In order to kick ass you must first lift a foot.

I like to think of Ultra runs as mobile picnics.  Ask anyone why they run and it doesn't take long for the reason, "so I can eat more!" to come up.  I'm no different.  I love to eat.  Any reason to do it more is good enough for me.  But my good friend Tim reminded me lately that it's not that easy.  Eating can be very challenging when covering vast distances over difficult terrain and something that if not given the proper attention can ruin your day.  I'm not going to get into the physiology of running- I think you get that.  You burn calories when you run and when you deplete your glycogen stores your body protests.  Sure, running slower can help, but in the end you need to fuel your body.  You've heard the phrase, "don't get behind on your nutrition" but sometimes you just do.  It's challenging to eat when you're working hard.  Your stomach protests and won't absorb calories.  It happens.  A lot of stuff happens running 100 miles.  You can't escape it and eventually you're not going to have a great day.  Because let's face it- that's what it takes to get 100 miles done...a pretty freakin' awesome day where a lot of shit conspires and you cross the finish line.  I think sometimes we forget that.  We take stuff for granted every day and it's good, once in awhile, to be reminded of just how special life is...just how special our sport is.  And, how cool it is to have the opportunity just to attempt to run 100 miles.  I know it's not always easy to accept defeat.  I've DNF'd my last 4 attempts at the distance, however what they say is true: you learn the most from the one's you don't finish.  (I've learned I like to sit down and cry at mile 86) : (

You analyze, critique, break it down and figure out what went wrong and what you're going to do different next time.  So yes, if you get behind on your nutrition you will likely not do well.  Your body will shut down.  If you're blessed to have the gift of speed you can sit in an aid station for an hour sipping broth and slowly eating solid food until eventually you're ready to go.  But- for a manatee or a turtle- that is a luxury we cannot afford.  We must keep moving or be swept up by the great equalizer of time. 

So, in light of our mistakes or missteps or misfortune with our stomachs, let us remember this- Let us remember to when we started. When it all began.  When we had the audacity to believe in the unknown.  The belief that we could achieve greatness and do something that not long before wasn't even on the radar.  When I think back I think of Craig.  As I was helping put shoes away in his store one day after classes I talked with Craig about my plans and my hopes of someday running 100 miles.  When I asked Craig what he thought- and what it's like- he gave me these words that he had written:

What it's like:

You will have to run a 50 for yourself to find out what's it's like.

But I'll tell you, in my experience, what's it's like to run 100 miles.

It's bigger than you are.

I've run the Western States 100 three times, each under 24 hours. The race starts at 5am.  It is dark.  The start is at Squaw Valley near Lake Tahoe. The first thing we do is run to Emigrant Pass, 9,000 ft.

From there we run through every Sierra canyon and over every Sierra ridge until we get to Auburn. 

We run all day.  And through the night. 

It is glorious.

Whether running across exposed rocky ridges with spectacular views or through canyon forests with sunlight filtering through the trees and onto the ferns, or across deep, cold, fast flowing Sierra streams; the experience is breath taking.

Every canyon is different from every other canyon.

Day is different from night.

Night is hard.

You try to stay out of trouble.  You fail.  You recover.

You run where you are.  You see and experience everything as it happens.

The next day you expect the entire experience to come crashing in.  It doesn't. It's scary that it doesn't, but it doesn't. 

You can remember any point of the race vividly, what it looked like, how you felt.

But you cannot get a sense of the experience in its entirety. You've run all day through short term memory. You will never have a complete feeling or understanding of the whole experience.  It's bigger than you are.

It's like life.

So Tim, don't take it too hard my friend. You didn't fail anything.  Obstacles and challenges force us to grow.  As Winston Churchill said, "Success is not final, Failure is not fatal.  It is the courage to continue that counts."  So that's what we do.  We don't give up, we train harder.  We learn from our mistakes and become better animals.  It's not always easy to understand.  Like Craig said, it's bigger than we are.  But you've got to toe the start line and try, regardless of the outcome. Because let's face it, in order to kick ass you must first lift a foot.

Happy trails,

Mike

Hittin' the road to Lean Horse 100

There's something about taking a road trip. It's a rite of passage for young Americans. Many of us have memories of spending time in the back of the family station wagon when we were young, where the goal seemed to be making good time not making good memories. When Jeff and Bonnelle(of the famous Murphy/Stevenson school of Ultra Running!)suggested at the Grand Canyon last year that we do Lean Horse 100, we saw a perfect opportunity to have a road trip and expose our kids to the great American west one Flying J at a time.

