The Bear can't catch me!!

 For the past 6 years, I have paced friends for 20-40 miles of different parts of the Bear 100. I have wanted to run it but it never worked out with other races I was doing. It has been long overdue for me to run this one and I picked a great year. Most years there is rain at one point or another during the race. One year it even snowed, some even call it the Polar Bear 100. Temperatures stayed in the 70s and got at low at 35 in the river bottoms. I have always run better in colder weather. 

Almost a month to the day before the race I started feeling a bit sick. Massive head cold. Ran a fun 22 miler at night. Every time I was on an uphill, I had no energy to go and was super tired. I figured it was the head cold. The next day at work things got worse and I was even more tired. I checked my tempter several times and I was normal. About 4 pm I started to get really cold. I work in a cold environment all the time and don't get cold very often but I was shaking so bad and couldn't stop. I put on a jacket and a warm blanket and still couldn't warm up. 30 min later I spiked a fever. (AH CRAP) I knew I had to get out of work and get checked for Covid. Got tested and before I could make it home got a call that I was positive for Covid. I took a few days off of running and then tried to run 2 days later. From mile one I was tired the whole time and called it quits after 3 miles. I ran 3 miles 2 days later and nothing had changed. (wife response: WORST PATIENT EVER! The dude was supposed to stay quarantined as we have an unvaccinated member of our household and maybe, just maybe, it might be a good idea to let your body heal, DUH!) Was still crazy tired even though I could breathe fine but had no energy. 

My poor wife had to deal with me. I was quarantined from the rest of the family for 10 days. She found me one day outside weeding the weeding in the yard. She texts me "What are you doing?" I told her weeding, It needs to get done. Or I would sneak out to go run. I know Covid is something not to be messed with but I had to test it out for myself. At times I think I am superhuman and nothing can stop me. My only worry was how well I would bounce back to run Bear 100. I have heard of many having a lack of energy for weeks after. Would I have to take it easy or could I jump right back into training? I took it easy the next week and then ramped up the miles with no problems. 

The race starts in a small little town about 1.5 hours north of home. If I could move to the valley I would. Time feels like it slows down there. I had planned to spend the night in my truck at the start line the night before the race. But got a great offer to stay 10 min from the start in a warm bed from my buddy Eric.  I have paced him most years of the bear 100. I was a bit sad I couldn't pace him again this year. The race started at 6 am on Friday. Most 100 milers start on Saturday. I loved the change. It gave me an extra day to recover before returning to work. At the pre-race meeting and before the race I was able to talk with many friends that I haven't seen in some time. Races are like family reunions. I get to see many of my friends that I haven't run with for some time.

The first few miles were in the dark and climbing 3,000 ft in 5 miles. I took it easy and had a blast talking with my buddy Robert. We ran together for at least 15 miles. I have learned I relax and run better if I chat with others. About mile 4 some guys in front of me got stung by bees. I thought I was lucky and wouldn't get hit. Not at all. The first one was behind my right knee and then on my inner thigh. Then a minute later my right glut. They stung for some time and the idea came in my head for a split moment my race is jacked. At the same time, I was having some pain in my right hip that has been bothering me for months. I have seen my PT and an ART guy. Still hasn't gotten better. It hurts off and on when I run but doesn't stop me from running. I just run with the pain. About 30 miles in the pain stopped in my hip and didn't return for the rest of the race. 

After getting stung I stopped to see if there was a stinger stuck in me. I spent the next few miles pushing the pace a bit to ketch back up to my friend Robert and the group of guys I was running with. Many of them had the same goal to go under 24 hours. If we work together I knew we could do it. When I caught back up to them there was another good friend there Preston. He had run the Bear 100 many times and done well. I figured if I could keep up with him I knew I could make my goal and have fun. My plan was to get in and out of aid stations as fast as I could. For the first 5-6 hours I drank Maurten drink mix 320/160 and then switched to Maurten gels one every 30-45 min for the next 6 hours. 

A few miles before the Right-hand aid station I ran into Leah. I don't know how long I have known her but have never run this much together. She set a great pace and ran the uphills. That was one of my goals for this race. Run the uphill and as much as I can. Run downhill no faster than a 9 min pace. We easily ran 20 miles together talking about life and laughing it up. Time was flying and we were moving fast. I would remind myself I can go faster but "Not yet". Running was easy and I could run fast downhill but "Not yet". I picked up my buddy Nicolas at the right hand and he kept the pace rolling. I met Nicolas for the first time during Bryce 100 this year. We had such an awesome time running together, I had to have him pace me. 

I saw my crew and family for the first time at mile 62 Franklin aid station. My amazing wife washed my feet and changed my socks. Also changed my pacer. Paul was another guy I met at a race years ago and we have been running together ever since. The party never stopped the whole race and I never felt tired. Another win for the fat-adapted diet. Moving through the night I was now on track to run an hour faster than my goal.

