Bryce 100

    Back to work after two week vacation, needless to say I have a pile of work to catch up on and a pile of crap to put away. Somehow in the midst of the post vacation madness I will attempt to write up a race report for the Bryce 100. Why Bryce 100? Well I didn't make it in to Western States again this year nor did I even have a chance to make it into Hardrock, so why not do a tough and scenic race in Utah? Des and I always wanted to do a Utah trip, lets throw a 100 mile race in there somewhere.
    Bryce 100 is slated as a one of the most scenic 100s in the country (I am inclined to agree), it is a out and back on the Paunsaugunt Plateau right outside of Bryce National Park, it boast 18000ft of elevation gain all at an average of 8000ft - 9000ft of altitude. On paper it looks like no huge climbs but more like a bunch of roller hills, the pictures and videos posted online looks like a mix between running ridgeline through hoodoos, grass fields and lots of trees.

   Doing a 100 mile race in the middle of a two week vacation presented challenges I never had to deal with before a big race. Not only does one have to pack for two weeks of living in hotels and cabins but I needed to pack all my essential gear to be used during the race. The start of the vacation we visited Las Vegas for two days, while we had an amazing time my stomach did not with all the beer and buffet food. Next we were off to Zion for two day of cabin living, Zions rock formations, weather and accommodations were amazing, I was sad to leave but it was time to head to Bryce and get my race prep going. Ahhh.. Bryce! If I could recommend only one place to go in Utah it would be Bryce, the views are awe inspiring and top notch. Four days in Bryce, two for tourist duties and two for racing duties.
   At about 5:15am I hopped onto a crowed school bus on my way to the start line, short drive to the start line, where I mingled with other runner and stayed warm by the fire pit. The start of the race was very uneventful, we were warned that it would be very cold during the night hours of the race, I shed my coat, ate a GU, counted down from 10.. We were off, I notice two runners up front that took off like bullets so I settled in the chase pack of about four other runners. The first 10 miles of the course were a lot of fun (helped that my legs were still fresh) we went up and down several draws, just rolling at a good comfortable pace and taking in the scenery. We made our way through some amazing hoodoos and rock formation along hill tops, I think to myself 'if this is how the race is going to be I've died and gone to heaven'. I do remember going down a switchback section telling myself this will be a bitch of a climb on the way back. There are positives and negatives in running an out and back course; you can mentally prepare and map out what you need to do and what to watch out for on the return trip, but you can also sike yourself out by remembering the tough parts that lie ahead.

PC: Lucid Images

   At aid station 1 (Thunder Mountain) I believe I was in forth or fifth at the time, I quickly downed a GU, filled up with Gatorade in my soft flask, turned on my SPOT tracker and headed out. Miles 10-18 I don't remember too well, just a lot of gradual uphill's and cows, yes cows! It was reminiscent of White Bull but big cows instead of bulls. I was running with a nice fella originally from Montana who had bigger balls than me and was kind enough to put his life at risk by running directly toward the cows and scaring them away. My hero..
   Aid station 2 (Proctor) is where I meet my beautifully pregnant wife for the first time, she informed me I was in second overall.. Second overall!? Huh.. How? I should be in forth I didn't pass anyone.. any who, bladder filled, Carbo Pro downed, I ate bananas like a monkey, ate another GU, thanked volunteers and peace out. The only way to sum up miles 18-28 is climbing! Lots and lots of climbing, it got so bad at points I had to use my hands and rock climb up to the trails, to add insult to suffering there were parts of the trail that were so overgrown with grass and thorn bushes it tore and sliced gashes into my legs, ah yes what's ultra running without sacrificing some blood to the trails? I was running low on water and it was starting to heat up. Somewhere along the end of this stretch I got passed by another runner who was very focused on running fast, tried to make small talk but didn't get much from him. How did Bryce go from beauty to beast? When will the suffering end? Blubber Creek!
   Mile 28 aid station (Blubber Creek) was a quick and pretty uneventful aid station, I filled my bladder back up and got what I thought was Gatorade in my soft flask (later turned out to be what I think was a chalky mess of Heed or Tailwind?) Thank the volunteers who informed me the trail was off to the right after the Subaru, sure enough single track after the Subaru. The section from mile 28 to 36 ended up being some kick ass single track with easy rollers and breathtaking views! Thats what I'm talking about, Bryce in all its glory. As I'm in running bliss just clicking off the miles, another running passed me, wait, didn't you just pass me coming into the last aid station? He informs me he missed the right turn at the Subaru, and that this was the second time has got off course, he then proceeds to leave me in his dust. Running happily in third place now yet another runner catches up to me, this time was a nice fella who chatted with me for a little while till he was sick of running my slower pace, fourth place..

   Don't remember Mile 36 aid station (Kanab Creek) very well at all, I think I was just so focused on making it to mile 41 (Straight aid station) that I just dumped the fake Gatorade out and filled up with real Gatorade and went on my merry way. Mile 36 you depart the amazing views and run down fire road all the way into mile 41, I remember running this section fast (well fast for 35 miles into a 100 mile race, its all relative) and making up some good time.

    The beautiful site of mile 41 aid station! (Straight Canyon). Desirae, Brett, Trey and Billy, it was like a reunion, it was tough for me to leave this reunion, but the race must go on. More Carbo Pro, bananas, GUs and it was off on single track through the beautiful fields of Straight Canyon, although the fields did not last long and the single track dumped into fire road. The fire road went up, up and up, I made good time alternating power hiking and running up the fire roads all the way till 0.5 miles to the top of Pink Cliffs, where the fire road turned into a straight up uphill scramble to the top (Simi people... Haggerty hill anyone?). After the grueling climb up to Pink Cliff I was rewarded with one of the best views of the course, it took my breath away (or was it being at the highest point of the course 9400ft) and into the Pink Cliffs aid station (mile 47).
    What goes up must come down right? Mile 47-50 was all downhill fire road and I took advantage with pushing the pace, mile 50-51.5 was a slight downhill on single track underneath the Pink Cliffs. While the views were amazing in this section some of the single track was washed out by creeks and interrupted any flow I tried to gathered up. First place past by me about a mile out from the aid station, I was waiting for second and third to come but next thing I know I'm at the turn around (Crawford Pass mile 51.5) Not only were Desirae, Brett and Trey there waiting for me so was two other runners, one was sitting in a chair drinking a beer while the other was contemplating dropping out or continuing on.

