Reflections on Diez: Confessions of a Sandbagger

There's no way I could've predicted what happened on Saturday after the crap state my body and second-guessing mind were in over the days leading into Diez. Following Dirty Duo, on March eighth, the training plan I'd written up went completely out the window due travel and various other things. I truly felt I had no business running 50 kilometers with any sort of personal expectations but I felt I owed to myself, and everyone else who didn't get in, to at least start on Saturday morning.

Even though I was dealing with this pointy little profile, I started...

Elevation profile captured by Suunto Ambit2 R

The Start Line
As usual, I was wagging my jaw as the start of the race happened and the moving pack startled me into motion. My first strides, with Chloe Gendron and Sarah Stepec were a series of jokes and casual have-funs before I hit the first of a lot of dirt and saw the back of Jeff Pelletier. It was then I knew it was time to wake up. If I could keep Jeff in striking distance from the start at White Pine Beach and through to the first aid station, I thought I'd have a chance of finishing near him. To put that thinking into context, Jeff and I ran this same section together previously and he slaughtered me on the climb. He climbs like a snow leopard. Fast and quiet. I also knew that if he got to the road-type sections too far ahead of me, it'd be over. His turn over is amazing. Come to think of it, there's nothing he doesn't do well. He lost me on the climb as I suspected, so I played catch up for a bit across the top but was careful not to burn myself down while doing so. My footwork was fancy up there and we were together again until the first aid station. 

This went on all morning. I'd catch a glimpse of Jeff and then not see him for fifteen or so minutes. He had a hundred or so meters on me and on windy, undulating terrain I didn't see much of him. Mentally, this exhausted me and while running the west side of Buntzen, I really started to question whether I could finish this. Even the screaming and cheering of super vollie Dianna couldn't get me motivated. I smiled but it was fake as hell. My left soleus hurt and I was breathing way too hard. With an apple from my drop bag, I headed back up the east side of Buntzen in a huge huff. I'd completely lost Jeff and I was alone. Come to think of it, I'd been alone for nearly an hour. Anger! What was going on? At the end of Buntzen again and there was Jeff. He cheered me on. I cheered him on. Then I cheered myself on. I was still in this and I hoped Jeff was unhappy to see me hanging on. That's racing, right? We talked very little as we yoyo'd back and forth to Solana and Jay's "we're not an aid station" station. From a distance I heard Solana, who hadn't recognized me, tell Jeff he was a minute back on Josh Barringer and Daniel Goddard. Really?!, I thought. Two more big dogs. I had no clue what place we were in but knowing I was hanging with these guys was hugely motivating. Jeff was gone again and I started smiling. This is where everything turned around and I knew I was going to finish this thing. That alone was a massively powerful shift in my mind set.

Photo by Jay Klassen just moments behind J.P.

The OUT AND BACK actually starts in the forest much further down from the power lines than I expected. Much further. Much much further. This is going to be fun on the way back, I kept thinking with my head down and taking tiny strides to hit the top. I thought I was off course a couple times because it was taking so long to reach the power lines. And when I finally did, coming around the corner was Ed McCarthy which prompted me to think I wasn't that far from the turn around. Holy Shit was I wrong in that thinking. As I looked up the power lines, I saw the highest point and assumed we would never have to go out that far. Again, I was wrong. It had to be done though so off I went and there in front of me were Jeff, Daniel and Josh, in no particular order. I caught up with Daniel and had a few words. I only knew it was him because Solana had said he wasn't too far ahead. Last time we met he was bearded. It was Daniel that delivered the bad news about the out and back going to the top of that hill, then downhill and back up again. I kinda' cried inside but reminded myself that everyone was crying inside about it.  Who could cry the least was the name of the game now?

In eight place, I came into the turn around to see Josh feeling really lousy. Although he was ticking over like a whippit, he was pale and clearly disappointed in how his body was reacting to the days demands. He said few words and went right back to work. Jeff's lower leg, which he'd mentioned just before we saw Solana and Jay, had finally gotten the better of him. However, with some serious reservations, he too went right back to work. With them gone, I spent a bit longer at the turn around than the other lads. I wanted to make sure I was fueled enough to keep this high of mine rockin'. Bonking now would send me back to the start line in someone's car and those weren't plans.

Zig zagging, I climbed back to the gravel road and in no time at all reached that dreamy downhill single-track, I mentioned earlier. With Josh and Jeff on our heels, Daniel and I wound our way down to see the last aid station and the final climb. This was it. A short and familiar climb was all I needed to conquer and the descent would be easy. That said, after Daniel spanked me on the last descent, I knew I'd have to beat him up the climb with some distance to spare but without wrecking myself. At the top, I had a quick shoulder check and he wasn't in sight but I really couldn't tell through the forest.

