CCC training

This is just a quick training note from this weekend. I spent the whole weekend away running parts of the CCC 100 course. Big thanks to Jeff and Mike for putting this event together.

Early on Saturday I drove up to Snoqualmie Pass and then about 22 of us carpooled to Tacoma Pass. Some opted to start 10 miles down the trail at Stampede pass. After an hour drive, most on very dusty fire roads we finally made it to the start. I started a couple minutes behind the group because I was talking with Jeff one of the coordinators of the race. I’ve run this section of the trail 3 times during the race so I know it pretty well. I would be putting down arrows in the dirt at the turns so I needed to be out front. I quickly passed all but a couple runners. I didn’t put an arrow at every non-turn and side trail that I passed (there are just too many). A couple of runners, after running in the hot sun for about 5 hours got a little off track and did some bonus miles.

It was nice to see this part of the trail while not racing and during a different part of the day with different shadows. I ran a bit faster than during the race but it was a comfortable pace. I ended up running with Matt from the water stop at Stampede Pass to the finish. We came in first at 6 hours and 10 minutes. That’s about 30 minutes less and 2-3 miles longer than on race day.

After a good nights sleep at the WAC I was up and ready to do it all over again.

Sunday we ran the last 1/3 of the course from Lake Kachess to Easton. This is the toughest part of the race not only because it comes at the end but because the climbs are so steep. I chatted with local runner Tim Stroh and we decided to run together. Tim’s a better runner than I am so this gave me a chance to push myself to try and keep up. He also knows the course better than anyone, having been involved with it since it started.

Even though there was a group ahead of us, we marked some tricky turns with extra arrows and even waist high branches across the wrong trail. By the time we got up to No Way Ridge (that’s really the name of it) at mile 13, we had caught up to all the early starters. I felt amazingly well having run 31 miles the day before. I probably talked Tim’s ear off I felt so good. We stopped at a water stop for what seemed like 20 minutes and then again at the top of Thorpe Mt. to enjoy the view and chat with the ranger.

Sometimes I felt like I was slowing Tim down on the climbs but I would always catch right up on the downhill. We stopped again for water and even cooled off in the stream for a while. With about 4 miles to go I could fell my feet starting to hurt but my legs still felt good. The last 3 miles are really exposed so we heated up nicely. Running on a hot road gets old really fast so I was glad to be done at the Café instead of the Firehouse. We finished ahead of everybody else in 7 hours and 6 minutes. I think that’s about an hour faster than I’ve ever run that part of the course during training.

This year I’ve run miles 0-11, 23-53, and 68-99. I think I’m ready.