Makes me want to...makes me want to take... The Booneville Backroads (100 mile)
Yep, this is the song that was in my head for almost 99% of the race
The Booneville Backroads 100 is something that I've wanted to do ever since hearing about it being Iowa's very first 100 mile race. It intrigued me as according to the website it's "85% gravel, 10% level B roads, 5% pavement". It intrigued me as the start line was 8 miles from my house. And it intrigued me because the start of the race was on my 35th birthday. With all of the stars aligned, I would kick myself later for not signing up.
Having just run a 100 miler in January, I felt really good about my training in February. I was still keeping my mileage up, but didn't want to burn myself out so didn't push the mileage up too much but worked more on intensity. Since I knew the area that this race would take place I really wanted to focus a lot of my attention on actually running on gravel and cranking out as many hill sessions as I could. If you follow me on twitter or Facebook, you know that one of my FAVORITE routes I do at least once a week during the Spring/Summer/Fall and have affectionately coined it "The Gravel Grinder". Why call it this you ask? Here is the elevation profile for a quick 7 miler. It may not seem like a lot, but if you spend enough time going up and down this thing, you really start to question your sanity.
For those living in mountainous areas, yeah it's not that bad, but for this guy from Iowa it can really work the legs in an hour. It's all on gravel and when wet from rain or ice or snow can be insanely challenging. I would spend a lot of time on this course going back and forth and just getting as many miles as I could to simulate what the course profile resembled for the BBR100.
My training leading in to March was spot on where I wanted to be. I did a 50k near the end of March and felt REALLY good before/during/after........then April hit and my training imploded.
Leading up to the BBR100 was crazy around my house. We were getting our house ready to sell and for nearly 6 weeks I averaged about 30 miles/week. Now, for most 1/2 marathoners, 30 miles/week is a pretty good week. But for someone who is running 8 times that length on race day, that training sucks. I was able to get a day off from work 2 weeks out just to get one last long run in before the race and it was only 32 miles. Essentially in one day I successfully ran longer than my weekly mileage for the previous 6 weeks. Ugh!!!! This was going to hurt.
The night before the race came and for one of the first times in all of my racing I was mentally not the slightest bit scared. My training had been "off" but the 100 that I did on the treadmill in January was a huge confidence booster. I'm not typically a competitive person but having done my research on UltraSignUp prior to the event I had an idea of who was going to be there and if the day went well how I thought I could do. My bags had been packed for a couple of days, clothes had been laid out on "Flat Man" and I was ready.
I decided this time around to do no pacers, no crew, 1 drop bag at 30 miles, 1 drop bag at 62, and 1 drop bag at 84. My bags were stocked to the brim and I felt really good about it.
Race day came and I was up at 4:00am and ready to rock and roll. I had some oatmeal with peanut butter and coconut oil, coffee, a bottle of Nuun and was set. I got the the parking lot, got bussed to the start/finish line, got a quick pep talk from Mr Steve Cannon and we were off. Easy peazy.
The first few miles of any race are a good indicator to determine a lot of peoples headspace. As we started off most of the people around me were going at a very comfortable pace, except for one guy. A local kid, who was a rockstar cross country and track runner TOOK OFF!!!!! I couldn't believe my eyes when we made a turn about .5 miles in and he was already out of sight. Crazy!!!
I made an early decision just to pick up with someone, have a conversation and see where it lead me. In the first couple of miles I met a guy name Rich from Seattle (who also went to Iowa State) and we just ran and chatted. We both went into the race with the mentality of running the flats and downs and power hiking the hills. It was a strategy that really worked in my training and felt really comfortable. There were a lot of hills and it was going to be a long day. The weather was great. Overcast with a slight south wind.
Rich and I ran together for nearly 23 miles. He was a really cool dude and we had some great conversations. Turns out that he knows some of the great employees at Nuun and apparently had some conversations with some of the folks about some of my tweets. It's pretty funny how insanely small the world is with Facebook and Twitter. Rich puts on some really nice events with the Evergreen Trail Runs and taught me a lot about.......relieving oneself while running.....I always say that if you're not learning something on a run, you're not looking hard enough :)
Rich and I parted ways coming into the 23 mile aid station. Right about this time every race I start to have a really bad stomach. I was running with the same fuel and hydration that I trained with, but having only two 50k training runs since the 100 in January it is really hard to know what your stomach is going to do. I came into that AS, grabbed a PB&J, filled my bottle and bolted. I was literally in/out in 30 seconds. This was the shortest AS of the entire day.
I was still running at a comfortable pace but trying to manage my stomach. I was taking my Honey Stinger gels on a very good schedule and keeping to my running/hiking pre-race strategy when I could. I could definitely feel a great burst of energy as soon as I took the gel, but that would last for 10-15 minutes and then the stomach turned sour again.
Right before the 30 mile AS, which was also where my drop bag was, I was passed by one of the coolest guys I've been fortunate enough to get to know over the past couple of years from the Equalizer. Dan and his wife, Andrea, are some of the nicest and most fun loving people I have ever met in the ultra running community. Dan is an absolute metronome and one of the most fluid runners I've ever met. His gait is somewhat slumped over but this guy ticks off the miles like a clock. He had been dealing with an illness for the week or two leading up to the race, so it was really good to get passed by him. We said a hello, he asked how far the next person up was and he was off. Good dude. Great runner.
I was really excited to come into the 30 mile AS as this is where I could drop my wrappers, grab some more fuel, top off my pack and go. There was a lot of people at this AS and it was great to feel their energy. I was starting to feel sorry for myself because of my stomach and just some words of encouragement were amazing for my spirit. Until I heard someone yell, "See you at the next aid station in 12 miles!!!"....12 miles....That's a long way in between AS's. This was going to be a bear.
The next 12 miles were a mix of gravel, b-road, and highway. We weaved our way through the countryside and wound up in "the big city" of Winterset. The 43 mile AS was where I sat down, threw a fit and had my only cry of the entire event. I was so zapped of energy. Nothing was sitting in my stomach. I was tired and knew that this would be a good place to call it quits. The volunteers at this AS were great. They kept asking what I needed, filled bottles, got some pepto and ibuprofen. I sat for 20 minutes here and just reflected. I knew this moment was going to come, but I really didn't think it would be this early. My feet, legs and mind were solid, but the stomach did not like running this far.
