Tumble

I am heading out to San Diego to run the SD100. I am nervous and excited. With facebook, twitter and word of mouth I hope to have much support. Getting ready reminds me of the winter I worked at a ski resort and told my gf to watch the summit at noon while I jumped off and cut fresh tracks in the powder. At noon I tipped my ski's over the edge, my gf on the deck of the resort eager to see my mad skills ripping thtrough the powder (oh, and she told a buttload of coworkers to watch as well). BOOM one turn and it was ass over tea kettle and flashes of red white, red white, red white as I tumbled to a stop.

I hope not repeat that this weekend. Runwell

Ramping up

Wow,
I am the laziest blogger out there. I look back and there are so many cool things that have slipped my mind. Volunteering for Keira at Griffith Park trail Marathon, running Calico 50k, running Leona Divide 50k, and celebrating the fact that we have lived in our own home for a year!

So as I am ramping up for SD100 this weekend I have to give credit where credit is due. Running Ultras can be one heck of a selfish endeavor. It's all about me for over 24 hrs, more like a week. I have all the prep of sorting, packing and fretting. The actual race and then the stiff legged snivelling for days after. My wife is amazing! She not only puts up with my crap, captains my crew (which is usually only her) but is my biggest cheerleader. We were reminiscing about WS in 2010 and I will never forget the smile on her face as I met up with her and we jogged in the final mile. It was pure joy.

And if you don't know WS100 is a terrible race to crew. Huge amounts of driving for very little time spent together. I am a lucky man. I love you Chicken!

Facewanker

So I'll be the first to admit it, I tend to whine like a little kid with a skinned knee (or french soccer player) at times. It's a quality I don't really care for. The good thing is that I do it less and less. Sometimes we talk about all of the negative aspects of facebook. I find so many good things.  I posted about facebragging and BOOM. I was blown away by all of the comments. Good and bad, I touched a nerve.

I read fb and continually think "WOW" that's kinda personal! Shouldn't you keep that to yourself? One of my other favorites,  people going on and on about their accomplishments. How much smoke can I blow up my own ass always comes to mind? Don't get me wrong we all need and want that pat on the back, but you know as well as I do it can be excessive. Really, you train all year long and won the Tuesday night world championships on Sunset? Were the four horsemen there? Oh they weren't, you kinda left that out.

I have a blog and I write about myself and can be really narcissistic. Why not, it's mine? Seriously I love to talk about my favorite subject, ME. Well if I'm throwing it out to the universe I might want to censor myself on occasion. I have a shitload of drafts. Many that should not be posted. Moslty the bitchy ones.
  
Let me get back to my rant, Facewanking. If you are talking about how you are being screwed by somebody you might be facewanking. You have a part in it, own it. If you are talking yourself up about something you haven't really done. Shut up, do it, then write about how awesome it was. Just know, there usually is somebody out there that has done it before,done it faster, done it better and talked a whole lot less about it.

Why is this on my mind? Well I'm about to toe the line in my sport of choice. It took me five years of pounding nails and learning before I called myself a carpenter. I finally feel I have run enough races to call myself a real ultrarunner, not a poser.

I will be humbled at this race, this I know, I welcome it. There are so many great runners out there and I will share the start line this Saturday with them.  I hope to share the finish line with them as well.

Right Sized

What keeps me grounded? I tend to want to think I am always right. I want my opinion to be valued. I want, I want, I want. Well, when that hapens I lose touch with what is important. My first DNF was really hard on me. I moped about for days.

Making matters worse Shana had to pack the truck after probably the worse night's sleep we have ever tried to get. So I'm feeling like a complete failure, a total poser. What am I doing?

That DNF was a gift! It took me a few weeks to really get the concept that I hadn't failed. I pulled the plug on the race at the right time. I had a goal and I was on track to hit it. But the wheels came off and rather than push into injury I hung it up.

People ask me all the time why I run ultras. I'd be lying if I didn't say it boosted my ego. "Look how far I can run (walk, death march)". But more importantly it keeps me right sized! Everytime I think I'm a bad ass runner, I get the smack down. And I like it!

