Breaking the seal at Way Too Cool 50K

There's more than a trace of truth in this sign. Better be ready to run.
photo courtesy http://fartherfaster.blogspot.com/
It had been a long time since I had been on a starting line; October to be exact. I can't say that I was nervous standing under the 6 min/mile banner at Way Too Cool 50K but I knew it would be constant hard effort from step #1 to the finish line and that is slightly daunting.....
This was my 4th time at Way Too Cool. Its a great but sudden way to get the season started. You need to be ready to run hard and I wasn't sure if I was. My training was a little bit off compared to last year. It wasn't bad but I felt that I missed a couple key workouts this year. But, since I made the 8 hour drive down to the race, I was definitely going to give it my all.
I arrived the day before and stopped by Auburn Running Company to pick up my packet and say hello to friends. I linked up with fellow Oregonian John Ticer and we headed out to meet some more folks to go for a quick run. We drove over to the infamous Robie Point and met Craig Thornley, Todd Braje, Ken Sinclair, Denise Bourassa, OD, and some others. We made the muddy run down to "No Hands Bridge" and back. It felt good to loosen up a bit and then it was time for dinner with Ken and Denise and back to the hotel.
I was excited to get to the hotel to find my new racing kit for the year from Patagonia. Even though I had not worn my new jersey, I could tell that the stretchy Cap 1 sleeveless was going to work great.
After an awesome and uninterrupted sleep, I gathered my gear and headed to the starting line.
As a side note, the Way Too Cool course was changed this year. A great call, as in the past, the front runners had to run back and meet the middle and back of the pack runners "head on" which was definitely frustrating to all parties involved. The new course was rumored to be faster than the old one as there was no "Ball Bearing Hill" this year which was a definite hiking hill and was replaced with a longish but very runnable hill. The last tough 10 miles promised to be the same however.

Ready. Set. Blast off!
photo courtesy http://fartherfaster.blogspot.com/
As the gun went off, the pace was predictably pretty intense. A lead pack of about 10 or 12 went out in front of us (including the new generation of Anton K wannabes who were shirtless with their flowing locks). I settled in with a group that I thought was perfect in terms of it would push me to race as well as I could. I linked up with Hal Koerner, Tim Olson, and Josh Wheeler. Some other dudes came and went but this pack stayed together for about the first 18 miles.
The pace was a bit jolting and we ran through the first mile in 5:57 before hitting the trail. Once there, we settled into a pace that seemed to range from about 6:15 to 6:40 depending on how the hills dictated the course. The pace felt comfortable enough. I figure that Tim would probably break free from us but I definitely anticipated a good run/race with Hal as our 50K pace is pretty similar (though he always ends up beating me by 2 minutes or so!). The new course was sweet with lots of single track but the mud was a definite factor and was quite deep and thick in a lot of spots during the first 8 miles. At 8 miles, we met up with the start/finish line area and I felt a slight bonk come on and dropped back from the other 3 by about 10 seconds. I was worried I'd get dropped but didn't panic, popped two gels and eventually caught them all again.

Hal, Josh, Tim, and me heading to first aid
photo courtesy http://fartherfaster.blogspot.com/
The next section led us to a 4X4 road next to the river. This is where the course was fast. It rolled a little up and down but it was pretty flat and fast and we were rolling along in the low 6 min/mile pace for quite a while. I again fell back a bit at the aid station and had to slowly reel in the fellas again. I rolled through the 13.1 mark in 1:26 which is obviously very fast for a trail race and is 9 minutes faster than I was on the old course at this point. At about mile 15 or so, the road started making some pushes upward and the quick climbs felt a bit treacherous on my legs. I did notice that I seemed to be rolling along the flatter parts a touch easier than Hal but he was climbing stronger... pretty good for a full figured dude :)

Me and Tim at mile 8. While he gave me a whooping, I will say I look a bit fresher at mile 8! :)
photo courtesy http://fartherfaster.blogspot.com/
Tim slowly started to peel away from us at this point as he was climbing very well. I had pulled ahead of Hal and Josh and felt pretty good. The first good hill started around mile 18 or so and I could tell that the hills would be my challenge for the day. Hal passed me and I struggled to find my rhythm. I should also mention that at the base of this climb, former Way Too Cool winner, Lewis Taylor joined the crew. This kind of shocked me as I knew we had been running 6:15s or so and I had looked behind several times before so Lewis must have been running the flats at 6 min/mile pace or faster. He stayed a little bit behind me and I slowly found a pace I was comfortable with going uphill but Hal was putting some time on me. At the top of the climb, he had me by probably 30 yards and I had Lewis behind me at about the same distance and we had dropped Josh for good. I could tell Hal was trying to shake me but I felt really solid on the rolling stuff and slowly was reeling him in. He was looking over his shoulder to see me at each turn so I knew that I had his attention. I dreaded getting to the base of Goat Hill but decided I would take a chance and just take it easy on the steep hill, let Hal go a little bit, and then hope that he pushed too hard and I would reel him in and overtake him from 26 to the finish. However, as I got to the "hiking" section of Goat Hill, my legs felt pretty worked and I started cramping up in my gigantic calves (enter sarcasm). I then looked behind me and Lewis Taylor caught me right at the top of Goat Hill and we entered the aid station together and Hal was nowhere in sight. I took a minute to gather my senses, fill my bottle and grab some gels. I figured at that point, Lewis would put the stake in my heart. I stayed right on his heels though on the initial descent figuring I would try to hang on as long as I could before he dropped me. I was in butt sniffing distance from him on the descent and he surprised me when he turned and said, "go ahead. I feel a little punch drunk on the downhills." I took the lead but he was running the uphills much stronger than me so I figured he would pass me again momentarily. We then stuck together through the part of the course that I like the least. Lots of quick little climbs and rocky descents. Then a moment later, I realized he was not right behind me anymore. I figured it was momentary and just kept clicking along. Finally I hit the final aid station at HWY 49 and again looked for Lewis as I figured at this point, we could run in together. I didn't see him though and pushed on, having the pipe dream that I would catch a fading Hal. Not to be. Hal obviously ran Goat Hill well and I never saw him again. I grunted, hiked, and ran my way to the top of HWY 49 and made my way to the finish. 2 minutes behind Hal and 1 minute in front of Lewis. And, that is just how Way Too Cool is. There are great runners in front and behind you at all times. I was 6th place in a field of 564 finishers with trail 50K PR of 3:43.
Julie Fingar puts on a great party afterwards. Tons of pizza, soup, cupcakes, and great prizes. There were also massage tables to loosen up my cable tight muscles. It is easy to see why this is the most competitive and well attended 50K in the country. Way to go, Julie!

Finishing my 4th Way Too Cool with a new PR!
Photo courtesy http://fartherfaster.blogspot.com/
The finish line atmosphere was great as the sun was shining and it was great to hang out with friends and reconnect with tons of folks that I just see several times per year.

photo courtesy Jean Pommier
Later in the evening it was time for dinner with the Oregon crew and I can't say my tired body was overly upset about Karaoke Night being cancelled.
All in all, I feel much better about my level of fitness after putting it to the test this weekend.
Oh, and I did have a good satisfying moment. After finishing, I saw Hal sitting on a rock across the road from me. I yelled for him to come over. "Hold on, man. I'm going to puke". I took a little satisfaction thinking I added to some of that discomfort ;)
Results are here