tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33864442820410764412024-03-12T23:30:19.123-07:00See Bud RunBudduccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16832864054228484737noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386444282041076441.post-66599388875070950342020-12-19T14:00:00.001-08:002020-12-19T14:00:18.324-08:00Stupid Ways to Kill 007 - Dr. No<p>20 minutes into the movie the bad guys trick Bond into their car. Apparently they want to drive him into the country and off him. Bond fights the driver and subdues him, but the driver suicides.</p><p>43:15 The baddies slip a spider into Bond's bed while he is sleeping. Bond wakes up and kills the spider with his show. What are the odds of this actually working out? Plus it looks like a tarantula, which aren't fatal.</p><p>50:00 Bond is driving down a lonesome hilly road. Bad guys try to run him off and instead go off the road themselves and blow up.</p><p>57:30 The geologist bad guy shoots Bond in bed. But wait, Bond is hiding behind the door. After a quick interrogation, Bond shoots the geologist.</p><p>1:49:00 They capture Bond and Honey with 'The Dragon.' Instead of killing him immediately they bring him back to base for dinner with Dr. No. Dr. No of course tells Bond all of his plans. Bond, of course, escapes and blows up the base.</p><p>Bonus: Instead of killing Honey (Ursula Andress) they tie her down where the incoming tide will drown her.<br /></p>Budduccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16832864054228484737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386444282041076441.post-21972374476615459062020-07-16T12:26:00.000-07:002020-07-16T12:28:29.687-07:00Changing Git Remotes<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I had a recent problem with Git that was a real pickle to figure out how to solve, but the solution was remarkably simple.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I have an old project we'll call <b>Legacy</b>. I wanted to rework it, but in a new repository, since my client didn't want Legacy itself altered. I needed to clone it, but then push it to a new Git repo. Here's how it goes.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Clone Legacy</span></span></span><br />
<div class="highlight">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><code class="language-console" data-lang="console">git clone https://github.com/legacy</code></span></span></span></div>
<div class="highlight">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Remove all git references by deleting the .git folder at the root of the project. At this point we have a project directory full of code and resources, but not connected to a repository.</span></span></span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Initialize git and add our files</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><code class="language-console" data-lang="console">git init</code></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><code class="language-console" data-lang="console">git add [files to add]</code></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><code class="language-console" data-lang="console">git commit</code></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><code class="language-console" data-lang="console"><br /></code></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now we hook it up to our new repository. For my case I had already created the repository on GitHub prior to doing the following steps.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><code class="language-console" data-lang="console">git remote add origin my_new_repository_url</code></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><code class="language-console" data-lang="console">git push -u origin master</code></span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="highlight">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now you should be good to go. </span></div>
Budduccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16832864054228484737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386444282041076441.post-43790385728676907982014-09-12T16:59:00.001-07:002014-09-12T16:59:16.153-07:00Superior Sawtooth 100 - 2014It's an innocuous enough title, Superior Sawtooth 100, betraying nothing about the event other than its length, and it doesn't even do that properly (it's really 103.3 miles). Some enlightenment is needed. The real name of the race is <a href="http://fall.superiortrailrace.com/race-info/100-mile/" target="_blank">The Superior 100-mile Trail Race</a> and is run entirely on the rugged <a href="http://www.shta.org/" target="_blank">Superior Hiking Trail</a>. It has roughly 21,000 feet of climbing, but no individual climbs larger than a few hundred feet, instead substituting hundreds of smaller climbs throughout the entire course. Those many small climbs give the race a saw-like profile. It cuts like one too.<br />
<br />
I've run this race three times before, in 2010, 2011, and 2012 where I earned a 3rd and two 2nd places. I skipped last year to run Wasatch, but was back with a mission this year. It was hard watching the sign up list with two time winner John Horns coming back along with rookie speedster Mike Borst, young enough to be my son, a Badwater 2nd place finisher, and the UROC winner. I felt good coming into this 2014 edition, having moved to Duluth, MN where I could train on the SHT as well as having a banner year of running. I'd PR'd in the marathon, 50-mile, 100K, and 100-mile over the last 12 months. I was well rested, having not raced since Western States at the end of June and had mostly uninterrupted training. I wasn't going to be any more ready.<br />
<br />
On with it...<br />
<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-size: large;">Pre-race</span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></h4>
I headed up the shore Thursday night with my pal Jeff, who was coming up for his second attempt at the 100-mile. Meeting up at my house after work, we quickly loaded up his car then headed up, stopping for dinner at The Vanilla Bean in Two Harbors. I didn't want pasta, and preferred low key, so went with a nice salad with chicken breast, good and light. From there it was a short hop to packet pickup and the pre-race meeting. I was getting really focused and into my head, so though I had a lot of friends hanging out, I really didn't want to stay too long, anxious to get our camp setup. We wandered a bit, saying hi to a few folks, got our bags, then sneaked out the back midway through the meeting (sorry John).<br />
<br />
Overall it was a very relaxing, pleasant evening. Dave, Jeff's crew, was there and we had a campfire, then turned in by 10 PM. Surprisingly, I slept all night, a good omen.<br />
<br />
Up at 5:30 I worked on taping my toes along with eating a breakfast of a couple bananas and boiled eggs. Easy on the stomach. It was a nice, cool morning, and a little overcast. Really, pretty perfect for running. Around 7:00 we headed up to the start where I met up with my day-crew of mom (Vicky), dad (Dennis), and rookie crew brother-in-law Dan. They took my gear and we walked up to the start. I talked to a lot of people on the way to check-in, and by the time I got there Cheri was, like, yeah, we have you already. Grabbing a fresh cup of decaf from the Governor, I spent the rest of the time bouncing around between my crew and various friends. Soon enough, though, it was time.<br />
<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-size: large;">Finding my groove</span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></h4>
I ditched my coat with the crew, then John Horns and I wormed our way up to the front line. We'd run numerous times together and both run for <a href="http://tcrunningco.com/" target="_blank">TCRC</a>. I felt none of the usual jitters just before a start, instead feeling serious and businesslike about what was coming. Storkamp gave a quick reminder about how to follow the trail, then it was 3-2-1, and we ran. John, Mike, and 3 others moved up fairly quickly while I stayed in a short train with Joe Boler and 'Nick'. Joe and I chatted away, moving comfortably for several miles before I decided Nick wasn't running down hills like I wanted to and I moved past him and onto my own. The first two sections, to Split Rock then Beaver Bay, are long, and account for about the first 20 miles of the course.<br />
<br />
Going down into Split Rock (1:36), I was surprised to see Horns in the lead followed by four other guys. I had thought that they were all much farther out ahead. In fact I had hoped they were out there beating each-other up. Coming right back out, though, I moved into 5th, passing a guy who seemed to be breathing awful hard for the slow pace we were running. It was mostly uneventful running, in wonderful weather on the way to Beaver Bay. I managed to also pick up Eric Clifton in here, who was running without water nor gels, a strategy I can't really endorse. Otherwise, I tried to keep it slow and steady only to have my stride broken up by a full on face plant in a large mud wallow. It was a pretty soft landing, but I had mud from head to toe now. Alas, there were no streams to rinse off in.<br />
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<br />
By the time I hit Beaver Bay (3:22) and the first crew point, the mud had mostly flaked off. I hit these aid stations looking serious, always trying to find my crew, which I did, and 30 seconds later was back out on the trail Beaver Bay is pretty awesome, since all the crews are there, and there is tons of cheering. The bounce to Silver Bay is fast, and I ran with Horns a bit here, and moved past him, coming into the AS just ahead of him, now in third (4:18).<br />
<br />
I don't much like the run to Tettegouche. Nothing against the trail, but this is a warmer part of the day, and the slope of the hills the trail is on catches a lot of sun, so that amplifies it, too. I'd say it's a longer section, but let's be real, they all feel like longer sections. I didn't see anyone this section, nor would I until just before Finland. I'd essentially be running alone for the next 12 hours. Up, down, left, right, repeat. On the way I passed a woman backpacking with her dog, which was unleashed and repeatedly jumped on me, which she made no move to correct. So I'll say it: Mother Fucker! Some people are ignorant, inconsiderate asses. Fortunately, when I popped out of the trail right into Tettegouche (6:12), I got some aid station love. Swapping gear again, I also grabbed some pizza, while pal Ethan gave me a quick shoulder rub.<br />
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<br />
Not five minutes out of there, I tripped on, I don't know, a worm or something, on otherwise unblemished trail and wound up somersaulting onto the gravel shouting and gasping for breath. Getting up, I, um did some business in the woods and settled down. I'd cut my shoulder, knee, and really tore my hand up, which was bleeding quite impressively. I reminded myself the race doesn't start until at least 50 miles. Cool your jets and just run easy. So with my tunes back on, I managed to stay on my feet on the way to County Road 6. This is a pretty slow chunk of trail, having a fair bit of steep climbing and also being fairly warm out still. I know it well, though, and know that even when you see the aid station below you, there's still a mile to go. It is beautiful though, especially running across Sawmill Creek Dome, and the large vistas below it. Get there I did, though (8:10).<br />
<br />
My dad gave me some Aleve to carry with, I grabbed a coke, new gels and headed up to Section 13. I like this chunk of trail, which is reasonably runnable, minus a short chunk of gnarliness in the middle. Up until now, I'd say, I wasn't having a lot of fun. It felt like business, and more work than it should be, at least mentally. My body was doing well, but I wasn't all fired up to be out there, and hadn't been since the start. That changed as I approached the spur to the AS and spotted the red shirt of Kyle. He was done, mentally checked out. I ran a few steps with him, and he'd already decided to drop. Passing him, and moving into 2nd changed my day. Now I was hunting.<br />
<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-size: large;">Hot pursuit</span></h4>
<h4>
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</span></h4>
I amped up even more coming out of the spur to find Amy there to lead me into the AS (9:44), a full 25 minutes faster than I'd ever been there, and on kind of poor trail conditions. Here I'd say goodbye to dad and Dan as they were going home, and I rigged for the night and quickly changed my shirt. Amy led me out, and I set off up the trail in pursuit of young Mr. Borst. Very soon I came upon Kurt Decker and Ian Corless shooting photos. I shouted, "Kurt, do you smell that?" "Smell what?," he responded. "Rabbit!" and on I went. Little did I know, there wouldn't be any site of rabbit for more than 6 hours.<br />
<br />
I felt I floated the section to Sonju, enjoying the waning sunlight and the pursuit. Twisting through green tunnels occasionally broken by clear sky, listening to 80's rock, I hit Larry Pederson's AS (11:23). I asked how far up Borst was and was told 10 minutes (it was 8). Ugh, I was told 10 at Finland too (really 12). 10 minutes really seemed to be the default answer. I grabbed some juicy watermelon and gels and headed out to see the Governor at Crosby. He had a bet that anyone getting there during daylight would win a pound of coffee. It'd be close, but no way that was happening today. At Crosby, would also be Amy and mom.<br />
<br />
I got in just after dark (12:17). Thankfully, Patten had been running a stopwatch from when Borst left and I was now down 6 minutes. OK, this was getting frustrating. I'd hoped to have bagged him by now. Gaining at a rate of 200 meters an hour was going to take a while. Patten had some good humor for me (I'm Sexy and I Know It), and the ladies quickly had my gear set and I was back out there, and into the dark. By now I was getting pretty tired of my music, since it's only a 5 hour long play list, but it was better than not having anything. I was also doing this entire race without a pacer, going pure, as it were. Actually, I have no problems using pacers, I just wanted to try it without, just like my first time here.<br />
<br />
Getting to Sugarloaf is a grind. It's nearly 10 miles and some pretty rugged ground It's usually a little shy of confidence flags, too. But I knew all this. The only unexpected thing was that I still hadn't seen Borst. What was up with this guy, why did he have to pick today to run a smart 100. I did not want 2nd again. And I was frankly starting to feel like a nap was a pretty good idea. It was getting onto 10 PM, my 41-year old bed time. Finally arriving at Sugarloaf (14:47) after what would be my slowest paced section of the race (15:57), the gals and I did our thing, and I beat it out of there, now only 5 minutes down. Or was it 10?<br />
<br />
Working on the night shift, me and the 'Engine' worked down the short 5.6 technical miles to Cramer (16:12). It wasn't really that hard, but the miles were taking their tole. My legs didn't hurt, not at all, but they certainly weren't moving as fast as I'd like them too. And remember how awesome that nap sounded, well it was even more awesome sounding now. Fortunately, while it was chilly out, I was moving fast enough that I was totally comfortable in a t-shirt and there were times I still wished I had the singlet back on. Finally when I got into Cramer just after midnight, I got the best surprise of the last six hours: Borst was there. He left right away, but we did our thing, and I was right out after him, his light never out of sight.<br />
<br />
I was soon running behind him and his pacer, Jacob. Jacob graciously said he'd run behind us and let us duke it out. It had taken me over 6 hours to gain 12 minutes, so we were running essentially the same race. I could have passed Mike, but it would have been at the same slow rate. We were both gassed. So we essentially spent the next hour and a half running in silence with Mike leading the way. The second half of the course had been much muddier so far than the first, with a lot of trees down as well. We had a grand time looking at trees we had to crawl over, sighing, then lifting our legs over with our hands. Mostly, though, we danced around the mud, and made our way through the darkness, broken now and then by the bright moon.<br />
<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-size: large;">The Engine Takes Over</span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></h4>
About 10 minutes from Temperence, though, I started feeling my energy rapidly climb upwards. I was waking up and the legs were getting charged. I started talking to Mike and he let me know he was falling asleep on his feet. With about a tenth of a mile to Temperence, he pulled off to go to the bathroom and I bolted. It was all downhill and I strode out, finally in the lead after 85 miles. 17:56 into the day mom and Amy did a really rapid change of gear and I was rushing off just as Mike came in. I wanted to get out of his sight, so he couldn't see me at all, hoping it might demoralize him.<br />
<br />
I knew this next section really well. It was the climb up Carlton peak then down into Sawbill. I hammered this, riding my new-found energy for all it was worth. Despite the technical climbing and gobs of mud, I managed a 12:16 pace for these 5.5 miles. I also ended up saying hell with it with the mud and just running through it. My feet were wet and dirty anyway and I was probably risking a fall trying to dance around it. Getting to the base of the cliffs was a treat, because I knew it wasn't long to the penultimate AS. The moon kept setting me off when I'd see it out of the corner of my eye, thinking it was a headlamp, but it was just me, alone in the night. I strode into Sawbill 19:06 in (3:06 AM). I was hurried, but laser focused. The aid station didn't exist, just the trail. Amy took me to the trail-head and I asked her to wait 10 minutes, so at Oberg they could tell me the gap.<br />
<br />
Sawbill to Oberg is normally pretty fast, with a lot of smooth single track. This year it was deep mud. I didn't care, I'd given myself completely over to the running. My legs were pumping like pistons and I went right through all the mud without a care. It was still pitch black out and the stars were incredible. Soon enough I was heading down the final hill before the goodly chunk of flat into the aid station. Oberg has been run by TCRC's Kurt Decker and manned by my TCRC teammates for the last several years and almost as soon as I hit the flats, there was Kurt, headlamp on, to run me in. That was pretty sweet, he told me that I had over a half hour lead on Borst, and I felt some relief wash over me. We were both excited about what was looking like a win. We talked away until we came up to the RV (20:20), 1:14 after leaving Sawbill. Amy and mom quickly had me on my way.<br />
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<br />
Kurt ran me up to the trail-head, with Orion shining straight up above us. He wished me luck, and I was on my own again. It always gets to me how long this section feels, winding around many times until you begin the first big climb. I ran what I could, but I could tell that I was really running low on energy. At least all I had to do was keep moving. As usual it was climb, run the ridgeline, steep decent to the saddle (which is much longer than you'd think) then finally the switchbacks on up. Once at the top of the switchbacks, there was immense relief, I knew it was almost over. A little bit of flat running, then the group campsite. Hell yeah, so close. A little farther then the roar of the falls on the Poplar became audible over the music blaring on my iPod. I looked at my watch, if I could hit the road in 5 minutes I had a shot at sub 22! I hit the road in 7. Fortunately it was shorter than I allowed for. Quickly hauling down the road by myself, I allowed a few private fist pumps and cheers.<br />
<br />
I made the turn down to Caribou Lodge to find Jarrow standing there cheering. Around the pool one more time...the line. Done in 21:58:32! A huge smile, a big whoop, and a big hug from Amy. There was nothing like it. A win always feels good. A win on home turf even better. To finally nail this race, running it almost perfectly, not getting first easily, but having to fight for it, made it all the sweeter.<br />
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<br />
<br />
At last, a chair. I hadn't sat once all day, not having so much as taken a shoe off to shake it out. Relief.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Gear</h4>
<ul>
<li>Nathan v-pack</li>