Flew into Beaver lodge aid station mile 75. This is where I pick up my last pacer Jessi and AKA The drill Sargent. I told her my plan before the race and she kept her word like my other pacers. Run everything we can and push me till I can't run anymore. It was a cold night and I loved it. It got the coldest in the river bottoms. Easily 30 degrees. I never felt that cold because we kept moving and didn't walk much. Jessi would ask me what my plan was before we came into the last aid station. "I plan to take this gel and drink some Mt. Dew," I told her. "NO" She replies. "You need a fast burning gel" As she explains to me why I knew she was right. I didn't put up a fight and did as I was told. Might have been the first time during this race without any talkback. The last climb was a killer. It wasn't long but it was steep. I took it easy to save everything for the last 6 miles of downhill. There were many parts of this downhill that were rocky. I rolled my ankle a bit but it didn't slow me down. With a few miles to go, I asked Jessi how she felt about running a 7:30 mile pace the last mile. She didn't know if she had it in her. I was going to find out and make her work for once. 

On the downhill I have been updating my family on my best estimate of when I would get to the finish. I was so wrong. Wrong on how many miles I had left and how long it would take me. We ran faster than I thought I would. The last .75 of a mile was on a grated road. We pick it up and hit 7:30 with ease. Next thing we know this van pulls up next to us. It's the family to see me finish. My daughter Natalie jumps out and starts running with us. The last few races she has run the last bit of the race with me. I love it. I get some happy to share my finish with her. 

We come flying into the finish in 22:08 and 8th overall.  I am amazed how well the race went and how much energy I had the whole race. I owe a great thanks to all my amazing pacers and stellar crew. I feel so blessed to have run with so many friends during the race and know they played a big part in my journey to finish.  I only spent a total of 39 min in aid stations during the race. 

Time for a raspberry shake. Too bad they are not open. I guess that's what I get for finishing at 4 am. 

This is the 2nd race I have done on the Fat adapted diet plan. Bear had 7k more vert and I feel it was harder. Yet I ran it 15 min faster than Bryce Canyon 100. I will find it really hard to go back to how I fueled before. Even though I really love donuts, bread, pasta, and many other things loaded with sugar and carbs. It's the salad life for me. For more info on why I changed my diet to Keto/fat adapted see Red Mountain 55k race report. 

This race showed I run faster than I think. I guess I need to set harder goals and push my next 100 miler faster. My wife says I need to find another job or a sponsor to help with all the fees and supplies. Does anybody want to share some ideas? I'm super chatty and helpful! Hoka, a good sock company, maurten gels, running gear (I like to run fancy in my plaid shirts) and I'm pretty good with all the hashtag influencer stuff 😉 Maybe I can hire out my family to crew other people at aid stations? 

Red mountain 55k

 Over the past few years, I have been changing the way I look at running. I have changed how I train, recovery, and how much I sleep. But never changed my diet, I talked about it and even considered going plant based. Why would I do that? I run so much I can eat what I want. Well, not so true. I started looking into diet plans over a year ago but just never felt it was right for me or that I could stick to it. I love my Mountain Dew and donuts way too much to give them up. In homage to my donut fetish, which adorably has passed to my youngest son, I recently purchased donut shortie shorts! Thank you St. George Running Center. I even had my amazingly talented wife make me donut scrub caps for work.  She knows me well and will be the first to tell you I hate veggies. I try to argue but then she tells me weird things like potatoes and corn aren't vegetables. Psssh. I don't like many of them and tolerate others. I'm also known for picking around things in meals while telling the kids they need to try it. Going vegetarian was out of the question since I am half caveman minus the hair. Then I heard about fat adapted/keto and wanted to give it a try. I talked to some friends and read the Primal Endurance book. What really made it easy to start was the support of my wife, she is always trying to get everyone to eat healthier. We had already changed many of our dinners to a healthier lifestyle. With fat-adapted I wouldn't just be cutting out the sugar sweets I love it would be making a lifestyle change.

With my next big race not till May, I would have lots of time to adapt to the change. It was hard adding fat to things all the time and eating more salads. That's been a big change from 'How much butter or oil is in this' to 'let me throw some more cheese, and add oil to my dressing'.  I can count on one hand how many salads I have eaten in the last 6 months and now I am eating one every day. I am doomed.(*wife edit-I don't know what he means by doomed here. Doomed because he is learning to love the green, or doomed because of all the greens exiting, or doomed because he misses the sweets) I won't even go in the problem Dew withdraws (I hide Mtn Dew zero in my car) yet I know if I put my mind to it, I can do anything.

 

46 days into fat adapted I put it to the test at the Red Mountain 55k. I haven't done any speed work or heat training. When you have been running in 20-35 degrees for the last 3 months it's hard to do heat training. It was 45 degrees at the start and got up to 80 by the end.

 

The day before the race I showed up at my buddy Nate's front door in St George to give him a pep talk. This was his first ultra race and he didn't know I had signed up for the same race. Like I hoped, he was confused and extremely excited to see me. (**SURPRISE**)We did a 1.5 mile shake-out and talked about race plans. I had no plans for this race except to see how my new diet performed in a race environment.