Running for a purpose

Been far too long since I written. I will do my best to go back through my previous unpublished posts and work them in . Facebook is the ultimate blog killer. I tend to look at fb and call it good for the day letting my emails pile up in my inbox only to have to go back and sift through them. Anyhow I need to get to work here. Over the last year I have been an ambassador for Runwell http://

/. Running is not only the quickest way to fitness it also helps to keep me grounded and "right sized". I will get back to "right sized" in a minute. Last weekend I had the pleasure of Running the Calico 50k. In most races I start slow and do my best to finish mid pack and talk to folks along the way. Not today! I have not been training on any kind of regular basis and wanted to see what my legs had in store for me. I decided to start at the front and hold on as long as I could. Little did I realize the front runners were bookin! I held off from dropping too hard and managed to finish 14th or 15th overall. I blew through the first 2 aid stations only slowing to thank the volunteers as I passed. One of the many lessons I learned running through Egypt( Oh yea, I'll write that report) was how little extra food I need to run 50k. My ride was prompt and I was scrambling to grab my gear and head out the door. The only thing I forgot was a post race cap and my inhaler. The cap was not the end of the world but I was a little worried about the inhaler or lack there of it. Turns out it was a non issue. Made it to the race with plenty of time to spare.

Dang!

So I have this huge draft of a post that I can't seem to find and have to start over. Ugh, writing is one thing but having to do it over and over kind of bums me out.

I was fortunate to be able to go to Egypt and return. The run through the Sahara was unbelievable. My biggest concern was running day after day with the pack on. I look forward to the day I get to run 135 miles all at once at some race, Badwater, Brazil 135, Arrowhead 135. I will run one (or all) of these one day.

I am very grateful to Runwell for giving me the opportunity to run through the Sahara.  Here are a few of the people I would get to know over the next week. Timo and Kriss, my tent mates.

The entire trip seemed somewhat surreal. I had asked to be an ambassador by Linda and agreed to run the Sahara without really grasping the true vastness of the race.  We were summoned to get on the bus with our "box" lunch for the ride out to the sand. I was cracking up as I pulled my "bag" of Subway out of the many boxes sitting in the sun outside of our Buses. We saddled up on to the buses for a four hr, ride out to the sand. I quickly learned the difference between a four hour bus ride here in the states and one in Egypt. Here it would be a couple hundred miles or so, in Egypt maybe 30-100miles. Lets just say I would be happier running through the Sahara than driving through Cairo.

Not sure if that is a smile of enjoyment or the face of reality that this is about to go down. The first night in the desert was all about settling in. I enjoyed my first freeze dried meal and hunkered down for some much needed rest. Now, I usually don't sleep well the night before a race but here I was out in THE SAHARA! OMG, this is epic! This would be my home for the next week.

Okay, it's the night before I embark on what is to be one of the greatest adventures in my life (or running life). I am filled with so many emotions ranging from excitement to anxiety the likes I have never felt. There have been so many folks that have influenced me over the years. My good buddy Michael B. or Pam M.L. that have been with me from the start of my wonderful journey of recovery. There are those that have died during my years of recovery; some sober, some not. I feel for them all. Each one has made the man I am today. I really need to aknowlede all of my running friends starting with my running mentor Jimmy K. (AKA the fifth Cutter). I just won't be able to pack any canned peaches. All of the ultra runners I have badgered for advice and wisdom over the years, Andy K., George V., Catra C. and Howard Cohen for sending me a detailed spreadsheet of what worked for him. The new ultra folks that make me smile (Fred). I will take all of you with me, thinking of you often as I traverse the dunes. Most importantly I need to thank my wife. She is amazing, she is strong; she is truly an ispriration and the woman I am fortunate enough to share a home and a life with. She has never told me not to do a race, maybe a skeptical look every now and then, but she loves me as the crazy person I am. Thanks for putting up with my crap! I will more than likely bore the shit out of every single person I come in contact with post race. Telling tales of what it's like to really run in B.F.E. Lastly I want to thank Linda Quirk an

d the Runwell Foundation for this amazing opportunity to run and raise money for recovery. This will be my sobriety birthday present as I celebrated 18yrs on Sunday. May I Runwell and be happy are my only wishes.

Okay, it has been forever since I have posted anything in my blog. So many things have happened. I will go through my drafts and post some race recaps that have been in the save folder for way too long. But now I will start with prepping for my next adventure. In a little over three weeks I will be traveling to Egypt to run one of the 4 Desert Races As an ambassador for Runwell I will be truly be filled with gratitude for recovery has given me everything I have in my life today.

Javelina, DNF

Well it had to happen sooner or later. DNF. I have been racing in some form or another for the last ten years. Adventure racing, Duathlons, triathlons, Mtn biking, trail running and my latest obsession Ultra running. All of these other sports are great but I think I found my niche in Ultra's. Why might you ask? Well, Ultra runners are just a bit off. My kind of people.

