A summary of the first 50 miles of the 2012 Leadville Trail 100 Mile Run race experience.
We left Leadville at 4 a.m. on our quest to knock out 100 miles. In the year leading up to Leadville Rick and I were not planning to run together based on the rationale that both of us would experience highs and lows at different times during the race and it would be counterproductive for both of us to try to stay together. So at the starting line about 5 minutes before the race we decided that we would start the race running together and see what happened. We also started the race with Jeff Friedman, a friend of ours that we met earlier in the week who also stayed with us at the condominium. Jeff successfully ran Leadville in 2010 and was back for another run at it.
We ran 1 mile west on 6th Street to the west end of Leadville before reaching the dirt road called the Boulevard. We had planned to run at about an 11 minute mile pace but it felt very comfortable to run at about a 9 minute mile pace. Jeff, Rick and I stayed together for the first 6 miles or so and Jeff went on ahead. At the Tabor Boat ramp our crew met us with fresh water bottles.
As we were continued running the trail around Turquoise Lake, we eventually caught sight of Jeff again - he was probably only 25 yards ahead of us the entire time but we couldn't see him because it was dark. Eventually the sun began to light up the sky and around 5:45 we were able to turn off our headlamps since we could see. We hit the Mayqueen aid station at 6:18 a.m. - about 12 minutes ahead of schedule. Originally we thought we would shed our jackets and gloves but since it was still a little cold, we decided to hang on to them. We were able to get in and out of the aid station relatively quickly. I grabbed a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a banana and started walking up the road toward the Colorado Mountain Trail. Rick and I stayed together.
As we made our way up to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain we caught up with Jeff again. At the top of Powerline (about mile 20) we started to descend the very steep incline. Running downhill is my strongest asset so I decided to take advantage of it. I went on ahead and had a great run down Powerline. After reaching the road I walked and ran another mile before reaching the Fish Hatchery aid station at mile 23.5 at 8:15 a.m., 15 minutes ahead of my plan. I was feeling great and was able to get in and out of the aid station quickly.
The next stretch was 5 miles of pavement and several times I was able to see our crew several times as they passed me on the road. It was very uplifting and motivating to see them. My 82 year old mother made the trip to Colorado and I was able to see her several times throughout the race - it was awesome! Near the area called Treeline (approximately 29 miles) my crew was awaiting me with some chicken noodle soup, food and beverage. I left the aid station again on my way to the Halfpipe aid station at approximately 31 miles. I hooked up with a young guy named Steve from Boston and it was nice to get to know him and have some conversation. Around this point I began to have difficulty breathing. Until now I had been thinking that my breathing was excellent until about mile 42 but now as I'm going back through the race I remember some breathing difficulty as early as mile 30. It wasn't bad at this point but it was beginning to get more difficult.
I did a good job making my way to Twin Lakes (mile 40) from the Halfpipe aid station. I was right on target with my plan, hitting this aid station at 11:30 a.m. It was great seeing everyone again and as they did throughout the race, my crew took excellent care of me. I left Twin Lakes feeling very good and was hoping I could perform well going up and over Hope Pass. I saw my Mom on the way out of Twin Lakes and felt some extra motivation before the big climb. My stomach was feeling full and rather uncomfortable. I felt like I kept stuffing more food and drink than I wanted to in my stomach but knew the nutrition was essential for me to continue on. An additional challenge that accompanied eating and drinking was figuring out when to begin running afterwards. Of course I wanted to run as soon as I could, yet I was concerned that running too soon might adversely impact my digestion and perhaps make me throw up. I sually walked for a bit after I ate but no matter how long I walked my stomach never seemed to feel fully settled before running again.
As I started my climb up Hope Pass I really began to struggle with my breathing. From my Leadville run in 2005 I remember my biggest challenges at this point being pain in my knees and my hips - although I had a hard time breathing then too! This time it really was ONLY breathing; however, when you are having trouble breathing, it is difficult to move forward - period. My legs felt strong but it didn't seem to help. I knew it was a long way up Hope Pass but it seemed like it was taking forever and it continued to get harder the more I climbed. I began to stop to try to catch my breath every so often and the more I climbed the more frequent and longer I seemed to stop for. Sometimes I would bend over and take 10-15 breaths hoping to get more air in my lungs to make it easier. Jeff Friedman came up from behind and passed me. It was great to see him and I was very happy for him that he was progressing so well. At the same time I felt like I was falling back and getting weaker. The time I had targeted to reach the Hopeless Pass aid station had already passed and I wasn't anywhere close to it. Giving up never entered my mind, I was just hoping that somehow I could begin to breathe better.