 

I ran the first half of the race with Nate and then started to push the pace. When we hit the first and only aid station, I ran into a long-time roadie friend Craig. We have run and paced many races together. But never an ultra race.  It was great to run with him for the next few loops. The race was set up where you would run 4 different loops and come back to the same aid station. Then after the final loop head off to the finish line. Each loop was different lengths and difficulty. I started the red loop (10 miles) with 2 water bottles and wish I had taken a 3rd. Most of the first half of the loop was uphill and I was determined to run as much as I could. At times I was sure I was going to Krash going downhill. I was going way too fast. At mile 24 I started to have a few cramps. Stretched it out and a few minutes later I was good to go.

 

I hit the aid station for the last time and had 7.8 more miles to the finish. My energy level was still way high. I drank some pickle juice to combat future cramping. But it didn't work. I started cramping again on the last long climb with about 5 miles to go. I stretched various different muscles that cramped on me. I was hoping that I didn't have to walk the rest in. With 2 miles to go, it got worse. I could run through it or stop and stretch. I opted to stretch and I think it paid off.

 

Finished the race in a full sprint to sneak under 6 hours by seconds. I was the 12th male to finish. The race was almost 35 miles and an amazing 4,100 of vert.

 

Heat tactical plan

I learned a few years ago about how to manage hot days during a race. Look up Sunny Blende - Fueling for the heat- podcast.  I don't do much heat training and don't like to run in the heat. I hide from the sun and my white legs can prove it. Arm sleeves are a game-changer for me. They protect me from getting a sunburn, keep my arms warm during the morning hours, and by getting them wet or put ice in them to cool off. I carried an extra 20-ounce bottle with me just for pouring on my head, arms, and back.

 

Nutrition plan

I had planned to drink Maurten drink mix for the first 2 hours. Then switch to gels. 1 gel per hour. I drank 1 drink mix during the first 2 hours. Then a spring energy gel that the beginning of the 3rd hour, and a Maurten gel with caffeine the 4rd hour.  Then I ate 2 orange slices at the beginning of the red loop and forgot to take 2 gels with me on the red loop. When I hit the aid station the last time I ate 2 more slices of orange, a small piece of banana, and a shot of pickle juice. Again, forgot to take a gel. When will I learn to stick to the plan? I rushed out of there so fast I didn't get the gels out of my drop bag.

 

I had energy the whole race. Never once felt tired or like I was going to bonk. Even when I was a bit dehydrated I felt great. I can't wait to see how my body will function during my 100 miler in May.

Goblin Valley 50k Back to the beginning

After trekking through some think sand up a hill, I finally arrived at the turn around point.  I quickly drank some fluids from my drop back and booked out of the aid station.  I had taken the lead after leaving the aid stop. Wow I was in the lead.  I couldn't believe it.  I had a chance to win my very first ultra. I spent the next 5 miles smiling big at everyone I passed on my way back and they would tell me good job. Gave my friend Chris Lander a low five as we pasted each other.  I had never lead a race before and it felt so good. Then the wheels came off and I started to cramp.  I have a long history of cramping and not recovering.  I started to stretch my legs and walk.  I kept looking back for the next runner to come cruising past me in the wash.  Maybe my legs will get better and I can pick the pace back up.  After about 4 or 5 people had pasted me I hit an aid stop and eat about 8 orange slices and some Heed.  I don't like the taste of Heed but knew it would help me re-hydrate and maybe recover. 

Nine years later I was toeing the line for the Goblin Valley 50 k again.  I had high hopes I had learned something from my first experience running this race and this past years race failures. I have tried new hydration techniques and had my secret anti cramp weapon bottled up and in my hydration pack.  Pickle juice, tastes horrible but did the trick at Wasatch.  I also had a second bottle in my drop bag at the turn around.  The plan was to drink  my secret weapon about mile 10-12 for preventive measures. My wife also had this super awesome idea to put a small cooler full of ice in our drop bag to keep a Dr. Pepper and a Dew cold.  Best Idea ever.

During the pre race meeting the race director informed us that they had to change the course due to the pass weeks ran fall.  A truck or two got stuck trying to get out the turn around.  So what? I think it would have been fun running throw the mud for a few miles without aid and then turn around. That would really test us and we could really see what we are made of. It would turn in to a mud run. But the RD and probably many of the other racers didn't share my same view of FUN.  The plan to add on the miles at the start of the race by sending us out the front gate of the state park on the road and then do a 4 mile loop.  The RD called it a natural loop.  I wasn't a loop at all. Just and out and back. 

In the first few miles of the race you could tell who the roadies were.  They went out fast and 3 of them ran together for the first 5 miles or so.  I took the first miles easy and relaxed.  Ran with the first women for much of the race. Lisa was from Colorado and had won the women's last year and hoping to improve her time. About mile 10 I saw the first 5 runners take this trail to the south off the paved road.  I don't remember the race going that way and if they had changed it I was up for change.  As we approached the turn off there was pink arrows sending us that way like the RD said the course would be marked.  It still didn't seem right.  Lisa stopped and looked at the sign and at the bottom of there arrow had someone's name like you would put for a family reunion.  We could see the top guys but could only one of them was close enough to hear us yell they were going the wrong way. 

