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SOB 50K

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Location:

Portland,OR,

Member Since:

Nov 02, 2005

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Other

Running Accomplishments:

5K: 15:41-Portland Track Festival 2010

10K: 31:34-Linfield College (Track) 2012

10 Mile: 51:57-Pear Blossom 2009

1/2 Marathon: 1:10:42-Foot Traffic Flat 2010

Marathon: 2:29:35-Newport 2013

50K: 3:48:06-Weiser River 50K 2021

Short-Term Running Goals:

Next Race:

12-hour race, sometime in 2021

100 mile race, sometime...

Long-Term Running Goals:

Sub 1:10 Half Marathon

Sub 2:30 Marathon

Favorite Blogs:

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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
Total Distance
276.50
Pegasus Trail Miles: 31.00Adidas Mana (White) Miles: 46.00Mizuno Ronin Miles: 56.00Nike Lunarglide (Black) Miles: 17.00Adidas Mana (Blue) Miles: 20.00Saucony Kinvara (Black) Miles: 36.50Adidas Mana #2 Miles: 6.00Asics Cumulus 11 Miles: 26.00
Total Distance
14.00

AM: 6 miles around GP

PM: 8 miles on the Ridgeline Trail in Eugene.  Still trying to get used to running while carrying water.  Had a lot of fun tonight. 

Pegasus Trail Miles: 8.00Adidas Mana (White) Miles: 6.00
Comments(4)
Total Distance
11.00

11 miles in Eugene along Pre's Trail.  Left knee felt like it took a step backward after last nights trail run.  Seemed to go away after the first few miles but never got to where it was 100%.

Mizuno Ronin Miles: 11.00
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Total Distance
13.00

Adidas Mana (White) Miles: 11.00
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Total Distance
12.00

Mizuno Ronin Miles: 12.00
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Total Distance
7.00

7 miles with Dad and Jill.  Nice and easy...

Nike Lunarglide (Black) Miles: 7.00
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Total Distance
13.00

13 miles, 8 of which were on the trails @ Cathedral Hills.  Next week is the big race...

Pegasus Trail Miles: 13.00
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Total Distance
8.00

8 miles into Fruitdale and then back via the hospital and Albertsons.  Slow and sluggish after 4 days of family vacation; lots of time in the sun, physical activities, less sleep than normal.  Tired...

Adidas Mana (Blue) Miles: 8.00
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Total Distance
10.00

Ran to Cathedral Hills this morning.  Lots of cobwebs out on the trails today.  Sadly, I retired my favorite pair of running socks after returning home.  A hole had developed  in the left heel and rubbed non-stop on the past few runs.  They were good socks--if there was a mileage board for socks, these might be at the top!

Pegasus Trail Miles: 10.00
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Total Distance
0.00

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Total Distance
9.00

9 miles into town, around the HS and Albertsons and then back home.  Nothing special.

Adidas Mana (White) Miles: 9.00
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Total Distance
3.00

Just 3 miles around the neighborhood.  Not really looking forward to tomorrow but at least when it's over, I'll be able to cross it off my bucket list.

Mizuno Ronin Miles: 3.00
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Race: SOB 50K (31 Miles) 04:23:43, Place overall: 10
Total Distance
31.00

Really just wanted to run an ultra to cross it off my bucket list.  It didn't necessarily sound fun, but I was looking forward to the sense of accomplishment that comes with going longer and farther than ever before.  And while I wouldn't be 'racing,' I felt like I could enjoy the experience/surroundings and give it an honest effort at the same time.

The starting line of the Siskiyou Out Back (S.O.B.) was Mt Ashland ski resort, sitting at 6500 ft, just sliiightly higher than the 900 ft that is my current hometown.  With over 4200 ft of climbing throughout the 31 miles, I planned on breaking the race up into 3 segments (per Jon's recommendation).  The race began at 7 and I started slowly.  It felt somewhat strange to be in 25-30th place after just a couple minutes of running.  So it goes...

