Sunday, December 27, 2015

WS/HR 2015 Intermission

At first glance, it looks like there's two weeks between Western States and Hardrock. Some years there's nearly three weeks, but not the way the dates fell in 2015. Looking closer, you realize that Western States takes nearly an entire day to complete; finishing on a Sunday while Hardrock, with it's 48 hour cutoff, necessitates a Friday start. So in reality I only had 12 days of recovery between the end of the first race and the start of the second. The closest together I've done a pair of hundreds is four weeks back in 2011 between the Maine Hundred Mile Wilderness and Wasatch Hundred, so this would be entirely new ground.

San Francisco has long been a city I'd like to explore more, and I budgeted an extra day in California to check things out before my flight to Albuquerque. Alone and generally unattached, I was able to walk (slowly) around exploring the city at a more leisurely pace than I'm used to. Refreshingly, I had nowhere to be. When I left my friend's apartment in the Mission District it wasn't really clear how far I'd make it with the usual post-hundred soreness and stiffness in my legs, but I found that they gradually loosened up over the course of a few hours. By the end of the day I covered nearly ten miles with some halfway decent elevation gain and wasn't hobbling so much. Active recovery really works.

It's a pretty city, but what I found most surprising was that San Francisco smells more like urine than even Boston. You won't read that one in the tour guide.

San Francisco Bay

I hobbled down that hill to get here.

And up this one.





Next stop: New Mexico. Albuquerque is a short, non-stop flight from SFO, the rental cars are cheap, and it's substantially closer to Silverton, Colorado than Denver is. Plus, there's some surprisingly good alpine terrain up near Taos to explore. My legs were still pretty beat, but I was able to hike well.

Wheeler Peak, New Mexico

Wheeler Peak, 13,000+ feet.

Pika tries to eat my shoe

Then I ventured north in Colorado, closer to the Hardrock course for some more hiking.

Redcloud Peak, San Juans, CO

Sunlight Peak, San Jauns
And back south to Albuquerque again to pick up my family at the airport.

Sandia Crest, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque was almost exactly like it looks in Breaking Bad and I even drove past Walter White's House. I'd have taken a picture but people live there now and they were hanging out on their front and I didn't feel like being a jackass. Apparently they've been having problems with fans throwing pizzas onto the roof.

By the time my brood and I rolled into Silverton my legs were feeling better than expected and I even managed to get in a test run or two. I was definitely still tired, but making it one hundred miles around the San Jauns in less than two days was looking feasible.

Thursday, December 24, 2015

2015 Western States One Hundred

Western States... what can you really add to the saturated discussion around the most high profile ultramarathon on the continent? It's the original hundred miler and the perhaps the one that garners the most attention worldwide, along with all the lore and the hype that entails. Maybe that's why it's taken me almost six months to get around to writing a report. Originally, I planned to draft something up in the few days following the race but that didn't happen - largely because I didn't want to churn out another blow-by-blow account of an event that thousands of other people have already written. Western States was my twelfth hundred mile finish and it's getting harder to assign them the same personal meaning and transformation as the first few. Don't misunderstand me, I still love the actual intrinsic act of running trails all day and all night, but the reports come harder now. I'd like to think that there's some benefit to putting off the report, maybe the time has given me some perspective and the things that were vivid enough to remember are the more important take-aways.

Entry:
It took a long journey of six years to get from my first lottery application to the starting line. There were times when I was at risk of losing my qualification status and other times I nearly didn't bother applying as my attention shifted in other directions. In 2014, both Western States and Hardrock conducted their lottery drawings on the same December day, with 'States going first. I felt a sense of relief when I saw my name finally come up on the Western States Twitter feed and in that moment just sort of mentally wrote off my chances of getting into Hardrock as well. The probability of getting into both was remote, somewhere under 10%. Yet that same evening, I happened to be riding the Boston subway to Harvard for an Ueli Steck slideshow with my wife when my phone started buzzing. Hardrock too. Well, that complicated things, but I knew we'd find a way to make it all happen. Improbable news received in an unusual location (I don't get out much).

The Scene: 
My good friend and crew/pacer Nate picked me up from the San Francisco airport around midnight and the moment I got in the car I got hit with a mix of anxiety and excitement that this was finally happening. The next two weeks would be more ambitious than anything I've ever done, in an athletic and logistical sense, but I had a plan and the means and support to succeed. I trust Nate, he's got my back, but he'd only be the first of many people to help me along. With a sense of mission we drove eastward for hours to reach lake Tahoe in time for sun rise. As Hunter S. Thompson wrote, I was "a man on the move and just sick enough to be totally confident".

