Lingering Pain

Before the start of every Leadville Trail 100, Race President Ken Chlouber promise runners if they dig deep and finish the race the pain will only last for 30 hours, but if they choose to drop before they reach the end, the pain will last for 365 days. Never has this been more true then the two weeks following this years race.

In 2004, my first year at Leadville, I was happy to have reached the 70mile mark before missing the 70 mile cut-off at Halfmoon Campground. In 2005 I finished Leadville in 29:17. The race came just two months after my Dad passed away and the emotions were still very raw. To this day I view this race as a gift from my Dad who's memory I carried with me throughout the event. In 2006 I came to Leadville in the best shape of my life. In May I had left my job of 12 years at Payless Shoe Source and had plenty of extra time to train that summer. However as the race drew near, Great Plains Running Co was born and a date was set for a September opening. Despite the physical preparation, emotionally I began to loose focus as well as desire. I spent the entire week prior to the race at the kitchen table writing orders and finalizing our bank loan. By the time Saturday came I was exhausted and needless to say failed to finish the race. The lesson...This race is only part physical, you must be totally focused on the task at hand and wholly confident in your ability to finish. One of Leadville's many mottos is "There are no shortcuts" In 2007 I failed to do the proper training, talking more about logging miles then actually running them. It's no surprise 2007 was my worst year at Leadville, barely making the cut-off at Winfield and turning around on the backside of Hope Pass. While it is never fun not to finish, in each of these years I was able to move on fairly quickly, but 2008 has not been as easily forgotten.

As I think back on what went wrong in all honesty I can't blame the weather. Yes I was wet and cold and that I'm sure had some bearing on where I was at emotionally, but the thing I am most upset with myself about is my decision to have a pacer, but then not spending the adequate time preparing her for what she would experience (a cranky, tired, whinny runner) and how best to help me through it, based on what I know works for me when I get to that point. Not properly preparing the person you are going to rely on to "get you through" not only does you no good, but is unfair to them as well. I honestly feel one would be better off going at alone, then relying on someone else to help you through, when they have little clue what to do with you. So, that said, my apologies to MK who did everything she could think of to keep me moving despite the frustration I'm sure she felt and which I could have helped avoid.

So, if for no one other then myself these are the things I should have told MK prior to the start of the race.

1. Challenge me with questions and small goals that can build confidence. "Hey Willie, do you think you can run for 30 seconds" (Along Half Moon Rd we lost a lot of time because I got lazy, this is a flat section that needs to be run even if it's partially run you can bank a lot of time vs. walking the entire thing.)
2. Build on these little "victories" Move from run :30/walk 2:00 to run :45/walk 2:00 to run 1:00/walk 2:00 and so on. (On the Half Moon Rd at Leadville a run/walk strategy works well from telephone pole to telephone pole)
   
3. Don't ask me if I'm eating and drinking (I'll lie) Just give me a GU and politely tell me to eat it.
4. Don't let me become a victim of the race or my own pain. Tell me you don't want to hear me whine. I must stay on the offense to get through.
   
5. Set me up for successful aid station stops. Set a realistic departure time before we're all the way there, give me adequate warnings and then get me out on time.
6. If nothing else works tell me I'm probably too old to be doing this anyway then get out of my way.
   

Leadville 100

Last Saturday’s Leadville Trail 100 proved to be one of the more “interesting “ runs I’ve ever participated in. After an absolutely beautiful week in Colorado the weather took a nasty turn on Friday and much of the state saw temperatures well below average, as well as heavy rain and even snow in the higher elevations. At 10,152 feet above sea level Leadville is the nation’s highest city and very much part of the “higher elevations”, so as we went to bed Friday night we knew Saturday was not going to be a typical August day in the Rockies. At 4:00 AM Saturday morning around 480 runners lined up at the start in Historic downtown Leadville in a cold rain that was just a foreshadowing of what was to come. As the race began to unfold I felt great and was right on plan through the first 40 miles, despite numerous rounds of rain, sleet and hail. The next 20 miles takes runners up and over 12,600 foot Hope Pass to the Ghost town of Winfield, CO and the turnaround point of the race. This moment of joy (for those who make it in under 14 hours) is soon overshadowed as you are quickly reminded that all this accomplishment wins you is the right to turn around and go back over again. As I finish the “double crossing” and arrive back in Twin Lakes I am well ahead of the cut offs and welcome the fact that from this point on I am allowed to have a “pacer” (MK Thompson) join me for the final 40 miles, providing safety and encouragement. As we leave Twin Lakes the weather begins to worsen . It is now dark, cold and wet, yet God provides the strength to press on. We manage to stay on pace for another 17 miles but by the time we arrive at the 77 mile aid station at the National Fish Hatchery outside Leadville I am coming undone and when I meet my wife Karen, who is waiting I fall completely apart. I am shivering cold and my breathing has become labored , I have no desire to take even one more step. Unfortunately over the years Karen has always found a way to get me to do things that I have absolutely no desire to do, so after 20 minutes of whining she and MK get some hot soup in me and away we go. The next three and a half hours provided a cruel ending to my 2008 Grand Slam attempt. After slowly struggling the 5 miles up 11,000 foot Sugarloaf Pass we were greeted by the worst storm of the day, a complete white out that reduced visibility to mere feet. The only way I knew where to go was by following MK’s footprints in the snow. This final bout with the elements reduced our slow crawl to a death march that eventually got us to the 87 mile aid station too late to make the 6:30 AM cut off. After almost 27 hours both my race and my hopes for this year’s Grand Slam were over. In all only 41 % of those who started the race made it to the finish line in the allowed thirty hours and eighteen of the remaining twenty-four Grand Slammers had failed to make it through Leadville.

