Waldo 100k (106k)

If there's one thing you can count on it's that, things rarely go as planned. For starters my plan for Waldo 100k was to be fully recovered from my hamstring injury that I suffered in April and had carried with me into Miwok 100k.  After all Miwok was May 5 and Waldo was over 3 months away.  It's just so difficult to avoid going out and running, when so many of your friends and your girlfriend are training for 100 mile races. With the many weekend runs that were planned up in the mountains at high elevations and the extremely scenic routes these runs involved, it's tough to stay away.  Although Joshua Malpass with OC Rolfing did an amazing job of keeping the injury at bay, eventually I had to give in and give myself a 2 week break, problem was that it was three weeks out from the race, not the best timing, that should be my high volume weeks before I take a week of very low training if any at all. I signed up for Waldo with the intentions of trying to qualify for a spot into Western States 100, that meant finishing in the top two. A lofty goal but one I was hoping for. At this point I had no choice but to set my aspirations aside and change my plan to, just head out onto the trails for a day of playing on the best single track course anywhere.
Then the Wednesday night before the race, another monkey wrench thrown into the 2012 Waldo plans. Race director Craig Thornley sent out an email stating that a fire had been started by a lightning strike and was unsure at this time what implications it would have on the race, and that he would keep us updated as soon as he knew. The next day my girlfriend Keira told me that the fire was still smoldering, but still no word as to whether or not the race was canceled. As I packed for the race that night Keira being a race director herself, assured me that this was Craig Thornley race director extraordinare, and that he would figure something out. We were on our flight headed to OR the next morning still unsure if the race was going to happen. Whatever the outcome, we knew that we would at least get to run some big miles up there even if it was just for fun and we would still have a blast. As soon as we landed we had word that the plans for the Waldo 100k did indeed change and that the race would be rerouted around the burned section, making it now the Waldo 106k.
At the pre race briefing Craig was as cool as a cucumber as if the course change and the problem with the fire was no problem at all. We had our course description and an explanation of the many different awards that were up for grabs by co race director Meghan Arbogast, including the description of the Wheres Waldo Award.
Keira and I went over our crewing game plan as far as what calories and fluids I wanted at the selected aid stations she could get to. Little did we know that even this would not go as planned.
Race morning came early at 4am, but I woke up feeling rested and ready to go. After putting down a few calories we headed to the ski lodge around 4:30 am. I did a easy 10 min warm up due to the fact that the race starts straight away up a ski hill and I know no matter how much I plan on going out easy it rarely goes out as slow as I would like, and with two spots for entry into western states being given out to both the men and the women this race would be a fairly quick one.
After a quick hello to a few of the competitors that was hoping to get to run on the trails and a hi five from Meghan as she made her way across the front of the start line, we were off on our 66 mile journey.
The plan was not to go out fast, but as the lights from the ski hill faded and the headlamps took over and the group began to thin to what seemed to be a dozen or so runners, Jacob Rydman decided the pace of the group was not for him. As he slowly made his way off the front I guess Timothy Olsen was not willing to let him go or maybe it was just that Jacobs pace was exactly what he needed.
With the group dwindling smaller and smaller, I began to power hike and watch the two guys up front climbing away. With only two guys in front of me now sitting in third place maybe 10 minutes into the race, it wasn't hard to know who was behind me, as Yassine Diboun and  fellow Rudy Project teammate is never short of conversation. Although I didn't really plan on being in front of him it was good to know that he was still right there as I was hoping to get to run with him that day. Not too long after I began to hike I could hear footsteps coming up on me with heavy breathing. Much to my surprise it was Joelle Vaught and Alison Bryant going step for step up the mountain. I practiced self-restraint quite a bit as I watched  these two women jog their way up the mountain and away from me, but I wasn't about to destroy my race by going beyond my early race limits. I usually don't even start to race until I start to hurt, the first portion of any race is my time to just enjoy the trails. I managed to keep the two ladies in site by hiking like Keira would to save my energy for the latter portion of the race, a strategy that got her a win and ninth place overall finish at the Angeles Crest 100 mile back in July.