PC: Derrick Lytle

   "Eat some real food" Desirae demands of me, so I eat more bananas, a Nutella roll (amazing), and a turkey roll (who the hell put mustard in my roll?) Carbo Pro, Gatorade and of course Brett! Its always redeeming to pick up a pacer, off we go making a Go Pro video, crap are we going the wrong way already? Realizing our mistake really quick, we turn around and hop on the single track that takes us under Pink Cliffs. UP the fire road to the top of Pink Cliffs (now in second place), sharing the amazing view with Brett and making good time on our way back down the scramble section and fire roads to meadows that lead to Straight Canyon aid station (now mile 62). Wow 10.5 miles with Brett already done? I guess miles fly by when your having fun, no worries I will see Brett again later in the race and now I get to run with the legend that is Trey Barnes.
   Heading out of Straight Canyon Trey and I had a long fire road climb up to mile 67 Kanab Creek aid station, I did my best to run as much of it as I could but I was in a low patch and probably walked a good portion of this section. It was a pretty uneventful climb to mile 67 but Trey made for good conversation and time flew by fairly quick like, next thing you know we are at the Kanab aid station.

  Kanab Creek (mile 67) to Blubber Creek (mile 75) is where things got exciting again, back to amazing single track overlooking some amazing hoodoos and rock formations, this is what ultra running is all about! My watch was dying so strapped on a new one, despite some gear changes I was making good time through here, all good things must come to an end and that end was Blubber Creek aid station.

   Filled back up with Gatorade, bananas and GU, I quickly headed out to try and beat the sun. We donned our headlamps a few miles out of the aid station as some technical downhill's and bushwhacking reared its ugly head. Scratched myself up some more during this tour through the bush (although it didn't seem as bad on the way down as it did on the way up), I thought I was making some pretty good progress on the downhill's until I started to trip myself up all over the place. After almost falling on my face and almost twisting my ankle, Trey made me slow down, walk and catch my breath before continuing on. 78 miles on my legs and we had to climb down some sketchy rock section of the course, we were at the point in the race were the miles just crawl by, every mile starts to feel like an hour, I was feeling down on the downs.. After some powerwalking back up a nice climb I had a little redemption jog all the way down to Proctor aid station (mile 84).

    A howl in the night coming into Proctor along with the familiar howl of Brett in return, but unfortunately no Des in sight. The shuttle was not running to the aid station at that point in the night, so Brett had to hike his way in and Des smartly opted her way out, the woes of running too "fast" I guess. To add insult to the situation Trey had to run/walk his way back 3 miles to the car after running 23 miles with me. All that aside I knew everything would be okay, I had a 5 hour energy shot, a short hike up and the rest would be almost all downhill into Thunder Mountain aid station (mile 92). Biding my time as the miles slowly tick away I alternate running and walking knowing I was comfortably in second place (or so I thought).

   "Smelling the barn" "Taste the finish" or so they say, I was really just smelling sweat and tasting GUs. Regardless we were at Thunder Canyon aid station (mile 91) and there was "only" 9 miles left to go, 9 miles of a constant rollercoaster of ups and downs, no sweat at least it was fairly smooth single track. Enjoying what scenery we could take in with our headlamps and hiking up the last big ascent of the race I look back down the hill to see a red light coming up the hill below us. Oh hell no! There is no way I'm letting anyone pass me with 8 miles to go, I inform Brett that third place is closing in behind us and got down to business. I ran the last eight miles fast (well fast for 92 mile legs), I sprinkled in a couple walk breaks here and there but I ran almost the entire section to the end. I was running scared and I kept glancing behind me on the trail, I didn't talk much at all at this point because I was focused on a fast finish. After what seemed like an eternity we spilled out on to a fire road for the last mile, where Brett and I sprinted to the finish line (7 min/mile). Ran into the howls and familiar cheers of Des and Trey, and whos this!? Its CJ! My son and wife waited for 2 hours at 2AM in the dark and cold to watch me finish in a time of 21:45:37 good enough for second place overall!

    None would be possible without a great group of people who supported me along the way, so big thanks to Desirae for crewing me along the way while also crewing our baby boy in her belly, you have become an expert crew person, yet another reason among a list of many why I love you so. Thank you Brett and Trey for your countless hours of running with me, keeping me sane, entertained, hydrated and pointed in the right direction, beers on me! Thanks to the RD Matt Gunn for putting on a flawlessly run event and to all the volunteers who spend countless hours at aid stations to cater to us needy runners, you are very much appreciated! I once again live up to moniker of quicksilver and I'm okay with that for now, but who know what the future will hold. Until then a beer to celebrate and another trail to run..


  
   
  

Bandit 50K 2016

  

    The Bandit is located in the beautiful hills of Simi Valley, my hometown and training grounds. I have run several 50K before but the Bandit 50K keeps drawing me back year after year. The fantastic volunteers, the amazing RDs, the beautiful weather and views is what I look forward to every year. The mix of technical single track, rocky fire roads, flowing downhill's and brutal climbs is what keeps me coming back! The lore of the Bandit is strong, no matter how hard I train unique challenges always present themselves, its a true test of grit and determination. I am in a secret love affair with the Simi hills even though she continues to break my heart.. This course is tough! Its a true test of all skill sets, you need to be a strong climber, good at downhill's, a technical runner and have Iron quads. You will receive expert care at every aid station, amazing views in all directions and a great after party when you finish. It will throw a little of everything out at you, so if your looking for a true challenge with great rewards this is the race for you!

