Every year I have the opportunity to tackle a big challenge and raise funds for non-profits I truly believe in. This year I will be running my first 100 miler, the Angeles Crest (AC) 100 on August 1st, to raise funds for Ainsley’s Angels. They work tirelessly to build awareness about America's special needs community and its athletes through inclusion in all aspects of life, particularly participation in endurance events. As part of my training build up for AC 100, I raced in my first 100K this past weekend at the Sean O’Brien 100K in Malibu CA (aptly named the SOB 100). It was my longest run to date, 12.2 miles longer than the 50 miler I did last year.

Check out our awesome 100 miler fundraiser page here!

Training

I will include a more detailed description of my training philosophy in a future post as part of the monthly training updates leading up to AC100. The screenshot at the end of this section is a snapshot of my training during the past two months. Ideally, I would have liked to have another month of training under my belt for this 100K, but race schedules are rarely ideal. With IronMan St George on 02 May, I wanted to get a local 100K done early in the year, and SOB 100K was the one.

I am focusing heavily on cross-training, including swimming, biking, mobility work, and weight lifting in my weekly workout plan. To meet the total target run mileage per week, I typically take my run/hike mileage and add to it my swim mileage x 2, and my bike mileage / 5 to yield my weekly “effective” run mileage. That way I can work up toward some pretty big mileage each week without destroying my legs/knees. Concerning run training, I am focusing on trails with significant vertical gain, favoring quality of miles over quantity. I am targeting an average of 1000ft/5 mile of vertical gain (similar to the AC100 course profile, which features 20,000ft of gain over 100 miles).

Humble beginnings of a pain cave at the new house! This is where many 4 am mornings start.

Mobility work consists largely of 2-3 30 minute yoga sessions each week in addition to 2x 10-20 minutes of deep targeted stretching and foam rolling each day. The biggest change to my training approach compared to last year is incorporating weights in my training plan. I lift lower body 4x30 minutes and upper-body typically 2x30 minutes each week. These additions to my training regime have helped tremendously in both my performance and recovery associated with long hard miles in the mountains.

I swear there is a reason behind all these numbers…

Race Day

The day started at 0200, giving me enough time to eat a good breakfast, take care of any biological functions before racing up to 16 hours (gross), and double check I had all my gear before heading out the door at 0300. Race check-in was at 0415 and it took us a bit over an hour to get to Malibu Creek State Park (race start location).

A sampling of the buffet I carry around during races: Tailwind drink powder (not cocaine), Bonkbreaker energy bars (so many calories packed into such small space), GU Gels (gross, but effective), Saltstick pills (again, not drugs), and Honey Stinger… — A sampling of the buffet I carry around during races: Tailwind drink powder (not cocaine), Bonkbreaker energy bars (so many calories packed into such small space), GU Gels (gross, but effective), Saltstick pills (again, not drugs), and Honey Stinger waffles (just there because they are delicious). Not pictured, my trusty baggy of bacon, 2.5L water bladder, and 2x 500ml flexible soft-flasks.

I tend to consume a lot of calories and electrolytes when racing, and I carry a lot of my own supplies. My race pack, an Osprey Duro 15 Hydration pack with a 2.5L water bladder, may be overkill sometimes for an aid-station supported race, but I like to have the essentials with me at all times. It also offers good training for longer un-supported training runs. Twice during the race I had to supply water to fellow racers who had run out of their one 500ml flask they were carrying. Nonetheless, I can probably cut some weight off my pack for the 100 miler and rely more on the aid-stations.

The course itself is a 100km (62.2 mile) trek in the Malibu Canyons. The cutoff time for the race was 16 hours, and featured several individual cutoffs at certain aid stations. To refresh my memory, I had put together a small spreadsheet of pacing and cutoff time information, which I would reference frequently during the race as I was a bit apprehensive of finishing in the cutoff time (more on that below).

