Leadville

OK, so what do I do with all of this training that I had built up for Western States? Do I back off and go into maintenance mode while waiting for the Fall and Winter races in the area? Or do I search for another 100 mile race out west that I can do right now? Last weekend I did some reflecting and I decided to go for it. Why wait, right? So I signed up for the Leadville Trail 100 that is held on August 16th. Here's what Wikipedia has to say about this race...

The Leadville Trail 100 Ultramarathon (aka The Race Across The Sky or the LT100), first run in 1983, is an ultramarathon held annually on trails and dirt roads at high altitude around Leadville, Colorado, through the heart of the Rocky Mountains. The course is difficult, with runners climbing and descending 15,600 feet, with elevations ranging between 9,200-12,620 feet. Because of its difficulty, it is common for less than half the starters to complete the race ahead of its 30 hour time limit. The next edition of the LT100 is set for August 16-17, 2008 starting at 4am on the 16th.

The course is a 50-mile out-and-back dogleg, starting at 10,200 feet. The centerpiece of the course are two climbs up to Hope Pass, an ascent to 12,620 feet, encountered on both the outbound trek and on the return.

Race co-founder Kenneth Chlouber, an avid marathon runner, conceived of the race as a way to make Leadville famous and bring visitors during a period of economic downturn. When he told the local hospital administrator about his idea he was told, "You're crazy! You'll kill someone!" Ken responded, "Well, then we will be famous, won't we?"

So I'm back into hard core training mode. I have roughly five weeks to get ready for this race. But in reality, I have only three more weeks of hard training before I go into a two week tapering period before the race.

The good news about this race -- typically heat is not a problem. The bad news about this race -- altitude -- and lots of it! Many runners go to Leadville or the surrounding area and live at altitude for two or three weeks before the race to get adjusted to the altitude. Unfortunately, I don't have that luxury. I'll be arriving in Leadville on Thursday night. The race starts at 4am on Saturday. So I'll be at altitude roughly 34 hours before the race starts.

I have a some incredible support for the race. Virginia, the kids, my mother and stepfather, my mother in law, and even possibly my grandmother will be at the race. Matt Crownover is coming along to pace me the last 50 miles. He's done this race before so having him here will be a huge comfort and support for me. We've run together for hundreds of miles the past several months training for Western States so he knows my running ability, what motivates me, etc. And he knows the course incredibly well which will help as well.

It's a good feeling having a race to work towards. I've signed up for two 100 mile races in the past year. I was injured for one of them so I could not start (Rocky Raccoon). And the other one was cancelled (Western States). Am I jinxed in this whole 100 mile business? I've signed up for Leadville to find out!

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.

Training Camp

I've been back from the WS training camp for a couple of days. I've now had time to reflect on the course, my mental attitude, and catch up on my sleep a bit.

First of all, the training runs were incredibly valuable to me. I got to run on the WS trail for two solid days and see what was in store for me during the race.

I flew into Sacramento, rented a car, and drove to Foresthill, CA where I would be camping for two nights. I set up my tent in the Foresthill Middle School soccer field with about 20 other adventurous souls. I say adventurous, because it started raining as soon as my tent went up and it did not stop for over 24 hours. And it was pretty dang cold - mid 40's. Much different from Dallas, Tx this time of year. I found a restaurant that made pasta, ate, and then crawled into my sleeping bag while it was still light outside. There was really nothing else for me to do and I figured I needed as much rest as possible.

I woke up the next morning around 3ish and could not go back to sleep. The rain was really keeping me awake, plus I was anxious about the upcoming run. I was about to run the hardest part of the course (the canyons) in some pretty miserable conditions. So I ate my breakfast and just stared at the top of my tent for 3 hours until it was time to get up.

I drove down to the run start and registered. The volunteers wrote a giant number on the back of my hand so they could keep track of all of the runners on the course. They did not want to lose anybody out there. Before I knew it, it was time to load up into the buses for an hour ride to get to the start of the run.

Everyone on the bus was incredibly excited. I had the great fortune of sitting next to a 7 time WS finisher who gave me some really good advice. I asked him how all of the rain would affect the trail. I know in Texas with all of our clay soil, it would be impossible to run in these conditions. He told me not to worry, the course drains really well, and that we'd just have to dodge a few puddles here and there.

We finally got to the trail and everyone poured of the bus. It was hilarious -- there were about 400 people heading for the nearest tree to relieve themselves. There was no modesty at all - everyone had to go really bad!

And then off we went. And man, was it miserable. We were at a higher elevation now and it was colder. And it was still raining. My hands were numb after 5 minutes. I was so thankful I'd brought my rain jacket. It started sleeting for a bit and there were piles of snow on the sides of the trail. At this point, I was thinking this is no fun at all. And it was muddy! Very, very muddy. But at least it wasn't the Texas clay mud that grips your shoes and doesn't let go. This was a fine mud - very slippery. I had mud inside my shoes the entire day. It made no sense to clean them out -- more just kept coming in. Some sections there was some nice shoe sucking mud. You really had to pick your steps carefully. I ran into my new friend at an aid station and he apologized for the bad advice about the trail conditions -- we both had a good laugh.