After 1 short downhill mile of running on a gravel road, we jumped onto the single track, otherwise known as the Pacific Crest Trail.  The route climbed slightly but felt rather 'flat' and I tucked in behind a few runners who were friendly enough to humor me with conversation for a few miles.  Just a few miles into it and the views are already STUNNING.  We jumped over small creeks, ran among hundreds of wildflowers and saw glimpses of Mt. Shasta to the south.  After about 5 miles, I left the group that I had started with as they were shooting for closer to the 5 hour mark.  One guy I ran much of the first 10 miles together was a 18 year-old kid from Michigan who was doing an internship at Yosemite prior to heading of for college in the fall.  The college?  Harvard.  He was home-schooled and very intelligent to say the least.  One other interesting factoid about this guy; he was carrying his shoes while he ran barefoot.  And the shoes he was carrying?  This rubber soles with simple leather straps to keep them attached to the feet (ala Born to Run).  We separated after 10 miles but I saw him at the finish line with just one bloody toe and the report of only using his 'shoes' for just 5 minutes or so.  Fascinating.

I didn't stop at the first aid station around mile 5.  Still had plenty of water despite drinking from the start.  I took a Gu at mile 7, stopped for a quick bathroom break and then made my way down some hills to the aid station around mile 9.  I arrived and saw the spread of food items; m&m's, payday candybar, pretzels, fruit, gels, etc.  As I had my water refilled, I jokingly announced that this was my first ultra and asked what I should eat.  They said salt.  I grabbed some m&m's, pretzels, and payday.  I couldn't pass down the junk food mid race--when was I ever going to do that again?  The next 2 miles was seemingly an endless climb and eating junk foot while climbing into mid-7000 ft elevation proved to be somewhat difficult.  After 10 minutes of eating my stomach wasn't pleased with my selection but thankfully, after another 10-15 minutes of running, everything went back to normal.

I hit mile 10 in 1:22:45 (8:17 pace).  Slowest mile up to that point was mile 4 (9:24) when I was still running with my first group and quickest was mile 5 (7:23) after breaking away and closing the gap the next group ahead.  I continued to run essentially the entire time (minus aid stations) while many were walking up the hills.  Granted, my pace slowed, but running felt fine and I generally consider myself a strong up-hill runner.  On the flip side, I'm a horrible downhill runner and knew that I needed leverage my strength against my weakness if I was going to have a shot at a decent placing when the race was over.

After climbing for a couple miles, I teamed up with a former SOU runner from miles 12-19.  We were both shooting for similar times and were expecting to catch a few guys who had gone out a bit faster than us.  This guys worked at Rogue Valley Runners in Ashland so we talked about Tim Olsens recent CR at Western States, Hal Koerner's victory at Hardrock, the legend that is Max King, and all the other amazing running talent that is located in Southern Oregon.  Time moved quickly and after turning around at mile 15ish, we hit some of my best splits of the day.  The course is a figure 8 of sorts and so miles 1-9 (out) and miles 22-31 (back) are the same but the rest is only passed through once.  Again, the views were AMAZING.  SPECTACULAR.  BEAUTIFUL.  All those types of words that don't come close to describing the scenery.  Breathtaking, really.  At some point (mile 17?) I took a second Gu, stopped for a second bathroom stop and continued to slowly sip water.  I was loving every minute through mile 19 and continued to pass guys here and there.

I didn't stop loving it at mile 19, but the single-track turned to downhill running at this point and there were a few shots of pain in my legs, knees, and hips.  Nothing major but I found myself looking forward to the aid station at mile 21.  Ran the second 10 miles in 1:24:08 (8:25 pace), slightly slower than the first 10 but nothing to be too concerned over.  Got to the aid station in one piece, filled my water, grabbed a fig newton and something else (can't remember) and was off for the most challenging part of the course.  Basically constant uphill until mile 26 as the sun continues to climb and the legs start complaining a bit louder.  One of the guys I'd passed at mile 19 caught me around mile 22, just one mile into the climb.  I latched on with him for a mile or so but the process of taking my 3rd Gu slowed me down and he was soon out of sight.  I swallowed my pride and began to walk here and there while eating my 3rd Gu.  My water bottle emptied a bit more with each drink and soon enough, I was out of water and still 1.5 miles to the final aid station.  Not good.  And so I walked some more.  And then more.  By far the slowest miles of the day were on this section.  It was to be expected I suppose, given the course layout, but I was more concerned about the lack of water.  During this time, I found it interesting to reflect on road marathons I've run.  Usually towards the end, my mind goes a bit foggy and I can't do simple math, in terms of calculating pace needed for an expected finish time.  There was none of that here--my mind was clear as could be.  That was nice. :)  Basically, I was just tired and didn't want to force the issue given the lack of water.  So what did I do?  Threw in my earbuds and listened to some Jimmy Eat World and Grosse Point Blank soundtrack (random, right) as I slowly made my way along the course.  

