paced with me in our last two races. Of course  Jenny said she would join us immediately (in fact she said she would join the team before I was done describing the race, before I even asked!) So we quickly had four on team and we needed one more...

We asked a few folks, but there were a number of conflicts, We started to approach the race date still without a fifth member when Brian asked his pal Jim. Jim was a great sport to join so close to the race day. Lucky for us, Jim was already an accomplished marathoner who had just run a hilly marathon (Buzz Marathon) and had already conquered big climbs like the SB Pier to Peak race. A great addition to the team!

Intro (David reporting)

I was really nervous this year for RUTE. The Shimizu and Thompson clans were hanging out on a Disney trip In January and I thought it might be a good idea to suggest running RUTE to get me motivated to run again after a 4 month recovery hiatus. You know Dan is always game for a race, especially if he can run with friends. Two weeks later I finally got motivated and training for RUTE 2012 began.

A week before the race I checked the weather for race day and it was gearing up to be an incredible spring day, I was getting excited. Only one problem, Dan sent out an early breakdown of the legs and Dan had me slotted to run leg 3 and leg 6, two big climbs. I had run these legs two years ago, but that was two years ago and one less child. Dan has always had great faith in my running abilities, but this year I was going to need help. Dan and the team were kind enough to switch things up and help me out. I really appreciate it and owe Jim and Jenny big for taking on some big climbs, they
are more than tough enough.

Race days turns out to be even more beautiful than I could have imagined. I'm confident we can get a PR, but I know there might be some obstacles (especially given my lack of conditioning).

Pre-race Pacing. (Dan reporting)

Like the years before we threw together a fancy spreadsheet with some goal / estimate times. However, we had changed the legs around a lot from last time and we had new folks running on parts of the course they had never even seen before! I did some very light tweaking to get a very rough ballpark number. In the end we had something that was sub 9:00 which both David and I would be happy with - it would be a PR over our first team (9:06) which did pretty well and had some fast folks and everyone in good shape. If we could beat that previous time we'd be really pushing it!

Pre-race strategy at Fresco North

Leg 1 (Jenny reporting):

Jenny waiting at the start

It's my first RUTE, first relay and first truly hilly race - I'm excited and nervous!  Thanks, especially, to my husband, Gerald, who actually got me running (exercising, cycling etc!) in the first place and to my brother, Dan, for getting me into racing.  The night before at our team meeting, I realized that I didn't really know where I was running so I got a crash course from the Beasts on Leg 1 and Leg 5's features, turns, and hills plus got some ideas for pacing.  I hadn't quite clued into the fact that the course wouldn't be marked or that I might be running alone for most of leg 5.  It made a huge difference for me - thanks, Beasts!

Race day...the "around 6" pick up by Dan  Dave is at 5:50am - we're all amped.  My left wrist is stained with ballpoint pen ink - it's my cheat sheet of turns and main roads to follow; I don't want to get lost!  Our drive down to Toro Canyon welcomes us with a gorgeous clear view of the moon; we're going to have great weather today.  We get to the start, and teams start to trickle in.  It's clear that there are quite a few RUTE veterans here with folks dressed up in kilts, pajamas, hot pink tights and team shirts.  I find it both funny and totally intimidating.  Finally it's start time, and I've added a Gu to my breakfast flip flopping in my stomach.  As the Leg 1 runners huddle for warmth, the director goes over the "rules" for the race and practically mid-sentence softly says "Go."  It could've been a gunshot the way that the runners took off, and I jump into the fray hoping that my desperate slap to my Garmin has started it up.

