Zero to One Hundred
From 12 Beers a Day to 12 km a Day
Version i: written
pre-race 2017-May
Version ii:
completed post-race (after completion of RVR) 2017-Jun
This was originally written 2017-Jun. It was not published on social media until now, I just wrote it to share my thoughts with my family and close friends.
The
Beginnings
Ever since I can remember I’ve always enjoyed running,
but I never really actually ran. This article is a reflection for my own
selfish reasons, and to perhaps share some lessons onto others. I am compiling
here now at a time in my life when I am about to take on the current pinnacle
of ultra running: the one hundred mile race. This is my journey.
The Early Years
I grew up on an acreage just outside of Innisfail,
Alberta, Canada which is a small town located on the side of a large highway
that runs up and down the heart of Alberta between the two big cities of
Calgary to the south, and Edmonton to the north. Therefore, I guess most people
would consider Innisfail a small rural town, but it was nice because it was
nice and close to the nearest city of Red Deer, but also had that small town
feel.
My parents lived here on this acreage since before I was
born when they moved to Innisfail. My Dad being a farm boy from here in Alberta
and my Mom also growing up in rural towns, it seemed fitting they had settled
on this nice 9 square acre lot just outside of the town of Innisfail. It was
only 5 minute drive into town but the land was separated just enough that it
seemed to be out on its own. My parents still reside there to this day,
although the small town is slowing growing and creeping closer to their
property over the past few years, as the town expands.
Growing up on an acreage was extremely good as a kid,
which I now realize with kids of my own. But myself and my one younger brother
would always go outside and enjoy the outdoors. My little brother is only 1.5
years younger than me so we were close in age and shared a lot of sports
interests. It was not that our parents made us or anything like that, I think
it was just that joyful enthusiasm of being a kid and the innate want to be
outside running around in nature. When you grow up with trees and tall grass at
your disposal to play in, it seems completely natural, as I believe it should
be.
As a kid my memories from playing at my house was
basically that we’d nearly always be outside doing something. My parents were
quite active and encouraged my brother & I to do the same. In the winters
we’d be out shoveling snow and making snow forts. Or we would try out our new
skis, snowboards, or new toboggans but the tiny hill 200 ft in the yard. This
small hill has served its purpose over the years as it has seen a ton of use
through my brother and I, and now all our kids when they get over for a visit.
Then in the summertime my brother and I were big into golf so we’d be outside
any day it was nice and practicing the game and running around chasing the
hundreds of golf balls we’d collected to hit around the yard. We even had a
mini 9 hole pitch and putt course in the acreage set up with 9 tin cans as the
holes. This served it purpose to keep us entertained and engaged outside for
many years until we were old enough to be let loose on the actual golf course
where we grew up.
Another thing about the acreage life is that going to
school you got to ride the school bus. Now being so close to the town meant
that we were the very last kids to be picked up in the morning, but the very
first kids to be dropped off by the bus on the route we were on. I can remember
that most times we’d try and time the bus pickup to where we would not walk
down the driveway, which was about 400m in total, too early so we would not
have to stand there waiting. This quite often meant we would wait till the last
minute. Then kids being kids once the bus came into view over the hill and we
could see it approaching our driveway from the distance, we’d take off running
and sprint as fast as we could down the driveway to catch the bus. A bit of
sibling rivalry as if my brother would run, I’d have to run faster just because
I couldn’t let my little brother beat me, now could I? I think back on this and
we’d always race to the bus when we were not already at the end of the driveway
standing there. A very rural kid thing to do.
School Running
As I went through grade school in elementary grades 1
through 6 I remember enjoying the gym class and always excited for those
opportunities when the annual track meet would occur at the school. I don’t
recall ever being one of the top kids but I would say I was above average in
general in terms of running and speed. Over the short distance I never won or
got one of those spots to provincial track meets because there was always a lot
of faster kids than me.
I do recall one event in grade 6 where it was a
fundraiser type running event. Was basically loops around the school yard for
20 laps in which you had to have sponsors lined up so that we’d be making money
for charities based on how many of the laps you finished in the end. Myself and
the fastest runner there was at the school, a taller guy, built for running
were decent friends and we’d were running this event together since there was
no one else in this class that would keep up. So, as a class the entire morning
was outside running laps around the football field in the school yard. The
teacher and the helpers sat there ensuring all the kids were surviving and of
course encouraging everyone along. Myself and Mike, the fast runner, we’d set
off at a quick pace and continually passed kids as we did our laps. The goal of
this run-a-thon was to raise as much as you could from your pledges and
complete the 20 loops. Mike and I kept clicking by the laps and we had gotten
to our 20 loops long before anyone else was close to finishing. This being in
grade 6 looking back I think that 20 loops, which is 4 miles, is quite a decent
run for a kid of that age. But since we just enjoyed running and being kids at that
time we just kept running since there was not a lot else to do until the rest
of our classmates finished up the event as well. I have no idea how many loops
I completed, nor the distance but I just remember that we had finished the plan
number and just kept on going. I guess that would foreshadow year later.
Innisfail being so small and growing up in Alberta where
summer is a part time season most years there is not a lot of opportunity for
track teams and running clubs. Or at least that I was aware of, because I never
even considered this back in my childhood. As mentioned I never was good enough
at our annual track meet at the school to qualify for the provincials in
anything, and this was the only way to get on the tack team that was a short-lived run up till the provincials
occurred that year. The only running I ever did get in was the gym class
running, and the occasional orienteering we’d also do out of the school
organization. Looking back I never did consider doing a running sport in track
and field nor something like cross county (to be honest I don’t even know if it
existed in Innisfail at that time).
Other Sports
I played a lot of soccer and was a regarded as a decent
forward who’d always run hard. I recall trying to play every minute of every game
and be upset and not want to be pulled out of the game for substitutions. I
enjoyed soccer and was good at it from what I remember but as I got older I
guess I just lost interest as I got older. I play some intermural soccer again
once I got to university, before I found my love for beer.
Growing up in Canada of course I also played hockey as a
kid. I remember wanting to be a NHL player growing up as a lot of aspiring
young Canadian kids. This sport I loved and played until my middle teenage
years when everyone started out growing me a lot and I was considered very
small by comparison. But I played and played hard for all those years. My love
of hockey kept me in shape throughout the winters and I still enjoy playing,
all be it rarely when I can these past few years in a rec league or whatever.
Other winter sports for me was basically only skiing
which evolved into snowboarding. There was also a brief period of 2 winters in
high school I cross country skied with my Dad nearly every day just to stay in shape
and get out doors, even that the lovely -30s that we experience in Alberta
winters.
Golf
The biggest sport and most influential on my life and
being outdoors would hand down be golf. I started golf when I was 5 and my
brother was 4. We got into the sport because this was also the year my Dad took
the sport up. We basically all started at the exact time. To this day we still
get out together to get a game or two in a year and have some fun family games.
Growing up with golf I played a lot as a junior and when you’re a kid and you
belong to a golf club you don’t get to ride golf carts and be lazy. There was a
lot of walking (& running) in my golf years as I grew up. From grade 6
until I graduated from high school and had to work full time my golf would be
the thing that consumed my time from early spring until the great freeze of the
inevitable fall weather every year. Often I be dropped off by my parents when I
was young and I’d join up with whoever and play 2, sometimes 3, rounds of golf
before I called and asked to be picked up. I basically lived out at the golf
course, and spent my summers there growing up being outside all day, every day.
When I was old enough I picked up a job as a backshop worker and then when high
school and university came around I worked at the golf course in the summer.
Most of this work was on my feet walking behind smaller mowers in the morning
before I got the comfy job in the second half of the shift. But then at the end
my shift I’d head straight up to the first tee and walk around for 18 holes of
golf (at least), and that’s how I’d spent 5 summers there, always outside
enjoying nature. Every once in a while, I recall even leaving my car and bike
at home and running to work since it was only a short distance away from my
parents, like 5km at most door to maintenance gate.
I rarely used golf carts as well even when I did work
there and we were offered them free. I always enjoyed walking for a round of
golf as I considered it exercise and because of my biggest influence: my dad.
He walks (well he runs) the golf course till this day and says if he’s not
walking now he won’t be when he’s 80. But the way he is he’ll still be that guy
at the course running straight to bushes to find his or his golf partner’s
errant ball. My father is known for his running of the golf course and I find
it quite impressive that at coming up on 66 years old that my dad is in great
shape just because he loves to keep busy like this. He is still the role model
for me in my life not so directly, but in some many life lesson ways! Now that
I run a lot I want to go to my home golf course there in Innisfail and run the
cart paths and create STRAVA segments.
Pre Running
Years
Now I was not an obese person, but I was also not someone
who would be called in peak shape either. This was a persistent theme
throughout my life. As a mentioned previously I was always a fairly good
athlete but I was never the elite type. This theme existed from when I was a
kid all the way until my 30s.
My 20s & Early 30s
I was never a runner though, but I wanted to pretend I
was at times. Every now and again I would get the idea in my head I was in
shape and go out and run a few miles. But then I would not do it again for like
a month or so. There was no consistency and no actual planned run or anything
or that sort. It was not like I enjoyed it, the whole process of getting on a
run seemed more to prove that I could do it.
I stayed busy with full time work. I barely had time for
much else. But in the summers, I’d still spend every second I had out on the
golf course chasing that little white ball around, and in the winters, I played
rec hockey for a few years but that has slowly dissipated over the past couple
years. The winters at work were/are our busy time in the oilfield industry and
so I would work extra and save up money and vacation time to utilize it in the
summers where my golf passion kept me happy.
Working in the oilfield you get the nasty stereotype of
doing nothing but working hard and partying hard. As an immature kid in my 20s
I was definitely not the best behaved person. I enjoyed my beers and spent the
better part of my adult life drinking & partying quite a bit. This is not
the best fit to a runner’s lifestyle. I would often spend time drinking and
sitting on the couch opposed to doing much anything else on my days off from
long sets of work. I was content but not a happy person. This was the days when
12 beer a day was often a reality in my life.
Family
Luckily I had some good friends and in 2009 they drought
me on a trip to California for 10 days just to travel and do random stuff. We
traveled down the west coast with very little planned in terms of the schedule
and timing which lead us to Santa Barbara, CA one night because we were tired
of driving for that day. It ended up with a chance encounter that lead me to
meet my wife in her hometown, who was out with her girlfriends that night. Long
story short was that we met that night in a pub and it was just a cool thing
and we continued to stay in touch by the power of the new trends in social
media (i.e. Facebook). Two years later I was somehow lucky enough to marry this
amazing woman and we’ve started growing our own family together since!
