Safe Baby Haven 5k

Race Report: Safe Baby Haven 5k @ Westgate Center. by Chad Sayban.

I woke up this morning to nice temperatures and cloudy skies for the Safe Baby 5k @ Westgate. It's only about a 10 minute drive from my house to Westgate, which is the shopping center than surrounds the Jobing.com hockey arena and sits next to University of Phoenix Stadium - home of the Arizona Cardinals.

I did the race two years before and the course had only changed a little bit. It is flat as a pancake, but it winds around the area through some pretty places and goes right past the football stadium during the first mile.

So I did a one mile warmup run and felt good. But I didn't really intend on pushing the pace of this race real hard. This was also the first time I was going to be racing with my Garmin 305. I was hoping it wouldn't be too distracting.

About 100 runners and walkers lined up for the race. There was actually a flyover of two WWI-era biplanes, which was pretty cool. The starting horn went off and we were away. My one complaint about the race comes really early. Within 200 yards of the start, they funnel us on to a sidewalk. This is a really tight squeeze so early in the race and if the runners around you are not feeling particularly cordial, things can get pretty rough. I escaped any issues and settled into my race. We ran towards and then past the stadium before turning away to head back into the Westgate area, past some of the condos. I was cruising along, enjoying the beautiful morning when my Garmin chirped to let me know that the first mile had passed already.

Mile 1: 8:22

The pace just felt right to me and given the paces my training runs have been at, this felt good. Actually, it felt like I could do this for a couple of hours, but I just didn't want to go any faster. One thing I did notice was that there was no mile marker to be seen. I wasn't sure if they just had it in the wrong location, but after several more minutes of running, it was obvious that there were not going to be any. Now I was really glad I had the Garmin or else I would have had no idea what my pace was or if the course was even the right distance.

The one aid station was right at the midway point of the race and given the nice morning weather and the short distance, that seemed like plenty. They had Gatorade and water. I grabbed a cup of Gatorade on the way by and thanked the young girls working the table. At this point we crossed a street and got into the least interesting part of the course. There is a section of out and backs through a parking lot, presumably to get the distance right. It certainly isn't the most beautiful of runs in this part, but my Garmin spoke again to let me know that I was through two miles.

Mile 2: 8:20

Good. I was maintaining a nice, consistent pace and felt really good. My form was staying nice and compact and I wasn't really expending very much energy. We made another turn and made the long run up to the west end of Westgate to the main entry road and turned along it back towards the start/finish line. I was feeling great, although I was pretty alone. There were two people about 300 yards ahead of me and one guy about that far behind me. I was in my own little running bubble and I was really enjoying it. The only problem was that I was feeling too good for it to end so soon. But since I could see the finish line in front of me, I knew it was really going to end.

Mile 3: 8:15
Mile 3.1: .21

Race finish: 25:19 / 8:18 pace

My Garmin listed the course at 3.05 miles, but that's well within the margin of error so the course is pretty accurate as far as distance. It is a well organized race for the most part. They only have awards for top-3 overall male and female, but they do have one more interesting perk. If you go back up and look at the photo of me above, you will see the t-shirt they provide. It's actually customized with your race number and first name on the front. I've never seen a race do this before. They were actually there screening the shirts at the finish line, including ones for the people who signed up on the day of the race. Pretty cool, huh? And the race supports a great cause. If you are looking for a flat, fast little 5k that's fun, you can't do much better than this one. I managed another mile cooldown while I was waiting for the awards. I finished 3rd in my age group, but didn't get anything. Oh well.

I hope everyone has had a great weekend!

Until next time...

-Chad

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April 2009 Races

COTA for Michael Moreno 5k

Race Report: COTA for Michael Moreno 5k by Chad Sayban


It was still dark when I left the house this morning for the COTA for Michael Moreno 5k. The race was held at Kiwanis Park in Tempe. The problem is it is a large park and it took me almost a half hour to figure out where the start was. This is why I always leave myself plenty of time to get to a race and get ready - just in case of things like this. But I got there with enough time to get my number and get my full warmup in. I knew going in that I hadn't done any speed work and I was still just trying to build mileage. But I wanted to do this race if for no other reason than to get back into the race scene and motivate myself going forward.



The race started and I found a pace I figured I could hold for the entire distance. The first mile of the course is pretty tough, with a bunch of short, steep little hills that make it tough to get in a real good rhythm.