<li>2 x 20 oz water bottles</li>
<li>Injinji sox</li>
<li>Hoka Mafate Speeds</li>
<li>s-caps</li>
<li>Always carried 6 gels out of aid stations</li>
</ul>
Budduccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16832864054228484737noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386444282041076441.post-57613209664640000782014-07-15T17:33:00.000-07:002014-07-17T05:37:45.982-07:00The Big Dance - Western States 2014This year I was privileged to once more run Western States. I last ran it in <a href="http://seebudrun.blogspot.com/2010/07/western-states-100-2010-recap.html" target="_blank">2010</a>, when Tony Kocanda and I were the only Minnesotans to attend. This year young gun <a href="http://jordanhanlon.com/" target="_blank">Jordan Hanlon</a>, Joseph Altendahl, and Scott Hoberg would be joining the fun. I'd get the play the role of grizzled veteran at 41. Four years ago this was my first 100-mile race. There wasn't much different for me this year, other than the now 9 100-mile races and slew of others under my belt. OK, a boatload of more experience coming into it this time. Gone were the questions of could I make it, now it was just how fast could I bang it out. (yeah you don't bang out a hundred, maybe grind it out is more accurate).<br />
<br />
I had good buddies Bill 'Pom Pom' Pomerenke and 'Mountain Man' Paul Bjork along to crew and pace. Bill has a lot of experience running, pacing and crewing, having helped me to victory in the <a href="http://seebudrun.blogspot.com/2011/06/black-hills-100-mile.html" target="_blank">Black Hills 100 in 2011</a>. We wouldn't have to worry about a victory this time. Paul has one run ultra, and was a rookie to the whole crewing and pacing gig. But with Bill's experience and the fact that they are both over half a century old, I figured they'd work out well together. I think our troupe of three had a combined age of 150. I'm sure Jordan's group of 5 couldn't match that.<br />
<br />
We all flew out to Sacramento on the Thursday before the race, dined at In 'n Out, because, well, In 'n Out. It was good. Then we motored on up to Squaw Valley to make a couple of the presentations, and get settled in. Mostly Paul slept. He did a lot of that. I guess having a 15 month old kid is a little wearying. For him staying up all night taking care of a bitchy runner with digestive issues probably seemed pretty easy.<br />
<br />
Friday was runner check in and pre-race meetings. The check-in took a while, with getting weighed, collecting a boatload of swag, and getting lined up with the medical test I volunteered for. I had opted to help a group of British doctors on a heart study so I got a full 12-lead ECG and an echo cardiogram. They were looking to prove that what was currently considered an abnormality is perfectly normal in endurance athletes of a certain age (me). And, yep, I had the abnormality. I'd also volunteered to wear a heart-rate monitor the whole race for them, though it fell of around 30 miles in. Jordan and I booked off to the pre-race meeting, where I bumped in to 'Fun Size' <a href="http://denisebourassa.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Denise Bourassa</a>, whom I first met at HURT, then Ice Age, then Speedgoat all in one year.<br />
<br />
Most of the day was pretty laid back for me, just relaxing, while Paul slept and Bill buzzed around in and ADD high like a kid in a candy store. That evening we enjoyed dinner with <a href="http://karlmeltzer.com/" target="_blank">Karl Meltzer</a>, his wife Cheryl, and a friend they had along. Then back for some crewing instructions and bed. The alarm was set for 3AM and it felt like it was coming quick.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Showtime</h3>
<br />
I'd slept pretty well, and already had everything organized, so I had plenty of time. Breakfast, then down to get my bib, weigh in, and get the HRM for the medical study. My elders opted to stay in the room and have oatmeal instead of coming down the the check-in. I quickly got all set up, went to the bathroom again and again and again, then managed to hook up with Jordan, Ed and friends. Eventually Joseph found us, then Bill. There was a ton of energy and it wasn't long before Jordan and I shed layers and headed for the queue. It was in the 40's and pretty windy out, but it didn't really feel all that bad. Gordy said a few words as the last minute ticked off, then BAM when the shotgun and we started up to the Escarpment.<br />
<br />
Jordan and I mostly did the bottom of the climb together, then he pulled on ahead. I sidled into a steady pace, eventually matching up with Meghan Arbogast and chatting with her a bit. The Escarpment was really windy and chilly, to the point my fingers were tingling. But once we popped the top and started down the single track on the backside, I warmed up quick. I ran in a train with Meghan for a while trying to dodge past folks where the trail permitted. The miles were dropping pretty quickly and I was feeling great, and knew I wasn't going out too hard.<br />
<br />
It wasn't long before Jordan and I hooked up again, and the trail brought us to Lyon's ridge and Red Star ridge, new turf for me, since last time was a snow course. I also picked up Denise again, and ran for several hours with her, on and off, up to Devil's Thumb. Lyon's and Redstar were beautiful with big mountain views of peaks way off in the distance along with wonderful technical trail. The weather was great and there was a bunch of chatter with various runners all talking about the day and our time hopes.<br />
<br />
The aid stations kept coming up quick, and it wasn't long before Robinson Flats came up, and our first crew point. I hit it in 5:31, a little slower than my hoped for 20-hour pace. This is a crazy aid station, it's big, and all the crew's are here cheering like crazy. I came in, got weighed, then boogied out of the AS to where Bill and Paul were. Quick, sunscreen, gels, s-caps, then motor out for the big climb, and approach to the canyons. I got out ahead of Jordan here as he changed shoes, and didn't see him for a long time.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Getting in a Groove</h3>
<h3>
</h3>
Once out of Robinson, it's another 25 miles until crew shows up again, and between there and here are three canyons and the infamous Devil's Thumb climb. Denise was right behind me as we climbed out of Robinson, hit the peak then started the long decent on fire roads to Miller's Defeat. Once through there and on a long section of dirt fire-road she dropped me like a rented mule, passing another gal who was up ahead. It took me another 5 miles to pass the same lady. My legs were feeling a little tired in here given how much running there is, and pretty much no hills to walk up. And it felt like it took a lot longer than it did. Eventually though, there was the Last Chance Aid AS. I loaded up on ice, then began the approach to Deadwood Canyon. It was a quick 20 minute drop to the bottom, where I got to wade through the river and cool off before beginning the monstrous 1800 foot climb.<br />
<br />
I felt like I was climbing like a boss, and caught Denise on this ascent, and it wasn't much longer before I saw the Devil's Thumb and the AS appeared. You pretty much just pop over the top of the climb and there it is. I loaded up again on ice and some gels, while chatting with ex-Minnesotan Joe Uhan. Just before leaving two volunteers squeezed icy sponges over my head and my legs buckled from the cold shock. Fortunately it was just a second, and I got a Popsicle and ran downhill. Denise and I did most of this together with one other guy, chatting a bit on the way down, then she fell off on the climb after the bottom, and I wouldn't see her again until the finish.<br />
<br />
I busted out the climb from el Dorado Canyon and made it to the top and Michigan Bluff feeling pretty good in 10:31, 15 minutes off my goal, so not too bad. Another weigh in to lots of cheering here, grab some stuff from Bill and Paul, then through the last canyon, Volcano, and onto Forest Hill. This is a pretty uneventful section, and I used it as recovery from the bigger canyons. As I had the last 20-miles, I kept splashing myself at every trickle of water I came across. Then, boom, just like that, Bath Road, where Paul was waiting to run me up to Forest Hill. We chatted on the way up, ran most of it, got weighed in, had a confused pit stop with Bill, then beat it down to Cal Street.<br />
<h3>
</h3>
<h3>
Just Roll With It</h3>
<h3>
</h3>
Paul and I had a good time cruising down through Cal 1 and 2, picking up a few runners on the way and just rolling along, without pushing it. I knew this was a 'sucker' section with lots of awesome downsloping, non-technical trail. A lot of people run it really fast then blow up the last 20 miles. I ran it fastish, but never at a point where I felt like I was crushing it. Down here too, I started having stomach issues, with some cramping and nausea, so I got to do the dance of trying to balance s-caps, water, and not throw up. Other than a couple pit stops, I made it work (perfect no puke record). Around Cal 3, Paul started fading and eventually fell off (he had a good time recovering at Rucky Chucky with pretty ladies bringing him food on the cot). With a couple miles to go to the river, Jordan and pacer Steve Moore blew by me and quickly disappeared. He put up to 18-minutes on me in about 10 miles.<br />
<br />
I got to the river with plenty of daylight (one of my pre-race hopes) and crossed it alone, with all the other runners several minutes ahead or behind. It was a pretty cool experience as the only runner in the water, a lot of crews on the other side cheering, and all the helpful rope handlers standing in the river. It was cold, but I could feel my temperature dropping and life coming back to me.<br />
<br />
Once out of the water I did a quick shoe and sock change, which was well worth it. And I rigged for night running, my favorite time of these big races.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Stop, Hammer time!</h3>
<h3>
</h3>
Suffice to say, as night descended, and I had cooled off from the river, I put the hammer down. I felt good. My head wasn't screwed up, I had energy, and the stomach was squared away. It wasn't long before I caught and passed Kaci Lickteig for good (I almost got her at Cal 3). In barely an hour out from Green Gate we were at Auburn Lakes and quickly on the way to Brown's bar. Bill and I chatted a bit, but I think I was pretty quiet for a lot of it, just focusing on running well. In another hour we were at Brown's Bar, run by stud Hal Koerner. I said a quick hey to him, then we started up the infinite climb to Highway 49, where Paul would be.<br />
<br />
This is the second to last climb, and it's no fun. It is pretty rocky, and a lot of it is just too steep for me to run. You aren't, but it feels like you lose a lot of time on it. The reality, Bill and I did the 3.6 miles in 51 minutes. And this was the first point of the day I got under 20-hour pace. Paul was waiting up at the AS and got me set. We would have been out quick, but Pom Pom, had panic attack about his headlamp and decided to change his batteries. I was addled enough I waited around for him, when I should have gone out and had him catch up. Our one time on Ultralive TV too, and it was changing batteries. Alas. Only 6.7 miles to the finish, and I was feeling pretty darn good.<br />
<br />
After 49 was some easy meadows for a mile or so followed by the long downhill into No Hands Bridge. Bill was talking about stopping and fixing his lamp, but I was focused on running through, with about an hour of running I wasn't stopping for anything. Busting down the long downhill was super dusty from a runner in front of me, and it was like running in fog, with the headlamp beams reflecting back off of the dust. That made me want to go faster and pass so I could see. We didn't stop at No Hands, which had the big screen and loud music going, but just blew on through across the bridge. Only 5K left.<br />
<br />
With just about half a mile of flat we turned up and began a lot of steep climbing up to Robie Point. There was a runner behind us, but we pulled away and soon had the trail to ourselves. It felt like the climb wasn't going to end, but just like that we popped out near the gate, and Robie Point. There was cheers and offers of aid, but with 1.3 miles left I just wanted to finish.<br />
<br />
I could see a couple of groups ahead of us, and I tried to run as much as possible, but ended up walking a good chunk. Between power walking and some jogging I passed one guy from Croatia and was closing on another group. That's when I recognized the familiar green tank top of Jordan. Holy cow, I thought he'd have been done by now given the gap he had. That's when I had the less than stellar idea to race to the finish. I dropped my pack and headlamp for Bill and Paul, who had just showed up, and shouted to Jordan something to the effect of 'let's do this'. I gapped him a bit, but he and his crew were in hot pursuit. He shouted back 'We're on the roads now!" He'd kill me in a road race. It wasn't long before my side started aching, and I though this is stupid, but machismo made me keep pressing. A few turns and I could see the gate to the track. Tropical John announced me and said a few things, and I ran around alone. It wasn't until the turn that I looked and saw Jordan just entering the track.<br />
<br />
I felt like I was floating around the turn and the final stretch, knowing I'd had a heck of a day. I crossed the line in 19:44:25, a PR by over two hours, and bettered my first 100 here by over four. It wasn't a flawless race, but I'd put together a good one, evenly paced and well executed. It was a joy to have my tenth 100-miler right where I had my first successful 100-miler. And all four of us Minnesotans finished, with three silver buckles and bronze by Joseph, who probably shouldn't even have been running.<br />
<br />
Hell of a day.<br />
<br />
<br />Budduccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16832864054228484737noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386444282041076441.post-19985408779856627462014-05-11T14:15:00.003-07:002014-05-11T18:38:31.770-07:00Ice Age 2014I came into this race feeling pretty lethargic, Boston Marathon three weeks ago had taken quite a bit out of me and I really wasn't bouncing back quickly. My last two short runs in the taper had felt leaden and a sad predictor on what was to come. By all accounts I ran a decent race compared to the field, but not what my current fitness would have allowed me to run had I been fully rested. I ended up running a 7:24:39, which was a 5 minute PR, nothing really to complain about, but I sure feel like I could have run closer to 7 hours.<br />
<br />
Chris Rubesch and I drove down on Friday, picking up his main squeeze Andrea from Eau Claire. She was super kind and drove everything from then on so Chris and I could nap. It was a pretty easy trip and we ended up camping in Horseriders Camp ground, sharing a site with a couple of ladies that were racing their horses the next day. We got lucky they offered us a site, since this campground is only for people who have horses.<br />
<br />
An early rising at 4:30 got us to the start shortly after 5, and gave us plenty of time to ready our kits and enjoy catching up with some friends before the national anthem. Andrea was going to drive around and cheer on Chris, then meet us at the finish. Jeff Mallach gave a quick pre-race rundown which was followed by the national anthem. Immediately where was a quick 10 second countdown while Chris and raced to get into the queue, just off the front. Then, boom, we were off.<br />
<br />
It was a quick start around the Nordic Loop with a lot of people really cranking it out right away. I did a pretty good job of holding back, but probably still ran faster than I should have. As it was I popped my headphones, turned on the tunes, and let the engine do it's thing. Running nice an steady the entire loop, finally coming through the starting area again with throngs of people cheering, then out onto the main course.<br />
<br />
The leg out to Rice Lake went pretty well, and I was moving nicely, though I was starting to get strong hints that this was not going to be the best day. I wasn't sore, but the legs just didn't have the pop that they should have. I cruised through most of the aid-stations, just stopping for water or to ditch garbage. In fact, this race I probably did my best A.S. transitions, spending no time other than what was absolutely necessary.<br />
<br />
Right behind me at Rice Lake was Kaci, and I ran with her for a few miles back towards confusion corner. She was running a very steady pace, though, while I was very steadily declining. By then, over 20 miles into it, there was no question I was going to run even close to 7 hours. My initial plan to run an 8 min/mile average to 30 miles, then accept a pretty decent slowdown. I think I was already behind that plan at 20.<br />
<br />
So I ground it out the last 30 miles I maybe spent 5 minutes in that 'I can quit and be just fine with it' zone before telling myself to suck it up. Heading back to Confusion Corner then onto Horse Riders, it started getting pretty hot (this year had one of the lowest finishing rates). I felt I managed it pretty well, just drinking more, and pouring water on myself once in a while. I don't think I passed anyone the entire way to the turnaround at Emma Carlin, though I did get dropped by the second and third place women.<br />
<br />
I remember, just like two years ago, that once turning around at Emma Carlin, it was a huge relief. Only 9 miles to go, and none of it really hard. Plus, now, I'd get to see everyone else coming back and have some company. So I forged on, and once I hit Margaritaville, I filled up my bottle one last time, then kicked it as hard as I could for the finish. I actually didn't feel too bad once done, just tired. My stomach was in good shape, and I was able to eat right away. Chris' dad was awesome, grabbing me food and water and just generally being a good guy.<br />
<br />
So, I'm satisfied to get a PR out of this, but it was a lot of work for 5 minutes. Basically, it just came down to the fact that I wasn't recovered from Boston. And Boston was an 'A' race for me, while Ice Age wasn't, so there you go.<br />
<br />
Jeff Mallach puts on a good race, and there are loads of great volunteers out on the course. It's pretty much impossible to get lost, and the post race BBQ and drinks are some of the best in the ultra world.Budduccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16832864054228484737noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386444282041076441.post-22667312999815447522014-01-26T16:17:00.004-08:002014-01-26T16:17:48.734-08:002013 Wild Duluth 100k
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I went into the 2013 edition of the 100k, the fifth, with
few expectations for a good day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was
in the process of moving from Minneapolis to Duluth and had weeks of stress and
sleepless nights leading up to race day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’d had a pretty good year of running so I wasn’t concerned about
knocking out another solid race, but just run casually and enjoy a day on the
trail.</div>
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The 6AM start was dark, early, and cold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rousting myself at 4 and heading down to the
start wasn’t making me particularly happy, but once I connected with friends at
the pre-race briefing everything was good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After Andy gave us the low down on the course, we all headed out into
the cold and dark to toe the line and start the real fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I landed in the first row with Chris, Ethan,
Christi and a few others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After just a
few minutes we were off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a big
pack of lights circling Bayfront before heading up the ramp over the highway,
crossing Superior Street and onto the single-track of the Superior Hiking
Trail.</div>
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We are really lucky to be able to run on 30 miles of trail,
in the woods, in the middle of an urban environment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And run we did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We quickly had things sorted out with Chris
Rubesch and two others charging off the front followed by a group of myself,
Christi, Ethan, Bob Gerenz and a couple others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We cruised up the hill to Enger Tower, a good 1.5 miles of uphill, and
