gear review - CW-X Stabilyx Ventilator Compression Shorts

this year i was again selected as a winner in the team running free lottery, and my prize was a credit toward CW-X compression wear.  i was excited about this as i'd wanted to check out a pair of compression running shorts for a while (after watching dathan ritzenhein race the 2012 us olympic marathon trials and seeing rob krar race numerous events in the same type of shorts) as perhaps a go-between for weather where tights/capris were too warm and (split) shorts might be just a bit brisk.  as i reviewed the options available to me - and read the various reviews associated with the different models - i settled on the stabilyx ventilator shorts as the shorts were generally reported to feel quite warm while running and i knew that i would really only be wearing them through the summer training season.

on the plus side

• quality - have you ever purchased any stretchy garments that just seem to be cheaply made and ready to rip at an inopportune moment's notice?  yeah, well this CW-X product isn't one of them.  the stitching is strong, the material has got a great hand to it and is definitely durable (having survived my beat-it-up washing machine numerous times thus far).
• breathability - the perforated front panels of the ventilator style do a decent job of not making it feel like all of the heat and perspiration is trapped against my upper thighs.  after giving it possible consideration as my shorts of choice for The North Face Endurance Challenge 50-miler i wound up going with my Skechers Performance split shorts because of the projected temps for that race - but for just about any other race or summer conditions i think that these are just fine.





• sizing - the CW-X size chart situates me (5'8", 137 lbs.) as a men's small and this turned out to be a perfect fit for me.

 

on the something-left-to-be-desired side

• storage - this was another decisive factor for me in terms of not choosing the ventilator for the 50-miler.  there's just a single small key pocket sewn into the inside waistband ... i was mildly concerned about the rubbing/chafing effect that it might have over the course of an ultra, and the fact that the pocket doesn't even have a top flap made me wonder whether or not i might lose the key into the bushes should i need to make a quick trailside pitstop.  i tend to prefer shorts with an external zippered pocket (even if only key-sized) which is what my split shorts afforded me.
• reflectivity - while there is some lime-green coloured piping on these shorts there is very little in the way of reflective accents.  some might find such detailing gaudy but for pre-dawn road workout fiends like myself they would have been a nice safety addition.
• support - don't get me wrong here - i think that there is definitely a science to the design of the compression panels incorporated into the stabilyx ventilator (although i'm still not entirely convinced of the compression effect of any apparel items).  it's just that, well, for a single-layered below-the-waist garment i had some concerns about the degree of comfort and concealment of certain body parts - and it appears that i'm not alone in trying to settle the issue on this.  after a few runs testing out the shorts as they arrived off the production line, i decided to add an additional front panel to the groin area similar to what can be found in swimming jammer tights.  it was a basic cut-out from an old lycra rashguard top that i had from my surfing days so as to keep the level of breathability and general feel the same.  this minor alteration has helped me feel a bit more discrete as well as helping to keep things in place.

here's the video version of this report for your viewing pleasure:

 
if you like running in compression wear (whether shorts, capris, full pants or tops - CW-X produces all of them) then these are definitely worth checking out!

gear review - CW-X Stabilyx Ventilator Compression Shorts

race report - 2015 Sulphur Springs Trail Run 50k

if there's anything that i've learned in my limited foray into the world of trail and ultra-running its that the competition is less with the field of contestants and more with yourself.  it truly is more of a process of self-discovery than speed-discovery.

with that in mind, i feel like an ultra race report ought to highlight lessons learned over mile-markers passed.

lesson #1 - always set two wake-up alarms
the sulphur springs trail run is an annual event taking place in and around ancaster, ontario following the trails of the dundas valley conservation area.  that's about 90 min. from my house which puts it at a manageable travel distance on the day of the race.  i'd planned to get up, get in a shakeout run, eat breakfast, nab a shower and then hit the road in order to arrive about 80-90 min. before the start of the 50k distance (50 and 100-milers would have an earlier start).  working backwards that would mean a wake-up time of 3:00 am, so i set my trusty clock-radio to the appointed hour ... and just before grabbing my shut-eye thought that it might be prudent to also set an old wristwatch alarm just in case.

as in just-in-case-you-set-your-clock-radio-for-3:00-PM!

thankfully those annoying little beeping sounds emanating from that timex knock-off did the trick in terms of rousing me out of my slumber.

gotta know that the day's going to be an interesting one after that kind of start.

