Monday 103111

Got the link to this article from Ward (regarding altitude).

KJ talks about how much he eats and drinks during an ultra.  13L of H20 at WS100, but only 5 at UTMB.

Roes hints he may be done at Western.

Want to improve?  Run with a bow.  That terrain is pretty bad ass.

10 miles.  I felt good – best I have since the 100.  I upped this to steady over the run, effectively turning it into an out and back run with the back as a tempo effort.  Nothing real zippy but faster than I have in a bit.  Gorgeous day but the winds picked up on the way back.

Uh oh

I have lamented about Pikes and Leadville being the same weekend (most times).  Maybe I was not lamenting really as much as I was thankful – as it gave me an excuse.

But now … there may be no excuse.  Coming in 2012 - Get a taste of the dirt and grit that makes up the Leadville Trail 100 Run. The team who compiles the most miles in a 12- or 24-hour period wins their division and invaluable bragging rights. Solo racers can also get a chance to race for the coveted Silver or Gold Leadville belt buckle. Giddyup.   September 1-2.

Sunday 103011

AM – 11 miles easy.  A bit more miles than I expected on the week, coming in at 53.  277 on the month and 3019 on the year. 

Think my next competition will be to participate in Movember.

Centaurus coach McCandless talks about the come from behind win Centaurus pulled off yesterday.

Saturday 102911

AM –  With enough snow on the various fields that soccer for the kiddoze was cancelled, I considered the Basic for a moment.  I got back pretty late last night however, there was plenty of catch up with the family to do, and I am not quite up for getting in the mix of snow and climbing on the hills west of Boulder.  8 miles locally, but I feel things are getting to a point where I can begin to go after it if I want.    And I am starting to feel some want.

CU XC takes Pac 12 title, and Centaurus took the 4A XC title over Broomfield.  Interesting how the fastest average team and sum team does not always get the higher placing (as a team).

Kids had a piano recital today.  It was a Halloween based one, so they were in costume.  Here is JZ as a zombie ninja (I am still not sure how that works) getting ready to hit the keys.

 

After the recital, the elementary school was having a fund raiser carnival – also in the Halloween spirit.  They had a cake walk, and in addition to giving cakes to the winning numbers, they were awarding them to the best dancer during the walk.  I ain’t got a groove but I can outwiggle the elementary school kids.  And best of all – instead of winning a cake, I chose the apple pie.  9 times out of 10, pie wins over cake.

 

Was thinking on my run today, how – at least for me – success is a factor that leads to failure and failure is a factor that leads to success.  Not a new lesson but one I need to continue learn over and over again.  See – I was the kid that was told, “ah you are so smart.”  So I believed it.  Then guess what?  When crap got hard and my “smarts” didn’t get me through that (because smarts are different than hard work), I fell apart.  Suddenly I was not so smart.

In this regard, I am sort of glad that the 100 a few weeks didn’t go well.  Crap, had I won it and run it in 16 hours and felt great I’d have my head so far up me arse that I’d probably forget how to walk.  Screwing up sets me straight and gives me a better perspective on what is real versus straight up success.  So it sets me up for success later.

I often misuse successes, even small ones, as an excuse to allow poor behavior.  “Ah, sure, I can eat that.  I ran 10 miles today.”  “Sure, I don’t need to do strength work, I just ran a 100 miles, I obviously am strong enough.”  Reality is I deserve nothing and I need to earn everything.  When I forget that, and I think I am deserved of something, then I earn what I deserve – nothing.   And actually – this has very little to do with running.

Or something like that.  It was certainly clearer on the run today.

Friday 102811

AM - 7 miles easy.  As a side note, this run put me at 3k for the year.

Holy crow this example of how to wire your garage door is excellent.

KJ:

Thursday 102711

AM – got out with Ken and Darren this AM in Reno.  I had never met these guys but that is the blogosphere.  I mentioned the other day I was heading here and they got in touch with me, shifted their schedules to jog with me – and did it on a silly loop around a lake (1 mile) near my hotel.  Thanks for hosting guys!

The runners I meet – awesome people.  I know that comes across as a bit “hooray for runners” but it is true.  Seriously – I know it would freak some folks out to say they were going to meet two folks they have never met in person but had exchanged two emails with -- in the dark by a lake in Reno.  Not a problem with endurance runners.

Good guys, out there enjoying the outdoors, trying to improve, be good friends, dads and husbands, and have a good time.  It really does not vary a whole heck of a lot from the elite dudes to the folks just starting the sport.  I love it.  Was very stoked and rejuvenated in my heart this morning to share a few strides with these guys.

Poorly taken self portrait with these guys.  I look like I might still be running from that stunt I did a few weeks ago.

 

It was a little chilly but I ought to not gripe about that since it was about twice as many degrees here as it was in Broomstock this AM.  8 miles.

I feel generally recovered by my psoas on the right side is a bit sore.  At least I think it is my psoas based on the in depth 3 minute google godess prayer I did this AM.  I am not sure what I am going to do about that yet – for the short term.  I do know longer term this is a big imbalance I have and something I most definitely need to correct.  I might just need to be lazy for a while but I’d rather not.

Got this from Footfeathers – worth sharing (related to my possible Ignite session)

I am not voting in the Boulder elections because I don’t live there.   But for those of you who do, please consider voting and consider this (plucked from the Boulder Trail Runner list serve):   Lisa Morzel (who is running for re-election) said at a March City Council meeting:
“I would go for yellow tags for bike users, maybe even blue tags for runners, pink tags for walkers... I don’t think dog users should be the only ones that are paying into the system.”  Do you want to be required to wear a "blue tag"??  This is for real - this really happens behind-the-scenes - we need to vote; electing City Council is the only thing that works.  At the Tuesday Meeting when Council rejected mountain bike access to Anemone Hill, the Daily Camera reported, "Councilman Matt Appelbaum went a step further and said he doesn't want any human access to the property."  "Any human access" to public land???  He used to be our Mayor. You really need to vote.