After throwing a little fit, I headed out again. I started running with a guy, I unfortunately forgot his name, from Illinois via his childhood in New Jersey. We had some really great conversations about his training and racing all over the country. He told me some of the misconceptions of New Jersey and for the first time all day I heard someone say, "Damn, you are a f***ing fast climber." It kind of took me off guard because I've never considered myself particularly fast on the climb. Living in fairly flat community I spend most of my time doing intervals and long runs on flat terrain. Apparently the time spent on the Gravel Grinder was working.
I was feeling better, but once again came into the 53 mile AS and just had to sit and let my stomach settle. It was the weirdest thing. Nothing was working. One of the 100k runners significant other gave me a cereal type bar and I took a few bites and it seemed to help. I went back out and it was like as soon as I started to run again the bar was INSTANTLY gone and I was back to feeling crappy again. GRRRRR!!!!!!
The next AS was around 58 but leading up to that we had a MONSTER climb that lasted nearly 2 miles. It wiped...me....out!!!! I got to the AS and basically collapsed into the chair. The volunteer at this AS was someone who had raced Sycamore 8 the past couple of years and to this day I can't remember her name. She and her husband will always be known to me as "The Goggle Couple" as they wore ski goggles to the 2013 Sycamore 8 when the temps dipped to -15. I sat and chatted with her, whined about my stomach and just kept contemplating dropping. I thought back to 2014 Zumbro and this was the point in the race when I called it. I kept repeating the words of the volunteer from that race (who was wearing a Western States 100 shirt) over and over in my head. "You may feel like s**t, but you're not hurt. If you're not hurt, just keep moving. It will get better. It can't get any worse".
Right about then 2 more people came into the AS and coaxed me into leaving with them. I had a couple cups of coke and we started actually RUNNING again. It was great!!!! Running the flats, running the downs and when we got to a hill all you hear is "HILL!!!!!" and we started walking again. We went like this for about 3 miles. During this section with them is where I heard, "Man! You are a great climber." That is what fueled me for the next 40-ish miles. If I can't run, at least I can hike.
The 100k AS is where Mrs Messenjah and The Bean were. I had called her and just told her that I needed to see her. I sat down chatted for a bit, changed socks and shoes, grabbed some warmer dry clothes for the night section, kissed her goodbye and left. I didn't realize how long I sat there but realized when three 100 milers came in that if I wanted to finish in a good position that I needed to move. At this AS is where a good friend from my hometown, Phil, just happened to show up because he saw that I was struggling from my FB and twitter posts. Phil turned out to be an absolute God send, but more to come on that.
Coming into the 100k AS I was in 4th place overall. I was really excited about it, but heard that people were dropping like flies. I came into this race wanting a top 5 spot, but knew that with the day that I had so far, the next 38 miles were going to be tough to keep that.
Race day was my birthday. I had been talking to a friend for the past couple of weeks about it and was bummed that I wouldn't be celebrating like most with beers and sitting around on my butt all day. Since his birthday was the next day, Chris decided that he would volunteer at the 66 mile AS and have a nice cold beer waiting for me. Because my stomach was so crappy and wanted to enjoy this gracious gesture, a mile out I decided to unleash the vomit seen around the world. It was one of the most epic pukes I've ever experienced and I actually felt a heck of a lot better.
I came into the AS and there was my buddy Chris and his pup Luigi. I was very warmly greeted with one of my favorite beers Dale's Pale Ale and boy was it glorious!!! This was one of the AS's that I spent the least amount of time at but still sat for a bit and watched a couple of others come and go. A good friend of mine, Tim, was through this AS without any hesitation. Dude was a man on a mission. It was awesome to see. I also saw Liz come through here and wouldn't see her the rest of the time, but I heard that she had a rough last 34-ish miles. I think at this point Chris could see that I was struggling but he wasn't going to let me quit. For the next 34 miles, Chris and Phil became my crew and honestly I don't know if I could have finished this race without them.
I came into this race with the knowledge that I could finish this race. I had LOADS of time to do it in and even if it took me the whole 35:59, I was going to finish this race. There were no AS's between 66-73 miles and I went into a REALLY dark place during this stretch. A lot of the time between these AS's I spent really doubting my ability to do this sport. I spend so much of my time preaching the ideal that people "can do a lot more than they think they can" and in my mind, I was failing at my own philosophy. I spent a lot of time during this section just repeating in my head all of the things I've failed at. I wasn't good in school, I wasn't good in my career, I wasn't good as a husband or father, I wasn't good as a friend, I wasn't good enough to be called a runner. You've spent most of this race walking. How can you call yourself a runner? These are the things that repeated in my head over and over and over again and at one point I was starting to really believe them...
Mile 73 came around and I saw my crew again. I was so tired at this point that all I wanted to do was lay down. I came into the AS, took off my pack and that's exactly what I did. I very rudely told the crew that I was going to lay down and someone needed to set an alarm. I dropped my pack, put my feet up and within 5 seconds was completely out. When the 15 minutes was up, Chris tapped me on the leg and told me it was time and apparently in the 15 minutes I had managed to get a text message that I didn't hear/feel and no idea that this photo was even taken.
Once I got up, I was off again. This upcoming section had some fairly significant climbs in it and the 50k turn that I absolutely could not forget to miss. If I did, it meant I would go off course and probably never find my way out.
The little nap really helped me mentally. What I've found in a lot of the races that I've done is that even if you are having the worlds crappiest race, one little thing can change your mental state in a matter of minutes. My stomach was still in knots, I walked out of the AS with a PB&J and a banana to attempt to eat, but on the climb out of the AS I dropped the banana on the ground. It was literally the only thing that sounded remotely good at the time and it was now covered in backroads dirt and dust. CRAP!!!!
The 5 mile section between 73-78 brought with it some humor. I didn't miss my 50k turn, PHEW!!!, but I did have a skunk run passed me, a possum come out of the ditch and hiss, and I passed a party on a farm and was offered a beer by a REALLY drunk girl. She saw my headlamp and ran out into the road to ask what I was doing. I explained what was going on and she said, "Do you want a beer? I just feel bad that we're out here getting drunk and you're running." I politely declined, partially because she was drinking Bud Light, and went on my way. I was really excited to see Chris and Phil again and it was at this AS. They had some HOT chicken broth waiting for me and this was really the only calories that seemed to be working. I met a dude at this AS whom I came to know really well over the course of the next 22 miles.
