2022 OUTLAW 135 - Last man standing DNF with a 100M unofficial finish
OUTLAW 135
Running is stupid. Ultra running is stupider. 100M+ is stupidest.
Now that we have that out of the way, here's a look at my 135 mile race experience from the origins thru training and then the race itself. 2020 COVID limited my ultra racing, so I chose to only run races I felt that I could manage safely and those that would contribute to my goal race, Black Hills which was reset to 2021 from the 2020 cancellation. I knew the Outlaw course was difficult, having run the Dark N Dirty 50K, but I wasn't sure how difficult the 100M and 135M would be compared to other hard mountain races like LOVIT100M and Black Hills 100M. I signed up for the 2020 Outlaw 50M and used the Athens-Big Fork marathon and Ouchita Switchbacks 50K as final training races leading up to it. The Outlaw 50M would be a major training race for the Black Hills 100 in June. I had attempted Black Hills 100M twice and DNF'd both prior attempts. I thought I had moved past those DNF's and could let them go, but I couldn't give it up, something inside me would not let it go that I didn't finish that race.
The 2020 Outlaw 50M happened on the weekend of the Big Freeze. It took me almost 20 hours to complete the race in the snow and sleet. The course was brutal and unforgiving.
I was hooked. Within a month after running the 50M, with Black Hills on my mind, I pulled the trigger and signed up for the 2021 Outlaw 135. My thinking was, I'm getting older and apparently slower, this race is probably one of my few chances to complete a race over 100M, due to the "so-called" generous cutoffs. Now my A goals were merged, Black Hills 100M and the Outlaw 135. I also had a deferral on the Arkansas Traveller 100 in October. That would be a good peak training race in prep for Outlaw.
All that was left was work, train, avoid COVID, stay as healthy as possible and injury free, and do as much family stuff as possible.
I'm sure some are wondering about my training program for all this stupidity. I'm gonna be very generic here. I've self coached in the past, modifying available online Ultra training programs. That can work for some folks, it worked for me, but I have a coach now and have for the past few years. I'm not gonna promote him, because I selfishly don't want him overloaded and I don't think he needs my endorsement. I'll say this, he has been a huge part of my moving through these crazy cycles of stupidity. I normally don't run more than 20-30 miles a week, sometimes much less. I do core, mobility and yoga. No weight lifting, only body weight or light weight exercises. Due to work and life schedules, these are usually limited to less than 20 minutes at a time. I run 2-4 times a week and rely on races for a most of my long runs. My final word on training programs/ coaches: find what works best for you and get the most out of the relationship. You need the best tools available to conquer the hard stuff, get what works!
Here's a run down of my "training races"
5/22 Possum's Revenge 50K 9hrs 10min
6/12 Achille's Hills Last Man Standing - (4 hours)
6/25 Black Hills 100M - Buckled with a 36:29:30 unofficial finish
7/10 Dark N Dirty 50K - signed up for 25K -
then paced others and finished out 50K solo 9:58:15
8/7 Blazing Summer Sufferfest 20K 2:27:44
(lost race to a 57 year old by 22 seconds) I blew up and cramped toward the end
8/14 Habanero 100 (25K) 2:39:23 plus paced 2 different 100M runners after
8/27 Fitness Taco Virtual 50K @ Northshore Mountain Bike Trail DNF 20miles Cramped, passed out vomiting ER visit ($6Kso far out of pocket) most expensive race of my life
10/1 Arkansas Traveller 100 DNF @ mile 60 18:07 missed cutoff at turnaround
11/6 Barrier Island Ultra 1/2 Marathong - 2:09 Sandy beach run
12/11 Outlaw Christmas Party Running weekend 7M+13M Loops around 6 hours- got lost a few times/ had a great time- highly recommend previewing the course
1/8 Athens Big Fork Marathon - 8:15 (Extremely difficult marathon)
1/15 Ouchita Switchbacks 50K weather cancelled to 25K 5:15:55 then finished 27.70M 7:25 bringing in an injured runner and sweeping the course back to finish from 1st aid station
Sleet/Snow last 8 miles of run
1/22 Run the Rose 50K - 9:06 paced a running buddy to a big PR, came within 30 minutes of my PR (Extremely easy 50K)
2/11 Outlaw 135
So that's my physical training for Outlaw, mental training consisted of doing just about everything in life the most difficult way possible; figuring out the most efficient way in the process when I could.
Getting Ready
The Race
Took off EZ, ran the downhills, jogged the flats and power hiked all the up hills.
Aside from leading a small group off trail for 50 feet or so, the first loop was uneventful, I mostly ran the 2nd half alone. I took pictures when I thought about them and I had no music.
