Active Toby's Adventure Blog

Silverman Chronicles

Active Toby — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 02:46:01 GMT

Overview: AC100 pacing experience and thoughts for the 09 season, training update and focus.

AC100: I paced Eric from 11 p.m. on Saturday until 6:49 a.m. Sunday for his final 25 miles of the Angeles Crest 100 Mile Endurance Run. He finished 22nd overall with a time of 25 hours, 49 minutes. The climbs were long (3000 and 2000 feet respectively), and the terrain technical, but Eric ran strong through the night despite the fatigue from his previous 75 miles. It was a pleasure to help him achieve his goal and his fitness level is truly impressive.

The AC100 is step up in difficulty and stands out as my prospective "A" race for 2009. There are still some others on my list, like Headlands Hundred, Javelina Jundred and SD100, plus the events in the Southern California Ultra Runners Grand Prix Series.

Silverman: The focus has returned to preparing for The Nevada Silverman Triathlon on November, 9 in Henderson. Just for the record, Ironman legend Dave Scott has branded the half-course (70.3) as "the toughest course in North America." Double that for the full course (140.6) and you've got what I'll be focusing on for the next month until the peak in my training. So now the fun begins with a weekend full of multisport training. Recap for you next week and in the meantime, let's review the Silverman full course details:

2.4 mile swim in Lake Mead (i.e. Hoover Dam)

112-mile bike through the winter desert with more than 9,000 of elevation gain.

26.2-miles of road running with more than 2,000 feet of elevation gain through downtown Henderson finishing at night overlooking the glow of Las Vegas.

Steady, As She Goes

Active Toby — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 15:57:27 GMT

Overview: Silverman training update, gearing up for 25-mile nighttime pacing assignment at Angeles Crest 100 this weekend and dropping a race from my schedule.

Training: Two months out from Silverman and still not feeling "settled" into training. Probably because it's my first 140.6-mile triathlon, so I don't have much to compare things to. I do feel good about strengthening my bike where I have the most opportunity to develop.

The savage bike course at Silverman still looms in the distance--just look at this elevation profile to see what I mean:

Angeles Crest 100 Mile Endurance Run (AC100): This race is tentatively on my schedule for 2009 and my ultra running buddy, Eric Lee, is running it this year. I've volunteered to pace him from mile 75 to 100 (see map/elevation profile) so I get to help a friend in need and also preview the course for what could possibly be my "A" race next season.

The first 75 miles at AC100:

We'll be running through the night as he doesn't plan to meet me until almost 10 p.m. on Saturday night. His finish is projected for dawn on Sunday. This should make for an interesting weekend so check back in for some stories and photos next week. If you'd like to follow along, Click Here for live race tracking.

The final 25 miles at AC100:

Noble Canyon 50K: I've recently made the decision to drop this awesome local race from my schedule to help me better focus on preparing for Silverman. I am definitely missing the ultra-distance running scene after this break so I'm designing an aggressive 2009 ultra running schedule--more on this later.

Recap: I need to be patient, do the work and trust my plan. I know things will pick up significantly next week after I've fulfilled my duties this weekend pacing at the AC100.

Accenture Chicago Triathlon

Active Toby — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 02:19:40 GMT

Overview: Successful trip and Olympic-distance triathlon debut at the Chicago Accenture Triathlon.

Thursday: I flew Southwest from San Diego to Midway. Checking the bike box was $50 each direction. I met someone at the race who flew Delta and was charged $400 one way. Be sure to call ahead to determine if that cheaper ticket to your race is really worth it with the hidden cost. I was greeted at the airport by my friend Paul who I hadn't seen in over 3 years. He took me into the city to get checked in to my hotel, and then we had Gino's East legendary Chicago-style deep dish pizza dinner before calling it a night.

Friday: First thing I did on Friday was make coffee and build my bike. I wanted to get a ride in early enough before the race Sunday to check if any parts were damaged in the transport or if I put it back together incorrectly and needed to make adjustments. I found that being super organized when packing the bike for the trip out helps speed this process up. Plus, taking the bike apart goes much faster than building it. I even took pictures of my handlebar and aerobar alignment with my camera phone to double check.

I had a fast and flat eight-mile ride on beautiful Lake Shore Drive to my friend Paul's apartment. Coincidentally, Paul and my co-worker Trish lived exactly one block away from each other. Crazy, right? After a year of working together over the phone, through email and IM, Trish and I finally got to meet in person and to top it off, we did a swim in Lake Michigan. Trish was also signed up for the triathlon on Sunday, racing the sprint distance.

