Keep Me Honest

I'm still alive...

2011-07-28T14:06:00.001-07:00

...not that anyone reads this, but I figured I'd come back, since I'm working on getting back to a place where I'm happy with my running again...

Since I last posted I've run a 100K, a 12 Hour race, 3 50Ks, a Marathon, and a 27.4 mile race... none of my performances are worthy of writing about, but I will say I did have one terrible race at the Green River Marathon this year, though I knew that's what was in store long before starting... If you feel the need to see the results of the races or read my (quick) comments on them, feel free to click the little "Stats" link over on the left...

Really this post only serves to state three things:

My wife & I had a baby in late April, she kicks ass...
I'm back on the wagon and re-learning how to actually train (and so far I feel as though it has been a success)
I might actually try to get back to updating this on occasion... maybe...

I'm a really lazy blogger (AKA: Yeesh, my third blog post all year and it's June already...)

2010-06-07T14:38:00.000-07:00

Since Lord Hill, the schedule has panned out just as I thought it would...

Tacoma City Marathon
5/2/10 - 3:51:21 - 119th out of 391 finishers

I stayed out quite late the night before celebrating a buddy's birthday and had *really* fallen behind on training prior to this race, so all things considered, I was actually pretty happy with my time. Andre (MM# 764) & I car pooled down together and ran a good chunk of the race together as well.

Watershed Preserve 12 Hour
5/15/10 - 59.13 miles in 11:21:20 - 16th out of 106 finishers

I really enjoyed this race for a lot of different reasons. First off, I got to play on the trails and get a pretty descent amount of miles in (I should have done more in those remaining 39 minutes, but there's always next year). I got in about 50K or so running with various familiar faces, including Eric (MM# 153) & Steve (MM# 510) who are always a blast, then, was joined by Andre who agreed to come out and pace me for the rest of the day, which was great from a motivational stand point. Second, I got to witness a bunch of first - I saw Betsy (MM# 1077) & Matt (MM# 1078) complete 50 miles for the first time, saw Morrie & Zale run their first ultras (31.2 miles!) when their previous distance PRs had been 25K (amazing jump!), and I saw Susan set a distance PR of 19.73 miles despite an early morning pet emergency that kept her from starting 'til noon-ish. To top it off, photographer extraordinaire, Glenn Tachiyama was out there to document the day for us! Check out a few (or all) of his pics from the day...

Glenn's link to all the days shots (please respect his copyright)
...and below are a few specific shots by Glenn...
Me, shot through the woods
Andre & I cruisin'

First Call Spring Run Off Half Marathon
5/22/10 - 2:26:58 - 29th out of 42 finishers

HALF Marathon?!? What the hell was I doing running a half, you may ask. Well, easy answer, this was my buddy Jason's first half marathon, in fact I believe it was his longest run over 5K, so I agreed to run it with him, which was pretty great. The two of us, Morrie, and Susan all car pooled down together. Jason impressed by running the entire distance with out a walk, break, or stop of any sort - congrats Jason! Well done! (When's the next one?)

Green River Marathon
6/5/10 - 3:42:40 - 19th out of 149 finishers

This is a great race that I've done the last 3 years now, which finishes just a few miles from my house. Last year I ran this race on the heels of some damn awful news, this year's race feel a year to the day of that news, so to commemorate (for lack of better word) the day occasion I busted out the same cotton T-shirt I wore last year. I didn't run as fast this year, but I am still quite happy with my time, and enjoyed the race once again.

Photo's of the event by Robcat Keller (please respect his copyright)

Up next is definitely the Vashon Island 50K on 6/26 & possibly The Ghost of Bellevue Marathon the next day to celebrate my birthday (thou' the Ghost is still up in the air, as I will have my parents in town visiting from MN). Besides that, Plain 100 is still the big plan of my up coming races, but I'll be sure to fill in the months in between, and hopefully soon...

I am a lazy blogger (AKA: 2010 so far)

2010-03-16T13:19:00.000-07:00

Bridle Trails 50K
1/9/10 - 5:40:32 - 46th out of 70 finishers
Slower than last year (no surprise there), but I still had a great time!

Capitol Peaks Mega Fat Ass
1/16/10 - 6:42 - 32nd out of 38 finishers
I got VERY lost toward the end of the race and I had already been going fairly slow, never the less I still enjoyed being out on the trails!

Lord Hill 50K
3/7/10 - 6:26:32 - 4th out of 21 finishers
Got just a wee bit lost in the beginning adding about a mile extra (but so did Shawna the over all winner, so no excuse there). Ran fairly well on the downs, was a bit slow on the ups, and was too slow on the flats of the final loop, but over all I'm happy with the finish. Again, it was on trails, so really how bad could it of been!

My upcoming schedule is still being worked out but as I can see it right now, I have no scheduled events for April. In May I have the Tacoma City Marathon on the 2nd, effectively ending a 7 month long hiatus from long distance road running (sad), and the Redmond Watershed Preserve 12 Hour on the 15th. In June I may once again do the Green River Marathon on the 5th with a firm plan of running the Vashon Island Ultra on the 26th. From there forward things are still up in the air, with the only real solid plan being Plain in September.

2009 = ...

2010-01-07T12:36:00.001-08:00

3 Marathons
8 50Ks
2 50 milers
2 100 milers
1 'other' (12 Hour Race, 48.25 miles)

Personal best marathon for 2009 - 3:29:39* (Green River Marathon)
Personal worst marathon for 2009 - 4:36** (Michelle's Grand Ass)

Personal best 50K for 2009 - 4:44* (Pigtail's Run)
Personal worst 50K for 2008 - 6:46:23** (Doppler 50K)

(The 50 milers are COMPLETELY incomparable to one another)

'Favorite' race of 2009 -

Yeesh... I have a great selection to choose from this past year... I promise I'll pick one but let me first say that I really enjoyed all of the following: Bridle Trails 50K, Capitol Peak Mega Fat Ass 50K, The White River 50 Mile, STORMY, Hundred in the Hood, Carkeek 12 Hour, and the Doppler 50K. Now, if you're paying attention, you may noticed that all of the fore mentioned involved trail portions, if not entirely, and that's no coincidence. From that list, it's really hard for me to choose, after all, STORMY was my first 100 miler, so that counts for something, having said that I enjoyed Hundred in the Hood even more, White River was once again wonderful, while Cap. Peak, Carkeek, & Doppler were all great in their community feel. In the end I think Bridle Trails edges the rest out, it was the first time I had ran in conditions that sloppy and I had a great time! Doppler gave me plenty of muck too, and it comes in a close 2nd, but it doesn't hold the distinction of being first, thus, Bridle Trails was my favorite race of 2009.

Least enjoyed race of 2009 -

This is easy, Valentine Marathon, no question, I should note that I had great company while running and that does not factor into my choice. I never really properly blogged about the race, one reason was that I really didn't have much good to say about it and I was concerned that bad mouthing the race may some how look bad on my part, now that almost a year has past I can say with out hesitation that I will *never* run another Bob Green Marathon (or holiday marathon, or Kristina Salazar marathon, or whatever else they want to call themselves). The list of reasons why I was unhappy with this race is so long i don't think I have the patience or time to list them all, but here are a few of the highlites (lowlites): it was relatively expensive for a course that was not closed off - the 'official' time keepers were 2 12 year old kids who, guess what, had no interest in actually recording times and acted accordingly - when told that they had ran out of shirts I was offered either a shirt latter or $5 back, I said the $5 would be fine, despite numerous emails I have yet to receive the refund let alone a second response (ie: 'yeah, I'll send you $5, what's your address?' / address sent / no response / 'ummm.. I have yet to receive anything...' / no response / '...seriously, can I have my $5?...' / no response), 3 emails were sent, I have since given up, out of principle though I now tell everyone I can not to run those damn races. (I'm sad I even deadicated this much time to rehashing it.)

Next up: Bridle Trails 2010 (this weekend)!!!

* = PR
** = Personal Worst

Doppler 50K

2009-11-24T13:05:00.000-08:00

(What could be more inviting?)

Alright, so here's the thing, I do my best to live with in my means, but there are a few things that, once I have a taste for them, I want in excessive excess (yep, that much), that list includes, breakfast, La Conner IPA, and miles. Since late July I've been treated to two 100 mile races, a 50 miler, and a 12 hour race (not to mention many an Eggs Benedict and a case of IPA), satiated I should be, but no. So, despite my excitement to run new trails, a week ago 50K was looking just too short.

(The brave few receive their instructions)

On Sunday, I woke up dark and early, prepared and got dressed, kissed the wife goodbye, and was out the door to carpool with fellow West Satellite Mike. We arrived at the Green Mountain trail head in Bremerton with a half hour or so to spare, the perfect amount of time to say some hellos, decide what clothing options to go with, and get briefed by the RD. Despite the pouring rain on the way to the race, by the time we began it had been reduced to a lite drizzle which soon disappeared all together .

(Eric & I, early on, thrilled to be surrounded by woods and snow!)

We were warned prior to starting that it would be best to just run through the puddles as opposed to attempting to avoiding them, this was shown to be good advice early on. After a few puddles which were able to be hopped across or skirted around the 'unavoidables' began to show them selves, the beauty of this of course is that once you go through one, you're already as wet as you can get, which really ends up being a liberating realization, to the point that they become enjoyable!

(Misty Mountain High? Sure, why not?)

About 2/3rds of the course was run along trails with the other 1/3rd on forest service dirt roads, as much as I would have loved 100% trails, the roads were bearable and even provided some scenic views of the Olympic mountains, the Puget sound, and Bremerton below, that, coupled with a light blanket of snow provided for one very enjoyable course!

(Trail? Nope. Stream? Nope. "Unavoidable!" is the proper term!)

The entire run Eric Barnes & I stuck together, and for quite some time we were in good position to come in tied for 3rd (granted there were, at most, 20 other runners), that is until we managed to take a wrong turn and add about an extra mile and a half to 2 miles... oh well, bonus fun/extra credit!

(The Olympics and some blue sky make a guest appearance.)

By the finish, we had been on the course for about 6 hours & 46 minutes, and though, sure, I would loved to have played in the woods for another 20 or so miles, I ended up having a wonderful time and very much hope that this run appears on the calendar for years to come.

(Sorry for the fragmented report, but that's what I'm willing to write right now.)

Carkeek 12 Hour

2009-11-13T15:25:00.000-08:00

( Coming into the aid station after another lap)

I ran the Carkeek 12 Hour way back on Halloween, I've been meaning to type up a race report ever since but I may have waited too long... here's the short of it (for now, anyway)...

The course was 1.93 mile loops with approx. 430ft. of elevation gain per.
I ran 25 loops in 11 hours and 40 minutes for a total of 48.25 miles and approx. 10,750 ft. total elevation.
I ran ~13 loops with Terry
I ran 1 of those 13 in an Elvis costume
Some of my favorite running folks were out there, a few were missing too
Bob meet me at the end of one of the loops, we chatted and he took a few pics (above and below)
Over all, I had a grand old time at this race
I apologize that this race report sucks as bad as it does.

('I want a grilled ham & cheese this big!')

Hundred in the Hood!

2009-10-02T12:56:00.000-07:00

Shortly after being notified by my wife that she would be visiting her grandmother in Iowa at the end of September, my eyes were glued to race calendars, I know I get bored easily and am always looking for something to do (that's still fun) when ever she's away. I was surprised to see that my local options were quite limited, it came down to 2 races, the Bellingham Bay Marathon or the Hundred in the Hood, the major obstacle with both being expenses. Right away, I knew which race I was more interested in, here's how I saw it, I could pay $110 to run 26.2 miles with about 1400 other runners (including the half marathoners and 5Kers) on the streets of a city I've been to numerous times -OR- I could drop an extra $40, get to run an extra 73.8 miles (turns out it was even more than that) on the famous Pacific Crest Trail which I had yet to step foot on in any state! Again, the decision seemed simple.

After wrangling up some spare $$ (thank you record collection, I knew I kept you around for some reason), arranging a dog sitter (thank you Zale & Morrie), and working out travel arrangements (HUGE thank you Tony, Shawn, & Bob), all that was left to do was the small matter of running 100 miles!

Friday morning I headed to Shawn's house and meet with her and Tony, soon we were on the road to Government Camp, OR. After checking into the hotel (again, HUGE thank you Tony & Shawn) we headed to the race's starting line where packet pick-up was being held, there we said our hellos to a few familiar runners and after a little while headed back into town for pizza and an early retirement to the mattress.

The next morning 3:00am came as early as it sounds like it might, never the less, it was up and at 'em, we got prepared, checked out of the hotel, and drove to the race start with a good half hour or so to spare. The morning was surprisingly chilly and I ended up spending most of the spare time staying toasty in the car, with about 10 minutes 'til the start we headed up and schmoozed a bit with some familiar faces. While waiting for the start I was able to find Rob, he and I had emailed back and forth a bit prior to the race discussing the idea of shooting for a sub-24 hour finish, we had decided that we'd give it a shot but that ultimately, finishing was still the main priority.

(Mt. Hood from about 12 miles in - Photo by Danni Coffman)

At 5am Olga, the co-race director (who, by the way has a great race report on here blog - follow the link), said "GO!" and we were off, into the darkness. I allowed Rob to take the lead, knowing I have no abilities when it comes to even pacing, and soon we were in the woods on the PCT where we would spend the majority of the run. The early going portions, I don't think, could be considered 'technical' but in the dark they did require a bit of consideration prior to each step, but as the hours went forward the trail became smoother and soon the day light was enough to guide our way. Once the headlamp was turned off I really came alive, besides avoiding bees (who managed to sting 3 different runners who were near me, but didn't get me), I was really enjoying my time on the trail, the miles seemed to rush by and before I knew I found myself at the turn around of the first out and back section of the race (mile 14 at Frog Lake). At the aid station I grabbed a few snacks, refilled my water bottle, and was quickly out again.

(The sun begins to sneak through the woods - Photo by Danni Coffman)

The next 14 miles to the 'Horse Camp' aid station flew by even quicker, though I know it is not the case, in my memory the whole distance was a gradual, fast down hill just begging to be run. I felt so comfortable and loose as I cruised down it was ridiculous. When I did arrive at the 'Horse Camp' aid station I couldn't believe 28 miles had already fallen away, in that time I had been treated to great trail conditions and wonderful views of Mt. Hood and Timothy Lake.

(Up along the trail on a perfect day for running- photo by Danni Coffman)

As the race progressed, Rob and I began to get separated on occasion, Rob had run 70+ miles at the Plain 100 less than 2 weeks prior, and as a result, I was just 'feeling' some portions of the race more than he was at the time. I would run ahead then walk for a while until Rob would come up fast on my heals, we kept this going for some time until, at one aid station, Warm Springs Meadows I believe (mile 38.5), I took an extended detour into the woods, working on some, umm, 'secondary business,' when I emerged back on to the trail I was unaware of whether or not I had been passed so I decided to go on as if I had been, it turns out that Rob still was behind me at this point but that wouldn't be known for hours.

(About to begin the second out and back - Photo by Lucinda Iglesias)

The miles between Warm Springs and the Olallie Meadows camp grounds (mile 55) now seem uneventful in my mind, though I can specifically remember my amusement as I headed into the 'Pinheads' aid station and continually passing and being passed by the same two runners as we headed away form it. I guess that since the miles were not momentously bad or good the only portion I really recall well is the brief mile or so that leads off the PCT to the camp ground at mile 55.

When I sat down at Olallie Meadows I changed my socks and shoes, attempted to address some blister issues on the heal of my left foot, and proceeded to eat most everything in site. The volunteers at Olallie were amazing, rushing around making sure each runner had what they needed and then some, I must admit this did make the getting up and leaving all the more unappealing, never the less, I did eventually get up and was once again on my way.

From 55 to the Olallie Lake aid station at mile 58.3 I ran alone, despite the actually distance, this portion seemed long but soon enough I was once again being greeted by friendly volunteers (including a guitar strumming, beer drinking, singer who welcomed runners as we approached)!

I had been feeling good through out the race, but as I continued on to Breitenbush Lake at mile 65 time, time seemed to slow, and miles dropped off slower and slower. At one point, on my way up the hill that way clearly between myself and the aid station, I caught up with Gilles (whom, you may remember I spent the night running with at STORMY), I asked him how much further and he told me that the runner who had just past us going the opposite direction (on the "back" portion of this out and back) told him he had left the aid station 40 minutes (!) ago... I was stunned... how could it still be that much further?

Eventually though, I did arrive, I promptly sat down and soon was talking with 'Mike,' a Californian runner who was attempting his first 100. While talking it became apparent that he was in a bit of a jam, it seems he was with out his drop bag due to some miscommunication between himself and his crew, it was getting cold out and he nothing but what clothes he was already in, I loaned him some cheapo gloves and an extra shirt to layer over what he was already wearing and soon we both headed back into the woods. Once on the trail, it seemed to me the the head lamp Mike was wearing may not be adequate, I insisted he take my hand held flash light as well in case we ended up getting separated, soon there after, that's just what happened. I, for some reason, had gotten my second wind as night fell and was now running good again, eventually I lost sight of Mike behind me but continued forward knowing needed to take advantage of any strong running I had left.

Between 65 and the next aid station at mile 71.4 crossed paths with Rob once again, obviously he was behind me but I was glad to see that he appeared to be moving well so imagine my surprise when I got to the next aid station and there he sat, wrapped up in a blanket sitting next to the fire. He told me he had decided to drop back at mile 65 and was given a ride up to this aid station, I was disappointed for him as I know he was really hoping for a finish, but I won't begin to pretend that I know how it feels to run 70 at Plain and then another 65 less than 2 weeks later, especially knowing that we had both gone out too fast.

I joined Mark Dahlby on the way out of the aid station, together we ran for quite some time. At mile 75, the second visit to Olallie Meadows camp grounds, I once again changed my socks as Mark mumbled a bit about dropping, after a little shit talking from me and some pampering from a very helpful aid station volunteer, we were back on our feet, trying to stay warm as we headed back to the 'Pinheads' aid station.

Despite the good company from Dahlby, miles 75 to 'pinheads' at 85.6 were an unquestionable low spot for me. The entire 10 or so miles, I struggled trying to regulate my temperature going back and forth between too cold and too warm, on the few occasions that I did feel comfortable drowsiness would creep in, and my sleepy feelings were only worsened when the batteries in my head lamp began to dim. Mark did his best to keep me going though I am confident that I slowed us both down considerably, at one point I even needed to use his hand held as my headlamp had dimmed just too much to be useful. When we finally got to 'Pinheads' I was a mess, i sat down to change my batteries and was soon falling asleep being cared for by the volunteers like an ER patient. I told Mark to be on his way, as he was clearly moving better than I was and I had already wasted enough of his time as he waited there for me.