Reggie came in to the AS hurting as bad as I was, but in great spirits. I was sitting in the chair just completely drained of energy. I was still drinking and taking gels when I could, but nothing was seeming to stick in my gut. I was totally hydrated and felt no effects of dehydration. I was encouraged by Chris and Phil to just head back out with Reggie and that they would meet us at the next AS with some ACTUAL food. These two dudes were so persistent in trying to get me to eat that they were going to drive to the nearest gas station to find whatever they could. At some point when Reg and I started walking it began to rain....and rain....and rain.....and did not quit for nearly 8 hours.
I really enjoyed the next few hours primarily because I had someone to talk to. Reggie and I spent a lot of time exchanging stories about races, our families, our jobs, our history, etc. We spent a lot of time just pushing each other too. It was also during this time that I learned what it's like to be on a rotating barfing schedule with someone. Turns out Reggie has a finicky stomach also and when he would stop to puke, so would I. It sounds really gross, because it was, but good way for us to bond :)
We were moving right along and spent almost the entire time walking, but because I was taller than him my long legs did make it hard for him to keep up sometimes and I got the "Man, you are such a fast hiker" comment once again. Honestly, I've never really considered myself a fast walker but apparently I am.
The next few miles seemed to drag on FOREVER. Chris had warned us that there was one HUGE hill that came up after we got off of the highway and told us that it was one of the biggest climbs of this part of the course. Since Chris had run, and won, the 50k earlier in the day we had to believe that he was in a much better mental state than we were at the time and he was right. This was honestly one of the first climbs that I went hands on knees to get up. We kept walking, talking, puking, drinking, pushing. I was so depleted of energy that every step took so much concentration not to fall over.
When we got to the 84 mile AS, I just had to sit. I was completely physically and emotionally exhausted. I may have said at one point that I wanted to get into Chris or Phil's car at this AS. I honestly don't remember it, but I do remember them both saying that I wasn't allowed to get in their car. This was the AS that Reg and I had been waiting for. Chris and Phil actually drove to a gas station to get us ACTUAL food. They must have looked like stoners when they walked out of their at 2AM with hot dogs, tacquitos, chips, soda, Red Bull, and other various foods. When we got there, I just sat. I didn't know how I was going to go on and Chris and Phil just kept bringing food and telling me that I needed to eat some crappy food and just get something in my stomach. Nothing that they bought sounded good until Chris said, "Hey, I've got some beef jerky". That was it. Even in this funky mental state that I was in, I remembered reading a race report from Hal Koerner and Mike Wolfe during their John Muir Trail fastest known time where at one point all they had left was a bag of beef jerky to eat. It was that glorious, salty, fatty, greasy bar of beef and a Red Bull that completely brought me back to life. For the first time in nearly 60 miles, I actually ate something that settled my stomach down. Reg had left 5-8 minutes before me, but I.......WAS.........BACK!!!!!!
I left the AS with a medium sized can of Red Bull in my handheld and a belly full of beef jerky and I was actually able to run again. I was moving faster than I had in a long time but I knew there was another Class B road up ahead that Chris said lasted nearly 2 miles. I needed to "make up" some time because I knew that thing was going to be like walking/running in peanut butter. I would run for a minute or two, walk for a minute or two, stretch, drink and just keep moving as quickly as I could and I really needed to catch back up to Reg.
Keeping an eye on my cue sheet, I made a turn that started the Class B. As I was going along I thought Chris was crazy. "This is just gravel. What the hell is he talking about?", I kept thinking. Then I crested a hill and saw Reg's headlamp. Having spent some time now with Reg I knew that he didn't have his headlamp on hardly at all, but even from 1/2 mile away I kept seeing his light move left and right. Then I started to descend a hill and here it was....peanut butter consistency mud. I was wearing my road HOKA Stinsons and they were collecting every glob of mud they could. I actually worried about how I was going to get up the hills if it kept up like this, but I was able to find a line on the side of the road that was "drier" than the middle so I stayed in that run for a while. Up and down. Slop....slop...slop.... Every step my shoes got heavier and heavier. They weren't only filled with water, now they were weighed down my clay and mud.
My earlier ability to be able to run again really helped me gain some time on Reg. By the time the class B road was over, I caught up to him at the top of a hill and the next AS where Chris and Phil were there to cheer us on. From here we had about 5 miles to the next AS which was also the Start/Finish but this section we saw the most rain that we had for the entire previous 89 miles. It was brutal.
As we made our way to the start/finish, I could feel my core temp dropping. I certainly had enough layers on and my UVU clothing was doing it's intended job of keeping me warm, but the sheer amount of rain that we were seeing had completely soaked through everything I was wearing. Throw in the fact that the rain had worn of any trace of "lubricant" that was left on my inner thighs meant that the next 10 miles were going to be the most painful end to a race I've ever experienced.
Reg and I kept talking and walking. Just staying moving kept our temps and spirits up, but with 8-9 miles left you could really see that the weather was bringing both of us down. We both have covered this distance before, but when you spent a lot of your time preparing for heat, you don't get a chance to train for cold and soaking wet. It's not typically the environment I choose to train in :)
If anyone would have driven past us at this point they probably would have thought we were homeless horse riders by the way we were walking. I'll speak for myself in saying that there were parts of me that took many days to heal because of the "chaffage" :)
Soaked to the bone, we finally made a turn that was very familiar. It was a turn that we saw early in the morning, it was a turn that we saw about 12 hours into the race, it was a turn that we saw about an hour after that and it was a turn that we would see one more time in our quest to complete this race. 2 miles left to the start/finish and some dry clothes. Although we had we walking like wounded cowboys I felt my own spirit pick up. 2 miles left until we can make the final loop. I was going to finish 100, this was going to happen!!!
We waddled down the road and I could see the turn into the parking area. Then I saw Chris' car approaching. It was a little after 5:00am and he had to head home to get some rest before working all day on Sunday. I was so appreciative of him being there but I was so drained that my goodbye was short and not really a true indicator of how much I appreciated him being there. He wished us well and drove off.