The 7 mile loop seemed long, I was alone pretty much the entire loop.
It was good to get back to the start/finish, I don't really recall much but using the massage gun on my legs at the canopy before hitting the aid station. I felt good and the 2nd loop was going well, until I felt a tinge in my right heel and my left knee started hurting on the anterior side and on the backside of my kneecap. I'd never had this feeling before. It was staying steady at about a 3 on my 10 scale of pain. I stopped down at Shorty's aid station, took my socks off and they put a nice sized bandaid on my heel. It had already torn through a layer or so of skin. I felt good that I caught early B4 it got really bad. I had some crispy bacon and a pancake with peanut butter and some pecan pie. As the knee pain built, I decided to stop down and record a video for help. I was pretty sure I wasn't going to do any permanent damage by continuing, but I'd have to get the pain under control or it would wreck my race.
One of my training Ninja teammates that ran the marathon saw my urgent plea and contacted my coach, we had an in race conference and my plan for resolution was confirmed.
Biofreeze, Tylenol and then later Advil was the plan. Hopefully it was just inflammation and irritation on the connective tissue. I ground out the rest of the loop still at a decent clip. Roberto, Pepe and my pacer, Lisa were at the start/finish. I stopped down at the canopy, reloaded on Spring electrolytes and Speednut gels and then went to the start/finish for more real food. I think I had pulled pork, white bread or a bun, cole slaw and some more pie.
Pacer Lisa and Aid Station captain Cheryl
They put a BioFreeze patch on my knee, and one of my Aid station angels, Carrie, found some guaze to wrap my knee with. Alicia found some medical tape and wrapped it perfectly to my specifications, not too tight, not too loose. I can't tell you how comforting it is to not only have people who know you crewing/ pacing, but also having friends at the aid stations. It just makes everything go so much smoother. I don't worry about anything but getting the job done and I know they are doing the same and it's kinda like doing it all in a lightly mellowed out buzz state, because you're not worried about anything but getting through the moment.
I pop the Tylenol after Lisa confirms that I'm not overdosing and we're off.
Lisa was planning to finish out the race pacing me. I had just hoped she'd be able to go at least one 13 mile loop through the night. Unbeknownst to me, she had already set it up with Roberto, who came to pace Pepe to his 50M finish, but Pepe had enough Outlaw after 13 miles; that she would pace 20 miles, then Roberto 20 miles, then she would finish up the last 20 miles. The fact the Roberto came to pace Pepe and Pepe dropped out was just one of many good Karma instances of the weekend. At this point, all I knew was get with it for 13 miles to get back here. We take off into the dark. Lisa and I have a lot of trail miles together. She found me passed out on the trail puking on myself in August during a virtual 50K we were running together, she holds me up, so I don't choke on my own puke, and then calls 911.
Lisa at ER after my failed Virtual 50K training attempt
Most of our runs together were much less eventful... all that said, once we left the canopy, I lead the way and it wasn't until I recognized a cliff drop off over 30 minutes into that loop, after a couple of real hard climbs, that I broke the silence with "There's a cliff to the left". I ran the first 40 miles without music or trekking poles. I now had both. I still had decent legs and could still run the down hills, the knee pain wasn't increasing any and I wasn't noticing it as much. I was still refilling water now instead of gatorade at the unmanned aid stations, and pilfering through for sweet treats like Twinkies, but the pickin's were getting thin. I set Lisa up for a big descent about a mile out from Shorty's aid station. I call it "The Big Kahuna". If you've done the 13 mile Outlaw loop, you know exactly where and what I'm talking about. We get to it and I let Lisa know I'm going to take it easy, but I'm still running down it. I'm feeling good that I still have enough legs to run the downhills and I can still slow jog the flats. We pull into Shorty's aid and Cheryl, Sonja and crew are there. I get one bottle filled with hot chocolate, I think I had bacon and a hamburger patty, my standard coke and something else, but it was good, I was fueled and we made our way back to the the canopy. Roberto started massaging my left calf and I realized it was WAY tighter than anything else. I used the massage gun on it as well as my quads and hamstrings. Enough time had passed, I took Advil. I got more hot food, but I wasn't able to eat as much as before. I think I tried brisket, but it didn't go down very well. The Ramen I had didn't taste good to me. I tried a couple of other things, but I didn't get near as many calories as I had been earlier. I made a mental note and decided to take a Speednut early in the 7 mile loop. Coke was good. I probably drank 8-14 oz of Coke at every aid station stop the entire race. We took off into the dark again. Lisa thought this loop was a lot easier than the 13 mile. I started coming apart this loop, it was around 11PM to midnight. I made about 1/2 way in good shape, but after about 3.5 miles, I couldn't stay awake, I'd have to stop occasionally and regroup. I was reduced pretty much to a moderate powerhike at best, a slow hike was more the norm. I knew that I should have shut it down before that loop, but I really wanted to get 60 miles in before regrouping and getting a short sleep. That had been my plan all along, to go without taking any caffeine pills until I got sleepy or couldn't hold pace, then stop down and sleep without an alarm until I woke up, then finish out the race. After the last 3.5 torturously slow miles, I hit the massage gun, took a hot shower and climbed into bed. I made a game time decision to set a timer for 2.5 hours. Don't know why, but this seemed reasonable to me for a short recovery sleep. That would put us starting just before sunrise.