I was once again leading the race but knew it wouldn't last.  The leaders were running a faster pace then I wanted to this early in the race.  They passed me in a hurry and once again was in 5th place.  Just after passing the Little Wild Horse Canyon trail head I downed about 4 oz of pickle juice.

My favorite part of the race is the wash.  It looks like a dried up river that has dug is way down for 100 years.  It wasn't so dry this year. No matter how much I tried to miss the puddles I was splashing here and there.  There wasn't that much mud but enough to kick up and specked my legs. 

As I hit the turn around and quickly grabbed my cold bottle of Mt. Dew and exchanged my pickle juice bottle for a full on.  I left the aid station drinking Dew and was ready to pick up the pace.  The 3rd and 4th place runners were not that far in front of me. It was time to start tracking them down.  Once back in the wash I found the 4th place guy walking.   I could see it in his eyes. His will to go on slightly broken, exsosted, defeated and hoping the pain would go away sooner than later.  He look and felt a lot like I did walking in the wash years ago. I felt his pain and hoped I wouldn't join him walking some time later in the race.  No far after I had passed him my left hamstring started to cramp.  I quickly stopped, pulled out the pickle juice and took a swig while stretching.  Then I was off running again.  It had work really fast and without any lagging pain.  I had to use the pickle juice one other time about mile 25 and it worked like magic again.  I wish I had known it would work so well sooner.  I can't remember how many times I have cramped darning a race. Was the pickle juice really working or was it all in my head.  I think there for I am?

Shortly after leaving the 2nd to last aid stop I spotted the 3rd place guy about a half mile ahead of me.  If I can see you I can ketch you, I told myself.  As I picked up the pace I know the last 4 or 5 miles would literally be an up hill battle.  The gap was getting smaller and smaller. At one point he stopped at the top of a hill and looked back at me and knew I was gaining on him.  With 2 miles to go he was about 100 meters a head of me and at that point I knew I could pass him.  But at that same time my body said it had had enough and the tank ran dry.  I tried to run up hill and fell to a slow walk.  Heading in to the last stretch of the race through the hoo doos I was giving everything I had to keep moving.  I could run down hill but had to walk anything that had a grade to it.  I started to feel light headed.  As I started to climb the last steps to the finish I grabbed the hand rails that where there and my head started to spin. Upon running across the finish line I almost fell over. But I had two angles Lisa the first place women who had passed my on the stairs and Dulce holding me up. 

They helped me to a chair in the shade and my head continued to spin.  I sat there staring into space not really hearing what was going on around me.  Dulce poured water on me to cool me off as well as gave me some to drink.  The medics came over to check me out.  Someone told me that they wanted me to get on their stretcher and then take me over to the ambulance to cool me off.  I politely declined and told them I got this and all I need was a Mountain Dew.  That didn't sit well with the medics and they wouldn't let me have one.  What? Who are they to tell me I can't have one. They don't know about the reviving power of Mt. Dew.  I have use that soft drink as a pre race celebration, mountain top salute, and post race recovery drink for years.  It had always done the trick to make me feel better.

I sat the finish line for who knows how long before feeling I need to lay down in the shade somewhere.  Dulce helped me to a picnic bench and I attempted to slowly lay down. Wham, I hit my head on the bench and didn't care.  After some time had passed I slowly got some more water and food in me and felt good enough to walk around.




What a day!  I finish the race in 4:27:09.  It was a PR for the course but not for the distance. I felt I had paced it well and given it my all. I can see how easy it would be for someone to give up and quit when things don't got well.  If I had given up when I hurt so bad I couldn't walk so many years ago, it would have opened up door to make it even easier to quit the next time.

I may never be able to repay the kindness and selfless care I received at the finish line. I am grateful for my friends.  I hope to be able return the favor.  Big thanks to staff at Endurance Athletics for helping with the gear I need for my race.

Gear:

Hoka Stinson's
Hoka hydration pack
Captain America socks
Endurance Athletics singlet

Meta salt caplets
Oreo's
Quaker chocolate chip granola bars
Sport beans
Gatorade in my hydration pack

Paul, Eric, and myself

24 The hard way

 

Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweeping down the plains.....Okla-homa, okla-homa...I don't know anything about the state other than they have a musical named after it. When I was looking for a 24-hour race to do this year there were multiple factors to consider. Time of year, Elevation of the city the race was held in, temperature, if the race is USATF certified, what the course is like, and if the race didn't get canceled. Like many others, I trained for races and they got canceled. When they got canceled, I would back off for a week and get back at it. Then start searching for another race to run. When I decided to do 24 the hard way in Oklahoma City it was my best option from what I could tell. The mission was set to launch and training picked up. Going into this race I feel I was in one of the best endurance shapes of my life. In a training run, I ran my second fastest 50k 5:15? and was able to run the next day. 