When I finally did head out, I was lucky enough to quickly end up on the heals of 2 more CA runners, Danni & Chris, they first offered to let me pass, but I had just worked hard to catch up with them and when I declined, Danni asked if I wanted to stick with them for a while, I jumped at the opportunity and was thrilled to have company. Despite the fact that I had gone back out on the trail on my own accord, I was still feeling, mentally, very fuzzy, and I can say for a fact that had I not joined up with these two I would have really been stuck in my rut.

I ran with Danni & Chris up until the last 3 miles or so, at which point I decided I'd see what, if anything, I has left. Shortly after breaking off and moving ahead of them I paused and sat on a log (don't ask me why, I really can't say except that I was feeling sorry for my self) very soon after I heard Chris's voice instructing me to "go on, git!," it made me laugh and got my ass in gear one last time, from that point on moved forward with purpose, running a good chunk and walking with determination when running didn't feel like an option. Finally, I saw the turn off on to the road which I knew lead to the finish, I began to run and didn't stop 'til I crossed the line, relieved and exhausted. My official finish time was 28:56:19, almost an hour faster than my STORMY finish time.

(At the finish line with co-race director Olga - Photo by Allison Moore)

At the finish line I was meet by Bob (who's been frequently referenced in past posts) who drove down to see me finish and, eventually, drive me back to Washington. We stuck around for quite some time BSing with other runners and sipping on a few brews (me, not Bob ;-). We ended up seeing all but the final finisher come in and from there headed back to Government Camp to have a burger and beer at the Mt. Hood Brewery. Within about 15 minutes of leaving the restaurant, I was fast asleep in the passenger seat, I stayed that way until we were about 50 miles into WA.

(Surveying the damage - Photos by Allisone Moore & Bob)

In the end, I generally had a great time out at 'Hood,' though I must admit, I feel like I'm may need to be out there next year again, just because I do think I can run better and faster on that course. At this point recovery is going well and I'm looking forward to the Carkeek 12 hour at the end of the month, between now and then I have my first half marathon (weird, I know) and hopefully plenty of good training miles!

STORMY 100!

2009-08-20T13:04:00.000-07:00

After a half day (Wednesday) of driving from Seattle to Whistler with stops including, but not limited to, Whidbey Island and Squamish, followed by a full day (Thursday) of hiking and adventuring on Blackcomb and Whistler Mountain, Friday morning came early.

(just prior to the start, Rachael probably wanted one last photo just in case)

Rachael & I woke up at 6am with hopes of being on the road by 7am, with an hour of winding, construction worker filled hi-way in front of us, I wasn't willing to take any chances on being on time. All went as planned, and by 8am-ish we were in Squamish with more than enough time to spare. We briefly visited a park on the shores of Howe Sound, located the hotel for future reference, then bummed around near the starting line for a brief bit of time.

(off we go! - photo by one of Thomas Villalon's crew)

At 10am, after a short briefing, I and 29 others (I believe) headed out of the camp ground and down the road. Early on I ran at a very slow comfortable pace, chatting with many as miles ticked off. I enjoyed early parts of the course, especially some of the forest that seemed to completely hide in residential back yards, but for the most part the first 22 miles of so went by quickly and, in truth, felt more like half that distance, I felt fresh and was still raring to go.

(early on with still plenty of (s)miles left... see what I did there... - photo by Bruce Grant)

For the next 8 miles or so, I ran in the company of an alternating group of the same 6 runners, lots of laughs were shared and the time felt less like a race and more like a little jaunt with friends despite the fact that I knew none of them by name. Eventually the little gang did dispersed though and I found my self running alone en route to the Powerhouse aid station. At Power house I once again nibbled and picked on PB&Js, jelly beans, and various other treats, then went off to begin the long trek up 9 mile hill (which in reality is only 6 miles, but still).

(Myself and Thomas, one of 'the gang' easing back down from the University aid station - photo by one of Thomas Villalon's crew)

9 mile hill is 6 miles (I know, I know) of dirt road with plenty of small rock and divots, the majority of the 6 miles is up hill and uncovered, thankfully most of the day was overcast, and thus I was spared by the sun. At the end of 9 mile hill was another aid station, 37 miles into the race, where I was told there would be 'just a little more up hill and then a bunch of down,' as good of news as this was that little bit of up hill sure seemed like a lot more. When the down hill did finally appear the fist good chunk of it was very runnable and very fast but when the Powerhouse plunge came I was forced to pull the e-brake. The plunge is technical, steep, and would scare me to death if I were on a bike (this video does a good job of showing why), though I must admit, with a little more juice in the tank, I bet it was be a blast to rip down it as it was pretty fun still pretty fun some 42 miles in!

As I neared some where around mile 45 or so dusk was beginning to set in and I busted out a flash light. Those first few miles by flash light were a lot of fun but right after the aid station at mile 46.25 I had a moment of dread, it wasn't the dark that was messing with my head, it was the climbing, I was fine with it right there and then but knowing I'd be seeing it again with ~4 miles left made me cringe.

Around 10:30pm I came into the half way point (also the start & finish) greeted by Racahel & a host of wonderful volunteers offering pizza(!!!), coffee(!!!), and a whole other slew of goodies and treats. Rachael fetched my drop bag and filled up my water pack for me as I quickly slipped into a fresh shirt and pair of shorts, I then proceeded to plop down, eat, and chat. After a few minutes Rachael asked me how long I planned on staying, I told her that I knew a few guys were right behind me and that I wanted to wait for them to head out into the dark with. Those two guys, Gilles and John were experienced on the course and great company to run with, we ended up sticking together the entire evening until the sun finally started to reappear. One of the great benefits of running with these two, besides the company, was Gilles wife was working the Perth aid station which meant friendly smiles, Frappuccinos (!), orange juice (!) and many more goodies that I can't swear were available to all runners! I appreciated all 3 of their presence greatly and I hope I made that abundantly clear to them.

I was once again on my own after the 4th pass of the University aid station with nothing of real interest to note between there and the 3rd pass of the Powerhouse aid station. In fact, all I can really recall about those 3+ miles is that at one point I mistook a log for a photographer, Rachael tells me this qualifies as a hallucination, but I think I was just bleary eyed (and that the damn log really looked like a crouched person with camera in hand).

After a quick stint at Powerhouse I once again went to begin the climb up 9 mile hill, just prior to heading up a car pulled over slowly on the dirt road and rolled down the window. I recognized the driver as a runner I had been talking to earlier in the run, I said 'Hi' and asked him if he had already finished (which, at least seemed like a reasonable question at the time), he informed me that, sadly, he had needed to drop due to blisters, I offer my condolences, we wished each other well, and then up I went. During my climb I thought to myself, 'wow those blisters must have been bad, I can't imagine how bad they'd have to be to drop; boy I sure am glad my feet are feeling good.' Famous last thoughts, I now know, with in 15 minutes I could feel numerous hot spots and blisters, and, of course, it seemed with each step I was bound to peg one of them. I began moving slower and slower until, at one point, I looked up and saw another runner a few hundred yards ahead of me, I decided to make it my goal to catch up which I eventually did. That runner was Nate who I stuck with, off and on, almost up until the 2nd plunge, once again, his company and conversation were invaluable!

Once I got back to Powerhouse for the last time I requested some Mole Skin in order to help take some pressure off the blisters. Better than mole skin, I was directed to a search and rescue

volunteer who proceeded to to bandage and wrap my feet as best as possible, though the time it took to do this was a bit longer than I would have liked to stay there, it was the right move and I'm extremely grateful for the help, it made the last 7 miles that much more bearable.

(mile 98 - that counts as a smile, right? - photo by Bruce Grant)

From powerhouse to the finish, things went slowly but I was once again moving with determination, picking up my pace when ever possible and taking stock of the entire experience. As I pined for the finish line, there was a small part of me that wasn't ready for it to be over and a large part that was brimming with joy, but then, there were also my feet...

(finally coming across the finish line - 29:53:05, 21st out of 22 finishers, 29 starters - photo by Rachael)

I came into the finish line 'still smiling' greeted by the cheers of many a fellow Marathon Maniac,various others I've meet through running, and many there to support 'their' runners. The rest of the afternoon/evening was spent eating, talking, eating, drinking, eating, and sleeping (with an ice bath and shower thrown in for good measure).

(all I ever really wanted - photo taken from http://brendaontherun-banffandbeyond.blogspot.com/)

In the end, as much as this was a big deal to me, I walked away with the same feelings I have at the end of most ultras, that was great(!), what fun(!), when do I get to do this again!?! The biggest difference to me is now those thought include other 100 mile races!

Extras:

Finish time 29:53:05, 21st out of 22 finishers, 29 starters.
Thank you, thank you, thank you to Rachael for putting up with all of this and so much more, Wendy the race director and all the wonderful volunteers, and to everyone I shared the trails with, I can't wait to run with you all again!
See more photos from the rest of the Canadian trip here
STORMY's web site

White River 2009

2009-07-28T15:07:00.000-07:00

Youch! That's my one word to describe this year's White River 50 Mile Endurance Run... youch...

The day started off in West Seattle dark and early, 2am to be precise, I was out the door by 2:30am meeting up with Matthew in Magnolia to car pool, en route by 3am. We arrived at that race start with only minimal turning around and were soon checked in and toeing the line for the 5:30am early start.

('feasting' at the Buck Creek aid station 27 miles in)

Though I started near the front of the pack of early starters, I did not feel as though I was going out too fast and was able to settle into a reasonable pace fairly quickly. I ran the first 6 or so miles with Eric Barnes whom I could tell was going to be stronger for longer than I had in me, never the less I trailed along and talked with him while I could. Shortly after watching Eric disappear ahead of me my day really began, some where near mile 7 or 8 I started to feel early signs of cramping, though really that's only in retrospect, at the time I just thought it was brief little one-offs. Soon the one-offs added up and before I knew it my quads, thighs, and calves, on both legs, had tensed up to the point that they felt like tree stumps, I did my best to continue moving forward but I must have looked pathetic and ridiculous all at once as I stammered along attempting to move straight legged down the trail. With every bend of a knee either a quad or calve would scream. More than any other time on any other course, I entertained the idea that I may not be able to finish, I wanted to but I knew there was no way if my legs continued to feel the way they did. Thankfully, after hobbling for a short time, I asked another runner if they happened to have any S-Caps, though I hadn't taken them before, I was willing to try anything at that point. Under instruction from the fellow runner, I took 2 right then and there, and with in minutes started to feel better - not 100% by any means, but better. From that point on the race was a battle between electrolytes and cramps, one moment I'd think I was in the clear the next I'd start feeling it again, this made for a long day on the course.

(...coming in for the finish, still smiling 'as always!'...)

I'll spare you the long details, ups and downs, and ins and outs of the rest of the race and just stick with the 'it was a long day' cliche. I will say though, that never have I been happier to have such a catastrophic break down during a race, after all, there I was, 2 weeks out from STORMY learning invaluable lessons that would no doubt aid me in finishing 100 miles. Thanks to White River I stocked up on S-caps (and Clip 2!), and, even more importantly, I got a lot of time on my feet while feeling horrible, I know that sounds unappealing, but the confidence I gained but 'gutting it out' was essential. I knew if I could go that long, feeling that bad, and still finish, that, if nothing else, I might have a chance at STOMRY.(don't be fooled by the clock, remember, I took the early start.. add an hour...)

All photos used above taken by race director John Wallace III.
More photos via Glenn Tachiyama here, here, & here
Finish Time: 12:39:30
151 out of 166 (195 starters)

A tough day...

2009-06-08T14:20:00.000-07:00

(To any of you who strictly want to read about running, I apologize but this post will be a little more 'personal' than usual...)

About a week prior to the Green River Marathon I started, once again, toying with the idea of shooting for a 3:30... even went so far as mention it to 2 other 'cowboy' Maniacs (sorry, that's sort of an inside joke). But 'toying with' and really planning on doing it are two different things - my 'toying with' usually means, I do what I always do and hope for the best, and I was content to do that once again, well that is, until Friday morning...

Without going into the full details, I'll just say, I received very unexpected news Friday morning that my friend Stever had died early that morning, losing his one year battle with Leukemia (you may remember, he was my inspiration behind the '13 in 12' this past November through February). Among the million other things in my mind, was the thought that I wouldn't be running the next day, I was fine with that, but as the day progressed I was told by both Stever's wife and mother that I should run. Johanna, Stever's wife phrased it perfectly, she told me 'we have to do what we know how to do, I now how to garden on my hands and knees in the dirt and you know how to run... I'm going to garden tomorrow morning... you should run.' I can't say I was sure it would be the right decision, but never the less, I said I'd do it.

Friday night was a fairly late evening and Saturday morning seemed to come quite early (despite the 8:30am start time). I woke up, put on my shorts and "Stever's Fan Club" t-shirt, and prepared to head out. Once at the starting line I felt very out of place waiting for the race to begin, I couldn't exactly ignore other runners that I know but at the same time, I couldn't really announce 'hey, I'm only kinda, sorta here right now.' I faked my way through a few conversations and waited for the start.

(Stever's Fan Club shirt, only mine is orange)

Once the race began I kept to myself for about a whole 5 minutes, something about running makes me talkative I guess. I said 'hi' to a few familiar maniacs including race director Steve Barrick, and eventually found my self running with *tc (does he go by that name anymore?) and Pete Nicholson (MM # 207), whom I hadn't meet before. *tc blazed ahead after a bout a half mile but Pete and I continued to run the same pace for the first 14 miles, give or take. Pete's company allowed for good conversation, but regardless of what we talked about (mainly running, go figure) my thoughts would always drift back to Stever and his wife and family. Eventually, I just said what was on my mind - poor, Pete, I sure I was sort of a downer - I had to though, verbalizing it only seemed fair, it was that, or I could continue to try and hold a conversation while occasionally zoning out.

(Pete looking strong, me, on the other hand - I'm just keepin' up)

Somewhere around mile 14, Pete told me he was going to peel off and use a rest room, I was fairly confident I'd see him again as he was still running strong and I really had no idea how long these 8 minute miles would last. I continued on, keeping an eye on the Garmin trying my best to stick to the pace. At about mile 17 I caught up with *tc and asked him if he had a 3:30 in him, he said he didn't (he was still recovering from a recent 100 miler) but suggest I try and keep up with the person in front of us for pacing, we wished each other well and I continued on pushing my pace.

(Essential running gear for Saturday 6/6: fake smile & "Stever's Fan Club" t-shirt)

By the time mile 23 came I felt spent, I opted to walk momentarily for just a short break, as will sometimes happen that walk just kept getting longer and longer - 'the next light pole... no, no, the next light pole...' I was literally walking away from the 3:30 goal. I thought long about my next move, I thought about Stever, and, despite not being a spiritual person, I thought to Stever... I thought about all that was going on, then I started to run again... hard.

Miles 24 through 26 were sub 8 minute miles with the final .2 being run at a sub 7 minute mile pace. I felt every step of it. I finished gasping for air and drenched in sweat with a 3:29:39 to show for the effort . As soon as the running stopped the hobbling began, my right foot had cramped up right under my arch, it felt like I had a softball lodged in my foot. I wiggled my way down the beach, took off my socks and shoes, and stood in the sound for a few moments hoping the cold waters might help - it did, but only slightly. I hobbled around a bit more until I was able to arrange a ride home from the ever helpful and friendly Jon Yoon (MM# 467).

That's essentially it, I must admit, I'm at a loss on how to end this post, so I'll instead of a tidy little wrap up, I'll just say this... right now, until June 22nd, the National Marrow Donor Program is offering Marrow Donor Registry kits for free, these kits are simple and give you the opportunity to possibly save a life. Please follow this link, 'click the "Join" button, and GET REGISTERED! - http://www.marrow.org/

Mt Si '09 ('full' report)

2009-04-22T14:29:00.000-07:00

(jeeze, maybe it's just that I was raised Catholic, but this feels like some kind of confessional or something...)

After a poor race at Dizzy Daze, I was left feeling burnt out and detached from running, I suspected that this would eventually burn off but as the days went on, I continued to ignore any urges to train. The first week I felt justified, I was angry and frustrated and felt some time away would help. The second week, I first was confused, thinking Mt. Si was that coming weekend (and thus defending it as 'tapering'), then, when I realized the date mistakes, it was just good old fashioned laziness. By the beginning of week 3 of no running, the guilt was finally starting to set in, by the end of that week the desire was back, but, of course, Sunday was the race, so that just meant, 'a little bit longer.' It's a strange feeling standing at the start of a 50 mile race after not having run for 3 weeks solid, it almost feels like your cheating, and I guess in some ways I was... but for the time being, that was gonna have to do.

The start also felt odd with so many of the 'usual suspects' not being there; between McNaughton recovery, Boston the next day, and the next week's Capitol Peaks, there were a whole slew of missing faces. For me, there was very little conversation to be had, a chat here or there, but nothing that lasted more than a half mile.

Despite what I had planned, I still managed to do my first 14 or so miles too fast, but as hard as it is to get going again post bonk, it's quite tough to slow down when you're raring to go. When I hit the aid station at mile 14 I refilled my bottle, grabbed some potatoes, and walked my way from the aid station until I finished eating. Within a mile (at most) my stomach told me the potatoes were not a good idea. The stomach cramps were bad, I knew I needed to get to the next 'rest stop' and the sooner the better...

(Fast forwarding for you, the reader's sake)

...I left the 'rest stop' feeling better, but unfortunately, much more tired than I should have been only ~18 miles in. The rest of the race was fairly uneventful (which is another way of saying, the course was boring me to tears), I walked more than I should have and was looking at the Garmin far too much but in the end, I finished.

I finished faster than I did last year, which I guess counts for something but, despite being kinda sick of the course, I hope to be out there again next year, better trained and eying an 8 hour finish (I know that's a big jump, but I think it's possible). More than anything, I'm just happy to be resurrected...

Now let's go train!

(...and not to down play it by any means, but as usual there are 2 people I need to thank for their constant support, my wife Rachael & my good friend Bob, together, they came from Seattle to see me go by at mile 47 and then watch me finish. After returning home they waited as I bathed, then the 3 of us headed out for burgers, and in my case beer! The promise of seeing the 2 of them at the finish line is always reason enough to get there :-)

Mt. Si '09

2009-04-21T15:26:00.001-07:00

I'll get to an actual race report soon enough, but for now, here's the skinny...

50 Miles - 9:05:26 (17 odd minutes faster than last year) - not great, not terrible, and when ever it's not terrible, well, then it's pretty damn great!

Time to saddle up!

2009-04-17T11:49:00.001-07:00

Well, since the disappointment that came with Dizzy Daze 'performance,' I had fallen off the proverbial running horse. Yes, some valuable training time was lost BUT, mentally, I'm back, and that's pretty important since Sunday is the Mt. Si 50 Mile.