Being married I was still stuck at my current job and
continued to work hard and do little else for myself in terms of my fitness
life. I recall going to the gym for a summer, but even then, I did not do any
cardio, not even once that I can think of did I run. Golf was still the biggest
and only thing in my life at this point, and still that is just walking, and
during summer months only here in Canada. I continued some very limited rec
hockey for a couple years up until about 2013. Work was always the big time
consumer in my life and when I was off from the sets of work I didn’t often
want to do much except rest.
First Shoes
We’d go back to my Wife’s home in California usually
twice a year (if possible), once during the summer and again at the holidays to
meet up with her side of the family. In the holidays in 2013 I was starting to
get used to the nice warm Cali weather and for whatever reason I ended up going
out and buying myself a pair of running shoes. I purchased these Nike Flyknit
Lunar 1 models. Fancy and full of rainbow colors they fit my quirky style quite
nicely I thought. I still can’t recall what possessed me to go out on impulse
and get some runners, but I am guessing it was something to do with the
California lifestyle and wanting to fit in to all those surf bodies and try and
be more in shape myself. The purchase of these shoes somehow lead me to find
and download the Nike+ app on the iphone which was a fancy way of tracking your
running mileage. I think the shoes came with the Bluetooth sensor in the sole
or something, and that’s what lead to this. But me being a data geek I looked
up the app and quickly downloaded it for a trial. It turns out that the first
run I did in my first running shoes I ever bought for the sole purpose of
running is still the very first data point I have saved here in my now
extensive ongoing running data. I guess it might be safe to say my California
influence started my running off those holidays at the end of the year in
December 2013.
My Running
Life 2013-2016
Nike Flyknit Lunar 1
Those nice fancy shoes took me out on an adventure that
first day I got them. I look back and remember having fun and enjoyment running
in those hills in Santa Barbara. Just being able to wear shorts and t-shirt to
me is still huge in December, it’s so foreign to a rural Albertan like me, so I
just love it. Running in those hills behind my in-laws I managed a 3.81mi
(6.13km) run in just over half an hour of running. To me this was great and
probably felt like a hell of a workout to an out of shape oilfield supervisor
at that time in my life. But those rainbow shoes got me out the door and into
nature for the first time in a long time, so in that regards success!
2014
With my new found shoes and a very limited ambition I
guess this was the start of my running career. However, I would not call myself
a runner yet. In the entire year in 2014 I managed to accumulate 29 total runs
at an average of 3.98 mi (6.41 km) per run, my longest which was 6.46 mi (10.40
km). So by these numbers you can see I was barely keeping active little lone
running. It was still more of a hobby at the best of times only a couple times
a month.
2015
The following year was much the same story. So much so in
fact the numbers are very similar. In 2015 I totaled 27 runs at an average of
3.93 mi (6.32 km) per run, and my longest run was 7.07 mi (11.38 km). This was
all before September because after that there is a whole quarter year of no
runs at all.
2016
Now I have 2 small little kids and am quite content in my
life, however I still am working hard and away from home a lot. This year was
particularly busy with my work career as I was just in the middle of a large
project roll out I had been working on for about 6 months already, and was
hoping to finish in the first quarter of 2016. The first couple months of the
year I only logged a couple of runs per month. January I notched 5 runs,
February I then hit 7 total runs, and then a mere 3 runs in March. This was
also the time I just completed my year long work project and wrapped it up
right at the end of March. This was a huge relief and accomplishment. However
due to the work environment and the economy our company was requesting employees
take off all the extra banked days and volunteer to take extra furlough time
off for the foreseeable future in the year. And since I had worked quite hard
over the last year on my project I had a lot of banked up days saved, which
lead to a lot of time off coming my way.
With spring and summer months coming up and the available
time off I decided it was a good time to get myself back into shape and loss
some weight. In April 2016 once I had some of this extra time off work I
started running with a little more consistency and you might say goal sighted,
now that I was looking to lose a little of my beer gut from the last few years.
Again, most people would not say I was fat or anything but to me I knew I was
horribly out of shape to what I used to be in my younger years. Combined that
with the fact that I was drinking still a lot more than I should have been over
that last year, which is not healthy nor is it any kind of example for my 2
little impressionable daughters at this point in my life.
I mentioned before that with my rainbow Nike I had
downloaded and been using the Nike+ app for the iPhone to track all my runs and
data. Since I am a somewhat geek and tech nerd in a lot of ways this appealed
to me. As I was searching around in the training mode for this, there were
plans for running a half marathon and marathon running plans all for free right
with this app. I would look over these and think that there was no way anyone
could run this much and follow these crazy things to be able to build up and run…what...greater
than 10 mi all at once? I thought it was a far reach when first looking at it. Also,
now around the beginning of April somehow I came across the upcoming Woody’s RV
marathon that was coming in Red Deer on May long weekend. I think it came up
via social media or something by one of my friends being signed up or talking
about it, I can’t quite remember exactly. But this was the point where I said
13.1mi all at once…now this is a challenge. From here I took the leap and
signed up for my first half marathon with about 5 weeks to train and be ready.
I was planning on following the Nike+ app to help guide me and hope that this
was enough to be ready to run and finish a half marathon with this little time
I had to train.
Now I am a Runner!
At this point in early April 2016, I would now call
myself a runner as I followed my Nike+ app and was running 5 days a week as it
told me too. I am the type of person to follow instructions closely so I
tracked the plan close and never ran less than I was supposed to and never went
too far (because even these small distances seemed large to me at this point in
time). Since I started this training plan about 3 weeks late, according to
Nike+ and their 8 week training plan, I was thrown right in the middle of it. My
first long run was 4 weeks out and was 12.05 mi (19.39 km). Then I recall
looking at the peak week being 3 weeks out and the long run of 14.0 mi the
training plan had called for. I knew this was a large challenge in of itself.
But I knew if I could get through it on training then I’d for surely be able to
do it in 3 weeks time when it was go time. Based on these 2 runs I set myself a
goal of completing my first half marathon in sub 2 hours. I had done my 14.0 mi
long run for my peak week and it took 2:01:31. Based on this I thought for sure
I’d be able to at least match this on race day, well that was the hope anyhow.
Woody’s RV Half Marathon (Red Deer, AB, Canada)
The day before I went on got my race package pickup with
my shirt and visited the booths set up in the gymnasium. I was in awe at how
many people were there and this introduction into this total new world to me
seemed weird. But I was excited to finally do my first race.
May 22, 2016 was a miserable day. I woke up excited to do
my first race, but I quickly realized how hard it was going to be. Now I
thought I was ready with my fitness, and since I had such short time I was
happy I followed the plan for the remaining 5 weeks to near perfection tracking
all the miles exactly how Nike had laid it out. But I was not prepared for off
weather. Growing up and living in Alberta my whole life I knew that spring was
never a guarantee in terms of sun and warmth. Well on this lovely day of my
first ever race it was a balmy 4OC (39 f). But on top of that it was
raining, and so this made it feel damn near freezing basically.
Of course, I have no running gloves, no running jacket,
no running tights, or any of the other fancy gear that an actual runner might
have to combat these conditions. But I braved the elements and wore a long
sleeve shirt and had some thin work gloves (that would be soaked in about 10
minutes out in the rain), and a toque (a “beanie”, for you Americans) that was
warm but not warm resistant. My wife and kids were bundled up in their winter
gear because they were so cold, but they were amazing and came out to cheer me
on.
I started quite far back in this pack of hundreds if not
couple thousand people because I felt I had no idea what I was doing, which was
probably true for the most part, since this was my first race experience. But
the gun went off and away everyone went. I started my Nike+ app on my phone and
tucked it away into my pocket to keep it shielded from the elements. I have no
idea how to pace or anything so I basically just ran the best I could and took
in the experience trying to stay as warm as I could in the brisk rain. I
remember feeling quite wet and cold nearly from the start of the race since we
stood there waiting for about 10 minutes during the race brief over the
intercoms. My run was decent and I basically ran the times that I was capable
of. My goal was sub 2 hours as I had mentioned and due to the weather I never
really looked at my phone for pace/time or anything. I just kept counting the
km markers down as I slowly made my way by them around the Red Deer River. I
think it was about the 18 km marker when I knew I’d finish and would try and
push myself for the best time I could get (even though had no idea where I
stood). I got to marker 20 km and there was this tiny hill that went up about
50-60 ft on this bike path before you turned onto the street for the final 0.8
km stretch into the finishing line. Its funny now remembering back, but that
hill seemed like death to me as I recall. After that long hard run in what was
going to be my second longest run to date, and in that crappy weather. But I
kept actually running and did not have to walk it and pushed to the finish line
where I could finally see the timing board. I figured I was on my goal of sub 2
hours but when I saw the clock I was pleasantly surprised to see how much I was
under. I sprinted the last part to best of my ability and completed my first
half marathon in 1:41:57. This was good enough for 54th place out of
650 people running the half marathon that day (Also 12th out of 74
in the 30-39M age category).
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| Finishing my first ever times race | Photo: Woody's RV Marathon |
Besides being cold and wet I was very happy with this
result especially with only 5 weeks training ahead for my preparation. I also
felt good and in much better fitness than when I started even though it was in
this short time frame.
Becoming Addicted
With my natural tendency of being somewhat obsessed, some
might say addicted to things, I soon realized that running may just become one
of these things in my life. After completing Red Deer half marathon, I looked
around on the website for my next challenge.
The very next week the Calgary Marathon was on and was
still open for sign up. I signed up and set out to PR my just set half marathon
time. Since I was already trained and ready I thought it was perfect that it
was just the very next weekend. A little larger venue and a much warmer nicer
day I managed to complete the Calgary Half Marathon in 1:40:47 and shave just
under 1 minute of my time from the weekend prior. Again I was content and then
was onto the next challenge.
Using the internet as my guide I searched around and
found this race in Edmonton called the River
Valley Revenge Resurrected (RVRR) and it looked like great candidate because
it was stated to be a 25k, 50k, 100k run. Of course, being new into this the
25k caught my eye and would be my largest distance of then anyway. So, I signed
up for this without even realizing what trail running meant. I had never run
trails nor explored them on my own. But again, I thought this would be cool to
run around the Edmonton River Valley.
First Trails
After my new found love for this running thing and to
stay on top of it I enjoyed the challenge of racing to keep me motivated. Since
I had just signed up for the RVRR I was still searching around in the meantime.