   When the "gun" went off I ran comfortable with Michael Eastburn, I took the lead an 1/8th of a mile out from the starting line and led all the way through the parade lap. I was thinking as I passed through a cheering crowd at Corganville if this was the best race strategy? I have never been known to lead a race from the start, I like to lay back behind the leaders and strike later in the race, clean up the carnage! The answer was yes, this is what I wanted, this is what I trained so hard for, the Bandit was mine this year. One of he toughest part of the race for me comes at mile 2, you climb, climb and climb some more, its a steep, rock strewn ascent up to Rocky Peak. If your feeling good you can run parts of it, but not for long because it will break you down and wear you out way too early in the race. As we ascended up the Wildlife corridor climb I was in the lead, by how much I was not sure, I never really looked back at all going up this climb, I just put my head down and pushed, next thing you know I am at Rocky Peak, that wasn't too bad. As I make my way past Amanda's bench around mile 3 I hear someone ask if I had ran this race before, it was Felix (the eventual winner), from this point forward it was Felix and I running together. A good part of the time we ran side by side and I would pull away from him at several points during the race, but he was always there never too far behind, like a stalker, a hunter. Was I being hunted?

    Maybe I was too focused on a mission at the Chumash aid station but I could have sworn Felix continued right through the aid station and down Chumash without stopping while Michael and I refilled our water bottles. Oh well down my favorite descent of the race - Chumash! I could surely catch up to Felix here, we flew at a fast clip down Chumash, I was in a serious flow state headed down the trail, I felt good, I felt happy! The Chumash zen experience was short lived, next thing you know I am running down the only street section of the race heading toward Marrland, wait what? its Felix pulling up beside me, he compliments my downhill running and I ask how he got behind me? Turns out he did stop at Chumash and I was in front of him the whole time, we run into Marrland "Starwars land" together with Michael not far behind.
      Its me leading up the charge ascending Hotdog hill, Felix right behind almost the entire way up where we made a little space on Michael. I pull away from Felix again as I bomb down another amazing descent that is Chivo Canyon, also short lived because as soon as I hit the bottom at Tapo Open Spaces Felix is right behind me again, I cannot shake this kid! We run together all the way through Tapo and we enter the half way point together at the Tapo Canyon aid station. We spend a couple minutes getting ourselves together before we head out for the second half of the race, this is where things took a turn. Headed back through Tapo Open Spaces either Felix found an extra gear or I lost a gear, but he took the lead from me for the first time in the race. Many thoughts racing through my head, I was feeling slightly demoralized but thinking he was going to burn himself out and I would pass him back up, so I just kept pushing forward. As hard as I tried to keep him in my sights the last I saw of him was going back up Chivo Canyon, that was it.. I wouldn't see him again till the end of the race! With everyone reassuring me he was only 2 minutes ahead, and encouraging me to catch him, I pushed really hard, I left everything I had out on the course. But I just didn't have enough...

 
     If there is one race I want to win all year it would be Bandit, I feel a connection to the Simi hills and to the race itself, its not just another race, for me its personal. I ran really well and still beat my previous PR on this course by 11 minutes, I felt really good doing it, my running feels stronger and more relaxed than it ever has. I ran with passion, grit and determination, but most importantly I ran with a smile on my face. The weather was perfect, the volunteer were amazing, my fellow trail runners and crowd support were all there, all and all a great day! No not a perfect day, but a great day, I am disappointed in not getting the win. I know I cant expect to go out there and win them all but I cant help but to think something is missing from my running. I need the extra push to be a better runner from here, have I plateaued? Do I need a coach? Do I just need to dig deeper, train harder? How do I get better from here?

    Huge thanks to Randy and Sarita Shoemaker for there tireless effort in putting on this race every year, your commitment is truly appreciated. Thank you to each and every volunteer out there, without you there would be no race. Thank you Desirae for not only volunteering every year but for being the supportive and amazing wife you are!

 

     I call it the curse of the Bandit, I look forward to the race every year, I train often and I train hard, but something always defeats me! Did I piss of the resting spirits of the Chumash Indians that once inhabited these hills? After two 3rd place finishes, I felt like 2016 was my year to win, I felt it in my heart, I felt it in my brain. Yes I PR'd this year and came in second and yes I am happy with my finish, but I still feel like I have unfinished business on this course.. I will be back next year to take care of business, till then a beer to celebrate and a trail to run..
 

 

DNF at TNF

    Uggh.. the dreaded DNF (Did Not Finish), I have been trying to avoid writing about my DNF as much as I have been trying to avoid getting my first DNF. It really seems like a dirty word in the ultra running community, but in all reality it shouldn't be, almost every runner will face one eventually. The important part is what we learn/don't learn from the dreaded DNF, so I will make this brief (just like my race at The North Face 50) and tell you what I learned from my DNF at TNF.

    As some of you might recall when I wrote my last blog entry (Still No Name Needed) I briefly talked of needing to be more confident going into TNF 50. I was confident, maybe to a fault, I wasn't into this race as much as I should have, yes I trained for it but I wasn't mentally prepare for it. I just wasn't in it, hard to explain but I just wasn't as excited for this race as I should have been, don't get me wrong I absolutely love the trails around the Marin Headlands and San Francisco in general, I was excited more for the trip than the race itself.
     Brett, Desirae, Connor and I drove up to Vallejo on Thursday night and stayed with our favorite uncle Mike, the next morning Brett and I took an amazingly scenic and relaxing ferry ride across the bay to Pier 41 in San Francisco. We ate, we drank and we acted a fool through the streets of San Fran, we then got in a quick 5 mile shakeout run at sunset before we made our way to our hotel room for the night. I got up at 3am the next morning to catch a shuttle across the street that took me to the freezing cold start line at Fort Barry.

     After huddling by the fire to stay warm it was off we went at 5 in the morning to start our journey through the headlands by headlamp. I felt really good running through the first 10 miles in the dark and was greeted with an amazing sunrise at Muir beach. I was running great splits and was in awe as the elite runners were flying past me near the turn around point. I ran and talked with all sorts of amazing runners while soaking in the amazing views along the course. Then it happened, mile 25 while starting a technical descent down to Stinson beach along the Matt Davis trail I twisted my ankle. Twisting my ankle is no new problem for me, I have twisted my ankle numerous times during training and a few times during races (including Angeles Crest), sometimes I am able to walk for a few minutes and continue running. Not so much this time around, I walked the whole two miles down to Stinson Beach in pain as I came to the tough realization that I wouldn't be able to run another 23 miles to the finish. So I took a shuttle back to the finish line instead to watch Brett kick ass on a difficult course to finish in 5:58:50!