Mile 23 (9:08) wasn't bad but mile 24 (11:20), mile 25 (13:40) and mile 26 (13:48)....um, not my finest running performance.  BUT, it was about mile 25.5 when I could see the aid station with my much needed refill.  I ran from that point on, but once I got there, I sat down to give my legs a much needed break (hence the slow mile 26).  HIGHLIGHT OF THE RACE: they filled my water bottle and I nearly drank the sports drink they had set up.  I had it up to my lips and then at the last moment, they said they also had Mt. Dew and Coca Cola.  I chucked the first drink aside and grabbed the Coke.  I can't remember the last time I drank soda; I just don't like it and figure my body doesn't need the sugar.  But at that moment, NOTHING sounded better.  It tasted SOOOOO good.  I grabbed another cup of the good stuff and with the station's encouragement, I was off and running again.  Not just running, but feeling great.  It was amazing.  After going around a couple bends in the trail, I came upon some hikers who said I was in 11th place and the 10th was just a couple minutes ahead of me.

Feeling so good, I kept the music going and cruised along relatively pain free until the finish.  Hit mile 27 in 8:01, followed by a 7:35 and 7:34 for miles 28-29.  I was getting a little discouraged because I still hadn't seen the 10th place runner and I thought for sure I was moving along at a quick enough pace to gain on him.  The first mile of the race that was downhill on a gravel road turned  into the final mile with a much steeper uphill that I remembered.  :)

As soon as I left the single track and made my way up the road, I caught my first glimpse of the guy I had been chasing for 4+ miles.  My uphill swagger came back (thanks again COCA-FREAKIN-COLA) and a chased him down with a vengeance.  Part of me thought maybe I was breaking some sort of ultra rule about 'racing' on the homestretch and to be honest, I felt like a bit of a punk doing it, but when it came right down to it, I wanted to finish in the top-10.  Surprisingly, I had a decent kick (got down to 5:18 pace according to my watch), passed him with about 200 meters to go and I finished my first ultra with a huge smile on my face.

Dude, it was awesome.  I loved it.  Finished a full hour behind Max King, a guy who beats me by 2 minutes at the Pear Blossom 10 mile road race.  He's a machine.  Finished 6th at the Trials in the steeplechase (4th in 2008) and yet can dominate the 50 and 100k races as well.  So basically he still runs Pear Blossom pace and I drop to 8:30s.  Haha.  Anyway, it was great.  I thought for the rest of the day that I enjoyed it enough that it was a good experience but not one I'd want to do again.  But.....now that it has settled in for a while (I'm writing this Sunday night), I could maybe, possibly, perhaps, run another one.  My wife is going to be ticked! :)

Comments(8)
Total Distance
0.00

Sick.

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0.00

Sick.

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Total Distance
0.00

Still sick.

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Total Distance
0.00

Sick.  Probably well enough to run though.  But then I slept in.  Run tomorrow?

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Total Distance
14.00

AM: 10 miles around GP.  Felt great, despite the layoff and recent 31 mile jaunt...

PM: 4 miles while pushing the boys in the stroller.  Hot out. 

Adidas Mana (Blue) Miles: 4.00Adidas Mana (White) Miles: 10.00
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Total Distance
19.00

Decent run around GP.  Ran to Wal-Mart, then up Beacon St and back down 10th, up 9th past the HS.  Reached the top of Hillcrest and run north under the freeway to some random country store.  They were closed so I used their garden hose to wet my head, then returned home via 6th st and the hospital.  Very muggy out the past few days.  I drank 32 of Powerade as soon as I got home and still felt thirsty.

