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Lost Soul Ultra 100 Mile - Run


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Lethbridge, Alberta
Canada
Lost Soul Ultra
20C / 68F
Overcast
Total Time = 33h 03m 28s
Overall Rank = 21/44
Age Group =
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

So it is Wednesday before, and here are my thoughts. Someone said it should feel like a cross between your execution and Christmas. And it does. Monday and Tuesday were pretty stressful. Now it is Wednesday and as with Christmas and Executions, what comes will come.

I am fatter and slower than last year. There is no getting by that. I have a sore leg still, who knows why. I am mentally harder though. I know that. I am prepared for what will come. I am prepared to force legs to move. I have haunting memories of the BOP 50kers passing me, and they were walking, and walking slow. That feeling you get when you think you are going as hard as you can and slow walking people pass you, I don't want to feel that again.

I have been looking at my results for 2010 and 2012. I have reviewed my RR to help prepare myself for those feelings of helplessness, of "it is good enough". I think I am ready for those feelings. I look forward to those feelings.

It is not important for me to finish this race. I have tried to get myself psyched up to finish it but I can't. It is too much to think about. IT is too long. Too many things can happen. It isn't even important to me at this point that I don't give up. There is no telling what will happen.

So in some ways I am in the same position as I was last year. But I think it is going to be different. I think I will be able to look at the situation more objectively. I think I will be able to have more focus when sun goes down and I am left alone in the hills. I don't know why I think that. I just do.

The key, I think, is the flat. When it is flat I gotta be moving. That is where I fell down last year. So in the middle of the night. When it is Dark. I will run. If I can't run, I will run intervals. Walking is fine. But on the flat, no need to walk for more than a minute. Last year I remember seeing I was running a 10 min pace. Which sucks. So then I would just up and walk a 13 min pace. But 10 min pace is better than 13 min pace. So run.

That is all for now.

So my week was a cranky one. Between the taper and the expectations of this race and the amount of time, and more then that the amount of mental energy I have spent preparing for it....with all of that I was a mess. Work wasn't getting done. I slept in and left early for the first time in months.

The taper felt good. I went for a run on Tuesday at Gord's, they were trying some of those Altra shoes. Just a short little 5 ker with a couple easy hills. My achilles was a bit sore on Wednesday but fine by the end of the day. I used my foam roller plenty the last 5 or 6 days.

Dad and I left Calgary late, because he ended up with a doctors appointment. Which made me even crankier. So we got to Lethbridge around 7:00. Picked the package up. Had some subway. Got to the hotel. Un packed. Stressed about my drop bins. Gave my dad some instructions. Soaked in the hot tub. Had trouble falling asleep, maybe in bed by 11.
Event warmup:

Slept restlessly. Up at 6. Wandered the hotel halls aimlessly, saw some runners dressed and ready to go. Checked in. No weigh in this year. Felt tired. Legs felt good but I felt like at 90% rest wise. Not good for a race that will be taking me 30+ hours.

Had some breakfast. Not too much. I think some oatmeal, potatoes, eggs. Coffee.....I think so, just a touch. Managed to evacuate the system. Confirmed drop bags, more instructions to dad, not in a good mood, mostly scared though I probably seemed hostile. Went to the prerace meeting at 7:30, still not dressed. Wasn't planning on wearing much so figured what is the point.

Got dressed. Went with the Stinson's for the first lap. New pair of socks. Greased up the feet, the pits, the waist. Sunscreen. No shirt. I figured I would channel a little Anton, and besides I hadn't worn one all summer, wasn't going to start now. Carried my bins to the start, sat on a curb. Stood up for the anthem.


Run
  • 00m
  • 160.93 kms
  •  min/km
Comments:

So I write this bit on October 17, 2013. It has been 5 weeks or so. I think I gave the wrong impression where I said it was not like the roller coaster that last year was. It was just a different roller coaster. Firstly I need to be gushing, just in case someone somewhere some time reads this. This race is the best ever. It gives you the chance to go to places that you don't get to go to normally. Places deep into your soul. You really know who you are during this race. You know who your friends are you find out just how much those who love you love you. You are wrapped in this protective barrier that keeps the outside world at bay and allows you to be truly immersed for up to 36 hours in this completely artificial world of great pain and great happiness. It is like every song heard or movie seen that blocks all other feelings out.