The pre-race festivities at Squaw Valley were humming with a buzz and excitement that I was largely immune to. Knowing only one or two people out of hundreds, I felt like more of an outside observer - people-watching the Bay Area Mutual Admiration Society. The feel was distinct from the bigger east coast ultras, or even Hardrock or Wasatch - more friendly than I'd been lead to believe but let's just say it was still very California.

The Course:
In a nutshell, the course starts at the base of the Squaw Valley ski area, climbs up service roads to the Escarpment and then descends through forests on a mix of single and double track to cross a few deep drainages (the Canyons) to the town of Foresthill. From there, "Cal Street" is a wide trail that more or less contours downstream above the wide American River, which you'll cross and then finish up on rolling trails to the town of Auburn. Except for the first few miles, it doesn't really strike me as a mountain race. It's generally hot, dusty, descending, and fast but more technical (in places) than I expected. While moderately scenic, I'm left wondering what kind of course could be put together in the same area if more time were spent actually in the mountains nearby, but I had the same thoughts about the Leadville course and I'm sure that's my own personal bias speaking.

My Race:
Trying to keep Hardrock in the back of my mind, I made an effort to go out easier than usual. Up the Escarpment, people streamed by me and though I was often the first to switch from a run to a hike when the grade steepened, everyone generally stayed in sight. The singletrack descent that came next was what I'd been waiting months for and my pace could be viewed as a little on the aggressive side. Maybe for everyone else, I thought, but I'm Adam Wilcox. This is my strength. I just hammered thousands of feet down the Osseo Trail last month at twice this speed after 25 hard miles in the Whites to tie up the Pemi Loop FKT. Surely this is a reasonable decision. 

I really should have been able to handle it, but by Duncan Canyon near the 50K mark my quads were already beginning to get sore. As it got hot out I started pulling back and Stephanie Howe, who I'd been running with for a while disappeared down the trail ahead of me. I wouldn't see her again. Despite getting close to the top-ten, I let that fantasy go and tried to regroup and run in damage control mode for a while. Tenth place at a modern Western States requires finishing times that are often faster than what Scott Jurek used to run to win the race outright. Tenth place was a pipe dream to begin with and I had other things to consider.

The Canyons were hot, as expected, and my spring heat training seemed to be helping mentally. The temperatures in the mid 90s didn't feel distressful, but it seemed to be taking a physical toll on my body just the same. The aid stations were superbly run, if a little confusing and chaotic, and I took an icy sponge bath at every one. I got to run with Joe Grant for a while, who I'd be seeing again at Hardrock, before falling in with Aliza LaPierre. We passed through Foresthill more or less together but I couldn't keep up on Cal Street and ended up alone until the American River a bit before dusk.

The river crossing was a few hundred feet wide, up to waist deep with a rocky, uneven bottom and a moderate current, so there was a rope to hold onto and glow sticks under the water marking the best places to step. I took my time here, not wanting to slip and trigger a muscle spasm. Emma Roca, a Spanish runner behind me was a little less patient and she gave me a pat on my wet ass cheek to hurry up. I hadn't known we were such good friends.

Exiting the water, Nate was ready with my night kit. I was planning to use my trusty, bright LED headlamp but when I went to give it a quick test before heading off into the evening, it wouldn't work. No light. Nothing. I was sure I'd put in brand new lithium batteries, but we frantically sourced a new set from the aid station. Still nothing. We spent the next five minutes checking and rechecking that the batteries were oriented correctly before an aid station worker took pity and gave me his personal headlamp. It was small but the batteries were "pretty new" so it should be adequate. I thanked him profusely and headed on my way.

As I was leaving, Kaci Lickteig tore past like she was on a mission, looking serious and stronger than anyone I'd seen in hours. She'd go on to put an hour and forty minute gap on me in the last twenty three miles. I mention this because it's one of the most memorable hundred mile pacing jobs I've witnessed - someone who I hadn't seen since the start passing by looking like she was just getting started while I'd worn myself out and begun to circle the drain. There's a lesson here that I should've learned years ago.

My borrowed light was never that bright to begin with but started getting dim less than an hour after I turned it on. Occasionally I was able to join up with another runner and borrow some of their light but then I'd have stop to pee or something and be back to stumbling into rocks on my own again. Until I groped my way into the next aid station and begged the first available volunteer for new batteries. That just so happened to be Hal Koerner, a man who's won more hundreds than I've entered, including Western States. I stood shirtless, sweaty, dusty, and wobbling in place a little while Hal fumbled to open the light and apologized for taking so long. He was more worried about those extra couple minutes to get me fixed up and on my way than I was.

Before the race, I wasn't sure if I'd want a pacer or not but I asked Nate to join me for the last ten miles. It was slow, I bled time and there was a lot more walking than I would've liked but I wasn't really bothered that much. We crossed No Hand Bridge, decorated with about a quarter mile of Christmas lights, and ground out the final miles into Auburn and the finish. Western States, finally done.