Sulphur Springs 50k here I come! #getyourtrailon #GOlikeneverbefore

A photo posted by patrick voo (@pbfvoo) on May 23, 2015 at 1:18am PDT

lesson #2 - 'tis better to have taped and lost than to never have taped at all
in my last pre-race entry i noted that i'd been experiencing some intermittent knee pain in the weeks leading up to this race.  electing to believe that discretion is the better part of valour (at least this time!) i took three days off last week in order to rest up my knee - and tried to incorporate some additional specific exercises and rolling pin application as a number of friends let me know that they thought that i was dealing with ITB syndrome.  i still wasn't convinced that that was the real culprit as my symptoms didn't all match up with the typical indicators (e.g. i could run on it without pain) and i had been very attentive over the past 14-16 months to work on glute and core strength.

still, not being one to look a gift horse in the mouth, when my friend rhonda-marie offered to apply some k-tape if i showed up early enough at the start line i thought that i had nothing to lose (thanks #batgirl!).  wearing kinesiology tape was a new experience, and while i could feel that bit of additional support that it provided it might well fall into the same category as compression socks for me - probably more of a psychological benefit/confidence boost than anything.

how did it work out for me?  a number of friends who i encountered on race day (as well as others that i only really crossed paths with via social media) asked how my knee was holding up out on the course - and the short answer is that it wasn't an issue whatsoever.  i guess +1 for k-tape!

lesson #3 - if you're out there, you're a runner
our 7:30am start included the 25k and 50k racers in a 'starting chute' formation a bit of a ways back from the actual timing start/finish timing mat because some of the longer distance runners were already completing first loops.  it was a bit of a mass gathering which meant that faster and slower runners were all bunched together for the first kilometre or so - the saving grace of that was that the initial few hundred metres were on a very wide swath of trail, albeit it a 58m or so drop (providing a foretaste of the ascent that each loop would conclude with ...).  since the full trail loop was 20k both the 25k and 50k competitors would have to complete an initial 'spur' or abbreviated section of the trail loop - and this worked well, as it provided enough incentive to run a controlled pace from the get-go.  the conventional wisdom about running an ultra well is that it's not about who runs the fastest pace but who slows the least - so a glob of people all together for the first 2.5k or so was just fine.

after the 25k runners had their initial turnaround point (a course-marshaled hairpin that almost had me sideswiping my friend kathleen) the group thinned out exponentially.  it was a strange transition to go from a shoulder-to-shoulder parade out on the trails to being almost completely alone at the 5k mark.  where it got really interesting (at least from a social point of view) was after the first 10k spur, because then i started intersecting with some of the 50 milers, 100 milers and 100 mile relay runners.  from that point forward it was one big encouragement-a-palooza out there, as i looked on with (and voiced my) admiration at/for runners who were tackling the more 'conventional' ultra-distances - and from time to time i might scoot by someone and hear them say "you're looking really strong!".  it reminded me that big, small, faster, slower, we were all out there to do battle with those forces of inertia, or negative energies and histories that might try to persuade us that it's easier to not run.

one particularly inspiring individual was a man competing in the 25k race that i passed several times - each lap i let him know just how much of a warrior i thought that he was.  on spec i figured that he had suffered some kind of stroke or had a particular type of palsy, as the one side of his body including his arm and leg seem to be curled a bit and certainly had a limited range of motion.  after doing some research on the race results i found out that his name is jess heroux and that in 1993 he had an aneurysm which indeed had paralyzed his right side.  but the dude was a beast out there, and made my efforts seem mediocre in comparison.

lesson #4 - keep rollin', rollin', rollin', rollin'
during our wednesday night trail runs sensei jim has (half-seriously) offered to provide workshops on how to fall properly.  it involves something of a tuck-and-roll method to use your momentum in an effort to minimize any significant impact and also to allow you to get up and keep going as soon as possible.

while i didn't physically practice this, i took good mental notes.  and i'm glad that i did.

twice the trails came up and bit me.

the first time was at about 28km when i got distracted by trying to reel in a runner who was about 20m in front of me.  by fixing my attention on trying to catch him i became totally oblivious to the 'rooty' section of path that we were traversing.  even the runner behind me said (post-fall) that she could totally see my tumble coming.