One short turn and there it was. The start/finish!!!!! I crossed the mat, chatted for a second with Phil and realized that my drop bag was directly below the outer edge of the tent and in a mud puddle. CRAP!!!! My dry UVU stamina jacket that I had been waiting for hours to put on was going to be soaked. I grabbed my bag and thankfully it was rolled up and at the top and dry as a bone. SCORE!!!! I felt like Clark Kent jumping into the porto-john to change, "lube up" and dump my pack. I felt I got out quickly but when I came out Phil told me that Reg had left a few minutes earlier but was moving slowly and he thought that I could catch him. Somehow I was able to run a little bit to catch up to him. I wouldn't say that I was in any "pain" to run in regard to my feet or legs, but those areas that I discussed earlier SCREAMED at me to stop.
I caught up to him about a mile later. I was moving a lot better than he was. He was drained and I felt really bad for him. It was at this moment that my desire to place higher ended. I made the commitment to Reg that we were going to finish together. No matter how long this last 10k took us, we were going to finish together. Reg kept telling me to go ahead because I was moving fine, but I refused to leave him. We had struggled this long together and I wasn't going to leave him.
For me, my faith and my family are what drive me to keep moving. Faith is one of those things that can really energize people to talk about or make them really uncomfortable. Because I didn't know Reg all that well, I wasn't going to reach into that basket. But early on he had mentioned his kids. I knew, as a dad, if anything was going to pull me through it was to show my kids that no matter what life throws at you, you finish what you set out to do. It was then that I started to ask Reg about his kids more. What kind of things did they do for fun together? What kind of activities were his kids involved in? Just stuff like that. I was purposefully trying to get his kids into his head to make him keep moving. He doesn't know that's what I was doing, sorry Reg :) , but that's what my intentions were. To keep him pushing.
The last few miles were rough. It had stopped raining for a bit and the wind picked up. About 6 miles before, Reg had thrown on a garbage bag as his rain jacket. For the most part I think it worked but with the wind picking up I could see the cold air going right under his garbage bag, but with every step I heard the swish, swish, swish from Reg's outerlayer and the squish, squish, squish of the water in my shoes. 2 miles left.....Almost there.
We came down the final stretch of class B road. I was moving REALLY well considering my thighs were rubbed completely raw. It was at this point I needed some time alone to reflect. Some time to thank God for pushing me and allowing me the opportunity to experience this. I made the final turn with 1/2 mile left and yelled back to Reg that I was going ahead but I was going to wait for him at the end. He kept telling me that I didn't have to, but I needed to. I made a commitment to him and even if I had to wait for an hour, we were going to finish this race TOGETHER.
At around 8:20 on Sunday morning, I made the final turn to come into the finish line. Phil, Molly and one other girl (sorry I didn't catch your name) were there to cheer me on. They didn't know though that I was going to abide by my commitment. So I stopped. Cried a little bit that the journey was over and waited...
And that's what I did for the next 10 minutes. I just waited, cried and thought. How unbelievable that I was able to do what I had just done. I can't believe that the thing I had "trained" for was coming to a close. I looked at my watch and at 8:28, I finally saw my new friend coming down the stretch. As he gingerly walked down the final steps to the finish line, I threw my arm around him and we finished....together.
26:29:54. We were done. 100 miles on the books. What an amazing and terrible experience.
As we collected our finishers awards, I knew that my family and I had a long drive ahead of us to our Annual Memorial Day weekend camping outing. I said some quick goodbyes to Reg, collected my things and Phil drove me to my car. Phil is the brother of a good friend of mine and someone who I've known for a long time. I wouldn't say we knew each other particularly well, but on this day I gained a new level of friendship with him that will last a lifetime. We said our goodbyes and I got in my car.
As I sat there all I could do was thank God. There were definitely times during the event where I could have called it a day, gotten in my car, slept in my bed and gotten a good nights sleep. But He didn't want to see me fail. He put Chris, Phil and Reg into this event for me. He was the one who pushed me forward. He was the one who gave me the determination to move. He was the one that gave me the ability to show others that in events that throw everything at you, it is You Vs You.
I got home from the event, took a quick shower, slept for 30 minutes or so, threw the kids in the car and we were off to our camping event. As my wife drove, I slept as much as I could during the 2.5 hour drive, but really couldn't sleep because when I closed my eyes I was still seeing gravel roads. Such a weird experience, but one that I deal with after every race.
Eventually we made it to our camping weekend and I just sat in a chair, had a few beers, had some laughs with family and just closed off a great weekend and back to normal life.
I have so many things I could say about this event, but really what it boils down to was it was a crazy 26 hours. So many highs, SOOOOOOO many lows. It was a good race for me to learn from. It was a great race for me to test myself. I wouldn't say I did everything wrong because I did a lot of things right. Mostly, it was keeping my head up. When I got down, I spent some time thinking about how I could pull things back in. It wasn't my greatest race, but it was one of my greatest accomplishments. I pushed myself mentally and physically while still keeping track of my body and I am really proud to say that I finished. Being 9 ultras into my running career, I continue to learn more about myself, my body and what I am capable of. I still have a lot to learn, but feel like I am gaining knowledge every day.
Again, I have so many people to be thankful for. My God being the most important. He gave me this body to move and I can't begin to thank Him enough. My family. My wife, you were the one who put this spark in me and I am so grateful for your support. My kids, they are the ones who keep me pushing. I want to show them, again, that life will throw a lot of crap at you, but it's your attitude and determination that will help you to overcome ANYTHING. My friends, thank you all so much for the text messages during the event. I felt really bad that I couldn't write you all back but I was trying not to fall over at some points :) My UVU family, this gear is insane and it really got a test during this event. Steve Cannon, Molly Hopkins and One Race Events, thank you for putting on this event. I know that RD'ing sucks most of the time, but you did a great job. Nuun Hydration and Honey Stinger, thank you for fueling me and hydrating me along the way, this report may not be the most glowing endorsement of my nutrition and hydration but the products did what they were supposed to do, I just need to spend more time training my gut :)
Thank you all so much for reading my report. Now on to the next adventure........
Strava data for the first 2.1 miles (watch problem)
and last 97.9 miles
Click here for a great photo gallery of the event
Things I used at the 2015 Booneville Backroads 100 Mile
The Booneville Backroads 100 is something that I've wanted to do ever since hearing about it being Iowa's very first 100 mile race. It intrigued me as according to the website it's "85% gravel, 10% level B roads, 5% pavement". It intrigued me as the start line was 8 miles from my house. And it intrigued me because the start of the race was on my 35th birthday. With all of the stars aligned, I would kick myself later for not signing up.
