American River 50

Yesterday was the American River 50 Mile Endurance Run. Today I sit on the couch resting some sore muscles and trying to choose the best way to make up for the lost 6,000kcal. The beer in hand is a start and dinner with the family at Red Robin will likely continue to get the ball moving in the right direction.

AR50 marks, for most local Ultra runners, the midway point in their training for WS100. For a green rookie like me it is still a difficult concept to grasp that one would pay a hundred dollars to run a race yet treat it only as a long training run. Let alone wish to run a long training run that occupies a full day of work and 50 miles of pavement and trails! Nonetheless this is the journey I am on and feel fortunate to be participating in.

The weekend events started with a pre-race dinner at Ted Archer's home for the runners and our families. Pasta, salad, desert and a little alcohol as a diversion to the tasks ahead were enjoyed by all. Race morning was relatively uneventful. The race started pre-dawn at 6am with friendly temperatures around 50 degrees. I arrived early enough to chat with friends new and old that I have met over the last couple years and then the gun went off as we headed onto the paved American River Parkway bike trail.

This is the second year that I have run AR50 and although I was approaching it as a training run at 75% effort I was certain that a PR was still likely, due to my improved fitness and experience with Ultra endurance events. The plan was to run with Antonio for the first half til we arrived at Beals Point (26.5mi) and ventured into the single track trails towards Auburn. My plan during these first 4hours was to run very conservatively at about 8:30pace to assure a good finish as well stay true to my point that this was not a goal race. Arriving at Beals with a marathon distance already on my legs I was welcomed by my family. Kisses were exchanged even if it required Dad's tired legs to bend down low enough to get Caitlyn and Kelsey to do so. The only two things of note to share to this point was that I had a very tight hamstring on my right leg that dictated my pace(8:38) this had me concerned that my training and lack of a true taper might have been a mistake. I will have put 70 miles on my legs by race end for the week(Mon-Sat) and 97 miles since the previous Saturday - a first for me in training! Secondly, on a positive note I made it to Beals this year keeping all my added hydration and calories in my tummy where they belong.

I had left Antonio behind about 2 miles before Beals so when I headed on to the somewhat remote trails; I was doing so alone. No pacer this year and nobody to chat with any longer. I felt remarkable fresh after hitting this Aid station and saying goodbye to the family. Longing for the upcoming trails that, although much more physically challenging, became a welcomed change of pace! I switched out my shirt for my Brooks singlet and off I went into the abyss. 23.5 miles were left and over 4hours of running ahead.

At this point of the day my mood changed from conservative to free flowing. I quickly started to open up the wheel box and it was from here forward that I decided to enjoy the day as a challenge and see what lies ahead. Runners are spread out by now and a mile or more can sometimes go by without coming across another runner in this field of 700. Not for me though, my pace quickened in effort if not in speed due to the challenging terrain and this meant that I was approaching and picking off runners at every opportunity. When you leave Beals the next Aid station is Granite Bay about 4 miles up the trail. I believe that I passed over 10 runners during this time who were either struggling or just slowing down by comparison to my pace. This became a welcomed and familiar trend for the remainder of the day as I gobbled up oncoming runners at about a rate of 10-12 per Aid station.

Following Granite Bay you pass by Twin Rocks a favorite entry onto the trail for my training runs due to its proximity to my home. It was here that I was passed for the first and only time all day. Karalee Morris is an extraordinary local runner and just as in my previous race WTC 50K I again was passed by her and her pacer half way through the course. Being passed generally causes you to loose some steam both physically and mentally and though it did briefly I was able to regain my composure and decided to act on it. Instead of letting this get me down this time I fought back, not against a fellow runner, but against my internal pessimism and decided to hang on and use their speed and pace to my advantage. I was able to hold their brisk pace and even trade off positions for about 3miles before finally relinquishing this battle for another day. Karalee is a very strong climber and I am pretty good on the technical downhills and it was this kind of disparity in running styles that made for a bit of a chess match even if it were unspoken and in our heads alone.
By the time this bit of cat and mouse play was over I realized it had made for a pleasant diversion from the hardest part of the course around Horseshoe Bar and I was left to stroll comfortably alone on the gentle yet fast single track for a couple more miles. More runners were gobbled up at a quick fashion and I probably had swallowed up close to two dozen thus far. The next runner though came at quite a surprise to me. Stuart Short and young and very mature 23yo runner and training friend of mine was struggling as he walked up the trail. My approach surprised both of us but allowed me to motivate and push him along. He agreed to try to run along with me as long as he could but he was fighting a poor stomach. I shared with him my previous issues with the same problem last year and we agreed if we could get him to the next station a little 7up might do him good. We made it to the most remote station Manhattan Bar with cheering teenage girls and as he gave his hand at the 7up I downed a couple of cups of Coke.