Sheesh.

Expect to read into this one a bit more tonight.

Evening: trashed the upper body in the gym, again fairly quickly (it does not take much).  Worked on the pigeon pose as recommended in today’s comments.  I might be old and gray enough now that I can go try this yoga thing.

Voting is open

Brandon informed me that voting for Ignite 17 is open and my spark submission is up there.  Vote for me if you want 400 people to make fun of me as I stutter on stage. 

Wednesday 102611

I don't want to seem arrogant, but I will say that Dave Mackey's record is slow and he is a B-grade trail runner at best.  Fun stuff.  Guy turns 21 soon and that fact sort of surprises me a bit.  I guess I knew that he was that young but … well, he seems older and like he has been around a while already.  Hard to think that Mackey has been breathing twice as long as that guy.

At the Boulder 100 there was a HS kid attempting the 100.  He got 78 miles before pulling out.  It just looked outright abusive to a part of me (then again, I was busy abusing myself).I recognized I was fine with “young” guys like Bonnet or Dakota or Kilian or even Tony (who ain’t that young anymore) doing ultras, but it was different to see a 16 year old kid doing one. Something seemed a bit wrong about it in my gut, but my brain recognized that was not consistent thinking on my part.  I guess I get it that some guys chase that stuff at that age, and heck … it is a noble pursuit.  More power to ‘em.  But I guess I am also glad that I was not doing that at that point and instead was chasing 2 mile times and other forms of trouble.

Lokken, who I saw win the Club Nats a couple years ago (well, sort of … I was well behind him), runs a sub 2:25.  He is 46.

A friend asked if I am doing that 100 miler that is here in Colorado in August.  I have certainly thought about Leadville since last weekend.  But, frankly I am not sure I am willing to put in the training to support a good run there.  I think to do that well it takes big mileage days, vertical, weight work - and for the master athlete appropriate recovery.  It sounds simple, but it ain't easy.  I am not sure I could effectively juggle that and the other choices I have made in my life.  Folks think I am a mileage hound but I really am not.  I get an average of 10 a day but I am fairly efficient in banking that.  A six on Monday and 14 on Tuesday, or two runs in a day to get 10.  That covers my bases for a lot of things but that does not set up for a hundred ... or at least well.  I am still fairly committed to myself that if I do another 100, I will do the training ... or at least closer to the training to support it.

It snowed here today.  Crazy given it was 80 on Monday.  My runs near home often look like this when it snows.  Kind of hard to tell the sky from the ground.  It is okay though because my tauntaun knows the difference.

Mid day – 3 miles in the snow in CO before heading to the airport.  Very slow in the slushy stuff.
Evening – Reno, treadmill, 4 miles.

Tuesday 102511

I am finding it hard to believe it is going to snow tonight.  If I were around in the pre-weather prediction days, I’d be thinking tomorrow would be just like today.  Nice, clear, cool.  Autumn.  Not a clue that winter is coming tonight.  Supposedly.  Wait … is that a cloud?
6 miles.  I am surprised as how quickly I am bouncing back.  But at the same time, I want to just take a bit of time to chill and assure good recovery.  There is still a little quirk in the right leg between the quad and the torso but it is getting better every day.  Without thinking about it, the pace has slipped from 10 minutes a mile to 9 to 8 and a half to 8 today.  I ain’t going to be looking to start anything serious for a bit in terms of pace or mileage just yet though.  I see folks beginning to outline 2012 plans, and I was asked about mine as well.  I am no where near that.  My only goal right now is to get recovered and back into the swing of things – which will include figuring out what is next.

Photo credit – Aaron K., I call this “Good looking hats and hair.”  Four bloggers in this pic and a neighbor of mine.
I enjoyed Lucho’s latest podcast, and would have even if there were not direct questions I posed that were about me.  I think the challenge of this podcast is going to be achieving the balance between general advice against specific guidance.   Tim is getting specific questions from specific people but is sort of being asked to answer these in a general frame.  Running is simple and general but it gets complicated with all the different distances, shoe types, fueling, compression gear, altitude, hills, speed versus miles, poles, recovery, hydration, mental tactics, cross training, barefoot, ipod, GPS, HR, perceived exertion things.  To name a few.  In any case, I am stoked to see him taking this up. 
JZ took up trumpet this year (in addition to his regular piano) through the elementary school program.  He started a few weeks ago – literally, they started just at the end of September. He decided tonight to play some stuff he was interested in rather than the music prescribed. 

He saw this video since then and has notified me that he is “better than that.”

Monday 102411

Mid day:  crazy gorgeous out.  6 miles.  Seriously – was 80 plus degrees out there.  Apparently we get six inches of snow tomorrow.  Eh.  Off to Reno later this week so I will miss a good chunk of the cold.

The vertical hounds will love this (and I think Brett will too).  Got it from JV.

I can tell from this 60 second video why Kilian beat Marco.

Did about 25 minutes in the office gym in the afternoon – all upper body stuff and abs (absolutely no legs).  I am pretty weak up there right now so this is about all I can get before being fairly thrashed. 

Checking out Lucho’s latest podcast.

Sunday 102311

One of the things I have been mulling over is how casual I was in approaching that hundred last week.  There were perhaps a few benefits to such a lead up, but on whole it was rather stupid of me.

