Posted by: runwithgarrison | September 25, 2012

Noble Canyon 50k

Aloha Everyone,

It has been a few weeks since my last update and I am happy to report that I am finally starting to feel better. I have not run any workouts but I finally returned to run up tantalus once in the 3 weeks heading into the Noble Canyon 50k. So, there is the good news…I feel good and very well rested. The bad news, as I realized on Saturday, is that I am a bit heavy and out of shape. Thankfully, I can work to fix the fitness and weight issues and hopefully I can salvage a few solid efforts while the calendar still says 2012.

Here’s my mileage totals with long run distance in () for the past 6 weeks
39.76(10.7), 24.58(10), 43.93(11), 54.08(11.4), 59.95(16), and 56.87 (31–NC 50k). As you can see, there is a serious lack of anything that remotely appears to be a long run. With that said, I am very happy to get thru the 50k healthy as I head into the Dick Collins 50 Mile race in mid October. Onto the race report…..

The temperatures were a bit high in San Diego for the weekend and Noble Canyon is located in the mountains about an hour east of San Diego. The morning drive was easy and I was feeling relaxed and in a very positive mood. I knew I was not nearly as fit as I was at this race last year where I finished 12th with a time of 5:02:30. I however, was much better rested and I had now seen the course before–those had to be huge advantages–Right?? I have run 502 miles less this year compared to this time last year and I am about 15 pounds heavier than I was last year but I tried to not let that into my head as I stood relaxed on the starting line. The crowd at the race was relaxed and chatty. Race Director Brian gave his final instructions and we were all ready to go. My race plan was to run relaxed early thru 14 and then see what I could manage from there. The first 13 of the race is flat/downhill as we worked our way down the canyon to the turnaround mark around 13.6 miles. Parts of the trail, especially on the up/downhills, are rocky and I could easily tell who had local knowledge of the trail and the terrain. On the way out to the bottom of the canyon, things were going along well. I was not plagued with the stomach issues that hindered my first 20 miles here last year and I felt pretty good. At the turnaround, I was around 6th or 7th place. A little quicker than i planned but I was/still am ok with that. The strangest part about the first 15 miles of the race—-I had incredible focus. I might not even qualify it as focus…I was completely mentally lost in the effort. I was thinking about nothing except what was directly in front of me. I think Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi would call it a Flow experience. I do recall at one point, Bob Marley said, “One good thing about music, When it hits you feel no pain.” Life was good and I was embracing the moment.

The first rough patch of the race hit from about 16-20 miles. During this stretch, I was walking/hiking my way out of the canyon and several racers were rolling by me like I was standing still. A really fun part about this race is that a big chunk of it is an out/back. I always find it inspirational to watch others compete and work their own way thru difficult events/efforts and the racers at Noble Canyon did not disappoint—What a cool group of runners. Lots to positivity and support–Mahalo to all of you who were out on the trail Saturday.

As the first rough patch set it, the mental freedom that I embraced for 15 miles turned into a chorus of negativity. Most of the thoughts revolved around my lack of fitness and that my shorts were fitting a little tighter than normal. The bottom line was…. I was just not tough. I narrowed my focus and allowed the negativity to rule for that period of time.

After the Big Tree 2 aid station, about 19.6 miles, I started to pull my way out of the funk and started to get some decent running together again. I was drinking my Skratch Labs and feeling like I could still break 5 hours and better my time from last year. That feeling lasted thru the next aid station and I felt like I had conquered the negativity for the day. However, that was not to be the case…

Around 25-29 miles, I hit another rough patch. This is the final pitch up to about 6000 feet and I spent most of this time walking and hiking. I just felt out of shape and totally out of my element. I no longer felt like fighting for a good time or place, I just wanted to be done. The negative thoughts that gripped me during this spell revolved around not being good enough, disappointing myself and others, as well as the thought that I should not even bother to attempt the Dick Collins 50 Miler in a few weeks. That race has over 8000 feet of vertical gain and 50 Miles is a completely different gig compared to 50k. If I struggled this much at 50k, 50 Miles seemed impossible at the time. While I was walking and displaying a lack mental toughness, even more racers ran by and I could do nothing to respond. Around 29 miles, I started to sense a closeness to the finish line so I started to get my head together. I ran all the way into the finish, kissed the rat at the finish line and thanked RD Brian for an excellent race that he and his staff put on. The volunteers at the Aid Stations were absolutely awesome!!! Very Helpful and positive!!!! THANKS!!!