I probably should be a little more concerned than I am about the time lost but I'm anticipating an alright run on Sunday with plans of beating my time from last year (9:22:53), not necessarily because I'm in better shape, but more so because I know what to expect and have gotten (a little) better at pacing myself.

Like I said though, most importantly, I'm excited to run, something I haven't completely felt since Dizzy Daze, and now, just 2 days out, I'm down right itching to go. So yeah, "saddle up!," "get along little doggies!," and "rawhide!" and all that other good stuff...

See you 50 miles from now!

Dizzy Daze 100K (...err, make that 50K)

2009-04-09T11:18:00.000-07:00

Alright, I've put this off long enough... truth be told, I just didn't want to write a post filled with excuses *but* at the same time I wanted to honestly tell it how I saw it... I'm still not really prepared to write an essay thought either, so you get a summarized version...

the day started early at 5am when I headed out on the first loop with *tc and Shawn, all was well and I enjoyed the company...
...around loop 3 the 'regular' starters were beginning to arrive - this is also when I first realized I had forgotten to tape up my, um, 'chest', so I stopped by the car and did so...
At some point I decided I'd bust out the iPod shuffle - I can't even tell you the last time I listened to music while running - though I don't think it had any impact on my day, I don't foresee myself doing it again anytime soon...
I ran a loop with Linda, the first lady of the race (ie: race director's girlfriend) which was nice as, at that point, I hadn't had company in quite a while (not counting people passing me)
around the finish of loop 6 I changed my undershirt because I was soaking wet from the rain - I was also very cold...
I didn't consider dropping until midway through my 10th loop, even then, it was a fleeting thought that I sort of laughed off
At the end of loop 10, I jumped in the car, changed my shirt and socks - at that point I was still convinced I was heading out for another 10 loops - in the 10 minutes it took me to change out of my wet clothing and get into fresh stuff a lot of things ran through my mind, more than anything, it occurred to me that the clothing I was putting on was my last set of dry, warm clothing, that also lead my mind to the idea of circling the lake for another (at the VERY least) 5+ hours.
I got out of the car and checked in with the aid station (still with intentions of going on) - some how it came up (I'm sure questioned by myself) that it appeared there was going to be maybe one 100K finisher... maybe... for some reason that's what got me... I stood around for about 3 minutes sort of talking with the volunteers but really just contemplating what I was going to do... then I just looked to them and said... 'I think I'm gonna call it...' and that was that...
some how I couldn't wrap my head around being out there another 5+ hours wet, cold, and feeling the way I was...
after an ice bath, a warm shower, food, and a nap I woke up and looked out the window, it was still shitty out, then I looked at the clock and realized that I'd still be running had I stuck it out... as much as I was disappointed to not be finishing, I was still happy to not be running... it was an odd feeling...

...so here's what I've come to terms with... I did quit, I'm sure I was capable of finishing but mentally I just quit, plain and simple... I'm not proud to say I quit but I still see it as the right choice for me on that particular day... I feel like had I had a proper water proof top I would have at least lasted longer... having the car there every 3.1 miles was a temptation I had a hard time dealing with in the end... I'm glad my next race is further than a 50K, assuming all goes well, 50 mile should reaffirm my confidence.

Is it Saturday yet?

2009-03-25T10:40:00.000-07:00

Can we pretend it is?

Please???

2009-03-13T08:55:00.000-07:00

Good week of running (so far)...

Sunday - sidewalks/streets - 29 miles (Avg. pace - 9:08/mile)
Monday - rest
Tuesday - sidewalks/streets - 5 miles (Avg. pace - 7:13/mile)
Wednesday - trails - 5.65 miles (Avg. Pace - Garmin batteries died a mile in, but it was relatively slow, I'd guess 8:30/mile )
Thursday - sidewalks/streets - 6 miles (Avg. Pace - 7:35/mile)
Friday (today) - rest

Also, I finally got around to registering for Green Lake Dizzy Daze 100K

And, created another 'race,' the Elliot Bay Ultras 50K & 50 Mile (I'll be running the 50 Mile)

2009-03-05T10:44:00.000-08:00

I go around the webz looking to read updated blogs to see the same posts I've read over a week ago and I think to myself 'man, why doesn't anyone update'... POT, KETTLE, BLACK...

Not much to say though, I guess... I've been 'training' with a lot more regularity as of late, that's a good thing. I also have dedicated to running the Green Lake Dizzy Daze 100K so that's pretty exciting. Just to be sure we're on the same page, 100K is a little more than 12 miles further than I've ever run (62 miles +), so yeah, like I said, exciting, but also a little daunting. I'm confident I can cover the distance, but never the less, anytime it's a 'further than ever before' situation I think it's best to go into with a few reservations and a cautious approach, I rather finish slower than I'm capable of than not finish because I attempted to push too hard.

I'm now planning a long run for Saturday since I'm officially 'off the hook' from 'mother-in-law time' this weekend, I'm not sure how long but I'm guessing I'll have plenty of time to log miles... I'll post something sometime next week...

long time

2009-02-24T13:34:00.001-08:00

Howdee,

I know it's been a while but that doesn't mean I'm going to post a lot, just a quick catch up...

Way back on 2/8 I ran the Valentine Marathon, you can read about it here... http://13in12.blogspot.com/2009/02/13.html
That was #13 of the '13 in 12' - it upped my Maniac status to 7 Stars...
After, I took about a week and a half away from running...
I'm still getting back into the swing of things at this point...
I'm thinking my next race will be the Green Lake Dizzy Daze 100K, though I am not yet registered, I hope to be soon...
On Saturday (2/28) I intend to do a Tiger Mountain 3 Summits run with a few fellow Maniacs

Here's a little collage I made of the '13 in 12'...

WSFA50K

2009-02-03T15:02:00.000-08:00

This past Sunday was an all together new experience for me, for this was my first attempt at race directing.

Because of the type of person I am, the majority of the race preparation occurred the evening prior. I had a firm idea of what I wanted to do and how I wanted to do it, it was just a matter of getting it done. I constructed medals, 'made' Gatorade and PB&Js, marked the turn around with chalk under the cover of night, and acquired a few other materials such as fire wood.

(There! They're done - can I go to bed yet? What to you mean, 'Did I make the PB&Js?')

The next morning my wife and drug our selves out of bed and headed down to Lincoln Park in order to get set up. As we arrived it became apparent that despite what was posted, the parking lots were still locked up (they remained this way until well past the start of the race). Thankfully, there is a relatively good amount of parking available on local side streets and the majority of fellow runners were able to adjust quickly.

My good friend Bob, also greeted us as we pulled up and was quickly to work with me while my wife directed any lost looking runners. Shortly before 7am we were able to have most of the essentials set up. As runners continued to show up and take care of any last minute needs, I scrambled to get myself together (I realized shortly before the start that I was still wearing all my warm over layers).

(trying my best to get set up)

Just a bit past 7am (the planned start time) I called for the runners to gather on the path and gave them a quick briefing as to how the course was laid out (ie: water on the left/road on the right - and be sure to run around the path on the outside of the pool), then said 'without further ado... GO!' and off almost all the runners went. I stuck back for about an extra minute or two to ensure Rachael & Bob had everything under control (of course they did - more so than I ever could) then headed out at the back of the pack.

('...without further ado...GO!')

Less than a mile into the run it occurred to me that through all the hi jinx at the start I had managed to leave behind my water bottle and any sort of energy food. I felt fine at the time, but realized I still had 14+ miles 'til I'd get back to the aid station - of course, I was completely unwilling to turn around - I knew there was water on various points along the course, so I knew I'd be alright.

('Hey, doffus, where's your water bottle? - umm, yeah...')

The first leg felt quick, something I attribute to familiarity of the route, after all, these were my home training (what's that?) grounds. I chatted with a few fellow runners and just generally enjoyed the opportunity to run off my nerves and finally relax a bit. At the turn around I was still feeling good and continued at my pretty standard pace. When I got back to the aid station Bob & Rachael had the fire burning and everything laid out very well, I again chatted with a few runners and generally took my time. I wanted to make sure Bob & Rachael were still content, I wanted to fuel up a bit, and, most of all, I just wanted to hang out. I sat by the fire and just sort of relaxed, after about 5 minutes (which felt like an eternity) I finally got my self going, and headed back out for the second half of the run.

The second half was fairly uneventful for me - I was able to watch the front runners go screaming by on their way back to the finish and had a chance to catch up to and chat with a runner who I had not previously met, which is always nice. I felt as though I was long over my standard time, but due to clumsy fingers, I had hit the 'stop' button on the Garmin when I meant to hit the lap button, so I really had no clue as to how I was doing. When I did finish I was greeted with a 5:22:55, not terrible, but I definitely do better on that course if given different circumstances - but that wasn't the point and I'm glad I was able run this race while attempting to *run* this race :-)

(smiles upon finishing - evident by the fact that this time I have my bottle ;-)

I hope I've already made this clear to everyone at the WSFA50K - both runners and volunteers alike - but if not, let me say once more, thank you all for everything! Runners - thanks for showing up! Volunteers - thanks for all your hard work, it would have literally been impossible with out you! And also, an extra big 'thank you' to participants who donated to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society - the run brought in $115.00!

(#12 of 13 - with help from good friend and aid station extraordinaire, Bob)

MANY more photos from Sunday's race can be seen here : http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=c0isivfd.1n3i944x&x=0&y=yao87i&localeid=en_US (these photos were taken by Rich Walter, one of our great volunteers!)

and here: http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=2u04napl.9feg272p&x=0&y=-sujexn&localeid=en_US (these were taken by Rachael & I at the aid station/finish line)

Pigtail's & Yours Truly - back to back 50Ks

2009-01-28T14:14:00.000-08:00

Saturday morning was Pigtail's Run, a 50K consisting of 3 full loops around Lake Youngs Watershed, plus a small out and back section to ensure the proper distance. I ran 2 loops of this run last year and had a wonderful time, so much so in fact, that I see that run as what really pushed me into the 'excessive' marathoning and ultra running. With fond memories in mind, I decided Thursday evening that I would make an attempt at a 50K PR (personal record) come Saturday morning.

Saturday morning was chilly, but good for running. I started the first leg of the first loop running with Eric and Steve (when do these guys not run?) and stuck with them until Steve told me he was going to back off the pace a bit. I kept at about the same speed assuming they'd catch me eventually. The course is a rolling loop with a few hills that do a bit more than roll, nothing crazy, but by the third loop they look a bit more daunting. I decided to run the entire first 2 loops and see how I felt from there. As approached certain hills on the third loop I considered walking them but I kept giving way to my stubbornness, at some point I decided I wouldn't walk until I got to a certain hill that seemed the steepest to me (other than the final hill on the out and back section). When I got to said hill, I once again decided to keep running, in the end I only briefly walked once, on a small incline of all places, as I ate my final Gu and prepared to finish off the last 5 miles or so.

(heading toward the last hill at Pigtail's - photo by Eric)

The stubbornness paid off as I finished the race in 4:44 (and change), a personal best by about 13 minutes! Once Van (the race director) posted the results and splits I was able to see that I had run the course fairly evenly (not even, but close enough) as well with my first loop being 1:23, my second completes in 1:29, and my final loop in 1:33. I'm pretty happy with all of that, especially since I didn't check my watch once while out on the course.

(After Pigtail's - trying to stay warm - #10!)

Sunday was a different story entirely.

After a fairly long Saturday evening of celebrating Burn's Night with a group of friends, I was finally in bed and ready for sleep at about midnight, I was more than well aware that this was a bad idea, but sometimes real life just has to mix with running and I'd rather do both than give up either. Sunday morning came early, I dragged myself out of bed, got ready, and made my way to the start of the race. Once there, I was informed that one of the bridges on the route was out and as a result instead of running 2 out and back sections we would be running 4 shorter out and backs plus another small out and back to get the distance right, for some reason, at the time, I thought that was a good idea(?).

(What? The sun was just barely up, and I was already walking?!? - Photo by Eric)

(That's better! - Photo by Eric)

From the first steps I could tell it was not going to be my day, my knees were sore (something I'm not used to as it's honestly never been the case before), my ankle was sore (after having held up fairly well the day before), and my stomach felt off (I really kind of lived it up Saturday night). After a very slow out and back with Eric (again... sheesh!), I headed to the port-a-potty for some, umm... alone time... From that point forward things got a little better, but not significantly so. The run was long and I was slow and sore which made it feel that much longer. On the final 'back' of the out and back, I was able to 'catch' Eric who was also having 'one of those days,' we made our way to the finish together, ending with a personal worst of 6:02:38. I'd be more upset about it if it weren't for the PR the day before... besides, it was day 2 of a double, there was a pretty dusting of snow on the course, and, if nothing else, I was able to be out there doing it, which is no small gift...

(Help! I've run out of finger's! I knew I had to catch Eric for a reason - #11!)

...just a few thoughts...

2009-01-23T07:53:00.001-08:00

I was lying awake last night thinking to myself, I should probably run hard(er) at Pigtail's this weekend... I had a solid 2 loops there last year... so, without over thinking it, I think I'll try for a 50K PR tomorrow...
My left ankle has been on and off sore since Pigtail's Flat Ass back in December (damn snow), however, since Capitol Peak, last weekend, it's only been 'on'... it feels much better than it did the day after Cap Peak, but there's definitely still twinges of pain... I'll get it checked out come mid February, until then, I really just have to survive this weekend's double, but I'm guessing it'll be fine...
I'm in the process of planning out the rest of my racing schedule from Feb. 8th (Valentine Marathon) forward... I know I have STORMY in August, it's just what will be between then & now... here's what I'm looking at as a short list (I'd love to do these all, but I don't foresee that happening)...
- Pacific Rim 24 Hour Run - 3/14
- Green Lake Dizzy Daze 100K - 3/28
- Mt. Si 50 Mile - 4/19
- Capitol Peak 50 Mile - 4/25
- Watershed Preserve 12 Hour - 5/16
- Forest Park 50K - 5/24
- North Face Endurance 50 Mile (Bellingham) - 6/6
- 20th Century 100K - 6/20
- Grey Rock 50K - 7/11
I've yet to make any sort of call on whether or not to look for a pacer for STORMY, I'm not some one whose opposed to the idea of pacers, I just don't know that I can offer a pacer what seems fair (ie: meals, hotel room, transportation, etc.)...
This weekend's double will be my 19th and 20th marathons (or longer)... that's pretty cool... 1/5 of the way to 100...

Capitol Peak Mega Fat Ass

2009-01-20T13:18:00.000-08:00

Mega Fat Ass = Mega Collapse

Well, okay, not really but, oh boy was that second half of the second loop tough...

I started the morning feeling very tired and slightly sick to my stomach, not exactly how I wanted to start the day, but what was I going to do? I jumped in the car and made it down to the Mima Trailhead by about 7:30am. At 8am the race began and the conga line formed, about a half mile in things started to open up a bit and I worked my way forward to where Eric and Steve were. I stuck with them for a good half of the first loop, though the entire time I was thinking that we were going a bit too fast. When I reached the completion of the first loop (of 2) 2:28 had ticked off the clock, it seemed like a descent time. As soon as the climbs began on the second loop I got a sense of what I was in for. At some point Van Phan passed me and for a minute there it looked as though she would pull far away but then, for the next couple of miles I was right on her heels, again, this was a mistake. Although I'm usually only a bit behind Van on marathons and 50Ks and every so often I actually finish before her, I know a few things - she's better on trails than I am, she's stronger on hills, and she's MUCH better at pacing than I am - altogether she a stronger more experienced runner than I am. After those few miles on Van's heels I hit a massive wall, with about 10K left I was running on fumes, I ate a final Honey Stinger and hoped for the best. The miles dragged and the minutes jerked (Clash reference) but I finially hit the finish line in 5:18: and change. Here's hoping I actually learn the lessons the trail and my body attempted to teach me ;-)

(#9, #9.... #9...)

View more pics here: http://picasaweb.google.com/thisnic/CapPeak?feat=directlink (the majority of which were either taken by Eric & Michelle or Allison

Next weekend: Back to back 50Ks - Pigtails Run & Yours Truly!

STORMY 100

2009-01-12T21:09:00.000-08:00

I am now 100%, absolutely, with out a doubt, officially registered for the STORMY 100 Mile Trail Ultra!!!!!

(and by the way, I'm excited)

Bridle Trails (!!!)

2009-01-12T12:16:00.000-08:00

Oh man, I'm fairly confident that I'm unable to fully express how grand a time I had Saturday afternoon/evening, but, for the blog's sake, I'll try...

Around 2:40pm I arrived on the (way) outskirts of Bridle Trails state park in Kirkland, the 50K start would be at 3:10pm, so I had just about the perfect amount of time to get signed in, use the facilities, find a spot for my drop bag, and say 'hi' to any one I recognized (and be introduced to some new folks as well). Long before the race started I became aware that I had failed as far as preparation was concerned. Right out of the car in dawned on me that I had forgotten gloves of any sort, when I got to the drop bag location it occurred to me that the top I had on would be too warm under my water proof jacket but, of course, it was raining, so it was either, too warm but dry or comfortable but wet. I ended up running the race with cold hands and a (very) wet top.

(Just arrived at the finish -preparing to be cold)

Despite the the poor prep, there I was, ready to run. The run began with a conga line that lasted the first quarter mile or so, there was a wee amount of mud but nothing that lived up to this run's reputation. Right at about the point where the real running could begin came the first instance of mud, this put a big halt in the trail as some tried to make their way around the puddles, taking the opportunity, I went through the mud and past a few folks. The rest of the first lap was spent (probably) going a bit too fast and chatting with Thomas Tan. At the end of the first lap, I stopped and used the rest room (how odd to use a rest room on a trail run), grabber my (useless) head lamp and flashlight, and headed back out while eating a Gu. Just as I got away from the aid station, on to the trail, I realized I really should have eaten my Gu while there were trash cans around, with no real pockets for trash I did the next logical thing, I toke off my hat, set the wrapper on top my head and put my cap back on. It was about this time I had a brief meet and greet with 'Marty' that turned into 4 and a half solid loops.

(Fun in the mud!)

Marty is an RN in the real world, but in this context he is and an adventure racer who had run an ultra in ages, together he and I ran through the dark until on the 5th loop we were joined by 'Doug.' Doug is a former snowboard designer for Burton turned Doctor by way of the Army, having served almost 4 years at Fort Lewis (where he is currently stationed) we had some common ground and were able to chat as well. The 3 of us stuck together the entire 5th loop and the beginning of the final loop, at the aid station Marty was joined by another adventure racing buddy of his who planned on pacing (?) him. Slowly, as the first couple miles past, Doug fell further and further behind us and somewhere around 3 to 3 and a half miles I lost sight of Marty and his pacer friend. It was odd to be out on the trails on my lonesome after 25 odd miles of conversation, but it was nice in it's own way, sort of a chance to reflect before I had even finished. I decided that the final stretch of trail wasn't going to slow me down, since I hadn't felt any sort of bonk yet, I'd just give what I had and see where that got me. In the end, I believe I only finished about 5 minutes behind Marty and his pacer, with a 5:17:46. For all the horror stories I had heard about this race I was thrilled with my time (not far off from my standard 50K time) and I was happy to have finished strong without feeling like I had ever quit.