So what does one learn from an experience like this? What is God trying to say? Some will offer up the easy answer, suggesting there is more to life then a race or running , inferring I should get my priorities in order and take this as a sign to refocus on those things in life they view are really important. But I don’t believe God dismisses our passions as quickly as others sometimes do. God gave us our gifts and He gives us our passions. For some running is a gift, for others it is a passion, for a few it is both. For others it may be golf or scrapbooking. Our part of the deal is to allow God “in” to our passions and gifts, giving Him, not ourselves, the honor and the glory while pointing others in the direction of a living God who cares about those things that are important to us, that He Himself placed within each one of us, making us unique creations created in His image. When we allow God this sort of access into our daily grind, we put ourselves in the position to be “schooled” by the one who knows us best. For me these lessons have been numerous and invaluable crossing over into all areas of my life. That is why I’ll continue to run. That is where I find God. On a cold, wet trail in the middle of the night, when I am too weak to carry my own burden any further and finally step aside to let God go to work. Hopefully someday I’ll learn to set my pride aside sooner, before I find myself in such trouble. Hey, maybe that’s the lesson of Leadville 2008.

Cold Front Coming

As you can see it's been a beautiful week here in Leadville and with just two days before the start of the Trail 100 our warm temperatures and blue skys are about to leave us. The latest forecast from the NWS calls for daytime temperatures falling into the high 40's by Saturday and overnight lows below freezing. Oh yeah, it's supposed to rain all day and throughout the night, oh boy!

With less then two days to go the mood at the hostel is antsy as everyone is ready to go. Most folks will work on putting together their drop bags (which will require some extra thought due to the weather forecast) today before the big pasta dinner this evening. With registration for the race up from last year at around 580 runners, the newly remodeled 6th St should be packed.

I plan on heading into Dillon for a movie with Zach and Molly today to get my mind off the race. Hopefully the Mummy will be a nice distraction.

Altitude Adjustment

I suppose there are a number of ways to prepare your body for running at altitude, however I can't imagine one more enjoyable then spending a week in Leadville acclimating amidst the beautiful views of the Rocky Mountains. Myself, Zach (my son) and Molly (my daughter) along with a number of other LT100 participants take over the Leadville Hostel for the week prior to the big event on Saturday. Wild Bill and Kathy take care to make sure all of their guest, especially their runners are well taken care of, they have yet to disappoint. Went for my last run prior to the race today, a 4.5 mile run around Bald Mtn at 12,000 ft. Running since Vermont has been limited (by design) averaging just 20-25 miles per week. This allows my legs to recover while at the same time maintaining fitness, at least that's the plan. I am beginning to see that getting from race to race is going to be as much of a challenge as getting to the finish line of the races them self. In addition to the recovery, the demands of life don't go on holiday so that I can stay focused on the next event. A lot of effort and time goes into preparing to run a 100 mile race, not just by the runner, but by the runner's family as well. I am blessed to have a family that has always supported my participation in these sort of events and am doubly aware of the "strain" running four of these will place on our entire family. So in the weeks between each event I try to find that delicate balance between staying focused, and giving all I can to minimize the impact this could potentially have on our family. I am also increasingly aware of how fortunate I am to do what I do and to have a team of truly great employees at Great Plains Running Co who not only support and encourage me, but also make it easy to be gone as they continue to give our customers great service while I'm away.