This ignorance theme is not a new one:  recognize the magnitude of what is being attempted but then dismiss it because the warnings are for those “other folk.”  Don’t hike from the rim to the river and back in a day.  I see that others that have done the Rim to Rim to Rim and there is little question in my mind as to whether I can do it.  Justin hit on a similar thought regarding a Gore Canyon rafting trip.  The rules are for those in society that need taking care of, not me.

100s ain’t easy,but when you hang in the circles I do, you can tend to be led into a false belief that they are.  Guys not only do them, but they do them well.  And they often do many of them.  And ho-hum they are back off the couch in a couple of days planning their next one.  Truth is if you are gonna do one: “You (I) can't hop into a 100 miler without some deep urge or desire to do it and finish.”

Arguably I was somewhat safe in my hundred stunt (a term I plucked from Lucho) because I could bail whenever, and I had a lot of people taking care of me.  And while I was not well prepared for it, I did have some 25 plus years of running to lean on.  And then another 15 years of walking experience on top of that. 

I sort of knew the whole thing would be hard, but I also had to quickly admit how “woefully underprepared” I was.  Realizing that, part of me elected to take my medicine as a lesson.  Which brings me around to this:  I am not sure if I will do another 100 or not.  I can see the allure and I am sure I could perform one better.  If I do another one, I am not going to do it like Boulder that again.  It will come with smarter preparation to assure better execution.

I have also mulled over what happened in the second half and have concluded there are at least four possible things that contributed to my melt down.
1.)  I went out too fast in the first half.
2.)  I did not fuel effectively in the first half and paid for that in the second half. 
3.)  I mentally caved.
4.)  I muscularly was shot from the waist down.

The reality is that it is probably a combination of all four of these things that lent to a second half in excess of 13 hours.  But, if I believe the largest factor is number 4.  I think that even if I had gone out at 12 minutes a mile for the first half, my lack of preparation with any sort of longer running would have come back to bite me in that second half.  I look forward to discuss that with fellow runners in miles to come.

This week was about recovery and I generally accomplished that.  I thought I would feel compelled to run at all, but the spirit moved me to – more from a head perspective than a leg perspective.  I am amazed actually at how quickly things have come back.  Sunday, post the race nap I was nearly unable to walk.  I feel pretty dang normal a week later.  That said, my gut is telling me I need to ease up on the beer consumption (quite the bender this week).

Today, was an easy dog jog, 5 miles.  I even saw the watch tick under 8 minutes a mile on occasion without any effort

A friend of mine hit this party vehicle last week:

Saturday 102211

Mid day:  4 miles, no watch.  Right thigh is still a little worked but no biggie.  I am not running for anything other than just a few free mental minutes.

Most of the day was spent kicking back watching kiddoze soccer.  Very enjoyable.

Stoked to see my last lap 100 mile dula doing well at Masters XC Nats.  Also, Justin M PR’d in the 5k and I expect to see him go sub 16 soon.

Listened up to the Chrissie W podcast today and read her blog post.  The sensation when my pee trickled down my leg into my wounds resulted in more than a few swear words.  Quite a story.

Friday 102111

A friend-coworker of mine just started running recently and is engaging in a “Couch to 5k” program.  He has been a pretty avid biker for 20 something years, bit is engaging in running to mix it up a bit.

He asked me “if you could give one piece of an advice to me, from a seasoned runner to a novice runner, what would that be?” 

My reply was, “be patient and let it come to you.  It will come be patient.”

He rolled his eyes and said, “okay, whatever.  That is great.  I know that.  What would be the next piece of advice be then?”

I told him he had to wait for that.  :)

Then after the chuckle I told him this:  “Be consistent.  There will be days where it sucks.  There will be days where it is great.  But keep at it consistently and it will come.  And the best way to be consistent with it is to do it in a way you enjoy.  If you hate running in the morning, don’t do that.  If you love running trails over roads, do that.  Find a way to love it so that you look forward to doing it.  That will drive consistency and that will in turn drive results.”

Karl is mulling over a 100 race he’d host with some good cake.

Yeah, I did throw my name into the hat for Ignite via a Spark submission.  Here is an example of what that is all about.

Jerry posted his Boulder 100 report.

Legs generally feel fine, but I can feel a little bit of crankiness in the hip connective tissue – in the front where the torso meets the thigh.  It is a bit more an issue on the right side than the left (reflecting the interesting feelings of imbalances I felt in that run – probably most reflective of my lawn mower foot).

Thursday 102011

ummm … holy crap.

Since waking up on Monday AM, it is as if part of my brain has been in a haze and hyperdrive at the same time.  It probably didn’t help that I woke up on Monday slightly hungover on top of having done that ridiculous stunt (I like that term, “stunt” – got it from Lucho’s recent podcast) the day before.  It is not like questions and thoughts about it all were bubbling up, they were geysering up like an unmanned firehose… chaotic, unordered … splattering every where.

So this falls into the arena of Zack Attacks.  Meaningless posts of blah blah blah.  I guess I think that maybe someday I will read these someday and laugh and think, “ah silly man.  It was so easy.  Why couldn’t you just see this and that?”  But if history thus far in this vessel has taught me anything … probably not. So, not really recommended reading.  Then again, people have asked me about the 100 this week a couple of times and I have typically slipped in there, “yeah, not recommended.”

Small sample …

Crap.  I am never doing that again.  That shit hurt a lot.  And frankly counting on all those people to take care of you all night was plain ridiculously selfish.  And come on, your wife was taking care of you like you were just hit by a car.

I want to eat something.  Like corn chowder … with a lot of corn chips crushed on top.  Mmmm.  This is good.  I can eat whatever the hell I want and nobody can tell me otherwise.  Booyah!