I was finally able to catch the ladies as we began descending and not long afterward came up on Timothy Olsen, with Ian Sharman joining us not more then a couple minutes later. I could tell Timothy was out having fun on the trails as he would jump over rocks and trail furniture as if he was a deer. We came into Gold Lake aid station mile 7.4, within seconds of each other. As we left and crossed the road this was the first unplanned spots I got to see Keira. She gave me a carbo pro shot and a dose of encouragement. I really couldn't believe I was keeping pace with runners of such caliber, with Timothy coming of his course record western states 100 mile win, Ian Sharman owning the Rocky Racoon 100 mile course record, and Jacob who obviously knew of his own abilities, taking it to the course and putting it all on the line. As we started the next section up to mount Fugi, the three guys put about 20 seconds on me but still visible, as I could see Timothy and Jacob begin to gap Ian on the climbs. It was only a matter of minutes and  I was on Sharman's heals, that is until we hit the downhill part of the rolling sections, where he would pull away. Next aid station Fugi Mt mile 12.4 was where we had decided I would see Keira, but she was not there. The aid station directions on the web site pointed out that it was a 1/4 mile hike in so I imagined we would be possibly crossing a road shortly where she must be. After what seemed to be about a mile I finally gave up on the fact that I would actually see her and would be heading to the summit without the planned carbo pro I was hoping to take up with me and back down and to the aid station we had just come from, which would be a  2.5 mile round trip. Ian and I wound our way up the climb together and were only a minute or so from the summit when we saw Jacob and then Timothy nearly step for step who appeared to be enjoying themselves flying down the descent. I  hit the summit just ahead of Ian, paused for a moment to glance around, and took off for my own high speed technical descent with Ian right on my heels, thinking he would be ready to pass me at any moment, but I kept the pressure on as I was lost in the concentration it took to keep your feet moving and avoid tripping and taking a rock right to the face.  Judging by the point at which I saw Yassine I figured he was three to four minutes back with Joelle and Alison not far from him.  As we hit the Fugi aid station again now mile 14.9, I made sure I filled up both my bottles because at this point I forgot which aid stations and what distances I had planned on seeing Keira, although I had full confidence she would make certain she would be where she could be, but I had no idea where that was.  So with full bottles and still plenty of fuel in the form of gels, I was off to see what the next section of this beautiful course had in store for me. With mount Fugi being an out and back I got to see some of my southern california friends working there way up.  Always nice to get and give encouragement from and to friends. Again I could hear Ian's footsteps not far behind, but after a couple miles and a few uphill rollers I didn't hear him anymore. I may have been running a little faster then I should have in this section, but I was enjoying the soft trails and light rain that had begun to descend upon us. Before I knew it I was at a road and the next aid station which was Mt Ray mile 20.5. Keira was here and  she of course had a slew of stuff for me including chocolate, fresh handhelds, and the usual premix of carbo pro to pound down.  Before the race began we had a plan to change the way I took my carbo pro, but not knowing if she would get to the planned aid stations, I asked her to switch back to my old method of running with a bottle of carbo pro and nuun in one handheld and water in the other. A couple miles out of the aid station I came upon co race director Meghan who stationed herself at a critical junction to make sure we took the reroute turn on the course away from where the Bobby fire had been burning. She seemed surprised to see me, not sure if it was because of my placement or more of where I was in relation to Olsen and Rydman. Nonetheless she cautioned me  "Don't be silly", that was advice I probably could have used 10 miles earlier as not long after seeing her I began to feel the effects of the long fast decent off Mt Fugi.  This section of the reroute, included a 3/4 mile portion of pavement.  I really need to thank the mountain biking volunteer that rode along side and accompanied every runner up the blacktop to make sure we knew where the reroute turns were and for keeping me real. I soooo wanted to walk that portion but just couldn't bring myself to do it with someone by my side, so a big thank you to that volunteer. Heading to the next aid station I passed the volunteers as they were bringing water in with a powered wheel barrow, now that's dedication and determination from the Twins double aid station volunteers. I hit the Twins aid station at mile 27,  took a quick top off on water and was on my way, the next time I would see them would be 17 miles later. This next section had a few easy ups with a number of  small rollers mixed in with a  bit off a down hill grade. A section that you could definetly cruise on. That is if you dont have a injury that affects a smooth long stride that would lend itself to a fast decent. This is where Yassine came up on me, we talked a bit and in a couple minutes I told him to just go because I knew that my form was gone and I was just slowing him down. I spent the next couple miles in my own private misery. My hamstrings were getting really tight and my butt was now hurting pretty bad. Next aid station Charlton Lake mile 32,

coming into Charlton Lake aid station

Keira had fresh handhelds and a Guayaki yerba matte energy shot, along with avocado. As I refueled, I used the opportunity to stretch out my legs which were shaking uncontrollably. At that point I told her that I needed some pain medication at the next stop.  I didn't want to use anything with all of the horror stories about how bad it is for your kidneys, and this would be the 3rd 100k in a row that I would need to use it. The next 5 mile section was tough for me as it seemed to be fairly flat, and I always have a trouble running the flats. Next aid station 37.2  Rd 4290 was more of the same from crew Keira, avocado, fresh handhelds, watermelon, and much needed ibuprofen. It took about a half hour for the ibuprofen to kick in but as soon as it did I was able to finally get my stride back and I worked my way up the Twin peak and down to the aid station 44.7 miles in, pounded a couple cups of coke and was off on my way to chase down Yassine. Although I had no idea how much time and distance he had put on me. It seemed like it took forever to get to the next aid station but it felt like I was running pretty good and starting to feel strong again, which showed by the situation that I came upon at the next aid station. This looked a lot like the first aid station of the day but I have no idea what mile into the race we were, due to course changes because of the fire, and also because I never really know what mile I am at unless I memorize the aid station distance or know the course. As I approached the aid station I saw Yassine was just leaving. I filled up my bottles and took on some coke knowing the catch was imminent. The volunteers fired me up telling me that the western states ticket was just ahead of me. I hadn't even thought about it until then, knowing the race would be long and a lot can happen from start to finish. I started off the slight up hill running after Yassine who was now out of sight but probably only a couple hundred meters ahead. As the gap diminished and I closed in on Yassine I could tell he was fatigued as I caught him right as the single track and the real climbing began. I tucked in behind Yassine as my Rudy Project teammate gave me some insight on what lay ahead for us with the climb up to Maiden Peak. We also talked about the Western States ticket that would be in the hands of whoever was able to beat the other to the line. I took this opportunity for conversation and a little slower pace that comes with conversation for a bit of recovery from my hard push to catch Yassine. We hid the next aid station, which was kind of like a nice surprise to me as it seemed maybe Craig Thornley just threw it in there to make up for the extra mileage that the reroute incurred. The volunteers at this aid station were awesome as they were so excited for both of us knowing that one of us would get the ticket to WS. I was a still unsure if there was someone else that was close to us in fifth place so I took the lead out of this aid station to put in a good effort to make it up to the top of Maiden peak. I tried to drop Yassine in this section by hiking hard and running on the grades that were less steep, but to no avail. He was stuck to me like glue. We made it to the top of Maiden together which was a situation we had talked about days before the race began. On our descent off the peak Yassine took the lead, I was following only a few meters away trying to negotiate the super technical rocky terrain, that is until he took a right turn as the trail was not clear due to the rocky nature. As he went right I noticed the markers taking us left, I yelled that he was off trail. I recognized this as my time to fly going  into animal style and pushed hard on this technical section,

