Subject: Leadville Race Report - Late and Long (5200 words) Date: Tue, 14 Sep 1999 12:00:12 -0500 From: "Rodney Hammons" Pre-Race Introduction. After DNF-ing two years ago, I decided I needed to learn more about ultras in general and running 100-milers specifically. I skipped last year's Leadville in order to gain some knowledge and experience. From that DNF to this year's race I ran and finished the Rocky Raccoon 100 twice, the Arkansas Traveler 100, and 100 miles of the 125-miler Mardi Gras Ultra Distance Classic. Equally important was meeting other ultra runners and picking their brains about the sport. With a much better understanding of what it took physically and mentally to go 100 miles, I decided this was the time to return to Leadville. I fully remembered the high altitude experience two years ago and decided to go out two weeks early instead of just one. I found there were more advantages of going out that extra week than just another seven days at 10,200 feet. First, I was able to climb and then recover before the race started. I know I've harped on this many times but, I not only live at 14 feet but there are no hills in my area. Since I hate doing non-running related training, I was hoping my flat 65-70 miles a-week training would get me through. On my first full day at Leadville I hiked up Mt. Elbert (highest peak in Colorado at 14,433 feet) with Mark Edwards of Austin, Texas. We then tried to run down Mt. Elbert as much as we could. The result was sore quads the next day ... and the next day ... and the next day. Matter of fact I had sore quads for five consecutive days. By sore I mean they were sore to touch! The soreness I expected. The severity and longevity I did not expect. But each day they got better. By going out that extra week I was able to (1) climb Mt. Elbert, (2) climb Sugar Loaf Pass, (3) climb Mosquito Pass, and (4) run several of the trail sections that are part of the Leadville course. Doing all those climbs really helped me mentally and now that I can look back they probably helped me physically as well. Those climbs gave me the confidence that I could climb, even though it would be slow. I also came to understand that these climbs during the race would be very long. During the race I wouldn't allow myself to question, "How much longer?" and "Will this damn thing ever end?". I also understood the false summits associated with the return over Sugar Loaf Pass. During the race I would not allow myself to believe I was done climbing until I could see Hagerman Pass Road. I felt that even these types of subtle negative thinking would pile up against me and hurt my chances for finishing. Going out early and experiencing these climbs and parts of the trail really was a huge plus. The second advantage was mee them; it was spending time with them. I got to spend a lot of time with Mark Edwards, Ron Vertrees (California), Michael and Marge Hickman (Lawrence, KS) and a little time with Kevin Sharp (Dayton, OH). Learning how other ultra runners train and specifically how they trained for Leadville was invaluable. Getting to actually train on parts of the course with these runners was another huge plus for me. All said, I found that my confidence for finishing Leadville got stronger each day I was there but consequently my confidence for breaking 25-hours faded each day. I came to realize that I just didn't have the lower leg strength (especially the quads) that would be necessary to finish under 25. The longer I was at Leadville the slower my expected finish time became. By race morning I was convinced that I would finish but it would be 29-something. On to the race! Start to May Queen (13.5 miles) - Split 2:32 (11:16 pace) Cummulative - 2:32 (11:16 pace) Marge Hickman and I talked about patience on this course several times during our visits and training runs at Leadville the prior weeks. I have also heard other runners talk about taking advantage of the relative ease of the trek to May Queen and push this part. My style has developed into easy running and walking early so I can still have running legs late. While I get tired and wore down just like everybody else I just like my slowing curve to be less than most runners. So my plan was to walk all uphills at all times. That included the hill on 6th street near the start and the inclines up the Boulevard, which overnight rains had rendered a mud-slick roadway. Things did not start off well. I was wearing my new Aquifer with my wife's bladder from her pack. My crew was going to keep one bladder full making a switch out quick and easy. The bite valve on her bladder would not work. It took me 20-30 minutes to get it working and then I was getting about 25 percent fluid and 75 percent air. So I plodded along, already worried and upset early in the race. The first tough climb came along the powerline that leads up to Turquoise Lake Road. This climb is not long but is pretty steep and gutted due to water erosion. A nice little climb now but probably won't be real fun trying to scramble down it on the return. I carried my little Garrick hand held flashlight but did not have to use it until I found myself alone on the single-track trail around Turquoise Lake. I was concerned about the single track because two years ago I got behind a very long line of runners of which at least the leader wanted to walk the downhills as well. I