Mile 1: 7:49


This was pretty much what I expected for the tough first mile. The second mile really flattens out and I tried to maintain my pace, but I knew I was already beginning to tire since I hadn't run anything like this pace in a couple of months. By now I was searching for the end of the second mile and I still wasn't seeing it. I must have been slowing much more than I thought.


Mile 2: 8:25


Ooof. I didn't think I fell off that bad, but I really couldn't tell how fast I was running. I didn't get passed by anyone in the last two miles, but I didn't pass anyone else either. The last mile really seemed to drag on for a long time, but eventually I finally made it around the lake and across the soccer field kicking pretty hard to get in before the clock passed 25 minutes.


Mile 3.1: 8:41 (1.1 miles)


Race time: 24:55


Wow, I really slowed down a lot at the end. I have to admit I was kind of bummed after the finish. I knew I wasn't going to PR or anything, but I though I was capable of running a better time than this. As I was getting some water in and cooling off, I overheard several people who wore Garmins talking about how long the course was. The concensis was that the course was about 3.32 miles, more than 2/10s of a mile long. Well that explains quite a bit. So I did the math at the pace I was running and figured my 5k time at about 23:35. That makes a whole lot more sense to me. I had expected to run this race at my current weigh and fitness at sub 24 minutes and that's really what I did. This brings up an interesting question. Until now I have avoided wearing a GPS during races because I didn't want to be distracted by it. I prefer to run on feel. But I'm starting to think it might be better to use it going forward because it is even more distracting to not know how fast you are running or be deceived because race company doesn't know how to measure a course in the 21st century.


The big shocker was finding out that I actually won my age group - and yes, I was not the only person in my age group. In fact I was 18th overall, which got me a second t-shirt for being in the top 20. Of course, I wanted to see where I would have been if I had run a PR. I would have been top 10. Something to work for.


Anyway, it was a beautiful day in a beautiful park for a 5k and I really enjoyed finally being back out racing. I know where my fitness is and I have plenty of 5k's coming up to watch my improvement.

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April 2009 Races

Fiesta Bowl 5k

Race Report: Fiesta Bowl 5k by Chad Sayban.

I woke up a bit before 5am, dressed and headed out into the cold morning. It was in the low 40s and the air was very dry with overcast sky's. It's funny, the Fiesta Bowl itself is at the new stadium, which is only about 10 miles from my house. But the Fiesta Bowl race is clear over in Scottsdale - about 35 miles away. I'm selfish, but I think they should move it over near the stadium (sorry to all my eastside Phoenix friends.) I dressed in a few layers and I'm glad I did because it felt really cold walking to where the registration was. The wind was blowing and it was really feeling cold in the darkness. I grabbed my race number and packet and headed back to the car to get ready. This race was a first for me because they were using the D-Tags for timing the race. Basically it is a disposable timing chip that loops through the laces of your shoe. You don't have to give it back at the end of the race either. It's the future of race timing for sure.



I went for my warmup and felt pretty good. About that time the wind stopped and it felt pretty good. I had a long-sleeved racing shirt and shorts and gloves. The only thing I wished I had was a cap to keep my ears warm. Santa is coming - I might just need one of those. I felt comfortable as I stretched. I then ran into Pat and Pokie who were preparing for the half marathon that went off just before my race. It was really great to talk to you guys and I hope you had great races today.

The start was pretty crowded, but it opened up really quickly. We had the entire road to use for the first half mile or so and that let everyone spreadout. I was running along at a pretty fast pace, but my legs felt good. We made the first turn and I tried to settle into a maintainable pace, but kept pushing pretty hard.

Mile 1: 7:14

I was a bit faster through the first mile than I felt I could sustain, but I knew I had gone out fast initially, so I stuck with how hard I was running hoping I could sustain it. We made another turn and we ended up on a bike path. At this point I had a scraggly looking older guy come up along side of me and then pass me. As the path wound around, I noticed that he kept running off the path onto the grass to 'short' the course. Now, I'm all for running the tangents of a course because that's what the course is measured to, but running onto the grass to cut yards off is bad running etiquette (not to mentioned cheating). Anyway, I kept my effort steady and before the end of the second mile he was behind me and I never saw him again. Karma, baby!

