Canyon Crossing - A R2R2R Run

"We're you serious about joining you guys for the R2R2R?"

"Well yeah!"

That's about all that was required to convince me to join Ryan, Liz, Justin, and Tiffany in an incredible adventure. 

It all started with a job interview in Denver (which went well), and I originally planned to just fly in and fly out.  Which seemed like such an incredible waste, but without a solid plan I figured it would be the best idea.  Then R2R2R came knockin'.  

I met Ryan at a Ice Age in 2011, and hadn't seen him since.  But luckily social media has allowed us to stay updated on each other adventures.  I met Liz through mutual friends after a race in 2012, and hadn't seen her since then.  Again, thanks facebook for letting us stay in touch.

I'll spare you the technical or fortuitous details of coordinating rides, but Thursday night we were on the road from Boulder to the Grand Canyon, for what is an iconic bucket list run for ultrarunners and a great  way to log some training miles.

Quick stop in Moab, UT

After a quick stop in Moab (awesome place btw), we were Canyon Bound.  Along the way we received emphatic direction that we should stop at Goosenecks State Park for a quick picture, and we obliged.

My "artsy" Goosenecks photo

Interestingly, driving up to the rim of the Canyon almost felt like driving up into the mountains.  Prior to gaining a gob of elevation we were driving along at between 4000-5000 feet above sea level.  Then we headed up, up, up, and were finally at 7000 feet and the Canyon rim.

A quick tourist style stop for a photo and then a pizza pub for beer and pizza, two essentials for any successful Canyon crossing.  We all quickly set up tents and fell asleep, determined to get as much sleep as possible before our 3:30am wakeup.

Breakfast of champions

Breakfast for me was a slice of cheese pizza, a redbull and a couple handfulls of raisins.  The previous night I had filled my pack with gels, shotbloks, stinger waffles, and energy bars.  I was aiming for 200 calories an hour over the course of 12 hours.  I figured with Phantom Ranch along the way I could buy any extra food that might strike my fancy at that particular moment.

Before I knew it, we were parking at the parking area that the shuttle services at South Kaibob.  You can try to drive into the actual trailhead parking lot, but that seems to be discouraged by the park and truely requires a back-country permit.  I think with the growing popularity of R2R2R, we as runners need to be careful to respect park rules and the extra little jog was a nice warmup before bombing down 7 miles of downhill with 5000 feet of descent.

ready for action

 It was incredibly windy running down South Kaibob, the gusts threatened to blow my hat off my head and whipped dust past my face and into my eyes.  I was dressed for cold weather, but it warmed up so fast that I felt a little silly for having arm warmers on under my windbreaker.  Oh well, it never hurts to be prepared.  Layers were quickly shed and the descent continued.

Dust flying through the air (Photo Liz Sassemon)

Flying downhill (Photo Liz Sassemon)

The descent continues (Photo Liz Sassemon).

Down.  Down.  Down.  A mile down.  And then through a small tunnel and onto a suspension bridge over the Colorado River.  We stopped and smiled.  This is unbelievable.  The first descent felt surreal, like a dream.  Running through the dark, buffeted by wind, only slightly able to take in the magnitude of our task.

Soon we were at the turn off for Bright Angel trail and our first water stop.  I drained my pack and thought I filled it back up.  Turns out the extra stuff I had stuffed into the pack resulted in the bladder being compressed and I only filled my pack half-way.  Rookie move, bad Toe.  

Passing phantom ranch its essential a long (13.4 mile) grind up to the North Rim.  The first 7ish miles are very mellow and entirely run-able.  I'd say the incline varied between 1-6% for the most part and we just cruised it out, saying hi to the gob of runners we passed.  Most appeared to be running from the North Rim to the South Rim on a one-way crossing.  Hmmm, what a nice distance...

My half-full pack only lasted the first 4-5 miles up this stretch as it was relatively exposed and we were running mostly uphill.

The gradual run up into Bright Angel Canyon

Meandering single track

As we worked our way through Bright Angel Canyon, I was delighted to find a water stop at Cottonwood Campground. Since I'd be running with a dry pack for a while, I drained almost an entire bladder and refilled before leaving.  We then continued the run into Bright Angel canyon along the creek and towards the North Rim.  Ryan set a nice pace on the climbs and I told my Michigan legs to shut up and followed.  There were some spectacular views as the trail decided to become sincerely steep and we gained elevation at a more rapid rate.  

