Deception Pass 50k - the last and best of the season

Running the coastal trail along Deception Pass, half a mile to the finish.

I had been looking forward to racing again after taking some time off after running Hardrock in July and the TransRockies Run stage race in August. The switch in focus was good for me, and I was charged with enthusiasm to get back running and training hard again. Races start to get a bit sparse on the calendar during the winter months, but a few flattering words and some bribery involving malted beverages of the highest quality scored me an entry into Rainshadow Running’sDeception Pass 50k. With a goal in mind, I took to the trails and jammed up the mileage on my feet, throwing a number of bike commute rides in to seal the deal (and because it’s fun when the weather in Vancouver is dry). Heck, I even did the first 60-mile training week I have done in months! And damn, it felt good!

While I would hesitate to go so far as to say that my running this year has sucked , because I have had the opportunity to run in some awesome places with amazing people – I have definitely been frustrated with how things have gone. Sickness, snow, monsoons, hailstorms, injury, lack of oxygen, waitlists, and a training regime that makes my butt look fat, have all contributed to some humdrum race results that have been way more work than pleasure to achieve. I was motivated and had been pretty solid over the past month or two, but I was still feeling a little trepidation about how a 50k would go, considering the struggle most other races this year have been. Many times at a race I will give my wife a projected finish time and hit that fairly accurately, but this time I didn’t even venture a guess besides “please go and get coffee or go shopping but don’t get back too late so I don’t get hypothermic standing around in the cold when I’m done.” (Thanks, honey, for getting back in plenty of time and hanging around!)

I know I have a habit of getting a tad long-winded in my tales, so the point of all this is that I am so excited with how well the race went that I had to say right now that I totally nailed it and had my best and most enjoyable effort of the entire year. Wow, it is soooo nice to end the season on such a high note! Ok, with that off my chest, onto the long-winded stuff:

Trying to stay warm before the start

The race started at a snappy pace, and I drifted towards the front pack while holding back a bit, trying not to go out too hard. There were also 25k runners mixed in, and it was hard to tell who was running what. Still, I picked a level of effort that I felt slightly restrained at, in the hopes that it was crisp enough to keep me towards the top third of the field, but conservative enough to hold through the remaining 5 – 7 hours. People were passing me, but I didn’t want to chase at this early stage. I ended up behind a couple of gals, and though I was barely holding them on the hills, I felt like I had to restrain myself on the flats and downhills, which was fine with me since I knew it would keep me reigned in. 

Once I knew I was sufficiently warmed up and flowing about 10k in, I did pull past the girls and ran my own pace. From here, I was surprised to see that I was slowly reeling in runners ahead of me, one by one. Though almost feeling like I had headed out at a 10k race pace, I felt I was maintaining the speed all the way along, while others were perhaps paying for their faster starts. I figured I was running in about 15 - 20^th position or so, but slowly creeping forward. 

Following Shawna Tompkins and Monica Ochs over The Bridge

The trails themselves were quite inspiring to run on, and the beauty of the area was amazing. The day was grey and overcast, but still lovely - it would be absolutely phenomenal on a warm sunny day. I have never been to these trails before (you would hardly even know so much single track was even there!) and was loving the narrow, rolling forested trails that would break out into ocean vistas or exposed shoreline from time to time. There were a number of lollipop loops that we had to run to cover ground and make up distance, and I give huge kudos to RD James Varner and his volunteers for marking these out in such an incredibly clear manner. I’d also give a nod and thanks to my fellow racers who were all very polite and accommodating as we ran past each other in the narrow sections. 

I was running well. The trails were beautiful. I was a happy guy. All I had to do was not blow up towards the end. I kept running strong, and kept passing people, not believing how well it was all going. This was proving to the kind of run that is absolutely sublime: effortless speed, great trail surface, and a beautiful environment. 

A beautiful place to run!     photo: Glenn Tachiyama

The second half of the race spins off to do two 11k loops in another section of the park. I left the aid station and headed into my first loop, pleased with my time of 2:20 into the race so far, feeling comfortable but hoping in the back of my mind that I could hold it for the distance. So far, so good. I was running the uphill grades consistently, and only walked a couple of times on some short, steep sections. It struck me part way through the loop that I had neither seen anyone in front of me for quite some time, nor anyone behind me. I was running alone through the forest – racing in the hopes of either catching someone in front or staying away from someone behind. I was expecting the latter, since that had been the pattern of my races this year. 

I completed the loop in just under an hour, and finally saw some more runners as I approached a short out-and back to the aid station. After all the time running alone, I was surprised to see that I was not far behind four other people. I filled a bottle with nuunand grabbed a gel, then turned back to catch some of the runners ahead of me. On the way out, I noticed that there was a long way to the next runner behind; either I had run away from them, or they had faded out from their pace in the first half of the race.