Final Race stats–5:23:41. 17th place overall, 5th in 40-49 age group

I must say, I was not very happy with my lack of toughness on Saturday but as I let a few days pass, I am focusing on the accomplishment and what I can do to improve my effort next time. After the race, P also pointed out that the Noble Canyon 50k was my 10th Ultra start & finish. Hitting double digits does seem pretty cool now that I think about it and it is nice to see my race result resume on Ultrasignup.com grow.

What is next????
I will get right back to running and enjoy not feeling sick anymore. I will return to Tantalus as well as adding back in some fartlek and track workouts. I am planing on running in the iRun 25k in Kailua on October 7 and then I head to the Runwithgarrison west coast compound for the weekend of October 13 for the Dick Collins 50 Miler. I hope to see a lot of you out at the race that weekend. Yes, the race does allow pacers and I am quite certain that I will need all the help that I can get. Last year at the DC 50, I went out wayyyy to fast and paid a severe price. I want to try to run even and smart to see if I can get anywhere near the 8:24 that I posted there last year. I hope to see many of you there!!!

I also want to Congratulate my friend Kent who ran 3:31 at the Rock n Roll Denver marathon. I think that is his marathon PR and it looks like all his hard work and dedication has paid off—Congratulations KENT!!!!

I also want to thank Matt, Eric, Pat for the post-race refreshments, Boy Wonder for the Phil’s BBQ and sister KHB for providing the runwithgarrison San Diego sweet digs!

I also hope to see many of you at the iRun 25K. Please check out http://www.irunearphones.com if you get a chance. Frank and his team make great products and are super supportive of the active community.

Thanks for you your time, support, and feedback—The site has been up since the end of January and we have over 3100 hits from 3 continents!!!!

See you on the trails

Michael

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Posted by: runwithgarrison | September 1, 2012

Out of Step–Trying to find my rhythm

Aloha Everyone,

I am guessing that a few of you have visited the site to check the results/outcome from my weekend of racing here on Oahu. I am sorry to say that I am not racing either the Tantalus Triple or the Runner’s HI 20k this weekend. I am still trying to find my rhythm again after not feeling well for a majority of the summer. Over the past few weeks, I have been running about 4 days a week and I still find myself sleeping at least 10 hours a night. On Friday, I actually felt decent on a run for the first time in quite a while. I am going to try and be patient and get myself back to running everyday as I attempt to best prepare myself for the rest of 2012.

I am planing on running the Noble Canyon 50k in San Diego in 3 weeks. I would like to be able to get in about 150-160 miles between now and then with a trip or 2 up tantalus and one long run. The race plan will probably revolve around running patient. The first half of the race is rolling and primarily downhill. Then we turn around and run back up the canyon. I am looking forward to a fun weekend. I am also looking forward to the Noble Canyon race because I get the opportunity to catch up with some friends that live in San Diego in addition to a post-race feast at Phil’s BBQ.

On another note…I want to wish my friend Kent good luck at the upcoming Rock n Roll Marathon in Denver on September 22. Kent and I run together every once in a while here in Honolulu. He has really turned a major corner in his training and I am really excited to see the results. Kent is a very patient runner, so I anticipate that he will be fine at the altitude of Denver. Good Luck Kent!

Thanks for all the support! I hope I can write a few positive weekly updates in between now and Noble Canyon.

Happy Running and Go Hogs!

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Posted by: runwithgarrison | August 15, 2012

Skyline 50k after a rough July

Aloha,
Let me start this entry by saying congrats to my friend Zeke for running his first Ultra at the Skyline 50k this past weekend in Castro Valley. Zeke is a beast and showed no fear–running 4:52 and placing 29th overall!!! More on the Skyline 50k later in the post….