Can you see the trail along the Canyon wall behind me?

Getting high

North Rim

There were points on this run up the North Rim where I felt as if the switch backs would go on forever.  And they did.  I also think I over-fueled briefly on this ascent as I alternated between feeling really strong, and feeling like I was going to barf.  I gave myself a good 30-40 minutes with no calories and just a bit of water and the feeling subsided.  But then we were at the top.  Sitting at 8000 feet, the North Rim is almost 1000 feet higher than the South Rim, and has an entirely different feel.  While the South Rim is a tourist hell-hole complete with massive parking lots, a general store, and a post office, the North Rim only has a small lodge, a mule ranch, and a parking lot with rustic bathrooms.  Furthermore, while the South Rim has a distinctly desert feel; the shubbery was replaced by tall trees and a cool breeze on the North.  

Ryan and I sat and waited for the rest of our crew and chatted with the numerous other runners who were doing various trips.  In the awesome generous spirit of ultrarunning/trailrunning, we were offered Ice Cold Pepsi and potato straws by Grandpa Jim, who was a Canyon regular.  We said "hi" to David Goggins who was just out for a training run, then sat back in the shade and enjoyed our pops and pizza.  Yes, that's correct, I hauled two slices of cheese pizza across the Grand Canyon to eat for lunch.  Entirely worth it, although it may not have looked super appetizing.

Justin's pocket pizza (photo Justin Hellwinkel)

North Rim chillin (Photo Liz Sassemon)

We were just hanging out when we noticed a large mule train starting towards to trail from the stables.  We gave each other a quick nod, grabbed our gear, and took off.  No one wanted to get behind the mules or deal with any extra mule poop or urine than was necessary.

The rim that is right center in the far distance is where we came from and headed back to

Could the scenery be any cooler? 

Somewhere on the run down from the North Rim I realized that this was the last major descent and I wouldn't need my quads after it was over.  I decided to let go and bomb away.  Joyously soft trails and few water steps allowed for a fast descent down the steep part of the Canyon, then the gradual decline of Bright Angel canyon let me throw down some 6:40's.  I did notice it was getting hot, but continued to run with the throttle open.   A lot of hikers gave me a smile and laughed at how much fun I was having running downhill, which was only more encouragement to run hard.

Nearing Phantom Ranch, I realized I hadn't peed in a while and my shoes were full of sand.  After a slight...  detour, I found the Ranch and stopped to take my socks and shoes off to get all the sand out.  An amazing round of leg cramps ensued in which it became very difficult to get my socks and shoes back on.  Very gingerly I put my shoes back on, about the time when Ryan caught up, and we grabbed a lemonade and a snack at Phantom Ranch before the final climb of the day. 

On the way to Indian Garden

Bright Angel trail meanders up through a variety of terrain, the first half which is called "The Devils Corkscrew" or "Angels Elevator" depending on who you talk to.  This was perhaps one of the more exposed sections, but as we reached Indian Garden, the sun snuck behind a canyon wall and it was no longer quite so hot.  After a few jokes about sending mules down to rescue us, we refilled our water and jogged out of Indian Garden and onto the steeper section of Bright Angel.  There isn't much to say about this section, except that it was nice to have frequent water spigots, and we just got our grind on.  A few false summits and about 50 switchbacks later we were at the top of the South Rim again, looking out over the Canyon and slightly amazed with how far we had just run.  

woah

Quite a few switchbacks required to get up from below

Climbing back up Bright Angel was quite interesting in the late-afternoon.  Exhausted hikers and R2R'ers littered the trail, and the pow-hike easily cruised past them.  Sometimes they only begrudgingly gave us room to pass.  Part of my addled brain wondered if they had any idea what we had gone through that day, but the other part realized this was an extreme physical challenge for these people and I should just give them a nod and keep moving.

The Top.  Finally back at the Top of the South Rim.  Ryan and I gave each other a high five, and that was it.  We were done.

R2R2R is quite an experience.  I enjoy a good testing, and this certainly tested my shit.  Its a unique run as it has all the vertical packed into two climbs and two descents, they seemed like they went on forever.  Very pleased with the way my Michigan legs handled all the climbing and descending.  My GPS watch seems to have deleted the file (of course that happened) but I had around 48.5 miles total, including the run from the car to the trailhead.  I suspect it overestimated a little, but still a very respectable number. Ryan's altimeter said 10,600 feet of climbing, which I entirely believe.