I guess I was running well, because it wasn’t long before I caught up to the next runner in front, with another person in sight not too far along as well. I knew I would have to surge past them and keep going to make it stick, so with a bit of a sustained effort, I pushed the pace to go by and then build in a bit of a gap. Now, without seeing anyone in front any more, the motivation to keep up my pace was the pressure from behind me; I was determined to not get caught. 

Summiting the Goose Rock climb     photo: Glenn Tachiyama

Towards the end of the second loop, I was pleased to see that my time was about the same as the first lap, although I could feel a bit of a twinge starting in my quads. I had to hold my pace and not have my legs crap out on me now - there was only about 4km to go! I paused briefly at the aid station again for some more nuun and another hit of EFS LiquidShot gel, and then took off along the road. On a straight stretch, I could see the next person in front of me off in the distance. I could see them, but would I be able to catch them? The carrot was out there!

Alas, the sustained pace through the race was catching up to me, and my legs were getting weaker and more sore as I hammered as best I could through the final kilometers. After the road, I lost sight of the runner in the trail section, and was just going as hard as I could. I got hyped up a bit when I saw a glimpse of someone through the trees, but it was a 25k runner I had caught up to. I also really had no idea of how much further the course went, so hoped that my final effort wasn’t started too early. I recognised some of the trail we had headed out on, but wasn’t sure just how we would loop back to the finish.

I rounded a corner along the shoreline, and there was Martha taking pictures, so I knew I was reasonably close to the finish. After pausing to give her a quick kiss, I charged on and soon popped out on the parking lot that lead to the finish line. 

I crossed the line in 4:55 – the first sub-5-hour 50k I have run in a few years and good for 6^th overall (and first 40+, for what that’s worth). I was absolutely elated. The trails were beautiful, I felt good and ran well, and the race organisation was impeccable.

Many thanks are due to James Varner and his sweetie Candice Burt for all their hard work organising and putting on this event and finding such a lovely place for us to run in. Check out more of Rainshadow Running’s other races, they are all great runs on fantastic trails. 

Gear: 

LaSportiva Crosslite 2.0 shoes

DeFeet Trail 19 socks

Nutrition:

nuun electrolyte drink (5 bottles)

First Endurance EFS Liquid Shot gel (5 oz)

GU gel (4 oz)

A wrap-up of awesome gear … just in time to wrap up for Christmas!

I feel very fortunate and grateful to be a member of the LaSportiva Mountain Running Team. Aside from being in the company of some of the best mountain runners in the sport, I was provided with a selection of gear from LaSportiva and some fantastic associate sponsors. Personally, I raced over 700 miles this year in distances ranging from 25km to 330km at a time, plus all the training to get me through it. So, I had a solid opportunity to put the rubber to the road – er, the dirt – and see how well this stuff actually worked. There were definitely some standout products that performed exceptionally well, while some items I thought were just OK. Here is my take on some of the gear that I had the opportunity to use this season that has met my performance expectations enough to become standard gear for every race. Note that these comments are based on my personal experience with the products, and are thus very subjective. Your mileage may quite literally vary….

note: if this looks familiar, it is cross-posted to the LaSportiva Mountain Running blog as well  :-)
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My A-List: stuff I rely on
LaSportiva Raptors
I recently ran the 330km Tor des Geants race in my Raptors and had no blisters or foot pain. Nada. Nothing. What else needs to be said? End of review.
OK, seriously, my Raptors have become my go-to shoe for all trail conditions. The FriXionXF outsole is a sticky rubber compound and I find it really works well on the wet, rocky trails we have here in the Pacific Northwest where I live. Additionally, the tread pattern is aggressive enough to dig into sloppy muck and not slip when climbing, pushing off, or running downhill, and also provides great lateral traction when traversing off-camber slopes or making hard turns. The uppers wrap your foot comfortably without binding or creating pressure points, and provide excellent security and stability in irregular footing and rocky trails. For the terrain I run on, they work really well. Scrambling down a debris chute composed of large boulders, my feet stuck to the rock so well I felt like some kind of superhero crawling down a wall!
Shoe durability is very good: the uppers show no tearing or wear after several hundred miles, although the tread nubs are definitely worn and have lost their edge as is expected.
I have a bit of a love-hate thing going with the toe bumper, in that it is beefy enough to provide solid protection when accidentally kicking rocks/roots/etc, but seems to sit high enough that I have caught it on same rocks/roots/etc with my trailing foot after striding off. So, it has definitely prevented a broken toe, but also may have induced a number of close calls in levitation after catching a foot (though the latter was also due to overly aggressive downhill running when fatigued, so hard to establish a direct cause).
Raptors are getting towards the upper average as far as weight, but did come in 6g lighter than the advertised 328g when I weighed them on my scale at home. I find them a reasonable weight in light of the aggressive tread, stability and comfort they provide.
I will be stocking up on Raptors for next season, although admittedly I’m holding out a bit in eager anticipation of the new MorphoDynamic technology LaSportiva is introducing next year….