expected a crowd on the trail but I actually found myself alone at times. The run along the mud covered Boulevard was not fun but the trek along the single track around Turquoise Lake was very enjoyable. When I hit the aid station at May Queen I just walked right on through. I hooked up with my crew and explained my problems with the bite valve. John Thieme removed the faulty valve (which worked before the race started!) and I drank heavily from the tube. Then it dawned on me that I had a push-pull valve in my vest pocket as a backup. John popped it in, placed the bladder back in my vest, and I was off. My 2:32 split was a whole 6 minutes faster than two years ago. In the back of my mind I was hoping for a 2:15 but I also realize that to go 2:15 or less would have meant putting forth more effort than I was willing to risk. May Queen to Fish Hatchery (10 miles) - Split 2:13 (13:18 pace) Cummulative - 4:46 (12:10 pace) I was really looking forward to this section. Two weeks before I had walked up Sugar Loaf Pass and jogged back down. I had also ran the Colorado Trail between May Queen and Hagerman Pass Road alone and on another occasion with Ron Vertrees and Mark Edwards. To top that off I had volunteered to traffic the Leadville Trail 100 Mile Mountain Bike Race and I was stationed where the trail comes up to Hagerman Pass Road. Most runners agree that it helps to spend time on a course before you actually race on it. I never really grasped the importance of that until this year at Leadville. I covered this section in the same time I did two years ago but the difference mentally, to me, was like night and day. I remember from two years ago, as I was going up, I was constantly saying to myself, "Will this ever end?". My head was down, not talking to anyone. The race at this point two years ago was already beating me mentally. This year I thoroughly enjoyed the trek. The view back over Turquoise Lake was a beautiful sight. I had my head up, was enjoying the sights, and I was chatting with who ever I passed or was passed by. This is why I came to Leadville, to have fun. And it was happening (so far). Coming down off of Sugar Loaf we are spit out onto the road leading to the Fish Hatchery (the second oldest fish hatchery in the U.S.). There were a lot of people at the paved road and to hear their encouragement was another boost. I came in at 4:46, which kept me at 5 minutes ahead of two years ago. Funny how I can remember those splits from two years ago but I couldn't remember the cutoff times for each section. Fish Hatchery to Halfmoon (7 miles) - Split 1:23 (11:51 pace) Cummulative - 6:09 (12:06 pace) My ever-faithful crew (Arlene Hammons - wife, Don Wharry - friend/colleague, John and Judy Thieme - ultra friends) greeted me before the trip through the aid station. I was in an out in less than a minute even though I had to weigh in. I was one pound over my pre-race weight and stayed there the entire race. In the first 100 miler that I was able to complete (Rocky Raccoon) I had spent a lot of time in the aid stations. Not all of that time was productive and I could easily see where I could cut a lot off my time by better aid station management. So at Arkansas in 1998 and then Rocky Raccoon again in 1999 I worked on quick turn arounds at the aid stations. My goal was to get in, get out, and get on my way in less than 60 seconds. I was able to pull that off at Arkansas and Rocky and was trying to do the same here. The difference with Leadville wasn't so much as to get a better time, as it was to make sure I stayed ahead of the cutoffs. There is a large amount of running on asphalt roads before we hit the jeep roads into Halfmoon. This is also the shortest and the easiest running on the course (in my opinion). But it is also the most boring! What I remember most about Halfmoon two years ago was not the outbound portion but the inbound. I never made it out of this station on the way back. So coming into the aid station I was holding crossed fingers like presenting a Cross before a vampire. This place sucked the life out of me two years ago so even though I was fresh and on the outbound, I didn't want to have anything to do with this place. There sprawled out before me were those dreaded tents with cots, chairs, and those damn space heaters. It looked like a M.A.S.H. unit set up and waiting for the wounded. I vowed to return and walk right through this place. Because crew access is not allowed all the way up to Halfmoon, my crew and I decided we would not try to meet up until Twin Lakes. This gave them an extended break, one they probably would need. Halfmoon to Twin Lakes (9 miles) - Split 2:05 (13:53 pace) Cummulative - 8:14 (12:30 pace) After leaving the Halfmoon aid station we made our way to the Main Range Trail, a trail that would lead us past the Mt. Elbert trail head and on into Twin Lakes. This is a gorgeous section. There are a couple of areas where you appear to go through aspen tunnels. The tree cover here is awesome. Once you get past the early climbs of this section the overall ride into Twin Lakes is downhill. But the undulating terrain kept me from getting in some extended running. Even though my pace through this section was somewhat slow, it was faster than two years ago ... by a whopping two minutes! The final dive down into Twin Lakes can be treacherous. You can't run down and you can't