Mile 2: 7:35

I expected a slower second mile than the first because of my fast first half mile and I wasn't disappointed. At this point in the race, I was still about 20 seconds ahead of my pace from my last 5k. I knew that a PR wasn't going to happen even before the race started. I haven't put in those kinds of training speeds yet, but I was looking at my fastest time since coming back - and I haven't even gotten rid of all the weight I want to yet.

I could feel that I was tiring a bit now. I latched onto a lady in front of me and mentally let her pull me along. I figured we could just hold pace together to the end. The course made a left turn on the street and there were about 8,000 cones showing the way to go. This lady decided to cut straight across the cones and ran probably about 20 yards less than I did. What the #$%& is going on around here? Don't these people have any respect for rules. Well, I had figured on letting her finish in front of me since she was helping drag me along, but after that little maneuver I was like 'uh, uh.' See you missy.

Mile 3: 7:43
Mile 3.1: 0:42

Official Race Time: 23:15 (7:30 avg)

A really good race, especially since I actually ran 6 miles yesterday. I am still struggling to maintain pace the whole way through the race, but I ended up finishing a full 31 seconds faster than the race on Thanksgiving Day. I knew that sub-23 probably was out of reach today. I was training through this race with my target 5k being next Sunday's ARR Classic race, which will be my last race of 2008. Still, I really felt good out there and raced well, in spite of all the people who seemed to be rule-challenged on the course. The good news is they all finished behind me. More karma, baby.

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April 2009 Races

Desert Classic 5k

Race Report: Desert Classic 5k by Chad Sayban


Between the cold I dealt with all week and the tightness in my right quad forced me to change my plan for this race. Originally, this was to be my goal 5k. Instead, it turned into a fun run. It was pretty cold when I arrived (about 38 degrees). Since I wasn't going to run the race all out, I opted to keep my warmups on for the race. The race includes a 30k, a 5k and a 30k relay. I staged myself somewhere in the middle and waited for the start so we could get warm. About a half mile into the race, I was just cruising along, but I had a problem. Loud grunting runner dude decided that he wanted to run right behind me. I slowed down a bit to let him past, but he just stayed right there. If this isn't a good argument to use an Ipod during a race, I don't know what is. So in spite of my sore leg, I speed up for about a minute. No more grunting. I'm at peace again. I make the turnaround at the out and back and just about get run over by a couple of people continuing on the 30k. No problem. I'm not in a hurry so no biggie. Then at the 2 mile mark it's Return of the Grunter. He caught back up to me. So I figure that won't be a big deal. He is obviously running faster than me so he will just go right by. Wrong. He settles in right behind me again. Now I'm starting to wonder if he has the hots for me. My leg doesn't feel like doing anymore, so I practically come to a complete stop and he finally wonders past me in a total haze. The rest of the run was good because it's all downhill on the way back in.



I didn't even get an official time when I crossed. I was somewhere around 26 minutes I think. But more important was that I had a nice morning run, saw some friends and had a good start to the morning.


I've been spending the better part of the afternoon loading all of my music onto our new computer. I have a ton, so it's taking a really long time. But it's nice to have a computer where I have the space to store all of it and listen to it.


I hope everyone is having a great weekend and your holiday shopping is going well.


Until next time...

-Chad

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April 2009 Races

ARR Thanksgiving Classic 5k

Race Report: ARR Thanksgiving Classic 5k by Chad Sayban.


At 5am, long before the break of dawn, I awoke to the sound of heavy rain and lightning. Oooff. Not exactly the conditions I was hoping for. But after 12 years of living in the desert, I have learned that storms have a way of ending abruptly here. Besides, I was going to run the race in anything short of the aforementioned lightning and I figured it wouldn't last long. It were still three hours until the start.

After a quick shower, I dressed in several layers of gear. I wasn't sure what the conditions would be so I wanted to be prepared for whatever nature would throw at me. I ate a Clif Bar and a bottle of Gatorade and headed out into the wet morning.

It rained some on the way to the Peoria Sports Complex, but by the time I got there it had stopped. In fact, as I got out of the car, there were broken clouds overhead and clearing skies to the west. The weather looked promising.

