2015 – A Year in Review

2015 was a good running year for me.  For the past few years I have been slowed from continued consequences of the massive tibia stress fracture that I experienced in 2012. Opening 2015, I still was having some issues but as the year progressed, stability in that leg area returned and I worried less about it.  I still fear running faster than 7-minute pace, which seems to cause tears in the area so I’ve retired from face-pace running at short distances (5K, 10k, half-marathon, marathon, and even 50K).

With consistent training and long races I experienced a record year for me in miles, with 4,564 miles, far more than my previous best of 3,943 in 2011, one of my best years.  With new responsibilities at work in 2015, I found it more difficult to find time and motivation to do a lot of mid-week training and instead concentrated on very long Saturday runs, always taking off Sundays.  I probably averaged running less than three days a week.  I added many power-walks from the train station to work and back several times a week.

These consistent very long runs were effective in training my body to very quickly recover from them.  Out of the 52 weeks, for 40 of them, I ran a run that week of at least 50K (31 miles).  The result was that it became no big deal running 50K and I experienced little or no soreness the next day.  Most of those runs were at a comfortable pace, but at times I would push the pace well.

Many ultrarunners locally, concentrate on doing impressive vertical feet each week.  As spring arrived, I did boost up the vertical training but never to the level that others were doing.  For me, running at altitude seemed more important to help my old lungs and heart adapt.  I found ways to get up high and spend many hours up there for some long runs.  My measure of success was whether I could still run up the hills on demand during 100-milers after 50 miles.   In all my 100s this year, I still could run well at the end.  I always observe runners who by mile 70 can only walk and to me that is no fun.  Running 100-milers are only fun if you can run on demand at any point of the race. My uphill strength was very good this year.  Treadmill running is an important part of my training and now with a quality incline treadmill in my basement, I can get in some solid controlled training that includes some brutal incline work.

This also was a personal record year for 100-mile finishes.  I reached 100 miles in eleven races in 2015. (see list on the right of this page).  I didn’t have a goal or plan to do this, but as the year unfolded each month, I desired to run, and I could do that even with only two weeks between them if I wanted.  I’ve now finished 74 100s and hope to one day reach 100.  With 74 finishes I’m getting close to the top 10 in the world for career 100-mile finishes.  I have good friends who are also in the 70s.  There are just a small handful of runners (4-5) who have reached 100 100 finishes.

I did experience two 100-mile DNFs, Antelope Canyon (reached 91 miles), and Wasatch Front (reached 75).  The DNF at Antelope Canyon was very disturbing.  Cold rain started about mile 85 and mentally I quit, similar to Bear 100 the previous September.  Conditions did get worse with snow falling, but I only had 10 more miles.  Quitting was silly after that much effort and investment.  That experience increased my determination and made it possible for me to consistently finish other races during the year.

The DNF at Wasatch was justified in my mind.  The heat that day affected my body very negatively and I quit after going very slowly during the night to Brighton.  I had plenty of time left to walk to the finish, but I was sick, and I would be very sick for the next couple of days.  It was smart to pull the plug but I learned some good lessons on how to keep myself cooler during hot races.  I successfully applied those learnings at Javelina Jundred the next month in Arizona.

I’ve run Wasatch 100 five times and finished it four times.  I’ve never really enjoyed it compared to the many other 100s that I’ve run.   I believe I am through with it and won’t enter it again.  Others can take my place.  To me, it isn’t scenic.  The most scenic section is passed through during the night.  Too bad it can’t be run in reverse.  I can run those trails any time. They aren’t the best in the Wasatch Front.  It may sound like heresy, but I just don’t like the course and the all-to-often hot conditions.  The section from Big Mountain to Lambs canyon is just nasty.   But, the attraction for me to the race is to run with so many local runners.   I’ll probably continues to support the race and enjoy running the high ridges at night greeting and helping runners in the race.

Looking back on my 2015 races, my best was probably Monument Valley 100.  After learning how to run long miles of sand at Antelope Canyon 100, I seemed to glide through the deep sand at Monument Valley 100 and led the race for the first several hours.  I had a very good showing with a fifth-place finish.  Salt Flats 100 was another good race for me.  I ran the first 18 miles slow with my brother, but then pushed on ahead fast and ran another sub-24-hour finish and PRed. In most of the other races, I continue to struggle with stomach problems during the night, likely caused by oxygen blood flow being drawn away from the stomach, a common issue for older runners.  But I pushed through many of those problems, at times costing me hours, but I usually still finished well.

My adventure runs were the highlight of my year as I tried to find creative places to run for my weekly long runs.  My toughest adventure was summiting the eight highest peaks in Utah County, all more than 11,000 feet high, in a little over one day.  I had failed at that attempt in 2014, but pushed myself to complete it in 2015.  Many thanks to friends who helped me through the difficult Timp section.

Other adventures included creative very long loops in the Uintas which introduced me to some new wonderful trails.   I also explored the ridges up high above Spanish Fork Canyon, finding very nice places to run.

In the lowlands to make the runs interesting I ran creative runs including around the boundaries of cities, Saratoga Springs, Lehi, and American Fork.  I also ran long end-to-end runs using the train to return back.

I also did maze-runner runs, to try to run on every road in a development causing my mind to keep track of roads and figure out the best order to run them.

I again did an epic long run all the way around Utah Lake.   I became the first to do a double Ruby Crest Trail run of about 67 miles in Nevada.

I enjoyed a very challenging run, the Oquirrh Mountain Traverse from Fairfield to Butterfield Canyon, again the first to do that.  I also ran the entire spine of Lake Mountain end to end.

 

I did some silly repeats, including a quad Y mountain run.   One Saturday I ran 54 miles, nearly all the way around Cedar Valley.  In the early winter, I ran 41 miles to our family Christmas Party, Saratoga Springs to Midway.

Capitol Reef 100 was my toughest 100 of the year.  The slow, technical course combined with the cold night and hot day made it a rough experience that I pushed through and finished.  I have now finished more different 100-mile races in Utah than anyone – nine.    Wasatch, Bear, Pony Express, Buffalo, Moab, Salt Flats, Monument Valley, Bryce, Capitol Reef.  The only one I’ve missed is Zion which I still hope to do.  (One year there was Slickrock 100, but it was pretty much a disaster and wasn’t actually 100 miles).  Also in 2015 I did a double Squaw Peak 50, the first to do Squaw Peak 100 that I hope might be an official 100 in the future.

Now at age 57, I’m continually wondering when age will truly catch up with me and slow me way down.  At the end of 2015, I ran an 8:40 50-mile split time at Across the Years, my best 50-mile time in four years.  That was a surprise.  I returned to the Grand Canyon in November and ran the fastest R2R2R that I have ever run. I’m still pretending to be young.

What will 2016 hold?  Who knows? I haven’t planned much.  Because injuries are always possible, I no longer like to enter races far in advance.   I usually instead enter them on a whim.  I will return and run Coldwater Rumble 100 in Arizona, in January.  I’ll run Antelope Canyon 50 in February and looking at Jackpot 100 in Las Vegas, also in February.  I’ll likely run Salt Flats 100 again, and I’ve entered the Cascade Crest 100 lottery, a race I love.  I’m likely to return to run Kodiak 100 in September.  I enjoyed that race.   Creative adventure runs will pop into my head and I’ll go do them too.