Running and Rabid Rodents

Running:
So after my much needed 3 week hiatus from running, I got back on the horse on January 1st with the annual 'Hangover Run'... I mean Rescue Run 10k. This was the second consecutive year that my friend James and I were late to the race start, but unlike last year where we arrived maybe 5 minutes after the gun went off, we were a good 12 minutes behind schedule this year which made it too late to for me to officially register. But hey, I hadn't planned my outfit and decked myself out in snowboard/running attire for nothing, so I still went out and put in the miles.

Since then I have run every day of this cold new year, which puts my streak at 10 days as I write this. While I have no specific longevity goals for this streak, I also have no intentions of breaking it unless my body forces me to do so (ie: injury). Consistency and higher mileage will be the name of the game this year in hopes of a sub-2:47 marathon at Boston and a top-5 at the Leadville 100.

Oh, and I almost forgot... I'm in the 'What it Takes' section of the February 2011 Runners World.

Rabid Rodents:
Okay, so there is actually only one rodent in this video - a squirrel - but you won't be disappointed. While this video has potential to go viral on YouTube if I put techno music in the background, it's still pretty funny as it is. I rarely run with my phone, but last Saturday was thankfully one of those occasions.

Here's the scenario: I was two hours into my long run, and I'd just gotten off the snowy trails and hit the road behind Bear Creek Park to run home on surface streets when I encountered the squirrel in the videos below. I recommend watching BOTH videos, even if only for the entertainment value of the of the hill-billy comments the local resident provides in the background.
(I especially like "Who knows what happens when you get hit by a car?", and "He must have some sort of brain damage.")

Video #1. 'My Discovery':

Video #2. 'Squirrel and Stick':

Brooks

What will 2011 hold?!

I've spent the last month or two thinking about what races, travel, or other adventures I want to embark on in 2011. I'd been waiting to put together a set game-plan until I knew whether or not I would be running Western States in June. Obviously, the lottery last week wasn't favorable for either me or Colorado runners in general, and I now have an open schedule next Spring/Summer/Fall.

So it's time to start preparing and looking ahead to another stellar year... I encourage feedback or suggestions, so don't be shy in commenting! Here are the races I'm doing for sure:

• Brew to Brew - 44 Miles - April 3rd, Kansas
• Boston Marathon - April 18th
• Leadville Trail 100, August 20th. This is the one I want to peak for this season. Sub-19 hour and top 5 is the goal. Having experience on this course and two good finishes, I don't think this is unrealistic.

Here are some races I'm also interested in:

• Antelope Island Buffalo Run 50/100- March 25th, Utah. The only problem I see with this one is its close proximity to B2B the next weekend. I'm going to need more than a week to recover from a 100 miler, but I could always do the 50 mile distance. These races look fast and beautiful. Located on an island on the Great Salt Lake!
• DRTE 100 - April 29th, California
• Collegiate Peaks 50 - May 7. This is just an all-around fun race that I've participated in the past two years. If it conflicts with something way more awesome, I'll gladly push it aside for a year, though.
• Miwok 100k... oops. I just realized the lottery closed last Friday, so this one is off the list.
• Hardrock Hundred - July 8th. What more needs to be said about this one? I have a personal vendetta against the race that beat me and humbled me last summer. Only problem I see here is that it too is a lottery and I'm not guaranteed entry.
• White River 50 - July 31st - Washington. I'm about 75% sure I'll be doing this one, even if it's just my excuse to run and catch up with my buddy, Andy Henshaw. If you're not already familiar with the name, 2011 should change that. He's among the newest members of the Montrail Ultrarunning team, alongside other greats such as Geoff Roes and Dakota Jones.

Let me know what you think of the tentative plan and please feel free to offer suggestions for other races/events I might have overlooked. Even if it's not an ultra-distance event, I'm not closing the door on any options!

For now, it's still relaxation mode for this guy. Tonight I'll be seeing these fellas rockin' it at the Black Sheep in Colorado Springs. Should be a good time...