The plan was to take it easy and not torture ourselves or the boys as we made our way from California to the Black Hills of South Dakota. I took two weeks off work and would need the time to go from being nocturnal to normal. With my last day of work finished we packed the Honda Civic and headed for Vegas. We'd take 4 days to get to South Dakota, seeing a lot of cool stuff along the way. We made our way North from Vegas to Salt Lake City, DuBois Wyoming, and then Hot Springs, South Dakota passing such sights as the Temple Square, The Grand Tetons, and Mt. Rushmore. Running 100 miles is a test of endurance, but travelling across the great American West really gave us an appreciation of the adventurous and courageous pioneers that settled this country. They didn't have Cracker Barrel restaurants back then did they?

Race day finally came and the weather cooperated a little cooling down from 104 on Friday to low 90's on race day. The race director, Jerry Dunn, leads approx. 250 of us out of town on his bike as family, friends, and locals yell, "Way to go runners!"
The course is run almost entirely on the the George S. Mickelson trail which runs from Deadwood to Edgemont. Formally a railway, you can be assured of two things; there will be no huge climbs/descents and the scenery will be spectacular! The course is an out and back with most of the climbing(nearly 7000 feet)taking place in the first 50 miles. My wife and boys crewed for me the entire time. The boys would run down the trail to me, grabbing my bottles and asking what I wanted, then run back to their Mom giving her any special requests. Most of the day my needs were simple; ice water and Gu. Once I had them make me up a bottle of Perpetuem and once a bottle of Starbucks Coffee Frap. The aid along the course was good and offered the usual ultra goodies. I got to the 50 mile turn around in 11:50 where my crew was waiting with a Dairy Queen cheeseburger and chocolate malt! As I left the 50 mile aid station I was looking forward to the night and the cooler temperatures that it would bring.
I was lucky enough to run most of the day with Bonnelle who was having a great day. Her plan was to pick up a pacer at mile 50 or 60 and I was welcome to tag along if I wasn't too far ahead by then.(Her words) At mile 60 we picked up Jeff who just a week before won his age group at Leadville 100 and also received Leadman for finishing the Leadville marathon, 50 mile run, 100 mile mtn. bike ride and the 100 mile run! We picked up lights at the Crazy Horse Memorial parking lot and headed off into the dark of the Black Hills. I ran much of the night by myself seeing Jeff and Bonnelle's lights in the distance ahead. She would go right through the aid stations as Jeff would gather what she needed from "The Crew Van" and catch back up to her. As a side note, the van was the envy of every runner and crew out there! We ended up passing quite a few runners as we made our way back to Hot Springs. Mile 75 to 100 was similar to the last time I did 100 miles. It seems as though time slows to a crawl. My strategy after 50 miles was to just take it 5 miles at a time, which seems to work okay until mile 85 when 5 miles seems to take a month. 90 to 95 is even worse. The sun is starting to come up and you realize that you've been running almost 24 hours. Then it hits you...if you walk, the last 5 miles could take up to 2 hours! But I don't want to be out here for 2 more hours! So...I guess I'll run. That works for awhile, then your body protests to a level that your mind can't override. So you eat a gel and push on, trying to block out the pain and just take it for what it is.
At some point you wonder why you're doing this? Why put yourself through the pain, the mental challenges, all those hours of training? You wonder if it's worth it. Then you get to mile 99 and the finish line is in sight. You're running faster than you have all day and feeling great. The pain is gone. No longer tired, you fly through the last few turns like you're finishing a local 5k. Someone yells out, "Way to go runner" and it almost brings you to tears. Maybe you're emotions are all on the surface. Maybe you're just exhausted. Maybe you're just proud to have made it to the finish. I think it's all of those things and the fact that I'm just thrilled to be a runner.
Then it's over. The trip back to California was great. We stopped to see friends in Colorado and saw some of the most beautiful scenery we'd ever seen. When we finally arrived home the race was a jumble of memories. My feet were swollen for 2 days and I have a blister on one foot. Other than that I feel great. This morning I went to the gym and on a bike ride. I'll start running again soon and am already thinking about the next challenge. For now I'm looking forward to cooler temps and running the Grand Canyon in October. I want to say thank you to Jerry for putting on a great race and to Lisa and the boys for all their support and encouragement.

Until next time, happy trails,
Mike

The Birthday Run

Well we've made it...another trip around the Sun. 2009 is in the books and we're a month into 2010. I hope all who are reading this are doing well. I'm two days away from reporting for my new role at the DC. I'm excited for the new challenges, change of scenery, and three day weekends! That's right, I said three day weekends. I'll have off EVERY Sat., Sun., and Monday. Good for running, soccer, and family in general. I'm definately looking forward to the weekends off.