The race includes a 10-mile, a 5k and a 1-mile walk and has been around for more than 30 years, so it draws a big crowd. One of the great parts about having it at one of the spring training stadiums is that there is plenty of parking and full use of the stadium bathrooms. No porta potties needed at this race. I collected my race number, chip and t-shirt and headed back to my car. I had my race singlet, shorts, gloves and arm warmers as I began my warmup. I ran a mile and stretched. By the time I finished, I realized that I wasn't going to need anything other than the singlet and shorts. It was in the mid-50s and plenty warm enough. In fact, it was just about perfect with very little breeze. The 10-milers were sent off at 8 sharp and I did some strides during the 15-minutes before our start.

The race


The gap across the starting mat was pretty narrow with such a large crowd of runners (632 finishers), but it opened up onto a wide road. I staged myself near the front to get through it quickly and then went wide and found my pace. The first half mile is on one of the roads leading into the main complex and then out briefly to 75th Avenue. New this year, the 5k route didn't follow the 10-mile along the paved path. Instead, it turned and run along the packed dirt next to the canal. Fortunately, the rain hadn't made it too soft. We probably lost a little time on this mile and a half long stretch, but not too much. I knew I was pushing a pretty fast pace for my current fitness as I hit the first mile mark.


Mile 1: 7:27


Yep, even faster than my fastest quarter mile intervals to date. I knew I couldn't hold this pace the whole way, especially since I knew we had a gradual uphill waiting on the way back. We had a small pack of runners at the turnaround, but I ended up in front of all of them. I don't know if I have some special talent for getting back up to speed faster than other runners, but this seems to happen whenever there is a change of direction in a race (see my last race report where I left a large group behind at the top of a steep hill.) We headed back and I saw the huge groups of people still headed towards the turnaround. I wanted to make sure they all remained comfortably behind me.


Mile 2: 7:43


I knew I had slowed from the first mile pace, but I ended up slowing a bit more than I anticipated. I was still under what I needed to hit my goal of sub-24 minutes, but it was closing up quickly and I was now fighting to maintain as we came back out on to the pavement. There were two runners who were passing others right in front of me and I mentally latched on to them, letting them pull me along. I would eventually pass them both near the end, but for now I was happy to let them drag me towards the finish. It was at this point that we began the long circle around the stadium, which includes about a half mile of steady incline. I dug down and tried to find whatever was left to maintain pace. I passed a bunch of fading runners as I spotted the 3-mile marker and accelerated.


Mile 3: 7:52


I passed my two leaders and a couple of others who couldn't respond to my late surge. As I came up on the finish, there were a few of the 1-mile walkers. Right at the line one of them decided to cut right across in front of me and I nearly wiped out both of us on the slick pavement. Fortunately, I tap danced past her and finished.


Mile 3.1: :43


Official Race Time: 23:46 (7:39 pace)
104 out of 632, 10 out of 39 in AG


In all, a really good race for me. I don't think I could have done anything more with my current fitness. The average pace for 3.1mile was the same as my interval pace for 1/4 miles a week before. I will get faster. I have a solid training plan and as I continue to lose weight, my speed will increase and my fitness will get better.

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April 2009 Races

Outrun the FBI 5k

Race Report: Outrun the FBI 5k by Chad Sayban.

I awoke to a perfect morning for racing. It was cool with no wind and a clear sky. I ate a Powerbar and had a bottle of Gatorade and headed out for the event. I arrived about an hour before the race, picked up my race number and t-shirt. This is the third race since I started racing again, but it was the first one that I actually treated like a race instead of just a tempo workout. That means I went in with a goal. I knew that a PR is out of the question at this point (22:24 twice), but I wanted to push my current fitness level. My goal was to run 8:00 minute miles to come in between 24:30 and 25:00. Treating it as a race also meant that I would go through my whole race routine. I went for a 10-minute jog, followed by a full round of stretching. Then I did 4 x 100 meter strides followed by some more stretching. I start this about 30 minutes before the start so I'm done about 10 minutes before the race. I placed myself very near the front since this was not a chip timed race. Now, this race had an additional wrinkle in it. There were 5 FBI agents running the race. They were given a 30 second head-start over the field. As you passed each one, they would give you a sticker on your bib number. Interesting, but I was more interested in my time than anything else. Besides, the five of them looked like they were legitimate runners.


A police siren blew and we were off. The course wound around a park near downtown Phoenix. When I saw the route on the website, I was worried that it was going to be so confusing that runners would be going in every direction and shorting the course. It turned out to be a really easy course to follow and a lot of fun. It isn't a really fast course because of all the turns and a few other surprises. I founds a rhythm pretty quickly and settled into a pace that felt about right.