I mean I have been married, I have had children, I have done things that give me lasting memories of intense joy. I have been sick and have felt that fear that it is the end. Those experiences are imprinted on your brain. They are but moments. There is nothing like seeing your fiance walk down the aisle to meet you. There is nothing like seeing your child take their first breath. And there is nothing like running this race. Despite my attempts it is incomparable.

I have done many marathons and 50ks but only one other 50 miler. This 100 miler, there is something about it. It is three loops, there is a repetitive nature to it that adds to the experience. Unlike a race in the middle of nowhere you feel perfectly safe at all times. There is no getting lost and risking death. You are free to concentrate on the experience, if you allow yourself, although of course eventually you have no choice.

So the race is excellent. To take part in the race makes me feel privileged. I feel that I am a witness to and participant in something so very great.

So to my specific experience. In the end, the grandness of it is indescribable. I feel like I remember every steep, even 5 weeks later. I go to sleep with a smile on my face when I imagine myself out there. I guess it is the feeling of being present, the inescapable oneness that you feel that I speak about later.

Currently I am hurt. I don't know why. The pain in my leg grew in the past 4 weeks until it became crippling. I don't know why. I have taken 6 days off and it is much better but still very present. I don't know how I carried myself through the training or through the race. I can only think it must have been so insanely important to me that I refused to acknowledge the difficulty I was having.

I can't remember what I wrote about going back. In the last couple weeks I thought I would go back, that I want to repeat the experience. But I have also thought that I don't need to. That the race gave to me what I wanted. That I took all I needed. That the journey, and it was a 4year journey, was completed. That my body needs a break. I don't know right now.

Part of me wants to find something that means as much to me as finishing this race meant. Part of me doesn't want to go that distance for anything again.

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So this thing reads like a post mortem or something. Just the facts ma'am. I think because it is impossible to wrap this race up into a tidy little essay. It was easier to express my experience last year when I failed than this year where I succeeded. Firstly, I did not succeed alone. In fact I feel like I was only part of a team that finished the race. I could never have completed this race without my father who was tireless as my only crew member and Darren who kept me moving forward and distracted enough to not worry about how slow I was moving forward. I would never have made it. I would be passed out on the Pavan loop without them. I am so fortunate to have a father to follow me to this crazy event and a best friend willing to take a weekend to go for a slow walk around Lethbridge.

During the race I was constantly comparing my time, my feelings, my state of energy/hunger/thirst, the weather, the people, everything with what I remembered from last year. The RR is no different. I am disappointed in this. I am a different person than I was last year, I had a different crew, the course was different slightly, the weather was way different. My training was different. Of course I haven't been able to shake last years race out of mind in the past year so why would it be any different on race day.

It has not been the roller coaster post race that it was last year. I have wanted to talk about it some but I haven't had this all consuming need to share with the world what I went through. This surprises me. On reflection, the reason may be because this year doesn't really feel like a success as much as last year felt like a failure. I remember the feeling of breaking 4 hours in the marathon, or going sub 50 in the 10k those felt like successes. Even getting a PR on my bike ride home felt like more to celebrate than the simple fact that I finished the race.

There are things to celebrate though, having my dad there with his tireless support, having my family come up and seeing my kids run towards me as I came into Peenequim the last time....and hearing them scream as a made the walk from Hale Bale hill to the parking lot. Hiking with the other runners....and of course with Darren. Looking at it that way it is as if the parts are more than the whole. Or maybe the race is just a vehicle for these other experiences. Those are the things I will never forget. I am not sure what it says about me that it takes a 100 mile race to make me appreciate these things.

The finish line is a weird place. At a marathon or a 10k, for me, it is one of the happiest places on earth. For this 100 miler, I mean for a spectator it is a much grander place to hang out than a 10k or a marathon or even watching Mr. Bolt for < 10 seconds. But for me, I guess it is a lot like Christmas. It is fun, but the build up and the preparation is what is really fun and stimulating. Or maybe it is more like an execution; it is simply over.