On Jan. 27th I turned 37 and so talked Bob into running a 37 mile birthday run with me. He finally conceded because the alternative would've been running his own birthday miles...45! We started out in the dark on the 29th. I stashed some water up on Apache Saddle for later in the day and got to Bob's house about 6:10am. The plan was to run around town while it was still dark then head up on the trail at first light. The more miles we got in early in the morning, the less we'd have to do later in the day. We we're going to run our "Smokey Bear Loop" and then head up the hwy to Quatal Cyn. From town to the bottom of Quatal Cyn and back is about 24 miles then we'd stop at that point for a brief lunch break at Bob's then head out to complete how ever many miles we needed to get us 37.

The snow was deep up in the shaded areas of the trail and so we ended up doing way too much post-holing on the smokey bear loop. We broke through the hard top crust and then sank 18 inches in the slushy snow beneath, cutting up and bruising our lower legs and shins. The going was slow, but it was early and we are resilient, so we pushed on. We briefly lost the trail in the snow but wasted no time getting back on track. It felt great to get out of the deep snow and onto the road.

The top of the saddle was cold and windy and the first mile of Quatal cyn was slippy, but as we descended the snow gave way to the familiar dirt and rocks. It was nice to open it up a little on our way down the canyon. We passed a couple of hunters on the trail, but other than that the mountains belonged to us. We peeled off a couple of layers at the bottom of the canyon, the sun now higher in the sky and beginning to warm us. We dreamed of lunch as we ascended the canyon back towards the saddle. Thanks to the early a.m. mileage, we had it figured that we'd be at about 32 miles or just over 50K when we reached town and our awaiting lunch at Bob's. Lisa and Holly graciously took our order the night before and would be awaiting our arrival. The downhill to Bob's felt good and we cruised in, right on pace to soup and baked potatoes...typical ultra fair and just what we'd need to finish the last few miles.

Paul and Tara were kind enough to join us for the last miles. They had taken the time to go out earlier in the morning and in true tour de france style leave us well wishes on the campground road where we'd pass on our way up to the trail. After a brief stop to read all the chalk graffitti we headed out to finish the Birthday run. The last few miles were great and we both felt great.

It is a real treat to spend the day with a good friend in beautiful scenery. We pushed ourselves mentally and pysically and were very happy and satisfied to be done.

After a shower and change of clothes we all met back over at Bob and Holly's for a Birthday party and post run dinner. Mexican food always goes down easy but after 37 miles it is even better. A slice of orange, frosty glass, and a Blue Moon...the ending to the perfect day.

Birthday runs are a great way to celebrate not only your age, but life. If nothing else it is a great excuse to get out into the outdoors and move like we were meant to. You might not be ready this year to do your birthday miles on foot, but a bike works too. Or how about a lap around the track for every year? Just do something. As George Sheehan says, be a good animal.

Happy Trails. Mike.

Transferring...for real.

Well after a 6 month delay I am going to the Distribution Center in February! I am happy to be starting a new adventure, professionally...

On the running front I ran a Marathon PR in November (3:58) at the Eye-Q Two Cities Marathon and a 50k PR (5:54) at the Ridgecrest 50k in December.

The Grand Canyon was an awesome time in October. Jeff, Bonnelle and I ran across, spent the night and ran back. Lisa and the boys drove our stuff around to the North rim. She even had the camp set up, tent and all. Love that! We ran into Catra Corbet on our way across as she was heading back to the South on her rim to rim to rim...All in all a great trip. Great company, great food, and of course...great scenery.

Now we're training for the Montana de oro 50 in Feb. In March we're going to do the Malibu Creek 50k and the Sycamore Cyn 50k. April is Leona 50 mile. May is Nanny goat 24 hour in Riverside.


That's all for now...
Happy Trails. Mike.

Title: Transfering (pending the approval of my lawyer...)

Well, the exciting news that I've been waiting to share is that it looks like I'll be transfering to the distribution center! What?? What's that?? Oh, right...my lawyer would like to add something:

Transferee hereby agrees to and does for himself and his heirs, executors, administrators, successors and assigns, and each of them, release, remit, remise, acquit and forever discharge Employer, all individual members of Board of Directors (past, present and future), its employees, officer, agents, successors and assigns and Target, Inc. from any and all matters of action, causes of action, grievances, rights or claims of rights, debts, dues, damages, liabilities, costs claims, controversies, demands, torts, contracts, agreements, guarantees, indebtedness, obligations, expenses, accountings, warranties and choices in action, in law or in equity, including grievances of unfair labor practices and of every nature and description whatsoever by reason of or in respect to the performance by Retiree of any extra duty assignment by Transferee whether known or unknown, suspected or unsuspected, latent or patent, or has at any time heretofore owned or held against the aforesaid parties or Board of Directors.