As I was climbing Hope Pass and struggling with my breathing, I began to think about my dad (Dan Byrne) who had died a little less than 3 years ago. For the past several years of dad's life he suffered from COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) and was frequently hooked up to an oxygen tank. While I felt empathy for him, I finally felt like I could really relate to what he must have been going through. It was miserable! I was feeling a pretty close bond with Dad at this time and used this as extra motivation to continue on.
The climb continued on - this was by far the most difficult part of the race for me. Not too long after Jeff had passed me, I heard a familiar voice from behind in a green t-shirt and white hat - it was Rick Fountain! As glad as I was to see Jeff, I was even happier to see Rick! It was very important to me to have Rick finish Leadville in 2012. He has been such a loyal friend, hard worker, and we trained faithfully to achieve this monumental goal together. Rick offered some great encouragement to me and I will be forever grateful for his words. I lamented at how difficult it was for me to breathe, he just kept telling me I could do it and to keep going. When I stopped a few times to catch up on my breathing, he reminded me that I needed to keep climbing. I could tell he was willing to hang with me for a bit but I told him to keep going and that I would catch him later. He looked back a few times, offering further encouragement. A couple of times I waited for him to turn his eyes toward the top of the mountain so I could stop again and try to catch some breaths - I didn't want him to see me stopping but I felt like I needed frequent breaks. As time passed, the distance between Rick and I increased. A couple of times I would mark where he was and see how long it took me to get to that spot. 2 minutes, 4 minutes .... Eventually we did get out of the trees and could see the top of Hope Pass! It was still a little ways but at least it was in sight. About 1/4 mile from the top was the Hopeless Pass aid station. By the time I made it there, Jeff and Rick had made it through and were on their way to the top.
It was great to reach this station. I looked at it as an opportunity to drink a coke, eat some fruit and refill my water bottles. I also knew I was within 1/4 mile of the top of Hope Pass and would be finished with the most difficult climb of the race. As I came into the aid station, a knowledgeable volunteer looked at my face and gave me one of those looks that you don't want to see when you are a runner. If her expression could speak it would have said, "You look like hell. Have you been eating or drinking anything? You are not in good shape right now." But these volunteers are wonderful, compassionate, knowledgeable, and committed to helping runners finish and I met a really good one. She asked me if I had been eating and drinking. I told her "Yes, I feel like I have been eating and drinking a lot. I feel like sometimes I've been eating and drinking too much to the point where my stomach was full and hurting." She asked me what I had been taking for salt. I replied, "I've been drinking some Gatorade and chicken noodle soup." I thought it was enough but I couldn't have been more wrong. She told me to hold out my hand and poured a t-spoon of salt in the palm of my hand and told me to eat it. Yuk! But I did and washed it down with some Coke. She told me that I needed to continue eating salt at future aid stations. I think she could tell by the ghost like color of my face that I was becoming dehydrated and void of salt. There are many things I did well in preparing for this race but not paying attention to my salt intake was a critical mistake. Thank God for this woman - she saved me in a big way.
As I left the Hopeless Pass aid station I did not immediately feel better; however, I began to gradually feel better, which was a great improvement over how I had been feeling. Soon I made it to the top of Hope Pass and I started my descent over the back side. I struggled most with my breathing on the climbs, a little less on the flats, and not too much on the downhills. The backside of Hope Pass was a very steep descent and it felt good for me to get moving again. I did not descend as fast as I did on Powerline but I was moving at a reasonably quick pace. Part way down the mountain I passed Jeff Friedman again and I caught up with Rick on the bottom half of the mountain as we were getting into the trees. Rick and I ran together for the 4 miles on the trail leading to Winfield. This trail was more up than down and flat but there was a mix. We did some walking and some running. I was struggling again with my breathing and was hoping I could make it to Winfield to use the portable restrooms. Nearly a mile before reaching Winfield I had to make a temporary stop in the woods to use a natural outhouse - one can only wait so long!
It seemed to take a long time to reach Winfield but eventually we made it. We were 1 hour behind our scheduled target time. I wasn't happy about this but given the problems I was having with my breathing, it was understandable and we were still making good time - we made it 50 miles in 11 1/2 hours.
It was wonderful to see our crew waiting again for us. I"m sure they were wondering where we were and what was taking us so long but they were ready to take care of us. The good news is that we were half done with this race, we would always have someone with us on the way back, and we didn't have to make the long ascent up the front of Hope Pass again!