Soda has always done me well later in a race for the quick sugar and burst of caffeine to get the engine speeding up. We headed out of the Aid station and within a few hundred feet I knew things were not so good. Apparently nausea is contagious and I don't tend to hold onto this feeling so well so up came my soda and nothing more. I was concerned that one, there was only soda in my stomach and two that my abdominal muscles were going to lock up from the spasm of regurgitation. Both concerns quickly disappeared as I only let a minute or two pass before I was able to recapture Stuart up the trail and share the amusement of the exchange. Unfortunately for Stuart his stomach problems stayed internal and he struggled to hold pace and I unknowingly left him behind a couple miles outside of Rattlesnake station. I felt comforted in knowing that his wife was there at that Aid station should his troubles worsen and need more assistance.

I ran through this station to a large applause and it felt, if only briefly, that I was the lead runner in the race. Everyone clapped and whistled as they waited for their loved ones to exit from the forest and emerge to the parking lot like I had just done. My bottle was filled by generous volunteers, I ate a orange slice or two and off I went excited to know I had only 9miles left on my journey and the last Aid station was manned by my Running Club (Sacfit) as well as my running partner Amy who was recouping from her injury.

The last 6miles of trails here are some of the most runable and beautiful on the course. Full of Spring blossoms, waterfall and bridge crossings and beautiful meadows. Here is where the last Aid Station was placed. "Last Chance" exists only 6miles from the finish but there is a 3mile hill from hell still waiting to conquer. As I entered the station as a lone runner I think all there were surprised to see me coming in 6hr 36min in. I was way ahead of schedule and I was rewarded with a hearty welcome from all. I had half believed Amy might be there dressed and ready to pace me in the remainder of the run. A pipe dream considering she had another week of doctors orders to not run - but hey I guy can dream 44 miles into a race right?

I was sent off to once again hunt "downed runners" and they were easy prey! One after another there were runners hiking otherwise smaller hills but to them the (overextended) it must have seemed like Everest at this point in the day. For me I was motivated more than ever. Certainly my pace was slowing some at this point from 9min average to 9:20 but it was unapparent to me and others on the trail as I came up on each and passed comfortably. Trail running is not highly competitive so pleasantries are generally shared form both sides and I always make a point to encourage those I cross to keep it going. With only 4miles left in the run my Garmin finally died and I no longer knew how my pace was holding up or if there was any chance to hit my predicted finishing time between 8hr and 8.5hrs.

Last Gasp is the finish of the race with approximately 3miles left you emerge from the single tracks at the rivers edge only to realize the race finish exists a top the canyon base some 1000ft above. The grade fluctuates between 8-15% on a combination of gravel and asphalt til you arrive at the Overlook Finish. I arrived at this base with about four other runners and quickly asked someone with a working watch what time it was. It was 1:20pm so we had about 40min to cover this stretch if I was going to hit the better part of my predicted finish time. From previous training runs I have done this section as fast as 26min but that was of course on considerably fresher legs. Today there was 47 other reason why that would be harder. I told myself this was 75% effort, this was & had been a successful "training run" and I was not going to kill myself to compete with these other four runners or the clock simply to break 8 hours.

In the end I followed my game plan to a tee. I ran approximately 80% of this steep ascent to the Finish. I allowed three of the four runners to get ahead of me, and I managed to maintain my average pace for the race to the end. As I came out of the canyon onto the street and rounded the bend into the parking lot I expected to find my family and running buddies relaxing on the grass ready to scream and cheer.

Instead it was dead silent! Not a soul was at the turn, recognizable or not - not one person was at this turn. Had I not known the finish I might have even thought I'd taken a wrong turn. Nonetheless, I ran through the entrance of the parking lot and towards the shuttle of fencing and as I made my final turn into the chute the announcer was calling out my name: "Chris Perillo from Lincoln, California coming in at 7hours 50min!" OK …good my efforts did not go unnoticed! I gave the race director Julie Fingar a big hug since she has been giving me coaching advice all season and she seemed generally pleased by my performance followed by a equally warm hug to friend and runner Katy Gifford who was dispersing finishers jackets. By the time I was finished with these regards I was swarmed by my wife and girls as well as Curt, Dirk, Ted and Chris who all were completely amazed at my time.

They had all seen it right before their eyes next to the chute but were in conversation, drinking beer or eating ice cream(runners=beer daughters=ice cream). I had bested my prediction by 40 minutes. I had PRd from last years event by 1 hour 20 minutes. I finished 50th overall out of approximately 700 runners and placed 10th in my age group. Not a bad day for a long training run at 75% effort!!!!

We spent the next hour or so having a beer or three, getting a massage and re hashing each of our success stories with one another. Everyone generally hit their marks and we all placed exceptionally well. Unfortunately from here forward I potentially lose the camaraderie of my friends in training. They all move on to other interests and endeavors as this was their Peak Race. For me it is a day or two of rest and back on to the trails and increased miles.

Western States is the Real Prize ---- So CANYONS here I come!!!!!!!