Wow. That was kind of akward. Kinda slowed down the story and stifled my creativity! Oh well, I guess that's the kind of world we live in. You know you can't buy a iron these days without heeding the warning, "do not iron clothes while you're wearing them." 0r a curling iron, "for external use only." You know that all of these disclaimers in our lives are here because someone, late for work, tried to iron their clothes after they got dressed. They were then in so much pain they took way too much medication, combined with a couple shots of alcohol and said, "well...I guess it's time to operate heavy machinary now!"

But, you know, that's what it's come down to. It's a "cover your ass" world we live in. Caution, contents may be hot. Slippery when wet. Danger, thin ice. Radar enforced. Monitered by cameras. Remove child before folding. Do not reach hand inside until moving parts have stopped. Do not use to dry pet. And the classic, Avoid death.
What boggles my mind, is that some things are so regulated and enforced and others, it seems, are up to our discretion. Who decides these things? Do you know that anyone who wants to can climb up the cables at Half-dome in Yosemite? There are signs everywhere to not leave food in your car, tent, etc., but everyday there's an incident because someone decided not to heed the warning. Then later that afternoon the same moron is hanging precariously 4000 feet above their mangled car on the side of a sheer granite face. No guard rails, no supervision. Do we really trust them to do the right thing? No! People die every year from falling off half-dome so I guess when the National Park Service gets sued there will be a waiver, a pre-requisite course, a guide, money, and it will be another one of those, "avoid death" signs.

So, time's running out people! You want to feed a grizzly bear a sandwich? Go to Yellowstone now! Want to sneak up on a moose for a good photo and enjoy the thrill of being charged? Head up the Alcan highway! But I'm telling you, someday soon we'll all need lawyers and disclaimers for everything. Remember the good ole days when you got a call by mistake? You used to say, "sorry, wrong number." Someday soon a lawyer will be there on the other end of the phone ready to say, "Unless otherwise agreed expressly in writing by both parties, this communication is to be treated as confidential and the information in it may not be used or disclosed except for the purpose for which it has been intended. If you have reason to believe that you are not the intended recipient of this communication, please contact your phone provider immediately."
Have a presentation at work? Your lawyer will stand up and say, "the opinions stated in the following presentation are not the opinions of the company...yet. Warning: Although the company has taken reasonable precautions to ensure that my client is not going to say anything totally crazy, there is a chance he will, in which case the company cannot accept responsibility for any loss or damage arising from what you're about to hear. Listen, observe, read, and think at your own risk!
Going grocery shopping? Soon there will be a huge sign in front of the store..."Warning...consumtion of the food hereby contained on these premises, without the appropriate physical activity, will result in an energy imbalance, which will lead to weight gain, mood swings, lowered sense of self worth, lack of motivation, sweating, tight clothes, and general discomfort. Proceed at your own risk." We might as well close all the fast food joints. Except for in n out!

So yes, it looks like I'm transferring to the DC. The drive will be shorter and hopefully I'll be working days. It's either a 3 or 4 day work week, so that'll be nice. I am excited for the new challenges that await me and I think it'll be nice to be out of the retail side of things. Not that there's anything wrong with that! I feel that the DC business will suit my personality and blue collar nature while allowing me to leverage my strengths in order to faciliate growth as I develop as a leader at Target in preparation for my future roles.

Happy trails,
Mike.

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Nocturnal

I hardly update my blog these days. Not that I was ever really consistent about it but when you have 2 loyal readers, does it really matter? Props to Karl and Mom! Anyway, it seems as though I'm either always tired or really tired. It is not uncommon that at any given time I've been up for 36 hours. My record is 42! That's 42 hours awake on two one-hour naps...it's not advisable. When I finally do go to bed, sometimes my mind is racing. Maybe it is some sort of survival, coping mechanism?? Either way, I'm over working nights. I miss tucking my guys into bed and being on the same schedule as everyone else. For now though I'm nocturnal. I might have news soon that that is changing...we'll see. My Mom is enrolled in a writing class which I'm very excited about. I think she needs to start a blog and post all her work. In the spirit of writing class, I'm going to write an inpromtu poem for this blog entry. For you Mom.

Nocturnal


Sun fades, night falls, mountain comes alive.
Bears roam, cars rush home, work left far behind.
Timer bells, dinner smells, wafting through the air.
Cooling now, windows open, hear the TV's blair.

New moon, milky way, summer's brilliant sky.
Time stands still, pine tree's smell, satelites go by.
Off to work, for the job, my gratitude eternal.
Waiting though, back to days, enough, no more nocturnal.

Until next time...Happy trails!
Mike.