People ask, "are you going to do it again?" I don't know. I don't feel this huge urge. I don't feel this draw. I thought I would. Maybe it will come. I had a great time last year and I had a great time this year. It is such a great group of people, racers and directors and volunteers. But it hurts so very much. I guess I would go back if I was better prepared. I feel that I was lucky. I was lucky with the weather. Had it been hot...I might have been okay, had it rained, I don't know what would have happened. Right now, at this very moment, 3 days after the race, I would not want to go back in the shape I am in. If I was in better shape, if I had my feet figured out, then maybe.

But....I am so fortunate in so many ways to be able to do this.

Here starteth the race report proper...eventually pictures will be available.

  • I felt a bit blah. I felt fat. I am fat. I was just over 200 lbs on Wednesday, which is the biggest I have been for a long time. And here I was running without a shirt on. lol. The weather was overcast. About 15 C though, and a little humid. I was glad I wasn't wearing a shirt, kept me cool without the sticky shirt clinging to me.

    First loop was good. I stayed in control. Jogged the flats lightly, ran the down hills, hiked the uphills. There is always a bit of a glut at the beginning, you get behind some people running the downhills slower than you and you feel you aren't being as efficient as you could. For the most part there wasn't a lot of that though. The first down hill is a road, so no one to fall into behind. The other 2 downhills weren't super steep so for the most part I just stayed behind and concentrated on keeping my feet light.

    I felt good at the end. Unbothered you know. My dad was meeting me right were I told him to, about 50 meters out of the aid station. The plan was he would have a boost, a Gatorade, a gel and a cliff bar. I took the boost and the Gatorade, downed both. Checked in and was off. for the second leg. Took me 55 minutes, solid start, same as last year more or less.

    I felt good. My mouth was a little sticky. Not thirsty but knowing I probably should drink. But I felt cool. A bunch of hills here, some steep mothers, then a not so steep one. Funny, it was here that we get to run on the road for a bit and it is a very very gradual hill so I was running it and then bang, I up and past Gord. And I thought, well gee, that doesn't seem like a great idea. So I hung back with him and chatted a bit, slowly walked. Got away from him a bit near the end, but did my best to slow down my jogging on the flat and walk even the most insanely gradual up hill. So they added a hill at the beginning and took out a hill at the end...I think. So the leg ended sooner than I thought. Which was nice. Same distance and elevation as last year though, I think. Took me an hour, so about the same as last year.

    My dad met me with my boost and Gatorade and I was off. I think I took a bottle of Gatorade for the road as I was pretty sure there was a trash can after a couple k, there was. The next leg I found a lot of people disliked. I didn't mind it so much. It starts with a hill, ha. Then there is some nice running around. Then you do some more hills. It is 9k long, I guess it has more hills then the dreaded north loop. It was on this leg, 2 hours into the race, that my pinky toe started to get all achy. I forget to clip the little bastard. The downhills were tearing it up. I got to Pavan aid station at 3:26, so about the same as last year, about an hour and a half.

    When I got there I found a medic guy right away. Unfortunately he had neither clippers or scissors. Fortunately the race director was walking on by and he had a trusty key chain pocket knife that the medic used to clip off my nail. A little duct tape and 5 minutes later I was out of there. Again my dad was awesome, met me with my boost, my Gatorade. I had a volunteer fill up my bottle again and I downed it quickly. Threw on my fuel belt, which I was wearing for the first time, and was out of there.

    This loop, also not so bad. I mean it is 16k, but mentally easy to break off into chunks. There is a hill, then you run around for a bit, do some little hills, then you get out of the hills and do a long flat bit, then you go back into some super crazy hills, then you come out and do another 6k run back to Pavan. It is a nice loop. So it was going good. Getting hot. I was a little concerned about my nutrition/fuel strategy. I felt like I had energy but I was a little thirsty. I knew there was an unofficial water stop where some land owners put out bottled water. I think I had a cliff bar and a gel along with my Gatorade in my belt. Hiking the uphills, running the downhills. By this time I was done with running the flats. My MP3 player had died, so I spent a lot of time on the flat counting to 20 steps, 20 running, 20 walking, 20 + 20 running, 20 walking, 20 + 20 + 20 running, walk for a bit. Kept me entertained. My toe was feeling good. I think the soles of my feet must have started to hurt a bit....although I don't know. Gord caught up to me and he was running the flat. So I jogged along with hiim. We did the hills together. He was a fun guy to run with. He is so light on his feet. I would be behind him on the up hills anyway and his feet hardly touched the ground. I tried to emulate him a bit, then and also later.