Brooks

Ending the 2010 Season on a High Note

(12/10/10 - Photos to follow this weekend)
I say that not because of how I placed, or how fast I covered the terrain at the 2010 North Face Endurance Challenge 50 Mile Championship, San Francisco, CA, Presented by Gore-Tex... (yeah, that's really the half-paragraph long name of the event), but rather because I had tons of fun and a mini-vacation at the same time.

This race was my last scheduled ultra-distance event of 2010 and it couldn't get here quick enough. I'm not gonna lie, I've been mentally checked out of running and training for the last 6 weeks mostly due to the cumulative physical and psychological fatigue of racing 11 ultra-distance events since February. I've been remarkably healthy through all of it - both my lungs and my legs - but that doesn't mean I wasn't run down.

I arrived in San Francisco pretty late on Thursday night after an uneventful trip that required no body scans, pat downs, or cavity searches, so I was a happy camper. By the time I was on the road in my very own rental car for the first time (I felt like I was playing grown-up), it was late enough that I decided to wait until Friday to meet up with my friends and fellow racers, Natalee and Brandon. Thankfully however, it was not too late to experience a $10 sushi feast at a hole in the wall restaurant near my hotel on Lombard St.!

Friday started early since I had to move my vehicle before it risked a 9:00am tow. I relocated my sweet Ford Escape (sarcasm intended) to a spot a few blocks away in a residential neighborhood that resulted in a $55 dollar parking ticket instead. Apparently, you can park there any time imaginable, except between 9 and 11am on the 1st Friday of each month. How convenient... it was there between 8 and 10am on the first Friday of December! That's my kind of luck, but in no way put a damper on the weekend. I figured as long as I found enough free parking over the next 4 days, I'd make up for the $55 dollar hit.

All this occurred while I roamed the streets of downtown SF soaking up the sights, sounds, smells, and buzz of the city (it's amazing how tall I felt after wandering through Chinatown). I eventually made it to the heart of the shopping district and picked up my race packet at the North Face store. After returning from my hilly 2-hour jaunt, I was finally hungry and ready to head down to San Jose to meet Natalee and Brandon for lunch.

After fueling our tanks, talking some trash, and making some friendly wagers on the outcome of the race, Brandon returned to work (business trip for him) and Natalee and I ran pre-race errands and hit the city for the remainder of the afternoon. We all reconvened for dinner in SJ and then went our separate ways to prepare for the looming 2:30am wake up calls which were necessary in order to catch the 3:45am shuttle. By 11:00pm I was finally all prepared for the pain and suffering that was in my near future and caught a quick 3+ hours of sleep.

One downside to running ultra's is how early they normally start. I say this since I'm definitely not a morning person, and feel that there is something inherently wrong with getting up and hitting the road while most individuals are just leaving the bars to head home.

Anyway, I met the rest of the gang shortly thereafter and Brandon and I piled into the bus for a short trip across the bay to the Marin Headlands and the race start. For the first time I can remember, I actually had a normal bowel movement before the race started as opposed to the 3+ I normally endure throughout the course of a 50 mile race. Off to a good start!

At 5:00 we were off into the darkness and it was amazing how fresh I felt and how much fun it was to be running again. I say this because I had done virtually no training over the last 6 weeks since the Deadman Peaks 50 in late October... a slightly longer taper than conventional wisdom recommends, but again, I was primarily doing this race for the experience and to get out of Colorado for a few days. In hindsight, I probably should have run more than a 17 mile long run in preparation for it, but considering I'm alive and well as I write this, I can't complain too much. Ultimately, the main difference I felt was the level of pain I had to endure to get through it. Normally the real meat-and-potatoes fatigue sets in around the 50k mark for me, but this time I was hurting, cramping, and hating life in general around mile 17. It was going to be a classic suffer-fest from there on, so my freshness and excitement were definitely short lived.

By the 9 mile mark we had already covered 2 substantial climbs (you are constantly climbing or descending at this race, with no flat running to speak of) and I was still within sight of the leaders. This falsely had me thinking I was a genius for taking a 6 week hiatus/taper, as I normally can't see the leaders after the first 15 minutes!

