My goal of running a 50 miler started a little over 1 year ago. I'd just come back from a great weekend in Catalina watching some of my friends participate in the Avalon 50. It looked like so much fun being out there running on trails and enjoying the scenery. I thought, with a little training, I could do it too.
Since I'd already run parts of the Avalon 50 course I thought that I would chose that race as my first 50M. The race was going to be held in January 2005 so I signed up. I did some training but probably not as much as I should have considering what I was about to do.
Well, the weekend of the race came around and as Jasper put it, I got a "stay of execution". That weekend we had some of the worst rains ever. The torrential rains and huge ocean swells were so bad that the boats going to and from Catalina were forced to stop running. None of the racers could get to the island and the race ended up being cancelled. The race directors ended up rescheduling the event to the first weekend in April.
Great I thought, I've got some time to really train. I started a more diligent training regimen that included a 4-day weekend running event and a couple of long runs at El Moro in Laguna Beach. I felt I was finally ready for my first big ultra. Little did I know that my efforts would be thwarted yet again, this time due to an injury - a broken collar bone just two weeks before the race. As you can imagine I was really disappointed. But, I still went out to Catalina to cheer on my friends who were running and ended up having a great time just the same.
After about 6 weeks my collar bone was healing up and I was back running. Just for fun I decided to take a look and see what 50 milers were coming up. I spotted the Bishop High Sierra 50M (BHS50). This race also had a 50K and 20M option. I figured, ok, if I chickened out of the 50M I could still get credit for the 50K, right?
Before I took the plunge and registered I did some research and checked out the course profile, aid stations and the results from 2004.
Course profile: The first 21 miles were basically uphill starting at 4,400 ft going to 9,400 ft in elevation. Hmmm, very challenging.
Aid Stations: Spaced every 2-5 miles with 3 drop bags and crew access at 5 points. Not bad, close enough so that I could survive with just one water bottle if I had to.
Results from 2004: Hey, I knew someone who ran it in 2004! Maybe he could give me some insight to the course. I would contact him.
So I signed up.
I called my sister Cathy, who lives in Crawley Lake about 30 minutes north of Bishop, and told her what I had planned. She said that she would come down and crew for me. As an added bonus I found out that several close friends Kim (Finger), Beth (Dutch) and Bill (Black) had decided to run too. Every thing was set.
Race weekend approached and I prepared all the things I would need for my adventure. I loaded up my car with all my gear, gave Kody and Jesse (my dog and cat) a kiss good bye and headed out. After surviving 2 sig alerts on the 405 freeway (LA traffic!!) I put the pedal to the metal and managed to make it up to the pre-race pasta dinner by 6:30pm.
I was greeted by my sister Cathy and niece Kelsey. After fighting traffic I really wanted a beer to relax but settled for a lemonade instead, I didn't want to get too dehydrated. While we ate our dinner, Cathy filled me in on all the pre-race briefing details that I had missed. During dinner they had a raffle and I was lucky enough to win a Patagonia long sleeve shirt and some energy gels. We chatted with some other runners and then finally made our way to our hotel for the night.
Back at the hotel I got my drop bags together and the stuff I'd need with me, tp, s-caps, ibuprofen, tums, Vaseline, power gels and my pocket-size laminated pace chart. I folded my number up and pinned it to my shorts using only 3 safety pins not 4 (just as I'd been taught to do). Then it was off to sleepy sleepy land.
The next morning Cathy decided to drive me up to Mill Pond Campground for the start of the race. The morning was cool but not cold and seemed perfect weather for the race. I saw a few more familiar faces in the crowd, people I'd met at other ultras. We all talked about what distances we were running that day.
Pretty soon it was time to line up for the start. After brief acknowledgements by the Race Director we were off. I took my time and kept a steady pace. Finger, Dutch and Black were all way out ahead of me within the first few miles. That's ok, I had a lot of ground to cover that day and there was no need to rush into anything.
The first few aid stations came up pretty quickly. Since I'd had a nice microwave breakfast of eggs, bacon and hash browns I wasn't feeling too hungry and didn't take much food. Nothing looked too appealing either. Plus I'd only brought a small amount of tp with me (it's always good to be prepared) but I didn't really want to have to use it.
As we started the long ascent I slowed down to a fast hike and I could feel the affects of the increasing altitude. This pace gave me some time to enjoy the scenery. It was beautiful, clear blue skies, interesting rock formations and the snow capped mountains surrounding the valley.
On my way to the 4th Aid Station (Buttermilk) I met two guys from none other than Salt Lake City. This was their first 50 as well. Turns out they were using BHS50 as a training run for Wasatch 100 in September. I wished them well as I passed them, I never did see them again on the course.
Buttermilk was the 20M turnaround point and also a crew access point. Cathy and Kelsey were there cheering me on and Finger and Dutch too. Finger and Dutch had waited for me to get there. We took a few pictures and then Dutch gave me a quick hug before she headed back to Mill Pond. Finger announced that she was going to take me to the next two aid stations and that I better hurry up because I was only 20 minutes ahead of the cutoff. What!! How could that be, I was only at mile 11 and I could get pulled from the race, yikes. I tried to push any thoughts of failure out of my mind.