    We got through the hills way quicker than I thought we would. I could have sworn the course was shortened. Gord stuck with me through the flat until the water drop. We filled up and he took off. by that time I could not run for more than 60 steps. My feet weren't horrible but they were sore. No real hot spots, just sore. So I walked and ran it in. A couple people passed me, I think. But I made it in 2:33. I thought this was 30 minutes faster than last year but it wasn't, it was only like 12 minutes faster. So I had this huge idea I was cruising super fast. Very strange.

    Again my dad was awesome, had my stuff. I think I had a couple of ham and cheese sandwiches, 2 minutes and I was off.

    The next leg sucks. I hate this leg. 3 hard hills. Super hard hills. I fell twice on this leg I think. I think I fell 3 times on this loop. It was the Stinsons, they had about 1000 km on them and the grips were just too worn. They were road shoes too so..... Anyways, killer leg. Super hard. After the 3 hills there is a flat and I smashed my head into a low hanging big mother of a branch. I think I did that the past 2 years too.

    I felt super slow on this leg, 1:08, I thought it was tons slower than last year but only a couple minutes. Again my dad was awesome at the aid station, in and out with boost and gatorade. Dropped my fuel belt off. The hike to the lodge took me 1:09, which again was about 5 minutes slower than last year. Not sure why. Temp on this leg according to the megllen on my wrist, got up to 33C.

    Total time first lap was 8:25, which was only about 10 minutes faster than last year.

    Got to HQ. Now this is were you, my reader, may do a double take. So my room was maybe 50 meters from the start line. So I got to HQ, downed my boost and gatorade, then marched right down to my room, undressed, had my first pee of the race (eek)(I did better for the second loop and then the third loop I was flashing the world every hour or so...) and had a shower. 15 minutes later I was back on the course, new shorts, new shoes, no shirt. No sunglasses either, because it looked like it was going to be overcast. My feet looked good, they were sore but not blisters. Went with the Hoka Speed. Grips were better, I think I fell once, But I developed a blister on this round.

    A word about the weather, they had been forecasting rain for the last couple days, but it just wouldn't come, and then the sun came out the last leg. Never rained, never got too hot for too long. A little humid is all.

    First leg went well. I mean it is lonely now. No one to see. Karen ran into me right before the last hill. She looked good and was super keen. She passed me fast, still running. I got in at 1:15, which was 5 minutes faster than last year. Flawless transition and I was off.

    Leg 2 went well. Sun came out again though, bizarre. Took me 1:27, so exactly the same as last year. So confused about this. I thought I was moving faster, but I wasn't.

    Leg 3 went well. Sun was going down so I left with my head lamp and poles. My poor dad was losing his mind looking for my headlamps. He forgot I put them in the drop bag just in case he couldn't make it. So he went out and bought another one, he was awesome. Anyways, the poles slow me down, I know. I can't remember if I was running much at this point. I think I must have been trying to though. 1:56 on this leg, about 8 minutes faster.

    I think I spent some time at Pavan getting ready for Leg 4. The leg took me 4 hours last year and I identified it as a major stumbling block. So spent about 6 minutes getting ready to go. Might have eaten something, oh I put on a shirt. I think I drank 2 boosts. Got the fuel belt on. And I was off. This leg went well. It went super well. I finished in 3 hours and 8 minutes. Last year it took me 3:54. What was awesome was that although my feet hurt, which made running tough, my legs didn't hurt. Like not at all. Not my knees, or calves or thighs or anything. Going up was easy. Coming down was only hard on my toes. Walking sucked but I sucked it up and marched on. Swinging my arms, running a bit here and there. What was also awesome was Karen caught up to me on this lap. I think she felt better running with someone else so she slowed it down and walked behind me. Which helped keep me pushing. She left me near the end, but that was cool. I did what I needed to do time wise. That was awesome.

    My dad was there! I was so happy he was there. Last year he slept through it. This year I told him to just get some rest and don't worry. But he was there. It was awesome to see him. I was so happy. He gave me my drinks. I don't know if I ate. I think I kept the fuel belt on. I was only there for 3 minutes and I was off.