I immediately went into deep sleep when my head hit the pillow. 2.5 hours was an instant.
I got up, it was super cold. I had been running in sweat bottoms all day/night Saturday. I decided to go 2 layers bottom. Fleece sweats under the same tennis sweatpants I ran in before. I went with a heavier Fleece outer shell over a Puffy vest over a long sleeve tech shirt, (courtesy Isle du Bois 50K race). I went to the aid station for breakfast and Roberto and I started out. There's a big climb about 1/2 mile into the loop, another runner and her pacer must've slept as well, we passed them as they were shedding layers. We both had way overdressed. The chill subsided a lot with full sun. Even though it was still below freezing, without any wind, it was comfortable in 2 layers. Often I could run without gloves on at all.
I took my outer shell off and tied around my waist
. I didn't know it, but Roberto was struggling for all he had in him to keep up with me. I was fairly fresh and moving almost as well as my first 2 loops. He didn't shed layers and dehydrated. I knew I would drop him on all the technical down hills and most of the real technical rocky portions, but I figured he would catch up on the flats and climbs, since he was on fresh legs. He later told me he was worried if he didn't stay within eyesight, he might get lost because he wasn't familiar with the course. My focus was on getting as much out of what I had, when he told me he was cramping, I told him what he needed to do and that we both needed to ditch layers at Shorty's aid station. My lower right back was starting to hurt significantly. The knee pain was under control, feet were OK, but I was concerned about the back. I had some of Pepe's BioFreeze patches, I decided to have one put on at Shorty's and I would hit the Advil at the shortest interval possible based on my last dose. At Shorty's Cheryl and crew were incredible as always. I got the patch on, she made me a make shift drop bag for our excess layers and I left my ski gloves as well. This would be another Karma moment that would have a huge impact on my race later. I was going to have Roberto come and pick up the layers we ditched, but since Cheryl made me a garbage bag, drop bag, we wouldn't need to get it. The only thing I forgot, and Roberto forgot to remind me as well, was to shed my fleece sweats under my tennis sweats. I realized this after we were about a mile away. We stopped down at a primitive campsite and I took my shoes off and took the fleece sweats off. Back down to 2 layers up top and one layer below, I was set for comfortable running. With a few miles to go, a Sunday morning half marathoner passed me on a flat, she was moving well, I was slow jogging. Less than a minute later, she almost came to a complete stop at some technical rocky sections. I passed her and then ran the next 3/4 mile or so and I never saw her again until she came into the aid station while I as eating. That was a little mental boost. At least I'm not the slowest runner out on the course. We made it back in good shape to the canopy. I think I took some more Advil, I relied on Lisa to be my double check on dosing and timing. I ate again and we finished out the 7 mile loop. Roberto actually thought the 7 mile loop was harder than the 13 miler. I lost track of time and space on that loop and it went by fairly fast in my mind. The BioFreeze and the Advil must have done the trick on my back, I could still feel a tinge, but it wasn't distracting and didn't seem to be worsening, however; because I used a big patch, the part that wrapped around my right side abdomen was burning, I thought my hydration belt was chafing, but it turned out to be normal skin areas don't really like the BioFreeze treatment. A small discomfort pain I felt worth the benefit of my back pain relief. (Note: more core work needed for these extremely hard races) It was around mid-day and Lisa was back up for more fun. Since she started at night, this would be her first time to actually see the course, or at least most of it.