(Yup- the mud can make it through shoes and socks, no problem!)

At the finish I came to find my drop bag soaking wet (my fault - no one elses) and it's contents, including my 'dry' pants and hooded sweatshirt, in the same shape. I grabbed my camera took a few pics (and had a few taken), snagged some ramen noodles, said a few good-byes, and headed to the comfort of my warm car (waaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyy down the road ;-) . When I got to the car, I put the heat on full blast, took off my soaking shirt, and wrapped up in an REI towel my wonderful wife had gotten me for christmas, though not yet warm, I was well on my way. I called my wife and headed home. Due to a little more poor planning (yup - there was plenty of it), I was unable to get my ice bath at the end of the night and am definitely feeling those results now, but other wise recovery is going well as usual and I'm looking forward to the Capitol Peak Mega Fat Ass!

2008 = ...

2009-01-07T13:08:00.000-08:00

7 Marathons
4 50Ks
2 50 milers
1 'other' (28.4 miles)

Personal best marathon for 2008 - 3:37:40* (Michelle's Grande Ass)
Personal worst marathon for 2008 - 4:08:39 (Last Chance Marathon)

Personal best 50K for 2008 - 4:57:30* (Ghost of Seattle)
Personal worst 50K for 2008 - 5:13 (Green Lake Dizzy Daze)

(The 50 milers are COMPLETELY incomparable to one another)

'Favorite' race of 2008 - I had a great time at the Birch Bay Ghost Marathon but I think, ultimately, the White River 50 Mile, with it's awesome views and difficult course was my favorite.

Least enjoyed race of 2008 - That's a toss up between Grandma's Marathon (I'm not that big on BIG races and I had a tough day anyway) & the Last Chance Marathon (that's no reflection on the race or the folks who set it up, I would definitely run it again, I just wasn't 'feelin' it' that day).

Of the 3 goals that were set back in January of '08 to be accomplished before the end of the year, one was meet. In retrospect, that goal, to run an Ultra of some sort, was easy to meet. I didn't run a 3:30 marathon and I didn't stick to my training schedule very well (though, I sure some could/would say, had I stuck to my training better, I may have ran a 3:30 marathon...). I'm going to continue to work toward those 2 goals in '09, hopefully with more success. In addition to those two carrying over, I hope to run (and finish) my first 100K and 100 miler in 2009, and perhaps run a 24 event as well.

(* = PR)

Year in review...

2009-01-05T14:39:00.000-08:00

...I intend to post one... if I ever catch-up on everything else... in the mean time, check out http://13in12.blogspot.com/ if you're curious how the running's going... not interested in the details? Then I'll just say, the running, it's still going :-)

A few things...

2008-12-17T11:16:00.001-08:00

After last weekend's miss of the 3:30 mark, I've started to rethink the whole "last reasonable shot at it" statement... maybe giving it one more go around at the 'Last Chance' is worth a try... what's the worst thing that can happen, right? Initially I said I didn't think it was a good idea with the 'First Call' the next day, but I've since decided that either way, whether I go for a 3:30 or not, my legs will be tired come the 1st, so I've really got nothing to lose. (One of these days I'll actually start training for speed...)

Beyond that little thought, this coming weekend has me all worked up... I'm nervous but also excited... I'm thinking the most logical thing for me to do is aim for 50K personal worsts both Saturday and Sunday, or rather aim for it on Saturday, expect it on Sunday. I figure, on Saturday I should go out with plans of taking it easy so that, come Sunday, I have something (anything) left for those 12,000 odd feet of elevation gain. Either way, Sunday's kind of a crap shoot... I'll be please with a 50K finish...

I just bought some Yak-Trax to bring with me Sunday in case they're needed...

Not so much... (Birch Bay Ghost "report")

2008-12-15T10:13:00.001-08:00

As in, 'no, Saturday was not the time.' That said, I went out with good intentions of seeing what I could do and there was some what of a payoff.

Saturday morning started off early as my wife & I woke up, got ready, and headed out the door. My wife dropped me off at a convenient meet up spot along I-5 north where moments later Eric arrived, I jumped in the car and off we went. We arrived fairly early at the start and briefly considered taking the early start time but opted not to.

(Morning on Birch Bay)

At 9am (sharp?) the race began, I spent the first 3 miles or so running with Eric while getting the Birch Bay narrative (ie: '...this is where I meet Michelle...,' '...this is where the old roller rink used to be...,' '...these mega-mansions all used to be little bungalows...,' etc.), it was fun and a good way to see an area I hadn't been before. Some where right around mile 3 we were joined by Dave, Dave had heard of the race the day prior and drove down from Canada along with his brother (who ran the 15.1 mile "half"), this was to be his 5th marathon. Eventually Dave and I broke off from Eric and ran the majority of the remainder of the race together despite his obvious ability to out run me at the drop of a hat (I beleive he said his PR was something like a 3:12). We cruised along at a pretty decent pace all while having a chance to take in a very clear morning. Due to some beautifully clear skies I was able to look across to Point Roberts, the Peace Arch, and White Rock, British Columbia, not to mention the surrounding mountains.

(the mountains begin to peak out)

Though I didn't feel that I was running out of my comfort zone (though perhaps I should have been... running isn't really about comfort zones, is it) I was going a bit harder than usual, and as I went I started to believe that even it I were to not pull off a 3:30, I still had a fair chance at a new PR. As it turned out, the final 6 miles or so I was meet by some fairly strong gust of wind, I can't say one way or another if that's what held me back from a new PR but it unquestionably made the finish tougher. In the end I finished with a 3:40:23, less than 3 minutes over my PR and my second fastest marathon to date so I'll take it for what it is.

At the finish line I was greeted by Lenore Dolphin who presented us with great 'medals,' goody bags,and finisher hugs. Moments later I bundled up, enjoyed a post race hotdog and beer, and proceeded to ~~freeze my ass off~~ enjoy the company of others as we watched more and more runner cross the finish line. About 15 minutes after Eric finished we were in the car on our way back toward Seattle... not a bad way to spend a Saturday morning.

(bundled up after #4 of the purposed 13 in 12)

(Thanks go out to my wife for waking up in the wee hours of the morn to get me to the drop off spot, Eric for the ride to and from, the conversation, and the tour of Birch Bay, Scott (RD) for hosting a wonderful race, Lenore Dolphin for the great post race schwag, and Bob for meeting up in West Seattle after for recovery grub.)

Is now the time?

2008-12-10T11:17:00.000-08:00

This Saturday is the Birch Bay Ghost Marathon and I'm thinking that if I really, actually do want to try for a 3:30 marathon this year this is my last reasonable shot at it. The weekend after this both runs are 50Ks, and then on the 31st is the Last Chance Marathon but I have the First Call to Run 50K the next day... probably not the time to shot for a PR by more than 7 minutes.

I have no idea what the course is like at the BBG, I dug around (briefly) for race reports but came up with nothing. Truth be told, I have no idea whether or not I can even pull off a 3:30 but it seems like maybe I should at least try before the year is over.

I've asked another runner about possibly setting a pace for a 3:30 marathon on Saturday, I've yet to hear back but if he goes along with it I'm going to give it a shot. I have serious doubts about being able to pace myself to a 3:30 finish so if 'other runner' isn't game, I'll just go out and do my best. Either way, I'm looking forward to Saturday!

I'm cheap...

2008-12-05T12:30:00.000-08:00

...and as a result, I refuse to pay for pictures of myself. Having said that, if you'd like to see the pictures from the Seattle Marathon follow this link:

http://www.asiorders.com/view_user_event.asp?EVENTID=32678&BIB=1843&LNSEARCH=1

A little more detail...

2008-12-02T14:44:00.001-08:00

Without going on & on I figure I should write a bit more about this past weekend... I'll start with the end by saying recovery has been going along swimmingly, I still have a few aches and pains but nothing unexpected. The calves are a bit tight and both middle toes have blisters but beyond that I'm feeling pretty fresh at this point, I attribute it all to ice baths, protein (shortly after finishing), rest, and of course the care of my (awesome) wife. Anyways, on with the tales...

Friday started dark and early, my wife and I woke up, got dressed, and essentially headed out the door, an hour or so later we were in front of the race director's home ion Gig Harbor. After getting signed in I stood around a bit chatting with a few other Maniacs and shortly there after we were herded down to the starting area. The race started off with a conga line through the woods that opened up a few minutes later as we found ourselves on a wider trail. The trials were well marked and the weather was perfect for running in, I enjoyed the course and ran the majority of the race on my own except for about 2 or 3 miles on the third of four loops where I talked with Steve Walters. At the end of the third loop my wife meet up with me to snap an action shot and give some quick encouragement. I finished the forth and final lap in 4:29:45, 9th over all, and was again greeted by my wife, after a few minutes of cooling down, and eating one of Bill's great blueberry pancakes, I thanked everyone and we headed off. On the way home we stopped in Tacoma at the Harmon Hub and had some tasty brew and burgers and then home from there. The rest of the day was plenty lazy, besides the ice bath and hot shower after wards not much was accomplished, we watched a few movies and were both in bed pretty early.

(Post Wishbone beers at the Hub)

The next morning I got up on my lonesome feeling pretty good, it was apparent I had run the day before but I felt confident that I'd be alright at the Ghost. I drove over to the east side of Seattle, found some street parking near the start of the race, and again, proceeded to bide my time until it was time to run. This time I started off on my own but was soon running with Rob, together we covered almost the whole first leg of the marathon route together, from that point on I was once again on my own. As much as doubling back on the same route a few times over might not sound so great it's actually a lot of fun during a race that's filled with so many familiar (and soon to be familiar) faces, it allows for a constant flow of hellos, smiles, and well wishes which do a great job of taking ones mind off the task at hand. I was able to run the majority of the race with only a few walk breaks during the last 6 miles or so including one longer than needed during the last loop through Seward Park. Despite the extended walk, I crossed the finish line at 4:57:30 which happens to be a new personal best for me, and in fact my first sub 5 hour 50K. After the race I hung out briefly, scarfing down a hotdog and chatting with some folks, then off I headed for downtown Seattle to the Seattle Marathon Expo.

(approaching the finish line on Sunday)

I woke up Sunday morning feeling pretty much the same way I felt Saturday morn which I interpreted as a good sign. Once again my wife and I headed out the door together, she dropped me off near the start and went off to meet our buddy Bob, together the two of them would meet me at the finish line. After squeezing my way through the gaggle of runners and spectators watching the half marathon take off I got to an open area where I stayed loose and warm. As time went on I started to see more and more Maniacs gathering together, eventually a group of up headed to the street, by the time the race started there were about 15 of us lumped together somewhere back toward the 4:45:00 pacers. The race started and I fell into my pace fairly easily, the short trek through downtown and the International District were uneventful and as I got on to I-90 I knew the race would be no harder than the day before. There was a lot of fog on Sunday which made the run across the I-90 floating bridge and along Lake Washington feel shorter than they were, there's something to be said for only being able to see so far ahead of yourself. After the 13 mile mark I began taking a bit more time at aid stations, I don't think I needed to, but it felt nice to sort of meander and each time I did I felt my pace would pick up once I was off again. In the past I had prided my self on never having walked during a marathon, this day would be different, I choose to walk a few of the hills that show up late in the race and as much as that would have disappointed me a year ago, I see major benefits now, as I walked I passed people who were 'running,' my marathon walk is still a fairly decent power hike and though it did provide a little rest it also proved more effective. In the end I finished at 4:02:43 which is a personal worst, but really by only 5 and a half minutes or so, and to come after 2 previous days of running, well... I'll take it. As planned I was met at the finish line by my wife and buddy Bob and within 15 minutes of finishing we were sitting down to a hardy breakfast at the Mecca, a great way to finish up 3 races in 3 days!

(my wife's not sure she wants to stand so close to me :-)

As more pictures appear I'll post them as well, until then I'm already getting excited for for the Ghost of Birch Bay Marathon... funny thing about running/racing, the more you do, the more you want to do!

3 = 5

2008-12-01T08:42:00.000-08:00

(Wishbone Run / 27.4 Miles / 4:29:45)

(Ghost of Seattle / 50K / 4:57:30 *new PR!*)

(Seattle Marathon / 26.2 Miles / 4:02:43)

5 Maniac Stars! Ruthenium Level!

before the flood

2008-11-24T15:06:00.000-08:00

I'm less than 4 days out from the first of the three marathons in three days, that's a bit daunting on it's own but add in the facts that I'm battling a cold and that my recent training has been minimal and... yeah. Don't get me wrong, I'm looking forward to Friday and I'm sure Saturday and Sunday will be fine, I just know I'll be slightly less prepared than I should be... oh well, what's new?

A year ago today I was running my first marathon... seems odd... I knew that day that I intended to run another (I may have even had plane tickets bought already) but I didn't know that I would run so many (relatively speaking). It's been a good first year as a 'marathoner,' maybe a little less productive than I would've hoped for but good never the less.

It'll be interesting running Seattle this year as I'll have something to compare it to. After last year I stated numerous times that I wouldn't run Seattle again, not because it was a bad race but rather, why run the same race when there's so many others? Well, I guess the reason why presented it self and now, here I go again. In a way though, I will be unable to compare the two experiences, after all, the hills that I thought were tough last year because I was under trained I'll think are tough this year because I will have ran a marathon the last two days prior, so how could I gauge improvement?

Really, I think running 3 marathons in 3 days will test my ability to listen to my body more than anything, I know endurance will be a big part of it, but I think recovery will play a large roll as well. Can I rest my self well enough & fuel my self properly to be able to put in a good effort at each event? As much as finishing is the main goal, it would be nice not to be completely worthless by the end of Sunday.

So anyways, off I go into oblivion (sorry if that's a little melodramatic), I'll be sure to post on the other end of all this...

'other' blog

2008-11-14T14:25:00.000-08:00

This blog will continue(?) to get updates as it always has BUT I'd like to point anyone who's interested in the direction of this as well...

http://13in12.blogspot.com/

...it's my attempt at turning my winter plan into some cash for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society...

2008-11-03T13:53:00.000-08:00

With out making any sort of endorsements, I encourage those of you of have yet to vote to look closely at the issues before following party lines or voting uninformed... and when voting for public office, to look closely at the candidates record and how it pertains to the environment.

Final 3 (and some other yammerings)

2008-10-30T08:56:00.000-07:00

...(slowly) everything is falling into place. On Monday I noticed the Bridle Trails 50K had been officially scheduled leaving only 3 more races from the purposed '13 in 12' plan unscheduled. Though, I admit, I'll feel more at ease once I can say I'm officially registered for all 13 races, I'm by no means, not excited about the 10 already planned for.

10, as in, '1 more than 9.'
9 as is 'the number of marathons/ultras I completed thus far.'

How could I not be excited? Beyond the sheer number of races, these are my kind of races (excluding Seattle), small and friendly, and there are lots of trials to be had over the course of those 12 weeks as well. I'm pumped to check out Capitol Peaks, Crescent Forest, and Bridle Trails, and thrilled about the 12,000 ft of total elevation gain out at the 'Dumb Ass.'

I think I need to add a special little commentary regarding 'Dumb Ass'... this race is going to be awesome and horrible all at the same time, I mean, how couldn't it be? It'll be awesome because of how horrible it'll be... I love that stretch of trail but I bet my love will turn to loathing by the 3rd lap or so. 12,000 ft. of elevation? Are you kidding me? Awesome, awesome, awesome! White River only (ha!) had 8,900ft. of gain... hell Stormy has 12,000ft of elevation gain over 100 miles... A-W-E-S-O-M-E.

Triple Plans/Start of 13 in 12/100 Mile Plans

2008-10-13T09:52:00.000-07:00

It's not news, and it's not unexpected, but now, no matter what happens with the 13 in 12 plan, the 1st three are booked. The big one of the three, being Seattle, was paid for on Friday, and previously unnamed race on 11/28 is now also official and I'm on the list of confirmed runners, the race will be called the Wishbone Run.

What's fun is the way I view running these 3 races in 3 days, it's the same way I saw running up 69 flights of stairs prior to March of '06, the same way I saw running 26.2 miles prior to Nov. '07, the same way I saw running 50K prior to Feb. of this year, and the same way I saw running 50 miles prior to April of this year... it's a hard outlook to explain... there's a certain awe involved, a certain amount of stupidity to it (in the best sense of the word), just a wee bit of apprehension, and a whole lot of anticipation.

-----------------------------------

(While I'm posting I may as well mention this...) I intend to sign up and run the S.T.O.R.M.Y. 100 mile on 8/7/09 up in Vancouver, B.C. Stormy's not the toughest 100 miler you've ever heard of, in fact it appears it'll be significantly easier than (say) Cascade Crest, but that's part of the appeal. I see no reason for me to try and run one of the hardest 100 milers right off the bat, I may as well work my way up. Having said that, this is by no means the easiest 100 either, there's still a total of 12,000 ft. of elevation gain to deal with (just a little more than half of Cascade Crest), the majority of the course is run on trails, and, oh yeah, it's still 100 miles.

Registration probably won't open until early next year, but plans are already being made and a training schedule is already in place... and I'm already excited!

more ramblings

2008-10-09T09:07:00.000-07:00

...so this week's been going pretty descent, I skipped out on Monday, but Tuesday & Wednesday were solid, and tonight should be more of the same.

I busted out the tights last night... it should be noted that it was not cold enough to be running in tights... oh well...

At some point today I'm going to pay my registration for the Seattle Marathon. I was about to do it online but active.com is a rip off... I either pay $90 at any of my preferred local running shops -or- I go through active and pay $96.85... that's a ridiculously easy decision... I know it's just $6.85 but c'mon (the economy's tumbling.. he he)...

I'm also throwing around the idea of running the (just announced) '08 edition of the Carkeek 12 hour. I've never run a time event (as opposed to specific distance) so that makes it appealing, plus it's right here in Seattle proper! As usual, if anything stops me from running this race it'll be cost (the registration fee has yet to be posted), it would be nice to it it in though.

ramblings

2008-10-06T12:40:00.000-07:00

So, jumping into scheduled training is strange, clearly I've done it before, but not since preparing for the 2007 Seattle Marathon. The first week went as scheduled, but the second (this past week) not so much. It doesn't feel like a big deal (right now) but I know that if I allow myself to keep missing runs I'll regret it later...