This race summary is taking a little longer than I thought it would and I need to sign off so the next entry will summarize the 2nd half of the race :o)
Until my next post, have a great day! DIG DEEP!
 |
| John Byrne and Rick Fountain |
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| The Crew |
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| Rick Fountain, John Byrne, Jeff Friedman |
We left Leadville at 4 a.m. on our quest to knock out 100 miles. In the year leading up to Leadville Rick and I were not planning to run together based on the rationale that both of us would experience highs and lows at different times during the race and it would be counterproductive for both of us to try to stay together. So at the starting line about 5 minutes before the race we decided that we would start the race running together and see what happened. We also started the race with Jeff Friedman, a friend of ours that we met earlier in the week who also stayed with us at the condominium. Jeff successfully ran Leadville in 2010 and was back for another run at it.
We ran 1 mile west on 6th Street to the west end of Leadville before reaching the dirt road called the Boulevard. We had planned to run at about an 11 minute mile pace but it felt very comfortable to run at about a 9 minute mile pace. Jeff, Rick and I stayed together for the first 6 miles or so and Jeff went on ahead. At the Tabor Boat ramp our crew met us with fresh water bottles.
As we were continued running the trail around Turquoise Lake, we eventually caught sight of Jeff again - he was probably only 25 yards ahead of us the entire time but we couldn't see him because it was dark. Eventually the sun began to light up the sky and around 5:45 we were able to turn off our headlamps since we could see. We hit the Mayqueen aid station at 6:18 a.m. - about 12 minutes ahead of schedule. Originally we thought we would shed our jackets and gloves but since it was still a little cold, we decided to hang on to them. We were able to get in and out of the aid station relatively quickly. I grabbed a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a banana and started walking up the road toward the Colorado Mountain Trail. Rick and I stayed together.
As we made our way up to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain we caught up with Jeff again. At the top of Powerline (about mile 20) we started to descend the very steep incline. Running downhill is my strongest asset so I decided to take advantage of it. I went on ahead and had a great run down Powerline. After reaching the road I walked and ran another mile before reaching the Fish Hatchery aid station at mile 23.5 at 8:15 a.m., 15 minutes ahead of my plan. I was feeling great and was able to get in and out of the aid station quickly.
The next stretch was 5 miles of pavement and several times I was able to see our crew several times as they passed me on the road. It was very uplifting and motivating to see them. My 82 year old mother made the trip to Colorado and I was able to see her several times throughout the race - it was awesome! Near the area called Treeline (approximately 29 miles) my crew was awaiting me with some chicken noodle soup, food and beverage. I left the aid station again on my way to the Halfpipe aid station at approximately 31 miles. I hooked up with a young guy named Steve from Boston and it was nice to get to know him and have some conversation. Around this point I began to have difficulty breathing. Until now I had been thinking that my breathing was excellent until about mile 42 but now as I'm going back through the race I remember some breathing difficulty as early as mile 30. It wasn't bad at this point but it was beginning to get more difficult.
I did a good job making my way to Twin Lakes (mile 40) from the Halfpipe aid station. I was right on target with my plan, hitting this aid station at 11:30 a.m. It was great seeing everyone again and as they did throughout the race, my crew took excellent care of me. I left Twin Lakes feeling very good and was hoping I could perform well going up and over Hope Pass. I saw my Mom on the way out of Twin Lakes and felt some extra motivation before the big climb. My stomach was feeling full and rather uncomfortable. I felt like I kept stuffing more food and drink than I wanted to in my stomach but knew the nutrition was essential for me to continue on. An additional challenge that accompanied eating and drinking was figuring out when to begin running afterwards. Of course I wanted to run as soon as I could, yet I was concerned that running too soon might adversely impact my digestion and perhaps make me throw up. I sually walked for a bit after I ate but no matter how long I walked my stomach never seemed to feel fully settled before running again.
As I started my climb up Hope Pass I really began to struggle with my breathing. From my Leadville run in 2005 I remember my biggest challenges at this point being pain in my knees and my hips - although I had a hard time breathing then too! This time it really was ONLY breathing; however, when you are having trouble breathing, it is difficult to move forward - period. My legs felt strong but it didn't seem to help. I knew it was a long way up Hope Pass but it seemed like it was taking forever and it continued to get harder the more I climbed. I began to stop to try to catch my breath every so often and the more I climbed the more frequent and longer I seemed to stop for. Sometimes I would bend over and take 10-15 breaths hoping to get more air in my lungs to make it easier. Jeff Friedman came up from behind and passed me. It was great to see him and I was very happy for him that he was progressing so well. At the same time I felt like I was falling back and getting weaker. The time I had targeted to reach the Hopeless Pass aid station had already passed and I wasn't anywhere close to it. Giving up never entered my mind, I was just hoping that somehow I could begin to breathe better.