    Next leg, 3 bad hills. Hate it. I think I fell once here. It is steep. Didn't hit my head though. I passed one guy on this leg. Only guy I passed on the trail, I think I passed more at the aid stations. He almost caught me at the end, I finished only 3 minutes before him. Karen caught up to me and passed me. Still super dark, Took me 1:25, About 10 minute faster than last year, although I wasn't keeping track at that point.

    Great time at Peenaquim. Last year I was done at this point. Could hardly walk. This year, the boost gatorade strategy was paying off. I had energy. My feet were sore but I could move. Fast transition and I was off. Last leg was good. I remember last year so well, crawling. This year 1:24, last year 1:36. Killer. Ha, on this lap my headlamp started to do 3 short flashes. I think it is a sign the battery is running down. First time I wore the headlamp due to some poor planning and the fact that I had it stolen and had to replace it. Anyways, a little nerve racking.

    Finished the second lap at 19:29. Last year it was 21:40. Almost 2 hours faster. Nuts! Went in for a shower, new shoes, new shorts, new shirt. And we were off 15 minutes later. 3:45 a.m.

    And there was Darren. My buddy. My pacer. Set and ready to go.

    So great to have someone to run with. But man, he was fresh. So awake, and cheery like. Skipping along. I could see right away that he was strolling to my running. lol. Whatever, it was great to have him. We ran the paved downhill. We caught up to Karen! which of course was insane, and if I had a brain in my head I would have realized that she was suffering because there is no way I am catching her. She stuck with us though and eventually powered by us near the end. I told her how I had a shower and she went and did the same thing.

    Got back to HQ. I remember not being super happy. My dad wasn't there to meet me with my drinks, I mean he was there just not at the exact spot I wanted him. I ended up sitting down for 4 minutes, which is never a good idea. I have seen friendly ultra runners. I am not one of them. I remember someone asking me something and me just saying how I just wanted to get this thing finished. I was hurting. We did the lap in 1:26, 10 minutes faster than last year.

    But, still my legs felt fine. My arms were hurting a bit from the poling, but okay. Feet were throbbing. I developed a blister on the last lap on my right heel. It popped and wasn't bothering me. My left pinky toe was very manageable. It was mostly the throbbing of the bottoms of my feet.

    The second leg, who knows. Things are a bit blurry. I remember having fun at times with Darren. He was very entertaining. I was a bit pissed that he kept walking beside me or in front of me as it is a tad bit annoying to see some one strolling along when you are running as fast as you can. I did try to run. I kept with my plan of trying to march hard and run when I could, but it was getting more difficult. I think the sun started to come up here. That was nice. Head lamp made it.

    Took me 1:54. Last year took me 1:53, so not much faster there. But again, no break at the aid station. Darren ran ahead to grab my stuff and I just marched on through. Well 2 minutes there, but better than 10 minutes last year.

    This leg I think I ran a bit. we marched up the hill and then the wind really picked up. But I just up and ran. Not fast though, I mean Darren had to walk fast to keep up but certainly not run. I think by then I told him just to stay behind me and he was doing a great job staying back there telling me how good and strong I was looking. Funny. Leg took 2:16. So only 3 minutes faster than last year, which is so wildly weird.

    Little longer in transition, 4 minutes. Not sure what I was up to. Think they were trying to get me to eat. I may have relented and had a sandwich.

    The Pavan loop....I mean what can I say. It was much better than last year. I was well hydrated. I had energy. The only thing that happened was in the march on the flat to the hills I got so unbelievably tired. A couple 50kers passed us and I asked if they had something with caffeine in it. I had no caffeine all race and we were at like, 27 hours or so. I could hardly walk or keep my eyes open. No one had anything. Some Gatorade helped. Then we hit the hills and I woke up. I did okay on the hills, it was really just the flat that I felt I suffered on. I couldn't get a good run going. On the hike bike to Pavan I think I stopped for the first time to sit on a log.

    It was this loop I started feeling nauseous. It wasn't super bad, kind of felt like the early stages of the flu, I felt clammy and a little feverish. I was drinking tons though, peeing all the friggin time. I blame that on Darren who kept telling me to drink. Better that then almost dying of thirst though.