Finger and I started off for the McGee Creek and Edison Loop Aid stations (50K turn around). Finger was great. She helped me keep a good brisk pace (more like a death march) and reminded me that I better start eating. I'd had a strawberry and some watermelon at Buttermilk but I guess your body needs more fuel than that. I took a power gel and in a couple minutes felt much better. Finger kept encouraging me and we set mini goals along the way. She'd say "See that guy up there with the red bandana, we're gonna reel him in baby!" and I'd put my head down and follow her and pretty soon we were passing him.
We were nearing the McGee Creek Aid Station and Finger asked me if I'd fallen yet. It's well known that I'm not the most graceful runner out on trail, just take a look at my scared up knees. I said, "Nope, not yet". Just as I was saying that the McGee Creek aid station came into view, I looked up, tripped on a rock and down I went! Finger and I laughed. Luckily I didn't hurt myself and I got my one and only fall of the day over with.
As we started toward Edison Loop Aid Station I told Finger that I hoped I would be able to make it back again (before the cut off). She reminded me of the reason we're all out there on trail by telling me that it didn't matter whether I made it back or not before the cutoff. What was important was that I was having a great day and that whatever happened it was a success. With those words she sent me off on my own while she waited for Black to get to the 50K turnaround. I would come through Edison 2 more times.
The next section of trail was one of the toughest. It was the last push uphill to the highest point in the race (9,385 ft). There was still a lot of snow on the ground and I had to run over about 5 or 6 big fields of snow. I found out that your running shoes don't work very well on snow. It was a little slippery and I had to go slow so that I wouldn't fall. At the turnaround point there was a flag planted in the ground and a guy sitting there in a folding chair. We had to run up and touch the flag and the guy would punch a hole in our race number. On the way back down there was a steep section and I decided to just sit down and slide down on my butt. The cold snow felt really good on my legs.
Back to Edison again and then out to Intake 2 and Bishop Creek Lodge for a 12 mile round trip section. On the way to Intake 2 there was a sign posted that said "25 Miles". Geez, I thought I haven't even run a marathon yet, but I've made it half way to 50. When I made it to Intake 2 Cathy was waiting for me. I told her that I wasn't sure if I would make it back before the cut off. The first cutoff was on the return to Intake 2 at 3:45pm (9h45m).
I was worried as I left Intake 2. On the way to Bishop Creek Lodge I just tried to keep pace with two runners ahead of me. One of them was a lady named Tanya. I found out that Tanya and her husband were training for AC100. Tanya and I took turns taking the lead all the way to Bishop Creek Lodge and back to Intake 2. When I got back to Intake 2 I could feel the start of some blisters so I pulled off my socks and shoes and did a quick lube up with Vaseline. I hoped this would hold me over until I finished. I don't know how, but by the time I got back to Intake 2 I'd made up about 20 minutes so I now had a 40 minute cushion to the cutoff.
Heading back to Edison for the third time wasn't too bad. I felt more positive since I'd made up some time. We had one short uphill section and then a long downhill and flat sandy section. This area had some trees so we had a little shade as we were running back. When we got back to Edison for the third and final time I did a sock change and packed on more Vaseline. I rewarded myself with a piece of Pay Day candy bar - yummy. I only had 15 more miles to go. This was farther than I'd ever run before and I was nearly done.
The trail back was rolling hills but mostly down hill. Even though it was the same trail I'd come out on it seemed different going back. I ran most of the trail back with periodic walking breaks. The creeks going back seemed to be running higher than they were on the way out but I still managed to get across them without getting my shoes wet. There were about 4 small creek crossings and 3 larger ones where they used logs or boards as a bridge. Some of the boards were narrow and by this time my fine motor skills were not so good. I kept thinking please don't let me loose my balance and fall in.
The second to last aid station was Hwy 168 and my last crew support. I got to this station after completing a very boring section on a long straight fire road so I was glad to see Cathy and Kelsey. I got a quick rub down with a wet sponge to get all the salt crusties off me.
My blisters were really flaring up by now and I was still doing my combination of speed walking and running. Coming in to the Mill Pond Campground I saw a couple sitting out enjoying the evening and they cheered me in. They told me I could only walk until I got to the top of the hill and then I had to run in so that people at the finish line would think I'd run the whole way. I managed a smile and told them I'd do my best.
Well when I finally did get to the top of the hill who was there but Finger! Yelling and cheering me on. I wasn't expecting her to be there because she had originally told me that her and Dutch were driving home that night and would be leaving soon after they finished their race. I couldn't believe it, they had waited around for me to finish. As I was running toward the finish line Black pulled up in his car and yelled out congratulations to me through the window. It meant a lot to me to have friends and family waiting for me at the finish to help me celebrate this personal achievement. What great people I have in my life.
I asked Finger what she was still doing there and she said, "Waiting for you to finish this damn thing, of course!" Finger took my water bottles and some how this gave me enough energy to run in the last 100 yards. It was kind of a blur at the end but I remember Finger yelling to me to not trip over the speed bump in the parking lot. Then I finally reached the finish line and the Race Director put the finisher's medal around my neck and then it was over and I had really done it. And it was the best moment ever.
I have to say that some people, like the crazy friends I hang out with, make running a 50M look easy, but it's not. It took me a long time to train for it and I went through several stops and starts with various injuries. But I'm so glad that I stuck with it because actually finishing one is the best feeling!
Thank you to Jasper, Kim, Beth, Bill, Mom, Cathy and Kelsey. You've all played a part in helping me reach my goal. You're the best.