Leona Divide 50

So...it was a little warmer than it has been the last few years. That being said, it was Bob's first attempt outside the 50k distance and so the weather was not the focus at the start. Friday we went to the pasta dinner/pre race briefing in Lake Hughes and then scouted out the road crossing, 42 mile aid station, where Lisa, Holly, and the kids would meet us on our way to the finish. I was extremly proud of Bob for taking on the race in the first place. At Sycamore Cyn 50k two weeks earlier he was not feeling stellar at the end...It was Friday afternoon when Lisa told me that Bob had contacted Glenda, the RD, Monday to see if he could still get in even though the cut off had passed and registration was closed. "What!! He's thinking about doing Leona??" I immediately called his house and Holly told me, yep you guessed it, he was out on a run!! I jumped in the truck and and proceeded to track him down. A brief conversation and he was getting a ride back to his house. "Let's do this thing!" After the pasta and a promise to Glenda to not put her through this next year, he was signed up.
Fast forward to Saturday morning. I remember my first 50 miler and the thought that I don't belong here! Look at these lean animals and their Western States 100 shirts!! I am out of my league! Bob had a few of the same thoughts, but I reassured him that he was a great runner, no doubt he trains harder than me! Lis and the boys drove us to the start which was awesome! The weather was perfect, not too cold. With hugs and kisses and some well wishes we were off. We maintained a great pace(nice and slow!) through the first climbs and were running the downhills and flats comfortably. As the sun rose you could tell the heat was going to be a little more of a factor than in years past. I ran into Jeff Stevenson and got the latest news on the house in Leadville and what he's been up to. We also ran with Conrad Daniel and Donnelle Stevenson for a few miles which is always a treat! At some point I started asking Bob if he'd peed yet? No...Okay, no need to panic start drinking.
The aid stations were great as the miles ticked by. After mile 32 every step was a new distance PR for Bob which is exciting, but I could tell he was starting to slow down a little. Are you drinking? No...uh ohh! We made the climb to the turnaround at mile 35 and not long after Bob's legs started locking up on him. He drank two bottles and took some more electrolytes but by this time the damage was done. He'd gone 8 hours without peeing and it was getting hotter with a brutal 4 mile climb that is totally exposed awaiting us at mile 42. At mile 38 he made a tough decision to drop. He was satisfied with 38 miles and walked away with a great lesson learned about what it takes to tackle the longer distances.
I left him at the Luau at mile 38 in good hands and bombed off the mountain, excited to see Lis and the boys. I passed 3 or 4 runners on the downhill and got to the 42 mile aid station at 4pm. I tried to get cooled off a little, got my fuel out of my drop bag, got my bottles topped and hit the trail trying to focus on the climb ahead. It was hard! The heat and endless switchbacks were demoralizing. I caught up with a Marine Officer who flies helicopters and we hung together until the down hill finish. I left him with about a mile to go and ran in to cheers from those at the finish line. Bob was there, feeling better, with the family and it felt great to sit down! Thanks to all the volunteers and especially Lisa, Shane, and Ryan who are always there to support and care for me!

Montrails roasting on an open fire.

Take caution runners. Two years ago when I ran across the Grand Canyon it poured rain on us the whole way across. It was cold and we barely escaped flash floods and rocks plummeting off impromptu waterfalls cascading off the canyon walls hundreds of feet above. Robert actually took a rock on his hand as we squeezed between the canyon wall and the waterfall beating down on the trail. All in all it was an eventful day and one I'll not forget. The biggest lessons I learned that day however, I learned not while running but upon reaching the North Rim.

1. Always accept rides from complete strangers with heated leather seats.
2. Don't try to eat soup while shaking uncontrollably from hypothermia.
3. Don't place wet running shoes to close to a hot fire.
Yes, my Continental Divides actually shrunk a good 2 sizes that night. I ran across the canyon in size 13 Montrails and back in size 11! Now when my shoes are wet I dry them slowly .
Happy trails & dry feet,
Mike.

Winter Training-Finding Peace in the World.

Let's face it. Sometimes it's hard to get out and run. Heck, sometimes it's hard to get out of bed! It seems that winter always brings an extra challenge to an already hectic, full, schedule. What with work, communting, kids, work, and oh yea did I mention work, who has time to do anything? But it is of utmost importance that we find those moments that answer the question, "What is it all for?". Sometimes it's a song, a moment, or if you're lucky, spending time running in the mountains.
Sometimes it is those little moments where you are completely at peace and all is right with the world. I think that running tends to be pre-disposed to having those moments because there is a point when you're stripped down, physically, emotionally, that you're more open to feelings of real joy. Let's face it, running and wearing yourself out gives you a new perspective; a hot shower feels better, a coke never tasted so good, and sitting down is heaven. I would challenge everyone to find those moments every day. Take a few minutes to appreciate your life everyday, embrace your place in the world, and renew your spirit.
Happy Trails, Mike.

Mountains, garmins, and goats oh my!