Coming down off Maiden peak

 quickly coming up on the next aid station. Again the volunteers were eager to show their excitement for me as the third place person and running for the final WS ticket. I left the aid station thinking that Yassine should be right on my heels, I looked to my right and up the trail I had just come down but I didn't see him.  The cheers and encouragement coming from the aid station told me he was about 20 to 30 seconds away. From that moment on I was running scared trying to put distance between us. I knew it was about 7 miles to the finish so I was still trying to take care of my hydration and nutrition although it gets tough to do after hours and hours of running. The miles kept clicking away and I took every opportunity to check behind me to see if Yassine was getting close. Finally I saw the finish line come into view and it wasn't until that moment that I knew I had the ticket to the Big Show,  Western States 100, as I crossed the line finishing the longest run of my life in a time of 10:31:28. Wow I couldn't believe it. I had hoped and wanted but never really expected it to happen. I had just accomplished something that was seemingly unattainable. I got my finisher hat from Craig Thornley and a congratulatory hug. I was next greeted by an ecstatic Keira, who I think was more excited then I was. I still didn't know who had won, but as Timothy Olson congratulated me on my WS entry, I asked if he came out on top. All it took was a smile from him and I knew. He had finished  9:52:19, 4:23 ahead of Jacob Rydman who was still lying on the ground had his ticket to WS dangling on his bare toe, who was taking a well deserved rest after putting in a unbeliveable effort. He had run off the front for the majority of the race.  But to hold off the current WS record holder would have been an amazing feat. I knew Yassine couldn't be that far behind me, as he came in 4:18 seconds behind with a time of 10:35:06. Joelle Vaught was first in for the women with a time of 11:04:26 and 6th overall with Denise Bourassa taking 7th overall and 2nd woman with a time of 11:22:34 and Alison Bryant taking 9th overall and 3rd woman with a time of 11:47:04. My thanks go out to Craig and Meghan for persevering under adversity to make this race happen under such extraordinary circumstances. To the firefighters that kept the Bobby fire at bay. To the volunteers out on the course and at the finish line for keeping us fueled and safe. To Michael Lebowitz and Long Run Picture company for all of the amazing photos. Ink n Burn for the cutting edge designs and super comfortable shirts, shorts, and sweat bands. Salt Stick salt tabs that kept me from cramping all day. Smartwool Socks that always keep my feet blister free. Brooks pure grit running shoes that performed flawlessly. Big thank you goes to Keira that is always there to keep me going with nourishment and encouragement, couldn't have done it without you. This is a course that I will definitely visit again.                          

Miwok 100k

Time to blow the dust off the keyboard. Since Bandera 100k  I really haven't had much to report about.  I had quite a few races on the radar but due to injury, I was either unable to complete them or unable to start.  In February Keira and I took a trip up to Washington to do the Orcas Island  50 K. But going into the race with an IT band problem I only made it 16 miles into the race, and ended up hobbling back the 8 miles that I was away from the start and finish line.  At that point in time I knew I needed to lay off the racing and training and give my body a break. That meant the races I had on my schedule, Old Goats 50, and  Zane Grey 50  were no longer possible. After one month of no running and another month of a very low mileage,  I began aggressively training and in the process caused a new injury to my hamstring at the attachment point up by my glute.( I had a pain in my ass!) on the opposite leg of the IT band. With two weeks of therapy, and a burning desire to not only race but to see what type of shape I was in I decided to race the San Juan Trail 50k. I had a respectable time although the distance was a bit short of a 50k. I don't feel that racing exasperated the bad hamstring, but it didn't help.

Going into Miwok I still had not done a training run or a race over 27 miles, With my longest training week being 80 miles and average being about 50. At the start line I was still tentative about whether or not I would have a good race. I had a week of poor sleeping as I was covered in poison oak that I received during the  marking of Keira's Leona Divide 50 mile course. I came around one corner that had the nasty oily leafed foe growing next to and leaning over into the trail. So armed with only a stick and wearing only my shorts and shoes I proceeded to hack it down. Well unknowingly every swat was spraying the oil on me. No I didn't wash with Technu as I didn't have any and didn't think I needed it, as I never touched it. Boy was I wrong. Anyway I went in with no elaborate plan, and my only strategy being  to enjoy these new trails in a new place and to run my own race. But come what may here I was on the start line, lined up next to fellow Rudy Project teammate and friend Chris Price, who was my pick to win it, with the knowledge that he has just been killing it, with his third place finish at Keira's inaugural Ray Miller 50 miler, and his win and new course record at the Old Goats 50 miler a little bit more then a month previous. That was until I saw Ultrarunner of the year Dave Mackey who was on the entrants list but had heard he was not going to race. Believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see, right?