TO the FINISH...
The descent and a short run along Sasamat Lake went by quickly before I popped up on the road to see the finish line clock reading 4:56. I was the fourth person to cross the finish line into Wendy's arms. Kudos to any RD that hugs a nasty ass trail runner after even 15 minutes of running, let alone almost five hours.

To sum... I truly had no clue what I was doing at that race on Saturday morning in light of my training and mind set. My result as compared to my previous blog warrants my being called a sandbagger. Yes indeed. One thing is for sure, I was ready. The question is why? What have I done? 

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Diez Vista 1st Place 40-49 Beer Tumbler

For one, I think I played the race smart. I did exactly what Rene Unser (PACE Sports Fitness)/Salomon Flight Crew, told me to do. I found my rhythm in the first half and then had a go at the second half. I heard your voice out there, Rene. Secondly, my volume had been higher than in previous years up until March 16th, about three weeks prior. Tapers work? Thirdly, and what I am most sure of, is the strength training I'm doing at MARX CONDITIONING. Not only did I feel strong on the climbs and descents in the back half, but I also felt that I was keenly aware of which muscles needed to stay engaged to keep my form functional and efficient. You're awesome, Monika Marx.

Again, the gear of the day, aside from my Salomon Mantra's, was Salomon's S-Lab Skin belt and two 8oz. soft flasks. With the food I needed in the front of the belt and two soft flasks of water in the rear, I was set. It stayed tight to my body with no chafing. And the important things were always accessible.

Looking forward to my next race in Kelowna on April 27th, Spring Rush followed by Sun Mountain 50k on May 17th. (There's still some space in Spring Rush if you're looking for a gorgeous Okanagan 25k.)

Diez Vista: D'ya know how hard this is gonna' be?

At 7am, on April 5th, three sleeps from now, I'll be tootling around Sasamat Lake as I begin 50 kilometers of one fancy foot in front of the other. It's Diez Vista time again and this is my first official 50k of four this year. It's an understatement to say I'm feeling unprepared but my friend James Marshall tells me I'm always prepared. I appreciate the confidence, although I'm not certain I've done everything I could've done to be my best on this race day. 

I'm trying to maintain some perspective in the fact that this is one race of many this summer and, knowing my body, I can't handle too much more mileage at this point in the year. I'll work my ass off. That's for sure. I always do but I think I'll be disappointed with a poor placing and slower time. I typically don't discuss my own personal pre-race time predictions so I won't start now but without a doubt, I have some clear expectations of myself. 

No matter how much we tell ourselves it's mentally unhealthy to compare ourselves to others, it is inevitable. As I have commented so many times before, it is these comparisons in competition that drive me to work harder. Unless you went through elementary school in the last 12 years without the threat of failing and always getting a participant ribbon no matter what you achieved, I think competition has driven most of us. Everything I'm doing in training at this time of year tells me it is what I should be doing to sustain my performance and excitement for the summer, but when I compare my work to some of my competitors I get nervous. What others have done (or say they have done) seems to be what I should've done. I'm just scared the wheels will come off this 40 year old bus before the summer arrives. I maintain that I'm pacing my season.

What's done is done and what is not done is not done. Adding mileage and or speed now is not going to happen. I have to trust that the mileage I have given to myself is adequate. That the rest I have given myself has repaired me. That the food I have eaten has nourished me. That the extraneous training I do has made me stronger. Regretfully I haven't experienced the entire DV course but perhaps that will be a blessing. I'll study the map some more but hope that the old adage "ignorance is bliss" works on the out and back.

Without really getting into details about my feelings, my Salomon Flight Crew teammate, Rene Unser of Kelowna's PACE Sports Fitness, picked up on my stress about this and nailed it when she said:

"Howdy! It's normal to feel that way but Don't underestimate yourself my friend;). If Squamish is your A race then just know what's important for you to get out of this experience and stick to it. Running a successful race has more components to it than speed. Someone can run fast but not finish etc... So just run your own rhythm and set a steady beat for the first half. Then see from there. Let your experience and mental super powers drive you home You'll grit your teeth and have a strong finish like you usually do It's a tough early season ultra and one that will reward you weeks after the race with a huge bump in fitness. I like to call it "the big picture"... LOL Have a good one!!"

To Rene I say, thanks for taking the over-thinking out of it for me, Coach. I'll "keep a steady beat for the first half...and let my experience and mental super powers drive me home". 