rang the peace bell as we went by.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
were all chatting it up, and Ethan and I had largely the same plan of running
easy and seeing where it took us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now
the thing with Ethan and I is that prior to this race, we’d run three other
races together and our combined time difference was less than 10 minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So we can run together pretty well.</div>
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So up over Enger, and through the Piedmont aid station I
went without stopping.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was cool and
kind of humid and somewhere past Piedmont it started raining a bit, with some
snow mixed in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not exactly the prime
conditions I was hoping for, and if the rain kept up there was going to be a
lot of carnage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was nothing to do
but run, since I didn’t even put a spare pair of socks in my drop bags.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately it only spat for a couple hours
then stayed dry the rest of the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
wasn’t long before Ethan and I separated and moved into 4<sup>th</sup> and 5<sup>th</sup>
with the others out of sight ahead of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So we ran with each other, pushing trail under our feet while the hours
ticked away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did play touch and go
with Artur from Canada for a while, but he was huffing and puffing whenever he
went by us.</div>
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Still in our same places we came into the Munger A.S. to see
the third place guy leaving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mmmm,
rabbit!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ethan and I turned it around
quickly (thanks UMTR volunteers) and set to chase.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a mile or so we roped the young lad in
while going up a hill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He said he came
to run for a podium spot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t think
it worked out real well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was still
feeling really good, though Ethan was unfortunately feeling the love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the way to E. Palkie A.S. I lost contact
with him behind me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I kept expecting him
to show up, but it wouldn’t happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
this same section I saw Sean, the number 2 guy and spent a couple of miles
slowly roping him in, passing him for good right before the aid station and the
7 miles of road it ushered in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I grabbed
a snack quick, and started on the flat hard stuff and making time to the
turnaround.</div>
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Banging out some fast miles I finally saw Chris headed back,
a full 22 minutes ahead of me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
wouldn’t worry about that, remember, I was just here for a fun day on the
trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After that I didn’t see anyone
until I hit the turnaround and headed back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I bumped into Marcus on the trail, pointing me to the cutoff and the
turnaround aid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hit it at 5:35 into my
day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not too, shabby, and I was feeling
great!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, I told myself, I could race if
I wanted to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I grabbed my gels from my
drop bag, then turned and burned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Time
to get home.</div>
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I had a lot of fun the first 10 miles running back, since I
got to see everyone else in the race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>First up were Sean, Ethan, then Christi, Artur, and Bob McGrath.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Periodically was the other 40 or so
runners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most looked pretty good and
like they were going to make it, but there were a few moving awful slowly and
probably in danger of missing the 50k cutoff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In a change from my usual experience, I was smiling and happy the whole
way back, not like it wasn’t work, but I never got into a funk.</div>
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I felt like I had the hammer down pretty good, even down the
muddy hills and stairs leading back to Munger Trail and Ely’s Peak.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the time I got close to Munger, all the
other runners were behind me, and I wouldn’t see anyone for a long time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made short work again of all the aid
stations, spending just a few seconds at each.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Hit it and quit it is the way to do it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I do most of my training alone, so running alone on the way back wasn’t
a problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just cranked up the iPod
and pushed as hard as I could.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also
spent a bit of time looking over my shoulder.</div>
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It felt good to broach the top of Ely’s, which was the
hardest climb remaining.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Todd Rowe was
up there snapping photos and gave a shout.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And so it was back through Magney, Spirit and Highland/Getchell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No crashes, no bonks, just steady running in
the sunshine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the time I got to
Highland, though I was ready for it to be over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Chris was far enough ahead, I didn’t have to
even think about catching him, but I had no idea how close third place
was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In here I started picking up more
rabbits, 50k runners!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I caught the
venerable Rick Bothwell and ice cream loving Wayne Nelson, along with a couple
of others.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I knew exactly how far I had to go once I hit Lincoln Park
and the climb to Piedmont.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ditched my
coat with my parents, who had come to watch the finish, and punched it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I really like this last 5k and try to save
energy for it, particularly to have the legs to crush the downhills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Back past Twin Ponds and up to Enger again,
then bombing the long downhill back to Bayfront.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Coming across the bridge again, my folks were
there and I was giving it my all, nailing the last mile in about 6:30 and
crossing the finish line 11:35:31 for second place and first masters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not too bad for a day for which I had no
expectations.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Chris Rubesch took first with 11:01:43 and Bob McGrath was
third in 12:12:26 (I hope I run like him when I’m 50).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christi Nowak walked with the women’s win in
12:17:03, followed by Julie Librizzi in 15:05:32, and Annie Beherend in
15:39:36.</div>
Budduccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16832864054228484737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386444282041076441.post-2929674310099928422013-09-29T13:10:00.000-07:002013-09-30T07:56:15.938-07:00Wasatch Front 100 Miler<h3>
The what, where?</h3>
In the ultrarunning community we simply call this race 'Wasatch'. We know what it is, it's legendary. One of the four oldest 100-mile races in the country and one of the hardest. It is run in the Wasatch Front Range outside of Salt Lake City, and most of the race takes place above 8,000 feet, going above 10,000 feet at the highest. Not counting the last 25 miles, it's not super technical, but those last 25 have been called some of the most difficult running in the sport. It has nearly 26,500 feet of climbing and 27,000 feet of decent. It has hills that are named, and people don't name hills because they have unicorns dancing on them. They name them because they are hard. There's Chinscraper, The Dive, The Plunge, and Irv's Torture Chamber. Most people would say Wasatch sounds like it sucks, but there's enough of us that seek this kind of challenge that there is a lottery to get in.<br />
<br />
After two years of trying, I was offered a spot.<br />
<h3>
</h3>
<h3>
In which we arrive in Utah</h3>
After a couple of painless flights to get here from Minneapolis, we step off the plane. What's that I feel? Oh, the record heat that is settling in for the next couple days. This was going to be the second hottest Wasatch ever. At least it's a dry heat. Amy and I spent the Wednesday we got there checking out the city and getting settled into our hotel in Layton, near the start. We just had this evening alone before my parents and pacer (stud Ben Willis) showed up on Thursday. So we found a great place to eat at The Copper Onion (best cheesecake I've ever had) and just relaxed. I knew I wouldn't sleep much Thursday night.<br />
<br />
Friday morning we connected with my parents (Vicky and Dennis) at the hotel then went into the airport to get Ben, and all went out to lunch before the prerace check-in. The check-in was much lower key than I expected with areas to set my three drop bags, a quick weigh-in, and grab my swag bag. The bag just had my bib and a t-shirt, and no extra paraphernalia. Simple and straight to it. The meeting was just the same, a 15-minute long instruction on not getting lost and what to do if you do stray from the course. Then we were freed up, and back to the hotel and the last AC I'd feel for the next 2 days.<br />
<br />
I spent that evening taping up my toes and getting gear ready for the morning, so all I'd have to do is get up and get in the car. The race started at 5AM on Friday, and it's hard enough getting up at 3 without having to do anything complicated. We all got going though, and my dad chauffeured us to the start.<br />
<h3>
</h3>
<h3>
In which I try to stay calm and start a long day.</h3>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ajc5mcex_jqOA9K1IG0M1QN5F4M63sc2Ttvrqihv-5yz_iV1Ev05VSz-bJft5bwEgX4if93eCVsk0U38qLl-fJt5NzNXryouCDHREuaLDCPI3vZiCemoc6g2_EtLQS2lKV_luRP_lwT-/s1600/IMG_2906.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ajc5mcex_jqOA9K1IG0M1QN5F4M63sc2Ttvrqihv-5yz_iV1Ev05VSz-bJft5bwEgX4if93eCVsk0U38qLl-fJt5NzNXryouCDHREuaLDCPI3vZiCemoc6g2_EtLQS2lKV_luRP_lwT-/s320/IMG_2906.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ben, Vicky, me, and Amy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The starting area was pretty calm when we got there at about 4:15. It was warm enough out that shorts and a t-shirt were plenty comfortable. I hooked up with Karl Meltzer here for some last minute advice, then spent a bunch of time sitting on the road edge watching people trickle in. Ben mentioned to me that the general fitness of the runners here was considerably higher than what we see at races at home. I had to agree, almost everyone here looked pretty stacked.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVhnp_tSShXDamSagiD-KDVk5hRxlVwNS3oC4Dkl2a7Lgoy6_j3PksOOg9Rvt7wNlG-T6xtnrt7ZrxER-VJx6ChRPBGz3txNsKN_Fihms9tiEYiYLeaEX_Jv2C30aky1G831mpjdURCE3H/s1600/IMG_2667.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVhnp_tSShXDamSagiD-KDVk5hRxlVwNS3oC4Dkl2a7Lgoy6_j3PksOOg9Rvt7wNlG-T6xtnrt7ZrxER-VJx6ChRPBGz3txNsKN_Fihms9tiEYiYLeaEX_Jv2C30aky1G831mpjdURCE3H/s320/IMG_2667.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Duplicating our Leadville shot from several years ago.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
As happens often at these, the time just disappeared, and all the runners were called to line up. Queue anxiety peak. We packed in like cord-wood, and I wormed up to near the front. Ten second countdown and we were off.<br />
<br />
The first bit of trail is nice rolling single track for a couple of miles before the first and biggest climb of the day, Chinscraper. This was really nice running, and went along pretty well, with minimal conga line shenanigans. It was also much quieter than I'm used to, with almost no chatter among the runners as everyone focused on the trail lit only by our headlamps. By the time we hit the climbing things were nicely spread out, and I tucked into a line for as long as my patience held out, occasionally popping ahead as the trail and energy allowed. Eventually we got above the trees and onto a really steep section that I climbed with my hands and feet and into the pass above 9000 feet. What a view from up here.<br />
<br />
I settled into a nice easy pace on some beautiful ridge line running. It was a stunning morning to be in the mountains as we all made our way to the first real AS and drop bags at Francis Peak. I had my bag quickly as the volunteers were super efficient and had my ice bandana and fuel to get me to my crew at Big Mountain, 21 miles from here. I was out of Francis at 8:51AM and on to Bountiful B.<br />
<br />
Bountiful B had moist towels and popsicles. It was like arriving to find your manservant waiting for you. Just a quick stop here to reload water and back on the trail. Sessions Liftoff came up soon and I did what I was instructed and tanked up on water here, as well as put some ice in my bandanna. The hot part of the day was coming, and these next several stretches had very little shade. It was hump to Swallow Rocks, but then I could hear the cheers and horns of Big Mountain. I was anxious to see my crew.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmjEnn1aMv5488AKqNFAp-L5796q4bhs-Hgd6h7FFRf7ccSIfitsYaGmNAk7RFiltYdgIRxC8LHjhfqzlOY76TGRH1PRQihvMzyxU4VKCzooQgSg00qZnpNELSlAKsLtP7ireKmdLmc5-R/s1600/IMG_2675.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmjEnn1aMv5488AKqNFAp-L5796q4bhs-Hgd6h7FFRf7ccSIfitsYaGmNAk7RFiltYdgIRxC8LHjhfqzlOY76TGRH1PRQihvMzyxU4VKCzooQgSg00qZnpNELSlAKsLtP7ireKmdLmc5-R/s320/IMG_2675.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quick weigh in at Big Mountain</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h3>
</h3>
<h3>
In which the heat gets turned up.</h3>
My crew was waiting for me along with Karl Meltzer helping them out. It was a little confusing as I got weighed and they all started doing a bunch of things at once. Apparently everyone had jitters. In due course I had ice in my bandana, under my hat, and down the back of my shirt. Waters were filled and I was back on the trail to face the hottest part of the day. The first AS on this way was Alexander and it was really hot as I worked my way there, mostly alone. I did hook up with another guy and his pacer for the last mile or so and she graciously dumped water on my head. At Alexander, though, I drank some more water and soaked myself under one of their barrels. I reloaded on ice and headed out. The next stretch to Lambs was easy trail, but brutally hot, and I paid for it. About two miles before actually getting to Lambs you can see it as you run long switchbacks working downhill towards it. Starting about a mile out I was doubled over several times with stomach cramps which stopped me in my tracks.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnuf0hPfOuOHHNAnDr5GTG-KQFEhCuFuWwazHW2F5r04QUI4UwwJpQzon3_yVaVDuzc4MdlzzlbvGTKa6DB-PPHPXaIbHCFMzwDttXBciRPPkg0f33CU6rMpF-aBKuxmnDXdn5vsWG73M5/s1600/IMG_2682.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnuf0hPfOuOHHNAnDr5GTG-KQFEhCuFuWwazHW2F5r04QUI4UwwJpQzon3_yVaVDuzc4MdlzzlbvGTKa6DB-PPHPXaIbHCFMzwDttXBciRPPkg0f33CU6rMpF-aBKuxmnDXdn5vsWG73M5/s320/IMG_2682.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coming into Lambs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0EvmAgKnE_yiIYyTGQLudVyZTcHAM5a2azOs33kY66EugkHZjLMaDlypx4qJ-y71189597gtIYu_v3xie9vnQQzP3-29waKp43bsKdhJMf2ZNHwcicEsO88OZK6thWHriBK3ffWQGI3Fa/s1600/IMG_2916.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0EvmAgKnE_yiIYyTGQLudVyZTcHAM5a2azOs33kY66EugkHZjLMaDlypx4qJ-y71189597gtIYu_v3xie9vnQQzP3-29waKp43bsKdhJMf2ZNHwcicEsO88OZK6thWHriBK3ffWQGI3Fa/s320/IMG_2916.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Recovering from cramps.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Eventually I got down to some shady area and made the final turn up to the AS. Amy was down on the trail snapping photos, but I was in a sour mood from the cramps and couldn't work up a smile for her. At the weigh in I was 6 pounds down from just the last 3 and half hours. I spent about 10 minutes here cooling off and drinking. Eventually, after hearing a guy next to me talk about peeing blood, I figured I needed to get out of here. I too a third water bottle and headed out under I-80. Karl ran over to see how I was doing, and he and Amy and Ben walked me up to the road and I started the long section to Brighton Lodge.<br />
<h3>
</h3>
<h3>
In which I cool off and start to grind.</h3>
The climb up to the pass on the way to Millcreek cooled me off, and I went up pretty slowly, diligently working on my water. It was pretty uneventful as I climbed up and up, finally hitting the top in the sun and beginning the long decent. I felt an inkling of cramping, but nothing happened, and that was the last of those for the race. I could tell I'd paid for the running in the heat and getting behind, and perhaps for the long effort at altitude, my legs just weren't there for the climbing. Once at the bottom of the pass it was a long road slog, which I mostly did with Sarah McCloskey (womens winner), and we chatted our way up. We pulled into Millcreek, where I grabbed my lamps and put on a long sleeve shirt for the night.<br />
<br />
Sarah had taken off before me, but I was soon back on the trail and climbed up to here, where we walked in silence for quite a while, dodging mountain-bikers careening down the mountain. This was another long climb with a short decent into Desolation Lake. It was starting to get dark and cool, but I was able to see the lake still, and it was a beautiful site for the AS, and they'd probably have a great time camping up there and tending the runners. I was pretty knackered when I came through, but I always have trouble over 9000 feet, though I really didn't know what altitude I was at at the time. I just got some more water and moved on.<br />
<br />
I was slow and wonky heading up to Scotts. It took me over an hour to do the four miles up there. And shortly before getting there Sarah passed me and asked how I was doing. I told her I couldn't focus on the trail, to which she said 'that's rough' and moved on. I was still walking so no real need to worry. As I made into Scotts I had little motivation to move. I wish I had remembered how high I was up there and I would have just meandered on down the trail. But I ended up sitting for 16 minutes, sipping broth and liquids. They offered me the cot, but thankfully I had it in my head to turn that down. Finally after seeing several people come through and move on, I got up and started downhill to Brighton.<br />
<br />
Again, over an hour to go less than 5 miles downhill, with just a short climb to the lodge. I knew that my hopes of a 24 hour finish were shot, but I'd probably finish more where I actually expected to, somewhere between 24 and 30. Anyway, as I walked the last little bit up to the lodge, my crew was out there cheering, and I walked right by them, asking where to go. My mom came over and pointed up to the lodge building, and only then did she recognize me exclaiming 'Oh, it's you!' and the rest of them came over. My shirt change and use of only one lamp instead of two, totally threw them off.<br />
<br />
I got another weigh in and my weight was good. The got me saddled up, and again Karl was here with some last advice for the 'toughest 25 miles in ultrarunning'. Ben was all set to do it with me and after getting fueled up with broth and my rig all set we headed out the door and up to the course high point.<br />
<h3>
</h3>
<h3>
In which what goes up must come down.</h3>