Just to get everyone up to speed since my last post. When I last wrote on June 21, training was going extremely well. I was knocking out workouts faster than last year and feeling really good. My mileage was in a nice spot around 80 per week and I felt healthy, strong, and confident. Then things started to unravel a bit. I found myself waking up in the middle of the night with deep pains in my legs that i had never really experienced before. I also would wake up with a lot of discomfort all over my body and found myself sleeping 12-14 hours several days a week. I cut way back on the training thinking maybe I just needed a little rest. It was time for a down week so that seemed like it would do the trick. Well, the rest only led to needing more rest and me feeling more and more tired. I still put some runs in to keep my sanity and balance but there was very little quality in there. I also took a bit of time off when P and I took a nice little vacation to the Big Island. Unreal trip!!! We had a blast, although P did accuse me on occasion of adding things to my running bucket list—she was right, I am now thinking it would be fun to run Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea–someday….The trip was a great break away from everything and I thought that upon our return that I would be able to get right back into the swing of things. I started to feel a little better but I still felt like something was wrong. Of course, I am stubborn and I was not ready to go see my Doc. I just kept listening to my aching and tired body until I finally hit a point where I was worried and exhausted…even though I was not running very much. The Skyline 50k was supposed to be the beginning of my Fall racing season and I was worried that I would not be able to finish the run if I started. So far I had run 8 ultras and finished them all, I did not want to add a DNF to the resume so I finally went to the Doc and he ordered up a bunch of blood work. Long story short, looks like I picked up a nasty virus and that it looked like it had run its course. My Doc, one of the strongest marathoners in Hawaii, said I would be fine to run but to be conservative and set reasonable expectations………

As a reference point, here are my weekly mileage totals since the last post. 38.37, 13.48, 40.64, 80.29, 43.2, 26.2, and 53.03 (race week).

So P and I talked about it and we decided that I would go run the race but that I needed to be conservative. I promised her that I would not push thru anything really nasty. The plan was to run with Zeke as long as I could. If he dropped me, I needed to just check my ego and play it safe. for historical reference, Zeke and I raced bikes and lived together while we were at UC Davis. He is one of the toughest guys I know. He can suffer with the best of them and I think he could be an outstanding Ultra Runner. Zeke is fit and I knew that keeping up with him was going to be a tough challenge.

At the start of the race, there were plenty of really fast guys on the line so I knew there would be the temptation to try and run faster than I was ready to run. To fight this urge, Zeke and I started off to the side and just chilled out for the opening miles. We used the time to catch up since we had not seen each other in over a year. The early miles went by relatively easy and we set a nice conservative pace. We were picking off people as we went along chatting the entire time. We were both feeling good but I was wondering how long the feeling would last. I had the doubts going thru my head in the days heading into the race. Had I lost my fitness? Was my strength gone? Was running this race a bad idea? I decided to treat it like a long training run and I figured that I was just really well rested…Trying to put a positive spin on it. During the race, I decided to focus on what I could control and live in the now.

About 10 miles into the race we made a pit stop and we were both feeling pretty decent. The day was starting to heat up as we ran along the beautiful East Bay trails. Around mile 13 or so, I started to feel a bit rough. Nothing brutal, I jsut started feeling the effort. I think from this point all the way to the finish, Zeke and I alternated feeling good and bad. Neither of us felt good at the same time and neither of us felt bad at the same time. This was a big positive because without even talking about it, one of us handled/pushed the pace while the other just held on–waiting to feel good again. Erik met us at the first Aid Stations and was awesome support! Blaine joined in about halfway thru and together they made the final Aid stations a major positive. Thanks Guys!!!