I came across this website called 5Peaks. There was a trail race in Canmore, AB
on June 11th which was the weekend before RVRR. I signed up with
enthusiasm. Again, keep in mind at this point I had no idea what trail racing meant
so I was heading into it blind, but based on the description and knowing the
location of the Nordic Center I was up for it. The thought of it seemed cool to
me, much better than a boring road or lonely bike path in the city.
My family and I made a weekend out of it and we set off
to Canmore to stay overnight in the hotel prior to the race. I remembering
getting to the Nordic Center to check in the morning of the race and being
completely overwhelmed by the sight of the mountains and the starting line
right there at the bottom. Of course, I had looked over the map route and had
somewhat of an idea but I had never been to the mountains before in summer
really, except in the winter to snowboard. But my family was there to cheer me
on, the sun was out, and I had the mountain right in front of me. I was doing
an “endure” course they called it which was a 10 mi (16 km) track. I set off
and ran as hard as I could but more importantly I discovered the trails. Pretty
much as soon as I got past the first 0.8km of the wide track and saw what trail
running meant and the potential I instantly fell in love with the trails. I ran
the 15.74 km (9.78 mi) in 1:33:36 which was just slightly faster than my
previous races, the x2 road half marathons, but I did not care about the time
because I just realized that I found a new sport! I also finished 37th
out of 237 people and so I thought hey I’m not half bad at this running stuff
since I had only been doing it now just under 3 months in total.
Edmonton Trail Runners (ETR)
I first learned of ETR when I got to the River Valley Revenge Resurrected (RVRR)
on June 18, 2016. This race was put on by the Edmonton Trail Runners, and they
were the ones responsible for setting up this epic course and resurrecting this
once former race. Technically this was the first trail race I ever signed up
for (although I ran the 5Peaks one the week prior, as mentioned above). Based
on my experience from the week prior I had absolutely no idea how long it would
take me to run 25 km on trails. But I told my wife I was aiming for sub 3
hours, as her and my daughters were there again to cheer me on. I knew the
course map, but was unaware of the terrain and the actual course in the river
valley. I thought it might be a bunch of bike paths and whatnot, but man I was
in for a shock.
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| High fives from my 2 oldest daughters | Photo: Katie Meding |
 |
| Log bridge | Photo: Lisa Ashton Ramer |
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| Two Truck Trail | Photo: Brad Ramer |
It wouldn’t be until November that I would meet up with
ETR again when I started prepping for another race in Edmonton, but when I
contacted them they were open to having people join up and come experience the
trails with them. I’ve been running with them regularly as my work schedule
allows ever since then. It is quite fitting that my first 100 mi race will in
fact be the RVR.
STRAVA
After running now for steadily since April I began to
look into watches and other data gizmos that I could use to track my runs
instead of having to carry my iPhone with me everywhere. It was on July 4, 2016
that I signed up with STRAVA and started my account. I have been using this as
my backbone for data analysis and tracking ever since. It has given me a lot of
insight as well, being able to track all the big names in the sport and follow
your running friends as well. I basically check it every night and give kudos
to all my people I’m following as part of my nightly ritual while sitting in
front of the tv or whatever.
More Gizmos
I don’t think you are a real runner until you toe the
line with a watch on your wrist looking the part. Well I’m not sure that is
quite my thought process but when I picked out my own birthday gift to myself,
I went with this and settled on a fancy new Garmin
Fenix 3 HR. It was one of the brands that had the latest and greatest
features. I had used it basically every single run since I have purchased it
back in August 5, 2016. I am super happy with the brand and enjoy it more as I
have discovered how it can really function on the long ultras in terms of
tracking and being able to capture the entire run in one data file. I’d
recommend a Fenix to anyone (disclose: I have not had the chance to try out the
rival Suunto yet, which is the other
big rival brand).
As for all my running data, I also collect and analyze it
myself along with my STAVA account. I have every run, since the December 31,
2013 run track and logged into an excel file which I keep and use to create
graphs and compare my data in all sorts of ways. I do this because I enjoy it
and because my nerd skills from work to create these types of excel sheets all
the time. See the Appendix at the end of this article for some of these
examples. I analyze and track all my own data, as well as using STRAVA to its
full extent.
Discovering Ultra
After completing my second 25 km trail race in July 2016
I had started considering what was out there that I could take on next. I had
seen that there were all these other distances and the most likely next step
was probably a 50 km race. I found another 5Peaks trail race in the beginning
of August and started really liking this race company too. They had an ultra at
the very end of summer in Revelstoke, BC, Canada called Triplestoke. The name came from the fact is was 3 day stage race
with 3 mini races, Hillstoke (9 mi), Half Stoke (13.1 mi), and Full Stoke (33
mi). This race fit into my days off schedule and so with some thought I signed
up to this was going to be my ultra debut. I was excited. I also found another
race the Grizzly Ultra 50k that was in October that I scheduled in next. So for
the remainder of 2016 I was set 2 ultras to get my feet wet into the longer
distances.
Triple Stoke
End of August came around and we as a family travelled
out to British Columbia to stay in Revelstoke for the 5Peaks Triple Stoke event.
Again, an awesome family outing due to my running adventures. We staying in
this cool Air BnB right off the ski hill, which happened to also be the start
of the races for day 1 and 2.
Day 1 was Hill Stoke, which basically meant we ran up the
ski hill with 4,173 ft of elevation gain for 7.49 mi (12.06 km).
Day 2 was Half Stoke, a half marathon trail style, which
started at the top of the ski hill and continued up by doing 2 summits. This
was an epic day in which I surely thought I was done for, but managed to finish
the 13.47 mi (21.67 km) in 3:39:09. There was a mere 4,809 ft of elevation gain
and loss today which left me sore and very exhausted.
 |
| Triplestoke Results 2nd overall | Photo: Katie Meding |
Then day 3 was going to be my first single day ultra,
being just over th 31 mi mark by a couple, however due to some grizzly bear
activity the course had to be rerouted and we only ended up doing 20.72 mi
(33.35 km) with 4,639 ft of elevation gain and loss. Today took me 4:15:39 and
man I thought I’d never make it. The epic scenery was probably what got me though.
Although I was disappointed slightly in the fact Day 3
was under the ultra distance I considered this 3 day stage race my first ultra.
Looking back now this was probably a blessing in disguise as it gave my body a
little time to adjust, and plus this 3 day distance was more than anything to
date yet. Plus I happened to be one of only 10 people to complete the Triple
Stoke and finished 2nd overall in the cumulative time...my first
ever podium finish! I was surprised at this and very happy looking back now.
Triple Stoke
|
DAY
|
MONTH
|
YEAR
|
mi
|
km
|
Duration
|
Pace/mi
|
Pace/km
|
ft
|
Hill Stoke
|
26
|
Aug
|
2016
|
7.49
|
12.06
|
1:54:10
|
15:14
|
09:28
|
4,173
|
Half Stoke
|
27
|
Aug
|
2016
|
13.47
|
21.67
|
3:39:09
|
16:17
|
10:07
|
4,809
|
Full Stoke
|
28
|
Aug
|
2016
|
20.72
|
33.35
|
4:15:39
|
12:20
|
07:40
|
4,639
|
Totals
|
---
|
---
|
---
|
41.68
|
67.08
|
9:48:58
|
---
|
---
|
13,621
|
Grizzly
 |
| Completing loop 1 of 5 | Photo: Katie Meding |
 |
| Muddy conditions by end of race |
100 km
With the Grizzly Ultra behind me and feeling good and
happy about my fitness I started to look ahead and discover my next adventure.
I mentioned before I started running regularly with the Edmonton Trail Runners
in about November 2016, and this is when I started chatting to others about
running more. It was about this time in early November, from what I can recall
is when I learned about this upcoming fat ass style ultra called Pack
Mentality. So I got curious and looked it up, not finding much information on
it. But basically it is an ultra event with minimal organization and put on
with a very casual approach. They had distances of 25k loop through the
Edmonton River Valley and you could choose from 1 loop up to 4 loops for a full
100k experience. And well since I am a person of progression and I had already
tackled the Grizzly Ultra my thoughts lead me to why not try 100 km?
Like I mentioned this was a fat ass style race which
means it is not highly structured more of just organized and laid out for
everyone to have fun etc. When you signed up all you had to say was you are
going, there was no “set” start time. When you got there in the morning you
checked in and this is when they asked how far you were running, and then
they’d send you on your way. The recommended time to start was 05:00 for the
100k people but they basically said you can start whenever; just need to check
in first. When I signed up for this race it was in the middle of a work set for
me and so I wasn’t sure I’d be 100% able to make it or not. But I managed to
get the time off work, because they are good that way, which meant I’d be
working up till race day then get the day off.
My work set started and well I was on night shift. I
worked out by Rocky Mountain House, ended my shift around 07:00 on the Dec.2nd
and drove back to Red Deer, which is about 1 hour drive, to get some sleep.
When I got home it basically meant I had about 20hrs till the start of the
race, and my body was just used to being on night shift for the past 5 days. My
goal was to stay up in the day then sleep early and aim to be on the road from
Red Deer at 03:30 and be at the recommended 05:00 start time. However, the plan
did not quite work out perfectly and between resting up and having 2 crazy
daughters at home excited to see me, and my lovely wife wanting to cuddle up I
did get some rest in. By the time my alarm went off I was slightly behind
schedule and did not make the recommended start time once I got to Edmonton. I
arrived at the start and there was no one there…no even the van where I was
suppose to check in. So I basically stood there in a daze for a bit, but then
checked the race Facebook feed. I messaged the page and got a response that
they were on their way back; they had just gone on a coffee run.
11:22:43 was my total time. I was over 1.25 hrs behind
Jay but to me that did not matter, I had finished. To be honest I was not sure
I was going to be able to run for that long and I had just proven that I could.
My watch said I was slightly under 100k, but when I actually loaded up the data
onto Garmin and STRAVA it was 63.38 mi (102.00 km). I was only 1 of 3 people
who did 100k, finishing 2nd, and only 4 others did 75k. This gave me another
boost in my accomplishment.
So by the time I recovered a bit I travelled back home to
Red Deer and it was nearly 22:00 at this time. I had to sleep and get ready to
go back to work, as I only got the day off to run this and had to get back out
on my set. I somehow managed to sleep a bit and rest before leaving for my
night shift the following day. Dec.4th, less than 24 hours after
completing my 100 km race I was back at work hobbling around like an 80 year
old man, back on night shift for the rest of my set of work.