After a delicious and nutritious dinner with Paul and his girlfriend Jenny, I headed back to the hotel for the race reception. There I met a colleague, introduced myself to Sarah Reinertsen and chatted with pro triathlete Kevin Everett and his wife who were incredibly genuine people and all racing Sunday.

Saturday: I met Trish and her friends Brett and Santiago at the hotel race expo. We got checked in, body marked and found our wave assignment for the race, After checking out the gear at the expo, Trish and I headed north on the L so I could get my bike from Paul's place. I rode the 8-mile Lake Shore Drive route back to the hotel and prepared my race gear while watching the men's Olympic marathon on TV. I also packed my non-race gear because I had to fly out after the race.

Sunday: My alarms went off at 4:15 am and my crazy day started. I went through my pre-race ritual of hot shower, coffee and music headed out the front door of the hotel on my bike with backpack full of gear for the day. I set up my transition area amidst a sea of bikes, being sure to note certain landmarks for the transition that would help me quickly locate my area.

I set up next to Team Goody StayPut triathlete Laura McDonald from Denver, CO, who would later place 77th overall and win our age group! She was super cool and we hung out while we waited for our wave to be called. After close to two hours, it was time to race.

The Swim: I lined up near the front inside of my wave, wanting to get out front during the 380-yard swim to the turnaround buoy. The swim start was super chaotic and I was kicked, climbed on and dunked underwater all the way down to the turnaround point where I finally broke free, found my rhythm and pulled ahead of the pack. It felt fast but I preferred going harder and using more energy on the swim to being apart of the mess that was back behind me. The water was warm, around 70 degrees, and I started to feel good. It was really cool to see the spectators above on the lake wall when taking breaths during the swim. I exited the water and had trouble calming my breathing down at first, but there was a really long run to my transition area during which I settled my breathing. I passed the timing mat in 27 minutes and had a 2-minute, 30-second transition.

The Bike: Before I even got on my bike, I began having problems. I keep my shoes clipped in my pedals, a common practice in triathlon but what I didn't anticipate, which no one usually does, is stepping on a piece of glass barefoot while running with my bike. I was in the bike mount area when I reached down and pulled the piece of broken beer bottle out of the ball of my left foot. I caught a quick glimpse of blood, I tried mounting my bike, one of my shoes came out of my pedal, and I bumped another racer who almost fell off his bike into someone else... I was that guy.

Anyhow, let's fast forward 10 minutes into the bike, I was settling in, spinning well into a headwind and getting some needed nutrition after the aforementioned debacle. The ride was a tad windy, the road itself was in pretty rough shape and I began noticing more and more folks fixing flats. I began concentrating my efforts on choosing the cleanest and smoothest lines I could take as to avoid a flat tire. This seemed to work and the south-bound tail wind was a nice relief during the return loops. I was off the bike with an hour and fifteen minute split which is a 20.4 mph average and into T2.

The Run: My run transition was only a minute and a half, relatively fast considering the never-ending transition area that added quite a bit more to the day's run total. I was greeted by Paul, Jenny and their awesome dog Ari during my first half-mile into the run followed soon after by Trish and her friends. It took me 2 miles to settle in and find rhythm on the run during which the temperature began to rise. I hydrated with Gatorade at each aid station and was able to maintain a 7:18 pace during the 10K run by sites like the Shedd Aquarium and Adler Planetarium. I finished my first Olympic-distance race in 2:29:12 which was good for 262nd of 4,089 overall and 62 of 519 in my age group.

Post race: The real challenge of the day began after the race as I had to schlep my tired body back to the transition area, gather my race gear and ride back to the hotel. I met Paul, Jenny and Ari at the hotel and immediately disassembled my bike, packed it in the bike box, took a shower, checked out of the hotel and Paul dropped me at the airport. A special thanks to Paul for dealing with me in all my spandex glory

Recovery: Flying so soon after the race took a toll on my body earlier this week but now I'm good to go after lots of stretching and some body work by Holistic health practitioner, Haunani Chong.

Recap: Great trip, cool city, awesome tune-up race and relieved to have no lingering hamstring issues after the scare on the track just 2 weeks ago. There is still much work to be done to find success in the full-iron distance Silverman triathlon in November. Stay tuned as training kicks up a notch. Thanks for stopping by to read this longer post and I apologize for the delay in posting.

More training and tribulations

Active Toby — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 21:41:34 GMT

Preview: Conquered a 100-mile bike ride and then ran too fast on the track and pulled my hammy. After a bunch of massage work to fix it, recovered enough for a long swim and to race next weekend. Read the full story below:

Cycling: Airey and I tackled a scenic 100-mile bike ride throughout San Diego County last week. The ride included a couple significant climbs to simulate the insane bike course I'll face at Silverman. I was like a sponge and soaked up all the cycling technique Airey taught me. I already have way more confidence in my abilities in the saddle, but have so much work to do to prepare. I'll continue to focus on building fitness on the bike, specifically with climbing and then introduce long bike/run bricks next month.