Post Race:
Almost immediately after finishing I thought it would be a good idea to take advantage of the massages being offered in the hopes that I'd recover a little quicker for Hardrock. The masseuse was rather merciless and made me hurt like a S.O.B, but it seemed to help. Nate and I then went to a nearby house in town that'd generously been offered to us, punched in the garage door code and went to sleep. I remember thinking to myself, I sure hope this is the right place, because if it's not and we're trying to get into some stranger's house at 2 in the morning, I can't really run away.

The next morning I got to bear witness to the most dramatic race finish I'd seen (until that point). Western States finishes on a high school track and Nate and I took up spots on the bleachers to watch the final finishers come in. I sat down and declared that wasn't getting up for anything because my legs were sore and stiff. We watched what we thought was going to be the last finisher come into the stadium and make his way around the track, when another person appeared. Gunhuild Swanson, age 70, arrived with what we were sure was not nearly enough time to make it across the line before the thirty hour cutoff. The entire crowd, including me, got to it's feet and cheered, though I was sure we were going to watch a heartbreaking failure as the clock ticked over 30:00:00 with Gunhuild still on the front stretch after 100 miles of effort. I'm told she ran a seven minute-mile pace around that track and I believe it. She made it with only six seconds to spare and the whole place erupted.

My biggest take away from Western States is this: it's a microcosm for California itself. You'll spend years hearing the popular opinion about how it's the best thing in the world. Once you get there you'll see that, yeah, it's pretty cool and it certainly has it's standout moments, but I can't help feeling that it's ultimately oversold. While it's a nice place to visit, I sure wouldn't want to live there. I'm grateful to have experienced Western States and I'd like to come back some day. It might not be the best trail race in the universe but it's good enough.

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Housekeeping

The 'Daks

It's been almost six months since I wrote anything here. Life has been eventful enough, particularly on the running front that I usually write about. It's taken a long time to gain some perspective on Western States and everything that came after it. Maybe this post will help me sort out some of my thoughts on continuing to maintain the blog.

To begin with, I've been struggling with the idea of social media in general. Much of what I see online makes me uncomfortable; the hashtags, the popularity contests, the sham of psychological supermodels. At the same time, a cynical sanctimonious grouch is just as insufferable as the selfie-stick-wielding attention seeker. So I've leaned toward staying silent altogether. It's been well over a year since I gave my Facebook account the heave-ho and I don't miss it. The likes, the kudos, the favorites; they all feel good in the short term but there's something hollow about it all. You become dependent on things that might not be in your best interest. Surely there's a balance to had but I know I don't want to be anywhere near oversharing and I'd rather remove myself from a situation than tell other people what they should or shouldn't do.

Maybe the blog will survive. Not for the sake of comments and  page view statistics but because writing should be a form of self expression for me - a way to organize my thoughts and cement experiences in my memory. I've always liked to write, I just don't feel very good at it which largely comes from a lack of regular practice. Re-reading an old entry after a few months can makes me wonder how I could be so clumsy with a keyboard, how I could articulate my intended points so poorly and without flow. Writing publicly, however, should help keep me honest and wanting to improve. I suspect a private diary would be easier to half-ass and lose interest in.

This isn't just about me though, it's also about you. I know I love to read about other people's adventures. To live vicariously through them and to bookmark their reports for later reference. I have a whole folder called "Destinations" that's filled pictures and reports all over the world. Occasionally, I get the opportunity to see them for myself. So, in that regard, there's some wider benefit to sharing.

We'll see.

Monday, June 15, 2015

Pemi Loop XV: Beast Mode



Almost four years ago I unexpectedly eked out the Fastest Known Time (FKT) for the Pemi Loop, covering the thirty mile White Mountain running test piece in a 6:46:08 personal breakout performance, less than a minute faster than Jan Wellford's time. Only a few months later Ben Nephew fairly demolished my time with a 6:27:48 and I thought I might be out the game for good. It was difficult to conceive that I might be able to get another twenty minutes out of my body, but for the next few years I continued to hurl myself around the Pemi, only making incremental improvements. 6:46...6:43...6:38. I found myself the awkward owner of the second, third, and fourth fastest reported Pemi times. Speedy or not, every run was a worthwhile and soul-stirring experience.




2015 started off with a bang; good luck in race entry lotteries earned me starting spots in both Western States and Hardrock for the summer, plus the birth of my son in February, a Boston Marathon bib, and I found myself burning my own candle at both ends. Frenzied, spastic road training, a rough winter, and sleepless nights left me burned out and tired by the time April rolled around. I managed to trudge through a cold and wet Boston in a hypothermic 3:17, a full half hour than my ambition had hoped for. Then two DNF's in a row at local 50Ks made it clear that I'd better either get an attitude adjustment or just quit running altogether.