3 ultras completed now and this being a large leap up to
the 100k mark after only the one other 50k single day effort. I considered my
2016 to be a real success and was definitely in love with this new trail
running sport I had discovered. I could not wait for the next year and see what
I could set my sights towards next.
My Running
Life 2017
Goals: Setting the Expectation
2016 was finished off, perfectly with the birth of our 3rd
daughter right on New Year’s Eve. A good omen for a good 2017 is what I
figured. With the time off over the holidays getting ready for the birth of our
daughter and daunting task of running through the winter I was looking forward
to setting my goals and having a big challenge for the upcoming summer. I had
been reading and diving more into the ultra running world by following stuff on
Instagram, reading Facebook articles, and researching races and elite athletes.
I had gotten hooked onto the Ginger Runner and Billy Yang films on YouTube and
so I was pretty set into the ultra mindset moving forward.
Over the holidays and the time at home I set myself some
goals for 2017. These are taped up on my bathroom mirror to hold myself
accountable.
Trail Running
|
Complete a 100 mi race
|
Complete:
·
at least x5 ultras (50km+) in 2017
·
x1 marathon (part of training if it fits)
|
Run average of 5 days a week
(equals 260 days for the year minimum)
|
STRAVA training goals:
·
2,017 mi total mileage
·
150,000 ft climbed
·
Complete all 12 months x4 badges
|
Volunteer as a pacer for someone
to help out trail community and the experience
|
Don’t forget to get out and golf and just simply
enjoy the outdoors with my family as well
|
Picking My “A” Race
Doing some reading and research I was trying to decide on
what to pick for my big “A” race 100 mi debut this season. I had settled down
on a couple of options:
1.
SB100 (Santa Barbara, CA, USA)
2.
RVR150 (River Valley Revenge – Edmonton, AB,
Canada)
3.
Sinister 7 (Crowsnest Pass, AB, Canada).
Those 3 were my main choices and I was trying to figure
out depending on my work schedule what would work or not in terms of family
vacation as well.
Santa Barbara 100 turned out to be my pick and because it
is in my wife’s hometown we’d make a family vacation out of it and travel down
for 2 weeks or so that overlapped with
this race in July. I made arrangements with work and got my vacation planned
off but had not yet committed to signing up yet. I wanted to run a couple more
50 km ultras in the spring first and ensure I was ready to jump to 100 mi
distance, even though I pretty much knew I was committed to the idea. I
sometimes just leaves things like signing up to the last possible minute. With
all that being said I was excited and basically had the plan in my head for
SB100 as my big race for the year.
But just when I was about to pull the trigger and sign up
for my “A” race I got a message on the Facebook feed as well as an email from
UltraSignUp since I had subscribed to the news updates for the SB100 race.
And so just like that at the end of March, my big race
was gone and I had no other one lined up yet. Since I was planning on this
being my big race I had not committed to a distance at RVR yet either. It had
variety of distances but the course(s) were still being made, and I was going
to use this as a training race to build up for SB100. There was a 50mi, 100k, as
well as this 150k option (in honor of Canada’s 150th Birthday year).
Since it was not quite the 100 mile mark, and nor was there any solid plans on
what the course would be and stuff this was not my pick for my big race,
although I was definitely join in the fun and participate at RVR as an active
Edmonton Trail Runners (ETR) member.
Now that SB100 was out of the running I started figuring
I could make RVR my big race and go for the 150 km distance. Knowing Sheryl
& Todd (the ETR founders) I’m sure the course would be closer to that
magical 161 km-ish mark anyhow. And with that thought I finally pulled the
trigger April 7th and signed up for River Valley Revenge Ultra!
My “A” race was now again set, this time I was signed up.
Now this gave me the fixed time frame to get my tune up training and racing in.
I was no excited and looking forward to the challenge.
Spring Training
Winter RVR
With the goal of a 100 mi race this season I began
pondering up how to train in the spring and get my body ready for the biggest
challenge of my life thus far. I started out by Doing the Winter River Valley
Revenge 50 km Ultra, which had just been created this year. It was in late
January and sure to be a test due to the elements and of that challenging RVR
course. I did well on this and finished 2nd overall to who else, but
Jay.
Back-to-Back-to-Back
 |
| Results from my 3 ultras in a row. Successful Test. San Jose 50 km | Santa Barbara Nine Trails 35 mi | Montana de Oro 50 km |
My results we great to what my expectations were, maybe
even slightly higher. I placed podium on the 2 smaller races and set my 50 km
PR by like 20 mins or something. The SB9T was known to be my toughest challenge
based on the course, and well yes they were right when the said “this 35mi run
was tougher than a lot of 50 milers”. But the result again I got was pleasing
to me, and I thought this boated very well for me in my training this early in
the season. I did my most elevation gained ever by over double in this race.
Overall, though these 3 races I learned a little more about my nutrition and I
think I dialed in how to run the 50 km distance. My only regret is that I had a
chance to win the Montana de Oro race but I basically bonked with 4km to go. I
had to walk off a sever cramp in my right hamstring before I could run it out,
but by then I got passed by 2 people. Lesson learned. I logged a lot of miles
on that vacation and came home with a bunch of new medals to hang on my window
sill.
Braggin’ Rights 100 km
I had a few smaller races lined up, like my favorite
5Peaks trails race series, but I did not have anything big planned from the end
of my epic vacation until the run of RVR in early June. This lead me back to
the internet and my sources to search around for another ultra training race.
This is where I learned about Braggin’ Rights 100k. This is another one of
those minimal organization, non-sanctioned races. But it would be perfect
because it lay just over 1 month from the start of RVR in early May and again
would be a great way to peak out my training for the 100 mi preparation.
Race Report
Loop 1
06:00 came around and we were off to complete 3 large
loops that consisted of minimal marking and only 2 aid stations (one being our
own cars). I had no idea what to expect for time since this course was said to
be challenging in terms of terrain, elevation, and a very low finishing rate.
Also I had only the one other 100 km race under my resume and it was relatively
flat course in Edmonton, so this was on a whole new level, but the kind I was
hoping to test myself. I set off with the lead people which again consisted of
Jay, who I knew we’d all be chasing. This was Jay’s 3rd attempt at
trying to complete this course as both previous years he’d gotten lost he
mentioned. This course was on well known trails but for the race itself there
was no flagging like a lot of traditional sanctioned type races.
Loop 2
The distance between aid stations pushed me to the limit
in terms of my hydration, but I managed to get by each time. It just meant that
every aid station stop I’d take a little longer to rehydrate and replenish what
I could. After nearly completing the 2nd loop and running back down
to our cars would be the final aid stop, which was about 70 km into the run. I
was about 4 km from the bottom and my legs started cramping up pretty bad. Had
to stop and massage my legs for few minutes which lead to an extremely slow
pace for those last few km’s into the parking lot. It was also at this time my
watch died because I made the error of charging up my phone first with my
portable power and so it was out of juice (a lesson learned for longer races).
However I got back to the Allan Bill parking lot and realized that I was still
in 2nd place contention, actually Jay had gone through, and there
was myself and 2 others there at the parking lot at the same time. Essentially
the 3 of us behind Jay were all tied up with 30 km to run. I took an extremely
long time at the lot, and even contemplated giving up at one point. Luckily one
of the race volunteers had some salt tablets that he was kind enough to share
with me. Those little suckers saved me and my poor cramping legs (another
valuable lesson for the day).
Loop 3
It was about 10.75 hours into the race. I set off with
the mindset that I only needed 3 hours of pushing to get this run over with. I
knew it would be a slow pace and I’d have to focus to get it down before dark.
But since I had to restart my watch and the route guidance I got a little
messed up and did one of the directions backwards on loop 3. This costed me a
little frustration, but it did not cut off any distance because I just ran this
part backwards and still ended up rejoining the route later on. In fact, after
it was all said I think I added about 2-3 km by doing it this way (another
ultra lesson learned). But once I properly orientated myself on the course and
realized I was down to that last 10 km I sort of felt relieved. Although much
of it was good old quad busting downhill to the finish I managed to catch up to
the 3rd place runner. With about 2 km of flat ground to go after the
descent I had nothing in me to out sprint and so I just chugged along and came
in 4th place overall.
 |
| Hobbling into the finish just before sunset | Photo: Joanna Ford |
Results
This year was the highest finish rate yet: 4 finishers. I
did not realize how short this race was in existence nor how hard it was to
actually run 100 km in the Rockies. That morning there were 23 people set out
on the 100 km course attempt, and only 4 people finished (17.4% finisher rate…2016
there were no 100 km finishers). This left me very humbled and proud of my run.
Especially since it totaled 12,711 ft elevation gain and loss with a total
distance of 62.90 mi (101.23 km). Total time of 15:13:21 my legs were spent.
After I was able to gather myself and enjoy some food and
rehydrate a little better I forced myself back into my car around 22:00 and
started my journey back home to Red Deer. This 2 hour drive took about 3, as I
had to stop frequently to stretch and keep mobile. I arrived home to my wife
who stayed up to make me a snack and prepare a nice salt bath, which felt
awesome! Overall I arrived back at the house 22 hours after I had left the
previous morning.
It took a bit but 48 hours after the race I felt great
and in fact I think this is when I was quoted of saying my “sense of
accomplishment is now greater than the sense of pain in my legs”. This run has
put the confidence in myself that I can step up to the 100 mile distance. This
run was very challenging and I learned a lot of things in my running and about
myself in general. Bring on RVR!!!
Last Tune Up
With most of my base training completed and a lot of the
hard work put in I planned on doing one last big weekend prior to returning to
my work which would encompass the 2 weeks leading up to race weekend. This
meant that the May Long Weekend, which I happened to fall on my days off, would
mean some big miles this year for me. As posted on my Instagram account:
Weekend--DAY#1--Double
summit mountain run with @edmontontrailrunners (ETR) & Calgary Trail
Runners (CTR). Moose Mountain followed by Prairie Mountain 25.49mi (41.02km)
with 7,425ft (2,263m) of vert.
Weekend--DAY#2--Red Deer
Marathon 26.2mi (42.2km). A year ago in 2016 I ran my first ever timed race of
the Red Deer half marathon. This year returned to run my first ever true road
marathon as a training run. Not my ideal debut/time, but I learned a lot today.