Did I go out too fast?  I mean, I only started at 8:30 pace and that was super easy comfortable.  But I slowed to 20 minute a mile pace, particularly past mile 70.  Or was I going to slow down to 20 minute a mile pace anyway … I mean, I went out at 8:30 per mile pace … would I have slowed down as much had I gone out at 10 minute a mile pace?

I want to drink something.  Hey, there is still that keg in the garage.  Yeah, let’s have some of that.  It is so awesome that you had those guys out there.  You really should do something to thank them, and recognize how much there being there meant to you.  Get them a set of cuff links of something.

Cuff links? ! What the **** are you talking about? It is as if my brain was turned off for 2 days there.  I was present in the moment, but I sort of had no idea what I was doing.  I mean – I was out there when the sun was up, when it went down, and then as it was coming up again.  I watched Orion traverse the sky all night.  I knew I was cooked at 40 miles but I gave it little to no thought that I was going to have to run another 40.  And then another 20 on top of that.  How the hell did I do that?

You didn’t think about it.  You can’t think about it.  I mean, you did the math but you did not think about the insanity of what was going on or what was left while were you in it.  But you sort of did.  But you sort of didn’t.  If that makes any sense.  Leadville?

Leadville is the same weekend as Pikes.  I have a free entry to Pikes and I think I can do some crazy shit there as a master.  And Leadville costs like 400 bucks or something.  And it would be a major pain in the *** to get a croo, pacer, etc.  There are like 800 people there.  And if this kicked you in the patooey, that thing really would. 

What if I trained for it?  And what if not Leadville … what if I did this next year?  I bet I could get this right … under 20 for sure.  Under 18 even.

Please tell me you are just kidding yourself and considering this because people told you that you would.  Do you recall how much you melted down from miles 70 on?  And why in the name of all that is holy would you go back to that course?

…. Did I really dream about Dakota Jones last night and that he was a rapper that my 13 year old daughter thought was awesome?  That was weird.  I need to get a grip.  Should I run today?  Maybe I should.  I feel okay. 

You did run today moron.  4 miles.  How the hell did Clarkie do two of these in two weeks?  Or that crazy run of them that Footfeathers is doing?  Sheesh.  Didn’t Clark drop a six minute mile at the end of WS?

What the hell was with that feeling that I had all day on Monday and part of Tuesday like I was sort of ***faced or having the flu or something?  It was like some sort of haze.  And your feet were swollen to the point of looking like a pregnant woman. Didn’t I say I would take 30 days off to Brandon at mile 87? 

You realize you are now committed to sit at the back of someone’s car on a Saturday night freezing your tush off, drinking beer so that you can walk with them.  Right?  You realize that – right?  

The GPS actually lasted 68 something miles or 13 hours.  Pretty cool.  And you can see the slow down.  And crap dude … in the first 68 miles you registered 38 minutes of NOT moving.  What the hell is that all about?  And why didn’t you really use the IPod?

Maybe I should really pursue that music project of 100 songs I have been thinking about.  Shit, did I just sign up for Ignite?  Maybe I will get rejected.  

Did you really friend three more people on Facebook this week that you never met? 

Well I sort of met them.  I never talked to them.  I just passed by them at least 28 times back and forth out there at the res.  I probably need to look up that Jerry guy as he lives here in Broomfield.  Son of bitch kicked my ass in the last loop and that shit ain’t gonna happen again.

You know the real question right?  Why?  Why did you do that? 

I did it … I did it to see if I could do it?  I mean, I guess I knew I could do it all the time, but it is not enough to just say that.  You have to really know it.  And I guess while I say I knew it, there were a lot of doubts along the way.  I’d be lying if I did not say that. 

So why are you even considering doing it again?

I don’t know.  I guess to see if I can do it again?  Or to see if I can do it better?  Or to see if I learned anything from any of that?  Or maybe because I feel I don’t think I did what I could there?  Or because Brandon said it was only 99.96 miles?  But maybe I don’t need to do that.  I don’t know. 

=================

Cool stuff by the minions captured by JV.

Interesting stuff on Jager, her condition and the entire medications in masters as performance enhancers.

You succeed when you fail.

Wednesday 101911

Warning:  you may not want to see this. 

The start of the Boulder 100 is a combined start.  It included the start for the 24 Hours of Boulder and 12 Hours of Boulder.  There was no way to discern any of that – not that it really mattered.  Anyway, from the gun, one guy got out a pretty big lead.  He was pretty hard to miss visually.  Later in the night I found myself I describing this guy to those who did not get to see him.  Here is the shot of Mark Larson in his solo team uniform “Man At Work.”  The results have him running around 43 miles.

Been digging these guys lately.

Evening – walked with TZ for a couple of miles with the dogs.

Tuesday 101811

I feel a helluva lot better in the legs today.  I mean – surprisingly so.  I was actually comfortable walking up four stories of stairs coming into work.  I probably did not want to do but it was preferred over hanging out in the elevator.   I could almost feel an hour by hour “coming back” throughout the day.  Still a bit foggy in the head though.

Some fun for the day.

Another brewery popping up in the Denver area …

Boulder cats are out there …

…  No running today, but I got 123 miles last week.

Monday 101711

No running obviously.  As expected my legs were physically thrashed.  Once I got going, I could move about okay, but stairs, sitting, getting up … UGH-orama.  I can almost feel a cold coming on which would not surprise me given that I probably kicked my immune system in the teeth yesterday.  Or the day before.  Whenever that was.  I was surprised at how mentally tired I was.  I was just moving mentally at a lower gear all day.

This is the guy who finished 100 miles in the 24 hour run first.  But the actual first place 100 mile finisher was Jerry Armstrong.  Apparently he is also a Broomstock resident so I will have to see I look him up.

