Prologue
I started training this year with one primary goal in mind: finish Silverheels 100. At last year's race I went in to the race confident that I could finish and when pacer plans fell through I decided to run the race without one. Eventually I spent most of the time after mile 45 in a death march, mentally defeated. By the time I rolled into Taryall III (Mile 68) I waved the white flag and called my race. I lost the will to continue and while physically I probably could have gone on, there is a reason people say ultras are mostly mental. I learned some valuable lessons during that race, notably that I needed to spend more time toughening my mind and that I needed a pacer/crew in 2016.
Training for this year officially started in November (2015) with the beginning of the front range fat ass season. I took 2 weeks off with minimal running after Indian Creek 50K and then eased into the fat asses in November with plenty of recovery days during the week. By the time December rolled around I began to ramp up my training. I raced Sean O'brien in Malibu, CA early in the season and World's End in PA in May. Neither of these races turned out exactly as I anticipated (sweltering heat in Malibu, and IT band issues at World's End) but Sherpa John, the guy who runs the Colorado fat ass series and the Human Potential Running Series likes to spend a lot of time talking about adversity training. That's exactly what I had to deal with in those races and I knew it was exactly what I would have to deal with at Silverheels so I was happy with how things turned out in the long run.
Once the Colorado ultra season started I ran the South Park trail marathon and the Sheep Mountain 50. South Park went really well. Emily came out the CO that weekend and helped out at an aid station while cheering me on and it was great to see her out on the course. Despite a little stomach issue late in the race I was really happy with how it went. My legs felt strong and I paced the race well. I spent the rest of June training harder than I ever have. I incorporated several strong weeks of back-to-back long runs into my schedule and lots of hard uphill running to build strength. Most weeks I was able to average 50-70 miles per week with over 15,000 feet of elevation gain. I came into Sheep Mountain fresh off my heaving training schedule feeling tired and depleted. The race became a slog at mile 10 and I slowly trudged along until mile 26 before dropping. While I was disappointed not to finish, I knew it was a wise decision as I would only have 3 weeks to get rested and ready for Silverheels after that.
Tapering for me meant backing off the mileage to 35 and then 25 miles before race week. I did my last longish effort with Craig two weeks out on one of my favorite runs, Mt. Evans via the Chicago Creek trail. Otherwise I did a few easier runs on Mount Sanitas, plenty of shorter flat runs on the Boulder Creek Path, and lots of recovery days with lots os swimming in the pool. By the time race week was upon me I was itching to race, just the feeling you want to have.
Emily flew out on Thursday for the race. She was going to be my crew, and we met up with Craig and his family for Lunch on Friday before heading up to Fairplay early in the afternoon. We drove out to the west of Fairplay along Four Mile Rd. and found a nice dispersed camptise for the night. Everyone took naps and then we headed to the pre-race meeting in town. The meeting was informative and entertaining at the same time as is John's style. Unfortunately by the time we left there were almost no places in town still serving dinner, except one hotel which was still serving pizza and appetizers. One Hawaiian pizza please! We wrapped up dinner and everyone went straight to bed, shortly after 10PM.
The Race
We all woke up around 3AM and got ready. I had a Cliff bar and an ensure for breakfast before getting my gear together. We drove out to Fairplay and after an uneventful start we were off running at 4AM. I started in my singlet and shorts with gloves and arm warmers. The overnight temperatures were pretty mild and I ended up sliding off the arm warmers a few miles in. My initial shoe of choice were some Hoka Cliffton 3s. I saw these at REI on clearance and they felt pretty comfortable. Knowing that the first 20 miles or so of Silverheels has a lot of dirt roads I was interested in a shoe with a little more cushion so the Hokas ended up working out well in my test runs. The plan was to change into my main trail shoe (Nike Terra Kiger) at the mile 21 aid station where my crew would be waiting.
After running along for a few miles on a rolling road out of town we began to climb upwards towards the High Park aid station. I ran without a watch so exact pace was unknown but I ran easy on the flats and downhills and walked most of the uphill sections here. Just as I began to near High Park the sun crested over the eastern mountains and illuminated the beautiful scenery. This portion of the course near High Park is one of my favorite sections and to see it as the day begins was almost as breathtaking as the 12,000+ feet elevation I climbed towards. I took my first gel around this time, right on schedule. After it went down I began to complain to myself about how many more I would need (I trained and raced with mostly gels/tailwind). I passed through High Park I (8.75) without stopping because it was a pretty quick out and back to the Silverheels Mine and I had barely touched my handheld.