Having just run a 100 miler in January, I felt really good about my training in February. I was still keeping my mileage up, but didn't want to burn myself out so didn't push the mileage up too much but worked more on intensity. Since I knew the area that this race would take place I really wanted to focus a lot of my attention on actually running on gravel and cranking out as many hill sessions as I could. If you follow me on twitter or Facebook, you know that one of my FAVORITE routes I do at least once a week during the Spring/Summer/Fall and have affectionately coined it "The Gravel Grinder". Why call it this you ask? Here is the elevation profile for a quick 7 miler. It may not seem like a lot, but if you spend enough time going up and down this thing, you really start to question your sanity.
My training leading in to March was spot on where I wanted to be. I did a 50k near the end of March and felt REALLY good before/during/after........then April hit and my training imploded.
Leading up to the BBR100 was crazy around my house. We were getting our house ready to sell and for nearly 6 weeks I averaged about 30 miles/week. Now, for most 1/2 marathoners, 30 miles/week is a pretty good week. But for someone who is running 8 times that length on race day, that training sucks. I was able to get a day off from work 2 weeks out just to get one last long run in before the race and it was only 32 miles. Essentially in one day I successfully ran longer than my weekly mileage for the previous 6 weeks. Ugh!!!! This was going to hurt.
The night before the race came and for one of the first times in all of my racing I was mentally not the slightest bit scared. My training had been "off" but the 100 that I did on the treadmill in January was a huge confidence booster. I'm not typically a competitive person but having done my research on UltraSignUp prior to the event I had an idea of who was going to be there and if the day went well how I thought I could do. My bags had been packed for a couple of days, clothes had been laid out on "Flat Man" and I was ready.
Race day came and I was up at 4:00am and ready to rock and roll. I had some oatmeal with peanut butter and coconut oil, coffee, a bottle of Nuun and was set. I got the the parking lot, got bussed to the start/finish line, got a quick pep talk from Mr Steve Cannon and we were off. Easy peazy.
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| Photo by Tobin Bennett |
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| Photo by Tobin Bennett |
The first few miles of any race are a good indicator to determine a lot of peoples headspace. As we started off most of the people around me were going at a very comfortable pace, except for one guy. A local kid, who was a rockstar cross country and track runner TOOK OFF!!!!! I couldn't believe my eyes when we made a turn about .5 miles in and he was already out of sight. Crazy!!!
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| Photo by Tobin Bennett |
I made an early decision just to pick up with someone, have a conversation and see where it lead me. In the first couple of miles I met a guy name Rich from Seattle (who also went to Iowa State) and we just ran and chatted. We both went into the race with the mentality of running the flats and downs and power hiking the hills. It was a strategy that really worked in my training and felt really comfortable. There were a lot of hills and it was going to be a long day. The weather was great. Overcast with a slight south wind.
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| Photo by Tobin Bennett |
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| Photo by Tobin Bennett |
Rich and I ran together for nearly 23 miles. He was a really cool dude and we had some great conversations. Turns out that he knows some of the great employees at Nuun and apparently had some conversations with some of the folks about some of my tweets. It's pretty funny how insanely small the world is with Facebook and Twitter. Rich puts on some really nice events with the Evergreen Trail Runs and taught me a lot about.......relieving oneself while running.....I always say that if you're not learning something on a run, you're not looking hard enough :)
Rich and I parted ways coming into the 23 mile aid station. Right about this time every race I start to have a really bad stomach. I was running with the same fuel and hydration that I trained with, but having only two 50k training runs since the 100 in January it is really hard to know what your stomach is going to do. I came into that AS, grabbed a PB&J, filled my bottle and bolted. I was literally in/out in 30 seconds. This was the shortest AS of the entire day.
I was still running at a comfortable pace but trying to manage my stomach. I was taking my Honey Stinger gels on a very good schedule and keeping to my running/hiking pre-race strategy when I could. I could definitely feel a great burst of energy as soon as I took the gel, but that would last for 10-15 minutes and then the stomach turned sour again.
Right before the 30 mile AS, which was also where my drop bag was, I was passed by one of the coolest guys I've been fortunate enough to get to know over the past couple of years from the Equalizer. Dan and his wife, Andrea, are some of the nicest and most fun loving people I have ever met in the ultra running community. Dan is an absolute metronome and one of the most fluid runners I've ever met. His gait is somewhat slumped over but this guy ticks off the miles like a clock. He had been dealing with an illness for the week or two leading up to the race, so it was really good to get passed by him. We said a hello, he asked how far the next person up was and he was off. Good dude. Great runner.
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| Beautiful countryside |
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| That's a DRY class B road |
I was really excited to come into the 30 mile AS as this is where I could drop my wrappers, grab some more fuel, top off my pack and go. There was a lot of people at this AS and it was great to feel their energy. I was starting to feel sorry for myself because of my stomach and just some words of encouragement were amazing for my spirit. Until I heard someone yell, "See you at the next aid station in 12 miles!!!"....12 miles....That's a long way in between AS's. This was going to be a bear.
The next 12 miles were a mix of gravel, b-road, and highway. We weaved our way through the countryside and wound up in "the big city" of Winterset. The 43 mile AS was where I sat down, threw a fit and had my only cry of the entire event. I was so zapped of energy. Nothing was sitting in my stomach. I was tired and knew that this would be a good place to call it quits. The volunteers at this AS were great. They kept asking what I needed, filled bottles, got some pepto and ibuprofen. I sat for 20 minutes here and just reflected. I knew this moment was going to come, but I really didn't think it would be this early. My feet, legs and mind were solid, but the stomach did not like running this far.
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| Photo by Tobin Bennett |
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| Photo by Tobin Bennett |
After throwing a little fit, I headed out again. I started running with a guy, I unfortunately forgot his name, from Illinois via his childhood in New Jersey. We had some really great conversations about his training and racing all over the country. He told me some of the misconceptions of New Jersey and for the first time all day I heard someone say, "Damn, you are a f***ing fast climber." It kind of took me off guard because I've never considered myself particularly fast on the climb. Living in fairly flat community I spend most of my time doing intervals and long runs on flat terrain. Apparently the time spent on the Gravel Grinder was working.