LaSportiva Crosslites
I love my Raptors, but have to admit to committing a fair bit of shoe adultery with these sleek, sexy things. Svelte, lightweight uppers hug my feet, while the poking claws of the tread dig into the nastiest mud, slop, and snow too. Crosslites felt so comfortable from the first time I put them on, and the relative lightweight and low midsole profile keep you in touch with your footing. You just feel faster wearing these shoes, and I find them to be perfect for those sprint races up to 50 miles.
The sole of the Crosslites is made of FriXionAT rubber, which is a bit harder compound than the Raptor’s softer FriXionXF. The harder compound is more durable, but at the cost of a bit of traction on wet rocks. Still, the spike-like nature of the tread usually compensates for this if your footing is careful (wet rocks are never a good place to foot plant anyways!)
One minor annoyance I have with the Crosslites is the scree guard over top of the laces: though it is functional to keep stuff out of your shoe and a handy place to tuck laces in so they don’t come undone, it makes tightening the laces quite a challenge. I just cut the scree guard off to access the lacing better. Note that the very cool new Crossover GTX shoe, based on the Crosslite chassis, has laces on the outside of the scree guard. There is apparently a revised Crosslite 2.0 model coming out soon, so it may also feature this update.

DeFeet Trail19 socks
When I first looked at these socks, my initial thought was “that totally makes sense”. The Trail19’s have a construction I have not seen before: the forefoot is a wool/synthetic blend that provides a bit of padding, but the heel area is thin synthetic only, reinforced in the high-friction Achilles area. Personally, I find that socks with wool blends do really well for my feet, and the Trail19’s fit that bill. The merino wool content is in the forefoot area, providing cushioning and reducing hot spots in the place you need it most. I find the material’s thickness optimal to provide comfort yet not so padded as to take away your sense of touch with the shoe and ground. As for the thin heel area, you don’t need thick, padded weaves here anyways, and the thin synthetic lining provides more durability in this high-wear area. Despite running in the socks all season, there are no thin spots that have work through – a problem I have often seen with other wool-blend socks.
I used the Trail19’s with my Raptors when running the Tor des Geants – remember, I had no blisters in 330km with this combination.
Love’em!

Julbo Contest sunglasses w/Zebra lens
The styling on these shades definitely gives me some cred with the peeps on the street, but it is the Zebra photochromatic lenses that makes these sunglasses fantastic for running. The lenses are a comfortable yellow-brown tint that is easy on the eyes, and they actively darken or lighten in response to direct sunlight or lack of it. I have worn them all day from pre-dawn light through the bright sun of mid-day through to dusk, in stark deserts and thick forests – the lenses quickly adapt to each condition without you even being aware they are changing, and never leaving your eyes straining because it is too bright or too dark. Add in an effective anti-fog coating and a broad curved lens that provides distortion-free and unrestricted peripheral vision and you have a winner. Did I mention that they are stylin’?
On a slight downside, I find the Contest’s 70mm-wide lens to be a bit big on my narrow face – maybe a model with Zebra lenses like the Run or Dirt would fit me a bit better.

First Endurance Ultragen recovery drink
The problem with most recovery drinks I have tried in the past is that they are too sweet, too gritty, too thick or all three. The last thing you need after a long run when your stomach might be a bit upset anyways is to have to choke down some rancid recovery beverage.
However, both Ultragen flavours I have used – cappuccino and orange creamsicle – are really tasty, pleasant to drink, and smooth like water. Instead of having to force a bottle down over the course of an hour, I’ll gulp my Ultragen within minutes of finishing a hard workout. The cappuccino, like it’s namesake, it kind of addictive.
Tasty? Yes.
But does it work? Absolutely.
I respectfully but sceptically listened to the fantastic claims about Ultragen that I had heard from some good friends and great trail runners, but had to check it out for myself to see if it was up to snuff. Count me as converted and hear my fantastic claims! (with scepticism, of course  )  Ultragen honestly has made a huge difference to my recovery and ability to quickly bounce back for consecutive day-after-day running. Instead of feeling depleted and sore the next day, I am energetic and ready to hit the trail again – a noted difference from other recovery drinks I have used in the past.
Ultragen also proved its worth as a food source and on–the-go recovery for my Tor des Geants race, where I was going non-stop for 111 hours. It was easy to get down, easy to digest, and provided a great balance of nutrients to help keep my going through it all. I used eight double-strength bottles through the race as part of my overall nutrition plan.

