NO REGRETS

Laying Low

2009-12-09T08:35:00.000-08:00

Been working on getting back into decent shape the past few weeks. I cannot believe how fast the time has flown. Ran in Dude where's the trail 50k a week ago and it felt really good to get in a nice long run. I have had problems with my knee for several months but that is finally about gone now. Unfortunately the foot issue still lingers on even 6 months after Western States.
I need to get signed up for another 100 soon, hopefully in Feb. sometime. I am trying to drop some weight before I fully commit.
I am planning on putting my name in for Badwater this year. The application period is in Feb. so I would like to be able to add another 100 to my resume before then.

Western States 2009

2009-07-07T04:54:00.000-07:00

For the last few months there have been laminated pictures of the Western States sub24 buckle hanging around the house,in my car and in my office. I have been obsessed with getting one for myself and by the time I finally got the opportunity I was not going to let it slip away.
We hung out in Squaw Valley for 3 day prior to the race. All of the pre race meetings and med checks had really got me nervous. I had never seen so many people in such insane shape, it was a bit intimidating. To think that only 20% of these vein popping quadzillas will finish under 24hrs was hard to imagine. We got weight,blood pressure and heart rate checked and picked up our schwag and dropped off my 2 mini drop bags.

Race morning started off hectic as I had set the alarm for 3:15 but screwed it up somehow and looked up to see it was 4:00, only 1 hr to the start, luckily we were only 100 yards from the start line. I ran around crazily getting everything ready, bathroom, food, bathroom, coffee. Just before we walked out the door I hugged Tiff for a few minutes and cried for some reason,,just built up anxiety and nervousness I guess but I felt better afterwards.
Rick and I got to the start about 10 minutes before go time along with our wives and crew. I had my wife Tiffanie, Pacer John King and his wife Stacey to help get me through the race. As we stood there looking up at the illuminated mountain, the masses of people, the clock counting down,,,,it was amazing, truly a moment I won't forget.
I kept repeating to myself "you are a strong runner, keep your head down, stay focused, be thankful." this was sort of my mantra for the day. The countdown from ten started and we were finally off.

The fist hour up over emigrant pass is a bitch. Mostly just 4.5 miles power hiking at about 15% incline. It was long and felt never ending but once we hit the top it was finally time to roll. My nueroma was throbbing pretty good already but it I knew it would be masked by some other pain before too long. From this point on there are a lot of miles I really don't remember. Rick and I hung together for the first 15 miles or so until he pulled away. I was trying to stay at the same effort level on the downs and up and not push hard at all, just run comfortable. Everything was going pretty well until I pulled out of an aid station and fell on my handhelds which caused me to lose about 1/2 of my water. By the time I got to Robinson flat I was pretty trashed and dehydrated. I had been out of fluids for about 45 minutes and was a bit caught off guard on how tough this first 30 miles was. The altitude and the climbs were both hitting me good. I also had a few burning spots from the wet shoes early on but hoped they would fade once my feet dried out a bit. "you are a strong runner, keep your head down, stay focused, be thankful."
I came into Robinson flat and was taken back by how big it was. There were people everywhere. In, refill everything, eat lots and out. I talked to my crew, told them I was dehydrated so Tiff and Tony helped me strap on my Nathan Pack also and fill up mi Ice Bandanna around my neck. The next 33 miles I would be carrying 110 oz of water between my pack and 2 handhelds but I could not afford to get dehydrated, cramps would kill me. There were signs at each aid station with the 24hr and 30 hr pace on them and I was just a few minuted under the 24hr pace, just as planned. It would be another 26 miles before I saw the crew again at Michigan Bluff so I thanked them all and was off.

A few miles after leaving Robinson Flat I crossed path with Dean Karnazes. We were staying within sight of each other for the next 10 or so miles. Got to chat with him a bit until Last Chance Aid station where he took a while to get cooled off since the heat was starting to get to him. Last chance is so appropriately named, it is literally your last chance to get out before heading in and out of the canyons on the roughest 2 canyon descents on the course. I was still hanging right at 24 hr pace. My blisters were getting bad now. They were on the bottoms of both feet and the heel of my right foot which really hurt on any downhill sections and the worst were coming up. "you are a strong runner, keep your head down, stay focused, be thankful."

I headed down the trail to the bottom of the canyon hoping to just get down in one piece without completely shredding my feet. The 2 canyons are also the hottest part of the course but I really didn't feel the heat much. All of those afternoon runs in the 100 degree high midwest humidity were now paying dividends. I was also stopping every time I ran across any water to dip my hat and Great Plains Trail Running shirt (thanks Willy) in the water to help cool off. Once I got to the bottom of the Canyon I was looking forward to climbing up. I was still right on 24 hr pace and felt this was a chance to pad my time a few minutes. Power Walking long steep sections seems top be a strength of mine, too bad there aren't more hills in the the midwest. I passed several people on the 45 minute climb out of Devils thumb and was about 5 minutes up on 24hrs at the top.
Now it was back down to the bottom again for 3 miles of insanely painful descent. I passed several people here of to the side of the trail puking and it I was definitely thankful for not being in their spot. Once down to the bottom of the canyons I hit the aid station and ran into Rick there also. He was loading up with Salt and we headed up the 3 mile climb to Michigan Bluff. I knew once I got to the top I would see my crew so I really kicked it in to power up the climb best I could.
I pulled into Michigan Bluff and I think the crew was surprised to see me already. I felt good and was now over 1/2 done, right on schedule. My weight was up by 8 lbs but I felt good. The blisters were getting quite large now and it was annoyingly painful feeling then squishing around in my shoes. I stuffed my face with food and refilled supplies. John asked how I was feeling and I said I was just trying to save a little for him during the night. I could tell I was doing okay by the look on Tiffs face. I walked out of the aid station about 7-10 minutes up on the 24hr pace.
I took it easy for the last 7 miles before Foresthill and rolled in about on schedule. I spent 8 minutes here getting the night gear on, Tiff drained some blisters and changes my socks. Ate a few Icees and brownies and was thankful for all the people I had there helping me. The blisters were really bad now, by far the worst I have ever had. It was time to suck it up, this is where the real race starts. 38 miles of painful dark running left, this was my time, no whining, no regrets.

John and I took off on to the Cal trails and chugged along slowly and smoothly down, down, down. I was looking forward to hitting the Rucky Chucky River crossing and getting a chance to cool off in the river. The night section of a 100 is all about mental toughness, blocking out the pain and focusing on moving forward, no matter how slow that may be. 16.7 miles later we arrived at the crossing and made our way across. There were a lot of huge boulders to climb over making it more difficult that I was expecting. Once across we started the 2 mile climb up to Green Gate. I knew Tiff, Stacey and Angel were up there, they had hiked 1.5 miles down in the dark just to see us for a few minutes which I was really thankful for. I was a little low when we got up to Green Gate. I think Tiff must have picked up on that. She walked with me for a second and was able to get me really fired up again.
20.5 miles left. John and I left and I was running in front for much of the time, him pushing me a little from behind. We really didn't talk much all night, I was so focused on what I was doing it just felt right being silent, pushing forward, over and over in my mind "you are a strong runner, keep your head down, stay focused, be thankful."
We got to Browns Bar aid station, it was surreal, like a dream, my body was there but my thoughts and focus weren't, loud music, lots of red clothes and flashing lights. After leaving there we noticed the spotlights in the sky. Four huge rotating beams of light stationed at the finish line pulling us in. It was amazing to see them. I did not realize what they were for at first. Maybe McDonald's was running a special or something, then it clicked. I told John " I think that is where we need to go, those are for us". We got up to Hwy 49 crossing where I weighed in at 12 lbs over my start weight. The Dr was concerned and was trying to grab my arm and talk to me about needing to stop and get my weight down. I just kept telling her I was fine. Not a chance in hell they were going to make me stop with 7 miles left. We said hi to the girls gave them a thumbs up and got out before they could had another chance to stop us. We chugged along the next 3.5 to No Hands Bridge which was lit up like a runway, they had a movie playing on a big screen but I couldn't stay to watch much, other things to do right now.
Finally the moment I had dreamed about for 3 years was actually about to happen. The last few miles were amazing. Three and a half years ago, before my first marathon I watched a documentary on Western States and knew I wanted to try it someday. I had been training for the last 8 months for these last few steps. Countless times I have entered that stadium in my mind looking up to see the clock reading 23 something and it was actually happening. I had been so focused on this one goal for so long it was hard to take it all in. I shed a few tears that last road section. John and I turned off our lights and ran the last 1.5 miles in the dark, looking up at those beautiful beams of light in the sky, following those Orange footsteps to the stadium. It was the best mile I have ever ran in my life. We stopped just before entering the stadium, I handed him my bottles and headlamp......"you are a strong runner, keep your head down, stay focused, be thankful."
Tiff came over and ran part of the track lap with me, she was crying pretty good, I told her I couldn't believe it was happening, I actually did it. I crossed the finish at 23:12, got my finisher Medal and just sat in the chair trying to take it all in. It was everything I had hoped for and more, and Rick finishing strong topped it off.

I could go on and on but to sum it up I had a goal to finish under 24hrs, worked my ass of to do everything I could to accomplish it, planned out a strategy and approach for the race and then executed it exactly as planned.
The group of people there supporting me we amazing!! Tiff, John, Stacey, Tony, Angel and Kristi, without them I would not have been able to have success.
A few things that helped me out; Heat training pays off. When cool water is available in a stream take advantage of it. Eat as much as you can at every aid station. It is better to have too much water rather than not enough. Be as nice as you can to your crew, they make this possible. Mental attitude and focus are a priority when running 100 miles.
My new favorite color is Silver.

Long Week

2009-06-08T07:39:00.000-07:00

I have been battling this foot problem for many weeks now. The week after training camp I just kept running through it and it eventually was causing too much pain. Even worse it was causing issues with my right knee and left calf from changing my stride. Had 2 horrible runs last weekend and decided to lay off the foot for a while.
It was a long week w/o being able to run at all. I did get in about 125 miles on the stationary bike throughout the week but it was a real battle considering it was supposed to be a big week before taper time. I went to the Dr on Thursday and a Podiatrist on Friday. He gave me a cortisone shot and both Dr's agreed it was Morton's Nueroma in the right foot. It was the first time I have gone to a Dr for a running related injury. I really didn't have a choice though, there is now way I could completely stop running for 4 weeks before Western States. I also got some prescription meds for inflammation.
I was glad the Dr's were very understanding of what I was up against. I told them I just needed to figure out how to get through Western States then I will take off however long is needed to recover. I am going back in 2 weeks to get another dose of cortisone the night before we leave for Cali. Hopefully it will be able to get me through.
Yesterday I finally gave in and went out for a leisurely 3hr heat run about 1pm. I stayed in town but ran mostly in in the grass along the sidewalks and paved trails. The foot was hurting but I am just going to have to deal with it and try not to overdo it. Still messing around with insole modifications trying to figure what works best. I felt some what dead legged for most of the run but it felt good to run none the less. This morning I went up to the gym and did 1 hr on the treadmill with an extra long sleeve shirt on for a little more heat time.
One the positive side I have been doing a stellar job on my weight and am about right where I want to be. Ate super clean the last 10 days and I am about as lean as I can get without loosing more muscle. Hopefully everything will work out for me, I am really trying to keep a positive attitude while getting through this foot issue. My main concern is finding the best way to take the pressure off my Nueroma while not causing any blisters and other foot issues at the same time, still a work in progress.
Anyways, I am going to try and get in a decent week and go with a shorter taper of 10-12 days since I didn't run for 6 days last week. If the foot bothers me too much that will change but I hope for the best.

Western States Training Camp

2009-05-28T07:07:00.000-07:00

Western States Training Camp was this past Memorial Day weekend. Rick Mayo and I flew to Sacramento Friday morning for 3 days of training on the Western States course.
We opted for staying at the Motel 6 in Auburn instead of camping at Forrest Hill. It was actually cheaper and just more convenient overall. We spent Friday buying some food and getting stuff organized for the weekend. I also was trying to get something rigged up with my shoes to get me through the weekend. I had not ran since the prior Monday due to a very bad pain under the 2ND & 3rd toe on the ball of my foot. It is a very intense pain, almost burning, I put 3 insoles in my right shoe and cut a hole in all 3 where the pain was and it at least allowed me to walk.

Day 1 Robinson Flat to Forest Hill summary

This is a 32 mile section with 2 of the harder climbs, Michigan Bluff and Devils thumb. We started out in the snow with 360 runners. It was amazingly beautiful and difficult. There is no way to sufficiently prepare for the 4 mile constant hills in the Midwest, it just is not possible. The climbs were tough and hot but I am happy with how I did on those climbs and passed a lot of people going up. The downhills were unexpectedly difficult. I could not run fast on many sections and stay under control. My Quads and Toes were hurting from the long downhills. I was able to run the last 2 miles up Bath Rd strong after 30+ miles and was good with that.

Day 2 Forrest Hill to Green Gate summary

I believe this was around 21 miles. We ran crazy hard that day thanks to Rick. I ran hard the first day and paid for it then. It is 16 or so down to the Rucky Chucky river crossing, mostly all down. We were hauling some serious ass down those mountains. Like 6:15 pace for many long stretches. When we got to the aid station at Rucky Chucky were the 4th and 5th runners to come through there and the first shuttle bus wouldn't go back until enough people finished to fill it up so we hung out in the River and soaked in the ice cold River water. The last 4 or 5 was up all the way. We ran that in 1 minute intervals which worked well. This is the first section after picking up a pacer and there definitely needs to be something left to run this section.

Day 3 Slinger Road to Placer High Finish Summary

22 miles of mixed terrain. There are many more flat sections here and if we were not on the side of a mountain it would seem like running at Wyco. There were still many tough climbs but none more than 5 or 10 minutes long. It was a good painful run. The heat was getting rough out in the open sections. We definitely got a taste of how will feel with the Quads and toes hurting so badly that last 20 or so. There are a lot of sections which will be rough terrain at night, especially on trashed legs.

I would definitely suggest anyone running in WS 100 go to the training camp. It is definitely worth it. We met a lot of amazing people there and ran through some breathtaking places. My right foot hurt a lot the entire weekend but sometimes you just have to get through it. I was very glad to be able to make it. It is easy to forget how amazing the human body is and what it can do. I was barely able to get out of bed the 3rd day but was still able to run over 20 miles pretty strong. All of these amazing people are out here doing the same thing and it is fun to be around such a strong group of like minded people for 3 days.

I am approaching Western States a little different now. It is going to be hard, definitely harder than any of the previous 100's. I desperately want that silver buckle. At the same time I know it will take my best effort, I will have to be physically, emotionally and mentally tougher to get there. The fear is there. Not being scared of the course or scared of failing, rather a respectful fear. I have 3 weeks of training left to get to where I need to be to get this done. I heard there is Silver in them there Mountains....

Here is a link to the pics from the weekend

http://tjbevanrn.winkflash.com

Free State 100k

2009-05-05T12:12:00.001-07:00

We had a great week of camping at CLinton State Park last weekend for the Free State 100k. It was nice to spend 3 days just hanging out and enjoying the days instead of trying to get a list of crap done.
We camped next to Darin, Darcie and Jarret. It was weekend full of Mushrooms, Beer, Smores and running. I don't really have much to say about the race other than I am glad it is over so I can truly focus on Western States.

I finished about the same time as last year which is fine. I had no time goals and was simply running it to get in another long run. It was my 3rd 50+mile run in 5 weeks. The Mud, tornadoes, rain and hail made it pretty memorable. I am tired of doing those really long runs, it just takes too long to recover and get back to normal.

So, now I get to focus solely on Western States with about 6 weeks of solid training including 3 days at WS100 training camp memorial Day weekend. I have done a fairly food job of maintaining my weight but I am hooping to drop around 5 lbs before the race. I am doing a ton of core work also and trying to focus on strengthening that area.
Everything is going by so quickly right now. Both of the boys are into Baseball season full speed. Coaching Corbins team and Managing/Asst coaching tristans team has really been keeping me busy. I am back to having maybe 1 night sports free but there is a ton of stuff to do for Pop Warner football since I am on the board of directors we are already getting ready for the upcoming football season also so I am staying crazy busy, but I absolutely love it.
I am so freakin stoked for Western States, I have been running for about 3 1/2 years now, Western States means more than all of the other races I have done put together. I desperately want that Silver sub 24 buckle. I know I am much faster and stronger but just haven't put it together yet. I am saving it for this one, at least that is what I keep telling myself.
There have been a lot of tears at our house this week, our old dog Kramer is on his last leg. I brought him home over 14 years ago from the pound, I think he is a lab/Great Dane mix. He got ran over by a car when he was 1 year old, I had to borrow money in college to have his hip reconstructed. He has been in several times for other surgeries and has always pulled through. Tiffanie took him to the ER vet in the middle of the night once, he had a twisted stomach and his spleen was removed. She actually had to assist the vet with that surgery because there was no one else there at 1 AM. My kids are really really attached to him. Corbin was laying in the closet with him last night, crying, trying to get him to eat some food. He laid in his bed and cried himself to sleep last night and was almost late to school because he was trying to get him to drink his water this morning. Tristan has been carrying him outside to go to the bathroom, he can barely get his old body up so he has to have help to go outside. He has been having a lot accidents in the house and Tristan is always the first one there to clean everything up. It is amazing how they act so responsible and take such good care of him. It makes me proud to see that.