Well, I have to admit that running up here in the mountains is great! I feel so lucky to be able to train and live here! This weekend we were down in the big city so I had the opportunity to hook up with some long lost friends/training partners. I met up with JR, Wendy, Steve, Diana, Joe, Bill, John, and others for a run from the Topanga Overlook to Red Rock amphitheatre. It was a hilly and challenging 14 mile run. It definately feels nice to run at sea level! The next day I again met up with a group of Mountain Goats and The New Basin Blues at Tunnel 1 on Kanan. We ran to Encinal Cyn and back for a nice 10 mile run. After the run Jeanie and many runners had a "pot luck" affair with everything from stuffed grape leaves to ice cream! It was great to see everyone and train with such a talented group of runners. I'm definately looking forward to training with several of them up on the AC 100 course this year.
I am enjoying running with my new Garmin 405. It is great to accurately track miles and pace. Bottom line...better training-better racing.
Happy trails......

Say "NO" to Pasadena!!

Pasadena was cancelled due to the wild fires in So. Cal. It was too smokey to safely run the race, so we were out around $350 and a 4 hour drive. The good news is they re-scheduled the run...the bad news is they want us to pay again! Not the full price but half price, $40. I say nay, nay, nay! I've been in other events that were cancelled and if you paid, they let you run it when they re-scheduled it for FREE!

There is no way I'm going to pay $180/night at the host hotel and another $40 for the race. That would be a grand total of about $600 to run 26.2 miles. That's about $22 a mile! Screw that! I'll pay $50 and run Leona. That's $1 a mile! Plus I'll make Bob and Ken buy me a Latte afterwards for helping them finish their first 50 miler!!!

Back in Business

Well, it's been about a year since I was training seriously. It feels good to be back on a schedule of running some quality miles, eating good, and looking forward to some events. It has been great living back up here in the mountains. Actually, I've never really trained seriously while living up here, so I'm interested to see how I'll feel during a 50k/50miler down at sea level. I've been training exclusively up here at altitudes from 5200-8800 feet. The 5 mile loop I do regularly has 1250 feet of elevation gain, so a double loop is 2500 feet! That's good training! My 18 miler last week was mostly road running due to snow levels, but still at altitude and hilly. I'm doing 20 this weekend in the santa monica's and looking forward to running in my old stomping ground.
Happy Trails, Mike.

The Inagural 2008 Pasadena Marathon

Well, what can I say...The marathon was cancelled due to the fires. The smoke was pretty bad. I would've run slowly, but it's probably better that they cancelled it. It was a fun weekend nonetheless. Who can complain. A night at the Westin, good food, good friends, and of course family. It is disappointing not to have done the race especially since I haven't run in two weeks since the last marathon. Now I guess I have to go out tomorrow and run 18 miles or so just to stay in some sort of shape for the Over the Hill Track Club 50k on Dec. 7th.

I really feel bad for the runners who chose Pasadena to be their first marathon. I couldn't imagine the how that would feel, having done 16 weeks of meticulus training, perfecting the race strategy, building that confidence gained on the long run, probably barely sleeping the night before with the anticipation of the epic event looming only to wake up to find it's cancelled. What a let down. I hope they don't let it get them down.

For me, it was disappointing but not that bad. I think my response upon finding out the race was cancelled was, "Uh...Ohh...You want to go to Starbucks!?"
Happy Trails. Mike.

Santa Clarita Marathon '08

Well, it was a beautiful weekend! We drove down Saturday after soccer games and checked into the hotel. The expo at SC Marathon is small and somewhat obscure, but nonetheless, is a good place to get some free water and goodies. This marathon is somewhat small with only a little over 300 in the marathon. The majority of participants were in the 5k or 1/2 marathon.

I awoke at 5:30am after a good nights sleep with an extra hour thanks to Daylight Savings Time! After a bowl of oatmeal, a bagel, and a cup of coffee I headed down to meet Bob in the lobby. It was a cool and wet morning. It didn't rain but you could tell it had during the night. Basically it was humid and turned out to get pretty warm as the day went on. I wasn't hoping for much of a performance since I hadn't been training very much. Our plan was to recover as we went with a 4:1 run/walk ratio. As we got going however we decided to just run for an hour or so to warm up and then make a plan based on how we felt. Bob was very positive and helped me to feel confident. We decided we'd do what he did in LA this year. Run a mile and take a 30 second to 1 minute break just after each aid station. Before long we were 12 miles in and feeling great. We started to skip our little walk breaks although I did take a couple breaks to stretch my legs a little in an attempt to stay loose.

The miles seemed to fly by! We were both amazed at how fast each mile went. In no time we were at 18, 20, 23, and then DONE!