Petzl MyoRXP headlight
The Myo RXP was another bit of gear that exceeded my expectations. It has a super bright LED bulb that can be used in spot or flood modes, effectively lighting up distant course markers or the “chili dip” at the far edge of a Coyote 2 Moon aid station table. Besides fantastic light output, what makes this headlight unique is that the main switch has three programmable settings you can set from ten different output levels, of which six are regulated to provide consistent light output through the entire battery life (don’t you hate it when your light output drops by 50% after an hour or two?). Battery life is quite long, but naturally depends on your chosen brightness. I have found the MyoRXP to be good for two full nights before swapping batteries by primarily using a level 4 output (25 lumens) that I find sufficient for most night running trail conditions. There’s also a separate switch to use a short-term “burst” mode of 160 lumens that really lights up the area when you need to hunt for a turn, search for marker flags or even, say, accidentally zap the retinas of your pacer (sorry, Wade!). The battery pack is held close to your head, which prevents any annoying bouncing. A note on the programmable feature: it’s generally a set-once kind of thing, but don’t lose the instructions.

Greenlayer Sports clothing

Your humble author in his Headsweats hat and Greenlayer Team jersey - Haut Pass, Alta Via 2 trail in Italy

Run clothing should keep you comfortable, right? The only time you only really notice your shirt is if something isn’t working: you’re sweaty and wet, cold, chafing, etc. Greenlayer fabric works well to actually wick sweat away from your skin, instead of just spreading moisture around and making you cold. The weave is smooth against your skin, with flat-woven seams to prevent irritation. The fabric is lightweight and comfortable in all conditions, from cool to very hot. The cut and styling is loose but not too baggy. The shirts are made of recycled polyester to reduce the amount of crap on our favourite planet. What else is there to say? Good stuff.

Headsweats running hat and visor
OK, it’s hard to get too excited about a hat, but Headsweats does make theirs out of some nice, wicking material that really works to effectively pull sweat from your forehead and head – full points for that. It drives me crazy getting salty sweat mixed with sunscreen in my eyes or dropping on my sunglass lenses – this doesn’t happen any more.

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My B-List: stuff that’s pretty good

Ultimate Directions Wasp hydration pack
The Wasp is a nicely-designed, form-fitting hydration pack with enough storage and carrying capacity for unsupported day-long endeavours. There are lots of pockets in the front for food, gloves, GPS and other essential doo-dads. I found the fit to be quite large on my skinny runner chicken chest and it was hard to have it snug up enough to stop bouncing on steep descents, although I modified the strap anchor points to make it a bit tighter. The main nylon material in the body could be lighter weight to save a number of ounces, but the mesh in front and lining the back breath well. I use the Wasp in conjunction with handheld bottles on long, unsupported runs; I’m just not a fan of using hydration packs alone because it’s hard to tell how much you are drinking.

LaSportiva Wildcat shoes
The Wildcats tip the scales a bit lighter than Raptors, but I prefer the stability and overall fit of Raptors, which are made on a slightly different last. Wildcats have a lined mesh on the upper which is great for foot ventilation, a big plus (they were perfect for the hot conditions at the San Diego 100 miler). They have the same aggressive Impact Brake system X-Axis tread as Raptors, but composed of the FriXion AT rubber like Crosslites: great traction and durability, but slightly less sticky on wet rocks. I prefer the fit of Raptors, so use those.

First Endurance EFS Liquid Shot Gel
I use gels almost exclusively for my race fuel, and the EFS Liquid Shot gel worked pretty well for me. I like the fact that there is an amino acid content in the recipe, which helps with endurance over the long term and a bit of alertness in the night hours. I did find EFS Vanilla to be pretty sweet compared to other gels; I prefer unflavoured types that are milder.

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I hope my comments help explain some of the great gear I have had the opportunity to use. Christmas is coming, and it is time to let Santa know what trail running equipment you would like to see under the tree!
Thanks so much to LaSportiva and the Mountain Running Team’s Associate Sponsors – First Endurance, Julbo, Green Layer, Petzl, DeFeet, Headsweats and Ultimate Direction – for supplying all the gear.

La Sportiva Names 2010 Running Team Roster And Associate Sponsors

I am very proud to be a member of the 2010 LaSportiva Mountain Running Team, joining with 29 other fantastic runners from around North America. The full team listing can be viewed on the Mountain Running site.

Besides running in some really well-designed shoes like the Wildcat and the Crosslite, we'll be wearing eco-conscious uniforms from Greenlayer Sports Apparel and using gear from Petzl, Ultimate Directions, Julbo, Headsweats, and DeFeet. First Endurance will be fuelling the fire as we take on trails and races around the continent and the world.

LaSportiva has been building the vitality of the trail running sport and encouraging grassroots participation not only through the team sponsorship, but with support to many regional races and events including the STORMY ultras in Squamish, BC. I am looking forward to working with the Team to spread the good word about the sport we love and to welcome more athletes to our community.