As I was climbing Hope Pass and struggling with my breathing, I began to think about my dad (Dan Byrne) who had died a little less than 3 years ago. For the past several years of dad's life he suffered from COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) and was frequently hooked up to an oxygen tank. While I felt empathy for him, I finally felt like I could really relate to what he must have been going through. It was miserable! I was feeling a pretty close bond with Dad at this time and used this as extra motivation to continue on.
The climb continued on - this was by far the most difficult part of the race for me. Not too long after Jeff had passed me, I heard a familiar voice from behind in a green t-shirt and white hat - it was Rick Fountain! As glad as I was to see Jeff, I was even happier to see Rick! It was very important to me to have Rick finish Leadville in 2012. He has been such a loyal friend, hard worker, and we trained faithfully to achieve this monumental goal together. Rick offered some great encouragement to me and I will be forever grateful for his words. I lamented at how difficult it was for me to breathe, he just kept telling me I could do it and to keep going. When I stopped a few times to catch up on my breathing, he reminded me that I needed to keep climbing. I could tell he was willing to hang with me for a bit but I told him to keep going and that I would catch him later. He looked back a few times, offering further encouragement. A couple of times I waited for him to turn his eyes toward the top of the mountain so I could stop again and try to catch some breaths - I didn't want him to see me stopping but I felt like I needed frequent breaks. As time passed, the distance between Rick and I increased. A couple of times I would mark where he was and see how long it took me to get to that spot. 2 minutes, 4 minutes .... Eventually we did get out of the trees and could see the top of Hope Pass! It was still a little ways but at least it was in sight. About 1/4 mile from the top was the Hopeless Pass aid station. By the time I made it there, Jeff and Rick had made it through and were on their way to the top.
It was great to reach this station. I looked at it as an opportunity to drink a coke, eat some fruit and refill my water bottles. I also knew I was within 1/4 mile of the top of Hope Pass and would be finished with the most difficult climb of the race. As I came into the aid station, a knowledgeable volunteer looked at my face and gave me one of those looks that you don't want to see when you are a runner. If her expression could speak it would have said, "You look like hell. Have you been eating or drinking anything? You are not in good shape right now." But these volunteers are wonderful, compassionate, knowledgeable, and committed to helping runners finish and I met a really good one. She asked me if I had been eating and drinking. I told her "Yes, I feel like I have been eating and drinking a lot. I feel like sometimes I've been eating and drinking too much to the point where my stomach was full and hurting." She asked me what I had been taking for salt. I replied, "I've been drinking some Gatorade and chicken noodle soup." I thought it was enough but I couldn't have been more wrong. She told me to hold out my hand and poured a t-spoon of salt in the palm of my hand and told me to eat it. Yuk! But I did and washed it down with some Coke. She told me that I needed to continue eating salt at future aid stations. I think she could tell by the ghost like color of my face that I was becoming dehydrated and void of salt. There are many things I did well in preparing for this race but not paying attention to my salt intake was a critical mistake. Thank God for this woman - she saved me in a big way.
As I left the Hopeless Pass aid station I did not immediately feel better; however, I began to gradually feel better, which was a great improvement over how I had been feeling. Soon I made it to the top of Hope Pass and I started my descent over the back side. I struggled most with my breathing on the climbs, a little less on the flats, and not too much on the downhills. The backside of Hope Pass was a very steep descent and it felt good for me to get moving again. I did not descend as fast as I did on Powerline but I was moving at a reasonably quick pace. Part way down the mountain I passed Jeff Friedman again and I caught up with Rick on the bottom half of the mountain as we were getting into the trees. Rick and I ran together for the 4 miles on the trail leading to Winfield. This trail was more up than down and flat but there was a mix. We did some walking and some running. I was struggling again with my breathing and was hoping I could make it to Winfield to use the portable restrooms. Nearly a mile before reaching Winfield I had to make a temporary stop in the woods to use a natural outhouse - one can only wait so long!
It seemed to take a long time to reach Winfield but eventually we made it. We were 1 hour behind our scheduled target time. I wasn't happy about this but given the problems I was having with my breathing, it was understandable and we were still making good time - we made it 50 miles in 11 1/2 hours.
It was wonderful to see our crew waiting again for us. I"m sure they were wondering where we were and what was taking us so long but they were ready to take care of us. The good news is that we were half done with this race, we would always have someone with us on the way back, and we didn't have to make the long ascent up the front of Hope Pass again!
This race summary is taking a little longer than I thought it would and I need to sign off so the next entry will summarize the 2nd half of the race :o)
Until my next post, have a great day! DIG DEEP!
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