I was feeling better, but once again came into the 53 mile AS and just had to sit and let my stomach settle. It was the weirdest thing. Nothing was working. One of the 100k runners significant other gave me a cereal type bar and I took a few bites and it seemed to help. I went back out and it was like as soon as I started to run again the bar was INSTANTLY gone and I was back to feeling crappy again. GRRRRR!!!!!!
The next AS was around 58 but leading up to that we had a MONSTER climb that lasted nearly 2 miles. It wiped...me....out!!!! I got to the AS and basically collapsed into the chair. The volunteer at this AS was someone who had raced Sycamore 8 the past couple of years and to this day I can't remember her name. She and her husband will always be known to me as "The Goggle Couple" as they wore ski goggles to the 2013 Sycamore 8 when the temps dipped to -15. I sat and chatted with her, whined about my stomach and just kept contemplating dropping. I thought back to 2014 Zumbro and this was the point in the race when I called it. I kept repeating the words of the volunteer from that race (who was wearing a Western States 100 shirt) over and over in my head. "You may feel like s**t, but you're not hurt. If you're not hurt, just keep moving. It will get better. It can't get any worse".
Right about then 2 more people came into the AS and coaxed me into leaving with them. I had a couple cups of coke and we started actually RUNNING again. It was great!!!! Running the flats, running the downs and when we got to a hill all you hear is "HILL!!!!!" and we started walking again. We went like this for about 3 miles. During this section with them is where I heard, "Man! You are a great climber." That is what fueled me for the next 40-ish miles. If I can't run, at least I can hike.
The 100k AS is where Mrs Messenjah and The Bean were. I had called her and just told her that I needed to see her. I sat down chatted for a bit, changed socks and shoes, grabbed some warmer dry clothes for the night section, kissed her goodbye and left. I didn't realize how long I sat there but realized when three 100 milers came in that if I wanted to finish in a good position that I needed to move. At this AS is where a good friend from my hometown, Phil, just happened to show up because he saw that I was struggling from my FB and twitter posts. Phil turned out to be an absolute God send, but more to come on that.
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| Yep, that's my wife and kid really wanting to get down :) |
Coming into the 100k AS I was in 4th place overall. I was really excited about it, but heard that people were dropping like flies. I came into this race wanting a top 5 spot, but knew that with the day that I had so far, the next 38 miles were going to be tough to keep that.
Race day was my birthday. I had been talking to a friend for the past couple of weeks about it and was bummed that I wouldn't be celebrating like most with beers and sitting around on my butt all day. Since his birthday was the next day, Chris decided that he would volunteer at the 66 mile AS and have a nice cold beer waiting for me. Because my stomach was so crappy and wanted to enjoy this gracious gesture, a mile out I decided to unleash the vomit seen around the world. It was one of the most epic pukes I've ever experienced and I actually felt a heck of a lot better.
I came into the AS and there was my buddy Chris and his pup Luigi. I was very warmly greeted with one of my favorite beers Dale's Pale Ale and boy was it glorious!!! This was one of the AS's that I spent the least amount of time at but still sat for a bit and watched a couple of others come and go. A good friend of mine, Tim, was through this AS without any hesitation. Dude was a man on a mission. It was awesome to see. I also saw Liz come through here and wouldn't see her the rest of the time, but I heard that she had a rough last 34-ish miles. I think at this point Chris could see that I was struggling but he wasn't going to let me quit. For the next 34 miles, Chris and Phil became my crew and honestly I don't know if I could have finished this race without them.
I came into this race with the knowledge that I could finish this race. I had LOADS of time to do it in and even if it took me the whole 35:59, I was going to finish this race. There were no AS's between 66-73 miles and I went into a REALLY dark place during this stretch. A lot of the time between these AS's I spent really doubting my ability to do this sport. I spend so much of my time preaching the ideal that people "can do a lot more than they think they can" and in my mind, I was failing at my own philosophy. I spent a lot of time during this section just repeating in my head all of the things I've failed at. I wasn't good in school, I wasn't good in my career, I wasn't good as a husband or father, I wasn't good as a friend, I wasn't good enough to be called a runner. You've spent most of this race walking. How can you call yourself a runner? These are the things that repeated in my head over and over and over again and at one point I was starting to really believe them...
Mile 73 came around and I saw my crew again. I was so tired at this point that all I wanted to do was lay down. I came into the AS, took off my pack and that's exactly what I did. I very rudely told the crew that I was going to lay down and someone needed to set an alarm. I dropped my pack, put my feet up and within 5 seconds was completely out. When the 15 minutes was up, Chris tapped me on the leg and told me it was time and apparently in the 15 minutes I had managed to get a text message that I didn't hear/feel and no idea that this photo was even taken.
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| That's how you catnap :) |
The little nap really helped me mentally. What I've found in a lot of the races that I've done is that even if you are having the worlds crappiest race, one little thing can change your mental state in a matter of minutes. My stomach was still in knots, I walked out of the AS with a PB&J and a banana to attempt to eat, but on the climb out of the AS I dropped the banana on the ground. It was literally the only thing that sounded remotely good at the time and it was now covered in backroads dirt and dust. CRAP!!!!
The 5 mile section between 73-78 brought with it some humor. I didn't miss my 50k turn, PHEW!!!, but I did have a skunk run passed me, a possum come out of the ditch and hiss, and I passed a party on a farm and was offered a beer by a REALLY drunk girl. She saw my headlamp and ran out into the road to ask what I was doing. I explained what was going on and she said, "Do you want a beer? I just feel bad that we're out here getting drunk and you're running." I politely declined, partially because she was drinking Bud Light, and went on my way. I was really excited to see Chris and Phil again and it was at this AS. They had some HOT chicken broth waiting for me and this was really the only calories that seemed to be working. I met a dude at this AS whom I came to know really well over the course of the next 22 miles.
Reggie came in to the AS hurting as bad as I was, but in great spirits. I was sitting in the chair just completely drained of energy. I was still drinking and taking gels when I could, but nothing was seeming to stick in my gut. I was totally hydrated and felt no effects of dehydration. I was encouraged by Chris and Phil to just head back out with Reggie and that they would meet us at the next AS with some ACTUAL food. These two dudes were so persistent in trying to get me to eat that they were going to drive to the nearest gas station to find whatever they could. At some point when Reg and I started walking it began to rain....and rain....and rain.....and did not quit for nearly 8 hours.