    Darren told me that Marjorie and the kids were here. Not at Pavan but they would see me at the next aid station. I talked to Marjorie about it the days before the race. I wasn't sure I wanted them to come. I mean I am a grumpy ultra runner. If I finished it would suck, if I failed it would suck worse. But near the beginning of the second loop I decided I wanted them there. That this is what family is for really. And if you can't fail in front of your kids then, well I guess I thought that even if I didn't finish that I would want hem to see it. So yeah, she was coming up. That put a bit of a spring in my step.

    But then the tears came. Who knows why. I mean it hurt, my feet hurt a lot. I was feeling like crying off and on for about 10 hours but nothing really came. I don't know, maybe it was the family coming, maybe it was knowing that pending a broken bone I could crawl my way to the finish. So I felt the tears coming, and when I saw Pavan, I just started to cry. Not a complete bawl but more like a 8 our of 10. It was significant. I was remembering why I quit last year. It hurt so much, and I was so tired, not quite as bad and not quite as tired as last year but so very close. I remember why I quit. I forget now though. But at that time it was clear, and it made sense.

    Anyways, I was so happy to see Pavan. I was going to change my shoes. I was going to sit. There were people there. I try to put my finger on why. I mean when you are out there, people are passing you, they say hi but it is not like they are really there. I mean they are in the 50k, they are in a whole different race, a different dimension it seems. So I felt lonely a bit. I mean Darren was there but it was just the two of us. But at PAvan, everyone is sitting, and.......but that is not it. I think something happens to me after being out there for 29 hours. I think everything kind of strips away and you are left with a feeling that even amidst the pain and the confusion and the fatigue that there is not a lot separating me from anything else.

    So I got to Pavan and was just crying. Everyone left me alone. I caught a couple people staring at me, not that I was trying to. I just wanted to get my shoes on and get out. And I did. And we left. And I stopped crying.

    The Pavan loop took me about 3:54. So about 16 minutes faster then last year. Not insignificant, clearly.

    The most hated loop was next. It sucks. We did it. The flat part sucked. I stopped a lot. The 50kers were coming in droves now. I thought I was being funny, I would hold out my hand and say, "thou shall not pass." They passed. lol.

    This loop was slow. 1:42 minutes. So only about 15 minutes slower than lap 2, which I guess is good. Although that is a loss of about 3km a minute. I mean the wheels had fallen off for sure.

    Peenequim was great. My kids were great. They had made a shirts. My daughter's said Run Daddy Run. My son's said Dads Running Buddy. It was awesome. They saw me and ran out to see me. so cute. They didn't look weird-ed out at all. lol, maybe they saw enough other runners. We took some pictures. I spent 8 minutes there, by far my longest break. Really put a skip in my step.

    Unfortunately it didn't last. I was in good spirits I think but slow. Maybe 4-5 breaks to sit on logs on this leg. So sore in the feet. Down to a crawl. Woulda been tough to go slower.

    The finish was awesome. Truly awesome. There are no words for it. You can see the runners coming in for about 300 meters. So Marjorie was screaming, my dad was screaming. The kids were literally screaming, ha, I guess they were saying go daddy or some such thing and Marjorie told them to scream louder so they just screamed jjibberish. Everyone was clapping. I came in 21st out of 29 finishers and 44 starters. There were a bunch of "milers" as they are called, hanging around. You can't help it. And it is almost as good seeing someone finish a 100 miler race that you just finished as when you finished it your self. I was so happy. There were tears but they were happy tears. It was funny, my kids and wife were waiting for me at the top of this mini hill near the end, so when I got up they turn and ran to the finish line, about 50 meters away. Those kids ran so fast. Lol. I couldn't keep up if I wanted to. I did run through the finish line. I just could not. Everyone was cheering. It felt great. I found the energy to raise my hands in victory at the finish line. Wild.

    That last leg took 1:43, so only 19 minutes longer. lol. Felt like an eternity out there.


    Post race
    Warm down:

    I sat down immediately and peeled my shoes and socks off. They were so sore. Also, surprised to see the most massive blood blister on my left foot on the side near the heel. Bizarre. Never even felt it. Shortly after that I got quite faint, not from the blister just from the system shutting down i think. I stumbled to a air mattress to chill for a bit. Managed to get up. Eat a burger. Watch some people come in. Went for a shower. Came back. Had the blister drained. Said good bye to the kids. Went for a snooze, got up an hour later, went for beer and nachos for an hour, then crashed like no ones business.

