Salt is my Friend

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!!

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

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

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

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

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

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.