And a (Ultra)Marathon Runner was Born

Is running making a come back??

2010-03-01T15:50:00.001-08:00

Perhaps a 2010 San Francisco marathon is in the making?? I've mentioned it to a few people...getting closer to buying an entry....

Time to run again?

2009-05-29T10:56:00.000-07:00

I've taken quite a break from running (and also have gained a good 30 pounds in the meanwhile.) I think it may be time to get back out there!

Usually not political on here but...

2008-06-27T07:13:00.000-07:00

That darn 2nd Amendment seems to be getting interpreted again! I thought, what are the actually words. People have a messy habit of only saying part of a sentence, half of the idea to suit their particular need.

"Amendment II
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

Hmmm, interesting. I always seem to hear "The Right to Bear Arms." That seems to be only a portion of the complete sentence. I'm always skeptical of people that only use part of an entire sentence. Sort of like when people use part of a bible verse to back their point. They sometimes forget why it was being said, when it was being said and then apply it to today's world (which doesn't always work well.)

Interpretation is a funny thing. I work in the world of contracts and it's all about interpretation. Believe me, you say one thing and the complete opposite can be done if interpreted as such.

I just ask everyone to take a close look at the full sentence. Remember what sort of country we were when it was written (started in 1776.)

"A well regulated Militia" Does the guy down the street belong to a "regulated Militia"...not that I know of.

"being necessary to the security of a free State". So the Militia's is only necessary when the security and freedom of a State is being threatened.

"the right of the people to keep and bear Arms" Notice it is the people (lowercase) of the Militia (uppercase) that have the right (when "security of a free State" is being threatened) when necessary. When items are in uppercase, it makes them a proper noun. So here, the people would not mean the "People" as citizens, but "people" of the "Militia" (which being in uppercase would mean an official group...hmmm, do I hear "well regulated"?)

"shall not be infringed." Ok, so if it's necessary for a State to protect the security of it's freedom then it can develop a well regulated Militia and those Militia people have the right to have guns.

One last thought:
In 2005, 75% of the 10,100 homicides committed using firearms in the United States were committed using handguns, compared to 4% with rifles, 5% with shotguns, and the rest with a type of firearm not specified. Due to the lethal potential that a gun brings to a situation, the likelihood that a death will result is significantly increased when either the victim or the attacker has a gun. The mortality rate for gunshot wounds to the heart is 84%, compared to 30% for people who sustain stab wounds to the heart.

Hmmm, "Guns don't kill people, People do" Again, it's one of those phrases that I think is missing the FULL Sentence.

"Guns don't kill people, People do, using a gun"

Big Horn 100 mile Complete!

2008-06-23T11:40:00.000-07:00

Wow! What a race! That was the hardest thing I have ever done.

Hope to have a race report soon, but wanted to let everyone know I finished and I'm back home...resting!

32 Hours 24 Minutes 47 seconds

81 out of 98 finishers (I think 130 started)

3rd place Men under 30!

Bighorn 100 mile next weekend!

2008-06-16T07:24:00.000-07:00

Quick post. Wow! Since Ruth Anderson, I've run Miwok 100k (placed 3rd in Age Group), Ohlone 50k (placed 3rd in Age Group), ran two days at Western States 100 Training runs, San Diego Marathon, and Diablo Trail (32 mile). That's a lot of running! :)

My first 100 mile of the year starts on Friday in the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming. My running partner, Jeff J. and I leave Tuesday night for the 24 hour drive. (Crazy we are!)

Just thought I would share this little excerpt from their Runner's Packet:

"The runners may be subject to extreme temperatures of heat and cold,
hypothermia, heat stroke, kidney failure, seizures, low blood sugar,
disorientation, injury, falling rock or trees, wild animal or reptile
attack, or even death from their participation in this event."

Kidney Failure, Seizures, Wild Animals & Reptile attacks or Death! Sounds like a good time, eh?

Oh, they have 7 feet of snow on the trail that we'll be running. I think they'll be creating an alternate at that section...hopefully!

Pictures from Ruth Anderson

2008-04-21T22:46:00.001-07:00

The beginning of the race. It was COLD and I forgot my gloves! Thank you Jeff for lending me yours after the 1st lap!

After lap 2 or 3, starting to "warm-up" a bit. I couldn't help but laugh when Jeff was taking off his jacket and Rajeev was taking his picture. "No, wait, no yet!"

On my own rounding the 50k mark!

Enjoying the aid station food! Gotta love the potatoes and salt! Thanks to all of the volunteers and especially to a wonderful RD (and photographer!) Rajeev!

Ruth Anderson (Another PR??)

2008-04-19T20:28:00.000-07:00

Wow! It was windy...REALLLLLY windy!! I saw that the winds were 25-35mph with gusts to 50 mph. And let me tell you that it was no lie! The sand was really starting to whip up about 7 hours into it. My legs are nice and "exfoliated" now!

I've noticed that with every run that I do, I seem to forget something. This morning, I forgot my gloves. For the first time around the lake, I had my hands in my pockets. Luckily Jeff's hands get warm pretty quick, so I borrowed his. (By the way, THANK YOU, THANK YOU Eldrith for the gloves.) My hands would have been nice a toasty if I remembered them!!

The first few loops went by pretty quickly. Soon, I had reached the marathon point. One more lap to go before the 50k and the choice to stop or move to the 50 Mile race. I was starting to get tired, and I was starting to get tired of the wind. It was really bad on the opposite side from the start/finish line. I got to the start/finish aid station and made the decision to take my time, go to the bathroom and continue on. Jeff had finished a few minutes before me and was walking back from the 50k finish line. I crossed the 50k line about 5:30. If I would have stopped, it would have been a PR for me. (Hmmm, maybe that's not a good thing if I'm going for 50 miles now??)

Everything was in working order. A few minor stomach pains here and there, but everything was ok. I had started using a 10/1 run/walk ratio, but soon found that I was saving my walking time for when I was hitting strong headwinds. I was getting really beat up having to use my muscles to power through the harsh winds, flying sand and running over the accumulating debris. It seemed like every time around, more and more branches, pine cones and nuts were piling up on the ground.

When I had about one more lap to go for the 50 mile, I asked the time keepers how many more laps I would need to do to finish 100k. One of them said 4, the other said let's talk about that when you get back here after this next lap. I fueled up and headed back out.

What's deceptive is that leaving the start/finish line is the only time you really have any sort of tailwind. It's more of a side and sometimes back wind. And it's slightly downhill. Plus after about a mile, there's a nice downward slope that's easy for me to get some speed one. Once I rounded the corner to head to the second aid station, the wind had shifted slightly and I hit the headwind even sooner than in the past. I tried to picture myself as small as possible, picturing the wind moving right around me, not slowing me down. When I was hitting these headwinds, my pace would slow about 1 1/2 to 2 min/mi. And when a strong gust that carried dust and sand, it would nearly stop me. I had to cover my face and ears with my buff to keep it out of my mouth, nose and ears. It was at this point that I started to seriously consider whether or not to continue. I had heard many runners say that they were stopping at 50k because they had enough of the wind.

I decided that I had enough of the wind myself. I started to feel quite defeated. I really wanted that 100k finish, but I guess not enough. I had started to do estimates in my head and the thought having to run in the wind just interrupted the math. When I turned the corner to head back to the start/finish, I had made up my mind and started to drain my system of whatever energy I had left and finish with everything I had. I got right outside of the start/finish area and Jeff was standing there. I took my hand up to my neck and made a slitting motion. I was done. That was it. He cheered me on to let me know that I was still doing great and should be proud of how far I had gone.

I got to the score table, yelled out my number and said I'm finishing at 50 mile, see you in a little bit. I kicked it in. The 50 mile finish is over a mile away from the start/finish area. I pushed and pushed, and then my legs would tell me no more. I would stop for a 10 second walk and start up again. Jeff came by and said that he would pick me up so I didn't have to walk back. I pushed and pushed. I saw my goal, 9:25. I pushed up the slight bit of uphill by the golf course and continued on. I finally saw the finish line and gave everything I had. No need to save anything!

I had a strong finish in 9:23. 1st place male 29 and under, 8th overall. I beat my previous 50 mile PR (set two weeks ago at American River) by 32 minutes. Yes, this is literally the flattest course out there, but that wind created some huge hills to climb, with no downhills.

My legs are tired, I am tired. Getting ready for yet another busy week! Starts tomorrow morning with singing at a church in Lafayette at 10am. Probably should get to sleep so I get up in the morning.

Thank you Jeff for the gloves and running together!

American River 50 (A NEW PR!!)

2008-04-06T12:13:00.000-07:00

Wow! After having a nearly non-existent training period between the Napa Valley Marathon and this race (and being sick, sick, sick!) I really contemplated whether or not to do this race. I didn't want to get hurt and be out for the rest of the season, but I did sign up and really needed a confidence booster.

After a lot of thinking, (and having a hard time at the training run two weeks before) I decided that I would just go and finish the race. Even if it meant going 12 hours, I was going to be ok with it.

Friday afternoon, Ocean Beach Jeff came over to Oakland and we carpooled up to the Fleet Feet store to pick up our packets. We headed over to "Sacramento" Jeff's, where we would be spending the night. (Thanks Jeff!) We headed out for dinner. What's funny is that I had the exact opposite of what I normally would have for dinner the night before a race. Chicken strips and fries. Fried Food! Not exactly my stomach's best friend, but it was calling my name!

Got up nice and early to get ready for the race. Sac'to Jeff drove us to the start in Sacramento. It was a pretty cool morning (I think in the lower 40s). I had forgotten my gloves, so thankfully Jeff had a pair for me to wear. (It's great staying a runner's house the night before a race. If you forgot something, they'll have it!) Lots & Lots of people! AR50 reminds me of a marathon. Lots of people and an extra long line at the port-a-potties.

We started on the bike path that follows the American River. I ran with Jeff for about 3 miles when we caught up with Eldrith. I haven't seen Eldrith for about a month so I had to stop and give her a hug! Jeff ran ahead and Eldrith spent the next several miles running together. It was great to catch up with her and talk. I had a couple of stops along the bike path (it's sooo nice to have a toilet instead of the poison oak infested woods!)

It was about mile 10?? that I took off from Eldrith. She was running a great pace, around 10:15 min/mile, but my legs told me it was time to go a little faster. I hit the half marathon point around 2 hours 20 minutes. Uh Oh! I thought. Am I running too fast or just right? The thing that gets people at AR50 is the "road marathon" section. It's a fairly "easy" 50 miler when you look at the elevation change, but it's VERY easy to go out way to fast. I got into Beal's Point aid station feeling awesome! I did not feel like I just finished a marathon. I think I got in around 5 hours.

Along the way, Sac'to Jeff had been at every aid station cheering all of us on. It is REALLY nice to have someone you know out there on the course. At the halfway mark, Jeff ran with me out of the aid station and to the levee road. He gave me a few updates. Jeff was about 10 minutes ahead of me and Buzz was just a minute or two. Hmmmm....Could I catch them?

I got up on the levee road and notice Catra was in front of me. I was a little "star-struck". I meet Catra through the blogging world when I first started running ultras. I've always wanted to meet her. She has an amazing blog, she has done some amazing runs and fast-packing through the wilderness. I'm just in awe of her! I finally got to introduce myself (and to her boyfriend) and had a nice quick conversation with her. She's great. She asked me how I was doing. I told her I was feeling quite well and that my new goal for the race was to catch that old guy in the white shirt ahead of us. She laughed and said that she had been leapfrogging with him most of the race.

Off I went. Buzz was in my sights and flashbacks from Rio Del Lago 100 mile came. This is the last couple of miles to Cavitt Middle School (the finish line). I remember chugging along picking runners off as quickly as my blistered feet could carry me. I finally caught up to Buzz and told him that he's making us younger guys look bad! He laughed and we talked for a couple of miles. My legs were still feeling pretty good, so now with some downhills to play with, I started to take them more aggressively.

I hit Rattlesnake Bar Aid station fast. It's a quick downhill and I let 'er rip. Sac'to Jeff was there helping out with his running club that was running the aid station. He was very amazed that I was already there (so was I!)

Now, I can't remember if I had passed Jeff at this point or not. I thought it was very funny when I did. When caught up to him on the trails, I thought it would be funny to do something. I snuck up behind him and pinched his butt. He jumped and looked back ready to attack. I was laughing so hard, it probably was a good thing he didn't have a stronger reaction and hit me or something. He had hit a low spot and was starting to have a hard time. Anyone that's run these things understands! He figured that he hadn't been eating and drinking enough. What's great about having done many of these, you start to know exactly what to do to pull yourself out. Jeff's obviously becoming a seasoned runner. Being able to figure these things out when your head is barely screwed on is not always easy.

Seeing that Jeff was going to pull himself through (and he looked really good considering how he felt), I took off downhill. I just couldn't get over how fast I could go down the trail. It felt like when I was a little kid, going to my grandparent's cabin on the Mississippi River. The cabin was on a tall hill with the river below. As kids, we would be all excited when we first got there and would run down the hill to the river. With the American River below me, I felt like a kid again, running down towards the water. Instead of being concerned with how my feet were being placed, how at any moment I could twist my ankle, that my quads, knees and ankles were taking a beating, I just flowed down the trail. All of those thoughts plus the negative thoughts of beating a certain time, trying to keep up with the person ahead of me, being pushed by people running behind me...all of that was gone. It was like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders and I was lighter. And I could flow down those hills.

I kept passing people. I walked every uphill (and I mean every tiny uphill) and took a drink each time I was walking. The moment I crested a hill, I kicked it into high gear and dropped as quickly as I could. I had a big smile on my face, I laughed to myself (I even put my arms out like a little kid pretending to be an airplane), I've never had such a great time.

I got into Manhattan Bar Aid station. The sign said 4.4 miles to the next aid station. I started to do the math in my head. I figured once I reach the bottom of the last hill, it would take me an hour to get up it. I looked at my watch and figured if I push it a little, I'll probably come around 10:15 to 10:30. I got myself out of the aid station quickly and back on the trail.

The last portion of this course is alllll uphill. Literally, it is all uphill! One thing that I didn't realize is the last aid station is only 2.4 miles from the finish line. I thought it was 3.3 miles! Once I enter Last Gasp aid station, I looked down and saw that I had 35 minutes to do the last 2.4 miles to come in under 10 hours! I quickly got the top off of my water bottle, handing it to a volunteer who quickly filled it up. With a big grin, I ran out of the aid station up the hill. I wanted sub-10 hours. I was going to get sub-10 hours!

