Go Deep: The Diary Of An Ultrarunner

West Coast Ultras 2006

Link: ultraRUNNING Online - Pacific Calendar.

Here's a link to some of the best Ultras on the West Coast.

Ridgecrest 50k

This weekend we travelled up to Ridgecrest in the high desert. 2,500 ft and 30 - 40 degree temperatures promised a cramp free weekend.

Travelling up through Red Rocks Canyon was amazing and the desert gave us a sense of being on another planet, like the Moon!

Anyway, a 7am start was a treat for me, Nell and Jim (my amazing travelling aid-station). I was not sure what to expect but this race is effectively a fast trail marathon. Last weeks race was 50k and 11,400 feet of climbing (and descent of course). That took 7h 30 mins. Todays race was the same distance in just 4 hours and a lot of fun - great to way to end the year. In retrospect, I would probably treat it as a marathon and wear marathon / road shoes next year as it is fast enough for that. Compare all of this to a 2h 59 min New York Marathon a few weeks ago and you get the sense of how much the terrain affects our performances.

I managed to score a 12th place overall finish and a 5th place in my age group. I lost a bunch of time due to an injury which slowed me on the downhills to a mere trot!!

The Ridgecrest race was very weel organized with great, friendly people at all aid stations. having said that, I didn't actually stop at any aid station given the super-preparedness of my team. At every check point, they have my Hammer Sustained Energy ready, a bottle of flat Coke, a plethora of Hammer gels in various flavors and of course a big happy smile which helps me through the tougher moments. You can't understimate how much your team helps in this sport, it makes such a difference when they are there with me.

It's good to see that they are getting the bug too, as my mate Jim is doing the Catalina Buffalo Run in Feb, and my girlfriend Nell (who is a superb Ironman athlete anyway and going to Kona next year for the World Championships) is gearing up for her first 50, maybe Avalon or Leona Divide next year.

Anyway, it looks like I got enough points to win the SoCal Ultra Series (Masters Division), so I am happy with that.

So that's it with racing for 2005. What a year!

Now it's time to chill a little and get ready for 2006.

Pre-Race Thoughts

I am planning to run in the last race of the 2005 season tomorrow. A 50k trail run in the High Desert at Ridgecrest.
I am currently winning the Masters Category in the SoCal Ultra Series, so this last race should keep me ahead with enough points to win the series, which is rewarding for my first season in the ultra running sport.
Having only raced a week ago I am still a little sore and have engaged the services of my masseur twice this week for a total of 3 hours deep tissue work. Such is the investment needed to keep the body in race shape.
Following this weekends race, I'll be taking a short break with one of my favorite races in January, the Avalon 50 Mile race which I came third in last year, while winning my category.

Angeles Crest 100 Mile Endurance Run

I thought it would be easier to put my Angeles Crest 100 Mile experience into a video, so here it is. Enjoy!!!

http://homepage.mac.com/c.stephenson/Personal/iMovieTheater79.html

Western States 2005

I was fortunate enough to pace Karine Herry, the European Female 100k Champion in her first 100 Mile race in June of 2005.

I only ran the last 40 miles but learned a lot about the course, which compared to the Angeles Crest 100 Miler seemed to be quite mild (!!!!!!). We found ourselves running out of time with only about 23 minutes before the 20 hour mark and three miles or so to go...plus, the climb from hell in mile 99!

We broke through the pain barrier and Karine finished in a 3rd place with 19 hours and 58 minutes.

Having pulled Karine from a ravine earlier in the evening, as the photos attached will show, we were happy to hit the line and get a nice cup of tea.

Santa Barbara 9 Trails

This was a great race. A 35 mile odyssey through the front country of Santa Barbara. I'd often thought about running these trails, but did not quite appreciate how tough the hills would be.
Suffering from my worst bout of cramp ever (induced probably by an ill-thought hot tub session to relax the night before the race), it pulled me close to my first ever DNF. Still, the site of the defizzed Coke got me going again and while I dropped from 3rd to 8th, I was glad to get home in one piece. The last five miles only running slightly behind the first five.
So, I'll be back next year, but prepping this week for another race (the last for 2005) in Ridgecrest on Sunday. I'll be loading with glycerine and getting set to pick up the last points I can in this years SoCal Ultra Series.