Enjoyed this podcast from Lucho.  My son was listening it too me and muttered in the back of the car “so what I am saying is if you have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich at mile 90, you will puke.”  This is from the kid that I picked up at school this afternoon and I asked what he was going to work on when he got home:  piano, homework, what?  His answer?  “Fueling.”  Crikey.

All these posts are incredibly beautiful with their photos.  They tell stories on their own versus the words telling the stories and the photos augmenting that.  A mantra to live by?  “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did but they will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou

Mtnrunner2  has a real name by the way.  When I introduced him as much to fellow bloggers they all looked at me with that sort of “who?” look and then I said, “ya know, Mtnrunner2.”  They get the awareness expression: “Oh yeah, Fun with gravity guy.  Cool.  He’s in the family.”  Anyway – his post on pacing me.  Funny thing I have a general idea when he was out there – some time before dark and well into the night but I couldn’t tell you the time of day he showed up or left.

Some shots from Boulder 100

Some shots, and video from the weekend.

Some vid from JV before sunset.

 
Some evening shots from Bob.
Pacer prep includes a brew:

Lucho and Bob – and yes, he is that ghostly white in real life.

JT gets ready to head out with me on the “three laps to go” lap.  I have soup from the aid station
   

Finishing up, trying to beat 7AM, and the sun up.
 
A nice sized reward on the Hang Nine foot that I had no idea was brewing.

Krispy Kreme Challenge

Yes, I did the Boulder 100.  More on that later.  This is truly an endurance event of mammoth physical and mental fortitude.  Given the state I am in, I almost started to get sick thinking of this.  Glad to see some of the CRUDers getting the Ponderous Posterior training in.

October 15-16, 2011 Boulder 100

21:54.  2nd in the 100, but probably really 3rd overall, as a guy in the 24 hour race finished 100 miles before the two in the hundred.  Apparently it was back and forth between me and the guy who won the 100, until the last lap where he blew my doors off. 

So much to say about this event – but I am going to keep this initial post short … I will probably look to throw up a few more things as I mull over them …  A few short things for now.

1.) THANK YOU.  I am hugely grateful, appreciative and honored to have such a caring loving family to support me in this folly.  I love you Tracy, Kali, John, Don, Carrie.   You are all way more than I ever ever deserve.  THANK YOU.

2.)  THANK YOU.  Holy crew.  I had the benefit on an incredible set of folks who came out to watch me, cheer me on, and run with me – even when my running was their walking.  Huge thanks to Marty K, J.P., Aaron, Brandon, Lucho, Peter H, Wyatt, Jeff, JV, Homie, Bob Sweeney, Pittbrownie.  There were no less than 10 guys pacing me!!  These guys took out their Saturday afternoons, Saturday nights – and when people SHOULD be sleeping and ran and walked around the reservoir with me, keeping me going, keeping me amped, keeping me on the mission. 

I was asked (during and after) if I wanted to quit.  The honest answer I gave was “yes, but I won’t.”  Part of the reason why was I did not want to have deal with the on going ridicule and sarcasm from these guys.  Yeah, it would have been in fun, but the message is this – their being there was one of those things I called on to keep going when I thought about not. 

I also did not want to disappoint my family.  I know that they wouldn’t have cared if I stopped at 50 or 75 or had not done this at all.  But I said I was going to do it.  They came out to see that.  I had to do it. 

Seeing my family at the aid stations, seeing the band of brothers sitting at the back of the car hooting it up, drinking brew as I stumbled into the lot in the middle of the night … I am an incredibly lucky and fortunate man.  If everyone in the world had this sort of support, it be a pretty magical place.  I live in an amazingly beautiful world.

Here is some video from Brandon that gives you a little insight of how these folks took care of me.  Keep in mind, this after they sat around in a parking lot for 2 hours waiting for me.

GZ @ Boulder 100 from Brandon Fuller on Vimeo.

3.)  OW.  Without a doubt, this is the most physically destructive thing I have ever done to myself (in endurance sport).  It hurt A LOT.  It still hurts A LOT.  I was woefully underprepared for this event, and my body began to tell me that at 35 miles.  I could begin to feel not only soreness, but the odd imbalances I have (that we all have) – as one will tend to feel as they flex something a million times.  By mile 70, I had a meat cleaver working its way in my right quad with ever step.  I had a rock hammer tapping at my left shin in off setting concert.  My under carriage was chaffed to bruised levels.

Did I say I was woefully underprepared for this event?  Wow.  I paid for that big time in the second half. 

4.)  But to talk about the physical and not account for the mental in this event would be a ridiculous oversight.  There are dozens of examples that I can give of this – but clearly the last few laps are a great example.  With three laps to go, I was physically done.  I had been doing the math all day and had gone from considering a 16 hour finish to an 18 hour finish to a 20 hour finish to a 22 hour finish to a 24 hour finish.  I had gone from popping about just over an hour a lap to two and a half hours.  That’s right:  2.5 hours for 7 miles.  I was struggling to hold 20 minute mile pace averages in light of my run-walk speed, aid station check ins, getting food.  I was convinced I would finish – but had set an expectation in my head that a sub 24 would be an okay debut.

I finished up my loop with Brandon.  It was 5AM.  I was ready to do my last lap.  Folks had been up all night and were either sleeping or had taken off.  I was ready to churn it out on my own.  Bob stepped in and said he would go with me.  I announced that I had four hours to go seven miles, and without missing a beat, he said “Bullshit.  You are going to be back here before 7AM and get under 22.”  I whined a bit that my run was not much faster than my walk.  I whined I was tired.   Bob told me to get on the tangent and keep moving and “let’s go catch that light up there,” pointing to a woman who (several laps behind me) was 100 meters up and had just left the aid station.