Woot.

If I was going to give pointers for running R2R2R, they would be.  1)  The longest stretch without water is between cottonwood campground and phantom ranch, be cogniscent of this.  2)  Take enough fuel/food, its very important to keep eating calories as you are trying to climb out of the canyon towards the finish when you're tired.  3)  Salt caps help in the heat, I prefer S!caps, but use what you like.  4)  Leaving the South Rim via South Kaibob and returning via Bright Angel is nice, but make sure you have a way to get your car.  5)  Leaving early is smart, and you get to run a lot in the morning before people or heat slow you down.  6)  DO NOT EAT THE BUFFALO WINGS AT THE PIZZA PUB THE NIGHT BEFORE THE RUN.

FOOOD

Fuel
I took about 25 gels with me, and prob donated 4-5 of them to others and had 5 left when I finished.  I also carried 5 honey stinger waffles (of which I ate 3), a clif bar, hammer bar, honey stinger bar, a slice of pizza, and three packs of Clif shot bloks.  I also took 5 S!caps during the run and had a lemonade, oreos, and pretzels while at Phantom Ranch.  All said, I prob had a little extra food with me, but that's just how I roll.

Gear
Petzel Myo headlamp, Recofit compression sleeves, Brooks LSD Lite jacket, S-lab 5 liter pack, sunglasses, hat, singlet, Salomon S-lab Sense Ultra shoes, a pair of Smartwool running socks, running shorts.  2Toms Sportshield kept me blister and chaffing free.

Woodstock 100 Mile Thoughts

About to start, Ryan Case showing how relaxed he is

My thought process during the race.

First loop

"Wow my heart rate is too high, whatever, I'll just keep going"

"That guys going too fast, I'm going too fast, we're all going too fast!"

"This duct tape feels weird now that my feet are sweating"

"Eat solid food"

"Hugh has sweet vertical runner gear"


Second Loop

"Hoka, Hoka, Hoka"

"I'm hot, I think I'll take off my shirt"

"Just a light rain, no big deal"

"I'm cold, I think I'll grab a shirt"

"Stop thinking and run"

"Why are these roctaines so chunky (gag)"


Third Loop

"Crap I'm cold"

"Eat solid food"

"Woah, Hokas are like ice skates in mud"

"There's my Dad, smile like you're still having fun"

"This jacket will keep me warm"


 Fourth Loop

"This jacket is not keeping me warm"

"Holy crap it's raining so hard my headlamp is almost useless"

"Totally exposed to the storm on this rail trail"

"I think I stepped on a frog"

"These shoes aren't draining at all"

"I'm so cold"

"I'm so cold"

"My feet are melting"

"I don't care if I'm in first, I quit"

"I hope Ryan and Jenny understand, I just can't keep going"

"How the hell do I get this poncho on?"

"Why am I putting this poncho on?"

Time of day per lap.  We started at 4pm (Photo Don Lindley)

Fifth Loop

"How did I end up back out on the trail again?"

 "These speedcrosses are way better"

"Die mud"

"How did I end up on the trail again?"

"Run damnit, no walking"

"Case is coming"

"These saltine crackers are so dry"

"Just keep talking to Jenny (my pacer), time will move faster that way"


Sixth Loop

"Hey there's Mike"

"Hey there's Jason"

"I think Jason just hugged me"

"Run, Damnit"

"Where did my pacer go?"

"Run that hill"

"Vanilla gel taste good?!?!?!"

"Fuel all the way to the finish"

"Case is coming, no walking"

"Its almost over!"

"Its over."

"Chair!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Chair!!!!!! (Photo Don Lindley)

Ok that was some fun "thought vomit" from the race.  Real stuff is down here.  It was a great experience.  Came into the race feeling more mentally and physically prepared than I have for any race.  Some of this excitement died off when I noticed the weather forecast becoming more and more foreboding. 

I decided I was going to fight my cautious nature and go out with the lead pack and just see if I could outlast those guys.  It was a  pleasure to spend the first couple loops in the company of several other tremendous runners, all of whom were on a mission to kick ass and push their own individual limits.  In retrospect, with such a long race, through running with/against one another, we aren't necesarily competing with each other so much as with ourselves, and using the community experience to allow us to reach our limits.