As we approached the 2nd to last aid station, I felt like the effort was getting to be possibly too much. I told Blaine at the Station that I was feeling pretty rough and that Zeke was running really, really well. Inside, I thought Zeke was going to run away from me at any moment and I would be forced to battle the last 8 miles on my own. I decided to take one mile at a time and started to do some math in my head about our pace. I figured out that if we could keep it together, we would run faster than my PR of 5:03 at Noble Canyon. With that realization, I knew I had to just take the bit in my teeth and ride this one out. I put a little distance on Zeke but that was all gone by the time we made it to the last Aid Station with 3 miles to go. I hit a rough patch and after the Aid station, Zeke put a bit of distance on me as we were heading around Lake Chabot to the finish. With about 2 miles to go, another runner passed me like I was standing still. HE quickly ran up to Zeke and Zeke briefly tried to hang on to the new pace. At that point, I knew that if we had any chance of finishing together, I needed to jsut accept the suffering and get after it. I ran to Zeke and then wound up putting a little distance on him. We both finished under 5 hours and in the top 30. I ran 4:50 for 27th place and Zeke ran 4:52 for 29th. I am very proud of our races, especially given the circumstances. What a blessing it was to run the race with such an awesome friend. I think we brought the best out of each other and Zeke, along with Blaine and Erik made the experience absolutely awesome. I am so very lucky and grateful to have such awesome friends!

Back here on Oahu, I am feeling pretty good. Much better than I did before the run and I am evaluating the rest of the Fall schedule and making some adjustments to the training plan. The key races for the rest of the rest of the year will be the Noble Canyon 50k in September and the Dick Collins 50M in October. Hopefully these also serve to set me up for a fast run at the Honolulu Marathon in December. I am still debating the Tantalus Triple Trek and Runner’s HI 20k on Labor day weekend. I might also run a few of the other Marathon Readiness Series races as training runs to test my fitness relative to last year. Of course, I will try to put in a decent showing at the IRun 25k Because they give me such awesome support!

I would also like to say thanks to Allen and Aaron at Skratch Labs. The drink mix has made a massive difference in my training and racing.

I think that is about it for now. I am still working on holding myself accountable. I have reached out to a few new training partners and I will be spending plenty of time on Tantalus and the Track.

I hope everyone is doing well and thanks for reading!!!!

Michael

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Posted by: runwithgarrison | June 21, 2012

Holding Myself Accountable

Aloha Everyone,

It’s been about 10 days since I put my 4T’s out there and I wanted to let you know how things were going so far… I have been successful with 3 of the 4 T’s and I have some solid ideas on getting the 4th lined up. Here we go.

Track—I have been to the track 3 times now. Last Monday I put together a nice little Yasso 800 workout of 10×800 with equal time rest. I was hoping to average about 3:00-3:05 and I averaged 2:55 and felt great. Probably the best I have run this workout in about 14 years. The next track workout was 2 days ago-Tuesday where I ran 8x mile with 60-65 seconds rest.The goal was to run about 6:15-6:20 since this workout really busted me up 10 weeks ago. I averaged about 6:33 for 4 of them and I had to stop because I cracked. Well, this time out I finished all 8 and averaged 6:06 with a 5:58 last mile. I was pumped to say the least. I felt solid and in control. The 6th rep was the toughest of course. Mentally, I felt up for the challenge. Today I jumped on the track for a 3rd time with a plan of 16-20 400’s with 1’R (100m walk/jog) shooting for an average of 88. After running 12 with an average of 85 and change, I decided to give myself a “Get Out” effort. My former athletes know these fairly well. Occasionally I would offer to shorten the workout if they could hit a particularly lofty time for a longer effort than the prescribed workout. I chose the mile because I owe my friends JJ and Ryan a “gut check mile” time. The Gut Check Mile is a totally different story that I can address in a later post. Last year, around this time I ran a 5:16 mile fresh and in April of 2011 I ran around 5:30 if I remember correctly. Today, I offered myself a get out time of 5:20. Meaning, if I ran sub 5:20, the workout was finished. If not, then I had 4 more 400’s to blast thru. I gave myself a 300 meter jog after the 12th 400 and then headed out for the mile. It was tough but I finished it up in 5:17! Yep, I am a bit excited because I felt those 12 400’s and I was happy that I could tough out this effort.

Tantalus—Last week I put in 1 solid Tantalus effort from my house, about 15.6 miles and felt really solid on the run. Nothing crazy, just a nice climb with solid focus.

Trails–I finally got up and ran on the tantalus trail system and had a really fun run. Lots of roots and rocks with only 1 fall so I was very happy with the effort. This will become a staple of my running week for sure because I really need to work on my technical trail running. As a matter of fact, that is tomorrow’s workout. So if you are on the trail tomorrow, please say Hi.

