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| Deadwood Cemetery loop -- on the horizon you can see white-capped mountains up towards Tahoe. |
Goals
My main motivation for running Canyons 100k was getting the three UTMB "running stones" that would allow me to apply for the UTMB lottery in 2023. My previous attempt at that lottery with just one ticket based on 10 "points" did not result in a selection, and UTMB completely revamped the application system, requiring the "running stones", which, in 2022, could only be earned in two specific races in the USA -- one being Canyons in CA and the other Speedgoat in UT.
In addition to the qualifiers, the goals were, as always, to finish without injuries and to be fully immersed and to appreciate the experience. This race is, for the large part, Western States (WSER 100) course being run backwards, so it provides a unique opportunity to preview that course short of running it in the actual famed race (someday, someday!). Note that being run in the direction of Tahoe, this race is net uphill by a good 4000ft or so.
Preparation
My buildup to the race involved a fair amount of climbing, including simple stairs in my work office building in Boston, as well as some local trails. Up until 2 weeks or so before the race, having read past runners' guide, I had assumed no poles would be allowed. Actually messaged the race on FB and they confirmed it, and so I trained without my trusty Leki trekking poles. I mentioned this to one of my ultrarunning friends Jason, and he was curious enough that he read the newest website info before I did and informed me that in fact the poles are now allowed. Checked in with my coach Greg and he correctly encouraged me to have the poles from the start.
Got into Auburn a couple of days before and explored the area a bit, joined a run with a local running group from the Aid Station running store on some local trails. Seeing the famous High School track which is the finishing point of the WSER 100, gave me chills. Someday I hope to get into the lottery, though I am still early in my ticket-doubling journey :-).
What worked
Legs felt great after the race. No injuries, cramps or even that much calf swelling (which is common for me). Did active recovery hiking with my wife every day for a few miles the following three days. This tells me the training was enough for the speed I ended up going at. I was able to run some flats and downhills even later in the race here and there. If I ended up going faster, I suspect more muscle fatigue and damage would have resulted -- that's the usual trade-off with these things, but as I describe below, the stomach was the limiting factor.
Xoskin socks with trail toes continue to do the job really well. I had my feet wet for about 80% of the race if not more. Altras drain well enough, but that's far from getting to completely dry state. I took time to change socks twice and shoes once, and I think that helped. But I feel like I could have skipped the changes and only paid with fairly minor blisters. Still, as it went, no blisters at all, so I think that was the time well invested.
The night before the race I realized that I left my ginger chews at home and decided to go visit CVS to buy something comparable. They were out of chews (perhaps scooped up by the other runners?), but they had a ginger chewing gum designed to help with motion-sickness, so I gave that a try. It worked pretty much as well as the ginger chews did for me in the past races. I think I will be sticking to this from now on since the gum is easier to manage/chew.
The poles were a huge help, including a couple of the stream crossings later in the race when having changed my socks and shoes I really wanted to stay dry. The poles allowed that! I had them folded and neatly attached to the pack until the first big ascent of the race, and sort of thought that I would fold them again at least a couple of times, but decided not to bother, the time and mental effort involved was not worth it.
This was the first time I went substantial distance (about 45 miles) in the new Altra Timps. They did their job well. Traction was great, water drainage was as good as one could expect after all the stream crossings. I felt like there was enough support all around without too much weight, and I was able to lace them fairly snugly and felt little movement of the foot inside. For the last 15, I had one of my trusty Olympus pairs with only a couple hundred miles in them and they also did the job in terms of providing a bit more cushion compared to Timps, but did feel a bit more loose on my feet (though no blisters, after all).
Nutrition: borrowing an idea from another running friend Julia, I had Babybrezza packets filled with home-made mashed potatoes and mashed carrots, this did work for a bit mid-race until the stomach went south. Otherwise, I had a few Spring gels, Honey Stinger chews, Honey Stinger waffles, Tailwind early on and then Rocktane offered by the aids. Rocktane turned out to be a good option, I might try it on my own at some point. Fruit smoothie pouches also worked for a bit. Later in the race, I had chex mix in my drop bag as a more savory option and it also worked moderately well. Most of the aid stations did not have ginger ale, but my wife provided a couple at the aids where crewing was allowed. I also had coke mixed with water in one of my flasks and that worked sort of ok for a while, until it didn't. Veggie broth worked a lot better than chicken soup, which was surprising, but maybe that chicken flavor wasn't the usual ramen flavor that I am used to.
What could have gone better
At some point after the first half, especially on the longer climbs, the stomach stopped cooperating and for several hours until the evening fell I felt nauseous. I knew I had to slow down and let it settle a bit, because the alternative was risking a blowout -- one you start vomiting, it is hard to recover. I slowed down and reduced calorie intake during that time. Ginger gum that I mentioned earlier did seem to work, but as expected it wasn't a perfect remedy. I feel like I did not try enough alternatives at the aids during this time. There were oranges and pickles and a few options for chips that I did not explore. I heard that pickle juice does wonders for some people, so this was the chance to test it, but I didn't.
Guessing that more intensity in climbing during training might have helped in delaying the onset of nausea. It'll be even more important at higher altitude or hotter conditions. I should research other means of dealing with this and be ready to experiment more during the actual events.
Thinking back to how much time and effort I spent avoiding the icy puddles in the last 5-6 miles, that was just not necessary. I should have just plowed straight through, I've been through a lot worse conditions after all, and this was the last stretch before the finish.