I'm not a great uphill runner, but I can walk like it's nobody's business. I figured that if I kept my walking pace lower than 15 min/mile and added some running here and there, I'd be ok. I hit the 2 miles to go sign and had 28 minutes. That put a jump in my step! I started to do more running. I was able to walk about 12-13 min/mi and run 9:30-9:50 min/mi. Boy, did I ever want this bad! I passed the 1 mile to go sign and had about 17 minutes to finish. I decided to do a little more walking (I was getting really tired by this point) and remembered that last year there was a 1/2 mile sign. I figured once I hit that sign I'll re-evaluate the situation. I kept going and going and realized that I was down to about 10 minutes to go. I was getting nervous that I hadn't seen the 1/2 mile sign. Then, I saw people turning off of road and heading up and round to the finish line. Holy Crap! I was already there!

I turned off the road and walked with all my might up the last bit of steep hill before and nice gentle down hill to the road. Thinking the finish line was right around the corner, I kicked it in and quickly passed one last person. I turned the corner and saw the finish line was at the other end of the parking lot. I kept going and decided to give it my all and run as hard as I could. I rounded the last corner and looked up at the clock, 9:55:57! I was amazed! I put my hands on top of my head and almost started crying. I was sooo amazed with what I had just done. They cut the timing chip off of my shoe and gave me my finisher's jacket. Sac'to Jeff was there and gave him a big hug. I was soo excited to finally break 10 hours in the 50 mile.

It wasn't too long when Jeff came around the bend and finished in a strong 10:04. It was 4 minutes off of his goal, but it was almost 1 hour faster than his previous 50 mile PR!!

We watched Buzz and Eldrith come in. I am so amazed at what great runners they are. I'm very lucky to be able to train with them when I can.

It was a great day and I met a lot of great people out there. Bill, who I ran with at the training run was out there finishing very strong at his first 50! Congratulations!

I love watching people finish, especially the mid to back of the packers. Ok...truth be told, I've never seen the front of the pack finish, because I'm always mid to back of the pack! But the look on these runner's face is so emotional for me. Seeing the runner that finished his 1st 50 miler, the woman who finished her 29th AR50 race, the woman who has run over 350+ ultras, the dad with his kids cheering him all the way to the finish line. They are all ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

If you ever want to see something amazing, volunteer at an aid station or be at the finish line of an ultra. To be out at an aid station, helping us runners get through what seems like hell at times and heaven at others, must be an amazing feeling. I know it's an amazing feeling for me to know that there are people out there, giving up their Saturday, to help me accomplish what some people might consider crazy, but what I consider one more goal, Another finish at another ultra. Each time is special and this was no different.

God I love this sport!

Napa Valley Marathon

2008-03-02T22:02:00.000-08:00

4:18:16.

Wow, I forgot how fast a marathon can be!

Beautiful weather. I was sick the week leading up to the run (7 days without running!)

Totally tired and need to get sleep now.

Now for 42 miles this coming Saturday!

Sequoia 50k

2008-02-16T18:05:00.000-08:00

What a blast! I'm really happy that Jeff asked me to run this race. Yep, that's how we work. Wednesday afternoon he asks me, and 10 minutes later, I'm signed up for another 50k. We're crazy when the two of us get together!

It was a beautiful day. A little chilly in the morning, but overall really great. The course was a 20k loop with a 10k out and back and then the 20k loop again. Though the second time on the 20k did not seem like going a second time. The hills become steeper, the downhills more technical and the flats, fewer. But that's ultras for ya!

In the beginning of the race, I ran with Ray (Jeff took off up the hill and I didn't feel like chasing him down at that point!) I had meet Ray back at Mt. Diablo 50k probably a 1 1/2 years ago. He was preparing to run the LA Marathon and thought he shouldn't run a 50k two weeks before (Hmmm...Napa Valley Marathon is in two weeks...) It was great to catch up with him and I'm hoping to get him running an ultra before you know it! If I can run them, anyone can run them! Just go slow and enjoy the scenery!

Since Ray was only doing the 30k, he sped up a bit and I finally caught Jeff. And the two of us ran the rest of the way together. I always enjoy running with Jeff, whether he's encouraging me and pulling me along or vice versa. Today, I did the encouraging. (And in two weeks, he will be doing the encouraging!)

One thing that I haven't done for a long time is "eat dirt". I don't mean when you are little and for some reason, you pick up a handful of earth and wonder....hmmm, this looks like mashed up Oreo's, it probably taste like Oreo's. No, I mean tripping and falling on the trail. Of course, I didn't trip and fall in the technical downhill section or one of the steep climbs. No, I do it on the flat, very smooth, very flat (and did I say smooth?) section of the a nice wide fire road. I guess I must have fallen asleep and was dragging my feet. As I was bringing my right foot back down, my toe caught the ground, the top of my foot and ankle followed and before I knew it, my other knee decided it should break my fall. I put my hands down to stop myself, water bottle in one, garbage in the other. I'm not sure why, but I had a death grip on the bottle and garbage, so my fists went down into the ground instead. And then I just laid there. I think I was in shock. How could I fall on flat, level, well-groomed fire road?
I had been re-baptized a trail runner. I got up, got the dirt of my hands and looked over at Jeff. Shrugged and started running. I had to look down a few times to see if my knee was bloody and I'm happy to report, just a little. If you're going to take a dive, you might as well have something to show for it!

Funny how a three minute action was one of the highlights of my run! :)

We finished fairly strong and in Brad fashion, I took off in a sprint for the last few hundred feet. If I still got something left, I might as well use the rest up!

It was great to see Buzz and Eldrith.

And it was nice to meet Jason Reed. Chikara and Jason will be dueling it out in the PAUSATF Grand Prix (29 and under) this year. I'm happy to have taken 2007 while they rested! ;) It will be a numbers game. Those two are fast and great runners, I'm slow, but am not afraid to tackle long distances and many of them. It will be an excited year to watch!

Also, after the race, I gave Garrett a ride back to his bike. Garrett ran the Trans-Continental Rockies Trail (Or something like that, someone can correct me) from Mexico to Canada....and back! He said that he had left his lights on and needed to go back to Mexico to turn them off! He's also ran the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) in (I think) 87 days. How awesome is that? I would love to do that! Makes running across flat little o' Iowa like a cakewalk!

Happy Trails!

2007 Open Mens PAUSATF Ultra Grand Prix Winner!

2008-02-10T20:05:00.000-08:00

http://www.pacificstriders.org/data/NewsRoad2008.html

Well, no one has contacted me, but I did win the 2007 Open Mens Division in the PAUSATF Ultra Grand Prix. I kicked butt. I scored about 4.5 times as many points over 2006!

If anyone knows who I should contact about some information regarding 2008's schedule, please let me know.

Getting sick, Getting better

2008-02-01T12:18:00.000-08:00

After a great race in New Mexico, I came down with a sore throat, sinus infection, a cough and overall yuckiness. Plus, it's been very cold and rainy in the Bay Area. It feels more like I'm back in the Midwest than here in "Sunny California". Needless to say, I haven't been able to do much running these past two weeks. Seven days off (and I had to miss the Fremont Fat Ass 50k!) and then only two days of running. I felt good on the runs, but it's nowhere near what I was hoping I would be doing about now.

It's been two days now that I'm finally feeling better. Not only was I sick, but I was also having problems falling asleep. Lots of different stresses in my life at the moment, and I think I was letting them get to me. Last night was the first night that I actually went to sleep before 1AM!

I hit a slump, but now am climbing back up. Tomorrow is the Woodside 50k. I'm not really in shape to be doing 31 miles, but I'll just take it slow and assess my fitness. Then, if I can stay well long enough, I'm back on schedule for BIGHORN 100! I just signed up today. There's always a rush of adrenaline that flows through my body when I sign up for a race. When I sign up for a 100 miler, the adrenaline REALLY starts to flow! Anxiety, excitement...it's all there!

Happy Trails & stay dry!

Ghost Town 38.5

2008-01-22T15:39:00.000-08:00

I'm haven't been very good about writing race reports, and I know that they can be very helpful. (I'm currently looking for Bighorn reports!)

Here's an email I had sent some friends that is probably as close as I'll get for a race report:

It was difficult! It was 18 degrees at the start line and drop to 12 degrees at the first aid station. The biggest problem I had was trying to keep my fingers warm. My hands start to turn white at 55 degrees, so you can imagine what they were like well below freezing! The altitude caused me to have a shortness of breath for most of the race. It seemed like I was breathing twice as fast.

Since my fingers were pretty non-functional for the first 15 miles, I really fell behind in hydration (not good at elevation!) and nutrition. I knew I was in trouble going up to the 4th aid station (which is the turnaround point). Jeff has some great uphill skills (note to self, MORE HILL WORK!) and I could usually catch back up on the downhill. But at AS 4, I was starting to dry heave (nothing in the stomach) and try to recompose myself so I could get some fluids in and eat a PB&J sandwich and a little Coke. I continued to struggle going back out of AS 4 (which is a gradual uphill before some bigger uphill sections) but continued with forward motion. Jeff was very encouraging calling back to remind me to drink, to power hike, to keep moving. After about a mile or two out of AS 4, I knew I was not coming out of the funk, so I waved Jeff on. He still had enough to finish close to his goal time. At that point, I was upset with myself for not being able to keep up, but at the same time, I had much pride knowing that my running buddy was doing so well.

I continued to drudge on and up the rocky and quite difficult trail up to AS 5. It wasn't until AS 6 did I have a feeling that it might just be ok. I had done A LOT of walking, but still managed to run the downhills and jog along the flats (which weren't many!) I must have had the biggest smile on my face running into AS 6. The volunteer had a great big smile and said that most people coming into that aid station had big ol' grimaces on their faces, but I had the biggest smile so far that day. I think I realized that I would finish, it may be a much slower time than anticipated, but I would finish. I had to smile.

I left that AS feeling much better about the whole situation. My fingers were finally moving again, the lightheadedness wasn't as bad, the air was feeling a little thicker and my legs didn't feel completely like dead lead weights. Maybe I could ran after all? And so I did. I ran until I saw Carroll at the "parking lot". Here I ate a few potatoes and drank a bunch of water. That's what I really needed. I got back on course and starting to run much more and at this time, I started up a conversation with Todd Williams from Albuquerque and we paced each other to the finish line. And when I see a finish line, I always find that last bit of energy to run it in as hard as I can. 8 hours 42 minutes. I think 23 out of 47. Not the goal of 8 hours, but considering everything, I'm happy with my finish.

Lessons learned:
* Warmer gloves. MUCH warmer gloves.
* Even if it hurts, somehow get liquid & food in my system.
* Always move forward. Even if it's at a snail's pace, at least it's forward!
* Respect elevation. If it's above 5,000 ft, it's probably going to affect my running.
* Ghost Town is NOTHING compared to Bighorn. Time to train accordingly!

The race is great. The RD is awesome. The course demands respect, at least from us lowlanders. The runners are some of the nicest people you'll ever meet. In a few days, I'll forget the pain and want to do it again.

New year, lots of races

2008-01-05T15:31:00.000-08:00

My running bud, Jeff and me up in the Marin Headlands.

As you can see, it's been a while since I've last posted. Lots of life changes..but what's new about that?!?

If you look to the side bar, you'll notice that the list of races are starting to pile up. The ones that have links to the race, I have already registered. Some of them haven't open registration yet and I haven't made up my mind on a few others.

Happy Thanksgiving

2007-11-21T09:11:00.001-08:00

What a busy time of year! I had a great ~13 mile run with Jeff on Sunday morning. It was the first half of the upcoming Ocean Beach 50k (Dec. 16th). It's going to be a great course.

I didn't think I'd be able to take much time off running, but my schedule has really helped! Seems like there is always something going on.

Good luck to all of you doing the Quad Dipsea this weekend. That is one tough course.

Run Across Iowa 2008

2007-11-15T07:05:00.000-08:00

Announcing Run Across Iowa 2008, "Run the Line!"

I'm not sure if that will be the official title, but it makes sense. Next July, the run will follow the Minnesota/Iowa Border (for the most part) and finish in Lansing, IA on the Mississippi River.

This year will not be a solo effort! Jeff "Ocean Beach" Johnston and perhaps Buzz Higgins will be joining me for the 300+ mile journey. Kent & Paula may be joining me for a day or two. There is still lots of planning to be done, but I invite everyone to think about coming out this year to run. Whether it's 1 mile of walking or 6 days of running, this is an experience that is best shared!

Last year I was able to share this experience with my aunt Laurie, my mom, uncle Mike, and my aunt Colleen and of course my sister Liz who rode her bike along side me the entire distance. Even though it may have only been a few steps or a few miles, each time was an amazing experience and I am very lucky to have shared it with each one.

I'm going to be pestering a few of you to see if you want to start training now to maybe run your first 1/2 or full marathon (or maybe your first ultra!) during the 6 days. There are over 7 months to prepare! Let me know and we'll create a training plan together.

And since we do have over seven months to prepare, I'm thinking this year officially announcing a charity to raising money for. Do you have a charity in mind?

The dates, July 13-18, 2008
The mileage: ~50 miles a day

Last year's finish line

PA/USATF standings

2007-11-06T18:26:00.000-08:00

It's not to often that I get to say that I'm first when it comes to sports. But right now, I am.

PA/USATF Standings

I have two more years in the 20-29 age division. After that, it gets much more difficult!

Look down at the 40-49 age division and you'll see Jeff "Ocean Beach" Johnston in 7th place and Jeff "Sacramento" Barbier in 13th place. That age division is very difficult and a big congratulations goes out to both of them!

There are only two more races (one was this past weekend) left on the schedule!

Do I know the meaning of "taking a break?"

2007-11-06T18:13:00.000-08:00

Nope, don't think I do!

I was at the Frontrunner's Saturday morning run, and I went up to Don to see which marathon he was running this weekend. He was up to 4 marathons in 5 weeks (or something like that). He mentioned that he was doing Silicon Valley the next day. He said that the registration was still open, but I'd have to go down that day to sign up. What?? What do you mean, if I want to register? I'm on a break...right?

Yeah, I guess a break from ultras. Long story short, I ran the 1/2 marathon the next day. Ocean Beach Jeff came and ran with me. What's funny is that just on a whim, I do this, and just on a whim, I happen to get a PR. I've only run 1/2 marathon once before, but I was also training for a marathon during that time (aka I was faster.) I broke my personal record by 7 minutes, 14 seconds.

My goal was just to come in under 2 hours. I just did Whiskeytown 50k the week before and my left ankle was a little sore (I had twisted it...again).

Silicon Valley Half-Marathon 2007:
1:48:20
overall: 123 out of 887
25-29 Male: 15 out of 70
Male: 103 out of 452
Pace: 8:16 min/mi

I think I've redeemed myself from the EBFRW 10k run!

I will have to say, it was hard to run only a 1/2 when there was a full marathon to be done.