I went going in for a sub 24 hr finish. Was I trained for that? Not sure, but once I saw the big fat sub 24 buckle. I wanted it! Just wish I'd seen it three months ago. When I should have been training to run rather than biking.

We left home early and got to the park in time to get a nice spot to set up our camp. Driving from Redlands does not take long but it sure would have been nice if Arizona had open rest stops. Times are tough when the state can't afford to let you pee! We settled in to a great spot and were able to back the truck right up against our camp. I love this race for the shear fact you can set up and not have to move for the rest of the weekend.



Javelina was a last minute entry for me. I was supposed to run the AC100 this year and the Station fire decided I wouldn't. I like how life works out. AC would have crippled me. Not that JJ is easy it's just the downhills of AC would have reduced my quads to mush much earlier. The race was closed and Jamil was very cool to open 50 or so more spots to those of us that did not get to run AC. lucky for me I have the worlds best wife, she is awsome! Here is a quick example, as soon as I got in to the race she signed up to volunteer, and volunteer she did! She worked the registration table on Friday night, food prep and the main aid station all day Saturday! Not to mention making sure I had everything I needed throughout the day.



So when it comes to racing I can get a bit nutty. I pack two or three times, days before I go. And yes I usually over pack! Pants I forgot to pack pants. Turns out Friday night in the dessert was a bit chilly. Shana brought down! Smart woman. We hit the rack pretty early and the symphony of alarms and wake up farts echoed through the campsite. Tents aren't real sound barriers. Had a little coffee, some grub, a few trips to the restroom and I'm ready to go!

Napa 70.3

Does the wetsuit make me look fat?
So I've been feeling a bit squishy n the middle since Javelina. Back in January we were in Denver and I was working out in the hotel gym when I caught a view of the pudge. After I finished my first hundred mile run I figured I was entitled to eat what ever I wanted. Fine that would be OK for a week or two, tops. BUT I decided that I EARNED as much junk food as I wanted. Not too mention I just really did not feel like running. Throw in a twisted ankle and I was ripe for getting pudgy. Why? Cuz I like doughnuts.

Fast forward a bit and we are going to Napa for a weekend to celebrate my lovely wife's birthday. Me being one who cannot travel anywhere with out looking to see if there is an event I can compete/participate in found a 70.3 triathlon. Now, if I'm up north and Envirosports has something going on I will do my best to enter. The problem here was I had not swam regularly in, hmmmmm a while.

So I go down to the gym and crap out a mile in the pool. Not the best swim but OK. Now I know I can do the mile, the bike will be great, the run not so bad. Armed with this info (how ever bad it was) I am ready to register.

Three weeks out, I'm in. To short to do any real training so I refer to it as taper time. Works for me. I am watching the weather like crazy because my wonderful wife is running her first 21 mile race in Big Sur the week before. I even run out and buy ponchos for her and the group she is running with. What a delight to be on the sidelines waiting for my wife to cross the line. Woo hoo, she did it. I was so nervous that I only could get off one pic of her finishing. It was awsome!

One week later I'm up in Napa looking at RAIN. I get up and head out thinking OK, maybe it's a bit cloudy not too bad. I get a good spot to rack my bike. On the end in front of a dumpster, which had the added bonus of being next to a port-a-john.

The gun goes off and I start the swim. I'm suprised at the water temp. I thought I was going to freeze my butt off but it wasn't bad. I managed to pull off the swim in the time I had figured. It was a bit of a long run to T1 but it got the blood flowing. By now it's starting to rain and drying off seems kind of worthless. I don the arm warmers and vest and am getting ready to hop on the bike when the proximity of the john comes in handy. T1 was kind of slow but worth it!

I'm on the bike and ready to rock! But again it's raining. The short version is that it rained the whole damn time I was on the bike. I was hoping to enjoy all that Pope valley had to offer in the way of views and scenery. Not going to happen. Rain , rain and more rain. I was happy to not pop a tire as I saw many riders on the side of the road. I managed to pass many of the people that dropped me on the swim. I finished the ride feeling great about it.

T2 was much quicker. I hit the run feeling good. The run was a double out and back. I had mixed feelings about it because I don't like running the same things over and over. In a race it can be fun because you can see the leaders as well as the folks behind you. My run was not as good as I would have liked but, acceptable.