but it was a real 'matrix' moment in the process of being tripped up and falling - while i instinctively put out my hands to brace for impact (thank goodness for my nathan quickdraw elite handheld bottle providing a crash pad) i also found that my brain switched into super slo-mo mode and i had enough wherewithal to process that i should turn into the ground with my shoulder (left was my preference) and tumble along with the ground rather than into it.  and you know what?  even though i went down i managed not to miss a beat - and actually caught that runner without any additional effort.

the second fall came at around 40km in - this time it was just a matter of mental fatigue from having been out on the course for about 3h45m at this point.  in a road race you can get away with shuffling your feet a bit more, but not so on terra natura.  the events of this fall were almost identical to the previous one except that my initial bracing action resulted in my payment of a pound of flesh to the spirit of sulphur springs.

call it machismo, adrenaline or outright stubbornness i didn't think much of this scrape after i got up to keep going - until i thought my waterbottle was leaking from landing on it.  and then i realized that i wasn't carrying my bottle in the hand that felt all wet.  yep ... i was leaving behind your regular CSI-worthy bloodtrail dripping off of my hand, spraying DNA samples with every cycle of arm swing.  i even had to refrain high-fiving some of my friends who happened to be running towards me on the same path for fear of hemoglobin spatter blinding them after we'd make contact.  thankfully i wasn't far from the next aid station where they graciously bandaged me up in F-1 pit-stop fashion so that i didn't lose much time.

all in all i spent 95-98% of my time on the trail running, only having really stopped to:

• get rid of a rock in my shoe (always, always, always take the time to do this - especially in an ultra as a minor irritation now can become a major headache later)
• take a quick trailside pee
• powerhike several steep hills (i found the course very runnable - only 50% of the hills required slowing to walking pace, and many sections of the course you could even plot to take the tangents to save time/steps)
• avail myself of nutrition at four aid stations (i downed eight GU gels - a record, i might say - but also picked up something at every aid station but several times managed to just keep moving through ... i paused once to re-fill my bottle, once to grab a PB+J sandwich from my drop-bag and twice to down a handful of pretzels).

lesson #5 - trail markers won't do any good if you don't follow them
i thought that i'd done my due diligence in advance of this race considering i wasn't familiar with the dundas valley conservation area trail system before (unless i'd traversed some of it following the orienteering lead of my friend sean in last fall's raid the hammer adventure race).  i watched various race recap videos on YouTube, read and re-read the 2015 race participant guide.  and then having completed a full first loop of the course, you'd think that i knew where i was going.

you'd be mistaken.

i think that by the time that most of the 50k runners had completed the first loop a few of the less-necessary marshals were relieved from their posts - and since there were other hikers and cyclists on the course some of the yellow caution tape which had been draped across trail intersections to indicate the correct direction of travel had been dropped to form more of a 'line in the sand'.  and therein lay my problem.

at 29.4 k i missed a hard right turn uphill onto "Lookout Trail", and wound up scooting down a section of trail (after obviously skipping over/past some fallen caution tape) for just over 500m before i came across a 50-mile runner going the opposite way.  he was gracious enough to yell "are you going the wrong way?", to which my immediate response was "am i?!?".  he replied back "you'll know at the bottom", since i was descending about 20m into another intersection.  at that nexus i found three cyclists resting on a bench and asked whether or not they'd seen any other runners coming down the path that i'd just run down - and to my dismay they responded "no, everyone's coming from that way" pointing to their immediate left.  since i'd read in hal koerner's field guide to ultrarunning that the rules (usually enforced by the honour system) of ultras is that any diversion from the official course must be rectified by returning back to the point of departure to reassume the actual route i turned around to climb back up the hill and rejoin the Lookout Trail after covering a little more than an extra kilometre.

what did it cost me?  well, aside from just some additional discomfort from hammering my right big toe for that extra 1100m or so (c'mon, what's an ultra without a blackened toenail?) i know that i lost a couple of places in the chase.  in the end i finished the race feeling strong, albeit not having laid everything out on the line ... i felt like i basically cruised through the entire race.  crossing the timing mats in 4:38:41 (meeting my 'C' goal) i officially claimed 14th place overall (meeting my 'B' goal).  in terms of age-group placing, the results table shows me in 13th since their official age-group bracket is 0-98 years ... but if you don't mind some creative accounting, had there been a 40-49 male AG then i would have taken 4th spot (and meeting my 'A' goal).