Whiskeytown 50k

2007-10-29T06:27:00.000-07:00

Friday afternoon, "Ocean Beach" Jeff and I headed north to Redding for the Whiskeytown 50k. This is one of the last races in the PAUSATF Ultra Grand Prix series. I didn't need the points, but thought it would be a great way to end the racing season.

This is a very low-key race. I think there was around 48 runners in the 50k, which is quite a small field.

I thought this would be a fairly easy course. I don't know why, but that's what I thought. Partly through the race, I turned to Jeff and told him I had found new respect for the race. I thought it wasn't going to be that difficult, but crossing a creek 15+ times wears one out quickly!

I rolled my left ankle...again...at about mile 11. There were a lot of leaves on the ground and the rocks were blending into the ground. My foot didn't bother me until about mile 18. That's when I hit a long downhill section and it kicked my butt. Jeff was in great shape at that time and took off. I was not eating well at this point and was getting dehydrated and low on my electrolytes. I started to crash. I was having a hard time moving forward. I forced myself to take another gel and popped a few more salt pills. Once I got to the next aid station, none of the food looked appealing and I just downed a few cups of coke and kept moving. I think if there was a vehicle that could have taken me back to the finish line, I might have taken it. Ok, probably not because I'm really stubborn, but I was close!

I forced another gel down about a mile away from the multiple creek crossing section (mile 23?). I was working really hard to avoid the water. I figured the last thing I needed was wet feet to weigh my already beat up body. On the fourth crossing, my foot slipped and into the water I went. It felt great to have ice cold water on my foot! Something about the water woke my body up and I came back alive! From then on, I took every crossing right through the water.

I finished the last of the creek crossings and finally saw someone ahead of me. Guy in the red shirt. He had been running with a partner and the two of them had been running with Jeff the last time I saw him. Either he was losing steam, or I was gaining. Since I had been down to practically a crawl, I figured this guy must be really slowing down.

I caught him on a hill and passed. We exchanged a few words (I don't remember anything I said!) before I continued powering up the hill.

I got up to the road and was told I had only 8 miles to go. Sloshing along in my wet feet, I slowly made my way along the fire road to the next aid station. As I got closer to the AS, I could hear Red Shirt Guy gaining on me. I got up to the aid station, filled my bottles quickly and just as I was leaving, saw him get into the aid station. The volunteers told me to hurry up and don't let him catch you! That's all I needed. I found my third wind with 7 miles to go. The next three miles I swear I could hear his feet hitting the ground behind me. I didn't dare take a look back, in fear that I would hit yet another rock and really mess up my foot! Before I knew it, I had caught up with Jeff. He looked back and as if he had known I would be showing up he said...hey there, I've been waiting for you. We took the next 4 miles easy and finished strong in 6:11:51.

What a low-key finish. You pretty much had to clap yourself in! We got our medals and went down to the lake to cool our legs off. The post-race food was unfortunately quite lacking. It was pretty much what they had at the aid stations, except for the minestrone soup. It was good soup, but not enough after 6 hours of running!

While we waited for our drop bags to show up, we had a great conversation with Lisa Huerta. In my mind, she is a powerful, consistent runner. Most races I finish within a few places of her.

I think after this race, it's safe to say I'm done for the season. My ankle is sore again, but not nearly as sore as it was after Firetrails. It will be weird not to have a race in November, but there is the Ocean Beach 50k in mid-December. November will be all about getting my ankle healed and my core strengthened. Also it's about other life changes. I'll be moving at the end of the month, plus I'm getting ready for a holiday concert.

That should keep me busy.

Whiskeytown 50k
6:11:51, 20th place (48 finishers)

NOVA's Marathon Challenge

2007-10-24T09:29:00.000-07:00

I received an email from a PBS's NOVA promotional person that had asked if I would post this to my blog. I've always wanted to be part of such a documentary. One day...

NOVA's "Marathon Challenge" will be premiering this Tuesday, October 30, at 8PM ET/PT on PBS. You can check your local listings to confirm when it will be broadcast near you at
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/schedule-local.html

Here's the scoop on the show: Six months ago, a team of rookies stepped to the starting line of the Boston Marathon. As members of Team NOVA, they were part of an experiment: a test to see what it takes to mold a batch of non-runners into a team of marathoners. Tune in Tuesdsay to find out how this diverse group of hopeful novices transformed physically and mentally to meet the challenge.

While you're waiting, why not click over to the Marathon Challenge Web site, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/marathon, where you can meet Team NOVA and its coaching group, get training tips, and explore the physiology of fitness.

Plus, we have two podcasts and a vodcast scheduled to launch this week in conjunction with the show: On Wednesday, meet Sama Elbannan, a 28-year-old novice whose "Oh, it's just a marathon!" attitude evaporates almost as soon as she laces up her shoes. Then elite runner Uta Pippig, advisor to Team NOVA, describes her philosophy on running in "Taking the Marathon Challenge," also hitting iTunes on Wednesday. On Friday, "Coach Don" Megerle, director of the Tufts President's Marathon Challenge and a coach of Team NOVA, shares the adrenaline rush he gets from watching his runners achieve their marathon goals: "After the last person is finished crossing the line, it takes me several days to come down from that." These 'casts are all available on iTunes. Or, visit our podcasting page to find out how to get them delivered directly to your computer: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/rss/podcasting.html.

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL PUBLIC TELEVISION!! ;)

Finally running again!

2007-10-22T22:13:00.000-07:00

Jeff J. & I coming down the hill into the turnaround aid station at Firetrails

I went for a 5 mile trail run tonight. I've been pretty nervous about how my leg and ankle have been feeling lately. I went from barely walking last week to now running a decent speed for 5 miles. Looks like I still have youth on my side! I think it also helped that I spent over a week off from running.

Lots of life happening at the moment. Seems like there is barely a moment to catch my breath before the next thing needs attention.

This week is Whiskeytown 50k. Taking it real easy and giving myself permission to DNF to save my foot if necessary!

Thanks Jeff!

Two races, one weekend?

2007-10-15T07:37:00.000-07:00

Yep...so I might not be the smartest cookie in the jar, but I have a lot of fun!

Saturday, Dick Collins Firetrails 50 Mile: 10:54:04
Sunday, EastBay Frontrunners Pride Run 10k: 1:01:xx

I probably shouldn't have run the 10k the next day...I guess I didn't learn my lesson from last year! I was limping along the entire way for my new Personal Worst time for a 10k...1 hour and 1 minute! I came in last place! I really wanted to quit after the first 100 yards, but as I rounded the start/finish line starting lap 2, I decided I would rather be DFL than DNF. I've never had a DNF yet, though I might have a DNS for Whiskeytown in two weeks!

My left leg around my ankle is pretty swollen and I'm limping pretty good today. If the swelling doesn't go down today, I'll make a doctor's appointment. I hate doctors.

Running this weekend

2007-10-07T10:19:00.000-07:00

Brad, Jeff, Eldrith & Buzz at Mt. Tam.

Jeff, Eldrith & Buzz at Mt. Tam

What could be better than running 16.5 miles around Mt. Tam, running with these three people! A RDL reunion of sorts. Early Saturday, we all met at Mountain Home Inn in Marin County and spent all morning running along the beautiful trails around Mt. Tam.

One problem, you know how some trails are "single track?" Well, some of these trails were "half" track. I was flying down the trail and my left foot fell off to the side and I twisted it pretty good. Enough for me to actually stop, think about how hurt it really was and then started to limp forward until I was able run without any pain. It didn't help that about 20 minutes before I had hit my left foot against a ragged sharp rock. All part of the trail running experience, right?

Unfortunately I was not able to stay for lunch afterwards, I had a board meeting & wedding to go to later in the day. I was able to finally get home at 4:15, and with the wedding starting at 5pm, I had little time to get ready. I sat down on my bed and that's when I finally felt my ankle and leg muscle...I needed ice and Advil and to put my foot up. I was going no where quickly.

This morning when I got out of bed, my left leg is still feeling a little weak. Time to do some slow stretching and hopefully to a quick recovery for Saturday's Firetrails 50 Mile!

2007 coming to an end

2007-10-05T07:16:00.000-07:00

Weird to think that it will be 2008 in a short few months. After reading Mountain Man Steve's blog entry recapping 2007, it started me thinking about this past year, resting (or not), and 2008.

The rest of 2007 is all planned.
Dick Collins Firetrails 50 Mile, October 13th
East Bay Frontrunner's Pride 10k Run, October 14th (or should I say shuffle!)
Whiskeytown 50k, October 27th
Ocean Beach 50k, December 16th

November will be the first month where I have no ultra planned. I was thinking of doing the Helen Klein 50 on November 3rd, but I have a chorus gig that day. It's probably a good thing too, because knowing me I would have run it...and probably hurt myself in the process!

As I'm talking with my running friends, many of them are planning on taking some time off after Firetrails or Javelina until next year. Last year I took time off after Firetrails. I ended up gaining about 15 pounds by January (and no, that wasn't 15 pounds of muscle!) So what is one to do? What does taking time off look like?

One great thing about living in the Bay Area, is that we have great running weather pretty much year round. We have our cold days (50-55 degrees) and we have our rainy days (December thru April), but even our worst days are better than some people's average days!

At this time, I do have a slight break in races. Whiskeytown 50k will be the last "official" race on Oct. 27th, but I will be doing Jeff's Ocean Beach 50k on Dec. 16th. The next race I'm looking at is the Ghost Town 38.5 Mile on January 20th. It is in New Mexico, so I'll have to make up my mind pretty soon! The next race after that is the Jed Smith Ultra in February.

I'm still planning out my schedule for 2008. Looks like it's going to be a busy one! Dec. 1st is the lottery drawing for Western States, so that will be a determining factor in my 2008 schedule. Ocean Beach Jeff has a strong feeling that I'll get in this year. I hope I do. I've wanted to do WS100 before I turn 30 and 2008 is my last chance!

Other not-so-far-off race goals: Badwater 135. The application process is a little lengthy and I'm not sure exactly what they are looking for. My goal is to run it in 2009 or 2010. If anyone out there has suggestions on how to put together a great application, please let me know!

Enough rambling. Tomorrow is ~18 miles with Eldrith, Buzz, and Ocean Beach Jeff in the Marin Headlands. Should be a lot of fun (except that it's going to be cold in the early morning!)

Running at night is awesome!

2007-10-04T06:52:00.000-07:00

I just realized last night on a ~14 mile trail run that I just love running at night on trails. It really helps to have someone there (thanks Ocean Beach Jeff!) to keep the scary night animals at bay. I think night running is a key component of success to a faster 100 mile time. If I can maintain my speed (maintain a slow steady pace) at night, my 100 mile time should come down.

Last night, Ocean Beach Jeff came over and we took off from my house around 6pm. Up Keller Ave to the Leona Open Space Preserve. This is a great little canyon in between Campus Drive and Skyline Blvd (just south of Merritt College). We went along this trail for a mile or so and turned on a trail that takes you straight up to Skyline. I want to find the profile for "K2" at RDL and this hill. I think the East Bay has some pretty good hills that just are unknown to many of us.
Once we reach Skyline, we ran back down to the south to the Equestrian Staging Area and filled our water bottles. Down the connecting trail and over to Bort Meadows. We continued along the MacDonald trail until my Garmin said 7 miles. We turned around and trekked back up the hill. That hill was one of those bigger ones in Skyline/Firetrails that takes you over to Bort Meadows.
It was great to see stars in the sky. You don't get to see them too often in Oakland! Plus we saw 2 deer, a skunk, and what I thought was a little owl. It was a little odd. Here was this little bird that would wait until we were about 2 feet next to it and then it would fly down the trail and wait until we got close again. The bird did this about 4 times. I guess he was just showing us the way!
Made it back through the cattle gates, past Bort Meadow and back up to the Equestrian center. This is where we had a choice, either go down Keller Ave and be done in less than 2 miles or go back down the other trail, which would add about, as I put it, "More than 3 but no more than 5 miles." Jeff said let's take the trail. His response is why I know we make good running partners...we almost always opt for the longer, more difficult route. So back up Skyline and down the trail (which is quite steep going down!) through the canyon and back on Keller. A quick up and down back to my house. We took a nice walk around the block to cool down.
Almost 3 hours later and about 14 hilly miles completed, it was a great run. Not bad for 10 days after 100 miles!
Saturday will be the last long run before Firetrails 50.

How much is too much?

2007-10-02T17:51:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking a lot about different races and multi-day races seem to be grabbing more and more of my attention. Especially the Self-Transcendence 6 or 10-day. This race takes place in New York around a very short loop course. And for 6 or 10 days you run and run and run. (Sound familiar?)

I was looking at some of the runner's profiles and many have done 300+ miles in 6 days, just about what I have planned for Iowa in 2008. This seems a little scary to me. Here these people come from all over the world, have years and years experience (some have more than 25+ years of running experience) and are at the top of their game. And I'm going to attempt something very close. 50 miles a day for 6 days, in the heat and humidity of an Iowan summer.

My aunt asked me if this was even possible, to run 50 miles a day for six days. I'm not sure I replied. I also let her know that I didn't really think I could run 28 miles a day for 11 days, but somehow I made it through.

I've very excited to give it a try, but wonder if my body could handle that much physical and mental strain?

Back and running

2007-10-01T21:48:00.001-07:00

Had a great 5.3 mile run on Saturday morning with the East Bay Frontrunners. Ocean Beach Jeff came out to enjoy a nice recovery run with me. We had so much to talk about. It was mostly about Rio del Lago 100 Mile, but also about the upcoming races, including the Ocean Beach 50k which Jeff has been creating the past few weeks. It sounds like it's going to be an awesome run. He's even going to have T-shirts! I wish I was that organized for my Afraid of the Dark run. Next year...next year I'll have shirts!
If anyone is interested, the Ocean Beach 50k will be held Sunday, Dec. 16th @ 7:30am, right at Ocean Beach. Limited aid (unless we can find some volunteers??), but the price is right...FREE! It is limited to 12 people though. Send me an email if you want more information. We'll be going across the Golden Gate Bridge...how fun is that!
I went for a 5 mile run tonight on the trails. It's getting dark pretty quickly these days. By 7pm, it was getting a little harder to see when the trees covered the trail. Then the noises started. Running along the trail...at dusk, you start to hear every noise amplified. At least I do. I try to tell myself that it's just a bird, or a squirrel...NOT a mountain lion. I know it's possible and not probable. Tonight I heard something that was much larger than a bird. I turned towards the noise and grunted and hollered with my arms up in the air...I could sort of see through the brush that it was a deer. I must have done a good "Raise your arms, make lots of noise, scare the mountain lion" act. That deer took off pretty quick!
This Wednesday will be a ~12 mile run and then Saturday a 20 mile run in the Marin Headlands with Buzz, Eldrith, and Jeff. Then back into a short taper for the Dick Collins Firetrails 50 Mile on October 13th!