I have definitely won the lottery being given the first leg.  Leg 1 begins with a slight curve to the left which opens up to a long, shady downhill on East Valley Road.  It's gorgeous (could even be distracting) - who knew that I would be dreaming of this shady glen with such fervor in a mere three hours!  I remember Brian's advice and start going fast on the downhill.  The frontrunners disappear quickly, and I fall into a group that jockeys around a bit then settles down.  After two sub 7:00 miles, I feel like I am in a good rhythm and then pass a couple people who had passed my on the downhill - that feels good, too!  Meanwhile, Dan and Dave have been shouting out tons of encouragement and making sure that I feel comfortable with the route.  It's helping tons!  Plus the other teams are cheering everyone on with music, pompoms and general giddy enthusiasm.  I hit the rollers and slow a bit then take the turn up San Ysidro, grabbing some water before tackling the climb.  Now I'm going to find out what my legs think of hills!  

I am pacing behind a woman in purple with striking gray hair and seriously muscular legs.  It helps to have a partner in crime and someone who knows the route (although it turns out that she didn't know it either!).  I turn onto Mountain and now I know that I don't need to rely on my wrist-notes anymore...it's just more uphill from here!  We are passed by two runners, one in classic running gear and the other in a kilt...both inspiring our own little kick.  Still my pace feels slow, but maybe that is just compared to the downhill.  I run the last two miles at 9:29(!) and 8:39 (better!).  My legs feel good; Dan and Dave have kept me well-hydrated; I'm feeling a little low on energy, though - I should have eaten the Gu I brought with me!  As I near what I think is the top, I can't remember where I am handing off...is it the gun club? isn't there one more steep hill?  My download of info on the course is getting scrambled!  As it turns out, it's the little creek and as I round the corner I see Dave waving me on and Dan across the creek.  I'm surprised that Leg 1 is already done and SO happy!  I sprint past Dave, through the water, give Dan's hand a slap and tell him to Go!  I can see that he was sooo ready as he jets off.  He'll definitely pick off anyone that passed me not mention folks that were ahead of me the whole time!  Now it's time to support Dan...

Leg 1:  6.3 miles average pace 7:51
Garmin Connect Leg 1

 

SAG for Jenny at San Ysidro turn

Leg 2 (Dan reporting):

Dan on rolling West Mountain

I had run leg 2 last year, so I knew exactly what to expect. Rolling 4 miles followed by 3 miles on a big up Gibraltar. I hadn't done a ton of hill climbing at speed, but I had been doing some slow big hills for my Ultramarathon race in May. I targeted a faster pace this year: sub 7:00 for the rolling and shave off 30 sec/mile for the hills.

We did some support for Jenny on leg 1, she looked great, in control and right in the pack, giving us a good position to start with. We jumped out of the car at the handoff and before we knew it was time for me to get in position across the creek then Jenny slapped my hand and it was time to go, go, go!

The flat was good, hit my sub 7:00, pushing the downs and passing a few folks. Good support from David and Jenny in the car. Beautiful day and nice scenery. Saying hi to other runners and getting encouragement from the other teams.

I passed the temptation to take the El Cielito shortcut and ran the full course to turn up the big hill of Gibraltar (someone even chalked an arrow on the road to keep everyone on the straight and narrow and make sure we were all being really Tuff Enuff). The climb started out fine, I was going at about the same pace as last year. I got someone to chase in my sights, but wasn't really making up ground on them.

I was getting a little resigned that I would not be able to push too much harder, when I got a lucky break. One of the women I passed on the flats rolled right past me climbing hard. I said to myself, OK looks like she is going to pick up a shadow and as she passed I just stuck with her close, following her fast pace up the mountain. With that I got my pace down where I wanted and then some, working hard and we passed the other person I was originally chasing. Working hard felt good. We didn't really talk, but I at least shared the distance left at one point and silently thanked her for pulling me up the hill. Of course at the end I rabbited ahead once I saw David, Jenny, Brian and Jim - I couldn't wait to handoff to David and take a break! Slapped David's hand and go, David, go!

I also finally got to meet Jim in person, which was great - we had only talked via Skype before, a big welcome to team in the middle of the race!