lesson #6 - free massage?  did somebody say free massage?
even though i felt good crossing the finish line i knew that i would be wise to start the recovery process as quickly as possible - so i put in a 5-10 minute walkabout the grass and then made my way to the food tent where they graciously provided some juice, fruit, yogourt and a pulled pork (or pulled chicken) hot sandwich.

there was also a bunch of massage tables set up courtesy of students from trillium college.  after signing up on their 'reservation list' i waited all of about two minutes before my name was called and i was introduced to marcy who asked a few quick questions about any injuries, medications or current aches/pains.  even though i noted the k-tape on my knee she chose to focus on my achilles tendon (which had been surgically repaired after a complete rupture in 2006).  as i lay on the sun-heated massage table and had my right calf, hamstring and glute-area worked on i wondered to myself why i'd never taken advantage of post-race massages before.  i suppose that in larger races when it's been offered the line-up/wait time was prohibitively long ... but i will be looking for this added-value service again.  not sure whether or it not the actual massage was of any real benefit, but the relaxing time on the table made it worth the while.  and between the massage, the k-tape and wearing my tiux compression socks all the next day i'm pleased to say that my knee has not acted up really since the race.  after all was said and done i wonder if maybe it wasn't just an atypical ITB issue but in fact some minor degree of lateral meniscus tear from attempting to find faster (and safer) ways of bombing down trail descents by employing a 'slalom' style of foot placement (angling from side to side).     

----

all told this was an excellent race experience - the trails were in superb condition (i heard numerous times that it looked the best that others had seen in years for this event ... as witnessed by a new course record in the 50k distance) and the organization was top notch.  the weather was about as nice as it could be, and getting to/from the locale was a piece of cake.

speaking of cake, it's time to enjoy some ... a full week off until resuming training for the north face endurance challenge series 50-miler.  woo hoo!

 photo by keith lascelles

race gear for the 2015 sulphur springs trail run 50k:

• Skechers Performance Division racerback singlet and split shorts
• sugoi arm warmers (Team Running Free branded)
• darn tough tab no show light cushion socks
• nathan quickdraw elite handheld water bottle
• skechers gobionic trail
• buff original headwear

race report - 2015 Sulphur Springs Trail Run 50k

race report - MEC Barrie Race Two 15k

i think that i could get into this 'using races as key workouts' thing.

as this week marked my return to training after the waterloo marathon i have shifted gears to focus more on time-on-feet and refining my trail legs.  this is all in anticipation of the Sulphur Springs 50k and The North Face Endurance Challenge Series GORE-TEX® 50 miler.  this saturday called for a 33-38k run at 'comrades pace' (given that i've jumped into following a training plan for the renowned comrades marathon), and since the 2015 MEC Barrie Race Two - their first trail-specific competition - was scheduled for the same i decided that i would put in about a 19k warm-up before joining the 15k distance option for the race.  although i was very much looking forward to this event i had second thoughts the night before as i experienced some soreness in my right knee (likely as a result of ramping my mileage up again to full throttle after the post-marathon week off) but decided that i really didn't have the time to waste before the 50k.

the race took place in the simcoe county forest with which i was somewhat familiar given some training runs i'd done with the barrie trail running club.  however i felt that i'd best be served for the race by doing some advance scouting of the route (just to make sure that i could actually find my way through and test my friend jim willett's trail marking abilities) so i arrived a couple of hours before the scheduled start time to run the course.  the MEC crew was already well under way setting up the start/finish area as well as setting up some final signage along the course to help ensure directional clarity.

photo courtesy of MEC Barrie

as far as the warm-up went, i was joined for most of it by my new friend rob (whom i'd met at the MEC Barrie Race One) who helped keep the pace honest.  by the point that we connected on the trail i had already gotten off-course once (and had to double-back to find the appropriate ribbon markers), and together we managed to overshoot the turn-off to the finishing loop by some 2 kms - i would find out later that we were out before some of the final signage had been fastened in place, and when the marshals were in place we'd have no problem discerning where the appropriate turns would be.

upon completing my warm-up distance i picked up my timing chip and corralled in with the other 15k runners.  there was another stellar turn-out for this event, which to some was surprising given that we were tackling roots and rocks instead of pavement and parking lots.  i managed to spot a number of our intrepid tribe of barrie ninjas (trevor, lewis, rick, jason) as well as several other friends (kathleen, tina, brenda, marc) and my former coach rick ball whom i'd not seen in well over a year.