In the end, I think the weather got a lot of people, and it nearly got me.  The start was 80 degrees and humid and then it dropped down to 48 during the night and continued to rain from 8pm till 5-6am.  My crew saved me from a DNF by sitting me in front of a heater for 25 minutes at an aid station and getting dry socks/shoes and a poncho onto me, before literally shoving me back out into the rain and telling me they'd see me again in 8 miles.  While I didn't every fully recover from the butt kicking I took out in the storm, it was relatively smooth sailing from then on.  At some point I became aware that my buddy Ryan Case was giving chase, and I forced quite a bit more running out of my legs than I usually am capable of over the last 25 miles or so.  I guess this is "running scared".

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

We are alone, running on an enormous beach, falling into a rhythm and quickly covering ground.  But then its time to slam on the brakes, breathe in the scenery, and take a couple photos; one can't help but be slightly overwhelmed with the magnificence of this lakeshore.  Repeat this series of events over and over again.

Vanhoose cruising along the lakeshore

 The North Country Trail is an enormously long trail that runs from New York all the way to North Dakota, covering over 4600 miles.  This includes a section through a part of Michigan that is less traveled, to say the least.

More or less on a whim, Ben Vanhoose and I decided to head way Up North and run trail for 5 days.  We found a campsite at Little Beaver Lake (luckily) and were good to go.  This particular campsite/trailhead allowed for excellent access to nearby trails and Lake Superior.  From here we launched most of our daily runs.  I'll write about our destination runs, as some of our shorter trips were just to wake up in the morning without the aid of coffee and loosen up the legs a little. 

Run 1:  An exploratory jaunt to get an idea of where we were in relation to the lake, other trails, and to shake out the legs.  The section from the campground out to the lake is fairly technical, but once we made it to the lakeshore the trails were moderately packed sand.  We continued East on the North Country Trail (NCT), until we saw signs for Trappers Lake Campground and turned South.  After some guesswork, we found the trail that took us along the side of Beaver Lake.  All in all a very cool run, with a crossing of Beaver Creek on a super wooden bridge.  Total of about 9 miles.  The trails other than the NCT were hardly traveled, and quite overgrown.

 

Run map

Vanhoose Crossing Beaver Creek

  Run 2:  We drove to the Hurricane Ridge Campground parking lot and ran towards the Au Sable lighthouse, then continued on to the Log slide, a part of the dunes where loggers used to slide felled trees into the lake for shipping.  This section was different.  The trail from the parking lot to the Lighthouse was essentially a dirt road, so we threw down some fast miles.  Finding where the NCT continues on past the lighthouse was only moderately challenging, and soon we headed up towards the Logslide.  There were a couple nice climbs, and the trail was not as technical as the West end of the park.  We chose to run to the logslide because there was (potable) water at the parking lot.  Just for the hell of it, we explored a couple other trails nearby and found a really fantastic overlook of the Grand Sable Dunes. Then we ran back to Hurricane Ridge and cooled off in Hurricane River.  The round trip ended up being just shy of 10 miles.

You can just see where the dunes begin at the point where we turned around

Atop a dune

More dunes

Run 3:  This was our biggest day.  And the most spectacular.  The park ranger we spoke to described this section of the park as the Gem of the Lakeshore.  Needless to say, we stopped for a lot of photos.  Even cooler, we were able to launch this trip right from our campsite.  Starting at Little Beaver Lake trailhead, we ran to the NCT, then turned West and proceeded to run along the sandy/grassy shoreline that slowly climbed to the tops of magnificent cliffs.  We were also reworded with a great view of Spray Falls (I think this was my single most favorite visual), a waterfall that cascades off the top of a clif and into Lake Superior.  Continuing Westward, we reached Chapel Beach (again we were the only two souls on the beach) and took some pictures, checked out Chapel Rock and then continued down the NCT towards Mosquito campground.  On the way to the campground, we passed Grand Portal Point, an exposed area on top of the Pictured Rocks that offered some stunning views.  Upon reaching Mosquito River, we found a bridge across, and luckily chose the right trail to take us to Mosquito Falls, then to Chapel parking lot (no water) and then headed past Chapel Falls down to Chapel Beach again and back to our campsite via the NCT, essentially making a lollipop-style loop.  Total Distance, just shy of 23 miles.  Terrain went from technical with roots, to flat out fast buffed out trail.