Track: 2x1200, 2x800, 2x400 with 90 seconds rest between sets. The workout was designed to produce negative splits. I was killing it until I pulled my hamstring on the last 400. Perhaps it was lingering fatigue from the 100-mile ride but either way, not good.

Injury: With the race in Chicago this weekend (see below), I was very worried my hamstring was too damaged to race. I went to see Haunani Chong for a sports massage on Wednesday and Saturday. She worked her magic on my injury which has helped my recovery tremendously. I strongly recommend her to anyone in the San Diego area: http://www.sacredreturnyoga.com/

Chicago: With my injury under control, I'm off to Chicago for the Accenture Triathlon. I picked up the bike box rental from TCSD this weekend for the trip and I'm starting to get excited. Stay tuned for a full-feature race review from yours truly.

Swim: Jesse and I hit the surf for a 2.2-mile open water swim this weekend. He's training for Gatorman, a 3-mile open-water race and I've got Silverman in my sights for November (See previous blog post). The weather and conditions couldn't have been better-it was a beautiful San Diego summer day.

Camping: The highlight of my weekend, besides the above-mentioned swim, was the car camping trip Marie and I took Friday night. We drove east to the Mt. Laguna recreation area, set up camp at dusk and ate dinner next to the fire as the full moon was rising. We were up super early as usual and caught the sunrise from the Sunrise Highway:

AC100: I got my pacing assingment from Eric Lee and I'll be supporting him for his final 25-miles of the Angeles Crest 100 Mile Endurance Run on September 13-14.

Recap: I'm hoping this hammy won't hold me back from a great race in Chicago. I'm planning on a solid race, but if my hamstring acts up, I'll pull back for sure. There's no use damaging myself for all the other events and commitments I have this year. None the less, it's my first Olympic-distance triathlon so I'm excited for the experience. Check in with me next week for the recap.

Phase II: Silverman

Active Toby — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 20:31:25 GMT

Preview: After a successful San Diego 100 Mile Ultra Marathon in June and rest in July, the second phase of training and competition for 2008 is here. I've got my work cut out for me to find success in this notoriously rugged and demanding 140.6-mile triathlon known as Silverman.

Competition: The 4th Annual Nevada Silverman Triathlon on Sunday, November 9, 2008. Stay tuned for full-feature Silverman post.

Weakness: The bike portion of Silverman can make or break this race for me because I lack experience with long rides and hills. So in effort to strengthen my weakness, I'm launching my campaign to become a more experienced cyclist beginning Saturday with the following 100-mile ride:

Training: Here are a couple easy training rides and runs from this week:

TCSD August Aquathlon: Thursday, 8/14. I'll aim to better last month's performance (34:17, 17th of 70).

Chicago Accenture Triathlon: On 8/24, I'm racing my first Olympic-distance triathlon. I'm stoked for the race, to see a new city, I get to meet Trish my co-worker, meet up with an high school friend I haven't seen in 4 years and also watch the men's Olympic marathon on Saturday, 8/23.

Angeles Crest 100 Mile Endurance Run: I've got a call scheduled with Eric Lee (check out his impressive race resume) to discuss race logistics and get my pacing responsibilities ironed-out soon. Stay tuned for more on the AC100 and "pacing".

Noble Canyon 50K: My next official ultra marathon race is on 9/27, where I'll smash my 5-hour and 49-minute course PR Read last year's race report.

Recap: I've set the bar relatively high for the remainder of 2008 and I'm excited to share this journey with you all. Please join me and share your comments, training, virtual training, blogs, stories, race reports and/or personal victories along the way!

Rested & Restless

Active Toby — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 18:33:17 GMT

Preview: Back from a week-long vacation/cruise from NYC to Bermuda. I feel rested and restless after a week of doing nothing besides eating, drinking and sleeping. Watch the slideshow for pictures.

Vacation: The cell phone was off, there was no internet access and I didn't even workout. I actually left my running shoes behind just to make sure I wouldn't run around the jogging track on the cruise ship.

The highlight of this trip was quality family time, reminding me what's really important in life. I'm grateful that it all worked out and look forward to the holiday season when we'll all be together again.

Here is a brief slide show of some images from our trip to Bermuda:

Recap: The end of this vacation marks the beginning of Phase II (see next post).

Bon Voyage

Active Toby — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 16:33:29 GMT

Preview: Successful speed building sessions, a quality long run and brutal cross-training before a rest week next week (see vacation below).