 

My crew consisting of my road-tripping parents, amazingly hot wife, top notch photographer 14-year old son, enthusiastic talk to every stranger 8-year old son, and the best pacer/crew chief Eric. We arrived almost a day and a half before the race. What a great crew I had and couldn't have done the race without them. The day before the race Eric and I went out for an easy 4 miler to stretch the legs and get a feel for the humidity. All systems were a go and the pre-launch count down had started. The Family then went to the Oklahoma zoo. Lots of cool active animals to see. I took every chance I could to sit down to rest the legs. Later in the day we went to pick up our race packets. I had convinced Eric to run the 6-hour road/dirt race. He was already going to be there and then he could run with me. There were no pacers allowed at the race. Eric and I took a walk on both courses. He was doing 3 hours on the dirt loop and then 3 on the road. The dirt loop had a variety of conditions. Singletrack, grass, gravel, wide trail, twist and turns, grassy fields and some ups and downs. But I felt it could use more vert. The road course started a bit uphill and then rolled down. Then the hill that I would be the first strike against me for an amazing race. The backside of the course was mostly downhill and then a little up back to the start/finish. As we were walking the course there was one section of the backside that had some Bumps and cracks in the asphalt from tree roots growing under it. Eric said if I was going to Krash this is where I would do it. We had a laugh about it and planned as long as I stay to the inside of the course I could avoid a krash. 

 

Race day

 

Krash to Houston...Over

 

Nutrition payload check

Race gear check

Bib # check

Mt. Dew check

Backup plan check

Collision prevention plan check

Glide check

Waist lamp check (minus extra battery. Won't need that right?)

Donut buff x2 check

Pace chart check

 

Ready for launch

 

5...4...3...2...1.... Go

 

The loop was a .96 mile on asphalt through Bluff creek park. We ran the clockwise the whole time. I have run 24 hour races where they would switch directions every 6 hours and I like that. There was no switching at this race. I led most first lap and took it a bit fast to stretch the legs. Camillo From NY lead after that and for most of the race. The race is far from over and had my own race to run. He took off at a fast pace and I let him go. My wife said he was a noisy runner. Funny, coming from the deaf lady…

 

All day there was south to a north headwind. Sometimes gust up to 25 mph. At first it was no big deal. But lap after lap I could fill the resistance against my body slowing me down. I felt the headwinds the most on the big hill and coming into the finish. Half the time the trees in the park protected me from the wind or pushed me from behind. 

 

The miles started clicking off with no problems. Marathon 3:47, 50k 4:30, 50 miles 7:33, 100 K 9:?? and 12 hours 75 miles PR. Some were after 50 miles I noticed I was slowing and not able to keep the pace I wanted. That's when strike 3 came in to place. First the hills, wind, and then humidity. In Utah, we have dry heat and I have not run in much humidity. In OK the morning it was about 31% and then just kept rising from there. I never got cold at night or felt cooled off. I started using ice and wetting my buff in the afternoon. It would only feel good for a few minutes. I tried to drink more water but it didn't help. I was overheated and dehydrated. But despite my decline in pace my amazing crew kept me moving. I had big goals for this race and it wasn't happening. The best advice I have could receive came at the right time. Eric told me "C'est la vie. Play the cards you are dealt". I had to think about what he said for a moment and then the light came on. He was so right. All the negative self-talk, stress, and pressure I put on myself was gone. I was so much happier the rest of the race. I wasn't going to make my goal but I was going to make the best of my race and have fun.

 

At one point during the night I felt like I was sleepwalking. I have never felt like I need to take a nap during a race before. Eric hands me a cup, "Drink this and put your light back on". It wasn't Dew but could have been rocket fuel. Red bull and my light did the trick. Waist lamp lasted 5 hours into the night. Who would have guessed? Should have brought the extra batteries. We charged the battery and it was good to help finish the night. Most of the time I didn't need a light and enjoyed running in the dark. On the darkest part of the course they put up some Christmas lights. But they need to be 15 feet to the south over bumps and cracks in the asphalt where my possible crash location was at. Well, just before midnight I came around another runner and caught a toe on that bump. I tucked and rolled like I do most of the time. The running I came around grabbed me by my shoulders and helped me back on my feet. I was unhurt and walked it off. Also while I didn't have my light I saw a dark figure run across the path about 20 ft in front of me. It was to low to the ground to be a deer. I found out it was a coyote. 

 

Nutrition

 

I went with the same plan as ATY 24. Morten 320 and 160 for the first 6-7 hours. Then switched to Morten Gels. Ate a grilled ham and cheese sandwich for dinner with some Mountain Dew. I ate a few mandarin oranges too. Sometimes Morten is a bit too sweet. During this race I had no problems with it. I felt most of the time I couldn’t drink enough. In the last few hours of the race I drank water and ate chunks of boiled potato. I found out that the first potato got burned while cooking. I guess water boils faster here. The crew called my dad to get another potato to cook.

 

Sometime in the night I passed Camillo and got a few laps upon him. Then didn't see him for a long time. I thought he had stopped sometime after 100 miles. Then with about 3 hours to go he comes rocketing past me. If he had gotten a 2nd wind I wasn't able to keep up. Sometime after hitting 100 miles in 17:08 my pace dropped off. If I was going to hold him off for the win, I would have to run more of the loop than I was at that time. Oh it hurt so bad to run. My legs felt like running on bricks. Well it didn't last long. 3 laps later I ran past him walking. I loved the last few hours of the race.  During the race I try to talk to everyone on the course but never for very long. I talked to Ray for many laps about this and that. I talked to Dana from Kansas off and on. I wanted to say to her “There’s no place like home”.

