San Diego 100, Year Two: This one's for you Dad!
With less than a week to go, I am trying to wrap my head around my fitness for next weekend's race. I started off the year making huge strides. Unfortunately, a late season injury slowed my progress to a halt.
My injury occurred at Lost Boys 50 mile trail run in at the end of April. Talk about an epic, challenging race. The point to point race, with 9,000 feet of gain, starts in Anza Borrego desert, heads up Pinyon Mountain, up Oriflamme Canyon, up to Cuyamaca Peak, over Middle Peak finishing at Cuyamaca Lake. The race started off with Brian Gonzalez warning us about severe weather conditions. As it turned out, we had wind gusts between 50-60 mph coming out of the desert and then windy and cold rain the for the final 20 miles of the race.
I was running in the top 20, way beyond my expectations as I hit the summit of Cuyamaca Peak. Suddenly my left knee seized up leaving me to hobble down the hill frustrated and cold. I still managed to finish with a time far better than I expected at the start of the day. Unfortunately, my knee reminded me that the body consists of many parts. I had neglected part of my body, and my knee was there to remind me about it.
I had overlooked part of my normal routine of deep tissue work on the foam roller and stretching. As such, my tight muscles had caused my knee cap to move slightly differently thus the pain. I was very upset with myself but at least realized that I could probably recover from this injury before SD 100.
Since Lost Boys, I have been rolling and stretching religiously. In doing so, my muscles have loosened up but my knee is still trying to get back in sync. I've done some longer runs and hikes and I think I'll be okay....but then again over the course of 100 miles, anything is possible.
My injury occurred at Lost Boys 50 mile trail run in at the end of April. Talk about an epic, challenging race. The point to point race, with 9,000 feet of gain, starts in Anza Borrego desert, heads up Pinyon Mountain, up Oriflamme Canyon, up to Cuyamaca Peak, over Middle Peak finishing at Cuyamaca Lake. The race started off with Brian Gonzalez warning us about severe weather conditions. As it turned out, we had wind gusts between 50-60 mph coming out of the desert and then windy and cold rain the for the final 20 miles of the race.
I was running in the top 20, way beyond my expectations as I hit the summit of Cuyamaca Peak. Suddenly my left knee seized up leaving me to hobble down the hill frustrated and cold. I still managed to finish with a time far better than I expected at the start of the day. Unfortunately, my knee reminded me that the body consists of many parts. I had neglected part of my body, and my knee was there to remind me about it.
I had overlooked part of my normal routine of deep tissue work on the foam roller and stretching. As such, my tight muscles had caused my knee cap to move slightly differently thus the pain. I was very upset with myself but at least realized that I could probably recover from this injury before SD 100. 
Since Lost Boys, I have been rolling and stretching religiously. In doing so, my muscles have loosened up but my knee is still trying to get back in sync. I've done some longer runs and hikes and I think I'll be okay....but then again over the course of 100 miles, anything is possible.
So in a nutshell, I am ready for San Diego. My confidence has been knocked down a number of pegs. Earlier this year, I was crushing some of my races and feeling very confident with my running. Now heading into next weekend
, I am cautiously optimistic. I have lost some fitness and strength but feel in general my body is rested and healthy.
On the plus side, my wife, Tracy, is again pacing me this year for about 30 miles. If I can get to her in decent shape, she will give me a reason to see the sun rise. Once that happens, it's game over...I will finish. My buddy Pete better be ready to take me home again this year but hopefully we'll be crossing a bit earlier. My final pacers will be Gabriel and Mika, my kids. One of the coolest things from last year was watching them idolize me as I crossed the line. Being a role model for them means the world to me.
Here are my totals since early January:
Total Miles: 549
Elevation Gain: 81,627 ft.
Time on Feet: 105 hours
Finally, I want to thank my wife and kids for all the support and cheering along the way. It is a team effort. I'm also excited that my dad will be out there to see me. It means the world to me. As such, I'm dedicating this race to you!
You can follow me live at: http://www.ultralive.net/sd100/webcast.php
I'm bib number 142
Finally, I want to thank my wife and kids for all the support and cheering along the way. It is a team effort. I'm also excited that my dad will be out there to see me. It means the world to me. As such, I'm dedicating this race to you!
You can follow me live at: http://www.ultralive.net/sd100/webcast.php
I'm bib number 142
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