Pleased with my push after yesterday's big effort. My feet don't forgive me for
staying on pavement for so long. This weekend was last big training for
@rvrultra
After these 2 days, I had a couple rest days and then
packed up to head back on the road for a set of night shifts and one final set
before the big race. My plan was to taper to the best of my guess and reduce my
mileage but keep active. Thus, I planned to do no more long runs and just keep
basic runs to around an hour or so at most. Time to rest and get the body and
mind ready for the challenge ahead.
River
Valley Revenge 100 Miles
As I had mentioned this was not my first pick for my 100
miler. However once the disappoint of my choice being cancelled and then
setting my mind to this race I began to get quite excited about my return to
River Valley Revenge.
Pre Race
With the excitement and anticipation of the upcoming
Summer RVR there has been a lot of interest from within Edmonton Trail Runners
(ETR) to get to scout of the new course. With that a couple of the course
designers started to plan some of the weekly ETR runs to focus on the RVR new
sections for preview runs for just that reason. Jacques started leading the
Thursday runs with this purpose starting near the end of April.
April 27, 2017
 |
| RVR course preview sneak peak |
I drove up to Edmonton, since I was on days off and
joined ETR for this first new section preview of the RVR course. I had no idea
what to expect as I had no seen the elusive master plan map that some have laid
their eyes on when visiting with Sheryl & Todd. The run was set to start at
the Terwilliger area which I had not had the opportunity to run in, so I was
pretty pumped to see the RVR course and try out a new spot in Edmonton for
running. The group started out at Wedgewood Heights and from there we ducked
onto the trails from the residence and down south along the river. The path
travelled down along the riverbank until we popped out into a field type area
running parallel with the E.L. Smith Water Treatment Plant. The path was nice
and esasy from here and ran all the way west until we crossed under the Hwy216
Anthony Henday bridge. We did a small tour and loop up there on that east side
in Terwillegar Heights before returning the same way to complete our run.
Clocked a total of 6.70 mi (10.78 km) in 1:19:48 with an elevation gain and
loss of 646 ft. This was a nice descent section of the course and one I know I
can run to make up time if need be.
April 30, 2017
Todd the course designer for RVR, and one of the founders has also
been gracious enough to put on special long runs catering to the 100k/100m
group that is running RVR this summer. These runs are by invite only to those
who are signed up already. On April 30th Todd put on a second ones
of these preview runs. I had to miss the first one he did because I was away at
work during it. We arrived for this run and was greeted by Todd and 3 others
who were signed up, so it was a small 5 person run, and a good tour for the 4
of us. Met up at the usual Saturday meetup for the ETR which is the Wolf Willow
Starbucks parking lot. When we got there Todd & Sheyl were both there and
Todd wrangled us up and said ok let’s go…and proceeded to herd the 4 of us
runners into their minivan. Sheryl drove us out and around to Riverbend Rd
where we’d start out run, others may know this area as House Fall Down. From here we dropped down from the vacant lot
where a house one was, and descended to the river. We then headed west along a
path that was still in creation and not as well worn as a lot in the river
valley. After about 1 mile we met up with some better used trails in terms of
singletrack and continued along the river bank until we popped out of the trees
at the Terwillegar foot bridge. We followed the path pave still west towards
the Terwillegar Dog Park and traversed a good section of singletrack here as
well until the other side of the park. At this point we rejoined the paved bike
paths and followed the same route I had down on ETR preview run on April 30th.
We followed the course all the way around the river passed the Water treatment
plant and through the path until we popped out at those residences in Wedgewood
Heights. From here there was about a 1 km section of intercity running on the
roads until we met back up with the paths leading back into the river valley.
There are some nice houses in this area and as soon as your off into the bushes
again from this section there is 3 or 4 pieces of old farm equipment just lying
there, pretty neat. Then the course takes a narly descent all the way down a
sandy spine along the river bank until it flattens out slightly below
the Edmonton Country Club & Golf Course. This section is about 2-3 miles
long along the side of the river bank and is quite sloped. There is very funky
section of the course cause the trail is very bushwhacked type and will be very
tricky once the summer bushes start growing in. I like to think of this section
as Golf Ball Alley because there is a
ton of arrant golf balls lying down on that river bank just littering the
trail. From this section it opens up a bit on
you just follow the river along until we meet up with the Fort Edmonton
Foot Bridge. The course then ducks back into the trees for a bit and will join
up with the goat trail from the ETR Saturday runs. This is where we deviated
and headed back up Patrica Ravine all the way close to popping out of the trees
just less than a block from where we had parked our cars. Overall we clocked a
total of 11.63 mi (18.72 km) in 2:40:22 with an elevation gain and loss of
1,982 ft by the time we stopped our watches back in the Starbucks parking lot.
Was a great tour at nice slow pace where we stopped and discussed bunch of
course management and potential issues.
 |
| The section called "The Cliff" which descends a steep 100ft straight down without much traction. |
 |
| Group photo from the preview run. | Photo: Brenda Shaughnessy |
May 1, 2017
Edmonton Trail Runners officially announced that the
RVR150 was in fact actually going to be a full 100 mile (161 km) race!
May 4, 2017
I knew I was coming up for a run with ETR RVR preview
today so came early and contacted Jacques, ETR member and leader of today’s
run, to see where we’d be heading, as I knew the starting point from this pin
drop on Facebook. I took this opportunity to head in the opposite direction and
explore on my own some areas I had not run before and that are in the new RVR
course as well. I ran south from the Mattart Conservatory into the Mill Creek
Ravine where I did exploratory run. Well I went about 2.5 miles out & then
return, which is basically as far as the trails in the ravine went. Now I’m not
sure the course of RVR in this area but I found a lot of neat singletrack and
I’m sure was on some of rights paths at some point.
ETRs second Thursday preview run, this time starting out
rom Mattart Conservatory. Wee headed out under the lead of Jacques again and
went east from the river following some singletrack all the way along the bank.
Passed underneath Rowland Rd and continued the wider paths around the Riverside
Golf Course staying on the river bank around the outside. Followed this section
all the way until the Capilano Bridge where we turned around. Took a different
route back through the trees on singletrack called “Andre’s Trail Full” a cool
section that winds up and down and is well known as a mountain bike trail, a
very cool section. Then once getting close the river & Rowland bridge again
we headed south west back through the trails of Forest Heights Park and
followed that all the way return back to our starting point. Clocked a total of
5.63 mi (9.06 km) in 1:06:20 with an elevation gain and loss of 715 ft.
May 18, 2017
Another opportunity came up for me on my days off to join
another ETR RVR preview run, which was their forth one. I decided to head up
last minute and was glad I did. Although the start point was in the Terwillegar
Dog Park this run would guide us on the actual planned route. We ran though
this area on our Apr.30th run with Todd, but they had not yet fully
decided the route. But this time around the route has been decided, so far, and
so we were guided around the beautiful singletrack around and up out of the
Terwillegar Park headed westward. Basically, we got to the exact point where we
turned around on the RVR preview run#1 back on Apr.27th so it
completed the route in my mind when we got to that point. A total of 8.22 mi
(13.23 km) was clocked in 1:29:22 with an elevation gain and loss of 843 ft.
May 26, 2017
The Race Director, Sheryl Savard, emailed out the
pre-race package to all the runners. The actual high detailed directional map
was also released on the RVR Social Group Facebook page. 14 days till go time!
 |
| official hand drawn RVR course map |
Pre-Race Day: June 8th
 |
| Packing my gear |
Hoping the weather cooperates as there is talk of thunder
showers for later in the night Friday and on Saturday.
Race Days: June 9-10th
 |
| Pre Race with my Crew Chief & Love |
I received my bib #441 and was starting to lay out my
gear as I had planned the night before, and all the previous days before.
Gazing into the early morning the clouds offered great shelter from the sun,
however also brought the doubt and ever looming possibility of chance of rain
storms as they had forecasted.
 |
| Global TV startline race briefing | Photo: RVR unknown |
09:59 singing of the national anthem Oh Canada.
LOOP #1 EAST Sections
 |
| Global TV startline race briefing | Photo: RVR unknown |
 |
| 15 seconds into the start | Photo: Katie Meding |
 |
| My first 7 mile splits from STRAVA. |
One part about this section was just below the University
of Alberta we were on the multiuse path and we came up to the section that cuts
into the trees and winds around, called the Masters
Degree. I thought for sure this was in the course as it had been in a
preview run, and every time I ever run with ETR around this area, well, we went
this way. I started off the multiuse path and went for the singletrack, not
seeing any flagging at all. After a few more turns in the trees I got my phone
out and sent a group message to the race director. I was informed I was
supposed to stay on the multiuse path. So, since I was already committed and I
knew where it came out I basically stayed in the trees winding around doing extra
climbing to warm up my calfs….as if they were not going to be in enough pain
hours from now. Once I did rejoin the multiuse trail I saw one flag, which
meant I was on track. I just laughed it off since it was so early in the race
and well I did not foresee us being lead down the easier wider terrain, but I
was wrong in this case.
Soon I arrived at the first aid station, the Muttart
Conservatory parking lot, where we would stop 3 times in a row on the east
portion of the loop. The first stop I just switched my one handheld and
basically kept going since it was a small ~5km loop out and back in the Mill
Creek Ravine before returning to the aid. When returning to Muttart I started
seeing a few racers heading out on their Mill Creek loop, and obviously, I high
fived everyone I passed on the way, as typical ETR fashion!
Arriving back into the Muttart aid for second time I was about
11.5 mi (18.5 km) into the race, and the clouds were now darker and the rain
sprinkles had started. The inevitable rain had come and we could no longer
escape it. Here is where I had planned with my wife to swap to my hydration
pack for the longer duration here, since I would not be back to Muttart for the
3rd check-in for another ~15k. We had pre mixed my backpack so it
was a quick turn around again. I swapped out my t-shirt for a dry one and also
took one of my light running jackets to attempt to keep a little dryer. I left
my second handheld here along with my waist pack bottle to be refilled by my
awesome crew chief (my wife).
 |
| My wife crewing me. Photo: Jarrid Holscher |
At this point I was approximately just under 2 hrs and
feeling good. Also had the boost and seeing most of the runners behind me as I
entering my 2nd check-in as mentioned, meaning I was nearly 4-5km
ahead already. But again, I was just sticking to my pace. These things kept the
race adrenaline going and kept me pumped up. I took off after a brief kiss to
my wife and youngest daughter. Off I went to do the very eastern most portion
of the course and loop back around to Muttart for the 3rd and final
check-in on this loop#1. The south side of the river was easy going singletrack
along the river bank, where I just picked my pace (9min/mi …this time sticking
to it more closely now), and just ran observing the scenery. There was the on
volunteer on a bike who was staying just ahead of me to ensure the trail was
marked and whatnot, but honestly I never even though about trail markers on
this east portion of the loop#1 since I knew the course and had run a bunch of
the preview runs.
