Subject: What I Learned at Western States (long) From: "Andrew Holak" Date: Tue, 09 Jul 2002 09:23:17 -0500 We finally made it back to Minnesota after a long, wonderful trip back from California and the Western States 100. The trip home, while somewhat tiring, was great. The kids had fun climbing on the rocks at Yosemite and exploring the canyons at Bryce Canyon in Utah. Most of this diatribe was written in the van on the way home. It's hard to find a place to start when thinking about my run at Western States. It really was an amazing experience full of ups and downs, and I'm not just talking about my trip through the mountains and canyons. I must start with the volunteers and medical personnel, they were absolutely top notch. Say what you will about Western States - some prefer the more low key races - but the volunteers are tremendous, and I really enjoyed the excitement surrounding the event. It was a lot of fun, and no lie - my cheeks literally hurt on Thursday and Friday from all of the smiling I was doing. It was a good time at Squaw Valley before the race taking it all in. Western States is a great event and a lot of fun! What did I learn at WS? A helluva a lot! 1. Don't listen to people who tell you that the trail is easy at WS. The trail was much tougher than I had expected. It was certainly more runnable at the end than some 100 milers, but it still had rocky and steep ups and downs in the last 20 miles. I had the impression that the last 20 was a rolling, smooth trail. Believe me, it's not, but it is still pretty runnable (when you're not throwing up - see #5 below). 2. Along with #1 above, the hills are MUCH steeper than I had expected. They were much rockier overall than I expected as well. For some reason, I had it in my mind that the climbs and descents at WS would be long but fairly gradual, not very steep or abrupt. However, the descent into Devil's Thumb and climb out was incredibly steep and rocky. Devil's Thumb kicked my butt. The canyons totally kicked my butt. Devil's Thumb was the hardest stretch of running that I think I've ever done. The canyons were very tough and the hills in many places much steeper and tougher than I had anticipated. 3. I need to work a little more on the downhills for Western States. The downs, especially into Devil's Thumb were tough. My quads were sore, but not shot. I could still run good up until the end of the race (when not puking), but the downhills hurt a lot. 4. It was hot, but not unbearably hot or stifling. Seriously, the dry heat of Western States feels less uncomfortable than the humid heat of Minnesota. However, I probably dehydrated much faster due to the dry heat than I would have in the Midwest. This led to the biggest problem I had during the race (see #5 below) 5. I needed to hydrate much better. I experienced something I never have before at a race - I threw up 5 times from mile 68 until my last vomiting episode at Highway 49 - 6 miles from the finish. My digestive system completely shut down. I couldn't even keep chicken broth down. The dry heat and altitude likely dehydrated me much faster than normal. Probably should have taken an electrolyte tab every 1/2 hour or so during the heat of the day as well. For some reason, from the very start of the race, I felt as though my stomach was full. Perhaps I was drinking water too fast at the start? Altitude? Not really sure. My right ear also became plugged like I had water in it just before Foresthill, and this became somewhat disorienting. When I got really dehydrated, both my ears felt plugged, and I could hear every footstep echo in my head. It was weird and uncomfortable. I felt so sick at Cal2 and wanted to puke so badly that I resorted to sticking my finger down my throat to bring it up. The paramedics at Cal2 told me to forget about 24 hours, just finish. I agreed and did as they told me, walking the entire 2.3 miles to Cal3. However, once I got a GU in me and a little water I felt better, running hard and passing several runners getting to the river crossing. The river crossing was really cool with the glow sticks in the water and the lights. Very exhilarating. Once past the river crossing I got sick at couple of more times, getting passed by everyone I just passed while on my hands and knees retching at the side of the trail. Sure enough, some spark of determination would pop into my head, and I'd drag myself up off the ground, walk a little, pop a GU and some water, and start running hard again passing runners until - BOOM - gotta ralph! Get passed while on hands and knees puking by the runners I just passed earlier when running. If it wasn't so painful, it would have been hilarious. Finally, one last puking episode at Highway 49, and I was able to run hard to the finish, running past No Hands Bridge and Robie Point without stopping. After I'd vomit, I felt much better and could only keep GU down and a little bit of water. However, I must learn to become a better puker. I spent far too much time on my hands and knees retching:-) Actually, I'd rather work on improving my hydration so I can avoid the retching all together. I'd never done that before at another ultra, and it was something I hadn't prepared for. I did have a lot of fun running with Greg Loomis and Robert Youngren and their pacers towards the end. We had a nice train going for quite a while before I had to stop to puke again. 