On the way out to the dam, he said, “okay, give me an every thing you got power 50.”

<insert whimpering sounds here>

Now, my pace probably went from 17 minutes a mile to a zippy 15, but there was a little improvement.  Over and over.  My shuffle run, and then a bit more of a run – most of which Bob could walk either way.  It was pure TORTURE.  But, as many have said, you can will your body to do things when it is screaming at you with every fiber not too.  Mind you, it may mean you are laying on the floor later that morning naked under a blanket unable to get to the shower but, well, you get the picture.

We got back at 6:56 for a finish time under 22 hours.  Left to my own devices, I would have strolled in a hour slower – easily.

5.)  Already the questions have come in if I will do one of these again.  Or what is next on the agenda.   I don’t know that – I certainly don’t outright rule it out.   I know I wouldn’t do it again in the same fashion if I were take another one on.

I have a whole new level of understanding on what it takes to perform in these events – and with that a more intimate respect for the performances now that I have done one.  I respected a 15 hour 100 mile before – I still do.  I just understand it a bit better now.  I have a new insight on what on a 44 hour HR is, or 2 of these hundred mile races in 2 weeks.  I don’t really know that stuff, but I have a better vision on it.

I learned a lot about fueling, clothing, logistics, pit stops,etc.  But probably most importantly,I learned that these events – at least for me at this point – call in a lot of people who care about you to spend a good amount of time and energy taking care of you.  I will admit that seems a bit selfish to me.  So while I will admit, I have already pondered what it would take to pull off one of these where I could “roll” with it for 100, I am not sure I am ready to quite be that selfish for a bit.  I am however very willing to provide that support back to the nut jobs that want to do this.

Again – more later …

Friday 101411

The more I think about it, the more I think the UROY thing is just plain silly.  We race from a start line to a finish line.  UROY is the opposite of that – it is a JUDGED contest.  I try not to get wrapped up in, but I sort of do.

Not sure about this – black IPA?  Hmmm.  Picked that one up from Eric.

Zero miles today.  Took the day off work to get a variety of errands done and assure I had everything set.  I definitely got the itch last night after work last night to get going with this. 

I AM BLOWN AWAY – I mean really just flat out wowed by the number of folks who have commented, wished me well, sent me a note on this event.  With each one I get a bit of the “holy crap – I better not screw this up” while at the same time realizing it is all folly anyway.

Pittbrownie wants me to set up a poll of over under on this event tomorrow.  I ain’t ready to jinx this event with that sort of thing, but I welcome predictions.  I still do owe the Garners (do they have a blog?!) a sixer, so I am behind on paying up – and thus I am not promising anything to the closest guesser at this point. 

Oh yeah, Pittbrownie wanted to know if I would still not consider myself an ultramarathoner if I complete this event.  Apparently, I am already a pretty seasoned one if you consider AJW’s definition.  I am not sure.  Let’s review Mr. K’s def …

Crap in the back of the car is ready.

On ice.

Tempted to crack that … but I figured I need to exercise a little delay gratification.

Thursday 101311

I picked this up in my reader today.  I recall the day that Chris died.  I was working at the Daily Camera at that time, and happened to be up in the Sports department.  Sandrock, Jason H and I were up there b.s.’ing and the message came in.  We were floored.  A kid who was a 4.0 student in biochemistry and development cellular molecular biology, homegrown in Aspen, an All American was killed on Flagstaff riding his bike.  It was incredibly sad. 

… Back to typical blogging …

I am thinking this a conundrum for Lucho.

Boulder has a sports Hall of Fame event coming up.  I worked with Creedon at the Camera.

Pablo visits Lasse.

I am finding this guy’s photography and writing is some of the best running related stuff on the ‘net.

I really need to put the 4 loop pass on the list for next year.

Given that Daily Camera outted these guys, I wonder how long it is before this race gets shut down by OSMP.

Easy half an hour this afternoon – four miles.  … That is it until Saturday AM.  Tomorrow will be assembly of all the crap in the car.

Wednesday 101211

Crazy day at work so I did not get out until the evening - but it was beautiful.  Nice big moon rising, cool temps.  Got me thinking this could be a bit of a preview of some of my Saturday running.  5 miles easy.

I can see that I am both scared shitless of what I am about to do and totally disrespectful of the magnitude of what I am about to take on.

I can see that 100 miles is insanely far.  I can see this will be 2x any length run I have done, and probably at least that in terms of time as well.  I know it is going to hurt, and probably for a long long long time.

Then I ordered a keg for a post race party.  While I was doing that I was thinking, that is sort of like "hey 100 miles, SCREW YOU.  I got you.  Meh."  Not smart to disrespect the ultra gods that way.  I might end up being a sacrifice that they burn slowly.

I am excited:  I get to run.  And run.  And run.  And run.  All day.  With some friends.  With some family.  I get to test myself in a way that I once imagined that was beyond my capabilities.  I get to forge a new path in my life.   And then I get to take a nap.  And then I get to drink some brew.  How awesome is that?

Then I could feel every niggle, every jiggle, every tendon, every fabric of my bones as I ran tonight.  Nothing wrong of course-  just that crazy over analysis you do when you are wondering if everything is alright.

I caught myself seeing all this and realizing this is all part of the fun.

Oh yeah, my place Sunday at 3.

Tuesday 101111

Ah, another endurance junkie movie in the works …

Some guys I follow on the interwebs just did that Zion Traverse thing.  Like to do that some day but water looks like it is tough to come by there.