All in all it turned out to be a great race 05:28:32 not bad for a first attempt at the half Ironman distance

face book

Face Book has consumed all of my computer time. Which has been plentiful because I'm keeping my trail time to a minimum. A few weeks back I was on a 5 mile run that we do all the time. As we were cruising back to the truck, I rolled my ankle. No big deal? I roll it all the time. Well I just turned 42 and my ankle is my body's way of confirming my new age. It has been sore for almost a month. The most I've been able to run on it has been 8 miles., Not great for my training, but it keeps me from going crazy.

Spam

I got hit today by a hardcore "born again" individual. Took me a bit to remove all of his comments. I have now activated the approval feature on my blog.

Javelina race report

I will post more pictures soon



I want to start this report by thanking my best friend without who's help I could not have done this. Thanks Chicken your the best.


We left early Friday morning maybe a little too early. We don't like being late especially when we are going somewhere we have never been. We had a nice drive to Phoenix only taking five hours. We found the camp and quickly set up our home base. Our early arrival allowed us a good spot to set up. Much pacing around ensued waiting for the things to begin. Pre-race meeting, socializing and camp dinner. The Chicken can pop out some good tailgate pasta. Once properly fueled we settled in to our tent and tried to get some much needed sleep.


4:00am the alarm went off. Not sure I really needed it since we did not sleep all that well. What, how much sleep do you want the night before the longest race of your life. Up and out of the tent I fired up the stove cuz I NEED coffee. Had some caffeine a little oatmeal and a smoothie and I was ready to rock. Much pacing around till the start.

6:00am and GO! Off we went. The pre race instructions were pretty explicit in stating that most runners that complete the first loop in under three hours dnf. So I took it easy. It was dark when we started but I knew it would not last long and did not want to carry anything that I did not need. So I ran close to folks with lights. My plan worked. I saw the nicest sunrise I have seen years. Made quick stops at the aid stations and hit the Javelina Headquarters in 2:30 SHIT. Way too fast. Did I just screw myself within the first lap of their race? Shit Shit Shit. Oh well what to do? I ran in got refueled and a smooch and I was off.
The second loop went well although not as fast as the first. It was gun to be able to greet the oncoming runners as they made their way to the HQ. Now running the opposite direction I was getting a different view of the landscape. Having gone to high school in Tucson running in the dessert was like coming home. The temp started to climb and I made my way back to HQ in around three hours. Much more manageable. Again more water, Accelerade, a little munch munch and a much needed smooch I was off.

Now the third loop was a BITCH. I did not think that the heat was much of a factor as I never felt hot. Some folks were having big problems with it. I was leaving Jackass Junction and could not get my run on. Which really sucked because the road from JJ to the HQ was so very runnable. My legs did not want to get going. My crew (Shana) did not like how I looked when I came in.
When asked how I was feeling I replied " I feel like Dog meat". At that point I did. But, water, Accelerade, munch munch and a smooch and I was off.

The fourth loop included a spectacular Arizona sunset. Which meant I was running by flashlight. I had spent a bunch of this loop running with a Redlands runner. We had a good time but I most likely talked his ear off. Most would not find that hard to believe. After leaving Coyote Camp I spent the next five miles running with two locals. They had a good pace that I needed to keep plus three lights were better than one. I came into HQ feeling pretty damn good. More light, water, Yummy grilled cheese, some soup and the ever important smooch. And to my surprise my lovely crew found me a pacer. Tom, a local that came out to volunteer and possibly pace some forlorn runner. Boy did I luck out! It was so cool to have somebody to talk to in he wee hours of the night.

The fifth loop Tom listen as I blathered on and on, as I do. I felt bad as I'm sure he wanted to run and at this point all I could muster was a steady shuffle. I also started to really notice the blister on my left foot. We stopped so I could check it out. Tom suggested that I pop it. I replied "I have nothing sharp". Here is where a pacer comes in. " You have safety pins on your number". Four to be exact. A pacer can point out the obvious when your noggin is a bit foggy. We actually ran the last half of this loop at a great pace. We ran back to HQ and I was having some grub when Tom asked if I would like him to run another loop with me. "Are you sure?" Tom is dressed in a T-shirt. I was worried that he would not be comfortable. Who wants to be uncomfortable at three in the morning out in the dessert. I was (and am) so grateful Tom wanted to go out again. So fueled and smooched up I was ready to go.