7.15 miles, average pace 8:09 min/mile (2010: 8:52 min/mile)

Ran in sweet new Pure Cadence shoes from A Runner's Mind - so light, they felt fast!
Garmin Connect Leg 2


Leg 3 - The Big Gib (David reporting):

David cranking up Gib

 That’s right "Gib" spelled backwards is Big, as in big ass climb. Before I start on leg 3 just let me say how impressed I am with Dan's run up the first half of Gibraltar. I've seen Dan run this leg before and I have run with Dan up many climbs before, but there is something different this time. Dan is hammering this climb like I've never seen before. It is obvious to me that all of Dan's conditioning, hard work, and training is paying off, congrats.

Jenny and Dan do a fantastic job on legs 1 and 2, and team B&B are sitting in good position after the first two legs. Dan makes his final pass and push to handoff and off I go. Leg 3 is kind enough to start of with a 1/4 mile gradual climb, but after that the real climb is on. After Dan's handoff there are four teams within my site, thankfully, because nothing motivates me more than the pleasure of picking off runners in a race. I catch up to the the first two runners pretty quickly, but the other two runners are hammering up the mountain early and I just didn't have it in me to latch on.

It crosses my mind early on how I wish I was in better shape because I know I should be running with those two runners ahead. Oh well, head down and push. Things are okay for the first two miles up Gibraltar because I'm able to find a decent grove and have passed a couple more runners. But things start to turn pretty quickly. Even though it was a beautiful mild 70 degree day in SB there is no breeze on the mountain and I can feel my head start to boil. Originally I asked Dan and Jenny to give me aid about every mile, but just before Flores Flat I bark to Dan to stick close because I'm hurting. Gibraltar flattens out at Flores Flat Pottery for just under a 1/4 of a mile and then the fun really begins, and I have to admit I wasn't looking forward to it in the slightest.

About a 1/4 of a mile into the next climb my heart rate spikes and I hit a little bit of a wall. F#@k it I'm going to walk, this is bulls#@t. I was pissed I couldn't believe I had to walk. My heart rate slows and I put my head down and begin to grind. Luckily when I round the bend I see a couple of runners just ahead. I couldn't believe it, even though I had to walk there were still runners just ahead of me. Okay, restart button, game on. Just the motivation I need, I pass another two runners after the bend and I get a little bit of a grove on knowing that just ahead I will soon get a little bit of a downhill break once I reach the saddle.

On the downhill I pass three more runners and I can tell by the other runners that the heat and climb are hurting everyone so I feel a little less sorry for myself. The final mile and half climb begins after the saddle and I can smell the end. I can see two more runners just ahead which provides enough incentive to get me to the end. Just as I can begin to see the valley on the other side of the mountain I pass the the second of the two runners that were ahead of me at the end of the saddle.

The views into the Santa Inez Valley are incredible and crystal clear, finally I'm able to catch my breath and feel good about my run. I hear the voices of the teams parked ahead just around the bend and I'm so happy to be done. I see Brian just ahead and I stumble to the handoff.

All and all not the run I wish I could have done, but I passed a total of 9 runners in the race to the top. Gibraltar I'll be back again, and next time I will kick your ass. Onward, Brian is off like a bat out of hell. I hear a runner comment on Brian's pace, "Does he plan on running that pace for the entire leg?" Why yes he does, and his next leg as well!


Leg 4 (Brian reporting):

Jim aiding to Brian on big Camino Cielo downhills.

Day starts early with a jolt as Dan forcefully shakes me awake. Scariest dream I ever had.

Beautiful day. Check in with Jim on pick up time. "Wait, the race is today?". Not funny Jim.

We head up Gibraltar. Nice to pass many runners before seeing our posse and Dan chugging along. Good sign.

After watching the handoff to Dave, Jim and I head up to La Cumbre while Dave mows down runners.

After counting 17 runners, Dave hands off to me. I climb the short hill and then speed down to the firing range at 6:23 pace for the first 3 miles.

After averaging 9:30 on the 500' climb (brain demanding full stop), paced at 6:44 for the last four miles to 154. Beat 2010 time by 2 minutes.