how did the race itself go?

overall i was happy with how it all went down, even though i started out a bit faster than i'd wanted (in order to clear some traffic before getting onto single track sections).  i managed a respectable pace throughout, power-hiking a few tough uphill (and sandy, to boot) sections and scrambling well down the same sections on return halves of those loops.  i believe that i turned in another negative split  which i was pleased with because (a) it was trail terrain all the way, which is energy draining due to its constant variation and (b) the temperatures rose from 16°C when i'd started my pre-race warm-up to 28°C by the time that i crossed the finish line.

my fellow ninjas brought home numerous race accolades from this event, including 1st (trevor) and 3rd (rob) place overall in the 15k, 2nd female finisher (amanda) and two 1st in AG (rick and lewis) in the 5k.  sarah also hit her goal of making the first page of results for the 10k and jason represented team running free in strong fashion with a sub-2 hour 15k training workout.

and for some last minute notes and observations:

• the bugs weren't too bad out there today - a few swarms making standing at the edge of the forest awaiting the start a bit annoying, but none during the run ... except for the one stray wasp that decided to sting my finger during the warm-up loop
• it's amazing how dehydration happens - i kept my nathan handheld full with either water or clif shot electrolyte, but between the long workout and the elevating temps i managed to lose 5 lbs. from morning wake-up to post-race ... and then gain it all back by next morning
• race gear:
• skechers performance racer back tank and split shorts
• skechers GOrun ultra
• falke RU energizing compression socks
• running free branded headsweats visor
• garmin 305 (yes, i wore my watch for this one)
• nathan quickdraw elite handheld bottle.

race report - MEC Barrie Race Two 15k

sponsorship year one - reflections

i'm not a corporate sell-out - it's a privilege, and a source of motivation.

this year i've been blessed to be able to help carry the banner for two great organizations - Skechers Performance Canada and Team Running Free.  the support that i've received from each has been tremendous, and has expanded the sense of tribe and family that i've come to know since embarking on my own running journey.  being affiliated with some recognizable names has also elevated my sense of accountability - not necessarily to them, but to myself and my commitment to health, exercise and excellence.

and here's the tale ...

just shy of two years ago i discovered the the Team Running Free sponsorship program but was too late to apply for that year's cohort of athletes - so i patiently waited about 10 months to submit my application for the 2014 season.  the allure at that time was to work with a local running specialty store that i believed had not only a real focus on people who were serious about their sport (without necessarily being elite-level) but also a focus on giving back to others (e.g. their shoe re-use program and mission haiti initiative).

after receiving notice of acceptance into the 2014 program, i was over the moon!  beyond all reasoning i was now a 'sponsored athlete', and that certainly made me feel like i'd achieved a dream goal.  now i would not only be able to don official Team Running Free gear and not be a 'poser', but i would actually represent (and cheer on) this sporting clan in competitions.  throughout the racing season i have proudly worn either my Team RF singlet or arm-warmers, and also had the opportunity to participate in clinics or special events with other Team RF athletes.  two of the highlight moments from this year have included meeting groundbreaking canadian olympian and marathoner sylvia ruegger as well as running with one of the world's best known superhumans dean karnazes.

what i love and deeply appreciate about the Team RF sponsorship program is that anyone is eligible to apply, and athletes of all capacities are accepted.  the defining criteria is passion for their selected activity as well as promotion of health and fitness within their broader community.  through this connection i've come to know a variety of fantastic people and been encouraged by their comments and accomplishments - and in so doing become a better runner and ambassador for sport.  i plan to reapply for 2015, and see what new escapades come about!

not long after submitting my application to Team RF, i was contacted by the marketing director at Skechers Performance Canada about the possibility of becoming a brand ambassador for them.  this came completely out of left field - while i have been a big fan of the Skechers Performance Division footwear for a little while now (not quite since their emergence) and have been singing their praises on social media outlets, i certainly did not imagine that anything would come about as a result of it.  however, my vocalizations on twitter caught their attention and lo and behold they expressed an interest in exploring a relationship with me, involving active representation for them on twitter, facebook, youtube and this blog.  not long after that, i had arrived at the next level of athletic sponsorship - actually signing a contract.

