Unique Feelings – White River 50 2014

My White River 50 race results made perfect logical sense to me, but I still felt like crying as I neared the road at Buck Creek near the finish line. I mustered a smile, I kept running, felt the emotions swell up again, and kept pushing toward the line for a fourth place showing in 7:15.58.

Crossing the finish line at the White River 50.

The results of the race made complete sense to me because I’ve long believed that I could and should be competitive at ultra events. Based on my running background, my marathoning capabilities, and my experience on trails, I truly believed I should be racing near the front of ultra trail races, but it’s taken a long time to actually get to where I thought I should be.

The race unfolded much as I had anticipated. I ran easily out front on the flat gravel road before hitting the trail. I figured I’d be slower on the first climb, and that was the case as I watched the front four run away. This was OK though because my plan was to be steady and conservative all day. I felt like I could run the majority of the course and if I did that, I should finish with a solid time. So I ran with a quick turnover as I pranced my way up the mountain. After the stairs I moved into fifth, which is where I’d stay for the next forty miles.

Coming through the final aid station at 44 miles, I was still in fifth but everyone at the aid station was urging me on as fourth place was only a couple minutes up on me. I left feeling happy and energized.

I say it was a conservative effort not because I was taking it easy, but because I did my best to not take too many risks with pushing myself exceptionally hard at any given moment. I was always working, I think I only walked about twenty steps the entire race, but whenever I felt like I was pushing outside of what felt like a safe range, I would back it off and slow down. I moved steadily up each hill, ran fast downhill without ever hammering it, and I kept a steady pace on the Skookum Flats trail. I ate 22 Powergels and drank at least five liters of water, keeping myself physically focused throughout. Nowhere did I totally nail it, but my steady effort paid off and I finished feeling strong and mentally put together.

I finished the race with a mix of emotions, some relief for sure, a little pride, and some real joy, maybe even love. I picked up an mp3 player at the mile 27 aid station (my crew of Julie, Anna, and Kristin were fantastic and had everything ready for me) and I listened to music for the final 23 miles. As I was nearing the road at the end of the Skookum Flats trail, I spotted a fence that I knew was only two or three minutes from the road to the finish. At that moment I was listening to a song that Julie and I often sing together, and which actually brought her to tears back when we were hiking the CDT last summer. Emotions rushed in on me and I surprisingly was overcome by the urge to cry. It felt good though. I was really happy at that moment, I was really happy to be running, I was really happy to have a wonderful wife, I was really happy to be alive.

The best crew in the land, with Anna, Julie, and Kristin.

So much is often said to romanticize running, and normally I don’t think much that way about running. Day in and day out I get out there to get my training in because running is a big part of my life. However, this past weekend, as I finally finished a mountain ultra more in line with my potential for the first time, I thankfully was swept up by the romantic, emotional experience that running has to offer. I trained well, my crew and I planned the logistics of the race well, and as it all came together on a beautiful day in the shadow of Mt. Rainier, I felt something, I experienced something that will likely stay with me for years to come, and that something is really valuable in my little life.

I love racing. The community is fantastic, it’s such a positive environment, and man does it feel good to finish fifty miles.

For additional stories about the race, our friend Tim Mathis has a good write up about the race on his blog:  White River 50 Report.

For those interested in the more technical side of my race prep, here is a link to my Training Log.

I plan on writing a little more about my hydration/fueling strategy as well as the shoes I wore (Hokas) in a future post.

Thanks to my crew, my running friends, and 7 Hills Running Shop for all the support. It’s good to be racing.