I had a great time at #TRT50 and learned a lot. Not only did I learn a ton, but I was able to manage myself and make positive adjustments all day. That aspect of my day is not reflected in a time or placing… But I will give myself an B+, always room to improve. Ok, before I go into the race report I need to do some thanking
A big thanks to my friends Todd Hennings and Erica Sonnenberg. They let me crash at their house and we car pooled to the race. Did I mention Todd and Erica both raced the 50 miler too…..? Yup, they did. Power family.
Then my Crew! I was lucky enough to have my wife Hollie and our dear friend Kate Flore crew for me as you can tell from the pictures, they were amazing
As if my support crew wasnt perfect enough, much to my surprise Tiana Rockwell and Jim Pelton were at the finish line to say hey. They got a little more than they bargained for as I was a little barfy after the race and a little spun…I must say that was super cool to see them. Sorry for the barfing……
I also need to thank the good folks at Altra Running for not only the amazing shoes but the perfect singlet and running short…I will recap my gear in a bit
Last but not least, Brett Horning of Trails and Tarmac. I feel like I keep this guy on his toes as a coach…sorry for that, I try not to be high maintenance but I most likely am a pain in the ass…I feel grateful for Brett’s help with my training, accountability to the training, but also his experience and knowledge. I dont think I tell him thank you enough…
Ok, on to the stats and gear:
The TRT 50 is:
50 miles, roughly 9000′ vert on some really nice decomposed granite trails (mostly Tahoe Rim Trail) and most of the course is over looking Lake Tahoe. Its pretty amazing.
Gear:
Altra Lone Peak 3.5 shoes, Altra Red Team singlet, Altra Performance 2.0 short. Drymax thin crew, Ultraspire Momentum race vest. everything worked out really well.
To the race recap:
Race day ! We woke up about 3:45 am and I was happy to be greeted by Todd and Erica…..and Coffee! I ate some sweet potato hash brows and a fried egg, loaded the van and we blasted off by 4:30. The drive over to Spooner pass was easy and we found a great spot to park. No Stress morning. Check in was easy, number pinned, vest loaded and secured on my torso and we were off.
The opening miles of this race were the only miles I wanted to “position” myself well for because you head into single track really soon and are on it for about 4 miles. Mission accomplished and I settled in with a good little group of runners (some where doing the 55km) so I had to remind myself that I was running the 50 mile and not to “race” anyone. The next 18 miles went great: Hobart, Tunnel Creek, Red House and Bull wheel Aid stations just flew by. I made sure to be eating and drinking and not to be in a big hurry at aid stations. finish the bottles, top off and head out. That was working great for me. Miles were flying by and I was enjoying myself and the other runners.
Heading out of Red House the group I was with thinned as we went back up to Tunnel Creek, I was now just with one of the original single track posse. We were in the top 6 of the 50 milers and running well together. As we started over towards the Tyrolean village section, I started to notice that my new buddy was running strong and he kept testing things. Carrying more momentum up and over little hills or letting it go a bit more on the downhills….I started to get “race brain” and was concerned about matching his efforts…and it didnt feel awesome. Instead of running myslef into the ground, I just backed off and let him do his thing and I stuck to my plan. Eat, drink and move forward in a stable manner and get down to the crew at mile 30 and re evaluate things. So down to Diamond Peak I went
Mile 30 arrived and I was so happy to see Hollie and Kate. I knew what I had packed for resupply, but I had no idea the level of positivity and service I was about to receive.
Hollie and Kate sprung into action. I drank a cold bottle of water right away, emptied my trash, re filled my my vest with calories and swapped out the bottles for ice cold fluids. Hollie rubbed some anti inflammatory gel on my knees and quads as a “just in case”, Kate prepped the icekerchief and got it on me…then as I was getting ready to roll out I got some knuckles from Kate, 2 big sniffs of peppermint oil and a kiss from Hollie and away I went
The long 2 mile Haul out of Diamond Peak back up to the ridge line. Was I in direct heat for 45 min climbing a super steep sandy climb? Yes, but I actually enjoyed it. I hiked it and drank 1 liter of water and just took inventory of how the body was feeling. I also marveled at the 2 amazing people and their energy that I just left. LUCKY DUDE.
Once I topped out it was 2 miles to Bull Wheel again, so I focused on finishing my fluids before then and eating some calories. Bam bam, I was in and out of there really well and actually felt amazing. I ran happy for the next 6 to 8 miles. “lets close this thing out!” At Tunnel creek my Icekerchief got refilled and more cold fluids were added to my bottles…on to Hobart…things are going great! about a mile outside of Hobart, I decided to get the GU rolling, you know, the rocket fuel for the next 10 miles.
The instant that GU hit my tongue I threw up. You know the kind of barfing where every muscle in your body contracts and your eyes water as if you had been crying with no control. Uh oh…. “Ok Dude, get to the next aid station, Hobart and sort things out, just keep moving” that is what I did. I had to hike a lot of stuff I should have ran, but I was in a bit of triage mode. “just keep moving and stay positive, you can fix this” I stayed positive, topped off and ate some water melon and with just a little slow down in pace, I headed off to Snow Peak, the next aid.
There I was greeted by some very enthusiastic Boy Scouts. Right on, I thought…they put a smile on my face. I drank some water and filled my bottles and got moving….something was wrong though. I puked again. The water tasted so bad, as if it was 3:1 chlorine to water. The Boy Scouts, in wanting to “be Prepared” might have over done it on the Chlorine….At any rate, with most of the miles remaining to be at a vertical loss, I committed to moving to the final aid station, 5.3 miles away. I had most certainly slowed down, and my stomach was unsettled. I did manage to eat some food, I think I had a pack of honey stinger chews and just kept pressing on. I really couldnt run how I wanted, I just had to keep backing off and that would be how it was until the end.
Once I arrived at the last aid station I was so happy to get some crisp cold water. The best water I have ever had. From there I got myself down to the finish….it was slow going, but going. Right before The line, I saw Tiana and Jim, that put a smile on my face. I never expected to see them.
I crossed the line into the finish tent and sat down. I got a little dizzy and felt a touch sick, but could easily converse with the folks in the tent. They told me I was 2nd in my age group and 7th over all (actually 8th). I sat there for a moment…in a daze. Reflective. Happy. TRT 50 was in the books and it went pretty well
I have a lot to be happy about. Great prep and training block. Healthy mind and body and I felt that I was really able to stay right there mentally every step of the way. I was not letting past experience map my reactions to feelings, nor did I let the future over ride the present. I was just right there, moving. So simple.
I will take a break from racing for a bit now, but I am looking forward to continued growth with my training and I also am going to get a little more serious about my nutrition. It should be fun! Rest and relaxation GO!
Thanks for reading.
cyclists can't run 