Notes
Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run. I got selected in the lottery back in December and since the end of December I've been training for this event, and it finally came and passed. I can't say that I'm really satisfied with my achievement since I thought I would come in around 24 hours but was nowhere near that. I attribute it to it being my debut at the 100 mile distance, not having trained specifically for heat, altitude, or excessive downhills. Plus, something I'm not sure I could have controlled: severe GI issues. It was the GI issues that really forced me to walk a lot of the course between miles 62 and 90. Once I got to around mile 90, I was able to 'push' my stomach aside and run most of the last 10 miles with a real increase in pace the closer I got to the finish.
Since a friend who was going to go out with me was unable to in the end, I wound up traveling to California by myself and had no plans to have a pacer after mile 62 (after which you are allowed to pick up a pacer). I also had no crew like many of the other runners. However, the aid stations and volunteers were some of the best I've seen at any event. It was definitely like Boston. I had drop bags with a change of sneakers for the 2 river crossings plus some bottles of ensure, which ended up boiling in the sun (didn't think of that).
I knew to take it conservatively in the first half since I've never run farther than 50 miles, so I was well aware of the danger in doubling the distance of the farthest I've ever run on a notoriously difficult trail course. The first 3.5 miles were straight up 2500ft from at start at 6000ft in elevation. I don't think we have hills like that on the east coast. So I walked that first 3.5 miles. Then the trail got rolling with a lot of rocks and averaged about 7000ft over the next 20 or 30 miles before dropping you down into the hot canyons. They say it was an average year in terms of heat, but it still felt pretty hot to me.
I took a wrong turn, too, just after mile 30. When I should have taken a sharp right I ended up going straight which took me along a trail, but not the correct one. After about a quarter mile, I felt like something was wrong; I didn't see the yellow ribbons marking the trail and it seemed eerily quiet. I just felt like I wasn't on the right trail, so I turned back and started walking in the hopes that I'd encounter another runner. Sure enough, I saw runners making a sharp right where I went straight. So I was glad to get back on the right course. If I had gotten lost out there, that would've been a disaster.
As the heat of the day ensued, I started having GI issues like I said and had to start hitting the bathrooms every aid station that had one and sometimes in between along the trail. The course took you down a long section into a canyon that just destroyed your quads, then across a river then immediately up 1400ft in 1.4 miles. What a hike! You then went down into another canyon and up another incline not quite as steep but longer. It felt like it took forever to get up it. After you crested it you were right about at the aid station at mile 55.
There was another problem here in that I was fighting the 30-hour cutoff all day. I thought I was going to be around 24 hours, so I put my headlamp in my drop bag at mile 62. Well, it was like 8:30pm when I got to the aid station at mile 55 and the sun was going down. I had 7 miles to get to the aid station at mile 62 to get my headlamp. On the roads this wouldn't have taken so long. But it wasn't until like 10:01pm when I finally reached mile 62 after having to navigate some rocky trails in the dark. Luckily another runner who did have a headlamp offered to run behind me during much of this stretch to shine the light on me and kind of cast a shadow in front of me. It was better than nothing, but I really rolled my left ankle during this stretch (it's now sprained I found out in the med tent after the race). I was rolling my ankles all day but that's par for the course for me on a rocky trail, but this one was sharp and quick.
The aid station at mile 62 is a big deal. They announce your name and where you're from over this loudspeaker. It's like one big party here. Tons of people. It's where runners pick up their pacer. There was just tons of energy here. I had no pacer but the guy who was running with me shining the light for me convinced me to ask for a volunteer pacer at this aid station, that there was a bound to be a volunteer itching to pace someone. I thought about it, was thinking that it would be part of the challenge to not pick up a pacer, but because I was so slow and so close to the 30-hour cutoff, I didn't think I would be able to navigate the night on an unfamiliar course running distance I've never running before without one, so I caved in and asked if there was someone willing to pace me to the end. I lucked out and found a volunteer pacer willing to run with me to the end. I still believe that without her I would not have made it to the finish line at all or in under the cutoff time.