. I didn't know it, but Roberto was struggling for all he had in him to keep up with me. I was fairly fresh and moving almost as well as my first 2 loops. He didn't shed layers and dehydrated. I knew I would drop him on all the technical down hills and most of the real technical rocky portions, but I figured he would catch up on the flats and climbs, since he was on fresh legs. He later told me he was worried if he didn't stay within eyesight, he might get lost because he wasn't familiar with the course. My focus was on getting as much out of what I had, when he told me he was cramping, I told him what he needed to do and that we both needed to ditch layers at Shorty's aid station. My lower right back was starting to hurt significantly. The knee pain was under control, feet were OK, but I was concerned about the back. I had some of Pepe's BioFreeze patches, I decided to have one put on at Shorty's and I would hit the Advil at the shortest interval possible based on my last dose. At Shorty's Cheryl and crew were incredible as always. I got the patch on, she made me a make shift drop bag for our excess layers and I left my ski gloves as well. This would be another Karma moment that would have a huge impact on my race later. I was going to have Roberto come and pick up the layers we ditched, but since Cheryl made me a garbage bag, drop bag, we wouldn't need to get it. The only thing I forgot, and Roberto forgot to remind me as well, was to shed my fleece sweats under my tennis sweats. I realized this after we were about a mile away. We stopped down at a primitive campsite and I took my shoes off and took the fleece sweats off. Back down to 2 layers up top and one layer below, I was set for comfortable running. With a few miles to go, a Sunday morning half marathoner passed me on a flat, she was moving well, I was slow jogging. Less than a minute later, she almost came to a complete stop at some technical rocky sections. I passed her and then ran the next 3/4 mile or so and I never saw her again until she came into the aid station while I as eating. That was a little mental boost. At least I'm not the slowest runner out on the course. We made it back in good shape to the canopy. I think I took some more Advil, I relied on Lisa to be my double check on dosing and timing. I ate again and we finished out the 7 mile loop. Roberto actually thought the 7 mile loop was harder than the 13 miler. I lost track of time and space on that loop and it went by fairly fast in my mind. The BioFreeze and the Advil must have done the trick on my back, I could still feel a tinge, but it wasn't distracting and didn't seem to be worsening, however; because I used a big patch, the part that wrapped around my right side abdomen was burning, I thought my hydration belt was chafing, but it turned out to be normal skin areas don't really like the BioFreeze treatment. A small discomfort pain I felt worth the benefit of my back pain relief. (Note: more core work needed for these extremely hard races) It was around mid-day and Lisa was back up for more fun. Since she started at night, this would be her first time to actually see the course, or at least most of it.
We talked about the extended silence of the night before, I don't remember if I played music or not, but I was still moving strong and able to run down hill. It was good that we had left the layers and gloves at Shorty's, I needed them now since the sun was started to go down and the temps were dropping. I would have been in big trouble if I had to finish out that loop in only 2 layers and with only my light running gloves. Plus the extra light was nice for a backup.
Shorty's aid again was a moral, calorie and overall boost, I think I was slowing down, but I really don't remember. I was still carrying my trekking poles and running on some of the down hills, but I was using them on all the climbs now. It got dark on us shortly after leaving Shorty's. When we got back to the canopy, I think I resorted gear, I ate as much as I could, but again my appetite was waning a little. I had switched over to Spring energy electrolytes, the Gatorade was coating my mouth. Fatigue was hitting, but I was still able to slow jog out of the aid station to begin the final loop. The last 7 miles seemed like forever. I was a dead man walking coming out of the last aid station in the sense that the 135 mile cutoff was going to hit within an hour or so. 135M runners must finish 100M and start the 5x 7mile loops by 10PM Sunday. We left the aid station sometime before 9PM. There was no way I'd make it to start the final 35 miles. I was leading the 135M race at that point, but that in essence, made me the cream of the crap, although there had been another 135 miler that completed 100M before I did and they dropped out ahead of the cutoff. I really wanted to at least start the final 35 miles, even if I couldn't finish it out. I was ok with getting this one done at 100 miles. It's a meat grinder of a course and this was apparently a particularly hard race. I ran it as strong as any 100 miler I've ever run, I executed my race plan well. I stayed within my ability and I made good decisions on fixing the fuck ups that happen in these races. I utilized all the gear and tools available to me and I managed the transition and recovery sleep about as well as possible. I pretty much crated at 3.5 miles again on the 7 mile loop. I got sleep again and was fatigued, but I think I held a better power hike than previously. We passed a couple of 100 mile runners on that last loop as well, so it could have been much worse.
100 miles finished in 47 hours 17 minutes 40 seconds
Race Plan: Moderate to Easy effort on flats and climbs, run the technical sections and downhills at a moderate pace as long as legs allow. Take in around 200-300 calories per hour, stay hydrated to avoid cramps. Layer appropriately to be able to run comfortably. Stop down and sleep at the first signs of sleep deprivation and major fatigue, sleep without setting an alarm. Wake and run until sleep is required again.
Thanks to Outlaw 100, Lisa Hyne, Roberto Gonzalez and Jose Vega and all the amazing volunteers for making this experience memorable!
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