Training Partners—This is where I have fallen short. I have a few guys in mind and funny enough, most of their names start with T as well. I just need to track them down and get a plan in place.

Everything else is good. The past 2 weeks I have been able to hit 80 miles per week with a day off. This week should be 80-90 miles and I am feeling stronger every day. This Fall should be fun. The calendar is shaping up this way…

August 12–Skyline 50k Castro Valley—Zeke’s Ultra Debut
September 1–Tantalus Triple Trek 50k–Honolulu
September 2–Honolulu Marathon Readiness series 20k–have some fun
September 22–Noble Canyon 50k San Diego
October 13–Dick Collins 50 Miler–Castro Valley

Thanks again for all the support and thanks for holding me accountable!

MIchael

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Posted by: runwithgarrison | June 8, 2012

Getting back to basics

Aloha Everyone,

Just a quick thought/update on the training plan for the summer. So far my running post-Miwok has been run as I feel with very little planning from day to day. For those of you that know me well, you know that I like to plan things out a bit in advance and make changes as required. So I finally sat down and evaluated my training, goals, and racing calendar and I have decided that I need to spend the next 9-12 weeks working on the 4 T’s.

First T—Track—I am committing to getting back on the track once a week. Rotating thru workouts consisting of 400’s, 1000’s, and mile repeats. I have used these in the past to get me nice and strong. I also like the long days on the track because they force me to work thru tough spots where I want to just stop and go home. When I finish the workouts I set for myself, I always feel tougher and stronger.

Second T—Tantalus–I want to get 2-3 laps per week in on this popular route here in Honolulu. For those who are not familiar with the loop…It is close to a 10 mile road loop with the first half (5 miles) up and then 5 miles down. The elevation gain is a bit over 2000 feet per lap. It is tough but it makes you STRONG!

Third T–Trails—I am planning on jumping on the brutal and technical trails up in Manoa/Tantalus once a week. I want to start to spend some time getting to know these trails focusing on time on my feet instead of mileage. I hope to race the Tantalus Triple Trek 50k up here in September and the HURT 100 in January if I get in thru the lottery.

Fourth T–Training partners–I currently run alone and I do not take advantage of the opportunity to train with some amazing runners and triathletes here on Oahu. I am going to change that very soon!

That is about it for now. I just ordered a new batch of Secret Drink Mix from Skratch Labs so I should be ready to get after it on the trails and roads this summer.

Mahalos for your support!

Michael

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Posted by: runwithgarrison | June 2, 2012

Post-Hibiscus Half Marathon Thoughts

Aloha Everyone,

Last weekend, I jumped into the local Hibiscus Half Marathon here in Honolulu. I was still a bit tired from running Miwok so my expectations were a bit tempered. In 2011, I ran 1:24 for a 4th place finish and it was the first time I ran near the front in a race in Hawaii. The race this year was my longest run post-Miwok and I use wanted to run a nice even effort and see what happens….

I woke up super early on race morning, ate a Clif Bar, and headed out for a nice little warmup. During the warmup, I came to an incredible realization—I absolutely love pre-race mornings! The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I have always loved pre-race mornings. I enjoy the nervousness matched with the opportunity to test where my fitness stands on a particular day. Onto the race details……

The weather was perfect temperature with a very strong wind coming from the east. At the start line, I was surprised to hear the race director drop my name during her pre-race announcements as one of the fast runners with a shot to win the race. Looking around at the starting line, I thought that I would be fortunate to finish in the top 8…Then again, that is why we run the races—to find out where we stand on that particular day. I wanted to try to run even pace within the range of 6:25-6:30 and when the gun went off, I made sure that I did not go jump out with the immediate race leaders. I cruised thru the mile around 6-6:10 and felt really comfortable. As we headed toward the first climb up Diamond Head, I decided that I needed to sprint up the group racing for 4th place to attempt to stay out of the nasty headwind. I sprinted up to the group and allowed the guys to block the headwind that we ran into until the 7 mile turnaround mark. I stayed very patient and spent very little time with my face in the wind. We were rolling along around 6:20 pace and I felt very comfortable and in control. At the 7 mile turnaround, I made a move away from the group and solidified my spot in 4th place. I came thru 9 miles in 56:33 and then followed that up with miles of 6:19, 6:33(slight up), 6:32(up), and finished up the last 1.1 in 6:48. I finished up in 4th place running 1:22:43–winning the award for top masters runner for the second year in a row. I am super happy with the run. I felt strong and consistent the entire race–I must be a bit more fit than I expected. 