I really enjoyed the next few hours primarily because I had someone to talk to. Reggie and I spent a lot of time exchanging stories about races, our families, our jobs, our history, etc. We spent a lot of time just pushing each other too. It was also during this time that I learned what it's like to be on a rotating barfing schedule with someone. Turns out Reggie has a finicky stomach also and when he would stop to puke, so would I. It sounds really gross, because it was, but good way for us to bond :)
We were moving right along and spent almost the entire time walking, but because I was taller than him my long legs did make it hard for him to keep up sometimes and I got the "Man, you are such a fast hiker" comment once again. Honestly, I've never really considered myself a fast walker but apparently I am.
The next few miles seemed to drag on FOREVER. Chris had warned us that there was one HUGE hill that came up after we got off of the highway and told us that it was one of the biggest climbs of this part of the course. Since Chris had run, and won, the 50k earlier in the day we had to believe that he was in a much better mental state than we were at the time and he was right. This was honestly one of the first climbs that I went hands on knees to get up. We kept walking, talking, puking, drinking, pushing. I was so depleted of energy that every step took so much concentration not to fall over.
When we got to the 84 mile AS, I just had to sit. I was completely physically and emotionally exhausted. I may have said at one point that I wanted to get into Chris or Phil's car at this AS. I honestly don't remember it, but I do remember them both saying that I wasn't allowed to get in their car. This was the AS that Reg and I had been waiting for. Chris and Phil actually drove to a gas station to get us ACTUAL food. They must have looked like stoners when they walked out of their at 2AM with hot dogs, tacquitos, chips, soda, Red Bull, and other various foods. When we got there, I just sat. I didn't know how I was going to go on and Chris and Phil just kept bringing food and telling me that I needed to eat some crappy food and just get something in my stomach. Nothing that they bought sounded good until Chris said, "Hey, I've got some beef jerky". That was it. Even in this funky mental state that I was in, I remembered reading a race report from Hal Koerner and Mike Wolfe during their John Muir Trail fastest known time where at one point all they had left was a bag of beef jerky to eat. It was that glorious, salty, fatty, greasy bar of beef and a Red Bull that completely brought me back to life. For the first time in nearly 60 miles, I actually ate something that settled my stomach down. Reg had left 5-8 minutes before me, but I.......WAS.........BACK!!!!!!
I left the AS with a medium sized can of Red Bull in my handheld and a belly full of beef jerky and I was actually able to run again. I was moving faster than I had in a long time but I knew there was another Class B road up ahead that Chris said lasted nearly 2 miles. I needed to "make up" some time because I knew that thing was going to be like walking/running in peanut butter. I would run for a minute or two, walk for a minute or two, stretch, drink and just keep moving as quickly as I could and I really needed to catch back up to Reg.
Keeping an eye on my cue sheet, I made a turn that started the Class B. As I was going along I thought Chris was crazy. "This is just gravel. What the hell is he talking about?", I kept thinking. Then I crested a hill and saw Reg's headlamp. Having spent some time now with Reg I knew that he didn't have his headlamp on hardly at all, but even from 1/2 mile away I kept seeing his light move left and right. Then I started to descend a hill and here it was....peanut butter consistency mud. I was wearing my road HOKA Stinsons and they were collecting every glob of mud they could. I actually worried about how I was going to get up the hills if it kept up like this, but I was able to find a line on the side of the road that was "drier" than the middle so I stayed in that run for a while. Up and down. Slop....slop...slop.... Every step my shoes got heavier and heavier. They weren't only filled with water, now they were weighed down my clay and mud.
My earlier ability to be able to run again really helped me gain some time on Reg. By the time the class B road was over, I caught up to him at the top of a hill and the next AS where Chris and Phil were there to cheer us on. From here we had about 5 miles to the next AS which was also the Start/Finish but this section we saw the most rain that we had for the entire previous 89 miles. It was brutal.
As we made our way to the start/finish, I could feel my core temp dropping. I certainly had enough layers on and my UVU clothing was doing it's intended job of keeping me warm, but the sheer amount of rain that we were seeing had completely soaked through everything I was wearing. Throw in the fact that the rain had worn of any trace of "lubricant" that was left on my inner thighs meant that the next 10 miles were going to be the most painful end to a race I've ever experienced.
Reg and I kept talking and walking. Just staying moving kept our temps and spirits up, but with 8-9 miles left you could really see that the weather was bringing both of us down. We both have covered this distance before, but when you spent a lot of your time preparing for heat, you don't get a chance to train for cold and soaking wet. It's not typically the environment I choose to train in :)
If anyone would have driven past us at this point they probably would have thought we were homeless horse riders by the way we were walking. I'll speak for myself in saying that there were parts of me that took many days to heal because of the "chaffage" :)
Soaked to the bone, we finally made a turn that was very familiar. It was a turn that we saw early in the morning, it was a turn that we saw about 12 hours into the race, it was a turn that we saw about an hour after that and it was a turn that we would see one more time in our quest to complete this race. 2 miles left to the start/finish and some dry clothes. Although we had we walking like wounded cowboys I felt my own spirit pick up. 2 miles left until we can make the final loop. I was going to finish 100, this was going to happen!!!
We waddled down the road and I could see the turn into the parking area. Then I saw Chris' car approaching. It was a little after 5:00am and he had to head home to get some rest before working all day on Sunday. I was so appreciative of him being there but I was so drained that my goodbye was short and not really a true indicator of how much I appreciated him being there. He wished us well and drove off.
One short turn and there it was. The start/finish!!!!! I crossed the mat, chatted for a second with Phil and realized that my drop bag was directly below the outer edge of the tent and in a mud puddle. CRAP!!!! My dry UVU stamina jacket that I had been waiting for hours to put on was going to be soaked. I grabbed my bag and thankfully it was rolled up and at the top and dry as a bone. SCORE!!!! I felt like Clark Kent jumping into the porto-john to change, "lube up" and dump my pack. I felt I got out quickly but when I came out Phil told me that Reg had left a few minutes earlier but was moving slowly and he thought that I could catch him. Somehow I was able to run a little bit to catch up to him. I wouldn't say that I was in any "pain" to run in regard to my feet or legs, but those areas that I discussed earlier SCREAMED at me to stop.