Anyway, on Sunday, my wife and I headed out to Tiger Mountain (yes, again... I really enjoy it out there okay?) along with Lola the Pug. I headed out for the 10 mile, 3 summits loop (as described in "50 Trail Runs in Washington" by Cheri Pompeo) while my wife and the dog enjoyed a more relaxed pace on the Around the Lake Trail and parts of the Power Line Trail.

I headed up Nook & Section Line making fairly good time, reaching West Summit #3 in 45 minutes, #2 in 51 minutes, and #1 in 1 hour and some odd seconds. Everything went smoothly with no issues to speak of. The descent down Poo Top, One View, and the remaining trials went equally as well. The entire route took almost 2 hours on the dot (literally seconds over).

That route has to be my favorite training run, some day I'd like to extend it to the full 12 summits, or at least double loop the 3 summits course, but that'll have to wait for another (better planned) day. Post run included meandering through Issaquah Salmon Days, eating hand dipped corn dogs (so good),heading back to Seattle for a haircut, and finally home by 5:30pm or so... not to shabby for a 'lazy' Sunday.

From Here to Eternity (or, rather, from now 'til February)

2008-09-24T14:40:00.001-07:00

Please, feel free to offer any input you may have. Thanks.

Also, if you missed the title's reference bust out your library card or get on your Netflix cue and find out what you're missing : From Here To Eternity

So?????? What should I do?

2008-09-18T13:15:00.000-07:00

I've got the green light to (attempt to) run a 100 miler some time in the coming year... it's between for different races right now...

Moab (March)
Cascade Crest (August)
Stormy (August)
Hundred in the Hood (September)

...I'm sort of leaning toward Cascade Crest since it's so close to home, but then the non patient part of me likes the way Moab in March sounds (yeah, and the kid in me likes the frosted side.... anyway...), I suspect this will consume me for a while, then, once I made a choice I'll get even more obsessive... most likely anyway...

(Pretty Much) Going For It

2008-09-16T13:25:00.000-07:00

So for all the times I've brought up this little '13 in 12' idea it would seem I'm actually going to go for it, the one stipulation is I have to be trying my hardest to carpool to at least a few of these races, especially the further out of town races (see: Bellingham, Olympia, & Snohomish). My wife & I are a one car family (and happy about that) which means it's absurd for me to think I could/should dominate the vehicle use for that length of time. Having said all that, here's the list as it stands right now...

Wishbone Marathon - 11/28
Ghost of Seattle 50K - 11/29
Seattle Marathon - 11/30
Ghost of Birch Bay Marathon - 12/13
Pigtails Flat Ass 50K - 12/20
Dumb Ass 50K - 12/21
Last Chance Marathon - 12/31
Western Washingotn Fat Ass 50K - 1/3
Bridal Trails 50K - 1/10
Capitol Peaks (34 Mile) 1/17
Pigtails Run 50K - 1/24
Yours Truly 50K - 1/25
Lord Hill 50K - 2/1

...a few of these still have unconfirm dates, but from what I've gathered from various race directors, these races will be happening. I'm fairly confident I'll be completely scheduled by Oct. 15th, right now I'm tryig to avoid registering for Seattle due to it's steep price tag, hoping something else (cheaper) will come up in the 79 day window, but if by Oct 15th nothing has, I will pay my Seattle registration (Oct. 15th is the last day to register at the $90 price, then it jumps to $100).

Even if I'm unable to put it all together, the end of Nov. though the beginning of Feb. looks to be on hell of a run (pardon the pun), and really, in the end, the 7 stars would be cool, but if it doesn't happen I'll survive, in the end it's more about the races them self than the stats (really).

I'm very excited about all this!

Oh, COME ON!

2008-09-10T14:48:00.000-07:00

...sheesh... this just keeps happening (and I realize it 's no one's fault - at least no one involved in the races).

I got an email this morning telling me Autumn Leaves will either be canceled or re-scheduled sometime in November... I was looking forward to notching another 50 miler under my belt... plus now my wife and I will be spending a weekend in Newberg, OR (where? exactly!) in a nonrefundable hotel room... sure a weekend away is great but there are other places I could have thought to have gone than Newberg... oh well... like I said... no one's fault (except the stupid Oregon Park Dept.)...

I working on something to make this all better though ;-)

Saddness...

2008-09-03T12:52:00.000-07:00

Posted to this blog on 8/12:

...I'm looking forward to 'Harvey Manning' more than any other run I have scheduled the rest of this year...

I received official word today that the Harvey Manning 50K has been canceled, I'm pretty disappointed but understand (from the race director's stand point) why this had to be the case.

Now my September is unscheduled, the Baker Lake 50K may still yet be an option, other wise I may just head out on my lonesome on the 21st and either do the route that was intended for 'Harvey Manning' or take a stab at the 12 summits route on Tiger.

Michelle's Grande Ass Marathon

2008-09-02T10:35:00.000-07:00

Sunday was Michelle's Grande Ass Marathon, 26.2 miles from Puyallup to Tacoma following a route that used various Starbucks as route markers and aid stations. (The route can be seen HERE.)

The day before the race I did things quite differently than usual, my diet & activity levels were both dictated by thoughts of 'meh, it's just a low key run.' I had no intentions of doing any thing 'special' the next day and figured that as long as I was able to stay under 4 hours I'd be content. This line of thought resulted in unhealthy eating, lunch time beer drinking, and, of all things, running. The eating and beer drinking shouldn't be shocking, after all, they'd both break down into energy eventually (right?) but the running, that just something I haven't done the day before a race in the past.

Friends informed me Saturday afternoon that I'd be able to use their car to get to the race, I decided it was most logical to run the 4.5 miles to their house as it didn't seem right to ask for them to deliver it and I just didn't feel like riding the bus. I ran the distance relaxed and unconcerned with speed, there were a few hills in between me and them, but over all, I would consider this an easy run under any circumstances.

The next morning I was up at 4am, I took the dog out to due her 'duties' and headed out the door within a half hour of being awake. I arrived at the starting Starbucks at around 5:30am and was surprised to see as many people as I did, I picked up my packet (at a freebie?!?), got my bib pinned on, and proceeded to bide my time until the start.

(just prior to the start, I'm back to the left about 4 people in)

At 6am I and 30 other marathoners (+ some relay runners) were off. Despite the fair warning, I had no real idea how to follow the route and was relived to know that it had been marked with spray chalk the prior day (just in case I had the direction in a plastic bag in my shorts). Within the first mile I had struck up conversation with Phil Kriss (MM # 289), we chatted (and got lost together a few times) up until about mile 15 at which point he suggested I continue as he backed off the pace a bit, I was reluctant at first, convinced he'd eventually just catch me and pass me anyways, but it soon became apparent he was letting up a bit (to Phil's credit he had biked 80 miles the day prior and had a full week of Ironman training, any day he shows up fresh he would beat me by a significant margin).

Shortly after parting ways with Phil I spotted Steve Walters, I knew he was in first place and at that point decided I would do all I could to hold on to second if not make a run at first. I slowly seemed to be reeling him in, though, much like with Phil, I'm well aware Steve is a much faster marathoner than I am. At the second to last Starbucks I had actually caught him, I stopped ate a Gu and drank some water, both Steve and I headed out at about the same time but he quickly put some space between us once again, I decided that with some 6 odd miles yet to the finish this was no time to start running someone else's race. For the most part I maintained the same distance between himself & I and was once again starting to real him in when we entered old town Tacoma. We headed past what would be the finish line and down a small hill, at this point Steve was no more than a block in front of me, I was never convinced I could gain the lead but I did feel it was possible. At the bottom of the hill I watched Steve cross the street and begin the water front out and back, just as I reached the road the street lights changed and a slew of cars passed as I stood there for what seemed like forever, by the time I got across the street Steve was out of sight.

The official times make it appear that I only finished 31 seconds after Steve, but the reality is he would have finished a few minutes in front of me had only the finish line been spray chalked in when he got there. Despite never catching up to first place, I am completely thrilled with how the day went, race organization wise, everything was great and I've attempted to make sure both Michelle & Eric know that, I'm already looking forward to 2009's Grande Ass Double Shot. From a personal stand point, I sort of feel like I turned some sort of corner, I don't know what to attribute it to exactly, but ever thing was clicking just right on Sunday. I knew I was maintaining a descent pace the whole time but it never felt significantly harder than it usually does and I never felt as though I hit any sort of 'wall,' sure, mile 26 was harder than mile 6, but I felt physically strong the entire time. Mentally too, I was just rocking, I'm sure having the first 15 miles eaten up by conversation helped but even after I was on my own, I never got the 'I just want to be finished' portion of the run.

The big take away from all this is I'm now starting to believe that I could run a 3:30 marathon still some time this year, despite it being listed as a 2008 goal of mine, I had all but dismissed it a while back, now, with a 3:37 under my belt, it once again seems possible (perhaps this training stuff actually works) which is both exciting and a wee bit daunting.

Final results can be found HERE.
I suspect more photos will be on the way, if so I'll update this post when they're available.

...real quick...

2008-08-31T16:36:00.000-07:00

Today at Michelle's Grande Ass Marathon I ran a PR and came in second place over all! My finishing time was 3:37:40, over 10 minutes faster than my previous PR! Needless to say, I pretty excited about it...

I'll get a real race report up later in the week... for now, I'm gonna drink a beer and take a nap ;-)

Wednesday night, (west) Tiger Mountain's 3 Summits

2008-08-29T08:10:00.000-07:00

So Wednesday night, I was on my lonesome, my wife was out having a sushi/girls night and I, generally, have far too much energy to just sit around and have a quite night at home, so, it was off to Tiger Mountain for me!

I arrived at the trail head (exit 20 off of I-90) nearing 6pm and chose to park outside of the gate just in case I returned after 'dusk' (a term that really needs better defining). I headed on to the trail following the "3 Summits" run as described in "50 Trail Runs in Washington" by Cheri Pompeo (who happens to be a fellow Maniac). I had done a different version of the 3 summits back on the 15th taking the same route up but a completely different route back to the parking area, so I had some idea of what was in store.

The route starts off pretty tame, hitting portions of the "Bus" and "Nook" trials which are runnable, but "Nook" is sort of a tease, it seems friendly at first, but eventually reveals it's true self... elevation. By the time I hit the next portion of the route, the "Section Line Trail," I was 'warmed up' for lack of a better term, don't get me wrong, "Nook" isn't crazy hard or anything, but it's 600ft gain doesn't go unnoticed. Now 'Section' on the other hand, I'm not ashamed to admit that that trail is tough, gaining ~900ft. of elevation in about half the distance that "Nook" takes to gain it's 600ft. The first portion of 'Section' is particularly steep and, at times, hard to get your footing, never the less, I climbed enjoying the cool forest and the solitude that (week day evening) Tiger Mnt. provides.

I reached Summit #3, the first of the 3 summits, in a little over 40 minutes (yep, I was in no hurry) and was greeted by a hiker and his boxer, after getting a quick session of 'dog time' in quickly reconsulting my route, I headed out toward summit #2. The space between #3 and #2 feels short and easy after (that damn) 'Section' trail, the pay off view from #2 isn't isn't all that grand so I ran right through, continuing on to summit #1. The space between #2 and #1 is mainly dirt road, which isn't horrible, but I'd much rather be on trails, the road goes down about 200ft before beginning the climb up to #1.

Summit #1 is the highest of the 3 summits on west Tiger coming in at 2943ft. and, in my opinion, provides the best views. I was still really enjoying my run at this point and was looking forward to getting out on some unfamiliar trails. I took a quick break to take a few pictures, drink some water, and, once more consult my map, ~3 minutes after arriving, I headed back out.

(Up on summit #1)

This is the point where things sort of start falling apart, don't get me wrong, I had a great run and enjoyed almost every moment out on the trails but from summit 3 until I arrived back at my car, I made rookie mistake after rookie mistake, all good learning tools, but mistakes regardless.

My first issue came when I missed my turn on to "Poo Top Trail," though not a major misstep, I did have to turn around and climb back up a short ways when I recognized my mistake. After getting back to 'Poo Top' I headed up until I reached the road, I knew I was supposed to cross over and continue on 'Poo Top' but the trail seemed very over grown and appeared as though it had gone unused for quite some time. I hesitated briefly, then choose to trust my instincts and navigation and push forward, though never fully confident I was on the right trial, I continued down until I once again I came to a dirt road which confirmed my location.

'Dusk' was setting in as I made the transition from "One View Trial" (which, incidentally, has no view) onto "Poo Poo Point Trail," there was still plenty of natural light but the sun had now been engulfed by the tree line and shadows were growing long.

('dusk' approaches as I photograph a friendly face)

(Here's were the real trouble/adventure starts!) As I eased down 'Poo Poo' I suddenly felt a sharp thwack(!) to the back of my head, I turned around expecting to see a thorny black berry vine but no, nothing on or off the trail. Had someone thrown something at me? Something dropped from a tree? I was confused and continued to look around, then I spotted, up in a tree, a large owl that I suspect was a Barred Owl. I starred for a moment thinking many thoughts, seemingly all at once... 'should I get my camera out,' 'How odd... must of thought I was a squirrel' & 'I can't believe that son-of-a-bitch hit me!' then, all of a sudden it was headed at me again! Wings out, talons ready for the gouging, it swooped at me and I dove to the ground. At this point I realized this owl wasn't effin' around, I picked my self up and started booking down the trail, I made it a few hundred feet when, once again *Thwack!* right to the back of my head! I stopped, crouched down, looked up and saw the bastard perched on a fallen tree maybe 30 odd feet in front of me. I took off my camel back, grabbed it by it's handle, and swung it while flailing my other arm about and yelling in the bird's general direction. Silly me, here I thought I could perhaps scare it off, instead I was shown (what my co-worker described as) the 'owl F.U. look.' It starred me down, and, when I finally stopped my scare tactics realizing that this method was clearly not working, the owl once again, bee lined directly at me. As I laid on the ground, avoiding another gouging, I was able to watch the owl pass over my face by only a foot or so, as soon as it past I got up and started running faster than I had been all day. I ran like Cary Grant in "North By Northwest," constantly looking over my shoulder, continually getting whacked or (on the more fortunate attacks) diving to the ground with the owl barely missing. In total, I'm not exaggerating by telling you that the owl tagged me a good 5 times while attempting to at least 5 more.

After what felt like an hour, but was more likely about 10 minutes, I finally seemed to be in the clear, I continued running as if it was right behind me, fast as I could still looking over my shoulder until I finally reached a clearing at the "Gas Line Trail." It was starting to get down right dark and I made the choice to abandon my preplanned route in an attempt to get back to the car sooner. In the clearing I pulled lights out from my pack and consulted the map one final time, I looked and it seemed logical enough that if I were to get back on to the "Section Trail" I'd be able to get back to "Nook" and the car from there. This of course was a "super duper, cheery red, rookie mistake", beyond the obvious 'don't change your route mid-way through' I also failed to pay any attention to the topographical lines on my map! How could I do that!?! (Honestly) I'm smarter than that!!! Regardless of my intelligence, I did ignore them and back up I went, over 600ft.... slowly...

When I finally reached "Nook" the forest had done away with all natural light, my lights provided a good view of the trail but all that surrounded me was now lost to darkness. Trees creaked, leaves rustled, and the occasional snake darted off the trail as I approached. If I haven't made it clear enough, I'm a rookie trail runner, not a first timer, but by no means would you call me experienced and that goes double for night running. I will say that there's really only one way to gain experience night running and that's what I was doing, I'm sure I could have done it smarter, possibly with someone else more experienced, but all in all I didn't, and still don't, regret that I was on the trails at that time.

When I got back to the car I stretched quickly and then gave my wife a call telling her I was en route to pick her up, as I side note I told her "I have a stupid question for you... umm... I got attacked by an owl... do you think I need to see someone?" Her response was laughter... which continued... for quite a while... Once she gained her composure she said "...you mean, like, (giggle, giggle) for rabies? (snicker, snicker)" I said "Yeah.", she said "No." I told her I loved her and that I'd see her in about a half hour and off I drove...

What I learned from all this...
Stick with my plan.
Trust my navigation.
Don't dilly-dally so much.
...and, oh yeah, OWLS SUCK! (Well, honestly, it was pretty cool to once again see an owl in the wild, I just wished it hadn't been such a dick about it...)

(more pics from both this run and the Tiger Mountain run on the 15th can be seen here)

(the route... sort of...
click to enlarge)

Day dreaming...

2008-08-27T12:31:00.001-07:00

...I could probably spend all day looking at these 2 sites (and all their various links)...

http://cascadecrest100.blogspot.com/

http://www.cascadecrest100.com/

13 in 12

2008-08-22T11:11:00.000-07:00

...after Jon's comment on my post from 8/7 I started looking into just how "doable" 13 marathons (or beyond) in 12 weeks (79 days) in the local Seattle area really is... here's what I've determined...

IF all the races that took place last year take place again this year and IF one more race crops up sometime between December 1st and February 15th, it's then not completely unreasonable (or that expensive*) to pull it off... here's how I figure that...

Ghost of Seattle Marathon/50K - 11/29
Seattle Marathon - 11/30
Birch Bay Ghost Marathon - 12/13
Pigtail's Flat Ass Marathon/50K - 12/20
Tiger Dumb Ass 50K - 12/21
Last Chance Marathon - 12/31
Western Washington Fat Ass 50K - 1/3
Bridal Trails 50K - 1/10
Capitol Peaks Mega Fat Ass 34 mile - 1/17
Pigtail's Run 50K - 1/24
Yours Truly 50K (I) - 1/25
Lord Hill Trail Run 50K - 2/1

Green represents races I have either registered for or intent to. Red represents unconfirmed races. The others I would register for IF I intend to go for the 13 in 12.... we'll see about that, it entails a lot more than just being willing to run...

* $178 = 12 races = 360.6 miles

(ramblings)

2008-08-12T10:28:00.000-07:00

...so Michelle's is up next and that's great, it should be fun, but, what I'm really looking forward to (and this is no offense to Michelle's race) is the Harvey Manning 50K. Initially my interest in the 'Harvey Manning' run was low, it looked fun enough but I was sort of set on doing either the Cle Elum Ridge 50K or the Baker Lake 50K in September*, after a lot of back and forth, I finally decided that the low entrance fee and short drive meant 'Harvey Manning' made the most sense. Despite the logic I wasn't completely thrilled with my decision, Cle Elum Ridge and Baker Lake both looked gorgeous, and, though I hadn't done my research yet, 'Harvey Manning' just looked like another run. I have since changed my mind... I'm looking forward to 'Harvey Manning' more than any other run I have scheduled the rest of this year (though the Tiger Dumb Ass is right up there too)! Tiger Mountain to Lake Washington... awesome...

* - I know, I know... just do 'em all right? You pay registration fees and drive, I'll run any race... that's the deal...

Winter can't come soon enough...

2008-08-07T14:10:00.000-07:00

... and here's why, from mid December to the first of February there are 8 (count 'em 8!) runs/races (note: races listed in red are unconfirmed with dates based on last year's runnings)...