Just an awesome route

Spray Falls behind me

Vanhoose thinking about going for a swim

View from Chapel Beach

Pictured Rocks

At Grand Portal Point

Pictured Rocks namesake

Run 4:  Started at the Munising Falls Visitors Center, which provides immediate access to the NCT.  From a purely running standpoint, this was the most fun section of trail we ran all week.  Incredibly technical in some areas.  Rotted 2x4 bridges over swampy ground, incredibly rooty, and plenty of up and down, and some small stream crossings.  Interestingly, there were quite a few streams that just seemed to go off the sides of the cliffs into Lake Superior, but were unnammed and unmarked.  There were also some ski trails near Munising which intersected with the NCT, it was not too difficult to choose the correct trail, but it also made me want to explore more of the trail system.  We ran to the Miners Castle Overlook, where there was drinking water, then turned around and hammered the miles back.  I didn't bring my camera, which was OK, as this didn't have the views that we experienced on our earlier run, just amazing terrain. Total distance was 13.5 miles.ish.

Along the Lakeshore with Grand Island just off the coast

Miner's Castle (photo Ben Vanhoose)

Overall, the experience was tremendous.  It was somewhat surreal that there were so few people on the trails.  That being said, it was peak season!  I can't wait to go back, hopefully show some more people some of these amazing views, its so spectacular you just want to share it with people.  Much credit to Ben Vanhoose for dreaming up this trip.

A few roots (photo Ben Vanhoose)

There are a few more runs that I still want  to do.  I am curious what the NCT is like from Mosquito River to Miners Castle - the cliffs and trails in this area occasionally fall into the lake, so who knows what the trail is like.  I also would love to explore Beaver Basin Wilderness area more.  Lastly, being so close to Grand Island, its tempting to take the Ferry to the island and explore some of the trails that are used by the Grand Island Marathon (Great Lakes Endurance).  I think another trip is in order!

Hoka One One Stinson B Evo Low Review

By Jason Robertson

I had been considering getting a pair of Hokas.  While I couldn't find the correct size, Jason (who is also a shoe nerd) picked up a pair of the new Stinson B Evos, and I begged him for a review.  Enjoy!

Get the name right damnit!  Minimalist shoe label from the running store.

Fit

A little narrow in the toe box.  My left foot is larger than my right and pinky toe was slightly rubbing.  I was able to change out the standard-sized, left insole for the thinner one provided-no more rubbing and nice customization.  This was the only concern I had with the fit of this shoe.  The upper has great lock-down and provides day-long comfort.  It also has a taller (more volume) and slightly more narrow fit than, say, a MT110 or the Brooks Pure Grit.  I run a size 10 in those models and have found the 10.5 in Hokas very nice, in addition to the thinner insole in my left shoe.

Accessories:  Extra insoles and laces

Traction

Traction rocks on this shoe.  You can hear it grip on pavement and the dry hard pack we’ve experienced here in Northeast Indiana this summer.  It does lack the deep lugs of a Salomon Speedcross, but I’d say the rubber is on par with the MT110 for tackiness. I felt very secure on wet, downhill corners during my outings in the Smokies and no problems on wet rock (the Brooks Pure Grit really let me down on the slick rock during our last trip so I was very cautious and was pleasantly surprised with the Stinson B Evo).  This outsole also receives high marks for self-cleaning action.

Wear resistant, very tacky Hoka outsole, very nice!

Cushion

Goes without saying…this shoe has lots of cush.  Confidence inspiring, feels like cheating, unfair advantage cush.  This shoe has allowed me, over the past month, to become a downhill bomber.   I’ve also, at the same time, been able to handle an increase in mileage as I’ve had time off from work this summer.  My legs have not had that “beat down” feeling they usually receive from such an increase into the 100 mile per week range. 

Some might say, and mentioned by Marshall Ulrich in his review of Hokas, that having so much cushion could prevent or hinder the gains (i.e. muscle breakdown-healing, ligament, joint, tendon strengthening/changing) of running in a more minimally cushioned shoe.  I do wear and run in the Minimus 00, Kinvara and the Pure Grit a few times each week and know there is benefit in low slung shoes.  I recovered from an injury 2 years ago through a process of running barefoot and utilizing minimal shoes.  Not having a serious injury since, I want to maintain my form.  The Hokas have allowed for more vigorous miles to be put in each week and I believe they have allowed some strengthening in areas that lesser cushioned shoe might not.  For instance, pounding the down hills helped strengthen my quads.  I also noticed my ankles feeling a bit worked-similar to when I do barefoot speed work on the soccer fields.  The Hokas also allow for the same cadence and running stance that I have developed with my other lower shoes.  It is interesting to note that Playmakers have a minimalist label on the box as seen in my first picture.