I again measured my effort on the trip up Silverheels, running slower and more leisurely than last year. I picked up my playing card to prove I went to the mine, ate another gel and then headed back down to High Park, still running the flats and downs. As I rolled into High Park II (mile 13.75) they were cooking up some delicious smelling breakfast foods and I decided to do something you should never do in an ultra, try something new. I suddenly changed my fueling plan to forget gels and go with solid food only. I had a piece of bacon, and some tater tots. Feeling invigorated I topped off my handheld and headed out. I ended up running most of the next section with another runner named as were were both going about the same pace. It was nice to have some company as with this being a smaller race I knew I could expect to run a lot of the race alone. Most of the terrain into Poor Mans Gulch I (mile 21.3) is dirt road with lots of runnable downhill but still plenty of decent climbs. I ran most of the downhills, but taking some walking breaks on the really long runnable sections to give the legs a break and still hiking the ups.
The location of Poor Mans Gulch I was different from 2015 so I was a little surprised with the 1+ mile detour to get to the new aid station location but the single track was nice so I didn't mind. Unfortunately when I got to Poor Mans Gulch I my crew was nowhere to be found. I had told them the earliest I would be there was around 8:30AM (4:30 elapsed) and it was 8:15AM. I ate my fill of pretzels and PB&J tortillas before I had to decide to wait a little bit or head out and I chose the latter. There were two problems with this. One, I would be running on a lot of rougher trails in my road shoes and two, I only had my 20oz. handheld for a ~10 mile stretch of the course.
After Poor Mans Gulch I you run through several miles of nice single track before you pop out on a forest service road that takes you the rest of the way to Trout Creek I (Mile 31.9). As it turned out, my biggest problem with missing my crew was the effect it would have on my head. I let my running companion go ahead and mixed in a little more walking than running for a few miles. Eventually I got over it and was moving pretty well on the road into Trout Creek I. I had ran out of water in my handheld about 1.5-2 miles out from the aid station so I drank a little extra but was otherwise fine. I ate more of the PB&J tortillas which were now becoming my staple and had a little watermelon before heading out. I knew it wasn't too far until Tarryal I (mile 37) where I would definitely get to see Craig and Emily. Invigorated with more food and water I ended up hitting the road and moving well out of Trout Creek.
Unfortunately I ended up enjoying the trail a bit too much. While running with another runner and chatting it up we both missed a key turn off of a forest road. Eventually we realized our mistake and re-traced our steps back to the course (which was well marked there) but not before losing 20 minutes worth of time. With another hit to my confidence I struggled up the ensuing short but brutal climb. At the top I took a moment to sit down on a log and collect myself before pushing onward. From last year I knew it was almost all downhill to Tarryall I so I pushed myself to run as much of it as possible without destroying my legs. By this point the road shoes were starting to show their limitations and the bottoms of my feet were becoming pretty beat up by rocks/roots/etc. on the trail but I know it wasn't too long till I could switch. I got some encouragement when Christoph came up beside me and gave me a cliff bar to eat (my favorite snack) and we ran into Tarryall I together.
Seeing Emily and Craig when I finally rolled into Tarryall was a huge boost to my morale. I sat down in a chair and they took care of changing my shoes while I drank an Ensure and finished my cliff bar. I got my UD running pack all set, picked up my trekking poles, applied sunscreen, and used the bathroom before heading out towards Gold Dust I (39.5). The singletrack between Tarryall and Gold Dust is beautiful and mostly flat so I worked myself up to a decent run/walk shuffle. I made a very quick stop at Gold Dust I, had a few pretzels and then headed out to the high point on the course, a steep and unforgiving climb up above 13,000 feet. I left Gold Dust I with a large group of folks I knew but I could not keep their pace so I settled into my own rhythm and marched my way up the mountain. My climbing legs at this point were feeling pretty weak but I made the best of it and soldiered on. At the summit I picked up a playing card to prove I had been there as well as a souvenir playing card for Emily that had been munched on my some of the marmots that live near the summit.
I did a mix of running and walking (70:30) down the mountain and rolled into Gold Dust II (mile 44.5) in generally good spirits. Emily had hiked into the Gold Dust II from Tarryall so I was happy to see her there. Sherpa John was also there and he said I looked pretty good (whether or not it was true) which was encouraging to hear. I refilled my stuff, ate some tater tots, got a little massage from Emily and then headed out without my trekking poles. This last decision would end up being disastrous. The loop from Gold Dust II to Gold Dust III is mostly downhill, but the one climb you encounter is right out of the aid station. Immediately my climbing legs felt like jello and I slowed down to a crawl without the poles, stopping to take many breaks. When I finally got to the dirt road at the top my legs were beginning to seize up and walking was nearly impossible. I sat down for a minute, then stretched them out for a while and finally pushed on. Not matter how badly I was suffering I was determined to finish.