walk down, it's more of a glissading shuffle. It's not very long, which is good. Any longer and I'm not sure I'd be able to negotiate it without doing a face plant or a butt slide. This section was over all too soon. Twin Lakes to Winfield (10.5 miles) - Split 4:15 (24:17 pace) Cummulative - 12:30 (15:00 pace) It had been almost 3.5 hours since I last saw my crew. Not much to catch up on as everything was going OK. We switched out the bladder and that was it. I still had enough S! caps to get me up over the mountain and back. I didn't want to mess around. I didn't want to think about what I was getting ready to confront. I just wanted to get going; get this next section over with. This was the first time in the race that I took a business-like approach to the task at hand. Up to this point I was just running relaxed and having fun. Time was not crucial at this point since I had a decent cushion on the cut-offs. But I did not want the mountain to beat me. But before the mountain was the stream crossing. Not a big deal except that the water was absolutely cold. I know some people really enjoyed the crossing but for me it was actually painful. My lower legs actually ached for a good ten minutes after. My Montrail Juras seemed to hold the water longer than I expected and they were quite heavy for a while. Several runners had stopped and changed shoes but I had no plans for that until the return trip. I tried to run a few times but the weight of the shoes kind of played on my mind a little and I ended up walking some of the runable sections until my shoes lightened up. By that time I was starting to climb. I can't decide if I liked the signs along the trail or not. The first one marked us at 10,500 feet, then 11,000 feet. The problem was it seemed like it took forever to go 500 feet (I think it did!). Next was 11,500 feet. I'm sucking wind and the negatives start. "Where in the hell is tree line?" "Yip ... I can see it. No trees up there but what's taking so damn long?" 12,000 feet ... now I know I'm close to the top. Just 600 more feet and I'm over this baby. But now my back is killing me. Not my lower back but right in the middle. Never had a pain there before ... what's causing that? The pain in the back not only continues but it gets worse until I come into the Hope Pass aid station (bett and plop down in a chair. I ask if someone can help me with my back because it's killing me. They find a lady who comes over and messages my back. When she hits the right location I about fly out of the chair. After a few minutes of messaging it gets better and I decide I'd better go. Not long after the aid station the pain returns. Now I really have doubts about finishing. The photographer on top asks me to look up for the picture and it's all I can do to force a smile. Down the backside ... the steep side. Two years ago I was petrified on this decent. I knew I had to run as much as possible and try not to use my quads as brakes. By the time I dipped under the tree line my back no longer hurt but I was wondering if I had burned up my factory installed brakes (quads). There was no pain and no shaking so I held out hope. It felt great to hit the road to Winfield. I really wanted to run as much of this as possible. I did forget how much of this was uphill. So keeping with my plans to walk all uphills, I did just that. Much to my chagrin, the pain in my backed returned, with a vengeance. By the time I came near the Winfield aid station I could see my wife and I motioned her over to me. I gave her a big hug and nearly broke down into tears. She knew something was wrong and there was ... I had serious doubts I could finish with this back. I went through the aid station without stopping and found my crew's chair. I explained the problem and several crewmembers went to working on the back. I was 25 minutes slower than two years ago and concern was mounting. I was down physically and worse yet I was down mentally. While I was setting in the chair I remembered Dana Rouche mentioning on the Ultra List that if you were not under 12:30 at Winfield you would have difficulties finishing. I also remembered looking at last year's stats and I had to agree with him. I know some runners were slower than 12:30 last year and finished, but not many. I was here at exactly 12:30 * I was on the bubble. Winfield to Twin Lakes (10.5 miles) - Split 3:51 (22:00 pace) Cummulative - 16:21 (16:13 pace) With the pain somewhat subsided I headed out of Winfield with my pacer, John Thieme. I really wanted to run to the trailhead because most of the road to that point would be flat or down hill. I wasn't feeling great and walked a lot more of it than I wanted. John was an excellent pacer. He either recognized or wasn't going to chance it that I was not getting enough calories. He started having me drink lots of Gatoraide and sucking down some Hammer Gel. He had gotten me to the point that I thought I was going to barf! When we hit the trail it was an immediate climb. I knew this part would be more steep than the outbound but I also knew it would be shorter. I was bound and determined to get up this sucker. I accepted the fact that it would be difficult and tried my best to put all the negatives on the shelf. It didn't take long before my back started hurting again. It had become obvious that the pain would only manifest itself while I was going