Ben and I started the hike up to 10,500 feet and down to Ant Nolls. The climb felt pretty good, not fast, but it was nice having company and the sky was beautiful. In about an hour we broached the top and headed down to Ant Knolls and were in and out pretty quickly. The rest of the night quickly devolved into a hideous repetition of slow climbing and slow jogging on flats and downs. I could still run at least, but the climbing was killing me. I was happy to make it past the landmarks of the Dive and the Plunge figuring I was making decent progress. I wasn't really ready for Irv's Torture Chamber, however.<br />
<br />
This was a section of a lot of climbing and descending over and over again without seeming to end. There was whining. Lots of it. Ben is a patient man. After getting through all of this treacherous terrain there was a fair bit of easier running on the way down to Pot Bottom. I was once again experiencing that lack of focus on the trail, sometimes stumbling off the trail as I fell asleep on my feet. Ben was afraid I was going to have to take a nap out on the trail. I managed through, though, and experienced hallucinations for the first time, seeing a cork message board in one spot then a little later a box of pop-tarts on the side of the trail. Ben kept telling me Pot Bottom was coming up soon, for the better part of an hour.<br />
<br />
We got there, though, and I sat for a few minutes drinking Coke and eating some soup. This finally provided the kick I needed, that, and being only 8 miles from the finish. We started our jog down the road, no more trail, and only had to putz around at one poorly marked intersection. The running was easy though and we duly hit the Station Cut-Off where Amy was waiting for us and joined the party for the last five miles. Her and Ben had a good time while I spent the next hour kicking rocks and swearing up a storm. Fortunately the last bit is all down hill and we made good time, eventually coming out on the paved road. It was confusing figuring out where to go as it was very poorly marked, with markers randomly on either side of the road. We hit it right, though, and Amy provided me constant reassurance that we were going the right way, since she'd already been to the finish line (where my parents were waiting).<br />
<br />
The sky was just lightening up as we approached Soldier Hollow, and Amy and Ben split off to take a shortcut to the finish line as I did the last little u-turn to bring it home. I was so happy hitting the final straightaway and crossing the line in 25:38:50. All in all, in better shape than I usually am at the end of a hundred, no shakes and my mind was (fairly) straight.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS-3Dh5T2YZ3240EyRcntUMEJnZDdTt3ZmPrY40cshn14K7D3PZJbccxtPtPEwOgnWxziHSfGkV0yq3nMoodYMS12d8ZDOmEjcl_x6Gnvpg1DeGUlPd6JYMUfWacK9juVAsXZXYQVEQZZw/s1600/IMG_2919.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS-3Dh5T2YZ3240EyRcntUMEJnZDdTt3ZmPrY40cshn14K7D3PZJbccxtPtPEwOgnWxziHSfGkV0yq3nMoodYMS12d8ZDOmEjcl_x6Gnvpg1DeGUlPd6JYMUfWacK9juVAsXZXYQVEQZZw/s320/IMG_2919.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I was really happy with this run, particularly given the hot weather, I hadn't seen any of the course, and I live at 600' and didn't acclimatize. I'd really only change a couple of things next time, mainly bring a third bottle from Big Mountain to Lambs and trekking poles out of Brighton for sure and maybe Lambs.Budduccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16832864054228484737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386444282041076441.post-59307592703635450842013-09-14T15:00:00.000-07:002013-09-14T15:03:38.548-07:00University of Okoboji Marathon<h2>
Who's racing this thing?</h2>
I had to find a marathon that fit two criteria. It had to work with my running and vacation schedule and it had to be a Boston Marathon qualifier. I needed a BQ because I missed Boston this year, and I was happy to miss it, but not happy why I missed it (see 'The Worst Running Injury Ever'). And the only time that worked for me was mid-July, definitely not the nicest time of year for a fast race. So I found the University of Okoboji marathon in central Iowa.<br />
<br />
This was an odd race run in conjunction with a triathlon, half marathon and 10k. The marathon being the first event to start, at 6AM, though they did have an early 5AM start that wasn't publicized. I would gladly have taken that, except that I'd eaten too late and had no idea what the course markings were going to be. Did I mention that there were only 85 people signed up for the race? Given those stats I wouldn't be able to follow anyone during the race either. Just before the start I asked the RD what the course markings were, since it was an open course, and he just said follow the map on the back of my bib.<br />
<br />
Huh?<br />
<br />
My bib is pinned to my shorts and the map was so small to be essentially useless. Thanks dude. Fortunately, the course was very well marked with white arrows through all the turns and guiding you through intersections you ran right through. Of course I found all this out after the run started.<br />
<br />
Anyway, it was pretty warm at the start, but overcast, and the 80 of us that didn't start early lined up and the gun went off. I was running in just a hat, shorts with 3 gels, and my new Pearl Izumi emotions. The overcast weather was a huge boon, and while it was warm, it never got uncomfortable. Right off the start a couple of guys took off really fast, and I found myself running behind a, um, chubby dude. Now I'm not the fastest marathoner, but I was looking at the guy and thinking: 'really?' Fortunately for my self esteem, he dropped back and I found myself in 3rd, where I'd remain for most of the race.<br />
<br />
I lost track of the two leaders and never saw the #1 guy again, other than on his way back after turning around 3 miles in. So I ran the entire race alone, without headphones, which I really missed. Now, my plan was to run straight 7 minute miles so I could have the -10 minute early registration for Boston, but my gps was dead at the start and I didn't have time to get my other watch from the car. This was good and bad. Every mile was clearly marked, so it would have been easy to get on a pace, but running this hard by feel was a different story.<br />
<br />
Out to the turnaround at three miles, then back and all the way around the lake. It was surprisingly built up, and there was very little wild land to run through. There were aid stations every couple of miles with water and energy drink, usually staffed by a couple of helpful volunteers. Since I wasn't running with anyone, I kind of made it my mission to pick off all the early starters, and I got the first one about 5 miles in. I'd say his prospects for a finish were dim. Since there were only 5 or so they were pretty easy to spot. Ultimately I picked off the last one somewhere around the halfway point.<br />
<br />
I cruised around having no idea what my time was, until finally around mile 23 a fan said I was only a couple minutes back from 2nd place. I caught up to him a little while later and we chatted for a minute and he said he went out way too hard. I got ahead of him for about half a mile, but when we hit the 25 mile marker he took off, and I couldn't even try to match him since my legs felt like lead.<br />
<br />
Ultimately I made the final turn to the finish and saw the clock hit 2:59:50, with 100 yards to go. Crap, or yeah? There's no way I could slip in under 3 hours, but a 3 minute PR, at 3:00:12. If my GPS had been working I would have run too slow to get this low, but I think if I had economized better I would have gone under easily. But, I walked with 3rd place and 1st masters. Not bad for a marathon.Budduccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16832864054228484737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386444282041076441.post-55418781857058170752013-06-30T15:45:00.002-07:002013-06-30T15:49:38.155-07:00Bighorn 100I was really looking forward to running Bighorn for a couple of reasons. It had been nine months since my last 100 at Sawtooth and I'd be heading out there with my friend Jeff, and it's been a while since we've road-tripped. He'd be running the 50-mile and his buddy Denny was also coming along to help crew. We started our drive on Wednesday after work and headed out to Chamberlain, SD to camp for the night, then did the rest of the drive to Sheridan on Thursday. We set up camp quick, then headed in to packet pickup for me where I got weighed and walked off with a ton of swag. Seriously, this was about the most gear I've gotten at a race before. Afterwards we just bummed around Sheridan and I watched these guys drink while I had Arnie Palmers. My HURT 100 pal Ben met up with us for a few minutes as well, and we made plans to start out together and see where it went.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Getting the jump on Kaburaki</h4>
<h4>
</h4>
Jeff and Denny drove Ben, Tim Parr, and another of their friends and I to the start. We'd had a quick prerace meeting at 9AM, then followed the caravan 4 miles up the Tongue River Canyon to the start. We got to hang out here for about an hour in the hot sun before being prompted to queue up. I like to start a couple rows back from the start, but for some reason, Ben and I found ourselves at the very front, ahead of eventual winner Tsuyoshi Kaburaki. He also used to be the masters record holder at Western States. Yeah...we were letting him go by. After the national anthem the 160 or so starters were sent on our way for a full day and night in the mountains.<br />
<br />
I settled in with Ben for the mile of road before we hit the single-track. The field spread out nicely and I got into a nice steady rhythm. I liked it when the lead pack finally got out of sight so I didn't feel that pressure to keep up. It didn't take much running before we were at Lower Sheep Camp, which we breezed through after I dumped out their freshly cut pineapple on the ground. Then the real climbing started. Nearly four miles of steady upward ascent with precious little running to be had. It was beautiful though, huge vistas of alpine meadow and runners winding off into the distance both ahead and behind. Ben was climbing pretty strong and I just hung on. I could feel the altitude and was worried about the toll it was going to take on me. Here I was only 5 miles into it and my legs felt heavy. That feeling never really progressed much, but I was to feel down nearly the whole way up to Jaws.<br />
<br />
Eventually cresting the top of this big climb there was a steep downhill into Upper Sheep Camp, then a fair amount of traversing the hillside to the road which lead to the first big aid station, Dry Fork. I was just behind Ben, the lead gal, and another guy as we pulled in. Jeff and Denny were here with all my stuff layed out for me. Jeff filled my water bottles while Denny got my gels squared away with me, and I was off down the road. They helped Ben out and he was soon off behind me. The road to Cow Camp was runnable the whole way, and as Ben slowly caught up I chatted with a guy from Missouri. Cow Camp, we had been told, had packed in 40 lbs of Bacon, and I could smell it from a mile out. Getting there I quickly filled water and walked out with a couple of pieces of that smoked goodness.<br />
<br />
Here we had a beautiful 7 miles to Bear Camp. Much of this section was running through big fields of Wild Flowers which were simply stunning. Mostly yellow, but also with brilliant patches of blue lupine. I'm really glad I got to see this, since it was dark coming back. Ben and I cruised this section and rolled into Bear which was a horse packed in Aid Station in a beautiful setting. From here it was just 3.5 miles to the next big AS, Foot Bridge, but also 2600 feet of decent. We'd take the down hill pretty easy, running, but not bombing, as we had been the others. I could run them a lot faster, but was being careful to save the quads for the trip back, particularly for that final downhill to the road which was a good 5 miles long. In any case, this was a fast decent and we were crossing the bridge to cheers. The AS crew here were on the spot and had our drop bags to us quickly. It was still early, but we'd need headlamps, just in case (our next bags were 18 miles away), and jackets. After a quick weigh in we were off on what was essentially a 4200' 18 mile long climb.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Ascent to Jaws</h4>
<h4>
</h4>
The next 18 miles were pretty much a persistent uphill. Most of it was a gentle grade and just runnable enough to make you question whether or not you should be walking. A lot of this I was really hating life. It was beautiful out, clear skies, nice scenery, warm enough, but I just felt gassed and struggling. There were times here where I was questioning whether I had the mental strength to do the whole thing. It really helped having Ben near (he was going through his own issues). We spent a lot of quiet time for the hours it took to climb, sometimes me in the lead with him struggling along behind and other times flipped around. Hitting Elk Camp, the last AS before Jaws was kind of a turn around point. It got really muddy, unavoidably so, and the mental challenge of getting through it took my mind off my discomfort with the altitude. Upward we pushed until finally we got onto some level ground in time to see the leader charging back towards us, then 10 minutes later Kaburaki following.<br />
<br />
Finally after 10:10 on the go...Jaws. The tent was heated and I was ushered inside and presented with my drop bag by eager volunteers from the local cross country team. These kids were amped and really fun to have there. One girl asked me how it felt to be halfway done...I told her half way was closer to 70 miles. I had three different medical people ask me if I'd gone to the bathroom recently and all were concerned that it had been a couple hours, but I assured them this wasn't my first time at the rodeo and I was solid. Lights and jacket on and I was out the door.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Going down down down down</h4>
<h4>
</h4>
Now was an awesome 18 mile downhill back to Foot Bridge. This was fun in part because it was easy, no more sucking wind, and a very pleasant grade, but I got to see a lot of people coming up the hill. Ben and I picked up the pace and started cruising down the hill making good time. Everyone coming up was awesome and stepped out of the trail to let us through. There were plenty of 'good jobs' for everyone going up and for us too. I was really surprised at the number of folks without headlamps since it got dark shortly after we left Jaws. That was going to seriously slow down those folks, but a good learning experience I suppose. Otherwise this long decent was pretty uneventful, other than Ben's headlamp not working (2 for 2 on that now with running with him, I'll bring a third for him next time).<br />
<br />
We rocked into Foot Bridge and spent about 10 minutes cleaning our feet and changing shoes. It was about 2 AM and we definitely took too much time poking around here in our middle of the night lethargy. There was some carnage here too, I saw four people in chairs, wrapped in blankets and catatonic. I didn't want to be near that. So after getting suited up again, I was getting cold fast, we crossed the bridge and hit the wall. OK not literally, the wall is what the locals call the upcoming 2600 foot climb in about 2.5 miles, with another mile of level ground to Bear Camp. Just before starting the climb Ben jammed his toe and sat down to deal with it. We were both a little punchy and he told me to go on and run my race and I just left. Fortunately he caught up to me a ways up the climb and we were able to go on together. On the way up the climb, still by myself, I caught the lead woman who looked really bad, and should probably have turned around.<br />
<br />
Well, after Ben caught up we went through bear camp, in about 1:15 from Foot Bridge, and through those awesome, but now dark meadows. I kept talking to him about going under 24 and we just had to keep under 15 minute miles, but Ben was having nothing to do with it. Too much climbing left, he said, too far. But we had the same race plan, run everything flat and downhill, no matter how much it sucks. Hell, we were still able to run gentle uphills. We got close to Cow Camp (bacon central) and could see the lights of Dry Fork way off in the distance. Now, too, the East sky was not quite so dark. Clearing Cow Camp we were on jeep road and ran nearly everything on it, for the 7 miles, except the steeper uphills, including the last one leading to Dry Fork, which was a big long hill. It was really cold out, below freezing (all the plants were frosted up) with a wind right in our faces.<br />
<br />
Hitting Dry Fork I was frozen and really tired. We stood still for a five minutes swapping gear, and I'm glad the AS guys didn't see how woozy I was. I felt punch drunk leaving. Ben was starting to smell the barn (17.5 miles away) but was now thinking about that sub 24 which was looking really good. We marched up the road, with a few folks closing behind us, and got into some traversing ground and started banging out 10 minute miles on the way to upper sheep. There were only two more climbs and they were both steep, but not really long. Having a fire lit under us we cruised through upper sheep, just refilling water crossed a small bridge and did the last climb. Bam, just like that we had miles and miles of downhilling.<br />
<br />
It seemed like for everyone we passed we got passed by someone else. Some of these guys we climbed faster than, but they nikked us on the downs. But we hammered it out, running for time (besides, they were all younger than us, and no AG threat). It seemed like forever, but we hit Lower Sheep and pretty much ran right through it, with them telling us 2.2 to the road and 5 more to the end. Yee-haw. Now we ran everything no matter how sucky it was. After about 20 minutes we popped out on the road, through the last AS and started beating it out. Right as we left, Denny came up on his bike and rode in with us. That was awesome, having him there.<br />
<br />
We all chatted the whole way in, which seemed forever. I thought the road would have some down on it, but it was dead flat or uphill, and even at 8:30 AM was pretty warm. I can't imagine what it was going to be like in a few hours. Ben's feet were hurting, so I just chatted up a storm and we kept running. At long last we saw the turn onto the highway, which meant about a 1/4 mile to go. So Denny road on ahead to the finish and Ben and I amped it up cruising through the park and finally across the line. 22:23:50 after starting it off together we finished with the same time, tied for 9th and 2nd in the Masters division. Yes it was:<br />
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Ok, we didn't sing and dance. I think there was more sitting on the ground and letting my legs and stomach get their hate on for a while.<br />
<br />
Bighorn is a great race, very well organized and avid volunteers. There was a post race barbeque with free food and live music, which I unfortunately missed a lot of, and the awards pancake breakfast in Sheridan was simply awesome. If the Hardrock and Western lottos don't pan out for me next year, I will definitely go back.Budduccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16832864054228484737noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386444282041076441.post-57552113305829464732013-06-19T16:45:00.005-07:002013-06-19T16:45:42.617-07:00Miwok - The shortened versionThe shortened version applies both the the race, which was cut from 60 miles to 38, and the length of this posting because the race happened over a month ago.<br />
<br />
This was to be a big race for me. Normally it would have simply been a nice season opener, but this year it was less than three months after having a foot of intestine removed and recovering for 6 weeks with no running. Going into this I only had one month of training on the legs. I was excited to finally get back to running a big event and nervous that I was ready for the distance. Miwok would be a gut check race, literally and figuratively.<br />
<br />
I met up with young pups Christi Nowak and Ethan Richards at the airport. We were flying out and staying together before the race, then they were continuing on with a week of vacation afterwards, while I rushed home to get back to work. It was a pretty uneventful trip out to warm sunny San Franscisco and we chatted much of the way out, everyone excited about the trip. Once we landed and picked up the car we headed out over the Golden Gate Bridge into the Marin Headlands and our hotel. By the time we got settled in it was getting kind of late, so we hit the grocery store right near the hotel and picked up a bunch of food from the deli, along with the first of two 1lb bags of M&Ms we'd dominate.<br />
