Western States Cancelled!

Virginia, Nancy (mother in law), Steve (pacer) and I arrived in Squaw Valley on Wednesday afternoon before the race. I had the girls drop us off at the race site so Steve and I could take in the 1st timers race meeting while they checked into the condo. We got there about 5 minutes late and I noticed that everyone was in a terrible state of mind. The woman giving the talk was crying and it took a second to sink in that she was saying that the race may be cancelled. The final decision was made at 8pm that night. The race board had decided to cancel the 2008 race. I was stunned. It took awhile to sink in and even though I am back in Dallas now, it still may take awhile to fully take hold.

The race was cancelled due to the large amount of forest fires in the area. This is a 100 mile - point to point race and there were at least three fires very close to the trail. The logistics of holding this race are already insane. Having forest fires in the area made it impossible. The smoke was thick in most of Northern California and they just could not take the chance to hold the race. It was a smart decision, but it did not make it any less painful to me and the other runners. I had my first beer in over a month that night.

My training partner, Matt and his wife had already prepaid for their condo so they came out to Squaw Valley as well. We decided we'd just make it a running and hiking vacation and we'd just go to trails where the smoke wasn't as bad.

So I ended up getting in some incredible training runs and hikes. We ran on the Pacific Crest Trail one day which was amazing. Virginia and I hiked up to Emigrant Pass one day which was the highlight of the trip for me. I have an amazing wife and doing things like that are incredibly special. We hiked up to the top of Mount Rose another day - the highest peak in Nevada. And then Matt and I topped it off this morning with another hike up to Emigrant Pass and then a screaming fast run down the mountain. All in all it was a great vacation.

Now I have to figure out my next race. The WS Race Committee was kind enough to give us all automatic entries into the 2009 race, but I need to do a 100 mile race before then. So I have a little thinking and planning ahead of me. I'll figure it out. Onward!

I'm Ready!

You know that scene that’s in every Rocky movie? The one where Rocky has lifted all of his weights, finished all of his sparing, and has run up the steps of that building while the theme song is playing? He is primed and ready to fight Clubber Lang, Apollo Creed , or that Russian dude. Well, that’s me right now. I’m ready for this race!

I’ve run all the miles, done as much hill work as possible, eaten right, weight lifting, yoga, and Pilates to get ready for this race. It feels really good that the hard training is over. The taper is finally here! And I am in the best shape of my entire life.

Most importantly, I am mentally ready for this race. I’ve got my head on right and I am ready for the challenge. It’s taken awhile to get here and I’ve gone through many ups and downs while training for this race. But now I am primed and ready to go. 11 days until the race – bring it on!

Sweat Test

After my miserable experience last Saturday at Cedar Hill, I decided to find out how much fluid I am losing every hour while running. It’s called a sweat test and I did it on two very different occasions. It’s really easy. You weigh yourself without clothes before starting a run. Then you go out and run at race pace for 60 minutes without drinking (or peeing) and then weigh yourself again when finished. It is actually pretty shocking to see how much fluid you lose while running. Here are my results…

Day One – June 9th 7pm in the evening; 70 degrees; 78% humidity
Lost 2.5 pounds
2.5 x 16 ounces = 40 ounces lost in one hour

Day Two – June 12th Noon; 90 degrees; 51% humidity
Lost 3.75 pounds
3.75 x 16 ounces = 60 ounces lost in one hour

So you can see that I typically lose a lot of fluid when I run – probably more than the average person. Even when it was cool 70 degrees outside, I lost 40 ounces of fluid. 40 ounces equals 2 full water bottles.

But I know that I can not drink that much water during the race. Your body can only absorb up to 30 ounces of fluid per hour. I’ll really have to monitor my fluid intake during the race – especially during the heat of the day when we are in the canyons. Hydration can make or break my race. But armed with this info, I will be able to handle it a little bit better.

Heat

I learned a huge lesson yesterday. Heat does not agree with me. I've known for a long time that I do not perform well in hot weather. But man, my run yesterday really kicked me in the butt. Here is how my last long run before tapering went down...

I started the day with 9 miles at Norbuck Park. I then had breakfast with my family and then picked up Matt for 5 hours at Cedar Hill Preserve. We started our run at 10am and finished at 3pm. I was doing great for about 3 1/2 hours -- then it all fell apart for me. And I mean really fell apart. I have never felt so bad while running. I know now that I had a case of heat exhaustion.

I was starting to slow down at this point in the run, so Matt and I decided that we would do a loop by ourselves. About 30 minutes after we separated, the wheels started to come off. I could not run the flats anymore -- I could only run the downhills. And the uphills were becoming a bear. I kept pounding water, but I knew something was wrong. It took me 15 minutes to do a climb that I can normally do in 2 minutes. I had to sit down and rest many times. My heart rate was elevated and I could not slow down my breathing. I was not running at all anymore -- in fact, I was barely walking. I finally got up the hill and made my way the final 2 miles to the car.

I sat gasping at the car, but knew that I needed to complete the run. I was hoping this was just a really low spot and I'd come out of it. I was not thinking very clearly at this point. I doused myself with water, put ice in my cap and bottles, tied a cold bandanna around my neck, and started out for another loop. I was able to run for about 50 yards before I was reduced to a staggering walk. I had to sit and rest at the slightest uphills. Something was definitely wrong with me. And that's when the nausea started. I've seen other people that have stomach issues while running ultras. Well, it was time for me to experience this side of ultraunning.

I felt like I'd had 15 beers the night before. My head started to hurt, I could not keep my breathing in check, I could barely walk, and now I was vomiting. I turned around to head back to the car. I was only about a 1/2 mile out on the trail, so I made it back in a reasonable time. I laid down on a picnic table and tried to get myself together. Somebody walked by and asked me if I was OK. I just grunted "I'm fine." Then I noticed a water hose not too far away. I walked over and hosed myself off. That really helped. My breathing was finally in check, but I couldn't stop the nausea. At this point, Matt had finished his loop and saw me. He's first reaction was, "Dude, what happened to you?" I filled him in and he made me hose off again and drink a ton of water and take some salt.

Eventually I got myself together enough to get in the car and head home. Matt drove home while I continued with my nausea -- really fun stuff! I jumped into his pool and drank some really cold Gatorade (thank you, Julie!) and finally started to feel better. And eventually I was able to drive myself home.

Looking back on it, I really can't believe I fell apart so quickly. It was about 2 in the afternoon when things went poorly. The sun had come out in full force and it was hot and humid but it wasn't 100 degrees or anything. I think I started the run a little too fast, sweat too much, and my body could not keep up with it. At least it happened to me now, so I can learn from it. During the race, I plan on staying as cool as possible. Ice in every water bottle, ice in my hat, ice in my bandanna. I'll douse myself with cold water at every aid station - stop at every river and stream crossing and throw water on myself and head.

Heat exhaustion is no joke. It's a day later and I still don't feel right. It was really the strangest feeling while it was happening. I've never felt anything like it. I could not stop my elevated heart rate/breathing, my ears felt clogged up, my voice changed, I was staggering, and the puking of course. And I believe I had a pretty mild case of it. Consider this a lesson learned. It's going to be very, very hot in the canyons of WS. I will do everything I can to stay cool before, during, and after that section of the race.