I was again shocked at the mile 13+ aid station to discover I was still less than 5 minutes behind the leaders. I still felt pretty awesome at this point but the fact I'd just covered a mountainous half marathon in 1:41 made me nervous. That's freakishly fast for a trail race with lots of climbing and descending and in hindsight was probably a big contributing factor to the bad hamstring cramps that hit me about 4 miles later.

This cramping hit in the middle of the day's longest and highest climb to the top of the beautiful Mt. Tamalpais.

Rain and cold winds were arriving at this point as well, so I was looking forward to grabbing my rain shell and dry socks at the Boot Jack aid station around mile 19. If there is one thing you can count on at 50 and 100 mile events though, it's that you can't count on anything, and this was the case when I discovered my drop bag was MIA. Having endured enough of these sufferfests' by now, I finally realize that getting pissed off and throwing a hissy-fit accomplishes nothing and saps valuable energy and mental strength, so I grabbed some fuel and hit the trail again, rather than having a pity-party with only one guest.

The remaining climb to the turnaround on Mt. Tam was gradual to say the least, but my legs were already toasted, so a lot of walking ensued. This created a new problem in that I needed to run to stay warm in the rain/wind, but really couldn't. With chattering teeth I reached the turnaround and began running again for the long descent through the enchanted forest down to Stinson Beach. On top of warming up from the increased exertion level, I was able to dry out under the thick canopy of Redwood's, but this mental boost was shortlived as I took a tumble and went rolling off the trail. A quick self-diagnostic confirmed that I only had surface wounds, and would unfortunately have to continue. (As twisted as it sounds, I was kind of hoping for a more serious injury that would get me out of running 22 more miles, but again, I just don't have that kind of good fortune very often!)

The remainder of the race was pretty uneventful and included more of the same: Climb, descend, walk, run, drink, GU, salt, aid station, etc. I will say the course was one of the most beautiful I've ever run (with the exception of the Hardrock Hundred), and the ocean views seemed to always sneak up on me right as I needed a pick-me-up. While racing I ran into both Natalee and Brandon at various points and this was another huge boost when I was getting low.

The last real challenge of the day was the slippery mud and complete lack of traction on the hills that resulted from the constant rain. If anything it added to the experience and makes the story and memory that much fonder at this point!

In the end, I finished in 8:48.37 good for 34th place in what was by far the toughest field I've ever gone up against. I have no complaints or regrets about this... if anything, it was awesome enough to make me want to return in 2011 and actually prepare for it next time!

Natalee went on to finish her first marathon that day in 5:42 which is stellar considering the difficult terrain and the fact that she'd never run over 10 miles in training for it!

Brandon finished the 50 miler in 11:36 which was good for a new personal record, and the privilege of buying my ticket to the metal concert we all went to the next night!

After sitting around in the cold and rain until 7:30pm waiting for drop bags to be returned (mine was finally found), we were bussed back to the city. The most adventuresome event of the evening was drinking medicinal alcohol and playing Angry Birds on the iPad.

Sunday was tourist day but Brandon and I looked like locals in the gay community based on how we were both walking!

We hit all the popular spots, including Coit Tower, Lombard St, Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39, Ghiradelli Square, and finally the DNA Lounge where we had our eardrums destroyed by a bunch of angry foreigners.

I still haven't decided on a firm race schedule for 2011, but the Western States lottery on Saturday wasn't kind to me and this won't be my big event. I'm already registered for the Boston Marathon and the Leadville 100 again, so now I just need to fill in the gaps in between as I kick back and relax for a few weeks. It's time for me to pursue a month's worth of offseason hobbies which now include ice hockey and learning to play guitar!

In honor of an awesome weekend in the Bay area, here's a tune from Geographer, who conveniently are from San Fran and happen to be my current favorite artist... enjoy!

2010 Deadman Peaks Adventure

There's something very appealing to me about taking solo road trips to races without much advance planning. I really thrive off the excitement of the unknown, the time alone with my thoughts, and the fact that I'm almost guaranteed to have a great story in the end. So like a moth to a flame, I gladly embark on these adventures and this past weekend's escapade in Cuba, New Mexico didn't disappoint...