    Don't get me wrong, I still really enjoyed running around the Marin headlands and I enjoyed the awesome trip up to San Francisco. Yes, I am really bummed about my first ever DNF, it took me a while to process my feeling and thoughts before I could write this blog. The truth is I could have probably finished the race if I hobbled/walked painfully the last 23 miles to a slow miserable finish, but what good would have done for me? Injure me further? Made me pissed about my finish time? Prove I am a "real" runner that never quits? There will be many other races and adventures to come, I didn't quit out of fatigue or lack of fitness, I quit because my ankle sucks. So instead of lamenting on what went wrong I need to focus on how to make things better, how regain strength in my ankles and how to gain back my excitement toward running.
    I enjoy the holidays and as much as I love running I like to take a "break" from running toward the end of the year, taper down some of my volume and intensity to let my body recover from the hard training and racing I had done so far this year, prepare for next year. With No Name 50K, White Bull Trail Series and The North Face 50 Mile all back to back at the end of the year there was no time for a break, it was continuous training from one event to another. I think this over training/racing led to burnout and lack of excitement leading into TNF, In all reality I didn't want to RACE TNF, I just wanted to RUN TNF. Now I have my favorite race of the year at the end of January to train for: The Bandit 50K, I need to focus on this race, set a firm goal and get my excitement back. If I fail to do so, a dreaded DNF might be in the cards for Bandit! No f'ing way I will let that happen, so I shall propose this; a sub 4:30, perhaps that will be good enough to break my 3rd place streak at the Bandit, until then a beer to drown my sorrows and a trail to run...

Still No Name needed

    I'm going to write this race report a little different this time around, I have giving a play by play account of most my races so far this year and I have already written a play by play race report of the No Name 50/30. If you want to know what the race is like and what to expect, head on over to last years No Name 50K report on this blog self titled No Name 5030. So instead of a play by play I am going to give you an account of what I learned, how I felt and what my plans are going forward into The North Face 50 mile.

   Going into most of my races (No Name 50 included) I always seem to be armed with a myriad of excuses of why I am not going to do good or why I am going to fail. I am undertrained, injured, sick or still feeling the effects from a previous race, I tell everyone that I am just going to go out there and do my best; go out there and have fun (which is the truth). I think a lot of my hesitations to display any confidence in my abilities as a runner is because I have had a lot of success lately, I guess I am waiting to have a bad race (like everyone does eventually, even the best of runners). Maybe my "plateau" as a runner is coming and I wont do any better/worse? The past three or four years I have seen lots of improvements in my running and I have trained harder/put in more miles, but I feel this past year I haven't done anything different or more than I've done in the past. The more work you put into something the more you get out of it right? So by me not working any harder I should probably hit that "plateau", logically?
  Anyways this is the best way I can describe how I felt going into No Name 50K, I also had the added pressure of being last years winner, I have to defend my title right? What is that title anyways? King no name? The champion without a name? Having brother Keith and Moises Avelar there at the starting line I knew I had my work cut out for me. What a perfect day for running, it was overcast the entire time, the trails were in good condition and were well marked. Aid station were top notch as usual and my mustache made perfect for intimidating the competition (or maybe just creep them out)!

    The more I run races at different lengths the more I learn what works best for me, I know I can push the 50K distance pretty hard. My plan to run at a fast pace from the start paid off for me well as I avoided a pileup going into the first single track climb and it won me a Naked Racing Band for making it to Shepard's Flat in first. I think some of the other runner assumed I was a 30K runner or that I was going to run out of steam (bang my face into the proverbial wall). But I didn't, I have a uncanny ability to push through the pain at the end of races and dig deep, I embrace the pain.

   After I made it through the China Flat; Simi Peak area of the race, I was all by my lonesome, this is no new concept for me, I run alone all the time, a lot of times I actually prefer to run alone. But not in a race, a race should be exactly that, a RACE, I enjoy going head to head with other runners, the strategies of where to my save legs, when to surge and push all help me to run a faster race. Running with others, running scared, running to keep up, you find out your weakness's and strengths when your running head to head with other people. Its easy to just lay back and not give it your all when you know you don't have to, you can just take it easy and run to the finish when it just feels like another training run.
    I really do love the feeling of the hurt you get pushing through the last miles of a tough effort during a race. Pushing hard all the way to the finish even though you don't really need to, it feels good! Descending down the final hill into the finisher shoot, I was looking for Desirae but she was no where to be seen, turns out she got lost trying to make her way to the trailhead. Desirae and Connor show up a few minutes after and we wait for Keith to cross the finish line, we didn't need to wait very long as Keith crosses the finish line a few second over 5 hours!
    So what is the real point of all this random babble? I did say I was going to tell you what I learned from this race so here goes. #1: I need to stop making excuses for my running, start believing in myself and my training, I need to be more confident in my abilities as a runner. #2: Run your own race, don't worry about other peoples plans or strategies, learn what works for you and go with it. People are always going to tell you how best to run, fuel, shoes, finish, dress, stay cool etc.... Advice is good don't get me wrong, but what works for someone else doesn't necessarily mean its going to work for you, there is no substitute for experience or practice. #3: Just because there is no one around to race/push you to the finish doesn't mean your not racing or that you shouldn't push hard. Your competition is not only with other runners on the course but with the clock, the course and with yourself. #4: Keith is F***ing fast and I need to watch my ass in upcoming races, my bro is going to beat me soon!

    As I move forward to close out this year of running I have one more "big" event to go.. The North Face 50 Mile Championship race. All of the top runners will be running in this race to compete for a $10,000 prize purse, while I have no hopes of even coming close to the finishing times from the likes of Max King or Sage Canaday it will be nice to "mingle" with the pros. I was lucky enough to qualify for the elite start and toe the line with the greatest endurance runners out there. So my ultimate goal is to make a good showing for anyone who might be watching, read between the lines-not make a fool of myself.  If I was to put a time on it I would say i hope for a sub 8hr finish. I love the trails in Marin county so I just want to enjoy what they have to offer. After taking a week off after No Name to recover a little I plan on doing three weeks of higher mileage and elevation gain to get my body ready for the tough climbs I will be encountering at TNF 50.
         






















