Ozark Trail 100 Miler

It's official. I am now signed up for the Ozark Trail 100 miler Nov 7-8. I'm excited! Paul Schoenlaub and Stuart Johnson are the co-race directors. I have met and ran with both a few times. They are great people. It sounds like there's going to be many fellow ultra runners working the aid stations as well. Sounds like a recipe for success to me.

I was reviewing the entrants list and it looks like same group of runners that usually assemble down in Arkansas for Three Days of Syllamo, and Arkansas Traveller. It's a fantastic bunch of people that I have begun to get to know over the last few years. They are always very welcoming and friendly.

There will be many AURA and SLUG members in attendance, that's for sure. Most of the runners are from Missouri or Illinois, but many other states are represented as well.

As of August 17th there were 100 runners signed up from 24 states. Here's the breakdown;

Arkansas - 9
California - 2
Colorado - 2
Georgia - 1
Illinois - 14
Indiana - 3
Kansas - 5
Kentucky - 1
Michigan - 1
Minnesota - 4
Missouri - 32
North Carolina - 1
Nebraska - 1
New Mexico - 1
New York - 1
Ohio - 1
Oklahoma -2
Oregon - 1
South Dakota - 1
Tennessee - 4
Texas - 6
Utah - 1
Virginia - 2
Wisconsin - 4

Male - 83
Female - 17

M 20-29 - 5
M 30-39 - 26
M 40-49 - 29
M 50-59 - 17
M 60-69 - 6
M 70 + - 0

F 20-29 - 2
F 30-39 - 7
F 40-49 - 6
F 50-59 - 2
F 60-69 - 0
F70 + - 0

I'm looking forward to it! Maybe we'll see you there!

Busy summer....

It’s been a long time since I have posted here. This summer has been one of our busiest ever. So what did we do this summer?

- I helped my wife train for her first half-marathon (Rock n Roll Chicago Half), and she finished in 2hr 14min. That’s faster than my first half marathon! I was the crew chief this time, and was in charge of corralling the kids and getting to certain spots along the course where we could see her and cheer for her. This was more difficult for me than running a 100 miler!

- Helped out with the UPS for DownS charity team that ran the Rock n Roll Chicago Half as well.

- We moved! Although only 5 miles, it was very difficult with 3 kids and a dog….. we are still unpacking to this day…. There’s lots of stuff that comes along with moving too. Including but not limited to cleaning, painting, organizing, landscaping, etc…

- Traveled to Tennessee to visit the in-laws, who just retired and moved down there this summer.

- Our new house got struck by lightning. It hit the roof just above our bed. I had just laid in bed a minute before it hit. That was scary. It fried out lots of small things, but overall there was minimal damage. One of the worst things was that our underground dog fence got zapped, so now we have to walk the dog on a leash many times/day, which is very difficult having 3 kids… Anyone want a dog???

- Swam in the pool with the kids almost every day throughout the summer.

- Decided I couldn’t run the Superior Sawtooth 100 miler due to too much going on…

- I ran a self supported (Carried all of my water and nutrition on me the entire way) 32 mile training run all alone 3 weeks ago and wasn’t sore at all after.

- I have been doing some speed work with a friend at the local high school track. Yasso 800’s is what we usually do. This is new for me. I have never done speed work before.

- I have been running up the biggest hill I can find in our area. Usually 10-20 times per workout.

- My goal with the speed work is to try to finish the Chicago Marathon in 3 hrs. (Just for the heck of it – not running at Boston anytime soon) and ride that into the Ozark Trail 100 miler in November. I am anxious to see how the speed work affects my 100 mile pace.

So after a very busy summer, I am trying to get re-focused on my training. It’s been tough with work, kids going back to school, helping with the kid’s sports and school activities, and my allergies in full effect. But I’ll figure out how to get it all worked into the schedule. That means lots of 4 AM runs…. What a great way to start the day….

Kettle Moraine 100 miler

The short version – I finished in 20 hours and 28 minutes. Good for 14th place out of 126 starters. Full results are here.