 

With Just over a hour to go I crossed the timing mat just behind Camillo. He turned around and we started chatting it up. Then met up with Rebecca from Texas. The 3 of us walked the last 2 laps together and had a blast. I really don’t remember what we talked about other than I was having fun. I said to them “We have 50 minutes left in the race if we walk slow enough we won't have to do more than 2 laps”.  After we finished a lap we still had 30 minutes. How did that not take longer? My son Loren joined us for the last lap. It didn’t go any slower. With just over .25 of a mile to go there was a park bench that I saw many racer stop and sit down on. I wanted to sit down many times but couldn’t let myself. I turn to Rebecca “I know how we can stretch out this lap. I always wanted to sit on that bench. Let's sit down and my boy can take our picture. Oh it was so funny watching the 3 of us trying to get up off the bench. It was one of those good ideas and bad ideas kind of things. Coming down the home stretch we walked even slower to wait up for some other runners. Then this idea came into my head to cross the finish line as slow as possible and everyone else followed my lead. What an amazing finish

.The best way to finish an Ultra.

Jackpot 24 hour loop race

On a cold sunny Saturday morning I toed the line just outside of Sin City in Cornerstone park. At first look I thought this course was ugly and it was going to be a long day.  But as the miles passed on, I found the hidden treasure in every corner.  

I have been wanting to get back to loop races for some time.  They are different and you can run as much or little as you want.  You pass the same people again and again.  You get to know some of them and become friends. You help each other through the hard times.  Just a little smile fuels the fire within. That was Meile the super girl, and Mosi my brother from another mothaw for me. I met them early in the race but only got to run with them for brief moments. They were both running the 100 miler on a 1.17 mile loop and my 2.5 mile loop crossed paths here and there.  I would see them from a far and yell at them and they would do the same. They may never know how much they helped me. Miranda also always had a big smile on her face.  

Down to the dirt 

The course is 45% groomed dirt trail, 45 asphalt, 5% grass and 5% bridges. Each lap has 80 ft of ascent/descent. But it felt like more. Over 100 miles you would get 4,000 ft of vert. My favorite part was in the last quarter mile.  You get off the pavement on to a dirt single track with a rocky path next to the lake. Lots of tall plants like a marsh. It made me feel like in a different place close to home in the Rockies.  

I ran the first 2 laps faster than planned to get the speed out of system. Then back it up to a 9-930 pace. My knees hurt off and on for the first few hours.  I have had some problems with patella tendonitis for some time. I started to get down and doubt myself. Threw on some tunes and it gave me a 2nd wind.  I had at least 8 of those throughout the race.  A song by Shine down called Demons did the trick.  There will always be ups and downs in an ultra race. I had plenty of tricks to fight back. Music, high fives or low fives, Mt Dew, cheering others on, complementing others outfits, yelling encouragement to someone far away, and my favorite Mt Dew.  

I ran the first half marathon in 2:01 and marathon in 4:07. Then clicked off the 50k in 4:55 and 50 miles in 8:13. Time was flying by. 100 k in 10:36 and now I am almost half way done with my race. The next mile stone was the big one. I finish 100 miles in 18:05. New PR in the 100 miler for me by 1 hour and 25 mins.  If I running the 100 miler (not the USATF 100 miler) I could have won it and brought home $500.  No money for the 24 or 48 hour. I was there to run as many miles as I could in 24 hours.  

Most of the time my nutrition plan was to.....well I never had a plan.  I just eat what I wanted and drank lots of Mountain Dew. This time things were different.  I have been testing with Maurten gels and 320 drink mix during my last few races. I plan to use the drink mix every 6 hours and gels about every hour. I also grazed at the aid station here and there.  The plan worked great until it didn’t.  Sometime in the middle of the night my gut went bad.  The last 5 hours of the race I fueled on boiled potato chunks, M&M pancakes, and Mt. Dew. The biggest thing I notest about Maurten was that I always had energy.  I was able to keep my leg turn over up throughout the whole race. Yes, my muscles felt sore but had tons of energy and never felt tired.   

With an hour and 10 mins to go I had 5 miles to reach my goal of 130 miles.  Could I make it? I had my doubts but still pushed on.  My new friend Oscar started to push on with me.  I had seen him during the race but never run together.  He ended up taking 2nd in the 24 hour race.  With time running out they gave me a bean bag with my race number on it.  They had buckets set out every half mile along the course. when the horn sounded time was up and I was to drop my bean bag in the nearest bucket.  Other loop races have opened a shorter loop like .25 of mile in the last hour to make every mile count.  I had my wife put on “The Mountain” by Three days grace for my final lap. 

“Every day I’m surviving 

Keep climbing the mountain 

Even when I feel like dying 

Keep climbing the mountain” 

I pushed and pushed every uphill. I gave it my all on every downhill and turn.  Until I had no more to give and I reached the end.  The race director told me “You have 6 more mins left. You have time to run another half mile”. I threw my bean bag down to the ground. Hell no, I'm done.  