She was somewhat familiar with the course, was a veteran ultrarunner, so she knew to remind me to drink, take electrolytes, and eat and give positive encouragement. She also mat one point prevented me from making another wrong turn, and in the dark, when it was like 2 or 3am and I was sleepy as hell. That would've been a disaster. She was also able to inform me kind of what to expect in terms of the trails in between aid stations and how far it was to the next one. We also had some good conversation, as difficult as it was for me to hold a conversation when I was feeling like crap.
My ultimate low point of the race was right around mile 70 or 71 when we came into an aid station. I was still struggling with GI issues, having had to dodge off the trail, tripping and stumbling in the woods to try to go to the bathroom, was now feeling a bout of nausea, and my brain was glycogen depleted (kind of like when you hit the wall in a marathon). My pacer had me sit down in chair to just try to sip some broth and focus on getting my breathing under control. It was here that I thought my race was over. I thought I was done. After sitting for not quite 15 minutes, I got up to go to the bathroom again and then trying to make myself vomit to get rid of the nausea. Another 5 or 10 minutes and nothing's coming out, so now the aid station volunteers are worried about my condition. My pacer looked at me and was like do you think you can make it to the next aid station. I wasn't sure. I thought that I would try. So we started just walking, taking it easy to the next aid station. A lot of people passed me during this stage, but we just walked.
We made it the next aid station and then finally to the American River crossing. It was like 3:30am at this point and the water was freezing and chest high. There was a cable across the river with volunteers just standing in the water holding onto the cable and instructing you where some sharp rocks were and where to step.
The trail became more runnable after mile 80 and I was starting to feel better than I had and was looking to just keep walking fast and hiking. I still couldn't really run but my pacer was careful to point out that we would have to incorporate some jogging if we were to make the cutoff.
I forget exactly when I made an attempt to start jogging again, I think it was around mile 85, and wow was it a rough start. My quads screamed in rebellion and I felt like I was going to trip over the tiniest pebble, that's how little I felt like I could pick up my feet. But I got into a slight rhythm and I was following some other runners and just trying to keep up with them. I ended up jogging most of the way to the next aid station at around mile 89.8. After that I would power hike the inclines and then just start cruising down the declines in spite of my screaming quads. I just started motoring a bit, though even at the 93.5 mile aid station I had to hit the bathroom. It then took a bit to get started again since we had another rocky incline, but as we crested it my pacer said something along the lines of 'you have 2 hours and then the rest of your life, what are you going to do?' I knew what she was getting at. Was I going to be able to push through the pain in the remaining 2 hours in order to get to the finish in under the cutoff? It took me a bit but I prepared myself for excruciating pain. I started running again and now this time it was more running than jogging.
I started blowing by other runners as I took the declines recklessly not caring anymore if I tripped and fell. I started trying to jog up the inclines, too, as difficult as that was. We got to mile 96 and I didn't really stop there, only to down a gel and water and then walked a bit to let my stomach get it down, then started running again. At this point it was getting hot outside, like really hot, hotter than the day before. I started cruising again, passing other runners, but as it got hotter I started to feel the twinges of side stitches, my dreaded nemesis. I tried forcing more water down.
Up some more hills to the last aid station before the finish at mile 98.9. Another gel. It was now 9:56am and it appeared clear that I would make the cutoff. My pacer started celebrating. I was feeling happier, too, and more relieved. Once we got to the top of the last hill (I don't know how many times I was told that it was the 'last' hill since mile 55), I started running pretty hard. It was pavement now and I felt more comfortable on that surface. I ran down the roads, through the neighborhood, up another bump of a hill and finally onto the high school track, where I would do a half lap around to the finish. I started sprinting, or rather, just running harder than I did the whole race and finished strong.
It was such a relief to finish, but I soon started to have a hard time walking. My legs were stiffening up and my left ankle was swelling. I had to lay on a cot in the medical tent icing it for about 45 minutes while I drifted off to a light sleep. Stayed through the award ceremony and then got on the shuttle ride back to the start, which was the most uncomfortable ride I've ever had.
A very difficult race, but I'm glad I did it. It was a good experience and now I'm going to attempt to pace my friend who will run his first 100 miler at the end of July.