up hill and would go away when I went down hill. Once we got to tree line and into the steep switchbacks I was really hurting. I would stop, bend over, and John would message my back. I really wanted to climb this side without stopping but I wasn't going far before the pain was intense. I had visions of a big DNF brewing. It was 25 steps, 10 seconds rest, 25 steps, and 10 seconds rest, most of the way through the switchbacks. John was excellent at not only working on my back but also on my psychic. We had reduced the goal of aid station-to-aid station down to switch back-to-switch back. John kept pushing calories and encouragement. After being passed by millions of runners (I'm sure it was at least that many) we finally made it to the top. John had me stop at the top so he could take a picture of me with the prayer flags. A stop that in some ways was a little emotional because I thought Leadville beat me again. I really felt that I was going to pull the plug at Twin Lakes and my mental and emotional state was at its lowest point. As we started to dece again. We eased on into the aid station and I asked for the message lady again. This time I explained what I knew about the pain. Pain up ... no pain down. She then quickly diagnosed my problem as breathing related. She said my shoulder muscles (trapezius muscles) were so tight that they were pulling up on the back. Before, everyone including her was messaging the back. She told John to message the neck muscles forcibly and make me breath in deeply. He was told to continue this until I could breath easy. She went to work on me and my first deep breath while she messaged my neck muscles was not there! "Keep breathing Rod", she said. And before long I could breath easily while she messaged my neck and shoulder muscles. She told John, "That is what you have to do every time he complains about his back hurting". I ate some mashed potatoes and within only a few minutes I was like a new person! I couldn't believe it. I went from a near DNF-experience to feeling human again. Was it the message? No .... it had to be more than that. The message I don't think helped my legs start feeling better. I know we were going down hill but I was going down hill on the backside as well and they felt dead then. They felt dead going into and out of Winfield, even when my back wasn't hurting. It had to be the calories John pushed at me. I thought I was taking in enough but maybe I wasn't. Maybe I was near dehydration as well and his pushing the Gatoraide and S! caps made a big difference. What ever it was I was off towards Twin Lakes with nothing but finish on my mind! Twin Lakes to Halfmoon (9 miles) - Split 3:07 (20:47 pace) Cummulative - 19:29 (16:49) Right before the Twin Lakes aid station, John went ahead to give everyone the good news ... I was alive and well! I know I looked like a different person because I felt like a different person. I plopped down into the chair to change my shoes, socks, and nylons. I know some runners don't think this is a good idea but feeling dry socks and a different pair of shoes (Montrail Vitesse) on my feet rejuvenated my spirits even more. Here I would change out pacers. John had to head back to Longmont, CO so he could get to church the next morning (he's a Lutheran minister). His wife Judy was going to take me through the next two aid stations. Judy was well informed about my back/shoulder muscles and that this section buried me two years ago. Her main job was to no let me go into the Halfmoon aid station! I knew from two years ago that this section seemed to climb forever and I was ready. Funny how two hours ago I didn't think I'd make it this far and now I was looking forward to the challenge. As expected we had to walk a lot. I was hoping for about 3.5 hours on this section which would be a big improvement over two years ago when I went about 4 hours. Judy, like John, was very helpful. Her company and our conversation made the time pass by quickly. Also like John, Judy kept making sure I was loading up on liquids, S! caps, and gel. I was using my Petzl Zoom with a new 4.5-volt battery and Judy was using a flashlight. Somewhere about halfway through this section we had to stop while she changed batteries. We had just passed another runner (one with the American flag sticking out of his backpack) and he quickly passed us back. As it turned out, this would be the last runner to pass me, and we quickly returned the favor as Judy was ready to go. I pointed out the Mt. Elbert sign to Judy as we strolled by. I knew we were done climbing this section and it was mostly down hill to the road. I felt a big sigh of relief as we came out onto the road and I felt great. I was so confident at this point that I to without being sucked into the chairs of despair. I was pumped and she could tell so she allowed me to enter. I grabbed some watermelon and sliced ham and headed out of the tent. Judy was getting restocked and I was itching to go. As we headed down the jeep road I asked Judy if she saw all those runners in the chairs back at the tent. She hadn't and I mentioned that what I really noticed was all the pacers trying to get their runners out of the chair and back on the road. That was me two years ago. Halfmoon to Fish Hatchery (7 miles) - Split 1:55 (16:26 pace) Cummulative - 21:25 (16:48 pace) For some reason I thought this section was