Lots of cushion in these bad boys

Protection

Search out the sharpest stingers on the trail.  Nothing short of a 3” nail will hurt your foot.  I totally understand why Darcy Africa (a PI sponsored runner) would opt for the Hokas at Hard Rock, even when she has Isoseeks at her disposal.  4-4.5 hour run/hikes in the Smokies had my feet begging for more. Usually after the four hour mark of running trail, especially in the Smoky Mountains, my feet start letting me know that they’re feeling the rocks, roots and uneven terrain. No matter what I stepped on, I felt no pain.  I am very excited to try these out in some fall 50 milers and next year’s mountain 100’s.

Flexibility

Next to none.  This did make my left arch sing a little (same tightness I had with the MT100/101s).  After some foam rolling on the calf, all was well.  With such a well cushioned midsole, the Hoka is a stiff shoe.  You can’t roll it up like a Nike Free.  This is just fine with me.  The stiffness actually inspires quite a bit of confidence when rolling fast on the downs and the rockered shape of the shoe allows for a nice seamless foot strike to toe off.

Likes

·        Awesome cushion and protection.  I will never again have to choose what shoe I’ll wear on a run over 3 hours…or question whether or not to bomb a downhill.

·        Great drainage.  After the several crossings we did in the Smokies, I was very impressed.  This shoe, surprisingly, drained and dried as well as a pair of 101s, which in my opinion; earned the title for the quickest drain/dry shoe.

·        Nice alternate insole/lacing options (comes with quick lace intact-laces optional, but you have to cut the quick lace in order to remove).

·        Overall fit and wear.  I plan on wearing this shoe through next summer and have no concerns about this shoes making it to 1,500 miles-seems very durable at this point. Also, the fit and drop of the shoe does not interfere with wearing my other shoes.  I simply throw on the extra cushion, no worries about a large ramp angle when switching to a more cushioned shoe. 

Dislikes

·        Weight claims.  I read from several sources that these shoes weighed in anywhere between 9 and 10.5 ounces for a men’s size 9.  The shoes I purchased, a size 10.5, weighed in at 13 1/8 ounces on my extremely accurate food scale.  This is about the weight of a pair of Cascadia 6s in the same size.  Interestingly enough, I planned to buy a pair of Cascadia 7s.  I tried on the Hokas 1st, ran around the store, ran a 5k with Scott Jurek(! Stopped in on his book tour) in a trial pair then tried on the Cascadias.  They felt very flat and unresponsive comparatively.  I dropped the extra $60 for the Hokas. 

          The Hokas do a good job of feeling lighter than they really are.  Just        looking at them, you would think they are heavy clodders.  Upon picking        them up they feel uber light.  Same thing happens when running in      them.  They have such a good bounce and energy return, that they seem          to shrug off some ounces and feel about the same weight as a pair of Pure Grits.

·        Cost.  These are the most expensive in my shoe quiver and gave me the most wife feedback.  But, if they last as long as I think, cost will be a mute point.  Plus, they do come with extra laces and another set of insoles allowing a more customizable fit.

Writer Bio

 

My name is Jason Robertson (33 years old).  I’ve been married for 15 years, have 3 kids and teach middle school Language Arts.

I grew up riding/racing dirt bikes and fell in love with running in ’09 after finally getting the right pair of shoes on my feet, ridding myself of shin splints, and completing my first 50k. 

Jason why so modest?  Jason has run over 20 Ultras, including 3 100 mile races.  Always up for a long run,  he is a constant source of inspiration and enthusiasm.

Mohican 100 Report

Spoiler alert - I finished.  Thanks to my awesome crew

Well its over, its done.  Another 100 in the books.  Mohican was everything advertised; challenging and scenic terrain, with a great sense of community.  And lots of beer. 