Tuesday: Cycle-commute, TCSD track workout, mixed intervals:
400, 800, 1200, 1600 (6:04), 800 (2:45) Minute and a half recovery after each interval.

Thursday: Aquathlon (1000 meter swim, 5K run (on beach) 34:17, 17th of 70.

Saturday: Oriflamme Canyon, 20-mile trail run with Marie and Mindy who are racing Headlands 50 on 8/9. 10-mile descent, 10-mile climb in 90-degree desert heat. First long run since SD100. Went really well, felt solid.

Monday: ActiveX and a Sledgehammer workout:

Tuesday: Cycle-commute, committed to pacing friend/fellow ultra runner Eric Lee at AC100 on 9/13 - 9/14 for up to 48 miles!

Wednesday: ActiveX: 70 sumo squats, 400m run, 60 pushups, 400, 50 situps, 400, 40 jump-thrusts, 400, 30 thrusters, 400, 20 romanian leg lifts, 400, 10 burpees, 400 (all runs done while carrying 20-lb medicine ball, squat-thrusters with 25lb weights, leg lifts with 20lb)

Friday, 7/25 - Sunday, 8/3 Vacation

Quarterlife

Active Toby — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 22:04:04 GMT

Preview: I turned 25 last week and celebrated San Diego style

Thursday: Cycle-commutes and trail run

Friday: I had the ‘fellaz’ over after work for my Backyard Birthday Bocce Beer-BQ and Timmy aka Grillmaster hooked up a delicious beer-boiled Bratwurst feast.

Saturday: Marie picked me up after her 25-mile trail run and we checked into Estancia for the night and hit up Sushi on the Rock for some killer rolls and of course Sake!

Sunday: After we checked out, we went next door to the Torrey Pines Gliderport above Black’s Beach and hiked down the beach to the little canyon trail.

Marie and I hiked back up this fun little slot canyon to the top of the bluff overlooking La Jolla Cove to the south and Torrey Pines State Beach to the north.

This is what gave me the idea to go kayaking in La Jolla so just like that we rented a double sea-kayak and paddled out of La Jolla Shores.

I spent the rest of the day on the couch in and out of sleep—totally exhausted from the birthday weekend. So far, it’s not so bad being 25

To stay active and not feeling “old,” I’m hitting the workouts hard this week:

Monday: ActiveX, La Jolla Shores swim
Tuesday: Cycle-commutes, TCSD track workout: Mixed intervals: 400, 800, 1200, 1600, 800 at 5K race pace or slightly faster. Recovery after each interval is about a minute and a half.
Wednesday: ActiveX, Outdoor Outreach meeting
Thursday: TCSD Aquathlon
Friday: La Jolla Cove swim

Cross-country fun

Active Toby — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 23:17:47 GMT

Preview
I feel like a new man after a couple weeks of multisport training and a refreshing cross-country trip to surprise my parents in MA for July 4th.

Typical week
Monday: ActiveX, La Jolla Shores swim
Tuesday: Cycle-commuting, TCSD track workout (see below)
Wednesday: ActiveX
Thursday: Cycle-commuting, trail run
Friday: ActiveX, La Jolla Cove swim

ActiveX: The variety plus the social aspect of these group sessions is great. I noticed a great deal soreness initially and my body has already adapted to the fast-twitch, full-body workouts. This picture is from a weekend workout/fundraiser.

Open-water swims: The Ocean is gorgeous right now at an average of 68 degrees for these Monday & Friday ActiveX / TCSD group swims. Check out the video:

Cycle-commuting: It’s been good to get on the bike since I can’t stand driving anymore. A group of us at the office live close to one-another and have started to carpool on the days we don't ride in which is pretty cool.

Track workout: Speed is my new focus for the Accenture Chicago Triathlon in August. Tuesday, I attended a TCSD track workout for a two-mile time trial to determine how fast I should run the weekly intervals. I ran 2 miles in 12:12. I also began a demo of the new Zoot ULTRA Tempo+ for a review I will publish after Chicago.

July 4th trip
My brother and sister-in-law flew me out to the east coast as a surprise for my parents. We had a great Independence Day Weekend together. It was a much-needed trip for the whole family. The weather cooperated on Friday and we got out on my parents boat for the afternoon.

My bro and I got in a couple cool trail runs in NJ on his local trails which prevented any sort of jet-lag during or after the trip.

Summertime

Active Toby — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:22:16 GMT

Preview
The summer if officially here, I successfully completed my “A” race and now its time for a little variety (see below) before ramping things back up for Silverman in the fall.