I had met my goal of running 130 miles in 24 hours.  I finished first overall by 20 miles.  Set a new PR for 24 hours by 16 miles.  I may have set a new course record, results pending. But I couldn’t have done without my friends and family cheering me on, pushing me on workouts, and supporting me on my crazy dreams. A big thanks goes to Stazza’s Stable for all the help and guidance over the past months.  I have my wife and family to thank the most.  The countless miles I am gone on the weekends. They love me. 

Wasatch 100 2018

My first Wasatch 100 was in 2015 and the heat monster tanked me early.  I rallied in the night to get to the finish line. I had a good friend get me out of an aid station and tell me to shut up and run.  I had planed to come back to Wasatch some day. But knew if I wanted to do better in the heat I had to learn how to manage it.  Bryce 100 was my testing grounds.  I used arm sleeves with ice, bandannas with ice, drank more, and other things I can't remember.  It worked. I then changed from a 2 liter pack to a vest with 2- 16 oz bottles.  I trained harder, Ran more miles and set out to run my best at the Buffalo 100.  Well...Didn't go as planed.  Like most I wounder what I did wrong.  I worked so hard and failed.  But did I really? For the next 3-4 months I tried to get back to normal training but couldn't.  I was tired all the time making it hard to even get up to run. With the help of some friends I realized I was feeling the effects of over training. Running more miles wasn't the answer.  I had to train smarter. Buffalo 100 taught me many lessons that would help me in the future races.  2018 was the year I was ready to take my revenge on Wasatch. I changed how I trained with the help of new friend. I changed my diet and started to drink less Mountain Dew.  I know, that is a sin.

The big race climbing 24,000 ft of joy

After 3 miles of easy trail we started up Bair canyon (4,200 ft in 4 miles) I felt a sharp stab to my right calf.  Then I saw the hornets.  I got stung 2 more times before pacing them.  Almost everyone I was with got stung. I took bair canyon very easy to not tank myself.  The next few miles descended to the first aid stop. I brought along several El Monterey Chimichangas to eat. I put them frozen in my pack and they defrost over time.  I ate one about every 2 hours. Mmm goodness. The first major aid station was Big mountain mile 32.  I was doing great. Big mountain to lambs was the part I tanked when I did Wasatch last.  The temperature started heating up and I put in to place the tricks I had learned. I never felt like I beat the heat. Just managed it.  When I hit Alexander ridge I sat in the kiddie pool they had set up and drenched myself with water. Mile 45 Lambs canyon was where I met my first pacer Steve.  I had him bring me a "Son of Baconator" from Wendys.  Oh it was so good and hit the spot.  The miles kept clicking off like nothing. I didn't turn on my head lamp until about Scott's hill mile 63.

Met my wife and family at Brighton mile 73.  It was great to see them.  I couldn't do this without their support. I also met my next pacer Jeremy and he would push me to the finish.  Leaving Brighton was easy but the climb to point supreme wasn't.  The Quads didn't want to move very fast. They were toast.  I kept moving on despite the lack of energy. There is not much that I remember about climbing to point supreme.  I was in the pain cave taking step after step.  Jeremy told me we where at the beach.  The beach is a very sandy part of the climb just before the hitting point supreme. I told him there was no way we where there because we hadn't hit Catherine pass yet.  We argued for several minutes over this. In the end he was right.  Where had the past 45 mins gone?  I was excited we had hit the top. I love the downhill and can run it well even on tired legs.

We crused for many miles down and got quickly out of aid stations. Then there was more uphill.  Still the legs didn't want to move fast.  I tried to move but the legs said no way. Resorting to the walk run technique for most of the rest of the race.  With 25 miles to go I wondered if I could do a 5 hour marathon.  We ran the numbers and felt that would be hard.  Then the main goal would be back up to sub 26 hours.  Coming in to the last aid station we stopped briefly to for a snack. "#250 checking in." I told them.  A minuet later the ham operator said "#250 I have a message for you".  Then a long pause. "You have been disqualified."  What the.... I had to quickly think if I had done any thing to deserve that.  Hell no I didn't.  "Why am I being DQed?"  The radio operator replied "Because you run faster then them."  Again What the.... I quickly realized it was a joke.  I still don't know which one of my buddy's pulled that one on m but I had a good laugh.

The last 6 miles had some down hill and some up.  If we where going to make the sub 26 we had to average a 10 min mile.  We started off at 10-11 min pace.  Jeremy kept about 5 paces in front of me setting the pace.  I tried to run most of the up hill even if it was slow.  The steeper hills we walked quickly.  With 2 miles to go I was pushing him faster to a 8-9 min pace.  With 1.5 miles to go we dropped down to a 7:30 pace down hill.   The last mile was all up hill on pavement and I was going to run it even if it killed me. We ran the last mile in 8:13.  Finished in 25:57 and good enough for 15th overall.