One of those days

2009-04-08T07:59:00.001-07:00

Have you ever just had one of those days? You know what I mean right? Where it just seems everything is stacked against you, nothing goes right. Well I thought I had but unfortunately I was about to have one better....

4:30 AM...Rick for some reason calls our room at the Super 8 in Salina way to early, wakes myself, John King and Mark Stovall up for no good reason other than to let us know he is awake. We were staying at the same hotel so we could ride to the start together.
5:40 AM...We are in the hotel lobby ready to head to the start of Rockin K, John calls Rick to see if he is ready to go, Rick says he's in the lobby also?? Ummm, only one lobby here. Yep, we made our reservations at different Super 8's. No problem we will just meet up at the start. I think I know the directions but ask the lady at the desk who tells me a better way to get there, no thanks.
We hop on I70, wrong direction, turn around and head west. I called Rick to check the directions and we head south on 135, except we drove all the way to to the Louisburg exit. This is definitely not right.
6:15 AM...We sit in the car for 15 minutes trying to figure out where to go and finally get ahold of Rick, he says we have to go all the way back to Salina to hit 140, which is right by the Super 8 he stayed at. I think we were looking at his hotel and drove right by our exit the 1st time.
6:30-7:20 AM...John drives really fast we get to the start and watch everyone running off in the distance.

7:25 AM...Me, John and Mark all get started running, I haul off and at the first turn, run about 1/4 and see someone waving there arms,,yep I went the wrong way, 1/2 mile wasted.
Now I was seriously pissed off,,,I was Dead last place starting out, was going to be stuck all day out here by myself and I decided to just see who all I could catch the first loop. I caught Mark then John then some other guy who said "thats what you get for sleeping in late" I think it was supposed to be funny but I had no sense of humor. For the next 26 miles I ran like forrest gump. I passed a lot of people on that loop, some I knew, some I didn't. Every time I saw someone ahead I ran a little faster and caught them. I was really trying to catch up with Darin, Stuart or Greg and hope to hang one to one of them for the second half of the race, not to try and beat them but just to have someone to run with. I saw Stuart and Darin running along the fenceline the other direction, they were about 3/4 mile in front about 3 miles from the finish, so I was hoping maybe to catch up by half way through the second loop.
I finished the first loop in decent time. I refilled and headed back out, man the wind was sucking big time, I seriously had thoughts of turning around about 1 mile out on the second loop. The second loop is 2 miles shorter though, it wont be as bad.
I noticed an inbound runner go past the turn to go across a beaver dam and I pointed it out to him and also made a mental note so it wouldn't happen to me coming in. I was feeling a bit of dead legs but just kept running as much as possible. I ran out of water again and again, the wind was really drying me out. I knew there was a turn for Alexanders cutoff coming up soon. I was trying to make sure I would not miss it and add 2 more miles to the course. I saw the sign for the cutoff and was relieved to have not missed it, ran down the cutoff to the brick crossing but didn't see the ribbons indicating where to go, ran back up a bit, back down, hmmm.
I saw some blue ribbons to the right so I went off following them until I saw some striped ones also. There were a few footprints on the ground so I knew I was at least going the right direction. I ran for what seemed a really long time and finally came to the gate 6 aid station after being out of water way too long.
I saw Mark standing there, he had missed bluff loop on the first loop and then shorted it on the second loop so he was heading in to call it a day. He asked why I came in forom the wrong way...huh? Phil Sheridan got a big grin on his face and said I ran the double marathon course. I told him I took the alexander cutoff but got lost and went out the wrong way, he congratulated me for runnning an even longer route than the double marathon and sent me on my way to the bluff loop.
Sweet, now I have about 4 miles extra in for the day but oh well, at least I only have to fight this 40 mph wind for another 14 miles. I took it pretty easy on the bluff loop and was headed on the home stretch to the finish. I was going to try and finish strong and kept my head down running pretty good for a while. Actually kept my head down too long,,,realizing I was following the wrong color ribbons now.

Good thing I made that mental note about crossing the beaver dam when I saw the first guy pass it huh? I made my way back to the beaver dam adding another 1/2 mile or so to my route. Oh well, almost done now. Cue the big gust of wind....yep big gust and me falling off the beaver dam into that really thick black sewage stuff at the bottom of ponds. I sucked me in but I was able to use my water bottles to break the fall, no more drinking out of those sludge covered bottle for me.
Eventually I hauled my sorry butt across the finish line and just sat there for a while wondering what the heck was going on. I was supposed to run Brew2Brew the next day but Stacy and Rick talked me out of that, good thing, the way my luck had gone I surely wouldn't make it through all those railroad crossings in one piece!
All in all it could have been worse I guess, I did manage to avoid 3, yes 3 rattlesnakes on the course, that is a positive right?

KUS and the Sheridans did another great job with Rockin K, it was at least memorable. I wish I could have seen and talked with more people but maybe next time, see you at Free State.
It doesn't matter really, it was just another long training run working towards Western States. Every time something bad happened I would think about Western States and get past it. Bring it on Mr. Cougar, I will be waiting for you....

Rocky Finish

2009-02-12T07:34:00.000-08:00

So, I did not end up with the results I wanted at Rocky this year. This is the first 100 where my goal going in was not to just finish but to finish well and try to push it a bit to see what I could do. It worked pretty well for the first 60 miles.

The first loop I started up near the front of the pack so I wouldn't get caught up behind a lot of people. My plan was to start pretty quick and stuck to that. I ran the entire first loop and ended up coming through at 2:58. A few minutes faster that I had planned.

Second loop I was still going pretty strong. I just wanted 3:30 on this loop to try and shave off about 10 minutes from last years 2nd loop. I hit the marathon and 50k point on the course strong. If this would have been a marathon or 50k I would have set a PR for either, hmmm, maybe not the best idea? Once I got through the 50k point I started having some bad quad cramping and was trying to put down enough fluids and S-caps to alleviate it but I just kept cramping for the rest of the 2nd loop. I ended up finishing the second loop in 3:30 and was nailing by time goals but was pushing a little too hard to get there.

The start of the 3rd loop I was shooting for 3:50ish. My quads were starting to hurt a lot from all of the cramping. I have been through this before and it is miserable to have cramping for so long. My legs were already hurting and the cramps make them soooo sore that it is almost unbearable for me. I kept checking my times and trying to not walk too much so I would not give up the 25 minutes I gained on the first few loops. I came through the 50 mile point at around PR pace for that distance also, man f I can just hold it together......Just keep pushing, get this loop over, I always run strong at night, just give me the night. I came through the 60 mile mark at 3:57 or so but may tank was on empty and I was struggling.

My back was really starting to hurt me and I was spent. I had not planned on stopping to sit down but I was pretty tired so I sat down changed my shirt, washed my face, ate some food and got my lights and night gear. Tiff was trying to be positive and help me as much as she could. Rick and I left and I just kept thinking how much worse I felt than I was expecting.

We left the on the 4th loop and ran the first mile or 2 and I got very bloated and was having some bad stomach issues. I walked most of the way to the next aid station. Stomach was gone and my back was just getting worse. By the time we got to Dam Rd I could not run at all. My back hurt so bad just to walk, every time I tried to run it just screamed out in pain. The last 14 mile of the loop were a mix of shuffling and fast walking. I had to keep 1 hand on my lower back, keeping pressure on it was the only thing that allowed me to move forward. It made staying upright hard because I was almost having to arch my back and then I was unable to look down enough to see the trail. So, that continued for the last 14 miles of the loop. I was mad, tried to run a few times but it just did not work. I took Ibuprofen and tylenol but the pain would not go away. I wanted so badly to run but just couldn't.
We finished the 5th loop and I knew my time goals were pretty much shot. The loop took about 40 minute longer than planned. Tiff said I could still beat last years time, I just need to run some, I just decided that all I could so was keep moving forward and not worry about anything else.

The last loop I was in a place I have never been. I am used to passing a lot of people at night, getting my second wind and running relatively strong. There was nothing there, I just shuffled along, pissed of and cussing to myself when someone was passing me. Rick kept me from walking too long at a time and was getting me to shuffle along for a 1/4 mile intervals. A lot of thoughts went through my head that last loop, I faced it that I made too many mistakes to reach my goal, I started a little too fast, I did not eat enough the first 1/2 of the race. I went through many aid stations and would fill up my handheld but forget to refill my waistpack bottle and then run out of water before the next aid station which caused alot of the cramping. Most importantly I used a waistpack which I only ran a few miles in previously. I destroyed my lower back and was the reason I was unable to run at night.

Rick asked me what I wanted about half way through the last lap and I said just finish I just want to get this over with. I told him, you know what this means right? This means I got to come back here next year and make this right. He just laughed and said I was going to have to pay him to come back next time. He told me a few times that I can't expect to run a PR every time.
I ended up finishing in 20:57. We sat in the tent for a while, I was disappointed that I fell apart so bad the last 40 miles. The pain got the best of me. It is a strange feeling to finish 100 but not be happy.
Once again my wife and Rick came through for me, gave up their weekends and spent their time taking care of me while I ran through the woods. Tiffanie is unbelievable at these races, she is the best I could ask for. Rick did a stellar job again, I think he likes to see me suffer :)

Congrats to Darrin, Nick, Danny, Colleen and everyone from K.C. who finished, attempted, crewed and paced. The KC nerds put in a good showing, hopefully the same will happen next year.

I cannot wait to get back at it again. I am pretty good at taking a negative and using it as motivation. I think I am capable of a lot more, at least I hope so. I fell apart but still kept going which is good, I know if it happens again that I can get through it. Now it is time to train for Western States. Everything I do training and racing will be centered around preparing to run my best in the race I may never get a chance to run again. I am looking forward to it and already have a plan of attack. I keep thinking of the 6 million Dollar man " Gentlemen, we can rebuild him, we have the technology, we can make him better, stronger, faster."

Hard Work

2009-02-04T11:36:00.000-08:00

I guess I will try to get packed up tonight for Rocky. It will be a bit in the warm side but very close to last years temps. I am really looking forward to getting on the plane and on the way. I am still not sure what I will be doing for Hydration. I have a single bottle Go Lite waist pack I may use with a handheld to start. Last year I ran with my Nathan HPL pack which worked well, I was able to go the 1st loop without having to stop and refill. I will likely try the 1st loop with the GOlite and switch if needed.
I am really amazed how much I have accomplished in 11 weeks. I went from being 198 lbs, running about 50/week to logging 1115 miles the next 11 weeks and dropping about 21 lbs. I really think the few months of low mileage helped to recharge everything.
Today I think I am in the best shape of my life. I had a thorough body fat and composition done yesterday. My body fat was 5.8% which is the lowest it has ever been. My hips waist and butt were about 1 inch lower than my previous lowest measurements. I weighed in at 177-178 lbs, a new low for me. Mentally I am focused and ready, I know it is going to be rough, it will hurt and there will likely be times when I feel like stopping. I will have mental lows, leg cramps, stomach issues, blisters, toenails falling off and who knows what else....I can't wait.

I know my splits from last year but will not wear a watch to track them. Last year Rocky was my best race ever, it all clicked. I have done my best to put myself in a position to have a good race. I am just going to go what pace feels right and see where each loop ends up. I need to get 60 miles strong. Rick will be able to pull me through the dark on those last 2 loops. John will be right behind me trying to catch me the entire time, even though he will be 700 miles away at home, he will still be there ........pushing me.

I can't wait for Breakfast on Sunday!!

About Time

2009-01-29T11:48:00.000-08:00

Holy Cow! I have been such a slacker in updating my blog. It has been over 8 weeks with nothing, guess I have been spending to much free time on facebook instead.
I use this more as a personal journal which does not do me much good unless I actually write something huh?
Corbin broke his arm in December wrestling 1 day before his first tournament so we have decided to sit he season out and make sure it is good and healed. Tristan has wrestled a few tournaments but really doesn't have too much interest in it so I imagine he will not be doing any more tourneys this year.
Both the boys are in a winter hitting league for baseball and we are having tryouts for both of their teams tomorrow. Ella is still the best cheerleader in the world. She is going to sleep by herself at night. We got her a new LCD tv for christmas and she watches it for about 10 minutes and dozes off. Tiff really likes it because she was usually the one who had to lay with her until she fell asleep.
Tiff ran the Groundhog Run last weekend with a neighbor and did a little better than she was expecting in the 5k. I had thoughts of going also but hung out with the kids at home so she could do something without having to worry about them.

I have been running, a lot. I have averaged over 100 miles for the past 9 weeks, which is amazing. I really was not planning or anticipating running so much but I really had no reason not to. I got in 448 miles in December and have 426 so far in January. My 2 biggest months ever and back to back on top of that. Most of it has been on the treadmill during the week and long runs on the trail on the weekend. Running on the treadmill really lessens the impact and I can hold up to a lot more miles. I really have only had a few minor problems which have cleared up after cutting back for a couple of days.

My diet has been good, I have been tracking my calories for a few months and that on top of running so many miles has allowed me to drop a few lbs. I actually lost about 20 lbs since mid November when football ended. It has not been easy but I still am able to eat some good chocolate of some sort every night every night.
I ended up signing up for Rocky the last day of the normal entry deadline, I figured I might as well give it a go since I felt I was in shape for it. I am really looking forward to running there again. Hopefully the weather will be good and all will go well. John is not going this year which sucks. I like to have him out there to keep me moving. I did get SuperPacer Rick signed up to fly down with TIff and I to pace the last 40 miles which is awesome. There are many trail nerds going down for the race to run, pace and crew. I think there will be 10 or so running and just as many crewing and pacing, for many it will be there first go at 100 miles.

I feel like I have done all I can do to prepare myself to run well at Rocky. 100 miles is a long way and ther are a lot of opportunities for things to go wrong so we will see what happens.
After Rocky my focus will shift to Western States. I am where I want to be right now and will try to take my training up another notch to get ready for Western States. It is going to be a wonder butt kicking experience especially with Rick training for it as well. I cannot wait.

Kyle Amos and Tony Clark both finished HURT 100 last week, one tough, tough race. Props to you guys, you are freaking animals.

2008-12-05T08:22:00.000-08:00

The past few weeks have gone pretty well as far as the running goes. Last weekend John and I ran Dude where's the trail 50k. It is one of my favorite events. This year there was more trail and markings to follow through the woods than before. Unfortunately the weather was very cold and windy which made for a long uncomfortable 6 hours but worth it none the less.

The previous weekend we ran the Nathaniels run 6hr in Olathe. Another cold night but we managed to get in another 30+ run there as well. It has been nice to start getting in longer runs on a regular basis.
Both the boys have been going to wrestling practice the past few weeks and will be wrestling in a tournament in Lathrop next weekend. They are both progressing and starting to pick up more each practice.

203 days until Western States,.,.,sounds like a long time but it will be here too quickly. I hope to get to a good level of fitness by February to allow for 3 months of good training. Lots of time and lots of miles.

So..,.,.now what??

2008-11-13T07:50:00.000-08:00

It just seems like yesterday when we were starting out football practices , now they are done and the cold dark winter is beginning to set in, cheerful huh?

Tristan's football team won the Truman Bowl championship last Saturday. They were the first Kearney team to win this, so it was a pretty big deal for them. It was very cold and windy Saturday. I was on the sidelines helping out for the game and the biggest challenge was keeping the boys warm on the sidelines. Immediately after the game we had to drive 4 1/2 hrs to the University of Northern Iowa for another game Sunday. It was in a dome Stadium against a team from Chicago. We won that game 38-6 and then got to drive 4 1/2 hrs back home. It was a very busy weekend as always but I really enjoyed spending the weekend with his team since the rest of the season I was always at Corbin's stuff. Tristan had a blast in football this year and is going to be a very good offensive lineman especially if he keeps growing so fast.

Corbin had a rough time at the Championship game Saturday. He teared up a few times because he was so disappointed that his team was not playing for the championship also. He is so passionate about what he does it is scary, he has the heart of a champion. After talking to a few other coaches I am pretty sure he will move up 2 years next year and play with the older kids. I was hesitant but every coach I talked to said it it the best thing for him. Luckily for him we started wrestling practice last night so that will keep him busy for now. We are still hoping Tristan decides to give wrestling a shot since he isn't playing basketball this winter.
Ella has been running around the house cheering and dancing nonstop. We will have to figure out something for her to do soon. She likes to get us involved and repeat the cheers and clap along. The only word she knows how to spell is B-U-L-L-D-O-G-S.
I am hoping to get to the trails this weekend, I really, really, need to get in gear. I have missed running on the trails. The treadmill and roads are getting old I am having a very hard time with getting my calories down to a level to start losing weight. I am good until about 7:00pm then it usually falls apart. I am not going to decide on running Rocky 100 miler until the end of the year to see where I am at. There is no reason to run it if I am not focused and ready to do it 100%.

WS 100

2008-10-21T07:32:00.000-07:00

So, Friday night I was checking my email and saw a posting on the Ultralist where someone said they received notice today that they had been of of the TTL's selected for Western States this year. Crap, I hadn't received anything so I guess I would be waiting at least another year.
I then went to read throught some more emails and realized I skipped the first page of the inbox. There it was, a message from the WSER Webmaster titled "TTL selection into the 2009 Run." Needless to say I was pretty excited. I screamed out a few times and Tiff yelled down to see what was wrong, she couldn't believe it either.
The day before I ran my first marathon a few years ago Rick brought over Running Madness and Running on the Sun for me to watch. After watching them a few times I knew someday I was going to run Western States and now I get my chance.
I have a reason to run again which is what I needed. Something to focus on and prepare for, to circle on the calendar and count down the days remaining.
Life is good!!