Race and drop-bag check-in went smoothly. I had one drop bag to be placed at Kanan Aid, which I would pass on miles 13 and 36. I included an extra pair of shoes and socks, sunscreen, Vaseline, an extra shirt, and extra nutrition. We were ready to go by 0500 and soon after a long train of headlamps illuminated the single track trail for the next two or so miles. The crowd would not dissolve until after the Piuma creek crossing just after mile 2. I guess if you want to win this race, you better sprint out ahead of the crowd at the start of the run so you don’t get stuck in the slow conga train. That, however, was not a worry I had, and I gladly took my place in line. It was a good time to talk to fellow racers, most of whom were familiar with the trails or had done this race in the past, and get some good pointers and advice. Bottom line was 1) Pace yourself in the descent from Zuma Ridge to Bonsall, as the climb back up is murderous, and 2) save some gas for Bulldog, as that extra 12 miles offshoot that separate the 50mile from the 100K at the end is probably the reason why you won’t be able to walk the next day.

Course layout to make more sense of the aid-station description above. And hey, it matches my garmin track!

The Piuma creek crossing at mile 2 was refreshing. Mid-shin deep cold water does wonders for the feet and will help reduce/delay swelling later on in the race. As expected, the first few miles after the creek crossing went very smoothly and I tried to control my pace early on. My target was to average 15min/mile throughout the race. Early on in the race there is a fine balance of pushing a little faster than your target average because a) its early and your legs are not fatigued yet, b) the sun has not yet risen and the temperatures are cooler, and c) you want to build up all the time margin you can. You don’t want to push too hard for too long in the first 10 miles however, especially for a new guy like me, because you will quickly blow up your legs and suffer during the hottest part in the middle of the day and in the second half of the race. I don’t tend to get too consumed with data during my race, but having my Fenix 3 watch track my mileage and pace was super helpful to stay on track.

Running above the clouds! (actually just the marine layer at 1500ft). There is also a person wayyyy ahead of me.

The first 36 miles went really well. I was maintaining a solid pace and really enjoying the sights. I was doing pretty well with spending minimal time at aid-stations, just grabbing what I needed and continuing to move. I would grab a bunch of food and stuff them in baggies so I could eat while walking out. The aid-stations were superb, with all the salty and fatty snacks a kid could wish for. Coming into Kanan aid station for my second time at mile 36, I allocated about 10 minutes of time. I reapplied Vaseline on my feet, switched to new socks, put on a new shirt, and restocked all supplies. I noticed that my battery on my watch was down to 10%, so I hooked it up to my small external charger and left it in my bag for the next 6 miles or so to Corral Cyn. Throughout the first 36 miles, I was consistently an hour ahead of the cutoff times, and I still felt great.

Massive table showing splits. Pressed the wrong button a couple of times which cut the split mid-way through a mile (hence the 65 splits). Things went pretty smoothly for the first 36 miles then started to slow down causing me to get to Corral Canyo… — Massive table showing splits. Pressed the wrong button a couple of times which cut the split mid-way through a mile (hence the 65 splits). Things went pretty smoothly for the first 36 miles then started to slow down causing me to get to Corral Canyon Aid around 15:30 (15 minutes before the cutoff). That put my butt in gear to blast the downhill to Bulldog at Mile 48.5 to make it before the 17:00 cutoff (I got there at 16:50), and subsequently paid for the quad-thrashing downhill by crawling back up to Corral Canyon Aid to get back before the 19:00 cutoff there. Good times.