Running again

2007-09-28T09:04:00.000-07:00

I went for a nice and easy (a little hilly) 2.2 mile "run" last night. Not very fast, maybe 11-12 min/mi pace. I left the watch and Garmin at home. I didn't want to get distracted by gadgets and gave all my attention to my body.

My blisters are healing, my aches are fading. Saturday will be my first time back running any significant distance, hopefully 5-7 miles. Still nice and slow and paying close attention to how I feel.

Still working on my RDL report. Seems like once one race is done, mentally I've moved onto the next race.

I've signed up for yet another race, Whiskeytown 50k. Takes place on Oct. 27th. Still contemplating Helen Klein 50K or M. Maybe I'll do a wait and see until after Whiskeytown. Next up is Dick Collins Firetrails 50 Mile on October 13 and then the next day, the East Bay Frontrunners 10k Pride Run. Will not be breaking any 10k PRs that day!

Getting my WS100 application in the mail shortly. Will this be the year? Will I be a two-time loser?

Mile 55?

2007-09-25T23:27:00.000-07:00

Coming into another aid station (maybe Rattlesnake?) Paula is pacing right behind. My flashlight (thank you Zombie Runner!) is so bright, that I led the entire time during the night. Went through a lot of batteries, but well worth keeping on the trail!

Coming into No Hands Bridge AS

2007-09-25T23:20:00.000-07:00

Flying down the hill into mile 40. Jeff ahead and Buzz Higgins behind.

RDL Pictures

2007-09-25T23:14:00.000-07:00

"Ocean Beach" Jeff and I at the start line. We are totally excited!! (And I think a little freaked out!)

Can I have some more?

2007-09-24T06:32:00.000-07:00

Awesome, awesome, awesome! That's all I can say. What an experience!

I finished (if you couldn't tell!) 27 hours 20 minutes 38 seconds! I placed 35 out of 98 starters!

My feet took a beating. My first blister appeared at mile 26 and it just got worse! My calves are really tight, but the rest of my body feels absolutely fine!

More to come...

Am I ready for 100?

2007-09-21T06:47:00.000-07:00

Before any race I get a little nervous. I think it's a combination of excitement, nerves and sometimes a lack of confidence. That lack of confidence shows up as questions: Did I train enough? Will my IT Band not act up? Am I really a runner? Can I really do this? Am I just crazy? Do I have the right nutrition? Are my shoes too old, too new? Did I get enough rest beforehand?

I'm driving myself nuts! I just need to tell myself that I'm as trained as I will be; My IT Band will or will not act up; Yes, you are a runner; Of course you can do this; Yes, of course I'm crazy; Just eat and drink; I'm brining four pair of shoes, I'll find the ones that are "just right"; You'll never get enough rest if you have all of these questions going through your head!!!

I have everything packed and ready to go. Last night, I made a decision to stop by Target and pick up a few last things. Hat, gloves, jacket, pants, extra flashlight, gas-x strips, baggies, plastic container, camera case. I was amazed. This is the first time that I've been able to go to a single store and find everything on my list. That NEVER happens. There usually a few things that either they don't have or out of stock. Thank You Target!

I had been planning of one HOT run. The average temps are in the upper 80s and low 90s. Well, not this year (I'm not surprised!) It's going to be in the upper 50's and RAINING! It does not rain in September...except for the one time I'm attempting my first 100. Who knows...it just might be the one thing that helps me finish!

A few last minute things this morning; getting my tire fixed on my Escape, battery for my watch, print out crew packets, pacer packets, get cash, print out driving directions, get maps, pack clothes for Sunday. Ok, so there's still a lot of things I need to do!

I have a feeling that after this first 100 miler (and I survive and want to do more of them) it's going to be a lot easier to get everything together. Almost like a 50 mile race. I usually just get up, take a shower, eat breakfast, put some bodyglide on my feet, grab my water bottles and go out the door.

Keep me in your thoughts and prayers over the next days!

Goals:
Finish in 28 hours. (Cut-off time 30 hours.)
Do no get pulled from the course.
Be able to walk on Monday.

Backpacking 2007

2007-09-13T12:54:00.000-07:00

On top of Thunderbolt Pass, above Dusy Basin.

At Bishop Pass.

Know where you are going and "when" to get back!

2007-09-13T07:09:00.000-07:00

I went over to San Francisco after work to pick up "Ocean Beach" Jeff and go for a Wednesday evening run. He was going to show me part of the course for the upcoming, first-ever Ocean Beach 50k.
It looks like it's going to be a great course. Out-and-back along Ocean Beach, up some stairs and over to the coastal trail to the Golden Gate Bridge, over to the Marin Headlands, loop around and go back to the beginning. Really great. During the run, I suggested that maybe there would be a 100k option (you know, because why not?!) Well, that will have to be reconsidered because of a little incident.
Did you know that the pedestrian part of the Golden Gate Bridge closes at 9pm? NO? Neither did we! We got over the bridge and Jeff asked if I would like to see the first mile of the Headlands portion. Of course I said yes! We ran underneath the bridge up to the trail. Went a little over a mile up the hill to the hurricane-force winds that blow the fog over the top of the hills. WOW! On our way up, we encounter an animal of some sort and a big spider that tried to own the trail.
It was beautiful and very dark! We flew back down the hill (as fast as one can go with a flashlight in the dark) and back under the bridge. Just as we reached the stairs to go back up the other side, a loud buzzing sound went off. We both jumped and I looked up and yelled, "The gate is closing! The gate is closing!"
We got to the entrance and sure enough, the gate had automatically closed. There was no way to get through. CRAP! There was a sign that said to push the big red button. I did and a voice came over the loudspeaker. "The bridge closes at 9pm, it will open at 5am tomorrow." Jeff and I looked at each other. "We are not spending the night up here." We looked up to where the voice came from and said we need to get back across!
The voice came back and said to pick up the phone if we had more questions. I picked up the phone. The voice told me that the bridge was closed. I pleaded, "Please, we need to get back across, my car is on the other side!" He asked why I didn't see the sign that said it closed at 9pm. Playing dumb (and I didn't see the sign the first time) "I'm from Oakland, I didn't know!"
He told me that he would send someone over to pick us up and drop us off on the other side.
Oh, thank God!
A cop pulled up and we got into the back seat. Only if I had my camera. I couldn't help but laugh at ourselves for getting a ride in the back of a cop car, across the Golden Gate Bridge. The cop was really nice about the whole deal. Actually, he did a lot of talking. A lot of talking. I think he was pretty bored out there and was happy for the chance to talk to someone.
We finally got back to Jeff's house completing our 3 hour adventure. What a run!
Of course the fun didn't stop there for me. I missed a traffic break by about 1 minute on I-80 getting onto the Bay Bridge. There was road construction and they had everyone get off the freeway at Fourth Street, take city streets to Essex/First St. to get back on.
Finally by midnight, I had dinner and was in bed.

I can't wait for the next run! :)

Preview report of AYAOTD!

2007-09-02T10:36:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Don and Jeff for completing the First Annual "Are You Afraid of the Dark 12 Hour Fun Run!"

Here are some pictures of the run.

Brad, Jeff, Don: Here we are In the Dark! 9pm up on Skyline in the Oakland Hills. We spent 3 hours of FUN on the trails. Goats, Spiderwebs, a weird trailer, cops, Lovin' in vehicles and fireworks! Yes, this run was to have it all!

Don, Jeff, Brad: Lake Merritt! We survived the trails of the East Bay Hills; the mountain lions had spared us, but would we be afraid here at the largest urban saltwater lake? Peter joined us for the FUN and did a few laps with us. Rats, screams, drunks, gunfire, we had it all at Lake Merritt!

The Aid Station: After some initial confusion, the race director/volunteer (yours truly) finally got his act together and the aid station came together. The back of my vehicle was our oasis in the dark. Our oasis of watermelon, pb&j sandwiches, potatoes & salt, brownies, muffins, pretzels, bananas, water, gatorade, salt tablets, tums...if we didn't have it, we probably didn't need it!

Jeff, Brad, Don: Alameda! And the FUN continued in Alameda! It was 4am and only 5 hours left of FUN was to be had. Fred joined us for a bit and John Taylor brought us much needed coffee in the morning. Pot smokers, vomit, GI problems, chafing in places where the sun doesn't shine and a second wind.

Jeff, Brad, Don: We had a great time! We came sprinting over the pedestrian bridge into Bay Farm Island with 5 minutes to spare, so to stay true to "12 hours", we finished with a 5 minute out and back along the bay.

Thank you for everyone's support, especially to Don and "Ocean Beach" Jeff, without them I just might have been to Afraid of the Dark to finish! Thanks "Sacramento" Jeff for your text messages. It gave us a surge of energy to keep going!

And a huge CONGRATULATIONS to Don for completing his first ultramarathon! I never had any doubt!

And...Give runners 12 hours to think and you never know what you'll get. (Save the Date, December 15 and/or 16! Details to come!)

A complete run report will be posted to a little later today...hopefully!

Brad Niess
Race Director/Aid Station Captain/Runner

Introducing Ocean Beach Jeff!

2007-09-02T10:29:00.000-07:00

Come check out the newest member of the Blog world, Ocean Beach Jeff
He has a great report on the Are You Afraid of the Dark run.

ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK 12 HOUR FUN RUN!

2007-08-31T14:17:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the first ever (un)OFFICIAL, (il)LEGAL, "ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK 12 HOUR FUN RUN!"

Don F. from EastBay Frontrunners and introducing Jeff Johnston, fellow ultrarunner will be joining me for the entire AYAOTD12HFR!

(Oakland Hills: 9pm - midnight)
On the dark trails in the hills.

(Lake Merritt: midnight - 4am)
Come join in the fun at Midnight! After 3 hours of trail running (in an undisclosed location, shhh!), we will move down to Lake Merritt. We will setup my vehicle as the Aid Station at EBFRW's regular meeting spot. Check street cleaning signs so you don't get a ticket!!

(Alameda: 4am - 9am)
After 4 awesome FUN! hours of going in circles, we will be moving over to Bay Farm Island (aka Harbor Bay, aka Alameda). Again, we will be parking in the usual EBFRW meeting space, on Veterans Court.

In Alameda, we have others that will be joining the FUN around 6am, maybe Fred & John T. (do I hear other names?) Give me a call when you arrive (or when you are on your way.) I'll let you know where we are at so you can come join us! Keep in mind that we'll have been running over 8-10 hours by this time and might not be making a lot of sense! ;)

You can send a text message any time of the night to send encouraging words.

I will have food/gu/gel/bars/water/aspirin/advil/tums and what not, but feel free to bring something to share (do I hear donuts and coffee in the morning hours???)

Brad Niess,
RD of AYAOTD12HFR!

Woo hoo!

2007-08-29T06:51:00.000-07:00

I get to run tonight! I sometimes worry that I'm getting burned out on running but today I feel anything but burn-out! I can't wait to get out there again and do some running!

Pretty warm today (85+), so perfect for some heat training. Ok, so it's not 95 and going uphill at mile 40 (RDL), but it's better than nothing!

In recovery mode

2007-08-28T16:39:00.000-07:00

After Sunday's run, I've been a little out of it. I was a bit more dehydrated than what I thought. Clouds, fog and cool temperatures created an illusion that I didn't need to drink. Lesson learned, keep up the hydration! Drink! I remember going to fill up my water bottle at the second aid station and noticing that I still had a full bottle. I looked down, took a few big gulps and then refilled it. I even said out loud, Uh oh, I'm not drinking enough. Should have listened to myself!

Monday I took it easy. Tuesday (today), I'll be taking it easy once again. While most people would take a few weeks to recovery from Sunday's race, I'll be back on the road Wednesday with the EastBay Frontrunners running around Lake Merritt for a slow 6 miles. No need to take anything fast right now!

Preparing for Friday night's run. I'm really excited. Sounds like Don is really going to try and go the entire time and Jeff, someone I met at Headlands on Sunday will be joining us. It's going to be great. I have two more EBFRW members joining us in Alameda around 6AM to finish out the run.

More rolling on the foam roller, another pair of trail and road shoes and I should be good to go! I hope that I'll be receiving my package from Zombie Runners soon! I ordered a flashlight and hope to have it for Friday!

Golden Gate Headlands 50k

2007-08-27T09:55:00.000-07:00

What a course!

I got to the start line nice and early at 6am (I hate being rushed!) I quickly got my number and went to the bathroom. If I've learned anything from running races, get to the restroom as fast as possible, the lines can get long. I went back to my SUV and put on my number, ate the last of my Cliff Bar, drank some more water and read over the course description one last time. One thing I didn't want to happen was to get lost and have to back track up those steep hills!

We moved down to Rodeo Beach about 5 minutes to 7AM. The temps weren't that bad, but the wind kept things a little cool. With a quick countdown we were off across the beach. This is the first time I've run in sand/pebbles. It was a good 3-5 inches deep in places. Since I started very close to the back, I watched the footprints to see which path had the most compacted sand. I thought the last thing I need to do is wear myself out on the first 1/4 mile!

The first part of trail was uphill, something that would happen quite often in this race, uphill and downhill. Not quite as much as Diablo, but darn close. As we crossed the road and headed up Wolf Ridge. Here I caught up with Charles Savage. I had run with him off and on at Skyline 50k and had given me some good advice for my upcoming 100 miler. What a difference running (well, at this point walking) with someone else makes. Charles was describing the course to me. I had asked him what his expected finishing time would be for this race. He thought it would be around 7 hours. Since Charles finished a few minutes ahead of me at Skyline, I figured it would be good for me to keep up with him.

About 35 minutes into the run, a guy in front of me ate dirt. Luckily his hands caught most of his fall and not his face. It sounded pretty rough. 10 minutes later, a woman about 5 feet in front of me somersaulted down the trail. I've never seen someone roll down the trail before. I backed off a little bit after that happened. The trails had some loose rock so I decided to ease up a little and not follow so closely. The last thing I needed was to run into someone that fell.

Quick little steps going up the hills, controlled strides going down. After the second Aid station, we crossed Highway 1 up yet another hill. The next section of downhill has to be one of my favorites. The trail was overgrown with vegetation, but that just made it even that more exciting. I flew down the hill. I put the image of water flowing down the trail and I was that water. It felt like I was floating. As I passed another runner, she asked if there was poison oak on the trail. I told her probably, but not think about it. There was nothing we could do until the end. I told her if she needed, I had lots of Technu in my car...I've had my fair share of poison oak this year!