5 AM start Mile  0 - 6.1 Stinson Beach to  Bolinas Ridge aid station:

Photo: Glenn Tachiyama

We started out pretty mellow with Dave and Chris being the only two faces in the lead pack that I recognized. We were a pretty large group as we started to make our across Hwy 1 and up a blacktop road. I didn't really want to be out front, but the pace was mellow and lent  itself to a large group running together, and I figured I would at least run with my buddy for as long as I felt comfortable.  The need for headlamps was apparent as Chris let us up the blacktop road and around a right hand corner while the markings for the trail told us to go left. In the darkness we did not see the markers but someone in the group yelled trail this way! At which point we turned around, now about 10 people back and now on singletrack.
Not too worried about my placement at this point. But as we continue up up up up and away I knew Chris was behind me, and would be itching to get around and get up to the front where he likes to run. As he worked his way up through the line I finally heard him come up behind me and I stepped off trail to let him by. It was only a minute or two before I  began to be annoyed with a couple of other runners in front of me, one for having his headphones on so loud that I could hear the music and the next one tripping over rocks and stumps. I also  felt the pace was a little slow, and saw Chris and Dave up ahead starting to break away from the pack, so I sprinted around the four or five runners that separated us, and slowly worked my way up to Chris and Dave. It didn't take long and I  noticed that I had started sweating. Although I didn't feel the pace was that fast, sweating was a good sign that I needed to slow down. I settled into a pace  that I was comfortable with. Dave and Chris would put a little gap on me as we hit the uphills and I would close on the descents. We carried on this way as the full moon now big and orange, lit the ocean waters that was now very visible as we ran through the open grassy singletrack area that was off camber, wet, and  barely visible, as the light was still dim and the grass and thistles were drooping over, hiding the uneven trail. After a bit of winding through up and around and out of  this grassy area and into a wooded section it was soon just me Dave and Chris. That was short lived as another runner came up on us, which  I was not too happy about, because I had the need to relive myself of my morning hot chocolate and seeming perfect hydration. I allowed him to go around me so that I could implement a skill that I have learned that if you can do as you run, slows you down a little bit but not nearly as much as stopping. I took a gel just before the Bolinas Ridge aid station which I had no idea we were coming up on, as I don't wear any sort of timing or gps system.  But it worked perfectly, gel, chased down with the remainder of my water and here was the fill up.
Mile 6.1 to 12.6 Bolinas Ridge to Randall Trail:
After a quick splash and go, and a  thank you to the aid station volunteers, we were off and  running again. Dave and Chris out first and then me and Marc Laveson. With all the excitement and activities going on in the aid station I  forgot to shed the headlamp! The next section was a roller coaster of ups and downs that lead us up to a beautiful vista that looking out to the east showed off the morning sun rise that caused me to be lost in the moment and reminded me that this is why I love to be out on the trails. It also was the section that led us into the soft forest floor of giant redwood. It wasn't really a group of four but rather two groups of two as me and Marc ran just a few seconds behind  Chris and Dave for the next few miles. As we began the descent down to the  Randall  Trail aid station this is where Dave and Chris really started to go, with Mark not far behind. It was at this point that I could feel my back beginning to tighten up and my breathing becoming labored, so I decided to back off and not chase. As we the trail switched back and forth I could see Chris had pulled a little in front of Dave and looked as if Marc was giving chase. Soon they were out of sight and the only indication that I had of there distance from me was when I heard the screams from the aid station. Just before I had a visual on the aid station I saw Chris returning back up with Dave not too far behind. There are some good highlights of this section that was posted to you tube by Jim Vernon, titled, 2012 Miwok 100 Trail Run . As I was coming in I saw Keira ready and waiting to switch out my bottles, one with water and the other with my secret mix. I didn't even break stride, just tossed my old bottles, and  headlamp, grabbed my replacement,s and turned around to head back up.  I Saved a lot of time with this because as I started up I could still see Dave just around 50 meters up on me, and Marc, who had arrived at the aid station ahead of me was now back behind me. Dave and Chris in at 1:42:00 and Me and Marc in at 1:43:00

Photo: Karen Bonnett

Mile 12.6 to 19.1 Randall Trail to Bolinas Ridge:
As I turned to head up I thought I would give my hamstring a little test and put in a little turn of speed and force my body to do a little work on this climb to see how it would react. As we started up I could see Chris and Dave for a couple of the turns but it wasn't long before they were out of sight. This being an out and back I could also see how close everyone else was to me. The gaps back were not huge but there was a little cushion as long as I could hold my pace. But it was still early and a lot could change. This was a very fun section for me, as I got to see all of my friends that were running in this year's Miwok as well as every other runner that had started the race. They energy and excitement from all of my friends and other participants seemed to help me along. Although it seemed that Marc was able to catch me with great ease at the start of the climb back up to Bolinas, I kept waiting for the moment when  he would just  fly around me. It never happened. Instead he would close the gap and the next thing I knew I would put some distance on him, we yo-yoed like this all the way to the next aid station. I kept getting updates from the other runners that the leaders were only a couple hundred yards up, but I  never saw Dave and Chris, and at that point I didn't even care. I was just happy to be in the position I was in and had Keira's words ringing in my ears to just run your own race and enjoy yourself.  I hit Bolinas Ridge aid station for my second and final time and was happy to be still feeling rather fresh, the tightness in my back had now loosened up. It was another quick stop, one water bottle fill up and one piece of cantaloupe in hand and I was off.

Mile 19.1 to 26.2 Bolinas Ridge to Stinson Fire Department
I was only a short distance from the aid station on the single track when I lost concentration for a split second and rolled my ankle, it wasn't bad enough to cause massive swelling as I was quick enough to transfer my weight off of it.  I knew what I needed to do and that was to  just keep running on it and it would stay loose. Marc was soon with me again and we ran together back through the of camber grassy singletrack.

photo:Brett Rivers

Photo: John Medinger

 This did not feel good on the ankle. I kept trying to look up in the distance to try and catch a glimpse of Dave or Chris as the last I heard from the volunteers at the aid station was that I was 4 minutes down. Then as I rounded one corner there was Daves white shirt off in the distance. But could not take my eyes off the trail long enough to see if Chris was with, ahead, or behind him. I think it was his green shirt that made him blend in with the green grass that made him impossible to see (perfect plan my friend!) or maybe he was just that far out of sight. The descent down to the Stinson Beach fire station, I took it a  little easy due to my rolled ankle, although I really wanted to rip it as I was feeling pretty good considering how far into the race we were and my low training mileage. I came into the the 26.2 aid station in good spirits, how could you not with a large crowd cheering you on. I was pumped to see Keira again, who had my fresh bottles ready and waiting. I nearly did a flyby hand off until I remembered that my Salt Stick salt pills were in my water bottle pocket that I had just tossed and saw that Elissa Price had my Rudy glasses in her hands, so I stopped for both only briefly. Oh yeah and decided to loose my INKnBURN  Socal Coyotes shirt. As I took off Keira yelled out that Chris was 6 minutes up on me. Me and Marc came in pretty much together at 3:34:00