Recovery from SD100
It’s been two weeks since my "A" race and I’m happy to say that I experienced little to no soreness from the effort--testimony to proper training and conditioning. On the flip side of that, I’ve been totally drained of energy. It’s been tough waking up in the mornings and by mid-afternoon, my eyes feel heavy and it’s a struggle to stick-out the day.

I’m starting to do stuff again which is a good sign and this past weekend was the perfect summer weekend to be outside. Friday after work, I joined a group of friends and colleagues for a 1-mile swim out of La Jolla Cove sans wetsuit--68 degree water. The water was clear and it was the perfect way to start the weekend.

Marie’s training
Marie and I met Mindy at Mission Trails at 6am Saturday morning and I only made it 8 miles before my legs had enough. The girls went on, through the triple-digit heat, for 20 miles.

Marie and her girlfriends are registered for the Headlands 50 on August 9, so they have been dialing in their training. For Rebekah and Mindy, this is their first 50-mile ultra run with 50K being their longest effort to date. Marie’s debut 50 was in January at the Avalon 50 and she did great so she is excited for more technical terrain and to share the experience with her ultra running buddies.

New book
While I was waiting for Marie to pick me up after her run and head to the beach, I started reading Racing the Sunset: An Athlete's Quest for Life After Sport by Scott Tinley. I breezed through the first 100 pages and I’m really into Tinley’s writing style and the introspective nature of someone who was so passionate and dedicated to reaching their potential in the sport of triathlon when the sport itself was in its infancy. There’s a much deeper message that Tinley is offering as he recounts his struggle with the transition from athlete to the next stage in his life. I’m excited to dive back into this one again soon.

Summer training, travel and races
Sunday morning I joined Jesse and Emmy for a few hours on the bike. He rode north to Del Mar and climbed our way back south through Torrey Pines and over Mount Soledad. It was another hot day so length and effort of our Sunday scenic spin was perfect. Emmy is training for Vineman 70.3 and the three of us did an open-water swim tonight at La Jolla Shores.

Cross-training
Today was my first ActiveX Training workout since... last year? I’m really excited to be back out there and impressed with how many new folks have joined in the fun.

Today’s workout:

50/40/30/20/10 reps
• Double-jumps
• Push ups
• Sit ups
• 400 run

Travel
I’ve got a couple cool trips lined up in July starting with my birthday weekend getaway to Lone Pine, CA. Marie and I are going to camp at the base of the Sierra Nevada in the Alabama Hills, just two days before the start of the infamous, Badwater 135. The race travels from Death Valley, which marks the lowest elevation in North America at 280 feet below sea level, to the finish at Mt. Whitney Portal at 8360 feet. The Badwater course covers three mountain ranges for a total of 13,000 feet of cumulative vertical ascent and 4,700 feet of cumulative descent. The last 12 miles climb over 5700 feet and Marie and I are going to run this section while we’re in Lone Pine to pay tribute to these runners and also to preview this section of the course for the day I take on the challenge

Badwater 135

Cruise
At the end of July, I’m joining my family for a week-long cruise from NYC to King's Wharf, Bermuda. I’ve never done anything like this so I’m stoked and I’m thrilled to have an entire week with my family in such a unique setting.

Race
My next race is the Accenture Chicago Triathlon (Olympic distance) on August 24. I’m excited for this event, the chance to travel to a new city and the opportunity to finally meet my teammate, Trish, whom I’ve been working with for a year and a half.

Recap
The summer is already off to a great start and I'm excited to shares these fun adventures with you all along the way.

All the best,
~Toby

The San Diego 100 Mile Endurance Run

Active Toby — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 03:42:59 GMT

At 6am on Saturday, 81 runners began the 100-mile journey through a trail network consisting of a 20-mile loop that returned to the start/finish area, followed by a 30-mile loop back to the start/finish. These loops were repeated for the second 50 miles of the race. Each 50-mile segment had an elevation gain/loss of 6,000 feet for a total of 12,000 feet gain/loss and runners had a maximum of 31 hours to complete the race.

Our plan was to begin relaxed and super conservative towards the back of the pack. I took my time getting into a groove and chatted it up with a fellow TCSD member named Jeff who was also attempting his first 100. I was determined to run my own race so I stuck to what was comfortable for me and eventually was off on my own cruising and feeling solid.

The temperature climbed into 80’s quickly and my crew team kept me on liquid calories, fresh fruit and gels for the entire day. We had six insulated coolers packed with ice to keep the assortment of fuels cooled off. We went through over 100 pounds of ice during the race. This was paramount for regulating my core temperature which is something many runners struggled with because of the intense heat.