   Yet again a special thanks goes out to my lovely wife Desirae and my always smiling boy Connor, thanks for always being there to support me! Big thanks to Erica Gratton for putting on another fun and flawless race! Thanks to all the volunteers, without you the race would not be possible! Last but not least, thank you to the companies there helping out; Love love my Oofos, if you don't have a pair, get some heaven for your feet! Ojio got the best of the good for you nutrition, if you want to be your best, feed your body the best! Naked Race Band, cant wait to try my belt out for The North Face 50! Experience the joy that is the Joi Café, vegan or not their food is delicious! Look out Marin Country, Brett and I are on our way, till then a beer to celebrate and a trail to run..

Grab the ram by the horns... Angeles Crest 100

     Angeles Crest 100 is a super tough technical trail run through the San Gabriel mountain range starting in Wrightwood and ending in Alta Dena. It has an elevation gain of 22,000ft and an elevation loss of 25,000ft, so yes its a downhill course! I knew this would be a tough race, tougher than any other hundred I have run so far and it wouldn't be anything like running in the Santa Monica's or Simi Hills. I however was not expecting it to be as tough as it was; it was hot, technical and at elevation for the first half of the race.

       I have found that the more I run these long distances, I have started to learn how I race best and how to approach this distance. There are 8 major climbs on the course and it was super helpful to me to break this race down by climbs instead of mileage. My strategy going into this race was to take the first half of the race conservative in order to save my legs and push the last half of the race in order to  "sweep" up the carnage that may lie ahead of me. Hey it worked well for me at Western States 100 so why not apply the same strategy to Angeles Crest? Having only run the last 45 miles and the first 15 miles of the course before, there was 40 miles of the course I had yet to preview, it made me nervous not knowing what I was running into. With the unknown 40 miles mixed with the feeling that I was not as well trained or prepared for Angeles Crest (compared to how I felt going into  Western States last year), I had a simple goal, to give it my all and finish well (sub 24hrs is always a bonus).
     Training leading up to AC100 was good considering all that was going on in this full time working fathers life. We had just gotten back from a two week vacation and started to move into a new house during the peak training weeks leading up to race day. I did not get in as many miles (let alone vertical miles) as I would have liked, but I did however get in some quality long training runs and I made the miles I did run really count.

 Pre Race Cheers for the Simi Valley Runners! photo credit- Sarita Shoemaker

    Ready or not, with a house full of  boxes left to unpack, it was time to make our way towards Wrightwood. After almost drowning the car in puddles on the 14 freeway, I stayed out in Hesperia Thursday night with my crew consisting of my lovely wife Desirae and my awesome son Connor. Hesperia was a dump but the hotel room was nice and I got some much needed sleep (I don't sleep much the night before a big race). The pre-race weigh in and meeting Friday morning was uneventful, so we met up with Brett, Randy, Becca, Sarita, Debbie, Mark and the rest of the crew for a beer to quell the nerves. After killing time around Wrightwood for awhile, we headed to dinner at the Olive Garden to carb load before heading back to the hotel for an early nights sleep.

Brett and I just before the start  Photo Credit- Rebecca Goldsmith

    "Beep Beep!!" What the hell!? Its 3:00am already? Race morning and its time to get up, lube up, lace up, dress up, eat up and head up to the start line. A quick and nervous drive into Wrightwood for check in and some pre race pictures with family and friends before we lined up under the arch. Well I thought the race started under the arch, nope... not this one and there was no countdown, shotgun blast or airhorn. I just saw people starting to move so I started my watch and followed suit from the middle of the pack instead of the front were I wanted to be. My strategy was to go out conservative for the first half of the course anyways so I guess starting from the middle of the pack was best.

"and go!" Photo Credit- Ulysses Chan

     1.5 miles up Acorn street was a easy jog with locals cheering us on from their patios, as we hit the trailhead everyone grinds to a halt for a slow hike up the trail. It was still dark at this time so I took out my headlamp but to my avail it did not turn on, so I just use the light from other runners and the moon to light my way. This first of eight climbs started to sort out the different paces and I was starting to get into a rhythm. The climb was over quickly and as I crest the hill the sun started to come up, what a view! As I ran along a mix of easy rolling terrain and rocky single track to the first aid station (Inspiration Point) I rolled my ankle on a technical descent. Already!? its not even 10 miles into the race yet. The crowd is thick at Inspiration Point and cheering is intense which helped perked up my twisted ankle spirits, I made a quick stop just let Des know I needed my ankle brace at Vincent Gap.

Coming into VG 

     The short section of rollers from IP to VG was over in no time and I really enjoyed the descent into Vincent Gap. As I make it to VG nature is calling so I run directly to the bathrooms where there is a line of people waiting to use the toilet, luckily one of the stalls were designated for runners only but of course, that was occupied. So I got my ankle brace on and grab an extra bottle of water for dousing myself during the impending climb up Baden Powell. Bathroom opens up, I do my thing before grabbing a burrito to snack on for the climb.
      Big climb #2 Baden Powell the highest point on the course has 40 some switch backs to the top, mostly all hiking up here with a few areas of jogging. The air is getting real thin, its getting hot and I am getting dizzy as I make my way up to the 9500ft summit of Baden Powell, I never seem to do that great at altitude. Luckily though, what goes up must come down! As I make my way to Islip Saddle I am making great time down the rocky descent till almost the bottom where I twist my ankle yet again, this course is going to destroy me! I hobble my crippled ass into IS (mile 26), take a second to drink some CarboPro, refill my water and grab some more gels.

    Up we go again, climb #3 Mt Williamson, I am starting to feel like I am on some sadistic roller coaster ride. Mt Williamson was a steep but short climb, I made my way up in good time and I got to the top before I knew it. I don't recall the next section very well, I just remember making good time and almost getting run over by a Porsche at a highway crossing. My memory must have been jostled but I don't remember Eagles Roost (mile 30) too well either, I believe I ate a Stinger Waffle, drank some more CarboPro, refilled on fluids as I headed out to highway 2.
    Due to some endangered yellow frogs, we had to detour off of the PCT and onto a two mile stretch of pavement up highway 2. Most people bitched and moaned about it (yes the pavement sucks) but I took full advantage of it by hammering down and passed a few people along this stretch.  The extra encouragement from cars and bikes as they passed by felt good, but the sun radiating off the asphalt did not.

