San Juan Solstice 50

Five years was much too long of a wait to return to this race (my first 50-miler in 2009).  Lake City is great!  The San Juan mountains are great!  This race is great!  Although I wasn't as fast as I would have liked (did someone say "training race"?), you can't complain when you get to soak in the beauty of the San Juans.

When my sister Regina asked which 50-miler she should do in honor of her 50th birthday, I immediately responded San Juan Solstice 50.  Besides, I wanted to run it again too.  Unfortunately, Regina's race ended at the Carson Aid Station about halfway into the race due to the time cut-off.  The experience of just half of this course, however, beats what most other courses can offer in a full 50 miles.  She seemed to agree and was not too disappointed by her abbreviated race.  I know she will knock off an easier 50 miler soon and it wouldn't surprise me to see her back at this race some day.

My race.  Well I hadn't gotten above treeline until race day, and it probably showed.  I didn't feel like eating at any point and I realized you can't just fuel on PBR for 50 miles and get away with it.  I took Jaime's splits from last year as a guide to my A+ goal of sub-11 hours.  I was on track until Carson (mile 22), but slowed significantly from there.

First of many stream crossings

Williams Creek Aid (Mile 16)

 

I spent some time with Alabama Rob up on the Continental Divide.  Although he didn't get into Hardrock this year, he still made the trip out to play in the San Juans.  The views were amazing (it was a snowstorm in 2009) and Rob and I were just soaking it in at a leisurely pace.

The Divide Aid Station (mile 31) and the drop back down below the trees seemed to take forever to arrive.  I got passed by Amanda and held on with her to the aid station, but it was clear she had a lot more in the tank than I did.  She kicked my butt, once again.  Great race Amanda!

Am I done yet? Slumgullion Aid.

Some mashed potatoes and watermelon at the aid station gave me just enough energy to slog my way to Slumgullion (mile 40) where I got the news of Regina's shortened race.  Another PBR, some more watermelon, and I was ready to get this race over.  I asked Kristel if she wanted to join me for the last 10 miles (they allow pacers from here) and she was in.  We left to a Tarzan call from my sister Robin, who also made the trip out to support her siblings.

Let's go Kristel.  Get me back to Lake City.

I was just about crawling on the final ("easy") climb to Vickers, but I made it.  I am pretty sure Kristel has never seen me move that slow, even after pacing me at Hardrock.  I then ran, somewhat respectably, the downhill to the end to slip under 13 hours (12:56).

Finished!

I am so glad we got to run the traditional course, as the high water and deep snow was putting that in doubt until the week before the race.  The stream crossings were raging, but fun.  Postholing up to your waist at times on the Divide was a little less fun, but not much.  It's the stuff like this that makes this race special.

I'm so proud of Regina for coming from sea level to take on one of the toughest 50-milers for her first 50.  If the cutoffs weren't so tight, I'm sure she could have completed the course.  Congrats to so many of my friends who also raced this year, especially to Kristen for getting her first 50-miler and making it look easy.  Also thanks to all my friends out there on the course providing their support and my awesome crew and surprise pacer.  Thanks Robin and Kristel!

So I guess it is taper time for Hardrock.  Too bad, I don't taper.  Bring on summer in the Rockies!

The Land of Rocks and Roots

A great Memorial Weekend filled with family and friends in the North Maine Woods and lots of time on my favorite trail, the Hundred Mile Wilderness of the Appalachian Trail.  On Saturday morning, Dad dropped Kristel and I off in Monson as we took the scenic route to Camp Pine (the family retreat).  Getting rained on most of the day did not dampen the fun one bit, even if it did make the rocks and roots even more challenging than they already are.  A solid push through the 30 miles from Highway 15 to the KI road still took us almost 12 hours.  We probably would have been even slower if we hadn't met up with Whisper at Chairback Gap.  The way she was moving proved that my big sister is more than ready for the San Juan Solstice 50 next month and we only kept up with her because we knew she had food in her car at the KI road crossing.

On Sunday, Kristel and I headed out for another 16 miles under some wonderful sunshine.  We continued up the AT for an out and back to the Carl Newhall lean-to and then added a loop around the incredible Gulf Hagas.  We met the first SOBO (South-bound thru-hiker) of the year.  A young guy from Texas starting his journey to Georgia.  Inspiring stuff!

Day 1:

Our starting line, the southern end of the HMW.

North Pond outlet.

Little Wilson Falls.

Big Wilson Stream.



Wilson Valley lean-to.

Long Pond Stream.

 

Barren Mountain



Bog-loggin'

Some typical terrain in the Chairback-Barren Range.

A little sunshine on Fourth Mountain.

Third Mountain.

 

Chairback Mountain.

Day 2:

West Branch of the Pleasant River.

Gulf Hagas.

Screw Auger Falls.

 

Cheyenne Mountain 50K

Races hurt! I don't care if it's a 5K, 50K, or 100-miler.  The Cheyenne Mountain 50K was actually my first time racing this distance.  So at least it was a PR.  Some pretty nice trails there in Cheyenne Mountain State Park, but it took a double figure eight course to come up with an ultra distance.  It's never easy to pass by the finish line multiple times before actually getting to stop.  Anyway, I did slip into the top 20 with a 5:33 but far from what I was hoping for.  At least I beat the future Leadman by over an hour.  I hate the term "training race".  I was there to race, not to train. However, on a day that I never really felt good, endured some good pain, and pushed through to the finish, I will chalk it up as a good training race.

I did make a fun weekend of it down in the Springs, getting out on the big mountain (Pikes Peak) the next day.  Kristel and I took on the Incline and then a pleasant, easy run up to Barr Camp in some fresh snow.  I think I have got her convinced to take on a Pikes Peak Marathon some day soon.  A beautiful morning on the mountain and an official start to my altitude training for a couple of fun races in the San Juans that will be here before I know it.

Rim to Rim to Rim

The classic double-crossing of the Grand Canyon is now checked off from my list of "runs to do".  Kristel and I welcomed the first full day of Spring taking off from the Bright Angel Trailhead on the South Rim on a crisp, cool morning.  After jogging along the crowded Rim Trail to the South Kaibab Trailhead, we made our descent to the Colorado River where the temps quickly hit 80 degrees.  After crossing the Colorado and eating lunch at Phantom Ranch, we made the long 14 mile climb to the North Rim on the North Kaibab Trail, hardly seeing anyone all the way up.  It was hard to leave the cool air, beauty, and solitude of the North Rim, which was still closed to the public, but we eventually made our way back to the river before grinding our way back up to the South Rim via the Bright Angel Trail in the dark.  A total of 49.5 miles according to the trail maps.

Leaving the South Rim on South Kaibab

Colorado River coming into view

River crossing

A warm Phantom Ranch

Another water stop and trying to beat the heat

Views on North Kaibab Trail

The South Rim looks so far away with the San Francisco Peaks of Flagstaff in the distant

A cool and quiet North Kaibab Trailhead

Canyonlands

The pictures say it all.  A thorough tour of the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park with Kristel.  So nice to escape the polar vortices for some warm, dry trails.