As I was heading up the next hill, Charles had run into a friend of his that he hadn't seen for quite some time. As they were catching up, I started to pull away. Lots of uphill and I was feeling aggressive, so I pushed on ward by myself. Soon, there voices faded and I was all by myself. It's amazing how you can be only 30 seconds ahead/behind someone and feel completely alone! There were a few times where I felt nervous that I might not be on the right trail. I'd slow down a little until I saw the next ribbon and then push forward.

Finally made it up to next aid station. Quickly grabbed some food, filled my bottles and was off. At the parking lot, were we go from trail to road through the parking lot over the road and back onto the trail...I got a little confused. As I was running into the parking lot, I had no idea where I was going. There were no ribbons, no flour markings. All of a sudden I hear a "Hey, over here!" I looked up and there was a guy waving both hands on top of the road. Thank God. I'm always worried that I'm going to get lost, and I probably will one of these days!

Up and over the road and back onto the trail. This was another great trail. A little wet from the trees collecting fog but still great. Here I caught up to a woman named Amanda. She had also run Skyline 3 weeks earlier. We talked and talked as we coasted down the trail into Stinson Beach. As we ran down the road to the aid station, one of the volunteers motioned up to the hill we just came down. Wow, that was a pretty big hill. I told him I preferred not to know how big the hills looked because I knew I still had to go back up!

Out of Stinson Beach you back up the Dipsea Trail. The views are awesome with the Pacific Ocean off in distance. Here I again pulled away from the group and ran by myself. I was still feeling pretty strong and pushed myself up the hills as quickly as possible. I knew the hills would eat up a lot of my time. Up, up, up. There's actually a spot in the trail that has a ladder. I've never been on a trail that used a ladder. This stuff was steep!

Passed a few more people on my way up and over to Pantoll aid station. I got out of there pretty quick and back on the Coastal Trail. Another great trail. Ran most of it with just a little walking near the crest of some of the hills. Down to the Heater cut-off trail with some assistance of another great volunteer showing us the way. Thanked him for being out there to point us in the right direction and started my descent into Franks Valley. Again, another fun trail. Tons of switchbacks down, down, down. I again pictured water flowing down the trail and I just floated down. It was a blast. Finally at the bottom, there's a horse stable and up and over onto another trail. By this time, Charles had caught back up with me and we continued on to Muir Beach.

Out of the Muir Beach aid station, another steep climb up on the Coastal trail, some nicer rolling along the side of the hill and then a drop down into a valley and back up the other side. I was very happy with my downhill running. There were many rocks and roots to trip on, but my legs stayed controlled and my feet were fluid. I had a few moments but was able to recover quickly.

Back down a fire road and across the valley to the last climb of the day. This is where running with Charles saved me. This hill is insane! The nickname "killer coastal" trail. I wanted to stop and rest several times, but told myself that I had to stay with Charles. No matter how much it was starting to hurt, no matter how out of breath I was, I was going to be on Charles' heals. Thank god I did! There were a bunch of false summits as we made our way along the ridge. There's just nothing worse than coming up on what you think is the last hill and then looking up and seeing yet another hill to climb. There was a little hairy spot here when the trail drops down along the side of the cliff. The trail was full of loose rock and had a steep drop. About lost it, yet again, but was able to maintain my footing.

Finally, we made it up and over the last hill. Here the trail starts it's descent to the finish line. There were a few more switchbacks and staircases. I just opened up my stride and flew down the trail portion. I really didn't have a sense of how far away the finish line was but decided to push it all the way through to the finish. The trail dumps onto a road which is downhill to the finish line. I let my stride open up and let gravity do the work (well, my legs were certainly doing a lot of work too!)

I had a nice strong finish and crossed in 6:26:21. I was very happy with my time. I was expecting around 7 hours and to finish a good 34 minutes faster was awesome.

Great race, lots of great volunteers, and a great finish area. Certainly a race to have on the schedule for next year.

Thank you Charles for letting me tag along with you. Thanks Amanda for conversation as we descending into Stinson Beach. And Steve, I'll see you at Rio del Lago! If you need crew members, send me an email...perhaps I can find some people.

News article on Headlands 50k

2007-08-23T07:38:00.000-07:00

As I was reading through this mornings Ultra List email, I clicked on a news link about the upcoming Headlands 50k.

http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20070823_USA_50K.html

Since this race is the 2007 USA 50 Kilometer Trail Championship, it's given more press than other races. In the article, they talk about potential winners of the females and males. Well, oh my God! if I didn't see my name appear. Now, I know why it's there, but reading the article, it actually appears that I have a chance of winning the race. (Which is not going to happen...unless everyone else gets hurt or completely lost!) The reason why it's there, is because I'm currently in 1st place in the 29 and under, 2007 PA/USATF Ultrarunning Grand Prix.

Still cool.

And things come together

2007-08-22T17:29:00.000-07:00

One month. Wow, 1 month before I attempt my first 100 miler. Seems quite daunting but not impossible. I remember back in June when I thought about the upcoming Run Across Iowa, "What the hell am I getting myself into. I'm never going to be able to do this!"
Well, It has been two months since I was nervously lying down in a motel in Sioux Falls, SD, looking up at the ceiling thinking...holy crap, no turning back now. Amazing how quickly I have achieved goals I never thought were possible and here I am one month from achieving yet another goal. (And isn't it interesting that the goals quickly become larger and harder than the previous one??)
I started feeling the pressure of getting things together for RDL 100 when I was asked if I still needed crew members. Huh? Crew..pacers...drop bags...hotel rooms...oh no! I had been procrastinating as much as I could, but realized I had to get things in order and quickly!
Happy to report that the hotel room has been reserved, two pacers have been found and confirmed (Thanks Paula & Don!!), crew is almost there, and drop bags...well, I need to do a little research about what should go in them. Still a few items to purchase, shoes for starters. But, everything is coming together and I am feeling pretty good about it.

Now, time to refocus my thoughts to Sunday's upcoming run, Headlands 50k. Scary looking hills.

Upcoming race Headlands 50k

2007-08-20T07:47:00.000-07:00

"Walk the uphills, shuffle along the flats and run the downhills." This was the first bit of advice that I received when I did my first ultra marathon (Skyline 50k, Aug. 2006)

This profile was recently uploaded on the Headlands 50k website. All I can say is Where's the Flat part?? There weren't kidding when they said this was a hard course. 7,500 feet of climb! That's 15,000 feet of climbing and descent! Holy ____!

This isn't the tough course. Mt. Diablo 50k has 8,900 ft of gain. So I guess another way of looking at it, it's 1400 ft easier! Right?

Another positive: Rio del Lago 100 mile has 9,000 ft of gain. So it's like Diablo, only it's flatten out over 3 times as much distance (well, 3x plus 6 miles).

Yesterday, Johan and I hiked Diablo starting from Mitchell Canyon. A good 12 mile roundtrip up to the summit and back down. We'll see if that was too much to close to Headlands or if it's just fine. My legs feel fine, so that's a good sign!

Hill training on the street

2007-08-10T06:55:00.000-07:00

Had a great 6 mile run last night. Up Keller Ave to Skyline Blvd, along the trail to Grass Valley Staging Area and back. The first 1.8 miles has about 700 ft of climb. And I ran the entire way. That's a first for me! Usually I use the "walk up hills" mantra that I do in Ultras, but last night I thought I would go for it. I shorten my stride, almost to the point of running place in the steepest sections.
Feeling pretty good this morning, just a few pains that I usually have.

What is routine??

2007-08-09T06:32:00.000-07:00

The past few days I feel like I just might be back into a regular running routine. Monday was a rest day since I ran 50k on Sunday. Tuesday a fast 6 miles around Lake Merritt. Wednesday another good 6 miles around Bay Farm Island. Seems like I'm getting back into decent weekly mileage. Of course I am totally busy Saturday and Sunday with chorus stuff, but I think I'll be able to still get in (dare I say!) a 20 miler this weekend.
I think I may have found a pacer, Paula (from Castro Valley). I ran into her on the trails at Skyline 50k and happen to come across her email in a mass email I received. I think tonight after hitting the trails for some needed hill work, I'll be working on my schedule for Rio del Lago. This probably should have been done about 4 months ago, but hey, last minute, under stress seems to really motivate me!
17 days until my next 50k! (or 9 days if I do Mike Palmer's run).

Another 50k sign-up

2007-08-06T22:44:00.001-07:00

Give an ultrarunner some down time and all of a sudden his schedule becomes even more busy!

I just signed up for the Headlands 50k which takes place on August 26th. Should fit in pretty nice with training for the 100 miler.

More later!

Skyline 50k

2007-08-05T14:43:00.000-07:00

Always a fun race! Right away I met the person that I would run almost all of the race with, Meg. This was her second 50k but had been runner for quite some time. She was worried that she was holding me back, she did anything but that! It was probably her that helped me run as quickly as I did.
More details later...

Finish time ~6:04:xx. Very happy with the time. I wasn't out to break any records!

Off to the trails

2007-08-05T05:13:00.001-07:00

Getting ready to go run Skyline 50k. Funny how after a year I'm still all nervous. I've been up since 4am, even though I could have easily slept until 5. Feeling a little stiff this morning, but I think the energy of the race will loosen my legs right up. Amazing how the energy at a start line can really invigorate me. I usually need to watch that I don't go out to fast though. It is easy to get caught up in the excitement.
Plans for today:
Remind myself this is a training run. I'm not out to get a new PR. I haven't been training on hills all that much and need to take it easy and build up to Rio Del Lago 100!
Practice what I learned yesterday at the Chi Running workshop. It made a lot of sense so time to practice. I will practice keeping good posture, keeping my legs behind me and keep a constant cadence.
Remember to stay well hydrated. It's suppose to be fairly cool out so, but sometimes the sun can really heat up some of the valleys.
Have fun! Isn't that what it's all about!?!
Off to the races!

Rio del Lago 100 Mile...not as easy as first thought

2007-08-04T06:26:00.001-07:00

Using the word "easy" around a 100 mile race (especially since I haven't run one!) probably isn't a word that most people wouldn't use. But when looking for my first 100 miler, Rio del Lago was one that was mentioned to me as being easier than most 100 milers.
Well, there is a great LISTSERV for ultras that has been a wealth of information. On that list this morning, a list of many ultras and IronMan Triathlons were listed according to difficulty, with Western States 100 mile as the 100% benchmark. Same person completed both the event in the list and WS100 in the same year. The relative percentage is averaged over the samples:
According to this list, RDL is 92.6%. To give you an idea of where other races fall on the list:

Badwater 135 mile 158.7%
Leadville Trail 100 mile 104.2%
IronMan Wisconsin (140 mile): 57.5%
IronMan Hawaii World Championship 44.6%
Firetrail 50 mile 36.8%

That really gives me a new respect to the 100 mile distance. I've watch IronMan Hawaii on TV many times and thought wow, that's really tough and I probably could never do that. Now to look at this list and see that the "easy" 100 miler that I'll be doing in September is 48% TOUGHER than IronMan Hawaii!

Off to the Chi Running Workshop.

One month and One day!

2007-08-03T12:59:00.001-07:00

That's how long it will be from when I finished running 306.9 miles to running my next race, Skyline 50k. I remember hearing people would only run one marathon a year, because any more than that and it was too much. Are they crazy??? Or am I?

I had a nice run Tuesday on the trails and Wednesday around Lake Merritt. I took yesterday off and have yet to decide what I'll be doing tonight. Saturday morning I'm taking a Chi Running workshop at Innersport in Berkeley. I'm interested to see what I'll learn and what/how I can apply the concepts to my run on Sunday.

Since getting back on the trails I've noticed I'm having more IT Band issues. I'm wondering if it's my trail shoes or if I'm just running too hard on the hills.

Decorah Newspaper Article

2007-07-31T10:24:00.001-07:00

Here is the link to another interview that took place July 3rd in Decorah, Iowa (Day 10).

HTTP://www.decorahnewspaper.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=10&ArticleID=15585

Thank you Lissa for a great article!

2008...oh wait, it's still 2007!

2007-07-29T16:15:00.000-07:00

Picture of my grandma and me after my run across Iowa.

So here I am thinking of my goals for 2008 and realize that I still have much to do in 2007!!

This coming Sunday I have the Skyline 50k. My first year anniversary of running ultra-marathons! In August 2006, Skyline 50k was my very first ultra marathon. Ever since I've been hooked! I'm excited to run it again because I know a few of the trails a little better. Not as much as I had hoped, but at least I'm not running in new territory!

Run Across Iowa 2008??

2007-07-26T17:20:00.000-07:00

Is RAI 2008 a possibility?? Maybe!

http://www.mapmyrun.com/user_profile?username=bniess

Look at the RAI 2008 runs. I'm thinking ~50 miles/day for 6 days. The route would be along the Iowa/Minnesota border, starting for the western border of Iowa to the Mississippi River on the east side.

If I don't "win" the lottery for Western States 100 Mile for 2008, the plan is to run this starting June 29th through July 4th. If I win, then the run will be moved to August or September 2008.

With this run in it's early stages, I'm planning on running this for charity. Do you have a charity that's special to you?

50 miles/day for 6 days during the humid heat of summer in Iowa...sound like fun? Want to run it? Email me.

And some more...

2007-07-26T13:05:00.000-07:00

Some more pictures

2007-07-26T13:00:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from RAI 2007.

Run, work, run, work...

2007-07-26T12:46:00.000-07:00

These last two weeks have gone by so fast! (Story of my life!) I've been able to get a few good runs in, but not exactly what I had in mind. I was hoping to run at least a 20 miler before Skyline 50k (Aug. 5), but never seemed to be able to get out there. I also didn't realize how far away August 5th really is...It's NEXT weekend! I was thinking I would be able to get in a nice long run this Saturday, but maybe that's not a good idea. Won't really help me for the 50k.
I have been able to get back onto the trails. My body has been training/running on FLAT, FLAT ground. I've noticed that my legs don't hurt as much. Maybe the time off the hills helped. I definitely have to be better about using my foam roller and icing my legs down after runs. I can start to feel my IT band tightening back up.
I'm also looking forward to make next big adventure...Rio del Lago 100 Mile. That is only a short 7 weeks away! EEK! Need to reserve hotel rooms, get a crew together, get a pacer. Better get going on that!

I've also been thinking about my multi-day run. There's a road (for the most part) that runs the Minnesota/Iowa border. I'm thinking about 6 days to complete the run. I need to figure out how many miles it would be. Should be around 300. Maybe in a little cooler weather? It was a fun challenge to run during the summer heat. I would not have said that a few weeks ago, but now the painful parts of the run have escaped my memory! I think that's a necessary trait to have as an ultrarunner...forgetting how much a long run can hurt! If I get my act together, perhaps I can do some fundraising with this run. Now that I know I can run across the state (even if at a snail's pace!) I have more confidence asking people for support!