The long version – The weather couldn’t have been better. It was overcast, mid-50’s to low 60’s for the temp, and just a little bit of rain. I felt great in all aspects – physically and mentally. I had an excellent crew lined up with uncle Dale pacing from the 100K point on. A friend of mine, Ben Niles, was planning on running in the Night Fun Run (38 miles) which started near the time that I expected to be back around Nordic (Start/Finish line). So maybe I’d get to run with him as well….

As I approached the start/finish area I noticed quite a few familiar faces and said hello to those I knew.

My strategy for this race was to minimize my time spent at aid stations, carry both of my bottles in my new Amphipod belt so I didn’t have to hold them the entire time, and try to stay at a very consistent pace throughout the race.

My pace was fairly consistent throughout most of the race, but was a bit faster than I had planned at the start. I was at a 19 hour pace until maybe mile 50, when I started to feel nauseous, and began to feel the urge to hurl often. I ate lots of ginger, but I couldn’t put the bottle of Perpetuem (My calorie source) to my lips, or there was an almost automatic gag reflex as soon as the bottle hit my lips.

As I came into the 100K turn around, I was feeling quite sick and hadn’t been able to take in much in the way of any kind of fuel, weather solid or fluid. Dale suggested that I slam an Ensure, eat more ginger, take a few ibuprofen, take some Endurolytes (electrolytes), eat some caffeinated gum, and stop being a wuss!

Ben was able to get started early on his night fun run (Since when is a 38 miler that starts at night and is on 98% single trac trails considered a “fun run”??? I’m still trying to figure that one out). Doesn’t matter, I was very happy to get the chance to run with him and my uncle from 100K to the finish. They kept the mood light with some “humor” (They should both keep their day jobs).

Dale kept me on my toes re:everything from correcting my gait to trying to diagnose what was causing my nausea. Dale thought it was either my new belt bouncing on my stomach, or lack of electrolytes. Looking back I think it was the lack of electrolytes.

By the time I arrived at Rice Lake (81.5 miles) I was toast. I hadn’t been eating anything at all, and wasn’t drinking enough either. I sat down here for the first time all day and wondered how I was going to get back to the finish. If I was going to I’d have to do it on guts alone (not much left in the tank there), or I’d have to figure out the nausea and start getting some calories down the hatch.

Turns out I wasn’t ever able to get much down after Rice Lake, but was able to keep my feet moving and get back to the finish line just 28 minutes over my target time of 20 hours. In the process I set a new 100 mi PR, beating my previous mark by 2 hours and 26 minutes, and beat my time from the same race last year by 3 hours.

There’s no way I could have done it without all of the race volunteers, my awesome crew including my awesome wife Cortney, my parents Janie and Lee, Uncle Phill and his nephew Will-I-am, Uncle Dale and Aunt Peggy, and Ben. That’s just the people that were there. My other sources of motivation include my three beautiful daughters, my other friends and family that couldn’t make the trip, and a group called UPS for DownS that is extremely close to my family’s heart.

If you’d like to find out more about UPS for DownS, or would like to donate, please click here.

National Running Day!

Today is National Running Day! Celebrate by - RUNNING today! Click HERE for a cool story from Time magazine. I'm currently reading this guy's book - Born to Run. I figured it would be good to read and get my mind focused on the Kettle Moraine 100 miler this weekend. Enjoy....

It's a beautiful thing....

Matt Hart from Montrail created this video for a presentation on ultrarunning. It captures some views along the trails that I have never been able to capture because I never carry a camera for fear of ruining it. It also captures some of the reasons why I have fallen in love with the sport. Enjoy!

2009 Kettle Moraine 100 miler

Just under 3 weeks until the Kettle Moraine 100 miler. 2 weeks ago I ran 100 miles total for the week. Since then I have begun to taper down and focus a little more on speed, hills, and weight training. I feel great and am looking forward to the race again this year.

Three Days of Syllamo 2009

The short version – I placed 7^th. Here’s a link to the results – http://www.syllamo.org/3days/Results2009.aspx

There some pictures over there --------------------->>>

The trip down to Mountain View, AR is a long one for us. About 10 hours to be exact. But we made the most of it. Cortney came along with this time, as well as Aunt Peggy, Uncle Dale (Aslo running) and Cousin Mike.