I am now starting to up my mileage again in preparation for 4 Ultra races this Fall. I think the calendar will consist of …

Skyline 50k in Castro Valley, CA on August 12

Tantalus Triple Trek 50k Honolulu September 1

Noble Canyon 50k San Diego, CA September 22

Peacock 50k Oahu  October 27

I am hoping that these races will provide me with some great fitness heading into the Honolulu Marathon in December and the HURT 100 in January (lottery in early August).

One last thing…Today I put in a nice 17 miler that included the 10 mile Tantalus loop. P rode along with me for most of the run today and it was totally cool. I hope we can make that a regular thing as the runs get longer and longer.

 

Thanks for all the support!

Michael

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Posted by: runwithgarrison | May 27, 2012

Hibiscus Half Marathon

Aloha everyone! This morning we bring a race report from the beautiful island of Oahu. Michael finished in fourth place at the local Hibiscus Half Marathon. He came in 87 seconds faster than he did last year. Congrats to all runners completing 5 mi, 15k and the half marathon courses this morning and raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

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Posted by: runwithgarrison | May 10, 2012

Post-Race Miwok 100k

Aloha Everyone,

Hellacious–Slang Adjective–Formidably Difficult

So far, that is the best word I have found to describe the 2012 Miwok 100k. Wow that was tough! I am very excited that I was able to participate in such a challenging event, I just wish my current fitness matched the absolute brutality of the course. I knew the race would be tough and hilly–heck, I think that is why I signed up, but wow—The downhills actually hurt more than most of the never ending climbs!

The plan heading into the race was just to stay very conservative and run within my boundaries and I do think I accomplished that goal. The start was absolutely incredible–Full Moon over Stinson Beach @5am. As we left the starting area and began the first long climb of the day, it was amazing to look down the mountain at the long line of headlamps snaking along the hillside. The first 26.2 miles was an out and back section with a few aid stations along the way. P and I developed a nutrition/hydration strategy that worked perfectly. I would first see her at the 12.6 mile Randall Trail Aid Station and we would swap packs. I ran the entire way with 1 of 2 Nathan endurance packs filled with Skratch labs drink mix and stocked with a few packages of parmesan potatoes. Very simple and easy to digest—Great Hydration and Rocket Fuel for a long day in the mountains. I felt good heading into the aid station but steep downhills were already starting to take their toll on my legs. The tough climbs were manageable and I never felt out of my zone. Today, the downhills just felt funny–not in the haha way—more like very uncomfortable and sometimes painful. I was hoping this would change as the day progressed, however, it would only get worse.

The trip back to the 26.2 mile aid station in Stinson Beach was absolutely beautiful. The sun was now up and the trails were visible and runable. I stuck with the plan of staying within myself and things did not change much, the climbs felt good, the descents—not so much. I came running into the Aid station and P handed me the next pack with food and drink. I don’t think I could put into accurate words how awesome it is to know she is at the aid stations awaiting my arrival—it feels pretty darn good. Leaving the station, I was right on time, about 4:20, but I knew that the toughest parts of the race were still ahead of me.

The run to Muir Beach and the 33.5 mile aid station were just plan brutal. We ran on the famous Dipsea trail filled with stunningly beautiful forest and climbed up the famous stair steps that help make the Dipsea race one of the toughest around. At this stage of the race, I saw very few people and at times it felt like I was out by myself on a run (at times it was a hike) and I knew that once I arrived in Muir Beach, that I would be more than halfway to the finish. In Muir Beach, P greeted me with a quick hug and kiss. I was feeling pretty good at this point. P said that people were already dropping out and wanted to make sure that I was careful with my hydration and nutrition since it was starting to heat up a bit. We decided that I had enough fluids and food to get me to the next stop 4.6 miles down the road and I headed out of the aid station.