During the sixth loop I caught up with the marines. I met Mos at the starting line and we chatted a bit throughout the night. When we got to Coyote camp we could see all the runners with their glow necklaces on. Oh did we all want one. I made my way back all the while hoping that I would finish before the sun came up not because I was going to break any records I just wanted to get into my tent before the sun came up. I made my way to HQ. It was a shuffle.

I got to HQ and Shana was ready to go out with me on the final ten mile loop. We talked it over and I said it would be better for her to stay at HQ. I did not stay at HQ for long. All I needed to do was top off my water and head out. Once I could see the last aid station I knew I was home free. The aid worker was very direct in saying get out of here! Not that I'm being rude but get your ass to the finish!!! So I took off. This last three miles were smooth and runnable the only problem is that there was no way I was going to run down hill. My legs were trashed!!!!!!! I hit the main trail and off in the distance I saw the most beautiful sight in the entire world, my wife. She ran the last mile with me. Let me explain, I was running. She was walking fast.  I crossed the line in twenty five hours and fifty four minutes. Not bad for my first 100.

Three days

We are leaving Friday morning. Am I ready? I sure hope so! I'm doing my best not to go crazy. I think I have bent the ear of my fellow ultrarunners quite a bit over the last week hopefully not to the point of being a pain in the butt.

Training for Javelina

How is training you might wonder? Well physically I'm feeling fantastic mentally I think I'm going a little nutty. So much to prepare for. What should I eat? How much, how often? What should I drink? What should I wear? I know if obsess over these things I will nut up for sure. Most of all I'm trying to stay loose. Running easy and riding bikes. We had a great rain last night. During my Sunday run I thought how nice the trails would be for biking. I have only ridden my carbon fiber road bike a few times and wanted to go again. But it looked like more rain was on the way and I sure didn't want to get the new bike dirty. Pumped up the tires on the full suspendy and took off. It's not so bad when you pump up the tires and lockout the suspension. It's only a few miles to the trail and it was smooth sailing. I hit the dirt and was having great fun. Did my loop and went over to Stell for a nice esspresso

Rufus

We have a new member of our little clan. Rufus!!!!!!! I'd say we found him at the local dog jail but it's more like he found us. We had been there looking at various dogs and even put our names in for one. So, we went on to do our Saturday errands and it was not twenty minutes when the dog jail called us and asked us if we could come back. We did. We fell in love with the little guy. The folks at the dog jail were so nice that they told us he would be avail friday. The lady behind the counter said maybe if we came in late on Thursday we could adopt him early. Picked him up from the vet last Friday. He's been a fun little guy.

Javelina

Woo Hoo,
I'm in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Will I or won't I?

That seems to be the question right now. I waited and waited to see if the Javelina Jundred was getting full. I checked right before the AC and ther were only 75 people signed up. No biggie right? Well hell a week later it was full.............SHIT........... I generally do wait cuz I'm a lazy bastard by nature. If I acctually sign up before hand I have to train......Who likes training? I do, I really do. It gives a purpose to getting out on the trail, gets you out there when you don't want to, lets you cancell things you don't want to do ex. dinner dates or family obligations. "Sorry I have to train, can't stay out late".

So I contacted the RD for Javelina and sent my app off anyway. I really hoping that they will oversell the race and let me in OR soe more people will drop out and some spots will open up. Either way the wait is driving me nuts. Do I go crazy and train for it or sit back and get my winter chubby on? Donuts, cheese burgers, mmmmmmmmmm.

Baden Powell

We decided to head up to one of our favorite hikes today.



Ginger tends to get really dusty up there but loves it!

San G.(new)PR

This is me being really lazy. I posted a quick trip report on the SGWA message board and simply pasted here.
My camera took a crap on me so my pics did not turn out but I will post a pic of my favorite hiking buddy from our recent trip up Mt. Tallac in S. Lake Tahoe



Yea!!!
Trip reports. Mine will be short. I left the lower parking lot late 8:00am Saturday. I was not sure if I was going to go to the summit. I figure if I made it to 10,000ft in good time I'd be happy. I also was not so sure about the weather as well. I packed light for a speedy trip, no jacket, no sweater, only a pair of arm wamers to knock off the chill and enough gells and bars for a few hours. I started from the lower parking lot with a nice jog to the trail head. made to the top of the first mile and had the rangers sign my permit. Only the third time I have had one signed. After a little chit chat with Paul, I was off. I decided not to stop till I hit the summit. Much to my suprise I made the summit in 2:52:08 my fastest time up Vivian Creek. Took around 2:10 to get down. Another fantastic day in the SGWA!!!!