However, ‘disaster’ struck early. As soon as we arrived I remembered that I had forgotten my Perpetuem (Liquid fuel for long races). Dale said he had some, but probably not enough for both of us. When we checked in I asked around to see if anyone had any extra. I was thinking that since the race was a Hammer sponsored event, they might have some there, but no luck. I was going to have to improvise. I have used Ensure Plus at races in the past, but only at aid stations, not as my primary source of nutrition for an entire race. But that was the plan. So we went and bought 3 cases of Ensure Plus and was going to have to try that for the first day at least.

Well, I have to say that Steve Kirk and the rest of the Three Days of Syllamo crew know how to make the best out of a bad situation. Back in February there was a major ice storm that brought many millions trees to the ground in the area, and many more millions of branches/limbs and large parts of trees to the ground as well. As we drove through the area and looked up at the mountains it looked like a tornado had slammed it’s way through the entire forest. Most of the trails that Steve had planned to utilize were not passable by the time race day came around. Therefore, Steve did the best he could to alter the course and still provide as much of that great 100% single trac course that I love. But due to the severity of the damage it was impossible to avoid using some forest service roads to get the mileage in.

The good news is that when we were there Steve heard that a crew would be coming into town soon and will try to have all of the trails cleared for the Syllamo 100 miler in October.

The weather was almost perfect for running for the entire weekend. Not too sunny, temps ranging from 40-55 over the three days.

Day 1 – 50k (Turned into 42k)

As I approached the starting area I recognized quite a few very friendly faces that I have come to know over the past few years. People like Paul Schoenlaub, Stuart Johnson and his wife, Dave Wakefield, Po Dog Vogler, Paul Turner, Josh and Ashley Nordell, Chris Block, Billy Simpson, Steve Kirk and his wonderful family of course, Chef Cal and many many more. It was great to see them all again. They are a great group of supportive and friendly runners.

I felt great all weekend. As the 50k started I went out pretty fast, my bottle filled with 2 Ensure Plus (Strawberry)….. This would be an out and back course mainly on single trac with a bit of fire road mixed in near the turn around. I tried to stay with Ashley Nordell and was able to up until the turn around. I was running up inclines that I hadn’t even tried to run up in the past. I feel like the training that I did on the stairs through the winter and a new weight program helped with this.

By the time we hit the turn around I could feel the affects of that taking it’s toll. I wasn’t used to the Ensure so I hadn’t been drinking it or hydrating as well as I should have been either. On the trip back I started to walk the steep inclines and run everything else as hard as I could.

As I returned to the middle aid-station Steve Kirk’s wife and Veronica Battaglia (ran last year) scolded me for not drinking enough Heed. They told me that I should not have made it all the way back with my bottles nearly 90% full. They were right! They made me drink up and sent me on my way.

I did start to feel a bit nauseous towards the end, but the Ensure did well enough to get me to the end of day 1 in 4 hrs 17 min. (10^th place for the day).

I walked over to the creek afterwards and did the ceremonial soaking in the ice-cold creek even though my legs weren’t really sore at all. I knew I should do it just to be sure I wasn’t too sore for the next day’s challenge.

Day 2 – 50 miler

Uncle Dale was kind enough to give me enough Perpetuem for 2 bottles for the day. I estimated that I’d need three to make it, so I made sure to put some Ensure in my drop bag at the mile 40 aid station (Barkshed).

This day we would head the opposite way we had gone the day before for 5 miles on muddy rocky single-trac, cross a river that was ice cold and chest deep (This was fun!), run 100 yards to the first aid station, turn around and go back the way we came to the start, and head the way we had gone the day before up to the Barkshed aid station.

At this point we would head out the opposite way on fire service roads for 10 miles. The first portion of this part of the course was a BRUTAL continuous climb up a mountain for what seemed like 1-2 miles. I thought it would never end. For me this section was the most difficult. I don’t really enjoy running on forest service (gravel) roads as much, but I tried to make up some time where I could, running as fast as I could on the flat and downhill sections, and power walking up the inclines. When I made it to the turn around (Mile 30) I wasn’t feeling too well mentally.