The run to Tennessee valley was a nice change of pace. Very runable and it felt like we were transitioning from the covered forests to the wide open hills that resembled the hills I grew up running in the East Bay. It was starting to heat up and I focused on my fluid and food intake. The drink and potatoes were perfect–I will continue to keep these as major weapons in future efforts for sure! The Tennessee Valley Aid Station was the largest of the race because it served runners at the 38.1 mark as well as the 50.5 mile mark. Tons of activity all around. P found me right away and we swapped packs, doused me in sunscreen, took a couple of swigs of coke from a volunteer wearing a UC Davis Sweatshirt–Go AGS!–and I headed out. By this point in the race, I forgot exactly where the climbs were and how long they lasted in duration–I was starting to really feel the effects of the effort. My body was feeling good on the climbs, put the pain and discomfort intensified on the downhills.

The next hill started almost immediately after leaving the aid station. It was steep and it felt like it had about 4 false summits. I was starting to get a little frustrated but I made sure to enjoy the climbing because it was rapidly turning into the only time I felt like I was getting somewhere on this long trip. The 12 mile loop was absolutely beautiful…The Golden Gate Bridge looked amazing–truly worth the price of admission. By this point, the focus of the race was simply to finish and not put myself in any dangerous situation. The battery on my Garmin had run out of juice so I was simply just running/hiking without any care of what my pace was at any moment–Blisters had formed on my right foot and I had a few irritating chafing spots and I was quite simply–ready to finish this thing up and go home. Right around this point, I re-entered the Tennessee Vally Aid Station at mile 50.5.

At the aid station, P filled me back up with a loaded fresh pack and I took a little time to just sit for a few minutes in the back of the truck. It was already 3pm and I now needed to make sure i made an effort to finish before dark. I really did not want to have to run down the Dipsea trail in the dark. The next leg was of course…very hilly and we headed back to Muir Beach. By this point it he race, people were passing me on a regular basis. Many runners picked up a pacer at the 50.5 mile mark and were now running with a buddy. I just chugged along listening to my ipod and tried my best to stay positive. I have to admit, I had my fair share of negative thoughts but I was now in survival mode and I just wanted to get finished. I kept running/jogging the climbs the best I could and then walked a bit on the downhills. I arrived at the Muir Beach Aid station again and I needed to sit for a few minutes. P was a bit worried about my nutrition/hydration because she had seen so many people drop out of have issues along the race route. I assured her that I was fine. I was simply tired and frustrated that the downhilling took so much out of me. The last 7.6 miles is still a bit of a fog to me. I know I ran along the route with a few really nice women for about a mile and we chatted and that took my mind of the suffering for a while. Without the Garmin, I had very little idea how much further I had to go and I just went into auto-pilot.

I finally descended the Dipsea trail and I knew I was almost home. I finished with a time of 13:28 in 92nd place. P was there to greet me and snap a few photos that she already posted. I took a seat, ate a nice spicy sausage and started to reflect on how tough that really was. Sean Blanton (we ran the last few miles of the Diablo 50k together) told me a few weeks ago that the right races would choose me and that we could not choose the races. I really took that to heart and Sean, if you are reading this, thanks!!!

Sometimes you are the hammer
Sometimes you are the nail

Saturday at the Miwok 100k, I was certainly the nail but I am quite satisfied with my effort. Thanks everyone for your love and support.
I am now looking forward to a little recovery and a nice 12-14 week block of training.

Mahalo
Michael

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Posted by: runwithgarrison | May 5, 2012

Sweet spicy victory

Michael finished in just over 13 hrs on a brutal course. Thanks everyone for tuning in! Happy running!!

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Posted by: runwithgarrison | May 5, 2012

One last hill

Michael looked tired but determined at the last aid station at Muir Beach. This ultra might be one of the toughest because of the intense climbing. He has one more hill to get through before the finish and is keeping a great pace. Thanks everyone for your well wishes!! Next stop finish line.

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