FInally Fall

2008-10-16T13:44:00.000-07:00

Fall is finally here which means there gets t be a little more time for running (hopefully). For the past several months I have just been hanging around 50 miles a week but should be able to start ramping that up soon. Hopefully I can get rid of about 15 lbs before Feburary to give Rocky Raccoon another go.
Both the boys have been busy with fall baseball and pop warner football, so free time has been about non existent. Baseball is over this weekend and football still goes through Nov 8th. Both of the footbal teams are in first place and hopefully will make it through the playoffs to the Truman Bowl Championship. Tristan has been playing Offensive and Defensive tackle this year and seems to enjoy it a lot more than last year.

I coach Corbins team and he plays about every postion. He is fun to watch. he has about 700 yards rushing and over 70 tackles so far this season. It amazes me that a boy who just turned 7 can do what he does on the field. Hopefully he will always have such a love for it and still be playing on Saturdays in 12 years.

I should find out in a few days about Western States next year, most likely I will be pacing Rick but there is a slim chance I caould still get in...doubt it though.
I may head out to the BS 50/50 Sunday the 26th. Saturdays are still filled with football so Sundays are the only option.

Congrats to everyone who finished Heartland 100 last week My friend Mark Stovall completed his first 100 at Heartland last weekend under 24 hrs with no crew or pacer!! Awesome Job Mark!!!!

Back in the Saddle

2008-07-09T07:52:00.001-07:00

Well I guess it is time to get my fat butt back in shape again. Baseball season is now over and hopefully another 100 miler will be coming up pretty soon. I am waiting to see how the football schedule comes together but I plan on getting in a 100 sometime in the fall so I had better get a goin.
We spent 8 days in California for WS100 which was cancelled and vacation. Unfortunately Rick didn't get to run the race he has been training for the last but hopefully it will carry over into even a better performance next year. I was looking forward to paceing those last 40 miles. We spent 3 days around Tahoe, 2 at Disneyland and 3 in Huntington beach. It was a blast but it is nice to be back home (kind of).
The past weekend was the Psycho Psummer 50k at Wyco. I signed up last minute after staying out too late on the 4th a having a bit too much fun I was hoping to be able and finish. I ended up runnning the first 20 miles or so with John and Stuart Johnson which made it pretty enjoyable and ended up coming in about 6 minutes faster that last year. Hopefully that is a good sign that I can do ok with around 65 miles a week. I am just going to focus on losing some weight over the next few months.
I am coaching Corbin's football team this year, that will take a lot of time but it is manageable. Oh, I got my first tattoo while on vacation. I made Tristan go with me to get it. I think he was a little creeped out in the tattoo parlor but he did watch it being done. Here is a pic of the tatoo, I know what it means but so far no one else has.

Free State

2008-04-28T13:24:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we headed out to Clinton State Park several days of camping and the Free State 100k. Everything seemed really rushed with Tiffanie working all week and we had to wait until the last minute to get the camper home and packed for the trip.

Wednesday evening we got the camper home and I was out it the cold dark rain repacking the wheel bearing after hearing some strange noises while bringing the camper home. If you decide to try doing this, it is not hard, although I strongly recommend not doing it in the dark, in the rain and with a headlamp for the first time.
Thursday after we got home from work we headed straight out to Clinton Lake where John had already reserved sites for both of our campers. We got some nice spots close to the lake and trail. It was nice because we were all able to take the kids out on the trail and down to the water without much trouble.

Friday John and I went mushroom hunting and hit the mother load. We ended up with 90 or so morels but many of them were the size of a 20 oz coke bottle. We sounded like kids on Christmas morning when John spotted one from across a creek and then realizing we were surrounded by 1/2lb morels. Needless to say we ate very well that evening.

Saturday we got up and hopped over to the next campground for the start of the race at 7:00. It had rained a lot the prior weeks so we knew it was going to be a mud fest. I remembered how I had such a rough time last year on this course and was hoping to do a bit better this time around. 3 loops of approximately 20 miles were waiting to eat me up.

Everything started out well for about the first 5 miles and then... I just wanted to stop. It was pretty much the reoccurring theme of the entire day. It took everything I had to stay out there running. I felt completely dead and many people passed me on the next 10 miles back to the start/finish. Caleb and Stacy Amos tried to boost my spirits at their aid station but I was stuck in a really bad place.

I just kept wanting to quit, everything was a struggle, I really am not sure what the problem was. My wife and kids did a good job of keeping me going. Anyone who heard my wife talking to me probably thought, man, she is a b$@^#!! but I guess it worked.
At the thirty mile mark I was talking to Rick and my son Corbin, I asked Rick how John was doing and he said he was about 30 minutes ahead of me. Corbin said " Yep Dad, he's pretty much kickin your butt!" Kinda funny, but true.
Fast forward to the end of loop 2. I was still feeling crappy but my faithful sidekick Rick would hear none of that. He was planning on running with John or I on the last loop, depending on who needed the company the most and I was it. We were able to keep a decent pace and ended up passing several people and somehow came in around 11:44, over 2 hours faster than last year and below my goal of 12:00, although I should have done much better.

John finished about 15 minutes before me and I tackled him to the ground after crossing the finish in recognition of him beating me!! Seriously, he ran a great race and I am glad he finished ahead of me. After washing up and cooling down in the lake we headed back to the campers for some brats and burgers which our wives had cooked for us.

The race seemed to go off without a hitch this year. The course was wonderfully marked and the nerds and KUS did an awesome job at the aid station. Thanks Ben for putting on another stellar event.
I am very disappointed in how I did this year, maybe more so than ever in a race. Not because of my time or what place I finished in, just my mental strength that day. I was weak and could not get my head on straight. I was hoping to run well and build on the last few races which went pretty smoothly and with good results. I guess it just wasn't my day. Lucky for me I have people who care enough to help me through those bad times and still cross the finish.

Here are some pics from Liberty Nationals where Corbin placed 2nd and the State Championships where he took 4th.

Slackin

2008-04-11T08:24:00.000-07:00

Man, I can't believe it has been 6 weeks since I took the time to post anything.
Everything has been good lately, just trying to get through the last few weeks of crappy weather hopefully.
John and I ran Brew2Brew last weekend. It went pretty smooth for me although my legs got really tight the last 10 miles or so from all of the pavement. I ended up finishing is 6:35 which is about 45 minutes faster than last year.

Rock Chalk Jayhawks!!! Finally, I have been a Jayhawk fan since '85 when Danny Manning was a freshman and it is about freakin time they bring home another championship. I almost turned off that last game with 2 minutes left, glad I didn't.

Both the boys have been practicing Baseball a lot. Tristans team has a tournament next week and then the regular season games start up for a few months.
Only 2 weeks till FreeState in Lawrence. I am planning on running the 100k and hope to get a little revenge on the course for what it did to me last year. We are planning on taking the camper out 2 days early for the race and enjoy a long weekend if the weather cooperates.
We have been spending a lot of time planning for our trip to Cali this summer. We will be in the High Sierras for 4 1/2 days for Western States and then drive town to LA/Disney/San Diego for 4 1/2 days to hit the beaches and Disneyland. It should be a blast.
Have a great weekend!!

Recovering Well

2008-02-19T13:48:00.000-08:00

Two weeks after Rocky and I am feeling very good. I was back to running on Tuesday after the race and have gotten in a decent amount of miles the past 2 weeks since the race. It is nice to take a break mentally and not have anything upcoming soon.
I have never felt completely recovered so soon after a 100. Perhaps finishing quicker took less of a toll on my legs.

Last weekend I volunteered at our PsychoWyco Race. It was my first opportunity to volunteer at a 50k and I had a good time helping out. John and I spent most of the day refilling water supplies at the aid stations.

Rick put in an awesome race in typical Wycoish conditions. He came in 3rd overall with an amazing time of 5:03 something on a brutal course. We got out to cheer him on a few times and he put in a heck of a run that day.

It has been a struggle to keep the nutrition at the pre Rocky level. I have been eating more but trying to keep it reasonable. Everyone needs a break now and then right?

Today is Tristan's 9th Bday, we had his party Saturday for his friends. Corbin has been down with the Flu since Saturday and he had to miss all of Tristans Bday stuff which really sucked for him. Hopefully he can get over it by the weekend and be ready for his first National wrestling tournament.

Not much exciting lately, have a great week.

Rocky Report

2008-02-05T12:40:00.000-08:00

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Last year Tiffanie and I had flown down to Huntsville so I could pace Rick Mayo the last 40 miles of the Rocky Raccoon 100. I decided this race was not a good option for me since it is a 5 loop course which meant passing by a very inviting start finish area to drop 4 times. Fast forward about 8 months, John King decided he wants to give Rocky Raccoon a shot for his first 100 after pacing me through a dreadful Arkansas Traveller 100 race and I figure what the heck, I may as well give it a shot too.

Friday morning Kyle and Stacy Amos, John and Stacy King, Tiffanie and myself flew to Dallas where we rented a car and drove from there to Huntsville. Once we arrived there we met up with fellow Kansas City Trail Nerds and Rocky 100 entrants Ben Holmes and his son Matt, Gary Henry, and Tony Clark from Wichita at the local Starbucks. They were all staying at the park in the official trail nerds shelter, while we had luxurious rooms at the Super 8.

After loading up with Caffiene we headed to to Walmart to pick up some last minute things and checked into the hotel. We got to Huntsville State Park and met up with the guys again at packet pickup and hung around the shelter for a while wondering what tomorrow's race was going to bring. I ran into Chris Corbin, a strong runner from Oklahoma who I have ran in a few races with. It was his first crack at 100 miles and we figured we would see each other out on the trail since he usually isn't too far ahead of me. I was many familiar faces including Brad Holzworth and his pacer Carey Smith.

Once the pre race meeting was over we weht to dinner and headed back to the hotel to get some rest. I slept very soundly all night and awoke a few minutes before my scheduled wakeup call to head over to the race site.

We parked at the nerd shelter and got ready for the start. I was a bit nervous before the race. I had changed up a lot of things since running my last 100 4 months earlier. My mileage had stayed lower, around 70/week. My diet had gotten more strict and I was 13 lbs lighter than Arkansas. I had added a very intense leg workout day in the weightroom and cut the upper body weights down to 1 light day/week. I also did a majority of my running on the treadmill and was only able to get on the trail 1 day a week for a long run. I wanted to get 22 hours and beat my Heartland PR of 22:11. All of this stuff was going through my head and I wondered what John must feel like. He was going into an uncharted distance for him, he had gotten lighter and faster the past few months, I knew he was going to do well plus he trains with the best;)

3-2-1 and we were off, I was looking around for Chris Corbin to hopefully run with him for a while but couldn't find him. I didn't want to start off with John, he needed to do his own thing and run his pace, especially at the beginning. Once we got to Highway Aid station a the 4.4 out mark you were able to see everyone else since it was a out and back turnaround. Kyle and Tony were about 15 minutes in front already, which I expected. John was about 6 minutes behind me followed by Chris Corbin, Ben and Gary. I yelled at Chris that I would be looking for him and to hurry up and catch up with me. I planned to run the first loop in 3:30-3:40, somehow I managed a 3:18. Kyle and Tony passed me heading out for the second loop as I was finishing the first and I could tell Kyle was suprised to see me so soon. I had to stop at the bathrooms and take care of some stuff so there were a few minutes wasted, I was out for the second loop at 3:21.

I was hoping to only fall off about 30 minutes from an expected 3:30 first loop so I had some extra time since I was ahead of pace. I started struggling a bit around 30 miles or so and started to get those bad thoughts going through my head. I had really been focusing on just setting a time goal for each aid station and only thinking about that. The whole 100 mile distance is just too overwhelming. Luckily at this point Chris caught up with me and pulled in front for a while. I decided to borrow his legs for a bit and let him pull me around the last 10 or so miles of the loop. He was feeling good and was going to run while he could. We pulled into the aid station with a 3:41 second loop. Carey was there with our Tiff and the others, they said to take it easy this loop since it was getting warm. We took about 3 minutes and were off again for the 3rd round.

We pretty much stayed together this loop. He was leading for the first half and I took the front most of the second half. It was starting to warm up to a very humid 72 and Tiff gave me an ice bandana to keep me cooled off for this stretch. She had been heading out to 2 aid stations from the lodge and start finish area to make sure I had what I needed. I was doing ok, so she was going to hang out at the lodge with the other Crew/Wives which was fine by me. I really started to realize how good of a run I was having at this point. I was over 50 miles in and felt like I had just started. I always hear people say that but it was weird to really feel it.

At one point we passed John on and out and back , he was only 36 minutes behind me, holy crap!!! I had better keep it going or he was going to toast my butt. I knew he was trying to keep up and I was trying to keep ahead. It was actually benefitting both of us. Chris and I pulled into the start/finish for the 3rd time with a 3:40 second loop, 1 minute faster than the 2nd loop. We were at 60 mile which meant we could pick up our pacers here. Mark Stovall had flown down to pace me with Rick, who was pacing John. It was his first time pacing and I knew he was a bit nervous. I didn't see him around though. Him and Rick had went to the previous aid station to see me there but I was already through there, so he was sprinting back to try to get to me before I left.

This was the scheduled long aid station stop. I had to change into dry clothes and get ready for the night run. I realized now that I seriously had a great shot and going under 20 hrs, which I never would have expected. Mark got there as I was getting ready to head out. I told him I hope he had on some good running shoes, he was going to need them. We headed out on the 4th loop with Chris also, his last minute pacer had not shown up yet so I told him he was welcomed to stay with us for as long as he could. I told Mark we needed a 4:20 and 4:40 loop to finish under 20hrs. He said that my sheet I gave him had a 4:50 estimate for this loop, well, that has all changed now.

About 2 miles in, Chris started to fall back a bit. I hated to leave him but I was determined to get this done. I also knew that Rick would be joining John soon and there is nothing more Rick likes to do than get a rabbit to run down, which was me. We put our noses down and hit it pretty hard. I would guess we passed about 15people on that 20 mile loop. Rick and John didn't fall off our pace too much, I guess they were about 40 minutes back. The biggest problem I was having was my toes. I was wearing road shoes and the roots were catching my toes a lot. They were getting very painful and swollen but other than that the feet were fine. I did a faceplant a few times on this loop and was starting to have some problems with my right knee. The up and downs were really painful so I had to sort of do a side step on those portions of the trail. We rolled in with a 4:01 4th loop.

Sarting out the last loop we decided to take it easier and just not to do anything silly to ruin this. Less than 2 miles in I stopped running and looked around. The trail seemed a lot softer than I remembered, we were lost. I wasn't even paying attention to where we were going, I was just following Marks feet, so I should have paid more attention to where we were at since I had already been on this trail 4 loops. We turned around and headed back to where we took a wrong turn. Luckily we only wasted about 10 minutes but now I had to work a little harder. We stayed pretty strong for the entire loop. The only time we saw John and Rick they were about 1 hour back and looking very strong. I saw Kyle and Tony on an out and back section again. Every time I would see them Kyle would say holy crap, you are doing awesome. I was only about 6 miles behind them, which suprised no one more than me.

We got to the last aid station and Mark called Tiff to let her know we were 3 miles out. I jogged up until the last mile or so. There was someone in front of me trying to run and not let me pass them with only 1 mile left. I took off and told Mark we need to get that thought out of his head really quick, which we did. I got to the road crossing just before the finish and got a huge adrenaline rush. I was screaming pretty loud that last stretch. It was an absolutely amazing feeling to finish so much faster than I thought possible. It was great having so many people at the finish line to cheer me in. I finished in 19:33 and some change.

Once we crossed the line I was able to sit down and try to take in the whole atmosphere. Matt grabbed me a beer and I changed into some warm, dry clothes. We sat around for a while and told our war stories until John rolled into the finish at 20:48 for an amazing first 100 finish time.

I had a blast at Rocky Raccoon this year and set a PR by 2 hours and 37 minutes. It was such a great experience to be able to run so well for so long and see friends on the course all day long. My wife, as usual did a stellar job crewing me and was even helping other people aid stations with their feet and blisters. This is a very tough sport to be involved in with a family and kids. It would not be possible without her support. Congrats to all the nerds who went to Rocky this year and thanks to my friend Mark Stovall who flew down to run 40 miles in the dark with me. I think he has gotten bit by the 100 mile bug now too.

Until the next one,.,.,.,.,,.

ROCKy and ROLL

2008-01-31T09:42:00.000-08:00

So tomorrow we finally head for Texas. John, Kyle, myself and our wives will be flying out around 5am to Texas. I cannot believe the weather forcast!! A high temperature of 67 and a low of 53, absolutely perfect!!

Everything has been so busy lately that I haven't even got to pack everything up yet. I haven't been home before 8 for the last couple weeks with practices and stuff. I have never felt so good before a 100 miler before. Everything feels different this time. I guess the lack of high mileage buildup and drastic taper have kept everything normal. There are no aches and pains to worry about which is strange and I have been getting a lot more sleep since I have been substituting lunch runs for early morning runs.