12/20 - Pig Tails Flat Ass 50K - Free!*
12/21 - Tiger Dumb Ass 50K - Free!
12/31 - Last Chance Marathon - Free!
1/3 - Western Washington Fat Ass (50K) - Free!
1/10 - Bridal Trails 50K - $25
1/17 - Capitol Peaks Mega Fat Ass (34 miles) - $3!
1/24 - Pigtails Run (50K) - Free!*
2/1 - Lord Hill Trail Run (50K) - Free!

* - donation of 2 can of chicken noodle soup, one for eating, one for the food shelf

...so, hypothetically, if I/you were to run them all, I/you would run ~397K (or ~246.7 miles) for only $28 and 4 cans of soup!

(And that list doesn't even include the Orcas Island Fat Ass on 2/15)

Seriously... summer days, GO AWAY!

Best thing to do after running 50 miles?

2008-07-28T15:09:00.000-07:00

10/25/08!!!

White River 50

2008-07-28T11:06:00.000-07:00

A real quick post in regards to the White River 50... I'll get around to the details later...

I finished in 11:52:28,172nd out of 202 finishers and 238 starters.

That course is brutal and beautiful.

(Both of these photos were taken by Glenn Tachiyama. Please check out all of Glenn's amazing photos from this years White River 50 at http://www.pbase.com/gtach/fiumebianco08)

(Approaching Corral Pass at mile 16.9)

(Approaching Sun Top at mile 37)

(Both of these photos were taken by John Wallace III. You can see all the finish line shots by John at http://good-times.webshots.com/album/564626286nYtwNT)

(Approaching the finish line...)

(...and crossing the finish line!)

This from the race director...

2008-07-24T10:42:00.000-07:00

"Your bib number this year will be: 179"

and "The weather is looking about as nice as it can be. Twighlight is about 5am PDT, Sunrise is about 5:30am PDT. It will be about 50-55 degrees at start time and get up to a high of near 70 with partly sunny skies. Westerly winds around 10mph."

...doesn't mean much to you, but it gets me even more excited!

1 day, 18 hours, 45 minutes and change 'til the White River 50!!!

2008-07-17T15:20:00.000-07:00

Since I haven't updated in a while here's a quick one...

I ran to work yesterday (wednesday) it was nice... a good way to start the day, I'll probably do it a few more times next week...

White River is in 8 days, I'm (still) excited...

I & my wife are currently in the process of working out my running schedule from now 'til November... topics of discussion include...

The Redmond Watershed Preserve Marathon (8/24)
Cle Elum 50K (9/13)
Harvey Manning 50K (9/21)
Autumn Leaves 50 mile (10/25)
Ghost of Seattle (11/29)
Seattle Marathon (11/30)

Rattlesnake Lake Marathon RR (updated with new photos)

2008-07-09T12:28:00.000-07:00

lLast Sunday (7/6) I ran the Rattlesnake Lake Marathon, though my time was a bit longer than I would have preferred, I had a good time and still remained under the 4 hour mark.

The day began early, I picked up Barefoot Jon (MM# 209) and we were on the road by 6:30am. We arrived shortly 7 allowing Jon to take the (2nd) early start at 7:30, I waited it out and took the standard 8 o'clock start.

The first 5 miles were on a gentle down hill slope, I took it slow and ran at about a 8:20 min/mile, it felt comfortable but may explain why my over all time was longer than usual (ie: I usually go out faster and drop off sometime after the half way mark).

There's a turn around at mile 5 that begins a subtle 2% grade going up hill for 13 miles, if this sounds familiar it's because most of this course is also part of the Mt. Si 50 Mile course. Those 13 miles have a way of grinding on ones mind, thankfully, there's some great scenery to be had including waterfalls and mountains, not to mention the cool bridges and rock climbing features along the way.

I knew before I reached 18 miles, the turn around mark, that my time was not going to be stellar, despite the fact that I ran the entire course, 2 quick 'restroom' stops, a few water bottle fills, and 13 miles of long, slow, uphill running had already taken their toll. I attempted to us the down hill to my advantage as much as possible but never really felt that I was cruising as fast as I would have liked to. In the end, I reached the finish in 3:57:23 (16th out of 51 - full results can be found here).

(just after crossing the finish line)

I can't say I have any lessons to take away from this race but I did enjoy my self. There is one small exception, I've decided that I'm not a fan of having each mile marked on a course and I'm not a fan of wearing a watch while I run, both gave me to much of an opportunity to continually check my pace and progress, something I've never trained to do. Instead of speeding up (or, god forbid, slowing down) when need be, I would just crawl into my head crunching numbers and end up being too 'present' and aware. I find I run better when I'm looking for the next aid station as opposed to the next mile marker and when I am able to get into a rhythm, something I found difficult to do while constantly obsessing about what my watch read.

All that said, let me reiterate once more that I had a grand old time, I found Rattlesnake Lake to be just what I wanted after what felt like a disastrous Grandma's, something small, friendly, and low key.

After the race I sat around for about an hour or so munching on some tasty food prepared for us by the race directors, while meeting and chatting with other maniacs. I hit the road around 1:15pm Seattle bound feeling content with another marathon under my belt, that's 7 total now!

(enjoying the food after)

On a completely unrelated note, check out this great blog posting (http://ultra.petershoemaker.com/?p=64). It may make a little more out of ultrarunning than I would, but I understand where the author is coming from, I often suspect endurance running (and really, running in general) offers me something I'm missing... I'm just not entirely sure what it is I am missing...

Silver

2008-07-07T12:17:00.000-07:00

I didn't realize it until this morning, but yesterday I earned my 2nd Maniac Star by having run 6 marathons (and/or ultras) in 6 months, moving me from bronze to silver...

What's that mean amongst the other Marathon Maniacs? Not much, as supported by this impressive list, but that's alright. Here's the criteria of how to earn your very own stars.

Relieved

2008-07-02T12:50:00.000-07:00

I saw the doctor today, something I'm rarely inclined to do, in regards to some right foot nerve pain. I had read online* that the pain and/or 'pins and needles' feelings I was getting could be the result of bone spurs, it's not what I suspected, but never the less, it was enough for me to be willing to have a professional take a look.

When I told the doc my symptoms he suggested that it could be stress fractures, this hadn't crossed my mind prior but now that it was mentioned I became nervous. I know what stress fractures mean, namely, no running, that was not an option I wanted to consider.

I was able to get a couple x-rays taken of my foot, and a quick look from my doctor reveled nothing. As it stands right now, it seems to be just an inflamed or pinched nerve, either way, my doctor not only said I could continue running but encouraged it, not as a solution to the nerve issue, just because "that's great!" I hear stories online all the time about medical personnel discouraging running, I'm thrilled to have a doctor who encourages me to keep it up and I'm also thrilled that (for the time being *knock on wood*) I can continue to.

* - doctors must hate the internet, I feel bad for them with regards to all the times people must come in saying 'the internet says this is that and that is this and blah, blah, blah...', can you imagine people constantly equating your years of knowledge on a subject to what they googled or read on wikipedia? It must be infuriating...

White River course photos

2008-07-01T13:18:00.000-07:00

(The four images above are photos taken on the the White River 50 course over the last couple of years by Glenn Tachiyama, his full running galleries can be viewed here)

...effin' crap, am I excited!

2008-06-27T17:05:00.001-07:00

I turned 27 today... my gift to myself? White River 50 Mile registration... awesome... freakin' rad... 50 miles, 8700 ft of elevation gain (and loss)... (once more) awesome...

Oh yeah...

2008-06-25T14:43:00.001-07:00

...I'm REALLY excited for the Rattlesnake Lake Marathon, I am so ready to get back to good old low key marathon running.

Also, I'm looking forward to both getting back on track as far as 'training' goes (you know, actually running regularly with a plan in place) and starting to officially work on loosing this here gut of mine... just thought I'd get that out there...

Grandma's Marathon (short)

2008-06-25T13:45:00.000-07:00

....there is so much to say on this subject and there is no way to say it all right now, so, as usual, here the short of it until I can get pics up loaded and stories straight...

All started out well, I got to where I needed to be and felt prepared.
I finished in 3:55:23, a personal worst... you never hear people call 'em PWs do you? Well, I ran a PW.
I officially feel like a wuss when it comes to heat and humidity.
I know I made (plenty of) mistakes out there, I just have to figure out what they were exactly.
Having nothing to do with the results, this was the worst I've ever felt after a run... my legs were fine but I had awful stomach cramps and nausea a few hours after the race that lasted into the night.
I'm still happy I ran Grandma's, I'm happy when ever I get to run a marathon, but this sort of solidifies the fact that I prefer low key events.
I hope to have a full report up tomorrow.... we'll see...

(Here's the pictures marathonfoto.com took, I refuse to pay $40 per digital image so this is as big as you'll see 'em)

(quick)

2008-06-16T10:47:00.000-07:00

Well, 5 days 'til Grandma's. My wife and I leave for MN tomorrow night. As far as I can tell, this coming weekend is going to be a logistical nightmare, between myself, my family, and close to 18,000 runners (between the marathon, half, and 5K) and their families, little Duluth, MN will be packed. I'm looking forward to going to back to MN (home is WA) but, as far as races go, I'm more excited for Rattlesnake Lake than Grandma's, I guess I've just become accustom to these small, low key events, I think they suite me better...

...I'll try and post at least once while in MN, but don't hold your breath...

F you belly!

2008-06-13T13:21:00.000-07:00

(the title should be read like Terrance & Phillip saying "Screw you, buddy")

So my deepest, darkest secret, the thing that irks me more than anything else is my stupid pot belly. I don't obsess about it, I don't stare at it in mirrors constantly, but, I must admit, it does irritate me. It's been there for as long as I can remember and I've made no significant attempt to rid myself of it... well, today I say "no more!"

No more being content to be a skinny guy with a pudgy gut, no more 'sucking it in' at opportune moments, and no more feeling guilty for wanting to get rid of it. I'm tired of people telling me I shouldn't worry about it because I'm 'in shape' and I'm tired of telling myself I can eat what ever I want because I run. I'm fully capable of being healthier and in better shape than I currently am and the only thing that keeps me from being so is laziness. If I can run for 9+ hours, I sure as hell can do 20 minutes of abs each day. Also, I don't need to eat until food is coming out my ears, I love food and will continue to, but no more of this gorging like it's a sport, there's no reason for it, it's unproductive and, in the big picture, wasteful.

I'm not down on myself (or anybody else for that matter), in fact, to the contrary, I'm actually feeling quite empowered, much like running a marathon, this is something I can do by putting my mind to it. No, I can't think my gut away, but with proper training and dedication I can be gut free.

No more I tell you, no more!

Below is a photo from the Seattle Marathon in Nov. '07, yes, the shadows are working against me but honestly, I look pregnant...
Next, I've over exposed the shot below to show what usually manages to hide...

(by the way, this topic is not up for discussion, if you don't think I have a gut, that's great, you're wrong)

The Green River Marathon (The long of it...)

2008-06-12T09:42:00.000-07:00

So I said I'd write more when I had some pictures to along with the details, so here we go...

The Green River Marathon had a start time of 8:30am, in the days leading up to the race I had arranged with the race director for my wife & I to pick up 3 other runners prior to leaving West Seattle. When we got to the meet up spot it turned out 2 of the 3 runners had just jumped in another car and already headed out which was a little odd but allowed us to have room for 2 other guys who needed a ride. We arrived at the starting line with about 20 minutes to spare, I picked up my t-shirt, dropped it off with my wife, along with the warmer clothing I was wearing, and said good-bye to her as she's headed back home.

I lined up fairly close to the front of the starting line assuming most people, my self included, weren't there to 'race' so much as they were there to have a good time. A few directions were shouted to us, a small count down, and then"GO!" we were off!

(minutes after the start and all is well)

I started at what I felt was a fairly relaxed pace and told my self that this is how I would run the entire race. Within the first mile I had a brief moment to say hi to Steve Barrick, the race director (who I ran a good chunk of the Green Lake Dizzy Daze 50K with) followed by meeting and conversing with fellow Maniacs Jon & Sherry Mahoney (oddly enough, the folks who were going to ride with us in the morning but did not). I ran with Jon & Sherry for about the first 11 miles or so, in that time we talked about what runners will tend to talk about, what races you've run, where you'll be racing next, and so on. As it turns out I was running with some experienced marathoners, Jon was running his 289th marathon and Sherry was on her 63rd (though it should be noted, she ran her first in '05!), obviously I was jealous and in awe at the same time. The 3 of of also covered the standard meet and greet stuff like where you're from and what you do too, they were great company but I could tell they would eventually out pace me.

(Sherry, Jon, & I nearing mile 3)

We ran along the river, beside golf courses & soccer fields, and behind a shopping center I am far too familiar with. I saw parts of the trail that I had seen numerous times before (heck, from the trail I could see the apartments I lived in about 5 years ago) but, much more enjoyable were the part I had no idea existed. There were walking bridges, parks, and fishing holes all along the trail that I was completely oblivious to, another reason I love long distance running, you are able to see an area in a whole new light at a whole different level. In my opinion the first 16 miles of the course were great fun and, at times, quite scenic (especially considering we were surrounded by suburbs and city).

(Sherry, Jon, & I nearing mile 6... I think...)

At some point just prior to mile 11 Jon & Sherry both fell behind me, not due to pacing issues, but rather rest stops of a more personal nature. They both caught up with, and passed me with in another mile or so though and from that point on I ran unaccompanied until hitting South Park.

Miles 13 through 16 I was completely unfamiliar with, I knew where I was, I had just never traveled that route by foot or by car. Parts of the section were nice, I was amazed at how many home were along the river and how seamlessly a sort of rural and urban environment blended. As I passed runners and runners passed me pleasantries were always exchanged and encouragement was always mutual. I also made it a point to thank as many volunteers as possible, for such a 'grass roots' style marathon, the support was wonderful, in fact, it needs no indicator, I would have considered it great even had it been paid for.

(out on my lonesome... well, not really, but edited for dramatic effect...)

The portion of the route that was covered between miles 16 and 17 was a very industrial area I knew fairly well, thankfully it never had the chance to mentally wear on me as it passed by quickly and soon faded into South Park, another area of Seattle I'm not all that familiar with.

Right on the out side boarder of South Park I passed 'Barefoot Jon' a fellow West Seattlite who, as his nick-name would indicate, runs marathons barefooted, we briefly said hi and I continued on.

South Park is the real maze of the course, if you don't know where you're going or not paying attention, there's a good chance you could end up straying. Thankfully for me, I paused long enough, as a volunteer attempted to tell me the route, for the race director to catch up to me. I ran with Steve the entire way through South Park up until about the 19 mile mark, where, upon the aid station, I stopped and walked for a moment in order to call my buddy Jason, who would be meeting me at the 22.7 mile mark.

I ran alone along West Marginal Way, under the West Seattle Bridge, and up to Harbor Ave. were Jason waited for me. For me, those 3.7 miles dragged, I knew the area well and it happens to be the least scenic portion of the entire route, physically, I was still feeling fine, it was obvious to me that I had slowed down a bit but not to a pace that I was ashamed of. At that point I was really looking forward to having some one to run again with soon.

(A welcome concept
***Alki is the name of the beach the race ends at***)

When I got to Jason he was stretched and ready to go, there was no pause in action as he joined me and we continued down Harbor Ave. This final portion of the route may as well be my back yard, I've done more training runs along the shores of West Seattle than anywhere else. This final leg, though completely common to me, is still the most beautiful, with the majority of those final 3.5 miles basking in views of the Seattle skyline, the Pudget Sound, and the Olympic Mountains. Jason and I chit chatted a bit and ran, after about a mile and a half he began to slow down and fall behind, I attempted to fall back with him a few times but then would quickly end up ahead again. At some point he gestured for me to go ahead at my own pace and I took him up on it. I pushed with what I had left to the finish line, coming in at 3:48:09, a new PR by 1 minute and 21 seconds (Ha!). Once I knew my time had been recorded, I turned around, meet up with Jason, and finished the rest with him, in all his finish was about 2 minutes behind mine, and though I don't think he was happy with it, I'm glad he was there with me and had a chance to experience a portion of something I enjoy so much.

(Jason & I - Obviously right after I was told to go on with out him, as Jason is right on my heals)

Moments after we finished we meet up with our wives, I made a few quick rounds congratulating a few folks I recognized and thanking the race director for a great time. The four of us walked back to the car and headed back home where I took a quick ice bath, showered, and put on some fresh clothes (including a certain new race shirt). We headed back out the door and hit a newer pizza place just outside the neighborhood where I proceeded to stuff my self.

Overall, it was a great day for a marathon with cool temps and only one very quick mist. I walked away blister free and have recovered very quickly. I was also able to meet some new folks and (finally) get some miles under my belt. A big thanks to my wife (as always) for putting up with, and even supporting this wacky life style I've chosen. Also, thanks to Jason and Joanne for meeting up and hanging out with us, all the volunteers and the race director for the wonderful job they did, and all the other runners who I meet along the way, I hope to see you again soon.

(Lots more photos of the entire event, including a few of me that I didn't use, can be viewed HERE)

2008-06-09T12:53:00.000-07:00

...so, dreams be damned, I made it to the start of the Green River Marathon in plenty of time (thanks, in part, to my wonderful/lovely/sweet/awesome wife, Rachael).

The short of it is this...
I (technically) PRed with a 3:48:09 finish time

The long of it will be posted later (once photos are posted).

dreams (the sleepy kind, not the 'goals' kind)

2008-06-06T10:28:00.000-07:00

... my recent dreams have been making me apprehensive (perhaps I'm having these dreams because subconsciously I actually am apprehensive, I don't know)...

In the past 2 nights I've had 2 dreams of marathon mishaps.

Wednesday night I showed up at the Green River Marathon, which, in my dream, was a fairly large marathon beginning on Broadway on Capitol Hill (in Seattle). I arrived early enough to sit down with my wife and began to mess with my shoes and socks, all of a sudden a heard a man yell "Go!", I looked up and saw hoards of runners hit the course, I hurried to get my socks and shoes on and ran to join the rear of the crowd. About 2 blocks down the road I realized I had forgot my water bottle and, since I knew the course was unsupported, I turned around to go get it (?!?). When I got back to the starting area my wife was up in a cherry picker (turns out this is where we had been sitting... what?) I yelled to her to throw me my bottle and she did, along with 2 others (?) at this point I was far behind any other runners. I sprinted up to catch the back of the pack but then I thought I would run out of steam later in the race if I continued to push at such a pace... then the alarm went off and I woke up...