mostly paved road but we were on jeep roads for a long time. After leaving the Halfmoon campground area and then indeed hitting the pavement I was feeling better than ever. I guess it was all mental/emotional because I was going slow ... but it felt like I was flying. We had passed quite a few runners since Twin Lakes and right up ahead were several more. Judy and I looked for telephone poles or some other marks to run between but couldn't see any. We had finally caught and passed some runners only to have them run past us. Judy was ever jovial and struck up a conversation only to find out they were doing what we wanted to do. They were running from one telephone pole to another then walking the next. I looked at Judy and we looked over to the side and sure enough there were telphone poles. So here we were, doing fartlek sessions between 70 and 76 miles with Odin Christensen! As we came near the Fish Hatchery aid station, Judy sped on up ahead and passed on military-like instructions to my next pacer, Don Wharry. Again I was in and out of the aid station quickly and down the road with my new pacer. Fish Hatchery to May Queen (10 miles) - Split 2:57 (17:42 pace) Cummulative - 24:23 (16:55 pace) Being the analytical person that I am, I had went through last year's results with a fine toothed comb. What I found was that the accumulation of miles and the long climbs up Sugar Loaf from this side was devistating for almost all runners, even those up front. I also knew about the false summits and would not believe I was done climbing until I could see Hagerman Pass Road. Don and I found the trail off the paved road and headed up towards Sugar Loaf. It indeed was a long climb but a new pacer and new conversations quickly took my mind off the task at hand. I had been and was still trying to keep up as powerful a walk as I could. I was surprised that I was actually able to walk past people who were trying to run up the climbs. We continued to pass a lot of runners but most now were becoming blurs and apparitions. The climb up Sugar Loaf wasn't all that bad for me as I continued to have legs to work with. Don pointed out the lights of the May Queen aid station and said we must be heading down. I still wanted to see Hagerman Pass Road before I would believe it. I still had enough legs left to run down Sugar Loaf and onto the road. I walked Hagerman Pass Road outbound so I could run it on the way back, at least that was my goal. Don and I ran down the road keeping an eye out for the trail. I knew the distance was only one mile but it sure seemed a lot longer. I was really excited when we found the trail and plunged down off Hagerman Pass Road. I also knew this was not a long stroll through the woods before we would hit the paved road into May Queen. Along the trail we had to stop so Don could change out batteries. I was very pleased with my Petzl. I had yet to even see a diminished beam while my pacers each had to stop and switch out batteries. We cruised on into the aid station where my wife and Judy were waiting. I walked right through the aid station, grabbing only a few edibles, and out the tent. I was calling for Don and was making threats of leaving him when he strolled up beside me. May Queen to Finish (13.5 miles) - Split 3:19 (14:44 pace) Cummulative - 27:42:43 (16:38 pace) I couldn't believe I was feeling this good. I knew it was basically a half marathon distance to go and no more major climbs. I also was pretty sure all the feel-good stuff was mental. I still had legs left but I also found that I couldn't run for any extended period of time. I could run a few minutes but then had to walk a few. Don got us into the fartlek mode and we started running to the pink-n-black ribbons. Once to the ribbon we walked until we saw another one, then we ran to it. This little game lasted until we hit the Boulevard. Then we could see two or three ribbons all at once. So we started running from one ribbon to the next then walk to the next. I felt myself starting to push the pace, thinking I had to keep the effort up in order to break what looked like a possible sub-28. Don was on me to conserve because I had it in the bag; at least in his point of view. The Boulevard was still muddy in most places and I found myself trying to pick out the driest spots. Once off the muddy road we hit pavement and I knew I was less than a mile to the finish. I was looking for my wife so she could run in with me but she wasn't at the bottom of 6th street. Then the climb up 6th street, my last walk. I was bound and determined to run to the finish. Coming up over the crest I could see my wife and Judy. Don started squeezing Gatoraide over my head in celebration. With all the excitement and emotions of finishing Leadville I found myself really pushing it in. I was hoping my wife and crew would finish with me but when I looked around they had peeled off. I went across the finish where I met Merilee who said, "Welcome home". To say I felt great was an understatement! Post-Leadville This was not a race ... this was an experience. Going out two weeks early was the smartest thing I did to prepare for this event. My biggest mistake was not listening to experience runners tell me to build quad strength before tackling this monster. A deep down thanks to my crew and pacers, Don Wharry, John Thieme, Judy Thieme, and my wife * Arlene Hammons.