With the cushion Dave provided, did not see a runner in front or back on the entire run.

Very tough. Extremely sweet. Delirious giddiness to be finished. One leg to go.

Garmin Connect Leg 4

Leg 5 (Jenny reporting):

Santa Ynez Valley, view from course.

I have a great time being in the SAG wagon with Dave, supporting Dan on Leg 2.  Tons of fun to cheer someone else on - it really makes me feel like a part of the team.  I have a couple of hours between legs, so I eat my tasty sandwich (avocado separate so it doesn't get mushy or turn brown - Thanks, Sachi!!) and drink up - the amount of time feels just right.  I had been worried earlier when my assignment was 1 & 10...way too far apart!  Dan and I had seen Brian tearing it up on Leg 4, so I knew that I needed to be ready to go when he hit Hwy 154.  Casually (read nervously) chatting with other Leg 5ers and checking out the ultra-runner kept me busy while I waited for Brian.  I see him come down and look up "Go?"  Yes GO!

Jenny looking across 154 for Brian at the Leg 5 handoff.

From last night's recon, I know that I have some downhill to gain some time, plus once again it's super shady, so I take off and really enjoy it.  I check out my wrist notes...whoops, too sweaty & can't read them!...and while I don't see anyone around me, the turns are obvious.  I'm going for a sub-7:00 in the first mile or so and then anticipate slowing on the hill.  I know that Dan, Dave & Brian have picked off a few other teams, so my goals are:  maybe pick off someone else & DON'T GET PASSED!  Now, of course, I can only remember whether I passed someone else, not whether someone passed me (same amnesia that helped me through labor twice!).  Brian - do you know?

I manage 7:10 on the downhill...will definitely shave off some time next year!  Once on the hills and into the open, I really start feeling the heat and wishing that I had more water.  Dave & Dan stop by with some and then I'm on my own for a while.  My head starts playing games with me "Where is Brian with my water?!" but he shows up just in time then stays right with me.  I know this is a much shorter leg than before, but the feeling is totally different as I am virtually all alone.  I pass the ultra-runner who isn't looking as good as earlier (it turns out he ends up having to stop at the end of Leg 5...after already running five legs - so you can only congratulate his heroic effort!) and then am on my own again.  As I hit a steep (and note that my pace has slowed considerably), I see another runner walking.  Just the motivation I need, as I run past her with a cheer of encouragement and keep pushing my way up.  I definitely keep looking around every corner thinking that I must be at the summit by now.  I know that the gun club is my destination, but I think I remember that there is another steep hill before I get there.  Suddenly, though, after a nice water break from Brian, I find myself at the handoff to Jim, who is so ready to run, after waiting all morning for us!  I'm surprised I'm there and do my best to end fast with an enthusiastic high-five.  And then it hits me...I'm done - and I can't believe it.  In fact, I almost feel like it's too early to be done (although on the climb, I definitely wasn't feeling like I could do any more).

Distance:  4.5 (I think?)

Pace:  9:54 - saved by the downhill in the beginning!
Garmin Connect Leg 5
 

Leg 6 (Jim reporting):