I buzzed through the first 20-loop in a little over four hours and began the next loop of 30 miles in the heat of the day. My crew continued to execute our aid station routine with NASCAR-like efficiency: sock change, shoe change, clothing change, wipe sunglasses, apply sunscreen, fill bottles, food, GO! But it was more than that; it was the level of excitement and enthusiasm I could feel from each member of the team.

My brother was so into it and so were Marie and her dad. The three of them held it down all day and were joined by Rebekah and Mindy at 3pm when I was just finishing 43 miles. The staggered arrival of additional crew support was planned--the girls arrived with more ice to replenish the supply and they also brought with them fresh energy and excitement.

This is funny, watch how much food I stuff in my mouth:

My 50-mile split was right on track at 11 hours, 45 minutes. Arch had arrived wearing his ActiveX shirt and had a chance to meet my support crew. Marie’s father was first to run with me as my pacer from the half-way point to the next aid station. It was a steep climb and we walked most of the way. My legs were still going strong but my core temperature was raised and this was the worst I felt all day. I remained positive and enjoyed the opportunity to run with Marie’s dad. We were greeted by our crew along with Arch, Airey, Jesse and Emmy who drove all the way out to support. It was a grand arrival and they made me feel like a rock star. I was still not myself internally as my insides felt like they were boiling but I knew the sun was about to set and things were going to cool off. (Check out Jesse's impressive mustache--only took a week to grow!)

Rebekah joined me for this stretch along the PCT which was the most beautiful portion of the race. With the Anza-Borrego desert vista to the east and the sun setting over the mountains to the west, I was beginning to cool off and could feel my core temperature leveling out. Soon we ran out of daylight and switch on our headlamps and hand-held flashlights. From somewhere deep within, I felt my energy surge and soon Rebekah and I were kicking fast. We passed a whole bunch of runners during this stage and surprised our support crew at the next aid station by our prompt arrival.

This is when the tempo changed for me--62 miles and 15 hours into the run and I felt better than I did when I started that morning. I also ran this section faster the second time through. This is when I realized that I had prepared for this race correctly. I still didn’t want to push too hard but I could see the relief and the excitement in the eyes of my support crew. They were supporting a runner who was still very much in the race and gaining strength

Mindy and I cruised through this section because there was a long climb out of the next aid station and I wanted to run while we had the chance. We passed more runners and entered the camp at mile 70 and were greeted by the support crew. I stretched out for the first time that day on a mat that we brought along. My housemate and his girlfriend had arrived and joined the support crew. It was fun to see everyone and see how pumped up my big brother was to finally get the chance to run with me. We didn’t get to run much on this section as it climbed significantly to the next aid station but it was still a pleasure to run in my first official race with Steve under such unique circumstances.

The rest my legs got from walking so much during this climb was perfect for the next flat section that Marie and I ran. We passed a couple runners during this short but fast section and arrived back for hot soup before the final big push of the race. It was also brought to my attention that I was now in 15th place!

My brother and I took on the arduous climb up Middle Peak and then the taxing descent down the other side. This portion isn’t accessible to support crews but there is an aid station out there. We were in and out of the station within 1 minute and on our way to the next point. We ran this section 10 minutes faster than I did earlier that day and jumped in rank to 13th place!

By the time we arrived at the last aid station, mile 92.4, I had the sub-24 hour fire in my eyes. Marie and I took off for the final section and within minutes, I began to realize I was less concerned with a sub-24 hour finish and more interested in reflecting on the experience with Marie. We walked, talked, held hands, ran the downhill sections and some of the flats. When the glow of daylight from the east was enough to switch off our headlamps and flashlights, we were running the final descent into the finish area. We were welcomed by the race director and our entire support crew.

I crossed the finish line at 6:32am on Sunday and shook hands with Scott Mills, the race director, as he presented me with a bronze belt buckle for completing the race in 24 hours, 32 minutes. The months of disciplined training and a well-organized race plan enabled me to enjoy every minute and every mile of my 100-mile ultra marathon debut.

Results:
24 hours, 32 minutes
2nd AG (20-29) Youngest finisher
13th overall (53% finish rate)

My support was simply amazing: my brother, Marie, her dad, Rebekah, Mindy, Tim, Elizabeth. Plus my other friends who stopped by to show their support: Quinn, Mike, Arch, Airey, Steve, Jesse and Emmy. And at an even deeper level, it was all of you sending us good vibes all weekend. Check out how my friends in the Marine Corp Marathon online community tracked my progress throughout the entire race. Thank you all for joining me in this memorable and exciting journey and I assure you that this is only the beginning. Stay tuned for the next adventure...

PS. Congrats to Jill and Jeff for running a great race, finishing strong and making TCSD proud!