I had been struggling with negative thoughts from at least mile 15 through to here (mile 30). I just wanted to stop. But this has been a pattern of mine for the past 2 races. After battling the quitter demons in my head for some 2-3 hours, I finally turned the corner when I saw Billy Simpson at the turn-around. He gave me a cup of hot noodles and broth, a coke, and I was a brand new man. This combo really worked for me at the Traveller as well.

As I made my way back down the forest service road, I began to feel better about things. I was past halfway and if I could just get back off of this road and into the woods, I would turn it back on and hammer my way to the finish. As I came up to the section of the road where before I had walked UP 1-2 miles, I was in a free fall back DOWN the opposite way. By about mile 35 I had run out of Perpetuem, so I was looking forward to being able to replenish at Barkshed and hit it hard.

As I came into Barkshed, I replenished all fuels, ate some cookies, slammed an Ensure and a Coke, more noodles, and was on my way. As I made my way out of Barkshed, I was walking and eating the last of the food I had scrounged up and a kid playing with a toy laser gun, maybe 7-8 years old, dropped what he was doing and was standing there staring at me. He said something and I didn’t expect it, so I had to ask him to repeat it. He said “Great job Mr.!” I kind of laughed and smiled, and said thanks kid! Right then a wave of emotions overcame me, and a few tears rolled down my face. I had just overcome a major battle in my mind (recurring battle lately), the encounter made me think of my kids at home and how I missed them, and it wasn’t more than a year ago that nobody would have said "good job" to me for anything other than for being able to drink the most whiskey in one night. That kid did more for me than he will ever know. That re-ignited my fire right then and there. As soon as I was able to gather my composure I told myself that I was going to run this last 10 miles as hard as I possibly could.

That’s what I did too. It was awesome. My legs felt very fresh and my spirit was sky high. I hammered my way to the finish in 9hrs 17 min. (11^th place). Not a PR for me, but a pretty good time on this mountainous course.

Once again, I made my way over to the ice-cold creek and did the ceremonial soak. Thanks to Chef Cal we all ate some good food at the finish area and listened to the live bluegrass band for a bit before heading back to the cabin to rest up for the final day. Word on the street was that we might be going back across the creek again tomorrow! I couldn’t be more excited.

Day 3 (20k)

Steve confirmed that we’d be heading back through the wet, rocky, muddy single-trac and across the river again. Then past the aid station from the day before, up a monster incline out to a paved road, back down a monster decline, across a rickety bridge then turn around and head back the way we came. I was slightly sore but nowhere near as sore as I was last year. I was going to run this as hard as I possibly could.

That’s what I did. I kept my meter in the red for almost the entire distance. I also was able to chat with Stuart Johnson, Paul Schoenlaub, and a new friend Damian Nathaniel. Damian and I ran together quite a bit over this weekend, and have quite a bit in common. It was great to be able to meet him.

I really enjoyed this final day and pushed real hard to the finish in 1 hr 45 min. (5^th place).

Overall

I placed 7th overall. My goal was to place in the top 10. I was minimally sore Monday, the day after the race, and back to "normal" by Tuesday. Not sure if the creek soakings helped with that, but I was amazed. Maybe I didn't try hard enough!

As I mentioned before, this is a great group of runners to be able to get to know. I’m so grateful to them all for sharing their passion for running, and being one of the most welcoming and friendly groups of runners out there. Thanks to Steve and his entire crew, including cousin Mike, who helped out on the first day. They all spent their entire weekend manning aid stations, cooking, working the finish line and assisting runners. I also want to thank Cortney for helping out when and where she could. It was very helpful, and she was able to get a vacation out of it at the same time. Also thanks to Mike. He drove the entire way home!!! And thanks to Peggy and Dale for everything you do.

Congrats to everyone who came out for Three Days of Syllamo 2009. Once again, an awesome event!