<br />
We pretty much spent the next few hours squaring away our drop bags and clothes for the next morning, since we'd have to get up at 3AM to do the half hour drive to checking, and ready ourselves for the 5AM start. The weather was looking good, if a little warm, but hey, that's part of why we came down here.<br />
<br />
After doing my best to sleep, I was still up before the alarm with pre-race jitters. Fortunately I had some entertainment listening to Christi talk in her sleep. Slowly, though Ethan and Christi both woke up and we were all on hour phones checking the weather out. The hotel was packed with other runners and we could here them milling about and heading out to their cars. We got our stuff in order and had what breakfast goodies were to be had and headed out to hit the road. Finding the race start was pretty easy since the only other folks on the road were runners also headed down to Destin Beach.<br />
<br />
After we had parked down at the beach we joined the train of people headed up to the check-in, only to find out that due to fire danger (no actual fires) that the start parks had all closed and were permitting no visitors. The race was being cut down to 38 miles and the start time pushed back 3 hours (as well as check-in). At first it felt like I'd just blown a lot of money to fly down here for a non-race. There were a lot of disappointed people milling about. Being too much driving to go back to the hotel and rest, we just headed back down to the car to sit and try to grab another hour or two of sleep. After making it about an hour (Ethan was long gone, ADD child that he is), Christi and I headed up to the the starting area where we found Ethan and all hung out chatting with others while slowly more and more runners started showing up. I even got to see Susan Donnelly (I think she races every race every year), Clifton, and speedster John Maas sister.<br />
<br />
Finally, after all the hoopla we were all ushered outside (it was chilly!) and up to the starting line. The start was a quick down hill for about 50 yards then nothing but climbing for the next several miles. Ethan took off ahead and Christi and I settled in and climbed together. Slowly, but surely, we made it to the top, ascending through moss covered red woods and up into the rolling prairies of the headlands. Before long I was by myself and working my way up and down up and down. The aid stations were well stocked and manned by experienced volunteers. They helped get me in and out very quickly.<br />
<br />
The day quickly warmed up and became a cooker, at least for those of us from the north where spring was refusing to show up. Eventually I made it to BridgeView with it's great view of the Golden Gate, and the farthest point out on the course, and headed for home. There was still some of the biggest climbing to come, at least the longest, but then three miles of downhill to the finish. Finally making it to the last big climb, about 1500 feet in three miles, I was really feeling the distance and heat. It was at just a grade that it was hard to decide whether to run or walk. Hitting the last aid station I took off down the hill for the last few miles to the finish. Looking over my shoulder I saw Christi come in to the AS just a minute behind me. Fortunately I had the legs left to fully bomb the hill, and about half way down I came upon Ethan pulling himself up off the ground. I gave him a hand up and some water since he was out and cramping up. Not needing any further help I went on and finished a few minutes later in 6:08:25 for 24th guy and only Darcy Africa ahead of me for the gals. Ethan showed up 4 minutes later with Christi just 3 minutes after that to claim second for the women.<br />
<br />
This was a very fun run, and I'd love to go back for the full 100k. It felt good to make it through with no issues from my surgery and still be able to get a pretty reasonable time.Budduccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16832864054228484737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386444282041076441.post-28073040818055951362013-02-27T14:56:00.001-08:002013-02-27T14:57:52.945-08:00The Worst Running Injury Ever<a href="http://www.uptodate.com/contents/cecal-volvulus" target="_blank">Cecal Volvulus</a> is a new word in my vocabulary that will always make me cringe in pain. It's not a common injury, thought it's occurrence has been higher in runners than non-runners and I've seen records going back to The New England Journal of Medicine in 1985. There aren't any warning signs and nothing to check for to see if you've got it. What it is, is a twisting of the cecal valve which joins the large and small intestine and prohibits the passage of any more material into the large intestine. If it goes on long enough gangrene can set in and a rupture of the small intestine can occur, polluting the abdominal cavity. It is, as you can imagine, excruciatingly painful.<br />
<br />
The expedition of pain started for me the evening of Monday, February 18th. Around 5 P.M. I was running home from work and had just a touch of indigestion. Nothing unusual, just a little stomach upset. Amy and I had a normal dinner and a drink and nothing seemed too out of the ordinary, though the indigestion was still there. We were in bed around 10 and I slept soundly until 11, when I woke up with noticeably more discomfort. At this point it felt like food poisoning, and I kept expecting the usual 'passing' of waste, but nothing was happening. I was up and down from bed several times and was even browsing on my phone for symptoms of appendicitis, since what I had now seemed similar to what Amy suffered through with that several years ago. By 2 A.M. I'd had enough and woke Amy.<br />
<br />
She drove me down to what was an empty emergency room at Fairview Riverside. It was an uncomfortable ride, but I was still in control of myself and managed to walk in and start getting checked out. I was here for three hours with an IV in my arm and some mild pain medications that seemed to be doing the trick. Over this time I had a CT scan and and ultrasound, neither of which showed my appendix nor the torsion in my intestine. This coupled with the location of my pain, in the area just below my navel, and the fact that I had had bowel movements during the previous day led the doctors to feel that it was probably just a bad stomach virus and I was sent home with a bottle of hydrocodone, a pretty solid pain pill. I was actually a little relived that it was just a bug, and I could get back to things in a few days. Some home we went, me to the couch and Amy to bed, so she could get some rest and I could toss and turn.<br />
<br />
I didn't get a lot of rest, and around 10 A.M. Wednesday morning, I was nauseous and having massive stomach cramps. I soon started having massive heaves, throwing up everything I'd eaten in the last half a day, and hard enough that I had a bloody nose. I was curled up on the floor moaning and crying out for Amy and eventually worked my way over to the other side of the house where she could hear me. There was absolutely no question we'd be going back to the ER. So, around 11AM we were back at Fairview Riverside.<br />
<br />
I was soon changed and back on a table, this time on my left side, since it was the only position I was remotely comfortable, and with an IV back in giving me .4MG/hour of some kind of narcotic (I sure remember those numbers). Around here I really lost track of time as the pain increased. I'm not sure how long I was in the ER, but I had one long episode of throwing up while talking to the doctor. While they double checked the CT scan and still didn't see anything they were concerned enough to want me to stay for a while. So an ambulance transport was arranged for me to be moved over to University of Minnesota Medical Center on the East bank for observation. I had it together enough to get off the bed and onto the gurney myself since it was only a few feet. Amy was left to drive herself over. I can only imagine what she was going through at this point.<br />
<br />
As I was in my new room at UMMC I didn't look at anything other than the wall. Occasionally someone would come in and want to palpate my stomach, often enough that I was getting pissed off. Yes the pain was still there, no it hadn't moved, why don't you talk to the last person that did this. One doctor even put me through that several times. Part of the problem was that each time I rolled from my side to my back, then to my side again, it took many minutes for the pain to squelch enough that it was tolerable. The plan, as I understood it, was to take blood from me again in the morning (since they already had for my second ER visit) and if there were still problems have a surgical consult somewhere around 6AM.<br />
<br />
The only problem for me is the pain meds were no longer doing anything, and I was beginning to moan and groan non-stop, occasionally yelling, except for the times where I'd pass out for a few minutes. They have a 0 to 10 pain scale you are supposed to rate your pain on and I repeatedly was saying 9, 9, 9. I remember quite vividly regularly clawing at the air just trying to grasp at something and sometimes staring in terror into Amy's eyes and begging her to make it stop. This went on for a long time, but I can't really say the exact time since it was basically a black pit for me. Sometime during the evening nurse Andrew came on duty and started going to bat for me. He gave me a some extra checks to see if it was simply bad constipation (if only) and got my pain meds bumped up to 1mg/hr. Sadly even at that level it wasn't doing anything.<br />
<br />
He eventually got the powers that be to get a surgical consult in immediately since the medication and other obvious checks weren't doing anything, and my pain kept increasing. Clearly, he said, there is something really wrong with this guy. Amy had been telling them that I handle pain really well, and if I'm screaming then it has to be really bad.<br />
<br />
So it was, around 2AM, the anesthesiologist came up to my room to help get me prepped to move and I was soon being wheeled down to the OR. I didn't really care what they did, I just wanted to be put under. Amy and I waited outside the OR while she held my hand and I wailed on, the only relief being that I knew I'd soon be unconscious. The plan was that they would do an exploratory laproscopic surgery (insert a camera and have a look around) then deal with whatever it was when they came to it. I asked Amy to call my parents when I went in. The surgeon, Dr. Harmon, came over and introduced himself putting a gentle hand on me, and I was soon wheeled off into the OR.<br />
<br />
They had me roll onto my back, then transferred me from the cot to the operating table and strapped my arms down and put a mask on my face. The last thing I said to them was that I had a really low resting pulse and I'd probably set off their alarms (as I had been all day). Then I was out.<br />
<br />
Some time later I groggily came to in a recovery room, with a nurse attending to me. I pretty much had no idea what had happened, but she chatted to me and let me know where I was and that my parents and Amy were waiting for me. After she made sure I was coming around OK, I was wheeled up to a recovery room, which is where I first saw Amy and my parents from inside my fog. A few nurses moved me to my bed and got me hooked up to all kinds of devices, and we all sat and stared at each-other. And like it had started, Amy holding my hand.<br />
<br />
I later learned that I had cecal volvulus, which they found pretty quickly with the laproscopy. Unfortunately the only way to deal with this was to open me up with a 10 inch incision starting about 1 inch above my navel and going downwards. Then removing about 5cm of small intestine, the cecal valve, and the vertical section of my large intestine, for about a foot total. That includes my appendix as well. Full recovery, 6-8 weeks. Right now, my stomach is tender and sore, but nowhere near the pain I had been feeling.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoZYFifjLh3B_AjnfUIdl6_uIrY-pryhh9nTylg0QdpFSxnwq0I6PfCHjXHk1RcXySjHEAV9hjGA8NmoshlY5GrEOxlPXTfDW6W2dJDTvyHgZ2-tOrKSFYnaHyn2njrivnEBBNb3kJmcYh/s1600/cecal+volvulus+(1).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="www.stanford.edu" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoZYFifjLh3B_AjnfUIdl6_uIrY-pryhh9nTylg0QdpFSxnwq0I6PfCHjXHk1RcXySjHEAV9hjGA8NmoshlY5GrEOxlPXTfDW6W2dJDTvyHgZ2-tOrKSFYnaHyn2njrivnEBBNb3kJmcYh/s320/cecal+volvulus+(1).png" title="Before" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What it looked like before. The purple blob is the choked off small intestine. Courtesy of www.stanford.edu.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4Yhrshz66XTwC2r5GRvLm87AnilGy3NEu2pMdHT9dDhpRKobiX9nvE2Ch3WtTCkTv0AZ4qRQA4AEji4KcEoa0VsXgizhk8NgtiE7y2FNrTk8t82pafsPl-kA13nvhGJMfwGlo6X_n2ve/s1600/14240W.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="eyewitnessanimations.medicalillustration.com" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4Yhrshz66XTwC2r5GRvLm87AnilGy3NEu2pMdHT9dDhpRKobiX9nvE2Ch3WtTCkTv0AZ4qRQA4AEji4KcEoa0VsXgizhk8NgtiE7y2FNrTk8t82pafsPl-kA13nvhGJMfwGlo6X_n2ve/s320/14240W.jpg" title="After" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The after, with the cecal valve and ascending lower intestine removed. Courtesy of eyewitnessanimations.medicalillustration.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Budduccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16832864054228484737noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386444282041076441.post-23321210263457117912012-12-02T15:35:00.003-08:002012-12-02T15:35:19.045-08:00The Western States LotteryThe entry criteria has been a bit of a sore point with me over the last couple of years, as most of my friends know, from frequent discussions about it. But it is what it is. The first time I entered the lottery it was off of a 50-mile qualifier (North Face Endurance Challenge Madison 2009) and I happened to get picked. I had entered because I knew I had little chance of getting in and I wanted to start building up my tickets. Oops, there is that slim chance of it happening. So I went to my first States not having run a hundred before which left a big question mark over me for whether I could cover the distance in under 30 hours or not. I took a risk, potentially taking a spot in the race from someone who did have the cred to make the cutoffs. Fortunately I made it.<br />
<br />
Since then the lottery has gotten bigger and bigger, and only a small change to the entry criteria has been made and that was going from allowing any 50-mile or 100-mile as a qualifier to needing to run one from an approved list. Mainly this got rid of the road ultras which is a baby step. Given the availability of 100-milers I would get rid of the 50-mile qualifier (which I think at 11 hours is pretty soft) and require a 100-miler be run before you can get into the lottery. As a pie in the sky, I'd even require that whatever 100-miler is being used as the qualifier be run in a time proportionate to a 30-hour time at Western (<a href="http://realendurance.com/">realendurance.com</a> provides a good calculation for that).<br />
<br />
So lets take a look at how pared down that would make our own small set of Minnesota entrants, currently standing at 33. (I'd love to analyze the whole list of lottery entrants, but I'd need access to the raw data since I'm not going to look them all up by hand.)<br />
<br />
33 - Current Entrants<br />
22 - Removing those with 50-miler qualifiers (11 of them)<br />
15 - Further removing those who's 100-miler qualifiers didn't match RealEndurance.com's relative 30-hour finish time. I rounded my values for this up to the next hour to keep it simple.<br />
<br />
Assuming that this rate holds across all of the 2302 entrants, applying my changes would yield some promising changes to the odds.<br />
<br />
2302 - Current entrants<br />
1535 - Those with 100 mile qualifiers<br />
1046 - Those with a 'fast enough' 100 miler<br />
<br />
Still not super odds, but way better than what we've been seeing. Granted my 'fast enough 100-miler' qualifier might be tough to implement, but getting rid of the 50-miler would be an excellent start. Given how hard it is go get into Western, I don't think it's out of the question for them to shoot for a 100% finish rate and gear the lottery towards ensuring that. I think it would be very interesting to see if the finish rate changes significantly on simply requiring a 100-miler qualifier.<br />
<br />
Cheers, and for those that do get picked on the 8th. Train hard, and do everything you can to ensure you get that buckle.Budduccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16832864054228484737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386444282041076441.post-84282527984734131722012-10-14T14:17:00.001-07:002012-10-14T14:18:11.047-07:00Nerstrand Big Woods Half MarathonI just finished a half-marathon in Nerstrand-Big Woods State Park. This was a delightful event starting at a small country church (complete with old church ladies and a bake sale) winding through the park, and finishing back at the church. This race has been around for quite a while and was very well organized.</p>
They day itself was cloudy and drizzly, but the temperature was perfect. Check-in was well organized, and my packet even had a little orange tag on it indicating I had won a door prize, some wild raspberry jam. With ample port-a-potties present I made use of them and stashed my gear in the car. It was cool enough out that a warm up jog was necessary, besides the fact that I wanted to be able to start pretty hard. Just prior to the 9AM start we all sang the national anthem in our quiet shy Minnesota voices, with a trumpet accompaniment. Then all the 10Kers and half marathoners lined up.</p>
There was a quick 3-2-1 then go and we all started off for the first 1.5 miles of road before getting to the park. The start felt great and over the first mile I picked it up and started really moving. Of course it was slightly down hill with a strong wind at our backs. I'm glad I didn't think about what the return trip was going to be like (very unpleasant). I moved pretty far up the field on the way to the park as I realized a lot of folks were not taking advantage of the hill and wind. After about 10-minutes we hit the dirt of Nerstrand and started the fun trail running. I quickly linked up with Jonah, a triathlete from the south west corner of the state. We ran pretty much the entire park section together, sometimes separating one way or the other, but never out of site, and chatting for much of the first half, until we both stated feeling the effort.</p>
It was fun winding around and after we separated from the 10K field it was pretty quiet, but there were a few points where we linked back up again and there was some company. The course was impossible to get lost on, with well flagged corners and marshals out at all the confusing turns. And with 4 aid stations, plenty of opportunity for re-hydration. It was really motivating linking up with the 10K the first time and really passing them easily. It's fun to have rabbits out in front of you.</p>
The trail itself dished up some delightfully steep up and down hills interspersed with mostly wide runnable trail. All in all, it was not very technical, but the steep downhilling provided ample opportunity for a good crash (which I managed to avoid). Shortly after the midpoint there was a lollypop section, and on the way back there was a lot of half-marathoners outbound. Another good pick-me-up section where we all cheered each-other on.</p>
Around 10-miles I gapped Jonah at an aid station, which I ran through, and I think he grabbed a drink. And I managed to keep him behind me the rest of the way. After some more fast trail I hit the road, and started beating it towards the church. As soon as I turned the corner for the mile long straightaway I could see the steeple, and all of a sudden felt like I was standing still. The headwind was nothing short of abusive. I was beating it for all I was worth and probably running a minute per mile slower than without the wind and hill. I managed to get it done, though in 1:29:52 and 3rd place. I was pretty pleased for not having really trained hard for it.</p>
The post race was excellent, with the aforementioned little old church ladies serving soup, cookies, bread and coffee. A perfect warm up on a chilly day.</p>
Props to Amy Clark, whom I headed down there with, and who pulled a fine age group victory in 1:49:29.
Budduccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16832864054228484737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386444282041076441.post-56575286241995029272012-09-30T11:36:00.001-07:002012-10-01T06:29:40.177-07:00Superior Sawtooth 100 - 2012It's not often that the perfect storm happens for a race: the weather is perfect, you show up well rested, well trained, and almost no problems during the race. This year's version of Sawtooth was all of those for me, serving up a special performance despite a painful shin injury at mile 85. I punched the clock in 22:41:02 and getting the sweetheart prize for second two years in a row.<br />
<h2>
A mellow start...</h2>
The start delivered perfect weather, upper 50's, sunny and dry. I like not having any concerns about what to wear. Amy and I camped out the night before, and though I didn't sleep well, I'd had enough. I was up at 5 for some breakfast, then back in bed for a bit before suiting up for the day. We got to the start just as my parents and brother were getting out of their car. Last year on this same day my brother was in the hospital in a really bad way, so it was great seeing him well enough to be up at Gooseberry to share the morning with me. He and my dad would go back to Duluth after the start, and my mom and Amy would crew me the rest of the day.<br />
<br />
After a few minutes milling about and having a few last words with friends the crowd moved up to the start line for a few last words from John. Then 3...2...1...and running. I started near the front, not want to sprint off the line, and soon enough was right up with a lead pack of 5. Steve Moore was at the front, followed by Adam St. Pierre, Ben Hian, myself, and Jim Kerby moving steadily, but at what seemed like a pretty pedestrian pace considering the talent we had here. All the same it made me nervous, especially since I knew the kind of speed that Ben had. Nonetheless, we all stayed together until Split Rock, where we restocked, and Steve started putting the hammer down with other Adam close behind, then Ben, with me and Jim running together. I never saw Steve again until the finish.<br />
<br />
For a long time, Jim and I cruised near each-other. He was yoyoing a lot. For about 20 miles he'd surge ahead, then come back to me, then for another 20, he'd drop off, then pull back up on me. He was being crewed by a friend I'd made at HURT, James, who I ran a loop and then some with in the middle of the night. It was largely uneventful steady cruising up through County Road 6, which was the last time I saw Jim. The section getting here is pretty hard and really the first gut check of the race. In last year's heat, this AS was like a MASH station. This year, though, I was here an hour and 12 minutes faster than last year and feeling like I was jogging. Amy kept on me that I was much faster than my plan, but it was one of those days where I was slapping down miles without trying and I felt really good.<br />
<br />
Kurt, Paul, and Mike where here to meet me, and I got a good cheer coming on in, in 4th place.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCv9U1WpBOMFirnefONZ83EQNAWxkDc2elW1yqAy7oa482PlpgdbrgYdhXxehMzgtlbR_V3qGKJW1ToydkH7ja38PCa6o7tFyF1EoqguA3EKUNgfp7uIEneiqCsT7I5fw-oX0AF3kzyZXx/s1600/IMG_1727.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCv9U1WpBOMFirnefONZ83EQNAWxkDc2elW1yqAy7oa482PlpgdbrgYdhXxehMzgtlbR_V3qGKJW1ToydkH7ja38PCa6o7tFyF1EoqguA3EKUNgfp7uIEneiqCsT7I5fw-oX0AF3kzyZXx/s320/IMG_1727.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kurt having a good time</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It's not often I get to this point feeling great, but I had no complaints. I was probably as energetic as I'd ever felt this deep in...of course as 100 milers go, it was early yet. I had plenty of time to get to Finland in daylight, I can't imagine that a lot of people have to do part of this stretch to County 6 in the dark. I was pretty fortunate to see the views from Sawmill Creek Dome and the upcoming Section 13 in full daylight.<br />
<br />
I got into Finland after the better part of 8 miles and started getting suited up for night running. I did a quick shirt change while I was at it, put my headlamps on, and headed out with Kurt for the next 12 miles.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzXRajp1ISAs7yV6VSdRMn_Awdqm7P-qbMHKCjPEc2DYpliCID9crkfUjyrdOXDUO5u0jYR2tAFNq27_SsawWJa-EBbkCBsvVFBJ8nImqKN-9N-mKhJZn41en-HkqyzbvsqMVWEoRsjZdM/s1600/IMG_1731.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzXRajp1ISAs7yV6VSdRMn_Awdqm7P-qbMHKCjPEc2DYpliCID9crkfUjyrdOXDUO5u0jYR2tAFNq27_SsawWJa-EBbkCBsvVFBJ8nImqKN-9N-mKhJZn41en-HkqyzbvsqMVWEoRsjZdM/s320/IMG_1731.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Off into the twilight</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
To rule the night...</h2>
After last year's night time pursuit of John Horns (I made up an hour and twenty on him) I got kind of a reputation. We'd find out soon enough if it was justified. I was 12 minutes back from Ben, and more than half an hour back from Adam St. P. I just kept telling myself, run your race and Kurt kept reinforcing that. Less than a minute out, Ryan Welts came blazing into Finland looking strong and fast. A few minutes later he blew by me like I was standing still. I was amazed, but given the rate he was moving, I was convinced that I'd see him again. So on Kurt and I went, now in 5th. We had a great time talking as darkness set in and midway to Crosby we turned our lights on. The temperature stayed great in the darkness and we motored along. As we hit some really rough sections I started dropping Kurt a little bit. It's kind of mean, but it is really motivating when you are moving well enough to pull away from a solid experienced pacer. But the night is mine, right?<br />
<br />
A mile or so before Crosby I came upon a runner (Ben) standing off the trail trying to find his way. I tried to call him back to where I was, and the trail went, but he found a little dear path up to it. Kurt was a little ways behind me at this point, so Ben and I cruised a little bit more of the single track chatting about his past experience with rabdo, and how careful he was with hydration now. As soon as we got to the road up to Crosby, Kurt caught back up and we rolled in together. Matt Patten was running the joint here, and apparently cooking up a storm. I was so focused, though, that I didn't realize he was there, even though he was cheering.<br />
<br />
John Horns surprised me here, all suited up and ready to run with me for the long stretch to Sugarloaf, 9.5 slow miles away. This is one of the longer, and slowest sections of the race. I was glad to have him, and we left promptly, not seeing Ben again. Thankfully, speedy John Maas would run with Ben for a while from here. I also left Ryan at this aid station.<br />
<br />
We had a good time floating along the dark single-track, occasionally hearing voices behind us. That turned out to be Ryan and his pacer, and they soon moved by us. No worries, it was late and we were all doing what we could. I was going as hard as I felt I could at this point, with 40 miles to go. This race was just getting going after all. John really helped keep me focused, even so, this section seemed to go on forever taking more than two and a half hours to get through. Eventually we found ourselves at Sugarloaf where Amy and mom were waiting. I bid adieu to John and swapped in Amy for a surprise pace gig (she ran this section with me last year) and headed back out.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately for Amy, I was on fire, and left her behind almost out of the AS. Oops, not good to drop the wife. I blazed this section out, and hit Cramer road, forcing my mom to do some solo crewing, then beat it out for the grind to Temperence. I'm glad I knew this section, because it was really poorly flagged. I would have really been questioning if I was headed the right way if I hadn't run this before. I had passed Ryan along the way and when I got into Temperence Adam St. P was still here, having injured his knee, but still moving. I left with the other Adam, immediately passing him, as Ryan got in. This was the last I'd see of either of them, which is surprising since this is where my wheels fell off.<br />
<br />
Up until know, I'd beat all my splits for the last two years. Somewhere early on here, my right shin started hurting and got progressively worse. Eventually getting to the point where I was really considering if I should drop or not. I was now in second, and the machismo made me keep going. Over these last three sections, I ran fully a half hour slower than last year's run, and I'm convinced I could have beat those times if my body had held up. Instead, I'd spend the next four hours spending a lot of energy battling some serious pain. These were all really runnable, too, which really hit my morale.<br />
<br />
So, through mind numbing pain (I didn't want ibu to cover it up, just in case something snapped, but in retrospect it would have been alright), I kept pounding it out through Sawbill and onto Oberg where my TCRC teammates were. As I rounded the lake to Oberg I came upon Brian Peterson, Paul Holovnia and one other guy out on the trail, maybe half a mile from the AS. This picked me up and they ran me in, where Kurt and Mike Bateman were waiting with my mom and Amy. They pumped me full of chips, potato and broth, since my stomach had been queezy. Then Kurt tried to rub some cooling gel on my shin and at the slightest tap it hurt so much I screamed. (If you want to worry your wife, that will do it).<br />
<br />
OK, 7 miles to go, and 15 hours to do it before the cutoff? I don't care how much I'm hurting. Paul walked me out. Yeah, walking since my shin tightened up that fast. Then onto a slow jog. He was only going to make sure I got moving, but ran the full way with me. It was awesome. He was a total trooper doing that, since I was moaning and groaning, and whining the whole time. I'd had a lofty goal of beating 24 hours, and getting to Oberg before dawn, and totally nailed that. We were only about a half hour from the finish when we turned off our headlamps. So it was up the steps to Moose, across the top, down, up the switchbacks (more than I remember) then some flat running and the decent to the bridge. Last year it was a steep decent, but some trail work made it long and gradual, which was confusing, but ended up in a pleasant surprise when we crossed the river earlier than expected. I'd been looking behind me a lot, expecting Ryan to catch up, but I'd apparently gapped him pretty well over the last 15 miles.<br />
<br />
Paul and I hit the road, and did a little fist bump for a job well done. No sign of pursuit, a course PR by an hour forty, and second place. Amy met us at the turn down to the finish, and she and Paul dropped back for me to cross the line. Oy. 6:41 in the morning and I was spent. There was a lot of cheering, since the marathoners were still about, but as soon as I stopped I started melting down and could barely register even the handshake from Steve. I don't think I'd ever left that much out on the trail before. I'd be happy with a 22:41 on any course, but on this one, I was ecstatic (at least after a nap).<br />
Budduccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16832864054228484737noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386444282041076441.post-8191604406479088582012-09-12T14:04:00.000-07:002012-09-12T14:04:07.193-07:00Superior Sawtooth Splits 2012<style> <!--
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<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cols="6" frame="VOID" rules="NONE">
<colgroup><col width="62"></col><col width="154"></col><col width="82"></col><col width="126"></col><col width="82"></col><col width="88"></col></colgroup>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td align="CENTER" height="46" width="62"><b><span style="font-size: small;">MILE</span></b></td>
<td align="CENTER" width="154"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Aid Station</span></b></td>
<td align="CENTER" width="82"><b><span style="font-size: small;">To Next Aid</span></b></td>
<td align="CENTER" width="126"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Time In<br />2012</span></b></td>
<td align="CENTER" width="82"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Split<br />2012</span></b></td>
<td align="CENTER" width="88"><b><span style="font-size: small;">min/mile<br />2012</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="CENTER" height="65"><span style="font-size: small;">0</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">Gooseberry</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">19.4</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">08:00:00</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="CENTER" height="65"><span style="font-size: small;">19.4</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">Beaver Bay</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">4.9</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">11:26:00</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">03:26</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">10.62</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="CENTER" height="65"><span style="font-size: small;">24.3</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">Silver Bay</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">9.9</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">12:23:00</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">00:57</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">11.63</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="CENTER" height="65"><span style="font-size: small;">34.2</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">Tettegouche</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">8.6</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">14:25:00</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">02:02</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">12.32</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="CENTER" height="65"><span style="font-size: small;">42.8</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">County Road 6</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">7.7</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">16:31:00</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">02:06</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">14.65</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="CENTER" height="65"><span style="font-size: small;">50.5</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">Finland</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">11.7</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">18:13:00</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">01:42</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">13.25</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="CENTER" height="65"><span style="font-size: small;">62.2</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">Crosby Manitou</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">9.4</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">20:55:00</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">02:42</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">13.85</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="CENTER" height="65"><span style="font-size: small;">71.6</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">Sugarloaf</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">5.6</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">23:15:00</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">02:29</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">15.85</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="CENTER" height="65"><span style="font-size: small;">77.2</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">Cramer Road</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">7.1</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">00:26:00</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">01:11</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">12.68</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="CENTER" height="65"><span style="font-size: small;">84.3</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">Temperence</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">5.7</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">02:03:00</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">01:37</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">13.66</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="CENTER" height="65"><span style="font-size: small;">90</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">Sawbill</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">5.5</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">03:26:00</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">01:23</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">14.56</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="CENTER" height="65"><span style="font-size: small;">95.5</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">Oberg Mountain</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">7.1</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">04:53:00</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">01:27</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">15.82</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="CENTER" height="65"><span style="font-size: small;">102.6</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">Lutsen</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">06:41:00</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">01:48</span></td>
<td align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">15.21</span></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Budduccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16832864054228484737noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386444282041076441.post-84082885114140942462012-08-04T12:41:00.002-07:002012-08-04T12:41:27.189-07:00Speedgoat 50k - 2012Optional title for this could be: "What was my safe word again?"<br />
<br />
<i>The Grand Old Duke of York,</i><br />
<i>He had 10,000 men.</i><br />
<i>He marched them up the hill,</i><br />
<i>And he marched them down again.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
<i>Now when you're up you're up,</i><br />
<i>And when you're down you're down,</i><br />
<i>But when you're only halfway up</i><br />
<i>You're neither up nor down.</i><br />
-childrens camp song<br />
<br />
The Speedgoat 50k was to be a race like none that I'd done before. It was at altitude the entire way (low point of 7,600 ft) and easily had the most elevation gain per mile compared to any of the other events. Really, this would boil down to walking this thing as fast as I could.<br />
<br />
<img alt="" height="205" id="fancybox-img" src="http://karlmeltzer.com/files/2008/02/Profile1-1024x532.png" width="400" /> <br />
<br />
On Saturday morning I rode down to the start with <a href="http://denisebourassa.blogspot.com/">Denise Bourassa</a> and <a href="http://runningmegleg.com/">Meghan Arbogast</a> at a dark 5 AM. (See I'm dropping names already. I'll try not to trip on them). The race started at 6:30, but it was warm out and it was fun to mill about and visit with people and just enjoy the pre-race atmosphere. I picked up my race shirt, complete with the tagline "A Meltzer Designed Nightmare" and a free pair of Drymax sox. I visited a little bit with Mike from North Carolina whom I had lunch with the day before and Jason Loutitt from BC who won HURT this year. As usual the time went by pretty quickly.<br />
<br />
Karl gave us a few minutes of pre-race instructions and we all queued up under the big Hoka arch. I was a little ways back from the front, making plenty of room for all the studs: Tony K, Killian, Joe Grant, Anna Frost, Jason, Gary and several others. After a few minutes of milling about here, we were sent on our way and onto a predominantly uphill jaunt for the next 8 miles. It took me a couple miles to really settle down and start putting out some good effort, since it felt like I was breathing through a straw. As I ascended the valley opened up and was really beautiful with jagged peaks all over and Salt Lake City way off in the distance. This was just a precursor for the views later on.<br />
<br />
I gabbed with some people, but the field really spread out quickly after about four miles and most of the time I was alone, and going uphill it was really hard to talk and walk at the same time. I was glad to have my tunes on for all the quiet time. There were only a few downhills on this first climb up Hidden Peak, but they were pretty sweet. The first one was a really rocking hardpack singletrack that we could all really tear up. As we gradually made our way up, largely on rough jeep roads, the trees thinned out and the trail turned onto a big scree field. It had a clearly marked trail, but made for some really slow running since it was so rough. After completing this bit, and a little bit more road was a really steep section up to Hidden peak. 8.7 miles at an average pace of 13:02. Really kicking ass and taking names with that kind of split.<br />
<br />
Fortunately the next 7 miles was largely down hill, albeit not easy downhilling. It did get off to an awesome start, though with a quick road down to the Larry's Hole Aid station, then coming out of there was a beautiful field of blue wild flowers as far as the eye could see, and we got to run right through the middle of them. Of course, as Karl would have it, after a carrot like this the stick wasn't too far behind. Coming out onto a road for a long downhill seemed pretty sweet, until the road turned into and endless path of baby skulls (loose rocks, yes, the size of baby skulls). This was an ankle twisting mess that really schooled me on technical running. The locals near me really tore this up, and while I ran it alright, was a bit humbled. After a while, I got into the out and back section just in time to see Anna Frost and Gary Robbins coming back and heading up the biggest climb of the day. This bit of road was easy and went into the turn-around at Pacific Mine, run by Roch Horton. They dumped some cold water on me and wrapped a towel around my neck while I chugged some EFS and filled up my water. Oh yeah, there was a woman dressed as a goat greeting us.<br />
<br />
I was just over 3 hours at this point and thought that no matter how hard it got I was looking good for sub-7. Yeah. If only. So I started up the 3000' 3 mile climb almost right out of the AS. See what that does for your pacing. It was rough, and starting to warm up. Partway up, it did get a little overcast. On this long climb I downed my water pretty fast and really regretted only having one bottle. Fortunately, near the top, was a pipe spewing clean mountain water out of the ground. I dumped that over my head, refilled and continued <strike>cruising</strike> struggling upward. At long last I reached the top, totally spanked, as I would be every time I got over 9000'. Then it was another steep downhill cruiser into Larry's Hole again.<br />
<br />
Leaving Larry's Hole, was a nice gentle cruise before starting the climb up Mt. Baldy at just over 11,000 feet. Near the bottom I caught up to <a href="http://www.gary-robbins.com/">Gary Robbins</a>, who, living at sea level was absolutely knackered. We chatted for a few minutes before he crept under a tree to begin his puke fest (fortunately I missed that part). This was very slow going and for the next 3 miles I averaged 22:51. The trail to the top culminated in probably a 60 degree slope that you would not want to fall backwards on. There were people on top cheering me on, and they even gave me a Mr. Freeze so I could make it the other half mile downhill to the Tunnel AS.<br />
<br />
Reaching the Tunnel was a big relief, or so I thought. As I remembered it, the climbing was done, so I asked how far to go, and they said 1600' down hill, another 1600' climb, then down to the finish. Ugh, over Hidden Peak again. It was here that I noticed my kidneys hurting, not bad, but enough to notice. I chugged some EFS quick and had a Popsicle, then started beating it down. For some reason I thought it might be a good idea to get to thicker air. Leaving the AS was through a 100m or so tunnel and nice and cool which spit me out right at the top of a downhill section. I think from here on out, I passed a couple people at this aid and at hidden peak, but no one got by me.<br />
<br />
This penultimate down hill was a little over two miles long and was over with pretty quickly. There were a few tourists out, but I could do little more than grunt at them, trying to get out of here in the best time possible. By the time I started up to Hidden Peak I was pretty beat. It was hot, but not humid like back home in Minneapolis, and it had take a bit of a toll, especially combined with being up high all day. I started to close on one guy on the climb, but once I got up around 9000' he just started pulling away. It was pretty neat getting to the top this time, as there were about 20 people up there on both sides of the trail cheering and ringing cowbells, as hands on thighs I pushed through.<br />