I ran 3 hours faster than my last Wasatch.  I didn't cramp at all or want to quit ever.  Almost did in 2015.  My stomach didn't feel that good for most of the 2nd half of the race.  I also had lots of painful bowl gas.  I didn't let it bother me. I just kept putting things in the tank.  I puked one time late in the race.  I had had broth and chicken noodle soup.  It set well.  But this "Cup of noodles" cup stuff didn't sit well.  Had it down for 1 min before it all came back up and then some.  Never again Cup of noodles.

I only Krashed 4 times during the race.  That is a PR over last Wasatch where I had 5.

I couldn't have done this with out all my family and friends supporting me along the way. Thank you stable mates for pushing me and making me a better runner.

Pulse Endurance 24 hour race

 First 24 hour loop race! 

To loop or not to loop?

One of many muddy paths to travel 

 

Go time was Friday at 6 PM at Eagle Island State Park in Idaho just outside Boise.  They had already change the course due to flooding on the old course. The loop is 2.62 miles long and you could only run clockwise unlike last year when we could change directions. A nice perk is that every time you finish a loop you can stop at the station for needed fluids and nourishment. But unfortunately it can also be the pit of despair because it enticed you with shelter from the wind, rain, had all sorts of food, chairs and heaters. The longer you stay in the aid station the more time that is sucked away. My goal was to try to make all my transitions as smooth as possible getting in and out fast. Any food that I was eating a took it to go forcing myself a mandatory minute or two walk. The Ding Dongs in the middle of the night rocked.

It had been raining off and on all day long.  The rain started again about a hour in to the race. It started easy but then pounded us for hours. It stopped about sunset and a rainbow shined bright, which made for some great pictures. I took the rainbow as a sign from God that he had answered my prays and gave thanks. The rest of the night we dealt with the effects of the rain. The weatherman foretasted it to continue raining till 1 AM. This is the one time I was glad the weatherman was wrong. The rain came down so hard at one point I found myself in a depressive hole wondering it I could last 15 hours more. Your mind can make or break you in an ultra. I am grateful for a friends text that showed up at the right time.  "Just keep making it fun and keep rocking out!" I put on some tunes and did just that. 

I led the race for the first loop at a relaxed easy 7:30 pace for fun.  Jose (a fellow competitor) passed me on the 2nd loop. I was fine to let him go and found my own pace. I didn't see him again for 35 miles. Looking at the tracking I could see how far I was behind him. At first 20 minutes and then 9. I was closing the gap. 

only Krash of the race

Parts of the course was better than others. I tried to find the perfect route around the puddles and mud pits. But failed again and again to keep my feet dry. One part of the course started as a small kiddie pool. Hours later it was a 50 meter lap pool mid-calf deep due to a nearby field draining onto the course. At first you could avoid it on the side but soon even that was flooded. Lap after lap my feet would get sopping wet. I had embraced the cold water. One time I even ran down the middle (note video below). Bad idea. Shortly after my dumb idea they changed to course cutting out the lap pool and many water crossings. I was mentally ready to go through that portion of the course but was thankful for the change. The volunteer who told me the news may have received a very big hug from me! What a relief to not have to deal with that! The course was now 2.1 miles long.

Throughout the night I changed my cloths for dry ones. Changing my shoes for dry ones was another blessing. My feet were in bad shape. Going to loose both big toe nails. I have a great picture of them....I will save you from it and not post it! The blisters underneath are so huge it has pooped up behind the nail and over the cuticle. Pretty impressive work (damn water).

Most of the time I ran by myself.  I enjoyed the times I ran with someone.  It was great change of pace and great company. One lady I ran with was Tess. She was doing the 100 miler as a relay with some friends.  I can't thank her enough for words of encouragement and comfort. Some people are just naturals at talking to others and calming them with out trying. 

Nanas' pre race game face

At noon on Saturday my daughter started the 6 hour race. It has been a blast training with her. She's a sneaky one. She asked me one day when she could run a marathon. I replied when you turn 18. Days or weeks later she asked if she could run the 6 hour loop race. I told her prove to me you want to do the race by running 3 times a week starting with 2 miles each time. She started with running 3 miles each run the first week by herself. At some point she unveiled her plan. "Do you think I can run a marathon in 6 hours?" She asked. I had been bamboozled. Props to her. We mentioned she doesn't get a medal with this race, but she did get a shirt with her name, race, and distance. She likes that better!

We ran the first loop together and then I picked up the pace leaving her to tackle the marathon on her own. She is amazing and determined. She finished the marathon with 5 mins to go. She paced it perfect.  Felt great the whole time and never hit the wall. Her longest run was 13.7 miles a month before the race.

What amazing weekend. I finished with 114 miles and finished in 1st place over all. That is the most miles I have run in one day. Natalie finished her first marathon and was 6th in the 6 hour race among females at least 10 years older older than her. The big question is "Will I do another 24 hour race?"  I think so but I don't know when.  I have a lot to learn about this kind of race and tweaking to do with my strategy.   

I have the best supporters.  My wife who volunteered and helped crew Natalie and I. I know she wants to be out racing with us.  She even walked a loop with me.  

Endurance Athletics has been my go to shop for some time now.  I can find every thing I need for training and racing.  The staff is awesome to work with and super friendly. 

Ice bath