i cannot say enough about how happy i have been to be aligned with such a great company and especially to be on side with inspirational people like meb keflezighi and kara goucher, nevermind the slew of other Skechers-affiliated ambassadors and team athletes out there.  and my point people with SPD Canada have been wonderfully communicative, supportive and generous - i am excited for the opportunity to continue working with them into this next year and showing up to races as one of the few sporting the Skechers Performance logo!

i am honestly very anxious to chart the directions that Skechers Performance takes in the near future - they continue to bound forward (no pun intended) with advancements in their technical footwear, and grow in association with top-notch performers (e.g. PGA tour golfer matt kuchar) and high-level competitions (e.g. houston marathon).  the sky's the limit!

- - - - -

have you ever connected with/sought connections with a brand or sponsor?  if so, which one(s), and how has it gone?  if not, why?  i'd love to find out! 

sponsorship year one - reflections

race report - the 2014 limberlost challenge

i should have posted a DNF.

not that i wanted to - but had i been left to my own devices, that would have been the result.

this is a bit of a different race report compared to other ones that i've posted, partly because i think that as my first trail race and my first ultramarathon i have a different story to tell.

there were three defining elements to my running of this year's edition of the limberlost challenge:

1. mud.
2. blood.
3. jim.

let's first get out of the way some of the ancillary details - my friend jim willett and i carpooled together up to the limberlost reserve (about 1h40min from the commuter parking lot at the north end of my city) before the crack of dawn.  the 56k race started at 8am, and given that neither of us had been there before we wanted to give ourselves enough margin for a leisurely drive and kit pick-up.

i wasn't the only Team RF member there, but i don't think that anyone else wore Skechers!

the start/finish location where we parked was well organized with volunteers, clearly delineated tent areas (for registration, bag-drop, vendor booths) and an adequate number of port-a-potties.  aside from some swatting of mosquitoes, the pre-race routine was rather uneventful - but i did notice that the trail/ultra running crowd seem to be more relaxed and friendly as a group versus the organized road races in which i've participated.  they say that trail runners are a different breed - and i began to get a sense of why that's said.

after some preliminary remarks from the emcee and then the race organizer (neil jefferson) jim and i prepared to be launched from the chute as the first wave of runners (56k @ 8am, then 42k, 28k and 14k in 20min. intervals after that).  we spotted last year's winner and lined up just at the rear of the pack that would take off after him.

the course itself is really quite pretty - with generous doses of elevation changes (the most brutal 35m hill climb coming within the first mile), plenty of shade, very few bugs and lots of scenic running beside and over four different lakes.  which leads me to the first of the triumvirate of key determinants for my race result:

mud

this is really a general category header, but also a very specific one as well.  thanks to a well-watered week leading up to the event there were stretches of mud along the trail that started off as 4m long and 1m wide but ended up (by the fourth lap) being easily 13m long and 4m wide.  

the kind of stuff that will suck the shoes right off of your feet and drag them down to the nether regions below.

not my shoe, and not my image - but you catch the drift ...

i was thankful for the various boardwalks over the lake areas where i could dip my mud-laden shoes into the water in order to rinse off the unwanted several ounces per foot.

all this made a challenging course even tougher.  i knew that in my preparations for this race that i needed to be ready to go long - and so i respected the 56k distance, averaging between 120-138km per week.

what i didn't do was respect the course.

while i'd integrated some trail work into my training plan, i didn't run any long runs on the trails.  on top of that, i should have spent more time acclimatizing to - and planning for - the downhill sections.  i basically jogged/walked the uphill stretches but then bounded down the downhills to make up the time.  what ended up happening was that after 2 laps (28k) my quads were fairly trashed.

had i been more conservative in tackling the slopes i would not have ended up walking most of the third and fourth laps.  i opened with a 1:31:59 first lap and closed with a 3:06:45 final lap.

blood

this had to do more with my nutritional plan (or lack thereof) than anything.  

i'd decided to carry my standard complement of four gels on me, along with a trail mix granola bar and my Nathan Quickdraw Plus handheld bottle.  i packed a drop bag (which i never went to) with additional granola bars, some Clif Shotbloks and loose trail mix ... but figured that with several well-stocked aid stations along the route that i would be well provided-for.

somewhere along the way two disastrous things happened - i failed to take enough electrolytes and my salt intake was too low.  
ah, ultrarunner problems.

