Training Log Archive: Nikolay

Chirrico Tenpeat 2018 Edition - 1st place

A non-event of running 10 times up and down Poo Poo Point (Chirrico) Trail on a gorgeous day

Location:
Poo poo point is a very popular trail close to Seattle with a decent elevation gain and somewhat technical course with many sections lined up with uneven stone stairs and a few quad busting steep sections. The run is on a wednesday so that there are less weekend crowds. One ascend is 1.85 miles with 1,650 feet gain. That adds up to 37 miles with 16,500 feet gain for the tenpeat

History:
This was my 3rd running of the tenpeat. In 2014 I finished first and secured the traveling trophy (a foam sun withered tiger hat) which was proudly displayed in our living room throughout that year. in 2017 I stopped after 8 laps as my knees began complaining a bit too much from the harsh descends and I did not want to risk some injury. A bit bummed as I was in a contention to take back the tiger hat.

For this year I was looking forward to the run since early in the year and at the same time I got completely surprised by Jess's signup sheet post last Friday. With all the Barkley Marathons training early in the year the race itself I did not look much at my spring races calendar. For recovery I did bunch of long easy runs and a flattish marathon race and basically did not have any climbing or descending done since late March. It was a truly oh-shit moment 5 days before the run.

Planning:
So naturally I went out Saturday for a couple laps up Poo poo to get a sense of how big the disconnect will be of where I want to be and where my legs says I am.Things were as I was expecting, not bad but could be better :) From all those cable line repeats in the winter I was felling strong going up and the climbs felt comfortable but running down was not enjoyable as it should have been. Achilles and calves were still a bit stiff from all the Barkley elevation and from the push at the Soaring Eagle trail marathon soon after. Running down took more effort than I would have liked. (eventually ended up running 2-2:30 minutes slower on average for each descend than the previous years while not particularly enjoying them)

Race Day:
At the day of the run weather was expected to warm up a lot and as this was the first hot days of the year for Seattle I knew hydration and staying cool would be important. I got my battered 12 year old hot weather race shirt as this is by far the best shirt I've used to stay cool. I think a combination of the very light moisture wicking material, mesh panels and very wide neck line make it great for hot weather. Feels cooler than when running with tank tops or necked.

For nutrition and hydration I kept is simple as it is just a 10 hour run and I didn't need to bother with problems of 24 or longer races with solid food digestion issues etc.. A pound of Sponser endurance drink (220cal), a gel(100cal) and another pound of water per lap should be plenty.

For equipment I used light foldable poles and a light mesh vest. Shoes I used were Brooks Caldera as those became a favorite of mine for ultra runs couple years ago.

As for pacing 53-54 minute laps was the target pace where I was comfortable I'll be able to go for 10 hours. Here are the actual lap times:
51 52 53 54 56 55 61 62 65 67

Other strategy/thoughts for the run I wanted to try were to stay positive and to think, visualize and voice a positive reinforcements. That definitely went well as I had a blast throughout the whole event... I mean nonevent. Note to self - I should learn some song lyrics as after couple laps my brain was not cooperating with many options so I ended up shouting and singing few phrases over and over again :)

Execution:
I know the drill that after the start there will be fast folks that will shoot off and those are usually a combination of people doing just few repeats or a bit overeager folks or the occasional fast runner that is able to get in the 8 hour zone. So there is not much point to worry about any of those groups and stray from my pace early in the race regardless what happens ahead.

In the early laps things went well. With the exception of the flat parts I rarely ran, used my poles heavily, repeated to myself hundreds of times slow down, relax, calm down, and generally had fun. Was not very happy with my descends as I mentioned earlier those were more laborious and slower than I wanted, but I was keeping my pace compared to the folks around me so didn't sweat it too much. Talking about sweat I felt cool and comfortable with my super shirt all through lap 7-8, and only in the last 3 hours I had to keep dosing myself a bit with water to stay cool. Drank about 2lb of liquids per lap

As I was going down lap 5 I noticed that the few fast folks have finished their runs with only Trevor being 7-8 minutes ahead of me, with a few people 5-8 minutes close behind. I decided to push a bit on lap 6 and ran it without my vest and without carrying any water with me. That made it about 2 minute faster and on the way down I caught Trevor who was starting to have some cramps. Also now George in 3rd place was already 13-14 mins behind.

(The fun part of running on an out and back course is that twice a lap you can see everyone and keep track how they are doing and how they are looking :) ) So I change my goal from keeping 53-54 min laps which was just starting to slip away anyway with the temperatures going up to keeping the 13-15 mins lead. This worked great and I was happy I was able to finish ahead of George and Martin without bonking, cramping or feeling dehydrated.

The sudden heat wave after months of 45 degree weather gave everyone an extra challenge and I am happy I was able to stay ahead of the elements and the competition.

Thanks to Jess Mullen for organizing and all the folks from SMRG that helped put together a great aid station and a great day of challenging fun.
And thanks Trevor, George and Martin for the competition and keeping me honest and on my toes until the last mile.

Here is the run on strava https://www.strava.com/activities/1532107094
or you can click on the small globe above here.