But man, I was finally on the WS trail! And that was a really good feeling. I was on the trail that I'd heard and read so much about. This is the trail I have been working towards for last 6 months. And I was about to run the most difficult section of the trail -- the canyons.

After 8 miles or so, we got to the decent into the canyons. And that was by far the most dangerous running I've ever done. The mud and foot traffic made the decent incredibly scary. I could not do my usual free fall type of downhill running. I really had to watch what I was doing and had to put the breaks on so I would not fall off the course. And a fall here would be bad. When you put the breaks on during these downhills, your feet slip in the mud. I would slide 5 feet at a time on certain descents. That out of control feeling with rocks, trees, and cliffs all around is not a good feeling. Somewhere on this section a runner sprained his ankle really badly. Other runners helped him out of the canyon where a helicopter was waiting to fly him out. He had hypothermia from the cold conditions. That's a very unlucky way to end your WS dream.

I finally reached the bottom of the first canyon and started my climb back up. This section is called the Devil's Thumb and I had heard a lot about it. In fact, I was really anxious about this climb. So many runner's races are dashed in these canyons and the Devil's Thumb is one serious climb. I just started at my normal climbing pace and kept on moving. I knew it would take time to get to the top and I just had to have patience and I would eventually get there. I reached the top after 40 minutes and I thought to myself -- hey, that wasn't so bad! But during the race, I'll already have run over 30 miles before this point and it will be at least 50 degrees warmer. So I know the canyon section is going to be tough. There were two other canyons after Devil's Thumb and they were all very hard, but manageable. And before I knew it, the run was over. Along the way, I had a great conversation with a lady who had completed WS 2 times and Badwater once amongst several other 100 mile races. She gave me some great advice and encouragement.

Day two was much easier. My legs were tired, but I was able to complete the 20 mile run in a little less than 4 hours. This had to be the easiest section of the course -- lots of really runnable terrain. I have to be sure I have legs left during the race to really take advantage of it. I'll also being running this section with my pacer, Steve, who've I've already told not to let me fall of the cliffs that are everywhere in this section.

Overall, the training camp was a great experience. I have come away from it with good confidence that I can complete this race. I am now mentally ready and physically I am about as good as shape as I can get in. Two more tough weeks of training before I begin my taper. I will be ready for WS100! 30 more days!

5K

I got a call from Matt on Thursday asking me if I'd like to enter the Heartbeat 5K that his hospital sponsors each year. But here was the catch - he wanted to work it into our regular Saturday long run. So we'd run for awhile and then do the 5K on somewhat tired legs.

On Saturday morning, I woke early and started my regular long run. Matt met me at Flag Pole Hill after I got in 7 hilly miles and then we headed off to Presbyterian Hospital for the race. But we miscalculated the distance to Presby so we had to really push it to get to the race by the 8:30 start time. We arrived at the race with 5 minutes to spare and I was dripping wet somewhat dehydrated mess. And I was already tired. I had 11 hilly miles on my legs and I'd basically already run close to my race pace just to get there. So my expectations for the 5K were really low. My goal was to average 8 minute miles or better (remember, I am a really slow runner!) and to not fall apart at the end of the race. I pounded some water and got myself together for the race.

I started the race and actually felt OK - I love that race day magic! The first mile had a nice downhill to it so I pushed it a bit. But you always pay for those downhills because the 2nd mile was mostly uphill. I made the turn to head back to the hospital for the last mile and knew that we had a gentle downhill with a pretty nice uphill right at the finish. At this point I was just trying to hold it together and maintain my pace. I was still passing a few runners that went out to quickly, but I knew I could not hold the pace much longer. I made the turn to the finish just as Matt yelled out - "Krejci is dropping the hammer!" (of course, he'd already finished by now) and finished with a 24:31.

I was happy with my effort and frankly really surprised. I did not think I could run that fast after already putting in 11 miles before the race. I've only run one other 5K (2 years ago) and I finished this one over a minute faster. I am not a huge fan of the 5K distance. Running 3.1 miles at a fast pace (for me) really freaking hurts! I'm not kidding when I say I'd rather run a marathon than a fast 5K.

After the race we ran back to my house and then Matt continued on to his house. I got in a total of 16 miles - 3 of which were really fast - and 3 of which were close to my race pace. And in the hills at Flag Pole and it was a pretty good training run. Next weekend is training camp weekend on the WS100 trail. I can not wait to get out there and see the course for myself. I am incredibly excited. 40 more days until WS100.