I spent the next 6 miles (which felt like 20) at a brisk power walk. Occasionally I would try to run a little and my legs would have none of it. At Halfway Gulch (mile 50.5) I tried not to think about being only halfway done. I had some cookies, drank a little Cola and then pushed on. This was around the hottest part of the day and being out on the exposed road in the sun was difficult but the more I walked the more I could run each time I tried which was highly encouraging. Finally on the final approach (~3 miles) into Gold Dust III the sun went down and things cooled off but I still crawled at a frustratingly slow pace. There was one marked section of 1.5 mile which felt like an eternity to pass. Eventually darkness began to set in but I had no headlamp! I didn't have a headlamp until I got back to Tarryall II! A combination of miscalculations on my part and not realizing that the course was a little different in the section of the race than 2015 led to my mistake. To make matters worse, there were a series of unavoidable water crossings where my feet ended up getting soaked and cold. Eventually I stumbled my way into Gold Dust III (mile 54) and plopped down in a chair.
When they asked what I wanted I said warm soup (as the sun went down it got cold quickly and I had gotten chilly) and I mentioned I had no headlamp. Then another runner behind me came in and said the same thing, and then another. The amazing volunteers had a few extras between them so they gave one to me which I shared with Rich and another to the other runner. Rich and I ended up doing the section from Gold Dust III together with one headlamp, carefully picking our way through the woods. After and eternity we emerged out of the forest and I was at Tarryall II, with Emily and Craig there. They helped me get some food down (cup noodles), took off my shoes and socks, spread body glide on the my feet to prevent blisters from the wetness, got me new socks and my backup trail shoes (Salomon S Sense). I also grabbed the trekking poles again. My departing request to Emily as I set off down the trail with Craig as my pacer was to find some way to dry off my Nike trail shoes which I knew was a tall order.
Once Craig and I set off down the trail I felt new vigor in my legs. The trail from Tarryall to Camp Como (mile 61) is rolling but mostly downhill and I found myself running almost all of the downhills and even a few flats on this section. It was also a motivation boost to see runners coming back the other way not looking so great and here I was moving really well. As I predicted, the Salomon S Sense was too minimal to keep running in for long. I could feel me feet taking a beating, but before I knew it I was at Camp Como and Emily had found a propane heater to dry my shoes with! I was incredibly grateful for that so I swapped out my shoes and had half a cup noodles before speeding off, still feeling good.
It wasn’t too far down the trail until Craig and I noticed we were no longer seeing reflective course markers. Unfortunately the area we got lost in was like a maze, with many trails intersecting. After a good 10-15 minutes of running around trying to find the trail we eventually retraced out steps to find the turn we missed and set off again. This detour took its toll mentally and I found myself slogging along for some time. The last 2 miles or so before Tarryall were fairly technical (at least by Colorado standards) and that started to frustrate me which eventually helped my pace. When I finally got to Tarryall III (mile 65.6) I recall it being around 1AM, two hours ahead of cuttoff pace.
Before the race I picked up a dozen doughnuts from Safeway as a reward to myself late in the race when I was feeling down and having one here really hit the spot. I also had some soup and then geared up for running into the night. It would be a long time until the next crew spot (mile 81) so I tried to take anything I might want. Then Craig and I set off towards Trout Creek II. The climb out of Tarryall was longer and harder than I recalled in the other directions, but getting to the top of the ridge was one of the highlights of the race.
The ridge was above treeline and it was a new moon and a clear night. Combine that with being in one of the most remote parts of Colorado and the night sky was breathtaking. We both sat down on a log and turned off our headlamps for a few minutes to admire it. I’ve often seen pictures of night skies like this but never before experienced it. Imagine the best sky you’ve seen, then multiply the stars by a hundred, and throw in the beautiful band of the milky way galaxy and you’ve got quite a spectacle. Eventually it was time to move on and we headed down to Trout Creek II (mile 71). I did a bit of running here, but temperatures were plummeting and I found it hard to motivate myself to run as much as I would have liked.
Trout Creek at night is like an oasis in a desert. You can see it from a long ways off, lanterns and fires going welcoming you in out of the cold and dark night. Craig and I had already talked that we would take about 10 minutes here to eat lots of food considering the 10 mile trek to the next aid station. I had a pack of cup noodles and some bacon and a cookie. I also packed a baggie of various other aid station foods to snack on. After around 10 minutes we headed off into the night.
It was around this time that I began to really struggle with lack of sleep. Craig tried to talk to me and keep me alert but all I wanted to do was lay down and go to sleep. We settled on Craig setting a decent pace and I would follow along behind him as best I could manage. Most of the section from Trout Creek to Poor Mans Gulch I don’t remember. It’s all a blue. I recall Craig stopping to help me change the batteries in my headlamp, and I remember stopping a few times to eat but the rest was a long zombie-like trudge. Eventually we turned off the forest road and onto the single track up a relentlessly steep incline. We made steady progress but only with numerous breaks. I began to suffer my first hallucinations on this climb. I kept heading voices of people talking in the woods, but I tried to ignore it and keep moving.
