BUENA VISTA, CO - Where do I begin? I was very excited about this event. I had signed up in 2011, but toenail surgery the week prior to the race in 2011 kept me off the starting line. I had eagerly been anticipating this race, felt I was tremendously fit, proven by my 19th place at the US Championships, so my climbing legs were underneath me, and I had some great long runs on trails here at Patapsco, including some great races.
However, what I did not anticipate was a severe reaction to the altitude. My travel was not optimal getting to Buena Vista. I landed in Denver at 9:00PM and had to drive 3 hours in darkness to a damn cabin I couldn't find until 1AM. Finally, I got to bed, figured out how to get to the start, and then lined up.
The weather was great (hot, exposed, sunny). There were several usual suspects like Max King, but I was confident in my running. We started out relaxed with Jorge Maravilla making some nice jokes, but I got stuck in a train of singletrack while Max built a lead. I finally broke through and I latched on behind Max's rhythm and I was feeling good. However, once we hit jeep trail, Max was gone. He was hammering. I wanted to keep this as easy as possible, since it was a 3-day stage race, but by 20-minute or so, every step was a monumental effort. I was soon passed by Michael Smith and his teammate storming past, on a mission, but I was perplexed. I was labeled a "high-responder" to altitude at the 2001 USOC Altitude "Live High, Train Low" study, but man, I felt like death.
At the first aid station, I wanted to drop out. I talked myself into going to the next aid station, and it was just getting worse. Every step was a million pounds. I wanted to drop at 12 miles, then 18 miles for sure, but I was like, man, I can run 3-4 more miles, as I would have periods of good running with just deathly steps.
Finally I staggered to the finish line in 2:36:28 for 4th place, but I knew my TransRockies Run was done. There was something chemically wrong with me. I was not myself. I had to go home. I managed to get a ride to the Denver airport, cancelled my hotel and my Pike's Peak Ascent attempt, and lined up some blood work. I also had to pull out of the 2012 WMRA World Long Mountain Championships in Switzerland. Ugh, it could not get any worse, but I am severely depleted and it will take some time to restore reasonable levels to perform well at altitude.
Not sure if I will be back to TransRockies. The trails don't suit me, and obviously the altitude killed me, but I would do it if I had good iron levels heading in, did a 5-10 day training/altitude camp, and then raced it. Oh well, that's life.