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| It is POURING - Photo by Phil |
I caught up to him about a mile later. I was moving a lot better than he was. He was drained and I felt really bad for him. It was at this moment that my desire to place higher ended. I made the commitment to Reg that we were going to finish together. No matter how long this last 10k took us, we were going to finish together. Reg kept telling me to go ahead because I was moving fine, but I refused to leave him. We had struggled this long together and I wasn't going to leave him.
For me, my faith and my family are what drive me to keep moving. Faith is one of those things that can really energize people to talk about or make them really uncomfortable. Because I didn't know Reg all that well, I wasn't going to reach into that basket. But early on he had mentioned his kids. I knew, as a dad, if anything was going to pull me through it was to show my kids that no matter what life throws at you, you finish what you set out to do. It was then that I started to ask Reg about his kids more. What kind of things did they do for fun together? What kind of activities were his kids involved in? Just stuff like that. I was purposefully trying to get his kids into his head to make him keep moving. He doesn't know that's what I was doing, sorry Reg :) , but that's what my intentions were. To keep him pushing.
The last few miles were rough. It had stopped raining for a bit and the wind picked up. About 6 miles before, Reg had thrown on a garbage bag as his rain jacket. For the most part I think it worked but with the wind picking up I could see the cold air going right under his garbage bag, but with every step I heard the swish, swish, swish from Reg's outerlayer and the squish, squish, squish of the water in my shoes. 2 miles left.....Almost there.
We came down the final stretch of class B road. I was moving REALLY well considering my thighs were rubbed completely raw. It was at this point I needed some time alone to reflect. Some time to thank God for pushing me and allowing me the opportunity to experience this. I made the final turn with 1/2 mile left and yelled back to Reg that I was going ahead but I was going to wait for him at the end. He kept telling me that I didn't have to, but I needed to. I made a commitment to him and even if I had to wait for an hour, we were going to finish this race TOGETHER.
At around 8:20 on Sunday morning, I made the final turn to come into the finish line. Phil, Molly and one other girl (sorry I didn't catch your name) were there to cheer me on. They didn't know though that I was going to abide by my commitment. So I stopped. Cried a little bit that the journey was over and waited...
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| Waiting for Reg - Photo by Molly |
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| New friends finishing together!!! |
As we collected our finishers awards, I knew that my family and I had a long drive ahead of us to our Annual Memorial Day weekend camping outing. I said some quick goodbyes to Reg, collected my things and Phil drove me to my car. Phil is the brother of a good friend of mine and someone who I've known for a long time. I wouldn't say we knew each other particularly well, but on this day I gained a new level of friendship with him that will last a lifetime. We said our goodbyes and I got in my car.
As I sat there all I could do was thank God. There were definitely times during the event where I could have called it a day, gotten in my car, slept in my bed and gotten a good nights sleep. But He didn't want to see me fail. He put Chris, Phil and Reg into this event for me. He was the one who pushed me forward. He was the one who gave me the determination to move. He was the one that gave me the ability to show others that in events that throw everything at you, it is You Vs You.
I got home from the event, took a quick shower, slept for 30 minutes or so, threw the kids in the car and we were off to our camping event. As my wife drove, I slept as much as I could during the 2.5 hour drive, but really couldn't sleep because when I closed my eyes I was still seeing gravel roads. Such a weird experience, but one that I deal with after every race.
Eventually we made it to our camping weekend and I just sat in a chair, had a few beers, had some laughs with family and just closed off a great weekend and back to normal life.
I have so many things I could say about this event, but really what it boils down to was it was a crazy 26 hours. So many highs, SOOOOOOO many lows. It was a good race for me to learn from. It was a great race for me to test myself. I wouldn't say I did everything wrong because I did a lot of things right. Mostly, it was keeping my head up. When I got down, I spent some time thinking about how I could pull things back in. It wasn't my greatest race, but it was one of my greatest accomplishments. I pushed myself mentally and physically while still keeping track of my body and I am really proud to say that I finished. Being 9 ultras into my running career, I continue to learn more about myself, my body and what I am capable of. I still have a lot to learn, but feel like I am gaining knowledge every day.
Again, I have so many people to be thankful for. My God being the most important. He gave me this body to move and I can't begin to thank Him enough. My family. My wife, you were the one who put this spark in me and I am so grateful for your support. My kids, they are the ones who keep me pushing. I want to show them, again, that life will throw a lot of crap at you, but it's your attitude and determination that will help you to overcome ANYTHING. My friends, thank you all so much for the text messages during the event. I felt really bad that I couldn't write you all back but I was trying not to fall over at some points :) My UVU family, this gear is insane and it really got a test during this event. Steve Cannon, Molly Hopkins and One Race Events, thank you for putting on this event. I know that RD'ing sucks most of the time, but you did a great job. Nuun Hydration and Honey Stinger, thank you for fueling me and hydrating me along the way, this report may not be the most glowing endorsement of my nutrition and hydration but the products did what they were supposed to do, I just need to spend more time training my gut :)
Thank you all so much for reading my report. Now on to the next adventure........
Strava data for the first 2.1 miles (watch problem)
and last 97.9 miles
Click here for a great photo gallery of the event
Things I used at the 2015 Booneville Backroads 100 Mile
UVU Vim Race Tee
UVU Brio Vest and Jacket
UVU Air Jacket
UVU Stamina Jacket
HOKA ONE ONE Challenger ATR (62 miles)
HOKA ONE ONE Stinson Lite (38 miles)
UVU Stamina Jacket
HOKA ONE ONE Challenger ATR (62 miles)
HOKA ONE ONE Stinson Lite (38 miles)
Injinji Performance Trail 2.0 Mini-Crew (One pair for 62 miles, one pair for 38 miles)
Mobeben Arm Sleeves (provided to me by the one and only Shannon Farrar-Griefer)
Nathan Hydration VaporCloud hydration vest
Mobeben Arm Sleeves (provided to me by the one and only Shannon Farrar-Griefer)
Nathan Hydration VaporCloud hydration vest
CEP All sports Compression Calf Sleeves 2.0
Nuun Hydration (10 tabs)
Honey Stinger gels (20) and Chews (3 packs)
Nuun Hydration (10 tabs)
Honey Stinger gels (20) and Chews (3 packs)
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