photo: Chan-Chan

Mile 26.2 to 33.5  Stinson Fire Dept to Muir Beach
Well this stint didn't start out too well. Your on blacktop road and you make your way down to what I think may have been hwy 1, turn left and then you are SUPPOSE to continue straight following the orange ribbon hanging all over the trees on the side of the road that leads you to the trail about 100 meters up. But not me, no, I turn the corner and then take my immediate next left onto someones driveway that leads up to there house. I was wondering why I didn't see any trail markings as I was heading up the road. Keira and I always say when we mark the turns at her races that you have to be a re-tard to miss this turn. Well on this day I was definitely a retard. As soon as I came back down and looked left there I saw plain as day all the ribbons leading the way to the trail. That cost me about 2 minutes, and put me back into 4th as Marc scooted around me into 3rd while I was off adding distance and checking out the neighborhood around Stinson Beach. I hit the trail and was back on track and after about a half mile noticed Marc about 30 seconds up on me. I slowly worked my way up to him, finally catching him as we hit the Dipsea steps. I hiked, yes hiked past him. Telling him that I don't care what I've heard how if your going to finish this race in the top 10 that you have to run the whole course. I'm hiking these steps. And he agreed. We developed a sort of pacing friendship out there on the course. Didn't really talk much but silently kept each other company. I made it to the top ahead of Marc, but felt my hamstring starting to give me some trouble. I hit the bottom of the descent and tried to get my turnover going on the one of only 2 FLAT sections of the whole Miwok course, leading to the Muir beach aid station.  As I ran into the aid station there was Keira with a  fresh bottle in hand and another bottle that she handed to me with the words "drink all of this"! I didn't know its contents and didn't bother to ask, just followed orders. What I did know was that she had a bag full of watermelon that I reached into a took a handful of. I also voiced that I need some ibuprofen at the next stop, Tennessee Valley. Her reply was that she couldn't get there due to road construction. Although it was great to see Keira at the aid stations, for a quick shot of enthusiastic encouragement and for quick transitions, I had already prepared for her not to make it there by sending a drop bag that would be waiting at Tennessee Valley with everything I needed to make my 20 mile round trip, except for ibuprofen.  I now had to prepare myself for a long painful 20 miles of trails before I would be back to this aid station and get some pain medication.

Mile 33.5 to 38.1  Muir Beach to Tennessee Valley
As I headed out from the aid station I saw Marc heading in, so I knew that he had fallen off my pace a little bit as we had previously been step for step into each aid station, but now a little over a minute back. I turned the corner to make my way up the first climb, and there was Jim Vernon again with his camera, filming as I climbed. He was feeding me course info, telling me the splits for Chris and Dave and giving me a boost of confidence as he said I was looking fresher then the other two. I turned to look down as I approached the top of the short climb and saw Marc in pursuit but no one else heading in to the aid station. That was a good sign. The open fire roads were steep and long, providing good opportunity to see ahead and behind. I kept looking up but saw neither Dave or Chris in the distance. I only looked back a couple of times but each time I was not able to make out Marc's blue jersey. My gait had started to change due to the hamstring and I could feel the other muscles in my leg beginning to fatigue. I started to see more and more hikers and runners out enjoying the beautiful San Francisco weather and as I descended on the singletrack leading into the Tennessee valley I kept getting reports from them on my placement and distance behind what would now be just Chris because they would say your not too far back. That was encouraging news. As I started to near the blacktop road I could see a lot of parked cars and  hear crowd chatter and figured the aid station must be just ahead. I began planning out what I needed from my drop bag but as I hit the 200 foot stretch of  blacktop that leads you to the aid station, there was my Keira with fresh bottles and a slew of stuff to drink and most importantly some ibuprofen. Such a nice surprise and SO needed.  So off I went with my hands full, two bottles in one hand and oranges and a couple potatoes in the other. The update was that Dave was 16 and Chris was 8 minutes up on me. I guess not too far back is a matter of perspective.

Mile 38.1 to 42.8 Tennessee Valley to Bridgeview
This section started with for a little change a long gradual climb. The gradient was runnable but the legs said walk, that is until I looked back about halfway up it, maybe a bit over a half mile from the aid station. What I saw was not Marc's blue shirt but rather an orange shirt and it was moving pretty fast. I didn't know if it was a racer or just someone out on a training run, but I couldn't take any chances, so I picked my pace up a bit. I was hoping the pain meds would kick in pretty quick as the hammy was hurting pretty good. The only thing that seemed to help was to keep my hand on my butt and push on the muscle as I engaged it, but that would only work on the uphills, on the downs all bets were off and I just had to deal with it. I don't remember a lot of this section but I do remember the view of the golden gate bridge and the last downhill coming into the aid station and the inspirational signs that were posted on the sides of the trail that I was barely able to get a glimpse of as I was too worried about my footing. The volunteers at this aid station were great in the fact that they ran at me to get my bottles and fill them with what I needed. Just fill em up with water I said, as I had my Nuun ready to drop in and go. One piece of melon, a small cup of coke, full bottles and I was out in less then 30 seconds. Time gap at this aid station was exactly as it was at Tennessee Valley. So I was able to maintain or at least match Dave and Chris. 42.8 miles Dave Mackey 6:00 hours, Chris Price 6:08, Myself in at 6:16

Mile 42.8 to 50.5 Bridgeview to Tennessee Valley
I now began to switch my gaze from behind me to in front of me to see if I could catch a glimpse of Daves white shirt or Chris's bare back, as I was sure he had dropped his shirt already (actually surprised he even started with a shirt to begin with). I had no idea where the course went, but the open expanse displayed many trails and open roads which lead me to think I might catch sight of the prey. Not exactly ready or even able to go hunting at this point but would have still been nice to have them in sight. Yeah I never saw them. Had a nice descent that ended with a left turn through a gate which I took advantage of as a stretching apparatus for my hamstrings. The next mile or so the trail began to close in and soon the trail enemy began to show its ugly face, POISON OAK! I took great care to touch nothing green but was very glad that I was wearing my INKnBURN leg sleeves which protected me very well I must say. Came up onto a road crossing where the volunteers were waiting to make sure we made it safely across. Another mile or so and I hit the beach, to do a little bit of sand running to break things up, ugh!