That next night things got even weirder... I was in Minnesota for Grandma's marathon but for some reason I was starting the course 3 hours late, never-the-less, I began to run but couldn't muster anything more than an extremely labored plodding motion, I was being passed by other runners who were en route to finishing (for some reason this version of Grandma's was an out and back course) who looked at me strangely. At one point I realized I was carrying my dog... Some time around the 3 mile mark I realized I would not be able to make the cut off time for the race (6 hours), I decided I needed to quit and call my wife and/or parents to let them know the situation and have them come pick me up. I stopped at a random house and asked to use the phone, things got weirder from there but running ceased to be a central theme, so I won't bore you with the details...

I had dreams like this prior to my first marathon (Seattle '07) as well... my wife and I began joking that I run in my sleep (yes, like a dog) after we had to throw away a bottom bed sheet that had 2 holes worn in it that lined up perfectly with my heals...

Well, tomorrow I'll be running in real life, hopefully nothing from my dreams becomes reality, that's all for now...

(please excuse the total lack of proper grammar, it's really hard to explain a dream with out speaking/typing in a stream of consciousness style)

2008-06-04T11:16:00.000-07:00

Oh man, I haven't posted anything since forever... I just don't have much to say right now...

I'm looking forward to the Green River Marathon this Saturday and then Grandma's 2 weeks later and then Rattlesnake Lake 2 weeks after that. If that schedule doesn't get me back to frequent posting, nothing will.

I'm also batting around the idea of doing the Fund Raiser for Breast Cancer 28.8M (formerly known as the 'Fund Run') on July 5th. If I do, that'll mean, coupled with Rattlesnake Lake (7/6), it would be the first half of my first double. I like the idea quite a bit but I'll have to look into my plans before I commit to anything.

2008-05-23T08:21:00.000-07:00

Man, this blog makes a liar out of me (well I guess I do that my self), I say I'm going to post more then I don't, then I do it again, and again... oh well...

Just a few quick things....

I'm 15 days out from the Green River Marathon
The Seattle Marathon early bird registration ends at the end of this month, up until about a week ago I was convinced I had no interest in running this again, now I'm starting to think that this coupled with the Ghost of Seattle could make for a fun (double) weekend... so, factoring in how cheap I am, that means I have a week to decide if I want to do a double in November.
I snuck in a little over 5 miles today during lunch today, they're probably just junk miles, but it was good never the less...

2008-05-19T15:04:00.000-07:00

(OK, I'm gonna attempt to start writing more regularly again, hopefully I keep it up this time...)

This past week end I was able to address a running issue that I must admit has had me feeling quite limited as of late. (I'd guess that) For the past 3 months or so I've been running in one of 2 things, Brooks Cascadia 3 trail shoes (which I adore) or incredibly worn down street shoes. This has meant that almost every ('training') run I gone on has been through Schmitz Park, I love running through Schmitz but when I feel like I don't have any other option (that don't involve a drive) it's not as appealing. I'm by no means broke (and I feel very grateful for all I have - really!) but the amount of money I have to throw toward running (race fees, gear, etc.) is usually less than I'd like it to be, so when I see a way to cut corners I generally jump at the opportunity. This week end provided one of those opportunities. The Brooks outlet stores were having a 'truck load' sale and I managed to get my self 2 pairs of shoes at $30 a pair, I'm sure there are many valid reasons not to buy running shoes from outlet stores but to be honest, I just don't care, I needed new shoes and this was a way to get 'em.

On Sunday I went out for 6 miles of road running, something I haven't wanted to do in months. It was different, it was also good, I needed this option again, I needed to feel confident on pavement. Next month I have 2 marathons 2 weeks apart, both 100% pavement and I'm officially 'cramming' and I'm pretty excited about it too. I know being rejuvenated by buying shoes is nothing new but I'm glad that's still enough at this point in my running...

(I'll write more tomorrow... I know I just kinda rambled... sorry...)

MM #932

2008-05-13T09:03:00.000-07:00

There... now it's official...

I finally got around to paying my membership fee for the Marathon Maniacs. Silly as it may seem to some (my wife included), this is something I've been shooting for since figuring out who these fools were. Well now I'm one of those "fools" (oh, happy day), #932 to be precise.

2008-05-09T12:57:00.000-07:00

I did another hour through Schmitz park last night. I know it was only an hour but I marveled at how empty it was, I saw a total of one other person that entire time. By Seattle standards, it was a nice night, over cast with no rain in the low 50's, it boggles my mind why no one else was out and about in one of city's best parks, but, eh, what do I know?

No really... still here...

2008-05-07T13:17:00.000-07:00

This post may feel a little forced so just bear with me (had to look that one up sadly).

Tuesday night consisted of an hours worth of running through my old friend Schmitz Park, I managed to push a little harder and squeeze out an extra lap. I felt good through out the run though today my IT band is a wee bit sore, nothing a little stretching shouldn't take care of. I did note, however, how different my left and right legs seem to work especially on up hill portions of the trail. I've known for quite a while that I tend to push off more with my right than my left but now I'm starting to notice that I also seem to angle my right foot out further. Also, it seems that when going up hill I tend to land on the front ball of my foot whereas my right foot strikes mid foot. I really had to focus on my form to stop this from happening and when I did it all felt very unnatural. I am curious how all this might be effecting (causing?) my minor ITBS and more significant sciatic issues but, to be honest, I don't see my self continuously working on my form.

On a different note, I'm less than one month out from the Green River Marathon. I am excited, though there is a part of me that's not looking forward to returning to street running, at this point though, any long distance race is looking good (especially a free and friendly one).

As far as other future races go, (as previously mentioned)I've been taking a serious look at the Where's Waldo 100K ever since reading a message board that referred to it as a 'mini 100 mile' I know that sounds funny but in the post's context it made sense. I've been thinking for quite a while that I need to start working in a lot more long running with large elevation gain if I have any intentions of running a (relatively) local 100 miler next year. I've also been looking to do a 100K or 12 hour (really anything over or equal to 50 miles) ever since finishing Mt. Si, and it sounds like 'Waldo' is a beautiful course which makes it extra intriguing. The reality is that, once again, the race of my fancy will not come cheap, but there's a chance this could happen... of course I've read recently that the race is almost full so I'd better figure this out soon.

I'm still here...

2008-04-30T12:25:00.000-07:00

Alright, so after a good week (+) of silence I'm back. The last 2 weeks or so (essentially since Mt. Si) have been lazy days, I could say I was resting/healing up from the 50 miles but that's not really the case. The truth is, I've just been lazy. The combination of some minor soreness after Mt. Si, a clear 'racing' schedule, and no real 'in my face' running goals proved a big enough mental block for me to just not think (let alone, do) running for a bit, but now (I think) I'm ready to get back into gear.

On Monday I headed out for about an hour with the intentions of doing something different, it's been quite a while since I've trained anywhere other than Schmitz Park and though I still love that little loop, felt a change of scenery might help me re-focus. I headed through West Seattle until I reached the Longfellow Creek Legacy Trail (which I entered just south of the West Seattle golf course) and from there, did my best to follow it. The trail is not well marked and crosses over and through various residential streets, as a result, there were times I needed to slow down and figure out exactly where to go next. The trail itself sort of turned out to be a bust, though well maintained, it's nothing I'd go out of my way to run, the only real upside I found was that I was able to work some stairs in as well, there was one public stair case in particular that turned into a good mid run challenge. All in all though, I don't see my self heading back down there anytime soon.

On a different note, I'm still trying to find new and inventive ways to register for various races that catch my eye. Most recently, I've been contemplating the Where's Waldo 100K, I've been aware of this race for a while but only recently started thinking of it as a viable option. Of course, like all too many other races, this one requires plenty of sacrifice on the part of my wife (whether she accompanies me or not) mainly due to it's location and timing logistics, it's not 'til August so there's plenty of time to get my ducks in a row, but right now I can't see more than a 50/50 chance of me running this despite wanting to.

I intend on heading out for a run again this afternoon, though I don't know for how far/long or on what route. Also, this coming Monday is my wife & I's 5th anniversary so we're headed off to Cannon Beach, OR, I just did a little on line digging and there appears to be a great (old Lewis and Clark) trail through Ecola State Park... I wonder how early I'll have to get up on Sunday to go log some miles in there? ;-)

Mud & Bug; Good & Bad

2008-04-21T13:37:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, I drove to St. Edward State Park in Kenmore based on a recommendation from "50 Trail Runs In Washington." My initial plan was to hit the trails for about 2 hours with no real route in mind, just, sort of meander through the woods. Instead I ended up running the same loop a few times. I trails were slick and muddy, and, as a result, a lot of fun.

The first quarter of the loop I was running was mainly down hill and the sloppiest of the route, I was a little hesitant at times, trying to keep my balance while at the same time staying on the actual trail, but over all, I doubt anyone would refer to this as "technical."

The next leg was run along side Lake Washington and was quite pleasant. There were very few people on the trail, most likely due to western Washington's crazy weather as of late, and, as a result, it was no problem that I was kicking mud everywhere with each step I took. These first 2 portions of the run came very easily and were very enjoyable. Of course, after all that down hill I was bound to have to go back up.

The entire 3rd leg of the loop was uphill, and, in some spots, pretty steep to boot. Most of the uphill portion may have been runnable to some but for me it was hiking ground. I walked fast and ran the lengths I could, but, for the most part, I just sort of sludged up the hill. Never the less, I was still enjoying my self.

The remainder of the loop was fairly boring and uneventful, flat and relatively fast. I'd like to say that I went in circles like this for 2 hours but unfortunately I only ended up logging an hour on my feet.

During what turned out to be my final lap, as I was almost to the peak of the hill, a bee (I assume) hit my face like a thrown rock. Some how, as luck would have it, it managed to get it self stuck between the bill of my cap and the frame of my sun glasses. The bee buzzed a round for a brief moment attempting to get free and when I went to swat at it the little bastard stung me, this, of course, shouldn't have surprised me. The bee was free a millisecond later and I was stopped dead in my tracks trying to process what had just happened. Really, this was no big deal, I'm not allergic and the little bit of pain there was lasted only a brief time, but for some reason that was it for me. I'm not sure if it was because I stopped or that I just wasn't in the mood but the next time I saw the car in the parking lot that was that.

I still can't really pin point why I didn't continue and now I sort of feel as those I wasted an opportunity but 'oh well' I guess... there's always tomorrow...

Another shot from Mt. Si

2008-04-18T10:45:00.001-07:00

This photo was taken by my buddy Bob (on his cell phone, believe it or not) just as I was easing (?) into the 47 mile mark at Mt. Si, it's a pretty cool pic if you ask me... (thanks Bob!)

I've had an epiphany...

2008-04-16T14:43:00.000-07:00

...well, not really, "epiphany" is a pretty strong word, but I have decided not to enter Western States. This decision comes after a lot of thought on the matter, it's strictly based on my thoughts alone, there were no naysayers who influenced what may seem like a sudden change of heart.

Here's how I see it and why I'm making the decision that I am. First and foremost, if I were to get in, I wouldn't feel right about it, there are a lot of people out there who dream of running WS100, of those people, I think it's safe to say that the majority have been running ultras longer than I've been running (in any terms). Western States is an important race to a lot of people, by even entering I would make it more difficult for some one else to get in. The race will still be there next year and the year after that and so on, I'll have my chance, and hopefully, when my time comes, there'll be some 'rookie' thinking the same thing.

Beyond all that, I think it would be ashame to run WS100 and to then be possibly 'let down' by any 100s I would choose to follow it up with. It's no offense to the other 100 milers out there, I'm sure each is great in it's own way, but, at this point, I've built up Western States so much it could possibly diminish the others. Why have dessert first when there are so many delicious looking appetizers and main courses to be had?

And finally, there's bound to be some stress involved in the preparation for any 100 mile race, one easy way to reduce some of that stress is to allow maximum amount of prep time. If I know I don't have to sweat a lottery system that's just one less thing to think about.

I'm sure I have some more reasoning behind all this, but at this point I've been composing this post for 2 days so I've lost a little of my steam.... never-the-less, this does mean there's an unanswered question. Which 100 miler will I attempt to break myself in with? I'm fairly certain I know the answer (and it probably wouldn't be hard to guess) but I'll save that for another post.

Official Results Posted

2008-04-16T10:41:00.000-07:00

The official results from Mt Si have been posted, turns out I was lying, I didn't finish in 9 hours 22 minutes... it was 9 hours 21 minutes and 53 seconds... (yes, this post is essentially a joke)

Here are the full results... congrats to everyone!

A few thoughts...

2008-04-15T11:56:00.000-07:00

I wasn't going to post anything here for a few days figuring I'd have nothing to say but, it turns out, I do have a few things on my mind, so I'll just turn this into a full, yet completely disjointed, post.

I sent in my 'stats' to the 'confirmation comity' of Marathon Maniacs yesterday, I've been approved for membership but, due to fees, I'll wait a few weeks before I'm 'official.'

Recovery from Mt. Si is going well, my muscles are still sore but not dramatically so. There's only one spot that's sore that hasn't been before, right where my foot meets my shin, it's nothing bad, it's just... I don't know... new...

A few days prior to Mt. Si I posted that I was a bit worried about my left foot and right ankle, both were no cause for concern, by the start of the race on Sunday I had completely forgot that they had even hurt.

In the same post mentioned above I stated I was awaiting my new shoes; I was waiting on a pair of 10 1/2s and a pair of 11s to try on, on Friday the 11s came in and I decided to head to SRC and try 'em on. To my surprise they felt good, I had assumed they'd be too big but figured I'd give 'em a shot. I ended up wearing them for the entire 50 miles with no adverse effects. I did get a few blisters but I was pleasantly surprised by their location. Usually I end up with blisters on my arches, these are very irritating, on Sunday I had no arch blisters. The only blisters I had were on various spots on my toes and they were easily bearable. Needless to say, I've very happy with my new shoes!

I'd be lying if I said I had no reservations about running a 50 miler (my first none-the less) 2 weeks after having run a 50K, turns out this was of no consequence. In fact pretty stoked about it! One of the best 'results' of ultrarunning, for me, is the building of confidence in my running, I'm constantly learning something while out on there and that's a great feeling...

I'm already questioning my 'hiatus'... 'Mmmm.... what's going on in May (or for that matter, next weekend ;-) ?"

Mt Si 50 Mile (completed!)

2008-04-13T19:06:00.000-07:00

50 miles... yup...

Sunday started early as my wife, my mother-in-law, and I got ready to head out to Snoqualmie. The drive was relatively quick, so when we arrived I had about 20 minutes to double check that every thing was in order. A few minutes to 6:00am about 50 of us lined up at the start (a few others had taken a 5am early start time). The beginning was fairly uneventful, I felt as though I was going out too fast but had a hard time slowing down. I ran solo for the first 17 miles or so , all of which seemed to go by relatively fast.

Right around mile 17 I meet "Linda", her not-out-of-the-ordinary ultra runner friendliness began with a 'how ya feelin'?" She explained she was running in an army cap and camouflage shirt in honor of her brother who was graduating basic training that day, that obviously sparked a little more conversation (since I'm an army 'vet'). We continued to chat up to the 22 mile mark when we both went to use port-o-johns, my stomach wasn't feeling so hot though so my 'visit' lasted a little longer than hers (I'll spare you any details, but I will say I felt better when I left about 7 minutes latter). I caught up with her again as she had slowed to help out a friend who wasn't feeling so hot (sick to her stomach) the 3 of us ran together for another mile or so until her friend had to stop running and we went on with out her. Linda & I ran together until the aid station at mile 29 where my wife and mother-in-law were waiting for me, at that point I was ready for an extended sit down.

As I came in my wife grabbed my drop bag and I sat down and got to work on my left foot. I had one big irritating blister that I speared and wrapped, changed socks and shirt, and grabbed some food, none of this was done too quickly though, I was taking my time on purpose and it felt good. It was nice to see my wife waiting there for me, she was very helpful but also just comforting, she definitely gave my spirits a boost. In total I'd say I sent about 10 to 15 minutes at that aid station.

I headed back out on the trail feeling rejuvenated, unfortunately that didn't last too long. About half way up the Iron Horse trail the 2% grade started to get to me, not so much in my legs but in my head, it just seemed endless. But it did end, and when it did there was a mighty steep hill to get down, an aid station, and turn around, which of course meant a mighty steep hill to get back up. Once back up from the aid station it was a subtle down hill for a good long while, it felt great and I was in high spirits confident I would finish. Once the trail flattened out again I slowed down again but it didn't matter, I "cruised" into the 40 mile aid station, ate a few PB&Js, a Gu, and headed back out. At mile 47 (which seemed like it would never come) I was surprised to see my buddy Bob standing there cheering me on and though we spent about 5 seconds together, once again my spirits were boosted.

The final 3 miles lasted a long time but they were fairly happy miles, I knew I was on the final stretch and I managed to pass a few folks in the process. When I finally rounded the corner at 49.7 miles I could see the school, that 1/3rd of a mile flew by. I crossed the finish line with a time of 9:22, a bit slower than I had hoped, but not by much, and I'm not sweating it by any means, after all, I finished my first 50 miler less than 6 months after my first marathon!

At the finish line were, once again, my wife, mother-in-law, and buddy Bob, they congratulated me and made sure I had what I needed. I munched some food and stood around in a bit of a daze enjoying the company and scene. Linda found me and congratulated me as well which is cool since I had just meet her earlier that morning (the ultra community rocks!). After about 20 minutes or so, we started to prepare for the journey home. I changed clothes in the school while the back seat of the car was cleared for my arrival ;-) Once on the road I gobbled up some Mexican food my wife had purchased for me and promptly laid down for a short nap.

That's essentially where adventure ends, all in all it was a good day and a great experience. I owe a huge thank you to everyone who supported me out there including (especially) my wife, my mother-in-law, Bob, and Linda.... thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!

(just after the finish line with finishers medal in hand, still sort of jogging, I think my legs had forgotten any other motion ;-)

(the finishers medal)

(my approach of the finish line)

2008-04-11T11:22:00.000-07:00

50 miles...
40 hours from now I'll be at the starting line...
getting ready to run further than I've ever run in my life...
50 freakin' miles...
sweet...
can't wait...

(one more)

2008-04-11T09:42:00.000-07:00

Another decent pic from the Green Lake Dizzy Daze 50K/100K. This was taken right at the start (I'm toward the back, one of the few people looking up). Thanks to Jonathan Bernard, the race director, for sending this pic and a few others out.

Also, the final results have come in, I came in 8th out of 33 of us who ran the 50K. Congrats to Jake Lin and Van Phan, the mens and womens 50K winners, and to "TC" the winner of the 100K option (all 3 performances are very impressive).

All final Green Lake Dizzy Daze results can be viewed here.

finally

2008-04-07T15:23:00.000-07:00

I'm not complaining (mainly because there's no one to complain to) but it seems pretty rare that I find a picture of myself from races that I've run... we'll that's officially changed today. While reading Ultra King Authur's blog I came across this pic...

