Mountain Lakes 100 – 2018

My first 100 miler…  Shaky training, lingering injury, and bad weather reports made the weeks leading up to this race stressful, to say the least.

Race information

• What? Mountain Lakes 100
• When? September 22, 2018
• How far? 100 Miles w/ 11k’ of gain
• Where? Olallie Lake Resort, OR
• Website: https://gobeyondracing.com/races/mountain-lakes-100/
• Strava activity: https://www.strava.com/activities/1861753587

Goals

Splits

Training

*You can check out my full training leading up to the race by clicking here.*

I signed up for this race, my first 100 miler, the morning registration opened.  This meant I had the better part of a year to prepare and train.  I filled out my race calendar with the single goal in mind of completing this race, the mountain lakes 100.

My view on training, in general, is more about having fun and enjoying my time.  I don’t do intervals, thresholds, or any kind of speed-work.  The vast majority of my runs are just me, out in the woods, running at a comfortable pace/effort (and usually listening to a fantasy or sci-fi audio book in one ear!).  I have found that this helps me avoid injury, burnout, and keeps me looking forward to my next time out in the woods.  Obviously, I wouldn’t recommend this style of “training” to everyone, but for now, I enjoy it.

Miles per month for the year

As for the actual numbers, I started the year closer to 20-30 mile weeks and through out the year steadily climbed up to 50ish mile weeks.  I also spent more time on the trails this year, largely due to my new found love for a couple trails out in Capitol Forest.  This also allowed me to up my climbing game pretty significantly, I was well over 100k’ of climbing for the year by the time the race came.

If you look at the images above, you’ll notice a sudden drop off about a month before the race.  So, what gives?  Well, as with all good stories, there was a little drama.  Right after my depressing defeat (my first DNF) at the Squamish 50/50, I jammed my foot on a root while on a training run out at Mount Saint Helens, which led to my ankle(s) getting hurt.  Long story short, this resulted in almost a month long taper before the race…. ha.

All the confidence I had and work I had put in felt like it slowly dissolved away over those 4 weeks leading up to the race.  I recall telling my girlfriend, who would be pacing me for the race, I predicted about a 10% chance I would finish.  With my DNF at Squamish and lingering injuries and now what felt like lack of training, I just didn’t see a way I could do it in under 30 hours.   I remember, just a few weeks back, thinking how anything over a 24 hour finish and I would be bummed… and now i’d be surprised if I made it to mile 55.

Pre-race

I drove down to Detroit (who knew Oregon had a Detroit of their own?!) on Thursday evening (the 20th) with my girlfriend, Courtney, where we rented a room at the Detroit Lake Lodge.  The room was super cozy and the people working there were very nice.  Even though we only had the room for Thursday-Saturday morning, they allowed us to keep a car parked there till Sunday for no additional fee, we would definitely recommend them!

I mentioned Courtney, who was serving as crew chief pacer from mile 70-100, but I also had the pleasure of being aided by 3 of my best buds, Jimmy, Ben, and Rodeo.  Jimmy would also be pacing me, but he would go from mile 55-70.  They met us down near Olallie at Detroit Lake the evening before.  We were loaded up on snacks and pretty much ready to go.  The last big unknown was something you can’t really do much about… the weather.  I had prepared for the worst and hoped for the best, but that hope quickly faded by Friday night as it seemed clear we would be facing a decent amount of rain and temps in the 40s or lower for most of the day

Snacks for the race!

Courtney and I went to the packet pickup Friday night and then got some steaks in town.  Despite having barely ran in the 4 weeks leading up to the race and seeing the nasty weather on the way, I started to feel like this may be possible again.  I mean heck, when you are surrounded by such a fine group of boys (and girl) it makes you feel like anything is possible…

Me at the packet pickup on Friday

The Race

I woke up at 5:45, quickly got my gear on and tried my best to down some calories (a raisin bagel) and began hydrating.  I had my vest ready and my rain gear on standby.  We all loaded up the truck and just like that we were off.  The drive to Olallie lake from Detroit is a bit over an hour with about half of that being on some pretty rough and bumpy roads, kudos to anyone that made the trek in a small sedan. The parking was a bit hectic to say the least.  I eventually had to just jump out and let my friends drive while I went and checked in.

With the rain coming down and all the runners crowded between the lake and start line, the gun fired and off we went into the great unknown (for me, at least)!

Start to Olallie Lake Aid: 26.1 miles with +3799′ gain and -3799′ loss

To preface this, I want to mention that I’ll be breaking this report up into sections between seeing my crew.  With that out of the way… the rain held pretty steady for the first section, which was a big loop near the southern end of the lake.  This section was also described as the most technical and likely the most challenging of the day. Gotta say, I agree… hah.