Fueling strategy: I tried something a little new for this one. I carried two bottles; one full of Ensure and the other Cytomax. Lately on my longer runs I've just felt bonked and wanted to avoid that. Every half hour I took a big drink of Ensure and every hour took an advil and an Endurolyte. The result was that I felt better at SC than at any other marathon I've done! My legs were getting a little heavy as we were climbing over the last couple of paseos, but other than that I felt good.

I guess you don't have to run as much when the training you do is at altitude! The bottom line is that the training we do up here is tough. Even if we're not doing 20+ mile long runs, we're doing hilly 16-18 milers at 6-7,000 feet. I was running a ten minute mile pace and breathing easy, chatting the whole way with Bob.

After the run we showered back at the hotel and ate at BJ's Brewery. One word of advice, don't drink a nutty brewnette after a 26.2 mile run on an empty stomach! I got a little dingy! Oh yeah our time was 4:40. My best ever time at Santa Clarita!

Attitude is everything.

The SAID principle states that a body will make Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demands. This physiological principle is awesome when you're putting in 70 mile weeks in the mountains. It fills one with the confidence one needs to perform at the level needed to have an enjoyable marathon. That is, it makes you think you're all that and a bag of chips...Oh yeah, I've got this. Easy money. 26.2 miles of fun! I hope all those under prepared runners piled on the medians at mile 22, frantically strectching their calves in an attempt to stave off that wonderful wake up in the middle of the night with a leg cramp that makes you sit up and scream at the top of your lungs feeling, don't hate me as I gracefully and effortlessly run by with that big smile and say smuggly, you okay, keep it up, you're almost there! After all, I've adapted. I'm stronger. All my training is paying dividends! Yeah, that's awesome. I'll tell you what's not awesome...my current training schedule. I have a marathon in a couple of days and I don't even remember the last time I ran over 15 miles. Add to that a dash of sleep deprivation, a handful of inproper nutrition, and a rounded spoonful of dehydration and you've got the perfect recipe for a painful day! Granted if you read my post from the leona divide 50 mile race this year you'll see it's filled with the same type of Debbie Downer sentiment. What's that, how'd I do in that race?? Oh, better than the year before! I know it doesn't make sense. More training=worse time?? Well, in fact that might not be too crazy of a concept. There is also a thing call over training. Not only are you more prone to injury, but mentally you can get fried. And that right there is the secret. Running, like life, is 90% mental. I'm not saying you can go from the "couch of doom" today to running 50 miles tomorrow, but if you believe you can run 50 miles, you will do it. And sooner than you think. You become what you believe most of the time. If you believe you will be an ultra runner you will be.

Life is too short for excuses. Having a bad day is your fault. Not your jobs. Not being in shape is your fault. My horrible training is my fault. But that's all okay. We're allowed to have bad days and not love our jobs everyday and not be in the best shape. But we shouldn't let the negative thoughts impose specific adaptations on our attitudes. Sometimes it's a good idea to take life one day at a time. Like running, living life with a good attitude requires training. Start with baby steps and pretty soon you'll be off and running.
Happy Trails.

" Aha. Look what I've created. I have made FIRE." Even though Chuck Noland was joking when Tom Hanks finally made a fire in Castaway, I believe there is a little Caveman in all of us.(GUYS) It seems as though the primordal fire has not fully been extinguised and every once in awhile(twice a year for me)an ember will ignite something in my soul that says, "Take to the woods. Hunt. Eat. Run." Luckily for me and more specifically, my wife, I am able to surpress that voice, just like the rest of them, and carry on with all the comforts and modern conveiniences that civility affords. Am I alone here? Answer the following questions to see how much caveman still exists within you.
1. As winter approaches do you find your diet changing? Do you crave and consume a higher calorie diet rich in fat??
2. Do you suddenly come to in Blockbuster with a copy of White Fang and North to Alaska?
3. Do you go from shaving daily to weekly? Are you tending to find yourself suspiciously and suddenly busy Saturday morning before your barber appointment with an uncanny desire to "let your freak flag fly??"
4. At the supermarket do you loiter in front of the seafood counter...and you don't even like seafood?
5. Are you distracted with an unwaivering fascination by the most trivial things, ie., clicking a light on and off repeatedly while going, "ohhhh".
6. Do you read Alone in the Wilderness, the story of Dick Proenneke over and over??
7. Do you start to feel like Bear Gryll's is silly and that you could do that!??
8. Do you have a curious desire to want to learn how to tan an animal hide?? I knew I wasn't alone on that one.
9. Has your wife caught you in the backyard trying to start a fire with flint and steel???? Better yet, did you start a fire with flint and steel??

If you answered yes to any of these questions then it looks like we're in the same cave my friend!

Cheers,

Mike.

Update for Karl...

Yeah, I would update it more but in the last year and half since I started it only my Mom and Lis have read it. Like twice each.