Photo: Glenn Tachiyama

 As I headed up to the little bridge crossing, there was Glen Tachiyama and Greg Lanctot throwing out cheers, taking photos, and giving time gaps. 10 minutes to Chris and another 10 to Dave. The cheers got me going and I think the Ibuprofen finally started to kick in just in time as the climb up to Wolf Ridge began to smack me in the face. I again tried to look up the mountain to see if a ten minute gap meant Chris was still in sight. There were so many hikers out that I wasn't able to get a fix on Chris, but I told myself that the one that was furthest away was him. I hit a section of steps which I attacked as if it was one of the high rise stair climb competitions that I have participated in. A quick glance back at the top of the steps revealed that I was still under assault by Mr orange shirt, although I estimated it to be about a 10 min gap. At the top of Wolf Ridge I could look down to the east and see the Tennessee Valley aid station and what looked to be 5 miles of tail to get to it, good news though, mostly down hill. As I neared the aid station I let out a coyote howl to let Keira and any other SoCal Coyotes know I was coming in. Sure enough there was Keira with arms full of different things to eat and drink. "Down this, take this and drink all of this!"I don't ask questions, just do what I'm told. That is all except for the Ibuprofen that she had for me. I told her I didn't need it. The only item that I knew the contents of was a Guayaki Yeba Matte energy shot. grabbed a package of menthos and grabbed my fresh bottles from Dominic Grossman, who I found out later was asked by Keira to help out when I got in to fill them up. Reason being, my lovely lady not only drove to the Tennessee Valley aid station after she said she couldn't get there in time due to construction back at Muir beach mile 33.5 and just got there a minute before I arrived but she also drove back to Muir beach not knowing T.V. was a double aid station and we would hit it twice, at mile 38 and then again at mile 50.5. When she found out she then drove back to T.V. again getting there with only seconds to spare, all to make sure I had what I needed before my push back to Muir Beach! Wow thank you honey!

Mile 50.5 to 54.6 Tennessee Valley to Muir Beach

Photo: Dominic Grossman ( unicorn)

With Dominic running along side , taking  pictures, and excitingly feeding me course info that I had a bit of flat then a pretty good climb up to and then down and around pirates cove and then back up before I hit the muir beach aid station, and the time gap back from Chris now at 6 minutes, he gave me just the boost I needed to begin my chase. That didn't mean that I was able to increase my pace, I just mentally switched my focus forward and not on what was going on behind and I never looked back again. I crested the hill to see another jewel of the Miwok course, Pirates Cove.

Photo: Myles Smythe

 But again I was unable to fully enjoy the beauty as I began to descend I again rolled my right ankle. And this time it hurt enough to let out loud verbal cursing.  The trail now demanded my full attention as I could not let this happen again. So down into the cove I went and came to a spot where the trail split. I paused just long enough to look for ribbons, and to give a quick glance up the climb. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, there was Chris cresting the hill!  That was the first time that I saw him since mile 13, hours ago!  It looked to me like he was around 4 or 5 minutes up on me. As I approached the spot where I saw Chris there again were Glen T and Greg L taking photos and encouraging me to go get Chris. I was on the small steep downhill that I had climbed a couple hours previous that lead to the aid station and now I could hear the cheers that I thought were spurring Chris on but could have very well have been cheers for runners heading out for their 20 mile out and back.  Either way Chris was out of the aid station and on his way to the finish line without me able to catch a glimpse of him. That was fine with me, I would rather he didn't know I was catching him.

Photo: Chandra Farnham

 Coming in to the aid station was Chandra Farnham telling me how far up Chris was and asking if I needed anything, I asked if they had any potatoes at the station as I reached my Keira who was waiting with the usual fresh supplies of  water, nuun and a quick 300 calorie shot of CarboPro mixed with 6oz of water, and the shot of encouragement that is always the most needed. As I turn to leave Chandra puts a dinner size portion of potatoes in my hand and tells me to go get Chris. My reply was I am still going to buy my time up the climb and attack descending the dipsea steps with 3 miles to go.

Mile 54.6 to 62.2 Muir Beach to FINISH
This section started with the mile or so of flat that we had on our way out to Muir beach. I tried my best to keep a fast pace through this which proved to be a little more difficult then it was I my initial trip as now I was hitting many oncoming runners and a tad bit more fatigued. As I started on the climb I could feel every mile that I now had on my legs and found it hard to keep pushing my pace, but knew if I wanted to catch Chris I needed to dig deep and keep it moving. I now did one thing that up until now I hadn't since the race start, that being stop to pee, that takes time! I was still hitting oncoming runners although far and few between but I didn't want to chance it. After my short break I came upon Gary Gellin who was running toward me and stopped his forward progress to tell me he was on his way out to pace a runner in, and gave me some much needed info about Chris. Looking at his watch he tells me that he passed Chris 2/10ths of a mile back which equates to about 2 min and I can surely catch him.That should have lit a fire under me but I couldn't remember how much more climbing I had before I hit the downhill and the Dipsea stairs and didn't want to get into a sprint war with him this far out. As it was I was pushing pretty hard although I still had a little left for the last couple miles. I crested the climb and began my descent and let it all go, although all I could think about was if I turned my ankle one more time that it might just finish my day and all that I had worked for would be over, so I held back just a little to make sure my foot placement was on solid ground. I hit the bridge crossing and turned left and knew that I was now on the final couple miles of the course as I had run this portion of the course the day before with Keira and Jimmy Dean Freeman. What I didnt remember from the day before course preview was how hard the climb out of the dark forest was, so different on tired legs, but I told myself if I was able to run it yesterday then you can surely run it today, so get moving. As soon as I got to the open area that gave me a glimpse of the inviting ocean on my left and the massive hills that we had climbed at the start of our venture hours ago on my right, my eyes focused on at first the switch backs that lead to a couple of rollers but in the distance a more inviting moving object. I couldn't believe it. It was Chris going over the rollers and looked to be less then a minute up! But I was running out of real estate. I reckon he had about a half mile to go and I had a little less than 3/4 of a mile. I immediately attacked with everything I had left. I hit the blacktop road, crossed hwy 1, and made the left hand turn toward the beach and saw him right before he turned a corner a little over a  hundred meters up. All I could think was I hope we finish where we started because if we do then I got him! The spectators were out, the cheers were loud, but as I rounded the corner the finish line was right there, along with my fellow Rudy Project Ultra Running team member and buddy Chris Price welcoming me in.