Busy but good busy

Active Toby — Fri, 30 May 2008 21:56:25 GMT

Between work, tapering for the SD100, preparing all the logistics for the race and the rest of my life, things have been very busy lately. As you'll see from this post, I've got nothing to complain about. Life is good and I've never been happier. Thanks again to everyone for the emails, phone calls and messages. I'll post more about the countdown to the race next week, beginning on Monday. In the meantime, check out whats going down here in SD:

Competitor Magazine and hosted an evening with running legend Dean Karnazes and filmmaker JB Benna last night at the historic La Paloma Theatre in Encinitas. There was Papa Johns Pizza for sale before the show and I loaded up on 5 slices. This reminds me; everyone keeps telling me how skinny I look--what’s up with that? It’s definitely something new for me to hear but I feel great and stronger than ever so that’s all that matters right now before the big race next weekend. It’s not skinny, its “lean” come on people, get it right Oh and now that I mention it, I went another hole smaller on my belt this morning…

...Now back to the show. The president of TCSD, Brian Long, publicly thanked the heroes who came to the assistance of club member, Dave Martin, who was tragically killed in the shark attack last month. They were called up on stage and met with a standing ovation from the sold out theater. It was a very special moment and I’m glad they were recognized for their brilliant actions under the most unfortunate of circumstances.

In addition to the Ultramarathon man himself, there were so many endurance athletes in attendance; the energy in that room was uncanny. I especially enjoyed meeting Jimmy from our beloved Marine Corp Marathon online community. He’s in town for the San Diego Rock n’ Roll Marathon on Sunday and we sat together during the movie. Jimmy has run tons of marathons and from the sounds of it; he’ll be crossing over to the ultra marathon scene pretty soon. We both agree, the film is great and even better news; the film has been selected for national syndication.

Dean is truly inspirational and his values of inclusion of others and the promotion of health and fitness on a national scale make him a hero in my eyes and you'll see from the movie that he has a growing number of loyal followers who have all been inspired. After the showing, Dean Karnazes and JB Benna the filmmaker were on stage for a QnA. Dean actually ran from Sonoma to San Diego for the movie premier, traveling the coast from Mission to Mission along the way to raise awareness for their delapatated condition. He covered 700 miles in a week and a half and he's running the San Diego RnR Marathon this Sunday. Next week, he’s' off to run across the Gobi Desert as he attempts the 2nd race in the Desert Grand Slam Series. Dean keep's a that gets a little bit more attention than mine but maybe one day I'll get comments like he does

Here's the trailer from the film but keep a lookout because it will be in theaters this summer. Check the JourneyFilm website for updates. Without further adieu:

Tomorrow, I'm going to fit in a quick 13-mile run and head over to Barnes and Noble to finally meet Active Expert Matt Fitzgerald and film his Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Pre-Race Clinic called "The Art and Science of Marathon Pacing." Matt will speak for 30 minutes and then answer questions. Copies of Brain Training for Runners will be available for purchase and signing. For more information including time and directions, check out the Endurance Sports Blog.

Best of luck to Jimmy and the rest of you all running the marathon on Sunday. I'm playing chauffeur, super-fan and photographer for my friends who are running the marathon to help repay my debt for their support next weekend as my crew team at SD100. I'll be out at the start on the east side of 6th street, on the little bridge above the band when your heading south on Park blvd., then down on the west side of the 163 and over at the finish line taking pictures and video.

Make it a great weekend everyone!
~Toby

SD100 Spectator Information

Active Toby — Tue, 20 May 2008 16:54:31 GMT

San Diego 100 Mile Endurance Run

When: Saturday, June 7- Sunday, June 8.

Where: Start/finish area will be at the Camp Cuyamaca Cedar Groove, Cuyamaca State Park in Descanso, CA 91916. Google Maps

Directions: Approximately 50 miles and 60 minutes travel time. Travel east on I-8 for ~35 miles and take exit 40 for Hwy 79 (Descanso direction). Turn left at Hwy 79 (Japatul Valley Rd toward Julian). Go 2.75 miles (past the small town of Descanso) and go left on Hwy 79 toward Cuyamaca State Park. Follow this winding road for 7 miles to the Park Museum road. Turn right and go down the hill past the gate. Park below the dirt road at the bottom of the hill and park perpendicular to the dirt road.

Parking/Rules: Please follow the instructions of the aid station personnel related to parking, you may have to park a short distance and walk on occasion. PLEASE FOLLOW ALL PARK RULES--FAILURE TO DO SO MAY LEAD TO THE DISQUALIFICATION OF YOUR RUNNER.

Links:
Weather
Course Map
Course Overview
Race Website

PACE CHART
The course consists of two 50 miles loops that allow you to meet your runner seven times during each loop, for a total of fourteen times during the 100 miles.