So I went back to my roots; easy aerobic runs during the week and long weekend days in the mountains. No speed work, no structure, I just ran by feel. Balancing family and work life made me realize how much of a gift and privilege running is to me and I gratefully seized every opportunity to get out that I could. Doing this, I managed to string together a few months of solid training in the 75-80 mile per week range with 10,000-17,000 feet of elevation gain. On June 7th I ran a casual Pemi Loop in 7:45. My climbing legs felt strong, I recovered well, and with the route fresh in my mind I knew it was time to go back a week later and see what I could do.



I spent Saturday resting up, picking strawberries with the family, then did my daughter's weekly swimming lessons on Sunday morning. It was nearly noon by the time I rolled into the Lincoln Woods parking lot, only to discover that I'd left my gel flask at home. Welp, there's 1200 calories that I'll have to do without. This left me with 600 calories of Tailwind in my hand bottles. Would it be enough? Not without apprehension, I decided to go for it anyway and make a go/no-go around decision on Bondcliff.

As for the run itself, everything went perfectly. I steadily built a lead over my old splits all day and the thought of quitting and going home never crossed my mind. It was one of those rare days when my mental and physical abilities worked together rather than against each other so that I could sustain a high effort level all day. I paid particular attention to attacking the more marginally runnable sections that I've hiked in the past, as well as establishing a focused rhythm on the rocky, technical descents. I think the yoga I've been doing has helped with my balance and hip flexibility such that my rock-hopping is more swift and efficient.




When I crested Lafayette in less than four and half hours, despite having to ration my calories and water, I knew I'd made it through the hard part and if I could just hold on, all my efforts would be vindicated. Well, I didn't just hold on, I put the hammer down. One unexpected advantage to the late start was that Franconia Ridge was nearly deserted of hiker traffic, so I was free to do my own thing. And then there was the Osseo Trail - in my opinion descending this route is the most exhilarating trail run in the state and it's the main reason I prefer to do the Pemi Loop anti-clockwise. Sub seven minute miles just seem to come effortlessly if you can get your legs out in front of you fast enough to keep from falling over forwards. I hit the parking lot side of the bridge over the Pemigewasset River in 6:14:34, a personal best of twenty four minutes and breaking an FKT that I wasn't sure I had in me by thirteen minutes.



Now I'm left wondering how long it will last. I'm confident sub-six hours is very possible and even when the times do get pushed out my reach, as they eventually will, I feel fulfillment in making my own little mark. In some ways, I'm reminded of my friend Jeff List, who's father ran a fast time on the Mahoosuc Traverse in the 1940s. That's a time that Jeff can can look on with pride and try to match it himself. Maybe if my kids get into mountain running in twenty or thirty years they can be inspired to follow in their old man's footsteps. I hope it brings them the same joy it brings me.

https://www.strava.com/activities/325701218

Monday, February 9, 2015

Moab - January 2015

 Want to read something horrible? Go here. It's nothing dirty, I promise.

I wrote that page in 1997 or 1998 when I was 14 or 15 years old and I'm astonished that it still exists. I'm not sure what the intent really was, probably me expressing how happy I was to have my first decent mountain bike, but it reads very much like the bike catalogs I used to obsess over when I was a teenager. Not to say that I've come very far, writing-wise, in the intervening years. In any case, I first read the word "Moab" on the side a bike frame and ever since, it's been a place that I wanted to visit if I ever got the chance.

That chance came a few weeks ago, where I had a few days alone to explore a small part of the desert around Moab. I don't really bike any more, but running served me just as well.

The day dawns ripe over the LaSal Mountains

The Colorado River from Deadhorse Point at sunrise.

LaSal Range from Dead Horse Point

Descending Upheaval Canyon

Just right; 50s during the day, below freezing at night.

Moses and Zues

Taylor Canyon

Shadows

Alone but not

No wind and silent but for the ringing in my ears.

Island in the Sky - Canyonlands N.P.

Island in the Sky - Canyonlands N.P.

Island in the Sky - Canyonlands N.P.

It's a rental. I swear I don't have bad credit.

Devil's Garden - Arches N.P.

Devil's Garden - Arches N.P.

Devil's Garden - Arches N.P.

Delicate Arch - Arches N.P.

Delicate Arch - Arches N.P.

Wall Street - Acrches N.P,

Petrified sand dunes - Slickrock Trail

Newspaper Rock


Elephant Canyon, Needles District - Canyonlands N.P,

Chesler Park - Needles

Blue sky in the Needles

Joint Trail - Needles

Slot Canyon

I'll miss you too
I still have the bike.