Following Gnawbone, my preparation for Mohican was going fantastically, logging weeks of 120 miles, 150 miles and 115 miles.  But it was at the end of this cycle, that I believe I made a mistake that put my race in jeopardy.  Coming down with a sinus cold, I raced the dexter-ann arbor half marathon, in the middle of a heavy training week, at about an all out effort.  I had hoped this would be a good speed workout, but in retrospect, it took too much out of my legs.  Maybe it sounds strange to say that, considering I feel like I am recovered from racing 50 miles after 2 weeks, but I guess my body just isn’t adapted to recover from a high intensity effort like a half marathon.  Anyways, every run after the half marathon, my quads would begin to ache after about 40-50 minutes.  To me, this was a classic sign of being overtrained, although maybe not severely.  I figured this would go away after a few runs, but it persisted all the way up to my last run on Wednesday before Mohican. 

Well, two more days rest and I figured I would be good to go, but in the back of my mind, I felt not 100% confident, very dangerous when approaching a 100 mile race. 

My crew and I arrived with plenty of daylight to spare on Friday, packet pick up went smoothly, and I had plenty of time to say hi to everyone I knew before dropping off the drop bags and hitting the hay.  

I woke up at 2:45, well ahead of my 3:30 alarm, but decided to go with it, and ate my two bagels with peanut butter and a banana.  I thought that would give me plenty of time to digest my breakfast as well as focus my brain.  The start came sooner than I expected, and before I knew it, I was saying adios to my crew, and trying to figure out where to stand in the masses. 

We took off into the darkness, headlamps slowly becoming helpful as we headed into the woods.  I chatted with Jason for a while, passed some people on a road section before heading into the tight single track, and settled in for the day.  In my short pockets I was carrying 4 gels, a ziplock baggy of salts, a ziplock with pretzel M&Ms, and I carried two waterbottles, one 26oz and one 20oz.  The 20oz contained my coke/sports drink mixture with about 300 calories while the other bottle contained water.  My crew was going to meet me at aid stations with fresh bottles, one containing water and one with sports drink mix.  

Shortly before the firetower aid, I found a couple guys to chat with and time moved rather quickly.  Past firetower, we began the 1st of our 2 long loops.  This section of trail had some nice descents, as well as a section of two gravel two track that allowed for the field to spread out a little more. 

Thanks Wikipedia

I made sure to keep eating, gels, and M&Ms on the first loop, along with a couple bottles of mix.  With the group I was with, we moved though some of the more interesting sections on the long loop, came into the Covered Bridge aid station, where I was happy to see familiar faces in Jay and Seth.  In and out, quickly onto what I thought was the best section of trail all day.  Lots of uphill, and smooth winding downhills to compliment.  Hickory ridge aid station was next, and I was in and out as quick as possible, and headed towards the start/finish.  On this section I was moving well, but started to notice some tightness or soreness in the vastus medialis of my quadriceps muscles.

At the start/finish aid I complained briefly to anyone around me that my quads were hurting too early, and was reworded with encouragement and a reminder from Farra that there is more to a leg than the quads.  Use the rest of your muscles dummy.  So I ran on, and tried to settle back onto my haunches a little to utilize my glutes and hamstrings more.

It is hard to express the sort of mental state I was in.  I was worried, disappointed, and unhappy that my quads were going so early, somewhat angry with myself for pushing too hard too close to such a big race, and soon thoughts of dropping and saving myself for another day were creeping into my brain.  I mean, at about 30 miles, if you're not feeling good, its easy to get overwhelmed with the thought of 70 more miles of torture.  Here, my crew saved my day.  They never let the thoughts of quitting become more than thoughts, anytime I saw them, they were cheery and genuinely encouraging.  That, and I am a proud S.O.B. who didn't want to let his friends see him quit. 

So I ran, and ran some more.  Then I ate some gels, drank some pop, and ran some more.  As it heated up, I popped S!caps every 45-60 minutes, and drank lots of water.  I caught some 50 mile guys and ran with them for a while.  It helped pass the time.  Soon I was at Covered Bridge again, always gaining some momentum from seeing familiar faces.  Here I grabbed my hydration pack, and dropped the faithful bottles that had served me well so far that day.

By mile 50, I had caught several more people and was told I was 3rd male, with Connie Gardner, David Lister, and someone from the West coast, out in front.  Surprised, as I was being somewhat negative still, I slipped past a couple more 50 mile or marathon runners, and headed for the start/finish aid station.

54  miles down, only a few more to go

I think it was here that my day started to turn around.  I saw a lot of friendly faces.  Ryan Case was there, reporting he had crushed the 50 mile in under 8 hours, which got me a little fired up and motivated to get my own race crushing done.  Hydration pack filled, Mountain Dew in my shoulder bottle, I was out the door, and finally starting to accept that my legs were going to fight me all the way to the finish line.