Over the next three days, while second guessing dumb stuff like what socks to wear or flip flopping on a bag or a hand held, I'll study the map a little. Like I said, I haven't seen much of the course so I don't even know where half is yet to start driving it home.

Looking forward to a great day in the rain with rad dudes and dudines (official term). To all those racing, GOOD LUCK and LAUGH LOTS! To all those race directing, marshalling, cutting up food, marking the course, checking racers in, THANK YOU!  

Diez Vista...Ya know hard this is gonna' be?

Dirty Duo 2014: A Benchmark in March

Another year gone by and another great day at Mountain Madness's Dirty Duo. The conditions were exactly what should be expected in March 'round here: pissing wet but mostly warm if you're on the move. As usual, the North Shore biking, running and volunteering community came out to laugh, hurt and be generally friendly all day long. We have an unbelievable community here on the shore and it can't be said enough that I am grateful to be part of it. Thanks to everyone for their part in yesterday.

March is early in my calendar and so is my first larger race this year, Diez Vista.  For me, Dirty Duo was an excellent place to set out and see where my body is at and to see what needs to be tuned up. What gears do I have? (Or not have) Where am I hurting? Is my nutrition and hydration plan good? In general, Dirty Duo was a check up prior to Diez Vista in about four weeks. 

I was nervous to race in the days leading up to Dirty Duo. I hadn't raced a shorter race like this since September, nearly seven months prior. I had no idea if my training was working and so I was happy when I found that my base-building phase hadn't left me completely speedless. That's not to say I had all the speed I wanted, just to say I wasn't any slower as a result of running mostly slow and long. I don't think my base has ever been this strong at this time of year and likely because I've been able to maintain 50 to 60 mile weeks for the past six weeks. It's been tough to work in that mileage on top of an already busy calendar but I realize the payoff today, the day after the race, as I am completely pain free and ready to get out and run again. I ran smooth throughout the race without a single low but the kick I had over the last two kilometers was phenomenal. After 23-ish kilometers, I was able to get things up on the next step, get out ahead of an amazing competitor, Jonathan Gormick, and lead into the finish. To boot, I wasn't doubled over at the finish looking for a place to spew. A quick hand shake with my partner, Dylan Wolsky, who went away quickly, and I was fine. A hug from my wife and daughter, some hot chocolate and lasagna and life was good.

Again, I feel fantastic but it is clear that I don't have a top gear that I can maintain, especially on the climbs. Oldbuck and Homestead, both of which are completely runnable, were a slog. I was able to run them both but with no juice at all. I climbed like a tractor not a WRX. The descents don't concern me whatsoever, but it's time to add in some faster running. Intervals? I don't know. I have some ideas but nothing I feel like sharing. 

I'll keep with the higher volumes as it seems to work in terms of recovery and overall sustainability and running economy. It's not realistic to build in too much speed before Diez Vista but I'll definitely get things underway and hope to see some benefits later in the year for Sun Mountain, Knee Knacker and Squamish 50(km).

To wrap up, I'm thrilled to have been on the winning team of the Dirty Duo men's relay for the fourth year in a row. I've been incredibly fortunate to have had the absolute best riders from anywhere on my team. The first year I raced with Kim Steed as he lost his teammate to injury. The following year Monika Marx introduced me to the Nomads and I raced with Arthur Gaillot, his teammate Chris Johnston, the following year, and now Dylan Wolsky. A special thank you to Monika Marx for keeping me strong to prevent injury and from the onset of the aging process.

Gear of the day:  
Salomon's Advanced Skin Belt. It fit tight against my hips, waist and low back so it wasn't noticable and it easily carried two 8oz. soft flasks of water as well as two gels up front. In these shorter efforts, it seems this was plenty to get me through the run and helped me avoid carrying handheld bottles (my preference to have empty hands). I wore it over my Exo Tech Tee, which I wear as a base layer and under my Trail Runner Long Sleeve.

What's a Community?

A few Tweets, several emails and some coercive text messages and the North Shore trail running community came out of there burrows and bungalows to beat the Hares up BCMC, this past Sunday.

Vancouver trail running community, you are one of a kind. How many other groups of people can you think of that would come out to a lung burning, heart testing, beating of an event under total self-motivation and call it a good time? Not too many, I'd say.

Congratulations and thank you to everyone who made it out on Sunday morning. It wasn't an actual race but the desire to maintain position was enough to surge a good number of you to setting a BCMC personal best. 