Coming out of a bit of a funk from the weekend with the camping, a decent run on Sunday but then a long Sunday night.  Woke up this AM with a nice sized zit on my nose.  Not just one of those little ones but one of those that like a birth of an alien coming out of your face.  Anyway …

AM – I was unable to meet Bob for a workout today because of my work schedule, but went off of what he was thinking of doing and did a 5k tempo-time trial thingie.  So - I headed over to the local Kohl 5k course (where, when I last ran it in a race setting, I pulled up at about a mile and a quarter).  I last ran on this as a workout way back in April.  When I did that then I averaged 6:08 pace and today, not feeling so great – I was 6:03.  I really slowed a bit in the second mile … GPS says close to 6:50 pace (ugh).  Some of that is uphill but some of it is just “falling asleep” in the workout.  Fastest stuff was at 5:35 pace … which, well is closer to where I want to be for a whole 5k run at some point.

Probably should have strapped on the HR monitor to normalize the effort, but, well … next time.

All in all, not zippy, but a.) improvement that I will take in light of feeling stale and b.) I use to be able to workout faster than I race, but all that seems to be the other way around now.  Not sure why, but I think it is the better of side of things.  7 miles.  Pretty much will roll easy the rest of the week heading into Saturday.

Oh yeah, when I was running this thing in the spring, there was this little dog tail of a block that I missed all spring.  I learned that on race day this year (when that had the Kohl 5k).  So all spring my timed runs over there were about 6/100ths short.  Today I came in at 3.14 and 18:58 (so, yeah, I was a bit slower overall but the course was more accurate … and yes, I did nudge it a bit in the last quarter to assure a sub 19).

Considering picking up some brews for Sunday afternoon.  I figure if I can finish the bugger under 24, I ought to be able to get back to the house, get a nap, and then wake up for a few brews post.  Invite coming out, but it is sketchy.  I mean, I could be in a hospital getting an IV instead or something.

I am amazed at the kind words, comments, suggestions and insights that I got in yesterday’s post.  Some highlights are captured below because I think they are great views for all considering ultras or races that are beyond what they think they are physically capable of.  And, well – they are amazing comments!  How could one not be inspired after reading this stuff sent to them?!

…  take walking breaks for a few minutes at regular intervals (like at each lap or something?) to (a) use different muscles and (b) make sure you stuff your face full of food and drinks.
…  not worry about stupid DNF stuff. Shit may happen.
… The only thing you should take seriously is a planned easy pace so you don't get too aggressive immediately. Im no expert, but one of the most impressive things you could do, IMHO, whatever the time ends up being, would be as tight of splits as possible.
… Focus and preparedness + a good day can equal a great race. But we've all seen plenty of examples where having huge focus just doesn't pan out anyway. It's your race, enjoy the experience of going really long.
… 1) Start. 2) Finish.
… No matter how bad it hurts or how much you "think" you're suffering, it will get better, then worse, then better. The first wave of pain is the worse, then just roll with it and take care of the fueling. Just keep in mind how good you'll feel knowing you did it, then you can decided whether you like it or not based on informed, personal information. These things are so different for everyone. They aren't that difficult, really. Many, many people who are not as fit or physically capable as you finish them all the time and much more difficult ones than Boulder. Have fun and absorb the experience good and bad.
… embrace the suck.

Tony’s comments.

1) You've carved out a certain financial and time commitment to this endeavor, so you owe it to yourself (and maybe your family?) to not give up (easily). This requires that you stand on the starting line Saturday morning with the absolute, rock-solid, internal conviction to FINISH. NO MATTER WHAT (barring injury/health issues). The bottom line is that if you start with anything less than that kind of conviction, it will be way too easy to rationalize a DNF to yourself when the going gets tough past miles 60, 70, 80 that you will almost certainly regret later. Of the two 100s I've DNFed the first was because I didn't have that conviction and the second was because of health concern/being completely incapacitated and incapable of further forward movement.
2) I'll save you the suspense and let you in on the little secret that after 45mi or 50, or 80 it is STILL JUST RUNNING. There is no magic.* Success/satisfaction (finishing) is mostly determination, stubbornness and tolerance for suffering. Be mentally prepared that any prolonged discomfort you've encountered on Pikes or in any other long run will be total child's play (seriously) compared to what is virtually guaranteed to happen on Saturday. It's stupid how much these things hurt. Or maybe I've just been doing it wrong?
3) You will HAVE to eat more than you have thus far in your longer efforts. Period. Plan out a regimented fueling strategy to follow from the start and stick to it. Finishing will be almost completely dependent on your ability to get as close to 200-300cal/hr as possible down the hatch (and have it stay down).
4) Nick touched on it, but from the very beginning go at what feels to be a stupid, awkwardly slow pace for the first 60ish miles. You'll be so happy you did, later.
5) Stay in the moment. Be prepared to adjust expectations on the fly. Tiered goals are key to staying in the game mentally.
But, seriously, I'm a massive novice at this stuff. Heck, Tim L has finished as many 100s just this summer as I have in my entire life!
*There actually is some magic. The magic is that you can be feeling phenomenally shitty--even at some point shockingly and discouragingly early in the day--and if you just keep plugging away, things will eventually turn around. It's true. That experience is the revelation of running 100 miles. Don't give up.