Running alongside Capilano Park I got out my hand drawn
map we were given to ensure I was still on course. For some reason, I thought
we were running all the way to Gold Bar Park before crossing the river so when
I saw a ribbon at the Capilano Foot Bridge again I checked my map and was happy
to see this was the very eastern most portion of the course. Here I crossed and
enjoyed the view of the city. Shortly after this I ran into another runner on
the North side of the river, just underneath the Highlands Golf Course.
However, they were going backwards, but before I could say anything he saw me
and said “yes I know I went wrong way”. It turns out he had also missed the
Muttart 5km loop which he had to do in a different order on his interesting
loop#1. This brief interaction on the trail broke up the solo trail. But for
the most part since it was raining steady and now Friday afternoon there was no
a lot of public out on the trails, so it felt like a very solo adventure most
of that entire loop#1 for me. On the very last section returning to the Muttart
aid there was a small hill that had a fence on the top of it that you could go over
or around. I chose over however, my hamstring got a cramp when trying to climb
this tiny metal fence. It was a warning to me I had not enough salt/electrolyte
intake. At this point I walked around the fence and about another 500m to get
rid of the cramp. From this point on I decided to take salt tablets at each aid
(for proactive insurance) and anytime that I felt I needed it on the longer
sections. I hand learned this valuable lesson in my last 100k, Braggin’ Rights,
and was not going to fool around on my first 100 miler with lack of
salt/electrolytes.
Third time coming into Muttart was very nice. The
volunteers cheered loud, my wife was eager to see me again and was glad that “I
still looked good”, as she put it. I left my backpack for a refill and regain
my handheld and waist pack bottle Katie had filled up and had waiting. The
volunteers there said I had a 25min lead, which again gave me a moral boost.
Ate some food, filled up my gels, and again I was off headed westbound back
towards the start/finish which would be the next aid. Followed the course back,
crossed north of the river at the 109 St NW (Kinsmen) Bridge and ran along the
paved paths for a while. This was a smooth boring section, and quite loud
because of the nonstop Friday traffic along the River Valley Rd NW. Soon though
the bike path ended and down to the singletrack along the river for the
entirety of the MacKinnon Park. This is a great section of trails, but I
remember it well because half way in there my watched beeped at me for 25mi which
meant I was now 25% done the course. I took my phone out and attempted a
Instagram live video, but since my fingers were so wet and stuff, I did not
post it like I was intending, but on the plus side I did get this video
saved…future ones did not have such a lucky fate. Getting back to below the zoo
and seeing the Alfred Savage Center across the river was cool. For one I knew I
was nearly 50km into the race now, and secondly I would get to see my wife, and
finally get another dry shirt! I arrived at the aid showing about 29 mi
completed, so just shy of 50km and around 4hr 56min. Another quick turn around
here, as we were not planning on a long stop until the 50 mi mark when I
finished off the west section as well. Took my hydration pack and some new dry
layers again. This is where I also took my gloves which was a plan from the
start, due to the west technical climbing and thorny bushes. Due to the rainy weather,
they also served to help keep a little warmth in the hands. I also decided to
change into dry socks since it sounded nice at the time. It felt amazing to
have dry socks!
The check-in volunteer also informed me as I was heading
out that I was only 5 minutes behind the leader. How can this be? I never got
passed….and I had a 25 minute lead at the last aid stop. A little perplexed,
that was about the only thought I gave it and then headed out.
LOOP #1 WEST Sections
Leaving west I followed Fort Edmonton Park around and
then I noticed that the flagging was weird and was taking me into residential,
and not into the trails near the footbridge at the end of the park. I got out
my map and being so vague, just arrows, it did not tell me anything really. My
phone being tucked away and my hands/gloves already soaked due to the rain I
decided to just follow the flagging. There was enough flagging on this section
that I felt “confident” I was on the course (I’ll call it a 50/50 confidence
since I did not anticipate this portion). I popped out on the street and
continued west but I knew where I was and likely where the course was taking me
here…to the infamous House Fall Down
section which I had also run in the preview run with Todd. Sure enough this was
the case. I got to the vacant lot and on the chain linked fence was “RVR” in
orange flagging with the gate propped ever so slightly open, like in a horror
movie. Well that is call foreshadowing because as soon as you go through the
gate and follow the trail down it was chest high long non cut wild grass. Any
dry articles of clothing I had was instantaneously soaked in that 200 ft decent
into the river valley. This really put a damper (pun intended) on my spirits,
as those dry socks, that awesome feeling had only managed to last maybe 30
minutes into this west section.
 |
| Lost at Ribbon bridge. |
Another small mistake we had made for our pre-race
planning was that initially I did not factor in the aid station at Ribbon
Bridge to marked on the RVR handout. This meant I left out this mileage marking
as well for my wife. On loop#1 after I left the Alfred Savage Center Katie
thought it would be closer to like 2.5hrs before she had to be at the
Terwillegar park to meet me. But once I was past House Fall Down and knew exactly where I was I got out my phone and
between my slow jogging and dodging tree limbs I managed to somehow text Katie that
I’d be there sooner. Use of my phone was minimal because of how wet and such a
pain in the ass it was to attempt to hit the screen with wet soaked fingers.
After emerging from the trees and seeing the Ribbon Bridge in sight was cool.
However, Katie was not there. I knew that I did not give her enough warning and
she would miss me since if she was not on bridge now, no way she get there. I
took some ginger ale, refilled water, and told the volunteer that my wife would
be by soon. I headed across the bridge and continued.
I had only run this section once before and it was from
the opposite direction. So I kind of knew where the trail was but there was no
flagging, no ribbons, no nothing on the north side of the Ribbon Bridge. I went
like 300 m past the bridge to where I thought the trail was and basically
wondered around in waist deep grass getting frustrated. I essentially
bushwhacked to where I knew the golf course fence line was and my anger slowly
dissipated. I also had the mental thoughts of all the podcasts and stories
everyone always talks about the uncertainties in 100 milers and the things that
get thrown at you on that day(s). I took this is stride and let my anger go
once I found the chain linked fence.
Relatively breezed along
the river, until the Hwy216 Anthony Henday Footbridge, crossed over to the
South side and turned towards Terwillegar Park. Again we
had run this section in the preview runs and so I knew approximately where to
go, but I as got onto that side of the river there was no ribbons. I ran a
little further on the paved path and still saw nothing. Got out my map and
again, futile since it is only arrows. Pushed further up the paved trail to
where I assumed the singletrack would be flagged and dive into towards
Terwillegar. Passed the wide multiuse trail and just pass that the entrance to
the singletrack I was familiar with and nothing, no flags, no ribbons, nothing
in sight. I stood there briefly and then just deiced to run this trail and push
back east towards the dog park as I knew this route. Lots of up and downs,
slippery singletrack in the rain filled damp leaves dripping everywhere. But I
was making progress forward. Came to the next trail intersection where I
thought there might be some flagging and again nothing, so just stay my course
and continued on the route we’d run in the preview runs. About three quarters
the way into the Terwillegar Park I finally arrived at an intersection with a
flag, but did not see where the other path came from. Either way this gave me a
boost and now I knew I was back on course. Long loop around the Terwillegar Dog
Park parallel with the river until finally the Ribbon Bridge was back into
view. Another boost as Katie had been waiting here for a very long time now,
since just missing me the first crossing.
70 km complete arrived at the bridge to my Wife cheering
standing there in the exposed bridge. She looked colder then me, probably was
since she was not moving around and that bridge offered no protection from the
wind, and very little from the rain. I discarded my hydration pack, got a fresh
pair of gloves and only carried my waist pack bottle. We planned this as well
to go super light for this 10km section back to Alfred Savage Center because of
Two Truck
Trail. I did not want to be carrying
excess anything through here, and moreso now with the added weather. It was
just passed 18:00 now, which meant I was slightly over 8 hours into the race.
Our other 2 daughters were being driven up by my parents during the afternoon.
They were attempting to make it to this aid station and we enroute. I gave
Katie a kiss and headed over the bridge back to the North side I heard some
yelling and turned around. Sure enough my parents and other 2 daughters had
just gotten there. I blew them a kiss and waved. I knew I’d see them shortly at
my half way point back at the start/finish.
Seeing the rest of my
cheer team (parents and daughtes) I really ran quite well from the Terwillegar
bridge all the way on the singletrack out to the Fort Edmonton footbridge. I
popped out here and wandered down the path looking for ribbons and flagging.
Again, nothing in sight, and sadly I was not surprised at this point. I headed
into the trees singletrack just before Wolf Willow stairs. This long windy
section, STRAVA segment: RVR: River
Valley Lessard North singletrack (out), was heavily damaged from the storms
in the past week and completely soaked. I was hopping and climbing over
probably about 20-25 downed trees in that 0.9mi section. Not once did I see a
flag. But this was the course and I knew this for sure. But when I popped out
just shy of Starbucks and continued towards Wolf Willow ravine, I followed it
all the way to the usual ETR Saturday runs singletrack. But here I made another
mistake. Since there was no markings for the past couple miles and none marked
here I decided to stick to the main path and follow it to the Rio Terrace aid
station, which was just before the last 3km and Two Truck Trail. I never been this way before in any of my ETR
Saturday “W runs” so I just assumed there was only one path. But a Y presented
itself and I followed it up and somewhat out of the valley and found myself
beside the residential area. I knew where I was so followed the next turn and
saw the path that lead to the Rio Terrace stairs….but from the backwards
directions (i.e. from the top of the stairs, not the intended route). Looking
at the map
after, clearly, I just need to stay
other direction at the Y and I would of come out where I was intending. When I
checked in and the volunteers helped me refill my minimal water I had used and
I took some candy on the go. Told them about the lack of flagging and asked if
I was going the right way. They did not know but passed on the message to the
race director via the handheld radio. 3km to go, only the infamous Two Truck Trail was now in my way to the
half way point. I knew the challenge of this section from running it in my
first RVR and again in the Winter RVR as well as a few training runs since. I transverse this section with somewhat cautiousness and tried to make it through
at swiftly as I could to get into that half way mark. The exposed section on Two Truck Trail were similar to other
parts of the river bank in that there was a lot of exposed clay which meant
super slippery and very little to hold onto preventing a fall/slide into the
North Saskatchewan River below. I literally nearly fell 4 times from my
recollection! Was on all my hands and knees multiple times just to ensure
proper support and anchoring to make it through. Managed this segment of 1.2 mi
in 23:47 (19:40/mi). It definitely felt longer, but I’m glad I did not slip, as
later on I heard the news of 2 of my fellow runners did not have such luck on Two Truck Trail.