My plan for Rocky is to just go with the flow. I just want to run at whatever pace feels comfortable and not get obsessed with the time. I am going to start out in my road shoes and see how they hold up. This will be the first time flying to a 100 miler so I had to greatly reduce the amount of stuff I usually take. Tiff is going to share a car with John's wife, Stacy, and try to get to both John and I while Kyle's wife is planning on using Ben's Nerdmobile.

Mark Stovall is flying down with Rick Saturday morning to pace me. It will be Marks first time at a 100 or pacing. He has done a 24hr run and a 50 miler as well as a few 50k's so he will be fine.

I hope to take my new mini HD camcorder with me on a few legs of the race if everything goes well and maybe have Mark take it out at night while pacing some. Tiff will be using it at some aid stations so hopefully we can get a few hours worth of footage.

Yesterday I had my bodyfat tesing and final weigh in before the race. My bodyfat was 6.1%. I weighed at 180 lbs after putting in a few slow miles on the treadmill. I was about 194 the week of Traveller, I am curious to see if losing 13 or so lbs will pay off over 100 miles. There is not much elso to lose so I am very happy with my weight loss and I really hope it pays off. John has dropped about 15 lbs and he has definitely improved a lot.

The trail nerds will be well represented at Rocky. Myself, John King, Kyle Amos, Ben Holmes abd Gary Henry are all running as well as a whole bunch of other people I know. I am looking forward to seeing those other crazies who like to do this stuff also.

As far as the kids go...Corbin has won 6 wrestling tournaments in a row, going undefeated since December 8th. Last weekend we travelled to Kirksville and spen the weekend there for a tournament. He got a nice 2ft trophy and we had a good time in the process. Tristans Basketball team is improving but they play in a very competitive league so they are still looking for their first win. We have been having Baseball tryouts for his team and will finalize our roster next week as well as getting everything tolling for COrbins baseball team too.

Have an awesome weekend, hopefully I will have some good news to report next week.

Swell

2008-01-11T13:05:00.000-08:00

The last 2 weeks have been,,,.,,.,..well, swell I guess. I have been sticking to the faithful treadmill during the week and heading outdoors on the weekends. John and I went and played in the mud at Smithville on Saturday for several hours and I got in a nice solo run last Sunday morning, taking advantage of the great weather.

I ordered a pair of Saucony Triumph 5 the other day but shipped them back today for a size 13. I have never went above 12.5 on a road shoe but they felt snug around the toes. I plan on starting off in Roadies at Rocky Raccoon so I want to make sure they are big enough.

I have been hitting the diet pretty hard this week, luckily my OCD helps me to be able to eat the same thing every day and dinner is the only variety. I will wait another 10 days or so and then raise my calories the last week before Rocky. I can definitely tell by my sometimes low energy level that I am operating on a pretty hefty caloric deficit. i am at the lowest weight I have been since ohh,.,,7th grade.
I am still hitting the weights once a week and the legs are getting the brunt of the work there also. Monday I got in 5 sets of 50 with 175lbs on squats which left me sore for a few days.

I have been looking at the splits and trying to figure out a realistic goal to shoot for. I think I have on but we'll see after it's over how close I finish to my predicted time which I will keep to myself. It always looks so easy on paper. The one thing I remember clearly is the cold, damp night weather. I get chills just thinking about it.

Corbin won his wrestling tournament again last weekend. That makes 3 tourneys in a row undefeated. He is still getting very nervous and is in tears before every match. It is mostly from his intense desire to win. We have been talking a lot about just competing and trying your best, how the only real losers are the ones that don't try. It is a very very fine balance at such a young age. He wanted to quit before his second match last weekend but I made him stay even though he was an emotional wreck. After he got his first place medal he gave me a " thanks for not letting me quit Dad, you were right."

I will be stuck inside at another tournament Saturday and Tristan has his first Basketball game that day as well. Sunday I plan to get in a long run at Wyco with Rick and John and then out for some good old Mexican food afterwards!

Have a great weekend!!

FrozenAss FatAss

2008-01-02T13:33:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was possibly the most unpleasant time I have ever had running. Several of us headed up to Wallace State Park for the Cameron Fatt Ass on New Years Day. The race temps were about 13 degrees and there was a nice 20 mph breeze to keep us cool as we plowed through the 6 or so inches of snow for 31 miles. It is a 5 loop course so we had to run by the warm cabin and our cars 4 times which was punishment enough.

I actually called it quits after the 3rd loop and started up Johns truck and enjoyed the heated seats for a while. After getting out of the frozen wet clothes and into some warm dry ones I decided to head back out rather that sit around waiting for him to finish.

I ended up finishing in a snail like 6:45. It was my slowest 50k ever but the most difficult also. I will be losing a few toenails from this one and all of the sliding on the snow. I think there were only 8 finishers of about 30 starters so I am just happy to be one of them. This was also our 2nd 50k in 10 days in the freezing cold and snow, but this one was far worse than last weeks at Wyco. I will post some pics later.

I found this pic the other day of me. This was in June of 04 about 6 months before deciding to try and lose some weight. Notice the large chew in my mouth and the beer in my hand, two staples of my past diet.

I hope everyone had a great New Years. A few of us got together at Johns New Years Eve and just hung out and ate a bunch of food and played some games although I did have a few beers also. Today the gym was loaded up with the New Years resolution crowd, in a few weeks it will be back to normal again I am sure. I am not real big on New Years resolutions although I hope to have more patience, be a bit less selfish(except for running) and be a better father and husband too.

Only 31 days until Rocky Raccoon and another 100 mile adventure. Hopefully It will be decent weather and I Can avoid the mental pitfalls of the 5 loop course. I do not like loop courses. It is just too convenient to quit.

Merry Christmas

2007-12-24T08:10:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe it is already Christmas Eve!!! Today I am hoping to leave work early and get home to get the kids to my Grandma's for Christmas Eve then over to my aunts where we will meet up with Tiff when she gets off work and do some gift exchanging.

The past weeks have mostly been filled with shopping and Christmas prep stuff. Yesterday we went to visit my sons friend Lake in the Hospital. Lake was on our football team and played next to Corbin on the D line. His family was in a terrible car accident just before Thanksgiving. He has very severe head injuries and is going to be in the hospital for many months. I really enjoyed seeing him and his family. Corbin took his 1st place medal for wrestling to him and Lake thought that was cool. He has very little ability to move and cannot speak but his smile can light up the room. It was very emotional and we were on the brink of tears for most of the visit. Enjoy the time with your families this season and don't take them for granted. We also went to the Plaza to check out the Christmas lights, eat some seafood and take a carriage ride.

Corbin has took first place in the last 2 wrestling tournaments. He has really faced some tough competition and is realizing how difficult it really is. There have been many tears shed during his matches, he gets so revved up that he starts crying when it gets intense.

I have been still getting in a decent amount of treadmill miles and a few on the trails also. Last weekend we got in a 50k training run at Wyco, it was snowing and about 20 degrees but we still finished 3 very cold and wet loops. My weight has been slowly decreasing and my speed slowly increasing. It has been rough with all of the parties to stay on track but I am trying.

I am really curious how all of the treadmill miles will play out at Rocky in 40 days. I definitely feel faster but that may just be from spending so much time indoors. I received an early present by winning a free entry to Rocky Raccoon last week. Joe Prusiatis the RD, gave 1 comp entry to the Kansas UltraRunners Society and I was the lucky recipient. It will definitely help since I went way overboard on spending this year!!

New Years Day we are heading to the Cameron 50k Fat Ass. I should get a good gauge on whether the faster treadmill running has been positive or negative then. Have a Safe and Happy week. See ya next Year!!

Slackin

2007-12-13T13:51:00.000-08:00

A Few Christmas Pics

Man it has been a while since I posted last. I will give a quick run down.

I ended up dropping at Nathaniels Run after 2 hours. I just didn't feel like running around in a circle all night long in the cold.

Rick and I ran Dude Where's the trail 50k and finished 2nd and 3rd my about 1 minute after catching the leader and then gettting lost with 3/4 mile left for 10 minutes.

I have been doing a lot of treadmill running lately, it has helped me in picking up the pace and also has been a lot easier than those cold dark morning runs. Overall my body feels great. Nothing hurts and I can actually walk normal in the morning. I have been eating super clean and am really concentrating on dropping some weight, so far so good.

Corbin has been kickin butt in wrestling. he has taken 2nd in his first 2 wrestling tournaments and has been going against kids who have already been wrestling a year or 2.His third tournament is this Sunday. I predict 1st place this time.

I have been spending way too much on Christmas but I always do. We bought ourselves a nice lcd tv and an HD pocket size camcorder while out shopping for others already.

Saturday we are trying for a 50k trainer at Wyco in the Ice/Mud. It is supposed to snow friday night into Saturday so it should be fun!!

Long night ahead

2007-11-16T07:19:00.000-08:00

I signed up 2 days ago for Nathaniels Run which takes place tonight in Shawnee Mission Park. It is a timed event on a 1.6 mile trail loop. We start at 6:00 pm tonight and will run until 6 AM for the 12 hour portion. There is also a 6 and 24hour event too. John is running also so hopefully we can help keep each other awake through the night. It is going to be mighty cold out tonight with temps
in the 30's, which at night feels a lot colder than it really is. I don't really have a mileage goal, just goin out to have some fun. I bought some new CW-X expert insulated tights for winter running so I should have a chance to try then out tonight. Unfortunately Tiff works all weekend so I will have to be up all day with the kids afterwards.

Saturday night is the Christmas tree lighting in Kearney. Tristan is singing for it so after being up for 36 hours I will get to go back out in the cold for that Saturday night. Sunday I am going up to Cameron to get my coaches certification completed for wrestling. Once I get through all of that it will be a relaxing week. I am off work next week and look forward to hanging out at home and eating a lot of wonderful food.

Last weekend was the Vets Day 4 miler at Wyco. I really had a bad day out there. Everything just seemed much harder than it should have been. It was still a blast but I just had a rough time. We ran before and after the race also to get in more miles although I had to cut out a bit early since I was called into work and struggling with the running anyways.

Unless I recover very well and quickly, this will be my last long race for the year. Dude, Where's the trail is next weekend, which I would like to do, but I will just wait to see how I feel. We are planning on a 30 to 40 mile training run in December sometime and then the Cameron Fatt Ass Jan 1. Have a great weekend!!

New Month

2007-11-01T08:47:00.000-07:00

Today starts a new month. October was my lowest milage run of the month, mostly due to Traveller and also not pushing it too much on the recovery process. It has been pretty chilly the past few mornings, time to dust off the winter gear. I am glad the time change is coming this weekend. It will suck getting dark so early but at least there will be some light for the early morning runs.

I has been nice not to spend so much time running, I have actually been home most of the past few weekends and not falling asleep during the day from getting up and running so early every morning. I am still not sure what is next on the ultra calendar. I am just taking it day by day for now.

John and Rick are heading out for the Wilderness Run this weekend. It is 5 mile cross country style run. This is the second weekend I have had to miss out on a race due to football games. They both did very well in the 25k last weekend at Rock Creek. Congrats to Mr. Wakefield for taking first in the 50k.

The boys are going into the last week of football season, I think they are both ready for a change. Corbin led his team in sacks and tackles as the youngest one on the team. He is going to be fun to watch next year still in the same division. Tristan will be starting basketball practice soon. He is playing on a more competitive team this year which will be good for him, basketball is his favorite sport. Corbin is going to give wrestling a try. I am taking him over to practice Monday to see how he likes it.

Some people think that that may be too much for a 6 and 9 year old to be involved in but I really think it is great for them. When I was little we used to be able and go play sports with our friends outside and go play army in the woods. All of their friends just watch TV and play video games inside and the best way to keep them active is to keep them involved in sports. I refuse to let them grow up being couch potatoes like these kids!!!!

We had a hard night of trick or treating last night. Tristan was a Vampire, Corbin was a Ninja and Ella a chicken. It got a little chilly but they really had a blast. Both John and I showed up at Ricks at the same time with our trick or treaters and cleaned out his candy stash at the end of the night. Unfortunately I will end up eating more of it than the kids will.

If you get a chance, check out these photos of the Appalachian Trail and many ultra courses. They are some amazing photos.

Falling

2007-10-23T07:54:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Rick and I went out to Kill Creek Park in Olathe for the Fall fell 7 mile race. As usual it was a blast. It felt really good to get out on the trails again. I took it pretty easy and just tried to enjoy myself and not get passed by too many people in the process. It was a windy,cool day. One of those days perfect for just standing in the woods, closing your eyes and listening to the wind throught the trees. Rick, Shane, Sarah and I ran after the race to help take down the course markings and water drop supplies. Running with a couple of 5 gallon buckets is a lot harder than you may think.

Looks like I am headed back out to the football fields this Saturday. Corbins team is playing the #1 seed, the winner advances to the Truman Bowl, which is their superbowl. Tristans team is playing also, although they have been eliminated from the playoffs.

Everyone else will be running in the Rock Creek 25/50k Saturday. I wish I could go but there is no way possible. I am also on call for work all weekend which really sucks too. Perhaps I can still try to get in a decent run Sunday.

Recovery is going well from the 100. I still have some foot pains and the left shin is not back to normal but overall everything is pretty good. I am taking a different approach to training which is going well so far. Less is more hopefully. Less time running , less time lifting upper body, more time on leg workouts and core strength.

I only have one today, I am not sure about tomorrow. At the end of the day I will be better than I was yesterday.

Change of Pace

2007-10-15T10:22:00.000-07:00

2006 Heartland Buckle

Heartland 100 was this weekend. Being my first 100 it will always be a special race to me. I am still waiting for some official results. I wish I could have been there to volunteer but I need to spend some weekends at home for a while. We had to go buy Ella a new bed this weekend, she starting climbing out of her crib and flipping over to the floor every night. When we were leaving the store I told Tiff I could have went and ran a 100 mile race for the amount of money that bed cost. All monetary value is now based on 100 miles. Sunday we went to the Pumpkin Patch. Rick Kristi and Adrian went along too and we all found some nice overpriced pumpkins to cut up for Halloween.

The past week has been pretty relaxing for me. I spent a lot of time thinking about a few changes I would like to make in training. I went through a lot of ibuprofen and Ice packs but things are coming along nicely. I got in 2 leg workouts last week and a lot of time on the eliptical and bike.

My left shin is getting closer to its normal size and I have been able to get in a few short runs the past 2 days. Unfortunately the pain in my right foot is still there after all the swelling went down but we'll see how long it lasts.

I haven't had the normal post race blues this time around. I think mostly because I needed a break from the races. I have noticed a big difference in the way I feel the past couple days though. I am starting to get that strong urge to run again. I am satisfied with the way Traveller turned out. I had a bad day but made it through until the end.

The boys have football playoff games this weekend. If they lose, they are done. Hopefully we can win a few and keep the season going a bit longer. This weekend is the KC Marathon (Sat)and the Fall Fell 7 mile trail run (Sun). I may try to get out for the race on Sunday if everything works out.

Arkansas Traveller 100 Report

2007-10-08T09:22:00.000-07:00

Friday morning Tiff and I picked up Rick Mayo at 5 a.m. and headed south to Arkansas for the Traveller 100. The only thing I was sure of was that it was going to be hot and humid on race day.
We checked into our hotel in Morrilton, about 30 minutes north of the start/finish line and then headed for the prerace weigh in and meeting. We were already getting sweaty from just being in the tent a few minutes and recorded my weight of 190. I had held off on eating any lunch until after the weigh in, I sweat a lot and wanted to be as light as I could to help avoid any issues during the race. There were 3 weigh in locations throughout the race at which you could be pulled if your weight loss was more than 7%.

After the prerace meeting we went to Walmart and grabbed a few things, on the way back to the hotel we passed a wreck where a car had taken out power line pole and had a few problems getting back to the hotel. We were waiting to go meet Carey Smith, his dad, and his pacer Andrew when everything in the hotel room shut off. The power was out due to the to car accident so now the whole town was without power and we were stuck driving to Conway, AR to eat dinner.
After eating way too much at Ryans we headed back to get some sleep. We had decided I would drive us to the start in the morning so Tiff could sleep in and ride over later with Carey's dad and Andrew.
We arrived about 5:30 for the start and waited around to get going. There was a loud boom and we all hit the road for the first few miles on pavement. Rick myself and Carey started out together. The first 11 miles we pretty much ran everything, which was really Rick's doing, Carey and I just followed along. It took only about 10 minutes before I was soaked with sweat. My plan was to take 2 Scaps and 1 Ecap every 45 minutes which may sound like a lot but it really isn't for me. After leaving Flatside aidstation we hopped on the Quachita trail for 8 miles. The trail was very beautiful but very technical. I caught my right foot in between 2 rocks and really aggravated my foot injury which had kept me from running the past few weeks. I was trying to take all the hard landings on the left foot and was really favoring it on every stride. I could see the aid station up ahead. At the entrance to the Sylvia aid station there was a high school cheerleading squad cheering us in which I had never seen in an ultra and it was pretty uplifting. Tiff swapped out my bottles and I was out quickly along with Carey. Rick was a few minutes ahead.