Mile 1: 7:20

Hummm... I wasn't too sure about that mile marker. I didn't feel like I ran the opening mile that fast, but I really couldn't be sure with my current training. I decided that I felt like I was running a good pace, so I kept at it. About halfway through the second mile, we came to a grass field with rolling hills that was an out-and-back section. On the return leg I caught two of the FBI agents as I hit the 2 mile marker.

Mile 2: 8:32

I think that answered my question about the first marker. I know the rolling hills slowed me down a little, but not a minute's worth. At this point I was with a pack of about ten who were jockeying back and forth on the narrow sidewalk. A woman in the pack said 'oh shit' and I looked ahead. The cones had us going to the top of a large mound about 50 feet high. At the base of it I chopped my stride with the idea that I would hit the back side of it hard and push in the remaining half mile from there. It worked like a charm. I never saw any of the other ten people in that pack again. I caught the third FBI agent with less than a tenth of a mile to go.


Mile 3: 8:01
Mile 3.1: 0:46

Finish time: 24:40

Given the fact that the course was not a very fast course at all and what my goals were, I can only call this race a big success. I had no pain at all - before, during or after the race. I cooled down, ate and stretched and felt wonderful. I have not seen the results yet and pictures are supposed to be posted tomorrow. I managed to catch three of the five FBI agents along the way. I heard that the fastest agent was only passed by two runners. I'll post an update with them once they are available. For my first 'real' race back, it went as well as I could have hoped for. I'm still a long way from my 5k goals - break my PR and eventually go under 20 minutes - but I'm making good progress. I just wonder how fast I'll be once I shed the 20 pounds I want to get rid of. I'll just have to find out.


Until next time...

-Chad

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April 2009 Races

Cactus Cha Cha Trail Run

Race Report: Cactus Cha Cha trail run by Chad Sayban.


Anyway, Eric, Lori and I arrived at the parking lot about an hour before the start. The wind was blowing pretty hard off of the mountain side and it felt pretty darn cold. I know, all of you northerners are going to say 'cold, what are you talking about?' True enough, but when you have just lived through an Arizona summer of 100+ degree days and all of a sudden it's in the 50s, that is a big change...and cold.

Lori headed off first running the 3 mile race and did very well. Eric and I got ready to toe the line for the 7-mile race. I had some anxiety going in. Not only hadn't I raced in more than six months, I was 15 pounds heavier, had only been back running for three weeks and hadn't run anything longer than 4 miles on flat pavement yet. Ok, now that I have laid out all of the excuses, on with the race.

I staged myself towards the back, not wanting to get in anyone's way. I ended up passing a whole bunch of people early as I tried to find space on the narrow trail. I ended up running with Eric for a little while. The first mile and a half are a gradual uphill and was right into the teeth of the wind. I decided about halfway to back off my pace because I knew that the effort of this course was closer to running a 10-miler than seven. Eric was feeling good and continued ahead. I never saw him again until after the finish. He has made such amazing strides in the last two years, it is hard to describe. I settled into a conservative pace and really thought of the run as a long workout rather than a race. I knew I would even approach the 1:02 I ran last year. I was just happy to be out with all of the other runners. The group I ended up with was very quiet, which was fine because I was doing a lot of thinking about where my running had gone and where I was now heading. I had no real trouble with the largest climb and cruised through the first five miles. The last two miles were more of a struggle. Nothing hurt, I was just really tired. That was to be expected given my current level of fitness. I felt awesome as I crossed the finish line, knowing I really was officially back in the sport.

1:17:03

One big surprise was at the awards ceremony and raffle. Near the end, John the Race Director - who is a wonderful man and does so much to support running in the Phoenix area - gave out a special award to the 12 people who have competed in all 5 runnings of the Cactus Cha Cha. I now have a long-sleeved, hooded sweatshirt with the race logo. Such a very cool thing for him to do for all of us. The race has really evolved over that time from an almost club-like run to a fantastically run race with prize money and a loyal following. You can be that I'll be running the next five just to find out what he does for the 10-year runners.

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April 2009 Races

ARR South Mountain Classic

Race Report: ARR South Mountain Classic 5k by Chad Sayban.