Q: "Where is Cuba?"
A: Dead-smack in the middle of nowhere.

I hit the road late Friday morning to embark on the 6+ hour drive. En route I encountered snow going over La Veta pass in Colorado, sun and blue skies down the Taos, NM corridor, and finally, rain, sleet and cold temperatures in the high desert in, and around Cuba. Other highlights included the purchase of an authentic Mexican poncho in Taos, and my getting lost near Espanola and nearly running out of gas as I approached my destination.

Q: "What is the town like?"
A: A much crappier version of Fruita, CO or Moab, UT.

I arrived in town around 4:30 pm and decided I'd be better off snagging a motel room rather than sleeping in the front seat of my car. This was primarily because of the cold temps, not so much for comfort reasons. Choosing was a breeze as there were only two motels in town and I picked the first one I saw out of convenience. The Frontier Motel had a vacancy... I wonder why?

In addition to the selling points I mention in the video, the room smelled like urine. I didn't dare walk around without socks since the floor was damp for some reason (urine?), and neither did I pull back the covers on the bed. Instead I slept on top in my sleeping bag. This place was so nice, that while laying in bed watching TV, the shroud on the fan fell off bounced off the bed and rolled halfway across the room. It wasn't even on when this happened. No joke:

Q: "Why would you go there?"
A: Good question. For me, to run 50+ miles on the CDT at the 2010 Deadman Peaks Trail Run.

It was chilly in the pre-dawn hours as it had been drizzling all night, thus I was staying warm in my car taking care of my last minute gear checks when I noticed people running. Lots of them. Apparently my watch was off and I missed the race start. What a good way to get things rolling!

Within 1-2 minutes I was in hot pursuit of the headlamps ahead of me, and within a couple miles I was running with the leaders. Since it was overcast the nearly full-moon didn't help illuminate the way so the early pace was slow due to the constant cairn searching with our headlamp beams. Since the entire race was on the Continental Divide Trail the course was marked with fequent rock cairns, painted wooden posts and the RD had placed the occasional orange flag in critical areas.

Until mile 7-ish, I alternated turns leading the group of 4 that had gotten out ahead of the main pack. At this point I regrettably took my obligatory pit stop in the bushes. I say regrettably, not because of the 2 minutes or so the bathroom break cost me, but rather because of the 10 minutes I lost by getting off course as soon as I resumed running.
Since we had been running on the high mesa for a couple of miles on a defined double-track trail, I didn't anticipate the course taking us right of the edge of the cliff, so when the flags pointed that way I chose to keep going straight on the trail. It wasn't until I hadn't seen a trail marker or another runner for 5+ minutes that I decided to backtrack, finally discovering the trail DID go right off the edge of the mesa shelf and down a steep technical descent for several hundred feet.

I was infuriated when I realized I had lost quite a bit of time and a few positions, but I had nobody to blame but myself. After calming down and getting back into stride, I was supremely motivated to play hunter and catch back up to the leaders.

Around mile 17 I finally started catching glimpses of the runner who was currently in 2nd place, named Leif. After about a mile of playing pursuer on the tecnical terrain, I made my pass into what would end up being my final finishing position.

The course took us in, out, and through sandy canyons, slickrock shelves, high-mesa's and chapparal filled clearings on technical terrain. During a steep descent around mile 12, I had my only flirt with disaster when I stubbed my toe on a rock while in full stride. Only wearing 7oz shoes has its advantages, but toe protection is not one of them. Because of the sheer force with which I struck my foot and searing pain that followed, I was led me to believe I might have broken a toe... after the socks and shoes came off, my theory was confirmed.

Anyway, I'm not complaining, as this is all part of the sport. I kept moving as hard and fast as I could without depleting all my reserves, fully expecting to see the race leader Tim Long around the next bend. By the time I reached the mile 21 (more like 23) aid station I discovered I was about 4 minutes behind Tim. This was reassuring as I now knew I had been gaining on him.