<br />
Another quick water load, and some instructions from medical regarding my kidneys and I could finally begin the nearly 3000' foot decent, without a lick of uphill. So down the jeep road and into the scree. I could see someone behind me a few minutes back, so was well motivated to push it and not get passed at the end. While some downhill is fun, after 4 miles it does get a bit old. Especially when you can see the finish line for most of it. As I got lower, there were more and more tourists out and about, and I even dropped a couple on bikes. OK, they were going pretty slow. The lower I got the hotter it got. Finally I hit that sweet single-track from early in the day and started traversing the mountain. Yea, almost done. Wait, I traversed right past the finish line. What the hell? At least it was supposed to go this way. Finally, I made the final turn, and relief as I crossed under the arch. Karl was there, and put his hands on my shoulders, asking me how it was. My answer was : "Before someone does that to me, we usually agree on a safe word."<br />
<br />
This was a great race. I gave it my all and finished in 7:26, only three minutes faster than my 50-mile PR. I'm hoping that this fits into my schedule next year. Karl and his crew put on a really classy, well run event. Everyone at the aid stations has their crap down and I'm guessing has either raced ultras or worked aid many times. The post race was great with Ultragen recovery drink and all the pizza you can handle. I don't know if I can do it faster, but I'd really like to give it a shot.Budduccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16832864054228484737noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386444282041076441.post-67783886300647105092012-07-14T12:29:00.001-07:002012-07-14T12:29:57.196-07:00Mid-Summer SimmeringJust a quickie here. Nothing outrageous going on. Training is going pretty well despite the ugly heat we've been dealing with. 90's every day does not agree with me, especially with the humidity. That basically requires my harder runs to be in the morning, and any other run that I don't want to turn into a grind.<br />
<br />
I've been doing a nice amount of core work: situps, pushups, and squats three days a week. It's kind of wearing on me as I've been building up, but in another two weeks I'll max out where I want, then it should get easier. On the plus side, I'm as strong as I've been since I did kettlebells a couple of winters ago. It'll help with the long runs, and especially with skiing when winter rolls back in.<br />
<br />
I'm also sitting on a lot of beer in the basement. Three batches of homebrew came to be bottled within a couple weeks of each-other. Not at all a bad situation to be in. Plus, when I get through enough of these that I'm ready to brew again maybe the heat will have passed.<br />
<br />
Two weeks until Speedgoat 50k, and my chance to bump elbows with a whole mess of superstars. I'm tempted to bring a camera on trail for some rare action shots, oh and the awesome scenery around Snowbird. If only I had more than a weekend out there.Budduccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16832864054228484737noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386444282041076441.post-44538096562584112162012-06-24T11:25:00.002-07:002012-06-24T11:27:15.661-07:00Respectable at Grandma'sThis years Grandma's Marathon in Duluth was nothing short of a smashing success for me. I had a short goal list for my first marathon in three years (in fact, my first road race in that time):<br />
<ol>
<li>Get under 3:05, the open qualifying time for Boston</li>
<li>Get under 3:10, my qualify time for Boston (actually 3:15, but I found that out afterwards)</li>
<li>Beat my PR of 3:25</li>
</ol>
I figured the last was a shoe in, since I ran that without really trying, and it was three years ago and I am way more fit this year. As it happened I popped of a 3:03:36 (204 overall, of 5800), getting all three goals with a big 22 minute PR and I felt I had gas in the tank at the end.<br />
<br />
Getting to the start Saturday morning was a breeze, despite heavy traffic, and my mom and Amy were able to park right there and we all walked to the starting area with Trip and hung out. It was warm, around 60 and clear skies, not optimal, but nothing to really complain about. I spent about half of our hour there waiting in lines for a potty. Lots of loose systems before these things, and with 5800 runners you can't have too many loos. As soon as I was done with that business I headed down to the corral and found my 3:05 pace group headed up by Tommy Neeson of Clif Bar. Amy and mom found me there and we traded waves as the last few minutes wound down. I counted it as fortuitous that 'Sexy and I Know It' was playing as I got there.<br />
<br />
Soon we crushed forward, the gun went off and we were rolling. Surprisingly, the first mile was spot on pace, so no time to make up, and we got down to business. There was a lot of banter up through the first half and Tommy chatted up a storm, making sure his 'virgins' were still with him. The miles just rolled by banging out about 7:04, which was our goal pace. There were a few bands along the way providing some great entertainment and some big crowds at road crossings. A nice treat was waiting at about 9.5 miles when a high-school classmate of mine, Cassie Chura, was waiting with her family, a big glass of ice water, and a high five.<br />
<br />
Around the halfway point it became completely overcast and we could feel a nice breeze coming off the lake and the temperature dropped a few degrees. The race was pretty thinned out by now, and our group of 3:05ers had reduced by a few. My legs had started feeling the pace by 8 miles or so, but hadn't gotten any worse, and with every mile I was becoming more and more confident that they would hold out. I had been diligent about cooling myself and taking Powerade at aid stations and it had paid off. By 20 miles I think there were only 5 of us left and Tommy said he was fading. I asked him when I should go for it if I was feeling good and he said now. I gave him a quick thanks and took off with fellow ultrarunner David Hyopponen from Duluth. Mile 21 was faster, but a little conservative, then we started really hitting it and he started pulling away.<br />
<br />
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<br />
So, I ran the rest of the way by myself, passing a lot of people and shouting encouragement to them. I was really flying by mile 24 where my family was waiting, and I barely saw them as a cruised by with a quick wave. I was cruising much faster than I ever had by this point. Things went pretty quickly running through downtown until the turn down to Bayfront. This last 1.2 miles seems to take forever, running around the arena, and the Irvin seemed like the longest ship in the world. But with a few short turns I entered the last stretch and started beating it for the line. I had a nice quick sprint against another guy, whom I one stepped and...done. He was excited and gave me a hug as soon as we crossed. Awesome.<br />
<br />
All goals met, a fine day of running, and I found how much fun a marathon can really be. And hopefully I can fit Boston in next year.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM7z4X1y5H18OnICUcJuqJkRwKr0Y2zRV5MuDodE1CKYV4j1sxA-GlMsr56_o7H3tcO8loSzp88r2qwWEAb2IAz4rbg7dVHMUvgWEen4YiVluIuu4aj07pV6opkFphZm4tFE_dLWos_GTi/s1600/IMG_1485.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM7z4X1y5H18OnICUcJuqJkRwKr0Y2zRV5MuDodE1CKYV4j1sxA-GlMsr56_o7H3tcO8loSzp88r2qwWEAb2IAz4rbg7dVHMUvgWEen4YiVluIuu4aj07pV6opkFphZm4tFE_dLWos_GTi/s400/IMG_1485.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Budduccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16832864054228484737noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386444282041076441.post-57149995650692000912012-05-16T17:00:00.000-07:002012-05-17T04:33:32.658-07:00Ice Age 50-Miler 2012 RecapI signed up for this race on a lark, I'd been focused on 100-milers for the last two years, so it had been quite a while since I'd done a 50-miler. A lot of the fun at this race would be watching the top guys really go after it, since some national class talent would be vying for the title.<br />
<br />
Race day dawned mostly dry, just a couple of sprinkles on the way to the start, but nothing during the rest of the day. It was about 60 degrees out, a little warmer than predicted, but it was overcast so we wouldn't have to deal with the sun for most of the day. As usual, at the start the energy was high, as all the racers were getting amped up to test themselves. I sought out other friends that I knew would be there, including the five other guys on the TCRC team. <a href="http://blogoftraining.blogspot.com/">Matt</a> and I bumped into each-other while we were lining up. I also said hey to eventual women's champion Denise Bourassa whom I had met out at HURT in January. Very soon, right after a stellar national anthem, we were off.<br />
<br />
I started off a little further back in the pack than I wanted and as is normal for these things a lot of folks went off harder than they should have. I slowly made my way up through the groups for the first mile until things spread out a bit and I didn't feel so claustrophobic. I could see Ethan Richards and John Horns up ahead a couple hundred meters and spent a couple of miles pulling up on them. The three of us more or less ran the first 9 miles together back to the starting area chatting and generally having a good time. John peeled off at the aid station for a pit stop and I rolled through without stopping.<br />
<br />
Ethan and I continued on for a long time, forming a train with a guy all tatted up, Sandy Nypaver, and Denise. We were all mostly together up through 20 miles or so, then spread out a bit. The pace up till now had been a little speedy for me, not crazy fast, just a little too much. I bumped out ahead of Ethan here at some point, on the way back to the marathon point. Hitting the Highway 12 aid station at mile 26, Ben had pulled my only drop bag for me. Quickly handing me 3 gels I took off again. Just about now, I started having a hard time and Ethan caught back up to me. We ran together for a little while, but he was holding steady and left me behind.<br />
<br />
I had a rough 15 miles or so, until just after the Emma Carlin turnaround. I think I was paying a little bit for going out harder than I was ready for. All the same, I only got passed once in this whole stretch, and that was back at mile 27. I kept grinding on, going briefly to that dark 'why am I doing this' place. Fortunately going through Horseriders, Ben and Sarah, were there to spur me on. I wish I recognized all the other folks cheering, but I was a little heady and only had eyes for the trail. Heading out of here to Emma, and what I though was a four mile leg. I was ready for a 40 minute haul, but after only 30 came upon Ethan, heading back, saying it was just a couple minutes. I got stoked and beat it out, remembering this section from Kettle Moraine.<br />
<br />
I hit Emma with only one gel left, and they didn't have any. It was scorching hot here, out in the open, so I filled my water and beat it out of there. Fortunately the aid stations were so close that the one gel was more than adequate to make it back to horse riders. I got in here to more cheers, quickly stocked up and headed out. Now, with only 7 miles to go I was smelling the barn. I was really starting to see lots of folks headed out to the turnaround too.<br />
<br />
This whole stretch back I started feeling stronger and stronger, knowing I could readily spend whatever I had left. I picked it up and started running as hard as I could, and powerhiking the ups. I think in these last few miles I picked up another 5 spots. I fueled up at a busy second to last aid, they had folks coming through in both directions, and started cranking. Hitting the last aid station I didn't need anything, and I'd now caught up to the 50k runners also headed in. I just kept running through the aid and kept hammering the last two miles. Getting back on the ski trails made for easy running and soon I was cresting the last hill, with Thom Patterson sitting there cheering folks on. I could see the finish through the trees, so spending what I had left, sprinted for the line.<br />
<br />
I totally surprised myself with a 15th place 7:29:05 and a 58 minute PR. I'd come into this thinking I could get 8 hours for sure, with 7:30 as a pie in the sky goal, but there it was. I was spanked, but totally elated to have gotten it done.<br />
<br />
Jeff Mallach did a heck of a job putting this race on. I can easily work this one into the schedule next year.Budduccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16832864054228484737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386444282041076441.post-10840881038113969342012-04-19T18:17:00.001-07:002012-04-19T18:17:41.078-07:00The 2012 BirkebeinerTaking a queue from <a href="http://helenlavin.blogspot.com/">Helen</a> I've decided to spend some quality time reflecting on my latest race for a couple of months before writing up a report. What better way to forget the low points and remember the highs.<br />
<br />
This year's Birkie was prefixed by a really long and hard running season, and by a very dry winter. The result of this was that my skiing preparation (I classic) was a total of about four hours on the nordic trak and nothing else. Birkie morning was, in fact, the first time I had skis on this year. Normally this should strike fear and dread into someone facing 54k with no practice time. Fortunately, I don't 'race' the Birkie and this was my seventh time doing it. I ski it hard, sure, but I never put in huge amounts of training, since this is my off season and I just don't want to spend the time. Also, no surprises since I'd done it so many times. Really, the only thing causing me some anxiety was the downhills. Last year I think I hit 30mph on one, but controlling that the first time out is a bit dodgy.<br />
<br />
Overall it was a really nice day for skiing. I had stayed up at the Bickford lodge with the same crew as last year. Once again Sue and I drove up together, only having forgotten what time we left last year, we guessed wrong and left late. I ended up having to run to the starting line. I didn't even get a chance to wish Sue luck, but at least I had warmed up from all the rushing. I started in the back of the pack, which was just fine, and as I waited the last few minutes I chatted it up with a guy who had about the same level of training as me. Then we were off!<br />
<br />
The temperature was great, in the low teens, a full 20 degrees warmer than last year. The snow was great, and I was on a fully supported 54k romp in the woods. Way too awesome. I basically made sure I was never out of breath and didn't much look at the watch, just enjoying my time. At the powerlines was my first test of downhilling, and it all worked out great, no crashes, and I was able to bomb them just fine. After the first couple of hills I had all my confidence back, just like riding a bike, I guess.<br />
<br />
The rest of the day was a cruiser, I felt pretty good and just enjoyed the weather. Somewhere around 40k a guy I was skiing next to said something like "I can't believe you're smiling" to which I could only respond that I was having a great time. At 50k my lack of training spoke up and my groin got really sore really fast. At least it was near the end, with less than 20 minutes to go, but it was all flat which meant kicking the entire way. Well, I'm no stranger to pain and discomfort so, like a good soldier, I pushed on. Main street was the usual craziness and I once again made it to the finish line in Hayward. This was the the first year I didn't fall the entire race.<br />
<br />
Once again, the Birkie proved to be a great, fun event. The best parth hanging out with friends at the finish, eating bar food and hoisting a few. And this is one time where there is plenty of cowbell.Budduccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16832864054228484737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386444282041076441.post-1234901435608461902012-01-26T16:27:00.000-08:002012-01-31T09:01:59.086-08:00HURT 100 - 2012There is no mistaking that the HURT
crew picked this name for a reason 20 years ago. I just wonder how
long it took them to come up with it after running on these trails,
then probably rolling around in agony. I think the HURT 100 is about
as close as it gets to being Barkleys, while still being held on a
bona fide trail. This was my first go at this race in paradise, and I
managed to pop out a 28:49 for the full 100 miles. It was a
beautiful place to run, race staff were over the top awesome, and the
course was wonderfully difficult. This was hands down the most
difficult of the 100-milers I’ve done, taking 2 hours longer than
my previous slowest time.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Amy and had arrived a couple of days
ahead of time to do some touristy stuff and let our time at Pearl
Harbor get away from us and we arrived at the pre-race briefing just
in time for everybody to be getting up and leaving. Kind of a
downer, since I was looking forward to talking with a some people and
doing that typical pre-race bonding. We did pick up Jordan, my pacer
and fellow Minnesotan. Jordan is a U of MN student and I think, if
possible, was more excited about this race than I was. The guy is a
bona fide energizer bunny in a six foot frame. We headed back over to
our condo in Kailua, Honolulu was way too busy, and spent the rest of
the afternoon prepping gear and going out to dinner for some pupu and
pasta. I’d done a pretty good job of not being nervous most of the
week, but I couldn’t hide from it any longer, I was getting
jittery. Even though we went to bed at 8:30 so we could get up at
4:00 (race starts at 6AM), I had a really lousy nights sleep.</div>
<h2 class="western">
Lap 1 (4:11) – I’m Sexy and I Know It</h2>
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<h2 class="western">
</h2>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Going through the morning routine of a
small breakfast and taping my big toes has become routine by now and
I just went through my motions with Jordan and Amy looking on. I was
pretty quiet since my nervous energy was sky high. This was to be my
sixth 100, but the excitement of race morning hasn’t waned. Soon
enough we were doing the 20 minute drive to the start an quiet
highways, getting busy only just at the Makiki Nature Center.
There were many people parking and walking up the hill. Amy drove me
to the top and let me out, then headed back down the hill to park. I
tooled around and met up with Carl and Bill, the other Minnesotans
and met a few others. Time flew by and we all lined up on the foot
bridge starting line. We all held hands in silence for a minute,
listening to the water in the river and the sounds of the jungle
waking up. Soon, with a short countdown, a conch shell was blown and
we started off.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Up a short hill and a couple hairpin
turns and we were on the the most technical climb, Hogsback. This
was a solid 800 feet of uphill to start the race, before even a lick
of downhill. Hal Koerner flew by me here, I’d only see him one
more time since he DNF’d on the first loop. That’s right, I beat
Hal at a race. I climbed hard and in due course was at the top of
Hogsback and doing a few short downs followed by bigger climbs, all
with horrendous footing. Before long I hit the legendary banyan roots
section, which we’d have to do twice each loop. It was a better
part of a mile with some of the worst footing for level ground that
you could possibly imagine. Mostly roots sticking up about 6 inches
or so from the dirt and never more than a foot of space between them.
It was either run them and suck it up or walk and pick your way
through slowly. I chose the former, and pretty much ran them every
loop.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
After the roots began a long downhill
towards the Paradise Aid-station, winding down through some beautiful
bamboo forest and decent footing gradually approaching a river and a
magnificient waterfall. This would grow to be my least favorite
section since it was so long and every step down was a step back up
this same trail, a couple mile long out and back. Hitting the bottom
of the decent was a long relatively flat trail, but with lots of big
wet rocks and not much else to step on. This went on for a solid
mile or so, eventually popping out on some paved road for a short
section to the aid station. By now I’d seen the dozen or so people
ahead of me going back up the trail, something that would be repeated
throughout the day. The ‘Pirates of Paradise’ aid station was
awesome, they had a big pirate theme going on, and as you got close,
all day and night, there were people cheering you in and out…loudly.
As I came in, I saw Jordan take off then soon hear that new pop tune
‘Sexy and I Know It’ kick out of the sound system. Awesome, he
knew I was fond of that tune and it would juice me up. People I
didn’t know were shouting for me to dance. I strutted my stuff as
Amy and Jordan loaded my pack, then launched back up the trail.<br />
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Climbing back up through the bamboo
then halfway through the banyan roots I slightly overshot the turn to
Nuuanu Aid Station, but only by 50 yards (I caught a guy later who
was a good half mile past the turn). This was a sweet long steady
climb and about the only smooth trail on the entire route. Near the
top was an great view of Honolulu, which during the sunset and
following sunrise would prove to be awesome. This climb, too was
followed by a steep decent along cliff edges, sometimes running six
inches from the edge, gradually leveling out along another small
stream. The forest at the bottom was thin and airy and really nice
to run through, and would be a joy all night, with some good footing.
At the end of the this out and back was a river crossing, with a
rope strung across it and enough good rocks that I never got my feet
wet. Again, there were a lot of cheers everytime someone came in or
left Nuuanu and the care was top notch. All the aid stations were
well staffed with a lot of people that knew their ultrarunning.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Out back and up the long climb to the
beautiful Honolulu view and a cruiser downhill back to the lovable
banyan vines. Then a climb back up to some cliff tops, this is where
I caught a guy who overshot his turn, he was pretty thankful that I
let him know (he later got his 100k buckle). There was a short
section of some crazy clifftop running and then some long downhilling
nearly all the way to the Nature Center. One loop done, it was fun,
but it was clear it was going to be a long day.</div>
<h2 class="western">
Lap 2 (5:08) – The Heat is On</h2>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I started to get my comeuppance on this
loop. It was hot, and took nearly an hour longer than my last loop,
a trend that would continue with each additional loop. It sounds
worse than it is, since almost everyone, including the winner, Jason,
slowed down tons over the course of the day. I kept my aid stops
short, but longer than normal for me. Partly the time to fill the
pack is slower than my usual use of bottles, and partly because I was
just making sure I was OK before heading out. I wasn’t racing so
much as going for the finish. This loop was more of the same
up-up-down-down. Only hotter. It wasn’t brutal hot, but enough to
take the starch out of a guy. Pretty much every aid I was
complaining to Amy how slow I was going,but she and Jordan kept
pushing me fueled and hydrated and out on the trail. It was
frustrating, but I was still having a lot of fun running in such a
beautiful place.</div>
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<br /></div>
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My legs were feeling the distance,
which is normal around the 30 mile mark, only mine felt like they had
half again that many miles on them. That made me anxious, but
happily they just kept holding out. Amy kept offering me an ice
bandana, but while it was hot, it wasn’t oppressive, like at
Western, or even some of the heat I felt at the last Sawtooth.
Besides, from about 10 minutes after the start, I was soaked to the
bone for the entire race. I figured more water on me wasn’t going
to help, plus it’d be more weight to take up the hill. This was
the only loop I ran in complete light, all the others had at least
some night or all night. That’s the treat of running a winter
race, even in Hawaii, and especially under a jungle canopy where it
gets dark fast. That same canopy, though helped a lot during the
heat of the day. There were very few sections of the trail where the
sun hit you, in fact I think this whole race could probably be done
without sunscreen.</div>
<h2 class="western">
Lap 3 (5:49) – Feeling the Love</h2>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Not a lot to say about this loop. On a
course like this loop three is probably the second hardest ‘mental’
loop. You’re tired, you have 40 miles on you, and you know every
section of trail and that you have to do them all three more times.