I woke up long before the alarm went off this morning, but just laid their until it was time to get up. A shower and some breakfast and I was out the door headed for South Mountain Park. The primary race is the South Mountain Classic 20k, but they also have a 5k in conjunction with it. I wasn't coming into this race trying for any kind of time. I ran 6 miles yesterday and the South Mountain course is a very tough one to run fast. The entire first half is uphill, including about half a mile of fairly steep gain. I was really treating this as a speed workout. It was a little warm as well - the temps were about 75 degrees. I started out at a pace I figured I could hold the entire race. After a flat first half mile, the course turns upward. My legs felt a bit rubbery, I'm guessing from the long run yesterday. I found a pace I could maintain up the hills. It wasn't very fast, but I kept it even. At the turnaround, I was more than ready for the downhill back to the finish. I've seen people talk off at this point and a few did today. I caught them with a half mile to go when the downhill ends and they realize they still have more running to do.

26:19, (34th out of 107)

I had hoped to go under 26 minutes, but it wasn't to be. Still, it was a fun race this morning and I managed an even level of effort from start to finish.

On the weightloss front, I managed to drop 3 pounds over the week bringing me down to 182. That means that I have lost 8 pounds in 4 weeks. That's pretty much what I am hoping to do. I think that's a good pace of weightloss for me.

I hope everyone had a great weekend, especially if you were racing.

Until next time...

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April 2009 Races

Enviro 5k

Race report: Enviro 5k @ PIR by Chad Sayban.

To start with, I didn't have much in the way of expectations for this race. My training has been good, but it has been all base building to this point with really no speed work. I knew I could comfortably run the distance, but I also knew I wasn't going to come anywhere near my PR.

One thing about running a race at Phoenix International Raceway, you have to park outside of the track, and then walk all the way into the center of the track. That's about a 3/4 of a mile walk. Since I didn't preregister for the race, I had to make the walk three times. Not a big deal. I had plenty of time before the race. Once I got everything squared away, Eric and I decided to walk a lap of the track as a warmup and to get to see the course. I was really surprised that the track looks a lot smaller when you are on it. The track seems pretty narrow and since everything is surrounded by walls, it has a pretty enclosed feel to it.

It took forever for them to get the race started. The 5k was supposed to go off at 8am. Instead, we didn't get started until almost 8:30. The start was right at the start/finish line for the track. Someone yelled "Go," and we were off. I went out conservatively and quickly made my way down to the very bottom of the track. The banking is pretty tough to run on, but down at the bottom, it's quite a bit flatter. The first mile is one lap of the actual oval, but as you come around turn 4, they have you go down pit road. There were no mile markers, but I had the first mile at around 7:30. A bit faster than I figured I could go, but I felt pretty good. One big thing I found out about the track...it's not flat! The entire backstretch is a gradual uphill, and it was into the breeze. Once you catch turn 3, it flattens out and then it a slight downhill down the front stetch and into turn 2. I bet even the diehard NASCAR fans didn't know that!

So as we go into turn 1 of the second lap, they take you off of the oval and into the road course. This is how they pick up the extra .1 mile to make 5k. Eric's Garmin read exactly 3.1 miles at the end, so I guess they got it just right. I was pretty steady through the second lap, but I knew I had slowed down a little. I passed a bunch of people on the second lap. Only one guy got past me though. To bad the guy was pushing a running stroller. I hate that! It's bad enough to know that I'm not as fast as I want to be, but to have a guy pushing 25 pounds go right by me...guurrrrr!!!

Anyway, the second lap passed and the third lap was once again around the main track itself. I felt pretty good, but didn't have a higher gear to go to. At the start of the race, I had hoped to keep the pace under 8 minute miles, and come in below 24:00. Well, I must have kept it right at 8:00 pace, because I hit the line at 24:24 for the 3.1 miles. Not bad. I'll take it considering where I'm at with my training plan. The weather was really good, about 75 at the start with a bit of a breeze. It wasn't the best organized race ever...it was a first year event. Even so, it was pretty low key. I'm guessing there were about 150 runners in the 5k. We will see what it says in the final standings.

Eric did awesome! He finished in around 27 minutes, which had to be a PR for him. But I will let you check out his blog to find out.

All in all, I had a lot of fun and am really happy to be back racing again.

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April 2009 Races

Across the Years

Race Report: Across the Years 24-hour by Chad Sayban.


