New Month

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.