Tuesday, February 19, 2013

H.U.R.T. 100 Recap


Now four weeks later and fully recovered from H.U.R.T. 100, I am ready to train for my next race, but first a recap of H.U.R.T 100 2013. Going into H.U.R.T. this year I was planning to be in peak shape, but unfortunately, with three injuries leading up to it, I was just hoping for the best.

The temperatures were predicted to be 5-10 degree cooler this year. The trails were drying out after some rain the week before.  The competition was deep in both the Men's and Women's fields. It was shaping up to be a good year.

I arrived in Hawaii on the night of the 17th tired but ready for this years race. Within the first hour of being in Hawaii, our pre-ordered taxi was screwed up and our driver got a speeding ticket. What a start to my trip in Hawaii!

The next morning I woke up in Hawaii with the sun shining through the window and the air a comfortable 70 degrees. It was quite the change from the Pacific Northwest weather. That afternoon was the race packet pick-up and briefing. Showing up at the Nature Center brought back many memories and anticipation for this years race. I caught up with friends, listened to the briefing, and got my energy wrist band. New for this year the race directors gave us a wrist band that was supposed to harness energy to help you finish. In order for it to work, you had to dip it in water that they obtained from Canada, the United States and from abroad.

This year, I was happy to have the opportunity to represent my sponsor--MagicShine--at the race. I used their lights in 2012 and loved the brightness and functionality. It was great to again be using their top of the line 1100 lumen headlamp in the night portion of the race.

Friday night I laid out all my running gear in the attempt to figure out what I needed at what aid station. I was able to figure it all out thankfully. It has been a while since my last 100 miler and I was a tad rusty. The next morning came quickly as I rolled out of bed at 4 am. We all crammed into the car and were off to the start of the race. On the drive over, it was starting to dawn on me that I was going to be running 100 miles in less than 2 hours. In all the time leading up to this I had thought nothing of it.

When we got to the start I started my pre-race rituals which involved a lot of checking and double checking of the gear. With only 10 minutes before the start they began to herd us toward the starting line. We were all in good spirits as we knew there was a long trail ahead of us. We waited patiently, standing there on the bridge, for 6:00 AM to hit and the conch shell to be blown. Gary Robbins started counting down 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…. NOISE and we were off. My plan this year was to go out slower on the first lap and to hike more throughout.

On my first lap, I ran with several different people. Some were first timers to the H.U.R.T. course while others had run it the previous year. I came through the first aid station at Paradise feeling great and some where in the top 15. I quickly refueled and threw out trash and was out of the aid station with my new running partner Brian. Brian is from Texas. We ran and chatted most of the rest of the lap together. At the next aid station I dropped off my headlamp, grabbed some food and was on my way again, not wasting any time. 

As I came into the start finish area, it was really nice to see Heather standing there waiting and ready to help me get refueled and back out there on the course. As I was leaving the aid station I looked at the time and could not believe I was already done with one lap, knowing that it would be the only time I would be thinking that during the race. 

Despite telling myself time and again that I was to slow down on my first loop, I managed to do so by only 6 minutes from the previous year--not nearly as much as I would have liked. 4:23 was my time for the first lap, aka too fast. On the beginning of the next lap, I told myself that I would slow down a little to help maintain a steady pace and have a solid finish--and I did.

Brian and I stayed together for a little bit longer until Hannah Roberts caught us. Brian was picking up the pace and I let him go and decided to run with Hannah for a while. It was nice to have some new company. The two of us were in and out of the first two aid stations real quickly but the way back out of the 2nd aid station and heading back up to "The Flats" Hannah lost me. She was moving too fast. I settled into running by myself for the next 2 laps. I had brought some things along to this race, food related, that I was excited to try and see how I would handle in the heat. I brought along a chocolate/nut/coconut energy ball that was a recipe from Scott Jurek's new book.

I had also brought some coconut water and baby food that I was excited to use during the race. I had placed two baby foods in each of my drop bags. I ate these periodically through out the race. The one thing that I was really excited to try out was the coconut water. I had only tried out coconut water once previously, at the Carkeek 12 hour. It worked well there. My original plan with this was to get one bottle with coconut water and one bottle with water every time I came through the start finish area starting on the second loop. On occasion I would refill one of my bottles with coconut water either at Paradise or at Nu'uanu aid station. Coconut water worked great for me, as by the end I went through 2 1/2 liters. I was shocked to hear I had consumed that much during the race. 

On lap 4 I decided to call upon an old trick that I had learned while pacing my friend Terry Sentinella at Badwater. I was having a tough time staying awake on lap 4 so I asked the start finish aid station if they would mix one half water and the other half coke in one of my handhelds. Man that was good! I used the coke and water all the way through that lap. 

As for the rest of my nutrition I relied on GU Chomps for the beginning and end of the race and supplemented with bananas, grapes, wraps, chips, honey peanut butter sesame balls, pretzels and oranges. During the whole race chocolate did not look good to me at all. I tried to eat one of the chocolate energy balls but it just did not hit the spot. Oh well, sometimes things just don't look good while running the race even though they have worked in other races for you. Thats just the way it is.

I caught up to a guy coming out of Nu'uanu aid station. We ran together for the next half a lap and helped each other through some rough times. I had some low points on my fourth loop, getting sleepy and trying to stay on top of my nutrition through the hardest loop on the course. Before running this race last year I heard that the 4th loop was the hardest loop in the race and I totally agree after finishing the race that year. Going into the race this year I knew that I had to get through that 4th loop in order to finish. It is the crucial lap in this race. When he and I came into the start finish line after our 4th loop, I did something I have not done since I started running ultra's and that was listen to music. 

I knew that Heather had her iPod in her bag and I knew that it was going to help me get up the first climb. I am thankful she had it with her. Leaving the aid station with my music in and running companion along side we hit the first hill on the 5th loop together until nature called. I pulled off and he slowly went on but apparently it was a long stop and I did not catch him till the aid station. Just as I turned right after the Manoa Falls and the last section before the aid station Gangam Style began to play. This made me smile and move faster. I replayed the song 3 times before hitting the aid station. 

At the aid station I picked up my pacer, my lovely girlfriend Heather, and headed out for the last 13 miles to the finish. It was nice to be running with her, she is a great running partner. She previously had just paced our friend Candice Burt on her 4th lap. The sun had already risen by the time she picked me up. This was the first time she had seen the trail in the daylight, and oh boy was she giddy. She absolutely loved it and is looking forward to putting in for next year, she told me.

She got me in and out of the next aid station quickly as we knew we had to keep on moving as both Candice Burt and Jamie Gifford were right on my heals. It was motivation to get to the finish line faster. For me this year, one of my goals, was to get under 30 hours again. This too fueled me on to the finish. The views that morning were fantastic. It was a brand new day and I was almost done. As we came down the last stretch of trail less than a 1/2 mile from the finish I got passed by Daniel Scarberry. This stretch of trail is a rocky, tricky section to move fast. I slowed down a little trying to not to fall on tired legs and in the process I ended up getting past. It happens and I was ok with it. My race went really well and I made it to the finish line. For this year, that is all I was asking for.

As I crossed the finish line I was super relieved to be done. It was all over with. Yippee! I walked up to the sign and gave it a big kiss and made my way over to a chair to sit down for the first time in 28 hours. My official finish time was 28:05, an hour and 25 minute PR from last year's time. I am very pleased with the results of this years race.

I could not have done any of this with out my girlfriend Heather, great race day support, an amazingly organized race, and superb companions on the trail.

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