Laying Low

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

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

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

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

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

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

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."