(click image to enlarge)

...that's me and Steve Barrick (race director of the Green River Marathon) running in the Green Lake Dizzy Daze 50K. Steve ran with me for a good 7 laps (maybe more?) of the race... cool huh?

Some one else's view...

2008-04-07T13:20:00.000-07:00

I found this post while doing a random google search for "Mt. Si 50 mile"... the post is informative and echoes the easy/hard descriptions I have heard. Most of all, the thing I can relate to is the comment,

"I can't think of anything I've done solidly for 9:20. Not one thing. I certainly haven't been on my feet that long without sitting down."

Other than sleep, I'm right there with this guy, I can not think of one thing that I have continuously done for that amount of time (hopefully, I'll be somewhere right around that). I'm really looking forward to getting to this run started.... just gotta make it through a week of work...

In other "news", I think my foot and ankle are alright, I haven't been out running since Wednesday, but they are not sore to the touch and haven't bothered me while walking either. I think I'm in the clear as far as that goes, I may sneak in some junk miles tonight just to be sure/more confident. Also, I'm expecting a call about "my" shoes tomorrow, so hopefully that works out as well...

sigh

2008-04-04T09:50:00.000-07:00

Well, I should be raving about how I bought new shoes last night but instead I'm awaiting a phone call to be told my size has been shipped to the store. This is my own fault, I have a common foot size & I'm buying a relatively popular shoe, I should have anticipated this. Never the lass, I'm disappointed.

To add insult to injury, or rather, injury to disappointment, I have a nagging pain on the top of my left foot and soreness through my right ankle, I first noticed both of them during a short run on Wednesday. There's a part of me that says 'go get 'em checked out' as they are not similar to other aches and pains I have felt, and, to be more specific, they do not feel like muscular injuries. I have no history of bone injuries, I've never broken a bone, I've never had shin splints, nothing (knock on wood), so I don't even know if I could identify something like a stress fracture, but, of course, I can't help but think of the worse case scenario. The other part of me says 'rest up now, go run 50 miles 8 days from now, and see how you feel after that.' I know that's not the best idea, but I also know that's exactly what I'm going to do.

I really hope a few days from now all is well and another pain goes unidentified & untreated and I'm no worse for it but I guess I'll just have to wait and see. Either way, I intend to be finishing the 50 mile course on the 13th, I intend on being happy about it, and I intend to hurt... I can't wait...

"Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional."

A.R.T. / Pain Free Solutions

2008-04-03T11:30:00.000-07:00

(...it occurred to me last night that I should have posted this a while ago...)

I've been bothered by sciatica issues for a while now (since at least May of last year). On the old '1 to 10' pain scale I've probably topped out at an 8 on occasion. It never really interfered with my running, but it has made relaxing a pain in the ass (literally). I've been searching for a 'magic bullet' since the first signs of pain.

This first lead me to my doctor who directed me to a Group Health Physical Therapist. I should say, first off, that I'm a fan of Group Health, I don't buy into the bad mouthing and over all, I've had a positive experience while being under their coverage, having said that, my visit to the PT was worthless. I believe, for the most part, what I'm told by medical authorities, and I'm not big into self diagnosis (I feel bad for doctors who have to deal with hypochondriacs who have the internet), but the advice and care that I was given by this PT was absurd. My 'treatment' was being handed a small stack of photocopies of various stretches I should do, when I stated that I was currently doing the majority of these stretches it was suggested that I had done them wrong (*sigh*), I was also told that 'it was probably just a pulled muscle anyway.' I left angry and still sore, thinking the very least the PT could have done was then showed me how to properly do the stretches I was supposedly doing incorrectly (which I don't believe).

Next I tried acupuncture. I had about 10 sessions, give or take, and though I enjoyed the treatment for it's relaxing purposes, I didn't feel it was helping the sciatica specifically. To be clear, I'd still recommend both acupuncture and my specific acupuncturist, Dan Dingle, I even plan on setting up more visits in the future, just not for sciatica reasons. The real benefit of these visit was the recommendation to seek out deep tissue massage.

While digging around on the Group Health web page, and looking at what my coverage included I came across Pain Free Solutions who offer a type of massage call A.R.T. (or Active Release Technique). I dug around a bit online a came across this article by Seattle's own KING 5, I figured it was worth a shot. I got my recommendation from my doctor (surprising easily), made an appointment, and have been going ever since. Though the issues are not completely gone, I made vast improvements over the course of the last 3 months, at it's worse, I'm at no more than a 4 on the pain scale, and that's very rare. I went from daily pain to rare tweaks and have been able to address a few other issues I probably would not have other wise. So, let it be known, I recomend A.R.T. to anyone anywhere ever (for anything)!

(and specifically Pain Free Solutions if you're in the Seattle area)

Bloggy Birthday

2008-04-03T09:36:00.000-07:00

This blog is one year old today, this is the 117th post.

It's served me well up to this point, I've since stopping keeping a training log because any real information I need can be found here. I don't need to know my exact mileage from week to week but if I do have a particularly good or bad run, chances are, it's listed somewhere within these confines.

As a birthday gift, I'm gonna give this blog a remodel later today.... just 'cause...

Dizzy Daze

2008-03-31T10:13:00.000-07:00

(For one reason or another I don't feel like trying to write but I do want to give a few details from Saturday, so please excuse the lazy 'just the facts ma'am' post.)

In regards to the Green Lake Dizzy Daze 50K this past Saturday...

The weather held, it was good running weather.
The course was longer than 50K (I think I heard 52.5K)
My finishing time was 5:13 and change.
It was boring running in loops, but not as boring as I thought it might be.
I saw 5 pugs, 4 black and 1 fawn. I also saw one puggle.
I ran the first 7 or 8 laps with the RD from the Green River Marathon.
I didn't use my 'lap counter thing' I blogged about.
I had 'crowd support' from a good friend who first drove buy and honked then later waited in a parking lot for me to pass... that was pretty cool... and unexpected...
The aid station was well stocked.
I had a good time.

...next up is the Mt. Si 50 Miler on 4/13/08... I'm feeling ready... I think...

My silly idea...

2008-03-28T13:32:00.000-07:00

(As you may have read) I do laps around Schmitz, these laps are less than a mile, I tend to lose count somewhere around 4 laps. I know that's ridiculous but it's the truth, thus, I've come up with this for tomorrow... for each loop I'll remove a paper clip, when there's no more, 50K!

(actual size)

2008-03-28T08:54:00.000-07:00

By this time tomorrow I hope to have run about 14 miles... (yep, that's pretty slow... yep, I'm okay with that...) I can't wait!

Short list (ordered/revised)

2008-03-26T09:42:00.000-07:00

If (if, if, if) I'm unable to get into Western States 100, this is the order of priority in regards to other 100's...

Cascade Crest: due to it being so close to Seattle (70 min. drive) and it's relatively late start time (10am) I could easily sleep in my own bed the surrounding dates. So no plane ticket, no hotel fees, & the beauty of the Cascades means this race is on the top of my list. Truth be told, if Western States wasn't being held on my birthday I'd probably not even try the lottery and just be sure to get signed up for this race instead...
The Bear: again, proximity plays a part here, and no, Preston, ID isn't exactly close, but a 12 hour drive is cheaper than a flight, plus this would appear to be a very friendly event...
Superior Sawtooth: Despite the fact that I'll be going to the North Shore this summer to run Grandma's, I'd be lying if I said there wasn't something about returning to MN that appeals to me, plus, I know that area, Goose Berry Falls, Split Rock, Lutsen, are all gorgeous places...
Tahoe: I just don't know enough about this race to put it any higher...
H.U.R.T.: That's one expensive trip and that course sounds rough...
Leadville: Again, that course just sounds killer, I mean, I know 100 miles will be hard no matter what but add those climbs and elevation... scary stuff man... someday though...

2008-03-25T12:07:00.000-07:00

After reading this blog posting from iRunFar it's finally dawned on me just how difficult it is to get into Western States. (I mean, I knew already, but...) Last year first time entrants had a 16% chance of getting into this years race and this years lottery will undoubtedly be even more cluttered with hopefuls (including myself, if all goes as planned). This 'realization' means 2 things for me, one, I'll need any help I can get in order to run WS100 on my 28th birthday, two, I have to consider that I won't get in and thus, need to consider what other 100 milers I'd be interested in running instead.

There is one way to increase my chances of getting into WS100, and that's the raffle. Raffle tickets are sold at $5 each (or $4 each for 10 or more) with 2 contestants being selected to win an automatic entry to the 2009 event. The raffle just happens to take place this year on June 27th (my birthday) and tickets must be purchased by June 24th. So how many raffle tickets am I going to buy? Glad you asked, as of right now, none, however that could change if I happen to stubble into some money in the near future... (this is really shameless) you might have noticed a new feature on the right of the screen with a handy dandy button the reads "donate," if any money happens to find it's way into that paypal account it'll be used by me to purchase WS100 raffle tickets.

As for choosing a different 100 miler if I should not be accepted, well, that's tough. Based on Stan Jensen's Run 100s page, there are 49 100 milers in north america, of those 49, a few are already out, for instance to run the Plain 100 you must have already completed a 100 mile trail run (no dice for me) and the Hardrock Hundred is a "post-graduate" run (ie: strict entry requirments). So what options do I have, well here's my short list...

Cascade Crest 100 Pros - close to home, course sounds great /// Cons - limited to first 100
Superior Sawtooth Pros - can double as a visit to my parents, beautiful area /// Cons - I've been there before, expensive plane ticket
The Bear 100 Pros - (sorta) close(r) to home, again, the course sounds nice /// Cons - only 'sorta' close
Leadville 100 Pros - could see CO and the rockies, course (beautiful) /// Cons - course (difficult), plane ticket
Tahoe Rim Trail 100 Pros - looks amazing /// Cons - plane ticket
H.U.R.T. 100 Pros - Hawaii (I've never been), my wife could visit her cousin /// Cons - expensive tickets and stay

Beyond all that, tonight's an hour run but not like all the rest, tonight my buddy/nemesis/co-captain of Team Neato, Jason will be joining me in my hour of loopiness, so that should be fun. Plus, it's raining, so hopefully we'll get some good mud and get good and filthy!

(And just in case you forgot... LESS THAN 4 DAYS 'TIL GREEN LAKE!!!)

2008-03-24T12:51:00.000-07:00

When I came home from work on Friday I felt spent, my mood was a wee bit foul and I didn't feel like doing anything. I knew I needed to be at my friends place by 6:30pm that night and just sort of planned on doing nothing until then, my wife encouraged otherwise suggesting I 'sneak' a run in while I had the chance. I took her up on it and headed out the door for an hour jaunt around Schmitz. Man, talk about renewed and re-energized! About 15 minutes into my run I felt like I could go for hours, the day dripped off of me and quickly became a distant memory. I went from being irritable to enthused just like that...

...yeah, I think I'll be running tonight...

2008-03-20T09:32:00.000-07:00

I tried to squeeze in my 'long' run last night but it didn't end up being so long, but it was alright. My intentions were to head over to Schmitz and just do loops for a coupe of hours, so I headed up the hill, down a few blocks and into the park. The trails were even muddier than usual which was all well and fine... for a little while... because of my late start, I brought along my head lamp do deal with the dark trail, but the wee head lamp could only provide so much light. I could see the trail below my feet but not too much more, had the trail been solid, it wouldn't have much mattered, but, as it was, portions were like running on a slip-n-slide. After an hour and 15 minutes of survival running (which was a lot of fun, don't get me wrong) I decided the chance of me injuring my self in one way or another significantly grew with each lap so I headed out of the park and up to the local middle school to circle the track for a while. It should be noted that I can't stand running around a track for any extended amount of time, it drives me crazy. At about an hour and 35 minutes I decided to pack it in and head home, I had a hot spot forming on my right arch, the rain and wind had picked up, and really, I just was no longer enjoying my self. I can't image an extra 20 minutes (to make it 2 hours even) would have been that valuable... it just wouldn't have served that much of a purpose...
Having said all that, I really did enjoy my trail time, I felt strong from start to finish and would have gladly stuck out there had conditions permitted, oh well... I won't have a chance to run tonight or tomorrow but perhaps I sneak in some miles come Saturday... hopefully...

Running birthday (or, How I learned to stop worrying and love running)

2008-03-19T14:39:00.000-07:00

...oh yeah, holy crap, how could I (almost) forget... yesterday 3/18, was sorta like my running birthday... sort of...

Prior to joining the Army in June of 2000, I didn't run, not for fun, not for sport, not for anything, if you saw me running it was because I was late to something. When I got to basic training I had no choice but to run. Initially I had no love for it and was quick to quit. My first organized race was while I was at basic training, Ft. Benning was having some sort of base wide 5K and we were allowed to run it if we wanted, I didn't really wanna run but I didn't really want to clean my riffle either, so I said 'screw it, how bad could it be' plus I'd get a free t-shirt. That 5K was horrible, I remember walking during portions of it, it seemed stupid to me that people were enjoying them selves.
The Army's Physical Training test includes a 2 mile run, this PT test is preformed 5 times while in basic training (if I remember correctly). My second PT test is where I made a mistake that thrust me into the group known as 'the fast runners.' The route for the 2 mile run was 4 laps, I began walking shortly after starting my 3rd lap, after being passed by many a soldier, I picked up a jog again, when I got to the point where I should begin my 4th lap, I claimed to be done, everyone bought it, and I got to claim a sub 14 minute 2 mile. This was all well and fine until they broke us into running groups based on our past PT test performance, from that point on, I ran with the fast guys. Some how I made it out of basic training and got sent to Ft. Lewis, WA as did my previous PT test scores, the Army, as it turned out, would also view me as a fast runner, amazingly, I didn't have a hard time living up to this.
Fast forward 3 and a half years to June of '04, and there I am, leaving the Army once and for all. Fast forward again to sometime in Feb. '06 and see a Nic who hasn't done any real sort of physical activity since getting out. That Nic is out getting Bacon Cheese Burgers (of all things) one night when he comes across a brochure for The Big Climb. I ran a few times prior to the Big Climb, that was what I called training, and enjoyed the event for the most part. A few months later (6/06), at the request of a co-worker, I ran the Seattle Race for the Cure 5K and ended up placing in the top 5 of my age group. Based on my old running log, I continued running from June into August, during that time I ran over 2 miles a total of 10 times, then, at the end of August I just stopped running. I started again about a month prior to the '07 Big Climb. Somehow, during that month, I came up with a stupid plan, I was going to run the Seattle Marathon in November.
With a little bit of web research, I found a training plan that synced up almost perfectly, from the day of the Big Climb (3/18/07) through mid-July I would build up my milage, and from then until the marathon I would "train." Over the course of those 9 months is when I feel like I became a runner. I trained with a purpose, I had a certain amount of consistency, and, more than anything, I was enjoying myself.

So happy running birthday to me! Here's to many more stupid decisions that keep breaking in my favor!

(I am more than well aware that my writing, particularly on this post, is an abomination... deal with it...)

obsessing

2008-03-19T09:57:00.000-07:00

...run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run... that's all I wanna do... right now... that's it... I just wanna go run...

10 days from now I get to go run in circles around Green Lake, initially I sort of feared this, the idea of running in circles for hours on end that is, but as the race approaches, I'm actually getting pretty excited for it. I think running this route as an ultra will give it new context in my mind. I'm curious whether the fact that the route is flat will result in a faster time than my Yours Truly results, or the fact that it's a loop will result in a slower time... we'll see...

I'd really like to get in one more long run prior to the 29th but that window of opportunity is closing quickly. I feel like if I don't get in a long run either tonight it won't happen at all as any time after that would probably be detrimental. Either way, I have to keep reminding my self that I'll need to treat GLDD as a training run for Mt. Si and my real objective of finishing that in under 11 hours...

...just typing "11 hours," in relation to running, gets me revved up, perhaps 50miles will teach me that should not be my gut reaction, but until then, I feel like I was made for this.

2008-03-17T12:41:00.000-07:00

...so I've been a wee bit sick this past week or so, nothing bad, just an irritating sore throat, when Saturday rolled around I decided to do something about it, I ran. I ran the same route I've been running in Schmitz Park, except I did it counter clock wise (a first). I ran around that loop for an hour and ten minutes, and it felt great. The trail was slippery and muddy, I was a mess when I finished but I loved every minute of it, I would have gone for another hour if real life had not been calling.

Sunday I did the Big Climb as planned. I was pleased that it seemed significantly easier than in years past, I know why it felt easier, (ie: I'm in better shape) but still, I was surprised. I also finished quite positive that I had beat my time from last year, I didn't find out until this morning though that I had crushed my time from last year. I finished in 11:04.30 (last years time was 12:23).

Tonight is an off night and tomorrow is back to the trail...

2008-03-14T13:36:00.000-07:00

I figure I had better post something prior to the week end, so here goes... Tuesday and Wednesday were both spent logging miles in Schmitz Park as has been the case the last couple weeks. Both runs were fairly unremarkable but for the sake of the blog I'll tell you that on Tuesday I saw a pony while running and on Wednesday my right foot was hurting at the start of my run (more on that next week). Thursday I took an off day both for my foot and because I was extra tired. I may run tonight, but I'm not sure, it'll depend, I'm not sure if I have plans or not yet tonight. Sunday is the Big Climb, I know I will not run on Saturday, but I may still get in a long run on Sunday (later in the evening), or perhaps Monday, again, that's all up in the air. All I really know is I've been tired recently, my legs are a little beat up, and I have a 50K at the end of this month which I wish were sooner... I'll type at you come Monday...

2008-03-11T13:40:00.000-07:00

It's back... already... that want (need?) to run for hours on end...

2008-03-10T09:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a super stair day, I started out of the house at about 8:30am and ran to Lincoln Park, once there I spent the next hour and fifteen minutes (give or take) circling through the trails really seeing the park and discovering quite a few off shoots I didn't know were there. It wouldn't have been difficult to avoid elevation gain and loss, but then, why was I there? I ended up climbing the stairs at the north end of of the park 4 times along with a few hills and plenty of rolling miles, all in all, I figure I logged 9 miles or so. When 10am rolled around I headed to the parking lot where I was meet by my wife and 2 friends. We split into 2 groups, my wife and my buddies wife headed off to walk the trails of Lincoln, while my buddy and I headed to the public stair case at 46th Ave. SW and Thistle St. At the stairs we meet up with another friend and proceeded to climb up and down for a little less than an hour, I got in the full set 5 times. Essentially, I was on my feet, in perpetual motion for 2 and a half hours, there were pauses at the top and bottom of the stairs while waiting for everyone to either catch up or "recover", but I think I was able to keep my heart beat elevated during those times. I wouldn't quite say that this adequately took place of a long run but I know stairs are a great way to increase endurance, strengthen legs for hills, and deal with elevation change, so I guess I'll take it...