Lunch break over....back to work!

KIMT 3 interview

2007-07-13T11:30:00.000-07:00

My interview with the local tv station can be found at:

http://www.kimt.com Look under the Videos on Command. Select Sports in the drop-down menu and then "Marathon Man".

When did running 6 miles get hard??

2007-07-13T11:24:00.000-07:00

Oh yeah, when I'm running them 4-5 min/mi faster than my usual snail pace! I had a great run on Wednesday with the Jeff, the President of the Eastbay Frontrunners. It's been a long time since I've run at my "marathon pace". At one time I was running short distances at 7:30-8:30 min/mi with no problems. I was always challenging myself to run faster and faster.

Now I find myself slowing down, but going much longer distances. I guess I'm really becoming an ultramarathoner. It's funny how after two marathons, I still didn't see myself as a marathoner or even a "real" runner. Since then, I have run about 7 ultras and now across the state of Iowa and I'm now thinking I might be an ultramarathoner. It's funny how my past can play such a big part of my view of my world and my future.

Maybe it's ok to call myself a runner now?

Into the Mississippi River we go!

2007-07-10T16:22:00.000-07:00

The Old and The New Wind Power

2007-07-10T16:19:00.000-07:00

Pictures from RAI 2007

2007-07-10T16:13:00.000-07:00

Running along Highway 9 in the sunrise.

Interviewed by KIMT Channel 3 (CBS affiliate)

And now what happens?

2007-07-06T05:56:00.000-07:00

So what happens next? I noticed my body is quite stiff and creaky at the moment. I think it actually liked the miles everyday. I am more sore now then I was when I was getting up every morning and running.
I think I want to do this again, in about two years. I see a couple of options. Either have a race setting, were people sign up to run across the state. They each have a crew and certain rules for getting across.
OR
I do this again but up it to 40-50 miles a day.

We'll see!

DONE! 306.9 miles

2007-07-06T05:43:00.000-07:00

Sorry for not being able to post for the past few days, but I'll get those memories back into my head and post the last few days. But I did want everyone to know that I completed the run.
On July 4th about 1:20pm I got into Harper's Ferry. Waiting on the edge of town were a lot of my family, in the "Construction Green" shirts. What an amazing feeling. I had a hard battle the day before with the heat and my legs getting tired, but once I saw everyone lined up cheering for me the was a great sense of relief, sadness and great joy.
I was relieved to know that I wouldn't have to be getting up that next morning and run another 28 miles. I was relieved that nobody got hurt and I think, had a great time during the run.
I was sad because that was it. I was done. All of the hard work that many people put in to help me accomplish this goal was now complete.
And I was filled with joy. Seeing so many people out there I didn't know would be able to make it. To see my Grandma McGee out was also amazing. It had been a few years since she had been to the river, and it was an amazing feeling to have her there to share this with her.
I sometimes have a hard time believing in myself and what I do. I can be very humble at times (at least that's what Liz kept telling me.) I didn't know if anyone would really care. If people would actually think it was something important enough to come out and support me. My family and friends are amazing. They are very supportive.
Liz and I got to the cabin, walked down the hill to the river, took off our shoes and things out of the pockets, walked to the edge of the dock and jumped in. We had made it to the river at last. There were times I didn't think I would make it, but alas, we were there.

Day 8 - 28.24 miles (Media day)

2007-07-01T19:08:00.000-07:00

Over 200 miles complete (well, more like 228 miles complete!) Today started like most days...4am, breakfast by 4:30am, on the road and ready to start at 5:30am just outside of Osage. Another beautiful sunrise and within the first few minutes I broke through 200 miles!
Shortly after that (and a quick bathroom break (corn field)), my aunt Laurie showed up on her bike. It was nice to get to spend 5 miles with her as we went through my hometown, Osage.
Just outside of Osage at the "Four Mile Corner" we called my Grandma Niess and she brought out some of her cookies (which I ate most of them...THANKS!) The big surprise is that my my uncle Scott and Julie were also at the corner to cheer me on. It's always nice to see family along the way.
About that time Cheryl Jahnel from the Riceville newspaper was there to take pictures for an article that she was writing, right up the road from where I grew up. Very surreal and emotional to be running by where I grew up.
Of course, during all of this, I had been running really strong...beginning back in Osage. I hadn't been taking my walk breaks like I should and started to hit a low. And it was only mile 13. Not good!
The next few miles I seem to just stare down at the road, trying to disconnect my mind with my left foot. It wasn't very happy with all of the fast running I had just done. Don't blame it...it's been going for 200 miles! I pretty much stopped eating and just kept my head down and stayed focused on putting one foot in front of the other.
When we hit Riceville, KIMT Channel 3 (our local CBS station) was out to do an interview. That was a lot of fun. For a few miles beforehand, I had been thinking about what I would say. Of course the number one question is, WHY? There are so many answers to this question.
Because it's there.
It's cheaper and faster than running across the US. If I had it my way, I would be attempting that in the near future, but that's going to take a bit of sponsorship!
Why Not?
It was a lot of fun and I can't to see it.
It can be an emotional rollercoaster, this crazy running thing. I was watching some of the video we took tonight and the last aid station stop with 1.5 miles to go, I'm not there. You can look at my face and you can't see me. These are the times I am especially thankful for everyone that has helped crew me. I can't make decisions, I don't know what to ask for. I am completely mentally and physically drained and for some reason, have been able to find enough power to keep my legs moving forward. And fill up my bottles and somehow I take off for those last 1.5 miles. People ask me how I do it, how can someone run over a marathon a day for 11 days. I really don't know. Sometimes I don't know how I am able to run that last 1.5 miles. Determination. I think if you really want something, you can have it. And that really applies to everything in life.
I finished those last 1.5 miles in the slowest crawl of a walk.
But I finished the day and now, it's time for bed to see what tomorrow brings. Time to gather everything I got because my body is starting to say, Are we there yet?

Day 7 - 27.93 miles

2007-06-30T19:13:00.000-07:00

Almost 200 miles!!! I am .4 miles away! Today was sort of like the other 7 days, early start, lots of time on the feet and a strong finish. Tonight I am at my Grandparents house (Dad's side) just outside of Osage (my hometown!) Liz and I talked about what it would be like to go to my 10 year class reunion. It's hard to believe that I've been out of high school (and Osage) for 10 years now.

The road was a little nicer, the drivers just a bit more crazy! I saw a semi passing a big Winnebago while cars were coming the opposite direction. The semi pulled in just in time...nuts!

We are just 4 miles west of Osage and will be going through the town probably around 6 - 6:30am. I have a feeling I'll be pretty slow tomorrow. My legs were getting a little tired, my feet were a little sore. I didn't get in my regular routine, and it's already 9:20pm. Each day is a new and different challenge, isn't it?

Happy last day of June!

Day 6 - 28.79 miles

2007-06-29T14:53:00.000-07:00

I don't know if you've noticed, but the miles are coming out higher than planned! Today was suppose to be 28.24 miles, but ended up an extra .55 miles. One might think, what's the big deal? What's .5 miles more?
Ugh! is all I can say to that. I've noticed that everything seems to flow fairly well (well, as well as it can when jumping off the blacktop road onto the soft, gravel, sloped, tractor treaded shoulder 30 times each mile)...until about mile 22 - 23. Right in there seems to be the point at which it's time to dig deep and find the strength to finish the day out. I start figuring out different time scenarios in my head based on the number of miles I have left. Once I get it all figured out, I start shuffling to the next aid station. But, then it all comes crashing down once I find out that it's going to be an extra .3, .5 and 1 mile. Then, time to pick myself back up and shuffle along to the next aid station.

Day 6 started out a little chilly, 53 degrees. Quite a bit different from previous mornings. It did get warm up to around 75 or so, but with the blacktop road, I think it's another 5-10 degrees warmer (depending on the sun and time of day). Things got a little harder today. My feet are getting tired, my legs a bit sore. Seeing corn field after corn field after corn field, starts to blend everything together. It's nice to go through each town to break things up a bit. People give me a smile and wave...I think they wonder, who the heck is this guy and why doesn't he just get a bike or something?
I passed the halfway mark today with 171.6 total miles. Hard to believe I've run that far.
It's been slow going each day. Every so often I'll kick it up and start to run my normal marathon speed (8 minutes per mile) but then quickly remind myself that I still have 5 more days to go.
I'll be back on my computer soon so I'll have some pictures up. Liz has been taking a lot of video also, so that'll be fun to get out for people to see.

Happy Running!

Day 4 & 5 DONE!

2007-06-28T18:44:00.000-07:00

I don't have access to my computer right now, but wanted to let everyone know that yesterday and today is done!
Yesterday was 28.85 miles and today was 28.03 miles. The weather was finally cooler today and was able to run much faster. Though, I'm not sure if that was a good idea, I'll know tomorrow when I'm running.
It sounds like tomorrow's weather will be cool too!
Hopefully I'll have some more pictures tomorrow or the next day.

After 85.9 miles...

2007-06-26T14:41:00.000-07:00

I guess I'm not smart enough to turn the picture right now! ;)

Day 3, 28.0 Miles

2007-06-26T14:05:00.000-07:00

We started the morning around 5:30am. Here you can see the sun rise among the many windmills. Today started out warm and VERY humid..71 degrees and 90% humidity! It felt like I was swimming through the air. My left leg was still pretty sore from yesterday so I decided that today would be just a walking day. I felt defeated thinking that I would only be walking today, but I thought at least I'm not giving up!
After 2 miles, I noticed my feet shuffling along...my body started jogging along before my brain knew what was going on. The shoulder seem to flatten out and the road wasn't very busy, so I was able to run on the side of the highway.
About mile 12 I really was feeling strong, though it was getting hotter and hotter. By 10am, it was 85 degrees. I weighed myself a few times during the run and only lost 3 pounds. I really made sure that I was taking in fluids!
At mile 23, I was really starting to feel the miles on my legs. I was going in and out of "I can do it" "I can't do it". But I reached deep down inside and was able to make it to mile 25. Once I realized that I only had 3 miles left...I knew I could do it, even if it meant walking.
I hope all of this makes sense...I really tired today and looking to do a few more stretches, eat and go to bed. Tomorrow is officially the longest day, 28.55 miles. We'll see how far it really is!!

Oh and the most painful thing...the poison oak on my chest!! I think that hurts most of all!

Forecast:
6am: 62 degrees, 90% humidity
10am 73 degrees, 66% humidity
1pm 77 degrees, 49% humidity

Day 2, 28.63 miles

2007-06-25T15:53:00.000-07:00

What a day! We got up nice and early today and were going by 5:15am. The first 9 miles flew by very quickly (ok, more like 2 hours), but it didn't seem to take much time. Then things got worse. Semi trucks and more semi trucks!! The blacktop shoulder got smaller and the gravel sloped down steeply. Very steep! My left leg really started to feel it!
There was one point where the was an oversized load semi and another semi going towards each other. The only options was to go into the ditch. Not fun! I think I spent most of my time dodging trucks. It really wore me out.

My mom and my sister's fiancé showed up with 4 miles left. It was nice to see both of them! Though I was really started to feel the road affecting my left leg, I decided with 3 miles left, I was going to walk. My left leg was starting to bother me and I just have to far to go!

Tomorrow looks like it will be another warm one tomorrow (and very humid!)
6am: 72 degrees, 86% humidity
10am: 87 degrees, 70% humidity
1pm: 90 degrees, 67% humidity

At least it will be a little breezy!

Day 1, 29.3 Miles

2007-06-24T15:08:00.000-07:00

Today started with an early wake-up call in Sioux Falls, SD. The breakfast at the Super 8 wasn't suppose to start until 6:30am, but Liz was able to talk the night person in to starting breakfast at 5am. She was a lot of fun to talk to. She kept saying that I must be crazy and I should know better since I was a farm boy, not a city kid.

We made it to Rock River on the border and started going a little after 6am. It was very humid, but the temps were not too bad! There was a nice breeze and we took off as the sun cleared the horizon.

Lots of farms with cow/calves, horses, and pigs. Mostly fields of corn and soybeans. (It's Iowa after all!)

I was bouncing around pretty quickly until about 12 miles. Then things slowed down. Should have slowed down at the very beginning! I was a little surprised near the end when I got to mile 28, and Jackson Ave was nowhere to been seen! It was another mile down the road. Today was suppose to be 28.24 miles, but ended up being 29.3 miles. That last mile I walked. I was tired and thought, I'll finish at Jackson Ave, but just couldn't get my legs going!

Stats:
29.3 Miles
7 hours, 5 minutes

Tomorrow, 28.21 miles

At the river

2007-06-23T17:38:00.000-07:00

Here I am at the South Dakota/Iowa Border. Tomorrow will be the first of 11 days!

Destination: Sioux Falls, SD

2007-06-23T17:15:00.000-07:00

After over 12 hours of traveling, I made it to the motel in Sioux Falls. What a day of travel!!

My dad and sister Liz are here with me. We drove the first 9 miles of tomorrow's run. VERY Hilly! I'm not kidding.

Tomorrow's forecast:
6am start: 68 degrees, 82% humidity, 6 mph winds Sunny
11am finish? 82 degrees, 57% humidity, 13 mph wind, Sunny

Will be an interesting first day. I got about 30 minutes of sleep on the plane. My knees were in the back of the seat in front of me and then the guy reclined his seat. ARGH!

Tomorrow's game plan: Go out slow and keep it slow. Lots of fluids & eating.

Happy Running!

Almost on the plane

2007-06-22T19:16:00.000-07:00

Just waiting for the dryer to finish and I'll have everything packed!

I just realized that I have Poison Oak...again! What I thought was chaffing where my heart rate monitor sat (across my chest) is really a little section of poison oak. It's at the blister getting ready to get gross stage. I washed down the heart rate monitor strap and myself down with Technu. I think I have a bit of the stuff in my vehicle somewhere. That's about the only way that I think I could get it. Too bad there isn't a black light test sort of thing for poison oak. Urgh! Very uncomfortable. Especially when it's going to be hot and humid!!

Today I had a great 30 minute session with Aundi Mevoli @ Innersport (www.innersport.com). She had stopped by the EastBay Frontrunners Saturday run and was planning on doing demonstrations of Active Release Therapy, but it was very cold. I was talking to her about my little run across Iowa adventure and she invited me in for a free 30 minute session. EXCELLENT! I'll be seeing her in July.

Weather report:
Sunday: High 92, Low 72, Hot and Humid
Monday: High 94, Low 68 Hot and Humid

Closer & Closer...

2007-06-21T12:57:00.000-07:00

Almost...almost! I leave late tomorrow night. That's hard to believe! I've been working out some last minute details with my family. My parents and my sister Liz have worked really hard to help me get to where I'm at! Thank you!