Although the event was done under the guise of my 40th birthday, I'm sincerely thrilled to have had the community together atop Grouse under blue skies and some balmy temperatures. It's always great to laugh, breath hard and drink coffee with good community.

Until next time...

Updated List: Hounds and Hares BCMC

BCMC

Of course the offer to join Sunday mornings Hounds & Hares BCMC is still open, but to enter now is kinda' cheap because you've had a chance to look at the times your adversaries have called in. If you decide you'd like to join us, choose an honest time and start so that you finish at 10:00am.

Hounds & Hares BCMC

There are only two things certain in this thing, the place you leave in and the time you leave at. Once you're heart is pounding and you're climbing, it's up to you to keep your spot and arrive on time.

If each participant has indicated an accurate and honest time, everyone should be arriving at the top by 10:00 am. This means the real push to maintain your place will happen in the last 200 to 300 meters.

A few tips and reminders:

• Start is just south of the Grouse Grind gate.
• Finish is atop Grouse just below the chalet after you step over the yellow rope
• It's F'n cold so bring something warm to wear up top and for the download
• Bring $10 for the download and a few bucks for java
  
• It's icy in the middle of the trail after the 3/4 mark. Walk in the soft pack on the sides. If it's shiny, it's slippery.
• BCMC is a public trail so please be super respectful of others. Say hello and hope they don't stab you. People traveling downhill should give you the right of way coming up but may not. Smile and keep moving.
• The trail splits after it starts to flatten up top. 
• Stay to the left and follow the two types of markers: 

1. a white reflective diamond that says BCMC or 
2. a reflective orange plate that has BCMC felted onto it.

There is obviously no obligation to show up but it would be nice to let somebody know so we aren't waiting for you. 

I'll likely be freezing my ass off in the parking lot at the start area about 8:45 to see people off. You'll notice I'm hanging onto my thirties  and aiming to climb in 39 minutes. It's all I got now, baby!
 

And now for the list...

Start Time	Time Estimate	Name
8:15	1:45	Brandi
8:30	1:30	Linda B.
8:50	1:10	Jen Closs
9:00	1:00	Jackie M.
9:00	1:00	Ken and Crew
9:00	1:00	Katie D.
9:00	1:00	Andy Aitch
9:03	:57	Julie M.
9:04	:56	Josh B.
9:05	:55	James M.
9:05	:55	Warren
9:05	:55	Lara
9:06	:54	Pam S.
9:07	:53	Linda L.
9:09	:51	Scott W.
9:10	:50	Solana
9:10	:50	Eamonn
9:10	:50	Melissa M.
9:10	:50	Nathan V.
9:10	:50	Hilary M.
9:10	:50	Kevin L.
9:11:30	48:30	Darby Kai
9:12	:48	Kate M.
9:12	:48	Nicola G.
9:13:	:47	Gemma Slaughter
9:14	:46	Duncan
9:14:30	:46:30	Chloe G.
9:15	:45	Adam W.
9:15	:45	Shea M.
9:15:25	45:35	Hikari N.
9:17	:43	Jay K.
9:18:25	:42:35	Terry B.
9:18	:42	Ran (Seven)
9:20	:40	Jeff P.
9:20	:40	Rob Doyle
9:20	:40	Mark G.
9:21	:39	Tom C.
9:21	:39	Bob Welbourn

Hounds & Hares ~ November 24th, 2013

The date is nearing on which I plan to roll into my next decade. I'm cool with this because we all know 40 is the new 30.

The Plan

I would love nothing more than to get a bunch of cool people (that's you) out on the trails and then go sip some seriously murky coffee. 

It's a Hounds and Hares (see Wikipedia) style start from Grouse Mountain's dirt parking lot. The aim is to make it to the top of  BCMC without getting passed (or stabbed) by 10 am. This means you figure out how long you think it'll take you and start at the appropriate time. The idea is to catch the person (hare) in front of you and not to get caught by those behind you (hounds). If everyone puts in a fair and honest time estimate and starts when they should, nobody should pass or be passed and everyone should arrive at the top right at 10:00 am. Who will be bold enough to claim the position of the lead hare?  No one shall know until all time estimates are in.The beauty of it is that you can choose whatever time you like as long as you make it true on game day.

If you think you can make it, send me your estimated time at tomcraik@hotmail.com. I'll compile all the times, even if there are only three of you, and make the start times public before we begin. This way you know who's chasing you and who you're in pursuit of. Please submit your estimate by Friday, November 22nd. 

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SHARE THIS. MORE PEOPLE. MORE FUN! 

There are no prizes for passing people. Only pride.

Please don't hesitate to send questions or comments either.