STATION	SEGMENT DISTANCE	CUMULATIVE	TIME/24-HOUR PACE
Camp Cuyamaca/START	0	0	6:00 AM SAT
Sunrise	5.9	5.9	7:30
Pedro Fages	6.7	12.6	9:00
Camp Cuyamaca	6.9	19.5	10:30
Paso Picacho	6	25.5	12:00 PM SAT
Big Bend	4.9	30.4	1:15:00 PM SAT
Milk Ranch Rd no cars	5.8	36.2	3:00
Sweetwater	6.4	42.6	4:30
Camp Cuyamaca	7.4	50	6:00
Sunrise	5.9	55.9	7:30
Pedro Fages	6.7	62.6	9:00
Camp Cuyamaca	6.9	69.6	10:45
Paso Picacho	6	75.5	12:00 AM SUN
Big Bend	4.9	80.4	1:15
Milk Ranch Rd no cars	5.8	86.2	3:00
Sweetwater	6.4	92.6	4:20
Camp Cuyamaca/FINISH	7.4	100	6:00 AM SUN
			24-hour finish

Savor the Taper

Active Toby — Thu, 15 May 2008 00:21:08 GMT

Last week marked the peak in my training--20 hours of running. I’ve slashed a full 50% off my training volume this week. The idea of cutting back this close to a race can appear counter-intuitive but in the endurance world, it’s a well-known strategy called tapering. I turned to Active Expert, Gale Bernhardt for guidance in outlining my remaining schedule to ensure I fully benefit from all my hard work done to date.

Gale: “There are lots of ways to structure the workouts in your taper weeks. One way is to apply the percentages above to your long runs and fill the remaining hours during the week with whatever is left. I'd keep the Friday, Sat., Sunday structure that has gotten you to this point and just scale those runs back. Run commuting may become a problem just due to distance and time. Fill in with the bike to keep your legs from too much pounding.”

Week 5/12: 8 hours preferable, no more than 10 for sure.
Week 5/19: 14.8 hrs (80% of max)
Week 5/26: 9.25 (50% of max)
Week 6/2: 1.8 hrs (10% of max: Run 30-40 minutes Monday, Bike 45-60 Minutes Tuesday, Run 20-30 minutes on Wednesday with Thursday and Friday off. The run, bike, run days are mostly aerobic and can include a few 20 second accelerations (not all-out fast) with lots of rest.)

I’m following Gale’s advice and structured this week around a SD100 group training run on the second loop of the race course Saturday. Plus, it’s supposed to be a scorcher this weekend so I can get more exposure to heat training.

This week is National Bike to Work Week and it’s been good getting back on the bike and the short break from the run comes as a relief after last week's volume. Here’s the week breakdown:

Week 5/12: 8 hours preferable, no more than 10 for sure
Mon: OFF
Tues: Bike, 1hr15
Wed: Bike, 45m
Thursday: Yoga, 1hr
Fri: Bike, 1hr15
Sat: Run, 6hr (Cuyamaca State Park)
Sun: Swim, 1hr (La Jolla Shores)

Month-to-date:

Method to my Madness

Active Toby — Tue, 13 May 2008 00:19:08 GMT

My peak training session for the SD100 began Friday with a 16-mile run-commute and then I purposely stayed up all night to simulate race-day conditions and started a 39-mile trail run at 3AM Saturday.

It was pretty spooky running solo because I was in a nature preserve and there were creepy sounds in the woods and brush. At one point, I saw 2 sets of really large eyes staring at me from the underbrush--I was running on the flight or fight response the whole time!

I made it alone from 3-6AM and the cool part was at 5:15AM when it was light enough to turn off my headlamp and flashlight. It felt really good to have the sun back and I'm glad I will have a pacer with me for the entire night portion of the SD100.

At 6AM, I met Carrie Smith and her friend Paul and we ran another 13-mile loop, 15 minutes faster than my first loop. I was really happy to see them and have their support.

At 9AM, Carrie and Paul left and Airey arrived. So did the heat. The last loop took longest; my feet were sore but not much else. We finished at lunchtime Saturday. I got to sleep by 2PM and slept until 7PM, woke up, went to an amazing sushi dinner, stayed up until midnight with good company, good beers and finally got to use the fire pit in the backyard.

I got up Sunday at 8AM with no soreness and met Jesse and his girlfriend at Mission Trails Regional Park. We ran a 7-mile loop together and then they left and I ran the same loop 2 more times. I was great having these guys come out to support.

Total weekend mileage, 60.
I've run for more than 80 hours in the last 6 weeks.
The hard part is over and my taper has begun!!!