The next 8 miles I kept running the flats and downs, walking the hills. I was really surprised at how many hills there were. It was just a constant barrage of up and down. The course was in charge and I could only do what it would let me. There weren't many flat sections, it was either up or down. After Electronic Aid station I missed a turn and went up to the power station building, circled around it a few times and then realized that I was not on course. Luckily I had only gone a few hundred yards of course. I was now starting to have some problems running. My legs were getting tired and the temps and humidity were getting to me. I was getting a lot if intermittent cramping and stomach issues and was trying to get enough Electrolytes to get through it. I was emptying my water bottles before every aid station to ensure I was drinking enough.

The next crew aid station was Lake Winona, I had been really struggling for a long time now and my left leg was really shot from overcompensating for the injured right foot. My wife could tell I was really having a bad time. She got me reloaded really quickly and kept me from losing hope. I knew what she was going to say before she said it. " This is your bad time, just keep moving, it will get better". I was getting worried because it was almost 1p.m. and I was only 32 miles in. Rick was staying steady and was about 45 minutes ahead of me. The next crew access point was Power Line, where pacers can start also.
The climbs started getting worse, which meant Smith Mountain was approaching. Carey was now a bit behind me, he was battling the stomach demons, I knew he wouldn't drop, he told me so earlier, I just hope he could keep enough down to make it through the weigh ins. I was now relegated to a limping, hunchback like walk, my right leg which was the bad one going in, was now dragging the left one along. I was in a lot of pain and trying to avoid the Ibuprofen since I might need my kidneys later. The next 16 miles were complete hell. I guess I was passed by at least 30 people. One after the other they kept passing me, asking if I was ok, if I needed help. I could not run, not even the downhill portions. I kept eating at the aid station and trying to do everything I should. I just hobbled along forever. Every step just got harder. I started to weigh my best course of action now. My head was fine, my body was failing though. The pain in my left quad and shin was extremely bad. How long will I be out if I keep pushing it on this bad leg? Do I really want to be out here hobbling along all night just trying to beat a cutoff time? In the last few miles before the powerline aid station I had couple people say to just keep going, the aid station is just ahead, you can drop there. Now I knew I was pretty bad since other people were telling me how far was left until I could drop.

As I approached the turn to head into Powerline Aid Station there was a man in a yellow shirt at the top of the hill. I told him I didn't even see him pass me, and was glad he was feeling better. I thought it was Carey but it was actually the race doctor. He asked if I was ok, I told him that I really wasn't seeing things, he just had the same colored shirt on as Carey. The doc said he was more concerned about my leg than my head. I told him it hurt like hell but it was still attached so I guess it's ok. As I approached the aid station I had all of the questions answered indicating I should drop, except one. Am I prepared to go home and tell my kids that I quit? NO.

As I approached the aid station my pacer John King, and Rick's pacer Mike Prentice accomanied me in. I sat down and put on different socks and shoes. John wasn't planning on pacing me yet unless I was in bad shape, and I was. It was 5:45 and had taken me almost 5 hours to go 16 miles, you do the math. John grabbed his stuff, I told him I couldn't run and barely walk and I needed some company. This was his first time pacing and being at 100 miler. We left the aid station and started to walk for a bit. I knew he was willing to do whatever I needed to finish and it was a great boost to have him along with me. I decided to try and jog a bit and it started to not hurt quite as bad.

I started to get the negative thoughts out of my head. I told John how frustrating it was having so many people passing me and how I was sick of being asked if I was ok. We reached the 50 mile mark at 6:20 pm, 12 hours and 20 minutes for 50 miles was not good but reaching 50 is a big deal for me, it meant I just have to get back to where I started. Before I knew it I was running again. The best way to motivate me is to piss me off, and now all of those thoughts were pissing me off. I told John I was going to catch every one of those people that passed me earlier and make sure they didn't have to ask if I was ok either.

We ran to Chile Pepper aid station and got to see Stuart and Deb Johnson and Paul Schoenlaub. They were a great help and were very positive to be around. I was having a few dry heave and stomach problems and they gave John some tips on helping me out throughout the night. For the next 30 miles we ran strong. At every aid station we came to John would get what I needed and have me out of the aid station within a minute. When we got close to Rocky Gap we lost the course markings. There were no glow sticks, ribbons or anything to indicate where to go. This had also happened about 10 miles back but I knew we were supposed to stay on gravel from the course map and description I had been carrying with me. We weren't sure what to do now, I just sat down on a rock and John ran back for a bit to see if there was a marking we missed. After a while we decided to just continue on and eventually ran into a course marking just before the aid station. We told the volunteers and they got the message to send someone out to fix the vandalized markers.

We were making such good time that I started thinking I might have a chance at pulling off a negative split and still coming in under 24hours. Then my left leg told me otherwise. I was having a lot of lower leg pain, I stopped to look at my left shin and there were some purple knots on it, like it was bleeding inside and then swelling. It was agonizing to put any weight on it at all. Every mile or so I would look at it and it was just growing in size. I was basically reduced to a shuffle/hop for the last 13 miles. I grew very tired and was having trouble moving so slowly and staying awake. We saw lots of tarantulas, copperheads, frogs and bats while shuffling, John kept me moving as best as we could. Carey passed me with 8 miles left and was moving well. That was the first time I have been passed at night in a 100, but there was nothing I could do. Carey was running strong and I was reduced to a hop. The next day his pacer Andrew said I looked like a big pogo stick out there when they passed me.
Finally about 7 AM we came to the finish line. We ran very strong all night long but unfortunately I couldn't keep it going for the last 13 miles. The beautiful music played over the speakers as we crossed the finish line just over 25 hours. "Congratulations, you have just finished the Arkansas Traveller 100" was announced and the job was finally done. Rick, Mike, Tiff, John's wife Stacy and others cheered us in and we all sat down and told our stories and compared battle wounds. A few people looked at my leg but no one had seen anything like it so I was pretty proud of that. Rick had a big gash on his head from head butting a rock while crossing some water a few miles before the finish. Rick finished in 23:33 and Carey in 24:35.

The Arkansas Traveller 100 had a high temperature of 90 degrees with 87% humidity. There were 140 starters and only 66 finishers. The most entrants ever and the lowest finishing percentage ever also. The awards ceremony was a lot less crowded than the pre race meeting. Crissy Ferguson's first and last comments at the awards ceremony were the same. If you finished this race, you are an animal.

I was more satisfied with this finish than I would have thought for not going under 24 hours, mainly because of all the struggles throughout the day. I was reduced to a hobble for the last 13 miles and was still only 20 minutes slower the last 50 miles than the first 50 miles. The night was strong, with the help of my pacer John, I was able to pass about 25 people the second half of the race.Yesterday driving home I told Rick and Tiff that I wouldn't try this race again. Today, I think I could go under 24 next time.

Bad Vibes

2007-10-01T10:48:00.000-07:00

It has been a couple weeks since I have posted, mostly because I didn't have much positive to say. My right foot has been really acting up since Tulsa. I got in a decent week 2 weeks ago but have only ran once since last Monday. I am trying to lay off it until Traveller and just hope for the best.

It is very discouraging to have worked so hard building up to a race and then have an injury put everthing in question. I was trying to decide all week whether or not to even go to Arkansas, but I have already paid the money and have the time off work so I might as well give it a go. Hopefully it will loosen up once I get going, if not it may be a really short, or a really long 100 miles.

Rick is riding down with Tiff and I Friday, we will probably leave around 5:30 or so. Hopefully I can hang close enough to him during the race so that Tiff can help crew for him also, since Kristi is not making the trip. John, his wife Stacy, and Mike are all coming down Saturday. This will be John and Mikes first experience pacing and being at a 100 miler. I hope it all goes well for them too, especially since John is planning on Rocky Raccoon as his first 100 miler in Feburary.

The boys both lost their football games this weekend. Things went really bad in both games, hopefully the results will be better next week. if you have any positive vibes, please send them my way as I can any positive energy I can get.

I may try to get a cortizone shot if my foot doesn't feel much better by Wednesday if the Dr. will give one to me. I am stll not sure if it is some type of tendonitis or possibly a stress fracture. Time will tell.

Kyle Amos won Flatrock 50k this weekend. One of these years I am going to make it out for that race, the fall just has too many race options to fit them all in. Jurek once again reigned supreme at the Spartathalon. Absolutely amazing. Have a great week and hopefully I will have some positive news to report from Traveller this weekend.

Tulsa 50k

2007-09-17T11:05:00.000-07:00

Missouri Boys before the race

Saturday after Corbin's football game John and I headed to Tulsa for the Turkey and Taturs 50k. I was looking forward to running again in Tulsa and seeing some people I haven't seen in a while. Rick Mayo was also heading down for the race and Carey Smith was staying in my room along with John. I had already got in 65 miles during the week and was just using this as a good training run for Traveller. Rick had tapered for the race and was planning on giving a good effort, John was not sure about his pending results since he had just completed his first 50 miler in Des Moines with me 2 weeks earlier.

Nerd Boxes

We had pretty good weather for the race it was about 68 when we arrived at the start. They started the race with an exploding potato and all 3 distances took off together. It was really tough the first few miles. I started way to far back and got stuck on single track behind a lot of people who seemed to slow to a walk whenever the trail was technical at all. After about 2 14 minute miles I was able to get away from most of the slow train of people and run a bit easier.
Carey and Rick were far ahead by now so I just settled into a comfortable pace and took it easy for the first 15.5 mile loop. I remember the course being rocky and very technical but it was even worse than I had remembered. I decided to try and get under 2:45 for the first loop and hopefully come close to the same time for the second loop also. It started warming up pretty quickly and I soon was dripping from head to toe. The course had a few really long and steep hills which were mostly out in the open but other than that it was mainly extremely rocky terrain with short ups and downs. I finished the first loop in 2:43 and grabbed my Ipod and fresh bottles at the turnaround.

Our second loop was in the opposite direction so I had a good idea how close the runners in front and back of me were. Carey and Rick were about 1 1/2 miles in front of me and John was about 1 mile behind me at the turnaround. There were several runner within 1/2 mile of me who I was pretty sure I could catch on the second loop.
I kept about the same pace for the second loop and passed a few people in the process. I fell behind on my S Caps but I didnt want to stop to dig them out so I just kept going. I cramped up pretty bad the last few miles but was still able to finish in 5:31, about 5 minutes faster than last year.

Rick ended up winning the race!! There were 2 runners who finished ahead of him but they both went off course so they were DQ'd. Rick may have a broken finger from a fall on the first loop but was still able to put down an awesome time. Kevin Dorsey took second and Carey Smith took 3rd place.
The first place female was also DQ'd, she had someone pacing her at the end. I guess she was really dehydrated and was falling down and her pacer was helping her stay on the trail. She was screaming with cramps at the start/finish and had to be taken away by ambulance. John finished in 6:11 and did very well only 2 weeks after his first 50 miler. After the race I hung out and talked to a lot of people who are heading to Traveller Oct 6th. Myself, Rick, Carey, Kevin Dorsey, Mike Samuelson and Tom Brennan, last years winner, are all heading down for the race.

I am really getting excited about Traveller since there are no other races left before it. I have trained extremely hard the last several months and put in a lot of miles before other races just to build up my endurance for my next 100. I am ready to run this race more than any other race I have done. I am looking forward to having so many other people I know running and hopefully I will have the opportunity to run with them for a while. I feel I am prepared physically and mentally for this next challenge.

Today I feel like absolute ass. All 3 kids have strep throat and I am afraid I do too. My throat is killing me and I have been sneezing and shivering all day. I am trying to stick it out at work and hopefully will feel a bit better tomorrow. I was able to get in some weights and 6 miles at lunch but really should have taken a nap instead. Have an awesome week and live it while you can.

Next stop.... Tulsa

2007-09-12T12:58:00.000-07:00

Last week was pretty rough, I had to work a lot and was not able to get in many morning runs. I only got in 50 miles but I was also still in a slight recovery mode from the Northface 50. I am not leaving for Tulsa until Saturday afternoon after Corbin's football game. John and I are driving down and Carey Smith is crashing in our room also. I am not tapering at all for this race, just using it as another long run for Traveller. I would rather get in a lot of miles this week than do well in the race.
Last year we had a good time at Tulsa and I axpect Brian Hoover and the Taturs to put on another excellent event. It will be a short trip since we are planning on coming back right after the race. I haven't put much thought into Traveller 100 yet, I will need to get started on all of that soon, hopefully next week. Not much interesting this past week, be safe and run strong.

North Face 50 mile

2007-09-05T12:08:00.000-07:00

Last Friday I made the trip up to Des Moines, Iowa for the North Face 50 mile endurance challenge. Mark Stovall, myself and John King headed out from the Hotel friday to go see the course since we had not much idea of what we were getting into. Once we got to the Park entrance I could definitely tell this race had some money behind it. There were about 20 North Face tents, portable Ice coolers, Lighting systems, and banners and signs everywhere. We spent the next few hours following the course map, looking for markers to follow the next day. It was clear after we finished scouting the course that we were in for a lot of pavement running the following day, about 43 miles of the 50 was on pavement.
The race started at 5:00 which meant at 3:15 we were up and getting ready for the day. Kyle Amos, Josh Pool, John King, Mark Stovall and myself rode to the start finish together arriving about 30 minutes before the start. I met Brad Holzworth who started Running for recovery, a group which I recently became a member of. We chatted for a few minutes then before long it was time to get going.

My goal was to just run steady and finish under 9 hours. I wasn't planning on running too hard, just keep moving and get in some long miles towards Arkansas Traveller. The first few miles were mostly in grass about 8 inches long mowed along the edge of a field along side a gravel road. It was required to have a light for the start since the sun wouldn't be up for over 1 hour, so the long grass was foot soaking at the beginning.

The run was pretty uneventful for the most part. I just kept pounding away the miles. We did run over some pretty wooden bridges on a few of the paved trail portions and there was also a street bridge over 1 mile long we had to run over. The police were on site all day there to keep one of the 2 lanes closed for the race which made it a lot safer. I ended up finishing in 8:14 which I was okay with.

The best part was to see John and Mark both complete their first 50 miler successfully. John finished in 9:13 and Mark in 9:23. I think this was a great race for them to get their first 50 miler. The pavement sucked but there are not too many easier 50 milers around than this one to get started on.

Overall the race was excellent, the aid stations were no more than 4 miles apart and very well stocked. Most of the volunteers had no prior ultra experience but seemed to catch on quickly as to what worked well. There was tons of food and several booths set up at the finish, along with Ice bath tubs and free massages. Dean Karnazes ran the half marathon and was around hte finish for most of the afternoon. He gave a short speech and handed out the awards to the various winners.
He was very friendly and easy to talk to. I know everyone has varied opinions on him but he really impressed me. I asked him about the Tour De Mount Blanc last weekend he ran in and he really went into a lot of detail about the race and how much different the European races are. I was really amazed by the way he looked. I knew he was cut, but seeing him in person was different. It really inspired me to get my diet back to the way it was when I started running, which I have started doing since that day.

All of the participants got a North Face shirt, visor and water bottle along with some bottles of accelerade and misc stuff in the goody bags. After the race the RD said there was a bunch of water and accelerade that they had left if we wanted to take any. Somehow John and I ended up bringing home 9 cases of water in sports bottles. 12 boxes of granola bars, 25 cases of accelerade and 6 cases of accel-gel, so we should be well stocked for a while even after giving some of that to Rick. Luckily John's Father in Law had his truck at the race to bring it all back home.

My family spent the next few days in Des moines and relaxed. We stopped back by the store where packet pickup was to do some shopping. I ended up buying a pair of Vasque and Keens for myself, shoes for all the kids and several North Face and Patagonia kids items for really cheap since they were on clearance half off and we got a 20% of coupon from the race also.

I have been out on a few short runs the last 2 days trying to let myself fully recover while still getting in the miles too. Only 11 days until the Turkey and Taturs 50k, so I can't lay off too much. I am starting to get that excitement building knowing that there is a 100 miler coming up soon. Soon the excitement will change to nervousness but that is a few weeks away.

Northface 50 miler up next

2007-08-28T08:05:00.000-07:00

I am heading up to Iowa on Friday for the Northface 50. I will be riding up with Mark Stovall from Blue Springs, John King, Kyle Amos and Josh Pool are aso making the trip us from KC for the 50 miler. The race starts at 5AM Saturday, we will have to start with headlamps for the first hour or so. The course is mostly paved as far as I can tell. We plan on trying to check out most of it Friday afternoon to see what we are in for. It will be interesting to see how the race is ran by the big north face boys. They are supposed to have handheld bottle filled with accelerade available at all of the aid stations. Tiff and the kids are coming up Saturday Afternoon and we are all staying up there thru Monday to relax and goof off.

Sunday is My Bday, I turn the 35, I figure after that day I am closer to 40 than 30, not a pleasant thought. What better way to finish of the first half of the 30's than to spend the whole day running, I couldn't think of anything more fitting.

My shin is feeling completely better now. I am sure the couple light weeks helped to recover from several other things also. I really feel soooo much better now that I am running full speed again. The day just feels sluggish if I don't run. I have been able to get in 55 the last 5 days, I plan on running about 6 tommorrow then lay off until Saturday.

Thursday we took Corbins football team to the Chiefs game, we got to go out on the field while all the players were doing the pregame warmups. It was a blast even though the game sucked.

Last weekend was the boys first regular season football games. Tristans team lost by an extra point. He played really well and is starting to find his spot on the D line. They have a solid team and are going to get much better.
Corbins team won 45 to 0, the game was about as one sided as it gets, the other team had one play for 12 yards, everything else were losses. Corbin led the team with 6 tackles for a loss and 3 sacks. We had 361 yards rushing in a 50 minute running clock game. Here are a few clips from the 2nd half.