I also want to thank many of my friends from the various groups I am associated with! Thanks! With their support, my hotel costs have been covered and one pair of shoes bought! THANK YOU!!

Before a board meeting last night, I went for a nice easy 3 mile run. I thought about the task that is before me. Is 300 miles in 11 days something I can handle? Will I be able to handle the heat? Even if I slow to a walk, will I be able to get up the next day and walk again? Will my IT Band cooperate??

I've read many race reports of fellow runners attempting their first 50k, 50 mile and 100 mile runs. The reason why I use the word "attempting" is because it is just that. Giving it your best shot. That's what I'll be doing, starting Sunday. Giving it my all to run 300 miles in 11 days. Will I be able to do it, maybe...maybe not. But how will I know if I never try???

Packing up my gear,
Brad

Thank you EastBay Frontrunners!

2007-06-16T19:43:00.000-07:00

A big thank you to the East Bay Frontrunners!! They made a generous donation and several members also made generous donations also! What an amazing feeling of support!!

Only a few days left before I'm off! Today I went through my running supplies. A couple of more things to buy and then I'll be ready to go. Liz and my parents got together today in Iowa and starting putting everything together. Looks like we are almost ready to go!

I've been watching the weather forecasts. One day it's says 80 degrees then next it says 92. I think my best bet will be to start as early as possible and go until it gets too hot!

Get closer!!!

And then things come together

2007-06-14T07:18:00.000-07:00

I've been sort of stressed out lately. With Cabaret getting ever closer (June 17th!) and organizing a run 1500 miles away, I've had little sleep!
What amazes me is how things come together! My small group, Otto Voci (I feel a close father-like relationship to this group, even though I'm the youngest) has put in a lot of extra practices and hardwork the past few weeks and we are sounding great. Brandon, our interim Artistic Director of OEBGMC has magically brought the chorus together in also a short period of time and we have 4 songs ready to go. Dan S. has been putting in countless (and sometimes I'm sure thankless) hours to have this event come off without a hitch. THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU!!!
RAI 2007 is becoming more and more of a reality. My parents and my sister Liz have done sooo much work in Iowa to make sure I have everything I need during the run. Also, all of my friends in the EastBay Frontrunners & Walkers group have supported me.

Thank you, thank you.
Brad

Getting in Motion

2007-06-13T09:44:00.000-07:00

I have this strong urge to want to help people. From life changing to something as simple as giving directions to the courthouse (that seems to be the location everyone is looking for in downtown Oakland!)

While looking through various blogs, I came across this blog Runner's Lounge
There are not very many running blog/sites in Iowa and was excited to see that there are a few people out there among the cornfields!

Then this morning I was reading Amy's entry and was really touched.

I guess something as simple as writing down thoughts can make a difference!

Happy Running!

13 more days!!!

2007-06-11T07:17:00.000-07:00

Wow, only 13 more days until I start my journey across Iowa!! This past weekend I did 9.5 miles with the East Bay Frontrunners on Saturday (3 times around Lake Merritt) and 11 miles with the AIDS Marathon Training Program on Sunday.
I had some great conversation around Lake Merritt and had a great time with the pace group at NAMTP.

The AIDS Marathon people were on their 23 mile run Sunday. What an awesome accomplishment!! I can't remember the name of the pace group, but I do remember the 2:1 walk/run ratio! If you ever feel like you can't run more than 3 miles because of the multiple available excuses, volunteer at the AIDS Marathon Training Program! I spent most of the second half of my run talking with this woman (I'm sorry I don't remember your name!!) but she chose that now would be the time to complete a marathon. She had always wanted to do so, but as we all know, family can sometimes delay our other personal goals. Now with her children older (and with the few pounds that having children give women (and those were her words...not mine!!), she got out a pair of running shoes and started going! She was awesome out there!! She pulled through the low points during the run and had a strong finish!! I was starting to feel a little tired near my mile 10 and I realized that she was on mile 21! No room to complain from me!

Running with that group gave me the boost of excitement and inspiration that is needed to run Iowa. If they can run 23 miles (and I know 26 miles soon!) I can go out there and do my run!

If you are not familiar with the National AIDS Marathon Training Program or you are, but never thought you could do it...go out and volunteer (OR JUST SIGN UP!) You'll be glad you did!

http://www.aidsmarathon.com

Happy (taper) Running!

Fourth of July Party (RAI 2007)

2007-06-05T14:51:00.000-07:00

From an email that I wanted to share with everyone here (in case I don't have your email address!)

Hi everyone!
I want to invite everyone to Bill & Vicki McGee's cabin in Harper's Ferry on July 4th to help me celebrate my Run Across Iowa (or my attempt to run across the state!)

My last day of running will start at Waukon and finish along the Great River Road into Harper's Ferry on July 4th. I hope to be running into Harper's Ferry around 2pm.

But come earlier...stay even later!!

There will be a grill, stove, refrigerator, etc for making the day festive! Please bring your coolers and lawn chairs. If anyone is interested in staying the night (I WILL BE!) bring a sleeping bag (and a tent if you have one!).

And if seeing me wasn't enough reason to come, remember Bass Camp?? We'll be having a campfire complete with s'mores and music (The Lion (won't be) Sleeping Tonight!)

Everyone is invited! Bring your favorite dish to share, some meat to grill, some drinks to drink, and lots of fun to share!

Please pass this around to anyone I may have missed!

See you all in 19 days!!
Brad

20 + 20 = a long time on the feet!

2007-06-04T07:56:00.000-07:00

Got it done! 20 miles on Saturday (Thank you Jen & Jane!) and 20 miles on Sunday. On Sunday I ran into the coaches for the AIDS Marathon Training Program (SF Marathon). It's a lot of work to coach and I want to say Thank You to both of them! NAMTP is what got me started running marathon!
Some lessons learned over the weekend:

Rain jackets keep just as much moisture in as they do out!
One glass of wine is one too many after that much running.
Keep slow and steady.
Get plenty of sleep.
Ice, ice, ice.

20 days!
Happy running!

23 days and counting!

2007-06-01T12:02:00.000-07:00

Wow! It's only 22 days before I'm in Sioux Falls & 23 days before I am on the South Dakota/Iowa border, ready to run! I talked to my dad last night to continue the planning of this adventure. I've been thinking about the support vehicle (or lack of one!) He told me that he found a topper for the back of his truck and that I could use the truck. Then I found out that he was planning on crewing me with Liz for the first few days! I thought he was only able to see me off on the first day, but he'll be there for additional 2-3 days! He said that he was going to bring his fishing pole and hoped to do some fishing along the way. We'll see how much time he'll have! I'm very excited that my dad will be able to be a part of my journey!

I made the last of the hotel room reservations. It's a good thing that I went with the more expensive 2 queen beds instead of 1 queen bed! There will be three of us now in the room! I have rooms in Sioux Falls, Sibley and Estherville (2 nights). I might be able to drop the last day in Estherville since we'll be close to my parent's house. I just need to let my other relatives that I'll be staying at their homes! ;)

I also started to look at possible paces and daily schedules. If I run around 11 min/mi, then I'll be done ~5:10, 12 min/mi = 5:38, 13 min/mi=6:06. I'm going to have to be careful about going out to fast the first day or two. I think I may make myself run only 12:30 - 13 min/mi the first day. Plus, the weather may be VERY HOT & HUMID!! Yikes! On those hot days, I might start as early as 5am. For the most part I want to start running by 7am. That gives me time in the morning to eat and wake-up before running, while finishing by early afternoon. Just in time to hop into an ice bath, eat and prepare for the next day! I was sort of worried that I would have a lot of time on my hands in between runs, but I have a feeling I'll be plenty busy!

I've been asked a few times if I'm running for charity. Well....I was really worried that none of this would happen and I would never even make it to the start! But, I will be making it to the start (now getting to the finish, that's a whole other story!) and it has been on my mind a lot. There are sooo many causes and great charities out there. Many of my past runs have been to raise money for AIDS & HIV research, I've done cancer walks and numerous entry fees to other races go to support various causes. I've also thought that people in Iowa might not be interested in raising money for people in SF Bay Area and visa versa. So, what is one to do?

There are many issues I would like to bring awareness to: LGBT-issues in Iowa, obesity, suicide, AIDS, cancer, hunger, homelessness, poverty, housing assistance, energy efficiency, environmental stewardship, Marriage Equality, depression...these are only a few that have affected my life and probably yours.

Here's what I came up with...As I'm taking 11 days to run across the state of Iowa, why not take a few days and make a difference in someone's life and your own! Give to a suicide helpline, give a bag full of food to a foodbank, change your incandescent lightbulbs to compact fluorescent, volunteer at your local school, visit the elderly, take a child to the zoo, pick-up trash at your favorite park, pick-up trash at your least favorite park, smile at a stranger, pay someone's bridge toll, hug someone, recycle, print double-sided, walk instead of driving.

These are only a few things that you can do to make the world a better place. One person can make a difference and that one person can be you! I know I've inspired a few people to try and run a 5k, marathon and even 50k's by just telling my simple story. "Never was the "sports"-type, smoked a pack-a-day for 7 years, decided I had enough and went for a run" (that was only two years ago!) We all have stories in us that can make a difference! Share them!

And if you are feeling especially giving, I'm looking for some financial assistance along the way. Fortunately it doesn't cost much to start running, but it does get a bit more expensive when you run 300+ miles! If you are interested in helping me out, whether it's a few packets of Gu, a 20% off coupon, gatorade powder, shirt or cash, send me an email. Anything that is leftover will go the AIDS Marathon Training Program.

I can't wait to get started! I'm getting more excited each day! Oh yeah...training for this weekend. Early start tomorrow morning for a 20+ mile run and then Sunday another 20+ run. Nice & slow!! ;)

Happy Running!

Weekly running

2007-05-29T11:34:00.000-07:00

After a really sore IT Band coming down from Half Dome, I re-thought my decision to run Mt. Diablo 50k on June 2nd. It's probably not the best thing for me to do considering I'll be running 300+ miles in under 4 weeks!!! (Holy Crap, 4 weeks!)

Instead, this past weekend I ran 8 mile trails with the EB Frontrunners (Sat. morning), then 6 miles around Lake Merritt that afternoon. Sunday I ran to Hayward for another 11 miles. I took Monday off and am planning another 3-6 miles tonight after work and then, hopefully a 10+ mile run Wednesday.

If all goes well, I plan on running back-to-back 20+ mile runs this weekend. Slow is the name of the game with these runs. I need to quickly train myself to go out slow and stay slow, around 12 min/mi.

All of my miles will be on mostly flat ground, which Iowa is mostly. It's also giving my ITB a break for the downhill.

I printed out all of daily maps for the Run Across Iowa. I've mapped all of the Aid Stations along with mile markers. Liz is going to be very busy taking care of me!

RAI 2007 is getting closer!

Happy Running!

Ahhh crap, now what did I just sign up for??

2007-05-22T17:00:00.000-07:00

The application is in the mail!! I signed up for my first 100 mile trail race!! The Rio del Lago 100 Mile Endurance Race. Takes place on September 22-23. I've never done a race that takes two days!

More to come, but need to get to a meeting.

Happy Trails!

Pictures from other people!

2007-05-20T12:48:00.000-07:00

The cables!

Half Dome

2007-05-20T12:46:00.000-07:00

Wow! we went up to Half Dome yesterday and what an experience!! My partner and I left Happy Isles at 7am and took off for the top.
We had a nice hike up to the base of the staircase. But wow, we both had a problem getting up the staircase. Not muscle wise, but vertigo-wise! I felt like I was on top of the world climbing stairs across the sky. I've heard of the staircase, but not the granite slide. After you get up the stairs, you have to scramble up the side of the rock. The air was starting to feel pretty thin and I had to muster up some courage to get to the base of the cables.
We finally got up to the base at noon. It had been slow going (my partner doesn't do as much hiking as he would like!), but excitement was building looking at the people climbing the cables. We sat to have a little something to eat (and to build up more courage!)
When I've heard that people sometimes turn around with never going up...I now know why! The first few polls, not much of a problem, but then it gets really steep. It has to be more than 45% grade in the middle! I took it one board at a time and made it up (with a lot of waiting!) in about 30 minutes.
Being on top of the dome was awesome, we lost track of time, and noticed it was already 2pm and knew we needed to get down. This is what I was really worried about. I got some really good advice on how to go down, and was much more calm.
What's funny is on the way down, I was talking to people as they went by, and the question, and where are you from came up. I ran into a guy that taught at a school in Waukon, IA and knew my high school classmate Jed Hemann. What a small world.
Going down was pretty hard, my IT Band was really acting up and I slowed us down. We ran into a couple from St. Louis and he has a cabin near Quincy, IL (Hi Tabitha!). We finally got down to the car @ 7pm.
It was an awesome time. I am very proud of my partner, who with almost no training, made it all the way up and down with little problems. I on the other hand have a lot of foam roller days ahead of me!
We forgot the camera so no pictures.

Quicksilver 50 mile

2007-05-14T07:32:00.000-07:00

Wow! That kicked my butt. I finished though (Thanks to some convincing at the mile 31 aid station!)
This is Mimi and me waiting for the restroom before the race. She had a great 50k race! While I was whining at the mile 31 aid station, she came in strong under 7 hours.

This second picture is when Mimi caught up to me at mile 23-ish at the Dam Overlook aid station.

This is quite a long report and (warning!) gets really whiny. I had a great time despite what it may sound like in the report. Lessons learned: take salt pills and ibuprofen, train more, feeling great at 20 miles and feeling like quitting at 30 miles doesn't mean a thing, and it's all a mind game.