    Coming off the pavement I descended down into the populated Buckhardt Campground where everyone pretty much ignored the runners. If one was to think we would get some relief from the heat going down into Copper Canyon one would be mistaken, it was an oven going through there! Everyone warned of the brutality of this section, and in my opinion, while the heat was tough, the section was not as bad as it was made out to be (in all fairness i do tend to train in the heat quite often). Fortunately, the climb up to Cloudburst (climb #4) was a pretty gentle grade and before I know it I am at CB (mile 38).  I cooled off and restocked here before my departure to Three Points (TP). Again I don't remember this section very well, I just remembered that it was an easier part of the course and I must have enjoyed it because I made really good time through here. As I ran by Glenwood Campground I passed some more people flying through some nice single track into TP (mile 43).

Cooling off at Chilao  Photo Credit- Monica Morant

    I knew it would be awhile till I saw my crew again (Chilao mile 53) and there would be another climb up to Mt Hillyer in the process, so I made sure to stock up well before leaving TP. I continued to fly through some nice single track on my way to MH until I reached a paved road at the bottom of the descent. I was a little confused by this section because I did not realize it was a paved road climb all the way up to Mt Hillyer (climb #5). Confused or not I made my way up the road in good time with a combination of power hiking and jogging. Running into Mt Hillyer aid station (no crew access), I ate some bananas and a few other pieces of fruit before I headed off to Chilao.
 As I made my way running through some cool rock formations, I passed the amazing Jorge Pacheco on the way down to Chilao. Jorge must have been having a tough race because he has won AC100 a bunch of times before and kicked my butt at Bandit 50K. I felt a little worn down coming into Chilao so I was glad to be picking up Ryan Rollins as a pacer. I ate a PB&J, part of an avocado and drank some CarboPro and off we went again.
    Ryan is a FAST runner and I chose him to pace me through this next 22 mile section to Chantry because I knew he could push my pace on the net downhill in this section. So we did exactly that; we ran a good section down into the canyon before the climb into shortcut.  Shortcut aid station was a quick stop and pretty uneventful, I had passed a few runners going down the long fire road out of Shortcut so i was feeling good.
      From there, we ran hard down the long fire road into the canyon and power hiked all the way up to Newcomb Saddle. On the way up to Newcomb I had passed Moises who I had ran with at the same exact spot earlier this year during a training run. He told me he was having doubts of sub 24hr finish and expected a 25-26hr finish, I told him to stop that non sense and keep pushing (he would go on to finish sub 24hr!). Newcomb was welcome site at the top off a tough climb, I ate and drank a ton up there, including some delicious applesauce and fruit punch. Who knew that something as simple as applesauce could lift the spirits, you never know what your gonna crave during race day. As we departed from Newcomb, we turned on our headlamps and proceeded fly down the Sturdevant trail all the way to Chantry. Ryans headlight did not work so he turned on the flashlight from his phone and proceeded down the trail through the dark like a champ! I passed a few more runners going down Sturdevant including the ever so awesome runners Billy Yang and David Daley. All that was left was an asphalt climb up to Chantry to a booming aid station.

Ryan and I at Chantry

    Feeling a little euphoric and kind of goofy at the Chantry aid station, I made a few jokes, resupplied on food/water and headed out with my brother Keith who would pace me to the finish line. We ran and walked the two miles to the Upper Winter Creek trail where we would make a long painful hike all the way to the top, I think we might have past one or two runners on the way up to dead mans bench. After what seemed like forever we finally made it to dead man bench and took a Larry Gassan picture half dead on the bench. It was still another mile up to the Wilson toll road, so I took a breather while we got passed by another runner which we promptly passed again going down the toll road. We held a good clip all the way down to Idlehour aid station where we past 2nd place female finisher Jen Benna, went through the aid station quickly and headed down to Idle hour camp. All of a sudden in the middle of dense vegetation and low light, there were no course markings! Keith and I took a lot of time second guessing our path through the creek. Luckily I have run this section before during a training run  in the daytime, and it was hard to navigate back then too, but it was a lot more confusing in the dark. By the time we successfully made our way through the canyon and started climbing Sam Merrill I was pissed off with the amount of time I lost trying to find our way out of the canyon and that people would put runners lives at risk by messing up course markings. I took the anger out on the trail as we climbed Sam Merrill fast, fast enough to close a half mile gap between the runner in front of us and arrived at Sam Merrill aid station together.

The view from Dead Man's Bench   

   Fifth place at Sam Merrill (Pete Sercel?) left before us while I proceeded to chased down two Advil with some 5hr energy (shh.. my secret 10 miles to go concoction). We kept hammering away at their position going down the very technical rock strewn Sam Merrill trail until we passed them about a mile down. I was feeling really strong all the way down Sam Merrill through Mt Lowe and Sunrise trail all the way to Millard Campground our last aid station (mile 96). I was still feeling really strong and I told Keith I wanted to push to a strong finish, so up we went out of Millard and down El Prieto.
    I remembered El Prieto as being a nice rolling downhill single track last time I had ran it, not so much this time, it was full of rocks, ruts and creek crossings (it sucked). But we kept pushing through knowing that we were almost to the finish line, I could smell the barn (or was that a skunk?). Next thing we know its out to civilization, it never felt so good to see houses, streets and lights. As I ran down the streets of Alta Dena I started to get a little emotional thinking of all the training and sacrifices I made to get here, and all the support from family and friends. The voice in my head began saying, "Suck it up, dry your eyes because I see the finish line and I need to push hard going through the banner".