I got up a little early to watch the Lunar eclipse before running this morning. It was really cool. I went out by the woods behind the house to see it in complete darkness which was even better.

Have a wonderful week and I will post a report after returning from Iowa.

Another Week Gone

2007-08-20T08:10:00.000-07:00

I managed to make it through this week fairly well considering my running was cut way back to a injury w/ my shin. I put in about 8 hours on the bike and elliptical at the gym, which I really hate doing. I got in 3 miles on Thursday, 12 on Friday and 26 on Sunday. It was kind of nice not running so much, Friday I ran my fastest 12 miles ever I think, guess a few days of rest isn't so bad after all.

Sunday Rick and I went to Wyco, we ran for an hour in the dark and then a 15 mile loop. It was absolutely miserable out there. I bet I got bit 25 times by horseflies the size of quarters, not to mention the insane humidity in there. I drank 10 water bottles while running for about 4 1/2 hrs out there and was still slightly dehydrated. I was really struggling on the run, I am not sure if it was the weather or what. My legs were sore some this week from the 8 hours of cycling/ elliptical so maybe that was part of it too. After I got home I did another 6 on the treadmill to finish off the day.
I plan on getting only 50-65 this week since the North Face 50 mile is less than 2 weeks away. After that I will see how I feel.

The boys started school today, they are both really excited about it. Corbin woke up early and couldn't even eat his chocolate chip pancakes Tiff made for breakfast, he is ready to finally be in Kindergarten. The boys have both grown up sooo much this summer, Tristan has shot up several inches the last few months and Corbin looks much older than he is now. It was sad to see him go off to school. I have been sitting at work thinking we should have done more with the time we had this summer with everyone home. It just goes by so quickly, sometimes I wish I had a pause button. I hope Ella adjusts to being at home without her brothers. She has always had at least one of them at home with her all of the time to play with.

Both boys had practice football games this weekend. They each did a great job. Tristan's team lost, but played pretty well. He has been moving around between a lot of positions and is still trying to get his spot figured out. He made some solid blocks and was open on pass routes several times but never had the ball thrown his way. Corbin's team, which I Asst coach for, completely dominated their game. They never took more than 2 plays on offense to score a touchdown. The other team only had 2 plays the entire game which gained any yardage. Corbin made several tackles and had 1 solo sack and was in on a couple others, he also blocked extremely well on offense, usually picking up an extra block after his man was taken care of. I stayed at the fields most of the day watching other Kearney teams play. There are not too many things I enjoy more than watching football all day long.

Take advantage of today, tomorrow it will be gone.

Heat Schmeat!!!

2007-08-13T06:58:00.000-07:00

John and Me

There has been a heat advisory the past few days in the Area which has created less than ideal running conditions. We had a long run planned for Sunday which meant we had no choice but to suck it up, heat and all. Rick planned out our route and he put out 2 water drops along with the 1 I was reponsible for. We also used the fitness center as a water stop, so in all we had 6 stations set up to refuel on the way. Rick, John and I all set out about 6AM while the temps were a cool 82 degrees. Our route was 2 out and backs, 1 to Liberty hospital and back and 1 to Holt and back, mostly consisting of gravel roads. John was having stomach issues and had to stop about 24 miles in. Rick and I ended up putting in 34 miles with the temp at 100 when we finished a little after noon. It was a good hot run although my left shin is really hurting today so I am gonna take aday or 2 off until it feels better.

Friday night was the Psycho Night 10k+ a little extra. It was really hot and muggy and the trail had a few shoe sucking mudholes scattered throughout. It was an out back course, running out through the triangle and back. I started out as planned, staying conservative the first 4 miles, knowing the 2.5 back from the traingle was a lot of downhills with good rocky sections. I planned on going all out the back section since I had been running that portion really hard on the training runs. Shortly after coming out of the triangle section I passed my wife who was on her way into the triangle. She grabbed my flashlight from me and said she needed it. It was her first trail race and first time ever running in the dark also. I just kept running, not even realizing she was trying to give me my headlamp she was wearing. So now I was at the fastest part of the course, it was pitch dark and I had no light. I stumbled my way through the last 2.5 miles, rolling my ankles several times and wandering off the trail now and then until I would run into a bush or something to let me know I was off course. I had a few people get close behind me and I would try to use their light until they would get a bit too close and I would pick it up so they wouldn't pass me. I ended up in 10th place, about 4 minutes slower than I was hoping for with a light. Once John finished we went back in a little over a mile to find out wives and run them the rest of the way in. We also grabbed all the signs and cones we could to help clear the course. It was a good time out there, I really enjoy running at night, but it is definitely much easier with a light.

clearing the course

Kyle enjoying an Icee

The boys are suffering well through football, we have to keep a close eye on them with the horrid temperatures that are experiencing. Lots of water breaks and ice cold towels. 3 boys from the high school team were taken to the hospital last week with heat related problems. Both of their teams have practice games this weekend so we will see how they do then.

I ended up with 103 miles last week, which makes 4 weeks in a row over 100 miles. Good Stuff. 3 weeks till the North Face 50 mile, 5 till Tulsa 50k and 8 until Traveller. Mike Prentice is moving back to Kearney after living up the Cali life for a year or 2, I ran my first trail 50k at Psycho Wyco with him last Feburary. It will be good to have him back around to get in some good training runs with. He is going to go to Arkansas Traveller along with John to pace for Rick and I. Our little town of Kearney will now be the home of 4 ultra runners, not bad for a little MO town of 6000 people.

SUFFER WELL

2007-08-06T13:18:00.000-07:00

Not only is Suffer Well a great song by Depeche Mode, they are also the words to live by lately. Every run seems to bring suffering in this horrid heat and humidity. I racked up another solid week at 101 miles which makes 3 weeks over 100. My longest was only 20 but I was able to get in some decent quality miles too.

I have been hitting the gym every day the past few weeks at lunch, usually doing a few light weights then 40-60 min on the dreadmill. I have started the core stuff again since the "sports hernia" has been non existent for quite some time now. It started up last summer an plagued me for almost a year but eliminating leg and ab workouts seem to have allowed it to heal.

I plan on hitting 100 again this week and ended up with finishing off with about 30 miles on Sunday. I have ran every day since June 30th, not on purpose but I just haven't had a reason to not run other than being a little tired now and then Friday night is the Psycho Night 10(really 11)k. Not sure if I am running or not. Tiff is going to run in it and is also doing the Race for a Cure 5k on Sunday with a friend. She and Kristi Mayo went out to Wyco last week and ran the 10k night course so she is aware what she is getting into.

The boys have been sweating their butts off at football practice. I am really proud of them for working so hard. We have started taking ice water and towels to cool them off during their break times. So far coaching has went well, we start in Full pads Tuesday so that will be a real joy in this heat.

Carey Smith is headed to Mt. Whitney this week to summit and I am sure he will have a blast. I am looking forward to seeing his pics and hearing the details when he gets back.
Suffer Well.

2007-07-31T08:21:00.000-07:00

This is Ella's favorite song, every time it is on her face lights up and she loves to sing along. It makes me smile every time I hear it now.

A lot of trail nerds were off running in races this weekend. Bad Ben was doing Olga's PCT 50/50 and Gary and Greg were up in Minnesota for the Voyager 50 mile. Everyone finished their respective races and I am looking forward to reading some race reports.

There were some new records set at Badwater this year. Personally I am most impressed my David Goggins, that dude can run for someone that is built like a tank. It is good to see a bigger runner doing well. He placed 3rd overall, mighty impressive.

Everything kicks into high gear this week. Fall baseball and both Pop Warner teams start practice, so betweeen the 2 boys we have 7 football practices and 2 baseball practices this week.

Corbin's Bday is Sunday, he is turing six. He got his first loose tooth a few days ago and was really excited about that. He finally gave in and let me cut his hair this weekend, now I have to work on his long haired brother.

I got in another 105 mile week this week, pretty uneventful really. Tiff and I went to Smithville on the trails Saturday, she is probably going to do the Psycho night 10k next week. Sunday Rick and I went to Wyco for the group run. We did a 5 mile hill out and back before the group run. Kevin Guest is the only other one to show up for the group run though, luckily there were hundreds of horseflies out on the trail to keep us company. I am just concentrating on building miles right now, I have about 6 weeks of good running before cutting back before Arkansas Traveller. I still have not decided on whether to taper for the North Face 50 mile or the Tulsa 50k at all. I will just see how it goes, they are really just long training runs for Traveller after all.

Roll With IT

2007-07-23T07:09:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you just gotta roll with it. I had every intention of cutting the mileage back a bit this week but it just didn't happen.

Monday 12

Tuesday 11

Wednesday 11 , 4 intervals at lunch

Thursday 13

Friday 10, 5 tempo Lunch

Saturday 22 trail

Sunday 17 trail

Total for the week was 105 which is a new high for me, other than the weeks of a 100 mile race. Considering it followed the toughest 50k I have done, it went very well. We got a nice stretch of cool mornings over the weekend and it was really enjoyable out on the trails. Tiff and the neighbor went out to Smithville on the trails Sunday and really enjoyed it out there. I don't recall too many people that don't like the trails once they have tried them.

The boys have football camp this week every night at the High School so I will be watching that all week long. The real practices start next week, so basically there isn't going to be any free time until football and Fall Baseball are over the end of October.

Throw in a few 50k's a 50 miler and a 100 and it makes for a very busy next 3 months, Oh well, it is better than sitting at home being bored.

Badwater is this week, I wish I had the opportunity and finances to go crew for someone. Running on the sun is my favorite documentary on running. The heat training and extremes that you must put yourself through to complete that race are amazing. Everything about it is extreme and the amount of mental strength and determination required to complete it is pretty much inconceivable to most people. I find myself thinking about that race whenever I am struggling in the heat. There is something about it that is very, very intriguing to me. I better just leave it at that for now.

Have a good one and enjoy it!!!

Salt is my Friend

2007-07-16T13:35:00.000-07:00

The past week was a pretty good one. I was able to get in 82 miles of which 31 was during the Psycho Psummer Race at Wyco. Wednesday night we took the boys for football registration and equipment pickup. I hope they enjot it and stick with it,,,,$600.00 for them to play football plus fundraising!!! After we got home an ate they strapped on the pads and beat the crap out of each other until dark in the front yard. It is pretty funny watching an 8 and 5 year old in full pads taking turns knocking each other down for a few hours.

I had taken off Friday and we went out to the course to finish up marking the last few miles. Unfortunately we got the section which was still full of mudholes and my kids stepped in about every one while helping mark the course. After we finished up there we headed out to T-Rex and had lunch and then watched Transformers. The movie was great,,,,I am not sure who liked it more, me, Rick, John or the boys. We hung out at home that evening and ordered pizza.

Saturday morning Rick, John and I got to the race about 7:15. As soon as we parked Carey Smith pulled up next to us in the parking lot, he and his fellow slug Stephen made the trip from St. Louis for our little race. Once we got everyhting taken care of it was about time to start. I had 2 handhelds which I planned on draining before every aid station. My main goal for this race was to keep the system in balance to avoid cramping and stomach issues and to keep running as much as possible. I had a bandana to refill with ice at every aid station, I knew it would take time to refill constantly but I also know how important it is to keep from overheating.

Once Ben gave the instructions we were off. The pace seemed really quick the first mile. I knew everyone would slow quickly so I just hung back and waited for the 3 hills to move by some overzealous starters. By the third down hill I completely let it go. It is the first time I have ever lost control running down hill. I passed about 5 or six people here but I really couldn't see what was in front of me. Every step was jarring and I was just trying to feel the ground to stay on my feet. Luckily the people in front of me cleared the way or there could have been a pile up. After that I got in a decent groove and ran the entire 2nd loop with Carey. We talked most of the time which really made the first loop go by quickly. Dan Volk was also near us and joined in the conversation. We finished the first loop around 2:45 and got started on the 2nd. I knew the heat was going to start taking a toll and it soon followed. I slowed down a bit around mile 18, Carey and Dan started to pull away and I just decided to hang back and get through the down spot. So far everything was going well and I was steadily popping S caps and refilling with Succeed and Ice at every aid station.

By the time I got to the next water station I was pretty much all alone with no one in site. I was still feeling good and now taking 2 S-caps every 30 minutes. I was starting to get in a pretty good groove while goin down the single track along the ridge section until something caught my foot. I tried to catch myself but the momentum plus going downhill was too strong to overcome. I crashed on my shoulder and my waterbottles went rolling down the hill. I looked down at my knee and it was bleeding pretty good, along with my shoulder which was pretty scraped up. It took a few minutes to gather myself and find my waterbottles. I used one of the bottles to wash the cuts out and the other I saved for drinking. I was pretty shaken up but once I got moving the pain started to let up.

The last 7 miles I ran at a slow, steady pace and actually felt really good. I passed a few people the last 5 miles and crossed the line at 5:55. Overall the race went well, I ran with a good mindset and was able to stay cramp free. I ended up taking 24 S-caps over 31 miles and put down about 5 gallons of fluids. The temperature was 92 when I crossed the line. I really enjoyed myself at this race, Rick and I had a good time hanging out and talking to people for a few hours afterwards.

Congrats to Wynn Davis for tearing up the course....you rock. Thanks to all of the volunteers who were out in the nasty heat all day just to make sure we got home safe and sound. Carey, it was nice to spend some time chatting with you out on the trails. To all the nerds who busted your butts out there Saturday thanks for just being nerds.

Sunday I took the kids out for a 5 mile run about 10:30. I pushed Ella and the boys were on their bikes. They were complaining about their legs hurting the last few miles. I told them this is where you make yourself stronger. When it hurts its working your muscles and making them better. Once they realized what I was saying they thought it was pretty cool and kept pulling away from me.

I got in 12 miles this morning on pretty sore legs. I had every intention of sleeping in but Ella woke me up coughing so......I know what some will say, but when else do you have the chance to feel that pain similar to late in a 100 miler? I think it helps to get used to running with sore trashed legs. I guess only time will tell. Lunch was good too, got an hour of crosstraining at the gym.

Have a great day,,,,remember, you may not have the same opportunity tomorrow, do it TODAY.

Enjoy it!!

2007-07-09T13:35:00.000-07:00

Do you know where your child is??

This morning I slept in a bit since I had to go into work at midnight for a few hours. I made it out for about 5 miles then got in 7 at lunchtime. It was really humid which could explain why it is storming now. I finally got to do some trail work Sunday at Wyco after our run. It seems like every time there was a workday I had something going on so I was really glad to finally get a chance to help out. I ended up with 85 miles last week, which has been the average for the past few weeks. There are still some shoe sucking muddy spots on the trail. I had to stop twice and go back to pull my shoe out of the mud holes.

I am going to go out to Wyco on Friday and help mark the course for the race on Saturday. I may take the kids with me depending on the weather. I think they would enjoy helping out on the trails too. They are wanting to see Transformers so maybe we can fit that in after the trail marking is finished.

After this weekend I need to get back to longer runs on the weekend. I have gotten in a few 20+ runs since Kettle but nothing up into the 30's. I would like to get in a few before the North Face race Labor Day weekend.

Voyager 50 is out of the plans for July. I just don't have the desire to go do it so I am not going to waste my time. We are going to go camping or maybe head to Bennet Springs to do some trout fishing instead.

I am kind of in one of those mental funks right now. There aren't any big races coming up soon to really focus and set my mind to so I am just kind of wandering aimlessly. I hope as Traveller 100 approaches that will change. So, for now I am just running to run. Not to finish with a certain time or beat a certain person or prove something, just to run because I can. For me, winning is not a thought, it just won't ever be within my reach, which may be a good thing. I can just run and try to do the best I can . I don't have to worry about how the others are training, what their strategy is or their finish time. I owe a lot to running, it has forever changed my life and allowed me to be a better person in many ways, and make many friends which I otherwise would have never met. That doesn't mean I am not competitive and that I don't care how I finish or what I placed. I want to catch the person in front of me in 15 th place just as much as the guy in 2nd wants to catch the 1st place runner. But really, we are just running through the woods...that's it. Enjoy it!!!

Happy 4th of July

2007-07-03T07:00:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone has a safe and happy 4th of July. We don't have much planned, Tiff has to work so I will be solo with the kids for the day. Ella had a blast at her birthday party. She really enjoyed opening her presents and showing off her new stuff. She has been playing with her new Dream Kitchen non stop since Sunday.

I ended up with 81 miles last week. Had a few good runs during the week and got out to Wyco Sunday. We did 4 miles of trail on the hills section then 10 on the roads around the lake then back to the trails for seven more after that. The trails were insanely muddy. There were not many places that had good footing. I imagine they are still going to be muddy for the race next weekend too. It was an awesome leg workout and actually pretty fun too.

I was able to get in 10 miles at lunch Tuesday at the Downtown Fitness Works, which I just joined yesterday. This way I can get in some more weights and cardio durign the day. It is in the Commerce Tower where I work and has really nice locker rooms to get cleaned up afterwards, also outdoor basketball and tennis courts. I have been feelin tired for a few weeks but trying to fight through it without cutting back much. The left foot has been flaring up with Plantar Fasciatis and my right achilles is sore, especially in the mornings. If it keeps up I will start sleeping in my boot again which has really helped in the past.