Wake up early and eat a large breakfast, knowing I won’t be racing for many hours.  Kristin helps me pack the truck with lots of race fuel then heads off on a 16 mile run.  Jealous I can’t start running now.  I head down to SB to pick-up Brian realizing I forgot my most important piece of race gear….flip flops!  Brian is waiting in the driveway in a thinly disguised effort to keep me from ringing the doorbell and waking the kids as I have been known to do on occasion.  Finally, after several hours of eating, waiting, watching, and eating some more, I get to run!  I take the hand-off from Jenny near the gun club and sprint up the last bit of paved road.  Other racers cheer me on as I hit the dirt.  GPS hasn’t caught yet so I’m running the first ½ mile or so without any stats (and I love stats).  First mile is all downhill with some rough footing.  I went out pretty fast and enjoy the downhill.  Once it levels out I settle into a comfortable pace.  I’m immediately passed by a couple of elite runners (one of whom I think won the SB Marathon, Chardonnay 10 miler, and likely others).   I easily resist the urge to chase them as I know they would wear me out too fast.  I’m saving energy for the tougher climb near the top.  As I peer around each bend looking for intel on the climb ahead I realize my water supply is running out fast…too fast.  I ration myself the rest of the way (ultimately running completely out with ~ 2 miles to go, the toughest part of the climb).  Temp has to be at least 85 with no shade whatsoever.  Heat has always been my achilles heal.  I am forced to shift into low gear and grind this b*tch out. I get passed going up the last ½ mile of the climb and keep her in my sights and once we hit the flat part at the top I start sprinting and miss catching her by about 10 feet as I hand-off to Dan.  If only there were more flat terrain!

Distance:  Billed as 9 miles, felt like 16 (heard from other runners it was about 9.5)

Pace:  No idea, but not very fast ; )  I’m tough enough just not fast enough…this time.

Jim handing to Dan after conquering Broadcast peak

Leg 7 (Dan reporting):
Dave and I did the long drive around the course to the leg 7 handoff (we had to go all the way down from the mountains, to the beach along 101 and then back up the mountain.) We did it because we thought driving the course would be too difficult. However, the bad result of that was that we were not able to give good support to Jim on the very tough and hot leg 6. This make that leg really hard. As we waited for Jim and the handoff we saw cars that had pushed all the way through, even  a Subaru Outback (though the 'car bra' on the Outback was all torn up!) Next year we'll push the car through so we can support the runner on Leg 6 better.

As we drove up we saw the frontrunners blaze by, #1 (all men) and #2 (mixed) were very close and David thought that on this leg #2 was going to catch #1. He probably did, but in the end the team of #1 won the race, but #2 was only back by one minute! They were both running faaaaast!

We were having fun just hanging out w/ the other teams waiting and missing texts from Brian (who was doing the next leg after me) causing him to freak out.

We saw Jim's blue shirt, I got ready and he came blazing into the handoff, sending me on my merry way down, down, down. I had run some sub 6:00 mile repeats the week before during my ARM track workouts and from that I told myself to run close to 6:00 for the 6 miles, basically running whatever pace the terrain dictated. So I hit it hard w/ some sub 6:00 and then almost 7:00 when it flattened out then back towards 6:00 again as the hill started rolling down again. Jim and David gave me some great support along the way and it felt good to really roll after the battle against the uphill on leg 2.

Dan coming into Leg 7/8 handoff

At one point one car went by and I heard the team say something like 'that guy is flying!' Now they may have actually said "what is frying?" or "let's go dining", but I'll use what encouragement I can and pushed up the pace a notch and used it to pass a runner in front of me.

I saw some cars parked around the corner of the downhill and knew it was almost over. There was Brian! Gave him a hand slap and he leaped down the dirt road of Refugio towards Solvang. I was exhausted, but now I was done, done, done for the day, like Jenny. Yay! Go team B&B! Time to support the other runners on the last legs: Brian, David and Jim. Could we still PR, it was going to be close!

6 miles, 6:09 min/mile (2010: 6:34 min/mile)
Garmin Connect Leg 7

Leg 8 (Brian reporting):
Waiting. Refueled. Refreshed. Waiting.

Approaching my expected handoff time. Still on information black out. Were concerned that Jim got hurt but all turned out ok. Apparently, no mobile service on telegraph hill (leg 7 handoff).

Fortunately, made a command decision to get ready just as the SAG car drove up with Dave and Jim. Leg 4 blisters. Damn new socks! This is going to hurt.

A smoking fast Dan showed up a few minutes later and I was heading off down Refugio. I had watched two runners leave about five minutes ahead and hoped to catch one or both.