My Finish   (taken by Des)

   Through the finish line in 22:49:10 for a fifth place overall finish and a sub 24hr silver buckle! What a great feeling to cross the finish line with so much "leg" left in me, it was a different experience than any other hundred I had finished and I its addicting, I cant wait for another taste.
   So many people played such a pivotal role in getting me across that finishing line for a silver buckle and I just want to take a moment to thank them. First and foremost I want to thank my beautiful wife Desirae for not only crewing me, but always being there for me throughout this entire journey, despite all the training and sacrifice making this race a reality you have supported me the entire way. Thanks to my son Connor for helping crew and putting a smile on my face at every aid station, your a real trooper. Thank you to both Ryan and Keith for pushing me when I needed it the most, it was fun having you guys share part of my journey with me and making sure I didn't fall off a cliff in the middle of the night. Thank you to all the family and friends following my progress and cheering for me along the way, it helps to know there are people out there who care so much about my crazy hobby. Thank you to all the volunteers and ham operators at the aid station for taking time out of their schedules to support all the runners out there.
    However my journey did not stop here, after I went home for a much needed power nap, I raced back down to the finish line to watch Brett and Randy (sorry I just missed you Dave, your just too fast) finish. Training with Brett Goldsmith often and being at his Western States 100 attempt I knew Brett needed this finish more than anyone out there that day, Brett needed redemption to clear his mind and soul, to solidify his training and his love of trail running. So to watch Brett round that turn and cross the finish line was the highlight of the race for me. I am super proud of him for gutting it out and finishing this brutal course to redeem himself!
     To top it off I got to watch a strong finish from a strong person and good friend Randy Shoemaker (I want to be like you when I grow up)! The award ceremony was long, but I got a silver buckle and a neat plaque with my name and finishing time, I also got to watch my friends get their buckles. Simi Valley definitely showed up and finished with a vengeance at AC100, what a way to represent a great town! I cant wait to go running and racing with you guys again soon, until then a beer to celebrate and a trail to run..
    

Finish line Photos Credit to Ulysses Chan

    

The Tale of the Backbone Trail

   Once upon a time some crazy ass like me decided it would be a great idea to create a trail that traverses the whole Santa Monica mountain range; well let me tell you this guy is a genius and my hero. As I slowly started getting into trail running 4 years ago, I did my first ultra run at the Bulldog 50K (which got me hooked), the Bulldog was also my first taste of the Backbone trail. As the years progressed I slowly started getting introduced to more parts of the Backbone trail; Sycamore Canyon, Overlook, Blue Canyon, Old Boney, Chamberlain and more. Naturally I began looking into the history behind the trail and discovered the trail traversed the entire Santa Monica Mountain range, and there was a race that runs the whole trail! No, I didn't sign up or run the Backbone Ultra but I did volunteer for the 2014 running of it at the Piuma Rd crossing as a way to fulfill my mandatory volunteer work for Western States 100. After seeing the ecstasy and pain on the runners faces I was hooked, I knew I wanted to run the entire Backbone Trail.

   The Backbone trail starts at Will Rodgers park in Pacific Palisades and ends at the beach in Point Mugu, 68 miles long with 14700ft of elevation gain and 15200ft of elevation loss. The lowest point is sea level and the highest point is Sandstone Peak at 3,111ft (the highest peak in the Santa Monicas). In 2012 Mark Hartell set the fastest known time for the trail in 12:09 (someone can correct me if I am wrong on this). This trail was completed in 2010 and while it does partially pass through private land, it also traverses through 4 state parks and crosses through two counties line. Okay that's enough of the history lesson... but if you want more http://www.nps.gov/samo/planyourvisit/backbonetrail.htm

   Its now or never, sometimes you just have to pull the trigger, get the ball rolling, no ones going to do it for me, I need to face fear in the eye and go for it! Too many people say they want to do things in their lives but never do what it takes to get it, don't be a "I wish I would have done that" or "someday I will" type person, set a goal and make it happen. I had been running every section of the Backbone trail (in 10-20 mile increments) until I got familiar with the entire trail. There are a lot of sections to make a wrong turn when combining several trails into one. When scouting, I ended up getting lost a few times and relied on GPS to find my way back. Once I felt familiar enough with the trail and confident I wouldn't get lost, it was time to set a date. This was no small feat considering I will be pacing Brett at the WS100, am training for AC100, about to leave on vacation, and am prepping to move, So June 13th was possibly my last opportunity for this year.  
  
   

    5:30am Will Rodgers park, Desirae (my crew woman extraordinaire) dropped me off. Despite some concerns about the weather leading up to that day,it ended up being cloudy, perfect running weather. So after some coffee, a Carbo Pro laced smoothie and VO2 max, I turned on my Spot Gen 3 and Fenix 3 watch and it was go time.  I made my way up the first climb of the day Rodgers Rd, my legs felt fresh and even though I was running very conservatively, it felt like I was floating up the trail. I cruise along the ridge line with some single track, clearing out the spider webs (with my face) and getting soaked  running through clouds. I made it to Temescal and the Hub (mile 7.5) in great time with a smile on my face. Talked with a lone mountain biker at the Hub about my journey for the day and all he could do was reply with "that's too much, that's just too much". A quick GU break, and onward past Eagle rock and down the first good descent of the day, Musch trail. After having a blast running down some killer switchbacks I made it into Topanga State Park where I rolled through some meadows along the Dead Horse trail. Dead Horse trailhead (off Topanga Canyon Rd) was my first major pit stop of the day, I took some video, downed some water and had another GU.

   As I am crossing Topanga Canyon Rd. I smell burning rubber, sure enough there is a group of younger guys/gals standing around their Mustangs with fresh burnouts still smoking around them, to which I promptly replied "I love the smell of burning rubber in the morning". On to the second big climb of the day out of Topanga Canyon through Hondo and up to Saddle peak, this climb is a long one! Up tons of switch backs that meander their way through canopies of trees, adding in the foggy weather made this climb very mystical and somewhat pleasant. I was still feeling really good and fresh as I make it to the top of the climb, to Saddle peak and a radio broadcasting tower. I was making better time than expected so I decided to give Desirae a quick call to remind her I needed water at Piuma and that she needed to pick Keith up soon. I could hear the fear in Desirae's voice as she picked up the phone and couldn't hear me on the other end (a recurring issue ive been having with my phone, technology is great isn't it?), she calls back in panic as I am yelling into the other end of the phone with the bicyclist looking at me like I was insane. Finally I gave up and resorted to a text resolved our communication snafu, Uggh! Anyway, down Piuma descent I went! Normally I am a fan of downhill running, but not when its steep and strewn with rocks trying to trip you up, twist your ankle and kill your quads. At the bottom of the Piuma descent is the first time all day my legs start to feel a little fatigued, I knew it was time to push on and get to work. Another 2 miles through a new to me section to get to Tapia trailhead and await my wife and brother, 25 miles down..