A note I got …

Start slow and VERY easy. . If you want to average 12:00 pace then running 7:30 pace to start is foolish. You should look to hold the slowest natural stride possible.
Stay relentlessly positive and NEVER consider the distance remaining. Or at least don't try to wrap your head around it, those miles will come to you, no need to chase them.
Once you reach a certain level of fatigue it levels off and doesn't get much worse. It's not like a 10k where it's an intense pain... it's just a dull fatigue. Nothing to fear at all. A marathon hurts worse.
And ultimately your body will become less and less of a factor (if you take care of it) and your mind will become the only thing that matters. If you are worried about the 100 miles from a physical view, don't. Your body will do what you ask of it. Take the day as it comes and try to stay close to the moment because that is all you can control. What happens in 4 hours isn't worth worrying about... in 4 hours then consider it. And with that said, pace and nutrition are the only things you can control that determine the future. Focus on those and the rest will come to you. 20-30oz of fluids per hour. 1 Powerbar per hour for the first 3, then move to fluid only. If you catch yourself running faster than 8:00 pace then immediately stop and walk for ~30".
And stay positive no matter what. Negative and positive thoughts cause a physical reaction through hormone release. Look at how you FEEL when you get pissed in traffic... then look at how you FEEL when you are running on a beautiful trail on a perfect day. Your reaction to an outside stimulus is what you choose it to be. Get negative and you increase your chance of quitting.

Monday 101011

Weather is starting to look good for the weekend.  More on that later, but I am planning on going for it.  I have been … accused? told?  judged? … that my mindset for this is not nearly focused enough, and that because of that – I don’t want it enough.  One guy asked me if I was going to do a 100.  I said I was going to try.  He gave me the Yoda, “NO, you DO, there is NO TRY.”  I get it but I don’t think I need to be ape shit at the line or even five days before the run.  Maybe I need to be ape shit after 10 laps.

That said, I really don’t know what to expect.  My longest run ever has been 45 miles and I felt pretty crappy at the end of that.  I had a lengthy conversation with TZ about it the other night.  I am ready to walk it in if I need to but I am also ready to realize I may need to come to grips with not finishing if I am barfing blood or something.

Anyway – it starts at 9 on Saturday.  Then I run all day and into the night.  Pacers are apparently allowed after 7PM, but I have not come to grips with asking anyone specifically to be a pacer.  If people want to come out and run, I would certainly enjoy that  but it seems a bit weird to ask somebody to come out and hold my hand … family members withstanding.  I am not judging anyone who needs a pacer, I am just saying I am not sure if I ought to be asking for one when I visit my car every 7 miles.  JT mentioned he might come out to laugh at me at 2AM and just to see me cry due to lack of sleep.

I also have no idea if this will take me 15 hours or 30 hours.  I do those stupid math games where I think, “hmmm … 12 minute miles is 20 hours.  I can do that.”  How the heck do I know?  Maybe I am fine for 15 hours and the last 10 miles take me 10 hours … I don’t know.

Which is exactly why I WANT to scratch that itch.

I am dragging arse today.  Up way too late screaming my face off

Some video from Brandon

 

I play in tamer settings than the  ”Can.”  Pix from the weekend from fellow Scout parent John B.

Kids rocking out …

Sunday 101911

10 miles.  MAF’d it out on the way out for five miles, and was surprised to see the pace was averaging around 7:20s.  Picked it up to steady (umm, tempo but not really hard?) back around 6:40s, and brought the last mile to 6:20 to nudge it under 70 minutes for the ten.  Felt great … like I could keep on going.  Effort was steady, controlled, and … happy?  Weather was perfect.  I think Kevin T recently wrote something like cooler weather is like instant fitness.  Amen to that.  70 miles on the week.  2 decent workouts, a Green episode, a steady run today.  No gym work though.  Still a bit heavier (lbs) than usual, but I am okay with that.  For now.

Lots of racing to read about from yesterday and today, but I am way behind coming out of a weekend of Scout camping.   But right now -  there is this Foo Fighter thing with the dude that my daughter thinks is the guy with the belt buckle problem.

Derrick put up this cool streak in the comments the other day.

Interesting read on signs of overtraining.

Pete Magill considering PED’s in Masters competition versus the use of regular prescriptions.

Saturday 100811

I probably won’t run today.  I am up at the Horsetooth Res with the Scouts.  It is pouring rain, 15 mph winds, and 45 degrees.  Focus will be keeping the tent inside dry and the crumb grabbers happy.  Thinking about those at Hawaii today.  No sweat on the lack of mileage today because I hope to get at least 100 next week.  PS – I was able to get a light four mile jog in the afternoon in.

Some pix from Sunday AM after the rain broke.

Friday 100711

Green Mountain via the middle route.  A bit tired from yesterday, but 44:30 up (PR is low 43).  Took Bear Canyon down but this is the only bear I saw.

But there was other wildlife out there
 
The Mesa is still probably my favorite trail because you get so many opportunities to shoot off into some great stuff, and there are some great views along it.

10 miles.

Winter is coming … (love these shots of the Barr Trail in autumn, winter).

Apparently running around in a weight vest when you are an Iranian can get the police to stop you.

Thursday 100611

My paranoid conspiracy gene has me thinking maybe he is not dead.

Some skinny fast kid in this photo shoot.

I have been thinking about weight, but not enough to do much about it.  Of course a few IPAs in the bag last night, I stumble across this.

Nominate your MUTOY.

Did the quarters again.  Bob joined me.  Well, sort of.  He joined me for the warm up and cool down.  Pretty much outside of that, I just watched him from a distance.  Winds were pretty strong (15-20) out of the south and west.  Bob tried to set me up to draft, but I was not strong enough to take advantage.

The winds screwed up any sort of comparison of times from week over week.  But frankly the wind may have given me a good excuse.  I might have been a bit flat today, coming from a workout on Tuesday, going a bit more than I should have yesterday (miles, faster), and then enjoying a couple more beverages than I should have last night.  The brew and the big bowl of pesto pasta set me up for less than ideal night of sleep, so the work was sabotaged from the get go (by yours truly).  Not sure if they would have been faster than last week but, well, the wind gave me a nice excuse.  We did manage to finish the workout before the football team took over the field.  10 miles.