There is a 1500' drop in the first three miles. Makes for dramatic views and hard core vertical. Refugio is a rutted jeep road which made the run a bit technical. The footing was tricky especially as I tried to max the tangents. No sight or sound of runners ahead or behind.

Averaged 7 min pace for the first two miles but slowed to 7:30s for the last four. Started to get in energy management mode as I was beginning to fade.

As on leg 4, had terrific SAG support. The last three miles are paved, meandering through beautiful cow pastures and across several spill ways. Cold water felt excellent as the temperature heated up. Tempted to barrel roll.

For 37 teams and ultras, a bit bizarre to run all 15 miles without seeing a single runner. Unlike 2010, the battle was entirely between the ears.

As I rounded the final bend and could see the hand off, I gave one last push to the finish. Dave was off and I was F-I-N-I-S-H-E-D!

Elated, exhausted, miserable and satisfying. Picture says a 1000 words.

My pace for both legs averaged 7:09 over 15 miles. Finished approximately one minute faster than 2010. Interestingly, cutting tangents saved me .29 miles over 2010. So ran a bit slower in 2012 but less ground to cover yielded faster overall times.

Garmin Connect Leg 8

Finishing leg 8 tuff!

Don't worry buddy - you are DONE!

Leg 9 (David reporting):

Brian handoff to David, getting warm in the valley.

This simple little six and a halfish leg through Santa Inez should be no problem. Or so I thought! Brian comes barreling down into the valley clearly giving it all he's got. Great job Brian! I'm off. I really thought this leg was going to be a piece of cake.

The first 1/3 of this leg is a gradual uphill to the 246 that runs through Santa Inez and Solvang. I had a runner up ahead that I knew I could catch and I figured once I got to the top of this first portion of the leg I would get some downhill. So my plan was to hit this first part of the leg pretty hard. Dan and Jenny provided me with tons of aid. I think they got me water every 100 yards. Got through the first part of the leg on pace and passed one runner and I turned onto the 246. Its on I thought.  I've got a couple of miles of downhill, yessss. Downhill, yes. Easy, no.

Well really it was more like rollers than downhill. And to boot, there was an annoying headwind that was created by all of the cars blowing by on the 246. As if this isn't enough there is one more pretty decent climb out of downtown Santa Inez into Solvang. I wasn't planning on doing any climbing, even gradual, and it was beginning to become clear to me that I hit it way to hard on the first 1/3 of the leg. The last third of leg 9 turns on to Alisol Rd through Solvang and back down into the valley. Down right, peace of cake. Wrong!!!!

By the time I turn onto the last 2.5 mile section of the leg I was completely wasted. And the heat, fuck it's really hot keeps going through my fried brains. After I got through Solvang and start down into the valley to the golf course I spot this girl runner pretty far up. I was amazed that I caught up to her because she took off way ahead of me and I had commented to Dan while I was waiting to start my leg how fit this girl looked. I knew Dan was thinking Dave can see her, the chase is on. [Dan - Exactly, I told Jenny the same!] Really I was thinking f#@k I went out too hard, and I'm really hot! Given the distance between us, and the fact that we didn't have much more of the leg to race, I just didn't think I could catch this girl. But little did I know, I wasn't really that close to being done because apparently Alisol Golf Coarse is the longest golf coarse in the western states. I know my leg ended after the golf course, but I had no idea that this course keeps going, and going, and going.

Good news I've got more time to catch this runner, bad news I'm so done running. I'm thinking I just can't take it any more so when I see Dan ahead ready to provide some aid I ask him how much further to the end of my leg. He replies about 1 mile. I kindly reply, FUCKKKK! Sorry Dan, no need to hide it I feel like shit. I know you understand.

Lucky for me I just can't pass up an opportunity to try and catch a runner up ahead. Somehow even in the crazy heat I manage to close the gap between me and the runner up ahead. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately for me there just isn't enough course left for me to catch her. My leg ends with her just finishing several yards ahead of me. That's okay, because I'm done. Yessss, done. I was so happy to be done, my leg was killing me.  I was so excited to hear that we are on track for a team PR. Tag Jim your it.