I found a decent groove and was able to hold a comfortable pace. I ran when the terrain permitted and power hiked when needed.  There were a couple sections where I felt myself shiver a little, which really worried me, but I was able to push a little harder to warm back up.  The last thing I wanted on my mind was hypothermia concerns so early.

The weather wasn’t the only thing we had to fight out there.  There was a major yellow jacket nest around mile 18.5 that everyone had to run through.  It was kind of funny, hearing all these adults screaming off in the distance as they sprinted through the swarm of pure evil.  When I reached it, I zipped up my jacket fully and covered everything I could.  I was lucky enough to get through with only 1 sting on my quad.

The rain poured hard right before I got near Olallie lake resort aid station, but let up right as I got in.  I was soaked but eager to hunt down my crew and see some familiar faces.

Olallie to Clackamas Ranger Station : 29.4 miles with +2533′ gain and -4006′ loss

Bout to leave my crew at mile 26, fresh clothes and all

As I ran into the Olallie lake resort aid I scanned the crowds looking for my crew.  They had a great spot under a tree where they kept everything nice and dry.  I spent maybe 10 minutes or so swapping out everything, and I mean everything… all the way down to my boxers.  I ate a little and got more tailwind for my soft flasks (I was carrying 3, each with 2 scoops of tailwind inside) before zipping off.  I was super happy with how fast my crew was able to get me everything I needed, couldn’t have asked for a better reset.

My plan for the next 29 miles was to stay efficient, but bank some time.  While I love both the people I had chose to pace me, they are not speedsters by any means.  The last thing I wanted to do was come in near the cutoffs and have to push them (and myself) harder than they could handle.  It would be setting us all up for failure, so to that effect, I decided to push the gas a little.

I cruised pretty much without issue through the whole section.  I was on point with my nutrition, my lingering ankle pains were gone and my stomach felt solid.  The rain actually let up as well, so overall I was feeling pretty damn good.  My pace was close to 11:00/mi through most of the section.

One thing I noticed early on was how amazing the aid stations were.  I am not just talking about the amazing supply of food and drink (uh freakin’ crepes at warm springs aid station!), but the people themselves.  They were some of the nicest and most helpful aid station workers/volunteers I have ever encountered, something I would learn much more as I passed through the night.  I also met some amazing runners out there too.  I ran a couple miles with a wonderful woman named Marla from Tennessee, we shared some stories before parting ways, but I’d see her again.

I ended up hitting mile 50 right as it got dark.  The rain had come back and I was slowing down and getting cold.  I took a couple extra minutes at the red wolf aid station to down some extra coca-cola and a potato pierogi.  When I left the heated tent of the aid station I almost immediately began to shiver.  The shock of the wet/cold knocked me back into reality a bit, making me realize I was just now half way through the race, at least in terms of distance.

As I put on my rain jacket and walked away from the aid station, I evaluated my body.  Nothing felt like a real show stopper.  There were nagging pains that were now present in my legs and feet and I could feel some bad chaffing on my lower back where my vest sits, but overall I felt like if I could make it through the next five miles to see my friends again (and pick up my first pacer), I would have a good chance to actually finish this thing.  Walking alone in the dark with that thought washing over me was an incredible feeling.  I got a second wind (probably more like 3rd or 4th by then) and powered through those five miles as fast as I could.

Clackamas to Clackamas (Loop): 14.9 miles with +476′ gain and -476′ loss

I planned to take some time at this aid station, at least a half hour.  Again, my crew had a primo spot and they were able to get me in fresh (and more importantly dry) clothes in a matter of minutes.  After I was warm and dry, they made me hot chocolate and we chatted about the progress of the day while I stuffed my face with oranges.  They had their own interesting struggles and stories which added more motivation for me.  Just knowing these four people are willing to go to such great lengths just for me to achieve a dream makes you feel special.

Freezin

With all the layers I could find, Jimmy (my first pacer) and I headed out to run the 15ish mile loop around timothy through the night.  I started off cold, but quickly started sweating.  This was a relief because I knew I could get warm now if I had to.  I played a game of shedding my layers and re-applying them throughout this whole section.  I also realized one of the first big mistakes of my day around this point.  My headlamp was getting really dim.  It slowly faded to the point where it was no longer useful.  Luckily, Jimmy’s headlamp was fine (and bright) so I just followed behind him closely.  This also meant we were restricted to power hiking.