    Feet are still a mess 3 days later. Can't wear shoes for very long. The throbbing is maybe 75 percent gone but the blisters are not very fun.

    My legs are in great shape. No problems going up or down. My calves got a little stiff on Monday but not so much. Sitting so much on Monday stiffened up my groin a bit but again, not so much. The training paid off. I ran less than last year and am fatter than last year but the running I did do was straight up and down hills and that made all the difference.

    What limited your ability to perform faster:

    feet. Don't know why they hurt so much.

    Event comments:

    This is a capital H Hard race. But it is the best race. Ever. Ever Ever Ever. Go for the run, stay for the party I say.




    Last updated: 2013-02-04 12:00 AM
    Running
    00:00:00 | 160.93 kms |  min/km
    Age Group: 0/
    Overall: 0/44
    Performance: Good
    Course: 3 painful soul sucking loops in the badlands of southern alberta. 1500 meters elevation gain, more or less. But it is a hard 1500 meters. It isn't like climbing a mountain that is 1500 meters high. It is like climbing the last 100 meters of a mountain 15 times. Steep and exposed and crumbly.
    Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
    Post race
    Weight change: %
    Overall: Good
    Mental exertion [1-5] 5
    Physical exertion [1-5] 5
    Good race? Yes
    Evaluation
    Course challenge Too hard
    Organized? Yes
    Events on-time? Yes
    Lots of volunteers? Yes
    Plenty of drinks? Yes
    Post race activities: Good
    Race evaluation [1-5] 5

    {postbutton}
    2013-09-10 11:44 AM

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    Champion
    5312
    5000100100100
    Calgary
    Subject: Lost Soul Ultra 100 Mile


    2013-09-10 7:37 PM
    in reply to: #4851848

    User image

    Royal(PITA)
    14270
    50005000200020001001002525
    West Chester, Ohio
    Subject: RE: Lost Soul Ultra 100 Mile

    Stunned silence here.  I cannot imagine,  To finish a race that takes that long to complete is mind boggling.

     Congratulations.  

    Hope your feet heal up fast.

    2013-09-11 7:38 AM
    in reply to: QueenZipp

    Subject: ...
    This user's post has been ignored.
    2013-09-11 8:09 AM
    in reply to: wgraves7582

    Regular
    287
    100100252525
    Levittown, PA
    Subject: RE: Lost Soul Ultra 100 Mile
    You sir, are amazing !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Congrats.
    2013-09-11 11:02 PM
    in reply to: spiderjunior

    Expert
    1662
    10005001002525
    Spokane, WA
    Subject: RE: Lost Soul Ultra 100 Mile
    Simply Amazed at your achievement. So impressed you came back and conquered this thing after coming so close last year. You sir are an animal, and my new hero. Way to go Darren!
    2013-09-12 7:42 AM
    in reply to: #4851848

    Extreme Veteran
    402
    100100100100
    CT
    Subject: RE: Lost Soul Ultra 100 Mile
    Congratulations!!! Your report is simply amazing!


    2013-09-12 11:31 AM
    in reply to: hdhtri

    Veteran
    2842
    200050010010010025
    Austin, Texas
    Subject: RE: Lost Soul Ultra 100 Mile

    Ultra, indeed.

    Ultra impressive, amazing, mind-boggling... the list goes on.

    Thank you for sharing so much about the lead up and the race itself - it's terrific to hear what you went through and your mindset throughout.  Hard to wrap my brain around, but terrific!

    Congrats on a very impressive accomplishment!


    Matt

    2013-09-13 11:19 AM
    in reply to: mcmanusclan5

    Champion
    5312
    5000100100100
    Calgary
    Subject: RE: Lost Soul Ultra 100 Mile
    2013-12-03 8:44 AM
    in reply to: BigDH

    Elite
    3656
    200010005001002525
    West Allis, Wisconsin
    Subject: RE: Lost Soul Ultra 100 Mile

    Hey Big,

     

    Just saw this and read it (and now my boss is ticked because ive wasted time!), Great job on the redemption!  100 milers are no joke, but yes, they sure as hell are a great time!!

    General Discussion-> Race Reports!
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