Dave swears at Dan and heads towards the finish of the leg!

Leg 10 (Jim reporting):

View from the family SAG vehicle

Several days go by and I get to the start of Leg 10 near the Alisal Ranch.  By now my whole family (Kristin and our daughters Jen, Zoe, Maddie, and Grace) are on the roadside ready to cheer us on.  Having grown board of photographing the horse across the road they turn the camera towards team B and B and start giving me motivational pep talks like “It’s too hot out here”, “when are you going to run?”, and “what’s for dinner?”.

Jim pushing hard, finish line in sight!

Properly motivated, I turn my attention to Dave who is flying in with maximum effort.  He tags me and my GPS actually starts!  I’m off and chasing two teams (Free to play and Play for free).  Start out sub 7:00 and quickly realize I won’t maintain, legs are a little burned out.  I slow down to 7:30ish as I hit the mile climb (my favorite spot for “hill repeats”).  I chug up the hill looking for some kind of motivation and then my wife and the kids drive by singing LMFAO’s “Sexy and I Know it”.  I was thinking maybe “Eye of the Tiger”, but you take what you can get.  When I hear one of the runners up ahead started walking a bit I knew I could catch them (of course when they stopped for pictures with their teams with a ¼ mile to go, I flat out had to catch them).  I did, right at the finish.  Good enough for 12^th place and a team PR!

Loved being able to run in the last leg.  I grabbed a beer and a slice of pizza and decided then and there I would never speak to Brian again.  Hah, no…I actually had a great time!  Thanks Brian for inviting to be a part of your crazy, extreme running team.  Proud of our team for giving it their best and enjoying it along the way!

Distance:  3.65 miles

Pace:  8:30

Results (Dan reporting):
As Jim said, we had a great family cheering section on the leg 9/10 handoff. All of the team members families were there to watch the final handoff and then we caravaned to the end to watch Jim finish.

Waiting at the finish line, I must admit that Dave and I were starting to sweat the chance to team PR a little bit, we saw that we were approaching 10 min left to PR and were not sure how how much running Jim had left. I heard someone say 'there's Jim' and I saw him from far away coming in fast and I jumped up and down, he looked strong and I knew we had the PR with time to spare!

He hit the tape (Jim the RD's raised clip board) at 8:54. 10 min PR for our team, yay! All the families and team gathered around and we all celebrated a great run.

We had great support from the families, cheering, watching the kids, trophy mugs from Celine, sandwiches from Sachi, Jim and Kristen's family cheering and hanging out at the handoff and finish, Gerald cheering us on with the kids at the handoff and finsh, Paksy holding down the fort back in SB. We couldn't have done it with out them!

Team Beauty and the Beasts and our family support crew!

Overall I was very impressed by the team's performance and I am damn proud of everyone on the team!

Afterwards we hit up a spot that Brian setup for us downtown for a post race dinner (Cadiz), relaxing and telling war stories of the race (though we missed Jim and Kristen who couldn't make it this time.)

RUTE 2012 Pix Album

Overall RUTE 2012 race results

Cadiz for post race dinner.

Our team trophy, thanks to Celine!

Lessons learned

• SAG for leg 6 (drive through with car, an outback made it through, though car bra was torn up, or have one of our great bike riding pals like George or Gerald shadow the runner on a mountain bike)
• Adjust spreadsheet for leg 7 actual mileage (where does that wiley additional mile go?)
• Use a Garmin as a 'baton'? Hit lap on each handoff?

Pace, etc. (Dan reporting):
Here's the details on the legs and splits. We didn't really tweak the spreadsheet very accurately this year, so take this with a big grain of salt. In the end we were only off by 3%, so not too far off. Also the leg distances are very rough (for example in the spreadsheet my leg 7 is listed as 7 miles, but by GPS it's really 6. At least 0.5 miles should be added back to leg 6, etc.)