Rick, John and I got in about 21 this morning, we did a hilly out and back from Kearney to Liberty. It was hot and the air was stagnent. Luckily TIff dropped off a couple jugs of water for us at the turnaround this morning on her way to work. We kept a good pace the whole time.

Have a Happy 4th!!!

Hot Potato

2007-06-25T11:30:00.000-07:00

The temps are really heating up! My run this morning was freaking miserable. I ran from 9 to 10:30 but it was hot as heck and absolutely no breeze. Tiff went with me the last 4 miles and I got to push Ella in the new jogging stroller. Every time she saw flowers I had to stop and pick one, so she had a nice bouquet by the time we finished.
I ended up with 86 miles last week. A lot more than I had planned on but that is usually the case. We had the summer intro 10k Saturday. There were over 100 entries, of which 3/4 were race day sign ups. Kyle did one heck of a job handling all of that. I even won a new T-shirt after the race. It went OK I guess. I wasn't really expecting too good of results. I got in a good tempo run and we went out for a second loop to remove all of the signs and ribbons from the trail . Sunday I got out to Wyco and ran with Ben, Kyle, Paul, Mark and a newbie Sara. She did really well for her first trail run especially considering it was still a mud hole out there.
This weekend is Ella's 2 yr Birthday party.!!! I cannot believe my little princess is almost 2 already. Her party is Sunday Afternoon and she is really getting excited.

There are a lot of races I am considering doing in the next few months. I am considering making the trip up to the Voyager 50 mile July 28th. It is only 2 weeks after Psyco 50k. September 1 I will most likely go to Des Monies for the North Face 50mile and then 2 weeks later to Tulsa for the Turkey Mountain 50k. Then if all goes well to Arkansas Oct 7th for Traveller 100. I am sure that will change, but it is the plan for now.
I am still working on this speed thing. I just was not designed to run fast. When I see myself next to most of the other runners I just look a lot bigger. I guess I can only do the best with what I was given. When I was running the 10k it seemed like everyone else around me was breathing harder than I was, I know if I can just get my turnover faster that I will start getting faster. I have huge lungs and the breathing is usually not an issue just leg speed. I don't do any lower body weights and only one light upper body day a week. I guess that is why I like the longer races. The further the distance the more the mental side plays into it.
Congratulations to Patrick Perry on representing the KC Trail Nerds well at Western States this year. He finished under 27 hours. Pat has made an amazing amount of improvement the past year and deserved to do well.

Need for Speed

2007-06-18T10:16:00.000-07:00

I have been putting more effort into my runs lately. The only way to run faster is to train faster so that is what I am trying to do. I ran 6 days last week, all were under 9 miles but at a good effort. I plan on bringing the mileage up to 60-70 this week if all goes well. I ended up with 42 last week which is not too bad for 2 weeks after the race. This morning I got in 15 miles at around a 7:40 pace on the roads before work. I was planning on taking Ella with me in the new jogging stroller I bought last week but it was raining some, so I went alone.

We spent the weekend camping at Basswoods Resort in Platte City. On the way there my kids asked if I was running in a race. The last 3 trips out of town were for races and they were glad we were just going for the fun of it. I actually can't call it camping but we did sleep in the camper. It is a nice RV park, but they really pack you in there. We only had about 8-10 feet between us and the other campers. The kids spent a good portion of the weekeend at the pool there and playing in the splash park. The boys and I went fishing for 3 hours on Saturday and had a blast. We mostly caught Bluegill but they were nice sized. I let Corbin hold my rod for a second while I was fixing his and he hooked on a nice sized Largemouth. He got a bit too excited once he had him by the bank and dropped the rod tip down and the line snapped so we never got our hands on him. It was a 3 or 4 lb bass and I only had 5lb test on the reel so ther wasn't much room for error.
Sunday we got back home around 12:30 got everything unpacked and then went over to my parents for some BBQ ribs for Fathers Day. I got a sweet pair of Keen Newport Sandals and a Swiss army BackPack plenty big enough to haul around to races. We ate way too much food at my parents which always happens. I had already overdone it on beer and smores while camping too.
Apparently some of the Pics Rick took of us at RockinK got published in UltraRunning magazine this month. I am going to have to get a copy to keep for myself. I usually just read his but I would like to have a copy of that issue to hold on to. I am planning on heading to the 10k trail race at Shawnee Mission Park Saturday. It should be a good chance to get in some speed work if nothing else.

I hope all you fathers had a wonderful Fathers Day!!

Looking Ahead, Looking back

2007-06-11T14:34:00.000-07:00

I have had a very relaxing week after Kettle. I am very pleased with how the recovery is going so far. I got in a 2 mile jog Friday with a good weight workout, 4 miles Sat, 5 miles Sunday and about 6.5 this morning with some weights. I feel my legs coming around and I really have no after effects of the race other than some pain when I stretch my left quad. Don't get me wrong, my legs are still tired but nothing compared to Heartland.

I am giving serious consideration to Arkansas Traveller in October. Rick is wanting to run it also so it might be a good fit. Prior to Kettle I was 99% set on running Heartland again but I am slowly changing my mind. Arkansas is a much tougher race but I guess that is no reason not to do it. Actually more of a reason TO do it. They have a training run Labor Day weekend that I would like to go to also.

I went ahead and mailed off money for 10 raffle tickets for Western States. The drawing for the automatic entries is next weekend so I figured what the heck.

I was planning on going out to Wyco for trail workday Sunday but it was storming really bad at my house so I figured it was cancelled. I guess a few still showed up. I was really looking forward to it and even sharpened up the chainsaw and clippers. Oh well, hopefully I can get to the next one. It is going to be very hot for that race in July. I am pretty sure I will run in it but I won't sign up until closer to race day.

I bought a scale at Sams the other day. I weighed myself last Thursday at 194.8 and this morning I was 184.6. I do believe the entire 10lbs of water I was holding onto was in my legs and feet. I had trouble getting my work shoes on last week due to my swollen feet.

I took off work Friday so I will be able to go on a field trip w/ Corbin's preschool class to a dairy farm. I am really looking forward to it!! He is a total animal/nature lover. He and Tristan were catching bugs and toads all weekend long. My dad even got him a subscription to Missouri Conservationist magazine,,,if he could only read. After that we are going camping Friday and Saturday night. We have ball games Saturday but we will be close enough to drive in for those.

Take care and have a wonderful week! Here are a couple recent family pics.

Kettle Moraine Race Report

2007-06-05T16:13:00.000-07:00

A video clip of my finish is here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGn1brDTF-4

Photo Album http://www.winkflash.com/photo/public.aspx?u=tjbevanrn

I decided in January to shoot for the Kettle Moraine 100 this year. So everything I had done this year was in preparation for this race, including Cameron Fat Ass, PsycoWyco, Rocy Raccoon pacer, Brew2Brew, Rockin K and Free State. I had a rough go of it at Free State 100k so I was a bit nervous heading to Wisconsin. We decided to make a family vacation out of the trip and stretched it into a 5 day stay. Rick Mayo was driving up to pace for the last 38 miles. I felt a lot of pressure going up since a lot of other people had time invested in my little run also.

My goal was to finish and if possible under 24hrs.

We arrived in Wisconsin on Thursday evening and just hung out and let the kids swim and watch movies. I decided to hop in the pool for a swim and caught my heel on the texturized steps and ripped a hole about the size of a dime in my heel. Like I didn't have anough to worry about already. I had to go find a bottle of NuSkin at the store and spent the next 2 days trying to cover the exposed skin. Friday we checked out an Artisan well and some of the state park and lakes. The town of Whitewater was very beautiful with many lakes and recreational areas which are very well maintained. Kyle Amos and his family arrived Friday afternoon along with Rick a few hours later. We all headed over to packet pickup at La Grange General Store and let our kids run some of their energy off. We went to the start finish line a few miles up the road and took a walk down the Pine covered forest to get a feel for the trail. We opted to stay in town for our prerace meal and ate at a local family restaurant. It was Kyle's daughters birthday so we got to have a little Bday cake for desert also.

I actually slept pretty well the night before the race. We got everyone up early and headed to the start finish line about 5:00. After dropping off my overloaded dropbags we got some instructions from the RD Timo and were ready to head out. The race started on a 7.5 mile stretch of Nordic trail, then switched to the Ice Age trail out 31 miles then back to the start finish where the 100k finish was and where the 2nd 38 mile out and back started for the 100 milers.
The countdown hit 0 and I was off. I had on my new Montrail Nitrus shoes which I had only run 12 miles in but they felt so good I had to wear them. Everything was fairly congested the first few miles but began to separate quickly after that. The first 7.5 miles was a roller coaster of wide trails which had very little flat running. I of course walked the hills and let it go on the downs. I had a familiar pain in my right shin which was not good. I had to stop and loosen my shoe to keep pressure off the area which helped a little. I figured after a while it would be masked by something hurting worse.
The first 15 miles I ran with Ken Plumb who did the Cameron fat ass this year, his son Steve lives in KC and does some of our local races. He noticed my trail nerds shirt and we struck up some conversation from there. He helped mark much of the course and gave me a great run through of what to expect. We got a good downpour of rain for about 20 minutes to give the ground a lot of moisture to fuel the humidity.
The 15 mile aid station was my first chance to see my family/crew. They refilled my bottles and got me everything I needed pretty quick. My wife checked the splits I gave her and I was a few minutes ahead of schedule which was good. I had made laminated cards for her and I with all the aid stations and splits along with the symptoms/solutions for common electrolyte and hydration problems that Karl King had in posted in UltraRunner. I was really determined to keep my fluids and electrolytes balanced and avoid the cramps which continually plague me.
I was running fairly relaxed but the heat wasn't too bad yet. The next 16 miles I knew I was starting to struggle a bit. The only flat portions of the course were in open tall grass prairies which were very hot and muggy. Kyle Amos flew past me when I was about 4 miles from the 31 mile turnaround. Only a few others had gone by so I knew he was close to the lead and about 8 miles in front of me already.
Upon reaching the 31 mile turnaround I knew I was struggling and had lost the few minutes of cushion I had for my 24 hour pace. Seeing my wife and kids again kept me positive and Rick was doing his best to have everything ready when I arrived. After heading back for the start finish I noticed Carey Smith, a SLUG, from his blog which I keep up with. We talked for a while and he was running pretty strong for his first 100 mile race. Once we hit the prairie again I tried to pick up the pace and get through the flat sections strong to make up a little time. Carey took some walk breaks so I continued running most of the way through the prairies. The heat was getting to me a bit now. It was about 80 degrees but the humidity was terrible. I had been soaked for 8 hours by now and I was really getting overwhelmed by negative thoughts. All of the sudden I just wanted to stop. What was happening?? I was only about 45 miles in at this point and I just wanted to go to the hotel, take a shower, lay down and watch TV. My legs were really aching and I started thinking about what hurts bad enough to make me quit. I just kept thinking ahead of how long I had left and how much trouble everyone was going through for me. Maybe this 100 mile crap isn't for me, maybe I just got lucky the first time and now the heat, humidity, hills and terrain were just too much for me. I walked and walked and walked. I tried to fake feeling OK through the next few stations and just keep moving. I was hoping to keep it together and eventually it would pass.

About 1 mile out from the 55 mile aid station I was still mostly walking. I was down and couldn't pull it together for some reason. I decided I had to run. I was now substantially behind my 24 hour pace, it was now or never. I took off and started moving pretty good until I caught my toe and in the process every muscle in my legs locked up with intense cramps. I fell down unable to move my legs, screaming in pain trying to rub the cramps out. It took about 5 minutes to be able to get up again. I started running again and caught my toe once more and the whole freaking thing played out again. Here I was hobbling into the aid station hoping for someone to say it was OK to quit, that I had tried my best and it just wasn't my day. I tossed my water bottles to the ground and Rick picked them up to go fill them. Tiff asked what was wrong and I just lost it. I put my head on her and had a complete breakdown. I don't think my kids have ever seen me cry before other than a funeral, they were really concerned for me. I was babbling about being too far behind and cramping too bad and who knows what else. My loving wife picked my head off her shoulder and said "It always hurts, you always have cramps. You need to get your freakin head straight." Then pushed me to the aid tent and said to eat some food and get moving. My kids were playing with their stuffed Pokemon toys at the aid station. I asked Corbin if I could take his favorite one with me to help me out. I put it in the side pouch of my Nathan 2v Plus. It looks like a little dinosaur, I zipped up the pouch enough secure it and we left his head sticking out so he could see. Kyle was in the tent also, he asked how I was doing and I am not really sure what I said. He told me to refuel and get through it. He was now 15 miles ahead of me and looking really strong.

Ok, so now what? My wife won't let me quit, my kids are really upset and worried about me, I am carrying around a stuffed animal for help and I got 45 miles to get done. The next person that passed me was wearing a yellow ribbon which many people wore in remembrance of Lisa Conover who died unexpectedly the previous week. She was a very accomplished ultrarunner who was signed up to run in the race this year. I thought about her and her family, even though I didn't know her personally I started thinking about what she would have given for a few more days on this earth with her friends and family and one more race to run. Suddenly it seemed disrespectful and selfish to even think about quitting. I DO have the chance to run in this race and a few more days with my friends and family, so I had better take advantage of it.
I switched the IPOD to my run hard category. My special few songs which under certain situations light a fire under my ass and I was gone. I was going to finish and under 24 hours at that. I was about 30-40 minutes behind schedule and I really tried to pound it through the next 7.5 miles. I was singing loudly along with the music, luckily there weren't too many runners around to witness that. I came into tho 100k mark just about 1o minutes behind pace. I knew I had a lot of work to do but I also had Rick to help push me through the night. My kids were really happy to see me doing ok. They had their new LED headlamps on and were making sure to let me know they were using them. I changed clothes and got everything ready for the night.
Stuart and Deb Johnson wished me well along with some other people who kept calling me "big guy" the whole race. I guess they didn't know I lost 10 lbs for this race and this was about a little as it gets. Oh well, I guess it is better than "'fat guy".
Rick and I took off for about 1/2 mile until I realized I didn't have my race number on. I asked him to go back for it and he was back about 5 minutes later, hyperventilating, with my race number. I told him he only brought 2 safety pins and he needed to go get 2 more but he didn't got for it.
We made good time for the 7.5 miles out to the turn for the night out and back. When we hit the singletrack there I was having a hard time keeping up the pace. The terrain out there was pretty rough for night running and it felt like everything was uphill, not to mention the constant barrage of steps built on the trail that were pounding my quads. I lost my balance and took a good spill about 2 miles from the 89 mile turnaround. I just laid there, I lost my headlamp. water bottles, hat and flashlight. Rick was laughing because I could not get up. He gathered my things and helped me to my feet.

We hit the turnaround point knowing it was going to be a matter of minutes that decided if I was going sub 24. I shoved about 3 cups of Coke and a bunch of food down hoping to get some energy to stay awake. One mile after leaving the aid station my stomach was upside down and I couldn't run. Rick told me to use my finger to empty my stomach so I stood hunched over trying to gag myself for several minutes until it finally came up. Rick was kidding when he said that but I thought it was the only way to get back to running.

I didn't eat anything else the rest of the way. I knew I wouldn't make it if my stomach went south again. We ran pretty hard to the 7.5 mile mark where I got caught in some barbwire and tore up my lower legs. I rubbed some dirt on the cuts so the blood wouldn't get on my new shoes, not sure about that idea. We got moving good until about 4 1/2 miles out and I realized we had got a good cushion built up. Rick called my wife at the hotel so they could get out to see me finish. We met up with Jerry from Chicago and took it easy the last few miles in. The sun was rising, the mosquitoes were thick and life was good. The finish time was 23:36 and I was fine with that. Kyle came out to see me finish and there were several people there to cheer us in. Timo, the RD, was genuinely happy for us. I got my copper Kettle, sat in the chair by my family, Rick and Kyle and had a beer while cheering in the next few finishers.

The trail nerds are definitely getting known. Many people commented on my trail nerds shirt, "Hey, your one of those nerds." Kyle, you are one fast mutha. There were about 57 finishers of around 125 starters.

I learned a lot about myself in this race and a lot about those who support me. It takes a great deal of physical ability to finish any race. It takes a great deal more mental and emotional strength to finish 100 miles. I am an ultrarunner and trail nerd and damn proud of it. People always look at me funny, like I am crazy when they find out about running 100 miles. Ohh...If they only knew.

Mission Accomplished

2007-06-03T18:41:00.000-07:00

Well I guess Kettle Moraine overall was a success. I finished under 24 hours around 23:37 and that was my main goal. I will post a full race report soon. Thanks to my wonderful wife and kids for crewing for me all day and to my good friend Rick Mayo for spending 16 hours driving this weekend to pace for me. This was definitely the most difficult run I have done with the most lows I have ever had to push through.

I had a complete breakdown at 55 miles and was an absolute wreck. I was behind my 24 hour pace from about 25 miles in but some how managed to still get in under 24hrs. I had to make myself puke at 82 miles and was having a difficult time keeping my eyes open and staying on the trail. The aid stations were great as well as the volunteers. It was a joy to run on such a beautiful course but it sucked being soaked for 98 miles and runnning in 80 degree temps with the extreme humidity. I enjoyed spening time with fellow trail nerd Kyle Amos who finished in 3rd place overall and still made it out to see me finish at 5:30am.