Wow! Where have I been??

First of all, thanks to Bob for letting me use his internet to update this blog...you see we moved up here to the mountains and have no internet so I've been out of the loop for a few months.

The first thing I must say is how sorry I was to hear of the passing of Craig Chambers. What can you say about Craig. He was such an influence on all who knew him. I owe my running to him. He was a friend and a mentor and a great human being. I'll be writing more about Craig later. You'll be missed my friend.

Running has been going good up here. I've been doing a lot of training with Bob and it's been good hard runs. The altitude will hopefully help for the races at sea level. Bulldog is coming up on the 23rd and I'm looking forward to it.

That's all for now. Sorry to the two of you who read this.(Mom and Lisa!)

A Beautiful Day

Don't you just love those days where all is right in the world. A nice 2 1/2 hour run in the sunshine, knowing that your plans for the rest of the day are to get a Jamba Juice, go see a movie, watch your son at track practice, buy your wife a coffee(you're welcome sweety)then have dinner with family and friends. Ahh...Life is Good! It's often hard to block out the images that this is my last day off and tomorrow night I'll return to work an 8 day stretch, knowing I'll be hungry and sleep deprived wishing I...but I digress, it is after all a beautiful day! Here's hoping that all of you who will read this(Mom&Lisa)seize the day and enjoy what it has to offer.
Happy Trails,
Mike.

For Wayne

I was eagerly anticipating the 30th annual Wild Wild West 50k since I got in the truck to drive home from Leona. It is one of my favorite races of the year for several reasons. The scenery never disappoints and the company is always memorable. This year the early season rains provided a better than usual flower show and the company was as great as ever.

The morning started with a "jumpy" Froggie getting down into a track-like starting position for the "ready, set...", as the chill of the morning kept us gladly huddled close together at the starting line. I love camping at the top of Tuttle Creek, and as I ran by the tent I waved to Lisa and Shane who awoke early to wish us all well. The run slowed into a fast walk as we settled into the long climb ahead of us. Bob and Robert and I hung together as we ascended towards the portal road, and I also ran into James and Summer. We talked of running, running, and oh yeah, running!(running always dominates the first 15 miles, food the second!) I stopped briefly to lend a hand to Summer and James at the river crossing. They probably didn't really need help, but know that it made me feel good to lend a hand. After the portal road and one more climb we gratefully welcomed the several mile down hill.
I would like to give a big thanks to all the aid station volunteers who graciously gave up their Saturday to come support all of us crazy runners. A big thanks to Margaret who brought home made oatmeal, chocolate chip, raisin cookies!!
I started talking to a runner who was wearing a shirt that had the picture of soldier on the back. It said in memory of Cpl. Wayne Geiger. Pictured was Wayne, 23, from Lone Pine, who gave his life in service to our country. I started visiting with the runner, Jeff, and he told me the story of Wayne and the shirt. We leap frogged each other for the next 10 miles or so chatting as we passed or got passed. We came to the turn where marathoners go left and 50kers go right. Jeff said it's too bad I'm going this way I've had fun running with you guys. Seeing my opportunity, I seized the moment and gently twisted Jeff's arm into coming with us. He'd wanted to run an ultra, but was thinking more for next year. He was feeling great at this point, so with some quick work from a red sharpie in the hands of the aid station volunteer Jeff was now running the 50k.
The rest of the race I stayed by Jeff's side. We ran and talked about Wayne and the sacrifice he made for our country. How what to many is just another number, a statistic to help make a point, is to the small town of Lone Pine, a tragic story of a life cut short. But also, a story of tremendous conviction, courage, and commitment. Wayne's courage to willingly choose a path that he knew would put him in harms way gave Jeff and I a perspective and renewed energy to continue when the race got hot and we got tired. For Jeff and I the worst case scenario would hurt our ego, but would be nothing beer and pizza wouldn't fix. Wayne faced life threatening situations every day. And ultimately paid the highest price.
Each mile after 26, Jeff and I would celebrate his new distance PR. At 30 he told me he was trashed but we continued to run all the way to the finish where my boys escorted us in. Jeff became an ultra runner that day and earned the title. He honored the memory of a fallen soldier and inspired me with his grit and determination. I am proud of Jeff and Wayne and indebted to both for what they have taught me.
After the run we met at the Dow Villa pool with pizzas and Robert supplied the beer and wine. Peg, Lisa, Bob, Scott, Elana, Jack, Guru and I relaxed away the afternoon indulging in the best Pizza we've had in a long time. We reminisced about the day and of runs gone by. A fitting end to a great day.
I'm not sure what my finish time was, and frankly I don't care. All I know is that when the starter finally gave the "go!" Froggie led the race for at least 10 feet!
Happy Trails, Mike.