The day started at 3am as my alarm went off. I knew I might have been in trouble that day when I swung my legs out of bed and stood up. Creak and snap when my ankles and knees. Great... I started on my energy drink and went out to the kitchen to get breakfast. Hopped in the shower, put on my clothes, printed out the directions and off I went...already 20 minutes late. Luckily at 4:30 on a Saturday morning, no one is one the freeways. I quickly got down to San Jose, got my racing bib and took my place waiting for the port-a-pottie. Waiting in line to go to the restroom before a race seems to be my time to meet people. I met Rajeev, Carol, and Mimi and few others. I see many familiar faces but not able to connect the names, and I hear a lot of familiar names but not able to connect the faces. One of these times. I was really happy to see Mimi out there. She quickly took our picture and she took off to keep warm in her car while I waiting for the restroom. I wouldn't see her again for another 5 hours.
I got up to the start line and made my way to the back. I again saw familiar faces. Amazing how nerves before a race can make me socially inept.
We were off before we knew it. Literally, everyone around me was like, oh...I guess we should get going, looks the race has started.
Right away, I started to think about what I would do to make the day successful. I would power up the hills, run the flats, and glide downhill, trying not to kill my quads or IT Band. I would move quickly through the aid stations. With 12 AS, it's easy to lose a lot of time. I was also going to take shot blocks, salt pills and ibuprofen.
For the first couple of miles, I ran (ok, walked...it was mostly hills) near Barbara Elia. She is an amazing ultra runner. I remember reading on someone's blog about advice she had given, use your arms to help pump your way uphill. And that's what I did. I pumped up those hills quickly.
I was having a lot of fun. I was last in a line of about 10 runners that were quickly running through the woods. I kept about 5 feet off the last runner, who I decided I was going to kept up with. I heard her talk earlier about running Western States and I felt comfortable with the pace. Hmmm...mistake in the works... I should have asked her if she was running the 50k or 50 mile, and what her planned time was. The last time I saw her was around mile 14, she leaving the aid station as I was coming in. At that point is when I first realized that I made another rookie mistake, going out to fast. (Will I ever learn?)
Walking uphill makes me wonder how I will ever finish before the cut-off times. I had looked down at my Garmin 201 and saw 7.99 miles. About 5 minutes had gone by and I looked down to look at my pace and the distance said 7.92. How's that for morale?? My watch said I was going so slow, I was going backwards!
Coming out of Capehorn AS, mile 14.5, was the last time I saw any runners until I reach the top of the hill (Mine hill?) and going down to the Dam Overlook AS. The people I saw were the people coming back! They were a good 9 miles ahead of me. One person I did recognize was Scott Dunlap. He was doing the 50k that day, so I reminded myself that I had to do an extra 19 miles that day...and he's pretty fast to begin with. Also at this point, I thought I just had to go down the hill and back up, and doing that math in my head put the frontrunners only 4 miles ahead of me. That really boosted my confidence. I got down to the Dam Overlook AS really fast (oops!) About 19 miles into this thing and I was feeling just fine. I heard one of the runners ask what sort of pace and finishing time we were currently doing. No one really answered him. They kind of shrug their shoulders and smiled. My answer to him...in another 20 miles, let's talk and then we'll worry about pace.
The 5 mile loop back to Dam Overlook AS was fairly uneventful. I did get a little freaked out along the way. I could hear something above me in the grass. There are mountain lions in the hills and you just never know! I took a little time to settle my nerves a took a closer look, turned out to be a deer. I also found the one of two restrooms on the course. I only had to wait 5 minutes. While I was waiting, someone else showed up to wait in line. He asked me what I was doing today. I told him that I was doing a race today. He asked me how long. I told him 50 miles. He told me that 15 miles was a long ways to go. I corrected him and said no, 5, 0...50 miles. He just looked at me and I could read his face before he even said the word..."Why?!?" Just then the door open to the port-a-pottie. I smiled, quickly did what I needed to do and came back out. He told me he thought I was crazy, but to have a good time. I told him, I think I might be a little crazy too.
On the climb back up to the Dam Overlook AS, I caught up with Mimi! She must have passed me when I was in the port-a-pottie. Talked for a little while before I continued to power up the hill. Mimi got to the AS as I was trying to put the top back onto my water bottle. She snapped a quick picture and told me, "for your blog!" I told her it would be funny to see my expression of trying to do something simple after running 23 miles. I quickly stuffed food into my mouth and made my way back up that hill to the next AS. It was a long hill. I passed one person who looked like he was having a tough time. I remember seeing him running up the hills early in the race. He didn't have any water bottles and he looked pretty rough. I made sure he was ok before leaving. I have this fear that someday I might be in that state and hope that a passerby will take the time to check on me.
Got over to the Englishtown AS still feeling pretty strong. It was about 27 miles and my time was looking like I was going to finish under 11 hours. And then my world came crashing down. I was under the impression that this part of the run was an out-and-back of 4 miles. 2 miles to the start/finish line for the 50k'ers and 2 miles back for us 50 milers. Hmmm, 27+2 doesn't quite equal 31, but math skills seem to go quickly down the drain while running. I thought just go to the bottom of this hill and then it'll be a quick turnaround to go back. I saw runners coming back, that I recognized would probably finish around 8-9 hours and felt really good about my time. But as I kept going, I noticed that I was not getting closer to any turn-around. That's when I hit the rollercoaster hills. Holy crap! They are not kidding with these hills. I did not remember these hills from the start of the race. To give you an idea, in .1 mile there is 132 ft of climb and then right back down another 100 ft in .1 mile. And to top it off, it's at mile 30. I remember getting to the bottom of the hill and looking up, straight up, thinking, how the hell am I going to get up this damn thing! I wanted to cry. My legs were hurting, the clock was ticking away and each time I had to go down hill, it felt like someone was sticking a knife into my right leg. And then there's a 414 ft drop in .6 mile just to make sure your quads are finished. I was done. I was REALLY, REALLY done. On my way down this last big drop, a woman came flying by me saying, we're almost finished...keep going. I told her I still had 19 miles to go. Boy...I was getting really whiny at this point. I got to the start/finish and stood at the aid station looking at the finish line, seeing people sitting around eating, with their feet up. People relaxing, laughing, clapping as people were crossing the finish line.
I want to be done. I'm done. I did 50k, that's good enough. My legs are too tired, my IT Band is too tweaked. I can't do it, I can't do 19 more miles. It's impossible. I can't do those roller coaster hills again. I can't do that big drop out of the Englishtown AS. Then I saw the first 50 mile finisher. I looked at my watch and it said something around 6:50 or something. I told myself there was no way I could get in under 11 hours and I might not actually get through the cut-off times. I was in bad shape mentally. Thank God for the two aid station workers. You look fresh. You look like you just started this race. Have some soup, you look great. What's another 19 mile? You can do it. Then I saw Mimi running up to the finish line. Ok I told them. I'll stop whining and get out of here. At that point, I was 75 out of 119 runners. I had to asked because I really thought I was the last one.
The next 4 miles were the toughest 4 miles I've ever done. The hills were killing me both up and down. There were few flat sections and I didn't think I would be finishing that day. I was just about out of water and sports drink when I finally got to the Englishtown AS. These guys were great. I could hear them singing and really having a great time. I dragged my butt up the last climb to the AS. They filled my bottles and asked how I was doing. I told me that I felt in really bad shape and didn't know if I could do it. I was walking the uphills, walking the downhills and shuffling along the flats. One of the guys (who I've seen many times before) smiled and said that there wasn't much flat. He offered to pour some water over my head, which I gladly took the offer. I put my hat back on, smiled and said see you again if I make the cut-off.
It was 2 miles to the next AS and the first cut-off time. 3:20pm. I had plenty of time to get there, but I really didn't know what the trails had in store for me. It was the best 2 miles of the entire run. Nice little single track through some bushes that was fairly flat, and then some slight rolling hills through a little prairie. The breeze felt wonderful and I started to get some positive thoughts back into my head. And I saw a runner ahead of me. It had been a long time since I saw someone that wasn't going in the opposite direction! My new goal: keep up with the runner ahead of me. I finally caught her at the Hicks Rd. AS. Two really nice women took great care of both of us and for the first time I thought I was going to be able to finish. I was 1 hour ahead of the cut-off. I had an 8 mile out-and-back ahead of me, but I had plenty of time.
I pushed my sore leg to the next AS. I caught up to the runner I worked hard keeping up with, Mylinh (I think that was her name) at the turn-around. I thanked her for keeping me going. We briefly talked before turning around heading back to Hicks Rd AS.
As I was coming back to the Hicks Rd AS, I saw the last few runners. There were probably 7 or 8 runners left, including the guy that was asking about his pace at mile 20. I just smiled and laughed to myself. I still make that mistake and this was my 3rd 50-miler. I got to AS with plenty of time to spare...I think. My Garmin had died between the two aid stations. Those things need longer battery life (or maybe I need to run faster)! I had another AS to get to and then back to the finish line. I made it under the last cut-off time and could take as long as I need to get to the finish line from Hicks Rd.
I thought my IT band was starting to release it's hold over my right leg and I was able to shuffle down the hills a little bit faster. I was jogging the flats a little faster too. Then my right leg tweaked again and I told myself there was no need to push myself into a long-term injury and just take it easy.
I got to the Englishtown AS once again. They were all clapping for me as I jogged in. Amazing how little things like people smiling and clapping to lift my spirits and confidence. I was getting ready to hear the dreaded words, turn right and go down that hill that killed you at mile 27 to the finish. 4 more miles. Instead I was told to go forward and it was only 2 short miles to the finish. OH MY GOD! I thought I died and went to heaven. I was soooo excited not to have to go down that hill again and 4 miles! That was the best news all day!
I breezed right through the AS and shuffled my way down the road. I did start to realize though that I would probably have to do some more of those roller coaster hills though. And I was right. The course headed me back to those hills. This time I knew what I need to do. Inch my way up, inch my way down. Swing my arms and get through it.
What relief to finally make it down the last big drop and into the homestretch. I ran right to the finish line. 11:40:xx. I would take it. 40 minutes shy of my goal, but it was a finish. Today it would have to do. There's always another race to do another day.
What was frustrating is that my muscles didn't feel that fatigued, but my IT Band was very upset with me. Foam Roller, Foam Roller, Foam Roller.

Next up...300 miles across Iowa.

10 days...err 9 days until QuickSilver

2007-05-02T21:55:00.000-07:00

Wow, when I first started to write this post, I thought I had 11 days until Quicksilver. Then I thought I corrected myself with 10 days...and then realized today is pretty much over!

Well, training is not what I thought it would be. I just put on two concerts this past weekend and held the wrap party at my place. That doesn't allow for much running. But I did find that I'm a couple of minutes away from Chabot & Redwood parks! This is awesome. I'll be a trail runner yet!

Had a pretty good run tonight on the trails. I'm getting stronger on the ups and noticed some pain going down. Need to get on that foam roller twice a day!

Happy Trails!

Bought Airline tickets!

2007-04-27T07:38:00.000-07:00

This morning I bought my airline tickets for my Run Across Iowa 2007. Talking about something is easy to do...taking action to make it come true, much more difficult!

Planning a 20+ mile run for this weekend to prepare for the Quicksilver 50 mile on May 12th. After Quicksilver, I'll be taking a break from hills (& maybe races) to focus on running flat...for a long time...repetitively. Of course this should have started back in February, but who can go back and change time...No really, can someone do that? I have a few things that need changed... ;)

Good luck to all of you that are doing the Diablo 50 mile or marathon. Looks like it may be pretty hot out there!

Happy Trails!

American River 50 Mile

2007-04-19T00:44:00.000-07:00

Finish: 11:16:xx.
Goal: 10:59:59

Was not the best day I've had in my life, but even after a few days of rest, I've already signed up for the Quicksilver 50 Miler on May 12th. I guess I didn't have that bad of a time!

More details to come (though I still owe some storytelling on RA 50k!) To quickly summarize, the week leading up to the race I spent most evenings after work packing and moving to our new place and managed to get a cold. The weather the day before was a beautiful 70 degree sunny day...the day of RAIN, COLD, WIND. And I found out that I didn't know how to run on muddy trails!

I have a few concerts coming up and that seems to be taking most of my time right now. I'm also battling another case of poison oak! Mostly just on my right leg and arm. Not as bad as last time, and I'm working on getting rid of it as fast as I can!

The next few weeks will be training on hills to get those muscles use to going up steep hills again!

:)

Yep...I can still do a 50k!

2007-04-02T08:35:00.000-07:00

Wow! I did it! I didn't know if I could pull it off, but I did. 5:40:11. A new PR! Ok...this is a much easier course than Skyline, but my training wasn't anything close to what I had going into Skyline!

I'll write more about the race tonight or tomorrow, I just wanted to let everyone know that I made it! My right leg is a little sore, but not too bad. I spent most of yesterday moving!

(Thanks for the picture Mimi!)

More later!
Brad

4 more days!

2007-03-27T17:07:00.000-07:00

Well, in four more days I'll know if I still can run a 50k or not! Sort of scary to think that my training has been in the dumps and I have a 50 miler in about 2 1/2 weeks.

Yesterday got in a fast 3.1 miles in between the rain.

Happy Trails!

2007-03-27T16:19:00.001-07:00

Another test

2007-03-27T16:11:00.001-07:00

Test.

Schedule?? What Schedule??

2007-03-21T23:43:00.000-07:00

So, I had planned about 6 miles tonight, but the in-laws were in town and a board of directors meeting for my chorus. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to get a few miles in. We'll see how it goes.

Running back on schedule?

2007-03-20T12:35:00.000-07:00

Hopefully my running schedule will be back to normal this week. It's been several weeks (ok, more like months) since I've been able to put in a regular running week in.
I went out Sunday and did an easy 3 miles around Lake Merritt. My right knee was not too happy, but I bought some new shoes and socks. And I promised myself that I would do more stretching and roller exercises.
I took Monday off and today it is rainy. I guess it'll be 3 or 6 miles in the rain tonight...depending on the knee.

Oh...it's only 3 months and 3 days until the beginning of Run Across Iowa! Holy Crap! And only 11 days away until my first race/ultra of 2007!

Happy Trails!
Brad

23 miles :)

2007-03-17T16:44:00.000-07:00

Yay! I did 23 miles today. I did the first ~7.5 miles with the EastBay Frontrunners and then the rest by myself. Up and down and around the Berkeley/Emeryville Marinas. Stop twice to get something to eat. Took about 4 hours 15 minutes. Not too bad. I really only had planned to do 20, but then 26 sounded like a good number. My right knee started to give me some pain so I stopped at 23. Plus my car was right there, so that was another good excuse.
I'm DEAD TIRED, but feel very confident that I'll be able to do the 50k on the 31st. Johan wants me to go skiing next weekend, but I just can't risk straining anything the week before! I'll go up to Tahoe and maybe do a little trail running.

Happy Trails!
Brad

Ruth Anderson 50k

2007-03-16T22:04:00.000-07:00

I just registered for the Ruth Anderson 50k (50M and 100k options). This is only two weeks before the American River 50M, but the last time I did a 50 miler, I did a 50k two weeks before so I'm not too concerned about that. I'm more concerned with my confidence level right now. That's why I signed up for the 50k. It's a loop around Lake Merced in San Francisco. I'll go until I can't go no more!
My poison oak is almost gone!! My ankles look bad still, but the blisters are going away and the dead skin is starting to fall off. I just hope I got it all wash off my clothes & stuff.
Tomorrow I hope to get in 20 miles. I did 16 miles last weekend and felt really good.

Hawai'i

2007-02-22T12:15:00.000-08:00

Sunset in Honolulu.

On the leeward side of Oahu. Chinaman's Hat in the background.