I power hiked anything remotely technical or steep.  It seemed to be helping me save  my quads for runnable terrain.  I grabbed a turkey sandwich and it somehow lifted my spirits.  This was my que that I needed more real food, and began searching aid stations for ramen, chips, and the occasional sandwich bite.  By the time I came into firetower aid, grabbed pizza and Ensure from Jenny and Ryan, and I was running like a mad man, and went tearing into the woods, finally finding a mental high and determined to ride it for as long as I could.  This next section was a technical series of short ups and downs, with an overall cumulative decent, which finally pushed my quads over the limit.  Soon after Covered Bridge, I tripped and did what I called turtle-ing where I landed on my full hydration pack and was stunned/stuck on my back with my arms and legs sticking out at angles.  Laughing a little bit at myself and glad I didn't sustain any serious injuries, I moved as fast as I could.  I was now 2nd male, and only had Connie Gardner and West Coast ahead of me.

Alas, I was not meant to keep moving up in the standings.  A runner who must have also been struggling early on, came flying by me on a downhill near mile 75, as I gingerly gimped my way down the steep decline.  He looked great, gave me some friendly words and I wished him well.  By this point in the race I was rooting for everyone else, and I hope the feeling was mutual.  

The plan had been, that at mile 76 I would pick up my pacer, Ryan, for a 10 mile stint until I reached firetower.  Most of it was hiking, and I didn't have a lot to say, but Ryan did exactly what a pacer should do;  remain positive, give your runner small goals to run towards, and help motivate them by finding other runners to catch.  Now on my fourth and final loop, I managed to reel in Connie Gardner, with what was destined to be some of my last real running of the day. 

 I also ran into my Mom, who had picked up more pizza for me.  I dunno what it is, but a slice of pizza on the run just works so good for me. Everything else after mile 90 was a shuffle/jog/power hike.  My Fenix headlamp worked great, but because I was not lifting my toes well, I stumbled quite frequently when attempting to jog.  In retrospect, my power hike might have been just as fast as the shuffle/jog.  I was power hiking past many runners on their 3rd loops without having to run.

The last downhills to the finish were brutal.  Painful on the feet, painful on the legs, painful on my brain.  But I knew I was going to be done soon, and was so close to the finish.  And then it was over.  I sank into a folding chair, exhausted, legs so tight I couldn't even manage to pull on my sweat pants.  After a good 6 hours of sleep, we headed back to the race start and cheered in the other runners and sat around making small talk. 

The next morning I hung around, had a beer, 2 quarter pounders with cheese and a large fry.  So good, something that I hadn't eaten since Kettle Moraine, over a year ago.  

Jason looking good after running 100 miles

Now looking back on what was Mohican, I can honestly say I gave my best effort that I was capable of that day.  I still am not sure if I ran the best race I could have, and definitely feel like I made a few mistakes leading up to the race.  Racing the Half was fun, but stupid, so I will learn from that.  Otherwise I was pleased with my race prep.  After Oil Creek going so well and experiencing few lows, I was slightly afraid to run another 100, as Kettle was such a learning experience.  Mohican, similar to Kettle, beat me down hard, but I survived, and maybe learned that just because I have some mental (and physical) lows, I can still perform.

3rd place!

Maybe a little more scouting would have helped.  I underestimated the terrain at Mohican.  It was quite a bit rockier in parts than I expected.  It seemed to have very runnable sections, and then sections that were incredibly steep and/or rocky and/or stupid. 

Things that went right:  stomach only annoyed when I took a couple bites of a krispy kreme pie, hydration was spot on, salt intake adequate, headlamps worked nice, 2toms anti-chaffing worked amazing.

Things that went wrong:  quads went too early, feet weren't prepared for rocky terrain (shoes mostly), had some GI issues early on, mentally was not excited about racing for the first 30-40 miles.

Food:  mostly gels and clif bloks, 2 ensures, 2 slices of pizza, 3 cups of ramen, 1/2 a turkey sandwich, 2 bags of pretzel M&Ms, 15 Scaps, 3-4 bottles of Mtn Dew, 3-4 bottles Gu Brew.

I really like to think I can run under 20 hours on the course, and next year, I am going to find out.