Well, to start with, I knew that I was not well prepared at all going in to the race. I hadn't run in the six weeks prior due to knee problems and I just hoped that the rest would at least let it heal. I arrived at about 7:30 for the 9am start. It was clear and pretty cold - around 40 degrees at that point. I should first point out that the organizers of the Across the Years races do an absolutely fantastic job. Packet pickup is well organized and the free gear you get is enough to cover the entry fee: an embroidered jacket, logo arm warmers, gloves, a gear bag and a bunch of other stuff. If you haven't noticed, the theme of the gear is "cold." There is a reason for that. It gets really cold at night in the desert.



So I mulled around for a while and bumped into a few people I knew. The pre-race meeting was 15 minutes before the start and helped orient everyone, especially those of us who were doing this for the first time. Just before the start, I bumped into the legendary Marshall Ulrich and his wife. I introduced myself and quickly the topic of Bob in Florida came up. Marshall made sure to comment on Bob propensity to drag tires behind him. Later in the race, I hooked up with Marshall for several miles and found him to be a genuinely fine person and great to talk to. Thanks for the company, Marshall.


At the start, I decided to walk for a while to get warmed up and gauge how I was feeling. With 24 hours to go, there isn't a real need to warm up before the start, that's for sure. So for the first 45 minutes I walked at a pretty brisk pace with Steve Papp, who was in the 48 hour race. We talked the whole time and he would encourage me, as would several others, throughout the rest of my race. It's amazing how encouraging everyone is in ultras and since this was my first one, it was my first real taste of it.


I guess a little bit about the course. After more than 100 laps on it, I had a pretty good look at it. It is a 500-meter packed dirt path that loops around the perimeter of the property. It is a beautiful property with lots of large, old-growth trees, a grass yard surrounding the three-story colonial-style home. It is completely unlike Phoenix in every way. It looks like it was transplanted intact from New England. In fact, most of the course is shaded, which can be a bit of a curse when you are looking for warmth during the day, but it is certainly a much more interesting course to circle than a 400-meter high school track (which is where the event had it's original start). There is only one aid station (obviously, you pass it every 500-meters) and it is well stocked with about anything you could want. They even prepare meals. I highly recommend the Chicken Cord an blue when it gets cold. Yum!! There is a large, circus-like tent in the center that runners can put there own tents in for changing or catching some sleep. Since there are 48 and 72 hour events, there are people catching sleep throughout the race. Oh, ya...the tent is heated so it becomes a pretty popular place at night. Runners can set up their "transition areas" anywhere around the course. Most put theirs near the start/finish area as I did, right across from the "post office" where messages that come in from the Internet are left in mail slots with each racer's name. This is a very cool thing, especially when you are getting in to the dark places that are inevitable in a race like this. It was a pick-me-up that can hold you for a long time getting a message from blogger-nation. I know it really help me along the way and I want to thank everyone who sent messages to me. I love you all.


So about 45 minutes in I decided I would give running a try, just to mix things up a bit and see if there was any chance. It actually felt good and there was no knee pain. After 15 minutes, I began walking again and decided to give my original strategy a try. I set my watch to run for 15 minutes and walk for 15 minutes. It was mentally easy to keep track of and seemed to suit me well. After two hours I was feeling great. Every two hours they turn everyone around for a "change of scenery." It sounds corny, but after two hours of going in the same direction, it really is a complete change of scenery. They do it every two hours throughout the entire 3 days. The race uses timing chips strapped to your ankle to count your laps. They have a projection screen that shows you your lap count and distance every time you cross the mat. I learned an interesting thing, though. While it is easy to keep track of yourself, it is impossible to keep track of where you are in relation to everyone else. They post a printed leaderboard every hour or so if you want to stop and read it, but otherwise, the only way to keep track is to have a crew to tell you where you are. I didn't care, because I really was only competing against my own boundaries...as were most of the people there.


As I closed in on four hours, I realized that I wouldn't be able to keep up the 15/15 routine. I just didn't have the conditioning (duh). So I shut my watch down and decided to go on feel. I ran when I felt good and just kept power walking the rest of the time. I was eating and drinking well. No stomach issues and I was hitting the bathroom about every hour. Nutrition was never an issue since walking allowed me to digest everything. I would grab food at the end of a run cycle allowing me to eat and drink while I was walking. In fact, I was worried that I was going to gain 10 pounds because food was so easily available.