    I arrived at Tapia trailhead to find no one there, damn it where is my crew? 30 seconds later Des and Keith pull in! Yes, talk about timing, a site for sore legs!  "Banana, banana!!", I am hungry like a minion (can you tell I have young kids?) as I eat a banana, suck down a chia squeeze, another GU, some Carbo Pro and refill my pack with water. Keith and I were off for the third big climb of the day, Mesa Peak Motorway to Corral Canyon, we have run this section together before and knew what laid ahead, it still didn't make it any easier. Its good to run with someone during a long run like this, the miles just seem to melt away, some good laughs, video footage and sweat! Across Newton Motorway, Latigo Canyon Rd and over the tunnel to Kanan Trailhead! Say what? we are already at Kanan? where is Desirae?! I tell Keith to pull out his phone to call her just as she pulls up, talk about timing AGAIN, Desirae is on it today! Hunger strikes again as I eat another Banana, Chia squeeze, some peanuts butter M&Ms and a bunch of almonds. Keith and I were off again as we made our way to Zuma Ridge. Keith was starting to feel the climbs through this section (I was also) so we walk for a bit up a couple small hills and all of a sudden Keith sees a downhill and comes ALIVE. I cannot express how good of downhill runner Keith is, he has improved leaps and bounds as a runner in the past year, I have a hard time keeping up with him on the downs! As we walk again up and out of the canyon to Encinal Canyon Rd. a sign says 1.1 miles to Mulholland and Keith's stop. I reminded him its all downhill to Mulholland, and naturally we push the pace running at a good clip all the way UPHILL to Mulholland. Good company bro, you made the miles disappear thanks again!

   Asphalt! I was dreading this section the most when planning the run, not the four major climbs or the technical Piuma descent, but the asphalt. Yes the Backbone trail is suppose to be a through trail but because of disputes with property owner, the section of Etz Meloy is temporary closed to through hikers/bikers, an issue that the NPS is working on and hopefully resolving soon.  The necessary detour involves running down Mulholland Hwy and up Little Sycamore Canyon Rd. to where the trail meets up again at Yerba Buena. Little Sycamore Canyon was steep and had very little shoulder, so needless to say it was a little sketchy, but I just grinded up the road very carefully and before I knew it I was at the trailhead for Yerba Buena. Yerba Buena was a 4 mile section I had never run before, what seemed like all gradual uphill was probably more rolling hills. My phone had just died before this section so I had to rely on the research I did prior and a little intuition but, there were a few spots where I thought I was lost. I was frustrated, tired and definitely at a low point making my way to Mishe Mokwa trailhead to an awaiting Desirae, Randy and Brett. I felt like I had run this section really slow and was behind schedule when I arrived at the trailhead, but low and behold there was my crew and pacers waiting for me, turns out they arrived less than a minute before got there, great timing yet again.


     After devouring half a burrito, a GU and VO2 max, Off we went, two great pacers in tow, well what do you know, up the forth big climb, oh no! We made on our way up to Sandstone Peak, the highest peak in the Santa Monica's (3,111ft). I was still feeling pretty beat up at this point so the climb up was more of a power hike/run when I can, forward momentum. This is a popular area, with a couple miles round trip to some amazing views, so I saw more people in this two mile stretch than I had seen all day. What's even more exciting, I also got to see the sun for the first time that day, at 3pm. The views were just fantastic, well worth the sun heating me up to a boil. We started making our way back down the other side of Sandstone and people started to disappear again, my pace started to pick back up and I started to feel better (magic burrito or just good company?). What goes up must come down; and the descent down Chamberlain and Blue Canyon to Big Sycamore Canyon was looooong. I was gingerly making my way down and I made up good time here, stopping only once to let Brett pee into Butt Crack Rock (yes you read that right). Big Sycamore Canyon is the flattest two mile stretch of the entire run, Randy and Brett pulled me along at a great clip or what seemed like a fast pace after 58 miles anyways.

 

     Last hill! Yes, I can "smell the barn" I knew I was going to finish it now, a smile comes across my face with this realization. The last climb up to the Overlook trail is about half the climb as the other hills but feels like Mt. Everest at this point. We ran for a while then hike for awhile, rinse and repeat till we made it to the Overlook trail. We ran along the Overlook trail for awhile and it seems to take longer than I thought to get to the Ray Miller trail. After second guessing myself, we finally made it to the Ray Miller trailhead. About 3 miles down buttery smooth single track to the finish is all that's left, an adrenaline surge comes across me and I just flew down the trail. I knew I wanted to finish strong but wow I felt good. The Ray Miller trail is fantastic, its smooth single track with amazing views of the ocean, what a way to finish a through run of the Backbone. I come around the last corner to see Desirae and Connor waiting for me, touch the sign post and turn off my watch at 6:04 PM for a elapsed time of 12:25:15!

   My immediate run recovery strategy was beer and a soak in the Pacific ocean. As Des, Brett, Randy, Connor and I walk across the PCH to the beach we see Marie Antoinette next to a giant birthday cake!? Running 68 miles makes me hallucinate..(seriously you cant make this shit up!) We continued the celebration at Neptunes Net with great food, company and more beer.
    None of this bucket list run of mine could have happened without my most wonderful wife Desirae chasing me around all day to restock me with food and water, love you tons! I also wanted to thank Keith, Randy and Brett for sharing in this experience with me and prodding my ass along, you guys helped me tremendously! A quick shout out to David Chan, Howard Cohen and Jimmy Dean Freeman for their great advice and helpful hints, thanks for taking your time to answer my questions. Glad its over and sad its done, on to the next adventure.. Till then a beer to celebrate and a trail to run...