Me + Crew the morning of the race

As we neared the first aid station of the loop at mile 61, the chaffing on my back was really starting to bug me so I had jimmy take my soft flask.  Within a few minutes it was obvious it had been punctured at some point and was leaking tailwind everywhere.  We poured it out and tossed it in the vest.  I pretty much decided from that point on all my nutrition was going to come from aid stations.  When we finally trudged into the aid station I was feeling pretty low and a bit frustrated with myself for not remembering my spare headlamp.

This aid station, hosted by the Wy’east Wolfpack, pretty much saved my race.  I got to meet Yassine, who got me the mashed potatoes that brought me back to life and I ran into my old buddy Marla!  And wouldn’t you know it… Marla had a spare light that she gave me.  I couldn’t thank her enough (I still can’t), That little light allowed me and jimmy to run a good chunk of the next 9 miles.  Stoked and feeling born again, jimmy and I charged out of there.

We made our way through the gorgeous Timothy Lake Dam aid station (SO MANY LIGHTS) and cruised the last 4 miles back to the Clackamas aid station.  I told Jimmy as we were coming in, I didn’t want to linger too long.  I wanted to get some hot food and just go.

Clackamas Ranger Station to Olallie Lake (Finish): 29.4 miles with +4006′ gain and -2533′ loss

We rolled back in to Clackamas with tons of time to spare.  I remember telling my crew I wanted to leave that aid station by 1:30am, which would give me and Courtney 12.5 hours to go the last 30ish miles.  Should be plenty of time.  I ate more pierogi, and drank a bunch of coke and chicken broth before we zipped out of there.  Courtney was stoked to run through the night with me which helped keep a smile on my face.

We kept a decent pace for the first 10 miles or so and had some good conversations. Unfortunately, I quickly realized I had screwed up again with my headlamp.  I forgot my good one, that I had planned to carry me through the bulk of the night and only brought my small backup one.  This resulted in some slow going for me and Courtney, but at least we knew the sun would eventually come up.

I should probably mention that Courtney is more than just my girlfriend.  We have been together for over 12 years and lived together for most of that.  There is no one on this earth that knows me better than her, so to get to share this experience with her is one of the greatest gifts I could ever receive.  Especially the section she got to run with me.  There is something very special about running through the night and into the morning and I am grateful we got to share it together.

A sunrise to remember

The hours we spent relying on Courtney’s dull headlamp alone were pretty tough.  I was exhausted, both physically and mentally and I could tell the lack of sleep was taking it’s toll.  I was starting to take 10+ minutes at every aid station and due to some pain on the back of my knee I was barely running.  Courtney stayed positive and kept me in check.  She made sure I got what I needed from the aid stations (there were some hamburgers in there somewhere, haha) and that I kept drinking.

When the sun did finally come up, I was getting to be pretty close to a walking zombie.  By the time we rolled into the last aid station, Olallie Meadows at mile 96, I was toast.  I made the mistake of sitting in the heated tent… for 10 minutes.  I tried to eat some mashed potatoes and drink some coke, but my stomach seemed to finally have enough of coke and tatoes.  I sat there, my whole body throbbing, just wanting to be teleported to the finish.  I remember thinking, “it’s just 4 miles.”  But when I actually thought about how long 4 miles was going to take me at the state I was in (I estimated 2ish hours), it really bummed me out.

Luckily I snapped out of the funk thanks to the kind gentleman at that aid station and just like that we were on our way to the finish.  I honestly don’t remember much leading up to the finish. I mean, I had been awake for close to 30 hours at that point and didn’t sleep well the night before anyways, but still, you’d think you wouldn’t forget the majority of the morning.  All I really remember is hallucinating a few times, thinking I was seeing cars in the middle of the forest (which made me think the finish was close), only to realize it was a big log or rock in the distance.

The morning was beautiful and when I did actually see a car I instantly perked up.  My crew was right near the finish line waiting for me and Courtney to bring it home.  Just like that we crossed the finish line in 26 hours 53 minutes and 36 seconds, over 3 hours under the cutoff.

Post-race

I finished… and I was pretty God damn happy.  I was also pretty out of it since I had been awake for close to 30 hours.  My buddies brought me a cold mountain dew and Courtney and I laid on a cot in a heated tent at the finish line for a few minutes.  I was wrecked.  The back of my knee was swollen very badly (looked like the front of my knee, haha) and the chaffing on my back was… well… oozing.  Even with that, I was so stoked to have finished, it didn’t matter.  I’ll be forever grateful for having the ability to do this event and for my friends that took time out of their busy lives to help me achieve this selfish goal.  Couldn’t have done it without you guys!

…Tahoe 200 next?