Soon I was approaching one of the markers of progress - 6 hours. As it approached, I first crossed 25 miles. That was big because it meant that I was on pace for 100 miles. Then I crossed 26.2 miles. Now I was out beyond any distance I had ever covered before and I was still not to 6 hours yet! I was having delusions of grandeur. Not only was I going to break 100 miles, I was figuring out just how far beyond 100 miles I would go. I was nearing 28 miles when the 6-hour point was reached and I was flying high!


To use a British term, only a half hour later I was buggered. How quickly it can change in a race like this. My feet had been hurting since about the 3-hour mark. No blisters, just sore from the pounding they were taking. I had cured it by switching between two different types of shoes. When I would switch, my feet would feel so much better. But now the panacea was no longer effective and my feet were really beginning to hurt. This was the first point when I was really struggling mentally to keep going. I weathered it and with a few spurts of jogging started to feel ok. I hadn't gone to my trump card yet...my IPod. I was saving it for when I felt like I was ready to quit as a way to pump myself back up. I knew the charge on it would only last about 6-8 hours and I had no way to recharge it, so I wanted to make sure I didn't waste it. About 7 hours in I grabbed the IPod and put it to use. It worked. I started with an audio book that I had downloaded and for more than an hour lost myself in the book. I should mention that throughout the race I must have put on and taken off layers of clothes at least a dozen times. The shade and the intermittent running made it hard to dress correctly. However, the little transition area made changing often easy...all except that I couldn't bend over at that point and didn't want to risk sitting down because I wasn't sure I would ever be able to get back up!


About 8 hours I was walking along in a daze, not really hearing the book anymore and just trying not to think about my feet and the reemergence of my knee when out of nowhere the Lovely and Talented Miss Julie stepped in front of me! I hadn't seen her or the boys and she knew that it was the only way to get me to see them. The boys brought their cow bells and cheer me on and I stopped for about 15 minutes to talk. Julie could see that I was in a low point and had been for a while. She wished me luck and took the kids back home. I can't express how much it meant to me having them show up like that even though I was too incoherent to express it at the time. I love you, Julie!


It was somewhere around now (the memory is a little foggy) that I realized that 100 miles was no longer possible. I had switched over to music on the IPod and began adding layers. The sun had set and the temperatures were plummeting. I had to revise my expectations. Julie had mentioned before leaving that I should shoot for 100k. Little did she know that my mind had already moved past that to just making 50 miles. However, even that was still 20 miles away and given how my legs were feeling might as well have been the other side of the moon. I was trudging along now and having trouble remembering when I had eaten or drank. I was having trouble walking a freaking straight line now. My body was not listening to instructions anymore and my mind could only make sense of one thing...pain. Lap after lap after lap it was unrelenting. I was now just trying to make it to 40 miles, hoping that I could last until Eric showed up to take his shift at the aid station. I was pretty incoherent at this point. I know people were asking me if I was ok, but I don't remember responding. Maybe I gave a grunt, but I don't remember now. Pain has a funny way of taking over your brain and it was intense enough now that I had to question if I was going to put myself in the hospital. One thing kept coming back to me. During the pre-race briefing they had said that it was ultimately our own responsibility to take care of ourselves, but that every single year that the race had been held, someone had needed the Paramedics bring them back or take them to the hospital. I didn't want to be that person. I looked up at the scoreboard as I crossed the mat, stopped and saw this:


589 Chad Sayban 35 AZ 123 laps, 9:32:45, 61.5k, 38.214 miles


When I read it, I was cool with it. That's when I knew I was done. I had gone 1 1/2 marathons, 12 miles further than I had ever gone after not running a single mile the previous 6 weeks. I could still walk...barely. It was dark and I was hurting in a way I had never hurt before and decided that it would be easier to recover in my own bed than in the tent. So I handed my chip in (I wasn't the first to do so and far from the last. Even Pam Reed called it quits well short of her goal and just 5 miles short of 100 miles and a buckle with 4 hours still on the clock. Pain will do that to you.) and packed up my stuff. I went home, crawled in to the shower. I felt a little better (and a lot warmer) and laid in kids bed and read them a story before heading to bed.
I don't know how things could have ended any better that day...


I'm sorry it took as long as it did to write this, but I wanted to get it right.


Where to I go from here? Well, you will just have to stop in and find out. ;-)

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April 2009 Races