We are heading home tomorrow. I'll try to get a report together soon.

Ready to Roll

2007-05-29T19:49:00.000-07:00

I am ready to hit the road. We have been buying last minute stuff for Kettle and I always buy and pack way more stuff than I could ever need. This weekend I bought some water bottles, a hat and shirt. At Sams I got V8, Red Bull, Beef Jerky, Water, Coke, Worthers, Snickers, Batteries and all kinds of crap at Walmart.

It was a nice weekend. We got family pics taken Saturday and did some shopping. Sunday We did landscaping then went to my Aunt's for some BBQ. Sunday Rick and Johns family came over and we hung out and ate all day. Overall it was a very good relaxing weekend. Our run at Smithville was great on Saturday. We did 12 miles but had it cranked up really good the whole time. It felt great running with my legs not trashed finally! I did short runs the last 3 days and will not do anything else until the race.

The boys started summer school already today. Corbin was soooo excitied to get to go to the "real" school now. I walked them to school this morning for the first day. It is kind of sad to see him off to school but I know he is really glad to be there.

I haven't really got a goal time in mind for Kettle. A lot depends on the weather. I will be dissapointed if I am not under 24hrs but if things go bad you have to be willing to adjust the goals on the fly.

I got my new Montrail Nitrus last week, the bright orange ones too! I have only ran in them twice but they feel wonderful so I am going to give em a go at Kettle. I am taking 6 pairs of shoes with me..why? I have no idea.

Time to hit the brakes

2007-05-21T13:35:00.000-07:00

It is now time to hit the brakes and let myself recover. I was able to get in a really strong week. My mileage this week was higher than I had planned, somehow I ended up with 97 miles. My taper officially started today. It is such a difficult transition to taper off after building up so much.

We had a great weekend, several baseball games and practice. Saturday evening Tiff had a baby shower to go to, she took Ella and Tristan was with my mom for the day. I got to spend some great time with Corbin alone. We planted our garden and some flowers too, got Ice cream from the Ice Cream Man and played in the sprinkler. We need to spend more time with our kids one on one but it is hard to do. After Tristan got home me and the boys hit the Pizza Buffet and I bet I put down 3000 calories there!!

Rick and Kristi had their baby Friday. Tiff was fortunately working that day so she was their Labor Nurse. I am sure they are both going to be wonderful parents. CONGRATS!!!

I am really glad I am off next week because I have not got much together for Kettle. It is only 11 more days, I can't beleive it is so soon. I have already had a lot of doubts entering my head. I know I have trained well. I weighed in at 185 last Friday which is great. Everything is about right. If the weather stays good I should be ok. I keep telling myself that the race really starts after the 100k point, that is when we return to the start/finish and head back out for the last 38 miles. It is also the place where a large portion of the 100 mile runners drop out and take credit for the 100k. I am running 100 miles, as far as I am concerned the 100k is a DNF.

I plan on running Wed,Thurs and Sat. this week then maybe a short run Mon and Tuesday next week. We are leaving next Thursday morning for the race.

too much work, no play

2007-05-14T14:27:00.000-07:00

I actually didn't run 1 mile this weekend. It is the first running free weekend in exactly one year. I had to put in about 15 hours at work between Sat and Sun night. I had baseball, Tball and team pictures Saturday plus Tiff worked and I did not run on Sunday due to a lack of sleep and Mothers Day.
I was a bit grumpy since I couldn't get out Sunday but it was probably a good thing. I ended up doing yard work and was chopping wood for 2 1/2 hrs in the heat. At least I got some work done in the heat to help with training. Both the boys won their games Saturday. Their teams played really well. I am not involved in coaching Corbins Tball,, it is hard for me to just sit and watch since I am usually coaching their teams.
I got out early this morning and was able to get in 28 miles. My legs feel really good, almost like I didn't run this morning. Only 19 more days until Kettle. How the heck did I run 100 miles the first time? and why am I going to do it again? Not Sure.
I told the boys about going to Western States next year,,,they are totally into it. They keep asking all kinds of questions about it. It is hard for them to grasp it is still another year away. They have never been on an airplane before so they think it's pretty cool.

Rainy Days

2007-05-07T14:22:00.000-07:00

The rain and storms made me change my running a bit this weekend. I was able to get in 18 Friday, and 24 on Saturday but Sunday it stormed all day. I finally gave up at 4 and went and ran 2 hours on the treadmill at the gym. I got another 13 in this morning there also. My legs are really getting worn. I hope I am not over training. Only time will tell. My quads have been sore since the 100k a week ago. They are worn down but I figure the more I can run on them now the more it will pay off at Kettle. I have dropped from 195 lbs to 187 in 15 days. I am happy with the progress. I would love to be close to 180-183 by race day. I am still eating about 2500 calories a day but I have cut out nearly all sugars. I should be at a hefty caloric deficit since that is my BMR without the running calories used.
We have gotten like 5 inches of rain the past 2 days. My house backs up to the woods with a creek. The small creek which usually barely has water in it is now about 50 yards across and 15 foot deep. If it rains much more I may be in some trouble. There is about 2 feet left seperating the water from overtaking my yard then house.

I'm all in

2007-05-02T11:21:00.000-07:00

As of today I am finally all in. I mailed off my entrants fee and registration, verified the hotel reservations and started printing out the mileage and aid station info for Kettle Moraine 100. I feel good that the soreness from 100k on Saturday is already gone. The all or nothing obsessive/compulsive personality gets to take over now. Ever since my first 100 last October I have wanted to do another. I have completed 6 ultras since November but I was just looking at them as training runs. This is the real deal. I am looking forward to being focused on 1 goal now, hopefully there aren't too many things that get in the way of the last few good training weeks. I can't run today, I might try to get in some tomorrow at lunch but mainly Fri, Sat and Sun. I ordered a new Nathan 2v elite plus waist pack today so I can get used to it before Kettle. I have taken the entire week before and 2 days after the race off work to relax and not have a bunch of work related stress to worry about. I think the month before a 100 is the best time, I get a kick out of buying and organizing all the stuff and redoing the mileage splits and aid station locations. I am an over planner and I go through everything too much but I usually am prepared when the time finally rolls around. I think a lot about those people who used to give me trouble and make fun of me when I was really overweight in school on the long runs. It is a good source of motivation.,,,,,,,the last part of Heartland I kept replaying a moment from middle school where this girl Kari came up and sat with me on the bus on our way to a school field trip to Silver Dollar City. She was being really nice and I was thought it was pretty cool that such a pretty popular girl wanted to hang out with me. After about 20 minutes she went back to the back of the bus and everyone was laughing. They were playing truth or dare and she took the dare to come up and act as though she liked me. F#$@ YOU! Kari,,,you piece of crap!!

Free at Last

2007-05-01T10:55:00.000-07:00

Well thank goodness the month of April is over. It was a busy month in the running area with 3 races and 2 marathon training runs. I ended up with 304 miles for the month.

The Free State 100k,40mile and marathon were this past weekend. The family and I took the camper out on Friday and stayed the weekend. It rained a lot the days leading up to the race which made the less technical parts of the trail now nothing but a mudpit. So I was not really looking forward to that. I have to say that this race really kicked my butt. The temps got up into the 80's and I was definitely not used to running in anything over 65. I did the 100k,,,my first loop was about 3:35, I was very happy with that time but soon after that the bottom fell out. I ended up walking a good portion of the 2nd loop and was battling dehydration unsuccessfully. I was literally peeing something similar to Malt liqueur and it hurt like heck every time I tried to go. My hands were swollen and my stomach was upside down with nausea. I just couldn't seem to get everything working correctly. I limped in with a time of around 5:30 for the second loop. When I got in the aid station my wife and kids were there. It helped to see them and know they were having a good time. Rick was asking what I needed and I told him I wanted to sit, change socks and shoes and decide what I wanted to do(drop or finish 1 more loop). I told myself before the race that if I dropped I wasn't going to attempt Kettle Moraine 100, I told my wife that I was really struggling and felt like quitting. She basically said "you always feel like crap at this point, just get up and get out there and finish". So I did. Rick had decided to go with me for my last loop after he had already ran the marathon. I didn't ask, he just knew I needed a little push, and it definitely helped me. I greatly appreciated that. The last loop was kind of a blur. We passed Greg about 1 mile before the turnaround and he was really struggling, he DNF'd at Rockin K and was talking about it happening again. He ended up sucking it up and finishing strong. The last 4 miles were in the dark, when I got to the turn for the finish my 2 boys were waiting to run up the hill with me. I ended up 4:50 for the last loop and sat back and enjoyed a few home brews. It was a struggle but I finished 62 miles in 13:54. Thanks to everyone who helped out at his event and participated, especially Bad Ben, you did a great job.

I was able to ride a little on Sun and Mon and some weights. My legs are still sore but I got in an hour on the treadmill this morning with sweats and a Stocking hat on. I got some nice looks while doing that. I am going to make sure to get the heat acclimatization completed before heading to Kettle. I hope to be able to get in 2 long afternoon runs this weekend, just depends on how the legs recover.

Kearney in the hizzzouse.

2007-04-19T12:37:00.000-07:00

It is sweet to finally get a stretch of nice weather to enjoy finally!! There are now 4 kearneyites registered for Free State. Rick is running the marathon with one of his clients, I am doing the 100k and John is doing the 40 mile. The past few weeks John has gone out with Rick and I to Wyco including 2 loops last Saturday in the slop. He has run many marathons, the last 2 being on trail so he should fare well. This is David's first race over the 10 miles he did at Wyco. Hopefully his recently sprained ankle holds up. Both John and I are taking our families and campers and making a weekend of it at the campgrounds starting next Friday. Hopefully the nice weather continues. Our baseball team has it's second tournament game tonight, the first one was a little rough but we will get better each time out. I have been getting in decent mileage lately but no runs over 21 miles. I will do another 20 mile run this weekend then cut back for Free State. Been out to wyco the last few days looking for morels but haven't found anything except a bunch of ticks.

I am tired of these a-holes thinking they have the right to go postal when they are sick of feeling sorry for themselves. Freakin man up and if you have a problem then settle it the right way. Killing a bunch of unarmed people locked in a classroom? I am not sure if that proves anything except that you should have never been put on this earth in the first place. I truly feel deeply saddened for those people and families who were cheated out of their time. Live your life to the fullest every day. You never know when you could run into one of these pitiful people.,,.,.NO REGRETS.

Don't just sing it,.,.BRING IT

2007-04-09T14:05:00.000-07:00

This past week was my busiest as far as running goes. Sunday I Ran brew2brew. It was a pretty smooth run. I got lost with a group of people the first leg and ended up running an extra 1/2 mile to get back on course. I fininshed in 7:22 good for 6th overall scratch time. I felt satisfied considering I had already logged 46 miles that week and didn't taper at all. Shane helped me out by taking some of my stuff of my hands while crewing for his brother Cody. I ran with him the first half of the race. The next weekend I took the family to Kansas for the Rockin K in Kanapolis State Park. The kids spent most of the weekend in the indoor pool, so they were happy. I did the marathon due to time constraints with it being Easter weekend. It was about 17 degrees at the start and up to around 30 by the time I finshed. Rick and I pretty much ran together the whole race. The numerous water crossings, 25 mph winds and temps in the teens combined to make a very chilly day. The course was a strange combo of sand, water, hills and gopher holes. It was very difficult mentally for me, I really wanted to do the 50 mile but I couldn't make my wife and kids wait around 5 more hours in the cold for me. It is all or nothing from now on. I printed out the Free State 100k and kettle moraine 100 mile entries today to send them off. I am going to go for another big mile week this week and then cut back a bit for Free State. I put in 183 miles the past two weeks. I am going to run as much as I can in preperation for Kettle. Today I flipped the switch to ON. It is all about Kettle Moraine June 2nd. It sounds like there will be a few trail nerds going up for the trip. It should be a good time.

ho humm

2007-03-27T13:47:00.001-07:00

Man the past couple weeks have really flown by. I am running in Brew2Brew this weekend. Hopefully everything will go well. I am still trying to figure out how I am going to get back from Lawrence and what I am going to carry with me. Hopefully I can work it so I can get a ride back and have someone take a bag to the finish for me. I have been increasing my mileage a bit. Up to 81 last week. I got in 15 this morning and hopefully the same the next few mornings. I am looking for 90 this week w/ B2B. Next weekend is Rockin K, I have decided to only do the marathon there for family reasons. We can then be back home around dinner and have everyone well rested for Easter. Of course I am off work next week so hopefully I can get a chance to get caught up on stuff around home too. Starting next week we have 2 baseball practices, 2 t-ball practices and 2 soccer games every week. FUN FUN.

ho humm

2007-03-27T13:47:00.000-07:00

Need more Daylight

2007-03-09T11:17:00.000-08:00

Well I have been completely swamped the last week and 1/2 with stuff for my sons Baseball team. I decided to start a 8 yr old competitive team this year and it has been a lot of work so far. Finding good players, lining up practice facilities, looking for sponsors, filling out paperwork, opening accounts, picking out uniforms, finding equipment and staying in contact with all the parents has been a bit overwhelming. The real challenge will come when Corbin starts t-ball in a few weeks, then I have to find time for both of them. At least we get to start practicing this weekend! I signed up for Rockin K 50 mile last week. Tiff and the kids are going along so it should be fun. I am still trying to decide if it would be stupid to try to do brew2brew and Rockin K the same week. I am leaning towards trying both. I am on vacation that week and the kids are on spring break so the timing is perfect, we plan on taking the camper out during the week and relaxing a little. I am on call for work this weekend and Tiff works all weekend so I am not sure if I can get out on the trails this weekend much. Maybe grandma can watch the kids for a few hours. I got in a very relaxing 16 miles of treadmill this morning, I have really enjoyed running this week. Hopefully I can get to run in Lawrence next weekend. I wish all the group runs weren't so far away. It takes 1 1/2hrs to get to Lawrence for me. So I have to drive 3 hrs to run for 3 hrs.

Winter Sucks

2007-02-26T10:45:00.000-08:00

I am really getting sick of the cold. Pick your poison. Be covered with frozen sweat or stare at the wall and try not to fall asleep on the treadmill. I would give anything to have a nice singletrack really close. Smithville is the closest and it is still 25 minutes away. It takes almost an hour extra to drive out there and back, that sucks. I was able to get in a little over 3 hours at Smithville on Sat. and 12 miles on the dreadmill on Sunday, so I hit 80 for the week. There are some people I see at the gym who make me wonder why there are there. If you are walking on the treadmill and can carry on a conversation on the cell phone for the whole time then you need to pick up the pace a little. Seriously, why waste your time, some people got there for like 10 minutes and just leave the car running in the parking lot. I guess something is better than nothing. Hopefully this week is nice and slow at work and home. Tristan has his last 2 Basketball games Sunday. The head coach is out of town so I am flyin solo for both games. Hopefully at least 5 kids show up so we have a full team. I cannot believe this is the last week of Feb already. I wish everything would just slow down for a while. I have to work late tonight and tomorrow night Corbin has a chili supper and singing program for preschool so I guess we get to shoot for a slow Wed. evening at least. 14 weeks until Kettle Moraine 100. I am well ahead of my mileage from 14 weeks out at Heartland 100, hopefully that trend will continue. Rick Mayo is going to go up and pace me for that race the last 35 miles or so. It helps me to know that there is someone to keep me company for the night running. Some people get all big and bad talking about how they don't need a pacer and can't understand why someone would even want one. I think those people are just such a"holes that they can't find anyone to put up with their arrogance for that long to run with them.I am getting really focused on preparing for it. I hope I can keep everything in perspective. I think having my kids involved in sports and other activities helps keep some balance.

First Post

2007-02-23T17:18:00.000-08:00

I figured I might as well get a blog going,,at least I will have something to look back on and laugh about someday. I am going to head out to Smithville in the morning to get in 3 or 4 hours on the trails, hopefully at least 1 hr before sunrise. I am planning on running the Kettle Moraine 1oo June 1st in Wisconsin. I need to do a lot of work on my night running before then. I am getting back into the swing of things ater pacing Rick for 40 miles at Rocky Racoon 100 Feb 3rd then Psycho on Feb 10th. I was kind of dissapointed in my Psycho results, I was 30 minutes quicker than last year but I quit on the last lap. I was cramping sooo bad and I just didn't have anything left to push faster. The next race I am going to give it more at the end and move up a few spots those last few miles. Just putting in the miles, 50 so far this week, hopefully about 30 more this weekend. It's supposed to rain a bunch so it'll be nice and muddy!! I am still trying to decide what race to do next,.,.either brew2brew or Rockin K.....if Rockin K wasn't easter weekend It would be an easy choice. Maybe both? I printed out last years mileage chart to help layout my work for this 100. Hopefully I can get in more miles w/ harder effort. The pic I posted is from Labor Day weekend 05. I found an old waterproof disposable camera and got it developed last week. I cannot believe how freakin gross I looked. Why didn't someone tell me I was such a lard ass?? It is amazing how much different you can look in a picture as opposed to how you see yourself. I can remember how it felt waking up every day and feeling like crap dragging my fatt arse outta bed. This picture has really motivated me again. I have a copy of it on my desk at work now. Now I just have cut back on the weights a little and try to get a little leaner. I will never be small, I am just not built that way, plus I obviously love to eat !!

Smokers need to have their own elevator. I would rather ride in an elevator with someone who has sharted.