Continuing the climb up to Corral Cyn mile 42.9 aid station, I was running by feel rather than numbers (as my watch was in my bag). It was a pretty tough and technical section, and my pace slowed. I had been an hour ahead of the cutoff time pretty much all day, until this section. I showed up to Corral Cyn (mile 42.9) at 15:30, only 15 minutes to spare before I had to drop to the 50 miler distance. I was surprised when the aid station volunteer said I only had 15 minutes to begin the extra 12 mile ‘bulldog’ offshoot, as I had lost track of time. Fatigue was setting in, and the choice to go right and only do 7 or so more miles and still qualify for a 50-miler finish could have been tempting. It was a pretty cool moment, as I did not hesitate to get out of that aid station and go left to start the 12 mile extra section which would serve an additional 2,500ft of brutal climbing and another 2,500ft of quad trashing descents. The cutoff at bulldog aid was 17:00, that meant I had 90 minutes to cover 6 miles, right at my 15min/mile average. Luckily the way to Bulldog was pretty much all downhill so I had no issue maintaining pace, getting to the bottom at 16:50, 10 minutes to spare until the cutoff.

The moon returned on our way back up Bulldog to Corral Cyn visit #3. The full moon and cloudless sky helpfully contributed some illumination to an otherwise pitch-dark night.

Walking out of Bulldog at Mile 48.5 to start my return journey to Corral Cyn, I knew I was in trouble. The wheels had come off. On the one hand, I had 2 hours to cover the 6 miles back to Corral Cyn Aid, on the other, my legs were shot after bombing the downhill to Bulldog. By this time, I also had an insane amount of chaffing happening between my belly button and quads (gross), making each step pretty miserable. I must have rushed re-applying Vaseline at Mile 36 Kanan aid, because it was a lost cause down there. It was during the climb back up to Carrol Cyn that I got perhaps the biggest win of the day.

At the Bulldog aid station is where I found it, the magical excelsior of life, the sugar loaded stomach comforting carbonated beverage also known as Ginger-ale. I had been good with my fluids all day, alternating between water and tailwind, taking in a good amount of electrolytes and fluid calories along the way. But with how I was feeling at Mile 48, the gloves had to come off. Every endurance athlete knows when it is time, and for me Mile 48 was that time, it was soda time. Filling up one of my 500ml flask with Ginger-ale pushed me up Bulldog climb back to Carrol Cyn, where I took another refill to get me home.

Also an accurate description after drinking ‘the Ginger-ale’

But that wasn’t the biggest win of the day. During my 50 miler last year, the wheels fell off right around the 48 mile mark as well. I was forced to walk the last two miles to the finish line, as for the first time in my life my mind could not convince my body to run. I literally could not bring myself to even shuffle. I wasn’t injured, I was just so fatigued that not only my body had tapped out, but so did my mind. Now I was faced with 14 more miles instead of 2. Since the race last year, and especially over the last two months, I have spent a good amount of time on mental training along with my physical training. Forcing myself out of bed every week-day morning at 3:30am to knock out a two-hour workout before my hour commute to work goes a long way. Showing up rain, sleet, snow, wind, or shine (yes it is not always sunny and 75 in SoCal) for training runs is another. And listening to and learning from disciplined individuals like David Goggins and Jocko Willink is yet another way. But perhaps the biggest mental push I have been using is gratefulness. Not everyone has the chance to run a 100K, or a 10K, or even get on their feet and move about freely for that matter. That is why my 100-miler fundraiser this year, along with my 50-miler fundraiser last year, mean so much to me. Using my ability to move and tackle these scary big goals so I can raise a little bit of funds and awareness to hopefully make someone’s life who isn’t able to move as freely just a little easier is like the wall bursting kool-aid man feeling times a million. All of the above, and plenty of feelings I still need to find words for, allowed me to adjust to the pain, instead of giving into it. Not once during this race did I feel a ‘low’. Sure I was fatigued and shuffling forward, but I was moving forward with a positive mind set. I was looking at this race as a building block for an even bigger challenge that will allow me to help people. That is all the push I needed to bring it home.

After hammering the uphill back from Bulldog and reaching Mile 54.5 Carrol Cyn Aid at 18:30, I had increased my cut-off margin to 45 minutes. It was now just under 8 miles to get to the finish line, and I had 2.5 hours to do it. I remember from passing through the same terrain on the first 8 miles in the morning that the terrain was pretty technical, featuring some rock fields and a couple of stinger hills to climb. Although it wasn’t pretty, I managed to shuffle forward and get back to Piuma creek crossing at mile 60 at 20:15, 15 minutes shy of the last cutoff of the day. Putting my feet into that cold water again was one of the better feelings of the day. I worked hard to maintain a (roughly) 15min/mile pace from the creek to the finish, crossing the line at 20:47, 13 minutes before the 21:00 cutoff.