49.8mi complete! This was
the half way point and my watch tracking was nearly bang on, so I knew I was on
course. Arrived back at the start/finish to see my wife, all 3 daughters, and
my parents. Since the Alfred Savage Center was not public use over night I made
use of our van bumper for my aid changing, the near by campfire was started and
had all the aid supplies and goodies out. I changed into dry shirt, jacket,
gloves and restocked my waist pack and grabbed a handheld. Was going to stick
with same plan that had worked well on my loop#1, in those terms anyhow. My 2
pacers (Jayden Dalke & Jay Kinsella) were also here signing in to get their
pacer bibs, so after I changed I said hello. Made a brief plan on where and
when to meet up with my first pacer, Jayden, since they were not allowed on
course for 2 more hours (22:00 starting time for the pacers, which was
basically sunset). I planned on a longer stop here, and took about 25 mins I
believe. I voiced a couple things about the flagging but mentioned that I
tracked nearly exactly 50 mi because I knew the course. I gave all my girls a
big hug, as they were headed to bed for the night now, and I knew I would not
see them until early in the morning. Thanked my parents for being there and
bringing our kids, kissed my wife again, told her to get some rest before next
aid stop. Off I went for the second half of my first 100 mile race.
 |
| Halfway! 50 down 50 to go. | Photo: Katie Meding |
LOOP #2 EAST Sections
Starting the second full
loop was a good refresh. Of course at this point I was little tired from being
running for nearly half a day now, my spirits dampened slightly by the constant
rain, but I was still did not have any doubt about the race at this point. I
left the start/finish now and was literally right beside Patrick, the other
racer who was near the lead, I passed him prior to the singletrack just before
the river 400m into the race (the same point the first loop I decided to take
off on my own pace). First section headed to Muttart was easy paced and much
slower than the first loop, but overall I still felt good.
Arriving into Muttart it
was also exactly 22:00 so my pacer Jayden was allowed to join in. He was there
with my wife as I came over the bridge into that aid. The rain had just briefly
stopped at this point. Might have been one of the few times during my whole
race it stopped altogether. Jayden joined in and it was great to have company
on the trail – one of the main reasons I seeked a pacer in the first place.
Since we are not super close friends we had a lot to talk about and get to know
about each other which was pretty cool. That mini loop of the Mill Creek Ravine
we managed to miss the turn around running on the easiest path possible, which
cost us about 1 extra km and few minutes. Got our bearings and headed back to
Muttart where I was going to pick up my headlamp and restock again. We learned
that Patrick had just left the aid station in front of me, so he must of passed
during our detour up in the Ravine there.
We left the aid station
crossed the footbridge at 98th Ave. road and as soon as we headed
towards the river/trees we were met by Patrick headed back towards the aid
station. He mentioned “need to head back for more vasiline…chaffing!”. Wished
him good luck and we headed into the singletrack along the bank at a decent
pace now that Jayden was warmed up and I had somewhat renewed boost from having
a pacer and know Patrick was now chasing again. Was a much slower loop on that
east side again, much more run/walk/run patterns. But again, I never actually
stopped moving forward. The very east side of the course again I remember
pausing briefly and having Jayden take a picture of downtown Edmonton in the
background. Was very clear at this point and no rain which made for the good
photo opportunity.
Third time for loop#2, and
the 6th time overall, came
into Muttart aid to see Katie again and restock and fule up. She promised me
some soup at the Alfred Savage on the next stop, and was telling me sorry for
not having it this time around as the rain had picked up again at this point.
We knew Patrick was not far behind as he glanced back to check and saw his
bobbing headlight keeping steadily up about the sasme pace as us, 1 km or so
behind. Jose, another good ETR friend, was attending the aid now at this point.
Was nice to see him here, and he was surpirsed I was headed back already. He
had just started his aid shift so this was only time I got to see him on
course.
Leaving the Muttart meant
there was only the ~10 mi (16 km) trek back to the start/finish. Patrick was
right behind when we left the aid and was right on our heels. At the Kinsman
bridge where the course heads over to the North side of the river we had
crossed and kept looking back to see how far Patrick would be behind us, since
he was within sight since the aid. However he never did get into sight again.
The rain came more steady again.
The other cool part about
this east section was that I had crossed over the 63 mile mark, which meant I
was now into my farthest run ever. That was pretty cool to know, I took a few
seconds to celebrate that, but again this did not deter me from the goal of 100
mile.
Jayden & I arrived back to Alfred Savage Center after
he was nice enough to pace me for about 20 miles and just over 5 hours on the
east part of the course. Here we were greeted with minimal people around the
camp fire, but of course, my wife was there with some nice warm soup and all
from Tim Horton’s (that tasted very good at this point!). I was a bit chilled
from all the rain again but decided not to change shoes or socks because I knew
less than 2 miles into the west loop the long grass of the House Fall Down section would just soak me anyway. In retrospect, I
wish I would have just changed socks again, even if for that brief refreshed
feeling of dry feet. Sheryl was here around the campfire and mentioned that I
was second into the Alfred Savage Center. But again, Jayden and I had not been
passed and we did not see Patrick since the Kinsman bridge. I explained how he
must have not crossed the river and taken the easier and shorter path back to
the start/finish. Patrick had told Sheryl he was headed to lie done for a “3
hour nap” so he was no longer on the course at that point. Was a good feeling
again to know I was in the lead with about 20 hard miles to go.
Sheryl also explained in her half awake, half asleep
state that the course on the west side had now been rerouted. This meant no Two Truck Trail and no Golf Ball Alley which was probably a
blessing in the non-stop weather. But I was also a bit confused about where to
go on the detours. Since Jay, my second pacer, was now taking over I assumed we
would not have an issue negotiating the Edmonton trails and paths, since he was
run them all before many times over. This aid stop was the longest by far but a
needed one as the fire helped warm me slightly. But I do remember my leg
muscles starting to get cold, so after about 20 minutes there drying off and
eating we decided to head out at a very slow pace.
LOOP #2 WEST Sections
Leaving west I lead Jay around the Fort Edmonton Park
path and up into the residential. I was warning him about the impending wet
grass and drop into the river valley at House
Fall Down section, and soon we trekked down into the abyss. This time since
I was so soaked already it did not concern me as much, was just annoying being
wet for so long. Jay well his spirits never get dampened so we was cheerful as
always. We climbed and clawed our way across the river bank into the trees.
Multiple times we were both clutching and grabbing trees to pull and hoist
ourselves up the small slippery climbs. You could see all the tracks of
previous racers now and how everyone was slipping, was somewhat amusing,
because all you can do is laugh since we’re all doing the same thing in this
weather. That first 8-10 km was slow and steady as we weaved and bobbed through
the trees finally emerging to see the Ribbon Bridge for the first aid stop on
the west side. The early morning sunrise was also starting through the on/off
again rain at shortly after 04:00 now on Saturday.
 |
| Coming in to Ribbon Bridge aid 85mi into race (Pacer- Jay) | Photo: Katie Meding |
Seeing Katie again at the Ribbon Bridge was great! In
fact, Jay’s wife was volunteering at this aid station so he was also happy to
get to this point. His two dogs also greeted us there. My youngest daughter,
Paisley, was awake in the stroller and smiling at me when I said hi. There was
some nice warm coffee at the aid station which was very nice feeling. After a
short refuel we headed out to take the detour and get the last 16 mi of this
thing done. Headed past the turn for the Golf
Ball Alley which was “closed” due to safety as mentioned and continued the
paved path up towards the residential.
 |
| Golf Ball Alley detour |
This path lead like directly away from the river and I
started to get frustrated as in my mind we were adding on lots of extra
mileage, or so it seemed. Finally, after about a mile there was the opportunity
to head west again thought the residential which we followed. Now since I was
first though this course there was absolutely no marking for this detour and
just had to find our way over to the rejoin the course past Golf Ball Alley section of the
riverbank. As you can see by the map this detour (green line) was quite lengthy
compared to the riverbank route (but probably equal timewise). Jay and I also
got lost at one point there (black circle) where we were both holding our
phones out and still went in the opposite direction for like a block. I was quite
frustrated because I was 86 mi into the race and Jay was little frustrated as
well because his 2 dogs were with us and now in residential he had to watch
them more because of the very early morning traffic. Eventually we found our
way to Lessard Ave. and from here I recognized the course and actually found
one of the flags right where the course emerged up from the Golf Ball Alley and the RVR: Climb
OUT & UP! segments. This provided
a moral boost, so much so I was actually able to run shuffle again for ahwile
as we got back into the singletrack into the course headed toward the Anthony
Henday Bridge. Jay was keeping me in good spirits and telling me all
sorts of neat running stories along the way. He was doing great at keeping my
mind at ease despite these setbacks we just went through.
Once we rounded the very west end of the course and
headed back east towards Terwillegar I was telling Jay how I had really no idea
which was the actual course here since it was not marked well at all the first
loop. But after I was getting through my story and telling him the route I had
taken, a orange flag emerged in sight at the top of the paved path heading into
Terwillegar multiuse trail. “Well this is new” I proclaimed, but was glad to
see we now were on course. Weaved through the Terwillegar and down around the
long bend of the river following the curve of the dog park seemed to take
forever. But after 98.1 mi we very slowly arrived up to the Ribbon Bridge for
the very last time. This also meant only 10 km to go until the finish!
We headed back across the river to the north river bank
and turned east. Travelling along river there was a section here called Oleskiw NB Run which takes the mountain
bike singletrack and winds around back and forth. This section of the course
was flagged which is had not been on loop#1 so we ran it and seemed to take
forever winding sideways and zig zagging back and forth until we finally popped
out just by the Fort Edmonton Footbridge. At this point I was just explaining
to Jay how we had one difficult section left going up and out of the Ravine to
Starbucks and back down towards the Rio Terrace aid. We got to where there was
supposed to be the turn into the singletrack up the goat track just prior to
the stairs, but then we saw the orange flagging in the distance. Again these
flag markers were not here for loop#1 but with all the detours and rerouting we
followed the ribbons on the lower trail below the stairs along the river all
the way to where they popped out at Rio Terrace. Climbed up and checked in with
the volunteers, where we learned that the Two Truck Trail detour was just a cut
through he residential area above the river bank.
 |
| Coming in to the last couple miles | Photo: James Dalke |
Jay tried to encourage me to run when he saw fit, I
tried, I honestly did. He was very good at not pushing but only encouraging me.