Just before arriving at the mile 27 turn-around, I finally crossed paths with Tim for what would be the last time until the finish. His lead was still only 4 minutes so I was now ready to go for the kill and reel him in... or so I thought. I gave the next miles my hardest effort, but in doing so I realized that my legs where quickly turning to lead from the early push to catch up. I began walking the steep ascents at this point. By the time I reached the next aid station, I found out Tim had put 5 minutes on me in as many miles. Still, with only a 9 minute lead and 23 miles to go, I didn't completely rule out the possibily of catching him.

Eventually, around mile 35, my right hamstring began to cramp badly and this remained the standard for the rest of the race. Because of this, I had to begin walking the steeper climbs and just running the flats and downhills. I let my thoughts of winning go away at this point and then focused on CFM, or continuous forward motion. I was determined to hold on to second place if nothing else.

I eventually did reach the finish in 2nd place in 9:26.xx. (54 miles).

It had been overcast, cold, and at times drizzling throughout the day, but within 10 minutes of finishing the floodgates of heaven opened up, and I decided to hit the road rather than risk being murdered at the Frontier Motel for a second consecutive night.

To top it all off, I was pulled over in Walsenburg for having a headlight out, but the officer clearly could tell I was already beat down enough for one day and let me go with a warning. Talk about a long day. In the end, I'd been up since 4:00am, run for 9+ hours, and had driven for 6 more.

So another one is officially in the books and now it's time to get serious about training for San Fran in December!

Brooks

Who's the Deadman?!

That's my only real question going into this weekends' solo road trip/car camping/ultramarathon adventure in 'No-mans-land' New Mexico... aka the Deadman Peaks Trail Race.

After a bad experience the last time I road tripped to a 50 miler (insert: overnight ER visit), let's hope the name of this one isn't prophetic!

On a completely different racing note: When I signed up for the Boston Marathon earlier this week, I had no idea I'd be one of the few who actually got in before it sold out in record time. It's a bittersweet feeling, on the one hand I'm going to be part of a special race on a historic year, but on the other, most of my friends weren't able to get registered in time and won't be able to share it with me!

After this year, it looks like it might be time to make the qualifying standard more difficult again so Boson can regain the exclusivity and prestige it once had as an elite running event. For example the current qualifying time for under-35 males is now 20 minutes slower than it used to be (3:10 vs. 2:50). I, for one, want to see it get harder again!

Brooks 'Deadman' Williams

Recent and Upcoming Shenanigans

So despite the 2+ week break from any long stuff, I've still been active and busy. Let's take these in chronological order:

10/9/10 - The 2010 McNugget Challenge 5k
In case the name didn't give it away, this inaugural unsanctioned USATF event involved eating lots of chicken McNuggets from McDonalds, and then running a 5k. Specifically, 50 McNuggets in less than an hour. This year's event saw 7 brave entrants and an equally large crowd on hand to witness the festivities. Here's how it went down:

• The only way to DQ was to throw up prior to completing both legs of the challenge.
• 4 participants were able to eat the 50 McNuggets in the allotted time.
• 3 participants were able to successfully complete the 5k.
• EVERY participant threw up before all was said and done.

"Why?", you may ask. Why not?!
Heck, McDonalds can't expect to offer 50 of these vile devils for only $9.99 and then expect me to not consider the possibility of combining gluttony and running into an event for like-minded (insert: stupid) individuals.

(Video montage courtesy of Matt Laubhan. Classic...)

Official Results:

1. Marc Pevoteaux - 18:5x
2. Brooks Williams - 20:xx
3. Ken Newton - 21:xx
4. James Kaminski - DNF

10/17/10 - Pikes Peak Road Runners Fall Series II (5 Miles)
It had been 4 years since the last time I competed in this fun local race, and since I was volunteering to lead the kids race anyway, I decided to enter. This one includes 3 river crossings, lots of vertical, and a muddy rope climb right before the finish!
My race wasn't too spectacular, although I was over 5 minutes faster than my 2006 time which just reinforces how much stronger of a runner I am these days. I'd consider my current conditioning as 'weak and rundown', so it was still nice to see a big improvement. My final time was 34:32, good for about 20th place.