I’m slowly becoming a big boy, two races under the belt! Still a lot of work to do before AC100… (oh that little guy? I wouldn’t worry about that little guy)

Reflections

Out of the 147 that finished the 100K, 128 finished within the 16 hour cutoff. I am not sure how many folks switched from the 100K to the 50 miler during the race due to not meeting a cutoff time at one of the aid-stations. From those that finished, I placed 123th out of 128, talking about slugging it out in the back of the pack!

Showing up at the start, I was actually apprehensive about finishing this race in the cutoff time (16 hours). Most of my training runs with significant elevation gain on technical trails had averaged between 15-16 min/mile, and my longest continuous run in training was just under 20 miles. To finish this race in the cutoff time I had to average approximately 15:28min/mile across all 62.2 miles including aid-station stops. This is in stark contrast to showing up for my 50 miler last year, where I was a bit over-confident about finishing in under 12 hours.

A big lesson I learned last year is to respect the distance, no matter how short or long your race is. During my build up to the 50 miler last year, I raced at the Bayshore 70.4 Half Ironman triathlon and got absolutely hammered (no not the good kind, or is it?). I was so confident in my legs with the increased running I was doing for the 50 miler, that I overcooked it way too much on the bike and was not able to run without cramping up, ultimately finishing more than an hour slower than in 2018. This year, even though I am building up for a 100 miler, I was scared even of the 100K, and it just changed my whole mentality for the better. I took a more carefully calculated approach, and consistently reminded myself that I was raising my baseline and getting better in the process.

A few other big lessons I learned in the build-up to this 100K are summarized below:

Weight training is definitely worth its time. I have only been focusing on adding it to my training routine for the last month and a half or so but am already seeing dividends not only in my performance on both the run and bike, but also my recovery.
My diet has also slowly changed. I am now focusing more on eating foods associated with anti-inflammatory benefits (salmon, vegetables, berry-like fruits, etc.) and good energy dense fats (avocados, nuts, and the occasional weekend bacon). It has also made a big difference in my ability to put out over longer distances and my speed up my recovery.
Shoes are important. May sound obvious, but running this 100K in my La Sportiva GTX trail running shoes was like night and day compared to running the 50miler last year in my triathlon Asics racing shoes (I was young and dumb back then). Along with proper shoes, applying plenty of lubricant to the feet goes a long way. My feet came out scot free without any dings, blisters, scratches, and very limited swelling. I also have my recovery slippers to thank for that.

I am incredible grateful that I have the opportunity to fund-raise for and spread awareness of Ainsley’s Angels and their incredible mission. I had the opportunity to team up with them and represent Team Scott at the Carlsbad Half Marathon in January. Together Scott, who lives with Cerebral Palsy, and I crushed the 13.1 mile distance and it was the most fun I have had in any race I have ever done. His enthusiasm and determination to move forward no matter what situation he is placed in really is a great wake-up call for all of us. I am looking forward to racing with Team Ainsley’s Angels again at the San Diego Rock & Roll marathon, now tackling the 26.2 mile distance pushing the race chair.

Team Scott crushing the 2020 Carlsbad Half Marathon.

Next up is a quick recovery week followed by two weeks of triathlon focused training as I gear up for the 2020 Bayshore 70.4 Half IronMan triathlon on 07 March. Following that will be a healthy mix of trail running training and triathlon workouts throughout the months of March, April, and May with IronMan St George on 02 May. As you are still reading this (this was a long one!), another sweet fundraiser button below! Thank you in advance for all your support, whether financial or just spreading the word, you guys are awesome.

Check out our awesome 100-miler fundraiser page here!