6. My feet made it through perfectly. One tiny blister on my left heel and one tiny blister on my right pinky toe. Used no tape or anything. I believe the Salomon Flagstaff shoes I ran in for 80 miles worked great and fit my feet very nicely. Snug fit, so I didn't have any black toenails either. They felt very light and agile, and I could have worn them the entire 100 miles easily. Switched to Montrail Leona Divides after walking up to Green Gate. The Montrails felt really good too. I also really liked my Smartwool running socks which I believe also helped keep me from getting blisters. As far as blisters go, I believe shoe fit is absolutely the key. Find a pair of shoes that fit correctly, and you'll be blister free. Obviously, easier said than done. 7. I liked having a pacer and would want one again. My pacer did a great job keeping me going - not pushing too hard but encouraging me to keep picking my carcass up off the ground. It was his first pacing experience and he was so excited to do it. Even with all of the complications, he had a great time. My wife Kim was an awesome crew - meeting us at the far side of the river crossing and walking up to Green Gate with us and running it in to the finish from Robie Point. She was everywhere she could possibly be except Dusty Corners. One note: With the great volunteers and aid stations at WS, the race is certainly doable without a crew in my opinion, but I'd much rather have a crew. 8. I hate to say anything negative about the race, because it was so well done, but the quality of the water at the aid stations at Dusty Corners and Foresthill was really poor. It should be something you are aware of. The water at Dusty Corners had a STRONG iodine taste. In fact, I found myself not drinking it after I left Dusty Corners. This possibly was the beginning of my dehydration problem. Foresthill also had a strong iodine taste. My pacer also said the water at Auburn Lake Trails had a very poor taste, and we were given bottled water there. Again, I hate to complain, because I understand the difficulty of getting water to some of these places, but it may be good to know before planning your race there. I may leave bottled water in a drop bag at Dusty Corners and Foresthill in the future. Water at all of the other aid stations was great, as were their selections of food. Every aid station I can remember also had a large supply of GU, which was a very nice perk. 9. Next time I'll probably fly out to the race with my wife. It was a great trip with the family, but it was a long drive from Minnesota, and although I felt rested and relaxed prior to the race, I may have felt more rested if I hadn't driven the entire distance. 10. One last hooray for the wonderful volunteers, especially St. George. I met George, a paramedic, at the Cal2 aid station where I first got sick. He helped me out there and basically took care of me until I was able to get up and get moving. I then saw him at the finish line where he expressed elation for me when he found out I actually made it in under 24 hours. Not only that, but he kept watching over me, letting me use his jacket to keep warm and hooking me up with an IV since I was still unable to keep anything down after the race including water. The guy was awesome - a saint to be sure - and typical of the volunteers and medical personnel at Western States. It was nice meeting some more ultra listers and seeing some again that I'd met before. I had nice conversations with Dan Baglione, John Morelock, Ron Adams, David Horton and probably others that slip my mind. It was also nice seeing Stan Jensen (who reminded me to keep drinking), John Medinger (who did a great job with the clinics and awards) and Dave Covey (who was ready to pace me at moments notice had I not already had a pacer) again. It was also very nice to have a rather lenghty conversation with Tim Tweitmeyer after the race and long after he'd finished. That guy is unbelievably nice and sincere. He is a true champion. I plan on returning to Western States with the knowledge of the trail and race that I've gained. Nothing but experience can truly prepare you for what you'll encounter on the trail. This is one race where it does really help to have some knowledge of the trail and environmental conditions. I'd like to say great job to all of those who toed the line at Western States. Whether they finished or not, they were able to experience the beauty of the trail in the high country as it snaked past Cougar Rock and over Little Bald Mountain (which was really cool). They felt the trail beneath their feet, and were able to experience the tremendous highs and lows that can be found on the Western States Trail. Everyone that set foot on that trail on June 29 is a champion. It was a tremendous experience that I'll never forget. Andy Holak Duluth, MN