Towards the top of this climb the sun was finally rising and Craig and I stopped and had an espresso gel with lots of caffeine. I’ve often heard from folks I know who have run hundreds that when the sun comes up on the second day it’s like a whole new race. With the caffeine and the rising sun I felt better than I had in the last 40 miles, and suddenly I was running again. Not much, but a little and I could power walk everything else between 3-4 mph. The transformation was incredible to observe. There were many times during the race I dreded continuing on. I never once thought of dropping, not after last year but yet part of me still didn’t want to continue. Maybe I would miss a cutoff I thought to myself… But once the sun came up and especially when I came into Poor Mans Gulch II (mile 81) I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I was going to finish this thing, and that knowledge was empowering.
At Poor Mans Gulch II I had another doughnut, got a quick massage from Emily, and then quickly headed out. My mindset was no longer one of doubt but rather one of “let’s get this done!” and so I was moving as well as ever before. The hallucinations continued. I would often see logs or rocks turn into a wolf, or even something as crazy as a boat on a trailer… These hallucinations eventually became a source of amusement more than anything. The rolling up and down road between Poor Mans Gulch and High Park III (mile 88.6) was still exhausting and Craig and I were both struggling on the climbs at this point. At the top of one we both sat down for a 2 minute micro-nap before pushing onwards.
As we approached High Park III Craig asked it it would be ok for him to take a mor serious nap at the aid station while I did the out-and-back to the mine. I told him that was not a problem as I was mentally and physically strong (despite the hallucinations). I was in and out of High Park in under a minute, pushed onwards by my desire to just get to the finish. Five miles later (mile 94) I was back at High Park IV, still feeling great and full of smiles. I knew I was moving well but it was a huge boost to hear the aid station volunteers say I had one of the faster splits to the mine and back at this point in the race.
My stop at High Park IV was also about a minute. I grabbed some chips, some watermelon, and topped off my water bottle. Some folks were really struggling at this point and lingering in the aid station but all I could think about was the finish line and so Craig and I set off down the mountain. We chatted a lot about running and races and with both of us feeling invigorated by the finish.
Once we hit the final dirt road to the finish line I at first felt great about being so close, but my memory about the length of that dirt road had been warped by the fact that I ran it in the dark Saturday morning. In the end this final stretch was my least favorite part of the race. With running legs shot it was a long hike on a very boring gravel road. After what seemed like 10 miles I hit the pavement and I knew this time I was actually getting close to the finish. Craig ran ahead to get a photo of me crossing the finish line and Emily walked out to meet me a bit from the finish so she could get more pictures. Out of nowhere I found the strength to run it in. John was there to shake my hand and a whole host of other folks to cheer me on. The final time was 34:51.
My thoughts after finishing were not complicated. I was proud of myself for finishing the race, happy I got to enjoy this beautiful course through the mountains, and incredibly grateful for Emily and Craig because without them my own accomplishment might not have been possible. I sat down at a picnic table and stuffed my face the post-race doughnut I had been saving and Emily got me a cream soda to enjoy. She had also set up the hammock, so I took a quick nap, ate some cheeseburgers, and then accepted my buckle before it was time to pack up and head out from an incredible experience I will remember for the rest of my life.
Epilogue
After the race and before moving back to MD Emily and I did some vacationing around CO. We first went to Great Sand Dunes National park and from there on to many other places. Directly after the race my legs felt OK, I was still able to walk with a slight limp. That night I slept incredible well and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the next day when I woke up I had very little soreness in my legs. Only my calves were ever so slightly sore. This would continue for a few days. The Monday after and for several days I did did plenty of hiking, and the only lingering symptom was a general tiredness and a tremendous appetite. When I eventually did my first run the Friday afterwards everything felt back to normal. I waited another week before starting to really "train" again for the next race on my radar (WV Trilogy).
Epilogue
After the race and before moving back to MD Emily and I did some vacationing around CO. We first went to Great Sand Dunes National park and from there on to many other places. Directly after the race my legs felt OK, I was still able to walk with a slight limp. That night I slept incredible well and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the next day when I woke up I had very little soreness in my legs. Only my calves were ever so slightly sore. This would continue for a few days. The Monday after and for several days I did did plenty of hiking, and the only lingering symptom was a general tiredness and a tremendous appetite. When I eventually did my first run the Friday afterwards everything felt back to normal. I waited another week before starting to really "train" again for the next race on my radar (WV Trilogy).