This was the hallmark of a great pacer and experienced ultrarunner. I was lucky
to have him help me out, especially on the last sections of this course of my
first 100 miler. WE had asked the volunteers if they knew the exact mileage
back to the finish but they were unsure. I did not think to check my phone,
which probably would have been futile due to my soaked, pruned hands from all
the rain. I was getting very close to my goal of 24 hour race time, but did not
think it was reachable. I power walked most of that detour section through the
streets waiting to see where we’d cross over Whitemud Drive and be only about 1
mile to the finish. Jay spotted the sign for the walking bridge and we got on
there and I remember glancing to my right (south) and could see the river, the
Whitemud bridge and in the distance where the Alfred Savage Center was. It hit
me at this point that I was so close to being done, and glanced at my watch and
knew I could not make the 24 hour time, but sadly I was very close, but put
that thought out of my mind because now I just wanted to run in for the
victory. We got to the Whitemud bridge I sent Katie a text saying I was 8
minutes away! Crossing the bridge I told Jay I’d walk the bridge and I’d try
and run it in from there. James Dalke, Jayden’s brother, came up to us running
his warmup miles to come out and meet us before his 25 km RVR race (that he
crushed and won). He grabbed my phone from me to take a few picture and videos
for me on the finish of the race (I was very thankful for this after the race
because he got some good ones). Jay broke away from me just before the last
0.5km as he said he would to allow me to cross the line where he would meet up
with me (so very gracious of him, the type of man he is).
 |
| Coming in to the finish | Photo: James Dalke |
Running underneath the Fox Drive underpass I glanced over
left and saw the finish arch. James was sprinting in front of me grabbing
couple photos and then took off to the finish for a video. Rounding the trail
to the bridge facing the Alfred Savage Center I could no longer feel any pain
in the muscles, no tiredness, and no “drowned rat” feeling. It was simply a
pure and simple feeling of accomplishment. Not only did I complete my first 100
miles in my first attempt but I did so under adverse conditions and nearly
managed my goal of 24 hours. I saw my family there waiting as well. My parents and
all 3 daughters and my wife all waiting for me. I heard the announcement over
the intercom to come out and cheer. There was not a lot of people there but
certainly a good number since it was still 2 hours prior to the start of the 25
km race. I dashed over that bridge and ran straight towards the finish. About
25 yards from the finish I took off my hydration pack and threw it to the
ground like an exclamation of sorts. Got to the line and there was met by
Sheryl for my finishers medal and racer-earned grey RVR hat inscribed with my
finished time. A brief hug to the race director and then my attention turned to
my kids and wife standing there. Was so happy to see my daughters cheering and
so excited. The last 40 minutes was one of the brief times it was not raining
during my run, I took off my jacket and just stood there with my family.
 |
| First 100 mi complete with the win 24:05:05 | Photo: Jill Sak |
 |
| Family photo after the finish | Photo: Jarrid Holscher |
Results
The numbers as told by STRAVA: https://www.strava.com/activities/1030032531
 |
| official results |
 |
| 5 of the 6 100mi finishers | Photo: Katie Meding |
Gear Used
Headwear
·
Hat: 5Peaks/Territory
Run Co. trucker hat
·
Buff various
head wraps
Headlamp: Nathan
Nebula Fire
Sunglasses: Oakley
Prism M-Frames (Trail tint)
Hydration packs:
·
Nathan
Grit 7L Race Hydration Vest (electric blue)
·
Nathan
VaporKrar WaistPak (steel grey)
·
Nathan
SpeedDraw Plus Insulated Flask (electric blue) x2
Watch: Garmin
Fenix 3 HR
Clothing:
·
rabbit
top: to-a-tee (medium grey)
·
rabbit
7” shorts: fully loaded (black)
Others:
·
5Peaks arm
sleeves
·
Nike running
tights (black/silver)
·
Mountrain
Hard Wear light running jacket (yellow)
·
Under
Armor light running jacket (black)
·
Salomon running
jacket (blue)
Socks: Injinji
trail socks
Shoes: Altra
Lone Peak 3.0 (orange)
Nutrition
Tailwind
Nutrition
GU hydration
tablets
GU Roctane
gels
Hammer
Endurolytes (salt electrolyte tablets)
CLIF protein
bars
Coke-Cola
And lots of various fruit, food, and candy provided at
the aid stations.
Lesson Learned
My journey to 100 miles has brought me many lessons as I
sight here and reflect on it.
·
Nutrition – I think I finally realized how to
proactively use my salt and electrolyte intake after my near bonking experience
from my prior 100k at Braggin’ Rights. Dialing it in here at RVR felt awesome
and definitely helped my body in recovery too.
·
Pacing – I did a better job than a normally do,
but for sure I have some room for improvement in a race this long.
·
Pacers – This being my first time ever even
considering pacers I call this a huge win. Not only was the company good, but
they kept me in good spirits. I was very lucky to have 2 extremely
knowledgeable and great ultrarunners in their own right in Jayden Dalke &
Jay Kinsella. I learned a lot about pacing just by having there and sharing the
trails with these friends. I’ll be ever thankful for them being part of the
team that helped me get this win.
·
“Life in a Day” – Just as Billy Yang’s video
title suggests I can now understand what it is like to run for an entire day.
100 mile race is for sure a different beast but I think it is just adding fuel
to my fire, especially that overall it was a great experience when I look at it
one week later.
·
Recovery – based on my fitness and preparation
going into this race I knew I was ready. That being said I was also prepared to
be completely wrecked post race from my experience in previous ultras. RVR post
race I felt great! My nutrition worked well and I was in the best post race
shape yet in all my ultras to date. The only thing that slowed me down was a
swollen right foot. I took 4 days off to fully rest before getting back to
running.
·
Mind over Body – simply train yourself to push
and never quit. You will never know how far you can go! I am still discovering
this trait and I proved this to myself during this race.
Future: the
Path Ahead
Written about one month
after the completion of RVR100.
Now that I’ve had some time to sit back and reflect a
little I have began to appreciate what it took to run a full 100 miles. I
mentioned that I felt great (minus my swollen foot) after the race. After
slowly easing back into running only a few days after my race I took the time
to come back slowly. My speed was there and my pace was good on the short runs,
but my endurance was drained a little if I went for a longer run pushing like 8
miles or more. But I did not rush it, and I now realize that the recovery
period is longer than one might think, but that is ok. I listened to my body
and dialed back the mileage in this month post-RVR. Almost exactly one month
post race I managed to join a team and run 2 legs of Sinister7 race. That was
the first test and my longest runs since the RVR.
Looking ahead my fire is for sure set for another 100
miler in the future! How soon? That is to be determined. During these summer
months we as a family have been also dealing with another stressor to do with
my job, and we are currently setting to move to Houston, TX, USA very shortly.
This is still an ongoing thing so I do not have any concrete plans on my next
races. But I would defiantly like to get in couple more ultras before the end
of the year. Hopefully I can find a 50k/50m/100k in the States once we get
settled and I get into the routine of my new position at work.
So, what about the rest of my running future…well here is
some rapid-fire answers:
More 100 milers? –
for sure! Although I do not have a list of any in particular I think I’ll just
browse around and try and aim for 1 (maybe 2) each year, based on family
vacation and work scheduling.
200 miler? – I
don’t think so…but never say never.
Epic Stage Races?
– I have researched De Sables, and Cape Wrath, I think there is some cool
opportunities that could be explored eventually.
UTMB? – This
is one that I might focus on getting into just to be a part of it. My goals for
2018 so far plan to make sure I get enough points to apply to get into UTMB and
just see what happens. This would be a great adventure for myself and our
family vacation one year. (My wife secretly wants me to go as she loves
Europe).
Western States?
– Not sure if I can survive in those conditions, but since I am moving to
Houston I guess I’ll have plenty of time to heat train. Maybe one year I’ll put
my name in the lottery, but it is not a must do for me at this point.
Canadian Death
Race? – this one was on my radar a few years ago before I even ran. Now
that I’ve gotten into ultrarunning I want to complete this one for sure. I
spent years driving through this area for work and would love the opportunity
to take on the challenge.
THANKS!
Huge thank you to a few:
·
My team:
o Crew
chief/Biggest Fan/Family Glue/My Wife: Katie
Meding
o RVR
Pacers: Jayden Dalke & Jay Kinsella – you 2 simply rock!
Thanks for the aid. These 2 are epic ultra runners in their own right, and was
very lucky to have these friends let a hand in helping me accomplish my goal.
o My
Little Fans -- my 3 daughters and my inspiration: Addison, Lillian, Paisley
·
Race Director: Sheryl Savard – amazing organization, great event, can not wait to
see it grow and continue to represent your community and overall sense of what
you aim to represent! Thank you for everything on race day! Your leadership for
this race is well known in the running community and I’m sure it is spreading
more and more with the success of RVR. Thank you for dreaming up a full 100
miles within the city and executing your plan. The passion for what you do is
obvious to an onlooker and I admire that quality. Thank you Sheryl.
·
Race Designer: Todd Savard – your passion for the course and the desire to get
everyone through the course was definitely felt leading up to the race. Your
constant trail work and preparation of the course has been well known within
the ETR group, as a runner of the event I cannot say thank you enough for this.
You took a river bank and made it into a trail! Thank you for leading the RVR
preview runs, including the one specific one you accommodated around my work
schedule. This run proved vital in me knowing the course the way I did. Thank
you Todd.
o Without
this group I would not be where I am today. I am so glad to have met a bunch of
people who love to run, no matter what, and better yet just love to have a good
time. #notjustabouttherun
·
Brand Supporters:
o 5Peaks Trail Running | http://www.5peaks.com – Thank you for
picking me to be a Trail Crew Leader for the 2017 season. 1 year ago my first
ever trail race I ran was a 5 Peaks event which cemented my love of the trails.
I have not looked back! #getofftheroad
o rabbit | https://www.runinrabbit.com – I was recently picked
to be a RADrabbit for the 2017-2018
season. rabbit makes quality running clothes by runners for runners. They are
made in California by runner who care! Check them out.
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