Surprisingly, leading the kids race proved to be a more impressive feat. Who knew a bunch of snot-nosed 12 year olds would give this old guy a run for his money?! No joke: This one kid named Tanner is 12 years old and has run a 5:12 mile... you do the math and imagine how ugly it was when I had to lead the course (2 miles) on the same trails and hills that had already kicked my butt once that day. Except this time I had a bunch of ravenous, blood thirsty, kids chasing me!

(I'll have you know that I successfully stayed ahead of the little brats but had to run a 6:29 average up/down steep hills to do it! That'll show them who's boss.)

New Races Added
And finally, this morning I pulled the trigger and entered two more upcoming events:

• 2010 North Face 50 in San Francisco
• 2011 Boston Marathon

This Saturday is the Deadmans Peak Trail Race in Cuba, NM, and after that I'll try to find a way to stay conditioned through 12/4/10 and knock out yet another one... despite having wanted to end my race season after Leadville. I never claim to be smart.

Brooks

The Bear Chase

I'm about a week late posting this, but The Bear Chase 50-miler on October 3rd ended up going very well...

After a surprisingly good pre-race nights' sleep, I found myself standing in the pre-dawn chill wishing I'd put more forethought into my starting clothing choice. Apparently shorts and a t-shirt at night in Colorado in October aren't the recipe for warmth... who knew?

Anyway, like I previously posted, I entered this race on a whim knowing that it had PR potential, having a total elevation gain of less than 4000'. In my mind I basically pictured a higher elevation version of Rocky Raccoon in Texas, and that turned out to be a perfect comparison, minus the ankle grabbing tree roots all over the place! Another similiarity to Rocky Raccoon is the multi-lap course design; for The Bear Chase runners are required to run four 12.5 mile laps. Courses like this are by no means my favorite, but they make for good psychological conditioning which is such an integral part of ultrarunning.

I started the race running with the likes of Dakota Jones and Jamie Donaldson, at a leisurely pace that felt very sustainable. It's surprising how easy running 8 minute miles all day should be... on paper, at least! You always think, 'This is nothing, I'm gonna kill this course!', only to be reminded that you're human once fatigue decides to stealthily step in and kick your butt slowly and painfully as the distance and time increase!

By mile 5 I'd intentionally opened up about a 30 second lead for the sole purpose of getting my obligatory first bowel movement out of the way while not losing the lead pack. After this pit stop I was shortly able to catch up with Dakota again, and we pretty much ran together for all of Lap 1.

After this first lap I became skeptical of my ability to run sub-7. Granted, there was a pit stop involved, but despite a pretty hard effort, it had taken me 1:39 to cover the first 12.5 miles, which was about 4-5 minutes off my goal pace. At this point I was in 2nd place, but Dakota caught up with me shortly (after a pit stop of his own) and soon I had to duck into the trees for bowel movement #2 and I wouldn't see him again until the finish.

By the midway point of lap #2 the legs were getting extremely heavy and the previously mentioned time goal no longer mattered. I now just wanted to push through the fatigue and finish, letting the time take care of itself. I wasn't ruling out a PR, I just didn't want a specific time goal anymore since my body was at less than full strength.

The remaining laps were uneventful. Basically, there were 3 small but noticeable climbs on each lap, as well as 3 river crossings per lap. These were the only features that broke up the monotony of 'left foot, right foot, repeat'. It got much hotter than expected in the early afternoon which made for a tough fourth lap, but still this was a race that while not exciting, did offer an ideal course to run fast on.

My laps were as follows (approximately): 1:39, 1:44, 1:53, 1:59.

FINAL TIME: 7:16.xx (50 Mile PR) - 3rd Place Overall
(Results can be found here.)

All in all, this was a great experience and yet still very humbling; Dakota ended up pulling out the 'W' in 6:39, despite having just run his first 100-miler the weekend before. Impressive.

My confidence, which is like a never ending rollercoaster ride, is currently through the roof again. With only one more big race left in 2010, I'm ready to end it on a high note and then go into my much needed off-season.

Brooks