Photos: Tanford Tahoe

 9 hours 28 min and 55 seconds over 63 miles and 13,000 feet of climbing left me in third place 25 seconds behind Chris Price at 9:28:30 and 14:49 behind  Dave Mackey at 9:14:06.

WOW what a spectacular course! Great aid stations with awesome volunteers!  Thank you Tia Bodington for rerouting the course so that Miwok 100k still exists, even if it is tougher and longer then then original.
And of course the person that is responsible for making it the best race ever my girl Keira. Thank you INKnBurn for making the most comfortable running clothing with the raddest designs anywhere! Thank you Rudy Project for making the most technically cool eyewear to keep my eyes dust free and comfortably shaded all day. Ellisa Price for bringing the Technu to wash off whatever poison oak oil I encountered on the course. Brooks Pure Grits for giving me the cush ride that kept me connected to the ground and blister free.

2012 is here and for the new year and I have completed two firsts. My first blog and my first 100k. I had just come off a long season for a first year of ultras.  March 2011 to Nov 2011 I completed eight 50k and finished my season with the Red Rock 50 mile in Santa Barbara Thanksgiving weekend. It was just over a week later that I remember telling my girlfriend Keira that I don't think I can wait 3 months to do another race, as Orcas Island 50k was already in the schedule for the 4th of February. We began to look at the calendar of races and I decided that Bandera 100k would be the best race for me to do next. Given my season of good success with three wins and six 2nd place finishes, I thought that maybe just maybe I could nab one of the two entries to Western States offered for coming in first or second place. It was a decision based on the entrants list which at the time had only one recognizable elite. That was early December, and as the month progressed the list began to grow.  Bandera was a venue that was not daunting in the profile or terrain for that matter. What was daunting for me was the distance and the level of competition that was coming to the race. Up until this point I had never toed the line with so many elite runners in an ultra and had never run more than 52 miles which was the Red Rock 50 mile just 6 weeks earlier.  I was also coming into the race with a fractured rib from a non trail related fall that happened 3 weeks before the race. At any rate here we were poised at the start line, ready for another adventure.
My plan was to of course to run my own race and not overextend myself early so that I had something left for the second 31 mile loop.The race began and I found myself in a group of 5 up toward the front running with a small group in the top 10 that included Todd Braje, Paul Terranova, a fella named Chris from San Antontio wearing a head cam, and  fellow Rudy Project Ultra Running team member Yassine Diboun. The pace seemed comfortable and I was happy to be where I was.  I came into the first aid station in eighth place taking on only water, it was a quick stop. Not quick enough though to hold off  the 2:20 marathoner Justin Ricks who it seemed ran straight through without having to fill a bottle because he was not carrying one, putting me into ninth place. We ran as a group for the next couple of miles. It was great running with Yassine as he would talk with everyone, maybe his strategy to keep his pace low enough to converse while running or maybe just because he's a nice guy, I think it was a combination of both. Around mile 8 the group began to spread out. Yassine pulled off to take a nature break and as I passed him he yelled out great job and also mentioned that he hadn't quite learned how to pee on the fly, something that has become necessity for me to do as I go so much I would loss all kinds of time.  Justin Ricks crossed the gap to reach Todd and Paul who were a couple hundred yards ahead, Chris dropped off the pace and Dave Mackey finally showed his face. I knew that I had seen him at the start line but I didnt recall seeing him up ahead, I just figured I missed him in the opening mile as my head was down trying to stay focused on my footing, because there is no way that I should be ahead of him. But here he was. That had me questioning if I had gotten caught up in the racing fever and had gone out too hard. Yassine being the chatter bug that he was, shared a couple words with Dave about his Western states inclusion and before long both of them were around me leading me into the mile 11 Chapas aid station, where I saw the first of my crew. That just happened to be my parents who decided to meet me and Keira for the weekend on there three month tour across the country with there camper trailer. There my dad was waiting with a fresh bottle of Carbo Pro and my Rudy Project sun glasses. It was a quick 20 second switch and I was out, leaving just behind Yassine and just ahead of Dave.
There comes a point in every race when the muscles get tight and sore when things begin to be uncomfortable. That state of discomfort and the time that it takes to reach that point is determined by your pace and level of exertion. Those two things will  both change by your amount of training. The more time and effort you put in the more you will see your pace quicken and your exertion level decrease. One thing that you cannot prepare for in training is the level of discomfort you will feel during a race. The more times you reach that point and push through the better you can handle that feeling. If you can learn to welcome that feeling and enjoy it that's when you will see your racing reach new heights. Become comfortable with being uncomfortable. It was within the next couple miles that I started to notice the effects that the rocky course had taken. Somewhere in the opening miles I had landed on a rock that caught me right in the plantar fascia band and was now presenting itself in a sharp pain with each foot strike. The first signs of discomfort.