the first real sign of trouble happened at the start/finish aid station after lap #3.  my pal jim had been waiting for just about an hour at that spot for me to cross, and had inquired several times with the course marshals as to whether or not i had either (a) passed him unawares or (b) been lost/injured/removed from the race.  as neither turned out to be true, he was somewhat relieved to see me ... but as soon as i stopped to load up and chat with him it all hit.

lightheadedness.  extreme (i mean extreme) fatigue.  tingling sensations in my arms.  a pressure build up in my ears.

the race doc spotted me and immediately came over to make sure that i was alright (which i clearly wasn't) - however, i managed to tell him that i was going to be ok and that i would gauge my ability to continue.  it wasn't until after the conclusion of the race that i found out that he doubted that i would be able to handle another loop of Limberlost.

digest version of what came next:  i stumbled back onto the course with jim for about another 700m before experiencing a near total physical shutdown.  jim had to check my pulse and then sit with me for almost 20 min. before i could continue any further.  i'm pretty sure that although he was able to get a pulse reading at my wrist my blood pressure had just about bottomed out.  after we crossed the finish line nearly 3 hours later i was assisted to the medical tent and not released for a good 45 minutes because my blood pressure read something like 80/50.  however, thanks to the good care of dr. gribe, stephanie, abdullah and derek (?) who attended to me in the Sportlab station i was able to take in some fluids and finally get things back up to 100/60.  

it was truly like being rescued from the brink ... which brings me to the third and most critical factor to my day.

jim

if you've read this blog at all you will have encountered jim's name many-a-time, not the least of which was in one of my first on the run interview segments.  a high-level extreme ultrarunner, it was an honour to have him accompany me to the Limberlost Challenge as part of his preparation for his attempt at a new record for an end-to-end run of the Bruce Trail.

little did i know that he would literally get me through to the finish line.

aside from tidbits of advice and gobs of encouragement, jim put his aspirations for the day on hold for me when i had my edge-of-disaster moment at the beginning of the final lap.  i was 99.9% sure that i had nothing left in the tank, that my body was in the final stages of hibernation (as a self-preservation mechanism) and that this would be the first race that i would not be able to finish.  it was during these pivotal 20 minutes that jim told me the things that i didn't want to hear ("you're fitter than i am", "we'll walk, then jog, then walk, then run", "i've been exactly where you are now, i know that you can still go") but not in the way that was condescending or impatient.  he really wanted to see me finish - and more than that - he literally knew that i could do it.  i didn't have the wherewithal to process the fact that he had been in races where fellow runners were collapsing, being attended to, and then resuming racing - so he was not simply blowing sunshine up my behind.

but the fact that he was there with me - and would have been willing to take the humiliating walk with me back to the start/finish area in order for us to pull out together - was humbling and simultaneously strengthening.

so after enduring those 20 minutes of mosquito attack (they were merciless on motionless subjects), i got up to stumble forward.

stumbling turned into shuffling.

shuffling into walking.

walking into power hiking.

power hiking into a trot.

a trot back into a run.

all because of jim.

final result - 56km in 9:11:00.

some last notes:

• i'd made a game time decision to switch from wearing the Skechers GObionic trail to instead work with the GOrun ultra - this was a solid decision.  the GOrun ultras worked fantastically well in terms of grip, stability, comfort (no blackened/lost toenails, hotspots, blisters, or even end-of-run discomfort), draining and drying.  more reasons to love this shoe!
• i saw a couple of other Team Running Free compatriots at the race - i know that there was a lot of Team RF support at the North Face Endurance Challenge at Blue Mountain on the same weekend, so it was nice that we were able to represent the team at both ultras.
• my respect and admiration for ultrarunners (especially trail ultrarunners) is through the roof.  this is an entirely different animal ... and in fact jim would find out from the race organizer (neil) that the highest proportion of DNFs at the Limberlost Challenge was in the 42k category.  apparently road marathoners think it's a cinch to make the switch over to running a trail marathon.  i now know better!
• will i return to Limberlost 2015?  now almost two weeks removed from the race, i'm going to say yes.  we have some unfinished business ... as much as i am able to say that i completed this ultra, i'm not an 'ultrarunner'.  i'm an 'ultrawalker' at best.

have you completed an ultra?  how about a trail ultra?  what are your thoughts about this kind of event?

race report - the 2014 limberlost challenge