AM #2:  3 miles to return a Redbox movie.  Tried a new pair of shoes.  They feel ok. 

Saucony Kinvara (Black) Miles: 16.00Adidas Mana #2 Miles: 3.00
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Total Distance
16.00

AM: 12 miles.  Ran through town to Anderson Dental, then home the long way.

PM: 4 miles total.  Ran 3 miles to the park and played with the little guys for a bit, then ran 1 mile barefoot in the grass.  I need to do that more often.  Felt good.

Mizuno Ronin Miles: 12.00Adidas Mana #2 Miles: 3.00
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Total Distance
10.00

10 miles to the west of town.  Strange things I saw today; 1 guy wearing two shirts (the outer one being long-sleeved) and 2 separate cars that were running in the driveway.  I maybe understand that in Dec-Feb when it's cold out (maybe...it's still pretty stupid) but in July??  It couldn't have been below 57 degrees today.

Nike Lunarglide (Black) Miles: 10.00
Comments(1)
Total Distance
10.00

I ran through town with the plan to run barefoot at the HS.  On my way there I could tell that one of my toenails had cut the toe next to it and my sock was bloody.  Figured that running barefoot wasn't the smartest idea given the cut toe.  Ran to the north freeway exit and then back home instead.

Asics Cumulus 11 Miles: 10.00
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Total Distance
18.00

AM: 10 miles in GP.  I ran to the HS, then ran 2 miles barefoot on the football field, then ran home.  Felt good.  Coos Bay tonight.

PM:  8 miles in Coos Bay.  Felt great the whole time and considered running much longer but didn't want to overdue my weekly mileage after such a low amount last week. 

Adidas Mana (Blue) Miles: 8.00Mizuno Ronin Miles: 8.00
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Total Distance
6.00

6 miles around Coos Bay.  Very muggy.

Asics Cumulus 11 Miles: 6.00
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Total Distance
20.50

20.5 miles around GP.  I ran around Wal-Mart, then hit the hills.  Ran up Beacon, down 10th to the HS.  Then up 9th and down 6th to the farmers market.  Went back uphill once again on 4th to Club NW and Anderson Dental, then home via Highland Ave.

I take back the good things I said about the Nike+ watch.  It's crap.  Last weekend I ran 16 according to the watch, but when I came home to measure the route online it came out to 16.25.  Same thing today, only worse.  The watch said I ran 20 but the same route measured online comes out to 20.5.  I feel like I'm sprinting along and it's all I can do to get my watch to say sub-6.  That explains the slower times during my runs.  For today's run, it works out to be about 10 seconds/mile slower than it should be.  Anyway, hopefully whoever I talk with @ Nike isn't a tool and they take it back so I can go back to using a Garmin. 

Saucony Kinvara (Black) Miles: 20.50
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Total Distance
10.00

I ran across the river to sportsman park with the idea to run laps on the wood chip trail.  Once I got there, it didn't sound so much fun so I kept to the roads.  Zig-zagged through some rougher parts of GP (but everyone was still sleeping) before returning to the park for 2 laps and then home.  Felt great for a Monday.  Zero aches and soreness which is a welcome change.

Adidas Mana (White) Miles: 10.00
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Total Distance
22.00

AM: 10 miles as I ran south on New Hope Rd to the Christian HS, then returned the same way.  Picked up the pace the last couple miles and felt good.  Eugene tonight.

PM:  In Eugene and I ran the 2 miles to Sheldon HS to run around the track.  4 miles around the track, then 3 miles barefoot around the football field, then back to the hotel.  Very hot out and I'm dehydrated as a result.  Drink up!

Mizuno Ronin Miles: 10.00Asics Cumulus 11 Miles: 10.00
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Total Distance
276.50
Pegasus Trail Miles: 31.00Adidas Mana (White) Miles: 46.00Mizuno Ronin Miles: 56.00Nike Lunarglide (Black) Miles: 17.00Adidas Mana (Blue) Miles: 20.00Saucony Kinvara (Black) Miles: 36.50Adidas Mana #2 Miles: 6.00Asics Cumulus 11 Miles: 26.00
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