I didn’t have much problem heading out onto this loop, but it was
grind. Still hot, and I knew I had a lot of night running to come.
Up Hogsback again, then the roots, ohhh those roots, then down into
Paradise and the pirates. The crew had my headlamps out for me so I
saddled up, and headed back out. The field was getting thin and very
spread out. Plenty of folks had dropped and the rest of us were all
over 20 miles of trail. I’d only see a few people each way on the
out and backs and it was always the same folks. More and more I’d
see Ben and Jaime and I’d put on more than a few miles with both
these guys.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I think it was dark by the time I got
to Nuuanu, and while night running slows you down, at least you can
run in a bubble and don’t have to see much of the treacherous
terrain around you…like the cliff edges. As night descended,
though, it cooled off and all that humidity in the air started
condensing on the trail, making rocks slick, and in some places a
goodly amount of mud. I was pretty low in Nuuanu, about 53 miles
into it, and told Amy I wasn’t sure I could do two more. Good crew
that she is, she was ‘Yeah sure, OK, whatever. Get back out
there.’ So out I went with the carrot that I would be picking up
Jordan for the final two loops. My spirits picked up again on the
way back to the nature center and he was ready to go when I got
there.
</div>
<h2 class="western">
Lap 4 (6:30) – Running on Fumes</h2>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
We headed out and back up Hogsback.
Jordan was super pumped to be out there, and that was great for me,
since I hit a wall and walked most of this section to Paradise. My
quads were beat, it was late, and dark out. Somewhere along here we
hooked up with Ben (who ended up putting about 45 minutes on me in
one and a half laps) and had a good time with the three of us
talking. Running in a pack helps take everyone's mind off the pain
and fatigue. Jordan was only running with one water bottle so he was
a bit spanked when we got to Paradise and had to pound a bunch. It
had taken us 2:24 to go 7 miles and I had drained about 50 ounces of
water to his 24. Fortunately we had extra bottles for him to start
running with two.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Ben left us at Nuuanu and we headed out
after him up the trail. He was looking good and strong, he just
didn’t have much of a headlamp and that was all that was slowing
him down. Jordan and I had great lights, but I didn’t have much
legs left. But climb we did, since that’s all there was to do,
back to the banyan roots and up and down the hill to Nuuanu. By this
time we had hooked up with Jaime and ran almost an entire loop with
him. It was his 6<sup>th</sup> time here and he knew all the staff
and many of the runners. We had a great time running with him, and
we were pretty much in the same place as far as how we were feeling.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
It was super slippery heading down into
Nuuanu because of all the condensation and we had to pick our way
down and eventually across the rocks to the aid. After all to brief
a time, we headed back across the river and up the long climb and
decent to the Nature Center. One lap to go, and I felt like I had a
100 on me already.</div>
<h2 class="western">
Lap 5 (7:11) – Get ‘er Done</h2>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Jordan and I got out of Nature Center
as quickly as possible, since we’d seen Jason heading into Nuuanu
as we were heading out, and I wanted to avoid getting lapped. We
probably left a little soon, since I had an abysmal section to
Paradise, it was so slow and I felt like I couldn’t run anything,
certainly not with any speed. It’s been a long time since I’ve
had hammered quads, but now I had to live with a lack of hill
training. And the end was far too close to even consider quitting. I had
about 14 hours to do 20 miles, an easy walk in. When I got to
Paradise, though, I shed my pack, sat down and shed a couple tears.
Chalk that up to extreme fatigue and absolutely no emotional control.
The aid station guys pushed a couple of glasses of pop on me and
some potato soup and Amy got me on my feet.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Once Jordan and I were moving again I
started to feel better. His youthful enthusiasm and the sugar boost
got me over the hump. Leaving the aid station I was using a bamboo
pole that Jordan had scavenged for me, but Catya Corbet was dropping
and she gave me her trekking poles to use. That helped a lot and I
was able to push myself up the hills more and even run a bit with
them. The sun also camp up on our way out of Paradise and towards
Nuuanu and that really gave us a boost. On our climb above Nuuanu we
were sheathed in clouds except over Honolulu, where we could see the
glow of the rising sun on the taller buildings. Beautiful.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Now I was getting jazzed since I could
smell the finish, 7.5 miles from Nuuanu, but that was it. Across the
river, up the long hill, down the sweet single-track and the last bit
of roots. Sweet, one more climb and it would be over. After the
roots was a long climb up to the cliff edge and through a gate. Very
soon the bulk of climbing was done and all that was left was a couple
miles of downhill. I wish I had the legs for it, but I gave it my
all, my excitement rising with every corner. Second place woman,
Hanna, blew by my in this section, and there was no way I could keep
up, my quads were way too far gone. So Jordan and I kept going as
best we could, until the last turn through a gentle, but tricky
downhill to the finish. I remembered this section well, and I was
whooping and hollering as I went down it. Jaime caught up to us
here, near the end, but didn’t pass and held on a minute or two
back.</div>
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Crossing the start/finish bridge into
the nature center I was hollering and I could feel that finish line
shiver all over as I did a quick little switchback and headed
straight for the finish sign “We Wouldn’t Want It To Be Easy”,
kissing it for my finish.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Finisher shirts and buckles where
handed out right there as soon as we were done. Plus lots of hugs.
Ben came up to congratulate me with a hug and we were both there for
Jamey when he finished just a minute later.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I can’t describe how it felt to
finish HURT, probably about as excited as I was since my first
100-mile finish. The race was a total class act, with really knowledgeable committed people putting it on, and doing all they can
to keep you going and take care of you. They had a patrol out on the
trail for the entire event, some of them logging over 40 miles.
During the last lap, there were motivational signs all over the
place. I will definitely be back for this one, if I make the lotto
again. The after party on Monday was great, with all the finishers
being recognized and a lot of roasting. That was followed by a week
on the beach for Amy and I.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Make no muss about it, this is one hard
race. Sawtooth used to be my standard for hard, but HURT is aptly
named and a clear new standard. This is a brutal race, and it’s
hard to imagine something more difficult. For you folks that like it
technical, this is one to throw yourself against.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>Budduccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16832864054228484737noreply@blogger.com83099 E Manoa Rd, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA21.3124049136927 -157.8062438964843821.1940694136927 -157.96417239648437 21.4307404136927 -157.64831539648438tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386444282041076441.post-52057187049144623862012-01-08T12:58:00.000-08:002012-01-08T13:01:23.205-08:00Heading to get HURTIn just three short days I'll be heading to Hawaii to run the HURT 100. Overall I've been feeling pretty good and running strong. I just got a slight cold the other day and that's not doing anything for my stress level. Hopefully it tapers off quickly, but until then, lots of water and sleep and hope for the best. I'll run no matter what condition I'm in. I think the hardest part will be no caffeine nor beer for the next week.<br /><br />One day of rumble in the jungle, and a week on the beaches. Can't really be beat.Budduccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16832864054228484737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386444282041076441.post-50914653568382419262011-12-08T09:42:00.000-08:002011-12-08T09:43:58.599-08:00The Year in ReviewThis post is actually up on the Wilderness Athlete site. Clicky to see it:<br /><br /><a href="http://wildernessathlete.com/blog/11-12-04/Reflections_on_the_Gnarly_Bandit.aspx">http://wildernessathlete.com/blog/11-12-04/Reflections_on_the_Gnarly_Bandit.aspx</a>Budduccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16832864054228484737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386444282041076441.post-67467057685266470122011-10-23T10:31:00.000-07:002011-10-23T13:31:40.094-07:00Wild Duluth 100k - 2011This final event in the Gnarly Bandit series was a brutal one, and a tough haul for me. It was a beautiful race, but I had to work for most of it, and only had 'flow' for relatively short periods of time. It was really a test of mental fortitude, dealing with being off course several times, and just not feeling good. Overall I finished 4th, 3rd guy, in 12:11:00. Thanks Andy and Kim for a great event and finally breaking my back this year.<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />The Start<br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">We would have to begin this one in the dark, starting at 6AM on a chilly Saturday morning. It was in the low 40's when everyone started showing up in Bayfront Park and queuing up for the two bathrooms. I was down there plenty early and chatted with a bunch of folks before Andy made us all go out into the cold and dark.<br /><br />About 60 of us lined up for a few last minute instructions, the ones about staying on course didn't stick with me, and we were soon off. Andy leading us for the first quarter mile or so, where Chris and I took the lead and led the pack down the street, across the highway and onto the trail leading up to Enger Tower. I felt good for these first few miles and slowly drifted back a few places instead of pushing it early on. In just a few minutes we were cruising past the peace bell, which I gave a good ring too, enjoying the deep hum of the bell in the darkness.<br /><br />I knew the first 10 miles of the course pretty well, having run it a couple of times, but as I got to Spirit Mountain I received my first blow of the day; at a well marked corner I kept my head down and proceeded to run a few hundred yards the wrong way and ended up in a parking lot for the ski hill, losing me precious time. This detour alone was enough cost me the six minutes that put me in fourth instead of second at the end. Such is the price of not looking before leaping. Around now, I felt like I was running in a fog, not dangerous, but I was having trouble keeping my attention on where I was going. I got myself back on course and proceeded down hill for a ways getting closer to the Spirit Mountain Aid Station, when I managed to get lost again. This time Thom Patterson went with me, and together we figured it out, and in the meantime caught two more guys about to commit to the same mistake. I ended up running with Thom for several miles, and he saved me from a couple of mental fog induced wrong turns.<br /><br />For about the next 30 miles I got my act together and managed to make all the correct turns (until I got back to Spirit). Slowly I clawed my way back up to second place, getting into my drop bag at 15 miles for new goo and getting the party going. I started feeling pretty good now and was running well, but was informed that Chris was way out ahead, so I didn't worry about him at all, and just kept myself fueled and hydrated. I started to really enjoy what had turned out to be ideal fall weather for a long run, the leaves were awesome, and the sun warm. The hardest part of the course came and went without too much trouble as I did the long climb and traverse of Ely's Peak. On my way down I started crossing paths with the 50k runners and had a good 45 minutes of seeing these folks and getting energized, particularly high-fiving my good friend Jeff getting after his first ultra.<br /><br />As I worked my way to the turn-around at Oldenburg Point I saw Chris coming back with 20+ minutes on me, pretty much untouchable at this point, unless he had a serious meltdown, but he was looking strong. Jeff Allen and his kids helped me out at Oldenburg and sent me back out on the trail, where now I'd get to see all the 100kers, many friends among them. Right behind me was Thom, and just a few minutes behind him were the eventual 2nd and 3rd place runners. These guys were far too close for my comfort, but it was pretty apparent to me that I wasn't in much shape to fend off anyone. I felt pretty good for the next 10 miles or so, helped out by passing so many people on the trail, but then the wheels slowly came off and I had to struggle to bring it home.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Gettin' it done</span><br />I was feeling well, but just before the aid station prior to going back over Ely's peak I just felt abused. Val and Jen made sure I was ok, which I was, but feeling more like I was 80% there. Val got me going telling me to run happy. I sure did my best, but it was a grind for the next 4 hours, through which I didn't have much inspired running. I committed to running everything flat and down, no matter how miserable I felt, and ended up hiking more uphills than I normally would have. As it was I worked myself aid station by aid station back home.<br /><br />Again just before getting to Spirit Mountain I missed a turn and ran a couple hundred yards before turning around to find where it was. Shortly after leaving the aid station, where the venerable Donny got me situated and on my way, I dropped to fourth. I ran with the couple that passed me for a while, but couldn't hang with them on the ups and slowly dropped off. They were both looking really good. 2 Aid stations to go.<br /><br />Amy was at the next aid station, the second to last one, having finished her first trail half marathon. She snapped some pictures and sent me on my way. I was really familiar with the trail now, and ground it out, passing an older guy walking in the 50k. I was glad to see he got it done, and he seemed in good spirits when I passed him. Jeff was waiting at a road crossing, already done with his 50k and he cheered me on across the road on onto the last aid station. I finally made it to the last aid, with only 5k to go, I kindly declined their blueberry pie, and hit the road, just wanting to finish.<br /><br />Despite not feeling good, I gave it my all and pushed it all the way home, trying to meet a tertiary goal of being done before sunset. I cruised past Twin Ponds, and started smelling the barn as soon as I hit the gravel path leading up to Enger. Jeff was up here, too, and I hammered up and over the top to begin the mile long down hill to Bayfront. I came uncorked here bombing the hills and passing one other 50ker just getting close to finishing, herself. Across point of rocks and the last little decent put me out on Michigan Street. Fortunately there was not traffic and I shot across it, dumping my water bottle out and running hard enough to get a side ache. I could see the finish now, and kept rolling, passing Amy shooting pictures and rounding into the finish stretch. I smiled all the way to the end, jumping over the finish yelling "Gnarly" and finishing a journey that began in April.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8cM1aESC3VuXPTlqqCnggyBz8gbrqkOrJk_mXtC-U3-1vQT5dbOrFAbQcwl_oDD2mkkO1-CEi5CSJjanw2SzmXcpy-U0_FSvFOgsZ98ihyGfjWP7X44KHAkeIPHzT4-Pn7fr6eLbL-k7M/s1600/IMG_0179.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 172px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8cM1aESC3VuXPTlqqCnggyBz8gbrqkOrJk_mXtC-U3-1vQT5dbOrFAbQcwl_oDD2mkkO1-CEi5CSJjanw2SzmXcpy-U0_FSvFOgsZ98ihyGfjWP7X44KHAkeIPHzT4-Pn7fr6eLbL-k7M/s320/IMG_0179.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5666787560087151826" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">The End of a long journey.<br /></span></div><br />It was a satisfying day on the trail, despite my mistakes and the way I felt. It's hard to beat a fall day on the SHT. It was immensely relieving and gratifying to finish of the Gnarly Bandit. Sadly I was the only finisher of it, Darryl Saari having had to bow out at Sawtooth. What a great journey though, and one I wasn't sure I'd complete.Budduccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16832864054228484737noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386444282041076441.post-46175195036684011022011-09-22T20:06:00.000-07:002011-09-22T20:10:58.551-07:00Superior Sawtooth Splits<div style="text-align: center;"><style>body, div, table, thead, tbody, tfoot, tr, th, td, p { font-family: "Arial"; font-size: x-small; }</style> </div><table style="text-align: left; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" cols="9" frame="VOID" rules="NONE" border="0" cellspacing="0"> <colgroup><col width="62"><col width="153"><col width="81"><col width="81"><col width="81"><col width="90"><col width="81"><col width="81"><col width="92"></colgroup> <tbody> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;" height="65" width="62"><b><span style="font-size:100%;">MILE</span></b></td> <td style="text-align: center;" width="153"><b><span style="font-size:100%;">Aid Station</span></b></td> <td style="text-align: center;" width="81"><b><span style="font-size:100%;">To Next Aid</span></b></td> <td style="text-align: center;" width="81"><meta equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><b><span style="font-size:100%;">Time In 2010</span></b></td> <td style="text-align: center;" width="81"><b><span style="font-size:100%;">Split<br />2010</span></b></td> <td style="text-align: center;" width="90"><b><span style="font-size:100%;">min/mile<br />2010</span></b></td> <td style="text-align: center;" width="81"><b><span style="font-size:100%;">Time In<br />2011</span></b></td> <td style="text-align: center;" width="81"><b><span style="font-size:100%;">Split<br />2011</span></b></td> <td style="text-align: center;" width="92"><b><span style="font-size:100%;">min/mile<br />2011</span></b></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;" height="65"><span style="font-size:100%;">0</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Gooseberry</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">19.4</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">08:00:00</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">08:00:00</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;" height="65"><span style="font-size:100%;">19.4</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Beaver Bay</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">4.9</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">11:38:00</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">03:38</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">11.24</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">11:45:00</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">03:45</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">11.6</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;" height="65"><span style="font-size:100%;">24.3</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Silver Bay</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">9.9</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">12:40:00</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">01:02</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">12.65</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">12:55:00</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">01:10</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">14.29</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;" height="65"><span style="font-size:100%;">34.2</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Tettegouche</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">8.6</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">14:46:00</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">02:06</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">12.73</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">15:19:00</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">02:24</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">14.55</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;" height="65"><span style="font-size:100%;">42.8</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">County Road 6</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">7.7</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">16:57:00</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">02:11</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">15.23</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">17:43:00</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">02:24</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">16.74</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;" height="65"><span style="font-size:100%;">50.5</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Finland</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">11.7</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">18:39:00</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">01:42</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">13.25</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">19:29:00</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">01:46</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">13.77</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;" height="65"><span style="font-size:100%;">62.2</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Crosby Manitou</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">9.4</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">21:52:00</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">03:13</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">16.5</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">22:26:00</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">02:57</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">15.13</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;" height="65"><span style="font-size:100%;">71.6</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Sugarloaf</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">5.6</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">00:54:00</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">03:02</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">19.36</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">00:55:00</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">02:29</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">15.85</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;" height="65"><span style="font-size:100%;">77.2</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Cramer Road</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">7.1</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">02:45:00</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">01:51</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">19.82</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">02:19:00</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">01:24</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">15</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;" height="65"><span style="font-size:100%;">84.3</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Temperence</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">5.7</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">05:09:00</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">02:24</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">20.28</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">04:12:00</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">01:53</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">15.92</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;" height="65"><span style="font-size:100%;">90</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Sawbill</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">5.5</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">07:03:00</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">01:54</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">20</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">05:26:00</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">01:14</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">12.98</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;" height="65"><span style="font-size:100%;">95.5</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Oberg Mountain</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">7.1</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">08:49:00</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">01:46</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">19.27</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">06:41:00</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">01:15</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">13.64</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;" height="65"><span style="font-size:100%;">102.6</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Lutsen</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">10:58:00</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">02:09</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">18.17</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">08:20:00</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">01:39</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">13.94</span></td> </tr> </tbody> </table>Budduccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16832864054228484737noreply@blogger.com5