My pace slowed a litte bit and before long I was passed by three other guys who I did not recognize. It didn't matter to me at that point, I just needed to focus on my pace and my race. From mile 11 to the next aid station (Crossroads mile 17) you could say that it was totally flat and runnable but when you don't train that way it can be difficult.  I could see the other runners up ahead on the straight sections and through the open fields and knew that I was not loosing that much ground and if I could hold my pace that I might be able to pick up some of the carnage that would come up in the later stages of the race,  if I wasn't part of the carnage myself. Crossroad is a double aid station and when I came in there were 3 or 4 of us that were all within a minute of each other. That is the last time I saw anyone until the turn around at mile 30. From 17 to 30 I was in my own state of suffering. Things began to get real uncomfortable after leaving mile 17. The plantar area on my left foot was beginning to REALLY hurt, and now the other muscles in my legs were starting to tighten up. Time to hunker down and begin the suffer fest. I felt as if my pace really slowed and began to wonder how I was going to do another 31 mile loop. I didn't have thoughts of throwing in the towel, I still had fight left in me but I didn't quite know long I was going to be able to manage the pain in my plantar. As I turned the corner for my half mile in to the start finish area, who do I see heading out for his second loop but Yassine, who still had the ability to throw out his words of encouragement with a "Great first split Jesse!". I glanced at the clock as I came in to the turn around and saw 4:09. I had two thoughts when I saw it. 1- I cant believe I ran that fast! and 2- What was I doing running that fast! I had aspirations to run a 8:40 and that would mean two loops at 4:20. I didn't think anyone would be able to negative split there second loop on tired legs with the rocky trails and increasing heat. But with the quick work of the aid station volunteers and the cheers from the onlookers for motivation, out I went for another round of punishment. On my way out I saw two runners heading in to the turn around about the same spot Yassine and I had passed. I had no intentions of trying to pick off runners, only thoughts of trying to hold off the pursuance. I stumbled my way through the next 5 miles to the Nachos aid station mile 36 with the worst of the rocky section behind, holding my position. The muscles were sore, ribs felt surprisingly well, salt intake was high and no signs of cramping. The only problem I faced was the plantar fascia in the left foot that felt as though it was going to tear. I came into the Chapas aid station  for the last time and as I was getting my fuel from my dad, I saw Yassine just 50 yards out. That gave me a boost.  I voiced out loud that my plantar was killing me, but knew with the flat section that was upcoming that it might straighten out or at the very least not get any worse, so after a quick calve stretch I was off in pursuit of Yassine.  As I left, I asked how Keira was doing, and although my dad didn't know another crew member said that she stopped after the first loop. I knew going in that this race was not in her big picture and that this is not her type of course, so being that she made it one loop, I knew her reasons for calling it quits. I also selfishly knew that she would be there to help me finish strong....the only thing she didn't know was that if my foot didn't straighten out that I was going to call it quits, and not destroy my whole season with an injury.  In route to the Crossroads mile 47 aid station I finally caught Yassine who was complaining of stomach issues on the first lap and was now unable to run for any length of time. We stuck together for a bit and tried to push away each others pain with encouragement, I would gave him some mentos for his stomach and he gave me a good stretch for the plantar. Although in a great deal of pain I was still able to run whereas he was not so I left him 2 miles out from the aid station. At Crossroads I was greeted by many cheers, someone saying wow great job on your first 100k and of course, Keira, and my parents. I had decided that I was done because my foot was still feeling like my plantar fascia was about to rip. Keira as always didn't ask what I wanted just had a slue of stuff ready for me to put down. The first thing was some ibuprofen because my dad had told her my foot was hurting, my dad suggested putting on the other pair of shoes that I had set aside "just in case", Darcy Africa yelled out "you only have 15 miles left, you can do that before breakfast!"  I love ultra runners! So in with the food, off with the La Sportiva Skylite 2.0, on with the New Balance 10 Minimus shoes, and out of the aid station I went, just ahead of Yassine who was now getting assistance from Darcy.  I dont know what Darcy feed him but it was less than a quarter mile before Yassine swept by me and threw out some more words of encouragement. Although it was the most costly aid station in terms of time with the shoe switch and all, I have to say it was well worth it. My plantar pain had subsided and I was actually able to run without shooting pain for the first time since mile 11. I came up on Yassine and we traded spots one more time as the ibuprofen or the two glasses of coke, or the egg, or the coconut water, or the rise bar started to take effect. In that 5 mile loop I had a pass for position, saw my plantar pain disappear, felt a blister developing, stub my toe twice with the second one including a near face plant, and a mental switch from throwing in the towel, to bring on the pain I only have 10 miles left! Mile 52 Crossroads, I switched back to my La Sportivas thinking the blister was being caused by the New Balance, got a good soaking of water on my head, had to ditch my now wet and sweat cover Rudy glasses, lost my Ink n Burn shirt, and felt like I finally had a chance to try and take on 6th place. That desire was short lived as mile 54 began my own stomach problems. Nothing was leaving me, I tried to vomit with little success, I couldn't take on anymore fluids because they wouldn't go anywhere. I just kept pushing hoping Keira would have something for me at the next aid station as she said she would be there. Sho nuff, she was there, and after I told her about my issues she and Olga knew what I needed. As I took off, mouth full of some kind of chalky pink stuff, Olga yelled out just 50 minutes left! I pushed hard in the last segment to try and hold off Yassine or anyone else that my have been feeling better than I was. I rounded the last corner onto the last half mile stretch and sprinted what was probably a 10 min mile pace to cross the finish line of my first 100k, 7th overall in 9:16. It was very satisfying for me to be able to run with so many talented people, and to be on the verge of dropping out and then seeing my race change so much in the last 15 miles and have so much help from my girlfriend, and parents, and volunteers, and fellow competitors. So glad I found ultra running!  Big thank you to Joe Prusaitis for putting on such a great event, thank you to all of the volunteers for making it a great day. And that was how the Bandit 100k went down in history from MY POINT OF VIEW.
See you on the trails
Here are some pics from the race taken by endurancebuzz.com and Linda Haynes aka my mom.....

Coming in to mile 47 thinking I should call it a day

Coming in to 52 fired up and ready to go

Shoe switchback and a quick shower at mile 52 

Full bottles and ready to leave 52 with Keira and Ma and Pa Haynes